Under the sign that pointed in the direction of the Prickin Nole Forest Elves was another sign that Alex hadn’t noticed at first. He moved closer to the tree to get a better look at the slightly faded text.
“Prickin Nole Satyrs,” Alex read aloud. “There are satyrs here? Still, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to check it out. Maybe someone there can help me get home.” With that, Alex began to make his way down the right path.
The walk was mostly uneventful, if not peaceful. While he did almost trip over an exposed root once or twice, Alex was able to zone out and enjoy the sounds of the forest. It wasn’t long until Alex began to hear something in the distance, snapping him out of his self-inflicted trance. It was…music?
The music was airy and melodic, flowing through the trees and filling the forest the closer Alex got as if it were part of the wind itself. At first, it sounded like there was just one instrument, a flute of some kind, but as Alex got closer, he could tell that multiple flutes were being played, creating a cheerful melody.
Before long, Alex could see lights in the forest and hear voices. Picking up the pace, Alex moved quickly down the path towards the light source, eventually seeing a clearing at the end of the path. His brisk walk eventually evolved into a run as he reached the end of the path, his eyes widening at what he saw.
At the end of the path was a party of sorts, complete with food, activities, a band, and a large bonfire in the center. The entire thing appeared lively, as many patrons were socializing, dancing, and singing. However, what drew Alex’s attention were the patrons themselves.
Satyrs of all shapes and sizes filled the clearing, engaging in various activities. Their furry, hooved legs had strong, muscular thighs that were built for running or walking long distances. Many of them had wild messy hair, but some of them had more well-kept hair, with all of them having a seemingly unique pair of goat horns. While some of them were chubbier than others, many of them had sleek, athletic builds, complete with a thin layer of hair trailing up from their crotch and ending at their navel.
“Incredible…” Alex said wordlessly to himself as he watched the party unfold.
“It is, isn’t it?” a voice from behind him replied, making the young man jump. Alex turned around to see a satyr behind him, a slight grin plastered on his face. He looked young, about Alex’s age in fact, with sunkissed skin and striking blue eyes that seemed to follow Alex’s movements.
“Sorry about that,” the satyr said. “Didn’t mean to scare ya.”
“No, it’s all good,” Alex replied, chuckling slightly. “I just…wasn’t expecting someone to be right behind me, that’s all, let alone a satyr.”
“Well, you are at a satyr gathering, are you not?” the satyr responded slyly. “What were you expecting to find? Pixies?”
“I…suppose that’s fair enough,” the young man replied. The two of them laughed a bit before the satyr spoke up. “Name’s Zayros, by the way. My friends call me Zay.”
“Alex,” the young man responded, offering a hand for Zayros to shake. The satyr accepted it, firmly gripping the human’s hand. “By any chance am I now a friend of yours?”
“You are indeed, hot stuff,” Zay replied with a wink, making Alex blush. “Anywho, what brings a good-looking human like yourself to this neck of Prickin Nole without any clothes on?”
“Right, how do I put this without sounding insane?” Alex started. “I’m…not from here. I woke up naked in the middle of the woods with no idea how I got there, and now I’m just trying to get back home.”
“Huh, sounds like you’re in quite the predicament,” Zay commented. “You must be pretty stressed out, am I right?”
“Yeah…I suppose I am a bit stressed…” Alex shrugged.
“So how about you relax a bit? Join the party!” Zay suggested. “We’ve got music, games, plenty of food and wine to go around…we haven’t even gotten into the best part of the night yet!”
“The best part?” Alex asked curiously. This only earned him a smirk from Zay.
“Stick around and you’ll find out.”