The Ring

I could feel our hearts pounding like hoof beats as we sprinted through the labyrinth of trees, the echoes of our footsteps merging with the night. We were just minutes ahead of them, luckily it took them a second to grab their weapons and chase us. The pursuit by the soldiers had pushed us to our limits, and now, as we entered a larger portion of the woods hours later, Keel took the lead, charging towards the colossal trees that formed a seemingly natural border in the forest.

Without a second thought, he began to climb, his agile movements hard to follow. Gen and I weren't about to become easy prey either, so we scaled the colossal trees quickly and quietly, disappearing into the canopy like shadows evading the light. Breathing heavily, we found refuge on sturdy branches, hidden from the soldiers below. Looking out once we caught our breath, the soldiers seemed to be hesitating at the woodland's edge, almost looking uneasy at some unknown danger that lay just beyond their field of vision. 

...

The danger had passed with the soldiers turning back around and leaving, but the realization of our theft from the king's army added a layer of tension to the night. We continued to hold our breath, and silent glances were exchanged, guilt mingling with the relief of escaping unscathed.

As the adrenaline began to fade, Keel couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, that was close. But, hey, we've got food for a while now!"

Gen shot him a disapproving look, but a smirk involuntarily played on my lips. "Let's hope we don't make a habit of stealing from armies. We've got enough enemies without adding the king's forces to the list. Especially since we're gonna be joining them."

As we rested on our lofty perches, I looked out and scanned the horizon. Through the dense foliage, the dark expanse of the Irelivian jungle beckoned, its untamed wilds promising both danger and discovery.

Suddenly, Keel went pale. "Hey guys, if the army chased us for hours, what would make them stop searching once they got closer to this weird border between parts of the woods? We know we climbed up here, but they didn't know that..."

"The Irelivian jungle," Gen mused. "That's gotta be why. This must form some sort of halfway point where the forest blends into the jungle, I mean we can see it from here, and with just a few days more worth of travel we could be there. It might be dangerous, but it's where we'll find the beasts we need for the culling. Keel, the beasts that live here will match your fighting style perfectly. Sneaky, swift, and dangerous."

Keel grinned, realizing the potential benefits. "I'm up for it. Let's get moving."

As we descended from the trees, our alliance deepened from our shared dance with death. Venturing deeper into the mysterious section of the Eastern Woods, I couldn't ignore the odd arrangement of trees, denser and denser to an almost unnatural limit.

"Hey, do you guys notice how there's no room between trees anymore? We're gonna need a clearing if we're gonna have a shot at sleeping," I pointed out.

Keel, looking around with a newfound awareness, nodded. "Yeah, something is up with this. Let me climb up and take a look around to see if I can find a clearing."

"Sounds good."

Keel, nimble as ever, ascended the towering trees, his silhouette blending with the darkness. What secrets did this strange section of the woods hold? This place felt off somehow, but what was it? I think what feels off... is its silence.

...

 We waited in tense silence until he descended, his expression more serious than before.

"Guys, there's something up ahead. A clearing. But it's not just any clearing," Keel's voice lowered, a hint of concern in his tone. "It looks like there are other hunters out here. A whole group, and it looks like they've set up some kind of camp. There's even a stone fighting ring in the center."

Gen's brows furrowed, and I felt a pang of unease. What were other hunters doing here, deep within the woods? And why had they established a camp in what seemed to be an uninhabited area?

"Are they from our village?" I asked, my eyes narrowing as I considered the possibilities.

Keel shook his head. "I couldn't see their faces clearly, but they didn't look familiar. I don't think they're from our village."

Before we could contemplate the implications further, a rustle behind us stole our attention. Another group of hunters, unfamiliar faces filled with suspicion and hostility, emerged from the shadows. It seemed we were trapped between two fronts.

The tension hung thick in the air as both groups assessed each other. In our midst stood approximately five figures—an imposing trio of burly men, another with a more agile and wiry build, and a lone girl lingering towards the rear. Their weathered appearances and fighting formation hinted at months spent surviving out in the wild, a stark contrast to our collective inexperience. Gen stepped forward, with a calm but firm demeanor, "We're just passing through. No need for trouble," trying to carry the weight of a weathered hunter himself- but our looks give us away.

One of the rival hunters, the tall wiry figure with a scarred face, sneered. "Passing through? This territory is off-limits. We don't take kindly to new wide-eyed hunters waltzing about."

Keel shot me a knowing look, and I could feel the unspoken understanding between us. This encounter had the potential to turn deadly if handled improperly.

"Look, we don't want any trouble either," I spoke up, trying to defuse the situation. "We're just trying to find a way to the Irelivian jungle. We mean no harm."

The scar-faced hunter remained skeptical, but after a tense standoff, he signaled to his group, and they begrudgingly stepped back but nudged us forward. Eventually, we came across the path to the clearing that must have been what Keel saw earlier.

As we approached the mysterious camp in the clearing, the other hunters eyed us with a mix of curiosity and wariness. The stone fighting ring in the center stood as a silent testament to the confrontations that had likely taken place here, riddled with blood splatches both bright red, and pitch black.

Keel whispered to us, "Stay alert. We don't know their intentions, and this is definitely a trap."

With cautious steps, we entered the clearing, the eyes of the gathered hunters following our every move. The tension in the air was palpable, and it was clear that alliances in what appeared to be some deadly competition were formed and shattered as swiftly as the blows exchanged in the stone ring.

The game had just become more intricate.

...