Caelva

In the Arten Forest, a small pine forest on North Caelva's border to the south, the last snowflakes of winter flutter down from the canopy. Many kinds of plants grow here that most spellcasters and alchemists seek as components or ingredients. A rabbit chews on the stalk of a red radish plant, then flees at the sound of approaching footsteps.

Maple: Hmmm... *stops to survey the forest* Sure is lovely today. I wonder what kinds of flowers I'll be able to find here to bring back to mother? She'd love them. Oh, but the trees are so nice as well.

The pad of huge paws can be heard as a guy on the back of a huge sabertooth cat explores the forest.

Leaves and bushes rustle behind her, as a brown bear lumbers out of the underbrush. It notices Maple, and stands on its hind legs, and roars.

Maple: Eeeeek! Um... Ni-Nice bear...

The bear rushes Maple, roaring, teeth and claws bared.

The huge sabertoothed cat jumps in to aid the girl scaring the bear with a thunderous roar.

Maple screams as she summons her wood elemental and it whacks at the bear with a club.

The bear roars in response, and swipes at the cat with its mighty paw, then crushes the wood elemental with both its paws, and claws combined.

Fang knocks it away with a swipe of his claws.
Festoon:You alright? We got this.

Maple: *sits on the ground up against a tree shivering* Please don't hurt me, Mr. Bear. I don't taste very good. Honest.

Festoon: I've got this.*forms an empathetic connection with the bear.* Easy big guy. Calm down.

The bear clams down, and wanders back into the underbrush.

Festoon: There we go. *looks over at the girl.*

Maple: Oh thank goodness he's gone. I could've died a nobody. Phew.

Fastoon: What brought you out here?

Maple: Just...Um...The flowers and trees and stuff is all.

Four men clad in rough leathers and wielding bows and spears emerge through the brush from where the bear first came. At first glance, they appear to be hunters or poachers. The first man comes forward.
hunter: Oi, you two. Have you seen a brown bear come in, adult male?

Maple: Yes! And he tried to eat me! I was so scared! T.T

Fastoon: Haven't seen him.

hunter: Eh? You two are tellin' two different stories, I'd say! Tryin' to protect our prey, are ye? 
The poacher's companions back him up.
hunter: Well we're not going back to camp empty-handed. Tell us where the bear went, or we'll skin yer cat and have a little fun with your friend here!

Fastoon raises his hands and binds them all with vines.

The poachers cut through the vines with their knives, then advance on Fastoon and Maple. A girl clad in black leathers lined with white fur jumps down from a nearby tree, then holds her spear up toward the poachers.
hunter: Ah, another bird! Wonderful! 
The spectral image of a rabbit appears behind Nessa, and she quickly stabs the first hunter in the gut before he has time to react. Then she whips around and slices across the next poacher's legs with the side of her spear blade, then stabs him in the chest before he even had time to react to the spectral image. Shen then darts around to behind the hunters and stabs the third one in the back.

Maple: O-Oh my... How fast.

the fourth hunter simply runs away after dropping his spear. Nessa sighs, looks down, then back up to meet Maple and Fastoon.
Nessa: You'll want to be careful in these woods...I've seen a lot of poachers here recently.