Two young jagras flitted through the treetops that ringed their nest deep in the forest of the New World. Nipping at tails and jumping from branch to trunk to branch again they raced each other in their made up game as any young children do to pass a sunny afternoon.
Launching into the clearing of the nest situated high above the ground and made from a weaving of multiple branches from the thick trees of the Ancient Forest, the two tumbled to a stop, arguing who had made it home first.
"Ha! I beat you again Jax!" Exclaimed one jagras with slightly darker markings than his younger counterpart.
"Did not Jen! You just got lucky that I slipped on that branch that was still wet from the sky waters last night! Without that it was totally my win!" Jax argued back.
Before the two could scrap it out to win their argument the head matriarch that had been watching the two with mild interest spoke up.
"Boys, stop fighting and come eat. You'll have plenty of time to decide who's right after midday meal." She said, gesturing with her head to some lumps of meat she had returned with from closer to the coast. Many of her children and family had already begun to tear into the meal she and some of the other great jagras had scavenged earlier in the day during their daily patrol of their territory. She did not like seeing her family go without food and knew that the young jagras would find themselves with nothing to eat if they continued their play fighting.
"Yes mother." The two said before running over to the meal. They dug in with the rest of the family as the matriarch contemplated the day so far.
A new group of those strange creatures; humans, the forest elders had called them, had arrived recently. At least according to the new smells in the humans foraging trails there should be new members in their tribe. They were a strange lot. Having arrived in the area not too long before she was born and immediately they began to create their nest on the coast. They changed the land they lived on, moving parts of the land and creating strange structures rather than merely adapting what was already there as the jagras and other members of the forest did. She remembered the day the next group had come to the shores of her forest, arriving in a number of the nests she had seen perched on the rocky outcrops of the coast. Except these nests floated on the water like a leaf in a stream, which perplexed the rest of the scouting party as much as it did her when they stumbled upon the scene during one of their patrols. They had seen over the coming moon cycles as the humans dismantled the floating nests, turning them into permanent structures with the rest of their encampment.
She had just started her time of growing all female jagras go through in preparation to become matriarchs and leaders when the third group of humans had arrived. Again they watched as many of the floating nests were added to the growing hub on the coast. Except one nest which the humans made fly away, surprising the jagras once again with what they could make their nests do. This nest had strange sacks attached to it that floated like clouds, raising the nest out of the water and drifting towards the Farlands: a land of cracked earth and powerful forces that the jagras respected and feared. Though as tradition the jagras sent their best fighters and leaders there on pilgrimage to bask in the power and thus grow stronger still, no jagras had made that pilgrimage since the time of her mother. The time had not yet come for her or her family to make that trip she felt. What she was waiting for she did not know, but it was a shared sentiment with all the jagras tribes of the Ancient Forest.
And now another group had joined the humans. She wondered what sort of feats these ones would do or what they would make their nests do this time.
Noticing that her family had finished the meal and were expecting her orders, she stood tall.
"My family, I have news for those who do not already know it." She said looking at her family: a handful of great jagras females, about a dozen and a half jagras males of varying ages, and two young female jagras who had yet to go into their growing years.
"As some may know from their patrols earlier today, it seems a new group of humans has arrived." She stated, enjoying the surprised looks she got from the younger crowd.
"The humans will no doubt attempt to push further inland with these new numbers so we must be vigilant! They do not seem as tough as some of the residents of this forest but make no mistake! Their use of weapons like the local bug-trappers and foraged armor as one would see on a hermitaur at the beach combine for a formidable foe. If any of you on patrol should spot one of these humans roaming the forest trails within our territory do not hesitate to case them back to their nest!" She finished, looking around to see if any of her kin had any doubts.
Though no doubts were seen in the older crowd, Jax stepped forward and asked "mother, why do we chase these humans, biting at legs and pushing them away rather than simply defeating them? With our patrol's numbers we could surely outnumber a human if found in the forest."
"You are too young to know this tale yet so I will tell you why little one." She said laying down and preparing her thoughts.
She thought back to a particular forest council meeting held by the jagras tribes of the forest and mediated by the forest elders; a race of ancient beings that reminded her of the humans in appearance, though shriveled and much wiser.
"During the time of the first group of humans to settle on the coast, long before any other groups joined them, another jagras tribe decided to take out the invaders to our forest. They declared that they would defeat the humans, show their awesome power in the face of this new enemy,"" She started looking around to make sure that everyone was paying attention. She noticed several of the older jagras nod in remembrance of the old tale, either from having been there themselves or having heard the tale already.
"The forest elders warned them that it would be unwise to take such actions against the newcomers, that we should treat them as we do the other members of this forest: push out invading parties but only kill when looking for food. That jagras tribe wouldn't listen."
"They amassed their entire tribe, anyone able to fight except the few jagras too young to fight along side their parents. The 20 or so they amassed swarmed the humans hunting grounds and made their way to the human's nest on the coast. If I remember correctly they managed to take down several humans in the surprise they caused but their downfall came when they neared the human's nest. The jagras did not believe the forest elders when they warned that the humans could be a vengeful threat to the forest if angered and brought the full retaliation of the humans down upon all of us. They stamped out the raiding jagras' party with their weapons and charged into the forest chasing the few who had escaped the battle at the nest back to the jagras' own nest, leaving no one alive. They brought their vengeance down on any jagras they could find for the next three moons until they finally stopped. We still do not know why they did not wipe us all out, they had proven themselves more than capable of doing such from what those who witnessed the fighting had said."
"In the end it was taken as a lesson to all members of the forest: do not kill the humans when possible for those that do will surely see their entire species killed off." She finished somberly.
The story was what Jax had been expecting. Especially hearing about how fearsome the humans sounded. He wondered if the humans would ever come to destroy their tribe like that other tribe so long ago.
"Well that's enough told stories for one day!" The head matriarch said standing up. The rest of the group followed suit and prepared for their evening patrol while several of the the younger group headed off together.
"So how many humans are out there do you think?" One of the females asked.
"Why? You scared Jai?" Jen goaded as they trotted along a forest trail.
"No! I'm just worried there will be too many for us to handle. Like in the story." Jai shot back.
"No telling but it doesn't matter! We can take them if they ever come looking for a fight!" Jen exclaimed puffing his chest out.
"Did you not listen to the matriarch's story just now? There's no way you'd be able to take them!" The other female jagras goaded.
"It doesn't matter if we can take them or not Jal, so long as mother is on our side there's no way we can lose!" Said Jax rushing forward. "Come on, I'm still hungry. Let's go find some hares to eat!" Springing off into the bushes the other jagras followed suit laughing without a care in the world and content in the fact that their tribe and matriarch could save them from anything.
Well there's the first chapter for you! This is my first fanfic so any comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks for taking the time to read this,Random out!
