Hong Luo’s startled, her wide eyes bleed out her disbelief and unwilling heart as traitorous tears. The bantering trio become harder for her to see, blurring with the scenery and vanishing into the mist steadily engulfing the forest. Slowly the quiet returns along with Hong Luo’s sense of reality. The chill numbs her heart, her rapid breathing becomes worse and worse into a wheezing mess. 

So close…and so far. 

This forest of memories has taken hold of her heart, dug out all of the regret and pain, and is happily sprinkling salt over the wounds that never healed. Oh how she’s tried, tried so hard, but the tears, like her heart and eyes, fell unhindered to the forest floor, reminding her that no matter how long she’s lived, no matter how much experience she has, she’s still…helpless. A wretched existence that deserves nothing but pain and misery for the sins she’s committed.

“The fault is mine, the blame is mine, the consequence is mine…” She mumbles, repeating words akin to a mantra spoken by a guilty criminal.

The man is jolted awake when his head slips from the girl’s. He looks down at the sobbing girl in first shock, then contemplation. His vigilant eyes rolled through the forest in front of him and stopped. Right there sitting on a rock not too far away is that head hopping frog.

A tickling sensation pulls Hong Luo out from her fog of self ridicule. Right on the back of her hand, her patient is writing two words out, illusionary Anuran. Realizing she understood, he points forward. She follows his direction to the frog still in sight.

An illusionary Anuran, she knows exactly what that is. An amphibious species found in wetlands, marshes, and rainforest saturated with spiritual energy. Common anura after living in such environments for extended periods of time will then birth illusionary anura due to the high levels of spiritual energy absorbed in everyday life and in pregnancy. A typical phenomenon associated with creatures living in natural environments filled with danger, pushing them into evolving with their surroundings to survive. Although not all will gain the same abilities as the illusionary Anuran, which involves feeding on the mental energy of the host it’s attached to for sustenance, whether it be good or bad, the changes others go through are nothing short of a miracle of nature.

Scoria has a handful of places these creatures can be found, also some small worlds like Bogsworm, as well as her own world. In fact her world had an overpopulation of them at one point in time. Their natural predator, the green vine snakes had been washed out to sea when a tsunami crashed into their main nesting ground. The illusionary Anuran, along with the neighboring hares struck while the opportunity was ripe, killing off the rest of the green vine snakes that had been too waterlogged to fight back. This exploded the illusionary Anuran population more so than the hares, letting them slowly take control of a large section of forest, chasing off other creatures, biding their time to take more when necessary. Unfortunately for them, Hong Luo put a stop to their overpopulation, introducing a new species that felt right at home, the gaboon viper that she’d rescued from extinction in Scoria.

Understanding how this illusion of her parents was caused, Hong Luo did not feel any better about the situation, but in fact felt worse. Normally it wasn’t a problem to control her emotions, it was easy, a simple task that she’d practiced everyday since becoming terminally ill, so those around her would remain unaware for as long as possible. This had nothing to do with pride, but had everything to do with contrition. And now instead of self ridicule its shame she's drowning in.

A hand reaches for her forehead, the back of its palm cool against her skin. It fell back to her own hand, writing the word fever. Hong Luo turns to look at the man, her gray eyes brimming with pain look in his steady amber eyes filled with patience. A forced smile trying to relay reassurance is all she could muster to give him. Whether it be due to her age’s regression, this fever she hadn’t known she had, or some other heaven knows reason, her steady disposition cultivated with blood and fire was nowhere in sight, revealing the pathetic self inside, bringing down another shame upon her shoulders.

She pushed against her knees, which at some point in time had failed her, letting her fall into a kneeling position. She attempted to stand but her bearing was too unsteady. The man reached out for a nearby tree, stopping their fall back to the ground.

Startled, Hong Luo looked to the man, the panic still fresh in her eyes. He rubs her head in a placating manner, watching her lower her sight, thanking him with ears burning with embarrassment. Hong Luo walks off, calming down her breathing and crumbling heart. The man in turn wraps his arms around her neck, resting his chin atop her head once more.

Once again they disappear into the foliage, but this time the man remains awake. From time to time he writes on her shoulder blade, asking if she was alright, to which she would respond with a smile that looked less and less forced as time went on.

• • • •

Graw! Suddenly a cacophony of roars shook the trees, traveling through the earth, right up Hong Luo and into the man on her back. As expected both became highly vigilant, or well, at least the man did, Hong Luo on the other hand had blanked, looking towards the growls with a strange expression. 

To the man’s horror, she began walking towards the sound, almost running to get there. He taps on her, his throat whistles trying to form words, anything to get her to stop, to warn her. A jest no matter how well delivered could not describe how dire the situation will be once they reach the growls’ source. An ill man and small girl barely a head taller than his waist…why not add some spices and sauces while you're at it!? She’s delivering them to be eaten!

Hong Luo did not seem to notice his actions, and at this point in time, it became far too late. Stepping out into the open, a wide field of view captures their eyes and two armies of beasts roaring at each other.

To the right with mountains and roaring waters to their backs, are a pack of primates taller than two full grown men standing on each other’s shoulders. The crisp black fur glowing with silver bristles along the arms, legs, and back gives away their identity as earth primates, Stone Gorillas to be more exact. 

Unhindered by their burly and tall stature, these beasts birthed in areas rich with Earth essence are slow but agile while swinging through the trees. Infused with the unyielding power of earth, the fur and muscles of these beasts can tear through the butter like earth, wielding enough might to push out rock towers to impale their prey, which is how they commonly besieged, their hunting grounds littered with rock towers decorated with bones. A ferocious species found primarily in forests or any places which had natural coverings smelling of bitter earth.

To the left with the thick trees and brush to their backs, is a pack of Panthera that sat taller than a full grown man, but from nose to tail, are just as big as the stone gorillas. That majestic golden fur spotted with black is a little harder to identify, other than being a leopard, but the ever so faint glow of green vining bristles gave them away as Wood Leopards. 

Lean and agile, these big wild cats are conceived in area’s rich with Wood essence and are normally docile but not at all good natured. The infusions of wood into their bodies make their claws and teeth venomous, the essence inviting the nature around them to guard or hide them from the trickiest of foes. The hunting grounds of the wood leopard could never be accurately identified, for the bits and pieces left behind would turn into grass and flowers long before any eyes could find it. A solitary but crafty species found in forests, marsh lands, and any places rich with green life. 

Chik! A twig snaps underneath Hong Luo’s foot.

The two leaders jump at the sound, attacking each other in a fierce bout of primal brutality. On the other hand, their armies stayed in place watching instead of acting. 

The stone gorilla struck first, stomping out a ten foot pillar, jabbing the wood leopard in the gut and sending the feline flying right into the air. Leaping high, the gorilla claws its way up the pillar, viciously grabbing out for the leopard's throat.

A swiping tail obscures the gorilla’s sight. Digging into the gorilla’s shoulder, the leopard dodges those large arms, wrapping its tail around the gorilla’s neck, pulling the beast to the ground with it.

Bang! A huge boom shook the ground, dust and debris flew past the armies, passing Hong Luo and the man. Both protected their eyes, watching through finger cracks unwilling to miss a second of this fight.

Swish! Suddenly a boulder flies through the dust, startling the army of leopards to take a step back. A large hand cut through the air, the dust flicked aside so easily. The gorilla reveals itself long enough for the leopard leader, who had leapt atop the boulder, to leap towards the gorilla’s neck.

Plenty of time to dodge, the gorilla moves to the side, or at least tries to. At some point in time vines wrapped around its legs, making it unable to move.

Fangs rip into fur. Biting into that thick neck and tackling to the ground, the leopard succeeds, but not without resistance. The gorilla grabs for the leopards mid section, using both arms in an attempt to rip the unloving cat into two pieces.

Growls chorus and the rain becomes heavier. A thick scent of blood fills the air along with wet earth. Both armies lean close to the ground, eying each other and preparing to join the primal barbaric fight between beasts.

Chik! Another twig snaps.

“Enough!” Right as the two leading beasts were tearing into earth other’s necks Hong Luo blurts out, startling the man beyond belief.

Ah so this is how it ends, he mourns in his indifferent but bleeding heart. He watches the two beasts turn and charge them with a satire expression. He closes his eyes as the wood leopard pounces, as the stone gorilla leaps forward. Oddly enough he smiled, his lips lifted into a smile. His eyes creased in acceptance. 

Perhaps, together with this stranger, even though he must suffer up till the end, he at least won’t be alone.