Heyo, Renx here! This chapter is going to have some Sindarin Elvish in it.
The reason why I put that in here, is because, I'm like 60% positive Tui inpart based the Leafwings off of Tolkein's Elves.
And I mean, the Poison Jungle is kind of like the WoF equivilent of Fanghorn.
And it would make sense for during the Tree Wars, the Leafwings had a secret lanuage like Elvish.
I can't promise I spelled everything right, though.
Anyways, hope you like this chapter!
Holly's POV
"Well, we need to get moving", Willow said briskly. "We'lll deal with that if we have to."
They continued walking, Sundew and Willow at the front, Holly at the back, with Mandrake helping her along.
He had his wing around her, guiding her around tree roots and brambles whenever he could.
Why am I doing this? I told him I was never there for him, and instead of letting me die, he's helping me and making sure I don't hurt myself.
Holly spread her wings briefly in an attempt to get them out from under Mandrakes.
"It's fine", she said. "I can go on by myself now."
She hadn't even made it five feet, when she tripped over a log that was sitting in the middle of the path.
Mandrake turned around and looked at her.
"You sure about that?"
"I didn't trip!", Holly said, standing up quickly, ignoring the throb in her joints.
"The ground wanted a hug."
He chuckled.
"Of course."
They went on quietly for a long while.
The wind rustled through the vines and ivy and shaking the trees. Now and then, the sound of a spidermonkey's call could be heard far off in the distance. The lap of a stream or waterfall was also heard momentarily.
"So, Bookworm, what books do you like?", Mandrake asked as they passed a cluster of Roidulas.
"Oh gods, I have so many!", Holly said with a laugh.
"Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, The Wingfeather Saga, and The Recapture of the City. And there was one more, but I can't remember it for some reason. . . . ."
"Huh", Mandrake said.
"Are you learning any languages?", he asked.
"I'm learning Tolkein's Sindarin Elvish", Holly answered.
"Can you say something?"
Holly though for a second.
"Im Holly. Mà gúvanan. Maneinkey?"
As if by impulse, Mandrake said, "Im dóla gyn lam. Am sàw izt Mandrake."
Holly burst out laughing.
"What?", Mandrake asked.
"You said-", Holly said between giggles.
"I'm - not quite sure what-what you said- but I heard-", Holly gasped, "something-li-like, 'My head is empty. I'm a bottle of juice'!"
"What?", Mandrake said between his own laughter. "No! I said, 'My name is Mandrake. Nice to meet you'!"
It took several minutes before they got control of themselves.
"By the way, what did your parents mean by naming you Mandrake?", Holly asked.
"Mandrake like the plant", Mandrake said.
"Why?"
"In my world, Mandrakes scream", Holly giggled. "Did you scream a lot when you were younger?"
"No", Mandrake said, grinning. "Holly leaves are sharp you know."
"Hold it", Cricket said. "Let me think for a second, I'm trying to come up with a rhyme about this. . . . "
"Wait wait wait, I got one!", Holly said.
"Mandrake likes screaming, and Nettle is steaming, Hollies are prickly, holy crap, that escilated quickly!"
"Oh my gosh!", Cricket said laughing.
"Oobie goosh!", Bumblebee said.
"Mandrake, you're a doffus", Holly said.
"Doofus? You're the one who stabbed her own hip!", he said, swatting at her.
Holly ducked, and for a moment, thought she spotted something under the leaves.
She stared at the ground while the others kept walking.
Whatever it was, it was gone.
Maybe she imagined it; at least that's what she hoped.
She walked faster to catch up with the others.
"You are all being ridiculous", Nettle was saying. "Snakes aren't scary.
Holly felt a shiver go down her spine.
Snakes.
Why does it have to be snakes?
"Nettle, you are welcome to kill any snakes we happen to find", Mandrake said.
They fell silent for a moment, carefully making their way up another overgrown slope.
The trees loomed above them, as if watching any and all trespassers into their territory. The vines in this part of the jungle looked like long skinny fingers. Once, one of them hovered above Holly's wings, and she could feel the coldness of it. It was as frozen as an abandoned building.
"Why is it so quiet all of a sudden?", Cricket asked.
She was right. This was the jungle. Where were the birds?
The only sound was the breaze wistling the branches, that was it.
Holly was looking at the treetops, trying to find the birds when she spotted the first snake.
She missed it a few times, but when she caught sight of it, she was surprised to see that it wasn't moving.
It's head was poking out of the weeds, just a few feet away from Willow.
Sundew saw it too and stared at it.
Holly expected it to strike, but it didn't. It didn't even flinch. It was as still as a statue.
"That is really weird", Sundew answered Cricket.
Willow didn't notice the snake and took a step forward before Sundew held up her talon as a warning.
"Willow", Sundew whispered, "to your left. Weird, paralyzed snake, or something."
Willow saw it and took a step back.
But it still didn't move.
"What's wrong with it?", Cricket asked.
"Can't it see us?"
"No", Holly said as the viper flicked it's tongue.
It's golden eyes seemed to look straight through them, but when they moved, the creature's eyes didn't follow them.
"Should we try to kill it?", Sundew asked.
"No", Willow said, "that might wake it up. Let's just leave it alone and keep moving."
Holly inwardly agreed. There was something indistinctly uncanny about a snake that looked like it could strike at any moment, but just stood there.
They moved quietly but quickly uphill, keeping as far away from the long weeds as possible.
Another one was poised nearby, staring at Mandrake and Nettle from it't position, coiled around a thorn bush.
"Is it moving?", Holly whispered.
"No", Mandrake said through his teeth. "And neither are we."
"See if you can slip away", she suggested. "Maybe this one's stuck too. Why aren't any of them moving?"
"I should wring it's neck", Nettle growled. But she didn't make a move, and after a moment, Mandrake took a step away from it, and then another.
The snake only stuck out it's tongue, it's unwavering golden eyes fixed in place.
"Let's get going", Sundew said. "Be carefully where you step."
She took the lead as they walked single file, taking careful steps along the edge of the hill and down the other side.
Holly found herself wincing away from the weeds and trees, away from any hiding places where a snake might lurk.
She kept leaning towards Mandrake, sometimes grabbing him for support.
"There", Cricket said, tilting her head to the left.
Two more vipers were coiled on the tree branches, their heads pointing to the path, staring at them.
"Over here too."
Mandrake flicked his wing.
They were passing a patch of tangled vines and grass.
But what Holly'd thought were just weird plants, were really snakes, five or six green and brown smooth heads, turning towards the, impasive and deadly.
"Why won't any of them do anything?", Cricket asked. She hesitated to walk over a large tree root, then, after carefully inspecting it, stepped over it.
"Maybe they're looking for better prey than us", Mandrake suggested.
Holly twitched nervously. Her ear kept flicking the air, but she didn't try to stop it. She would rather have a dozen asps bite her than a dozen who just sat there waiting. If the snakes were going to attack, why wouldn't they just DO IT?
When they got to the bottom of the slope, they found a stream, it's muddy water trickling over stones and rocks.
Sundew went across the water, pointing to boas in the trees and on the stones as she went.
"Maybe we should fly", Mandrake said.
"Can't we just go over the Den of Vipers?"
He cast a glance at Holly.
"No. There are too many trees, too many snakes in the way", Nettle scoffed.
The trees were dripping with snakes now. Eyes watched them, never blinking. Beady scales shown like gems in the faint sunlight.
They waded across the brook and kept walking, between trees that kept gettng closer and closer. Below them, more staring, still snakes.
Holly gave a small cry. Something whispered,"Tratior, lier, coward, dishonest, you call these dragons, these monsters, your friends? Join ussss. . . . "
"Holly?", Mandrake asked anxiously.
Sundew growled.
"The Breath of evil. It's close."
Holly sniffed.
The air was ripe with . . . peppers?
Her nose scrunched up as she tried not to sneeze.
"What's that?", Mandrake asked. He was pointing to a light up ahead, a break in the trees where the sunlight fell uninterupted to the forest floor.
"Maybe that's the Eye", Cricket said. "Where Hawthorn lives?"
"How can he live there surrounded by the snakes and the Breath of evil?", Willow asked.
"He might not", Nettle said. "He might be dead."
"That's the spirit, Nettle", Holly said, coming to her senses. "Let's check it out."
As they got closer, the jungle became easier to see.
With a shiver, she recognized the scarlet and green vine that grew overhead.
"Tratior, lier, friendless. . . . ."
Shut up.
They were almost at the end of the clearing, when the snakes suddenly moved.
An enormous boa constrictor blocked their path. Soon they were surrounded by a sea of snakes.
"Um, Sundew", Willow said, "any ideas?"
"Why ask her?", Nettle snapped. "I have a plan: let's kill them!"
She lunged at a nearby viper and as Holly tried to pull her back, she felt something slithering up her leg, something cold and scaley and alive.
"Snakes. Why'd have to be snakes?!"
"Leave them alone!", a new voice said.
The snakes all froze. The one climbing up Holly stopped, it's fangs only a heartbeat away from bitting her.
All of the snakes lifted their heads, looking at the stranger.
"Begone!", the new dragon said. "Leave these travelers in peace!"
After a terrible moment, the snakes all left.
"You very nearly died", the Leafwing said to them. "What kind of idiots come to a place called Den of Vipers?"
"Desperate ones", Sundew said. "We're looking for a dragon named Hawthorn."
"By the way", Mandrake said, "thanks."
"NO!", Nettle said. "I had it all under control! I was just about to kill that thing!"
"If you had, the others all would have killed you", the stranger said. "This is our territory, so they'rte pretty protective."
"Sorry, who? What?", Cricket asked.
"I'm Hawthorn", the dragon said. "And those were my vipers. Tea anyone?"
A/N: You guys might be wondering what "The Recapture of the City" is.
It's a movie script that me and my cousins are writting together.
It isn't on Wattpad, but I just couldn't resist having a shout-out to it here :D
If you liked this chapter, don't forget to add a vote, comment, and share!
Wordcount: 1857
Renx out!