Le Mère des Champignons

Mother Spore (Mère Spore)

A/N: Sit tight, my friends! This chapter is longer than the first two combined! You might have to make more tea than usual :P

Salutations to Willow, who partially beta-read this chapter. At this point I've begun to break off from having peer review, and the next chapter (hint, it's gonna be called "Excursions") is going to be fully independent from other beta-readers. This does not mean it's unedited, it's just not peer-reviewed :D

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TW: VIOLENCE, PARASITISM, AND VIVID DESCRIPTION OF ILLNESS/PAIN

Skip no. 1 (TW: Sickness): "Definitely the mushrooms...." to "His breathing is erratic...."

Skip no. 2 (TW: Violence/Blood): "However, good things...." to "'Love always disgusted me'"

Skip no. 3 (TW Parasitism): "His hand stops...." to "Grian sits down...."

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Soundtrack: "Mycelium" by Amos Roddy [I absolutely adore this piece- in fact, the entire album is beautiful]

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"I remember that night, I just might regret that night for the rest of my days"

- "Satisfied" from Hamilton (A/N: there's gonna be a lot of Hamilton references bc the Le Mèreshrooms chat [the chat where my beta-readers discuss Le Mère] is full of Hamilfans- Tea I am looking in your direction :D)

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The man stares at the morning sun, squinting from its brightness. His spirits lift, suddenly filled with a determination he didn't feel before. He turns towards Mushi.

"We need to find them." He states, determined. To call the small calf over, he squats and pats his thighs. The calf over-enthusiastically bounds towards him, expecting some form of affection.

When she reaches him, the man picks her up; he cradles the Mooshroom with one arm as he walks over to his discarded headgear. The man sets Mushi down for a moment, and he dons his wide-brimmed hat and mask. After his face is concealed once more, he picks her up again.

Mushi loves being with her guardian, and the man enjoys being with her. He never intended to take her on as his daughter of sorts, but now that is where he is. He is a father to her, and both of them know this.

So here they are-- Father and Daughter-- walking through the fungal wastes, nearly the same path as the night before. Though the mask hides it, the man has a joyful grin on his face; his heart is full of pride. Mushi helps the man forget his sorrows.

Their journey doesn't last for long, however, because it is soon interrupted by pangs of hunger. The man grips his stomach and chuckles to himself.

"We forgot to eat last night." He laughs, acknowledging his stupidity. Taking care of hunger is one of the most important facets of survival; forgetting to eat is dangerous.

The man stops his pace and sets Mushi down, looking for an edible species of fungus. His eyes wander across the forest floor, searching, until he finds a cluster of brown mushrooms, firmly attached to a large boulder.

Those were safe to eat.

He pulls a bowl out of his satchel, and walks over to the boulder, which is almost as tall as himself. He then carefully picks the fruiting bodies off of the stone, filling the bowl with them. Mushi, who is intrigued by her father's actions, prances over to his side and stands on her hind legs, resting her front hooves on the boulder.