Juli

The sun’s light came down in callous, steely tendrils through the clouds and meagerly chased away the mists of the morning. The newly budding leaves on the long arms of the trees caught the light and hungrily absorbed its bounty and gleamed like verdant lights in the gloomy day.

The traveler, however, didn’t notice the struggling sun, the sparkling trees, or the bitter cold. His feet fell one after another onto the tough turf crunching the ice there upon. His thoughts were distant and determined as he made his way deeper into the forest and it seemed as if he were as directed as a tumbling boulder. Yet, even a massive boulder can be redirected from its harsh reckless path.

And so, like the boulder, a simple flutter caught the traveler’s eye. A flutter from among the hundreds of trees all about him that his senses just caught a nip of was all it took to stop him in his tracks. The hunter waited quietly focusing his mind to catch that momentary movement once more.

But the moment had passed and so the traveler once more took up his journey. He crashed through shrubs and stumbled his way through rocky crags, until once again his attention and thoughts were drawn away from him. He paused half mounting a log and waited.

The air here was sweet, like the sent of jasmine and lavender. Very soothing, very calming, most definitely alluring. But nothing was in sight. The traveler hopped from the log and allowed his nose a moment to find the scent again. The scent was coming from the east yet far enough from his path that he could not see its source.

The traveler thought for a minute. He had been on his path so long that he didn’t know any other path. Yet, now, there was something alluring him from his path. At first the traveler shirked the idea and started walking again, but the scent, though weaker, still tugged upon him.

Only a few more steps forward did the traveler make before he veered to the right and headed into the woods after the magnificent sensation. He moved slowly through the trees allowing his nose to guide his feet around this bend and over that rock.

He dropped from a slight incline into a bed of leaves, but he landed awkwardly and the breath was knocked from his body and he lost track of the scent while his eyes glared up at the parading, mammoth clouds and the shimmering green buds in the tree. He lay there upset with his foolishness. Not only was the scent gone, but his own path was lost somewhere far behind him.

The traveler rolled onto his side and pushed himself onto his feet and began to dust the foliage from his cloths. As more and more of the forest floor returned to its origin, the traveler slowly noticed the wonderful scent returning. The leaves and grime had masked what he was searching for, and now that he was free of the distractions, he was able to pursue his attraction once more.

Yet, he didn’t have to. A stone’s throw away, the traveler noticed the source of his rapture. A woman lay sprawled on a log gently singing. The man didn’t know the words, but the tune was gentle and sweet while the woman was the very picture of glory. Long, rich brown hair, so rich that Mother Earth envied the fertile color, while even the springtime coveted her depthless green eyes scanning the sky.

Light broke from the clouds up above engulfing the woman. She rose from her perch and stretched in the warming glow. The traveler ducked low trying to avoid being seen. Still he looked on while she arched her back and the sleeves fell from her arms revealing the softest alabaster skin he had seen. Just like the warmest cream the traveler had ever tasted, her flesh piqued his senses. The woman was slight, but not without the rolling curves that glorified her gender, and enslaved his. The light dress that she wore kept her mysteries, but the sun’s rays were kind enough to outline them for the traveler.

He made to speak, but caught his voice just as it was leaving his mouth. The woman turned toward his direction and stopped singing. She called out to the forest, but the traveler did not reply. Afraid he would frighten her and chase her away. He continued to sit quietly and did not move for many moments.

The leaves rustled behind him. The woman was moving about and coming a little closer. “You do not need to be afraid, stranger.” The woman’s voice rang with the sanctity of holy bells. “I am Juli. You may speak with me.”