The nesting hollow falls silent for one breath, then a young Tabaski scout crashes through the reeds and drops hard into the sand near Azul. He clutches his side, teeth bared against the pain, while Sydney wheels overhead with a harsh cry.
The Scout
Poachers. They slipped past the coast. Traps, too, near the settlement...
Heavy boots crunch in the brush behind him. Leaves shiver, and a shadow shifts between the trunks.
Axl
The scout is hurt badly, but he made it here.
The Scout
I saw one line set low in the path, and another by the walkways. They are not just hunting the beach.
Azul lifts her head from the sand, alert now, while Sydney dives lower and screams a warning at the trees. The carved marker at the nest edge seems suddenly colder in Axl's reach.
The Scout
If they reach the settlement first, we lose the heart of the islands. Help me, before they spread farther.
✓ Quest Accepted
Protect the settlement from the poachers
“Axl does what she can to render aid and comfort to the scouts wound. She instructs Sydney to gather some hum flowers known locally to treat wounds”
SUCCESS (Superb Animal Handling, rolled +1)
Axl lowers beside the scout and presses the hum flowers to his side. Their sweet, sharp scent rises at once, and the bleeding slows under her careful hands.
Sydney darts away on a flurry of wings, vanishing into the green with Axl's clear signal still echoing through the hollow.
The Scout
Good. I can breathe.
Azul watches the carved marker at the nest edge, then shifts her shell a little farther from it, uneasy.
In the brush, the hidden figure stops moving. A branch flexes under a careful footstep, then goes still.
The scout grips Axl's forearm, voice rough but urgent. He points toward the settlement path, where the bootprints vanish into the reeds.
The Scout
They are already past the outer trail. If you go now, you can still catch them before the heart of the islands is found.
“Axl sprints off into the jungle bounding from tree limb to tree limb”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +1)