Rite of Endurance fungi forest

Conversation...something Solpor had never been good at to begin with, and now he had two drakiri with him who seemed determined to get him to participate. It put him in a sour mood, but he knew that it wasn't their fault. This was what drakiri did, interact with one another--exist together. Most thrived among their own kind, Solpor liked to think he was the exception to that rule. But he could not punish someone for his own preferences.

Resigning himself to playing along, Solpor grunted, "You should not take what is not yours, especially fungus. The forest has a language, a many minds of its own. Harming one could invite many. Best not to chance it."

He looked around at the dark tree trunks and the mushrooms around them, some as large as trees, some even larger. He could see marks on some of the woody stems, and he wondered of they were made by previous travelers or the denizens of this forest. Regardless, Solpor would not be taking anything from this forest, and he would disturb as few items as possible.

"You have studied the forest, you ought to know how mushrooms grow," he continued. "A network of mycelium growing just under the soil, spreading out probably as far as the forest reaches. A vast wealth of knowledge...and secrets."

They seemed polite enough, and Solpor had nothing to base their fighting abilities on. He looked around the dank forest, hooded icey eyes searching for anything that could be considered a threat. He would not be caught flat-footed and have his mission interrupted by an injury. Perhaps this once it would be better to travel with someone, as abhorrent as that thought was. More eyes meant fewer opportunities for anyone to sneak up on him.

He looked to them both and then nodded once. "Very well, we will travel together," he said, hoping that he would not come to regret his decision. He looked to Mckenzie and continued, "There is more to be wary of in this forest than the nightmares. Stay close and remain alert."

He walked forward and could practically feel the spores being released with each step he took, leaving deep footprints in the peat moss and rot. It was an unpleasant feeling, but he kept his head high and his tail relaxed, there was no need to worry--not yet.

A primal and her sister it would seem, one of them smaller--a bantam? Or simply young? Solpor had not spent much time around others over the last couple of decades, a conscious decision, not one of happenstance. He had left his parents at a young age to strike out on his own and found a comfortable place to build his home in the forrested hills, tucked away with a small lake not too far away with plenty of room for him to bathe and relax, listening to the birds in their springtime nests and the wind through the leaves overhead. He missed his home already and was excited to return to it.

Solpor was brought back to the present by the voice of the young bantam primal, Mckenzie, it seemed. He had not yet caught the other one's name, but he was certain that if he spent much time in this forest he would wind up hearing it eventually, either spoken or screamed.

"Can you fight?" he asked, his deep bass voice rumbling from his throat. "It is not safe here, as I'm sure you're aware."

It had taken him too long to travel all this way. There were obstacles and distractions, taking his attention away from what he was meant to be doing. He hadn't left his secluded home to interact with the rest of the world, he had a task that needed completing and he intended to do it as efficiently as possible.

Solpor was large even for his breed, each step leaving heavy imprints of his massive paws, claws scoring the ground as he took steps. He took backroads to avoid other travelers as much as possible, alas it seemed many other travelers had the same thought. He'd spent his time listening to the woes of the simple folk, everyone under the sun and some beyond its reach seemed to have an issue they needed help with. He had excused himself as quickly as possible, often times with the reasoning of being in a hurry. Realistically he did want to get to his destination in the shortest time allowable, but there was no one waiting for him at home. He lived alone, and that was how he preferred it.

As he walked, he noted the change in the flora around him--the trees grew taller and spread further apart, the ground beneath his feet grew dense with vegetation and rot, wafting a peaty, earthy scent into his nostrils with each step. He'd reached the fungal forest, not far now.

His ears twitched forward when he heard voices up ahead and he drew a breath in through wide nostrils, eyes narrowing. Was he cursed to have company here as well?

Solpor sighed, and his irritable breath disturbed the grass underfoot, sending up nearly imperceptible-sprites into the air that glowed different vivid hues of blue and green. He was not too proud to admit that they were beautiful, and the Q'lin took a moment to admire them.