"NO, I will not. We have to save her!" Something in his tone must have hit a cord with her as she had to take a step back and a flash of fear went across her face but was gone as quickly as it had come.
"We are in danger in the open like this. We have to leave now before the night creatures come claim all of us." The worry was apparent in her voice. This gave him pause.
"Sienna, just what kinds of creatures are out here?"
"I'm sure you do not want to find out, most are worse than anything you have in the Earth realm. But the worst are of the two legged faery variety. We really should leave." Dillon heard the voice of the little nymph in his head again.
"No please do not leave me to die like this! Please, please don't!"
Dillon felt something surge on the inside of him. He would not leave her like this. Like a man possessed he attacked the bolder. Pouring all of his strength and everything he had into trying to lift the boulder sweat pouring from his brow. He grunted and gritted he teeth with the effort he was putting forth. What he could not see, at that moment as he channeled all that he was into his task, was the glow that began to take over. His hands first and the marks so recently covered by Sienna started to glow through the glamor she had put on to cover them. Sienna was so shocked by what she was seeing that she almost forgot what she was supposed to be doing. As the runes and symbols glowed brighter, Dillon began to lift the bolder. He had so much power going into the bolder that pieces of the bolder began to crumble away at the pressure he had on it. Sienna quickly got a hold of herself, and grabbed the little nymph under her arms and drug her from beneath her rock prison. As soon as she was clear, Dillon dropped the bolder and collapsed to the ground his breath ragged from not only the physical exertion but the use of so much magic to one who was unfamiliar to it. It had taken a lot out of him. His magic faded as he tried to catch his breath, once again disappearing under Sienna's glamor.
Keeping Seinna's warning in mind about the wood, Dillon got himself together and while sienna still held the little nymph in her arms, quickly went about tending her wounds with the extensive first aid kit he had inside his pack. One of her legs was defiantly broken and did his best to reset the bone and stabilize it with binding some ace bandages and two large sturdy branches that ran the length of her leg. At some point, Sienna manifested a magical orb of golden light as the sun had completed its final decent into the night. Dillon felt the since of urgency from Siennna that she did not need to verbalize but from someone who was more familiar with this world than he, he did not take the warning lightly. When he was done binding the nymph as best he could, he put the pack back on and lifted her into his arms. Sienna did not need any more encouragement than that and they quickly set out on their way, Sienna and her glowing orb in the lead. She set a brisk pace looking this way and that as if waiting for something to jump out at them at any moment. Dillon did not complain as he heard the Fae Woods a wake with sounds life that had a vibrancy of its own completely different from the day light.
"Will we reach the village soon?" Dillon said a bit breathlessly to Sienna. He was still exhausted from earlier and his new little burden was not helping. In addition to that he could feel the eyes of something watching them as they went or more like he felt that they were being hunted.
"Yes, we are just on the out skirt of the village, we just might make it!" No soon had those words left her lips than the sound of a very menacing growl let lose way to close.
Dillon let out some very colorful explicative and Sienna quickened their pace even more. They were now almost at a run trying to get away from whatever it was that was surely hunting them. Another growl and rustle in the leaves up ahead had Sienna veering off in another direction. At this point they did break out into run. Just then a huge trunk from a tree fell in their path. It shook the ground with its girth and weight and They both came to an immediate halt.
"Oh no, it's too late." Sienna said slowly backing away from the trunk of wood with a look of terror on her face.
"It just a tree trunk, we can climb around it."
"You don't get it Dill, that tree trunk is what we've been running from."
"What are you talking about?"
"Tygerwuds."
"Wah! This is no time to be thinking about gulf players. We have to get a move on."
She just shook her head and pointed "No, Look". He again turned his head to look at the fallen log once again. Right before his eyes the trunk began to change unfolding from itself and before long before him stood and 7 foot tall tiger, he could just imagine how intimidating the beast would be if it were to go back on its haunches. Also, for all accounts its coat looked as if it was made of tree bark and had eyes that glowed green. The beast slowly stalked towards them emitting a growl that set the hair on the back of his neck on end. It continued to emit he growl making him sure that it was going to attack in a moment. He glanced over to Sienna and back noting that at some point during his appraisal of the beast that she had worked a bit of magic and now held a bow and arrow that was cocked directly at the approaching beast.
Going on his instinct which had not failed him thus far in this new world Dillon said, "Put the bow down Sienna. All you are doing is making it angry."
"I may not be able to kill it in one shoot but maybe I can maim it enough so that we can get away." The growls from the beast came louder.
"That is not a good idea, please trust me put the bow down." Dillon slowly put the little nymph he had still been holding down behind him along with his pack, cradling her head with it. His instincts kicked into high gear.
"What are you doing?! These mindless beasts will tear you apart without blinking and eye." His attention was now focused on Sienna what happened next happened so fast it was a blur. Sienna released the arrow, the animal lunged at her, and Dillon pushed Sienna out of the way of the lounging beast. The arrow missed its mark, as Sienna screaming as she fell, landed off to the side and the beast landed on top of Dillon with a thud that again shook the ground. He could feel its claws digging into his arms. The face of the beast so near his, that he could feel each exhale of breath on his cheek. Yet, his concern was not for himself. He yelled for Sienna, to run and save herself leaving him to his demise. The growling, teeth bearing beast amazed him even more. It spoke, with a booming, deep gravelly voice that was still distinctly female.
"That won't be necessary Chosen. If the female ceases to attack, so will we." With that she backed off of Dillon sitting on her hind end. And as Dillon sat up he watched as more of the Tygerwud beasts detached themselves from trees all around them as they had apparently had his little group surrounded and didn't know it. They all settled around them and the apparent leader spoke again.
"You are the Chosen and we have been waiting for you."
