Anyone who walked through the Taurerosa Rainforest could feel the humidity vaporizing on his or her skin. The entire surroundings smelt like a web of interlocking odors, as usual, and many mosquitoes wailed around in endless circles. Birds called outward lazily, sounding desperate for the clouds to break and rain already. The heat was so overwhelming that a panther padded by, tongue lolling out of its mouth, heading back home for cooler surroundings. There wasn’t a flicker of wind in the air at all. The rainforest was just as Deenkraig Greotha liked it.

The Greot was sprawled out a large rock, his eight legs dangling over the edge. He was in his favorite form, a green lizard of sorts with markings along his back. The blanket of humidity was comforting to the odd creature and he soon found himself dozing off. His huge bulk rose and fell with a steady rhythm as he drifted off into a sound slumber. The great lizard seemed to blend in well with the mossy rock, and he disappeared into the thick jumble of foliage after a while.

As the Greot slumbered, a branch snapped far away. In an instant, there was a flash of silver that snapped back where Deeni was sleeping. The blur halted and its features could be made out for a moment. A snake, easily seven times taller than any man, was shaking its head back and forth. Its eyes were wide and craning to search the crevices of the rainforest. The slits of its nostrils were constricted and opening violently as the creature fought to catch its breath and a forked tongue shot out of its mouth to taste the air. The snake’s entire back was bright silver, a silver that caught the sunlight and reflected it off into the air. The creature stood up rigid, so focused on whatever was pursuing it that it didn’t notice the large lizard snoozing beside it.

The enemy carefully creeped behind Mario's back, its tendrils trailing its way past his defenses. The viscous and vicious claws seemed almost eel-like, warping the air around them like a wormhole through the time-space continuim. The further its prey landed away from it, an infinite amount of reinforcments joined in to attack, attempting to clamp its jaws upon the meal, the odor and breath of the great beast preparing to consume the little red man. Over the centuries it had consumed many a creature, every species ever artifact, except this little man. He wasn't of this world, that was to be sure and the sudden thought of an exotic dish whetted the beast's appetite.

Mario hacked away at the rain forest's vines, the humidity seeping under his clothes causing the vibrant crimson shirt to become a deep and rich burgundy. The stains soon spread to the entire suit, as Mario foiled the forest's plans to consume him and his supplies, using his over-sized wrench to beat back the vines and roots of the area, bouncing to and fro through the branches. He had had a similar experience with his long time friend, Donkey Kong but that had been what, 20 or so years ago and he had been but a mere child then. He was far too old for this kind of action. This wasn't the average leaping across rooftops and jumping through green tunnel pipes he was used to.

As the little man scaled higher and higher upon the canopy, he finally broke through the foliage, sunlight hitting his face, warming it instantly while the breezes wiped the prespiration from his face. Unfortunately, this bliss lasted for merely a second as physics took control, the gravity plunging Mario through the canopy, branches whipping up and down the his back, vines capturing his feet, as the elastic organism quickly latched their tendrils around him, slightly slowing him down before the tension and speed ended their attempts.

A scream filled the entire forest as Mario continued plummeting down the forest, his body writhing in the air, occaisonally hitting minor branches before he tucked himself into a cannonball, squeezing his eyes shut and preparing for impact. Imagining his gruesome death in the rainforest, Mario's mind flashed to images of his rotting body, the humidity and bacteria slowly ripping apart his body. A fresh body like this was a magnet for predators and scavengers of every kind. However, Mario never reached the ground.

Opening his eyes, the figure peered around, yet his vision was obscured, flipped 180 degrees. He was upside down! Looking upwards towards his feet, Mario's eyes widened as he realized that those tendrils had maintained their strength and were know hanging him upside down, fresh meat for the forest!

Writhing around, the entire area suddenly filled with a deadly hiss, leaves rustling around the area, a long serpentine body in the shadows. Gulping, Mario instantly began screaming for help, his body writhing and moving to and fro even more quickly. He would not be swallowed alive. No he wouldnt!

The silver snake hissed in fear as it searched the forest vainly for the notorious rainforest monster, but its eye yeilded nothing. A sudden peircing shreik caused the snake to recoil and retreat. Heading for the nearest tree, the snake wrapped itself around the trunk, continuing on upward and refusing to look back. At last, the creature thought it was safe and let out a sigh of relief. It turned its head and right there, only several inches from its face was the helpless, upside down Mario. Rather than screaming, the snake could only hiss, so it hissed as though its life depended on it.

Back down on the ground, Deeni's slumber was rudely interupted by loud hisses and screams. He groggily opened his eyes and looked around the clearing. Nothing could be seen, so the reptilian curiously stretched and slowly plodded off his resting rock. He wasn't happy at all now that he was prematurely awoken, but the screams had drawn his attention. The Greot yawned and stretched once more, craning his neck upward.

That's when he saw the scene in the treetops. An odd man in red was hanging upside down from what appeared to be vines. Coiled around a thick tree trunk was a silver snake, many times larger than an ordinary one. Deeni blinked several times to assure that this wasn't just some bad dream. He grunted when the scene remained clearly in his line of sight and realized that he would have to do something about it.

Using his powerful eight legs, Deeni leapt off the forest floor, aiming for the tree trunks surrounding the clearing. With great strength he collided with the thick rainforest trunk, and his muscles absorbed the impact. Turning before he lost any momentum, Deeni pushed off again, and was sent sailing toward another trunk. He continued this action until he had reached the point where the pandemonium between the man and the snake was ensuing. Wrapping his eight arms around the trunk, Deeni was stablized. He raised a scaly eyebrow then glanced back at the "vines" that were restraining the red man. Using his sharp fangs, the Greot snapped the tendrils with a single bite, noticing vaugly that they seemed a bit too touch to be normal vines.

Out of nowhere, a gigantic serpent lept out of the darkness causing Mario to increase the pressure emitted from his lungs. The creature just continued its deadly hissing, its mouth wide open as Mario's face began transitioning from a crimson to a peculiar shade of purple as the oxygen left his body. Yet still he managed to scream for his life, the snake equally frightened but looking as menacingly as ever as more and more vines seemed to snake their way across Mario, clenching their grip more and more securely around his throat.

Suddenly, a silouhette bounded through the forest as a gigantic beast raced past Mario's line of sight. For a few seconds, the entire forest was quiet with uncertainty as Mario felt the vines loosen their grip. Sighing with relief the little red man suddenly looked up to see what was holding him. The vines were gone! Looking forward, Mario attempted to say "Mama Mia!" but only a gurgle came out as he raced the remaining 5 meters onto the ground.

A sickening crunch answered Mario's call as he dragged himself up, groggily moaning as he crawled towards his signature cap on the floor, donning it on his dishelved hair. Grasping the nearest tree trunk, Mario sighed and began collecting his things, taking a swig of his Mazzer's Brew. Wincing at the brew's powerful punch, Mario stumbled across the underbrush before colliding with another treetrunk. Focusing his eyes, he knocked upon the trunk, but instead of the original sound he heard a fleshy "thump." Arching his brow in curiosity, Mario discovered that he had to have a sample.

Withdrawing his wrench-shapped two-handed sword, Mario's face was full of scientific curiosity as he prepared to swing the weapon at the tree trunk. This was strange, the tree had eight trunks or roots rising from the ground and formed a strange blob at the top. The Mushroom Kingdom never had this kind of stuff.

((Crap! I meant to post as Mario))

Deenkraig eyed this man wearily from his perch in the treetop. On the ground below, this little red man seemed to have completely forgotten his upside-down incident and now was swinging his…weapon…at a tree. As Deeni examined the weapon, he became even more curious. Whoever this person was, he most definitely was not from Arda.

A sudden hissing noise made the Greot turn his head. Another vine had wrapped itself around the silver snake and was now dragging it off the tree and into the air. Mere moment afterward, there was a crashing sound that rattled the rainforest. Looking back down, the Greot saw that some great monster was about to crush the little man. That’s when he realized it. That isn’t a monster…that’s a tree! Sure enough, now that he realized it, he could make out the leaves and the roots. The several of the massive roots had wrenched themselves out of the ground and looked as though they were about to come clobbering down on the man.

This really isn’t my day, though Deeni as he swiped at the vines restraining the snake while calling down to the red man in a not so excited tone, “Hey down there, you’d better move!”

Mario continued whacking at the humongous specimen of a tree, as chunks of wood and splinters flew out of the trunk. A large moaning echoed throughout the forest as if the trees itself were groaning in pain. This usually never happened did it? Suddenly more vines continued to rip out from under the ground, shooting upwards attempting to create a natural cage. Wait, since when did forests ever make cages or groan? Something strange was going on in this area as Mario divided out of the way of a flying branch, quivering as it hit the moist earth directly behind Mario.

Increased hissing came from the little man's left as he deftly jumped from tree top to tree top, tumbling in the air with surprising dextricity for a man of his proportions. Alas, it was of no avail as a thorned branch caught ahold of the little man's foot, throwing him to the ground. Only the soggy ground braced his blow as he stumbled forward, dazed but still alive.

“Hey down there, you’d better move!” came out a voice from nowhere. Stupidly, Mario looked around obviously still shooken from his daze. What was that? Forests don't talk and I haven't drunken any alcoholic beverages today! What's going on! Unfortunately, a roar resonated through the forest as a tree ripped out its trunks aiming a blow straight towards Mario, causing him to fly up into the canopy landing on a fleshy object...with eight legs?

Finishing a last bite, the silver snake was freed from the vines restraining it. As soon as it was released, the creature hissed once more then slithered away to some high perch, watching what was happening.

Deeni had witnessed a trunk of the living tree whip out and send the little man flying. Right…into…him…Why do days always have to be like this…?thought the Greot as the extra weight and force of the flying man caused his perch to snap. As he was falling toward the ground, Deeni reached out and grabbed the human with one of his arms and tossed him right back upwards, hopefully to a tree branch and to safety. “Watch yourself, little man,” he growled as he continued to descend to the forest floor below. As he collided painfully with branches and tree trunks, the Greot tried to correct his fall but to no avail. He hit the ground with a rather painful and loud THUMP.

For a moment, Deeni lay on the ground, unmoving. He didn’t want to get up and face moving forests and annoying little red flying men and snakes in distress. However, as something prodded his side, he knew that any hope for a restful day was gone. Whipping to his feet, the Greot realized that now the tree monster...thing was now after him. Several roots and vines were slithering toward him rather rapidly, and Deeni wasn’t in the mood to be killed. Lashing out with his eight clawed legs, he severed a few vine tendrils on the spot. However, the tree monster wasn’t about to be put down. With a great groaning sound, the entire creature lurched forward on its roots, stretching down tendrils to capture its prey. It had wanted to eat that fat human, but this stupid lizard creature had gotten in the way.

Deeni tried to back away, but the roots were two fast for him. One wrapped around his middle while a few others grabbed his legs. Immobilized, the Greot was being dragged down, underneath the tree itself. Deeni wasn’t one to scream or shout, so instead he struggled and tried to break his bonds. However, these roots were much thicker than the vinelike tendrils he had bitten through before. Deeni would hate to admit it, but he needed help.

Mario maoned slightly before he felt scaly skin grab him and before he knew it he was flying off into the canopy again, this time to another trunk. Instead of landing cleanly like most people in Arda did, this man from another realm landed straight against the thick of the trunk. A sickening crunch was heard as he landed straight on the ground as he felt something crack. That was just great. Needles exploded in his brain as pain rocketed through him. He had broken his leg. Crying in pain, he attempted to crawl to safety tumbling into the holes under a tree trunk. Hopefully that monster wouldn't find him in here. If Luigi ever saw him like this everything would be over.

Looking around, he saw the snake shivering in horror at the situation outside. Arching his eyebrows he realized that this snake wasn't as bad as he looked. Stroking its head, the snake suddenly calmed.

"You're not as harmful as you look, aren't you?" questioned the little man as the snake nodded in reply. They would both survive this as well as that creature outside, attempting to defend them both. That's when Mario remembered something. He had a bottle of Mazzer's Brew! Instantly he brought the half-empty bottle out and frowned. He had his hankerchief but didnt have anything to light the bottle on fire. If this bottle exploded on that wooden creature it would burn and they would all be saved!

Suddenly, he saw light reflecting off of the snake and grabbing its tail, he created a spark by scraping a rock across the snake's metallic tale, instantly the bottle lit aflame, as the makeshift fuse started dwindling. Crawling out, he flung the bottle towards the tree monster's trunk.

((It should explode any second now!))

Deeni watched as the bottle flew through the air before making contact with the tree monster. The explosion that occurred rocked his bones and sent him flying. He managed to right himself, however, so the landing wasn’t too painful. As the tree monster was set aflame and emitted shrieking noises, Deeni grinned in triumph. That monster had been nothing but annoying. Turning his head upwards, the Greot spotted a red figure among all the green tree limbs. “Thanks for that, human. What do you call yourself?”

((So sorry for the shortness and the billion year delay!!))

Mario dove straight back into his makeshift bomb shelter, the impact throwing him straight against the snake, its metallic coils shifting under the little man's extremely dense body. His filled the trunk as both struggled to get out of each other's grasp.

"Gerroff me! Gerroffa me!" screamed Mario as he managed to pry himself out of the snake's vice and crawled out of the log. It sure made a good shelter if you took out the fact that it was all almost charcoal from his bottle of Mazzer's Brew.

Unfortunately, as the man looked around he saw that he was...up high? The ground seemed to swirl as Mario grabbed the closest thing, the trunk. However, beads of sweat continually poured down his hands and before he knew it, Mario was sliding down the trunk, friction causing his hands to heat up. As Mario finally reached the bottom, he sighed before his nerves kicked in and the pain seeped into his mind.

Running around wildly, the little man jumped up and down, finding anything that would cool his burning hands. Whimpering slightly, Mario soon realized that there were people watching and so, he attempted his best dignified manner, which soon screwed up into a twisted form of a grimace and nonchalance. Any normal person would crack up but the inhabitants of this forest couldn't really be considered normal to Mario would they?

"Thanks for that, human. What do you call yourself?” the great...thing, for lack of a better word, rumbled. Mario swallowed whatever clump had formed in his throat, and answered in his strange manner.

"Mario!"

Deeni tried the name on his forked tongue, but it died in subcommittee. “I take you’re not from around here?” he asked, trying to restrain from laughing at Mario’s attempt to mask the pain in his burning hands. Normally, the Greot wouldn’t have held back from laughing at someone in comical pain, but this…odd (to say the least)….man had saved his life and the reptile admitted to feeling a bit sorry for him.

Ambling over to Mario on his eight legs, Deeni took an analysis of the man with his tongue. As it flicked into the air, sampling the different odors, the Greot was mildly surprised. “You are definitely not from around here,” he said, raised two scaly eyebrows. Out of the corner of his eye, Deeni noticed the silver snake staring hard at him with an odd expression, but Deeni ignored it for now.

Mario's hands slowly began to cool off as he gagged on himself as he watched the monster attempt to pronounce his name. It was a funny thing, this world. How could no one pronounce the simple two syllables, Ma-rio? It would always be an enigma, thought the little man as he began to make an intricate knot with his silken rope and threw it over a branch.

Pulling himself up to eye level with the...thing, Mario was just in time to see the thing stick out its forked tongue.

"“You are definitely not from around here,” the monster said as Mario let out a mysterious smile. This wasn't the first time he heard that!

"An honor to meet you two," replied Mario, "I'm unfortunately lost in another plane, though if you know of any ways back, it would be helpful!"