Bright patches of sunlight filtered gently through the trees.  The trees themselves were ancient things, with trunks tall enough to reach the sky and thicker than houses.  Their roots were gnarled and twisted, waiting to trip any traveler who was careless enough not to watch his footing.  The bark was rough and old, moss and lichen hanging from branches and trunks alike. Several faint paths twisted in the shadows of the forest floor.  They were covered by the gnarled roots and a carpet of old leaves and twigs. The paths split and turned, creating a maze through the enormous forest.  A thin mist drifted through the air, bits of pollen, leaves and flower petals floated softly towards the ground.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around from my spot in a hollow in one of the larger trees.  My hollow was about six feet off the ground, and deep enough to hide me in shadow. I had been dozing lightly in the warm afternoon, a pleasant breeze blowing past me.  It was the end of Summer, with whispers of Autumn in the wind. This week had been slow, with no passersby. At least I think it had been a week. Time was difficult for me.  Most likely because I spent so much time sleeping. I lazily watched a doe and her fawn pass by several feet from my tree. They didn’t notice me, but simply continued about their business.  I smiled sleepily to myself as I watched them. I liked staying near the edge of the forest. There was more light and animals here. And it wasn’t so cold.

The deer suddenly looked up behind my tree, the doe’s ears pricked forward.  Then, both doe and fawn started away from my tree and ran back into the forest.  Something must have scared them off. But in this area, it could only be one thing.  The reason why I had awakened. I carefully peeked out of my hollow and around the tree trunk.  There, wandering over the winding paths, was a traveler.

He appeared to have been traveling for some time.  His shoulders were hunched, and he hung his head slightly, the posture of defeat.  He held a walking staff in his right hand, with a small satchel slung over his shoulder.  He must not have expected for his journey to be to lengthy, since his satchel couldn’t have held a large amount of supplies.  His clothes were plain, like that of a farmer, or maybe a merchant, but I didn’t fail to notice the small sword on his hip. He certainly had heard the rumors about this place.

The sword wasn’t anything impressive, just a plain steel blade and a wooden pommel, but it would serve its purpose just as well as those ornate swords the Royalty carried with them.

I stretched lightly, feeling a slight thrill run through me.  Time to do my job. I carefully dropped from my hollow, the boots on my feet hitting the soft blanket of moss and leaves beneath me with almost no sound.  A cloak fell around my shoulders, and the particles and mist around me swirled into a walking staff of my own. I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head and checked that my attire was appropriate.  Plain breeches and cotton tunic belted with a small knife and a satchel of my own. Perfect. I waited a moment, then stepped out from behind my tree and into the path.

“Hello, there!”  I called to the man.  I felt a bit bad as he jumped almost clean off the ground in surprise and reached for his sword.  I held up my hands in peace. “Easy, now,” I continued. “I mean you no harm. I am merely passing through these woods.”

I saw the man relax a little, but he still kept his hand near his sword.  “I didn’t see you,” he called warily.

I bowed slightly.  “Apologies, friend.  I did not mean to startle you.  I was resting under this tree when I heard you approach.”  I walked towards him, minding my footing on the uneven ground.

“Tell me, friend,” I asked the man.  “What are you doing in these woods?”

The man hesitated, then he relented.  “I was foolish enough to come looking for something,” he admitted.  “But I am lost, as all are in these woods. I should not have come.”  He had added the last sentence under his breath, but I could still hear him.

I nodded slowly.  “Such is common in these parts,” I said.  “Tell me, do you need a guide?”

The man again hesitated.  I waited patiently. Then he sighed, looking around him at the giant trees.  “A guide would be useful. But is there anyone who could ever find their way through this maze?”

I shrugged.  “I don’t know.  But I am headed out of these woods myself.  Would you care to walk with me?” I motioned to the path ahead of me with my invitation.

The man nodded.  “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.”

He began to walk beside me on the path, the leaves rustling slightly under our feet.  He continued to look around at the trees, as if expecting them to suddenly come to life and swallow him whole.  I ignored his gaze for now.

“What were you looking for?” I asked.

The man appeared startled by my question.  He looked down at his boots. “A dog,” he admitted.

I raised an eyebrow.  There was an answer I didn’t hear every decade.  “A dog?” I repeated.

He nodded.  “Yes. My daughter asked me to come find him.”

I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to on.  Once he realized I was waiting for an explanation, he gave one.

“A few days ago, my daughter and I got separated on my trade route.  She ended up lost in these woods. I thought for sure I had lost her.”  He shuddered a bit, then went on. “It was almost dark when she finally came out from the trees.  I had expected her to be frightened, but she was … happy. She told me a dog had showed her the way out of the forest, but when she turned to show me, there was no dog.”

A memory stirred in my mind.  A girl about ten years old, crying and wandering in circles in the fading light of sunset.  “At least she came back to you safely,” I said.

The man nodded absent mindedly, then continued his story.  “At first, she was just disappointed that the dog had run off, but with the kind heart she has, she started to worry after a few days.  She was afraid that the dog was alone in the forest.” He sighed. “So I foolishly agreed to come look for it, just put her mind at ease, but I only intended to stay on the edge of the forest.  Before I knew it, I was lost.”

We climbed over the small trunk of a fallen tree that blocked the path.  We were headed deeper into the forest, now. The shadows of the trees grew longer, and the mist became thicker, almost darker.  The wind became colder, its rustling of the branches sounding like whispering voices.

The man became more tense as we continued, his hand clenching the pommel of his sword.  I stopped walking and turned to face him.

“Tell me,” I said.  “Why do you fear this forest so much?”

The man glanced around, as if fearing that the shadows were going to come to life.  He spoke in a hushed voice. “They say that the gods condemn the souls of the Lost to this forest.  Those who are foolish enough to wander this deep become lost themselves. The gods are indeed cruel to let this evil stay among us.”

I paused, looking around.  I saw nothing fearful, but I had grown used to the forest.  As for the Lost, they could not hurt me. I looked down the path and smiled.  “Perhaps,” I said in answer to the man’s comment. “But I have heard another legend about this place.”  I kept looking forward as I continued. “This legend says that the Lost refuse to leave this place, but the gods were merciful to protect us.  The legend says they sent a guardian to watch this forest.”

I smiled softly and turned back to the man.  “So, regardless if you believe in the legend or not, there’s nothing to be afraid of.  I’ve been through these woods many times. Now follow me.”

The man hesitated, staring at my staff.  “What is it?” I asked him.

“Your lantern,” he said.  “Where did it come from?”

I looked at the lantern on the end of my staff.  “I’ve had it all along, my friend,” I replied. “You must not have noticed it before.”  I beckoned forward. “Come along, now.”

After only another slight hesitation, the man followed me, my lantern illuminating the darkness before us.

We were only in the dark for a few minutes.  When one knew the right path, it didn’t take long to find the way back to the edge of the forest.  Soon we were back in the beautiful trees, with the sun once again reaching through the branches and reaching the forest floor.  The mist was no longer oppressive, and the breeze was pleasant once more.

“Here we are,” I said happily, pointing to where the path led to a break in the trees.  “I believe this is what you were looking for,” I said.

The man nodded in slight disbelief.  “I don’t believe it,” he said softly, then he turned to me.  “Thank you so much, kind traveler.” He began to follow the path, but stopped when I did not follow him.  “Are you not coming?” he asked.

I shook my head.  “I have business elsewhere, so this is where I leave you.”  The man looked slightly confused, but he did not question me.  I began to turn, but I stopped.

“Oh, before I forget!” I said quickly, turning back to the man.  “The dog you mentioned. I do believe I saw him the other day.” Seeing the man’s interest, I continued.  “He found his family. You can tell your daughter that he is well looked after.”

The man nodded.  “Thank you,” he said.  Then he bowed slightly.  “And thank you for helping guide me out of this forest,” he added.  “Tell me, is there anything I can do to repay you?”

I smiled thoughtfully and looked up at the trees around me for a moment.  Then I answered him.

“Perhaps, listen to all the legends, next time, instead of only those that speak of evil.  You would be surprised the good there is to find in this world, if one will only look for it.”

The man, though I don’t think he fully understood me, nodded.  “I will,” he promised solemnly, then he followed the path into the full sunlight.  I think he turned back, once, but he did not see me. For I had melted away into the wind, content to slumber until I, the Guardian, was needed once more.