The air becomes heavier with moisture here and the vegetation gradually more and more lush until you find yourself in a thick rainforest. The trees are covered in vines and climbers. Huge morton bay figs can be seen a little further on, small birds and animals scurrying from branch to branch eating the fruit. Nearby you can hear tree frogs pip pip piping and an occassional large insect whirs, crawls or scurries past you. This part of the rainforest is still reasonable open though thick clumps of braken and broad leaved plants grow thick around the almost glade like area in which you stand.

Unable to understand the cause you feel a cold shimmer of unease run up your spine... It takes a moment to notice but you realise all sound has stopped... No birds sing, no insects rasp and whir. The only sound is the wind in the top canopy of the trees and the occassional 'plop' as a piece of fruit hits the ground, loosened by the breeze.

There is a soft rustle to your left and you spin on your heel to face whatever lurks there. The rustling stops. Unable to help yourself your heart beat increases and your breath quickens.

"Raaaagggrrrrrh." Something flattens you from behind and you sprawl forwards, a heavy weight on your back.

Eyes tight shut you wait for teeth to find your spine and the inevitable snap of the vertebrae being severed. There is a moment of silence and hot breath brushes your ear, smelling faintly of raw meat. "Wharrt arrre you doing herrre K'zarrrrti?" The voice is a growl but you get the impression that it is more due to the creatures natural voice than anger or rage. In fact it sounds slightly curious.

"Uh... I just came to see the forest... See who lived here..."

"Hrrrrmmrrrr." The sound is thoughtful and the breath tickles your ear again. "You did narrrt come to hurrrrt anything." The weight jumps from your back and lands lightly near you.

Pulling yourself to your feet you start to brush off your knees when you look at your assailant and realise it is a raptor. Not a predatorial bird but a Deinonychus or one of it's ilk!

Rynami, 'She of the Golden Forest', a veloceraptor. It bends down slightly, bobbing it's head in a bird like motion to better focus on you with her slit pupiled amber eyes. Her tail twisting with unusually flexiblity she strides around you, circling curiously.

"Not many step these ways. I am Rynami, A lone raptor. I help keep the Tirrr frrree frrom dangerrous crrreaturres and nasty things." She flicks a talon towards a talisman hung from one of the nearest trees, a beaded and feathered bird skull. A travel talisman.

"If you cirrrcle a forrrre-clawrrr arrrround that thrrrrrice, widderrrrshin ways, it will take you to the larrrnd my parrrrents rrrroamed."

Ahead, past Rynami, the path continues on into thicker rainforest. "Lidrrraock lives that way. And Kefisssss. Furrrtherrrr beyond is the grrrreat salty waterrrsss."

The path behind you leads to the butterfly grove and beyond it the forest near the meadows and mountain. Ahead you can see the path wends it's way up out of the jungle and towards a cave in the quartz white mountainside, it splits near the tree line, one part curving away into denser foliage North East.

You notice another path, far less worn that the others. Rynami notices your gaze and growls slightly, a warning sound.

"Do not go that way." She stands on her hind legs and snuffs the breeze, suddenly alert. Then bounds off into the underbrush, her colouring making her disappear into the foliage within instants. Shortly afterwards the sounds of the forest begin again, serenading to you as you decide which path to take.

Rynami was originally drawn by Jessica but I had permission to redraw her. She and the skull talisman are (c) to me DO NOT take them tks.