Chapter 4 Enchantress (Part 1)

Chapter 4 Enchantress

While the sun still hid behind the clouds of the cold afternoon, the beasts that called the Koguran forest were quickly gathering any type of nourishment they could find. A few Razor toothed Ganks quickly dug through the light layer of snow that blanketed the ground, desperately searching for precious acorns or other seed pods that would aid them in the coming winter. The few worked in tandem, digging up pods and passing them off to another who would climb up a nearby tree, then rush through intricate tunnels until it would reach a chamber of stockpiled sustenance. High in the same tree, a small spear headed scrow waited patiently for a gank to find one of the seed pods. Once one of the ganks had found a pod, the scrow swooped down as quick as it could, hoping to snatch the pod in mid transit. Though this was a normal sight to see in the Koguran during this time of the year, there was one sight that was quite out of the ordinary. It hadn't been more than an hour after Kith had entered the Koguran forest and she was already starting to feel lost.

This was quite understandable as this was the first time that she had traversed these woods before. The original beaten path that she had started on had quickly turned to snow dusted paths of thick, overgrown brush joined by hulking trees that seemed to lash out and intertwine themselves with other trees surrounding them. These obstacles made for a rather difficult trek for Kith, but she knew that she had to muscle through them if she wanted to make it to Aelkeep before the sun started going down. Kith had heard rumors in the town of Selone, that many large beasts claimed large swathes of the Koguran forest as their own territories and would gladly drag a lone traveler to an early grave if the traveler was not careful or if the beast was hungry enough. Kith stopped for a moment and looked up through the tree line. She could see the dark gray clouds as a slight snowdrift swirled around her as she smiled. Kith figured that night would fall within the next four hours, but she was not afraid of what the night might bring her. The biting wind reminded her of cold and lonely nights that she had spent alone in her broken home by the southern sea. Umbral nights filled with plague infested vermin that would a muck through her home and ransack the foodstuffs, making anything unsuitable for even a common mouse. She remembered the brigands and would be cutthroats who would frequent her home when the town guards had been hot on their trail and needed a place to lie low for a day or two. Kith then remembered the cold nights she spent with a group of street children who took her in as one of their own. Those nights were just as bad as the ones she spent alone. She had been the strongest out of her small group and now she had a pseudo-family to protect. These terrors that called the night home only grew worse with her age and knowledge of just exactly what shadows were lurking in the middle of the night. Nights of staying awake in their run down forge house and taking watcher duty so the other children could bundle in hidden rooms to sleep soundly. She knew that if she did not keep an eye and ear out, then she ran the risk of loosing one of the children to the many horrid dangers of the real word that did not have anything to do with sickness or empty stomachs. The silent murderers who preyed upon the weak and would do anything to achieve their sickening goals. Killing who and when they wished, not paying any mind to the souls they released into the aether for coin or just for the lustful pleasure. The rapists who did not segregate woman, man, or child from their list of potential twisted fantasies. Taking them from the streets, dark alley ways, and even from their homes while they were sound asleep, dragging them into the shadows where tears could not be seen and cries for help were muffled by giggling and laughter. The thieves that grabbed throats and pulled elders into the alleyways, who would just as easily slit the very veins that helped provide life than to hear the cries of agony and pleads for a safe return, just for what you might have or might not be carrying in your pockets. Kith did not fear the oncoming shadows of the forest, for she knew the real meaning of being afraid of the dark. She remembered what she had to do to protect herself and she was more than prepared to do it again if necessary.

Kith continued her unreasonably quiet stroll through the forest. Fearing that something was amiss, she kept a constant vigil for anything that could be lurking just around a large shrub or a downed tree. After a few minutes of hearing nothing but the crunch of snow and leaves between her boots, a boisterous, primal roar shattered the silence of the Koguran and came thundering from the path up straight in front of Kith. Shocked, she quickly took cover behind a large tree and drew a war fan that began crackling with electricity as sigils on the fan began to glow a dull blue. Her heart racing, she peered out from behind the tree to see if she could find the source of the chilling roar. She looked around for a moment but could not see anything coming towards her that might have been the source of the roar. She quickly looked behind her with her fan at the ready as the arcs of electricity followed suit. Another roar pierced through the trees, but this time in a much lower and different tone. "What in the nine hells? Sounds like something is in pain.." Kith held out her hand and conjured a small swirling orb of electricity, then she slowly made her around the tree, walking closer towards the sound. The now apparent painful cries of the unknown source of the sound grew louder as she neared a small area of thick woods and brush. Kith let her spell dissipate into the air as she peered through the overgrowth of nearly dead vines and could see an odd beast in the distance but she couldn't make out exactly what it was. The beast let out another roar of pain and began to thrash around, violently snapping small trees in half while tearing through shrubs and dirt with ease. Kith thought that it might be a bad idea to advance any further but for some reason she felt the need to at lease see if she could do anything to help the beast. She braved the brush and crept closer to the massive beast which was now in clear view. She studied it for a moment and realized that she was in the presence of one of the top predators of the forest, a Ghallen Dire Bear.