Fire Trail


You tread cautiously along the path. You paranoidly scan the ground around you for the sand snakes that Rashwe had mentioned, and your eyes flick upwards and around often as well, looking for this Anura creature. Occasionally, you even glance behind you.

You come to a narrow passage, on which either side the cliffs rise high. You have no other way to go but through it, and you do so, hoping that no snakes will emerge from the many small holes in the rockface, and hoping that nothing else is around to ambush you.

Quite suddenly, a tiny, shimmery gold head emerges from a hole to your left. You yelp, but there's not much room to move, and you dart forward to get away from the creature, which you assume to be a sand snake. Your quick motion and yell seems to have woken others, though, and as you attempt to keep your arms from hitting the walls on either side of you, you also must avoid more emerging snakes.

Finally, you reach the other side of the narrow pass, and you burst out from the opening in the rock walls, panting and wild-eyed, but knowing that the snakes are behind you. However, your relief at getting away is short-lived, for in front of you, rises a multi-limbed creature that can only be the Anura that Rashwe had spoken of...





You dive to the ground, curling into a ball in an attempt to protect yourself from the creature's attack. However, the feel of a snake slithering over your leg causes you to involuntarily jump back up to your feet, and you whirl to face the blue creature, sure that she is about to reach out to strangle you with her many arms...

Instead, she's just standing there, looking half confused, half amused.

"May I ask just what the matter is, wanderer?"

You don't answer her question, but instead blurt out one of your own. "A-ar-r-e you... Anura?"

"Yes, I am," the creature replies, perplexedly. Then, suddenlt, her eyes widen and one of her many hands flies up to cover her mouth. "Oh! Oh dear. You have met Rashwe. And I don't doubt he filled your mind with all kinds of terrors about the evil Anura and deadly snakes and such, right?"

You nod.

She sighs, apparently exasperated. "His name doesn't mean 'trouble' for nothing. Kiezo Flits don't usually attack visitors, so you have nothing to fear from me." You realize that it was silly not to see that she was indeed a Kiezo, and feel a bit sheepish. "And the snakes are herbivores, so I doubt you'd be bitten. And even if you were, they've got no venom anyway." You glance down, and see that the snake that had slithered over you, as well as a few of its friends, and inquisitively studying your foot, but none are displaying any intent on biting you.

"Terribly sorry to give you such a fright. Honestly, that Rashwe has no shame. None at all!" You accept Anura's apology, and she points to where the path continues. "No worries, there's nothing that will harm you for quite a distance." With that, she begins climbing onto a large boulder, much faster that Rashwe had climbed thanks to her extra, spider-like limbs. You turn to leave.




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Name: Anura
ID: 56f
Gender: Female
Species: Kiezo Flit
Mate: None
Birth Flight: Unknown
From: Kiezo Glade



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