Character
The swamps of Bogden lay in shadows, cloaked in a velvety darkness that muffled sound and softened shapes. Murky waters rippled gently under a silver moon, reflecting fractured glimpses of the star-studded sky. Tall, gnarled cypress trees stretched their twisted branches upward, silhouetted against the pale glow. Behind the silence, the distant croak of frogs and the occasional splash of a lurking creature hinted at life thriving in the suffocating gloom. Lanterns of fireflies flickered intermittently, weaving gold threads through the thick, humid air. The scent of damp earth and decaying vegetation hung heavy, wrapping everything in a quiet, haunting stillness—an untouched realm of mystery and whispering shadows.
Amongst this darkened swamp, a shadow moved through the trees. Shrouded in a worn brown cloak. Hunting. Silent and deliberate it slipped through the tangled canopy of the cypress trees. Bare feet making no sound as they briefly hit the rough bark before launching to another branch.
The small shadow came to an abrupt stop on a large cypress branch. Tail wrapping around the branch to provide and anchor. The worn cloak blending in with the moss and matted browns of the tree trunk. Beneath the hood, bright blues eyes glowed softly in the darkness, burning with a predatory hungry. The hunter had finally arrived at her destination.
In the heart of the muck and shadow, almost invisible unless you knew exactly what to look for, the smugglers' base crouched low along the bank. Old freighter hulls jutted out of the reeds—parts welded to scavenged crates, bits of half-buried sensor arrays blinking softly in coded patterns. Rusted metal walkways twisted through the trees, slick with algae and half-swallowed by moss. A single battered starship sat in what passed for a landing pad—a wide raft of pontoons lashed together and kept afloat by pure determination.
What lay behind those rusted and muck covered walls, buried amongst the contraband, was the prize this hunter sought. No real coins or riches, just something stolen from her home planet. Creatures, some living and some no more, but taken none the less. If there was one thing these smugglers were about to learn, is that no one steals from a Kiir without getting burned.
Amongst this darkened swamp, a shadow moved through the trees. Shrouded in a worn brown cloak. Hunting. Silent and deliberate it slipped through the tangled canopy of the cypress trees. Bare feet making no sound as they briefly hit the rough bark before launching to another branch.
The small shadow came to an abrupt stop on a large cypress branch. Tail wrapping around the branch to provide and anchor. The worn cloak blending in with the moss and matted browns of the tree trunk. Beneath the hood, bright blues eyes glowed softly in the darkness, burning with a predatory hungry. The hunter had finally arrived at her destination.
In the heart of the muck and shadow, almost invisible unless you knew exactly what to look for, the smugglers' base crouched low along the bank. Old freighter hulls jutted out of the reeds—parts welded to scavenged crates, bits of half-buried sensor arrays blinking softly in coded patterns. Rusted metal walkways twisted through the trees, slick with algae and half-swallowed by moss. A single battered starship sat in what passed for a landing pad—a wide raft of pontoons lashed together and kept afloat by pure determination.
What lay behind those rusted and muck covered walls, buried amongst the contraband, was the prize this hunter sought. No real coins or riches, just something stolen from her home planet. Creatures, some living and some no more, but taken none the less. If there was one thing these smugglers were about to learn, is that no one steals from a Kiir without getting burned.