Along paths through the jungle, batteries of mortar-carrying jeeps make way, proceeding in a long file. They all tote 120mm mortars on their poop decks. These guns are as big as the artillery dare carry. They'd hate to spook their subjects, after all.
On other jungle paths, troops of light tanks make way. They, too, travel in single file. But of course, these roads aren't exactly two-lane...or even paved. But of course, these tanks are treaded; hence, they like it that way. Their guns are 105mm or smaller. Their armor is very broad, and can shatter most walls.
Some of these tanks are amphibious, and naval. Some of the SOFs drive cavalry fighting vehicles; they're smaller than light tanks, but just as cavalry as the same.
Across the sky, the SOFs travel in formations, via batteries of hoverborne gunships, and/or troops of attack hovercraft. Some of these aircraft are naval, and make berth aboard warships at sea.
Deep in the jungles of Maranhão, it's still almost nighttime out here. The noises of the combat vehicles are far away...but can occasionally be heard. The jungle stirs, each time this happens. The air is still in here...and it's very humid.
Spider's webs cover a lot of joints between tree trunks and branches. In some lights, it looks silky-white. In others, it looks invisible. Some of these webs look abandoned. Others look like they were spun yesterday.
This shrub is autumnal-looking, and boasts burgundy leaves. They're big leaves, too; this is a shade-loving shrub. From its stem/trunk, it's sprouted many vine-like stolons. Whatever this plant is, it seems to thrive on darkness...and drought. The soil that surrounds its root ball is very muddy; by the looks of it, the jungle rains more than it can drink.
From the mud around its root ball, a ball of mud surfaces. On two leg-like appendages, it crawls from the mud, and onto a surfaced tree root nearby. Here, it grows...and shapeshifts into a tinamou. It emits a dusk magic-orange halo, as it assumes this shape.
Now mobile, and as the tinamou, the clay creature flaps its wings, and maintains a low altitude while flying to drier ground. Once there, he lands among shrubs. Like a real tinamou, he pecks and struts around, attempting to blend in. Because he's a shapeshifter, this shouldn't be too hard... He might mimic a potoo later...but he's not sure.
Within the security of the blood shrub's leaves, a strange cocoon hangs from one of the autumnal-red leaves' petioles. The cocoon's...got runes carved into its sides. Otherwise, it looks very much like the cocoon of a madrileneal butterfly.
In this jungle, the madrilenial butterflies are accursed...for they all draw power from the Bloodforce Dimension. The mosquitoes do, too. It's a vampires' coven out there...as well as a jungle. This entire jungle is marked...with Bloodforce runes.
Back within the blood shrub, it's time. The cocoon starts to open. From within, a brief autumn-red light flashes. The sides of the cocoon peel away, shrivel, and fray...until it looks like an inverted banana peel hanging from a petiole.
Alas, something's wrong. It's empty...
Down from the cocoon, but still within the shrub, Elena teleports into view. She's now a ten-thousandth her normal size. She lands on a leaf, and bounces off of it a few times. Now, she's like a bug to most life in this jungle. Hell, she could probably play poker with a circus of fleas, without crowding anyone. In fact, at her size, it seems more likely that the fleas would crowd her.
Via that cocoon, she's done time in the Bloodforce Dimension. It's done this to her...as well as change her attire. Now, she wears revealing autumnal-red lingerie. Now, she's a very tempting appetizer for much male life in this jungle...as well as some lesbian life. But to Elena, that's perfect. To her, everything else is more than twice as tempting.
She runs her hands over herself, adoring her new physique. Indeed, the Bloodforce Dimension can do miracles...and has, with her. She thinks she might be a Bloodforce witch, too... But it's too early to tell.
On this leaf, she's like a speck. The leaf extends, like a big red plain, all around her. And there are plenty more above and below her...compounded with a heap of shadow.
From up there, a huge pair of red eyes open, and shine down upon her. They glare for a moment, blink, and vanish.
Elena looks around...including in the direction from whence those eyes appeared. She sees nothing. She hears nothing. And yet...that's exactly what's wrong. It's too quiet...and too dark. It's almost as if someone was watching her... Hunting her, even...
"Hello?"
Elena calls out into the shrub, a bit disturbed. In truth, she's actually freaked out. Alas, some girls can't let the guys know how they truly feel. It might, after all, encourage certain guys to make more bids for her affection than what would make them look sane.
Deeper into the woods, a katydid flaps his wings, and sings a little song. He looks just like a leaf. His brother does, too. Funny; his wings are the same color as Doublemint gum.
Elena hears this. To her, it sounds like a men's chorus. Enchanted, she stands, crosses the leaf, and follows its gorgeous music across the jungle.
It's a very steep climb, for her, down the main stem/trunk of the blood shrub. And Elena's perpetually worried that she's going to meet something...surprising along the way.
Below her, the shrub rumbles...and shakes. Elena stops. Funny; she didn't know that earthquakes affected Maranhão...
From out its stem, the blood shrub grows a very big knob. The leaf that Elena's still on is trapped atop it. It extends itself far and out, into the dense air of the jungle.
Now, Elena's exposed. As stimulating and almost fun as this is for her...she's not sure how she feels about it.
Near her, a katydid lands. He's huge. He startles Elena. On the other side of her, his brother lands. He startles her, too. They've got her cornered. And below, it's a very long way down. Plus, there's leech-infested mud down there.
Lucky for Elena, she doesn't think they're here to harm her. Rather, they're the ones singing. Again, to her, they sound like a men's chorus. Their music is very charming...if not seductive. Alas, Elena thinks it's seductive. Too bad these two katydids have a hard time finding she-katydids who seek out the same quality in their music.
They take turns, lending her their antennae. They're very long. With them, they take turns caressing little Elena's cleavage. They seem to especially adore her upper legs. Elena feels like she should swat their antennae away...but decides against it. They keep avoiding her, each time she makes a move to swat them away.
Elena's been harassed by meaner men. Plus, she must confess that these guys' abdomens are a sight for sore eyes. They're huge; almost enough to distract her from their big, Doublemint-green, leaf-shaped wings. ALMOST, understand...
In coils, they drag Elena's loose arms from her sides. They're very tender...and week...and green themselves. Their host grows, and yet they stay infantile. Clearly, dumbbells aren't Elena's thing. Or rather, they WEREN'T her thing. Now, of course, a 100-gram dumbbell would crush her.
One of them turns around...and faces her with his huge abdomen. He offers it to her. It...takes Elena a while to figure out what he means.
He spreads his wings. NOW Elena understands. Even so, his brother gets behind her, and bumps her, in the butt, with his mandibles, until she ascends the ramp-like abdomen of his brother.
From here, she ascends to his thorax, and takes a seat. At her size, from up here, it feels very high up. And to think that, hours ago, one of these katydids would've thought the same thing about her, if one perched atop her head while she was standing...
Now, the brothers take off, and fly off through the jungle's middle layers. Elena screams and falls over when this happens. Their wings generate a lot of wind.
Mosquito proboscis-like tendrils sprout from the top of this katydid's thorax, though, and ensnare Elena, assuring her that she won't fall off her mount mid-flight. It's a bit creepy, Elena admits...but it beats falling off her mount for sure. As they latch her into place, a storm blows her hair around. And each time her mount bounces off an air current, or turns while in midair, her rack bounces.
Her boobs are rather big, for such a small girl. And this autumnal-red bikini aids them, as they jiggle. They sure can make her feel horny, in some sitches; this one, e.g.
She can't say she misses civilization. Funny; she looks like the kind of girl who should.
Deeper into the jungle, the katydids fly. Elena almost hopes they fly into a patch of it where the air is easier to breathe...if there is such a place.