“Try as man would, the deeper jungles are not a place for us to go to. Expeditions are sent out only to return in failure… if they even return at all. After several such cases, people are finally convinced to remain on the lands that are easier to tame, despite the unknown potential that lurks within the deep jungles. Maybe in the far future we will have the power to tame the depths of nature, but today, we will make do with what we can handle.” - From a speech by Xaliburnus the Conqueror, First Emperor of the Elmaiya Empire, two decades after the establishment of Sabaya.
“Pardon the interruption, ladies, but I’m afraid we have a little situation at the moment. I would like to ask those of you who are willing to help defend the caravan to help out, and those who are unable to fight to remain in the wagon until the situation passes,” said the driver of the wagon Aideen and the rest of her group were riding on after a sudden stop.
“Oh, we got company?” asked Áine as she perked up where she sat with her back leaning against a thick barrel.
“Bandits or the like?” Kino asked. She was lying down on top of a couple of wooden crates as space was a premium on the wagon they hitched a ride on. While the Vinjaun locals mostly bought things that did not take up too much space to bring back home, that still only left around half a wagon’s worth of space unoccupied, which was rather tight confines for five people to squeeze themselves into, especially when three of those five were elves each over two meters tall.
“No, no bandits, ladies, just some of the more unpleasant beasts that live in this land,” replied the man with a shake of his head and an amused giggle. The convoy had already departed the Assadun Emirate by a week at that point, and had entered the territory claimed by the Vinjaun Jarldom for two days already. The route they took was a rather poorly maintained one, given the long distance and the relative scarcity of travelers that took it.
“Well, my limbs sure could use some exercise,” said Eilonwy as she got out from where she crammed herself in the space between two crates near the back of the wagon. “Being stuck in here for days has been rather stiffening, no offense.”
“To be fair, we did warn you that there wouldn’t be that much room!” countered the wagon driver back with a bark of laughter. “Also, Lady Healer, ma’am, if you could render your services after the fighting is done, it would be greatly appreciated. These pests rarely leave without us killing a whole lot of them first.”
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“I’ll be available, sure,” replied Aideen, who relaxedly lounged in the now more spacious interior of the half-full wagon. “Well, you all heard him. Go beat up whatever’s bothering us so we can go on. They’ve been good hosts to us so it’s only fair that we repay them in kind, no?”
“Sure thing, Aunt,” replied Rhys with a nod as he stepped off the wagon.
The four split off to cover the four cardinal directions around the two halted wagons. The other twenty-four guards of the wagon already spread out and formed a loose circle around them, all facing outwards with weapons in hand and tense postures. From the forest around them, many, many eyes could be seen glaring towards the wagons and their guards.
“So, what are we facing?” asked Kino to one of the guards, a tall, eastern woman who wielded a longbow with an arrow already notched, ready to draw and loose at a moment’s notice.
“Snow Raptors, a whole bloody pack of them,” replied the woman without looking towards Kino, her eyes looking towards the forest before them with alertness. “Small, lizardlike predators, maybe as big as a child each. Problem is they’re fucking vicious and got no qualms with taking on things as large as a bear… and rarely hunt in packs smaller than a hundred or so.”
“Sounds pretty problematic,” noted Kino. By then she too could see some of the critters as their vanguard started to slowly stalk out from the forest. The creatures were indeed only around the height of a child. The largest ones were only as tall as her waist at the top of their heads, and they bore some resemblance to the feathered lizards that were pretty common in Elmaiya, except these were smaller and had “feathers” that looked a lot more like fine down, kept close to their bodies.
The creatures had vestigial wings that were likely useless other than maybe for keeping their balance while running at speed, but also had long, muscular legs that ended in three wicked talons each. Their beak-mouths also had rows of sharp teeth filling them, while also covered by a beak-like structure that was nearly cylindrical in shape and could probably be used by the creatures to gore their foes.
There were probably around two hundred of the critters around them, which ranged from ones only as tall as their knees to large specimens as tall as someone’s waist. Kino could definitely see why the creatures were troublesome. One or two of the creatures, any half decent guard could dispatch with ease, most likely. A dozen on the other hand would be a legitimate threat.
All around them, more and more Snow Raptors emerged from the forest, though they kept their distance still, apparently unwilling to commit to the hunt yet, at least until their prey reacted to them. The sight of so many vicious little creatures all around them made the guards tense and nervous, and the only thing that prevented those with bows from loosing arrows was likely the knowledge that the moment they loosed, the horde of Raptors would swarm all over them.
It was quite a tense stand-off, and Aideen could see why the wagon driver asked for her help after the fight. The convoy had enough guards to feasibly fight off the horde, but it was very unlikely that they’d come out of the fighting unscathed.
Of course, Aideen’s charges joining them would likely change that situation, though their hosts had no idea about that yet.