Into the Jungle

"And so, the adventurers proceeded onwards with their trek

through the cracked, dry stretch of land, searching for any sign of their

destination. With the unrelenting assault of the sun eroding his very psyche,

Siquioce found it increasingly difficult to stay focused on the task at hand, with

both his movements and eyesight decreasing in quality and sharpness as time

went on. Eventually, though, just when the Samanian thought that he could go no

further, a hint of a tall, dark green frond appeared in the corner of his eye. Feeling

his heart skip a beat, he spun in the direction of that object, finding that it

did, indeed, belong to a healthy, flourishing fern.

"There it is!" he gasped, "We're, cough, we're here!"

Seeing that his friend was struggling to speak, Yuchauzch

swiftly scooped him up into his arms and ran in the direction of the fern,

where a wide variety of larger plants were waiting.

"Yeah, and you're not supposed to be here!

C'mon, we've gotta find some water, pronto!"

As Yuchauzch carried the struggling Siquioce to safety, Kantuta

followed after him, walking at a brisk yet calm pace as she witnessed the

change in terrain. While she was worried about whether or not Siquioce would be

okay, this uncertainty of hers was overshadowed by her interest in the flora

surrounding her.

"Hm," she mused, "I wonder if there might be anything else

other than the Talonroot Daisy that is present here..."

Thankfully for Siquioce, Yuchauzch's general skill in

traversing grassy terrain led to him reaching a small pool of water located

within the borders of a large tree's roots. Letting out a breath of relief, the

orc dumped his ally in the liquid, allowing him to rehydrate. After a few

seconds of soaking, Siquioce exhaled a sigh of contentment, leaning against one

of the roots with his eyes closed.

"Ah..." he breathed, "Much better."

As Siquioce relaxed, Kantuta entered the scene, making for a

nearby stump, placing her rear on it, and folding her hands across her lap.

"Kudos to you for holding out for so long, Siquioce." she

said, "And...you did well, too, Yuchauzch...I suppose. Erm...anywho, now that

we're all here, shall we get to work searching for the daisy?"

"Hah...yeah, I guess." Siquioce responded, swishing his

limbs around in the water for a bit longer, "Hopefully this thing isn't too hard

to find..."

As this was being said, Siquioce and the others heard the sound

of heavy feet stomping through the thick leaves and vines. Speaking in a

language that Siquioce could not understand, the newcomers walked and talked

for a bit in the group's direction. Feeling a sense of danger in his gut,

Siquioce dived deeper into his pool, leaving his chick to float by himself.

Coming to a stop in front of Kantuta and Yuchauzch, the

visitors revealed their identities as heavyset, stout lizardfolk wearing simple,

dirty green tunics and wielding spears. Standing there for what felt like a

century, the creatures simply stared right at the two remaining adventurers,

observing them with an analytical eye. After a few seconds of direct gazing,

the reptiles assumed hostile stances and pointed their spears straight at the

two quest-goers.

"Strangers." the one on the right said, "Why here?"

Kantuta froze, holding up her hands as she locked eyes with

the tip of one of the spears. "Oh, crud," she said in a strained voice, "We're

on their territory, aren't we?" She retreated a bit, pleading, "We do not mean

any harm, I promise! We're just here to find a flower that's supposed to be in

bloom!"

"Lies." the same lizard retorted, "How Moaco know you not

lie?"

"Listen, scaly butt," Yuchauzch stated, stepping forward,

"This elf may be kooky sometimes, but she's tellin' the truth now. We're just

here for some collection duty. Really."

The Urosite on the left squinted his yellow eyes and

inspected the elf and the orc for a moment, gauging their trustworthiness.

After what felt like an hour, the lizard nudged his partner's shoulder,

lowering his weapon slightly.

"Iare thinks we can trust them." the guard stated, "Can read

their aura. Are not enemies."

The other lizard hesitated, still casting a wary eye on the

two travelers for a bit longer before grunting and slamming his spear on the

green ground.

"Fine," he huffed, "No apprehend intruders. But make

business quick. No time for treating newcomers..."

As his coworker crossed his arms, Iare started sniffing the

air, moving his wide head in a curious fashion as he searched around for

something.

"Mm...Iare smells something. Something...fishy."

He continued sniffing the air, scouring the area for any sign

of whatever was amiss. Eventually, he walked over to the pool that Siquioce was

in, plunging a strong hand into the water and pulling the Samanian out.

"Aha! Fresh fish meat!"

Moaco gasped, staring right at the flailing Siquioce before

letting out a cruel chuckle.

"Little fish think he can hide," he laughed, "He not know

how good smell of Urosite is?"

As Siquioce cried for help in his native tongue, Yuchauzch stomped his foot on

the ground, saying, "Hey, leave him alone! That guy's our friend!"

The lizards stiffened, turning slowly towards Yuchauzch

while wearing irritated, unpleasant scowls.

"You interfere with hunt?" Moaco asked.

Knowing that her accomplice had messed up, Kantuta stepped

forward, waving her hands frantically as she stammered, "N-no, of course not!

Please excuse my, ahem, 'friend' here, he can be a bit--"

"I'm not a bit nothin'." Yuchauzch interjected, clamping one hand over

Kantuta's mouth, "You're NOT makin' Samanian fillet outta my buddy, and there

ain't a thing you can--"

Immediately, Moaco used both of his thick hands as a club to

knock Yuchauzch out cold, causing him to fall flat on the ground with no

resistance. Iare did the same to Kantuta, knocking her into submission before

quickly hauling her over his shoulder. Smiling a small-toothed grin, he nodded

his partner over into the grove of trees ahead, leading to the two reptiles

carrying their prey into their arboreal abode.