Spring was in full bloom on the island. The warm air was stirred by a persistent breeze, carrying with it the sweet smells of full blossoms and wild berries. Out in the wild reaches surrounding the school grounds, a canopy of emerald leaves soared high overhead as trees reached and clambered to be the closest to the sun, casting the paths below into a pleasant shade. The wind stirred those leaves as well, filling the air with a peaceful omnipresent rustling, dapples of light chasing through the high grass where the boughs swayed and created brief gaps that let the sun through. This stillness … this peace … how long had it been since she’d felt like this?

A shrill, haunting tone filtered through those broad, old trees. Slowly, it rose in pitch, warbling irregularly before it suddenly dropped in pitch again. Moments passed, and the tone resolved itself into a kind of tune, long notes moving from one to the next in a kind of mournful, longing song.

Sumire rested well above the old dirt track she’d been following, lounging in a low bough that gave her a view overlooking the campus. Her short, dark hair played against her neck, the navy colored skirt of her school uniform fluttering playfully in the breeze and showing the occasional tantalizing flash of the panties she was wearing. With both hands, she held a simple green leaf to her lips, blowing softly through the narrow slit she’d cut along the stem to create that odd, whistling song. Her head rested against the sturdy trunk, a slender red choker the only personal touch added to the school’s uniform. A bare leg hung down from the branch, swaying casually in the air current, her other leg drawn up close as her toes wrapped around the thick bough for support.

Down below, among the roots, her shoes were carefully placed next to one another with her socks stuffed within. The satchel where she carried her school books lay braced against the tree, and next to it was a small hand-woven basket. The basket contained a riot of colors: pinks, blues, greens, whites, and reds, wild berries that she’d gathered, each sweet and ripe for eating. The bounty of the forest, so to speak.

It had been a year since she’d first come to this island. It hadn’t always been easy. She struggled with the course work, there were few people that she could honestly call friend, and sometimes the isolation dug at her. She was used to quiet places, her home had been far from what most people called civilization, but even then when she’d climbed to the tops of the trees she’d been able to see the city lights twinkling in the distance. Here, all that she could see was the vast ocean, stretching out unbroken in every direction.

She was homesick, she knew. If she’d been on the island for a year, she’d run away from her home four years ago now. She wondered if they worried after her sometimes, even after resolving to take this path. The stillness of the wilderness helped remind her of her roots though, chased that loneliness away, if only a little bit. So, it was with that nostalgic feeling that she’d started playing the leaf flute, closing her eyes and letting the old memories wash over her.

He had been suffering. Birch was moody when he didn't get to eat. Why he tended to starve himself ever since Thudd had not been with them had been anyone's guess. The plant tended to tolerate him most times so when he was grumpy it was nearing the point were he had to eat again.

Whatever. It seemed like such a hassle to go without sustenance for so long. A week or so had been his limit though he was guessing. He came around often even though Ania could generate strawberry goodness she was not always around and no one grew strawberries as large as Birch or so effortlessly it seemed.

He ate his fill, ribbed the big guy, well Birch was bigger than him but no giant by far. Today though Birch bit back. Often he would shrug off what he said without comment. So he ate his fill of strawberries, said little then moved on.

That was until he heard a sound. Musical in nature. He stopped and listened orientating himself to it. He had not gone invisible yet a that could give him away. A new student he surmised or an older one who had not been attacked since calling out in the jungle wasn't advisable. He began fantasizing about all the blonds he had yet to have and all the delicious one he had. Just who would it be?

Drat! What a waste of time! He probably saw her when she arrived but glossed over her. He was just about to leave when it hit him that Birch was in need or a good lay. He reassessed the situation. She was in that tree and if he approached now he may scare her out of it. While he was not to worried about that if she got hurt too badly then she would be of no use at all.

Getting as close as he dared he watched for now. Once she was out of that tree …

But Slarr wasn't the most patient of people. He was easy to distract at times and lost focus. He was the sort that if you told him he could have one strawberry treat now but if he waited fie minutes he could have two he'd eat the one each time.

“YOU SUCK!” He stayed hidden for now delighting in the time she would spend searching him out. Would there be fear? Would she assume some male faculty member? Would he find the moment as delicious as if she were a blond? Even if er hair color was brown he'd make due but black. He had to remind himself that this was for Birch and not himself.

There was a sharp trill followed by silence as Slarr’s heckling shouted over what she thought had been a private performance. Sumire jerked forward slightly, startled by the sudden intrusion, though she kept her perch on the branch. Glancing down, she pouted slightly, the mouth piece cut into her improvised instrument having split open from the more forceful breath of her surprise, ruining it for her recreational purpose. Well, it wouldn’t be hard to make a new one, if she were so inclined. She tossed it aside, letting it flutter and spiral down to the soft earth below.

“I am sorry.” She said conversationally to … well … nothing, apparently. Her eyes blinked a few times at that, reaching up to the branch overhead to stabilize herself as she rose from a sitting position to a crouching on. That was odd, it had been a long time since anyone had been able to sneak up on her … particularly someone with such an obnoxious voice. She steadied her breathing, straining her ears to listen against the soft rustling of the leaves. As tall as the grass was, one couldn’t move silently very quickly here … at least, not at the ground level. Was someone having some fun with her?

“It has been some time since I last played. I believed I was far enough away from the campus not to bother anyone.” She paused a moment, checking over her shoulder, “Clearly, I was mistaken…”

“Damn right. Not far away from the campus at all.” There was a pause. He easily moved between the trees courtesy of his wings. He did not have to go invisible though gifted with flight.

From his latest vantage point he watched as she secured a better grip on a branch. The leaf she dropped had been half way to the ground and it was clear that she assumed that she was speaking to another human had the very least.

Moving back a bit he had to adjust matters not to be too close where she might not have thought she had time to get down from the tree. Falling or jumping could injure her to much for her to run and the aim was to get her to flee into Birch's clutches.

He circled about judging where it looked to be the safest to jump if she did jump. Then he would approach from the opposite direction.

Deliberately he made a bit of noise to grab her attention.

“Or maybe you are too far from the campus.” He grinned as he stepped into view. He was looking up at her, not as intimidating as looking down but upon his back she would notice the wings that flexed and stretched out as if going through so preflight checks or more likely to draw her attention to them.

Sumire turned her head quickly when she heard the gentle rustle of the grass off to one side. Her fingers tightened around the branch she was clinging to overhead, the breeze she’d been enjoying brushing her skirt up along her hip as she kneeled upon the bough over him, unconsciously giving him a clear look at the nexus between her thighs as he grinned up at her with that broad, jagged grin. She took a sharp, deep breath, not just of surprise, but of faint disbelief. It seemed she’d never seen such a creature on this island before, which might explain her carelessness in the wild reaches.

Her eyes took in the full sight of him. Smooth gray flesh was drawn tight over a wiry build, yellow eyes glaring up at her as if lit from some terrible internal flame, and a tail that was slightly more than half his body length again swept through the tall grass behind him as he seemed to watch her to see which way she would go. Wings, leathery and strong bounded his frame, lifted and tensed as though he were prepared to take wing. She couldn’t claim to know what exactly this thing was, but it was clearly no man.

And, if he were no man, then there were few other things he could be. Sumire’s heart clenched in her chest, this thing was unlike any mountain spirit that her elders had ever told her about, but she was far from home and this island could easily have grown up around a dormant volcano. Clearly, she had unwittingly stumbled into a ground of some sacred significance … she’d never seen such a creature before, but her parents had taught her to be respectful and deferent in their territory.

She dropped smoothly from her perch to the ground below, landing with barely a sound. However, she did not rise again from her kneeling position, keeping her eyes focused on the ground in front of her. Standing taller than this thing in its own domain could be a grave insult, and there she’d been, perched in a tree. No wonder it had seemed so cross with her.

“I am deeply sorry, lord.” She said, groping for an acceptable title in a rush, “I had not intended to trespass. Please, accept this basket of berries as an apology for my inexcusable ignorance.” She said, reaching over to grasp the hand woven basket and lift it overhead to present it to the smoky fiend.

“At your mercy, I shall remove myself from your sight immediately, never to return.” She said, keeping her eyes averted. That was the best case scenario by far.

“Hm ...” interesting she had not tried to flee. Though she had dropped down to the ground after granting him a view up her skirt. He tilted his head to the side as if to view her from a particular angle then came forth.

Her demeanor had been one that was taught to humans not to peer into the eyes of a wild animal and thus challenge the inadvertently. Was this something similar?

She wasn't running … yet … though Slarr was easily distracted and thus he had been curious as to what the basket contained. He almost forgot he was being altruistic in regards to assisting Birch. Drawing close to her he used his tail coiling it about the handle of the basket and drawing it to him.

Several matters hit him. He could feign disinterest or rage. Granting her a head start after an intimidating show or perhaps it would contain something interesting that would warrant a head start but time would tell.

“What is this girl?” He was already grasping the basket glancing inside. That smell … no … t couldn't be. Lemon yellow eyes widened as he frantically searched. Strawberries, either they were here or had recently been there

“Tribute, Lord. Should it please you.” She said carefully, her hands lowering to her sides as the wicked barb of his tail slid under the handle, allowing him to take it gracefully as she kept her eyes low. Keeping her breathing slow, steady and shallow, she tried to make herself seem smaller, less important. She watched his feet as he regarded her attempt at appeasement, trying to read his mood as the tips of long grass shoots lightly tickled the backs of her legs. Her knees were bent, but she hadn’t settled her weight against the ground. She wanted to be ready to move should the occasion arise.

The top of the basket was covered with a layer of tiny orange berries, each hanging in bunches from the end of stems she’d cut free. They were discarded in haste, revealing a number of soft, fuzzy brown fruits the size of eggs sitting next to a significant collection of pink, clustered berries. Useless, useless! There, finally was that splash of vivid red he was seeking. Wild strawberries, tiny compared to what he might be used to, but bitingly tart and so sweet.

Sumire listened carefully as he rummaged, though she did not look up even as a drop of sweat rolled its way down her back. She wasn’t sure how he’d react, not yet. She was waiting, patiently, for her opportunity. If he became engrossed in devouring that basket, she could risk moving, still staying low and shifting her weight carefully to avoid making as much noise as possible. Ideally, he’d be caught up in devouring those berries until she could slip away, and then he might forget her entirely. Of course, if he simply upended the basket into his broad maw, she wouldn’t have time to move far at all, and she’d be right back to hoping this creature was in a forgiving mood.

Whatever she did, she hoped to avoid giving offense. Such creatures were as fickle as they were powerful, even their boons were often more trouble than they were worth.

“Tribute?” This was odd, he rarely had a student attempt to appease him though he did search the basket with his eyes. He didn't much care for the fruit though as he searched that familiar hint of strawberry fragrance captured his attention.

His heart sped up and his eyes widened when he saw the fruit. Oh dear, he would have been pleased enough to give her a head start if he remembered her. It was both good and bad. The strawberries were small but the only thing that had interested him. It reminded him of the larger strawberries he got from Birch and that made him remember the girl as he thought he could get some of the larger ones after driving her into the clutches of his ally.

He lifted his head. “Huh?” She had been a distance away but heading more or less in the right direction. Not that it would have hastened him as he ate those strawberries slowly, though there was not much to savior. The basket seemed convenient for later so when he finished he dumped out the rest of the fruit then headed in her direction quick enough to cover some distance but always keeping a respectable distance as long as she was going the right way he had hoped that the urgency to get away from him would be all the motivation she needed.

Slarr thought to call out to her in some fashion but didn't want to risk her stopping. In fact a small flame was conjured up at the tip of his finger. He launched it in her direction more or less hitting a rock so the flames didn't set another fire but close enough to his mark to hopefully frighten her or get her back on track if she deviated too much.

As his talons sorted through the basket she’d offered, Sumire took a deep breath, daring a glance upwards as his burning yellow eyes frantically sought out something. She saw him pull the first small red berry from the basket, his long maw of jagged black teeth splitting to emit of whisp of choking ash as he placed the small fruit on his tongue and drew it into his eagerly waiting mouth. His eyes closed as he happily savored the tart juices that swam over his tongue, his tail swishing back and forth happily, slashing through the tips of the tall grass.

This was the opportunity she’d been hoping for.

She snaked one leg off to the side, blades of grass tickling the backs of her bare leg as she planted her foot, shifting her weight off to the side as the long green shoots brushed feather-light caresses against her inner thighs and panty clad sex. Light, teasing brushes accompanied every motion as she turned, placing the tips of her fingers against the earth for balance, shifting her back foot forward as the tall grass rose up again in her wake. There was only the softest rush of rustling grass as she slipped out from under this creature’s accusatory gaze, moving on the balls of her feet and finger tips with a practiced motion as she tried to slip away on all fours. The grass nearly swallowed her up from sight, leaving only the bobbing of her short black hair and a white flash of the back of her uniform’s shoulders. In the traditional garb of her village, she could have vanished completely before he’d realized she’d moved.

Of course, Shokushu’s uniform had not been designed for stealth. Quite the opposite in fact, with its light white top clinging provocatively to the student’s body and its short skirt exposing her long, toned legs with the faint promise that a slight breeze or vigorous motion would expose a glimpse of tantalizing taboo flesh and intimate apparel. It was meant to catch the eye, to display the body, to entice the observer to watch and fantasize, all the better for the island’s hidden purposes.

No, it was far from the ideal uniform for stealth, especially out here in these dark and rustic wilds. It was, however, easy to move in.

There was a sharp crack and a sizzle in the air, like bacon freshly dropped on a hot skillet. Fire flashed impossibly through the air, lancing over her shoulder to impact a stone that jutted above the high grass. It burst impressively against the stone, charring the surface black as the fires flared out and vanished in an instant. A warning shot, perhaps … or a scourge to drive her to run faster. She wasn’t sure which possibility were greater, but rather than climbing to her feet, she ducked down into the grass, letting the greenery swallow her up from vision.

Slender fingers worked quickly. If she didn’t move, she didn’t doubt the spirit’s next gout of fire would land closer to try and flush her out of the dark grass. Running pell-mell over open ground would only make her a target. If she could make it to the denser path of trees, she imagined he would be more hesitant to unleash her fire, and the density of branches would restrict the usefulness of his wings. She simply needed an opening, and as her fingers slid into the hidden pocket she’d sewn into the waistband of her skirt, she found what she was looking for. Another remembrance of her elders’ wisdom, something else taught to her at a young age to keep her hidden and safe from the outside world.

From the tall grass where she’d gone to ground, a guttering black smoke emerged, billowing out in acrid waves from the smoke bomb she’d set off at her feet. As the smoke screen raised to head height, Sumire gathered her legs under her, and all at once she pushed into a rapid dash for the darker, denser reaches of the wilderness. Her bare feet found purchase easily as she dashed headlong into the dense stand of trees, the sound of wind rushing by her as she tried to put some distance between her as the strange dark creature of these woods. With the smoke still hiding her, she jumped up onto a fallen log, a quick hop allowing her to kick off of an old tree, and spring up into the lowest boughs, apparently vanishing from the forest floor.

Still, she did not stop, hopping lightly from one bough to the next, swinging from higher branches to cover the gaps she could not manage on her leg strength alone. There was no hesitation, her body reacting smoothly to the lay of the branches as she encountered it, moving as swiftly among the branches as she could have along the ground. It would’ve been enough to lose any normal pursuer, but with this creature, she could not be certain.

Distracted by the strawberries she had been able to creep away further then he would have liked. Hearing her his head snapped up, the basket discarded seeing how it was out of strawberries and he launched a fiery bolt in her direction.

Lemon yellow eyes widened more out of surprise as his “target” dropped down rather then rush off. She was more cool headed, the offering of the basket and the goodies should have told him that but it was not expected.

But her reaction had been limited as if she were use to dealing with her kind. While he could not see her from the ground he could from an elevated position where the grass would not hinder him. He glanced back toward the tree he had spooked her out of, considered flying up to a branch and gazing down at her. The trees were too dense nearby to fly with any real sort of speed, he would have to mix transforming into smoke and back again.

The aim had not been to catch her so he turned back remaining on the ground. He advanced slowly hoping that she would hear him drawing near and make a dash onward. Then he paused, cocking his head to the side.

What is she doing?

He saw the smoke rising from the grass. He had no real ability to see through smoke or controlling it, just flames either those he controlled or other flame. Inhaling smoke wasn't harmful to him at all but it did block his perception. At least in the visual sense as he heard her make a brake now. Well if he could not see her … fair was fair not that he made a habit out of fair play. Becoming invisible he hurried forward flying though barely off of the ground.

She confused him further when he pushed through the smoke. He still did not see her but could hear her hurried movements. In the trees … he looked, assuming it was another creature as fast as it was moving.

Frigging monkey! Shaking his head he hurried after her becoming visible here and there so she would catch glimpses of him. When the space provided for it he fired bolts of flame toward her. None hit shooting up to the sky, forcing her to go in the direction of his choosing before falling back after they made enough noise. He did not wish for Birch to see any of his fireworks, last time that placed the plant in a mood where he was unable to get any of the strawberries he grew for some time. Now his appearances lessened leaving the rest to Birch now.

“Monkey” seemed a pretty apt descriptor as he hurled those bolts of crackling fire up through the gaps in the trees. Sumire twisted in the air to avoid one that had darted in front of her, falling over backwards in mid-air only to hook the bough she’d been aiming at with the back of her knees and swing herself to the next branch as if she’d planned it that way from the start.

He is persistent… she mused to herself, running her hand along the trunk of the tree on her next jump to turn before she ran along the length of a branch, trusting the spring in the wood to hold her until she leapt up and clambered another level up. Her haste prevented her from moving quietly, the shaking of limbs causing the leaves to dance and rustle like an errant wind was tearing through the woods.

Her breath came evenly, the rhythm having been drilled into her from a young age. It didn’t keep her heart from beating rapidly, but her movements stayed sure. The black figure would appear in front of her, and she’d veer hard. His gleaming yellow eyes shone through the crisscross of branches, and she’d put on a burst of speed. When she dared to think that she might’ve lost him, the snap and heat of a burst of flames would nip at her heels. Just how far did he intend to chase her … the school was getting further away with each jump, and she was moving too swiftly to properly track her position. She was sure she’d find her way back, but it might take her some time at this rate.

She idly considered what she was going to do if she was caught in a game of cat and mouse with this smoky spirit until the sun went down. No, that couldn’t be allowed to happen. She made a quick leap into a thicket of branches, grabbing the top and bottom of the narrow gap with her hands as she kicked her legs through and dropping out of sight for a moment. The leaves rustled as she made her way through, dancing and bowing to and fro, until a flash of white cloth announced her emergence and leapt for the next tree, a gout of flame barely missing the blur as it clung to its new perch.

Except, upon closer scrutiny, it wasn’t her at all. The skirt and top of her uniform had been affixed to some dead wood by the ascot normally worn around her neck and used as a decoy. The light cotton cloth fluttered slightly in the breeze where the dead wood had been caught on the branches of the next tree, high above the ground.

As for Sumire herself, she’d broken in another direction and dropped to the forest floor, reduced to nothing more than her undergarments and the red choker she’d been wearing before. She silently stalked her way through the underbrush looking to open the gap between herself and her pursuer, trying not to consider how vulnerable her near nudity made her. The plain white panties issued by the school offered her a bare scrap of modesty, though it seemed that she’d eschewed the bra that was supposed to go along with her uniform. Instead, around her chest she’d wrapped a length of white cloth, something she’d deemed a harmless dress code violation before, though she’d never expected she’d be modelling it this way. Of course, she still had that narrow scarlet choker around her throat, she supposed, but it hardly helped in this situation.

Sumire strained to hear the leathery ruffle of the creature’s wings against the stillness of the forest as she moved. Surely, this was far enough from his territory, wasn’t it? Unless, of course, he wanted his presence to remain secret … then he might chase her as long as she was within the woods. Better to start circling back towards the school then … as soon as she could figure out which direction that was. The flow of water, a lone tree with moss growing along one side, a high vantage point where she could see the afternoon sun, there were plenty of methods she could use to orient herself. She just had to keep an eye out for one that wouldn’t tip off the creature she was hiding from.

Eh? A raised brow had him gaze at the clothes that swayed in the branches. She hadn't been moving though he had to get a bit closer to note that this was a decoy. He had been fairly certain of it but had been confused given the speed of the act.

He had heard her, saw the sway of the branches she trod upon and closed in. Had he been more knowledgeable about humans he would have had a better understanding about ninja and those sorts not that it wouldn't have baffled him seeing such skills in action.

The aim was to drive her to Birch. If he had been around he would have heard all the commotion. In the event that she tried to circle back he had to take steps in preventing that. First he had to find her and thus flew up to the clothes to take a look around at that angle. He had been trying to get some idea as to which way she would have gone. Which tree had been in her leaping distance and which she had been in prior.

He scanned about not seeing her quite yet. He could only imagine that hiding would be tougher in her under clothes, from the glimpses of white he had seen prior it should catch his eye. He had not seen her though, not that he had been looking as hard for her as if she were an actual blond.

But he did find her. Birch had been close enough to see some of the jets of flame shoot into the sky. His first, second and third guess had been Slarr. Annoyed as to having correct the fiend before about using flames in the jungle making no distinction where those flames where he approached phasing through one tree and stepping out of another at the limit to his range. He kept at it until he closed the distance.

There had been a lot of noise, branches rustling. There seemed to be some sort of chase he guessed. Expecting to see a blond with or near Slarr he had thought to disrupt his fun for a change, a bit of punishment. Instead he saw a girl, half naked that wasn't of the usual criteria. On top of that he saw no Slarr so maybe it had been another entity after all.

He paused, watched for a bit as it appeared that the student was trying to orientate herself. She was examining trees, searching for moss, keeping an eye to the sky for something that either flew or dwelled in the branches.

While she had her attention to the sky he controlled some of the plants behind her snaking down from a nearby treetop target her waist and ankles at first, her wrists would be next after he had a secure hold of her he would make his appearance and figure out what was happening here.

Sumire sighed softly, looking up at the broadest tree she’d come across so far. She picked her steps carefully as she wound her way amidst the crooked, exposed roots that spread out impressively from a low rise that had apparently washed away years ago. Moss grew up along it’s gray trunk, certainly, but the shade from the surrounding trees was too thick. The soft green carpet of moss rose in a splotchy coat all along the trunk, it was useless to her. She clambered her way up along the ridge, her toes finding purchase in the winding tangle of roots as she climbed.

She sighed softly, casting a look up into the tree canopy and squinting slightly, trying to make out the afternoon sky and keeping an eye out for the strange black creature that had chased after her. She’d left her books behind … she wasn’t entirely certain how she was going to replace them. For that matter, she’d left her uniform behind. She had a spare, of course, but the question of how she was going to slip onto the campus undetected was definitely one to consider. She didn’t need that kind of reputation, certainly.

She might’ve been straining her ears for a sign of Slarr catching sight of her again, but there was no creak of sagging wood as the great tree she was now walking away from began to sag with purpose. Thick, ropey vines untangled themselves from where they’d draped across the bows, winding back and forth like the searching head of some kind of arboreal serpent. Oblivious to their encroachment, she continued picking her way across the forest floor, focusing more on silence than haste, allowing the vines to slide closer and closer to her as they uncoiled themselves.

“Ah!?” another girl might’ve screamed as the thickest vine swerved in front of her and hooked itself around her waist, but Sumire instead gasped quietly in surprise. Her reflexes were good, she’d tried to jump back before the plant could finish wrapping itself around her. The trap was already sprung, however, the sudden motion halting as her exposed ankles were grasped tightly by more slender vines. Without her uniform, there were no hidden pockets, no secret trump cards she could hope to use to affect an escape. Still, she tried, grabbing hold of the ropey snare wound around her waist with both hands and gritting her teeth as she tried to pull the snare far enough apart for her to duck down through. Rather than freedom, her efforts were rewarded with the arrival of the low bough, its branches curling like crooked claws to grasp at her wrists, pulling her up high to stretch her out between the vines at her ankles at the branches grasping her wrists.

“…Another?” she asked herself quietly, her dark eyes fervently searching for who was responsible for this trap. It certainly wasn’t the fire-hurling winged man, if he had this kind of influence over plants then she’d never have made any distance leaping from branch to branch as she had. Either he was playing with his food … or these wild expanses contained more than one old spirit. She tossed her head to the side with a quick jerk of her head, straining to steal a glance over her shoulder, though she found she couldn’t twist her body to get more than a blurry shadow in her peripheral vision.

“Who is there?” she challenged, though she dare not put much force into her question, lest she risk attracting the attention of the first creature once more.

So snared her struggles had been useless. Birch regarded them for a moment ensuring that she had been fully restrained first not that it would have mattered had she gotten free, at least not here in the jungle as it was far too easy for him to snare her up before she made it far.

The vines pulled her arms out to the side before he began his approach from behind her allowing her mind to scramble a little longer at the unknown. To her credit she had not screamed or even challenged him but questioned him. She even tried to get a look behind herself but could not turn around and had been limited by her neck turning about in his direction.

He didn't think she could get much of a look at him. He could not tell, she could tell he had been humanoid, his “skin” tone darker, his height taller but not exceptionally so.

“I am called Birch,” he answered. Another vine came into exorbitance, it wiggled beneath the wrappings on her chest tugging at them, first loosing them bit by bit as the vine squirmed against her, slipped between her cleavage, rubbed there then pulled taring the fabric away.

“Just who had you been playing with earlier? So rare to elude someone, I doubt you would have been left a scrap of attire had you been captured.” He had been behind her now, a rough finger pressing between her shoulder blades rubbing up and down slowly as he paused waiting for an answer it seemed but not rushing forth at this stage.