Something stirred in the underbrush. At first glance it appeared to be a rock, almost as tall as the ancient woman's waist. On a closer inspection, the smooth mound was revealed as the shell of a tortoise, a truly giant specimen that lumbered slowly through the jungle. Upon finding a flower or particularly succulent cluster of leaf it stopped to graze, supremely unconcerned about the deadly nature of its surroundings. Its shell was littered by signs of the many ordeals it had survived over countless years, and now there were few, if any, who would even attempt to breach its fortress.
Overhead in the canopy, a chatter of monkeys sounded over the deafening chorus of insects and birds. Whether from a family dispute or because something else had entered their territory was hard to say, but they were climbing up and down the branches, sometimes almost reaching the ground level before shooting back up again.
Their antics disturbed a mongoose in its hunt; a snake slithered hastily out from between its paws and it looked up, blinking peevishly at the woman like it was all her fault, before it too darted off, in hot pursuit of the serpent.
Overhead in the canopy, a chatter of monkeys sounded over the deafening chorus of insects and birds. Whether from a family dispute or because something else had entered their territory was hard to say, but they were climbing up and down the branches, sometimes almost reaching the ground level before shooting back up again.
Their antics disturbed a mongoose in its hunt; a snake slithered hastily out from between its paws and it looked up, blinking peevishly at the woman like it was all her fault, before it too darted off, in hot pursuit of the serpent.
