Fantasy Escape from the shadows of the forest

[Draw Neoisi]

tag PhoenixMire (Sorry if the title is weird, I guess I'm bad with names )

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The woods of Tardask. An extensive land full of beautiful trees that grew with no guide but nature's desire. The treetops touched the sky, giving its soil the perfect mixture from sun and shadow. The diversity of the flora encompassed a great variety of flowers and shrubs, including those not known to man. The landscape of that forest was a scene to watch, the only problem was the beasts that lived in them. Wolves or tigers weren't the deadliest creatures inside. Voyagers has returned barely alive with tales of living trees and banshees roaming inside the darkness of Tardask. Being the only path between two of the greatest Kingdoms this land ever led eyes on, the citizens created a safe path crossing the woods. Time passed and neither of the two kingdoms had desire to invest in the trail's maintenance, becoming the favorite place for thieves and scoundrels to lurk around.

Our story begins at one thief's campsite. As the sun was slowly rising, the group of scoundrels started leaving their tents. Some yawns decorated their faces as they scatter across the settlement. A couple sat surrounding the fireplace, starting the fire to properly cook the morning meal. Others jumped into the trees, to take guard as the night shift got down to have a deserve rest. The rest started playing cards or trained with each other. The group was a well oil machine in another morning routine. Their faces stiffen as a green lizard lady walked out of one of the tents. Lizza, the second in command of the group, was making sure everyone knew their place as the leader was in a secret mission. The golden eyes of the green one scanned the place looking for something, or more likely. . . .Someone

 

[PhoenixMire]

It was time. Ayla pushed aside the leather flap of her tent, golden eyes squinting in the morning sunlight. She brushed a lock of her short red hair behind a goat-like ear; she hadn't yet pulled the sides into braids to keep them away from her face. She ducked to avoid her rugged horns catching on the top of the tent. Lips pressed into a thin line and furred ears flicking at the sounds of the morning forest, she glanced from one end of the camp to the other, looking for...

Ah. There she was. "Lizza," Ayla said shortly, striding confidently over to her. Ayla was tall - she had an intimidating frame, muscular and somewhat scarred from all the time she had spent living in the wilds as a bandit. "It's today, right?" They'd gotten a tip that someone wealthy might be coming through here, making their way to the next kingdom over for a wedding. Something like that. They would be the perfect target. "Have we gotten any reports of carriages coming through?"

It was insanity that anyone would travel this trail. Of course, it meant more business for Ayla and her ilk - there was rarely a shortage of travelers to ambush. But the trail was in disrepair, and it was only rarely that any sort of lawmen came searching for the bandits in the woods. The rulers of both kingdoms didn't have enough time; they were too busy dealing with their own politics to clean up the trail, or to forge a new one, and travelers still had to come and go between kingdoms. It was the perfect money-making opportunity.

 

[Draw Neoisi]

"Ah!" The lizard girl drew a soft smirk in her face as she heard a voice calling her name "Ayla!"

With firm stomps, the green lady walked toward her red hair coworker. As she got near her objective, Lizza shoved aside who ever was in her way. This wasn't an uncommon thing for the second in command to do. She tend to push and punch the other people in the group, testing their resistance and will to fight. She wasn't a bad leader, but valued strength about all things.

"Just the girl I wanted to see!!" The woman reached the goat ear girl. With a sudden movement, she grabbed the opposite shoulder of Ayla into a hug, pushing her near the lizard humanoid. "As I expected from you" She grinned as she heard the information about the next hit they were planning. "Always knowing what's going on at the camp" She pat the goat girl's grabbed shoulder "But the carriage is coming tomorrow early morning, last minute changes. I guess the royal dummies think passing through the trail at dawn is safer" She let a big loud laugh echo through the camp. "Boss is gathering more info about that, he comes at night. We are going to have a meeting to plan the heist, and we want YOU to be in there. So? You are up to being part of the very elite?"

 

[PhoenixMire]

Ayla grinned and rolled her eyes at the physical touch, and brushed Lizza off. “Come on, you know I don’t like that.” She rolled her shoulders and neck, loosening her joints. Tomorrow? Too bad she had been off. It was about time for something exciting to happen around this camp.

At the offer to join, Ayla cocked a brow, and a slight smirk played the corners of her lips. “Of course I want to join. It’s getting boring around here, I’ve been restless. What do we do to prepare?”

 

[Draw Neoisi]

Lizza laugh at the brushing off. "You are adorable" She tease her companion. "Well, we wouldn't have chose you if you weren't prepare. Just. . .. be ready for anything, the boss is going to came with a plan tonight" She pause for some minutes looking at the camp.

Men and women were sitting down, playing cards. Others were preparing their weapons, polishing them and sharpening their edges. Few of them were training and a couple making breakfast. Like Ayla said, it was a boring morning. Everyday was like that. Fewer and fewer voyagers were seen in the trail, as the rumors of beast and thieves grew. This made most of the group members relax and stop training, getting lazy and spending the day playing card or board games.

"Still.. . ." The lizard woman spoke again "We need a team to pull this" She thought out load about the heist. Crossing her arms she looked at Ayla more seriously "So. ... How well you know the team? Better look at them closely.. . . .It's gonna be your duty to choose the team"

 

[PhoenixMire]

Ayla rolled her eyes. “Call me adorable again and I’ll break your hand,” she teased.

Her duty to choose the team? “All right, I can do that.” She narrowed her eyes, studying the bandits and lowlives all around her. So many of them had gotten weak and pathetic over the last few uneventful months. There had been no big heists for a long time.

Ayla refused to let herself go. Instead of constantly drinking and playing cards and darts, she had been exercising and hunting in the woods. She would not grow soft.

Perhaps the truth was that she couldn’t stand her comrades anymore. But she wouldn’t admit that.

Cracking her knuckles, Ayla strode forward into the camp, confidence in her step. “All right, you lazy asses. I’m sure the smarter ones among you are already aware of our plans tomorrow. We need a team to rob this noble coming through. I’m picking Sera, Jax, and Crow.” She jabbed a thumb toward Lizza. “Lizza, me, and the boss are gonna be planning this tonight in the boss’ tent. Don’t be late. This is our first big job in ages and none of you should be messing it up.”

She frowned as she studied the group she’d picked - truthfully, even though they were all skilled in their own ways, she had chosen them mainly because she hated them less than the others. Ayla had once admired the brazen bandits who did whatever they wanted without feeling the need to give it any thought. But she wasn’t so young anymore, and after their group of lowlives had been relaxing without a job for a long while, Ayla realized she didn’t mind simply surviving in the wilds. Hunting for her own game, skinning pelts to tan leather and create armors and fur coats - she was beginning to feel she didn’t need to steal to live anymore. And everyone in this camp who thrived in the thrill of the steal was no longer relatable to her.

Sure, it had been boring for quite a while now. Part of her wanted something to do and was looking forward to the big heist, but maybe that was just because stealing was familiar to her by now, not because it was actually enjoyable.

 

[Draw Neoisi]

The group looked at the girl shouting, stopping in their activities. The eyes rapidly shift to the goat ear being that was giving a speech. The people that wasn't named continue doing what they were doing before. One of the the people she named gave her a thumbs up, as the other two nod, talking to each other before they started practicing for the heist.

Lizza smiled at the words of Ayla. She applaud slowly to the girl

"That's an amaziiing speech" She walked towards the goat girl "Look.. . .Im gonna be straight with you. .. . .The boss just want me. . You and him for the whole plan" She lower her voice, as if it was a secret "He told me that things are gonna change around here, and whatever happens tomorrow, will help us to get more idiots at the trail.. . . . Don't ask me what, I dunnoh. " She shrugged "But, he want just you to make this plan work. . . .If the whole thing is a success, you will have a reaaaaaaaaaally good spot as part of the boss' staff.. . .You know, like a left hand or whatever" She shrugged again "Lucky you, huh?" She smirked looking at the girl

 

[PhoenixMire]

Ayla shifted her gaze to the woman beside her, her lips twisting into a frown. Part of the boss' staff? Gods... a while ago, she may have been excited at the thought. But now she wasn't sure. Being by the boss' side would make her feel stuck, like she had to help him no matter what, like she wouldn't have as much freedom... She didn't like that idea, but didn't want to show that to Lizza. So instead she cocked her head to the side and smirked. "Sounds like a deal," she said confidently. "I already know I'll impress the boss."

She had a brief moment where she wondered if it would be better to leave this group altogether. Maybe she could make a run for it when nobody was looking. ...No, what was she thinking?She'd been a bandit for years now; where else would she turn? What kind of life would she live without Lizza and the others? Ayla rolled her shoulders as if the motion would dispel her thoughts. "Just tell me what to do to prepare. I wanna be ready to show the boss I'm the best choice."