Chapter 3: Enemies come in many forms.

     It was the first week into the journey, and our heroes were starting to get tired of being on the road. Their clothes were badly deteriorated; their supplies, having long finished, now consisted of berries and road kill they gathered along the way. They smelt of wet grass and burnt oil. Their feet were either blistered or numb. Their hair was the greatest sight for any warlock to behold; for it was far worse than any wizard could conjure up. There were times when goats gathered to mock their hair.
    It is said that to truly test a relationship, one should go on a long journey together. That will either make or break your bond. And here, as our young gallants (and gallant-esses) come to learn, that age does not equal wisdom, gracefulness does not equal kindness, and time is anything than absolute.
    One particular repugnant character, took it upon herself to onset a position of power for herself. She had the necessary skills and qualifications, or so she said to herself. She laid out her tactics well. First, she started by being gracious to all members of the journey. She was careful to greet each of them with cheer and warmth, courteous to them when she found herself in the wrong, and she was always available for chatter or in case anyone needed aid. Oh, she played her cards well.
    Soon though, she managed to sniff out the alphas of the group, as well as the ones who had most power and position. She had a good inclination to be part of this group, and out-do the others. They were inferior, unworthy, and they were blessed to have her come on this filthy journey with them. It's only a matter of time and patience, she tells herself.
    Meanwhile, on camp grounds, another particular person was huffing and puffing his way in the woods trying to gather firewood for the night. This one went by the name Armidas, and he had bright green feelers on the very top of his head. With him, was a pink-and-orange feelered friend who shall henceforth be named Orinx (remember I told you some of them just don't have names). It had been raining, so finding dried wood was not an easy task, but they needed the firewood otherwise they would have to eat raw raccoon tonight. Raw raccoon meat was a bit iffy. One could never tell whether or not it was safe to eat just by the look of it.
    Orinx was looking inside tree holes for hope of a dry spot that might hold some dried wood. Armidas was poking around cautiously for he feared the creatures these woods might conceal. Once, when he was at home, a snake found its way into his house and he had to solely save the entire household of baby ducks because his parents were away at the Tea Festival. When they finally got home and found him crouched in a corner crying out snakes and demons, his mother told him he probably just mistook a mouse for a snake. Luckily for Armidas, the snake decided to greet hello to the hostess and so his mother learned to listen to him after that.
    "I found some!" shouted Orinx.
Happily, the two bounded up a bunch of dried twigs and leaves and made their way huffing and puffing back to camp.