The Forbidden Forest

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" I am Derek, a protector of this wood. We need to kno-- where did you get those injuries?!" he said casting a spell to heal the Naga. "Here is your food," Derek said handing him some elk meat. "Now, where did you get thse injuries? Obviously you are not a normal Naga. Was it the Naga Clan of Bloodfire? You have similar markings to them."

 

Gulping down the food, Ssmalass replies; "Oh that feelsss better. Oh thank you Derek but what are you? You look a little like my top part. You are nice. I'm sorry I tried to eat your friend. Where is he or she? Tell him I won't eat him. The injuries? Yes the other naga tried to kill me but I got away. Sometimes these abominations come in handy."

Ssmalass reaches over to the bank of the river and pulls a large two handed sword. Holding it in one hand he shows it to Derek.

"I don't really know how to use this but the other naga can't use it at all."

 

"Interesting, Ssmalass. I am human and elf, and I protect the forest around you. And that," Derek said pointing at the blade," is a sword. A fine one, at that. We will teach you how to use it if you wish."

 

"Oh, would you? I don't know very much. My mother kept me hidden and I only know what ssshe taught me. Sshe was assshamed of me but at leassst kept me alive. Where are you going? Can I ssstay with you for a little while? Can you tell me about the world? What iss a human, a elf and what wass that I tried to eat? Oh I have sssso many questionsss. I'm sssorry, I'll be quiet."

 

"Don't be. Knowledge is good for you. Let's swim for a while."

 

Salorn whisked his shining white hair from his face, the great axe plummeting down again. A second later, the final creature fell silently to the ground. The Drow hurled the weapon over his shoulder, the axe catching on it's holder. Then, Salorn Vulruk admired his work, an evil smile across his face.

He had began the battle only seconds before. The group of boars had been passing his patrol route when he found them. Showing no mercy, the dark elf fell all seven of the beasts. His only excuse was the evil blood in his veins. And, he longed for fresh blood.

Finished with his work, the Drow continued through the forest, staying off the main paths, until he arrived at one of his many hideouts throughout the wood. This one was a dull cave. As he entered, the warmth of dark magic came over his body. All eleven of the mage's hideouts were protected by magic. The simple spell kept his position a secret, hiding him from all divination magics and the like. No one could ifnd him when in the cave, and that was how Salorn liked it. However, he had more important things to do. The boy.

Several days earlier, the Drow had come across the youngster. His magic instantly had told him that the youngling was only a child, maybe 7 or 8 years of age. Nevertheless, he was a potential threat to the Drow's property. And, though the child had been moving all day every day, he was still stumbling around in Salorn's territory. And the Drow was ready to do something about it.

 

After getting almost eaten, Rainette's instincts took over his thinking brain. He had jumped into a nearby tree and turned its color. Now, his thinking brain was coming back into play. He noticed something was wrong. Part of him was still green, not the color of the tree. He looked closer and laughed at himself, the green part were the green dragon scales he was wearing. Silly Rainette! Of course they would not change color with the rest of him. He was going to have to think about this issue. He wouldn't be able to hide totally when he was wearing Uncle Krapo's adventuring tools. But at least he was safe for now, and the snake hadn't eaten him this time.

The snake! Where was it?

There it was, hypnotising Derek-friend down on the ground, getting closer and closer to him, and Derek-friend was totally unaware that he was about to be eaten! Uncle Krapo had told stories about others who had fallen victim to bad snakes eyes.

He had to save Derek-friend!

He reached behind to his back and collected a big, viscuous glob of his back-oil in his left hand, and took his bone club in his right hand. Gauging the distance to the snake, he jumped out of the tree and landed on the snake's back. He reached around and shoved the glob of back-oil right in the snake's mouth!

Immediately the snake doubled over and started gagging. It was holding its stomach with its arms.

ARMS????!!!????

Since when did snakes have arms? Oh well, there were lots of weird creatures in the forest.

Rainette started to simultaneously yell at Derek and whack the snake with his club.

"Derek-friend wake up!" WHACK-WHACK "The bad-snake is hypnotising you!" WHACK-WHACK-WHACK "You have to wake up and run away!" WHACK-WHACK-WHACK-WHACK WHACK-WHACK

Rainette saw some large wounds on the snake that had just recently scabbed over. He targeted them.

"The snake wants to eat you!" WHACK "He didn't get me, so now you have to run too!" WHACK-WHACK-WHACK

The snake had curled itself into a ball and was covering its head with its arms. Time to get away, but just a few more whacks for good measure. WHACK-WHACK-WHACK-WHACK-WHACK. For extra good measure, Rainette opened his mouth and bit the snake on the tail.

"You bite me, I bite you! Don't bite me again, bad-snake!"

He looked at Derek-friend. He must still have been hypnotised, because his eyes were wide and his jaw was hanging down and there was an incredulous expression on his face.

"Derek-friend, snake is hurt, now we can run away!" He grabbed one of Derek's arms and started to try to pull him away.

 

Confused and hurt Ssmalass sank to the river bottom, coiling up into a tight ball. He just lay there feeling miserable, unhappy and with a big stomach ache.

 

"RAINETTE NO!!" Derek's voice echoed powerfully through the woods, making birds in the trees leave their perches in a flutter. "Leave him alone! Silly Rainette!" then noticing, the sorry look on Rainette's face," But thank you for protecting me anyway." And patted Rainette's armor, not his head because of the oil.

 

Rainette jumped back from the powerful boom of Derek's voice. Maybe this was the sound he heard sometimes echoing through the forest late at night. The snake had retreated to the river.

"So, the snake was not trying to eat you?" he asked. Derek shook his head. "Oh, oh, I'm sorry Derek. I'm sorry. Do you think the snake will come back and be nice? I guess I should apologize to it."

A ripple splashed in the river. Rainette jumped behind Derek, and carefully peeked around his legs at the water, but it was only the water serpent, coming up to Derek.

 

Nicolas was thankful nobody was hurt.

 

Paddling down the river in his little dingy, Garron was whistling atune when he heard a cry of pain, lots of yelling and whacking like noises. Garron quickling strings his bow and tries to turn around. The current was too strong and pulled him around the bend were he saw the most unusual group of creatures.

 

Salorn too heard the loud bellow echo throught he woods. Intinctly, he jumped up from the cave's small fire and two small exes flashed to his hands, ready for combat. Of course, there was nothing to be feared where he was. Though the voice did make him think. Had the boy come across trouble.

This could be it!

Instantly, the Drow grabbed his small food pouches, tied them to his belt, and, his axe leading, ran off into the forest. If he knew the forest as well as he thought he did, the disturbance was somewhere near the river.

And so he ran.

 

"The serpent's approaching..."

 

Derek gave a Nicolas a incredulous look. "Don't you remember? I summoned it!" he said with a smile and a giggle.

 

"Oh...", Nicolas looked embarrassed. "Let us continue down the river... this forest is giving me hallucinations."

 

The dark skinned elf darted across the forest. Any small animals in his way fled at the sight of the Drow. Nothing could stop Salorn. If the boy was in trouble, and a reason to use his... It wasn't worth missing. So the Drow continued to run, his keen hearing picking up on the flowing river. Finally, he arrived at the stream’s edge. And, there in the middle of the river, was the boy. He had discovered, strangely, a strange group to travel with.

Salorn, assuming none of the swimmers had yet seen him, muttered a quick spell and vanished from sight. Then, invisible, he climbed the closest tree and watched the group. Sadly, there was no conflict.

 

Several birds flew all at once from the night-side through the clearing just as the others were getting back into the river. Rainette jumped up and snagged a plump grumble-bird with his tongue. He wasn't really hungry, but he knew somebody who was.

He took the bird and dove into the river, swimming down into the pool where the big snake lay curled up in a ball. Rainette cautiously approached the snake, and offered it the bird.

 

Ssmalass saw the frog creature approach and coiled even tighter.

"Pleassse, don't hurt me. I'm sssorry I tried to eat you. I thought you were a big frog. I won't try again. Anyway you make me sick."

 

Rainette wedged the grumble-bird under a rock next to the snake, then backed off a bit.

"It's okay, I'm sorry too. I thought you were trying to eat my friend Derek after you didn't get me. I brought you this grumble-bird to eat. They are really tasty. I'm sorry that I whacked you so much. I got a little out of control. Won't you swim down the river with us?"

It felt good to speak underwater with another sentient being. Green fish really weren't very good conversationalists, hardly any of them had anything else to say other than, "No, no, don't eat me, please!"