Several hours passed by slowly and easily, measured by the tick of time and slouch of star.  Beneath the shadowed canopy of the Deepwood, myriad creatures roamed.  Some hunted for food, or laid traps for prey to snare itself in.  Pairs and triplets of Sentinel Spiders, quickly zeroing in on the dirty mounds that the colonies of ants called home, spun sticky funnels to catch masses of the puny critters at once.  Those that lived, however, were the strongest, the fastest, and the largest.  These better ants the spiders ignored, content to gobble down their less fortunate cousins.  The natural law, slow in effect but long in impact, was simple if brutal: evolve or die.  Ants remaining in the Deepwood, though herbivores still, would be slightly larger and stronger for each generation as the process of natural selection, as ordained by the intelligent design of the universe, took effect.

In comparison to the lively treetops, where aphids made their homes and extravagant silkies soared, the forest floor seemed like a quiet murk.  Only slow things moved in the shadows: Violet Slugs and Emerald Striders.  Lithe, dark-spotted cats pounced through the underbrush after big-eyed wild pigs, and after a cat’s successful kill and decadent feast, the Jade Mites would tuck away the rotting remains and bring them back to their lofty, lumbering striders to be digested into nourishing light.  In this low, silent realm new creatures emerged from tree sacs, given life by the energies pervading the forest.  Flitting after the plentiful, fat bugs that flew through the forest, [url= http://img07.deviantart.net/f17a/i/2010/068/7/9/anurognathus_by_eurwentala.jpg]Snowed Furls[/url] moved silently despite their energetic nature.  Blue-tinged [url= http://pre01.deviantart.net/1b34/th/pre/f/2015/361/2/9/gorillizard_by_mavros_thanatos-d9lnvxq.jpg]Slate Apes[/url] meandered across the ground and heaved themselves up the trees, seeking fruits and berries.  [url= http://orig09.deviantart.net/9348/f/2011/079/2/4/monster_no__040_by_onehundred_monsters-d3c2kum.jpg]Bushy Arborgators[/url] voraciously hunted down the Violet Slugs, deceiving predator and prey alike with their impeccable camouflage.  Finally, the [url= http://pre07.deviantart.net/1b59/th/pre/f/2015/010/b/5/bog_sloth_by_khaidu-d8dbj88.jpg]Deepwood Sloths[/url], rare and solitary creatures, dug up the roots and tubers of various plants to eat upon, discouraging any would-be predators with their size.

All this went unnoticed by Slough.  After nibbling at the grass, she trotted through the forest with no special goal in mind.  She encountered a strider and its mites, which floated around her hesitantly before she outpaced them.  A wealth of slugs went by unacknowledged, left to squirm around the leaf litter.  At one point, she even encountered a low-hanging Duster Ooze, but the gelatinous fiend did not bother the deer one bit.  Seldom did wild creatures, even those capable of fighting, attack other beasts they did not instinctively hunt.  To do so would be a waste of energy, and they needed that to live.

Some time passed peacefully before Slough found a little spot of sunlight, where the grass grew particularly thick.  She bent her neck down to clack her skeletal teeth at it.  Barely had she gotten a few mouthfuls, however, then something happened.  Slough’s ears pricked up in alarm, but it was too late.  From a nearby bush sprung a woman clad in green, her teeth fanglike and her manner startling.  Terrified, Slough hopped backward, clearing a dozen feet in one bound, and turned tail.  Before she could get out of sight, however, her body abruptly burst into leaves, whirling in some ethereal wind before settling on the ground.  The Rottenbone’s fear warped her into another part of the Deepwood, closer to the basin wall and away from Astarte.

The goddess of magic would not find herself stuck with a complete lack of excitement, however.  Behind she who imagined herself to be predator, there came a shrill and unearthly cry, and a Nectar Blush pounced from the trunk where it had been clinging toward the intruder on its territory.  Devoid of eyes but rich in fleshy sinews, it swung its arm at Astarte with surprising speed.

[center]-=-=-[/center]

In the land of Julkolfyr, there happened a strange and fittingly tragic occurrence.  The majestic ring of gods, crafted for the unknown purpose of the meddlesome eidolon, stood proud but for one.  While its architect lay down, the statue of Slough crumbled and fell apart, leaving only its legs and part of its torso.

[hider=Rottenbone Slough, Bullied by Woman]
-new creatures have come into existence.  This does not cost Might, being part of Slough’s domain.
[/hider]