The forest was colossal, shadowy, and blooming. Its canopy was contested by cottonwood, rhododendron, and magnolia, and rays of light bursting through their crowns allowed for a collection of herbs to burst from the branch and twig laden ground below. Curling branches dangled from most trees, and a range of flowers, which desperately tried to avoid the shadows, looked almost out of place in the otherwise emerald view. A hodgepodge of wild sounds, which were caused by foraging animals, added life to the forest, and were out of sync with the occasional sounds of large animals in the distance.