The Stray

The Long Way Home, Pt. 2

The first thing was to talk to the pond dwellers. The fight earlier had caused a big ruckus, and those things had a way of rippling through the Deepshadow. As the closest thing to an alpha around here, he figured it was best to let them know what'd happened, and warn them of possible trouble. For the most part, they took it alright.

<<"Alright, guys. My traps are set up and you all know the score. Just be careful, okay?">>

"You're really worried, huh?" Meri squirmed a little as they finally left the pond, heading northeast. "Worried enough to make a whole announcement..."

"Well, I couldn't just leave my friends in the dark. Nobody here's up on the food chain, y'know?" Timothy tried to smile. "Hopefully I'm worrying over nothing."

Meri hugged herself. "I didn't think I'd cause so much trouble just comin' in here. I'm real sorry, Timothy." The message had really sunk in that she'd screwed up. Timothy squirmed a little at her obvious upset.

"Hey, hey, easy." He said softly. "They live in the Deepshadow, they're used to danger. It's the Great Cycle at work."

Meri sniffed, and wiped it away on her sleeve. "But I made it worse."

"Well, yes." He was hardly gonna lie to her. "But everyone that lives here wakes up knowing they might end the day in another monster's stomach. Even me. They'll be okay. Let's worry more about getting you home safe, okay?"

It took a little for her to calm down and refocus. "Okay."

Well, maybe this will cheer her up a little? Timothy thought as he read her into the next ward fence, allowing her to pass into his garden behind him. Here, the wards were different, and more complicated than his house wards. The forest up ahead looked unremarkable and dark... until they crossed the invisible line. Then, light bloomed all around them, filling the clearing with a strong, steady false daylight even greater than the glowbuzz light.

The woods here were open, with large distances between the large trees. Here and there, glowing mushrooms cast a sunny gold light in wide circles, illuminating patches of vegetables, herbs, and even flowers. Another branch of the same creek that fed his pond ran through, babbling gently. The air here smelled sweet and wild, the product of gentle wind through the flowers. And fluttering around the various plants were cheerful, buzzing Darkwood bees. They were soft with grey and black fluff, perfect for blending in among the trees of the wood. Their stingers glittered faintly in the light, but normally they'd be almost invisible. Even their buzzing was soft, with Timothy only catching it from experience.

Meri stepped back in surprise, passing back out the wards. "Woah!"

"Heh. Good wards, huh?" he smiled. "These'uns are just there to hide the light, and my bee buddies."

"It's crazy bright. What's the deal with the mushrooms?"

He led her back through the wards. "Those're Clustersuns. They're rare mushrooms that mostly grow in the fairy territories." Seeing the look on her face, he added, "I got mine from the Nightcaps, though."

The dragoness looked at him, puzzled. "Nightcaps?"

"Mushroom folks. They're small, like about up to your ankle, an' live in a few scattered tribes around the forest." He made a few hand gestures. "They're not super friendly, but they're willing to trade with me for poisons and junk."

Her eyes widened. "Poison?"

"Yeah, they drink it." The wolf couldn't help but giggle at the look on her face. "I dunno why, they just like to. So I brew up the, um, good stuff in exchange for mushrooms they farm. Including these babies."