The Satyr Ch. 01

It was yet a gorgeous, warm summer afternoon, and I was just taking the most relaxing nap in the garden. A perfect day for a rest. Nothing but clouds above my head and the sound of chirping of the birds in the woods. I didn't have any good reason to rest really, but where was the harm of taking it easy? I mean, this weather was just begging for it! I stretched my arms and legs as far as they went and yawned. I was going to get up eventually... Maybe after another twenty minutes?

Unfortunately my father was having none of it.

"Joseph!" he shouted from the window, as the volume of his voice disturbed some birds sitting in the tree, "Get your ass in here! I got a job for you."

I knew this afternoon was a little too perfect... Slowly, I got back on my feet and reluctantly walked through the garden, back into the house.

My dad was a merchant - a very good one, as far as I knew. He could get you whatever you wanted, even if it was from the other side of the world. An incredibly rare herb from the vast deserts of the South, or a gem hidden from the tallest, most dangerous mountains in the North? Yeah, my dad knew the people who could get you any of that - for a price, of course - and could get in touch with them quicker than you would think. Before you knew it, you had the wares you asked for - that's why he was so popular in the village. He knew a person for everything - research, haggling, handling the money, deliveries... And he was not reluctant to involve his family - meaning me - especially on that last part.

I came to his study room, where he was drowning in papers and boxes, as usual. He looked up at me with an impatient look.

"Do I have to call for you twelve times every time I need something, Joseph?" he reprimanded me, "There is a delivery. Miss Wright ordered that new shipment of silk, and it just arrived. I need you to go and bring it to her right away."

"Just arrived?" I groaned, "Why couldn't you just ask the delivery guy to bring it straight to her house?"

"Because he was busy delivering his other orders - unlike you," he told me, while pointing at me with his pen, "The package is over there. Grab it and go, it's not like you have anything else to do anyway. And quit being such a baby about it, she lives right next door."

"It's across the woods!" I reminded him, while taking the package in my hands, "Not exactly 'next door'."

"Don't talk back to me, son," he responded in a stern tone, "You're twenty years old. A grown-ass man. And instead of making yourself useful, most of what you do is laying around the house, doing nothing. I've had it. You're delivering that package whether you like it, or not."

His hands pushed the package into my arms. I sighed - I knew that I lost the battle. He saw the defeated look in my eyes and his tone softened a bit.

"It's a half-hour walk there and another half-hour back. You'll be done before you know it. Take the path through the woods, you know which one, and let me know when you're back."

Unexpectedly, he took his glasses off and gave me a serious look.

"And watch yourself in those woods, okay?"

I chuckled at that and raised my eyebrow at him.

"Dad? It's broad daylight."

"I know, son, I know. It's just... There's a rumor going around. Apparently, some malevolent creatures took shelter in that forest. One, in particular, is very tricky. He will outsmart you in just a second, just to mess around with you."

I took a step closer with an intrigued expression.

"What are you talking about, dad?"

He seemed hesitant for some reason but then he started explaining.

"A... creature has settled in there, not too long ago. A satyr... you know what that is, boy?"

"Of course," I responded. It was a lie - I had no idea what that was.

"Right. Well, this one is kind of a prick. Harassing people who are just passing by, playing his pranks on them and all. I wouldn't want you to lose your focus and mess up the delivery. Miss Wright relies on this shipment."

I chuckled and shook my head in disbelief.

"Dad? Are you forgetting something? I'm an adult man already, even though it doesn't seem you accepted that just yet. I mean, I'm tall, strong and in my prime - do you really think I have to worry about anything in this peaceful forest?"

"It's not his brawn, son, it's his wit. These satyrs are unpredictable creatures."

"Do you actually think I'm dumb enough to fall for anything?"

"Well... um... I..."

He paused and looked away awkwardly. For some reason, he didn't want to answer.

"It's getting late. You should take off, don't keep our customer waiting. I'll be expecting you back for dinner."

With that, he got back to his work. I sighed and rolled my eyes, took the package and left the room. Might as well get this over with, so I can get back to my nap as soon as possible...

I wasn't thinking about what my father was saying until I got to the edge of the woods. Most people didn't use this path, as it was a well-hidden shortcut. It was kind of rough around the edges. Normally I wouldn't think twice about taking, but all that satyr talk made me a little nervous. What even was a satyr, anyway? Did it have huge teeth? And how many legs?

"Don't be a bitch, Joey," I finally muttered to myself and confidently stepped into the forest. Even though I told myself not to worry, I caught myself looking around a lot for the first five minutes. But after a while, I figured that there was absolutely nothing to be nervous about. I calmed down, even started whistling a cheerful tune as I was walking. It was the same old woods I have always known, no satyrs or other monsters anywhere.

A creature in the forest... right. I was sure dad just made this story up to make me get on with the delivery faster. I started whistling louder, slowed my walking and started enjoying the view around me a little bit. Nature was untouched out here, near our village. You could see so many interesting things if you just stopped by and looked around. And the sounds too! The birds chirping, the wind gushing through the trees, the... music?

I stopped in my tracks.

To my surprise, I heard faint sounds of music coming from somewhere deep in the bushes. I turned around and looked in that direction, but couldn't see anything from where I was standing - the bushes were too thick to see through. Was my mind playing tricks on me? Or was I hearing one of the most alluring tones I've ever heard in my life?

I hesitated only for a bit before my curiosity got the better of me. I stepped off the path and dove right into the bushes, eager to find the source of this melody. What was it doing in the middle of the woods anyway? Not many people came here, and certainly not any musicians. I had to know! I pushed through the branches and stepped forward, slowly but surely. I was on the right path - I could hear that I was getting closer to the source!

All of a sudden, the bushes were gone and I found myself on a clearing. A nice little place one wouldn't expect to find in the middle of these woods. The grass wasn't overgrown here as it was everywhere else and the space was surrounded by a wall of trees. A beautiful, little private sanctuary.

There was a tree stump in the exact center of this sanctuary, and somebody was sitting on it, playing the flute. It was one of the flutes that was composed of, like, multiple flutes next to each other, how do you call that? A pan flute? The instrument wasn't as interesting as the person holding it though... if it even was a person.

At first, I thought it was a guy wearing really thick woollen pants, but I was mistaken. The creature before me was naked, all the fur it carried grew from its body. It had two small horns on its head, which was full of curly hair, and a human face with a bushy beard. Lean, nicely defined torso which was very hairy, as were his arms - but not as hairy as its legs, which were just covered by this thick layer of fur covering its crotch. Upon further inspection, those weren't even legs... instead of feet, the creature had hooves!

It didn't seem to notice me when I entered the clearing, it just kept playing its song. A beautiful song - nothing like I've ever heard before. A mixture of joyful tones only to be replaced by melancholic ones in the split second right after. It - or he? - played until the song was over. Only after that did the creature turn his head. His eyes pierced me with their look and his lips curled into a smile.

It was at that moment when I realized that I just got myself into a pretty dangerous situation. Was this the satyr thing my father was talking about? If so, he already managed to trick me in getting into this clearing with him, all alone? I reached for my dagger but then realized I didn't carry it with me. And I knew I couldn't outrun him through the bushes. I was just standing there, frozen in fear, silently panicking. I knew I was screwed. The creature was surely going to attack any moment.

Or was it? The satyr put his flute away and cocked his head.

"Good afternoon!" he said joyfully, "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

That caught me off guard. I looked around, expecting something more to happen, like a net closing around me or something, before turning back to the satyr. I wasn't sure what to say.

"Not a talker, huh?" he noted, still smiling, "Why are you standing so far?"

I didn't answer that either, I just kept staring at him. I wasn't sure I could believe my eyes. I've never seen a satyr before! And I didn't know anything about them - how scared should I be?

The creature probably caught on to my nervousness and gestured to me to come forward.

"Come on now, boy! You think I'm dangerous or something? This thing doesn't really work well as a weapon, you know..."

He raised his flute and chuckled. And I... chuckled too. I found myself stepping closer to him.

"There you go," he praised me, "I take it you've never seen one of my kind before, huh?"

"No, sir," I answered. From up close, he wasn't looking so alien. I mean sure, his body wasn't anything I've ever seen before, but his face seemed friendly enough. As soon as I walked close enough, he jumped up from the stump. That startled me a bit, but he wasn't about to do anything. He was just looking at me with curiosity.

He raised his hand to offer me a handshake.

"My name is Argus," he introduced himself, "What is yours, boy?"

"Uhm... Joseph," I answered, as I reluctantly shook his hand. It was a little strange feeling the hair between my fingers, but then again, this whole situation was ridiculous! He was very charismatic with his handsome smile and the soothing tone of his voice, and it caught me off guard. I usually wasn't this shy around people - but then again, I guess he technically wasn't 'people'.

"I assume you live in the village, right?"

"Yeah. Well... Actually, our house is a little secluded. But you could say that. What about you? You live out here in these woods?"

"Oh, yes. These woods are my home now. Just moved here a couple of weeks ago and I'm already in love with the place. So peaceful, and calm..."

I had trouble focusing on what he was saying. My eyes looked from his eyes, all the way down to his hooves. It was too late when I noticed I was staring.

"Um... sorry."

"It's okay, my boy," he said, his hands at his hips, displaying himself proudly, "I have nothing to hide. It's normal for humans to be curious."

"Right... still I'm sorry. It's rude to stare," I apologized, "Also, I'm not really used to people being like... you know, in public."

He raised an eyebrow, and bared his teeth in a sly grin.

"Being like... what?"

"You know..." I said, feeling the blood rush to my face from embarrassment, "...naked?"

Sure, with the thick fur covering his crotch, you couldn't really see anything, but he was still stark naked just out in the open. I guess it didn't make a lot of sense for a satyr to wear clothes, especially if he was going to spend all his time in the forest. But it was still an unusual sight for me.

He laughed at that - a long, hearty laugh. Then I felt one of his hands rest on my shoulder.

"Um..." I started, but the satyr interrupted me with a hand gesture.

"No, I apologize, my dear boy. It's just that... for me it's the exact opposite. I see you humans wandering around occasionally, and I just wonder... how do you do it?"

It was my turn to be confused.

"Do what?"

"Wear clothes! All the time. All this fabric!" he said, while yanking on my tunic gently, "I would feel like I'm constantly walking around in some sort of a... cloth prison."

"Right," I finally understood what he meant, "Well, I guess it's a matter of habit, right? We dress up mostly because others have to, too."

Argus shook his head in confusion.

"I guess I just don't get it... I mean, take us, right here and now. You don't have anyone to impress or offend, right? And I'm naked already."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're standing here, clothed, even though we're in the middle of the woods. Nobody would see you here if they just walked down the path. And yet, you still choose to walk around clothed?"

I laughed at that. The way this guy looked at the world was hilarious. How could father think that this guy could outsmart me to do anything?

"Come on," I said, shaking my head, "You're not suggesting that I should just walk around naked?"

He crossed his arms on his chest and gave me a questioning look.

"Would there be anything wrong with that?"

"No! No, of course, you're fine the way you are, it's just... you know... um... how should I put it?"

The satyr's expression changed suddenly, from smile to embarrassment.

"Oh, I think I understand what's going on now... I'm so sorry, my dear Joey."

"What? What is it?"

"Well, I didn't realize you might have issues regarding your body. I'm truly sorry for even bringing up this topic. Let's talk about something else."

I laughed and put my hand on my chest in disbelief. I worked on my body quite a bit in my free time, and there was plenty to show.

"Come on! Me? My body is great, and I know it. I don't have an issue with showing it off to anyone interested."

"Oh," he said, his expression changing into the one of a dare, "...is that so?"

"Yeah," I assured him, "I would strip naked right here and now in front of you to prove it. Unfortunately, I have work to do... I need to deliver this package and to do that, I need to follow the path. And I can't afford to run into anyone there while bare naked. It's a small world, after all."

"Oh, no problem there, bud," the satyr told me, "I wasn't aware you're crossing over to the village. I might be able to help you out - there's a shortcut through the woods, way off the beaten path! Nobody ever walks there and you would be hidden by tons of trees."

That intrigued me. An even better shortcut through the woods? This might cut my delivery times even more! I could spend way less time running my dad's stupid chores and focus more on myself!

"Is there, really?"

"Yeah, but there's a catch..." the satyr added, smiling, "The shortcut is only for people who feel proud and comfortable enough to show their bodies."

He gestured to his bare chest and smirked at me. Well, he had me with that argument. I already told him that I would do it, I just didn't want to do it so close to the path. But if there was no risk of anyone else seeing me...

The warning from my father echoed through my head, but I waved it away. I figured that there wasn't really anything risky about this. The satyr was actually about to help me make my delivery faster! And the only thing I had to do was to go with his rules.

"Fine, then," I shrugged nonchalantly. My arms reached for the bottom of my tunic and lifted it over my head. The satyr's eyes watched me as I stripped my upper body and then he offered his hand.

"Here, hand it to me. I can carry your clothes in my satchel," he offered. I figured, why not? At least I wouldn't have to carry all that stuff by myself!

After I handed him the shirt, I started loosening my pants. The satyr was staring at me, keeping that grin on his face, but I wasn't worried. If he was going to try anything, I could overpower him easily. There was no way he was going to get his hands on my body without me letting him. He might have been wondering how to trick me... but what was actually happening is me tricking him into letting him think there was a chance of tricking me, when actually, I would just use him to get to know a better path!

I praised myself in my head for this smart move.

Without any hint of embarrassment, I pulled down my pants, together with my undershorts. I heard the satyr chuckle.

"Bold. You might not be the shy boy I took you for."

"That's right," I smirked at him, proudly showing off my meaty cock, decently sized even when flaccid. I was now completely naked in the forest, with the satyr holding on to my clothes. I felt confident. There was no way this creature was going to pull anything on me.

"Now," I began, my voice strong and confident, "I believe you said something about a secret path?"

The satyr nodded and gestured to a barely visible opening in the bushes on the side of the clearing.

"After you, sir."

There we go - he went from "boy" to "sir" pretty quickly, the only thing I had to do was showing him that I wasn't afraid of him, or his suggestive requests. I led the way and we soon disappeared in the bushes.

The path started pretty rough, but just after a couple of feet it got a little better. It was completely surrounded by trees providing complete privacy, just like the satyr promised. Of course it was for his benefit too - I didn't supposed he liked to be seen by just anyone wandering through these forests. We were surrounded by untouched wildlife. I had to admit, seeing this side of the forest was pretty refreshing.

"I have to give it to you, Argus," I broke the silence, "Being out here naked like this actually feels rather pleasant."

"I have no reason to lie to you," he spoke from behind me. He kept a pretty close distance from me, that's why I wasn't too afraid that he was leading me into any kind of trap.

"Heh," I chuckled, "That's not what my father sa... Um. nevermind."

I blurted it out before I realized what I was saying! Damn, that was inappropriate. I was hoping he wouldn't notice, but of course he did.

"Oh, your father, huh? What did he say?" he said. He didn't seem upset at all, but he was curious.

"Nothing," I shrugged, "Don't worry about it. He's great, he can just... be a bit judgy sometimes."

"I'm not too surprised," the satyr replied casually, "People say all sorts of things about my kind."

"Really? Like what?"

"Oh, you know. Satyrs have always been this symbol of virility. A few of humans see us as sex demigods, but most see us as mischievous perverts."

"That hardly seems fair," I complained, "I mean, you seem like a very nice person to me. My father doesn't know what he's talking about - it's actually surprising to hear him judge somebody like that. As a merchant, he meets with tons and tons of different people, so he should know better."

"Oh, the merchant! Your father is the merchant?" the satyr exclaimed. He sounded amused by that for some reason.

"Yeah... you know him?"

"We've... met," the satyr said in a suggestive tone, except I didn't know what he was suggesting, "But that's a story for another day."

I was a little perplexed by that, but then I heard the satyr shuffle a bit closer to me.

"Strange..." he wondered, "I didn't know falcons flought all the way up here."

Falcons? That was indeed strange. They were pretty rare in this area.

"Oh really? Falcons? Where?" I looked up, staring at the sky. I didn't see anything, but the satyr gestured somewhere in the distance.

"Over there, flying away from the mountain. Can't you see?"