The Spirit of the Forest

Every twenty years, the spirit of the forest requires an Offering.

We don't know what happens to this person, if they're consumed, or turned into a tree or an animal, or simply made to serve the forest. We only know that they never return.

If we do not choose an Offering, the forest will take one. We live in its heart, a valley surrounded by watchful trees; there is no escape.

We don't feel trapped--not exactly. No one really wants to leave, and no one knows what's beyond the forest. Other than that one day every twenty years, the forest is our haven and our guardian.

No wild animals attack us or our livestock. We never have a poor harvest. Healing herbs sprout almost immediately if anyone falls ill or becomes injured. The forest itself provides an abundance of resources.

Thus, we give the forest its due, and we hope it takes care of the Offering as it does the rest of us.

***

It was Offering Day. Any other year, it was a day to celebrate life, when the forest's abundance became almost extravagant.

Flowers bloomed on every living, green surface, whether or not it normally bore flowers. They tasted of honey and sunlight.

Wild creatures--deer, wolves, squirrels, birds--sat amongst us, docile and playful.

The winds sang through the leaves, a rustling melody of peace tinged with haunting whistles.

It was also my 20th birthday.

My mother had tried not to give birth on Offering Day. The day after would have been best; then I couldn't be chosen. The forest never took a child. Even before would have been preferable. But born on the day itself? It practically guaranteed that I would be the Offering.

Still, my parents hoped. The forest didn't always take a woman. Last time, I'm told, it had taken a woman, so perhaps this time it wouldn't.

My parents made themselves believe it. They raised me like any other child, refused to prepare me for the Offering, pretended I'd been born just one day later. My village disapproved, but my parents wouldn't hear it.

I would not be taken. Not their child. No.

So the villages chose another and hoped the forest would be appeased.

There were two, a boy and a girl, Elijah and Celeste. We wouldn't know until Offering Day which the forest required.

They were taught everything--reading, writing, healing, herblore, hunting, farming, sewing, woodworking--anything that might be considered useful.

And sex. My parents vaguely told me the basics, I guess, but the chosen seemed to have a much more thorough education.

I remember passing by their remote cabin last year. Our village was closest to the Offering Tree, so the chosen lived nearby. When I heard a muffled cry, I approached the home. It sounded like pain or desperation. Hesitating, I caught sight of movement through a window.

They were on the floor, Celeste on her back, her hands clutching Elijah's head at the apex of her thighs, his body mostly obscured by the wall. But they appeared to be both completely unclothed. My eyes widened.

"Oh, yes, Eli, yes, ah!" Celeste cried out, her hips rising and falling as Elijah seemed to... to be licking her furiously. I watched, frozen with shock and confusion.

I caught the moment that Elijah touched her there with his hand, his finger disappearing into her body. She arched her back and shivered. His finger moved slowly in and out of her flesh.

"Fuck me, Eli! Oh please!"

Whatever they were doing seemed intimate at best, perhaps even illicit. Crude, certainly. I'd never used... that word before, and my parents frowned whenever they heard it.

I finally gathered my wits, my face flushing red as I scurried away.

***

Offering Day dawned bright and warm. It was late spring, though it didn't matter--this day of the year was always beautiful.

There was a large oak tree at the northern edge of the forest, with a hollow in its trunk about the size of a person's head. Birds and other creatures took residence there, except today.

Today, there would be a long pine cone growing from the top of the hollow or a deep red rose in full bloom set at the bottom of the cavity.

My parents hoped for the cone.

The village elders brought back a rose.

We celebrated Celeste, crowning her in flowers, bathing her in scented water, dancing and feasting with her until the sun fell.

She walked alone to the Offering Tree as the last of the sunlight disappeared. Our village should have known then that the forest wouldn't accept her--the animals and the flora themselves should have escorted her.

My parents still hoped. They argued with the elders, with everyone.

The forest had always accepted a chosen sacrifice, my parents said.

Only when no one was born on Offering Day, the village replied. It was an old argument.

I was whisked away to our home. After this night, I would no longer be a child. I could travel to the other villages, or choose a craft (I liked weaving) or start a family (though my parents kept me so close that no boy had caught my eye). That sense of freedom was so near--just a breath away.

But the forest didn't want Celeste. It wanted me.

When the next morning dawned, my village found Celeste curled at the base of the tree, asleep beneath a pile of soft leaves.

And my parents, weeping in the streets.

***

Wake.

The melodic voice echoed in my mind. I brushed it away, turned over, and nestled into the soft bed.

Verona. Wake.

I grumbled and blinked open my eyes, pressed my hand into the plush moss.

Moss. Why was I sleeping on moss?

I flipped onto my back. Dim sunlight peeked through a thick canopy, huge trees surrounding me. I was in the forest.

I'd been taken by the forest.

I sat up, my heart racing. These trees were larger than any I'd seen before. My parents didn't like me to venture too far into the woods, but sometimes I explored the undergrowth--quick, curious forays, nothing more.

Around me, a bed of dense, bright green moss carpeted this vaguely circular clearing about the size of my bedroom. It would be lovely if it wasn't so unfamiliar.

I shivered and hugged my legs. I was only wearing my thin, almost translucent nightgown.

There was no sign of whoever--or whatever--had woken me. The trees themselves, perhaps?

"Hello?" It felt silly talking to trees. I might have to get used to that.

Nothing responded. I was still cold.

I got to my feet, hesitating. Where would I go? I hadn't been taught woodcraft, had little idea of how to navigate dense trees. The forest guided lost travelers. Maybe if I just walked, it would guide me.

I took a step.

The wind spun a storm of leaves, rising to surround my clearing. I stopped.

The swirling foliage merged into a single whirlwind that took on the shape of a creature with arms and legs like mine. The wind died and the leaves fell away, revealing a man.

At least, he looked human, except for a few leaves in his hair that looked to be a part of him, and the full green of his eyes like leaves painted across their almond contour. He was beautiful in a slightly exotic, strange way.

And he wore nothing but his skin.

I'd never seen a full-grown man unclothed. He was only a bit taller than me, his body lithe but toned. My eyes fell on his manhood and quickly looked away, embarrassed.

"Verona." His deep tenor voice had been the one in my mind.

"Hello. Are you... the spirit?"

He paused, then inclined his head. "Yes. I am... Davoi." He said his own name as though it was foreign to him. Perhaps it was, with no one but the trees to speak with.

He lifted his hand and spoke again. "You are cold. Remove your... gown. The forest will recognize you better without it."

I hugged myself. "Um, no, I'm fine." I'd rather be a little chilled than undressed before a strange man, even if he was the spirit.

He blinked, lowered his hand. "Do you know your purpose?"

"My- no, there's been a mistake. I'm not supposed to be the Offering. Celeste- Why didn't you take Celeste?," I said, as hopeful as my parents that he would return me, that my village had been wrong.

He tilted his head. "The forest chose you. It has not felt someone with your strength in centuries."

My village had always whispered of how it was so obvious I would be the Offering. I wished now that I'd listened, that my parents hadn't been so obstinate.

Still, I tried. "I'm not... strong." Though it didn't sound like he meant physical strength.

"The strength of your connection to the forest. The child from your body will be... more. More than I." He sounded faintly saddened.

But I wasn't concerned with his feelings. "...Child? What do you mean-" His manhood was growing. My eyes widened. "With you? But- are you even human?"

He glanced briefly to the side, at one of the trees. "My mother was the last Offering." He paused. "Verona, have you ever taken a man inside your body?"

I swallowed and shook my head. "I- I'm a virgin." I hadn't been allowed to seek a partner until... today. And I wanted what my parents had--trust, love, desire.

My answer seemed to satisfy him. "Good. It will be better this way. Once you have my seed inside you, the forest will open to you. You will see." He took a step toward me.

I scrambled back, stumbling over myself. Seed? Is that all I was to him? Fertile soil in which to plant his seed? My cheeks reddened.

He tilted his head. "You are frightened. Do not be. Our joining will be a beautiful act; you will enjoy it." He seemed done with conversation. He came closer, his manhood leading the way. It looked terrifying.

I matched his steps but backward. "Wait, please. This is... too fast. Please, at least give me time. In my village, partners are courted. Asked, not rushed." I was rambling, trying to think of some way out of this.

He stared at me. "The trees do not ask."

"I'm not a tree!"

He blinked slowly, a frown creasing his brows, then shook his head. "It does not matter. The forest needs the child soon."

He took another step.

I ran.

I made it about three paces before vines crept from beneath the moss and wrapped around my limbs. I shrieked and flailed, but they held me firm, spun me to face him.

He stood a single step away, his green eyes slightly irritated.

"All within the forest obeys me. You will, too."

I whimpered. "Please... don't hurt me."

He blinked again. "I have no intention of harming you."

"But you- you want to-" I couldn't even say it.

"The forest requires our joining. Be still, and it will not hurt."

The vines settled me gently on the mossy floor, then dug themselves into the earth over my arms, my legs, my stomach. I could barely move. They shifted and spread my legs wide, my gown riding up to expose my body to him.

My cheeks heated. This was not how I wanted my first intimate experience to be. Or any of them, for that matter. I twisted and fought. The vines were as strong and secure as iron bands.

He lowered himself between my legs, paused again. "Be very still, please. I need to remove your... underwear. This might cut you if you move."

A vine with a curved, sharp thorn lifted beside my leg. I froze.

The thorn hooked on the top of my panties and tore cleanly through them. He reached down and brushed away the ruined scraps of cloth, then cool spring air touched my most private flesh.

His warm hand made me flinch. Tears formed in my eyes, my throat tightening. "Please don't do this. At least... give me some time. Please."

He frowned. "There is always an Offering. Why do you protest your duty?"

"I was never meant to be the Offering! I'm not ready!"

He blinked, stared at me as though he did not understand.

He shook his head. "It does not matter. You will not be ready until I've taken you." He leaned over me, his swollen member swiftly approaching my small opening. It couldn't possibly fit. I'd touched myself there a few times and it was tiny, barely large enough for my finger.

I squeaked. "Just- tell me why! Why there needs to be a child, and so quickly, and- Please! I- I'll try to understand! Wait!"

He ignored me. He positioned himself at my opening, rubbing the round tip of his organ gently up and down, coating me in a bit of fluid oozing out of him. The fluid felt thick like honey.

And it felt... good. He was warm and soft, the fluid making his touch slick. A strange heat was rising all over my body, especially there, where he was pressing the bulbous tip of his shaft.

I panicked. "No, no, it's too big, please- ah!"

He pushed once, then went still. The head of his organ was now lodged inside me, uncomfortably stretching my virgin walls. I gasped and whimpered while he waited for me to adjust.

He pulled back and thrust again, deeper. I cried out. "N-no, please. I can't- It's too much!" Tears trailed down my cheeks. The stretching was uncomfortable, almost painful.

He stared at my tears for a few moments, then reached to where our bodies were joined, his fingers searching for something.

He brushed over my sensitive nub. I gasped, my soft flesh tightening around his hard shaft. He brushed it again, circled it, pressed gently. That strange, tense heat rose higher. His shaft began to feel good inside me.

He fed me another inch of his organ, and I welcomed it. "Oh... what are you... what's happening?" I'd never felt this strange, restless, enjoyable tension.

He looked faintly amused. "You're becoming aroused. Have you never pleasured yourself before?"

I shook my head, the only meaningful movement left to me. He smiled a little and thrust gently deeper, a slow journey through my passage as my body expanded around his girth.

I whimpered again, but this time not from pain. I wasn't sure what I was feeling. He was so big, stretching me, filling me, heating me with something I didn't understand.

He let out a soft breath and buried himself fully inside me, the first male to enter my body. The spirit of the forest had taken my virginity. Another tear escaped my eyes as my warm flesh clenched around him.

His odd green eyes gazed at me. "You're very tight. Relax. There's no need to be concerned."

I was extremely concerned. This was still all so strange, and despite how pleasant the sensations felt, it also felt wrong. I shouldn't even be here. He wasn't my life partner, he wasn't even a friend. All he wanted was to use me. But there was nothing I could do.

His shaft began a slow slide out of my warmth, every inch of movement spreading and increasing the strange pleasure centered between my legs. Whatever this was, no matter what I was thinking, my body yearned for more of it.

He teased my opening, then forced himself back inside, his head once again popping through my tight inner flesh. "Ah! Mmm..." I whimpered and trembled. My hips tried to push back instinctively but the vines still held me firm.

This time, with his shaft fully embedded in me and his hips firmly pressed against mine, he laid down on top of me, his hands on my shoulders. As frightened as I was, I whined with this strange feeling, this overwhelming need, my hips struggling against my bonds not to get away but to find more of this beautiful pleasure. He smiled and touched his lips to my lips, his tongue to my tongue, gently exploring my mouth.

I'd kissed a few boys years ago, shy, awkward moments that I didn't care to repeat. His kiss was firm, his tongue stroking mine until I panted for more of his warm breath, more of the tingling tension spreading through me.

He began to move. I could feel his engorged shaft dragging along my insides on his slow journey out, then opening me up again as he plunged back into my depths. I gasped into his mouth, his lips still sealing mine, his tongue stroking me in rhythm with his gently thrusting organ.

I wanted... I don't know what I wanted. Not... sex. Not with this... spirit, and not like this, immobilized, forced, barely knowing his name. And yet... oh, forest protect me.

Too bad it was the forest that had taken me, was claiming me body and soul, driving into me faster and harder, his tongue probing my mouth as his organ ravaged my virginal tunnel.

He inhaled. "You feel wonderful, Verona. Oh..."

He lifted his head and groaned, his thrusts deep and forceful, his body grinding into my sensitive nub with every impact. I panted with small gasping moans, unable to stop the pleasure I was feeling from taking over my mind, flooding my body, cresting in wave after wave of ecstasy that took all thought away.

"Oh, Verona, oh," he panted, "I can feel your pleasure; it's beautiful. Take my seed now, Verona. Oh..."

With my first orgasm rushing through my veins, I heard his words but didn't understand. His firm pace quickened, renewing the pleasure fluttering beneath my skin. His thrusts slammed into my hips, his organ swiftly penetrating my eager channel, in and out, over and over again.

"No... please don't. Please stop..." I didn't want to be his fertile soil, his vessel, his body to use.

Yet his forceful thrusts were welcome to my body, pounding continuous ecstasy through my veins. His organ suddenly felt larger, the thickness stretching me a little more, his stabbing thrusts reaching deep, deep inside me. It felt remarkable and terrifying.

"Verona!" he shouted, then his body jerked.

He pumped hot liquid into me, his seed splashing against my soft inner flesh. It was another entirely new feeling, and I enjoyed the heat, the sense of satisfaction. My body wanted all of what he was giving me.

Leaves sliced the air around us, reminding me that whatever I felt, this creature wasn't human, not entirely. The foliage relaxed and drifted to the ground as he finished inside me.

He collapsed on top of me, panting, his chest heaving. He seemed more human then, almost vulnerable. I only felt more violated that this man had forced me to take his seed while vines still bound me to the earth.

A few moments later, he rose to his knees, withdrawing his shrinking organ. Our fluids slowly trickled out of my sore flesh.

He dipped a finger inside me and brought it to my lips, pressed our combined juices onto my tongue. It was thick like sap and it tasted sweet and fresh, like spring and flowers, mead and musk. For a moment, I wanted to taste his organ in my mouth, swallow his seed down my throat. My cheeks flushed.

He smiled and sat back. The vines slithered away into the earth, but I still couldn't move, pinned in place by my own fear and despair. I belonged to the forest now. I could never escape it.

As fresh tears threatened, something woke within me. It was light and life and earth and air, it was the wind rushing through the woods that felt like my own breath, the flow of a nearby river that felt like my blood, the sun shining on the canopy above that felt like my skin.

The spirit smiled and offered his hand. I took it, my tears forgotten.

As sticky sap dripped from between my legs, the forest sang to me.