Glidias drifted off into the forest to the right of the road, swiftly losing sight of his companions through the foliage. Leaving behind their joking, bickering, and conversation. The smell still lingered in his nostrils, but soon, he knew, he would leave that behind too. Now able to fully take in his surroundings, and not have to worry so much about a knife in the back, Glidias felt as if a great weight had lifted from his shoulders. The trees were tall, the forest dense, scattered remnants of mushrooms here and there, of various shapes and sizes. Taking a deep breath, and taking in the wilderness again, it's fresh smell, the invigorating colors, he finally felt he was in his element. Closing his eyes, and taking another deep breath, he tried to remember the last time he was in a forest. Then he opened his eyes, and a combination of memories, instincts, imagination, and reflex took over. The shadows cast by the sun were long, and an enormous boulder suddenly took on the form of a monster. Glidias drew his double swords, and rolled to the side as if to avoid a blow, landing in a kneeling position before coming back to his senses. Now, he began to remember things about the forest which he was less fond of. Memories of war, of unseen foes, and death from all sides. He took a deep breath. This time, not to take in the air, but to calm his nerves. Steeling himself, and squeezing the necklace tied to his right had, he began to do some actual scouting.
Taking great care to avoid making noise, Glidias carefully slid his feet under branches and twigs, and silently made his way through the forest as few could. Relying on the long shadows and dense foliage to hide himself, he moved from tree to tree, rock to rock, mushroom to mushroom, eyes always open and searching. His armour made more noise than he would like, but that was unavoidable. It wasn't the custom tailored armour from home, it was what he'd managed to grab from a sinking ship. There were all kinds of plants and wildlife that he couldn't place, and if he hadn't been so intent on moving silently and without being seen, as well as watching for threats, he might've stopped to examine some of it. He relied on nature to be his alarm as often as he could, taking in the natural sounds of the forest, the wind, the creak of the trees, the birds and insects. He got used to it all, to the point where he was confident he could pick out something unnatural, or threatening. It got dark exceedingly quickly in the forest, the trees acting as a horizon all their own, and it wasn't long before he found himself breathing deeply, heart racing. His status as a weredraco heightened his senses, but it wasn't enough to see by. Often times the canopy of the trees and other foliage blocked out the light of the stars and moon, penetrating in few places. The sounds of the forest steadily changed their tune as day faded into night, and he made sure to tune his senses to these sounds as well. He had to make use of hearing, as well as his olfactory senses quite often.
Glidias's nerves were put on edge by the changes of the forest, memories struggling to the forefront of his mind, trying to take control and steal him from reality. Even when his senses told him there was no danger, his imagination won out. He found himself jumping at odd things, the slightest noises. Glidias was not one to be afraid of the dark, but he was edgy, and something about the forest unsettled him, as if there was an unseen enemy in every bush, that the ground might erupt around him as it often had during the war... and that terrible noise. Soon, he was diving for cover, pulling out all the stops and acting as if death itself was stalking him, as it usually was. In every instance though, his cause for alarm proved to be false. Eventually, he calmed down, and his mind finally settled down. His memories didn't seem so real, and the forest not so threatening. Breathing a sigh of relief, Glidias picked out one of the trees, a particularly tall one he couldn't place, that pierced the canopy above. He then scaled it, at first swiftly and as if something was chasing him, but then calmly and relaxed, enjoying the physical challenge of it. The tree was more massive than he'd realized, rising up and over those around it, more than a hundred feet up. Glidias, however, could not scale it all the way to the top. He and his armour were far too heavy for the branches to support. None the less, the view was great, and he relaxed, breathing deeply and taking in the sounds of the forest once more... and then he dozed off.
Glidias was suddenly in a very different, very alien forest. Much denser, and much more threatening. He was with a contingent of troops, all in specially tailored armour, created specifically for scouting and fighting in the dense jungle. There were few differences between it and the heavy combat armours they were used to, it was made of less metal, considerably less bulky, and most importantly, made very little noise. It also had a unique design for the colors, mottled, and to most very ugly, it served to distort their outline and thus make them more difficult to spot. Glidias and the 5 soldiers that were with him moved with extreme care, nerves on edge, and scanning the forest with every step. They were so quiet, the sound of their heartbeats seemed magnified tenfold, along with their breathing. Even a drop of sweat sounded like a downpour. Everyone in the group was afraid of something, and the air was filled with malice, as it is when a predator stalks it's prey. Soon, they came upon a slight rise in the forest floor, with a few bushes on top of it, as well as rocks and several trees. Glidias made a signal for the group to fan out, and they did so without making a sound. And again, they progressed, dismissing the slight rise in the earth as nothing, it looked natural and perfectly inconspicuous. Then Glidias noticed that some of the earth around the area was in piles, as if someone had been digging, and some of the trees had been uprooted. And, to his horror, the earth seemed to be breathing in the rhythmic pattern of a chest heaving up and down, up and down. Glidias attempted to shout a warning, and suddenly the earth heaved upward, as if it was performing a mighty sigh, and a deafening roar blotted out all the noises of the forest. They had walked into an ambush.
Glidias awoke, desperately lashing out at unseen assailants, before accidentally rolling out of the tree, falling, falling, falling. He painfully collided with one of the branches below him, rolled off, hit another, and another, before managing to catch himself. Breathing deeply, he tried to steady himself once again. He would mostly likely have some nasty bruising, but... the branch broke, and once again he found himself tumbling earthward, a voice somewhere in his head trying to assert control. But he resisted, and once again lashed out for a branch, and found one more solid than the others, but his grip wasn't strong enough and he slid off, colliding with more of the foliage before smacking into the earth. Most of what he hit had slowed his decent, but it had also caused immense pain. He'd landed on his back, and groaned as he doubled over to his side. He'd most likely broken something. And then, he realized there was a new sound in the forest. It was an odd sound, shuffling and creaking, and it seemed to come from everywhere. Glidias drew his swords, favoring his left arm and right leg, as well as keeping his right arm over his ribs, as if it would lessen the pain. Wincing, he readied an alert and battle ready stance, and scanned the forest for foes. Guided more by hearing than anything else, he faced one direction, and then realized there were many sources of the noise, and it was coming from a raised angle. He began scanning the treetops, but saw very little. Eventually, he made out indistinct shapes, humanoid shapes, moving expertly through the trees. He could not tell how many there were, only that he was outnumbered. He considered trying to fight them for a moment, but quickly ruled it out.
Despite how badly he wanted combat, he knew the odds were stacked against him. Another voice reasoned that he was superior in every way to whatever was coming. Why should he fear anything? Nothing could compare to him. Nothing could stand against him. And again, he found himself having to resist such thinking, and sheathed his swords and ran as best he could. He had quite the head start, and despite his injuries, Glidias was quite capable. Using the little light that was offered to him, his keen eyes and killer instincts helped him to avoid most of the obstacles, the fallen branches and trees, rocks, tree roots, mushrooms, tree trunks, all of it, and so he was able to keep ahead of whoever, or whatever, was following him. He'd sacrificed stealth for speed, and so he began to disturb much of the wildlife, which seemed to berate and scream at him every step, sending a slight chill down his spine and making his hairs stand on end, as well as encouraging him to run faster. He didn't care if the direction he was running was back towards the road or not, just that he got away. Suddenly, he found himself remembering the last time he was on the run in the woods, which wasn't that long ago. Before though, his pursuers hadn't been hopping through the trees, and they had shot at him. He'd also ran into someone along the way, who knew where to head. Now though, he doubted he'd run into a convenient guide. In any event, it mattered little. There was only one direction to run, as the sounds coming from his pursuers leaping through the trees seemed to come from everywhere except for the route he was taking. There'd also been an ambush at the end of the last chase.
Suddenly, a very haggard Glidias burst out of the forest and into the middle of the road, into a small group of rough looking travelers, from the look of them. Not taking the time to identify them, he immediately drew his swords and began to go on the attack, before he recognized them and lowered his swords. That smell filled his nostrils again, and though he once enjoyed the smell on his homeland, he now found it nothing but painful and annoying. Out of breath, and tired, Glidias spoke in a ragged voice, "Ambush... from the trees..." each word coming out in between a deep breath. He gestured with his sword the direction he'd come. "They'll be on us soon!"
Taking great care to avoid making noise, Glidias carefully slid his feet under branches and twigs, and silently made his way through the forest as few could. Relying on the long shadows and dense foliage to hide himself, he moved from tree to tree, rock to rock, mushroom to mushroom, eyes always open and searching. His armour made more noise than he would like, but that was unavoidable. It wasn't the custom tailored armour from home, it was what he'd managed to grab from a sinking ship. There were all kinds of plants and wildlife that he couldn't place, and if he hadn't been so intent on moving silently and without being seen, as well as watching for threats, he might've stopped to examine some of it. He relied on nature to be his alarm as often as he could, taking in the natural sounds of the forest, the wind, the creak of the trees, the birds and insects. He got used to it all, to the point where he was confident he could pick out something unnatural, or threatening. It got dark exceedingly quickly in the forest, the trees acting as a horizon all their own, and it wasn't long before he found himself breathing deeply, heart racing. His status as a weredraco heightened his senses, but it wasn't enough to see by. Often times the canopy of the trees and other foliage blocked out the light of the stars and moon, penetrating in few places. The sounds of the forest steadily changed their tune as day faded into night, and he made sure to tune his senses to these sounds as well. He had to make use of hearing, as well as his olfactory senses quite often.
Glidias's nerves were put on edge by the changes of the forest, memories struggling to the forefront of his mind, trying to take control and steal him from reality. Even when his senses told him there was no danger, his imagination won out. He found himself jumping at odd things, the slightest noises. Glidias was not one to be afraid of the dark, but he was edgy, and something about the forest unsettled him, as if there was an unseen enemy in every bush, that the ground might erupt around him as it often had during the war... and that terrible noise. Soon, he was diving for cover, pulling out all the stops and acting as if death itself was stalking him, as it usually was. In every instance though, his cause for alarm proved to be false. Eventually, he calmed down, and his mind finally settled down. His memories didn't seem so real, and the forest not so threatening. Breathing a sigh of relief, Glidias picked out one of the trees, a particularly tall one he couldn't place, that pierced the canopy above. He then scaled it, at first swiftly and as if something was chasing him, but then calmly and relaxed, enjoying the physical challenge of it. The tree was more massive than he'd realized, rising up and over those around it, more than a hundred feet up. Glidias, however, could not scale it all the way to the top. He and his armour were far too heavy for the branches to support. None the less, the view was great, and he relaxed, breathing deeply and taking in the sounds of the forest once more... and then he dozed off.
Glidias was suddenly in a very different, very alien forest. Much denser, and much more threatening. He was with a contingent of troops, all in specially tailored armour, created specifically for scouting and fighting in the dense jungle. There were few differences between it and the heavy combat armours they were used to, it was made of less metal, considerably less bulky, and most importantly, made very little noise. It also had a unique design for the colors, mottled, and to most very ugly, it served to distort their outline and thus make them more difficult to spot. Glidias and the 5 soldiers that were with him moved with extreme care, nerves on edge, and scanning the forest with every step. They were so quiet, the sound of their heartbeats seemed magnified tenfold, along with their breathing. Even a drop of sweat sounded like a downpour. Everyone in the group was afraid of something, and the air was filled with malice, as it is when a predator stalks it's prey. Soon, they came upon a slight rise in the forest floor, with a few bushes on top of it, as well as rocks and several trees. Glidias made a signal for the group to fan out, and they did so without making a sound. And again, they progressed, dismissing the slight rise in the earth as nothing, it looked natural and perfectly inconspicuous. Then Glidias noticed that some of the earth around the area was in piles, as if someone had been digging, and some of the trees had been uprooted. And, to his horror, the earth seemed to be breathing in the rhythmic pattern of a chest heaving up and down, up and down. Glidias attempted to shout a warning, and suddenly the earth heaved upward, as if it was performing a mighty sigh, and a deafening roar blotted out all the noises of the forest. They had walked into an ambush.
Glidias awoke, desperately lashing out at unseen assailants, before accidentally rolling out of the tree, falling, falling, falling. He painfully collided with one of the branches below him, rolled off, hit another, and another, before managing to catch himself. Breathing deeply, he tried to steady himself once again. He would mostly likely have some nasty bruising, but... the branch broke, and once again he found himself tumbling earthward, a voice somewhere in his head trying to assert control. But he resisted, and once again lashed out for a branch, and found one more solid than the others, but his grip wasn't strong enough and he slid off, colliding with more of the foliage before smacking into the earth. Most of what he hit had slowed his decent, but it had also caused immense pain. He'd landed on his back, and groaned as he doubled over to his side. He'd most likely broken something. And then, he realized there was a new sound in the forest. It was an odd sound, shuffling and creaking, and it seemed to come from everywhere. Glidias drew his swords, favoring his left arm and right leg, as well as keeping his right arm over his ribs, as if it would lessen the pain. Wincing, he readied an alert and battle ready stance, and scanned the forest for foes. Guided more by hearing than anything else, he faced one direction, and then realized there were many sources of the noise, and it was coming from a raised angle. He began scanning the treetops, but saw very little. Eventually, he made out indistinct shapes, humanoid shapes, moving expertly through the trees. He could not tell how many there were, only that he was outnumbered. He considered trying to fight them for a moment, but quickly ruled it out.
Despite how badly he wanted combat, he knew the odds were stacked against him. Another voice reasoned that he was superior in every way to whatever was coming. Why should he fear anything? Nothing could compare to him. Nothing could stand against him. And again, he found himself having to resist such thinking, and sheathed his swords and ran as best he could. He had quite the head start, and despite his injuries, Glidias was quite capable. Using the little light that was offered to him, his keen eyes and killer instincts helped him to avoid most of the obstacles, the fallen branches and trees, rocks, tree roots, mushrooms, tree trunks, all of it, and so he was able to keep ahead of whoever, or whatever, was following him. He'd sacrificed stealth for speed, and so he began to disturb much of the wildlife, which seemed to berate and scream at him every step, sending a slight chill down his spine and making his hairs stand on end, as well as encouraging him to run faster. He didn't care if the direction he was running was back towards the road or not, just that he got away. Suddenly, he found himself remembering the last time he was on the run in the woods, which wasn't that long ago. Before though, his pursuers hadn't been hopping through the trees, and they had shot at him. He'd also ran into someone along the way, who knew where to head. Now though, he doubted he'd run into a convenient guide. In any event, it mattered little. There was only one direction to run, as the sounds coming from his pursuers leaping through the trees seemed to come from everywhere except for the route he was taking. There'd also been an ambush at the end of the last chase.
Suddenly, a very haggard Glidias burst out of the forest and into the middle of the road, into a small group of rough looking travelers, from the look of them. Not taking the time to identify them, he immediately drew his swords and began to go on the attack, before he recognized them and lowered his swords. That smell filled his nostrils again, and though he once enjoyed the smell on his homeland, he now found it nothing but painful and annoying. Out of breath, and tired, Glidias spoke in a ragged voice, "Ambush... from the trees..." each word coming out in between a deep breath. He gestured with his sword the direction he'd come. "They'll be on us soon!"
