Taking a stroll

The last stretch of laundry took longer than it should have, likely due to the distraction between John’s legs or the constant glances he shot towards Lily’s naked body, but soon she gathered up the last armful of clothing, and he followed her outside to hang them. The clothesline behind her cottage was fairly full, but they managed to find space for everything. Standing back, Lily beamed at a job well-done, and John beamed at Lily. His cock had remained erect throughout these last few minutes, but if Lily noticed, she didn’t comment. She looked up towards the sunny sky, and took a deep breath of clean air.

“It’s a nice day,” She said, “The clothes should dry in a few hours. Did you have anything you wanted to do in the meantime?”

The smile she flashed John was genuine and innocent, and he wondered if Lily was aware of the effect she was having on him. Watching her flawless naked body was making it increasingly difficult to keep his lusts at bay, and dark suggestions on how to deal with those lusts boiled beneath his thoughts. “Uh, not really,” He said, focusing on the question, “Is there anything else you need help with?”

Lily shook her head, before looking up at the sky again. “I’m pretty self-sufficient out here. I appreciate the offer, though…” She paused, still staring straight up, “Do you want to go for a walk?”

“Sure,” He replied, instantly, “That sounds nice.”

Lily turned back to face him, smiling prettily, “I’m glad you think so. Hopefully it will help you get used to this area a bit more, too.” She turned away from him, spent a moment thinking, then pointed towards the treeline. “This way,” She decided, smirking back at John over her shoulder, “And try to look at the scenery as much as you’ve been looking at me.”

John’s mouth dropped open, but he pulled himself together and hurried after Lily, who had already began walking. So she was aware of his lecherous ogling, then? At no point had she moved to hide her body from him, or given him any hint of being upset with his glances. Did that mean she was receptive to that kind of attention from him? He shook his head and took a deep breath to help clear his thoughts. He should ask her about the forest, he decided. A nice, distracting, safe topic. Catching up to Lily and falling in pace alongside her, he looked around at the tall trees, and the speckled sunlight that filtered through their leaves. “Do you spend much time frolicking naked through the forest, Lily?” He asked, regretting the question even as he spoke it.

Lily didn't appear to be offended, though. She hummed thoughtfully before answering. “Only if the weather is warm. I don’t like being naked in the cold.”

John nodded along, “That makes sense. It’s very cold where I come from, so I’m rarely without a few layers of clothing.”

Lily hummed her agreement, and pointed at a large tree, twice as thick around as John was tall. “This is a good landmark,” She explained, “From here, if you walk straight south, you’ll quickly reach the cottage. And if you walk the direction this branch is pointing,” She indicated the correct branch before continuing, “You can find the river. The nearest town is about three day’s travel downriver, and about four days upriver you’ll find an outpost.” She patted the tree affectionately, “It’s a good tree.”

John did his best to fill in his mental map of the region based on what Lily was telling him. He had no intention of heading back towards human lands, at least not in the foreseeable future, so it was to his benefit to begin familiarizing himself with Elmhame. “I’m guessing you don’t have a highway out this far, then?”

Lily leaned against the tree, and screwed up her face. “Highway? Is that some sort of road? Nothing like that near here. There are roads closer to the capital, but most of the forest is undeveloped.”

That made sense based on what John knew of the elves and fairies who lived in Elmhame. For humans, nature was something to be wrestled with, an obstacle to overcome or utilize, but elves seemed to have a great deal of respect for their forest. “I see. So it’s just you out here, then?”

Lily nodded, standing up from the tree and continuing to walk, as John fell alongside her again, “I like having space. I enjoy company, but not crowds.” John almost flinched when she took hold of his hand, her skin soft against his own. His senses felt the shape and intensity of her energy once more, so vibrant and bright, yet somehow different than the day before. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it was almost as if there was something blocking or diverting Lily’s natural energy. He ignored

it for the time being.

John paused, forcing Lily to stop with him, and he tilted his head towards a unique-looking tree. The whole thing seemed to twist and whirl as it rose from the ground, the curled roots partially exposed to reveal a dark burrow that something had dug beneath the tree. Before he could even ask the questions, though, Lily gave an excited “Oh!” and began to explain.

“This is a lovelock tree,” She gushed, pointing at various features that no doubt denoted it as such, “The Goddess and The Mother both had long hair, and it would sometimes tangle when they made love. Lovelock trees are sprouted from discarded clumps of such tangled hair. They don’t grow very large, but they are all very old, and a favorite home of tiny fairies or animals.” She bent at the waist, displaying her ass and tight vagina for John as she examined the darkness beneath the tree’s roots. “It looks like a weasel den, but it’s empty right now. Do you want to leave an offering?”

John rose an eyebrow at that, pulling his gaze away from her rear. “For the weasels?”

“No!” Lily laughed, standing up and turning to face him. “For the tree! It’s traditional for friends, lovers, and travelers to leave a lock of their own hair at the base of a lovelock tree. For good luck and love.”

“Well,” He said, reaching up to run a hand through his hair, “Meeting you has been a gift of luck, so perhaps I should leave an offering in thanks.”

“And love,” She reminded him, her smile equal parts mischievous and charming, “Here, sit down,” She gestured, and John awkwardly took a seat on one of the hard roots, “And follow my instructions...”