The Forbidden Forest

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"Oh, thank you." Ssmalass picked up the bird and swallowed it.

"That is very good. I am called Ssmalass. I would love to swim with you. I can go on the land too. Climb trees. I don't know anyone because the other nagas want to kill me because I am an abomination."

Ssmalass uncoiled and picked up the sword from the river bottom and swam a little out into the river.

 

"Your welcome, Ssmalass. I am Rainette. I've heard of nagas, but I've never seen one before. The others are a little ahead of us, let's catch up to them." He swam off towards the rest of the group.

 

Garron didn't know what to do, swimming towards him were: a child, a half-man , a frog thing and to snake things but one had arms. They didn't look threatening but he still kept his arrow nocked. For a sudden he sensed something but it was gone in a flash. Garron turned his balding head and looked around, the only things moving were the groupe up ahead.

Timidly garron yelled out " Ahoy! Do ya need a lift? I mean for the child and the midget, you reptiles can swim better then them."

[ July 31, 2005, 21:23: Message edited by: Dalamar Maximus ]

 

Derek was very good at swimming, after going in this river for years. He decided to talk to the man before letting Nicolas out of his direct protection. "Hello, sir. I haven't seen you in this forest before. I am a Druid of this forest and I know everyone, and everything in this forest, and I've never seen you before, as I said. Who are you, are you from the village? Maybe you can help us on our quest."

 

"I've seen this two-legger before, Derek-friend." Rainette told Derek. "Sometimes he invades my hunting territory to hunt. But he usually hunts the prey that are too big for me, so I have never fought with him about it, plus, he is a lot bigger than I am."

 

Just then Nicolas sensed another presence. He looked around... there was Derek... followed closely by Rainette and the naga... and there on the shore was the man that had just called out to them...
This did not make sense... he sensed another, familiar presence, very close by...

 

"Ok then, Rainette," he said looking curiously at Nicolas who was glancing around nervously, "Nicolas, do you sense it too?" Derek had sensed the magic in the air. Invisibility, perhaps.

 

"Yes... I do. I took no notice at first thinking it was an animal... no offecne to Rainette or Ssmalass...
then it got stronger and stronger... I believe it's close by"

 

"Just be careful..."

 

SSmalass flicks out his odd tongue. "I have tassted that before. It isss odd. Different from the other foressst tasstess."

He raises the top third of his body and looks around but doesn't see anything.

 

" Trees of the wood, Tell me, Is there anyone we should be worrying about?" Derek said in a trance-like way.

 

Rainette swam to the riverbank and hopped up into a tree. He looked and smelled, but didn't sense anything. Except for silence. All the birds were gone and the ground creatures had hidden deep in their holes. A shiver shot down his spine. He jumped down straight into the river and came up next to the boat.

"It is the Silent Death!" He told the others. "It goes through the forest and kills. Not to hunt, not to eat, just to kill. We will all die!"

He dove down to the bottom of the river and looked for a hole or rock to hide in.

 

"Show yourself!" yelled Derek, lifting up his hands slowly. The earth started to shake, making the birds fly out of the trees, and the water slosh around violently.

He then cast an improved version of Entangle to where he had sensed the magic.

 

Nicolas now knew this presense was one that he had met before. For some reason it wasn't moving. It was like it was watching Nicolas.

"Uh...um...we should continue on"

Nicolas swam with great agility through the water.

 

"Not until we find this, Silent Death.."

 

"I beg you do not test my instincs, we should continue on, we do not want any trouble"

 

Noticing the worry and pain in the young boy's voice, he reluctantly swam along with the rest, calling Rainette and Ssmalass.

 

Just then Nicolas felt something unseen enter the water. "Everyone get out of the water, QUICK!"

 

Ssmalass was uncertain what to do. He could move on land but the forest was thick and he could move more easily in the water. He moved near the shore and swung his body around flicking his tongue in and out.

 

Against his better judgement, Rainette left the nice hole he had found, spurted to the surface, and hopped into a tree. He was reminded how much better it was to be the predator as opposed to the prey. He was surely gaining some sympathy with his dinner, but he wasn't going to start eating just roots any time soon.