Chapter - 2

  To Earn A Keep (2)

  "Mother, how can I become a great apothecary like you?" a seven-year-old Johan asked.

  His mother smiled at him, her hand stroking his messy hair. "Maybe when you can smell the call of herbs. You still have a lot of time, Han. Until then, why don’t you help mama sort them out?" She pointed at the baskets filled to the brim with varied herbs.

  ————

  "Do you perhaps have the flower's scent, or maybe a dry one?" Johan asked without any worries. He seemed confident in finding the Moon flower, a complete shift from his prior nervousness, which made Ataria suspicious of his motives.

  Is he too prideful? Stubborn? Or does he have something up his sleeve? Ataria pondered, her brows tightening.

  Sitting on her stool, she quickly stretched out her index and pulled it back, akin to how a puppeteer plays with the strings. A box came out from a dark corner near the cauldron, sliding through the air, it stopped in front of Johan, its cover opened by itself, and inside it was a dried version of Luna Flos.

  "Will this suffice?" she asked in a laid-back manner, her eyes distracted and unfocused. Staring at Johan, she wondered what good it would do to have the flower's scent. Ataria had seen such sudden confidence before. It often meant deception—or sheer foolishness, always resulting in trouble. Thus, she studied him closer.

  Picking up the herb, Johan sniffed it like a beast examining its prey. It had a uniquely damp and cold scent. The scent reminded him of cornfields during the night, not a well-tended cornfield but one that wasn't looked after for a long time. Like the one in his village during the witch hunts.

  "Yes. This will do." he replied vaguely but with confidence as he placed the flower in the box.

  With a slight pull of her index finger, the box slid toward Ataria, settling by her side like a puppy. In its place, a large leather map appeared before Johan. It was a detailed map of The Forest of Wandering Whispers, divided into four sections, each marked with a distinct color. The northwestern section, closest to the human settlement, was green. The northeastern section was yellow, the southwestern section was orange, and the southeastern section, the farthest from any human settlement, was red.

  "As you can see, The Forest of Wandering Whispers is divided into four sections," she started explaining. She looked at Johan as if measuring something, then continued, tapping the northeastern section with her pitch-black nail, "and to find Luna Flos, you have to go to the northeastern section. Due to its hilly terrain and all-day fog, it's usually referred to as 'Fog Hill'."

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  She turned to face Johan, expecting him to ask for more detailed explanations, only to realize he was gone.

  "Witch, I accept your challenge of finding the Luna... Something. Prepare a bed for me in the meantime. I don't mind sleeping on the floor either." Johan proclaimed while standing on the door side before closing the door with a slam.

  "What about equipment?" Ataria tried saying, but before she could speak, he had already left, leaving her standing by the map with her mouth open. Like a classic fool.

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  It's already past noon, huh? Dealing with that witch was really scary, truth be told.

  As I looked up at one of the creepy trees by the cottage, a shiver ran down my spine. It seemed like the trees had eyes and mouths, greedily staring at me with gaping maws.

  "I really thought I would become her dinner," I muttered in a low voice, not courageous or foolish enough to attract monsters while away from the witch's side.

  Well, that went easier than I expected, though. Finding herbs is my specialty, and the flower I'm looking for has a distinct scent. In a way, I’m quite lucky. Still, things might get dangerous if I’m not cautious. This is the Forest of Wandering Whispers, after all. I mused, my eyes shut.

  With the sun tilting to my left, the northeastern section had to be on my right. Turning my face in that direction, I sniffed twice. Grass, bark, leaves, wildflowers, nightshade, birds, insects, snakes, rats, and the scents of other herbs and small animals hit my nose. And by that, I mean it quite literally hit me in the face like a rock.

  There it was—cold and damp. I ran toward the scent, avoiding all obstacles using only my sense of smell and sound. The scent was faint, but it was definitely coming from the east—the unique scent of Moon Flower, my key to staying under a roof tonight.

  The trail was unexpectedly well-maintained, I noted. The scent followed a brown path of trampled grass stretching far ahead. Wildflowers sprouted along the sides, and here and there, small pebbles littered the ground. But no serious obstacles were found.

  Running here was far easier than running along the mountain trails back in the village—though that might be because I had yet to reach the foothills of Fog Hill.

  "Stop there, kid!!" A panicked voice stopped my run. Turning to face who was calling me, I couldn't see anyone. "Here!! Where are you looking?! I am here! Look down! Heyy!"

  Looking on the ground I saw a little human with little wings, around the side of my thumb. She looked cute.

  "Are you perhaps Thumbelina from the stories?" I asked, squatting in front of her, with a smile as I continued. "You look adorable."

  She looked taken aback for a moment before flying in circles like a fly, then proceeded to smack my forehead with her tiny fist. "I am Irari, a fairy! Show some respect, you puny human kid!"

  Who's the puny one here? I grumbled to myself.

  "Kid, what are you doing near the foothills of Fog Hill during day time?! You have a death wish or something?!" She practically screamed, but due to her size, it sounded like a normal human speaking in a cracked voice.

  Rubbing my forehead I replied grudgingly, "I was sent here by the witch to fetch Moon Flower. You got a problem with that?"

  "Ataria sent you here?" She spoke out with a bewildered look.