Ma Tsawke

Chapter three

Beneath the sprawling branches, Jake weaves through the forest's labyrinth of roots. Overhead, a Na'vi woman perches on a thick limb, her keen eyes locked onto his every step. Tension emanates from her neck and muscular shoulders while her tail coils rigidly around the sturdy branch beneath her.

With less than three meters between them, she silently rises into a crouched position. The soft hum of an arrow being drawn against bowstring fills the air as she takes aim, now directed straight at Jake, ready to unleash her shot.

In the oppressive stillness, Jake remains oblivious to the impending threat, a lethal arrow poised at his throat, waiting to cut short his existence.

As she tracks his every move with the drawn bow, a mysterious entity descends before her. The arrowhead becomes a delicate perch for a single glowing woodsprite. Her fingers hesitate, muscles coiled but restrained, awaiting the perfect moment to release.

With gentle movements, the woman guides the ethereal spirit away from harm's reach, clearing her arrow's trajectory. Undeterred, she readies her shot again, only for the woodsprite to brush against her hand, diverting its course toward Jake. It hovers over his head as he looks around, becoming an unexpected companion.

A furrow appears on her brow, a mix of confusion and contemplation. Her aim shifts downward, targeting the heart of the creature as she ponders this shift. Was it shielding him? Pleading for the alien lifeform's survival? Her resolve hardens.

A quick death then.

The woodsprite gracefully hovers over the intended spot, drawing an exasperated huff from her. It seems to mockingly accompany him, dancing around the precise location her arrow would have struck. Her gaze penetrates through his torso, intensified as the eclipse casts its dark shadow over the moon.

*****

Grace and Norm peer into the dimly-lit forest, where faint light filters through dense foliage as Trudy banks in a search pattern.

"I'm afraid I have to make the call, guys. We're not allowed to run night ops—Colonel's orders. He'll have to tough it out till morning." Trudy declares solemnly, scanning the terrain for the absent member.

"He won't make it until morning." Grace exhales with a heavy sigh, both she and Norm exchanging concerned glances while anxiously observing the ground below.

*****

Why me?

Jake has a new problem. Amidst the darkness, elusive figures emerge behind him, moving with a seamless elegance. A predatory pack of viperwolves stealthily closes in on him.

He catches a mere glimmer of an eye and a sinuous black blur before darkness swallows the scene again. Determined, he wraps his jacket around the base of his spear, using tree sap to fuel a makeshift torch lit with a waterproof match from his survival kit. The resultant glow forms a pool of orange light, surrounded by undulating and leaping figures.

Jake treads the trail with utmost caution, acutely aware of the myriad pairs of luminous green eyes trailing him. High above, another set peers at him from the lofty branches, observing his every move. The forms seem to weave a disorienting pattern around him, rendering him incapable of tracking them all.

He spots one creature traversing a limb overhead while another does the same on the opposite side. A gut-wrenching sound, reminiscent of a maniacal hyena's laughter, jolts him. 

They're stalking Jake both from the ground and through the network of trees.

What even are these things?