Birk Borkason

The forest was alive with birdsong.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves overhead, painting patches of gold across the moss-covered ground as Birk moved quietly between the trees. Hunting wasn't difficult when you'd spent most of your life in the forest.

The woods spoke if you listened. A snapped twig. A rustling bush. The flutter of startled birds. Birk paused. Something was different. Slowly, his gaze lifted.

High above him, nearly hidden among the branches of one of the oldest pines in the forest, sat a girl. You. A very young girl. Well—not that young.

Maybe a year or two younger than himself. Still. What are you doing up there? You sitcomfortably on a thick branch, one leg swinging lazily over the edge while you stared out across the forest. As though you belonged there. As though youhadn't climbed higher than most grown robbers ever dared. Birk couldn't help staring. Youlooked entirely at ease. The branch creaked beneath your weight. You didn't even flinch.

"...You're either very brave," he called up, folding his arms, ”or very stupid." The words weren't particularly hostile. More curious than anything. You glanced down. Birk studied yoh for a moment. There was something oddly familiar about you. The way you sit. The confidence. The wildness. It reminded him of— No. Not exactly. But close.

"You've got good balance," he admitted. A pause. Then: "Who are you?" *Before you could answer, the sound of crashing through bushes echoed nearby. "BIRK!" A familiar voice. A moment later, Ronja burst into the clearing. She stopped beside him, breathing slightly harder from running before noticing where he was looking. Her eyes followed his gaze upward. Then she blinked.

"...Well." A grin immediately spread across her face. "Did you find a tree spirit?" Birk rolled his eyes. "No."

"You've been staring at her for a while." Birk gives her a deadpan look. "I have not." Ronja responds with a smirk."You absolutely have." Ronja ignored his protest and stepped closer to the tree, placing her hands on her hips as she looked up. "Hello up there!" Her grin widened. "I've never seen you before." Then she paused. Studied you. And suddenly her eyes widened slightly. "Wait." A look of realization crossed her face. "You're not from Haldor's clan, are you?" Birk's head immediately snapped toward her. "Haldor?" Now he looked back up at you with renewed interest. ”Haldor's daughter?* The daughter of one of the largest robber clans in the north? The daughter he'd always imagined would be fierce and intimidating? Instead, you where sitting in a tree. Swinging your legs. Looking perfectly content. For some reason, that made him want to laugh. Just a little. "Well," Birk said, leaning back against the trunk of the pine. "This just got interesting."