One more day. Just one more day and he could return to the village, having passed his trial of manhood by living alone in the holy mountains for a full cycle of the moon. Usually it was not required to come this far nor to survive on your own for longer than 5 days, but Riko was the only son of the village chief. He was expected to do better than other youths.

It had not been so bad. He had proven himself just as capable hunter as he believed himself to be, and the spirits had favored him with good weather and plentiful bounties of the forest. But he still missed his friends and family a lot. Being able to see the outline of the village and the smoke rising from fireplaces in the valley below just was not the same as being there.

He shook his head and picked up his spear from where it was resting against a large tree. If he caught a few fish and roasted them on a fire, he should have enough food for the trip back home. Quickly he stripped off the soft pants made of deerskin, leaving only his loincloth, and carefully stepped into the river running down towards the valley. It was shallow enough near the bank that he was only up to his knees in the water, but he was well aware it got deeper farther in.

Just as he had sighted a large, fat fish and was about to spear it, something bumped into him from behind, making him lose his balance and tumble down to the cold water.

His spear! He couldn't lose that! He sighed in relief as his hand closed on the familiar rope grip tightly coiled around the wooden shaft and only now focused on figuring out what had hit him. And when he saw what it had been, his breath caught in his throat.

A woman the like of which he had never seen was lying mostly submerged in the shallow water, watching him, as surprised as he was to see her. Her skin was the same tone of brown as ripe acorns, her hair as white as freshly fallen snow and her eyes the most beautiful blue of cloudless sky. She was wearing a headdress made of branches and green leaves and her flowing white robes seemed to dance with the water currents.

"Hello..." he whispered, almost at loss for words, and held out his hand for her.

But that simple gesture seemed to break the spell that had fallen over them and suddenly she dove into the deeper part of the river, graceful as a fish, and disappeared. He did not see her again despite waiting till next sunrise by the river. And then he had no choice but to leave the mountains - there were people waiting for him.

As Riko returned home, he was warmly welcomed and a feast was served to celebrate his passage into adulthood. But his heart was not there to even notice the praise - it had been left in the holy mountains.

His father would not understand, but at least there was someone else he could talk to. As the day started darkening into dusk and the festivities gradually died down, he slipped into one of the clay huts not far from the one he'd share with his father for one more night before moving to his own hut. "Grandmother, would you listen for a while?"

The old woman looked up from her sewing. "Always for my only grandchild," she replied with a smile. "Sit down, have some hot milk."

He took a seat opposite to her, helping himself to a cup of goat milk from the small pot hanging above the low-burning fire more out of politeness than actual thirst. Then he told her everything about the woman he had seen so briefly and how captivated by her beauty he had become.

She sighed sadly. How cruel young love could sometimes be. "You should forget her, Riko. Who you met is no mere mortal woman. In the holy mountains lives the guardian of earth, who provides us with good harvest, plentiful game and the fresh water of the river. She is way beyond the reach of even the son of village chief."

~*~*~

Even though Grandmother was the wisest person he knew, Riko simply could not forget about the woman he had met. He did not mention this to his father, though, only pleading for more time in the mountains to test himself instead. The chief agreed somewhat reluctantly.

First he checked the simple shelter he had built last time and found it in one piece. Next came securing a few days' worth of food. And then he could finally focus on searching for her.

The river seemed like the most logical place, yet yielded no sign of her. But neither did the surrounding woods nor meadows.

He still didn't want to give up. After a night with very little sleep trying to figure out where he might not have looked yet, he already thought he was hallucinating when he heard singing more beautiful than he had ever heard before.

Carefully he followed the sound back to the river and then further upstream. And there he saw her - floating gracefully just a tiny bit above the water's surface right before it plunged down a small waterfall. She was exactly as beautiful as he remembered too. Perhaps even more so, with gossamer wings like a ladybug's swaying in the light breeze.

He waited patiently until she stopped singing before making his way to the bottom of the waterfall. "Please don't flee!" he called out. "I've been looking for you for so long!"

She looked at him, startled. Then she dove into the water and disappeared.

Riko's face fell. He had been so close...

But at least he had found a place she might return to. The next morning he was already waiting for her at the waterfall when the sun rose - in hiding, of course, with a handful of freshly picked berries laid out on a large leaf at the riverbank.

His breath caught in his throat as she appeared. Would she accept his gift?

She at least noticed it. But instead of picking it up, she again floated to the middle of the small river and started singing.

He stayed in hiding, his heart both heavy from the refusal and lightened by her song. Maybe she'd like fish better?

Once the song ended, she briefly scanned her surroundings, but didn't seem to notice him. Then she took the berries he had left with a small smile playing on her lips and walked away.

YES! Riko could have shouted out in joy, but kept quiet not to scare her again.

~*~*~

He brought her gifts every morning, either berries or grilled fish for the most part. Once he made a wreath of forest flowers too, but that was rejected.

After four days he could enter plain view, and gradually she allowed him to come closer. She smiled when she took his gifts, but only shook her head when he tried talking to her. He concluded she couldn't understand his language and started patiently naming things for her.

Every day she'd spend a little more time near him. They'd sit together in the soft grass at his camp while he talked about his life in the village - not that she understood anything of what he said - or she'd watch him catch or forage food. But that was the extent of it - if he got too close, she would look at him sadly and leave.

Still, Riko immensely enjoyed every moment spent with her. He didn't even notice how careless of the rest of the world he had become until a huge black bear crossed their path one day.

He instantly moved between her and the animal, his spear held in both hands. "Stay behind me!"

He wasn't sure if he could actually kill a bear on his own, but he had to try. Had to somehow protect her.

She watched him in puzzlement, then laid a restraining hand on his shoulder and shook her head. Without giving him a chance to do anything, she walked past him and stopped right in front of the huge animal.

But the bear did not attack. Instead it let her touch it gently and tilted its head slightly to the side like listening.

Riko could only stare in awe, and as she beckoned for him to approach, he didn't hesitate at all. It was almost like being introduced to the ruler of the forest, although no words were spoken. The bear sniffed him once, huffed and turned away, not looking back as it returned the same way it had come from.

"Did I...pass the test?" he asked.

She only smiled in response.

~*~*~

It was strange, this child stubbornly seeking her out every morning. Of all the living things in her domain, she understood his kind the least.

There he was again, patiently waiting on the bank under the waterfall as she sang to greet the rising morning sun. On his hands was an assortment of berries still damp with morning dew, no doubt another gift for her. No other creature had gone to such lengths to gain her attention and somehow she found herself eagerly waiting every night for the sun to rise so that she could meet him again.

His was a language she did not know, but smiles and gestures spoke in their own way. Yet still they felt limited. She wanted to know more about him and his people, to learn things she could not in the current situation.

He was sleeping next to a low-burning fire, wrapped in a blanket woven of long grass and protected from possible rain by a strangest assortment of branches tied together. 'Tell me, child...' her thoughts reached out for him as her hand ever so slightly caressed his cheek. 'Who are you? Where do you come from?'

~*~*~

Riko woke when sun was already high up in the sky and instantly bolted up. Had he missed his chance to meet her today?

"Why such a hurry, child of man?" a melodious voice asked.

He turned to the direction of the voice in surprise and found her - his seemingly unattainable love - seated by his campfire like it was the most natural thing in the world. "You're...finally talking to me," he whispered, carefully moving closer.

"Yes...By connecting with you, I was able to learn your language. I also saw your home, many more like you." She smiled. "Would you show that place to me?"

"Yes, of course! It's only down to the valley, just two or three days of traveling." He had kept a small storage of food during his entire stay, so they could leave any time.

When they arrived at the village, they were met with utter awe. Everybody had heard the stories about the guardian, but nobody would have ever believed she would descend from the mountains. All probably didn't even believe she existed.

After the initial shock the villagers quickly put together a feast to honor her, an occasion of much noise and movement. She remained outwardly polite in a distant way, but still stayed close to Riko. There was so much she had never seen before, but seeing it all at once like this was more than a little overwhelming.

The following days were easier. Strangely enough, people were constantly asking her if everything was to her liking and each time she would reply that everything was fine, but overall she enjoyed watching their everyday life very much. And even more so...spending time with the first human she had ever met.

~*~*~

One day the peace of an early afternoon was broken when she heard Riko shouting something at someone outside. The answering voice sounded just as angry, but she couldn't quite place who that was.

"Why are you so upset?" she asked calmly as he stormed back into his hut.

"Because my father thinks he can pick a wife for me without asking for my opinion!"

She turned her eyes into the flames in the firepit at the middle of the hut. "You should listen to your father."

"I refuse!" Suddenly he grabbed her shoulders, making her look at him in surprise. "The only woman I want to marry is you!"

She remained as it was for a moment before smiling sadly. "I'm afraid you've misunderstood."

Riko took a few steps back with a completely heartbroken expression. "Don't you love me as much as I love you?"

"I do love you. But..." She removed the upper part of her robes just as gracefully as she moved around, revealing a completely smooth, flat chest. "...I am not a woman."

"You're a man?" Riko almost choked on the words.

She shook her head. "I am neither man nor woman. I am a guardian." She tilted her head back to watch what little sky was visible from the smoke hole in the ceiling. "I was born from earth and water, and I will never have offspring. That is why I believe it's better that you find a mate of your own kind."

He just stormed out without saying anything. No, he didn't know what to say. He really, truly had loved her.

The guardian just adjusted her robes to exactly the same way they had been with a sigh of profound sadness escaping from her lips. She had known it would come to this one day. All children of the earth eventually found mates and created offspring - that was just the way it was. In that cycle, there was no place for her.

~*~*~

A few days later she was sitting on a high branch of a sturdy tree, watching the sky. She wasn't sure how long she had been there - time did not matter that much for someone who wasn't mortal. But what caught her attention was a certain young hunter steadily making his way up to where she was.

"You're going to fall if you keep coming to such dangerous places," she commented softly as Riko settled on the same branch she was on.

"I had to. Since this is where you were."

"I would have returned to the village. Eventually."

"I couldn't know that!" he protested. "I was afraid you'd just sneak away."

She was just about to ask why he cared about that when Riko suddenly kissed her fiercely.

Her lips were so soft. He had thought about it long and hard, and in the end he didn't care what she was. No matter what his father said, he would not choose anyone over her!

But what he forgot in the passion to touch more, feel more, was exactly where they were. That was, until suddenly they both slipped from the branch.

For a moment Riko thought he was going to die, but then gossamer wings spread and the fall slowed gently, like they were only snowflakes floating down.

"So much like a raging fire," the guardian spoke, amused, as her feet touched the ground. "Not a thought about the future, only the moment." Yet somehow...she found herself craving such passion for life. After countless seasons of not feeling anything, only tending to the simple needs of her ageless body and singing every day for the nature, this feeling was hard to ignore. To live only for herself for a little while...No, simply to live. To be alive.

She leaned closer, bringing her lips within inches from Riko's. "Be a little more careful, child of man."

It was unclear which one initiated the kiss, but both clung to each other with intense hunger as their lips and tongues met repeatedly in intricate, yet primal dance.

"Can I...make you mine?" Riko asked as he with utmost care laid her down to the ground at the foot of the tree they had fallen down from.

She smiled. "If you know how to do that, I'd love to be yours."

His cheeks colored with embarrassment at the hint. Of course for someone as timeless as the holy mountains he would seem like a mere child. "I'm old enough to know about relationships between men and women."

Then he realized what she had meant. No matter how beautiful, she was still not a woman. "Oh..."

She covered her mouth with one hand to hide a chuckle, then smiled softly and pulled him closer. "We'll figure something out."

~*~*~

The village chief certainly did not approve of his son's decision, but no mortal should tell a god what to do or not to do. Since the guardian had accepted Riko, there was nothing anyone else could do about the matter.

Personally Riko did not even care if he would be disowned as long as he could be with the woman - well...whatever, it didn't matter - he loved. There were so many things they could teach each other, and he quickly came to see the world around him in a completely different way too. Everything was connected, from the smallest insect to the largest tree. And the guardian was at the center of it all, revered by every living creature.

The first real shock of loving someone who was not human came as it started getting colder and the first snow of winter fell. She became drowsy and would barely leave the heavy furs they slept in. At first he thought it was some illness, but she didn't seem to get any better no matter how much he waited.

"Please, at least eat something," he pleaded, trying to shake her awake.

She blinked sleepily before closing her eyes again. "Please just let me rest. I require no food."

"You'll die if you don't eat!"

She shook her head slightly. "I will not. As snow falls, the earth sleeps. So...will I..."

"But..."

"Worry not, child of man. I will wake in due time." The sky blue eyes opened briefly and she smiled. "Trust me. And please...watch over me as I rest."

He did dutifully watch over her. Her body turned colder, her breathing more shallow, just like she were hibernating along with all the small animals that survived the winter that way.

It was a very lonely three cycles of the moon, but it all became worthwhile as the snows melted and she awoke from her slumber. Just like plants grew and flowered, she also seemed to become even more beautiful as the summer approached.

Yes, he could get used to this kind of life, so closely connected to someone who was one with everything around them. But it soon turned out the happy times would not last.

First came the drought - almost no rain at all during summer - which taxed their crops heavily. Then the fish of the river and prey animals of the forest seemed to thin out and the hunters returned home empty-handed more often than not.

Naturally the people turned to the god living among them with cries of despair.

Riko could only watch as she knelt by the river running through the fields of the village, one slender hand dipped in the flow. Listening. Talking. He did not really know how she communed with the nature. Just that she did.

"The water is stale...The earth is crying..." She stood up and turned to watch the mountains in the distance. "I have been gone too long."

"No, I'm sure it's only temporary! There will be rains soon and everything will go back to normal."

"Child of man...Please try to understand."

"No!" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her a little. "You can't leave! I..." He fell to his knees, tears overflowing. "I love you. I need you."

She gracefully dropped to one knee and pulled him closer. "I will never forget you. But this is something I must do." She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Follow your father's advice and you will see...the pain will fade with time."

"I will always watch over you. Goodbye..." And with just that, she turned into tiny lights like fireflies before disappearing completely.

~*~*~

It had been over ten years. In the end Riko had followed his father's will and married the girl of his choosing. And eventually they had really fallen in love.

The pain had faded, just like she had said it would, but the memories had not. Just hearing the familiar voice singing the praise for the land, water and sky was enough to bring everything back in vivid detail. And following the song, he found her at the waterfall, sunlight reflecting on the gossamer wings and hair of freshly fallen snow like time had not passed at all.

"Father, who is that?" the boy at his side whispered in awe.

"That..." he smiled, "...is the guardian who watches over us."

From generation to generation, that promise would be passed on. As would a tale of eternal love abandoned for the sake of greater good - but never forgotten.