Lira sat among the treetops, looking out over the ocean. It was a warm day, but the slight breeze kept her comfortable. The birds around her chirped enthusiastically, the lot of them enjoying the beautiful afternoon. Lira leaned back, her tattooed body being supported by the massive trunk of the tree in which she sat. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander. She thought about taking a swim in the ocean, since it was relatively rare to see it so calm. She also knew she had to go gathering. I'll just sit here only a while longer. Those things can wait, she thought. Lira fell asleep to the gentle sounds of the ocean and the halcyon melodies of the jungle birds.
She was suddenly jolted awake by the sounds of voices on the beach. They were exclusively male, with thick accents she had never heard. She opened her eyes, but didn't move a muscle. The men were on the beach, about thirty yards from where she sat in the canopy. They were loud and rowdy. One man seemingly in his late forties, who wore a large black hat on his head, was facing the direction of the jungle and holding a map out in front of him. Two others, both appearing younger, pushed and shoved each other behind him. A fourth man, who had no left arm, came up and stood beside the first. She couldn't hear what they were saying over the loud shouts and laughs of the two other men who were fighting each other. Finally, the one with the hat turned to face them.
"Shut up and get over here!" He shouted. The two men suddenly stopped their rough-housing and walked over to him. The man with the hat seemed slightly scary now, due to how quickly the two rowdy ones obeyed him. It was as though they were afraid of him. As they came closer, Lira saw that one of the two rowdy ones had a red bandanna wrapped around his head. The other had a pair of broken glasses. She wondered if it was broken before the fight. Maybe they had fought before. As soon as the two came over, they four of them began marching into the forest, towards her. Where did they even come from? I see no ship... She thought.
She held her breath as the men passed directly beneath her. They talked loudly amongst themselves.
"I heard there were vicious tribes around here! What if they stop us from getting to the treasure? Do you think they know where it is too?" The one with the glasses asked.
"You're an idiot. The tribes here couldn't hurt a fly. Hell, they don't even have wars on these islands. If anyone tries to stop us, it'll be a piece of cake to take 'em out," responded the one with the hat. Once they were passed, and a good distance away, Lira jumped out from the tree and followed them. What treasure are they talking about? There's no treasure here. The only things even resembling treasure are the emerald necklaces and jewelry the maha shamans wear during rituals...
Quietly, Lira followed them. She made sure to keep a large distance between them so they wouldn't hear her. It wasn't long before the group of four stopped to get their bearings. The man with the hat gave the map to the armless one, and walked over to a fallen tree to sit. The other two walked around and examined the plants and bugs which occupied the jungle floor. Lira had to crouch. If she tried to climb a tree now, they'd surely see her. She stared intently at the men moseying about. One of them, the one with the bandanna, began walking closer to her hiding place. She could feel her heart begin to beat faster as she prayed to the gods he wouldn't see her. The mad took just one more step, before stopping less than five feet from her. Lira looked up, right into his eyes. He gave a yellow-toothed grin before suddenly reaching down and pulling her up by her hair.
"Hey boss, would you lookie here! I caught a wild one!" He sneered. The other three men ran over to where bandanna-man held her tightly by her hair. Lira kicked and squirmed and shouted, but was quickly silenced by his other hand. Lira tried screaming, but her cries were muffled by the man's filthy hand.
"Yes, would you look at that. An Indigenous. Good job Marl, I didn't think you were capable of anything but getting your ass kicked by Ren." The man with the hat said. He casually walked over to her and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. Lira shook her head violently and kicked her feet, hoping to get him where he was most vulnerable. Marl responded by gripping her hair tighter, causing Lira to cry out in pain.
"Oh my. She's a real fighter, this one. Pretty too. I bet you're the talk of your tribe, with those good looks," Hat-man said. He smiled at her. It was the kind of smile one would expect to receive from an old friend or family member.
"Give her to me." He told Marl. Marl pushed her towards him, letting go of her mouth for a mere second. Just before Hat-man could grab her, she spun around and spat in Marl's face. Marl let out a yell, and threw a punch at her. As she dodged it, she lost her balance. Hat man grabbed her from behind, and threw her down on the ground. There, he held her in place with one knee pressing against her ribs. He leaned over her, giving that same smile he had just given moments before.
"Yeah, you're a real prize aren't you sweetheart? It's been quite some time since I've seen a pretty girl like you. You must understand how...unbearable...that's been for me, don't you?" Lira knew exactly what he was thinking. She needed to get away. Right now. She began kicking and screaming with all of her strength. Using her fear as fuel, she began growing the vines from the nearby trees, wrapping them around his feet and waist. She had never been so terrified in all her life.