The Sounds of Solitude (open)

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Food. That was the one thought that crossed Saphera's mind when she wandered the fields and stuck close to the sparse trees that dotted the land. She didn't entirely understood the need for nutrition since her return to the land but the people that inhabited it often searched for nourishment. But it was just strange flesh bulbs or leafy stems to her, things that were part of the earth that simply existed just as much as her - what was need that had drawn so many? People even went as far to mutilate small and large animals to sate their ravenous appetites, something that greatly bothered her. However, that wasn't exclusive to people alone, as the very same animals do the the same to survive. Perhaps it was the act of consumption to survive that confused her, for her need was very little and often sought out spiritual places to replenish herself or simply drank from various springs. Saphe frowned at the thoughts, feeling rather left out. So today, the Kokiri decided to try what people called food, foraging the fields for whatever appeared edible. That was the hard part since as far as she knew, everything was edible.[break][break]

Saphe lowered herself into a crouch, her nose pointed to a sprig of fungus. "Hmm. This is food, right?" She spoke to herself, as Bi slept comfortably in the dark crooks of the bone mask that sat crookedly upon the young girl's head. Gingerly, she plucked the mushroom from its loam and tucked it away into her other arm, which carried a variety of stuff like twigs, oak bark, leaves, an apple and the tail of a lizard she tried to capture. She looked at her gathered items and set her eyes upon a nearby hill, for something had tickled her nose. Despite her lack of taste, Saphe had a strong sense of smell and accompanied with a crisp fresh water aura was something more acrid. This ushered her forth up the hill, unhindered by the load of food within her arms. Thankfully, the Kokiri was pretty light on her feet, since she no longer had to blend into crowds in towns.[break][break]

Once she reached the top, Saphe apparently stumbled across a wild man of sorts. Of course, the strange scent came from him. Her nose twitched a bit, but she remained in place with her food items bundled into her arms. "Yo." The blonde girl called out, watching the man who apparently had a fish in hand. It seemed rather small for a person of his size. "I don't think that fish will keep you fed for long. Most people catch like a bajillion of them just to eat."

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Saphe furrowed her brows at the man, uncertain on what the heck he just said. The wild man sounded very much like a lizard with his reptilic hiss. So, in the back of her mind, was the person truly a loon, a moron or had lived so long in the wild that he devolved into this mess. Well, Saphe knew she wasn't going to get her answer anytime soon for his tongue was that of an infant. The Kokiri sat down, far enough to give the lizard-man some place and picked up on what little words he said. "Ah, bad catch. Yeah, the ugly monsters hunt and fish a lot. Uhmmm. That was a lot of words." She scratched at her head. "Pig nose beasts. Eat everything." She rolled her foraged goods onto the ground and a placed a finger to her nose, raising it to look like a snout. She made it clear to speak primitively and loudly. The Kokiri then grabbed a fallen stick and stood up, mimicking a Bokoblin. Perhaps a bit of charades will help with the language barrier. In fact, she had done so with many Skullkids back home, when they didn't understood what she tried to convey.

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"Oh. Thanks, I guess." Saphe gingerly took up the lizard-man's offering and held it up to her face for a closer look. Well, it was meat, that much she was certain and definitely smelled the wood smoke from it with a hint of char. She knew people engorged themselves with this delicacy, as it is very common as a dish among the inhabitants of Hyrule. However, in her neck of the woods, cooked meat was nonexistent. Just like her, the Kokiri children sought out nourishment through their attunement with nature, as places such as the grotto kept them strong and forever young. But Saphe just couldn't give back the offering - she already had it in hand so it was hers. So, reluctantly, she placed the small slab of meat between her teeth and gnawed at it like a young pup. Chewy. Taste burnt. Fibrous.[break][break]

As much as the Kokiri tried her best at an attempt to consume food, she gave up and held it in her lap. Saphe felt some stringy meat caught in-between her teeth. This was going to be harder than she realized and her face shown that disappointment, as furrowed brows creased further. Nonetheless, it was a good effort on her part. Then, the man spoke one word to her, which Saphe had picked up rather quickly. "Nah. Traveling. Gather food." The Kokiri explained as she made a walking figure with her fingers before she demonstrated her forage by picking up her food items. This was such a weird conversation but at least she wasn't being scolded for being herself. The lizard-man was pretty cool, even if there was a possibility that he was crazed. "Home." Saphe pointed towards the direction of Faron Woods, namely the thickest part of it. "More kids like me."

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Saphe listened to the clicks and chirps but it was all bells and whistles to the Kokiri. At some point, she had to teach the lizard-man some common tongue just for the sake of simplicity but for now, charade was the only game that bridged the divide between them. Her hazel eyes followed the wild man with curiosity, for he acted fearsome and feral, qualities akin to beasts. Then what followed was a pointed finger to her then her home nestled deep in the forest. She tried to connect the pieces, the strange mental puzzle that required more brain power than she liked. "Monster. Me. Forest. That's a tough one, pal." The Kokiri spoke openly, resting her chin in the crook of her thumb and pointer finger. "Me no monster." She feigned a snarl and shook her head, as if to communicate the fact she wasn't evil or some bogeyman of the woods. That job belonged to the Stalfos, who wandered the fog, unable to reach the grotto. Was that the question he asked?[break][break]

She leaned back, finding a spot against a tree and pondered a bit, letting her arms drop to her sides. "There's monsters. But lost. Fog. Children are safe." It was strange to speak of home. Not many had knowledge of the fairy children, for their existence was short-lived ages ago. She couldn't quite recall the exodus they underwent but she remembered the morning dew, the wet grass that glistened from the midday sun when they returned to the grotto. It was wonderful, to find home once more, safe from the ever-changing world. Yet, not everything remained prosperous. Saphe grimaced a bit, dismissive of the sickening, black miasma that crawled upon the forest grounds. This wasn't the time to get angry. The Kokiri looked back to the lizard-man and his makeshift tent, curious on where he came from.[break][break]

"Where is your home? Home?" Saphe pointed to the wildling, then stuck a finger into a patch of dirt. She tried her best to create a house, followed with a rough stick-figure that was supposed to be the lizard-man. He also had a frowny face.

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"I see, I see. Wild." Saphe nodded, taking another round at the smoked venison. This time she thoughtlessly chewed at it like bark, somewhat in thought by the stranger's reply. Home was the wilds, a vast landscape that held no dominion over them. She understood that, having spent most of her time in the wilderness by her lonesome. So, in some degree, they were much alike. Nature beckoned her, a tender spirit that often lured her to long-forgotten secrets of the world and with Bi to reigned her in from time to time, she lived a pretty interesting life for a Kokiri. Although, Saphe wished people weren't themselves, destructive and unruly to the lands they inhabit. This made her uncaring for adults and in return, they believed her to be simple-minded, unknowing of the world. Pfft. That was rich coming from people too afraid to leave the walls of the kingdom. Still, despite her distaste for adults, there were exceptions. Namely, the person she sat with.[break][break]

The Kokiri child placed the meat down, still unconvinced it provided any actual nutrition other than something to gnaw on - definitely good for teething babes. "So, live here alone. Like me. People don't like me." She said matter-of-factly, strangely proud of her last words. Of course, that was the short of it. With her brash attitude, frank conversations and sour demeanor, most people have written her off as unpleasant to be around, including the Kokiri children. But they just didn't understand the situation she was in or had the mental capacity to see the waning life sucked out of the region. "People are dumb though. No brain. Trees are better company. Nature is friend." She reached into the small pouch on her waist and pulled out various nuts. "Gifts from nature. Also gift from friends." Saphe pointed to the odd skull mask upon her head, which glowed in a low purple light within.[break][break]

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There was a slow pulsation to the purple glow, akin to the rhythm of a resting heartbeat. But no matter the angle, Bi was deeply tucked away into the nook of the mask, her slumber undisturbed by the conversation. It was rare for the fairy to sleep, but when you're the guardian of a Kokiri child like Saphera, Bi took every chance she could to rest. Saphe didn't seem to mind at all. She knew well enough her distance away from home made them both susceptible to fatigue rather quickly. This was perhaps why sacred grounds were often the place to recuperate for the Kokiri children, especially in the presence of the Great Deku Tree.[break][break]

Saphe watched the stranger as he struggled with a word, a single brow raised in curiosity. "th-sh-ta-do. dot like. dot like?" She pondered a bit, placing the various tree nuts back into her pouch. "Dot like. Hmmm. That's a hard one." The blonde girl said to herself as she arranged possible ways to describe it through charades. Of course, it worked well in this instance but such a task was tenuous at best. Thankfully, the wild man picked up on her meanings rather quick. So she stood up and tried her very best to mimicked an adult. Standing on the tip-toes of her feet, Saphe crossed her arms and shook her head in disapproval. Then, she quickly seated herself, looking up to the spot she pretended to be an adult. That was the best she could do.[break][break]

"People don't like Saphe." The child pointed to herself. "Saphera. My name."

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The Kokiri child watched as the Lizard Man had shown him his tattoos, including one that seem more macabre. She wasn't sure why he felt the need to show her that, but after the conversation had gone to a somber mood, perhaps it was related in some way. Saphe wasn't certain of this, but didn't let it bother her any longer. She shuffled a bit closer to the fire pit, letting the flames bathe her in warmth and light. It was a nice feeling, something that, again, wasn't necessary back home since the children and Deku had found luminesce in mushrooms, plants and of course the myriad of faeries that inhabited their sanctuary. Of course, their homes had little lamps but were often used with glow bugs, in which they often return to the ground once their lanterns were no longer in use. Still, to see the flames as they flickered held beauty.. and also destruction.[break][break]

Then came the most interesting part of the conversation. While Saphe listened as the wild man struggled with her name, apparently he resorted to this unusual speech, one that gave her reason to refer to him as the Lizard Man. She heard the first set, which might have been her name in his tongue but couldn't rightfully tell. However, he followed with similar sounds but rearranged differently before he motioned to himself. The lass picked that up, knowing that was name before saying his name altogether in common tongue.[break][break]

"Braydon. Braydon." Saphe repeated. It was easy enough to remember - simple. But, her mind was more interested in the clicks and pops he made. It took her awhile but tried his name in his tongue anyways. Of course, the hiss part was easy, as she often mimicked snakes and tiny lizards when they did so at her. But the click proved to be a small challenge, since it required to flatter her tongue against the roof of her mouth and just didn't come out right. There wasn't enough force to it. Then she moved on to the pop which again, similarly to the click, she couldn't quite get. Finally, the purr was the hardest for whenever Saphe tried, it just came out as a raspy hum in her throat. Definitely not the best at his language but she tried.[break][break]

"Ehh. Your language hard." The blone-haired child quipped, poking a stick into the fire. "Maybe I'll learn. Better than doing nothing."

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