The clinic was busy. An unusually warm spring gave way to summer heat early. Farmers were coming in for symptoms of heat exposure, fishermen with sunburns. Allergies were at an all-time high, and a mysterious illness kept Aris’s supplies depleted and his hands and mind busy. One patient after another after another barely gave the half elf a moment to catch his breath, let alone go up the path of the mountain’s foothills to gather ingredients for his work. But he needed to make the time - how else was he going to keep up on making elixirs and potions and ointments if he didn’t have the ingredients to do so?

Only after the sun had passed mid-day did Aris finally close the front of the clinic, grabbing a basket on his way out the back door. Cobbled stone paths transitioned to tamped down dirt, buildings to trees, and soon Aris was in the forest. The air was crisp and fresh despite the humidity, a welcome change from the town that sprawled alongside the river. In the linen and cotton robes, he kept cool enough despite the heat.

Gods, he loved the forest. It felt like home. In a way, it was. Back in Gredin, he lived in the mountains among the towering trees with his brother. But that was decades ago. He quickly pushed the memory away, the memories too painful, as he lost himself in collecting blooms, mosses, barks, berries, anything he knew would come of use back at the clinic. Well, a little treat for the effort once he returned home to his cottage nestled behind the clinic.

The sun made its way behind the mountain, but sunset was still some time off. The still-clinging snow caps reflected more than enough light into the valley between the peaks. As Aris knelt beside a stream to rinse the berries he had gathered, he hummed softly, lost in his idle work. He’s not sure what caught his attention first - the glimmer of something catching the light or the sound of muffled fumbling - but Aris looked up quickly, just in time to glimpse movement between trees across the stream. A cloak? A stranger?

He froze. The half elf wasn’t used to encountering people in the forest. Most of Newhaven’s locals were too fearful or superstitious to venture into the forest. With careful grace, he stood, his gaze locked on the trees, glancing between them for movement.

“Hello?” Aris called carefully. “Anyone there?”