#forest au

a very god place where all who entered would never return to tell the tale.

they named him midoriya after the japanese phrase for "green valley," as no one would truly know what his real name was.

you rolled your eyes at the signs and crawled over the fence.

"people fall for anything."

your legs wobbled once you hit the ground, yet the forest looked nothing like when you were looking from the outside.

rather than lacking tones, you felt as if for the first time you were seeing colors that were once invisible to the human eye.

"i feel sorry people haven't explored this place sooner."

you touch the wood, feeling each ridge under your palm.

placing your bag down, you take out a notebook and pencil from your bag before continuing your adventure.

sitting down upon a rock, you scribble away at any plant that captures your attention.

this forest's biodiversity was far more distinct than the one from your homeland.

from the flowers to the trees, they were far larger; it caused you to ponder how old these plants might be after all.

swift movements are drawn from your pencil onto the paper; the leaves swish and ruffle, and you mistake it for the wind.

but then a sudden thud is heard, causing you to turn from your notebook towards the sound.

a figure that appeared like a man was crouched on all fours from the fall.

dark green curls covered his face, and he barely moved an inch, as if a deer caught in headlights.

with hesitance, "are you alright?"

in an instant he stands up, nodding with a charming embarrassed smile, "ah...hello."

the man came from the shadows closer into the light.

"i'm so sorry! i haven't seen anyone enter these woods in millenniums. my name is izuku."

he had the brightest green eyes and a beautiful face adorned with freckles, and just then you recognized him.

"you are the man from the fables, aren't you? the alleged god of gardens and forests and the reason people won't dare step foot in here."

he tilts his head.

"alleged?"

izuku rubs his hands together and blows through them; as if by magic, groups of butterflies fly out of thin air from his hands.

he asks as in wonder you watch the butterflies pass by you, "was that alleged?"

izuku rushes over to you with excitement in his eyes.

"i have been noticing how you look at my creation with such care, and i really appreciate it, but it makes me wonder, what brings you here?"

you look down at your sketches and then back at him.

"i'm an ecologist; it's my job to study species and how they interact with both living and non-living things in their environments."

"knowing this place is closed off, i thought it would be a great idea to explore and investigate what could lie in this forest."

he says with pride in his chest, "that's wonderful! i can teach you many things and show you so much."

"this is my forest after all, one of the oldest forests on the planet."

you excitedly follow after the deity; amazed by all of your findings, you take out a polaroid camera.

once you try to touch a flower, his hand tightens around your wrist.

"don't," he says, moving your hand away.

"everything in here is very delicate; this flower blooms once a year."

you profusely apologize, "i'm so sorry."

"in all my years studying, i have never seen that species before. may i take a picture?"

his brows furrow from genuine confusion.

"a picture?"

you nod and reveal a polaroid camera.

"it's a camera. i use it for all my voyages so i can snap pictures and look at them later at home."

his demeanor eases as he sees you take a picture of the flower.

"you may. but only if you promise to not share it with anyone; this beauty must remain sacred."

you nod slowly in agreement.

"if that's what you wish for, then of course!"

his lips curve upward, and his palm points towards a gateway of the forest.

"come. there's so much for you to see."

through the passage, the sweet, beckoning calls of birds bless your ears.

his bare feet practically glide through the grass as he rushes past trees.

"you're going too fast," you laugh, barely able to keep up.

then, there it is, a tree of width far larger than any other tree in the forest.

he places his hand on the tree and urges you to do the same.

"it's the oldest and biggest tree in this forest."

"i think of it as my heart and the center of this forest."

before fully placing your hand upon it, like a magnet, a sudden force pulls your palm directly onto it.

"close your eyes. what do you feel?" izuku asks.

a rhythmic drum beats from inside of the bark, pulsating against your palm, causing your hand to retract.

"what was that?"

izuku merely chuckles, "it's my heartbeat; i didn't mean for it to scare you."

beyond the tree he showed you many other things: the vastness of the hills, the diversity of the species, and the crystalline perfect reflection of the waters.

as the sun began to fall, izuku frowned at the sight of you unpacking your bag.

the god pointed towards the poles, stakes, and fabric.

"what are you doing?"

you explain, "i'm setting up a tent so i have a place to sleep."

this answer had created nothing but displeasure and even disgust in his mind.

"a man-made nest? put it away."

"i could make you a safe and more comfortable nest."

izuku excitedly picks you up, jumping from branch to branch between trees.

you nervously cling to him, avoiding looking down, knowing you were most likely over 50 feet by the time he had chosen a spot.

upon a certain branch he stands and places you there.

with curiosity you ask, "how are you going to make a nest?"

the deity smiles.

"you'll see."

as he turns his attention towards an empty space between branches suddenly, they begin to peel, divide, and connect into each other, recreating the look of a web.

moss and ferns begin to thicken at a rapid pace, creating perfect cushioning contrasting the harsh wood.

bundles of daisies grow surrounding the nest.

your eyes widen in surprise.

"this is amazing."

he picks up your trembling hands and lays you in the nest.

"it's much better than any human-made shelter."

laying down, the sounds of wildlife echoing around you send you quickly to sleep.

he crouches down closer to you by the corner of the nest, humming a song that only ancient ancestors could recall before the great flood.

he does not blink, does not feign a breath, fingers delicately crossing through the air, creating more veins and daisies for a flower crown.

by morning you awaken to the sound of an owl's call.

feeling something in your head, you remove it, though smiling once you see it is a flower crown.

you call on the green-haired spirit’s name once you are unable to find him anywhere near your nest.

with a sudden sound of a leap, there he is.

“good morning.”

he offers his hand out to you.

“are you ready to continue exploring?”

you happily nod and take his hand before you go further back into the ground.

for the following five days you wander around the forest, always by izuku’s side.

he is always watchful, careful to hold your balance between certain steep slides.

each architecture that was the foundation of the forest brought you nothing but wonder.

during the night he would take you to the rivers where dinoflagellates inhabited.

with a single touch the river would light into light blue works of art that would follow your finger’s touch.

from a tree he handed you a plum.

“if you like fruits, you’ll love these."

"i can guarantee it will quench all of your hunger.”

the first bite floods your mouth with juices of sour sweetness.

no other fruit, whether store-bought or planted, could be compared to a pear so delectable as this one raised from the forest.

by the sixth morning at sunrise, you were looking at your page full of artworks and notes with such pride in your heart.

the amount of species you were able to uncover and the experience this place had brought you you would not be able to even express with words.

readily you call on to him once more, and there he was, a bare arm hanging on to a branch.

he said with excitement, “good morning!”

after climbing you down, izuku takes you a bit farther into the forest, gathering chestnuts to eat.

you sit down on a rock behind him and begin to eat the chestnuts along with other fruits.

“you know i really am thankful for everything you have done for me.”

izuku tenderly smiles.

“of course. i would do anything for you.”

you hesitate, fidgeting with a twig before continuing.

“but i should really be heading back; i have to return to my country tomorrow.”

for a moment everything stops.

not the sound of a bird or the movement of passing wind can be heard.

he freezes for a second, but his smile does not deter.

“what do you mean?”

eyes darkening, “you don’t like it here?”

you shake your head profusely.

“of course, i love it here!"

"it’s like paradise incarnated, but i have responsibilities, family, and friends i have to get back to."

"they will be worried if i don’t come back.”

the deity tilts his head in slight confusion.

“worried?"

"why would they worry?"

"the forest gives you everything."

"no. i give you everything."

"i gave you food to eat, water to drink, lakes to bathe in, a nest to rest in, and a whole world to appreciate.”

you try to portray yourself as understanding, but seeing that he is not able to comprehend is disheartening.

standing, you explain, “i know, but those things cannot replace people i care about."

"i can’t abandon them.”

“so you are just going to abandon me?"

"use me and then leave me?"

"i was wrong about you; you are just like the rest of them.”

his smile immediately fades as he watches you sprint, though he does not run after you immediately.

he watches like an owner watches their disobedient dog run through the block.

each part of the forest was imprinted in his mind.

expecting large pounding footsteps pounding the grass, instead you hear sharp, high-pitched howls calling on to you.

it was not one but what could be assumed to be herds of foxes.

with slight glances, you catch sight of blurry fur catching on.

your feet graze the ground with speed; you did not know how much longer you could stand.

as you push harder to move faster and faster, your lungs were quickly beginning to burn, and your heart began to ache.

some foxes were behind; others came from corners, forcing you to deter moving into other directions.

as the hill curved downward, you were unable to stop your speed, thinking you would fall into plain grass.

the grass was far deeper.

almost six feet in height?

you breathe in and out.

each labored breath causes your chest to heavily rise and fall, relieved you hear the sounds of foxes go farther and farther until no longer audible.

however, relief was short-lived as an overwhelming feeling of swelling caught up in your throat, preventing little air from being exchanged.

the taste was not that of burning bile, but something far more edible and less broken down.

you turn over to face the grass, your nails dirtying as they dig through the dirt.

with each thought you begin to wonder if this was your end, choking from an unknown object in the middle of a grassland.

your panic begins to blur your vision before the object finally escapes your mouth.

one by one, chestnuts and other fruits you were given by the god for breakfast were being expelled as if a gift that was being taken back.

overwhelmed with fear, you continue, tying knots among grass in hopes of finding a way out of the grassland.

however, it only results in circles as you continue walking past grass you had already tied.

you decide to crouch before taking a big leap.

for a few seconds in the air, you see yourself only a mere few feet from the exit.

full of hope and excitement, you run towards the north.

but the more you run and push, the more it seems as if you are running in circles.

by the second jump the forest’s exit appears impossibly far, seas of grass surrounding you.

every time you jump, no matter where you run and no matter how many times you jump, the location of your way towards freedom changes.

for the last time you jump again, and the exit is behind you as if you had been running the wrong way this whole time.

you walk towards it deprived of hope before you see the actual exit, causing your eyes to widen.

before you are tree branches and the opening to the outside.

but rapidly branches begin to sprout and conjoin to one another.

you try to squeeze through a gap before it closes but to no avail.

the branches merge into each other, resisting your attempt to widen the gap for your escape.

you cry out as tears start to stream down your cheeks, “no! please!”

moving away, the only light visible is the one above, as all branches close the trees onto each other.

behind you, a hand tangles in your hair into a knuckle.

you instantly know it is him.

his grip is cold and overpowering; instinctively you latch onto his arm in protest, nails digging through his skin.

he only responds with a hearty laugh as if he finds all of this to be comedic.

“it won’t be long until we reach the nest, don't worry.”

he continues, “the forest needs you. i need you."