The air was thick and hot as spiced honey, the sounds of the jungle ringing out through the dense, wide leaves that coated the forest floor. Above, the canopy nearly smothering the sun, birds singing in a chirping symphony, insects buzzing between the trees.
One of the wide leaves was pushed aside, a woman stepping through. A human woman with pale skin and short black hair, lithe and slightly short, blue eyes sparkling with determination as she searched the woods in obvious purpose. She carried the air of an adventurer, an air made even more obvious her clothes, black boots rising up to her knees, tan pants fitting into them and lined with pockets, and a loose-fitting shirt wrapped with a cloak, pouches lining her belt.
Nefia Rassurn's tread through the jungle wasn't just for sport or wanderlust; she had a target in mind, and she would not leave these woods until she had it.
"Where are you...?" she whispered, pushing yet another leaf aside. She stopped in a small clearing, hands on her hips as she scanned the forest around her.
No sign of her quarry. With a grunt, she looked up at the sky, squinting at the sky just barely shining through. From what she could tell, it was noon, the sun casting down its heat in full fury on the dense rainforest below. She was pretty sure the ocean nearby was less wet than the air she was walking through; already the fabric was beginning to stick to her skin, and she could feel the beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
Reaching into one of her pockets, she took out a compass, poking it as the needle inside spun around. After a moment, it teetered to north, and she turned around, going back the way she came. She'd only meant to make a short excursion into the forest, she'd left in the morning, when it was still only warm, and the heat was beginning to get to her. She'd have to end it for today and come back tomorrow.
Stepping back through the leaves, she trod on the path she'd made through the jungle, vaguely remembering the trees and colorful flowers she'd passed on the way there. And then, pushing another large leaf aside, she froze. Ahead of her was a large red flower, its petal splayed out like the rays of a sun. And on top of it, a small yellow bird drinking from the nectar inside, its feathers pulsing with warm, yellow light.
A lampbird. A very, very rare avian of the dark continent that was the target of her university's expedition, and the target of her own foray into the woods. With magical feathers that could glow for years, it was an animal only known from descriptions; its image never truly captured.
She'd be the first. She caught her breath, bending her knees down in a crouch, hands going to her belt. From it she slowly took out a small sketchbook and a stick of charcoal, bringing it to the page as she kept her gaze on the bird. She began to sketch its likeness, filling out vague shapes at first, her breaths low and quiet to avoid spooking the creature as it dipped its beak into the flower's nectar, raised its head to inspect its surroundings, then repeat. If she could be the first one to bring back the sketch of a lampbird, maybe then her university would-
Just as she'd finished the general shape of the bird, a loud, distant horn bellowed through the forest. The bird's head sprang up from the flower and it took off in a flutter. She ran after it, her boot catching on a root on the first step. She planted on the ground face-first and recovered just quickly enough to see it retreating into the inner wilds of the woods. She weakly reached up a hand in its direction, then lowered it in defeat.
Rising and dusting herself off, she brought up her sketchbook to see what she'd managed. Hardly even a doodle; she could've been drawing a chicken for all the detail there was.
"Godsdamnit," she cursed, kicking dark soil underneath her boot.
With a sigh, she tucked the sketchbook back onto her belt and put away her charcoal stick, walking forward out of the forest. It wasn't long before she reached the point where the thick bush began to thin, then stopped a distance ahead. She stepped beyond it, putting the forest behind her. As she did, the smell of saltwater and the rolling of waves washed over her, another horn blasting. Now much closer, much louder.
A wooden ship, floating just off the beach next to a large boulder that served as its harbor.
The ship she'd arrived on. The Immortal, the ship leased by her university, and her home for the last year. Near the beach, a small camp had begun to grow in the shadow of the forest, people milling around between the tents. The expedition she'd talked herself into being a part of, a collection of naturalists and scientists sent by the University of Natural Inquiry, meant to explore the continent and its mysteries. Meant. For a year, the "scientists" of the expedition seemed to have little interest in actually doing any research, content more to drink and shoot the local wildlife for trophies. More a hunting expedition than one to advance the cause of knowledge, most of the time Nefia felt like she was the only one interested in actually learning about this mysterious continent.
Iztaci. Not too long ago, only a rumor, until the trade routes began to expand and tales of wonders began to capture the public's imagination. A fact that only deepened her frustration, her fellow members of the expedition were wasting an opportunity of a lifetime treating the whole thing like a glorified vacation! Well, she thought, at least she'd have something to show for it when they got back. She'd just have to make sure none of them took her credit; the world of academia in the empire was as cutthroat as it was boring.
With a deep sigh, she walked up to the campsite, her brow still furrowed from her recent missed opportunity. Moving into the center of the loose circle of tents that surrounded the camp's central fire, she walked up to one of her fellow members of the expedition. A thin man with sharp features and a thin goatee, clad in noble finery, a gold chain hanging from one of his pockets. His attention was fixated downward to the ornate crossbow in his hands, his eyes wandering over it in careful scrutiny.
The leader of their expedition, Dr. Thurn. The leader by virtue of being only slightly more responsible than the rest, he still seemed to care more about hunting than studying and was no doubt making sure his crossbow was up to the task next time he felt like he needed a new trophy. Only when she was right above him did he notice her. He looked up, stopping his attentions on his weapon and smiling.
"Ah," he beamed, "Adjunct Rassurn!"
"Professor Thurn," Nefia mumbled.
He frowned. "You look down, dear. Is something the matter?"
"You could say that. Why are they blowing the horn when we're docked?"
He shrugged. "Just making sure it works, dear. It's important we don't discover problems out at sea, hm?"
"Well, could you not blow it when we're exploring? I just saw a lampbird, and was almost able to draw it before the ship scared it off."
"A lampbird?" he said, cocking a brow. After a moment, realization hit his face. "Ah! Yes, the lampbird. Glowing little thing, yes?"
She nodded. "Yeah." She took out her sketchbook, showing the sketch she'd been unable to complete. "I got this far before it flew off."
He looked at the drawing, and nodded. "Yes, well, I suppose that would be frustrating. I'll tell the helmsmen to hold off when we're out in the thicket. Besides," he added, looking down the sights of his crossbow, "I'd rather not scare away game. I think a specimen of a lampbird would be far better than a drawing, don't you agree?"
She imagined ripping the crossbow from his hands and clunking him in the head with it. But instead she just smiled insincerely, teeth showing in a false grin. "Of course, professor!" she muttered.
"Indeed! Speaking of, me and the boys were actually considering a foray into the woods ourselves to collect some specimens. Don't suppose I could persuade you to join us?"
She shook her head. If it was the entire group, they'd make so much noise that they'd scare off anything within ten miles. "No thank you, professor," she sighed. "I think I'm going to get out of the sun."
"Ah, and there I envy you," he replied with a smile. "This heat is sweltering."
The first correct thing she'd heard him say in weeks. With nothing else to say, he looked back down to the crossbow, strumming its string to test it.
Nefia walked past him, making her way over to the small tent that was her own. Pulling aside the flap, she stepped into the dark interior, and laid herself on her cot. She turned her head, looking to the drawings she'd attached to the side. Drawings of Iztaci insects, bigs as cats, of birds with brilliant plumage, and the drawings of more mundane animals from back home.
She was an artist, a drawer of nature. But her talents were seldom appreciated, noble patrons more interested in in vain portraits of themselves than sketchings of the natural world. It was the expedition she'd pinned her hopes on; with so many sketches and notes, she'd be able to put together a book, and then she'd have her audience. But most of the creatures she'd drawn were already known; the slasherbug, the roamersong, the biigubu. She needed something rare; something nobody had ever seen. She needed that lampbird.
Nefia doubled her resolve. She'd head out first thing in the morning when none of the others were terrorizing the forest. With the gods as her witness, she would get that drawing.
But for now, the stuffy heat of her tent slowly drove her to exhaustion, and her eyes grew heavy. Before she knew it, she'd drifted off to sleep.
Halfway through the night, she woke up to the sound of partying. With a grunt, she rolled over from her cot and poked her head out of the tent. There, Dr. Thurn and most of the rest of the expedition were laughing as they skinned what appeared to be a giant snake skewered with crossbow bolts.
She rolled her eyes and retreated into her tent, returning to her rest. When she woke up again, the camp was quiet, the warmth of the night rising into the heat of the day. She rose from her cot, yawning, and poked her head outside the tent once more. It was still dark, but the blue tint of the sky made it apparent that soon the sun would peek over the horizon.
Her eyes drifting to the camp, she saw most of the members splayed out on the ground, empty bottles surrounding them. She looked to the treeline, then back to the camp, and a thought struck her. The lampbird glowed. If she hurried, the darkness of the morning might help her find it in the brush.
She pushed herself out of the tent, tiptoeing over drunk and snoring academics as she crept towards the trees. But as she did, she froze. The early morning might aid her search for the bird, but the darkness carried many dangers. She had a sword, but...
Nefia looked down, catching sight of Professor Thurn, his crossbow clutched in his arms like a lover. She reached down, taking it from his grasp. She was just borrowing it, she told herself. Couldn't be too careful, after all.
Looking down the sights, she judged it fit for the job, and with it, marched into the jungle.
Pushing herself through dark leaves, she searched for her prize with steely determination. Around her, the flickering lights of fireflies, lightning up in pulses, their final dance before the sun rose and sent them away.
But fireflies, she was not interested in. She had only one goal in mind, and she wasn't leaving the forest until she had it.
Then, she saw it. Out of the corner of her eye, a glowing shape with outstretched wings. She swiftly turned just to see the white underbelly of a lampbird fly over her head, and her heart soared as it flapped its wings in the air, slowing itself down to land on a branch above her.
