Lush green grass, little shrubs and mushrooms. Buds ready to bloom, flowers and plants of all kinds were growing on the terrain of the forested mountain. interconnected their roots deep in the earth inseparable. The plants could feel, they could communicate and warn their brethren. Their roots stretched and connected them to life itself.
Every time Oliver lied on the ground, he too, like a form of life which came from nature itself connected himself to the mother earth. Out of the many continents and beings inhabiting this planet, not many knew such a close connection was even possible between a human and nature in this age.
Oliver's abundant mana spilled and connected him to the roots of the plants stretching all over the forest at the top of the mountain. His consciousness mixed with the thoughts, feelings and emotions of nature all around. He knew everything. He could feel a lone beautiful flower being stepped on, grass being mowed down by grazing animals, millions of ants burrowing around the roots of trees and plants.
Soon he felt fear, pain and panic as hazy vision appeared in his mind. He could see a number of predator beasts with one of them eclipsing them all both in size and power. And on top of that beast, Oliver felt another strong life force. Unknown to this beast and the person on top of it, the little plants, flowers and grass itself and the trees around them signaled their location to Oliver.
And thus Oliver woke up his blue eyes thankful and calm. "Thank you." He slowly stood up and faced the direction of the incoming threat. "Sigrid, wake up!!" Oliver's voice cut through the silence of the night.
"Uhhmmmmm" a slurred voice came out of Sigrid as she turned on another side all wrapped up in a cozy warm blanket.
"We don't have much time, wake up." Oliver's words cut through Sigrid's peaceful night's rest again.
"Wha? Why? it's still early…." Sigrid managed to blurt out, her eyes still closed shut.
"They'll be here in around an hour and now with even bigger force" Oliver told Sigrid while putting on his robes. "Be outside in 5 minutes" As Oliver exited the tent he added with visible irritation. "I'm going to wake up Jerome… We need to hatch a plan if we want to survive."
Sigrid pouted as she reluctantly slid out from the warm covers. The cool night air kissed her pale skin, making her shiver. She stretched languidly, her movements slow and sensuous, her goddess-like body illuminated softly by the moonlight filtering into the tent. Her raven-black hair, tousled and wild, covered her puffy yet mesmerizing face.
With a sigh, she reached for her dark robes, the fabric cool against her fingertips. She slipped them on inside the tent, the material sliding over her curves, hugging her body in all the right places. As she fastened the robe at her waist, the fabric clung to her hips, accentuating her figure even more. Her green eyes, yet to fully awake, sparkled with a mix of irritation and readiness. She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling.
Fully dressed, Sigrid stepped out of the tent, her ethereal beauty matching the beautiful night itself.
"This will be tough," Oliver thought as he walked with resolute steps towards Jerome's tent. "That tiger-looking beast gave me a strange feeling..." His strong steps broke the silence of the night. Soon, he stood in front of Jerome's tent. He stopped, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Wake up!" causing some birds hiding in the tall trees to fly in different directions.
Ten, fifteen seconds passed with no sound coming from the tent. Just as Oliver was about to shout again, a muscular hand shot out from the entrance, parting the heavy leather. Jerome emerged in a relaxed manner, his naked muscular torso gleaming in the moonlight. Up close, Jerome looked intimidating, but Oliver did not back down.
Jerome looked down at Oliver with furrowed brows. "You better have a reason for waking me up at this hour, or I will..." Jerome began to angrily reprimand Oliver, but he stopped when he saw the urgency in Oliver's eyes.
"They are coming," Oliver spat out, immediately turning around. "Get ready and come by our tent."
"I guess playing is for later," Jerome thought as he turned and went back into his tent.
When Oliver returned to his tent, Sigrid was already standing outside, stretching and yawning, still feeling sleepy.
"Uuuuuhhhmm," Sigrid yawned, her hands stretched out.
"How did you sleep, Sigrid?" Oliver asked as he hugged his wife by her narrow waist.
"Uhmmm, good…" Sigrid yawned. "But I wanna stay in bed… and sleep more…" she slurred, leaning on Oliver for support, her legs still wobbly and asleep.
Oliver hugged Sigrid's soft body tightly before pulling away a little. He placed his hands on her shoulders and began shaking her gently. When she remained unresponsive, he started shaking her faster and stronger.
Bit by bit, Oliver's shaking and the cold night air began to wake Sigrid. As he let her go, Sigrid yawned and took a deep breath. She slowly opened her eyes, which were no longer the bright emerald green but looked like pools of darkness swirling inside them. As she stood, the darkness around her seemed to be drawn towards her, like a black hole pulling everything in.
Oliver felt the atmosphere grow heavier, gravity itself seeming to shift. His knees buckled slightly under the immense pressure Sigrid was emitting. But as quickly as it appeared, the pressure vanished, and Sigrid's eyes returned to normal.
"Whyuuuu," Sigrid exhaled slowly, "I'm in perfect condition."
Oliver smiled lightly. "Anything less would be a problem. That's the love of my life."
Sigrid smiled back and jumped into Oliver's arms again. "It's thanks to you that I had such an amazing, though short, night. Thank you, Oli, and I love you too" she said, thanking her husband.
The couple was lost in each other's gaze when they started hearing approaching heavy steps that broke through the chilling windy night.