[H2][b][I][color=springgreen]N[/color]atalie and [color=Forestgreen]F[/color]erris[/I][/b][/h2][Color=springgreen]Spring[/color], Day 1 - [Color=springgreen]New Year's Day[/color]
[color=darkgray]The Forest[/color]

Although the forest shrine was located fairly deep into the woods, Ferris always felt safe around its clearing. Something about the shrine put him at ease and made him feel as though he was protected from nature's most vile predators while he prayed here. He wasn't sure if this was the case any longer, though. He had caught glimpses of creatures far greater than your average bear or wolf, some having been suspiciously humanlike. Ferris' instinct in those encounters was to run away as quickly as possible, and he believed this to be the smartest course of action. The hunter's guild had been able to confirm his reports, but seemed equally as puzzled as to the exact nature of these creatures. Finishing his prayer, Ferris stood up and brushed the dirt and leaves off of his pants, letting an audible sigh escape his lips. "May the Goddess keep this grove safe as it once was." Of course, this very grove was where his father had disappeared. Where Ferris had discovered the Woodcutter's Axe which was all that remained of Freddy. Ferris began his walk back to the lumberyard, a bit calmer after the spiritual catharsis but a great deal hungrier than he'd been a short while ago.

"What to do, what to do..." As Natalie wandered into the forest, she thought back to her brother's suggestions for what to bring to the picnic. "Maybe I [I]could[/I] pick some fruit and bring a deer. Or should I mix things up and shoot a rabbit? A wolf? Would they be up for steak?" She talked to herself, looking around.

Ferris thought out loud to himself about how he might be able to avoid hauling all that lumber by himself. "Maybe I can borrow a horse from someone in town. If I'm lucky I'll be able to--"

His musings were cut off when he absent-mindedly colided into a familiar and heavily-armed figure. The collision caused Ferris to topple over forward as he lost his footing. "Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry--" he had apologized several times before his immense figure even hit the ground.

"Oof-!" ...And she forgot to look where she was going. Nat ended up getting toppled over onto her back by a flustered Ferris. Not to say she wasn't embarrassed herself. But she chuckled it off. "M-Morning, Ferris, heheh." Natalie slightly waved hello to him.

"Uh... hi, Nat. Sorry, I need to watch where I'm going." Ferris pushed himself up off the ground, then extended a hand down to help Natalie. Collisions aside, the lumberjack was thrilled to see her: he always felt safer when Natalie was around to take care of the wild animals that roamed these woods. "Have you seen any game today? I was hoping we could make some of that maple-roasted venison later."

The huntress dusted herself off after she was helped up. "Eh, not yet, just hoping to find something for-" Natalie's eyes seemed to light up when Ferris mentioned venison. "Oh, maybe we can take some to the picnic later! If that's okay with you!" She grinned. 

"Picnic? I didn't know there was--" Suddenly, everything clicked in Ferris' mind. "Oh no, I must have left for work before the mayor's message came in..." Scratching the stubble on his chin, Ferris nodded at Natalie. "Well, I'm sure we can find something before the day's out, right?"

"Right!" Natalie nodded.

"Just warn me before you start shooting. I get squeamish sometimes." Ferris confided.

"Got it." The huntress patted him on the back, then walked ahead.

Ferris collected himself and followed, blushing slightly when Natalie patted his back. While normally he would be rushing home to get his lumber cart, if the thaw was happening soon, he reckoned the Wheelers' lumberyard would have plenty of firewood for what little remained of the cold eason. A few hours of collection wouldn't be horribly missed. "Where to, Nat?"

Natalie held a finger up to her chin in thought. "Hmm...let's not stray too far from town. I'm not risking us getting lost and ending up in the depths. Something about monsters and darkness, I dunno." She shrugged. "If you see anything else we could bring, let me know."

Ferris nodded. "I saw one of them. I thought I imagined them at first, but according to your brother I'm not the first to report a monster sighting in the area." He paused, his voice growing quiet: "Y-you don't think a monster will show up around here, do you?"

Though her expression turned serious for a moment, it changed to slight concern. "As far as we know, the monsters only appear in greater numbers at night as we explored deeper in. We're doing our best trying to protect the town, even if our sleep schedules are haywire now." Natalie joked a bit to try and lighten the mood. "But if we end up wrong about that, I'll protect you, okay?"

"Well then I have nothing to worry about," Ferris said, smiling warmly, "I've um, been meaning to ask you..." he paused, trying to work up the nerve to ask the question. "I'm sorry, it's a silly thing, I just..." Ferris couldn't seem to get the words out. "Would you, uhm..."

"What is it? You can ask me." Natalie looked back to Ferris, curious.

"Can you teach me how to shoot!?" Ferris blurted out, "I don't want to get caught alone and get mauled by a werewolf or something!" Taking a deep breath, he continued: "I know I'm not as tough as you or whatever and I get scared easily but you know, I want to be able to defend myself if the time comes, and I always used to get nervous whenever I was aiming, but I think if I gave it another try I'd be able to make it work!" The tone in his voice indicated this [i]definitely[/i] wasn't the first time he'd tried this.

The huntress couldn't help but giggle a bit. "Sure! I can lend you one of my smaller weapons to start, if you want."

Ferris smiled back. "I'd like that. It's funny, my dad actually used to use a bow. Said it was quieter."

"I do have a few crossbows back home. I'll have to get them later."

Ferris nodded. "Anything would be good. I just don't want any monster-attacks near the lumberyard!"