Fantasy In the Woods

[Aoire]

Jon stopped to rest at a fallen tree halfway through his daily stroll through the Redbriar Woods, just the same as he had done for years. Although the townsfolk feared this place, he never shared their anxieties. Despite the stories, he'd never once had his feet snatched at by hungry roots, nor his skin shredded with razor leaves, and neither had toxic brambles swung like darts to stun him and eat him alive.

Even the animals were typically passive, mostly skittish Ashrats, chattering gibberwings, and the occasional swarm of fernflies. The occasional deerdog even grew used to his presence in its territory. approaching shakily, its big, expressive eyes glancing around nervously as it approached. Inevitably, something in the bushes would break a twig, and the awkward, shaky animal would dart back into the undergrowth, yipping and howling all the way.

There on the rock he waited, unwrapping a lunch ration. Traditionally for Erebhon, the innkeeper had provided him with immortal pasty, a baked dumpling the size of his hand extolled for its ability to never spoil. The outside was dry and thick, and inside awaited a hunk of salted beef. Very. Salted. Beef. He choked on the filling, forgetting that the tasty rations spoiled quickly. He followed it up with a swig of water to make the pasty slightly more palatable, then swallowed.
After a moment of swallowing, he finally got it down. After a moment of consideration, he wrapped it up after breaking off a bite of pasty. If the deerdog came close enough, it would have a treat.

After a bit too long, he sighed and tossed the food by the wayside. He knew he had to eat something, just not that. His stomach growled and churned as he carried on, unperturbed until he saw something disconcerting: the log again. He looked by the wayside: sure enough, the pasty laid on the path, untouched by vermin. A bit disconcerted, he started off in a new direction, and within ten minutes found himself back at the pasty. His head now hurt, the sun hung low in the sky, and he knew he had to rest for the moment. Sitting heavily on the log, he soon dozed off, despite his stomach's furious protest.

 

[mads]

Drew's leather boots softly squished into the moss and dirt that lined her path. It wasn't her typical style to take a route so well-traveled that she could actually see the path, but with a knife at her side and a bow strung across her back, she felt competent enough to ward off any attackers, hopefully with nothing more than a sharp glare. Fighting every once in a while was good for her body - it kept her limber and on edge, but it wasn't often that she would actively go out and seek a fight. No, that would get her in trouble, and she typically preferred just to stay out of sight.

The petite woman tossed a shiny blue ievango between her palms, throwing it higher and higher as she walked, finally settling it down in her left hand and taking a bite. The bright red flesh of the fruit squirted at her. Normally, she would be dismayed at this, but wiping her chin with the sleeve of her thin jacket, she found the whole ordeal to be quite comical. The fruit had been grown by her friend, Nadya, and enchanted to provide nearly an entire day's worth of energy just from a couple of bites of the fruit. She would need it for her journey - she'd passed through this stretch of the woods before, and the only food in here was whatever you brought in, the plants, and the wildlife. No pastries, no tea with a sprinkling of peppermint, no water unless you knew where to look. The woods here were alive, and even though she'd been snapped at a couple of times, the trees were often kind enough to let her rest in their branches, sheltering her from anything

Making it through wouldn't prove to be too difficult, though. She knew the way and she had a reason for getting through so quickly on foot. Drew sighed, wrapping up the fruit and sticking it back into her backpack. She traveled for nearly another hour before seeing a figure, slumped against a log. He hand instantly reached for the knife that hung at her side, cautiously resting on the hilt as she started to step forward. She narrowed her eyes at the figure - a man. Usually realizing this would set alarm bells off in her head, but he appeared to be...he appeared to be sleeping. Carefully, the young woman inched forward until she was kneeling only a foot away from him, staring at him. She pulled a face, waving a hand in front of features to make sure he was really asleep, then started going through his belongings.