The savanna had  become quiet in the past weeks. Normally roaming herds of antelope followed by hyenas passed by this stretch along the river, while spotted wild cats laid in wait for easy prey. But something had happened. Whatever it was, it coincided with the drastic change in migratory patterns. The Hazan tribes reported odd behavior of the animals a fortnight ago. What they noticed first were the birds disappearing in large numbers. All birds from eagles to honey-eaters we're vanishing.  In the beginning they assumed a migration, but other villages were reporting the same absence. After that, it was the wild cats. Those with a habit of resting in trees no longer did so, laying themselves on the ground.

The population of ground dwelling rodents rose briefly but dropped shortly. Soon the grazing animals were reducing in numbers.  What was going on? As the tribesmen explained these strange signs, they stated that they could find no obvious cause. There did not appear to be an illness affecting the savanna animals, nor were there signs of poison. What their scouts did discover was the emergence of a new type of tree that had never been seen in the Haza before. The leaves were lush and full, with a reddish tint to them. They were thriving, yet there were no animals or insects around. Their roots were large,  partially exposed.  And when they drew closer, their eyes were greeted with a chilling sight. 

Around the bases of these trees were piles of bleached white animal bones. There were skulls, half-buried ribs, femurs, and antlers from all sorts of beasts. Following the directions given to them by the Hazans, Walter, Euripides, and Chrysanthe made the long trek on foot to find the closest one of these grim trees. Perhaps they would find some answers. 

When she heard uncle Walter was heading out to investigate something in the Haza savanna, she jumped at the change to go along. He was hesitant when she asked at first, but after some convincing, he decided she could come. She'd never explored the wilds of Parvpora and she was eager to learn. Chrys overheard the Hazan tribesman talking about 'trees of death'. From the sound of the description, these strange trees were in the center of zones with high levels of animal depopulation. She was beside the tracker when he was gathering information from the local tribe elder, and had asked if they could tell her what the trees looked like in more detail. The trees themselves didn't seem out of the ordinary, but they definitely didn't fit with the rest of the local flora here. The savanna's arid climate and high temperatures weren't suitable for something that was better adapted to more temperate regions.

Before they had left Antikythera, Galatea suggested that they take Euripides along. His analyzing skills would be useful in recording details of any new information they learned. The Hazans were wary at the sight of the metal golem and his metallic high-pitched voice, but they were polite. Uncle Walter said Euripides was the first automaton Bel and Cyril's mother made. It was amazing how different all of the regular staff there looked. "Pardon me–Walter sir? How much longer is it until we reach our destination? I think I can feel my internal bearings coming loose, and this heat–oh dear." The metal golem spoke, attempting to shade himself from the sun using his equipment bag. He gingerly tiptoed around the rocker portions of the ground, picking his way through the uneven surface. "Rocks everywhere! Perhaps we should have asked the tribesmen for horses? Who knows what might be lurking in these grasses?" 

The tracker turned to look behind him, taking a pause to allow the automaton to catch up. "We're almost there Euripides, don't worry. We'll be fine. I haven't caught wind of any animals since we started walking." His face showed a moment of worry, before turning back and continuing on again. Wiping the sweat from her neck, she fanned herself with a hand. Her hood was up, but taking it off wasn't going to help much. She quickened her pace and came alongside the tracker. "It should be easy to see, right Uncle Walter? There aren't a lot of trees close together and the grasslands are pretty flat like the Bohar Plains." 

"Right, Chrys. If we see anything that fits the description, we'll know we've found it." He had his suspicions when the Hazans first told them these accounts, but when the eerie quiet on the plains continued, there was no denying it. Wiping his brow, now would be a good time to find some shade. There just so happened to be a tree in the distance. It was a sizable one, and even if the shadow wasn't much it would be a welcome break from the noonday sun. They had been walking for hours, and they needed rest. A few pulls from their canteens, then they would return to their search.

Euripides was having a hard time walking, and one look at his feet showed why. It was flat, like a shoe without the flexibility of a leather sole. The grooves designed to help with traction could easily have pebbles or dirt stuck into them. It was a good thing they were on dry ground, walking through mud would leave the poor metal golem stranded. "Ah! At last–some respite! I was wondering when I could leave the unbearable beating rays of the sun. My chassis is overheated, and I can feel my welded joints melting apart!" Walter couldn't disagree with Euripides there. "Alright, let's take a quick rest before we continue on. I'm feeling overheated myself. While we're at it, we could set up camp and have a bite to eat."

 Chrys eagerly broke into a sprint, heading in the tree's direction. Suddenly she stopped, and stared for a while. Something was making her hesitate, and the way she was moving seemed like it was making her uncomfortable. "Chrys? What's wrong?" Walking up, he saw the girl wide-eyed and her face pale. She pointed. "…Uncle Walter, look. The leaves…they're red." From where they were standing, an uneasy chill came over him as the bright sunlight reflected a ruddy tint from the tree's boughs. Compared to most of the other trees on the savanna, it looked very healthy. Too healthy. But unlike the trees from the Virens, the leaves were leaning more towards a dark reddish rust. Dark, like blood. The roots were white, and he could make out the shape of a horned antelope skull. Focusing his eyes longer, the roots turned out to be piles of bleached bones covering the ground.

There was something wrong about that tree. She had a hunch when she tried to communicate with it, but didn't receive a response. Most plants would have some sort of reaction, but there was nothing. Chrys had thought to try talking to it to get a better understanding of what was going on, but when her repeated attempts received no reply she was feeling uneasy. If she couldn't talk to the tree, then the grasses and brush might know something. Communicating with the patches closer to the crimson tree, what she heard from the smaller plants left her shaken. Silence for the most part, then an animal or bird came by. An antelope had nibbled on them a bit a while back, then moved to walk over their blades. They went closer and closer to the tree, then there was screaming. Birds squawked and screeched before all sounds ceased. Then, it went quiet for a very long time. There weren't any more antelope or zebras that nibbled on them, and they didn't hear any birds chattering either.

"Uncle Walter, Euripides–stop! Don't get any closer!" She shouted as the metal golem was just coming within the shadow of the tree's branches. Suddenly the branches moved and grabbed him by the midsection, causing him to panic and let out a high-pitched shriek! The forked branches grasped him like clawed hands, hoisting Euripides high off the ground. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!! PUT ME DOWN, PUT ME DOOOWN!! DROPPING FROM SUCH A HEIGHT WILL LEAVE ME IN PIECES!!" The tinny voice wailed. They looked on in horror as it tried to wring him apart, only to find that what it had caught wasn't made of flesh and blood. Uncle Walter was already backing up when the ground began to rumble beneath their feet. "What's going on?" He shouted. Then, the tree's real roots burst out from beneath the pile of bones–scattering them everywhere. "Gods, what is that thing?!"

Then they made a run for it, trying to put as much distance between it and them as possible. Throwing Euripides aside, the bark on the trunk distorted itself into a hideous face. Glaring their way, it began rushing towards them on its root-legs as fast as a spider. When she looked over her shoulder, Chrysanthe screamed. "It's coming after us! What are we supposed to do?!" 

They couldn't outrun it–the bloody monster-tree was too fast with its 'legs' it had. He wouldn't be able to run fast enough, let alone Chrys. Walter was starting to regret not borrowing a horse for her. Most horses balked when he got close, so he rarely had the chance to ride on horseback. Without any other options, he shifted into his wolf form and picked up the pace. His speed was faster with four legs in contact with the ground than two. Running alongside the girl, he grabbed her cloak with his mouth and slung her onto his back. This would have to do for now. But running was just half of the solution–they needed to keep the red tree from closing the distance. Unless it was stopped, they wouldn't be able to escape or bring back Euripides safely. "Chrys I know this is a lot to ask of you right now, but if you can–try to shoot it in the trunk! I'll focus on staying out of its reach."

"O-ok!" The sound of her voice was shaky, but he could hear her starting to calm down. Making a wide turn, he was looping back towards the location of the fallen metal golem with the tree monster in hot pursuit. "Make sure to tell me how close it is so we can keep out of its grasp!" He reminded her before putting all his focus and energy into sprinting. The fur on his entire body was standing on end. He could feel the anxiety creeping in but pushed it back. No, he couldn't let fear take over. As soon as he did, his body would lock up and freeze. Then it would truly be over for the three of them. To distract himself Walter imagined himself running after a large stag out in the open grass, following its movements in a heart-pounding chase. "Uncle Walter, turn left!" The imaginary buck made a sharp left, and so did his path. 

The wolf felt the girl's position shift along with his change in direction. She might be getting ready to pull back the string. He kept his running pace constant to assist with her aiming. She was the better shot with a bow and arrow, they had to make every shot count. The whistle of a shaft flying from the bow greeted his ears to tell him she was done. He prayed that it would hit its mark and not miss. An uneasy lack of response from Chrys was broken when she shouted, "I got him! Yes!" Looking over his shoulder, he saw a burst of flame spew out onto the tree monster. An awful screech came from its jagged maw and it reeled from the enchanted arrow. Good thing she had a quiver full of those on her; they might be the only thing that could deal real damage to the life-sucking tree in this situation.