The jungle was hot and humid, the bugs swarmed around the pale figure and already a bead of sweat crawled down her face, whether it was stress or the heat was unknown, from the look of apprehension on her face it could be either. In her arms was clasped a shii. This small creature carried an air of wisdom and age rarely seen in anything. That tiny animal seemed to carry the knowledge of a thousand people and a thousand ancient trees, the aura of serenity and peace around it was almost stunning. Still, the young woman holding it seemed immune to it's charm. She was very, very tense. "We'll be there soon." She whispered. Her eyes flickering to the forest scenery around her.
"Good, you know what you must do." The tiny creature replied, his voice much quieter than his companions. After after a moment or two Amelia looked around again, they should be getting closer still. The place they needed to be was reported to be very hard to find, as Cipactli himself knew. Had he had legs he would have easily been able to show her the way, as it was he was already playing back seat navigator.
"Travellers, why are you here? You have no supplies, nor are you dressed for this place." A youth come from behind a rather lush fern, he was like the very jungle he came from. His earthy skin tone and deep, almost reddish coloured hair made him blend in with the jungle easily. His large blue eyes looked confusedly from the woman to the shii, as if unable to believe his eyes. "How could you have survived as such? There isn't even any dirt on your clothes, the nearest town is a five day trek from here... Impossible!""Fear us not, young Nazahuatl, we are here only to get stronger within ourselves and seal some of the cracks which threaten to break this place apart."
Nazahuatl stepped back in shock, his eyes with fear. "H-how? Who are you?"
"She is Amelia Lockheart, a trustworthy friend should you show her kindness." Here he paused. "There is a time, when all greatness is lost and we are reduced to a tenth, no, a hundredth of what we once were. I am almost ashamed to introduce myself as Cipactli of the Tonuac Tribe."
"Ahmo." He breathed. "No. Impossible. It can't be." The youth's eyes were even wider than before and his mouth hung open in shock.
"You always knew I would return, did you not?"
Nazahuatl couldn't speak, he just stared blankly at the tiny creature which claimed to be the creator of his entire tribe. After a moment or two his brain had processed enough thoughts for him to sink to his knees.
"Don't." Cipactli warned. "I refuse point blank to be worshipped. Especially looking like something out of a Powerpuff Girls commercial." Clearly he had changed since he last visited them, clearly he had lost some of the brashness he had in his youth.
Nazahuatl laughed, weakly standing up. "F-f-follow me." He murmured, still in something of a daze. He knew immediately this was no imposter, though that did nothing to make him any less dazed. After several minutes of walking, his head seemed to be a little more together. "We are here, Cipactli." He said, his voice quiet.
Sure enough there was clearing, the smell of woodsmoke and cooking was heavy in the air and several shacks stood up in the tree lines, what used to be a large, grand tribe was only reduced to a handful people. One of those wasn't even one of the tribes.
"We need to see the temple first." Amelia said, speaking for the first time. "Please."She added after a moment of silence.
Nazahuatl nodded, his expression understanding. He lead them on through the small clearing, almost everyone was asleep, hiding from the midday sun. Not that the sun could be seen from the jungle, it was green, everything was so green. The trees obscured the light, and as the sun shone through the leaves it gave off a rather strange light. Ferns and moss covered the tree trunks as well as a mix of ivy and strange flowing plants. There was nothing that didn't have a little green on it. No one noticed them slip down a path, obscured by hills on both sides, the hills seemed to be what was left of some caves, they teeming with all sorts of plant life. As they made their way down the narrow path, it seemed to widen, eventually coming to a sight that took Amelia's breath away. A small temple made of what seemed to be pure Malachite. There were no words to describe it's beauty. Before Amelia could turn to thank the youth he was already gone, climbing over the stone like a monkey climbed up a tree. She smiled at her comparison, though it soon faded to a look of grim determination as she took a deep breath and entered the Temple.
(Makes more sense if you've read this) Or just page four. XD;;
