Chapter 17

The Forest is My Friend

Waking the next morning took some effort, and was very painful as I stretched and jumped down to the soft grass below. My head wasn’t much better and my limbs were somewhat disoriented after that being in captivity with all those numbing electronics.

I didn’t have the blaster unfortunately, nor my radio so there’s no way of asking HRM how to get back. Jenres must have taken everything I had, no tracker either. But Ungu was still hidden in my claws.

I started walking away from the sun, I know I’ll make it to the jungle eventually.

After a few hours I found myself looking out across a desert. The vast expanse of yellow-brown sand enveloping the horizon from north to south.

No. I’m about as far away as I can be from the jungle. If I know my geography, I’m east of Xenobia city with a giant desert in between.

I looked behind me, the great forest stretched out behind me and the tall spires of the mountains peaked up on the northern horizon.

Cross the desert, or stay here foraging through the east?

I guess I’ll have to stay here and see what I can find. Crossing the desert may not be smart.

The forest was behind me, the mountains to the north and more forest to the south. I thought I remember a river down south. The Aves, like Farrow, might be able to help me cross the desert.

I turned around and started walking back into the forest, hoping something interesting may happen, yet the peacefulness was soothing for the time being.

It was peaceful, so peaceful that I almost forgot that I was lost. My head throbbed, but was diminishing. The sun shone down and I warmed myself as I voyaged between the copses and noonday rays of sun.

After marching through the forest for the rest of the day I had become entirely lost. I couldn’t see the spires of the mountain anymore and I was surrounded by pine trees. They weren’t easy to climb so I stayed in the ground, simply walking.

The next day I woke up and ventured even further East. I have a feeling I will find something, or something will find me.

Deep in the dark and cold forest, not the jungle I’m used to, I finally found some company.

The young Canine boy I had met long ago was sitting around a fire, by himself. He was young, my age, we seemed to be equally young.

I walked up in front of him. He jumped, as I expected, I could barely hear myself as I walked, and he squinted his eyes trying to put a name on the mysterious figure in front of him. “Feline? Huntress? What are you doing here?”

“I just happened to drop by on this side of town.”

“I didn’t expect you to be around here, there’s money on your head, if you know what I mean.”

“Well, I didn’t know that. But I’ll make sure to keep myself safe, thanks.”

“So, what are you doing here?” He asked again. “Felines don’t normally come this far east.”

“As I said, I just happened to drop by.”

“And?”

I stared at him for questioning my truth.

“Ok fine.” He said apologetically. “It isn’t too safe for you around here, someone might find you and take you hostage. I’m sure there’s a bounty hunter somewhere on the lookout for you.”

“They haven’t found me.” I told him, hoping it was true. “Plus they probably think I’m already dead.”

“Why.”

“Well, by, ‘just dropping by’ I meant that I was thrown off a ship and made a crater six feet deep.”

He looked at me curiously, up and down as if I shouldn’t be alive.

“Obviously I survived.” I added.

But he kept staring at me, wondering what I was made of.

“I guess Felines really do have nine lives,” he finally said.

I raised my eyebrows in agreement. “Do you happen to know how I could possibly get back to my jungle without crossing that desert on foot?”

“I know I could, pa’s got a ship, go to the city a lot. But for you, he’d hang you on sight, or shoot you. Maybe even kept you to fight with the savages in our town.”

“Ok,” I started skeptically.

“But you know, some day, I think it’s going to be me and you.”

I thought about that. Romantic? Fighting to the death?

“In what way?” I asked, trying to clarify his intentions.

“Well, you see, I’m supposed to take over as the leader of the pack, after my pa is too old to do the whole ruling thing anymore. And with you being the Feline Huntress and me being the Canine leader-to-be, we have a rivalry. To-be.” He added.

“And why don’t you just kill me now?”

“See, I’m at a disadvantage. Sitting by myself, in front of a fire, you standing there, suited up, and I’ll probably loose, I have nothing to fight with, I just happened to be spending a few days out of the village.”

“Looking for something?” I asked hopefully, trying to get some insight on my potential enemy, as he says.

“No.” He answered quickly. “But even if I did kill you now, if I had the chance, there would be no fun in it. And no fun later of having to chase you down, trying to keep you off my back. You should see father some days, everything is going just perfectly fine, government is keeping quiet, no worries. It gets so boring and then we start fighting amongst ourselves.”

I took a minute to digest that. “And why don’t I just kill you now? If it’d be so easy?”

“Because, I have no weapons, no grudge against you, no animosity. And for the same reason that, you would have no fun running and hiding, trying to get at me. It’s healthy having fun like that, it keeps you sharp and on your toes,” he said, tapping himself on the head.

I don’t think I’ll have a lack of problems in the future, I have the ancients, the Murids, and who knows what else. A fleeting thought came to kind. What if I just killed him now. Helpless, poor little Canine. But I have bigger worries, not to mention the commotion it would cause in his town, the heir to the throne found dead, with unmistakeable Feline claws. All out war between Feline and Canine. But I have bigger worries, keeping the stream of fate alive, for my village, and the rest of Xenobia for that matter. Dakur is not waning. So I have more to save than just the Felines.

The Canine boy sat there poking the fire as he saw that I was lost in thought.

“So,” I asked, “is there anyway to get across that desert?”

He started tonguing his teeth. “No, maybe north or south, you could get around it. But not through.” He told me, still engaged with poking the fire. I guess he lost interest with me.

After sitting in the warmth of the fire, the forest being quite cold, I left and voyaged out further east. Maybe I’ll see the ocean out on this side.

But, another day passed and I still wasn’t near the ocean. The trees were too thick to see further than twenty feet if you’re lucky and I couldn’t jump or run or climb the trees as there were too many shrubs, fallen trees or branches on the trunks.

At the end of the day I wished I could have brought something to start a fire. Unfortunately that was something I was never taught, how to start a fire out in the jungle from nothing. The jungle was hot all year round and the sticks were too wet in the humidity, though we had tools and wood to make fires for cooking, I didn’t bring any, or have anything else on me or that matter.

I stopped to sit underneath a tree and get some sleep, thinking about what kind of Pandora’s box I was about to open. First the relic then the third door and finally the last one at the bottom of the stairs. The suspense was nearly killing me, but that’s what drove me, besides saving Xenobia. The relic must have something that brings good luck, something I wouldn’t know anything about. It was supposed have something to do with magic, Winston the wizard put a spell on it. Magic. What is magic?

My thoughts carried me off and I found myself curled up in a ball underneath the pine tree, dry and warm. I was woken up by a little hand on my shoulder.

I opened an eye and found a small figure, bending over to wake me. Well, not bending over, he was about my height as I was laying down.

“Wake up.” He ordered. “Who are you?”

I shook my head, disbelieving what I saw infront of me. A wooden Nereid, asking me who I was while I was sleeping. Was he asking for trouble? I had vowed to myself to never follow a Nereid again.

“I know who you are, I need to confirm.” He whispered.

“I’m Dawn. Who are you?”

“Charlie. Nice to meet you.” He seemed rushed now, having found me. “We need to go, this place isn’t safe.” He attempted pulling me up, but only succeeded when I stood up myself, and dragged me off somewhere to the north. “Lucky that you had fallen asleep under that tree, not the other one.” He whispered, expecting me to hear it. “The Hamadryads, not all of them are friends. That’s why it took me so long to find you. Some of them say weird things.”

“The what?”

“Hama-dry-ad.”

“What’s that?”

He rolled his eyes, still pulling me along. “I’m glad these ones are nice, otherwise… Please, just stay quiet until we get there.”

“And where are we going?”

“I said be quiet.”

I rolled my eyes and kept following. He was pulling me by my arm, but seeming to have quite a time with it as he couldn’t really pull my weight. So I just followed as quickly as possible.

I noticed his hands were too solid, like wood, and thin, like a stem of some plant. I didn’t have time to look at him properly with all this running, but I could probably see better than he could. He kept turning and losing his way, sometimes speaking to someone, getting no reply, and answering as if they had, then again, and thanking them.

After a few minutes of this I got tired. Tired of just running through the forest. “Where are we going? And when do we get there?”

“Quiet. We’re almost there.”

“I think I can see better in this darkness, I am a Feline.” I told him, though that wasn’t exactly why.

“Fine, but just don’t say anything, I’ll tell you where to go and ask you what you see. It’s too dangerous to go around blabbering about them or saying things you’re not supposed to. Things should just stay where you’d want them, so hurry up before they notice us.”

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He gave me directions and finally, we had made it to our destination. In the clearing in front of us, stood a ginormous tree, the base of it was about the size of the temple and the height overcame the rest of the trees by about three times.

I wondered if you could have seen it from the sky, the peculiar tree outgrowing the rest of them by a long shot.

Charlie was looking for the entrance apparently. For him it was dark, pitch black. For me, it was bright as day, a beautiful tree, full of life and sleeping creatures like Charlie. Other little wooden people swung from vines or branches, climbing down to cuddle up with others.

Charlie noticed that I had stopped to look up into the darkness, in awe about the grandiose of it all. “You can see him?”

“Who?”

“The Grandfather. Drus.” I didn’t answer, but kept staring. “Let’s go, We need to find the entrance. I can’t see anything in this darkness.”

“I can see it, follow me.”

I led him to what seemed like any doorway into a tree and he led me inside. Bioluminescent mushrooms lit the walls as he led me up the stairs into a vast hall. He stopped moving and I could finally see what he looked like, a small animated wooden figure with green spindly fingers. He took a few breaths to calm down, “We’re safe here,” he said.

“What are you?” I asked.

“We are the Dryads.” He explained. “We live in the forest. We’re wood nymphs. You are inside Grandfather Drus. He is the father of all Dryads and Hamadryads.”

“What is a Hamadryad?”

“The tree spirits, they are the trees, they can speak to you if you listen. They talk amongst themselves and keep watch over the forest. Nobody knows about them, but us.”

“But now I know.”

“That’s not important now, who knows and doesn’t, you wouldn’t be able to speak with them, it’s only between themselves, us Dryads and yourself,” he explained. “But don’t go and tell them anything, they often get things wrong and some of them aren’t trustworthy, not being able to move, getting bored and telling jokes or lies just to make us confused.”

“They sure sound fun.” I said sarcastically.

“Well, back to business. The reason I was looking for you, and why it took so long to find you, was because of the recent commotion of the ancient beasts. They’ve been around for so long but just a few days ago there has been an influx of data from the hamadryads. The trustworthy ones, to be clear.”

I nodded and raised my eyes as if I had nothing to do with it. That was what I’ve been dreading, the ancients rising again.

“We see over most of the eastern side of Xenobia. And we’ve spotted three Ancient beasts so far that have been dormant for centuries.”

“They sleep?”

“In a way, every few years they come out and have a feast, but after a day or two of their rampage they go back and hibernate, or whatever they do. They’re practically immortal.”

“But they can be killed.” I interjected.

“Really?” He sounded surprised and started rubbing his chin. “I guess I’ve never thought of that. But, if there’s a will there’s a way. Boy I’d love them all dead.”

If they’re all dead, no worries. There would be no more fun. The Canine boy’s voice popped into my head. It’s healthy having fun, keeps you on your toes. But we won’t live while the ancients live. There would be no more Xenos.

“I can kill them.” I told Charlie.

His eyes opened. “Can you? It’s never been done before.”

“It has.” I stated flatly.

He jumped up, if he had any papers they would be flying around the room in confusion. He would have walked a hole in the carpet, if there was one in this modest room in a tree. “Listen Dawn, if the threat of the Ancients can be neutralized, there will be peace on Xenobia.”

I doubted that, with the one experience that I had in the city. Jenres.

“We won’t have to hide in fear,” he continued. “Xenobia can flourish again. It’s been a peaceful time with them in hibernation. But the never ending worry that they will come back haunts me more than ever.”

“Don’t worry Charlie. There is a way.”

It took some time to sooth him and get him to come to, but I calmed him down and asked him why else was I here, if he knew me and was looking for me.

“Dawn. You are the one I was told to find. Grandfather Drus told me that you were in the forest in need of help. It took me three days to find you because of the interference from the Ancient beasts, I couldn’t just walk past it,” he explained, “and the stupid Hamadryads with their always trustful data. Then you slept within a quarter of a mile of one of the Ancients. So dangerous! I nearly shivered my bark off.”

“Sorry.” I said, trying to make him feel any better. He sure gets frantic easily. “So what was the reason that Grandfather Drus wanted me?”

“I don’t know.” He was nearly yelling, which he noticed and quieted his voice, now whispering. “You’ll have to ask him in the morning. For now we can sleep a few hours until the sun comes up.”

———

That morning I woke up in the common room of the tree grandfather Drus. Busy Dryads we’re running around planning things, running up and down and into other rooms. It was quite the commotion.

Charlie came to me and explained it to me. “If what you said is true, we can kill the Ancient beasts and exterminate them forever.”

I was getting a bit nervous. They think they can just go and kill one. Their whole survival is upon killing the Xenos and probably them as well. “What’s the plan?” I asked hesitantly.

“We’re still working on it. Much to plan, little time. They woke up only three days ago, now they’re wandering around the forest and taking lost Canines and Aves. Luckily they haven’t found any villages or towns yet.”

“That’s good.”

“Anyways, grandfather Drus would like to speak to you.”

“And do I do that?” As far as I knew he was a tree.

As soon as I asked a male figure twisted up from the floor. Hardwood skin and knots for eyes. Tendrils of ivy sprouted from his head resembling long green hair. He was tall, and when he walked I saw that he was connected to the floor of the tree.

“Hello Dawn, I am Drus, grandfather of all Dryads and Hamadryads.”

“Hello Drus.”

It has come to my attention that you would be a fine asset to the forest, one we can trust and one who has many unforeseen skills and knowledge. I trust you will be willing to stay a while to help us in battle.”

He welcomed me nicely. But I hope another surprise mission won’t have me end up like the last one, getting chucked out of a ship in the stratosphere.

“For the sake of Xenobia.” He added with a sincere look into my soul.

I froze my emotions, not giving away a yes or no, but I think another fight with an Ancients was worth it. Maybe three, but I’ll have an army. An army of wood nymphs and trees.

“First is a gift from me.” Drus said. “Without it you will be lost in this forest.” He came close and reached behind my neck, sticking a sharp twig through my fur and skin. I jumped but quieted down quickly as my skin seemed to absorb it completely, becoming part of me. “This is a seed. It will allow you to converse with the Hamadryads in their language. Our tongue is unknown to all but the Hamadryads, Dryads, and now you.”

Shortly after the insertion the noise in the room became ten times stronger and I could hear the arguing and planning and giggling of all the beings around me. They didn’t just speak, they had their own language all to themselves.

I could hear the forest.

“Thank you Drus. I will help you, as what you want is what I want. If we don’t stop this now there will be untold destruction in this forest.”

Drus disappeared back into the floor and Charlie and I walked to the war room.

Drus was already there waiting for us.

We discussed our plan of action and got ready by the end of that day. Hamadryads agreed to their terms and we were ready for the fight.

While Drus and I conversed over battle tactics and Ancients, legions of Dryads suited up in armor carrying sharp sticks and hammers and axes made of wood, yet somehow, strong as steel.

Hamadryads that could walk were moving outside, roots pushing and pulling them along. Dryads ranged from a few inches to over ten feet, those were the one carrying the heavy weapons. Small ones had sharp sticks or swords and even bows and arrows. Ready for war.

“They look ferocious.” I told Drus as I walked outside. The tendrils connecting him hung down from the branches like a green life support.

“They’ve done this before.” Drus stated.

I raised an eyebrow. “You’ve fought wars?”

“Many, that is why the forest is so large. I’ve fought and claimed this side of Xenobia from the north to the south and hundreds of miles inland from the ocean. I’ve planted my seeds and my roots go far.”

“Well I’m glad we have the best army. I never thought you to be the type to fight.”

“We fight for our peace. You see what is around you? This forest has been our prize.”

“It’s beautiful,” is all I could say and he nodded in agreement.

I thought Drus was going to stay as he was always bound to the tree but he twisted his body around and the life support unbound leaving him free to walk. He carried sword and shield similar to the Dryad’s, but more ornate, grew out of his arms. Dense wood covered his chest while bark plated his legs and arms. He looked like a chivalrous knight in armor.

We marched on, and while what would have been a quiet night, I could hear the updates from the Hamadryads we passed, the noise of excited conversation that only the forest itself could hear.

The Dryads stayed in orderly lines but split as we walked through the denser forest closing in on our prey; the hunter, the killer, the Ancients will die.

After half the night of marching we neared to our quarry, half a mile off, the Hamadryads told us. This is where our plan comes to fruition. If the Ancient found us it would only see trees and small plants, and me by myself.

We collected ourselves and got ready for battle. I was the one to lead, the bait to draw the Ancient into the trap.

After a few moments I led the Dryads to the beast. Walking silently, as always, and composed; this wasn’t my first time. There were two other Ancients killed in the last year. Two dead Ancients by my own hands.

I spotted it. A twelve foot tall woman with snakes for hair, nails that looked like daggers of steel, her rabid eyes darting from her own prey, a half eaten family of Murids and me. She wailed, telling me that I was unwelcome.

She yelled in a voice that only sounded in my head. She was trying to frighten me, get me to leave.

But she was already in the trap. I walked backwards slowly and passed through rows of shrubs, disguised Dryads.

“Where are you going Feline?” She cooed.

“I’m leaving.” I said. “I’m better off alive.”

“No no no. I haven’t had a Feline in ages. Come here so I can taste you again.”

She was following me. The Hamadryads were cheering me on in full blown yells and cheers. All the Ancient heard was a whisper of wind.

She lunged for me and I jumped sideways, faster than her.

“I’ve just woken up kitty, please don’t make this hard on me, I’m hungry. It’s the easy way now or the hard way soon enough.”

“I’m not here to play games.” I told her.

She lunged at me, as planned, and scratched my back, just enough to rip the suit.

She looked interested, this was a fair match, not an easy catch like the Murids behind her. “Than what are you here for?” She asked, “who are you?”

“I am the Huntress. Hunting you.” I glared, stopped and took a step forward, lunging suddenly to the side. As she followed to scratch at me I launched diagonally through the air and pulled a snake from her head, ripping it in two as I landed. She followed with another flurry of attacks and I bolted backwards leading her closer to the center of the trap.

I jumped up again while she was at the end of her attack and I let Ungu slide through her hairpiece of serpents, leaving a dozen drop to the floor. She wailed in pain.

The severed serpents lay on the ground writhing yet growing. They were full bodied snakes in a matter of seconds. They stalked me and snapped at me causing me to back away further.

At least a dozen had been sent to to flank me. But as I saw them move behind bushes and trees, they didn’t carry on, slowly the rustling stopped and there were no more snake.

“And who are you?” I asked smugly, wondering if she noticed the snakes disappearing one by one.

“Stheno, the Goddess of this forest. I keep order and bring order and if there is any sinners, I take care of them.”

“Goddess.” I smirked, “I’ve seen Gods and Goddesses and they don’t look like you.”

She yelled as if commanding her place in this land.

We were just a few feet away from the trap and I kept walking backwards, keeping her distracted as we talked and attacked one another.

She, attacking to test me. Me, attacking to lure her in.

I lunged once more but she was ready. She caught me midair and Ungu reacted first tearing open a forearm, losing feeling in her hand and throwing me into a tree.

She looked at her arm in pain.

The trap was sprung.

A tree, the width of her torso and forty feet tall, uprooted and landed on her. Another fell, and another until she didn’t look much better than firewood.

Her head stuck out and Drus started moving in, losing his shape as a tree, sword untwisting from his arm. He didn’t need a shield. “I am the forest,” he said with his soul. “And you are no Goddess.” He raised his foot, wrapped her head in roots and struck through the neck with all of his enchanted, wooden sword. Gore splashed and he raised the head up in the air, The Dryads yelled in victory and the Hamadryads all shook, spreading dry needles and leaves everywhere.

Before the Hamadryads could get up, another beast appeared in the sky, crashing down on them and standing with it’s equestrian head held high. It was a winged horse, black and hairless, sharp fangs emerged from black blood stained lips and a devil’s tail scaled and barbed swung between it’s back legs.

“Enough, foul creatures!” He yelled and looked down among us.

I told the Dryads to shoot and the hundreds of bushes around quivered and let their wooden arrows go.

The beast burst into the air, but less than a dozen arrows made it through his hide.

“Enough! I said,” he commanded, “Huntress!” Calling my name he was staring right at me. The Dryads mustn’t have looked all that interesting, just shrubs.

I centered myself before him and he spoke to me.

“As spokesperson of King Dakur, the God of the Gods of Xenobia; I come with a message for the Huntress. Answer up.”

I was in front of him, I thought he was looking at me but it made me think his black eyes were blind. “Here.” I called.

“Huntress, you are ordered by King Dakur to cease all hunting of our brethren. If you would like to discuss terms you are welcome to come to his castle. Further acts of unkindness will result in penalties. Our mission is unknown to you, often embellished by the fear and lack of knowledge of your kind. But if your further actions prompt it, penalties and actions will be taken that you will not be able to stop. I will take you to the castle of Dakur if you wish, if not, please state so and I will leave. It is trusted that you will fulfill his request.”

I didn’t answer, I didn’t move. What does this mean? If the Ancients are left to roam the country the Xenos will perish, if not, something will happen. I don’t want to find out, but there’s not much choice.

“You may leave, or fight me yourself, messenger.”

“So have it.” He said and spit lava across the trees, they screamed screams of horror that only I and the Dryads could hear.

The beast rose up once again, spitting more molten lava.

He landed in the middle of the roaring fire. “This is your final chance to answer.”

The dryads that could fight, fought, though suicide. Still, they attempted, only laying a few scratches on his skin, he wasn’t wounded at all.

I feel like I’m missing something, some weapon. I wasn’t ready for this. He’s standing in fire. I had no bow, and I wasn’t any good with arrows anyways. The lava and fire would kill me.

“Leave. Leave!” I yelled.

He laughed and rose, speeding off and suddenly disappearing as if warping somewhere else.

All around me was fire burning the Forest, my friends and companions of the last few days.

I looked down at my feet and found the hand of Stheno, lying lifelessly on the floor. The fingernails were red but I couldn’t tell if it was stained with blood or painted that way. I picked it up and kept it as a token. Nobody would believe me.