Into the woods...

You head south, bidding the tranquil pool goodbye. As you move further and further, the woods become more dense, and the beautiful gold of the earlier forest gradually falls away, replaced by trees of a dull, grey bark. These trees are much thinner than their golden cousins, and grow in much closer proximity to one another. Whereas you might have seen one trunk every 15 feet in the western forest, here, in the south west, it's closer to every 7 to 8 feet. Although the western forest may have been more physically beautiful than the present location, what it can't compare to is the ambiance surrounding you. The thicker forest brings with it a diverse ecosystem of birds and small mammals. All around you is the sound of chirping and singing. Were it not for the unearthly look of the creatures around you, you could almost believe you were back on Earth.

The two of you continue your southwestern arc, passing the time by trying to think of names for all the creatures you see. The forest continues to grow thicker the further south and west you go, and the trees grow both taller and darker in complexion. Just then, a bird alights on a low branch in front of you, causing the two of you to stop and stare. The bird is large, with emerald green wings and a golden stomach. As it ruffles its feathers, you see that, although it's underbelly is bright, its back is jet black. The bird has large, sapphire eyes and a plume of crimson feathers rising from the crest of its head. Its beak is curved and the same, jet black color as its top feathers.

"Would you look at the size of that thing?!", Will exclaims in a hushed voice.

"It's massive. It looks like one of those eagles they had on display at the museum."

"I can't believe it. I mean, I know they always said that there were birds that big in the wild back before when the environment was healthier, but I never thought I'd actually see something that big with my own eyes."

You nod in silent wonder. "What should we call them?", you ask.

"Eagles."

"Come on, we can be more original than that." You look at your friend, only to see his jaw dropped. "What's up?" you ask, concern creeping into your voice.

"Eaglessssssss."

The word rang out in a voice that was clearly Will's, but his mouth never moved. Before you can pose the question, he points at the bird in front of you.

"Eeeeaaaaaaglessssssssss." This time you saw the bird's beak open and it's tongue clearly articulate the word. You knew back on Earth that both crows and ravens could occasionally mimic speech, and that supposedly there was an extinct species of bird called a parrot that could even mimic entire sentences, but never had you heard of a bird that could perfectly mimic a human voice. You look at Will in amazement, but neither of you knows what to say here.

Just then, the leaves near Will's feet rustle, and a small mammal darts out between Will's legs and into the underbrush. The bird's head snaps toward the sound, and its eyes focus in on the bush now concealing the smaller creature. The bird slowly leans forward, its eyes never flitting from the bush. As it leans forward, you catch a glimpse of its legs, which had been hidden by leaves and feathers up until now. You see brilliant, green scaled feet ending in razor-sharp talons that are black as night. A chill goes down your spine as you realize that with talons like that, a bird of this size could probably kill you. Thankfully, up until now it has seemed more curious than aggressive. It doesn't look curious about whatever is hiding in that bush, though. There is no doubt in your mind that the mammal will be dinner for this beast soon.

The bird opens its jaws again, and you expect it to speak, but instead it lets off a chittering screech, which sounds oddly familiar. The bird leans even farther forward, letting out the same strange sound. This time, the bush rustles, and you see the nose of the creature poke forward, sniffing the air. The bird lets out another screech, and this time, the mammal returns the sound, daring to poke its head fully out of the bush.

"It must hunt by mimicking the sounds of its prey," you whisper to Will.

"Can't that thing see the bird? Why isn't it staying hidden?"

"It doesn't look like it can see well at all. It might be nocturnal, or maybe from a darker area of the forest."

Another screech from the bird has the mouse-like mammal slowly venturing out of cover. You and Will both take a few silent steps away from it, leaving ample space for the bird's imminent attack. Just as the mouse seems to be within striking distance of the bird, a gust of wind blows through the trees. The mouse sniffs the air, and lets out a cry of alarm before darting past your legs deeper into the forest. With an angry cry, the bird launches itself from its perch, talons menacingly stretched outward, flying right in your direction. Instinctively you hit the dirt, rolling to the side and preparing your rifle to fire, but it quickly becomes pointless. The bird has flown well past you and is pursuing the fleeing morsel. The mouse, or whatever it is, is much quicker than you thought, but unfortunately there is little underbrush in which it can conceal itself in this deeper part of the woods.

You aren't sure if it is curiosity or panic that compels you and Will to run after the two creatures, but before long you've run a solid five minutes after the two, until they finally pass out of sight. You can hear a loud shriek in the distance, and can only assume that the bird has finally caught its meal. The two of you pause, winded from what must have been a solid half mile run at least. You sit with your back to a tree, only then taking stock of your surroundings. The trees here are solid black with emerald green leaves. The trees are closer, only a few feet apart, and the canopy is so dense that only small amounts of light peer through. Up ahead, deeper in the forest, you can see that the woods become even thicker, and it appears from afar that not an ounce of light breaks through.

"I think it's safe to say that Ryan won't be hiding out in this part of the woods," Will says.

"Well, if he is I'll certainly never find him. No way I'm going in there."

"What? Scared of the dark, you little pussy?"

"Pretty sure that bird could have killed us in the daylight, and I'm also pretty sure it can see in the dark. I'm not afraid of the dark, just what's hiding in it. No thank you."

Will laughs at you, and opens his mouth, probably to call you a pussy again, when suddenly something drops from the trees above right next to you. You jump to your feet, brandishing your gun, and see Will is doing the same. As you frantically try to locate the sound, you hear a flurry of wind and a rustling of leaves and feathers. In front of you, the emerald leaves break way into emerald wings, and another of the large birds lands on the ground between the two of you. You grip the trigger of your gun, preparing to squeeze, but once again, the bird seems uninterested in you. In fact, it is picking at something on the ground. You look closer, and suddenly realize that one of the mouse creatures is dead at the bird's feet.

"Think that's the same bird?" Will asks you, puzzled.

As if understanding, the bird looks up and remarks, "Eagle?"

The two of you laugh. "Guess that answers that question," Will says with a smirk.

"Think we can train him as a pet?" you ask, jokingly.

"Yeah, dude, for sur- "

Your conversation is cut short by a terrifying shriek, unlike anything you have heard before. Panicked, the bird drops its hard-won meal and bursts into flight, but in the blink of an eye it is skewered by a serpentine creature. Still living, the bird flaps its wings frantically in an attempt to escape, but it is all in vain. The creature moves slowly upward into the canopy, before what looks like a long tongue snakes downward to meet it. Suddenly, a pair of ferocious jaws emerge from the canopy, and in a single bite the bird is no more. It is only then that you see the creature's crimson eyes, locked onto you.

You ready your weapon, but before you can fire, the creature is gone.

"Let's get out of - "

With a shriek, the serpent darts out of the trees behind you, grazing your shoulder. You dive on the ground, as Will begins indiscriminately firing into the canopy above you. In the panic, you've dropped your rifle. As you crawl toward it, a branch breaks and falls to the earth, nearly striking your outstretched arm. Will fires toward the tree it fell from, and apparently gets off a good shot, as the creature above you roars. Will sends another two shots toward the creature, and another horrible roar sounds before the creature finally leaps to the forest floor. It is then that you see the true size of the predator attacking you.

What you had originally thought was a serpent was, in fact, merely the tail of the creature. The tail is barbed and scaly, ending in a spear-like point. At the other end of this tale is a large creature unlike anything on earth. Its body reminds you of an ape, but with six limbs instead of four. Aside from it's tale, the creature is covered in an inky black coat of wiry fur. Its back limbs resemble the talons of the bird it just recently devoured, but it's other two pairs of limbs are different. The front limbs have long, razor sharp claws attached to powerful arms. The middle limbs, however, are shorter, and end in what are clearly grasping appendages. You even spot what looks like opposable thumbs on these shorter limbs. The creatures head is covered in the same midnight fur, but is shaped almost like the head of a viper, and has the same wide smile and unhinged jaw as a snake. Atop its head are six eyes, each the same impenetrable black.

The creature turns its angry head toward you, and swiftly moves in for the kill. Your rifle is still on the ground, but to get it you'd have to go through the creature. You crawl backwards, fumbling with the holster at your waist as you try to draw your pistol. Will fires at the creature's back again, hitting it in the left hip. The creature hisses violently, fixing Will with three of its beady eyes. With a violent snap of its tail, Will is thrown into a nearby tree, and appears to be ****. Now the creature returns its gaze to you. Thanks to Will's diversion, you have had time to draw your pistol, and now begin firing at the face of the creature. Seven shots find their mark, but the weaker plasma pistol is apparently incapable of piercing the creatures hide. Instead, it only seems to annoy the creature. The creature pins you to the tree with its front leg, and you can feel the claws digging into your skin. The creature raises its head menacingly and unhinges its jaws, baring its rows of serrated teeth.

You scream as you stare into the literal jaws of ****...