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Looking about, one would get the distinct impression they were not in Kansas anymore.. or the same plane of existance for that matter. The most striking thing was the sky above, a deep and muddied shade of violet, what little light was reaching the ground below came from a single star that was a deep crimson, and seemed to be on it's last leg, however long that may be. The canopy above seemed to reflect this, the trees that were growing were twisted and somewhat sickly looking. The bark was pitch black and and glassy, looking more like coal than living plantmatter. However, from the bony fingerlike branches that clawed at the sky as if seeking light, there were broad leaves that waved listlessly in the breeze. These leaves were as large as dinner plates and were a bright aquamarine color, and were fairly sparse despite the fact this seemed like it would be a full and lush forest anywhere else.

Below the canopy, the forest floor was quite alive with activity, despite how abysmal the surroundings were, there were all manner of bizzare creatures lumbering about in the  scant undergrowth. Some were enormous bipedal creatures that had limbs as thick as an elephants legs, crashing about with little regard for the smaller creatures under foot and knuckle. Their bodies were tough and looked like leather that had been left out in the sun too long, cracked and dry, also smudged with black smears as they muscled their way past the black trees. The smaller creatures that scurried about trying to avoid being crushed by these large brutes came in a wide variety of flavors; some looked like lizards, but made of stone, these moving slowly and trying to get out of the way, however if they were stepped on, they did not seem to be phazed too much by it, the creatures able to wriggle free from the dark loam as soon as the giant foot was removed.

Others took to hopping onto the trees to get out of the way, these did not look like anything from our world, having easily fifteen or more limbs that ended in twin clawed toes that hid their bodies from view and almost seemed to roll when they moved. These made angry little screeching noises at the brutes as they passed, but the second one of the lethargic looking creatures would glance their way, they would go spinning off as fast as their little limbs could carry them. The brutes did not seem too concerned with the little shriekers, and continued on their way. This particular group steadily made it's way through the forest, until they came to the edge and forced their way out of the boney trees grasp.

What awaited them on the other side was what appeared to be a lake, although the 'water' had the same glassy black shine the trees had. It almost looked like tar, but it was completely fluid, some pale fish with absurdley large eyes leaping from it's surface to snatch up the occasional insect that strayed to close to it's surface before splashing back down, sending out ripples that faded long before they reached the shore. The brutes stopped at the waters surface, and began to drink from it, using their massive hands to scoop up bucket loads at a time. While it was not a particularly pretty scene, it was a fairly peaceful one, although one would be able to sense a very peculiar energy in the air near the brutes.

Suddenly, with a sound akin to a thunderclap and a bright flash of light, what could only be described as a portal appeared next to the group, the shimmering tear distorting whatever was on the other side beyond recognition. The brutes looked to eachother in their usual 'not terribly concerned with the goings on about them' way, and after a moment, one of the smaller brutes stepped forward and into the portal, which simply phased out completely silently, a stark contrast to when it had appeared. Every so often, that sound could be heard from any direction, but sometimes the portals had a creature emerge from them, rather than entering it. The creatures of this world seemed to treat these as perfectly normal however, and they never really elicited much response aside from whatever was nearby entering the portal when it appeared.

Across the lake, on the opposite bank from the brutes, two solitary figures stood close to the waters edge. They were smaller than the brutes; one was tall, it's entire body seeming to be made of tendrils, aside from its head which pointed and somewhat birdlike in appearance but instead of a beak, it had a circular opening from which the occasional honk sound issued. The other was much smaller, roughly two feet in size, it slightly resembled a bipedal cat, although it's 'ears' were curved more like wicked horns. It also had one large eye that glowed a subdued sky blue, and had a spiral rather than a pupil that swirled constantly. The other feature that really stood out was a very large mouth, filled with absurdely large white teeth, that in the middle had a gap wide enough for a flat, forked tongue to poke out just a bit, the tip of which was the same dusty looking blue from his eye.

The two were taking turns skipping stones across the obsidian surface of the water, the taller individual clearly having an advantage, but the shorter one did not seem to mind too much. They did this for about fifteen minutes, even watching across the lake as one of the brutes passed through the portal. After awhile longer, a portal did appear on their side of the lake. It opened next to the taller individual, who seemed quite excited to see it. "Well, looks like someone is in need of my services!" He says excitedly, the smaller one giving a little grunt of acknowledgement. The taller creature turns to jump in the portal, when suddenly from the lake, a giant pale tendril shoots out of the water, the and snatches up our bird faced friend and drags him into the water before he can enter it. The smaller creature hardly seems fazed by this development, as such things were just the way of this twisted world.

He was however very interested in the open portal next to him. Since his friend was no longer available, this portal was now open to whoever wanted to take it. He had heard that the world beyond was truly amazing, a lot less dangerous and much more beautiful than his own. He never really got the chance to see it himself as no one seemed to think a small goo creature could be of much use. Without much of a second thought, the little guy jumps in, his body joining the swirl of the portal like ink in water. Slowly it drained through, even his teeth turning into white goo, the last to go was his large eye, the only part of his body not made of goo it seemed, and it went through with a bit of a comedic popping sound, falling through to whatever new world he was being summoned to.