There's a special kind of agonizing pain that results from being denied reprieve from one's growing anxiety.

In stark defiance, the grizzled rain-soaked hunter gave no inch, nor quarter. And as expected from an aged survivor of these woods, ascertaining his motives proved impossible. Despite the two of us standing at equal heights, his demeanor created a persona that loomed tall over me. There's no questionable doubt in my mind that he could kill me whenever he pleased.

So why the delay.

This singular thought struck away all others, a dominating presence awaiting the challenge of a worthy answer.

Raising his head a mere fraction as to still keep his gaze level with my own, an audible sniffing can be heard over the dull drumming of rain outside.

Again with that! What do you want already!

A heavy paw steps closer to me, interrupting the silence with the harsh crunch of withered leaves. Slowly he continues his advance, until his face is only inches away from my own. This time he takes a deep sniff, one that I can feel as my feathers are pulled with the invasive inhale. All the while, I can hear the flickering tongue of the serpent as if it were right next to my ear, yet I dare not steer my focus away from the beast in front of me.

It takes all of my willpower to keep my composure when faced with the unknown consequences this oruthus brings.

A few more seconds pass by…

Suddenly his form shifts and I flinch. When I open my eyes again, he is no longer there, but noises from behind warn me that he is not gone.

I swallow hard before turning around, expecting to see glinting fangs closing around my exposed neck. However what I see instead is the creatures back to me, not even looking at my direction. One leg is raised towards the enormous trunk of the tree and soon after an unpleasant scent wafts in my direction. When the deed is done, he proceeds to lay down at the base of the tree. Staring at me with that chilling amber gaze of his as if he were expecting a response.

A twig snaps in the distance, delivering a new dilemma upon my doorstep. Taking the risk to turn my back to the invader that now lies upon his side near my tree, I turn to look towards the source of the sound. I nearly choke when I see more of these orothus step into the clearing. One by one, they file into the area, some leaving their own mark on the outskirts of the perimeter before approaching the underboughes of the ancient oak. Each find their own sheltered spot in close proximity. One of them in particular, a mother by the looks of it, has two pups in close tow, each of them staring at me with wide curious eyes. In the confusion of it all, I nearly miss the last one make an appearance, one that I recognize. Unsightly matts and scabs have developed around the wolf's neck, and the expression it wears is full of red-hot hostility when it looks upon me. Unexpectedly, given the clear anger it radiates, it swings wide around the clearing and finds its own place far away from the others.

With no more orothus barging their way into my new home, I look back towards the tree and level my sights upon the stoic orothus that started it all. No longer laying down, he comes walking in my direction. For reasons that I am unsure of myself, I stand my ground, watching closely to see what his motives are. Thankfully he brushes past harmlessly, and this time I turn to watch what he does. The serpent head is already lowered to the ground and has its jaws wrapped around the base of the fern I grew earlier. With a sudden yank, the roots snap audibly as the plant is pulled effortlessly from the soil. It only affords me a quick glance before it returns to face in the same direction of its lower half, now on the move towards the mother that lays on her side. Nudging the pups aside with a gentle swipe of his paw, his serpentine half lowers the essence-infused fern in front of the mother. It doesn't take long for her to begin eating it.

Before he settles down, he rips my other experiment out of the ground. Taking his position at the tree's hearth once more, he too eagerly eats away at the plant much to my disappointment.

What am I to make of this. A bunch of wild animals stroll up and get comfy on my front porch right as I find a new home. And moments ago I was afraid for my life, but now I'm being ignored? Honestly what the hell is wrong with this place!

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Refusing to give up on my home just yet, I carefully step around all the orothus and make my way towards the tree trunk. Somewhat to my surprise, no one bats an eye, all except for one. The bastard that attacked me when I fell out of the tree. The looks it gives sends fresh chills down my spine, but it seems unnaturally pacified for now. Doesn't take much to guess that the leader of this pack is the reason. Just as I'm unsure of what's happening now, I still don't know why he acted the way he did back there. His intervention no doubt saved my life, and it would appear that this orothus hates how that fight of ours played out.

I push my luck and press on. With every couple of steps, I take a peek at the old beast, still munching away on the plant I overdosed. Despite him being distracted with his snack, his serpent half watches me with a calculating look. Given that it is resting on the furred back of his other half though, I feel safe enough to keep moving.

Arriving to the base of the tree, I immediately start climbing. I don't stop until the orothus are well enough below me and only when I'm certain that they can't reach me anymore do I let out a sigh of relief. Unfortunately at this height the branches above offer little protection from the ongoing weather. Even when I move closer to the center, rain still seems to reach me with ease. Looking down, I can see the nice dry spot I was in earlier, but it might put me within range of those wild beasts. I can't help but let out another sigh, this one for far different reasons.

Just when I was getting on the right track of things, another wrench is thrown into my plans. Lucky me.

Taking a gander at my six new "guests", I see that they are already making themselves at home. They've formed into pairs of two, taking turns grooming each other. All except for an individual that sits alert at the edge of the clearing, and the miserable one that sits far away from the others. All of them appear wet and soaked, I guess that they were on the move as well. Thinking about it, there's a good chance that much of their territory got torched, perhaps their den too.

Does the pack leader even realize I'm the reason for the wildfire? I can't help but chuckle over the irony of it, living under the same roof with the one that burned your last home down.

Which brings me to my next point. How could things end up this way?

Logically speaking, there should have been no mediation between the orothus and I. It should have been a one-sided slaughter where they take over the territory and get some food out of it. So why share? Especially considering I'm not the same species, not even close. Did they see me grow those two plants and decide it was better to cooperate? That would give them an uncomfortable level of intuition that I'm not wholly prepared to attribute to a wild animal. But what else am I to believe considering what happened? I think on it longer, and more and more holes start to appear. Take for example the fate I was spared from during our first encounter. Why intervene? There should have been no inclination to do so, absolutely none.

Then there's the matter of our second meeting. The memories of him sizing up my scent are quite fresh to say the least. What did he detect? Soot? I don't think that could be the case, I cleaned myself thoroughly with the aid of the rain. Does he think I'm some refugee from the fires and took pity on me? No, that can't be it. There's no way any sane creature would allow another creature to go anywhere near their young.

Taking a break from trying to solve this mystery, I watch the two pups frolic about with careless glee. They chase each other along an invisible racecourse visible only to their imagination, surely fraught with incalculable dangers and peril. Suddenly the larger of the two, veers left and jumps with outstretched legs towards a large puddle that was forming.

SPLASH!

Muddy water flings in every direction, earning the ire of two nearby orothus that were in the middle of cleaning themselves. Both of their tails instinctively rise from their resting position, the heads tipped at each end hissing in unison. Immediately the pup flattens to the ground in submission, ears pulled back and serpent tail hugging tightly against its side. Thankfully the mother intervenes, picking up the troublesome pup by the scruff of the neck and depositing it at her side. The other pup seems a bit more wise than the troublesome sibling, and returns without any further fuss.

It's at that point I notice the old chief staring at me, clearly aware that I was watching the children play. It's incredible that he can radiate that much menace through such a steeled face. I'm the first to break eye contact, looking out towards the forest instead. Rain continues to hammer away at the world, the darkened woods occasionally flashing white with illuminating detail as lightning strikes down somewhere in the distance.

I'll have to put a pin in my theorizing, as for right now, it seems as if I'm missing a crucial piece to the puzzle. Currently, I need to decide if I should trust this fragile peace, or if I should find another place to call home.

On one hand, my well-being is currently in a very questionable state. But assuming these creatures can be reasoned with, and that's a very large if mind you, there could be safety in numbers. My arrogant little stroll this morning made me realize just ignorant I am towards the threats that lurk in the shadows of the trees. This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to finally set up a proper staging ground and establish myself. Just have to share my living space with a bunch of unpredictable wild beasts…

In frustration I ruffle the feathers on my head, there has to be a better idea buried in that skull of mine! One that is far more sane than trusting a wild predator!

Yet what few options I have pale in comparison.

Going out in search for a new home is asking for trouble. There are going to be plenty more dangerous creatures wandering about, no doubt eager to secure and defend what good territory remains after the events of the wildfire. I'm lucky that these guys haven't started any trouble, for now at least.

Can I truly risk fighting anyone right now in this tired, weakened state of mine?

Maybe that's what the old wolf was thinking this whole time.

Exposing myself to the elements, I wander further down the thick branch that I'm perched on. Holding out a wing towards the patch of ivy in front of me, I channel a trickle of raw essence into the plant. Sure enough, it glows softly and blooms with sudden growth. Satisfied, I pluck it from the tree with my beak and head back down to my original spot. From there I have a good angle, and I drop the olive branch right in front of the grizzled orothus.

What do you say?