Eventually, Dari emerged on another side of the Wretched Forest. It was already nightfall two days later. If she had looked up, she would have seen the first lights of Aphema twinkling in the distance. But she was too focused on finding somewhere to camp for the night. Partly because of the incidents with the wraiths and the dream chaser, she had not slept or rested at all. She scouted the edge of the forest for a place she could rest hidden from dangers, natural and supernatural. She would not dare go back inside the forest but she also wouldn't risk carelessly falling asleep in the open, unfamiliar land.
She scanned her surroundings. Directly before her were miles of lush wild vines blanketing the ground. It spread uninterrupted except in places where there were bumps as tall as Dari. She assumed that rocks were beneath the bushy mounds. Beyond this odd vegetation, were more miles of barren sandy land. Even further were the mountains that she would have to get over in order to get to Aphema.
As the stars grew uncountable above her, she put down the cross-bag she had been carrying and took several sips of water that she had found in the wretched forest not too long ago. The cerulean amulet Janga had gifted her indicated it was safe. When she covered the bottle and tucked it away on her belt, she realized she had been standing right next to one of the dark green rock mounds.
Looking around carefully, she decided that this was as good a place as any to rest. She had no intention of sleeping and risking another encounter with the dream chaser who could have followed her. Still, while staying awake protected her from dying in her sleep, she remained hyper vigilant because night always brought about nocturnal hunters, many of which were unknown as persons who see them, never live to tell the tale.
She was not about to let her guard down. After all, she was still just outside the wretched forest. The ordeal from two dawns before, along with her navigation through the forest, getting lost quite a few times, left her considerably weak. She refused to sleep.
"What are you doing here?" a voice asked astonished.
"What?" Dari responded before she realized she heard a voice.
She ran around the rock but saw no one.
"You need to wake up, traveler. There's a ohobus watching you."
"Shit!" Dari cried. cursing was something she picked up on in her travels. Strangely enough, it earned her some respect among certain folks.
She had fallen asleep. Dari plopped down hard when she saw her body slumped by the stone. She re-entered her body. Her quick movement jolted her awake.
"What's an ohobus?" She thought out load as she awoke.
She didn't have to wonder long as she saw two pairs of green eyes peering from the forest in her direction.
She ran off instinctively.
They chased her. She was confused and impressed by their speed. She never expected that anything with feet only about eight inches long at either side of the knees would gain on her so quickly.
She used several of the mossy rocks to propel her forward several times as she leapt over them to increase the distance between her and the muscular felines chasing her. She truly was tired of running. She could feel her steps slowing as she watched the two deadly hunters run around the rocks with practiced fluidity. That is when she noticed their flaw.
She stopped running and climbed atop the five feet tall rock. The rock was not very tall to be used as protection but neither were her pursuers. The sleek matte black of their muscular body was impressive; the sheen of their green eyes was terrifying but those legs defied the beasts beauty and prowess.
They caught up to her. She looked down on the giant house pets and wondered how dangerous they really were to someone who was not asleep on the ground. She almost laughed out loud as she looked at them.
Both animals flashed their thick stubby tail violently as their green eyes flowed with malicious intent. Dari did not feel the need to give her amulet a turn as the hair all over her body was telling her that she was surrounded by danger.
Suddenly, she felt the rock beneath her shake. Why now? The animals stopped their incessant tail wagging and looked at each other. They ran to the same side of the rock and one stood before the other. Dari was surprised to see the animal at the front bend its hind legs to create a platform for the other. They were working together to get to her.
The animal behind retreated several paces before darting full speed ahead, using the other as a springboard and knock Dari from her sitting position. The crouched feline immediately ran to Dari, snatched the back of her shirt with it's massive jaw and dragged her violently back to edge of the Wretched Forest.
Dari meant to fight back but their speed was too much for her to coordinate her movements. Then she was dropped unceremoniously out of view of the stars.
She sprang up, pulled her dagger from her hip and crouched to fight. It was pointless. The animals were nowhere to be seen.
When she heard the familiar rumbling, she looked out in the direction from where she was dragged. The bushy growth on which she had taken refuge erupted orange yellow liquid. As it soaked the vines that covered itself, everything the liquid touched melted liquified. Then the mound lifted itself up. They all lifted themselves up under the starlight and walked in a westerly direction.
Dari's mouth was agape. She had seen many things on her travels but this one did not trigger her fight or flight instincts. this one left her dumbfounded. She did not know what was harder to believe- that these rocks were no rocks at all and nearly covered her in their acidic stomach juices or that she was saved by a pair of curious beasts she's never seen or heard of before.
She was grateful. She tried to locate them at the edges of the forest but their green eyes were nowhere to be seen.
Unbeknownst to her , however, they were watching and following her intently.