Michael had found an ideal camping site as he traveled the country looking for more work. In a dense wooded area, he pitched his tent by a lake close to a forest which was being cleared of dead or fallen trees to make way for new growth. He lit a camp fire and placed a frying pan with sausages onto the flames and added some mushrooms he’d found along the way, turning them slowly making sure not to burn them. It was a hot day and the coolness of the lake was a temptation he just couldn’t resist. After eating breakfast, he stripped naked and took the plunge. Michael swam several lengths of the lake before crossing over to the other side and pulled himself up onto the bank to Sunbathe. After a while, the blistering heat was too much to bear and he returned to the water, breaking the surface with salmon like leaps as he cooled himself again and again. Suddenly, an arrow swished by him, hitting the water with a splash before it surfaced right next to him. Michael scoured the tree line in the direction the arrow had come, but the dense undergrowth shielded any possible sighting of the culprit.
“You fucking idiot, you almost killed me!” he called out loudly.
Minutes later, a second arrow came from the tree tops and landed on the bank just in front of him. This arrow had something tied to it and he swam to the edge to of the water to retrieve it. He unrolled a piece of parchment attached to it and read the message. ‘I like what I see, just follow my signs’
He looked up towards the forest wondering if this was just someone playing a stupid prank, but curiosity got the better of him and he set off in pursuit after dressing quickly. The forest canopy blocked out much the Sunlight, creating a damp misty atmosphere all around him. Tree roots broke the surface of the soil, giving him the illusion of outstretched arms just waiting to gather him in and the undergrowth was so dense it was hard to find a pathway towards the direction of the arrows flight. He rested a while on a fallen tree and drank from a bottle he’d brought along with him. It was then he noticed smoke mingling high amongst the branches about a half mile to his right and the unmistakable aroma of cooking meat wafting through the air. Michael followed his nose and after a short while came to a clearing where a log cabin stood partially hidden behind a heaped mound of earth. A large fire burned red with flame, roasting some kind of large animal on an iron spit, fat dripping from its sizzling carcass.
“Hello, anyone home.” he called out loudly.
The sound of girly giggles echoed all around him.
“Are you the one who’s been shooting arrows indiscriminately in to the air?”
There was a rustling of leaves behind him and Michael spun around quickly to see what it was. Standing just a few feet away was a girl dressed like an Amazon warrior. She was wearing a thin loin clothe, a cross shoulder singlet made from some kind of animal fir and coarsely made sandals.
“Oh, fuck, have I just walked on to a movie set?” said Michael, laughing. “You’re not Zena Warrior Princess, are you?”
Her ice blue eyes feasted upon him as she slinked towards him like a stalking Cheetah, before throwing down her bow and arrows, hooking an arm around his neck and planting a hard passionate kiss onto his lips.
Michael looked stunned and broke from the kiss to get an explanation. “Who are you, what the hell is going on?”
“My name is Alliyah and we live here. We are the nymphs of the forest.”
“We?” Michael looked around when he heard the bushes rustling as two more women dressed in similar attire stepped out into the clearing.
Alliyah pointed to a tall, mean looking redhead carrying a crossbow. “This is Venus” she said, “and Arielle,” indicating to a shorter blonde girl carrying a basket full of berries and fruit.
The three women were mesmerized; staring at Michael in awe like he was the first man that they’d ever seen.