Nidalee was only a young girl traveling with her treasure-seeking parents when they lost their way through the dense, rainy Kumungu Jungle. The jungle was unforgiving, and she watched her parents suffer their agonizing final days as they fell victim to a mysterious and vicious disease. After their death, Nidalee was left vulnerable to the jungle around her. As improbable as it was for a child to survive in the inhospitable jungle by herself, she did just that. Her youthful innocence and fortunate naivete caused her to appeal to the beasts of the place and she was taken in by a family of cougars and raised as one of their own. She grew and somehow absorbed the raw magic of the dense wilds, evolving beyond both her human physiology and her feline affectation.
The dark skies were soon flooding with morning dawn, swirls of orange radiating from the rising sun as it bathes its essence against the jungles leaves. Nidalee stirred awake, the light spilling into her cave as she nestled in with her feline pack. Soft murmurs of purrs vibrated against her ear drums, making her groan as she retaliated against consciousness. They were so soft, the purring acting like a lullaby, albeit the grumbling in her stomach caused her to finally lift up from the rocky ground. A long yawn accompanied with tiresome stretches helped her to awaken. The others weren't too keen on following her so she would set foot out into the jungle by herself.
Gripping the base of her weapon of choice, a hand-crafted spear, she would search the terrain for a meal to share. It wouldn't have been a problem searching for food in the real world, Nidalee harvesting the riches her family was searching for in her den. Back home she would've been rich, considered a millionaire, but no one tried to search for her, let alone know where to even look for her. She was 22 now and no other humans had inhibited in these lands besides her.
In the distance stood a wild deer, grazing on the dewy grass as its jaw moved from side-to-side. Her feline instincts kicked in as she crouched down, shoulders elevating to get into a better position to attack when it was time. It pivoted around, its back now facing her. Her heart raced, adrenaline spiking as she heaved upwards. Aiming the tip of her spear towards the neck of the doe she would chuck it fiercely, hitting the target as she hypothesized, her prey falling down to the ground almost silently. She drug her prize back to the cave and showed it off to her feline companions.<|im_end|>
The wilds of this land were untamed, and Gabriel knew the risk entering them. The tropical and lush forest of Kumungu was virtually uncharted, but rumors of riches were abound about the steamy, tepid jungles. For Gabriel, this was reason enough to turn his exploratory and hunting skills to these near forbidden lands, and to find out the veracity of such claims. It had been a few days since he began to enter the dense jungle, a blade in hand to help cut down the thick forestry and vegetation around him. Last night was the first time he had set up a more entrenched base, and it was only recently that he had felt that it was safe to begin mapping and charting his exploration.
With the sounds of wildlife all around him, he took pause to take them in for the briefest of moments. New and unusual birds crowing in the treetops, the occasional whooping of some strange animal or primate in the distance probably nothing of an immediate threat, but the wary explorer kept a safe distance away from those sounds, his blade at the ready for more than just hewing away the vegetation. Every so often, he left a notch on a tree or branch, ensuring that he would have a good way to return back to his erstwhile home. However, over time he began to take notice of something: footprints. Not an animal or a beast, but of a human's.
Hmm? Kneeling down to examine some of the more fresh footprints, a finger pressing in against the upturned soil. These were.. these were definitely recent, and with a spatter of blood not far from them, it was a curiosity he couldn't help but indulge in. Were there natives in the woods? Would they be friendly, or would they be a threat he'd have to evade and outmaneuver? Perhaps it was even unwise to head further in without at least brooking peace with them? Following the tracks and what looked to be something heavy getting dragged, the red-haired man began to move a little more freely, his violet eyes keeping an eye on the trail, curious to find the source!<|im_end|>