Ookami sprinted through the riot of rainbow flora, eyes and ears searching for signs of his prey. The bulging bag over his shoulder was bouncing against his back as he ran, causing the drums inside to thump in time. In some unspoken agreement, rustling underbrush joined the drumbeat in betraying his passage."Oomph!" forced its way from his lips as he crashed into an unseen obstacle, disguised by the dense growth. Ookami was suddenly acutely aware of his shortcomings as a stealthy hunter.

Unfortunately, it had always been that way.

Every Paradwyn Magi is taught to stalk in the jungle. "It is imperative that you learn how to do this, Ookami."? His mentor’s words echoed in his head. "We must all do our part to defend the jungle." Futility began to shadow him, causing tears to well in his eyes.Liriel works so hard to teach me, why can't I do this?How hard can it be to find a big red cat in the jungle? A snap behind the bush to his right reined in his attention. Swiftly wiping his eyes, Ookami launched himself at the noise.

Tripping over a small log, the young Magi landed with a whump! Arcing high over his shoulders, Ookami's drums gave him only enough time to lift his head into their path. The straining bag he carried them in was not much of a cushion. Nearby songbirds took flight as the comical scene issued a cheerful badum.? Ookami rubbed his head and stood.? Liriel would feed me to the bagalas if she'd seen... Ookami's thought was cut short as he realized that she might have. Even though he is her worst student, she always seems to be looking out for him, when she's not out looking for him that is.

Chuckling to himself, he picked up his drums and shouldered them once more.? Now where did that kitty go? As if answering him, the bagala he'd been chasing poked its head out from behind a scarlet shrub. I suppose it could be hard to see a big, red cat in that. Fighting back a small laugh, the clumsy hunter dashed after the now fleeing dream creature.

At the head of a marching line, the reptilian Korg stopped dead in his tracks. Invading was hard work; especially when you are stomping your way through a jungle. ? Not long ago, the Ingenious, Exalted, Conquering Emperor and Strategist of Great and Mighty Bograth made a grand announcement to his most loyal followers (those with him at the time), and had gathered up his most skilled warriors (also those with him at the time) to begin his expansionist movement into the jungles of Paradwyn.

To the exhausted collection of Magi that just spent the day marching through jungle heat and vines, it was all starting to seem like less and less of a good idea. For now they had a moment to rest however, because their illustrious king was entrenched in thought.

"Is something wrong, my celebrated and most conqueringest Emperor?" Slithering beside his liege, Golthub looked up at Korg, gushing with respect.

Looking ahead, Korg was trying to decide if they should move off their current path. Ahead of them lay a veritable maze of vines and underbrush, and frankly Korg was getting tired.

"Yes, that would be an excellent path," Golthub offered, motioning ahead through the thick foliage. "We could use that for a sneak attack."

Raising an eyebrow, Korg glanced down at his would-be advisor. Pretending to be considering this notion, he used this opportunity to rest his stompin' legs.

Behind him, dissention was brewing within the ranks.

"I hate Paradwyn," panted Brog, "there's no slimy ooze to cool off in." Brog's complaint was answered by a glare from Keggerop.

"When the Great and Mighty King said he wanted to break stuff, what did you offer him?" Thinking about Keggerop's question was obviously taxing for Brog. ? Wiping sweat and other filth from his brow with a small rag, Brog hazarded a guess.

"Some keen sticks?"

"Yeah, some keen sticks." Keggerop threw his hands in the air. "You couldn't think of something better? It's your fault we're here!"

With a clenched jaw Brog threw his rag at Keggerop, missing horribly. "You didn't say nothin'!"

"I should have said 'Brog's face!'"

The two had almost come to blows when they noticed an imposing shadow befall them.

"Shaddup! I'm tryin' to think!" barked the All-High King.

"Yes," chided Golthub, "the sounds of this disgusting place are distracting enough for our lord. He doesn't need to listen to you two carry on."

"That's right, I'm the important one here!" was the Annoyed, Irritated and Frustrated Emperor's final thought on the matter, as he turned and stomped away. Yog, holding the end of Korg’s tattered cape, almost lost her footing as she clambered to adjust to her king’s abrupt departure.

Korg called back, with a volume that anywhere else would make the point moot. "We keep goin' this way. Through the vines for a sneak attack!"

Pulling violently, Ookami freed his leg from a mass of vines, stumbling into a small clearing. Slowing to a stop he leaned over and rested his palms on his knees and he let the protesting bag of drums slip from his shoulder. Fighting to catch his breath he stared at his most prized possessions, his drums, where they lay on the ground.

"You know," he said to himself as he regained his wind, "this shouldn't really be that hard!" The drums sat silently in agreement. Standing straight, Ookami stretched his back. "C'mon, Ookami. Get your head back in the hunt." Scooping up his drum bag, the young Magi pivoted on his heel and planted the most confident step he had taken all day.

And then something snapped him off his feet.

Gasping desperately for air, Ookami found himself dangling from a tropical vinoc's sinewy grasp—its colorful petals blurring in his watering vision. Gazing only for a moment into the unnatural beast’s hideous face, he began struggling frantically against the monster's chokehold.

Ookami’s consciousness begin to fade as his air ran out when, with a sudden loud crash, both predator and prey found themselves on the ground, buried by the large, purple bulk of a bagala hunter. Fighting his way from beneath the ensuing melee, Ookami sucked in the sweet green jungle air as a thought rushed into his mind: Liriel—she was following me!

Gracefully she appeared in front of him, putting herself between the grappling dream creatures and her frightened student. Sternly she spoke a single word.

"Attack."

Like lighting from the sky, a snarling bagala shot from the underbrush next to Ookami. Leaping into the fray, as if inspired by its larger cousin, the bagala tore into the wild vinoc. For the next few moments the jungle was alive with sound and motion and fury as the pair of great cats tangled with the living mass of leaf and vine, both trying to earn their master's favor by being the one to best it.

Suddenly there was a flash and the two Magi watched motes of light and animite shards twinkle as they lazily drifted to the ground. ? Dutifully, the bagalas moved to Liriel’s side as she turned to face her student. With the threat gone Ookami chanced lightening the mood while he pointed to the bagala, "I found him. "Liriel just leveled a steely gaze in return. Before her student could stammer out an apology she calmly cut him off.

"We're going home."

Moving to the edge of the clearing Liriel and her bagalas awaited Ookami, who began scooping up the animite that was all that remained of his attacker.

"Best hurry, Ookami, something around here must have spooked that vinoc. Not even the racket you were making should have driven it to attack a Paradan." With measured precision, Liriel crossed her arms and met Ookami's questioning gaze. "Yes, I saw you trip. You should watch where you are going next time." Grinning sheepishly, he netted the last handful of sparkling animite crystals and stood, accidentally picking up a strange bit of cloth that was lying on the ground.

"Eew, what's this?" Hurriedly Ookami tossed the cloth away. It landed at Liriel's feet. "It's all slimy!

Kneeling and examining the rag, Liriel took it carefully in one hand before offering it to the inquisitive noses of her two jungle cats. With barely a whiff, both bagalas broke into a low growl. Curiously, Liriel smelled the offending cloth herself, at the same time that Ookami began sniffing his now filthy fingers. Ookami's face contorted as he spat out another "Eeew! It smells like..."

"A swamp." Liriel's tone was grave as she locked gazes with her pupil.

Alarm etching his face, Ookami pulled his drums from their bag without breaking the gaze with his mentor. "What are you?" was all she got out before he answered. "We must all do our part to defend the jungle." Liriel's face softened with understanding pride as her favorite student began to play.

Remaining a safe distance behind the others, Keggerop and Brog had resumed squabbling about whose fault it was that they were here, trudging through the blindingly colorful eyesore that was Paradwyn.

"Would you two stop it?" hissed Golthub. Overhead, a legion of feathered dream creatures evacuated the canopy. "All-High King?

"Hey!" interrupted Yog, "Where’d all the birdies go?"

There was silence as the others stared at Yog. It was true—the birds had not only fallen silent, they seemed to have disappeared altogether. The sudden silence was unnerving, to everyone except Brog. "'Bout time they shut-up" the mountain of a Bograthi said venomously. Brushing his hands together, as if taking credit for silencing the jungle, Brog looked to Korg. "Now you can hear yerself think, muhlord."

Then it came, thundering through the trees. The unmistakable sound of war drums. Narrowing his glowing, yellow eyes at Brog, Korg was obviously not pleased.

Disturbed by this new turn of events, the Bothrathians began to huddle around their king while frantically fishing in their pockets for slime-encrusted animite rings. Korg searched the trees with smoldering eyes, quaking in fury as his warriors cowered around him.

The drumbeat grew louder, pulsing with intensity: a call to arms. The trill of scarletsongs and the roars of predatory dream creatures returned to join the drums as if singing out the jungle's outrage. It was a thunderous cacophony, endlessly pounding, pounding, pounding.

The jungle suddenly blurred into a throbbing, living thing—looming over the unwelcome invaders. The bright jungle colors disguised all manner of tropical nightmares. ? For the first time since the handful of Bograthians had left the bubbling safety of Bograth, they truly felt just how far from home they were.

And now, the jungle knew it too...