The Forbidden Forest

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

The Forbidden Forest

What goes on in that secret, haunted place? Behind those giant bushes and ancient trees? What deadly creatures roam the night? How long will you survive in The Forbidden Forest? It is 1988 - a year when Aragog was still thriving in the darkness.

[choki]

The forbidden forest at the night was tranquil and occassionally accompanied with the sound of the leaves rustling in tune with the wind. However, the silent of the night was soon broken by the noisy trio at the riverside.

"Look! I caught it!" Tales held up his catch in a triumph manner. Orion and Petal were still running hopelessly in the shallow waters, trying to catch the elusive night dwellers of the river. Once they noticed, the two quickly ran towards Tales but being the clumsy one, Orion managed to crash into Tales and knocked the fish right out of his hand.

"Noooo, I spent the last 2 hours trying to catch that!" Tales lamented as he proceeded to wack Orion's head while Petal stood nearby, laughing her head off.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Bair sniffed the air.

Predators.

[Scarlet Lioness]

Kiro licked his tail...it was all messy...he didn't like it like that.

He looked around, and up and down. The sun was down. Darktime.

He curled into a ball and went to sleep.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Bair hurried off the find his small gang of centaurs that he guessed were going to possibly be the prey for that evening.

Centaurs were strong... but not that strong. Thanks to his nose, they had at least seven or eight minutes until the predators would arrive. He galloped.

[choki]

"Get back here you little twerp!" Tales yelled while chasing after Orion around in circles. This time round, Orion had managed to kick the bucket of baits, letting its content escaped into the river. Petal could only shake her head in despair, a sign of giving up when it came to the childish duo.

[Scarlet Lioness]

Kiro dreamed of his sister.
Cecilia raced ahead of Kiro through the forest, urging Kiro to quicken his pace. They loved racing together. Cecilia stopped suddenly and Kiro banged into the back of her. Why did she stop??

Kiro never saw the rest of his dream, because he remembered the day so vividly when he was awake, he couldn't bear to see the memory again. His sister was killed that day, and Kiro had witnessed all of it. She had only been 10months old at the time.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Bair heard some shouts and yelling that could have been around 800 metres away - but he could understand perfectly clearly, as though they were standing right it front of him.

It was just a couple of centaurs - that was Orion's herd, wasn't it?

[choki]

With a great leap, Tales successfully tackled Orion onto the muddy patch near the riverbank. Even though, Tales was the oldest among the trio (he had just celebrated his 77th year birthday), he was still a child at heart. Afterall, centaurs lived up to their hundreds, and for his age, Tales was considered a young male, equivalent to a wizard in his twenties.

A sudden flash of movement at the far bushes at the other end of the river caught the attention of Tales. The distinctive galloping sound gave away the identity of the stranger - a centaur named Bair.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

The centaurian equivalent of teenage years lasted about 30 years. Bair was only roughly halfway through.

But he was still a more capable guard than any other, with his senses constantly reeling from the sounds, smells and sights around him.

"You have some predators on your way," Bair warned Tales.

[Scarlet Lioness]

Kiro wasn't sleepy anymore. He decided to run.

He ran around his part of the forest, which was also inhabited by many other creatures especially Centaurs. They prefered this side of the Forest.

He slowed to more of a trot and then started walking. He heard voices. He kept slowing walking closer to them. Centaurs. He could see them through the bush he was hiding in.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Bair saw the small creature as soon as it entered the vicinity.

"Yes, little one?"

[Scarlet Lioness]

The Centaur was huge. Kiro looked up.

"Have you seen my Mum, Mr...Centaur?" Kiro looked expectantly, he hadn't seen his Mum for days. "I don't know where she is"

[choki]

Tales looked intensively around the vicinity. He was an accomplished hunter with a critical sense of sight.

"Nope... no predators and no mummy griffin at sight," Tales announced to the two arrivals. Tales thought mentally to himself that what kind of creature would dare to take on a full grown centaur. Perhaps Bair was too cautious and worried too much.

Tales proceeded to pick up the young griffin.
"Ok, young griffin! First of all, what's your name?"

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Bair started counting backwards from ten.

That would be how long it was until Tales noticed that there were indeed predators hunting.

10...

9....