Maya jumped down from the tree and landed in front of the frightened man. The man stood rigid and stared blankly at the young girl. Normally he wouldn’t hesitate to grab the little human and drag her back to the city, after all; that was his job. But this girl had him scrambling for his wits as she bound his hands and left him cradled in a branch. Maya laughed lightly as he wriggled against the ropes, trying to get loose. She left him there to his own devices, he wouldn’t trouble her again. The small statured fourteen year old kept gracefully from branch to branch across the canopy. Her status as the only human she knew didn’t dampen her joy in the slightest. Maya had met few humans in her life, and none of them she had met for a second time. She never knew her parents and the call f nature have her the nurture she needed. As a result of her circumstances, the girl saw nothing strange about her status, leaving her content with her self-proclaimed position as "Keeper of the Trees". She reached her destination and dropped softly to the forest floor, brushing back the short black hair that had fallen in her eyes. The area was kept empty of leaves and branches by Maya herself, as she ran a tight establishment, especially in her own living area. She climbed into a better pouch hanging between two branches and slowly drifted off to sleep, satisfied with having saved the forest once more. Maya was awoken with a start, roused by sounds off in the distance. She scanned the area and decided she only heard a strong wind, laying her head back down and nestling deeper into her netting. The sound came again, louder this time, as if someone was approaching. Maya rise from her net, not taking any chances, and began to walk in the direction of the sound, picking up a stick sharpened into a javelin. Once more the noise sounded, more constant, echoing through the clearing. Maya stopped for a second, recognising the rustle of leaves and brush of the wind, feeling something was wrong. Something was very wrong. The cause of the sound soon came into sight, filling the clearing with a flush of grey as a number of massive animals rushed through. The girl jumped up into the trees, scrambling onto the lowest branch and into safety. Maya had seen these creatures before, but only solitary ones and she didn’t see them very often, only four or five in her whole life. She took a daring move and dropped down onto the back of one of the beasts, noticing the hard shell of thick, rough skin covering it. The beast had two massive horns protruding from it’s head, one on either side. The teen continued to examine the creature until another sound joined the stomping, a cry so shrill that it pierced her ears. It was one of the winged mammals living in the forest, usually playful creatures. Flicks of the flying creatures joined the fray, adding to the confusion. Other animals began entering what seemed to be mass exodus. Maya ran along the backs of the horned beasts until she reached the front of the herd, turning around to face the rabble once she got there. There were so many creatures that Maya couldn’t see where the stampede ended. She raised her hands high above her head and let out a soothing note. The chaos suddenly calmed, and the herd slowed to a silent stop. The only sounds left were the rustle of leaves and the brush of the wind. As the calmed animals began to return to their homes Maya went back to find the source of the commotion. She reached her clearing and retrieved the improvised weapon that she had dropped to climb out of the way of the stampede. The path that Maya followed was beaten flat by the large animals that had gone through. She walked what felt like an eternity, following the abundant tracks of the herd. The sun lowered farther and farther over her head, ending with a last bright display of it’s brilliance before it disappeared behind the horizon. Eventually Maya reached what she was looking for. The sounds of axes and flame torches echoed through the area. The racket was a hell to Maya’s ears. Where the workers heard progress, the young girl heard only nature screaming in pain. She knew she had to save the trees and sat as the night began, waiting and planning... The working shift ended soon after the sun had set, leaving only a few men out on guard. This was the opportunity that the hidden teenager was waiting for. As soon as all the labourers were inside she made her move, slipping through the trees and down to the mobile cabin where the workers slept. The area was a wide and clear space, with just a fence surrounding it and three buildings that were one story up. Maya sat at the edge of the building fringing on the trees. A guard walked past the corner of the cabin and began to head towards where the girl crouched. In an instant Maya was on too of the building, dodging the patrolman just before he could catch sight of her. She began to climb back down then stopped, having a sudden thought. The lights flashed past a generator on the opposite side of camp against a building. Maya slid down the side of the rest quarters and silently hopped across the clearing, rolling out of the way of the passing spot lights. As she came to her destination another patrolman showed from around the building corner. With nowhere to go, Maya rolled forward and loosed her javelin. The projectile hit its mark, not giving the man any time to usher a noise from his mouth. The guard’s corpse slumped slowly from its kneeling position to the dirt, out of the sight of the two remaining guards that were chatting in the other end of the camp. Maya dashed around the corner to the generator and inspected the device. She had seen them before, the invaders always brought them and you couldn’t walk one hundred feet without seeing one in the city. The girl whipped her hair out of her eyes and searched the metal box up and down for its switch, finding it and yanking it down into the off position. The lever clanged against the steel of the generator and the lights across the encampment went black. A temporary, yet ultimate, darkness consumed the camp, this was when the fun began. Using her far superior night vision to her advantage, Maya slipped across the dark clearing and eliminated the two remaining guards, killing one with her javelin and incapacitating the other with a firm kick to the knee and a heavy blow to the head. With the opposition removed, the girl was free to continue with her plan, as the sleeping laborers did not awaken when the lights shut off. She worked her way through the camp, wedging branches into the foundations of every building. Once she finished, Maya returned to the safety of the trees and the sun and the workers began to rise. Upon the opening of the barracks door the ropes tied across the branches tightened and stressed, wrenching the building supports up and forcing the buildings downward. Screams of the workers resounded throughout the clearing. The punishment was swift and harsh, possibly even cruel. But then again, so was the destruction of Maya’s home for the sake of ’progress’. Maya set the fences of the camp alight with fire, a warning to the others that the forest was protected. The girl left the area and returned to her room amongst the trees, glad to see it again. She set down her weapon and crawled into the comfort of her net. Maya rose at midday to a still and peaceful forest. She began to wander around her clearing, toying with bits of things she had found. A small carving caught her eye and sparked a memory.... The man strode quietly through the alley, avoiding detection of the nearby guards. He swiftly ducked into a miniscule side passage and stayed there. He didn’t notice that he was not alone in the corner until a minute or two after arriving. The young girl sat across from him, no older than nine. He outstretched his hand to beckon her closer but the child hunched farther back into the corner. The man made a move to speak but the child held her finger to her lips, indicating silence. A group of guards marched by their hiding place, completely unaware of the man and the girl. The man spoke as soon as the alley was clear. "What are you doing here?" he asked gently. "Where are your parents?" The man continued to talk as the girl simply looked at him. After a while the man stopped, realising that the child couldn’t speak. Hoping that she at least knew her name he asked, "What should I call you?" She stared at him for a moment before uttering the sound that the wind had been making in her ears for her whole life. Maya. It was drawn out and wispy, like a calm breeze. Maaaaaaaaayaaaaaaaaaa. "Maya?" he replied. "Very well then Maya, I can help you escape. Follow me." The man stood, and, against Maya’s frantic waving and signals, walked out into the alley again. There was a shout and the rush of fett, quicjly followe by the undeniable sound of a body hitting the ground. A small sphere with pictures carved into it rolled to the front of Maya’s secret spot and she picked it up, intrigued. Maya looked around her clearing again, checking that everything was in order. Satisfied, she wandered about the forest, picking up bits of branches and placing them in circles around the bases of trees as if she was a gardener forming foundations for her flowers. The young gardener headed home just as the sun began to set, ready for a good night’s sleep. On her return trip, Maya encountered yet another unnatural sound. Speaking. The voices’ din pierced the wild girl’s ears. She recognised the voices as nonhuman, enemies of the forest. Without a thought Maya jumped into the trees and silently leaped her way towards the voices. She came above them and saw that it was only two guards. As she followed them, waiting to make her move, she listened to the conversation. "Shouldn’t we be worried about the Tree Spirit?" one of the guards asked the other. "Not for much longer. Didn’t you hear the news?" the other replied, snorting a laugh. "No, what’s happening?" "Commander’s gotten tired of dealing with this place and its protector. He’s ordered the whole forest burned," the second man laughed. Maya contained a gasp of fright. "Well that oughta take care of it," the first joked back. Maya knew that she had to do something about the invaders’ plan, but fire was one of the few things she didn’t know how to handle. The girl didn’t wait any longer, she pounced on the intruders and knocked them to the ground. The two men groaned and looked up at their attacker, surprised to find that the Spirit that had them so scared was a teenage girl. As one of the men sat still in astonishment at what he was seeing the other went for his weapon. Maya’s eyes shot over to the attacker and she stomped on the man’s hand, eliciting a scream. She leaned her face down, putting it inches from the man’s. They sat for a moment, frozen in a gaze that Maya was the last to break. The man turned his head and the girl grasped the back of his scalp firmly. She forced his eyes to meet her stormy gaze. The man went limp, utterly intimidated. Satisfied, the girl pulled back the man’s head and drove it into a nearby tree as hard as she could. The man’s figure crumpled and a spurt of blood shot out from where his head collided with the tree trunk. The other man watched in horror at what this girl had done to his companion, and she wasn’t finished. Maya switched her glance from the dead man to the living one who was now standing, weapon in hand. The man raised the weapon and wasn’t allowed any further than that as the girl was already upon him. She tackled him to the ground. The man attempted to raise his head again but was stopped by his assailant’s arm pressed against his neck. The girl wrestled the knife out of his belt, still holding him down, and raised the blade to his neck. She plunged the knife down into the man’s throat, hearing the disgruntled cries of agony. Once both men lay dead Maya rose and left. She didn’t look back, but her anger only grew.... Over the next few days Maya prepared and planned for what was coming. She had gone through the forest and tamed the woodland creatures to her command, creating an army to fight for nature. At the end week the girl was prepared to make her move. The enemy had set up camps all around the forest edges, making it easy for them to quickly burn the greenery. The animals spread to each camp with forces much larger than the men in the camps. Maya took one by herself to allow the animals more numbers. The girl snuck into the small camp and worked her way to the propane storage with a malicious plan in min. She opened up tanks of gas into the vents of the buildings and then, once she was a safe distance away, tossed a match directly into the window of the nearest building. The explosion consumed the clearing, igniting the entire camp but only scratching the trees. By the sounds of screams coming from other areas around the forest edge Maya judged that her plan was a success. It was a temporary victory; however, for more would come. Maya spent the next couple months taking out pyro camps in order to keep her home safe. She wondered whether or not the attacks would ever stop as she worked her way to another camp. Upon arriving, the girl found that the camp was larger than she had anticipated, being split into three sections, each with its own generator. Maya shook off the intimidation and moved towards the first generator. Night had already fallen and if it wasn’t for the lights around the encampment the new moon would have made it completely dark. The first generator went out, leaving the entire section vulnerable. "Ugh, stupid generator’s on the fritz again," one of the men said, aggravated. "Then go fix it moron," another replied. "Fine," the first groaned. The slow conversation gave Maya time to move around the side of the generator and wait for the man to arrive. "Why do I always have to fix the thing?" he asked as he moved towards the machine. "Because you’re the engineer. Goodness I haven’t see someone so lazy," the other guard shot back. The engineer reached the generator and began to inspect it. Before he could see the switch Maya’s javelin pierced his throat and he dropped to the ground. Maya slid around the generator and over towards where the other guard sat. He didn’t even look up before a knife slit his throat. The girl continued through the the camp section, eliminating two more guards and wedging branches into the building supports. Once the pylons were set Maya moved into the second camp. This was the largest of the three sections. Spot lights shone across the pathways, illuminating almost every inch of the main clearing. Maya snuck around the edge of the camp, dodging behind corners or boxes every time a light or guard passed. Eventually the girl reached the generator for the second camp and the lights went out. "Okay this probably isn’t just faulty generators," one of the guards said. "Two have gone down and we haven’t heard anything from district B. Raise a light alarm. I think that the Spirit is here." Maya identified this man to be the leader and began to work her way through the camp to find him. The man turned and saw her, letting out a shriek. The teen tackled the man who had begun to sprint away and stabbed him in the back with her javelin. The camp heard the scream and went into chaos. A crash rose up from the camp section that Maya had been to previously as men tried to leave their quarters and fell into the girl’s trap. The men knew what was going on. Men barked orders as they stumbled through the dark. Maya sprinted back to the generator before they could reach it and lodged her javelin in the power lever, forcing it permanently into the off position, then she quicjly left before they could find her. This section of the encampment was much more populated that the first, having at least thirty guards. Maya used the size to her advantage as the crowded state coupled with the darknesscaused many of the occupants to run into each other. During this confusion, Maya opened the propane stores and set her trap. The girl darted in front of a man’s vision, causing him to fire his weapon, igniting the cloud of gas that had enveloped the area. Maya was just out of range of the ensuing combustion, although it some of the shrapnel caught her in the side and left deep burns and gashes. The fires spread and caught the final section of the camp as well. Maya felt satisfied that this would send the right message to whoever was in charge of the invaders. She was wrong. As Maya was heading back to her clearing a thunderstorm sounded overhead. There was no water in this storm. Instead, a rain of fire came down, ravaging the earth and setting the trees ablaze. The animals ran frantically around, attempting to avoid the explosions. As Maya stumbled away she saw numerous beasts lying dead with their carcasses seared and mangled. The area was a haze of sickening sounds and nauseating scenes. Maya ran for the forest edge to escape the terror but was stopped by a nearby tree shattering with a fiery blast and sending her hurtling backwards. When she rose she didn’t even stop to reorient herself and dizzily continued running to her escape. The young girl reached the end of what was once the forest after what felt like days of running and devastating hellfire. She reached the city and found a secluded spot where she would be safe, passing into unconsciousness.... Maya awoke on a bed of brightly colored leaves surrounded by a vivid and lively forest. She looked around, hoping to find that she had dreamed the destruction of her home. As she wandered through the colorful nature she saw people laughing and playing around tables in a large grassy clearing. Sitting by one table was a woman who looked just like Maya with her arms open wide. The young girl entered the woman’s embrace and suddenly felt everything change. The grass had withered to black and the trees crumpled into ash pillars spreading around on the wind. Maya realised that this was her world and fell to her knees in anguish. Maya awoke with a start, holding on to the warmth she had felt before her dream had turned into a nightmare. She remembered how the forest had raised her, given her a name, provided for her. She also remembered how she had failed to save it and repay it for the gifts it gave her. Maya sat in her corner of safety and felt the tears well up in her wide and hardened eyes.