• It was a surprisingly blissful morning; the rain clouds had finally parted and let the slivers of the golden sun rays pour down upon the quiet construction site. The foreman smiled at the scene before him, despite the sudden rain, it seemed that the plans for the new building were going to be completed on time. Nursing a cup of coffee, the balding man gave a soft happy sigh as he sipped his warm drink, wandering around the site, watching his workers prepare for a new day. Making his way towards the outskirts of the site, a frown creased the man's forehead as he now stood facing the small forest that was to be cleared just today. Clearing his throat, he took another sip, a small shiver running up his spine.

    Legends around these parts told of a little imp that lived in the forest, the small creature acted up occasionally, causing mischief and even harm to any who trespassed through the woods meaning to harm the flora that grew there. Older residents of the area called this creature the "Plant Child," saying the being was a guardian spirit of the forest, sent to protect it from humans. But it was just a simple folktale, wasn't it?

    Within the depths of the woods, two wide and feral olive-colored eyes watched as a stranger approached, standing a few yards away from the tree he had been hiding in. He stared at the man with a dark expression of hate. He knew what that man was here for, he knew the very moment that those trucks had pulled up on the outskirts of his forest home and had begun to construct the new building. Clutching tighter to the branch, his dirty nails digging into the bark, the creature suppressed an angry noise, yet gasped suddenly. Rustling around, he extracted his nails from the tree, nuzzling the spot apologetically as he murmured softly to the branch.

    The foreman had heard the noise, instantly rising to his guard as he watched a few leaves fall from a nearby tree, taking a step back as his eyes remained focused solely on that spot .Could it have been that imp from the folktale, was that silly story actually true?

    Tendrils of auburn hair fell in front of the creature's face as he turned to stare back at the man, freezing as he noticed the human staring straight up at the spot he was hiding at. Hugging the tree tightly, the thing curled up against the bark, shutting his eyes closed as he hoped the man wouldn't see him.

    There were no more noises, the forest silent aside for the chirping of morning birds. A few moments later, the foreman gave a nervous laugh, shrugging it off, and turned back towards the construction, motioning to a group of workers to ready their chainsaws and get to work.

    When the first tree was bit into by one of man's tools, the hiding creature could hear a sobbing cry of sheer agony, making a noise of utter pain himself. Grabbing onto his head, he wailed loudly, the tears pouring from his eyes as the tree continued to scream out, its cries deaf to all but him. As the tree fell over, it gave one last cry before it was silent; dead, lying there as workers began to haul it away. It was then when he made his move. Jumping from his green canopy, the creature let out an angry scream as he ran towards the workers, thick lumps bulging the ground underneath him following.

    The foreman was the first to see it, his dark eyes going wide as he backed away a few paces, the other workers following to see the thing. It stopped right in front of the men, standing there as he glared deathly at the men. It wasn't some grotesque imp as he was foretold to be, he was more of a young boy no older than twelve. He stood there, dirty hands clenched into fists. He was dressed in a dull and tattered old kimono with no patterns or designs. Backing up against the nearest tree, he stood in front of it, as though trying to protect it. He had the longest auburn hair, the messy and unkempt locks flowing all the way to his knees, seemingly haven't been cut in years. His smoldering, olive eyes were glaring with a feral fierceness that could make even the bravest man wince.

    The construction workers stared at the mysterious boy in alarm, their eyes wide with confusion, curiosity and horror. None of them had any idea just who or what this creature was. But as they stood staring at it, wondering what it was, the strangest of occurrences happened. The child took a step forward, his entire body quivered, and then a great, large flower bloomed on his very cheek. A few men stumbled backwards when the child raised his arms, dozens of colorful flowers blossoming all over his body, a sudden shaking of the ground sending them to their feet. They barely had a chance to scream before tree roots burst forth from the ground, impaling their bodies, tearing their limbs off, and spilling their blood all over. Once the group of humans nearest the boy had been vanquished, he turned back to the trees, staring sadly at the cut one as he placed his small hands upon the stump, what was left of the trunk. He cooed softly, tears at his eyes as he kissed at the sappy, bleeding wood, nuzzling the remains of the fallen tree in mourning.

    The flowers slid back underneath his skin just as quickly as they had appeared, his tiny body quivering with sorrow. Although his said nothing that even resembled speech, it was painfully apparent how he felt from his body language. Kneeling down, he embraced the stump, hugging his arms around the ruined tree tightly; he seemed just so utterly distraught. The young thing barely noticed the pair of eyes watching him.

    Jolting back up in surprise after a moment or two, the plant child gasped as he turned to see another human staring at him. But this one seemed different, this one didn’t look threatening. His hair was short and light, his eyes were cold and green, it unnerved the boy greatly. Yet, the man remained still, simply watching, staring, waiting for the boy to act. The two didn’t move an inch as they watched each other, the creature going more and more suspicious of the other, especially after the human took a step forward. He raised a hand out, and although he was still a distance away, the child instantly felt threatened. With a shriek, the boy threw his arm out at the man, a single leaf with razor-like sharpness sliced a gash open in the man’s wrist, making him wince in pain. At that moment, the child took off, scrambling away through the forest with a look of fear upon his dirty face.