DenEst (goddess au) 1

                                    

                                          


                          
The forest was apparently a great place to pick up chicks. 
                          
Den had been a bit taken aback to see a girl wandering bare-footed amidst the thickets, only wearing a sheer white robe, fluid and free-moving. He almost thought maybe he was seeing a vision, or maybe the wine from last night was still playing tricks on his mind.
                          
He sighed and rocked back on his aching heels as she explored, generally making a lot of rustling noises. Might as well stop hunting early, most game had probably been scared away at this point.
                          
Standing up and ignoring the painful twinge in his calves, Den slung his bow onto his back and whistled a small tune as he made his way over to her. She must've been lost or something; he couldn't imagine any other reason why a young lady would be meandering through the deeper parts of the forest.
                          
"Hey!" He called out to her when he was still a good distance away, not wanting to startle her too bad. He lifted his hand in greeting, giving a friendly smile.
                          
The young girl snapped her head to where she had heard the call, a look of confusion morphing into a more focused, concentrated one. 

She looked rather strange, unlike any of the girls from the villages nearby nor the kingdoms. When she walked, it almost looked as if she was drifting, her movements elegant and delicate, like that of a nymph. However, the edges of her dress were dirtied with stains of mud, ruining her 'perfect' display. 
                          
She froze, much like a deer would, wordlessly staring at him. 
                          
"Who are you?" her posture straightened. Not even a hello? How rude.
                          
Den continued to make his way over to her, edging through the brush. "That's exactly what I was going to ask you. Are you lost? This is quite a ways away from the village..."
                          
The closer he got, the easier he could see her youthful face that seemed stuck between a look of bewilderment and distrust. He didn't recognize her face very well... which was odd, because Den knew his way around the nearby towns. He also knew his way around every girl's bedroom in the area. She seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place where he had seen her before.
                          
"Village?" She dropped the white cloth clutched in her hand, the fabric draping down to cover her feet, touching the damp forest floor. "You mean... Where they reside?" 
                          
It seemed like she definitely wasn't around from this area. She had either been some sort of prisoner that broke free, or some princess that had been stuck in a high tower for decades without seeing the real world-- like Rapunzel. 
                          
"They...?" Den trailed off, stopping once he was a few paces from her, confused by her wording.
                          
"They. Them. The little creatures." She made a motion with her hand, showing the man a measurement with her fingers. "The... the mortals." She looked from her fingers up to the boy. 

God, why hadn't she recognised him by now? What part of the system was she even in? Why couldn't she find any of the other gods or goddesses around?
                          
Den just looked at her strangely for several moments before he cracked a smile and shook his head, laughing softly. "You're funny, princess. Yes, 'they' live there. The common folk." He seemed amused by her actions.
                          
The look on her face changed from distrust to interest. Though, the confusion never fled her face, still hidden in the corners of her lips that tugged downwards.  "Common folk?" 
                          
She definitely wasn't from around here. Den tipped his head to the side, still trying to figure out where he had seen her before. "Are you lost? You seem so confused, I bet you're from a distant kingdom or something."