Mangey Mo’ Poacher Hunter's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Mo crouched in the shadow of an ancient redwood, watching the trap line. His wild hair tangled with bone charms as he leaned forward. Three poachers had crossed into Bloodbeast Grove at dawn. He'd tracked their boot prints through the moss. Now he waited, muscles tight, ready to spring. The cult he once served had taught him to hunt. Now he used those skills against them. A rope ladder hung from the branches above his head. Mo grabbed the worn hemp and climbed hand over hand. The pulleys creaked as he hauled himself up through the canopy. His lookout perched high in the towering tree, hidden by thick leaves. From here he could see the whole eastern ridge. He settled onto the wooden platform and scanned the forest below. The poachers would come for the bloodbeasts soon. Mo would be ready. Every trap he dismantled meant one less creature caught. Every poacher he drove away was a step closer to ending the cult's grip on these woods. Movement below caught his eye. The three figures moved through the undergrowth, rifles slung across their backs. They stepped carefully around the warning traps Mo had set near the grove's border. Sharp pungee spikes jutted from the ground between rope nets stretched across the trail. The poachers slowed, pointing at the traps. One man kicked at a spike, then spat. They turned back the way they came. Mo watched until they disappeared into the trees. He climbed down the rope ladder, boots hitting solid ground. The bloodbeasts were safe today. Tomorrow he would set more traps deeper in the grove. One day, the cult would know this forest belonged to the creatures who lived here. Mo headed west toward his base. Fort Mandrill rose from the trees ahead, wild and rough like everything else in the grove. The treehouse sprawled across three massive trunks, built from salvaged wood and rope. Baboonbeaks screeched from the platforms, their feathers bright against the bark. Mo climbed the main ladder and stepped onto the command deck. From here he could plan his routes, mark the cult's movements, and protect every corner of Bloodbeast Grove. This was his home now. This was his purpose. The forest would stay free.