The rainforest was a place where the insects and snakes of the world thrived. Its damp conditions and many a tree gave each a home of its own. The boggy floor made the prey move upwards towards where they lay waiting for a meal to come into their grasp. It was almost like a perfect play, but of course it was. Nature had adapted these animals to see every opportunity and take it by the fangs. As the snaked hung down from the branches above they just lay un moved like a true branch would be waiting for the un suspecting pray to wonder to close. They jumped out grasping tightly with their fangs, lifting it up back to its nest not to be seen again. A marvel of nature was the snake, a creature which lived in every habitat but not one knew where it came from.

A tall man walked though the rainforest with elegance ease and poise, his body balanced upon his feet his arms failing trying to keep balance. As he moved over the branches he made sure that each foot was placed just right before he moved on ahead. The branches he stood upon were only merely off the ground he moved upon them to keep him from being bogged down in the slush of mud water and leaves, none knew what lay underneath its surface. If it was only a small insect or a fierce death brining reptile!

Van Ashe continued to walk though the rainforest with easier movements now he was use to the moss upon the branches. As he reached a small gap in the branches on the floor he had to quickly jump upwards grabbing hold of two branches swinging his body forward he grabbed hold of another branch and began to climb his way across the swamp floor beneath him. As each hand he placed onto the next branch he continued to watch out for animals on the branch itself he didn’t need a snake biting him in the hand at this moment. As he swung on he heard something behind him he already knew what it was. He began to swing faster across the swamp beneath him. His heart began to pound faster as he reached the other side.

Dropping down onto the floor he quickly turned around to see the object following him, at that moment he could not see it only a rustling of branches in the distance. Looking down at the floor he saw a few branches were he could stand. Planting his front foot where he stood, he stretched out his right leg onto a branch about a foot and a half behind him. Lifting his arm over his back he took hold of his bow, pulling it over he placed it into his string grip in his left hand. Reaching to his right he placed his hand into a leather quiver hanging just above his waist. Stringing his bow with the arrow, he pulled back with great strength in his right arm. Aiming the arrow into the bushes in which the creature approached though.

The rustling came ever more violent as the creature approached, Van closed his left eye and closed his face next to his arm as possible lining the arrow up, he waited with a smirk upon his face waiting for the creature to appear.

From the canopy of trees, he watched, his eyes peirced the condensed overgrowth of the natural haven of the forest.
Poised in position upon a concealed roost in the canopy he could see the strange figure walking through the natural wonderland with a self assured confidence and pose, to his eagle like eyes Bard could make out that he too was of elven heritage, although not fully.

As the stranger began to walk further into the depths of the forest, Bard followed from up high, perfectly at home in such a place as this, the natural colourings of the forest allowed for him to blend in perfectly as if he was apart of the oblisk like trees.
Light foot falls and chary placed, he was able to navigate the congenital walkways that unfurled across the green skies of the forest.

His eyes stayed fixed upon the traveller, looking for a sign that he was here to attempt some form of malfaction upon nature and her wonders, though Bard could only ascertain that the elven heritage of the rover would prevent him from such atrocities and allow Bard one more arrow this day.
Though as he watched the traveller, he could sense the wariness in his steps as he tred across the lush floor, the stranger knew he was being followed by someone but Bard knew it could not be him as he looked down upon the densely populated area below him where the stranger stood.

His keen ears picked up the noise from down the wind, followed by the falling of the minor vegetation and the maladroit footsteps that he could now percieve as they drew ever closer to his range.
It was one advantage of being high up in the near invisible realms of the canopy was that you could watch your mark without fear of repercussion, however such a place lacked certain benefits that could help to make the sitiuation more acclamatory to Bard.

It appeared now that danger was swift approaching the traveller, he was knowledgeable of the approaching fiend, but neither he nor secret eyes had any idea of what was approaching from the forests flowerage.
Taking an arrow between his index and middle finger, Bard carefully applied it to his bow string and uttered a few words of a magical incantation, the arrow began to blossom with an effulgent white light.
Drawing back the bow string he let it fly, like a beacon through the overgrowth of the forest, its light shone into the darkness and illuminated what it was that was coming for the traveller.

“You meet us there tomorrow, alone. Bring the goods and we’ll bring the gold,” The man had told Jupiter before slipping back onto the streets of Ondoland. Vaudeux has always been the approachable type. Looming in the back of the local bar and awaiting for the many shady characters to approach him with a new proposition. Perhaps it was looks. Clean-cut and shaven, much unlike any of the other tradesmen or wanderers speckling the town. His current installment was one of trading. A gleaming axe, hanging out the side of his cloak, must have shone in the right light for it had been attracting various patrons all day. A few of the characters offered up paltry amounts of gold, as if they took him for a fool. It wasn’t until the end of the day did he finally get approached by an equally crooked couple. For a few minutes they dabbled with pleasantries only to receive an impassive glance from the axe holder. It was then that they offered a generous sum of change for the weapon.

Prompt to the deal, they proceeded to explain to Jupiter that they were no longer allowed to deal in the bustling trade center of Arda, so an outside location would be necessary to complete their transaction. At first he didn’t trust the plan, nevertheless gold was gold and the location wasn’t terribly out of reach. Starting off that very night, the thief plunged into the darkness and covered the lands in mere hours. By morning he was ripping through vast foliage and straddling over large mossy logs. It wasn’t until he was quite a ways into the forest did he realize that the men hadn’t specified their meeting place. For a fleeting moment he traced his thoughts, believing that the pair must have meant for the meeting to take place on the outskirts and not in through the trees.

Cursing he turned directly around and plowed through the leafage, back to the exit of the rainforest. Romping around for several moments he started to notice that the scenery was expanding to a wide variety of new sights and unfamiliar scenes. The trees rose to incredible heights above him and every now and then he passed through a spot of sun beaming through canopy. The atmosphere was incredibly humid causing sheets of sweat to trickle down from the nape of his neck onward. Soon he removed his cloak and draped it over his arm only to realize that he wasn’t any nearer to the exit of the forest than moments before. It was then did he stop and glance around. The spot was a small trail, made by exceptionally large creatures with usage, where the wild trees stretched upwards with bowed limbs splayed at old angles. Jupiter looked up to the sky and traced a small circle with his feet, the repetitive tree coverage provoked some dizziness and he stumbled to a stop at once.

It was quiet in his area. The only sounds were his crunching footfalls as he caught his balance and the tedious drone of the locusts, awake from their years of slumber to overwhelm the rainforest and its inhabitants. If one thing could annoy Vaud was the monotonous chirps of the cicada’s. Frustrated from his own mistake of voyaging into the forest, his deal now a bust, and the bugs he plunged back through the forest with a considerable amount of venom. Now he was thrashing, mowing down anything that happened to stray in his path. Leafy bushes crumbled and vines collapsed down to the earth during his exertion. He disregarded any creatures along his path and continued stomping along, the plants pulsing like waves around him and his trail. For minutes on end he forgot about anything that could be lurking around him and lavishly ripped down plants and galloped over roots.

At one point the thought he heard another disturbance, like another was traveling through the area, but he overlooked this as his own actions. Jupiter battered a tough set of vines off their trees and stood panting on a tight path in the thick of the woods. With a quick glance behind him he saw a whole new trail his work had formed. A path of destruction that could sicken any nature enthusiast. Catching his breath, he grinned back at his handiwork (like he had accomplished something) and looked ahead to his forward path. There was a wall of vegetation, leaves as big as a cape, and his smirk widened across his lips. He pictured himself bursting through the leaves, the feeling one of pure fulfillment, the perfect ending to discord. Thought in mind he stomped forward and readied to pierce his hand through the midst of the foliage. When he was close enough he exploded through the wall with child-like mischievousness broadening his grin. He held the leftover leaves for a second and allowed the pieces, big as shields, to float to the earth. Satisfied he looked up to find a man, straining as he held up an arrow to his bow, pointing it directly at Vaudeux.

At once his eyes narrowed sinisterly and he had to take a step backwards, drawing the blade from behind his back at once. Just as his foot slid back a quick arrow plunged into the ground where he once stood. Jupiter’s eyes lit up, blazingly dangerous as he looked through the trees to spot the perpetrator. When he didn’t immediately catch wind of the subject, he rounded back on the man with the bow arching in his direction assuming the worst.

“Call them off, I do nothing!” He ordered belligerent, as his sword shook dangerously in front of him while he spoke.

The rustling came more serious and violent the closer the creature came. Van Ashe stood tense and prone, only a simple movement would let lose the arrow sending it flying into the distance striking down the creature which approached him. His legs stood firm, his leather boots gripping hold of wood beneath there souls making sure that he would not lose his balance throwing his shot off target, the miss maybe even costing his life. It was not one he wished to not make, not if he had any choice upon it.

His arms tense the muscle ligaments holding strong under the immense strain there were placed in, holding the strung back bow for so long, His shoulders bulging outwards under the stress. Under the power his body still held fast as his heart raced at the fear of what was behind the bushes. His eyes locked in front the arrow aligned with his sight each were pointing the same way each on the same target, the arrow was so perfectly placed it could have been a third blind eye. His ears human in appearance but with the sense of an Elf perked up as the rustling became more fierce, this creature wasn’t moving though the bush it was cutting though it. Doubt filled his mind as if it was a human, what could his shot do. But his mind soon returned focused upon his situation.

As all his senses become locked onto the place around him, nothing could distract him. As the swamp beneath him bubbled with a gas so foul a smell it could make any animal turn and flee from its stench, its smell just floated past his nose even being drawn in but refused access to his brain by his attuned senses. The spiders which crawled up his leg, there legs rubbing up his own, but the sense was drowned out. The snake which sum past in the swamp neither drew his eyes away from the bushes ahead, or the splashing of water from its tail move his ears from listening to the bushes. The sense of taste was only satisfied by the dry spit inside his own mouth.

His body primed for the kill his sense locked on not flinching, his soul with complete understanding of what he was about to do he was ready for this beast.

From the bushes straight in front of him came movement something was coming…

The wait seemed to last forever he only wished to know what was coming though that bush, he only wished to let lose his arrow.

At that moment a mass of a figure stormed though bush ahead, a man with a blade he wielded it wildly he slashed clean though bush with no hesitation, a beast in his own right but not one that he was expecting. The thinking of Van was lighting fast he kept the arrow tight not letting go, yet not releasing the tension it was still strung only waiting for the small movement in his finger.

Then from above for the surprise of both Van and the man who charged forth from the bush. A arrow covered in the magic of light, shot from the trees above landing only a mere few centimetres from the mans foot, the light from the arrow light up the small clearing they all stood in. The light shone out showing the true target…

The man yelled out to him “Call them off, I do nothing!”

The man was already lost himself as the target in the eyes of Van, but yet he let lose his fingers the arrow leapt from his bow, the wood pulling forth into its original shape with tremendous force catapulting the arrow forward. As it spun free it flew elegantly and at a tremendous speed across the swamp clearing. The mans face showed fear as it went towards him his sword was held ready to do something about the arrow but could he…

No he couldn’t because the arrow did not head for him. The arrow sped past the mans face, heading into a group of two yellow dots. Only Van knew where the arrow was heading, but the others soon found out.

From the darkness behind the man, the two yellow dots became larger, then from the undergrowth a creature appeared leaping from the darkness. A black wolf leaped though the bush recently cut down buy a butcher who was standing slightly in its way. The creature soon let out a cry of pain, as the arrow of Van Ashe struck the beast in heart, the beast still leaping though the air continued to move even after It was dead. The body spun in the air from the force of the arrow. Heading clean for Van, his eyes opened wide as it headed towards him…

His front leg pushed forward straightening him back up, he then shuffled his legs together, his body then fell downwards between the branches she stood upon. As he watched as the Dead wolf blew above his head he felt a coldness fill his body as he was now waist deep in swamp water. Pulling himself from the water, his soaked clothes and body let out the water it held, allowing it to run back into the swamp beneath him. He looked down onto the beast, blood dripping from its wound, dropping down into the swamp bellow, he turned back to the man who had charged though the bush. Smirking he spoke!

“Hello There!”

His eyes had merely flashed back to the man, whom had pointedly held his bow and arrow near his face, just in time to see the figure hesitate. Almost as if he was debating weather to shoot Vaud or not. By now there must have been rumors about Jupiter’s façade, so many may be wary towards him. Yet he didn’t take such assertions seriously, most were concerned with their own well being and to see a man in a forest with a path of destruction in his wake had to be somewhat threatening. At first he believed he was intruding on a barrage of burglars in the midst of a stake-out. In that case he wasn’t going to go down with out a fight and have all of his possessions stolen from him.

Between the wavering of his threatening attacker and his own stance, arms poised at his sides laden with the corpses of rainforest leaves, each man with a hard glare towards the other, and the only noise besides the constant chirps and squawks from surrounding animals was their slow exhales. The man’s arm tightened, ready to release his arrow, and Jupiter’s eyes shot at the tip of the dart in anticipation. Vaudeux owned a second, he was ready for it, practiced talent would be enough to pinpoint the attack - amid its flight - and he would catch said arrow surprising the bandit and his other accomplices. Before he knew it, the arrow catapulted straight at him, his face was concentrated almost placid with no trace of fear or worry, his body already knew what to do.

The half-dragon merely leaned his upper body, his arms twisting upward with his right palm shooting upward to retrieve the bullet. Yet, he wasn’t quick enough and the arrow grazed by his face. Without his dodge he probably would have got it straight in the maw. The arrow pierced through the air behind him, and his body twisted to follow it, out of curiosity. His right arm owning the spot where the path of the arrow flew previously, his head snapped around and watched the missed attack. He had wanted to glare back at the foolish man for trying to harm him, yet continued to watch the arrow until it disappeared into the brush. There was a slight yelp and Jupiter saw a set of furry legs flailing through the airs then soon disappearing back into the foliage.

It became apparent that the bowman was merely trying to ward off the creature that had burst through the brush, but the half-breed couldn’t care less. Without his own quick movements the careless figure would have plunged the arrow straight into his head. Mind still fuming with his earlier actions he bounded forwards, anger tainting any conscious thoughts, and headed straight towards the man with outstretched arms. The man seemed to already be walking towards his kill when Jupiter collided with him, powerful forearms as big as hams shoving, and his long digits grasping around the lapel of his foe. There was a certain amount of fire in his eyes, fueled by the temper of the Wyrm, his mindset of being lost, and towards the form inches from his grasp. He would have grabbed the figure, pulling him in, and boring his set of dangerous eyes into his opponents. To his utter disgust the man only offered a polite and energetic welcoming phrase. Vaudeux could do nothing but ignore this and continue onward with his actions.

“Hello my ass,” His voice was threatening yet still holding a sort of foreign draw on his last few syllabus. They were so close and Vaud's intonation so sharp flecks of spit might’ve cascaded amongst their space. “Trying to kill a man?”