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She decided on a whim to offer to guide to the latest fools to come into the woods for easy bounties. She had watched the two before them as they meandered through the woods, shouting and yelling, breaking twigs and cutting down branches in their path, disturbing the nesting animals in their vicinity. With the eyes of a wolf she had watched them and with the voice of a wolf she had contained her anger deep in her throat.
These ones were no different. One was a half-orc and he had not cowered when he saw her; perhaps that had been the cause of her decision to try a new approach. She shifted back to human form, covered her head with a deep, thick hood and approached them. She offered to be their guide. She explained that no animals were to be killed, and that she would take them past the areas they should not go. A little surprising to her, they accepted.
For some hours she gritted her teeth at their smell and their chatter. She showed them the paths she deemed least hazardous if they took, partaking in combat only when she was directly attacked. She would stand back a bit, leaned to her staff, and watch them fight.
They disregarded her paths at times and ran straight for flocks of humanoids they could easily have avoided, even with their armoured boots and foul smell. It was carnage, and she could barely contain her rage.
The goblins and gnolls and the other humanoids were not her enemies, or enemies of the wildlands. They had as much right to be there as anything else. They carved their lives from the forest, primitive yes and with mother nature’s precious resources but they took only what they needed; they had not civilisation’s unquenchable thirst. Her deep brown eyes, black to any onlooker, shot daggers at the two from under the hood, and she gritted her teeth. But, she followed the guidance she had recieved by the elder druids and let these two cull the populations.
Once they were finally done with all they set out to do an eerie silence had descended over the woods. She instinctively knew that something was different. She hushed the bounty hunters and fell forward, her body shifting into a large panther. Paws quietly carrying her she inspected the area, and scented the footprints she found. The human was still speaking loudly, and the druid found herself growling at her and using speech, something she disliked doing to anyone but other druids. She told her that she had to be quiet in a tone of voice that suggested there was no alternative. Had it been a cub she would have bitten it to make it submit and keep silent. But it was not. And the woman was wearing too much metal to bite properly.
She thought quickly. She had to find out what was going on. With the promise of coin they were easy to recruit as bodyguards. If something went wrong, their metal swords could prove useful. It was a good thing she had decided to guide them. If their presence made her investigation have even a slightly larger survival chance it would be worth it.
But she couldn’t help that low rumbling in the panther’s throat as she followed the tracks. She wondered if they would ever stop coming, these people who sought only to slice through bodies for coin with no care for how their presence affected the balance of the woods.
These ones were no different. One was a half-orc and he had not cowered when he saw her; perhaps that had been the cause of her decision to try a new approach. She shifted back to human form, covered her head with a deep, thick hood and approached them. She offered to be their guide. She explained that no animals were to be killed, and that she would take them past the areas they should not go. A little surprising to her, they accepted.
For some hours she gritted her teeth at their smell and their chatter. She showed them the paths she deemed least hazardous if they took, partaking in combat only when she was directly attacked. She would stand back a bit, leaned to her staff, and watch them fight.
They disregarded her paths at times and ran straight for flocks of humanoids they could easily have avoided, even with their armoured boots and foul smell. It was carnage, and she could barely contain her rage.
The goblins and gnolls and the other humanoids were not her enemies, or enemies of the wildlands. They had as much right to be there as anything else. They carved their lives from the forest, primitive yes and with mother nature’s precious resources but they took only what they needed; they had not civilisation’s unquenchable thirst. Her deep brown eyes, black to any onlooker, shot daggers at the two from under the hood, and she gritted her teeth. But, she followed the guidance she had recieved by the elder druids and let these two cull the populations.
Once they were finally done with all they set out to do an eerie silence had descended over the woods. She instinctively knew that something was different. She hushed the bounty hunters and fell forward, her body shifting into a large panther. Paws quietly carrying her she inspected the area, and scented the footprints she found. The human was still speaking loudly, and the druid found herself growling at her and using speech, something she disliked doing to anyone but other druids. She told her that she had to be quiet in a tone of voice that suggested there was no alternative. Had it been a cub she would have bitten it to make it submit and keep silent. But it was not. And the woman was wearing too much metal to bite properly.
She thought quickly. She had to find out what was going on. With the promise of coin they were easy to recruit as bodyguards. If something went wrong, their metal swords could prove useful. It was a good thing she had decided to guide them. If their presence made her investigation have even a slightly larger survival chance it would be worth it.
But she couldn’t help that low rumbling in the panther’s throat as she followed the tracks. She wondered if they would ever stop coming, these people who sought only to slice through bodies for coin with no care for how their presence affected the balance of the woods.