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Mari was happy to know that he could finally admit that games were not just child’s play. She knew would come around if he let her show him her ways. She was glad it worked. His words “if we meet again”, brought a sinking feeling to her heart. She knew it was unlikely that they would…but deep in her heart she hoped they did. There was something about Artigas that brought out something different about Mariahya. She felt different around him…a good different. Even though their chances of meeting again were unlikely, she would keep the memory of him in her heart…hoping one day maybe their paths would cross again. She just hoped it wouldn’t be on the battle field…



Mari giggled at Artigas’ reaction to the waterfall. That was her same face when she first found it all those years ago. When he turned as she pulled off her dress, she smiled to herself. He was respectful, not only brave and kind. That was another point in her book. She saw him jump at the sight of her in the river and tilted her head at his question. “Do you think I would be in here if something was going to attack me?” She said gently, and she let a smirk pull at her lips. “Besides if there were snakes I would have let you go in first…” She winked and her smile grew when he took her hand. He was trusting her…



She smiled fully when he stepped into the water. Her eyes tried not to look over his body…him being half naked didn’t help the clearly growing tension between them. Mari moved out a bit deeper, to where her feet just about touched the bottom to try and compose her thoughts. She swam back to him and she ended up facing his back. She looked up and saw the burn marks on the man’s shoulders, her eyes steady as she knew what they were. Standing up all the way, she let her delicate hands trace over each of the dark markings on his tanned skin. “Eight…” She said quietly. She waited a moment to say anything and then turned to face him. “Me too..” She whispered, her eyes never leaving his. “Come here…” She said taking his wrist gently again and leading him towards the waterfall.



The giant rushing water got louder as they got closer, but before the water could really touch them, she guided Artigas under the falls, to where much of the glowing rocks emitted their glow. She pulled herself up onto a rock landing that was only a couple of feet off of the ground, and stood before 8 small rock formations, clearly hidden by the falls. Each of them formed from glowing rocks and had piles of flowers that were in various stages of dying. There was a bundle of three new glowing flowers on each of the rock piles.



“Their people took their bodies for whatever ceremony they do with their dead…but I couldn’t let that be the end for me.” She felt her eyes dim as she looked over each of the memorial graves. “I came back here each time I killed someone and paid my own respects…because none of them truly deserved to die…but I had to protect my people.” She looked up at him. “Hartley never knew, but I would take my horse and ride out here to make a new memorial each time I killed…and whenever I could I would come back and leave flowers or just sit here and think of what their lives could have been like if I didn’t kill them.” She wiped the hair out of her face, tucking a few stray pieces behind her ears. “I’m not proud of having killed them, but I love my family and my people…so I had to do what must be done…before they killed someone I loved.” Her thoughts flew to Hartley. If he ever died protecting her, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself.



Mari turned her body to face Artigas and looked up at him. “So even though I am peaceful and kind, I too know the darkness of death and I don’t think I will ever be able to escape it…” She looked down at the ground. “You are not alone in having taken a life...our only difference is that I don't wear mine on my skin....that takes much more bravery than I have...” She looked back up to him and gave him a sad smile. Mari sighed gently. “I didn’t mean to ruin the fun” She laughed softly. She sat down on the rock landing edge looking out through the falls. You could see the river perfectly through it, the water was so clear. She looked up at him, Artigas even taller now that she was sitting. She patted the spot next to her and waited to see if he would still stay even after hearing her own horror stories and breaking this perfect image of what he thought she was.

Mari watched him and laughed to herself when she saw his reaction to her voice. He was getting better at following sounds. This was the entire purpose of the game. She always made it more fun than it was meant to be…but it was meant to train something other than your eyes when it came to fighting. She heard his questions and turned her eyes to the flying creatures around her. “Years ago…back when the earth was inhabited with billions of people, there was some kind of explosion…our clan has it written by our elders….the explosion that wiped out so all those people? Well there was some kind of toxic radioactive substance that made all of this glow…the trees, vines, butterflies…” She looked around her, smiling softly. “It’s amazing that something so peaceful could be created by something so destructive…I guess that might be why I am the way I am…” She watched as he got closer to her. She was peaceful...and yet many of her people wanted her to be destructive.



Seeing him smile each time he heard her voice, brought a small blush to her cheeks. She hadn’t had a man smile because of her in a long time. Her eyes had adjusted well to the night time darkness mixed with the glow and she felt her breath catch in her throat when his fingers brushed against her exposed skin. She watched as he took off her scarf and she returned his smile. His words “found you” managed to bring a chill to her spine and yet flush her face at the same time. She laughed gently. “So it seems you did…” She kept her eyes on him, her bright orbs meeting his dark ones. “You did better than I expected…” She felt a smirk pull at the corner of her lips and winked.



His words made her think back to all the years she played with her Trishana friends before being pulled into camp to train. “When I was young, I used to play these games all the time….it’s how my family knew that I was meant to be trained as a warrior from a young age.” She ran her hand over the bark on the tree behind her. “My brother, Hartley, he had blind folded me one day and gave me my first bow and arrow…somehow I managed to hear a deer behind me and I shot it simply by hearing her movements. To this day I am still unsure of how I did it…it may have just been luck…but that was the moment for my family. So I started to train and this “game” became a part of my every day routine. I would use it to train with Hartley…but then I would play it for fun when I was done for the day. It’s more fun at night….there are more sounds….more things to find.” She looked up at the sky. “The darkness hides many beautiful treasures to behold…” She turned her eyes back to him. “You just have to know how to look…” She smiled softly.



Mari turned her head to the sound of trickling water and an idea popped into her head. “I know you have to go soon….” She said gently, watching as the moon rose higher and higher into the night sky, “But can I show you one more thing?….It’s too beautiful to leave without seeing at least once...” She wasn’t going to beg him, but he had to see it before he left her people. After all, he may never see Trishana again…or her for that matter…

Mari smiled when Artigas made no movements away from her this time. This was improvement. She knew he was starting to trust her….either that or he thought he could overpower her. She wasn’t sure which…but she knew he was silly to underestimate her. Maybe one day he would have to find that out the hard way. At his words of being a good warrior, she noticed a smile come to his face. She smiled genuinely in return. “I think you are a very good warrior Artigas kom trikru….” She kept her eyes on him. “You are clearly strong…and you are determined...and kind...and any trained warrior knows when to put down their weapon among another warrior…I have clearly gained your trust…or at least I have started to…” She said tilting her head with another smile.



What was she to her people? The all fated question that she hardly ever revealed to strangers, never mind other clans. She looked down at her clothes, the colors of her clan reflected in the fabric. She turned her eyes back to him. “Since the age of 5 I have been training…my brother took me away from Trishana to a camp not far from here…he noticed from a young age that I had the potential to be a great warrior..” She looked up at the trees, smiling innocently at some of the butterflies. “On my 18th birthday, I will take my rightful place as second to the chief leader of Trishana….” She returned her gaze to him. “And by my 21st birthday I will most likely become the leader of my clan.” She watched his face for any reaction. It was common to see people react poorly to her. “There are many who support me…and on the contrary there are many of my people who do not agree with my ways. I believe that there is no reason for violence until it is necessary….” She smiled. “If you haven’t noticed, I am a very calm young woman.” She let out a gentle laugh…but a soft sad smile soon replaced it. “There are some who fear that my leadership may ruin what Trishana has built…but I know that violence only brings about more violence…” She looked down at her hands. “I have killed more warriors than my people realize…and I know that killing is necessary. I would never leave my tent without a knife at my hip…but the act of killing is the worst feeling in the world…I don’t wish it on anyone…” She looked back up at him. “I hope one day my people understand my ways….”



Mari sighed and then felt a small smile play at the corner of her lips when he said he would play with her. “You will?” She asked quietly. Her smile grew. “I promise, I will do my best to get you home before morning…” She smirked. She pulled one of her scarves off of her body that was originally wrapped around her waist. She walked up in front of him and stood on her tip toes. “Trust me….” She said gently and wrapped the scarf around his head and over his eyes. When she knew he couldn’t see, she placed her lips by his ear, she had to really stand on her toes as he was so tall. “Count to ten….” She whispered “And then come and find me….” She smiled to herself and quietly backed away from him. She ran off into the nearby trees, a laugh escaping her lips and it echoed happily amongst the trees.

Finding a tree not terribly far away, but not obvious enough to be found right away, she climbed up into the branches just high enough out of his eye sight and watched from above. Butterflies hovered around her, but she threw a twig down below to get them to swarm else where. They would give her away if they stayed for long. A truly genuine smile lit up her features…she was glad he decided to stay and play with her.

Mari smiled when Artigas admitted that she didn’t need the protection of Hartley. He was starting to catch on. Watching his hand move to his blade, she smirked. She knew that her catching on to that hidden object was a surprise to him. She could see it on his face. She was sure that Artigas was going to be continued to be surprised by her this evening.



At the mention of the Mountain, Mari turned her eyes in the direction of the awful place. It was about a days walk from Trishana, but it was close enough where she was always able to see it from her village. Luckily, this forest blocked the view of it for the most part…that was one reason she always loved to be in the trees….it hid the horrible truth beyond the branches. She smiled to herself as Artigas spoke about the Mountain falling. He was brave….she found that attractive. He was protective of his people as she was of her own.



Mari laughed once more when Artigas took a step away from her as she took one towards him. He was much more cautious abut her now. She could tell. “You’re catching on hmm?” She said gently and flashed the blade on her own hip. “I won’t use mine if you won’t use yours….” She tilted her head and bit her lip innocently keeping her eyes on his, a smile on the corners of her lips. “I have explored my entire life…but I always return back to Trishana…back home….but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else…” She said looking up at the glowing trees once more.



Her gaze met his as he asked about what they did for fun. His laugh was infectious and she laughed along with him. Seeing him put his weapon down, she smiled. He was getting comfortable. “For fun? Everything. We chase each other through the trees, we catch butterflies..sometimes we hide from each other at dusk on clear nights like tonight and try to find each other…..it can be exhilarating…or completely scary.” She laughed a bit. “Anything that makes us smile or laugh…” She kept her eyes on his…finding this man more interesting by the second. "But I'm sure our 'fun' is much too childlike for a big strong man such as yourself...." She let a small smirk grow on her lips and couldn't help it before she broke out into small laughter.

Mari smirked as Artigas questioned her being out here alone. She wondered how long it would have taken him to notice. "One...I don't need protection...but thank you for being concerned." She bowed her head gently. "And two...my brother is not far....he has set up our camp only a walk away." She raised her eyebrow at him. "But I don't think I'll need him to come to my rescue anytime soon." She smirked again. Artigas was underestimating her, she could tell. But Mari was more than capable of taking care of herself. She had killed warriors in her day....ones that crossed paths with her people while she trained. She was not one to kill for fun, but she would kill if it meant protecting those she loved. "As for being out here, my brother and I had been away for some time..." She didn't tell him why just yet. "We had gotten word only a few days ago that our father had been taken..." She ran her hands over her arms. The mention of it gave her chills. "The Mountain Men took him....and so we stared to make our way back home..but we stopped here because I fear I am not ready to face my mother and admit to myself that he very well could be dead." She shrugged and looked away from him for a moment. "So I come out here...and play for a while to forget why I came back.." 

As he spoke harshly against her child comment, she laughed again. "In Trishana we all claim to be children until we can't anymore. There is nothing worse than forgetting your youth and how to be carefree. When we are not fighting, we find time to play. It's the only thing that keeps us sane anymore." She frowned as he pushed away from the butterfly. It was such a gentle creature and he couldn't seem to let it in.  Mari watched the boy carefully. He was intriguing.

"I think you you came out here because you are like me..." She whispered softly watching his eyes. "You can't help yourself when it comes to exploring..." She smirked. "It's okay to admit you're curious...it will only make me  like you that much faster." She raised an eye brow and smiled. Her eyes darted to the left of him, hearing a sound. By the noise she could tell it was some kind of bird. She smiled again. "And how could you not want to explore a forest as beautiful as this one?" She said spinning around as leaves fell from the trees. "I promise...you can be a child here...at least for a little while..." She said gently, keeping her eyes on his...

Mari laughed even more as dozens of the butterflies started to surround her and land on her arms and cheeks. They would flutter away at the movement of her laughs, but they stayed for the most part around the young girl. This was what Mari loved most about her land. There was beauty in it. Sure every clan had their own special territories with something special about it....but Trishana was quite literally a Glowing Forest. Mari wouldn't want to live anywhere else.


She saw many of the butterflies start to fly away but she didn't pay much attention to it. It was getting dark so she was sure there was a place they always went as the sun set. There were a few that stayed by her and for that she was grateful. It wasn't that she was scared of the dark, more so of being alone. She liked to be alone to think...but the thought of being alone for too long wasn't something she favored. One more butterfly landed on her nose and she laughed again. "What are you doing?" Mari  gasped and turned her head and the butterfly flew away fast. She searched for the source of the voice and looked down to find a boy who looked about her age hiding behind a tree. Spotting him, she slowly jumped down from her branch and stayed by her tree. She didn't recognize him. "I was just playing...." She said softly, not wanting to get too close to him yet. She couldn't see what he was wearing but already she could tell that he was most likely not from Trishana. Most people from her clan were not phased by the children playing with what they found in the forest.  


Mari took a couple steps closer to the next tree that was near to him and bit her lip looking over at him again. "What are you doing?" She asked repeating his own question to him. She was in her own territory....but he was not so why would he be here of all places? Trishana was, for the most part, a peaceful people. So why would someone from another clan need to come here? Mari wasn't sure, but she intended to find out. She would keep up her innocent charade until she learned more about him. If she came right off as confident and fearless, he would either run or return the same and she wasn't ready for him to learn that she was second in training. There was no need to throw that around. She wanted to know about this boy...and why he was here.....Because if it was to harm, she would need to call for Hartley and alert the others...but if he, like her, was just being innocent and exploring, then she had no reason to alert anyone...and to just keep playing alongside him.