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I open the door for her and watch her walk in front of me. I catch myself staring at her hips, swaying as she walks. Although she’s tiny and skinny, she still has a figure that makes me want to go wild the more I think about it.
Stop,I think as I shake my head.You know where this leads.I re-focus on the forest around me and walk alongside her, trying to stop myself from taking glances I don’t need to take.
“How long have you been interested in herbs and medicine?” I ask her. I can’t help myself; it’s like a compulsion. Despite what my head tells me, I want to know more about her.
“Since I was very young,” she replies. I notice a wide smile cross her face. “I would always plant herbs in the garden outside of our house. My mother taught me about them, and each morning it was exciting waking up and not knowing what you would find that day. They might have sprouted overnight; it always felt like a little gift once they began growing…'' She pauses and looks at me. “It almost feels like you have a magical power; you can almost communicate with nature.”
I smile as she talks, noticing the excitement in her eyes. I know what she means; that’s how I feel when I walk in the woods. When my worldly troubles get too loud, it helps to talk with nature, even if I remain silent. The woods have a good way of talking to you and providing answers, and you don’t even have to ask the question.
“That’s what I was doing in the forest that day,” I admit as I look at the ground.
“What’s that?”
“Walking, just taking a minute to connect with nature, similar to how you feel when gardening.”
“That makes sense,” she smiles at me before looking past me and gasping.
I draw my bow and arrow in that direction before seeing her run past me. I roll my eyes and sigh, realizing she’s darting after a plant. She’s cute, but damn, she’s going to be the death of me. If it’s not her killing me with her looks, it’ll be a heart attack from her sudden gasps and running everywhere.
“You can’t do that,” I begin to lecture her before she turns around and looks at me with a shocked open mouth. “What?” I ask, worried she’s found something dangerous.
“It’s peppermint!”
I roll my eyes and rub the bridge of my nose with my fingers as she turns back to the plant. I’m about to start lecturing her again when I open my eyes and see her walking toward me with the leaves in her hands, and she holds them close to my nose.
“Smell,” she says excitedly.
I lean down and smell the leaves. The strong mint fills my nose, and I almost back away from it. After a moment, I relax into the scent and smell something else. It’s her, a scent I don’t think I’ll ever forget. It’s sweeter than the mint and more calming than burning sage.
“Isn’t it good?” she asks happily.
“It’s excellent,” I respond, wondering if she knows I’m not talking about the plant.
“It’s great for digestion and upset stomachs. We can take more of the leaves back to the clan and use them there, especially for warriors who are recovering from poisoning. It might help their stomachs.”
“That’s a good idea,” I respond as she walks past me, staring at the plant.
“Oh, my God!” She exclaims from behind me.
I whip around and almost draw my bow before seeing her bend down by another plant. I grin and follow her, not irritated this time. If an animal is going to attack us, I’ll hear it, and she doesn’t need to be told to tone down her enthusiasm.
I kneel next to her on the ground and look at the leaves she’s picking off the plant. She breaks them off gently, like the plant can feel the loss of its leaves. She’s so gentle with it; I think that’s a trait I wish I had. I would rip the thing off the ground and snap the leaves off later.
“What’s this one?” I ask as I run my fingers over the soft leaves.
“This is Calendula!” She turns to me with a broad smile and laughs. “This is the best one we could have found; I can’t believe it grows so close to camp. This is what I was looking for when….”
Her voice trails off, and she looks at me. Our eyes lock, and I feel my heart race. I don’t know how long we stare at each other, but the world slips away from me. I’m not paying attention to the sounds of the forest or the sights of it; I can only see her.
Our gaze is broken by her hand slightly touching mine on the plant. She smiles and looks away from me as she clears her throat and shakes her head.
“It’s um…If you dry the leaves, you can use them in any ointment. This will do the trick if you need something to treat burns, bruises, or cuts. It’s also great for reducing skin inflammation. You mix it with some petroleum and fat, and it’s good to go.”
“Have you used it much before?” I ask as I watch her pluck off more leaves.
I don’t actually care if she’s used it much before; I just want to hear her talk more about it. I want to continue seeing her so vibrant and enthused about these plants. There’s a sparkle to her when she’s talking about them, very different from the nervousness I’ve seen in her before.
We stand up and walk toward the river while she tells me about her experiences with plants. She darts away from me every so often, and I check our surroundings. I can’t get too close to her again; losing sight and the sounds of my surroundings could be fatal for both of us if I get lost in her again.
