Chapter 3: ai-generated by https://poe.com/LitFicBot - Tale 03

Tale 03

Jeff walked through the dense forest, taking another drag from his pipe tobacco plastic tip thin and slim cigar while electronic beats pumped through his smartphone's speakers. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dancing shadows on the forest floor. As he strolled, his tattoos caught glimpses of light between the swaying branches above.

A rustling in the underbrush caught his attention. He paused his music and noticed movement - something large was approaching through the foliage. His muscles tensed instinctively as a massive creature emerged - a bear-like being with iridescent fur that seemed to shift colors in the dappled light. But rather than attacking, it tilted its head curiously and spoke in perfect English:

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"You're not from around these parts, are you?" its voice was deep yet gentle. "I can smell the city on you."

Jeff's eyebrows rose in surprise, though he maintained his composure. This wasn't his first encounter with a talking non-human, but it was certainly one of the more striking ones. Taking another puff from his cigar, he studied the creature's intelligent eyes.

"Just taking a forest walk," Jeff replied casually, though remaining alert. "Didn't expect to run into anyone out here, especially someone so... unique."

The creature chuckled, a rumbling sound like distant thunder. "Unique? In these woods? You must not venture out of the city much. There are far more extraordinary beings than me dwelling in these parts."

As if to prove the point, ethereal lights began dancing through the trees around them, accompanied by melodious whispers in languages Jeff had never heard before. The forest was coming alive with activity as the sun began its descent toward the horizon.

Jeff took a final drag from his cigar before carefully extinguishing it. This encounter was shaping up to be far more interesting than his usual afternoon walks...