Maya

Maya jumped down from the tree and landed in front of the frightened man. The man stood rigid and stared blankly at the young girl. Normally he wouldn't hesitate to grab the little human and drag her back to the city, after all; that was his job. But this girl had him scrambling for his wits as she bound his hands and left him cradled in a branch. Maya laughed lightly as he wriggled against the ropes, trying to get loose. She left him there to his own devices, he wouldn't trouble her again.

The small statured fourteen year old kept gracefully from branch to branch across the canopy. Her status as the only human she knew didn't dampen her joy in the slightest. Maya had met few humans in her life, and none of them she had met for a second time. She never knew her parents and the call f nature have her the nurture she needed. As a result of her circumstances, the girl saw nothing strange about her status, leaving her content with her self-proclaimed position as "Keeper of the Trees".
She reached her destination and dropped softly to the forest floor, brushing back the short black hair that had fallen in her eyes. The area was kept empty of leaves and branches by Maya herself, as she ran a tight establishment, especially in her own living area. She climbed into a better pouch hanging between two branches and slowly drifted off to sleep, satisfied with having saved the forest once more.
Maya was awoken with a start, roused by sounds off in the distance. She scanned the area and decided she only heard a strong wind, laying her head back down and nestling deeper into her netting. The sound came again, louder this time, as if someone was approaching. Maya rise from her net, not taking any chances, and began to walk in the direction of the sound, picking up a stick sharpened into a javelin. Once more the noise sounded, more constant, echoing through the clearing.
Maya stopped for a second, recognising the rustle of leaves and brush of the wind, feeling something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
The cause of the sound soon came into sight, filling the clearing with a flush of grey as a number of massive animals rushed through. The girl jumped up into the trees, scrambling onto the lowest branch and into safety.
Maya had seen these creatures before, but only solitary ones and she didn't see them very often, only four or five in her whole life. She took a daring move and dropped down onto the back of one of the beasts, noticing the hard shell of thick, rough skin covering it. The beast had two massive horns protruding from it's head, one on either side. The teen continued to examine the creature until another sound joined the stomping, a cry so shrill that it pierced her ears. It was one of the winged mammals living in the forest, usually playful creatures. Flicks of the flying creatures joined the fray, adding to the confusion. Other animals began entering what seemed to be mass exodus.
Maya ran along the backs of the horned beasts until she reached the front of the herd, turning around to face the rabble once she got there. There were so many creatures that Maya couldn't see where the stampede ended. She raised her hands high above her head and let out a soothing note. The chaos suddenly calmed, and the herd slowed to a silent stop. The only sounds left were the rustle of leaves and the brush of the wind. As the calmed animals began to return to their homes Maya went back to find the source of the commotion.
She reached her clearing and retrieved the improvised weapon that she had dropped to climb out of the way of the stampede. The path that Maya followed was beaten flat by the large animals that had gone through. She walked what felt like an eternity, following the abundant tracks of the herd. The sun lowered farther and farther over her head, ending with a last bright display of it's brilliance before it disappeared behind the horizon.
Eventually Maya reached what she was looking for. The sounds of axes and flame torches echoed through the area. The racket was a hell to Maya's ears. Where the workers heard progress, the young girl heard only nature screaming in pain. She knew she had to save the trees and sat as the night began, waiting and planning...

The working shift ended soon after the sun had set, leaving only a few men out on guard. This was the opportunity that the hidden teenager was waiting for. As soon as all the labourers were inside she made her move, slipping through the trees and down to the mobile cabin where the workers slept. The area was a wide and clear space, with just a fence surrounding it and three buildings that were one story up. Maya sat at the edge of the building fringing on the trees.
A guard walked past the corner of the cabin and began to head towards where the girl crouched. In an instant Maya was on too of the building, dodging the patrolman just before he could catch sight of her. She began to climb back down then stopped, having a sudden thought.
The lights flashed past a generator on the opposite side of camp against a building. Maya slid down the side of the rest quarters and silently hopped across the clearing, rolling out of the way of the passing spot lights.
As she came to her destination another patrolman showed from around the building corner. With nowhere to go, Maya rolled forward and loosed her javelin. The projectile hit its mark, not giving the man any time to usher a noise from his mouth. The guard's corpse slumped slowly from its kneeling position to the dirt, out of the sight of the two remaining guards that were chatting in the other end of the camp.