chapter 3: an encounter

Sylvia couldn't help but grimace at the sight and smell of whatever Cailan was concocting in the old pot sitting on the fire pit. From the looks of it, the mix included preserved meat, dried bread, water, and whatever else the hunter found laying around the forest.

"Aaaannnddd just like that, breakfast is ready." Cailan said brimming with confidence.

Sylvia was at a loss for what to do in this situation. She definitely did not want to consume the substance that sat in her hands, but she also didn't want to upset Cailan, who had tried his best to make her something thoughtful. When Cailan's back was turned, she deftly poured the mix back into the pot and grabbed some small, loose rations instead. While the rations could barely be considered breakfast, she was willing to go a little hungry for the sake of avoiding the alternative. Soon enough, they set out deeper into the woods to try an uncover more about the giants that made this place their home.

They walked onwards for some time, with Sylvia trying her best to push past the fatigue and keep going. Her stomach ached and pleaded for something to fill it after neglecting to do so earlier.

"Hey, mind if I get some more rations?" She asked.

"Already?" Cailan replied. "They're supposed to last us for a set amount of time and we need to be careful how often we use them. If you want, we can forage around for a bit! I'm sure there's something we can find to hold you over."

This is not what Sylvia wanted to hear. Not only did she probably sound like a pig asking for more food, but she didn't even get anything. She was patient however, and was able to catch herself before blowing up at him even if he deserved it for embarrassing her.

Her head tilted slightly to the side as if weighing her options. "Fine. I guess I'll start looking then."

Sylvia wandered for only a few minutes when her feet became stuck in more vines and bramble. Growing more frustrated, she attempted to free herself when she saw near her a large, shiny, orange fruit lowly hanging from one of the vines. She quickly snatched it and made her way back to the hunter.

"Is this safe for me to eat?" She asked eagerly.

He examined the fruit very carefully and came to the conclusion after about a minute that it was certainly safe to consume. Not a second later, Sylvia snatched the fruit away and started to devour it. Possibly the most delicious fruit she had ever had the pleasure of eating, it was sweet and filling with juices that began to drip down her chin. Within moments, the fruit was gone and she was content.

Cailan paused for a moment while he watched her eat away at the orange fruit. Something in the way she voraciously consumed it made him slightly aroused. Maybe it was how unashamed she was while enjoying what she wanted? Whatever it was, he couldn't deny her feverishly biting into the plump skin of the fruit being hot in some way or another.

"Ha-ha, so are we good now?" He said sheepishly, not sure how to properly act without giving away his guilty pleasure.

"Uhh, yeah! *Ahem* Yeah, we're good. That was actually really delicious. Sorry I didn't save you any."

"No you're fine! I'm sure we'll find some more later. L-let's uhhh, let's keep going!"

Sylvia proceeded to wipe off her mouth with a handkerchief and moved on. Within a couple minutes, however, she began to feel slightly drowsy. With each step, she couldn't help but constantly find herself tangled in some growing vine or thicket. Her eyes began to have a harder time keeping themselves open as she tried lumbering through the brush. They eventually found themselves at a large tree covered in vines and delicious orange fruit. She leaned against the great tree and called out to Cailan.

"Hey, hold up. I think a break..." Her head began to dip as she started to drift off.

"Woah, what's gotten into you? We just had a break! Why so tired all of a sudden? Look at this tree, Sylvia! It has that fruit that you found earlier!"

"I know, I know... It's really nice..." She sat down on a tree root and yawned. "I don't know what it is, Cailan... I'm just... sooo... tired..."

A few moments later, several camouflaged men in tribal clothing sprung out into vision and proceeded to attack Cailan with stones and nets. He proceeded to draw his bow and dexterously shoot arrows through the trees, hoping to land as many as he could on the attackers. To her surprise, Sylvia watched and attempted to reach for her amulet through her almost drunken stupor. She managed to whisper a small prayer that bolstered Cailan's life force, as he then began deflecting the oncoming ballistics with an unnatural force. Her concentration was starting to fade. She kept up the prayer as long as she could before the vines around her started to move. Unable to pull away, the vines creeped themselves around her legs and hands, binding her and preventing anymore intervention.

The tribal men started pouring out from all over, inevitably overwhelming the hunter despite his unwavering focus. Sylvia tried to wriggle free, but the vines had enveloped her completely and she had not an ounce of strength left to fight. Almost in response to her resistance, the twisted growth proceeded to squeeze her. She could feel her breath escaping as the growth tightened and constricted, draining any ounce of energy she had left. Soon enough, the vines had won. They had her tight in its clutches as they began to shift and move again. They turned and lifted her tired, lethargic body up into the giant tree with the orange fruits as her view of Cailan disappeared and the sound of fighting started to fade.

She was carried to the center of the crown in the upper part of the tree with the orange fruit hanging around her. The vines rearranged themselves and kept Sylvia suspended in a spread out star-like position while they wrapped around her legs from below and around her arms from the sides.

"Cailan..." She said weakly with her eyes barely open. The vines started to creep around her head as a thick ivy with a small orange bulb on the end started to come closer. She tried to shake her head away but it was no use. The encroaching vines proceeded to wrap within her hair and pull her head back.

"Cailan... Please... Help-mmm-mmmm..." Sylvia moaned weakly as the vines squeezed her mouth open and the orange bulb promptly entered. With no strength left, Sylvia inescapably succumbed to the lethargy, leaving her now hopelessly constrained by the vines that enveloped her. Her fate had been sealed...