The lingering warmth in the firepit proved that its owner had not been gone long.
Lynn crouched and pinched up a little ash.
It was nothing but ordinary residue from a fire.
He stood and swept his gaze over the deathly still jungle around him.
It was too quiet.
Not a single birdcall or insect chirp.
Winter's three heads scanned their surroundings warily, uneasy growls rumbling in its throats.
Lynn told it to stay there, then headed deeper into the jungle alone.
The rotting leaves underfoot were thick and soft, muffling every step.
After he passed through a marsh filled with enormous fungi that gave off a faint blue glow, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
It was a primitive tribe hidden in a mountain hollow.
Dozens of crude huts built from mud, stone, and enormous beast bones stood scattered haphazardly.
A huge bonfire burned at the center of the settlement.
A group of people stood around it.
They were tall, their skin an unhealthy grayish white, with only ragged animal hides and leaves barely covering their bodies.
Their hair was a tangled mess, and colored mud covered their faces and bodies in eerie totemic patterns.
The weapons in their hands were sharpened animal bones and wooden clubs with stones lashed to them.
The moment Lynn stepped out of the jungle's shadows, the entire settlement erupted.
"Gah! Oolah!"
"Jigoo! Jigoo!"
They let out a string of shrill, rapid syllables that Lynn could not understand at all, like a troop of startled monkeys.
Everyone grabbed their weapons and took defensive stances, surrounding him.
An elderly "native" who seemed to be their chief stepped out of the crowd.
He was smaller and thinner than the others, with more intricate paint on his face and a necklace strung with teeth from various animals