Being lost is a terrible thing. You are unsure of where you are, where you need to go, and how you got to where you are now. Once you get over the fear of the unknown, and the uncertainty of where you are going, it can become an adventure. Being lost as a messenger carries other feelings. This led Rosen to mostly worry about his butt and his ability to sit in the near future. He had a letter to bring to the Dryad of Whisper Forest, Eilaryn. He had gotten the letter after the last Message Envoy for this region quit in a huff and was warned that the Dryad would protect the forest from any form of harm.

Now all children of course know that dryads protect the forest. Just as all children know you shouldn't wander into forests, for that is where the untamed things of the world still dwell. This boy was not like you, he was not a young human wandering off from his parents for adventure. Nor was he a young elf wandering from his clan-grounds looking for their name to call their own. A Verloren. A being of magic and rules, bound to cycles to sprout forth, and then be watered by the river Lethe.

It is speculated that it might be a curse from the land that Verloren are for some reason eternal. They have fallen beyond the reaper's scythe. Instead, they wash away the burden of the years with the water of the forgetful Lethe. They will never gain the wisdom of their age, or the patience. Only things written to their core, their very soul, shall remain.

Rosen, also called Rosie by his friends, wore the official uniform of The Special Postal Association Networking Kinship. A black button-up shirt with a silver letter pin on the collar. Tan shorts that come to mid-thigh that have a red hem. Black knee-high socks with a red top. Brown slip-on boots with leather tightening straps that fit to silver colored fittings. Rosie's official job title is Message Envoy. His bright red jacket has a lovely white patch with each starting letter capitalized of the association in black, then a red envelope, and lastly his job title in red thread, each starting letter still capitalized.

Now on the day the Verloren wandered into that vast forest that the Dryad protected to deliver unto her a letter, it was raining. This led the boy to have his hood pulled up tight. Hiding red hair and showing just the silver of green eyes from where they peeked out. Driven by the boyish urge to stomp in puddles, he was jumping in any he saw, with little care for the plants that might of existed within their very shallow aqueous depths. As he jumped around, he tripped, and fell face first into the mud. "Ow!" He exclaimed, as he sat up, feeling something wet, sticky, and cold run down his nose. Looking at his hands, he noticed they were covered in the same stuff. "Great, I'm going to get sick," he said, as he wiped his hand across his forehead. Luckily for him, the uniform was lightly enchanted to quickly dry and stay at least somewhat clean.

Now this Verloren was like most Verlorens, that is to say, a bit clueless. You see, the waters of Lethe tend to make everything harder to remember. So, bumbling and blundering he walked through the trees and around the plants as the Dryad worked very hard to protect the plants from his stompy feet, and to protect the boy from the dangerous plants. Using her magic she asked the plants away from the boy, moving sensitive stems and stalks for their safety, and thorns and poisonous leaf and flower from the boy. Working constantly from a distance to try and guide the boy from her forest, unaware that she is the one he is looking for.

The boy eventually did see berries in a bush and decided that since he was a bit hungry should sample them. As these berries were quite poisonous, and while the Dryad did believe in the natural order of things, she decided that a Verloren spending a few days sick in her forest might cause infinitely more harm than good. The Dryad could feel the boy's presence as he marched through her forest. He was getting closer, and so she used the magic of the forest to help her. When her forest began to glow with a pale yellow light, the boy took notice. He stopped, looked around, and realized that the forest was glowing and shimmering with a silvery light. As the boy stood there, trying to take in what was happening, a bright flash of green light shot from behind him and struck the tree that he was standing next to. The tree exploded into vines, wrapping the boy and holding him tight.

Now, if you were to travel though the forest of Whisper Forest you would find it to be a peaceful place. Plants growing at odd angles, yet somehow beautiful and graceful. Magical creatures living in harmony with the forest. But you will also find a creature of immense power, and strength. A protector of the plants and animals, and of the forest itself. A being of great magic, and beauty. Dryad's were old things, far older than even the birth of the Verloren, not that either race could remember back that far.

Eilaryn was the Dryad of Whisper Forest, a mighty and powerful being in her own right. She was also powerfully and mightily upset with the boy who had been tramping through her forest.

The Verloren, who despite being not truly young, still had a child's sense of awe and wonder. So instead of fear at the sudden hug of vine and stem. He expressed delight and glee. A whoop of excitement as he was picked up. Oblivious to the trouble that he was in and instead reveling in the new experience of such a grandiose display of the Dryad's magic.

"Ooooh! What is happening? Is this normal? I heard this forest was super magical, but I didn't expect it to be like this!" The boy stared in amazement, as the Dryad stepped from the trees. She had hair the color of Birchwood, eyes the color of fall leaves in shadow and fair skin. Her clothes seem to be woven of leaves and shadow, fitting her body tightly as she moved, and just low cut enough to give the boy quite impure thoughts. The boy was entranced and quite a bit smitten on the sight of the Dryad. His look of joy and wonder slightly softened the oaken heart of the Dryad.

"You are safe here." She said gently, the boy realizing that he should no longer be walking in the forest and should rather stay put while the Dryad tended to his situation as to maybe earn some praise from the pretty lady. However, while she was far from enraged at the boy, and he had won slight favor with his wonder over the power of nature, he was still very much in need of a good lesson, though she also felt a strong urge to tease the boy relentlessly.

"That's good! I'm glad you're protecting me!" He said with a grin. Eyes tracking her and looking hopeful that she will pay more attention to him. His breath was faster now as he felt his heart beat against his chest.

"I am." She confirmed, looking down to the boy. Her fingers moving to touch his cheek, and then his forehead, and then the back of his neck. She was checking for venomous bug bites, or signs that he managed to eat one of the Black Creep Berries. Feeling his skin for the flush of heat. She was a bit concerned by how his face was starting to color red, and how his breath quickened, however she suspected a more primal reason than poison.

"What is your name, little boy?" She inquired softly, teasing him with a finger tracing down the side of his face. She brought her face close to his, to where they could feel each other’s breaths on their skin.

"Rosie! Rosie, or Rosen! That's my name!" He said proudly as he melted from the soft touches and enjoyed the herbal scent of her breath. He looked into her orange eyes and felt even more lost in them than he normally felt. He could feel the slow and steady increase of heat to his cheeks.

"Well Rosie, I know your name now, but do you know mine?" The finger traced from his cheek to his nose and soft tweaked it as she asked her question. She was secretly delighted by the brief look of surprise on his face from the tweak, and the ever deepening blush of the boy.

"Of course, I know your name! You are Eilaryn, right? I need to deliver a letter to you. It's in my pocket" He wiggled and tried to push against her finger more, her skin was warm and made him forget all about the rain and puddles. He wondered if she would walk with him and hold his hand as they explored the forest together. His gaze wandered across her body and his attention obviously started to wander away from the conversation at hand.

"Yes, that is correct. And you, Mister Rosie, are in big trouble." She responded, staring down at him with a gentle expression. Then without any warning she flicked his forehead, interrupting his private fantasy of sunlit walks through shaded trails.

"Ow!" He yelped, rubbing the spot where she hit him. "Why did you do that?"

"Because you were being rude to me, and I don't tolerate rudeness." She replied sternly, her tone making it clear that she was not joking. Though she did enjoy the boys puppy dog like behavior, she did have to set some limits with the Verloren.

"Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to be rude! I was just excited to meet you! I've never met a Dryad before that I remember!" He said, feeling a bit embarrassed at the rebuke and the flick.

"I can tell that you are excited, and I understand that. But I am not a person to be taken lightly. You have managed to make quite a mess, and almost ate something very bad."

"How bad would of it been?" The boy wondered aloud, safety from death, and safety from harm are two separate traits. While he could never die and would be swept away by Lethe before anything too injurious could happen to him.

"Very, and you have earned yourself quite the spanking little boy" Eilaryn chided.

"Aww, really?" He pouted harder. He even tried to put on his best puppy eyes, hoping to win her heart over.

"Yes, really. I had to use a lot of magic to stop the forest from being harmed from your stomping about. Also, every time you touched anything in here it caused a reaction that was very unhelpful to the peace of the forest. "So, do you want to tell me what you were doing stomping puddles in my forest?" She asked sternly.

"Uhm, well, I was supposed to deliver a letter to you. I got lost in the woods and-"

"Your letter? From whom?"

"From the Stellar Township." He explained as he wiggled to get the letter free and offer it to the Dryad. She took it and read it, a look of displeasure on her face growing. Rosie desperately wondered what sort of message he brought.

"This is from the Stellar township. They sent you into my forest to deliver a message? What did they say?" She asked angrily. Rosie could only stare at her, unsure of how to answer. He had been told that the Dryads were not cruel, but she seemed angry enough to be.

"They said they wanted to talk with you about a job." He offered timidly. The Dryad looked at him, her eyes narrowing.

"A job?" She repeated, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah! For the town!" He said, looking at her pleadingly. He couldn't imagine why she would be mad at him for delivering a message.

"Well, yes, they did send you to deliver a message about a job. First thing is first though. Let's spank your naughty bottom for making a mess in my forest" she said, and without hesitation she reached down and grabbed the boy by his shorts and yanked them down to his ankles. She did spare a look to admire the snack she just unwrapped though. There were some perks to her job as protector of the forest.

"Ummm, can we talk about this please?" Rosie was blushing even harder now that the pretty lady had bared him.

"You will behave from now on, and you will not stomp in my forest without a care in the world." Eilaryn looked the boy in the eyes as she asked the trees to free him and guided him over her lap for a good spanking. She sat upon a root of a tree she asked to provide a seat. The boy even got a root to hold onto for his comfort.

"OWWWW! OW! OW! OWWWWWW!" Rosie squealed as the Dryad gave him several smacks to his bare butt. The cries a little too overdramatic for a few hand spanks on the bare. The experienced Dryad shook her head at the theatrics. She did appreciate the effort he was going through to try and lessen his fate.

"Next time you will wait on the edge of my forest and ask nicely to come in, or I swear I will have you over my lap for days" she said as a paddle formed from the trees and was passed to her. She wasted no time applying it to the boys bottom. Sometimes she spanked one cheek, then the other. Other times she echoed her spanks, spanking the same place two or three times. The key was to keep him guessing and not expecting where she would spank next.

"I will behave! I promise! It's stings so much!" He cried out. The loud theatrics replaced with more honest hisses and squeaks as the sting built up in his bottom. She began to spank his sit spots as he complained. The join of his plump bottom and nice thighs too tempting of a target to not strike a few times extra.

"I know it does, but it will help you remember not to be such a brat." She said as she continued to give him a sound spanking. She was enjoying the feeling of the boy squirming on her lap. Sometimes she would gently rub the smoothed wood of the paddle against his bottom then unleash a quick and sudden flurry upon his bottom.

"I will wait next time! I will watch out for plants! I pinky promise!" He promised quickly and freely. His bottom starting to color up and a few tears starting to fall onto the forest floor. Crocodile tears of a boy sorry he got caught.

"Good boy. Now try and focus on why you are getting spanked for this next part okay?" She said as she rubbed his bottom and steeled herself for the next harder part of his spanking. "Because you're a very bad boy, and you broke the rules, and you are going to be punished for that. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am!" He said, sniffling a bit harder now. Squealing loudly as the paddle cracks down at a steady tempo on his pink bottom. These spanks had follow through, and the sting was allowed to build as she waited almost a full second between spanks. The sound of the spanking and the boys cries not carrying very far through the rain.

"Now, let's talk about how you ended up in my forest, shall we?" She asked, her voice soothing and calm as she continued to spank. The boy was starting to break down his attempts to escape his just desserts, and now was actually starting to become receptive to the lesson.

"Well, I was supposed to deliver a letter to the Dryad of Whisper Forest, but I got lost and-"

"And you decided to stomp in puddles in my forest." She finished for him spanking harder and a bit faster as he started to kick involuntary.

"I'm sorry!" He cried, tears running down his cheeks and soon falling onto the forest floor. These tears and this apology much more real than his earlier crocodile tears.

"Do you know what happens when you break the rules?" She asked.

"No!" He whimpered and hoped that ignorance of the consequences might save him. He peeked back over his shoulder to see her smile at his peeking. She did not allow him to peek for long, and soon her fingers laced into his hair and pushed his back down.

"Then I'll tell you. You will get spanked, and you will get gingered, and you will have to apologize. Do you understand?" She even had to trap his legs to stop him from squirming and bucking too much. She got to feel him squirming trapped between her legs.

"Yes Ma'am!" He said quickly. Hoping that maybe obedience would see him spared.

"Good boy. Now, let's finish this and get you cleaned up before you go to town. Do you think you can behave as we finish?"

"Yes ma'am!" He said, squirming as the spanking slowed and came to a stop. His bottom was burning with sting and softly aching from the paddle. He was really sure he never wanted to get on Eilaryn's bad side if she was this competent of a spanker.

"Are you ready to learn your lesson?" She asked as she started to rub his sore red bottom. A piece of ginger grew from the ground for her to use on him. She thanked the root for its sacrifice in helping deal with the boy as she peeled it back.

"Yes Ma'am!" He said quickly, squirming and squealing as the ginger root was slid into him.

"You are a very naughty boy, Rosie. You need to listen to your elders and do as they say. I hope you learned your lesson today. Now stand up and let me look at you" she said as she finished up his punishment. The boy had a bright red bottom, and Eilaryn knew what she would be dreaming about tonight.

"Mm, that burns" Rosie complained as he stood up. The feeling of the burn intensifying anytime he moved too much. He looked at her with pleading eyes, and she just shook her head and gave him a wicked grin.

Rubbing his bottom and sniffling away the remaining tears as he looked up at the grinning Dryad.

"Do you have any letters that need delivered?" He asked as he tugged up his shorts and underwear, trying to sound official as he did so. The fact this wasn't the first time he had ended up in this rather disgraceful situation was less a testament to a world gone wrong, and more a testament to the Queendom he found himself in. The Glorious Land Holy Feysali, ruled by the divine bloodline Aliyah, was a peculiar land to get assigned by the kinship to deliver letters for. They as a whole, were rather happy to spank and give other immature punishment for misdeeds, and perceived misdeeds. Rosie greatly wished that he could return to delivering letters for one of the other lands, as he could at least sit comfortably back when he did.

"I do indeed, wait with your nose against the tree over there while I write a reply" she handed him a green envelope addressed to Light of the Stellar township.

"Can I have a hug?" He asked as he blushed a bit at the title she used on him, a little embarrassed.

"Sure." She said with a smile. She hugged him tightly and rubbed his back. Hooking an arm under him, she held him like a princess, and soft rocked for a while.

"Thank you for helping me learn, I am sorry I was so naughty" he said quietly. He enjoyed the slow rocking and being held. The Dryad held him in her arms as they watched the rain fall. The boy enjoyed the warmth of his bottom, the warmth of the Dryad's body against him, and the gentle swaying of her hips. He looked up at the tree tops above. The rain was coming down harder, and only the canopy of the tree above was keeping them somewhat dry.

"It was my pleasure." She replied softly. She felt a strange sense of pride that she had helped this little boy behave a bit. She also knew that he would probably end up back in her forest again soon enough. She hoped that he would be a bit more careful next time and not eat random berries.

Rosie snuggled tightly against the Dryad. He was quite tired from his spanking. He was also a bit embarrassed about having to deliver a letter that he knew nothing about other than he was mentioned. But it was better than being spanked again. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep for a short nap. The Dryad held the boy against her as his breathing slowed and he murmured about pretty ladies and paddles. The cute sight leaving the Dryad feeling a bit aggressive.

He awoke to the feeling of getting his face wiped clean. The mud from his earlier fall and his mess from crying getting cleaned off his face. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking away the last remnants of sleep. The Dryad smiled at him as she gently rubbed his face with a cloth. The rain had stopped, and the afternoon sun was beaming down from between the leaves.

"There you go, all nice and clean." She said as she finished wiping him down. She then pulled him close and kissed him on the forehead sweetly and slowly. The boy's earlier blush returning hard as he looked at the pretty lady being so kind.

"Thank you for taking care of me." He said shyly.

"My pleasure." She said with a smile. She then released him and stood up.

"Now, let's get you home before you catch a cold." She said as she picked him up in her arms. She carried him back to the edge of her forest and set him down. She waved goodbye to him as he walked back to town.

"I will be sure to do that" he said quietly, giving her one last kiss on the cheek. He also stole a quick sniff of the Dryad, enjoying the smell of her hair as he pulled away.

"Be safe little boy, you can take the ginger out once you get to town" She whispered in his ear as he left. His feet splashing in the remaining puddles from the earlier showers.

The boy walked through the forest, enjoying the cool air and the feeling of mud between his toes. He didn't mind the mud too much. It was a nice change after spending most of his life in the dry desert where there was almost no water at all. The rain felt refreshing and clean. He had already had to wipe off his boots twice since leaving Eilaryn's home Forest. Eventually he gave up and just went barefoot, carrying his shoes and boots with him.

After about half a day. He saw the sign for the town coming up ahead. He was excited to finally be able to visit the city and see what sort of people lived in such a place. As he approached the gates, he could hear music playing from within. A beautiful tune filled the air. Ducking behind a low wall, he extracted the ginger root with a happy sigh. Now he just had to deliver this letter to someone named Light within the town.