Eclipse Event Stories (NOT CANON)

«Welcome to our modest home. I am Ren and I will take care of you during your stay here.»
The stranger, a Tatra with deep red fur and red eyes, as well as a flower behind her left ear and a white tailtip was standing in front of the caramel jill. Elvira studied the stranger carefully, not trusting her and feeling very out of place. She noticed the jill in front of her had a grey veil across her eyes as well, so she was blind just as Minas. The Mayur put everything together in her mind and was now sure she must be in the tribe the Tatra had been talking of.
She didn't answer Ren and the kupfer cleared her throat after a while of silence.
«Please stay here until it is time for you to talk to the great mother and dawn. Feel free to see this room as your home for now. Water is in the bowl in the corner and I'll bring you food soon. May I ask what your name is..?»
«...Elvira.»
«Elvira? That's a nice name.»
«I don't want to speak to anyone here though. I wanna go home.»
«What? But you just arrived. Don't you wanna see and experience how we live? Also, it would be immensely rude if you'd just decline the audience with our great mother.»
«It was awfully rude to kidnap me and bring me here where I'm kept prisoner!»
«Oh no, you're not a prisoner. You can go whenever you like of course. Just know it is dangerous. Our guards and the trained birds might think you're an intruder and hunt you down. It would be better for you to stay here and leave with an escort in a few days under our supervision.»
Elvira frowned angrily but stayed silent, knowing there was nothing she'd be able to do right now anyway.
«Anyway, I'll be back soon. You should rest a bit, your journey was long and exhausting.»
And with that the stranger left again, the door closing behind it.

Elvira didn't even think about staying in this strange place though. After Ren had left she waited a while, then checked the wall with the hidden exit. After looking closely and knocking around she finally found the door and used her claws to carefully pry it open. Once free the jill looked outside the room and found herself on a giant, spiraling ramp in a huge hollow room, presumably the stem of the tree. It was very dark but there were a few torches attached to the wall, lighting up the place just enough so Elvira saw where to step without plummeting to her death. She heard pawsteps and disappeared back into her room, noticing how they went past her and disappeared into the distance. She used the time to check the hole in the wall to the outside within her room to see how high up she was and if there was a possibility to escape on that side. The Mayur took a quick glance out of the window, but had to admit that it was way too high and dangerous. So as soon as the sound of the pawsteps was gone, she left her cell through the door for good and walked down the path, farther and farther into the depths. Whenever a guard came past her, she snuck into another one of the cells, leading off from the main walkway, and waited there until the coast was clear again.
This continued on for a while until she finally reached the bottom of the wooden ramp and found herself in a large room with a huge opening to the outside where light was coming in from. She enjoyed the soft touch of grass and moss under her paws and in between her toes instead of the hard wood and, as she left the tree and stepped into the outside, she took a deep breath of air. Finally the scent of freedom! Now she only had to get away without anyone noticing, especially not the birds which she assumed were all over the place and alarming anyone of her presence.

She quietly snuck past a guard that was on duty, but kept dozing off all the time, making it possible for her to go past without being noticed. Slowly the caramel jill strolled through the woods, trying to get as far away from the huge tree as possible, but she was confused as to where she was heading. Elvira just walked straight from where she exited the tree, but unfamiliar to her surroundings, she got turned around a couple times and always ended up back at the tree.
«This can't be! What is this curse! Am I doomed to stay here after all?»
«Hussssshh! Over here!»
The jill looked around, startled by the voice that was obviously calling for her. It didn't seem threatening, so she assumed it wasn't one of the tribe members that would try to get her back.

She walked towards where she had heard the call and noticed movement from within the bushes. Carefully she pushed the leaves aside and stepped through the plants. In front of her was a Saliko, a bright yellow Kumba hob with dark rings all over his body but no mane. His throat was creamy white, while his back seemed golden brown and the jill was speechless for a moment. She hadn't seen many Kumbas before and was stunned by its thin, slender stature and long legs. It would surely be agile and fast and she was curious to see how fast it could run. The Elvira noticed she had been drifting off and shook her head to clear her thoughts, focusing back on the hob.
«I'm sorry, what did you say?»
«I said it's nice to meet you. My name is Athelas and who are you if I may ask?
«Elvira. What are you doing here, Athelas?»
«Well, I'm here on a secret mission. First of all there is someone I need to break out of that tree. And secondly, I am a healer trying to find a cure for the bird madness that has taken over Salikos in my home, so I need a bird to study the curse. You seem like you're not from here. Are you also here to find someone lost?»
«No, I've been taken from my territory by a large bird and brought here. I just escaped and am trying to find my way back, but it seems I'm lost. No matter where I go, I always end up here.»
«Oh really? Well don't fret, I know the way towards the desert and from there you should be able to get back to the jungle too. If you help me with my purpose, I promise I will aid you in your journey as well.»
«So, breaking in and out is not a huge issue, as long as we're careful, but catching a bird and taking it with us? That's suicide! Did you see their claws and beaks?»
«Yes yes, of course, but look what I got here!»
The hob was untying a rope he had wrapped around his body and showed it proudly to the jill.
«We will make sure it won't be able to peck or slash us, alright?»
«Oh mother, that is really dangerous. And I'd really want to go home. But I'm afraid with my roaming around here I might run into someone before I find my way back and I don't feel well letting you go in there alone.»
«So will you help me?»
Athelas' eyes lit up and he offered her a wide smile, so Elvira nodded in response.
«Yes, let's do this. But we better do it right, I escaped once, I doubt I'll be that lucky again if they catch me.»
«Oh they won't even notice we're there...»