Excluding Svarak, Lyle seemed to be the only person in the party not on edge. Probably because he'd been drinking nonstop since well before his arrival. He finished his flask, and pulled another out of his seemingly endless supply. As he uncorked it, the bottle cracked, and his eyes grew wide at the possibility of wasting the precious alcohol. So he quickly downed, chugging the burning, low end firewater. [i][b][color=f6989d]"Keepin' a.. bushted flashk ish bad..."[/color][/b][/i] he belched loudly, [color=f6989d][i][b]"Luck."[/b][/i][/color]

Before anyone could stop him by word or action, he chucked the bottle into the woods hard. The bottle tumbled end over end, before shattering against a tree trunk. The creepy vibe everyone had felt before just became one of rage and anger. There was a shimmer, as if there were heat waves passing in front of the tree. And what went from a perfectly normal seeming white oak, came a toothy [url=http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/ebonfort/images/6/6e/Treant.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20151220012425]monstrosity[/url]. It snarled loudly, and soon every single tree within sight shimmered and became the monsters that now surrounded the group.

Lyle guffawed loudly in his saddle, [color=f6989d][i][b]"Well, that must've been a special batch! I'll have to thank that buxom wench. Wushername, Charla or somethin."[/b][/i][/color] 

The treant that had been attacked by the bottle stormed the group aggressively, stopping right in the face of Lyle, roaring loudly, blowing his hair back, showering him in various insects, moss, and forest detritus. [color=f6989d][i][b]"Oy, ya challenging me tree?"[/b][/i][/color] Lyle was glaring down the creature with drunken hubris, his ram surprisingly holding its ground. 

[color=f7941d][i][b]"That's no tree. Those are treants. And there are many, many more than there ever were. And yes, she is challenging you. And if you don't accept, we'll have to fight our way out."[/b][/i][/color] 

While speaking, Svarak had shot a wink at the two drow women. Svarak continued, [color=f7941d][b][i]"This is your fault,"[/i][/b][/color] his voice accusing and aggressive, [color=f7941d][i][b]"I doubt your charge and her wolf would survive such an attempt." [/b][/i][/color] It seemed as if he were purposefully egging on the drunkard. And it worked. [color=f6989d][i][b]"OY! I ain't gonna let shum flea bitten housh cat or shome shtupid tree bitch call me a coward! Like Ned Peter Horrish says, challenge acshepted!"[/b][/i][/color]

During his loud outbursts, the two women had managed to slip from their rams, and disappear, for even the other treants were preoccupied. The drunkard hopped from his mount with a grace that truly shouldn't have been possible. The treants moved back from the female, giving her and Lyle space. He looked over his shoulder at Alya, [color=f6989d][i][b]"Y'all get goin. I'll catch up."[/b][/i][/color] A second treant stood near the first, [color=f6989d][i][b]"Though it sheems I'll need a shecond..."[/b][/i][/color]

Svarak nodded, and flicked the reins, his ram leading the way, not wanting to waste his time being a backup. There was a very unusual bird call to the east, and Svarak turned toward it. Another call from the west answered in reply. "It seems we have two paths before us. Northwest deeper into the forest or northeast into the mountains. Our scouts just confirmed them both. If this is just the beginning of the treants, there will be many more deeper in, more aggressive, territorial, and larger. Then there's the unknown mountains." 

He was looking directly at Rilana as he said this, then his eyes flicked over his shoulder. Lyle had drawn his battle axes, and roared as he charged the treant. A massive tree fist smashed down toward him, that he leapt away from at the last second, and answered with a chop from his axe and a laugh. Anyone looking at his face could see that there was genuine happiness there. 

Then a familiar face revealed itself to the Envoy. Her mercurial companion, the white raven arrived, alighting on her saddle. In her beak, she held an icy blue scale, radiating coldness, offering it to Rilana, before squawking gleefully, and taking off toward the northeast.