Wildaven Introductions

by Norsepainter
''Leather boots trampled through the jungle. Large, curved knives hacked away at the dams of bramble and bush. A party of explorers were running about, hastily checking their maps for landmarks-anything they could use to find the way out.

''"Ah!" yelled a member of the party.

''Her comrades turned to see what was wrong. She was on the floor, vines and moss wrapping her body. Her leg was covered with scratches and cuts. Slowly her skin grew paler. She retrieved a linen bag hanging from her shoulder and threw it over to them.

''"Take it, an run." she whispered solemnly. "Go! Ere we all are taken!"

''The party made their flight through the jungle, hurdling the roots that rose to trip them, swerving from the vines that came down to meet them. Arrows began to whiz past them, occasionally meeting their mark, but impeded in the bags worn by the explorers. Frustrated cries of war and anger echoed from the trees. The natives wanted something that was stolen.

''CRACK! A seed was stepped on by one of the explorers. A mass of leaves and branches sprouted from the ground and encased the victim. His colleagues looked over their shoulders in horror. A mistake. As if from nowhere, a woman clothed in greens and animal hides stood. Her face was clouded with age... and great anger. She shouted something unintelligible to the panicking party; a wall of logs grew around them.

''Archers jumped from the trees, aiming their bows at the team. A knife cut away wood, and one explorer squeezed through to escape from the scene - but appearing in front of him was the Shaman. He turned back, and was shot in the chest by an arrow, sending him flying several feet into another arrow, which exploded from his spine into a mass of leaves. A leather bag was dropped onto the ground, and was retrieved by a native child.

''The shaman gingerly took steps toward the carcass. The leaves decomposed, dropping the man who would become mere fertiliser for the plants. She flipped him over with a stick, and took several bones from the opening in his back.

''"Take it back to the temple, my children." she said,

''Whimpers and shouting came from behind the log walls. Which slowly began to dissipate. Their weary faces, horrified and sorrowful, stared nervously at the shaman.

''"We'll take care of you shortly," she assured them.

''The bones in her hands fell to the ground, reforming into the skeletal structure of a wolf. She strode forward with the animal behind her.

''"No please!" the explorers cried, but they were already surrounded.'''