Elah stretched out after her nap, opening her jaw wide in a huge yawn, her lips curling back to reveal the long fangs behind them. She shook herself to rid herself of the sleepy state after just waking. She wasn't yet hungry and returning back to her home territory did nothing but produce another yawn from her. After just sleeping, she didn't feel like hunting or walking through the same trees and bushes she had been for years. Instead, why don't she try another direction? Explore more this forest. And, she thought, I think I will start with going straight.
As she walked, she came across nothing very exciting. This part of the forest looked just like the one she came from. The same trees, rocks, grass, ferns. Although...no birds sang over this way. She heard no mice scurrying about the tree trunks, hiding from her or looking for hidden food. This was strange, indeed, but the Hollow just shrugged her shoulders and continued on at a trot.
Pretty soon, things started to look different. As she slowed down to a walk, she thought she heard a weird creaking sound, like the trees were adjusting their roots in the ground. A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, but when she looked, there was nothing. Not one to be frightened by strange things, she kept on.
The air wasn't feeling right. It felt...old. It smelled different. Elah stopped besides a large Oak and stuck her nose in the air, sniffing. No other part of the country she had traveled smelled quite like this. That was when she felt something close around one of her back paws. Jerking to the side, she glanced at the area her paw had once been to see the roots of the Oak sinking back down to the earth. Completely surprised, she stared at it longer than she should have.
Something long and cold slapped her in the face. Startled, she jumped backwards, baring her teeth in a low growl, expecting some enemy Hollow to attack her. There was no animal. Nothing but a vine snaking towards her in the air. Dodging it, she snapped at it, cutting the end off. Not that it stopped the vine. It came at her, again. Again, she dodged and snapped off another end. Two more times this happened. Both times, an end came off the vine.
"Keep it coming," she tainted the forest with a delighted laugh. "I don't tire that easily."
Wrong thing to say.
At once, an army of vines erupted from the trees, wrapping around her and lifting her slightly off the ground. Thrashing about, they tangled her until it looked like she ran into a thick, green spiderweb. Letting out one loud, frustrated growl, Elah snapped at a few vines until they tied her muzzle shut.
