Trish watched as the redhead squeezed through the plant's parted leaves and managed to join Jenn inside the trap.  Seras started trying to tug the stamen down and out of Jenn's butt, however that was as likely to happen as a starving Frogly not trying to gobble up a girl wiggling her ass in front of it.  Seras would have to lift Jenn upward instead, and apparently realized it; she stood and squeezed around in front of the little dancer, her tits settling on top of Jenn's and almost smothering the poor girl (though she didn't look entirely displeased with the situation yet).  Seras gripped Jenn's butt-cheeks and started pulling upward, and the girl slowly, very slowly, began to grind upward on the swollen stamen.<br/><br/>The Shaman found herself grinning, imagining their consternation if she were to suddenly order the other girls to let the plant close back up.  They would surely make a very interesting bulge inside the plant... and as a Retriever and a Dancer, they were both rather expendable clan members, after all...<br/><br/>However Bobbie, the muscular woman, gave a grunt, and the leaves of the plant<span style="font-style: italic">did</span>close up just a bit.  She bared her teeth and forced harder, and the leaves re-opened to the point they had been, but the muscular woman was sweating quite a bit.  She spoke one word, as if it explained everything: "hungry..."<br/><br/>Trish licked her lips.  She hadn't<span style="font-style: italic">really</span>been intending to leave the two girls inside the plant, but if the other women couldn't keep the plant's leaves open for much longer, Seras would have to get Jenn and herself out soon, or she really<span style="font-style: italic">would</span>end up joining her permanently...<br/><br/>"Um, you might want to hurry up," she warned, as the leaves closed just a little bit.  Jenn was maybe half-way off the stamen now, which had extended to its full length in an attempt to keep hold of her.  She had enough room to move now, bracing her arms and legs against the open sides, but for how long?<br/><br/>---- ---- ---- ----<br/><br/>Onyx waited silently for The Cad to give his assent to entering the forest, but when a minute passed and he gave no response --- seeming vaguely distracted, somehow ---- she shrugged and assumed he had no objections, and was ready to move on.  After all, that was what they were out here for...<br/><br/>She led the group into the trees, and they followed quietly.  Stealth was key out in the wilderness, but even more so in a forest such as this one; so was giving one's surroundings one's full attention.  As such, as Onyx led them through the trees, they travelled silently but kept their eyes peeled for dangerous plants growing in the underbrush or in the trees, as well as for dangerous beasts or smaller animals that could serve as prey.<br/><br/>Ted and The Cad were now at the center of the group, with the four Retrievers spread out around them.  Janessa was still right behind the Cad, almost draped over him, while Rachel, dirty as she was anyway, seemed to have accepted that she was in charge of Ted.  The way the big man was following her, pressed up against her from behind, made it clear enough that he wasn't entirely focused on the hunt... though he seemed to be behaving himself so far, at least.  Lucille and Mina were in behind and in front respectively, guarding Onyx and Tia in front, and Zeena and Marie in back.<br/><br/>All was quiet.  Birds chirped in the branches above, and occasionally the sounds of animals could be heard in the distance.  Now and again a small animal, such as a squirrel or mouse, would quickly find shelter from the human hunters.  They did not try to catch them; if they failed to find something mors substantial they would have to rely on smaller game, but they were hoping for larger animals...<br/><br/>The darkness of the forest thickened, and there was a bit less undergrowth.  The leafy trees gave way mostly to giant pines and other evergreens, leaving a carpet of red-brown needles on the forest floor.  With less worries of ground-level greenery concealing deadly plants, they began to walk a bit faster, seeking deer and other larger game... though Onyx began looking about a bit nervously.<br/><br/>Perhaps no one would realize it... but Onyx had inadvertently led them in a different direction than she had intended to.  She was unfamiliar with this area, or at least, didn't remember it if she'd passed here before... but she was stubbornly insisting on walking, on leading them deeper...<br/><br/>The tree trunks were getting dense, and it was getting increasingly gloomy, with little light filtering down from above, when Zeena, the hunter bringing up the rear, finally dared speak out loud.  "Onyx... do you know where you're going?"<br/><br/>"Of<span style="font-style: italic">course</span>I know!"  Onyx snapped, her defensiveness a sign that she was lying.  She pointedly refused to stop walking "We... this is one of the best areas for deer.  Don't you remember?"<br/><br/>"Uh... no, actually..." Zeena admitted.  "But, uh... it doesn't feel right..."<br/><br/>Even as she was speaking, they stepped into a small clearing of sorts, where a great pine had fallen, wiping out a swath of branches in the forest canopy, allowing light to stream down and casting the surrounding area into deeper gloom as they stepped into it.  Lying near the base of the fallen tree was exactly what they had been looking for: curled up and apparently sleeping were three deer, an older doe with two slightly smaller ones next to her.  Onyx turned her eyes to Zeena and widened them to say<span style="font-style: italic">see?</span>She brought her finger to her lips, signalling everyone to be silent, and she raised a spear.  with hand gestures, she signaled everyone to spread out around the animals, quietly, so that there would be nowhere to run to once they woke up.<br/><br/>As they were spreading out, however, The Cad had a strange feeling that something wasn't quite right, though he couldn't immediately put his finger on it.  He had seen no sign of those watching eyes again... but this time, he felt watched again, and it didn't feel as benign.  Three deer, sleeping here, in a clearing... breathing fast and shallow... something wasn't right...