The Downhill Fey Forest Ch. 05

Elizabeth here: part 5 is finally done! If you haven't read the rest of the series, read the first four parts first. Enjoy!

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As Alban walked the mile North to where Amete told him the ferry was, he grew comfortable with his silk outfit. The shoes were cool and perfect for walking through the forest, while his new shirt and pants felt smooth and didn't impair his movement one bit.

He regretted not asking for a new backpack as part of the deal, since his was held together with knots. But, luxury clothes, travel information, and a magic anti-fairy net were more than a fair bargain in exchange for some enjoyable sex.

Alban finally heard the gentle tides of flowing water in front of him. He rounded a little outcropping of rock and saw the glistening river, which shone in the last remaining rays of sunlight. It was eighty feet across and fairly deep.

There was a small dock on the rocky shore to his right, with a twenty foot long boat parked by it. The pier and boat were both made of the same shiny, orange-brown wood.

There was a huge red and gold blanket on top of the boat, and someone very large snored under it. It was a woman, and her snoring was loud. That was probably the captain. Alban treaded carefully over the rocky shore, and stepped foot onto the pier. It was sturdy, and didn't creak at all. He slowly stepped towards the boat.

"Hello?" he said.

The snoring stopped, and the woman replied from inside the blanket. "Yes?" she said. The blanket shifted.

As Alban came closer, he saw that the blanket was made from several smaller blankets that were stitched together.

"I heard this ferry went to Queen Titania's castle," he said. "May I please have a ride?"

"And you have manners! How well and wonderful! Most people around here aren't as polite as you. I can't even get a 'thank you' out of them..." The woman--who Alban already knew was very tall--stood up and threw the blanket off of her. She was eight feet tall and had nine massive, poofy yellow tails, which were the same shade of blonde-yellow as her hair and the two fox-like ears sticking out of it. She was wearing only a plain, red kimono and leather sandals. Even for her massive size, a full two feet taller than Alban, her breasts and hips were unusually big despite her average proportions elsewhere, and were fully covered by her silk kimono.

"This spider woman named Amete told me about you. Have you two met?"

"Absolutely! We drink tea together every Sunday. Her house is a bit small, so she just comes to my mansion a little ways West. I'm Hiroko, by the way."

"And you're a... kitsune, right?" Alban said.

"No, I'm actually just a pile of kelp wearing the skin of a kitsune." Hiroko shot a smug grin at Alban. "But really, yes. This is my boat, and I can take you to Queen Titania's castle. Hop on and have a seat on board! There aren't any chairs on this boat, but I have blankets below deck if you want to sleep on the way there."

"Great!" Alban said. He was already starting to like Hiroko. But given how his encounters with the people of this forest always went, he wondered where this would go from here.

Hiroko bent down. As Alban approached her, their size difference became even more apparent. Even when she was bent over, her nine tails stuck out in the air, and some of them pointed up, so she was still taller than him. She opened a nearly invisible hatch in the boat's deck and pulled a wide silk blanket out of it. This blanket was human sized, and made of silk while Hiroko's own patchwork blanket was cotton. But, the patterns on them were similar.

She handed the soft blanket to Alban, and he took it. "Ta-da! Amete made this one just a week ago. You'll be the first person to use it. It's soft and snug."

"I can tell," Alban said as he ran his hands across it.

"And, with that all settled, are you ready to ride North?"

"I am," Alban said as he folded the blanket in his hands. He held it by his side. "How does this boat work? I don't see any oars or sails. Does it use magic?"

"I used to use magic, but I found something even better. My trusty steed pulls this boat."

"Where is he?"

Hiroko took a few steps towards the pointed bow of the boat and pointed into the water. "Down there."

Alban peered over the bow. "I don't see anything," he said.

"No, right there. To your right." Alban looked where she was pointing, but just saw a six inch long goldfish hovering still in the running waters of the river.

"All I see is a goldfish."

"Yeah, that's him. I call him Kaede."

Alban finally saw the little harness around the fish, and the tiny string attaching him to the boat. "And he pulls the boat?" he asked.

"Very quickly and quietly."

"And what makes him different than a normal goldfish?"

"Nothing, he just works out."

"Okay..."

Alban stepped back as Hiroko opened the hatch in the boat's deck again, and pulled a small jar of yellow crystals out. "Kaede loves crystallized honey," she said. "Want to toss one to him?"

"Sure, I suppose?" Hiroko poured a chunk of solid honey into Alban's hand. Alban and Hiroko leaned over the edge of the boat again.

"Um, here you go, little guy," Alban said as he held out the honey crystal. Kaede stopped hovering in one place in the water and looked up at Alban. He energetically flapped his fins and wobbled about.

"Take us to Titania's Castle," Hiroko said as Alban threw the crystal in. Kaede did a little leap out of the water and caught the honey in his mouth. He hovered in the water, chewing it.

"Alright, just step back and get ready," Hiroko said. "You don't want to fall off."

Alban did as she asked, and went to the center of the boat with her. Moments later, the boat lurched. Alban stumbled, yet Hiroko remained upright with her arms folded. As the boat quickly accelerated, Alban went from a stumble to a fall, and his back hit the floor.

"Oh! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he said. His backpack and soft shirt had cushioned the fall. It didn't sound like anything was crushed when he fell. But now, the boat was moving quickly: a low, strong splashing noise came from the front, and the gentle flow of water made noise all around the rest of the boat. Hiroko held her hand out and helped Alban up. A strong breeze ran over the boat now, and Hiroko's tails fluttered in the wind. But despite their speed, the boat wasn't making as much noise as Alban thought it would.

"He's a strong steed, isn't he?" Hiroko said.

"Where do you find goldfish like this?" Alban asked.

"Anywhere, really. And, it's getting dark. How about soon, we sleep in the cool breeze?"

Alban was still curious about the goldfish, but he knew he wasn't going to get a straight answer out of Hiroko. "I'd like to," he said.

"Want me to put your backpack below deck?" Hiroko asked. "And, your shoes too, if you don't plan on sleeping in them?"

"Sure." He took off his silk shoes and handed them and his backpack to her, and she gently put them in the hatch and closed it. Alban wondered what else was down there, but decided not to probe.

Alban sat on the polished wood deck and looked up at the indigo sky and the orange-pink clouds. With the sky, the green forest on both sides of the river, a fluffy, tall kitsune standing next to him, and a smooth, steady breeze, it felt surreal to him. It wasn't his first rest, but this one carried an odd, powerful sensation.

"Hey, by the way, do you want to talk?" Hiroko said as she sat down next to him, wrapping herself in her patchwork cloth blanket. Even sitting down, she was tall, but Alban was comforted rather than intimidated by her presence.

"A little bit. We don't have to go to sleep right away."

"So, where are you from?"

"I was born in this big kingdom to the Southwest of the continent. They used to call it "The Monarchy of Aspen," but now it's just "Aspen" these days."

"Why the name change?"

"Well, the monarchy all died. The plague got them. Then there was a new monarchy, but the name didn't fit their tastes, so they changed it to draw attention away from themselves."

"I remember hearing about them once. Aren't they thousands of miles away?"

"Yeah..."

"Why did you move so far away?"

"I just wanted to be a courier instead of a farmer."

"But couldn't you do that anywhere?"

"The climate was nicer up here. You won't believe how hot it is in Aspen."

"I see." Hiroko smiled.

"So, where are you from?" Alban asked. "I've never met a kitsune before."

"A good question. Hey, how about I make tea below deck, and we can have some over our chat?"

"I'd like tea," Alban said. He hadn't had tea in a very long time.

"Tea is the loveliest thing to drink in the river breeze. The heat just goes well with the cool wind. I'll be right back." Hiroko stood up and walked to the hatch on the other side of the boat, and climbed down into it. Her tail squeezed through the relatively thin gap, making a fluffyfloomp noise when she finally passed through.

Alban heard some rustling noises below deck, and then Hiroko emerged two minutes later with a red ceramic kettle and a bag. Little puffs of steam leaked out of the lid of the kettle, and quickly vanished in the wind.

"I always keep some hot water handy for this," she said. "I boiled a lot last week and stored it for later."

"But how'd you keep it hot?"

"With a barrel."

"Okay." Alban nodded, even though it made no sense. "That makes sense."

She sat down across from Alban, and set the kettle and the bag between them. She rustled through the bag, and took out two red teacups, each the size of a large beer stein. It made sense considering Hiroko's size, and Alban was happy that there would be more tea for the two of them.

They both sat cross legged in front of each other, and Alban wrapped himself in his blanket, just like she was wrapped in hers.

"How much honey do you prefer?" Hiroko pulled a jar of honey and a silver spoon out of the bag.

"However much you use," he said. He was unsure how much honey was the right amount, since he hadn't drank any in years.

Hiroko poured tea into each cup, first Alban's, then her own. The tea was a deep purple, smelled fruity, and steamed with heat. Hiroko put a heaping spoonful of honey into each cup in the same order.

"It's my secret tea recipe," she said. "You won't guess what's in it."

"I know I won't, because I'm not a tea expert." He held up the teacup and examined the sweet-smelling liquid.

"While it cools... what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Where are you from?" Alban asked.

"A great question. I'm from these mountains to the North. Kitsunes live there in secret temples... nobody's ever found one, I don't think."

"I go through those mountains sometimes," Alban said.

"Ah. There was probably a kitsune watching you."

Alban carefully held his hot tea close to his lips and took a tiny sip. It was fruity and sweet, yet at the same time calm and leafy. It was a warm, happy surge of fruity relaxation.

"Like it?" Hiroko asked.

"It's great," Alban said. "Like a..."

"A pile of warm berries?"

"Yeah, like that. So, why'd you move here?"

"Ah, the mountain climate just wasn't right for me. Too snowy, and the air was too thin. And, I may have tarnished my reputation by stealing people's tea recipes... so I came here, lured in by the pleasant weather and the promise of interesting people who didn't think I was a thief."

"I think we both moved because of the weather," Alban said. He took another sip, and Hiroko did the same.

"It really is pleasant up here, isn't it? Lovely springs, lovely falls, and a tolerable spring and summer."

"I like it," Alban said.

"And, the people here are nice too. Amete is my bestie, and I've befriended a lot of the local fairies."

"Fairies?" Alban said.

"Yep. These two really dumb fairies tried to eat my boat when I first came here, but when I saw them rolling around on the deck with wood-induced stomachaches, I felt bad for them and gave them some tea to try to help."

"They... tried to eat your boat?"

"They're not smart people," she said, and sipped her tea. "They only got a few splinters off the side before giving up."

"So, what's your relationship to them now?"

"Good," she said. "Sometimes they come over and try to do a harmless prank of some kind, and get distracted by the smell of tea, or my fluffy tail, and we end up having a fun afternoon. Fairies can't resist either of them."

Alban took another sip of his tea. "I don't know a whole lot about kitsunes," he said. "Is your tail special in any way?"

"It's super fluffy, but also rather heavy. It's not magic or anything. Want to touch it?"

"I'd like to," Alban said. Hiroko slowly turned around, bringing her fluffy mass of golden tails closer to him. They hovered above the kettle, blowing in the wind in front of Alban as he sit cross legged. He reached out and gently touched one; it was as fluffy as it looked. The tail perked up when he touched it, and soon the others did as well. He gently rubbed her soft tails, soon bringing in his second hand to rub them. Touching them felt wonderful, and they had a faint honey aroma to them.

Hiroko turned around again, taking her tails out of Alban's grasp.

"Soft," he said.

"Yeah..." Hiroko's face looked more relaxed. She sipped more of her tea. "But, enough tail rubbing... so, more about you? Tell me more about the courier life."

The tea was cooling, and Alban drank more of the wonderful fruity relaxation. "It's not for everyone," he said. "Travel is tiring and pretty lonely. I basically wander around the region, asking towns if they need anything delivered somewhere else. It's okay money, you know. I'm just afraid that some wizard is going to figure out how to teleport from one kingdom to another, and put me out of business."

"And what do you do on your travels other than delivering things?"

"I like to go to local festivals and have fun there, but if there's not one, I'll go to bars, meet people, or relax at saunas and bathhouses, especially in the winter."

"Saunas? Ooh, that's the one thing I miss from home. The climate was cold, but we always had a lot of water and sources of fuel, so there was always a wonderful, relaxing sauna going... but anyway, you must have learned a lot on your travels, haven't you?"

"I have," he said. "I can tell you what towns have the best hotels, or where to find the best of all sorts of other things... if you ever leave the forest, I just want to tell you, those elves know what they're doing. They have the best people, even though a little smug, and the architecture is amazing, and the food is wonderful too. There are some people there I wish I could talk to more often. And, I hear the economy is wonderful. I was actually on my way there, and just a few days ago I took an emergency delivery job that required me to go through the fey forest, and I got stuck in here, and that's why I'm going to Titania's castle."

"What's stopping you from settling down in one of those nice elven towns?"

"Ah, I'm a courier, so I can't really settle down."

"So why not just be something other than a courier? If it's a lovely place to live, you ought to live there!"

"I was going to retire there in a very long time."

"But come on, why not take up another job? You said it yourself, it's hard work, tiring, lonely, and there's this wonderful place to live and work just right over there instead..."

"I'm really good at being a courier."

"Then why were you desperate enough to take a job that took you through here?"

"I... sometimes work is a little dry, you know."

"So on top of being lonely and tiring, it's inconsistent work too. You don't always know if you're going to eat tomorrow, do you?"

"Once or twice, maybe."

"I work as a ferry captain because I have a side-business selling honey. Half my mansion is just filled up with bees. Honey is amazingly popular here, and a steady source of gold, which I use for all sorts of things. This is just what I do to help travellers and locals alike who need a boat ride. I can't imagine having to live in the same conditions as you! It sounds like you're suffering for no good reason."

His voice trembled. "I like learning about other places," Alban said.

"And you already did that. You can already tell me where to find the best hotels, or the best anything in a town. And I can guess that you only travel in this region, with its good climate, so you won't be learning about other places too. What more is there to learn? And you don't have a whole lot of extra income, so you can't even vacation somewhere when you feel like it."

"Hey, stop making fun of my way of life."

"But you're suffering needlessly, and I can't stand that! Here, have more tea." Hiroko poured more tea and honey into their mostly empty teacups.

Alban remained silent for a moment. Hiroko hadn't ever said anything untrue, but surely, he could justify his career choice to her...

...definitely...

Alban nervously looked around as he searched for a good counter argument. Hiroko's face looked concerned.

"Do you need anything?" she said.

"I..."

"Are you okay?"

"My parents were miserable carrot farmers, rooted to one place, and I thought that was what misery looks like. I didn't want to end up like that. So, I left and thought travelling was the way to go, so I became a courier. And, years later I'm low on money, got assaulted by fairies multiple times in the last few days, and even when I escape, I have no idea where my next bit of income is going to come from. And the best times I've had were with people I could connect with and care about. Hell, I made good friends here too! But of course, I can't really make friends when I'm going to be in another town in a day, can I?"

"It wasn't all a waste. You learned a lot about the nearby kingdoms, and could instantly tell me where you thought the best place to settle down and live was."

"I guess..." He shook.

"And it's much better than staying as a carrot farmer."

"That's true. But I still feel like I made a bad decision."

"You can quit, you know."

"I think I will. But what else am I good at?"

"All kinds of things. You told me about them a minute ago. And all that walking and horse riding has probably helped your endurance and animal skills."

"I think I need to take a rest," he said. "I don't feel that good."

"Do you need help relaxing?"

"I'll take it if you're offering it."

"Here, come lay down on my lap. It should help you while you fall asleep."

Alban needed it. He drank the last of his tea in a quick series of fruity gulps, and set his cup down. Hiroko moved the kettle and the other tea equipment aside. She uncrossed her legs, then Alban stood up and sat to the right of Hiroko. Still wrapped in his blanket, he leaned back and gently rested his head on her soft thighs. Her own blanket didn't cover her lap; his head was on top of her thin silk kimono.

The back of Alban's head warmed as he adjusted his body for comfort. It felt relaxing to put his head right there, right on top of her warm thighs.

He closed his eyes. Maybe he'd be alright after all. Relaxing warmth flowed through his body as he grew more used to laying on top of her.

Hiroko's hand started stroking Alban's hair. He let it happen. As her fingers ran across his scalp, an odd tingle ran through his head. He didn't expect to have his head rubbed, but now that he was feeling it, he wanted it.

Alban felt more relaxed and happy by the second, and found his thoughts about his career less scary. He started thinking, unafraid to figure out what it was he wanted to do.

He knew a lot about inns and hotels. Why not run one? Or, since he had a lot of endurance, do something labor-intensive, like carpentry or masonry. He could imagine himself hammering nails all day long with relative ease. Hiroko's hands started massaging his ears, and his relaxation deepened. She gave him gentle scratches, satisfying his head and relaxing him more and more deeply.