A man is holding a picture. In front of him sits a squirrel. Very adorable and cute. The man asks it whether or not it has seen the object painted on the scroll. Normally this would be straight out of a comedy show but seeing the earnest look of Daniel, you will swiftly realize that he is dead serious.
Idan meanwhile scratches his left ear, doing his best to look confused. Looking at the blood-red stone depicted on the scroll, he is 100% clear on the trouble that is coming for his companion.
A group of strong and well-equipped mercenaries is looking for "Stony". This will definitely not end well. Deciding to somehow trick the group into believing him he looks at Daniel and shakes his head, hoping this will save him from further interrogation.
While doing so he slowly shifts his position onto his hind legs. Ready to jump on a moments notice.
Daniel, seeing the squirrel shake his head is disappointed. He hoped, now that he found a sufficiently intelligent beast, that he would be able to find information on the weird stone.
Based on the description from the lady boss the stone should be a bit above 1 meter tall. An unknown diameter and the exact location is unknown. Not really helpful in such a giant forest. A forest who's total length is only known to those who traveled it. An adventure many have undertaken but only a few have returned from.
Since Idan doesn't know anything Daniel decides to drop the matter. He'll search the surroundings later on and in case they don't find anything they will return as planned. Since the forest has been hit by a storm they will have to remain in the safety zone around the tree. Looking outside and seeing the storm raging with increased intensity, Daniel knows that they will have to stay for at least 4 hours. Should they venture out before that the danger is too big, even with increased strength and agility: If a giant log hits your head you're dead. Hitting your chest you'll die after a few gruesome hours. If it hits your arms or legs you're crippled. Not exactly a fate anyone wishes for.
Returning back to Idan he could see him jump off of Emma's lap. Leisurely walking back to the tree he looked back and threw something that resembles a smile at Emma. Emma herself was a bit sad that her plush toy just left. Running after Idan, Emma tried to pick him up only for him to evade her grip. Throwing a questioning look at Emma, Idan is confused about her behavior. Normally humans avoid the animals and beasts in the forest. Since you cannot gauge a beasts strength by simply looking, venturing into the forest is a dangerous undertaking.
Emma shows a pleading look and tries to pick him up again. Idan, getting annoyed, once again dodges and sprints for the tree.
"Come back!" Emma screams. From an outsiders perspective, Emma looks like a girl whose boyfriend broke up.
Daniel, confused by her appearance, asks
"Since when do you like animals that much? You never got along with any of them."
"That's the reason! Finally, an animal lets me cuddle with it! I want it back!"
Throwing a tantrum, Jack and Lar'ge are more than just confused. Emma the backbone and stern Vize-Leader of the group is throwing a tantrum like a teenager whose toy disappeared.
She doesn't seem to care about her image. Walking after Idan she nears the perimeter of the tree.
Nearing two meters, Emma slows her steps and comes to a hold. Standing near the tree Emma is able to see the skeletons surrounding the tree. A lot of them are broken and mashed. The ones buried below seem to slowly disintegrate, becoming nutrition for the tree.
In-between small specks of clothing can be seen. Robes, Shirts, Pants or scarfs. Ripped and slashed they adorn the ground.
Looking upwards she follows Idan with her eyes. Seeing him run on the trunk Emma is getting more and more confused. What is different? Why is he allowed near the tree?
Yes, there have been animals and people who were allowed near the tree but they died long ago. Over the years and decades, Legends came and went.
In the last 50 years, there has been no one who was allowed near the tree. No animal and no man.
Slowly Idan disappears behind the trunk and Emma wonders. What is on that side that he always climbs there?
Curious Emma starts to circumvent the tree. Her curiosity grips her and doesn't allow her to turn around. A character trait that often helped and also got her into trouble.
Being careful not to step into the trees "Forbidden Ground", she makes her way around the tree. After a minute of slow walking, she is able to see specks of the other side through the dense foliage of the tree. Walking further she can finally see the backside of the tree but Idan is nowhere to be seen.
The ground is the exact same as where her group is staying. The tree doesn't have any significant differences, some branches stretch further, fewer leaves etc.
Observing the tree in closer proximity Emma tries to spot anything important. Not many have been his close to the tree before.
Moving her gaze upwards she sees Idan sitting on a branch that offers space for 2 adults next to each other. Raising her hand and opening her mouth she is about to call for Idan when she freezes.
Emma is gobsmacked. There was a girl, with silver blond hair lying right next to Idan.
What?! How could a human be ON the tree?!
Her confusion was justified. For 50 years no one got this close to the tree but never before was a human allowed to step inside the 1-meter range. Not a single one. Elfs Demons Qells and other races with a deeper connection to elements and nature itself are a different matter but they all have certain features that identify them as such.
The girl on the other side...she appears to be purely human. Scrutinizing her body Emma notices her slightly muscular appearance, her hair, and her face. A beautiful face. Despite the skin tone she can be said to be breathtakingly beautiful. There are more beautiful females, especially in the Elven race but for a human, she is the among the apex.
While frozen Emma notices Idan moving to the girl, he licks her face and nudges her with his nose apparently trying to wake her up.
Slowly the girl moves. Stretching her legs, her eyelids flutter and dim emerald green eyes appear.
(She's blind?!) Emma continues to observe her. The girl slowly straightens her positon and grabs Idan by the neck. Moving him into her lap she looks around. She seems confused about her whereabouts and is unsure on how to proceed. Suddenly she jolts her head towards Emma. Caution flashes in her eyes and she instantly stands up, entering a defensive stance.
Instantly Idan jumps on her shoulders. Moving to her ear he recounts the sequence of events that followed after she fell asleep.