//------------------------------//
// Torchlight 
// Story: Exile 
// by Forceful Will 
//------------------------------//

	Jinx breathed heavily through the torch in his mouth as he ran. He could feel the energy in his body being sapped with each passing moment. It was no longer a wonder that he hadn’t heard any wildlife in the riverlands; he doubted anything that did come in deep enough to be affected by the spores ever came back out. As he ran through the trees, Jinx could see mushrooms in his peripheral vision swell, puff out a cloud of spores, and disintegrate. He could only hope he didn’t run right into any more clouds, or he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stay awake; fear could only stimulate him for so long.

Jinx noticed small bits of the burning bark beginning to fall from the torch and skidded to a stop. It would be better to stop running for a moment than to try running in darkness. Swiftly stabbing the lit torch into the ground, he knelt down to pull a second one out of his bags. The second torch lit immediately upon contact with the first, and Jinx gave a weak smile. He knocked the first torch over into the dirt, stomping hard on the embers to ensure he wouldn’t start a dangerous fire. Even as he started to continue his flight, he found himself staring right at an immense fungus mere inches away from his face.

Instinctively, Jinx swung the torch in his mouth at the pod, causing it to wither in the direct light. He sighed heavily in relief, and pushed past the shriveled lump. As the night deepened it seemed like the fungi were able to grow larger than the hoof-sized stalks he had first noticed. Whether that meant he was only running deeper into heart of the infestation or if it was just a result of the night, Jinx couldn’t tell, but his only choice was to keep running and hope for the best.

He was utterly exhausted when he reached a clearing. The ground in a large circle was completely devoid of plant life and—Jinx was relieved to see—fungi. He looked around warily. Something like this couldn’t have happened naturally; somepony had to have created it. There were marks on the surrounding trees where branches had been cut away, and the ground had evidence of recent digging to uproot the undergrowth. In the center of the area was a small circle of stones and the charred remains of a small campfire. Whoever had done this must’ve been planning to stay for a considerable amount of time given how much effort clearing this large of an area must have taken, but it was equally clear that they weren’t here now.

Jinx settled himself near the fire pit and eyed the edges of the clearing, looking for any clouds of spores. They didn’t seem to spread very far individually, so it seemed that for the moment, he was safe. And if the clearing was any indication, its previous inhabitants had been protecting themselves from the spores here as well. Lethargically, he pulled his cloak and blanket off his hindquarters and lay down to sleep. In the morning, he could look more closely at the campsite, and possibly even determine which way whoever had created it had gone.