A woman walked through the woods, a song from her lilting voice drifting softly over ferns sulking in the shade and branches heavy laden with summer fruits. The warm air caressed her long golden tresses. Such a beautiful day made her burden seem light, a basket full of various fruits and plants from the forest. Some would say that she shouldn't be out gathering these things alone but she'd never had any trouble to this day. She knew these trees like the back of her hand and came here often. That's why it surprised her to see one she definitely did not recognize only a short way off the path.
She walked from the way she normally went to get a closer look. Thick vines hung down from the branches. A huge twisted thing, it's heart-shaped leaves were the bright green of a new apple and flowers of the deepest purple she had ever seen. There was an intoxicating smell coming from this beautiful plant. Setting down her heavy basket she approached and sniffed deeply from one huge trumpet-shaped blossom. The scent was sweet and heady like a rose but underneath there was a rancid tone like rotten meat. She leaned forward and placed a hand on the smooth bark of the trunk but pulled back immediately, startled. It felt warm. She shook her head, that couldn't be right. But when she reached out again she found it was warm and slightly slick as well. Her hand tingled where she had touched it. Walking around the tree to get a better view her body suddenly felt heavy. She needed to sit down and rest for just a moment. It was easy to slide down that smooth surface and sit down, cradled between two roots. The bark was warm and comforting on her back and the vines above swayed soothingly above as her eyes fluttered shut.
That's funny, I don't remember the wind blowing that hard...
Her last thought before a deep, dark sleep swallowed her whole.
When she finally drifted back to consciousness her eyes wouldn't open right away and her body felt strange. She tried to remember where she was but everything felt heavy and blurry like she'd been wrapped in a hundred blankets and then buried. Fingers and toes were free to wriggle but she quickly realized when she tried to move her arms and legs it was impossible. Opening both eyes seemed almost an impossibility but one eye was manageable. As soon as she looked out she could see something was very wrong. She wasn't horizontal, but vertical and not only that but the sun wasn't where it had been just a moment ago, or she thought it had only been a moment ago. Her heart started to beat faster as she roused more and realized the reason she couldn't move was something thick and unforgiving wrapped around her wrists and ankles. Instinctively, she started yelling for help again and again, pulling feebly against whatever was binding her. A strange tingling on her back reminded her of something but she couldn't quite place it.
She stopped screaming the moment a cool breeze touched her and tickled over her bare skin. It felt as if she was naked, somehow the simple dress she'd been wearing was gone. Looking down she saw it half shredded on the ground. Looking up, she realized she was tied to the tree. That would explain the tingling on her backside, just like her hand earlier. Skin exposed to the tree was extremely sensitive like an itch that couldn't be scratched.
Oh gods, someone did this, what if they hear my screams and come back? What kind of person would do this?
As if in response she felt something move over her belly like a snake. Twitching to try and swat it away, she was shocked when her limbs were pulled as taught as her body would allow. Just on the edge of pain. She stopped moving and her limbs were relaxed slightly. The thing moved again and as she looked down horror and fascination. If she didn't know any better she'd say it was a vine. Watching closely as it slithered over her stomach, towards her right breast.
Meanwhile, a tall, slim figure had walked upon this pathetic scene in the middle of the dendroid assault. Covered and masked from head to toe in furs, a horned helmet sat over a shadowed face, giving it an almost comic appearance. The helmet tilted to one side as the figure enjoyed watching the woman writhing in the tree's embrace, her breasts heaving with every labored breath.