Land of Taria: The Awakening

Chapter 6

The group waits as the gates to Cortulnse open, allowing them to pass through. The large doors close behind them and they stare out at the forest before them.
"The guards said that they have mostly been attacked about ten minutes down the road. I say we stick together and search each side of the road. Make sure you stay with your partner and never lose sight of one another." Jason looks at the group and they begin walking down the road. Ty'Vander walks next to Doruntus.
"Hey. What was that all about back there?" Ty'Vander looks at the tall cloaked man, who doesn't glance at him. Doruntus keeps his gaze on Jason and barely notices the Korwan talking to him. Ty'Vander looks at Jason and begins piecing it together.
"Look, if you guys had an argument, you both need to put it aside and focus on the mission. We can't run the risk of jeopardizing the task at hand." Doruntus looks down at Ty'Vander and just grunts. He picks up his pace, leaving Ty'Vander behind. Ty'Vander stands defeated for a moment before Matías wraps his arm around his neck.
"Eh, leave them be. Those two go at it all the time." Matías reassures.
"They do?"
"Oh absolutely! This isn't even the worst we've seen it." Autumn pitches in.
"What about you two?" Ty'Vander looks at the pair.
"What do you mean?" Matías raises his eyebrow.
"You two seem to be closer than anyone else in the group. What's going on between you two?" Ty'Vander looks Matías up and down. Autumn and Matías look at each other and blush.
"Well it's just that, we joined the group around the same time so it just kinda clicked for us to be close." Autumn looks down at her shoes.
"Ah, I see." Ty'Vander looks forward and sees Doruntus next to Jason. He watches them for a few moments and notices that there is no interaction going on between them. Just silence.
The group walks for a little longer before Jason throws his hand up, signaling the group to stop. Jason crouches on the ground and rubs his fingers over a small stain on the ground.
"What is he doing?" Ty'Vander whispers to Autumn.
"I think it's time for you to witness Jason at work." Autumn winks at Ty'Vander, who watches Jason study the ground.
"Blood. It's a few days old. A small amount. Nothing lethal or fatal. Just as James said." Jason looks up and faces the forest. He walks over to a tree and looks up.
"The branch is bent out of shape. It's been moved down a few inches. From someone perching on it multiple times. She's this way." Jason looks out at the wave of trees and breathes in. He closes his eyes and let's out a deep breath.
"There's a small fire about 3 miles this way. Autumn and Matías, stay in the trees. Ty'Vander, Doruntus, and I will remain on the ground. Stay close and be cautious." Jason looks at the group and nods. Autumn and Matías jump into the trees and begin climbing from branch to branch. Jason proceeds to enter the woods and Doruntus follows. Ty'Vander stands there for a moment, alone.
"Impressive." Ty'Vander catches up to Jason and Doruntus. He barely hears his friends leaping from the trees and barely catches a glimpse of their red and blue cloaks. He crouches down and grabs his dagger, ready for a fight. They travel through the thick mass of trees and eventually come across a clearing. They spot a cloaked figure sitting at a fire, not moving.
"Ok, what's the plan?" Ty'Vander turns to Jason, but doesn't see him. He searches around, but Jason isn't anywhere to be found. He looks up and spots Matías and Autumn in a tree across from the clearing. They lock eyes and nod, but before they can strike, the cloaked figure moves. They stare at the figure for a moment before the cloak drops to the floor, revealing pieces of wood and a bag of hay stacked on each other. The group looks around confused and Ty'Vander looks at Autumn and Matías. He sees something appear behind Autumn.
"Autumn! Watch out!" Ty'Vander dashes out into the clearing, as Autumn and Matías drop to the ground. Ty'Vander stops in the clearing and looks up at the figure. She disappears into the trees and Ty'Vander searches around, trying to spot the Drinoan. Doruntus runs over to Matías and Autumn and checks their pulse.
"Alive?" Ty'Vander asks the giant, who grunts and nods. Ty'Vander runs to join him, but an arrow shoots out from the forest, slamming into the back of Doruntus' head. The behemoth winces but stands up, grabbing the arrow from the floor. He shows it to Ty'Vander.
"It's dull. She's only trying to knock you out." Ty'Vander realizes and dodges an arrow that came from the other side of the clearing.
"She's too damn fast. Where the hell is she?" Ty'Vander questions, but he soon finds himself wrapped up by a bola. He lands on the ground hard and groans, the wind behind knocked out of him.
"Doruntus, watch yourself!" Ty'Vander struggles to get free from the ropes. He tries using his tail to pry the rope off, but to no avail. A barrage arrow strikes Doruntus all over his body, hitting many of his pressure points, and the giant goes down, stunned. Ty'Vander looks up to see the Drinoan leap down from a tree, landing a few meters from him. She glares at him, her brown eyes locking onto his.  She has fluffy purple ears and a purple tail, with white on its tip. She stands up and grabs her grey cloak. She walks over to Matías and Autumn, tying them up.
"What are you going to do with us?" Ty'Vander demands. He receives no words, just a glare. She walks over to Ty'Vander, grabbing one of her daggers. She places one under his chin, almost piercing his scales. She studies him for a moment, looking at him up and down. They lock eyes for a moment before she opens her mouth. Her white fangs reflect Ty'Vander's red and black scales.
"Don't follow me." The Drinoan states and she stands up, kicking Ty'Vander, knocking him unconscious. She turns to leave, but stops.
"Most leaders don't leave their group to handle an enemy on their own, ya know?" The Drinoan states and she turns around, finding Jason standing there, glaring at her.