4th July, 485 BNM

Mid-Afternoon

Indo-Burmese Sub continent

Megheleya Provincial Kingdom lands

Bruhmupatru River

Teleporting for 3 weeks' travel time since their awakening, Starswirl had led them East, to the Princely kingdom dominated Indo-Burmese lands. Up the river Starswirl and Siral travelled, teleporting together up the enormous winding Bruhmupatru river for nearly 300 miles upriver.

Stood on the river bank, Siral sighed with some relief as he refilled his water flask, making sure to use his spells to treat it for disease. The humid, hot air and burning sun was a pain to have to travel under.

Nearby, Starswirl looked around, trying to focus himself to find their next exemplar. But there was something off about this feeling, a lack of clarity, as if it were blurred somehow.

"It's somewhere, that way."

As Starswirl remarked with some uncertainty, and a hoof pointing, Siral looked in the same direction.

To the east of the river, there was nothing but steaming jungle, leading up to what looked like a long ridge of small mountains covered in jungle growth.

"Nothing more?"

"No, its odd, blurred, this is as best I can manage with the feeling this time." Starswirl remarked oddly, pacing with some nervousness. Capping his water flash, the black Unicorn remarked bluntly:

"Perhaps the prophecy was too vague this time from the Oracles."

Sighing in aggravation, Starswirl looked back in the same direction, noting what he'd read during one of their rest stops a few days back in a coastal Principality's city.

"There should be a small town here, in the jungle. Probably behind those mountains."

Looking out, Siral remarked with a keen eye to back him up:

"Might that be a road?"

Looking towards the far Eastern bank of the river, Starswirl and Siral indeed saw a road.

Upon crossing with their magic, they found a sign, weathered and old looking, that designated this as the road to the Megheleya town nearby.

A few flashes of teleportation spells kept them along the roadway, for 2 miles into the jungle, along the cleared path.

Megheleya Provincial Kingdom lands

Bruhmupatru River Town

Town had been a generous description, as they found only a few thatched wooden huts and what looked like a spice plantation building.

Timid looking townsfolk peered out of huts, silent, watching. All cattle, all wary.

The town leader, an elderly Bull, had greeted them cautiously, and the moment Starswirl mentioned the place over the mountain ridge, he fell silent, eyes darting warily towards the shaman's hut ever so briefly, then back towards the mountain ridge barely visible to the east over the jungle treetops.

"Only fools dare venture over that mountain."

"Why? What's over there?"

"We do not speak of it. But, we shall tell you tomorrow. Come, let me find you a place to sleep for the night, so you may be on your way by morning."

The wary voice of the Bull leader was punctuated by the pair of ghostly looking eyes from the Shaman, who'd come out of her hut nextdoor to stare at the 2 Unicorns with a look of suspicion, perhaps even fear in some parts.

Casting a look of wariness of his own, Starswirl shared mental conversation with Siral:

Something is not right here.

I am thankful we're spending only one night here.

Siral's retort echoed Starswirl's words, as the chief quickly found them a room in a small hut around the back.

For the rest of the day they kept to themselves, but there was an air about the town that clung to them both as they went to sleep later that night.

Elsewhere, something stirred deep in the jungles, past the mountain ridge. Something that had festered there from a time further back than any in the town had been born, save the 2 Wizards.

5th July, 485 BNM

Night, Pre-Dawn

Indo-Burmese Sub continent

Megheleya Provincial Kingdom lands

Bruhmupatru River Town

The Jungle near the village had fallen silent all of a sudden, the noises of the insects, frogs and the odd bird only echoing from further away areas. Only the faintest brush of a breeze could be heard, which obscured something brushing aside some undergrowth nearly silent as the wind itself in the darkness.

A few watch bulls scanned the dark forest beyond the dimly illuminated wood hut village, but they saw nothing. But the sudden silence had them on edge.

Inside the Shaman's hut, the elder female cow had awoken, mumbling to herself as her eyes seemed to have rolled into the back of her head as she laid on her bedroll.

A family slept in one of the huts, dreaming contently as the smallest of creaks sounded outside their door, as something quietly slunk into the room. Something big, powerful, clawed, and hungry.

Glinting yellow eyes scanned the hut's room, faint sniffing echoing as the hulking figure prowled inside.

Turning, the creature headed over to the sleeping calf, young enough to not sleep with her mother, on her own bedroll. With well-practised stealth, the creature slunk towards the calf, a paw extending slightly to nudge its head around slightly, exposing its neck.

Looking about, utterly quiet, the jaws silently engulfed the female calf's neck and clamped down hard.

No bleats, just muffled shifting as if in a nightmare, until silence at last.

Its work done, the Tigress bent down to pick up the calf, careful to not make a sound as she lifted it off the bedroll.

Turning leave, the Tigress winced, and then her own heart, soaring with this easy kill from this village, leapt and froze as her bad front leg gave out, making her stumble and fall audibly forwards, hitting a doorframe with the calf's body protruding from her mouth.

The parents woke up, hearing the noise.

"Mei-se, why must you get up at such bad times to-."

The mother and father awoke, the father mumbling about his daughter's weak bladder past as he did, only to catch a glimpse of the quickly shuffling away, very large Tiger silhouette, a limp form hanging from its mouth as it made a less stealthy, fast getaway.

The mother's shrill scream pierced the village's ambience as the Tigress burst through the back door of the hut, her way of sneaking around the watch guards.

All were awake now, as villager tore from their huts.

Starswirl had awoken in a daze, just as Siral had too.

The watch guards had ran towards the hut, but the Tiger was too fast, and all they found were a few pawprints leading away from the hut, into the jungle.

Coming tearing over, Starswirl and Siral shuffled through the cattle villagers gathered near the hut, some mourning the girl's obvious death, others hopelessly scanning the jungle dark beyond the village with all fires in the village now lit.

"It was one of the beasts! They've come this close again!"

A random villager call rang somewhat off in Starswirl's ears, as whispers of a sign of things to come echoed around them. As the chief wandered over, he sadly shook his head as he explained to the 2 Unicorns, his horned head low as he spoke:

"Beyond the mountains, there is a large valley. Dense, wild, savage even. Nobody who enters for longer than a day returns. There are evil spirits within many creatures there, something wicked. But the beasts do not come here unless…"

As the chief trailed off, Siral asked, the Black Unicorn not liking the tone here:

"What might change?"

A hush of whispers arose as the female shaman wandered over, her eyes grim and set in her wrinkled bovine face. With a trembling hoof, she pointed as she spoke in a voice that seemed to grate like stone yet be as harsh as the wind through the mountains:

"Sacrifice. The spirits have taken their usual offering. They spoke, such horrors, as the beast claimed the girl."

The shaman trailed off, and as Starswirl gauged her, he did sense truth to her words. She clearly had an affinity to the mystic, but as she stared at them, Starswirl felt threatened all of a sudden.

"You wield the power some of the spirits have. They want it."

Those cryptic words seemed to come from both her mouth, and her mind, as Starswirl looked at Siral suddenly, who had the same idea.

The villagers suddenly began to stare at them, fearful, yet also angry, the cattle faces, particularly the 2 parents, collectively certain of the next step.

"We're not-AH!"

Siral began to shine his grey magic, but felt something prick his neck suddenly. Starswirl felt something nip his neck suddenly too, and as he instinctively brushed a hoof against his neck, he felt something hard, and pointed, fall off.

Whipping around, Siral saw a pair of Bull hunter, who had been standing beside the Shaman, lowering a blowpipe each.

He felt stiff, and as he stumbled, he felt numb all over. Beside him, he saw Starswirl visibly stagger too, his blue hued horn glowing as he grew angry at the betrayal.

Siral pitched over onto his side, collapsing, but still half awake. Whatever drug was in his system made him weak, but not fully paralysed. As he fell, he saw hoofs engulf him, pulling a makeshift sack over his head.

Nearby, Starswirl turned to see the blurred, angry, almost fearful faces of the cattle tribe staring at his blue horn, their faces growing dark as his strength suddenly failed him.

As he keeled over, Starswirl saw the shaman gesture out towards the jungle vaguely, the chief listening intently along with some hunters. It wasn't long before he was down, similarly blinded, and easily restrained.

Starswirl didn't know how long they were out, or where he and Siral were all the time, as the bags over their head were only lifted to allow the most basic of food and water to their mouths, as they were kept in the drugged, half asleep state.

A few choice words mumbled through his drugged hearing, were enough.

They didn't dare venture to the 'edge' except in daylight, where they would leave them where the others had gone.

He was kept blinded, but the slightly brighter inside of the brown woven sack over each of their heads told Starswirl and Siral that they were outside, and moving, carried by the hunters.

5th July, 485 BNM

Early Afternoon

Megheleya Provincial Kingdom lands

6 miles from Bruhmupatru River Town

Malabutu valley

'Sacrifice' Riverbank

The sacks had been torn off their heads, but they were still slightly delirious.

Craning his head around, Starswirl saw he and Siral were tied to a large tree stump by their two rear legs each, their restraints only a few feet long, but made of very thick rope. As he gazed up, Starswirl nearly gaped at the 300-foot cliff, nearly vertical in some places, where he saw some cows being hoisted up by long ropes by cows at the top.

The cliff was marked at its base by a muddy river channel, and as he stared, there was another cliff what looked like a half mile away, and a distant roar of a waterfall. They had been lowered down and left upon a shore by the hunters, crossing the lower river's muddy banks and shallow waters with ease, to leave them tied to a tree stump near the rainforest's edge. Clearly, the wet season wouldn't allow such a tying place for their victims, as the river would have them underwater where he and Siral were tied up.

Nearby, Siral looked around, angrily shaking his head as he tried to use his magic. But as the black unicorn struggled, Starswirl noticed a black ointment completely covering his horn.

Trying his own magic, Starswirl felt nothing but painful heat, as he gasped blearily:

"Siral, don't! They've, blocked it."

As he maintained a level head, while he stared up at the hunters giving them one last look atop the cliff, before turning to leave then, Starswirl heard Siral remark angrily:

"No salve is going to stop me!"

Bending down, seeing his hooves were tied in a way to stop him grabbing anything sharp to scrape it off, Siral rubbed the salve with his hooves, only spreading it over some of his head as well as his horn now. Grunting, he tried scraping it against the tree trunk, but to no avail.

"We have to wait until it dries, then scrape it off." Starswirl remarked, looking around the jungle ahead of them as Siral calmed down. The jungle looked very dense, a slightly browner colour, and with many more vines than previous jungles.

Looking around, Siral sat down, wishing the drug would wear off quicker as he was still slightly woozy. The Black Unicorn saw something disturbing, as he called quietly to Starswirl, a few feet from him:

"Starswirl. There were others that were brought here, I don't think the salve will dry quickly enough."

Turning, Starswirl followed Siral's head nod, as he saw a tree stump sticking out of the ground a few feet away, with a similar looking rope extending from it.

A cow wrist and hoof, from what looked like one of the villager's own, hung by only the wrist, stripped of flesh by either decay, or what had taken the rest of the body. It looked a weeks old at least.

Turning, Starswirl prayed to himself that the salve would harden before dark. Even then, Siral and he couldn't help but look towards the jungle, as it somehow seemed to feel as if it were staring back at them from all sides.

Dusk

Megheleya Provincial Kingdom lands

6 miles from Bruhmupatru River Town

Malabutu Valley

'Sacrifice' Riverbank.

The noises of insects began to echo, as the jungle began to grow in noise while the sun began to dim, having disappeared over the cliff above and behind them.

They were fully aware now, and yet, the salve on their horns was still moist enough to not be removed from their horns, despite 5 hours having passed.

Parched from the heat, still in their clothes they'd come in, perhaps a gesture for them to die in what they came in by the villagers, they were thankful the cliff above them that they'd been lowered down as bait by the hunters had protected them from the sun.

But now the jungle ahead was growing darker, as around this time the sun had set, despite the sky still being slightly red lit.

"Keep trying!" Starswirl called, as he continually tried to use his magic. The salve was nearly dry, but it was now dusk. Nearby, Siral gasped as he gave up another burst of magic, before he took the rope in his mouth and angrily chewed it.

"BUCK! The ropes are too thick!" Spitting the ropes from his mouth, Siral saw Starswirl give up too, remarking: "At least our back legs are free, cows cannot buck like we Equines can. We aren't helpless at least."

As Siral sighed, a silence filled between the two Unicorns, before Starswirl admitted:

"Well, there are worse situations we could be in. At least we'll get through this with a good friend by our side each."

Siral resisted the urge to retort, as he knew this was the one thing they still had in this scenario. As he nodded in agreement, Siral and Starswirl's ears fell as they heard something.

Or rather, they heard nothing. The Jungle had fallen silent, not even the wind was blowing.

Unseen, as they stared, Starswirl and Siral both felt an aura of menace, and hunger, coming from the jungle ahead of them.

1 hour later

For an hour they stood wary, shuffling close to each other, while quietly trying to wipe the salve off their horn. Starswirl managed to get a small hardened chunk off, and in success, a small portion of his magic began to come forward, enough to begin working the rest off his horn.

"Okay, now get it off you, then me!" Siral whispered.

"Don't repeat the obvious, we'll need to be ready for whatever it is out there." Starswirl remarked, as he felt, and Siral saw, the black salve cracking off his horn bit by bit. Siral whispered harshly back:

"What isn't out there wanting us right now?"

The retort wasn't answered, as Starswirl kept up the slow work while Siral kept an eye out.

Inside the jungle, many things approached through the undergrowth and trees.

A sudden brush of wind went over the jungle, which Starswirl paused at briefly, as somehow an aura of hunger, slightly different this time, swept over the rainforest and the river bank, seeming to rumble as it hit the soaring, darkness obscured clifftop behind them.

All the creatures moving towards the trapped Unicorns stopped, as one of them deeper in the jungle than the usual hunters moved forwards, this one different from the others.

10 minutes later

Night

Megheleya Provincial Kingdom lands

6 miles from Bruhmupatru River Town

Malabutu valley

'Sacrifice' Riverbank.

Ever since the foreboding gust, Starswirl had felt something change in the nature of the jungle. Gone was the usual hungry aura, now was one somehow more wicked in intent, yet equally hungry.

With no magic in their horns, they were now in pitch darkness, the looming shadows of the cliff above and behind, and that of the jungle trees obscuring the stars above, with only the noise of the distant waterfall half a mile away as ambience.

As Starswirl fought harder, the faint blue glow cracking slightly further into existence as another chunk of the black salve broke off from his magic, he saw Siral's face briefly, staring into the black jungle ahead of them.

The Black Unicorn saw something, as he turned to give Starswirl a desperate look, right as Starswirl saw what Siral had seen.

As his blue horn's faint light faded, a pair of glinting orange eyes, large, angular, and so close the veins could be seen in them, stared at them through the jungle trees.

Right as Starswirl's blue light died, the last flash of the burning, wicked orange eyes suddenly began to come closer, as trees then crashed and twigs snapped.

Heart leaping, Starswirl dove sideways instinctively, his magic bursting at levels only pure adrenaline could. The black salve was eviscerated from his horn as fierce blue light filled the ground before him.

A scream of panic came form behind him, and as Starswirl turned, he saw Siral's form vanish as it was snapped up into the grip of the creature.

Its form was massive, dwarfing him and Siral, as its mottled, decaying looking skin was punctured by vines and spikes that seemed to be growing out of its skin. A pair of short back legs held large claws on its toes, as did the much larger forearms, and what looked like knotted skin on its arms.

Whipping around, a flash of the burning orange eyes, and a cackling, wind like hiss, burned into Starswirl's vision before one of the massive arms came out suddenly, reaching towards him as the other arm held Siral close to its chest in a vicelike grip, the black Unicorn gasping for air.

Backing up, Starswirl felt the claws brush past in the air, but the claws then cut his rope to the tree, leaving his two forelegs bound together, but free. As the creature gave a snarl, Starswirl's light faded very quickly as it flashed to cut his forelegs' rope.

Looking up, Starswirl saw the creature seem to cower back, as if frightened by the blue magic, but not before it quickly cut Siral's rope binding him to the tree and backing up, Siral still in grip.

"Kill…it!"

Siral's wheeze barely escaped his mouth as the creature backed up, orange eyes ablaze as the blue light made it angry. As the Grey Unicorn fired a spell, the creature backed up, raising the large hand Siral was in to block.

As the spell hit its hand, the creature dropped Siral's barely conscious form, screeching in agony as Starswirl advanced. But from the corner, something answered.

Bursting from the treeline, a similar creature, this one slightly smaller, leapt out, hissing fiercely as it tackled Starswirl, the younger one the same size.

Barely regarding the brawling younger one and the grey tribute, the creature roughly reclaimed the black tribute in its clawed hand, and tore off through the forest whence it came.

Siral fell unconscious from the rough, fast travel through the vine strewn treeline within a minute.

Overwhelmed, the flashes of blue burned the image of the snarling, jagged-toothed demon of a creature into Starswirl's mind as he grappled with it. Finally, he found an angle, and focus.

A fierce blue beam fired out, freezing the creature in place before Starswirl angrily sent it hurtling back into the treeline, smashing its back into a large tree trunk.

Turning, Starswirl saw no sign of Siral, or the larger one.

"SIRAL! SIRAL!"

The calls went unheeded, except by the creature, who to Starswirl's horror, despite being seemingly broken in back by the impact, began emitting a series of screeches across the air.

As soon as he heard echoes of returned calls, Starswirl knew he had to run.

The barking, cackling screeches echoed as Starswirl tore down the river bank, fully aware his blue light was giving him away. He could not see far, so he didn't dare teleport in his right mind.

But as the calls grew louder, he had no choice.

Hedging his bets, Starswirl focused, and hoping he would be right about being further along the river in the dark, he vanished in a blue flash, the river bank beside him flaring blue before returning to darkness.

Malabutu valley

2 miles from sacrifice site

Jungle river banks

Blind in the dark except during his magic flashes, Starswirl saw the mud rise up as soon as he came out of teleporting, the wet splash and squelch engulfing his senses as he stared around.

He was in an embankment, where a small muddy stream ran through, with trees on all sides. There was no sign of the cliff rising up above him, meaning he as much further from the sacrifice site, and those creatures.

And Siral.

Wandering aimlessly, Starswirl kept his horn up, but he was tired, wet, muddy, hungry, afraid for himself and his friend, and of what unnatural horrors this jungle valley seemed to be holding.

For what seemed like hours, deep into the night, Starswirl cut through vine after vine, his ears alert for the slightest drop in noise, which seemed to prelude a predator coming.

His head swam, despite the cool air in the jungle, as he swatted yet another flock of mosquitos from his face. Down on his feet, he had made sure to tread carefully, as he'd seen one or two snakes and a few larger than normal spiders, all out now that night had fallen.

Looking up, he saw claw marks on a tree, above his head level, meaning something big had made them.

The grey wizard, his blue garbs and pointed hat shredded, and caked in mud, then heard the jungle ambience fade.

Every hair stood on end, as Starswirl used his magic to look around.

He saw nothing, but he knew he had to run.

Darting through the forest, down a slope, tie blurring as he began to think whatever was nearby had begun charging by what he was hearing, Starswirl grunted and panicked as he lost his footing, sliding down to a muddy river stream he'd been shadowing.

Splashing down, the Grey Unicorn had hit his had on a rock on the way down, his vision swimming as he blue Unicorn horn magic faded too.

In the vanishing blue light, Starswirl fell into the stream sideways, falling fully unconscious this time as the muddy water swilled beneath his head. Eyes looking up, Starswirl saw a hulking, cat like shape prowling over the top of the river bank, eyes glinting hungrily at the easy kill.

But as he half heartedly flared his blue magic in a last show of defence, Starswirl didn't see the face, but saw the stripes. A tiger.

But the yellow eyes that shone more brightly in the light did it for him.

He felt a rush, as a hue of yellow overtook his weakened mind, finally knocking him into unconsciousness, as he audibly gasped out at the sight he saw, thinking he had finally gone mad:

"You? Impossible, no…can't.."

The Grey unicorn's light faded entirely now, leaving him and the predatory Tigress veiled in darkness at the base of the muddy stream embankment.

As the Unicorn's blue horn light faded, the Tigress did not immediately surge forwards. Something about this strange creature gave her pause.

Knowing she and her cubs had already eaten with that girl calf earlier today, she bent down to grab the Unicorn in her jaws by the neck, but instead of crushing, she bent down, not heeding the cold mud, to swing his body to sling over her powerful back.

The Tigress, bigger than the blue robed, grey Unicorn she carried on her back, prowled carefully back to her den a mile away, the visibly limb in her foreleg bothering her as always.

Elsewhere, one of the other creatures of the forest, this one much more different, continued with its gathered prey deeper into the jungle, to its keep.

Author's Notes:

Abridging the events to get right down to business, not one night into a village stay and a beast attacks in the night. Paranoid villagers are convinced the 2 magical newcomers are like the ones in the cursed valley, and thus sacrifice them.

The Honesty arc kicks, off, with a key aspect already occurring.

Starswirl and Siral become separated.

And the supposed Exemplar of Honesty is the same Tigress that snuck into a village and killed a little girl calf villager as she slept.

But as to why will also be to do with her foreleg limp, and her history, along with why this Valley's Jungle is so much wilder, seemingly evil, compared to the other jungles in the region.