JUNGLE WITCH

A smooth and fair hand picked up an herb with flowers reminiscent of fire. She held it near her eyes, observing the details of the plant. Pleased with the find, she put the plant in her satchel and proceeded to walk. Scouring the jungle for herbs and other materials she found interesting.

She radiated with grace even as she walked in the dense and humid jungle. Her face was symmetrical, glowing with fairness. She had long black hair which flowed smoothly with every step. She wore a white silken dress lined with gold in its borders, along with a malong scarf she wore on her shoulders. On her neck rests a necklace with wings as a pendant, and held a wooden staff on her hand. The staff looked as if vines had intertwined with each other, on the top was a crystal glowing blue with wings on each side.

Walking alongside her were three wolf-like creatures called Kimat, her familiars. Leading the pack was a pure white Kimat with blue eyes, another was brown furred with stripes of black and yellow eyes. The last one was brown furred with patches of white fur on its feet, its eyes grey.

"Asha! Misha! Greysha!" She called out to them. "Hunt!"

The Kimats quickly dashed through the forest upon receiving their order. Every fiber of their being intent of making their masters wish come true. They loved their master, ever since they were young she had been caring for them. She protected, healed, and fed them - their master was their god.

Asha the white Kimat found a white stag, with a howl the other two joined her. Upon hearing the predator, the stag galloped away trying to escape its pursuers. The Kimats were used to hunting, without so much as a signal the three started their chase. Hunting was an order from their master that they thoroughly enjoyed. Misha the black striped brown Kimat ran on the right cutting off any potential escape routes on her side. Greysha the white footed brown Kimat stalked their prey on the left, while Asha kept to the center. The thick jungle meant little for the three, little by little they would close-in on the stag, like a cage slowly trapping the prey. The horned deer stood little chance, as they took their target down with ease. Wagging their tails, they carried their price to their master.

The woman sat beside a river, a fire blazing near her. A bush rustled, without looking she knew who they were. They presented their catch to their master, ears upright and tails wagging.

"Good girls!" patting each Kimat on their heads and kissing their foreheads.

"Now let's thank nature for the day's bounty." she knelt beside their soon to be food, with a dagger on hand. She closed her eyes, while clasping the blade near her heart. After a moment of silence, she plunged the dagger on the stag. "Remember not to waste nature's gift."

Each Kimat sat patiently as their master prepared their meals. She drained the animals blood into a clay pot and skinned the dear, freezing the skin with magic to prevent it from rotting. She then cut off equivalent chunks of meat and gave them to her familiars. Even the bones were kept and cleaned, to be used in some potions. Not a single part of the dear was wasted, this was how she repaid the deers sacrifice.

After their meal, she would proceed with brewing potions. Using various kinds of ingredients like plants even bones and blood. This was part of her life in the jungle, spent in peaceful solitude and improving her craft.

As the sun waned, she noticed two new presence in the jungle. She scurried to grab a bucket of sand, then poured it on the campfire.

"Misha! Investigate."

The black striped Kimat stood and disappeared into the shadows of the trees. She was intrigued, intruders in this jungle was rare. Most of the natives knew to stay away from this dangerous place, even brave souls would only dare to come in the light of day. However these presence were too deep inside, "Have you noticed these presence earlier?" she asked the two remaining Kimats.

Whimper. The two familiar answered, as if to answer 'no'.

"I see. Where did they come from?" She asked herself, musing. "To come nearing nightfall, they are either strong or stupid." she added.

She observed their movements from afar, the two seemed to be conversing then split in different directions, "Greysha! Follow the one on the right, let Misha follow the stronger presence."

Greysha answered with a short howl, then disappeared into the shadows. [Familiars Eyes] - activating an ability, her eyes transformed similar to that of her familiars. As the sun set, the jungle became alive, rustling shrubs and tree leaves echo within the woods. Even with these activities, the woman did not seem concerned nor disturbed. She casually walked and went about cleaning their camp.

"Hmmm." she stopped picking up her familiars left over bones, her grey wolf-eyes looking around. "How curious. . . Oh, a summon." Greysha's target vanished into thin air, not a single trace of its presence left. "Greysha return." she whispered in her mind, soon the white footed Kimat would come back greeting her master with a short howl.

"Good Job Greysha." She smiled, while looking at the Kimat and patting its head.

"It's been called back to its master." she threw the idea to her company now sporting yellow wolf-eyes, while the Kimats just looked at their master while lying down and waiting for orders.

"I think they got followed, they must be new to this place. Asha! Go to Misha." She reached inside a wall of dirt, her hand phased through it. She then took out her staff, then ordered the remaining Kimat. "Come Greysha! Let us take a stroll."

Misha sat in a bush, looking into an opening in the wall. Peeking inside was a black bird, its head tucked in the cave while trying to squeeze its body in. Rumblings and explosions erupted, shaking the land in its vicinity. Earth and fire shot outside at every impact. Soon an explosion blasted the opening of the cavern, rocketing fragments of the mountain wall. As the dust settled the black bird was able to get inside, thanks to the opening becoming wider.

This continued for a little while longer, until Boom! another explosion. Misha peered inside and she saw the bird was taken down, its other wing gone along with parts of its chest. This time though Misha heard several pairs of wings flapping in the sky. The Kimat looked up, to see more of the black birds with them was a woman with bat-like wings. They landed in the entrance, and immediately the winged woman used her magic [Wind Scythe]. The black striped Kimat was now joined by Asha who slid beside her, both of them heard the cry, "Aaargh!".

Misha and Asha did not like these black birds, they wanted to tear them apart. Only their masters will restrained them from doing so, as to them she is absolute. They stalked under the jungle's shadows as the birds started going inside along with the winged woman. They saw another gleam of light, as the same flock of birds got bombarded by little arrows made of blue light. They knew that the battle was ending, for the winged woman made another move [Wind Blast]. Two figures hit the wall the human like figure bloodied and weak, while the flame of the elemental almost out.

"Help them." a feminine voice ordered.

The figure of a fair woman stood beside them, along with their other sister Greysha. They had just received their order, the white Kimat sped past their enemies in the blink of an eye using its skill [Light Speed]. Blood spurted from the neck of one black bird, its head now in the mouth of Asha having used his racial ability [Lethal Bite]. Before they could even react the two other Kimats launched an attack of their own. Misha used her [Ice Fang] instantly freezing the bitten area and crushed by the pressure of the Kimat's bite. In synchrony as if performing a deadly dance, Greysha used her [Wind Claw] skill cutting the bird that was hit into three.

This stunned the winged woman, their numbers were cut down in an instant. Confused, she looked around for their assailant only to find three wolf-like creatures. Infuriated she changed her target from the dark elf to the Kimats around her. [Tornado Bla. . .] before she could even cast another spell, a beam of light incinerated her hand. [Light Beam] the fair woman stepped inside the cave, her presence radiated with grace, on her hand the staff with a crystal which light had just faded.

"Waaaah!!!" She turned around, looking for the one that reduced her hand to nothing. "Who. . . W. . .Why . . .are you here?!" she exclaimed, surprise and fear evident in her face.

"You were going to attack my babies." she said calmly.

"I didn't know! I didn't know they were yours! I'm s. . s.. Sorry!" The bat-winged woman pleaded.

[Shearing Wind Shackle], the crystal on her staff glowed, and shackle-like wind enveloped the pleading creature's ankle and wrist with the magic's activation. It started spinning like a tornado, shearing the skin and muscle on her joints.

"Waaaaahh!!!! Waaaaaahh!!!!" she howled, tears streaming down her face and drool dripped down her chin. "I..'m s...o.r..ry. . . plea...s. l...et me go."

[Searing Light Chains] - after a glow from her staff, the birds were now chained up by a golden light. "Wak-wak! Wak-wak! Wak-wak! Wak-wak!" the black birds cried, trying to wriggle out of the searing binds. Everytime they moved to escape, they would get scorched.

"Silence." she said with an eerie calmness.

Before the birds could even get a sound off, Asha position herself in the birds head and used her [Kimat Roar] ability. The sound of the white Kimat's roar made the black avians lose consciousness, effectively silencing them.

"Now, let's continue." she turned back at the bat-winged female. "Who sent you?"

"I... live. . . he..re!"

"No you don't."

"I … do!" she forced out, pain evident in her face.

"Stop lying to me." [Wind Bullet] - a small indentation materialized on her forehead, as the invisible magic hit.

"Who sent you?"

"No. . one. . "

With a blank expression, she shot several [Wind Bullet] in different areas of the captives body. "Who-sent-you?"

"Are you not going to answer?" [Wind Bul. . ]

Arrows bathed in a dark glow rained upon them. It canceled the magic binds that kept their captives in place. She slid in a rock covered corner, trying to avoid the barrage of projectiles.

"[Magic Cancel] . . ." she observed, as the magic that held their enemies in place were erased.

"Asha, Misha, Greysha secure the dark elf and the fire elemental and be careful."

The three Kimats quickly acted on their masters order, however they cannot carry the elemental which was bathed in flames. Noticing this, the fair woman cast [Wind Cage] causing wind to swirl around the fire elemental, imprisoning him. Greysha then bit on the wind that enclosed the elemental. They ran deeper inside the cave, placing the elf and the elemental in a small cavern.

Asha howled, as did her two Kimat sisters. Afterwards the white Kimat returned to the main chamber where their master was pinned. Misha and Greysha stood remained, standing guard to keep the elf and the elemental safe.

The birds were now circling up in the cavern, outside the range of the arrows. The bat-winged woman, was now morphing into a large bat aiming to escape. The radiant magic caster however was not just hiding in a corner, she was trying to locate the ones shooting them with arrows with [Air Detection]. A magical air wafted outside, hitting their archers causing them to be detected.

"Five of them." she murmured. Seeing Asha hidden in a corner awaiting her orders, the woman smiled. "Such dependable babies."

"Asha, there are five outside. Be careful."

Knowing what her master meant, Asha activated [Light Speed], allowing her to move at high speeds. She evaded each arrow lobbed at them, while trying to locate the five perpetrators that her master told her. She followed the source of the arrows, with her keen senses she found one in no time. [Light Swipe] - sending three blades of light towards the enemy, killing it.

The rain of arrows momentarily stopped, not letting the chance go, the fair lady cast [Water Blade] - jets of water manifested in her staff which was pointed at the woman. She swung it from side to side, cutting the female winged creature to pieces.

Spooked, having witnessed their master get diced, the two remaining black birds tried to run away. [Icicle Missile], sharp ice formed at the tip of her staff, which she shot burying itself into one of the birds. Before the other bird could even reach the mouth of the cave, another icicle bursted through its chest.

She took care of all the remaining enemies inside in the short amount of time that Asha opened.

[Asha Return]

Light flashed beside her, and the white Kimat was already there, happily wagging her tail. "The archers had already fled with just one casualty? Fishy." She told Asha while petting the Kimat.

"Misha, Greysha - come, bring them along."

[Healing Chamber] - a ball of water swallowed the dark elf, sedating him. The blood from his wounds were washed off, the cuts and deep wounds started closing.

"Carry them." the fair woman ordered.

Something did not sit right with her so she ordered the black striped Kimat. "Misha, find the body of the archer that Asha took down."

All of them walked casually outside the cave, Misha rushing off in a different direction. The dark elf dragged by Asha and the fire elemental in Greysha's mouth still blanketed by wind. They carried them near the river where they camped earlier, laying them down on the rocky riverbank.

"How rare, an elf in this continent." their master commented, studying the features of the elf. "This one must be one of those dark elves, considering his skin tone." she then pried open one of the dark elf's eyes with her fingers. "Red pupils, just like the rumors say."

A brush rustled, out came the head of a familiar Kimat, it was Misha. She came empty-handed or rather empty-pawed. The yellow-eyed kimat went to the fair woman and whimpered.

"I see. So the body was already gone, must be a fun bunch. It's fine Misha, take some rest." she smiled at the kimat.

As their master was examined their catch, they watched curiously for it was also their first time seeing this type of creature. They wagged their tails each time their god said something, as if celebrating every word that she said. The fair lady circled around him, and saw the elf's ring, "This ring, an elementals heart. Must be from this little ball of flame." what remained of the night she spent on studying her specimen.

The first rays of dawn, lit the morning sky. The kimats now asleep around the lady, she looked up and smiled at the beauty of nature.

"Something exciting might be brewing soon." she declared, looking at the unusual pair they saved last night.