The long-awaited (by only myself) continuation of the Zyra story is here. I hope you will enjoy it.
"Are you alright?" The strange furry male asked Zyra after he finished checking on the drowning man to make sure that the brutish human that had ambushed her wouldn't be getting up to attack them anytime soon. The dryad observed the unconscious bandit with keen interest as he laid on the shore of the pond with his face resting inside the rippling water, bubbles of air popping out of the water's surface and bursting around his bleeding head.
The obnoxious human wasn't moving at all except from his limbs that were twitching lazily every few seconds or so, like the bodies of dying hares that had been caught in the jaws of hungry wolves and their hearts were slowing down. Zyra suspected that much like the vacant-eyed hares that she had seen being torn to shreds by her lupine forest neighbors, the sleeping man would never wake up again, or leave the pond, for that matter.
"I'm fine," The pensive dryad replied, examining the short stranger fixedly. Usually, creatures of his stature were proven to be either weak or incredibly stupid -prey for the carnivores that lived in the forest, or only possessing a basic degree of intelligence, like the goblins that often trampled on her plants and paid with their lives for harming her children.
This furry man, however, had displayed both exceptional fighting prowess and incredible cunning in pitting two former allies against each other. He struck with the viciousness of a hissing serpent and the craftiness of a spider that trapped flies in its web. He descended upon his enemies when they least expected it like a soaring eagle plunging down from the sky to capture its prey in its talons. He fought with poison, darts and sticks, cruelty, misdirection, everything could become a weapon in his tiny skilled hands. Makeshift fangs and claws for him to bring down his prey.
As a denizen of the forest and an advocate of natural selection herself, Zyra couldn't help but be impressed by the resourcefulness and tenacity of such an unconventional hunter. She was intrigued by his peculiar appearance that resembled both the creatures that she lived with in relative harmony and the humans that invaded her home to steal and destroy what wasn't theirs to take.
The dryad wanted to talk to the strange green-clad man. She… desired to learn more about him and his reclusive kind, something that had never occurred before when outsiders were involved.
"That's good. That you are okay, I mean." The short male nodded seemingly satisfied with her answer. Drenched from head to toe in water from diving beneath the surface of the pond to confuse his adversaries, Teemothy started to squeeze the water out of his soaking wet clothes without leaving Zyra out of his sight.
Her benefactor or not, the scout wasn't sure that the dryad wouldn't also treat him as a threat and an invader for stepping foot in her garden, and Teemo was pretty sure that the redheaded woman had had at least a spell or two in her arsenal to chase off pesky outsiders.
'Or to kill them…' Teemo sternly reminded himself while gazing into the green woman's mesmerizing amber orbs, orbs that were as exotic as they were alluring and dangerous, sparkling with hidden intentions and untold secrets.
Nobody knew a lot about the real nature of dryads, and maybe there was a reason that there were so few stories about them being told over frothing tankards of beer at crowded inns and taverns.
'A lack of stories concerning beautiful, scantily dressed maidens that live alone in the woods, there is certainly something wrong with that,' Teemo thought sourly. Drunken adventurers not talking about mysterious and comely women was like people denying that elves were beautiful, that trolls were violent and Earls were greedy. There must have been a reason that young adventurers were advised to never follow a dryad into the woods. A reasonable explanation as to why the scout had never heard of people returning back home after ignoring those well-meant warnings.
Teemothy picked up the bloodstained hat that was still floating beside the mutilated bandit with the cracked skull and wrung it out with a face full of disgust. Zyra's eyes followed the trickle of bloody water that was expelled from the stained fabric as it dribbled down into the pond, dissipating in the form of ever-expanding wine-colored shapes that faded as they grew larger and larger under the surface of the transparent liquid. Yet for all the squeezing and twisting that Teemo gave it, the worn fabric of his hat didn't appear to be getting any cleaner.
"Great, my hat is ruined." The scout muttered to himself, throwing the bloodstained hat back in the water with a tired sigh. It landed between the corpse of the bandit and Zyra with a soft splash, hurling water about in small waves. The dryad raised an eyebrow at the furry man's antics, more amused than annoyed by the Yordle's sudden outburst.
Teemothy ignored her as he started searching the pockets of the bandits for anything that could be of use to him. He might as well gain something out of this unpleasant encounter.
"What is your name, stranger? What is the name of your brood?" The caretaker of the forest hummed in a surprisingly melodic voice, striding forward to meet the adventurer on dry soil with inhuman grace. The patches of bloodthorn on the dryad's body swayed gently with each gentle motion, moving as if the wind was exclusively caressing their tender leaves while disregarding all other petals and foliages around them.
The entire sight was wrong and unnerving, yet undoubtedly extremely beautiful. A goddess of nature was gracing the young adventurer with her presence. She was regarding him of all people with the respect that his peers never exhibited whenever he caught them gossiping about him behind his back. His peers who covered their mocking smirks with their palms and spoke in condescending tones to describe how unsuited he was for their grand profession. Talking about how much they loathed being in the same room as him. Complaining that they shouldn't be sharing the same title with a useless failure of an adventurer.
Teemothy frowned, pocketing a few copper coins and a silver pendant that he had found on the blond bandit. He glanced at the approaching dryad warily while he knelt next to the drowned man with the tangled beard, untying the various pouches that the brute carried on his leather belt. They were dirty and mismatched, much like the rest of the outfit of the deceased northerner, but perhaps there was something of value inside of them. Some strips of chewy meat for Teemo to munch on to forget his hunger or a trinket that he could trade for coin in the town's market.
"Why would you like to know that?" Teemo muttered instead of answering Zyra's questions, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. The short scout couldn't do magic to save his life, he couldn't even get a single incantation to work. But even he knew that names held power, power that a competent enough practitioner of the mystical arts could exploit to harm those that didn't safeguard such knowledge and drew the ire of petty mages and wrathful spirits alike.
If he was to die today, Teemo would much rather die on his two feet fighting like a man instead of perishing in his sleep as shadows choked the life out of him or sucked his soul out of his mouth.
"I have never seen a creature such as you before. I'm curious to learn more about your kind." The dryad tilted her head upon reaching the shore in a way that made her wet scarlet locks dance across her smooth light-green shoulders. It was only when Zyra let her arms drop on either side of her and leaned down to take a better look at the Yordle that Teemo noticed the new leaves that had sprouted from the green woman's body. Large pointy leaves that were now wrapped around the dryad's curves like a miniature form-fitting gown of sorts, protecting the dryad's modesty from prying eyes.
'Magic' Teemo noted, somewhat unnerved. He licked his lips while gathering his thoughts. Trying to recall how many darts he had spent during his fight with the northerners, estimating how many of them he had left and how fast he could hurl one of them at the dryad's face in case things turned ugly.
Teemothy Grass didn't like surprises and he liked spell casters even less. Their pretentious airs of superiority, the danger they posed to whoever would anger them unintentionally, their familiars and their otherworldly summons, the millions of ways that they could mess you up with a few words and terse hand gestures. The scout could attempt to predict what a cutthroat or a bandit would do in a fight and act accordingly. Mages however had too many tricks up their sleeves to be called anything other than unpredictable and they possessed too much of a bloated ego to care about the consequences of their actions and who was caught in the crossfire of their spells.
"Besides," The green woman continued as she stared at the frowning adventurer, her tone changing into a happy inquiry, a charming and friendly timbre that barely concealed the undertones of excitement that dwelled in her voice, "Shouldn't I learn the name of my savior to thank him properly? Far from civilization I may live, but that doesn't mean that I lack civility towards those that aid me." She finished with a teasing smile putting her pearly whites on display.
Considering all the stories about demonic seductresses and beasts that masqueraded as humans to lure unfortunate travelers to their lairs that he had heard of, Teemo was mildly surprised to find out that the dryad possessed normal teeth instead of a mouth full of razor-sharp canines and leftover gore as one would expected from such an entity. Nevertheless, the scout feigned disinterest and soldiered on as if blushing maidens falling for his non-existent charm was a commonplace occurrence.
"I wouldn't call myself anyone's savior." Teemothy drawled quietly while shoving partially-spoiled rations and battered knickknacks into his satchel. Tangled lengths of twine and fishhooks, a couple of scratched brass buttons, a bar of soap, a shiny tin cup that must have belonged to a murdered adventurer and bared his faded initials near the base.
"I just happened to be passing by while those men were preparing to attack you. I just dislike strangers that skewer people with their swords like pigs and laugh at the prospect of killing a lost traveler. It just occurred to me," The frowning scout muttered, staring back at the glowing orbs of the dryad, "That those men would have turned their swords towards me after they were done wiping your blood from their blades."
"Indeed, it is exactly as you say," Zyra's smile stretched wider, although the almost predatory curling of her lips and the ominous glint in her amber eyes did nothing to make her look any less inviting and desirable, any less mysterious and deadly "You killed those savages to avoid being targeted by them in the future. You were weeding out potential enemies and unwittingly gained a new ally in the process."
"There are a lot of nasty humans roaming these woods lately, invading my home and murdering my neighbors," The dryad said with an outstretched hand and a serious expression marring her green visage, "I wouldn't say no to having a friend walk among my poor, defenseless children. Someone that I can depend on in my time of need… a kindred soul that also cares about the fate of the forest as much as I do and wants to preserve the natural balance."
Teemothy stared at the offered hand with the pointy pink claws for a long time while he weighed his options. He could refuse the dryad's request, probably insulting her by declining to join her in the process. He then would have to fight an enraged plant mage in the middle of nowhere with poisoned darts that had little to no effect on the green woman due to her being more plant than a human being with red blood running in her veins.
The conflicted scout didn't like his chances of defeating the smirking spell caster just with his wits and his blowgun. Perhaps if he could ambush her when she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings, if he was carrying a flint and oil on him, if he was willing to set the forest aflame to trap her and burn her to a crisp and risk burning alive alongside the amber-eyed sorceress…
Denying her was clearly not an option and yet the pensive Yordle was hesitant to declare itself an ally of the dryad and the forest. Making a deal with a playful sprite or a conniving demon was as detrimental to one's health as revealing your real name to a hideous necromancer according to most tavern stories.
Everything was perilous and damning when magic was involved, after all. Mortals could die but once, stolen souls, however, could suffer forever, screaming inside a dusty bottle or some sinister lantern while their wardens grinned in perverse glee at their agony.
"I'm not as strong or dependable as you make me out to be," Teemo pointed half-heartedly, wishing that the dryad would sneer in annoyance, pull her hand back and walk away only to vanish behind the sea of trees, "Even if I do become your friend there is no guaranty that I will be able to help you or your… children." He shook his head as if he was truly disappointed that he couldn't be more useful to Zyra, trailing off while praying that the dryad would dismiss him like the members of the hunting parties that he tried approaching at the town's Adventurer Guild.
"Nonsense," Zyra quickly snorted back in reply, that smooth green hand with the jagged pink nails moving even closer to the reluctant Yordle, "I've seen you fight. You are both cunning and fierce when you have to. You would make a great ally, a steadfast defender of the forest. Plus, my children are already fond of you, so there is no reason for me not to trust you, stranger." She added the last part with an amused twinkled in her honey-colored orbs.
"Your children are fond of me?" Teemo parroted somewhat confused, instantly noticing the change on the green woman's expression. Zyra's face seemed to soften at hearing his question, beaming with pride. Her smile suddenly appearing a lot less predatory, crimson lips twitching upwards in genuine mirth, her strange fins perking up in excitement, bloodthorn leaves swaying gently in the non-existent wind.
"That they are," The dryad hummed pleasantly, "They are my eyes and my ears in the forest. From the farthest thicket of gnarly trees to the humblest blade of grass that straightens its back in defiance between the cracks of the road, my children see everything and whisper everything that they see in my ear. They have told me a great many things about a short furry man that tends to injured animals and waters the younglings that are withering and dying. We are already allies even if we haven't met in person before. This is just a… formality? Isn't that how humans call striking a deal?" Zyra paused, squinting and tilting her head, attempting to recall everything that she knew about the shaky alliances of the world outside of the forest.
'What the hell. It's not like people are lining up to become my comrades.' Teemo thought gloomily, hesitantly grasping Zyra's hand with his own. 'Perhaps having a dryad on my side will make my hunts easier and the long strolls during my gathering quests less lonely. I wouldn't say no to a bit of camaraderie too, if that's included in me becoming a protector of the forest, or whatever.'
"Excellent! I look forward to seeing what you are going to do about all the kidnappers and the invaders that desecrate my home." The green beauty grinned at him from ear to ear, leaning forward to press her lips against the corner of Teemothy's mouth like a seductive demoness that had managed to tempt a mortal into giving up their soul in a bargain. Honey-colored orbs sparkling like gemstones brought from the desert, the flowers and shrubs around them bowing low or encircling them with their frail branches, before surging away in a carpet of shifting vines and plunging roots.
Zyra chuckled at Teemothy's startled expression. The male Yordle tasted berries upon licking its lips nervously, it took a deep breath to calm down and its nostrils were engulfed in the dryad's floral aroma of sweet herbs as Zyra stood up, pulling Teemo to his feet with little effort despite her lithe physique.
"You should get to work," She smirked, "You have a lot of problems to solve and a lot of invaders to chase away from my garden. Prove to me that I was right to place my trust in you. Protect my children and you shall be rewarded…" She purred, winking at Teemo over her shoulder, already walking away from him, caressing blossoming flower buds and stretching branches as she walked past rapidly swelling plant life to dip her feet in the pond.
The scout nodded dumbly, unsure what he had gotten himself into. Watching the dryad's curvy form fixedly as Zyra returned back to the bloodied water to bathe.
The End
Notes: So what do you think of the ship? I've never thought of it before but after writing this story I can see Teemo and Zyra getting together to overthrow mankind. She can grow mushrooms for him and he can turn people into fertilizer for her plants. True love, plus they share the same color scheme so you know that Riot intends for them to get married at some point.