Decay

Feared

My brain fought with my legs as I was forced to trudge along the forest floor.
Two Leafmen guards were at my back, ensuring that I never would get the chance to escape from my bonds.

My captors were small in number, only just six of them on the ground with me. The rest of the party had taken to the skies on vibrant armoured hummingbirds, which sped through the air so quickly that they seemed to blur into their surroundings.

To my dismay, one Leafman in particular had stayed behind with my escort to make sure I didn't try anything funny.

Out of all the thousands of Leafmen in the forest, I just had to be watched over by Mandrake's greatest and most feared enemy.

Ronin

Finn, assumingly the leader of the patrol that had found me, met up with the Leafmen commander at the edge of the thief's camp.

A truly terrifying encounter in my case...

He was a lot more threatening in person than Mandrake had said.
In his battle stories, he always made Ronin seem weaker and inferior than him.

Now I knew how false those lies really were.

I had been bound and forced to walk at swordpoint towards the party, the sight of Ronin making my nerves twitch in anxiety.

He was well built, and imposing to say the least.
The intricate armor he was wearing clearly defined his rank as a commander, and his gaze bore me down, almost as piercing as Mandrake's.

"So....I'm assuming you found something." he inquired to Finn as he glanced me over, seemingly unconcerned in the presence of a Boggan.

"It was tied up in a storage room. Nothing too special about it except...well...."

The guards prodded me in the ribcage, forcing me to turn to the side to avoid getting cut.

I felt the coolness of the air as my cloak was brushed aside, once again revealing my wings.

"Looks like Mandrake's been experimenting with nature's laws...Somehow this one is still alive." Ronin said calmly before turning away to speak with Finn, out of earshot.

What...?

I wasn't even sure what that word, experimenting, even meant.

I fully understood everything else, though, which didn't help.
What did he mean, "somehow still alive?"

Was I supposed to be dead...?

"The Queen will want to know about this immediately."

Finn turned to face the party and waved them forward.
The group began to move at a marching pace, with me being dragged along as their unwilling captive.

---

I was at the front of the march, just behind Ronin and Finn.
They were silent the entire journey.

In fact, the whole group of Leafmen were eerily quiet as they navigated through the towering plant life that surrounded us. The only sound being the dull thud of footsteps, or the occasional sweeping noise of plants being pushed aside.

My mind was far from quiet however.

Thoughts of what Ronin had said swam around my head, refusing to be ignored.

It didn't help that I didn't even fully understand what he said.
I just had bits and pieces that spelled out something bad....really, really bad.