(Thanks to Drewau for editing. Comments and feedback are always welcome and appreciated.)
*****
Jay thought he knew every square inch of these woods. After all, he had grown up in the Eterna Forest in the Commune of the Eternal Youth hidden away at the center of it, and yet he was thoroughly lost. He had wandered the woods for three days now trying to find his way back.
Thankfully, he had been brought up on the land so he knew how to forage for food and where to find water. Other than being completely lost, he was actually in good shape. Truth be told, he felt better than he had in a long time. The only thing that worried him was the random swelling of his penis.
He had seen it do this once before when he was younger, but then the elders made him start taking special vitamins and the swelling never came back. Of course, he was also suddenly depressed and fatigued all the time as well. Considering these feelings lasted until today at nineteen.
Jay was starting to think the vitamins were bad for him. Being lost out in the woods for three days meant three days without that cursed medicine. He was feeling stronger, happier, and healthier than ever before.
Jay suddenly noticed the faint sound of running water and he felt a surge of joy. His dad had always told him that their land was surrounded by rivers and streams. So, if he ever got lost and stumbled across the water, all he needed to do was find it and immediately turn around and go the exact opposite direction.
His dad, as well as all of the other elders always warned of getting near the water though. They said that swimming in it was dangerous because of the currents and piranhas. And even getting near it was dangerous, as ferocious bears loved to frequent the shores.
Jay had never actually seen the waters because of these warnings. A pit formed in his stomach as he thought about what dangers were ahead. But, he also needed the river as a guiding point back to camp, so he had to press on.
Suddenly, after about ten more feet, Jay heard a splash and a woman scream. He didn't know why but his body was running towards the noise before his mind could rationalize his movement. He was going to save this mystery woman. Jay was not this brave, but something deep inside him would not let him stop.
He broke through the clearing and saw the woman in the stream, he also saw blood in the water. He rushed towards her, scooped her up, and carried her to the far shore before she even realized what was happening. Without asking permission, he grabbed a nearby plant, known for its wound cleansing properties, and pressed it to the bottom of her foot. Then he ripped off a strip of his shirt and bandaged the wound.
"What were you doing in the water, don't you know about the Phirana's?"
The woman burst out laughing. That puzzled Jay so he looked up at her face. That was when he noticed she was nude, at least nude by the standards that he had grown up with. In their commune, everyone wore plain white loose-fitting shirts and pants. The only skin that was ever exposed to anyone was their hands and face.
He immediately turned his back to guard her modesty. "I'm sorry miss, I didn't mean to see anything. But why are you naked?"
"I'm not sure what to address first, so let's just take these in order. Who told you the water had piranhas in it?"
"All of the adults in my commune." Jay cringed at his own words. He struggled to think of himself as one of the adults now. "Piranha's and strong currents that will suck you under and drown you."
The woman laughed again. "I'm sorry, but look at the stream that you saved me from. It's barely a foot deep and piranha's don't exist in this country."
Jay noticed the stream barely had any kind of flow at all, and it was so clear that he could tell there were no fish at all in it. "But, your foot?"
"I stepped on a sharp rock. I do appreciate the fact that you were willing to jump into piranha-infested waters to save me though." Jay felt her soft wet hand rest on his back affectionately and he blushed.
"And speaking of my foot, what did you put on it?"
"It's a local plant that prevents infection."
Jay still had his back to her. "Can you turn around and face me? I feel silly talking to your back."
"I'm afraid I can't while you are still naked. It would be improper."
"But I'm not naked, I'm wearing a bikini."
Jay had never heard the word before. The image of her sizable breasts being held up by two triangles while a third dipped between her legs flashed into his mind. His penis was suddenly swelling in his pants again for some reason. "In my commune what you are wearing would be extremely inappropriate."
"You keep saying your commune. Are you like a male nun or something?"
"I come from a small village in the middle of these woods. Our community is called the Commune of Eternal Youth. I was born and raised there."
