Light filtered through the leaves of zwift birch trees where it provided enough light to expose the glass glowbe fungus growing along the south side of the nurse log. John Hawthorn was sketching the fungus among other young plants that sprouted from the nutrient dense log. He had been cataloging the shrubs and fungi in this section of the Dwarvfwyach Forest, aptly named by the dwarves who inhabited the mountain that it grew on, as he discovered them with their names and info blurbs that popped out above them. The glass glowbe fungus was the most recent addition in his travels in Sirius Orbis, but the start of his journey through Dwarvfwyach forest.

  A bird call echoed above him, and he saw the yellow flash of it then remembered the dwarves mentioning that the yellow birds fed on the fruit trees in the forest. He scrambled to get his belongings back into his satchel as he wasn’t familiar with the ‘pocket dimension’ that the system says that he has - he really needed to follow that bird. No one told him if the birds were a common sight. John knew he needed to fuel himself with something that wasn’t stale or dried.

  John followed the yellow bird to a grove of short trees, well they were short for trees as they were as tall as he was. John was tall enough to be mistaken for a basketball player, but more scholarly because of his love for plants. He could easily pick off the blue lychee-like fruit off the trees, or Ent’s Delights as they were called. John observed the yellow bird and sketched it while he watched it peck apart and eat the fruit.

  He heard twigs snapping and the sound of something similar to shuffling and rustling like a birder wearing a ghillie suit for the first time. Not that John would have ever had an experience of birding with his girlfriend just before being flung into another world. Not at all, and here he was listening to these familiar sounds get closer to him.

  It was the giggling that got him to look away from his work. Giggling and the sensation of a branch catching his shoulder with more force than expected for a branch. The bespectacled man turn to see a small tree with a face. Well, small in comparison to the newest tree he had discovered.

  “Hey! You look funny, why were you creating the roose in your leaves?” Peona said to him.

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  She turns around then calls out, “hey! I found something that looks like a very funny looking dwarf!”

  Two more saplings came along to stare at John.

  “That’s not a dwarf! It’s an elf!” Bruce exclaimed.

  Then Doak pointed at Johnathan’s ears, “no! Look at his ears. They’re like the knot holes my older brother has… y’know where,” he adds behind the back of his hand. “Don’t tell Corkin I said that.”

  John hadn’t said a single word for he was amused by these saplings arguing with each other about what he was. He almost chuckled when two of them scrunched up the bark on their face as their voices started to grow louder. Being the responsible adult that he was, he decided to intervene like he did back in his old job on Earth.

  John was working as a team leader for computer engineers, more than he was a gardener. Although he considered himself more of a gardener because of the men he worked with made him feel like he was a glorified babysitter. John found the company of gardeners to be kind and gentle people, and enjoyed their company each week when they met up. Yet the grind paid the bills while the serenity from tending plants kept his cool for the job.

  “Saplings, would you like me to answer your questions?”

  All of them turned around to look at him; Doak looked like he was one moment away from snapping and having sap run all over his face.

  Peona asked, “what are you?” She peered up at his face, “and what were you doing with those white leaves in your hands?”

  “I’m a human. My name is Johnathan Hawthorn, but you all can call me John. This right here,” he pulls out his notebook and pencil, “is a notebook where I keep all information about my discoveries here in Sirius Orbis. What are your names?”

  Peona’s face made an incredulous expression, “can’t you see our names?”

  “Yeah! Can’t you John?” Bruce chimed in.

  The saplings had popped their names in black font above their heads for John to read. John forgot that everyone can see each other’s names bobbing above their heads when they get the system to do it for them. Although he doesn’t make a show of the fact that he had already seen them. He made an internal note to become more familiar with the system and review his notes on system culture that he learned from the dwarves.

  “Yes I can. That is very astute of the two of you.”

  Doak, who seemed to have calmed down now, asked “what’s astute?”

  Then a volley of questions came his way while he engaged the saplings in his own questions about forest they were in.

  After much debate in his mind, John finally asked his burning question, “are your parents nearby?”

  “Oh yeah! D’you wanna meet them? We’ll take you to them!” Peona excitedly shared and grabbed one of his hands.

  John, wanting to be rid of them, said “sure.”