CURSES /LMK.

twenty-four

She scanned her forest, her eyes darting about quicker than her thoughts could catch up. The usually vibrant lake lay tranquil, devoid of its usual inhabitants, shrouded in an eerie silence. Every rustle of leaves or distant chirp felt conspicuously absent, creating an unsettling hush that clung to the air. Suddenly, a burst of laughter sliced through the stillness, jolting her from her contemplation. Her head whipped around, and her wings bristled with agitation. "Who are you?" she demanded, her voice laced with irritation. Another boisterous laugh shattered the tranquility once more. She turned sharply, her gaze now accusatory as she tried to pinpoint the source of the sound. There, perched atop a sturdy tree branch, was a mysterious figure, crouched and seemingly amused by her disconcerted state. The dappled shadows of the thick foliage above masked their face, rendering their features. The stranger, seemingly unamused by her presence, slowly rose to a standing position. "Some place you have here," they remarked casually, their tone a blend of appreciation and intrigue.

"You do not belong in this forest. Leave now," she declared, her voice resonating with a strong and authoritative tone. Her wings remained poised, ready to take flight at a moment's notice, as she continued to regard the intruder with caution. The stranger, however, seemed unfazed by her commanding words. With a fluid motion, he effortlessly hopped off the tree branch, landing gracefully on the ground across from her. His tail swayed rhythmically from side to side.He was adorned in a striking warrior's attire, complete with a gleaming golden chest plate and traditional clothing that hinted at his origins. What truly caught her attention were the distinctive physical features of this trespasser. His entire body was covered in a fine layer of light-colored hair, giving him an otherworldly appearance. Most intriguing of all were the pink markings encircling his eyes, accentuating his form. Her eyes widened slightly, for she had never such a creature such as him before.

"My master sent for me to get," he stated, his eyes roving up and down her form with a hint of mocking amusement. The wind rustled through the trees, carrying an undercurrent of tension that hung between them. "You." He finished, staring into her hues. "Creature, you are not welcome in my domain," she countered, her voice dripping with arrogance. She continued with confidence, her wings flexing slightly. "If you wish to live, you will leave here at once," she declared firmly, her gaze never wavering from the intruder. A cackle erupted from him, breaking the silence of the forest. "Chill, it won't be much of a fight anyways," he remarked with a dismissive wave, his stance shifting into a combat-ready posture as he prepared for a confrontation. Her lips curled in a scoff at his blatant overconfidence, but she was more than ready to defend her territory against this thing.

Without a second thought, Wukong found himself ensnared within a tightly woven sphere of branches, a manifestation of nature's defiance against his intrusion. The woody tendrils interlocked around his body, their grip almost suffocating in its intensity, leaving him momentarily immobilized and astonished by the nymph's power.

"You make a mockery of your 'master,'" she spat, her voice dripping with disdain. Without lifting a finger, the ball of branches seemed to respond to her anger, constricting around Wukong's form with an ever-tightening pressure. He grinned half-heartedly, seemingly unshaken by the dire situation, before swiftly moving to escape his leafy prison. In a matter of seconds, he managed to slip free, landing gracefully on the forest floor. However, his momentary triumph was short-lived. As he stood before her, the guardian's grip on the ball of branches intensified. Snapping on each other and chipping away at itself before breaking.

Concentrating intently on any signs of the creature, she steadied her breath, her senses on high alert. As her eyes widened, she detected a subtle movement to her left, a flicker of motion amidst the forest's stillness. Before she could react, a sudden and unexpected punch to her stomach sent her hurtling across the land. Gasping for breath, she instinctively called upon the very essence of the forest. With a determined effort, she bent the neighboring trees to her will, weaving them together into a protective shell of safety just in the nick of time. The improvised barrier absorbed the impact of her collision with the ground, sparing her from a potentially devastating fall.