A child with a frail looking body staggered through the thick flora of the forest. Sunlight dancing through the thick canopy up above serving to make the shadows of already dark areas jump out more. A twig suddenly snapping right beneath them making them flinch and look around, their terrified expression becoming more prevalent.

"H...Hello..?" The child cried out, I had been stalking them for a few minutes now unsure of how to approach a lost and terrified child. While I did have a soft spot for children, it was a completely different matter when they were scared like this. How do you approach something that will not listen no matter what?

Furthermore, from what I could gather from the child's high end clothing and a crashed carriage I had found on my hunt. This may have been what people called "Nobility".

I kept a low profile, moving a fair distance ahead and stepped out into the open. My bow secured behind my back along with my quiver.

"I can see you are lost. I can guide you out." I spoke softly, not daring to approach the child. Children would sometimes get lost, and when they were terrified like this could be just as aggressive as any animal.

The child looked at me and clumsily staggered backwards, falling onto his back letting out a weak groan. Usually, they had some inkling on how to tread the ground of a forest. But this kid simply didn't, whether he had been extremely sheltered or was just highly clumsy I couldn't tell.

"Don't worry. I'm just a lowly hunter, I'm very familiar with this place." I offered out a hand, the child looking at it then rapidly glancing around. The child then scrambling to reach for it as he jumped at the sight of a shadow. Once we locked hands I pulled the child up. I at the very least wanted to teach this poor soul some basic survival tricks.

"Child, what's your name?" I asked with the child staying very close to me, uncomfortably so.

"C-Constantine...m-ma'am!"

"Constantine? Very well, I'm Art...Ariadne."

I lead the kid deeper into the woods, to where my residence would be. Through previous encounters with lost people, I had figured out my true name was a word of alarm. They would effectively prostrate themselves in the presence of someone they found out to be a God.

"What's your story, Constantine? How did you get out here?"

Constantine shifted his gaze and trembled.

"My...My carriage was attacked on my way back home. And...And it crashed. No one was...was around when I woke up..."

I had to think for a moment. Was he just unfortunate and attacked by bandits? But then, why not just take him as ransom?

"Did you see anyone?"

Constantine shook his head.

"The curtains were...were drawn."

So was he just abandoned then?

"I see. Because you were attacked, perhaps you should pick up a few survival skills. I'll teach you."

Constantine seemed shocked

"But...But isn't that barbaric?"

"Survival isn't anywhere near barbaric. Who instilled that idea into your head?"

"My...My...My parents and instructor..." He murmured

"Then they are wrong."

Constantine immediately recoiled and remained silent, even as we reached the cabin I resided in. It was deep within the wilderness, and obscured by the local floral but was in a clearing which exposed it to the sunlight.

"Other...buildings..?" Constantine asked puzzled

"I don't reside here alone. They are some of my dearest friends, so please be nice to them."

He nodded slowly and looked around. A beautiful young woman, one of my Forest Nymphs named Aypio, gracefully approached me almost gliding across the floor.

"My, my. This has to be the first time I've seen you not guide a lost child out. Did you perhaps take pity on him, Artemis?" Aypio spoke, people would often describe her voice as sweet honeydew, and it was annoying that she knew me well.

Constantine immediately going pale and freezing in place staring at me with fear. Humans called it reverence, but I knew better. I knew that people were terrified of Gods. And I hated it, ^(even if I had turned people into deer in the past for certain reasons.)

"Aypio..!"

"Oh...OH! You were trying to be covert again? Better he finds out now rather than later if you intend on teaching him~" She smiled waving and starting to walk to the direction of the hot spring.

She may have been right, but I still though it could've been done in a better way. The kid was already terrified as is.

Constantine flinging open the door of my cabin and tripping into it.

"Are you ok..?"

He nodded yes but still held the same fear in his eyes.

"Are you mad that I lied? And, sorry to say, but I don't think you'll be seeing your parents for a while."

Constantine's eyes beginning to water and he began shaking.

"You...You intend on kidnapping me..? Am I a sacrifice? Am I going to die..?"

"I'm trying to make sure you survive. Your parents abandoned you, I'm sure of it." I spoke sitting down to be on level with him.

"They...They...What..?"

Constantine looked at me in disbelief.