ꎇ꒒ꌩꀤꈤꁅ ꅏꀤ꓄ꃅ ꓄ꃅꍟ ꂦꂵꍏ꓄ꀤꀘꍏꌩꍏ (ꍏꃴꍏ꓄ꍏꋪ ꊼ ꂦꉓꌗ)

\\ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟜//

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

As the group continues, and Grace notices Jake jump at every noise, she approaches him to continue on the path.

"Relax marine." She breathes.

"You're making me nervous." She finishes, pushing ahead of him on the trail, forcing him to lower the muzzle of his gun as he follows.

Grace moves nimbly on the path, seemingly unconcerned with Norm in tow. Nate smiles at Jake as he passes him, clapping his comrade on the shoulder as he passes, continuing his path through the thick shrubbery. As the party moves between the huge trees, feeling as tiny as ants, they notice the trail has gotten steeper, the hike getting tougher.

"So... how will they know we're here?" Norm asked, looking up at the sky and nearly tripping over tree roots.

"I'm sure they're watching us right now," Grace replied, keeping her eyes on the path seeming almost used to the fact.

Norm gulped and paused on the trail, causing Nate to bump into him from behind, knocking Norm forward slightly.

"Oh, sorry," Norm apologized, beginning to walk again.

"No problem," Nate brushed off, casting his eyes up to the towering trees himself for a second, feeling unseen eyes.

"Hey, boys! Over here!" Grace called out, stepping into a tree-top-covered clearing and setting her bag of equipment down.

Norm, Nate, and Jake all waddled in over plants and roots toward their lead. Norm stepped beside Grace as she knelt and brushed away soil, exposing a tangle of root tendrils.

"See, right here where the roots of the two trees interact?" Grace and Norm crouch among enormous octopoidal roots.

She takes a tiny sample using a needle-like probe. Norm uses a digital device to scan the roots. Nate took a few deep breaths, looking around before his sharp eyes landed on a small bright purple flower growing on the ground under a much taller thistle plant.

"Hey Grace, I see some Heart Rose bushes. Can I grab a few samples of my own?" Nate asked, looking past a few trees at the tall blue and purple plant.

"Don't wander too far..." Grace answered mindlessly.

Nate then began walking away from the group toward the plant.

"Hey," Nate paused upon hearing Jake call to him.

"Yeah, what's up?" He asked, turning to face the marine.

"Mind if I tag along?" He asked.

"Sure," Nate responded, smiling, continuing his bash through the bush to his plant.

Jake follows closely, watching his brother-in-arms pull his backpack from his shoulders and place it down, pulling a few Petri dishes from its compartment and beginning to take his samples. Jake scouts ahead a few meters, coming to a glade filled with shoulder-high spiral plants. He brushes one and shtoonk! It sucks down into a tube in the ground so quickly it seems to simply vanish. Jake stepped back in shock but smiled, letting out a soft giggle.

"Cool, huh?" Nate calls walking over with his backpack slung loosely over his shoulder.

"What are they?" Jake asks, curious.

"They're called Helicoradians. They possess amazing healing abilities... think the equivalent of a shot of adrenaline after 5-star medical care back home. Bitches to get a hold of though, for obvious reasons..." Nate chuckled, pointing out to the retreated plant.