Green. Everything was green. Everything was thriving. The forest was thriving.

Even after the Firebird had unleashed its wrath… it was as if it had never been here to begin with.

All the Spring Sprite’s doing, of course.

The forest was her responsibility. Her domain. She wanted to protect it. Keep it safe. Keep it and all who called it home out of harm’s way. Flowers, trees, rivers, grass, nature… all of it surrounded the vast canvas of life before her, all of her own creation. Butterflies and bees travelled from flora to flora, while even the smallest worms burrowed in the dirt. The birds, the fish, the insects, the mammals; every creature great and small had someplace to call home.

It was wonderful.

Whenever the sun rose on a bright, sunny morning – or rainy morning, depending on how she felt – she would start anew and explore, make flowers bloom with just a touch of her fingers, even sprout the tallest tree from just a sapling in a matter of seconds, if she so wanted.

Some days, though… she wanted to soar. And she had plenty of room to do so. She’d fly like the birds, spreading her grassborn wings like a mighty eagle, colorful flowers blossoming in her wake.

And then there were times where she found something that made her stop in her tracks. Made her curious. She was always curious, however. Even for as long as she’d existed in this world, from the dawn of time itself, there were still things she didn’t know. But she would happily learn.

Things such as… why was there a human in her forest?

She spotted them on a flight high above the skies, seemingly just… walking around. Exploring. On two legs. Not like her.

That was okay. Every creature moved differently. That’s just how life is. She just wasn’t sure what brought their two-legged, mortal form here.

If they intended to be a threat to nature, to her home, then she would act accordingly.

But it didn’t seem like they meant any harm.

In fact, they looked… innocent.

Hmm.

There hadn’t been many human visitors to her forest, most just moved along without even taking a moment to spare a passing glance at all her hard work.

But this one… this one stayed.

This one stopped.

This one listened.

…She liked this one.

They stopped at a stream. Perfect for simply listening to the sounds of nature around oneself.

With an eager smile crossing her face, she swooped down into the clearing to make her move.

They hadn’t noticed her yet. Their eyes were closed, a blissfully unaware smile on their face as they sat by the riverbank, legs curled up to their chest.

Perfect.

If only she had words.

She could come up behind them. Give them a fright. Play games.

…No. She didn’t want to disrupt their peace.

Instead, she decided to make her presence known… gradually.

She gave her corporeal form legs. Feet. Landed softly on the grass.

The sensation between her toes never got old.

Still, she had to focus.

She tiptoed behind them. Eyes pinned on their back in determination.

Rubbed her hands together without a sound.

Lifted them above the human’s head.

Covertly wiggled her fingers.

Flower petals began to fall on their form, atop their head and down their shoulders.

That got their attention. She saw them flinch. She tried not to grin.

They opened their eyes. Looked to one side. Then the other. Looked up at the trees. Just leaves.

No petals.

Confusing.

But her grin only grew.

Finally, they looked behind.

Saw her.

She put one hand to her mouth, shoulders shaking in silent laughter, the corners of her vibrant amber eyes crinkled in delight.

They were astonished.

Finally, she decided to stop tormenting them, and offered a friendly – yet still somewhat tentative – wave, one hand behind her back.

A cordial, almost universal greeting.

She realized she probably looked quite strange to them, all green from head to toe, with long, green flowing, bushy (no pun intended) hair.

In fairness, they looked strange to her, too, all flesh and blood and bones and… human-y.

That only made them all the more fascinating to investigate, of course.

Who was this human?