The Last Wood Nymph

This story was written for the 2024 Literotica 750 Word Challenge, below this line are exactly 750 words:

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Alone, Emma flitted and darted among the boughs of the pine, spruce, and fir, their eternal green giving her an energy the first snows of winter couldn't deny.

Catching a ray of sunshine, she darted high above the trees, letting the warmth of the sun shimmer through her gossamer wings.

There, just across the next meadow, her destination: a large copse of aspen. She loved to sit among the branches and listen as they quaked in the breeze, their leaves filling the air with delicate music.

She missed the happy days when her sisters chased her.

This had been her valley since before men came to these mountains. She was the keeper, the protector of all that lived here.

So many of her sisters had given up.

Some planted themselves in a special spot and took root, growing into beautiful trees.

Amy, her friend, and for a while, lover, had chosen this for her fate.

Emma made a note to stop by and visit the majestic cottonwood, perhaps sit in the shade of her limbs for a while. Just to talk. Chase away the loneliness, take a leaf.

She had done it so many times before. So many leaves decorated Emma's nest, all memories of sisters past. Comfort in the lonely night as she hid from the dark and cold and anything that might do her harm.

Others had just decided to simply not be, letting their magic dissipate into the forest.

A rare few had even been so bold to trade their magic for humanity, leaving the mountains and forests for those strange places where men lived.

Such an odd choice, Emma thought. This was where she was meant to be. These were her trees, her mountains. This was her valley. That she may well have been the last of the wood nymphs laid heavy on her mind.

Was it her time to choose?

Lost in her thoughts, it was the cry of a fox that brought her back. Pain and fear, she knew the sounds too well.

"There, there, little one." She smiled and knelt by the small bundle of fur. Dammit, it was just a kit caught in a trap.

Her magic made quick work of the trap. A simple incantation, and the small fox nuzzled her hand and skittered off into the trees nearby. This was why she stayed.

Hunters didn't bother her. Culling the herds, they were part of the circle of life. The death they brought held a certain mercy. But trappers were vile and cruel in their methods. It took her the rest of the afternoon to destroy the remaining traps and trace them back to the trapper's camp.

The ranger was there. Another man in shackles didn't look happy. The ranger looked, what was it, determined?

"I told you if I caught you trapping up here again, I'd throw you under the jail. You should have listened." The ranger smirked as the angry man yanked at his bindings, barking words that made Emma blush.

Emma knew the ranger, often watching him for hours as he roamed her valley. Once more, nestled in the boughs of a nearby fir, she just watched, smiling.

They slept. Emma watched. Sleep wasn't necessary. Her energy came from Mother Gaia.

The morning came. The men looked for the remaining traps. Emma laughed at the angry man's frustration, perhaps too loud.

The ranger cast a quick glance in her direction. Smiling, his eyes lingered a bit.

Emma smiled back, following as they left, knowing where they were going. She was on her favorite perch when the men arrived at the cabin.

She took gratification when they took the angry man away. No more traps in her valley.

Something about the ranger had always intrigued her, called to her. As before, she watched as he stepped out behind the cabin to a small stall to shower. Tall, strong, fit, and oh so handsome.

Emma felt things, wonderful things, a moistness between her legs, a tingling in her thighs. Her fingers explored the wetness, sending soft shudders through her body.

Knowing it was right, she made her way to the cabin and knocked.

The ranger smiled as he answered the door. "I knew it was you."

"You took away the traps." Emma smiled and fluttered her wings, her naked body trembling. "I came to say thank you."

A single thought drifted through her mind as she stepped inside and into his warm embrace; "Perhaps this was why she stayed, too."