The following day he began reorienting himself, a forest fire could last for days, the fact that it hadn't thundered for at least a month meant that the fire was most likely man-made or some creature had set the fire accidentally. Either way, the smoke was coming from the north-east according to the small device that he was holding in his hand.
How he would traverse the forest was something that he was somewhat afraid of after he left the riverside, but now he didn't have that fear, he could travel quite safely in one direction without walking in circles or loosing his path.
The brink of dawn brought with it a sharp sunset illuminating the tree-tops, it was truly a sight to behold and Barandir watched the sun rising before he crawled down the pine tree. The trees in this part of the forest were more varied he had noticed, where before it was mostly leaf trees, now it was a fairly even mix between different sorts of pine and leaf trees. Luckily the colours of the forest stayed the same and his camouflage that he had perfected over the years could be reapplied easily every day, the only difference was that he now also squeezed and rubbed pine juices on himself. Pine had a strong scent, this was a great way to stay off hidden from animals with strong senses.
…..
Although he knew it would be the case, he still cursed the slow speed that he was forced to move at. There were plenty of animals and beasts in the forest, and in order not to be caught by the predators he had to sneak and take detours.
Gurgling sounds escaped the flask as he held it into a small stream, it was quite the handy tool, his mind was calm and stable, observant of the surroundings while he resupplied. Nonetheless out of nowhere a small herd of deer had appeared, drinking from the stream. Barandir was in a still position, and he didn't move an inch. The animals were somehow strange he observed while kneeling.
They were slightly ethereal, and relatively small in size, their colour a faded grey with almost imperceptible orange spots. One of them stared back at Barandir, its doe'y eyes blinking a couple of times. The entire experience lasted ofr no more than a couple of moments, and then they disappeared in the direction of the fire. Even stranger was that the moment that they started to move, they almost blended into the air in a light fog.
Truly the forest held many secret Barandir thought alarmedly, had the herd been predators, he would surely have met his demise none the wiser.
…..
Pine, dirt and leafs whisked through the air as a small pack of grey wolves were attacking Barandir in tandem.
He was utilizing his movement technique to the best of his ability as he swerved and dodged. He no longer carried a spear, and the stick that he had picked up earlier proved itself to be not as sturdy as he thought it would. He had to use his soft palm armour penetrating skills in order to break the defences of the animals, it was not an easy technique to pull off without utilising natural energy.
His left leg made a sweeping motion backwards while he lowered his centre of gravity, his right leg gathering power, and the moment his left leg came to a standstill, his body exploded! This wasn't a gentle palm strike like the one that had hit the lynx many weeks ago, no this palm strike shattered everything inside the wolf in a straight line from where the palm struck, the only evidence was the small protrusion on the opposite side of the animal.
There wasn't time to admire his handiwork as another wolf came jumping from behind. Seemingly out of options,and caught unaware, he still somehow moved in time. He bend forward his hands landing on the earth in a dusty yet thundering clap! His legs shooting up catching the predator in its chest. Momentarily the two were stuck in that position, a strange union. Barandir struggled under the massive weight and momentum of the wolf, but eventually he succeeded in kicking the animal forward into a nearby tree, making several large branches fall from above. He proceeded into a roll, dodging yet another animal.
When he got up again there were four wolves left, he had succeeded in killing one, the other certainly injured. The alpha of the pack looked at the fallen comrade, wolves were known to have close ties, no matter what species they came in. Its semi intelligent eyes stared at Barandir, before its gaze turned to the other wolf that had made contact with the tree. The four wolves quickly ran to their injured pack member and supported it to a standing position, and then they left, a final fleeting look at the dead.
His breathing laboured, his body beaten and his muscles spent he still hurried to the spot where he had dumped the satchel, he picked it up quickly, and then made his way onward. The dead wolf had spat out blood and organs, it was a putrid smell, it would surely attract other animals and beasts, and neither he nor the wolf pack wished to see what kinds.
. . . . .
Maybe because of his camouflage, maybe because of his size, but it turned out a lot of the larger animals and beasts that did notice him, simply didn't care much, aside from a vigorous attack from a very aggressive Yellow-Shelled Snapper Turtle, almost three meters tall and five meters long. However it was too slow, and frankly, it had appeared quite lost and far from water. Barandir was nearing the forest fire, and he saw all types of animals moving in the opposite direction, and like the turtle he had seen other water based creatures appearing in the forestry areas. They had been easy picking for the larger animals, and packs and herds that needed sustenance on the way.
The smell of smoke was getting stronger, and a thin carpet of thick grey smoke drifted through the air in-between the trees. Not only did it lower the visibility, it also stung in the eyes after prolonged periods, but onwards he went. Despite him seeing several animals and beasts, they hardly had time for him, it had been the right decision, he knew that soon the forest would be largely void of animals and beasts.
. . . . .
There was no longer the sound of birds and insects, or the rustling of the wind, no all he could hear was the roaring of the fire and the crackling of the trees being burnt. Sweat ran down his body in cascades, his camouflage cracking and smearing. He needed to detour on the edge of the fiery zone and somehow make it through to the already scorched side.
Hours later towards midday he made it to an almost dried out stream, but he didn't hesitate to jump in and cool off. The stream was much to shallow and thin, to be a gateway for him. When his body had cooled off he quickly rose and continued.
It was then that he heard the roar, and the crashing and breaking of trees. He looked into the fiery forest to his right and there he saw the backside of a gigantic bear being pushed back, breaking big and small trees along the way. Without wasting more time he ran! He barely dodged a tree that came flying, it landed with a crash releasing ash and embers into Barandir's face, disorienting him.
When he finally got hold of himself, he saw the wanton path of destruction, and the demon that had helped pave it. Some fiery monstrosity was facing the bear. The bear itself was lightly ethereal its fur had orange dots, aside from its giant size it reminded Barandir of the herd of deer that he had seen not long ago.
This was his opportunity! The path might be scorched by the fiery demon, but at least there was a path! Not that he had a lot of time to weigh his options, if he stayed he would probably get caught up in the battle that raged behind him.
He used the Goose's Flight downgraded technique and sped along the open clearing, it was so smokey that he couldn't see anything in front of him, but he kept going, despite the burns on his feet.
All of a sudden the heat began rising dramatically from behind him. He turned his head around slightly and saw a bright light, like a small sun coming towards him. It landed with a deafening shock-wave, sending Barandir flying, his consciousness lost as he sailed through the air.
. . . . .
Moments later a man with a thick handlebar moustache, and shortly trimmed hair came walking down the scorched path. His once white shirt now discoloured by the ash and dust. He squinted his eyes in the direction of the epic battle while walking, so concentrated was he that he almost overlooked the human-like figure lying naked on the ground.
"What in the?.." he murmured as he walked over, and bend down to check the man's pulse, it was faint, but it was still beating somehow. He mumbled a couple of arcane sounds, and a small rune began hovering in front of him, it landed on the body of the man, with seemingly no effect. The moustached man then pointed at the injured and moved his hand upwards, and instantly the body began floating. It was only then that he saw the satchel that hung around it, and the necklace drooping from the neck. For some strange reason he felt compelled to take a look at the necklace.
"Nephew!?" he exclaimed loudly, as his hand twisted and turned the raven pendant.