Sue¡¯s rest was well needed, the release of tension resulting in the best sleep she could remember in... ever, really. She took her time waking up, stirring slowly on the soft bedding in search of a more comfortable position¡ªat least, until one of the other occupants of the room noticed. And once they did, there was no coming back.
Her ear spikes twitched at the sound of soft thudding against the wooden floor, breaths deepening as she listened in. The thuds were followed by chipper woofing, then deeper, more distant barks, and finally by alerted squeaks. Sue tried to look at what was going on, reaching her hand to rub the sand out of her eyes¡ª
Only for Ember¡ªno, Spark¡ªto get there first, licking affectionately all over her face.
Sue¡¯s features scrunched up as the affection banished the last of her sleepiness, followed by tired giggles. Her hand swerved to pet the little fox; the kit satisfied at fulfilling their mission of waking their friend up. Which, considering the disappointed woofs that followed, was much to someone¡¯s dissatisfaction.
As Spark turned around to respond to the canine noises, Sue sat up, stretched, and took a look around. Somewhat expectedly, it turned out to be Spark¡¯s parent that was the source of the disapproving sounds. They¡ªwell, she, Sundance if Sue remembered it right¡ªwere just as fluffy as she recalled from the clearing, and much less imposing. Partly because she wasn¡¯t waving a burning stick around, and partly because she was just sitting calmly on the floor with Doc¡ªno, right, Willow¡ªbeside her.
They¡¯re both smiling at me, so that¡¯s a good sign¡ª
¡°Good afternoon, Sue.¡±
¡
Sue reeled back at the sudden understandable words¡ªshe could swear that the bipedal fox had simply woofed at her, but she could somehow understand it as if it was plain English spoken by a middle-aged lady. The mismatch between what her ears heard and what her mind comprehended made for a weird sensation, but ultimately, it didn¡¯t matter. Once she¡¯d shook her confusion off, she answered, ¡°Good afternoon... M-Mrs. Shundance?¡±
To her relief, the ear-hairy fox simply chuckled at her confusion and shook her head, ¡°No need for any titles, Sue. How are you feeling?¡±
Considering everything, Sue felt... good. Even beyond the immeasurable relief of not getting burned at the stake, the nap did wonders for her. Spark was busy nuzzling her stomach, making concentrating on any remaining bodily aches difficult and earning the little fox some well-earned pets for her efforts. ¡°I-I¡¯m doing well, thank you,¡± Sue yawned. ¡°Jhust... taking it all in.¡±
Sundance nodded lightly, woofing out again. This time, though, Sue perceived nothing more than the expected canine noises. The fox on her lap picked herself up with reluctance as her mom continued. ¡°We aren¡¯t hurrying anywhere. We left a seat free if you want to join us; let me know if you need assistance with moving yourself over.¡± And again, woofs became understandable, as if a light switch had been flicked back on. Considering that Solstice mentioned Sundance helping her with catching up on the whole ¡®psychic¡¯ deal, it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to ask her about this.
At least, after she¡¯d moved her rear over and joined them instead of looking down at them like this.
¡°Y-yeah, I¡¯ll probably need a hand with sitting down...¡± Sue muttered, gently shoving Spark to give herself space before she pulled the covers aside and shuffled to the bed¡¯s edge.
Right as she was about to grab the crutch, though, she Sundance spoke up again, ¡°Hmm... it might be simpler if I moved you over myself.¡±
A part of Sue wanted to reject the offer and try her best regardless, but it didn¡¯t take long for her bodily exhaustion to catch up to her, the soreness in her right arm shaking her out of that silly idea. ¡°A-alright, if it¡¯s not a problem¡¡±
¡°Of course it isn¡¯t, Sue. Now, relax...¡±
As Sue awaited further instructions, her eyes went wide at seeing a similar shimmering aura as with Solstice earlier envelop her body. It was light orange instead of blue, and it felt much warmer to the touch, but it was the same kind of magic, likely related to the whole ¡®psychic¡¯ thing. Despite her having a rough idea of what Sundance was about to do, the experience was no less intriguing than the last time. It once more felt like she was being moved by the air itself, its embrace firm and yet gentle enough to not cause any discomfort.
Sundance¡¯s eyes were filled with that same orange shimmer, holding Sue¡¯s attention as she was gracefully levitated through the cabin. She felt her legs being folded into a lotus position before the vixen lowered her, grip waning as she neared her pillow seat, giving her a moment to orient herself before the last of the psychic touch let go of her.
The sudden disappearance of the magic touch and its warmth made Sue shiver a bit. Spark wouldn¡¯t let that stand, though, taking no time before nestling herself once more on her savior¡¯s lap.
¡°That¡¯ll do it,¡± Sundance chuckled, catching Sue¡¯s attention as her hand auto-piloted to petting the smaller fox. Worry about whether the action was even appropriate threatened to bloom in her mind, but a single look at the older vixen¡¯s contented smile was enough to dispel it.
Right, have to thank her.
¡°Th-thank you¡ª¡± Sue began, only for Sundance to cut her off moments later¡ª
¡°No, Sue, thank you,¡± the psychic insisted, voice more serious than earlier. ¡°If not for your intervention, my little Spark might not be with us anymore. My debt to you cannot be overstated.¡±
Sue shakily nodded at that, unused to receiving praise like that. It left her unsure how to respond, and she tried to swerve towards minimizing it, ¡°It¡¯sh just what anyone would¡¯ve dhone¡ª¡±
Sundance wasn¡¯t having it, though. ¡°Maybe. But it was you who did it, and at your weakest no less, so to you my gratitude goes.¡±
Well, that didn¡¯t work. Guess I just¡ have to accept it, for now at least.
¡°You¡¯re whelcome,¡± Sue sighed.
The vixen bowed in return, flustering the once-human further, but her little lap warmer helped her persevere. Spark took the initiative afterwards, interrupting her happy purring to woof something at her parent, leading to a realization if the surprised expression that followed was any sign. The small yet noticeable jolt in her brain caught Sue off guard, making her pause.
Right as she was about to resume her affection, though, she heard the lil¡¯ fox speak up again¡ªand this time, she could understand her. ¡°Did you already do it, mom?¡±
Sundance chuckled, ¡°Yes I have, sweetie¡ª¡±
¡°YAY!¡± Spark squealed. The sound was simultaneously a howl and an excited cry of a preteen girl, resulting with a whiplash that was as utterly adorable as it was surprising¡ªmore so the former as the lil¡¯ fox scrambled on her hind legs and pulled as much of Sue¡¯s body as she could into a hug. She then continued, voice much quieter and more emotional this time, ¡°Thank you, S-S-Sue...¡±
Her emotions had palpably changed from burning excitement to tearful sadness, taking Sue aback¡ªat least until she noticed the equally abundant somber relief at finally being able to thank her. She might not have known how to deal with praise, but dealing with children on the verge of tears? That¡¯s something she had a bit more experience with. A gentle hug worked as well here as it did any other time, Sue smiling as she whispered, ¡°Y-you¡¯re welcome, Spahk.¡±
The lil¡¯ fox leaned to lick as much of her savior¡¯s cheek as she could, sending Sue into a laughing fit as her free hand stroked Spark¡¯s fur. She wasn¡¯t the only one that found the situation amusing, though, with the giggling coming from elsewhere in the room clueing her in to the medic sitting beside her and Sundance, Doc¡ªWarren¡ªno, fuck¡ªWillow. They took their time getting their laughter under control, before easing into a soft smile, ¡°Awww, that¡¯s just cute.¡±
Their voice gave Sue a pause, creaky in that distinctive elderly way but also just soft enough to remain perfectly androgynous. Didn¡¯t help much when it came to deciding the right pronouns, but Sue didn¡¯t care all that much in the moment, perfectly content with sticking to ¡®they¡¯ for the time being.
¡°N-nuuuhh...¡± Spark mumbled in denial before yawning. The associated flash of a mawful of very feral teeth gave Sue pause, but thankfully she wouldn¡¯t have to linger on it for long.
¡°Someone¡¯s exhausted herself from all the excitement, hasn¡¯t she?¡± Sundance chided. Her daughter tried to oppose the accusations coming her way by shaking herself awake¡ªunsuccessfully. Sue extending her affection to the lil¡¯ fox¡¯s tummy didn¡¯t help either. In not too long, Spark was out warm, curled up on her savior¡¯s lap, everyone else keeping quiet until they were certain she was out.
Partly to finally let her rest easy after these last few days, and partly to make sure she wouldn¡¯t listen in on the... darker subjects ahead. Or, at the very least, ones less appropriate for already worried kits.
¡°So¡ªhow¡¯re you feeling, Sue?¡± Willow asked calmly.
Sue internally thanked Solstice for soothing the medic¡¯s worries, especially after they¡¯ve had to deal with her nonsense over the past few days. ¡°I-I¡¯m... good¡ªreally good nhow, I think. I can¡¯t thank you enough f-for your help, and,¡± she sighed, choosing to just call it for what it was, ¡°...and for putting up with my nonshense.¡±
Her pronunciation was tangibly improving now that she finally had an opportunity to actually practice using her new mouth. Hopefully, it wouldn¡¯t make getting used back to her old body harder once she¡ got there.
Willow chuckled, ¡°Hah, it¡¯s more than fine Sue, I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re fine inside your skull after all¡ªbesides, I¡¯ll gladly take nonsense over belligerence. I¡¯ve already looked at your leg once you were done with Solstice, and it should be fine to walk on again within a few days. With all that said, I only really have one more question...¡±
Sue nodded along, the news about her recovery lifting her mood. As much as she was getting used to the crutch, it gave her arm enough workout to last a lifetime. She knew full well that if she hadn¡¯t put her leg through more abuse than it already had to take, it might¡¯ve already recovered by now, but she didn¡¯t want to think about it¡ª
¡°So, where are you really from?¡±
Fuck.
Sue¡¯s eyes shot wide as she stared at the timid medic, the fear of being discovered as an imposter returning in force. Sundance was just as surprised¡ªfar from reassuring, but at least she wasn¡¯t alone in being taken completely off guard, for once. The vixen asked, ¡°What do you mean, Willow? Solstice went through¡ª¡±
¡°A cover up. My fur may be graying, but I¡¯ve been watching over Sue for a few days now, and from her reactions, I have to guess she had spent her entire life under a particularly large boulder, one that left just enough space to let her figure out how to use a crutch, despite her looking and sounding like she had evolved into her current form not even twenty Moons ago.¡±
Neither Sue nor Sundance knew what to say. The latter very much wanted to say something, her mouth opening and closing a few times as she tried to gather the right words, while the former was keen to collapse underground at being seen through so easily.
¡°Now, now, I¡¯m not accusing Sue of anything,¡± Willow continued, still smiling. ¡°I was there when she was being carried into Moonview; I saw the venom dripping from her wound. She¡¯s surely a good person, but that doesn¡¯t make what Solstice said make any sense. A Forest Guardian village exiling one of their own is absurd, but even if they had, they wouldn¡¯t have waited until she grew up, and the idea of a helpless little one lasting a hundred and fifty Moons in the wild is laughable.¡±
Moonview. Guess this village has a name, after all.
Willow paused for a thoughtful moment before they shrugged and continued, tone as upbeat as ever, ¡°The worst part is that I have no idea just what you three are hiding! Hundred and fifty seasons in this world, and nothing I¡¯ve seen or heard of comes close to making sense of all this; you¡¯ve really stumped me!¡±
Sue was dumbfounded at their cheerfulness in spite of their accusations as Sundance sighed in the village, admitting, ¡°The reality here is truly more outlandish than any fables I¡¯ve heard.¡± The once-human couldn¡¯t help but glare at the vixen at the comment, feeling a bit betrayed by her admitting the deceit so quickly.
The medic noticed their distress, trying to defuse the situation, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, Sue. I might have no idea who or what you really are, but whatever the truth is, Solstice trusts you, and of course so does lil¡¯ Spark. I¡¯ve no reason to doubt either of them, though I sure can¡¯t deny being very curious after tending to you.¡±
Sue slowly nodded at their words, getting back to petting Spark after realizing she¡¯d stopped amid all the tension. The lil¡¯ fox¡¯s soft fur made for a great stress reliever as the once-human chewed through her thoughts. Her gaze shifted between the other two, dreadfully unsure what to say and how much of it.
Eventually, Willow took it upon themselves to break the impasse, ¡°Well, I gotta say, if that¡¯s how spooked you got by just silly old me asking you that, I can only imagine just how rattled Solstice made you. Helps put your, well, ¡®nonsense¡¯¡ªyour words, not mine¡ªin context. I am sorry for that, though; I didn¡¯t intend to make you afraid.¡±
The genuine apology helped soothe Sue¡¯s worries, despite being mixed with a heaping pile of curiosity.
¡°If you want me to, Sue, I can attempt to explain based on what Solstice told me,¡± Sundance offered. ¡°Admittedly, I¡¯m still unclear on some details myself, however.¡± Guess it really fell to her to provide them both with some much deserved clarity.
Here goes nothing.
¡°Alrhight. Guess I¡¯ll anshwer the biggest point first¡ªy-you¡¯re right, Sholstice made her story up. I¡¯m¡¡± Sue paused, resigning herself to the most direct description she could come up with, ¡°I¡¯m from another world, I-I think.¡±
Sundance was following so far, Solstice¡¯s explanation had made that much clear. Willow, though, immediately had questions of their own, and spoke, ¡°Another world you say! Sundance hails from so far away, but I think this is my first time talking with someone from across the seas¡ª¡±
¡°Much further than that, Willow,¡± the vixen corrected.
The medic turned their gaze over at her, lifting their eyebrows as they tried to figure out what she meant. ¡°How so?¡±
¡°From what Solstice tried to explain to me, Sue appears to hail from another reality entirely.¡±
Hearing it stated so plainly made the truth of the matter hit Sue harder than she¡¯d expected, making her feel¡ empty. Fortunately, the sensation didn¡¯t last long once Willow¡¯s curiosity inserted itself back into the discussion. ¡°Golly. You are a bit odd, Sue, but I can¡¯t say I would¡¯ve expected that... or someone from another realm to behave in such a familiar way.¡±
Sundance nodded in response, putting the shared attention back on the interdimensional traveler. She didn¡¯t understand how Sue could be just like them, either¡ªbut, then again, neither did Sue. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s weird,¡± she admitted. ¡°Thish world is so similar to my old one, almosh identical except for its creathures.¡±
¡°Identical, you say?¡± Willow leaned in. ¡°So if not for the looks of us three, this very cabin and village it¡¯s in, the woods around it, the rivers cutting through them, the dirt below and the skies above, all that would¡¯ve been just the same as your world?¡±
Sue had to give it a moment¡¯s thought, but... yeah, that checked out. She nodded firmly, Willow¡¯s expression turning pensive as they chewed through her unexpected response. ¡°Well, my mother used to tell me that the other worlds glow bright in the sky, and that¡¯s what stars are¡ªthough I sure wouldn¡¯t have expected worlds to have siblings like that, hah!¡±
Putting it that way got a lighthearted chuckle out of Sue and Sundance alike. The latter picked up where Willow left off, herself curious about the aforementioned differences. ¡°Since you highlighted the difference in creatures, I meant to ask. Solstice had mentioned that your... natural form is similar to your current one in anatomy, except for not being psychic, correct?¡±
The once-human nodded, ¡°Right. There aren¡¯t any ¡®pshychic¡¯ creatures where I¡¯m from to begin with.¡±
Neither of the duo were expecting that one, judging by their stunned expressions. Willow gasped; ¡°None at all, you say?¡±
Sue wondered whether to mention that concept ¡®existing¡¯ in fiction, before ultimately deciding against it and confirming their hunch. No matter how wild her world¡¯s imagination was, it couldn¡¯t compare to this world¡¯s reality.
¡°Well, if nothing else, that explains why you haven¡¯t shown any of your psychics so far. Is it just a matter of not knowing how to, uh, tap into them?¡± the medic asked, intrigued.
¡°That appears to be the case from what Solstice had told me,¡± Sundance answered, eyeing Sue out.
¡°Huh. Would¡¯ve thought it would be all instinct.¡±
¡°Not without developing it first. Speaking of,¡± the vixen paused as she faced Sue head on, her expression focusing while maintaining its prior warmth. ¡°I take it Solstice had mentioned me guiding you through developing your abilities?¡±
¡°Yeah. I-I¡¯m shtill honored at that¡ª¡±
¡°No Sue, it¡¯s my honor to repay my debt to you in such an important way.¡±
Sue was once more taken aback, unsure how she should react. Eventually, she bowed towards her mentor-to-be, hands continuing to dispense affection for the little sleeping one all the while. ¡°Thank you.¡±
It was Sundance¡¯s turn to stop herself from reflecting the praise back onto her student, acknowledging her thanks with a light nod before speaking up, ¡°Now, before we begin, do you have any more questions you¡¯d want answered first?¡±
Even just listing everything that still confused her in this world would likely take several days on its own. Of the unknowns that comprised the fort of confusion in her mind, few came close in importance to what she then asked, ¡°That... shrine with the feathersh in front of it. Is it for a deity or something?¡±
¡°Hah, mother would¡¯ve scolded the horns out of you if she heard you referring to the Pale Lady as just ¡®a deity¡¯,¡± Willow chuckled. A bit disconcerting, though it at least showed the medic themselves didn¡¯t seem to be too extreme on the matters of religion, slight nervousness about this entire subject aside. ¡°Now that I think about it, I doubt ¡®Pale Lady¡¯ is ringing any bells either, with how far you hail from, hah.¡±
¡°Indeed. Pale Lady, Night Mother, Moon¡¯s Grace, or just the Moon,¡± Sundance listed. ¡°She¡¯s the chief goddess worshipped in these parts for her healing and protection from what lurks in the night.¡±
Sue appreciated a more concrete connection between the deity and the astral body while giving her several names to use in place of ¡®Duck¡¯, all of them immediately forgotten. The vixen¡¯s matter-of-fact, downright encyclopedic tone raised her eyebrow, though¡ªthat definitely didn¡¯t sound how someone devoted would refer to their deity. ¡°Does ¡®theshe parts¡¯ not include you? Just asking with how you shaid it...¡±
Sundance answered, ¡°It does not. Where I hail from, the Sun was the chief deity. I don¡¯t have a strong attachment towards any of them nowadays, not anymore. Spending a decade wandering the land and meeting all sorts of peoples changed my perspective on it all a great deal. With how many varied deities folk from all over pray to, the only conclusion I could arrive at is that deities don¡¯t particularly care about what mortals do one way or another. Don¡¯t let Solstice hear that, though.¡±
The vixen chuckled after her final remark, with Willow following in tow, the two remaining unbothered despite the seriousness of the topic. The medic followed up with, ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever been as laid back on that topic as you have, Sundance, though you¡¯re at least mostly right. It sure wouldn¡¯t be like the Pale Lady to take offense to other deities being worshipped¡ªoutside of the Night Father, at least. Any attempts to convince those who disagree would only result in more strife.¡±
Sue felt more and more doubt fill her as she listened. The mayor of this place, as well as the first person she¡¯d spoken to in a solid week and someone she felt she could trust, was apparently a religious zealot. Willow¡¯s brief mention of ¡®Night Father¡¯ didn¡¯t help either, recollection of Sue¡¯s dreams providing an excellent candidate for who could that possibly be. She needed clarity about all this, tackling the touchy subject head on, ¡°Um, why sh-should Solstice nhot hear that?¡±
Sundance caught to the unease that underlined the Forest Guardian¡¯s question, her smile softening as she shook her head. ¡°I said that in jest, worry not¡ªwe two just disagree on that point. She strongly believes that the Pale Lady personally intervenes to aid the ones under Her protection, and that she¡¯d communed with Her in the past. Considering she¡¯s still best friends with Moonview¡¯s biggest heretic, I doubt she cares that much, especially since the Pale Lady symbolizes protection and healing to begin with. However, I have to admit, the mental image of someone getting physically violent over others not worshiping a guardian goddess is rather darkly amusing.¡±
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Sue couldn¡¯t disagree, chuckling to herself as she tried to visualize that. Imagining Solstice as the person getting offended sent a shiver down her spine, though. The Mayor came off powerful without even trying, and any attempts to imagine what her getting violent would look like froze Sue to her core. She tried not to let it get to her as she continued, ¡°I see. Whillow mentioned a ¡®Night Father¡¯. Wh-who¡¯s that?¡±
She felt the air in the room grow colder at her words. Willow looked uneasy at having brought all that up to begin with, even if offhandedly, as Sundance explained, ¡°Another deity worshiped in this wider area, though His worship is shunned in Moonview. He is the dimmest dark on the night of a new moon, protecting the night kin. In some interpretations, He¡¯s in active conflict with the Pale Lady, being the entity She protects mortals from.¡±
Guess ¡®Sky Dimmer Satan¡¯ wasn¡¯t that far off course after all.
¡°Night kin?¡± Sue asked¡ªand immediately regretted it. If the previous subject was uneasy, this one felt almost like a taboo she had inadvertently stumbled upon.
An icy chill ran down her spine and horn, making her gulp before Sundance continued, voice barely above a whisper, ¡°According to the myths, they are the ones who had pledged themselves to the Night Father, who granted them protection from being revealed by moonlight or perceived by our psychic senses. You... won¡¯t find them in Moonview.¡±
As intimidating as the description of the night kin was, Sue soon realized that she''d already ran into one creature that fit it¡ªor at least the part about them being undetectable by her psychic senses. Her encounters with the dark-colored, disguise-happy fox might''ve been memorable¡ªand them stealing her peaches might''ve been a good argument towards them being devil spawn¡ªbut she had a hard time feeling anywhere near as unnerved as Willow clearly was.
There had to have been something that Sundance wasn¡¯t mentioning¡ªshe had already seen the gray fox in here, just disguised to avoid being spotted. ¡°Um... why won¡¯t I find them in Moon¡ª¡±
¡°OH GOODNESS it¡¯s getting late,¡± Willow shouted, making Sue jump. ¡°I-I should make my rounds around the village and grab us all a snack before today¡¯s feast. T-take care you all, I-I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± they mumbled as they almost ran out the hut.
Oh yes, there¡¯s definitely something more to all this.
Unfortunately, Sundance preemptively cut off any further paths of inquiry soon after, ¡°It¡¯s... a grave subject, and I¡¯d rather Spark not overhear it, even if incidentally. I hope that¡¯s alright with you, Sue.¡±
Her stumbling upon a subject so grim that even the upbeat medic had run away instead of talking about it wasn¡¯t particularly encouraging, but Sundance¡¯s request made sense. Sue would definitely have to ask more about all this later, though. ¡°Yeah. Shorry for b-bringing it up¡ª¡±
¡°Don¡¯t be. You¡¯re not the guilty one here.¡±
Sue was even more unnerved at the vixen¡¯s grim delivery. The psychic had caught onto her unease and tried to steer the subject back to where it was supposed to have gone all along. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be worrying yourself with any of that, Sue. Now, have you been able to figure out any of your psychics thus far?¡±
Sundance¡¯s question was moderately successful in making Sue focus on the point of their discussion. The darkness that soaked the earlier topic wouldn¡¯t let itself be discarded so easily, though, slinking off to the back of her mind as she answered, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I tried to make m-my crutch move like Bo¡ªComet did, bhut nothing happened. U-unless thish... ability to sense emotions counts.¡±
¡°From what I know, that ability is innate to your¡ current form. Have you been able to do anything with it, or just passively sensed those around?¡±
¡°Just sensed, yeah.¡±
The vixen nodded slowly, gathering her thoughts on how to teach the complete beginner before her. Ultimately, there was only one way to learn when starting from complete nothing¡ªone step at a time, as always. ¡°Let us start from the very beginning, then. You said you attempted to do this,¡± she paused as her eyes filled with orange light, mentally gripping Sue¡¯s crutch. Once it had come to a stop between her and her student, she continued, ¡°What did you try?¡±
¡°Jusht... tried thinking it up, or ordering it to move, stuff like that,¡± Sue answered, confidence faltering with every word. Her recently gained sense made it easier to track Sundance¡¯s mood, even with her expression remaining focused and dominated by glowing eyes.
It let her sense just how dumbfounded her mentor was, though she tried not to let it show. ¡°I... see,¡± Sundance eventually muttered. ¡°Well, the actual way you do it is much simpler.¡±
That was far from what Sue expected to hear. Her inability to figure any of this out had led her to think of her supposed new abilities as something that was at best contrived and extremely difficult, and at worst, as a thing her human, non-Forest Guardian mind was just inherently incapable of comprehending. ¡°Oh. Wh-what do I do, then?¡±
¡°You just have to reach and grasp~,¡± the vixen smirked. Sue was dumbfounded at her explanation, the words coming off almost like a mean-spirited joke considering how little of it all she understood¡ª
And then she felt it.
The sensation that followed was like nothing Sue had ever experienced. Her confused brain interpreted it as something grasping her arm, an intangible arm that had been sitting folded up in the back of her head for Duck knows how long, now finally stirring from its numb stasis. ¡°Wow...¡±
She felt the imaginary limb be pulled out of her head bit by bit, guided carefully by the vixen. It only kept going and expanding, breaking any mental images Sue¡¯s overwhelmed brain had tried to put to it, easily stretching over half a dozen feet. It felt more like a tentacle¡ªor at least what Sue thought a tentacle would feel like¡ªthan any even remotely familiar body part. She whispered, awestruck, ¡°What is this...¡±
¡°An extension of your mind, your ¡®mental reach¡¯. I can only imagine how outlandish it must feel right now, but using it will become second nature sooner or later,¡± Sundance reassured. She then let go of Sue¡¯s psychic tendril, leaving it awkwardly hovering in midair. If it was visible, or even perceptible for non-psychics, it would probably be one hell of a sight just floating there. ¡°Now, try moving it yourself. Experiment, get a feel for how it weaves and shifts.¡±
Sue nodded shakily as she concentrated on this new set of sensations. She instinctively closed her eyes as she tried wriggling the neurons close to where she felt this phantom limb originate from, the random prodding eventually letting her figure out a way to move it around. It was slow and clumsy, but it was progress all the same.
Reach...
She moved this extension of self towards the crutch, now laying on the floor again. Once her mind got there, she felt it wrap itself around the item without her input, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
And grasp...
Sue¡ wasn¡¯t sure how to think invisible tendril into actually grabbing the piece of wood. Instead of that, she tried to prod the other parts of her brain, not getting much success either. Finally, she tried to mirror the grasping action with her actual hand¡ªand this time; it felt like it worked. Her left hand gripped the air while a small patch of white aura now surrounded the part of the crutch her mind held onto. To her surprise, Sue could feel the wood as if she was actually touching it, the sensation so disembodied from any physical reality it tripped her brain.
¡°There you go, keep at it. Try lifting it up,¡± Sundance instructed. Even in the vixen¡¯s focus, it was hard for her student to not notice her emotional outlook having shifted from gloom to veiled excitement, making the reality of her being yet to catch up to a toddler¡¯s level of magical aptitude that bit more bearable.
Her attempts at moving the crutch were only partially successful. Most of the time, the tool only shuffled along the floor, refusing to be lifted at all. Sue wanted to retry the whole maneuver in case she¡¯d grabbed it wrong or something, before hearing Sundance whisper, ¡°^Put more force in, focus harder on your grasp.^¡±
She didn¡¯t notice the vixen speaking without opening her mouth, instead focusing even harder on her mental reach. The faint glow soon expanded to cover more of the tool, the upward motion that followed briefly lifting it off the ground¡ªonly for it to slip out of her uneven hold.
Sue¡¯s aura fizzling out as her eyes shot open¡ªjust in time to see Sundance¡¯s orange glow grab the crutch before it could bang against the floor, slowly settling it down afterwards. ¡°Definitely not bad for your first attempt. How are you feeling, Sue?¡±
It was a tricky question. There was the triumph of achieving at least the minimum of progress with her psychic magic, disbelief at how unreal it all felt, anxiety over whether she would ever be able to catch up to the ¡®natural¡¯ level of skill, and finally, the unease from earlier, not helping any. ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m good I-I think. Glad I didn¡¯t turn out to be broken or anything.¡±
¡°Indeed, there¡¯s nothing wrong with you, Sue,¡± Sundance smiled. ¡°It may take a tremendous amount of practice, but I have no doubt that one day you¡¯ll catch up to where you ought to be. Once we get past the basics, it¡¯ll be much easier for you to further explore your psychics on your own.¡±
The idea of self-directed learning sounded impossibly distant in the moment, but the vixen¡¯s confidence was reassuring, if nothing else. ¡°Okay, th-thank you.¡±
¡°It¡¯s my pleasure, Sue. Now, are you ready to tackle the next subject, or do you need more time to get your bearings?¡±
¡°Next subject?¡± Sue leaned back, surprised. ¡°B-but I could only bharely do this one.¡±
Sundance elaborated, ¡°That¡¯s not wrong, but with fundamentals like these, I think it¡¯s best to introduce you to both key skill sets before delving further into them. Besides, I¡¯ve little doubt you¡¯ll find what¡¯s coming up even more useful than telekinesis.¡±
Sue had nowhere near the expertise needed to argue with that assessment, leaving her to just ask, ¡°What¡¯s the other s-subject, then?¡±
¡°^Telepathy.^¡±
While she might have missed the previous instance of Sundance speaking without using her mouth, Sue most definitely caught onto it this time, the sight rousing her imagination.
It¡¯d sure be nice to figure out how to communicate with anyone here.
¡°Oh! How do I d-do it?¡± Sue asked, revealing her excitement as her hand reached down to resume petting. Her fingertips brushed past something warm and wet where she expected to only feel fur, snatching her attention back to her lap¡ªjust in time to see Spark¡¯s impressive array of teeth in mid-yawn. And get to stroking her belly the moment she finished yawning, of course. The high-pitched woofs that followed were as incomprehensible as they were yesterday, confusing Sue somewhat. She could understand Spark before she took a nap, so why not now?
Wait a minute, how did she understand any of them to begin with¡ª
¡°That would be my doing~,¡± Sundance winked. Her part in Sue suddenly being able to comprehend everyone was obvious in hindsight, but it didn¡¯t help make the ¡®how¡¯ of it all any less mysterious.
Her confusion did not go unnoticed by her mentor, either. ¡°I suppose this subject warrants some explanation beforehand. So¡ª¡± the vixen paused as Sue jumped at the unfamiliar sensation, feeling as if someone had plucked on an invisible string connecting her head to Sundance¡¯s. ¡°What you just felt was me drawing attention to the mental link between us. They are what telepathy is performed through.¡±
Wouldn¡¯t have imagined a connection like that to be so¡ tangible.
¡°We can take glimpses at each other¡¯s thoughts and emotions through them, and more importantly, ^communicate with just thoughts,^¡± Sundance elaborated, the mid-sentence switch away from spoken word making for a helpful demonstration in its own right.
It also raised further questions, though. ¡°Ish me understanding what you¡¯re... well, woofing, also telepathy?¡± Sue asked¡ªand gulped at seeing the vixen be stunned by her question.
For a second she worried about having offended her, but thankfully, she brushed it off soon after. ¡°It is a different form of it, yes. Instead of directly passing you my thoughts, I take the meaning behind my words and get your mind to translate them into the language you¡¯re most familiar with, which you then perceive as hearing it. In a one-on-one conversation between psychics, there¡¯s little practical difference between these two approaches. But¡¡±
A moment passed before Spark noticed something, turning to look back at her mom and asking, ¡°Oh, oh, oh, did you do it, mom?¡±
¡°Yes, sweetie¡ª¡±
¡°Yay! How are you feeling, Sue? Are you better now?¡± the lil¡¯ fox perked up, the excited tail wags accompanying her questions making Sue¡¯s heart melt more than her warmth could ever manage.
Before she could answer, her mentor continued, ¡°^We can use these techniques to translate others¡¯ words and act as bridges between those who couldn¡¯t otherwise communicate with each other. And turn ¡®woofs¡¯, as you¡¯ve called them, into words.^¡±
The light ribbing was not undeserved, reassuring Sue that everything was indeed alright. The rest of Sundance¡¯s explanation helped too, withdrawing another brick from her internal fort of confusion. ¡°I¡¯m feeling quite ghood, sweetie,¡± Sue smiled at Spark. ¡°Your mom is teaching me how to, uh, do all the psychic... thingsh.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± Spark asked, the high-pitched ¡®awoo¡¯ that accompanied her expression of confusion straining Sue¡¯s willpower in keeping herself from cooing in response. ¡°You don¡¯t know how to do them? But Mrs. Solstice is also a Forest Guardian, and she knows...¡±
It was time for Solstice¡¯s cover-up story. Or at least it would¡¯ve been, if Sue remembered it all. The little she still recalled wasn¡¯t appropriate for a little kit, making her nervously look up to Sundance for help¡ªand help was graciously granted. ¡°She hadn¡¯t had the time to study it all, sweetie, and the bite from that nasty creature didn¡¯t help either. But don¡¯t worry, Sue will do her best to catch up, and once you evolve, you could both practice together.¡±
¡°Oooooh¡ªoh oh yay! Did you hear Sue!? We¡¯ll get to practice together!¡± Spark squealed.
Sue was more than down for that, smiling even wider at the little fox. The¡ odd choice of words deposited a brand new brick of confusion onto her mental fort, with ¡®does ¡°evolution¡± refer to something specific here¡¯ stamped proudly on its front. Something to tackle later, either way. ¡°Yeah, I-I¡¯d love to!¡±
As much as their chat was heartening for both girls, Sue¡¯s lesson wasn¡¯t over yet. Sundance asked, ¡°Would you mind giving Sue some space to study, sweetie? It¡¯s important she learns the basics without distractions.¡±
¡°I won¡¯t distract her, I promise!¡± the little one pleaded.
Sundance gave her daughter the most unconvinced look Sue had seen in her life, her lifting eyebrows making the kit plead, ¡°Moooom, pleeeeeease!¡±
The mystic closed her eyes and giggled, ¡°If you promise not to distract Sue and she agrees, I suppose you can stay beside her.¡±
¡°YAYAYAY! Please Sue, pleeeease!¡±
How could I ever hope to refuse a request delivered so adorably?
¡°Teehee, shure sweetie.¡±
Sue needed no translation for the high-pitched squeak of pure joy that followed. The fiery fox quickly scooted beside her, keeping her nuzzling to a minimum as her mom continued her teachings. ¡°So¡ªthat was that about the basics of telepathy. Now, let¡¯s move to practice. Establishing mental links with other beings is the most important ability for any psychic to have, and serves as a foundation of much more than just telepathy. You¡¯ll get plenty of practice during your stay here, but it¡¯s good to get a good foundation beforehand.¡±
Sundance drew attention to Sue¡¯s mental reach once more, making her shudder again at the strange sensation¡ªespecially now with her feeling like the psychic tendril she¡¯d clumsily maneuvered earlier was but one of many. ¡°Forming links is not too dissimilar from telekinesis. Instead of a physical object, focus on a sentient mind, and reach into it.¡±
This description of what she had to do would¡¯ve been little more than a word salad for Sue a mere week ago, which made her understanding the gist of it now somewhat disconcerting.
¡°I¡¯m going to sever our link now and let you attempt to form one yourself,¡± the vixen explained. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to talk until then, so if you need me to assist you, just wave at me.¡± Sue felt their link break before she could even respond, the sensation so faint that if she wasn¡¯t expecting something she would¡¯ve shrugged it off as just her hair feeling weird.
Showtime.
With a deep breath, Sue concentrated on the spot her mental reach felt like it sprouted from, exploratory wriggling making her eventually focus on one thread in particular. Her brain had already given up on any attempts to interpret these as actual body parts¡ªthough, if anything, that only made the sensations coming from them even weirder.
The invisible extension of Sue¡¯s mind took its time approaching her mentor. Partly because of her being cautious, partly because she had no idea how to make it go any faster. Trying to control the brain tentacle like she would an arm proved somewhat effective, though it had a side effect of the real limb twitching as she controlled her imaginary one. It was stuck moving only as fast as she would move her arm, but something told Sue that was far, far from the fastest this mental thread of hers could go.
It might have taken her a while, but she got there eventually, her reach hovering in front of Sundance¡¯s face. Its awkward position made Sue very glad that nobody else could perceive it as she attempted to dive into the fox¡¯s mind¡ªand only succeeded at sliding it into her physical head, too focused to notice the vixen¡¯s wince.
Sue tried to figure out what she¡¯d done wrong¡ªthis was what her mentor had meant, right? She¡¯d reached her brain, and yet felt nothing like what she¡¯d expected to feel, missing any sensation of things clicking into place.
Alright, where did I go wrong this time?
Sue tried thinking back to Sundance¡¯s instructions, replaying them to herself word by word. The source of confusion refused to present itself¡ªshe had hovered the funky tentacle into place; she tried to interact with her mind just like she had done with the crutch, but nothing kept happening. Either her mind¡¯s reach wasn¡¯t where she thought it was, or¡
¡
Or she had a wrong target in mind.
She¡¯d assumed that Sundance was using ¡®a sentient mind¡¯ to refer to a brain, but what if that¡¯s not what she meant? It felt like the most probable cause of error, but that then left the question¡ªif the mind she was supposed to target wasn¡¯t the vixen¡¯s brain¡ what was it, then? What else could it even be?
The handful of ideas she eventually came up with turned out to be duds. Her mental thread continued to move around idly in the space currently occupied by Sundance¡¯s head, the fiery psychic keeping quiet about the discomfort for the sake of learning.
It didn¡¯t take Sundance long to notice Sue struggling with something, though, but she kept quiet until her student had finally admitted defeat with a weak wave. ¡°You almost got there, Sue. Is something wrong?¡±
¡°I¡ªuh, I guess I mishunderstood what you meant by ¡®reaching into a sentient mind¡¯.¡±
Sue was disappointed, especially with her earlier progress, but the unpleasant sensation had a hard time sticking for long, not with Spark¡¯s constant affection offsetting it.
How can a creature with this much excess ear hair be so cute?
¡°I see. I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t understand your interpretation, but it is rather... literal,¡± Sundance responded, both her and Sue chuckling at the situation, the latter with slight embarrassment. It didn¡¯t last long once the vixen continued, ¡°But no, that¡¯s not it. You¡¯ll need to concentrate on this ability to feel others¡¯ emotions and go beyond just them. The Forest Guardian ability to sense emotions is just one facet of a sense all psychics share, the one that lets us feel other minds around us. A naturally very well developed facet of course, but only that. Minds will feel much fainter than the emotions they radiate, but you¡¯ll have to learn to focus on them.¡±
Sue nodded weakly, feeling like she barely grasped any of it. Wanting to avoid another wasted opportunity like last time, she was proactive with her questions this time, ¡°So, concentrate o-on that sense, and then try focushing on just... minds, yeah?¡±
¡°Correct. It may take a lot of practice to even make them out over the glow of emotions, especially if you haven¡¯t been experimenting much with this sense yet, but I have no doubt you¡¯ll get there, eventually.¡±
It sure was hard to get disheartened like this, heh.
Sue took a deep breath before concentrating, her body relaxing as she withdrew from the physical senses. She dove as deep into the mental sense as she could, the emotions of the two foxes near her shining so brightly they dimmed all the ones out by their mere presence. Intense as they might have been, she couldn¡¯t deny that adoration and a mix of patience and pride respectively eclipsing everything else felt very, very nice.
Looking past all this is gonna be tricky.
Before she could even attempt doing that, Sue sensed a couple of similarly bright blips of emotion making their way close. As opposed to anything warm, though, they were fear and anxiety, respectively¡ªand from experience, she could pretty confidently narrow the latter to Willow.
¡
Wait a min¡ª
*creak!*
The door slamming open snapped Sue out of her trance. As her eyes adjusted to daylight again, Willow passed by before her, accompanied by someone else, their squeaks incomprehensible and their appearance terrifying.
It¡ªthey seemed to be half small, mostly yellow humanoid, around as tall as her knee, and half a massive black maw lined with metallic teeth sticking out the back of the humanoid¡¯s head. The second part reminded her of a venus flytrap, but large enough to catch entire body parts and not just insects, and otherwise nightmarish.
The blood didn¡¯t help, either.
Much to Sue¡¯s sanity, a closer look revealed it to have come from an injury on top of the maw, rather than from it having had a bloody snack. Willow wasted no time wrapping bandages around the injured body part, doubling as a flimsy way of keeping it closed.
¡°¡ªgonna try to heal it some more; it won¡¯t hurt. Is that okay?¡± the medic asked, suddenly. Sue might have had a better grasp on how the translation worked this time, but that didn¡¯t make it any less surprising to experience. She needed a moment to shake her confusion off as Willow awaited a response from the small, scary creature¡ªa response that wasn¡¯t coming.
As much as Sue¡¯s initial impression of the toothy creature was dominated by the maw hot glued onto the back of their head, taking a better look at their front half and listening to her sixth sense revealed quite a few things¡ªchief among them how utterly scared they were. Their tiny body shook as they looked up between all the adults in the room, backing away from Sundance. Not what Sue expected, given their other half, that¡¯s for sure.
Noticing their distress, Willow kneeled beside the maw creature, and offered them a hug. ¡°Joy, everything is alright, I promise. Nobody is mad at you.¡± The now-named little one eventually leaned in, letting the medic hold them and do their healing magic, one paw aglow as it stroked the freshly bandaged part of the maw.
¡°What happened, Joy!?¡± Spark asked, breaking her affection towards Sue only to redirect it towards Joy, leaning up to nuzzle her side. Thankfully, the newcomer was receptive to the fox¡¯s affection, their fear soon dulling into mere unease.
Willow sighed, ¡°Someone was mean to her and it went way, way too far. Hopefully Cirrus gives whoever did it a good scolding.¡±
Joy shuffled in place as she was being talked about, twiddling her hands before resting one on Spark¡¯s head. It was also the moment at which she had finally noticed Sue; the sight startling her momentarily before she looked closer¡ªand then, pointed at the recently transformed Forest Guardian. Sue blinked in confusion as the maw child tried to speak, struggling immensely before finally stammering out, ¡°Wh-wh-w-w-who?¡±
¡°Sue!¡± Spark cheered. ¡°I told you about her back at the playground! She¡¯s the one that rescued me!¡±
The Forest Guardian in question was too preoccupied by curiously observing Joy to get too flustered at the praise. Spark¡¯s description only encouraged Joy further, and the fox kept her company as she ambled towards Sue before giving speaking another try, ¡°H-h-h-hi...¡±
How could something with a body part this terrifying be this cute?
¡°H-hello, Jhoy,¡± Sue smiled, trying to pretend she hadn¡¯t been terrified by the girl¡¯s appearance just moments ago. As simple as her greeting was, it emboldened Joy enough to take a seat beside her, shifting afterwards to hide as much of herself from Sundance as possible. She then grasped Sue¡¯s nearby hand, leaving the Forest Guardian in a bit of an awkward situation. Not that Sue minded that much, especially with the scary bits tied up with bandages and the rest of the little one being admittedly quite adorable.
The abrupt change in her behavior still left her dumbfounded, though, making her give Sundance a confused look in hope of some explanation. She didn¡¯t have to wait long. ¡°Joy¡¯s is a sad situation,¡± Sundance sighed. ¡°She can¡¯t understand us anymore¡ªbest she¡¯s left out of this unpleasant discussion.¡±
¡°Can¡¯t she understand you normally?¡± Sue asked.
The vixen shook her head, ¡°For the most part, no. She hasn¡¯t been here for long and is still only learning our language. From what I¡¯ve heard, her progress has been rather slow.¡±
Guess we have something in common, hah.
¡°And the other kids aren¡¯t helping, *sigh*...¡± Willow groaned.
Sue felt even worse for the little one, reaching with her free hand to pet Joy¡¯s not-scary half; the gesture thankfully received positively. She asked, ¡°Are they bullying her?¡± The two mouthed girl might have looked... unusual, yes, but she was far, far from the weirdest sight this world had to offer, or even the most intimidating.
Willow closed their eyes, ¡°Some of them are, yeah. Though it¡¯s as much if not more the fault of the adults, we sowed this and are now reaping the results.¡±
Sue was following this even less now. ¡°How?¡±
¡°Her kin is... not well seen,¡± the medic admitted.
¡°And that¡¯s putting it lightly,¡± Sundance grumbled. ¡°I¡¯ve heard several people call them ¡®limb eaters¡¯. There was little point in trying to dissuade these kinds of epithets when nobody thought any of her kin would ever join Moonview. But eventually, Joy happened, and now we¡¯re stuck with those terms and attitudes until we can weed them out.¡±
The term ¡®limb eater¡¯ combined with the intimidating maw made Sue gulp as the vixen went on. She had to keep her imagination from turning particularly lively, deciding to distract herself with another unknown. Why did this village, Moonview, think that nobody of Joy¡¯s kin would ever end up joining it? It made little sense to Sue¡ªshe¡¯d seen weirder, much weirder creatures during her stay here so far, up to and including actual snakes, after all. ¡°Wh-why would they not join? Joy¡¯s ¡®kin¡¯, I mean.¡±
Willow blinked blankly at her, chuckling to themselves before speaking up, ¡°I almost forgot you¡¯re not from here, heh. Well, eh... from what I heard, they mostly live in caves and... prey on creatures that wander in. Not very friendly¡ªor talkative, for that matter.¡±
Nope, nope, nope, don¡¯t want to imagine that.
¡°Then how did Joy get here?¡± Sue asked, trying to ignore the gruesome imagery the medic¡¯s description invoked.
Sundance asked, ¡°Astra brought her here, right?¡± The medic nodded firmly in return as Sue stared, lost in the conversation. Before the latter could speak up, though, the vixen elaborated, ¡°Astra is our scout and cartographer. She¡¯s on the lookout for locations we could expand to, new crops we could grow here, and for other settlements to reach out towards. One time, she found a cave to spend the night in, and Joy was there, alone, too terrified to even think about being aggressive. With how little she is, we think she might have gotten left behind by her brood. After some coaxing, Astra got her to open up enough to bring her here.¡±
Poor little lim¡ªgirl.
¡°She did the right thing,¡± the vixen continued, ¡°though she couldn¡¯t just pause her scouting duties afterwards, and the lack of someone to watch over Joy throughout the day is hitting her hard. Cirrus can only do so much to reign in over a dozen little ones, and¡ let¡¯s just say nobody else in the village is exactly racing to look after a limb eater, sigh...¡±
Heh, not like I don¡¯t have all the free time in the world now...
The thought of taking a little one under her wing made Sue feel much warmer than she¡¯d expected¡ªalmost frighteningly so. She shook the entire train of thought off before it grew further, lest she hype herself up for something that would never happen.
¡°I think she¡¯s out on a scouting job today anyway, won¡¯t be back until late. Speaking of, what time is it¡¡± Willow trailed off as they looked out the window, the sight of many a villager heading towards the plaza making the time of day crystal clear. ¡°Seems the feast is about to kick off. Best get going ourselves, eh?¡±
Sue¡¯s stomach wasn¡¯t about to argue with that idea, that¡¯s for sure.
Chapter 7: Spectacle
Joy stuck close to Sue as the party headed out of the clinic, confused by the sudden commotion. As much as she appreciated Sundance stepping in to explain the upcoming feast to her, that didn¡¯t make her fear the fiery vixen any less, opting to stick to the Forest Guardian of the group for the time being.
Sue didn¡¯t understand her fear, but wasn¡¯t in a position to investigate it. She sensed it all the same, though, letting the toothy child stay as close to her as she wanted if it would help¡ªand help it did. Both Joy and Spark keeping close to her sounded like a recipe for someone getting smacked with a crutch, but they were pulling it off flawlessly.
¡°Sho, this feast. What will it look like?¡± Sue asked as they neared the last corner before the plaza¡¯s entrance.
Sundance smirked at Sue from the front of the party. ¡°Those who can help the cooks and the Elders in bringing the food to the hungry mouths. Those who can¡¯t just take a seat somewhere comfortable. And, once all the meals are dispensed, the show begins.¡±
The Forest Guardian blinked. ¡°The show?¡±
¡°You¡¯ll see~!¡±
Sue wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to Sundance¡¯s tease¡ªthough if the vixen wasn¡¯t giving her a straight answer, she guessed it was gonna be a spectacle she didn¡¯t want spoiled. Even with that in mind, though, one detail still stood out to her. ¡°Are you not on the Eldersh Council?¡±
The question visibly took the vixen aback, her smile deflating as she answered. ¡°Not anymore. I¡¯ve already had my share of bickering in this life.¡±
Sue supposed that only made sense, even if she wouldn¡¯t have thought of that position as one that someone could just leave. She didn¡¯t have much time to dwell on that as their destination came into view, though. The plaza was as filled as it had been in the morning, but all its occupants seemed to be concentrated in just one half of it, with the other left empty¡ªseemingly intentionally. It wasn¡¯t an issue; between the plentiful tables and makeshift fire pits on the grass, there was space for everyone.
Or so it seemed, at least.
It took a moment for Sue to realize why the fire pits were there, with so many available tables. A glimpse of a large quadruped passing by finally made it click in her head¡ªnot everyone could use the benches, after all.
Though there is that one famous painting of dogs playing poker, so what do I know, anyway?
Spotting ¡®their¡¯ table turned out to be much easier than expected. Comet was already there, distracted by the ghostly prankster from yesterday with the game of peek-a-boo that involved them phasing their face through the bench the infant sat on.
If his elated squeaks were anything to go by, Comet loved it.
¡°Finally!¡± the ghost-alike groaned, looking up at their group. ¡°And here I was thinking I¡¯d have to grab y¡¯all. How¡¯s Crutches doing?¡±
Spook¡¯s¡ªno, Hazel¡¯s¡ªvoice was still as creaky and whispered as Sue remembered it, despite Sundance¡¯s translation. It ended up rather tricky to understand as a result, almost enough for Sue to not even notice a nickname of her own¡ªbut only almost. She was about to speak up, before Willow cut her off. ¡°She¡¯s doing just fine Hazel, and you know full well that¡¯s not her name.¡±
¡°Yeah, but it ain¡¯t like she¡¯s gonna tell us her real name, eh?¡± Hazel rolled her eyes.
Alright, now was her moment¡ª
¡°On the contrary,¡± the vixen insisted, ¡°she told it to us perfectly well. It only took a bit of help.¡±
Not the time, Sundance!
Hazel lifted an eyebrow. ¡°So her brain¡¯s not broken then, eh? Pop was guessin¡¯ with all her gesturin¡¯. What¡¯s her name then?¡±
¡°Shue!¡±
The urgency and accidental volume with which Sue had said that made everyone look at her with varying amounts of confusion and concern. Before she could spontaneously combust from sheer embarrassment, she cleared her throat and tried again, hoping to save face. ¡°Um, m-my name is Sue.¡±
¡°...¡¯Sue¡¯, eh?¡± Hazel prodded. ¡°Weird name. You from somewhere far?¡±
You have no idea.
¡°She is, but now is not the best of times to chat about that, Hazel. Is Poppy still in her kitchen?¡± the medic asked, stepping in front of Sue to draw the attention away from her.
¡°Dunno, Willow, prolly. She said Solstice was gonna come over once they were both done. Though... y¡¯all are here and can look after the bowl cut, so I¡¯m gonna go check up on them~,¡± the spook answered, her grin growing as she took the excuse to get away from the crowd. Before she left, though, she took a moment to pull one last funny face on Comet, stretching her face far beyond what ought to be anatomically possible. Joy and Sue could only stare, aghast, as everyone else just shrugged and approached the bench, far too used to the spook¡¯s antics to pay them any mind anymore.
The professors at my biology department would kill to get some of the locals here under an X-ray.
With Hazel out of the way, the band got seated. Both Joy and Spark were practically glued to Sue, ending up beside her and on her lap, respectively. Comet wanted to join them too, but was quickly snagged away by the other adults as they sat down at the other side of the table. Once the entire group sat down, Spark leaned towards Joy, extending her affection to the other girl. The toothy tyke appreciated it greatly, especially with all the scary strangers around.
Judging by the plentiful empty spots around them, it¡¯d still be awhile until the festivities kicked off properly.
Not a bad opportunity to sate my curiosity before doing the same for my stomach later.
¡°So... what ish Hazel?¡± Sue asked, interrupting the group¡¯s idle chatter. She didn¡¯t expect a question this simple to be this hard to interpret, shuddering at the multiple confused expressions turning her way soon after.
¡°Whatcha mean, Sue?¡± Willow asked, uncertain. ¡°¡®What¡¯s up with Hazel¡¯ or...?¡±
Their confusion made it clear Sue would need to phrase it in a cleaner way, but she was unsure how. Asking about Hazel¡¯s species felt even more abstract than her original question. It wasn¡¯t even likely to clarify anything, either¡ªafter all, she might have known now what her current kin was named, ¡®Forest Guardians¡¯, but that explained precious nothing about how her newfound magic worked. Guess she¡¯d have to play even dumber, eh.
Sue tried to not think about it as she elaborated, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just like, she¡¯s khinda like a ghost with how she walks through stuff...¡±
¡°But Ms. Hazel is a ghost!¡± Spark clarified cheerfully, bluescreening Sue¡¯s brain. The assertion of the ghost-like creature turning out to be an actual ghost somehow took her completely from the left field, despite her best attempts to brace herself for any more of this place¡¯s insanity.
As her mind held on to a piece of wreckage to as to not sink, it eventually arrived at a possible explanation. Maybe the little fox just meant something else by ¡®ghost¡¯? Maybe it was just a species name, a weirdly perfectly fitting one, and didn¡¯t actually mean what she thought it meant? That didn¡¯t sound especially likely, but Sue wasn¡¯t about to waste an opportunity to preserve a bit more of her sanity, asking, ¡°Uhm, like... a ghost ghost? Came bhack from the dead and all¡ª¡±
Spark frowned. ¡°Mom told me it¡¯s very rude to ask about that!¡±
What.
The kit¡¯s clarification wasn¡¯t doing Sue any favors, making her look up at Sundance with an unspoken ¡®help¡¯. The older vixen looked as uncertain about the ongoing situation as Sue was, but she was willing to give her an out¡ªboth to resolve the awkward situation, and to hopefully learn more about the world Sue came from. She explained, ¡°Sue didn¡¯t know, sweetie. She¡¯s from very far away.¡±
¡°Ooooh. Really!?¡± Spark perked up, tail wagging as she turned to look at her big friend once more, her wide-eyed gaze melting through any residual embarrassment.
¡°Yeah!¡± Sue confirmed. ¡°Really, really far away. I-I¡¯ve never seen a ghosht...¡±
¡°Really!? But they¡¯re not that rare... and you knew what a ghost was already?¡± the lil¡¯ kit tilted her head.
Awfully perceptive for a fiery critter that doesn¡¯t even come close to clearing my knee.
Sue cobbled together an excuse on the fly. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve heard of them, but thought they were jusht a myth or a scary story, y¡¯know.¡±
¡°Noooo, of course not!¡± Spark giggled. ¡°There are many of them in Moonview, and even more in the woods! Most of them are even nice!¡±
Sue wasn¡¯t sure whether the ¡®nice¡¯ category included Hazel, but the reassurance that her soul would probably not be eaten by a wild, undead specter was appreciated. Even with that in mind, though, the shock of ghosts being real here still hit her hard¡ªas if deities, fox shaped heaters, brain magic martians and plant people weren¡¯t enough already. Then again, not like ghosts didn¡¯t fit with all the fantasy wildlife either. She sighed, uncertain what she was expecting here exactly, and asked, ¡°Uh-huh. Are they... dead?¡±
¡°Some are; others hatched like that already,¡± Sundance explained. ¡°There¡¯s no difference between them, and it¡¯s considered very rude to ask.¡±
Guess now Sue knew that, even if it wouldn¡¯t undo her unintentional faux pas. At least it didn¡¯t happen in front of the being in question. Something something silver linings. She shuddered. ¡°Oh. Sorry...¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine, do not worry Sue. No way you could¡¯ve known, after all,¡± the older vixen reassured. Her warm smile brought Sue relief, especially when combined with Joy hugging her hand.
Willow wasn¡¯t done with the conversation yet, adding, ¡°Though, not like Hazel hasn¡¯t been outspoken about having come back from the dead.¡± Sundance tilted her head with an ¡®I suppose¡¯ expression at their words, leaving the once-human even more confused. The medic wasted no time before continuing; ¡°It¡¯s all a rather sensitive issue. There¡¯s still some prejudice against ghosts that had returned from the afterlife, painting them as wanting to drag others to the afterlife or hurt the living out of spite. Hard to shake off for many. After Hazel arrived here, many accused her of having come back from the dead, and she eventually snapped and admitted it¡ªand now, she wears it as a badge of pride, in a way.¡±
Seems the kind of ghosts Sue had heard of were still here, with the teensy tiny distinction of there also being non-undead ghosts. Somehow. Whether the latter counted as alive was a question Sue considered asking for a moment, before tossing it aside, primarily because of not having the slightest idea of how to phrase it. ¡°Uh-huh. So, was Hazel someone else here before she... died?¡±
¡°No. We don¡¯t think so, at least¡ªpersonality didn¡¯t match anyone who had recently passed around that time. I was under the mentorship of my uncle when she joined us, and preparing the dead for burials was part of our duties. We got to see everyone that kicked the bucket, heh,¡± Willow chuckled, reminiscing about a gruesome, yet important job.
Sue blinked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t she remember?¡±
Sundance shook her head and sighed. ¡°She would not. The returned ones don¡¯t keep any memories of their past life. From what Poppy had told me, Hazel¡¯s oldest memory is finding herself sitting on top of a hill under a cloudy sky, not remembering who, where, or even what she was.¡±
Sue shuddered at the vixen¡¯s explanation. Her own arrival here was plenty traumatic, despite being far less drastic¡ªto imagine it with no memories whatsoever, not even of her own name, made her want to give the spectral prankster a hug. ¡°That¡¯s horrible...¡±
The fiery fox nodded, not blind to the parallels between Sue¡¯s case and Hazel¡¯s. She stretched to reach across the table and lay her paw on Sue¡¯s shoulder, the limb¡¯s warmth comforting. ¡°It is, yes. Eventually, however, she found us, and look at her now¡ªyou wouldn¡¯t have guessed what had happened to her. It¡¯s all gonna be alright Sue.¡±
¡°Yeah! Mrs. Hazel is doing good, and once your leg gets better, you will too, Sue!¡± Spark cheered.
¡°Heh. Thank you, Shpark,¡± Sue smiled weakly.
Spark¡¯s enthusiasm combined with her mom¡¯s reassurance brought a smile onto Sue¡¯s face, netting her all the head pets the once-human could dish out. Her toothy grin was almost as precious as her giggling, though slightly marred by some of said teeth looking way sharper than they ought to for any creature this cute. She wasn¡¯t done with her own curiosity yet, asking, ¡°Oh, oh, oh! Where are you from, Sue!?¡±
Her mom reminded, ¡°I told you Spark, she¡¯s from very far away.¡±
¡°Yeah, but what is it like there? Oh, oh, oh, is anyone there like us?¡±
Sue was unsure how to respond, for multiple reasons. There was keeping the truth of her origins secret, and while she trusted Willow and Sundance to keep that knowledge to themselves, Spark was another case entirely. The even bigger issue, though, was just how uncomfortable the truth was, especially regarding the similarities between the intelligent creatures here and the¡ at the very least, not obviously intelligent animals of her homeworld.
The rest of the group was no less curious than the excitable kit, even if they expressed it in more subdued ways¡ªSue¡¯s sixth sense let her pick up on all of it. Hell, even Joy wanted to hear more, intrigued by the mysterious faraway land her newly made friend had come from. Comet was the only one that didn¡¯t care either way, content with his company and having very warm fur to snuggle into, expressing his approval with a high-pitched squeak.
Sue explained, ¡°It¡¯s... quite similar to here, in most ways at least. There are many kinds of creaturesh there, some like the ones here, but more... mundane.¡±
¡°Mundane? Like, Normal?¡± Spark perked up.
Sue could tell there was something more to her word choice, but couldn¡¯t determine it from her mood alone. She prodded some more; ¡°Like... th-there are creatures there that are shimilar in appearance to you Spark, just... without the whole, uh... fire, thing.¡±
Or sapience, for that matter.
Spark nodded. ¡°So, Normal then! That sounds boring.¡± It didn¡¯t take her long for her to realize her gaffe, looking apologetically at the medic before her mom could even give her the look. ¡°Oh, sorry, Willow!¡±
¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright sweetie, I get it,¡± the elderly medic chuckled. ¡°Though, with that in mind, is that true, Sue? Does the place you¡¯re from really only have Normal-types?¡± they asked, before correcting themselves shortly afterwards to maintain the pretense for the little ones, ¡°Except for Forest Guardians, that is?¡±
A straightforward answer would¡¯ve been a ¡®yes¡¯. A truthful answer would¡¯ve been ¡®what in the world is a Normal-type¡¯. Sue went a step beyond either of those, playing dumber still, hoping to figure out just that bit more about how this weird world worked. ¡°I-I think so, but I¡¯m not sure about what ¡®Normal¡¯ meansh here...¡±
¡°Whaaaaaat?¡± Spark squeaked, ¡°but it just means¡ª¡±
Willow intervened, ¡°No, no, Spark, that is a fair question! Especially if Sue had little to do with those outside her kin.¡±
Sue took the cue, nodding along eagerly, ¡°Yeah, I-I¡¯ve only lived with other Forest Guardiansh before...¡±
Thank Duck Solstice wasn¡¯t around, else she would¡¯ve had a hard time not laughing at such an obvious lie.
¡°See, Spark~?¡± the medic chuckled before pointing all around. ¡°Well, Sue, you might¡¯ve noticed how Spark and Sundance have a particular affinity for fire and warmth, while yourself, Solstice, and Sundance all have the gift of psychic senses. Hazel is a ghost, of course; you, Solstice, and Poppy have a special connection with the Moon. These are what some call ¡®types¡¯, though they¡¯re a very vague description. Most beings have a type or another, or even two, but some just don¡¯t. Those that don¡¯t have any of those traits, gifts, or however you want to call them, are bundled together as the ¡®Normal¡¯ type¡ª¡±
Spark cut in, ¡°But what about¡ª¡±
¡°Yes, yes, there¡¯s a bit more to it than that, but let¡¯s keep it simple for Sue for now.¡±
Sue slowly nodded, the concept making some sense to her. The two fire foxes weren¡¯t the only fire themed beings in here, so having a ¡®type¡¯ to bundle them all under felt reasonable. It was just one of several kinds of¡ well, superpowers, and the poor schmucks without them were the ¡®Normal¡¯ ones. Considering the apparent power level of everyone else around, that sounded¡ awful. ¡°Okay, yeah, there are only these Normal types where I¡¯m from. K-kinda sad really...¡±
In another world, all the critters on Earth could¡¯ve been sentient beings, able to communicate with each other and live for more than a panic fueled fight to survive and pass on their genes before a brutal death... oh well.
¡°Eh, I¡¯d say it¡¯s not that bad, personally,¡± Willow winked. ¡°Though yes, that situation does sound peculiar and hard to imagine. But¡ªI¡¯m also curious about you specifically, Sue. What did you do back there?¡±
Oops. Guess if Willow also fell under the umbrella of ¡®Normal¡¯, then that group also had access to some magic at least, and stood a chance after all. Their question turned out even more difficult to answer than the first one. Sure, she could say that she is¡ªor was, rather¡ªa computer science student at a local university.
But then she¡¯d have to spend ten hours explaining every word of that sentence, including all the concepts needed to make sense of her original answer and all the ideas needed for those concepts, and so on and so on, working her way up from the basics the rest of the group would grasp intuitively. Decent odds the feast would still not have been ready by the time she was finished, but Sue preferred not to push her luck. ¡°It¡¯s... very hard to describe. I-I can say I was studying how to use a certain very c-complicated contraption. For counthing, and other thingsh...¡±
¡®Other¡¯ was definitely the load-bearing word of that sentence.
Sundance hummed, tapping her claws on the table as she thought back. ¡°Hmm... something like an abacus? I recall a few settlements using those in my travels, and I think one of the recent arrivals has even brought one with themselves. Completely beyond me how they function.¡±
¡°Uhm, yes! K-kinda like those, bhut more complex,¡± Sue nodded, sighing in relief that she was able to inch her way towards a somewhat coherent answer. The vixen¡¯s response provided an excuse to redirect the conversation away from herself, at least for a moment¡ªand Sue wouldn¡¯t waste it. ¡°D-did you travel a lot, Shundance?¡±
¡°Oh my gosh, you have no idea Sue!¡± Spark perked up. ¡°My mom traveled around the world for years! Right mom!?¡±
The vixen chuckled at her daughter¡¯s enthusiasm, moving one paw in a scritching motion. Her mental magic transferred her affection towards her little one at the other side of the table as she began, ¡°I suppose that¡¯s not a wholly inaccurate way to describe it, but ¡®traveled¡¯ makes it sound a lot more structured than it ever was, really. Never had a grand plan to ¡®travel around the entire world¡¯ or anything like that. I just wanted to wander until my legs fell off, see everything there was to be seen, everything and everyone, and figure myself out while at it.¡±
Sue could acutely relate to the desire Sundance had described.
She wasn¡¯t ever in a position to just let go of all earthly attachments and hitchhike across the globe for a year or two, even if she daydreamed about it every once in a while. Hell, even once she finished college, she¡¯d need to save up for a good few years afterwards just to afford a week-long vacation, let alone anything more than that...
It felt so much more possible just a few years back. She was about to wrap up high school, ready to take on everything the world had to show her, dad was still around¡ and then the diagnosis came, and a few months later, he was gone. Suddenly, any frivolities took a back seat to making sure she could make it through college without taking on too much debt.
Didn¡¯t even really have the time to mourn, just had to grit her teeth and get down to holding on¡ª
¡°Sue?¡± Sundance spoke up, expression concerned at Sue¡¯s drawn-out pause.
Sue shook herself out of it. ¡°O-oh, shorry. Just got lost in thought. I... definitely know what you meant th-there, and can relate a lot.¡±
¡°And haven¡¯t been able to explore like that yourself?¡±
Not until now, at least.
Sue nodded, sighing deeply. She didn¡¯t want to be questioned about why on the spot, though, immediately swerving the conversation back¡ª¡°It¡¯s alright. I-I¡¯m curious though, why did you want to exphlore, and what did you shee out there?¡±
The redirection away from herself wasn¡¯t exactly subtle, but Sundance wasn¡¯t about to make a fuss about that. She couldn¡¯t blame Sue for not wanting to talk about her past life too much, with it only reminding her more about being stranded here¡ªand even beside that, prying would just be rude. ¡°The ¡®why¡¯ question is much simpler than the ¡®what¡¯, because it wasn¡¯t really my choice.¡±
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Sue blinked, the revelation painting Sundance¡¯s travel in a wholly different light. ¡°Wait, what? Were you kicked out?¡±
¡°Essentially, yes. It wasn¡¯t an act of cruelty¡ªnot of explicit cruelty, at least. It was just how my kin... did things, out in the desert. Females were kicked out of the nest after they evolved and had to fend for themselves. Hunt, build their own nests, look for mates. Gain the experience and wisdom needed to one day be in charge of their own brood.¡±
Spark huddled on Sue¡¯s lap as her mom went on, the once-human hoping to Duck that the poor kit wouldn¡¯t be subjected to all that. The whole thing gave Sue a whiplash and a half¡ªfor how human-like the creatures here behaved, this revelation reminded her they weren¡¯t humans, and that their animality extended beyond just appearance. And it¡¯s not like Sundance¡¯s parents weren¡¯t aware of what they were doing, making it even more vile. It was no animalistic instinct.
It was a conscious choice.
¡°H-how could they do thish to you?¡± Sue asked, aghast.
¡°It¡¯s just... how things used to be done,¡± the vixen began, shuddering. ¡°The conditions my kin live in, out in the desert, are unpleasant. Dens are cramped, food is scarce, it¡¯s hard to sustain a whole brood, and¡ compromises have to be made. Brood mothers have the final say on everything, and that level of responsibility requires grit and experience¡ªor at least, that¡¯s how my mother justified it. It¡¯s heinous, no two words about it. But that¡¯s how things were, and probably still are, out there. You won¡¯t see me trekking back there to investigate.¡±
Sundance took a deep breath, shaking the mental muck off before continuing, ¡°I wasn¡¯t interested in settling down. The desert sands weren¡¯t particularly fascinating, but I knew that vastly different places lay beyond, so I kept going¡ªI wanted to see that different world. Every so often, I ran into someone else of my kin, another den. They couldn¡¯t take me in, of course, but it was a common custom to offer a night¡¯s respite and for brood mothers to share any wisdom and knowledge they had.¡±
She smirked, ¡°And, well,¡± before flicking her arm upwards and sliding a stick as long as her forearm out of its hiding spot in her fur, its tip immediately catching flame. ¡°Flames might not solve every problem¡ªor even many problems¡ªbut they make for a very effective repellent from those mistaking you for easy prey. Especially with a bit of knowledge on how to apply them.¡±
¡°Oh, oh, oh, mom can you show Sue¡ª¡± Spark woofed, excited, before her mom cut her off.
¡°Probably not the best idea for me to show off right before the main event, sweetie, don¡¯t you think~?¡±
Spark grumbled, ¡°I¡ªI guess...¡±
The table giggled at the lil¡¯ kit¡¯s enthusiasm being extinguished, Sue not hesitating to make up for it with further affection.
¡°Besides, I never was one for strife. I know a flashy technique or two, but most of those are only ever useful in a life of violence, and I¡ª¡± Sundance blew off the flame at the tip of her stick before sheathing it as swiftly as she had pulled it out, ¡°¡ªchose a different path. It took me over half a year¡ªthe desert was horribly vast, after all¡ªbut eventually I made it over to grasslands, and eventually, forests. Got to experience how delicious berries could taste and never looked back. Even most desert dwellers didn¡¯t want to risk taking a bite out of me¡ªyou can imagine how much less alluring that became with everything in the vicinity now flammable.¡±
Oh shit.
Sue didn¡¯t suspect the vixen of being willing to resort to something this dangerous without a justified reason. Even so, just trying to imagine the sheer damage she could do if she did was unnerving, not to mention humbling. Hopefully her lessons, be they with Sundance or Solstice, would cover self-defense before long. Or better yet, she¡¯d get to go home¡
It was hard for the fiery fox not to sense Sue¡¯s desire. Still, she kept weaving her tale, wanting to avoid drawing attention to Sue¡¯s distress. ¡°It let me travel freely and relatively safely, if nothing else. Not to say there weren¡¯t occasional fools who tried their luck, but most brawls ended in seconds with one side running away with some freshly charred fur. I saw many settlements, most of them tiny compared to this one, even back then.¡±
The change of subject helped Sue shake the moment of dread from before, eyebrow raising at the prospect of there being more places like this. Many, many more, judging by the way Sundance phrased it. ¡°So, are there more townsh like this?¡± she asked, leaning in closer.
Sundance smiled. ¡°Plenty. Ones as large as this one are few and far between, though. This town and the Central City, where me and Solstice just got back from, are the only two in this general area. To get anywhere else you¡¯re looking for a weeklong trek, if not longer. Most settlements I¡¯ve seen were much more modest, and by and large didn¡¯t let outsiders stay permanently. They were more so several families banding together to share resources and watch each other¡¯s backs than anything else. Still, they were usually welcoming, if briefly and at arm¡¯s length. Many had unique spiritual traditions, which was the other thing I wanted to explore and witness.¡±
Sue thought back to Duck¡¯s shrine, wondering how it stacked against other religions of this world, especially with Duck being real to some extent if her dreams were anything to go by. Of course, they also implied the Night Father was real, too, which probably made monotheistic religions¡ something of a hard sell here. ¡°What did you shee?¡±
¡°Almost anything you can imagine, really. Worship of one deity, worship of multiple, worship of all, worship of none. Beliefs in an uncountable number of spirits all around us from times untold, in an upcoming end of the world, in the natural order, in the cessation of the natural order, in reincarnation, in hells and heavens of myriad forms. Far too much to summarize. Thoroughly humbling, one and all.¡±
Sundance paused to catch her breath, briefly closing her eyes as she sorted through a lifetime of experiences in her mind. ¡°I was never particularly devoted to my worship of the sun, and seeing it all made me relax my faith even further. If there was one throughline to everything I¡¯ve seen, it¡¯s that nobody really knows why we¡¯re here and what awaits us after death, so might as well be kind to one another, and to ourselves. An afterlife may or may not exist, but this life sure does, so why not make it a pleasant one?¡±
The insights weren¡¯t anything extraordinarily deep, but they were reassuring. Sue chuckled, ¡°Heh, I-I kinda thought you would¡¯ve found some deeper truth of the univershe, or shomething...¡±
¡°Oh, there definitely are deep insights to be had. But the deeper the insight, the more specific it is,¡± the vixen explained, shuddering. ¡°As far as broad principles go, being kind and not doing to another as you wouldn¡¯t want done to you are the ones I¡¯ve grown to appreciate the most over the years. I¡¯ve heard more than one truth so piercing it made me want to incinerate the person I was talking to because of how painful, yet unerringly accurate, it was. As true as they rang, none of them would mean anything to anyone in a different position,¡± she sighed. Noticing Sue¡¯s unnerved look, she quickly followed up¡ª¡°I-I never actually incinerated anyone like that, just to be clear.¡±
Okay, phew.
Sundance chuckled softly. If it was someone more familiar with her, she would¡¯ve gotten a bit offended by someone presuming something like that about her¡ªbut in Sue¡¯s case, it was more than forgivable. Especially with the girl having no prior experience with fiery beings and Sundance¡¯s soft brag about how fearsome she used to be.
Once Sue had calmed her heart down a bit, she could chew through the vixen¡¯s words properly. And yeah, they largely made sense. It¡¯s not like she knew just what kind of deep wisdom she even expected to hear. Maybe the golden rule was more profound than she had originally given it credit for? Something to ponder on another day. ¡°Okay... n-now I¡¯m curioush, what was the weirdest religion you¡¯ve seen in your travels?¡±
¡°¡®Weird¡¯ is a very subjective metric, you know,¡± Sundance chided. ¡°I¡¯m sure I was the weird one for many. Though¡ I can¡¯t deny that one place in particular was¡ memorable.¡±
The entire table listened in closely. From Sue and Joy ready to hear about that encounter for the first time, to Spark wanting her mom to tell it again, to Willow not remembering the details all too well, to Comet just reading the room and keeping himself quiet and comfortable in Sundance¡¯s hold with a bubbly squeak. A perfect audience as far as the older vixen was concerned, but she still needed to establish some things first. ¡°I take you¡¯re not too familiar with the Allfather, right Sue?¡±
The name brought on the mental image of the Abrahamic deity, making Sue want to reply with a tentative nod. Still, she couldn¡¯t be sure if that was quite it, leading her to shake her head instead.
Sundance took the cue, explaining, ¡°Allfather, Allmother, the Ancestor... quite a few names for them. They are said to have populated the world with living beings. How they did it depends greatly, of course. I¡¯ve heard tales about them creating life from dust, from mud, from salt, from their own wishes, or even by breeding with themselves. A lot of variation on that last point especially. They¡¯re most often depicted as a small, pink creature with a long tail.¡±
¡°Do you really not know about Allfather, Sue!?¡± Spark squeaked, incredulous.
Sue was unsure how to answer Spark¡¯s question. Sundance¡¯s brief description did indeed make the being in question sound even more like the monotheistic deity she was familiar with, but it also had elements of other religions¡¯ creation myths, so it was really hard to know for certain. Wouldn¡¯t hurt to ask. ¡°I¡ªmaybe? They also created the resht of the world, right?¡±
¡°That is not typically attributed to them, no. Most many-god faiths I¡¯ve seen assign that feat to another deity. So, that eerie place I mentioned¡ªthey had a faith centered on the Allfather, but according to them, they were an evil deity.¡±
Evil creation deity was a new one. ¡°How sho?¡± Sue asked, eyes going a bit wider.
¡°Their logic is surprisingly sound. If Allfather created all the creatures, then they did so deliberately and with a plan. The circle of life, the split between predator creatures and the prey creatures, and so on, are all deliberate, which makes the Allfather evil, profoundly evil, for knowing about the unceasing misery they were sentencing their creation through, but going along with it, anyway. Unsurprisingly, that faith was mostly held by lower, ¡®prey¡¯ species.¡±
Sue nodded along for now. The idea was outlandish enough that she¡¯d need more than a moment to chew on it and find out if it truly made sense to her, but wanted to hear the rest of it.
Sundance continued, ¡°As such, they worship another deity, whom they call the Usurper, for it is destined to usurp the Allfather¡¯s throne and reign over mortal beings. According to them, this Usurper will bring on a new era, one that can scarcely even be imagined right now, one where the circle of life has been broken and its suffering ended. Its form is said to be beyond comprehension, an ever-changing mass of sunset and midday, of orange and blue. That wasn¡¯t even the memorable part of it; that would have to be the chanting. I was hungry, tired, and had stumbled upon their ceremony. They invited me over and promised food afterwards, but until then, we were to chant, chant for their deity to come, ¡®Arise Usurper!¡¯, ¡®Arise Usurper!¡¯. It was... surreal.¡±
¡°Did they at least feed you after all that?¡± Willow asked, chuckling to themself.
¡°Oh yes, they did,¡± Sundance answered, shuddering. ¡°They were rather hospitable, but I opted to get going by the next day¡¯s sunrise. It all¡ unnerved me past a certain point.¡±
Wonder what, or who, they would¡¯ve had for their next dinner had she stayed¡
¡°Why did you stop traveling, mom?¡± Spark asked, supporting herself on the table with her forelegs as she looked up at her mom. All the tales so far have been exciting enough to make the little one wonder why one would ever want to stop.
And for that¡ Sundance didn¡¯t have a simple answer. ¡°Why did I stop? I don¡¯t think there was a single, specific reason for it. Part of it was exhaustion, no doubt¡ªI had been wandering around the world for over a hundred moons by then, almost two hundred. I was tired physically and mentally, felt like I had learned enough, and perhaps most of all, I finally wanted to contribute to somewhere where I could spend the rest of my days. After going over every single memorable settlement I had visited in my journeys, a decently sizable village by a small stream back in the south caught my attention. By the time I got back there, it had grown a lot since I last saw it, and now it¡¯s plenty bigger than that still!¡± she smiled, taking a moment to take the surrounding buildings in.
¡°To this day, I¡¯m not sure if I really remember when you visited us for the first time, Sundance, or if my failing memory made it up after you brought it up. By the Pale Lady, do I remember when you arrived for the second time, ha!¡± Willow laughed as the vixen tried to keep herself from rolling her eyes too much.
¡°Oh oh oh, what was mom like then, Willow? Did she do something cool!?¡± Spark asked, tail wagging even harder.
¡°She looked like she hadn¡¯t slept in a week beforehand, and the moment we sat her down and gave her food, she dozed off and slept for two days straight.¡±
Sue tried and failed to hold in laughter at hearing that¡ªshe sure didn¡¯t think that herself from the last semester would have so much in common with her newly found mentor, or at least her past.
¡°Yes, that entire time period was a blur,¡± Sundance chuckled, ¡°but it¡¯s hard to forget just how profoundly exhausted I was, and how relieving having somewhere safe to rest was. It¡¯s something that I would never want to deny from another being, no matter their kin or type.¡±
The indirect jab in Sundance¡¯s response went over the heads of everyone but its direct target. Sue wasn¡¯t sure why Willow was squirming like this all of a sudden, but she knew she still had more to ask them. ¡°How long h-have you been here for, Willow?¡±
The medic appreciated the distraction, eagerly responding, ¡°How long~? My dear, my family founded this place!¡±
Now that was an interesting twist. ¡°Really?¡± Sue asked.
¡°Mhm! Well, I suppose if you get down to the nitty gritty, someone else had a hand in it too, but that¡¯s the gist of it, indeed.¡±
Spark might have heard this story enough times to not be as curious about it anymore, but that couldn¡¯t be said about Joy, the little big maw creature standing up to peek at Willow from behind the table. Sundance held in a smile at her antics and tried not to look at her directly lest she get spooked, smirking, ¡°I had to elaborate, Willow; we have the time for you to go into detail, don¡¯t you think~?¡± she asked in a playful tone, winking at Sue and managing to conceal enough of her other feelings for not even the Forest Guardian to notice.
The once-human reached down to hold Joy closer while avoiding her back maw, the girl briefly wincing at the touch before relaxing into it as the medic sighed and continued, ¡°We do, indeed. So~ a long time ago, before even my grandparents had hatched yet, my clan had a modest dwelling here. Just a large burrow and a small wooden hut on the outside. We weren¡¯t proficient craftsmen, and, well, I suppose it¡¯s not much of a surprise that we didn¡¯t have the shared strength to put together a sturdier shelter, ha.¡±
That¡¯s one hunch validated.
¡°We took pride in healing anyone who came, staying neutral in any larger conflicts and trying to compile all the medical knowledge we could. Part of it was tradition, of course, one started so long ago that the bones of anyone that saw it take form have long since become dust. But the rest was¡ us being rather easily pressured into inaction. We were bad craftsmen, but we were even worse at fighting, including any self defense.¡±
¡°If only you had someone soft spoken yet carrying a flaming stick to stand up for you back then,¡± Sundance smirked.
¡°Well, we do now, better late than never, ha! It was an actual issue at the time, though,¡± Willow continued, calming themselves down. ¡°We were at the mercy of the woods in a very literal way, pleading for them to not send someone mighty with a vendetta our way. Fortunately, that wouldn¡¯t be the case forever, thanks to Granite¡¯s forefather.¡±
Before Sue could ask who that was, she felt her attention being drawn to one of the builders she¡¯d seen yesterday, a gray creature with four arms sitting beside a small firepit a few meters away from them. Despite it being her second time seeing them, their similarity to a human being didn¡¯t result in any less whiplash this time. As she took their appearance in, Sue noticed Joy looking around in confusion. She might not have known how to magically redirect the lil¡¯ girl¡¯s focus in the same way as her own had been moments prior, but she could point well enough.
She lightly tapped the back of Joy¡¯s front head before pointing out the villager in question, trying to keep it inconspicuous. Though, considering the sudden uproar of laughter that took over Granite and the rest of their band shortly after, they probably weren¡¯t paying too much attention to their group.
Once they had both taken in enough of the builder¡¯s appearance, Willow continued. ¡°Thank you, Sundance. Sadly, his forefather¡¯s name has been lost to time, but not his actions. He had stumbled upon our little shelter in need of aid after getting poisoned, which, of course, we gave. In return, he vowed to repay us once he had completed his pilgrimage to a sacred mountain, which he was in the middle of. We were used to promises like that; most of them were never acted upon, and we didn¡¯t expect much once he¡¯d left. A Moon passed, then another, then a few more. I believe it had been almost twenty Moons since his original visit, but he eventually came back with a mate, and proclaimed that he was settling down near us and had taken it as his life mission to aid us and our cause.¡±
Sue blinked, surprised. ¡°Soundsh... rather drastic.¡±
¡°Oh, it absolutely was,¡± the medic laughed, ¡°we were just as dumbfounded as you are! Took a while to get an answer out of him; he was so dedicated to working hard that he never sat down for long. In short, his pilgrimage had been in search of guidance from the spirits, and help in finding a virtuous deed to dedicate his life towards. And, as he sat meditating on the mountain¡¯s peak, he realized that our little clan was the right choice.¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t he already want to help?¡± Spark asked.
¡°Yes, but that revelation changed it from maybe building something for us once as thanks to settling down permanently and helping us expand¡ªand help us he did. That building you sleep in, Sue, was supposedly one of the first to be built by him. He helped us grow, and even more importantly, he made for a very effective bodyguard. We still healed all who came, of course, but now we could afford to be more assertive and work to make our corner of the world safer for everyone. And from there on, more people kept showing up. It¡¯s much easier to grow past a certain size¡ªmore travelers will come by, and some will decide to settle down. Hundreds of Moons passed, people kept coming, we kept growing. We took to the Pale Lady¡¯s worship, our nameless village turned into Moonview, we carved out a decent clearing that we¡¯re only now finally filling in, continued to gather our knowledge and pass it down the generations¡¡±
Willow took a deep breath, chuckling to themselves, and concluded, ¡°And now, there¡¯s just me left.¡±
Wait, what?
¡°Wh-what do you mean, only you?¡± Sue asked, stunned.
The medic calmly answered, ¡°I¡¯m the last of my clan, Sue. Once I¡¯m gone, that¡¯ll be it for us.¡±
The casualness with which Willow said that was chilling. For a moment, Sue thought it was a sorrowful resignation, admitting the inevitable, but they truly weren¡¯t all that bothered by the harrowing realization, remaining as upbeat as ever. She blurted out, ¡°B-but how?¡±
¡°We kept expanding for a while, but there¡¯s only so much you can grow if you want to avoid mingling with close relatives, but once we had the people to pass our knowledge and mission to, it wasn¡¯t an issue anymore. All things end; that¡¯s just how life is. Considering everything, I¡¯d say we had a pretty good run¡ªwouldn¡¯t you agree, Sue?¡± they asked, smiling.
How do I even respond to that?
The prospect of accepting one¡¯s demise so calmly was completely alien to Sue. She had to exorcize the occasional thoughts about her inevitable death with hot cocoa and funny internet videos whenever they came up, just to distract her from her own mortality. Even brief forays into that subject threatened to send her into a panic attack, and Willow just... didn¡¯t care. ¡°I¡ªI guess. That¡¯s shtill sad though, isn¡¯t it?¡± She asked, more shook by this than anything Solstice had told them about.
Willow shrugged, ¡°In a way it is, I suppose. At the same time, the sorrow of a loss is offset by the joy of giving something else a chance to grow instead. Life keeps going, after all.¡±
Guess this was something she¡¯d be taking to bed with her tonight, and without a pleasant distraction, no less. ¡°I guess I-I never thought of it like this.¡±
¡°Makes sense!¡± they giggled. ¡°You¡¯re still young, whole life ahead of you, little point to coming to terms with one¡¯s death just yet, ha! And speaking of things ahead of us~!¡± Willow looked away from the table as their expression lit up, the reason not hard to figure out¡ªfood was on its way!
Oh, and Solstice, too.
The other Forest Guardian was holding a bowl of freshly roasted treats in each hand, with a few more suspended in front of her with her magic. Her glowing eyes were even starker as the sunset crept on them, though Comet¡¯s excited squeaks made it hard to focus on them.
¡°That ought to be most of it. Apologies for the delay¡ªthere was a sad mishap in one kitchen and it took longer to get everything prepared, but we should be ready to start soon. Are you all feeling alright?¡± Solstice asked as she leaned on the table, catching her breath while magically pulling her son out of Sundance¡¯s arms and into her own. Joy huddled closer to her big friend at the Mayor¡¯s appearance, but kept watching.
¡°We¡¯re doing alright,¡± Willow smiled, ¡°we were just telling Sue about Moonview¡¯s history, and Sundance reminisced about her travels for the hundredth time.¡±
The older Forest Guardian chuckled. ¡°Sounds like her, alright.¡±
Sundance couldn¡¯t keep herself mature enough not to stick her tongue out in response, sending the rest of the table giggling. ¡°As if you don¡¯t have your own share of stories.¡±
Solstice rolled her eyes at that, the sight slightly unnerving considering their size. ¡°Touche. I suppose I can be swayed into telling some of them again after the show¡ªbut first, mind lending us a hand, Sundance? We¡¯re wrapping things up, and a couple extra pairs of hands would help a lot.¡±
¡°You got it,¡± the vixen answered without skipping a beat, rolling her shoulders as she got up from her seat.
With the two women gone and Comet begrudgingly left in Willow¡¯s lap, Sue had a wonderful opportunity to inspect the food left in their wake, the display making more than one gathered stomach rumble in anticipation. Grilled berries looking almost like cuts of meat, thick stews, browned and spiced root veggies, even ice cream! Or at the very least, something very similar looking, smelling of sugared fruits and radiating coldness.
Spark¡¯s excited barking interrupted Sue¡¯s observation¡ªand made her acutely realize she wasn¡¯t gonna be doing much of any talking with Sundance gone. Despite the safety surrounding her, being left with nobody who could understand her was still chilling.
Sue tried to piece together what she could make out of the conversation that followed. Spark¡¯s barks, a question most likely, were responded to with Willow¡¯s firm squeak. The kit then tried to bargain a couple more times, eventually giving up and laying down Sue¡¯s lap with a small grumble.
Sorry Spark, we all have to wait, which means so do you~
Her big friend¡¯s pets helped the lil¡¯ fox feel better, as did Joy joining in on them, even if hers were much clumsier and had nowhere to reach. Humble as her efforts were, Spark got noticeably happier at seeing the toothy girl contribute. Having the bridge of her snout petted made her sneeze shortly afterwards, though, a handful of sparks thankfully redirected into the air. As much as the sight took Joy aback, it made her giggle, too. The sound was rather hoarse, but adorable all the same.
The rest of the wait went by quietly, the encampment quickly growing calmer as the sun set and the last dishes were handed out. Even the firepits were snuffed out in not too long, the tension in the air feeling downright palpable. Sundance and Solstice kept quiet as they snuck back over to the table, Solstice sitting down beside Sue after fetching Comet from Willow.
¡°When¡¯s it gonna shtart?¡± Sue whispered in anticipation, green hair standing on edge.
Solstice responded, equally quiet, ¡°^Any second now¡ª^¡±
*PFOOOM!*
A plume of flames erupted suddenly at the far side of the clearing, silencing all onlookers. Sue swept Joy up into her arms after noticing her desperately trying to peek over the table. She weighed more than expected, but nowhere near enough to dissuade her friend as the show got started.
The inferno burst into a five-armed shape at its apex, raining embers over the modest, raised stage and illuminating the two beings facing each other on its opposite ends. To Sue¡¯s left, someone red-colored with yellow legs, white top, humanoid shape and a nimble build. To her right, someone blue with white accents, bulky build and a massive tail.
And then, once the first ember had touched the stage, they charged at each other, turning into little more than blurs.
The blue one¡¯s horn glowing bright purple took Sue aback, the display intimidating. It was matched moments later by the red one¡¯s flurry of burning kicks, brilliant flames leaving fiery tracers in the air. All the while, the blue one dodged and weaved, much faster than its size would hint at it being capable of doing.
Flames and violet glow mixed chaotically in a blazing fast back and forth of swings and kicks, the two contenders moving around the stage as they expertly dodged anything the other tried to dish out. With one last kick, the red one jumped into the shadows behind the stage, with an unfamiliar creature taking their spot¡ªwhite with a single red part, smaller, shaped like a levitating torso.
They immediately got to work, launching volley after volley of glistening ice shards at the blue one, forcing them into endless dodging. Eventually, the latter counterattacked, spouting a gout of purple liquid at the white one. Their target faded from where it stood, disappearing into thin air¡ª
And reappearing all around the blue one at the same time.
Each clone laughed to itself, filling the air with cacophony before the bulky one stomped the ground with all its might. Moments later, the earth erupted from underneath it, demolishing the stage it stood on and the illusions of the white one surrounding them.
The tremors made the dishes on their table ring a bit; Sue¡¯s breath grew shallow. She was utterly transfixed by the show, too focused to notice anyone else¡¯s reactions, or that Joy was observing the spectacle from behind her fingers.
Suddenly, the white one reappeared behind the blue one, a sphere of dark, crackling energy between its hands. An instant later, the shadowy projectile was launched with a blistering speed; the crowd gasped¡ªonly for yet another contender to leap onto the ruins of the stage and take the projectile onto itself, brown and vaguely bear shaped.
Sue¡¯s heart skipped a beat, only to see them get only barely staggered by the blow. The blue one leaped back into the shadows as the brown one swung at the white one, its claws leaving dark tracers that distorted the air, forcing the white one into constant dodging. They finally made some solid ground with a hefty leap before answering with a brilliant blue beam that cut through the darkness, the brown one dashing away just in time for the ground behind it to erupt with massive ice crystals.
Their dodge didn¡¯t give them any breathing time, the white one tagging out and the red one leaping back in with a fiery roundhouse kick. The brown one had to keep backing off from their aggression, aggression which left them open to a counterattack. The opening was capitalized on by the blue one charging in the shadows and stomping the ground with their heft again. Instead of an explosion, a massive stone spike erupted from underneath the red one after they only narrowly avoided being impaled.
At the same time, the brown one was charging up.
Small wisps of yellowish light gathered around its mouth before erupting into an honest-to-Duck laser, aimed at the red one and shooting off way into the sky. It looked almost like a thunderbolt against the backdrop of the night¡ªbut only almost, and actual lightning wasn¡¯t about to be outdone.
After weaving and dodging the ray for a few moments around the tip of the stone spike, the red one leaped high into the air, just in time for another performer to show themselves¡ªyellow, bipedal, hidden in the dark.
Roaring.
Their outcry was accompanied by a Thunderbolt shooting out of its body, up into the sky, and down onto the red one in the middle of an overhead kick. Sue¡¯s heart skipped a beat as the bolt of electricity struck their leg before getting redirected downwards onto the blue one. The intensity of the attack kicked up dirt all around the stage, shrouding it for a few moments as everyone¡¯s hearing recovered.
And then, once it had settled, the performers were all standing next to each other on top of what used to be their stage. They faced the audience, lit up by fading embers¡ªand struck a pose each. The crowd¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t too different from what Sue was used to, though, erupting into a mix of loud cheers, claps, and cries of adoration.
¡°By the Pale Lady, it feels like they cut it closer every single time...¡± Solstice whispered, finally letting out a breath she¡¯d been holding. Her words fell on deaf ears, though. Sue was stuck staring wide eyed at the scene as the torches around the plaza were lit once more, with but a single thought thrashing in her head.
What.
The fuck.
Was that.
Chapter 8: Shadows
¡°Sue?¡±
The once-human stared into the distance, mouth agape as she processed the show. The sheer power that had been so casually displayed put her on edge¡ªwere those just¡ performers, or actual fighters? Was their might exceptional, or was that just how strong everyone here was?
Was there anyone here that couldn¡¯t break her body in half without even trying¡ª
¡°Sue?¡±
Sue blinked, another attempt finally snapping her out of her shock. She turned to look at a visibly concerned Solstice as she shook her daze off, the Mayor soon following up, ¡°Are you alright?¡±
¡°I... yeah, I think sho. Just... didn¡¯t expect that,¡± Sue mumbled, still processing it all.
Solstice nodded with a light smile, patting her shoulder, ¡°That¡¯s very understandable.¡±
¡°It was sooooo cool!¡± Spark howled, her excitement immediately diffusing Sue¡¯s worries.
The Forest Guardian¡¯s shaky hand reached to keep petting the kit after she¡¯d set Joy down. Her sixth sense let her know the toothy girl¡¯s reaction was not unlike her own, if with less existential dread and more awe. ¡°Yeah, it was. M-makesh me wonder how nobody got hurt.¡±
¡°Practice, practice, practice,¡± Sundance smirked. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve rehearsed their entire routine in full over a dozen times before tonight, and if I know anything about Snowdrop, she''d made sure they had a plan for everything that could have gone wrong.¡±
The vixen¡¯s explanation of the group¡¯s precautions calmed Sue down a bit¡ªguess it all wasn¡¯t as insane as it had looked at first glance. Still, with the sheer amount of flashy and dangerous looking attacks happening in quick succession, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder just how bad something going wrong would be. ¡°I-I can imagine. Wouldn¡¯t it end horribly if someone did shlip up regardless, though? That all looked really scary.¡±
Willow shook their head, ¡°It¡¯d be ugly, and they¡¯d need medical care, but there¡¯s no way anyone¡¯s risking death to begin with, hah.¡±
¡°And as Snowdrop had explained to me, they¡¯re pulling their punches the entire time,¡± Sundance continued, keeping track of Sue¡¯s reactions. ¡°They just know how to not let it show.¡±
Sue wasn¡¯t sure which of these facts concerned her more: that most creatures here could survive a burning kick, a thunderbolt, a stone spike, or whatever the hell that laser was, or the casually admitted truth that this wasn¡¯t even the worst any of them could do.
Drop anyone from here on medieval Earth and they¡¯d be worshiped as a god.
¡°I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t mind going over it all with you either, Sue, if we can spot her amongst the crowd at least. Until then, let¡¯s eat, lest our meals get cold,¡± Sundance nudged.
As awestruck as much of the group still was, the vixen¡¯s comment did a good job of snapping them back to the reality of having a delicious feast right in front of them. Comet reached out towards the dumplings on a nearby table, managing to pick a couple of them up with his psychic magic before Solstice gently put them back down. ¡°One at a time, sweetie~. Oh, Spark, do you need help with getting something within reach?¡±
In her daze, Sue hadn¡¯t even noticed Spark¡¯s feeble attempts at grabbing foodstuffs from the table. The kit stood on her hind legs and tried grabbing the nearby items with her front paws, accomplishing nothing but ineffectual swats at the bowls and plates. The Mayor¡¯s question made her freeze and look away in embarrassment, ¡°Yeah...¡±
¡°Doncha worry Sparkie, your evolution is coming any day now, and all these struggles will turn into distant memories. Not much space left on the bench; mind if I place your bowl on the ground?¡± Solstice asked, magicking a small wooden bowl into the air.
Spark pleaded, ¡°But then I won¡¯t be in Sue¡¯s lap¡ªI mean, I won¡¯t be warming Joy up anymore!¡±
¡°I think Joy will manage a moment without your warmth, Sparkie~. Speaking of¡ªJoy, do you want me to move your portion somewhere within reach too?¡±
The overly toothy creature beside Sue jumped at being directly addressed by Solstice, the sound snapping her out of passively taking the meals in. Both Forest Guardians felt a pang of fear rock her small body, the sensation making Sue hold Joy closer to her side.
Solstice had no idea why one of their more recent arrivals was so spooked by her and Sundance all of a sudden, but had an idea of what to do despite that. She moved Comet to her other arm, freeing the one closer to Joy, before slowly reaching over and offering it to the girl. ¡°Joy, I promise you, you¡¯re welcome here. Everyone is, no matter their form or shape. Nobody¡¯s gonna hurt you here.¡±
As effective as the careful words turned out to be at calming the lil¡¯ one down, Sue felt another emotion coming from nearby. The blip of unamused scoffing was brief and only barely noticeable, not even having time to leave a mark on Sundance¡¯s expression before it faded away.
So many questions, and this one in particular feels like the kind you don¡¯t ask in polite company.
Joy, unaware of Sue¡¯s concerns, focused on Solstice¡¯s green hand, the older Forest Guardian¡¯s gentle smile gradually making her less and less intimidating. Eventually, the lil¡¯ one reached back with her own hand, the black limb only big enough to grab a single finger. The Mayor sighed in relief at the sight while Sue carefully pulled Joy in closer and gave her some more head pats, making her squirm and break into a light blush.
¡°So~ want me to move you something over there?¡± Solstice asked again. This time, Joy¡¯s response was a timid nod¡ªthere was still some reluctance in her mind, but not enough to leave her entirely unresponsive anymore. After a moment of consideration, Joy settled on what looked like sugared fruit slices, confirming her selection with a shaky nod.
Solstice¡¯s smile grew as her eyes lit up, a few pieces of candied fruit getting picked up together with small portions of healthier meals. A spoonful of veggie salad, a crispy slice of bread, and a cup of water to accompany them, the latter left on the table as the rest was placed beside Joy in a small bowl.
Right as the girl was about to bite in with her front half, Sue caught her attention with a gentle pat, her smile wide and proud. ¡°What do you shay when someone d-does something nice to you?¡±
Sue might not have been Joy¡¯s parent, but if she could help teach the wild child some manners, she wouldn¡¯t decline that excuse. What she didn¡¯t expect to happen, though, was for the toothy girl to stare at her in utmost confusion, her head chewing through the unintentional puzzle.
She¡ literally doesn¡¯t know, huh. A great opportunity to teach her!
¡°You say ¡®thank you¡¯,¡± Sue cheerfully explained.
Joy¡¯s reaction cemented Sue¡¯s hunch; the girl intently nodded as she absorbed the knowledge. She turned to look at Solstice, huddling closer to the friendly Forest Guardian beside her before opening her front mouth¡ªand vocalizing a bunch of gibberish.
It took Sue a while to figure out what happened, the rest of the table similarly confused. She had no idea where there could be any ambiguity in her instructions¡ªunless¡ unless Joy had taken them too literally and had tried to repeat the literal words ¡®thank you¡¯ in the same way Sue had said them.
¡°Sue doesn¡¯t speak the same language as the rest of us, sweetie,¡± Solstice chimed in, confirming Sue¡¯s hunch. ¡°We say it like ¡®thank you¡¯.¡±
Sue had to focus past the psychic translation to pick out the actual sounds being uttered. They sounded odd, almost as if they were being whistled out, their pitch constantly moving up and down. Weird or not, Joy understood them this time, giving it a shot herself, ¡°T-t-tha-thank y-y-you.¡±
And raising even more questions.
With her already focusing on the physical sounds everyone around her was making, Sue realized that Joy¡¯s version wasn¡¯t even close to how Solstice had said it. It was dry and harsh, far from the Forest Guardian¡¯s smooth whistle, with only the cadence matching up.
¡°There you go~! And you¡¯re welcome sweetie, enjoy the feast! And so do you, Sue!¡± Solstice beamed, snapping Sue out of her bewilderment. The mystery of the village¡¯s language got discarded on top of her mental confusion fort as Sue refocused on the delicious treats in front of her.
With no knowledge of what any of the displayed dishes were, she opted to grab one of the sugared fruit slices and gave it a tentative bite. Her attention shifted to Joy as they both savored the treat, the third eye confirming what the first two saw clearly¡ªJoy was loving it. And¡ yeah, it tasted good¡ªgreat even¡ªbut it definitely didn¡¯t come off as something a young child would appreciate, though.
What Sue thought to be sugar turned out to be anything but. The white spice tasted very zesty, almost spicy, the flavor not matching anything she¡¯d ever had. It left behind a warmth reminiscent of mulled wine, bringing back memories of Christmas with¡ªno, no reminiscing, not now. Anyway¡ªthe fruit underneath the spice wasn¡¯t anything she recognized, either. It looked vaguely citrusy, but was nowhere near sour enough to match any grapefruit Sue had ever eaten.
Wonder if the plants here are also mutated, and I just hadn¡¯t noticed.
Either way, musings on the precise nature of this world¡¯s ecosystem were best left until bedtime. The day might have been too busy for Sue to pay much attention to her own hunger, but now that she¡¯d gotten some food in her mouth, her stomach wouldn¡¯t let her walk away unsated. As her hunger reminded her of its existence, it made her nab a bit of every dish within reach, starting with the dumplings that Comet had just tried to take.
Ohhhh, that was a satisfying crunch.
The stuffing wasn¡¯t anything to sneeze at, either, a mix of boiled grains and roasted mushrooms in thick, gravy-like sauce. Even if Forest Guardian Sue was growing increasingly repulsed at even the thought of eating meat, Human Sue still remembered how wonderful a good stew could be, and this hit all the same notes.
She didn¡¯t think of herself as being terrible at cooking or anything¡ªshe made it workday-to-day, even if her meals were on the simpler side. The gourmet display in front of her made her usual dinners feel like buttered toast in comparison, though, the sheer disparity in richness and diversity of flavors almost indescribable. She knew because she ended up having a bite of every single dish on the table.
Her feast continued even as the rest of the group slowed down, their chatter little more than background noise for the once-human. All that mattered was that she was getting filled up, and that her taste buds were in heaven¡ªeven the drinks were great! Perfectly chilled water went a long way, but the juice beside it was somehow even better. Not too dissimilar to apple and mint, but not as cloying and without the unpleasant aftertaste, and the pinch of bitterness made it much more refreshing.
Despite how it had felt at the start of the feast, Sue¡¯s stomach didn¡¯t have infinite capacity.
As it got filled up, her increasingly heavy head shifted from savoring every bite back to pondering on what she was eating, the food coma making it a profoundly difficult task. Right as she was about to pour herself another glass of juice, a gentle shake of her shoulder snapped her back to reality. She mumbled, ¡°Hmm? S-sorry, I must¡¯ve shpaced out bad...¡±
¡°Oh, you very much did, ahahaha!¡± Willow giggled, lighting Sue¡¯s cheeks in embarrassment as she looked around the now much emptier table. Joy was long since done with her portion and had dozed off in the meantime, resting her head and the large black maw on her lap. Without her noticing, somehow. Off to the side, Comet was similarly sleeping in his mom¡¯s arms, and Spark was¡ absent, it seemed.
¡°All good Sue,¡± the medic reassured. ¡°You must¡¯ve been starving!¡±
¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t had anything shince breakfast...¡±
Sundance smirked, ¡°No wonder you cleaned up half the table, then. Sating that kind of hunger is its own trance, and I would know.¡± Sue chuckled, appreciating the reassurance.
¡°Shook you out of it since Snowdrop is around,¡± Solstice chimed in. ¡°It felt like you had wanted to chat with her about the show her team put on~.¡± Her words woke Sue up the rest of the way as she scanned the nearby tables, finding most cleared of any food and some already entirely vacant. The mostly white performer from earlier hovered next to one of them, a closer look revealing them to look even weirder than Sue had suspected.
The two extensions that she¡¯d previously identified as arms turned out to sprout from where ears would normally be. The oddities about their appearance didn¡¯t end there¡ªthe crystalline horns on their forehead glistened in the orange light, almost distracting Sue enough to make her not notice the red¡ something on their back, reminding her of tiny wings. It all added up to an appearance that was tap dancing on the line between ethereal, intimidating, and slightly goofy, though their graceful movements swung the needle closer to the former.
They were chatting with the bipedal gray rhino Sue saw toppling trees around the construction site the other day. From what she could make out, their conversation wasn¡¯t going particularly well, with the builder¡¯s increasing nervousness and disappointment bringing to mind someone getting shot down.
At least they took it well, all things considered.
With one last sigh, they nodded and left the white performer, heading back to their group afterwards. Said group was mostly other builders, with the addition of who Sue realized to be the blue performer from the recent spectacle¡ªand, if her eyes weren¡¯t deceiving her, a relative of the gray rhino.
They were both bipedal, with massive tails and horns on their heads; their bodies were covered with stone-like scales, and their stomachs were cream-colored. Despite being much shorter than the gray one, the blue one behaved much more maternally, petting the larger rhino on their back. It didn¡¯t take long for the rest of the group of builders to contribute¡ªGranite pulled as much of the gray rhino into a hug as his four arms were capable of, and the brown, quilled pangolin supported them with some weak pats. The red metal insect and the dark blue beetle kept themselves to just words.
Wonder if the two rhinos really are related¡ª
¡°Should I call her over for you?¡± Solstice asked, snapping Sue out of her focus. She gulped at the idea¡ªthe icy performer deciding to float over on their own and her using the opportunity to get a couple questions in was one thing, but calling them over just to sate her curiosity was a different matter altogether. It would put a spotlight on her, but¡ it¡¯s not like there was another way to get answers for her questions, and she was supported by friends¡ªcouldn¡¯t ask for a better opportunity to get used to being more social.
None of that¡¯s really helping with the anxiety levels, but I guess I¡¯ll just have to bite the bullet.
¡°Shure.¡±
Sue distracted herself by petting the sleeping Joy as she waited for Snowdrop to float over. The toothy girl was no Spark in how pleasant showering her with affection felt, but it was nice in its own right. Her front half was adorable, and when it laid inert like that, even the menacing maw looked¡ affable. Sue¡¯s brief, tentative pets made her squirm closer as¡ª
*?~whistle~?*
Once Sue was done calming her racing heart, she turned to glare at the origin of the sound. Solstice had somehow kept the whistle quiet enough to not draw literally everyone¡¯s attention, melodic enough to not wake either of the little ones up, but still loud enough to accomplish its purpose, making Snowdrop perk up and turn their way.
She only waited for a moment before hovering their way, an inscrutable expression gradually shifting into a smile as she spoke up, ¡°Good evening, ma¡¯am~. Enjoyed the show~?¡±
Sue sure didn¡¯t expect a creature this ethereal-looking to sound so... teasing.
Solstice answered, ¡°Hello, Snowdrop! And hah, how could I not? Your performance was thrilling as always, though my poor heart sure didn¡¯t like how risky some of that looked.¡±
¡°It¡¯s all about looking risky indeed,¡± Snowdrop winked. ¡°How can I help you~?¡±
¡°Well, it was Sue here¡¯s first time watching a show like that, and she was really impressed and had some questions for you, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±
Snowdrop¡¯s attention shifted from one Forest Guardian to the other, her expression softening the more of Sue she took in. One of her ear-hands gave the once-human a little wave, one that she reciprocated soon after, about as awkwardly as possible. Sue couldn¡¯t deny feeling weird at being eyed out like that, but she wasn¡¯t sure if it was good weird or bad weird.
¡°Ah, I see!¡± the performer¡¯s expression lit up. ¡°Oh, goodness, forgive me for not recognizing you sooner~. You¡¯re the one that saved little Spark, no~?¡± She asked, leaving Sue to nod and squirm in her seat as her unintentionally heroic feat was brought up again. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got all the time in the world for you, then~. Pleasure to meet you, Sue, what would your cute face want to know~?¡±
...my cute face?
If Sue wasn¡¯t busy being dumbfounded by the tone of the question, she would¡¯ve noticed the rest of the table holding in laughter at her reaction. Instead, she pushed past it, hoping to get some of her previous curiosity answered, ¡°Umm... how d-do you ensure that nobody getsh hurt?¡±
Sue saw Snowdrop¡¯s expression briefly falter at the way she spoke, forcing the performer to rely on the mental link to get meaning out of the Forest Guardian¡¯s gibberish. She didn¡¯t linger on it, thankfully, answering shortly after, ¡°Well, that¡¯s an awfully wide question~. Broadly speaking, it all reduces to deliberately missing when we can, keeping track of each other¡¯s cues, and putting in as little power as we can while maintaining appearances.¡±
¡°A stage like that has its advantages¡ªeveryone is looking from broadly the same angle and from below, so we can move on slightly different planes,¡± Snowdrop explained, lifting both ¡®hands¡¯ so that their ¡®palms¡¯ faced Sue, before sliding them past each other a few times. ¡°Very important to keep dodging to maintain the spectacle~.¡±
The weird tone continued, but at least Sue was getting her answers now. She listened intently, responding, ¡°I-I see, thank you. And what was that about putting in little power, pulling your punchesh¡ªhow¡¯s that work?¡±
¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk~! I can¡¯t just reveal all my secrets to anyone who asks now, not with so many people around. That latter fact could get remedied if you¡¯d like, though~.¡±
Sue¡¯s initial train of thought went to a place much, much darker than was intended, almost making Sundance spit her drink out at overhearing it. She began catching onto what the performer actually meant soon after¡ªshe wanted to explain it to her, but only somewhere with not as many people around, and was offering to take her there. Which probably meant taking her on a walk there¡ª
...
...
Is she¡ hitting on me?
Her face went flush at the thought, wide eyes looking to Sundance for answers. The fiery vixen confirmed her hunch with a nod while trying not to laugh, leaving her in a wholly unfamiliar position. And then another once she¡¯d stammered her response, one she hoped she would never have to be in, ¡°I-I, umm, I-I¡¯m sorry Snowdrop, I don¡¯t¡ªI don¡¯t shwing that way...¡±
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Sue wasn¡¯t even sure whether that was truly the case, but even if it wasn¡¯t, being suddenly put on the spot wasn¡¯t conductive to self-discovery like that, leaving her to just go with what she¡¯d been assuming was true. Her heart sank as she watched the icy performer sigh in defeat, her expression deflating by the moment.
Something told Sue this wasn¡¯t the first, or even the tenth time this has happened to her.
¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Snowdrop sighed, trying her hardest to pretend to be alright. ¡°Oh well. Wish finding someone was easier.¡± Before she could continue, she spotted the blue rhino waving back at her from a distance. She waved back before turning to the group. ¡°I need to be going now. Though, if you ever want some more of your curiosity answered, or... anything else, I¡¯ll be around, Sue~. Until then, have a good night, you all.¡±
¡°Take care, Snowdrop,¡± Willow smiled. ¡°May She keep your rest peaceful, especially after such an amazing show!¡±
Snowdrop giggled, ¡°Aww thank you, Willow~! We wouldn¡¯t have gone as far as we did if not for your first aid lessons, it really made us more comfortable pushing the limits. Oh, hey there, Sparkie~!¡±
The vulpine bark of Spark¡¯s response snagged Sue¡¯s attention as the fiery kit climbed back onto the bench. Her big friend¡¯s lap being occupied prevented her from proceeding further, but Spark didn¡¯t let it get to her, speaking up once her mom had extended her translation to her again. ¡°Sue, Sue! My friends wanna meet you, wanna come over and say hi?¡±
Sue was a bit taken aback, but on a second thought, she really wasn¡¯t opposed to that. There were some obvious issues with that idea, though, ones Sundance immediately vocalized. ¡°Sweetie, can¡¯t they come here? It¡¯s much harder for Sue to walk than for them.¡±
¡°I knoooowww, but their parents won¡¯t let them,¡± Spark pleaded. ¡°They¡¯re not too far from here, though!¡±
Sundance raised an eyebrow, ¡°How will you all even communicate with Sue? Maybe I ought to come too¡ª¡±
¡°No no no, we have a psychic that can talk to her! Please mom, pleeeeease~!¡±
Sundance just rolled her eyes and chuckled. Sure, sure, her little one didn¡¯t want herself to get embarrassed in front of her friends. ¡°It¡¯s not me who you ought to ask for this, sweetie,¡± she chided. ¡°If Sue is alright with it, then so am I.¡±
Even in the dim lighting, Spark¡¯s puppy eyes were as super effective as ever. Sue just giggled, ¡°Shure, sure. Just need to get Joy off my lap, and I can come.¡±
¡°Yay yay yay!¡±
While Spark wriggled in joy, Joy was picked up with Solstice¡¯s psychic grasp and lowered onto her lap. The brief period in between the two Forest Guardians made the toothy girl stir a bit, but ultimately, her rest remained uninterrupted. With that adorable weight off her lap, Sue got up, stretching her joints after several hours of near motionlessness, full stomach and exhaustion making her somehow feel even less mobile than usual.
¡°Follow me!¡± Spark howled.
And follow Sue did, slowly picking up the pace as her arm warmed up again. The fiery kit led her between tables, firepits, and beings of all shapes and sizes, be they sitting, standing, walking, or even asleep. Her presence was barely catching anyone¡¯s attention by now, helping her keep calm enough to let her take in all the scenes they were passing by.
The leafy caretaker she¡¯d met a few times by now sat next to several unusual beings. Sue didn¡¯t have too much time to take their appearance in, mentally jotting them down as a white sphere the size of her arm and a green-white serpent with a yellow collar, respectively. These two weren¡¯t the only beings around, though, not with a small, brown pony and the pink bat-scorpion chimera she saw when she¡¯d first woken up at the clinic sneaking up behind the white sphere.
The green snake might¡¯ve been trying to contribute to the hissed, clicked, and growled chat around their table, but they couldn¡¯t resist joining the two sneaks once they had spotted them. With a quick scan, they slithered off the bench and scooted up to them, helping the pink bat climb onto the white sphere.
Whatever the latter was, it had seemingly just woken up, leaving the bat laughing loudly as they clung to them. It only took moments before everyone else was either giggling along or becoming increasingly confused, the shenanigans continuing until the blue cloud bird had noticed the bat and chirped at them to get down. Probably. If that was the case, it had to have been the most pleasant sounding ¡®get down!¡¯ in the world.
Splitleaf might not have noticed her in the crowds, but Hazel did.
The two locked eyes as Sue passed by, her expression softening at the scene beside her. As opposed to any more heart attack inducing pranks, the ghostly prankster was busy stroking Poppy¡¯s hair, the sleeping cook¡¯s head resting on the ghost¡¯s lap. For once, it was Hazel that got flustered, looking away from Sue even as she continued her affection in full.
Guess even Hazel can be cute.
She had little time left to linger on that topic, though¡ªwithout any warning, Spark took a sudden turn away from the festivities, constantly looking over her shoulder to check whether her big friend was still following her.
¡°Shpark?¡± Sue asked, surprised. She knew the kit couldn¡¯t understand her, but the question in her voice was still clear enough. All Spark did, though, was tilt her head to tell Sue to keep following her, the gestures paired with urgent woofs. With no actual communication, this was the best she was gonna get, leaving her with no choice but to follow the fiery kit.
Straight into the treeline.
¡°Spark, wh-where are you taking me...¡±
Thankfully for her ever-growing anxiety, the answer turned out to be ¡®just a few meters ahead¡¯, the kit then stopping and turning around to face her again. It was a few meters Sue took her sweet time getting through, her steps as slow as possible to avoid tripping on any sneaky roots or other inanimate objects. Spark waited patiently all the while, her fiery eyes piercing the darkness as her friend approached¡ªbefore being hit by a sudden wall of light.
Sue almost lost her balance as her free arm jolted to shield her eyes, wincing at the impromptu flashbang. Once the stinging in her eyes subsided, she dared to look at what had caused it, taking in the scene she¡¯d found herself in.
It provided more questions than answers.
By the lovely eevyychu @ Ko-fi!
A small clearing with a bonfire at its center stood where there once was just a pitch-black stretch of forest floor. Startling as that was on its own, it wasn¡¯t even all. The two other creatures now present alongside her and Spark took Sue aback, if both for very different reasons.
Hello again, ¡®dipshit that stole my peaches¡¯.
The lil¡¯ dark fox remained invisible to her sixth sense as they excitedly eyed her out, a faint blue sheen filling their eyes. They wasted no time before scrambling over to join Spark in nuzzling Sue¡¯s legs as she took in the appearance of their¡ friend, presumably. They weren¡¯t necessarily harder to describe, but for her sure harder to make any sense of anatomically, being mostly composed of a large, pastel-colored hat, reminding her of something Merlin might¡¯ve worn.
Except this one had a tiny, pinkish, humanoid body hanging from underneath it, their pinprick eyes staring at her curiously.
There¡¯s absolutely no way hanging like this can be comfortable.
As Sue tried to focus on kinda-braid, kinda-hand, kinda-neither extensions on the back of the creature¡¯s¡ hat, she suddenly felt an uncomfortable wriggling in her head. It wasn¡¯t too dissimilar from the sensation she felt right before Sundance first spoke to her, but much, much rougher and more than a bit painful. Thankfully, it was over before long, leaving her to rub her temples and gather her bear¡ª
¡°^Okay I got it! She can hear you now Pollux!^¡±
The very high pitched, very squeaky, very girly voice took Sue aback¡ªas did the cheeky, boyish one that followed, ¡°Yes! Thank you thank you Thistle!¡±
The sudden voices left Sue too stunned to think through what was going on. All the surprises combined with the constant affection from the two kits made it difficult to keep standing, forcing her to sit down on a nearby log. Both foxes were there before she could even rest her behind, and the pastel creature wasn¡¯t far behind. As the latter dashed over, though, they briefly stopped and winced in pain, one braid-hand-something reaching up to rub the side of their hat. ¡°^S-so many people...^¡± Sue heard again, in the same high-pitched voice as from a moment ago.
Overwhelming as the scene was, everything clicked into place soon after, especially with the darker fox, Pollux, speaking up again shortly after. ¡°Thank you, thank you, Sh-sh-Shue! We were goners if not for you! I-I was s-so scared, a-a-and¡ª¡±
The excitement in his voice cracked at the recollection of that almost tragic day, words stopping as he pressed his increasingly teary snout into her side. Sue had enough experience with Spark to know what to do, both hands carefully petting the foxes as they huddled closer. She responded in the only way she could: ¡°Y-yhou¡¯re w-welcome, P-Pollux.¡±
As the dark fox sniffled and calmed down, the hatted creature took the space on Sue¡¯s other side, observing the entire scene with as big of a smile as their tiny face could contain.
¡°A-and I-I¡¯m sorry f-for stealing your P-Pecha...¡± Pollux muttered, looking away in shame.
Guess I know the name of at least one local fruit now.
Sue giggled tiredly at Pollux¡¯s apology, continuing her affection. She appreciated it, though, especially with how much his prank had initially spooked her, trying to make that appreciation clear though pulling him a bit closer. His fur was nowhere near as soft or warm as Spark¡¯s, but the entire experience was no less lovely because of that. ¡°Apology accepted,¡± Sue beamed, glad to have resolved that unfortunate incident¡ª
¡°I-I just thought it was Solstice,¡± the gray fox continued, ¡°and d-didn¡¯t see the difference until after...¡±
Sue didn¡¯t comment on that, filing that admission into a mental drawer to come back to later. Right now, the little ones needed affirmation, and she needed answers about what was going on here¡ªstarting with their talents. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. I-I¡¯ve gotta shay, I¡¯ve never run into someone that can do what you did, with that d-disguise and all...¡±
Her comment perked Pollux back up, his expression turning sly as he repeated his feat from the previous day, once more turning into the orange striped lion-dog. This time, though, his disguise only lasted for a moment before he reverted to his former appearance, giggling, ¡°Hehe, we¡¯re hard to find with our illusions~! Oh, Spark told us you¡¯re from really far away!¡±
¡°^Yeah! And that there are only Normal types and Forest Guardians there¡ªdoes that mean you¡¯ve never seen a Dark-type before?^¡± the hat creature asked, their high-pitched words inadvertently steering the conversation towards where Sue actually wanted to go, making her nod firmly in response. ¡°^See! I told you Pollux!^¡±
¡°No way!¡± the dark fox gasped, ¡°Really!?¡±
¡°Mhm! You gave me a bit of a shcare!¡± Sue answered, meaning every single word of that sentence.
¡°Teehee... s-sorry.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, P-Pollux, it¡¯s okay; I¡¯m glad I finally got to meet you. Though¡ you¡¯re not a D-Dark-type, are you~?¡± Sue asked the hatted creature, shifting everyone else¡¯s attention over to them. A calmer moment let her check that for herself¡ªand indeed, the girlish creature wasn¡¯t just not Dark, but seemingly a fellow Psychic, answering the riddle of how they were all even talking in the first place.
¡°^Of course not,^¡± they squeaked, confused. ¡°^Didn¡¯t you feel me connecting us all?^¡±
Sue gulped quietly, realizing only in hindsight how weird of a question it was coming from a fellow Psychic. She tried to justify herself, ¡°I-I did, I-I just wasn¡¯t shure, I¡¯ve never seen a¡ªa you, either.¡±
¡°^I can tell, you¡¯re not scared! My name is Thistle!^¡±
The immense whiplash between Thistle¡¯s upbeat tone and the incredibly unnerving implication of her words slapped Sue across the face so hard it left a mark. It took her a while to blink through her confusion as she stared at the adorable cotton candy-colored hat girl, asking the obvious once she¡¯d recovered. ¡°...Wh-why would I be shcared of you?¡±
¡°^My mom told me our kin are really mean and aggressive in the wild! A-and that almost everyone fears us because of that...^¡± Thistle explained, reality poking a hole in her enthusiasm and letting excitement turn into somber, sadder feelings.
Sue was still confused as all hell, having a very hard time imagining the goofy pastel Psychic acting aggressive¡ªor even just being remotely scary, for that matter. That didn¡¯t stop her desire to cheer Thistle back up, though. She was about to reach in to contribute some affection before realizing she had no idea where on the hat creature was alright for her to touch.
What in the world is this hat-like growth anyway¡ª
¡°^That¡¯s my hair! And anywhere on it is fine!^¡± Thistle squeaked. That was the one answer Sue absolutely wasn¡¯t expecting, but the clarification was nice, she supposed.
With how subtle Sundance and Solstice were, she wouldn¡¯t have guessed the next Psychic she¡¯d meet would be so¡ nonchalant about acting on her unspoken thoughts. The realization brought with itself a pang of fear that Sue soon shook off¡ªit didn¡¯t feel like Thistle was doing this for any malicious reasons. Maybe this was just how her ¡®species¡¯ was?
Wanting to calm her down, Sue gently petted along the blue ¡®brim¡¯ of the hair ¡®hat¡¯, the surface feeling much closer to skin than bundled-up hair. Odd as her anatomy was, Thistle wasn¡¯t enjoying it any less than the two vulpine kiddos, her pinprick eyes closing as she lightly swayed in place.
Three kids cozying up with her next to a campfire, the feast¡¯s noise turning into a distant ambience¡ªas unnerved as Sue was walking here, this little scene turned out to be much more pleasant than she could¡¯ve ever hoped for. She closed her eyes for a bit, taking it all in as she dispensed affection between the three, their small bodies snuggling her tighter by the moment.
Before long, though, the burning question on her mind reared its head again. ¡°So, why are we hiding¡ª¡±
The loud call coming from behind her made Sue jump in her seat, a glance over her shoulder barely making out a figure looking their way from the edge of the clearing. Pollux¡¯s and Thistle¡¯s reaction was instantaneous¡ªthe bonfire was suddenly suspended in an intense pink glow, getting smothered in a split second as the two took off into the pitch-black treeline.
Sue sat stunned at the suddenness of it all, brain still playing catchup as Spark barked something back at the voice. The fox¡¯s gentle yank on her skin dress finally snapped her back to awareness, cold and anxious. After taking a moment to find her crutch, Sue got up and began to follow the kit back into Moonview, somehow ending up even more confused than before.
What were they doing there in the first place?
Why so close to Moonview¡¯s edge?
Why did Thistle run too?
How come nobody noticed them sooner?
How come I didn¡¯t see the bonfire until I was right next to it?
Could hair that looks so hat-like really be called hair anymore?
And of course, the question at the root of it all¡ª
Why is Pollux hiding from Moonview?
In her dejected pondering, Sue almost didn¡¯t notice the appearance of the villager that had inadvertently dispersed their group¡ªone hell of a feat considering their appearance.
Their bipedal, reddish body radiated heat, prompting her to steer half a step further away, just in case. Even beyond their coloration and the warmth, a plume of pinkish flames flowed from the back of their head, its shape reminding Sue of an odd ponytail. Upon closer inspection, she spotted the large metal plates covering their upper arms and torso, covered with intricate engravings and green corrosion alike.
Sue had a good idea as to what their ¡®type¡¯ was, but no clue whatsoever just what they were.
Somewhat ethereal appearance, armor-shaped metal shards, all the flames¡ yeah, she got nothing. Maybe some sort of forge spirit? Not that ¡®forge spirits¡¯ ever made any sense as actual living beings, and she wouldn¡¯t have expected an abstract being like that to be so human-shaped in the first place, anyway. Could be a spirit, could be some sort of fire elemental, could literally just be a really hot guy.
Or girl.
Either way, they were about as confused about her and Spark as she was about them, which¡ fair. Thankfully, the lil¡¯ fox took all the talking upon herself, eventually convincing the flaming being to split up with them. Sue sensed Spark¡¯s relief the moment the stranger left, the kit immediately scooting over to nuzzle her legs. Most tables were completely empty by now, many of the remaining feast-goers cleaning up after themselves.
Who would¡¯ve thought that bestial freaks of nature have better table manners than my college year.
Their table hasn¡¯t been spared the cleanup either. Dishes weren¡¯t the only thing now gone, though, with Willow also absent. Sundance sighed loudly the moment Sue and Spark stepped back into view. ¡°Goodness Spark, where were your friends at, the Central City?¡±
¡°Sorry! Tassel¡¯s family was at the other end of the clearing! It took us a while to get there!¡± the kit pleaded.
Sue rolled her eyes at their long absence being blamed for her, but didn¡¯t dwell on it for long. She had no idea whether Solstice or Sundance had caught Spark¡¯s lie¡ªif they had; they weren¡¯t showing it.
The older vixen chuckled, ¡°Sure, sure~. An appropriate time for us to head home as well.¡±
¡°Y-yeah-yaaawnn¡ª¡±
Both Spark¡¯s and Sue¡¯s excitement quickly burned into exhaustion now that they were back with the rest of the group. The unanswered questions continued to spin around in Sue¡¯s head, but thankfully for her, she soon grew too tired to focus on them. Much the same was true of Solstice, the older Forest Guardian looking like she was only keeping herself awake through sheer force of will.
The two sleeping kids in her arms and on her lap didn¡¯t help, either.
¡°Mrs. Solstice, what about you? Aren¡¯t you and Sue going to bed too?¡± Spark asked, staving her sleep off that bit more.
Solstice yawned and stretched, switching to telepathy to answer. ¡°^We are. Just waiting for Astra to pick Joy up and we¡¯ll rest, too¡ªoh there she is, thank the Pale Lady.^¡±
Sue followed her line of sight at her comment, turning around and looking up at the night sky. A large silhouette was approaching fast, much larger and faster than any creature she¡¯d seen in Moonview so far. The sight made Sue back a couple of steps away as the stranger finally landed, her wings kicking up dust as she came to a stop.
Now that she could inspect the scout closer, Sue realized she¡¯d already glimpsed her before. Her orange coloration was no more threatening now than it was then, but her sheer size and the draconic parts of her soft appearance did their best to make up for that.
Her satchel¡¯s the size of my hiking backpack, for crying out loud!
¡°Phew, finally back home¡ªoh no, don¡¯t tell me I missed it all!¡± Astra groaned. Sue didn¡¯t expect her to be so soft-spoken considering their size¡ªor so outwardly emotional, her body slumping forwards with a loud groan as Solstice¡¯s nod confirmed her hunch. The dragon continued, ¡°And I didn¡¯t even find anything... is there at least some food left?¡±
¡°Mhm! Poppy saved a hearty portion for you, though you¡¯ll have to ask her or Hazel where they¡¯d stashed it,¡± Solstice reassured.
Astra sighed in relief, ¡°At least there¡¯s that, hah¡ª*gasp!*¡± The entire gathering flinched at the sound, the psychics sensing the reason moments before the dragon herself exclaimed it, ¡°Oh no, Joy!¡± Her voice trembled at realizing just how long she¡¯d left the little one with no one to look after her. ¡°Where¡¯s¡ª¡±
Before the dragon could freak out any further, a psychic glow let her spot the toothy tyke resting on Solstice¡¯s lap, before being lifted into her arms, her embrace as huge as it was gentle. She soon spotted the bandage wrapped around Joy¡¯s maw, though, gasping at the sight.
Sundance wasted no time in explaining what had happened, ¡°She¡¯s alright, Astra. Other children sadly got physical with her to the point of minor injury. I doubt she¡¯ll want to spend much time with them on her own anymore, unfortunately¡¡±
Astra was aghast at the news, holding the little one that much closer in response. Emotions boiled on her soft expression, anger mixing with sadness to produce despair. ¡°Oh gods, I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m so sorry. It all took so long, I had to dodge thunderstorms on my way back, one of the snow people thought it¡¯d be oh so funny to toss an Icicle Spear at me¡ªa-and Joy got hurt a-and I couldn¡¯t be there for her, and,¡± the dragon choked on her words as her voice wavered, eyes growing damper and damper, ¡°and I-I can¡¯t split myself like that... I don¡¯t know what to do...¡±
Solstice took a deep breath, holding her own little one closer to herself. She may not have had much concrete advice, but wanted to reassure Astra nonetheless, reaching up to lay her hand on the dragon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Rest for the next few days, Astra, scouting new lands can wait. But¡ you¡¯re right. We¡¯ll need to think of something in the long term, or find someone...¡±
The Mayor glanced up at Sue, thinking of how fond Joy was of her. Gears in her head turned at the idea, but it came with its own host of issues. Still, it was something to consider¡ªconsider tomorrow, in any case. ¡°We can do that tomorrow; no need to worry about anything more today. We all deserve rest first¡ªyou especially, Astra.¡±
The dragon nodded wordlessly, a few tears rolling down her cheek as she held Joy close. Moment by moment, deep breathing slowly calmed her back down, as did gently stroking the toothy girl¡¯s head and maw. ¡°Okay. Okay. Tomorrow. I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m sorry for all this¡ª¡±
¡°Don¡¯t be Astra, you did all you could. I don¡¯t doubt that one bit. I wish I could say that of the rest of us,¡± Solstice sighed. ¡°Take care, Astra, and may She keep your rest peaceful.¡±
¡°M-mhm. Y-you too Solstice, a-and Sundance, and Spark, and Comet, and¡ª¡± the dragon paused, her eyes finally meeting Sue¡¯s.
Sundance helped her out, smiling as she walked over with Spark in her arms. ¡°Sue. The Forest Guardian that you rushed to the village the other day.¡±
Astra¡¯s eyes shot even wider at that. Before Sue could even react, she was suddenly pulled into a massive, tight hug, the dragon orienting her sideways to avoid being stabbed by her chest-mounted extremity. ¡°YOU¡¯RE ALRIGHT!¡± Astra half-squealed, half-roared. ¡°Oh my gosh, I kept thinking of you while flying. You got hurt so bad and I was so worried but I never had the time to check up on you and you¡¯re alright, oh my gods, I¡¯m so happy you¡¯re alright. That looked so scary.¡±
The outburst of joy once Astra had connected the dots between the bloodied, muddied, and otherwise grimy being she helped save just a few days ago, and the unassuming Forest Guardian next to her, was something immense. It almost overwhelmed Sue¡¯s sixth sense, but the once-human was too preoccupied by hugging as much of the dragon as she could to care.
I¡¯m much too tired and much too small to even come close to returning that hug, but that doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t try, goddammit!
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m alright!¡± Sue answered, suddenly feeling tears flow down her cheeks. ¡°I-I can¡¯t thank you enough for helping me there! I-I thought I was dead there, I-I¡ª¡± Lacking any words, Sue tried to hold Astra even tighter, once more not accomplishing much. The gesture was appreciated much the same; the dragon¡¯s scaly and surprisingly soft arm held her close in return.
Astra beamed, ¡°You¡¯re welcome! I-I just happened to be at the right place, at the right time... and from what Spark told me, so were you to save her; right, Spark?¡±
The little fox responded with snores, having lost the battle with her own body in the meantime, making everyone still awake giggle. ¡°I think she¡¯s got the right idea,¡± Solstice chuckled. ¡°We can wait with all the thanks until tomorrow, too.¡±
Astra nodded shakily as she let go of Sue, the once-human quickly stabilizing herself on her crutch. The dragon clearly wanted to say something more, but kept her words to herself for now, just nodding deeply in affirmation instead. ¡°Tomorrow.¡±
¡°Mhm! And seeing how much Joy liked Sue today, I¡¯ve little doubt she¡¯ll try to drag you over to meet her anyway!¡± the Mayor continued.
The dragon¡¯s expression turned to surprise, eyes glancing between the little one sleeping soundly in her arms and the still-relatively-small-one she helped save beside her. She really wanted to express her happiness at hearing that, but the resolve to wait until tomorrow held, an almost comically large smile filling her face instead. ¡°Yeah. T-tomorrow. Sleep well Sue, a-and... thank you so much.¡±
Astra finally collected herself enough to take to flight again, holding Joy tight as she scanned the area for either half of the pantry couple. Sue didn¡¯t get to see whether she¡¯d end up finding them; Sundance soon tapping her shoulder and tilting her head for her to follow.
Guess the poles she saw yesterday were indeed lampposts.
The realization didn¡¯t explain just what it was they were housing, though. ¡®Fireballs¡¯ was an answer, of course, but not one that really explained much at all. Even beyond that, Sue wasn¡¯t sure if that non-answer was even accurate, with the flaming spheres in question sitting motionless and slowly shifting between red and purple.
As they all walked back towards the clinic, it struck Sue just how different Moonview felt at night. So much quieter on all her senses, so much more serene, nowhere near as alive, and yet¡ just as safe. A crescent moon shined on them from above, the sight deeply comforting in a way Sue couldn¡¯t hope to describe.
¡°Even at her weakest, Her visage is full of hope, isn¡¯t it?¡± Solstice asked. Sue nodded thoughtlessly at her words, needing a moment afterwards to consciously decipher their meaning. As odd as the religious reverence in the other Forest Guardian¡¯s words felt, she couldn¡¯t help but agree as the clinic came into view. Once they neared closer, Solstice continued; ¡°It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Sue. My schedule is much clearer tomorrow, so if you¡¯d want, you could pick your lessons back up with me after breakfast. How¡¯s that sound?¡±
¡°I¡¯d love to, th-thank you.¡± Sue nodded, excitement pushing past her exhaustion.
¡°Wonderful. See you tomorrow Sue, and may She keep your rest peaceful.¡±
Sundance chimed in, ¡°Good night, Sue.¡±
¡°You too...¡±
With a by now well-practiced motion, Sue scrambled through the doorway once more. Her exhausted body gave in to the desire for rest the second her head touched the pillow, her crutch slipping until it eventually banged against the floor moments later.
The two women outside doubled back to check up on her at overhearing that sound, but thankfully, nothing was amiss. Only Sue, sinking into a deeper and deeper rest. Deeper and deeper,
Darker and darker...
Chapter 9: Lies
Sue¡¯s consciousness was sinking into a lake of tar, the surrounding darkness growing thicker by the moment. Thicker, stronger, ever more vicious; what once was a mere absence of light turned aggressive and suffocating, filling her body with terror through its mere presence.
The pitch blackness leaped at her, tore her to shreds in a way her feeble mind could scarcely comprehend and do even less about. She trembled and tried to scream, only managing pathetic whimpers for nobody to hear¡ª
¡°GRRRAAAHH!¡±
And then; it all stopped.
In an instant, Sue suddenly found herself at the campfire scene once more. A wall of twisting, writhing void surrounded her from all sides, held at bay by the one being she never expected to see for herself in person, or even in a dream.
His body was perfectly black, just like in the drawing she saw a few nights ago; the white of His smoke-like head and the crimson of the cowl that surrounded it contrasted greatly with the surrounding darkness. His blue eye stared straight at Sue as His outstretched arms held the seething nightmare at bay.
¡°RRRARGH!¡±
With another roar, the pitch black deity pushed the Dark Void even further back, banishing it from Sue¡¯s mind entirely. With it gone, Sue finally noticed the changes to the all too familiar dreamscape¡ªthe extinguished campfire, the barely visible new Moon above them, and the starless sky that surrounded it.
All that, however, paled in comparison to Night Father joining her here.
He stared down at her unblinkingly, His ethereal body shifting in place as she came to. Once she¡¯d snapped back to awareness, Sue gasped in fear, shaking as she tried to scoot further away from the ghostly Satan, to no avail. ¡°I-it¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it?¡± she stammered, eyes wide. ¡°N-Night Father, right?¡± The deity slowly nodded, not attempting to speak beyond a couple of loud grumbles, making her continue. ¡°Wh-what are you gonna do to me? A-am I dead, or¡ª¡±
A loud noise caught Sue¡¯s attention as the dark one shook His head. The dark tendrils of His arms reached up above Him and pulled the fabric of the dreamscape apart, opening a gash through which Sue could see herself sleeping on the clinic¡¯s bed, safe and sound.
¡°Not dead. Alright. S-so you¡¯re not Satan,¡± she summed up, still coming to terms with everything around her. Night Father let the rift above Him close, the little Sue could make of His expression growing flatter as He shook His head. ¡°Not Satan, okay. Wh-why are you here?¡±
Before she could even finish asking her question, Sue realized she was holding a page in her hand. A downward glance revealed the same drawing that Duck had presented to her a couple of nights ago, the one depicting her transformation into a Forest Guardian.
The one with a depiction of the dark deity next to an arrow connecting her two bodies, with a question mark next to it.
¡°I-it¡ªShe asked me whether you turned me into this, but... it wasn¡¯t you, right? I don¡¯t remember you,¡± Sue muttered, aghast. The deity affirmed her hunch with another nod, causing the page to disintegrate in Sue¡¯s hands, its purpose complete. ¡°W-who¡ªwhat was it then?¡± she asked, still dumbstruck. ¡°Do you know?¡±
A firm, somber shake.
It was followed by a squirmy, unpleasant sensation in the back of Sue¡¯s head, not unlike the pain that had caused her to destroy her earlier dream in a fit of anger. Thankfully, it was neither as intense nor long lasting as what Duck had inflicted, easing out seconds later and only leaving her a bit woozy this time. She was just about to speak up before spotting something even weirder in the corner of her vision, something she wouldn''t ever have expected to see in this wild world.
An antique film projector, together with an accompanying wall for it to project onto.
¡°...what the hell is this?¡±
Night Father wasted no time before showing her, gesturing towards the contraption, making it kick to life with a loud rattle. Without delay, it began to project a gray scale recollection of Sue¡¯s memories, the last ones she could remember from Earth. A hike through the woods, sitting down to grab lunch, a bang not too far away¡ª
And then, the replay stopped.
A pair of disembodied hands made of something that was neither light nor dark, something that Sue¡¯s mind could only perceive as golden static, reached in to tamper with it. It pulled out the rolls of film, cutting it off at the exact point the display had stopped at, and then again, further along the recording. Afterwards, it stitched both ends together and resumed the movie at the moment of Sue waking up in her new body for the first time¡ªwhile whisking the surgically removed snippet away.
¡°Wait, wait,¡± Sue gasped, hands clenching into fists, ¡°d-did something steal my memory of what had happened!?¡±
A slow, somber nod.
The dreamed-up film equipment dissipated into the dreamscape, leaving Sue as confounded and unnerved as she was angry at the revelation. ¡°Who did it!?¡± she yelled at nobody in particular¡ªand, to her surprise, the skies above answered.
Suddenly, the heavens filled with figures of wildly varying shapes, sizes and grandeur, dozens upon dozens of deities¡ªthough with neither Night Father nor Duck among them. All of them awe-inspiring, all of them glorious, all of them way, way too much. Within seconds, the scene grew too overwhelming to bear, making Sue shield her eyes as she looked away. ¡°Okay, okay, I get it! Too many suspects!¡±
The spectacle ended in an instant as Sue and Night Father were left alone in the dream once more, the former trying to wrap her head around everything. ¡°S-some god took me and tossed me into this world and didn¡¯t even let me remember what had happened. C-could it have been the Pale La¡ª¡± she tried to ask, only for the dark deity to firmly shake His head in the corner of her vision, cutting that lead off. ¡°Not Her, then. And not you, either. S-someone else.¡±
A defeated nod.
All both of them had learned was that neither knew what had happened or who had done it. Though, one of them knew of everyone who could have accomplished that, and was about to start mulling over them all.
And then; the second one cut Him off, her voice uncertain. ¡°Did you... enter my dream just to confirm that?¡±
A quick, firm nod.
¡°I-I see. I...¡± Sue trailed off, thinking back to everything she¡¯d seen over the past couple of days. To the creatures aligned with the deity she was interacted with spoken of in hushed, taboo tones, to Pollux being forced to hide, to Willow¡¯s profound discomfort once the night kin were brought up¡ª
The mystery was burning a hole in her mind.
¡°I have to know,¡± she whispered. ¡°You are a god, right?¡±
Weirdly enough, Night¡¯s Father¡¯s reply was much more subdued this time. His head meandered around for a while before eventually settling on the world¡¯s slowest, most reluctant nod. Bewildering as that response was in its delivery, it was ultimately affirmative, making Sue follow it up with her actual question¡ª¡°What are you a god of?¡±
Nothing happened for a few unending minutes as Sue awaited an answer. Right as she had started to worry she had committed a divine faux pas, though, she saw His eye close¡ªand the world around them dissolved.
The sky, the dirt, the extinguished campfire, all of them melting and shifting, until eventually, they morphed into a rudimentary chase scene. A small, dark being was running away from two massive white ones, one with massive eyes gleaming like floodlights, and the other with a blindfold and a third eye on top of its head, shining bright enough to burn the scene with a blinding glare.
Sue could barely stand the overwhelming, crippling light, forcing her to watch from between her fingers. The little dark being kept up its panicked dash, away from the light, eventually leaping into an isolated, pitch-black spot. Even as the lights approached, the spot didn¡¯t budge, continuing to protect the small one¡ªbut that didn¡¯t mean the bright ones wouldn¡¯t try hurting it all the same.
The one with two eyes cast forth brilliant flames as the single-eyed one stabbed into the dark with a pure white tendril. All their attacks did was make the darkness counterattack and flood from the isolated spot, shattering the light wherever it touched and sending the intruders running away in fear, the little dark creature safe.
And then, in a blink, the scene returned to the extinguished campfire. Sue replayed the events she¡¯d just witnessed in her mind, piecing it together as the deity beside her watched in silence. ¡°...safety. Protection from eyes, from light, from... th-the third eye...¡±
A slow, firm, deliberate nod, followed by low grumbling she had no hope of understanding.
¡°I-I see, I think,¡± Sue muttered, still processing the religious vision. She thought back to the Duck¡¯s altar, and the scenes depicted on it. One of them was a complete inversion of what she¡¯d just witnessed, with Duck protecting a small creature from the darkness¡ªthe very same darkness she just saw protect someone.
Something wasn¡¯t adding up, sending a shiver down her spine. ¡°Then... what about her?¡± Sue asked again. ¡°Duck, I mean¡ªPale Lady, or whatever...¡±
Night Father¡¯s eye grew wider at her comment; the rumbling noise that left Him afterwards was probably the divine equivalent to laughter. It didn¡¯t last long before the scene melted again, though, subjecting Sue to another vision.
The little dark creature shambled out of the black hiding spot and towards a nearby clearing, its limp and cuts around their body clearly visible. It pushed for a while before collapsing mid-step, right beneath a full Moon. The silver light bathing their body grew stronger with their every whimper, flooding the scene with cold, gentle healing. Sue watched the little one¡¯s wounds mend right in front of her eyes, all of them becoming undone in moments.
¡°...healing...¡± she whispered, and found her attention being drawn upwards, up at the Moon.
She watched it fly through its phases as if on fast forward; the dreamscape going from pitch black to bathed in cold light, and back, and back, and back.
From the Dark¡¯s protection.
To the Light¡¯s mending.
The Moon, one and whole.
One and whole.
The eventual awakening that followed, many, many hours later, was by far the calmest one Sue had experienced during her stay in this world yet. Her mind floated in the liminal space between sleep and wakefulness for Duck knows how long, only interrupted by intermittent attempts at checking out her surroundings, finding the room just a bit brighter each time.
She could not have slept for more than a couple of hours, and yet... she felt surprisingly alright, though a big part of that was no doubt caused by the religious vision that kept replaying in her mind. The sights felt like they ought to be shattering her world, but¡ they weren¡¯t, not really. She supposed it all only made sense like this, even if it painted everything she¡¯d seen in Moonview in a much more confusing light.
The far more startling truth was that of her amnesia being deliberate.
Sue couldn¡¯t even imagine who could¡¯ve done something like that, or why. A literal divine intervention to pluck her, a woman of no remarkable qualities, from her own world, and toss her into this one. With no purpose in mind that she could figure out.
Who knows, maybe it was some long con she was unaware of. Maybe all she was supposed to do was save Spark and Pollux on that fateful day, and ended up outliving her usefulness thanks to Astra¡¯s intervention. Maybe one day she¡¯d see the show¡¯s host walk out from behind the nearest corner with a camera crew behind him and inform her she was being pranked the entire time.
Maybe the god in question just thinks it¡¯s funny.
Trying to think more about the Capricious Deity¡¯s motivation would just make her feel even more defeated, and Sue knew that. Would she need a nap down the line after a night like that? Possibly. Was she feeling like trying to get some more rest in her current headspace? Not in the slightest.
A glance out the clinic¡¯s window revealed the sunrise to have only barely begun. Human Sue was the furthest thing from an early bird, but she figured she could make an exception this time. She needed to clear her head, and there were few things better at that than a walk around the block, even if without any tunes to keep her company. Now to just grab the crutch, and¡ªoh.
Sue didn¡¯t remember her mobility device moving anywhere after she¡¯d left it leaning against the nightstand, but, to her dismay, it had done so anyway. It was splayed out smack dab in the middle of the room, much too far for her to even attempt to reach with her good leg.
A low groan filled the cabin as she chewed through the scene, thinking about what to do. She¡¯d have to crawl over to grab it, and she sincerely doubted her ability to stand back up on her own from a position like that. It was a long shot, but maybe the partial lesson she got yesterday would help?
Sue found herself equal parts excited and antsy at getting to make use of what Sundance tried to teach her. Getting better at the psychic magic would be great, of course, but there was also the possibility that she¡¯d mess it up badly. Or worse, that she¡¯d already forgotten how to do it.
Either way, there was only one way to find out, making her groan as she flipped through what she recalled of the lesson. Remembering how to use her ¡®mental reach¡¯ was one thing; re-discovering where it even sprouted from was another. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take her long, random probing around her brain eventually finding a spot that gave in and extended beyond the confines of her skullcap.
Good Duck, that feels so weird.
She shook off the stray thought before prodding the spot further. Her eyes involuntarily closed as her mental tentacle reached into the room, right hand twitching with its every move. She hadn¡¯t paid that much attention yesterday, but now that she was aware of it, she couldn¡¯t help but stop and think. If her physical arm moved whenever she¡¯d tried to move the imagined one¡ could it also happen the other way around?
Carefully, Sue lifted her arm and reached toward the crutch, her motions slow and exaggerated. And indeed, her mind mimicked the motion. It wasn¡¯t the most precise and shot way further than she¡¯d expected it to, but she could control it like this, the realization making her sigh in relief. This was so much easier¡ªso easy that the next part felt downright instinctual.
Her hovering hand grasped the air, shrouding the crutch¡¯s handle in a spotty, white glow. She felt the rough, wooden surface, but had no idea where, the sensations coming from an utterly disembodied place. Once she¡¯d secured her grip, she just pulled it towards her, almost as if she was just changing the gear.
Loud rattling of wood on wood startled Sue out of her trance, her grasp fizzled out¡ªand once she opened her eyes, the crutch laid right in front of her.
Alright, I think I like this ¡®hands¡¯ method more than what Sundance was trying to teach me.
On the other hand¡ she¡¯d never seen either the vixen or Solstice use their hands when performing their magic. Maybe there was a reason for that which she just wasn¡¯t aware of? She hoped not, hoped she wasn¡¯t doing it all wrong in some subtle but important way.
With any luck, she¡¯d get to ask Solstice that very question in not too long.
Before Sue could head off to the races, she realized she hadn¡¯t told anyone about her little walk. Not that it would normally matter, but considering her hijinks yesterday, she thought Willow especially deserved to be kept in the know.
Alright, where¡¯d you leave all that paper you brought...
There wasn¡¯t much space left on the page she¡¯d soon fished out of a drawer, forcing Sue to surround her small sketch with a large black circle to draw attention to it. Almost like clickbait, but actually useful here.
Duck, that¡¯s such a surreal thought.
A Forest Guardian stick figure, heading out of the clinic and walking between the various buildings. A straightforward drawing conveying an equally simple, yet badly needed action.
After swatting the charcoal dust off her fingers, Sue finally limped through the front entrance, finding the surrounding streets unnervingly empty. Hell, there had been more people around before she went to bed than now. A sweep with her sixth sense revealed almost every nearby soul to either be asleep, trying to fall asleep, be too focused on something to sleep, or¡ tossing around with a hangover. Guess they had booze here. Neat.
With no destination in mind, Sue opted to retrace the path from a couple of days ago, starting with the makeshift construction zone. Aside from the occasional bird chatter and the rustling of leaves, Moonview remained almost completely quiet as she made her way through, cold air waking her up with every step.
She had little time to focus on the state of the construction work during her escape, but it felt like the builders had made some very noticeable progress since, regardless. The foundation was almost entirely finished, with only one corner still opened up, and with the walls also similarly well underway.
Wonder how long they take to finish putting one of these up¡ª
*chitter, chitter*
Sue jumped at the sound coming from right behind her. Once she¡¯d calmed down enough to fumble her way into turning around, she saw its source in all their pangolin glory. As intimidating as their massive claws and brown spikes were, the accompanying emotions of modest curiosity and equally mild surprise made up for their appearance.
Left at an impasse, she opted for the default option¡ªa nervous wave. It didn¡¯t immediately clarify anything for either of them, but at least it gave the builder something to do in response. In hindsight, Sue realized she probably shouldn¡¯t have chosen this specific gesture, if just because it drew even more attention to their cleaver-sized claws.
Looks were very deceiving; she knew that more and more by the hour in this wild new place, but¡ it¡¯d probably be a while before she fully got over herself in that regard. Before she could give that thought more focus, though, heavy footfalls coming from nearby forced her out of her head and back to the world around her once more.
The blue bipedal rhino she saw perform on stage yesterday might¡¯ve been a bit shorter than her, but what they lacked in height, they certainly got in heft. They were also much more outspoken than the brown pangolin, calling out towards her once they¡¯d spotted her. Their rumbling growl was unintentionally intimidating, but the absence of any malice to go along with it prevented fear from worming further into Sue¡¯s mind. Hell, what she did sense was the polar opposite of malice, a wellspring of genuine warmth pouring out of their growled welcome.
And If only she had any idea of what they¡¯d just said, she could¡¯ve tried to respond in kind. Instead, she had to settle for the next best thing. ¡°Uh, ghood morning!¡± The incomprehensible sentence took both of her impromptu visitors aback, especially the blue rhino, making them pause mid-step.
Guess that¡¯s one way to get back at them for startling me, pffft.
Confusing as her speech was, the larger of the strangers wouldn¡¯t let it get to them. They resumed their walk as they chatted the pangolin up, the latter¡¯s responses curt and quiet. Whatever they had just settled on clearly wasn¡¯t their only concern, though, not with the blue performer turning towards Sue again¡ªand almost toppling her with a few pats on her back, right next to the back spike.
Sue¡¯s panicked scramble to remain standing got a bellowing laugh out of them, with the spiky rodent chiming in with quiet chitters. It was much less fun on her end, especially before she¡¯d stopped her upcoming freefall, but she couldn¡¯t deny that it made for an amusing sight, joining in on the laughter with her own giggling shortly after.
Please don¡¯t do that again, mini-Godzilla.
Thankfully, the pangolin took the lead in the discussion afterwards, beckoning the other one over to the unfinished portion of the foundation. Tagging along for what was likely to be some sort of safety inspection didn¡¯t sound all that bad to Sue, though she doubted she¡¯d get much out of it without the ability to comprehend what was being said.
If nothing else, it let her see all the spikes on the rhino¡¯s back, at least. Kinda like some dinosaurs she¡¯d seen, and also like that one poisonous fish she¡¯d seen in a documentary once, with all those toxic spines.
¡
Please don¡¯t be poisonous, mini-Godzilla.
Trying to scurry away from both the scene and that harrowing possibility, Sue wondered about where else to head now. Her recent dream gave her even more questions than it did answers, with many of the former tied to Moonview¡¯s deity and Her nature.
It was time to inspect Duck¡¯s altar again.
The monument was even more striking with only the chilly wind and early dawn¡¯s cold light to keep her company. The central engraving of Duck underneath a full moon evoked power and demanded respect, even if the scenes being depicted were as reassuring as she¡¯d remembered them.
The flowers that decorated the base of the three walls comprising the monument made it difficult to walk up to the stone slabs, forcing Sue to keep her distance. As much as the central scene looked like it was plucked straight out of her vision, the two engravings on the sides felt¡ wrong.
The chisel work was rougher, the stone had a darker finish¡ªthe artist had even used actual black paint for the dark mass that Duck fought against and protected her followers from, contrasting the entirely paint-free central illustration. The more she looked, the more confident she grew about the side illustrations being later additions. They weren¡¯t right; they were downright tacky, as if added solely to drive a narrative¡ªa narrative whose truthfulness Sue was growing increasingly skeptical of.
As she examined the arrangement of the monument, another observation clicked into place. The side walls were massive, but nowhere near the size of the middle one. In fact, she was quite sure they were only around¡ªaround half the central one¡¯s size. The realization took Sue aback, and wouldn¡¯t let go. Together, the side walls would add up to the same size as the central one; they were both made of the same kind of stone; she even swore she saw bits of dried dirt near the top of one of the side walls¡ª
I need to check what¡¯s on their other side.
Before Sue could move anywhere, though, a half whistled sentence caught her attention, clearly aimed at her. It was all the more startling because of its incomprehensibility, spiking Sue¡¯s heartbeat as she turned around¡ª
The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°Oops, my bad! Good morning Sue, didn¡¯t expect to see you up so early, or here of all places,¡± Solstice chuckled. Comet chimed in as well from his mom¡¯s arms, the baby squeaks dulling some of Sue¡¯s nerves, but not getting rid of them wholly. And, predictably, the other Forest Guardian could tell. ¡°Are you feeling alright, Sue?¡±
Sue didn¡¯t know¡ªbut what she was certain of, though, was that the monument was the one subject best not discussed with Solstice specifically. ¡°Yesh, you¡ªyou just shurprised me. A-and I could say the same about you, it¡¯s so early.¡±
Solstice giggled, ¡°It is, indeed~. Alas, ¡®an appropriate time of day to wake up at¡¯ isn¡¯t a concept Comet is familiar with yet, so here we are! Did you sleep well?¡±
Without waiting for Sue¡¯s response, the Mayor kneeled in front of the altar. Even Comet went quieter as his mom bowed her head in prayer, the younger Forest Guardian taking the opportunity to slowly back off from the shrine and its unnerving mysteries. As Solstice wrapped up her prayer, Sue finally responded; ¡°Yeah. Had a weird dream, but I shlept well.¡±
¡°Hah, with all that had happened yesterday, I can¡¯t blame you one bit. Even if it all ended well, minds always just keep on churning through it all, again and again. I hope it wasn¡¯t an unpleasant dream, at least.¡±
Sue answered without thinking. ¡°Oh no, nhot at all.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure whether this was a lie by omission¡ªeither way, keeping what she¡¯d seen to herself felt like the best idea for the time being.
Thankfully, the other Forest Guardian didn¡¯t prod the issue any further. ¡°Wonderful. So~! Let¡¯s grab something to eat, and then we can get started on your lesson?¡±
Guess with Solstice already here, there wasn¡¯t a point in delaying her lessons. Sue itched to grow more independent around here and not have to drag someone with her just to talk. Her nod conveyed her enthusiasm, the newfound motivation pushing the underlying mystery further into the back of her mind.
¡°Let¡¯s get going, then!¡± the Mayor cheered.
Comet appreciated the idea as much as Sue did. His loud, gurgling squeak broke both women into giggles as they headed towards the pantry. It also brought with itself a question Sue couldn¡¯t resist asking. ¡°How old is he?¡±
¡°Closing in on five Moons now. He grows so fast! It feels like yesterday that he would spend all day just sleeping and eating, and now look at him~! He¡¯d be running circles around us if I let him.¡± Solstice squeed, the glee in her voice almost infectious. The little one in her arms wriggled at all the good vibes while the big one beside her tried not to coo at the sight.
Though¡ ¡®five Moons¡¯? The Lunar cycle was like 29 days or something, basically a month. And if that¡¯s what she was referring to, it only raised more questions. ¡°That¡¯s sho much livelier than I¡¯d expect a five month¡ªI mean, five Moon old to be.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± Solstice perked up, genuinely confused. ¡°Why so?¡±
Sue had no answer to that question. The other Forest Guardian¡¯s surprise underlined the obvious reality of her situation, one she was guilty of not paying as much attention to as she should¡¯ve¡ªhumanlike as they were, neither Solstice nor her son were human. Trying to apply human metrics to them was doomed to fail.
And try as she might to avoid that realization, she wasn¡¯t human either, at least not anymore.
¡°Oh, never mind¡¡± Sue muttered, distraught. She had intended to leave her response at that, but felt like should at least try to address Solstice¡¯s confusion, ¡°I... jusht went from memory about human b-babies...¡±
The other Forest Guardian slowly nodded in response, her pupil¡¯s confusion finally making sense. She didn¡¯t want Sue to feel self conscious about it, though, walking over closer and patting her shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s all good, Sue. Figures it¡¯d be the only reference point you had. Though... you got me curious now. How old are you?¡±
The question caught the once-human off guard as they all entered the clearing again. Just like the rest of Moonview, the space was nearly empty, with only a handful of tables still needing to be moved back to their proper spots. Sue had little time to linger on it as the group suddenly turned the other way from their usual path, away from Poppy¡¯s kitchen. After gathering her bearings, she stammered out, ¡°Umm... I¡¯m twenty-two yearsh old.¡±
For once, it was Solstice¡¯s turn to get surprised.
The Mayor almost tripped over a stick as she processed Sue¡¯s response, needing to jog for a moment to catch up afterwards. Comet had no idea where that sudden motion came from, but he liked it all the same, expressing it with a loud squeak as his mom responded, ¡°By Moon¡¯s Grace, I had clocked you at almost half that.¡±
¡°...what?¡±
The two Forest Guardians were at an impasse as they finally reached their destination, the structure so much larger than Poppy¡¯s pantry. Its purpose was immediately clear, at least, with literal heaps of leftovers piled up underneath the canvas roof and a cook busily fixing something for the creature in front of them in line.
The fact that the cook was a humanoid, four-armed ladybug, and the other patron was a blue amphibian her size, didn¡¯t even register as particularly noteworthy in Sue¡¯s mind anymore. Though, with the latter having orange gills sticking out the sides of its face, she wondered how they interacted with normal air. They weren¡¯t in any discomfort from what she could tell, and the wet sheen covering their body no doubt helped with that.
¡°Good morning, High Tide,¡± Solstice greeted, drawing the blue creature¡¯s attention. Their blue eyes briefly scanned Sue before turning towards the Mayor. Their croaked response remained untranslated, but whatever it was, Comet enjoyed it, breaking into chipper laughter¡ªand with him, the rest of the group, the ladybug cook included. ¡°Next harvest starts today, doesn¡¯t it?¡±
*croaaak.*
¡°Tomorrow, I see. Best of luck! I hope it goes smoothly!¡± Solstice cheered. High Tide¡¯s reply had much more of a groan to it this time, sounding like gurgling noises mixed with wet hisses. Whatever was said, it left Solstice uncertain, but only briefly. ¡°Sounds serious. We can discuss it tomorrow; I¡¯ll make sure to check up by the orchard.¡±
With a confirmation on the amphibian¡¯s side, the brief chat soon wrapped up. Following laying out a topic serious enough to leave Solstice concerned, High Tide then proceeded to grab the meal with their mouth before heading out; Sue left taken aback by the juxtaposition of animalistic traits and higher intelligence. Again.
Once the blue frog had left, the ladybug immediately got to preparing something for their group, without even waiting for them to ask for anything in particular. Their meal was a slapdash of several kinds of leftovers, but not in a bad way. A handful of dumplings wrapped in dry bread for the two adults, and a few spiced fruit slices and one whole dumpling for Comet, both tossed in a rudimentary oven to warm them up. It was far from Poppy¡¯s artisanal cooking, but with how tasty it smelled once reheated, Sue¡¯s stomach couldn¡¯t care less.
¡°Much appreciated, Sunrise,¡± Solstice greeted, giving the cook a brief bow. ¡°Has Astra already grabbed something today?¡± The ladybug thought for a moment before shaking their head, remaining silent all the while. ¡°And yesterday? Or were you not around to see?¡± A couple of firm nods, followed by intricate gestures with the upper two arms. ¡°With Joy, I know. That¡¯s good to hear at least; she got here very late. Gonna be calling it a day soon?¡±
Before the bug could get too far into their gestured response, the loud crunch of Sue biting into her reheated sandwich caught everyone gathered off guard, leaving Sue frozen in place as all eyes turned to her. Thankfully, the cook didn¡¯t let that distract them for long, soon wrapping up Solstice¡¯s portion.
Nothing like a satisfying crunch first meal in the morning, though probably not when it¡¯s loud enough to startle someone.
¡°Mhm. Hope he shows up soon, then. And until then, take care, Sunrise.¡±
With the cook¡¯s two armed salute and yet another firm nod to send them off, the group could get going again. Sue was unsure which mystery she wanted to tackle first, taking a hot minute to finish chewing through her current bite before finally asking, ¡°Sho... are they alright?¡±
Solstice blinked, ¡°Oh? Yes yes, Sunrise is alright. They just can¡¯t speak very well, so they opt for signing.¡±
¡°You have a sign language here too?¡±
¡°Mhm!¡± the Mayor nodded eagerly. ¡°Not a very developed one yet, though. Sunrise¡¯s largely been the one spearheading that effort. They¡¯re making good progress last I¡¯ve heard, and trying to teach it to others where they can, but it¡¯s quite a bit harder with them being nocturnal.¡±
Admittedly, Sue had never really thought of language¡ªa non-programming language at least¡ªas something that could be created. It made sense in hindsight, though, especially with a sign language that would have a hard time naturally developing on its own. ¡°I-I see. Hopefully, it helps them out; not being able to speak shucks.¡±
Solstice chuckled, ¡°You¡¯d know something about that, hah. Yeah, it¡¯s been a great help for them, and it¡¯s been great watching them teaching it to others where they can. Even minimal communication beats no communication.¡±
¡°It really, really does.¡±
The next stretch was spent in silence as Sue split her focus between not falling over, following Solstice, and progressing in her grand quest to eat her breakfast. Moonview¡¯s streets were finally coming to life, sending Sue back into her own head¡ªshe had nowhere near enough spare brainpower to pay close attention to every single passerby.
That didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t pay any attention to any of them, though.
A louder, echoing hiss perked Sue up, the noise unlike any other she¡¯d heard while making her way around. The scene waiting for her once she¡¯d glanced at the sound¡¯s source was¡ unexpected, for a reason she wouldn¡¯t have ever guessed.
The being responsible for the hiss looked almost segmented. Its body was split between a dark brown bulbous lower half with glowing, suspiciously face-like cutouts, and a lighter upper half, culminating with a small face with a few plumes of orange hair.
Prehensile orange hair, because of course it was prehensile.
As weird as this¡ entity was, the other one was more eye-catching, if for very different reasons. Despite being entirely made of leaves, petals, and plant bulbs, they were one of the most human-like beings Sue had seen yet, as far as shape went at least. Thick legs, a pear-shaped torso, a face without an immediately visible mouth, and a blooming flower on top of their head at a bit of an angle. Their arms being singular, long leaves and the silly yellow¡ shoes sure made Sue do a double take, though.
Half plant, half lady, and all¡ cute.
As pleasant as the sight was, Sue soon grew confused at hearing the two creatures argue about something. Ghastly hisses and rustles of leaves mixed in with smooth, sing-song whistling, their subject incomprehensible¡ªor, at least, that¡¯s what Sue thought before one of them pointed their arm straight at her, followed by the other one. They were still arguing with each other, and from what she could pick up from their emotions, it felt like the glowing face was egging the plant lady on about something, much to the latter¡¯s embarrassment. But if so, what about¡ª
!
The shift in the mood was palpable enough to give Sue whiplash as she focused on the duo again¡ªthe duo that was now staring back at her. For a split second, she worried about them taking her attention negatively, which¡ was the case, but not in the way Sue could¡¯ve ever imagined.
Hisses turned into ghastly giggles as the hissing pumpkin laughed at the plant person¡¯s burning embarrassment, the emotion downright visible on their cheeks. Before Sue could even react, the walking plant acted first, grabbing their buddy by a lock of orange hair before running off into the distance with them, towards what Sue suspected to be the local farm.
It took Solstice circling around after realizing that Sue had frozen at some point to finally shake her out of her shock. She had no idea what had just happened, and whether it was mean-spirited. She wanted to think that it wasn''t, but¡ there was always that uncertainty, the sort that soon turned her thoughts sour the more she lingered on this subject.
Thinking about this won¡¯t help me, but¡ ugh. Am I that much of a joke here already? No, not now, let¡¯s think about something else instead.
¡°So, for humans, the age of adulthood is eighteen years old. What about the F-Forest Guardians?¡± Sue asked, wanting to distract herself. Despite how simple she had thought her question to be, it made Solstice think much more than she¡¯d expected, and as she did, Sue felt some of her own thoughts being gently prodded.
The other Forest Guardian tried to figure out just what was the hard thing to understand here, looking curiously at her student before finally stumbling on a lead, the half-eaten sandwich in her mouth forcing her to use telepathy instead. ¡°^There isn¡¯t a set age. It¡¯s when one evolves into their final form, the one we share. It happens at around eleven to thirteen years old.^¡±
There¡¯s that word again.
¡°What doesh ¡®evolving¡¯ mean?¡±
As surprised as Solstice was at Sue¡¯s actual age earlier, it paled compared to her shock at this particular question. Her eyes were wide as saucers as she blinked at Sue, finishing her bite and opening her mouth a couple times as if to speak¡ªbut no words came out. Solstice¡¯s confusion was downright palpable, her pupil¡¯s lack of knowledge about something so basic slamming her across the cranium. ¡°Do¡ªdo you really not know?¡±
¡°No!¡± Sue raised her voice, partly in exasperation and partly in concern. ¡°I¡¯ve heard it mentioned a few timesh, and was meaning to ask th-this whole time.¡±
Solstice worked through her shock as she gave more thought to it all¡ªseems the assumptions about how the other¡¯s world worked went both ways. ¡°Hmm. I¡ I have to admit that I¡¯m just as confused as you are, Sue. Confused and more than a little curious, but that all can wait until lunch. Will make for a nice reward after practicing for a bit, doncha think? Until then, we¡¯re there.¡±
The conical, rugged tent stood out from the rest of Moonview. Blue geometric markings covered its lower half, not unlike the ones on Solstice¡¯s arms and face, while the upper, narrower part depicted the phases of the Moon. The Mayor pulled open the flap acting as the front entrance and gestured for her guest to come in, Sue gawking as she absorbed it all.
The inside was nowhere near as dim as Sue expected it to be without any windows. The thinner canvas closer to the top let a surprising amount of early sunlight in, letting her see everything clearly. A handful of thick rugs made for a welcome sensation for her feet after all the dirt, grass, and naked wood of the past few days.
A low-set, extinguished firepit took the center spot, surrounded with the world¡¯s shortest fence to act as baby proofing, presumably. A small cauldron stood above it, Sue¡¯s quick peek determining it to be empty.
¡°Alas, nothing in the pot,¡± Solstice giggled. ¡°I made sure to empty it before our trip to Central City, lest it spoil. Haven¡¯t had the time to refill it yesterday. Wonder if we¡ª¡± she abruptly cut herself off, her mood suddenly faltering. Before Sue could ask if everything was alright, Solstice brushed it off, shaking her head at nobody in particular. ¡°N-nevermind. Take a seat Sue, anywhere is fine.¡±
A handful of raised surfaces lined the edges of the tent. One of them, presumably Solstice¡¯s bed, was marked off with a curtain and was much more plush than the rest. The others didn¡¯t look all that different aside from looking rather barren. Regardless of whether they were couches or indeed spare beds, Sue took a seat on the smaller one, with Solstice taking the one opposite.
Sue could¡¯ve sworn she saw her mentor¡¯s expression twist into a grimace for just a split second before it returned to normal. Before she could ask if there was anything wrong, or even think through what had just happened, Solstice spoke up first. ¡°Wonderful. Ready for your lesson?¡±
As ready as I¡¯ll ever get.
¡°Swell! Let¡¯s start with the obvious. How much do you already know?¡± Solstice asked, carefully lowering Comet down onto the carpeted floor. The tyke¡¯s immediate reaction was aimless, excited waddling before he inadvertently circled back around to his mom¡ªand plopped down as he and his mom felt Sue concentrate.
Sue¡¯s mental handiwork was nowhere near as difficult to make sense of the third time around, thankfully. It only took her a few attempts to reach out with the extension of her mind, the invisible tentacle moving along with her physical arm until it had grasped the crutch, a white light immediately spreading to cover the tool¡¯s entire handle.
She clenched her eyes even tighter as she tried moving the tool around, almost standing it up¡ªonly for it to slip out of her grasp. Her glow fizzled out as she opened her eyes, just in time to see the crutch fall back down onto the carpeted floor¡ªand loudly catch her breath, not realizing how exerted even such a simple action had left her until she was done with it.
¡°Th-that¡¯s¡ª*pant*¡ªthat¡¯s it, bashically.¡±
Solstice replied with a slow nod as she thought through what Sue had shown. It all only confirmed what she already knew¡ªher guest was almost completely new to this in a way that felt downright disturbing considering her age. Still, it¡¯s not like Sue lacked the ability, merely the practice and know how, and both of them she could provide in spades. ¡°Alright~! What about telepathy?¡±
Sue shook her head, ¡°Shundance d-didn¡¯t have the t-time to show it to me too well.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s start with that then, if that¡¯s alright.¡±
¡°It ish. She mentioned a couple of things, something about mental links, but only briefly.¡±
¡°I imagine that was a tricky part for you?¡± Solstice leaned forward.
¡°I... yesh,¡± Sue sighed, unsure how the other Forest Guardian knew that, but she was right.
She wordlessly closed her eyes as she thought back to what she recalled of Sundance¡¯s lecture, the instructions to focus on her sixth sense and home in on it, beyond just the surface-level emotion sensing. And, as opposed to her earlier attempt, it felt like she was succeeding this time, even if she was left with little idea of what to do afterwards.
¡°^That¡¯s a start, but it won¡¯t work as well with many others around,^¡± Solstice spoke up telepathically, her gentle voice echoing in Sue¡¯s mind. ¡°^You¡¯ll have to learn how to tune the noise of emotions out. It takes a lot of practice, but even just doing it unskillfully will help a lot going forward. Lemme¡ª^¡±
The sensation of another mental reach interfering with her own made Sue jump in her seat. Her eyes blipped open for a moment, only to spot Solstice and Comet focusing along with her. She shook that distraction shortly afterwards, once more withdrawing into her extrasensory perception and trying to pay attention to what her mentor was doing. Her expression twitched as the foreign aura touched her innermost sense, pushing the burning glare of the surrounding emotions much further away.
And with those tuned out, Sundance¡¯s instructions from the previous day made much more sense; the actual blips of consciousness she was supposed to link to now made clear. Solstice¡¯s was busy reaching out all the way over to her while Comet¡¯s was... all over the place.
Their forms didn¡¯t translate well to the visual senses at all. ¡®Amoeba-shaped¡¯ was the closest term Sue could think of, but even that was only an extremely crude approximation. Regardless of how they didn¡¯t look, Sue had them in her mental sight. Her hand and the mental extremity bonded to it reached towards Solstice, closer and closer¡ª
And then, the Mayor withdrew her help with tuning the emotions out, their blinding glare returning in an instant and breaking Sue¡¯s concentration. A harsh grimace twisted her expression as she winced and flinched backwards, her lead completely lost.
¡°^Keep your composure,^¡± Solstice instructed. ¡°^Follow what I did there.^¡±
It was much easier said than done, but Sue at least had the vaguest idea of how to do it. She tried to replicate her mentor¡¯s actions by feel, and even if the end result was nowhere near as effective at turning out the surrounding emotions, it at least gave her some breathing room. It also made her inadvertently stick her left arm out to the side, her body replicating the push-like sensation to a too literal degree.
With nearby feelings somewhat tuned out, Sue finally went for it again. Her mental reach closed the remaining distance between herself and Solstice with one swift motion, moving as if about to jab her consciousness¡ª
¡°Ugh!¡±
And judging by her pained grunt, that¡¯s literally what might¡¯ve just happened.
The sound and the muted sensation of pain that accompanied snapped Sue back to awareness. She snapped her eyes open, worriedly looking at Solstice¡ªand growing dumbfounded at the unexpected position her arms were in. Fortunately, despite the older Forest Guardian¡¯s wince, her pain was very brief. Some further rubbing of her temples drove the last of it away as she spoke back up, trying to soften her expression and voice. ¡°I¡¯m alright Sue, I¡¯m alright, don¡¯t worry.¡±
¡°I-I¡¯m so shorry, what¡¯d I do?¡± Sue asked, worry refusing to leave her.
¡°You used too much force. I know it¡¯s hard with so little control over it, but you really have to keep a firm grasp on what you¡¯re doing with your aura, or you run the risk of accidentally hurting someone. This was just a small Confusion, unlikely to cause more than a headache at the worst case, but the more practice you get, the stronger your aura will become, and the more it can hurt people.¡±
Oh, fuck.
Sue hadn¡¯t thought of herself as someone physically capable of hurting anyone else here, but Solstice was right. Deep down, she might¡¯ve been a human, but her body was of this world, one with no less strength than anyone else here, merely with no practice¡ªpractice that the realization made her even more keen to get.
She nodded intently, ¡°I-I see. Do I try that again?¡±
¡°Yes, go ahead. Though I¡¯ve got to say, I¡¯ve never seen anyone use their hands while using their psychics as much as you have.¡±
¡°Oh,¡± Sue blinked, suddenly much more self-conscious. She forcibly rested her hands on her lap as if she¡¯d just been caught cheating, embarrassment twisting her face.
Embarrassment that wasn¡¯t intended by Solstice in the slightest, leaving her surprised with no idea of what had just happened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±
Sue asked, confused, ¡°Wh¡ªsh-shouldn¡¯t I not be doing that?¡±
¡°No?¡± Solstice answered, uncertain about the source of Sue¡¯s hangup. Still, more elaboration wouldn¡¯t hurt. ¡°If it helps, then keep doing that. Everyone has their own tricks to help them control their aura better, after all. Sundance¡¯s wand isn¡¯t just for show, hah. If moving your hands around makes it easier for you, then that¡¯s all the reason in the world to keep using them. Maybe you can try to get better at using your psychics without that help down the line, but only if that¡¯s something you feel you need to improve at.¡±
Sue felt relief fill her body at that framing, letting out a breath she wasn¡¯t even aware she was holding. ¡°I see. I-I thought it was just a¡ªa crutch of sorts, shomething that¡¯d make it unfairly easier.¡±
¡°Easier, absolutely¡ªthat¡¯s the entire point, after all. But unfairly so? I don¡¯t even know how you¡¯d come to that conclusion. The goal is to grow more independent by honing your psychics. Who cares about how you accomplish that, or if you do it differently than others? I don¡¯t see why anyone would judge you for that¡ªand if anyone ever does, it¡¯s none of their business,¡± Solstice reassured, beaming at her student. ¡°Nothing wrong with using a crutch, no matter what form it takes.¡±
A crutch that her teeny son was busy inspecting as the two adults spoke, squeaking softly as he patted the wooden tool¡¯s surface.
After a few moments for her to get her thoughts under control, Sue finally responded. ¡°Thank you, Solstice.¡±
¡°You¡¯re welcome, Sue.¡±
Sue watched the older Forest Guardian¡¯s smile grow that much warmer at her reassurance working out. She spotted her hand moving on her lap in a petting motion¡ªand felt the matching sensations on her shoulder moments later; the mental touch was no less warm and reassuring than the physical one.
¡°Though, I can¡¯t deny being rather curious,¡± Solstice began, catching Sue¡¯s attention. ¡°Your previous kin, the ¡®humans¡¯. They¡ªuh, you¡ªmust use your hands a lot, right?¡±
The question initially took Sue off guard, but¡ the answer was overwhelming in how trivial it was. Sue nodded firmly before answering, ¡°All the time, for everything.¡±
¡°Figures you find it easy to use them, then! So much of your subconscious mind must be devoted to knowing how to control them, that it¡¯s easiest for other things to map onto them. Hope the Forest Guardian hands are a suitable replacement at least, hah.¡±
The remark made Sue focus on her new hands. They were¡ weird, and she didn¡¯t enjoy looking at them, especially at their weirdly proportioned, pointy fingers and the lack of fingernails.
Guess they¡¯re usable enough in the end.
¡°They¡¯re... okay.¡±
Solstice didn¡¯t expect her pupil¡¯s response to be so frank, leaving her equal parts amused at the honesty and sorry for Sue for not enjoying her new body. She didn¡¯t outwardly display either of those emotions, though, redirecting the topic back to the lesson at hand instead. ¡°In any case¡ªlet¡¯s get back into the swing of things, hmm?¡±
Sue was not opposed to that idea in the slightest, pushing everything else out of her mind as she re-focused on the exercise ahead of her, hands involuntarily rising to move in tandem with her mental reach.
¡°Try what you did last time, just slower,¡± Solstice instructed. ¡°Take as long as you need, Sue.¡±
Let¡¯s do this.
Sue heeded her advice, tuning the surrounding emotions out with slower, more deliberate actions. Once the mindscape wasn¡¯t blindingly bright anymore, she extended her aura in Solstice¡¯s direction, keeping at it until it finally made contact with the other Forest Guardian¡¯s aura. The sensation felt less so like touching and more like¡ intertwining, unlike anything Sue had ever felt and yet so, so very right at the same time.
Even in her focus, Sue felt the pride blooming in her mentor, the faint whispers of thoughts she could now overhear matching that emotion.
¡°^Great! Now¡ªback¡ªagain!^¡± Solstice beamed, her words choppy as they traversed through the link between their minds, reminding Sue of a bad satellite connection.
Sentences were chopped up into individual words, leaving most of the meaning intact, but not all of it. The quality of the communication was a concern for another time¡ªright now, all Sue wanted was to get better at the one thing she¡¯d pulled off.
Without even needing to be prompted, the once-human withdrew mentally all the way back before starting again, repeating the entire routine a bit faster this time. And then she did it again, and again, Solstice soon not even needing to guide her anymore as she watched her pupil practice.
Comet just squeaked in confusion, finding the repetitive mental motions comforting and wanting to feel more of them. It didn¡¯t take long until Sue had tried connecting to him, too. His aura was much more lively, requiring Sue to either chase it a bit or slow down to not impact it too harshly. The tyke was oblivious to her struggles, just giggling happily at every successful connection. His mom wasn¡¯t as amused, keeping a hand on the pulse of Sue¡¯s training to make sure no accidents would happen. Soon enough, though, the young Forest Guardian had more of it under control than Solstice could¡¯ve ever hoped for, her pride glowing brighter and brighter.
It¡¯s so comforting.
¡°^Wanna switch over to telekinesis for a bit?^¡± Solstice asked excitedly, interrupting her pupil¡¯s umpteenth repetition. Sue opened her eyes and nodded at her beaming mentor, not opposed to changing tracks for a while. As she took a moment to grab her bearings, feeling the full intensity of her mentor¡¯s joy washing over her with nothing to muffle it anymore, Solstice whisked Comet away and moved her crutch before her once more.
With her breath caught, Sue focused again, both of her hands shifting and turning as she directed her aura to the tool in front of her. Her first attempt might¡¯ve only dragged the crutch along the carpeted floor, but that changed as Sue kept trying it, pushing her telekinesis that bit harder each time. Her mental muscles soon began to complain in exertion as she tried to think the piece of wood into the air¡ªbut she had something better in mind for them to do than rest.
Sue¡¯s hands grasped the air as her mental reach grasped the crutch again and again, the accompanying white glow growing larger and larger each time. In not too long, she¡¯d finally managed to lift a part of the tool off the ground, if only for a moment before exertion forced her to let go of it again.
¡°That¡¯s it, that¡¯s it, keep going!¡± Solstice encouraged, bringing Sue¡¯s motivation to an all-time high as she forced herself through the repetitions.
Each attempt pushed her limits that bit further, and even if it was only a literal millimeter each time, it all added up. And all along, her mentor kept cheering for her with words and emotions alike, keeping her going even if she would¡¯ve long since stopped on her own because of exhaustion.
This feels right, this feels so right!
¡°You can do it, sweetie, just that bit stronger!¡±
*squeak!*
Sue smiled that bit wider at Comet joining in on the cheers, the added bit of motivation pushing her even further as her hands shook more and more with each go. She would need a break soon, but not before getting this thing in the air first¡ªno shot she wouldn¡¯t.
I got this.
¡°Just a bit more! Grasp as hard as you can!¡±
Sue did as instructed, the surrounding joy bathing her in rejuvenating warmth, letting her push herself even harder, even further. Her arms shook as her hands bundled into fists, the entirety of her mind focused on this singular task. At last, she grasped the crutch with all her strength, finally surrounding all of it with her aura as it took to air, her eyelids snapping open as she witnessed her own accomplishment. Jubilant pride filled her at the sight, even as hard as it was to make out through all the light emanating from her eyes.
And then, it all shattered in an instant.
¡°You did it Aurora, you did¡ª*gasp*!¡±
The celebratory atmosphere disappeared as if a switch had been flicked; Solstice¡¯s pride immediately replaced with a harrowed, shameful realization. The whiplash shattered Sue¡¯s focus, the bang of her crutch hitting the floor startling both her and Comet as they stared at Solstice in worry. Sue gasped, ¡°Solstice, what¡¯s¡ª¡±
¡°I-I-I¡¯m so sorry.¡±
Solstice¡¯s voice was little more than a whimper as Sue¡¯s crutch was hovered up into her reach before, moments later, she felt the Mayor¡¯s psychics forcibly move her back onto her legs, pushing her towards the tent¡¯s entrance. She barely held her balance, shouting¡ª¡°Solstice, wh-what¡¯s going on!?¡±
But there was no response.
Sue¡¯s last glance at her mentor saw a tortured, tearful expression, one too ashamed to look back at her even as it forced her out of the tent, making her almost fall over there and then. She felt Solstice¡¯s grief cling to her, its sheer torrent forcing tears out of her. She was startled, panicking, worried whether the Mayor was alright, and terrified beyond words at the possibility that she¡¯d caused this.
¡°S-Solstice...¡±, she whimpered, voice catching in her throat as tears flowed on. All she heard from the inside of the tent were heavy sobs and Comet¡¯s quiet cries, the little one now sad together with his mom.
It was too much, their shared despair leaving Sue barely able to keep upright. She was exhausted, completely on her own at the wood¡¯s edge, with no idea of where she even was, and with nobody that could understand her around.
Abandoned.
She felt irrational anger drip into her mind at that thought, expression turning into a scowl at feeling betrayed. It didn¡¯t take long until that too burned out into more sadness, though, sadness that only exhausted her further. With nothing else left to do, she grasped the crutch¡¯s handle as tight as she could still manage, shaking in exertion as she turned to face Moonview again and began her slow trek back.
Feeling so,
utterly,
alone.
Chapter 10: Birthright
It only took a few shambled steps for Sue¡¯s exhaustion to really hit her.
Her expression turned into a pained grimace as she tried to keep pushing forward, painfully sore all over. It was bad enough to where she worried whether she¡¯d even be able to make it to Willow¡¯s clinic¡ªor avoid fainting where she stood, for that matter.
The wisps of panic sprouting from that thought joined the stirring pot of misery that was her mind, only making basic movement even harder. Getting around was hardly the only concern bubbling in there, either¡ªresponsibility for what had happened to Solstice, fear of the rest of Moonview learning of her role in the Mayor¡¯s breakdown, her own powerlessness to stop it.
What did she do?
What did I do?
Why does it hurt so much¡ª
*crackle*
The sudden noise took Sue aback, stopping her pitiful march before it could even really begin. It sounded like a roaring flame trying its hardest to whisper, with the accompanying worry palpable to her sixth sense. Neither that sensation nor their sounds could¡¯ve prepared her for the stranger¡¯s physical appearance, though.
Sue might¡¯ve begrudgingly accepted the existence of actual ghosts by now, and that some of them could be nice, even if Hazel wasn¡¯t¡ the best example of that fact. Even with all that in mind, though, a floating bedsheet was the last entity she expected to see here, feeling almost like a joke at her expense¡ªeven if the being hiding underneath wasn¡¯t in any jovial mood.
As to what it¡ªthey even were, Sue had no idea. They levitated with no visible legs, had a large point at its top that the off-white shroud draped on, and¡ seemed to glow. Kinda. A cold light illuminated the fabric below a straight cut-off line, but without it casting any shadows, it didn¡¯t give her any ideas of what the stranger could¡¯ve looked like. Despite their weirdness¡ªeven by Moonview¡¯s standards¡ªthey were still concerned for her, though.
Another fiery crackle grabbed Sue¡¯s attention as the other creature¡¯s worry grew, making her realize just how obviously messed up she must¡¯ve looked. Her face was sodden with tears, her path so far veered to the side despite being only a few meters long, and she winced with every ever-pitiful step.
As close to misery incarnate as it gets.
Sue¡¯s attempt to repeat the freshly practiced telepathy only netted her an outburst of burning pain in her head, almost sending her down onto the grass there and then. She gritted her teeth as she leaned on a nearby building, clenching her eyes closed and sensing the floating bedsheet growing even more alarmed at the sight. ¡°D-don¡¯t whorry,¡± she tried to mutter, ¡°I-I¡¯ll be¡ª¡±
*swoosh!*
Before she could even finish her sentence, the stranger had left, zipping around the corner faster than she would¡¯ve guessed they could based on their appearance alone. Sue might¡¯ve felt only barely capable of pushing forward on her own, but she decidedly didn¡¯t want to wait here for them to return with company¡ªnot so close to Solstice¡¯s outpouring of despair.
Onward, onward, onward.
Sue took off with a determined grunt, clutching her crutch even harder as she ventured deeper into Moonview. Each step drained more and more of the little strength that she had left, the accompanying winces drawing worried looks towards her. Using all the burning determination she could muster, she didn¡¯t acknowledge any of them, only doubling down on her desperate march as the last of her tears dried up. Even if that headstrong part of her wanted to push on forever, Sue was acutely aware of how little she had left in her¡ªno way she was making it to Willow¡¯s clinic, not like this.
She needed to stop and rest, no matter how much she hated that thought.
The rough bench she¡¯d eventually spotted in the corner of her vision made her gasp as she beelined for it, almost tripping over nothing a few times. In just a few strenuous seconds, she was there, less sitting down and more so collapsing on the cold, rough wood, bringing immeasurable relief.
Fuck whichever god got me here, and everyone else¡ thanks for the bench.
With her rear finally resting on a flat surface, Sue broke into raspy panting and let go of her crutch. She kept trying to plan her next step between her breaths, forcing the little of her brain that wasn¡¯t hurting to come up with something despite how much it too wanted to rest.
She had to gather her bearings and make it back to Willow¡¯s clinic; that was the rough outline. As she examined the nearby buildings, she tried to remember them from her past walks around the place, soon coming up with a tenuous route that, if not directly to the clinic, ought to have at least led her back to someplace she recognized.
And from there, straight to bed and a nap. Good Duck, could she use a nap¡ªbut only then!
Don¡¯t get any funny ideas, body.
The last thing she wanted to do was doze off on the bench, fall off mid-nap, and end up making even more of a scene. Or, Duck forbid, somehow break her other leg.
Before Sue could finish getting the equal parts terrifying, embarrassing, and amusing mental image out of her mind, she heard a loud cry coming from nearby. It was rough and low pitched, but¡ not aggressive from what she could tell, keeping her from getting too startled. The sound was much too soft to be a hiss or a growl, sitting ambiguously in the middle and leaving her wondering what kind of creature could even make noises like that¡ªfor about half a second before she finished turning her head. ¡°H-hi Astra, hi Joy!¡±
Joy¡¯s harsh sounding greeting from Astra¡¯s arms single-handedly broke Sue¡¯s weary expression into a shaky smile, especially when it was combined with the little maw girl excitedly pointing her out to the dragon, the latter answering with a soft giggle. The toothy tyke wasted no time before scrambling over to her tall friend once her guardian had lowered her down, wrapping her arms around Sue¡¯s torso.
The bench didn¡¯t have enough space to accommodate Astra, but she wasn¡¯t bothered¡ªespecially with her line of sight ending up around Sue¡¯s once she¡¯d sat down on the grass beside the bench.
As excited as Joy was to run into Sue, her happiness soon wavered at noticing her obviously roughed up state. The shaky movements, the wetness on her cheeks, the uncertain smile. It only took Joy pointing her little finger up Sue¡¯s face for Astra to notice and grow alarmed too¡ªfollowed by leaning in and pulling both Joy and Sue into a gentle embrace, patting the Forest Guardian¡¯s back with her massive paw.
¡°I-I¡¯m okay, I¡¯m okay, I¡ªI can¡¯t understand you, Astra,¡± Sue sighed. Her garbled words were enough for the dragon to realize the lack of any translator around, but with the nearby streets not having anyone who could help with that, Astra was out of ideas.
That didn¡¯t mean that she¡¯d stopped dishing out her affection, though¡ªor that it didn¡¯t help. It helped so much more than Sue would¡¯ve ever thought it would, especially with Joy doubling down on her weak hugs as well.
Moment by moment, the surrounding warmth slowly banished all the leftover gloom Solstice¡¯s breakdown had left her with. She breathed easier, felt lighter, the modest pain rocking through her body easing out with every breath. For a moment, she wanted to pretend that all this was just a result of finally sitting back down and resting her body, but¡ she couldn¡¯t, not when the effects were this stark.
Guess Forest Guardians interpret the power of positive thinking much more literally.
As fascinating as that observation was, Sue¡¯s attention soon shifted back to the pair of vastly different friends bathing her in said positive thinking. Her arms reached out, trying to wrap around them both as she appreciated the dragon¡¯s quiet mumbling, incoherent as it was. ¡°Th-thank you both...¡±
Even if they didn¡¯t fare any better at understanding her than the other way around, they still got the gist. Their hugs grew stronger, Joy¡¯s especially, her front head nuzzling Sue¡¯s midriff. Quite a few pets were in order as thanks for that, and the toothy tyke appreciated them no less than the last time once they were dispensed. This time, though, Sue wanted to try something else as well. She waited until Joy was done nuzzling her head into her palm, then carefully stroked the top of her large maw, avoiding the bandage still wrapping it.
Despite a brief jolt of surprise, it soon became clear that Joy enjoyed having her back face pet even more than her front one. Moment by moment, the shock evaporated and left only calm, comfort, and desire for more affection, expressed with quiet mumbles as her whole small body shuddered.
Astra was no less surprised at this development than Joy, but soon grew just as happy, mentally jotting Sue¡¯s discovery down. As glad as she was to have discovered that about the little one she watched over, though, Sue was still exhausted and clearly needed a pick-me-up. She cleared her throat, catching both girls¡¯ attention before saying something to Joy, and then repeating it for good measure. The toothy tyke clearly had only a partial understanding of the dragon¡¯s words¡ªif even that¡ªbut that didn¡¯t stop her from absentmindedly nodding in response.
Left none the wiser about nobody understanding what she¡¯d just said, the dragon took off into the air. The fierce gusts of wind in her wake sent Sue¡¯s front lock of hair flapping against her face as she watched Astra fly towards the clearing.
Suppose we can sit here for a while longer.
Sue didn¡¯t mind, and¡ªjudging by her relaxation¡ªneither did Joy. The small, out-of-the-way bench gave them a pretty good look at the various creatures passing by. The tyke was understandably much more focused on her big friend than any assorted strangers she wanted little to do with, though.
Ironically, the incoming attention went mostly in the opposite direction.
Hardly anyone cared about the injured Forest Guardian¡ªshe was old news at this point¡ªbut the toothy child on her lap kept drawing the passersby¡¯s focus, be it positive or not. As much as Sue glared whenever she¡¯d sensed the latter, though, Joy wasn¡¯t paying enough attention to notice it, to her temporary guardian¡¯s relief.
The more Sue watched the passersby, the more taken aback she got at the sheer diversity Moonview¡ªand by extension, this world¡ªhad. Not just in species, but also in how close they were to any animals she recognized from Earth, the group that settled down across the road from them exemplifying that range. A couple of its members tingled the Forest Guardian¡¯s recollection and caught her attention, especially now that she had enough time and light to examine them closer.
One of them was just a donkey. An actual little brown and cream donkey, reaching to her waist at the shoulder and looking so ridiculously¡ mundane that Sue had to do a double take. If not for them clearly talking with their friends with brays and slightly different proportions, she wouldn¡¯t have spared them a second glance back in her own world.
The pink creature beside them, though, looked straight out of a nightmare¡ªa nightmare Sue was familiar with by now; their initial appearance at the clinic permanently burned into her memory. She was still baffled at how they combined the creepiest parts of bats and scorpions, their massive fangs a cherry on top. The way they crawled up a nearby lamppost, the way they just waved their tail and its huge stinger around, it all left Sue spooked.
Spooked, and annoyed that it was the shy maw girl beside her that was the focus of so much negative attention and not that pink demon. For crying out loud, that stinger full of Duck-knows-what alone was ten times more dangerous than anything Joy could dish out!
¡
On second thought, it was probably not a good idea to think about the passersby¡¯s lethality¡ªboth to avoid dehumanizing them, and to preserve some of her rapidly dwindling sanity.
¡¡¯Dehumanizing¡¯? ¡®Depersonifying¡¯? Neither? Anyway.
Somewhere between the normalcy of the donkey and the nightmarish-ness of the winged scorpion sat the last member of their tagalong group. There wasn¡¯t anything immediately off-putting about them, or even that weird¡ªat least, beyond them being a light green plant bulb the size of her head, with several stubby extremities that let them move around. And grasp objects, if splitting up a small bounty of a few fruits between the rest of their group of presumably children was any sign.
It was that living plant that eventually drew the group¡¯s attention towards Sue and Joy, their responses differing greatly¡ªespecially regarding the toothy girl. The bulb just gave them both a friendly wave, but the other two instead chatted nervously amongst themselves, enough so for it to break into an argument, fortunately without shouting.
It was still enough to catch Joy¡¯s attention, though. The maw girl clung onto her friend even harder in fear once she¡¯d turned to see the source of the noise, making Sue¡¯s eyes narrow¡ªthe dots weren¡¯t exactly hard to connect. Once the Forest Guardian was done pulling the little one closer, her focus shifted to leering at the arguing kids. The pink bat reeled immediately while their donkey friend kept talking to them, in what had to be the most lethargic raised voice mathematically possible¡ªuntil a whistled question from the plant finally interrupted their spat.
The donkey answered shortly after, taking the bulb aback as they first looked at the pink bat, then over at Joy, and then back at the bat, raising their voice soon after. With a double-sized dose of chiding from their friends and a piercing glare from Sue, the flying scorpion had had enough. They hissed something out before taking to air and dashing behind the nearest corner, the rest of the group left annoyed and confused in equal measure.
I¡¯m neither skilled nor strong enough to actually hurt that pink freak, but if I ever get my hands on them¡ª
A firmer hug from Joy broke Sue¡¯s wrathful train of thought, her arms shaking as she returned the affection and resumed her petting. She banished her anger one deep breath at a time as she whispered, ¡°I-I won¡¯t let anyone touch you again as lhong as I¡¯m h-here, Joy.¡± The girl didn¡¯t understand the exact words, but they mattered the least at the moment. Her friend¡¯s embrace, affection, the reassuring tone. Feeling cared for, protected,
Safe.
As Sue focused on the toothy girl beside her, she felt the emotions and attentions of the two remaining kids shift. First onto her, then onto Joy, themselves, and finally, at something else. Something weird enough to catch much more of their attention. Something in the direction of her and Joy, but what¡ª
¡
As she huddled together with Joy, Sue suddenly felt a very different, very unnerving sensation. Something cold, slimy, and wriggly was pressing itself into the other side of her lap.
I don¡¯t wanna look I don¡¯t wanna look I don¡¯t wanna look¡ª-
The maw girl felt her friend¡¯s sudden freeze, peering out of her hug to see just who the intruder was. Somewhat reassuringly, she wasn¡¯t bothered by the sight that awaited them, left curious more than anything else. If nothing else, it gave Sue the confidence to at least check what was happening, whole body bracing as she slowly turned her head and witnessed¡ something that was much less immediately terrifying than it could¡¯ve been.
The two large barbs on both ends of the brown caterpillar were secured with small balls of yellowish wax, keeping them disarmed. It was amusing enough to almost make Sue overlook them having those massive stingers, to begin with¡ªbut only almost. Even knowing she wouldn¡¯t be getting stung by them anytime soon, she still audibly gulped, the caterpillar only barely reacting to suddenly becoming the center of attention.
Their front perked up for a moment to return Sue¡¯s frightful glare, the two locking eyes for a second¡ªbefore they immediately went back to trying to crawl onto her lap, much to Joy¡¯s giggles.
At least she finds this funny.
¡°Please get off m-me...¡± Sue whimpered. But with her plea not getting responded to at all, she knew she¡¯d have to do it herself. With all the care she could muster, she reached over to pick the bug up and put them back down somewhere else. Or, at least, she was gathering the strength to attempt doing just that, praying internally for someone to come and take that thing off her.
For once, her prayers would be answered immediately.
Sue jolted at seeing a yellow blur in the corner of her vision, but its source had already bolted off to the side by the time she could look at it. Loud buzzes and palpable, worried confusion filled the Forest Guardian¡¯s senses as her eyes played catch-up with the stranger, only succeeding after they¡¯d stopped to look her way.
Why did it have to be bees?
All the various bugs clad in yellow and black already had a permanent spot on Sue¡¯s shit list, and this one being the size of that flying hell scorpion, able to move blazingly fast, and wielding massive, glistening spikes for arms did nothing to endear them any. Their arm-spikes were disarmed in the same way as the caterpillar¡¯s barbs, which helped Sue¡¯s sanity somewhat, but any relief that might¡¯ve brought was then immediately undone by the stinger in the ¡®normal¡¯ position still being exposed and dangerous.
Oh, and they kept buzzing at her, because why wouldn¡¯t they. For what it was worth, though, the sounds Sue could sense being aimed towards her were clearly apologetic. It was the caterpillar that got their share of chiding instead as the bee swept in and picked them up, their speed leaving Sue even further intimidated.
As thankful as Sue was for the oversized insect taking what likely was a baby of their species away, she couldn¡¯t deny wanting them to fly anywhere but here, and preferably to the next continent over. They had other plans, though, continuing their attempts to chat her up despite receiving no response. She had no idea why¡ªshe couldn¡¯t sense any ulterior emotions or motives in them or their actions, but that only made their enthusiastic insistence on chatting with her even more confusing.
After a solid few minutes, they finally realized the Forest Guardian wasn¡¯t responding, giving them a pause. The resulting silence finally gave Sue an opportunity to respond, and even if it wouldn¡¯t be a straightforward answer, it¡¯d at least convey the crux of the issue. ¡°I¡¯m shorry, I can¡¯t understand you.¡±
Finally, an emotion I can empathize with¡ªutmost confusion.
Sue chuckled weakly as the bee turned towards the pair of kiddos on the other side of the road; their subsequent question answered predictably. No, they didn¡¯t know what the heck this Forest Guardian had just said, either. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t result in the one thing Sue really, really hoped it would¡ªnamely, the insect being deterred in the slightest. Instead, they kept trying with much slower buzzes and accompanied by waving their massive stinger arms at her.
As much as a part of her wanted to, Sue couldn¡¯t pretend she didn¡¯t understand that gesture, arms shaking as she waved back at them. Joy copied her action soon after, sending the bee into a laughing fit for some reason. Unfortunately for Sue, though, now that the bee had seen her communicate, they wouldn¡¯t even think of relenting anymore. Once a few more communication attempts failed, they finally took matters into their own stingers, hovering beside her and carefully grabbing her hand between the two wax balls that capped their spikes.
It took Sue her entire willpower to not yank it back with a terrified shriek there and then.
To her further dismay, they still weren¡¯t done, pulling her limb towards themselves as they flew up, as if trying to drag her onto her feet. It seemed the only way forward was to follow them, lest they expressed their impatience in a much more painful way. Sue gulped at the associated mental image as she got up. Joy¡¯s confused squeak fell on deaf ears as she scrambled along, huddling as close to her friend as she could.
To little surprise, the bee was no less excitable than before. They constantly pointed the way as Sue ambled on, commenting on everything in sight¡ªand especially on what soon turned out to be the group¡¯s destination.
What the hell is that place¡
The first descriptor that came to Sue¡¯s mind was a massive, termite hill with half a wooden shack embedded in it. As superfluous as the door of the latter looked considering how many holes the former had, it also was where Sue was eventually led to, bracing herself for Duck-knows-what once the bee had opened the door. The room that awaited them was small and sparsely decorated, with little more than straw littering the floor. It was hardly boring as a result, though, with one of its walls missing and instead opening into the myriad tunnels of the insect nest.
The occasional twitching inside them didn¡¯t exactly fill Sue with confidence.
Their impromptu guide eventually laid down their caterpillar¡ offspring before diving into one of the tunnels, leaving Sue alone for once. To her unending gratitude, the little bug didn¡¯t climb onto her again, opting instead to close their eyes and try to rest. As muddled and half-formed as their emotions were, the exhaustion in them was clear to see.
Before Joy could waddle over and pet the impromptu friend to help them sleep better or Sue could gather the courage to run away, the bee had returned from their delve. They brought a huge egg in their stinger arms, carefully placing it down in an opening close to Sue¡¯s eye level and hovering beside her as if to show it off.
Insect eggs were hardly surprising on their own, though Sue wouldn¡¯t have thought they would look so similar to bird eggs. This one was the shape and size of an ostrich egg, colored equal parts green and yellow. It even jittered from time to time, as if whoever rested inside kept stirring in their unborn sleep.
Wouldn¡¯t have thought that an unhatched mutant insect could feel so¡ cute.
Judging from the bee¡¯s excitement, pride, and a bit of concern, the egg was also one of their offspring. Suppose them being this hyper was slightly more understandable with that in mind, even if it didn¡¯t explain why they had been dragged here. Still uncertain, Sue mumbled, ¡°Umm... con-congratulations?¡±
Adding further to her confusion, the bee kept nudging her beyond just staring at the pretty egg, gesturing¡ something towards it. Sue had no idea how to decipher their intent, eventually wagering a guess and reaching towards the egg with her free hand¡ªonly for the bee to instantly shield the egg with their body, cutting her off as their emotions turned to shock.
Okay I get it no touching please don¡¯t kill me please please¡ª
If not for them simply shaking their head with no anger she could sense, Sue would¡¯ve skipped straight to hitting the legs. Instead, she was left paralyzed in place as she tried to make sense of it all, stewing in her own stress. She¡¯d been left at such an uncomfortable impasse that even her next idea was less anxiety-inducing than continuing to stand here like a dope.
The strained parts of her mind had gotten less sore since she was shoved out of Solstice¡¯s tent, making it possible to try talking to someone again. It¡¯d still suck and be painful and Sue really didn¡¯t want to be forced to do it, but she had no idea what else she could try anymore, considering her choices were either trying her luck with telepathy or continuing to stand there dumbfounded like a moron.
The prospect of finally communicating with someone by herself was exciting, though, pushing her on despite how much her circumstances filled her with dread. Adding to her confusion, the bee grew palpably happier once she¡¯d begun to focus, not clarifying any of it.
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Thankfully, I can just ask them about it in a second.
Using her hands made controlling her psychics much easier, but it also meant that being left with just one working arm made the entire process much more awkward. Many, many more emotions in her immediate vicinity didn¡¯t help either, and if not for her roaring anxiety, she would¡¯ve probably stopped there and then.
Her grip on all this was already shaky, and that was with the idealized conditions of Solstice¡¯s training. Sue knew she shouldn¡¯t have kept going, but by then, she wanted nothing more than to be out of this mess as soon as she could.
Despite Sue¡¯s awkward pose, using her free hand to tune out nearby emotions worked enough to let her continue, even if at the cost of a steadily creeping headache. With the pathway to the bee¡¯s mind clear, her crutch hand and limited mental control began to twitch as she reached her psychics towards them, towards the insect that had dragged her into all this.
And maybe she would¡¯ve even reached them, but Fate had different plans.
Sue¡¯s increasingly awkward grip on her crutch made it slip slightly on the straw that covered the floor, throwing her off balance. Her right arm moved wildly to regain it, succeeding soon after¡ªand driving her mental tendril straight through the bee¡¯s mind.
FUCK.
Their head exploded with pain, unrelenting even as they tried holding their head with their stingers and buzzed loudly. Sue immediately realized what she¡¯d done, the fear of the stranger¡¯s retribution making her hyperventilate as she backed off, deaf to Joy¡¯s alarmed squeaks by then.
The bee¡¯s pain soon gave way to hurt, annoyance, and then, at last, anger. That latter emotion hastened Sue¡¯s retreat as their eyes narrowed and their buzzing grew pointed. She wanted to run; she wanted to apologize¡ªand the realization she wasn¡¯t capable of either tied her mind in ever tighter panicked knots.
I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m¡ªoh Duck thank you please help explain this mess!
Seeing the leafy caretaker open the shack¡¯s door made the once-human grow weak with relief. Her whole body ached as she bounded forward until she ended up behind Splitleaf, hoping beyond hope she¡¯d be able to defuse the situation. Joy caught up with her as the plant-like mantis and the decidedly non-plant-like bee exchanged buzzes, both trying to figure out what was going on in here.
To Sue¡¯s distress, though, their conversation hadn¡¯t made the bee any calmer, with the insect nanny soon turning to face her with an unamused, angry expression. She desperately wished she could explain that it was all an accident and apologize, but the ever-tightening bind of panic left her just standing there, unable to whimper even a single word. Her lack of response left the mantis agitated at not being graced with a response, and before the realization of how overwhelmed Sue must¡¯ve been could settle in, the group all heard a sound from the outside.
*growwl?*
Astra!
The dragon¡¯s voice pierced Sue¡¯s panic for long enough to let her shamble out of the shack and run towards the dragon, almost crashing into a passerby before clinging to Astra¡¯s soft, orange body. She trembled in panic as she looked away from the mess of her own making, tears of fear and anxiety flowing freely down her cheek as her overstimulation tuned out any further discussion taking place around her.
She felt Astra grow confused as she was pulled into the conversation, evidently unsure what to think. Despite her uncertainty, she erred on the side of comforting her tall friend first and asking questions later. Splitleaf and the bee weren¡¯t all too happy to see that, slamming the shack¡¯s door closed soon after. The sound made Sue flinch and freeze, heart racing a mile a minute as Astra gently patted her back.
¡°I¡¯m shorry...¡± she whimpered quietly, much too late.
Astra was already busy huddling them all to the side of the road, letting the weary Forest Guardian lean on her as long as she needed. Bit by bit, Sue unwound from her panic attack, and the zesty fruit roll the dragon had given her once she¡¯d stopped hyperventilating helped greatly. Until, at last, only guilt and regret remained.
I¡ I just hurt that stranger for no reason, haven¡¯t I? They probably just wanted to share the joy of having another child on the way and for that, I repaid them with misery and didn¡¯t even apologize afterward. I made Solstice have a breakdown, hurt that bee... I can¡¯t fucking do anything right, can I¡ª
Before Sue¡¯s train of thought could drag her deeper into the quicksand pit of self-loathing, she felt Astra¡¯s body move. She glanced up, seeing the dragon waving at someone down the road, out of her view¡ªor, at least, out of view until her ears peeked out from the crowd.
The rest of the surprised Sundance revealed herself soon after, eyes going a bit wider at the scene before her. Her confusion soon turned into concern at Sue¡¯s situation, though. She calmly asked, ¡°Are you alright, Sue?¡±, her question only partially rhetorical. She was just as clueless as everyone else about what had happened, both earlier today and just now.
The rest of the group listened keenly at finally being able to understand Sue, waiting patiently until she whimpered, ¡°I-I don¡¯t th-think sho...¡±
Astra and Joy held her tighter as Sundance nodded at her response. ¡°Would you want to talk about it? One on one?¡±
Leaving her friends in the dark felt bad to think about, but¡ she would probably need to. Even beyond what had just happened, there was little Sue wanted more right now than to figure out what was going on with the bee, with Solstice, with Pollux, with Night Father.
Especially from the one person who seemed like she knew everything.
¡°Y-yeah¡¡± Sue sighed.
¡°Hope you feel better soon, Sue! You didn¡¯t mean it, right?¡± Astra asked cheerfully. There weren¡¯t many things she could¡¯ve been referring to, making Sue¡¯s expression grew more pained as she shakily nodded, adding further fuel to the fire of Joy¡¯s tiny hug. ¡°I knew it wasn¡¯t like you to do something like that! Are you gonna say sorry?¡±
Sue wanted to apologize, wanted to do that so much, the reminder of what she¡¯d done almost pushing her to a breakdown again. To her relief, Sundance gave her a hand, though, ¡°It¡¯s best if Sue waits until the tension defuses some more and everyone calms down.¡±
¡°Of course, ma¡¯am!¡± the dragon nodded.
Sundance chuckled at her response. She wasn¡¯t a fan of titles, and while in other circumstances she would¡¯ve brought it up to Astra, Sue¡¯s wellbeing was occupying the vast majority of her attention at the moment. She patted the Forest Guardian¡¯s back. ¡°Let us get going, Sue.¡±
It took Sue a moment to detach herself from Astra¡¯s comfort. Thankfully, Joy gave her enough space to shamble until she could grab Sundance¡¯s paw. The vixen was taken aback at that, but ultimately didn¡¯t complain, instead offering her a faint smile. ¡°Shorry for all this,¡± Sue muttered. ¡°I-I¡¯ll see you both later. You¡¯re both great...¡±
¡°Awwww,¡± Astra cooed, ¡°so are you, Sue! Feel better soon!¡±
Joy¡¯s stutters were much less understandable than Astra¡¯s words, but their warmth was much the same. Sue gave the toothy girl a tired smile before taking off with the fiery vixen, the latter keeping her pace down as she mentally whispered, ¡°^Would you want me to fetch Solstice¡ª^¡±
I can¡¯t think of a worse idea than that.
¡°No no no no, do not, th-there¡¯s no need to,¡± Sue pleaded.
Her forceful rejection took Sundance aback, leaving the mystic more surprised than Sue had ever seen her up to that point. It didn¡¯t last long once the vixen got her bearings, though, acknowledging her pupil¡¯s response as she guided her further into Moonview. ¡°^Alright.^¡±
¡°Wh-where are you t-taking me?¡±
¡°^My dwelling. I initially considered taking you to Willow¡¯s clinic and grabbing Spark along the way, but considering how you answered that... it¡¯s something very private, isn¡¯t it?^¡±
Sue tilted her head to the sides, uncertain how to answer. ¡°More sho just... scary and confusing...¡±
The vixen¡¯s curiosity only grew as she led Sue towards a large¡ªfor Moonview¡¯s standards¡ªbuilding she¡¯d seen a few times by then. Even beyond its second floor, it stood out greatly from its surroundings, the pale stone it was made of unlike anything else around. The intricate patterns chiseled into the lower floor¡¯s exterior provided a clue as to its inhabitant¡¯s occupation.
Their destination, however, was the upper floor.
It was shaped like a dome with a circular opening at the top. A large canvas patch flapped beside said opening, attached to something Sue couldn¡¯t make out. She might not have been afraid of heights, but the stairs leading up to Sundance¡¯s dwelling made her reconsider.
Why do these not have guardrails¡ o-or even just anything to hold onto¡
Sue¡¯s palpable fear made Sundance add a new item to her to-do list. ¡°Apologies. I didn¡¯t realize how frightening you¡¯d find the stairs.¡±
¡°It¡¯s alright... th-though it wouldn¡¯t pass inspection where I live. O-or lived, I guess...¡±
The vixen blinked. ¡°Inspection?¡±
The question lingered in the air as they made their way into Sundance¡¯s dwelling. Its layout turned out to be not too different to Solstice¡¯s tent, comprising a single open space with no designated rooms. The ceiling being set much higher than anywhere else in Moonview made it much more welcoming to Sue¡¯s human sensibilities, and even if the dwelling as a whole reminded her of a messy studio apartment, there was an order to its layout.
On a closer look, each corner turned out to have a designated purpose. A large flat stone slab above a wood-fired stove made for an obvious kitchen, especially with a few other counters around it. The spacious, plush bedding must¡¯ve been the bedroom, or the bed-corner. Heaps of ceramic jugs and woven baskets full of food and other supplies were a clear pantry.
The last corner, though, was much more confusing, mostly in that the last thing Sue expected Sundance to have in her dwelling was a rudimentary workshop. Saws, picks, clamps, flat surfaces, a bunch of wooden scraps.
Tinker, Mystic, Psychic¡ Spy. Need to work on that last one.
As Sue took the sights in, Sundance grabbed a large ceramic cup from the kitchen and filled it with water from one of the pots. Afterwards, she began adding bunches and pinches of contents of the other pots, filling the air with a mixture of familiar and alien smells alike, tingling Sue¡¯s nostrils. ¡°Take a seat on the yellow one,¡± the vixen instructed. ¡°And¡ ¡®inspection¡¯?¡±
A direct command snapped Sue out of her spaced-out state; her brief confusion eased once she spotted the two recliner chairs facing each other at the center of the room. Their covers, one yellow and one orange, made it clear which one she was supposed to take¡ªas did the ¡®orange¡¯ chair looking incomparably more worn down.
As she stumbled over to her seat, Sue got to explaining her Earth-y aside. ¡°Umm, when you b-build a new building where I¡¯m from, it has to fit certain requirements, especially about shafety. So then, someone qualified comes in and ch-checks the plans before you can even start building it.¡±
¡°I see,¡± Sundance nodded thoughtfully. ¡°A dedicated person ensuring construction safety? That sounds like an... exceptionally narrow of a role.¡±
¡°Oh, it¡¯s not, there are sho many buildings going up all the time th-they have their hands full, no doubt,¡± Sue clarified, leaving the vixen thoroughly dumbfounded.
Moonview was putting up a new building around twice a Moon at their current rate, and said buildings couldn¡¯t possibly take more than a few minutes each to be ¡®inspected¡¯. Just how ridiculously many buildings must have Sue¡¯s people been building for even one person to be occupied with inspecting them full time? Sundance summed it up, muttering, ¡°That¡¯s... hard to imagine.¡±
Sue giggled, ¡°It helps th-that human cities are much, much bigger than M-Moonview.¡±
A large part of the fiery vixen really, really wanted to question her inter-universal guest about the size of her world and its implications. She doubted she¡¯d be able to keep herself from doing that forever, but at the moment, her curiosity played a distant second fiddle to Sue¡¯s concerns. ¡°Remind me to ask you more about your world sometime. I... had not realized it would be as different as your words here are implying it to be.¡±
Sue raised her eyebrow at the vixen¡¯s words; Earth wasn¡¯t that different from here¡ªoh. Well, not too different as far as natural vegetation and geology went, probably, but¡ that wasn¡¯t everything, was it now. Even beyond this world being populated by magical mutants, the effect that several centuries of global human civilization had left on Earth was impossible to deny¡ªor overlook. Eventually, Sue muttered, ¡°I will.¡±
Even if Sue couldn¡¯t lean into the seat because of her back horn, sitting down still brought immense relief. Her exhaustion¡¯s grip waned as she observed what her host was doing, Sundance soon catching onto her curiosity. ¡°I¡¯m preparing you something to drink to get you back on your feet. A complex brew, but remarkably good at bringing forth a second wind when needed. In the meantime, could you tell me what happened back there? Did you hurt someone by accident?¡±
Admitting that didn¡¯t hurt any less, despite some time having passed. ¡°Yeah. Th-the... I don¡¯t know their name, the black and yellow one with all the stingersh. Their kid or someone else, the brown caterpillar with a couple spikes, had waddled onto my lap when I was resting with Joy. Then, they showed up to pick them up and began talking to me.¡±
Sundance nodded, following along as Sue caught her breath.
¡°I tried to make it clear I couldn¡¯t understand them, but they didn¡¯t understand I guess and e-ended up dragging me with them to their nest, I-I think. They showed me an egg and exphected me to do something. I tried following Solstice¡¯s practice and linking with them, and accidentally pushed much too hard and got them hurt, th-they felt very pained, and then I-I panicked becaushe of them getting angry with all the stingers...¡± Sue continued, trailing off as her self-consciousness grew ever more oppressive.
Everyone here¡¯s a freak of nature; why would I fear that bee more than anyone else around? What the fuck is wrong with me!?
Sundance wordlessly acknowledged her pupil¡¯s words as she wrapped the concoction up. Once it was done, she moved the cup over to the kitchen corner and set it on a raised stand. If it was anything like the drinks Sue was used to, it¡¯d need to get heated first¡ªshe just didn¡¯t expect Sundance¡¯s ablaze paw to act as the heating element, though. It was effective, the steady stream of flames emanating from it quickly warming the drink up as Sue stared at it, mesmerized by the casual display of fire magic.
¡°That all sounds... unfortunate,¡± the vixen sighed. ¡°It matches what I¡¯ve heard of Basil; he can get rather hot headed. He probably hadn¡¯t even considered you being plainly unable to talk, and thought you were being mystical or oblique.¡±
¡°Wh-what did he want from me, though?¡± Sue asked, still confused.
¡°I can¡¯t know for certainty, but the most probable answer is that he wanted you to bless his unhatched offspring.¡±
Bless? Me?
The only time she¡¯d seen anything be blessed was when she was four and a local bishop came to tour their freshly renovated preschool, and she sure hadn¡¯t gotten any holier since then. Thankfully, Sundance was eager to explain, chuckling at her confusion. ¡°Forest Guardians are commonly seen as emissaries of the Night Mother, having a special bond with her across all other kin. It¡¯s not a universally held position, and Solstice has been trying to work against the idea of there being any chosen people, but, alas, the superstition holds. I cannot blame Basil for his desire either, not with the Night Mother being such a big deal around these parts.¡±
Sue sure felt chosen, but if the Night Father¡¯s visit in her dream was any sign, it wasn¡¯t by Duck. Hell, she was probably cursed, if anything. ¡°I-I see. That¡¯s... that feelsh so weird to me.¡±
¡°Likewise.¡±
¡°Is he gonna be alright though?¡± Sue continued, worried. ¡°H-he felt really hurt...¡±
¡°If he was still flying afterwards, then any injury was at best superficial. It hurt, no doubt about that, but he¡¯ll fully recover soon if he hasn¡¯t already. It is unfortunate, but it is what it is. If you wish, I can come over and help translate your apology¡ªbut if I were to guess, he¡¯ll be more upset about you panicking afterwards than about you having hurt him.¡±
Sue blinked. ¡°Why?¡±
¡°His kin are¡ very territorial, and often thought of as savage. The best we have negotiated with their nearby hive is a hard border between our territories. Splitleaf found his egg ways into our land a few years ago and raised him as her son. Even if his stigma isn¡¯t as recent or cruel as Joy¡¯s, I imagine he won¡¯t be amused by being thought of as dangerous.¡±
Ouch...
¡°Th-that¡¯s... I¡¯m s-so sorry.¡±
Sundance weakly smiled. ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate, but not the end of the world. I hope he can empathize enough to put himself in your situation, especially with how obviously feeble and tired you were. Sometimes, however, all we can do is apologize and not be forgiven¡ªand that¡¯s alright. The world keeps turning, even if made heavier by someone¡¯s resentment.¡±
Sue chewed through the vixen¡¯s words, plunging the hut into silence. For a few minutes, the only sounds in the dwelling were the crackles of Sundance¡¯s orange flame smothering the ceramic cup, its contents soon beginning to steam. With the brew¡¯s unusual aroma growing in intensity, she could finally make out what comprised it. The most prominent scent was no doubt coffee, its appearance made even more nose-catching with the once-human having been spared of it for the past few days.
Eventually, Sue just sighed. ¡°Yeah. Th-that just shounds so... dreadful, though.¡±
¡°It certainly does. Ultimately, it¡¯s just a part of life we all have to learn. You can do everything right and some people won¡¯t like you, some people won¡¯t forgive you, some people won¡¯t accept you, and trying to force them to is a pathway to suffering. They won¡¯t be losing sleep over it, neither should you. How do you like your drinks, hot or cold?¡± Sundance asked, snapping her guest out of the philosophical mulling.
Sue glanced over at the vixen just in time to see her pour the black, steaming brew through a sieve into another cup. ¡°...what do you mean by cold?¡±
Sundance chuckled at her pupil¡¯s question, raising an eyebrow as she picked up the hot cupful of¡ something and smirked at Sue. ¡°The same as everyone else, even if I do think they¡¯re missing out on freshly boiled tea.¡±
¡oops.
¡°Sorry. I-I¡¯ll have it shlightly warm if-if that¡¯s alright, then.¡±
¡°It absolutely is, worry not,¡± Sundance reassured. The mystery of how someone so fiery was going to chill the drink turned out to have a very mundane answer. She lowered the cup into the pot of water and waited patiently as their temperatures equalized.
In the meantime, Sue had a moment to take in more of the vixen¡¯s dwelling¡¯s quaint design. The almost-noon Sun shone bright on the center of the chamber, lighting up a circular patch of the stone floor between the two chairs. As she looked up to investigate the rudimentary sunroof, the decorations that surrounded it finally caught her attention, previously overlooked as just bits of paint.
They turned out to be so much more than Sue could¡¯ve expected, a ring of dolls suspended around the circular opening in the ceiling. Their designs were mere curiosity¡ªuntil they suddenly weren¡¯t.
Are those¡ Duck and the Night Father?
The rudimentary depictions of the two deities on opposing ends caught Sue¡¯s attention and wouldn¡¯t let go, finally forcing her to ask, ¡°Wh-what are those?¡±
Sundance didn¡¯t even have to look to know what her guest was referring to. ¡°Crafts projects. It¡¯s... easy for me to get lost in my mind¡¯s realm at times, especially when the situation in the physical realm grows difficult. I found that making myself put these together with my bare paws every once in a while keeps me... honest, sane even. They are simply something entertaining I can focus my attention on and weather the storm without sinking ever deeper into my thoughts. In addition, they help me maintain manual agility and prevent me from getting too dependent on telekinesis for everything.¡±
Sue appreciated the explanation, but it didn¡¯t explain everything. ¡°And... deities?¡±
Sundance chuckled as she set the freshly cooled drink on a stool beside Sue¡¯s seat. ¡°Well, I make what I know~. Sometimes, I craft a depiction of someone in Moonview, though I keep these to myself and disassemble them afterwards. Even if someone doesn¡¯t believe that a figurine of them gives its wielder control over them, it still unnerves them, and I¡¯d rather avoid that. Don¡¯t have that issue with celestial beings¡ªlest someone thinks I can make the Moon dance to my whims with a bunch of sticks and leaves.¡±
¡°Know... how?¡±
¡°Not by any sort of heavenly visions, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking,¡± the vixen winked. ¡°Various peoples constantly make depictions of their deities, and I just happen to have a great visual memory when that¡¯s concerned. Even here, I can just look at Night Mother and Ni¡ªwell, just Night Mother¡¯s altar now and copy that design competently enough.¡±
Sundance felt Sue¡¯s attention at her correction, but she opted not to act on it right away. Instead, she walked over to the storage corner and dug through one of the smaller pots in search of something, the resulting silence growing that bit heavier.
I¡¯ll need to ask about that when I bring Pollux up¡
Sue really wanted to finally get to the topic of night kin and their deity, but could tell Sundance was avoiding it. Whether it was temporary, she could only hope for¡ªand that¡¯s what she did. In the meantime, she refocused on the deities dancing under the ceiling, a couple of them catching her attention in particular. ¡°What¡¯s that one?¡±
Sundance glanced over her shoulder a moment as she kept digging in her supplies, the answer as simple as it was haunting. ¡°Death.¡±
Its serpentine body was mostly gray and red, culminating in a yellow head. A multitude of tentacles sprouted from its back, both the shorter yellow ones and longer black ones with red tips. Judging by the sheer number of additional threads holding it up, its design wasn¡¯t any easier to keep assembled than it was to put together to begin with.
¡°D-does it kill or¡ª¡±
¡°It comes afterwards, doing whatever you think it does with the souls of the dead,¡± the vixen explained. ¡°Be it ferrying them to the world beyond this one, passing judgment on their deeds, or just devouring them whole and leaving nothing behind. I¡¯ve heard all of those expressed with fear and reverence alike¡ªmore so the former than the latter.¡±
¡°S-so it doesn¡¯t kill?¡± Sue asked, uncertain.
¡°That would be the Gate.¡±
The Forest Guardian felt her attention being drawn to one doll in particular, its appearance confusing. It appeared to be made of three equally spaced crimson limbs with black decals, and a bit of gray fur around the center. It took her a while to notice a small head between two of the limbs, colored the same as the rest of its body.
Step aside, Grim Reaper, a floating ¡®Y¡¯ just stole your job.
¡°Does your world have a deity of the afterlife?¡± the vixen asked, curious.
¡does the top dog of Christianity count?
¡°I-it¡¯s complicated.¡±
Sundance chuckled. ¡°As most things are.¡±
¡°Nothing th-that does all the options you¡¯ve listed, I-I don¡¯t think.¡±
¡°Well, that isn¡¯t the case here, either. Most agree on what Death is, but each faith has its own interpretation of what it does.¡±
¡°There ishn¡¯t even that agreement where I¡¯m from,¡± Sue elaborated. ¡°B-but there¡¯s shomething kinda like a similar symbol of death where I grew up; not a deity, but like a representation of death, a skeleton in a b-black robe with a scythe.¡±
The mental image got Sundance thinking as she returned to her seat, holding an¡ unexpected find. It was a wooden pipe, the kind Sue associated with Sherlock Holmes more than anything else, stunning her as the vixen continued, intrigued. ¡°Is it a... specific skeleton?¡±
¡°A¡ªa human skeleton mostly, bu-but I¡¯ve also seen skeletons of other species...¡±
Only ever as a joke, but still.
¡°I think I like how that sounds,¡± the vixen chuckled. ¡°I can¡¯t say I have ever tried to construct a skeleton, or even have a good idea of what mine looks like, but it sounds like an interesting project idea for when I have spare time on my paws.¡±
Sue chuckled nervously, worried that she¡¯d somehow managed to misrepresent her own pop culture to someone from another world. She knew it didn¡¯t matter much ultimately, but left her uneasy all the same. Trying to distract herself from that, she brought up the pipe in the room: ¡°H-heh, yeah. Umm, wh-what are you smoking, by the way?¡±
By the lovely vk.com/art_meri!
Her words came right as Sundance leaned back in her chair, lighting the pipe¡¯s contents with a small Ember sprung from the tip of one of her claws. The resulting smell answered Sue¡¯s question a split second before the vixen did, the actual answer the furthest thing from what she¡¯d expected. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just hemp. Considering your question, ¡®smoking¡¯ like that is a thing in your world too?¡±
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s a plague,¡± Sue explained, stunned to see her mentor be a stoner.
¡°Oh. I can stop if you¡¯d want.¡±
A considerate stoner, even. ¡°No no no, it¡¯s mostly tobacco th-that¡¯s the worst one there.¡±
The vixen had to think way back to the last time she¡¯d tried that particular plant for herself. Her recollection didn¡¯t paint her experience in the most positive light, leaving the implication that it was common in Sue¡¯s world rather surprising. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t get me to voluntarily try tobacco again. I can¡¯t imagine it being pleasant to experience often.¡±
¡°You¡¯ve no idea.¡±
Both women went quiet as Sundance took another deep breath through the pipe. Before she could relax fully, something caught her attention first. ¡°You can toss the cover aside and lean into the chair¡¯s back¡ªSolstice loves doing that whenever she comes over.¡±
The prospect of resting her back after several days of inhabiting this body caught Sue¡¯s undivided attention. The revelation of the widely spaced wooden splats under the cover left her downright ecstatic, much to the vixen¡¯s amusement, but not even that came close to the sheer relief that leaning all the way back and resting her shoulders brought.
I don¡¯t wanna move¡ ever again¡
Sundance chuckled. ¡°And I thought Solstice¡¯s reaction was drastic.¡±
¡°You can¡¯t imagine h-how good thish feels after not being able t-to rest my back...¡±
¡°I clearly cannot, indeed. Remember to have your drink before it gets too cold,¡± the vixen reminded.
As Sue reached over to grab the ceramic cup, her attention drifted upwards once more, soon caught by what appeared to be one very convoluted doll. Or, at least, before she squinted and realized it was two separate dolls, simply bundled together, explaining the confusing appearance. ¡°Wh-what are thoshe?¡±
Sundance followed the once-human¡¯s line of sight as the latter took a sip of the concoction¡ª
Holy shit, what is this stuff!?
It was definitely coffee alright, just one with an absurd amount of additives. Its bitterness was mixed¡ªno, overshadowed by fruity, zesty sourness, half a dozen subtler, herbal flavors and at least four tablespoons of sugar. The end result probably had enough caffeine in it to down an Indian elephant in a single sip and enough calories to keep her running for three days straight.
The vixen was oblivious to her guest¡¯s shock, though, explaining, ¡°I don¡¯t think they have a unified name. The titles I remember hearing about are ¡®The Capricious¡¯ and ¡®The Judicious¡¯, the twin gods of fate and destiny. Or simply Fate and Destiny.¡±
Both of the intertwined dolls had the same general shape of a large head with three points, two to the sides and one straight up, with a small body underneath it. One had a yellow head, a white body, and a few strips of green fabric hanging off the points of its head, while the other was equally split between pink and gray, with branches that had been contorted into circles and painted yellow hanging from the sides of its head.
They almost look like hoops of some sort.
¡°Fate and Destiny?¡± Sue asked, tilting her head. ¡°Is there... a difference?¡±
Sundance laughed softly at her question, taking her aback as she explained, ¡°You have just stumbled on a topic of one of the bigger theological debates I ever had the... ¡®honor¡¯ of witnessing in person. It was amusing if nothing else¡ªat least before it devolved into a brawl. Afterwards, it became a matter of making it out of there in one piece.¡±
Sue¡¯s wide-eyed stare brought even more amusement to the vixen, soon dismissed as she regained composure and continued, ¡°From what I gathered, ¡®destiny¡¯ is preordained by divine will, and ¡®fate¡¯ merely happens to you, thanks to nothing more than chance and consequences of what came before. The way I see it, any control over the latter turns it into the former by definition, but that¡¯s the gist of what I got out of all the shouting.¡±
If anything, the chaotic mess underneath the Sundance¡¯s ceiling covered the confusion rather clearly. The similar size and body shape, together with their physical proximity, made it difficult to tell where one ended and the other began, physical chaos representing divine order.
¡°Sometimes they¡¯re just one deity that puts on one of two masks, sometimes they¡¯re opposing forces, sometimes there¡¯s only one and not the other. I don¡¯t think this wider area has a strong worship of either, beyond believing that they both manifest as comets in the night sky. Remember to make a wish the next time you see one, and who knows, maybe one of them will hear it,¡± Sundance smirked, leaning back in her chair.
With the explanation finished, the vixen took a large hit of her pipe as Sue continued to sip on her concoction. Their respective indulgences soothed their minds¡ªif not necessarily their bodies¡ªand let them peace out after a turbulent morning. Or, in Sue¡¯s case, peace out as much as possible while in the beginning stages of a sugar high.
As relaxed as they grew, though, both of them knew full well that the Forest Guardian didn¡¯t just come here to chill and down an energy drink. Before long, the tension began to creep back into the chamber¡ªuntil Sundance finally acknowledged it. ¡°The incident with Basil wasn¡¯t the only reason you wanted to talk with me, is that correct?¡±
Sue nodded as she put her cup down, arms jittering from the mix of nerves and caffeine. ¡°No. Earlier t-today I was practicing with Solstice and it was going well, a-and then she mentioned someone called Aurora and broke down in front of me and forced me out of her tent. And yesterday, Shpark took me to see her friend who was a black fox that I couldn¡¯t sense and they hid from people. And then they ran away when spotted a-and I don¡¯t know why and¡ª¡± Sue stopped, only barely catching herself from rambling on. Instead, she looked up from the drink, staring the vixen dead in the eyes. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Sundance?¡±
The Forest Guardian focused on her host¡¯s emotions, trying to piece together the puzzle with their help. A part of her worried about the topic, making the mystic furious because of her uncovering something that wasn¡¯t meant to be known¡ªbut, fortunately, that wasn¡¯t what happened.
Unfortunately, the truth was so much worse.
For a few moments, Sundance could only flatly stare at her before shifting into a resigned somberness, sighing, ¡°In hindsight, I do not know why I even hoped you wouldn¡¯t run headfirst into all this on your own. Maybe if you had awoken in this realm in any other body, but... no, not this one. Of course, the pretense would all come crumbling down.¡±
Sue could only hear her own racing heartbeat as the vixen closed her eyes, searching for the right words, but¡ there weren¡¯t any. ¡°To answer your question¡ªnothing now. Nothing anymore. But¡ to recount what led to this, what happened all those years ago, I have to tell you a story. A story of a wayward soul that came here from afar. One that saw the harm zealotry and prejudice could inflict and vowed to build something better, safer, a place all could call home¡ and failed.¡±
Despite the comfort of her seat, Sue involuntarily leaned forward, the entirety of her attention occupied by Sundance¡¯s tale.
¡°Her name... was Solstice.¡±
Chapter 11: Truth
Sue¡¯s eyes went wide as she processed Sundance¡¯s revelation, the tense silence soon culminating in a whispered, anxious question. ¡°Do you mean... l-like me?¡±
Sundance was visibly taken aback at the idea, shaking her head once she¡¯d figured out what her pupil meant. ¡°No, not in the same way as you, Sue. She hails from this world, from a clan far away from here.¡±
A part of Sue was glad that nobody else had been subjected to what she had been through, but¡ there remained that nagging thought that maybe if they had, they would¡¯ve had a better idea of how to get back home. Or at least would be able to empathize more with her circumstances¡ oh well.
Pushing through conflicting emotions, she acknowledged the vixen¡¯s response. Her disappointment could wait, she wanted¡ªno, needed to get to the bottom of all this. ¡°I see. H-how far away?¡±
¡°Approximately a week¡¯s march in a straight line from her recollection¡ªyou won¡¯t see her ever making that trek to confirm her memories, though.¡±
Definitely not how I would¡¯ve expected Solstice to act¡
¡°Is it because of shomething they did?¡± Sue asked, fidgeting.
¡°Worse,¡± Sundance paused, a weak shudder going through her body. ¡°Because of what they are.¡± She took a deep sigh and an even deeper hit of her pipe as she leaned back in her chair, sorting through her thoughts once more. The Forest Guardian could sense flashes of anger bubbling from deep within her mind, briefly manifesting through shaking, clenched paws.
The vixen¡¯s composure strained, but ultimately held as she wove her tale. ¡°Her clan had a much similar ambition to that of Willow¡ªon its surface, at least. ¡®Bring healing to those who need it, and honor the Pale Lady through their deeds.¡¯ Noble on its surface, but with a crucial difference¡ªthey didn¡¯t think themselves mere worshipers of the Night Mother, they thought themselves Her emissaries. The closest thing to Her incarnation in flesh, and as such, it meant that their will was divinely guided, too.¡±
Guess that¡¯s where that bee got the idea from.
¡°Her clan might not be expansionist, but aspects of its rotten ideology had spread far, all the way to here and further beyond. No doubt aided by the fact that, as opposed to Willow¡¯s kin, Forest Guardians are far, far from defenseless¡ªeven if both you and Solstice are terrible examples of that.¡±
Part of Sue felt like she ought to be offended at that, but wasn¡¯t sure how or why, shaking the thought off soon after. Uncomfortable as it was to consider, Sundance was right. Telekinesis strong enough to lift whole people off the ground, the ability to tamper with minds, reading thoughts; all those were scarily powerful, and they weren¡¯t even the flashy kind of feats she saw at the feast. Hell, she herself had painfully hurt the bee villager despite her weakness and inexperience, and it was completely accidental! Who knew how harmful a deliberate attack of that sort would¡¯ve been by someone who knew what they were doing.
How lethal.
In truth, Sue didn¡¯t want to know, an icy dread running down her spine at the awareness of how much capability to harm others further training would give her. To maim, even kill, with just her thoughts. And to imagine that kind of power in the hands of a clan that thought itself divinely guided¡ If there was anything Sue remembered well from her history lessons, it was that a ¡®divine¡¯ guidance at the lead of a powerful group only ever ended in tragedy¡ªif not genocide.
¡°Of course,¡± Sundance chuckled bitterly, ¡°they believe themselves to be kind rulers. They offer their healing arts to those who come. As long as they pledge their worship of the Pale Lady, make an... ¡®offering¡¯, and aren¡¯t the ¡®wrong¡¯ kind of creature, of course. The kind whose compliance they can¡¯t enforce because of an immunity to their psychics.¡±
Just like Pollux¡
¡°Th-the night kin...¡± Sue whispered, the rotten puzzle beginning to come together.
¡°Correct. Contrary to what their immunity to psychics might imply, Forest Guardians are hardly defenseless against them¡ªMoon¡¯s pale light drives away the darkness just as well as the Sun¡¯s. Their thoughts and minds would forever remain off limits to prying eyes, however, and there¡¯s nothing Solstice¡¯s clan and their ilk despise more than someone they can¡¯t control.¡± Sundance paused to steady her breathing, keeping her anger at bay through sheer willpower. ¡°They cast the night kin aside and declared them profane, and their deity evil incarnate. And if anyone ever extended their hospitality towards them¡ consequences were in order.¡±
Sue shook as she processed the revelation, thinking back to what she¡¯d seen around the village. Willow¡¯s panicked reaction to her so much as bringing the night kin up, Spark lying about meeting one of them through her teeth, the engravings at the Pale Lady¡¯s altar¡ ¡°And those beliefs really reached as far as here?¡±
Sundance nodded deeply, hanging her head and closing her eyes. ¡°Ideas can spread like wildfire, especially when they appeal to our worst, basest impulses. It would be both foolish and wrong to attribute all the hatred towards the night kin to Solstice¡¯s clan alone. The fear of those different, of the night, of defenselessness¡ªall those were already there, a fertile ground for bigotry to grow on¡¡± she trailed off, sighing in defeat. ¡°All one needs to do to control those controlled by these fears is give them enemies to hate and rally against. I¡¯ve seen it time and again, not just with the night kin, and it is just as terrifyingly effective each time.¡±
Definitely seen that one with quite a few politicians and priests.
¡°Wh-what about Solstice, then?¡± Sue asked.
Sundance gathered her thoughts, giving her pupil a moment to collect herself. Sue¡¯s shaking hand thanked whoever was watching for the cup of her host¡¯s brew having long been emptied, lest she spilled it all over herself as the vixen continued. ¡°She got to witness the injustice her clan had caused, and it was enough to make her doubt it all. Her father isn¡¯t a Forest Guardian. His kin is similarly psychic, even if he looks different, but regardless of how little his otherness mattered, not being a Forest Guardian meant he was still inherently lesser. And so was Solstice, on account of her blood being ¡®impure¡¯.¡±
The vixen briefly paused, anger at her friend having been treated how she was warming the air around her as her expression twisted into an intense, but brief snarl. ¡°That planted the seeds of her doubt, and hearing about Night Mother and Night Father not having always been enemies from a passing mystic made them bloom. Every time someone was harassed or denied help because of being ¡®lesser¡¯ cemented her resolve even further. To get out of there, and to do what she could to make things right. And once she¡¯d evolved and received her blessings... she did.¡±
Sue couldn¡¯t help but imagine a younger Solstice sneaking away in the middle of the night, disappearing without leaving as much as a goodbye note in her wake. She grew more and more invested in the story being told, hunching forward as she nodded for Sundance to continue.
¡°She arrived in Moonview a few years before I settled here for good. Her kin gathered her no small amount of reverence, one she always tried to squash. Her knowledge of healing arts earned respect, even from Willow¡¯s kin, and they exchanged many lessons over the years. Ultimately, she was much the same person you know¡ªit¡¯s little wonder that she was liked and eventually joined the Elders¡¯ council. Once there, she did her best to undo the influence of her clan, however she could.¡±
Now that¡¯s the Solstice I know.
Sundance¡¯s tale lit up an ember of second-hand joy inside Sue, if an uneven and flickering one. She might not have known when the story would take a turn for the worse, but she knew it would eventually, trepidation coiling around her mind. ¡°Was she successful?¡±
¡°To an extent, yes,¡± the vixen nodded. ¡°Widespread as her clan¡¯s influence was, Solstice undid enough of it to open the gates for the night kin to live here. They weren¡¯t explicitly forbidden from settling here before, but they would not have been welcome, either. She changed that, pushed back against them being seen as evil or as Pale Lady¡¯s enemies, and used the influence her kinship gave her for good. And, in time, the night kin indeed settled here.¡±
The night kin¡ used to live in Moonview?
¡°Hard to imagine th-that nowadays...¡± Sue whispered.
¡°Indeed,¡± Sundance responded, cold and regretful. She closed her eyes, furrowing her brows as she muttered the rest of the tale. ¡°The beginnings were rough, but familiarity and exposure are the anathema to prejudice. As the relations warmed up, the Pale Lady¡¯s shrine was expanded with a wall depicting the Night Father, leaving them standing side by side. It was controversial even then, but most didn¡¯t care enough to be opposed, especially with Solstice blessing the change. Those that did, rallied around Root, the spiritual leader of Moonview until Solstice¡¯s arrival.¡±
Having to utter Root¡¯s name had the fox grasp her chair¡¯s armrest, claws scraping at the well-worn wood. ¡°He was the strongest opposition to the inclusion of the Night Father in their altar, as well as to the night kin¡¯s inhabitation. As much as he whined, he accomplished little, not with Solstice¡¯s popularity. Despite his complaints, we kept growing, people of all kin kept coming. It really seemed like Solstice¡¯s dream had come true, that she¡¯d defeated her clan¡¯s vicious teachings. She eventually married one of the night kin, and had a child with him.¡±
One particular name crept back into Sue¡¯s name, as did an icy chill of dread and the implication. ¡°Aurora...¡±
¡°Indeed.¡± Sundance fought hard to keep too many memories from forcing their way from under her eyelids, their sweetness harrowing in hindsight. ¡°She was a wonderful kid. So bright, so curious; she wanted to do everything, learn all there was to be known, meet everyone¡ªthe entire world felt much too small for her, at times. Her psychics unfortunately came as a great struggle at the best of times. Solstice confided in me that had Aurora hatched back at her clan, she wasn¡¯t sure what they would do with her, whether they would¡¯ve even let her live with her weakness.¡±
Was...
The sinking pit that had been forming inside Sue had grown tenfold at hearing that word. She couldn¡¯t resist asking the question at the root of it all anymore, her voice little more than a hoarse, wavering whisper. ¡°What happened to her?¡±
Sundance shuddered again at her words. It wasn¡¯t in anger this time, however¡ªit was in fear. Old fear, fear thought long buried, building up inside the vixen by the moment, ending up only barely contained as Sundance answered, her voice similarly pitiful.
¡°The plague.¡±
The words grasped Sue¡¯s mind with terror, flooded it with all the terrifying interpretations of that singular word. And yet, she still wanted to know, and the mystic could tell, pushing through her pain to tell the rest of the tale. Her pupil deserved to know, even if Sundance wanted nothing more than to be able to forget it all.
¡°It came without warning, its source unknown. It ravaged through the village, scarring our bodies and minds alike, stealing our breath and leaving burning pain behind. We tried everything we had to cure it, but all we managed was alleviating some symptoms, leaving us to pray it would subside on its own. It was arduous, but rarely lethal, at least for adults. The little ones...¡±
Even the briefest recollections of that hell brought more anguish than Sundance was equipped to handle, even so many years later. The pain, the cries, the death; her pipe dropped onto her lap as she reached up to forcibly Calm her Mind, wanting to scream as a part of her relived it all.
Not a day passed where she didn¡¯t thank the Sun for Spark not having hatched yet when it all happened.
All the while, Sue could only listen, mind tying itself into knots as tears flowed down her cheek and heart threatened to shatter into a thousand pieces.
¡°Everyone lost someone, be it family or friends. Solstice...¡± the vixen trailed off. Despite having subdued her mind, it still thrashed at the mere thought of her friend during that time, the sheer torment she must¡¯ve felt, both her own and everyone else¡¯s. It was too terrible to comprehend¡ªand yet, she had experienced it all the same. ¡°She stayed by Aurora¡¯s side as she died, alone. I-I was too sickly to leave my dwelling, and her husband, Jasper... He is a kind, sensitive soul, and it was all too much for him. He couldn¡¯t bear to witness it himself, especially after it was clear his daughter would die, forcing Solstice to endure it all alone.¡±
Sue remembered how protective she felt towards Spark and Pollux when they were being chased, how she put her whole life at stake to save them. To imagine the torment of holding her own child, wanting nothing more than to protect her from the sickness ravaging her, and being completely powerless to help, with nobody there for her...
She could only weep.
For everyone who had to experience that, for everyone who had lost someone, for all the souls lost. She had no idea how long it took her to begin wrangling herself together. Even as she did, though, terror gripped her once more¡ªfor Sundance wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°There was... one more thing. One twist of fate, that would¡¯ve been a cause for joy in any other world. Not in this one. Not back then.¡±
Oh no.
¡°Not all types were affected by it equally. Few Fire-types got seriously sick, almost all Psychics did, but the night kin¡ were immune.¡±
The vixen paused to let the fact settle, as straightforward as its repercussions were harrowing. Sue grew more and more disturbed as she tried to imagine how the people who had already distrusted them had reacted to that fact¡ªhow much blood was senselessly spilled as a result. ¡°Were they¡ k-killed?¡±
¡°Thankfully not, ¡®merely¡¯ ran out of Moonview. The grip of paranoia was inescapable¡ªeven those I trusted to know better were briefly swayed, even I felt its tendrils wrapping around my mind in the aftermath of it all. Ultimately, it culminated in a vote being held on whether to exile the night kin for good.¡±
Sue might¡¯ve been held firmly by despair, but a different emotion soon crept into her mentor¡¯s mind. Anger at her fellows for being so easily swayed by panic, seething fury towards those who had manipulated them. The air grew uncomfortably hot for a moment before Sundance reasserted her grip on herself and continued. ¡°After Aurora¡¯s passing... Jasper was paralyzed with shame. Shame at abandoning his wife and daughter when they needed him the most. It fed into itself with each passing day, leaving him unable to come back and face his wife after what had happened. Solstice was left even more alone, her entire self shattered and with nobody around to comfort her. Nobody¡ but Root.¡±
No¡ no no no no no¡ª
¡°She was at her absolute lowest, with no reprieve in sight. Utterly consumed by loss and agony, willing to do anything to get any relief from the hell of it all. When the time came, her vote was the deciding one. Between Root¡¯s influence, pain at her own husband for abandoning her when she needed him the most, and a moment of vicious weakness, she voted for exile. The champion of the night kin¡¯s cause, the one who had opened the village¡¯s gates for them, had now closed them once more.¡±
The hut was dead silent as the vixen took a deep breath, fighting to maintain composure. ¡°The night kin felt, and were, betrayed. They didn¡¯t fight the verdict¡ªperhaps some of them expected, deep down, that it would never work out in the end. Jasper... took it the worst, blamed it all on himself. I remember him pleading with me, begging to do anything to help, but I had no power there, not anymore. I stepped down from the Elders¡¯ council afterwards. And Solstice... felt betrayed too, by herself.¡±
Shakily, Sundance picked her pipe up again. She steeled herself before taking a deeper hit, her body language withdrawing further. ¡°It didn¡¯t take long for everyone else to realize what they had done. Their neighbors, their friends... gone, driven out. Some tried to rationalize it afterwards, delude themselves into truly believing that it was the night kin that had brought in the plague¡ªanything to avoid facing the responsibility for their actions and the guilt they carried. Guilt and shame.¡±
So that¡¯s why she felt so shameful¡
¡°Shame, such a caustic and destructive force. It locks one into a cycle of misery, unable to right their wrongs and escape it. Ask almost anyone who¡¯d voted towards exile on that fateful day, drill them past their inevitable excuses, and they¡¯ll break down and admit that they¡¯ve made a mistake¡ªa mistake none of them will do anything to mend, because of how much even thinking of doing that hurts.¡± Sundance paused, taking a moment to cool off as she glared at the floor between herself and her pupil, closing her eyes soon after. ¡°I kept trying to bring it up to Solstice every so often, but all that accomplished was making her break down and relive it all, her every loss and mistake, again and again. And so¡ I stopped.¡±
Sue waited for the vixen to continue for what felt like hours. After all the loss and grief, the story ended there, at last. ¡°Th-that¡¯s all... I don¡¯t have words.¡±
¡°There aren¡¯t any,¡± Sundance whispered, staring into the middle distance.
Her pupil shuddered, terrified about there being yet more death to come. ¡°Wh-what happened to the night kin?¡±
¡°They established their own settlement, Newmoon, not far from here. Everyone knows about it, and we aren¡¯t forbidden there, but¡ almost nobody wants to see the consequences of their actions. I come to visit sometimes. It¡¯s a quiet place, rather barren and tiny, but lovely in its own way. They try to make do.¡±
¡°A-almost?¡± Sue asked, confused at the wording.
Sundance nodded. ¡°I know Snowdrop is seeing someone from there. I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s looking for another partner here, too, but it¡¯s not our place to judge. Solstice and Jasper¡ meet up too, sometimes. They never talk much. Those are hardly a secret¡ªpeople find out fast. Everyone knows that nobody cares about the exile and the terrible things being ascribed to the night kin anymore¡ªand yet, here we are.¡±
¡°How long ago was that?¡±
¡°Closing in on five years now. Spark was still in her egg when it happened, thank the Sun,¡± Sundance whimpered, once more forced to grip her armrests as the terrifying what-if filled her mind.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
I need to ask about that ¡®egg¡¯ sometime.
¡°Spark¡¯s friend, Pollux... he¡¯s from that Newmoon village, right?¡±
¡°Indeed,¡± Sundance nodded, snapping herself out of her mind¡¯s torture session. ¡°I know he visits sometimes¡ªas well as he can hide, it¡¯s still easy to spot him. The divide between our villages is such an arbitrary one in the end, a line in the sand that the little ones won¡¯t and oughtn¡¯t pay any attention to. Sometimes it feels like it¡¯ll take that new generation to finally mend that wound¡¡±
¡°Guess that¡¯s why they were outshide Moonview when that shpider found them...¡± Sue muttered under her breath¡ªand immediately regretted it.
The mention of the events of her first day here immediately startled Sundance, her calm demeanor suddenly coming undone as she asked urgently, leaning forward in her seat, ¡°Wh-what do you mean?¡±
The abruptness of her mentor¡¯s reaction took Sue aback, her stammer intensifying as she retold what she¡¯d seen. ¡°Spark and P-Pollux were together when they ran into me and I-I distracted the spider...¡±
Sundance was aghast at hearing the news. Sue worried she¡¯d said something she really shouldn¡¯t have, sitting fearfully in place as she felt the vixen¡¯s worry grow, grow and turn into anger. Not at Sue, not at anyone else, only at herself, though no less intense than her silent fury from earlier because of that. Deeper breaths sent a dusting of sparks out through her nose and ear as she simmered in her anger¡ªher fury might¡¯ve been aimed inward, but that didn¡¯t make it any less vicious.
¡°I-I should¡¯ve realized. A-a part of me hoped it was something else, some other freak accident. But¡ I was just fooling myself, wasn¡¯t I. As much as I think myself above that, I keep doing that, clinging to whatever remote possibility lets me rest the easiest, just to not have to face the facts...¡± the vixen trailed off, fighting an internal battle. Eventually, however, she had to admit the truth to herself. ¡°No, this can¡¯t continue! I let it go on for too long, it¡ªit has to stop! I can¡¯t risk Spark getting in danger like that again, I...¡±
Sundance grew quiet as her anger burned up into grief and regret, at having failed to make the world safer for her little one, entirely through her own inaction.
Before her, Sue wondered what to even do in the face of all the misery, feeling powerless to help¡ªand then; an idea came to her. A terrible, foolish idea, but one she had to at least try. She wouldn¡¯t be able to mend the wound between these two peoples, no.
But I can at least try to comfort one hurt person.
¡°Perhaps I am truly no better,¡± Sundance continued through gritted teeth. ¡°Much as I keep holding it all against Solstice, it had to be my flesh and blood for me to act towards resolving this injustice. Maybe I should¡¯ve kept pressing her harder all along. Maybe I should¡¯ve not even cared about what she¡¯d do and acted on my own. Maybe if I had just pushed through the pain on that fateful day, pushed to her tent to be there for her, the suffering of so many more would¡¯ve been averted¡¡± she paused, a few stray tears forcing their way past her eyelids. And then, she admitted with a wavering, resigned voice, ¡°I wish I had half the answers I give the impression of having.¡±
Sue had no idea what advice she could feasibly give to someone who had lived through hell after hearing an abridged version of the events. Instead, she offered understanding, sinking into an uncertain expression and trying to bounce back some of Sundance¡¯s own insight from earlier. ¡°Th-that¡¯s undershtandable. Even if you¡¯ve made a mistake by letting it fester, it doesn¡¯t mean you have to let it continue.¡±
The vixen¡¯s expression briefly twisted as she faced her own partial responsibility in all of this. The resulting mental struggle was as intense as it was brief, her eyes opening with a grunt. ¡°You¡ªyou¡¯re right. Thank you, Sue. I¡¯ll need to think about what to do after all this time. It will be messy, but... I owe it to Spark. I owe it to Solstice, I owe it to you, I owe it to everyone. Something has to be done.¡±
Sundance¡¯s newfound determination spread over to her pupil, adding fuel to her recently hatched plan. Sue spoke, ¡°G-good luck. I¡¯ll¡ªI¡¯ll leave you to it, but first, I have to know. Where is Solstice?¡±
The vixen shook her head, eyes going wide. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sue, I¡¯ll handle talking with her. You shouldn¡¯t put this burden on yourself¡ª¡±
¡°Th-this isn¡¯t what I want t-to talk to her about,¡± Sue responded, her words pointed and steadfast, unlike her.
The mystic thought about it all briefly before slowly nodding. ¡°I see. I can¡¯t read her mind from here, but... if I know her at all, she¡¯ll be at the cemetery, praying.¡±
¡°Th-the cemetery? Where¡¯s¡ª¡±
Wait, the clearing I ran into Solstice on. The decorated rocks, the quietness, the distance from Moonview¡ªthat must be it.
It was a fair march away, but Sue felt readier than ever to take it on. The approximately nine espresso¡¯s worth of caffeine circulating in her system helped, too.
¡°Seems you¡¯ve figured it out,¡± Sundance spoke with the world¡¯s weakest chuckle. ¡°I won¡¯t hold you back, unless you want me to escort you over.¡±
Sue¡¯s arms trembled as she pushed herself through her strain and onto her legs. ¡°No, no, I¡¯ll be fine. I-I can do this.¡± She was tired and hurt, but the burning drive inside her made her overlook all of it, staggered steps quickly evening out.
¡°May the Sun hasten you, Sue. But remember, it¡¯s not your fault. You aren¡¯t responsible for any of this.¡±
Sundance¡¯s remark made the once-human pause as her hand rested on the door handle. She took a couple of deep breaths before responding, ¡°I know,¡± and speeding on, leaving the vixen to mull through her plan on her own.
A mixture of a sense of duty and an absurd amount of caffeine combined into a hyperfocus that had Sue hobble faster than she had ever walked anywhere. Her body hurt; she made for a dumbfounding spectacle with her waddling, but she didn¡¯t care. Most villagers may have already gotten used to the second, much younger Forest Guardian in their midst, but watching her sprint with a crutch was something else entirely.
The emotional rollercoaster she¡¯d just been through made the sensation of focus being placed upon her into something unpleasant¡ªnerve-wracking even. It may have fed further into Sue¡¯s anxieties about becoming the center of attention, but she wouldn¡¯t let it stop her¡ªnot here, not now.
In just a couple of days, Moonview had turned from a location out of ¡®Alice in Wonderland¡¯ to a town mundane enough for her to have a rudimentary, subconscious map of. The surrounding landmarks steered her towards the clearing, her focus squarely on her destination as she passed by Willow¡¯s clinic.
A cry calling from behind her snatched Sue¡¯s attention, and she only barely braked in time to look over her shoulder at its source. Willow¡¯s confounded expression hid immense worry as they waved at her¡ªbut they weren¡¯t alone. A couple of other beings stood beside them, including the bedsheet-covered stranger she¡¯d ran into earlier, a black, short tentacle waving at her from under their disguise.
The other one was mostly white and looked kinda like a cat, and that¡¯s all the attention Sue would spare them, shaking her head at the group before leaving with a response only she understood¡ª¡°Later!¡±
They deserved further explanation, but between her sense of duty and running on borrowed time granted to her by Sundance¡¯s drink, Sue knew she couldn¡¯t stop. The medic¡¯s worry only grew further at watching her shamble away with a single word response, but they knew full well they weren¡¯t gonna be able to persuade her to stop. Or even catch up to her, for that matter.
Before Sue knew it, she was back at the clearing, gunning towards the path to the cemetery. Poppy¡¯s nearby call went unacknowledged, the once-human¡¯s tunnel vision narrowing further the closer she got to her destination.
After having grown too used to sensing dozens of minds surrounding her at all times, the near complete mental silence Sue felt in the middle of that well-worn path was unnerving. As loud as Moonview was to her sixth sense, she was never alone in there, and help was all around her should anything happen.
If I collapse here, it could be hours, days before someone realizes¡
And to think I tried to run away from that safety only yesterday.
Sure, the only other possibility Sue could imagine at the time was death, but hindsight sure didn¡¯t paint her thought process in a good light. Not one bit. Thankfully, her worries about missing the person she was looking for were dispelled before they could build up any further, a distant sensation of sorrow growing closer with every step. It was far from pleasant, even if nowhere near as overwhelming as it had been immediately after her breakdown.
It only made the younger Forest Guardian push herself even harder.
The memory of her first encounter with Solstice, likely when she was praying to Aurora no less, was one that would remain burned into Sue¡¯s mind forever. Her poise, her calmness, dignified and imposing¡ªso utterly unlike her current state. She was slumped to the side, looking less like she sat down before the silvery sapling and more so like she¡¯d collapsed there and hadn¡¯t moved afterwards, hands clasped together and shaking. And then, she froze, sensing her student¡¯s arrival.
Solstice¡¯s panicked glance over her shoulder was no less miserable than the last time Sue saw her. Sue felt her sadness spoiling into shame as she reeled away from the cemetery¡¯s entrance, her voice pathetically quiet. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry Sue, I-I¡ª¡±
¡°Sundance told me everything.¡±
The older Forest Guardian froze upon hearing that, staring Sue down as the latter slumped forward and caught her breath, body screaming in soreness as she made it through the last few steps separating her from the nearest bench. ¡°E-everything?¡± Solstice asked, terrified.
¡°About Aurora. About the night kin. About... your clan,¡± Sue explained, each of these revelations making the Mayor wince visibly as she tried to retain the little composure she had left. And then, the final addition broke the dam, at last: ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for your loss.¡±
Solstice curled forward as if struck, breaking into full-blown weeping, tears glistening in the afternoon light as she grieved for her daughter once more.
Nothing I can do but be here for her.
Minute by minute, Solstice¡¯s outburst of despair slowly faded. Wails gave way to sobs, then whimpers, and finally, silence. Eventually, the older Forest Guardian found enough strength to pick herself back up onto her legs and shamble towards her pupil, even if she felt too ashamed to look her in the eyes. Sue wasted no time before wrapping her arms around her mentor and pulling her into a tight embrace the moment she sat down. Solstice¡¯s tears grew even more bitter at her student¡¯s compassion, the comfort as nourishing as it felt unearned.
Eventually, only a heavy, lingering silence remained. Sue¡¯s green hand gently stroked her mentor¡¯s side as they both sat at a loss for words, for what felt like forever. Until, at last, the older Forest Guardian whispered, ¡°I... I th-thought I had gotten over it.¡±
Sue nodded, her one-armed embrace shuddering. ¡°I-I don¡¯t think th-that¡¯s something you ever really, fully get over.¡±
Solstice didn¡¯t respond immediately, head hunching forward as she tried to keep her breathing stable. Eventually came a quiet whimper¡ª¡°You think?¡±
I know.
¡°Yeah,¡± Sue answered, her whisper only barely audible.
¡°I-it was going so well...¡± Solstice pleaded with Fate, ¡°i-it felt like I had made my peace with it all. Like I have finally moved on¡ª¡±
¡°And then I showed up?¡±
Solstice was startled at Sue¡¯s question; her words caught in her throat. Her gaze trailed off into the middle distance before she clenched her eyes shut, a few more bitter tears flowing down her cheeks. Sue¡¯s embrace never wavered, nor did the comfort she tried to provide. An attempt at stroking the older Forest Guardian¡¯s head sent a light jolt through them both, the Mayor eventually accepting the affection. ¡°She... she would¡¯ve been your age.¡±
The bitterly admitted truth made Sue freeze, lost for words. There weren¡¯t any, there couldn¡¯t be any. Eventually, she just acknowledged the fact with a slow nod, her embrace growing shakier.
¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Sue¡ª¡± Solstice insisted.
Sue cut her off¡ª¡°I know.¡±
The Mayor shakily nodded, admitting soon after, ¡°I-I just¡ don¡¯t know why it hit me there as hard as it did.¡±
¡°A false subconscious hope deep inside, maybe. M-maybe you never really finished grieving for her.¡±
¡°I thought I have. Though... maybe not. Not too long after, I-I had to pick myself together and... keep going. Despite my loss, despite everyone else¡¯s loss, despite¡ª¡± Solstice doubled over as she felt shame stab her in the guts. Sue winced by proximity, doing what she could to hold the distraught mother closer even as her past sins weighed heavily on her.
Whether deservedly or not was not for Sue to decide¡ªall she knew was that right now, her mentor needed the reassurance more than anything else. ¡°Shounds like you didn¡¯t really have that time then,¡± She whispered.
¡°Maybe not,¡± Solstice shuddered as she took in a deeper breath, her pupil holding her all the while. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I could, even. After all¡ª¡±
¡°¡ªthe world doesn¡¯t wait for us.¡±
The older Forest Guardian let out a quiet gasp as she looked over at Sue, her gaze focused on the memorial treeling. Her expression remained stoic even as a handful of stray tears began wetting her cheeks again, culminating with more whispered words. ¡°Even if it feels like we¡¯ve lost a part of ourselves, like we¡¯ll never be whole again... we have to keep moving on, pretending we¡¯re fine. Faking it until it stops hurting all the time, hoping we¡¯ll get over it, get over ourselves, because nobody will wait for us.¡±
Sue¡¯s body wavered, her own pain finally breaking through her facade as she thought back, way back. Solstice followed along with her train of thought, all the way back to its only possible destination¡ª
And watched as her pupil relived it all.
¡°?Ain¡¯t no sunshine when she¡¯s gone~?¡±
A gentle campfire lit the clearing up as it chewed through what remained of its fuel. The pile of dry wood gathered beforehand had become little more than a handful of assorted twigs by now, though nobody really minded¡ªespecially with the pack of marshmallows they had brought with themselves having long since been emptied.
Despite the creeping clouds covering most of the sky, the Moon itself and a small swatch near it remained clear. It¡¯d be a few more days until the celestial body would be at its brightest, but it was breathtaking all the same¡ªespecially with the family being able to witness it away from the town for once.
¡°?Only darkness every day~?¡±
Neither the three voices nor the gentle guitar twangs were even close to being on key, the instrument especially in dire need of getting tuned. Once more, the trio didn¡¯t care, singing on as they wrapped up a fun, eventful day.
The youngest member of the impromptu band enjoyed herself in particular, putting everything she could into the song being sung, despite her tiredness. She rocked to the sides as she over-enunciated every note, pigtails waving and legs swinging under the bench with every word.
¡°?Ain¡¯t no sunshine when she¡¯s gone~?¡±
To her right sat the person playing the guitar, a woman with a similar face and a joyous expression. Her shoulder-length hair slid around as she bounced to the tune along with her daughter, without a care in the world. The man on the next bench over completed the trio, his scruffy and unshaven look giving off a casual, welcoming vibe, helped further by a slightly oversized tie-dyed shirt.
¡°?And this house just ain¡¯t no home~?¡±
The long pointy sticks they had used to roast marshmallows lied off to the side, as did a handful of toys they had taken along for the trip. A partially mud caked frisbee, a slightly less dirty beach ball, an action figure of a main character from a popular cartoon, one that little Sue always brought with herself whenever she went outside, but which she never had quite enough spare time to actually play with.
¡°?Ain¡¯t no sunshine when she¡¯s gone.¡±
And with a final chord, the song ended.
¡°Can we do another one!?¡± Sue squealed excitedly.
Her parents smiled widely as they glanced at each other, and then at the fire. ¡°I don¡¯t know Sue, can we?¡± Dad asked, tongue in cheek.
¡°Pleeeeeeaase!¡±
Her pleading tone of voice made Mom finally cave in with a louder giggle. She reached over to ruffle her daughter¡¯s hair, the laughter soon spreading to her little one. ¡°Well, I think we could squeeze one more in. So, what will it be?¡±
Dad chimed in, ¡°We should be the ones asking you that, Mrs. Gold Award Scout~.¡±
Mom couldn¡¯t resist rolling her eyes and sticking her tongue out at her husband¡ªonly for him to return the gesture right away, sending their daughter into a giggling fit even without knowing the full context. Once she had gotten over her own laughter, though, Sue wasted no time before finally proposing something¡ª¡°The houshe of the rising sun!¡±
¡°Again~?¡± Mom asked with a raised eyebrow.
¡°Yeah!¡±
¡°Alrighty, we can go through that one again~! Just lemme remember how that one starts¡ª*eek!*¡± Mom suddenly jumped in her seat. Before Sue or Dad could figure out what had happened, they felt the first raindrops hit them too, the girl shivering in response. ¡°Welp, seems the rain had other plans! High time to get back home, eh?¡±
¡°Sue, grab your toys and start heading over to the car. We¡¯ll get there in a mo¡¯,¡± Dad instructed.
¡°Okay!¡±
Even though she was a bit disappointed by the song plans getting interrupted, Sue knew that there was no point in arguing with the rain, especially with it being nice and warm enough to feel more ticklish than freezing¡ªwhen it wasn¡¯t making its way past her collar, at least.
The six-year-old resorted to holding the frisbee as a makeshift umbrella next to her parents¡¯ car as she watched them clean the clearing up. With one last look around to make sure they had left no trash behind, they finally started heading over as well; a couple of lights blinked on the vehicle¡¯s sides as it was unlocked. Sue scrambled to the trunk and popped it open the moment she saw the telltale flashes. She put all her toys back in, but didn¡¯t have the reach to actually grab the lid again¡ªnot for a lack of trying, that¡¯s for sure.
¡°Get in the car Sue, we¡¯ll take care of the trunk,¡± Dad reassured.
¡°Okay!¡±
Even the brief exposure to the increasingly icy rain left the girl shivering as she climbed back inside the car. The dim lightbulbs provided just enough light for her to maneuver herself back onto the booster seat and click her seatbelt into place. Her parents followed a few moments later, Mom giggling, ¡°Not a moment too late! The sky really just broke down on us there.¡±
¡°Ride back home¡¯s gonna be fun,¡± Dad grumbled.
¡°Just take it slow Nick, no need to rush anything, especially not in this weather.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah, I know.¡±
¡°Seatbelt on, Sue?¡± Mom asked, looking over her shoulder from the passenger seat. The sight of her little Sue always brought a smile to her face without fail, no matter the context.
¡°Yeah!¡± the tyke squealed.
¡°Awesome!¡± Mom beamed. ¡°Let¡¯s get outta here. How¡¯s hot cocoa sound after we¡¯re back home?¡±
¡°Can we have marshmallows too?¡± Sue pleaded.
¡°Well, we kinda ate them all here, buuuut we could make popcorn instead!¡±
¡°Yes! Thank you, mommy!¡±
Another hair ruffle sent Sue giggling again as the lights inside the car dimmed. The steady rattle of rain grew louder as Dad pulled out of the increasingly muddy parking lot and back onto the rural road, thanking whoever was listening for the relatively fresh looking asphalt that covered it. In not too long, the mix of the rain¡¯s din and the engine¡¯s rumbling was the only sound that filled the car. All the while, the headlights were doing their best to cut through the ever thickening downpour, to a limited success.
¡°Fat chance anything¡¯s gonna be clear through this rain, but might as well try,¡± Dad sighed. A few attempts to tune into a local radio station ended up unsuccessful; any melody they could make out was too drowned out by static to be listenable. ¡°Yep, guess it¡¯s just us and the road.¡±
¡°Moooom, can I play?¡±
Sue¡¯s mom sighed quietly, rolling her eyes with a chuckle as she glanced over to the back seat. ¡°Sure, sure, just turn the sound off.¡±
¡°Thank you!¡± Sue squeaked, scooping the handheld console up from the middle seat. Its purplish plastic was cracked in a couple of places from overuse, but still held strong as the rectangular screen came to life; the device¡¯s welcoming chime soon silenced.
Much as the girl¡¯s mom tried to limit her daughter¡¯s screen time, she couldn¡¯t deny that a dull ride back home with not even a radio to ferry them over was a more than justifiable time to lose herself to the plumbers and heroes of legend and all that.
For a solid while afterwards, all Sue¡¯s memories remembered was the small, glowing screen in front of her, the outside world entirely tuned out. Clumps of pixels representing franchise icons moved and jumped around as the same few levels were replayed god knows how many times¡ªall that mattered was that they were fun, and fun they most definitely were.
Sue grew drowsy as her dad drove on, the last of her excitement about their day out camping finally leaving her system. Eventually, she dropped the console onto the seat beside hers, closing her eyes and expecting to wake up in her own bedroom.
The moments that followed were nothing more than a sudden, deafening blur.
Blinding lights ahead of them. Her mom¡¯s shout. The next thing Sue knew, the entire world was tumbling around her. Seatbelt dug into her body as she was rag dolled in her seat, the shriek of crumpling metal permanently burning itself into her memory.
An instant later, it was over with another loud crash.
All that accompanied the still present rain and rumble was an occasional crack or groan. The concussed world around her was nothing more than a dark blur as Sue realized she was sitting at an angle, her entire body hurting¡ª
¡°Cass? CASS!?¡± Dad shrieked, making the girl try to focus on and look at where her mom sat. Her memory refused to follow, continuing to stare straight into the back of her dad¡¯s seat and tuning out his despairing screams.
Refused to relive the sight just off to the left.
Refused to notice the blood splatter on the car¡¯s dashboard.
Refused to see her mom¡¯s body, crushed by the tree their car had slammed into.
Refused to hear any more of her dad¡¯s pleading.
Refused to experience losing her innocence again.
Sue¡¯s traumatic vision began to come undone around her, her quiet whisper the last sound before it all disappeared¡ª
¡°M-mom?¡±
Sue had no idea how much time had passed by the time she felt herself return to reality. All she knew was that she¡¯d been crying for a while, judging by the sticky sensation on her cheeks. Solstice was steadily stroking the side of her face and holding her tight, just as tightly as she was held herself earlier.
Her glance up at her mentor was returned, Solstice¡¯s expression trying to be as comforting as she could manage, regardless of how badly she needed that comfort, too. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Sue.¡±
Sue thought about getting up before realizing just how utterly tired she was; any strength Sundance¡¯s brew had filled her with long gone. Old emotional scars, both her own and her mentor¡¯s, had drained her wholly, leaving little more than an emotionless husk behind.
And yet...
Her flat expression shuddered as her emotions crept back to her, including one particular sensation that she now, more than ever, couldn¡¯t ignore¡ªnot after a light had been shone on it so directly. She recalled clasping her hands before bed each night for months afterwards, muttering whichever few prayers she knew for her mom to come back. For it all to have just been a vicious nightmare.
And yet, once she actually felt that comfort, the same warmth once more, after all these years... she didn¡¯t know what to do.
Do I want this?
Do I deserve this?
Is it right of me to want this?
Is it fair? To myself, to Solstice, to my mom, to Aurora, is it right!?
Is it right of me to feel at home in ways I haven¡¯t since that evening!?
Is it right of me to dread the return to my world, a world where I was and always would be a nobody, and where barely anyone has even realized I disappeared!?
Sue didn¡¯t know. At that moment, there was only one thing she knew for certain, knew so much more than anything else in the world, be it this one or her own. The truth that felt so terrifying to admit¡ªand yet, was no less real.
I don¡¯t want Solstice to let go.
Chapter 12: Daybreak
Sue remembered little of what followed her heart to heart with Solstice.
Her exhausted mind kept slipping in and out of consciousness, reducing entire hours to singular images. Solstice holding her in silence for hours. Being half guided, half carried back to the village, the sun setting above her. Laying on the bed in Willow¡¯s clinic. The medic themselves standing in the doorway, the faint candlelight illuminating them against the backdrop of a nigh-moonless night.
And then... she was here again.
For once, Sue took her time before springing head first into yet another dream, shaking and keeping her eyes closed. The memory of the actual campfire the mockery in her dreams was based on was still fresh in her recollection and rawer than ever.
Maybe, if she just kept trying, she could force herself to snap out of this vision before she had to see any more of it. Maybe if she told Duck and Night Father off firmly enough, they¡¯d leave this place alone and not defile it any further with their presence. Maybe she was just being repeatedly tested, and would be stuck in this world until she cracked a puzzle in her dreams she wasn¡¯t even aware of.
Ultimately, there was little she could do without finding out just what she was in for this time. With a deep breath, Sue turned her gaze skyward and opened her eyes, determined to stare down whichever deity was¡ª
The Moon was not there.
The realization took its sweet time to settle in as she kept examining the starry sky. She hoped to spot the usually unmistakable celestial body, or even just a Moon-sized hole in the astral backdrop¡ªbut no, nothing. No Moon, be it full or new, no clouds, only an endless canvas of darkness dotted with uncountable pinpricks of light, a couple of them moving across it.
Sue hesitated before lowering her eyeline and taking in the rest of the scene, left with absolutely no idea what she would see¡ªand with the sky being simultaneously so familiar, and yet so deeply wrong, she didn¡¯t have a good feeling about this. Then again, it wasn¡¯t like she could avoid having to face it all sooner or later. She took a deep breath, then another, and then went for it in one swift motion, hoping her mind was ready for whatever horrors had been thrust upon it this time.
Okay, this is... slightly less unnerving.
Most of the scene was exactly how she remembered it, with the differences being limited to a couple of new objects, one of them as familiar as the other was gaudy.
To her right, on the next bench over, laid her mom¡¯s guitar. The same one she played on that fateful evening before it ended up sharing her fate. The same cheap wood and even cheaper varnish, the same out of tune strings, the same magic-themed stickers covering most of its sides and front, courtesy of Sue from many years ago. The details rushed into her mind one by one, most of them thought long since faded from memory.
The other addition was much more eye-catching, but Sue would be lying if she said she cared about the ornate door anywhere near as much as the instrument beside her.
Before long, Sue was sitting where her mom once sat, the guitar now in her hands¡ªhands that probably weren¡¯t even fit to play it. Even if, though, that was a problem for the awake her. Without thinking more of it, she got right into plucking away at the strings, half-remembered chords combining into the most listenable kind of cacophony. Memories flowed with each note, slipping out from underneath the vice press of trauma that had threatened to crush them out of existence. Memories of the happier times, of her spending hours listening to her mom practicing or learning a new song.
Once upon a time, there was nothing cooler to her than being a guitarist.
She was so glad she could still remember.
Sue¡¯s impromptu jamming session came to an end after a few minutes as she reached up to wipe the quickly building moisture out of her eyes. Once she had steadied her breathing, she laid the guitar down beside her¡ªand did a double take at seeing something, someone in the corner of her eye, in the spot she sat on when she first woke up here¡ª
One blink later, nothing.
Huh.
Regardless of whatever that was or wasn¡¯t, it left Sue with an anxious feeling in her stomach, pushing her away from pondering on it. Shaking it off, she stood up and stretched, basking in the campfire¡¯s warmth for a moment before turning towards the door standing off to the side. The golden frame and ebony wood made it look otherworldly¡ªnot to mention absurd, considering its surroundings. Before it lay a small, pink jewelry pillow, and on it rested a pair of golden semicircles, looking as if they had been made by someone with no sense of taste whatsoever.
Their combined appearance was so stark that all they needed was a large wobbling ¡®Click Me!¡¯ pop-up hovering above them¡ª
Hold on.
The door could wait for a moment. As Sue was walking up to it, she felt¡ something underneath her foot, buried in the gray sand. An attempt to reach in found a massive slab of what felt like stone, large enough for her attempts to move it to accomplish exactly jack. She settled for the second best option instead¡ªuncovering the object, one swipe of her oversized hands at a time.
Sue¡¯s determination only grew as more of the slab came to view¡ªand with it, writing engraved on it. Right as she was about to wrap it up, though, her hand brushed against a piece of paper somewhere in the sands. Without even thinking, she grabbed it with an excited, manic motion and brought it in front of herself¡ª
You¡¯re welcome.
Silver ink, elegant cursive, absolutely zero idea of what it could mean. The words made zero sense until she looked up from the page and at the unearthed slab, imaginary blood draining from her imaginary face as she took the inscription in.
?
In Loving Memory Of
SUE MARY MULLINS
16th January 2001 - 13th April 2023
Beloved Daughter
Forever In Our Hearts
Thirteenth of April, when the hell was that!?
Sue didn¡¯t even notice the second date having been crossed out as her panicking thoughts tried to remember a date, any date, eventually stumbling on something recent.
She remembered waking up at a small rundown hostel and checking her phone first thing in the morning. It was just past nine, April twelfth. She had breakfast, strapped on her backpack, and headed out to a nearby forest trail. It was supposed to look stunning at this time of the year. At around the halfway mark, she found a bench and had lunch, then there was a loud bang some distance away, and¡ª
And¡ª
¡
¡
And the next thing she knew, she was laying in mud, lost, in a body that wasn¡¯t hers.
Was that supposed to represent her subconscious worry about everyone on Earth thinking she was dead? Sue had no idea, but between the hyperawareness of her memories having been tampered with, and the distress of seeing her own gravestone, she really didn¡¯t want to think about it any longer.
Let¡¯s just focus on that door.
Shaking the morbid discovery off, Sue slowly got up and approached the main attraction this dream had in store. The door¡¯s appearance became more bizarre the closer she looked, extremely lavish materials mixing with equally banal, plain design. Even the door handle was just an ebony replica of the plastic ones from her campus.
She wasn¡¯t surprised to see the handle not budge even slightly when she tried to open it. Instead, her attention jumped down and towards the shiny trinkets laying in front of the door, the entire display as eye-catching as it was tacky. The two semicircles on the jewelry pillow didn¡¯t just look like they were made of gold¡ªthey were. Solid gold no less, judging by their weight. They were engraved with depictions of Duck and Night Father, respectively, the engravings as detailed as they were shoddy, as if it had been clumsily machine pressed onto the precious metal.
One of them had a bit sticking out in the middle. It dumbfounded Sue for all of half a second before she spotted a fitting hole in the other one, the realization that followed as dumb as it was inarguable.
This is a puzzle with two elements.
As much as she felt like a victim of a practical joke, Sue couldn¡¯t resist sticking the two pieces together just to see what would happen. They kept clinking against each other as she pressed them together, the sound grating her ears, but eventually she got them to fit. And, on cue, the dreamed-up door opened, revealing her dorm room on its other side.
It was all there. The bed she forgot to make when heading out, her laptop sipping electricity from the outlet, the trash bin that was long due to be cleaned, the small pile of notes cluttering her desk, a few dishes from the last morning she¡¯d spent there.
This was her way out of here.
Sue dropped the pathetic excuse for a puzzle as she took a step towards the gate back to her world. To her dismay, the door didn¡¯t get any closer, remaining just out of reach. Panic built inside her as she broke into a jog, then a sprint, straining her body to the backdrop of her dorm¡¯s ambience as the dream fell apart around her. She couldn¡¯t keep up, putting the last of her strength into one last leap of faith¡ªbut it, too, wasn¡¯t enough.
Her reach missed the golden doorframe by mere inches as the surrounding scenery finished dissolving, leaving her to fall down, down, down¡ª
And then, she felt her hand be grabbed by another, much like itself, and woke up.
Sue gasped as she came to, eyes shooting wide open. Her mind caught up to her surroundings as she calmed down her shallow breaths, eventually getting back to something approaching calmness. Once she no longer felt like she was on the brink of a panic attack, she sat up on her bed, staring at nothing as she processed what the hell she¡¯d just dreamed.
Which fucking deity is messing with me this time?
The Moon¡¯s absence hinted strongly against either of the two lunar deities¡ªbut if not them, then who? That tombstone was there for a reason, that door was there for a reason, that guitar¡ might¡¯ve been there for a reason, or it might¡¯ve just been her own subconscious acting up or something.
Even brief thoughts about the implication of her having died sent chills down Sue¡¯s back. Chills, but nothing for answers, forcing her to focus on the other mystery, thankfully as trivial in the waking world as it was in her dreams. She brought the Night Mother and the Night Father together, and the door back home opened¡ª
¡
Wait, is that¡ it?
She tried to arrange the facts into some other configuration, worrying she had fallen into an intentionally placed dead end while the actual mystery here ran much deeper. But¡ no, nothing came up; there was no other way to interpret this. She just had to bring two¡
Gods¡
Back together¡
¡
As straightforward as her goal now was, that didn¡¯t make it feel any less impossible. Sue had no idea where to begin with that kind of divine counseling¡ªor even what getting them back together would even look like. Did she just¡ have to wait until both of them showed up in one of her dreams, at which point she¡¯d make a polite plea for them to get together again?
The mental image of trying to bring a divorced couple together emerged from her brain and wouldn¡¯t go away, no matter how hard she¡¯d tried to banish it. It might¡¯ve been accurate¡ªit even felt like it was accurate¡ªbut it only made her feel more disheartened at her impossible task.
Oh, bother.
Sue knew she had to stop thinking about this or she¡¯d grow mad, sooner or later. Tried as she might, she couldn¡¯t snap her mind away from this topic, though, deflating her with a weak sigh. The task in front of her was one she had absolutely no idea how to even begin approaching. Interfering in divine quarrels was an undertaking much better suited for heroes of Greek legend, as opposed to one traumatized comp-sci student of hardly any ability and even less renown.
She was far from a stranger to the question of ¡®why me¡¯, and it took her until the past couple years to realize there was no point in asking it. It was a question without an answer, not one more explanatory than the incomprehensible dance of random chance, chaos theory, and Fate.
But¡ that wasn¡¯t the case here, though.
Someone got her into all this mess, someone snatched her from her world and sent her to calm down a feud between two literal deities, someone left her here without even deigning her with a familiar body¡ªor any memories of being kidnapped into this world, for that matter.
The moment I get my hands on that someone, I¡¯m kicking their ass all the way to the Moon.
The newfound determination didn¡¯t unravel the mystery any, but it certainly gave Sue the motivation to snap herself out of her funk and face the new day. She tossed the covers off and stretched, finally settling on how she was gonna tackle it all.
One step at a time, just like everything else.
Before she could start the day proper, though, a couple of distractions caught her attention. The bulky cast on her leg had been downgraded to just a few layers of bandages. She could still see some reddish swelling underneath, but it was far from the sight permanently burned into her memory she¡¯d witnessed on her first day in Moonview. A tentative attempt to stand up on just her two feet ended in failure, but only barely this time. The pain was only slightly too unbearable now, and if her leg kept improving, then she ought to be able to walk again in a few days.
The other distraction was a small, off-white bundle in the clinic''s corner, a far cry from Willow¡¯s usual cleanliness. If it hadn¡¯t been glowing, Sue would¡¯ve probably just ignored it, but that addition made it just a bit too interesting to look past. Especially when combined with there being a mental presence underneath.
¡°H-h-hello?¡± Sue asked¡ªand backed off a couple of steps, the bundle¡¯s reaction immediate.
It shuffled around the floor for a moment, making sounds akin to metal scraping on wood, before it hovered into the air. Once it was floating, its¡ªtheir appearance suddenly became much more familiar, but not their identity.
Sue had no idea why the bedsheet ghost lookalike she had run into outside Solstice¡¯s tent would spend a night in here with her. Before she could put even the measliest of ideas together, though, the hidden creature¡¯s stretch had the canvas sheet covering it slide off. They caught onto it too late, the black tentacles reaching out from underneath the cover fumbling and failing to grasp it before it fell all the way off.
The creature hiding beneath was... a lamp.
It was absurd how well that description fit. The small black body, arms and ¡®cap¡¯ had a texture of wrought iron, while their head was a semitransparent, glass-like sphere with a couple of yellow eyes on its outside. It housed a stunning blue flame, growing livelier once she took a closer look at it.
So¡ so eye-catching... I can¡¯t¡ look¡ away¡
And then; it was covered up once more.
The floating creature hovered away as Sue blinked through her momentary daze. The stranger¡¯s emotions had turned from a mild startle to a heaping pile of shameful anxiety, the shift catching Sue off guard. Their ¡®words¡¯ were apologetic in tone, at least as much as the sound of quiet whispers mixing with fiery cracking could be said to have a tone to it.
¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sue mumbled, feeling like she¡¯d just woken up from a nap.
Despite a lack of understanding, the lack of hostility in her voice was apparent, calming the stranger down as they hovered higher into the air. Their black tentacles were gripping their off-white shroud extra hard, leaving them looking even weirder than normal. Out of everything Sue had seen there, they¡¯ve been by far the most¡ eccentric creature yet¡ª
*rrr-rrrip!*
Sue stared blankly as the black spike at the top of the lamp¡¯s head impaled through their cover. It was clearly intentional if them growing calmer afterwards was anything to go by, but it only confused her even more. Guess it wouldn¡¯t fall off this way, at least¡ªwait, was that why¡ª
Before Sue could home in on that particular mystery, a soft voice perked her up. The sight of Willow had grown incredibly reassuring over her stay here, dissolving any remaining tension as she looked at the door¡¯s clinic, finding the elderly medic smiling up at her.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
As they turned to talk to the hiding lamp, Sue gave her telepathy another go. She wasn¡¯t exhausted or panicking anymore; there was much less risk of accidentally mentally assaulting someone, and¡ªif the worst came to pass¡ªWillow would probably be much more forgiving than that bee. With tranquil surroundings and a calm mind, the ritual she¡¯d learned with Solstice only took a few seconds to perform in full.
Time to reap the spoils.
¡°G-good morning, Willow!¡± she greeted, expression turning ecstatic at getting one step closer to independence.
The medic, however, jumped at the sound, eyes wide as they turned around towards her. ¡°Oh? Sue?¡±
The Forest Guardian beamed as she confirmed their hunch with a firm nod, trying her hardest to keep any self awareness about being far behind the skills of other Forest Guardians at bay.
I earned this; my brain can go and beat it.
¡°Oh! Good. Very good. How feel?¡± they asked.
Granted, all her limited skill got her were only fragmentary sentences, requiring a lot more brain power to process than she would¡¯ve preferred. Still, it far, far beat nothing, Sue giddy as she replied, ¡°I¡¯m much better, th-thank you, Willow. Is my leg getting better?¡±
The imperfect communication seemed to go both ways, the bunny-like medic squinting as they worked through the few words they could make out. Their expression lit up as they finally cracked it, an affirmative nod joining it soon after. ¡°Welcome. Leg better. Walk again in days. No walk now.¡±
She definitely wasn¡¯t about to after her earlier test, but she appreciated the clarification.
With their message acknowledged, Willow turned back to the lamp in the room. Sue¡¯s body used the opportunity to remind her about itself¡ªit sure was high time for breakfast. Or two. She waited patiently as the other two spoke, the medic eventually speaking to her again, ¡°This Crackle. He worried you yesterday, asked me help.¡±
The name fit, if nothing else. As much of a mess as yesterday was, she couldn¡¯t recall getting scared of him, though.
Wait, maybe Willow means ¡®worried about you¡¯. Yeah, that fits better. Aww.
The news brought a smile to the once-human¡¯s face as she waved at the newly identified Crackle, the floating lamp eagerly responding in kind. ¡°Awww, tell him I said ¡®thank you¡¯,¡± she beamed. ¡°That¡¯s really sweet of him. Why is he hiding like this?¡±
Both Willow and Crackle grew confused as the former passed the words over, leaving Sue to worry she¡¯d accidentally made a gaffe towards the animated inanimate object. Thankfully, the lamp got the gist not long after, his whispers growing louder as he let the medic know. ¡°He say you nice. Glad you not mad. Him fire eat soul,¡± Willow explained, perfectly calm.
¡what?
¡°Umm, could you repeat?¡± Sue asked, gulping. ¡°I don¡¯t think I got that right.¡±
¡°Repeat? Crackle fire burn spirit. Bad to look at alone.¡±
...nope, I didn¡¯t mishear that.
Guess them wearing a blanket made much more sense now, even if it also implied that she had some of her soul eaten during her earlier exposure. Once she¡¯d pushed past that terrifying realization, though, Sue realized she didn¡¯t really feel any different afterwards. Maybe he¡¯d only burned a small bit of her soul, then? Too small to notice? Maybe? Please?
Her sixth sense gladly pointed out that the unintentional spiritual arsonist was aghast at her being spooked by the news, only now realizing that she didn¡¯t know what had happened. He hovered away in shame, the malevolent fire underneath the piece of canvas dimming out by the moment.
Regardless of how much of herself she¡¯d lost, an accident was an accident. After taking a moment to compose herself, Sue walked over to the floating soul light, putting on her least shaky smile as she offered him a hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay Crackle, it¡¯s okay.¡±
The gesture brought the burning one untold relief, his light burning brighter as he briefly grasped her hand with both of his own. They felt metallic and were almost too hot to touch¡ªbut only almost. Even their ephemeral speech was much louder and livelier now, even if still firmly in the territory of ¡®whisper¡¯.
Hope that the cover won¡¯t fall off again, hah...
With that resolved, though, there was only one question left. ¡°So... breakfast?¡±
Sue spearheaded the makeshift band in their journey towards the clearing. She¡¯d grown so used to her crutch that she could wager she was the best Forest Guardian in the world at using it. Or at least in that specific moment, while reasonably rested and being further sped along by hunger pangs.
She didn¡¯t have to be told where to go, auto-piloting her way over to Poppy¡¯s stall. Hazel ghosted the counter this time, leaning on it with a bored expression. Even without the knowledge of Moonview¡¯s weird language, the ghost¡¯s croaked words being a greeting was a safe enough bet. ¡°Hey, Hazel.¡±
Just don¡¯t call me ¡®Crutches¡¯ again and we¡¯ll be all good.
The ghost lifted an eyebrow and groaned at the newcomer having devolved to speaking in gibberish. Fortunately for Sue¡¯s hunger and sanity alike, Willow and Crackle weren¡¯t far behind, the medic speaking as they caught up. Their soft-spoken words confused Hazel even further, her red eyes glancing between them and the Forest Guardian beside them. With how used she was to Willow¡¯s words being untranslated, it took Sue a while to realize that she¡¯d dropped her link with them without noticing it.
No biggie, just gotta go through the motions again and¡ª
As Sue was about to repeat her minor mental magic miracle from earlier, a sight off in the distance chilled her. Her breaths deepened again as the yellow and black blur turned away from her, her mind hoping that Basil wouldn¡¯t spot her.
Of course, that annoying rational part of her brain may have had a point when it kept drumming about confronting her fears and apologizing to him before the situation could fester in both of their minds.
¡
Especially since, even on a purely emotional basal level, as scary as a massive bee with stingers for arms was, a massive bee with stingers for arms and a grudge against her was ten times scarier.
While Hazel and Willow bickered on, Sue finally pushed through her hesitation. She took one step, then another, then a third still, each one taking her further away from the safety of the medic¡¯s presence and towards the bee she was so terrified of. The medic was too focused to notice her sneaking away, but that couldn¡¯t be said for Crackle, the lamp torn between the clueless medic and almost as clueless Forest Guardian. Ultimately, they stuck with the latter, even if just to see what she was up to.
Her breaths grew shakier the closer she got to Basil, knowing full well his relaxed body language wouldn¡¯t last and hoping beyond hope he wouldn¡¯t freak out at her presence. He seemed to have just finished making his order, leaning on the counter as he looked around¡ª
And spotted her.
Both sides jumped, startled, as they stared at each other. His emotions occupied Sue¡¯s entire attention, especially as they went from alarmed to¡ afraid.
Is he¡ scared of me? I¡¯m so sorry¡
As bad as the realization made Sue feel, it also melted through some of her panic. Her expression softened as she gave him a small wave, wanting to establish some communication, however limited. The bee returned the gesture, though not without concerned confusion accompanying it, one that Sue had no idea how to overcome short of repeating the action that got them in all this mess in the first place.
Sadly, the more Sue thought about this, the clearer it became that it was the only realistic option¡ªone that she¡¯d have to act on eventually with the steadily growing tension. Without wasting another moment, she closed her eyes and went for it, hands moving around as she repeated the telepathic ritual. She felt panic spike in Basil¡¯s mind as she navigated her mental reach through the air, making her want to stop¡ªbut by then, it was too late, their minds linking an instant later.
Prying her eyes open revealed Basil to be bracing himself for more pain, holding the two massive stingers in front of himself like a shield. He shook as the torment kept not coming, eventually gathering enough courage to peek out from his arms.
As sorry as the sight made her feel, Sue knew this was her time to act. A determined expression crept onto her face as she walked over and spoke, Basil¡¯s compound eyes going wide¡ª¡°Hello, Basil. I¡¯m... I¡¯m sorry for hurting you yesterday.¡±
For once, the bee remained silent, his arms drooping as he stared, dumbfounded. For a few moments, Sue was worried if she¡¯d done it right, if he¡¯d even understood her. She was about to say something again before Basil finally responded, his constant buzzing translating into an entire deluge of words. ¡°Heavens you mad not really good I scared Moon angry me little one us thank thank you.¡±
Basil¡¯s speech was much less coherent than Willow¡¯s, forcing Sue to fill in the blanks herself and string the words along. Somehow, she could make sense of some of them, but far from all. But it was okay.
I can just ask again. I can, for once, just ask again.
¡°No, no, I¡¯m not mad. I washn¡¯t mad yesterday either, it was an accident and I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°You hurt then accident not intent not mad?¡± Basil asked, leaning in.
This time, she was confident enough in her interpretation to just nod and respond, ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t know what you were saying, and I wanted to understand, but I hurt you by accident.¡±
Basil¡¯s body language grew less defensive as he flew over closer, confusion turning into surprise. ¡°You not hear understand me saying you psychic?¡±
Well, how do I put it...
¡°I¡¯m terrible at being psychic, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Sue sighed, chuckling nervously.
The admission melted through the last of Basil¡¯s worries, leaving him calmer despite how fast his thoughts kept buzzing. ¡°Sorry not understand you not understand me. Thought I you talk sacred Moon like I foolish not understand.¡±
Guess being able to say ¡®fuck¡¯ with nobody else knowing does feel sacred in a way.
¡°I don¡¯t know any sacred words, hah,¡± Sue shook her head. ¡°And it¡¯s alright, I forgive you!¡±
The mention of forgiveness left Basil especially giddy. Relief filled his mind as he flew over in one swift motion, nodding rapidly to the tune of repeated ¡®thank you¡¯ before he continued, ¡°Wonderful wonderful! Forgive I too, wish I know then you confused scared not understand. Here Birch hear good news happy!¡±
As happy as Sue was to hear his words, she could tell that the last part wasn¡¯t aimed at her. She glanced over her shoulder, following Basil¡¯s line of sight. Willow was there in the corner of her vision, waddling their way over, but they weren¡¯t who the bee¡¯s attention rested on.
The bespoke Birch was carrying the brown caterpillar Basil was looking after yesterday in their arms. They weren¡¯t particularly unnerving or even weird looking, certainly not by the standards of this world¡ªbut what they were, though, was familiar. Almost entirely white wings with black edges, purplish body with large blue legs, red compound eyes. The memory of Sue¡¯s encounter with another of their kin on her first day here crept out of her memories and into her attention.
Good Duck was I clueless. If only I knew massive butterflies are some of the least weird it gets here.
The memories were amusing enough to distract Sue from the fact that the recollection went both ways. Birch was clearly taken aback as they buzzed towards Basil, the bee¡¯s response catching the Forest Guardian¡¯s attention. ¡°What met her ago? Away village, not hurt? Run scream away panic see you? Hey chosen Moon mate my Birch say he you met ago away, scare you?¡±
...
Welp.
¡°Umm... y-yeah, I did,¡± Sue chuckled nervously, trying to look at anything but the bug couple. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen another like him before and was terrified by everything, sorry...¡± she trailed off. Though, while she was at it¡ª¡°Oh, and my name is Sue.¡±
The sound of her voice got the caterpillar in Birch¡¯s arms to wriggle themselves in her direction. They squirmed until they to contort themselves to look straight at her. The two engaged in a brief stare-off before the little one broke it with lively wriggling; the little well-defined there was of their mind feeling very happy to recognize someone outside of their parents.
¡°Sue then happy hear,¡± Basil beamed. ¡°Sue never see like you scared scared scared then, apology Birch.¡±
Thankfully, the butterfly didn¡¯t mind one bit, upbeat and kicking their legs in the air as they laughed the whole matter off. As they did, Sue felt something touch her side from behind, followed by a sudden burst of joy and one warm nose she was well familiar with. And then, shortly after, by a whole host of other noises and emotions, the scene suddenly growing much busier.
But first things first. ¡°Hey there, Spark~,¡± she cooed. The fiery kit was leaning on her good leg with her forelegs, happiness filling her woofs and mind¡ªespecially once she spotted the bee next to her tall friend.
¡°Hi hi hi Spark!¡± Basil swooned, returning the lil'' vixen''s enthusiasm.
Off to the right, Willow was trying to catch her attention, likely not realizing she couldn¡¯t understand them anymore.
The leafy caretaker closed in on the group right behind them, Comet in her arms. His immediate reaction to seeing her was an excited squeak and letting her know he wanted to be picked up. Before Sue could decide on whom to focus first, though, Splitleaf took the initiative.
She moved Comet to one arm and caught her attention with a modest wave, the tiny Martian liking the gesture enough to repeat it on his own. Once the rest of the group had calmed themselves from the resulting giggling, the caretaker spoke up. Her rustling vocalizations were calm and measured, the apologetic intent clear to see.
¡°Mom Sue you understand not, maybe maybe,¡± Basil chimed in soon after. He was right, but it didn¡¯t matter¡ªshe understood Splitleaf¡¯s gist all the same.
Sue bowed as deeply as she could at the apology while returning some of her own, ¡°Apology accepted. I¡¯m sorry for all that mess yesterday.¡±
Still, it would¡¯ve been nice to convey her desire for reconciliation in a better way. She lifted her free arm towards the mantis, miming a one-armed embrace, her gesture clearly understood¡ª
If not necessarily by its intended recipient.
For what it was worth, Basil¡¯s blistering speed made her not even realize anything was afoot until he was already embracing her torso. By the time Sue¡¯s brain caught up, everyone else¡¯s amusement was all she could sense, both at the situation and at her expression.
As unnerving as a realization that there were three very sharp, very large stingers next to and wrapped around her was, the adorableness of the attached person made up for that uncomfortable fact. Said person then buzzed, ¡°Aaa aaa nice nice this nice thank you Sue.¡±
Thankfully, Splitleaf wouldn¡¯t skip out on the opportunity just because her son also took it. She hugged Sue¡¯s other side with one arm while bringing Comet closer with the other one. The little Martian was overjoyed at his big friend being in reach and let everyone know by squeaking loudly as he splatted into Sue¡¯s side.
Guess even bugs feel nice here.
Once Sue got over the initial shock of Basil joining in on the hug, she wrapped her arm around his abdomen, low enough to not swat into his wings while keeping a hearty distance away from his stinger. His buzzing, combined with everyone else feeling well, filled her with a pleasant warmth, sorely needed after yesterday¡¯s mess.
Speaking of.
As everyone detached themselves from her, Comet much more so begrudgingly than others, Sue looked around the scene in pursuit of either Solstice or Sundance. She sure wasn¡¯t expecting to see the former around after yesterday, but the latter was a bit more puzzling. It was possible they had just departed for somewhere again, like they had when she first ended up in Moonview, but... it was worth asking.
Thankfully, the group¡¯s chatter was self-contained enough to let her focus on linking with Willow again. The sensation snapped them out of their own confusion about how to proceed. Sue¡¯s voice perked them up as she spoke, ¡°Willow?¡±
Their nod prompted an excited question from Spark, the affirmative answer making her burn even brighter in her excitement. The reason behind her response wasn¡¯t exactly difficult to make out, making Sue giggle.
Sure, sure, you¡¯ll have your speaking time sweetie, just not now.
¡°Where¡¯s Sundance and Solstice?¡± she asked.
The medic¡¯s own look around the place indeed revealed the absence of either psychic, making them forward the question to Splitleaf. Both Spark and the leafy mantis responded to Willow¡¯s question, occasionally talking over each other. Comet interjected a baby noise or two, squeaking once his addition was rewarded with some further pets.
Eventually, Willow had enough of a hold on the situation to pass it back over to their patient, trying to keep their description clear. ¡°Sundance Solstice need alone meditate. Yesterday very hard both. Be back today hope. Yesterday hard you too, true not true?¡±
Meditation time, eh? Honestly, I could probably use some, too¡ªat least if I knew how to do it.
¡°I see, thank you,¡± Sue muttered, thoughtful. ¡°Yeah, yesterday was... very hard for me, too. Feel better now.¡±
A part of the medic wanted to reach over and comfort her before the reassurance that she was alright followed shortly afterwards. Concern still lingered inside them despite that, though they tried not to show it. ¡°Glad hear better you. What happen?¡±
As much as Sue wanted to have someone else to talk about her trauma with, she could probably go a few weeks, if not months, without clawing at these old scars again. Triply so with the deep uncertainty her ultimate realization brought her, many of the intertwined emotions not fully processed yet.
A firm shake of her head was already clear enough of a response, but clarifying further wouldn¡¯t hurt. ¡°A lot,¡± she sighed. ¡°So, so, so much, and it was all overwhelming, but I¡¯d rather not talk about the details, not now at least.¡±
Disappointment joined the partially renewed concern, though Willow once more maintained composure, choosing not to press the issue further. ¡°Is good all. Now, we need food take, then,¡± they began, before pausing at the thought. After a moment of consideration, they turned towards Splitleaf and continued, ¡°Splitleaf Spark Comet take you where? Oh, good. Easy calm. Sue take you too? Good good. Sue! Splitleaf take you. Little play where. Calm there. After breakfast.¡±
As good as Sue was getting at the game of stringing barely coherent words into one concrete through-line, she didn¡¯t quite accomplish that feat this time. The gist of Splitleaf taking her somewhere calm was as clear as it was appreciated, though, her weary smile inspiring a much larger one in the medic.
But first, breakfast.
Willow¡¯s presence as a translator barely made the task of choosing her meal any easier.
Still, Sue eventually settled on something, her meal arriving a few minutes later. Said something turned out to be a well-grilled burrito, warm to the touch and crunchy to the bite. Its filling was much more monotone than even the cheapest meal out of a terrible franchise restaurant, though it had a marked advantage of actually being tasty, combining a crispy seared meat-like texture, with a sweeter, gravy-like flavor.
Not the favorite meal she¡¯d had during her stay in Moonview¡ªnot by a long shot¡ªbut it was still much better than anything she had a hope of ever cooking for herself.
The meal the bug family went for was tricky to make heads and tails of¡ªall Sue could tell was that it comprised approximately equal parts berries and leaves, the latter eaten with as much gusto as the former. The little ones of the band, Comet and Spark included, each got a singular blue fruit instead, walking away happy while Splitleaf kept trying¡ªand failing¡ªto keep their cheeks clean and non-sticky.
Crackle was... somewhere, she supposed. Sue hadn¡¯t noticed the floating lamp had left until she was already wrapping her meal up, the realization more dumbfounding than anything else.
Hope he¡¯s alright.
Once everyone was done, they all split up and got a move on. Comet got handed off into Sue¡¯s free arm, much to their shared joy; the caterpillar ended up in Splitleaf¡¯s arms; and Spark scrambled along off to the side. The other adults all departed shortly after, leaving the Forest Guardian with just the kids and their caretaker.
As they marched on, there was still one unknown Sue wanted to clarify.
The leafy mantis looked up at her in confusion as she suddenly stopped and concentrated, her mind¡¯s movements making Comet squirm even more. His psychics just kinda went all over the place, feeling tingly against Sue¡¯s skin as she linked up with Splitleaf, one question tickling her mind in particular. ¡°Hi! What¡¯s the little brown one¡¯s name? The one in your arms?¡±
Sue didn¡¯t expect the bushbug to get as confused as she did in response. The caretaker looked down at the little one in her arms and whispered, ¡°No name,¡± before holding them closer, a tinge of sadness filling her mind.
The response took the Forest Guardian aback, especially with the unintended tone shift her question had inspired. Comet acknowledged the change in mood with a quiet mumble, clinging to Sue even closer afterwards. ¡°Why none?¡± she asked.
Splitleaf sighed deeply. ¡°No until two moon.¡± Her embrace tightened still as her leafy arm pet along the caterpillar¡¯s head and back. ¡°Then know they live. Then they name.¡±
The reason made sense when stated out loud. At the same time, the mere necessity of a rule like that stabbed Sue in the heart, the arm holding Comet following Splitleaf¡¯s lead in holding him that much tighter. ¡°I-I see,¡± she whispered, holding back tears. ¡°Thank you.¡±
The mantis nodded, a weak smile creeping onto her face. ¡°Is good. They healthy. Have hope hope.¡±
The rest of the walk towards their destination went uneventfully.
Spark kept trying to get as much affection from Sue as she could, getting just a teeny bit frustrated her savior was holding Comet in her arms and not her. The lil¡¯ psychic, oblivious to everything else going on in the world, continued to experience it one exciting thing at a time, waving clumsily at almost every creature the group passed by. Most of them even waved back, those without the limbs to do so using their entire bodies as a substitute.
Moonview¡¯s playground turned out to be less a structured location and more a large sandbox. Most of the little ones she¡¯d seen the other day were already playing there, the blue cloud bird watching over them all. They only passed Sue¡¯s group a brief whistled greeting and a timid wave before focusing back on their duty.
Spark ran right into the fray, immediately splashing sand on some other kids and chatting them up. They returned the favor soon after, forcing the fiery fox to shake the dust out of her fur before counter attacking. The quickly escalating sand battle was thankfully called off with a single stern whistle from the cloud bird.
Splitleaf took a seat off to the side, letting the little caterpillar wander around freely, but only in her immediate vicinity. Guess with her revelation, Basil¡¯s panic at losing sight of his child made much more sense in hindsight.
As Sue looked around for a place to sit down herself, she felt a stronger emotion emanate from nearby. Hardly interesting by itself, but with how intensely sad it was, and with it coming from behind the tree line, she couldn¡¯t help but investigate. It was probably just nothing, but¡ it could¡¯ve been a lil¡¯ kid in distress.
The feelings tugging at her sixth sense grew stronger with her every step, sorrow soon getting laced with a few other emotions¡ªtrepidation, worry, even a bit of excitement. Comet clearly felt it all too, growing quiet before long. The stranger¡¯s longing burned even brighter as she peered into the greenery, scanning the area in search of the source of the emotions¡ªand then, she spotted it. Kinda.
To the best extent her mind could perceive it.
The pitch black spot in the middle of the forest floor felt... wrong. It wasn¡¯t sized right; it was simultaneously too small and too large to be real. A pair of white pinpricks peered out of it, wobbling all over as Sue¡¯s vision grew blurry and her lungs burned, her entire body losing a grip on itself. She couldn¡¯t think, but she couldn¡¯t stop looking, her body gasping for oxygen as the aberration stared back at her¡ª
And with another blink, it took off into the woods, away from Moonview.
Sue came to with a gasp, vision swimming as she tried to process what had just happened. The unnatural sight was so deeply wrong her mind rejected it whole, turning the past few moments into little more than a blur in her recollection. Comet¡¯s equally confused squeaks helped her shake her funk off as she hoped that whatever she¡¯d just seen hadn¡¯t hurt either her or the tyke in her arms.
And that it wouldn¡¯t do¡ whatever it just did to anyone else, especially the little ones.
Before Sue could worry any more about that, though, she felt one well-familiar mental presence approach her from behind, the toothy girl¡¯s rough cry accompanied by a quiet clinking of metal on metal. Sue¡¯s heart swelled as Joy reached her destination, wrapping her arms around the Forest Guardian¡¯s good leg. ¡°Hey Joy!¡±
*squeak!*
Chapter 13: Bloom
After everything that had happened over the past few days, Sue could only thank Duck for Astra¡¯s and Joy¡¯s appearance. She was relieved, both at them doing well after their sudden separation yesterday, and at Comet having someone to play with besides just her.
With that heartwarming revelation came another, though, less reassuring if similarly wonderful at face value.
The bandages wrapped around Joy¡¯s maw were gone, the previously concealed cuts only barely visible anymore. Her menacing back mouth was once more free to open and bite, left slightly agape as the metal girl looked up at her tall friend.
That smile is doing wonders at melting through my worries, I have to give Joy that.
Once Joy had detached herself from Sue¡¯s legs, she ran back into the sandpit, with Astra passing them both a wave as she sat down and got comfortable¡ªone returned right after. Comet wasn¡¯t shy about wanting to join the other kids, squeaking and wriggling much to his current caretaker¡¯s amusement. It took Sue an awkward, drawn-out moment, but eventually, Astra got the cue that the Forest Guardian would need help sitting down, one eagerly given. Her seat in the sand wasn¡¯t the most comfortable out there, but she had more than enough distractions around her to keep it from becoming too annoying.
One of said distractions could hardly contain himself after finally being released onto his own legs.
His clumsy waddle led him first back up to Sue, and then over towards Joy. The toothy girl withdrew into her guardian at Comet¡¯s loud enthusiasm, but Sue¡¯s gentle pets helped her maintain her composure.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, shweetie, he just wants to say hi,¡± Sue softly reassured. Her words were greatly appreciated; if not for their contents, then for their tone. They were enough for Joy to finally dare a step towards the little Martian¡ªafter grabbing and holding the Forest Guardian¡¯s hand to her front, of course.
Comet responded with a gleeful squeak and an excited scramble, pulling most of Joy¡¯s body into a clumsy, but very heartfelt hug. He wasn¡¯t sure what to do afterwards, though, confused at his playmate¡¯s clear trepidation.
Sue wanted to link up with Joy and hopefully provide some understanding¡ªbut before she could do that, Spark made her glorious return onto her lap. Her wonderfully warm presence was accompanied by several woofs, catching the other two kids¡¯ attention.
Fine, fine, Spark¡¯s been waiting for her chance to speak for longer, teehee.
Joy watched keenly as Sue went through a bunch of odd gestures. Her little arms held Comet throughout, or at least until he got bored and waddled away before plopping down in a random spot. The toothy girl didn¡¯t notice, though, too distracted by hearing Sue speak. ¡°Hey Sparkie, yes you can hear me now!¡±
The lil¡¯ vixen gasped at hearing her friend¡¯s voice, even if she had to put in some effort to piece her sentences together. ¡°Yay yay! How do? Thought you not do.¡±
Sue thought back to Solstice¡¯s cover-up story, hoping Spark didn¡¯t know enough to poke holes in it. ¡°Solstice taught me, sweetie,¡± she explained as confidently as she could. ¡°I¡¯m really thankful to her.¡±
Spark¡¯s excited nods melted Sue¡¯s heart. ¡°Can teach me she?¡± the kit woofed, preemptively engaging her puppy eyes.
Adorable as the sight was, the question left Sue confused. ¡°Why not your mom?¡± she asked¡ªand somewhat regretted it right after. She felt Spark deflate at her words, the sensation stinging her soul as she feared she¡¯d misspoken somehow.
That turned out to not be the case. ¡°I can¡¯t she say,¡± Spark muttered. ¡°Too small.¡±
¡°Well, I¡¯d guess that she knows best,¡± Sue smiled, to little effect.
Spark¡¯s grumbles netted her a few more pets, the affection dissolving some of her grumpiness. Still, Sue wished she could do more. Before either of them could continue, though, Joy mumbled something out at them, catching their shared attention. Muddled as they were, Spark managed to make out a couple of words, responding cheerfully, ¡°We talk, Joy! Sue can talk brain, Solstice teach!¡±
Joy might not have understood everything her friend had said, but what she did understand had her face light up in awe. Right as she was about to ask for Sue to speak to her like that too, though, she jumped with a startled cry, metal teeth clinking together as she turned to look at Comet. The little Martian was dumbfounded at his curious touch having resulted in such a startle, making him sit down in surprise.
Before either of them could grow more upset, Astra spoke up, her calm words calming both kids down. Joy gathered her bearings before walking up to Comet again, the psychic tyke wasting no time before providing her with some more affection.
This is adorable, but¡ it won¡¯t hurt to give them something concrete to bond over.
¡°Wanna try building sandcastles?¡± Sue asked, beaming. To her worry, it seemed her telepathic capabilities fell far short this time, Spark just tilting her head with no idea of how to respond. Which left a practical demonstration, and Sue wasn¡¯t opposed to that one bit.
As weird as these Forest Guardian hands were, their sheer size left them rather well-suited for shoveling sand. The entire group watched closely as Sue dug into their playground before sculpting a couple of handfuls of wet sand into a cylinder. A pointed fingertip then drew a brickwork texture on its sides, completing the look of a barebones tower.
Fortunately, this was all the example the two bipedal tykes needed to get inspired. Joy wasted no time before reaching into the dugout and grabbing as much sand as she could, already envisioning her own version of Sue¡¯s tower. Comet, meanwhile, got the equally bright idea of decorating the structure by sprinkling it with dry sand and placing a pebble on top of it.
To Sue¡¯s concern, Spark didn¡¯t have anywhere near the handiness or fine motor control to contribute directly. Her attempt to draw something on the tower¡¯s exterior only ended up taking a noticeable chunk out of the sandy wall, leaving her annoyed¡ªat least, before she took a deep breath, and realized there was another way in which she could help. She couldn¡¯t draw well, but what she could do was dig¡ªand dig she was going to do.
The sight of the lil¡¯ fox excavating the raw material for their construction efforts kept Comet¡¯s attention as his playmate kept building. Sue was about to start adding to the impromptu sculpture herself before Astra¡¯s soft, slightly hiss-like speech caught her attention first. The orange dragon seemed to be chatting with someone hidden behind her large body, her words interspersed with an occasional glance at the playgroup.
Can¡¯t see them, but¡ could try sensing them?
Sue tried to probe with her sixth sense, revealing uncertainty and hesitation emanating from whoever Astra was talking to¡ªone steadily waning with each word. A tiny squeak eventually acknowledged the dragon¡¯s words before the hidden being began making their way over towards their group. With the situation resolved, Astra returned to her earlier duty, resuming her nap underneath the nearby tree¡¯s shade.
The Forest Guardian sure didn¡¯t expect the approaching stranger to turn out to be the plant bulb-like villager she and Joy had seen yesterday. They were friends with that pink bat, though, earning them a glare from Sue as they walked over. Though, from what she remembered, they were by far the least hostile towards Joy, the realization softening her hostility before it could build up further. The plant child still noticed her conflicted expression, though, pausing in hesitation.
Once she¡¯d gathered her bearings and calmed down, Sue tried breaking through their worry with a friendly wave, the gesture¡¯s effectiveness¡ mixed. Thankfully, it wouldn¡¯t be all up to her, with Comet soon joining in on the greetings with a mumble only he could understand. The sound made Spark peek out of her impromptu quarry, greeting the newcomer¡ª¡°Hi Petal!¡±¡ªbefore going back to her excavator duties.
Joy was by far the least eager of the three towards the newly named Petal, and Sue couldn¡¯t blame her one bit. She might have known nothing about the oddly mobile plant, including whether they would be nice to Joy, but with how serene the scene was and with them having walked over on their own accord, she was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. She reached towards the plant with one hand, as if to shake their nonexistent one, while the other kept calming Joy down with some well-needed affection. As uncertain as Petal was, they pushed through their hesitation all the same, eventually reaching out one of their light green... extremities to be grabbed.
Feels like a stem to the touch. Neat.
From there, it was just a matter of bringing her hands together, the kids at their ends growing less hesitant by the moment. Petal spoke up not long after, their words half-squeaked, half-whistled, and¡ sounding a bit muffled, probably on the account of them not having a visible mouth.
I... do not want to think too deeply about how that works.
For the second time today, Joy took a moment to cool off before walking over to the plant. She mimicked her big friend and held her hand out, making Petal let go of Sue to shake limbs with her instead. The gradual drop of tension was downright palpable for the Forest Guardian¡ªand so, so welcome.
¡°Petal! Build us help?¡± Spark woofed out, leaving the plant child confused. Sue took it upon herself to demonstrate, grabbing another pile of wet sand and building the next mound with it. Joy leaped in to help without skipping a beat, followed by Comet¡ªand then, after a bit more uncertainty, by Petal.
Even if they were individually tiny, three pairs of hands added up, especially when backed up by one really big pair of hands. For a while, the group kept building and Spark kept digging, nobody but Sue having any idea of just what they were even making a sandy depiction of. Despite that, with the Forest Guardian as their forewoman, the construction of the stereotypical rectangular castle progressed smoothly.
As they kept adding to it, though, the sheer mass of the sand made the foundation buckle under the load. After Sue¡¯s fortieth attempt to pile on all the material that had fallen away failed, Petal¡¯s whistled cry caught her attention before she could proceed with attempt forty-one. She watched as the plant scooted closer to try something, resting one light green limb on the sandcastle¡¯s wall¡ªwhich then glowed.
The repeated exposure to glow stick body parts had dulled Sue¡¯s reaction down to just her eyes going wide. Eye-catching as Petal¡¯s bodily spectacle was, though, it was nothing compared to what happened afterward. The entire castle shuddered as dark, thin roots crept their way around and through the structure, providing reinforcement all around.
Following that minor act of all-natural miracle work, Petal tried to back away from the castle¡ªwith clear difficulty. To Sue¡¯s astonishment, their light green limb turned out to be the source of the roots, each individual stalk connecting back to it. As rigid as said connection looked, though, it was ultimately brittle, the plant child freeing themself shortly after¡ªand almost losing their balance while at it.
Guess the ¡®types¡¯ Willow had described include something related to plant life, huh?
Still, Sue wasn¡¯t expecting that sort of affinity to manifest itself like this¡ªor to show so strongly through Petal¡¯s appearance, for that matter. With the ¡®type¡¯ conundrum on her mind, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder what was the ¡®typing¡¯ of the rest of their group.
Both she and Comet had psychic senses, which... counted, somehow, as vaguely defined as that category sounded. And, if she remembered right, they also had a special connection with the Moon, a trait that Poppy of all people shared as well. Spark was fiery in looks, body temperature, and skills alike, the displays of her and her mother¡¯s ability to manipulate fire burned into Sue¡¯s memory. Petal had something to do with plants. Astra was... uh¡
It was at that point that her attempts at categorizing everyone present broke down. Sure, Astra very much looked like a big Flying Dragon, but Sue had no idea how that translated to any type in particular. Her big orange friend didn¡¯t look fiery, or plant-y, or... psychic-y, or even icy like Snowdrop. She obviously wasn¡¯t one of the night kin either, which left... ¡®none of the above¡¯? That ¡®normal¡¯ type that Willow had mentioned and apparently shared?
As unclear as Astra¡¯s elemental affinity was, it paled compared to Joy, making Sue give up right away instead of even trying to categorize the toothy girl. Her looks or anatomy gave very little away in figuring out what sort of ¡®type¡¯ she might¡¯ve had¡ªunless ¡®cute¡¯ and ¡®at least partially made of metal¡¯ counted. Having a list of all the options would¡¯ve helped a lot, that¡¯s for sure¡ªor even just an idea of how many of these types were there. Ten? Twenty? A hundred?
Behold Sue, part Psychic, part Clueless.
Something warm and damp touching her hand distracted Sue from any further thoughts about the wacky genetics of this world. A glance over revealed said limb to be in a¡ rather unnerving position of being held by the tip of Joy¡¯s maw. Firmly away from the large, sharp, shining teeth, but still much too close for comfort. The rest of the uncertainly typed girl had either not noticed or not paid much attention to what her back face was doing, busy drawing Astra¡¯s depiction on the side of the sandcastle.
As much as the sight unnerved her, Sue didn¡¯t have any reasons to think that the gesture was meant to be aggressive, certainly not from Joy. That didn''t help much by itself, though, especially with her not having any other ideas about what it might¡¯ve meant¡ª
¡
¡
Wait.
Could this... be meant as affectionate?
Sue supposed it only made sense for a species that was half maw by volume to have ways of using it that weren¡¯t aggressive, but¡ that revelation only did so much towards making it any less unnerving, though. Still, unnerving or not, it was on her end to deal with. It didn¡¯t hurt, it clearly wasn¡¯t malicious, it just felt a bit weird. Hell, it even made sense that Joy would want to do something like that, hold her big friend¡¯s hand while she played with the other kids.
Spooky looking, but ultimately sweet. Joy in a nutshell, hah.
Instead of disturbing the metal girl, Sue inspected the group¡¯s progress. The towers atop the castle¡¯s bastions were left unfinished on the account of nobody but her having the reach to finish building them. Having absolutely no idea what any of this was supposed to look like in the first place helped greatly in not discouraging the handed kids despite that setback.
Spark, however, was growing a bit frustrated. Having an outlet in digging up sand helped release some of her emotions, but hardly all. And between being unable to start learning telepathy like Sue, and being unable to really contribute to the others¡¯ play, there was a lot of annoyance to release. Eventually, the fox had enough¡ªshe got up, shook approximately three pounds of sand out of her fur, and scampered over to nuzzle Sue¡¯s free arm, before woofing, ¡°I go play others!¡±
One affirmative nod later, the lil¡¯ vixen was off to the races, leaping over Astra¡¯s legs. Before Sue could focus too much on the play group Spark was running towards, or the pink scorpion bat therein, the kit¡¯s passed-by greeting caught Sue¡¯s attention¡ª¡°Hello Kantaro!¡±
The words jolted Astra out of her nap, making the dragon sit up and look over her shoulder. Astra might¡¯ve been surprised at said Kantaro¡¯s presence here at the playground, but Sue¡ was surprised at almost everything else about them, despite it being her second time seeing them.
The bipedal beetle¡¯s dark blue chitin shined in the sunlight as they eyed the tree Astra was resting under out. The dragon¡¯s question had them respond with low, grumbly clicks, despite their underlying emotional state, sounding quite unnerving despite their mind being filled with nothing but unemotional focus. While they stood there, Sue craned her head and tried to get a better look at what they had brought with themself. A handful of planks, a large coil of rope, a bundle of something very colorful that Sue had a hard time making out from the distance¡ªand, as they promptly demonstrated by drawing a few lines on the tree¡¯s bark, a stick of chalk.
Are they gonna build a treehouse?
Before Sue could see if her hunch would end up accurate, though, she suddenly felt a jolt in her brain. The sensation was rather unpleasant, but¡ not unfamiliar. Before she could even look around for its source, a squeaky, girlish voice echoed through her mind; ¡°^Hello, Sue!^¡±
A much louder voice than Sue remembered it being.
She winced, looking over her shoulder to find Thistle and Pollux peeking out from the treeline, the latter not wasting an opportunity to chuckle at her startle before waving at her. ¡°Hey, Thistle,¡± she greeted, surprised to see the kids here again after their escape a couple of days ago. ¡°Whattcha doin¡¯ here?¡±
¡°^We¡¯re looking for Spark! Do you know where she is!?^¡±
Despite Sue¡¯s near-permanent state of confusion, this was the one question she had an answer for. She turned further into the playground and pointed in the approximate direction she remembered the lil¡¯ fox run towards¡ª
*BRR-BR-BRRRR!*
The loud sound from behind made Sue visibly jump, kicking her heart rate up by several gears. As startling as the noise was, though, a panicked look over her shoulder revealed the source to have been Kantaro. Having filled in an outline, they were now horn-deep into scraping away the bark and the wood underneath, carving the sturdy tree as if it was butter.
The little ones only barely noticed, and Astra was sleeping through it all. Somehow.
Once Sue had recovered from it all and let out a breath she wasn¡¯t aware she was holding, she looked back over at where the night kin fox and his friend were¡ªand only found an empty spot among the trees. Well, not entirely empty. A black feathered, crow-like bird sat on the branch immediately above where she last saw Pollux and Thistle. They were focusing on Kantaro¡¯s ongoing crafts work, and Sue didn¡¯t have a reason to disturb them, following their lead shortly after.
After a few minutes of working away at the tree with just their horns, the beetle switched to using their white claws. They continued to make effortless work of the tree as a flat, smooth surface came into its own, followed by the cut-outs for the planks they had brought with themselves to slide into. They finally had to resort to using a tool for the latter, fixing the corners with an elongated, visibly worn down chisel.
As they worked on, a small display began to take shape on the side of the tree. The way it was attached and its slanted roof above it made Sue think of a bird box, despite how inapplicable it was in this world. As the craftsbug worked on, they tried to minimize the usage of any tools beyond their own body, only resorting to their chisel and wood glue a couple times, the latter just for the supports.
Something falling down in Sue¡¯s peripheral vision, followed by Kantaro trying to hammer in the final support beam by tackling it with his entire body, finally took Sue out of watching the incredible display. She blinked her daze away before looking at what had¡ª
Oh no no no no NO NO¡ª
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She had no idea what separated the creatures in Moonview from those in the surrounding woods, but if there was anything that should¡¯ve only belonged in the latter, it was the green, horned spider that had just fallen onto Astra¡¯s front. Its blood-red mandibles choked the breath out of her as Sue shook in fear, about to shout for the dragon to get away¡ª
Before Astra herself came to once more, only reacting to the newcomer with a sleepy blink and a calm question. The spider responded soon after, their ¡®words¡¯ comprising soft click-like noises. The spider-dragon exchange lasted only a few sentences before the former... crawled off Astra and made their way into Moonview, leaving Sue stunned.
What, how, but, h-HOW!?
The green spider¡¯s larger, red cousin having tried to eat Spark, Pollux, and then her was still fresh in Sue¡¯s memory, immediately making her hyperventilate. If there were any species that shouldn¡¯t have been allowed anywhere within fifty miles of Moonview, it was these spiders¡ªa-and this one was just there! Just having a nap on a branch!
Splitleaf even waved at them as they crawled past!
Before Sue¡¯s brain could fry itself from attempting to solve that contradiction, she heard someone else¡¯s voice speak up from nearby. It was as soft as growls and whines could be, with a particular croaky quality to it that made her think of Willow. To little surprise, the newly arrived villager was completely unlike the medic. Though, if their chat in front of Duck¡¯s shrine a few days ago was any sign, the two clearly knew each other.
The velvety fur covering their body was split between cream and dark purple. Their proportions looked more like a badger or a dog standing on their hind legs for a trick as opposed to a full-time bipedal creature. Admittedly, Sue wasn¡¯t paying as much attention to their legs as she did to their... collar, she guessed.
Nope, it wasn¡¯t a trick of the light last time; these spots are actually glowing.
The badger¡¯s words had Astra almost jump to her seat before looking at them with concern. Her response was part justification and part apology, the former featuring her glancing over at Joy a few times throughout. The girl had picked up on the attention and scooted towards Sue at seeing the newcomer, her thoughts full of worry¡ªand fear.
Whatever the badger was talking with Astra about, the dragon¡¯s reply only left them more annoyed. Sue flinched at glimpsing violet flames flicker from the purple spots around their neck as they grumbled into their paw. Their response was short and rough, but it thankfully brought Astra some relief. With the dragon dealt with, they switched their attention to Kantaro¡¯s handiwork¡ªbefore spotting Sue in the corner of their vision.
I don¡¯t like how this feels one bit.
Despite the chills that went through the Forest Guardian¡¯s body, the newcomer¡¯s mood did improve at seeing her. Their steps towards her were slow and clumsy, a scowl turning into a mild smile. Before Sue could react, they bowed as deeply as their elongated body would let them. Which was by no means little.
They accompanied their gesture with a greeting of sorts. Despite their slow and overly-enunciated words, the end result wasn¡¯t any more understandable than any other time Sue¡¯d seen them speak. The badger held their bow for several long, awkward moments until Astra¡¯s brief comment finally clarified something, making them flinch.
Won¡¯t hurt to speak up and drive the point home. Again.
¡°Hello, I-I can¡¯t understand you,¡± Sue repeated, anxious. She swore she saw their eye twitch as they straightened out. Even as they composed their appearance, the emotions swirling under the surface turned sour to the point of contempt¡ªmuch easier to sense than during their first interaction.
What the hell is your problem...
While Sue reeled from the encounter, the badger turned back towards Kantaro. The craftsbug hasn¡¯t slowed down even slightly despite the latest arrival, busy adding decals all around what was turning out to be a small, empty shrine. Sue considered mentally reaching out towards Astra, but between reeling from the badger¡¯s emotions and not wanting to draw their attention, she remained still.
Kantaro¡¯s response to the badger¡¯s words was curt but respectful. They even gave the newcomer a quick bow before resuming polishing the shrine¡¯s wood. As they worked on, they continued to converse with the badger, the latter occasionally pointing at elements of their handiwork or at the large branch under which Astra had been napping moments prior.
Once Kantaro was done polishing the wood, they got to hanging small, flower-like tassels on dozens of small notches covering the shrine. They did a decent job mimicking the appearance of all the flowers at Duck¡¯s main altar, even despite the much more limited color palette. With that menial step done, the pair¡¯s discussion grew focused on a small block of differently colored wood that had been lying off to the side until now.
Once Kantaro and what had to have been their boss had reached some sort of agreement, the former got to work, carefully working away at the chunk of special wood. And, to nobody¡¯s surprise, their carving soon began to take the form of Duck on a pedestal. The beetle¡¯s powerful cuts grew increasingly more precise as the statue took form, the mastery within each stroke clear to see. Their skill made Sue quite giddy to watch, especially with an unfamiliar but pleasant aroma tingling her nose. Before long, she was itching to get back to her own crafts project, or at least check up on its progress.
What was a singular castle the last time she looked was now but a part of a larger fort. A long wall had sprouted out of it, snaking around to surround¡ the sleeping Comet. The tyke¡¯s hair was full of sand after he¡¯d taken a nap at some point, thankfully with enough foresight to build himself a little sand pillow first.
Joy giggled at seeing her big friend finally notice the progress of their construction efforts. She pointed at the fortifications surrounding the sleeping baby Martian, much to Sue¡¯s amusement and approval. Before she could point more out, though, she looked up at Sue¡ªand something else caught her attention.
Oh? Whattcha looking at, Joy¡ª
The badger¡¯s low, gruff voice cut Sue off before she could follow the line being drawn by Joy¡¯s gaze. They were looking in her direction but not at her, honest-to-Duck violet fire surrounding the purple spots on their neck. And then, Sue heard drawn out, singsong whistling¡ªfrom right behind her, no less.
She reflexively looked around her shoulder, only to see nothing. Her sixth sense sensed the amusement, some of which she¡¯d thought was her own, move over to her other side. By the time she had looked over her other shoulder, though, the hidden creature had already slipped back into her blind spot, letting out more giggling whistles. The badger grew as annoyed as Sue was getting dumbfounded, shouting at the prankster with their neck flames bursting. Whatever was said, it finally prompted the prankster to make their entrance¡ªright over Sue, at that.
Sue felt two large, smooth leaves press into her shoulders, a hefty chunk of weight following soon after. Her back didn¡¯t appreciate being used as a springboard one bit, annoying her as she looked up at the offender¡ªjust in time for them to wrap up a backflip before landing with a perfect split, a handful of fruits falling back into their leafy arms shortly after.
They feel so giddy, so¡ teasing?
She remembered seeing them around yesterday, while Solstice was guiding her over to her tent. The same humanoid yet plant-like body, the same mouth-less head with a pink flower blooming on top of it, the same¡ cuteness radiating off them.
As much as Sue liked what she was seeing, the badger remained unimpressed by the stranger¡¯s display. They kept grumbling, though each of their complaints was either ignored or deflected with a few whistled words each. In between arguing, the plant person kicked themselves off the ground and into a standing position, swaying in place as they eyed out Sue¡¯s playgroup¡ªand the once-human in particular.
Petal speaking up finally caught the plant¡ lady?¡¯s attention, making them show off the fruity spoils in their arms. With a well-practiced motion, they tossed a single fruit up in the air in front of themselves, their arm glowing light green as it sliced the treat in half. Whichever magic they had just used had worn off just in time for them to catch the two halves before they hit the ground.
...don¡¯t get cut on those arms, got it.
They spotted Sue¡¯s awestruck look right away, whistling laugh making her feel... weird. Weirdly nice. A light smile crept onto her face in response, not even thinking of washing off as the leafy dancer passed two halves of a green fruit with orange flesh to Petal and Joy. Even if it should¡¯ve been the bare minimum, the once-human felt much warmer at the sight of someone just being unconditionally nice to the metal girl.
They weren¡¯t done with their fruit gifts. They then left two pried-apart halves of what looked like a comically oversized raspberry with Astra and beside the sleeping Comet, respectively. The dancer¡¯s last gift, the peach¡ªapparently named ¡®Pecha¡¯ from what she remembered Pollux say¡ªwas¡ handed over to Sue, in its entirety.
Wait, what?
¡°N-no, wait,¡± Sue stammered, ¡°that¡¯s not fair, you deserve some too,¡± before trying to tear the peach in two with her bare hands¡ªonly to be stopped by the plant girl¡¯s smooth, slightly juice-stained arm cupping her cheek. A burning blush erupted on her cheeks as her attention was guided upwards, straight towards the dancer¡¯s shaking head, the accompanying words conveying gratitude, but also disapproval.
Why did that feel so nice?
The message was understood perfectly, though Sue couldn¡¯t deny feeling bad at hoarding an oversized part of the stranger¡¯s gift. With her initial idea of expressing gratitude denied, she opted instead to bow at them, leaving them palpably happier. Their hand kept stroking Sue¡¯s cheek and patting her green hair, not helping any with her fluster.
Off to the side, the badger only grew more annoyed with each passing moment, sternly speaking up again as the entire group got to eating. The dancer¡¯s response was as upbeat as everything else they did, but much more forceful, capped with a pointed question back at the fiery badger.
Before the flames on their neck could burst again, Kantaro¡¯s voice diffused the tension. They took a step away from their handiwork, revealing a sculpted likeness of the Pale Lady in a protective pose. A careful application of the polish even made Her weird wings look multicolored. The leafy dancer liked what they saw a great deal, and so did Astra, both of their responses upbeat and flattering.
Kantaro¡¯s boss, on the other hand, merely acknowledged the beetle¡¯s efforts with a short, approving comment. With that done, the craftsbug carefully deposited the sculpture in the freshly built shrine and prayed to it for a moment, together with the badger. The latter finally took their leave once their prayers were done, neck surrounded with purple embers as they grumbled into their paw.
Good riddance.
The dancer seemed to enjoy that development as much as Sue did. They spoke towards Astra, briefly chatting with her before¡ sitting down beside the Forest Guardian when she wasn¡¯t looking. Before Sue knew it, the plant girl¡¯s warm, smooth body was leaning on hers, tossing another jerry can of fuel onto her fluster.
¡
She couldn¡¯t say she disliked how it all felt, though. Not one bit.
Right as Sue¡¯s hand was reaching around the leafy body to maybe possibly hopefully return some of the dancer¡¯s affection, Kantaro¡¯s gruff voice caught their attention instead. They sprung onto their yellow shoes from a sitting start and leaped towards the beetle, each motion as confident as it was elegant.
Alright, alright, snap yourself out of it Sue, they¡¯re talking.
Kantaro drew something in the sand, clarifying their topic. Somewhat. To the best of Sue¡¯s ability to make out, the subject of the beetle¡¯s sketch was¡ the tip of their own horn. The depiction they drew was similar to their current one, but much more pointed, with a clean V shape at the top instead of a small prong between the two main ones. Kantaro drew attention to the differences by overlying the current shape of their horn on top of what must¡¯ve been their desirable one. The leafy girl got the gist, going to work after one solid look at the reference. Their arm once more glowed green as it sliced away at the beetle¡¯s horn, each cut small and careful.
Sue was stumped about the purpose of this¡ minor cosmetic surgery. It could¡¯ve been something as straightforward as keeping the tool of the beetle¡¯s trade well tended to, but Sue wasn¡¯t convinced it was just that. There was the expected relief coming from Kantaro, but there also was¡ euphoria, vibrant to her sixth sense, even if well concealed in their expression.
The procedure was done in just a few minutes. After the last cut was applied, Kantaro looked at Astra for her to verify the new look, the deed done with an eager smile. They then glanced over at Sue for a second opinion, blinking a few times before realizing the futility of expecting any words from that particular Forest Guardian. Instead, they took a deep sigh and thanked the dancer, their ¡®you¡¯re welcome!¡¯ just flat out pleasant to listen to.
I could definitely listen to it all day, at least.
With the horn-icure done, Kantaro turned around to inspect their handiwork once more, growing¡ annoyed at how it came out, somehow. Sue obviously didn¡¯t have the technical knowledge to tell with certainty, but what she could see looked downright stunning. Hell, both Astra and the dancer clearly thought that, too¡ªand yet, the sculpture¡¯s own artist remained deeply unsatisfied with it.
They didn¡¯t linger on that thought, thankfully. Instead, they got on with the other construction project of the agenda, grabbing the coils of rope and eyeing out the large, horizontal branch right above Astra. And then, they took to flight as if it was the most mundane thing in the world.
As Sue stared, dumbfounded, a cheerful call caught her attention. She glanced at its source, ending up staring face to face with the dancer from just an inch away, their words continuing all the while. Before she could even flinch, the stranger leaned in that bit further to nuzzle her cheek, ruffle her hair, and say their goodbyes. In just a few moments, they were bounding off further into Moonview, leaping their body¡¯s length with each springy step, and before Sue even knew, she was once more left with just her thoughts.
One hand subconsciously reached up to feel the spot where the dancer had nuzzled her, a soft smile creeping onto her face. For once, Sue¡¯s own thoughts caught more of her focus than Kantaro¡¯s artistry ever could, mind kept going in circles over what had just happened, the sequence of events insane in hindsight.
All the affection came from nowhere, so much nicer than it had any right to be. As hard as Sue tried to will it away, the fluster on her cheeks wasn¡¯t fading any time soon. With no explanations, she was left to ponder just what all that implied, and whether she wasn¡¯t misrepresenting the dancer¡¯s actions as something they weren¡¯t.
Because it sure feels like I was just hit on again.
This time, though, it felt¡ different. Without being put on the spot, without several onlookers focusing on her, Sue¡ found herself considering it all so much more than Snowdrop¡¯s advance. She had no idea about the stranger¡¯s name, intent¡ªhell, gender even, but¡ did any of those really matter? The more she thought about them, the less important they felt.
Sue was thinking about some of these topics for the very first time, what increasingly felt like her past life not exactly providing her with many opportunities to socialize romantically. Or non-shitty peers she could do so with, of any gender. She couldn¡¯t even say she wasn¡¯t enjoying thinking about all this, discovering what made her click in real time, but¡
¡
¡
Her hand clenched into a fist as she chewed through the peach, thoughts taking a turbulent turn for the worse. The fruit¡¯s sweet flesh turned bitter as more and more angst dripped into her thought stream.
Why here?
Why do I only get to think through these things here, in this batshit world!?
Why am I being shown affection here, with no knowledge about how long my stay in this world will be!? With any relationship I form here liable to disappear on a whim once whichever sadistic fuck of a deity that put me here decides it¡¯s time for me to go back to suffering on Earth!?
Can I even trust anything I¡¯m feeling?
That thought stung in particular, impossible to fully write off. Who knew, maybe this alien body processed romantic thoughts entirely differently. Maybe she was being manipulated by the very meat suit she woke up in. Maybe the moment she was back on Earth she would only feel revulsion when thinking back to this whole incident?
What if everything nice coming my way is entirely caused by me being an imposter of this revered species?
Sue almost doubled over in anguish at considering that idea, that every single nice thing coming her way was caused by something entirely outside her control. She didn¡¯t even know whether she¡¯d take that trade off, receiving any modicum of affection and romantic attention because of this awkward, weird body, versus being true with her accomplishments, her appearance, and her mind, just to get nothing but more struggle.
The worst part was that she wouldn¡¯t even be the one to make that nightmarish choice in the end. Her Fate was entirely up to the whims of some god that seemed it fit to punish her for crimes unknown by forcing her to quell a conflict between two literal deities.
I¡¯m going to kill that fucking god¡ª
The last thing that Sue expected to hear in response to her god-hating moping was the¡ªby now very familiar laughter. The sound took her aback as she looked up at the approaching Sundance. ¡°That¡¯s one hell of a topic to find you fixated on!¡± the vixen chuckled.
Sue couldn¡¯t disagree; the religious reverence Moonview held towards Duck contrasted hard with her deicidal thoughts. Hell, there literally was a brand new shrine within a stone¡¯s throw of her. With every passing moment, the mismatch diffused more and more of her anger, grumbles giving way to low chuckling. ¡°Heh. Yeah, I can i-imagine...¡± she mumbled.
¡°That¡¯s the type of subject you normally only ever see me pondering about. How are you doing, Sue, after yesterday?¡± Sundance asked.
Once enough tension had left her body, Sue smiled over at the vixen as she took a seat beside her. She had the same pipe she saw yesterday on her, with, to the best of her nose¡¯s ability to tell, the same payload. ¡°I¡¯m... alright, I think. How¡¯s Solstice?¡±
Sundance nodded at the offhanded acknowledgement, taking a deeper hit of her pipe before responding. ¡°She¡¯s better, thankfully. Still needs more time to finish processing it all, but should be alright before the end of the day. It was... a lot, for all three of us. I certainly don¡¯t see a point in rushing any of it along. If you want to confide in someone about what happened yesterday, I¡¯m all ears, Sue.¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Sue began, before a vile pun crept out of the recesses of her mind, ¡°you are. But yeah, th-thank you, Sundance. I-I promise, I¡¯m better now.¡±
Once the vixen was done grumbling, she nodded. ¡°I¡¯m glad. In the meantime, we¡¯ve figured out a plan for what to do going forward.¡±
¡°About what?¡± Sue asked, earning herself a raised eyebrow and a telepathic response.
¡°^The night kin. Ultimately, we have to make a first step somewhere. We¡¯ve settled on venturing to Newmoon tomorrow morning to bring the subject up.^¡±
¡°Don¡¯t they all hate her?¡±
¡°^Not all,^¡± Sundance sighed. ¡°^Yes, there¡¯s definitely some animosity there, which makes it even more important to face it, overcome the hesitation, and work on mending the wound at the root of it all. It¡¯ll be unpleasant, maybe even awful, but it¡¯s the only way through.^¡±
Still, Sue couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°Won¡¯t she get hurt?¡± she asked¡ªand flinched, feeling a bitter pang of disappointment run through Sundance¡¯s mind for the first time since she woke up in this world.
The vixen shook her head. ¡°^No, of course not. Yes, they dislike her, but they¡¯re not monsters. Some of them resent what happened a lot, of course, resent her¡ªbut even then, they won¡¯t murder her in response to a bloodless exile. Thorns isn¡¯t the type, and Juniper¡^¡± Sundance took a deep hit of her pipe, shuddering, ¡°^¡she¡¯ll get herself together once we lay out what we¡¯re there for. I¡¯m sure of it.^¡±
Sue didn¡¯t question it anymore, taking the words in with a deflated nod. Sundance¡¯s light disapproval gave way to a desire to steer the conversation towards something more pleasant, and the humorously morbid topic from earlier was just the right thing. ¡°^So, god killing, eh?^¡± the vixen asked, as jovially as she could manage. ¡°^What got you to consider that?^¡±
Sue sighed, ¡°I-it¡¯s... complicated.¡±
¡°^As most things are.^¡±
¡°But, wait¡ªis it possible?¡±
The vixen took another hit of her pipe as she chewed through the intricacies of Sue¡¯s question, unearthing third or fourth hand knowledge from back when she was still traveling the world. Despite her heavy doubts about the trustworthiness of anything she was about to say, she eventually decided to just pass it on. ¡°^From what I know and have gathered from mystics I spoke with during my travels... no. At least, not in a way you can kill a person.^¡±
Sue blinked. ¡°Is there another way, then?¡± she asked.
¡°^I suppose if you were to destroy everything that comprises them, that would ¡®kill¡¯ them,^¡± Sundance mused. ¡°^Their avatars certainly can fall, but the gods themselves... fat chance.^¡±
¡°Comprises them?¡±
The vixen raised her eyebrow at her pupil. ¡°^Well, how do you think gods exist? That they just float in the sky, gathering praise and occasionally intervening in mortal affairs?^¡±
¡°...pretty much.¡±
Sundance choked on her smoke as her deliberately outlandish guess accidentally nailed Sue¡¯s presumptions on the head. Once she got over herself, though, she clarified, ¡°^No, not at all. Gods aren¡¯t... separate from the world, they are the world. Or rather, the world is a part of them, as are the people. The dirt and stone beneath us is all a part of the Landshaper, it¡¯s all Its dominion. Even then, the Landshaper exists beyond just the ground we¡¯re sitting on, It has Its own will, even if that will is tied to the will of all the stone beneath us. You can¡¯t kill Landshaper short of destroying every single rock that comprises this world¡ªand I doubt even that would do the trick either.^¡±
The Forest Guardian had to chew on that piece of knowledge to even start absorbing it. The entire description sounded partially like something from when she was reading up on animism for her religious studies class, but it was far from an exact match. Ultimately, she just slowly nodded along as a partial picture formed in her mind.
¡°^Furthermore, there isn¡¯t just one Landshaper with a unified will. Everywhere you go, It will be different, for Its dominion is different. All Landshapers will be greatly influenced by Its innate, divine nature, of course, but still not identical.^¡±
¡°I-I see,¡± Sue lied. ¡°You mentioned ¡®avatars¡¯, right?¡±
¡°^Aye. They¡¯re the physical manifestations of divine will. Partially independent from their dominion, and even from their divine nature, and yet still ultimately constrained by them. If you¡¯re wondering what the being on the altar and all the shrines of Night Mother is, that¡¯s Her avatar,^¡± Sundance explained, taking another hit.
Sue blinked, confused. ¡°Are these avatars just... out there?¡±
¡°^From what I understand, no.^¡± The vixen shook her head. ¡°^They manifest when a deity¡¯s will wishes to intervene directly into worldly matters, and fade away when they¡¯re no longer needed. They aren¡¯t identical to the deity they belong to, acting independently even if heavily influenced by their underlying divinity.^¡±
Sue couldn¡¯t even pretend to understand the entirety of what she was being told. Partially to her credit, though, not even her mentor could claim that. ¡°What about D¡ªthe Pale Lady? What¡¯s her dominion?¡±
The vixen lifted an eyebrow up at the once-human, chuckling under her breath. ¡°^The light of the Moon, from what I understand. Obviously, it¡¯s a much more limited dominion than the land, the stars, or even the Moon as a whole. It¡¯s so fickle, and the Night Mother is so feeble when compared to other deities that, to the best of my understanding, her worshipers are effectively her real dominion. I think I¡¯ve heard the phrase ¡®half-god¡¯ used to describe such a being once or twice. You won¡¯t catch me ever saying it out loud in here, that¡¯s for sure.^¡±
¡°Her worshippers...?¡± Sue trailed off, an idea forming in her mind. ¡°W-wait, if I¡¯m getting this right, then what happens to the worshippers affects... their god?¡±
¡°^Aye. They¡¯re a part of her. For half-gods, to wound the people, is to wound their god.^¡±
The Forest Guardian mulled intently through the implications as her mentor watched over, amused at having elicited such a thoughtful mood inside her student. While the vixen watched Kantaro finish working on the swing, a realization bloomed inside Sue.
If Moonview¡¯s people are a part of Duck, and what they do, what they are, what they believe, can affect her, a nd if that also holds true for the Night Father¡ªno reason it wouldn¡¯t with the two gods seemingly two parts of the same coin¡
To wound the people is to wound the gods. To mend the people¡
Is to mend the gods.
¡°I¡¯m coming with you!¡± Sue shouted, inspired.
Sundance blinked as she looked down at Sue, the steadily creeping mental fog not helping in making sense of her pupil¡¯s sudden outburst. ¡°Wh-what?¡±
¡°I-I want to help you and Solstice with... y¡¯know, your trip!¡± Sue insisted, but Sundance was still confused.
Even if the fiery fox understood what Sue was actually referring to, her snap decision still left so much unclear. Why would Sue want to do this in the first place? Why so suddenly, why so enthusiastically? Did she even know what Newmoon was like? Or, for that matter, where it even was?
The totality of unexplained and potentially unexplainable questions brewing inside Sundance eventually reached its zenith, culminating in a single word¡ª
¡°...what?¡±
Chapter 14: Sibling
Sundance and Sue stared blankly at each other, both trying to figure out what the other was thinking without resorting to explicit telepathy. Sue was losing that battle and she knew it, forcing her to come up with an excuse¡ªa very valid reason in its own right, but one being used as an excuse here all the same. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that me being there after what happened with Spark and... her friend would help?¡±
Her question finally broke through the vixen¡¯s thoughtless confusion. Unfortunately, all it resulted in was a quiet sigh as she shook her head, plumes of red fur warming the surrounding air with each motion. Her brief pause right as she was about to speak gave Sue a brief flash of hope, but sadly, it wouldn¡¯t last.
¡°^While I can¡¯t deny it being a good idea to bring up your incident and show how our separation is even harming third parties, I doubt your physical presence there would help.^¡± Sundance explained. ¡°^I know you feel guilty about Solstice¡¯s breakdown and are invested in all the ugly history that led to it, but you¡¯re not responsible for any of this. These aren¡¯t your sins to be burdened by, Sue.^¡±
As much as the Forest Guardian wanted to disagree and keep asserting her point, she couldn¡¯t risk that. She had already almost given too much away through her insistence, and doubling down would only make it worse. A part of her wanted to just drop the pretense and explain her dream and the quest it had unwittingly led her on, but she feared that all explaining it would accomplish was to undermine it, tainting her efforts with a self-serving aspect in others¡¯ eyes.
And so, Sue had no choice but to pretend to relent instead. ¡°I-I suppose. It¡¯s just¡ rough, to only be able to watch from the sides and hope that Spark and P¡ªher friend can be friends in peace one day...¡±
Sundance sighed. ¡°^It absolutely is. Alas, it¡¯ll be a touchy, difficult discussion either way, its outcome up to the whims of Fate. I doubt your voice would help much¡ªyour deeds will be plenty, believe me.^¡±
Sue acknowledged her mentor¡¯s words with a pretend somber nod. On the one hand, she was glad that Sundance wasn¡¯t suspecting anything, but on the other¡ she did have a point, as much as it pained the once-human to admit it. Who knew whether the people of Newmoon would care even slightly about a second Forest Guardian showing up there in an attempt to steer their judgment. The more she thought about it, the less enthusiastic she was at the idea of disregarding Sundance¡¯s words and tagging along anyway. But¡
¡
¡
What else could she do? Give up? Let her Destiny be swayed by yet more forces and events beyond her control or comprehension? Again?
Fat chance¡ª
A couple pats of a warm, furred paw snapped Sue out of any further moping. The vixen gave her a soft smile, softer still by the virtue of her inebriation, and an approving look. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Sue,¡± she reassured. ¡°You¡¯ve already helped plenty¡ªmore than most here can earnestly claim. You make the most of your stay in Moonview, and we¡¯ll do our best to clean up the murk in the background. I¡¯d even say that focusing on that, on making the most of a nice, calm day, is the best thing we could all do today. Compose yourself, take a deep breath, and enjoy this slice of spring. How¡¯s that sound?¡±
Relaxing wasn¡¯t Sue¡¯s strong suit, not one bit, especially not after her father¡¯s passing. Each day had a shopping list of tasks that needed to be dealt with, ranging from urgent like work, urgent like keeping on top of her classes, urgent like making sure she had something to eat, urgent like doing laundry, to urgent like churning through her schedule to carve out just a single week of vacation from it all.
Though¡ suppose that if I¡¯m already taking a break from reality, having a day focused on relaxation wouldn¡¯t hurt.
¡°Alright, th-thank you,¡± Sue sighed, shaking herself out of the earlier topic. ¡°What did you have in mind?¡±
¡°I could retrieve Solstice, and then we could go for a walk and chat about more pleasant matters. Maybe even enjoy a mug or two of something harsher come evening. How¡¯s that sound?¡± the vixen asked, smiling.
Not particularly riveting.
Then again, neither was Sue¡¯s preferred relaxation method back at home, consisting of loading up her favorite sandbox video game, disconnecting her brain from all external stimuli, warping in time to about twelve hours later, and acting all surprised at it suddenly being dark outside.
¡°I-I like that, yeah,¡± Sue halfheartedly answered.
¡°Great. Astra, we¡¯ll be heading out, mind¡ª¡± Sundance began, before pausing after looking in the dragon¡¯s direction.
Astra was talking to the gray, four-armed builder Sue remembered seeing a couple times, their sheer bulk making them nearly match the dragon in size despite them only having about a foot on Sue¡¯s current body. The builder took their leave shortly afterwards, but Astra remembered to respond to her name before flying off with them. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry Ma¡¯am Sundance, I¡¯ve just been called to help with moving some ore and rock around, I can¡¯t¡ª¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, Astra,¡± Sundance reassured, ¡°we¡¯ll just ask Splitleaf. It¡¯s no problem.¡±
¡°A-alright, hopefully Joy will be alright with that too. See you all later!¡± the dragon waved.
¡°Take care, Astra!¡± Sue added, lifting Astra¡¯s mood as she took off. Right as she was about to follow in Sundance¡¯s pawsteps and head out, though, their idea of leaving the kids under the leafy mantis¡¯ watch ran into a hitch¡ªa toothy, two faced, tripping hazard of a hitch.
My favorite hitch.
Joy clinging to her good leg almost made Sue fall over then and there, Sundance¡¯s intervention thankfully helping her regain stability. ¡°Joy! Wh-what¡¯s wrong sweetie?¡± she asked, startled.
The toothy girl shuddered at her friend having suddenly raised her voice. The answer she had in mind ran into the obstacle of not knowing enough words, in any language, to properly formulate it. Ultimately, Joy mumbled to the best of her ability, hoping beyond hope it¡¯d be enough. ¡°N-n-n-n-not g-go...¡±
Awwh.
If Sue had the ability to, she would¡¯ve squatted and pulled Joy into as big of a hug as she was capable of. Alas, all she could do was stare down at her with a soft, sad smile, and feel bad for her¡ªat least, until an obvious idea presented itself. ¡°Well, you could come with us if Sundance agrees¡ª¡±
¡°And I do,¡± Sundance followed up. ¡°I imagine it¡¯d be much easier to keep up with us while being held. Unfortunately, that¡¯s not an option for Sue with her crutch, but I could hold you, Joy, if you¡¯d want.¡± The vixen¡¯s words broke through Joy¡¯s tunnel vision on her friend, making her jump with a by-now-predictable startle. As opposed to her previous scares, though, she wasn¡¯t as completely terrified this time, considering the idea seriously enough to look up at Sue for her opinion.
And in return, she got a big smile and an even bigger nod¡ªit didn¡¯t get more positive than that. Since Sue trusted the Fire-type, so could she, Joy supposed. She closed her eyes as she reached her arms up to the vixen, bracing herself for¡ something.
The rattle of metal against metal wasn¡¯t a pleasant sound, but it was thankfully brief.
Joy¡¯s jolt at suddenly being surrounded in Sundance¡¯s glow made her snap her maw shut with enough force to make Sue gulp, especially with her hand having been recently present there. Once the metal girl was done being spooked, she looked around her new position in the vixen¡¯s arms, relaxing at the surrounding warmth.
¡°Like the view?¡± Sundance asked, smiling down at her. In a first, her comment didn¡¯t startle Joy any further, the little one just acknowledging her words with a nod as she waved at Sue, smiling giddily. Her friend returned the gesture once they got moving¡ªbut unfortunately for them, they weren¡¯t the only ones leaving the playground at that moment.
The mixture of loud chitters and quieter hisses running up to them made Sue look over her shoulder, just in time for the strangers to overtake them. Sue wasn¡¯t familiar with the green-cream snake and their fancy yellow collar, but that couldn¡¯t be said for the pink scorpion bat beside them.
Sadly, Joy noticed them too, whimpering as she withdrew further into Sundance¡¯s arms. ¡°Oh?¡± the vixen perked up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Joy¡ª¡± she tried to ask, trailing off at connecting the dots between the strangers¡¯ appearance and the girl¡¯s reaction. With a tired sigh, she switched tracks to telepathy, privately asking Sue, ¡°^I¡¯m guessing they were the ones that hurt her a couple days ago?^¡±
¡°I-I think so, yes.¡± Sue confirmed, her voice distracting Joy from dwelling further on her fear, to both adults¡¯ relief. She couldn¡¯t hold the metal girl in her arms, but she could at least hold her hand with her free one to calm them both down.
Sundance summed the situation up, ¡°^Unfortunate,^¡± before shaking the train of thought off and taking the lead again. Sue was of half a mind to keep going with that subject, ask her mentor about if there was anything they could do to help the girl. Before she could force the words out of her throat, though, another person passing by caught Sundance¡¯s attention instead, the previous topic unintentionally snuffed out. ¡°Afternoon, Kantaro,¡± the vixen greeted. ¡°How¡¯s work going today?¡±
The craftsbug had to turn around with most of his body to look up at the vixen. Her presence provided him some relief, enough to make him slow down for a moment as he responded, voice low and grumbly, ¡°It¡¯s going. That swing was long overdue, and Root talked me into putting up another shrine.¡± He accompanied the mention of the shrine with what looked like a quick prayer in its direction.
A bit unnerving, but at least he isn¡¯t thinking any less of us for not following along.
¡°Glad to hear about the swing. Wonderful statue, by the way. Really sells Her being in motion,¡± Sundance praised. To Sue¡¯s surprise, Kantaro¡¯s only response to the vixen¡¯s words were drawn out grunts and grumbles, only conveying annoyance. Her mentor didn¡¯t mind, continuing, ¡°Got to keep trying, then.¡±
Kantaro muttered, ¡°On and on, indeed. At least the rest of the day is more banal.¡±
¡°Hopefully it brings you calmness if nothing else, then. See you around, Kantaro.¡±
The craftsbug acknowledged Sundance¡¯s parting words with a curt nod before taking a sharp turn towards the ongoing construction effort. A few questions crept up onto the forefront of Sue¡¯s mind as their impromptu band marched on in a straight-ish path. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±
¡°Oh?¡± Sundance and Joy alike looked at the Forest Guardian in confusion, if for different reasons. Namely, uncertainty at Sue¡¯s question and surprise at suddenly finding herself so sleepy because of all the warm fluff around her, respectively.
¡°I-I watched him make that statue,¡± Sue explained, ¡°it¡¯s so well done and everyone else thought so too it seemed... what¡¯s his problem with it? O-or is it with the Pale Lady¡ª¡±
Sundance firmly shook her head. ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s only ever with his own craftsmanship. I¡¯ve hardly met anyone that¡¯s as unflinching of a devotee as Kantaro.¡±
Sue blinked, stunned. ¡°But that statue was wonderful!¡±
¡°Wonderful, but not perfect,¡± the vixen stressed.
¡°But¡ nothing is perfect.¡±
¡°Usually, I¡¯d agree with you, but,¡± Sundance sighed, ¡°that¡¯s not how he sees it. He has tasted perfection twice, and hasn¡¯t repeated it in many, many years now.¡±
Right as Sue was about to ask about which of Kantaro¡¯s creations was supposedly ¡®perfect¡¯, a particular sight crept back into her thought process. One incomparably more impressive than even that pretty statue, stunning to even recall.
I¡¯ll never have a fraction of Solstice¡¯s devotion to Duck, but fuck me if her altar doesn¡¯t look divinely inspired¡ª
¡
He had tasted it twice.
¡°And let me guess, only one of those perfect creations is still standing?¡± Sue asked, keeping her voice down. Sundance¡¯s knowing, sad smile was all the confirmation she needed, making her feel bad for the craftsbug at her awful hunch having turned out to be accurate. To have one of his finest creations destroyed because of what was ultimately prejudice¡ harrowing. Though, it also only made his unflinching devotion even more confusing. ¡°That¡¯s rough.¡±
¡°It is. Thankfully, he got rid of one massive weight on his shell a couple of years ago. It helped, but¡ in the end, it only put further pressure on his struggle for perfection afterwards,¡± the vixen explained, adding another unknown to Sue¡¯s mental pile.
She was curious about it, but there was another question she wanted to ask first. ¡°I see. While he was working, someone else came up to him and¡ª¡±
¡°Let me guess¡ªoff-white and dark purple, with a fiery collar and a bad temperament?¡± Sundance grumbled, growing palpably annoyed by the word.
¡°Yeah, them.¡±
¡°Root. Figures the old coot has nothing better to do than to come and micromanage, hmph.¡±
The name chilled Sue as she thought back to the vixen¡¯s lecture from the previous day. His manipulation, his prejudice towards the night kin, the recollection rushing into the once-human¡¯s mind as her own heartbeat suddenly grew deafening. ¡°H-him.¡±
To think I¡¯ve wasted my opportunity to shout something in his face.
¡°Indeed,¡± Sundance sighed. ¡°He¡¯s still around, serving as the Night Mother¡¯s chief priest. Leads most of the big, important ceremonies and has little useful to do otherwise.¡±
As if I needed another reason to like that leafy lady more.
If Sue had any idea what they had said, she would¡¯ve probably had to hold herself from clapping at what had to be some sort of overt disobedience towards the priest. ¡°I don¡¯t like him.¡±
¡°Welcome to the club; it¡¯s a large one. Petty, old¡ª¡± Sundance¡¯s words cut off into a low, untranslated grumble. Knowing the vixen, it probably contained at least a couple of swears. As curious as Sue was, she didn¡¯t push any deeper. Partly because she didn¡¯t want to wind herself into fury on what was supposed to be a day of relaxation, and partly because the sight ahead was much more eye-catching.
So that¡¯s what Willow¡¯s doing when they¡¯re not tending to people at the clinic.
Passing medical knowledge on was a truly inexhaustible task, one that the chubby medic was very glad to be undertaking. Despite how reserved their squeaks and mumbles usually were, their lecturing voice was loud and clear, not wavering even as they gestured at the sketches behind them.
The massive, blackboard-like slab they stood in front of was covered with chalk drawings, most of them looking like an anatomical cross-section of sorts. Of what exactly, Sue had no idea beyond a vague guess that it was some creature¡¯s arm. Regardless of who exactly was having their body stripped down to the basic parts, Willow was describing them in rather impressive detail. Each individual bone, tendon, and muscle were accompanied by a couple of sentences and an occasional demonstration of the medic moving their free arm around in some specific way.
Everyone in the audience either repeated their gestured, asked questions, or waited for the co-lecturer to chime in as well. The exact shape of their body was¡ difficult to discern from the distance. It had three dark green, leaf-like growths sprouting out from a central point at their base, with their ¡®actual¡¯ body growing out of the central growth. The massive collar of dozens if not hundreds of multicolored flowers surrounding their head made it hard to make out anything above their¡ ¡®waist¡¯.
Yep, that one has to be the ¡®plant¡¯ type that Petal was.
The thought about types made Sue want to give classifying the surrounding strangers another shot¡ª
¡°Sue? Mind taking a seat here and waiting for me to grab Solstice?¡± Sundance asked, instantly snapping Sue out of her focus. She was unsure why she was brought along here only to split up again afterwards, but it didn¡¯t really matter. The lecture before her would occupy her attention for as long as was needed.
¡°Sure.¡±
The Forest Guardian paid only as much attention to the nearby bench as was strictly necessary for her to sit down on it. Her left arm immediately resumed its affection autopilot once Joy had scrambled up and took her seat beside her. Each gentle, drawn out pet of her back maw relaxed the girl further while her guardian watched the lecture with interest.
The medical student Sue¡¯s attention latched onto was¡ hard to miss. Both because of their stark, mostly white coloration, and even more so because of their constant activity. They asked well over half of all the questions coming the lecturers¡¯ way¡ªand judging by the responses being eager, in-depth, and without as much as a sign of exasperation, these sure sounded like productive questions, too.
It was almost enough to make Sue overlook the student in question being a cat and their questions being delivered in meows.
The realization forced her to suppress her giggling, lest she¡¯d draw attention to her own rudeness. Her composure was as appropriate as it was ultimately pointless, with Willow eventually noticing her being in the extended audience and greeting her with a brief wave, drawing the entire crowd¡¯s attention towards her for a brief moment. Aside from being an immensely overwhelming experience, it also let Sue glimpse the attentive cat¡¯s golden eyes before they refocused on the lecture proper, being the first one to do so.
Most of my professors would kill for a student this proper.
The other students weren¡¯t as engaged, but were taking mental notes all the same. After a few more minutes of discussion about a mammalian-looking arm, the drawings were steadily replaced with¡ a cross section of a plant, capped off with a distinct hand.
Appropriately enough, the living bouquet took the lead during that part, with Willow stepping back to take a secondary role. The flowery medic¡¯s sketches turned out to be much larger and more intricate than Willow¡¯s, owing to their vastly better reach. Instead of a stubby paw, they drew with a¡ long, prehensile vine that sprouted from somewhere in the mess of flowers surrounding their head; the stick of chalk glided along the stone with the speed and precision that would make even tenured physics professors jealous.
That vine tentacle is¡ eerily glib.
As unnerving as that realization was, it soon became much worse at the realization that her own mental reach felt eerily similar when she was using it. It wasn¡¯t just long, thin, and agile, but it was also entirely invisible to anyone but the fellow psychics¡ª
¡
...let¡¯s just drop that subject.
Trying to shake off the uncomfortable train of thought, Sue looked around the plaza. Many of the passersby were keen to take a few minutes out of their routine to stop and listen to the lecture¡ªmost of them, at least. Most of those that weren¡¯t were busy moving cargo around. Clay pots of various liquids, woven baskets of fruit and grain, even an entire log here and there. Though, for some, even having stuff to carry wasn¡¯t an obstacle to absorbing some knowledge.
The low thud coming from nearby made Sue jump and look at its source. A red humanoid with greenish metal covering most of their upper body, and a ponytail that either just looked like flames, or¡ was flames. Their appearance tingled a remote bell in Sue¡¯s head, but she couldn¡¯t say she was truly familiar with them. She didn¡¯t recognize the small boulder they sat down on, either¡ªmust¡¯ve been something they brought with themselves.
No way that''s comfortable, but who am I to judge?
Nearby swooshes of wind and grunts of annoyance snatched Sue¡¯s attention before she could refocus back on the lecture. As much as she expected to see someone struggling to carry something through the streets, she sure didn¡¯t expect said thing to be a slab of solid stone the size of a fridge¡ªlet alone two.
If nothing else, both of them were being carried by two people each, one of them bringing a wide smile to Sue¡¯s face¡ªfollowed by a chuckle at just how much higher Astra¡¯s flying point of leverage was compared to that of the gray four-arms, inadvertently pushing most of the stone¡¯s weight down on him. Even despite that, the dragon was still struggling immensely, wings forced to work so hard to keep her in the air that the resulting gusts knocked a couple of passersby off balance.
The other slab, in turn, was carried by the red robot insect she¡¯d seen work with the other builders, as well as the smaller, blue rhino who may or may not have taken part in the show fight at the feast. And who, despite all the dangers that involved, waved at Sue after noticing her, the stone slab thankfully remaining stable throughout.
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Considering they probably risked their life for that wave, I might as well return it¡
Once she waved back at them, Joy sliding off the bench and hesitantly stepping closer to the lecture took Sue out of any further OSHA-violating thoughts. The Forest Guardian giggled at the girl¡¯s tentative steps mixed with anxious looks back at her, as if to see if she was still there and watching.
Don¡¯t worry sweetie, I¡¯m not going any¡ª
¡
¡
Oh no no no NO NO NO NO ¡ª
Any jubilant mood Sue might¡¯ve had burned the instant she spotted that thing in the plaza¡¯s corner. Her breaths grew shallow, heart threatening to break out of her chest, even as the red beast that had almost ended her life a few days ago remained none the wiser to her attention. Her vision swam as she followed the savage insect¡¯s every movement and watched it skitter down the street. She grasped her crutch in terror in case she needed to get out of here¡ª
Oh god it¡¯s looking at me it¡¯s looking at ME NO NO NO NO GO AWAY GO AWAY¡ª
In a move that her fear-gripped mind found almost impossible to process, the spider proceeded to do just that. It quickly skittered into a nearby alleyway, though whether it was to get away from her or try to flank her and finish the job was yet to be seen. The latter was an absurd possibility, and Sue was well aware, but there was no way in hell she¡¯d give that thing an opening.
Once the red beast was gone, her attention finally detached itself from its last known position, jumping between all the paths that connected to the clearing, constantly looking out for it. A small part, deep inside her, knew full well that even if she did catch them, she wouldn¡¯t be able to outrun them, making all this pointless¡ªbut her terrified mind was deaf to those concerns, stuck in a repetitive, anxious loop.
If Sue wasn¡¯t freaking out, she would¡¯ve joked at said loop feeling like something out of a shoddy indie horror game¡ªand just like in a shoddy indie horror game, there was a mandatory jumpscare at the end. It might¡¯ve taken the form of Willow¡¯s voice from close up as opposed to a speaker-blowing screech, but it was hardly any less effective because of that, Sue only barely stopping herself from screaming out loud.
¡
Oh.
The two lecturers and the aptly nicknamed teacher¡¯s pet were standing before her, their emotions easy to sense now that her mind was no longer actively choking itself with fear. Willow¡¯s eagerness, bouquet¡¯s concern at her startle, the cat¡¯s unemotional and yet very intense focus as the pink medic pointed at Sue¡¯s bandaged leg.
Should I¡ lift it up?
Thankfully, Sue¡¯s hunch turned out to be a correct one, letting Willow¡¯s lecture continue as they reached a paw underneath her leg to help keep it lifted. What they were talking about, Sue wasn¡¯t sure, and could only guess it was either about treating injuries like hers, or about the intricacies of wrapping bandages.
The white-navy cat¡¯s barrage of questions was unceasing, to their mentors¡¯ delight¡ªthat is, until one of them prompted a much longer back and forth between them and Willow, with even the living florist shop interjecting with their own curiosity. At some point, the question finally fell in Sue¡¯s court to answer, if the entire trio refocusing on her was any sign at least.
Uh¡ can I ask the audience?
The incomprehensible question resulted in the first instant of utter, unbroken silence between the trio in the last few hours. And only an instant of silence it was, Willow reminding themself of the obvious soon after and commenting on it out loud. The cat acted without skipping a beat by¡ unfolding one of their ears and revealing a golden, eye-shaped something inside it, the lack of fur making it look almost fleshy.
And then, as one does, said something lit up in a bright, golden flare, much like she¡¯d seen Solstice¡¯s and Sundance¡¯s eyes do in the past. Fittingly enough, it was followed with a jolt inside Sue¡¯s mind, blunt and coordinated, and then by the flattest feminine voice Sue had ever heard in her life. ¡°Hi. Willow¡¯s asking why you tried to walk with a broken leg.¡±
Sue needed a hot minute to parse through the cat¡¯s question, the hesitation annoying them slightly. The emotion was so unnaturally well hidden inside her mind that Sue almost didn¡¯t notice, though.
¡°Uh, I was sca¡ª¡± Sue began, only to get cut off mid-word by Willow, the realization that she still couldn¡¯t understand them answering the ¡®why¡¯ question. The white cat¡¯s reaction was the first instance of a genuine emotion Sue¡¯d sensed from them, even if it was just a brief blip of annoyance.
Much like before, they unfurled their ear and put their psychics to use again before trying again. ¡°Now.¡±
¡°Oh?¡±
¡°Repeat,¡± they insisted, voice somehow even flatter than before.
Sue blinked. ¡°Oh. I¡ªuh, I was scared, had no idea where I even was, and needed some answers badly. And didn¡¯t realize how much it¡¯d hurt...¡±
Willow chuckled, ¡°Ha! All¡¯s well Sue, I was just explaining how I went about patching you up to Northeast. Anyhow¡ªafter that incident, the wound reopened underneath the bandages and bled badly. First, I tore the old dressing off to avoid the risk of infection, then applied the first Healing Pulse to stem the bleeding, wiped the skin clean with water and white spirit, and got to the salves. Covered the wound up with a couple layers of antiseptic dressing, applied the Tanga salve around the edges, and rubbed Sitrus salve in further around.¡±
¡°No follow-up pulses?¡± the freshly named Northeast asked.
¡°No, no,¡± Willow shook their head, ¡°Sue was already so tired she¡¯d fallen asleep by that point. Pushing any further would¡¯ve been more risk than was appropriate, Northeast, especially with immediate danger gone.¡±
Without skipping a beat, the cat nodded again and asked, ¡°How many dressing layers?¡±
¡°I reckon I went with three there? I decided it¡¯d be for the best if it was thick enough to sit undisturbed for a few days. Then, since we had no way of communicating with Sue at that point, I baby-proofed it with a thin cast on top of the bandage... no offense, Sue.¡±
Pffffft, baby-proofed. More like dumbass-proofed.
To Willow¡¯s relief, Sue¡¯s response was only an amused giggle as opposed to anything more stern. She was in absolutely no spot to be judging the medic, considering how annoying of a patient she must¡¯ve been. Her reaction was mirrored by the chubby medic themselves and the living bouquet alike, Northeast standing silently off to the side throughout. Even Joy had chimed in with a raspy, harsh chuckle of her own, though largely because everyone else was laughing.
¡°That is curious, however~,¡± the flower-person chimed in, their voice making Sue think of a rich widow in her fifties, slow and dignified. ¡°A Forest Guardian making it to adulthood without as much as Telepathy? I faintly remember Solstice mentioning that. I found it unbelievable, and yet here you are. Is it a result of¡ a developmental condition?¡± they asked with all the gentleness of a freight train.
As Sue sat there, torn between freaking out at being seen through and being unsure if she should be offended at the other medic¡¯s words, Willow chimed in. ¡°We think it may very well be something like that, Orchid. Or at least was, since she¡¯s been able to start slowly picking psychic skills up recently. An exceptionally rare and unfortunate case either way¡ªbest not dwell too much on it and just appreciate her being safely with us.¡±
Sue let out a sigh of relief at their diversion, the tension leaving her body by the moment¡ªat least, until Northeast took her turn at poking holes in Willow¡¯s answer. ¡°So she¡¯s been capable of psychics for some unknown amount of time before now and only started acting on that here? That sounds incredibly unlikely.¡±
¡°What¡¯s so difficult to believe, Northeast?¡± Willow asked, unbothered on the surface.
¡°At the very least, she would¡¯ve had to notice her inner sense waking up at some point prior to her arrival in Moonview.¡± Sue expected to see the white cat staring at her with distrust after her comments, but she only saw the same flat expression, befitting the unerringly monotone voice.
I¡¯ve no idea what her intent is, and I don¡¯t like that fact one bit.
¡°I¡¯d say we drop that subject,¡± the chubby medic sidestepped the subject, voice more serious than before. ¡°I don¡¯t think Sue wants to be interrogated and have her version of events called into doubt right now, or ever really.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not¡ª¡± Northeast began, before being cut off by an unexpected, relief-inducing voice.
¡°Oh dear, what did you do to get the medics¡¯ attention now, Sue~?¡±
Sue felt her anxiety wane at Solstice¡¯s words, shuddering at her earlier tension. The other Forest Guardian was looking so, so much better than when she last remembered seeing her, though she was still far from perfectly alright. The puffiness underneath her eyes, the warble of her voice¡ªthe tells were there, but Solstice was actively trying to be alright despite them, and that¡¯s all that mattered, making Sue smile.
¡°Hardly anything but being a jumpy student and a useful case study in application of dressings, worry not dear Solstice,¡± Orchid chuckled at the situation, only barely stopping herself from going on.
Willow chuckled, ¡°Ha! You¡¯re right, though, it¡¯d be for the best if we went from chatter to a bit of practice. Now to fetch¡ª¡± they paused abruptly after turning towards the stone blackboard, their upbeat tone suddenly replaced with confusion. They concentrated on the grass in front of their impromptu canvas, clearly scanning for something, but couldn¡¯t find it. ¡°Huh. I could¡¯ve sworn I brought some rags to practice applying bandages with. Reckon we¡¯ll just have to grab some from my clinic instead, if you could follow me~.¡±
Orchid and Northeast went along without complaints, and despite Sue expecting the latter to suddenly look over her shoulder and shoot a suspicious glare, that didn¡¯t end up happening. Her attention couldn¡¯t linger on them for much longer with Solstice present, though, making her drop the crutch off to the side and pull the other Forest Guardian into a tight side hug, her front spike pressing into her mentor¡¯s chest.
Sue felt Solstice¡¯s heartbeat reverberate through it, making for a surprisingly calming sensation. The Mayor had to put in an active effort to avoid breaking into tears for Duck-knows-how long within the last twenty-four hours, thankfully stabilizing herself with a few deeper breaths. ¡°I¡¯m okay Sue, I¡¯m okay, don¡¯t worry.¡±
¡°A-are you sure?¡± Sue asked. ¡°I can¡ª¡±
Solstice shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m absolutely sure. We¡¯ve both had more than enough tears yesterday to last us a full Moon, let us focus on here and now instead, alright?¡±
While Solstice might have been successful in avoiding any more tears, Sue wasn¡¯t, sniffing as she let go of her more-than-mentor-it-felt-at-times before wiping her eyes and redirecting her attention to the toothy girl on her other side instead, holding her tight. ¡°Mhm. Okay.¡±
¡°Wonderful,¡± the older Forest Guardian beamed. ¡°Sundance is off to grab us all snacks, and in the meantime... someone would like you to meet him, Sue.¡±
Sue palpably felt Solstice¡¯s tone turn somber, making her gulp. She had no idea whose presence could¡¯ve prompted such a mood shift, speeding up her heartbeat. ¡°O-oh. Who is he?¡±
¡°His name is Dewdrop; he¡¯s one of our weavers. We¡¯ve got to thank him for many of our antiseptic dressings. Some of which you¡¯re wearing right now if I¡¯m not mistaken~,¡± Solstice teased, only making everything more confusing.
Of course, she¡¯d love to thank someone who¡¯d contributed to her recovery; why wouldn¡¯t she want that? ¡°That¡¯s great! Wh-what¡¯s wrong?¡±
Solstice sighed, ¡°He¡¯s... a deathweaver. Of the same kin as the being that had grievously injured you.¡±
The click of all the pieces falling into place in Sue¡¯s mind was almost loud enough to be audible, and the gulp that followed it most definitely was. Solstice immediately pulled her student in closer to comfort her. Her touch was calming, but nowhere near enough to make Sue feel alright on its own. ¡°O-oh, him...¡± she mumbled, short of breath. ¡°I-I think I saw him earlier...¡±
¡°Yes, you have,¡± Solstice nodded. ¡°He went looking around for me afterwards to help facilitate some communication between you two and let you two meet.¡±
Sue wasn¡¯t sure what to think of it. ¡°B-but, what for? He¡¯s not the one that¡ª¡±
¡°No, of course he¡¯s not, but he still feels guilty. And more importantly, he doesn¡¯t want you to be scared of him in the future, like you are right now,¡± Solstice chided, stopping Sue¡¯s anxious thought process before it could wind itself up even further.
Dewdrop¡¯s reasoning made perfect sense, making Sue feel bad for indirectly forcing someone innocent, if really, really, really scary-looking, to defend themselves because of her fear. ¡°Oh, sorry¡ª¡±
¡°Nothing to be sorry for, Sue. Your fear is all too understandable¡ªthat¡¯s what made him want to intervene directly even more and help you overcome it.¡±
How the fuck are the beast that nearly took my life and someone so considerate the same species?!
¡°I-I see. That¡¯s really nice of him,¡± Sue mumbled. ¡°I... alright, I-I think I¡¯m ready.¡± She was extremely uncertain of whether or not she was actually ready, but it didn¡¯t matter¡ªthe last thing she wanted was to keep Dewdrop waiting any longer because she was being irrational.
She braced herself, shifting her gaze downwards and focusing on the ground as Solstice first hesitated, and then followed along, calling the spider over. ¡°^Alright Dewdrop, she¡¯s ready.^¡±
Sue¡¯s heart skipped a beat at seeing the red spider first peek out, and then finally step out of the nearest alley. He was moving as slowly as he could, clearly doing anything in his power to make his appearance as non-sudden as possible.
I wish you didn¡¯t have to do that, but¡ thanks.
As he approached, she got a good look at the things he wore and carried. The elaborate cap was the most eye-catching item of the bunch. The twin blue accents that ran down the length of the flaps behind his eyes downright popped out from the brown canvas and red chitin¡ªas did the central flap, resting on top of Dewdrop¡¯s horn and curling around it, keeping it disarmed.
The two¡ not-legs on top of his abdomen carried a not-legful of tassels each, their vivid yellows, oranges, and reds complimenting his appearance.
¡°Good afternoon Sue,¡± Dewdrop greeted, ¡°I apologize our meeting is in... as tense a situation.¡±
Even if Sue could still hear the hisses, clicks and chitters that underlaid Dewdrop¡¯s words, her attention was entirely focused on his calm tone and eloquent delivery, helping her keep herself calm. ¡°H-hey, Dewdrop. I-it¡¯s alright...¡±
¡°I know it¡¯s not, but that¡¯s understandable. I¡¯m not holding it against you,¡± he insisted, keeping his distance.
¡°Thank you,¡± Sue mumbled. ¡°I-I just didn¡¯t expect to see another... of that one here.¡±
¡°Oh, I can absolutely imagine, with your first encounter with my kin being what it was. But no, we¡¯re not all like my sibling¡ªif anything, however, that makes what they¡¯ve done even more monstrous.¡±
¡°Y-your sibling?¡± she asked, eyes going wide.
The spider shook his head. ¡°Not in a literal way, no. Though¡ I suppose it is possible they were part of the same brood as I. Depressing to consider.¡±
One thing to have a deadbeat family member, another to be related to someone who hunts other living beings for sustenance. ¡°I-it is, yeah. Why are¡ªwhy did¡ª¡±
¡°Why did they almost murder you while I¡¯m here holding a rational conversation?¡± Dewdrop cut to the chase. Sue gulped, anxious at the wording, but that indeed was the spirit of the question. ¡°It¡¯s... down to choice, in the end,¡± the spider continued. ¡°The awareness of Moonview has spread far into the woods, and I¡¯m more than certain that they have heard its beck and call as much as I have.¡±
He paused for a moment, reminiscing, before lowering his voice. ¡°Shelter, food, duty, and possibly even family¡ªon the sole condition that you abandon your predatory ways, irrevocably, forever. Many call it an impossible-to-believe lie, convinced that it¡¯s little more than a ruse to lull gullible fools in before devouring them, predator and prey species alike. Ultimately, it is their choice whether they want to trust us. For me, and many others, the choice was clear. But sadly, not for all. And as harmless to anyone but themselves as that distrust is with prey species...¡±
¡a distrustful predator means an actively hunting predator.
Sue leaned in, finding herself feeling sorry for the spider. ¡°That must feel horrible. Knowing what your own flesh and blood is doing out there, and feeling like it¡¯s your fault for not convincing them.¡±
¡°Every day I think back to the last time I talked with my brood, when all of us still subsisted on wild berries,¡± Dewdrop continued, lost in thought. ¡°I tried to argue with them how it would make no sense for Moonview to be a trap, how that tradeoff was worth it. All they could muster back was paranoia and outrage at their ¡®identity¡¯ as predator species even being called into a question. Constant insistence that hunting was our purpose, that was what we were adapted for. And¡ª¡± his segmented body shuddered, mandibles unnervingly clicking together, ¡°¡ªit¡¯s not untrue. That is what we are adapted to, after all. But to put that as the ceiling of what we are capable of, to insist there¡¯s nothing more one would ever want out of life, that murder for sustenance is the most supreme of callings... I can¡¯t put myself in that mindset. I never could.¡±
Silence lingered for a long while as everyone gathered composed their thoughts. Dewdrop eventually broke the lull with an awkward shuffle, reaching his forelegs to rub under his eyes, one at a time. ¡°I apologize. I went overboard there, haven¡¯t I?¡±
The two Forest Guardians¡¯ chuckles helped in diffusing the tension. Sue picked up the slack again as more of her nerves faded away¡ª¡°It¡¯s alright, Dewdrop. I can only imagine the weight th-that comes with that sort of awareness of what you c-could have done.¡±
¡°It¡¯s heavy, indeed,¡± he sighed. ¡°Thankfully, I have others here to talk it through with, others that know that kind of pain.¡±
¡°You can add ¡®emotional support¡¯ to the list of what our village offers~,¡± Solstice smirked.
The arachnid laughter that came out of Dewdrop in response was a bizarre sound. Hundreds of repeated clicks, almost sounding like the world¡¯s quietest machine gun going off. ¡°Indeed, Solstice, indeed. Well, I¡¯m glad you gave me a chance Sue, a-and I hope I won¡¯t be as scary of a sight going forward.¡±
If not for her injury and having no idea if that would even work on an anatomical level, Sue was of half a mind to give Dewdrop a big hug, empathy and a bit of pity replacing her fear. Any spider this size was inherently unnerving, but at least he¡¯d likely not make her panic again by his mere presence. ¡°You really won¡¯t be, and you¡¯re welcome, Dewdrop. I-I¡ªthank you for this. It was illuminating, and I¡¯m really sorry f-for things being the way they are.¡±
The spider nodded. ¡°Not something either of us can change, sadly. All we can do is keep this place growing and hope we sway more hearts in the future. Speaking of, how far did you all push the other deathweavers back after Sue¡¯s attack, Solstice?¡±
Wait, what?
¡°A day¡¯s march, more or less.¡±
¡°Pushed back?¡± Sue asked, alarmed.
Solstice took it upon herself to explain. ¡°Between offering predators a place to stay and protecting everyone already living here and others nearby, one of those is more important in the end. A whole brood living nearby is a grave danger for all of us, no matter how much some of its members could be persuaded if given enough time. And so it has to be dispersed, burned down, and its members pushed back, far, far from here, so that they¡¯re no longer a threat.¡±
¡°And once the time comes, the eggs they had left behind will hatch here, and the little ones will be welcomed into a place where they don¡¯t have to hunt,¡± Dewdrop followed up. His words made Sue second guess herself, uncertainty growing on her face as she worried about the moral implications of what she¡¯d just heard described. Keeping their territory safe was one thing, but kidnapping the eggs left behind?
Though... not like the other answer felt any better. If they were pushed back together with the rest of their kin, the unhatched spiders would instead grow into yet more threats, not just to Moonview specifically, but also to any other prey species around them...
A moral nightmare with no answer.
¡°Indeed, Sue, there isn¡¯t a ¡®correct¡¯ answer to what we ought to do in a situation like that,¡± Solstice nodded, patting her shoulder. ¡°We can only hope that offering the unhatched ones a life of safety is the right call, even if it comes at the price of taking them away from their brood. And that, if we are in the wrong, then whatever awaits us on The Gate¡¯s other side forgives us for our sins.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t doubt one bit that this course of action is the right one for my kin, at least,¡± Dewdrop reassured. ¡°Though yes, it¡¯s certainly a case-by-case kind of dilemma. Regardless of whatever judgment awaits us, that¡¯s way off in the future, and now I really should get to catching up on green silk.¡±
Sue blinked, confused. ¡°...wh-why green specifically?¡±
¡°Some prankster thought it¡¯d be funny to steal half the bundle I kept on hand and I only realized partway through weaving. Oh well, I just need to grab more green dye and get back to spinning.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no rush Dewdrop. Take your time; the tassels aren¡¯t a priority,¡± the Mayor reminded.
The spider murmured, ¡°With the rate at which Root has been putting up shrines lately, you¡¯d think he would eventually start wearing one on his back.¡±
Solstice sighed at the mention of the other Elder in a very familiar and fed up way. She grumbled into her hand and rubbed her eyes as she briefly switched to telepathy. ¡°^I¡¯ll have to bring it up with him, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gotten into him lately. Take care Dewdrop, and may She keep your rest peaceful.^¡±
¡°See you both around,¡± the spider smiled. ¡°Oh, and you too, little one, I almost didn¡¯t notice you.¡±
The discussion had left Joy feeling pensive, though that didn¡¯t last long after Sue got back to the girl with all the affection she was owed, a gentle tickle on her front leaving her whole body squirming and hands flailing. The lovely, gasping laughter was mixed with notably less lovely clinking of metal, though the result still sounded really nice.
Just because it was Joy.
The group perked up at Sundance¡¯s voice¡ª¡°Took you all so long these went cold in the meantime.¡± She was holding three portions of candied, syrup-covered fruits on sticks in her paw, one of them shorter and with only a slice instead of an entire fruit.
¡°Well, if there¡¯s anyone around to help offset that grievous injustice, it¡¯d be you, Sunny~. Though, agreed, rather heavy stuff for what was supposed to be our opportunity to relax. Let¡¯s go make the most of what remains of the day, eh Sue?¡± Solstice nudged. Her nickname had Sundance roll her eyes as she summoned a small flame to warm the treats up while the group got going. Seeing open fire left Joy much more skittish, the toothy girl opting to keep to Sue¡¯s side this time.
¡°Yeah, something more relaxing would be nice. Do you have any place in particular in mind?¡± Sue asked.
Solstice shook her head. ¡°Hmm, no, I don¡¯t¡ª¡±
¡°Yes, I do~,¡± the vixen smirked, leaving the two Forest Guardians blinking in surprise. Their obvious curiosity went unanswered as the Fire-type led them on, and while Solstice soon pieced together where her friend was taking them, if not necessarily why, Sue¡ was just happy to be around.
It¡¯s getting quite late already. Wonder if¡ª
Before Sue could pay too much attention to the passage of time, a sight in the nearby alley caught her attention instead, making her stop, with others following soon after. Sundance was of half a mind to tease her there and then, but ultimately kept quiet, just watching along with the rest of the group.
Snowdrop was busy moving several rectangular baskets of grain and berries next to a large hole in the ground, lined with something that Sue couldn¡¯t quite pick up on from a distance. Her routine was straightforward¡ªassemble a stack of three baskets, do¡ something to them that resulted in them getting frozen, and lower the freshly chilled foodstuffs down the hole. The frosty performer kept going like this until she¡¯d gotten through all the baskets on hand, closing the most unintuitively operated freezer shortly after.
While she took a moment to gather her breath and admire her handiwork, the duo from before ran up to her, their presence throwing a spanner in Sue¡¯s mood. She had nothing against the mostly green snake, but hadn¡¯t gotten any friendlier towards the pink bat-scorpion.
Why must you of all people be fucking everywhere.
The pair of what were presumably children didn¡¯t arrive empty-handed, either, carrying a clay pot of a dark, fragrant liquid with their combined strength. Sue wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of cherries, but couldn¡¯t deny them smelling nice, watching closely to see what Snowdrop would do with an entire jar of cherry juice. The thoughts of food reminded her of the treats Sundance had brought with herself, the not-apple on a stick getting bit into as she kept watching.
Sue didn¡¯t know what exactly the two kids had asked the icy performer, but she seemed to know exactly what to do, soon figuring out the right way of fulfilling their request¡ªnamely, the flashiest way. Snowdrop gripped the pot before flinging its contents upwards with her dainty hands, and right as the glob of the dark pink juice reached its apex, she snap-froze it with a single powerful gust of chilling wind from her mouth.
She didn¡¯t wait before scooping the potful of ice cream out of the air, getting almost all of it, the handful of specks that had landed on her face and crystal horns making both the kids and Sue giggle. Before the performer could join them in their amusement, though, she finally noticed Sue¡¯s group, the realization combusting her glee into a fluster bright enough to melt the frozen juice on her head and make her scurry out of sight.
¡°Awwwwh~. She¡¯s sweet, isn¡¯t she?¡± Solstice giggled.
Sue nodded, giddy. ¡°Yeah! A-almost hard to believe she¡¯d put as scary of a show back at the stage as she did.¡±
¡°A ghost of many talents you could even say~! Gods, if she¡¯d been here twenty years ago when I first came here, then... hah, no telling who would my heart be with nowadays,¡± the Mayor fantasized, making Sue blink in surprise as they all got going again. Joy was the only one left unsatisfied at the Snowdrop¡¯s spectacle¡ªmostly because of her not getting any of the freshly made ice cream in the end.
¡°I-I definitely see what you m-mean, heh...¡± her pupil chuckled weakly.
¡°Oh, now you do~?¡±
Sue threatened to catch on fire following Solstice¡¯s comment, looking away with a bright fluster as the two women laughed among themselves. Sundance wanted to double down on the tease in particular, but ultimately gave Sue mercy¡ªshe¡¯d be even more flustered soon enough, after all. ¡°Yeah, Snowdrop¡¯s a treasure. However, she¡¯s always struck me as wanting something more permanent.¡±
¡°D-don¡¯t we all?¡±
Sundance looked at her student with a light smirk and a raised eyebrow, a chuckle seeping into her words. ¡°I don¡¯t~. Never really felt that romantic pull.¡±
¡°Oh,¡± Sue blinked. ¡°B-but uh, what about Spark?¡±
¡°A very happy accident, but an accident all the same.¡±
Sue struggled to gather words at the vixen¡¯s explanation, much to the other two¡¯s continued amusement. A big, awkward question crept up into the forefront of her mind afterwards, one she¡¯d avoided bringing up earlier because of the implied tragedy. ¡°B-but, with whom?¡±
As the once-human had feared, the question had Sundance pause. Though, as opposed to her worry that the vixen would suddenly break out into tears, she instead began to count on her fingers, eyes darting off into the sky as she enumerated the possibilities. ¡°There are... seven candidates in total, I think. Two of them are dead, two more don¡¯t live here, and none of them ever spoke up or came forward even after Spark had hatched. As far as I¡¯m concerned, she¡¯s mine and mine alone.¡±
¡
¡
Oh.
Sue¡¯s frizzed brain failed in composing any response to Sundance¡¯s revelation, the cacophony of ¡®how¡¯s and ¡®uh¡¯s continuing to bounce around in her skull for a good while afterwards. It took their destination coming in sight for Sue¡¯s thought process to finally snap itself out of the embarrassed deadlock it ended up spiraling into.
The nearby grove of fruit-bearing trees was right beside a house-sized patch of flowering plants, a handful of berry bushes, and what looked to be tomato plants being supported on an elaborate array of wooden scaffolding. The messiness continued further into the farmland with dozens of species of plants interwoven in chaotic patterns that nonetheless had to have some logic to them.
As sizable as Moonview¡¯s breadbasket was, it still felt like way too little to feed what had to be hundreds, if not thousands, of beings, no matter how nourishing each individual berry was¡ªnot if harvested annually, at least.
A loud, ethereal whistle yanked her attention whole, dragging her away from the agricultural conundrum. All she¡¯d made of the sound¡¯s source was a dark brown lower half with an orange body sprouting from it, waving at someone. She turned to look at who they were waving at¡ªbut then, she felt a familiar, giddy sensation and caught a whiff of the pleasant aroma from before. Before she could even turn around, an excited, whistled message had reached her mind, accompanied by a couple of leafy pats on her shoulder¡ª
¡°Want another fruit?¡±
Chapter 15: Warmth
The leafy dancer¡¯s reappearance took Sue aback, but she appreciated it greatly. Her wide eyes soon gave way to a giddy smile as she spotted another peach-like fruit in their hands.
Barring Solstice and Sundance, they were the closest to her height out of everyone she¡¯d met so far. Still a few inches shorter, though; the pink bloom that sprouted out from their forehead was at Sue¡¯s eye level. They immediately tried to make up for the height disparity, standing on the tips of their yellow feet once they¡¯d locked eyes with her, to her amusement.
Nuh-uh, I¡¯m the taller one.
Sue¡¯s attempt to replicate that motion with her one functional leg accomplished nothing except briefly losing her balance. She didn¡¯t end up needing it, but the stranger¡¯s wordless readiness to help when it looked like she was about to trip was deeply appreciated. ¡°Oh, sure! Thank you!¡± she beamed.
To her surprise and chagrin, though, her words took the stranger aback much more than her near-fall. They backed up a couple of paces as they gathered enough composure to speak again, enthusiasm giving way to worry. ¡°Y-you talk?¡±
Sue blinked at the nervous question, suddenly very unsure about what was going on. ¡°Yeah! I-I don¡¯t know the language, but Sundance is helping translate me.¡± Her remark had the dancer look at the vixen in question with uncertainty.
She had no more idea of the reason behind the sudden shift in mood than her pupil, speaking up shortly after, ¡°Is everything alright, Lilly?¡±
¡°I¡ª¡± the freshly christened plant lady began before faltering and looking away.
Sue had no idea where either Lilly¡¯s willingness to help or her anxiety had come from, but she wanted to help all the same. She reached out and put as confident of a smile as she was capable of as she greeted, ¡°It¡¯s very nice to meet you, Lilly! Thank you for the fruits earlier.¡±
Despite Sue having little confidence in her gesture accomplishing much beyond confusing Lilly further, her reaction turned out to be markedly positive. The dancer¡¯s stress waned as she took a step closer¡ªand misinterpreted the Forest Guardian¡¯s gesture as an invitation for an awkward hug, accepting it eagerly. Her leafy body was smooth, warm, and firm in its embrace. The absence of a heartbeat was a bit odd, but between it all being immensely pleasant and equally flustering, it was the last thing Sue was focused on.
¡°N-Nice meet you too,¡± Lilly muttered. ¡°I... I think you not talk, a-and... not care me not talk good.¡±
Even with Sundance¡¯s translation, Lilly turned out to be trickier to understand than expected. The most likely reason¡ªher not knowing Moonview¡¯s language well¡ªmade Sue¡¯s expression light up with a warm, empathetic smile. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s absolutely okay, I¡¯m still learning the language too!¡± Contrary to what she hoped for, though, her reassurance fell completely flat.
Lilly felt even more uncertain afterwards, twitching as if to withdraw herself from the hug before reconsidering and attempting to explain again. ¡°No no, I¡ªI know language, I understand. But... words, using words, very hard. F-for me. I sorry.¡±
Sue blinked, confused. As much as she wanted to reassure Lilly that everything was alright¡ªand it was¡ªshe couldn¡¯t say she wasn¡¯t curious about what exactly did she mean by words being ¡®hard for her¡¯. Still, it was a curiosity best left for some other time. ¡°Wh-why are you sorry? You¡¯ve done nothing wrong! You still were really nice to me earlier and now with the fruits and all.¡±
To her relief, Lilly¡¯s head and thoughts alike perked up at her reassurance. A few more firm nods did away at any remaining doubt in the flower girl¡¯s mind, her joyous relief expressed with another, much tighter hug¡ªalmost too tight, in fact, the flimsy leaf arms putting out stunning amounts of force as they wrapped around Sue.
They almost crushed her breath out of her lungs before Lilly realized she¡¯s gone too hard and eased out, thinking about apologizing for a moment before deciding to enact it with a much gentler hug instead. Sue didn¡¯t mind one bit, gently patting her back all the while.
Hopefully that¡¯s not an inappropriate area¡
¡°Sorry! Just¡ªhappy you not care me not talk good,¡± Lilly beamed, fidgeting with her arms.
¡°It¡¯s all good, phew. I sure wasn¡¯t expecting you to be this strong!¡± Sue remarked, making the plant girl break into whistly giggling.
Lilly let go of the Forest Guardian and lifted her arms as if to flex them¡ªonly for the elongated leaves to remain completely flat throughout. She then followed up on her absence of a flex by throwing the fruit up and repeating her glowing arm slice technique from earlier. With the treat split in twain, she carefully snatched both halves from the air and offered them to Sue and Joy, balancing herself on the tip of one foot during this entire process. ¡°Yes! Very strong! I help farm! Want see?¡±
Yes, yes I really do.
Both recipients of Lilly¡¯s gifts expressed their approvals with firm nods. Joy¡¯s more limited perspective was quickly fixed with the dancer picking her up as if she weighed nothing and turning towards the mixed use farmland. Before Sue could get concerned about Joy getting scared, the metal girl¡¯s own reaction was a more positive kind of surprise that then faded into fascination as she used her newfound vantage point for all it was worth, taking all the sights in.
Lilly was much too eager to show off to even think of stopping¡ªthough that didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t wait for Sue to finish her march to the nearest unharvested tree. She stalled for time by running, spinning, and dancing circles around the Forest Guardian, much to her own and even Joy¡¯s amusement. Throws were quickly discarded as an option, though, the whine of fear that went through the metal girl at being tossed in the air clear enough for Lilly to get the message. ¡°Sorry! Here is, need clean this tree now.¡±
The cart next to the tree in question answered where Sue and Joy¡¯s recent gift had come from; a handful of the not-peaches peeking out from underneath a mound of yellow spotted fruit¡ªthe same fruit that Lilly had to harvest another tree¡¯s worth of now. It looked like such a daunting task that Sue almost wanted to offer some token help, just so that she wouldn¡¯t have to watch the dancer sweat her leaves off for two hours.
Thankfully, Lilly was privy to a secret farming trick that helped immensely with her task¡ªnamely, kicking the tree¡¯s trunk very, very hard.
A single strike was enough to separate her target from most of its spoils, even visibly shaking the surrounding soil; the tree itself only staying intact through what Sue had to assume was the sheer force of Lilly¡¯s will.
She sure eats her broccoli, hah. Or maybe she is half broccoli, who knows with the weird plant-like fauna here.
Regardless of what kind of Superpower had fueled Lilly¡¯s kick, her job wasn¡¯t done yet. Fruit in the dirt wasn¡¯t any more useful than fruit on a branch, after all. Lilly was about to dive into more of her showoff before remembering she was currently holding a toddler, slowing herself enough to first gracefully lower Joy onto the ground, pat her head a couple times, and then get into it.
Yellow feet and green arms were little more than a blur as Lilly tossed each individual fruit off the ground and into the cart, sparing no effort to show off her dexterity throughout, mixing in spins, cartwheels, backflips, and even a few more splits just for the hell of it. Her demonstration had it all, just as many feats of physical agility as it had glances in Sue¡¯s direction to keep track of her live reaction.
A reaction that, despite having started out dumbfounded at all the sudden motion, had quickly turned into cheers and encouragement. Lilly¡¯s dance routine pushed her ever closer to victory over a hearty pile of inanimate fruit with each step, and Sue couldn¡¯t get enough of it.
Goodness, she¡¯s graceful. And¡ kinda pretty¡
Once the fallen fruit had been gathered up, Lilly¡¯s focus shifted towards the few stragglers that still held on for dear life to their branches. A few quick hops up the tree later, the dancer had made it to the largest branch. All she needed to address each straggling fruit were the daintiest of stomps on their branches; a stomp said branches only barely survived¡ªor didn¡¯t on a couple of occasions, making Lilly freeze self-consciously each time. Thankfully, even the embarrassment at having damaged the tree didn¡¯t survive the sight of Sue¡¯s warm enthusiasm, sparking the dancer back to action each time.
As Lilly wrapped her performance up, Sue reminded herself that, despite the child sitting beside her and the not-child pulling off anime moves before her having taken the entirety of her attention, they weren¡¯t alone in here. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed what the two older women were up to.
Solstice was acting responsibly, chatting with a couple of villagers Sue remembered seeing around Moonview over the past several days, but of whom she knew very little about. A large, white, cotton-like sphere with something small and greenish hanging from its side, and a blue amphibian her size with orange gills and black fins.
Meanwhile, Sundance stood just a few feet away, munching on a freshly nabbed yellow fruit, clearly no less enthralled by Lilly¡¯s demonstration than its intended recipient was.
With the last of the fruits placed in the cart, it was time to wrap up the show. Sue¡¯s focus returned to the dancer right as she finished climbing to the top of the tree, stopping for the first time in minutes as she spread her arms wide and closed her eyes. And then, she jumped, hitting no less than four front flips in one leap before capping it off with yet another split.
The easiest 10 in my life.
All she needed to convey that fact was a large piece of paper, a charcoal stick, and an hour to explain the decimal number system¡ªor just words. ¡°That was awesome!¡±
Much to Sue¡¯s astonishment, Lilly took her glowing review very, very literally.
The dancer closed her eyes as her upper half became shrouded in a pale white glow, much more intense than any magic Sue had seen so far, filling her mind with worry. But then, as abruptly as it began, it was over, suddenly leaving Lilly weaker and panting quietly.
¡°L-Lilly, are you alright?¡± Sue asked, worried, catching the attention of both the question¡¯s recipient and Sundance.
The former picked herself up in one swift motion and dashed over to Sue¡ªbut not before nabbing one of the freshly harvested fruits to snack on. The bite that followed revealed her mouth to be in the usual spot, just small and very, very well hidden. ¡°Yeah!¡± she beamed. ¡°You like?¡±
¡°I¡ªIt was amazing!¡± Sue nodded, wide eyed. ¡°I-I could keep on watching for ages, but what was that glow?¡±
¡°Synthesis,¡± Sundance answered. Lilly agreed empathically, internally thanking the vixen for freeing her from having to explain how it worked. Instead, she pointed out at the half-figurative fruits of her effort, dozens of tiny, whitish buds that covered the freshly harvested branches.
Some of them Sue swore she could see grow in real time. ¡°Wait, are these¡ªare these already flower buds?¡± she asked, stunned.
The vixen nodded. ¡°Yep. Some coaxing and nutrients, and trees don¡¯t mind flowering again one bit. Am I understanding it right, Lilly?¡±
¡°Yeah, now they grow fruit again. More fruit to pick up in week. Everyone hungry, we need food!¡± Lilly elaborated, the time scales involved taking Sue aback.
She was too much of a city girl to know whether that was how normal trees functioned back in her world. If it was, though, then Moonview had managed to solve world hunger by just telling trees to flower again with some applied pretty plant lady magic¡ªand the implications of that fact hit her right away. ¡°D-does that mean you have as much food as you want?¡± she asked, somewhere between stunned and awestruck.
¡°Pretty much,¡± Sundance confirmed.
¡°Hehe. You not see that before?¡± Lilly asked, and Sue could only shake her head in confusion. A downward glance revealed Joy to be similarly stupefied by Lilly¡¯s feat of magic, making her giggle. ¡°I understand you not see Joy, you very small! But you not too...¡±
It was only then, after an entire performance, that Lilly finally realized that she forgot to ask the nice not-mute-after-all Forest Guardian for her name.
The firefox sage barked out a chuckle as she cut through the confusion, walking over to the rest of the group. ¡°Her name is Sue, Lilly.¡±
Figure it¡¯s only fair for us both to fluster each other without even knowing the other¡¯s name.
¡°Sue!¡± Lilly whistled, overjoyed. ¡°Good know, nice name. Sue, you not see that before?¡±
¡°No, I haven¡¯t,¡± Sue gasped, a smile refusing to wash away from her face, ¡°that¡¯s¡ªthat¡¯s amazing! How did you all figure that out?¡±
Lilly tilted her head. ¡°Figure what? Synthesis?¡±
¡°I-I think so! Does it make the trees bloom again like that?¡±
Both Lilly and Sundance were confused by the unclear wording of Sue¡¯s question. Thankfully, the latter had ways of overcoming that uncertainty and wasted no time in putting them to good use. The Forest Guardian blinked a couple times as her thoughts were examined, the hangup soon revealing itself to the vixen. ¡°Oh, I see what Sue was getting at,¡± Sundance said. ¡°Berry trees bloom multiple times throughout the year on their own Sue, and Synthesis just helps speed that process up. Did I get that right, Lilly?¡±
¡°Yeah! With not, one moon in warm, never in cold. With, one week in warm, one moon in cold. Help many, help more with good ground. And¡ªhi Bluegrass!¡± Lilly greeted, snagging Sue¡¯s attention over to the more palatable of the duo she¡¯d seen recently.
The leafy green-cream snake was smiling brightly at the dancer, slithering in a small circle from all the giddiness on his mind. ¡°Hiiii!¡±
¡°How day go?¡± Lilly asked.
¡°Excellent! I¡¯m almost done with that field you gave me!¡± Bluegrass explained. His voice was simultaneously too old to be boyish, and too young to be truly grown up, sliding around the teen halfway point as it raised and occasionally broke.
Reporting on his progress only excited him further, much to Lilly¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°Remember take time!¡± she reminded. ¡°No hurry, now learning. On break?¡±
Bluegrass shook his head. ¡°No, better! Copper got the idea to bring everyone some frozen juice, Mrs. Snowdrop froze it for us! We¡¯ve got a whole¡ª¡± he trailed off as he glanced to the side, finding the large pot he and his friend had spent the last half hour dragging along with themselves missing. He was stumped, slithering in a circle as he looked around for where it could¡¯ve gone.
And then; he finally spotted it, half emptied and being slowly dragged behind the freshly cleared tree by the one and only pink scorpion bat themself. ¡°Copper, what are you doing,¡± Bluegrass yelled. ¡°Come on!¡±
Wasting no more time, the snake slithered over to the flying scorpion, the hisses, clicks and growls that followed untranslated. Before Sue could feel thankful towards the snake or angry at the bat, footsteps coming from behind her made her turn around¡ªjust in time for Solstice and the small group she had been talking with to make their way over in response to Lilly¡¯s waving.
The ¡®cotton ball¡¯ moniker Sue had used earlier turned out to be only partially true. Sure, they were partly a cotton sphere the size of a beach ball with a bunch of small seeds scattered in it, but with the greenish extension containing their eyes and mouth, it was probably their ¡®true¡¯ body. Suppose that made their white fluff their¡ hair?
Step aside, Thistle, your pastel wizard hat has some serious competition for the title of the weirdest ¡®hair¡¯ in this world.
¡°Is something the matter, Lilly?¡± the cotton ball asked, their voice ancient, unusually dry for a plant, and very patient.
They closed their eyes as they listened to the flower girl¡¯s response. ¡°Mr. Equinox, I tell Sue about how we grow here, and how you help make good ground. And you too High Tide!¡±
The blue quadruped responded to the followup with a dry chuckle, shaking their head. ¡°I only help with irrigation, sweetie,¡± they clarified, voice croaky and slightly feminine. ¡°No less important, of course, but soil quality is all Equinox. Though¡ irrigation is our greatest concern right now.¡±
¡°How long do you think until we¡¯ll have to expand our waterways, High Tide?¡± Solstice asked.
Her question had the blue amphibian firmly shake her head and look pensively at the increasingly pitiful stream that sated the farm¡¯s thirst. ¡°Just expanding it won¡¯t do anything. We¡¯ll need to move the farms way downstream sooner or later. We¡¯re pushing the limits of our spring, and could stand to shrink the land we use right now to leave us with more room to spare, just in case.¡±
That wasn¡¯t an answer Solstice would¡¯ve liked to hear, but it was a truthful one all the same. It left the Mayor in a thoughtful mood as the cotton ball chimed in, ¡°Taking a closer look at the individual varieties we are cultivating will certainly prove helpful. I can think of at least three crops whose bulk inevitably circles around to the compost pile. Doing away with those and the thirstiest ones should be sufficient to bring us back to safety for the time being, no?¡±
High Tide shook her head. ¡°At the moment, yes, but if we keep growing at our current rate, we¡¯ll need another effort like that in just a couple of years, and I sure don¡¯t see it getting any easier then. We need a long-term plan.¡±
¡°We ought to ensure that any such plan is considerate enough,¡± Equinox reminded. ¡°Even if we are capable of reaching far downstream, it is far from unlikely we inadvertently end up rubbing shoulders with someone less than pleased about our arrival there. Or, more likely, that we underestimate the scope of such an endeavor in one aspect or another.¡±
Solstice largely remained quiet, taking in the information one bit at a time and trying to work through its implications. Eventually, she admitted internal defeat with a sigh. ¡°We can bring it up at the Elders¡¯ Council. You¡¯re right, High Tide, we need a plan; only so long we can keep doing things the way the founders did a thousand Moons ago.¡±
¡°Thankfully, we still have time aplenty before it gets dire,¡± High Tide sighed, looking over the neighbouring field, ¡°but best get that done while we can do so calmly.¡±
¡°Indubitably,¡± Equinox acknowledged. ¡°I would rather avoid straining the soil any further than we already are, and more land will help with that concern as well.¡±
As the trio mentally reset following the discussion about steering Moonview away from a possible ecological crisis, they realized they¡¯ve had an audience for the last few moments. Most everyone else around was staring at them blankly except for Lilly, the dancer chiming in with her own question soon after. ¡°Mrs. High Tide! How far down river to more water?¡±
The blue one took a moment to parse the exact intent of Lilly¡¯s question before sighing quietly. This was the hitch of the whole thing, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Last time I swam over to scout¡ªour stream joins the larger river a couple days of march away. At that point, it¡¯d be less of ¡®our¡¯ farm and more so its whole separate settlement that provides us with food. Hard to solve...¡±
¡°Which is why more voices will help a lot!¡± Solstice chimed in, eager to change topics. ¡°Thank you for your expertise, Equinox, High Tide.¡±
The cotton ball bowed so deeply they almost flipped over. ¡°You are most welcome, Solstice~.¡±
¡°Eeyup. We can figure it out, even if the transition will be rough¡ªwe¡¯ve survived worse. Oh, Lilly, is that the girl Soot has been teasing you the whole day about?¡± the blue frog asked, abruptly drawing the attention back to Sue and snapping her out of passively taking in the informed discussion around her.
Both Sue and Lilly suddenly exploded in bright embarrassment, the latter speaking up in her own defense soon after, ¡°I not know what you mean¡ª¡±
¡°Yessss you do~!¡± a rustling, creaky voice jutted in, sending an icy chill down Sue¡¯s spine as she turned around. The speaker turned out to be the same pumpkin-bodied being Sue had seen earlier a few times. The glowing holes in the lower half of its body still resembled a face, and its orange hair being prehensile was still weird, but she was too stunned and embarrassed to care.
More relevant to the exchange at hand, they were giggling mischievously, making Lilly shout, ¡°Soot! Why you sneak!?¡±
Soot cackled, ¡°Because it¡¯sss very funny to watch your reactionssss~.¡±
Their voice sounded ethereal, not unlike Hazel¡¯s in that regard. Though, as opposed to that grump of a ghost, they felt much more lighthearted in their teasing, even if they were no less effective at flustering her target.
Lilly grumble-whistled angrily as she searched for words. As appreciated as it felt to be used as someone to tease another person about and not as a direct receiver of teasing, Sue didn¡¯t want to leave her to dry in here. She patted the dancer¡¯s shoulder for reassurance; the gesture appreciated right away.
¡°Adorable~,¡± Soot swooned. ¡°Though I can¡¯t imagine work isss the best sssspot for a date~.¡±
Lilly shouted, ¡°NOT DATE!¡± in the least convincing way imaginable. Sue wasn¡¯t faring any better, entirely unsure what to do at the realization of being on a date, no matter how obvious it was in hindsight.
¡°Denial won¡¯t get you far Lillssss~,¡± the pumpkin teased on.
¡°SH-SHUT!¡± Lilly leered at them wide-eyed.
¡°No~!¡± Soot leaned in, hovering in the air until their smirk was mere inches away from Lilly¡¯s flustered expression. ¡°I¡¯d sssay you two head off and enjoy the evening together~.¡±
¡°B-but, harvest¡ª¡±
¡°Oh Lillssss, you really thought I wasss gonna be a wingghost for you just to have you sssslump away with the harvest all evening?¡± the pumpkin smirked. ¡°You go have fun with your crush, I¡¯ll take care of thisss~.¡±
¡°SHE NOT¡ª¡± Lilly shouted, not having it in her to finish the sentence on account of being unable to put words to such an obvious lie. Meanwhile, Sue was still stuck in a mental bluescreen, her expression completely blank.
¡°You¡¯re good at many thingssss Lillssss, but a liar you¡¯re not~. Off you go now, ya dummiesssss~,¡± Soot insisted, almost shoving Lilly out of the scene themselves.
As respectable a job of not laughing out loud at the exchange before them as Solstice and especially Sundance were doing, Soot¡¯s last reply broke the dam for both of them. Embarrassment flooded Sue¡¯s mind despite how good-spirited their amusement was, leaving her to try gathering words¡ªonly to fail miserably every time.
Thankfully, Lilly was there, snapping them out of their shared mental freeze. She picked the giggling Joy up into one arm and grabbed Sue¡¯s hand with the other one, the firm yank away from the snickering pumpkin getting her crush to move. The rest of their makeshift band were right behind them as they all headed¡ Duck knows where.
It took both Lilly and Sue a few minutes to calm down enough to process anything but their own embarrassment. The intermittent chuckles coming from the duo of older women trailing them didn¡¯t help either¡ªand neither did the fact that Sue¡¯s hand was being held by someone actively crushing on her.
And the worst part¡ I don¡¯t think I mind one bit.
¡°I-is that true, Lilly?¡± Sue mumbled, eventually. Lilly didn¡¯t have to speak up for her answer to be crystal clear to Sue¡¯s sight and sixth sense alike. Bright red fluster grew on her cheek, her step flinched, her grip on Sue¡¯s hand waned, her head looked away as if struck. Understandable as her reaction was, it was the polar opposite of what Sue wanted to happen. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s all good Lilly, promise! I¡ª¡±
The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
It was much too early to say how much Sue earnestly shared Lilly¡¯s feelings on the matter. But, if nothing else, she was really eager to find that out. She held the leafy dancer¡¯s hand as firmly as she could while hobbling along beside her. ¡°I think it¡¯s really sweet of you.¡± Good Duck, did Sue never think she¡¯d get to say these words one day, especially to a creature that looked like much more of a plant than an animal, if it was any of the latter at all. ¡°A-and, I¡¯m down for a date!¡±
Lilly¡¯s reaction was instantaneous, and almost strong enough to topple Sue over¡ªbut only almost. Her forceful hug had her press her white face into Sue¡¯s shoulder, the yellow petals around her neck tickling the Forest Guardian as Sue¡¯s and Joy¡¯s brain played catchup. The toothy girl suddenly found herself hugging her big friend once more¡ªand, just like Sue, didn¡¯t mind that arrangement one bit. Lilly mumbled, ¡°Th-thank, thank, thank...¡± audibly sighing in relief.
Since when were plants allowed to be so cute, Duckdammit!?
Sue¡¯s giggles made Lilly squirm as she tried responding in a more affectionate way. She gently patted around the gorgeous bloom on the plant girl¡¯s head, its aroma growing more pleasant by the moment. Her magical touch to the back of Lilly¡¯s head and neck proved super effective, at least if her leafy body gradually relaxing was any sign. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure Lilly. F-first time anything like that happened to me, hah...¡±
¡°What! Not believe,¡± Lilly insisted, the conviction in her voice taking Sue aback.
She had no idea why that would be such an unbelievable thing to say, asking, ¡°Why not?¡±
¡°You nice! To sister, to me, to Joy most! You brave, help Spark. Morning I-I think have not chance i-if you can speak,¡± Lilly admitted.
...oh man.
As soon as Sue thought she was getting a grip on her own fluster, it was yanked out right from underneath her. Lilly¡¯s compliment left her mumbling for a few moments before trying to steer the topic away from herself. ¡°You really owe Soot one, eh?¡±
Joy found the quip especially amusing, her dry laughter soon spreading to the other two. Even Lilly¡¯s grumbling had to give way to amusement at Sue¡¯s point and Joy¡¯s reaction as she sighed. ¡°Yes, yes... they right. I thank them tomorrow.¡±
Feeling Lilly¡¯s hand in hers brought a smile to Sue¡¯s face as the two resumed their march. Neither of them was sure where they were heading as they marched on through Moonview¡¯s outskirts¡ª
¡°Lilly, where are you going?¡±
¡ªand if not for Sundance¡¯s intervention, they would¡¯ve likely kept going like this for hours. The vixen¡¯s words finally made Lilly pause and take a look around her surroundings, before admitting the obvious. ¡°Uh. Not know. Sorry.¡±
Sundance¡¯s lungs wouldn¡¯t be spared any reprieve today, would they?
She broke into a bellowing laughter for Duck-knows-which time today, appreciating the antics so, so much more than all the dark gloom of yesterday. She laid her paws on both dummies¡¯ shoulders as she caught up with them. ¡°Well! High time we head over for drinks; the sun¡¯s about to start setting. And since Sue will take her time¡ªmind running ahead and grabbing seats for us all, Lilly? It¡¯ll be a while before we get there.¡±
A part of Sue wanted to object to that, less so because of being blamed for the group¡¯s slowness, and more so because it meant Lilly would be somewhere else until they caught up with her. Lilly felt much the same, but with the important addition of having a chance to prove her worth and do something nice for Sue. The dancer didn¡¯t care about having a seat, but Sue sure looked like she¡¯d need it. ¡°Okay!¡±
Before Sue¡ªor Joy¡ªcould get a word in edgewise, the dancer was already on her way, the toothy girl still in her arms. Sue¡¯s free hand involuntarily reached out after her, only to droop as Lilly turned the corner. A few more of Sundance¡¯s warm pets snapped her out of any funk that threatened to start building. Her smirk, however, only embarrassed Sue further. ¡°How did it go again? ¡®Don¡¯t swing that way?¡¯¡±
Sue¡¯s low grumble brought not a small amount of amusement to Sundance and Solstice alike, the latter only now having caught up with the rest of the group.
The older Forest Guardian took the initiative and pulled her pupil into a gentle side hug, the gesture as tingly as it was comforting. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be embarrassed, Sue! These things can take a while and a good few opportunities to really solidify. I didn¡¯t even know I could have a thing for boys until I met Jasper.¡±
Even if that wasn¡¯t how Sue thought Solstice¡¯s words were gonna go, they raised a fair point all the same. She was very aware of her utter absence of serious romantic opportunities back in her home world; she could stand to give herself some slack.
On a second thought, it¡¯s not like these were just her own thoughts that left her all flustered. ¡°I¡ªI think I¡¯m more embarrassed because you two k-keep ribbing us...¡± she mumbled.
¡°...can you blame us?¡±
No, Sundance, I can¡¯t. Doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s any less embarrassing.
The unspoken response sent a wave of amusement through the psychic trio as they got going. Sue wasn¡¯t excluded from the giggling, helping greatly to keep her embarrassment down as the group gradually calmed down. The next few moments were spent in well-needed silence as everyone caught their breath and composed themselves again; the two older psychics wordlessly agreeing to lay off any further teasing for now.
After all, some interesting questions got raised earlier.
¡°^So, you¡¯ve got me curious now, Sue,¡± Sundance began. ¡°Do fruit trees not bloom several times a year where you¡¯re from?^¡±
The change in subject to something much more grounded helped Sue maintain her composure, not-monstrous butterflies vacating her stomach as stirring thoughts replaced them. She couldn¡¯t honestly say she knew anything about the non-digital world with absolute, 100% certainty, but she had a good-enough intuition, and hoped it would suffice for now. ¡°Yeah, as far as I know all plants only bloom once a year i-in my world.¡±
The vixen lifted her eyebrow. ¡°^Don¡¯t your people have any invention or process to help with their growth?^¡±
¡°There are fertilizers, but they only help with yields, and not with how fast the plants grow,¡± Sue admitted, immediately sensing the cogs turning inside both psychics¡¯ minds.
¡°^If one harvest a year is all you get, you likely need a ton of farmland and storage...^¡± Solstice mumbled.
Sue nodded, ¡°Mhm. I was really surprised by how small your farm was before you explained that part to me. I-I don¡¯t think that would¡¯ve been enough to feed a village ten times smaller than Moonview in my world.¡±
Her remark had the two natives of this world glance at each other before looking back at Sue, Sundance being the first to raise the obvious question. ¡°^How... big are the farms in your world?^¡±
What¡¯s the size of England again?
¡°From horizon to horizon, they¡¯re big enough to take up most of the space in farming areas,¡± Sue explained as if it was the most normal fact in the world.
Her answer only resulted in further confusion, as a massive question was suddenly brought to light in a very stark way. Solstice blurted it loud out in dumbfounded shock, ¡°^J-just how big is your world, Sue?^¡±
Sue blinked, taken aback. ¡°I¡ªwhat do you mean?¡±
¡°^How massive is your town to necessitate having such vast swaths of land dedicated to just growing crops?^¡± Sundance clarified.
¡°It¡¯s not just a town, it¡¯s everywhere!¡±
¡°^What!?^¡± both psychics blurted out. It was hard to say which of the three was the most confused at the way the discussion devolved. Sue tried her absolute hardest to think through just what was so confusing to grasp for these two intelligent women¡ªand then the realization hit her across the head.
To them, ¡®society¡¯ was Moonview and a handful of other, equally small, distant towns.
To her, ¡®society¡¯ was the entire planet.
¡°Okay, I think I know what the misunderstanding is,¡± Sue began, taking a very deep breath. ¡°My-my people, humans, they aren¡¯t just in like, one area of the world, or a handful of towns. They¡¯re everywhere; we live on our entire planet. Every land mass has peo¡ªhumans living on it, and controlling all of it.¡±
Every surprising revelation either of them had about the other¡¯s world was dwarfed by Sue¡¯s admission to such a comical degree that neither Solstice nor Sundance had any idea how to respond.
For a few tense moments, Sue feared that she¡¯d managed to brick their minds with that simple but astonishing revelation. Sundance was the first to show any signs of life afterwards, her dumbstruck gaze slowly looking down at the grassy dirt of the path they were now blocking. The increasingly orange light of the sunset illuminated the vixen¡¯s expression as her mind tried to comprehend all the implications of what she¡¯d just heard, eventually muttering out, ¡°^How¡ªhow many. Of your people.^¡±
Sue slunk off to the side to clear the path, her answer as clear to state as it was utterly impossible to comprehend in full. ¡°A-almost eight billion.¡±
¡°^E-eight... thousand... thousand... thousand...^¡±
Every single word of that estimation represented a leap in a population¡¯s sophistication that was nigh impossible to comprehend for those whose lives revolved around the scale of the previous ones.
Just as a few animals sharing a burrow was a massive step up from a solitary existence in almost every way, so would their Moonview completely blow the minds of said burrowful of critters, so would the complexities and intricacies of a city of several million go way beyond what anyone living here could imagine.
And the full extent of Sue¡¯s civilization was another leap in scale up from that, still.
Each of those jumps represented profound changes to every single aspect of the lives of their inhabitants and the exponential increase of complexity of most of them. Hunting on one¡¯s lonesome, versus stockpiling food as a group, versus division of labor with dedicated farmers and cooks. Further up, specialized distribution networks purely for moving food from mind-bendingly vast fields to hungry mouths.
And then, at the largest scale, an intricate tapestry of a planet-spanning trade network, one which reduces months of the year to numbers on a spreadsheet and climate limitations of the most popular crops to footnotes whose significance evaporates with the existence of global shipping.
Such complexity was quite literally incomprehensible to a singular mind. No person could ever be said to grasp the sheer vastness of a planet-spanning population like that in earnest; mortal minds weren¡¯t made for that.
And yet, for a brief instant, Sundance almost accomplished that feat.
Her mind¡¯s eye stared at what felt like infinity for one enlightening moment before it too had to back down with a pounding headache. In just a few moments, her stunned silence gave way to woofed grumbling and trying to rub away the aching with her paws. ¡°^I have... so many questions,^¡± she muttered, out of breath.
Sue almost felt rude for laughing at Sundance¡¯s admission¡ªbut only almost; she sure wouldn¡¯t say no to some comeuppance. The vixen was much too stunned to even acknowledge the soft laughter.
Before she could put words to any of her questions, though, Solstice cut her off. Her mind might¡¯ve given up in imagining Sue¡¯s world at around a million souls, but that didn¡¯t mean she was blind to implications of the once-human¡¯s supposedly global civilization. ¡°^W-what about other peoples?^¡± she asked. ¡°^Do they live together with your people everywhere?^¡±
That¡¯s gonna be a¡ touchy one to explain.
The truth that followed was far less incomprehensible than it was simply unimaginable¡ª¡°Th-there aren¡¯t any other people, no other... thinking people. It¡¯s just humans.¡±
¡°^Thinking as in...?^¡± Sundance butted in, hoping that either she or Sue were just misunderstanding something.
Sue sighed. ¡°Thinking as in consciousness. Every other species in my world isn¡¯t conscious, they¡¯re just... animals.¡±
Hearing words like that from anyone else in Moonview would¡¯ve been easily classified as hate speech. The belief that only one¡¯s own kin ever had sentience or morals was not an uncommon one in the wild, and many newcomers had to consciously unlearn that way of thinking. Sue clearly had no problems with treating other species as equals¡ªwhich only made such a blunt assertion hit even harder.
Was her world truly as nightmarish as she was painting it to be?
Solstice asked, aghast, ¡°^Do you kn-know for sure?^¡± Her words felt less like an honest inquiry and more like a plea for such a vulgar fact to be merely a limitation of Sue¡¯s kin.
¡°I¡ªno, I don¡¯t think so,¡± Sue admitted. ¡°We aren¡¯t psychics, there aren¡¯t any psychics in our world. But no other species seem to be capable of communication or building settlements like we are, and we¡¯ve been trying to figure out if any of them are close to our intelligence for a while. From what I remember, only one or two species come even slightly close.¡±
It wasn¡¯t certainty, no, but it was as close as Sue could get in the heat of the moment. Sundance and Solstice very carefully crammed the unpleasant fact into their minds in such a way that it only touched ¡®Sue¡¯s world¡¯, the worries about that way of thinking infecting any other part of her mind making the Forest Guardian shudder.
¡°^I-I have no idea how to imagine a world like that,^¡± Solstice whispered, leaning on a nearby building. ¡°^Back when I¡ªwhen I grew up with my clan, that attitude was everywhere, but even those that expressed it didn¡¯t really believe in it, it was just too easily disproved by stepping out of the borders of our settlement and looking around for even just a few moments. Or, at least I hope they didn¡¯t really believe in it. To hear it¡¯s the prevailing attitude in your world, Sue, and that it even could be correct is... depressing.^¡±
My world isn¡¯t depr¡ª
¡
Actually, no, scratch that, it absolutely is, but not because humans are the only sentient species! There are so many other, much more valid reasons for it to be depressing!
¡°I... can¡¯t say I agree, even if I do prefer the diversity here.¡±
The sobering subject didn¡¯t do any of the trio any good to think about for longer. They all resumed their march as Sundance came up with a much more intellectually stimulating question, as opposed to more depression fodder. ¡°^To bring up something less... morbid to think about. How does housing work in your world? Where do these eight¡ billions of people sleep?^¡±
A question like that didn¡¯t have any singular answer, but it didn¡¯t need to in order to work well as a distraction. Both Sue and Solstice got to thinking, even if the latter only kept coming up with super-sized versions of buildings in Moonview.
Sue explained, ¡°It really depends, but for cities with millions of people, it¡¯s mostly apartment buildings. Like this one over here, just stacked on top of itself.¡± She accompanied her explanation by pointing a finger at a nearby rectangular stone building, unlike the one Solstice¡¯s dwelling rested on.
The elaboration helped, but it still left many details unspoken. ¡°^I imagine these ¡®apartment¡¯ buildings also have staircases to enable movement from one floor to another?^¡± Sundance inquired. ¡°^How many floors are we talking about? Two? Even three?^¡±
Hell, even two would be a vast improvement in many suburban areas¡
¡°Mostly elevators, but stairs are used everywhere, too. And no, many more than two or three,¡± Sue chuckled. ¡°The one I grew up in was eight floors, but there are many that are even bigger, like fifteen or even twenty.¡±
To her own annoyance, Sundance had a much harder time grasping how a building of that size would look compared to the incomparably more intricate tapestry of Sue¡¯s world as a whole. She stopped abruptly and horizontally outstretched one finger from each paw. One ended up where the building Sue used as a reference touched the ground, and the other at its roof, both from her perspective. Then, she moved the upper finger by the same distance that had initially separated it from the lower one to visualize another floor being added.
And then another, and another, and another.
The vixen¡¯s eyes went wide as her head craned upwards. She had run out of reach less than a dozen floors in, and by the time she was done visualizing even twenty floors, she was staring almost directly straight up. ¡°^What the fuck,^¡± she muttered, more stunned than Sue had ever seen her. ¡°^How?^¡±
Sue chuckled, ¡°Do you get why we have dedicated building inspectors now?¡±
¡°^Dedicated what?^¡± Solstice blinked, hearing that term for the first time.
¡°^I think I¡¯m beginning to understand now, yeah...^¡± Sundance trailed off, deaf to her friend¡¯s question. It took her a good while to shake that particular strand of confusion off. Her attempt at imagining the sheer amount of raw material and stresses involved failed entirely, forcing her to admit internal defeat with a slump.
The older Forest Guardian¡¯s curiosity wasn¡¯t about to let itself be forgotten, though. ¡°^What did you mean by ¡®building inspectors¡¯?^¡±
¡°Oh,¡± Sue perked up, ¡°they¡¯re just people that check on buildings that are being built and make sure they¡¯re safe and won¡¯t fal¡ªAH!¡±
Before Sue could continue pretending to understand the field of structural engineering enough to comment on what went into building safety, her feeble balance was yanked out from underneath her. Solstice¡¯s intervention kept her on her legs for long enough for the younger Forest Guardian to finish stabilizing herself, heart hammering in her chest at being startled so hard.
The entire trio tried to figure out what had just happened¡ªand found their suspect in a piece of wood sticking out of the wall they had just passed by, now decorated with a shred of Forest Guardian dress, helplessly fluttering in the evening breeze.
¡°^You alright, Sue?^¡± Solstice asked, concerned.
¡°Yes, yes. It¡¯s j-just annoying.¡±
¡°^Sounds like you could use a trim then,^¡± the Mayor chuckled before she looked down, her eyes going wide. ¡°^Oh good Moon, you really need a trim. I hadn¡¯t realized how roughed up your dress was until now.^¡±
A glance downwards revealed said dress to be in a miserable state, even barring the two larger holes. Its edges were tattered and stained with dirt, almost dirty enough to cross the line into the territory of disgusting. Sue dearly hoped that nobody else had been paying much attention to it either, Lilly most of all.
Though¡ Solstice¡¯s wording took her aback a bit. ¡°T-trim?¡± She asked. ¡°Like with scissors?¡±
Solstice blinked before shaking her head. ¡°^What? No, just a simple flint knife. I have one made just for this at my tent that I could grab for you. Though, if we¡¯re doing that, you¡¯ll need to wash them first. The rest of you won¡¯t hurt to be a bit cleaner, either~.^¡±
Sue wasn¡¯t sure whether to take offense at Solstice¡¯s words. She tried to sniff herself, not picking up on anything particularly offensive. Though, considering her crutch arm was sticky to the touch despite her not remembering sweating at any point during her stay here, she figured she really should shower, anyway. ¡°Fine, fine,¡± she sighed. ¡°Wh-where are the showers here?¡±
¡°^Showers? Unsure what those are, but I¡¯m sure our baths can fill the same purpose. Can you take her over there while I grab the knife, Sundance?^¡± Solstice asked.
The vixen nodded. ¡°^Sure thing. Let¡¯s all meet at the table Lilly grabbed for us.^¡± Solstice nodded and dashed off towards the quickly creeping sunset, leaving Sue with just Sundance and a stern-sounding remark that followed, ¡°^Just don¡¯t drag me into the water with yourself Sue.^¡±
Can¡¯t imagine a fire-aligned creature enjoying being splashed with water much¡
¡°W-would that hurt you?¡± Sue asked, concerned.
¡°^Oh no, no,^¡± the vixen reassured, ¡°^it¡¯s just unpleasant; I prefer sand baths when possible. Annoyingly, a good, clean sand like that is hard to find around here...^¡±
The proximity to Sundance¡¯s bodily warmth made for a pleasant sensation throughout their evening stroll. It¡¯d likely still take a while before they¡¯d get there, giving Sue more time to work through some of her own remaining conundrums about this world¡ªstarting with the one that has been persistently evading being answered for a few days now. ¡°So, Sundance... what is evolution?¡±
The surprised stare the vixen gave her pupil might have been nothing compared to the ones in response to the borderline mind-shattering realizations from earlier, but it was still more shock than Sundance usually showed. She needed a moment to sort her thoughts out, eventually answering with her own question. ¡°^...I¡¯m less surprised about you simply not knowing about evolution, and more so about that being the case despite your language having that word. If you wouldn¡¯t mind answering, what does your kind of ¡®evolution¡¯ mean, Sue?^¡±
Sue was less annoyed at her question being deftly dodged yet again, and more flustered about her tattered and woefully lacking knowledge of biology being suddenly brought into the spotlight. She hoped against all hope that despite all her C+¡¯s and B-¡¯s, she still understood the topic enough to give a competent answer.
¡°So, um... you have a population of a certain species, and it reproduces with variations. And then, like, the environment will prefer some variations over others, so when... Actually, think of a species of birds that feed on nuts. And they migrate to a different place with different nuts, which are harder to break. Then the ones that ended up with bigger beaks by chance will be able t-to break the harder nuts easier. They¡¯ll be more likely to survive and reproduce, a-and eventually the population will be almost entirely bigger beaks.¡±
This has to be the most bastardized version of Darwin¡¯s Finches ever uttered, good Duck.
Regardless of how scuffed her explanation was, Sue hoped it would prove sufficient¡ªespecially since it was the only concrete example of Darwinian Evolution she could recall.
Fortunately, it seemed like that was indeed the case. Sundance continued to guide them towards the baths as she chewed on Sue¡¯s idea, scritching her snout and nodding at nothing in particular. ¡°^Hmm... and then if, say, their environment were to change in such a way that the access to pyrokinesis would prove advantageous, that population would then eventually gain the Fire typing?^¡±
If not for them taking up a hefty part of a narrow, yet busy path, Sue would¡¯ve stopped on the spot and asked the vixen to explain all that again, but slowly. Instead, she just hoped that Sundance¡¯s smarts had her figure out the gist, even if her chosen example was completely incomprehensible. ¡°I... think so?¡±
¡°^I see. Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve heard of a similarly sounding idea before, however only as a tale. Supposedly, there was once a long-lived dragon that lived in a small valley. And, when they thought back at the end of their centuries-long life, they realized that none of the other species looked the same like they used to when they were younger, despite them having never overtly changed. Interesting to hear that there¡¯s some merit to that tale. What¡¯s the limit of a... population change like that? Also, here we are.^¡±
As Sue mulled over Sundance¡¯s question, their destination finally came to sight, taking her aback with how luxurious it looked.
A handful of hot tubs stood on a large, elevated platform, all but one of them empty, and, judging by the vapor emanating from it, soothingly warm. The sight was alluring enough to make her overlook the pretty large practical obstacle of her ever getting in or out of these tubs in her current state, between her nonexistent athletic skill and having to use a crutch¡ªnot to mention the cast on her leg.
Before Sue could take another step towards the warm bliss, she found herself gently, yet firmly, held back by Sundance¡¯s mental grip. The orange sheen that surrounded her body was just as warm as she imagined the hot tub¡¯s water to be, making for a perfectly acceptable substitute.
For the approximate four seconds that it lasted.
¡°Not there~,¡± Sundance chided. ¡°Don¡¯t have time to soak like that. And even if we did, you¡¯d have to clean yourself the normal way first, anyway.¡±
Despair filled Sue¡¯s mind at the realization that there wouldn¡¯t be any warm baths in her immediate future¡ªand then faded moments later, replaced with an annoyed, but understanding sigh.
The large, flat, slightly submerged basin reminded Sue of a vastly oversized shower tray. It was large enough to force anyone stepping through it to clean their feet in the half an inch of standing water that filled it. Any excess that arose was drained off into a short, tiled channel that then led into a small, partially underground structure off to the side, the occasional sputters of smoke and vapor alike that escaped through its roof giving Sue a decent idea of what went on in there.
Sundance shivered with her entire body after stepping into the shallow water, distracting Sue away from any further observations and making her giggle. And then again, this time in response to the vixen¡¯s eye roll. To spare herself any further embarrassment, Sundance pointed to where Sue was supposed to go, the display rather modest.
A bowl of water sat on top of a small table at the basin¡¯s edge, one of many. Around it laid a modest wooden pitcher, a thankfully clean hand towel, and¡ a bar of soap, worn down to the size of a finger. ¡°Here. Water, soap, a rag, you hopefully know the drill,¡± Sundance instructed. ¡°If not, then my opinion of your entire species is gonna change drastically. Do you want me to help hold you in place so that you can use both hands for this?¡±
¡°Um, sure, that¡¯d help.¡±
¡°No problem.¡± Sundance reassured, before her telekinesis grabbed Sue. The warm sensation grasping her¡ªthough only her lower half this time¡ªsent a shudder through the Forest Guardian¡¯s body.
Even once she got used to it, though she needed a good while afterwards to psych herself into actually letting go of the crutch to free both of her hands. For better or worse, the tool had become a de facto part of her. The realization that she would be cleaning herself in front of everyone further delayed her getting started. The vestiges of modesty had to be forcefully and painfully beaten out of her mind with how woefully inapplicable they were here.
For all I know, ¡®nudity¡¯ as a concept doesn¡¯t even exist here.
Once Sue was done bashing through these mental blocks, the actual process of cleaning herself was similar to what she was used to, if much, much more rustic. Two more very sensitive spots on her body didn¡¯t help either, even lukewarm water cold enough to make her flinch when it splashed against her horns.
With her cleaning underway, Sue could go back to the curious topic from earlier as she looked towards Sundance, the vixen leaning on one of the hot tubs. ¡°A-as to your question¡ªno, there aren¡¯t limits like that, that¡¯s the point. With enough time and changes, the new population will become its own species.¡±
¡°^I see...^¡± Sundance nodded deeply. ¡°^Many incremental changes that eventually result in a different species. That¡¯s... fascinating. Hold on, wouldn¡¯t that entail that all living creatures are related to some extent?^¡±
¡°I-it does imply exactly that, from what I know.¡±
Now that was a deep revelation.
The abject absurdity of everything it implied gave Sundance a pause as she looked around the cleaning area. Her thoughts eventually settled on the green-yellow frog restocking the emptied bowls and replacing dirtied towels with freshly steamed ones.
The sheer magnitude of differences between herself and them was almost unthinkable¡ªaside from a roughly bipedal body shape and a matching number of limbs, they had almost nothing in common anatomically. That she and them were related in some extremely distant, bizarre way was almost too absurd of an idea to consider. And yet, that was exactly what the simple theory that Sue had described implied.
Either way, something to ponder on later.
After filing the mystery under the category of ¡®meditation fodder¡¯, Sundance got back to Sue. ¡°^Fascinating. All that from just slight changes?^¡±
Sue nodded, elaborating, ¡°Yep! Slight changes until you have a new species th-that can¡¯t reproduce with the old one.^¡± Her words achieved¡ mixed success as far as clearing things up, though.
The initial point made Sundance think some more, only for the remark at the end to send her eyebrow way, way up. ¡°^Why wouldn¡¯t they? Reproduce, I mean.^¡±
¡°...because they¡¯re different species?¡± Sue reminded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Sundance stared, uncertain. ¡°^And? Nobody I could¡¯ve possibly had Spark with was of my kin, and yet she¡¯s just fine.^¡±
¡°Wh-What!?¡± Sue stared, wide-eyed.
¡°^What?^¡±
The part of the discussion that the onlookers could overhear made them look at the two in confusion, the blank stares Sue and Sundance were giving each other enough to make a few people laugh. Eventually, the Forest Guardian mumbled, ¡°B-but, that¡¯s not how species work!¡±
¡°^Why not?^¡± the vixen asked, baffled.
Sue didn¡¯t have an answer.
Both because she didn¡¯t know enough about biology to earnestly argue her position, and because the definition of ¡®species¡¯ she was familiar with forbade crossbreeding by definition. No, not even crossbreeding¡ªSpark wasn¡¯t some hybrid, she absolutely looked like a juvenile form of Sundance¡¯s species. How that was possible despite the vixen having apparently had her with someone of a different species, Sue didn¡¯t know¡ª
¡
...
Each time Sue brushed over that thought, she risked her spurious imagination finally giving up and attempting to visualize how that process might have looked like, to the immediate and long-lasting despair of the rest of her mind.
Best to just drop that whole train of thought and not tempt Fate any more.
Sue gave up with a sigh. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. Alright, I told you what my evolution is like. What about yours?¡±
Sundance¡¯s confusion only grew at her pupil¡¯s sudden subject change. The vixen came perilously close to accidentally uncovering the reason behind that shift, but eventually just went along with her. ¡°^Well~. Here, ¡®evolution¡¯ is a part of most creatures¡¯ lives. It¡¯s the name for the process of changing from one form to another.^¡±
That sounded... coherent enough, making Sue think of insect metamorphosis. Though, of course, there was no way something exactly like that applied towards non-insect species. Sue¡¯s arms lathered her midriff on autopilot as she asked for elaboration¡ª¡°By ¡®change form¡¯, you mean¡ metamorphosis?¡±
The unfamiliar word had Sundance immediately pick through her mind to find the corresponding imagery. Her paw tapped on the tub¡¯s edge as she analyzed it, eventually shaking her head. ¡°^Not wholly unlike it, but very different in how it happens, it¡¯s much more... abrupt.^¡±
¡°Like what? One moment Spark looks like she does now, and the next like you?¡± Sue chuckled.
¡°^There¡¯s a form in between hers and mine, and the process is more in the range of tens of seconds as opposed to an instant, but¡ essentially, yes. She¡¯ll feel ill and weak in the days leading up to it, and once it happens, there¡¯ll be a lot of bright, white light, and by the end, she¡¯ll look different altogether and be completely wiped. And then the same thing will happen again in forty seasons or so.^¡±
That was not what Sue expected to hear. ¡°A-and she¡¯ll look the same the entire way through that period?¡±
¡°^Not exactly. She¡¯ll grow a fair bit over the years, but yes, the same in the broad strokes¡ª^¡±
*whiiiiistle!*
The piercing, drawn out call had both Sue and Sundance look over towards the nearby buildings, the sight of Lilly bringing a brief smile to both¡ªat least, before it soured for the latter at the realization of what the dancer was doing. The few seconds that followed felt stretched in time as she leaped through the air toward the one occupied hot tub, curling up into a cannonball. Jumping from a nearby roof gave her a ton of potential energy¡ª
All of which was transferred into the water as she impacted its surface.
Sue couldn¡¯t even say this was the largest pool splash she¡¯d seen in her life, Lilly¡¯s short stature nowhere near sufficient to claim that title. It certainly was the most sudden, though¡ªthe loud noise startled everyone within earshot, and the actual splash wasn¡¯t far behind. She might have only gotten hit by a few stray drops on her cheek, but Sundance wasn¡¯t anywhere near this lucky. Most of her head and right arm got soaked; the mental grip holding Sue upright briefly wavered in response, but thankfully held in the end.
For a few moments, there was only silence as Lilly scrambled to stand back upright. Her whistled laughter was music to Sue¡¯s ears; music that was abruptly cut off after the flower girl¡¯s harrowing realization¡ªthe green head poking out of the hot tub she¡¯d just landed in was not, in fact, Sue¡¯s.
Lilly¡¯s body language shrunk as the head¡¯s owner slowly opened their eyes to examine what had just happened. Water dripped from their yellow, curved beak, their expression frozen as they stared at her, the dancer only able to mumble out,
¡°...sorry.¡±
Chapter 16: Justice
The recipient of a point blank tidal wave thankfully didn¡¯t end up minding it once the entire situation was explained to them.
Lilly¡¯s rounds of apology gave Sue enough time to finish her own cleanup, letting them all head out soon after. The dancer was a godsend in more than one way, eagerly helping carry the still-wet swaths of Sue¡¯s all-natural dress, protecting them from getting dirty again¡ªespecially since it meant she¡¯d get to walk right beside the Forest Guardian she was crushing on.
The question of who had been watching over the toothy girl in the meantime was answered once the trio finally arrived at the clearing, drawing expressions of joy from those gathered, Joy included. The little one waved at them from Astra¡¯s lap, the dragon herself sitting on the grass beside the group¡¯s table and sipping from a heavy wooden tankard.
To everyone¡¯s glee, the metal girl wasn¡¯t the only kid around the scene.
Once Comet had scrambled his way out of his and Spark¡¯s play tussle, he greeted the recent arrivals with an elated squeak and an uncoordinated wave¡ªthough before he could waddle to them, the lil¡¯ fox cut him off the moment Sue sat down. She leaped onto a seat beside Sue¡¯s¡ªthough stopped herself from getting any closer at the sight of all the water saturating her dress. ¡°Hi Sue!¡± she woofed. ¡°Why are you so wet!?¡±
Pardon.
¡°I-I had to clean myself,¡± Sue stammered, hoping none of the nearby psychics were paying too close attention to her reaction.
Spark tilted her head. ¡°Why?¡±
¡°For this~!¡± Solstice cut in, catching the attention of both the kit and her favorite Forest Guardian. She lightly patted Spark to make her scoot away and give her better access to Sue¡¯s dress as she sat down, a flint knife in her hand. The lil¡¯ fox first attempted to get comfortable on Lilly¡¯s lap, and then¡ªonce she¡¯d realized it was just as wet as Sue¡¯s¡ªshe laid down on the ground beside their legs.
¡°What that?¡± Lilly asked, eyeing the curiously shaped knife.
Solstice showed the tool off. ¡°A kind of knife that¡¯s used for trimming our dresses, Lilly. Has to be really sharp, but doesn¡¯t need to be very hard, and flint works well for that.¡±
¡°Cut dress?¡± the dancer blinked. ¡°Like hair?¡±
¡°Yes, pretty much just like hair!¡± Solstice answered, smiling. ¡°I remember when I was Sue¡¯s age, there were a few very popular trimming patterns where I grew up. Let¡¯s see if I can replicate one of those from memory, heh...¡±
¡°Not hurt?¡± Lilly asked to be sure, scooting closer to Sue and laying a hand on her shoulder.
¡°Oh no, it¡¯s just dead skin, it doesn¡¯t feel anything. By the Pale Lady, it¡¯d be bad if it did...¡± Solstice shuddered at her own words. Despite having only spent a few days in this body as opposed to many decades, Sue felt her comment no less viscerally; the thought of feeling every single blade of grass her dress brushed against making her involuntarily cringe.
The Mayor¡¯s mention of hair tingled Sue¡¯s attention. Judging by her also sharing it, this stiff hairdo seemed to be a species-wide trait, though not one Sue particularly enjoyed. The chaos of the past few days may not have left much room in her mind to ponder about how she¡¯d prefer to style it instead, but that was about to change. ¡°Since you mentioned hair,¡± Sue spoke up, involuntarily leaning closer to Lilly. ¡°Are there any ways to straighten it out?¡±
The older Forest Guardian blinked, uncertain, as she grabbed the nearest flap of dead skin. ¡°I... think so, though I¡¯ve never explored them in depth. Wouldn¡¯t surprise me if all one needed was a hefty application of heat and an appropriate alchemical solution¡ªthough with just how stiff our kind of hair is, I don¡¯t doubt it¡¯d be a struggle even then, ha.¡±
¡°I¡¯d imagine Patina could advise something,¡± Sundance added offhandedly, more focused on where drinks were being poured.
¡°Oh, for sure, Sunny. She¡¯s the best person to ask about anything involving fur or alchemy. I remember her mentioning pursuing persistent pigments for her dyes, so that a light rain couldn¡¯t wash them off. Actually¡¡± Solstice smirked, looking up at her pupil as she grabbed the nearest flap, ¡°talking to her sounds like a task you could try to get done tomorrow on your own, Sue~. I¡¯m sure Willow won¡¯t mind guiding you over to her workshop.¡±
Lilly whistled, ¡°Me too!¡± Her addition was appreciated, lifting everyone¡¯s mood. Sue reached around to hold her closer as she chewed through Solstice¡¯s words.
Alas, my plans are already set.
Thankfully, the dancer¡¯s reaction to being hugged distracted Sue from any further unpleasant thoughts¡ªor the nearby psychics from spotting them. Lilly¡¯s ecstatic whistle made the Forest Guardian giggle, and her delighted thoughts made her blush¡ªit was almost enough to make her overlook almost everything else happening around the table.
But only almost.
*thud!*
Sundance setting four mugs on the table drew everyone¡¯s attention, with the vixen wasting no time taking one of them for herself. They seemed identical to the one Astra had just finished drinking from. Sue¡¯s curious glance at their contents prompted a rather unhelpful comment from the dragon¡ª¡°Phew, they spared no punch this time!¡±
Curious, Sue grabbed the mug with both hands and lifted it to take a good sniff. A multitude of fruity aromas hit her nostrils, some of them increasingly familiar, all mixed with cinnamon¡ªor something treacherously similar to it¡ªand a handful of other nose-tingling spices. And, besides all of those¡ª
¡°Oh, it¡¯s just spiced cider, Sue,¡± Solstice explained. ¡°Never had any before?¡±
Indeed.
Aside from a couple of cheap, terrible beers she¡¯d grabbed from some party before regretting it shortly after, she¡¯d never had any booze in her life, and wasn¡¯t interested in changing that¡ªat least back in her home world. The incomparably nicer scent of this brew was enough to convince her to give that particular poison a second try, though.
Ooooohhh.
Whatever alcohol the drink contained was its least interesting part. The mixture of several different kinds of sourness and sweetness was delightful on its own, and was only enhanced further by all the spicy, fresh herbs.
Step aside, ethanol, you¡¯re boring.
One gulp was followed by another as Sue worked at her mug, looking around the table as she did so. Lilly was no less enthusiastic than her at the prospect of a good drink, her warm, leafy body loosening up as she leaned on her crush. The precious sound of her stray hiccups almost made Sue spill some of her own drink in all her giggling.
Further in that direction, Astra was playing with Comet as she got through mug after mug. The little Martian¡¯s attention was so drawn to the pretty cup in the dragon¡¯s paw that she could spin him in place as she moved it around, much to her amusement. After one more wave at Sue, Joy finally acted on her playmate¡¯s distraction by tickling his exposed sides, sending them both into another playful tussle¡ªand Spark joined in soon after. Her and Joy¡¯s combined efforts left Comet flailing, his desire to laugh struggling against the limitations of this tiny body and resulting in high-pitched squeaks interspersed with winded gasps.
The fiery cub wouldn¡¯t remain there for long, though, especially not after noticing Lilly having dried out in the meantime. With the lil¡¯ psychic exhausted and gasping, she leaped up onto the dancer¡¯s lap, leaned in to nuzzle Sue¡¯s side¡ªand almost made her spill her drink over her freshly cleaned garment.
And with how well Solstice¡¯s trimming was going, it would¡¯ve been such a shame for that to happen.
Sue¡¯s eyes studied the pattern as the Mayor went through one flap after another, her drink untouched and her expression deeply focused. First, she cut off about three to four inches from the edge of each flap, the excess¡ ¡®material¡¯ piling into a small mound under their seats. She then rounded off each flap¡¯s corners into almost a semicircle.
The real magic happened afterwards, with the handful of straight lines Solstice had sliced across the bulk of the flap coming together to look like a star, all without weakening its structural integrity. She couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at noticing her pupil¡¯s increasingly tipsy amazement. ¡°Like the pattern?¡±
¡°It¡¯s amazing!¡± Sue gasped, eyes wide and only somewhat focused. ¡°D-didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be so pretty...¡±
Solstice chuckled, ¡°And this is one of the simpler, more pragmatic designs. I remember some people carving entire artworks on those, usually only one flap at a time. Some even had multiple flaps done like that, ending up turning into walking galleries until they needed a trim again. It was so pretty to look at, ah...¡±
¡°Aww!¡± Sue swooned at her mentor¡¯s trip down the memory lane, finding it adorable.
Though, as she tried thinking about it, she realized Solstice¡¯s own dress was completely plain, aside from having been trimmed for length. She considered bringing that up, but eventually erred on the side of not wanting to possibly aggravate any bad memories of her people.
Only for Lilly to err on the exact opposite side immediately afterwards. ¡°This very pretty! Why you have not, Solstice?¡±
The older Forest Guardian paused mid-cut at the words, her body recoiling. She forcibly straightened herself back out with a deep breath, making both of the increasingly drunk women beside her regret the question. ¡°It¡¯s,¡± she began, her voice barely above a whisper, ¡°it¡¯s something you¡¯re not supposed to do to yourself, only to others, a-and I¡¯ve been trying to hold that tradition. I¡¯m just happy that I finally can...¡±
If not for the careful procedure being done on her and the sharp knife it involved, Sue would¡¯ve reached out to hold her mentor there and then. Instead, she limited herself to just a drawn out ¡®awwwwh¡¯ in between gulps, soon reaching the mug¡¯s bottom.
¡°It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t you two worry,¡± the older Forest Guardian reassured, trying to shake her funk off. ¡°Maybe once you have a moment, you could try your hand at this too, Sue~?¡±
Sue blinked, confused. ¡°But, I-I don¡¯t¡ª¡±
¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be complex,¡± her mentor reassured, with a hint of pleading. ¡°Even a simple pattern along the edges has its beauty to it.¡±
Sue wasn¡¯t really opposed to that idea, merely worried about possibly messing it up. And if that weight were to be removed, then¡ maybe? Heh, maybe she could even give those nicer patterns a stab, ha! Why not; she was feeling on top of the world! ¡°Sure then! W-we could try tomorrow?¡±
¡°After we¡¯re back?¡± Solstice asked, and her pupil firmly nodded. ¡°I like the sound of that! Have any specific¡ª¡±
¡°Oh?¡±
Astra¡¯s surprised exclamation snagged Sue¡¯s attention away from her mentor¡¯s words. It was aimed at the stony, bipedal rhino that had just walked up to her. Sundance was too busy clearing her second mug to have noticed their arrival, forgetting to include them in her translation. Thankfully, the dragon¡¯s side was enough to make the exchange¡¯s subject clear. ¡°What¡¯s up, Bedrock?¡±
*grumble, grumble*
Astra blinked, tilting her head. ¡°Am I free? Well, I¡¯m looking after Joy and Comet right now, not really. Tomorrow? I¡¯m not sure, I¡¯ll have to hear from Root first. What do you have in mind?¡± she asked, oblivious.
*grumble¡ grumble grumble, grumble.*
¡°Aaahh¡¡± she hissed nervously, fidgeting with her free paw. ¡°Aww¡ sorry, Bedrock, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m interested, sorry!¡±
*grumble, grumble!*
¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright. Well, good luck with your search!¡± she cheered, sighing in relief the moment the rhino had looked away from her.
To the stranger¡¯s credit, they weren¡¯t discouraged that hard by having been shot down again. The steady chanting coming from the next table over also helped, growing louder and louder as if to cover for their disappointment.
Sue and Lilly¡¯s increasingly floaty attention was drawn to the large gray four-arms¡ªthe former¡¯s increasingly cloudy mind barely fishing out the accompanying name of ¡®Granite¡¯ from the recesses of her memory¡ªas he tried to down an entire mug of cider in one go.
The repetitive cheers turned out to come from the rest of the builders¡¯ team, including the friendly blue rhino and, soon enough, the gray rhino once more. They spread to more and more tables and voices with Granite¡¯s every gulp, including Kantaro, remaining quiet despite having sat right beside the four-arms. The beetle¡¯s low, gravely voice carried the chants throughout the clearing, their contents becoming clear soon after¡ª
¡°C¡¯mon, c¡¯mon, c¡¯mon, c¡¯mon!¡±
And Granite did not disappoint.
He growled triumphantly as he slammed the now emptied mug on the table, breaking it in twain as his growl turned into an elongated burp. Cheers and shouts turned into laughter in an instant, lighting everyone¡¯s moods even further¡ªGranite¡¯s included.
The sound of another full mug getting set down made Sue grab it on autopilot and take a sip before calling out to the craftsbug, earlier curiosity creeping back to the forefront of her mind. ¡°K-Kantaro!¡±
Hearing an even-cruder-than-usual approximation of his name made the beetle turn towards their table and the kinda-mute-but-not-really Forest Guardian that sat beside Solstice. He raised the bit of chitin that vaguely corresponded to an eyebrow, but didn¡¯t speak up directly. The quickly thickening haze filling Sue¡¯s mind lowered her inhibitions enough to let her blurt out, ¡°What¡¯s¡ªwhat¡¯s ya name meeeeean?¡±
His name might have been vaguely understandable, but the barrage of gibberish that followed it wasn¡¯t in the slightest. Neither was his brief comment coherent for Sue, prompting her to take matters into her own mental hands.
She tried to repeat the simple ritual Solstice had taught her, the invisible mental reach making it all of three inches out of her skull before being forcibly stopped by a presence much, much stronger than itself. ¡°^Best I handle this, Sue,^¡± Solstice chided, holding back giggling. ¡°^We don¡¯t want a repeat of the Basil incident now, do we?^¡±
Despite the Mayor¡¯s intent, her ribbing hit Sue harder than intended, all the shameful worry that had accompanied that entire disaster immediately creeping back to the forefront of her mind. Before panic could grip her body once more, a sufficient distraction presented itself as Kantaro repeated, ¡°What did you say?¡±
¡°O-oh I¡ª¡± Sue shuddered, trying to keep a grip on herself, ¡°¡ªI was curious about your name! Wh-what¡¯s it mean?¡±
¡°My name? Kantaro?¡±
The beetle¡¯s pronunciation of his own name made it clear that the version everyone else in Moonview used wasn¡¯t a translation. It was merely a very limited transliteration, missing no less than four distinct guttural sounds compared to how he pronounced it, with Sue having no hopes of ever pronouncing any of them short of a piece of food getting stuck in her throat.
She nodded firmly, ¡°Yeah!¡±
The clarification didn¡¯t get rid of all of Kantaro¡¯s confusion, but now her question at least made sense. It was still rather banal, making him shrug, take a large swig of his mug, and finally respond, ¡°I believe that in Moonview¡¯s language, ¡®Stone God¡¯s Gift¡¯ is an acceptable approximation.¡±
That¡¯s a baller name.
Sue and Lilly only grew more interested, something that Kantaro neither expected nor particularly wanted to happen. The unintended implication perked his chitin shell up before he elaborated. ¡°It was a common name in the colony I grew up in, I knew two other Kantaro while I lived there.¡±
¡°Why¡¯dja¡ªwhy did ya leeeave?¡± Sue asked, thoughts and words alike growing blurrier with every swig from her mug.
Even despite her incapacitated state, she could still sense the pang of darker emotions inside the craftsman¡¯s mind at her words, filling her with worry¡ªworry that was soon overcome thanks to Lilly¡¯s continued affection on her front and shoulder, her pleasant warmth making Sue want to melt.
¡°It was many things,¡± Kantaro began, voice even flatter than usual. ¡°My colony was a talented place, but deeply stifling and focused only on itself. At some point, I desired to create more, so much more than another variation of the same banal icon, and after hearing for the twentieth time about how good of a broodmother I would make, I had enough, and left there and then. I marched westward in a straight line for many a fortnight before stumbling on Moonview¡¯s quarry, right as Granite was in the middle of cutting stone down to size.¡±
The four arms in question responded with a comment that had all of theirs and most of Sue¡¯s table burst into laughter. Even Kantaro chuckled this time, following up, ¡°I had to intervene, Granite; your technique was atrocious!¡±
This time, Sue had pieced together just barely enough context to laugh, too. A stray wisp of cold, evening wind made her hold Lilly much closer; the dancer¡¯s warmth appreciated even without an accompanying heartbeat. And, of course, Spark didn¡¯t hesitate to help too, nuzzling into her friend¡¯s side the moment she spotted her shivering.
Kantaro continued, ¡°Following that, I settled for good. Abundant material, welcome hospitality, exquisite food, inspiration for the subjects of my creations. What else is an honest worker to want?¡± he asked, his table cheering at his words.
Sue¡¯s head swam as she tried to pet Spark back, inadvertently tickling Lilly¡¯s side as the dancer asked, ¡°And then stay until leave for pilgrimage?¡±
The beetle flinched at the question, the rest of his table looking at him with concern. Granite tried to reassure him with a couple of pats on the back of his head, behind his horn, until eventually, the craftsbug himself replied with a sigh. ¡°It was no pilgrimage, Lilly, not the usual sort at least. Imagine¡¡± Kantaro trailed off, absentmindedly carving a line into what remained of his table with one of his claws.
¡°Imagine a splinter. Underneath the shell, stabbing your side. At first, it¡¯s tiny, but it grows with you and follows you everywhere, aching you at all times. Every time you look at your own reflection or someone even mentions you, it stabs your guts especially hard. Each time, it feels like there¡¯s no reprieve.¡±
Kantaro took a deep breath, sorting his thoughts out before continuing, ¡°I ran from my colony in part to get away from it. However, not long after I found Moonview, I realized it had followed me all the way here, and it hurt even more. It was so agonizing I was afraid to look down at myself lest I suddenly saw blood. I tried distracting myself from it, from my body. I gave my entire self to the Pale Lady; I worshiped Her through my efforts; I put up the two monuments¡ªI had finally reached the pinnacle of my work, if for an instant, but the splinter was still there, still goring my insides every day. And the pain only grew.¡±
The builder¡¯s table listened in silence, their expressions all various shades of concern. Most of them were familiar with the broad strokes of the tale because of having known Kantaro the entire time, but not with the exact details, how it all felt for him through it all.
¡°One day, I simply could not take it anymore. I ran before the brink of dawn, away from people, away from water, hoping that it would help, at last. And, to my horror, it did. That fact hurt unspeakably; I felt forced to choose between the ones closest to me and even a momentary reprieve, filled with fury at Fate for having stricken me with such torment. I thrashed blindly, felling timber around me in a blind rage¡¡± Kantaro paused with a low chuckle, ¡°and then; a tree fell on me.¡±
Oh fuck.
¡°Were you alright!?¡± Sue asked, subconsciously leaning in.
He swatted his arm off to the side. ¡°Yes, yes. If the Gate desires me, it needs much more than merely a tree. It hurt greatly, still, but it snapped me out of the worst of my anger, and¡ broke most of my horn off. I shambled towards the nearest stream, wanting to assess the damage¡ªand then I finally saw it, my reflection, with its broken horn. And to my utmost shock, the splinter was gone. I stared and pondered for hours, trying to make sense of it all, a sense of this sudden relief. Until, at last, the truth hit me harder than even that tree.¡±
Another sip gave him a moment to gather his bearings. His free hand reached up, feeling along the recently trimmed tip of his horn. ¡°That splinter wasn¡¯t a curse placed on me. It was a part of me, a part I could get rid of, a part I could carve away. And so I did, spending days whittling my horn down to its current shape, grinding through dozens and dozens of boulders. And it was all worth it, every single moment, for I was finally in the shape I should¡¯ve been in all along. I was Kantaro no longer, now, I was Kantaro, and the pain had finally left.¡±
The difference between the two versions of seemingly the same word was subtle, differing only in parts Sue couldn¡¯t pronounce, but it was still present all the same. Sue didn¡¯t have the time to dwell on that for too long, especially not once Granite had yanked the craftsbug into a massive hug, the rest of his table joining in from all around afterwards. It was enough to make even his stoic voice waver as he finished, ¡°And then I returned, formed anew, and was welcomed all the same.¡±
Sue couldn¡¯t exactly tell what, but something in his story touched her deeply all the same, forcing a few stray tears down her cheeks. As she sat there, trying to think through it, the craftfolks¡¯ table swerved towards a different topic, cutting her off from any more followup questions. She had dissolved enough of her restraints in her mug that she simply leaned on Lilly with all her weight, muttering to herself.
Lilly wasn¡¯t bothered by her weight even slightly.
Sue¡¯s increasingly blurry vision soon spotted the rest of her flaps having gotten trimmed in the meantime. She had no idea where all the trimmings had gone, but was glad for Solstice taking care of that unsightly mess all the same. ¡°Th-that was so nice, o-oh¡ª*hick*¡ªoh goshhh...¡±
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Her words growing increasingly incoherent had Lilly laugh louder and louder, whistled sounds only interrupted by an occasional hiccup. After barely managing to settle her mug on the table without knocking it over, Sue returned the favor, embracing the leafy girl with both arms. Spark¡¯s warmth, Lilly¡¯s arms petting her back, and an undefined amount of booze in her bloodstream all combined into a heap of comfort that threatened to turn Sue into a puddle. A very happy puddle.
Lilly tried to tease, ¡°Is! Like you!¡± to which Sue mumbled something not even she could understand as she leaned further on the dancer.
The sensations of her front horn resting against Lilly¡¯s side made Sue shudder, especially with her warm bliss becoming even easier to sense. She squirmed happily, humming to herself as she took a deep breath of the jubilant atmosphere. The giddy aroma Lilly carried with herself was even nicer than usual, convincing Sue to crane her head and take a sniff right at its source.
Oooh, that¡¯s even better¡ªoh, Lilly?
The leafy girl¡¯s abrupt emotional shift was all the clearer to sense with how close she was. Brilliant glee, immense, stunned fluster, and then; a deluge of excitement. Her leafy arms held Sue that much firmer, that much harder, that much closer as she tried to speak, her efforts not going any further than Sue¡¯s. All she managed was a drawn out, elated squeak, leaving the Forest Guardian equal parts enthused and amused. Sue broke into affectionate giggling as she reached to grab another mug¡ª
¡°...which cup is that for you, Sue?¡± Solstice asked, her voice unusually keen.
Sue mumbled, ¡°U-ughhhgh... th-third¡ªHEY!¡± before her mentor¡¯s telepathy forcibly yanked the mug out of her grasp.
Solstice¡¯s expression was somewhere between concerned, impressed, and slightly tipsy itself as she stared at her pupil, raising her voice. ¡°That¡¯s more than enough for you today!¡±
¡°B-b-but it¡¯s, it¡¯s jhusht chider¡ª¡± Sue slurred, feebly trying to protest.
¡°And~?¡± the Mayor chuckled, raising her eyebrow. ¡°You can hardly even stand up right now.¡±
¡°That¡¯sh nhot thrue¡ª¡±
Fortunately, Spark¡¯s continued presence on her lap, accentuated with giggling at her antics, stopped Sue an instant before she would¡¯ve attempted to stand up, anyway. Instead, she reached down to give the lil¡¯ firefox some more pets, with Solstice commenting on her doomed attempt shortly after. ¡°I think it¡¯s about time you got some rest, Sue.¡±
¡°Bhut I-I¡¯m all ghood¡¡± Sue insisted.
As much as she wanted to oppose Solstice¡¯s judgment, Sue didn¡¯t have the drive to do the same with Lilly¡¯s. ¡°She right Sue!¡± the dancer insisted, making her finally give up with a sigh. Lilly followed her words with gentle hair ruffling, helping her greatly with accepting such an unfair decision. The other Forest Guardian didn¡¯t keep her amusement bottled up either, joining in on the affection with her tattooed arm, the blue dye striking in the surrounding lighting.
¡°F-fine, fine, fine...¡±
Solstice smiled, glad she didn¡¯t have to argue any further. ¡°Let¡¯s get you back to the clinic now¡ª¡±
¡°I help!¡± Lilly cut in, enacting her plan before either Sue or Solstice could react, effortlessly lifting her crush up into her arms. Spark was similarly taken aback, jumping off just in time as Sue¡¯s mind tried to catch up with what was happening, the realization of how cute Lilly was from up close not helping in thinking straight either.
¡°Are you sure Lilly?¡± the Mayor asked, sensing just how inebriated the dancer was herself. ¡°It¡¯s really no problem¡ª¡±
¡°I sure!¡± Lilly insisted, holding the almost-limp Forest Guardian in her arms that bit closer. ¡°Can move Sue!¡±
Solstice¡¯s eye roll told it all¡ªstill, she was in no position to butt into their little display of dorky affection. Before she sent them off, though, she made sure they would understand each other even once they had walked away. Sue felt something ticklish in the back of her head as her mentor pulled an extension of her mind out of her skull, her dulled thoughts finding the sensation funny¡ªand so did Lilly¡¯s once the link was established between them, neither of them any wiser.
¡°Alrighty then, suit yourselves,¡± the Mayor giggled, waving them both off. ¡°Sleep well Sue, sleep well Lilly, may She keep your rest safe.¡±
Lilly nodded. ¡°Night!¡±
¡°Byeeeeee¡~¡± Sue trailed off. As she was being carried, she spared no goodbyes for everyone around.
Astra looked like she was on the brink of joining the sleeping baby martian and toothy girl in her arms. Sundance only barely held her laughter in, shooting Sue a wink that she was much too clumsy to even try returning.
The builders¡¯ table was near unanimous in their amusement. Granite and the blue rhino pointed and laughed; Kantaro smiled despite his best effort; Bedrock gave them a wistful look before sighing and joining in on the chuckles. The brown pangolin chittered to themselves, massive claws covering their expression, and the red robot insect¡ exhaled through their nostrils and took another swig of the cider.
Poppy excitedly pointed them out while shaking Hazel¡¯s shoulder, the distance making it hard to tell whether she was amused, excited, or both. The humanoid ladybug she and Solstice had grabbed food from a couple days back didn¡¯t notice them passing by, but caught Sue¡¯s attention by drinking on their own away from anyone else, regardless.
¡°How are you sho strong...¡± Sue mumbled, making Lilly break out into even more whistled giggling as they neared the clearing¡¯s exit.
By the lovely vk.com/art_meri!
The sight on a nearby light pole caught her attention, even if she was in no state to think through its implications. In the place of one of the plentiful red-purplish fireballs hovered Crackle, without the bedsheet-like veil that kept his body obscured. The light blue flame at his core burned bright, but it wasn¡¯t hurting her the way it apparently had back at Willow¡¯s clinic, merely eye-catching as opposed to¡ soul-catching.
Despite his apparent harmlessness, Crackle didn¡¯t remain uncovered like that for long, pulling his white shroud back over his body as he hovered off to the side of the light pole. Then, he pulled another of the magical fireballs that topped all the other light poles from underneath his disguise and placed it in his place before floating off further into Moonview, away from the evening chatter.
Such a pretty sky¡
Moonview¡¯s light pollution was thankfully weak enough for most stars to still be visible, especially further away from the clearing. A new Moon laid smack dab in the middle¡ªat least if the circular, pitch-black hole in the stellar backdrop was any sign. Sue giggled, ¡°Hehe, new Moon tonight...¡±
Lilly¡¯s upward glance had her hold Sue even closer to herself. As much as she didn¡¯t mind the action itself, she wasn¡¯t sure what had caused it¡ªat least, until the dancer herself explained, ¡°No Moon, scary. Night people time. I protect!¡±
It made sense, considering what Sue had learned about Moonview, but¡ it still stung. ¡°Nooo, they¡¯re not scary,¡± she insisted, as serious as she could manage in her inebriation. ¡°They won¡¯t hurt us.¡±
Lilly paused, uncertain. ¡°Think that Sue?¡±
¡°Yes! It¡¯s sad they¡¯re not here.¡±
The dancer was unsure how to respond, considering the night kin¡¯s reputation. Though, if Sue said that, then there was probably merit to it. She was still keen to protect Sue should the need ever arise, but she no longer feared that Newmoon¡¯s denizens would threaten her life¡ªor at least, not as much.
One corner later, their brief trip had reached its end. Lilly kicked the door to Willow¡¯s clinic open¡ªhoping that she didn¡¯t damage it too much¡ªand carried Sue in, not letting go of the Forest Guardian until she was laid down on the bed, all snuggly and cozy.
And cozy Sue most definitely was. ¡°Thank you so much, Lilly...¡±
¡°Thank for day, Sue!¡± Lilly beamed, sitting down on the edge of Sue¡¯s bed. Her leafy arm reached out to grab her crush¡¯s hand, only for her to hold it with both of hers, making the dancer squirm even more. ¡°I... happy, happy happy.¡±
¡°M-me too, hehehe... i-it¡¯s so soft here, and...¡± Sue trailed off, closing her eyes. Before she could get lost in all the bliss, though, a single remaining strand of coherent thought realized a very important omission in the room. ¡°Oh, we left the crutch...¡±
The remark snapped Lilly out of her own daze, right before she could finish psyching herself into shooting her shot and laying down beside Sue. The dancer glanced around what she could make of the room, confirming the tool wasn¡¯t there, before hopping off of the bed. ¡°I grab and back!¡±
By the time Sue managed to nod in affirmation, Lilly was long gone. She was on her own again, focusing on trying to endure the arduous wait until the dancer got back¡ª
And failing.
? B? F E? B? D. D. E?- ?
Sue¡¯s impromptu jamming session was abruptly stopped as she blinked and finally came to. She stared at her mom¡¯s guitar for a few moments, illuminated by the nearby campfire and stray starlight, and wondered. She¡¯d never learned how to play it properly; her mom had only given her a couple of basic lessons¡ªhell, she didn¡¯t even know how to read sheet music! And yet, despite all that, she felt¡
Oddly confident, as if everything was completely alright.
Before she could give that peaceful observation more thought, she noticed the shadowy figures in the corners of her vision, sending shivers down her spine. One of them sat on the spot she¡¯d been waking up in her dreams previously, to her left, and the other sat to her right. Her attempt to investigate what they actually were once more ended in failure, the shadows gone as soon as they¡¯d arrived.
The rest of the clearing was exactly how she¡¯d remembered it, unaltered to the best of her ability to tell. Above her, the same new Moon as in the waking world, and two falling stars beside it.
For once, they haven¡¯t messed with it.
The thought brought Sue some well-needed reassurance as she put the guitar away and stood up from her mom¡¯s seat. Despite the surrounding serenity, her worries wasted no time before chiming in, their input rational if somewhat unwelcome.
No way I got thrown in here for no reason; there has to be a hitch.
There has to be something to demolish any hopes of this sacred memory being mine and mine alone ever again.
And, indeed, there was.
To give the responsible entity the credit it deserved¡ªnamely none¡ªthe alteration was respectfully distanced from the rest of the scene. The doorway loomed in the distance, far away from the campfire to be only barely visible. Still far from preferable, but Sue would live¡ªnot that she had a choice.
Despite the doorway and the downwards staircase on its other side being completely dark, Sue could still see them perfectly clear. By the time she¡¯d descended the stairs, her surroundings were pitch black, any and all ambient light gone completely. And, with one last step, Sue found herself on an endless field underneath thousands upon thousands of stars, all awe-inspiringly beautiful¡ª
¡°Greetings.¡±
It wasn¡¯t her first time hearing Night Father¡¯s low, gravelly voice, but it still made her jump.
He seemed to have gotten the same idea as her, observing the stars before His attention slowly shifted to her. His pronunciation was¡ weird, as if He had to utterly contort His voice to end up with something she could comprehend, but she appreciated being able to understand him all the same. ¡°Wait, how¡ªhow do you speak my language?¡± Sue asked, dreamed-up heart calming down after his sudden appearance.
Even with the ability to speak English, though, it seemed He wasn¡¯t particularly talkative.
¡°Effort.¡±
She had no choice but to accept the non-answer with a hesitant nod. ¡°I¡ alright. Wh-why are you here, again?¡±
¡°Ideas.¡±
Sue blinked, raising her eyebrow. ¡°...of?¡±
¡°Suspect.¡±
The record-breakingly curt answer immediately caught her attention, dreamed-up eyes going wide as she asked, ¡°Do you have an idea who could¡¯ve brought me here?¡±
¡°Several.¡±
Still better than no leads at all. ¡°A-alright, what are they?¡±
Sue¡¯s question made the imaginary field beneath them shudder as His blue eye closed in focus. He didn¡¯t accomplish much beyond just startling her, though, with the dreamed-up earthquake ending soon after.
¡°Multiple exceed comprehension. Singular.¡±
If she hadn¡¯t been so overwhelmed at this entire discussion taking place, she would¡¯ve rolled her eyes. ¡°One at a time, then. Who do you think i-is the most likely?¡±
¡°Dependent on death.¡±
Sue¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°...m-mine?¡±
¡°Previous self.¡±
¡°Wh-what, no, I don¡¯t¡ªI don¡¯t remember dying, or even b-being close to death. I-I¡¯m¡¡± Sue trailed off, thinking back to her health choices and regretting not eating as many veggies as she should¡¯ve been. ¡°I was young a-and healthy and all that...¡±
¡°Possibility.¡±
She sighed. ¡°I-I guess... who did you have in mind first, then?¡± The moment she finished asking her question, Sue felt even stronger tremors than before, almost toppling her over immediately. They were coming from somewhere, making her look at its source¡ª
IT was incomprehensibly large.
Golden scales decorated ITS lower limbs, blindingly bright in the light of ITS own glory. ITS quadruped body was made of purest marble and filled up the entire sky. The halo surrounding ITS head was too holy for her mortal senses to comprehend, forcing Sue to cower pitifully. An infinitely detailed lattice ran through ITS core, comprising golden threads, green gemstones¡ªone of them being this very planet¡ªand stone tablets carved with divine truths; Sue¡¯s mortal eyes only perceiving them as colors.
¡°Demiurge. Hollow.¡±
Sue trembled pitifully under the god¡¯s might, feebly trying to shield her body as she was forced down onto her knees. The few parts of her psyche that weren¡¯t being utterly overwhelmed by the deity couldn¡¯t recognize IT in the slightest¡ªand there was no way in hell she would¡¯ve ever forgotten a sight like that.
The realization made the dreamed-up deity dissolve into fog, letting Sue finally breathe again. ¡°Wh-what the fuck was that,¡± she panted, lungs burning. ¡°Was that fucking God!?¡±
¡°Equivalent.¡±
She might have just found the one weird trick for her homeworld¡¯s churches to use if they ever complained about attendance rates. As profoundly overwhelming as that experience was, though, Sue knew they were nowhere near done. If there was even a chance she could finally figure out who did this to her, she was willing to go through more, so much more¡ªespecially with the prospect of returning to her normal life on the line. ¡°O-okay, who else?¡± she asked.
Her eagerness took the Night Father aback. He did the closest thing possible to lifting an eyebrow up as He stared at her, remaining expressionless. Before long, though, His focus returned to the task at hand; the dreamscape rumbled once more while the next deity manifested Itself¡ªand immediately undid all physical distance between It and Sue, Its scarlet eyes staring her down.
Its body was made of stars and super-heated metal, their combined white and ultraviolet glare burning itself into her dreamed-up eyes. Despite being magnitudes smaller than the first one, It felt no less holy. Even the slightest movements of Its colossal arms distorted the land and sky around them, the dimension of space warbling under Its mere presence.
¡°Sculptor. Cautious, unlikely.¡±
The spatial deity was gone as soon as It had appeared. As her dream returned to the mostly featureless emptiness from before, Sue processed what she just saw, thankfully taking the mind-bending sight better this time. ¡°Was th-that a god of light¡ª¡±
¡°Space. Presence.¡±
¡°Space,¡± she nodded, breathing deeply. ¡°O-okay.¡±
Night Father didn¡¯t comment on her misunderstanding on His answer. She had no recollection of Sculptor¡¯s influence either way, and of all the suspects, It was by far the least likely to have threatened the stability of the fabric of reality to begin with.
Once she¡¯d gotten a grip on herself again, Sue asked once more, ¡°Wh-what next?¡±
¡°Gate. Return.¡±
A cacophony of murmurs filled the heavens immediately, bringing her gaze up at the sky.
The first deity¡¯s sky-spanning body comprised three fleshy, crimson arms, with a bloodied, grayish plume sprouting from where they connected, and from it, a tiny, low-hung head. Black veins bulged out of Its limbs as they held a colossal portal open, Its tremors making the immense strain of Its duty abundantly clear. Legions of tiny, white sprites flowed into Its portal, pouring in from beyond the reaches of Sue¡¯s mind, each of them whispering about the demise they had met, be it with grief, fear, or relief.
The sight occupying the opposite end of the horizon was similarly massive. The second deity¡¯s immense, rainbow-studded wings rained sacred fire with Its every flap, Its shrill cry bringing indescribable warmth to Sue¡¯s soul as It crossed the sky. Each tiny ember Its wings shed turned out to be one of the white sprites, swaddled in seven-colored flames. As they fell, the flames caressing them turned back into flesh, in an uncountable myriad of forms¡ªsome of them even familiar.
¡°Inevitable cycle.¡±
¡°A-are these the d-dead¡ª¡± Sue whimpered, awestruck.
¡°Correct.¡±
¡°Wait, d-do you mean that I-I died and ended up here¡ª¡±
¡°Death, rebirth, identical. Possibility.¡±
This world certainly wasn¡¯t like any afterlife Sue had ever imagined, her mind giving preference to the ¡®rebirth¡¯ possibility. Though, when it came down to it, was there any difference between the two when put like that? Either of them required that she had died back on Earth, the realization chilling her to the core¡ªespecially with the loud bang she could just barely recall before she ended up here.
Regardless of how much less improbable this idea sounded compared to interference by a deity further up on the divine pecking order, the evidence for it wasn¡¯t there. After a few moments, Sue forcibly let go of that idea for the time being, even if just to hear the rest out. ¡°I¡ªI see,¡± she whispered. ¡°Not impossible I guess, but...¡±
Right before Sue could throw herself into being overwhelmed or hurt once more, her thoughts veered in a very different direction. She¡¯d been assuming that the deity beside her had been benevolent in His investigation, but¡ what if that wasn¡¯t true? What if He¡¯d just been trying to cover His tracks?
She turned towards Him, eyes narrowing. ¡°What¡ªwhat about you?¡±
His single eye stared blankly at her at the question. Moments dragged on as silence returned to Sue¡¯s dream, making her worry that she¡¯d both got it right and wouldn¡¯t leave unpunished because of¡ª
¡°Incapable.¡±
¡
¡
Yeah, I¡¯m not buying that.
¡°Aren¡¯t you a god, too?¡± Sue insisted.
¡°Half.¡±
The word made the once-human think back to her chat with Sundance earlier in the day. Him being a ¡®half-god¡¯ would make sense since Duck is apparently one, too. ¡°A half-god?¡±
¡°One of two.¡±
Sue blinked at the clarification, guessing uncertainly, ¡°One half of a god?¡±
¡°Correct.¡±
¡°Is¡ She the other half?¡± she asked.
The dark deity didn¡¯t verbally answer, nodding his plume of a head before turning His attention skyward, at the uncountable stars gracing the ceiling of Sue¡¯s imagination. She didn¡¯t remember seeing a moon there earlier, but supposed it only made sense for it to be there¡ª
And then half the sky moved, together with the moon itself; stars whizzed across as if they¡¯d been painted on the surface of wings spanning from horizon to horizon. Sue could only stare, uncertain whether her own senses had played a joke on her or not. She sure hoped it was the former, at least.
¡°Continue?¡±
Sue blinked, snapping herself out of her daze. ¡°Uh, sure. Wh-who¡¯s next?¡±
Deep silence shrouded the dreamed-up clearing at her question, snuffing out any and all ambiance. Night Father¡¯s eventual answer pierced the quiet, but sounded impossibly distant, like it was fading away,
¡°Grief...¡±
Before Sue knew it, she was surrounded by dense, pale fog. Salt in the air stung her eyes as she tried to make sense of what was happening. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s, where are you¡ª¡±
¡°Sue?¡±
M-mom?
Her mother¡¯s voice froze the once-human where she stood, face contorting into a gasp as she faced the origin of the sound. There she was, she was right there, alive and just as pretty as she was the last time Sue had seen her! Her expression brightened at seeing her daughter again, even if she looked so, so very different now.
¡°Sue! My goodness, how much you¡¯ve grown!¡±
¡°MOM!¡±
Everything else can wait, has to wait, MOM!
This wasn¡¯t just some memory; she was here; she was real; she was alive! Sue ran towards her mom, every step filling her with more and more happiness. Tears of joy ran down her face as her mom opened her arms for a hug, the girl closing her eyes as she prepared to take it¡ª
Only for pitch-black tentacles to shoot past her and wrap tightly around her, stopping her in place.
Sue thrashed against His influence, wailing in grief once He began to forcibly drag her back. She was mere feet away from someone she thought she¡¯d lost for good, the pain of being torn away from her again making her want to scream.
¡°LIAR!¡±
And then; Sue finally saw It.
A black, shriveled body slumped inside a spiked purple shell. Sea foam hair flowed down Its face, sparse and tattered as Its opalescent, hopeless eyes stared straight through Sue. Sue choked up before painfully coughing the joy she had felt bloom inside her out of her lungs. The sheer quantity of murky brine that had left her mouth formed a small puddle underneath her as she cried in pain.
¡°Broken.¡±
Sue shambled away from where her mom¡¯s image and the cruel deity had manifested Itself, the fog that accompanied It long gone. All the sensations she had to relive in these few moments made her want to cry, to break down like a baby at having to relive her loss once more¡ªbut she couldn¡¯t.
Not now, not yet.
¡°H-how many left...¡± she whimpered, tears streaking down her face.
¡°Two. Chaotic. Unpredictable. Inexcludable.¡±
Okay, I can manage two, I can do this¡
¡°Okay¡¡± she scrunched her face, trying to shake her grief off. ¡°N-next then.¡±
For once, nothing happened right away. Sue tried to look around for any changes to her surroundings, but only found Night Father standing in the exact same spot as before, staring blankly at her.
¡°Certain?¡±
Of course not. ¡°No, but... what other choice d-do I have?¡± she asked, her voice somewhere between accusatory and despondent.
The dark deity considered her words for a few moments before closing His eye once more.
The scene that awaited Sue right behind her shoulder was stunningly beautiful. A vast field of blooming pink flowers and fluttering butterflies, all of them facing the figure in the center. She couldn¡¯t see much of it, but what she made out was similarly gorgeous. A massive shell, covered with incredibly intricate etchings, pinks, reds, blacks and whites, combining to depict life in all its forms and vividness. She took a step closer to take a better look¡ª
¡°Cruelty.¡±
Suddenly, the shell creature turned around, and everything turned to suffering.
The force of nature locked eyes with Sue, obliterating her mental defenses and flooding her mind with visions of pain. Nails driven into her eyes, joints forcibly twisted the other way, her insides doused in acid, her head burning alive¡ªbringing her until the brink of death, right in front of the Gate, but never further. The deity of death barred her from escaping, bringing her back to health only to torture her again, and again, and again, and again¡ª
Sue shrieked and ran, her mind reduced to its basest of impulses as she felt her body be mangled.
By the time she could think again, her throat had worn itself dry from the involuntary screams, agony leaving her thrashing on the grassy floor of the dreamscape, completely unharmed. Shouts gave way to whimpers as suffering finally receded from her mind, left only with sorrow and trauma.
I can¡¯t do it; I¡¯m too weak; I¡¯ll never make it out of here. This world, these deities, they¡¯re too evil, I can¡¯t¡
It felt like an eternity had passed before Sue could do anything but sob and shake. Night Father stood over her, making her spit out in anger, ¡°Wh-why did you do this to me¡ª¡±
¡°Incorrect.¡±
¡°Y-you brought that fucking thing in here!¡± she shouted.
¡°Divine. Uncontrollable.¡±
¡°I-it¡¯s,¡± she snarled, ¡°It¡¯s just an illusion¡ª¡±
¡°Fragment. Divine.¡±
Sue had no idea if He was bullshitting her, but by that point, she didn¡¯t care anymore. All she wanted was to storm out of this nightmare and never see Him or other deities again, to spend the rest of her days in this world, figuring out a way back through regular, not-divine means.
Even if she knew as well as He did it was naught but an agonized, impossible fantasy.
¡°Final. Harmless.¡±
Sue couldn¡¯t tell whether His words were a promise or a reassurance, but she didn¡¯t care either way. She was about to ask Him to do away with all this and let her go¡ªbut she was too late.
¡°Caprice¡ª¡±
¡°No, fuck this, fuck you! I¡¯m, I¡¯m not looking!¡± she shrieked, turning away from Him and storming off. And indeed, she didn¡¯t look, trying her absolute hardest to not pay attention to the squeaky, androgynous voice that had spoken up behind her. The way It enunciated its words sent a deep, frightful shiver down her back.
Night Father¡¯s final remark made Sue want to throw hands as she continued her hissy fit of a march, only speeding her steps up.
¡°Very. Annoying.¡±
Fuck you too.
Part of her wondered how the hell was this dream still ongoing with how much suffering she¡¯d experienced. She tensed up at the thought, fear mixing with hope of finally getting a reprieve from it all¡ª
Destiny, however, had different plans.
A fluttering sheet of paper floated into Sue¡¯s peripheral vision before cutting her path off. She wanted to tear it to shreds there and then¡ªbut the glimpse of its contents stopped her in her tracks.
Don¡¯t turn around.
The elegant, silver-inked cursive reminded Sue of what she saw in her previous dream, the accompanying mental image of her own gravestone sending an icy chill through her body as her breathing grew shallow. She was afraid to shift her gaze anywhere else, muttering her words directly at the piece of paper. ¡°Wh-who are you?¡±
A stray gust made the page thrash hard enough to let her spot more writing on its other side. With a deep breath, Sue flipped it around, bracing herself for what she might see.
An ally.
¡°An ally? Wh-what do you mean¡ªwhich of these unholy things are you!?¡± she shouted, gripping the page tight.
After flipping the page again, the previous message was replaced with a drawing that defied comprehension.
A silver octahedron was depicted on the tattered page with a mathematical precision, looking more like a platonic ideal of a shape rather than a mere drawing. It was perfectly Ordered and slowly rotated when watched, its shining surface mesmerizing.
You may call me JUSTICE.
¡°Justice. Okay,¡± she sighed, stunned by the drawing. ¡°What¡ªwhat did you mean b-by us being allies?¡± she continued to ask, flipping the page over with each question.
We share a goal.
Her face narrowed. ¡°Goal? Wh-what are you talking about?¡±
We both want to make the being who¡¯d done this to you suffer and pay.
The words gave Sue a pause, her breaths growing shallow. ¡°Do you know who th-that is?¡±
Yes.
¡°Who is it then!?¡± Sue raised her voice, almost tearing the page as she flipped it again.
Another scribble awaited her there, this one much more headache inducing. A golden line twisted and thrashed into shapes unknown and unknowable, writhing on the page with enough speed to render the result little more than a blur. Chaos incarnate.
She wanted to cry. ¡°That¡¯s not¡ªTHAT¡¯S NOT AN ANSWER!¡± she shrieked.
It¡¯s as much of an answer as I can presently give. Idiot covered Its tracks well.
Sue screamed in frustration at being denied the truth yet again. She was about to crumple the page up into a small, tight ball, before seeing a new message¡ª
I would not advise that.
¡°Why did you contact me like this if you won¡¯t even tell me anything that¡¯s going on!?¡± she glared at the piece of paper with all the fury she could muster.
I have a plan to ensure Its compliance.
Sue shook in place. ¡°Compliance!?¡±
It promised you a way home. I can make sure that comes to pass, and make It pay.
The mixture of anger and pain finally loosened its grip on Sue¡¯s psyche as she considered the words. Regardless of anything else, the offer of getting out of this hellish world and back to Earth was very alluring, especially right now. Right as she was about to agree, though, a stray, bitter thought crossed her mind again, ¡°Will it even matter if I say no?¡±
She hesitated for a while after asking. She knew deep down what the answer was inevitably going to be, but was afraid to face it, waiting until she had caught her breath before flipping the page once more¡ªconfirming her fears.
No.
Of course. Of fucking course I¡¯m just playing into another deity¡¯s sick fucking game.
¡°What do you want me to do?¡±
For now, nothing. Continue as you did. Before my plan can come to pass, Its plan must be accomplished first. Before the trap can be sprung, we need the¡ª
Before Sue could finish reading the sentence, a louder call coming from that same squeaky, androgynous voice she heard earlier made her look over her shoulder out of reflex¡ª
And wake up back at Willow¡¯s clinic, the air reeking faintly of brine.
Interlude I: Remembrance
Nearly there.
The skies were filled with roars of thunder from the distant storm, serving as constant reminders to keep moving. The unpredictable currents surrounding what remained of the archipelago were vicious in their temperament, thrashing aimlessly through the ocean with their master long gone.
Guarding the eternal grave of the people who once lived there.
Their name was all but forgotten to mortal beings. Only a few coastal-dwelling civilizations had ever established trade routes with them, and of those that still existed, most regarded their existence as naught more than an ancient fable; a parable of an island kingdom swallowed by the ocean for their hubris and defiance of their deities.
Even that was but a light-spirited anecdote compared to the truth.
What were once splendid beaches of marble-white sand were now little more than swaths of salt and ash, swaddled in a lifeless miasma that preserved the bones of the slaughtered, dooming them to keep their hands clasped in prayer for eternity. Prayer to the very beings that had ended their lives many centuries ago.
As much as her body screamed for rest after many hours of flight, the Windrider knew better than to disturb the island with her physical presence. Their selves might have been gone, but the deep bond between the hallowed ground and its once-guardians remained powerful, even if the latter were naught more than still-moving corpses.
Thankfully, her destination wasn¡¯t too far away, and after a few moments of meditation, she continued further inland. Her golden eyes scanned the ruins of forests and settlements alike in search of anything that stood out as she flew, just like she¡¯d done hundreds of times in the past. There was less and less to be found each time.
What hadn¡¯t burned down slowly eroded in the briny air. The beautiful wooden sculptures this island was especially known for had decayed into little more than featureless hunks of dried kindling, awaiting their turn to be on the receiving end of the endless storm¡¯s wrath. Back in the day, she would spend days simply absorbing the beauty of this place, natural and crafted alike, with the depictions of its four guardians taking up a large and deserved part of the latter.
Valor.
Love.
Bloom.
Passage.
Names long lost to time, and to themselves.
The thought stung more than even the salty, smoke-filled air, forcing the Windrider to compose herself lest her tears disturbed the island underneath her. It was far from her first time here, inside the charred carcass of the jewel of the ocean, but the suffering that underlaid the gruesome sights never got easier to process, to reconcile with what she remembered of Her. What she remembered of them all.
Their courage.
Their kindness.
Their patience.
Their wisdom.
They weren¡¯t proud of their pasts, of what they once were, of the many mistakes they had made over the millennia¡ªout of haste, out of thoughtlessness, even out of cruelty. Even at their lowest, even when they still were as wild and ferocious as their still-untamed islands, they cared deeply about the islanders¡¯ wellbeing.
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With time, the life that filled these dense forests and craggy cliffs became a part of something larger than itself, soul by soul. Something destined for so much more than a hasty death at the hands of whichever predator found itself hungry that day.
And as the islanders grew, their deities followed. Prayer by prayer, ceremony by ceremony, the four siblings shed more and more of their savage natures, their followers¡¯ faith shaping them from guardians of the land to guardians of the people, their civilization growing ever brilliant with each passing season.
The Windrider still remembered her first visit to this enchanted land, to what those that visited it had described as heaven. The deep truths of philosophy and geometry the islanders had discovered and were eager to share with anyone who would listen, their unending hospitality, their joyous songs, elaborate rituals, and exquisite delicacies. Reminiscing the latter made her exhaustion sting that much more acutely, as did the contrast between her memories and the surrounding reality.
As did thinking back to the day of her discovery of the islands¡¯ destruction.
One moment, she was racing across the azure waves to visit old friends. The next, flying above tens of thousands of dead, above unending wildfires, above the charred, dismembered remains of an island-wide celebration. She screamed, she wept, she called for anyone still alive amongst the carnage¡ªand found what was once Love. If not for her kin¡¯s swiftness, she would¡¯ve died there and then. Died to what had once been her close friend and mentor, turned malicious and yet utterly hollow; not a thought emanating from Its shell as It tortured her with torment unimaginable.
For the longest time, the dragon assumed that an evil force had possessed them all. Possessed and drove them to commit unspeakable atrocities, before leaving their islands for good. There was no other explanation she could think of that came close to explaining the harrowing change that had occurred in even one of them, let alone all four.
It was only recently, relatively speaking, that she finally learned of what transpired here. Of the unimaginable crime that turned them into their present selves. Of a tragedy the Expanse had failed to prevent. After decades spent begging It for answers, It gave in and told her the truth; the guilt weighing heavily on Its divine essence.
One day, the flimsy wall that separates this world from others had torn in the middle of a joyous ceremony. Hardly a rare occurrence if Expanse¡¯s words were to be believed. Its luminous reach was constantly on the lookout for these tears in Infinity¡¯s filament, ceaselessly maintaining the boundaries between realities.
Before It could do so here, however, something slipped through the crack.
A nonexistence beyond comprehension. An absence of light, an absence of self, a living manifestation of ravenous hunger. Hunger for minds, hunger for light¡ªhunger for names, mortal and divine alike.
Before the guardians knew it, they were gone in a gust of wind. Their very beings were consumed by It That Wasn¡¯t, mere moments before Expanse¡¯s intervention drove It back into Its own sunken realm. But, by then, it was too late. Without a mind to exert control over their divine flesh, every savage part they kept purging themselves of crept back in.
Everything they had repressed had come back to usurp them.
The Malice of strife.
The Cruelty of life.
The Misery of change.
The Grief of death.
No tale of the events that transpired had ever left the islands, for none had escaped the slaughter that followed.
The Windrider knew full well that her presence here was little more than folly, a childish plea towards a friend long gone, a na?ve wish to unwind time and do something, anything, to prevent that unimaginable tragedy. And yet, she repeated her pilgrimage again and again. Each time, she brought the most meager of offerings with herself: a singular orchid bloom.
Just like the ones Love would endearingly weave into Her own and little ones¡¯ hair at every opportunity.
Only the plinth remained of the monument of pearl and silvery wood that once sang Her praises. It loomed above the lifeless ruins, an utmost perversion of the living rainbows of flowers once surrounding it from every side. A patch of salted, barren dirt was the only remaining sign the latter had ever existed.
Holding back tears, the dragon clasped her hands to the furthest extent she could and prayed, her words eclipsed by the approaching thunderstorm¡ª
¡°Oh, the ever graceful Love.
To thee, I offer this gift.
May it findeth thee at peace.
May we be granted solace.¡±
And then, she followed it with a whisper of her own, placing the bloom on the plinth. The moment the last word left her white muzzle, she took off, flying away from the island before any of its once guardians could show up.
¡°May Daybreak deliver thee home.¡±
Interlude II: Absence
*ba-ping!*
The man let out a deep groan at the umpteenth ¡®new email¡¯ notification from the company¡¯s email inbox this morning. He gave the bottle of liquor in his hand one last look before opting to not put it away for now¡ªit was going to see some heavy use today; might as well keep it on hand.
The position of a public representative for a regional woodland authority was an inherently deeply boring one, essentially by definition. He spent most of his days exchanging phone calls and negotiating agreements with representatives of other business entities, be they in tourism, agriculture, or forestry. Occasionally, he had to cobble together a barebones press release when something incidentally noteworthy happened in the area.
Very rarely, he had to interface directly with the law enforcement or the families of the people who had gone missing or perished in the woods.
*ba-ping!*
Disappearances in the woods weren¡¯t commonplace, thank the heavens, but weren¡¯t unheard of either. In almost all cases, though, it¡¯d be the woodland authority who was clued into a tragic event like that last, much to their annoyance each time. Nothing like having a couple of cruisers and an entire search and rescue team knock on a ranger¡¯s booth, only for the ranger themselves to have no idea what was going on!
Because nobody had deigned to inform the bloody woodland authority!
Procedural annoyances like that aside, they were more than willing to help however they could. GPS was one thing, but knowing the pathways all living beings are subconsciously corralled by the land from experience was another.
Most families that had the misfortune of having to interact with him were firmly in the stages of depression or acceptance by that point. Unfortunately, more often than not, all the woodland authority could give them was a decomposing body in a black bag and, if they were lucky, some of their belongings.
*ba-ping!*
This case would¡¯ve likely been just one of those, despite the weirdness that saturated every single aspect of it.
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Someone respectful and responsible stumbles on the aftermath and calls the law enforcement. They then try to get in touch with the family, start looking, and maybe, eventually, call the woodland authority. A proper search and rescue operation is performed, and the body isn¡¯t found. Attempts to contact the family fail. One day, a pretend burial is held out of the country¡¯s pocket, and the poor missing person is finally declared dead.
It could¡¯ve all been so simple, so proper, so procedural. So much headache could¡¯ve been saved for everyone involved¡ªbut no, of course that wasn¡¯t what happened.
Because, of course, the first person to stumble upon the aftermath just had to have been a travel vlogger. The recording of the scene and its precise location just had to have been broadcast to hundreds of thousands of people before law enforcement could even finish writing up the basic report.
*ba-ping!*
From there, everything happened so quickly. So chaotically.
The woodland authority and the law enforcement had to downright sprint towards the location of the incident, both to get the investigation started, and to set up a barebones perimeter before too many mouth-breathing teens could descend on the scene and tamper with it. All the interference that had already happened by the time authorities showed up was enough to cast doubt on any takeaways from the resulting investigation, much to their chagrin.
Then again, this specific case was so messy, so dumbfounding, that most folks working at the woodland authority doubted that civilian interference could¡¯ve even made anything appreciably worse.
Well-stocked travel backpack resting on the bench, IDs included. A pile of clothes in front of said bench, enough for a full outfit. Sneakers, socks, jogging pants, underwear, sports bra, a purple t-shirt. Only the latter two had any damage, a pair of long, thin cuts on their fronts and backs. A half-eaten sandwich doing its best impression of ant bait next to the clothes pile.
No signs of struggle, no blood, no conceivable motivation for the college student in question to just decide to throw everything away and run off naked into the woods.
No remains to be found.
*ba-ping!*
Regardless of how incoherent the case was, how inexplicable, it ultimately came to him to write up a response to all the news organizations that were badgering their company¡¯s email inbox. To give them something, anything, even if just to stall for time¡ªand that much he could do.
One stiff drink later, he began to copy the template he¡¯d written the previous day. He double checked its contents each time he¡¯d pasted it, constantly ensuring he hadn¡¯t pasted the wrong thing.
Because of the ongoing and sensitive nature of the investigation, we are presently unable to answer any questions about the disappearance of Sue Mary Mullins on 12.04.2023. We are planning to release a press statement at a later date, and would appreciate your patience until then.
~ Galloway Woodland Authority
Chapter 17: Darkness
The tail end of her dream kept playing on repeat in Sue¡¯s head as she came to, the vision equally unnerving and aggravating. Not only did neither Night Father nor that ¡®Justice¡¯ entity convey anything of importance to her, but now she was tangled up in even more divine meddling, the sort she knew even less about than the lunar deities¡¯ spat.
It left her with an infuriated grimace by the time the Sun had finally risen. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take long for Willow to show up and perform a checkup on her leg, by the means of giving it a feel with their ear extension curl, finding the result satisfactory.
And with that done, it was time to move on to her plans for the day, under-specified as they might have been. Once she¡¯d managed to reassure Willow that she¡¯d be able to get breakfast on her own, they left for their own duties, letting Sue start her search. Try as she might, though, she could find neither the tall vixen nor the equally tall Forest Guardian, arriving nowhere.
Duckdammit, I¡¯m too late, aren¡¯t I?
The realization forced her to take a seat at a nearby bench and reevaluate. She warmed her right arm up as she considered what to do next¡ªthere would be a lot of crutch wrangling today. Ultimately, she couldn¡¯t think of any other plan but to ask someone, the realization not helping her anxiety any.
Moonview¡¯s headcount might¡¯ve paled to even her local neighborhood in absolute terms, but it was also much denser, complicating the matters further. Just had to find someone she recognized and preferably had already spoken to, someone who wouldn¡¯t be surprised at her antics¡ª
¡
Sigh, not my first choice, but he¡¯ll have to do.
A couple of eye-catching gestures later, up to and including waving her crutch around, Sue had finally caught the villager¡¯s attention. The cream and purple badger was taken aback by her nonsense, but took the bait regardless, slowly approaching before giving her a bow, following it with soft growls and whines. Not unlike Willow¡¯s speech, but with much more of a keening aspect to it, unnerving her plenty.
Left hand off to the side, focus on her psychics, maneuver it with her right hand, aaand¡ª¡°Good morning, Root. Do you know where Sundance and Solstice went?¡±
The Elder replied with a few confused blinks as he paused, thoughts catching up to what had just happened. His brow furrowed, mouth opened as if to speak, a few more moments of thought¡ªbefore finally, he responded. ¡°South and east, believe. Is ¡®Mister¡¯ Root. Name, Moon-chosen? Apology... farmhand intrusion.¡±
Mister Root, sure, whatever. ¡°Thank you. Could you point me there?¡± Sue asked, and finally realized what the badger meant by ¡®farmhand intrusion¡¯. ¡°And no, Lilly didn¡¯t intrude at all.¡±
His eyes narrowed again, as if she¡¯d misspoken in some critical way. In most other circumstances, she¡¯d be at least a bit unnerved by that, but at the moment, her ¡®unnerved¡¯ queue was already so full that she had to pass away reservation numbers for different thoughts¡ªand ¡®Mister Flamey Badger was annoyed at her¡¯ was firmly into three digits.
Guess he gave her a direction, at least.
¡°Grhhmmmm. Name, Moon-chosen?¡± he asked, even more unamused than earlier, if still trying to maintain a polite facade. ¡°Can use true name. I Her guidance.¡±
...true name?
No matter what it was, it didn¡¯t matter¡ªit was time to get a move on and hopefully catch the other two before they were done in there. ¡°Sue,¡± she answered offhandedly as she got up. ¡°Thanks again, but I gotta go.¡±
Sue wasted no time before heading off, not paying the Elder that threatened to erupt in purple flames behind her any mind. His guidance was understandably vague, but it led her somewhere, even if it was just to Moonview¡¯s edge. The buildings thinned out with every step until she was left only with an increasingly thickening canopy¡ªand a faint, but still present path.
The sight provided a well-needed surge of motivation as she carefully followed it, hoping she wasn¡¯t incidentally being led astray. Weird as that possibility was, it was possible with her not knowing where the night kin village was and being liable to confuse the path for a different one. She supposed she was still close enough to circle back and ask someone for more details¡ªthough, if even the brief mention of the night kin left Willow visibly nervous, being so open with it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea.
After all, if the push came to shove, they¡¯d find her out there anyway, right?
Right?
Keeping the despair-inducing thoughts at bay, Sue focused on keeping her pace up. Contrary to the last time she¡¯d tried walking for so long on her own, she no longer felt like her crutch was guiding it wherever it wanted to with her every step¡ªnow she was the one in control. The realization only motivated her further, adding a few more pounds of kindling to the flames inside her. She was on a roll with personal mobility¡ªnow to see if she could maintain it for however far away Newmoon was.
She¡¯d manage or collapse trying.
With each step, a bit of focus veered away from the uncertain path before her and into her thoughts as she rehearsed her lines. Which was made much more challenging by the exact history between the two peoples remaining largely unknown, aside from the few scant pieces she¡¯d either been told or deduced. Distrust, slow acceptance, plague, and treachery on Moonview¡¯s side, including Solstice.
On that thought, going into any detailed polemics and pleas probably wouldn¡¯t be a good idea. Even if she would find the most beautiful words to swaddle her desires towards Newmoon in, it¡¯d ultimately just be a cartoonish question of ¡®Why don¡¯t we all just get along?¡¯, spoken by the species most responsible for their ongoing oppression.
What she could bring up and double down on, however, was what had happened to Pollux and how he and Spark had almost died. Really hammer in how the two villages¡¯ separation hurts the little ones, and leave all the actually intelligent words to Solstice and Sundance.
And who knew¡ªmaybe her shambling over unprompted would emphasize her determination and dedication towards improving things? Either way, her presence there was certain to turn heads, less so for crashing the party and more so for showing up for what was objectively a sketchy reason considering her state.
Alas, she had to. It was the only thing she could do, the only thing that would tangibly help her progress toward her goal of returning home. If this really had all been some sort of divinely preordained plan, then she was fulfilling it with annoying effectiveness.
Wait, where¡¯s the... oh right, it¡¯s there. Probably.
The faint path got fainter with each step, making determining where to go harder by the moment. It was still there; she saw it¡ªshe thought she saw it, at least. Or maybe it¡¯s just a natural formation of worse dirt that resulted in less grass? She couldn¡¯t see any signs of anyone having recently crossed through that area either, not helping one b¡ª
*caw!*
Sue jumped at the sudden noise, head flailing around as she tried to determine its source. There were no blips on her mental radar¡ªbut the suspect was there in the flesh all the same, the realization cheering her up. They weren¡¯t too different from the corvids she¡¯d seen back in her world, but still enough to look quite strange. Strange and familiar, though Sue didn¡¯t remember where she could¡¯ve seen them before.
Their black body almost looked segmented between their torso and a large, bushy tail, with the feathers immediately above their eye line spreading outwards from their head, forming what was objectively a disk, but what Sue¡¯s imagination couldn¡¯t help but see as a rim of a hat. And their eyes¡ªthose eyes were thinky, they were most definitely thinky and staring right at her.
The least she could do was return the greetings in whatever way she could. ¡°Hello!¡± Sue called, putting on her least tired smile. ¡°I know you can¡¯t understand me, but I¡¯m glad to see you.¡±
Predictably, her words had no immediate effect beyond sparking further confusion. Still, she¡¯d caught the crow¡¯s interest, the night kin bird jumping from branch to branch until they sat on the lowest one around, coming close to her eye level. They seemed to respond to her greeting with quieter caws, interspersed with different clicky noises, all escaping understanding.
Sue was under no delusions that communicating with them wouldn¡¯t be difficult, but she had to try¡ªand miming was just the thing that might work. ¡°Can you guide me over to Newmoon?¡± she slowly repeated as she gestured. Point at the bird, point at herself, point at the ground, make a walking gesture with two fingers, point at the bird again, point off in the direction she¡¯d been heading towards¡ª
Darkness.
A wall of ink-black nothing stood a few meters ahead, cutting off the rest of the forest as it sucked the surrounding light in, the previous quiet turning into a deafening, oppressive silence. A quick look at the bird determined them to be just as surprised as Sue was, eyes wider as they stared and cawed.
And then, pinprick eyes emerged from the blackness. Sometimes in pairs, sometimes on their own, saturating the void with their presence and Sue¡¯s heart with fear. Moments after, growls and ferocious hisses joined them, freezing Sue¡¯s blood as she inched back, pushing through the ever-growing terror. ¡°H-h-hey, I-I mean no trouble,¡± she muttered, whole body shaking. ¡°I-I was just walking t-towards¡ª¡±
The darkness leaped at her.
Claws, paws, bodies, rushing, dashing, lunging, all at her, without mercy, without hesitation. She didn¡¯t even have the breath to shriek as her body took control on its own, forcibly overriding her freeze reaction into flight as fast and far away as she could¡ªbut it was no use.
The inky beasts followed in her wake, their roars and growls forcing screams out of Sue as she hobbled on, constantly on the verge of tripping, her pathetic pace slowing down further with each near fall. For a brief moment, she thought she could outrace them, keep ahead for long enough to make it out of this hell and back to safety. She put her whole frail body into each step and each turn¡ª
A roar, a flash of motion in her peripheral vision, a swipe of a shadowy paw¡ªburning pain in her side, melting her innards.
She wasn¡¯t even graced with being able to shriek as her body impacted the dry forest floor moments later, the crutch rattling beside her. Her breath was stolen from her as a massive jaw crunched her hand, rending flesh and shattering bone.
I¡¯m gonna die I¡¯m gonna die I should¡¯ve listened I shouldn¡¯t have gone alone I¡¯M SORRY SUNDANCE!
The fiends encircled her, their growls and roars turning ever more vicious by the moment. She could only curl up, scream, and cry while awaiting the end, awaiting a meaningless death of being little more than a morsel for these nightmares. They were already gnawing at her flesh; she could feel them, the misery making it impossible to think¡ª
Suddenly, a different bark in the distance, stopping the torment for but a moment. It cried out again and again as it approached fast, rushing right towards her. She had no brainpower left to figure out what it was, only able to pry one eye open¡ªand see Pollux leap in through the nightmares surrounding her, turn around, and start barking at the top of his lungs to drive them away. They briefly stopped, but dove in again moments later, on her, on him.
No, don¡¯t touch him, LEAVE HIM ALONE!
Sue¡¯s pained body cried out in sync with her innermost soul. The latter wanted to do anything to protect the little fox again, but this time she couldn¡¯t, laying mangled on the forest floor. She would die, they would both die, there was nothing either of them could do, they were dead they were dead they were dead.
In desperation, she reached with what remained of her arms and pulled Pollux in, holding him close to her neck and chest above the spike, wanting to offer her body for defense even if nothing else was within her ability. He didn¡¯t fight; he didn¡¯t thrash¡ªinstead, Pollux howled at the top of his lungs, the warbling sound conveying something incomprehensible to someone unknown.
And then; it all stopped.
The cries, the growls, the uncountable attacks, all vanished as if a light switch had been flicked. Once Sue had pried her eyes open, the formless blackness was gone too, together with the shadowy beasts. It was for naught; she was bleeding, she would...
Sue looked down at the arm embracing Pollux, expecting to see it be reduced to mince meat after that beast¡¯s savage bite¡ªnothing. No blood, no injuries, and the pain she still felt grew weaker by the moment, fading from incapacitating to merely aching. The lil¡¯ night kin noticed her shock too, calming himself down before facing her again, his expression distraught and apologetic. His woofs were quiet and whimpering as he cuddled up to her front and peppered her cheeks with licks.
It made no more sense for Sue than the suddenly disappearing hell, but it was much, much more appreciated. She held him tight, much tighter than ever before. Her anguish at all the pain and fear she¡¯d just witnessed waned as she clung to the fox, especially since he seemed to know what had happened. Did something attack her? Why did it stop so suddenly? Why are her wounds gone now? Why¡ª
Something else was here with them, so much more than a mere shadow.
The shaded grove she¡¯d crashed in let barely any light in, only enough to make out the outline of the being that hovered over her. Outline, long claws, and its eyes, good Duck its eyes, their piercing blue glow chilling her soul. It made her curl up even tighter and hold the kit even closer. The clawed being responded with a growl that froze her body, paralyzing it in fear of death once more.
And then; Pollux snapped back at them. He squirmed in her embrace, barking firmly and loudly at the monster. Each time the larger one spoke, or even tried to, Pollux immediately cut them off, gradually shutting them up. Every time that happened, he turned back towards her afterwards and pressed his small body against hers, continuing his apologetic mumbles.
Soon after, the cawing from earlier returned. Sue could just barely make the black bird out on a nearby branch. Their vocalizations followed Pollux¡¯s each time the larger being spoke, similarly hostile towards them. After a few more rounds of that, the stranger had stopped talking, letting the terrifying situation relax into uneasy silence.
The larger one backed off until they stood beside a nearby tree, staring her down from a distance. Now that they weren¡¯t blocking the sunlight anymore, Sue could make out more than just their outline¡ªand their appearance clicked more facts into place. Gray fur, black mane, elongated fox snout, all of them just like Pollux¡¯s. The only noticeable differences, size aside, were the stranger¡¯s bipedal shape and the massive plume of blood-red hair¡ªand If Sundance was any sign, the former didn¡¯t matter at all.
Was this... Pollux¡¯s relative?
Why were the lil¡¯ fox and that crow hostile to them? Did they have something to do with all that nightmarish blackness that had just attacked her? Did they attack her? What did she do? Nobody around was capable of answering these questions, but what some of them could do was comfort her. Pollux whined quietly as he comforted her, his words just as incomprehensible as they were effective. The crow-alike had much the same idea, landing beside her and joining in on the affection in the limited way they could.
Did she accidentally go somewhere or do something taboo? The mere thought hurt almost as much as her earlier torment¡ªdisrespecting the night kin was the very last thing she wanted to do. But, even then, that made no sense! She was just talking to that bird, and then¡ hell, without warning or reason.
Before Sue¡¯s thoughts could bring her more despair, Pollux caught her attention with a couple of pats on the cheek. The woofs that followed were much more upbeat, soothing her mind. After grabbing her focus, he dragged the crutch back to her before backing off to give her space. The larger fox had stopped even trying to talk, only quietly grumbling as they observed the entire exchange.
Once Pollux had given her space, the small clearing turned to silence. Sue was too confused and shell-shocked to realize what was expected of her, not to mention unnerved at the lil¡¯ night kin scooting off. Her gaze leaped between the two foxes in front of her, her body still locked up. Was she supposed to get up? That¡¯s what it felt like, but... what if she¡¯d do something wrong again? What if having inky nightmares sicced upon her was just a warning shot? What if one more mess-up would make that ferocious beast leap in to tear her to pieces personally, without Pollux being able to do much more than idly bark at them? She had no idea, and it terrified her.
And so, the deadlock continued without an end in sight; Sue left too focused on what the massive fox was doing to notice Pollux¡¯s attempted reassurances. As minutes passed, their gaze continued to narrow on her, only making her shrink more and more. She wanted to plead, hide, to be anywhere but here¡ªbut these azure eyes saw it all. She was at their mercy, a mercy they didn¡¯t seem capable of.
Eventually, the larger fox growled, sending Sue¡¯s face to the most childish of hiding spots¡ªbehind her hands. Anything to shield her from the terror of it all, to make the finishing blow that was sure to come hurt just a bit less. Her silence gave way to hyperventilating, the entire aching body curling up further¡ª
Suddenly, a wave of tingly static went through her. Like an aftershock of an explosion, but perceived only with her sixth sense. And then; came the voice¡ª
¡°^What the hell is going on here.^¡±
It was cold, sharper than a razor blade, feminine if only just. Simultaneously booming and a whisper, rattling Sue¡¯s body as she dared to look outside her pretend cocoon towards its source. A source that, if her tingling sense was any sign, wasn¡¯t one of the night kin¡ªthe opposite, if anything.
They towered over her. The grove¡¯s shade left only a few details visible despite their light coloration. They were curved in spots, elongated in others, and very, very tall. Their eyes were but white pinpricks, drilling into her soul the moment they locked with hers.
And with that metaphorical sensation came a very literal one, one of her mind being touched and probed, more than just her current fears being read like a book to her displeasure. Soon after came more growls from the larger fox, drawing the towering psychic¡¯s attention as they muttered, palpably annoyed, ¡°^Of course this isn¡¯t Solstice, you fool.^¡±
Wait... it couldn¡¯t be. Did they try to attack Solstice and just mistook her for¡ª
More woofs, responded to first by Pollux, then the bird, and finally by the living tower. ¡°^I will not deign that with a response, Alastor,^¡± the psychic seethed, earlier coldness turning into thinly veiled anger. ¡°^Either you swallow your cowardice and tell Ginger about this, or I will.^¡±
The larger fox stared daggers into the living tower, eyes narrowing, before they suddenly turned back to Sue. She yelped, withdrawing further into her curled-up pose¡ªand watched as they turned around and took off into the distance. Pollux barked something pleading in their wake, but to no avail. The pinprick-eyed being stood in place as their posture deflated. No audible groan accompanied the moment, but the change in emotion was clear to sense. More annoyance, more exasperation, both trying to be pushed aside even briefly, largely unsuccessfully.
¡°^Idiot...^¡± they sighed silently, before their piercing gaze returned to Sue. ¡°^Now, you. Who are you, and what is a Forest Guardian doing here?^¡± they asked, anger giving way to exasperation.
Seeing their pinprick eyes drill into her again made Sue jump a bit, but she managed to retain her grip on herself this time. ¡°I-I¡¯m Sue,¡± she whispered, heart hammering in her chest. ¡°I... w-wanted to get t-to Newmoon...¡±
A long, uncomfortable pause fell over the grove, the shift in mood leaving Sue feeling too grilled to even dare looking up at the other psychic. Out of view, Pollux woofed something again, scrambling over as something writhed inside her mind. ¡°¡ªur village?¡±
Sue stared, dumbstruck, as the kit resumed his affection from earlier. As sensation gradually returned to her hands, she eventually dared to return Pollux¡¯s gestures in kind, much to the living tower¡¯s tired annoyance. ¡°^Repeat, Pollux,^¡± they asked, sounding like they were dealing with a headache.
¡°Oh, okay!¡± the fox woofed as he scooted up to Sue¡¯s face. ¡°Why were you walking to our village, Sue?¡±
Why, indeed. ¡°I-it¡¯s...¡± she trailed off, pushing through the anxiety binding her mind to find the right words, ¡°¡it¡¯s s-something important, very important.¡±
More than enough justification as far as Pollux was concerned. ¡°Oooooh, I see! Why didn¡¯t you follow the path? Did you wanna hide?¡± he asked curiously, tilting his head.
Walking all the way over to Newmoon was one accomplishment¡ªsneaking there with a crutch would¡¯ve been an incomparably more impressive one. Probably not possible, but where there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way, neither of which Sue had. ¡°I... tried to f-follow the path,¡± she explained, the realization finally hitting her. ¡°I got lost, didn¡¯t I...¡±
¡°^Extremely so,^¡± the tall tower answered with the world¡¯s most subdued chuckle. Their earlier anger faded away by the moment, leaving just annoyance and disinterested flatness.
Before she could focus on the psychic¡¯s tone, though, Pollux huddled up closer, the hurt and apology palpable in his woofs. ¡°I¡¯m sorry my dad attacked you...¡± he whined as he resumed the affection, a tear or two welling in the corner of his eye.
So it was his family...
¡°Wh-why did he d-do that...¡± Sue whimpered, even more taken aback by it all.
¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Pollux pleaded, ears lying flat. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Sue!¡±
The gray fox looked like he was about to break down into sobs. Sue reached in and pulled him into a tight hug, trying to console him as they both processed what had just happened. He greatly appreciated the pets that followed; those and the well-needed reprieve from his worries about her getting hurt. All the while, his very presence brought Sue relief, too. ¡°D-don¡¯t worry, Pollux,¡± she reassured, finally steadying her breath. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±
He squirmed in her embrace, whimpering, ¡°I know, a-and I tried to make him stop, but I was too late and, and¡ª¡±
¡°Shhhhhhh...¡± Sue exhaled as she held the lil¡¯ night kin even closer, the calmness finally letting her unclench her body from the panic attack moments prior.
And the other psychic noticed. They took one look at her before stating the obvious¡ª¡°^You¡¯re in no shape for walking the remainder of the way there.^¡± That would¡¯ve likely been true even without Sue¡¯s recent crash, but the ache that went through the left side of her body each time she even thought about moving sure didn¡¯t help either. ¡°^I¡¯ll Teleport us there. Someone needs to tell Ginger what happened anyway...^¡± they sighed, exhaustion overtaking the high-strung flatness.
¡°That was so mean of him...¡± Pollux whined.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
The psychic¡¯s expression cracked into the faintest of frowns. ¡°^Correct, unfortunately.^¡±
The lil¡¯ night kin was still so confused. ¡°Why did he do that, Mrs. Heather?¡± he asked, hoping another adult would know.
¡°^I don¡¯t know, Pollux.^¡± the freshly named Heather answered wistfully, before looking back at the Forest Guardian. ¡°^Now, you... Sue. Are you capable of standing up on your own?^¡±
¡°I-I¡¯m not s-sure¡ªAH!¡± Sue shrieked as the other psychic took the matters into their own mind, moving her into the air without even waiting for her to finish.
Heather¡¯s psychics were much more forceful than how either Solstice or Sundance did it, the sheer acceleration sending a roll of nausea through Sue. What followed was less abrupt, though still very rough compared to what she was used to. Her legs were lowered, her hands were moved into position, the crutch was slid under her shoulder¡ªand, at last, she was up again.
If much more roughly than she would¡¯ve preferred.
Sue sensed the slightest bit of hesitation in the other psychic¡¯s emotions, though it faded once she finally got enough of a grip on herself to speak again. ¡°Th-thanks...¡±
¡°What is that thing you¡¯re holding?¡± an unfamiliar voice asked. It caught her off guard, but the cawing that overlapped the sound clued her off to its source. The voice was slightly croaky, but otherwise young, like a girl in her teens with a very sore throat.
Sue wasn¡¯t sure how to answer the ambiguous question that even once her eyes connected with the crow¡¯s. Did they¡ªdid she mean the crutch? ¡°I-it¡¯s just a crutch,¡± she responded, inspecting the tool for damages. ¡°It lets me walk with an injured leg...¡±
¡°Oooooh, so that¡¯s what that fabric on your leg meant!¡± the crow leaned in, fascinated. ¡°Who made¡ª¡±
¡°^Your questions can wait, Rainfall,^¡± Heather cut her off with the world¡¯s most subdued sigh. The black bird didn¡¯t argue with her, letting her focus. Sue briefly noticed the other psychic¡¯s eyes shifting over to stare into her again, probing in the same way as before¡ªand then; refocusing on something else.
Something much, much flashier.
Before she knew it, Sue and everyone around her were surrounded by an intense, white sheen. Unlike the immobilizing one from earlier, here it didn¡¯t leave her bound with an ironclad mental grip, even if the light was just as intense as before. It only grew stronger by the moment, blinding in its intensity and forcing Sue to clench her eyes shut¡ª
An instant of nonexistence, an epicenter of a tingly shockwave, a couple moments of finding her balance again¡ªthey were somewhere else altogether.
This stretch of the woods was... brighter, nowhere near as murky as the one they were just in. Any and all questions in the vein of ¡®how¡¯ and ¡®why¡¯ were stashed deep inside her mind as Sue grabbed her bearings and looked around. Everyone was still around, wherever ¡®here¡¯ was¡ªincluding the imposing psychic, now much more visible.
Sue didn¡¯t expect a creature this intimidating to have such a gentle coloration. Heather was shaped like a chess piece¡ªlegless white bottom, pink middle, blue top capped off with a hat-like growth that trailed off into a long arm. And inside that external shell, a white face with a blank expression, its eyes all black aside from the pinpricks she¡¯d seen pierce the darkness. Now that she got a better look at her, Heather looked very similar to¡ª
¡°^Yes, I¡¯m Thistle¡¯s mother,^¡± she confirmed, exasperated. ¡°^Are you ready to walk the remainder of the way over?^¡±
Heather¡¯s tone was thankfully far from anything panic-inducing, while still providing a firm rhetorical shove in one specific direction. One that the two little ones immediately started scrambling towards, Sue left playing catch-up.
¡°Who made this... ¡®crutch¡¯?¡± Rainfall continued her questioning, flying as close as she could to Sue and her crutch without bumping into her.
¡°Uhh, I-I don¡¯t know,¡± Sue admitted. ¡°Willow gave it to me, but I don¡¯t know who made it. M-Maybe Kantaro?¡± she suggested, offhandedly.
¡°Nooo, he doesn¡¯t do tools like that!¡± the crow shook her head. ¡°It would have to be¡ª¡±
¡°How do you know that?¡± Sue asked, confused.
Her question was enough to smash Rainfall¡¯s train of thought completely, drawing the group¡¯s attention to her. Sue heard the drawn-out caws that followed as undignified ¡®uhhhhh¡¯s before the crow abruptly took off way ahead, gone before anyone could intervene¡ªmuch to Pollux¡¯s audible amusement.
¡°^Do you know something I don¡¯t, Pollux?^¡± Heather asked flatly, shutting the lil¡¯ fox up as well.
Sue giggled quietly at the unexpected turn of the conversation. Truthfully, she had no idea about anything that was just implied and teased, but... something told her that Pollux wasn¡¯t the only one venturing over to the other village¡ª
¡°^Of course he isn¡¯t,^¡± Heather cut in, her mental voice from earlier reduced to a still-imposing whisper. Sue recognized the application of telepathy, trying to respond in kind using the other psychic¡¯s mental link without speaking up loud, lest Pollux heard¡ªonly to be cut off again. ¡°^What is wrong with you?^¡±
Oh.
There was genuine confusion in Heather¡¯s flat voice as she stared at the Forest Guardian in the middle of her¡ method of locomotion. Sue couldn¡¯t imagine many answers to the question of ¡®how does a being shaped more like a tower than an animal move¡¯, but levitation sure wasn¡¯t even on that short list. It made sense, though, and the faint, white glow surrounding Heather¡¯s lower half even explained how she was doing it. Or, at least, it provided as much of an explanation as it got with mind powers.
Somehow I¡¯d gone from ¡®Why is that butterfly half my size? What is going on?¡¯ to ¡®Ah, I see, that pastel-colored being uses this specific magical ability for basic locomotion. With enough practice I could get there too, no doubt¡¯ in a span of... six days.
¡°^I mean it,^¡± Heather continued, concern dripping into her voice. ¡°^I can feel it; what is wrong with you, Sue?^¡±
The genuine worry Sue sensed in the other psychic was unlike what she¡¯d seen of her so far, even her pinprick eyes softening a bit.
It didn¡¯t make finding an answer to her question any easier, though. ¡°It¡¯s... complicated,¡± Sue sidestepped the topic. Her untranslated response made Pollux look over his shoulder at her, his confused ¡®awoo?¡¯ melting her heart.
Heather kept eyeing her exhausted body. ¡°^I had scarcely imagined it was possible for someone your apparent age to be so inexperienced,^¡± she admitted.
¡°I¡¯ve heard that one before,¡± Sue grumbled, a drop of annoyance mixing with an entire bucket of worry.
No psychics were buying her current state or Solstice¡¯s excuse for it; all of them immediately seeing through her despite her best efforts, the little they ever amounted to. Each time, she was left just playing dumb, hoping she wouldn¡¯t inadvertently blurt the truth out¡ª
¡°^...transformation,^¡± the other psychic whispered.
¡ªor worse yet, have someone breach her privacy and take that knowledge without asking.
Sue¡¯s eyes went wide, cold dread shooting through her at her secret being so effortlessly revealed. What would Heather do with that information? What would others do if they learned¡ª
¡°^Outside of Solstice¡¯s tribe, nothing,^¡± Heather answered with a hint of exasperated intrigue. ¡°^You overestimate how much most care.^¡±
Alright, I¡¯ve had enough.
¡°C-could you stay out of my thoughts!?¡± Sue shouted, narrowing her eyes at the other psychic for violating her privacy.
*awoo?*
Heather sighed. ¡°^If I could, I would.^¡±
Her response was as straight-faced as it got, her tone perfectly flat. And yet, it answered nothing, annoying Sue further. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Sue scoffed, indignant, ¡°it must be so hard not being able to respect people¡¯s privacy¡ª¡±
¡°^It is.^¡±
Heather¡¯s voice was the most emotional Sue¡¯d seen yet; a thundering grumble paired with narrowed eyes.
Beyond being intimidating enough to knock Sue¡¯s paleness up a notch, her response appeared genuine. The once-human didn¡¯t know how to interpret it, steering her shambled path away from the other psychic, to the latter¡¯s exasperation. ¡°^Transformation indeed, you really know nothing.^¡±
It was a correct assessment, but one Sue didn¡¯t like one bit. The other psychic could tell, sighing as deeply as her small body would allow before trying to explain it. ¡°^You can sense emotions, and so can I, incomparably stronger.^¡± Heather began, steering Sue¡¯s attention from further anger. ¡°^My senses are strong enough to extend to thoughts too, and not even just the most surface ones.^¡±
Sue had no idea how to react to the impromptu explanation, but she appreciated it all the same. Still, he had a hard time imagining just how a sense this strong would feel¡ª
¡°^Like people screaming directly into my ears,^¡± Heather admitted, returning to her earlier flatness.
The Forest Guardian stayed quiet at that, left somewhere between intimidated by the tall psychic¡¯s mannerisms, sorry about how she must feel, and annoyed at her privacy getting breached, even if involuntarily. Thankfully, she wouldn¡¯t have to linger on that heavy topic for much longer.
With one more step, Sue stepped into a modest clearing, scarcely larger than the one from her dream. Fittingly, it even had an extinguished fire pit right at the center. Instead of just feeble little benches, though, it was surrounded by several buildings, most of them wooden huts, forming a semicircle around it. Its other side opened into a larger open area, with several comforts installed all over.
A swing attached to the massive tree towering over the clearing was the most immediately eye-catching one. Its radius easily cleared fifty or even sixty feet, making it simultaneously a dream come true for Sue, Human, age 5, and more than a bit terrifying for Sue, Forest Guardian, age 22-ish.
Falling out of one of those things is how you turn from biology to physics as you splat on the ground.
Fortunately for Sue¡¯s continued structural integrity, Heather did not guide her towards said swing. Instead, the other psychic¡¯s attention shifted to the handful of hammocks strewn along the clearing¡¯s edge. They were rather barebones, but looked plenty comfortable¡ªassuming one didn¡¯t have a pair of painfully sensitive spikes impaling one¡¯s spine, that is.
They were so comfortable, in fact, that one of them was even occupied. Heather reached in with her arm¡ tentacle¡ extremity, trying to shake the creature inside awake and drawing the rest of the group¡¯s focus towards them.
Their appearance was much more stark than most other beings in this world, in a ¡®technicolor multicolored¡¯ way. Yellow scales covered their arms, torso, and head, their stomach and eyelids were black, and their¡ baggy, loose folds of skin around their lower half and neck were green. To top it off, they had an orange mohawk-shaped crest of scales on top of their head.
The four very distinct shades clashed together with a force Sue hadn¡¯t seen since she¡¯d stopped frequenting DeviantArt back in the day.
Besides encompassing half a rainbow and then some, they turned out to be rather difficult to wake up, eyes remaining closed even as Heather shook their hammock. The forcefulness escalated until the tower-shaped psychic had to resort to the nuclear option with a defeated telepathic grumble, grasping the entire hammock with her psychics and flipping it one eighty degrees with enough force to launch the technicolor lizard out of it and onto the grassy forest floor below.
And even then, it took them a while to start coming to.
They let out a drawn-out trill as they stretched in place, shifting just enough to turn onto their back and slide their hands under their head. Sue could palpably feel Heather¡¯s exasperation grow in response, her arm slowly lifting into the air as if about to slam down¡ª
¡°I¡¯m here, I¡¯m here,¡± the lizard grumbled. Their voice was calm, masculine, and sounded like the speaker was axiomatically incapable of perceiving urgency. ¡°What¡¯s the haps¡ª¡± he continued as he pried their eyes open, focusing on Heather before jumping over to Sue. Her appearance single-handedly finished the rest of his waking process, his eyes briefly fully opening as he took her in. ¡°Oh.¡±
¡°^Correct,^¡± Heather grumbled.
Sue¡¯s presence provided enough jolt to the lizard¡¯s system to finally make him scramble onto his legs. He waddled over until stopping a couple meters away from her, some of the loose green skin dragging behind him. His orange crest ended up at around the same height as her chest-mounted letter opener as he eyed her out, mumbling, ¡°Hmmm... Solanum?¡±
The tall psychic scoffed, ¡°^Of course not.^¡± Her tone and the unfamiliar name caught Sue off guard, but before she could think through it any further, the other psychic continued¡ª¡°^Go on, introduce yourself.^¡±
¡°Uh¡ªhi,¡± Sue waved, chuckling nervously. ¡°My name is Sue.¡±
¡°Mighty pleasure to have you here, Sue,¡± the night kin lizard greeted, shooting her a genuine smile. ¡°Name¡¯s Ginger¡ªyeah, I know, I know, I¡¯ve already heard all the jokes.¡±
Sue blinked, confused at his follow-up before Heather continued, ¡°^Alastor attacked her while she was walking through the woods.^¡±
Ginger reeled. ¡°What?¡± His gaze jumped, first up at the towering psychic, then down at the hurt-looking Pollux nuzzling Sue¡¯s leg, and finally back at the Forest Guardian herself. It took him a moment to piece the ¡®what¡¯ and ¡®why¡¯ together, but once he did, he let out a trilling grumble, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. ¡°What a child. Oh well, I¡¯ll chew him out once he shows up here,¡± he sighed, shaking the annoyance off as he turned towards their guest. ¡°Well, mighty apologies from me, Sue. Hardly a pleasant introduction to our little nook in the forest. So¡ªwhat brings you here? Hailing over from Moonview...?¡± he asked, his words accompanied by an outstretched hand in Sue¡¯s direction, its claws so stubby she barely noticed them.
Despite having her mental radar for only a few days, Sue had realized that her subconscious decision making had grown to rely on it a lot¡ªenough for its sudden absence to leave her unsure how to proceed here, even with Ginger¡¯s voice being as laid back as it got. Hopefully, nothing terrible would happen if she just shook his hand and told the truth...
¡°Yeah, I c-came from there,¡± Sue explained, uneasy. ¡°I wanted to¡ª¡±
Hold on.
Sue paused, eyes sweeping the clearing as they searched for two specific figures¡ªbut found neither. Add to that someone with apparent importance being asleep when she got here, and¡
She¡¯d arrived ahead of the other two.
¡°^Ahead of who¡ªwhat do you mean Solstice is on her way here?^¡± Heather asked, more surprised than Sue had thought her to be capable of.
The psychic¡¯s words plunged the already quiet clearing into a stone-cold silence as Pollux and Ginger stared at her in disbelief, before refocusing on Sue. The Forest Guardian stepped backward at being suddenly put on this dire of a spot, words catching in her throat. She supposed she should just stick to her resolve and tell the truth, but Duckdammit, the initial reaction being this sudden didn¡¯t help one bit. ¡°Y-yes,¡± she continued, barely able to force the words out. ¡°H-her and Sundance are making their way over here. I-I wanted to follow them at first, but then... things happened.¡±
Sue tried to gauge how big of a mess she was in now, paying close attention to how Ginger reacted to her news. The technicolor lizard took his time responding, blinking at her flatly a couple times before... shrugging his shoulders. ¡°Uh-huh. Well, nothing stops them from visiting,¡± he shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m not... curious as to the reason for their¡ªand seemingly also your¡ªpresence here, though.¡±
No hostility, merely confusion¡ªa good sign. She still had to play the cards right, which¡ she doubted she¡¯d be able to, but there was no way through but to try. ¡°They... they wanted to discuss mending the rift between you all and Moonview.¡±
You could hear a pin drop from a mile away.
Despite his unbothered response earlier, it was hard to not notice the disbelief on Ginger¡¯s expression, though it didn¡¯t last long before easing out. ¡°Well,¡± he trailed off, composing himself, ¡°suppose that¡¯s as good of a discussion topic with Solstice as it gets. Been a while.¡±
Heather looked at him nervously. ¡°^I doubt everyone will share your enthusiasm, Ginger.^¡±
¡°Probably not! Worth taking a moment to talk it all through, then,¡± the lizard responded, turning towards the rest of Newmoon. ¡°Juniper¡¯s off somewhere, but I think everyone else should be in earshot¡ª*whiIIIIISTLE!*¡± Sue shuddered at the piercing sound, shifting behind Ginger¡¯s shorter stature as they awaited the arrival of the other night kin.
They didn¡¯t have to wait long.
¡°What¡¯s happening, what¡¯s happening?¡± Rainfall cawed, drawing Sue¡¯s attention to a nearby branch, the black bird eyeing her crutch closely. If her opening and closing her beak a couple times without making any sound was any sign, though, she was only barely keeping herself from asking more questions.
¡°Big things, Rainfall,¡± Ginger clapped. ¡°Aight, where¡¯s the¡ªhere we go.¡±
The next creature to make their way over made Sue think of an overly stretched scorpion the size of a motorcycle. Their lavender and purple segments came together into a broadly arthropod body shape, except for a long, flexible neck. Oddly enough, their tail looked no different from their pincers, which meant that either none of them were poisonous, or worse¡ªthey all were.
Them also being strong enough to carry half a tree in each pincer sure didn¡¯t help in putting Sue at any more ease.
¡°Eyyy Thorns, how¡¯s clear-cutting going?¡± Ginger asked, eyeing out the spoils in the scorpion¡¯s arms.
¡°Fine enough,¡± a harsh, low, yet still noticeably feminine voice answered. ¡°With whom do we have the... pleasure?¡± the scorpion asked, clearly suspicious¡ªbut seemingly not malicious.
Before Sue could answer, Ginger spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ll get to it once everyone¡¯s here. Where¡¯s Jasper?¡±
¡°I was talking with him just now!¡± Rainfall chirped. Her interjection confounded the lizard, hand stroking his chin as he thought through something.
As he did, Sue kept scanning the clearing, and spotted¡ something peeking their way from behind one of the buildings. It¡ªor they¡ªwas nearly all black aside from green feet and spots on what had to be their head. She tried to lean in closer to get a better look at them¡ªall that accomplished, though, was causing them to slink behind the building, catching her off guard. Why¡¯d they¡ª
¡°Hi!¡± a small, happy voice barked, just different enough from Pollux¡¯s to be discernible.
Their appearance was feral, intimidating, but also¡ familiar. They looked like a wolf pup of sorts, coloration split between silvery gray and near-black. If not for their oversized canines and piercing red eyes, Sue wouldn¡¯t have spared them a second look back in her own world. They tried catching her attention again, ¡°Hiiii!¡±, making her realize that¡ªif Heather¡¯s translation was any sign¡ªthey were mentally five years old, at most.
Sue waved back, trying to be as cheerful as possible. ¡°Um, hello!¡±
The wolf pup responded with a few untranslated woofs and a prodigious amount of tail wagging. Scary as their snouts¡¯ contents might have been, it was hard to deny they were quite cute at the moment.
Pollux wasted no time introducing his impromptu guest. ¡°Howl, this is Sue! She¡¯s... a friend!¡±
The other night kin quadruped acknowledged that fact in the most direct way¡ªnamely, by first nuzzling his friend, and then Sue¡¯s good leg, before woofing, ¡°That¡¯s cool! Polluuuux, can we play tag?¡±
¡°Sure, Howl, but not now. Something important is gonna be happening!¡± the fox reminded.
¡°Oooooo,¡± the pup nodded. ¡°What important?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Howl,¡± Ginger reassured, walking over to the lil¡¯ wolf and scritching him behind the ears, only adding to his tail wags. ¡°Now, who else is missing... Jasper, Alastor¡ª¡±
¡°^Last I¡¯ve seen of him, he stormed off in a huff,^¡± Heather sighed. ¡°^I doubt he¡¯ll be showing up for this.^¡±
Jasper nodded. ¡°Fair, fair. Daystar¡ª¡±
¡°Present~,¡± a keening voice answered from a nearby branch, making everyone but Heather jump.
As unnerved as the segmented scorpion¡¯s spikes made Sue, the newcomer was somehow even more intimidating. Their bipedal body was elongated, almost human-shaped, and covered in silver fur. The golden... crystals on their forehead and chest occasionally gleamed as stray rays of sunshine struck them. Their harrowing weaponry was what caught Sue¡¯s attention the most, though. Similarly to her own, their arms¡¯ proportions were off, thin upper arms giving way to much thicker forearms. Their left paw was capped off with three massive claws, each the size of a cleaver and curved at the end, shining red despite their dark purple coloration.
The sight on their right arm was noticeably different, looking almost... artificial. A good chunk of that forearm was replaced with a bulky contraption of wood and rope, secured to what had to be their actual arm and tipped off with a single metal hook. Was this... a prosthesis?
¡°Alrighty, that just leaves Jasper,¡± Ginger summed up.
An omission raised Daystar¡¯s eyebrow. ¡°And not Juniper~?¡±
Hearing some more of their voice made the silver biped more firmly female, though with a fairly low pitch. It also made clear another fact, one Sue would¡¯ve thought to be more self-evident¡ªDaystar wasn¡¯t a night kin. Guess it was hard to notice any weaker blips around her with Heather in her vicinity, huh.
The lizard shook his head. ¡°Nah, not Juniper, she¡¯s away, and we¡¯d be waiting for ages.¡±
Daystar chuckled, attention honing in closer to the Forest Guardian. ¡°Perhaps for the best~.¡±
Sue had no idea how to interpret that message, unable to do much but shake in place and feel increasingly uncomfortable.
¡°Seems Jasper isn¡¯t gracing us with his presence, then,¡± Ginger shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s get everything else underway, at least. SO!¡± he raised his voice, interrupting any murmured chitchatting and catching everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°From what I¡¯ve been told, Solstice and Sundance are on their way over. They want to begin talks about moving forward after what had happened between us and Moonview. Is that accurate... Sue?¡±
Her firm nod immediately set off tense discussion all around her. Before the gathered older voices could get anywhere, though, they were interrupted by a louder growl, its abruptness and unknown origin making Sue jump¡ªand everyone else, groan.
¡°*Sigh*, if you¡¯re gonna contribute, Alastor, then it¡¯d be mature of you to at least show yourself,¡± Ginger spoke towards thin air, exasperated. ¡°Though you do raise a good point. Sue, how do we know their excursion is in goodwill? Not that I¡¯d expect either of them to use that opportunity to backstab us, but we can¡¯t ever be quite certain, can we?¡±
Sue¡¯s gaze jumped around as she was suddenly put on the spot, only having a very limited idea about how to respond to Ginger¡¯s question. All she had was the Cliff¡¯s Notes version of this place¡¯s tragedy and the few wits that hadn¡¯t been shaken off by her anxiety. The pressure of even a single wrong answer making the job of the other two much harder didn¡¯t help one bit...
Persuasion isn¡¯t my strong suit, but... maybe honesty could work.
¡°I-I don¡¯t know what to say, really,¡± she admitted. ¡°It¡¯s just them two, a-and as far as I know, n-nobody else around even knows of them being here¡ª¡±
¡°It¡¯s not even a unified effort?¡± Thorns raised her voice, the grumbling that followed growing lower still.
Heather followed with her own interjection. ¡°^Are they serious, or is it just Solstice trying to wash her conscience?^¡± she asked, similarly accusatory, Sue¡¯s shallow breath coming closer to hyperventilating by the moment.
¡°Coming all the way over to beg for forgiveness and only then deign to bring it up with the rest of their council~?¡± Daystar mocked the idea.
Her addition pushed the Forest Guardian over the edge, creeping panic finally forcing her to blurt out, ¡°I DON¡¯T KNOW!¡±
As desperate as her response was, it made everyone gathered pause, if briefly. Sue knew she didn¡¯t have much of a rhetorical leg to stand on¡ªthe most she could accomplish now was to leave all the mess she¡¯d built up with the two responsible adults en route. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t supposed to be here,¡± she explained, ¡°th-they asked me not to come with them, and I-I wasn¡¯t expecting to be the first one here...¡±
Thorns cut in, getting to the point, ¡°Then why are you here?¡±
Her question was one Sue¡¯d been asking herself on a loop for the past hour or so.
Just why the hell was she here? Sundance was right; this wasn¡¯t her conflict to settle, she¡¯d done nothing except be caught in the crossfire. And yet... Fate left her no other way. It was this or idleness, merely waiting for the inevitable to be decided for her with her hands tied¡ªand after being forced through that hell again and again with her dad, one chemotherapy session and surgery at a time, Sue knew she never wanted to experience it ever again, no matter what it took.
Sue looked up and around the beings surrounding her, Heather¡¯s eyes briefly going wide as they connected with her. It was time to finally get something worthwhile out having hauling her ass over through all the strain and assault.
¡°B-because the rift b-between h-here and there almost killed me,¡± she answered, trying to maintain as intense an expression as possible as she shook her crutch, drawing attention to it and the bandages around her leg alike. It made her presence here even more confusing¡ªbut before anyone could ask for clarification, several pairs of keen eyes noticed Howl trying to inch away unnoticed.
A second Howl just a few feet away made that disguise much less effective.
¡°Hold on just now, Pollux,¡± Ginger chided, making the ¡®Howl¡¯ trying to scamper away freeze in place.
His expression was clearly terrified, leaving Sue sorry as she picked up the slack and continued. ¡°H-him and Spark were playing together when... I believe they¡¯re called a ¡®deathweaver¡¯, attacked them. I-if not for my presence there, they would¡¯ve both died.¡±
The resulting silence was cut through with a distraught growl and a piece of nearby shrubbery suddenly transforming into the massive black and red fox she¡¯d seen earlier. Alastor still made her heart rate spike, even if his focus was not on her for once. In one leap, the plume of scarlet hair closed the distance between himself and disguised Pollux; the lil¡¯ fox reverting to his true appearance as he stared at the forest floor. ¡°I-I d-didn¡¯t w-want to make you worry, d-dad...¡± he explained, shaking. ¡°A-and you¡¯d be mad at me for playing with Spark! I didn¡¯t want you to be mad at me...¡±
Another growl from the older fox, wavering in its delivery, deflating the expressions of everyone nearby.
¡°But you would!¡± Pollux insisted, looking up at his dad with a cross expression. ¡°Y-you said it so many times h-how I shouldn¡¯t trust them, a-a-and how Solstice is evil. And you even attacked Sue earlier because you thought it was Solstice! How can you tell me th-that you wouldn¡¯t be mad at me! Why¡ªWHY ARE YOU LYING TO ME, DAD?!¡±
¡°We both know where that kind of grudge leads, Alastor,¡± Daystar added, much more seriously than before. Her comment made Sue glance up at her before looking back at the father fox being chewed out.
Instead of him, however, she saw... something else. For just an instant, the dark and red beast that had assaulted her became death manifest, pale and bloodstained, golden eyes seething with hatred of all life. And then, one blink later, it was gone, replaced with Alastor struggling to even look at her despite what he¡¯d done earlier today. For a few tense moments, Sue¡¯s eyes were locked with Pollux¡¯s father, the latter¡¯s actions catching up to him fast¡ªand he could not bear it.
Alastor was gone before Sue could even consciously process what she was seeing. It was as if the environment had swallowed him whole, leaving nothing where he stood moments prior.
¡°Dad...¡± Pollux whimpered, distraught.
¡°Goddammit, Alastor...¡± Ginger buried his face in his paws, letting out a frustrated trill. ¡°Oh well.¡±
The resulting mess of a conversation had accomplished little beyond muddying the waters further. If anything was clear, though, it was that trying to discuss this further before Solstice arrived would serve no purpose¡ªespecially with how little this ¡®Sue¡¯ person clearly knew.
Rushing headlong into all this would help nobody. ¡°Aight,¡± the lizard took a deep breath, resetting himself. ¡°How about this¡ªwe end this exchange here, it¡¯s clearly not doing us any good. We all take our time to think it through before Solstice and Sundance show up, consider where we all individually stand on it all, so that we¡¯re ready to have that talk as soon as they get here. How¡¯s that sound?¡±
The responses took their time to start rolling in, but they turned out affirmative¡ªmostly. Only the purple scorpion had as much as a mumbled objection before she relented all the same. ¡°Fine, then,¡± she clicked her pincers together. ¡°What about our ¡®guest¡¯?¡±
¡°What about Sue, indeed,¡± Ginger wondered, turning to face the Forest Guardian. ¡°It¡¯d be a good idea for someone to look after her for a while considering what had happened between her and Alastor... any takers?¡± The moment he finished, Sue felt a tingly shockwave go through her body, only to look up and realize Heather was gone from the scene. Thorns wasn¡¯t particularly eager either, already busy carrying timber towards where she¡¯d come from. Which left either Ginger or...
The lizard¡¯s words were somewhere between a warble and a quiet growl as his yellow hand pointed at the trees behind her; the vocalization responded to with a drawn-out hissy grumble. As hesitant as everyone else was, much to Sue¡¯s building sorrow, it seemed that Daystar was willing to pick up the slack.
Before Sue could even glance over her shoulder, she heard a light thump of something landing on the grass, followed by feeling cold metal tap against her arm. As straightforward as Daystar¡¯s gesture of pointing with her clawed arm was, the sudden absence of coherent communication threw even more anxiety into Sue¡¯s mind. She felt completely alone, most of those around giving her the cold shoulder¡ªif even that.
Understandable after what they¡¯ve all been through, and not even her panicked mind was seriously accusing anyone present of wishing any physical harm on her¡ªAlastor aside¡ªbut she was still deeply unnerved. Especially without any certainty about whether she¡¯d actually accomplished anything in the end.
Meowed, hissy sounds nearby, Daystar¡¯s emotions much clearer to sense with Heather gone¡ªa mix of exasperation and uncertainty as she stared at her. All the young uns but Pollux were already further along into the clearing. Sue wanted to say something, anything, push through the anxiety clouding her mind enough to establish a connection between herself and what felt like the only being here she even could communicate with¡ª
Thankfully, Pollux intervened, the lil¡¯ fox¡¯s woofs explaining her lack of understanding. The news was... more surprising for Daystar than Sue would¡¯ve expected. Her expression narrowed, gaze jumping back and forth between Pollux and the Forest Guardian beside him, before more utterances followed, short and baffled. The exchange between her temporary host and a portably sized friend didn¡¯t last long before the former once more looked up to address her directly.
Daystar knew her words wouldn¡¯t be understood and instead went for the second-best option. She first pointed at Sue with her clawed arm, and then at her mouth while pretending to talk in a very exaggerated way, before firmly shaking her head.
She seemed to have gotten it¡ªSue couldn¡¯t speak. The Forest Guardian acknowledged Daystar¡¯s message with a few rapid nods, filling her mind with understanding and deep thought. And then, a few moments later, a lightbulb went off¡ªor this world¡¯s closest equivalent. Someone suddenly spewing flames out of their mouth, maybe?
Either way, Daystar just came up with something, immediately turning from hesitant to eager. Sue wasn¡¯t opposed to that change one bit, finally pushing herself from her spot¡ªmuch to her crutch arm¡¯s complaints. With the borderline interrogation over, she had a moment to appreciate the small settlement further. It got cozier the more she looked at it¡ªalmost reminded her of a summer camp.
Summer camp with even more shared trauma than usual.
Let¡¯s see what idea Daystar just got.
Chapter 18: Silence
Thankfully for Sue¡¯s strained everything, Daystar didn¡¯t string her along for very long.
She might have known all of nothing about agriculture, but liked to think she had a relatively decent visual memory. Enough to remember the unusually colored bark of a couple of fruit trees back at Moonview¡¯s farm, and realize that it was a match for the small grove they had just walked into.
Her stomach would definitely not say no to some lunch later on.
Or now.
The problem of sitting down with a crutch was one Sue was acutely familiar with¡ªand one that, despite all her struggling, she hadn¡¯t found a better answer for than having someone else lift her whole body, be it with their arms or mind. Daystar¡¯s solution to that conundrum wasn¡¯t groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination, but it got the job done all the same.
The silver biped squatted to grab the lower part of the mobility tool with her clawed hand, lifted it up from the ground, and began to rotate it slowly in her unwavering grasp. The point Sue was supporting herself on was steadily lowered, until all it took to sit down was just letting her butt fall down a couple of inches.
With how lanky Daystar¡¯s build was, Sue didn¡¯t expect her to be on the ¡®could snap her like a twig¡¯ level of physical strength, certainly not with other extraordinarily strong creatures she¡¯d seen so far at least looking ripped. But no, she didn¡¯t even need that here, apparently.
Muscles are just for decoration, who could¡¯ve known?
¡°Thank you,¡± Sue sighed in relief as soon as she¡¯d sat down.
Her grateful tone might¡¯ve been successfully conveyed, but Daystar wasn¡¯t focused on that, her sharp claws rhythmically tapping against each other as she pondered on something. Uncertain, determined, puzzled, but whatever it was, it couldn¡¯t have been too bad. The realization helped Sue calm down after the tense exchange at the clearing, especially when combined with Pollux and his small wolf friend, Howl, sitting down beside her.
Now just to link up with Daystar and ask what she¡¯d been wracking her brains about. Close eyes, suppress emotions, reach¡ª
¡°KYAH!¡± a harsh snarl cut Sue off before she could get started. She opened her eyes and froze in fear at seeing Daystar¡¯s three dagger-like claws inches away from her, only managing to force out the weakest of whimpers in response. Daystar¡¯s expression and emotions might''ve been much closer to slight irritation than the bestial fury her gesture had implied, but Sue was too terrified to notice.
No telepathy then, a-alright...
Even if her host¡¯s mental state never went beyond annoyance and quickly receded from even that, the wordless threat still left Sue shaken, not daring to even twitch as she sat in place. Her heart hammered in her ears as her eyes drilled a hole in the forest floor; what felt like a near death experience dulling out any external stimuli. It took a while for her mind to even start unwinding from that sight. She wasn¡¯t sure if she had actually been threatened, but it was hard to think rationally with something sharp enough to slice clean through any of the surrounding trees being so nonchalantly pointed at her.
*tap-tap*
The pings of Daystar tapping her claws on her prosthesis¡¯ metal hook snapped Sue back to reality. Her gaze jumped upwards, only to near-instantly lock with Daystar¡¯s expression of¡ concern. It was reassuring if nothing else¡ªshe supposed¡ªwhile also letting her spot the uneven edge of the large¡ feather that sprouted from where her host¡¯s left ear ought to have been, as if it¡¯d been crudely cut off at around eye level. Sue mumbled, ¡°I-I¡¯m okay, I think,¡± pushing through her uncertainty to not aggravate Daystar any further.
With the Forest Guardian¡¯s focus secured, the silver biped nodded, took a deep breath, looked straight at her... and pointed her clawed arm at herself, before speaking slower than Sue had seen anyone do before. ¡°~Aya.~¡±
The sounds weren¡¯t an exact match for anything Sue recognized, but what they were was clear and enunciated. Which, combined with it being a single word and having an accompanying gesture, made it very clear what all this was supposed to accomplish.
The realization lit up a fire inside Sue, bright enough for her to shake off her previous fright and switch gears to absorbing as much of the impromptu language lesson as she could. Sue nodded and shakily reached her hand to point at Daystar, attempting to repeat the sound as close as she could. ¡°Aya.¡±
An immediate headshake in return¡ªshe got something wrong, but what exactly was impossible to tell. Thankfully, Sue wouldn¡¯t be left in darkness for long. Soon after, Daystar once more pointed at herself, accentuating the gesture with tapping the golden gem on her front with the tip of one of her claws, and repeated the word, ¡°~Aya.~¡±
Alright, so this wasn¡¯t her name, which left the other main possibility. This time, Sue pointed at herself, slightly less uncertain than before, and gave it another go¡ª¡°Aya.¡±
Slow nod and a faint smirk. Not ¡®Daystar¡¯, but something much more important.
¡®I¡¯. Simple enough.
Or at least, that¡¯s how it initially seemed.
¡°~Aya,~¡± Daystar repeated the same gesture.
Sue blinked in confusion, unsure of what was going on. Repetition is how one learns, but she wouldn¡¯t have thought that would extend to demonstrations. It wasn¡¯t a big deal, though¡ªshe didn¡¯t mind making sure Daystar¡¯s lesson stuck with her.
She cleared her throat, pointed at herself, said ¡°Aya,¡± ¡and in return received a slow shake of Daystar¡¯s head.
...aaaaand back to being completely lost.
The Forest Guardian stared blankly at her host, having not a shred of idea of why she went from doing well to failing despite simply repeating her previous action. There was no way something as fundamental as what she assumed to be pronouns would just change on a whim like that, right? With how weird this world had been so far, she knew she had absolutely no guarantee of that being the case, but her hope remained all the same.
Foolishly, perhaps.
For a while, both Sue and Daystar sat wordlessly, about as confused as each other, each missing different pieces of critical knowledge that would¡¯ve let them piece the situation together. A couple more attempts yielded largely the same results. No matter how well her host enunciated her words and no matter how closely Sue had tried matching their pronunciation, she always fell short, making no progress whatsoever.
Right as the fire in Sue¡¯s mind was about to die completely, extinguished by that demoralizing realization, Pollux stepped in to help. He contributed to the conversation in a very direct but unintuitive way, howling, ¡°~Aaaaaaawooooooooaaaaa!~¡±
It clarified exactly nothing for Sue, but gave Daystar an immediate idea, the click inside her head almost palpable for the Forest Guardian. Instead of repeating the same word yet again, she held her clawed paw limply above and beside her, before speaking once more, drawing out just that very first sound. ¡°~Aaaaaaaaaaaaa.~¡±
Alright, got pointed at with the hook; guess I should try that again.
Sue held her hand tall, any remnants of self-consciousness over grabbing attention forcibly evaporating under the sudden pressure. It was time to make some noise. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaa?¡± she vocalized, wordlessly begging any passing deities not to laugh at her too hard.
Daystar flicked her claws at hearing Sue¡¯s response, making her blink before mimicking her most recent attempt. ¡°~Aaaaaaaaa?a?a?.~¡± she spoke, flicking her paw even further up towards the end, as if it was raising in tune with her¡ªher pitch.
Sue¡¯s mind grasped at that idea and wouldn¡¯t let go, preparing to deliver the world¡¯s most unenthused scream once more. This time, though, she put in the effort to modulate her tone to whatever extent her voice box allowed, down and up and down, while moving her hand along to match. She proclaimed, ¡°A?a?a?a?a?a?a?a?a?a?a?a?a?a?,¡± feeling squirmy at feeling her voicebox move along with her antics.
In return, she received an immediate and cheerful reaction, delivered with a wide and only-slightly-intimidating grin.
Progress!
Without wasting another moment to let the wave of enthusiasm subside, Daystar went back to her previous idea, this time using the hook to point at herself as her other hand visually conveyed the change in intonation. ¡°~A?y?a,~¡± she instructed¡ªdown, up, even.
...
Oh no.
The revelation of the local language turning out to be a tonal one undid a lot of the excitement Sue had built up about her breakthrough. She tried to push through that knee-jerk reaction as much as she could, though, redoubling her efforts towards being as receptive as possible. It was going to be unlike the one language she knew, but hardly unique¡ªin this particular regard, at least.
A sixth of the planet uses tones; I can figure them out, too. Even if it¡¯ll take pushing my monolingual British ass into uncharted territory.
By the time Sue had processed that entire upsetting train of thought, her teacher had grown somewhat concerned, the reason not hard to guess. With a firm nod, she focused on the lesson again, firmly nodding and raising her hand again to give the task her best attempt, and spoke, ¡°Aaaa?a?a?y?a??¡±
A ¡®so-so¡¯ gesture wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was still progress. It pushed her to try again and again, the act of mixing pitch with sounds unlike anything she¡¯d ever done previously. Each attempt got closer, Daystar¡¯s nods growing more exaggerated until she was satisfied with Sue¡¯s efforts, gesturing for her to stop. As warm of a smile as the gray biped looked capable of, a brief comment¡ªand then, she pointed at the assembled kids, one at a time, her instruction becoming clear afterwards.
¡°~A?wo?o?a!~¡± Pollux howled.
¡°~A?a?a?wu?u?u?u?u?aaa!~¡± Howl polluxed.
¡°~Ca?a?a?e?e?a!~¡± Rainfall cawed.
Sue paid close attention to each of the kids¡¯ vocalizations, and especially to their pitch. They were clearly trying to pronounce the same word, with vastly different outcomes¡ªand Daystar didn¡¯t object to any of them, despite their differences.
Was there just no consistency with sounds in this language? Sue figured not everyone could make the same sounds, and that some villagers couldn¡¯t even get close, but it was still unclear how this language accommodated for that¡ªbeyond the weirdly permissive demonstration she¡¯d just heard, that is.
Maybe it meant the locals would be willing to cut her some slack with her pronunciation? That¡¯d be nice.
Daystar proceeded to teach a few other basic words using similar charades; Sue left to just think about them really hard in lieu of any paper to write the secrets of the universe down upon.
¡°~Ko?~¡± meant ¡®you¡¯, though judging by the little ones¡¯ contribution, ¡°~Ge?e?~¡± and even ¡°~Py?u?~¡± were also acceptable pronunciations, somehow. ¡°~Y?u?n~¡± and ¡°~Ky?a?~¡± meant ¡®yes¡¯ and ¡®no¡¯ respectively. Hardly useful on their own with her head gestures translating over, but no less appreciated.
Sue¡¯s pronunciation remained sketchy, despite her best attempts. Asking questions aside, she¡¯d almost never consciously manipulated her pitch like that before, and she could physically feel the effort that task took deep in her throat. Not painful, not by any stretch, but definitely uncomfortable and something she¡¯d have to get acclimated to gradually.
She almost grasped the couple of words that came afterwards, but the devil was in the details, deep down and ever annoying.
Both ¡°~A?ko?~¡± and ¡°~A?so?~¡± seemed to be pronouns in the vein of ¡®he¡¯ or ¡®she¡¯, but didn¡¯t map exactly to any distinction she could think of. For a moment, she thought the difference was the gender one she was familiar with, but it wasn¡¯t the case, as evidenced by both herself and Pollux being referred to with the former of the two unknown words. This was the first lesson, these were the absolute basics, and she was just not getting something important, the natural 1 on her comprehension roll making her withdraw a bit.
The three night kin and a... fellow inhabitant of Newmoon discussed the topic for a while, the dark bird¡¯s eventual contribution sparking another revelation inside Daystar.
It was time for some vandalism.
With Sue¡¯s attention secured, Daystar carved a roughly circular shape on the bark of the fruit tree standing beside her. The gesture looked simultaneously careful in its execution while also being effortless¡ªthe wood might as well have been butter for her razor-sharp claws. She then pointed at herself, then at Sue, and finally, at the fresh drawing, saying, ¡°~A?y?a, ko?, a?so?.~¡±
I, you, it.
The exercise explained little on its own, but Sue repeated it all the same. A couple nods of confirmation later, her teacher proceeded to the next step of this makeshift demonstration, and drew a face inside the circle. Two vertical lines for eyes, one horizontal line for mouth.
It made for a great ¡®detached¡¯ emote, but before Sue could settle on making ¡®add Daystar¡¯s exact scribbled emoji to the Unicode standard¡¯ her life¡¯s goal after she got back home, Daystar continued. She pointed at herself, then at Sue, and once more at the now-edited drawing, saying, ¡°~A?y?a, ko?, a?ko?.~¡±
I, you, ...they?
Sue blinked at that thought, going ahead with her own repetition before lingering on it afterwards, wanting to confirm her hunch. Pollux got ¡°~A?ko?~¡±, her crutch got ¡°~A?so?~¡±¡ªtwo out of two.
She felt her brain expand in real time as he continued to experiment with objects around her, her hypothesis turning out to be almost correct. Annoyingly, the ¡®almost¡¯ part wasn¡¯t anything she could logically figure out¡ªthere seemed to be few exceptions to her rule, but those aside, everything fit the distinction she had in mind to a tee. No clue whatsoever why specifically trees and the sky got ¡®they¡¯ and not ¡®it¡¯, but considering the extent of her learning today, it was at most a tiny inconvenience.
Once she was back at Willow¡¯s clinic, she would have to ask for more paper and actually write her knowledge down, before everything she¡¯d just learned escaped through whatever orifice it deemed appropriate.
At last, after what felt like an hour of making dumb noises and miming, they had gotten through one half of the pronouns table. And if Daystar ordering the two canines to split up between taking seats beside herself and Sue was any sign, plural pronouns would be next. A lot to learn without a lot of gray matter on which to store that knowledge, but Sue was as ready as ever, patting her legs rhythmically to pump herself up for the next bit of studying¡ªand spotting someone in the nearby treeline.
Snowdrop!?
The brief glimpse of the icy, floating performer from a few days prior derailed Sue¡¯s entire train of thought, her shock catching everyone else¡¯s attention. To her relief, she wouldn¡¯t end up as a madwoman that saw things that weren¡¯t there. Daystar caught a glimpse, too, calling towards the tree Snowdrop had tried to hide behind, her voice full of... concern.
Guess these two must know each other?
It took a bit more pleading, but eventually the star of Moonview¡¯s show finally presented herself again, her worry and embarrassment becoming clearer by the moment. Not worry about Sue¡ªnot just worry about Sue, at least¡ªbut also something else, something much more self-focused. Almost like she was... afraid of Sue, somehow. The Forest Guardian had no idea what to think; her timid wave returned shortly after.
Daystar wasted no time intervening further, beckoning the cold one over as they spoke. Snowdrop eventually settled down on the ground next to them all, trying to look at literally everything around except for Sue. It didn¡¯t feel malicious as much as embarrassed, but that didn¡¯t help much, leaving Sue feeling immensely uneasy as the conversation shifted around her.
To little surprise, her attempt at fishing even just the handful of words she knew out of the broth of the group¡¯s chatter was an almost total failure. A couple ¡°~A?y?a~¡± or ¡®I¡¯, one or two ¡°~Ky?a?~¡± or ¡®no¡¯, nowhere near enough to give her even the smallest inkling of an idea about the discussion¡¯s topic.
Even her sixth sense provided more information than that, though it required very heavy interpretation to get anything out of. Intense shame whenever Snowdrop as much as glanced in her direction, mutual concern between her and Daystar, and the latter clearly pleading something once or twice. No answers, but just enough to leave Sue profoundly uncomfortable throughout.
Swell.
Sixth sense or not, the discomfort in Sue¡¯s body language wasn¡¯t all too difficult to spot for others. Pollux took it upon himself to comfort her by scrambling onto her lap. His effort was appreciated as always, though its efficacy was... questionable. Daystar had her own ideas, however. A quick comment towards Rainfall made her stop trying to get cozy with Snowdrop as she flew off further into the small orchard, the trip¡¯s purpose self-evident.
Hunger wasn¡¯t helping their thought process any. Sating it wouldn¡¯t hurt¡ª
¡°^Hi, Sue!^¡± a squeaky, girly voice echoed in Sue¡¯s mind, making her jump as she feverishly looked around for its origin¡ªonly to find Thistle standing beside her, to whatever extent that verb was even appropriate for her anatomy.
She¡¯d only seen the small psychic a couple times, and the few days hadn¡¯t dulled her astonished reactions at her surreal appearance one bit¡ªespecially with the entirety of Thistle¡¯s locomotion being left to a couple of blue extensions on the back of her¡ hair. Sue greeted her back, sighing in relief, ¡°H-hey, Thistle.¡±
Thistle might¡¯ve looked like a costume design gone terribly wrong, but Sue couldn¡¯t deny being very grateful towards her for showing up. The return of the language barrier and the uncomfortable, tense scene that followed chafed her worry-happy mind too much for comfort.
¡°^What are you doing here?^¡± the small psychic asked with about the same intonation as one asks a wild turtle getting stuck upside down in their garden.
¡°It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s a long story, Thistle. I can tell you later if you¡¯d want, sweetie,¡± Daystar answered, her voice turning coherent again, bringing Sue immense relief.
The hatful of psychic wasted no time squirming up beside Sue despite not even knowing what had happened, beaming, ¡°^Okay, Miss Daystar! Hello Miss Snowdrop!^¡±
The frosty performer sighed back, ¡°H-hey...¡± not filling Sue with any more confidence. Her confusion about the situation and inability to help were driving her mad, and she had no idea if it was even really related to her¡ª
¡°^Miss Snowdrop, Miss Sue wants to know what¡¯s wrong!^¡± Thistle spoke up as if nothing was amiss.
Could you ask before digging inside my head?
¡°^Sorry!^¡± the small psychic apologized, looking and sounding genuinely surprised as she looked up at Sue. ¡°^It¡¯s hard not to!^¡±
Instead of focusing further on the hatted psychic, though, Sue¡¯s attention was firmly centered on Snowdrop, her shame stinging the inside of Sue¡¯s heart. ¡°I-it¡¯s... I-I¡¯m sorry, Sue,¡± Snowdrop apologized, huddling closer to Daystar.
Sue was increasingly expecting a piece of the sky to fall down and smack her in the face with each passing moment, but not even she thought that¡¯s what Snowdrop would say when put on the spot like that. Some of her wanted to just give the icy one a figurative pass, just accept the apology even if it came from absolutely nowhere, and let Snowdrop do whatever she was here for in peace.
Some, but not all, the rest of her instead asking, ¡°Wh-what for? You have done nothing wrong¡ªj-just visiting a friend, right?¡±
Daystar chuckled at her words, Snowdrop¡¯s cheeks burning up despite their nominal coldness as the icy one tried to withdraw into herself. The exchange would¡¯ve been amusing in any other circumstance, but here it made everything even more confusing. ¡°Bit more than a friend,¡± Daystar chuckled, holding Snowdrop closer. ¡°Though, ultimately up to Snowy how she thinks about it all~.¡±
The pet name sure didn¡¯t help with the frosty blush; the bravado she¡¯d shown on the big stage utterly replaced with a healthy serving of fluster. It felt amusing and special to witness, but it wasn¡¯t an answer, not by itself.
¡°Mnnnn... I-I¡¯m sorry for not b-being honest about... all this, Sue,¡± Snowdrop mumbled, less paralyzed in embarrassment than before.
That at least made more sense to be sorry about¡ªa whole heaping lot of sense, in fact. Sue¡¯s attention shifted over to Daystar, giving her a raised eyebrow at the entire situation. ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I knew what ¡®all this¡¯ is to begin with...¡± she admitted.
¡°What is there to say~?¡± Daystar chuckled. ¡°Snowy has been seeing me for a few months and we¡¯ve been getting closer throughout. We talked a few times about relationships, and she mentioned how she sometimes feels like she has too much love in her for one person and been wondering how it would feel like to spread it. Do I get it? Not at all, but y¡¯know¡ªI like her, want her to be happy, and know better than to expect anyone to ever fully devote themselves towards me~.¡±
By the time that Daystar had finished, Snowdrop was at acute risk of melting at the intensity of the embarrassed blush going through her body. If the situation was any less serious, Sue would¡¯ve giggled at it, but she just couldn¡¯t, not with how much this was all clearly impacting the frosty performer.
The actual dynamic being explained was one that Sue was completely unaware of, and the idea of being pulled in as what looked like a third wheel into a pre-existing relationship felt off, but ultimately, nothing bad had happened. ¡°H-hey, it¡¯s alright, Snowdrop,¡± she insisted. ¡°I-I promise.¡±
As anxious as her words were, Sue¡¯s message was genuine and Snowdrop could tell. She finally began to relax as she hovered closer to Daystar. ¡°Th-thank you, Sue,¡± she smiled weakly. ¡°I... I s-still feel sorry for asking you s-since you w-weren¡¯t interested in me like that, a-and as slyly as I did. It¡¯s just... it¡¯s scary. I l-love Daystar¡ª¡±
¡°Love ya too, Snowy~.¡±
¡°H-heheh, but it just feels so uncertain that any of this w-will ever work out. The separation, the distance, the... lack of closeness...¡±
¡°Snowy, I told ya many times sweetie¡ªif you aren¡¯t feeling like getting closer in that way, then we don¡¯t have to.¡± Daystar insisted, turning Snowdrop¡¯s head to look her right in the eyes. ¡°If you ever do, then we¡¯ll figure something out either way~.¡±
¡°B-but what i-if I never e-end up... ¡®feeling like it¡¯?¡±
Daystar chuckled. ¡°Then so be it! I love you, not anythin¡¯ ya do, and that ain¡¯t changing~. Won¡¯t let any lines in sand keep us apart, either. I didn¡¯t come all this way just to let grudges and pettiness stop me.¡±
Snowdrop had no words right away, instead responding with as large of a hug as her wispy arms could manage, with her partner immediately returning the gesture. Thistle¡¯s quiet ¡°Awwww¡± had most gathered chuckle and the icy performer come precipitously close to combusting again, definitely not helping the shared amusement. Before anyone could get too soggy or egg anyone else on, though, Rainfall¡¯s return made for a good stopping point to that conversation, the black corvid delivering a handful of fist-sized blueberries for everyone to snack at.
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Having one of them turned out to be a bad idea.
Not because of the flavor or anything intrinsic, it was delectable. Possibly too delectable even, Sue¡¯s stomach immediately demanding more and to be finally sated, retripling its complaints almost as soon as she¡¯d swallowed her first bite.
Would be rather rude to just beg for more. But if I just sit here like this, my stomach won¡¯t shut up, so... distraction.
¡°D-do you come f-from far, Daystar?¡± Sue asked.
She was only marginally interested in the answer to that question, going back to inhaling her portion of lunch in record time as the gray biped broke into chittering laughter, eventually easing out into words. ¡°Further than you can imagine~.¡±
I beg to differ.
¡°Feels like a lifetime ago, even thinkin¡¯ about there. Much more mountainous than here, barren rock and harsh forests. My kind of place, my domain. I ruled it,¡± Daystar sighed, closing her eyes.
Sue blinked. ¡°W-wait, you used to be royalty?¡±
Not the absolute brightest question she¡¯d ever asked, sure, but she didn¡¯t expect Daystar to treat it like a knee-slapper, shrinking in her seat as her teacher kept laughing. Even Snowdrop joined in with a couple of chuckles after a while, though that didn¡¯t last too long before it shifted over to concern; her eyes going wide as she suddenly realized, ¡°D-Daystar, I don¡¯t think she knows...¡±
¡°Pfft, ya I gathered,¡± Daystar chuckled. ¡°No, not any societal position of power. Think, the natural one¡ªlowliest creatures feed on shrubbery, birds or small hunters on them. On those feed I, and on me... nothing. Almost nothing.¡±
As Daystar reminisced about the encounter that cost her right arm, Sue felt blood drain away from her face. What would back in her world be an innocuous admission was much more harrowing here by the knowledge of just how all-encompassing sentience and sapience were. An unknown amount of beings, personalities, hopes, and dreams, taken away from the world to prolong the existence of a single one. And she just casually admitted it, not even to any shock from the rest of the group.
¡°H-h-how...¡± Sue whispered, leaning away from Daystar.
¡°Strength to climb half a mountain in one go helps, so does paralytic venom and knowing how to creatively apply it¡ª¡±
¡°N-no!¡± Sue cut her off, increasingly distressed. ¡°I-I meant, h-how can you just admit to something like that!?¡± she demanded, scurrying backwards as her heart thrashed inside her chest.
Daystar¡¯s reaction was... largely exasperation, her unamused grumbling so far from what Sue considered an appropriate way of approaching that whole topic that she almost felt offended on behalf of an entire ecosystem. ¡°Easily,¡± the silver biped answered. ¡°It¡¯s how survival works, out in the wild. Moonview has its own rules, and this place inherited them. I swore an oath to the Dark Lord to follow them until the end of my days, but out there? Nobody cares. ¡®Tis just existence~.¡±
Sue¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°A-and they just let you in!?¡±
¡°What else were they to do~?¡± Daystar responded with her own question, the veiled threat Sue thought she could sense in it only stilling her further. ¡°Refuse entry to every creature that had ever taken anyone else¡¯s life, and you end up with a ton of prey trying to defend itself from dozens of predators wailing at their gates~. Permit it, and not only gain further safety from other hunters, but also effectively lower their number in the world by one. It¡¯s the only reasonable approach,¡± Daystar chuckled grimly, claws lightly scraping against each other.
¡°Scratch most here, most in Moonview, and they¡¯ll bleed someone else¡¯s blood.¡±
The last comment plunged the gathering into stone-cold silence. Sue was the largest reason behind that, but far from the only one. Most of the little ones were similarly uncomfortable with the mentions of predation, hoping they would never have to resort to it in their lives. There was always a possibility of that, of course, and there was no shortage of harrowing tales of mortal hunger driving even the most unbreakable friendships to shatter one bite at a time, but their home was different.
Everyone hoped it was different, at least.
¡°And if that leaves me damned once it is my turn to stare Death in the eye...¡± Daystar trailed off, quiet and somber, ¡°then so be it.¡±
Her words sent pangs of guilt shooting through Sue. As freaked out as she got, did Daystar ever have a choice, either? Hunting cabbage and peaches is an incomparably safer task than doing the same with living beings, however meek. Figures that if she¡¯d could, she likely would¡¯ve chosen it even if for pragmatic reasons¡ªbut she didn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t.
Maybe those ¡°Usurper¡± cultists that Sundance had mentioned a few days ago had a point.
Sue bowed her head, going from terrified to regretful. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±
Daystar chuckled at Sue¡¯s apology, a small smirk filling her mellow expression. ¡°¡®Tis fine~. The world can be a hellish place. Regardless of what I once did, what I once was, all that matters is now¡ªand now, I sit amongst friends and allies, having promised the Dark Lord to only use my talents for protection. I much prefer this life, that¡¯s for¡ª¡±
*whiIIIIISTLE!*
The distant sound ringing from the direction of the clearing snapped the focus of most gathered. Daystar immediately stood upright and tried to make out anything through the trees, eyes squinting. ¡°Stuff¡¯s happening~. High time we head over. Need help with the¡ª¡±
¡°^I¡¯ll help!^¡± Thistle cut in, immediately stepping up to help Sue regardless of whether she wanted her to or not.
The Forest Guardian got forcefully lifted off the ground and gradually adjusted until she was roughly in a standing position, with very little say on the matter throughout. Finally, the crutch was moved up to her free hand, backwards, and she was let go of all at once. It was a miracle she didn¡¯t immediately crumple. ¡°C-could you ask next time!?¡±
Thistle whimpered, ¡°^O-oh. Sorry...^¡±
Sue¡¯s question came through with more force and vitriol than she would¡¯ve liked, though she couldn¡¯t wholly deny them being more than earned. Before either she or the lil'' psychic could dwell on that fact, though, the entire group headed back to the clearing, Snowdrop staying a fair distance behind the rest, just in case¡ªand her worries would be justified.
Sundance was quietly rocking in her seat as Solstice shook and glanced around uncomfortably, both freezing the moment they glimpsed Sue. The latter went from surprised to alarmed in an instant, suddenly levitating a few inches off the ground with her entire body and especially eyes enveloped in a fierce, blue aura.
¡°Woah, woah there Solstice, cool it,¡± Ginger cut in, making a ¡®hold up¡¯ gesture with his paws. ¡°From what we know, Sue came here on her own. Alastor harassed her a bit, but she¡¯s unharmed.¡±
Guess I know now how Snowdrop felt back there.
The lizard¡¯s comment thankfully defused the situation before it would escalate further, though the mention of the adult fox¡¯s actions nearly set the older Forest Guardian off again. Once Sue had made it through the small stretch of grass that separated her from her mentors, she was immediately pulled into a tight and somewhat awkward side hug. Solstice¡¯s spike laid flat against her front and ribs, its tip almost poking into Sue¡¯s own red extremity as she asked, ¡°By the Pale Lady, Sue, are you alright!? What are you doing here!? Did Alastor¡ª¡±
¡°I¡¯m alright Solstice, I-I promise!¡± Sue pleaded, not wanting to make everything even worse than she already had. ¡°I just wanted to come and help with the talks a-and got lost...¡±
Sue flinched at hearing Sundance¡¯s grumble, though it didn¡¯t take long until her warm fluff only added further to the group embrace. ¡°I knew I should¡¯ve asked someone to look after you this morning,¡± the vixen grumbled. ¡°How¡¯d you get here before us?¡±
¡°^I teleported her here after her run-in with Alastor,^¡± Heather explained with just the tiniest bit of relief in her voice. Right as Solstice opened her mouth to speak again, the tallest psychic answered her question before she could ask it, ¡°^She told me she was heading here, and I figured I¡¯d help. As opposed to some places, anyone can come stop by here.^¡±
The callout hit true, Sue acutely feeling the mental flinch from the two women beside her. Sundance wouldn¡¯t end up lingering on just that point for too long, though, not once she¡¯d pulled out something from her arm fluff. ¡°Sorry for the suspicion,¡± she spoke up, her words squarely unconvinced. ¡°Admittedly, it¡¯s hard to be as trustworthy today as I wish I could be.¡±
The vixen was holding a¡ feather. Orange, with a comically oversized shaft, and what looked like more fluff in the back, separated from the main vane. It all came together to look like an arrow¡ªand if it sticking into the wooden bench it was flicked onto was anything to go by, it might have very well been exactly that.
¡°Not with warning shots being fired right at our feet,¡± Sundance continued, eyes narrowing slightly.
Ginger¡¯s immediate reaction was¡ exasperation, the technicolor lizard grumbling as he massaged a spot immediately below the bottom of his crest with a drawn-out groan. Once that was done, he called out again, to a very concrete suspect this time. ¡°Juniper! I know you¡¯re here! Just show yourself and be an adult¡ª¡±
The lizard didn¡¯t even have to finish his sentence for his wish to be granted.
A green and brown blur swooped from a nearby branch in an instant, landing silently between their incidental party and the few buildings Newmoon had to show for itself. As they rose from their crouched pose, the very first thing Sue noticed were their piercing, red eyes. Far, far from a rare trait in this world, she knew that well, but these were seething with malice, freezing her on the spot as they glared straight through her, her sixth sense corroborating the findings.
The greens and browns she¡¯d glimpsed earlier came together to form a leafy hood and large wings, respectively, with the underlying avian body white. The more Sue looked, the more they reminded her of an owl of some sort, and it was a similarity that varied wildly in intimidation factor depending on just how pissed the subject in question was at the viewer. Furious owls their usual size didn¡¯t sound like a fun time.
Ones taller than her felt like a murder in waiting.
¡°Care to explain that one, Juniper?¡± Ginger sighed, pointing at the feather arrow now sticking out of the bench.
The owl didn¡¯t spare either him or it even the slightest amount of attention, though, their glare shifting to Solstice as they spoke, ¡°How dare you show yourself here.¡± Juniper¡¯s voice was piercing, every sound dripping with poorly contained contempt.
¡°I believe we¡¯re here to discuss exactly that, Juni, so how about you take a timeout and let the adults do the talking~?¡± Daystar asked mockingly, her tone conveying several eye rolls in a single sentence.
Despite the intensity of the owl¡¯s animosity, it seemed to be unshared amongst the rest of the village.
Daystar¡¯s callout redirected Juniper¡¯s glare onto the gray biped as everyone finished gathering. The purple scorpion completed what she¡¯d seen of Newmoon so far, staring at the two recent arrivals with suspicion from beside Ginger. As she made her way over, though, Sue felt a couple pats on her shoulder, the pointing gesture that followed conveying Sundance¡¯s instructions to Sue wordlessly.
In most other circumstances, she would¡¯ve preferred to stay with them, try to help however she could, how she had initially set out to do... but with the awareness of just how much she¡¯d potentially already messed up, she didn¡¯t have it in her to oppose being told to sit this one out on the sidelines.
Pollux and most of the other little ones immediately scampering over to her the moment she¡¯d sat down helped, too.
¡°Well! S¡¯pose we can get it all started, eh?¡± Ginger chuckled, seemingly immune to the creeping tension of the scene as he tried to return to his usual laid back self. ¡°So¡ªafternoon Solstice, Sundance. Your, eh... friend? Told us about your arrival ahead of time, and its purpose in broad strokes, but won¡¯t hurt to put it in your own words.¡±
Solstice closed her eyes and nodded, stepping forward half a step before speaking out, her voice dryer than Sue had ever heard it before. ¡°Greetings... everyone. Our intent is to undo your exile and welcome you back in Moonview in whichever way you see appropriate.¡±
¡°Been a while,¡± Daystar chuckled dryly, having moved over onto the roof of one of the huts when nobody was looking.
¡°I know, Frostbite¡ª¡±
¡°Daystar.¡±
Her tone was low and unamused, a narrow expression immediately conveying the faux pas. Even with it being an unintentional mistake, Solstice¡¯s guilt over making it felt clear all the same. ¡°My apologies, Daystar.¡±
The genuine emotion melted through Daystar¡¯s knee-jerk hostility, the once-predator taking a deep breath before continuing. ¡°Accepted, ¡®tis fine~. Now... if what Sue said was to be taken on face value, you two are doing all this on your own?¡±
¡°Correct,¡± Sundance replied flatly, rolling her shoulders as if preparing for something.
The purple scorpion¡¯s features narrowed. ¡°Makes one doubtful of how serious this effort really is,¡± she added, clicking her pincers together a couple of times for emphasis.
¡°I can assure you Thorns, it is very serious, if way, way too late.¡±
Sue wasn¡¯t used to the more fiery of her mentors being this sterile, Sundance¡¯s usual cheer gone as her gaze moved across those gathered. It briefly focused over someone the younger Forest Guardian couldn¡¯t make out from her vantage point, seemingly hiding behind one of the buildings, the sight making some of the vixen¡¯s composure give way to regret.
¡°Then why just you two?¡± Thorns drilled the point in.
¡°Because we have to start somewhere,¡± Sundance answered. ¡°Other way around, and accusations of deciding for you behind your backs would be similarly grounded, on top of making a much weaker case in front of the council.¡± Her words were clearly rehearsed, the vixen having expected this exact question and maintaining the full extent of her composure. That couldn¡¯t quite be said for Solstice, the Mayor shaking a bit as she forced herself to look up at the purple scorpion.
The response left the clearing in uneasy silence, but was effective in breaking through that particular objection. Regardless of how unserious this effort had looked initially, the two had indeed meant it, and that took much longer to chew through than a knee-jerk rejection of the entire idea.
¡°I hope you didn¡¯t come in expecting us all to just forget about it and pretend to go back to how things were before,¡± Thorns continued. The hostility in her voice was still there, if much less intense than before.
Solstice flinched in response before speaking up¡ª¡°N-no, of course not. Only you know how you want to go forward from here, and what, if anything, you want from us.¡±
Heather raised her eyebrow a fraction of an inch. ¡°^What can you offer, then?^¡± she asked, voice slightly less flat than before as her emotions conveyed a mix of interest and hesitancy in approximately equal measure.
¡°Food, water, labor, agricultural supplies, building materials, textiles, knowledge, medical supplies. Being welcomed back home. Or, if you¡¯d prefer, being left alone,¡± Solstice listed, her words also clearly rehearsed. Though, with them giving her enough confidence to look night kin in the eye again, nobody could really mind.
¡°We don¡¯t need anything from you,¡± Juniper spat out. If there had been any more spite in her words, it would¡¯ve overflowed her beak and dripped down her chin.
¡°Says who?¡± Thorns grumbled.
¡°Won¡¯t say no to a gift or three,¡± Ginger chuckled, shooting the two diplomats a playful smirk.
¡°Speak for yourself, birdbrain~,¡± Daystar teased, any respect for the owl long since gone.
Hostile as Juniper was, though, hers thankfully wasn¡¯t the commonly held viewpoint, making Sue lean forward in her seat as she listened to the talks. Just like with Spark before, her hand immediately shifted to autopilot the moment the Pollux settled in on her lap. His fur tingled in an almost ticklish way, the odd sensations uplifting Sue that bit more.
As much relief as Pollux was providing, though, it was offset by the seething fury Sue felt growing inside Juniper. The tips of her wings clenched as if they were hands as her entire body shook. Despite that, she remained quiet, letting the de facto leader of the village continue.
¡°S¡¯pose it won¡¯t hurt to settle on what kind of aid we¡¯d all want then. For myself... good lumber is hard to get around these parts, nobody can really dig deep down for stone either. These, some proper tools for us to build and expand with... maybe a bite of Poppy¡¯s or two. Think that¡¯s it for me, for now. Daystar?¡± Ginger asked, showing genuine interest, maybe even a bit of veiled excitement, in direct contrast to the owl.
¡°Saplings, seeds, tools to expand our little orchard with... last winter got much too close for comfort, I¡¯d rather never repeat that again~,¡± Daystar chuckled, before her expression turned serious. ¡°That aside... what has been stolen from us, our homes.¡±
¡°I am unsure what, in practical terms, do you mean by ¡®your homes¡¯,¡± Sundance responded, genuinely uncertain.
Daystar opened her mouth as if to speak a couple times, but ended up taking her time before smirking and admitting, ¡°That¡¯s... a good question, actually~. Hmm. Guess I¡¯ll have to settle on having replicas built,¡± she laughed, bringing a gust of well-needed levity to the scene, amused at her own insufficiently thought out question.
Anything to loosen the atmosphere.
¡°Our homes aren¡¯t the only thing you¡¯ve stolen from us,¡± Alastor added, appearing out of thin air in the time it took Sue to blink. The fierce-looking fox was suddenly occupying a free space between the small campsite and the line of buildings. Sue could actually understand him for once, but that didn¡¯t make him any less intimidating¡ªthe opposite, if anything. His sudden appearance made the two emissaries recoil a step back before both their expressions narrowed, some of the earlier hostility getting turned the other way.
Despite both women wanting to do less than kind things to him after hearing of his assault, that wasn¡¯t what they were here for, taking a moment to swallow their prides before Sundance replied, ¡°Night Father¡¯s monument... will need repairs first, but it can be moved over, yes. As to Aurelia¡¯s creations¡ª¡±
A gesture from beside her cut Sundance off as Solstice¡¯s tattoo¡¯d hand grasped her metal circlet and held it forward, outstretched. The Mayor glared straight through Alastor, the mix of emotions within her turbulent enough for even Sue to sense it. Hostility for him having harmed her pupil, guilt over what had happened, triumph for finally getting over herself enough to start making things right. The emotional concoction sloshed around as she held the circlet out, finally accompanying it with a response a few moments later¡ª¡°We will return all we can, and that I promise.¡±
Despite the simplicity of the piece of jewelry, it had more weight to those gathered than Sue couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine, especially if Alastor¡¯s reaction was any sign. He reeled back initially, his long muzzle split by a surprised snarl, before his eyes went wide at the sight. His distrust of Solstice was palpable even without any psychics, but despite that, he was slowly pushing through it, step by step. Eventually, his clawed arm reached out just enough to grasp the item before he retreated with his entire body, clutching the circlet close.
The exchange took most gathered aback¡ªbut not Juniper, the owl¡¯s glare as cold and piercing as ever. And, for once, it wasn¡¯t just Sue that was unnerved by that. ¡°^She¡¯s not usually this angry...^¡± Thistle whispered, her words sending a jolt through Sue.
A downward glance revealed the lil¡¯ hat creature to have been pressing into her free side for the past... however long. Sue didn¡¯t know how to react to that comment beyond feeling even more unnerved, the hand that wasn¡¯t petting Pollux shifting gears to comfort Thistle instead.
¡°As for more... I believe Ginger and Daystar covered the bulk of our material needs succinctly,¡± Thorns added, clicking her pincers a few more times. ¡°I know canvas, minerals, and tinctures have been lacking too, but Jasper would know more about what we need, medicine-wise. Anything in specific you¡¯d want to add to that, Jasper? Jasper?¡±
Her question had those gathered start looking around in confusion, the person in question seemingly absent. Before the discussions would get interrupted for a search operation, though, the technicolor lizard took matters into his own mouth, voice flat as pavement even as it was raised. ¡°Jasper, come on. I know you¡¯re hiding there. Don¡¯t make me come over and drag you out.¡±
The creature that had eventually slunk their way from behind the buildings was... tricky to describe. Their very broad shouldered, bipedal build made Sue briefly think of a gorilla¡ªeven the black color matched. At the same time, gorillas didn¡¯t have massive fangs reaching down to their chin, green skin peeking out from underneath their fur, or noses and ears pointy enough to impale people on them.
Probably. I¡¯m not a zoologist.
Beyond those elements of fantastic appearance, there was one more that Sue didn¡¯t know how to describe. It was almost like the very shape of Jasper¡¯s body wasn¡¯t fully defined, some of his proportions shifting from moment to moment as if made of black fluid as opposed to solid tissue.
In almost every other context, all these details combined with a height on par with Sue¡¯s would¡¯ve made his appearance something straight out of a horror movie, and she couldn¡¯t deny that they were quite spooky here too, but... much of that fear factor was dampened by them visibly shaking and staring intently at a patch of dirt to his side, as if afraid to look at what laid straight ahead.
Though it wasn¡¯t like ¡®what laid straight ahead¡¯ was doing any better in that regard.
Solstice stared down at the ground in a similarly pathetic way, shaking in place as if slapped and heckled. Their avoidant gazes conveyed a thousand words, none of which Sue had a dictionary on hand to translate, leaving her full of second-hand unease.
Thankfully, before the moment would drag on for too long, the latest arrival finally forced himself to speak up. ¡°Th-that sounds a-about accurate, y-yes,¡± he stammered. ¡°B-bandages, herbs f-from other settlements which we can grow ourselves, a f-few ointments and tinctures. Should be enough t-to tend to any sick here...¡± Sue had no idea how it was possible for a voice to simultaneously sound like a low, harsh growl of a savage beast and like terrified mumbles of a teen, but, good Duck, Jasper was somehow managing that feat.
As intense as that mismatch was, Sue would fortunately be spared from dwelling on it for too long as Thorns spoke up again, ¡°I hope this one time donation isn¡¯t all you two had in mind.¡±
¡°No, of course not, though we¡¯ll have to iron out the details on anything further,¡± Sundance replied. ¡°At the very least, the exile would be formally undone, and those who wish to return will be able to. And, on that note, building a passage between Newmoon and Moonview. We want to honor your existence as an independent entity, with continual material support if you so desire. But, after what happened with Spark and Pollux, I will not settle for anything less than making them both feel safe in either settlement,¡± she insisted, her unusual stalwartness noted by those gathered.
¡°For what, letting your goons march on us and drive us out again when our guard is down!?¡± Juniper squawked, her accusations pointed, but dull.
The rest of Newmoon largely reacted with groans at her acting out once more¡ªincluding, unexpectedly, Alastor. ¡°Quieten it, Juniper,¡± he snarled. ¡°I¡¯d recommend you stop speaking over those you swore to protect.¡± The dark fox¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t quite as seething as when addressing Solstice earlier, but it was definitely up there, taking the owl aback a few paces. Miraculously, Alastor¡¯s words seemed sufficient to finally pop Juniper¡¯s steadily inflating fury, the turning of tension into shame making the assorted psychics breathe out a sigh of relief.
¡°Hmmm... continual aid, you say? What do you think, Ginger?¡± Thorns asked, her tone the least accusative Sue had heard yet.
The offer tossed a heaping pile of kindling for the fires of hope inside of many gathered, Ginger included. ¡°I like the sound of that! Ain¡¯t opposed to expanding and making this little nook more of its own thing, while remaining on speaking terms.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t know how much I care about expansion, but any aid will be appreciated. Pfft, suppose undoing the exile helps the lil¡¯ ones, but I sure can¡¯t imagine anyone here choosing to go back willingly,¡± Daystar chuckled at her own remark, grimly amused at that whole idea.
Though¡ it didn¡¯t take too long for her giggles to fade as the scene shifted into discomfort, most present knowing full well there was one person in particular that very much wanted to return. The gray biped¡¯s expression faltered as she glanced over at the furry not-gorilla, the latter¡¯s body language even more hunched and skittish than before. ¡°Uh, sorry, Jasper,¡± she added.
The weak nods coming from the night kin in question made Sue feel sorry as she tried to remember where she¡¯d last heard that name. It was when Sundance was explaining something to her a few days back, something about the history that resulted in the messy situation they were all taking a part in now¡ªoh.
Figures him and Solstice can¡¯t look at each other. There are messy break-ups, and then there¡¯s... this.
¡°Yeaaaaah. And, uh, I dunno. I think I¡¯d probably go back to Moonview if I could,¡± Ginger shrugged, effortlessly snatching everyone¡¯s attention in a series of near-simultaneous ¡°WHAT!?¡±s, Juniper¡¯s addition especially loud. Sue might have stayed quiet out of respect, but... couldn¡¯t deny being just as curious and baffled as everyone else.
The lizard¡¯s reaction was to roll his eyes and explain, as if it was the simplest thing in the world, ¡°Not in the sense that I¡¯d only live there, of course, I¡¯d bounce from here to there and back. Just that I¡¯d prefer my home be there. Better food, better safety, quite a lot of friends, never ran out of building work.¡±
¡°After everything they¡¯d done to you!?¡± Juniper shouted, the intensity of the betrayed rage within making Sue and Solstice alike lean away from her.
Despite the harshness of the words and their accusatory tone, all Ginger could do was shrug and reply, his voice as calm as ever. ¡°I mean, yeah, resentment never really stuck to me. I don¡¯t know. Maybe that¡¯s wrong of me. Maybe I should be so pissed off I can¡¯t see straight and let grudges dictate my every life choice. Maybe I should dedicate my every waking hour towards making myself as angry as possible and not care about the quality of my one life in this miserable world. Maybe Death judges based on how outraged someone was during their life, I don¡¯t fucking know. All I know is that I can¡¯t bring myself to do or be any of these. That¡¯s it.¡±
Ginger¡¯s voice was more spirited than Sue had ever heard it¡ªwhich was to say, slightly raised. As interesting as that whole philosophical subject was to consider in the abstract, nobody around was exactly pining to do so at the moment, settling on giving Ginger some variation of a weird look.
Nobody... aside from Juniper. ¡°H-HOW CAN YOU LET THEM TEAR US APART LIKE THAT!?¡±
Daystar rolled her eyes. ¡°Cool it, birdbrain~.¡±
¡°^Nobody is tearing anyone apart,^¡± Heather leered, words sounding forced out.
¡°If that¡¯s what Ginger truly desires, it is his life, and his choice to make, not yours. Regardless of how much you, or anyone else, agree with it,¡± Thorns added, clearly conflicted about the subject herself.
As much as the first two comments might¡¯ve only annoyed Juniper further, the purple scorpion¡¯s addition¡ made her go quiet. Her emotions quickly cooled as if held under running water, even some of her shaking easing out as her body language shrunk. ¡°Understood, Thorns.¡±
¡°^Don¡¯t worry Miss Sue, I think Miss Juniper has calmed down!^¡± Thistle beamed.
Before Sue could chew through her reassurance, though, the purple scorpion moved the conversation forward again. ¡°Would this be it for this discussion, then?¡±
¡°I... believe so, Thorns, yes. Unless there¡¯s another detail that you or anyone else wish to discuss,¡± Solstice answered, voice calm and ever so slightly whispered, as if she couldn¡¯t quite believe what was happening.
¡°Nothing comes to mind at the moment,¡± Thorns responded, similarly calm. ¡°Ginger?¡±
¡°Same-o. Seems we¡¯ve settled on something reasonable after all. Now, it¡¯s your turn to convince Moonview to go along with it.¡±
Both Solstice and Sundance nodded firmly at that summary. This was just the easy part, and they knew it, but the success here lit up a fire of motivation inside them and most others all the same. Regardless of how nightmarish the past and its sins have been, it finally looked like there was a light at the end of the tunnel, for everyone gathered. There was a lot of understandable worry, sure, the reasonable pessimism about how well would all this work out¡ªbut now, it had to coexist with hope.
Her mentors, Daystar, Thistle, Snowdrop still hiding behind a nearby tree, even Heather to an extent, all hopeful, infectiously so.
¡°Well, now that the formalities are done, care for lunch?¡± Ginger asked, his words marking a release of tension and an end to the crucial discussion, most gathered beginning to disperse.
Unfortunately for Sue¡¯s stomach, however, Sundance would have to decline the lizard¡¯s offer. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯d be appropriate of us. Thank you for hearing us out, Ginger, we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±
¡°Sure thing, Sundance,¡± the lizard winked. ¡°Was nice to see you again, both of you. Safe travels, and... good luck with Root.¡±
The vixen nodded. ¡°Thank you. Doubt we¡¯ll persuade him specifically, but outvoting feels very likely.¡±
¡°I like the sound of that! Don¡¯t forget your impromptu herald over there, ha!¡±
Ginger¡¯s remark had the attention of the two women snap over at Sue for the first time in what felt like ages, the sight immediately relieving some of their tension. Sundance gestured for her to follow along, the once-human only now realizing just how tense even she¡¯d gotten watching that entire exchange, having difficulty walking straight after getting up and saying their goodbyes to the little ones.
The moment she¡¯d walked up to them, Solstice approached, earlier determination and worry fading into concern as she spoke up, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that you¡¯ve had to deal with Alastor, a-are you alright Sue?¡± The Mayor stopped to hold her tight once more while Sundance walked further ahead, giving the two a soft smile after turning back to face them.
¡°Y-yeah, I¡¯m alright, I-I promise,¡± Sue answered, breathless. ¡°It was terrifying, and it hurt, but I wasn¡¯t harmed, I think.¡±
¡°To strike someone innocent while they¡¯re defenseless and not even who he¡¯d held his grudge against... don¡¯t know how I¡¯d ever respected him,¡± Sundance snarled. Her comment was damning, but it was hard to deny its accuracy.
Sue nodded weakly. ¡°P-Pollux intervened, thankfully. G-guess that¡¯s repayment for my intervention earlier, h-heh¡ª¡±
¡°I won¡¯t let you take my home from me again.¡±
The snarled words snapped Sue¡¯s eyes wide open, gaze jumping over to their source. Juniper held one wing vertically, its tip clutching something green as the other¡ª
Pulled back an arrow feather.
Time slowed to a crawl as the owl fired, the projectile¡¯s orange tip immediately becoming surrounded with dark, seething energy. It left a purple tracer as it rocketed forward, too fast for Sue to react, aimed straight at Solstice¡¯s back. She tried to push her mentor out of the line of fire, but before her arms would obey her, she saw the other Forest Guardian glow brightly in the corner of her eyes.
The light intensified as her own body finally found the strength to act¡ªbut only pushed on thin air, Solstice gone a blink later, her aura now behind Sue.
An instant later, the arrow flew through where the older Forest Guardian used to be a split-second ago, its spectral energies surging as it nicked the very edge of Sue¡¯s fin. She felt molten knives stabbing her spine and mind, expression twisting to scream as her legs gave out from under her¡ª
But the arrow kept going.
As she fell, she sensed Sundance¡¯s aura be nearly extinguished in an instant; the wise, loving flames of her presence reduced to mere cinders. Sue writhed as she landed on the grassy dirt, another wave of suffering filling her body as her head impacted the ground.
She heard Sundance collapse near her.
She heard the thud of her crutch following her down.
She heard Solstice shriek for help.
And then, there was only silence.
Chapter 19: Treachery
Sue came to with a startle, feeling herself jolt forward at the sudden awakening¡ªbut her point of view didn¡¯t shift at all.
Her mind tried to move her body around, turn her head, her eyes, scream for help. Nothing, again and again, bringing her from unconsciousness straight into panic. A few moments later, the perspective finally shifted, leaning backward¡ªand letting her spot something in the corner of her vision, the brown feathers bringing forth a terrifying realization.
This wasn¡¯t her body.
The awareness didn¡¯t stop Sue from trying to thrash against her bindings, at least initially, but her motivation petered out fast, especially once this body began to shuffle along the branch it was perching on. After she¡¯d given up on trying to move, she attempted to concentrate on what her temporary host was observing.
The wide path they were hiding beside felt... familiar, but Sue wouldn¡¯t be able to nail down why, even if she tried. To her worry, its initial emptiness wouldn¡¯t last, with Ginger and Alastor walking in from the left, their appearance oddly detailed. Every single scale in all their stark colors, every single strand of red and black fur, all sharp and in focus. This body must¡¯ve been some good hundred meters away, how the hell¡ª
And then; Solstice entered the scene. Or, at least, someone who she thought was Solstice¡ªa Forest Guardian without a crutch and with tattoos covering half their body. They initially lead the approaching group before shifting off to the side, making her host¡¯s gaze narrow at their sight, so intensely it felt like an optical zoom.
People kept moving all around, but this body¡¯s sole focus remained on what had to be the Mayor. Her host lifted their left wing, the damaged feathers surrounding a puncture wound not even registering as Sue''s attention was fixed on what they were doing with it. She only barely made out them holding something green above and just to the side of their center of vision, the realization making Sue gasp soundlessly¡ªright as Juniper nocked another feather arrow.
Sue could only watch.
Seconds dragged out into minutes as Juniper aimed at Solstice, arrow at the ready. The Forest Guardian on the receiving end of the owl¡¯s ire looked much more uncomfortable than usual, glancing around once, twice¡ªand stopping abruptly, eyes going wide and her mouth freezing mid-gasp. Juniper¡¯s focus honed even further as she drew the arrow back, awaiting a sign. Moments later, Solstice clenched her hand twice in a quick succession, the gesture accompanied by a voice spoken in a choir of a thousand silver voices, sentencing her to her doom:
¡°Now.¡±
An instant later, Juniper let the arrow loose, streaking across the air with its malicious purple tracer, aimed right at the Moonview¡¯s Mayor¡ª
And then; it missed.
Its aim immaculate; its power beyond compare¡ªand yet, it missed, almost grazing its target¡¯s collarbone. It didn¡¯t strike the grass behind her, however; it hit something else, something obscured, something golden¡ª
And inadvertently woke Sue up.
She was too shocked to let herself come to, her whole body shaking as she tried to stand up as soon as possible. All she earned for that attempt was a wave of nausea rolling through her. Stinging pain rushed from her front and back simultaneously, forcing her eyes closed as she sat hunched over something soft. All the adrenaline boiling inside her made even her own breathing too loud, with any attempts to quieten it by calming down clashing with her exertion and need for air.
What, where, how, was this real; where am I¡ª
Sue tried to look around again, making both herself and the being she¡¯d opened her eyes to see jump backward in shock, their expressions equally startled. They were large, almost all black, and very, very hairy. Before too much panic could build up in her, her recollection finally kicked in: Large, dark, furry, night kin¡ªJasper.
With her memories having caught up with the speed of her fear, Sue could take the rest of the scene in. Jasper sitting so close to her bedding initially felt confusing, but that emotion didn¡¯t last for longer than it took Sue to notice the several salves and pieces of clean-ish off-white fabric laying on a stool beside him. Her sudden awakening had seemingly caught him in the middle of reaching for one of the former¡ªand if his scared, frozen expression was any sign, he was no less shocked by her than she¡¯d been by him.
They were inside of a rough wooden hut, the rickety planks that comprised its walls not filling Sue with confidence. The bedding beneath her was similarly barebones, a soft woven cover on top of what felt like a bed-shaped mound of leaves.
I¡¯m being tended to. Things are alright. Things are alright.
The most recent... vision provided plentiful fuel for her overactive anxiety, but Sue was determined to not let it dominate her again. She may not have had even the slightest inkling of an idea how Solstice and Sundance communicated with the night kin through telepathy despite the latter¡¯s apparent immunity, but exact words weren¡¯t needed this time¡ªhopefully.
¡°G-good afternoon,¡± Sue mumbled in as calm of a voice as she could manage.
Her words did wonders, Jasper¡¯s bulky frame visibly calming down at hearing her anxiety having waned away by now. Soon after, he resumed his previous action and kneeled beside the bedding, a hairy hand reaching to take apart something Sue hadn¡¯t consciously noticed until that point.
Several layers of bandages were wrapped around her torso, securing a dressing and other medical-looking pieces of white fabric to the tip of her front horn. If the size of it all was any indication, the wound they were concealing thankfully wasn¡¯t very large¡ªthough it still hurt a bit when she breathed. It reminded Sue of the sensations of something touching a fresh, unpleasant cut, except happening every time her lungs drew in the air.
Uncomfortable, but not unmanageable.
She gave Jasper free access to her recent injury as she tried to scan her surroundings in search of the rest of her impromptu peace party, regretting the latter immediately. As much as it smarted when just breathing, the wound on her horn kept its worst for last, flaring up with burning pain the moment she tried tapping into her sixth sense.
Figured it¡¯d hurt, but not that much...
The realization didn¡¯t help Sue¡¯s confidence much, leaving her grimacing and unable to do much more than breathe deeply. Jasper¡¯s help was very appreciated, though; the awareness that someone was looking after her did wonders in keeping her grounded. Once he was done unwrapping the bandage around her horn, he began applying the paste he¡¯d brought with him¡ªbut not before Sue got a good look at the damages.
The cut couldn¡¯t have been deeper than a quarter of an inch, the pinky-red tissue around it inflamed. The injury itself was almost bloodless by now, only a couple of tiny droplets oozing out the moment the old bandages were removed. No more dangerous than a nosebleed¡ªshe hoped, at least¡ªeven if much more painful.
It¡¯d be nice to not have to worry about something for once here...
Once Jasper had discarded the used bandage, he applied some of the pre-prepared paste along the cut, making her wince at the immediate stinging sensation. Thankfully, he wrapped it up fast, putting the sweet-smelling, yellowish ointment away and pressing another piece of dressing against her injury. He then tied a small bit of decidedly well-worn bandage around her horn to keep it all in place and lean back, examining his efforts.
Martian first aid, done.
Sue couldn¡¯t say it all made her feel immediately better or anything, but she appreciated his efforts all the same, doubly so after what she¡¯d been through. She still had no idea what had actually happened, but at least now she was confident enough to try her luck with her psychic abilities again.
Arms performed their usual routine as she focused inward, gritting her teeth through the pain radiating from her horn. It still hurt, especially as she moved her mental reach around, but it was just barely tolerable now; letting Sue spot several nearby blobs of consciousness¡ªincluding one of them making their way right towards her.
Alright, hopefully it¡¯s some answers¡ªJasper?
A glance up at the much kinder of the two big black furry night kin revealed a very distraught expression. He was on the verge of tears, one hairy arm frozen in the middle of reaching out towards her head. It didn¡¯t look aggressive at a glance¡ªbut a glance was all Sue would get before the impromptu medic withdrew his arm and the rest of himself from the scene, sobbing quietly as he left.
Just in time for Solstice to walk in through the other entrance.
As much relief as her presence brought the younger Forest Guardian, much of it was undercut by her terrible state. Concern, exhaustion, somber resignation, all clear, not just to Sue¡¯s sixth sense but on Solstice¡¯s face directly. Her eyes and cheeks were glistening, her posture was hunched over, her steps were staggered and shaky. Despite it all, she pushed on, whispering, ¡°^S-Sue, I¡¯m so glad to see you doing fine...^¡±
Sue wanted to rush in and hold her tight, to provide some of that well needed comfort¡ªalas, she was in no position to do so. Instead, she asked, shocked, ¡°Solstice, what¡ªwhat happened!? D-did Juniper attack us?¡±
¡°^She attacked me,^¡± the Mayor clarified, though her words helped little with Sue¡¯s confusion. Solstice could tell, a long, wistful sigh leaving her at having to go over such a draining and senseless sequence of events again. ¡°^Juniper tried to strike me, but... something in me sensed it, and I teleported out of the line of fire. A-and then the arrow grazed you, a-and hit Sundance...^¡±
Sue gasped at that final addendum. The words jogged her tattered recollection, including the vixen collapsing beside her. If she hadn¡¯t already experienced it earlier that day, the mention of a feat as sci-fi-ish as outright teleportation would¡¯ve caught a lot more of her attention. ¡°I-is she alright!?¡± she asked, almost getting up from her seat there and then.
¡°^She... she¡¯s alive, but in a rough state. Her aura was hit hard, a-and¡ she¡¯s in a coma.^¡±
¡°Thank¡ªthank the gods...¡± Sue whispered, on the verge of tears.
The mention of damage to something with as undefined of a shape as an aura was difficult to interpret, but she didn¡¯t want to burden her mentor with explaining it to her, nodding along. Solstice knew her pupil didn¡¯t need an explanation to at least get the gist, and in any objective judgment it was a waste of time, but¡ she still wanted to go over it. To help Sue truly comprehend the gravity of the situation.
To feel like she could help someone, anyone.
¡°^C-come with me Sue,^¡± she beckoned, ¡°^let me show you what I mean¡ªi-if that¡¯s alright.^¡±
The request came from nowhere, but Sue wasn¡¯t about to reject it, not if it let her check up on her other mentor. She nodded eagerly, combining her crutch, good leg, and the stool that Jasper had left behind to pick herself back up. Her nicked horn throbbed a bit at the slight elevation change, but she gritted her teeth through it.
Their march was very short, the destination just a couple of buildings away. It was similarly bare-bones to the one they had just left, if slightly larger, its back entry closer to a large plank to be pushed aside than an actual door. A few simple wooden doodads aside, the inside was barren, though that¡¯s not what Sue focused on.
Sundance was sleeping on her back and breathing deeply, with only a few bandages wrapped around her right shoulder. At a glance, it looked like she was just taking a nap or something, but the reality of the situation grew more unnerving as Sue tried to concentrate. As new as those sensations still were, Sue remembered the feel of Sundance¡¯s mental presence very well¡ªand to her horror, it was so much weaker now, so much frailer, feeling more so like a cancer patient than a mystic that had helped her with more than one conundrum already.
And that perception was only solidified once Sue felt Solstice¡¯s mental reach adjust hers, helping her focus all the emotions away and hone in on just the vixen¡¯s aura, just like she¡¯d been taught.
This feels... so disturbing.
Sue knew little about all this, distraughtly so, but even she couldn¡¯t help but feel... wrong, very wrong. A few days ago, when Solstice had helped her train, hers and Comet¡¯s auras gave her the impression of a large amoeba or something, blob-like and squirming. Sundance¡¯s looked like that too, but if that blob had been repeatedly slashed with a dull knife, the strikes fraying it and almost cutting it in two. The very thought made Sue feel deathly cold, the injury she¡¯d just imagined more than likely lethal.
And unhelpful to think about, for that matter.
Sundance wasn¡¯t dead, she was just injured, her aura kept moving¡ªif slowly¡ªand the massive gash was mending itself ever so gradually. She would recover; it was just a matter of when, not if¡ªor at least, that¡¯s what Sue hoped for with her entire self.
¡°^You¡¯re right, she will recover on her own in time, but it might take a while,^¡± Solstice confirmed. ¡°^Could be days, could be weeks, could even be months. You never know with something as fickle as our aura.^¡±
¡°A-and that¡¯s j-just from that one arrow? H-how!?¡± Sue asked, shocked.
¡°^Stray spirits can¡¯t harm flesh, but they rend the soul apart.^¡±
The explanation clarified exactly nothing, except maybe hinting at it being an act of a ghost or something. If Juniper somehow was a ghost in the same vein as Hazel, she was doing a dang good job at maintaining a corporeal appearance, that¡¯s for sure. Sue shook that topic aside, asking instead, ¡°S-so her body is unharmed?¡±
¡°^It wasn¡¯t hurt beyond the shallow puncture of the arrow quill, no.^¡±
The body was fine, but... the soul wasn¡¯t. What a morbid thing to imagine, especially when taken to its logical conclusion. ¡°C-could someone j-just die by having their aura... destroyed without their body being damaged, th-then?¡±
¡°^Y-yes, they could. Th-thank goodness it¡¯s not what happened here, I... I wouldn¡¯t know what to do...^¡± Solstice whimpered, almost breaking down again.
Sue immediately felt worse at having steered away from concern and towards morbid curiosity for no reason. She saw the older Forest Guardian¡¯s head perk up as her thoughts turned to self loathing, but no words came out. They couldn¡¯t, of course they couldn¡¯t.
What does one even say to this?
¡°Wh-why did she attack you?¡± Sue whispered, trying to keep a grip on herself. ¡°Where is she now, a-are we safe!?¡±
¡°^I... I hope we are. She¡¯s no longer in Newmoon.^¡±
Solstice¡¯s words were vague, but to her relief, she wouldn¡¯t have to be the one to explain everything. After walking over to gently stroke her best friend¡¯s head, the Mayor headed for the exit and tilted her head for Sue to follow.
Most of Newmoon¡¯s inhabitants were gathered around the firepit outside, the approaching sunset lighting up the whole place in a much more somber way. Sue might not have been able to sense their emotions, but she could see their faces¡ªand they weren¡¯t happy.
¡°Oh, thank the Dark Lord, you¡¯re alright Sue~,¡± Daystar perked up, her words unexpectedly emotional for her as her lanky body visibly relaxed at Sue¡¯s arrival. The rest of the group mostly mirrored her reaction, relief being easier to read on some people¡¯s faces than on others.
Much, much easier.
¡°Sue!¡± Pollux woofed, bolting over in an instant.
¡°^Oh gosh Miss Sue, you looked so hurt!^¡± Thistle followed.
Before she could even make it to the bench, she was already swarmed by the two little ones. Neither the lil¡¯ fox nor the equally lil¡¯ hat creature might¡¯ve come even close to clearing her knee, but they still did their best to be walking obstacles, reminding Sue of Spark¡¯s reaction to her doomed attempt to run away from Moonview, with all its emotions.
Daystar chuckled, ¡°C¡¯mon guys, give Sue space~.¡±
Thankfully, the two didn¡¯t need to be told twice. They kept their boundless excitement in check for just long enough to let their friend sit down¡ªand not a moment more; the kiddos huddling close from opposing sides, night kin fur and psychically enhanced hair both tingling pleasurably. The sight brought some smiles to the assorted gathering, but only so many, most still quiet under the gloomy atmosphere.
Sue figured this was the right moment to ask what happened¡ª
¡°Blasted coward!¡± Thorns shouted through teeth, the clinking of sharp pincers at the ends of her purplish segmented body stressing the expression of anger.
As chill as Ginger was previously, he couldn¡¯t help but concur with weak nods, the freely hanging green skin on the back of his head shuffling against itself. ¡°I... yeah. Guess you must be mighty confused, eh, Sue?¡±
Sue nodded weakly, and the technicolor lizard responded in kind. It took him unusually long to gather his words. Even once he did, though, his eternally calm voice was noticeably strained at times, as if fighting to keep itself from rising. ¡°Yeah. Juniper attacked Solstice, hit you and Sundance. Jasper and Heather helped you two while we tried to get an explanation out of her. She kept going about her usual stuff, how all this was just a ploy so that Moonview can backstab us or whatever. We weren¡¯t having it and tried to bind her so that she could answer for what she¡¯d done and she... *sigh*, she slipped through our grasp.¡±
That last admission made everyone gathered deflate, leaving them either kicking themselves for having acted too slowly, or getting royally annoyed at others for having acted too slowly. Not that it mattered anymore¡ªthe deed was done, and the perpetrator ran off without facing any consequences.
For a couple minutes afterward, nobody spoke up; the entire gathering plunged into cold, uncomfortable silence. Neither the night kin cub nor the magic hat creature took it any better than the rest, though Sue could only sense the emotions of the latter. They were definitely intense¡ªfeelings of betrayal towards Juniper, worry about Sue and Sundance, and most of all, grief at the peace talks and the possibility of reconciliation they brought with themselves being completely ruined.
And... yeah. They were.
The awareness deepened the sinking feeling that had already been worming its way into Sue, with every thought about just how bad the optics of all this were making her want to shrivel up. Two envoys and one tagalong venture to Newmoon, unarmed and with no ill intent. One of them gets almost literally stabbed in the back, the second gets hurt in the crossfire, and the perpetrator escapes.
The more Sue reflected on the situation, the more she felt the paranoia inside her grow. What if Juniper didn¡¯t actively escape, but was let go? What if others were in on it? What if the opportunity to decapitate Moonview¡¯s leadership was the only reason Newmoon even proceeded with these talks to begin with?
These were all absurd ideas and Sue knew it¡ªbut that didn¡¯t mean that everyone else would know that too, especially not if it would play further into their preexisting distrust. At least her and to a greater extent Solstice were witnesses and could try to push back on the assassination angle once it would inevitably come up, but...
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
A part of Sue was afraid it wouldn¡¯t end up mattering.
¡°Guess that¡¯s it for the talks, eh,¡± Ginger sighed, his voice flat and yet tense, lacking its usual laid-back impression. Everyone else agreed with various degrees of anger and reluctance; a wordless chorus of nods, sighs, and slumps joining in from all around the fire pit.
Solstice almost looked like she had gone limp for a while, disheveled hair framing slightly tearing eyes. Fear, despair.
Guilt, shame.
¡°Well,¡± the lizard continued, rolling his shoulders, ¡°suppose someone will have to help move Sundance back over to Moonview. I¡¯m down to help.¡± There was a bit more emotion in his voice this time, but only so much. It came off less like eagerness to jump into action and more so reluctant agreement to proceed with a root canal treatment just to get it over with.
¡°Thank you, Ginger,¡± Solstice whispered, quiet and barely holding back tears.
The lizard nodded. ¡°No worries, Solstice. It¡¯s the least we can do after... all that.¡±
¡°What about Sue~?¡± Daystar asked, bringing the group¡¯s attention back to the younger Forest Guardian. Everyone judged how suited she was to walking the distance between here and Moonview, inevitably arriving at either ¡®no way in hell¡¯ or ¡®how in the world did she get in here in the first place?¡¯.
¡°Good point. I¡¯ve got the strength, but not the arm span to carry two. You could probably lift her without an issue, Daystar, but I imagine having to haul a psychic for a few hours would get very unpleasant fast,¡± Ginger reasoned.
¡°And that¡¯s puttin¡¯ it lightly, yeah~.¡±
Before Sue could wonder what her being a psychic had to do with her carriability, Ginger brought on the other obvious candidate. ¡°Hmmm. Thorns?¡±
¡°If need be,¡± the scorpion relented.
¡°I¡¯ll carry her.¡± A low, growly voice caught everyone¡¯s attention, their gazes snapping over to what used to be an empty bench just moments ago, now occupied by Alastor. One day, Sue would understand just how he was doing all this, but that day wasn¡¯t today.
Sue reeled back, startled by their sudden appearance as the closest thing Newmoon had to a leader continued, ¡°Ya sure, Alastor?¡±
¡°Yes... I am. Considering everything, it would only be appropriate for me to make up for my prior offense.¡±
Sue was torn between finding that attitude commendable on the abstract level, and still being afraid of the night kin fox following his intangible attack earlier. Had the atmosphere been any less tense, she would¡¯ve probably tried to leverage her position into asking him a question or two, but with everything going on right now... yeah, no¡ªand the same went for the possibility of refusing the offer.
Sure, she could probably refuse and be fine, but the absolute last thing she wanted to do in the moment was drag this on any further through her silly personal preferences. Solstice, being Solstice, tried to intervene and reassure her¡ªbut she was too late. ¡°Alright, th-that¡¯s fine with me,¡± Sue whispered. ¡°Thank you, Alastor...¡±
Nothing was fine, and nothing was fine with Sue especially. Her problems paled compared to others¡¯, though, and so it was best to just try to move on.
The physical proximity to Alastor did little to reduce the intimidation factor, especially with his size. He could easily look her in the eyes from head on even when hunched, and the vibrant red claws were in a league of their own as far as looking threatening went. Being able to do... whatever he did with those shadows earlier was really just a cherry on top, even his physical body sufficient to make him the perfect killing machine. As to whether he used to be one, like Daystar and presumably many others in both villages...
Sue didn¡¯t want to know.
She froze as those clawed arms scooped her up, holding her crutch as tight as she could before the adult fox deposited her... in his mane. Sue didn¡¯t expect it to support her body like it did, but for once, it was a welcome surprise, letting her relax. Relax, and enjoy the view while she was sitting inside the crimson hair of a massive, shadowy, illusionist fox that had committed battery and assault towards her just a few hours ago, while a bright, multi-color lizard held Sundance in a fireman¡¯s carry just a few feet away from them both, looking utterly unperturbed by her weight.
The same couldn¡¯t be said for warmth, though. Ginger¡¯s panting grew much louder and more frequent as the impromptu group headed off. Newmoon was shrinking in the distance behind them by the moment, the kiddos waving them off as they ventured into the woods.
For all Sue knew, this would be her last time ever seeing that village.
As tense as the mood was back in Newmoon, it gradually calmed down with every step, thawing into a muted, uneasy melancholy. Sundance was in a coma, the peace talks were ruined, there was no guarantee how anyone in Moonview would react to the news...
Yeah.
Sue tried to distract herself from that uncomfortable reality, attempting to steer her mind towards a silly tangent or another. Once that didn¡¯t work, she considered resorting to her usual Plan B for extra hard bouts of depression. Sleep was no panacea, but it felt like one sometimes, especially for things being wrong inside one¡¯s head. Just somewhere to go away from the sadness, away from creeping grief, into the sweet release of unconsciousness.
And it might have even worked here too, but she wasn¡¯t in a position to find out.
As comfortable as Alastor¡¯s mane was when stationary, the constant jumpiness of his steps made it nigh impossible to get any proper rest, or even really relax. It probably would¡¯ve been crass had she done that anyway, but at least that would be a problem for someone with more spare brainpower to take care of when the time came¡ªnamely, future Sue.
Alas, no sleep this time, or any other rest for that matter, either. All Sue could do was observe the passing scenery, its monotonousness making that rather taxing. Striking up a conversation was always a possibility, especially with Solstice here to translate for her.
Considering that course of action would¡¯ve been unthinkable even back in her home world where she didn¡¯t look like an extra from a Martian invasion movie and actually knew the language being used around her... attempting to do so here and now wasn¡¯t the best of ideas.
Solstice already had plenty on her mind, as is.
Her emotions weren¡¯t all too different to Sue¡¯s own, deep down. Sadness, anxiety, restlessness. Sue could understand all those perfectly, too perfectly even, but the one that came immediately afterwards was a bit more confusing. Solstice lifted her arm, eyes scanning along its tattoos, and... doubted. Doubted deeply and painfully, the sensation less like dismissing something obviously bullshit a friend of a friend had mentioned, and more akin to questioning whether there even was any reason to keep going¡ª
¡°^How are you holding up, Sue?^¡± Solstice whispered.
Figures I wasn¡¯t the only one who can sense when others are focusing on me.
Sue gathered her words, the answer hardly pretty no matter how hard she tried to pretend she was alright. She couldn¡¯t pretend, but she could lie, just to not have to rehash what the other Forest Guardian was no doubt already going through. She thought back, keeping her mouth closed, ¡°^I¡¯m... I¡¯m fine. Just... a bit tired and worried.^¡±
Solstice nodded without looking over at her, her sigh loud enough to be audible even a few feet behind her. ¡°^I-I wish I could come up with some reassurance right now. But... I can¡¯t.^¡±
¡°^It¡¯s okay, Solstice.^¡±
Nothing was okay, and they both knew it.
The air remained tense after that non-exchange, both of them knowing there was so much more to be said and yet being unable to put any words to these needs. Fortunately for everyone gathered, they wouldn¡¯t be stuck in that moment of tension for much longer, Moonview coming into distant view after turning the last corner¡ª
And bringing them to the very scene Sue had seen in her dream.
Her heartbeat spiked as her eyes desperately scanned the treeline, trying to find that Duck-damned owl. Nothing, no browns of her wings, no greenness of her leaf-like hood. She remained blended in perfectly, and all Sue could do was sit, watch,
And try to prevent further tragedy. ¡°^S-Solstice!^¡±
¡°^Hmm?^¡±
Sue¡¯s word had clearly taken the Mayor out of her train of thought. She looked up, stopping at realizing how close they finally were to her home. The rest of the group stopped behind her, interpreting the pause as a signal to drop their cargo¡ªSue onto her own legs, and Sundance into Solstice¡¯s arms.
¡°^It¡¯ll have to wait until later, Sue,^¡± Solstice sighed, switching back to the spoken word. ¡°Ginger, Alastor... Thank you so much for your help. I¡¯m... I¡¯m sorry.¡±
Sue¡¯s words caught in her throat as she tried to speak up again; her heart hammered faster and faster as she tried to spot the hidden threat.
¡°You¡¯re welcome, Solstice. And there ain¡¯t no reason to be sorry,¡± Ginger reassured, putting on his most convincing smile. ¡°You did nothing wrong today.¡±
Solstice¡¯s head slumped. ¡°If only we were here just because of today.¡±
¡°If only, aye. But, oh well, I doubt that feeling sorry will help any of us much.¡±
It wouldn¡¯t, and it couldn¡¯t, and everyone gathered knew that from experience. Experience that mattered oh-so-precious-little once the time came for their psyches to start grinding on them because of what they had, or hadn¡¯t done. Admittedly, Sue didn¡¯t have much spare brain power for thinking through those peculiarities of the condition of all sentient beings. Not with what she¡¯d seen in her dreams, their memory still so recent and vivid, and...
¡no longer up to date, unless the vision had somehow censored Sundance¡¯s massive, bushy body from Solstice¡¯s arms.
What the hell is going on¡ª
¡°It won¡¯t, I know. Well, suppose it¡¯s time for us to say our goodbyes.¡±
Solstice¡¯s words snapped Sue out of that confusing train of thought, the impulse to avoid embarrassing herself kicking in soon after. ¡°Y-yes, um¡ªthank you for your help, A-Alastor.¡±
¡°It is no problem, Sue. I... apologize for my actions earlier, and thank you... f-for saving my son,¡± Alastor replied. With how low and steady his voice was when calm, Sue didn¡¯t expect to hear a crack in his words, taking her aback.
Before she could dwell on it much, Ginger spoke up¡ª¡°I see how it is, won¡¯t say goodbye to me, eh?¡± he chuckled. The intended joke didn¡¯t land particularly well, making him speak up again after seeing Sue¡¯s eyes widen in worry at the possible faux pas. ¡°Sorry, sorry, was just a joke. Yeah, I¡¯m glad you three swung by. Was nice talking and meeting you all. Actually¡ª¡±
Before Ginger could even complete his sentence, Sue felt a wave of static go through her. The sensation was familiar enough for her to have an idea of what she¡¯d see once she looked up¡ªand indeed, Solstice was gone, her teleport taking her well into Moonview.
Being left on her own didn¡¯t feel any nicer the second time around.
Especially since she had company with her this time.
The lizard continued to speak for a few more moments before looking up and realizing the older Forest Guardian had left. Undeterred, he looked and appeared to repeat the same sentence as before towards Sue directly. It kinda sounded like a question, but as Daystar¡¯s lesson had taught her, it could¡¯ve been just the weird tonality of this language. Left with no way of responding confidently, Sue resorted to the true and tested tactic of playing very dumb.
Just like she¡¯d practiced with Willow and Spark all the way back. ¡°Sorry, I-I can¡¯t understand you.¡±
In turning towards Ginger to deliver her response, Sue realized Alastor had left in the meantime. Just her, the technicolor lizard, a large stretch of dirt path in front of Moonview, and¡ªwait, is that Rainfall on one of the nearby branches¡ª
Right as she focused on what she thought to be the night kin bird, the recipient of her focus flew off, making them impossible to identify with certainty. Though... it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if it was her, based on what Sue had heard earlier. Regardless of who exactly she¡¯d glimpsed, Ginger deemed it fit to comment on it himself as well, ending his comment with a chittering warble that was probably intended to be perceived as laughter.
Heh, guess my confusion is a bit funny¡ªwait, where are you going?
Sue could only blink in surprise as she watched Ginger finally pick up the slack and head towards Moonview. She had no idea how to react to that with the supposed exile in place, rooted in place until the colorful lizard himself glanced at her over his shoulder. A flick of his head toward the village sent the green skin hood flying, instructing her to follow him.
Not like she had anywhere else to go.
Her arm wasted no time complaining once it was time to get going, the few hours of reprieve seemingly not enough for its tastes. Sue was split between wanting to be finally freed from the need to use a funky-shaped stick just to walk anywhere and telling her own limb to get a grip, and the latter impulse seemed to be winning. As weird as it was to admit it, her crutch had started to feel less like an inanimate tool to be passed on once she was done, and more like a part of herself. A rough, heavy, occasionally unwieldy part of herself that probably had several splinters waiting to get back at her, but a part of her all the same.
Especially since the odds were that even the crutch was alive and a specimen of the local magical fauna. Not a massive chance, sure, but a non-zero one all the same. Okay, no, scratch that idea. She would definitely not want to have some unidentified life form by her side every time she slept.
Except if it¡¯s Lilly in disguise.
Before Sue could get any deeper into that inane train of thought, her sixth sense finally conquered the little that remained of her attention span. At last, Moonview¡¯s entrance, an important night kin in tow, and possibly another in the surrounding trees, and exactly zero idea of what Ginger was planning and how badly it would go.
She didn¡¯t know whether this situation or a peeping tom crutch were more uncomfortable to think about, but it was nothing if not a close matchup.
To her immediate relief, the first few steps into the village weren¡¯t particularly eventful¡ªthough it wasn¡¯t to last. Bit by bit, people around her realized just who it was beside her; their reactions as varied as their appearances.
Some were entirely neutral and unbothered, clearly not understanding why this particular newcomer would be more attention catching than any other. Their perspective was admirable, especially when it manifested as polite friendliness, Ginger gladly returning every greeting that came his way.
Others... were more hesitant.
The further into the village they ventured, the more instances of all out bewilderment there were around them. Many passersby just stopped where they stood to stare, some left frozen like this for ages as the unexpected pair moved past them, partially paralyzing traffic wherever they went. Shock was a near universal sensation from those who reacted at all, but what followed varied greatly.
Some were too uncomfortable to keep looking. A few were afraid. Both reactions inevitably culminated into the one experiencing them trying to scoot away unnoticed, just to not have to deal with these emotions anymore. Most were just ashamed, often deeply so. They wouldn¡¯t run, but they didn¡¯t have it in them to watch, either, staring away in unease. There were a few blips of enmity here and there, but none of them resulted in any escalation, thank Duck.
One near-murder because of someone being a hateful, bloodthirsty idiot is enough for today.
All the while, Ginger himself didn¡¯t appear to react much to anything going on around him, at least as far as any visible reactions went. He¡¯d definitely noticed some passersby, glancing at the louder grumbles coming from the crowd, but he didn¡¯t act on them. Be it because of his personality or because of wanting to maintain a low profile, it was probably for the best.
He clearly didn¡¯t fully understand her inability to comprehend what he was saying, at least if the occasional comments were any sign. Keeping quiet and just not responding ought to have been enough of a tell, right? Sue certainly hoped so, and that he wasn¡¯t relying on her lack of responses for any decisions. It was a silly concern, and she knew that well, but, good Duck, did the current situation not make remaining stress free even about the dumb stuff easy in the slightest.
Eventually, they made their way over to the areas of Moonview Sue was growing familiar with, the crowd¡¯s reactions changing. Everything from earlier was still there, but now a few onlookers had walked over from the other parts of the village as the news spread.
Most of them were on the younger side and very curious about it all, but decidedly not all. The couple strands of genuine malice she¡¯d felt from the crowd sent shivers down her back and fins, especially since she couldn¡¯t narrow down who these emotions came from exactly.
Also, shivers going down an injured fin hurt. Ow.
After turning another corner, Sue briefly paused at feeling the last emotion she would¡¯ve expected to sense in these circumstances: excitement. Though, hold on, was this excitement towards Ginger, or¡ª
Her answer buzzed in front of her face before she could even finish asking herself the question.
Basil had no business being as excited and happy as he was with how tense the situation all around him was, but for the good of everyone gathered, he didn¡¯t care one bit. He waved excitedly at Sue while holding the nameless brown caterpillar in his other stinger arm, the little one continually trying and failing to wriggle out of his dad¡¯s hold.
Hers wouldn¡¯t be the only attention Basil would end up catching, though. The bee¡¯s excited buzzing got Ginger to speak up as well, his voice sounding genuinely interested. Based on the insect¡¯s utter lack of reaction to the lizard, he likely had no idea who Ginger was, and for the better.
Way better, Basil¡¯s constant stream of buzzes and clicks eventually culminating in him handing his little one for the night kin to hold, taking the technicolor lizard by surprise if his eyes opening all the way for a moment were any sign. As surprising as that development was, Ginger went along with it, carefully holding the caterpillar and even scritching under their chin with one finger, much to the little insect¡¯s audible delight.
All the while, Sue went through the by now familiar motions, double checking the surface she was standing on to avoid the repeat of her past mishap. Extend left arm, tune out emotions, focus on¡ª
So many people, so much attention, ugh!
Sue recoiled at her attempted telepathy, doubling over at how painful her brief attempt was, for her mind and fin alike. She felt she owed Basil clear communication because of what had happened, and here she was, left effectively mute again, the thought only filling her with more anxiety. Another try yielded largely the same results, except somehow even worse. It sent a wave of nausea to rock her body and made it feel like the wound on her front was simultaneously bleeding and burning, all for daring to try talking with a friend.
None of that, only more pain.
Feeling herself become the focus of many observers afterwards didn¡¯t help any, either. Sue had no idea what to do¡ªcouldn¡¯t really calm anyone down without linking up, but couldn¡¯t link up; hell, couldn¡¯t even tune out all the mental noise around her while keeping on walking. It was a lot; it was so much, her breath began to catch in her throat,
And then, buzzing right before her, and something warm and smooth on her left shoulder.
Prying her eyes open revealed Basil to be hovering in the air in front of her, his concern palpable from up close. Compound eyes made it impossible to make out what he was looking at exactly, but he¡¯d clearly noticed the bandages around her fin at some point, pointing towards it with one stinger before buzzing out a question. She was in no shape to answer, but Ginger was, his flat response only leaving Basil more concerned.
And determined.
And this time, also more mindful, making him stop himself right before he tried dragging Sue anywhere again. He wasn¡¯t an expert at nonverbal communication with anyone outside of his kin, but he could try, just to make sure his friend was alright. He pointed a disarmed stinger at her head, then made a smooth line between it and his head, then pointed at the injury while shaking his head.
Right, I can¡¯t do this, not in this state. Guess I¡¯ll just have to make do like this for a while...
Sue gave the bee a slow, begrudging nod, his acknowledgment immediate and confirmed by Ginger. The realization brought on a bit of sorrow, though not for any selfish reasons, as evidenced by the unusually-slow-by-Basil¡¯s-standards hug that followed. It may have been a bit uncomfortable because of bringing even more emotions closer to her injured body part, but it was very appreciated all the same. ¡°Thank you, Basil...¡±
No understanding, but a cheerful nod.
By the time he was done, a quick glance around made it clear that some of the excess attention had crept away from the scene. Many onlookers were no doubt disappointed to see the nefarious and wicked night kin... play with a baby insect in his arms instead of¡ whatever it was he was supposed to be doing.
His jokes might not have been the most well timed, but he was undefeated at peek-a-boo.
As Sue took that adorable scene in, she felt something warm and smooth bump into her left hand, a quick glance revealing it to be one of Basil¡¯s stingers. If him doing it again a few more times afterwards was any sign, it seemed to be an intentional gesture, though what it implied wasn¡¯t... comfortable to imagine.
I like you a lot Basil, but I¡¯m not sure that grabbing stingers barehanded is a good idea...
¡
Then again, he probably knows that better. Maybe it¡¯s high time to just trust him instead of assuming I know more about his body than he does.
While Sue reeled from the self-critical part of her mind smacking her with a baseball bat, her free hand took the bee up on his offer. His stinger was as firm as its appearance made it look like, the chitin threading the needle between being too rough to be comfortable and too smooth to hold on to safely.
Alright, yeah, walking with a support was easier, and probably necessary with how much her attempts at telepathy had drained her. And it made Basil very happy, which was the most important thing.
Once Sue was confident in her grasp, the bee hovered over to ask the lizard something while staying close enough to keep providing constant support. Ginger¡¯s answer was a verbal equivalent of a shrug paired with the physical equivalent of a shrug¡ªnamely, a shrug. Neither of the two knew how to proceed from there for a while, the deadlock broken through with a snap of the lizard¡¯s fingers and a short, trilled response.
Their new pace was even slower than before, but neither Ginger nor Basil cared much, the former still playing with the caterpillar in his arms. The lil¡¯ insect¡¯s occasional drawn out squeaks had his dad break into buzzed laughter each time, followed by his typical flood of excited words.
Things were good. The baby was happy. Nobody was freaking out.
While the two men chatted amongst themselves about something Sue couldn¡¯t quite figure out, she glanced over at the nearby construction site and the being closest to her. The bulk of the hut was done by now, with only the roof missing anymore. And, if the small mound of off-red tiles beside the building was any sign, the roof was exactly what was being worked on at the moment.
It seemed to be just Granite that was working on it, though. A glance further into the clearing determined the rest of the builders¡¯ team to have already started work on the next hut, all of them anywhere from elbow to entire-body deep in the foundation work, depending on their height.
They really build these fast, huh.
Placing roof tiles unsurprisingly didn¡¯t turn out to be any more exciting to watch than expected, even if it was being performed by a four-armed gray non-human made of what looked like pure muscle. Right as Sue was about to look away and let her gaggle of acquaintances resume their walk while turning her thoughts towards wondering just how many tons could Granite deadlift, something odd caught her attention.
There was a small pile of five tiles within the reach of the four-arms¡¯... lower pair of arms, reduced to two right after he took a few off the top. As she turned her head to look away, she spotted... something small, pitch black, and very misshapen at the very bottom of her vision, sending her inner ear into haywire¡ªand then, the next thing she knew, she was blinking her daze away, Basil buzzing at her in concern. The... whatever she saw was nowhere to be seen.
I¡¯ll probably need another checkup soon, huh.
Granite¡¯s low voice distracted her from that train of thought, the remaining tiles gone all of a sudden. All of two tiles going missing didn¡¯t justify more than a bit of annoyance, and that¡¯s where Granite¡¯s emotions were at as he looked over his shoulder, about to speak up at their little group¡ªand froze, together with Ginger.
The abrupt shift made Sue gulp nervously, the gray giant¡¯s mind still stunned in shock. Though, if Ginger¡¯s equally surprised reaction was anything to go by, it wouldn¡¯t stay so for good. And if something bad were to happen, she¡¯d be powerless to stop them¡ª
...
She had no idea Granite could be this loud, but it was only fitting.
In an instant, the builder was off the ladder and dashing over to Ginger, surprise giving way to elation, bright and warm, manifesting in a gregarious shout. Its suddenness took Sue and Basil aback, but the lizard himself seemed to have expected it, his usually flat expression shifting to the biggest, toothiest smile Sue had seen him give yet as he ran towards Granite.
As suddenly as the dash had started, it ended, the technicolor lizard¡¯s happiness giving way to shock and pause; a couple of warbled words and a raised hand conveyed the need to stop to the four-armed builder as well. Without waiting another moment, Ginger ran back up to Basil and handed his son back to him; the bee¡¯s question about what was happening cut off by the night kin resuming whatever had almost happened before¡ªnamely, a massive, tight hug from Granite.
Ginger¡¯s legs kicked the air as he was squeezed for all he was worth. The instant of concern for the lizard¡¯s well being that followed was abated once Granite had loosened up his embrace enough to let him breathe again, before Ginger returned the affection to whatever extent his comparatively shorter reach was capable of.
The sight of Ginger getting squeezed like a dog toy, including his eyes going comically wide for a moment, more than made up for his mistimed joke earlier.
The celebrations wouldn¡¯t end there, though, nowhere near. Granite followed his hug by shouting toward the rest of the construction crew, the call¡¯s effect immediate. One by one, the other builders, the absent Kantaro aside, scrambled over from the other site. The brown spiky pangolin, the bipedal rhino, the red metal... robot insect, the entire gang¡¯s here.
The entire gang was excited to see Ginger again.
Maybe there is hope after all.
Maybe things will be alright.
Chapter 20: Heresy
Fortunately for Ginger¡¯s back, the other construction workers expressed their joy at his return in less... abrupt ways. That¡¯s not to say more affection wasn¡¯t present¡ªthe opposite, if anything. The bipedal rhino might¡¯ve dwarfed the technicolor lizard to a comical degree, but the large high five the two soon exchanged left the gray one reeling much more than Ginger¡ªat least, if shaking their hand off in pain was any sign.
The group¡¯s excited chatter was so loud that even if Sue had known their language, she doubted she¡¯d be able to make out more than a few scattered words.
Granite got his hug, the rhino got their high-five, and the spiky brown pangolin got... a chest bump. Suppose that was the safest course of action considering their ridiculous claws and the many spikes covering their back. Once the two had finished that greeting, the pangolin kept talking as Ginger pulled up some of his loose skin. Their constant chitters grew louder and happier, culminating in them pulling the lizard into another hug.
Judging by his brief hissed remark and a chuckle, Ginger commented on it all with a joke¡ªbut that¡¯s not how it felt to the builders. Whatever he¡¯d said, it left them sappier, their flare-up of joy getting dampened by sorrow even as they tried to keep their minds away from it.
That held true for everyone except for the red robot insect, keeping themselves towards the back of the group and remaining quiet until now. For a moment, Sue grew concerned, worrying that their colder reception was a prelude to Ginger receiving a heaping portion of bigotry from a bunch he¡¯d clearly considered friends¡ª
Which, thankfully, wasn¡¯t the case.
Soon after she¡¯d noticed the metal one¡¯s silence, so did the rest of their group, proceeding introduce them and Ginger to each other. The curt handshake paled in comparison with all the other displays of affection earlier; still, it palpably put the robot at ease¡ªonly for something said shortly after to make them go wide-eyed and stare down at Ginger, their following question delivered in what sounded like highly compressed buzzes.
Someone needs their bitrate upped.
The moment of tension that followed didn¡¯t last long as the group kept talking amongst each other, the robot soon easing out around the night kin. As they cooled off, Sue glanced off to the side to check on how Basil was doing¡ªonly to find the spot beside her empty. The bee turned out to be in the middle of chatting with Birch in the crowd some distance away, the nameless caterpillar now in their other half¡¯s arms.
Red robot spoke up another question, catching Sue¡¯s attention again. Ginger perked up at whatever was just said, his answer slow and uncertain, as if he hadn¡¯t quite understood the question. Undeterred, the metal bug tried again, first pointing at Ginger¡¯s orange-red crest, then at... themself, and lastly at the pile of roof tiles nearby. Something about color, maybe? The tiles¡¯ shade was a coincidental match for the row of scales on top of Ginger¡¯s head, after all.
Regardless if that was the topic or not, Ginger¡¯s response made it clear it didn¡¯t matter either way. His answer was brief, ending with as large of a shrug as his lanky body could provide. Couldn¡¯t have been particularly in-depth, but the red metal one seemed to be content with it, acknowledging it with a nod.
That¡¯s one potentially awkward discussion resolved.
Following the metal bug¡¯s question, the chat continued to relax, excitement easing out into contentment. Sue¡¯s horn definitely appreciated that change in mood, its burning pain subsiding as the mood calmed down.
Everyone stay calm or I¡¯m gonna get wildly uncomfortable.
The chatter continued once Basil made his way back, joining the group now that he¡¯d emptied his arms. It was hard to follow what anyone was talking about, but it didn¡¯t matter¡ªit wasn¡¯t Sue¡¯s chat to follow and partake in, after all.
As everyone else talked on, she took the opportunity to gather her bearings, rolling her shoulders and shifting her weight from side to side, trying to manage her exhaustion. The pit stop was much appreciated, even if a seat would¡¯ve been preferred. Hopefully, she wouldn¡¯t have to stand beside the group looking dumb¡ªor at least dumber than usual¡ªfor much longer.
Ginger¡¯s raised hiss tackled Sue out of that worrisome train of thought, the once-human following the lizard¡¯s eyeline into the crowd to find Willow on its other end. The sight brought the builders¡¯ no less joy than it did her, and everyone who could speak was chiming in to pass greetings over to the medic.
Their response wasn¡¯t very reassuring.
Past proximity let Sue just barely pick Willow¡¯s aura out of the passersby. They were understandably on edge, either in the middle of or about to grab supplies to treat Sundance¡¯s injury. That much was perfectly understandable, and nobody was about to pull them into a spirited discussion with their duties on the line, of course. It was what followed that unnerved Sue in particular, a sudden mid-step shift in their mood once they¡¯d looked toward the builders.
Surprise. Reassurance.
Shock. Fear. Alarm.
The emotional change was so abrupt it almost made the medic trip then and there, and again after they¡¯d looked away and upped their pace, not even acknowledging the group¡¯s greetings. Sue didn¡¯t want to assume anything; there were many reasons for a response like that, but it left her feeling a bit... worried.
Thankfully, she wouldn¡¯t be left to stew in those unpleasant emotions for too long, Willow¡¯s uncertain reaction evidently prompting Ginger to get a move on. He caught Sue¡¯s attention with a pat on her free arm and pointed further into Moonview¡¯s streets. Basil wasted no time in resuming his helpful spot from earlier, flying beside her.
As the crippled Forest Guardian and the helpful bee prepared to move, the technicolor lizard did one last round around the builders¡¯ team. Predictably, him having to head off only sparked further questions, most of them of the unnerved sort.
Figures when it¡¯s the first time they¡¯d seen their friend in years, and now he has to get going after just a few minutes...
He couldn¡¯t answer all the questions, but he could give a broader statement or two. The first one left the group rather somber, and the second perked them up again, especially as the lizard accompanied it by pointing toward the Newmoon path¡ªshe could almost hear trip plans start clicking together in the builders¡¯ heads.
With the last couple goodbyes and Sue grabbing Basil¡¯s stinger for support, the trio of various mobility headed off from the construction site. The team they¡¯d left behind took a long while to resume their usual work following... that, not that Sue could blame them. To various extents, they all felt like they¡¯d seen a ghost. An actual ghost, not¡ Hazel ghost.
Not literally dead, but in a social sense... yeah, pretty much dead.
Ginger continued to catch passersby¡¯s attention as the group pushed through the streets and narrow paths, but less and less of it each time. Suppose everyone who cared enough to gawk at a night kin in Moonview had already done so, leaving folks that either weren¡¯t aware of the significance of Ginger¡¯s presence, or just didn¡¯t care.
There wasn¡¯t much point in trying to distinguish the two. Either option was fine, as far as Sue was concerned.
A few more minutes of mostly silent marching later, they had finally ended up at their intended destination¡ªPoppy¡¯s stall. Seems she¡¯s been at it for long enough for Ginger to be well aware of the sheer quality and quantity of the goods she could fix up on a whim, which didn¡¯t surprise Sue in the slightest.
Hopefully Poppy falls in either the ¡®doesn¡¯t know¡¯ or ¡®doesn¡¯t care¡¯ group; my stomach¡¯s starting to complain.
The truth wouldn¡¯t be revealed for a while longer, however, with Hazel ghosting the counter this time. Poppy, meanwhile, was little more than a blur in the back of the kitchen, seemingly in the middle of putting together no less than three meals simultaneously. The sunset¡¯s faint light didn¡¯t make it easy to tell just what exactly she was fixing, especially with Hazel¡¯s grunted greeting interrupting Sue¡¯s focus.
Sue felt mischief briefly spike in the ghost¡¯s mind at seeing her, but absolutely nothing when Hazel¡¯s attention had shifted onto Ginger. She was endlessly grateful for the lizard to have picked up the hassle of ordering, muttering something to himself as he examined the menu above him before passing a short order on. With the hissed description forwarded, Ginger focused on the fairy cook, eyes narrowing as if he was leering at her.
Eventually, the not-leer died down, Ginger¡¯s body language slumping afterwards. His usual grimace was hard to read, but the expression that followed felt... sad, in a way. Sue wasn¡¯t even sure whether he was actually feeling down or if it¡¯s just her reading too much into it, but she figured that some reassurance wouldn¡¯t hurt.
She carefully let go of Basil¡¯s stinger while looking around for an appropriate part of Ginger¡¯s body to use for some patted affirmation. The loose green skin covered most of his back and shoulders, discounting them as options, which left... his thin arms, maybe. Not too much surface area, especially with Sue¡¯s current hands being substantially larger than they used to be, but she hoped her support would be understood, regardless.
*pat pat*
Nope, didn¡¯t work.
Fortunately, Ginger hadn¡¯t interpreted the gesture negatively, instead just staring at her, confused. Since that one didn¡¯t work, Sue figured to try out something else¡ªanything to convey reassurance.
A thumbs up, maybe?
Her hand was still capable of that gesture, even if it looked really awkward with two fewer fingers to offset the sticking thumb. It didn¡¯t elicit any reaction either, leaving her worried about possibly seriously screwing things up by now, or even accidentally offending him¡ª
...or neither.
The gesture came off silly with how small his paws were, but it was still unmistakably an attempt at returning her thumbs-up. A very confused attempt, Ginger¡¯s expression looking less reassured and more like it was trying to crack a dumb puzzle, but an attempt all the same.
Local multicolor lizards discovered to have mirror neurons, more at elev¡ª
*eeeeEEEEE!*
The squeak was sudden and deafening, the entire trio in front of the stall jumping in response. Before they could even figure out what had just happened, the cook was already on the move, tossing the three bowls in her arms in the air as she ran out of the pantry. Sue didn¡¯t even have the time to process said bowls landing on the nearby counters with perfect grace, not a single piece of their contents spilling out, the pink blur¡¯s arrival cutting off her rattled brain.
And once Poppy got there, there were no survivors.
Her squeeze was somehow as strong as Granite¡¯s from earlier, the sound that left Ginger at the hug almost like a dog toy. And the fairy wouldn¡¯t even stop there, still holding the lizard tight as she took off into a pirouette. She maintained balance through magics unknown as she spun, barely avoiding smacking either of the other two with her flailing friend.
If not for the bright joy going through Poppy¡¯s mind, Sue would¡¯ve almost thought she was about to pile drive or toss Ginger. A few spins later, she let go of him, his eyes spinning as he desperately tried to maintain balance to the backdrop of Poppy¡¯s twinkly laughter. Or at least, initially twinkly, the fairy¡¯s laugh growing louder and more bellowing once she¡¯d spotted everyone¡¯s confused expressions.
That¡¯s right Hazel, for once it¡¯s someone else laughing at your expense.
Once Ginger was no longer at risk of having spinning cartoon stars spontaneously appear above his head, he could respond to the sudden greeting with his own. Regardless of what was said, it clarified exactly nothing for Hazel. The prankster joined in the group after phasing through the counter, massive eyes and cartoonish mouth conveying her confusion in perfect clarity. And then, her fluster once Poppy had snuck in a smooch on her cheek.
The assorted onlookers had recovered from Poppy¡¯s outburst enough by then to react to the fairy¡¯s follow-up. The chorus of Basil¡¯s buzzes, Ginger¡¯s hisses and Sue¡¯s laughter conveyed their amusement at the ghost¡¯s embarrassment, bringing forth shame to the shameless.
Good.
Poppy wouldn¡¯t even wait for her wife to finish recovering before introducing their impromptu guest, her pink arm wrapping around Ginger¡¯s shoulders as the other pointed at him with pride and fondness, in gestures and thoughts alike.
As cranky as Hazel might¡¯ve been after being put on the spot for once, her wife¡¯s burning enthusiasm helped immensely in melting through any unpleasant emotions, interest slowly creeping in to replace them. Not straightforward interest, of course¡ªthat wouldn¡¯t fit her image at all. Instead, it was an interest that feigned disinterest, maybe even mockery, choosing questions carefully to piece things together without appearing too curious.
...
Her injury might¡¯ve made her horn sting like mad when Sue focused in on what the surrounding people were feeling, but goodness, it could manage some impressive feats, especially now that she¡¯d had a bit of practice. And she didn¡¯t even need to link up with others, she just... felt it all. Multiple tuggings overlapping, interest and insecurity combining into secondary and tertiary emotions. Three basic colors mixing to create a painting, a handful of tones coming together to form a symphony.
It all just made sense to her. For better or worse, she was getting used to this.
The abrupt shift in mood at one of the fairy¡¯s lines took Sue out of her pondering. A glance at the rest of the group revealed Basil¡¯s and Hazel¡¯s shock, the latter much more subdued, Poppy¡¯s exasperation, and Ginger¡¯s... nothing she could sense. Poppy¡¯s groan might not have clarified much on its own, but once she¡¯d explained something to the massive bee, the atmosphere began to loosen up.
Seems a couple of someones only now figured out just what this half-rainbow creature is, pffft.
As exaggerated as Basil¡¯s startle was, it didn¡¯t take long for it to die down. It first turned into pensiveness, and then determination as the bee hovered towards the lizard, buzzing something directly at him. Ginger¡¯s responses sure didn¡¯t sound spirited either way, his expression offering nothing to go off. Guess as shocked as Basil was, Ginger didn¡¯t care much? The exchange of bows that followed was probably some sort of formal greeting¡ª
*tap tap*
Huh?
The taps on Sue¡¯s free arm made her glance towards where they¡¯d come from. Somewhat predictably, she saw nothing, leaving Sue blinking a few times in confusion before looking back¡ª
Just to see Hazel¡¯s grimace from up close, shaded as if only lit up from below, and with no sound to accompany it.
Aside from Sue¡¯s own subsequent shriek of fear, at least.
She tried to dash back out of reflex, her flight response acting out despite her dysfunctional leg. In moments, she was falling, only able to hear her own racing heart, too paralyzed to move¡ªjust in time for Basil to circle around her and stop her fall.
A loud grunt left him as the flat sides of his stingers supported her back, the bee managing to straighten her out despite his smaller size. Hazel¡¯s laughter filled Sue¡¯s ears as she worked through all the Astonishment in her system, her body gradually unclenching to the tune of a fresh new argument between the spook and the insect.
Poppy might¡¯ve been amused and Hazel might¡¯ve been oh-so-proud of herself, but Basil was very, very annoyed. His buzzes and clicks kept rising in volume as the prankster brushed his words aside, again and again. Their discussion kept growing in volume, Basil¡¯s disarmed stingers swinging from side to side in increasingly animated ways.
The cook just found it all funny.
Sue, meanwhile, was of half a mind to get back at Hazel, briefly considering repeating her accidental attack on Basil but on the ghost instead, and very deliberately this time. A terrible, messed-up idea, and she knew it well. It was something that would cast a serious shade on her as a person, but she was much too drained by today to keep her emotions in check, every little bit of emotional exhaustion burning up into anger¡ª
Thankfully for everyone around, Ginger knew just what to do.
Before either side of the argument could react, the lizard grabbed the backs of both their heads and bonked them together, single-handedly redirecting their combined ire onto him. Ire, and attention, Ginger using the latter by speaking up to both of them.
If what she¡¯d seen of Newmoon was representative, he had some experience with dealing with superpowered creatures getting angry at each other from time to time, and whatever he¡¯d said, it seemed to work. Basil and Hazel alike kept deflating for a while, emotions cooling by the moment¡ªat least, until Ginger put the ghost on the spot again. Try to defend herself as she might, Ginger¡¯s barrage cut through Hazel¡¯s every excuse, much like Willow¡¯s from a few days ago.
Roast her ghost ass.
Eventually, Hazel finally relented, not feeling good about any of it. Thankfully for her and Sue alike, she wouldn¡¯t be forced to apologize to her victim again. Instead, she grumbled to herself before... collapsing underground in a very literal way, phasing downwards until she was entirely out of view.
Must be nice, being able to throw a hissy fit and just disappear literally anywhere like that.
The mood of the rest of the group was... uneasy to put it lightly, though Sue was too wound up to pay much attention. Poppy had gone from elated, to amused, to now worried, Ginger¡¯s reassurances not helping much. Basil clearly didn¡¯t enjoy how Ginger had broken up his earlier spat either, one stinger reaching up and rubbing the area of the unintentional headbutt as he floated over to Sue.
Sue had no idea what exact words he¡¯d just vocalized, but a pretty solid hunch of what he meant by them. ¡°I-I¡¯m okay Basil, don¡¯t worry. What¡¯s up with her, I-I swear to Duck...¡± she muttered, unnerved. Her still sticking to that name probably constituted a grave heresy of some sort¡ªthough considering her last interaction with said deity had Her melt her brain over something that didn¡¯t end up mattering at all, she didn¡¯t care.
Not that Night Father had been all that useful either¡ª
*w-woof, woof?*
Oh no.
The barks were well familiar by now, filling Sue¡¯s psyche with whiplash. Spark¡¯s physical presence was comforting as the fox got to nuzzling her leg and happily greeting Basil, but the once-human knew well that this was going to be a very transient relief. The lil¡¯ vixen wasn¡¯t despairing, but she was palpably confused.
She must¡¯ve not known yet, but was already suspecting something.
¡°H-hey Spark. I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m sorry...¡± Sue whimpered, the somber sound not reassuring Spark any.
Her woofs grew a bit more insistent afterwards, the occasional questions Sue could make out accompanied by hints of distress. She had no way of responding to these, and Spark knew that. The tension of being put on a distressing spot like that threatened to sink her into a new emotional low¡ªbut, once more, Ginger intervened.
His voice was much lower than before, his body language slumped and expression the most distraught Sue had seen him be yet. With a couple of growls, he caught Spark¡¯s attention, and with a couple more, everyone else¡¯s, too. Their combined shock left Sue feeling unwell¡ªespecially as it changed into something much worse.
Spark¡¯s barks turned quiet and squeaky as panic gripped her tiny body. She immediately ran up to the night kin lizard, barking non-stop. His hisses helped little, a look around not seeing any of the medics or the wounded Sundance.
There was one obvious spot for her to have ended up at, though, and both Sue and Spark realized it at around the same time.
The kit wasted no time before taking off into Moonview. Ginger¡¯s startled growl in her direction was cut off by Sue passing by moments later, the Forest Guardian following in Spark¡¯s footsteps at whatever pace she was capable of. Her body was sore, her horn smarted like a motherfucker, the negative emotions around her amplified the pain, but the adrenaline cruising through her system offset it all¡ªadrenaline, and the desire to comfort a terrified child.
Sue could almost navigate these few streets from memory. Turn to the left, then another, a few buildings forward, then to the right. Straight on for a decent stretch, left turn again, and there it was.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Willow¡¯s clinic.
Spark¡¯s distraught howl reached the other two before they¡¯d even turned the last corner, the sound freezing the blood in their veins. Sue pushed on, sheer focus dulling everything but the fox¡¯s sadness out. She¡¯d only barely squeezed through the clinic¡¯s door frame as she caught up with the fiery cub, the sight inside equal parts sad and reassuring.
Sundance hadn¡¯t gotten any worse in the meantime, breathing deeply in her coma. The former couldn¡¯t be said for Spark, though. Twin streams of tears ran down her cheeks as she scrambled up onto the bed, nestling in next to her wounded mom. She kept constantly barking at her, with pain, fright, and worry mixing in her every plea.
Even despite Solstice¡¯s previous reassurances that the older fox would be alright, the sheer misery radiating from Spark made Sue doubt it. It could¡¯ve easily just been infectious emotions, virulent despair, but that awareness didn¡¯t make them any less effective. Especially when combined with Sue¡¯s utter exhaustion.
Please make it, Sundance, please...
Steps approaching from behind cut her idle prayer off, their particular aura familiar enough by now to not even have to look. She cleared the path for Willow with a side step, only now realizing that Ginger had followed her in at some point. The medic greeted her on autopilot as the entirety of their unnerved focus redirected towards the situation on the bed. Willow¡¯s words wavered, straining to sound as comforting as they were capable of.
Thankfully, even pretend calm was enough to reach Spark. The medic¡¯s reassurance, combined with their gentle pets, gradually worked its way through the fox¡¯s panic. At one point, they went quiet and guided the lil¡¯ fox right towards her mom¡¯s front, to the exact spot that would make listening to her heartbeat and breaths the easiest. Beat by beat, the little one slowly eased out, coming to grips with what had just happened, panic dulling into sorrow.
In any other circumstances, Willow choosing to move the entire bed instead of asking Spark to hop off so they could reach Sundance¡¯s back would¡¯ve been hilarious to Sue, but... not now.
Not like this.
The actual physical injury was barely noticeable from just a couple of meters away, looking less like something that had almost killed her and more like the result of an annoying knife mishap. To think she¡¯d almost died at that moment, to think Solstice had almost died, that she would¡¯ve certainly died if she was standing only half a step forward¡
Sue felt anger grip her again. At Juniper, at this entire nightmare that she was risking life and limb to help untangle, this mess of old wounds, grudges, and xenophobia, one with what felt like no answers, especially right now.
One she had to fix on her own.
Sniffling coming from the bed mellowed Sue¡¯s raging emotions, her desire to comfort Spark brighter than ever. Her muscles complained as she forced herself to move. She kept her grunting in, lifting her crutch off the ground for the umpteenth time, pushing toward the vixen one painful step at a time. She had no words; that much was neither unexpected nor new. But what she had was touch and comfort, and Spark needed as much of those as she could provide.
Low purrs, slowing breath. Despite everything, she was helping.
Even if Spark herself was too busy to acknowledge her gestures, Willow did, offering her a tired smile and a weak nod as they reapplied the bandages. It was at that point, though, that they noticed Ginger again. Their reaction was the same, a discouraging, cold startle.
Sue deeply hoped it wasn¡¯t what she feared it was.
Ginger left the clinic soon after, taking away the source of that unpleasant sensation, but not ending it altogether. Discomfort kept churning inside of Willow¡¯s head. If Sue wasn¡¯t battered, mentally drained, and physically exhausted, she might¡¯ve even tried to link up and investigate just what had happened.
Instead, she just gave Spark one last pat and followed Ginger out.
He was waiting for her just around the corner, leaning against the nearby building with an unpleasant, pensive expression. Once he¡¯d noticed her, he conveyed a new direction for them to walk towards with a tilt of his head as he straightened out. Thankfully, he had enough manners to match her ever-slowing pace.
The looming sunset bathed Moonview in a fierce orange light as they headed eastward, shadows growing even longer by the moment. Sue had no idea where they were going or why, too exhausted to do much thinking anymore. Everything she¡¯d seen so far today made her hope beyond hope that this was it, that nothing else terrible would happen.
Before she knew it, there was a warm wetness on her cheeks. A couple of stray tears welled on her chin and eventually splashed against her horn, the resulting cold shocks forcing her to stop. It took Ginger a hot minute to notice, the lizard lost in his own thoughts. Once he did, he walked over to her, checking up on her to whatever extent he was capable of. Which was almost nothing, but even him pausing and waiting for her to get better was very appreciated, more than he¡¯d ever know.
Just have to focus and make it through the rest of today. Just have to make it through. Just have to¡ª
¡°Ginger?¡±
Solstice¡¯s voice was the single most comforting sensation Sue could¡¯ve asked for at that moment, making her shamble a couple of steps toward the older Forest Guardian upon hearing it. The Mayor wasn¡¯t doing much better than her, though. Unkempt hair, glistening eyes, shaking posture¡ªeven the blue tattoos seemed more washed out than usual, though that might¡¯ve just been the lighting.
¡°Eyyyup,¡± Ginger nodded, sighing. ¡°Figured I might use the opportunity to look around, y¡¯know¡ªdoubt I¡¯ll ever get one again. Went to meet some old friends. See what everyone¡¯s been up to, how Moonview has grown and such. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be heading out soon. Just want to check on one last thing.¡±
Solstice responded with a shaking nod. She was clearly unsure about the whole idea, but by now it was much too late to say no. What happened, happened, and there was nothing anyone could do. ¡°Alright. I suppose that¡¯s only fair for your help. Are you feeling okay, Sue?¡± she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
No, of course she wasn¡¯t, and they both knew that. ¡°I-I¡¯ll manage,¡± Sue sidestepped the question, grasping her crutch even tighter. ¡°H-how are you holding up?¡±
They both also knew that this was a question better left unanswered. ¡°Sundance has gotten medical attention, at least,¡± Solstice sighed. ¡°Has anyone told Spark¡ª¡±
¡°Yep, she ran into us and I had to explain what Juniper did. She¡¯s cuddled up to Sundance now, over at the clinic,¡± Ginger explained, wincing at the recent memory.
Even trying to imagine all the pain the entire situation must¡¯ve brought upon the little fox sent shivers down Solstice¡¯s back. She was relieved, deep down, that it wasn¡¯t her who had to pass the dire news on. ¡°Alright,¡± she weakly nodded. ¡°Thank you for that, Ginger.¡±
¡°Ain¡¯t no problem.¡±
Sue could only stare as Solstice chewed through it all, so many thoughts swirling inside her head that it was difficult to make out anything more precise than general distress. Might as well just get this done with. ¡°Lead the way, Ginger,¡± the Mayor instructed.
¡°Sure thing,¡± he answered, his voice flat and tense, a marked contrast compared to when Sue¡¯d first interacted with him in Newmoon. Suppose that with everything that had happened, there was only so much stress one could cover up, no matter how hard they tried.
Sue was too weak to try anymore, Solstice too weak to stop trying.
The two Forest Guardians slowly followed the technicolor lizard through the streets, the density of passersby shrinking as the sun set. For better or worse, their destination wasn¡¯t too far. The Mayor was taken aback as she realized where Newmoon¡¯s leader was heading, a cold emotion filling her mind at the realization. Not fear, though.
Shame.
Sunset lit up Duck¡¯s graven depiction, the shadows of nearby buildings gradually creeping along the bases of the three walls of the monument surrounding the elevated altar. Despite everything, despite Sue¡¯s internal mockery towards the deity in question, seeing Her be depicted like this, having Her likeness come to life with the brilliant orange light... it was stunning.
Ginger¡¯s focus wasn¡¯t on the central wall bearing Duck¡¯s likeness, though¡ªprecisely the opposite. ¡°Wait, where¡¯d¡ªno¡ No, you didn¡¯t...¡±
The lizard¡¯s words were the most shocked Sue had heard him speak yet, genuinely taken aback in the way she didn¡¯t think he was capable of. It only made them sting more, for Solstice and, by proxy, Sue alike. Despite the shrine no longer depicting his deity, Ginger still took his time approaching, putting more care into that than into seemingly anything else, ever.
Sue didn¡¯t know what he would do and mostly didn¡¯t want to know. Even as utterly non-hostile as the lizard had been so far, her heartbeat still sped up; she wanted to be anywhere but here.
Thankfully, Fate offered her a fleeting distraction.
*whiiiiistle!*
The familiar sound perked Sue¡¯s spirit up more than she¡¯d thought anything was capable of. A look away from the unfolding scene at the monument revealed Lilly to be pushing a cart of fruit off in the distance with one arm, the other waving over at her. Even if she couldn¡¯t come over and comfort her directly, just having her around helped more than the leafy dancer could¡¯ve known, her sight alone bringing back some of the accompanying relief in Sue¡¯s memories.
A small, shaky smile crept onto Sue¡¯s face as she began waving back with her free hand, the farmhand returning the gesture even more intensely¡ªfor a brief moment, at least.
Sue could only barely make the rough growl out from the din of the village, but its effect was clear to see. Lilly flinched as if struck, freeze giving way to hurriedly pushing the cart along. Root came into view next to where she¡¯d been standing soon after, the purple spots around his neck aglow. The Forest Guardian had no idea what the hell was his problem, but was much too distraught and intimidated to act on that annoyance.
Especially after he turned towards her, red eyes glowing dimly in the distance as they stared straight at her.
Straight through her.
Sue reeled back at that sight, hurriedly looking away, just in time to see what Ginger had been up to. He was inspecting one of the side walls of the monument, the one that Sue could by now figure out to be implying protection from the dark.
Protection from the night kin.
It wasn¡¯t its front face that the lizard was focused on, though. One paw was reaching behind the stone slab, brushing along the monument¡¯s back face. He need not have spoken for his expression to tell everything, the wide-eyed surprise giving way to a quiet confirmation.
Guess I was right. Night Father¡¯s monument didn¡¯t just disappear into thin air.
¡
Why did I have to be right.
It was hard to even look toward Solstice anymore, the shame at everything she¡¯d done and facilitated that led to this unsightly discovery burning a hole in her mind. A goring, gangrenous mental wound, off-putting to even be near.
Before it could grow any further, the last thing anyone around wanted to see cut it off. As Ginger inspected the side wall¡¯s back face, its shaky foundation started to give at the modicum of force being applied to it. The massive slab leaned forward, making both Forest Guardians gasp¡ª
¡°Woah woah woah, easy there¡ª*ugh!*¡± Ginger grunted. He didn¡¯t look like he¡¯d have even the fraction of the strength needed to just grasp the side of the stone slap and keep it from collapsing the manual way, but that¡¯s precisely what he then did. ¡°There ya go, there ya go. Sorry for all that, my bad.¡±
Even if the slight wavering in Ginger¡¯s voice would have only corresponded to being slightly unnerved for anyone else, by the lizard¡¯s standards it was outright freaking out, and Sue couldn¡¯t blame him one bit. It was only afterwards, once she began to calm down, that she even realized how fast it and the Mayor¡¯s hearts were racing to begin with.
Crisis averted, thank Duck.
The sheer tension made it hard to even exhale a sigh of relief. It wasn¡¯t the only obstacle to trying to relax though, with the second, arguably even larger one, announcing his presence with a loud, harsh growl.
Root¡¯s entire collar was ablaze now, the eerie purple flames seemingly not hurting the fiery badger at all. As harmless as the inferno around his neck was, that couldn¡¯t be said for his expression, teeth bared as fury and shock mixed on his snout, eyes going wide only to narrow right on the intruder night kin, the words that followed harsh and left untranslated. Probably for the best¡ª
A motion in the corner of her eye made Sue glance over and freeze, her breath stuck in her throat.
As Ginger stared at the shouting priest, the slab he¡¯d just secured began to lean away from him, too slowly for anyone to notice. There was nothing Sue could do but stare, stare as the side wall collapsed despite Ginger¡¯s best efforts to stabilize it.
Stare at the heresy¡¯s destruction.
*BANG!*
The deafening sound rocked the entire clearing and rooted everyone present, their hearts all skipping a beat as they turned to face its source, and saw the errant slab shattered on the grassy dirt, having fallen away from the altar on its own.
Both Root and Solstice were too shocked to so much as peep, but that didn¡¯t extend to Ginger, the lizard immediately stepped forward to assess the damage, muttering to himself. ¡°Oh... fuck. Three, four... five larger pieces, several small ones. Shit. Mortar would prolly work, but would need to be careful. I need to get to Kantaro, she¡¯ll know what to do, she made it¡ª¡±
¡°H-he,¡± Sue interjected, heart still racing.
Her words derailed Ginger¡¯s train of thought for a moment before he continued, ¡°He, right. Need to fetch him then, he¡¯ll know¡ªKANTARO!¡±
Ginger¡¯s sudden shout combined with a wide-eyed look at the gathering crowd left most everyone staring at the blue beetle that was pushing his way to the front. He stared slack-jawed at the scene, yellow eyes jumping back and forth between Ginger and the wrecked side wall of the monument, the former catching up with him quickly.
¡°Kantaro, need help with that,¡± the lizard explained, stress dripping from his voice. ¡°Figure you either built it or helped, have any ideas on how to piece it together? Counted five larger pieces and a bunch of tiny ones. Think mortar will be enough?¡±
Kantaro could only force out a single word as he stepped forward a few steps, using whatever remaining sunlight to get a better view of the freshly destroyed side wall. ¡°Ginger...¡± he began, before cutting himself off. No, this discussion wasn¡¯t needed¡ªhe¡¯s had an exact plan for what to do in this situation since the very moment he¡¯d applied the final strike of the chisel on these two cursed slabs. ¡°No,¡± he finally spoke, voice no more than a low growl. ¡°That heresy wasn¡¯t worth the stone it was carved on. Good riddance.¡±
The fiery badger was only now recovering from the sheer shock of watching his sacred shrine be defiled like that, stunned silence giving way to fury. In an instant, the collar of fire around his neck went from nonexistent to overwhelming, each individual flame almost the size of his head. The burning heat drove most onlookers away, Sue, Solstice, and Ginger included¡ªbut not Kantaro.
The beetle stared his boss in the eyes even as he drew closer to overheating, body beginning to shake. Only upon seeing that did Root¡¯s fiery collar wane, shrinking even if the ferocious, downright feral grimace remained. Ginger immediately ran up to his friend to check on him afterwards, the beetle¡¯s reassuring grunt that followed too quiet to make out.
¡°Begone.¡±
Root¡¯s command was brief and striking; Sue left wanting to run for the hills even with it having not been aimed at her. Ginger fared better, thankfully. He glared at the priest as he straightened himself out, their eyes locking in tension once more.
¡°Don¡¯t have to tell me again.¡±
Ginger spat at the ground in front of Root, the ordinarily insulting gesture made even more potent by the hissing and smoke that sprouted from the struck spot, as if the lizard had spat acid. And then, without any further ado, Ginger turned towards the Newmoon pathway,
And left.
Sue could only stare there as she and everyone else watched Ginger leave in silence. And with him, any remaining sunlight, the darkness shrouding the scene quickly thickening with the light poles still unlit.
It was only many, many minutes later that a gentle touch on Sue¡¯s arm finally snapped her out of her dissociation, making her jump. She looked around the dark scene, unable to make out much beyond Solstice¡¯s dimly glowing eyes, especially as the rest of Moonview left, one by one.
¡°^Head over to my tent, Sue,^¡± Solstice instructed, her intent obvious with the bed of Willow¡¯s clinic occupied.
Sue acknowledged the request with a shaky nod and turned toward where she remembered the Mayor¡¯s tent being. For a moment, she waited for Solstice to get going beside her, about to ask her if she would be going with her before hearing Root¡¯s harsh growls from much close up, the sound urging her on.
Once last glance over her shoulder confirmed Sue¡¯s fears, the sight of Solstice wincing with Root¡¯s every snarled word stabbing the younger Forest Guardian¡¯s heart. A part of her wanted to help, wanted to intervene, to do something, anything¡ªbut there was nothing she could do.
And so, her conscious control came out on top, for once.
Before Sue knew it, she was completely alone in the dark. She could barely make out anything around her with the sunlight gone and the Moon being little more than the narrowest of slivers. A part of her wanted to stop, but the rest hated that idea wholeheartedly, wanting to keep going and not stop until she was as far away from what had happened today, from the altar, from Root, as possible.
The more her mind dwelt on it all, on everything she¡¯d seen, the more it felt like the Night Mother was the evil one of the two. Or, at the very least, attracted evil. Sue wanted to chuckle grimly at the realization, to laugh at the banal, cruel twist of irony in the healing deity being the manifestation of all evil in this world, at the Moon being the fucking Satan¡ª
But she couldn¡¯t.
Because Solstice was there, too.
The internal conflict brought no relief and no release, the tension only growing whenever she tried to think through it all. There was no laughter to be had, no absurdity of the cosmos to be mocked or cherished, no barrel to live in and lecture at a passing emperor from.
It all just fucking hurts.
The sudden change of lighting nearby snapped Sue back to awareness. Crackle¡¯s obscured body flew from lamp post to lamp post, leaving purplish balls of flame behind. Even if he¡¯d noticed her, Sue wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk much, not even acknowledging his presence as she pushed onward, Solstice¡¯s tent just up ahead.
Its inside was much smaller than Sue remembered it being. The artificial light didn¡¯t do nearly as good of a job of penetrating through the thin walls as natural sunlight, leaving the small space almost completely pitch black. Sue needed to stand in place for a minute or two as her eyes got used to the absence of light, and even then, she only barely made out something to sit on nearby.
Something soft, with no back support, and very elongated.
The only question was whether this used to be Aurora¡¯s bed, or Jasper¡¯s.
The thought provided yet another gut punch to Sue¡¯s psyche. Her body curled up as she sat still in complete darkness, only putting in the very minimum of effort and placing the crutch down on the floor beside her. Before long, the quiet truly began to set in. A distant, muffled step here, a stray gust of wind there, her own breaths¡ªnone of them could even remotely dent the all-encompassing silence of her surroundings, the silence that saps all the other senses too, that leaves one only with their own innermost thoughts.
...
...
...
I fucked up.
The realization was as simple as it was piercing, forcing a wince out of Sue as if she¡¯d stabbed herself with a knife.
I should¡¯ve done something. Something to stop Juniper, should¡¯ve suspected it would happen, shouldn¡¯t have tried to tag along with Sundance to begin with¡ª
Each of these hurt more and more. Sue¡¯s teeth gritted as she doubled over, every single thought feeling like it was stabbing her insides.
It¡¯s my fault. It¡¯s all my fault.
...
...
...
It¡¯s over, isn¡¯t it?
For once, there was no pain, merely a release of tension. A blissful shroud of powerlessness, interwoven with despair.
I¡¯m stuck here.
...
...
...
No, I don¡¯t deserve that¡ª
Right as Sue¡¯s thoughts were about to descend into another twisted pathway, the flap of the tent was shoved open. The light it had brought with itself left Sue reeling and shielding her eyes as Solstice spoke, ¡°^Apologies, Sue. Do you want me to light a small fire here?^¡±
Sue declined Solstice¡¯s question with a shake, slowly prying her eyes open again. She could barely make out the older Forest Guardian carefully lowering sleeping Comet into the small cot immediately beside her bed before she took a seat, her whole mind feeling shellshocked.
Not that Sue was doing any better.
¡°^Do you want me to grab you anything, Sue? Food, water, light?^¡± the Mayor asked again, and once more, Sue shook her head, only curling up tighter on her bedding. She was hungry and thirsty, but the last thing she wanted in the moment was to put the onus on anyone to fix these issues for her, not after everything that had happened today.
Solstice wanted to say something, to cut Sue off there and then, to not let that kind of self loathing keep building¡ªand if she¡¯d had any words that could help, she might¡¯ve used them. ¡°^In that case... good night, Sue. May She keep your rest peaceful.^¡±
Both of them knew there would be no rest to be had tonight.
Sue nodded on autopilot before lying down on what was little more than a bare, thin mattress, profoundly uncomfortable without a pillow. And yet, exactly what she deserved.
Even with Solstice and Comet so close to her, the tent felt no more alive than before, impenetrable silence returning to reclaim its rightful throne in Sue¡¯s mind. There weren¡¯t words that could adequately cover everything. So many things she wanted to say, to apologize for. Almost all of them were inane self loathing, and even her inane self loathing mind was well aware of that.
All but one, though. One that she couldn¡¯t discount. One point where she could¡¯ve intervened. One chance to stop this day from becoming even more of a disaster.
¡°I¡¯m sorry for letting Ginger in,¡± Sue whispered; the individual sounds little more than rustles of individual leaves in the spring breeze.
¡°^You did nothing wrong, Sue,^¡± Solstice reassured telepathically. ¡°^Neither did Ginger.^¡±
Sue expected that first non-reassurance, but the follow-up gave her a pause. Her stony, distraught expression was interrupted for the first time in ages as she lifted a single eyebrow, the Mayor¡¯s response coming not long after. ¡°^It¡¯s not the fault of either of you. If we hadn¡¯t defiled the Night Father¡¯s monument to carve out more glory towards the Pale Lady, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. If we hadn¡¯t banished the night kin on supposedly the Pale Lady¡¯s behest, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. If my clan¡¯s teachings of Pale Lady hadn¡¯t spread here, this wouldn¡¯t have happened.^¡±
A long, uncomfortable silence lingered in the tent as Sue chewed on Solstice¡¯s words, a sniffle coming over from the Mayor¡¯s bed eventually interrupting it. ¡°^Why must She be a tool of hatred...^¡±
Sue couldn¡¯t contribute even the slightest bit of food for thought at the older Forest Guardian¡¯s rhetorical question¡ªbut what she could do, however, was listen.
¡°^Hatred, and fear, and night kin oppression. Again, a-and again. It¡¯s not what She is, it was never what She was... and yet it turns out this way, again and again. I tried to intervene, to sway Moonview when I could; it felt like it was working, but¡ª^¡± Solstice paused, sobs giving way to a drawn out whimper. ¡°^I was too weak. No better than any of them, I... I made this happen. I made Her into a tool of hatred, again. She isn¡¯t that, She has never been that... but there¡¯s nothing I can do.^¡±
A choking silence, an absence of motion. Only her mentor¡¯s thrashing, painful aura let Sue know whether she was even awake anymore.
¡°^Maybe I am the fool. For thinking it all could ever be any different. For thinking She could ever be a symbol of love, of hope, of healing.^¡±
Minutes passed by in utter stillness, then hours. Sue remained awake by the sheer tension of it all, despite the rest of her body yearning for rest, however feeble. However strained. And once that tension came undone, once Solstice spoke for the final time tonight, the rest came crashing along with her words, claiming Sue¡¯s consciousness once more.
¡°^Maybe the Pale Lady I used to pray to every night is gone.^¡±
Sue¡¯s own breathing was deafening.
Her dreamed-up eyes fed sensory input to her dreamed-up mind, but she couldn¡¯t see. There were only blurs of color, haphazard and distorted, taking an eternity to sharpen into a coherent image. Her hands. Her legs. The bench. The gray sand. The campfire, consuming the world around her in a blazing inferno.
Her mom¡¯s guitar. Shattered. Bleeding. Disemboweled.
Sue looked up. The rueful Sun bled crimson and shone no light. The overwhelming noise of her breaths drowned all other sound as she stared into it, watching the blood build up on its bottom. A large red spot grew, then bulged out, and, finally, released a single drop, falling across the skies.
And splashing on the silver Moon, right in between its two deities.
Before Sue knew it, she wasn¡¯t breathing anymore, tattered mind forcibly put together as it stared through someone else¡¯s eyes. A single red speck marked the moondust separating Night Father from Duck, the two facing away from each other. Maimed, scarred.
Wrong.
Night Father¡¯s left arm was shattered, the inky blackness mangled with multiple cuts taken out of it. It hung limply, connected to the rest of His body by a single, dark thread.
Duck looked so much worse.
Countless scars covered Her radiant body and blue-gold dawn, individual wounds coming together into patterns reminiscent of Solstice¡¯s tattoos. Her right and back wings had been stabbed repeatedly, vandalized; the parts that weren¡¯t outright destroyed covered in thick webs of cracks. Only stubs remained of the left wing.
Open gashes ran along the crescent horns that flanked Her head, coming together to resemble a couple of symbols Sue¡¯d seen in her dreams and around Moonview, their meaning unknown yet derogatory. Her throat was slit, blood the color of full Moon flowing down Her front and staining the pink of Her paws, dripping off onto the moondust below.
Earth shone a cosmic distance behind them both, white and blue, enveloped sevenfold by an Emerald Serpent for its protection. Above them all, the ever-living Sun. Its judging light barraged the unreal scene, casting harsh, pitch-black shadows.
Two of them on the lunar surface, near her point of view. One sprouted from around her point of view. A head with three points, each with a short strip of paper hanging off of it, giving way to a short body, and then a pair of flaps, fluttering slowly in the absence of air.
The other was being cast by something that didn¡¯t exist, by something she wasn¡¯t allowed to perceive. A head with three points, the side ones curved and with something circular hanging from them. A short body, tapering outwards. Disjointed arms.
Duck spoke first, Her voice as regal as ever¡ªand immediately cut off by Night Father.
¡°Is that all you have to say?¡±
Tremors went through the lunar surface at His words, the shadows of the twinned observers not flinching even slightly. She spoke again, Her voice raised and pleading¡ªand, again, discarded.
¡°I do not care for your apology. It is worthless to me.¡±
A fissure streaked across the moondust behind them, breaking off into a web of cracks from horizon to horizon. Duck kept trying, regal voice tearing up with emotion, only for Her fear to be met with His anger.
¡°You have done nothing to earn my forgiveness. I doubt you ever will.¡±
The horizon shrunk around them as fissures gave way to a thundering earthquake, the entire dreamscape gradually coming undone.
At last, Duck caved and turned around, Her divine body shaking as She leaned in His direction, panic dripping from Her voice. Whatever She¡¯d said, it was enough to make Him snap and turn around to face Her, midday blue and sunset pink eyes gazing into one another.
¡°What do I want you to do, you ask!?¡±
His voice might¡¯ve been furious, but Sue heard the tiniest seeds of a genuine plea in it, focusing all that was left of her mind on them as reality fell apart.
¡°Change. Can you do that, ?¡±
The last word was not meant to be known by mortal minds, flooding Sue¡¯s remaining awareness with the utmost grace and restoration of moonlight, Her grace, Her restoration. Her healing.
Instant by instant, the surrounding space faded into nothingness, the very forms of the deities shattering in front of Sue¡¯s vision. Just before they did, just before everything was gone, she saw the Pale Lady open her mouth and speak a single word¡ª
And then, all faded into nonexistence, vanishing into squeaky, grating laughter.
Interlude III: Distance
For once, her escape had been swift enough.
The Windrider gradually slowed down to her equivalent of a casual stroll, relaxing from flying faster than all terrestrial beings ran to only flying faster than most of them ran. Her body was used to so much more than this, to velocities capable of killing many lesser creatures on their own from sheer inertia.
Alas, her age would only let itself be temporarily overlooked, but never forgotten.
Despite her relatively sluggish flight, she was still making progress towards the next stop on her journey, and that was all that mattered. Or at the very least, all she knew she should¡¯ve been focusing on, on the mere fact of progress instead of fretting about its exact pace. Easier said than done.
...
¡
Blast it.
The low thrum that left the dragon¡¯s throat went unheard above the calm waters, not a single fellow flier sharing the nearby afternoon sky. She thought she had remembered the direction to take, that her long sharpened sense of place in the world would let her find her way without any aid¡ªand yet, she wavered, coming to a stop in the middle of a vast ocean.
She wasn¡¯t doomed, nowhere near. Even if she were to become truly lost, her return would merely be delayed until she made it to shore somewhere and then followed along with it. And that was the worst-case scenario¡ªLatch¡¯s foresight made sure of that. Once the Windrider had stopped, she opened the thick canvas bag affixed to her red wings, telekinesis ruffling through the assorted junk until she¡¯d pulled out a small, metal item.
She may have been living amongst the people of Golden Sky for over a century by now, and yet she felt just as distant from them and their inventions of brass and iron as when she¡¯d first encountered them. If not for her and one of their greatest tinkerers having taken a liking to each other, she would¡¯ve probably long since left them for good.
Even despite the accomplishment she thanked them the most for.
Discarding that thought, the dragon recalled her friend¡¯s instructions on how to use the supposed navigational tool. Two needles spun freely in its circular brass chassis, moving through a dense forest of unfamiliar symbols. The red, iron one always pointed south, a feat accomplished though means beyond the Windrider¡¯s comprehension. The green, silver one, however, pointed to a beacon at the location Latch had specifically arranged for to be her resting spot on her way back. It was a provision the dragon was equally grateful for, and worried by.
Was her diminishing strength that easy to sense?
The remainder of the Windrider¡¯s journey towards her resting spot was spent in annoyed silence, verbal and mental alike. She ignored her body¡¯s complaints, forcing them silent despite their best efforts¡ªshe hadn¡¯t even crossed into her sixteenth century yet; she couldn¡¯t let herself be overtaken by such minor annoyances. And so, she raced on, chill air staining her down with salt as she passed by any onlookers in a red and white blur, much too fast for most to even react before she was long gone.
Her destination was almost too small to even be called an island.
It was small enough for even terrestrial beings to be capable of running circles around it, she imagined. A tower of stone and brass took up a non-insignificant part of it, housing the beacon that had beckoned her over, as well as its singular maintainer. Surrounding it was a grove of trees small enough for one to see the base of the tower from the shore, and beyond that, only the unending ocean.
The mere existence of this structure so far from the continent baffled the dragon greatly. She¡¯d listened to Latch¡¯s explanations of sea and air routes, of using these so-called beacons as safe refuges amongst the waves and as jumping-off points for further exploration, but none of it really stuck.
It felt useless to her, perhaps even cruel to the people forced to stay there and maintain the devices in solitude. She¡¯d also heard something about these positions being voluntary, though, so maybe it wasn¡¯t as evil as it seemed? Something to ask Latch about once she¡¯d returned, she supposed.
Following the custom of this culture, the dragon knocked on the tower¡¯s door with a modest application of telekinesis, her physical paws far too short to reach. The building remained silent as a grave, with only the shimmer of the calm waves washing against the shore gracing her ears¡ª
¡°Greetings,¡± a voice spoke from behind her.
Her sheer startle sent her flying to the top of the beacon, her hide erasing her from sight before she could even consciously react. Once her mind had overruled her instincts, she turned around, breathing deeply as she descended and examined the island¡¯s occupant.
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
She almost never encountered creatures truly new to her anymore, not after having circumnavigated the globe so many times¡ªand the beacon keeper was no exception. Though, the only other times she¡¯d seen their kin be depicted or described were as harbingers of death, otherworldly beings that killed with a single touch.
She doubted she had to worry about being touched, considering her swiftness. ¡°^I greet thou in peace, specter.^¡±
Their singular red eye focused on her just as much as it focused on everything else nearby, what amounted to their expression unchanging. Not particularly emotive. Their head¡¯s light gray matched the color of their raised collar, giving way to a darker torso underneath. The yellow stripes across their body glowed dimly, with only the protrusion on their head being bright enough to be noticeable. ¡°Our guest?¡± they asked, words echoing through open space.
¡°^That is indeed true, specter, but not by mine will,^¡± the Windrider explained, keeping her distance.
The ghost slowly nodded before turning their bulky body towards the entrance to the beacon¡¯s tower. ¡°Inside, freshwater. Provisions. Firm ground,¡± they explained, each word pronounced by a slightly different voice. ¡°If questions, us answer. We ¡®Sun of Great Beyond¡¯. You?¡±
Once more, silence returned to the scene, the dragon¡¯s expression remaining perfectly flat as her golden eyes scanned the area. The ghost understood the message, turning around and about to return to their previous spot, when they heard the dragon¡¯s telepathic voice again. ¡°^Answer me such, Sun of Great Beyond. Dost thee not grow somber in loneliness?^¡±
Their answer echoed through the dragon¡¯s mind as they hovered away, phasing through the golden sand, ¡°Not alone.¡±
The ghost¡¯s words provided a quandary, but one the dragon was hardly interested in pondering deeply over. A simple press of the brass handle opened the way into the beacon¡¯s tower, the mechanism whining as if it hadn¡¯t been used in decades. Inside, as promised, was a sealed box of provisions. Among its contents were a wooden bottle of water, eagerly emptied, and several meals¡ªGolden Sky¡¯s customary flat bread, sugared Lum preserve, and salted soybean curds in thick, peppery sauce.
Off-putting as their culture and people might have been, she couldn¡¯t deny them their culinary sophistication. Though she still wished their creations were less¡ intensely flavored, at times.
*ring, ring-ring*
Oh?
The high-pitched chime coming from the island¡¯s tiny pier made the Windrider turn around on the spot, spotting a hardly unfamiliar sight rearing from the waters. In most places, the blue-red jelly kin were known as nuisance at best, and ocean¡¯s malice made manifest at worst. Under the Golden Sky¡¯s reach, however, they were kelp harvesters, medicine providers, or simply marine couriers¡ªand the latter seemed to be the case here.
Their gray tentacle was lowering a small brass capsule into the basket affixed to the end of the pier when they spotted her. Instead, they floated closer, flashing the red orbs on top of their body to catch the dragon¡¯s attention as they held the capsule high in the air for her to receive.
The Windrider took the package with a quick telekinetic grab, and a wordless exchange of nods later, the courier was back under the waters again. She watched the jellyfish¡¯s faint red light fade away as they followed the guidance of a thick underwater rope attached to the pier¡¯s end, connecting the tiny island with the nearest landmass.
Unsure what to do with the small capsule, the dragon flew back inside the beacon, intending to leave it for Sun of Great Beyond to read once they had returned. As she was placing it down, though, she took notice of the recipient field, a single symbol engraved in soft wax.
Latch¡¯s nickname for her.
Taken aback, she worked the capsule open, breaking its wax seal before unscrewing both halves. Inside lay a single tightly rolled sheet of the most common writing medium in Golden Sky, a dry paper made of seaweed that always felt more fragile than it actually was. As far as she was considered, the only reason they had stuck to it was because of the lack of a suitable alternative.
With the message taken out, she dumped all the metal parts into a large basket in the chamber¡¯s corner. One day, they would be transported back to Golden Sky and smelted to be reused in perpetuity, but the dragon neither knew nor cared about that.
At last, she unrolled the small page, the Golden Sky¡¯s emblem taking up a hefty chunk of it: a combined symbol of its ever conflicted twin deities, their inherent strife giving way to ingenuity, creativity, and invention, at least as far as the civilization folklore was considered.
Outer ring of solid gold, symbolizing Chaos.
Three silver stripes inside it, symbolizing Order.
The medium didn¡¯t convey their colors, but the iconography was so common inside the brilliant city that her mind had filled in the blanks. Underneath the grand seal, the words written in rushed, messy cursive:
V,
Assuming I planned it correctly, you¡¯ll get this at your rest on East Edge Islet! No worries if not, sadly I¡¯ll get to tell you everything in person, anyway.
Expedition was delayed!!
Aggravating beyond words. Sages mumbled something about The Twins being in particularly harsh conflict lately and some more of their usual vague warnings¡ªcan¡¯t care less, but the bookkeepers do and so another week to go. Just in time for you to get back!
I know you didn¡¯t want to go; you were clear enough about that, but another thing happened! Which I can¡¯t tell you about here! If we were to leave at our original date, I would¡¯ve told you because you would really want to know but if the bookkeepers found out, they would have me buried in salt and I¡¯m not risking that if I¡¯m leaving late and can just tell you in person!
Just know that it¡¯s something VERY important and something you¡¯ll want to know about! But not as important as to have you skip your rest to fly over here! Not urgent! Important, not urgent! Eat, rest, take as much time as you need, V. The news will be waiting for you when you arrive!
I hope your pilgrimage hasn¡¯t had any more obstacles than usual!
Missing you dearly,
¨V¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨Y
through this stamp, I attest to these words
having been written by me,
HIGH TRIUNE¡¯S ADVISOR IN ARTIFICE
ELDER OF THE GOLDEN SKY¡¯S MECHANISTS¡¯ GUILD
BARON, BY THE VIRTUE OF THE SUPREME TWINS
Great Latch of the Utmost Grand Gate
¨\¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨_
Chapter 21: Freedom
Eventually, Sue woke up.
She had no idea when that happened, nor did she have much reason to care¡ªnot anymore, at least. There were a few details she could piece together without opening her eyes, and that¡¯s what she decided to focus on as a distraction.
She couldn¡¯t sense anyone else nearby, which meant that unless one of the night kin gave her an unexpected visit, she was alone. The faint glow that penetrated her eyelids told her that the sun was long risen. And, by extension, that she¡¯d slept in hard. Suppose with the chaotic, mentally exhausting mess of yesterday that was hardly a surprise. Still, the awareness of her own laziness made Sue feel just that bit worse.
On top of all the other things she already felt horrible about.
I rushed straight into Newmoon like an idiot. Likely sabotaged their peace talks before they even began. Maybe¡ª
The thought choked Sue up as she curled tighter on her bedding, thinking back to Spark¡¯s despair. To Sundance¡¯s grave injury. To the absolute clusterfuck of a mess that Ginger accidentally toppling a third of Night Mother¡¯s shrine would cause.
Maybe it¡¯s all my fault.
Maybe I really was meant to die when rescuing Spark and Pollux, and all this is a consequence of me being allowed to live.
The train of thought was immensely unpleasant to think about, even aside from the obviously horrible undertones. It was far from the first time Sue had considered ending it all, but she knew that, on a practical level, she didn¡¯t have the courage to do it. She was a coward through and through, one much too used to wallowing in her own pathetic misery to even consider freeing herself from it.
Through any means, not just the most drastic.
Her mind took its sweet time torturing itself, listing every way in which this could¡¯ve been avoided. From things as simple as listening to Sundance like she should have, to her having just not showed up in this world in the first place. Sue had no way of knowing, of course, but suspected that if she hadn¡¯t been on that particular trip on that particular day, she wouldn¡¯t have ended up here.
If she had friends, any friends, hell even just acquaintances, literally anyone to just hang out with on that fateful day, regardless of if she liked them or not, just to do anything but keep pushing through an internet-addicted loneliness. Or had gotten herself a boyfriend already. Or had taken up a side job to pad out her savings some more instead of wasting time strutting through the woods at the ass end of Scotland.
If only I was just fucking normal.
Those thoughts didn¡¯t lead her anywhere and never would¡ªSue was well aware of that fact. Throwing a wrench into despair¡¯s ever winding spiral, anything to let her brain switch tracks into something less depressing, was always the hardest part.
¡®Less¡¯ was definitely the load bearing word here.
Sue opened her eyes with a grunt, the slight movement of her neck forcefully reminding her of just how sore she was all over. Empty tent, Solstice¡¯s bed neatly made. A lighter patch of canvas further up¡ªthe sun was shortly before, or shortly after, noon. Neither of those possibilities was particularly encouraging.
She needed something else to think about, something dumber¡ª
That dream.
Sue still remembered it clearly, despite her lack of any interest in what had transpired inside it. Night Father deservedly chewing Night Mother out, two weird small shadows she couldn¡¯t quite place. Eventually, everything falling apart.
She didn¡¯t even have it in her to stick with the ¡®Duck¡¯ thing anymore, especially with how vividly messed up Her depiction was. It almost looked like it had been assaulted and... hell, vandalized. Like, a bunch of hoodlums just came over and kicked everything that stuck out and spray painted the rest. Did that represent what Ginger had done to Her altar? Not a wholly nonsensical possibility, but, then again,
Did all that mean anything at all?
What if it all really was just a dumb dream her guilty subconscious came up with to make sense of it all? Sue remembered joking that she didn¡¯t have the creativity to come up with everything she¡¯d seen in these visions, but what if it wasn¡¯t her fault, and instead this dumb body she was stuck in had caused it?
What if it was messing with her again? What if it had been lying to her? What if just being stuck in it was twisting her mind? What if these dreams weren¡¯t real, the emotions all around her weren¡¯t real, the affection Lilly or Joy had felt towards her weren¡¯t real? What if she really had been making it all up to appease herself, to delude herself into thinking anyone here gives a shit any more than anyone back home did? What if¡ª
This is fucking dumb.
Sue closed her eyes and withdrew further into her bedding, grumbling into the nearest patch of exposed fabric. At least half of these possibilities sounded even dumber and more outlandish than the associated events having actually happened. She was psyching herself up; she knew that. Even despite that, though¡ some of those ideas still felt scarily possible, at least in part.
She was about ready to doubt it all again, to launch off into another spiral. Her brain threw a spanner into the cogs of that aggravating train of thought, stalling it, if briefly. The tiny note attached to the spanner, though, sent her worrying again about things that mattered much more than her being a whiny, sad, worthless mess.
What¡¯s gonna happen to Newmoon?
One of theirs had attacked a citizen of Moonview, then their de facto leader had defaced a sacred shrine. Sue knew that this wasn¡¯t all there was to either situation¡ªthe night kin had tried to catch Juniper, and the latter was an accident that Kantaro outright supported. Knowledge like that was helpful, but Sue feared it ultimately wouldn¡¯t matter.
Everyone would just see the blurb and pick up their pitchforks.
...
Assuming they haven¡¯t already done that.
A freezing chill went through her spine at the thought; her slow breaths turned panicky. She tried to think of what would happen afterwards, settling on hoping beyond hope that the night kin would be just exiled again, merely driven out of their homes because of no act of their own once more¡ªand not worse. Thank goodness for Moonview¡¯s infinite magnanimity in letting these lesser creatures live despite their second-hand sins, or something.
Even as she considered those actually important consequences, a selfish thread soon crept into her mind. Despite her attempts at forcing it out, it persisted, doing a wonderful job in making the once-human feel even worse for thinking about herself in all this.
I¡¯m stuck here now, aren¡¯t I?
The thought of her supposed purpose here was a distant one by now, distant and inane to consider. How did she think she could actually help in this nightmarish mess? Worse yet, how could the supposed deity that put her here have expected her to make anything better? Sue felt like a moron, but that deity must¡¯ve been an imbecile through and through.
Regardless of the exact intelligence quotient of the divine dimwit in question, though, it had won. Sue had failed at her task; she¡¯d be stuck here forever. Or, at least, until she finally died.
Forced to stay in this insane world.
Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes at the thought. Not at the horror of spending her days in Moonview, but at how conflicted that thought made her feel. She was stuck in a hellish ethnic conflict, one side of which might or might not have already been chased out of their homes for the second time. Even if no more blood would be spilled, she¡¯d have to live with knowing that this place had hurt so many people so many times, even without it all being specifically her fault.
The local wildlife was monstrous and fully capable of killing her if she¡¯d ever dared step a foot outside of Moonview. Hell, nobody inside the village was any better, either¡ªliterally every living being here could probably end her life in a dozen different ways. And if she kept practicing her freaky brain magic, in time, so would she.
And yet...
The thought that followed stung extra hard, much more so than even the injury on her horn at its worst. Despite doubting them earlier, despite trying to ascribe them to the trickery of this new body of hers... Sue still felt all these emotions coming from people she cared about. Even if they were just a result of her own bodily deception, if she were to live the rest of her days as a Forest Guardian, it wouldn¡¯t matter¡ªit¡¯d just be the new normal for her, on top of an entire pile of other new normals.
Joy¡¯s attachment, Sundance¡¯s pride, Lilly¡¯s infatuation. Solstice¡¯s...
Sue cringed extra hard, not wanting to spell that one out to herself. Not wanting to acknowledge everything that had been steadily brewing in her mentor, and which she¡¯d been sneaking glimpses of throughout. She didn¡¯t deserve to be thought of this way, to receive that kind of comfort. Besides, what an insult all this would be to Aurora in particular, getting replaced by a moronic, psychically crippled stranger that had accomplished nothing of value.
If vengeful ghosts exist in this world, this is the stuff that brings them into existence.
The other side of the equation was, despite all the Moonview¡¯s unfolding tragedies, even more depressing. A familiar world in which not a single soul cared about her beyond the most detached, professional interest. Where she wouldn¡¯t be torn apart by massive spiders, but where nobody would look after her was she to end up on the streets, either.
Where, outside of a few randoms on some forums she¡¯d frequented, nobody had even realized her absence.
Suppose the flip side of being this much of a loner was that staying here wouldn¡¯t be hurting anyone she cared about. No friends, no relatives¡ªat most, a couple of concerned teachers, maybe a police investigation. And then, life would keep turning on without her, without one of billions of cogs in its massive machine.
Replaced so effortlessly, it¡¯s as if she was never there at all.
It was a choice without an answer. Sue¡¯s mind went crazy as she tried to make heads and tails of it all. Torn between the options, between all their factors. Torn between which of these two outcomes she wanted,
And which she really deserved, deep down.
A mutated failure who fell face first into any sort of positive attention, and which had only made everything worse afterwards¡ª
*shuffle*
Sue¡¯s depressive spiral was suddenly interrupted by light assaulting her eyes; a low groan signaled her displeasure. As she squinted towards the tent¡¯s entrance, she finally made out the being that had just stepped in. Their mumbling voice was soft as usual, but not without its own share of nervousness, amplified further at seeing the state she was in. She muttered, ¡°Good morning, Willow...¡± Her tone wasn¡¯t particularly encouraging, but at least it made it clear she wasn¡¯t in obvious pain.
A couple winces later, she¡¯d finally pried herself off the bedding¡¯s surface, half her body complaining with various levels of soreness as she sat up. The other wanted to get some more sleep. She was cranky, achy, but¡ªat last¡ªfully awake for once.
Behold.
As Sue properly came to, she focused on what emotions she could sense coming from Willow. Concern, worry, a bit of surprise at seeing her here. Less so here and more so at this hour, probably. They were pushing them all out of their mind as they tried to concentrate, professional focus soon replacing them. Just as they did many times by now, the pink and cream medic got to examining her busted leg, whispering reassurances as they unwound the bandage.
This time, the sights that awaited her weren¡¯t half bad, at last. True, the bite injury still looked like the aftermath of a bad knife accident, but was now firmly on the side of ¡®annoying¡¯ as opposed to ¡®life threatening¡¯.
With the brief examination done, Willow got to treating her wounds, the few supplies they had brought with themselves getting used one by one. A couple of medical-looking ointments, some more dressings to secure the injury. No more reinforcement, finally. She¡¯d briefly considered trying to link up with them for some chitchat, but... soon dismissed that idea. She didn¡¯t feel like using her injured psychics, and she really didn¡¯t feel like talking right now.
Those two were valid reasons, but far from the only ones.
Sue had no idea about everything that could¡¯ve possibly contributed to the medic¡¯s reactions yesterday when seeing her with Ginger. Could very well be that they¡¯d heard what had happened to Sundance and maybe had assumed that the lizard had done it, or were just that nervous because of the vixen¡¯s injury.
Sue didn¡¯t know, and to a decent extent, didn¡¯t care. It still weirded her out, and she still couldn¡¯t help but see the medic in a different light afterwards.
With the replacement bandages finally secured, Willow caught her attention with a couple of light pats. Their instructions weren¡¯t particularly difficult to decode. Point at her legs, point at the floor. Point at her, point up. Getting up just on her own was trickier than she¡¯d remembered it being¡ªbut, for the first time in almost a week, finally possible. It didn¡¯t feel all too comfortable, not with her injury still aching a bit, but she could at least stand.
A couple more days and I¡¯ll be ready to walk normally again¡ª
Sue¡¯s assessment of her own recovery was immediately interrupted by Willow¡¯s short, satisfied comment as they turned to leave the tent¡ª
With her crutch in their arms.
She was too stunned to even respond. One arm reached out in mute protest, but before she could gather words, or even make any sounds, the medic was gone, and so was her mobility tool.
Panic soon built up inside her at the idea of being left without her crutch, but giving walking another try soothed it soon after, thankfully. She could walk on her own now, and her leg only occasionally ached anymore¡ªa far cry from her borderline self-harming excursion towards the window when she¡¯d first woken up. Minor pain didn¡¯t mean ¡®no pain¡¯ though, and even just circumnavigating Solstice¡¯s tent proved more annoying than she¡¯d hoped it¡¯d be.
Some of her wanted to lie back down and be a vegetable for the rest of the day. The idea didn¡¯t even strike her as that outlandish or disagreeable, really¡ªif nothing else, she wouldn¡¯t make anything else even worse that way. However, another factor fought against, and eventually overpowered, her own seething depression, even if it was a very banal one.
She was really, really hungry.
Breakfast first, moping later.
With the world¡¯s driest, most joyless chuckle, Sue headed for the tent¡¯s entrance. She grumbled as she stepped outside, eyes squinting and briefly tearing up as they got used to so much light again. Before long, though, she was on her way towards the pantries and kitchens on the other end of Moonview, with nobody to guide her, nobody to restrain her, and no crutch to keep her company.
At last, she was free to roam in this doomed world she had created.
Sue had a noticeable limp, and it annoyed her.
Even if she didn¡¯t feel like she was undoing days of healing with each step, her leg still wasn¡¯t ready to take all the beating head on. She somehow walked slower than with a crutch, and the prick of pain with every other step added up into minor frustration. Worse yet, it felt like this arrangement drew even more attention onto her than she¡¯d had before with her crutch.
Though, on a second thought, the much more likely reason for the latter was everything that had happened yesterday. Sue grumbled under her breath¡ªGinger hadn¡¯t done anything wrong, and almost every other person was focusing on her because of her having accompanied him. A part of her wanted to stop and shout at the passersby, ask them just what the hell was their problem, but she knew full well that all she¡¯d accomplish was to make even more of a circus out of herself; the awareness of that fact helped exactly jack.
She wasn¡¯t even sure how many of those looks were of concern for her, how many of fear, how many of reassurance, how many of disgust. There were some of each in there, that much she was sure of, but with half her brain soggy to the point of falling apart, the other half cranky, and the third half being pushed to overdrive just to let her get around; she had negative spare brainpower to really think through the specific ratios.
A distraction is in order.
As to what that distraction even could be¡ Sue had no idea¡ªno good ideas, at least. Willow¡¯s clinic was on her way to the clearing, so she could very well swing by and check up on Sundance. Whether she should was... debatable, but at least it¡¯d be a distraction. And if Spark was still there, she could try to comfort her a bit. Just to have that single, tiny way in which her presence in Moonview was actually making anything better.
Were she feeling any less torn apart, she would¡¯ve been able to come up with a dozen more, but, alas.
Spotting the clinic¡¯s door hanging open caught Sue off guard once she turned the corner. As confusing as it initially was, the wall of ambient heat she¡¯d waltzed into the moment she cleared the doorframe answered the question before she could even ask it. The clinic was busy, almost as much as when she first stayed here, but with immeasurably different moods throughout, be they sad or serious.
Spark had barely moved since Sue had last seen her, still laying down beside her mom and only letting out a quiet whimper at seeing her friend walk in. The more plant-like of the medics was presently looking after the older vixen, her multicolored collar of flowers much easier to make sense of from closer up. She might not have been lecturing towards an entire informal class, but that didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t busy passing her knowledge on¡ªthe white and navy cat was here, too.
She spared Sue only the briefest glimpse before refocusing back on her teacher, letting the latter finally notice her arrival. In all honesty, Sue cared precious little for either of them, especially the feline¡ªnot now, at least, and especially not when they were interrupting her from giving Spark the comfort she needed.
A brief touch of a vine on her shoulder made the Forest Guardian flinch and snap towards the source of the sensation. Her suddenness and annoyed expression took the living bouquet aback, the thin extremity soon withdrawing into the chaotic mess of flowers. A part of Sue wanted to tell her off for distracting her from this one important thing she could still do, to shout an obscenity or two and storm out.
Instead, she took a deep breath and forcibly softened her expression, easing it from aggravated to just deeply tired.
Satisfied at that development, the plant-ish medic was about to speak up before cutting herself off, remembering what had happened a couple of days ago. She turned directly to the cat in the room, asking what sounded like a question in a smooth, slow voice. Without skipping a beat, the psychic fulfilled her request, a white ear unfolding to show off a glowing something on its inner part, followed by a rough, but familiar sensation inside Sue¡¯s mind. ¡°Hi. Orchid wants to¡ª¡±
¡°Yes, yes, I know,¡± Sue snapped back, exasperation even clearer to hear than it was to see.
It briefly took the plant aback before she spoke up herself. ¡°Pleasure to see you once more. Highly unfortunate it¡¯s in such a tense context. Sue, wasn¡¯t it~?¡± she asked, to which Sue nodded wordlessly, relieved that the middle-aged medic at least had enough courtesy to greet her first. ¡°Suppose it¡¯d be uncouth of me to delay my point. Rumor has it you know what actually happened to Sundance, no?¡±
It was probably the exact last topic Sue wanted to talk about right now. She was of half a mind to turn toward the clinic¡¯s entrance and just waltz out there and then, but... she supposed that informing people tending to the vixen would be helpful in her recovery¡ªespecially with the question catching Spark¡¯s attention, too. The kit picked herself up and shyly walked over to Sue, wordlessly nuzzling the side of her hand, helping her keep her cool.
Just have to get over myself and bumble it out.
¡°I was there, yes,¡± Sue sighed, glancing down at the bandaged tip of her horn. ¡°I got a... very good look at what had happened.¡±
The connection immediately clicked into place for Orchid and Spark alike, with the cat remaining entirely unemotional as always. ¡°A-are you okay, Sue?¡± the lil¡¯ fox asked, her voice warbling and hoarse, almost making Sue pick her up into her arms there and then. With her disheveled state and weakness, she limited herself to petting the fox¡¯s head, the gesture appreciated all the same.
Sue¡¯s response left the plant medic briefly covering her mouth in shock, before she swallowed it and tried to push on. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, Sue. Still, such knowledge would greatly help, including in treating your own injury.¡±
Deep breaths, deep breaths.
¡°I-I wish I knew exactly,¡± Sue earnestly answered. ¡°It all happened so fast, a-and... Juniper shot an arrow, i-it glowed a bit, and then grazed my horn and hit Sundance. I-I think that¡¯s it.¡±
Despite her occasional crassness, the bouquet medic knew better than to probe more. She brought a hand to her mouth, thinking through what Sundance and Solstice had taught her about how one¡¯s aura affected their physical health¡ª
¡°Was it dark or spectral energy?¡± the cat asked, her question delivered in the exact same monotone as everything else she¡¯d said previously.
It came off as at best disinterested, and at worst as dismissive, and the lack of almost any emotion aside from focus only aggravated Sue more. The plant medic tried to defuse the situation, chiming in, ¡°Northeast dear, tis not the best time for a question of that sort,¡± but Sue was getting too angry to hear her words.
Her eyebrow twitched as her former crutch hand tightened, her response enough to take Spark aback¡ª¡°Do I look like I fucking know?¡± All the pent up stress inside Sue¡¯s head was already looking for an outlet, and being asked dumb, borderline insulting questions only cranked the pressure valve up even further.
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Despite her forceful tone, Northeast still hadn¡¯t gotten the clue, as evidenced by the response that came soon after. ¡°No, you don¡¯t. You don¡¯t seem to know much.¡±
...
...
¡°Northeast¡ª¡±
¡°WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR FUCKING PROBLEM!?¡± Sue shouted, the blood rushing into her head eclipsing all other sound.
The silence that followed her outburst was near deafening, even outside the medic¡¯s cabin. As the outside noises returned, so did a semblance of clarity¡ªand with it, the creeping realization of what she¡¯d just done, underlined by the displeased shock of everyone around her.
For once, that group included the white and navy cat too. Her distress was at first slight, but then quickly grew afterwards. The first emotions Sue actually felt emanate from Northeast, and of course it was sadness caused by none other than her. Before her self loathing could fully get going, she jumped slightly at finally seeing a movement in her peripheral vision¡ª
And watched the psychic cat run out of the clinic, teary-eyed.
I just blew up on a fucking child, haven¡¯t I.
There were many things Sue knew she should¡¯ve done in that situation, many ways to show a semblance of maturity, even following what she just did. She didn¡¯t have it in her to do any of them, though, not in a state like this¡ªand so, she ran out too, fighting back her own tears as she shambled away, towards the clearing.
Towards somewhere to sit down at, somewhere to eat at, away from what she¡¯d done. Every single rational part of her might¡¯ve known that even in the worst-case scenario, she¡¯d only insulted someone. Nothing serious¡ªat worst it¡¯d result in bad blood going forward and life would keep moving on.
But fuck if I didn¡¯t need that to happen right now.
She hadn¡¯t even realized she¡¯d arrived at the clearing until a loud bark snapped her out of her ever tightening panic spiral. Suddenly she was somewhere else, shaking with her entire body as she leaned her weight on one of the tables, a handful of tears wetting the rough wood beneath her face. She turned over to see the source of the noise, expected to see someone who would chew her out for that, someone that would administer the punishment she deserved¡ª
And instead, saw Spark climbing first on the benches, and then up on the table, before resuming her attempts to comfort her. Sue whimpered, ¡°N-no, S-Spark, you don¡¯t have to...¡± but even these words were almost enough to make her break down there and then.
They also redoubled the fox¡¯s efforts, the warm affection making Sue weak and forcing her to finally take a seat. Within moments, the vixen was on her lap, nuzzling her stomach as she spoke with quiet whimpers, trying to reassure her as hard as she could manage. Regardless of whether Sue thought she deserved that reassurance, it was steadily working¡ªenough so to make the once-human pull her friend into a tight hug, all the pent-up tears finally finding release.
All her self loathing thoughts, her fears, her doubts. They were still there; they burned ever stronger, but... Spark was here, too. The lil¡¯ fox couldn¡¯t comprehend a third of the murk that was going through Sue¡¯s head and wasn¡¯t aware of the other third, but she wanted to help with it all.
To help her friend.
The worst steadily blew over as Sue pet Spark, each motion relieving their combined tension tear by tear. Things weren¡¯t great for either of them; they both hurt, but Duckdammit if they wouldn¡¯t at least help their friend feel less sad.
And the other appreciated it more than they could ever know.
Many minutes later, tears finally stopped flowing. Sue opened her eyes again, looking straight down at Spark¡¯s similarly puffy ones. Whether their initial meeting was Fate, random chance, the Forest Guardian body acting up, or something else altogether, they had each other now. ¡°Th-thank you, Spark...¡± Sue whispered.
*w-woof!*
The incomprehensible response forced a stray chuckle out of her, the unexpected sound helping to relieve some of the stress. And with stress, food helped a lot, too, a lesson learned dozens of times from experience. With a couple of weak pats, the little fox was once more on the grass, letting her friend pick herself back up and look around for somewhere to grab something to eat from. She wasn¡¯t in the mood or emotional stability to be dealing with Hazel again; this place mostly served bugs...
Suppose the ladybug-operated food bank worked as well as anywhere else.
There weren¡¯t nearly as many leftovers inside as when Solstice had taken her there, but there was still more than enough for both her and Spark. The little of her previous visit that Sue remembered included the four-armed ladybug being nocturnal, but that wasn¡¯t stopping them from manning the stall well into the morning. Not without the expected consequences, though.
Even if all Sue could hear with her ears was buzzing, they screamed exhaustion to her sixth sense. Exhaustion, anger, and most surprisingly of all, fear. Fear of what exactly she couldn¡¯t place, not once they had finally spotted her¡ªand grew angrier at the sight. The emotional whiplash made Sue stop there and then, left with no idea how to respond. The ladybug¡¯s compound eyes had narrowed at her in their entirety as their ill will became downright palpable, her fear growing by the moment.
Spark¡¯s woofs soon diffused some of the tension, enough so for the insect cook to at least stop glaring at Sue. Even if they disliked her, she was there for a reason, and it was their duty to dispense food to those who came.
To do anything of value despite their muteness, to make the most out of their crippled existence.
The provided meal was only so in the loosest sense of the word. Sue had reminded herself of the ladybug¡¯s name, Sunrise, just in time to see them slam a couple of harder fruits on the food bank¡¯s countertop, denting one and cracking the other. And then, they lifted a singular arm, pointing straight away from themselves.
Don¡¯t fucking have to tell me twice.
Sue leered at Sunrise as she took the sloppily provided meal, immediately upping her pace to take a seat somewhere well away. She had no idea just what the hell was their problem, but it hardly mattered anymore. It sure didn¡¯t help in the big scheme to have a local be irrationally angry at her, but at the very least, it distracted her moping with some anger of her own for a change.
The cracked fruit was split in half, one part given to Spark once they sat down. With both of them getting their portions, they could get comfortable on the nearest bench and calm down at their own paces, at least in the moment. The past day has been stressful enough to where neither of them really needed any further sources of anxiety, and even something as simple as a slap dashed meal was doing wonders.
Local fruits tasting so much better than anything Sue had back home sure helped, too.
Once she was done recovering from the ladybug¡¯s mute outburst, Sue could finally give it some conscious thought. Just what was wrong with them? They were entirely fine when she¡¯d visited them with Solstice a few days ago; she was sure of that. No anger towards either the Mayor or her, an almost total one-eighty today into being scared, angry, and... sleepless. Too afraid to sleep now and not then, furious at her all of a sudden.
Aside from botching Moonview¡¯s peace attempt, what had she actually done over these past couple of days? It¡¯s not like Sunrise knew of that fact, it couldn¡¯t have been it. Had to have been something they could¡¯ve seen, something eye-catching she did here in Moonview.
...
Or maybe someone that had accompanied her in here¡ª
*tap tap*
If the moment of reprieve had accomplished something, it was helping Sue not jump anxiously at yet another unexpected sensation. Instead, she¡¯d maintained just enough composure to look up from her previous focus¡ªnamely, grass¡ªand coming face to face with someone familiar, but also someone whose name she still had no idea of.
The brown spiky pangolin was a part of the builders¡¯ team. She knew that with confidence, but anything beyond that, gender included, remained an enigma. The realization didn¡¯t help any with her anxiety, though, not with yesterday¡¯s events. The builders and Ginger had clearly been at least friends before, and they all saw her yesterday when she was following the lizard around. For a moment, Sue thought she¡¯d look up and see the rest of them surrounding her, getting ready to use their strength to get all the details out of her the hard way.
Instead, the pangolin was on their own for once. What Sue could sense radiating from them mostly matched her own emotions. Uncertainty, confusion, for once no depression, releasing the once-human¡¯s tension before it could build up even further.
A truly refreshing mix.
Sue had no idea why they¡¯d caught her attention, but the kit on her lap could at least try to find out. Her barks and the stranger¡¯s chitters continued for a few moments, with both of them growing more and more unsure by the moment. Something unpleasant was a shoo-in on the account of everything having been unpleasant lately, but the details were anyone¡¯s guess.
Feeble as she might¡¯ve acted, though, Sue did have a way of bridging that gap.
The pangolin knew that, too, miming it out after a moment of deliberation. First, one of the long claws tapped their forehead, then they moved it closer towards Sue¡¯s, keeping the dangerous-looking extremity just out of reach, which her racing heart definitely appreciated.
Sue had no idea whether she was even capable of linking up in her current state. As with most things, though, there was only one way of finding out¡ªthe hard way. Once she¡¯d acknowledged their words with a firm nod, she went through her usual routine. Each movement of her aura caused the dull ache in her horn to spike in intensity, but only a little each time¡ªif anything, it was the part of her that was hurting the least.
Ultimately, it only slowed her down and made the resulting connection rougher for both recipients, but still usable. And the stranger was very keen to get some use out of it. ¡°Hear, Guardian?¡± they spoke up. Their voice wasn¡¯t as rough as Sue expected it to be, having an almost squeak-like quality to it.
It was also distinctly feminine, a fact that Sue would¡¯ve appreciated in literally any other circumstances. ¡°Yes, yes, I can hear you. What¡¯s your name?¡± she asked, tired.
As with the other times she had to use her patchwork telepathy, the connection was far from clear. Still, that didn¡¯t dissuade the stranger, their momentary confusion getting shook off with a response, ¡°Hoff. Kantaro ¡®Sue¡¯ mention.¡±
Not a kind of name anyone else had in here; Sue had to give her that. Once she¡¯d listened to how the builder had pronounced it, its uniqueness became even clearer. It was a sound of shifting dirt and sand, pronounced entirely differently from either how Hoff or the rest of Moonview spoke.
An onomatopoeia name is new, that¡¯s for sure.
¡°Yes, I¡¯m Sue. How... can I help, Hoff?¡±
¡°Yesterday. You, Ginger. How?¡± the pangolin asked, and Sue only barely held her composure.
Of course, of course...
Sue exhaled deeply as she braced herself to recount the events again, not finding them hurting any less than before¡ªthough at least she wouldn¡¯t get interrupted by an insanely rude cat this time. ¡°Sundance and Solstice went to Newmoon for peace talks, I tagged behind,¡± she began.
A longer sentence demanded much more focus out of Hoff to decode in full. Judging by her eyes going wide, she eventually accomplished that regardless. ¡°Sundance Solstice Newmoon... alone?¡± she asked for clarification. ¡°And you?¡±
Sue hoped she interpreted it the right way, explaining, ¡°They wanted to go alone, and I followed them.¡± Successful clarification, judging from the sandy rodent¡¯s mental state.
Heard I could get an IOU for a free pat on the back for that one.
¡°Sundance Newmoon hurt?¡±
Sue answered with a somber nod, following it up with a clarification soon after. ¡°Juniper hurt her, yes. Only Juniper, though. Others tried catching her, but she escaped.¡±
Seemed this one was beyond Hoff¡¯s ability to decode, at least if a couple of idle scratches on the side of her head were any sign. Still, she kept trying, asking for clarification. ¡°Juniper attack, yes?¡±
¡°Yes, she attacked. Nobody else wanted her to attack. She escaped after.¡±
Finally, confusion loosened up, freeing up the dirt gears inside the builder¡¯s mind. ¡°Newmoon not want attack. Juniper want attack.¡±
¡°Yes, yes, exactly,¡± Sue nodded firmly. It was small and likely mattered little in the grand picture, but she was glad she could at least help with explaining what had happened, despite her language limitations. Sure wasn¡¯t anywhere near enough to make her outright relax, but... it helped. A lot.
¡°Newmoon not catch Juniper. Solstice not catch Juniper. Nothing catch Juniper.¡±
¡°Juniper ran away, yes.¡±
The anger that brewed up inside the brown quilled critter was an emotion Sue could really empathize with. Despite the unpleasant context, the kinship was soothing in its own right.
¡°Fuck bastard fuck shit fucker,¡± Hoff muttered, her string of mistranslated swears caught Sue entirely by surprise. She only barely restrained her laughter; the held-in chuckles sent her hiccuping, to which the builder asked, ¡°Good you?¡±
¡°Yes, yes¡ª*hic*¡ªsorry.¡±
¡°No sorry. No bad. What after attack shit bird?¡±
The second try at holding her amusement in was even harder, enough so to need Sue to breathe deeply for a few moments afterwards to regain composure. Hoff copied her action if for different reasons, inappropriate amusement and entirely appropriate anger evening out into calm-ish focus as Sue continued. ¡°After¡ª*hic*¡ªafter the attack, Newmoon helped Sundance. Ginger and Alastor helped carry me and Sundance.¡±
Finally, the dots were getting filled in, and the pangolin liked exactly nothing of what she was piecing together. ¡°Newmoon not harm. Juniper harm. Newmoon help. Ginger help.¡±
Four outta four. ¡°Yes, yes, *hic*, yes, yes.¡±
The confirmation sparked a bunch of emotions inside Hoff, most of them the less pleasant sort. Everything the Forest Guardian had said was relatively obvious in hindsight, but a confirmation was very important, especially with what the builder had heard thrown around. Anything from simple misunderstandings and sheer confusion, to much more malicious versions of the events, for Ginger and Newmoon as a whole alike.
Not that Ginger knew how malice even feels like.
¡°Thank you thousand, Sue. Need tell others. Many wrong know. I go now,¡± Hoff spoke before heading off. Her parting words finally stirred Sue¡¯s emotions, pushing her out of the self-protective detachment.
Guess her explanation really was helpful if the builder felt compelled to spread it afterwards. That her version of the events wasn¡¯t the commonly accepted one was worrying for sure, but at least there now was someone else to help spread it. And if she knew anything about the team of builders, soon that one would be upgraded to four, if not five or six. From there... who knows?
Maybe they¡¯d succeed at spreading the truth. Maybe the public opinion was already too calcified to be swayed. Maybe Hoff wasn¡¯t expecting this to work out either and was more so doing this to soothe her own conscience. Sue didn¡¯t know, and to a large extent, she didn¡¯t want to know, either. It¡¯d be nice for someone else to worry about all that for once. What she wanted, instead, was some place she and Spark could try to relax some more, now that they¡¯d wrapped up their impromptu breakfast.
And there was one excellent spot for that they both thought of.
Spark immediately turned more lively the moment she realized where they were both heading. Not quite cheerful, not by a long shot, but with her friend around¡ªand soon many more friends too¡ªthe scary events of the past day were easier to push through. And once they were all done playing, she¡¯d be able to go back to her mom and tell her about everything that had happened today! Her mom always enjoyed listening to her recollections.
The kit just hoped she could hear them like this, too.
Sue wasn¡¯t privy to the lil¡¯ fox¡¯s exact thoughts, but she could feel the relief inside her clearly. The emotion was soon joined by her own, especially once she recognized who was already present at the oversized daycare¡ªand moments later, both of them noticed her too.
Astra¡¯s soft but mighty cry provided almost as much comfort as Joy¡¯s harsh, shrill one, the latter accompanied by the toothy one running all the way over to her Forest Guardian friend. Joy was right about to hug Sue¡¯s leg before she did a double take at the different set of bandages¡ªand more importantly, at the absence of the ever present crutch. The change was unexpected enough to make her stammer out a single, confused word as she pointed at Sue¡¯s empty right arm.
She¡¯s adorable when she¡¯s surprised.
If there was any upside to Willow unexpectedly taking her crutch away, it was having both arms available for what Sue was about to do.
Joy¡¯s drawn out squeal at being picked up was even cuter than her greeting one, enough so for Sue to even overlook the clinking of the maw¡¯s metal teeth. The little one wasted no time before trying to hug as much of the Forest Guardian as she could from her new vantage point, only really embracing a single shoulder. Her new point of view also let her finally notice the bandage on Sue¡¯s horn, though the brief worry that resulted from that was banished with another hug¡ªAstra¡¯s hug.
Despite catching Sue from the left field, it was no less welcome, especially as it made Joy¡¯s embrace grow even tighter. And judging by how much she weighed despite her tiny size, combined with her being at least partially made of metal, something told Sue that there wasn¡¯t such a thing as a ¡®too firm hug¡¯ for Joy.
By the time the dragon let go of the other two and they all sat down, Spark was already way off playing with others, though never stepping too far from her Forest Guardian friend.
Note to self: Arrange a day where I can just pet both Joy and Spark all day long.
The thought brought in no small amusement, made sweeter still by the metal girl sitting down on her lap soon after. Even having her hand grasped by the toothless tip of the scary maw felt more cute than not to Sue by now, despite it still putting her on somewhat of an edge.
She still had her other hand to keep petting Joy¡¯s front head, and that¡¯s all that really mattered¡ª
*tap tap*
Who the fuck is it this time¡ªoh.
While Sue was much more eager to speak with Astra compared to either of the earlier two, she couldn¡¯t help but worry that she¡¯d just be asked the same thing again, killing the mood once more. The recycled excuse of it being a way to help Newmoon out helped a bit, but was really beginning to wear thin, especially with her already being so worn down today.
Suppose she could do it again, this once.
Going through her impromptu ritual was much harder with just one hand, doubly so since it was her left hand that was immobilized, the one she typically used for the part where she tuned out the nearby emotions. Guess if it came down to it, Sue could be extremely rude and pull it out of the maw full of metal teeth, but she would rather not.
Just as the last time she¡¯d practiced this with Solstice, the glare of feelings was almost blinding, unpleasant for her and her wounded extremity alike, but not unbearably so. Bit by bit, Sue went through the parts of her brain that usually tingled when she did the emotion tuning step, gradually inching closer to replicating it arms-free. Bit by bit, the overwhelming light dimmed, until finally, the minds that radiated said glare came into view.
*tap tap*
¡°Just a moment, Astra...¡± Sue mumbled through her teeth.
She felt Joy shift on her lap and disappointingly let go of her left hand at the sound, but remained focussed on accomplishing the feat the way she¡¯d initially set out to. She¡¯d honed in on who she was sure was Astra, now to just carefully reach in, push through the pain, and¡ª
¡°Ow,¡± Astra hissed.
Guess not carefully enough.
Confirming the noise, a glance over Sue¡¯s shoulder revealed the dragon to be lightly rubbing the side of her head, less injured and more so surprised. Unfortunate, but thankfully only a tiny mishap.
¡°H-hey, Astra,¡± Sue greeted tiredly, dispelling any of Astra¡¯s remaining aching in an instant.
The dragon perked up, responding with yet another embrace, much gentler this time, and lifting Sue onto her own lap along with it, the bulky dragon¡¯s leg just large enough to comfortably sit on. ¡°Heya, Sue! Good chat you again.¡±
¡°Y-yeah, s-same here,¡± Sue sighed, closing her eyes.
¡°Alright ya? Commotion yesterday, heard much, you injured¡ª¡±
¡°I-I¡¯m alright Astra, I¡¯m alright,¡± the Forest Guardian insisted. ¡°Promise.¡± As alright as reasonably possible, at least.
The dragon smiled. ¡°Phew, relief! Want ask you if right.¡±
Please, not again...
¡°S-sure...¡± Sue whimpered, bracing herself for¡ª
¡°I force work soon, tomorrow, not have care Joy. Ya could?¡± Astra asked, derailing her friend¡¯s train of thought.
Sue was reasonably certain she¡¯d pieced together her meaning right away, though that didn¡¯t leave her any less dumbfounded. Suppose if there was anyone who was a good fit for looking after Joy for a few days, it was her, but... just thinking about it made many of the earlier kinds of anxiety creep back in. She wanted this; she couldn¡¯t even pretend she didn¡¯t want that. She¡¯d be tangibly helping people of Moonview out, she¡¯d be spending more time with Joy, she¡¯d be giving the little one the comfort and affection she needs¡ª
But did she deserve this?
After everything she¡¯d done? Was she worthy of getting to fulfill her wants this much, in such a nourishing way, considering everything that had happened yesterday and earlier today¡ª
¡°Sue?¡± Astra spoke up again, unsure.
She had no idea, but the ¡®caught off-guard Sue¡¯ always went with her gut instinct, and not any well established logical reasoning¡ªand what her gut was saying was loud and clear. ¡°Y-yeah, I¡¯d love to! Wh-when do you leave?¡±
The dragon¡¯s hug was immediate and immensely relieving yet again, especially when doubled up on by Joy¡¯s shortly after. She didn¡¯t even know whether the toothy girl had actually understood what was said beyond a few bits and pieces, but... she didn¡¯t care. It felt good to be held like this, to have people show her affection, not because she had done something or was someone important, but because she was herself.
It was really, really nice.
¡°Thank thank thank!¡± the dragon beamed. ¡°Leave young morning. Joy sleep you.¡±
Guess at least Sue had the rest of the day to prepare. Solstice¡¯s tent wasn¡¯t the most spacious, but... they¡¯d figure something out. ¡°I can handle that, yeah.¡±
¡°Great! Joy, sleep Sue. Sue watch tomorrow days. I leave days.¡±
The metal girl had an even more scattered comprehension of Astra¡¯s words than Sue, but it seemed she got the gist. Or at least, understood enough to first hug Sue the most she could from her vantage point, and then her other guardian¡¯s nearby paw. She got some more affection in response, so all was good in the world.
Feeling Joy on her lap like this was... comforting, in a way Sue couldn¡¯t describe if she wanted to. Even more so than usual, on a deeper level. More... right. It felt great; it felt worrisome.
It felt like something not for here and now.
Which meant time for a distraction, and to answer one of her own questions. ¡°Astra?¡±
A look upwards had Sue stare the mighty dragon straight in the eye, the sight utterly nonthreatening despite Astra¡¯s size. ¡°Oh?¡± the dragon squeaked.
¡°Why do you need to leave?¡±
The question made a fireball go off inside Astra¡¯s mind¡ªboth at understanding Sue¡¯s point, at getting to answer the young Forest Guardian¡¯s question, and at getting to talk about her job for a moment. With all the motivation she could¡¯ve ever wanted, Astra reached into her pocket and pulled out a bunch of sheets of paper, together with a couple of wrapped sticks of charcoal. ¡°Make map! Look new lands. New peoples. Root tells look small peoples.¡±
I don¡¯t like the sound of that last addition.
¡°A cartographer?¡± Sue asked, curious.
Astra took a moment to make heads and tails of the complex words, eventually affirming Sue¡¯s hunch with a tentative nod. Quite a cool job as far as Sue was concerned, especially with Astra¡¯s ability to fly so far out she got to make maps. This world might¡¯ve felt uncharted, but its inhabitants most definitely weren¡¯t gonna let it remain so forever.
And of course, a job like that sparked the most obvious follow up. ¡°What¡¯s the coolest place you¡¯ve seen?¡± Sue asked.
For once, the dragon answered right away. ¡°Divine mountain! Only foot. Very very massive. Needle make crazy!¡±
¡°...needle?¡±
Another immediate response. This time, Astra reached into her satchel and pulled out a round, metal trinket, the color reminding her of bronze or brass. Sue¡¯s suspicion was confirmed moments later, with the top part getting opened up to reveal a rather pitiful, slightly bent metal needle, one end painted red. ¡°Point south!¡± the dragon explained. ¡°How, wonder. From far, very much far, even Central City.¡±
Guess it makes sense for a compass to be an artifact. And raises a question of who built it...
¡°I¡¯ve seen one of these before; that¡¯s awesome!¡± Sue beamed.
¡°Is awesome! You awesome! Again thank!¡±
She should¡¯ve seen that one coming, heh. Silly as Astra¡¯s response was, Sue couldn¡¯t help but feel warmer afterwards. Her heart wasn¡¯t thinking of the dragon as anything more than a friend and there weren¡¯t any inklings of that changing, but this kind of casual affirmation felt... good. It just felt good. She needed it badly, even if she wouldn¡¯t have ever admitted to it personally.
With the conversation dying down, she got a wonderful opportunity to look at what all the other kids around were doing.
The very first little one might¡¯ve been of the very creepy sort, but now that she¡¯d talked with Dewdrop, Sue knew better than to instantly freak out. It didn¡¯t mean she immediately liked the green smiley-faced spider hanging down from a nearby branch, but at least seeing them didn¡¯t instantly send her halfway to a panic attack¡ªas long as they remained there.
Huh, wonder if they¡¯re Dewdrop¡¯s relative?
Further along the scene, a few more familiar faces were present, some of which Sue appreciated seeing more than others. She was entirely cool with the brown donkey whose name she didn¡¯t know and the plant bud-like Petal, but the third member of their impromptu group immediately had her glaring. The pink scorpion-bat noticed her irate expression rather quickly, drawing the other two¡¯s attention to her¡ªonly for them to focus back on their friend and speak up louder, the topic of their chatter not particularly hard to figure out.
Apologize to Joy, or, or¡ª
...
Yeah, there¡¯s no finishing that thought in a non-messed up way, isn¡¯t there?
Even beyond her not being able to think of any, Sue wasn¡¯t a punishment kind of person, at least not when calm. She hoped that some of the other adults would come up with something suitable, or just talk it out with the bat¡ªthey were sitting some thirty meters away from her and she could still feel their apprehension clearly.
For once, she wouldn¡¯t need to wait long for an idle desire to start coming true. The pink scorpion audibly opposed as the other two called out to Splitleaf, but the leafy mantis knew better than to not intervene. What they talked about afterwards, Sue had no idea about, and didn¡¯t really care as long as it resulted in an apology towards the metal girl on her lap.
Judging by the pink one¡¯s audible opposition, some progress was being made, hah.
At least something good¡ª
...
Right as Sue was about to look over elsewhere, she spotted a bizarre object at the other end of the clearing, near where she sat when they all were here last time. The more she stared at it, the more unnerving the sight got, sending an icy dread through her spine. It looked similar to Comet, but wrong, so very wrong. She couldn¡¯t make many details from this far, but the dimensions were just... off.
A part of her wanted to ignore the unnerving sight, a different part wanted to call for someone who hadn¡¯t stopped using crutches literally earlier today to investigate, but the last part... wanted, no, needed to see what was going on. Even beyond the weird appearance, she felt emotions emanate from that object, and none of the good ones. None of the scary ones, either, just... the sad ones.
Her weakness.
With a couple of shaky breaths, Sue gently lowered Joy down on the well-worn dirt and stood up. Her arms shook, her body tensed up¡ªshe was torn almost exactly in half between running towards and away from the not-Comet, but the ¡®towards¡¯ side was winning ever so slightly. She remained deaf to Astra¡¯s and Joy¡¯s questions as she took one step, and another, and a third still. Each one shakier, each one smaller, but all approaching the...
Mimic.
The realization made Sue pause mid step as half-chewed bits of pop-culture knowledge leaped to the forefront of her mind. It was about enough to make her run, but soon more pieces fell into place, disproving that half-baked idea. Mimics were supposed to be convincing, whereas this one just wasn¡¯t, and got even less so the closer she walked to it.
It almost looked like a scarecrow.
Dirtied rag for skin, the same kind she¡¯d seen Willow use here and there.
Tattered pieces of green thread for hair, some of it already weaved into the tassels she¡¯d seen Dewdrop carry.
A pair of roof tiles for horns, like the ones suddenly stolen from Granite the previous day¡ª
The realization audibly clicked in place for her, but by then, it was too late. Only a few meters separated her from the fake Comet, and if it were to leap at her, there¡¯d be nobody between them to intervene¡ªshe was lured right into its trap.
She could feel its fear, its worry; she felt them almost as clearly as she¡¯d felt her own, but had no idea just what they meant. Were they even actual emotions? Was this entity drawing her in with fake feelings to match its fake body? Sue didn¡¯t know, she couldn¡¯t know, it was something out of a horror movie. Step by step, she slowly backed off from whatever the hell it was, and to her terror, her movement was finally enough to make it move.
Or rather, twitch.
Whatever was inside the doll-like body inched forward towards her in a messy, uncoordinated way, one part at a time. All the while, it tried to keep the rest of its disguise in one piece, even as it shook and lost balance.
It managed all of two feet before collapsing forwards.
Sue let an involuntary yelp at seeing its head roll off its body; the fruit that the roof tiles were impaled in immediately coming into view as the fake green hair scattered all around the small patch of sand. The disguise was gone in seconds, replaced by a mess of individual items¡ªand a single, quivering being, hiding underneath an off-white rag.
As pathetic as the sight was, it paled compared to what her sixth sense was showing her. Its sorrow had turned into heartbreak, fear into pure terror, the kind which she herself had felt just moments prior. Even with its disguise busted, it wasn¡¯t trying to leap at her in an attack of desperation; it wasn¡¯t fleeing to try its luck again.
It just laid in place, shaking in one spot, its painful emotions ever growing.
It... they¡
...
They were crying.
Chapter 22: Curse
For the longest time, Sue could only stare at the despairing heap.
Her rational decision-making kept urging her to get out of here and ask someone less crippled for help with¡ whatever this being was. After all, as acutely as she could feel their sorrow, there was still the possibility of all this being a trap of some sort, of this creature trying to lure her in closer.
And right beside it, the equally likely possibility of them being genuinely sad because their costume broke. Why they would disguise themselves as Comet, Sue didn¡¯t know. But what she did know, with utter certainty, was that her heart was firmly in favor of comforting them.
Step aside, brain.
With a nervous shake, the Forest Guardian sat down on the rough sand of the playground, within arm¡¯s reach of the obscured stranger. Whatever they were, they seemed to have sensed her joining them, growing still in anticipation. It didn¡¯t help Sue¡¯s nerves any, but by then, she was too set in her path to pay any attention to them.
¡°Hey... you,¡± Sue said. She felt a tinge of confusion join the sloshing despair beneath the off-white rag, letting her know they had at least heard her. Her words weren¡¯t doing her any more favors here than with anyone else in Moonview, but by that point, Sue knew full well that it wasn¡¯t the important part.
All that mattered was that she was here.
Her hand shook as she lowered it onto the small mound, doubts growing by the moment. Even beside the absurd possibility of it being a trap, them reacting badly to an unexpected touch could end similarly badly, even without any underlying ill intent. Maybe they hated being touched, maybe they were poisonous, maybe they¡¯d run away the instant she made contact.
Many awful possibilities, none of which mattered¡ªSue wanted to help them, help someone, and that¡¯s what she¡¯d do. She felt the hidden creature freeze as she laid her hand on top of their disguised body, the immediate sensations... oddly pleasant. They were warm, like a living being, and very soft, downright squishy, underneath the rugged canvas.
Regardless of how they looked or didn¡¯t look, her touch had a marked effect on them. She felt their sadness ease out with her every breath, the gentle movements of her petting hand working away at their anxious bind. The shift was gradual, but once Sue had noticed it, she only redoubled her affection¡ªshakes turned to gentle pets and one hand was joined by another; anything to help calm them down more. ¡°There, there, I¡¯m here,¡± she whispered, leaning in closer. ¡°I¡¯m he¡ª¡±
As unexpectedly pleasant as their interaction was so far, the sight off to the side threatened to ruin it all in an instant.
A pitch-black tentacle, tipped with three claw-like extensions, was creeping out from under the rag. Her heart hammered and mind screamed for her to do what she should¡¯ve done in the first place and run; the sudden situation left her paralyzed¡ªand then, the blackness wrapped itself around her hand.
It felt... really nice.
Their arm was similarly warm to the rest of their hidden body, and just as soft. To the best of Sue¡¯s ability to make out, it was also much more amorphous than it looked, the black tissue striking her as more of a gel than an actual well-defined limb. They may have anxiously frozen once Sue had lifted her other hand, but relaxed even further once she gently grabbed their tentacle, fingers brushing along its soft surface.
Little hidden... slime creature?
As small as they were physically, Sue could only estimate their mental age. They sure didn¡¯t feel adult; the immense swing of emotions between being provided and starved of attention made that clear. Most likely a child, but anything beyond that was impossible to determine.
Suppose taking a peek under the rag could help?
Now that their disguise had been entirely blown, there shouldn¡¯t have been any issue with discarding the rest of it. And, whatever they might¡¯ve looked like underneath, it sure beat the well-worn, stained rag that currently comprised the entirety of their appearance.
Just had to take it off. ¡°Everything¡¯s good, little one,¡± Sue beamed, grabbing the dirtied piece of fabric. ¡°Lemme take that thing off, the scare¡¯s over¡ª¡±
...
...
Sue¡¯s eyes stared at the pitch-black blob, and the blob stared back.
The more she tried to focus on it, the less she could think at all. Its dimensions were entirely off; it was simultaneously too small and too large to be real. The impossible stimuli filled Sue with vertigo as her mind locked up while trying to process it, left unable to even keep her balance or breathe¡ª
The next thing Sue knew, the hidden creature had scooted away in terror, and her lungs were on fire.
She doubled over and gasped, breaking into painful coughs once she¡¯d come to. Her head spun like she¡¯d spent the last few minutes in a blender; her chest hurt like she¡¯d been starved of oxygen¡ªshe couldn¡¯t even maintain her balance, arms shaking as she sat back up.
As overwhelming and terrifying as those sensations were, they weren¡¯t entirely unfamiliar. Sue¡¯s eyes went wide as she remembered feeling this exact indescribable sensation a few days ago, right here at the playground, even if nowhere near as intense. She was walking over with Comet in her arms, and then she saw¡ª
She saw¡ª
She saw them.
¡°Th-that was you, wasn¡¯t it?¡± she mumbled out in between panting. Their distorted squeak, muffled further by the rag covering them, finished snapping Sue back to awareness, the situation finally clicking together.
She¡¯d looked at their real body, her brain blue-screened, and now they were freaking out in¡ªin fear.
Oh, no.
She scrambled over beside them, putting on the calmest voice she had as she reassured them, ¡°Hey, hey, it¡¯s all good.¡± To her relief, her touch immediately deflated much of their panic¡ªand then some, the bulk of their obscured body scooting towards her and pressing itself into her side.
As if wanting to be as close as possible.
The resumed routine of one hand petting the top of their disguise and the other holding their tentacle calmed the stranger down, together with Sue. Whatever the hell had caused... that when she looked at their body thankfully didn¡¯t extend to their limbs, their blackness safely non-mind-melting. The more she thought about it, the sadder the entire situation became, especially once she¡¯d connected the dots leading up to now.
They saw her carrying Comet. They put together this costume to look like him, joined the other kids, and then it all fell apart, anyway. The question of ¡®but why a costume like Comet specifically¡¯ was answered as soon as she¡¯d asked it, the realization forcing a couple of tears down her cheeks.
¡°It¡¯s because I was holding Comet, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Sue whimpered, the hand holding their tentacle growing that much shakier. ¡°Holding him while you... were alone.¡±
She still had zero idea just what the hell this creature was, but in that moment, Sue wanted nothing more than to keep them company for as long as they needed to. Hell, if they really were a child like she¡¯d suspected them to be, it¡¯d make it all even sadder, as they would obviously be looking for protection. For a home, for a family, everything the little ones in the two villages had rightfully taken for granted.
Her sniffs were heard right away, adding worried confusion to the stranger¡¯s whirlpool of emotions. An extra sized dose of affection eased them out as Sue chewed through what she was to do now.
The worries about whether this was an actual child, about who would take care of them if so. The very acute concern of ¡®just what do I do to keep them from melting the brains of all of Moonview with their appearance¡¯. And the equally baffling question of what were they, even? A mountain sized fort of confusion in her head, and exactly nothing for answers.
Sundance would¡¯ve known what to do...
The thought stung deeply, making Sue physically flinch. It was as true as it was profoundly unhelpful, especially now. Sundance wasn¡¯t around at the moment; she couldn¡¯t approach her for advice, but it didn¡¯t matter. The little one still needed her help, and she¡¯d do everything in her power to provide.
And the very first step in that process was figuring out how to move them safely. For that, knowing their... composition would help a lot. That word felt so, so wrong referring to a person, but with their body shape feeling so undefined, it was the most applicable one Sue could think of.
Looking under the cover was a bad idea¡ªshe was sure of that much¡ªbut what about reaching in there instead? Slowly, Sue withdrew one hand and moved it down to the nearest edge of their protective rag. At the count of three, she reached in, bracing herself for whatever might happen.
It felt... just as nice.
Sue¡¯s hand was surrounded by the same soft warmth that comprised the lil¡¯ one¡¯s tentacle, but this time from all around. It reminded her of putty, but with none of the associated sliminess¡ªand alive, somehow. As much as her movement had startled them, making them shift and flow under the cover, they soon calmed back down as Sue continued to hold their tentacle and shower them with affection without the rag in the way.
Them being amorphous wasn¡¯t much help when it came to moving them around, though. Sue grew steadily distraught at not coming up with anything before an idea clicked into place. A tremendously stupid idea¡ªthe kind the little slime creature would¡¯ve been angry to hear if they could read her thoughts¡ªbut it was the only one she had, making it the best one by walk-over.
Why not... scoop them up?
They clearly weren¡¯t leaking through the canvas, so there was no concern of them potentially spilling out while she carried them around. She wouldn¡¯t need to bring anything else, since she could just carry them in the rag they were hiding under. The entire dumb idea could¡¯ve gone wrong in a dozen different ways, at least half of them leaving the lil¡¯ one exposed in the middle of Moonview, their curse applying to everyone around,
But overall, she was just about ready to give it a shot.
Giving them a heads-up would help a lot, though. As would... asking them about all this.
While Sue¡¯s mind tried to avoid kicking herself down too hard for not thinking to link up with them sooner, her brain was in the middle of alleviating that exact concern, repeating her little ritual. She grit her teeth as the injury on her front fin flared up, but ultimately persevered, trying to banish the built-up aching with deep breaths once done.
It was time to finally greet them. ¡°H-hey there, little one. My name is Sue,¡± she smiled.
Silence.
Sue blinked at the absence of any response¡ªnot beyond the emotion of curiosity, that is. Her connection was spotty, sure, but there was no way it¡¯d entirely block out their communication. She supposed emotions could work to convey their intent in a pinch, but something less ambiguous would¡¯ve been appreciated.
The hidden being felt... really spaced out, now that she could sense them closer.
Let¡¯s lay the idea out and see how they react. ¡°I want to move you over to everyone else. Would it be alright with you if I carried you in your... disguise?¡±
She had no more luck than before, especially not with their reaction being this ambiguous. Clinging to her could mean many things as a response to this specific question, not helping her any, and forcing her to go through with her idea first, and ask for forgiveness afterwards.
Fuck¡¯s sake.
Still, Sue wanted to run the steps by them first, even if just for herself. If they understood any of it, great, but either way, it¡¯d help her a lot to have the entire plan laid out in her mind. ¡°I¡¯m gonna f-fold the edges of the rag underneath you. Then I¡¯ll close my eyes, flip you around, and tie the corners together. Is that alright?¡±
Once more, there were no words, only calmness. As much of a confirmation as she was gonna get.
Wasting no more time, she went through her steps, shaking throughout. She kept an unerring focus on the little one¡¯s emotions all along, sighing in relief whenever a larger movement had them only grow a bit confused. Edges folded, now the potentially nasty part.
Sue didn¡¯t expect them to be so light.
As terrified as they got by her staring at them directly earlier, they noticed her eyes being closed this time, remaining only slightly unnerved as their disguise kept moving underneath them. Sue¡¯s hands blindly felt around their pudding-like body until she found the corners of their rag, the motions that followed determined and shaky. One knot, second knot, time to open her eyes¡ªand hope they wouldn¡¯t immediately fall out.
To Sue¡¯s utmost surprise, her plan worked. A small bundle rested on the sand beside her, the being inside confused more than anything else. A couple of dark tendrils were reaching out through whichever openings there were, but the bulk of their body remained contained. Behold, a baby in a bag.
Getting up from the ground without a crutch, while possible, turned out to be a struggle in its own right¡ªespecially once she had to apply any leverage on her still-injured leg. Teeth were gritted and grunts were mumbled, but eventually Sue got up entirely on her own, the bundle in her hand. Singular hand.
It only then really hit her just how small the stranger was. They weren¡¯t quite baseball-sized, but they were close, making Sue think of a large orange. With how magical everything and everyone here was, there was no reason they had to constrain themselves to any biologically feasible body sizes, of course, but the realization still took her aback.
Just a lil¡¯ bagful of a baby.
With the aforementioned magical weirdness in mind, Sue sure didn¡¯t expect Astra to be taken aback by the stranger, either. To her immediate relief, the dragon¡¯s surprise wasn¡¯t laced with any underlying terror and faded soon after she¡¯d sat down beside her. Joy was even less skittish¡ªshe spotted the ominous, clawed limb reaching out from Sue¡¯s bag, but it had only barely slowed her down in her dash toward her big friend¡¯s lap.
And as Joy did, seeing Sue¡¯s affection towards the bagful of stranger, she attempted to pet them herself.
By the amazing @LeafBunny Studios!
Sadly, the pitch-black being didn¡¯t react well to that, immediately withdrawing all the way into their bag and startling Joy. Sue didn¡¯t want either of them to feel bad, and while being held close to her front wasn¡¯t a cure for anything, it still helped both of them out a lot.
A part of the Forest Guardian considered getting up right away and trying to talk to... someone about all this. The uncertainty about who was even the correct person to go over all this with, as well as the desire to not overwhelm the lil¡¯ stranger, made her remain in her seat for now¡ªjust in time for stuff to start happening elsewhere around the clearing.
A loud, sing-song whistle perked Sue¡¯s and Joy¡¯s heads alike, making them lean in unison from behind Astra towards the source of the sound. Sue only faintly recognized the blue cloud bird and had no idea whatsoever about their name, but each time she¡¯d seen them before, they were looking over the Moonview¡¯s youth¡ªas was the case here.
Regardless of whether they were singing or speaking, their vocalizations sounded just as nice. Sue¡¯s attempt to fish out some of the very few words she knew of Moonview¡¯s language proved entirely fruitless, annoying her more than usual by the virtue of just how impossible this language was starting to feel. The way the little ones over in Newmoon each said their words differently made it clear that there was a lot of flexibility in pronunciation, but this went beyond that.
For a good while, the bird¡¯s noises were just a single, continuous whistle, with only very few other sounds getting mixed in once they started talking to the leafy mantis. Were these brief pauses, sing-song trills, and barely audible pops supposed to be a part of this language? Were they just how that species naturally sang? Sue neither knew nor had any way to gain that information at the moment, frustrating her further. And, as if to spite her even more, the cloud bird soon noticed their group too.
Having to watch over Joy a few days back let Sue know acutely just how much undue, negative attention the toothy girl received. With that memory still raw in her recollection, she was of half a mind to act obnoxious towards the bird for leering at the harmless child hugging her front¡ªbut then, she realized that the cloud bird wasn¡¯t staring at Joy.
They were staring at her.
They were afraid of her.
Her sixth sense wasted no time in pointing these facts out for all they were worth. It felt dreadful, even more so once Sue saw the actions that followed, their cloud-like wings gently urging gathered tykes towards a spot further away from her. Was it something she¡¯d done? Or¡ or was it being seen with a night kin? The realization made Sue shift her glare down at the grass in front of her as a sludge of anger and sorrow churned in her mind.
What¡¯s your fucking problem!? Why are you so scared of bloody Ginger!?
An attempt to distract herself from that unpleasant topic by looking around the clearing some more found nothing more than further fuel for her anxious mind. The pink scorpion bat hadn¡¯t gone anywhere, now chatting with the half-plant, half-insect Splitleaf. Despite this being the mantis¡¯ duty as a caretaker, Sue was still pissed off at her for comforting the bat with Joy being so afraid of them.
And they¡¯d never apologize, because why would they!? Joy was a savage freak of nature who should be ostracized; the night kin were savage freaks of nature who should be ostracized; the little one in the bag probably fell into that category, too. Of course, they¡¯d only find suffering and misery in this fucking place¡ª
Sue was hyperventilating by the time she¡¯d finally noticed Joy¡¯s tighter embrace, delivered after the girl¡¯s attempts to catch her attention had failed. Her spiral of anger left her body shaking, the rumble of blood rushing through her head eclipsing all other sound.
More likely than not, she had this entire situation wrong. She¡¯d just misheard, mis-sensed, or misjudged, and she was well aware of that. None of those realizations really helped at the moment, that¡¯s for sure, especially not with the well-being of so many people she cared for being left to the whims of the masses.
Even despite her hug snapping Sue out of the worst of her steadily creeping fury, Joy wasn¡¯t done yet¡ªnot while her friend remained so upset about something. With a scramble, a grab, and a pointing of her hand, she communicated the need to Astra in spite of the ever-present language barrier¡ªand the dragon knew exactly what to do.
Sue wished Astra¡¯s embrace was enough.
In any other situation, the affection, the awareness that someone was there for her, would¡¯ve been deeply calming. But not this time. If anything, it only made it worse, considering the chief source of her anger was something Astra had no idea about, and which Sue couldn¡¯t easily tell her about because of the language barrier. It all felt... dull.
Guess it was up to her to calm down on her own. Sue slunk her head as she took deep breaths, the movement of air through her body gradually airing out some of the burning, sticky anger. If there was anything Sue knew about that particular emotion, though, it was that it was very easy for it to intensify again on a complete whim. She had to continue, keep going until it was all gone¡ªmuch easier said than done.
Though... maybe there was something she could try besides breathing.
Desperately trying to focus on anything but the source of her unpleasant emotions, Sue thought back to Solstice, teaching her how to link to others. She focused on the ever-important step of tuning out others¡¯ emotions so as not to get overwhelmed, growing easier and easier to perform with every attempt¡ªand wondered if it would work on her, too.
As easy as it was to use her left arm to push away the surrounding feelings, Sue had a hard time thinking of how she¡¯d do so internally. Suppose she could try to press her hand into herself? Placing it on her chest wasn¡¯t an option, for obvious reasons, which left a spot further down her torso. Hand on her stomach, anger on her mind. Deep inhale, and¡ª
Release.
Sue¡¯s eyes shot wide open as she went through her plan, the psychically enhanced exhale getting rid of... everything. The fiery indignation, the underlying sorrow, the immense concern for the amorphous child still sitting on her lap¡ªnothing remained but a slightly chilly, soothing peace.
She had Calmed her Mind.
With that sudden shift also came the conscious realization that no fewer than two friends were in the middle of dispensing affection towards her, both of them very concerned. The mental numbness didn¡¯t let Sue reciprocate with her own worry, but she could still try returning their affection in kind as her body relaxed. ¡°I¡¯m okay now, don¡¯t worry,¡± she reassured, her voice unnaturally flat¡ªbut still undeniably her.
With one hand navigating to hold Joy close and the other quickly checking up on the still nameless stranger, the scene had returned to how it was before. The toothy tyke was glad, Astra was relieved, and the goopy lil¡¯ one had fallen asleep at some point. Not a whole lot was happening¡ªa fine opportunity to investigate something odd she¡¯d sensed in the middle of that entire process.
Sue reached down to feel along the side of her torso, her expression entirely flat throughout. One by one, the pointed tip of her finger brushed along her ribs, feeling like they were just a millimeter or two under the skin¡¯s surface. One, two...
...sixteen, seventeen.
Almost all the way down to her hips.
Inspired by that discovery, Sue soon shifted her attention towards the other parts of her body, making the most of her disgust-proof altered mental state. Seven pairs of teeth, three incisors, and four molars filled a noticeably smaller mouth. The rest of her skull felt largely the same, aside from the spikes on the sides of her head.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
She already knew that they tingled the same area of her brain that her old human ears used to tingle, and that her actual ears were somewhere around that area. The link between the spikes and human ears went further still, with the spikes similarly made of cartilage, bending easily and painlessly.
Thinness of her legs raised an interesting question of their internal anatomy. Without skipping a beat, Sue set out to find out for herself, brushing the pleats of her skin dress aside and bending the limb as much as she could.
¡
Why is there a second bend a few inches off the ground?
Why is it bending the wrong way?
How come I only now noticed it?
Any disgust Sue might¡¯ve had at the revelation was forcibly dulled out by the coolness filling her mind, but good Duck, did it almost push through, anyway.
Sue either didn¡¯t remember enough about or really wasn¡¯t about to test most of the rest of her anatomy. There was, of course, the horn-shaped elephant in the room right through her torso that begged to be investigated further. She remembered it being painful to the touch on her first day here and now was as good of an opportunity as any to check if that still held true¡ªyes, it did.
Just like everything else in the moment, her pain was heavily dulled, letting her continue. An attempt to press on her horn from the side accomplished two things. One, it let Sue know that despite the forced calmness in her mind, the pain could still make her cry, even if the tears would then flow down an entirely flat expression. And two, it soothed her worries about that extremity being in any way brittle.
It was both deeply embedded in her torso, much like its appearance suggested, and very stiff, not giving even slightly under her touch. The more she felt it around, the more it made her think of a bone going straight across her body with something red covering it, its texture similar to chalk.
Before Sue¡¯s further efforts in bodily exploration could bring even more suffering onto herself, a loud call from further into the clearing caught her attention. Joy was ahead of her this time, running out towards the hissed sound before immediately freezing once she¡¯d spotted something, afraid. It only took moments until she was back beside her friend, wetness in her eyes threatening to match Sue¡¯s.
The once-human wasn¡¯t the only one that noticed, of course. Astra¡¯s loud question had the metal girl sigh as she tried laying down on Sue¡¯s lap, front head facing away from the other kids. As opposed to Sue¡¯s mental freeze-induced idleness, though, the dragon could do something about the messy situation.
What exactly beyond getting up and walking over, Sue had no idea¡ªbut at least she was left with a better view of the scene afterwards.
She might¡¯ve struggled to recall their names, but she distinctively remembered seeing both the green-cream snake and the floating white puffball with an attached head around the farm area. The former was carrying a small pile of green, spiky fruits in their tiny arms and long, leafy vines, handing out the treats to anyone who came¡ªand that indeed included the pink bat whose sight had shot down Joy¡¯s hopes of grabbing a snack.
Right as they were about to hand the last fruit out, though, Astra¡¯s low voice caught their attention. The reptile conversation thankfully didn¡¯t last too long, its gist swiftly transferred. Both to the partially-plant snake, sending them slithering straight towards Sue with a green treat in their arms, and to the more-than-partially-asshole bat, making them reel in place and huddle away from the once-human¡¯s group.
Works for me.
Sue didn¡¯t expect a snake to be this emotive. Instead of stirring Joy out of her attempted grumpy nap, they joined her, resting their head on Sue¡¯s leg right beside the toothy girl, to the Forest Guardian¡¯s mixed reaction¡ªif it hadn¡¯t been muted out, at least. Further committing to cheering Joy up, the snake pretended to pull the fruit out of thin air, smiling wider at Joy¡¯s harsh but genuine giggle. They then used a pair of vines to toss and juggle the treat to the tyke¡¯s amusement, her laughter growing louder each time the newcomer threw their gift even further into the air.
And then, right as they were about to launch it all the way up above the treetops, they sneakily moved it into Joy¡¯s arms, and gave her front head a couple of pats while at it. Joy¡¯s response remained untranslated, and it was clear enough that not even the snake was entirely confident about what they¡¯d just heard. Thinking back, though, it sounded awfully similar to something else Sue had heard her say a few days back at the feast¡ª¡°Th-thank you.¡±
Both she and the grass snake got it at around the same moment, the latter squeaking in elation at the realization. Their hug might¡¯ve been very brief, but it did wonders in cheering the metal girl up the rest of the way, leaving her eagerly waving them away once they¡¯d rejoined the other kids. Sue¡¯s response was appropriately subdued, but that didn¡¯t make it any less appreciated.
Someone really enjoys having her maw pet.
Having intervened to help the little one under her watch, Astra soon returned to her previous spot, just out of the recently installed swing¡¯s trajectory. A light aftershock went through most of the clearing after she¡¯d sat down¡ªor rather collapsed¡ªin her spot, but barely anyone was perturbed by it.
Except for the light green spider now on Astra¡¯s lap, looking around in confusion.
Despite the self-imposed mental restraints, Sue felt her mind shudder at the sight, a glance upwards revealing the string they had been hanging from just a few feet away from her. Figures they¡¯d be confused about why they were on the ground all of a sudden.
Meanwhile, Joy was undertaking her own grand quest, one of opening this fruit she¡¯d been given and getting to the oh-so-sweet insides. As hard as she¡¯d tried, she couldn¡¯t quite pry it open with just her hands, making her grumble quietly. Of course, she had a much more effective tool for prying stuff open, but having someone hold it for her would be a lot of help.
*tap tap*
The sensation snapped Sue away from taking in every detail of the smiley-faced spider. Instead, she saw Joy not just handing, but outright shoving the treat she¡¯d been given into her hand, its large spikes poking her slightly. Once she¡¯d grabbed the berry, the little one got to the next step of her plan right away.
*c-crack!*
In what felt like a split second, Joy went from having her friend hold the green treat to biting down on it with the very side of her maw. The firm, green shell stood absolutely no chance against the metal teeth, the smallest bit of force almost snapping the fruit in half entirely. Glad as the toothy tyke was that her idea worked out, she knew that nobody would want to eat something that¡¯s been in her back mouth. As swiftly as she¡¯d cracked the fruit¡¯s shell, she moved her maw away while turning to face the now punctured fruit, some fresh juice dripping from her maw¡¯s fangs.
It was only when Joy grabbed the fruit from her friend¡¯s hand and started prying it apart, did Sue¡¯s brain unstuck itself following the way-too-fast sequence of events. She might¡¯ve been incapable of feeling much at the moment, but goodness did all this in such a quick succession push her limits¡ª
*hissss-click-click*
Fear pounded away at Sue¡¯s quickly faltering mental block as she turned to face the source of the sound. Her heart only barely avoided leaping out of her chest at seeing the red spider that had almost taken her life, with her conscious mind having to hurriedly remind her crumbling composure that she¡¯d met him before, with Solstice¡¯s aid no less. He was even wearing the same hat as on that day, the element of familiarity helping Sue a lot. Unfortunately, it did little considering the lack of a translation, but little was more than nothing.
As Sue felt emotions return to her body, one drop of fear at a time, both Dewdrop and what was presumably his offspring waved towards her from beside Astra¡¯s spot. Her arms shook as she returned the gesture, and her smile was only barely recognizable between the mental muzzle on her mind and the already present anxiety.
Before Sue¡¯s decidedly off expression could draw too much attention, though, Joy chimed in with snacks for everyone.
As annoying as her short size was, forcing her to constantly run around Sue, Joy didn¡¯t let it get to her. One by one, she handed the pieces of the green fruit she¡¯d helped crack to everyone gathered¡ªher two guardians, Dewdrop, their offspring, herself¡ªheck, even the sleeping one got a piece left for them. Astra had to eat it shortly afterwards because of the juices staining the already dirty canvas, but it was the intent that mattered¡ªand Joy¡¯s intent was immaculate.
Sue barely had the words for the creamy yellow flesh she bit into. ¡®Sweet¡¯ didn¡¯t cut it, ¡®saccharine¡¯ came short. Each little nibble cloyed her mouth with some of the most distilled sugariness she¡¯d ever had. Not even actual candy was this sweet, and this thing had apparently grown on a plant!
Now the question is: Is this fruit actually good for you, or does sweet equal sinfully unhealthy for you in this world too?
Yet another intense sensation joining in on the mix eroded whatever remained of her forced calmness. Bliss on her tongue, spooks around her, disappointment at herself for still being afraid of Dewdrop despite having literally talked with him just a couple of days ago.
Concern for the amorphous little one, still asleep.
She supposed this was the best time for them to get a move on and start asking people around. Or get actual food for them that wasn¡¯t the sensation of ¡®sweet¡¯ manifested into a plant.
Can they even eat solid food?
...
How do they even eat?
The questions had no answers, but just airing them out to herself let Sue free some more of her brain space towards more productive topics. She might not have known almost anything about the little one, but someone in the village would, that much she was certain of. Just had to get up, much easier now that the spider family had taken their leave, and head out of the playground¡ªoh, piss off.
Sue¡¯s stone-like expression cracked into one of distrust and animosity upon seeing the pink bat approach them. Her hand reached to hold Joy closer, the gesture inadvertently catching the lil¡¯ one¡¯s attention and making her spot the flying scorpion. A frightful squeak, a tight embrace¡ªeverything Sue had worried would happen, was.
As the Forest Guardian kept petting the top of her little friend¡¯s maw, the two beings trailing behind the bat kept encouraging them. Sue wasn¡¯t entirely trustful of Splitleaf, considering she saw her dispense affection towards the lil¡¯ pink shit only recently, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for the incredibly pleasant grassy serpent. Each time the pink bat faltered or slowed down, one of the two would encourage them to keep going, all the way until the three were at Sue¡¯s feet, Joy now hiding away from the bat¡¯s gaze.
Despite their best attempts to push on, the scorpion couldn¡¯t deny the mix of Joy¡¯s obvious distress and the Forest Guardian¡¯s scowl being... demoralizing, to put it lightly. They wanted to fly out of there; wanted to be literally anywhere but here; they had no idea how they¡¯d accomplish what they were here for with Joy¡¯s fear and her friend¡¯s hostility¡ª
They didn¡¯t know, but Splitleaf had a hunch.
Sue¡¯s eyebrow lifted from its stern position as the leafy mantis turned to chat to Astra, of all people. Whatever the topic was, it made the dragon look between the approaching group, Sue, and Joy, earlier confusion steadily thawing. She couldn¡¯t translate, and with Sue¡¯s uncertain appearance, she doubted if the handicapped Forest Guardian could either.
All of which left a... more direct approach. The dragon¡¯s reassurance got Joy to start unwinding from the creeping fear. Her eyes opened wider, little by little, as whichever words of encouragement that she understood did their magic. Sue could acutely tell that even despite Astra¡¯s best efforts, the effect wasn¡¯t all that massive, and Joy was still afraid.
Frankly, all she wanted was to tell that bat to fuck off in no uncertain terms¡ªwhich was clear enough for Astra to know she¡¯d have to intervene that way, too. As soft as the dragon was, her being able to casually pry Sue¡¯s arm away from holding Joy was a grave reminder of her strength. Her grasp was downright dainty, and yet, Sue couldn¡¯t get it to budge in the slightest no matter how hard she¡¯d tried.
And so; Joy was left to let go of her friend and face her fear.
Her fear, on the other hand... reached a single pincer toward her.
The scene remained at an impasse for a solid while as the pink bat chittered something out. Their words were unsure, even slightly fearful, but, to the best of Sue¡¯s ability to tell, genuine. By her third attempt at wrangling her arm out of Astra¡¯s grasp, the realization of what was going on finally clicked into place. It sent her train of ever-angrier thought careening into the distance as her body unwound, her softening gaze glancing down at Joy.
I wonder if she¡¯s even aware that this is an apology.
Almost as if by magic, the moment Sue stopped straining, Astra let her arm go. Instead of keeping the toothy tyke away from her earlier harasser, Sue did her best to comfort her, her freed limb petting along her head and maw alike¡ªincluding over the by-now barely visible scratch.
No matter how much Sue encouraged her, though, Joy remained rooted in place, her gaze glued to the floor. The once-human couldn¡¯t accept her apology for her, of course, but what she could do was help with translation. Or at least, she could¡¯ve if she didn¡¯t feel so drained following her accidental self-calming. Despite her attempts to focus and wrangle her aura into shape, it either slipped from her grasp or proved too painful on her injury to keep going.
Sue kept her reactions down to not alert the others, but the atmosphere as a whole only kept growing darker. Splitleaf, in particular, grew somber over all of this, hanging her head low. It took so long just to make the bat get over their fear and shame enough to apologize, and now Joy was too scared, too confused, or both. In a way, it was a lesson in its own right, one about not all apologies getting accepted.
¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ is no magic, after all.
Before the leafy mantis could turn that insight into a well-defined lesson in her head, the other side finally made a step forward. And another, and then a third. Joy was still too skittish to look directly up at the bat, but with Sue¡¯s reassurance, she kept inching closer. Grabbing the Forest Guardian¡¯s petting hand by one finger and holding it tight did wonders for her psyche, too.
Nobody else dared move as Joy made it through the last couple of paces. Her hand reached around blindly as she kept looking away, eventually brushing past the pink pincer and grabbing it as firmly as she could. Not much happened for the next few moments, both parties waiting for the other to do something while Sue contorted herself to let the lil¡¯ one keep holding her hand.
It was up to Splitleaf to intervene. Again. With a mostly unseen eye roll, she approached the most awkward instance of hand-holding in history and shook the two kids¡¯ hands. The motion made Joy¡¯s gaze finally snap over, her eyes locking with the bat. Stressful as it was for both of them, they knew they shouldn¡¯t be looking away if they wanted an apology to truly happen¡ªand even despite her limited grasp of a situation, Joy did want that.
She didn¡¯t want people to be mean to her, but neither did she want them to be scared of her. Or for her to be scared of anyone else, as long as she knew she wouldn¡¯t be mistreated again...
Subdued as most of the apology was, though, Astra¡¯s loud cheer brought some more life into the scene. Both the leafy snake and Splitleaf broke into a quiet chuckle as Joy let go, and the two withdrew their hands. And then, shortly after, the toothy tyke released her grip of Sue¡¯s hand, letting her properly move again¡ªand pull the brave girl into the tightest hug she could manage, pride dripping from her every gesture.
She did it; Joy managed it on her own, without even needing a translation. It was such immense progress from the first time they met, Sue could hardly believe it. A wide, dumb grin refused to wash from her face as she held the lil¡¯ one in her arms, rocking her side to side while Joy tried her absolute hardest to return even a slice of that hug.
¡°I¡¯m so proud of you...¡± Sue beamed, tearing up just a bit. This was more than just being happy, so much more; her heart was clear enough about that. She wasn¡¯t just glad, but intensely proud of Joy, ecstatic at her reassurance and presence having helped her overcome her fears. It felt right, so incredibly right; she wanted to be here by Joy¡¯s side as she grew through thick and thin. Be her guardian, be her support, be someone she can trust and rely on no matter what, forever¡ª
...
...
Forever.
The cursed quagmire of contradictions and despair that surrounded the subject of her return to Earth stopped Sue¡¯s euphoria instantly. The shift from a tight, firm embrace to Sue¡¯s entire body growing stiff was clear enough for Joy to sense too, a confused squeak only driving the unpleasant feelings further under her skin.
Why is this so FUCKING HARD!?
Sue gently lowered Joy down onto the grass before the tempest of emotions under her head could grow any further. As comforting as the metal girl¡¯s presence was for her and vice versa, Sue knew she needed to get out of here, now. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Joy,¡± she whimpered, looking away. ¡°Just... n-need to get some fresh air. Take care Joy, t-take care Astra...¡±
She could feel their shared concern as she picked herself off the ground with the dragon¡¯s help. She had no idea how to soothe it, for them and herself alike¡ªespecially not now. All she could think of was getting away, and that¡¯s what she did soon after, one hand carefully holding the bundle with the stranger inside it as the other shakily waved at the pair.
She didn¡¯t even have it in her to look back at them as she departed the clearing. Before she could even take a step out of it, though, a well familiar sound caught her attention¡ªone she knew would only bring her comfort. ¡°H-hey, Spark,¡± she greeted, exhausted.
Psychic or not yet one, the fiery kit recognized the gloom in her friend¡¯s voice all the same, her expression growing uncertain. Sue was incapable of responding beyond just shaking her head¡ªdespite that, she reassured, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±
It¡¯s not.
Right as Sue was about to leave for real, with or without Spark following her, another familiar sight brought a modicum of reassurance. She¡¯d only seen this butterfly a few times and one was while she was panicking at everything and everyone, but seeing someone she recognized still made her feel better.
Doubly so, with the brown caterpillar in their arms immediately wiggling at seeing her. Their parent noticed, turning towards them and giving them a wave of their tiny hands and a couple exaggerated flaps of their almost pure white wings. Sue¡¯s brain jump-started itself just in time to connect the purple-bodied insect to a name Basil had told her a couple days back, Birch, before the insect in question flew off straight into the treeline after dropping his child off.
Guess whatever he does, it¡¯s way outside of Moonview. Figures, that¡¯s how I ran into him.
Warm nudge on her leg, and then another. Spark was right.
It was time to go.
Finding someone who could feasibly know something about the little one inside the bag turned out to be... difficult. Sue¡¯s mental list wasn¡¯t particularly long: Willow, Solstice, maybe the living bouquet, Orchid, too. Willow wasn¡¯t at their clinic, she¡¯d rather bite on a brick than try talking to the plant-like medic after her outburst at Northeast earlier, and Solstice... yeah, no.
Left with nothing for answers, Sue decided to play it safe. Whatever this little one was, they ate something. Probably. They didn¡¯t have teeth, or other defined body parts for that matter, so they most likely couldn¡¯t eat solid food. It was time for soup, regardless of how little Sue herself cared for it most of the time.
With no idea of which cook around the clearing specialized in which meals, Sue was only left with the fallback option of Poppy and Hazel¡¯s stall. She really, really didn¡¯t care for seeing the latter again, and hoped to ducking Duck she¡¯d at least leave her alone this time. And if not...
...
She¡¯d probably just get angry again or something. What else was she to do?
Thankfully, the first impression of Hazel had the ghost not wanting to interact with her any more than the other way around. The spooky prankster let out a long groan before withdrawing further into the kitchen, leaving the fairy cook to handle orders this time. A part of Sue worried about Poppy being just as hostile towards her, but fortunately her reactions didn¡¯t extend beyond a mild unease at the whole messy situation.
Sue sure wasn¡¯t feeling like miming a meal right now, which left linking up with her. Her horn didn¡¯t like the idea, but was outvoted 1-0. Focus her mind, tune out emotions, reach out with her aura, aaaaaaand linked¡ªjust need to insert dial-up noises somewhere in there.
Doing the entire routine with one hand occupied by a bundle of snoozing something made it all feel even more awkward than usual, that¡¯s for sure.
¡°...you good?¡± Poppy asked, eyebrow creeping upwards by the moment.
Right, gotta talk.
¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m good. I wanted to grab some soup for... them,¡± Sue answered, accentuating her request by pointing directly at the sleeping bundle.
Poppy had no idea what she was even looking at, leaning over the counter and squinting at the... thing. ¡°Hon, is bag,¡± she explained, deadpan.
Sue groaned. ¡°No, it¡¯s not a bag. There¡¯s something, someone inside it. They¡¯re there, you can feel it, just don¡¯t try looking at them.¡± She was uncertain about handing over the bag for the fairy to inspect in person, but figured that if it would stop any more stupid questions, it was worth it. Probably.
She really hoped so.
With more hesitation than she would admit, Sue carefully placed the grapefruit-sized bundle on the pantry¡¯s counter. Poppy might¡¯ve initially thought that the Forest Guardian had gone bonkers, but it didn¡¯t take long for her to realize that Sue was telling the truth. The inside of the bundle was warm, amorphous, and judging by the bag¡¯s condition, not wet. ¡°Darn. They soup?¡± Poppy asked, intrigued.
Sue was deeply uncertain about how to interpret the question. She opted to answer both interpretations, covering her bases at the cost of making her look even dumber than she already was. ¡°They¡¯re not soup, and I don¡¯t know if they eat soup. I figure that if they eat anything, it¡¯s soup or juice, but I¡¯m not sure¡ª¡±
Hazel¡¯s gruff comment cut Sue off before she could finish making a dumbass of herself, catching everyone but her by surprise. After a couple of stunned moments, Spark woofed a question out loud, and then another, with Hazel answering both of them with an unusual seriousness and intent. Even without an impossibly large smile, the ghost¡¯s expression was still incredibly attention catching with her humongous red eyes.
Sue was just glad it wasn¡¯t focused on her this time, at least.
With Spark having asked her questions, Poppy followed soon after, letting Sue get a glimpse into what was even going on¡ª¡°How ghost? Warm. Is.¡±
...hold on, what?
Hazel¡¯s answer was slightly more elaborate this time as she pointed at the bag and then at herself. Despite her best efforts, neither Spark nor Poppy were entirely convinced. ¡°Can walk walls?¡± the cook asked. ¡°Bag?¡±
A short, gruff response, the associated emotions the equivalent of a dismissive shrug. A longer, much firmer comment followed soon after, one that had Hazel stare up at Sue directly. Unnerving as the sight was, though, Sue could tell that it wasn¡¯t accompanied by hostility or even mischief, not this time. Instead, curiosity and¡ hope.
¡°Okay, okay,¡± Poppy nodded at her partner before turning to Sue, ¡°Hazel say bag ghost. No eat.¡±
Sue blinked dumbfounded, trying to make sense of the translated words as she picked the bundle of lil¡¯ one up again. ¡°B-but they¡¯re warm, and they¡¯re filling it up, and¡ª¡±
Poppy shook her head. ¡°Hazel say important not. Ghost.¡±
Suppose if there was any being who¡¯d know for sure it¡¯d be a fellow ghost, but... it was still so hard to comprehend. How could this of all beings be a ghost? Was their ghost-ness related to their brain-melting curse when looked at? How did Hazel know with certainty? Why did they feel so young¡ª
*whiiiiiiiiIIIISTLE!*
The loud sound was followed by the sensation of an even louder aura approaching fast, soothing in its familiarity. Before Sue could even finish turning around, she was scooped into the air and held firmly by Lilly¡¯s leafy arms as the plant girl¡¯s mischief bloomed into glee. She took a moment to finish reeling after the sudden emotion swing before embracing all she could reach with her free arm, the dancer¡¯s jubilant whistle warming her heart even more. ¡°I-I¡¯m so happy to see you too, Lilly!¡±
Lilly¡¯s realization that Sue couldn¡¯t understand her clicked audibly into place, making her look around in search of anyone who could help. Or at least, that¡¯s what Sue assumed, interrupting Lilly with a couple pats to catch her attention before shaking her head. Before doing anything else, though, thanks were in order. ¡°Th-thank you for your help, Poppy!¡± she smiled at the cook¡ªand sighed, a little pesky part of her that wanted to remain fair speaking up. ¡°And pass my thanks to Hazel, too...¡±
With the last of the thanks being passed out, Sue could disconnect from Poppy and link up with Lilly, the dancer finding her friend¡¯s psychic antics ticklish. One, two, push past the growing pain, and let¡¯s talk. ¡°H-hey Lilly.¡±
¡°Sue!¡± Lilly squeaked, holding her that bit tighter. ¡°Happy you have. Much, much. Yesterday... scary. Scary, scary...¡±
¡®Scary¡¯ was one good word to describe the entire mess that had transpired yesterday. Awful as it had been, though, it was in the past, and the past was the last thing Sue wanted to think about, especially when Lilly was in the middle of carrying her around.
Doubly so once Lilly¡¯s admission began to melt through her joy, revealing everything that lurked under the surface. Anxiety about what had happened during the chaotic mess of yesterday, stress from work, and especially Root. Loathing about not having been able to intervene when she¡¯d spotted Sue next to the Pale Lady¡¯s shrine.
Self-consciousness about just being a dumb, stilted farmhand.
¡°It was, yeah. Could we take a seat there?¡± Sue asked, worried.
Lilly got to walking right away, simultaneously too sad and too concerned about possibly injuring Sue to bound towards the bench like she¡¯d usually do. The former factor kept growing ever larger, Lilly¡¯s impeccable poise waning with her every step.
The very instant Sue¡¯s backside had touched that bench, she pulled her crush friend into the tightest hug she could manage, her unexpected outburst of attention briefly stunning Lilly. The plant girl¡¯s counterattack came soon after, in all its borderline-rib-crushing glory.
Sue wouldn¡¯t want it any other way. ¡°I¡¯m here Lilly, I¡¯m here, it¡¯s okay,¡± she reassured. ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be alright.¡± Regardless of how little Sue believed in that last point, she sure wanted Lilly to believe in it.
¡°Thank, thank, *sniff*. Not know what happen. Very stupid,¡± Lilly whimpered.
Sue could tell the plant girl was referring to herself with the last couple of words. All it did was redouble her efforts, the little one still in her hand, as she raised her voice¡ª¡°You¡¯re not stupid, Lilly! You¡¯re wonderful. I-I genuinely loved the time we spent together.¡±
The plant girl trembled at the outpouring of reassurance, doubly so when it was further enhanced by Spark nuzzling her from her other side. ¡°True?¡± she asked, uncertain.
¡°Yes, really! You¡¯re charming, and kind, and funny! Why would I be lying?¡± Sue insisted.
Framing the question like that made Lilly flinch, and Sue only try harder still to comfort her. Still, the dancer wanted to be truthful. Her body language shrunk and trembled as she spoke up, eyes closing in embarrassment. ¡°Because stupid. Farmhand. Confused yesterday. Know much not. Just farmhand. Talk bad.¡±
The framing of her helping at the farms as a negative thing made Sue think back to yesterday, to how Root had spoken of Lilly right before Sue left Moonview¡ª
...
And considering just how that very priest had treated her later that day, there was a definite link between the two. In most other circumstances, it would¡¯ve been enough to get Sue incensed all over again, but her own anger didn¡¯t matter right now. Lilly came first, and she needed all the reassurance Sue had in her.
¡°You¡¯re not stupid, Lilly, I really mean it,¡± Sue insisted, calming her voice down. ¡°Yesterday was a mess for everyone. I saw a lot of it and I¡¯m still confused about just what had happened. You help feed everyone here, and that¡¯s a wonderful thing to be doing! You talk differently than most, sure, but that¡¯s not a bad thing. I...¡± Sue trailed off, flinching and persevering through some of her earlier emotions. ¡°I really like you like this. You¡¯re amazing like this. I¡ªI want to get to know you better like this.¡±
Before the plant girl could do anything else, Sue shifted her hug until Lilly¡¯s head rested on her chest, right beside her horn. The Forest Guardian felt everything inside the dancer¡¯s mind in vivid clarity¡ªher doubts, her fears, her ever-raw insecurities, all of them soothed by the moment. Despair gave way to uncertainty, and then, bit by bit, to her usual confidence.
As she opened her eyes, Lilly saw the impact yesterday had left on her crush friend from very close up. In an instant, she shelved her loathing for later, replacing it with nothing but concern for Sue. ¡°Sue, happen what!? Hurt you! And, what bag!?¡±
By its own, the bag in the Forest Guardian¡¯s hand would¡¯ve been scarcely interesting¡ªbut the several small, black tentacles reaching out from it made it go from mundane to alarming in an instant. Lilly had almost swatted the possible threat away before Sue undid her hug and brought the bundle in front of herself, immediately speaking up afterwards¡ª¡°I¡¯ll tell you what happened in a moment, Lilly. This... bag, there¡¯s someone inside it. A little ghost, I think.¡±
Spark¡¯s woofs had confusion and worry dripping from them at the sight, but Sue continued. ¡°I don¡¯t know who, or even what, they are. I know they look scary, but they¡¯re just alone, scared, and very little. Whoever they are, whatever they are...¡± she trailed off as they all watched a black tentacle slowly wrap itself around Sue¡¯s wrist, shaking as it clung to their guardian. ¡°They need me. I want to be here for them.¡±
To say Lilly was taken aback was an understatement of the century. The bag, the creature within it, their weird appearance¡ªshe had no idea what was up with them, her insecurity aggravated by not knowing yet another important thing. Whatever was happening, though, Sue was convinced. Sue wanted to help them. And Lilly...
With a shaky motion, the leafy dancer reached her hand over towards the bundle, pressing its flat side into it and feeling the warmth radiating from the inside.
...wanted to be here for Sue. ¡°Want help,¡± she reassured, leaning closer into the bundle. ¡°Know how not. But want.¡±
A few stray tears forced their way past Sue¡¯s eyelids as she slid as close to Lilly as possible, the dancer¡¯s free hand holding her close. They watched as the little one wrapped their tentacle around Lilly¡¯s arm, the palpable warmth making her lean in closer.
¡°Thank you s-so much, Lilly. We¡¯ll figure it out, I-I¡¯m sure of it. As to what had happened...¡± Sue shuddered, going over the events in her mind as she lowered her ghost-holding hand down onto her lap, letting Spark take a couple sniffs of the stranger.
¡°Let¡¯s start from the beginning, then...¡±
Chapter 23: Namesake
Sue¡¯s strained breathing was the only sound filling their nook of the clearing by the time she was done with her retelling.
She wasn¡¯t sure when exactly Spark had left, only that she did at some point, and the Forest Guardian couldn¡¯t blame her. There¡¯s only so much tending to a soggy mess of a friend anyone can handle before they just want to retreat to something more reassuring.
Lilly only grew more concerned with Sue¡¯s every sentence, culminating with holding her tight to her front, as if afraid she would fly off and get herself gravely hurt again. The actual events she had described were... harrowing, scary, unnerving. All of those and more; the grave injustice at the center of it all, the denial of positive change at the hands of a single maddened owl, visible to her, too. By the time Sue was done with her retelling, though, the political situation between Moonview and Newmoon had taken a back seat to something else in Lilly¡¯s mind.
Sue might¡¯ve already gone over all this more times within the past few hours than anyone ought to in their lifetime, but if anything, it only made her react harder to her own recollection. Both at the obviously distressing parts¡ªAlastor¡¯s attack, the tension, the near-death¡ªbut also at what happened afterwards. Tears gathered in her eyes when she mentioned trying to sleep last night, waking up, her angry outburst earlier today¡
So far from the Sue the leafy dancer knew, the impact of the stress over the past couple days made abundantly clear. It made Lilly ask about it¡ªand then again, a few sentences later. About how it all impacted Sue, about whether she was holding alright, whether she needed more help.
Each time, Sue answered with nervous shaking, a visible fight against her own body to not cry any more, a thick silence that simultaneously concealed and revealed so much¡ªand then, soon after, a polite rejection.
Because what can I even say here?
Sue wasn¡¯t coping with her inability to explain what was wrong any better than Lilly was. She wanted to let it out, to release her tension. About her, about everyone else here, about this world and her tattered mental state whenever she tried thinking any of this through¡ªbut she couldn¡¯t.
Lilly didn¡¯t deserve to deal with this weight.
The weight of Sue¡¯s struggles, the nigh-indescribable pressure of knowing that her stay here might be temporary. Of course, that concern had more selfish undertones, ones which Sue was well aware of and didn¡¯t hesitate to kick herself over.
Despite how much she might¡¯ve loathed herself for it... Sue wanted this. To be held, to be comforted, to have someone she could confide in. Someone who adored her, someone she adored. And if being truthful with them carried a serious risk of them running away because they obviously wouldn¡¯t want to stick with an extra-dimensional alien that might just disappear on the spot...
I¡¯m being so fucking scummy.
The thought stirred more and more tears inside Sue as they both sat in silence, Lilly¡¯s hug tightening by the moment. It was the one realization she couldn¡¯t even try to fight or paint as mere self-loathing. It was true, and Sue hated it, she hated herself for it, and she deserved all this suffering for being willing to lie like that¡ª
¡°Sue?¡± Lilly whispered, her leafy arms holding the Forest Guardian that bit closer.
Strained breaths were Sue¡¯s only answer as her body fruitlessly tried to calm down. Regardless of how deserved it was, Lilly¡¯s concern was there and downright palpable to the Forest Guardian. It was accompanied by her warm, soothing care, a tangible desire for Sue to feel better, expressed with a restrained embrace and careful stroking of her shoulder.
¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m here, Lilly.¡± Sue answered, her voice weak. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s¡ª¡±
¡°You talk want anything?¡±
So many things. All of them utterly, hopelessly terrifying.
Sue shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t worry, Lilly.¡± And it was the plant girl¡¯s concern, her care, her desire to help, that Sue needed to run away from, somehow. To keep the rot inside her hidden. Another distraction was in order, and the clingy kiddo on her lap would provide just that. ¡°I think they¡¯re curious about you.¡±
Two of their black tentacles were still firmly wrapped around Sue, with a third slowly reaching in Lilly¡¯s general direction. Sue was glad they had largely just calmed down as they all sat here, still clinging to her many minutes later. ¡°Can lift look?¡± Lilly asked.
¡°Sure, just not inside the bag. Heh...¡± Sue chuckled. It was the most mirthless chuckle of her life, and despite having known her for only a few days now, Lilly could tell.
One more concerned look at the Forest Guardian later, the leafy girl carefully cupped her arm underneath the bundle and lifted it up before her, inspecting it from all around. The ghost inside the bag was less than enthused about that, though, fearfully shuddering the moment they left Sue¡¯s lap.
Before Lilly even noticed, Sue was already reaching over to cup the bundle¡¯s side with her hand. Her touch had an immediate impact, the little one relaxing as they wrapped a tentacle around her hand again. ¡°Sorry, they got scared there,¡± she explained, wanting to shrivel.
¡°No sorry!¡± Lilly reassured. ¡°Glad help you.¡± Her whistled voice was unusually focused for her, eyes narrowing as she inspected a part of the sack. Sue was of half a mind to try craning her head and see what her friend was looking at by the time Lilly finally spoke up, her words... confusing. ¡°Sue, say in bag bad?¡±
Sue¡¯s attempt to parse the sentence failed, leaving her blinking a few times before going with the best hunch she could put together. ¡°Yes, looking in the bag is bad for you. Why do you ask, Lilly?¡±
Lilly¡¯s answer was wordless, but no less surprising because of that. She rotated the bag in her grasp as she moved it closer to Sue, the subject of the leafy dancer¡¯s earlier focus now clearly visible to the Forest Guardian as well.
There was a small hole in the bag¡¯s side, and a pair of pinprick eyes were looking out of it.
Sue gasped at seeing it, trying to maintain enough concentration to look away in case the sight would end up affecting her again, but... it didn¡¯t. She stared at the small patch of the void, and it stared back, and all she felt was a slightly unnerving sensation in the back of her mind. Still conscious, still present.
Were those their¡ ¡°I... I think that¡¯s their eyes,¡± Sue pointed out, stunned. ¡°They¡¯re looking at us.¡±
¡°Think you?¡±
It was a hunch for which Sue didn¡¯t have any actual evidence... yet. Her head perked up as she came up with a way to test the idea, lifting her hand in front of the small tear and moving it around from side to side¡ªand the pair of twinkles followed with her movements. ¡°Yeah, see? They¡¯re looking at my hand.¡±
It was all the proof Lilly needed. Pushing through her earlier worries, she turned the opening to face her as she put on her most welcoming expression and tone of voice, singing, ¡°Hiiii! Hello little. Here Moonview, Lilly I.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think they can underst¡ª¡±
¡°This Sue! She you find,¡± Lilly added, turning the bag¡¯s hole to face Sue and giggling at her stupefied expression. ¡°Sue, welcome say!¡±
Right, right, gotta greet them, uhhh¡ª
¡°H-hello there. I-I hope you¡¯re alright,¡± Sue tried to smile, her expression so shaky a stray gust of wind could¡¯ve easily blown it away.
Her hand didn¡¯t fare any better as she waved timidly, a part of her worrying about potentially overwhelming them. The concern made her awkwardly stop mid motion; the resulting flinch reverberated through her body as she withdrew her arm¡ªonly to see another tentacle emerge from the incomprehensible bag, and clumsily wave in return. ¡°Sue, they waved you!¡± Lilly swooned. ¡°Awwwwww!¡±
The dancer was as elated at the scene as Sue was surprised. She needed a moment to come through before a much more confident smile started creeping on her expression. The reassurance made her try waving again, and once again, the gesture was returned¡ªit seemed they understood that much, at least. ¡°Yeah, they¡ªthey did. Wish I could speak with you and them at the same time,¡± Sue sighed.
¡°Can not you?¡±
Sue shook her head. ¡°No, not right now. I¡¯m... still learning all this.¡±
¡°Should ask Solstice you! Help she sure!¡±
¡°^That¡¯s not a bad idea at all,^¡± a tired, weary voice added, making both women jump as they looked up at its source.
As much as Sue had been dreading for her, Solstice looked... fine. She felt down, her expression was visibly weary, and Comet was clinging to her so hard in her arms that he hadn¡¯t even reacted to Sue showing up, but... she expected to see worse, deep down.
¡°Hi hi Solstice! Talk with Sue I¡ª¡± Lilly stopped as she glanced up at the sky in shock; the three psychics around her left startled until she elaborated. ¡°So late! Need back harvest! Sorry sorry Solstice¡ª¡±
¡°^Don¡¯t worry Lilly, it¡¯s okay. Especially since it seems like you¡¯ve had a good reason to be here, heh...^¡± Solstice chuckled, the sound accompanied by the world¡¯s weakest smile.
Lilly certainly appreciated the leniency, and a large part of her wanted to push the envelope even further and stay here until Sue got better, but... she knew it wasn¡¯t up to her, and she¡¯d rather not fall afoul of Root even more than she already had. Especially not with him as furious as he¡¯d gotten yesterday. ¡°Sue, need go I. Hope hope good you soon!¡±
Before Sue could even respond to the well wishes, Lilly¡¯s tight squeeze lifted her from her seat and shook her around for good measure. It hurt a bit, but... goodness, did she need all the physical comfort in the world right now. ¡°I hope so too,¡± she gasped from between Lilly¡¯s arms. ¡°I-I really appreciate you being here. Thanks, Lilly, t-take care¡ª¡±
*smooch!*
With her one last gesture of affection tingling her cheek, Sue watched Lilly dash toward the farms, occasionally turning around mid-jump just to sneak in a couple more waves, the Forest Guardian stunned throughout.
That feels nice. Not deserved, but... nice.
¡°^Why wouldn¡¯t it be deserved?^¡±
Oh.
As much as Lilly¡¯s antics had warmed her up somewhat, Sue didn¡¯t want to burden Solstice with her mental muck, especially not right now. Maybe down the line once the dust has settled, and they both got a breather to just process everything they¡¯ve been through, but not now.
Now, Sue wanted the comfort to flow in the other direction, looking up at the Mayor as she patted the seat Lilly had just gotten up from. ¡°It¡¯s... a lot. It¡¯s probably best if I tell you some other time.¡±
Thankfully, Solstice didn¡¯t oppose that misdirection, even if she clearly saw it for what it was. Regardless of how dissatisfied she might¡¯ve been with that fact, she really didn¡¯t have it in her to be someone else¡¯s emotional support right now¡ªcertainly not to the extent she sensed Sue would need one. Sundance would¡¯ve been able to listen, but... she couldn¡¯t, not now.
Still, a chat wouldn¡¯t hurt. ¡°^Alright. Are you... doing okay overall, Sue?^¡± the Mayor asked as she sat down beside her student.
¡°I¡¯m... fine. What... what happens now? With the night kin and all...¡±
Solstice flinched in her seat, making Sue regret asking. She couldn¡¯t hold her pupil¡¯s curiosity against her¡ªif there was anyone in the whole Moonview who really deserved to know it was her, but...
Like Sue already knew, explaining the same distressing thing to the umpteenth person can grind one down to dust. ¡°^There¡¯ll be a meeting of the Elders¡¯ Council later today to discuss just that. That¡¯s all I can really say right now,^¡± Solstice explained, distraught.
The once-human nodded weakly in response, the explanation making her even more worried than before. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll be alright?¡±
Solstice didn¡¯t answer right away, torn between wanting to remain truthful and not wanting to distress Sue even further. ¡°^We¡¯ll see.^¡±
The biggest non-answer that had ever non-answered, and they were both well aware. Not much either of them could do about it, though. For a while, the two Forest Guardians just sat in silence beside one another, each with a clingy child of their own. As eerie as an almost entirely quiet Comet was, the nameless one on Sue¡¯s lap still had him beat in that regard, mostly because of his appearance.
Solstice knew better than to freak out at seeing a black, warbling tentacle reach out from inside the canvas bag on her pupil¡¯s lap, but she couldn¡¯t deny being confused all the same. As good of a change of topic as any. ¡°^So... seems you¡¯ve run into someone, eh Sue?^¡± she asked.
Sue¡¯s chuckle was so weak it was almost inaudible. ¡°Yeah, I suppose. It¡¯s more like they ran into me. They...¡± she bit her tongue, uncertain of how Solstice would respond to the little ghost having attempted to impersonate Comet. As non-convincing as their disguise was, it didn¡¯t really negate them having tried in the first place.
Here goes nothing...
¡°They disguised themselves as Comet, after seeing me carrying him a few days ago. I ran into them at the playground, then their costume broke, and then I stayed with them to see if they were alright. Hazel said something about them being a ghost, and their body, or at least the bulk of it, does... something weird to you if you look at it. It¡¯s like you can¡¯t think at all. I¡¯ve no idea what they are, but... they¡¯re not hostile, or harmful when they¡¯re covered up like this.¡±
As Sue went on, Solstice cautiously lowered her hand to let them grasp it, seeing for herself just how warm their touch was¡ªjust like that of a living being. ¡°^I see. I¡¯m not sure what they could be, but from what you¡¯ve described they must be very lonely¡ª^¡± the Mayor paused, suddenly realizing something. Her sudden mental shift made Sue flinch, her heart rate jumping as she awaited Solstice¡¯s words, hoping it wouldn¡¯t involve any more misfortune coming the lil¡¯ ghost¡¯s way. ¡°^Actually, I think I remember Sundance describing something like them one time.^¡±
Sue¡¯s focus was now squarely on her mentor, the change in mood sufficient to shake Comet out of his focus, too. He still wasn¡¯t quite as lively as she¡¯d seen him be a few days ago, but a shaky wave and a handful of squeaky toddler noises definitely beat depressed silence, stirring a weak smile on Sue¡¯s face. Which only made the tyke livelier in turn, and so on, as his mom spoke. ¡°^Yeah, she did. From what I can recall, they... by the Pale Lady, they are supposedly ghosts of unhatched eggs. Never had an actual body to be their own before death, and are cursed to remain formless and longing afterwards. She also mentioned something about the usual practice for dealing with them being to... banish them, so that they can finally move on.^¡±
By the time Solstice was done, Sue could barely breathe.
Every single word of that hurt, the hand that once cupped the lil¡¯ ghost having since been promoted to keeping them pressed against her front, just so that they knew she wouldn¡¯t leave them, even through the harrowing revelation at the end. It felt wrong; it felt vile; the mere thought made Sue want to scream at the injustice. None of that was lost on the Mayor, especially not as the tiny black tentacle kept holding her hand.
None of that was necessarily true, either. ¡°^Again, that¡¯s just what I can recall from Sundance¡¯s words,^¡± Solstice stressed. ¡°^She¡¯d be the first one to go on about her recollection of the events not always being the best either, heh. Could be that all that was wrong, but even if it¡¯s right...^¡± she moved her tentatively held hand to rest on top of the bundle, right beside her pupil¡¯s grasp. ¡°^That doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯d need to follow those instructions, especially with them being at peace with you. Ghost of an egg or not, if they¡¯re happy here, then that¡¯s all that matters.^¡±
Solstice doubled down on her reassurance by wrapping her arm around Sue, pulling her in that bit closer. They might¡¯ve both felt foul to a lesser or greater extent, but that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t comfort one another.
It wasn¡¯t much, but was still so much more than letting the idle, suffocating silence continue.
As quickly as Sue had grown unnerved at her mentor¡¯s tale, the clarification provided an equally swift relief. Especially regarding its core thrust, the part she was concerned about the most, the one that wouldn¡¯t have let her sleep had it been true.
I¡¯m not hurting them. I¡¯m not hurting them. At least I¡¯m not hurting them.
¡°^No, no you¡¯re not. You¡¯re doing a good thing Sue, I promise.^¡±
It took Sue the utmost effort to keep her tears from spilling all over her cheeks in response. Such a simple sentence, such an immense relief, especially after the struggles and horrors of the past few days. ¡°Th-thank you.¡±
For a while, Sue just sat in silence as she was being tended to; each of Solstice¡¯s many pets forwarded to the lil¡¯ hauntling. The entire group gradually relieved the immense strain filling their bodies and minds alike¡ªComet included.
Despite the unpleasant tension still lingering all around him, he couldn¡¯t resist giving in to his curiosity after sensing the stranger on his friend¡¯s lap. With his mom feeling better and now Sue as well, there was no better opportunity to see who they were. And maybe even give them a big hug, too.
Comet liked his hugs.
His desire to be lowered down onto her mom¡¯s lap was expressed through a weak telekinetic force pushing at her arm. Solstice got the message right away, paying close attention to her son afterwards lest he¡¯d use the opportunity to try falling off her thighs. Again.
Instead, he sat down and crawled over to the ghost on Sue¡¯s lap, their emotions no less turbulent than those of his mom and friend. Frightened, comforted, deeply uncertain about what was going on or what was gonna happen next. In dire need of more comfort.
Just the thing Comet was made for.
*pat pat*
The psychic trio felt a fearful flinch go through the bag in response to Comet¡¯s attempted affection. Not one of outright terror, but still unnerved, the unpleasant emotion soon spreading to Comet via proximity.
¡°Shhhh, shhhh, don¡¯t worry sweetie,¡± Sue shushed, holding the stranger closer. ¡°Comet just wants to say hi.¡± Even with Solstice¡¯s translation, the ghost¡¯s grasp on what their guardian was saying was... limited. Many of the details were lost in the fog of confusion, but thankfully, not the gist.
Everything is alright. The stranger is a friend. You¡¯re safe.
I¡¯m not going anywhere.
Meanwhile, Comet received similar support from his mom. The two tykes couldn¡¯t have looked any more different if they¡¯d tried, but beneath the skin¡ªor in the ghost¡¯s case, cloth¡ªthey really were almost the same. ¡®Almost¡¯ was an important quantifier, as evidenced by the lil¡¯ Forest Guardian doubling down on his comfort shortly after, thankfully to a much better reception. ¡°^They feel so little,^¡± Solstice cooed. ¡°^Poor sweetie. Do they have a name?^¡±
Sue shook her head in resignation, the question of name one she had no idea how to tackle. ¡°No. They haven¡¯t responded when I tried speaking to them sooner. Aren¡¯t responding now, either. Can¡¯t really name them like that...¡±
¡°^Why not?^¡±
The unexpected question perked Sue up, leaving her uncertain how to answer. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to give them a name they¡¯ll dislike, o-or regret...¡±
¡°^If they turn out to dislike it, you can give them another. Or if they figure out how to communicate, they can choose one for themselves later,^¡± Solstice explained.
As simple as the explanation was, Sue had difficulties really wrapping her head around it on an intuitive level. ¡°Just¡ªjust give them another name? How¡¯s that work?¡±
It was Solstice¡¯s turn to be stunned, the disconnect between her own and Sue¡¯s ways of thinking starker than ever and with no obvious cause she could immediately sense. ¡°^...the usual way?^¡±
The non-answer forced Sue to flex her remaining neurons, much to the displeasure of all four of them. What did Solstice mean by ¡®just changing a name¡¯? Wouldn¡¯t there be an entire hassle¡ª
...
No, there wouldn¡¯t.
As blatantly obvious a realization as it was in hindsight, there wasn¡¯t anyone here keeping track of people¡¯s names. No magical pieces of paper or plastic tied to a singular, specific string of letters, no vast, ancient databases with one cranky, opinionated bastard in charge. Name wasn¡¯t a magical key to one¡¯s identity here, it was just... what one wished to be called. And if someone wanted to be referred to differently, then all they¡¯d need to do was tell others. Especially in a place as small as Moonview, where that kind of stuff could easily spread by word of mouth.
Suppose the leniency with names made much more sense with that in mind. ¡°I... see, now,¡± Sue muttered, filling a bit stupid. ¡°That¡¯s just... not how my world worked, my bad.¡±
Solstice smiled. ¡°^All¡¯s good, Sue~. I got a glimpse of what you were thinking about and... goodness it sounds like such a mess to deal with where you¡¯re from.^¡±
¡°Oh, you have no idea,¡± Sue sighed.
¡°^I would¡¯ve been screwed with this being my third name, ha...^¡±
¡°Third?¡±
This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Solstice flinched at the question before composing herself and slowly nodding. Before Sue could ask what was wrong, the Mayor continued, her free hand stroking Comet¡¯s stiff hair. ¡°^Yes. In my clan... two, three, sometimes even four names are the norm. The very first one is given to you once you hatch and while you remain a Moon Child, usually the silliest and most whimsical. Liiiiike ¡®Comet¡¯, teehee.^¡±
The mention of his own name got the Moon Child in question to squeak out loud, and turn around in his seat to look up at his mom, nearly making himself dizzy in the process. ¡°^Yep, I¡¯m talking about you sweetie~. Love you,^¡± Solstice smiled, holding her son closer¡ªmuch to his immediate, elated squeaks.
Both Solstice and Sue needed the resulting wave of giggles more than words could convey. ¡°Moon Child¡¡± Sue continued, ¡°is that how Comet¡¯s... eh...¡±
¡°^Yes, that¡¯s the name for his form specifically. He¡¯ll evolve into his second form when he¡¯s close to three years old. Some call them ¡®Stardancers¡¯, some call them ¡®Twirl Fairies¡¯. It¡¯s not as settled as ¡®Moon Child¡¯ is. If he wants, he¡¯ll get another name then, a more ¡®serious¡¯ one.^¡±
Sue had a hunch about what that ¡®serious¡¯ name could be. For a good while, she hesitated to ask it, not wanting to bring her mentor any more grief... but Solstice noticed all the same. It made her wince, but only that, composure preventing her from getting affected by it any harder. ¡°^Yes, like ¡®Aurora¡¯,^¡± the Mayor nodded, her voice growing quiet.
The younger Forest Guardian flinched. ¡°S-sorry¡ª¡±
¡°^No, don¡¯t be, Sue. I won¡¯t say it doesn¡¯t hurt, but... the sooner I¡¯m able to talk about her without breaking down, the better,^¡± Solstice figured. Her reasoning made sense, but that didn¡¯t mean she¡¯d get to escape further comfort from her pupil, delivered with all the confidence Sue could muster. ¡°^Thank you. Now, where was I. I think I already mentioned it in the past, but at around eleven to twelve years of age, one evolves into their last form, most commonly the one we share, the ¡®Forest Guardian¡¯.^¡±
...most commonly?
¡°Is there a different form?¡± Sue tilted her head.
¡°^Indeed, though it¡¯s a very rare one. Only for males, and only after they settle out on a pilgrimage to a sacred shine far in the north, which holds... I believe it¡¯s some sort of artifact that allows the evolution into that other form.^¡±
Despite having interacted with ghosts, illusionist foxes, floating ice creatures and many varieties of living plants, this was the one explanation that Sue just couldn¡¯t buy. ¡°...why only males?¡± she asked, somewhere between offended and dumbstruck. ¡°And why that specific... ¡®artifact¡¯?¡±
¡°^Hundreds of our kin have been pondering on those exact questions for centuries by now, ha! I don¡¯t know. Quite frankly, I greatly prefer our form and can¡¯t imagine the other one being in any way comfortable,^¡± Solstice snickered, before stopping herself at the cold dread going through her body.
¡°What¡¯s that ¡®other form¡¯ like?¡±
¡°^From what I remember... very physically strong. An exchange of the Moon¡¯s blessing for an unrivaled physique, with much the same psychics. I¡¯ve seen them be quite fearsome when sparring, though no more so than a well-trained Forest Guardian¡ªmerely differently.^¡±
A shiver went down Sue¡¯s spine at the mention of a ¡®well-trained Forest Guardian¡¯. Solstice¡¯s abilities were unnerving enough, and she sure didn¡¯t feel like she had any combat training. ¡°I¡ªI see. And that final ¡®evolution¡¯ brings with itself yet another name?¡± she asked.
Solstice took a deep breath. ¡°^Kind of. While the previous names were all temporary ones that would be eventually discarded, this final name doesn¡¯t work like that. In my tribe, it is treated as your true name, the only one you were to use or be called from that point on. It wasn¡¯t given freely, either¡ªjust evolving wasn¡¯t enough; one had to earn it, prove oneself as a true member of the tribe.^¡±
Now that¡¯s closer to what I¡¯m used to.
¡°How does one do that?¡± Sue asked.
¡°^In my case, it was through completing my healer training and making my vows to spread Pale Lady¡¯s glory through my actions. Once that or... a different way of proving oneself had been accomplished, you had to wait until the next full Moon. Then, your family would go through an entire ritual, in which they both gave you your true name and engraved your sacred bond towards the Pale Lady on your very body.^¡±
Solstice¡¯s pensive gaze resting on her tattooed arm let Sue connect the dots herself. Suppose that finally explained where these came from and what was their purpose, though not without some follow-up questions to be had. Any curiosity about her old names was immediately discarded¡ªconsidering how much of a deal that ¡®true¡¯ name was for her tribe, it was probably a bad idea to ask about the ¡®false¡¯ ones. ¡°Looks... painful,¡± Sue intelligently observed.
¡°^On its own, it probably would¡¯ve been. Thankfully not, it was a very joyous ritual, a celebration of truly becoming a part of the Pale Lady¡¯s herd¡ªmuch singing and dancing was had. You have to drink a sacred concoction before others can apply these markings. It paralyzes your body, dulls all the pain into something almost ticklish, and... lets you commune with the Pale Lady directly.^¡±
The Mayor¡¯s recollection remained unenthusiastic until she got to the very final point. As much as everything else was tainted to her by association, the aforementioned communion wasn¡¯t. Sue leaned in closer out of curiosity, hand idly alternating between delivering affection to the pair of little ones on the Forest Guardians¡¯ lap. ¡°If it¡¯s alright for me to ask... what¡ªwhat did you see?¡±
Despite Sue¡¯s reservation, the question still stung something fierce, more than what she expected. Before she could worry about having made yet another faux pas, Solstice answered, ¡°^She reassured me about my mission. That me running away and fighting against the heresy that portrayed night kin as monsters was righteous. She gave me her blessing on that task, and I, I¡ª^¡±
Sue didn¡¯t know what to say to make her mentor feel better. She hasn''t gotten any better at finding the right words for all this since yesterday, but... she was there for Solstice, and she wanted her to know it. Her embrace was shaky, her own raging emotions making it all so much harder than it would¡¯ve otherwise been. Despite that, she kept doing what she could to comfort Solstice.
Because what else am I to do?
¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Sue whispered.
Comet squeaked worriedly, hardly oblivious to his mom¡¯s worsening mood either. Before she could try to reassure him, he was already raising his arms up to be picked up again, and his mom wouldn¡¯t refuse. ¡°^It¡¯s okay,^¡± Solstice shuddered. ¡°That¡¯s my sin to bear. You shouldn¡¯t worry about it, Sue.^¡± Before her pupil could get a word in edgewise, she continued, ¡°^If I remember, you mentioned something a couple of days ago about wondering if it was possible to straighten your hair out. I think relaxing like that could help you, if you can find Patina around.^¡±
¡®Getting her hair done¡¯ was pretty far down the list of things Sue felt she should be doing... but Solstice had a point¡ªnot like she had much ability to actually accomplish most of the other items on that list. Maybe something low-stakes to make her feel better was exactly what she needed right now. That awareness sucked in its own right, but it was probably best for her to just move on. ¡°A-alright. What do they look like?¡±
¡°^Patina? Hard to miss her and Celestica. Tall, red, flaming, clad in greenish metal. You¡¯ll know them when you see them. They have their workshop over in that direction.^¡±
The addition of the second name took Sue aback, almost to where she overlooked Solstice¡¯s directions. They were vague, but they sure beat nothing. She wanted to ask for clarification about the appearance, but before she could do that, the Mayor had already gotten up. ¡°^Alas, I should get going. I hope your day goes well, Sue.^¡±
¡°Y-you too, Solstice.¡±
A sad, tired smile, a strained nod, and off the Mayor went, her son clinging to her for all he could¡ªand so, Sue was left with just the lil¡¯ ghost.
All the arrivals and departures around them had left them quite confused, the realization making Sue chuckle. Now that she didn¡¯t have to share her attention with anyone else, she lifted their bag to inspect the eyes she saw earlier, and to let them see her some more.
Just a pair of twinkles in the dark, almost like stars in the night sky.
¡°Hey there. Suppose if names aren¡¯t as big of a deal as I thought they were, something temporary for you won¡¯t hurt,¡± Sue wondered. Solstice¡¯s guidelines provided a starting point, but they were obviously tailored for a very different species and culture.
On the other hand... did that fact even matter? Sure, the blob-like ghost wasn¡¯t like Comet, but they both felt very young from the little Sue could piece together. She didn¡¯t have to go with the most serious name around, just something that could be uniquely theirs, like...
Like¡
Words kept stubbornly not coming, making Sue tap her undamaged leg in annoyance.
It¡¯s just a name. It matters so little, and yet so much.
She kept staring into their eyes as a pair of black tendrils wrapped around her hand once more. Haunting as she found that sight not a few hours ago, by now it had turned into something entirely opposite. Reassuring, funny even, her imagination cheering her up with the mental image of a scared blob that keeps clinging to anyone halfway nice and doesn¡¯t want to let go¡ªnot far from the truth at all.
¡°Now, what do your twinkly eyes have to say for themselves¡ª¡±
¡
¡
¡°Twinkle.¡±
The darkness inside the bag blinked as if startled, before focusing on Sue again. ¡°Yeah... that works,¡± she continued, smiling. ¡°Twinkle. A bit silly, but it fits. What do you think?¡±
Twinkle predictably didn¡¯t respond in any definite way, but... that didn¡¯t mean they remained idle. Sue didn¡¯t remember them wiggling their body this much before, but could be she¡¯d just overlooked it. In either case, they felt happy too, which gave the once-human all the confidence she needed to stick with her idea.
And now; it was time to figure out how to get going again. Sue didn¡¯t mind carrying Twinkle with herself, but really wished she had a bag right about now, or even just a purse¡ªsomething to let her do it hands-free. Maybe tying their bag around¡ somewhere could work?
¡
I have an idea.
It was a position that wouldn¡¯t have worked at all back in her old body for several anatomical reasons, but one that felt just barely possible in this one. With as much care to avoid looking straight at the brain-melting darkness as she could, Sue untied one knot and lifted the bag to rest on her shoulder blade. Then, she wrapped the opposite corners around her neck and under her arm, respectively, tying the knot over where her breast would¡¯ve been. Now to just rotate it all around so that they¡¯re on her front and not back, aaaaand voila!
One chest-mounted ghostly bag child.
The hole they¡¯ve been using to observe their surroundings before ended up at too much of an angle to let them make out more than the ground immediately in front of their guardian. Which, combined with the bag¡¯s opening pressing against her chest, didn¡¯t leave them with much they could do, their anxiety palpably growing by the moment.
¡°Hey, hey Twinkle, I¡¯m still here. Still here,¡± Sue reassured, gently patting the quaking bundle. Thankfully, the mixture of her touch and occasionally erratic heartbeat reverberating through Twinkle¡¯s entire amorphous body was enough to soothe them down, one beat and pet at a time¡ªand then some, if them growing mentally quiet soon after was anything to go by.
Regardless if they¡¯d just calmed down or actually fell asleep, Sue finally felt ready to get going herself.
Twinkle, check.
Aching in her leg, check.
Vaguest idea of where to even go, check.
Let¡¯s do this.
How hard could it be to find someone as outlandishly looking as Patina?
As it turned out, ¡®quite¡¯.
A solid half an hour of searching later, Sue wasn¡¯t doing any better with directions than before. She¡¯d checked almost every landmark in Moonview she could think of off the top of her head¡ªthe plaza, the playground, the construction site, the vicinity of the farm, even the little bath house she¡¯d cleaned herself in a couple days ago. Nothing, again and again.
On that latter note, I could use a shower again.
...
¡
Later.
With nowhere left to go and one increasingly annoyed leg, Sue eventually had to sit down and reassess the situation. This wasn¡¯t working¡ªnot a particularly groundbreaking realization, but it needed to be said. She didn¡¯t have many other options that weren¡¯t asking someone else for help, which meant¡ªwhich meant it probably was time to indeed ask someone for help, much to her dismay.
Burdening a passerby with being a lost tourist wasn¡¯t exactly her dream activity following the chaos of the past couple days. Sue wasn¡¯t even sure it beat sitting like this and sulking until the council meeting later today. She wouldn¡¯t be able to participate in it, but she sure as well wasn¡¯t gonna run and hide in some dark hole while Newmoon¡¯s fate was being discussed. Even if she wouldn¡¯t affect anything, she wanted to be present.
She needed to be present, to make up for all the times when she was too scared to be present in the past.
Attempting to distract herself from falling into yet another dark pit in her memories, Sue refocused on her immediate surroundings. The bench she sat on might not have been the most comfortable place in the world, but being located off to the side of a moderately sized intersection gave her a decent view of Moonview¡¯s everyday goings-on. She either didn¡¯t know or only barely recalled most of the faces around her, much to her annoyance.
At least nobody is staring at me anymore.
The realization helped, but only just. Sue would need a distraction soon unless she wanted to be left with just her thoughts again, and after the turmoil of this morning, she¡¯d rather not. One suicidal tangent was plenty for a long, long time. Now, just to find¡ there they were. Sue didn¡¯t even know what that particular builder was named, but frankly, she didn¡¯t care. Their appearance was familiar, if barely, and that¡¯s all that mattered.
She sure didn¡¯t expect to ever think of the presence of a gray, hulking, bipedal rhino to be in any way reassuring. In the end, it was just yet another way in which this world was keen to keep surprising her¡ªDuck¡¯s sake.
The once-human wasn¡¯t even sure whether her mind subconsciously erased the walking bouquet and the white-navy cat from her vision, or if she¡¯d just overlooked them, but either way, the awareness of their presence beside the builder wasn¡¯t doing her any favors. At least it seemed to be one sided for the time being.
The two had been eating something together on a bench when the rhino approached the flower medic, Orchid¡¯s response one of apparent confusion. They exchanged words for a while, neither exactly growing enthusiastic throughout. Whatever the rhino had said, it had mostly brought on unease that then spread back to them. Sue watched Orchid extend one vine from the chaotic mess of flowers around her head and almost go through with using it to pat the rhino on the back, before ultimately choosing against it.
Shot down again, huh?
Even if that was the case, Sue wasn¡¯t really in the mood for schadenfreude. She knew nothing about that specific builder, but after witnessing their team¡¯s friendliness towards Ginger, she was more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
She had almost shied away from that unfortunate result in the search for someone else to focus on before realizing that despite that mishap, the two were still talking. The topic had changed, though, to something the rhino was much more steadfast about, and something that Orchid was much more overtly uncomfortable with¡ªbut only her. Northeast resumed her routine of flat, meowed-out questions, forcing the flower medic to engage with the subject further.
Regardless of what the discussion was about, it seemed that the builder ultimately came on top. Their confidence didn¡¯t waver even as Orchid¡¯s body language went from ¡®I¡¯m really not sure¡¯ to ¡®I guess you¡¯re right¡¯. The cat continued with her intermittent questions before pausing for a longer while and thinking things through.
Mission accomplished, rhino-man.
Right as Sue thought about looking away at someone else, Northeast asked another question to the builder. They answered with an immediate nod, underlined with being eager to help however they could.
The cat¡¯s second question, in turn, made everyone gathered look straight at Sue.
FUCK.
Their abrupt shift triggered Sue¡¯s fight-or-flight response immediately, though her brain was keen to stay stuck on ¡®freeze¡¯¡ªmuch to the displeasure of the rest of her.
Before she could even see what that massive builder was going to do now that they had her in their sights, Sue heard a loud call aimed squarely at her. This time, it was from much closer up, and combined with the startle immediately before, almost made her heart drop there and then. On the flip side, it also provided some actual answers, ones she¡¯d even managed to process before her brain could whip her into running for the hills.
The smaller, blue bipedal rhino sat in a very similar category in Sue¡¯s mind to the gray one. Familiar in appearance, likely somehow related to the builders. Zero knowledge about anything beyond these couple of facts, making it rather difficult to piece the ¡®why¡¯ just from them standing there. Add to that their earlier cheer at finally finding her, their present concern for her, and the being that stood beside them, and it all suddenly made so much more sense.
Despite having seen that particular villager before, Sue hadn¡¯t made the connection between them and the name ¡®Patina¡¯ until now. They were bipedal, roughly her size, with an almost entirely red body covered by variously shaped plates of greenish gray metal. An honest-to-Duck flame ponytail sprouted from the back of their head, contrasting their expressionless face and palpably relieved mind behind it.
A minor jolt in Sue¡¯s brain, overlooked in all the chaos.
Wait, are they looking for me¡ª
¡°There ya are!¡± the blue rhino roared. ¡°Gah darn it, woulda thought findin¡¯ a Guardian woulda been so hard, ha!¡± The boisterous and slightly aged voice immediately derailed Sue¡¯s train of thought as she focused on the builder, too taken aback to respond right away. ¡°Moon got ya tongue, Sue? Ha! AH¡ªI see, I see, ¡®aven¡¯t introduced meself yet! Name¡¯s Daisy!¡±
Despite sounding like she was three days away from retirement and three more from the grave, the bespoke Daisy spared no vigor in walking up to Sue¡¯s bench and reeling back her paw for a high-five. The once-human wasn¡¯t faring any better in processing just what was happening, but before she could consciously act, her well-honed subconscious reflex of responding to high-fives in kind got the initiative.
*CLAP!*
OW THAT HURT.
¡°Ayyy, ya even know tha proper greetin¡¯, hun!¡±
As Sue reeled from the most forceful high-five of her life, Patina slowly caught up with them, only barely keeping her quiet laughter contained. Sue used the brief lull in conversation to grip her aching hand as forcefully as she could as she checked whether the other rhino was still approaching.
Both the rhino and Orchid were giggling while the former headed out back in the direction they came from.
¡°^Sure seems our arrival came as a shock, eh Sue?^¡± Patina asked. Her voice was the most clearly telepathic one Sue had heard during her stay here yet.
Whereas Solstice¡¯s and Sundance¡¯s were subtle enough to where she wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell without either watching their lips or paying close attention to the sounds, Patina¡¯s was unnaturally buzzy and slightly harsh, almost as if transmitted over radio¡ªstill ten times more understandable than anything Sue could mumble out, though. ¡°I¡ªyeah, that¡¯s true...¡±
¡°^Ahahaha. Solstice ran into me and mentioned that you were looking for me, so I started looking too.^¡±
Once Sue had gotten over the overall sound of Patina¡¯s voice, she paid closer attention to it. Feminine, middle-aged, somewhere around Sundance¡¯s age, if she had to guess. Slightly fiery, as if spoken on top of a crackle of a modest campfire.
¡°And I helped after they two kept stumblin¡¯ blindly!¡± the rhino lady added, smiling and gesturing.
¡°^I assure you, we weren¡¯t ¡®stumbling blindly¡¯.^¡±
The third voice caught Sue entirely off guard, sounding unlike either Patina¡¯s or Daisy¡¯s. Imposing, metallic, and positively ancient even without having the same kind of dry croaking to it that Daisy or Willow had. She had absolutely no idea where it had come from, but that didn¡¯t seem to be an obstacle to the blue rhino. ¡°Ya ya ya, sure sure sure~.¡±
Brushing aside the confusion surrounding the third voice, Sue focused on what the first two were saying. The realization that two people had to take time out of her day just to help her look brought on another wave of embarrassment. ¡°S-sorry for taking your time¡ª¡±
Daisy rebuked, ¡°Naaah, nothin¡¯ ta worry ¡®bout, Sue! Glad ah could help ya out!¡± Her words were delivered with all the earnesty it was physically possible for a voice to contain, and followed up on with a roaring chuckle.
¡°^Daisy¡¯s right, it¡¯s really not a problem,^¡± Patina reassured, walking closer and examining Sue¡¯s crutch. ¡°^Besides, this will be a more interesting thing to tackle than anything else I could be doing, haha.^¡±
¡°See?!¡± the rhino slapped her knee. ¡°Anywho, time for the ol¡¯ me to go! Take care and I hope ya feel better soon, Sue!¡±
¡°Th-thank you, Daisy...¡± Sue mumbled, still overwhelmed.
¡°Anytime, hun.¡±
With Daisy taking her leave to the sound of mighty laughter, Sue focused on Patina as she prepared to get up. Right as she was about to go for it, a pair of voices spoke to her¡ª
¡°^Can you walk on your own, Sue?^¡± / ¡°^Do you require our assistance?^¡±
As Sue sat stunned, the voice she was confident was Patina¡¯s burst into giggling at the untimely overlap. Before either the fire woman or the voice beside her could ask again, the Forest Guardian¡¯s autopilot finally pushed her onto her legs, answering both their questions.
¡°^Good stuff. Follow us, Sue,^¡± Patina gestured, ¡°^let¡¯s get you to the workshop, eh?^¡±
Don¡¯t know what a workshop has to do with doing people¡¯s hair, but who am I to argue?
Despite Sue¡¯s attempts to just quietly follow Patina and... someone, her curiosity wouldn¡¯t stay quiet forever. There was the worry she¡¯d be asking something private, much like she almost did with Solstice earlier. Though, with that other voice being willing to speak up, the logical part of her brain managed to push through the tropical storm of anxiety and doubt for long enough to grow confident that asking about it was probably fine. Probably. ¡°U-ummm¡ª¡±
¡°^Confused about the ol¡¯ bell, ah?^¡± Patina chuckled.
¡°What¡ª¡±
¡°^Me,^¡± the other voice answered. It wasn¡¯t the kind of clarification Sue was expecting, but she acknowledged it all the same, nodding eagerly. ¡°^I am Celestica.^¡±
¡°^They¡¯re my... suppose you could say they¡¯re my parent. Raised me up many years ago, and now we¡¯re tied like this,^¡± Patina explained.
Having an actual name for the metallic voice was appreciated, but it didn¡¯t make it any clearer where it was coming from. As well as Sue had tried to hide it, her confusion about the subject was downright palpable. Eventually Patina made her flinch by turning around for a moment¡ªand patting the thick metal plates covering her front and arms. ¡°^That¡¯s them.^¡±
¡°^What remains of me,^¡± Celestica clarified.
¡°^Indeed.^¡±
The visual demonstration made the explanation finally click in a slightly disturbing way. All the plates on Patina¡¯s torso and arms were clearly a part of a singular whole, the engravings and even the corrosion matched. Sue sure didn¡¯t expect that ¡®whole¡¯ to have apparently been a person, much less a person who was, somehow, still alive. ¡°I-I have questions.¡±
¡°^Hardly the first, hardly the last, ha! Feel free, we don¡¯t mind.^¡±
Sue wasn¡¯t sure what to ask about first, or even how to word it. It all felt bizarre, and she couldn¡¯t think of any comparison for all this back from her home world. Actually... maybe something like one of those baby carriers or slings she saw a few fresh moms use? Just a hands-free way of carrying a kid around, but with... her parent, apparently. Just like¡ª
Just like what I¡¯m doing at this very moment.
Patina must¡¯ve overheard her thought process¡ªor at least enough of it to burst into fiery laughter at the realization. An unintentional release of tension is still a release of tension, Sue supposed. ¡°Alright. Is your parent... in pieces?¡±
¡°^Correct.^¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t that painful?¡±
¡°^Not anymore.^¡±
That didn¡¯t inspire even a shred of confidence inside Sue. ¡°That sounds rough...¡±
¡°^Well, it was either that or them dying; we¡¯re both glad for this outcome,^¡± Patina clarified.
Oh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear. Was it a... sickness¡ª¡±
¡°^A coordinated assassination attempt.^¡±
Ducking Duck.
¡°^Lemme give the background,^¡± Patina chimed in. ¡°^So, we both hail from quite a ways away, from what people in Moonview call ¡®the divine mountain¡¯.^¡±
¡°^Triune¡¯s Throne.^¡±
¡°^Yep, that¡¯s Her true name. Plenty of shrines close to Her peak, and Celestica served in one of them with others of their kin. And then I showed up!^¡± the flame-woman chuckled, unbothered by the graveness of her parent¡¯s state.
Celestica painted the picture, ¡°^Lost, alone, hatched from a stray egg of unknown origin.^¡±
¡°^You mentioned that... how¡¯d you describe it, ¡®dimensions get weird¡¯ so close to Throne¡¯s peak?^¡±
¡°^Spacetime frays,^¡± Celestica explained, their voice as heavy as always. ¡°^Glimpses of distant lands and uncountable futures.^¡±
¡°^And apparently one of said Glimpses resulted in my egg making my way through.^¡±
¡°That¡¯s hard to imagine...¡± Sue put it lightly.
¡°^Throne¡¯s peak strains mortal senses. Our watch was to protect it and others from it in equal measure,^¡± Celestica continued.
¡°^Their fellow guardians... weren¡¯t happy about me being around for that reason, ha!^¡±
¡°^To dash an innocent life is to strike the Moon¡¯s Grace Herself.^¡±
The mention of Moonview¡¯s signature deity in a place so far away from it caught Sue¡¯s attention. ¡°Is She worshiped over there?¡±
¡°^Among other deities,^¡± Celestica answered.
¡°^Her shrine there is so much larger than Moonview¡¯s, ha! Much uglier too, though,^¡± Patina chuckled.
¡°^My kin aren¡¯t artists.^¡±
¡°^Excuses! Anywho, Celestica took me in after I hatched and made sure I could handle the craziness of the near-peak. Eventually... their fellow guardians tried to take their life.^¡±
In literally any other circumstances, asking whether someone she was talking to in that very moment had survived a tragic event would¡¯ve been at best crass, and at worst outright fucked up. And yet, considering Celestica¡¯s current state, Sue couldn¡¯t come up with any better question. ¡°H-how¡¯d it go?¡±
¡°^Well...^¡± Patina trailed off, some of her earlier carelessness finally replaced with seriousness. ¡°^Celestica died, or at least that¡¯s what I thought.^¡±
¡°^There was a lapse in my consciousness.^¡±
¡°^I thought they would all come for me next, so I tried hiding inside what remained of them, and... evolved afterwards. No idea why¡ªI¡¯ve never met another of my kin and I doubt I ever will, but it happened exactly as I¡¯m telling it,^¡± Patina insisted to an audience of one once-human who knew almost nothing about evolution in the first place.
¡°^Following that, I was conscious again.^¡±
¡°^We scorched a couple of them, ran off, and many, many years later... here we are.^¡±
Despite how horrible much of what Patina had just described was, her mood remained mostly upbeat through it all, taking Sue aback. Guess she really was used to explaining all that, for better or worse. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you two are doing better now...¡±
¡°^Thank you, ha! Yeah, I¡¯d say we¡¯re managing,^¡± Patina smiled.
¡°^This existence is preferable to my previous one, overall,^¡± Celestica reassured.
¡°^See? Anywho, here¡¯s the workshop, come in!^¡±
The building dwarfed most others in Moonview. It was right at the village¡¯s edge, on the opposite side of the farm. The inside was split almost perfectly in half between two vastly different purposes. On one end, a mess of kilns, a small pile of charcoal, and a much larger pile of what just looked like rocks piled up almost to the ceiling in the corner. On the other, shelves of assorted wooden bottles, a few barebones metal tools, and a contraption of a chair in front of a large bowl of water. ¡°^Bit messy, don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll have the time to clear it,^¡± Patina sighed. ¡°^Lemme get it ready for you.^¡±
As uncertain as Sue was about touching, or worse yet, sitting on anything in this most definitely not OSHA compliant building, watching Patina adjust the chair so that it had a hole in its back for her horn made the once-human change her mind instantly. ¡°^Take a seat, ha! I¡¯ve been trying a few sorts of hair straightening solutions in the past, but never on Forest Guardian hair. This¡¯ll be fun...^¡±
Sue hoped that said ¡®fun¡¯ would remain of the non-corrosive, non-explosive variety as she sat down. And then, that anxious hope disappeared from her mind¡ªtogether with everything else¡ªthe moment she rested her back and relaxed her shoulders.
Bliss.
Patina only acknowledged Sue¡¯s reaction with a smirk as the Forest Guardian struggled to think. It seemed it¡¯d be a while until the fire woman had everything ready, and until then, there were quite a few parts of this place¡¯s... decor that begged to be explained. ¡°If it¡¯s alright, what are those rocks in the corner?¡± Sue asked, her voice dreamy.
¡°^Ore. Copper, iron, a bit of zinc too, all from our quarry,^¡± Patina explained. ^¡°Some of it¡¯s quite old, likely corroded to hell. Been trying to figure out Aurelia¡®s technique for it, but no luck so far!^¡±
An unfamiliar name perked Sue¡¯s attention up. ¡°Aurelia?¡±
¡°^That used to be her smithy. I was giddy to become her apprentice, but we didn¡¯t get through much before... yeah. She¡¯d scold me to Triune¡¯s Throne and back for letting it fall to such disrepair. I¡ªI¡¯ll figure it out sometime, too many ideas for acids and solutions, not enough time to just sort all this mess out and move everything where it belongs.^¡±
As peppy as Patina remained earlier, this turned out to be a much more sore topic for her than that of her parent¡¯s near-death. Sue didn¡¯t want to judge, hoping it was just a matter of the passage of time having dulled old wounds. Odd or not, her explanation didn¡¯t clarify just who the person in question was. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear. Her name doesn¡¯t really ring a bell, though.¡±
¡°^Figures! Going off what we saw ya doing back at the feast a few days ago, one description in particular ought to clean it up¡ª^¡± Patina began, the spring having returned to her voice as if nothing was amiss.
Only to then send a chill through Sue¡¯s very core with what she said next.
¡°^Aurelia¡ was Pollux¡¯s mother.^¡±
Chapter 24: Damnation
¡°^Aurelia¡ was Pollux¡¯s mother.^¡±
The words echoed in Sue¡¯s mind, the implications hitting her one after another. This entire building once belonged to Pollux¡¯s family before they were banished, leaving her feeling uneasy sitting here. Even more shocking, though, was Patina¡¯s mention of Pollux, and in such a casual tone at that¡ªthe night kin fox was hiding from Moonview for a reason, after all. ¡°P-Pollux¡¯s?¡± Sue asked, stunned.
¡°^Yep! You know him, right?^¡± Patina chuckled. ¡°^Swear I saw you hanging out with him back at the feast a few days ago, eh?^¡±
Sue had gone from confused to downright shocked in a span of moments, and she wasn¡¯t even sure which part of Patina¡¯s response did her in. Her having apparently seen through Pollux¡¯s disguise? Her not having raised any alarms after seeing him with her all those days ago? His presence so close to Moonview being treated so lightly, as if he were just another villager?
The latter would absolutely be preferable one day, but they all knew it wasn¡¯t so yet.
Regardless of which of these implications had stunned Sue more, she was left sitting on Patina¡¯s contraption of a seat mute and motionless. Her shock was palpable to the other two as they gathered ingredients from all over the workshop, Patina¡¯s upbeat, crackling giggles mixing in with Celestica¡¯s slow, almost entirely flat string of ¡®ha¡¯s. ¡°^What¡¯s so surprisin¡¯? I¡¯m sure ya know him,^¡± the fire woman teased.
¡°I-I do, but... how do you know about him? Or even see him?^¡±
¡°^Oh Sue, that fox¡¯s good at his disguisin¡¯, but that sure ain¡¯t true about him focusing for more than five minutes, ha! Hard not to notice once he stops masking himself on accident, and that sorta stuff happens all the time. Even happened at that feast with you all, I think? I reckon I wasn¡¯t supposed to see your little campfire, pfft.^¡±
That made way too much sense for Pollux. ¡°I see. But in that case, don¡¯t others notice him too?¡±
¡°^Occasionally,^¡± Celestica chimed in.
¡°^Yep. Nobody¡¯s really surprised to see him in here, not anymore. No point in raisin¡¯ a fuss about it, especially since all he ever does is hang out with Spark or other kiddos, anyway,^¡± Patina remarked. ¡°^Or sometimes be a lil¡¯ scamp with Solstice and Root, pfft.^¡±
Sue acknowledged the response with an idle nod while her mind tried to fit that revelation in. Considering all the tension, considering Root¡¯s actions, she certainly didn¡¯t expect Pollux¡¯s presence here to be such a non-issue for most. At the same time, said priest was far and away the most militant person against night kin¡¯s presence here, so it only made sense for everyone else to be more laid back in that regard.
It was still messed up though, especially with people of Moonview merely looking the other way as opposed to wholeheartedly accepting Pollux. And with the recent events, Sue doubted that even that half-solution would remain in place for much longer. ¡°Suppose that makes sense, but... I worry it might change for the worse with what happened to D- Night Mother¡¯s altar.¡±
¡°^D... what?^¡± Patina perked up, uncertain.
¡°N-nevermind.¡±
Celestica honed in on a different part of Sue¡¯s admission, though. ¡°^With regards to the events you mentioned. Were you present when they took place, and if so, are you capable of clarifying certain contradictions we have overheard?^¡±
¡°^Oh yeah, with the way some people have been telling it, you¡¯d think Ginger hit that ugly thing with a roundhouse kick from half a Moonview away,^¡± Patina chuckled.
Hardly something Sue wanted to elaborate upon, especially after spending so much time getting people up to speed with Sundance¡¯s situation earlier. Then again, considering that the fire woman had already clarified one part of Moonview¡¯s common opinion for her, Sue wouldn¡¯t be opposed in the slightest to learning more.
Even if it took retreading the same, traumatizing memories again. ¡°I was there when it happened,¡± Sue began, once more scratching along that mental wound. ¡°Ginger was trying to feel along the backside of that wall, and it immediately lost its balance; he tried to stabilize it and all, but it just... fell. Kantaro got there soon after; Ginger tried to talk to him, but he just didn¡¯t want to repair it; I don¡¯t know why. Well, I can guess it¡¯s because it had been made from something he initially made for Night Father... right?¡±
¡°^Yep, heh. And that¡¯s all... surprisin¡¯, frankly,^¡± Patina admitted, taken aback.
I sure didn¡¯t expect the physical embodiment of protection against the night kin to fall to a couple of prods either, but I doubt that¡¯s what she¡¯s referring to.
¡°What is?¡± Sue asked.
¡°^The drama about the monument in particular. What happened to Sundance I can at least understand, but this? Hell nah, everyone¡¯s frettin¡¯ about something almost nobody liked to begin with,^¡± the fire woman sighed as she hovered the last of the small jars to a nearby bench. Sue¡¯s confounded stare conveyed her question wordlessly, making Patina clarify, ¡°^Them side monuments, I mean. I remember when that happened, back when everyone was still recoverin¡¯ from that bloody plague, and Root kept doubling down on that dumb idea of his. Even back then, almost nobody wanted Night Father¡¯s shrine taken down, especially in such a crass way. Root, Willow, High Tide maybe, and a handful of others were the only vocal supporters. Though I guess, with time, more and more came on board just so that they wouldn¡¯t have to see the constant reminder of what they¡¯d done.^¡±
Sue shuddered at the mention of Willow, and Patina wasn¡¯t far behind, the motion particularly visible in her flaming ponytail. She went quiet afterwards as she filled up a small ceramic dish with tiny bunches of several powders, most of them stinging Sue¡¯s eyes or throat from a good few feet away.
Something tells me I really should be wearing a rebreather here.
¡°^To think such a sublime shrine was defiled in pursuit of heresy... it hurts even me.^¡± Celestica did the closest equivalent to sighing they were capable of.
¡°^No kiddin¡¯, eh?^¡± Patina slowly shook her head. ¡°^Sure ain¡¯t surprised Root pushed it that hard; you¡¯d think with the way he talks that the entire pantheon consists of just the Pale Lady, but others... disappointin¡¯.^¡±
Sue didn¡¯t disagree with that at all, but one word in particular caught her attention and wouldn¡¯t let go. One she wasn¡¯t entirely certain how to interpret, but which she really wanted to know how it was meant. ¡°If¡ if it¡¯s alright¡ªwhat did you mean by ¡®heresy¡¯ there, Celestica?¡± she asked.
As Patina kept playing the role of equal parts chemist and medieval alchemist who would be dead at age 45 of mercury poisoning, Sue watched the patterns on what remained of Celestica¡¯s body glow up in her direction. The small, reddish part down on Patina¡¯s side turned to face her, as if it was¡ªas if it was their eye. ¡°^These traits that Root had enriched the Pale Lady¡¯s shrine with are not Hers. They are of the Dark Lord, His domain and duty. To wrestle such traits from a deity to favor another is high heresy. My people were wretched, but their response would have been entirely appropriate for such a crime.^¡±
¡°...exile?¡± Sue guessed¡ª
And felt her heart stop at the answer that followed. ¡°^Death.^¡±
Oh, fuck.
¡°^C¡¯mon Celly, you¡¯re scaring her,^¡± Patina chided.
¡°^My intent isn¡¯t such. It is not a punishment of a simple worshiper, it is a punishment of a high priest, such as one Root portrays himself as.^¡±
Sue supposed the clarification made it slightly better, but still... sheesh. Death penalty for a religious disagreement wasn¡¯t the sort of punishment she¡¯d ever want to see established, no matter how much Root deserved it.
¡
Okay, maybe just a little, if they¡¯d be just for Root. ¡°I... guess. Still, it¡¯s uncomfortable to think about.¡±
¡°^You ain¡¯t alone in that regard Sue, doncha worry, ha.^¡±
Sue sighed¡ªthat did help a bit, yes. ¡°I heard that they¡¯re gonna hold a council meeting today to discuss what¡¯s gonna happen to the night kin. Do you think everyone might start cracking down on Pollux harder if it goes poorly?¡±
Patina let out a low hum in response, a quiet hiss of something being seared mixing into the sound. ¡°^I wish I could answer that with certainty, but I doubt it will, y¡¯know. Like, hell, Pollux is still Pollux no matter what anyone else may or mightn¡¯t have done. I sure don¡¯t think any sort of harsher sentence means folk will start hurting him. Then again, I sure thought that exiling the night kin was a demented idea that would never happen in a thousand years either, eh...^¡± her voice trailed off as if scolded.
That was the opposite of reassuring.
Patina was right; Moonview had already extremely overreacted out of paranoia once. What certainty did they have that the exact same tragedy wouldn¡¯t repeat? Was anything truly different now compared to all those years ago? If anything, it all felt even more hopeless this time¡ªSundance was comatose; Solstice was tearing herself apart with guilt; she couldn¡¯t even trust Willow, and aside from them all, she didn¡¯t even know of any Elders around, and especially not the sort that would¡ª
*HHHIIISSSSSSSSssssssss*
The nigh-deafening sound from so close almost made Sue bang her back horn all over the contraption of a seat. Thankfully, her mind had settled on ¡®freeze¡¯ rather than ¡®flight¡¯, and once it was done choking itself away from all thought, she could actually investigate what had happened.
Unpleasant-looking foam was spilling out of a small bowl Patina was preparing her concoction in, and into a larger bowl the smaller one was hurriedly placed in. Sue spotted the fire woman audibly sighing in relief at averting staining anything else, but that seemed to be the full extent of her immediate safety concerns.
I wish I knew enough chemistry to know just how terrified I should be right now.
¡°^Pheeeew! Just in time. Actually, now that I think about it... it should just take someone standing up to Root and persevering,^¡± Patina finished her thought.
Her delayed follow-up had Sue¡¯s undivided attention, eyes narrowing as she tried to slink ever so slightly away from the fire woman¡¯s freshly made hopefully-not-chemical-weapon. ¡°Standing up to him, like...?¡±
¡°^Y¡¯know, just opposing him and not backing down. I¡¯ve seen how that old fart argues,^¡± Patina scoffed, ¡°^he¡¯s never met a person he hasn¡¯t tried to pressure, shout down, or guilt trip. If someone can withstand that and push through, argue against him, then I doubt things will get any worse, ha.^¡±
Patina¡¯s description made Sue realize how many other ¡®Root¡¯s she has had to deal with in her past life, shuddering at recalling even a single interaction like that. ¡°...I think I get it, yeah. Hopefully, it¡¯ll work out, then.¡±
¡°^I¡¯d say very likely it will! Aight, that¡¯s the mix I had in mind done. Should relax your hair and straighten it a fair bit¡ªI sure hope so at least, hah!^¡± Patina chuckled as she poured some of the smaller bowl¡¯s contents into another container, diluting it with a hefty dose of water afterwards.
¡°Will it hurt?¡± Sue asked, partly because of curiosity and partly of worry.
¡°^Shouldn¡¯t be too bad. Like any chloride, it¡¯s gonna sting bare skin a decent bit, might lightly stain them curls, but a similar mix has worked well in the past for a couple other peeps at least!^¡±
Guess there was only one way to find out what ¡®decent bit¡¯ meant here, wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Alright, then...¡±
¡°^Now just your... kid on your chest?^¡±
An eerie, unnerving impulse went through Sue at Twinkle being referred to in such a way. It was as if half her mind screamed in pain, and the other half in elation at hearing it, the combination just leaving her stunned for a hot minute.
¡°^...Sue?^¡± Patina asked, noticing Sue¡¯s stunned uncertainty.
Her words made the Forest Guardian finally snap out of it, hands subconsciously reaching for the bundle of ghost against her chest as she mumbled, ¡°Uh, sorry. Should I move them?¡±
¡°^Oh up to you, I¡¯d just assumed you forgot to do it earlier,^¡± Patina explained.
Considering what amounted to the lil¡¯ ghost¡¯s body was well protected with the rag they were sleeping in, there probably wasn¡¯t a need to disturb them. ¡°They can stay here.¡±
¡°^Suit yourselves!^¡±
Patina¡¯s hands felt just barely cold enough to not scald her skin as they guided Sue to lean fully into her seat, with a single adjustment letting her lean her head all the way back as well. Her and Solstice¡¯s touch might¡¯ve been pleasantly tingly, but the fire woman¡¯s hands were almost an instant massage, making for a comfort even Spark had a hard time stacking up to.
Which was appreciated, considering how much her brew had made Sue wince afterwards.
It wasn¡¯t quite unbearable, but it sure got very, very close at times, especially when Patina tried to apply it to her roots. It was too late to back out now, which meant another conversation topic was in order¡ªand there just so happened to be an overlooked subject that Sue really wanted to know more about, both for future reference and out of simple curiosity. And¡ª*ow*¡ªdistraction. ¡°How was A-Aurelia like? Pollux¡¯s mother you¡¯ve mentioned earlier...¡±
¡°^Driven,^¡± Celestica answered, the little there was of their tone full of admiration.
¡°^Hatched with a hammer in her hand, I tell ya!^¡± Patina laughed. ¡°^She got metallurgy like nobody I¡¯ve ever seen, and kept on improving her craft every single day. Goodness, what she didn¡¯t do¡ªmetalworking, used to act battles out in Snowdrop¡¯s fancy group, used to do actual fights on the side! Practice ones, I mean, the kinds that hurt, but leave ya stronger. Never had too many takers, but always one or two¡ªDaisy, High Tide, Alastor. Good gods, do I remember watching her fool around with Alastor. She¡¯d keep letting him feel like he had the upper hand by hiding around, and then just punched him from thin air before any of us could even blink. And he¡¯d keep on trying the same tactics over and over, almost like he wanted to be dominated, ahahaha!^¡±
Sue palpably felt Patina¡¯s mood improve throughout her recollection, her ambient heat turning that much stronger and more pleasant. Didn¡¯t help a whole lot with the stinging all over her head, but at that point, Sue knew she¡¯d just have to suffer through it. ¡°She must¡¯ve been strong.¡±
¡°^In so many ways, ha. She could¡¯ve lifted this entire dainty hut up with one arm and got so good at bending metal that she didn¡¯t even have to use tools past a certain point, just her four limbs. And her fire, goodness, it was so bright it kept burning out of her entire head, day and night. I keep on tryin¡¯, and I sure ain¡¯t gonna stop, but a part of me doubts I¡¯ll ever compare. I¡¯m still dreaming of figuring out smelting iron with even half the skill and heat she handled it.^¡±
Considering all the heat and fire references, Sue had at least a partial idea about Aurelia¡¯s ¡®types¡¯. ¡°Sounds like a Fire ¡®type¡¯... right?¡± she asked for clarification.
¡°^And Fighting, ahaha! That part¡¯s also important, especially for crushin¡¯ all the ore before smelting it. From what she told me, tinkering with metal is rather common where she came from, though with nowhere near her sophistication, and mostly with gold. Trivial to work compared to even copper, and even children decorated themselves with gold leaf from time to time. Though hers were extra fancy¡ªI remember seeing her for the first time and the sun glare from all the gold on her just blinding me for a hot while, oh those days were fun, ahahahah...^¡± Patina trailed off into quieter and quieter laughter, lost in her recollection.
In the meantime, Sue picked up on another curiosity from her words¡ª¡¯Fighting¡¯ type? The label didn¡¯t inspire confidence in the slightest. If anything, it made Sue think back to the many varieties of local chavs starting shit at the town she grew up in.
Who knew that such a mediocre football team could ever inspire such widespread violence, eh?
¡°It sounds like she was fun to be around,¡± Sue remarked.
¡°^Worked hard, fought hard, played hard!^¡±
¡°^Drank hard,^¡± Celestica added pointedly.
¡°^Don¡¯t act like you¡¯d be any different if you still had a mouth, Celly,^¡± Patina chuckled.
¡°^I do not know what inebriation feels like.^¡±
¡°^Call that the Pale Lady¡¯s blessing or something.^¡±
As pleasant as it was to hear Patina¡¯s recollections¡ªthe unnerving ¡®Fighting¡¯ type detail aside¡ªthe constant mentions of Aurelia having been a metal worker had Sue thinking back over to the couple of metal objects she¡¯d seen around. And among them, one immediately caught her attention the most. ¡°Did she make¡ª¡±
¡°^Hon,^¡± Patina pre-emptively cut her off, ¡°^if there¡¯s anything metal you see in Moonview, Aurelia almost certainly was the one that made it.^¡±
¡°R-right. I guess that includes Daystar¡¯s prosthesis... thing.¡±
¡°^Dayst... you mean Frostbite?^¡± the fire woman asked.
¡°She goes by Daystar now,¡± Sue stressed, remembering her reaction to being referred by the other name back in Newmoon.
As Patina took a moment or three to stash the new knowledge deep into her fiery brain, Celestica summed it up shortly. ¡°^I am unsurprised.^¡±
¡°^No kiddin¡¯, ahaha! Good for her, hope she¡¯s alright. And yep, Aurelia made her that hook. No replacing all the usefulness or lethality of her natural claws with anythin¡¯ artificial, but at least being able to hold on to stuff with both arms is useful.^¡±
Sue was almost certain about the answer to the question she was about to ask, but went with it anyway, even if just to hear how Patina would explain it. ¡°Did she just... make all that for Daystar on a whim?¡±
¡°^Yeah, why wouldn¡¯t she? Psychic tricks are one thing, but for a Fighting type to not be able to use all their limbs is a tragedy and a half.^¡±
...
Considering Daystar of all people was also in the said ¡®Fighting¡¯ category, it probably represented much more than just an overeagerness to fight. ¡°I-I see,¡± Sue mumbled. ¡°Daystar must¡¯ve loved it.¡±
¡°^Ohhhh, you have no idea, hun. Then again, she never was too sad about having lost her paw in the first place, really. Apparently, it snapped her to the reality of what she was doing, and made her set out on the path that led her here. Sure never heard anyone else be simultaneously so thankful and hateful to anyone as she was to that one psychic bird that did her in,^¡± Patina sighed, some of her exhale further warming Sue¡¯s stinging head. ¡°^If I hadn¡¯t already started being Aurelia¡¯s apprentice, then seeing that sure would¡¯ve made me, ha!^¡±
¡°What¡ªwhat initially interested you, then?¡±
¡°^Hmm...^¡± the fire woman tapped her fingers against Sue¡¯s lathered head, ¡°^think it was another of Aurelia¡¯s gifts, actually. She told me she just got the idea one moment, and the second she was already forging copper with her bare hands! Ended up being a pretty pretty circlet, methinks.^¡±
Circlet. ¡°Wh-who did she make it for?¡± Sue asked.
¡°^Solstice, ha! They used to be besties, way back in the day. And now... ah... yeah.^¡±
Figures why she handed it back to Alastor then...
¡°^Aaaaanywho. How¡¯re ya holdin¡¯ up?^¡± Patina asked, wanting to clear out the air.
¡°M-managing,¡± Sue answered through gritted teeth.
¡°^Tell me if I need to slow down or any¡ª^¡±
Sue winced again. ¡°If you can, I¡¯d rather you speed up.¡±
¡°^I see, I see~. Lean back in, and let¡¯s get it done then, ahaha! Fingers crossed it works out!^¡±
It didn¡¯t work out.
Thankfully, a thorough washing after Patina was done got rid of most of the stinging, and what little remained eventually faded afterwards. Pain wasn¡¯t even the annoying part, though¡ªnowhere near as the realization, after all was said and done, that the chemical assault on her scalp accomplished almost nothing for straightening these green locks out, instead just leaving some spots slightly bleached. Not that Sue minded that in a vacuum, but that outcome sure didn¡¯t feel pleasant after several hours of gripping the armrests as tight as she could, even with Patina being as accommodating as she could be.
At least I didn¡¯t break another leg.
Yay.
Disappointment or not, all that was behind her now. By the time she and Twinkle had stumbled out of once-Aurelia¡¯s workshop, the sun was already almost done setting, emboldening her further. There weren¡¯t anywhere near as many people drinking around the large clearing as when she was there a few days ago. Entirely understandable between yesterday¡¯s events and what still awaited today, but it still made that entire half of Moonview feel... eerie.
Not eerie enough for her to go through the rest of the day on an almost empty stomach again, though.
With Poppy¡¯s pastry in her hand, Twinkle on her chest, and plenty of the village still in front of her, Sue could start chewing through everything Patina had told her and which she¡¯d already inferred about Root broadly and the upcoming hearing in specific.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Many of Moonview¡¯s worst mistakes weren¡¯t even all that popular amongst its people when they happened. Vote to exile the night kin passed with a single vote; the decision to turn Night Father¡¯s shrine into the extensions of Duck¡¯s monument was even more unpopular. Surely, after all these years and with so much shame fueling them, the people would avoid making the same harrowing mistake again. Avoid sentencing so many to so much suffering because of actions that were committed by so few, or which didn¡¯t really matter whatsoever.
At least, that¡¯s what Sue deeply hoped for.
If what Patina said was right¡ªif it would really only take a single voice to take a stand against Root and his narrative and not let itself get shouted down¡ªthen things would almost certainly work out. After all, someone would have enough of a spine to stand up and prevent further harm, and from there, it was just... expressing support for that person.
Admittedly, Sue had absolutely no idea how such a council even functioned, but hoped it wouldn¡¯t be entirely filled with the badger¡¯s sycophants if it truly fell down to just them to make the decisions that affected both villages. She knew better than to let herself get overly hopeful while having so little concrete to work with, but figured that a little bit of hope wouldn¡¯t hurt.
As a treat.
As basic as the feat was, she was somewhat proud of herself for having figured out a way to the gathering entirely on her own. Granted, all she had to do on her part was to just observe the passersby and follow the majority¡¯s direction, but it was still more than the absolute nothing her self-critical thoughts wanted to portray it as.
While she marched over, alternating her limited brain capacity between walking upright with a limping leg and breathing deeply enough, another realization gradually crept in. This one she had very little idea what to do with, and neither the time, space, nor opportunity to mull it through¡ªTwinkle had woken up at some point.
Good evening, little one! This is Moonview line, heading straight... north toward our final station. Will it be Salvation Alley? Will it be Damnation Street? Who knows, that¡¯s the fun of it!
That¡¯s the bloody fun of it.
Even though Sue didn¡¯t have any words for the little bag full of child, that didn¡¯t mean that she had no affection. She gently grasped the small bundle with her left hand as she turned the last corner, feeling Twinkle wrap their tentacles around it as she looked for a place to sit down amidst the crowd. This skin dress made that feat much more annoyingly difficult than she would¡¯ve preferred.
The entire arrangement reminded her of the world¡¯s smallest concert stadium. A short, flat mound, only a dozen or so feet in diameter. In front of it was a clearing so underutilized that much of it was still covered in grass. Above it all, the customary floating fireballs, the sight having become little more than a modest footnote by now. Magical, floating, unending balls of fire? Boring, that was so three days ago.
Thankfully, Solstice was already present, her aura even more anxious than Sue¡¯s. It took the older Forest Guardian a while to even notice her pupil¡¯s arrival, despite her having towered over most of the crowd while finding a place to sit down. Beyond that delay, her immediate reaction was a shudder and an alarmed look, taking the once-human aback. ¡°^Sue? What are you doing here?^¡± Solstice asked with a raised voice.
¡°Just w-watching,¡± Sue answered. ¡°Am I not allowed to?¡± She tried her hardest to keep her tone neutral enough to avoid her genuine question becoming a snarky reply, even though a small part of her really wished to say these exact words in that way.
All the Mayor could do was sigh, shudder, and try her best to forcibly relax her posture again as she answered, ¡°^Of course you are, it¡¯s¡ªnevermind.^¡± It certainly wasn¡¯t the response Sue wanted to hear, its nervous hesitation making her second guess her own presence here¡ªit was ultimately more morbid curiosity than it was actually being able to help with anything, after all. ¡°^I¡¯ll translate for you,^¡± Solstice sighed, ¡°^but I ask you to not chat throughout. I-I need to focus on this.^¡±
As if I needed to feel even worse about being here.
¡°Of course.¡±
Despite that bitter topic, Sue wasn¡¯t thinking of going anywhere, not now. More and more onlookers kept pouring on from all over Moonview while the raised stage filled up. The living bouquet medic, Orchid. The blue, bipedal rhino that worked with the builders, Daisy. Floating cotton puffball with an attached face that seemed to manage the farms, Equinox. The leafy mantis caretaker, Splitleaf.
So many others she¡¯d either only seen in passing, or not at all.
Willow.
Considering everything she¡¯d seen and heard about the medic over the past couple of days, Sue wasn¡¯t even sure if she trusted them at all. The thought stung particularly hard given they were the very first person here who¡¯d visibly offered her care when she still had no idea what was going on or where she even was. Was all that just a lie? A facade they had put up to hide their true intentions?
The thought made little sense, and Sue was well aware. They weren¡¯t just nice to her, but to everyone she¡¯d ever seen them interact with. She still remembered them barging in with injured Joy very clearly, and if not for that very act, the metal girl might¡¯ve still been constantly afraid today.
And yet.
The looks they gave her and Ginger when the latter swung by Moonview. Looks of uncertainty, of fear, of everything she would¡¯ve expected from someone much more simple-minded than them, not from someone who helped two separate weirdlings in the past few days alone.
Sue kept staring at the medic as she went through the unpleasant thoughts¡ªand eventually, they looked back. A burst of upbeat surprise at seeing her here, accentuated with a timid wave in her direction. A smile that faltered with every passing moment at seeing someone they¡¯d helped so recently staring back at them with earned distrust. And finally, a nervous, unsettled look away, at anyone but her.
Were they aware of why she distrusted them? Aware of her knowing what they did in the past, of the horrible causes they had allied themselves with, and judging them for it?
Does it even matter?
*woof!*
¡°Hey, Sparkie,¡± Sue sighed. She had barely noticed the lil¡¯ vixen¡¯s blissful heat even as she had climbed onto her lap. Everything felt numb and tense, as if she¡¯d hit a nerve with her entire brain. With how much laid on the line, comfort was hard to focus on¡ªand yet, so much more important exactly because of that.
The Forest Guardian¡¯s right hand shook as she forcibly moved it to stroke Spark¡¯s back. The other one didn¡¯t fare any better, having to be constantly reminded to provide affection to Twinkle, else the sharp, haphazard motions would peter out after just a few moments. Sue wasn¡¯t good at multitasking like this, not when this tense.
Hopefully, her rocking in place wouldn¡¯t draw too much undue attention.
A small glare of purple light in the corner of her vision heralded the arrival of the final remaining elder. Their expression was cross and just as tense as Sue¡¯s; the spots around their neck burned with faint violet embers.
Root.
¡°^Greetings, everyone,^¡± Solstice spoke up once everyone had sat down. ¡°^We have gathered together to discuss the events of the past few days, and settle on a way forward.^¡± Her voice was much more subdued than its usual self, keeping itself from cracking or even slightly withdrawing through the sheer forces of willpower and very heavy practice. Any remaining murmurs in the crowd faded away the instant she spoke up, the entire clearing¡¯s emotion honing straight into confused uncertainty.
My favorite.
¡°IT IS AN OUTRAGE THAT¡ª¡±
¡°Root,¡± Equinox interrupted, his single word comment derailing the priest¡¯s rambling before it could even begin. As the badger stared daggers at such interruption, the puffball continued, his voice dry and ancient, ¡°There is another important matter that has transpired the day before what you¡¯re itching to talk about. Let us please deal with it beforehand.¡±
Sue had to forcibly hold in a chuckle at Root being so unceremoniously held back, a task that many others failed at. With a deep breath, the flaming badger did just that, the flames around his neck not growing any weaker as he sat down.
¡°Thank you,¡± Equinox continued. ¡°High Tide, could you iterate through your concerns for us?¡±
The crowd¡¯s attention turned towards the massive, blue, black-finned amphibian as she raised herself onto her hind legs and cleared her throat. ¡°Of course, Equinox. The water situation isn¡¯t looking pretty. We¡¯re straining our stream hard, especially as we keep expanding our farms. I worry what might happen if an unexpected drought hits us later this year.¡± Her voice was croaky and dry, keeping itself professionally flat despite quite a few emotions brewing up inside her head.
¡°Thank you. What are the possible answers to those concerns?¡±
¡°In simple terms¡ªwe don¡¯t have enough water to have a comfortable buffer. We can either reconsider our cultivars and stop growing some of the particularly thirsty ones, source our local water supply from somewhere, or relocate our farms, in part or full, further downstream. Our stream joins a large river around two days of steady march away. There wouldn¡¯t be any concerns with irrigation there for the foreseeable future.¡± Having delivered her opinion, High Tide sat down, letting everyone focus on what the elders would say again.
¡°Straightforward matter ta¡¯ me,¡± Daisy spoke up, swatting her paw off to the side. ¡°Gotta cut some chaff and stick with what works. We¡¯re sure growin¡¯ waaaay too many different species in there, dunno if anyone eats half these things,¡± she smirked, not thinking much of the whole affair.
¡°In my previous exchanges with High Tide, she had indicated that to be a very temporary solution, especially if Moonview keeps growing,¡± Equinox stressed, shooting the blue rhino down with a justified concern as he plunged most of the gathered into a deeper thought.
¡°Naturally, we should expand downstream, and use these fertile lands for ourselves,¡± Root proposed.
It was Sue¡¯s first time properly hearing his voice, the keening, downright sleazy sound sending a shudder down her spine. Thankfully, he too would see objections being raised to his idea. ¡°There is a very high probability of those lands being already used for such a purpose, or otherwise controlled,¡± Equinox reminded. ¡°We would not be claiming wilderness for ourselves. In all likelihood, we would be taking fertile soil that already belongs to someone.¡±
The badger only gave Equinox¡¯s counterpoint the briefest of considerations before scoffing it aside. ¡°I do not see why that would matter. We are the Pale Lady¡¯s chosen peoples, all where Her light touches is our true domain. Why should we settle for anything less?¡±
Daisy rolled her eyes. ¡°Because we gunna find our butts gettin¡¯ whooped otherwise. Do ya think they¡¯d just let us take them with a justification like that?¡±
Root¡¯s glare narrowed at the blue rhino¡¯s response, as if she¡¯s spoken a sentence in an entirely different language. ¡°They may try, but they shan¡¯t succeed, not with Her Grace at our side. Any strife to further Her glory is a strife justified.¡± Sue shuddered deeply at the badger¡¯s rhetoric, much of it deeply unpleasant to listen to.
¡°Well, I¡¯d sure darn hope you¡¯d be the one bargin¡¯ in to defend ¡®our¡¯ lands in that case,¡± Daisy scoffed.
Before Root could respond to her dismissive words, Equinox spoke once more¡ª¡°And that is only one of our problems. At such a vast distance, would whatever settlement arises even be called Moonview anymore? For all practical matters, they will be entirely separate from us, related through little more than the deity they worship. To them, we would be mere overlords, demanding they harvest resources for our use.¡±
¡°Not if we send our finest farmhands to take care of such a farm, the ones with unbreakable devotion,¡± Root insisted, his tone dismissive.
¡°Devotion will not help said theoretical settlement becoming its own independent entity, and merely becoming allied with us,¡± Equinox stressed. ¡°Unless your idea is to forcibly rule such a distant place yourself, them gradually turning independent is all but unavoidable.¡± His comment didn¡¯t inspire as much rage in Root¡¯s as Daisy¡¯s earlier one, thankfully.
Instead came what looked like genuine thoughtfulness, culminating with a shudder that sent the badger¡¯s flames dancing. Which exact part said reaction was in response to, Sue had absolutely no idea, and would rather not speculate lest it turned her even madder. ¡°Ghrmmmm... fine enough,¡± he eventually spat out. ¡°The solution of searching for further local sources appears to be the best one, then.¡±
Most Elders agreed with varying levels of confidence, owing less to Root having raised any particularly good points, and more so to that option being by far the least unsustainable of the three presented earlier.
¡°^Does the council agree on that course of action?^¡± Solstice asked, startling Sue out of her spaced out state; the discussion¡¯s topic making it hard for her to focus. None of this was anything that even remotely affected her, but what would almost certainly follow suit would, and now it was time for her to pay very close attention.
Either no reaction or modest nods from everyone gathered, with Root glaring motionlessly into the middle distance.
¡°^Then it is settled,^¡± Solstice continued. ¡°^High Tide, I leave you in charge of that task. Gather any help around Moonview you feel necessary to accomplish with and ensure our water security.^¡±
¡°Aye aye, Solstice.¡±
With the mundane subject over with, everyone knew very well what awaited now, and exactly nobody was looking forward to it. Or rather, exactly nobody with a singular exception of a particular angry flaming badger, whose emotions appeared to be a paradoxical mix of outrage and downright giddiness to indulge in said outrage, if not a conscious one. It felt... weird, but she was hardly unfamiliar with the underlying behavior.
Doomscrolling was something Sue was guilty of on more days than not. Even beyond just her, people constantly searching for stuff to be angry about was an internet pattern as old as time, and equally embarrassing each time. The occasions where it happened in person were always the worst ones, though.
Nothing she had to deal with personally¡ªher dad had grown aloof in his final years but never went down that rotten path¡ªbut something she¡¯d heard plenty about, be it as complaints, or harrowing stories about people¡¯s parents having their brains entirely eroded by anger-inducing cable television. It was terrible when stuff like that tore a family apart, but here it ran a serious risk of hurting unspeakably many people if indulged further.
Before Sue could ponder through that kind of behavior any further, Solstice resumed the discussion. ¡°^With the topic of our water troubles done, let us proceed to the next¡ª^¡±
¡°IT IS AN OUTRAGE THAT ONE OF THE NIGHT KIN WAS PERMITTED TO ENTER OUR HAVEN, AND DEFILE THE PALE LADY¡¯S VISAGE!¡± Root shouted furiously, the voice so much louder than needed to be well heard by everyone around. Unfortunately for all present, he wasn¡¯t done yet, either. ¡°WE WERE ATTACKED¡ªNAY, ASSAULTED¡ªBY THEIR DESPICABLE, FILTHY DEN! WE HAVE TOLERATED THEIR PRESENCE IN OUR VICINITY FOR FAR TOO LONG, EVEN FOLLOWING OUR RIGHTEOUS BANISHMENT OF THEIR FOUL KIND. HOW MANY MORE OF OUR PEOPLE MUST BE HURT, HOW MANY MORE OF OUR CHILDREN MUST DIE, HOW MUCH MORE OF OUR FAITH MUST BE DEBASED FOR US TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST THOSE MONSTERS!?¡±
His ranting made absolutely no sense, nor did it need to.
Just need a single person to stand up against this nonsense, come on.
Sue clung to Patina¡¯s claim like it was a piece of wreckage in the middle of the ocean, hoping more and more it would turn out right by the moment. She was managing for now, but¡ the same couldn¡¯t be said for Solstice. However anxious the Mayor had been earlier, her expression was now entirely flat and shaking, her emotions already veering perilously close to a full on internal breakdown. Her pupil wanted to say something, encourage her to push on and stand up against the badger¡¯s tide of anger¡ªbut she couldn¡¯t.
Especially after it got even worse.
¡°AND WORSE YET! IT WAS ONE OF OUR VERY OWN THAT SOUGHT TO UNDERMINE OUR VERY OWN DECREE FROM YEARS AGO AND ALLY WITH THESE FILTHY MONSTERS! IMAGINE WHAT ALL OUR LOST ONES MUST THINK AT THAT, AT THE ONES THEY USED TO TRUST, GOING AGAINST THEIR VERY LEGACY AND SPITTING ON ALL THE SUFFERING THEY HAD EXPERIENCED!? THE ONE WHO HAD SAW THE LIGHT THESE MANY YEARS AGO, ONLY TO GO AGAINST THE PALE LADY¡¯S JUDGMENT DESPITE HER GRACIOUS TRUST IN THEM! JUST FOR OUR FAITH TO BE DEFILED, AND ANOTHER OF OUR CHERISHED TO BE GRIEVOUSLY WOUNDED BY THEIR SAVAGERY!¡±
Root might¡¯ve been saying his shouts to the gathering at large, but his eyes were downright drilling into Solstice, harder and harder with every single word. Every remark, every allusion to what had happened, both recently and so many years ago, pushed her deeper into locked-up, mute panic. All the shame she had tried to suppress, over everything that had gone wrong, over her hand in everything¡ªAurora, the night kin, Sundance¡¯s injury¡ªall of it happened, ultimately, because of her action or inaction.
It was all her fault.
She was wrong, so very wrong, but Sue felt entirely powerless to help.
Sue looked away in panic, trying to feebly sense someone, anyone, who was as much as considering opposing the ever-growing madness. Almost entirely silence from all around, with only the group of builders, Daisy included, even considering anything.
Please guys, you can do it.
All the while, Sue¡¯s only response to Root¡¯s ever furious shouts was steadily growing anger. At the depersonification, at the slurs, at attempts to speak in the name of those whose deaths hurt the night kin no less than they had hurt anyone else here.
At invoking Duck¡¯s name for hatred.
¡°OUR COURSE OF ACTION SHOULD BE OBVIOUS TO US ALL! THE PALE LADY DEMANDS US TO ACT, TO STRIKE BACK AGAINST SUCH HERESY AND BARBARISM! US PERMITTING THESE BEASTS TO LIVE WAS A MISTAKE, ONE THAT SHOULD BE RECTIFIED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!¡±
In the corner of her eye, Sue saw Daisy and a few builders nod at each other before the blue rhino gathered her bearings and rolled her shoulders. Once Root had finally stopped to gather his breath, Daisy rose and interrupted him, her voice raised almost as much as his. ¡°You cry for so many people to die for the actions of a single bleedin¡¯ owl!?¡±
¡°HARDLY, YOU BELLIGERENT FOOL! IT WAS NOT A SINGULAR ATTACK, NO, THEY HAD STRUCK SUNDANCE TO MAKE US FEARFUL, HESITANT TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT! NO MATTER OUR FEARS, I SHALL LEAD US WITH THE PALE LADY¡¯S GUIDANCE TO DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE!¡±
¡°You¡¯ve no idea what you¡¯re talkin¡¯ about, you melodramatic pile of shite!¡± Daisy snarled. ¡°None of this was a coordinated attack by Newmoon as a whole¡ª¡±
¡°THEIR FILTHY DEN DOES NOT DESERVE THE NAME OF OUR LADY ABOVE!¡±
¡°Shut up! Juniper attacked Sundance on her own, and what happened with Ginger was a bleedin¡¯ accident!¡±
¡°TO THINK SUCH UNFATHOMABLE HERESY HAS SPREAD EVEN TO ONES WE RELY ON THE MOST! THESE ARE LIES UTTERED BY THAT MALEVOLENT DEMON, ONES YOUR BAND OF BRUTES HAS CONFIDED IN FOR MUCH TOO LONG. NONE OF YOU ARE TRUSTWORTHY, NOT AFTER HIM FILLING YOU WITH HIS POISON DURING HIS ATTACK ON OUR BEAUTIFUL MOONVIEW!¡±
¡°Shut your bloody¡ª¡±
¡°SILENCE!¡±
Despite Daisy¡¯s determination just moments prior, the explosion of frenzied, purple flame combined with the nigh-deafening shout had finally undone her resolve, especially with nobody else speaking out. Uncertainty, sheer intimidation, it didn¡¯t matter. No matter the cause, the result was the same¡ªand Sue grew even angrier at that realization.
¡°I SHALL NOT SUFFER SUCH HERETICAL CLAIMS ANY FURTHER. NONE OF YOU KNOW THE TRUTH EXCEPT THROUGH THAT BEAST¡¯S LIES. TO THINK ANY OF YOU TRUSTED HIM EVEN FOR A MOMENT DISGUSTS ME BEYOND WORDS. TRULY, WE NEED TO ACT SWIFTLY AND PURGE THEM, PURGE THEM ALL, LEST THEIR VENOM CORRUPTS MORE OF THE ONES WE ONCE TRUSTED!¡±
Angrier at Root¡¯s hatred.
¡°TO LET THEM LIVE, HOWEVER FAR, IS A MERCY THESE BEASTS DO NOT DESERVE, AND A RISK WE CANNOT AFFORD!¡±
Angrier at Solstice¡¯s paralyzed stillness.
¡°THEY MUST BE BURNED WITH SACRED FLAME AND THE GROUND LEFT BEHIND SALTED, FOR THEIR DEFILEMENT GOES BEYOND MERE ACTIONS, IT IS THEIR VERY ESSENCE!¡±
Angrier at Moonview¡¯s inaction, in nobody standing up for what was right.
¡°WE SHOULD MARCH AS SWIFTLY AS WE CAN, AND STRIKE DOWN THE VERMIN AND THEIR FALSE GOD WITH ALL OUR VICIOUS MIGHT, FOR THE PALE LADY DECREES IT!¡±
Angrier at herself for having expected them to.
Sue shook in place as her fists clenched and teeth ground. She had never felt anywhere near this angry¡ªfearful, anxious, overwhelmed, yes, plenty, but never actively as furious as she was being right now. None of this was right, and she could barely think.
A wordless urge cried out to her from not just her mind, but her very soul. The very same unfathomable instinct that made her act when Spark and Pollux were about to die, one she had no name for or conscious comprehension of. She remembered acting against it then, desperately trying to overrule it for the sake of her own survival¡ªbut now, Sue felt it grip her entire body, and gave in entirely.
Her breathing grew shallower and shallower as the entirety of her furious mind concentrated on a singular purpose. From where it came from, it didn¡¯t matter in the slightest. All the Forest Guardian knew was that so many innocents were at risk of death because of a single village¡¯s virulent hatred,
And that she couldn¡¯t let it happen.
¡°LET US COME, THEN! LET US DELIVER UTMOST JUSTICE TO THESE FIENDS FOR STRIKING OUR FRIEND AND FAITH ALIKE¡ª¡°
¡°LIAR!!!¡±
The shout froze the entire gathering as dozens upon dozens of minds focused on a single, incomprehensibly furious one. All Sue knew was that she was suddenly floating above the ground¡ªand that she wasn¡¯t done yet.
¡°SUNDANCE WAS ATTACKED BY JUNIPER ALONE, AND PROVIDED AID BY ALL OF NEWMOON AFTERWARDS! ALL GINGER DID IN MOONVIEW WAS PURGE YOUR FOUL HERESY!¡±
No matter how imposing, her voice wouldn¡¯t be able to stand alone, and she knew it.
¡°SOLSTICE, YOU WERE THERE! ATTEST TO MY WORDS!¡±
Sue stared where she remembered the other Forest Guardian being, but couldn¡¯t make her own through the blinding flare of her own eyes. She¡¯d spoken with power unlike herself, unlike anything she thought herself ever capable of, with a power that drew from the very core of the being she became¡ª
But would it be enough?
Seconds stretched into ages as the younger Forest Guardian glared into the older one with a force beyond her conscious comprehension. It showed no signs of fading, but the person subsumed by it did, fear beginning to drip into the chamber of emotional superheated plasma that Sue¡¯s mind became. This was all she could do, all she could ever hope to do. And if it wasn¡¯t enough, if her utter desperation wasn¡¯t enough,
Then what would she even do?
Her mind shook, the motion slowly spreading over to her physical arms. All this wouldn¡¯t last for more than just a handful of moments longer, not with doubt beginning to fill her mind whole. Tears streamed down her contorted face, straight down onto her gritted teeth.
And then; she heard a voice.
Afraid.
Ashamed.
Guilty.
Unwavering.
¡°^I attest to your words, Sue,^¡± Solstice strained to speak, every single word painful. ¡°^Juniper¡¯s attack was an act of momentary aggression, and Newmoon had attempted to capture her afterwards. She is not welcome there and will not be until she atones for her actions. Ginger had no intention of damaging the Night Mother¡¯s shrine, and Kantaro has no interest in repairing said damages.^¡±
At last, the choking silence gave way into uncountable murmurs as Sue felt whatever had just possessed her gradually let go. Her body descended until her feet touched the ground again, followed by her overworked mind letting go of the rest of her. She collapsed on all fours, struggling to catch her breath as many voices surrounded her, in awe, in concern.
Even with Solstice¡¯s translation, she couldn¡¯t understand them. She couldn¡¯t even understand her own mind right now, not with how utterly the last few moments had fried it.
What the fuck did I just do.
The words and sounds around her kept coming, though fewer and fewer of them were aimed directly at her. Once her head had stopped tormenting her for the act of breathing anymore, Sue finally attempted to sit back up and look at what was going on.
Root stared straight through her in an expression of distilled, mute fury as the discussion continued around him. In any other circumstances, she would¡¯ve shied away; wouldn¡¯t have been able to look him in the eyes for just an instant. But not here. Not now.
I will not let you do this.
Sue gritted her teeth and returned the glare even as her entire rattled, worn-out body shook. She wasn¡¯t a warrior; she wasn¡¯t a hero; she was just an unremarkable, socially stilted comp-sci student of hardly any ability and even less renown¡ªand yet, she might¡¯ve just saved several lives.
She kept her eyes locked with his for as long as she could, thanking Duck for the badger Elder looking towards one of his fellow council at some point. Her shaking hands tried to hold Spark as closely as possible, but they felt so numb, so uncontrollable. Sue closed her eyes, held the lil¡¯ fox tight, and breathed as deeply as she could¡ªuntil she could hear more than just her own heartbeat hammering into her ears, until she regained sensation in her body again, until she could think again.
One, two, three.
Warmth in front of her, on her chest, pressing into her stomach. Unbearable pressure all over her body, one of a spring wound much too tight.
Four, five, six.
Incomprehensible noise frayed into individual sounds, still too hard to make heads and tails of. Vague warmth became the sensation of Spark¡¯s soft fur and wet nose. Her shoulders loosened; her hands weren¡¯t just a blur anymore.
Seven, eight.
Twinkle squirmed against her, and Spark calmed down, bit by bit. She unclenched her jaw and straightened her back. Words, all around her. ¡®Newmoon¡¯, ¡®Juniper¡¯, ¡®punishment¡¯, ¡®Sundance¡¯. ¡®Discussion¡¯, ¡®aid¡¯, ¡®mistake¡¯, ¡®support¡¯.
¡®Forest Guardian¡¯.
¡®Sue¡¯.
Nine, ten.
Sue held the little fox down as she finished coming to, the discussion still ongoing. At last, a plan began to come together along the steps of Solstice¡¯s and Sundance¡¯s initial idea back in Newmoon¡ªaid and reconciliation. All around her, remarks about all this having gone on for long enough that Moonview was going insane and rewriting history.
Less so Moonview as a whole and more so specific actors, but... good enough.
She focused her eyes and took the scene in. Many were surprised or engaged, including a fair bit of the audience. Daisy and Splitleaf chattered; Orchid looked around uncomfortably. Equinox occasionally chimed in, remaining calm despite it all. Some others talked, some others didn¡¯t.
Willow sat silently, aghast.
Root¡¯s rage burned in silence, overpowered for once.
Solstice.
The older Forest Guardian contributed to the discussion while putting on as composed an appearance as she could manage. Underneath it all, pain and guilt, leaking into her stoic expression every time she looked in Sue¡¯s direction.
Suddenly, gasps, rattling, chaos, shuffling, all behind her. Sue tried to look, to figure out what was going on, but she didn¡¯t have to¡ªshe heard it first. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare YOU BASTARDS¡ª*GAH!*¡± Sundance cried, the sound followed moments later by her collapsing mere feet away from Sue, followed by a large stick following in tow beside her.
¡°MOM!¡± Spark shrieked as she raced over to her parent.
Sue wasn¡¯t far behind either, immediately kneeling beside her mentor. Sundance¡¯s arms convulsed, her teeth gritted in pain, but both sensations paled compared to the singular, determined drive in her mind; one conveyed to Sue with the most strained telepathy she¡¯d ever felt from the vixen. ¡°^Sue, they¡¯ll try to justify revenge in my name, d-don¡¯t let¡ª^¡±
¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s okay, Sundance. It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, they¡ªthey won¡¯t do that,¡± Sue whispered, still in disbelief over it all.
The vixen¡¯s shock was downright palpable as she tried to lift herself back onto her knees, her shaking glare sweeping along the gathered elders. Shock, fury, guilt, the latter even more acute than when Sue looked at the Mayor. So much was left unexplained, but Sue seemed to be right¡ªit was already over.
¡°D-do you need help, Sundance?¡± Sue asked, receiving a wordless, pained nod. Telekinesis or not, she wasn¡¯t about to leave the vixen there. She kneeled beside the vixen, waiting for her mentor to lean on her.
With utmost strain, Sue pushed herself onto her legs as the vixen¡¯s body cooperated to whatever extent it was capable of. They turned around in a few slow motions before heading away from the meeting, one shaky step at a time. Spark woofed at her mom constantly, and each time Sundance replied in kind, their words an enigma.
Sue still wasn¡¯t sure if she truly felt like herself again after what had just happened. Regardless of that, her emotions were clear, and growing clearer still with every step away from the discussing mass and into the relative quiet of nighttime Moonview. She was happy. She wanted to cry for days. ¡°I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m so glad you¡¯re back, Sundance, I¡ª¡±
¡°^It¡¯s alright, Sue. I¡ª*agh*¡ªI suppose a lot happened when I was gone, hasn¡¯t¡ª*ugh!*^¡± the vixen muttered back, telepathic words interrupted by physical grunts of pain.
¡°D-do you want me to slow down?¡±
Sundance nodded, furrowing her brows at the resulting headache. ¡°^Just a bit. Feels like I¡ª*oww*¡ªI can barely control one limb at a time. I¡¯ll make it there, it¡¯ll just take a while.^¡±
¡°T-to your dwelling?¡± Sue asked.
¡°^No,^¡± the vixen answered. Her pupil stared surprised at her pained expression, making her elaborate¡ª¡°^Solstice¡¯s tent is closer, we can¡ª*agh!*¡ªwe can sit down in front of it. Turn left.^¡±
The Forest Guardian followed the directions as she tried to wash the last remnants of her outburst out of her system. To her disappointment, the more she succeeded, the more tired she became¡ªbut they thankfully weren¡¯t far from their destination.
¡°^And a lot has happened to you as well, hasn¡¯t it, Sue?^¡± the vixen asked, trying to distract herself from her bodily pains.
¡°Y-yeah, it has,¡± Sue whispered.
¡°^Someone, even,^¡± Sundance chuckled, inspecting the bundle tied around Sue¡¯s chest with as much curiosity as she could manage while constantly being interrupted with pain.
¡°Their name is Twinkle, and... Solstice mentioned you¡¯d know more about what they are.¡±
¡°^Well, let¡¯s see about that,^¡± the vixen muttered, closing her eyes to focus as they all shambled forward. Sue was about to speak up that there was no point and that, to the best of her knowledge, Twinkle couldn¡¯t speak¡ªbut by then, it already was too late. ¡°^Good evening, Twinkle.^¡±
If nothing else, Sue appreciated the nicety. Having them be treated as any other child would help a lot in making them feel less weird going forward, even if they wouldn¡¯t be able to do certain¡ª
¡°H-hello...¡±
Chapter 25: Acceptance
Hearing the weak, ephemeral voice froze Sue in shock, almost toppling them both over. Thankfully, she snapped out of it shortly after, even doubling down on her pace just to find a spot to rest sooner. The sudden shift was rather amusing to the vixen beside her, though she didn¡¯t comment on it¡ªshe had to save all the breath she had for walking.
One strained, shambled corner later, Solstice¡¯s tent finally came into view, and with it, somewhere to sit down at.
Neither Sue nor Sundance knew how they¡¯d managed to make it down onto the grass without outright collapsing, but they accomplished it all the same. Their only reward was a scene so dark they could only barely make each other out¡ªaside from the very faint glow emanating from the eyes of everyone gathered, the only source of light was a single fireball on a pole a few dozen yards away.
Above them, uncountable stars and a thin crescent moon. Around them, slightly chilly air of the late spring evening. With them, much pain, much strain, much aching of the still-injured chest-mounted extremity...
And a tiny, ghostly child, understandable at last.
¡°Hello, Twinkle,¡± Sue greeted, voice quivering as she calmed her breath, focusing the entirety of her attention on the bundle around her torso. ¡°A-are you okay?¡±
Just to her side, Spark was getting comfortable on her mom¡¯s lap, valiantly holding back tears of relief at her finally being back. Said mom was focusing harder than she should have in her current state¡ªbut if not for her efforts, the confounding mess of thoughts and emotions swirling inside the canvas bag would remain completely incomprehensible. She¡¯d live.
¡°Y-yes. Confused...¡± the ghostly voice answered.
As Sue held the bundle of ghost closer, and the bundle of ghost held her back, she realized she couldn¡¯t hear their voice. She could perceive it, she heard it in her mind, but there didn¡¯t seem to be a physical¡ª¡°Yes, that¡¯s on me,¡± Sundance cut in. ¡°They aren¡¯t talking like we are, their thoughts are still messy and I¡¯m having to do some interpretation to get the meaning from them.¡±
On the other hand, Sue heard the barked sounds underlining Sundance¡¯s words clearly. She wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to her revelation, settling on thanking her with a curt nod before refocusing on Twinkle. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay, sweetie,¡± she reassured, gently petting the bundle. ¡°Here, lemme unwrap you.¡±
Sue¡¯s arms shook as she untied the weak knot holding the dirty bag to her body, lil¡¯ one¡¯s ghostly tentacles immediately wrapping themselves around her. The sight made her pause for a bit before reaching to hold the hauntling¡¯s limb with one hand as the other kept freeing them, just to let them know she was still there for them.
And that she would always be, for as long as she could.
Once they were down on her lap, they took a few moments to come to afterwards, but once they did, they only held her closer. ¡°Hey Twinkle. I¡¯m¡ª¡± Sue paused mid-word, mind tearing itself between the two equally valid answers to that question. Or rather, one truthful answer, and one she wished so very much she could say in the moment, but which still felt both harmful to admit to herself, and impossible to ever accomplish. ¡°I¡¯m Sue. We¡¯re here for you sweetie, everything will be alright.¡±
While Sue was laser focused on keeping the ghost as happy as she could after what they¡¯d gone through, Sundance... had questions, ones that would hopefully help. She waited until she was sure that the lil¡¯ one had understood Sue¡¯s response¡ªhowever much of it they could comprehend¡ªbefore chiming in as well. ¡°Hello there, Twinkle,¡± she chimed in, keeping her voice slow and calm. ¡°My name is Sundance. You ran into Sue earlier, right?¡±
The vixen¡¯s words had the ghostly child first shrink at hearing the unfamiliar voice, and then shift focus over to the warm stranger. As simple as the question was, their answer took its time to arrive, making Sundance worry about potentially translating it incorrectly. Eventually, they whimpered, ¡°Not remember...¡±
The response concerned both women, Sue¡¯s affection only growing more tender. She wanted to help somehow, but had no idea what to ask, ultimately resigning that task to Sundance. Spark, meanwhile, felt it appropriate to point out the obvious¡ª¡°But Sue found you earlier, right Sue? And-and-and then she carried you around!¡±
Her loud tone had Twinkle withdraw some more, but their guardian¡¯s presence helped immensely in maintaining composure. ¡°Spark, sweetie, let¡¯s give them some more space, okay?¡± Sundance chided with all the gentleness she was capable of. ¡°They¡¯re clearly lost. Now, Twinkle¡ªwhat do you remember?¡±
A pair of Sue¡¯s fingers were tenderly holding one of the ghost¡¯s tentacle-like limbs as they shook at the mystic¡¯s question. An overprotective part of her wanted to swoop in and shield them away from any further questioning, to not expose them to any more doubt or worry after everything they had gone through today. But, on the other hand¡ she knew full well that getting an idea of what they were and needed, and how their shapeless species worked, was an important task, too.
Sundance knows what to do; let¡¯s just leave it to her.
¡°Remember... Sue,¡± Twinkle whimpered a short while later. ¡°Many voices... sleep... two Sue...¡±
The phrasing had the vixen scrunch her features in confusion as she tried to parse it¡ªonly for her student to crack it first. ¡°Solstice came by when I was sitting with them. D-do you mean another person who looked like me, Twinkle?¡±
A full body, bag-shuffling nod. ¡°Yes...¡±
¡°Do you remember anything prior to that?¡± the vixen asked.
Sue scrunched her features¡ªit would¡¯ve been so weird if they didn¡¯t remember. She¡¯d spent so much time chatting with Lilly, and then earlier resting beside Joy and Astra; no way Twinkle would just forget¡ª ¡°N-no good remember. Bad remember...¡± they answered.
For an instant, Sue was about to hold them even tighter at the implication of them having been in pain throughout that entire period. Sundance cut in right after, though, clarifying it for everyone. ¡°They mean they don¡¯t remember well, Sue. Did anything important happen while you were with Solstice? And for you, Twinkle¡ªcould you say what you remember of those poor memories?¡±
The explanation released the tension from Sue¡¯s body before it could build any further, in the form of a very shaky exhale. The question that followed was one she wasn¡¯t sure how to answer; it sure didn¡¯t feel like she¡¯d done much with them at that specific point. Finding them was important, as was comforting them, then Hazel helping everyone figure out they were a ghost, but anything to do with Solstice?
All I¡¯ve done after that gloomy chat was¡ª
...
Was give them a name.
¡°Before... everything weird. M-me not here. No thinking... scared, scared scared... nothing...¡±
Sue was thankfully spared from having to go over the day¡¯s events out loud once more; the vixen¡¯s focus pulling all it needed from the whirlpool of her thoughts. Sundance knew well that she only had a fragmentary picture, but couldn¡¯t help but be sadder at this little ghost¡ªit seemed they had only really woken up once given a name.
¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry, Twinkle,¡± Sue whispered. ¡°I promise, you¡¯re safe here; we¡¯re here for you.¡± Nothing the hauntling had said was reassuring, and every single word made her want to only hold them tighter.
They entirely mirrored that desire, clinging close to her hands and waist as their baggy body shook. ¡°Sue nice... S-Sue like?¡±
¡°Y-yes, of course I like you, sweetie. I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±
Such a simple, trivial affirmation, and yet it did wonders for Twinkle. They calmed down as affection kept coming from their large guardian, each word and each stroke melting through all the fear rocking their shapeless body. ¡°Not know who me... Sue nice... now me Twinkle... thank you...¡±
¡°You¡¯re¡ª*sniff*¡ªyou¡¯re very welcome, sweetie.¡±
The battle with her own tears was one Sue lost almost instantly, but to her relief, there were only a few of them this time, paired with an emotional, shaky smile. As much as Spark didn¡¯t want to leave her mom even for a moment, not now, she dared scoot to the edge of her lap and reach over to provide her own affection with a single shaky paw. Twinkle flinched a bit at the sensation, before finally giving into warm relief.
Goodness, do they need it. Do all of us need it.
Sundance wanted to ask them a couple more questions, but was well aware they could wait until tomorrow. Mirroring her daughter, she reached over with her left arm, pulling the Forest Guardian over to lean on her. Sue said, ¡°Th-thank you¡ª¡±
*squeak!*
The sound was rather muffled, but both women were familiar enough with it to know exactly who had made it. Before they could even finish turning their heads towards Solstice¡¯s tent, its only other permanent occupant had already parted its entrance open. Said occupant then proceeded to dash towards their little gathering for a few paces, before slowing down to a waddle, and then further into a crawl.
All the emotions happening outside might¡¯ve been enough to wake Comet up, especially without his mom around him, but he was still a tired lil¡¯ Moon Child. One that, after the past couple of days, really needed the happiness his big friend and Sundance were radiating.
Sue scooped him up into her arms before he could even finish crawling over. The lil¡¯ psychic rewarded her with his clumsiest hug yet, as well as a drawn-out gurgle that then turned into a yawn the longer he was held. ¡°Hey, Comet. W-wonder how¡¯d you get out of your cot,¡± Sue giggled. ¡°Did you wanna chat with us?¡±
*squeak!*
¡°Seems so. It¡¯s very late for you, Comet. You shouldn¡¯t be staying up this late,¡± Sundance commented, smiling widely in her exhaustion.
He might not have understood much of the vixen words, but it was still enough for him to respond with the world¡¯s most ineffectual attempt to shake his little head. The sight drew laughs from Sundance and her student alike¡ªand even Spark once she¡¯d pushed through her own increasing drowsiness to make out what was happening around her.
With a ruffle of his hair¡ªanswered with more weak shaking¡ªthe Forest Guardian slowly lowered the psychic infant onto her lap, trying to lay him down on the edge of her lap so that his head would rest on a tuft of the vixen¡¯s fur. The instant she¡¯d done so, his uncoordinated arms grabbed the closest source of emotional warmth they could sense, and held it close.
Twinkle¡¯s startle at being held was noticeable to the assorted psychics, but soon eased out after nothing bad kept happening¡ªbecause nothing bad would happen now. Sue was there for them; others accepted and liked them even with them being... like this. They had a shape; they had a name; they could finally think; they could... be.
Comet was too drowsy to spot the pitch-black tentacles wrapping around him, but he enjoyed the sensation all the same. And so did the lil¡¯ ghost, all the relief and comfort making their own stressed exhaustion all the more apparent.
They must¡¯ve gone through so much...
Neither Sue nor Sundance spoke for a while afterwards, both gently comforting the little ones on their lap as Moonview sank deeper and deeper into the night. It wasn¡¯t getting any darker now, but it was getting colder, making Sue lean further on the vixen¡ªto the latter¡¯s amusement.
Both of them had so much to talk about. They also both needed to catch their breath, chew through what they¡¯d seen, think of what to even say. Before they could finish doing so, though, someone showing up in this remote corner of the village caught their attention first. They weren¡¯t glowing, but the distant light still illuminated just enough of the blue compound eyes and red chitin to let Sue recognize them as the ladybug that had been hostile to her earlier in the day¡ª
And for them to recognize her and, even more importantly, Sundance in return.
Surprise, anger, fear¡ªall of them sudden enough to give Sue whiplash and make Comet mumble in his dreams. None of them acted on beyond the ladybug in question turning around and buzzing away from them in a straight line.
¡°What¡¯s up with them?¡± Sue asked, unnerved. Even if the ladybug was one of the least intimidating people in Moonview, she was still weary of having a local be so angry at her.
Root was one thing, a case she compartmentalized enough to not be in paralyzing fear all the time. The asshole badger made sense to be furious, especially now. But Sunrise? All she¡¯d done was grab food from them a couple times and suddenly they were glaring at her like they wanted to eat her.
¡°Sunrise is a... sad, yet silly situation,¡± Sundance sighed.
The word ¡®silly¡¯ didn¡¯t fit either the vixen¡¯s manner of speaking, nor the insect in question, only catching Sue¡¯s attention more. ¡°How so?¡±
¡°They are unable to speak.¡±
Sue nodded. ¡°Y-yeah, Solstice told me that. Why does that m¡ª¡±
¡°They were a hatchling when the plague arrived. Thankfully, they survived, but much of their respiratory system was damaged and left them mute. Unfortunate, however...¡± Sundance groaned, ¡°they¡¯ve been blaming the night kin for that fact ever since. I suppose it¡¯s a more understandable source of grief than with most others, but prejudiced all the same.¡±
Sue couldn¡¯t argue with that, cringing at the entire situation. ¡°That¡¯s rough.¡±
¡°Indeed. Alas, if nothing else, it is a reminder that suffering doesn¡¯t ennoble us¡ªit only scars us.¡±
With Sunrise gone, the little corner of Moonview grew quiet again, filled only with the irregular breaths of the three sleeping children and the adults looking after them. It was calm enough to have brought Sue to her own rest, if not for everything on her mind¡ªand good Duck was there a lot on her mind.
Sundance was very aware of that, having gotten a brief glimpse of the underlying murk when Sue hesitated giving her name to Twinkle. It was time to tackle it, at last. ¡°How have you been, Sue?¡± the vixen asked, the question deliberately leading. ¡°Much unpleasantness must¡¯ve happened while I was unconscious.¡±
¡°That¡¯s... yeah. Though it¡¯s not just that, it¡¯s¡ª¡± Sue caught herself mid sentence, analyzing the situation.
If there was anyone she could be open about this, all this with, it was the vixen. Someone with friendly relations, but only that. Someone that wouldn¡¯t be immediately hurt by her revealing what had been eating her up for the good while now. Someone she trusted to be logical about the situation.
And yet, Sue still hesitated.
This all hurts, it all hurts so fucking much to approach, but I know I have to.
For Joy, for Twinkle, for Lilly, for Solstice.
¡°And for yourself, too.¡±
Sundance completing her thought would¡¯ve made Sue jump in her seat if not for the weight of two tykes pinning her down. She turned to stare at the darkness where her mentor ought to be, eyes as wide as they could get¡ªand received quiet, woofing laughter in response. ¡°Apologies,¡± the vixen chuckled, ¡°it is hard to not overhear with just us two and this clearly eating you up so much.¡±
¡°It¡ªit is, yeah,¡± Sue mumbled, looking away in embarrassment, one hand gently stroking Twinkle¡¯s bag as she searched for words to drape her agonizing worries in. None of them made any sense with just the stuff Sundance already knew, forcing her to reveal a bit more of her hand. ¡°Y-you know how I... arrived from a different world entirely?¡±
Sundance nodded, expression growing serious. ¡°It is still hard to truly grasp.¡±
¡°Yeah. A-and I... I have knowledge that I will eventually have to go back there.¡±
Sue saw the vixen¡¯s dimly glowing eyes turn to look at her, coming together into a surprised expression. ¡°What ¡®kind¡¯ of knowledge?¡±
For a moment, the once-human considered explaining everything to Sundance¡ªthe visions, the deities, the torments, physical and mental they had subjected her to. She hoped her mentor would¡¯ve been able to make sense of them, but¡ there really wasn¡¯t much that any sense could be made of. Her dreams and the gods inside them had explained little concrete so far, and while she already had helped prevent another atrocity from being committed towards the night kin, she still worried that explaining her supposed mission would still undermine the relations between the two villages even further.
And so, Sue just shook her head¡ªwhat had brought her here wasn¡¯t the point, after all. ¡°I-I can¡¯t elaborate; I¡¯m sorry. B-but it¡¯s not that I¡¯m afraid of coming back, it¡¯s...¡± she trailed off. Her hand kept dishing affection to the two kids on her lap, the barely visible motions cluing the vixen in. ¡°Joy and¡ªand Twinkle, and Lilly, a-and even Solstice all... I already feel close to them. I r-really care for them, and I think they care for me too, and now that I know I¡¯ll eventually leave them it all feels so awful and I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m hurting them by being close and caring of them if I¡¯m just gonna disappear and leave them alone and betrayed and¡ª¡±
The steadily growing pain in Sue¡¯s heart forced her to stop. She couldn¡¯t take it, this enormity of the loss awaiting her, awaiting them all. It felt like it was devouring her mind, subsuming each neuron one by one and replacing it with anxious despair with a sprinkling of guilt.
Sundance, however, drew¡ a different interpretation. ¡°So... death.¡±
What!?
¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t be dead,¡± Sue insisted. ¡°I would just be gone and¡ª¡±
¡°I did not mean a literal death, Sue. Merely that, just like death, you... ¡®returning to your world¡¯ would be a permanent change that forever separates you from the ones you care for here. One you dread, and which you fear could strike at any moment,¡± Sundance explained.
Sue was left reeling even after the elaboration, but the more she thought about it, the harder it was to disagree with that comparison. It really would be just like dying. Sure, she as a person would keep on living back on Earth¡ªpresumably¡ªbut to everyone here, she would as well be dead. A slightly different, but much more familiar frame of mind.
Equally terrifying. ¡°I... I guess.¡±
Sundance¡¯s soft chuckle relieved some of the tension of the scene, especially as she followed it up with a few pats on the back. Sue really needed them, as hard as that fact was to admit to herself. As if in response to that very thought, the pats were upgraded to one arm wrapping around her shoulders and holding her tight.
...
Yeah, that was in response to my thought, wasn¡¯t it?
As if there was any doubt, the vixen laughed right after, the sound eventually spreading to Sue. The Forest Guardian¡¯s laughter was nervous and somewhat forced, but still helped, even if a bit. ¡°Do I wish I had my pipe with me,¡± the vixen sighed. ¡°Just the right thing for chewing through conundrums like these.¡±
Sue considered offering her help for all of a quarter of a second before remembering that she neither had any idea how to find Sundance¡¯s home in the dark, nor a clue about where the vixen even held the pipe in her dwelling.
¡°I¡¯ll make do, don¡¯t worry Sue.¡±
On cue, the once-human heard a faint snapping sound behind her and looked around to investigate¡ªonly to see a small stick enveloped by an orange shimmer, hovering towards the vixen¡¯s grasp.
And then, Sundance bit a solid half of it off with a single crunch, lit up one end of the remaining piece, and put the other in her mouth as if it was a pretend cigar, switching to telepathy while she chewed through literal wood. ¡°^Does the ¡®death¡¯ framing help with these fears?^¡±
The question reaching Sue¡¯s mind snapped her out of staring at what in the world her mentor was doing, and back to the subject at hand. ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure. I guess it¡¯s a bit like death, but that doesn¡¯t help much. I still worry that I shouldn¡¯t be doing... any of this, like I shouldn¡¯t even be getting to know anyone here because when I leave, they¡¯ll just be suddenly left alone again. Like I just hurt people in the long run when I get close to any of them...¡±
As genuine as Sue¡¯s words were, she continued to defy her worries by constantly petting the little sleeping ghost on her lap¡ªwhich didn¡¯t go by the vixen unnoticed. ¡°^And yet, you keep doing it.^¡±
Sue felt called out, freezing in place. Her heart hammered as if trying to break free, all the shame suddenly returning in force to torment her all at once.
I¡¯m hurting them all I¡¯m hurting them all I¡¯m hurting them all they¡¯re gonna suffer because of¡ª
*snap*
The faint clicking noise instantaneously broke Sue out of her spiraling anxiety, drawing her attention to the barely visible paw in front of her face.
¡°^I apologize, Sue,^¡± Sundance whispered, expression having turned serious in the dark. ¡°^Making you feel cornered wasn¡¯t my intent. However, I believe it remains a fair point, but not one you should admonish yourself over¡ªthat helps nobody. Instead, I want you to focus and give me an honest answer about why do you think you keep doing it.^¡±
The vixen¡¯s sudden gesture might¡¯ve derailed Sue¡¯s train of thought for a moment, but the anxiety from which it had emerged didn¡¯t suddenly disappear. Still, her calm tone helped a lot, giving her pupil something to focus on besides just wailing on herself more and more. That didn¡¯t mean it was easy thinking about it as opposed to criticizing herself further, but at least it felt possible now.
It didn¡¯t help that Sue couldn¡¯t think of an answer. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, I¡ªthere isn¡¯t a big reason, I don¡¯t think,¡± she shuddered. ¡°It¡¯s all just been a very spur-of-the-moment thing. Like, Joy ended up with us at the clinic by accident and she wanted comfort and I gave it and we grew closer, a-and Twinkle just... saw me and disguised themselves as Comet and wanted me to find them, and Lilly... felt like she liked me.¡±
¡°^She does.^¡±
¡°It¡¯s... it¡¯s moment to moment stuff, there isn¡¯t any real plan, just me... being clingy, I guess.¡±
Even the framing of a more helpful, logical question couldn¡¯t withstand the barrage of Sue¡¯s loathing forever, and it was getting treacherously close to establishing control over her again. On cue, the vixen pulled her in again, holding her that bit more firmly. ¡°^You have done nothing wrong, Sue. I know you know that too, deep down, but I also know how it helps to have someone else say these words. And so, I repeat: you have done nothing wrong.^¡±
Again, the reassurances helped greatly, even if it would take a while for the shift to really be noticeable to the Forest Guardian herself. For the time being, she just nodded idly, trying to maintain control over her breathing throughout.
¡°^In light of that, I have a broader question, if you don¡¯t mind,^¡± the vixen continued.
Sue idly nodded, eager to talk about anything but this. ¡°G-go ahead.¡±
¡°^What do you strive for in life?^¡±
Everything the vixen had asked previously might have been various degrees of confounding to anxiety-inducing, but this one... Sue had no idea whatsoever. It was one of those questions that she never treated seriously, because in every other circumstance, they either were asked in bad faith, as an excuse to have her join a cult, or like the person asking didn¡¯t really care about what she answered. Neither of these was the case here, and so she had to at least attempt to answer.
Even if all she could think of was ¡®none of the above¡¯.
¡°N-nothing,¡± Sue shuddered, her answer depressing her further. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I even could strive for. Basically, my entire life back¡ªback in my world¡ªhas taken place without my input. I¡¯ve just been carried by these currents that I couldn¡¯t fight, went along with what people wanted me to do. School, now college, then work, hell even my emotions it feels like sometimes. I-It just feels like there¡¯s nothing I can strive for because there¡¯s nothing I can do to change anything. I¡¯m just... powerless,¡± she trailed off, her voice little more than a defeated whimper by the end of her explanation.
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Sue gathered her thoughts, summing them all up with a grumbled line, the topic bringing forth a mix of anger and resignation¡ª¡°How the fuck can I strive for anything if there¡¯s bloody nothing I can even do...¡±
Some concepts were unfamiliar to the vixen, some she¡¯d really want to ask about sometime... but not now. Because no matter what had motivated Sue¡¯s understandable response,
It was incorrect. ¡°^I disagree.^¡±
The unexpectedly curt, somewhat ambiguous reply snapped Sue out of her preemptive moping and drove her attention to the fox, just in time to see her bite off what remained of her stick and levitate another one over. ¡°D-disagree with what?¡±
¡°^You being powerless.^¡±
I mean... of course you would in a magical, medieval world like this.
Sue rolled her eyes. ¡°Y-yeah, because I know this world isn¡¯t like mine and I could just get up and go wherever I can and all that.¡±
Her pupil¡¯s exasperation was amusing, enough so to make the vixen laugh quietly, despite Sue¡¯s bad-faith response. ¡°^Could you?^¡±
Sue didn¡¯t expect to be challenged on that, stammering as she tried to clarify, ¡°I-I mean, not me me, but most others wh-who aren¡¯t hurt could¡ª¡±
¡°^Could they?^¡± Sundance pressed on, smirking. ¡°^They¡¯d still have to uproot significant chunks of, if not their entire lives, for that purpose. Leave Moonview¡¯s safety¡ªunequal as it is¡ªand expose themselves to the dangerous world, without others to fall back on. Even if many who live here would be reasonably safe from predation, that¡¯s hardly the only risk if they were to just get up and venture out into the world.^¡±
Sue got increasingly annoyed by the vixen¡¯s words. It felt as if Sundance was intentionally missing the point in an uncalled-for, mocking way, so unlike her. No matter how much that freedom might¡¯ve been fleeing here, it was still much more so than most people had back home, and of course those here had much more of it. ¡°Hard to believe that, since almost everyone in Moonview seems to have come from somewhere else...¡± she grumbled.
¡°^Well, you¡¯re obviously not going to meet anyone who has failed at that. Who had left their home, but didn¡¯t make it before finding a safe place.^¡±
...
That... wasn¡¯t a point Sue had considered before.
The long buried knowledge of her statistics class chimed in just to remark that this kind of error probably had its own name, but she couldn¡¯t remember it on the spot. She was left stunned as she tried to parse the implications of these words, letting Sundance continue. ¡°^Most here had only taken that risk because their home, for one reason or another, had grown to be worse than the risk of braving the world. I can assure you, almost nobody here would ever consider leaving Moonview unless things got dramatically worse. Your thoughts aren¡¯t exactly subtle about how entrapping you feel your world is, and I doubt ours is as bad, but they¡¯re not that different, Sue.^¡±
Despite Sundance not raising her voice even slightly throughout all that, Sue felt as if she¡¯d gotten schooled hard. A re-affirmation of the vixen¡¯s side hug helped, but she still had no idea how to respond at the moment.
And so, her mentor continued. ¡°^I know how that powerlessness feels. The feeling of being guided through life along a predetermined path, of being a spectator in one¡¯s own life... isn¡¯t a new one to me,^¡± she explained, her voice somber as she held her pupil that bit closer. ¡°^As pervasive and paralyzing as that sensation is, and as true as it might sometimes be, it won¡¯t remain so forever. Even if it really doesn¡¯t feel like it, each of us has many small decisions throughout our daily lives that can leave a lasting impact. Doing something nice for a friend. Following one¡¯s curiosity. Helping someone when they¡¯re down.^¡±
That last possibility made Sue lean in closer to the child on her lap as her touch grew shaky.
¡°^For the most part, they really are small, and they won¡¯t matter in the grand scheme of things,^¡± Sundance clarified. ¡°^But sometimes, they will. Sometimes, even an off-handed decision can change someone¡¯s life, for good or ill. It can even change our lives. These opportunities come all the time, and even if most won¡¯t amount to anything, some will. Be it a small matter that turns out impactful or an ordinary important decision, there are only very few unfortunate souls out there that are truly powerless. For everyone else, I believe knowing what one strives for is important, so that when an opportunity like that arrives, be it large or not, we know what we really want and can act on that.^¡±
Sue remained silent, slowly parsing and comprehending everything the vixen had said, to various results. Sundance, however, wasn¡¯t done yet.
¡°^I wasn¡¯t referring to deciding on some arbitrary goal earlier or some transcendent concept. Whether we¡¯re aware of it or not, deep down, we all have a longing inside us. Devotion to a deity, a craving to see the world, a sense of duty to someone, even just wanting to be happy. They can all guide us if they¡¯re what we really want, deep down. Digging into yourself, coming to terms with your subconscious desires, elevating them from our soul¡¯s call to our mind¡¯s command¡ªit¡¯s hard. It¡¯s very hard. And yet, it¡¯s oh-so-important, because if one doesn¡¯t know what they want, what they truly desire... they inevitably end up being swept along someone else¡¯s path. Someone else¡¯s desires. And more often than not¡^¡±
Sundance concluded with a shudder. ¡°^¡it will be a path to misery.^¡±
The longer explanation made more sense in Sue¡¯s mind, but she still wasn¡¯t entirely convinced yet. Much of it wasn¡¯t sitting quite right, but before she could put that disconnect to words, a question from earlier made a reprise. ¡°^So, Sue. What do you want to do? To be?^¡±
Sue¡¯s brain tried to wriggle away from that kind of introspection, immediately bringing up the most obvious concern: ¡°Wh-what if I choose wrong?¡±
¡°^What then?^¡± Sundance asked back, the corners of her mouth curling into a smile.
The instant response bluescreened the Forest Guardian¡¯s mind for a moment, leaving her utterly uncertain what to do but to persist in case she was misunderstood. ¡°I-I¡¯m asking you that!¡±
¡°^And I¡¯m asking you!^¡±
Sue was entirely lost now, her confusion bringing the already amused vixen to soft laughter. Still, it was important to address, and that¡¯s what the mystic did.
¡°^Our desires can be incorrect. They can betray us; they can harm others. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is dig into ourselves and figure out what we desire, and then work on ourselves to change that. But even for that, we need to be aware of what we want before we can work on changing it. Hiding from our desires won¡¯t do us any good, because whether we¡¯re willing to acknowledge them or not, they¡¯re there all the same. They can change, they will change, they should change¡ªwhat truly matters is being attuned to their cries. Being able to reach into one¡¯s soul and see what comes out.^¡±
The follow-up answered the most glaring detail in Sue¡¯s mind, leaving her with no choice but to finally face the vixen¡¯s question once more¡ª¡°^Again. What do you want to be, Sue?^¡±
The words thrashed around in Sue¡¯s head like a rabid animal.
She¡¯d gotten so disconnected from any thoughts of that sort that answering the question felt downright impossible. What she wanted deep down never mattered, never could matter; she had always just been a cog in a machine so large that her getting removed from it would never be noticed by anyone¡ªand yet, she still had to face it all the same. There was one somewhat obvious thread she could see. It wasn¡¯t the entire truth, but it at least was in the right direction.
Suppose I can just go with it for now.
¡°I-I wanna... I wanna be happy, I think,¡± Sue admitted, trying to hold back tears.
¡°^Happy,^¡± the vixen nodded. ¡°^That¡¯s a good start. Has interacting with those you¡¯ve bonded with so far, with Twinkle and others, made you happy?^¡±
The answer was the most obvious ¡®yes¡¯ in Sue¡¯s life, but framing it like that felt like a downright deceitful oversimplification. ¡°Y-yes, but what about when I¡¯m gone? Won¡¯t I hurt them even more by bonding with them just to disappear afterwards? How hurt will they be when that happens!?¡±
¡°^How hurt will you be?^¡± Sundance cut in, her words feeling as if an icicle had stabbed Sue¡¯s skull.
She froze, nigh-paralyzed, almost unable to think as she tried to focus on the eventual fate of the one person she hadn¡¯t considered in that worst-case scenario¡ªherself. Her brain almost refused to consider that idea because of how much despair it brought within her.
Despair or not, though... she¡¯d probably be fine in the end. She¡¯d already lost those she loved twice¡ªif needed, she¡¯d endure life taking a third swing at her with a bat full of nails. It¡¯d hurt, hurt so fucking much, but... she¡¯d be fine. She would always be fine.
Even if she obviously wouldn¡¯t be fine. ¡°I-I¡¯ll make it, a-and I guess Lilly and Solstice will too. B-but I¡¯m worried about the k¡ªabout Joy and Twinkle. They¡¯ll be heartbroken. They already feel so close to me and I don¡¯t even know for how long I¡¯ll remain here.¡±
¡°^Well... that¡¯s already happened, hasn¡¯t it?^¡± Sundance pointed out. ¡°^They¡¯re already close to you. If you want them to not be in as much pain once you¡¯re gone, you can try to expose them to different people, steer their attachment to someone else.^¡±
Something deep inside Sue screamed at that thought, which her mind then disguised in a reasonable enough objection. ¡°Th-that doesn¡¯t feel possible w-with how attached and scared T-Twinkle is, and Astra will be leaving Joy with me for a few days now, so I won¡¯t be able to do that.¡±
¡°^Why not?^¡± the vixen pressed the point. ¡°^You can still have them meet other people that would take care of them even if they aren¡¯t truly ready to be cared for by someone else yet. In the meantime, you can build them up to be more independent and courageous, so that they¡¯ll fare without you better. How does that sound?^¡±
It was an entirely rhetorical question, and knowingly so.
Sundance felt the despair within Sue the instant she brought up that possibility, and now that she¡¯d elaborated upon it, it only swelled further. She could tell that her pupil obviously wanted the latter¡ªwanted the little ones under her care to be independent and courageous, to be their own people¡ªbut the former, the idea of withdrawing away from them and having someone else be their guardian... was heartbreaking. She was well aware.
But it was Sue that had to consciously admit that to herself. ¡°^You don¡¯t want others to look after them instead of you, do you?^¡± the vixen kept going.
A direct question provided a lifeline that Sue¡¯s despairing mind greedily clung to. Tears flowed freely down her scowling face as she nodded weakly, making Sundance push whichever psychics she had access to and envelop her student in a warm, full-body mental embrace. Sue needed it, but she also needed to be honest with herself. ¡°^You want to be their guardian, now and forever, don¡¯t you?^¡±
¡°Yes, but I-I¡ª¡± Sue whimpered, ¡°¡ªI don¡¯t w-wanna hurt them¡ª*sniff*¡ª¡±
¡°^You haven¡¯t hurt them, Sue,^¡± Sundance reminded, her voice as firm as it ever got. ¡°^You have likely saved Twinkle¡¯s life, and even from the little I got to see, Joy has soared and been slowly coming out of her shell under your care. I promise you¡¯ve done nothing wrong, Sue. Do you know when you¡¯ll be returning to your world, if such a thing will happen?^¡±
¡°N-no... *sniff*¡±
¡°^Then spend your days with them as if they were your last. Love with your entire heart; encourage them towards courage and independence; do what you can to soften the inevitable blow if you think you might be gone soon. Don¡¯t leave them, don¡¯t distance yourself from them, because they care for you as much as you care for them. You¡¯ve been doing so much good Sue, and even if the worst happens, even if you disappear literally tonight, their lives will still be made so much better for having known you. Besides, we¡¯ll all still be here, ready to console them and pick up the mantle.^¡±
The reassurance helped, but it could only do so much, and it sure wouldn¡¯t be enough to sweeten all the truth it was delivered with. It only hurt Sue more; it only brought more pain; the torment of a purifying flame forcibly cleansing her mind. The muck in her head wouldn¡¯t go down without a fight, without flailing as it burned.
And the vixen was ready to take it all on.
¡°B-b-but what about L-Lilly?¡± Sue¡¯s mind thrashed. ¡°I¡¯ve b-been lying to her b-by¡ªby not telling her, she¡¯d never want a-anything to do with me if¡ª*sniff*¡ªif she knew I could just disappear¡ª¡±
¡°^Everyone can just disappear, Sue, that¡¯s how life is. Fickle and unpredictable, sometimes it just ends without rhyme or reason, for the dumbest and most tragic of reasons. And yet, we have to live through it. We don¡¯t constantly think about all the ways in which our lives can end at any point, and neither should we.^¡± Sue wasn¡¯t convinced at her words, almost calming her breathing enough to respond¡ªonly for the vixen to butt in. ¡°^Has knowing Lilly and being close with her made you happy?^¡±
¡°Y-yes¡ª¡±
¡°^Has it made her happy?^¡±
Despite all the muck going through Sue¡¯s mind, she couldn¡¯t deny being certain of the answer to that. ¡°Yes, b-but¡ª¡±
¡°^Do you want to get closer with her, get to know her more, go beyond that blissful infatuation?^¡±
¡°Yes¡ª¡±
¡°^Then why not? Why not do what makes both of you happy? Why would you choose not to brighten your days more? I know you¡¯ve said that this ¡®return¡¯ isn¡¯t really death, but it might as well be¡ªand as with any death, you can¡¯t let it take control over you. You have one life to fill with happiness and you¡¯ve been bloody good about that, if I may say so. You¡¯ve brought them all comfort, joy, care, even love. You¡¯ve done so many good things, made so many lives better, and we both know you want to keep doing that. You can¡¯t let death stop you from living your life.^¡±
And then, one final blow that brought what remained of the once-human¡¯s composure down. ¡°^You deserve happiness, Sue, and you¡¯ve done nothing wrong.^¡±
Sue¡¯s slow trickle of tears grew to an all out wailing. She kept trying to think through Sundance¡¯s words, to come up with responses, but it was hard; it was so fucking hard.
Her worst fear had been laid bare for her, her desire to be these poor kids¡¯ guardian, her rapidly blooming crush on Lilly, all forcefully shoved into her face. She¡¯d been running away from all this for so long, from the truth she¡¯d been trying to suppress, but she couldn¡¯t do so forever.
I don¡¯t want to go back.
Even now, with her entire mind brought to a white-hot heat, that still felt so difficult to admit.
And the same went for each of her individual desires that had led up to that conclusion, stripped of any layers of self-deprecation or distance from what she really felt. It was so incredibly hard to overcome the thrashing part of her mind, the demon that always invalidated her desires before they could bloom, whose only purpose was pointing at her worst parts and using them to ¡®justify¡¯ why her wants were bad and she ought to feel bad for them.
But this time, she felt like she¡¯d managed that feat, even if for a moment. She¡¯d looked all the way into herself, into her very soul¡ªor rather, was forcibly shoved in there by the vixen beside her¡ªand came face to face with what she desired, stripped of her conscious mind¡¯s negative self-perception.
It felt liberating; it felt terrifying.
Even if she was aware of almost all of her hidden desires now, that still didn¡¯t change the fact that she wasn¡¯t in control and that she could lose them all. Before that realization could drag her into a dark, painful pit, she thought back to what Sundance had said earlier, about these small decisions that could matter, the choices. She tried clinging to them as much as she could, hoping that the desire to never come back would ever amount to anything¡ªeven if she knew all too well that it wouldn¡¯t.
Still, she pushed on, shouted the loudest internal ¡®LALALA¡¯ of her life to suppress that truth. Hopeless or not, she would persevere, and despite knowing just how powerless she was, she wouldn¡¯t let it stop her from being happy, from being there for those she cared about.
Sue had absolutely no idea whether that resolve would survive until the next morning¡ªor even until her next yawn¡ªbut if nothing else, she had something to come back to, a conviction to copy at her darkest moments, however ineffectually. That was all just in case for the future, and now...
Now, Sue was utterly exhausted.
By the time she¡¯d returned to the world around her, she realized her head was buried in Sundance¡¯s shoulder fluff, its warmth contrasting with the surrounding coldness. Her mind was a mess; it¡¯d likely never stop being a mess, but... it was a slightly cleaner mess now. She¡¯d finally dared clean up the pile of dirty dishes that had been left to fester for way too long, and as much as it sucked, at least she knew what color her cupboard was again now.
And just how much she wanted to stay in this wild world where so few things made sense.
¡°^Hello, Sue.^¡±
Sundance¡¯s telepathic voice, coming back after what felt like hours, had the Forest Guardian slowly pick herself back up into something approximating a sitting position. One of her arms was still embraced around her, while her other paw rested on the side of Comet¡¯s head, gently stroking it.
Oh shoot, I hope I haven¡¯t woken him up¡ª
¡°^No, you haven¡¯t,^¡± the vixen reassured. ¡°^I won¡¯t deny that it required a lot of effort to keep him asleep. Are you feeling better after all this?^¡±
As soggy, worn down, and utterly, completely drained as Sue felt after everything she¡¯d just been through... yes, she was. She¡¯d still need a good night¡¯s rest to really make that better feeling come through, though. ¡°I-I think so.¡±
¡°^Good, good. This... hurts, I¡¯m well aware, but that only makes it more important to face. Or, at least, that¡¯s how I always thought about it.^¡±
¡°M-mhm.¡±
Sundance chuckled at Sue¡¯s mumbled response, lightly patting her on the shoulder. ¡°^Sounds like someone could really use some rest now, couldn¡¯t she?^¡±
Sue rolled her eyes, only for the blink that followed to last much longer than she thought it would. Yeah, it was time to¡ª
¡°Sue?¡± Solstice¡¯s voice caught both women off guard, Sundance even more so than Sue. They couldn¡¯t see much of the older Forest Guardian in the darkness, but the little they made out painted a picture that was almost as soggy as her pupil. ¡°Are you okay, Sue?¡±
¡°I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m alright...¡±
The response wasn¡¯t satisfying, but neither of the three were deluded enough to expect anything better by now. One aching step after another, the Mayor had walked over to Sundance¡¯s other side and sat down, sighing in relief once she leaned on her friend. As concerned as everyone gathered was for everyone else, the topic of the entire blasted council meeting was too important not to bring up right away.
¡°M-many people chimed in after you left, and we¡¯ve figured out a plan for now,¡± Solstice explained, exhausted. ¡°We undid the banishment decree. We¡¯re also planning to send a bunch of resources¡ªtools, food and such¡ªto Newmoon in a couple of days, m-make that first step as a town. All the builders were pushing for that one.¡±
Relief from all around, melting even further through whatever composure Sue still had left. ¡°^That¡¯s very good. However, Solstice¡ªwhat about you? Are you okay?^¡± Sundance asked.
¡°I¡¯m...¡± Solstice trailed off. Sue couldn¡¯t see her shudder, but she felt it¡ªand together with it, so many sad emotions that were only barely remaining contained under her eyelids. ¡°I¡¯m not doing the best right now...¡±
The vixen nodded wordlessly, immediately getting to thinking as words were silently exchanged between the two. Sue neither noticed nor cared; she was well aware of how much she needed her rest, but¡ª
...
Joy.
The realization that she still hadn¡¯t picked up the metal girl from her dragon guardian startled Sue all the way to full awareness. She¡¯d totally forgotten in all this chaos, Astra would be lost and Joy so distraught, she¡¯d fucked up she¡¯d fucked up¡ª
¡°^Need to get a hold of Astra?^¡± the vixen asked.
Sue answered without looking back at the mystic, eyes straining as they scanned what they could see of the skyline.
¡°I remember spotting her flying overhead a few minutes ago,¡± Solstice chimed in. ¡°She must be looking for you, Sue.¡± Her clarification brought relief, but it only helped so much with Sue having absolutely no idea how she would even catch Astra¡¯s attention.
Right as she was about to descend back into panic, she felt Sundance¡¯s left arm unwrap itself from around her and reach upwards. With a well-practiced flick, the fiery vixen retrieved her wand from the confines of her fur, simultaneously setting its tip ablaze. ¡°^I should have enough in me to still pull that off.^¡±
¡°P-pull what¡ª¡±
Sue saw it before she could even finish asking.
A weak orange shimmer filled the vixen¡¯s eyes as she moved her wand around, as if writing, with tracers of bright red embers weaving through the air a few dozen feet above them in tune with her every flick. Soon, a few symbols in Moonview¡¯s language came together to compose what appeared to be a single word.
And if the high-pitched, reptilian whine that had reached them shortly afterwards was any sign, the burning sign had reached its target.
With a final flick, the mystic undid all her magical writing, returning the surrounding skies back to darkness. None of the three could see much immediately after¡ªnot with their eyes needing time to get used to an absence of light again¡ªbut they very much heard the flaps of Astra¡¯s wings coming closer and closer, followed by a couple thuds on the nearby grass.
And then, a jovial greeting. ¡°Hey Sue! Sorry it took me so long, I couldn¡¯t find¡ªoh I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ll be quiet now¡ªMrs. Sundance!¡±
Despite Astra¡¯s best attempt at keeping herself under control, seeing the vixen be alright again broke clean through her limited composure. If not for there being no room around the mystic, she would¡¯ve crouched and held her tight there and then. Instead, a bit of laughter had to suffice. ¡°^Yes, yes I¡¯m back, Astra,^¡± Sundance sighed, giggling. ¡°^I¡¯m happy to see you and Joy are alright.^¡±
¡°She was excited to be spending the night with Sue. I know she¡¯ll miss me after a couple of days, and I hope I can be back soon, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll really love it here. Right, Sue?¡±
Through the power of sheer willpower, the younger Forest Guardian didn¡¯t let Astra¡¯s words reopen any of her emotional wounds from earlier, keeping herself to the most strenuous nod of her life. ¡°Y-yeah. I-I hope she will.¡±
The dragon beamed at the small group. ¡°I¡¯m sure of it! Can you take her now, or do you need help with moving her to the bed?¡±
I don¡¯t think I can even stand up unassisted right now.
¡°Sue needs a bit of help, Astra,¡± the Mayor explained.
¡°Sure, Mrs. Solstice! Want me to help you stand up, Sue?¡± Astra asked, the question taking Sue aback in how unprepared she and the contents of her lap were for such a task. Thankfully, Solstice soon whisked Comet away, and for Twinkle, she could just tie their bag around her chest again for now. Not the most comfortable solution¡ªprobably not even for the lil¡¯ ghost¡ªbut good enough for the time being.
From there, it was just a matter of grabbing the dragon¡¯s massive paw, letting her raw strength pull Sue¡¯s comparatively tiny self upright in one motion, then slowly stumbling over to Solstice¡¯s tent. ¡°Thank you so much for agreeing to this, Sue!¡± the dragon cheered. ¡°I know it¡¯s a lot to ask, but she really likes you and isn¡¯t this comfortable with anyone else. She was much more skittish when I had to leave last time, and now look at her! She even joined up with other kids and played with them for a while after you left earlier. I¡¯ve never seen her do that before!¡±
Sue was so, so glad it was too dark for Astra to notice the tears flowing down her face. ¡°I-I¡¯m so glad to hear...¡±
Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t extend to noticing just how wobbly her voice was. ¡°Are you okay, Sue?¡± the dragon asked.
Shoot.
¡°I¡¯m... it¡¯s been a long evening,¡± Sue sighed, trying to blink her tears away.
¡°I get it! I¡¯ve heard you did something really cool at the council meeting earlier. That must¡¯ve taken a lot outta you!¡±
Sue giggled in exhaustion. ¡°Y-you could say that...¡±
¡°Hope you all get some good rest tonight!¡±
As weak as Sue felt, she had enough stamina in her to carry the sleeping Joy from the tent¡¯s entrance over to her bed, even if barely. As much as the dragon half-heartedly regretted not being able to give her one last embrace before her next trip, Sue was so incredibly thankful she left instead of awkwardly waiting for her to walk back to send her off.
The moment she sat down on the bed, she just about felt her legs fall off.
It took a couple moments orienting herself and Joy into a comfortable position¡ªor at least what she hoped was a comfortable position in the latter¡¯s case¡ªbut she got there, eventually. She laid near one edge of the bed, and most of the toothy girl rested on the pillow, right in front of her face. Firmly outside the flailing range of her front horn.
I hope.
Even with them all laid down, Sue¡¯s mind needed a moment to finish reeling over the sheer totality of what it had experienced today. All the distress, all the relief, so many overwhelming sensations that each would¡¯ve left her completely wiped back on Earth. A gauntlet that she somehow managed to push through, and was so grateful for it.
And now, it was just her, and a pair of kids that had stolen her heart.
Twinkle was already clinging to her; Joy got her one free arm to hold in her sleep; it was time to rest. There just so happened to be an appropriate tune that soon crept to her mind, the coincidence making her giggle. It wasn¡¯t much use with both the kids asleep, but... maybe it could help her.
¡°Twinkle, Twinkle, little star,
how I wonder what you are¡ª¡±
¡°^None of us are guiltless in this, Solstice.^¡±
Right as the last of Sue¡¯s brain cells were about to throw in the towel, hearing Sundance¡¯s voice in her mind snapped her back to semi-awareness. It wasn¡¯t aimed at her, and Sue had no idea about how she could even hear it. Either way, she had no choice but to eavesdrop while her conscience kept trying to make her finally doze off.
¡°^You¡¯ve done bad things, so have we all. We have to push on.^¡±
¡°^I thought myself to be above all this, above the Elders¡¯ council. Indeed, I think me leaving resulted in more harm than good. I put my pride above ensuring the council wouldn¡¯t hurt more. I know it was my choice, Solstice, I¡¯m just saying it was a selfish choice.^¡±
...
¡°^He¡¯s not. He never was, and never will. Remember your oath, Solstice. To bring peace and healing to all. Your bond with the Pale Lady is yours, and yours alone. It is your sacred guidance; treat it as such. Cherish it, make it fill you with conviction and resolve, and not with doubt. What Root or Solanum say doesn¡¯t matter, you know better than to treat their word as anything other than the heresy it is.^¡±
¡°^You¡¯re welcome.^¡±
...
¡°^Yes, I can¡¯t deny that. Sue is like Aurora in many ways, but she¡¯s her own person. I know you know, Solstice, but it¡¯s still worth stressing. I agree, bad things will happen if they remain mixed in your mind. What are you going to do with that fact?^¡±
...
...
¡°^Then it sounds like you finally have to bury Aurora, once and for all.^¡±
?B? E? B? D. D. E?¡ª?
Sue let her hands keep jamming on their autopilot while her awareness came together, one note at a time. The same clearing yet again, where incomprehensible horror and annoying deities lurked alike. Which of these would await her this time, she had no idea.
Only one way to find out, is there?
With one last deep breath, she opened her eyes and brought the music to a stop. She wasn¡¯t even surprised to be playing her mom¡¯s guitar anymore, not with how stubbornly it kept showing up here and just how... right doing so felt. A bit more annoying than the last time, with her fingers covered with what felt like cheap glue residue, but still manageable. Fittingly, the guitar looked like it had been glued together from hundreds of pieces, similarly stained and dirtied all over. Visibly damaged and repaired, rather dirty and in need of a solid clean-up,
But in one piece again.
Sue couldn¡¯t pay that fact much attention as she scanned her surroundings. To her right, a shadowy figure, just like she¡¯d seen in some of her past dreams. To her left¡ª
Joy and Twinkle sitting beside each other, jamming it out to the now-stopped tunes. She watched them turn towards her; smile and wave as if nothing was amiss. Happy to see her, happy to be with her. And then, they were gone in a blink, together with the shadow on her other side.
I don¡¯t want to think about this. Whoever¡¯s here better show up, so I don¡¯t have to think about this¡ª
For once, Destiny answered her prayers.
Right as Sue¡¯s strained mind was about to connect the sight she¡¯d just witnessed to the very-needed-but-equally-unpleasant discussion from earlier, something moved in the corner of her view. A single, torn sheet of paper, fluttering around as it landed on her mom¡¯s guitar. She had a hunch about what she¡¯d see scribbled on it, and much to her dread,
She was right.
Well done.
¡°Justice,¡± she muttered. ¡°What does any of this¡ª¡± Before she could finish her sentence, another page fluttered down from above. This time, Sue didn¡¯t rest her attention on the piece of paper itself, moving her gaze up instead, towards where it came from.
And there she saw... something.
And It saw her too, discarding the page It held before floating down to in front of her personally.
It was only about the size of her head, with a silver body and yellowish... crown, pointing straight up and to the sides. On each of its tips, plates of pure silver, engraved so intricately they hurt to look at. Behind It, a long cape the color of Its headpiece. Its three eyes stared into her, their gaze seeing deep into the future.
¡°Might as well.¡±
Its words were uttered by a choir of a thousand silver voices, with just the slightest feminine slant.
¡°J-Justice,¡± Sue whispered as she leaned in a bit.
¡°Correct, mortal.¡±
Sue¡¯s eyes narrowed at being referred to like that, but she wasn¡¯t going to waste an opportunity to speak directly to someone so central to the mess she ended up in. ¡°D-did you enter my dream earlier?¡±
To her further frustration, It rolled Its eyes before floating further away, scanning the surrounding dreamscape.
¡°
Of course I did, mortal.¡±
She really wasn¡¯t in the mood for this divine horseshit. ¡°Fine, have an actual question¡ªwho the fuck did this to me!?¡±
¡°I have already answered that.¡±
Sue faintly recalled the chaotic, golden scribble from a couple of dreams ago, the sight as frustrating for her now as it was back then. ¡°That¡¯s still not an answer!¡±
¡°It is exactly the answer you can perceive.¡±
¡°Bullshit¡ª¡±
¡°
I DO NOT LIE.¡±
In the blink of an eye, Justice had moved to within an inch of her face, eyes burning with the purest of starlight. Despite their utter flatness earlier, there was a divine fury to these particular words, their sheer might enough to freeze Sue where she sat.
With another blink, it was all over. It was back to where It had been before, floating through the air as if immune to gravity.
It took Sue a few minutes to gather the courage to look away after witnessing that. She was still angry at everything about this, angrier still at being so outmatched even inside her own head, but had to put that aside for now. As much as she wanted to call almost every deity obscenities right now, there was something in particular she now, more than ever, needed to know. ¡°Wh-what happens now with my ¡®plan¡¯? Isn¡¯t it done? Moonview is going to give Newmoon aid, th-the night kin are allowed back, Duck and Night Father will get together and all that¡ªwhat now?¡±
She dreaded thinking about the answer, but she had to know, for everyone¡¯s sake. If she knew how much time she had left here, she¡¯d be able to act on that knowledge, make amends and say goodbyes, make sure her departure would hurt others the least amount possible. Any attempt to think about that entire topic drove a rusty, serrated knife deeper into her brain, but it had to be done.
And to her dismay, she wouldn¡¯t even get that.
A disjointed noise of a thousand overlapping laughs made her flinch as the deity floated back towards her. Its previous total flatness was replaced with the slightest of smirks, even that tiny change feeling significant and infuriating. Sue was too disoriented and unnerved to even be offended at what It said next.
¡°Mortals only see what¡¯s right in front of their eyes, do they not.¡±
And then, It looked up. Sue was unsure about following Its gaze, but found her attention being dragged along against her will.
A full Moon loomed above them, several times larger than it ought to be. It looked profoundly wrong, as if infected and swollen. Massive, oppressively bright, with a light that burned and not mended. It forced Sue to reel and hide behind her arms, growing ever more mighty, ever more vivid, ever more crushing with every moment.
Looming ever closer.
¡°It will not be...¡±
The fell Moon¡¯s influence burned everything around her, crushing first the scenery, and then Sue herself, into the ground. All-encompassing, all-destroying, a dominating force with no relief or mercy. It ground at it all, until nothing remained, until all was subsumed.
Until the darkness was no more.
¡°...that easy.¡±
Interlude IV: Investigation
It was as if every new day only made this mess of a case even more utterly incoherent.
The man stared intently at the scribble-filled chalkboard occupying much of his office. This wasn¡¯t their investigation to be undertaking¡ªassisting the law enforcement as subject matter experts and for search and rescue operations, sure, but not as a driving force. They weren¡¯t equipped, trained, or¡ªfor the most part¡ªeven willing to have anything more to do with this case than the absolute minimum possible.
And yet, he found it too perplexing to look away.
To the surprise of the woodland authority and law enforcement alike, there just so happened to be several witnesses nearby when... whatever had happened, happened. None of them saw it, but they all heard it. One by one, their statements were taken, contributing valuable knowledge to what had become known as the ¡®Sue Mullins Incident¡¯.
Contrary to all the throwaway YouTube videos released within the first week of the disappearance becoming public, no witnesses had heard a gunshot. What they did hear, however, were two loud bangs, described as sounding very unlike gunfire, and a woman¡¯s scream.
He wasn¡¯t supposed to know any of this, but sometimes having a cop ¡®friend¡¯ one barely tolerates paid off.
Investigation¡¯s quick action and well-detailed maps of the surrounding woods let many witnesses pinpoint their position when they heard it all start. From there, it became possible to triangulate the approximate positions of the bangs and the scream, as well as establish a rudimentary timeline of events. Which¡ª
*ughhhhhhh...*
The man sighed deeply as he rubbed his forehead, attempting to focus after three shots too many. His every attempt to piece this together had ended the same way¡ªwith frustration, inebriation, or, more often than not, both. And yet, he just couldn¡¯t look away. It was a mess, an intricate mess that had to mean something, but which nobody could crack.
Sound 1¡ª12.04.2023, 2:13 PM local time.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
The first bang is heard. The approximate location where it had originated from has been nicknamed ¡®point beta¡¯. Point beta is a location around 800 meters from where the victim¡¯s items were found¡ªnicknamed ¡®point alpha¡¯¡ªin the east-southeast direction.
Sound 2¡ª12.04.2023, 2:15 PM local time, described as anywhere from one to two minutes after sound 1.
A scream of a woman in her young twenties is heard, originating from point alpha. It is described as sounding agonized and abruptly cutting off.
Sound 3¡ª12.04.2023, 2:16 PM local time, described as anywhere from twenty to thirty seconds after sound 2.
The second bang is heard, identical to the first one, originating from point alpha.
It was the most obvious instance of Foul Play that most involved in the investigation had ever seen in their lives, and yet they couldn¡¯t find a single piece of useful evidence. No traces of third parties¡¯ DNA, no footprints, no casings or gunpowder residue. Nothing that would indicate just what the bangs were, nothing pointing towards any specific perpetrator.
Or at least, that¡¯s what the case was until yesterday.
The report that had reached the police¡ªand three hours later, the man¡¯s desk¡ªtook everyone aback in more ways than one. There indeed was no typical evidence, but a more detailed investigation of points alpha and beta found¡ª
Good fuck, that felt silly to even think about, but was too significant to not be relevant somehow.
¡ªsmall amounts of very fine gold dust scattered around the forest floor. And not just any gold dust, radioactive gold dust, enough so for the entire initial search and rescue team to be forced to undergo decontamination. In addition, the air at the two points was also discovered to have a substantial concentration of ozone, and the grass at point beta was noticed to have been slightly flattened in a radial pattern away from a central spot.
What the hell any of that actually implied, they couldn¡¯t figure out. Just what these two bangs were, they couldn¡¯t figure out. What was the significance of the dead squirrel they found near point alpha, determined to have died by being thrown hard enough at a nearby tree to break its spine while somehow having no foreign DNA on it and there not being any footsteps around,
They couldn¡¯t figure out.
All the revelations were weird enough to grab the attention of several government agencies¡ªincluding Her Majesty¡¯s Revenue and Customs¡ªbut they didn¡¯t help the actual investigation one bit. Who knew, maybe it was some sort of centrally planned assassination? Maybe this college student with no friends and no family really knew enough state secrets to where she had to be eliminated in the most baffling way possible. Maybe she had become a victim of a mad nuclear chemist on the run.
Maybe Fate just felt particularly funny that day¡ª
*ba-ping!*
Oh, fuck off.
Chapter 26: Kinship
For the first time in a while, Sue let herself rest for as long as she needed.
The surrounding tranquility soothed her as her awareness drifted around, never quite falling back asleep, but not waking up either. Warmth, safety, just enough ambient glow for it to not be entirely dark, all combining into a profoundly calming experience. It¡¯s been... years, decades since she could recall being at this much of a peace in the morning. Without anything that needed to be attended to right away, without any persistent worries.
Granted, she wasn¡¯t quite sure whether the latter was earned considering just what she¡¯d seen at the end of her dream, but she discarded it soon enough. Ominous, sure, but hardly meaningful, and she wasn¡¯t in the mood to try predicting the future based on her exhausted, trauma-influenced dreams.
Especially since, unless she tripped on a magical ocarina later today, it wasn¡¯t like she could do anything to stop the Moon from falling on her.
Or Duck, for that matter.
The thought¡ªequal parts stupid and morbid¡ªdid wonders in speeding Sue¡¯s awakening. Just a few minutes later, she¡¯d gone from idly resting to stretching and yawning as her mind felt around the room with its extra sense. Solstice was absent¡ªunderstandable, with her having an important job. The same was true for Comet; she must¡¯ve taken him somewhere. In front of her, Joy snoozed on, her quiet snores making up much of the quaint ambiance. Twinkle¡ª
...
...
Twinkle wasn¡¯t here.
The revelation tossed Sue into the freezing lake of full focus, eyes not even wincing as they snapped wide open. Confirming her worries, the messy bag wrapped around her chest was empty, sending her straight into ever-tightening anxiety. ¡°Twinkle? Twinkle!?¡±
Her aching limbs¡¯ complaints fell on deaf ears as Sue pushed herself up, frantically scanning around the room. The awareness that she was looking for someone whose true form wasn¡¯t meant to be looked at was present in her head, but shoved into a locker. She didn¡¯t care that the sight might hurt her; she needed to find them; she needed to find her¡ªthe little one.
With each nook investigated and found empty, she felt the stabbing feeling in her chest grow more intense, any remaining grasp on calmness fading soon. She kept looking around the tent, soon getting on her knees to check under the beddings and baskets, to the immense displeasure of her still-hurting leg. It could wait, everything could wait, she had to find them; they had to be somewhere in here!
R-right?
Only emptiness, again and again. Most trinkets she spotted were overlooked in the chaos, including a small bundle of a long needle and several tiny bags she found hidden under Solstice¡¯s bed. She didn¡¯t have the spare brainpower to think about it or even remember seeing it¡ªall that mattered was finding the little ghost. With each passing moment, anxiety distilled into despair, catalyzed by the pulsating pain on her still-injured leg.
They must¡¯ve headed out, but how am I gonna find them!? What if they ran off into the woods; what if they hate me now; what if they died¡ª
*rustle-rustle*
The sudden sound made Sue look over hard enough to make her neck hurt, but she didn¡¯t have it in her to think about that. Or... anything else, for that matter.
For a few moments, she stared at the misshapen, pitch-black spot, unable to process the sight. Her body ached as her brain remained locked up, air slowly running out¡ª
And then, the blob noticed what their presence was doing, and hid behind her bed with a distorted, terrified squeak. Sue¡¯s loud gasp that followed didn¡¯t help with their worries, but not even the Forest Guardian herself cared one bit about how much her airways hurt. They were here; they were safe, that¡¯s all that mattered, that¡¯s all that could ever matter!
...
They were also palpably scared, so even if she was crying tears of joy, it was best she took it slow. ¡°H-hey Twinkle, I¡¯m okay, I-I¡¯m okay.¡±
Sue¡¯s body shook as she crawled back onto her bedding and approached the edge the lil¡¯ ghost was hiding behind. Her tears flowed all the while, resisting being controlled despite how unnecessary they were. She overreacted and Twinkle was safe now; there was hardly anything worth crying about, but...
The mere possibility of losing them hurt so much more than she could admit to herself, even now. ¡°I¡¯m here sweetie, I¡¯m here,¡± she comforted the little ghost, voice wavering. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡±
After laying down next to the edge of the bed, Sue reached one arm towards the hiding ghost. Warm relief shot through her at feeling their ethereal, amorphous warmth grasp her hand, and then more of it once she switched to careful petting. ¡°There, there. Let¡¯s¡ªlet¡¯s see if I can talk with you any.¡±
With Twinkle¡¯s tentacle held firmly, Sue started maneuvering her mental link with her other hand. Despite knowing full well where the lil¡¯ ghost was, a psychic connection was surprisingly difficult, their ¡®signal¡¯¡ªfor a lack of a better term¡ªfaint and smeared over a small area as opposed to being concentrated in a single bright spot. Nothing she couldn¡¯t overcome, though, even with the added difficulty of her horn aching throughout the entire process.
Even once Sue was as sure she was connected as she¡¯d ever get, she remained uncertain how to communicate with the lil¡¯ one. Sundance¡¯s words were fresh in her mind, about her needing to do some legwork to get anything coherent out of Twinkle¡¯s murky, indeterminate thoughts. Legwork that Sue wouldn¡¯t have a shred of an idea of how to begin even without her current injury.
She needed something simpler¡ªand it didn¡¯t get any simpler than a binary ¡®yes¡¯ or ¡®no¡¯. ¡°Twinkle? Can you hear me?¡±
Focusing on her sixth sense, Sue felt their attention shift at hearing her words, the slurry of emotions in their mind soon shifting from fear to contentment.
Let¡¯s take that as ¡®yes¡¯.
¡°I¡¯m glad. Are you okay?¡± she asked. In return, she felt happiness, paired with more of their pitch-black warmth wrapping around her outstretched hand. ¡°I¡¯m happy to see you, too. Did you leave while I was sleeping?¡±
Fright. Not an emotion she was sure how to interpret, leaving her uncertain what to say. Before she could figure out what to say next, though, Sue felt something be pressed against her palm, as if the lil¡¯ ghost was passing it over to her. With them backing off a few moments later, the Forest Guardian pulled her hand back, and saw...
A few freshly plucked dandelions.
The connection took its sweet time to form in her mind, time that only left Twinkle more worried. Sue laid the flowers on the edge of her bed before letting them hold her hand again, analyzing them with her other one.
Just some dandelions. Do they mean something to them, or¡ª
...
...
Flowers.
¡°A-are these for me, Twinkle?¡±
A much firmer grasp on her hand, a lot more joy. As direct of a confirmation as she¡¯d ever get, the sweetness of it all soon dissolving the last she had left of her earlier fear. In an instant, the small bundle in front of her went from assorted weeds to something she wanted to treasure. Some of those murky emotions were there, too¡ªthe kneejerk desire to reject that bliss filling her mind, to distance herself from both it and the little one that brought it.
After yesterday, though, Sue had it in her to push them away before they could worm themselves into her head, earlier tears coming back for a reprise. ¡°Th-that¡¯s so sweet of you, Twinkle. Thank you so much.¡±
Soothing happiness, bright enough to warm Sue¡¯s body up. More fodder for happy tears, ones she didn¡¯t even try to fight. She overreacted when they disappeared; she overreacted now¡ª
Who bloody cares, I¡¯m so happy and so are they.
For a short while, they both basked in the joy of it all, of delivering to and receiving a gift from someone they cared about so much. It¡¯d still be best for the stressful part of this situation to be avoided in the future, but that could wait just a bit. Even at their happiest, even at the absolute firmest she ever felt them hold her hand, it was hardly any more forceful than if she¡¯d submerged it in water. The realization made her want to hold Twinkle even harder¡ªthey must be so little and weak and, and¡ª
And she wanted to be there for them, to protect them from any more fear or grief ever again. Though first she had to make sure they wouldn¡¯t squirm away again. ¡°If you ever wanna head out, could you wake me up first, Twinkle? I... I got scared when you left earlier.¡±
On cue, an unpleasant jolt of their own fear, one Sue tried to soothe as firmly as she could, be it by pets or words. ¡°It¡¯s okay sweetie, I¡¯m okay now! Just asking for the future. I... I really care about you, a-and want to know where you are, okie?¡± she asked. Twinkle kept clinging to her, calming down by the moment. They didn¡¯t want to leave her ever again¡ªand neither did she. ¡°Here, lemme give you your bag again.¡±
As Sue unwrapped the makeshift costume from around her torso, it really hit her just how... unsightly it was. She was far from a germaphobe¡ªthe often-messy state of her college dorm was proof positive of that¡ªbut the condition of the rag the little one hid in still had her grow queasy once she inspected it. Dirt stains, discoloration, a couple specks she could swear were dried blood.
Twinkle deserved so much better, even if Sue had no idea how to help at the moment.
In just a few minutes, the lil¡¯ ghost was back in their bag and scrambling over to hold their guardian as close as they could. Two tentacles wrapped around her midriff, and a third around her petting hand, each gentle stroke calming them down bit by bit. As keen as Sue was to just stay like this all day long, though, Twinkle wasn¡¯t even the only child she was taking care of¡ªand after her raised voice and the resulting chaos, the other one was slowly waking up as well.
Oh goodness, the maw yawns too. I don¡¯t care that I should be terrified; this is adorable.
After a couple of stretches of her own, Joy sat up and rubbed the sand out of her eyes. To little surprise, she was taken aback at the change in scenery, enough so to put her on edge¡ªbefore spotting Sue, at least. And once she did, she didn¡¯t hesitate even for a moment before dashing over and wrapping her arms around her.
¡°Goodness, what did I do to deserve you both...¡± Sue swooned, only barely stopping herself from breaking into tears again. Joy spotted her near-sogginess, looking up at her with concern. With Twinkle taking her one available link, she had no idea how to verbally convey what she just said to the metal girl, but... verbally wasn¡¯t the only option.
Especially since something told her that Joy appreciated being lifted into a hug just as much as a spoken explanation.
With the display of affection done, the three of them calmed down some more¡ªenough so for Twinkle to draw attention to the small bundle of dandelions on the bed¡¯s corner. Sue wasn¡¯t too certain what to do with them, but she knew they deserved something being done with them. Hmm, what about¡
Taking Twinkle off-guard, Sue plucked one dandelion out of their grasp before weaving it into the loops that kept the ghost wrapped up. The second flower got clumsily wrapped around one of Joy¡¯s... curls, much to her confusion, and the third Sue wove into her own hair. ¡°How¡¯s that, Twinkle?¡±
No verbal response, but gesturing made up for that in spades. One black tentacle pointed at Sue, then at Joy, and finally, after some thinking, at themselves.
¡°Yep, we each have a flower you brought,¡± Sue giggled. ¡°Thank you again; that¡¯s really sweet of you.¡±
It was only at that point that the toothy girl had woken up enough to consciously notice the bag-child just a couple of feet away from her. She faintly remembered seeing them yesterday, including the fact that they weren¡¯t dangerous, but still had almost no idea who this stranger was. Sue didn¡¯t have a way to tell her, but... she could still introduce them, if clumsily. ¡°Joy, this is Twinkle. I¡¯m looking after you both.¡±
One hand grabbed Joy¡¯s, and the other took a hold of Twinkle¡¯s tentacle, catching the attention of them both. Bringing them together went without any hitches, beyond reasonable apprehension. The metal girl was taken aback at how weird the ghost¡¯s limb felt, and in return, Twinkle was unnerved at Joy¡¯s maw. Nothing they couldn¡¯t work through, especially with Sue being there with them.
I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you while I¡¯m here.
Before the lil¡¯ ones could meet each other more, they all heard the entrance to the tent being parted again, this time by a pair of much more obvious suspects. The smaller of the two immediately reacted with a drawn-out, elated squeak at seeing his friends awake, and the larger one wasted little time before following in tow with a rough spun bag in one hand, and a... bucket in the other. ¡°Good morning everyone! I hope you all slept well.¡±
Considering the strain of the past couple of days, Solstice was remarkably upbeat.
The mood shift was enough to bring some concern of its own to Sue, and the worries about the Mayor trying to mask what she felt inside didn¡¯t take long to pop up. The older Forest Guardian sensed them clearly, answering Sue¡¯s uncertain look with a firm nod and a telepathic whisper as she stepped in and lowered Comet onto the floor of her tent. ¡°^You aren¡¯t the only one with whom a chat with Sundance helped a lot. I still have much to process, I¡¯m very well aware, but... it feels possible now.^¡±
Sue didn¡¯t feel comfortable prodding for any deeper confirmation, but she didn¡¯t need to, either. To the contrary, it was her noticeably soggy state that was much more eye-catching of the two¡ªenough so for the Mayor to want to investigate deeper¡ªbefore deciding against it. Whatever had happened, Sue had clearly figured it out herself, and if she needed further help, she knew how to ask for it.
Which just left pride; equally pleasant for both Forest Guardians.
*squeak!*
And of course, the lil¡¯ Moon Child too.
As Sue tried not to laugh at the sight of Comet dispensing indiscriminate affection to her leg, she watched Solstice pull out everything she¡¯d brought with herself, the assorted veggies making sense with what she said afterwards¡ª¡°Breakfast time! Goodness, it¡¯s been a while since I had the time to prepare something like this, and now I get to do it for twice as many heads as usual, ha!¡±
Sue¡¯s scan of the laid out ingredients couldn¡¯t piece them together into any meal she was especially familiar with. Potatoes, onions, a couple of peppers and several of the local lookalikes of the vegetables she knew. She couldn¡¯t say she ever liked raw tomatoes, but at least the ones back home didn¡¯t have spikes jutting out of them. ¡°What are you gonna make?¡± she asked.
¡°Tamato stew, used to have it all the time growing up. Despite everything, it... it still brings some good memories. Was always a highlight of the day.¡±
Tomato, tamato.
The Mayor¡¯s words could be interpreted in many concerning ways. Instead, Sue settled on a sympathetic smile, eagerly accepted. The thought of having a stew for breakfast was... odd, but considering Sue¡¯s daily meal schedule back on Earth was ¡®anything goes¡¯, she didn¡¯t have any ground to stand on. ¡°Can I help anyhow?¡±
¡°Hmm... I only keep one knife in here, so unlikely. I appreciate the offer, though! Hah... I remember helping with these when I was much younger than you. It was always a family effort, by and only for us; guests got something else instead. Don¡¯t see why I can¡¯t make an exception here¡ªwhat use are rules like that which only make us more miserable to follow?¡±
Sue was equal parts appreciative of the nice meal, and internally aching at the implication, however true, that she was in the category of ¡®guest¡¯ and not ¡®family¡¯. She didn¡¯t put words to that thought, trying as hard as she could to swallow it down, but... it was still here, and Solstice could still sense it clearly. Neither of the two knew how to work their way out of that unpleasant feeling, prompting the Mayor to focus on continuing her cooking instead, an apologetic expression clear on her face.
Comet aside, the other little ones watched closely as Solstice reached out towards the small hearth and filled the hole in the dirt with several pieces of charcoal. Sue expected her to bring out a piece of flint and scrape some sparks out of it next, but what she did instead was much more eye-catching, if unexpected.
A dim glow shrouded her eyes and fingers as she wove the latter around in a pattern Sue couldn¡¯t immediately piece together. If it was some sort of mystical spell, it was certainly working. The glow intensified until turning into a burning bright tracer, culminating in a small burst of intense flame striking the awaiting fuel.
Definitely something Sue expected Sundance to be capable of, but not Solstice.
¡°^Heh, she actually taught me that one!^¡± the Mayor laughed telepathically. ¡°^Really handy, even if nowhere near as flashy as her way of doing it.^¡±
Sue didn¡¯t think the elemental magic of that sort was as... teachable as Solstice¡¯s description implied it to be. Before she could finish moving away from the earlier unpleasant topic and ask about the ingredients, she saw Joy lean in closer to the pot beside her, obviously curious about what was happening there. Something to ask her mentor about, after she figured out how to withdraw her link from Twinkle and reach Joy with it¡ª
¡°^Communication is becoming a thorn, isn¡¯t it, Sue?^¡±
The question took the younger Forest Guardian from the left field, but she couldn¡¯t disagree with it. She dearly appreciated having a way to talk to people in here, but its limitations grew starker and starker by the day. Nothing Sue would let bring her down, nowhere near, but still an annoyance best dealt with sooner or later. ¡°Y-yeah...¡± she sighed.
Her words and their uncertain tone caught the kids¡¯ attention, much to her embarrassed happiness.
¡°^Seems like some learning is in order, especially now that you¡¯re watching over two little people,^¡± Solstice giggled. Sue responded with a firm nod, hands indiscriminately dispensing affection to the tykes beside her as her mentor continued, ¡°^Alrighty! Would you want to try it now while I¡¯m working on the stew?^¡±
As much as Sue agreed she needed to get better at this, she didn¡¯t see how she could do so in her current state. She wanted to, she really did, but if the injury on her chest made it so difficult to do the little she already knew, there was no way she could meaningfully train anything more intense.
Outvoted by a frickin¡¯ papercut.
Before Sue could state the objection out loud, Solstice was already thinking through it while chopping vegetables on autopilot. She didn¡¯t disagree; an injury of this sort was an obstacle. However, it wasn¡¯t going away anytime soon. Horn injuries always took a long time to heal, an unpleasant detail the Mayor knew from experience.
And with Sue being the type to try running away with a broken leg, Solstice wasn¡¯t expecting her to not try improving her psychics in the meantime, anyway. The least she could do was to watch over her, make sure she wasn¡¯t aggravating it by accident, and¡ªwhere possible¡ªfocus on the technique as opposed to raw, pain-inducing force.
...
She still hoped Sue would at least keep from bench pressing with her mind until her horn was all good, though. ¡°^Don¡¯t worry, it shouldn¡¯t be too painful. Still, let me know if it ever gets too bad or you need a moment,^¡± Solstice reassured before switching to spoken word. ¡°Alright everyone, would you mind giving Sue some space? I¡¯ll be teaching her some more psychics so that she can talk with you more easily.¡±
Sue was taken aback at Solstice¡¯s eagerness as the young ¡®uns listened to her request. Joy followed it right away, but Twinkle¡ hesitated, for very reasonable reasons at that. Solstice was of half a mind to try calming them down, just like she remembered doing with Joy a few days ago, but noticed that her student wanted to tackle that instead.
Sue didn¡¯t have a magical anathema to them being clingy either, but could at least underline that yes, she would remain here for them¡ªwhich was exactly what she did. ¡°C¡¯mere, Twinkle. I¡¯m not going anywhere; I¡¯m right here. You just need to wait for me to finish some practicing with Solstice, okay? You can play with Joy and Comet until I¡¯m done.¡±
Her hand carefully gripped their bag, while the other pointed out the two tykes as she mentioned them¡ªwith a loud, happy squeak adding to the Moon Child¡¯s description. It filled Twinkle with enough confidence for them to slowly slink off his guardian¡¯s lap on their own, to Sue¡¯s amazement. She didn¡¯t comment as she watched them lower themselves on the floor on their own, and hoped her wide, slightly soggy smile was self-explanatory enough.
Not even Comet¡¯s very pushy kind of friendliness and Twinkle¡¯s skittish reaction to it could ruin the sweetness all around her¡ªnot if Joy had anything to say at least. She stepped in between the two kids before the lil¡¯ psychic could finish excitedly crawling over, speaking up¡ª¡°S-s-slow!¡± Her voice was noticeably less shaky than the last time Sue had heard it, adding another heaping dose of pride to her cocktail of emotions.
Vague as the single word request was on its own, his mom¡¯s translation helped Comet understand it while the metal girl looked over her shoulder to see if Twinkle was alright too, following her guardian¡¯s steps and patting their bag just in case they weren¡¯t.
Several tentacles wrapping themselves around her in response took her back a bit, but the two adults¡¯ laughter melted through any fear before it could even arise. ¡°Thank you, Joy,¡± Sue beamed, giddy in her seat. The girl answered with an excited smile of her own, ecstatic about her efforts to help the other lil¡¯ one having been noticed.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Solstice nodded, excited. ¡°^Alright Sue, let¡¯s get to it. My only concern is that your previous technique of using arms to assist yourself might be ill-suited here. It¡¯s clearly helping you, but I have a hard time imagining how it could control more than two mental reaches at the same time.^¡±
Sue¡ wasn¡¯t sure how she¡¯d deal with that problem. If she had to change tracks away from her hand-based technique for this, then she was unlikely to achieve any progress at all, with everything she would first need to learn the ¡®right¡¯ way before continuing.
All that, though, paled compared to the other fact she glimpsed from her mentor¡¯s words. ¡°Wh-what do you mean, two?¡± she asked.
Solstice paused her breakfast preparation at her student¡¯s question. ¡°^Oh?^¡± Once she figured out what Sue meant, though, it sent her into a giggling fit that she tried to contain as hard as she could¡ªineffectively. The situation made for a good teaching moment, if nothing else, making her explain¡ª¡°^I see~. I want you to first tune out emotions and focus, so that I can show you something.^¡±
Sue did as instructed, the former task made much easier through practice. Even with several more minds compared to her last training session, she found dimming feelings¡¯ bright glare to be much more straightforward than just a few days ago. In no time, the world around her was reduced to just a few shining pinpricks of consciousness, and... a small glowing cloud where Twinkle was.
It wasn¡¯t just me, their mind really is different, huh.
¡°^Now, watch,^¡± Solstice instructed. Sue felt her body instinctively reel back a bit at seeing six protrusions reach out from her mentor¡¯s consciousness all at once, each waving in unison as her physical body kept chopping veggies. ¡°^You can get much higher than just the one link you were using~. I¡¯d say I can manage around ten or so, though not all at once.^¡±
If Sue¡¯s eyes were open, she would¡¯ve been staring wide. ¡°T-ten? How!?¡±
¡°^Takes a lot of practice, and is hardly ever useful, ha. The really tough part is independently controlling them, and there I can only handle three groups at the same time or so.^¡± Sue didn¡¯t think she was anywhere close to catching up with other psychics around Moonview, but this explanation sure cemented that fact even more. Sensing that, Solstice reassured, ¡°^In your case, actively using multiple of them simultaneously won¡¯t even be needed for now.^¡±
¡°R-right, but what if I want to link up with more than one person?¡± Sue asked.
¡°^That can be done one at a time~. Once you¡¯re connected to someone, it doesn¡¯t really take much focus to keep that connection going, does it?^¡±
Sue¡¯s very tenuous grasp on much of this subject¡ªand especially anything that went beyond the vague vibes she got used to by now¡ªleft her feeling anxious. Before the older Forest Guardian could intervene, though, her student took a deep breath and chewed through the question instead of immediately panicking. Once she processed it one word at a time, the answer was straightforward¡ª¡°R-right. Sorry, just... it¡¯s overwhelming.¡±
¡°^It¡¯s okay. Take all the time you need, Sue.^¡±
Sue smiled weakly, opening her eyes just for a moment. Her mentor had much the same expression, patient and...
Yes, patient and motherly. Congratulations, visual cortex, you have noticed the obvious. Want a cookie or something?
Solstice blinked, taken aback at the sudden jolt in her pupil¡¯s mood. ¡°^S-Sue?^¡±
¡°It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s nothing,¡± Sue lied, shaking her head. ¡°Lemme get back to it.¡±
Thankfully, Sue didn¡¯t spot the amused, raised eyebrow going her way. ¡°^Alright. So, now that you know that multiple extensions of your mind are a possibility, let¡¯s start with just the one you¡¯re used to. I¡¯m... unsure how well your hand-based technique will be suited for this, though. It¡¯d be easiest for now if you tried reaching over using just your mind, if possible.^¡±
Oh well. ¡°L-Lemme try.¡±
Her recent injury didn¡¯t appreciate the efforts that followed one bit. Unfortunately for it, Sue didn¡¯t care, grimacing slightly as she first tuned out the emotional glare, and then reached out of her skull while her hands gripped her thin legs. It was much harder than what she¡¯d been doing previously, more painful, but possible, contrary to her earlier worries.
Not particularly jaw-dropping progress, but progress all the same.
A minute of contorting her brain and slightly squirming her body later, the tip of Sue¡¯s mental reach had made its way over to the older Forest Guardian, adding a bright, warm glow of happiness to her emotions. Any relief gained from that action, though, was immediately undone by the slimy, chilling sensation of her mental tentacle being grasped and forcibly held in place, even as her mind tried to retract it.
It felt just like she thought a Wet Willie would feel.
¡°^I know, it¡¯s unpleasant, and I¡¯m trying my best to make it less so,^¡± Solstice whispered. ¡°^While I¡¯m holding your reach, I want you to try extending another one. Just leave this one be where it is and go through this exercise again.^¡±
As straightforward as her mentor¡¯s instructions were, they were a solid contender for the single most confusing instruction Sue has had yet during her stay here. She had absolutely no idea how she could possibly ¡®let go¡¯ of her brain tentacle. It wasn¡¯t something she was guiding; it was a limb¡ªthe mental equivalent to a limb, at least. It was as if she was being asked to detach her physical arm or something.
Just have to let go of my injured leg and sprout another one to replace it. How difficult can that be?
...
...
No, I am not making that joke.
After forcibly shaking off any less-than-appropriate humor her brain tormented her with, Sue tried giving Solstice¡¯s instructions another go. They still felt impossible, but there must¡¯ve just been something she wasn¡¯t seeing, some mental button she could slam her face on to let herself sprout another brain tentacle, simple as that.
What followed were several minutes of Sue shaking in her seat as she simultaneously tried to wrestle her physical Forest Guardian brain and her ephemeral human mind. She was barely capable of duking it out one-on-one with either, and taking on both left her squarely outmatched. A hearty bit of comedy for any mental onlookers that might¡¯ve been nearby, but Sue herself only felt frustration creep on her.
These were basics; this was lesson three, and she already felt like she¡¯d run into a concrete wall. A few more frustrated, aimless attempts resulted in the same results, the negative emotions filling the younger Forest Guardian¡¯s head soon stark enough for Solstice to intervene again. ¡°^Sue? What¡¯s wrong, did something happen?^¡±
¡°It¡¯s¡ªI can¡¯t. I just can¡¯t figure this out, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Sue admitted, defeated.
¡°^Don¡¯t be sorry Sue, you¡¯ve done nothing wrong. Is there anything in particular that¡¯s giving you trouble?^¡±
¡°Letting go of that¡ªthat mental reach. How do you do that?¡±
¡°^Hmm... in my case, I remember helping myself with that by lightly yanking my head back when I was little,^¡± Solstice reminisced. ¡°^Nowadays, it happens so fluidly I¡¯m unsure how to explain it with words. I can try to show you how it feels, if you¡¯d like?^¡±
Sue shuddered. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s more than that, it¡¯s like a limb, and I have no idea how to let go of a limb.¡±
¡°^The ¡®limb¡¯ association is very helpful at the start, but you¡¯ve just run into one of its many limitations. Our links can be moved independently like limbs, but they can also be severed, detached, or let go of.^¡±
¡°R-right, but I don¡¯t know how to shake that association off myself,¡± Sue kept trying to explain, growing disheartened. ¡°It¡¯s not just an unfortunate description, it¡¯s really how they feel to me.¡±
¡°^I see... One more piece of advice I have is to try thinking of these not as your mind directly, but as something your mind steers; but I know that¡¯s not very useful for you right now. Lemme think about it...^¡±
As Solstice went back to preparing breakfast stew and study materials for her pupil simultaneously, Sue strained her brain in trying to accomplish just a single task. Several further attempts at multiple psychic tentacles went nowhere¡ªat a certain point, she couldn¡¯t even get to where she¡¯d make the magic happen, with even trying to focus away from her currently extended reach making it recede immediately.
This Duckdamned brain, I swear...
The analogy her mentor left her with sounded like it could be useful, but Sue wasn¡¯t convinced. She was certain she¡¯d run into the same issue again, and almost didn¡¯t even bother trying at all. The frustration-fueled inaction didn¡¯t endure more than a few seconds, thankfully, not as her thoughts threatened to veer towards thinking of herself as a petulant child. Sue had no idea whether that counted as self-intimidation or not, but was glad it worked all the same.
With that murk shelved for the time being, she had little else left to try but to try taking Solstice¡¯s advice literally, to think of her brain tentacles not as her limbs, but something one step further down in the analogy, something they merely steered. Her first attempt to implement that vague guidance ended almost as soon as it had begun, accomplishing nothing¡ª
Because she got another idea, one she was much more keen on trying.
The burst of motivation that revelation provided was enough to even distract Comet out of his play for a moment. Happy squeaks became focused silence as he listened in, only to return to giggles once Joy¡¯s peek-a-boo snagged his attention right back.
As the little ones enjoyed each other¡¯s presence, Sue was busy reaching out a mental tentacle as far out as she felt capable of. This time, though, she didn¡¯t keep herself to just using her mind, assisting herself with her hand. With that all-natural mental tool, her psychics floated fluidly around the room, enough so to leave Solstice impressed¡ªand confused considering how unrelated this was to the exercise at hand.
Sue didn¡¯t notice either emotion, not with how much of her brain power was focused on wriggling her brain around and on her physical arm as she did so. She kept it clenched through that entire process, as if gripping the handle of her crutch. And then, once she reached as far out as she felt capable of, she let go of the handle and pulled her hand back.
And her mental reach stayed there.
It wasn¡¯t immobile, beginning to slowly retract right away, but it broadly remained where it was without her having to focus on it any more! Sue immediately followed it out with the next step, gripping a different pocket of air with the same arm and moving it around in much the same way. And¡ it worked. For a few seconds, she felt double the squirmy, indescribable sensations that accompanied these mental limbs; she was near sure both of them were out at the same time¡ª
¡°^Oh¡ªyou did it!^¡± Solstice perked up, surprised.
I FUCKING DID IT!
¡°^Language please, Comet is around~.^¡±
Right, sorry.
The gentle chiding interrupted Sue out of her excited pop-off, replacing it with amused laughter for both Forest Guardians. ¡°^Well done, Sue! What made it make sense?^¡± her mentor asked, beaming with pride.
¡°I tried applying what you said, a-and what did the trick was using my arms as something I steered these links with, n-not as the actual links, kinda like how I used a crutch for a while! Is that similar to what you had in mind?¡±
¡°^Huh...^¡± Solstice hummed, her genuine confusion taking Sue aback, enough so to make her recede from her focused state.
Once more, eyes stung once she opened them, but she was getting used to that, too. Before her, the pot in the tent¡¯s center was now halfway full of water, with a good chunk of chopped-up ingredients already added. Not all, though, with several herbs and chunks of the anomalous spiked tomato still waiting for their turn.
Reentering her body also clued her onto the pulsating aching emanating from her horn¡ªmuch, much less of it than she thought she would have by now. It wasn¡¯t anything pleasant, nowhere near, but it was bearable. She still hoped that the wound would heal soon, though.
¡°^I think I have an idea of what might be going on?^¡± Solstice spoke up, uncertain. ¡°^Suppose your arms are so tied to the concepts of control that you subconsciously envision all action as being done by your arms?^¡±
That was a much more abstract spin on the entire thing than Sue expected, and figuring out an answer took her a moment. Once she got there, though, it was just as self-evident as the last time the Mayor asked her a question about how humans thought of their hands¡ª¡°Y-yeah, that tracks. I¡¯d say that ¡®moving¡¯ is associated with legs and feet, but almost everything else is with hands.¡±
¡°^That¡¯s fascinating. I was aware of how much your previous kin relies on hands, but this goes even further than that. Beyond how your brains are laid out, and into how you conceptualize these fundamental ideas...^¡±
Sue had no idea how to respond to that, and neither was Solstice expecting her to, chuckling quietly instead. ¡°^Anywho~. Not done with breakfast yet, so you¡¯ve got some time to practice! Do you want me to help?^¡±
¡°If it¡¯s¡ª¡±
¡°^Of course it¡¯s alright, Sue. I¡¯m gonna do what I did earlier and hold your reach in place when you reach it out far enough, okay?^¡±
With a nod, Sue went for it, jumping right back into her practice. It took a few solid tries for the slightly different role of her arms to sink in, but once it did, it was even easier to control her brain tentacles than it had been earlier. In a repeat of her very first exercise, she reached over to Solstice, got her reach grabbed, and started extending another one, to the side of the first one.
Harder than the one time she managed it earlier¡ªthe sensation emanating from her gripped tentacle made it hard to focus¡ªbut still very possible. She grinned with her eyes closed, grasping the invisible handle and extending her second mental limb as far as it¡¯d go.
And then, Solstice gripped this one too, and focusing got even harder. ¡°^It¡¯s tricky, I know~. Further down the line, I can go over how to deflect these interruptions, but for now just keep trying to push past them.^¡±
Sue didn¡¯t quite manage to extend the third tentacle out after all, her mentor eventually letting the first two go. The only way forward was practice, and she didn¡¯t waste a moment before immediately trying again¡ªand again, and again, and again. Each attempt desensitized her to the slimy sensations more and more, each effort of extending a new mental reach made that barely coherent task easier.
Creating a third extension of her mind was still tricky, but doable after just a few solid tries. Going a step forward to attempt the fourth felt like walking into a brick wall. She couldn¡¯t, she just couldn¡¯t; there was no way for her to split her attention this many times. She didn¡¯t want to admit defeat, trying futilely a few more times, but her unfortunate observation was confirmed each time.
Guess that¡¯s as far as I can push it for now.
Solstice was more than satisfied with that. ¡°^Alright! I¡¯m gonna stop holding them now, and it¡¯ll be up to you to keep them all out,^¡±
The modified exercise turned out to be simultaneously easier and harder than the previous version. Without the constant bombardment of some very unpleasant sensations, Sue found it much more feasible to go for the fourth mental reach, but her attempts only made all the previous ones want to retract even more.
¡°^Focus on keeping them all out, Sue.^¡±
¡°I-I¡¯m trying...¡± Sue grunted. Wrestling with her brain to keep the wacky figments of her imagination exactly where she wanted them to be was... tricky, and yet somehow not impossible. If she just prodded the correct bits of the gray goo between her ear spikes, she could stop the tentacles from retracting for a decent amount of time. It was something, but not truly keeping them all out at the same time.
Consciously switching which one she was controlling every few moments helped, but came with its own drawbacks.
It limited her to consciously moving a single reach at a time, and switching itself took a decent bit of effort¡ªat least at the start¡ªbut each repetition of that boring task made it easier and easier, her mental model of it all changing over time to match. Instead of having to withdraw her hand all the way back to grasp an entirely different handle, it now felt more like... wearing a sweater with a sleeve that split into two at the elbow, and switching between these sub-sleeves.
...
I really hope I never have to verbally explain this stuff to anyone.
As Sue practiced, these figurative ¡®sub-sleeves¡¯ split further and further along. After a few dozen tries, she only had to flick her wrist back to switch the tentacle, after a few dozen more, she just needed to move her hand as if swiping something off to the side. Much of it wouldn¡¯t last for long, she was well aware. Muscle memory was one thing, but this was way too little for that to truly set in. It made for a great target for the next time she sat down and went through this entire mind-melting workout¡ª
*clap!*
The sudden sound derailed all that remained of Sue¡¯s train of thought of focus, bringing her back towards full awareness. ¡°^Dealing with distractions will also be something you¡¯ll have to practice!^¡± Solstice laughed softly. ¡°^But that¡¯s something we can tackle later.^ Breakfast¡¯s ready!¡±
Sue blinked through her startle as she took the surrounding scene in, attention soon jumping over to the little ones. Joy seemed to be the mediator between Comet and Twinkle, with her and the Moon Child both holding small straw dolls. They didn¡¯t depict anyone in specific, but that didn¡¯t stop their play, as unstructured as it was. The lil¡¯ ghost was still rather overwhelmed by Comet, but not cripplingly so anymore. It would take a while for them to get used to each other, no doubt, but they had time.
They had time, and they had Sue.
Solstice¡¯s call had Twinkle look first at her, and then at their guardian. Once they spotted the latter being aware again, they scrambled over, catching Joy¡¯s attention as well. Thankfully, the Mayor¡¯s words barely elicited any reaction in the toothy girl anymore, as scared as she was of them just a few days ago. It was something worth asking about, but not necessarily postponing breakfast for¡ª
¡°What are you doing, Sue?¡± Solstice asked, beckoning her over. ¡°Come, come, sit down with us.¡±
Sue wasn¡¯t sure how she expected breakfast stew to be eaten, but ¡®on the floor¡¯ wasn¡¯t an answer she had considered. Suppose it wasn¡¯t quite sitting on dirt with the rudimentary rugs that lined it, but these had to be uncomfortably dirty, right?
...
Wrong, apparently. Sure, they weren¡¯t the peak of pleasantness, but nowhere near as bad as Sue wondered they¡¯d be.
Guess these tiny feet don¡¯t bring all that much dirt with themselves.
¡°Indeed~,¡± the other Forest Guardian giggled.
The meal¡ªnow that Sue focused on it as opposed to passively taking in the scent while thrashing her brains around¡ªsmelled delightful. Looks were less stellar, but that was about what was expected from a stew. Hell, if anything, it was closer to a thick soup than what she¡¯d recognize as a stew back on Earth, especially without any meat.
*sip*
...
Sue had no idea which of the ingredients she saw earlier had suddenly jumped several orders of magnitude up the Scoville scale, but at least one of them must have done it, because good Duck was this hot. Not unbearably so¡ªher tongue was much too delighted by all the sweet caramelized onion and overall saltiness to complain¡ªbut noticeably. If not for her seeing Joy and Comet down their portions with no less delight than she had, the latter with the Mayor¡¯s help, she wouldn¡¯t have believed they could even eat it.
While everyone corporeal went through their bowls and Solstice tried to reason through what did Sue mean by ¡®meat¡¯ in her thoughts, Twinkle felt left out. They weren¡¯t hungry; they didn¡¯t even remember what hunger felt like, but this still smelled nice. They wanted some, too. It couldn¡¯t be hard, right? Just had to wait for Joy to put her spoon down, and use it, and then pour some into their¡ªACK!
Their loud squeak caught the group¡¯s attention, letting them see the fresh stain on the ghost¡¯s outfit, with only a few droplets having reached the void kept within.
¡°Twinkle, what¡ªoh my, you wanted to taste some too, right?¡± Sue asked, taken aback. With another squeak, the ghost dashed over to her, holding her tight and whimpering quietly. Not in pain, but this was still uncomfortable, leaving the little one shuddering against their guardian. It was hot; it was wet; it was irritating, and they messed up. They weren¡¯t quite at the level of tears yet, but... they were close.
The perfect level for some closer affection. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay,¡± Sue whispered, petting the clean part of their disguise. ¡°Goodness, you really need a replacement bag, don¡¯t you?¡± Twinkle answered with a few mumbled, panicky squeaks, their volume lowering with each pet.
¡°I think Sundance would love to help with something like that. Right up her handiwork alley,¡± Solstice suggested.
Sue nodded, liking that idea the more she chewed on it. They¡¯d get to check on the vixen, they¡¯d make something nicer for Twinkle, she¡¯d get to spend time with both the little ones under her care¡ªhopefully. ¡°How does that sound, Twinkle? A prettier outfit for you, and maybe you could even tell us what you want to wear?¡±
By then, the hauntling had calmed down enough to process the idea, and... they liked it. They liked it so much they soon grew impatient for it, especially with their current costume having gotten rather uncomfortable.
Let¡¯s see if we can clean this thing up¡
Turns out it was easier to find something new for Twinkle to change into than to clean their costume with them inside it.
Sue was almost certain that their new outfit used to be a pillowcase at some point, before... not being needed anymore, and getting stashed away for a few years. Regardless of what it once was, though, now it was only a source of comfort for the lil¡¯ ghost.
With Twinkle helped and breakfast eaten, the impromptu party headed out, destination: Sundance¡¯s house. Comet snuggled drowsily in Solstice¡¯s arms; Twinkle was wrapped around their guardian again, and Joy walked beside them both. As much as both she and Sue wanted her to be carried, the younger Forest Guardian¡¯s leg disagreed with that desire, especially after being put through extra strain a few hours earlier.
Cast or not, I just can¡¯t learn, can I?
Thankfully, the toothy one didn¡¯t mind a whole lot. She made sure to give Sue some space off to the side; the gesture appreciated dearly. When they were wrapping the breakfast up, Sue put her curiosity about the metal girl¡¯s fear of her two mentors to words. Solstice¡¯s translation was a Duck-send, helping convey the nuance without leaving Joy feeling alarmed or put on the spot.
As it turned out, two grownups summoning lights and fire while speaking loudly to a village-size crowd was the kind of sight that left an impact on everyone, intended or not. Sue sure didn¡¯t expect to share the ¡®got scared by Solstice during her and Sundance¡¯s speech after getting back from their trip¡¯ trait with Joy, but this wacky world¡ªyet again¡ªturned out to be weirder than fiction.
If she had the reach to lean in and hug the toothy girl, she would have done so without hesitation.
Instead, they both savored the late morning in their own ways as they marched on, one step at a time. Some steps were smaller, some larger, some even limped and needed others to wait for them¡ªbut it was alright. For the first time in too long, they didn¡¯t have to rush.
Unfortunately, the quaint walk wouldn¡¯t remain such forever.
Having to walk past the raised platform the Elders sat on last night sent shudders through Sue¡¯s spike. She didn¡¯t want to think about how close Moonview got to a point of no return, to that assault on Newmoon happening because of Root¡¯s sheer genocidal insistence. A part of her hoped it wouldn¡¯t have happened even without her intervention, that eventually his fury or others¡¯ motivation would burn out, but... she didn¡¯t know.
Thanks to her actions, she didn¡¯t have to know either, the thought bringing her some not-unearned pride¡ªhold on.
Right as their group was turning a corner away from the scene, something small caught Sue¡¯s attention. She was deaf to Joy¡¯s confused squeaks, walking closer to make out just what the bright item was. It almost looked like it was levitating, and¡ª
No, it wasn¡¯t levitating. It was stuck in a tree.
She only got a brief glimpse of Juniper¡¯s arrows, both before the owl¡¯s attempt at Solstice¡¯s life and after, but for better or worse, the sight was forever burned into her memory. This one had struck a tree with enough force to embed the entire arrow head into the wood, leaving just the orange fletching visible. It wasn¡¯t here before, it couldn¡¯t have been here before, others would¡¯ve called it out, but what did it¡ªwait.
Who sat there?
As unforgettable as yesterday¡¯s events were, recalling such an unimportant detail proved harder than Sue expected. A part of her didn¡¯t even want to bother; there was no way in hell it wasn¡¯t Solstice, but Sue could¡¯ve sworn she sat at the other side. And if not for her, then...
...
Root.
Before the realization of the second worst person around having redirected her vendetta over to the first worst person around could sink in, Sue¡¯s focus was snapped away by a loud, ethereal whistle. Familiar, but not enough to do more than jog her memory.
And that held true for the being that had used it to catch her attention, too. ¡°Ahahaha~! Can¡¯t believe I found you before ssshe did~,¡± the ghostly voice spoke, with both their pumpkin-shaped bottom half and thinner, orange-haired top half laughing at the realization, leaving everyone else just confused.
Sue was too stunned by her earlier revelation to react right away¡ªsomething that Solstice wasn¡¯t burdened by. ¡°What do you mean, Soot?¡±
¡°Oohhh, Lillssss wrapped up her load for today, she ran riiiight off and hasssss been looking for you~!¡± the now-named Soot teased.
Beyond unleashing an entire flock of non-mutated butterflies straight into Sue¡¯s stomach, the ghostly pumpkin¡¯s claim got her quite curious. ¡°W-was she really that excited?¡± she asked, trying to hide her own curiosity.
¡°AHAHAHAHAHA!¡±
She neither expected to be laughed at today, nor have said laughter result in such an intense fluster on her end.
¡°Of coursssse she wasss, hasss been for daysss~. Goodnesss, I remember when we firsssst got a glimpssse of you, when you sssat at the clearing with Poppy. She just wouldn¡¯t sssstop~! ¡®Aaaah, she¡¯s so cute¡¯, ¡®Aaaah, she saved Sparkie¡¯, ¡®Aaaah who even am I in comparison¡¯, you know, sssssilly things. Had to shove her a few timessss just to get her to act~!¡± Soot kept giggling. If Sue got embarrassed even a single iota more, she would¡¯ve caught on fire there and then. ¡°And dare I ssssay it¡¯ssss worked out¡ªohhhh, ahahahah! Oh my my my, you¡¯re blushing harder than even Lillsssss~. Made for each other, you two~.¡±
Sue didn¡¯t get spared from either Soot¡¯s or her companion¡¯s resulting laughter. Even Joy chimed in despite her limited understanding, falsifying Sue¡¯s earlier hypothesis¡ªshe could get even more embarrassed, and was persistently not catching on fire.
Even if a part of her really wanted to.
¡°Hope she runssss into you sssssooon~. Curioussss ghost on your chest, by the by~,¡± Soot waved them off.
As they headed away and Sue recovered from her flustered overdose, the ghostly pumpkin¡¯s parting remark caught her attention. They realized Twinkle was a ghost, and they sounded quite ghostly themselves. Ditto with Hazel yesterday, who Sue knew was a ¡®ghost¡¯, ridiculous categorization as it was. Could ghosts sense other ghosts? Was Soot a ghost? Whichever ¡®typing¡¯ represented affinity for plants seemed to be a given, but ¡®ghost¡¯ felt rather far-fetched.
Now I wonder who else has been a ghost all along without me realizing.
The amusing thought didn¡¯t last very long, though. The follow-up realization of ¡®if they¡¯re a ghost, that means they might''ve died and come back as a ghost¡¯ steered Sue into just feeling sorry, unsure whether that was the case for Soot or not. To the best of her knowledge, it was the case with Twinkle. They sure wouldn¡¯t be getting away without some extra affection of their own¡ª
!
Sue felt the sudden shift in the air hit her like a slap in the face; calm immediately replaced with an alarm that wasn¡¯t even her own. She looked at Solstice out of reflex, her expression aghast. Before she could speak up, the Mayor passed Comet into her arms; her accompanying words as insistent as they were brief. ¡°^Sue, go to Sundance¡¯s house now. Don¡¯t wait for me, I¡¯ll be there soon.^¡±
Without a moment of elaboration more, the older Forest Guardian turned around and headed out, her march as fast as it was possible for it to be short of breaking into running. This wasn¡¯t despair, this was something else, something even more worrisome.
Fear.
Sue was torn almost exactly evenly between obeying Solstice¡¯s request and following her to see what the hell had just happened. The latter impulse lasted just long enough to make her turn the nearby corner¡ªand then, she saw them.
A Forest Guardian in the distance, at the other end of the plaza they were at the edge of, the plaza Willow and flower medic were teaching at in that very moment. At first, it didn¡¯t look like they had noticed their group¡ªonly for them to turn around to face her in the time it took Sue to blink.
On their body, tattoos like Solstice¡¯s. A different, more angular pattern.
In their mind, perfect calmness, standing out despite the distance.
At the other end of their gaze, Solstice.
They only spared Sue the briefest of glimpses¡ªenough to send a jolt of freezing fear through her spine and spike. It made Solstice glance at her for just a moment, scared for her, before turning back to the stranger and speaking up with the loudest, most forceful delivery Sue had seen her speak with yet.
¡°^You are not welcome here, Solanum.^¡±
In return, laughter. Cold, mocking. Sue felt a mind far more powerful than her forcibly link with her, the sensation harsh enough to stagger her. And then; the stranger spoke.
¡°^I wouldn¡¯t have thought you would grow even more insolent towards your mother... Snowmoon.^¡±
Chapter 27: Snowmoon
¡°^I wouldn¡¯t have thought you would grow even more insolent towards your mother... Snowmoon.^¡±
Despite standing a few feet away, Sue felt Solstice shudder at the stranger¡¯s words, adding even more confusion to her increasingly terrified mind. The Mayor¡¯s reaction didn¡¯t settle there, though, overcoming fear and blossoming into fierce determination, underlined with cold resentment. If nothing else, it let Sue know her mentor had things under control.
Unfortunately, the younger Forest Guardian¡¯s certainty didn¡¯t extend to the little ones around her.
Comet couldn¡¯t resist contracting the surrounding fear, absorbing emotions like a sponge until they filled his tiny body to the point of tears. He didn¡¯t cry, instead only following Twinkle¡¯s steps and clinging even closer to their guardian. Behind Sue, Joy wasn¡¯t as terrified, but she more than made up for that in restless anxiety. She took a moment to remember which of her tall friend¡¯s legs had been injured recently before clinging to the other one, only braving brief glimpses at the stranger from behind her dress.
¡°^Leave, Solanum, and take your hatred elsewhere!^¡± Solstice boomed, trying to keep the children out of the conversation. Sue wasn¡¯t sure why she¡¯d responded to a different name or who said ¡®Solanum¡¯ was, but whatever the exact relationship between the two Forest Guardians was, it was drenched in grudges and misery, intense enough to turn onlookers¡¯ heads.
To the regret of everyone who recognized her, Solanum only scoffed at the Mayor¡¯s words. ¡°^Your delusional fantasies might have already swallowed you whole, Snowmoon, but I will not let my grandson be bathed in the same heresy that had claimed Aurora¡ª^¡±
It was only then that she had properly noticed the third Forest Guardian on the scene, and everyone¡¯s hearts skipped a beat.
Freezing fear gripped Sue¡¯s body as Solanum¡¯s gaze drilled into her. The dispassionate mockery in the other Forest Guardian¡¯s expression first turned into genuine shock, and then gradual anger as she put the pieces together. Before the once-human could even react, she felt her mind be forcefully pried open as if it were a tin can, its contents spilling out to anyone who bothered looking. Her thoughts, desires, fears, and secrets, taken by force and examined by a hateful eye to the backdrop of Comet''s alarmed cries, the sensation painful and overwhelming enough to almost make Sue collapse there and then¡ª
Only to feel Solstice¡¯s mental grip embrace her as it cut the mental assault off, leaving her lightheaded and unsure of what the hateful intruder had seen. Whatever it was, though, it only made Solanum scoff harder. ¡°^No, not her...^¡± she whispered, her words cutting into Sue¡¯s and Solstice¡¯s psyches alike. ¡°^A stray mutt, bereft of the Pale Lady¡¯s blessings, yet wearing our symbols on her flesh.^¡±
The words were enough to compel the Mayor to take another step forward, her voice equal parts biting and trying to hide a building panic. ¡°^She has no part in this, Solanum.^¡±
¡°^And yet, she is holding my family in her arms,^¡± Solanum muttered in return, eyes narrowing on Sue. ¡°^You being a fool does not surprise me, Snowmoon, but to let someone like this look after your offspring... You have already learned the consequences of opposing the Pale Lady¡¯s will once, and yet you can¡¯t resist begging for it to happen again.^¡±
Solstice¡¯s buttons were thoroughly pressed, burning her cold resentment into an ever more intense, yet constantly silent anger. Her arms clenched, her body shook, her soul grappled with itself to hide her greatest insecurities from being struck so offhandedly once more. Sue could only keep inching backwards, only pushing past her ¡®freeze¡¯ reaction one tiny step at a time. As her body barely made any progress, her mind couldn¡¯t help but wonder¡ªwas Solanum really insinuating what Sue thought she was?
Was she threatening Solstice and Moonview as a whole with the plague?
The Mayor wasn¡¯t deaf to Sue¡¯s rumination; hearing her own fears being stated so plainly undermined her confidence. And yet, she persevered¡ªthis wasn¡¯t her first time dealing with this particular unwelcome guest. Before she could mount a response or Sue¡¯s panicky mind could force her legs to run, though, they and all onlookers saw someone turn the corner from behind Solanum. Someone whose appearance the younger Forest Guardian most definitely did not recognize.
Their humanoid build was much bulkier than her own or Sundance¡¯s, without crossing into Willow¡¯s kind of chubby. They were the most human-like out of any locals Sue had seen yet, but the general build was mostly where the similarities ended. Their short coat was vibrant yellow, gleaming in the sunlight and making it rather difficult to look at them. A thick white mane surrounded their neck, looking as plush as it did feral¡ªand so did the pointed, triangular ears. Tiny eyes and massive nose completed what Sue could make of their head, making them look old, especially in tandem with a slightly hunched posture.
A brief glint of something metallic wrapped around their arm snagged Sue¡¯s attention and wouldn¡¯t let go. At least, not until she noticed the yellow stranger¡¯s attention being similarly enraptured with her, if briefly. They physically reeled back at the sight, only regaining composure after Solanum glanced at them from the corner of her eye and shook her head.
Solstice speaking up once more cut off any further examination of the newcomer. ¡°^If you think I will let your fanaticism hurt anyone here again, Solanum, you are sorely mistaken.^¡± She then turned to face the newcomer as they took a stand beside Solanum. Her expression and mind alike jumped haphazardly between regret, sadness, and hope, before once more returning to her anger-hardened determination.
Hardened further mere moments later.
¡°^Snowmoon, dear,^¡± the newcomer psychically spoke, his voice soft and weathered, ¡°^you have maintained this insane facade for so very long. Does your heart not ache to return home? To atone for your transgressions before the Pale Lady, to restore your honor in her eyes?^¡±
Home?
It was only then that all the pieces fell into place for Sue, leaving her gasping quietly under her breath as her mentor flinched. Flinched, and narrowed her eyes at the yellow psychic, her mental voice sharpened by hurt. ¡°^I am home, Luneth. And you are trespassing.^¡±
The words were what the onlookers needed to turn lively, either approaching the newcomers or backing off from the scene entirely. It was enough for Solstice to drop her fierce mask for but an instant, to finally address Sue once more¡ªand hurry her away. ¡°^Sue, to Sundance¡¯s den, please.^¡±
To their shared relief, the nudge was just what the younger Forest Guardian needed. She backed off a step, and another, before finally breaking into the fastest jog she could manage with full arms and an even fuller mind, stumbling through the side streets while Joy dashed behind her, crying out as she tried to keep up. The words exchanged moments prior echoed through her mind, growing ever more deafening with each repetition, bringing forth not just idle disagreements but active threats if she¡¯d understood them right.
Have they really threatened us all? Is this a prelude to an all-out attack?
Any worries Sue once had about the Forest Guardians¡¯ destructive capabilities came back in full force, the effortlessness with which Solanum had forced her way into her thoughts nauseating in hindsight. Sue was used to Solstice and Sundance overhearing bits and pieces of what was going on in there now and again, but this was different; this was malicious, almost intense enough to leave her on the ground¡ªand it wasn¡¯t even anything physical! Solstice could lift her entire body up with ease; who says that someone stronger than that couldn¡¯t tear her apart with sheer force on a whim? Or scorch her with the fire magic her mentor had shown bits of in the past, or kill her in any other of the uncountable ways this terrible world was capable of¡ª
¡°S-Sue!¡± a dry, shrill scream rang out from behind her, stopping her mid-step.
Her heart skipped a beat as she turned around, watching as Joy finally caught up to her on the verge of tears, immediately clinging to her leg. She wanted to do something to comfort her, anything, but between her own fear and the urgency in Solstice¡¯s command, she wasn¡¯t sure what she even could do.
Pushing her already overworked mind further, she haphazardly linked it with the metal girl, whispering as she kept her voice as calm as she could. ¡°I¡¯m here Joy, I¡¯m here. I¡¯m sorry for running, but¡ªbut we need to keep moving. Sundance¡¯s house isn¡¯t far, and once we¡¯re there, we can rest, but now we need to walk some more, okay?¡± Worries swirled in her head, about what the little one would think of her, whether that remark would cause any further panic in itself and how she¡¯d even deal with it if it had. But, for once, her worries were unfounded.
Joy nodded shakily as she let go of Sue¡¯s leg, fidgeting hands holding each other with her guardian¡¯s out of range. She was still scared, but Sue was clear¡ªthey had to keep going. ¡°Thank you, Joy. I love you,¡± Sue whispered, sharing relief with the little one in response to those three oh-so-important words.
As she picked herself up, she gently placed a hand on Twinkle''s disguise to check how they were doing. They felt rattled and withdrawn, only daring to extend a single tiny tendril to hold her and pulling it back immediately once she took her touch away. Comet kept clinging tight to her shoulder, nervously looking around to try to spot the threat everyone else was so afraid of.
Motivated to get the little ones to safety, Sue looked skyward, scanning what she could make out of the neighboring skyline in search of the vixen¡¯s den. It wasn¡¯t in sight yet, but a few structures within sight of it were, and that¡¯s where Sue¡¯s attention was focused. Before long, she was walking steadily again, with Joy keeping up beside her and putting on the bravest expression she could manage in all her fear.
Her mind was about to return to its earlier pondering, to imagining everything terrible the strangers¡¯ arrival could foretell¡ªbut it wouldn¡¯t get to do that. Right as her heart began to calm down, it was kicked into a higher gear again as an obstacle appeared before her in time it took her to blink, right as she was about to turn the corner.
The dark green limb was shaped like an arc, with a point on one end and a distressingly familiar three fingered hand on the other. Whether its outer edge was sharp, Sue neither knew nor ever wanted to find out, especially with it sticking horizontally in the air at her neck level, the pointed end striking the nearby bricked wall hard enough to leave cracks.
And even more so with the rest of the person revealing themselves soon after.
Sue took a half step back as they followed their arm around the corner, their slow, nonchalant movements giving her the terrifying feeling they¡¯d been waiting for her. They easily had a foot on her, and that didn¡¯t even include the gray protrusion at the top of their head¡ªtheir Forest Guardian head. However used to her kin¡¯s red eyes Sue might¡¯ve been, the stranger¡¯s glare rekindled all her earlier fears and more.
Neither their different, bulkier build, nor the different hue of their skin even registered in Sue¡¯s mind¡ªtheir dimly glowing blue tattoos and crimson eyes captured her attention whole, filling her with more and more terror. Their focused expression turned into a sinister, gleeful smile as they took her in, leering at her as if she was a juicy piece of meat on display. Terrifying as that was, though, it soon turned into something else, something worse¡ªdisgust.
¡°^I have no idea who you are,^¡± they began, their low, gruff voice dripping with contempt, ¡°^but you best have a reason to be touching my nephew.^¡± Their grimace only deepened as they examined her tattoo-less body, her discolored hair, the patterns carved into the pleats of her dress, her psychic ineptitude.
The Limb Eater behind her.
¡°^Especially with that filthy beast behind you.^¡±
Sue gasped as she suddenly felt her head be grasped strongly enough to leave her with a headache. The sound didn¡¯t even register to her, though, not with Joy¡¯s pained cry occupying every fiber of her being. She wanted to act, to do something except inch backwards away from the stranger, to repel the threat. But she couldn¡¯t.
She pried her eyes away from the encroaching threat for but a moment, trying to make sure the metal girl was okay¡ªand found her grasping her front head with her tiny arms, tears running down her face as she shook in place; the dandelion once tied into her curl laying torn to shreds beside her.
A low, amused chuckle tore her eyes away from the little one¡ªand brought her face to face with the tall stranger, now so close to her the tips of their red horns were almost touching. They¡ªhe¡ªcontinued, expression shifting to grim amusement at seeing Sue¡¯s terror, ¡°^Someone like you has no business touching a blessed child. The Pale Lady would be reviled to hear that.^¡±
Sue¡¯s and Joy¡¯s mental anguish continued as Comet cried out, inadvertently feeling his friends¡¯ pain. The stranger only shot him the briefest flash of disgust before he grew quiet, little body shaking as he clung to Sue. ¡°^But, who knows, maybe there¡¯s hope for you if you just give him up and let me claim you, you filth,^¡± he threatened, despair blossoming in Sue¡¯s body in response. She could barely breathe at the nauseating undertones in his words, trying desperately to come up with words only to be unable to.
He slowly reached his hand towards her face, as if to cup her chin, ¡°^So, what do you say? The Pale Lady always welcomes more offspring to bless¡ª^¡±
*crACK!*
The sudden sound, paired with the stranger¡¯s gasp of pain, broke through Sue¡¯s stasis. She skittered back, half kneeling and half collapsing on the trodden path as she pulled Joy in close, the psychic headache finally fading for both of them. With Joy in her arms, Sue finally looked up to see what had happened¡ªand saw Lilly reeling back her leg; the stranger¡¯s knee now twisted at an unnatural angle.
With a quick dash, the dancer slid in between Sue and her attacker, arms raised up in a guard as she whistled loudly. Her stance was steadfast, but even it began to shake once the stranger recovered from and processed her strike; earlier disgusting flirting replaced with seething fury. Sue saw Lilly slightly bow her head as it shook, almost as if it was being forcibly moved, her whistles not letting any pain through.
The stranger shouted, ¡°^How DARE YOU lay a hand on the Pale Lady¡¯s chosen, you reta¡ª^¡±
¡°^Nightbane.^¡±
Solstice¡¯s voice froze everyone on the scene as she walked past Sue, leaving the younger Forest Guardian and her friend sighing in relief. Sue wasn¡¯t sure if the earlier situation had grown even worse or if it was because of the now-named Nightbane, but her mentor¡¯s fierce resentment had become something else, molten into a raging fury so vibrant she was only barely stopping herself from lashing out with utmost force.
It might¡¯ve been only barely, but Solstice was still stopping herself¡ªand Nightbane knew that. ¡°^Well well well, look who finally decided to greet her brother,^¡± he taunted, slowly talking backwards as he stared smugly at her. ¡°^Perhaps I really shouldn¡¯t have expected any better than thrusting your own children to a pit for a Limb Eater to dine on! Maybe expecting anything from you, Snowmoon, was just me being foolish~.^¡±
¡°^Begone,^¡± the Mayor boomed, fierce enough to send chills through even Sue despite the words having been aimed away from her.
And Nightbane felt them too, his composed facade fading for a moment to reveal genuine worry¡ªthough it didn¡¯t last long. ¡°^You¡¯ll regret this, Snowmoon~.^¡± Without skipping a beat, he backed off behind the corner he¡¯d originally crept out of before breaking into a limping run, leaving everyone else staring in shock at the spot he¡¯d been in moments before.
It was only after a minute or so, long after neither Sue nor Solstice could sense him anymore, did anyone dare to move again.
Lilly took the first step, turning on a heel and crouching beside Sue, pulling her and all the children she was trying to comfort into as gentle an embrace as she could. Solstice followed suit shortly after, shivering as she assessed the situation¡ªand focused on Joy, the little one still whimpering quietly. She gave the metal girl space, sitting down beside Sue before slowly reaching a hand towards Joy as her psychics carefully pulled Comet out of Sue¡¯s hold. With her child in her arms, she properly linked everyone gathered, including one little one off to the side that was only now catching up with her big sister, and focused to soothe any pains they all might¡¯ve been feeling.
Joy panted deeply as the last of her psychic headache was dispelled. She clung to Sue, confused and scared. Twinkle also felt better, but that was more so because of all the chaos and noises finally easing out, letting them finally dare reach out a single tendril and wrap it around as much of Sue and Joy as they could manage. Comet received the tightest hug Solstice was capable of; any of Nightbane¡¯s stray mental influence washing off into quiet tears as wordless reassurance flowed freely from his mom.
For a few moments, the scene remained quiet, passersby aside, with Lilly and Solstice waiting until they were sure Sue and the little ones were alright. It was the younger Forest Guardian that finally broke that silence, tears streaking down her face as she held Joy tight, whispering, ¡°Y-you¡¯re beautiful, Joy, y-you¡¯re not a¡ªnot filth, I-I promise...¡±
Sue wanted to scream at what she¡¯d just been subjected to, at the unspeakable fear that she was about to become a statistic¡ªbut Joy took priority, now and always. The little one took her time calming down, with each repetition of her guardian¡¯s words, each gentle touch undoing a little bit of her earlier terror. Alas, she would never be granted full release from it; she would never be allowed to forget this¡ªbut at least this way it wouldn¡¯t haunt her every night for months at a time.
At least, so Sue hoped.
She wanted to do more, to promise Joy that nobody would hurt her as long as she was around¡ªbut she couldn¡¯t. After all, she had already lied like that to her at least once. Reality just stepped in and proved how little she could really do to stop harm from coming to those she loved; why would she lie like that again?
She didn¡¯t look up as she felt someone else join their little huddled group, their aura not entirely alien to her, but hardly one she knew well. It was only when the tiny newcomer whistled, ¡°What happened?¡± did she finally look up at them¡ªat her, recognizing the little plant bud child from around the place.
Didn¡¯t realize how similar she and Lilly look, at least face-wise.
Petal¡¯s question helped break the shell-shocked stasis the group was in as Lilly took her into her arms, shaking her head. ¡°Not know, Petal. Bad person, mean and want attack Sue¡ªand know Solstice,¡± Lilly realized, perking up as she looked at the Mayor. Emotions stirred in her at the realization, everything from anger at Sue and the little ones having been mistreated like that, to despair at her having only barely managed to do anything, to fear at it all possibly happening again.
Lilly needed answers, and Solstice had them. ¡°Who that was, Solstice!?¡± she asked, raising her voice more than intended and regretting it immediately afterwards.
The Mayor flinched at the hostile¡ªbut not wholly unearned¡ªtone. She didn¡¯t want to talk about this; she didn¡¯t even want to think about any of what had just happened¡ªbut Lilly deserved to know. Sue deserved to know, to be aware of just how rotten the tree that had borne her mentor was. ¡°That,¡± Solstice began, out of breath, ¡°...that was my family. My mother and father earlier at the clearing, and¡ªand now, my b-brother,¡± she explained, only barely keeping herself from letting fury consume her again.
The leafy dancer and child both gasped in unison at the revelation, Joy whimpered quietly, and Sue... softly nodded. The pieces haven¡¯t been exactly difficult to piece together, even if it took her mentor¡¯s clarification to fill in some of the remaining holes. In hindsight, with what Solstice and Sundance had told her, she wasn¡¯t surprised for them to have acted the way they had¡ªat least, not on a detached, logical level.
On an emotional level, on a level where she had a hard time imagining how people like that existed despite rationally knowing they did, she was shrieking in confused pain. Not wanting to dwell on either that or her own powerlessness, she forcibly shook her head, redirecting her thoughts to a more productive territory. ¡°Wh-why was he¡ªwhy were they here?¡± Sue asked, her warbling voice making both Lilly and Solstice slide closer.
To their shared chagrin, her mentor didn¡¯t have anywhere near as much an answer as she wanted to. ¡°I don¡¯t know what or who compelled them to show up right now, with everything else going on, but it seems they want the same thing as always,¡± she explained, wincing at recalling their previous visits. ¡°They¡¯ve been trying to pressure me to come back to my tribe, or to at least ¡®give back¡¯ my children for as long as I¡¯ve been here.¡±
That much made sense with what Sue had seen so far, but one part of Solstice¡¯s explanation stood out to her, immediately inviting further worry. ¡°W-wait, they¡¯ve been here before?¡± she asked, aghast.
Solstice silently nodded. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve lost count of how many times they have taunted me like this, how many times they¡¯ve shown up demanding I give in to their ways. Has to be close to a dozen by now. I thought that after they showed up last time, a few months after¡ªafter the plague struck, they would finally decide to leave me alone. But... they seemed to be aware of Comet. I¡¯ve no idea who or what clued them in, but if I get my hands on them, I¡¯ll¡ªno, no, I¡ªI¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know what came over me,¡± she lied.
It was Sue¡¯s turn to administer much-needed comfort. She laid her free hand on her mentor¡¯s shoulder, giving her as confident a smile as she could manage. ¡°I-I¡¯d say your anger is more than understandable, Solstice.¡±
¡°Lilly always told me to be open with feelings!¡± Petal added, her words sounding like an even higher-pitched version of Lilly.
¡°Very, yes!¡± Lilly assured.
The Mayor slowly nodded as she took the reassurance in, culminating with a weak sigh. She wanted to be better than this, to not descend to her family¡¯s level, but that was always easier said than done. ¡°I suppose,¡± she offhandedly replied, changing the subject. ¡°At least one comfort in all this is that they¡¯ve never accomplished anything more than sowing doubt here and there. I doubt that¡¯ll change, especially after what you¡¯ve accomplished yesterday, Sue, but I¡¯m... I¡¯m still a bit worried.¡±
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Warmth filled Sue at her mentor¡¯s comment; the resulting moment of brief bliss transferred to the little ones in her arms with as gentle a touch as she could manage. To be commended on something like that felt good on its own, to have Solstice do that felt¡ª
No. Not the time for that.
¡°No worry here!¡± Lilly beamed, scooting up to Sue with Petal in her arms. ¡°They rude and mean, listen nobody.¡±
¡°I¡¯d like to think that, yes...¡± Solstice sighed. She opened her mouth, about to continue to finish the thought, before stopping herself and taking a deep breath. Lilly was right¡ªthey wouldn¡¯t be eliciting any sympathy this time, and a much better choice of action than worrying about ¡®what ifs¡¯ was to ensure that fact with their actions. ¡°You¡¯re right, Lilly. Many in Moonview have already seen and had the displeasure of interacting with them in the past, and for those that haven¡¯t... I suppose talking to people and giving them a heads-up about my family would help ensure their rhetoric won¡¯t get its hooks in people.¡±
The dancer nodded with her entire body. ¡°Like that I,¡± she exclaimed, about to stand up and get to spreading the word before remembering she had a Forest Guardian to comfort. Sue was still clearly rattled after what she¡¯d been through, and Lilly was not under any illusion that a few moments of physical comfort would be enough to wash it all out of her mind, but she still wanted to do what she could, here and for everyone else.
Sue, meanwhile... deeply appreciated Lilly¡¯s presence. She leaned on her more and more by the minute, hoping she wouldn¡¯t notice. Even beyond Solstice¡¯s motherly protection, Lilly¡¯s willingness to protect her even while putting herself in danger was comforting. It was something Sue had no wishes of ever being put to the test again, but seeing it be backed with action only blossomed more feelings towards the leafy farmhand inside her.
Lilly did notice Sue leaning on her¡ªbasically right away, even¡ªbut knew better than to do anything but silently smile at that.
As they all finished getting a grip on themselves, a chirped voice from nearby picked up the discussion. ¡°By Night Mother¡¯s feathers, you can count on me too, ma¡¯am Solstice! If that bunch ever try laying a hand on a child again, stars be my witness that mere glaring will be the last thing on my mind!¡±
Sue might not have recognized the speaker by ear even remotely, but the moment she looked up at the nearby roof, her eyes immediately filled in the villager¡¯s identity. The blue cloud bird wasn¡¯t someone she had any particular feelings about before yesterday, but after seeing the way they¡ªshe looked at her at the playground, she wasn¡¯t sure whether she was capable of anything better than slight animosity towards them.
Still, the bird clearly stood by what she¡¯d said, even after noticing Sue and awkwardly looking away from her afterwards, an apologetic expression struggling to find the right words. Solstice noticed the weird atmosphere between Sue and the caretaker, but shook it aside, choosing to thank her instead. ¡°Thank you, Cirrus,¡± she weakly smiled.
¡°Not a problem, ma¡¯am Solstice! After what that brute had done to poor Joy, my wings are positively itching to dispense a dragon¡¯s justice!¡± Cirrus sang.
As Sue wracked her head, trying to figure out which between the lanky blue bird and a small mobile cloud had anything to do with dragons, her mentor let out a faint chuckle. ¡°I appreciate the sentiment, but I strongly doubt it¡¯ll ever be needed. For all their threats, intimidation, and combat prowess, they¡¯re much too cowardly to ever openly fight with how badly outnumbered they¡¯d be.¡±
The gathered adults nodded more or less in unison. Sue was the most hesitant, noticing the unspoken ¡®but¡¯ in Solstice¡¯s words¡ªa ¡®but¡¯ that then grew in intensity in her mind, bringing with itself fear, and a lot of it. She scooted closer to the Mayor, wanting to reassure her that her logic checked out and that her family was unlikely to take the entirety of Moonview on. And then; she stopped¡ªsomething was off. This wasn¡¯t that kind of fear; this was something deeper, more visceral, less of a conscious worry, and more of a flashback.
Solstice shook as she looked Sue and Lilly straight in the eye, her telepathic voice wavering. ¡°^Wh-whatever you do, do not let Nightbane c-corner you alone. Scream, thrash, fight¡ªdon¡¯t let him.^¡±
Of the two, only Sue knew what her mentor might¡¯ve been implying, blood draining from her face. She wanted to speak up, ask Solstice if she was alright¡ªbut her mentor spoke up first, forcibly washing the traumatic subject from her mind as she addressed Cirrus again. ¡°S-still, thank you, Cirrus. I-If possible, talking to people you know and trust would be preferable, just letting them know what¡ªwhat Nightbane and the rest of my family had done.¡± Without skipping a beat, she then took a deep breath and stood up, gradually calming down as she instructed, ¡°^Let¡¯s get going. I doubt sitting here will do us any good, especially since there¡¯s an outfit for Twinkle to be made. Eh, Sue?^¡±
Sue was almost dizzy from following her mentor¡¯s turbulent emotions, trying to focus on her suggestion instead. After Nightbane¡¯s actions, she didn¡¯t want to let go of Joy for preferably the next forever, and neither did the girl want to let go of her with how tired she now was, but her weight, combined with her guardian¡¯s weakness, made getting up something of a challenge.
A challenge that Lilly helped them with without skipping a beat, lifting Sue onto her legs before she could even think to ask her. Fluster was the last thing Sue expected to be feeling after what had just happened, but she couldn¡¯t deny appreciating that emotional distraction. ¡°Th-thank you, Lilly,¡± she giggled quietly, to the dancer¡¯s delight.
¡°Welcome, you!¡±
As they got going, an idea struck Sue, one just a few moments too late. She had neither the physical reach nor the mental dexterity to pull it off at the moment, not with both her hands occupied by the metal girl. The older Forest Guardian didn¡¯t skip a beat before giving her a psychic hand, swiftly unwrapping the dandelion from her hair before tying it into Joy¡¯s, replacing the torn flower. Joy didn¡¯t outwardly react to the gesture, and Sue considered asking her to thank Solstice for that, but this wasn¡¯t the time for that.
Still¡ªthanks, Solstice.
To Sue''s relief and chagrin alike, she wasn''t the only one worried about the girl in her arms. Now that the earlier tension had eased out, Twinkle dared reaching out from their hiding spot once more¡ªand extended their affection towards Joy, an inky tentacle gently holding her leg.
With the air temporarily cleared, keeping it free from earlier tension was paramount¡ªand for that, they needed a distraction. ¡°Lilly,¡± Sue spoke up, the leafy dancer slinking up to her side before she could finish taking a breath, ¡°is Petal your sister, or...?¡±
¡°Sister, yes!¡± Petal squeaked, sending Lilly into whistling giggles.
¡°Are you two from around here?¡± Sue continued. She wasn¡¯t sure which of the answers she was expecting more, but between asking about the place her friend had come from and asking about who in the village she was related to, either answer would¡¯ve provided more than enough to talk about.
To her surprise, Lilly took a moment to think through her words, the plant bud in her arms looking up at her expectantly. ¡°From far, think I. Not all sure.¡±
That... wasn¡¯t an answer Sue was expecting, a tingling in the back of her head making her follow that thread. ¡°Well, what was that place like?¡±
¡°Oh, it was a big mountain field!¡± Petal cut in, her big sister twirling as they both thought back to what they once called home. ¡°Very big and calm, a-and there were many of our kin there! Really safe.¡±
¡°That sounds quite idyllic,¡± Sue muttered, keeping her reactions low-key enough to not give any hints towards her own secrets. ¡°In that case, why¡¯d you come over here¡ªi-if that¡¯s alright for me to ask, of course, you don¡¯t have to¡ª¡±
¡°Worry not, Sue, can answer!¡± Lilly reassured, briefly pulling the Forest Guardian into a gentle, one-armed hug. ¡°Can answer, but... not know, think I.¡±
If Lilly¡¯s earlier responses had caught Sue¡¯s attention, this detail left her staring at the leafy dancer hawk-eyed, trying her hardest to keep her shocked expression to a minimum. ¡°Y-you don¡¯t know why you left?¡± Sue asked, her voice wavering. She caught Solstice looking over from her own mental struggles to pay attention to the discussion taking place, the similarities to Sue¡¯s circumstances not lost on the older Forest Guardian.
¡°Not all know,¡± Lilly clarified. ¡°Other my kin angry, remember I, then me and Petal left. Not remember walk here¡ªPetal very very small, me angry. Anger make bad memory.¡±
And she doesn¡¯t remember how she got here either...
Sue wasn¡¯t expecting her best lead in the mystery of how she was brought here to be the farmhand her heart was growing closer to by the moment. It was an exciting possibility, but also one that risked putting Lilly off if she were to ask too many, too prying questions¡ªand that¡¯s without even considering the risk of revealing her own secrets. With that in mind, Sue went back to an earlier topic, hoping to spot more parallels between herself and her friend. ¡°Y-yeah, it¡¯s really not. D-do you think your f-family is worried about you and Petal?¡±
To Sue¡¯s relief, Lilly¡¯s reaction was very light-spirited¡ªbut also a bit mortifying with how confident her head shaking was. ¡°No, think not! There, no family like here. Many many my kin everywhere in big mountain grassland. Everyone help everyone, everyone care everyone. Who parent who, not know.¡±
...
Well, there goes the possibility of her having once been a human.
¡°I-I see,¡± Sue pretended, the actual mental image not sitting right in her mind. Some of her confusion was caused by the less-than-precise phrasing on Lilly¡¯s end, but even beyond that, trying to imagine what she had described proved challenging. Collectively raising children was one thing, but to the degree that nobody even knew who anyone¡¯s parents were just felt... wrong to her human sensibilities. Even with her emotional reaction being as strong as it was, though, she wasn¡¯t under any delusions that she was the best judge of how a wholly different, entirely non-human species raised their offspring.
It just felt... odd.
Though, now that she¡¯d thought some more about it¡ªmostly against her will¡ªSue couldn¡¯t help but ask about an earlier detail. ¡°If everyone was helping each other, then why were others of your kin angry at you?¡±
As unphased as Lilly was about the earlier questions, this one finally touched on something she was much more self-conscious of, an almost imperceptible shudder going through her body. Sue may not have had a hand to spare at the moment, but she did the best thing she could in the heat of the moment, walking up to the dancer and offering her a warm smile. ¡°I promise, you don¡¯t have to answer if you don¡¯t want to.¡±
¡°Can answer,¡± Lilly insisted, straightening her back and scooting closer to the Forest Guardian, her presence helping her regain confidence. ¡°Think just my talking. Not talk good here, not sing good there. Not keep tune anywhere. Not like me others. One day I take Petal and run¡ªthink I.¡±
Sue nodded firmly. Guess that explained why Lilly felt so insecure about the way she talked. There were still many question marks in her recollection of the events, many similarities the once-human would love to prod at some other time, but they didn¡¯t have the time for that¡ªSundance¡¯s dwelling was finally coming up ahead.
¡°Ooo, we here!¡± Lilly cheered¡ªand sighed in disappointment, turning around to face Sue again. ¡°Sorry Sue, need run for duties! Help harvest, gather food for N-new¡ªnight town,¡± she elaborated, struggling with the village name until finally admitting verbal defeat.
Any disappointment Sue might¡¯ve felt at her crush friend taking off was immediately overshadowed by the explanation of what she¡¯d be doing today, though. ¡°W-wait, you¡¯ll be gathering crops for Newmoon?¡±
¡°Indeed,¡± Solstice answered for Lilly. ¡°If everything goes right, we¡¯ll have many carts¡¯ worth of supplies for Newmoon by tomorrow morning. Transporting them all there won¡¯t be easy, especially with the only path we know of being barely wide enough for one person, but we¡¯ll figure something out.
¡°And I help!¡± Lilly pridefully added, her chin raised high with her leafy hands on her hips. ¡°Strong, can carry cart!¡±
¡°C-can I come too?¡± Petal chimed in, her quiet squeaks sounding dizzy after being constantly moved between her sister¡¯s arms.
Alas, the lil¡¯ plant bud¡¯s idea was only met with firm shakes of denial. ¡°No Petal, sorry! It long and hard, not with little ones,¡± Lilly explained, defusing her sister¡¯s enthusiasm. A few squealing ¡®pleaseeeee¡¯ that followed had no effect, either. This would all be a challenge as is, and having to look out for kids through it all would¡¯ve made it even harder.
And that wasn¡¯t even the only reason.
¡°I know you want to come along with your sister,¡± Solstice began, giving Petal the warmest smile she could muster after everything they¡¯ve been through today, ¡°but think of Newmoon in all this. I can only imagine how rattled they¡¯ll be just by aid showing up after everything so far, and every person present will only make it all the more overwhelming for them.¡±
That wasn¡¯t an angle Sue had considered either, dampening her own hopes of tagging along. Crutch or not, she wasn¡¯t a fast walker and barely had enough physical strength to keep carrying Joy in her arms. Any serious help with what sounded like hundreds upon hundreds of pounds¡¯ worth of supplies was out of the question.
Solstice had spotted the disappointment in her student¡¯s mind, but before she could talk to her about it, Petal finally had a reply to the adults¡¯ explanation¡ªa slow, somber nod. ¡°I see... sorry.¡±
¡°No sorry, Petal! Will tell everything in night town! Now need go, bye Solstice, bye Sue!¡± Lilly replied, giving the Mayor a brief wave before turning towards Sue, about to sneak in a smooch on her cheek¡ª
Only for the Forest Guardian in question to end up having the same idea. They were locked in a brief but intense kiss before Lilly regretfully dashed back, spinning in place in elation as her cheeks burned bright red. ¡°Eeeeeeee, I-I¡ªbye!¡± She was gone within moments, booking it behind the nearest corner in blissful fluster; Sue only prevented from following in tow because of the two exhausted children in her arms.
Comet¡¯s giggle at the silly emotions in the air helped everyone¡¯s psyches, too.
No matter how winding their path here had been, they had arrived at Sundance¡¯s dwelling. The stairs leading up to it were just as treacherous as they felt the first time, not inspiring much confidence in Sue after she¡¯d calmed down. Solstice was eager to help, wordlessly embracing Joy and Twinkle in her gentle aura after untying the latter from Sue¡¯s chest¡ªonly for the former to squirm and whine even as she was about to fall asleep.
They might have gone along with it¡ªor, more likely, not known how to stop it¡ªbut Twinkle wasn¡¯t a fan of being separated from their guardian, either. They futilely tried to reach towards Sue with their black tentacles, their squeaks quiet and distorted. Aided by Solstice¡¯s translation, Sue spoke up, trying to calm them both down. ¡°Hey, hey, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. I just need to get up these stairs, and I¡¯ll be back with you two again.¡±
Solstice moved Twinkle within the reach of their guardian as they were being comforted, helping motivate them to endure that brief stretch without Sue. Unfortunately, her words weren¡¯t as effective with Joy, the metal girl clinging to Sue¡¯s shoulder even as she fought on against her tiredness. It was an impasse the younger Forest Guardian didn¡¯t mind waiting to resolve itself in theory, but her arms were starting to complain big time.
A sudden buzzing from down the road was the last thing Sue wanted to hear as she wracked her mind about how to calm Joy down, but the identities of the newcomers provided some much-appreciated balm for her strained mind.
Basil was as energetic and upbeat as ever, hovering right before Sue, what was probably buzzed greetings remaining untranslated. Splitleaf wasn¡¯t far behind, looking relieved to have found their group, even if the reason wasn¡¯t immediately clear. The scene was a bit overwhelming, and Sue could tell Solstice was about to extend her translation to include the two lovable insects¡ªwhich is why she cut in, shaking her head. ¡°H-hey, wait Solstice, I¡ªI¡¯ll handle this. They want to talk to me, right?¡±
The Mayor blinked, taken aback before slowly nodding. ¡°^Are you sure, Sue?^¡±
Not really, but I don¡¯t want to miss out on the opportunity to practice.
¡°Y-yeah. Y-you can take Twinkle upstairs, a-and I¡¯ll talk to them.¡±
Solstice was unconvinced but didn¡¯t try to argue, carefully holding the small ghost as she made it up the stairs and into Sundance¡¯s den. If the many woofs filling the air were anything to go by, both foxes were home. The younger Forest Guardian slowly sat down on one of the lower stairs, sitting Joy beside her to free her arms as she prepared for a reprisal of her magic trick.
After double-checking that the metal girl wasn¡¯t about to yank on one of her arms and cause a reprisal of her embarrassment from a few days ago, Sue went for it. Her left hand tuned out the surrounding emotions while her right hand repeated its crutch grasp, extending one mental tendril out of her skull at a time and carefully navigating them first to the bee, and then to the mantis.
Judging by the lack of agonized buzzing and anger in her immediate vicinity, it seemed she¡¯d pulled it¡ª
¡°Sue Sue you okay? Not sleep Sue, mom want fix your horn wound,¡± Basil buzzed, the hum of his wings moving all over the scene before zipping right to her free side.
The Forest Guardian took a deep sigh of relief, opening her eyes to smile at the two bugs, catching Splitleaf rolling her eyes at her son. ¡°She not sleeping, Basil. Doing psychics, my guess. Hello, Sue, can hear us?¡± the mantis asked, growing palpably relieved at the firm nod that followed. ¡°Good, good. Willow tell me about injury. Sensitive, my bandage better. Can try change?¡±
Sue only needed a quick glance down at her wounded extremity to realize just how necessary a change of bandages was. The sight had turned from worrisome to unsightly¡ªespecially with the chubby medic leaving them untouched yesterday morning. She didn¡¯t see any bandages in Splitleaf¡¯s possession, but had assumed she was just keeping them hidden somewhere. ¡°S-sure! Thank you for the offer, Splitleaf.¡±
¡°Problem not,¡± the mantis reassured.
As she unwound the bandages already there, making Sue wince while comforting the girl beside her, Basil took it upon himself to satisfy his curiosity about the big event yesterday. ¡°Sue Sue, what yesterday happen so loud and glowing and you did! Wonder how!¡±
¡°Aye. Everyone in hive talk about it at night,¡± Splitleaf followed up.
Sue felt a bit self conscious about being the talk of the town as she desperately tried to gather words. To her chagrin, words kept not coming¡ªbecause she had no idea what exactly had happened there either.
¡°Yes yes yes! Look like Night Mother talk you, strong and bright and good good!¡± the bee geeked out, leaving Sue feeling even more flustered than before.
His mom might¡¯ve just weakly chuckled at the idea that yesterday¡¯s outburst was in any way divinely inspired, but the Forest Guardian herself wasn¡¯t sure either way. ¡°Truthfully, I¡ªI don¡¯t know,¡± Sue admitted, catching both bugs¡¯ attention. ¡°It was a really long time coming either way. If it really was Her, then...¡± she trailed off, looking up at the barely visible moon in the corner of the daylight sky, ¡°then I want to thank Her for setting things straight again.¡±
¡°How it feel when shouting and angry and glowing?¡± Basil asked, swooning at the idea of his silly friend being a vessel for divine will.
¡°The angriest I¡¯ve ever been,¡± Sue chuckled, the admission catching the other two aback. ¡°It¡¯s like when you get so angry you can¡¯t see straight anymore. I was already there, and then I got angrier and angrier, I panicked, and then... that happened, and it was just a blur.¡±
¡°Guess it only right for Mother to anger sometimes,¡± Splitleaf chuckled before returning to her work. Sue felt that remark well, looking down at Joy and reminiscing about how angry she felt when it looked like that bat kept wanting to make her miserable¡ª
And then; she spotted what the caretaker was actually doing with her horn.
To the best of Sue¡¯s tattered knowledge of biology, mantises weren¡¯t capable of spinning silk. It was a fact that Splitleaf decided to conveniently ignore, carefully weaving the thick pearly thread around the shallow cut. It didn¡¯t feel anywhere near as disgusting as Sue would¡¯ve thought from the description alone. The silk wasn¡¯t putting any additional pressure on the sensitive tissue, either. If it worked, it worked¡ªSue just hoped it was sterile, though.
...
Pretty please.
¡°Anger no anger, glad you did, Sue!¡± Basil buzzed, taking Sue aback with a buzzing embrace and dragging her attention away from the mantis. ¡°Excited tomorrow, help Newmoon help Ginger too! Talk yesterday fun, want more.¡± Before she could respond in kind, though, he was already gone, to her disappointment.
¡°Ginger good sort, aye,¡± Splitleaf added, effortlessly moving the ever-weaving thread to the bite-sized cuts on her arms each time she had to talk. ¡°Glad have stockpiles important items.¡±
¡°Yes yes! Tomorrow tomorrow ahhh, excited! Never think I live important times,¡± Basil sighed¡ªand finally spotted the metal girl beside Sue. ¡°Oh, Joy sleep?¡±
A quick glance confirmed his observation. Joy had indeed dozed off in the meantime, to Sue¡¯s relief. She kept her close, nodding softly as she explained, ¡°Yeah. We ran into N¡ªSolstice¡¯s family, unfortunately...¡±
¡°Solstice family?¡± Basil tilted his head. ¡°That not good?¡± he asked, unsure, inferring based on Sue¡¯s tone.
¡°Ugh, them,¡± Splitleaf grumbled, getting up from her finished work. ¡°Nasty. Stay away, Basil¡ªdon¡¯t want you hurt.¡±
¡°Wh-why they hurt me?¡± the bee asked, excitable voice noticeably wavering. His mom sighed in return, about to gather words¡ª
*woof, woof!*
Only for Spark to cut her off, rushing down the stairs¡ªand leaping right into Basil¡¯s arms, taking Sue aback. She watched as the two of them exchanged affection to whichever extent their differing anatomies let them, uncertain where it¡¯d come from. She¡¯d seen them be friendly in the past, sure, but this felt like more than just acquaintances.
Splitleaf wasn¡¯t blind to her surprise, buzzes sounding like giggles as she explained, ¡°They always play when little,¡± clarifying almost nothing. Sure, Spark wasn¡¯t an infant anymore or anything, but she was still firmly a child, whereas Basil had always given off the impression of being an adult. He even had children, for crying out loud. The mantis wasn¡¯t done with her explanation yet, though. ¡°Don¡¯t look it, almost same age. Basil... one Moon older Spark.¡±
¡°Two!¡± the bee cut in as if his honor were on the line.
¡°One, two, ten, still my baby,¡± the mantis laughed, forcing the most embarrassed buzz out of Basil Sue had heard yet.
It was all immensely amusing, though the Forest Guardian couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit bad, still. If Basil was an adult despite being the same age as Spark, didn¡¯t that mean his lifespan was much shorter than hers would be? She supposed it made sense; insects weren¡¯t known for their long lives, but... she still felt bad about it.
Sure, random chance shaping people¡¯s lifespans was just as true in her old world, but there, living into your sixties was a relatively safe bet anywhere, infant mortality aside. How much time did Basil have left if he was already an adult at around five years old? Ten? Fifteen? Nowhere near enough either way.
Though... it certainly wasn¡¯t bringing him any despair at the moment, and focusing on the happiness in the scene would only do Sue good, too.
¡°Basil, gonna go?¡± the mantis beckoned, prompting her son to place the fiery kit down on solid ground and finally follow her. ¡°Care Sue¡ªplease rest, let wound recover, let you recover. Okay?¡±
Won¡¯t hurt to try that, yeah.
¡°S-sure,¡± Sue nodded, smiling as she watched the bug family head out. With them gone, she finally got her overdue share of affection from the fiery kit, her excited woofs remaining untranslated. After she¡¯d gathered the strength to stand up again with Joy in her arms, Sue finally made it the rest of the way upstairs, her legs definitely appreciating a moment of rest.
Inside, Sundance was laying in the bedding part of her dwelling, rifling through the drawers and boxes in her workshop and psyching out everything that looked like it¡¯d be useful for the crafts project at hand. Fabrics, needles, thread, dyes, oils to impregnate the material with after they were done, and more. As she gathered her supplies, Twinkle and Comet intently observed the spectacle from beside her. The former¡¯s spectral limbs were carefully examining the small patches laid out before them to test which of them felt the most comfortable to the touch.
A few feet away, Solstice sat in the chair usually reserved for her friend, calmly enjoying her tea as her mind worked on overdrive, chewing through everything that had happened today and what it could mean. It took until Sue had closed the front door behind herself for the Mayor to finally notice her having caught up, extending the translation to her and giving her a weak smile. ¡°^How¡¯s the new bandage feeling?^¡± she asked telepathically mid-sip.
¡°As if it¡¯s not there at all,¡± Sue remarked, the gentle numbing effect of the silk making the constant aching almost completely ignorable.
Hearing her voice finally stirred Sundance from her impromptu inventory check. The older vixen winced as she looked over her shoulder and shot her a reassuring expression, with just a hint of concern. ¡°Good morning, Sue,¡± she greeted, her voice much less weak than yesterday. ¡°I hope you¡¯re doing alright after what happened earlier.¡±
Comet was happy to hear her too, squealing in her direction and considering waddling over before choosing to stay beside his little ghostly friend.
¡°Awww. I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m okay now, I think,¡± Sue sighed. ¡°I¡¯d rather not think or talk about it much if it¡¯s alright.¡±
The older vixen firmly nodded. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s your call. Feel free to rest Joy beside me. Something tells me she¡¯ll enjoy the warmth,¡± Sundance smirked.
Before Sue could even take another step in her direction, Solstice was already helping her out, carefully hovering the little one to rest wrapped in the vixen¡¯s warm tail as she slid up the free chair over to her pupil, saving her those few steps. Spark, however, was confused about what her mom and friend had just talked about. She asked, ¡°What happened, Sue? Are you¡ª*ow*¡ªokay?¡±
¡°Sue just answered that she¡¯d rather not talk about it, sweetie,¡± Sundance chided.
Sue¡¯s attention, however, was more so on the wince that had left the younger fox. She chuckled as she sat down, half joking and half guessing, ¡°Hey Sparkie¡ªis everything alright? Did you pull something while running towards Basil?¡±
¡°Noooooo,¡± the kit insisted, wasting no time leaping onto her friend¡¯s lap. ¡°I felt like that all¡ª*ugh*¡ªall day, I don¡¯t know why.¡± Regardless of where her aching had come from, Sue was keen on comforting her as much as she could, careful pets relaxing the little fox as the stone den returned to its earlier silence.
Leaning back into her seat once more, Sue tried to take a hint from Joy and Spark and sink into the surrounding serenity. To let herself fully relax after everything she¡¯d already been through, after having to go face-to-face with Solstice¡¯s family¡ª
But she couldn¡¯t.
The events she¡¯d witnessed were awful, and she¡¯d rather forget about them, but... the words continued to linger in her mind. The threats towards Moonview as a whole and Comet in specific, the hatred towards them all, towards Solstice, towards her. And, of course, the mystery at the center of it all,
¡°Solstice,¡± Sue whispered, pausing as she saw the Mayor wince quietly, ¡°why did they call you ¡®Snowmoon¡¯?¡±
Spark woofed at her in confusion, the vulpine sound making Sue realize she¡¯d been taken out of her mentor¡¯s translation¡ªprobably for the best, considering the topic. Off to the side, said mentor sipped on her tea and tried her best to keep her son from noticing the shift in the room¡¯s emotions, eventually finding the courage to admit to her untruths. ¡°^¡¯Snowmoon¡¯ is my... real name, the one that had been given to me when I received my blessings.^¡±
Sue nodded slowly, having vaguely pieced together that much. ¡°I see. Would you want me to call you¡ª¡±
¡°^No, please no,^¡± Solstice insisted, a flash of fear shooting through her face. ¡°^I¡¯d like you to continue to use ¡®Solstice¡¯, please. ¡®Snowmoon¡¯ is... a deeply hateful name, one I do not want to represent me. I-I can only hope m-me refusing to use it doesn¡¯t bring on the P-Pale Lady¡¯s anger...^¡±
¡°^It does not, Solstice,^¡± Sundance reassured, taking the other two aback as she continued to calmly sort through her supplies.
Still, Sue was confused. ¡°What makes it hateful?¡± she whispered.
¡°^In¡ªin my tribe, each full Moon had its own sacred name, and the traditions associated with it. Snowmoon is the name for the full Moon of freezing winter. When life is still, land is barren, and the world is little more than white ground and blue sky. On the day of the Snowmoon, our warriors would head out far and wide to scour the land and strike the night kin when they were at their weakest, bereft of strength and starving¡ªand it is these hunts I was named after.^¡±
The once-human could only sit there in shock as she processed Solstice¡¯s words; her tribe being so vile they had named her after an act of genocide. It was all the explanation she could ever need, only whispering a quiet ¡°Thank you¡± afterwards, her understanding appreciated deeply by her mentor.
Thankfully for everyone, the mystic of the house knew just what to do to redirect everyone¡¯s heads toward less oppressive subjects. ¡°^Alright, I think this is everything,^¡± Sundance spoke, making sure the little bag ghost in particular understood her words.
¡°^Now, the question¡ªwhat do you want to look like, Twinkle?^¡±
Chapter 28: Shape
The assortment of fabrics, threads, and dyes was dazzling, and to say that Twinkle was overwhelmed would be an understatement. They didn¡¯t have the time to investigate even half the sights before them by the time Sundance¡¯s question arrived, impossible to answer in its vagueness.
Both in how much it encompassed, and because of the tiny ghost¡¯s limited communication.
Sundance wasted no time focusing on the link between herself and the obscured being, eager to help them make as informed a choice as possible. Her determination burned bright¡ªbut it had little fuel to go off, especially without the leftover adrenaline that had helped her yesterday evening. Both Forest Guardians immediately sensed her strain, Solstice giving her a mental hand soon after. She chuckled under her breath. ¡°^Goodness, it¡¯s like trying to touch fog.^¡±
Sue exhaled through her nostrils at the remark, trying to reassure the lil¡¯ ghost that everything was going alright. Her mentor continued, much more clearly this time, ¡°^Hello, Twinkle! Now, how to go about this... oh¡ªhave you chosen a fabric you like yet?^¡±
Now that was a question Twinkle both understood much better and which they had the ability to actually answer. They scooted along in their disguise, inky tendrils touching many patches at once as they examined the stunning selection. Beside them, Comet was also playing around with the patches, babbling at all the different textures as the ghost settled upon something.
Or rather, many somethings.
Sue was taken aback as their spectral limbs stretched many feet out, bundling many samples together into a haphazard pile. As good as the ghost themselves felt at finding all those things they liked, the adults¡¯ expressions faded as they watched them pick up more and more patches of fabric. Eventually, they settled on a stack half their size and with over a dozen different choices. Cotton, linen, silk¡ªthey had everything there, with the only trait most of their picks had in common being a yellow or yellow-adjacent coloration.
They like yellow, hmm. Worth keeping in mind.
As much as Solstice appreciated her son enjoying himself and the tiny ghost bundle patting their choices in satisfaction, this wouldn¡¯t help them much. She wracked her brain, trying to figure out how to ask them to narrow down their selection¡ªonly for Sundance to step in. The fox swiped everything Twinkle didn¡¯t select off to the side and laid out their choices in a neat grid. She smiled at the ghost, a blunt claw tapping on each misshapen patch before them. ¡°Alright. Which of those feels the nicest, Twinkle?¡±
Another question, and this time they even knew the answer! The little ghost squeaked at the happy realization, bounding toward the smallest patch and repeatedly poking it with their tentacle. Sundance wasn¡¯t surprised by their choice, psychicing the off-white rectangle into her paw. ¡°Silk, eh? Good choice, I¡¯d say. We¡¯ll definitely need to ask Dewdrop for more, but that can come later.¡±
Sue leaned back in her seat at the mention of silk, Spark mumbling quietly on her lap as her stream of affection was interrupted. On a rational level, she knew silk was neither modern nor even that much of a challenge in a village full of mutated insects¡ªas evidenced by the very similar-looking patch covering her horn. Still, the word was associated with poshness in her mind.
If there was anyone who had earned a bit of luxury, it was Twinkle, so all was well.
Even beyond that, silk didn¡¯t strike her as being the most durable material. Certainly not something that would endure being in use around the clock, which... Twinkle needed, for better or worse. Before she could bring up the concern, she watched Sundance tilt her head towards her and shoot her a knowing wink before addressing the little ghost again. ¡°Alright, so this will be the part of the inside, what you¡¯ll be touching. We¡¯ll use something else on the outside, something tougher...¡±
The vixen¡¯s gaze swept over the selection again as Twinkle scooted closer, left rather confused by her tangent. There was a limit to how much someone so tiny could understand, and Twinkle was right on its edge. Sundance was well aware, tapping a claw against one of the linen patches before snapping her fingers. ¡°Alright, I have an idea. Now, where¡¯d I toss that thing...¡± she mumbled as she closed her eyes.
The two Forest Guardians felt her aura probe around the corners of the room, its motions jerky and unwieldy. It went through drawer after drawer, having harder and harder time finding the unnamed item in question. Solstice leaned forward in her seat, telepathically asking, ¡°^What are you looking for?^¡±
¡°^Metal octagon the size of your hand,^¡± Sundance explained, her focus faltering as the bundled ghost scooted closer and closer to her fluff.
Increasingly louder rattling filled the vixen¡¯s dwelling as Solstice focused harder and harder, uncertain why it was so hard to pull that item out. Before the mystic could suggest anything, her friend went for the brute force option. Her eyes lit up with a flare as she lifted everything in the workshop corner of the dwelling up and away from the wall¡ªand whisked away the item in question, freeing it from its prison behind one of the drawers.
Sundance blinked, uncertain how the trinket could¡¯ve ended up there. ¡°How in the world... huh. Much appreciated, Solstice.¡± She then gently tapped on Twinkle¡¯s outfit to catch their attention as she lowered the freshly retrieved item to their eye level, hovering over a couple of yellowish patches of linen beside it. ¡°Now, Twinkle,¡± she began, bringing both patches to their outfit and laying them on the ghost¡¯s sides as she drew their attention to the mysterious item. ¡°Which color do you like more?¡±
The item turning out to be a mirror made sense, but its appearance... didn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t framed in wood or stone like almost everything in Moonview, didn¡¯t have any decorations in thread or fabric. It appeared to be made entirely out of metal, brass outer rim surrounding the central reflective circle. She could spot cracks and imperfections in the mirror even from her vantage point, but they paled in significance to the item¡¯s very existence here.
Still, there was fashion to be done first.
Twinkle stared at their own reflection, jolting as they watched the clothed blob in the mirror move in tune with them. The realization brought them not a small amount of discomfort, almost making them hide on the spot¡ªbefore Sundance reached in with her paw, covering the central part of the mirror and only leaving the two patches visible. ¡°My apologies. I should¡¯ve guessed seeing yourself like this would be uncomfortable. Still¡ªwhich color do you prefer, Twinkle?¡±
The choice between lemon yellow and wheat yellow was a difficult one, especially with added stresses of being acutely reminded of their own appearance. Eventually Twinkle settled on the latter, shakily clutching the small patch. The material was chosen¡ªnow for the shape, and nobody was under any delusions that figuring that out wouldn¡¯t be the hard part of this entire undertaking. Sundance sighed, sliding away everything but the correct patch of linen and the bit of silk chosen earlier. ¡°How we will figure out the form, I am unsure.¡±
This time, Sue knew just what to do. If they would be designing something for Twinkle, then they¡¯d have to sketch it out first. She suggested, ¡°Maybe we can draw it for them? Ask them one thing after another to see if they like it.¡±
Drawing on paper was decidedly not the wheelhouse of either of Sue¡¯s mentors, but they could see the utility in that approach. The vixen focused on a small pot in the corner of the storage corner, levitating out a single page of very dry paper and unfurling it on the ground before her, almost snapping it in half as she did so. ¡°Let¡¯s try that, then! Twinkle, come, let me draw some ideas...¡± Sundance began, taking a deep breath as a stick-shaped piece of charcoal joined the paper in front of her¡ªbefore leaping to the page¡¯s other side the moment Comet spotted it.
The sketching that followed¡ didn¡¯t go well.
Sue grew increasingly concerned as the makeshift pencil twitched in the vixen¡¯s mental grasp, its lines jagged and much longer than intended. Sundance wasn¡¯t blind to her mind not being the best suited for fine detail, soon trying to replace it with her paw¡ªonly for the results to be even worse.
The once-human didn¡¯t want to impose or come off as bragging, but... she could do a much better job than this. ¡°Maybe I could try? I have a lot of experience with writing.¡±
For a moment, she felt the vixen¡¯s mind reject her offer out of a knee-jerk impulse, about to double down on trying to do it alone¡ªbefore catching itself and relenting with a tired sigh. ¡°If you say so, Sue. Here, let me...¡± Sundance muttered, moving everything needed to the part of Sue¡¯s lap that wasn¡¯t being occupied by Spark. A thin plank to lay the page down on, paper, charcoal, the patches, and one small ghost, surprised by all the motion but happy to find themselves on their guardian¡¯s lap again.
To her immense dismay, the fiery kit had to vacate her current resting spot, groaning as she hopped off and curled up on the ground next to her friend.
Without an eraser, Sue couldn¡¯t quite undo the mess the older vixen¡¯s attempts at drawing left on the page. With a bit of effort, though, she incorporated them into an improved sketch of what Twinkle¡¯s current outfit looked like. A plain bundle, tied with two knots at the top, and with a couple of small holes for them to look and reach out through.
Despite her drawings being many, many levels of complexity away from the standards of even the most backwater art school on Earth, they still ended up catching Solstice¡¯s attention. It was one thing to draw quickly and nicely enough¡ªit was something entirely different to do so without any psychics, with only physical fine motor control to rely on.
Guess human hands really are special, huh?
¡°Alright, this is how you look like right now, Twinkle.¡± Sue explained, tapping the ghost¡¯s current sketch with a black-stained finger. Considering their reaction to the mirror earlier, feeling them shudder and withdraw further into her at her words was entirely expected. And yet, it still left her feeling sadder afterward. The emotion was undercut knowing that she was helping them overcome that discomfort, but not entirely erased. ¡°Alright, if you¡¯d rather look different, then... how about this?¡±
After they¡¯d gotten over their shudder at seeing themselves again, Twinkle scooted along Sue¡¯s drawing arm, watching as she came up with a similarly blob-shaped outline, but one that was also much taller. Their guardian didn¡¯t even have to ask to sense their disapproval, stopping mid-stroke to tap idly on the brittle paper instead, struggling for ideas.
Though, for once, the ghost themselves pushed through to put their desire into words, weak and whispered. ¡°Head...¡±
The word drew the attention of all three women¡ªincluding the older vixen, increasingly feeling the call of the same exhaustion that had knocked out Joy. Sue nodded intently, lifting the charcoal stick and scribbling three tiny outlines at the top of the page. One with their current blob-shaped base and a head attached on top of it without any neck, another with a short neck like Spark had, and a third with a longer one, like her own.
Attaching a head on top of their outfit would be tricky either way, though. If the openings of their baggy bundle were on top, then that¡¯d make it much harder to attach anything there. Ideally they¡¯d do so at the bottom, but¡ª
Before Sue could continue that thought, she glanced at Twinkle to get a feel for their current proportions¡ªand blinked at seeing them clinging to her arm upside down, with the bag¡¯s openings at the bottom. They seemed to have no issue with that, observing her drawings through the small hole in the fabric. They then turned around to look up at her, briefly scared of her having accidentally seen them again.
That simplified things.
¡°Okay, which of these three do you like the most, Twinkle?¡± Sue asked, pointing at each doodle. She couldn¡¯t even finish showing them off before Twinkle settled on the neckless sketch, tapping it repeatedly with their tentacle. Their guardian beamed, drawing a larger version of the chosen outline, now with the opening for locomotion at the bottom. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re big enough to fill all this in unless we make it really small, so you¡¯ll need holes to see through.¡±
¡°Next, what would you want for the head¡ªoh, Sundance, could I take a look at that mirror?¡± Sue interrupted herself, catching the vixen¡¯s attention right as she was about to stash the trinket in the depths of her workshop again.
Sundance blinked at her drowsily before nodding in return, her orange glow pale as it hovered the thick-rimmed mirror into Sue¡¯s waiting hand. Twinkle shied away from it¡ªat least until she turned the reflective side firmly away from them, the inability to see themselves calming the ghostie down again.
Which Sue was very glad for, considering the wealth of inscriptions on the mirror¡¯s back side.
She wasn¡¯t as na?ve as to let herself believe she¡¯d suddenly found a human artifact in this world after so long. Still, having that idea be crossed out still felt just a bit disappointing. Human or not, the materials it was made of still implied a much more sophisticated knowledge of metallurgy than anything Patina and her little workshop could hope for in her dreams. The reflective part was made of a metal that didn¡¯t quite look like the silver mirrors she was familiar with, marred by a slight brown tint. It sure came much closer than anything she would¡¯ve guessed could exist in a pre-industrial world.
The reverse was made of what looked like solid brass. It was corroded at the edges, but no less impressive because of that. Its outer rim was filled with geometrical engravings that Sue could only guess were supposed to be a writing script of some sort, one slightly less overwhelming than Moonview¡¯s own language¡ªbut only just. Each... symbol was very dense, made of upwards of a dozen straight lines and as many tiny circles, reminding Sue of Chinese at a glance. It contrasted greatly with the sigil at the center, looking oddly like a modern logo with how simple and elegant it was.
An outer ring, covered in a very thin layer of gold that had almost entirely faded away by now.
Three silver-ish, parallel stripes inside of it, intertwining at the edges.
Sue just barely stopped herself from asking questions about the trinket right away, instead first sketching yet another set of doodles for Twinkle. They showed off a few different ear shapes she was familiar with, with an additional option for no ears on their costume¡¯s head whatsoever. As the little ghost pondered, their guardian asked, ¡°Sundance, where did you get this mirror from? It doesn¡¯t look... uh...¡±
¡°Doesn¡¯t look primitive enough to have been made in Moonview?¡± the vixen smirked, chuckling at the brief flash of embarrassment that went through her pupil at her joke. As Sue calmed down and Solstice got a good look at the mirror herself, their mentor and friend explained, ¡°I¡¯m quite sure I bartered for it in Central City a few years back. Though it wasn¡¯t made there either, got it from a traveling merchant.¡±
That was an answer, but it didn¡¯t come close to scratching the itch of Sue¡¯s curiosity¡ªand the vixen could tell. ¡°As to who actually crafted it... I believe they name themselves ¡®Golden Sky¡¯, or something to that effect. I¡¯ve picked up bits of information about them here and there, but am unsure how much of it is hearsay.¡±
The phrasing took Sue aback as she added large triangular ears to her sketch, moving onto doodling several arrangements of limbs. ¡°You¡¯ve never interacted with them in your travels? Are they not around anymore, then?¡±
¡°^I think they¡¯re just not on this continent,^¡± Solstice chimed in, latching onto the discussion as a means of distraction.
Sundance nodded. ¡°To the best of my knowledge, that¡¯s correct. They aren¡¯t on our landmass, and if they were, we¡¯d be very aware of it.¡±
Sue raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is something wrong with them?¡±
¡°I doubt a civilization this massive isn¡¯t hiding something repulsive underneath their facade, based on the places I¡¯ve visited¡ªbut that¡¯s not what I meant. They are incredibly numerous, and from what I¡¯ve heard, eagerly spread their influence far and wide. As to why nobody on our landmass has crossed paths with them yet, aside from a few traders insane enough to cross the seas to and fro? Beats me.¡±
Her pupil nodded along with her words, imagination taking her for a ride as she tried to come up with an analogy for her own world. She wondered if this was how it felt for people far, far from the Roman Empire to interact with their items, if briefly. To be a rural community in present day Scotland or Finland, for whom Rome and its grandeur must¡¯ve sounded more like a myth than a real place, and get their hands on an item that didn¡¯t just prove that Rome was real, but that it was also far more technologically advanced than what they could make.
Hilarious, especially considering the divine meddling in her dreams.
It was one thing to be kidnapped from her world, to be thrust into a conflict between deities central to the largest civilization around, with the fate of the entire world at stake. It was something entirely different to have gotten whisked away into what must be an utter backwater in comparison, all that just to play divorce counselor for two bitter deities.
Come forth, glorious hero from another dimension, you must come to Earth to save it from a catastrophic divine conflict! Which of the many grand and breathtaking cities will you be sent to, you ask? Oh, hero, you are going to Dumfries, population thirty-three thousand¡ª
¡°^...Sue?^¡± Solstice asked, worried at the younger Forest Guardian having spent the last ten minutes with an increasingly silly expression as her drawing hand tried to sketch gods-know-what in the air.
¡°Oh¡ªuh, sorry,¡± Sue mumbled, blinking as she grounded herself to the amusement of everyone around her. Everyone except Twinkle, that is. The little ghost grew worried that their repeated pokes at the sketch featuring simple, relatively stubby paws made their guardian upset with their choice.
To their relief, it wasn¡¯t the case at all, as shown first by Sue sketching their selection down, and then by holding them tight, stroking the top of their disguise. Both she and they needed it. As fun as it was to drift off into imagined absurdities and giggle at her own bad jokes, she had an increasingly excited little ghost on her lap, eager to look like someone again. ¡°I¡¯m here Twinkle, I¡¯m here.¡±
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
As Twinkle held her close and she stretched her hand, Sue took another look at their sketch so far, finding it... broadly complete. Sure, much of the detail was still missing, but they were getting close to finished as far as the outline went. Two segments, triangular ears, and short decorative arms. What else could they even add? Sue smiled, happy with the results so far. ¡°I think we¡¯re almost done.¡±
¡°Oh oh, can I see?¡± Spark yawned, stretching on the floor beside her friend and standing up on her rear legs to get a better look at the sketch. To her body¡¯s relief, the drawing was lowered to her soon after, letting her examine the messy arrangement of various small sketches¡ªand notice something was missing. ¡°Awwh, Twinkle doesn¡¯t want a tail?¡±
...
Right, tails exist here.
¡°I knew I forgot something,¡± Sue lied, chuckling in as non-awkward a way as she could manage as she scribbled another row of doodles. Each of them had all the details that had been chosen so far, but with a slightly different tail poking out from behind their disguise. Cat-like long and thin ones, dog-like shorter and fluffier, Spark¡¯s large and bushy¡ªeven a thick reptilian one like Astra or Ginger had.
Satisfied with the selection provided for the hauntling wrapped around her, Sue dared going back to where her thoughts had taken her earlier. ¡°That ¡®Central City¡¯ place,¡± she began, catching her mentors¡¯ attention. ¡°You¡¯ve mentioned it a few times, but I¡¯m not sure how big it is. It kinda sounded important, but now I¡¯m not sure, especially with that ¡®Golden Sky¡¯ land sounding a lot bigger than it...¡±
Solstice giggled. ¡°^Believe me, Sue, it¡¯s a lot less impressive than that name makes it sound.^¡±
¡°I¡¯m quite certain they thought they were the largest settlement in the world when they chose it,¡± Sundance smirked, ¡°but that¡¯s far from the truth, even on our landmass. To the little credit they deserve, you¡¯d have to march for most of a Moon to reach any settlement that¡¯s larger than it, so I can¡¯t blame them too much for coming up with that name. Nowadays, however? No excuse but their ego.¡±
¡°But what is it like?¡± Sue asked again.
Sundance tapped her claw on the stone floor. ¡°Much more sprawled out. It used to be a cluster of villages, each with their own farmland, folklore and traditions, before they unified a hundred years ago or so. Much of that happened by force, and it left relations... strained between what are now different parts of Central City. They¡¯re quite hostile towards each other and any outsider that isn¡¯t able to immediately contribute with their labor.¡±
Oh, it¡¯s just London.
¡°I see. And you went there for diplomatic relations recently?¡±
Solstice nodded. ¡°^Just before you showed up, from what we were told. It might be an... unpleasant place, but its population is still much larger than ours, five- or six-fold if I were to guess. The last thing we need are more enemies.^¡±
*nudge nudge*
Before Sue could continue to probe the topic of Moonview¡¯s unpleasant neighbor, she found her arm being gently pulled on by the ghost clinging to her. She leaned forward with a faint nod, bringing a finger to the choice of the tail and waiting for Twinkle to pick the one they liked¡ªonly for them to not do that. Their guardian waited for a moment, then another, before finally realizing something was afoot. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Twinkle? Can¡¯t choose?¡±
They shook with their whole body at the idea, concentrating as they gathered their amorphous thoughts. ¡°...other...¡± they whimpered, keeping their tentacles close to themselves.
Now that was a development Sue wasn¡¯t expecting. She was the furthest thing from a biologist, but there couldn¡¯t have been too many possible tail types for them to choose, right? She sure didn¡¯t include all of them in her selection, but struggled to come up with anything markedly different that still belonged to a terrestrial animal.
...
Well, there was that pink nightmare bat with a stinger tail. If it was up to Sue, their butt would¡¯ve been kicked off all the way to Mars, but for the time being, they counted as terrestrial. That blue bird they had talked with earlier was an option too with their avian tail. And Willow had something else entirely too, to the best of her recollection...
Oh, bother.
Undeterred, Sue got to sketching all her new ideas for the bag of child attached to her arm to pick from. She encouraged them with gentle taps and eager nods as their inky tentacle moved from option to option¡ªand again, didn¡¯t like any of them. She¡¯d kept a ¡®no tail¡¯ option so it couldn¡¯t have been that, but if not, then what? This world was weird, but there was no way there were that many options as far as tails went.
She hoped so, at least.
Still, it was clear her intuition had run into a dead-end, and she¡¯d need a more informed perspective. Said perspective was struggling to stay awake with no discussion to keep her occupied, but it wasn¡¯t exactly hard to spot Sue¡¯s mind veering towards her, even while this tired. ¡°Something on your mind, Sue?¡±
¡°I¡ªyes. I¡¯m trying to find the right tail for Twinkle, and I tried all the different kinds I could think of, but none of them are what they want. Do you know what they could want?¡± Sue asked, handing the almost full page of sketches to the vixen¡¯s orange psychics.
Sundance squinted at the drawing, mouthing to herself after she¡¯d found the scribbled corner with different tails. And, to Sue¡¯s surprise, ended up similarly confused. As opposed to her pupil, though, she remembered many other species she¡¯d seen, talked, fought and... bonded with, out there in the wild. ¡°Hmmmm,¡± she intelligently began, ¡°try a spiral, a zig-zag, and a segmented one with a large bulb at the end.¡±
All of those sounded more like attributes of Lovecraftian entities than anything that even resembled an animal, but Sue didn¡¯t have the ground to argue. Once she got her hands on the page again, she wasted no time sketching the options¡ªand got a match almost immediately. As dismissive as she¡¯d been to the idea moments earlier, if Twinkle¡¯s reaction was anything to go by, having a zig-zag tail meant a lot to them.
With the tail added, the rest of the details almost filled themselves. A pair of eyes, a simple smile, a few more lines to better separate all the individual parts. Sue hoped that having their default be a warm, friendly expression would help with first impressions. Duck knows Twinkle could use all the help they could get with that. Once the hauntling themselves signed off on the finished design, she would upscale it and copy it on the other, clean-ish side. Still, had to get their approval first. ¡°So, Twinkle¡ªdo you want to look like that?¡±
They erupted in happy emotions before Sue could even finish her question, tapping the finished sketch repeatedly as they wriggled on top of her arm. Their joy soon grew infectious, even catching Spark¡¯s attention. Sue eagerly showed the drawing to the fiery kit, taking in a not-insignificant amount of pride in both the little ghost and the almost-as-little fox being impressed with the quality of her scribbles¡ª
¡°Was this how you used to look like, Twinkle?¡±
The hearts in the room skipped a collective beat at Spark¡¯s question. The vixen herself soon realized her own faux pas too, especially with the lil¡¯ ghost¡¯s reaction being so immediate. They froze mid-movement, letting out a drawn-out whimper as their tentacles shook and withdrew. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry Twinkle, I-I¡ª¡± Spark pleaded, her alarmed woofs only making Twinkle sadder and sadder. Wordlessly, Sue pulled the ghostie into her arms, holding them to her chest as Sundance beckoned her daughter over.
¡°Shhhh, shhhhhh...¡± Sue tried to soothe. Despite how hazy many of their emotions were, their despair was very clear. They didn¡¯t even dare reach out to hold her hand, curling up as tight as they could inside their disguise. They tried to cling close to her, too scared to make themselves seen again¡ªbut she was there for them. She held them close for as long as they needed it, the stability of her heartbeat and regular, warm touch bringing comfort.
Not the same heartbeat they once pressed their cheek against, not the same touch brushing through what used to be their fur¡ªbut just as safe. Just as loving.
On the other side of the room, Sundance was offering much the same comfort to her own child. Spark was hurting less because of what she was or wasn¡¯t, and more so because of having hurt someone else. It was an understandable, innocent mistake¡ªbut one Sundance knew better than to portray as such right away. The point wasn¡¯t that Spark had or hadn¡¯t done something bad, but that her mom was there to reassure and explain, in that order.
Comet was there, too, pausing his uncoordinated play with patches of fabric to snuggle in between the two foxes. Partly because of his friend hurting and him still wanting to help them out as much as he could. But mostly because his de facto aunt was very warm and comfy.
Regardless of each little one¡¯s specific reasons, the comfort they all sought calmed them down bit by bit, the presence of their guardians and parents soothing their hurt. Sue didn¡¯t know what to say to the ghost, the specifics of their situation beyond her capacity to imagine. Sure, her case was similar in broad strokes, but that was it.
Though... maybe that¡¯s all that was needed. ¡°I know it hurts to not be who you once were, Twinkle,¡± Sue whispered, holding them closer and looking them in the eyes through the hole in their disguise. ¡°But no matter how you look or want to look, we love you the way you are.¡±
The little ghost might not have understood every nuance of Sue¡¯s words, even with the best translation Solstice could provide, but they got enough to reach out of their disguise and cling tight to her once more. Even at their firmest, their embrace still felt like it was barely there, but that only made feeling it even more special.
A snarky rational part of Sue¡¯s mind pointed out that the wetness she was feeling on her chest was much more likely to be her own tears and not Twinkle¡¯s, but she gave that outlandish possibility no thought.
As both the hauntling and their guardian calmed down, the two foxes chatted among themselves. Sundance whispered something to Spark, the quiet woofs between them remaining untranslated but bringing them both relief despite that. The same couldn¡¯t be said for the lil¡¯ kit whimpering at yet another ache going through her body, making her curl up closer to her mom. For a split second, Sue felt terror grasp the older vixen¡¯s mind, a possibility so paralyzing in its horribleness it left her speechless¡ª
And then, it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by its almost exact opposite. There was nothing to fear, things would be alright. More than alright, even.
Sue neither knew what was going on there nor wanted to pry, distracting herself and the bagful of child wrapped around her with her sketch once more. Twinkle¡¯s actions had all but confirmed that this creature was how they used to look like, but with that in mind... did they still want to look like this? To be reminded of what they no longer were?
Ultimately, there was only one way to know. She tapped on one of their many tendrils wrapped around her. ¡°Twinkle, do you still want to look like this?¡± she asked, tapping on the mostly finished sketch. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, if you don¡¯t want to.¡±
The ghost outstretched their limb towards the drawing, about to disregard their worries and tap on the drawing after all¡ªbefore stopping in mid-air. It all hurt, and they didn¡¯t want to hurt. They wanted to be this familiar shape, the shape they saw in puddles and streams many times, the shape that shared burrows with them, the shape that played with them in the tall grass. But they weren¡¯t, and to some extent knew that they couldn¡¯t ever be again.
But it was still familiar. It still made them feel happy.
Maybe it could make others feel happy, too.
Sue held the ghost closer as they pushed through their hesitation. They then extended their limb around the entire page and the plank it rested on, pulling them in until they were wrapped around it. Their impromptu embrace didn¡¯t last long, but it was no less needed because of that, palpably soothing their wounded soul. Even after they had let go of the drawing, they were afraid of it being taken away from them, as if they would lose this one thread tying them to what they once were.
Which posed an issue for finishing it, but not a massive one. ¡°Could I get some more paper?¡± Sue asked, carefully petting the bundle of ghost as she tried to memorize everything she could about her cobbled-together drawing.
Sundance closed her eyes to focus¡ªand grumbled, posture deflating. ¡°I¡¯m... afraid this was my last page. Will a plank work as a replacement?¡±
At this point I¡¯m just about ready to draw it on everything and everyone around to make sure it won¡¯t be lost.
¡°Sure.¡±
The moment the thin piece of wood touched her hands, Sue got to sketching, copying her design one stroke at a time. Head and torso, small arms, triangular ears, openings for Twinkle to see out of, the ever-important zig-zag tail, their new face. Everything was there¡ªnow to finish it. Which... Sue had no idea how to do, and any fine details were likely beyond Twinkle¡¯s ability to describe.
Fortunately for them both, Solstice recognized the outline immediately. ¡°^Ahh, I see. Yes, I¡¯ve seen their kin around, though I do not remember any living in Moonview¡¯s vicinity. I¡¯m so sorry, Twinkle,^¡± the older Forest Guardian comforted, extending her hand for the lil¡¯ ghost to grasp on their own terms as the plank was passed to Sundance.
Oh yes, the vixen was well familiar with their kin. Considering the circumstances, it was probably for the best to not bring up them having annoyed her many times during her travels, though. ¡°I recognize them well, yes. Would you like for me to fill in the missing detail, Sue? I haven¡¯t seen much of this particular form, but I remember the broad strokes.¡±
Sue nodded on autopilot, comforting the ghost in tandem with her other mentor¡ªbut something about Sundance¡¯s description still caught her attention. ¡°Why not this form? Is it special?¡±
Sundance sighed. ¡°Less so special, and more so well-protected. That is their hatchling form, tiny enough to hide in tall grass and even small burrows. Maybe their family had hoped there weren¡¯t any ground-digging predators around that could exploit their reliance on electricity for self-defense, and¡ªno, that is crass of me to theorize out loud, I apologize.¡±
Twinkle was thankfully much too focused on calming down to overhear, let alone understand much of Sundance¡¯s words. Sue still appreciated them greatly, though. The explanation brushed against something she had only seen very brief glimpses of in this world, and was eager to find out more about. She wasn¡¯t the most avid of readers, but the trope of a savvy, intelligent (and nearly always white and male) time traveler bringing the knowledge of electricity back to unenlightened masses of civilizations past was one she was well familiar with.
Alas, any ideas of doing so here ran into some fundamental issues. It was almost impossible to do anything useful with electricity without advanced metallurgy and a solid grasp on chemistry, of which Moonview had neither. They¡¯d also need the ability to actually generate said electricity, which wasn¡¯t a given, even with both Twinkle¡¯s old form and at least one local villager having an ability to use it for self-defense. They weren¡¯t milking electric eels back on Earth for a reason.
...
Wonder if that makes electricity one of those fancy ¡®types¡¯? Feels like it should.
Sue wanted to comment on electric abilities being really cool¡ªbut kept her mouth shut, not wanting to rub the ghost¡¯s loss in, even if unintentionally. To the relief of everyone, Sundance soon returned the sketch back to her pupil¡¯s hands, who then showed it to the hauntling clinging to her. Judging by them letting go of the paper drawing to grab the plank of wood, the vixen¡¯s sketch seemed to be accurate.
Of the noteworthy changes was the zig-zag tail and the outer edges of the ears being filled in with black, together with a small spiky collar around their neck. The firm lines at the base of their ears took Sue aback a bit, before she realized they were most likely meant to denote a different shape. Not exactly triangular, but more so arrowhead-shaped.
Those changes made sense, which couldn¡¯t be said about the circles on the sketch¡¯s cheeks. Was that intended to be a blush of sorts? A really strange addition if so. Odd as it was on its own, it made her think¡ªmaybe they could still add something to the outfit to make it truly Twinkle¡¯s? ¡°Thank you, Sundance. Do you all think we should add anything more, something more personal?¡±
The question perked up the two women and Spark alike, shaking the kit out of her earlier gloom. ¡°Oh oh oh¡ªhow about a nose? It doesn¡¯t look like they have a nose right now,¡± she woofed, about to describe her own nose¡ªbefore her mom stopped her.
¡°Spark, sweetie, to the best of my memory, Twinkle¡¯s former kin didn¡¯t have a prominent nose.¡±
The kit tilted her head. ¡°But why not? Won¡¯t it help them smell better?¡±
Sue and her mentors blinked in unison at the idea, their shared confusion prompting Comet to fill the air with a drawn out, confused squeak. ¡°^Spark, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it works,^¡± Solstice explained calmly, trying her hardest to keep her emotions away from her face.
¡°Awwwh... but what if?¡±
Sundance chuckled, catching her daughter¡¯s attention. ¡°Spark, I reckon it¡¯s best we don¡¯t try. You¡¯d feel very weird if you suddenly woke up with a very different nose, wouldn¡¯t you? I feel the same would happen to Twinkle if we just... added it on.¡±
Now that was something the smaller fox could empathize with, trying to not let it get to her. ¡°Awwh, okay. But maybe something pretty instead? Oh oh, like... like... agh¡ª*ow*¡ªI can¡¯t think of anything...¡±
¡°Maybe the Pale Lady¡¯s blessing tattoos?¡± Sue giggled¡ªand froze almost immediately, realizing how ill-timed her humor was. She dreaded to look at the other Forest Guardian, fearing her abortion of a joke had at best plunged her into sorrow and at worst infuriated her. Either way, a swift apology was the best thing she could do. ¡°Umm, s-sorry Solstice, I¡ª¡±
¡°^You¡¯ve done nothing wrong, Sue, worry not,^¡± the Mayor reassured, her somber tone betraying her words. Sue didn¡¯t feel any better at hearing it, hand twitching as she searched for the right words to say. Solstice could tell, elaborating soon after. ¡°^I mean it, Sue. I¡¯m not offended, it¡¯s... *sigh*, your idea isn¡¯t bad¡ªshouldn¡¯t be bad, at least.^¡±
Sue¡¯s attention was now firmly pulled away from despair, instead focusing on what her mentor really meant. She looked at the Mayor, wincing at her conflicted expression, her own shame clear on her features. Shame, worry, and indecision, the latter partially alleviated as Solstice glanced at her best friend for reassurance, delivered with a confident nod immediately after.
¡°^These markings should be everyone¡¯s bond with the Pale Lady; you¡¯re not wrong, Sue. That they had been wrested from the other kin, stolen by Forest Guardians, and turned into a graven symbol of our so-called superiority over others is¡ªit¡¯s abhorrent,^¡± Solstice mumbled, chewing through many years¡¯ worth of thoughts on this very issue. ¡°^To think they even keep it from their apparent allies, that they kept it from da¡ªf-from Luneth, my father, because of his different kin... loathsome.^¡±
Sue found herself leaning towards the other Forest Guardian in her seat, nodding along with her words. This wasn¡¯t her faith, not really, and hearing Solstice¡¯s opinions on how it was being used and abused reassured her she wasn¡¯t somehow gravely misreading the situation. The Mayor needed reassurance from time to time, her expression twisting and threatening to withdraw into shameful deference¡ªbut each time, the vixen would step in.
Anything to make up for the one time where she wasn¡¯t able to.
¡°^And the things they use them for, the kinds of people they are bestowed upon... I doubt Solanum has ever uplifted another person through her actions in her entire life. And Nightbane...^¡± Solstice began, digging through her mind for words¡ªbut there weren¡¯t any. There was only ever a wound deep in her psyche, only a few dozen Moons younger than herself, excruciating to so much as acknowledge. Her face twisted as her hand grasped the armrest of her chair, anger building up on itself until it threatened to lash out at everything around¡ª
¡°Solstice.¡±
Hearing her name be spoken jolted the Mayor out of the traumatized spiral her psyche was all too eager to send her down, the fury that had already built up leaking out as tears. This wasn¡¯t the time for this; this wasn¡¯t something Sue or anyone else should be involved in. Before the younger Forest Guardian could speak up to offer whichever reassurance she could, Solstice continued, forcibly pushing past that mental hurdle. ¡°^Their¡ªtheir markings have only ever been symbols of allegiance to our tribe, not to the Pale Lady, not to anything she stands for. Hell, if we were to treat the markings the way they ought to be, as a sacred bond with the Pale Lady after earning them through virtuous acts, then Sue would¡¯ve earned them more than Solanum and Nightbane taken together.^¡±
As the Mayor wound down from leftover anger and other emotions, her pupil could only sit there, stunned at her words, uncertain and afraid of how much they were truly meant. A part of her wanted her to elaborate, needed it¡ªbut the rest of her overruled it.
This isn¡¯t meant for me.
Solstice sensed the turmoil in Sue¡¯s mind¡ªand stepped around it, no less scared by it all. ¡°^Either way; is that everything on the sketch, Sue? If so, then we could head out to get all the material we need for it from Dewdrop.^¡±
Before Sue could answer, Sundance chimed in from her end, her expression betraying her worry about the exchange that had just taken place. At least before she shook it off, returning to her usual level-headed confidence. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate some more paper, if you could. Will come in handy.¡±
¡°^Of course. Do you have any estimates for how much of each fabric will you need?^¡± Solstice asked, pushing through the tension in the air.
¡°I¡¯d say... a piece of silk the size of both your hands, and four... no, five times that of pale yellow linen. Oh¡ªand ground charcoal from Patina.¡±
They had their impromptu shopping list; it was time to head out. Sue was torn between wanting to head out to get some fresh air, and hesitating to stay beside Solstice, worried about the reprise of their first training session together. One of those impulses was stronger than the other, though, and with the other Forest Guardian doing her best to push past that ill-fitted remark, she figured she could do that, too.
As Sue got up from her seat¡ªto the immediate complaint of her recovering leg¡ªTwinkle clung to her, no less willing to let her go now than they had been earlier, especially after their harrowing revelation. Neither did Sue want to leave them alone after all that, wordlessly securing them around her chest as she watched Spark scramble over. ¡°Do you¡ªyou want to go with us?¡± Sue asked, hoping to Duck the kit wouldn¡¯t acknowledge the crack in her voice.
¡°Yes!¡± Spark woofed excitedly, only for her confidence to fade. ¡°But... but...¡± she whimpered as she looked over her shoulder at her mom, afraid to leave her alone so soon after she¡¯d come so close to losing her.
¡°^It¡¯s okay if you¡¯d rather stay with your mom, sweetie,^¡± Solstice reassured, putting on a smile that was only partially forced.
¡°Yeah!¡± Sue reassured, kneeling beside the lil¡¯ fox to dispense some more affection. ¡°I can¡¯t blame you one bit after what your mom has been through, Spark. I¡¯ll be alright, promise.¡±
It was all the reassurance the kit needed, nuzzling her tall friend¡¯s hand, then leg, before doubling back and huddling in close against her mom, well on her way to join the drowsy fates of Joy and Comet. With one last round of soft waves and goodbyes, it was finally time to go.
To run away from the ever-gnawing thoughts.
Chapter 29: Dissonance
The return to fresh air didn¡¯t have anywhere near as large an effect on Sue¡¯s mental state as she wished it had.
A light gust left her shuddering as she followed Solstice down the stairs, resting one hand on the wall of Sundance¡¯s dwelling, just in case. Her injured leg hurt a bit with each step, but she managed. Between the uneasy discussion at the vixen¡¯s house and the earlier scares, the ever-winding worries made it hard to focus on bodily sensations.
Neither Forest Guardian was oblivious to their shared troubles, either. And yet, they remained silent, hesitant to look at each other in their current state. Praying under their breaths that the murk coiling inside their heads would just slither away on its own in time. Anything but facing it. Facing each other.
Thankfully, they wouldn¡¯t be sentenced to a silent death march¡ªnot with the door to the dwelling downstairs from Sundance¡¯s den opening right as they got going. The younger Forest Guardian paid little attention to the movement in her peripheral vision, eager to get this done with as fast as possible. The older one, though, wanted to check up on the craftsbug just heading out of his house. ¡°^Good afternoon, Kantaro.^¡±
The familiar name finally grabbed Sue¡¯s attention, redirecting it onto the bipedal beetle carrying a large chisel and several pieces of carefully cut limestone. His movements weren¡¯t as steadfast as the first time she saw him, but he was managing, to the relief of both of them. ¡°Afternoon, Solstice,¡± he answered, grunting as he corrected his hold on the off-white stone.
¡°^How are you holding up?^¡± the Mayor asked as the three of them got going, the memory of Root¡¯s furious outburst still fresh in her mind.
¡°I¡¯m doing well. The incident at the Pale Lady¡¯s shrine may have hurt my pride and body alike, but I am recovering fast,¡± he added, his occupied hands twitching as if praying at the mention of the lunar deity.
Solstice put on the most confident smile she was capable of, glad to have at least that relief. ¡°^That is great to hear, thank you.^¡±
¡°The knowledge we have avoided the worst helps, too.¡±
Sue shivered, feeling the group¡¯s attention be drawn to her at the beetle¡¯s remark; the ordinarily neutral sensation turned unnerving with everything going around in her mind. She nodded shyly as she held Twinkle closer to her chest. The tiny ghost wasted no time wrapping their tiny tentacles around her hand, squeezing it as strongly as they could. She mumbled, ¡°Y-yeah, we have.¡±
Kantaro continued, ¡°You are a strange one... Shu-eh? Sh-khae? Su-u-eh. I suppose the old truth of the value of an outside perspective is no less true here than it had been back at my hive, though. Even if I would never have thought you fierce enough to stand up to Root, you did so anyway. For that, you have my gratitude.¡±
The praise might¡¯ve been veiled in stiff wording, but as far as Sue could tell, it was in earnest. She hadn¡¯t gotten any better at taking those over the few days she¡¯d been here, resorting to a nervous chuckle and an awkward nod as Solstice spoke up. ¡°^Indeed. If not for her, I don¡¯t know what would¡¯ve happened.^¡± Her voice was slow, regret in it heavy enough for even the mighty beetle to hear clearly. Still, she tried to not draw any more attention to it. ¡°^What¡¯s the status of the broken wall at Her shrine, Kantaro?^¡±
The craftsbug wasn¡¯t a fan of the clumsy misdirection, but the topic being invoked grasped his interest immediately. ¡°To the best of my knowledge, it hasn¡¯t been touched since it fell over. As of now, I have no plans of doing anything with it, or moving it anywhere.¡±
Solstice nodded absentmindedly, glad that at least that mess hadn¡¯t gotten any messier overnight. ¡°^I see. How¡ how difficult would it be to put Night Father¡¯s monument back together, d-do you reckon?^¡± she asked, wrestling with¡ªand defeating¡ªher leftover discomfort with each word.
Sue watched as Kantaro moved his less-occupied arm closer to his stomach, rhythmically tapping his claws against the dark blue chitin as he thought the idea through. ¡°Highly challenging at the best. Between previous weathering and the complex shattering, I imagine I would have to recreate a substantial part of Night Father¡¯s relief. Even that presumes the ability to repair the slab without the result turning unsightly or non-uniform. Furthermore, even discarding all the aforementioned issues, not even I am bold enough to deface Her shrine by removing the other half of Night Father¡¯s old monument.¡±
Not what either the stonesmith or the Mayor wanted to hear, leaving them chewing through the problem in silence. Sue was the furthest thing from knowledgeable about the full extent of the grudges between Moonview and the night kin, but she figured her suggestion wouldn¡¯t be too controversial. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ll have to just ask Newmoon, right? I guess some of them will want a new shiny shrine, but others will just want their old one back, even if it¡¯s not as pristine as it used to be.¡±
Kantaro nodded. ¡°That does appear to be the best course of action, yes. I¡¯ll ask Ginger about it tomorrow after we deliver the supplies.¡±
The change of topic brought the older Forest Guardian out of the uncertain confusion she had been in, forcing a shaky, hurried nod. ¡°^Yes, that¡ªthat¡¯s true. About the supplies, what¡¯s their status with your team, Kantaro?^¡±
¡°Daisy has been preparing stone for Newmoon since daybreak, and the last I checked, she¡¯s still at it. She threatened to tie our limbs together if we bother her, which leaves us preparing lumber in the meantime,¡± the beetle answered, almost sneaking in a chuckle here and there.
Sue¡¯s weary mind didn¡¯t appreciate the mental image of a blue mini-godzilla twisting her spindly body into a pretzel, hurriedly shoving ¡®don¡¯t bother the grandma rhino¡¯ into her mind as Solstice continued. ¡°^How much stone do you reckon we¡¯ll have for Newmoon by tomorrow morning?^¡±
¡°More than we¡¯re capable of transporting.¡±
The Mayor sighed¡ªguess that was the ultimate limit on how much aid they could even hope to provide. ¡°^I see. That¡¯s good to hear.^¡±
¡°In the worst case, we¡¯ll just have to make that trip several times,¡± Kantaro remarked, his expression approaching a smile. ¡°I doubt Granite and his team will mind much.¡±
Considering how affectionate the builders were towards Ginger the last time they got to meet... yeah, that tracks.
¡°^Thank you for your input, Kantaro. Sue, we¡¯re almost at Dewdrop¡¯s shack, it¡¯s just up ahead.^¡±
Solstice¡¯s comment jolted her pupil out of her autopilot as Kantaro continued to walk straight ahead, towards the builders¡¯ current work site. Most of said group was busy cutting wood down to size, even the team members that rarely worked with trees. The sight made Sue realize that, even despite having not interacted with them much, she was familiar with them enough to tell someone was missing. The gray four arms¡ªGranite¡ªwas present, the spiky brown pangolin¡ªHoff¡ªwas present. Even the gray bipedal rhino, their name still unknown, was nearby, chatting with Patina¡ª
¡°Oi, Bedrock, trying to romance everything that moves again? Or angling for Celestica this time?¡± Kantaro hollered, his low tone cutting through the crowd. Neither his fellow workers nor Patina spared the rhino their amusement as he grumbled under his breath. Sue was uncomfortable with the situation for as long as it took her to sense that the now-named Bedrock didn¡¯t really mind, taking the ribbing in stride.
Guess a sensible chuckle wouldn¡¯t be out of line here.
As the two Forest Guardians giggled and the bagful of ghost attached to one of them grew confused, the older psychic realized there was someone missing from the scene. Nothing she would mind normally¡ªthe less she had to micromanage people, the better. Still, having anyone be missing when the rest of their team was diligently working on Newmoon¡¯s supplies was... odd. ¡°^Hmm, where¡¯s...^¡± Solstice cut herself off, rocking her head as she tried to recall the youngest builder¡¯s name, to no avail.
It was only at that point that Sue also noticed the absence of the last member of the builders¡¯ band, the insect-looking robot that acted weirdly apprehensive towards Ginger. Even putting aside their odd appearance considering how little metal there was to be found elsewhere in Moonview, their past actions got Sue just as focused as her mentor, scanning her surroundings¡ª
¡°Oh, Chisel?¡± Kantaro cut in. ¡°She¡¯s... away, somewhere.¡±
The four-armed Granite perked up at the mention of his crew member. He stilled the saw in his many arms before speaking up, voice like a rock slide, ¡°At the mill, boss! Been carryin¡¯ all the wood scrap there for paper makin¡¯!¡±
The beetle nodded with his entire body, satisfied. ¡°That makes sense. That answers your curiosity, Solstice?¡±
¡°^Yes, thank you. I suppose it wouldn¡¯t hurt to head over there ourselves later and fetch the paper Sundance asked for,^¡± Solstice added, voice unfocused.
With the last question answered, the two psychics parted ways with the craftsbug, exchanging a handful of waves each towards the builders¡¯ squad. If their responses were anything to go by, though, there was one Forest Guardian they were much more enthusiastic about, and it wasn¡¯t the Mayor. Fortunately, the realization couldn¡¯t quite worm itself into either Sue¡¯s or Solstice¡¯s psyches.
Both of them were already full of other unprocessed junk.
Dewdrop¡¯s shack turned out to be larger than the choice of the name implied, though not sturdier. With all the walls made from long, thin branches weaved between wooden beams, it looked just about insecure enough to be blown off the face of Moonview with one firm gust. It wasn¡¯t its outside what the group was interested in, though. Solstice gently knocked on the door before backing off a step and a half, with Sue following in tow.
Having the opportunity to brace herself for the red spider¡¯s appearance helped immensely in preventing another freak out on Sue¡¯s end. The impulse to hit the legs once Dewdrop had opened the door and peeked out from under the top of the door frame remained as strong as ever, though. He greeted, ¡°Good afternoon, Solstice, Sue, ...unknown guest on Sue¡¯s front. How may I help?¡±
As Sue looked down at Twinkle, realizing they¡¯ve been holding her with their tentacles for a while now, Solstice picked up the conversation. ¡°^Hello, we¡¯d like to grab some materials for this little ghost here.^¡± She smiled as she nudged her head towards said ghost, Dewdrop¡¯s eyes narrowing at the sight.
¡°How curious. If you¡¯ll forgive me, though, I would like to finish my current weave before digging into the inventory. I assure you, it will not be long.¡±
Neither Forest Guardian minded, with the Mayor giving Dewdrop an eager go ahead moments later. In the blink of an eye, he was out of view again, withdrawing into the depths of the shack¡ªthe depths that Sue¡¯s position gave her a good view of.
A loom the size of a car spanned the entire width of the shack, most of it filled with a silky white thread. Sue knew nowhere near enough to have an exact idea about how they worked¡ªbut Dewdrop did, and he was rocking it. The two rows of upright threads kept wriggling back and forth as he kept spinning and threading his silk between them, using his front horn and agile legs in place of manual tooling. The rough wooden frame on the edges of the loom gave him room to maneuver. Which he did, with his entire body, not letting the thread stay still even for a moment.
His busy and too-jittery-for-Sue¡¯s-comfort work was certainly eye-catching, but it wasn¡¯t the only sight to be seen in his shack. Off in the corner and under the floorboards laid several spools of material, the latter peeking out into view out of their sheer excess. An array of shelves rested on the opposite wall, its numerous bowls, bags and bottles filling the cramped space with a somewhat chemical scent. Sue really, really hoped the spider didn¡¯t actually sleep in here.
The last sight forced Sue to crane her head past the door frame to spot it; attached to the shack¡¯s front wall. A much smaller loom rested there, currently unused, and next to it, a contraption that reminded her of a primitive spinning wheel. It was being worked on by the green smiley-faced spider Sue had seen a few times by now. Not a definitive proof that they and Dewdrop were related, but it was a solid indication¡ª
¡°Tassel, how¡¯s the last spool going?¡± Dewdrop asked.
A high-pitched, clicking voice answered soon after, ¡°Almost done, dad!¡±
Guess that solves it.
¡°Good. Almost done here, too. You¡¯ve done a lot today, I¡¯m proud of you.¡±
The smaller spider didn¡¯t answer with any words that Solstice could readily translate, but the repetitive chittering sound certainly felt happy. Unnerved as the two spiders still made her, by reasons beyond their control, it was nice to feel that affectionate warmth here. It, together with Solstice¡¯s reassuring presence behind her, made it not even that difficult to keep on watching Dewdrop put his entire body into his work¡ªincluding the two... limbs on his back, their actual purpose unknown.
And judging by Twinkle¡¯s confused mind easing out into a silent focus, they were enjoying the spectacle, too. Sue¡¯s hand absentmindedly navigated towards them, gently cupping the bundle of ghost. The constant stream of stimulation made it easy to suppress the dour topic from earlier for that bit longer¡ª
¡°Hello, miss!¡±
The cheerful, hissing call came from mere inches away from her, launching Sue into the most uncoordinated backstep of her life, avoiding falling straight onto her vulnerable back by the virtue of multiple deities watching over her. Probably. The mental image of the green spider the size of her head silently hanging from a thread beside her before deciding to finally greet her almost sent her into a panic attack there and then. But only almost, Solstice¡¯s hand on her shoulder soothing her psyche enough to avoid that.
Right, she had to greet them back. ¡°H-hello there, uh, Tassel? Y-you¡ªyou surprised me a bit, is all.¡±
The green spider nodded eagerly at the mention of his name, the angular momentum making him slowly turn around on his thread. Before he could respond himself, though, his dad stepped in first, clarifying the situation. ¡°Tassel, this is Sue, the Forest Guardian I mentioned to you a few days ago.¡±
Tassel¡¯s initial reaction might¡¯ve been a couple of slow, confused clicks, but it didn¡¯t take long for the realization to come crashing down on him. ¡°Eeeee I¡¯m sorry! Are you okay? Dad told me a wildling cousin attacked you and I never asked if you were okay! I hope it didn¡¯t hurt too much.¡±
Sue stared at him in silence as she processed his words. She was simultaneously touched by his concern, yet glad he hadn¡¯t previously asked her about her¡ experiences with their kin. Her first proper meeting with Dewdrop was tense enough, even with both him and Solstice doing everything possible to soothe her scaredy self. Having someone much younger, much more energetic, much less preoccupied with matters of personal space might¡¯ve had her heart just stop on the spot.
Wonder if any of the electricity-controlling locals would¡¯ve been able to defibrillate me.
Still, Tassel was clearly trying his best, and with one portion of Solstice beside her and seven portions of deep breaths, Sue had enough calmness in her to answer. ¡°I-I¡¯m okay, thank you. It... hurt a lot, yes,¡± she muttered, looking down at her bandaged leg, ¡°but I¡¯m getting better now.¡±
Tassel clicked his mandibles happily. ¡°Yay! Why didn¡¯t you fight them off when they attacked you?¡±
A long, heavy silence filled the space around the shack, the question one nobody was expecting¡ªdefinitely not in this blunt a form, at least. The younger Forest Guardian tried to put something together and think back to Solstice¡¯s pretend story for her, but to her relief, the Mayor had her back. ¡°^She got taken off-guard, Tassel. It¡¯s not always easy to sense approaching threats when you¡¯re already dealing with a lot.^¡±
Sue held in a chuckle at her mentor¡¯s fib¡ªit was almost the exact opposite, really. She remembered how easy it was to sense that beast when it took off after her, how starkly bright Spark¡¯s fear was. Sensing these wasn¡¯t ever an issue. Doing something, on the other hand...
Thankfully, the lil¡¯ spider took the explanation at face value. ¡°Okay! Oh¡ªwho is that? Are they attached to you and sucking your blood?¡±
I beg your pardon.
¡°Tassel, please don¡¯t pry into matters like that,¡± Dewdrop chastised.
The green spider shook his body to the sides, radiating worry as he continued to spin on his thread. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry!¡±
¡°^It¡¯s okay, Tassel¡ªbut no, Twinkle here isn¡¯t doing anything like that. They¡¯re just holding Sue,^¡± Solstice explained, simultaneously amused by how morbid the question was and concerned for Sue¡¯s increasingly weary headspace.
¡°Ooohhhhhhh. I see!¡±
Whether he actually understood what the Mayor meant was up in the air, but Sue was more than happy for that answer to put an end to further questioning. She took another step back and breathed heavily, trying to center herself with Twinkle¡¯s help. Sure, this little trip to grab fabrics hadn¡¯t been the most... serene so far, but she hoped that she¡¯d be able to get her bearings soon and avoid adding further fuel to the dumpster fire going on under her skullcap.
Would¡¯ve been nice, for a change.
Dewdrop was done with his weave soon after, giving it one last look all around before climbing off the loom and finally reaching into their makeshift storage. Sue tuned out much of the exact discussion of sizes and amounts, unfamiliar with Moonview¡¯s measuring system and hoping her mentor remembered everything Sundance had told them both. The two spiders worked together to measure and cut off the required amounts of materials. The realization that even their legs were sharp enough to effortlessly cut fabrics didn¡¯t sit quite right with her.
Around a square foot of un-dyed silk, four square feet of off-yellow linen, a thumb-sized roll of sturdy thread, and a couple of small dye pouches. If everything worked out well, these were all the ingredients needed to make one small ghost happy, the mental image warming Sue¡¯s soul. She wondered how it felt for them to be in a form like this after having lived their past life as a much more ordinary creature. Were they uncomfortable, deep down? Sue couldn¡¯t imagine them not being so, but she was uncertain about the intensity of that emotion.
Would they ever be happy like this? Would their external appearance being closer to how they remembered themselves help much? Would the outfit just be a metaphorical bandaid on top of a goring wound, momentarily helpful but ultimately only adding to all the festering sadness underneath? As with so many things, no solid answers, no way but to try their best and find out the hard way, and if that doesn''t work, keep exploring other ideas.
A determination Sue was well familiar with, though which she had a hard time applying to more than the most urgent college assignments back in the day. Maybe that¡¯s what she needed, to focus on solving the issues troubling her¡ªat least the ones that could be solved. And if only she had any idea how to ¡®solve¡¯ her thoughts veering into more and more unpleasant areas over the past few hours, she might¡¯ve even tried to put her hypothetical solutions to action. But she didn¡¯t, and she couldn¡¯t. And so, she was forced to, yet again, distract herself.
Thankfully, an obvious tangent presented itself, one that was simultaneously apparent but which she hadn¡¯t really investigated much. How was she finding her own body after over a week? It was perfectly serviceable as far as basic locomotion went. Weaker and slower than she would¡¯ve preferred when going up the stairs, sure, but walking was long solved by now. Or at least, ¡®solved¡¯ on a subconscious level, with what remained of her human programming having adapted to walking on two points impressively fast.
Even acknowledging that these were two points and not just feet, and that her leg anatomy was wildly different from what she once had was... unpleasant, but that didn¡¯t matter. Her legs were working, her arms were working, she could get around, she could fiddle around and occasionally embarrass herself with her psychics. She was entirely functional. How she felt about it all, how these feelings were affected by all the adjacent mental murk, including the very topic that has been gnawing at her all day¡ªthat was a secondary concern. Something to be pushed away with stimulation and distraction, swept under the rug until it solved itself.
It didn¡¯t matter. It couldn¡¯t matter. Because to acknowledge that it did was too painful to even imagine¡ª
¡°That is all you asked for, right?¡±
Dewdrop¡¯s question provided a lifeboat Sue¡¯s mind greedily latched onto, shaking after being brought to the edge of a bottomless pit. She had no idea when exactly her eyes had grown so damp or her chest so tight, but that was something for later. Solstice¡¯s concerned glance in her direction wasn¡¯t reassuring, but the words that followed were, mostly because of their mundanity. ¡°^It seems so, yes. Thank you, Dewdrop, Tassel. Apologies for interrupting your work.^¡±
The red spider shook his head off to the side, chittering slowly. ¡°It is of no concern, Solstice. I am glad to help a little unexpected newcomer in need. They¡¯re certainly the nicer of the sudden guests lately, no doubt,¡± he grumbled, the allusion not missed on either Forest Guardian.
The Mayor shuddered at the attention being drawn to her relatives, worry about whether they had hurt someone during their visit flashing through her mind. She interrupted her absentminded nods, sighing, ¡°^Apologies. I hope they haven¡¯t been too much trouble today.^¡±
Dewdrop clicked his mandibles a few times, shaking his body to the sides in response. ¡°If nothing else, they¡¯ve at least been keeping their distance. Unpleasant as they all are, if they limit themselves to just snarls then they¡¯re not that much worse than the other reactions I¡¯ve seen in Moonview throughout my stay here.¡±
Sue winced; her mentor sighed. The older Forest Guardian was much too aware of the less-than-ideal treatment of some of her town¡¯s inhabitants for these words to affect her much. It was unpleasant, but said unpleasantness was neither new nor hard-hitting. Not anymore. Much the same was true of the Forest Guardian visitors, and Sue had already picked up on that¡ªwhich shed light on an unsightly question. ¡°Why not get rid of them? Solanum and the¡ªthe o-others...¡± she muttered, heart rate spiking near the end despite her best efforts to keep herself calm.
It was a good question with the same fate as almost all good questions¡ªa disappointing answer. ¡°^Not everyone cares about them as strongly, unfortunately...^¡± Solstice sighed.
Her pupil raised her eyebrow. ¡°Even with them being this... unpleasant to be around?¡±
¡°If we banished people for being unpleasant to be around, we¡¯d end up splintering into more groups than I can count to before the day was over,¡± Dewdrop chuckled, the clicking sound not particularly reassuring. ¡°It would no doubt be appropriate for that particular group, I do not disagree on that. I am not everyone, however. As many of my friends as there are that wouldn¡¯t flinch if I were to ask them to chase Solanum away themselves, there is an even larger group that simply does not care strongly enough. I suppose I understand their point¡ªboorishness is no cause for exile in itself.¡±
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
¡°^And that¡¯s without even mentioning the ones that still hold them in high regard...^¡±
Solstice¡¯s remark made Sue shudder, the idea nauseatingly offputting. For a second she wanted to raise her voice about it, press her mentor about which awful neighbors seemed it fit to hold Nightbane to a regard placed any higher than the bottom of hell... but it didn¡¯t take long for answers to trickle in. Both in the ever disappointing specifics, and in the broader groups.
Duck¡¯s chosen my fucking ass.
Trying to stop herself from getting any more upset about it, Sue just sighed, admitting defeat with a weak nod. The sight added another to Solstice¡¯s growing list of concerns about the younger Forest Guardian. Before either of them could act on it, though, Dewdrop continued the Mayor¡¯s point. ¡°Or those that are afraid of them, even. I suppose it is much easier to just endure their visits than to stand up and do anything about them, especially with said visits being just days separated by years. Incredibly unpleasant days, days that occasionally make me wish that my kinmate who had attacked Sue would¡¯ve waited a few more days for a better target... but still, only days.¡±
¡°So it¡¯s just not worth the effort?¡± Sue asked, too tired for there to be any mockery in her voice.
¡°Broadly correct, yes.¡±
The younger Forest Guardian nodded absentmindedly. As she stroked Twinkle¡¯s bag, the ghost shifted their attention from the shack to their caretaker, cloudy emotions turning to uncertainty. She doubted they were catching the emotion from her in the way the Forest Guardians did from others¡ªthat sounded like a runaway reaction in waiting. They were probably just noticing the changes in her voice, posture, even motions. All the things she could individually control when actively focusing on them, but which nonetheless slipped out of her the moment that focus ceased, or when it was time to lower her guard.
A guard that, despite having already been lowered a handful of times in the past few days, was still as high as it ever got.
¡°And all this is even without taking enforcement into account,¡± Dewdrop smirked.
His words caught Sue¡¯s curiosity for just long enough to keep her thoughts afloat, naturally giving way to a question. A question that Solstice was already answering, telepathic words elaborating, ¡°^Indeed. We¡¯ve never had to descend into combat to enforce an exile in the past, and while I hope we¡¯d be able to avoid it with Solanum and Nightbane... a part of me doubts. They may be cowards, but they¡¯re nothing if not cocky¡ªeven if they¡¯re acting on their own, without our tribe¡¯s backing. Their skill and strength wouldn¡¯t come close to offsetting the numbers disadvantage when taking all of us on, but I can¡¯t discount the possibility of them thinking it could. Ultimately, just yet another reason an exile would be a bad idea.^¡±
The pretend battle from a few days ago was more than enough to relegate the idea of an open combat between anyone here firmly into the category of ¡®nightmare fuel¡¯. Sue certainly wasn¡¯t itching to even encourage it, but Solstice¡¯s wording still caught her attention. ¡°They¡¯re acting on their own?¡±
The older Forest Guardian nodded intently, the fact almost reassuring her at least a bit. ¡°^Indeed. Not for the others being any better, though. To the best of my knowledge, the rest of the tribe sees all this as an impure, dishonored family desperately trying to claw back their standing by either exacting revenge on me, or by taking Comet back. I¡¯d say ¡®good luck with that¡¯, but... *sigh*. Best not taunt Fate.^¡±
With that desperation in mind, the threats Solanum had shouted earlier today felt much less harrowing. It was one thing to have an entire army threatening them with their deity¡¯s wrath; it was another to have that threat be just three people, only two of whom appearing intimidating at all. How much harm could just two people cause, after all?
...
The more Sue thought, the more she realized she really didn¡¯t want to see that question answered. She shook that idea off. ¡°Back to the topic of exile¡ªwhat about the Night Kin? Did they all just leave willingly?¡±
Solstice endured the hit to her psyche, only flinching for a moment before sighing, ¡°^Thankfully, yes. I¡ªI don¡¯t want to imagine what would¡¯ve happened if they stood up and fought against that verdict, how many more lives would¡¯ve been pointlessly lost...^¡±
¡°It would not have seemed pointless for them at the time, I presume,¡± Dewdrop added.
The chilling theoretical didn¡¯t last long inside the group¡¯s minds, banished into the same dark corner of the psyche that held visions of the loved ones¡¯ deaths, be they nightmare or worse¡ªmemory. Sue was more than fine not touching that entire subject again for as long as she remained here, but... there was still a question on her mind. One that immediately arose once she¡¯d tried imagining a similar situation in her own world. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t there be someone to keep them from stepping foot in Moonview if they got exiled? Solanum and the rest, I mean.¡±
The question drew the attention of the spider and the psychic, leaving both uncertain. ¡°^Keep them from stepping foot in what way?^¡± the latter asked.
¡°If you can exile people, isn¡¯t there someone here who would enforce their exiles, or act when other laws are broken?¡±
I sincerely hope I¡¯m not about to poison their minds with the concept of cops.
¡°I do not see why we would need that,¡± the spider remarked, baffled at the idea. ¡°It¡¯d be an awful waste to lay all that on even one person, to task them with either doing nothing all day or with staring down their neighbors with a distrustful eye.¡±
Sue knew full well that anyone in that position would end up doing much more than just these two actions, none of them good¡ªbut so did Solstice, much to her pupil¡¯s surprise. ¡°^I believe I know what you mean. When they weren¡¯t fighting, the warriors of my tribe were tasked with ¡®standing guard against night kin corruption¡¯. In practice, all they ever did was harass those less ¡®pure¡¯ than them and especially outsiders living nearby. Sundance has seen it play out like that on her journeys too, if memory serves. And on top of all that... we do not have formalized laws here to enforce in the first place.^¡±
Now that was something Sue wasn¡¯t expecting. ¡°Really? But¡ªbut why?¡±
Her mentor shrugged. ¡°^It¡¯s not a conscious decision, merely a fact. There weren¡¯t any specific laws when this settlement had started to expand from just being the dwelling of Willow¡¯s clan, and nobody since has seen it necessary to formalize a set of laws¡ªand neither do I. We¡¯re doing fine without them. I¡¯m guessing you¡ª^¡± Solstice began before stopping herself, course correcting before Dewdrop figured out anything was amiss. ¡°^I¡¯m guessing your clan had a charter like that in place?^¡±
Her pupil nodded uncertainty, though ¡®charter¡¯ felt like a woefully inadequate word for the entire penal code. The Mayor continued, ¡°^So did mine. It hasn¡¯t always had one, though. It used to be small and self-contained enough for tradition and social pressure to be enough to keep people in line, though that changed as outsiders began to move in.^¡±
Definitely not something Sue would associate with what she knew of Solstice¡¯s clan so far. ¡°Th-they didn¡¯t strike me as someone particularly accepting of outsiders¡¡±
¡°^They aren¡¯t, no. But their surrounding area was clear of predators, much more of it than they themselves could ever hope to use. Before long, other kin had thought to settle in that relatively safe stretch of land¡ªand my clan figured it could take advantage of that. Take the traditions they already had, formalize them, and enforce them upon everyone living nearby. Tithes, offerings, deference towards their ¡®superiors¡¯, both Forest Guardian and of other kin my tribe held above theirs. A cudgel to be used against those deemed lesser, enforced at the warriors¡¯ whimsy.^¡±
Sue wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to react to Solstice¡¯s words. Sure, laws were absolutely chock full of clauses whose sole purpose was to either hurt people or to let the truly evil get away with a slap on the wrist. But to take a leap from that to laws being inherently unnecessary... was just a few steps too far for the once-human. ¡°I-I¡¯d be lying if I said that laws weren¡¯t abused where I¡¯m from, sure, but fairly applied laws are more often used to enact justice on those that had done truly evil things. Maybe not always the most thorough justice, no, but at least some consequences.¡±
¡°^Fair application sounds like it¡¯d be a problem there,^¡± the older Forest Guardian chuckled.
¡°I-I won¡¯t say it isn¡¯t, but it¡¯s better than no laws¡ªI think, at least. Like, without them I am unsure how does Moonview deal with, say, murder.¡±
Sue¡¯s point got the two other adults thinking while the smaller spider and Twinkle locked eyes. Tassel was only barely following the boring adult conversation, much more curious about the kinda-bag-but-also-kinda-leech-shaped stranger. Sure, they might not have actually been sucking the psychic¡¯s blood¡ªat least if what Mrs. Solstice said was to be believed¡ªbut they looked like they were doing it! And that was just as important! Looks were everything, after all.
Guess them waving back at the little spider looked unlike what a parasite would do, but maybe that was just another in their arsenal of tricks to blend in better? It was fun to imagine. Maybe he¡¯d even get to befriend them sometime? He couldn¡¯t imagine what a parasite friend would end up being like, but the idea sounded cool in his head.
He¡¯d have to ask about the stranger some time later, goodness was he tired now.
Dewdrop clicked his mandibles together as he thought. ¡°How many instances of genuine murder have we had over the years? Three?¡±
¡°^Three sounds about correct, though I remember Daffodil¡¯s was purely accidental...^¡±
¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make it manslaughter?¡± Sue asked.
Solstice had to focus hard to translate the term, only arriving at ¡®unintentional killing¡¯, despite all her efforts. Under that definition, Sue¡¯s question was obviously true¡ªbut the mere presence of a term like that caught her attention. ¡°^I see your language has a separate term for that.^¡±
Sue blinked at the remark, having a hard time conceptualizing there not being a distinction like that. ¡°Y-yeah, of course! Wait, does that mean that the one person who had accidentally killed someone else received the same punishment as the two that did so intentionally?¡±
The tremble in her voice would¡¯ve been amusing if the topic hadn¡¯t been as dour, forcing a weak laughter out of Dewdrop. ¡°Of course not, Sue. We understand the difference¡ªthe two perpetrators that acted in malice were exiled shortly after, the other one... *sigh*, she eventually left on her own. Had an awfully hard time coming to terms with it or forgiving herself, even if most others were understanding.¡±
That sounded unpleasant, indeed. Though, without there apparently being any laws here, the mention of exile still raised her eyebrow. ¡°Who exiled them, without any laws?¡±
Solstice chuckled. ¡°^Us, the elders did. We might not have an all-encompassing list of laws and punishments, but that doesn¡¯t mean we are blind to the necessity of any rules whatsoever.^¡±
¡°Do you just come up with sentencing on the spot, then?¡±
¡°^That¡¯s... an unflattering way to word that, but effectively yes. That¡¯s how it has worked since the days of Willow¡¯s clan.^¡±
Sue reached up to rub her forehead, not entirely certain whether she¡¯d entirely missed the point earlier with Moonview¡¯s apparent lawlessness. ¡°I¡ªI suppose I don¡¯t know why not at least use those sentences as starting points for laws going forward. The way I¡¯ve always seen it, the biggest reason for laws being formalized was for them to be applied fairly without being subject to biases or whims of the judges.¡±
¡°^But does that formality lend itself to fairness?^¡± Solstice pried. ¡°^A large reason for my hesitance is the inability to describe all the possible factors that could influence a fair judgment, even in something as simple as murder. It being an accident or not is just one intricacy. What if it is done in self-defense? What if it is intentional, but follows an extended period of abuse from the victim? What if the perpetrator was under constant psychic influence?^¡±
¡°What if the perpetrator was starving?¡± Dewdrop added, making the hairs on Sue¡¯s head stand on end.
All of those were valid points that Sue didn¡¯t have a single all-encompassing answer for¡ªbut what she did have was some scattered knowledge that felt appropriate. ¡°I-I understand those concerns. I suppose thinking about it, the laws where I¡¯m from were rather extensive for that very reason, to accommodate as many possibilities as possible and be fair with them. In theory, at least. I never knew them well, but to the best of my knowledge, every crime had a range of punishments as opposed to a single, fixed one, to account for the circumstances. I don¡¯t know¡ªI know full well that laws where I¡¯m from aren¡¯t ideal, but I still believe having at least a range of punishments to choose from is better than coming up with it on the spot every single time.¡±
¡°^But what if punishment isn¡¯t the right answer at all? What if it would only make things worse, however reserved? I certainly don¡¯t believe there are no circumstances where it¡¯s appropriate, but it feels like too harmful a tool for many, if not most situations. Though, that specific point aside, I get your point about laws being ranges instead of exact punishments. Guidelines, perhaps. I suppose that is a good reason to have them... I¡¯ll have to think more on that point, that¡¯s for sure.^¡±
Neither Forest Guardian felt any more confident about their position at the end of their conversation than at its beginning¡ªthe exact opposite, if anything¡ªbut both felt good about having their reasoning be acknowledged.
Unfortunately for that entire tangent, Dewdrop still had some more thoughts to share, as well as one... unfortunate reminder. ¡°Broad guidelines sound sensible. However, I doubt how useful they¡¯d be for the most severe transgressions. The two murder sentences I¡¯ve mentioned only happened after the crowds had already done their deed and exiled the perpetrator the hard way. All the elders¡¯ voice did was affirm Moonview¡¯s collective punishment.¡±
...
Oh.
Solstice sighed. ¡°^Indeed, that might be the biggest obstacle of all, in the end. It¡¯s one thing to calmly approach insults or theft, another to mediate something everyone will be feeling so strongly about.^¡±
¡°Especially when it ties into an already present prejudice,¡± Sue added, shuddering. There were many, many more things to be said on this subject, of course. And, had she been feeling better, she might¡¯ve even tried arguing for a specific position, however makeshift it was.
Alas, she wasn¡¯t, and she didn¡¯t.
The supremely uncomfortable topic of mob justice was the tipping point, finally convincing her to take a step back and recenter herself. Thankfully, Solstice didn¡¯t immediately notice, lost in the discussion with Dewdrop as the small rolls of fabric and other supplies in her hands accumulated dust.
Unfortunately for Sue, even her attempt to cool herself off wouldn¡¯t go without a hitch. A pretty massive hitch at that¡ªalmost tall enough to reach her waist, white and navy in color, and with two tails swaying idly behind her as she turned the adjacent corner.
Her outburst at Northeast had taken a step back in favor of other, even more harrowing topics for Sue to beat herself senseless about, but that didn¡¯t mean it was gone. Or even that it was any less unpleasant than it had been in the immediate aftermath of that unfortunate conversation. The young Forest Guardian shook in place as she stared at the psychic cat, fully aware of what she should be doing¡ªsolving that entire mess. The solution was right in front of her, so blatantly clear her brain didn¡¯t even hesitate before screeching ¡®GO APOLOGIZE TO HER¡¯ at full blast.
After all, she¡¯d already done it once with Basil, someone she¡¯d been much more viscerally scared of. Why not do that with someone that came off as almost comically harmless? Looks were deceiving and all that; she had no idea how dangerous Northeast actually was¡ªbut it didn¡¯t matter. She wasn¡¯t scary in a way the lovable-in-hindsight giant bee had been.
This was so fucking easy; the solution to this entire mess was just a few dozen feet away¡ªand yet, that exact fact made it all the more difficult. Because she already had a chance yesterday to take that objectively correct, straightforward action, and she didn¡¯t. She was too much of a coward to do it then, and her psyche wouldn¡¯t let her forget that, reminding her of her past failures.
With each mental reminder, doing what needed to be done in the present only grew harder and harder¡ªand that was without accounting for all the other insecurities, more than eager to cut in and remind her of Solstice¡¯s past words. Past words, past feelings, all the feelings and things unsaid that had been brewing between them as long as they¡¯d known each other. They were only beginning to truly take form, terrifying in how alluring they were. A dream come true when imagined,
A living nightmare when used as an example of something she wasn¡¯t worthy of.
Because she wasn¡¯t, of course she wasn¡¯t. She was standing there like an idiot, on the verge of tears at the thought of the most basic of courtesies instead of going and finally doing it. She couldn¡¯t; she was too tired, too weak, too pathetic. Just what in the world would Solstice think, what would Aurora thi¡ª
...
The emotional shift in the person she was simultaneously fixated on and terrified of shook Sue out of her anxious spiral. She almost gasped as she focused on what she was seeing, almost ran when she realized Northeast was looking at her over her shoulder. Sue couldn¡¯t sense any emotions accompanying that display, certainly no hostility¡ªand yet, it was too much. She had to get away from there, and she had to do it now.
Without waiting for Solstice, Sue shuddered before awkwardly turning around on the spot and walking away, leg in too rough a state to permit even jogging. Nothing but a slow, pathetic shamble, only her and the ghost wrapped around her chest.
For a moment, she tried to focus on Twinkle as a source of reassurance, lifting her hand towards them and letting them grasp it as tight as they could¡ªbut even that backfired soon. It was one thing to take comfort in the hauntling¡¯s trust, but it was something else entirely for even that to fall apart under the crushing pressure of ¡®why?¡¯ Why did Twinkle trust her like they did?
She had no answer, and even thinking about it veered into the awful realization that their trust, their care, was unfounded. Yet another being she had manipulated into caring for her, yet another soul that would no doubt leave her alone if they truly knew just what kind of rot sat at the center of her¡ª
¡°^Sue?^¡±
Solstice¡¯s alarmed voice finally snapped her pupil out of the ever tightening loathing¡ªfor a moment, at least. If nothing else, it nudged Sue to keep her self-hatred under control¡ªshe didn¡¯t want to subject Solstice to all the junk in her head.
Noble as the idea was, it ran into the immediate issue of Solstice being subjected to all the junk in her head anyway.
The older Forest Guardian wanted to say something, needed to say something, bring the reassurance her pupil so obviously needed. It wasn¡¯t difficult on its own. Mistakes happened; there was no reason for Sue to be so harsh to herself, yadda yadda. But then, she finally made it to the catalyst behind all those comparisons, the spark that had set the garbage fire in motion¡ªand realized she had no idea how to stop it.
For it was burning inside her, too.
And so, the older Forest Guardian limited herself to weakly patting Sue on the shoulder as they headed off back to Sundance¡¯s dwelling in silence, their respective murk feeding off each other. It was the simplest thing in the world to just stop and be adults and go over what they were feeling and why they were hurting so much. Something that would¡¯ve been, if not trivial, then at least easier in any other circumstances, if it had been caused by any other reason.
By anyone else¡¯s ghost weighing heavy on both women¡¯s souls.
Their silent march, only occasionally interrupted by a sniffle or by Twinkle¡¯s quiet whimper, didn¡¯t last long. Before they knew it, they were already making it up the stairs to the vixen¡¯s dwelling with lesser or greater difficulty, only realizing that Sundance had another guest seconds before they stepped in. And while Solstice didn¡¯t mind seeing that particular visitor... Sue wished it had been anyone but her.
The bouquet medic perked up as she watched the two Forest Guardians step back in, wrapping up her examination of the fiery vixen ahead of schedule. ¡°Ah, greetings, dear Solstice¡ªand Sue! I thought it appropriate to check up on Sundance considering her state as recently as yesterday, but since I have the opportunity... would you mind me taking a closer look, Sue?¡±
Sundance was presently sharpening what looked like a large needle with a whetstone, rolling her eyes at Orchid¡¯s concern. She was about to speak up in response¡ªbut kept her words to herself in the end, the ones responsible for that choice visible in plain sight as they napped, snuggled up in her fur. As comforting as seeing the asleep Comet, Joy and Spark was, Sue knew she had to respond eventually, giving up with a weak nod.
¡°Wonderful! Pardon my concern; yesterday was intense for everyone, you most of all,¡± Orchid sighed. As she got closer, Sue sensed the hesitation in her. Too weak to be off-putting, but present all the same. ¡°I have to say, your... display was certainly touching and effective. More flashy than would¡¯ve been preferable, perhaps, but I suppose all our mistakes have to be brought to light eventually, and that was no exception.¡±
Sue wanted to writhe as the medic examined her; the intent of her comment missed entirely with all the murk plaguing her mind. As far as her self-sadistic psyche was concerned, there was only one thing Orchid might¡¯ve been referring to, a mistake Sue has had two chances to bring to light now, but haven¡¯t yet. Sundance noticed the festering loathing and Sue knew she had, but neither of them wanted to bring it all up. Not with Orchid around, not with Solstice.
Preferably never.
¡°You appear to be doing perfectly well, fatigue aside! Always a relief to see,¡± Orchid exclaimed, genuine to the best of Sue¡¯s ability to tell. ¡°Thank you most graciously for having me, but now I must bid you all¡ª¡±
As unnerving as seeing anyone else pause mid-sentence would¡¯ve been, seeing it happen to the plant-like healer of all people took those gathered even further aback. It didn¡¯t last long, Orchid soon collecting herself as she passed a concerned glance towards everyone in the room. While Sue immediately assumed the worst, resuming earlier beatings about not having apologized to Northeast, the other two women were keen to hear what was up¡ªand their curiosity was answered soon after. ¡°Before I leave, I must ask¡ªhave any of you seen or heard of Snowdrop¡¯s present whereabouts?¡±
Sue paused her self-loathing for just long enough to go through her memories, not finding anything featuring the floating icy performer ever since seeing her in Newmoon a couple of days ago. The other two psychics were similarly clueless, adding to Orchid¡¯s distress, however veiled. ¡°Most unfortunate. I have not heard a word about anyone having seen her since yesterday morning. She had missed her practice session with the rest of her team, something I¡¯ve been told hadn¡¯t ever happened before. I¡¯m certainly not suspecting the worst, not yet, but... an indubitably worrisome situation.¡±
A weak shudder went through the young Forest Guardian at the thought of something having happened to Snowdrop, especially with Newmoon¡¯s exile finally undone. She tried not to worry about it too much, especially with her utter inability to do anything about it or even meaningfully contribute to any eventual searches for her, but... easier said than done.
As was almost everything.
¡°I have hope the situation will resolve itself, still. Farewell, Solstice, Sue, Sundance.¡±
Contrary to the hopes of those gathered, Orchid¡¯s departure didn¡¯t clear up the atmosphere any. Solstice wordlessly dropped off the crafting supplies, seemingly trying to keep her distance away from Sue as they both shuddered in silence.
Sundance¡¯s eyebrow was raised as high as it ever got, the tension in the air thick enough to carve with a chisel and uncomfortable enough for her to have to focus on keeping Comet from waking up. The vixen looked at Sue, then at Solstice, opening her mouth to ask what was going on¡ªonly for the Mayor to get ahead of her. ¡°^I-I think I need to go clear my head.^¡±
Neither her friend nor her pupil commented as the Mayor turned straight towards the door and headed out, taking her share of dread with her as she passed by Sue. The two Forest Guardians didn¡¯t dare look each other in the eye, afraid of what they would end up finding there.
The words that followed helped little, woofed out as quietly as the vixen could manage. ¡°Do you want to talk about something, Sue?¡±
I want to run until I can¡¯t anymore.
Sue tried her best to weigh the offer, attempting to distill the murk in her mind into a single topic she could talk about with Sundance¡ªbut she couldn¡¯t. It was too scattered, too festered, so sensitive to being examined that it threatened to make her break down there and then. Her logical brain reminded her she wouldn¡¯t be able to run from it forever, to which her emotional brain responded with ear-piercing screeching.
She was just too weak for that right now. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, I... I-I think I could use a walk, too...¡±
Her words were barely louder than whimpers, striking a wellspring of Sundance¡¯s concern¡ªone the vixen got under her own control shortly after. There was only one person who knew when Sue would be ready to talk again, and that was the Forest Guardian herself. It was not the vixen¡¯s place to rush her. And so, she didn¡¯t, firmly nodding before responding, ¡°That is perfectly fine, Sue. Considering just who¡¯s creeping around Moonview, though, I advise you to stick to someone as you walk, just in case.¡±
The last thing Sue needed was a reminder that even going out for a walk wasn¡¯t as safe an option as she wanted it to be, but the vixen¡¯s point was valid. ¡°S-sure, just... l-like, follow someone?¡±
¡°Yes, that is what I had in mind. Before you leave,¡± Sundance spoke up, catching her pupil right as she was about to grab the door handle, ¡°would you want to leave Twinkle with me?¡±
A voice deep inside Sue¡¯s soul cried out, ¡®NO!¡¯ at the idea, so attached to the little ghost that the thought of even temporarily leaving them stung fiercely. Said voice was being drowned by a waterfall of mental sludge, however, reduced to a whisper surrounded by a tornado of self-loathing, a tornado that was ambivalent about the idea. Guess it ultimately wouldn¡¯t hurt¡ªTwinkle didn¡¯t deserve to have to deal with her like this, after all. ¡°S-Sure.¡±
With the ghost untied and passed over, too confused and worried to do much more than withdraw at the realization, Sue finally turned towards the door and left without saying another word. The spot on her chest felt weird, downright cold without Twinkle¡¯s constant presence there¡ªbut it was the last thing on her mind as the door closed behind her.
Because now there was nothing and nobody left to stop her from diving all the way into the abyss of her thoughts.
No matter how hard she¡¯d been trying to not think about them, to pretend they weren¡¯t there, that she was just misrepresenting them... Solstice¡¯s maternal thoughts towards her were there, they had been all along. Bright and warm and anxious and conflicted, breeding further conflict inside Sue even at the best of times. Even without doubt and insecurity choking her mind, the very idea stirred dread about what her actual human mom would think about that.
And, even more importantly, what Aurora would think.
This wasn¡¯t fair to either of them, of course it wasn¡¯t! The former would¡¯ve been devastated knowing her daughter just abandoned her like that for some alien, and the latter... would be *furious*, the kind of furious that stirred vengeful ghosts from their eternal slumber. Her mother, her family, her place in life, her house, all up for not just being stolen, but stolen by a clueless, idiotic alien that barely knew what was happening all the time and was woefully inadequate for the other half.
And that¡¯s without mentioning said alien also being too much of a coward to even apologize for shouting at a child.
Sue tried to think back to yesterday¡¯s chat with Sundance, tried to clear the mental hurricane for just long enough to figure out if all this was something she truly wanted, if she really reciprocated Solstice¡¯s occasional feelings towards her deep down¡ªand she couldn¡¯t answer. Even with all her focus, the mirror of her soul was just too unclear, smeared by bile of knowing how unfair it¡¯d be to her mom and Aurora alike, the mere thought of how hurt they¡¯d be stabbing Sue through the heart.
Solstice herself seeming to grow more eager at the idea with each passing day only made that pain worse. Her remark about how Sue had earned the Pale Lady¡¯s blessings was a splinter digging itself deeper and deeper into Sue¡¯s mind, painful enough to where even acknowledging it drove her to tears. She kept trying to not think about it. To seal it away with reminders of none of it being really meant for her, reminders of this not being her world, her religion, her true body, doing anything in her power to just endure it until it finally left,
But she couldn¡¯t.
It hurt so incredibly much, this scar at the bottom of her mind. The pain was made even worse by knowing just how selfish she was, how unfair, how unworthy of it all, sending her physically wincing each time she inevitably ended up circling back around to that mental splinter. She couldn¡¯t stop it. She didn¡¯t want to stop it.
Because there was that tiny, battered part of her, deep inside, that did want it all. And Sue wanted her dead, wanted it all to finally stop hurting¡ª
*rattle, rattle*
The nearby sound was loud and grating enough to snap Sue back to reality, distracting her from her aching body, bleeding soul, and tearful eyes. She watched the red insectoid robot pass by her, the woven baskets they carried in each arm full of sawdust and finger-sized scraps of wood. They paid her no mind, but she needed them more than ever. She remembered Sundance¡¯s guidance about sticking with someone before straightening herself out and trying to follow them. Where to, she didn¡¯t know. It didn¡¯t matter.
Lead me wherever you may, robot bug.
Anywhere but here.
Chapter 30: Mercy
Sue didn¡¯t expect the bug robot to lead her away from Moonview, but figured it still fit what she had wordlessly asked them for.
The road was narrow but reasonably well worn. Not the kind with daily overwhelming traffic, but which was established enough to stand out from the surrounding grass and shrubs. Where did it lead to, why was the bug robot heading there, and why were they carrying all this wood in their baskets? Those questions were preferably for someone else to answer.
She already had her fair share of pointless thoughts filling her mind.
To Sue¡¯s dismay, a change of surroundings helped less than she would¡¯ve wanted. She appreciated the most acutely painful thoughts easing up, but getting rid of all this crushing pressure, of ceaseless comparisons, and of suffocating inadequacy would¡¯ve been nice, too. Alas, none of that¡ªso sayeth her broken soul.
She would¡¯ve appreciated an opportunity to choke said soul into silence, just like she¡¯d done time and again. Alas, she wouldn¡¯t be finding it yet¡ªfor there was something else to focus on at the moment. Something just as silly and pathetic on the surface, just as threatening to shake her very foundations if she dug into it too much.
Probably not the best distraction all in all, but it was the one she was stuck with now.
As off-putting as Justice and Its intrusion into her dream has been, it was hard to deny that Its vision had left an impact on her. Even despite just how worryingly unclear it was. The basics were straightforward¡ªshe had been doing well so far, but there was still more left to do. Oh, and the stupid three-eyed thing had a chip on Its shoulder at being accused of lying, too.
The specifics were where it got... tricky, however. Tricky enough to where Sue was of half a mind to just discard this entire topic, just like she¡¯d done after waking up. To consign it to the pile of ¡®deities being dumb¡¯. Alas, her mind really needed this distraction. And so, here she was again, pondering the exact associations of the mental image of the fucking Moon falling down onto her.
Come on you dumb mortal, you simple pawn in our quaint game of Ludo¡ªthink! Figure out this oh-so-intricate puzzle of mine, dance for my amusement and do my chores while you¡¯re at it!
With everything they had meddled with, in her personal experiences and Moonview¡¯s history alike, Sue wished to never see another deity again. Both because of them only ever using her like a tool for their own means, again and again, and because of a... different reason, one that reinvigorated her mind to think about. Even if just for a moment.
As awful as Sue had been and was still feeling, her realization from yesterday remained true. She didn¡¯t want to go back to Earth. And even if she had a hard time thinking herself worthy of staying here right now, that didn¡¯t change her underlying desires. With that realization, she grew much more keen on actually figuring out what in the world that Justice entity wanted¡ªand then doing the exact opposite. Anything to sabotage Its plans.
Anything to not have to go back.
Alas, her pursuit of optimal contrarianism was undermined by Its plans being incomprehensible. Literal interpretation was one approach, in which case she was already all good¡ªno way in hell was she gonna be protecting anything and anyone from the falling Moon.
Mission solved! It was time to rest on her laurels and start thinking how she would spend the rest of her life in a mutated animal wonderland.
...
...
I mean, a girl can wish.
Sue¡¯s pitiful chuckle was lost in the noise of shuffling grass and distant, ever-intensifying clacking. By her own admission, she knew little¡ªespecially when it came to this incoherent world¡ªbut even she was positive her dream wasn¡¯t meant to be taken literally. Not with both deities involved in her task, and their villages, being associated with the Moon.
To the best of her recollection, the Moon that fell down on her at the end of that dream was full. Full, massive, blinding in its radiance. Downright oppressive, even long before it had actually crashed into¡ª
The metallic insect ahead of her paused mid-step at Sue¡¯s gasp of realization. Their gaze lingered on her for one moment, then another, until finally the weird Forest Guardian got over her shock and resumed her slow march again, letting her impromptu bodyguard continue, too.
There was something¡ªsomeone else she¡¯d run into recently that had felt just as oppressive, after all. Three someones, to be exact.
The connection chilled Sue¡¯s body to think about, even after she forced herself to keep moving again. It fit too well, but its implications were worrisome, no matter the way she tried to interpret it. If Justice intentionally drew her attention to them, that meant they were important for some reason. Her imagination didn¡¯t shy away from suggesting the many ways in which their presence in Moonview could prove important, all of them tying into either murder, kidnapping, or¡ªor worse.
Even with the Moon figured out, the question of what she was supposed to do about it, what she was supposed to do about them, remained. The answer her mind immediately gravitated to was simple¡ªshe had to stop them. Whether from all the horrible things she had just thought about, or from something even worse, it didn¡¯t matter. Whatever they had in mind, whatever they had come here for, they had to be stopped. But how?
If her earlier chat with Dewdrop was any sign, Solanum and the rest of Solstice¡¯s relatives weren¡¯t liked in Moonview. The same, unfortunately, couldn¡¯t be said about them being respected or worshiped¡ªbut at the very least, nobody was angling to be their friend. If the worst came to pass and they decided they wouldn¡¯t be satisfied unless blood did spill, they were extremely outnumbered. And that was if they got over the cowardice that Solstice had mentioned.
But what if they were to be stopped in a more abstract way? What if they had to be exiled, or chased out, or even just had their rotten ideology be questioned and replaced by Solstice¡¯s quote unquote ¡°heresy¡±? Sue didn¡¯t know, and it terrified her.
Solanum unnerved her; Nightbane made her want to run and never turn back. The third yellow one, Solstice¡¯s father if she remembered correctly... she didn¡¯t know what was up with him, but he was just as suspicious as the other two. Solstice¡¯s reminder that they wouldn¡¯t dare strike while so outnumbered rang hollow as she thought back to Nightbane¡¯s predatory, hungry glare, the way he stared at her like a trophy to be taken after a successful pillage. Especially since, even if they would be ultimately defeated, they would still hurt and kill many before they¡¯d be stopped.
And that assumed it would be just these three.
Sue almost let out another gasp at the realization she didn¡¯t even know if these three were here on their own. They apparently only ever visited in the past on their own and weren¡¯t thought of highly amongst their people in the first place, but¡ who was to say this would be like those past occasions?
No matter whether it was just these three or their entire tribe, she couldn¡¯t let whatever they were planning happen. She had no idea how to do that, or any confidence whether trying to be watchful of them would even accomplish anything, however. She¡¯d have to drill into Solstice and Sundance and everyone she could reach to watch out for them. To make sure that someone is keeping track of them and knows what they¡¯re up to as long as they remain in Moonview, and¡ª
...
And everything else that would ultimately only fulfill what Justice wanted her to do. That would ¡®complete¡¯ her task here, or at least bring it closer to completion. To bring on her ¡®reward¡¯ of being thrown back to Earth, alone once more, with this entire world becoming nothing but a hazy memory.
With everyone here ceasing to exist, as far as her continued existence was concerned.
The realization drove a rusted nail into Sue¡¯s heart, but she refused to scream. It... hurt. She couldn¡¯t even pretend that it didn¡¯t, that it wouldn¡¯t if she were to complete her task here. At the end of the day, however, it was her continued fantasy being weighed against the wellbeing of everyone else here, in either village or even beyond. She didn¡¯t have a leg to stand on, and she wouldn¡¯t even pretend to. She¡¯d do what was right, even if it took carving her heart out to accomplish that.
It took immense effort for Sue to maintain her composure. Her steps lost their cadence, her clenched fist shook something intense; even the steadily building distant noises were making her jump more and more. And yet, she persisted regardless, keeping the hurt well-hidden, hiding it from the judging eyes of a single insectoid robot that wasn¡¯t even looking in her direction. It wasn¡¯t even about being seen, after all.
It was about having earned the right to that hurt.
A change in mental topic was in short order, but... there was one connection she¡¯d realized just now, shocking enough to briefly freeze her dread where it lay. For a heartbeat, there was nothing but stunned silence inside her. As she was recalling everything she knew about Solstice¡¯s relatives, any shred of her limited knowledge that would help her and others stop whatever they were planning, a... peculiar detail popped up. One offhandedly conveyed by the fiery vixen a few days prior.
Solanum and the rest of her rotten ilk lived over of a week away on foot¡ªand yet, they were here the very morning after Justice¡¯s warning.
The contradiction was stark, starker still with the most obvious answer for it getting dismissed out of hand. If them venturing all the way here was tied to Sue having showed up all those days ago, they wouldn¡¯t have acted the way they have. They disrespected her, sure, but she was just a footnote compared to all the ire and dismay they held towards their relative. They came here for Solstice, for Comet, not for Sue.
Which, of course, raised an obvious question. Why did they arrive here on this specific day? How did Justice know they would show up? Sure, Solanum and others arriving here might¡¯ve just been a Fateful accident; the two facts could¡¯ve been entirely unrelated, merely a stroke of cosmic un-luck¡ªSue wasn¡¯t buying that, though. Not for a second.
After all, Justice was awfully shy to actually name the deity that had supposedly brought her here¡ª
*buzz, buzz?*
The bug robot¡¯s words snapped Sue out of her increasingly unhinged train of thought, bringing her back to the surrounding reality. A wild, terrifying reality, one that featured psychics and ghosts and beasts of fire, of lightning, of ice. Dragons, gods, and awful relatives alike.
One where the builder was staring down at her, confused, from approximately two feet away.
Their confused emotions were muffled, taking Sue aback once she¡¯d tried to focus on them. Sure, not everyone expressed their emotions¡ªor even felt them¡ªas strongly as others, but the red bug¡¯s feelings were especially hard to make out. With most people, it was like she could feel their emotions by touch, be they smooth and silky or spiky and fiery-hot. Here, though, it was as if she was trying to do so through a blanket.
Or, in night kin¡¯s case, through a brick wall.
Sue tried to gather words, uneasy at the sudden confrontation. As they buzzed on to an audience of effectively nobody, their uncertainty steadily waned, turning into relief. By the time she remembered to focus on establishing a connection with them, however, they were already done, turning away and heading off in the middle of her makeshift ritual.
At least they feel better after getting whatever that was off their chest.
Embarrassed and not wanting to be left behind, Sue scooted ahead, wincing at her injured leg as she caught up with them. She didn¡¯t have to run for long, though¡ªthey had arrived.
The sizable clearing was split between a few areas, a few of which she could make out from its entrance. To her right laid what appeared to be a quarry, a wound in the earth stretching for a few dozen meters, showing off bare soil and light-colored rock at the bottom. A dozen or so blocks of stone were roughly lined up beside the quarry¡¯s exit ramp, raw and uncut. From the thudding steps and light taps, Sue could tell there was someone in there working on the next block, but her view was obscured by the nearby cliff.
Further along, past that quarry, laid another excavation. It was much shallower than the first one, only uncovering silvery dirt as opposed to stone. Its significance wasn¡¯t immediately apparent, but if the fenced-off stretch of drying bricks and tiles next to it was any sign, the ¡®dirt¡¯ was actually clay.
As nice as it felt to figure out where in the world all the neat bricks and tiles in Moonview were coming from, the rest of the clearing wasn¡¯t as... straightforward to examine. The last of its many attractions looked by far the most industrial, a complex setup of several water basins, sieves, piles of various plant materials, and free-standing, barren walls.
It was overwhelming, but the bug robot was here to explain it all¡ªor at least to demonstrate what its purpose was. They first lifted the nearest basin from what had initially looked like a pedestal but turned out to be a charcoal fired furnace, and placed it down further along the clearing. They then grabbed the basin that was already laying there and brought it back to the furnace. No matter what this entire process entailed, Sue was... unsure whether having the water inside the second basin be as murky as it had been was a good idea¡ªit wasn¡¯t her place to judge, either way.
...
Not competently judge, at least.
With the basin set down, they began to toss charcoal into the furnace, one pincer-ful at a time. Freed from her duty to gawk at anything even remotely interesting going on around her, Sue walked the last few feet to a fallen log beside the clearing¡¯s entrance, its top side being stripped of bark signaling its purpose. The small basket of goodies¡ªmostly roasted fruit slices and thick crackers¡ªbeside it hinted at this being some sort of break area as well. Sue wasn¡¯t sure if she was hungry right now, but even if she was, there was no way in hell she¡¯d be caught stealing from someone else¡¯s lunchbox.
Especially with that someone else being a six-foot-tall red robot that, for all she knew, was already only barely putting up with her stalking them.
The robot¡¯s charcoal-pouring duty was interrupted a couple times by them flinching at a particularly loud sound coming from the quarry. For the most part, the clacking of stone against stone had a steady, rhythmic pace to it, but sometimes it would slow down, each strike turning so powerful Sue could feel it going through her body.
Seems excavating all this stone is a lotta effort even with magical powers.
Even with the ground shaking and their hands busy, the person inside the quarry was still eager to chit chat some, speaking up before the next round of clacking noises began. Their rumbling growls echoed through the clearing, perking the robot¡¯s head up. Sue wasn¡¯t having any more luck with understanding them than she usually did, but she... recognized them, she thought. Where from, and what did they mean, she had no idea, but she could¡¯ve sworn she had heard them before.
As the stranger and the tall bug chatted on, the latter wrapped up fueling the furnace, capping it off with a small bundle of kindling. They then picked up a couple of pieces of flint and got to work, chipping the stone and raining sparks over their body and the ground alike as they got some fire going.
It didn¡¯t take long.
With the flames building up and the clacking resuming, the bug turned to the baskets of wood they had brought with themselves. Sawdust was unceremoniously tossed straight into the basin, but the larger chunks had to be broken down first, unceremoniously crushed between the robot¡¯s pincers along the grain. Wood wasn¡¯t the hardest material out there, but the ease with which they reduced chunk after chunk to splinters with their bare hands was... impressive. Quite terrifying, too, but definitely impressive.
Even with all the wood added, the robot¡¯s job there wasn¡¯t done yet, however. They began making rounds between piles and jars of ingredients lining the edges of the clearing, scooping a pincerful of each material before breaking it apart and adding it to the wooden broth. Some of them Sue could recognize well enough¡ªcotton, inner layers of bark, branches of hemp. Others were tricker to figure out, though, such as what looked like shredded rags, or an unknown white powder. They only grabbed a small pile of the latter, but whatever it was, it still stung Sue¡¯s eyes, even from a distance.
Suppose this answers why all this isn¡¯t closer to Moonview.
All the ingredients were added, which just left stirring the off-white soup¡ªand calling for help. The bug¡¯s whistle was closer to a car alarm going off than any sound Sue thought could be made by a living being, but it was all the more successful because of that. The ear-piercing noise was followed by a loud call, finally beckoning the robot¡¯s assistant over. Unfortunately.
Sue held in a groan at seeing the pink bat scorpion yet again, putting her utmost effort into not letting her dissatisfaction show on her face. Sure, they might have apologized for Joy getting hurt, but if they thought that would be enough to get themselves off her shit list, they were sorely mistaken. After all, they still had done it, right? They still thought it would be oh-so-funny to hurt a little girl who could barely talk, to bully her so much their mere sight had her clinging to her guardian. Joy might have forgiven them, but Sue hadn¡¯t.
And she wasn¡¯t terribly fond of that fact.
As vivid as that kind of righteous anger felt, Sue was well aware she wasn¡¯t in the right anymore¡ªassuming she¡¯d ever been in the first place. Yes, they had hurt someone and didn¡¯t reconcile until prompted by someone else, but... was she literally any better? Hell, if anything, she was worse because of being one apology behind. She didn¡¯t have a moral leg to stand on, and she was well aware.
And yet, she still had a hard time not feeling angry towards them. She caught herself leering at them, even as they harmlessly talked with the robot before dashing off to the basin the bug had previously removed from the furnace. She had to forcibly pry her eyes away as they went on about their day, stirring the water in the basin before submerging a large sieve in it and giving it a hearty shake.
She was being fucking pathetic.
Thankfully, this time, she at least caught her thoughts before they could spiral all the way out. Good as coming here might¡¯ve been for escaping from her self-destructive thoughts, focusing on the bat threatened to undo all that tenuous progress. She didn¡¯t want to, or even really could, make it back to Moonview on her own, which just left a stroll around the clearing. Away from the bat, away from the guilt. Preferably, away from her own brain, too.
With an exasperated sigh, Sue stood back up and turned towards the quarry half of the clearing, trying to focus on anything but her thoughts. The terrain here was much more uneven than back at the village, interspersing the already demanding walk with occasional grunts of pain when she had to put a lot of force on her injured leg. A footnote compared to everything else going on, though.
The intense, brief shock that went through the bat¡ªno doubt at having spotted her¡ªdidn¡¯t help either.
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Now that she was walking along the quarry¡¯s edge, she could actually make out the being working there. Good news was that she recognized them¡ªor rather, her. Bad news was that she still remembered Kantaro¡¯s warning about not interrupting the blue bipedal rhino, Daisy, pushing her towards keeping even more distance between each other. Sure, she didn¡¯t want to fall in and hurt herself, but what she didn¡¯t want even more was to inconvenience someone else and have them grow annoyed at her. Nightmare fuel, that.
Still, that didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t curious about how the elderly builder worked. Daisy¡¯s tools weren¡¯t as distinguished as those Sue had seen others use in Moonview proper, but she was making it work all the same. A stick of charcoal, what seemed to be a wooden level, a long, pointed rock, much darker than the surrounding stone, and finally, her own body.
Sue always wondered how blocks of stone were cut out from the surrounding material¡ªat least, before industrial tooling¡ªand the rhino was set to give her a demonstration of just that. The outline of the desired block was drawn on the stone in charcoal, the black line clearly visible on the light stone. Or, at least, the parts of it that hadn¡¯t already been dotted with cracks and indentations, both along the sketched lines and where the block connected to the surrounding stone. Daisy¡¯s chisel held steady as she hammered it along the remaining edges with her bare hand, each strike hard enough to either make or deepen the cracks in the rock.
Wherever she could reach, however, she preferred to use her all-natural tool instead. Sue would¡¯ve guessed that using her horn for this would be excruciating¡ªor at the very least, a recipe for repeated concussions¡ªand yet, the builder managed without a care in the world, swiftly wrapping up the block¡¯s outline with a few well-aimed strikes. Her horn glowing throughout that entire process gave Sue a pause, but what did she know? Maybe that was the secret to her not shattering her head open with all the forces involved.
Fun as all this has been to watch, there was a walk to be done. With a deep breath, Sue refocused on the treacherous path ahead and resumed her walk, expecting the chipping sounds to resume shortly after¡ª
*RUMBLErumblerumble...*
The world shook for just a second, but that second was enough to swipe any balance from underneath her. Sue shrieked as she tumbled, half-grabbing and half slamming into a nearby tree to remain upright. The rough bark dug into her skin and she was quite sure it had left a scrape or two, but other than that and the ringing in her ears, she seemed to be alright.
The trees had not failed her once more.
The alarmed noises going on from behind her didn¡¯t help, though. The robot bug¡¯s call was aimed in her direction, its harshness unnerving. Before she could react, it was joined by another call, one much more obviously alarmed and from much closer. Still remembering Kantaro¡¯s remark, Sue slowly turned around towards Daisy¡ªand only saw warm, genuine concern on her face. Beside her, an uneven stone block, successfully separated from the surrounding wall.
Sue didn¡¯t know how to react, gaze snapping between the blue builder, her recent efforts, and her red coworker in the distance. She shouldn¡¯t be here and she knew it, the thought chilling despite nobody else being visibly angry or anything. What they were, though, was uncertain, and her lack of response sure wasn¡¯t helping that any.
Daisy knew what to do, though. Rambling on in her low grumbles and growls, she lifted her hand and beckoned Sue over before pointing toward the seat the Forest Guardian had just gotten up from minutes earlier. It was the clearest instruction Sue¡¯d be getting here, and with the lack of any hostility¡ªor even annoyance¡ªshe didn¡¯t hesitate before following along.
Once she¡¯d sat down, she watched the blue dino climb out of the quarry and approach her, bestial laughter interrupting her every other sentence. It was quite a contrast to Sue¡¯s motionless, silent self, too stuck in a bind between not wanting to cause further trouble, being apologetic, and dealing with a metric shitton of nasty thoughts to even acknowledge the builder¡¯s thoughts.
Daisy didn¡¯t mind though¡ªshe knew just how to handle this. She grabbed the entire basket of goodies and sat down beside the fallen log, sending aftershocks as she impacted the ground. She then pulled out a hearty, pear-like fruit for herself and passed on a few thick crackers to Sue, before finally leaning back and relaxing some.
Guess a snack won¡¯t hurt.
The treat was much thicker than any biscuit she ever had back on Earth, closer to an unleavened flatbread or hard tack than a digestive. That didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t tasty, though¡ªnot by a long shot. Salty with a hint of vinegar and an herbal aroma, the perfect junk food to turn one¡¯s brain off to, if only for a minute. And, alas, a minute was all that Sue would get before Daisy got to gesturing again, this time drawing a line in the air between Sue¡¯s head and her own.
Here goes nothing.
Pushing through the combined effects of her emotional discomfort, aching in her horn, and hesitation, Sue went through her little ritual, hands weaving through the air as she manipulated the extension of her mind. She was growing so used to all this that it began to obscure just how fascinating having those abilities was. Not something to ponder on here and now, though.
After controlling her mental tentacle with enough grace for Daisy to not even flinch at the connection being established, Sue took a deep breath and opened her eyes again, firmly nodding towards the blue rhino. ¡°Hear ya?¡± Daisy asked, her accent clear despite the less than ideal translation. It raised the question of whether said accent was coming from her or if Sue¡¯s recollection of their brief chat was affecting how she was understanding the builder.
A question that would go unanswered for the time being. ¡°Yes, yes, I can hear you,¡± Sue answered, rolling her shoulders as she prepared to be... questioned, she guessed.
¡°Good! What with ya, girl? Not look like anywhere walk person. No light, anger, power like yesterday.¡±
What was up with Sue indeed.
She didn¡¯t piece every single detail of Daisy¡¯s question, but the thrust was clear¡ªand the answers were muddled. ¡°It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s been a lot, *sigh*. I¡¯ve... I¡¯ve done things I regret, and now they just won¡¯t let go of me, and I can¡¯t stop thinking about them.¡±
The hefty bipedal rhino pensively nodded at Sue¡¯s conundrum, raising her paw towards her chin as if to rest her head on it¡ªonly to just scratch her chin and chuckle out, ¡°Mistakes ya make? Everyone make mistakes, girl. I make four, all days! Bad measure, rough cut. Much thinking on them never help. Drink, another measure, another cut, recover all can.¡±
It was a delightfully simple response to Sue¡¯s worries, one that¡ªhad she been feeling any better already¡ªshe would¡¯ve tried to take. But she wasn¡¯t, and she didn¡¯t, and considering the details of what she¡¯d done, it wouldn¡¯t even be appropriate here. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just some measuring mistake though, I-I hurt someone¡ª¡±
*buzz-buzz?*
The metallic noise cut Sue¡¯s murmurs off, yanking her and Daisy¡¯s attention towards the robot bug that had since moved to stand in front of them. As Sue reeled back from their sudden presence here, the blue builder continued, unamused. ¡°Nah Chisel, not good way. It¡ªpardon. Sue girl, hear Chisel can?¡±
The Forest Guardian blinked at being addressed, connecting the dots soon after. At last, the robot had been baptized with a name, and assuming Sue could repeat her earlier feat with Splitleaf and Basil, she¡¯d be finally able to hear from them herself. Another moment of concentration, another mental tendril, right beside the first one and aimed at the red builder. Reaching their mind proved much trickier than Sue had anticipated, tying into her earlier difficulties with sensing their emotions. She¡¯d have to ask Sundance or... probably just Sundance right now when she got back.
But that was then¡ªand now it was time to keep chatting. ¡°I-I think I have it now,¡± Sue muttered, keeping the aching in her horn at bay with stable breathing. ¡°Hello, Chisel.¡±
¡°Greetings,¡± the robot insect answered. Her voice was no less choppy and compressed-sounding even with translation, but at least the mood and gender were easier to tell now¡ªcalm and feminine, respectively. ¡°Realize you deaf me earlier. Correct?¡±
Sue reeled at Chisel¡¯s words before realizing she probably didn¡¯t mean ¡®deaf¡¯ in a literal way. That would¡¯ve been... impressive to do on accident, if utterly terrifying and disgusting on every level. Maybe she meant Sue was the deaf one? She wasn¡¯t and hoped she¡¯d never be, but considering her lack of reaction to the last time the robot bug had attempted to talk to her, she could understand why she¡¯d think so.
¡°I didn¡¯t understand you when we were walking here, yeah,¡± Sue admitted. She watched as Chisel took a deep sigh at that, her emotions muffled enough for her earlier uncertainty to have only become noticeable now after it¡¯d changed into relief.
¡°Fortunate. Considering, then: Greetings again. I, Chisel. I, others, everyone¡ªthank you, yesterday for.¡±
The fluster at being thanked so directly didn¡¯t undo her worries or anxiety, but it shone beautifully for the few seconds it decorated her cheeks. The moment of thick silence that followed left her unsure if either of the two builders was expecting her to say something in return, sending Sue¡¯s brain wracking to come up with something to fill the air¡ª
But Daisy had her back. ¡°Aye, mighty thanks, Sue. As I saying Chisel¡ªnot good idea. If weigh good to avoid bad, no relief. Just hide bad. Just let bad get dirty. Dirty, nasty, shameful. Have clean it, have look it, have responsibility. Use it, not let bad beat you with it.¡±
Sue wouldn¡¯t have even dreamed of using the arguable few good things she¡¯d done to pretend she¡¯d done nothing wrong. She wasn¡¯t the best person, but she wasn¡¯t that, and not a small part of her insecurity over making things right was to make sure she would never become someone like that. The messaging about pride being a sin she¡¯d heard during the mass when she was little might¡¯ve all been consciously forgotten by now, but its associations haven¡¯t.
And if only Sue¡¯s mind saw it fit to end that tangent there and then, she could¡¯ve had some comfort in not being that person¡ªbut it didn¡¯t. Of course it didn¡¯t, it couldn¡¯t, because that kind of thinking was precisely a part of the problem. If she took relief in that, that¡¯d just be letting her pride in being good once more offset her wicked deeds. There was no relief, no mercy to be found within that mental thread, and it hurt.
But she¡¯d bear through it.
Instead of acknowledging just how far her psyche was willing to stretch to have another sin to jot down, Sue focused on another part of Daisy¡¯s answer, one far more unequivocally bad. ¡°But what if you do have a chance to fix it, to take responsibility, and you just mess it up again? O-or you get too afraid to even take that chance, and the problem remains unfixed?¡±
¡°Hah!¡± Daisy chuckled. ¡°Sound like another mistake!¡±
Correct.
¡°Which mean, have to fix too. Just another measure, another cut, again. Like any mistake. Look close, think what wrong, next chance. On, onward!¡±
Not the answer Sue thought she¡¯d hear, and not one she cared for, either. It sounded much too... simplistic, dismissive of the underlying issue that this was about people and not slabs of rock. ¡°This isn¡¯t about mining or crafting something wrong though, this¡ªI hurt someone and I haven¡¯t apologized. It¡¯s not like I can ¡®just¡¯ fix that; I had my chance to apologize to her, and I blew it.¡±
¡°Unfortunate,¡± Chisel muttered. Off in the distance behind her, all the chatter was steadily distracting the pink bat out of their task, but nobody noticed¡ªand especially not Sue. She wanted to continue with her tangent, wanted to put words to her fears and hopelessness, reassert that everything was indeed doomed.
She didn¡¯t get the opportunity, though.
¡°¡®Course different with people, girl,¡± Daisy sighed. ¡°Core the same¡ªanother measure, attempt. Need forgive you first, too. Nobody without mistakes. If want fix them, need calm and forgive self first. What happened is, ain¡¯t not-happening it. Need live with that. Live, breath, measure, try. Try and try. Better not anger at you, but if, then forgive first.¡±
Was this really all the wisdom Daisy had? Sue clenched her hand as she listened in, the simplistic advice grating away at her composure. Wasn¡¯t forgiveness exactly how she ended up here in the first place? If she¡¯d just tried harder and been more relentless with herself, she would¡¯ve pushed through and done what was needed there and then, just like with Basil. This leniency, this ¡®forgiveness¡¯, clearly had only made things worse.
She grumbled, trying to keep what remained of her cool, ¡°But that only makes things worse, right? If you just keep forgiving yourself, you¡¯ll grow okay with not fixing things and stay where you are. Won¡¯t it result in stagnation, in not caring about anything bad you do just because you can forgive yourself afterwards? I-I don¡¯t know, it just sounds like a recipe for becoming the worst sort of person, allowing us to freely hurt others before just absolving ourselves of everything wrong.¡±
The other two women took a while chewing through Sue¡¯s words, the heady mix of emotion, imperfect translation and complicated topic muddling the waters further. For a while, Sue thought she had indeed ¡®won¡¯ the discussion, with Chisel turning to silence and Daisy heavily considering something. As much as she had wanted it to, that fact brought her no joy. Yes, she had won the medal for being the correctest little girl in the room¡ªher reward was the crippling awareness of how much she¡¯d fucked up for the rest of forever.
Sue didn¡¯t want to be right, not this once. She wanted someone to step in and prove her wrong, to hack away at her excuses and anger, piercing through them one after another before finally reaching the wounded emotions at the core. She wanted, needed to be wrong on this, inwardly praying for someone to bash through her contrarianism and offer her a hand towards somewhere where she wouldn¡¯t feel this awful anymore.
And Daisy was keen to deliver.
¡°Ya know, thinkin¡¯. Sound like you focus mistakes. Not measures, fixes, but mistakes. It¡¯s punishment, from us to us. Makes feel awful. Shameful, angry. Imagine raisin¡¯ hand at yourself. Your soul. Focus mistakes is punish soul.¡±
The Forest Guardian had no idea where the blue builder was going with this, but she had her entire attention.
Daisy continued, ¡°Thing¡ªnobody like punishment. It hurts, from us or not us. Nobody want, avoid if can. Focus mistakes is punishment is pain is not want fix, because hurts.¡±
That sequence of events broadly tracked, yes. Of course having to think about what she¡¯d done hurt. Whether that counted as actual punishment Sue wasn¡¯t as sure of¡ªit more so felt like the only right thing to do in such a situation. But, what she was more positive about, was that it was necessary. It had to hurt, otherwise there wouldn¡¯t be any change.
Right?
Before Sue could put her doubts to words, though, Chisel had done it for her. ¡°Need punishment occasionally,¡± the red robot muttered with a pensive expression. ¡°It shapes virtue.¡±
The blue rhino wasn¡¯t convinced, firmly shaking her head. ¡°Punishment from others? Not sure if, but not that about right now. Punishment from self? Nah, never. Look¡ªall hate punishment. All want away punishment. Not want tell elders that crops trampled if get punished. Not want force out into rain in night. All the same when you, not others. Two ways runnin¡¯ away punishment. One good, but two common. One¡ªyou abuse self, fix mistake. Used hurt, now gone. Two¡ªhide. Not look. Give up, hide, anythin¡¯ not look. When two, mistake never fix. Hide from us, from mistake and shame. Disappointment, yes. Mistake hurt, punishment hurt, shame hurt less. All hurt much.¡±
Nobody was sure how to respond to Daisy¡¯s words. In no small part because she was clearly not done yet, tapping her claws against her bulky hide. After a moment or two, she sighed and continued, voice much more somber than before. ¡°I say because I live that. Dozens dozens Moons ago, when Moonview much small, I... afraid night kin. Afraid, angry, awful. Not Root-like, but much close than want admit.¡±
Sue stared at the builder wide-eyed, shocked at the admission considering how she had stood up to the badger last night. For once, she wasn¡¯t the only one shocked at the mundane events around her, the other builder¡¯s yellow eyes similarly wide. ¡°...you?¡± Chisel asked, stunned.
¡°Ya, me,¡± Daisy admitted. ¡°It mistake, long big mistake. I watch, Moonview change. Everyone less afraid when Solstice here. Not me, not much. Still worry. Know worry bad. Bad mistake, hurt lot, shame lot. Hurt think, so not think. Only run and away look, forever. Moons go, others less afraid. Me still afraid. Afraid about afraid. Punishment thinking about afraid. No change, only hurt, only shame.¡±
¡°Wh-what happened to change that?¡± Sue asked, leaning further in.
¡°Long talk Granite. Was afraid talk. Not want anger others, punishment others. Granite realize wrong something, listen. Hurt, but I explain what happen. I remember, he ask¡ª¡®You want change?¡¯ Obviously yes. Then he, ¡®Sit, think about night kin afraid. No you anger, no you shame. Sit, think, accept you there. No judgment.¡¯ It hard, y¡¯all! It very hard. He help. We sit talk. Eventually easier. Less anger at me from me. Can look at mistake without fear. Without feeling sin. After talking many times, finally can change and measure and fix. Only when no think ¡®I¡¯m bad¡¯. ¡®I¡¯m bad¡¯ burn, paralyze, poison. ¡®I did bad¡¯ tells fix, change. It very hard then. Talking about very hard now.¡±
Sue shook in her seat as she processed the admission, the lesson contained therein as straightforward as it was hard to accept. It was one thing to reassure others that just because they had done a bad thing that didn¡¯t mean they were a bad person, but doing that to herself bordered on impossible. And in her case, it wasn¡¯t even about her being a ¡®bad¡¯ person¡ªshe didn¡¯t consider herself to have done enough of either good or bad to think of herself as more than just ¡®a person¡¯. ¡®Worthless¡¯, however... yeah, that tracked.
*click-growl-hiss...*
The unfamiliar, bestial sound perked Sue up, her gaze snapping towards its source. Her reaction at seeing the pink bat draped over Chisel¡¯s shoulders was much more subdued than when she first spotted them earlier, but it still wasn¡¯t exactly pleasant. Still, she tried her hardest to push through that subconscious emotional response¡ªand instead, try linking with them.
Furrowing her brow and clenching her right hand, she pushed through the mounting aches as she extended the third link from her head. The first two grew treacherously weak as she maneuvered it through the air, tuning out the bat¡¯s uncertain, pensive emotions just enough to touch the underlying mind.
The attached body just blinked in surprise at the unfamiliar sensation, getting entirely distracted from what they¡¯d just heard. ¡°Sorry I not hear you Chisel something distracted!¡± they squeaked. Their translated voice was surprisingly high-pitched for how boyish it was, and nowhere near close enough to adulthood to conceivably fool her like with Northeast.
Congratulations, you got repeatedly pissed at a kid¡ªwait, no. I... I probably want to avoid thinking that, right?
The red builder was unsure how did the pink scorpion manage to not hear her with her mouth being inches away from his ears, but she repeated regardless. ¡°Ultimately, apologize you?¡±
The bat nodded fiercely, ¡°Yes! Apologize did but hard and Mrs. Splitleaf help.¡±
As Sue squirmed under the pressure of her self-consciousness, Daisy just chuckled. ¡°Ain¡¯t thing wrong that, Copper. Realize mistake, realize harm, take responsibility. You want apologize, afraid alone, asked help. Still apologize, all good.¡±
The newly named Copper clung closer to Chisel, looking away with a faint blush on his cheeks. ¡°Mrs. Splitleaf and Ms. Cirrus talk me about it. I mean and hurt and wish not. Everyone mean and joke Joy and I think can too and... hurt hurt hurt. Hope others not mean Joy now.¡±
¡°Better others with time, sonny. Good you for apologize and think better, others time take. Believe they better get too,¡± Daisy beamed, about to reach up to scritch the bat on the chin before realizing she didn¡¯t quite have the reach from her sitting position.
Unfortunately for Copper, however, Daisy wasn¡¯t the only one who could understand him in their exchange. ¡°Yeah, I¡ªI hope nothing like that will happen to Joy again,¡± Sue muttered, catching the bat¡¯s attention. He flinched at not just hearing, but understanding her voice, leaving her worrying she should¡¯ve given him a heads up about it. It was too late for that now, but...
It wasn¡¯t too late for other things.
The small gathering remained silent while Sue gathered words, green fingers tapping against white, thin legs as she stared down at the ground. A part of her didn¡¯t want to bother with doing what she was about to do, kept chiding her for ¡®admitting defeat¡¯ like this. After all, her original anger was right¡ªCopper had hurt Joy and took his sweet bloody time before doing anything more than pathetically running away from her.
A much larger part of her didn¡¯t want to be angry, though. Anger was so tiring, especially one she had to forcibly maintain with so much time having passed since the original incident. She was under no delusion that he and Joy wouldn¡¯t be buddy buddy right away after something like that, especially with the scar still visible on the girl¡¯s maw, but... they didn¡¯t have to be. Healing was gonna take a while either way; what mattered was that he¡¯d finally apologized. And if Sue could find in herself the mercy to let those bygones be bygones and actually meet the bat without judgment as an equal,
Then maybe she could figure out how to do it with herself, too.
¡°Hi, Copper. I... I¡¯m sorry for getting so angry at you over those past few days,¡± Sue mumbled, finally finding the courage to look up at him. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that helped a lot, and I only scared you a bunch...¡±
Surprise, hesitation, confusion¡ªand finally, relief. ¡°Oh! Thank thank... *click-click-click-click¡ª*¡± the bat began, drifting off with repetitive noises.
¡°This gal Sue, Copper!¡± Daisy chimed in.
The bat acknowledged the clarification with a few rapid clicks. ¡°Thank thank Ma¡¯am Daisy and thank thank Ms. Sue!¡±
If he had ¡°Ma¡¯am¡±¡¯d me I would¡¯ve probably crumbled into dust on the spot.
¡°Understand I Ms. Sue. If all happen me then my mom would angry angry like you,¡± Copper continued, almost short-circuiting Sue¡¯s brain. She wanted to deny that comparison¡ªshe wasn¡¯t Joy¡¯s mom; the very idea was... i-it was silly, and the more she could do to dispel it, the better. And yet, for all her wants, she remained silent, just nodding along and persevering through the warmth that bloomed within her at the comparison.
Unaware of any internal debate going on right beside her, Daisy continued. ¡°Goin¡¯ back. True Sue, forever forgive can stagnation. Can happen. But if want fix, from heart, then forgive help bunch. Forgive allow help from others. Sometimes, even true want fix not enough. Need others help. Without forgive, with anger, others help hard. Very hard. Too hurt to talk about. With forgive, remove anger, judgment, shame. Without shame, can ask help, fix. Punishment and anger make shame. Shame make not want talk, want protect. Protect the hurt to pride, hide guilt. Forgive destroy shame.¡±
After flicking her fingers a few more times, the builder had just the thing in mind to cap her point off with. ¡°Forever forgive can stagnation. Forever punishment, forever shame will stagnation. Forgive not hide responsibility¡ªallow it. Allow overcome shame, fix.¡±
As much as that kneejerk part of her still wanted to argue against that, to insist that she should be angry at herself and not let herself rest over this... it didn¡¯t have the strength to do so anymore. Not now. They might¡¯ve taken a bit of interpretation to truly grasp, but Sue wanted to take Daisy¡¯s words to heart. Of course, even with them, even with that temporary balm of forgiveness of someone else¡¯s making, her mind still wasn¡¯t clear of everything that plagued it¡ªand she knew it.
The situation with Northeast was messed up, but if it had been just that, Sue guessed she would¡¯ve been able to apologize earlier today. And yet, she didn¡¯t. There was more to it, a Forest Guardian-shaped scar in her mind that covered up another, much larger, person-shaped scar. The latter one was all but invisible for now, and the former still hurt to acknowledge, but at least now she felt like she was capable of it.
The chat with Daisy didn¡¯t fix everything, but at least it left her feeling well enough to ask for help towards fixing things, be they with Northeast or Aurora. Even with the road ahead more visible now, it still wouldn¡¯t be as straightforward as she would¡¯ve wished for.
¡°If only it was this easy...¡± Sue sighed.
¡°Ha! Never easy. Not even when help. If try try try, at last succeed, girl. How feel, Sue? Better?¡± Daisy asked, giving the Forest Guardian a modest smile at seeing her straighten her back at least somewhat.
Sue returned the expression. ¡°I¡¯m better, yeah. I still have a lot on my mind, but it feels more feasible now. It¡¯s also probably something I should talk about with someone else, heh. Thank you, Daisy, Chisel, C-Copper.¡±
¡°Anytime, girl!¡±
¡°Much appreciated.¡±
¡°Thank for talking Ms. Sue! Oh!¡± Copper perked up, drawing Chisel¡¯s attention right as she was about to turn around and head back to the basin-ful of boiling something. ¡°Can tell Joy hope I she better?¡±
¡°O-of course, Copper!¡± Sue answered, her earlier smile blossoming as she kept a single annoying tear from leaking out. The bat chirped happily in response, the sound high enough to peak into ultrasound and slipping out of her mental translation¡ªassuming it was supposed to be understood as words to begin with. With all the reassurance she could reasonably expect, Sue stood up and took a deep breath, earning herself a couple pats on the back right as Daisy got up and began to head back to the quarry. She just barely avoided losing her balance this time, netting both herself and the rhino a chuckle¡ªfollowed by a realization. ¡°Um¡ªDaisy?¡±
¡°Yah?¡±
¡°Would you mind escorting me back to Moonview? I-I know there¡¯s a path here, but... uh¡ª¡±
¡°¡®Course!¡± Daisy cut through Sue¡¯s uncertainty about how to word the current situation. ¡°Not fret, Sue. More stone than need half Moon. Grab snack, three. Ready go now?¡±
No point in delaying it.
¡°Yeah!¡±
She had some well-wishes to pass on, after all.
Chapter 31: Descent
The walk back to Sundance¡¯s dwelling was largely spent in silence, to Sue¡¯s relief. She greatly appreciated Daisy¡¯s help, the new perspective to chew through her mental murk with, but couldn¡¯t deny that having to put so much effort into just making sense of her words was draining. And that¡¯s without even mentioning all the digging through her emotions the topic of conversation demanded.
Instead, both of them got to enjoy silence and clean air. The blue rhino didn¡¯t linger for long after the yellowish sandstone of Sundance¡¯s roof came into view. Instead, she patted Sue¡¯s shoulder from behind to catch her attention and spoke, pointing at the tall building, ¡°Sue girl! Here where want go?¡±
Sue¡¯s firm nod was confirmation enough. ¡°Y-yes, that¡¯s here. Thank you for talking with me, Daisy.¡±
¡°Not worry! Glad help. Need walk anyway. Safe be!¡± Daisy laughed. After patting Sue¡¯s back a couple more times¡ªwhich Sue finally endured without losing her balance¡ªshe turned around and headed out, towards where the other builders were working.
As Sue made her way through the last stretch towards and up the stairs to Sundance¡¯s home, worries refused to leave her. Everything going on in her head had been merely subdued, far from excised, and she was acutely aware. She knew she¡¯d have to keep talking¡ªor at least, that she should talk to the vixen once she got back¡ªbut the thought of that still intimidated her.
And the worst thing was that she didn¡¯t know why.
Sundance hadn¡¯t been anything but helpful in all their conversations so far, be they about Moonview¡¯s history or what might be going on in her head. Sue knew she could trust her, that the vixen was likely the most capable person here for helping her process those feelings, but... that didn¡¯t make said feelings any less scary. The opposite, even. They¡¯ve been perfectly content remaining quiet and digging away at her confidence in silence, and hurt now that any attention had been placed upon them. And that was just from her own surface thoughts! Sundance might not have been the most keen on using flames as a solution to all problems, but boy could she shine a light at all the bile in her head.
Sue wasn¡¯t even sure if she could be helped. She felt just about confident enough to try, but doubted said confidence would last long. Either way, that had to wait for a bit longer¡ªshe was there. She had to shield her eyes from the late afternoon sun as she made it up the last few steps, about to push on the door before her¡ª
But then; she heard a familiar, if distressing, sound from the inside.
She brought her head to the ajar door, peeking in at what was going on as she listened to Joy¡¯s distress. To the best of her ability to make out, everyone else was feeling perfectly alright in both looks and feelings alike. Sundance was still lying on a couple pillows, drawing sketches both on the stone floor and whichever scraps of wood were lying around. Twinkle was happily accompanying her in that, and so was Comet; the latter¡¯s excitable scribbles interrupted at Joy¡¯s unrest. Spark was comfortably snuggled into her mom, woofing quietly at the metal girl. Joy was a few paces away from all of them, facing them with an uneasy expression as her maw shuddered.
As much as it hurt to see Joy scared, Sue was hesitant to step in¡ªthe last thing she wanted to do was startle her further. And yet, it looked like there wasn¡¯t another way of handling that, not with the girl only growing more and more upset by the moment. She was tired; she was confused, and more than anything she was scared¡ªand Sundance¡¯s words weren¡¯t helping, despite the vixen¡¯s clear effort. Neither was Spark¡¯s help once the kit had tried to slowly approach the girl with concern in her woofs, only prompting louder cries from the toothy tyke.
Once Joy¡¯s shudders had turned into scared squeaks and her maw lifted from its idle position behind her, though, the Forest Guardian knew she had to do something, even if the sight and sound of those metal teeth rattling together still intimidated her. Waiting no further, Sue knocked on the door and stepped in, not even having the time to speak up before Joy was already racing towards her, whimpering as she clung to her good leg.
Something bad had clearly happened here, but figuring out what exactly could wait.
C¡¯mere, sweetie.
Pushing through the aching in her leg and horn alike, Sue kneeled and picked up the crying, frightened child into her arms. She held her tight as she walked to the chair she sat in last time, taking her time in case walking closer to others would spook Joy further. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t. The girl was much too focused on clinging to her guardian to notice much of her surroundings anymore.
Just a few feet away, all the scary noise and the return of their guardian had pulled Twinkle away from their own drawing. They shuddered in place, confused and withdrawing their tentacles into the confines of their bag. Sue continued to whisper reassurances to Joy as she watched for the little ghost under her care, passing Sundance a concerned look. Seeing the vixen be as uncertain as she was didn¡¯t help any, but at least the scene was finally down.
As spooked as Twinkle was, they thankfully only needed a small nudge to scramble to their guardian. With a gentle tap and a quiet whisper from the older vixen in the room, they outstretched their tentacles again and scooted towards Sue, picking up the pace with each little dash. Behind them, Spark followed too, mindful enough to limit herself to laying beside Sue¡¯s leg instead of joining the other kids on her lap.
Despite all the tension moments prior, things seemed to be in the clear. Even more so once the bundle of ghost had joined the toothy girl on Sue¡¯s lap, pressing into her torso. She knew of no mental magic that could help them calm faster, but steady breaths while being held by someone trustworthy were a foolproof cure for that already. And, especially in Joy¡¯s case, there was another thing she could do, unnerving as it still was.
Scared or not, there was a girl to comfort, and the worst of her fear was already behind her. Nothing bad should happen if she¡¯d just¡ª
Sue was anticipating the tip of Joy¡¯s maw to grab her hand again, but she certainly didn¡¯t expect that to happen before she¡¯d even touched it. It was briefly startling, but the shift in the girl¡¯s emotions was immediate, her whimpers ceasing basically instantly.
One toothy tyke clinging to one side¡ªcheck. One bundle of ghost wrapped tight around her other side¡ªcheck.
One messy situation she¡¯d walked in on but which was now easing up, check.
With Sue¡¯s right hand temporarily immobilized, the left one had to pick up the slack. It moved between all the gathered heads, bags and maws, cooling off a bit of the turbulent emotions with each touch. All that was missing were words, something that Sundance would help immensely with.
¡°Sundance?¡± Sue whispered, perking both kids¡¯ heads. ¡°Could you¡ª¡±
The vixen nodded. ¡°Done, worry not. It¡¯s good to see you back, Sue. I apologize for such a situation awaiting you.¡±
Joy clung tighter as she heard Sundance¡¯s words, the small pang of negative emotion not missed on either psychic. ¡°What happened, though?¡± the Forest Guardian asked, more stunned than accusatory.
¡°Joy woke up a few minutes ago and was scared to see you not be here,¡± the vixen explained. ¡°I tried to calm her down afterwards, but I... mishandled it, to say the least. I¡¯m sorry, Joy. I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡±
The metal girl listened intently to the woofed words, their contents much more understandable now that fright wasn¡¯t gripping her mind anymore. As scary as this situation was, if unintentionally, her big friend and guardian was here now, and that¡¯s all that mattered.
And said guardian wanted to help, too. ¡°I¡¯m here Joy, I¡¯m here. You got scared bad, didn¡¯t you?¡± Silence filled the room for a few moments as the girl processed the questions, calming down as she responded with a handful of quiet nods. Sue continued, ¡°That bad man from before we got here scared you bad and it hurt, and I¡¯m very sorry.¡±
Judging by Joy¡¯s whimper at the mere mention of these events, she might¡¯ve just nailed it. The sound, compared with the flash of terror, left Comet startled as well. He put down his little drawing before scrambling towards the nearest adult, the worst of the fear not lasting long before Sundance¡¯s warmth melted through it. Sue smiled weakly at his antics, and at the confirmation of her hunch.
Still, as much as acknowledging what had happened helped, it wasn¡¯t an immediate cure by itself. Sue continued her silent reassurance¡ªthat Joy was seen, that her emotions were normal and justified. And, a few moments later, that she was safe. ¡°I¡¯m here for you, Joy. You¡¯re safe here, I promise.¡±
¡°I-I-I... safe,¡± Joy whimpered, more so to herself than to anyone else. Sue had to keep a grip on herself to not startle her with a tight hug, whole body yearning to comfort the girl as much and as fast as it could. Alas, had to take it easy. The progress they¡¯ve already had was plenty reassuring.
¡°Yes, you¡¯re safe, Joy. And so are you, Twinkle. I¡¯m sorry about what happened earlier. A bad man scared and hurt us, but he¡¯s not here anymore. We¡¯re safe,¡± Sue continued, spreading some of her affection to the little ghost. She cursed herself quietly for overlooking them until now and only focusing her efforts on Joy, but on a rational level, she knew such slip-ups were expected. Especially since Twinkle¡¯s method of expressing fear was quiet withdrawal as opposed to panicked whimpers.
Something, something, forgive myself. Let¡¯s stop distracting myself any further with my nonsense.
Addressing the elephant in the room helped, but the reassurance took its time to fully worm itself in. The brief splashes of fear in both kids¡¯ psyche at being reminded of the event took Sue aback. For a few long, terrifying moments, she wondered whether she had made a grave mistake by bringing it up, whether she shouldn¡¯t have just waited until they forgot it on their own. Thankfully, the distress didn¡¯t last long once her words caught up with the kids¡¯ memories¡ªeven if Joy¡¯s little mind wasn¡¯t quite done with getting over its recent scare after waking up.
But Sue was here. They were safe with her. She loved them; she was their guardian; she was there for them. She was their¡ª
¡°I¡¯m sorry for not being here when you woke up, Joy,¡± Sue continued, sensing that lingering thread in her mind. ¡°I was...¡± she drifted off, torn between wanting to keep them in the loop and not spilling any of her muck onto them. ¡°I was feeling bad too, and I wanted to be alone for a while.¡±
Sue monitored both kids¡¯ emotions as she provided her simplified explanation, keeping watch of anything bad creeping into their minds again. So far, so good. ¡°I was feeling bad, but it wasn¡¯t because of you, I promise. I love you both, and I want to be here for you as much as I can.¡± Continued success; no fear or self-consciousness yet. That¡¯s not to say that her words didn¡¯t elicit any emotion in the young listeners, though, taking their guardian aback as the leftovers of their fear turned into a desire to comfort.
Their¡ªtheir guardian was feeling bad. And they didn¡¯t want her to feel bad.
One breath, two breaths, any expression of emotion more intense than a wobbly smile averted¡ªSue could continue. She was about to do so even¡ªbefore a quiet, harsh voice caught her attention first. ¡°H-hope good you...¡± Joy spoke, her words the clearest ones Sue had heard yet.
It sure didn¡¯t help with making her smile even wobblier, ha.
¡°I¡¯m feeling good now, thank you Joy,¡± Sue beamed. With the topic having swung around to something more positive, Sue was keen to get the most out of it, continuing, ¡°There are other people out there that helped me calm down and feel better. Just like there are others that want to help you, too, because I won¡¯t always be here,¡± she added.
Both kids reacted by clinging to her that bit closer, each processing their own brief pangs of fear at the reminder that Sue was her own person and, as such, lived her own life. It was unfair! Sue made them feel safe, and they didn¡¯t want to feel unsafe. They wanted her to always be there for them. The selfish thought lingered in both their minds, but was weakened soon after by the reassurance that came afterwards.
¡°I-I know it¡¯s scary when I¡¯m not here. But~, there are many people you can trust and that will keep you safe even if I¡¯m not here.¡± Direct as that reassurance was, it could only do so much¡ªeven once it was accompanied with an example. ¡°Sundance will look after you when I¡¯m not here. I know she might look a bit scary and unfamiliar, but she¡¯s a friend. You can trust her.¡±
¡°Yeah! Y-you can trust mom! *Ow,*¡± Spark added happily. The older vixen herself remained quiet at the shout out, holding her chuckles in as she just opted to wave at the pair of kids on Sue¡¯s lap. Comet, being Comet, joined in on the waving, underlining the fun gesture with a drawn-out squeak that sent the rest of the room giggling.
Sue kept her hand on the pulse of the two little ones, literal and emotional alike. She¡¯d been keeping them calm enough so far, especially with Spark and Comet¡¯s help, but was worrying about how much she¡¯d actually end up accomplishing. Especially since, as her brain murk was eager to point out, their fears were right to an extent. Not about them being unsafe without her specifically, but rather being unsafe whether she was there or not.
Postured as she may about keeping them safe and being there for them, once push came to shove earlier today, once it was just her, them, and someone that wanted to hurt them¡ªwhat did she even do? Nothing; she just stood there paralyzed, just like Joy. She was supposed to be their guardian, someone they could trust for more than just idle words about being loved and safe, trust that she¡¯d be able to back up her words with actions. But she couldn¡¯t.
She was just too weak. She could and should be doing more to protect them, but for that, she had to get stronger. Strong enough to keep them safe from Nightbane; from Solanum; from everyone who¡¯d ever hurt them; from them, the bad people that only wanted to hurt the ones she loved¡ª
No, stop.
Before Sue knew it, it was her heart that was racing the hardest of everyone around. She held the two little ones that bit closer as she calmed down, immensely relieved that neither of them noticed her turn for the worse. Joy was conflicted between wanting to follow Sue¡¯s words and trust the big vixen, and still feeling just a bit too spooked to do so. Twinkle, however, seemed to have entirely calmed down. Though with their mind feeling more like a glowing cloud than a single point of light, it was quite hard to tell.
There were a couple more things she could say and do to help them further in feeling better, too. Sliding her free hand under Joy¡¯s seat, Sue gently lifted her into her arms, all the while tilting the elbow of her other hand for Twinkle to grab onto to pull themselves closer to her heartbeat. It took a while for the ghost to notice, but once both kids had shifted to a closer position, the effect was almost immediate, if slight.
She wasn¡¯t done yet, though.
¡°I¡¯m proud of you for staying here while I was away,¡± she beamed, feeling Twinkle¡¯s spectral embrace loosen a bit. ¡°And even if you got a bit scared, that¡¯s all good, too. I¡¯m so, so proud of both of you.¡±
For the first time since she got back, Sue saw a smile creep its way onto Joy¡¯s face. Before she even knew it, it had reflected onto her face too, bright and proud as the girl relaxed¡ªand Twinkle concentrated. Moving the hand of the arm that held Joy closer to the lil¡¯ ghost, Sue carefully stroked the fabric of their bag, giving them all the time they needed to put their thoughts together. Sundance focused alongside them, soon putting words to Twinkle¡¯s ethereal feelings¡ª
¡°C-c-can stay here?¡± Joy cut in, oblivious to what was happening less than a foot away from her. Her high-pitched squeaks and growls cut the vixen off and sent Sue giggling¡ªboth at the badly timed words and what they implied. She didn¡¯t mind Joy sitting on her lap one bit, but having the girl be asking for that while still holding onto her hand with the tip of her very toothy maw was... amusing. Suppose that was just such a natural thing for her, she didn¡¯t even realize anyone else could mind.
Adorable.
The best kind of amusing, lighting Sue¡¯s face up as she nodded firmly and answered, ¡°Of course! Stay here as long as you want, Joy. We¡¯re not rushing anywhere.¡± Obvious as the answer was, Joy appreciated it being stated out loud all the same. She wasn¡¯t feeling tired, but wanted to wait some more before trying to engage with the world around her, and neither of the adults around minded.
Neither did the other kids, for that matter. ¡°Yeah! I hope you¡¯re feeling better¡ª*ow*¡ªJoy!¡± Spark woofed out, putting on her brightest smile before withdrawing into her mom¡¯s comforting presence. Guess if Joy wouldn¡¯t be joining them soon, there was no point to her friend waiting there just in case¡ªespecially while still feeling so crummy.
Alas, said crumminess persevered, even with Comet dropping everything he was doing to squeeze all he could reach of the younger vixen, hoping to make her feel better. Mission accomplished, if not the intended way.
While Joy got her bearings in silence, it was time to focus on her fellow little one. Sue resumed her affection of Twinkle¡¯s bag as she whispered, ¡°Did you want to say something, Twinkle?¡±
Being put on the spot made them flinch a bit, especially after Joy had interrupted them moments prior, but a beaming smile and a warm presence did wonders for melting through their hesitation. And so, with the vixen¡¯s help, finally came the words: ¡°When I feel bad, I alone too...¡±
Sue put on a reassuring smile at the translation, lowering Joy down to free the hand that wasn¡¯t being held by the girl¡¯s maw, before comforting the little ghost with it. Before she could even respond about how that was all okay and that some people want to be alone when scared while others want to be with others, though, Twinkle continued. ¡°N-n-not like...¡±
Their guardian blinked, taken aback. She thought back to the Nightbane incident again, trying to ignore her fellow Forest Guardian while recalling how Twinkle behaved through it all. It was hard to remember, and she soon realized why¡ªthey just didn¡¯t do anything. They withdrew all the way into her bag, pressed against her, and just stayed there, silent, without as much as feeling afraid in any way that Sue¡¯s senses could pick up.
All of which didn¡¯t quite sound like just being afraid. ¡°When you¡¯re ¡®alone¡¯ like that,¡± Sue began, lifting the tiny ghost closer to her face, ¡°does everything else grow... more quiet?¡± It was the best phrasing for dissociation Sue could come up with on the spot, and she dearly hoped they¡¯d understand her intent.
For once, her hopes were fruitful. ¡°Very quiet. Very far away, like before Sue...¡±
Deep breaths kept the pang of tearful pain at Twinkle¡¯s admission from crawling all the way up to Sue¡¯s face, letting her maintain composure as she held the small bag close to her chest. The implications of the discussion¡ªand how unpleasant the sensation involved was¡ªwere lost on Joy. That didn¡¯t mean she¡¯d ever skip on helping someone else out if she felt capable of it, and the little ghost was just about the only being around smaller than herself. She scrambled to her feet on Sue¡¯s lap, digging into the Forest Guardian¡¯s thighs as she reached up to dispense some of her own affection; what remained of earlier fears was replaced by hopes that they¡¯d feel better.
¡°I¡¯m so sorry you felt like that, Twinkle. That is a very unpleasant sensation,¡± Sue began, idly stroking the fabric separating her thumb from the ghost¡¯s true body. ¡°Me and Sundance are here to help if you feel afraid or bad. It¡¯s hard to not hide, but it will feel better when we¡¯re here to comfort you.¡±
All this would¡¯ve been absolutely impossible to explain to any kid even close to their age back on Earth, hah.
Sue wasn¡¯t deluding herself that her somewhat vague explanations would induce sudden and permanent change for the better, certainly not in kids this young. At best, it¡¯d nudge them in the right direction, with much of the needed growth ahead being entirely in their court as they got more in control of, and conscious of, their emotions. They¡¯d probably not stop being entirely afraid whenever she was gone anytime soon, but Sue hoped she¡¯d at least be able to nudge them towards seeking comfort in others as opposed to growing terrified or freezing up.
On that note. ¡°Have you been feeling safe here, with Sundance?¡± Sue asked, briefly moving one hand to pet Joy¡¯s maw.
Thankfully, the girl didn¡¯t grow self-conscious at the question, merely listening closer as Twinkle answered, ¡°Yes... Warm, nice...¡± It was just what Sue was wishing for, hoping that seeing the ghost¡¯s confidence would inspire some of it in the girl as well. To her surprise, though, Twinkle wasn¡¯t done yet, following up with a question of their own: ¡°When you alone, it help...?¡±
Ack, that was a tricky one. One was taking a walk to clear her thoughts, the other was hollow, fear-gripped dissociation, and she worried about having mixed them up in Twinkle¡¯s mind. Then again... it wasn¡¯t like the connection was entirely without merit. Her earlier departure was basically a flight response to Twinkle¡¯s typical freeze, and it was only by talking through it with Daisy and others that she actually calmed down.
...
Yeah, that¡¯s the point.
¡°Hmm... being alone can help, but talking with others can help even more. When I went on a walk, I didn¡¯t feel good until I talked to Daisy and saw what she and others were doing.¡± There, a simple answer that hopefully redirected the ghost where she wanted them to go.
Joy was listening keenly, too, but for other reasons. ¡®Daisy¡¯ was a name she recognized! She was always nice to her whenever she passed by their daycare. Even gave her a snack when she was clinging to Mrs. Splitleaf after getting scared one time. She liked Daisy, and now that someone else she liked a lot had brought her up, she wanted to hear more. ¡°D-D-Daisy! What she do?¡±
Sue couldn¡¯t remember seeing Joy this excited, her smile threatening to split her head. ¡°Oh, you know Daisy!¡±
¡°Y-yes! She nice,¡± Joy answered, tripping over words less and less.
¡°She cuts stone for the buildings in Moonview, sweetie. I watched her do it and then talked with her about how important it is to forgive yourself when you make a mistake.¡±
¡°Did it help?¡± Sundance asked, her woofs pulling Sue¡¯s attention from the two tykes on her lap. Sundance was equal parts curious and hopeful, and the words that followed soothed both those emotions.
¡°Yes, it did. So, so much.¡±
A part of Sue wanted to keep going, to ride that wave of feeling better in order to address the things that still troubled her¡ªbut not with the kids in earshot. She figured that them knowing that she felt bad earlier was fair, but any specifics were best avoided.
You¡¯d need to cut them off from the translation¡ªactually, hold on.
Sundance blinked at the sudden swerve in her pupil¡¯s thoughts, looking up at her from her laying position as she waited for a follow-up. Before doing anything else, Sue wanted to put a bow on the conversation she was already having. Joy, however, knew what she wanted to see the next chance she got, enthralled by what she understood of Sue¡¯s recollection. ¡°Want see Daisy!¡±
¡°Awww,¡± Sue swooned. ¡°It¡¯s late and I¡¯m tired right now, so we can¡¯t go there today. I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°T-tomorrow?¡± Joy asked without skipping a beat, sparking laughter from both her guardian and the vixen.
¡°We will see, Joy,¡± Sundance answered.
¡°Yes, we will! And the last thing¡ªJoy, Copper said he hopes you''re doing better.¡±
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
The name didn''t ring a bell in the girl''s head right away. Sue wasn''t particularly eager to go into charades to describe him, but figured it''d be necessary. ¡°He''s pink with wings and¡ª¡±
*shudder*
Yep, now she knows who I''m talking about.
In spite of Sue''s worries, though, Joy didn''t react to the news any more intensely than with a bit of shaking. Maybe she took the well-wishes to heart, maybe she just wasn''t as afraid of him now in general after their partially forced reconciliation yesterday. Either way, Sue was still proud of her.
¡°For now... Joy, Twinkle. Me and Sundance will be talking about some adult things, and you won¡¯t be able to understand us for a while. And don¡¯t worry¡ªyou can stay on my lap if you want to.¡± To Sue''s relief, her heads-up achieved the desired effect while avoiding stirring any worry. Both the little ones nodded to the best extent their respective anatomies allowed them to, though they weren¡¯t eager to move anywhere else.
More than fine by Sue.
Without skipping a beat, Joy and Twinkle felt a squirmy sensation in their heads as the translation was pulled away from them, leaving just the two adults, each with two kids under their watch. Sundance had it arguably easier, between half-asleep Spark not being eager to move much from her comfort and Comet having scooted back to scribbling on a plank of wood with charcoal.
It was time to dig into the murk that went deeper than anything she¡¯d talked about with Daisy. ¡°Now it¡¯s just us two, right?¡± Sue asked.
¡°^Indeed. I am really glad to see you doing better, Sue,^¡± Sundance answered, switching to telepathy.
¡°S-so am I, yeah. The chat with Daisy really helped a lot. She stressed all about how I should forgive myself if I make a mistake, how that¡¯s the path to actually getting better and making up for anything bad like that, and more importantly how being harsh on myself only makes it all shameful and awful.¡±
The vixen smiled, absentmindedly ruffling Spark¡¯s tummy. ¡°^All very helpful observations, I imagine.^¡±
¡°They are, and they helped me feel better after... *sigh*, did I tell you about what happened with Northeast?¡± Sue asked, deflated at the realization she¡¯d have to run it by the vixen.
¡°^Hmmm...^¡± Sundance trailed off, claws tapping against the stone floor. ¡°She never struck me as the sort to engage in personal spats, so I am curious.¡±
¡°Oh, it¡¯s just¡ªI got really angry at her yesterday when she was asking me questions about what happened to you, and at some point I just... snapped and screamed at her and upset her. That was when you were comatose, and just earlier today I spotted her while out with Solstice and had a chance to apologize, but I didn¡¯t. Got too self-conscious, felt awful, and kinda just ended up running away and feeling even worse afterwards. I still have to apologize to her, and what I talked about with Daisy will help with that, though.¡±
The vixen listened intently to her pupil¡¯s explanations, finding the mental image of the meek Sue yelling at anyone to be... quite comedic, in all honesty. Still, it certainly wasn¡¯t funny for either Sue or Northeast when it happened, and so Sundance kept that observation to herself. Instead, she touched on a different point. ¡°^I see. Best of luck with apologizing to her. From your phrasing, however, it seems as if that wasn¡¯t the event that left you upset.^¡±
Sue sighed weakly. ¡°No, no it wasn¡¯t, it was... it was thinking about Aurora, and about what Solstice said.¡±
To the once-human¡¯s relief, her mentor was still on the same page. ¡°^That does seem the right topic to talk about, indeed. Both you and Solstice grew rather upset before you headed out for Dewdrop. Could you go over what exactly sparked this foul mood? If you feel you can and want to, of course.^¡±
¡°No no, don¡¯t worry, I¡ªI want to. It¡¯s just...¡± Sue trailed off, looking for something to latch her focus onto. The sunroof above, together with the deities dancing around it, made for a right target. More so because of the latter than the former, though. As pretty as the gradually yellowing light of the outside was, the divinely inspired dolls inspired nothing but spite and contempt in the Forest Guardian, Duck included, sobering her up for just long enough to start talking. ¡°Earlier, when we were all talking about Twinkle¡¯s costume, Solstice brought up her kin and their markings after I made a crass joke.¡±
¡°^I would argue it wasn¡¯t crass, but¡ªplease continue, Sue,^¡± Sundance reassured.
¡°R-right. Then, at the end, she just said¡ª*sigh*, she mentioned how Solanum and Nightbane weren¡¯t really deserving of those markings, right? And after that, she added I deserve them more than they do. And¡ªand I know that this was just a small offhand comment, it wasn¡¯t her focusing and officially decreeing me worthy of that or whatever, but...¡± Sue trailed off, the free hand nervously flexing as she desperately searched for the right words to continue with.
Words that her mentor was keen to provide. ¡°^It stuck with you?^¡±
¡°Yes, that¡ªthat¡¯s a valid way of describing that. It stuck with me real bad, and then I¡ªoh? Twinkle?¡±
The movement on her lap cut Sue¡¯s increasingly wobbly recollection off as she watched the bagful of ghost scoot towards Joy. The spectral embrace that followed was abrupt and weak enough to just leave the metal girl confused as she and her guardian watched Twinkle let go of them both and climb down onto the floor. After one last moment of hesitation, they scooted back to where Comet was playing with their drawings, the Martian tyke squeaking in elation at their tiny friend having returned.
Without saying a word, Sundance psychiced over some more wooden scrap for them to draw on, together with another stick of charcoal. She then nudged Comet further away after sensing them wanting to use the little ghost¡¯s outfit as more canvas for their doodles, before refocusing on Sue once more. ¡°^Alright. Would you be able to say why it stuck with you as much as it had?^¡±
The answer was simultaneously already obvious and obscured to her consciousness, veiled by layers upon layers of denying herself what her innermost desires were already clear about. She wrapped her free arm around Joy, holding the girl tighter and sending her into weak giggles as her tiny arms wrapped themselves around Sue¡¯s. Some of her wanted to pretend she didn¡¯t know, to avoid being direct with what her heart was yearning for, to not have to face something that was so stark inside her, but which hurt like a motherfucker to think about.
Then again, not like it hasn¡¯t hurt me plenty today already. Least I can do is get back at it. Take that... me, you piece of shit.
...
...
Something tells me I shouldn¡¯t have thought that either.
With that bit of motivation in mind, fueled further by recalling yesterday¡¯s lesson with the vixen about being honest about her desires, Sue focused. She thought harder than she ever did, pushing through the pain and actually trying to examine the unsightly wound in her mind, as well as what had fueled it.
And, even more importantly, just what desire that wound was trying to mask.
¡°So, I... I don¡¯t know much about those tattoos, but Solstice said a thing or two about them yesterday,¡± Sue began. ¡°Obviously, they mean a lot to her people, and I know she still really cares about it even if most of her people suck¡ªor at least her relatives, sorry¡ª¡±
¡°^You need not apologize, Sue,^¡± Sundance reassured, trying her hardest to conceal a chuckle at Sue¡¯s phrasing.
¡°Right. So even with all that, the tattoos mean a lot to her, and more importantly, they¡¯re a kind of family thing, right? She told me it¡¯s the family that¡¯s supposed to... unsure what¡¯s the word, paint them on you. So then when she mentioned I deserved them more than her actual family, it really got me thinking. A-and¡ª¡± Sue froze, the pain of having to put those vulnerable desires to words almost stealing her breath whole. It was so, so hard.
And yet, she persevered. ¡°And I want it, the tattoos, that¡ªthat connection with her, but I don¡¯t know whether Solstice meant it that way. She could¡¯ve just been joking and now here I am, completely misinterpreting and making a joke out of myself. A-and after all, even if she did, that¡¯s still terrifying because what would Aurora think about that!¡±
Sue observed Sundance¡¯s reactions, waiting for a response. To her worry, it kept not coming, the vixen only offering her a gradually creeping eyebrow in response. Guess she had to elaborate on it some more, as much as even thinking about that hurt. ¡°I-I mean, that¡¯s really the thing that left me feeling awful. Just the thought of what Aurora would think about me just stepping in here and wanting something¡ªsomething that Fate took away from her. Just thinking about this is making me feel awful, and it was why I was so off before I left with Solstice, and then that whole mess-up with Northeast happened and it left me feeling ten times worse.¡±
To the Forest Guardian¡¯s relief, the vixen was finally satisfied, putting together words as her pupil leaned back into her seat. Sue shook harder than she ever did, perking up Joy and making her check up on her guardian. Her smile was shaky, and the moment of stillness she disguised her anxiety with was fleeting, but it was just enough to keep the metal girl from growing worried.
The last thing she needs is to be concerned about someone like me.
Sundance was taking her time coming up with a response, leaving Sue uneasy. Was that loathing voice actually true, and her mentor was trying her hardest to look for something feeble to contradict it with? That¡¯d be funny.
...
No, it would not be funny, it would be fucking dreadful; the mere thought enough to send Sue¡¯s heart rate spiking¡ª
*squeeeeak!*
The high-pitched noise came through just in time to drag Sue away from the precipice of a deep, deep hole, pulling her attention towards a much more adorable sight. She remembered just how rattled Twinkle got when Comet pulled them into a sudden hug yesterday. They still weren¡¯t perfectly calm this time, but they pushed on and scooted towards Sundance for comfort instead of withdrawing again¡ªand the lil¡¯ Moon Child gladly followed, always eager for some warmth from what was basically his aunt.
And that extra bit of comfort finally made Sundance¡¯s response come together, delivered once she was done ruffling Comet¡¯s hair. ¡°^How much do you know about Aurora, Sue?^¡±
Sue expected several questions, but not this one. It felt like she was about to be asked about assorted trivia, about things that Aurora would¡¯ve known as a real Forest Guardian, but which she, a pretender, could never hope to experience. It would be wildly out of character for Sundance to do, too. The thought provided enough of a life raft for the once-human to not panic there and then as she answered, ¡°V-very little. All I really know is that she was Solstice¡¯s daughter; she tragically died when the plague hit Moonview, and... th-that¡¯s it, really.¡±
It was an entirely honest answer¡ªand one that Sundance immediately pounced on. ¡°^Why would you think she would be displeased if Solstice were to adopt you and give you the Pale Lady¡¯s blessings, then?^¡± Seeing her pupil¡¯s eyes immediately going wide, she added, ¡°^I really want you to focus on that question Sue, as much as it¡¯ll be likely to hurt.^¡±
Hurt... wasn¡¯t on Sue¡¯s mind once she followed her mentor¡¯s instructions. More than anything, she was taken aback by the vixen¡¯s frank phrasing, making her feel like she¡¯d been flashbanged. Trying to put that moment to good use, Sue gave the task an honest attempt, putting herself in the dead Forest Guardian¡¯s shoes and really trying to imagine how it¡¯d be like if, say, the roles were reversed. If it was her observing the scene from beyond, watching her human mom adopt a daughter a few years after she¡¯d passed away.
She wanted to be angry, wanted to answer Sundance¡¯s question that way, but she just... couldn¡¯t. No matter how hard she tried to get mad at her hypothetical mom and the hypothetical daughter said mom was to adopt, she just couldn¡¯t do it. Her mom would be heartbroken after that had happened to her, but she wouldn¡¯t have used another kid as a replacement; she wasn¡¯t that shallow and selfish. A-and even if she somehow had, it¡¯d only be her that Sue would be mad about, and not the poor orphan given a second chance at life.
But this isn¡¯t about my mom and me, though, it¡¯s not comparable in that way. It¡¯s not some random orphan replacing me, it¡¯s me replacing Aurora. It¡¯s so much worse.
Whatever progress Sue might¡¯ve made, the stray thought undid them all in an instant. It almost made her double over as she whispered, ¡°Wh-why wouldn¡¯t she be angry with me?¡±
Sundance... laughed.
It took Sue aback just at how unexpected her response was. Fortunately, words followed the canine sound up before her shock could turn into more hurt. ¡°^Well, I could tell you about how Aurora didn¡¯t have an envious bone in her body. I could tell you about how she just kept asking Solstice and Jasper for a younger sister ever since she evolved. But... hah, we both know that isn¡¯t what all this is truly about, is it?^¡±
¡°Wh-why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡± Sue answered, dumbfounded.
¡°^Because you don¡¯t know Aurora, Sue. I don¡¯t mean that as an accusation, but in how you¡¯re entirely working off assumptions about how she¡¯d behave towards you. And, yes¡ªthat is how all social interaction works, to an extent. Each of us has assumptions about how the other will respond whenever we interact with them, built from our biases, our experience, our hopes, and so on and so on. With Aurora, however... you¡¯re basing your assumptions off nothing concrete, merely off her being Solstice¡¯s daughter.^¡±
Sue half-sighed, half-groaned, not appreciating what sounded like a massive tangent towards some random semantics. She almost wanted to refuse this thread of discussion out of spite, to rudely ask what the point was¡ªbut in the end, a part of her wanted to see where the vixen was going with this. ¡°Sure, I suppose.¡±
¡°^Good!^¡± the vixen beamed. ¡°^Now, the big question is as such: where do these assumptions come from? You aren¡¯t basing them off on any knowledge about Aurora, but they come from somewhere. And that somewhere is likely deep in your mind. You¡¯ll have to dig to find out where they¡¯re coming from¡ªand that process will hurt. And it is even more important because it will hurt.^¡±
Again, a silly tangent. The answer was... not immediately apparent, but obvious once it had emerged from the recesses of her mind. ¡°I mean... I just wouldn¡¯t be a good daughter. That¡¯s¡ªthat¡¯s all there is to it.¡±
Sue didn¡¯t even notice how much harder she had to fight to keep her expression steady after that thought.
At the opposite end of the room, the vixen lifted an eyebrow once more. ¡°^Why so? Why wouldn¡¯t you be a good daughter? Why wouldn¡¯t you, the whole of you, be enough?^¡± Sundance asked, each question stabbing again and again at a mental wound Sue didn¡¯t even know was there. ¡°^Aurora wasn¡¯t some magically perfect person, and Solstice definitely isn¡¯t either. They both had flaws and shortcomings, as do all of us¡ªwhy would you be any different? Why would you be ¡®not good enough¡¯ for them?^¡±
Sue tried to maintain whatever cool she had left as the questions hit her like a series of blows, each hurting more and more. Her expression had turned into a strained grimace, her gaze jumped to anywhere but the vixen; she was only barely keeping the hand Joy was holding with her maw from clenching tight. Deep down, there was only one true answer to that question, one that Sue ended up whispering before she could think of something to cover it up with.
¡°Because I¡¯ve never been.¡±
*sq-squeak-growl?*
The sound of Joy¡¯s untranslated speech made Sue freeze, unable to simultaneously process Sundance¡¯s words and respond to the girl. The vixen had her back, calmly responding to the toothy girl, ¡°^Sue is busy right now. Yes, you can come over here, don¡¯t worry.^¡± Joy nodded intently, hopping off Sue¡¯s lap and onto the stone floor before breaking into a quick dash¡ª
And forgetting to let go of Sue¡¯s hand with her maw before she did so.
As startling as the sudden yank was, the Forest Guardian was more thankful than anything. She hastily put on a smile for Joy before leaning back into her seat, dropping anything that remained of her pretense of being okay the moment the girl joined the other kids with their drawings. She wanted to laugh at the mishap, to let it take the pressure off for just a moment¡ªbut the relief kept not coming.
She was in too deep, so close to the wound at the bottom of her mind that any wrong move threatened to make her implode. At least, that¡¯s what it felt like as she sat in the wooden chair, hands shaking and tears rolling down her cheeks without her having any idea when she¡¯d even started crying. There was only one way to go from here.
Down, down, down.
¡°^If it¡¯s okay for me to continue¡ªhow was your relationship with your parents, Sue?^¡± Sundance asked, noticeably more hesitant.
Contrary to the vixen¡¯s woes, that was a topic that Sue had more of a grasp on¡ªat least the ¡®bad¡¯ parts of it. ¡°D-did Solstice tell you about... about what happened when I ran into her at the cemetery?¡±
¡°^Only in the broadest of strokes. If you feel you can handle it, I¡¯d appreciate hearing it from you.^¡±
Oh, this was perfect. Sue¡¯s been through this before, and while it hurt like a motherfucker, she felt at least somewhat in control of the traumatic memory. Without skipping a beat, she gave Sundance the rundown, avoiding lingering on any point for too long. ¡°When I was six, which is a bit younger than Spark is right now¡ªI-I think¡ªmy mom died in a tragic accident. A-and I saw it happen.¡±
¡°^I¡¯m very sorry for your loss, Sue.^¡± Sundance answered quietly, pulling the almost-asleep Spark into a gentle hug.
There, perfect delivery. Sue didn¡¯t linger, didn¡¯t think, didn¡¯t break down. Only went over the parts that matter, and none of the¡ª
But then, to her horror, Sundance continued: ¡°^What happened afterwards?^¡±
Sue felt her entire body stiffen. This wasn¡¯t supposed to have been the important part; the rest of her childhood was normal. Why was she being asked about this? ¡°Uh, n-nothing really...¡± she tried to deflect.
And was instantly seen through. ¡°^I would still want to hear about it. It affected you just as much as the accident itself.^¡±
But there wasn¡¯t anything wrong with it!
The Forest Guardian tried to catch her breath, to recenter herself and continue the tale without losing her cool¡ªand felt unable to. And yet, she had to, letting the tears flow as she put effort into keeping her voice from wobbling too much. ¡°D-dad never remarried and raised me on his own. We weren¡¯t well off or anything, but we w-weren¡¯t poor either and we made it work. A-a-and before you ask,¡± Sue subconsciously raised her tone, ¡°he¡ªhe wasn¡¯t ever abusive towards me! He did the best he could with what he had; he wasn¡¯t a bad dad!¡±
Not an assertion Sundance was about to dispute. It wasn¡¯t the point, anyway. ¡°^How did he process your mom¡¯s loss?^¡± she asked.
Sue flinched, the memories much foggier than she would¡¯ve wanted. ¡°W-well, he was really sad about it, a-and cried most days for a while. I mean, I¡ªI did too. I don¡¯t blame him; that¡¯s just how you go through stuff like that, you know.¡±
¡°^Did he talk to you about the accident?^¡±
¡°Oh no, o-of course not; why would he? It¡¯d just be more pain for both of us; we already knew what had happened all too well and just had to keep on living, you know. After a while he stopped crying mostly, a-and then I stopped seeing him be sad about it, so I tried to stop being sad too. He spent a lot of his time at work anyway, really had to work hard to make ends meet. It was 2008 and¡ª¡± Sue cut herself off, trying and failing to figure out a way of conveying the year¡¯s significance to Sundance. ¡°Those were bad times a-and he had to work really hard. He was a bit absent in hindsight, b-b-but I DON¡¯T BLAME HIM OR ANYTHING!¡± Sue shouted, teeth halfway bared.
The tears were flowing freely at that point, and it was only thanks to Sundance¡¯s active intervention that the entire room wasn¡¯t growing alarmed. All the little ones but Spark were separated by a faint, shimmering barrier, not noticed by Sue in her turmoil. She hurt, the pain downright radiating from her¡ªbut they weren¡¯t done yet. They were close, though. The vixen could feel it. ¡°^What happened then?^¡±
Sue breathed as deeply as she could, with her entire body hurting this much. This was a much more innocuous question, and after all, nothing was wrong. She just had to answer it. ¡°I-I mean, it kinda stayed like that. He spent a lot of time at work. I mostly just stayed at home after school. Spent a lot of time on the inter¡ªthat won¡¯t make any sense and I don¡¯t think I can explain it right now. J-just, stuff I could do on my own. Dad¡ªdad didn¡¯t have much time to take me places, so I stopped asking. I mean, he was already having to support us both and raise me by himself, so I don¡¯t¡ªdon¡¯t blame him. He really tried his best, a-and never hurt me or anything.¡±
¡°^Did you two do much together?^¡±
The once-human weaved her fingers together as half her body shuddered in nervous tics, hurt from wounds long past rattling her body. She kept trying to focus. Nothing was wrong. Nothing was wrong. Nothing was ever wrong.
Can this FUCKING body stop crying already!?
¡°I mean... n-no, not really. He kept trying to take me places for a while, like we used to before, but... it just never felt right without mom. We kept trying and then we just eventually stopped. B-b-but again, that¡¯s normal! He was busy with work and worked his ass off and just didn¡¯t have the time! Besides, I was a little shit sometimes. I would¡¯ve been a challenge for any parents, let alone a single father! He was doing his best; he loved me and I loved him! It¡¯s not his fault!¡±
Sundance nodded slowly in response. Sue hoped beyond hope she was convincing her that there was nothing else to find down this dark path of her memories, because NOTHING WAS WRONG. HER DAD DID NOTHING WRONG AND SHE WASN¡¯T BLAMING HIM FOR ANYTHING. She didn¡¯t want to think about this, and judging by all the cold wetness flowing down her neck, neither did her body.
And yet, she had to.
¡°^I see. If you couldn¡¯t go places together, did you talk together often?^¡± the vixen continued.
Finally, something simple and reassuring. ¡°O-of course! We talked every day after I got back from school a-and he from work, over dinner.¡±
And yet, the questions wouldn¡¯t stop coming. ¡°^What did you talk about on these occasions?^¡±
¡°Y-y¡¯know, just normal stuff,¡± Sue answered offhandedly. ¡°H-how was my school, how was his work, dinner, the weather and such. Sometimes I¡¯d ask him if he was planning to take us places, but he never did because we always had to save money. A-and again I DON¡¯T blame him, we had to save money for college and just in case! And he didn¡¯t have much to save in the first place, so we just couldn¡¯t do much, but he was trying his best.¡±
¡°^What about talking about things important to you?^¡±
Sue opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. She tried a few more times, churning through the murk of her memory to find something, anything to bring up on that front, anything that wasn¡¯t the end of his life or that one ANNOYING memory that kept popping up. It was bad, whatever, not something she should¡¯ve been dwelling on; there had to be something else, ANYTHING else!
Please let there be something else.
¡°We-we didn¡¯t do that much either. I...¡± she drifted off. Tried as she did, there was nothing¡ªnothing she wanted to bring up, at least. That annoying memory wasn¡¯t the only one of its sort, but it was the starkest. Sue hoped that if she¡¯d just go through it, just get it over with while replacing the term ¡®flash game¡¯ for something Sundance would understand better, then she¡¯d be able to redirect the conversation where it should¡¯ve gone to begin with.
¡°There was one time when I was... ten or eleven or so. I really got into a¡ªa small game, you could say. It was just a small dumb thing, a toy basically, nothing¡ªnothing actually important. It was dumb, b-but I liked playing it and got quite invested into it, more than I should¡¯ve been. I was just a dumb kid like that. Got invested, e-even a bit excited, a-and I wanted to tell dad about it. He had a long day, he was already quite annoyed, and I just didn¡¯t notice and he was nice enough to not speak up or anything. I just began rambling about it, about all the characters I liked and so on and he listened and nodded. A-and after a while he asked if I could talk about books with him some other time since he was busy, a-a-and I realized he hadn¡¯t even been listening and¡ª¡±
IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS MAKE IT STOP
Sue tried to see, but her eyes were too blurry from all the tears. She wanted to breathe, to continue, but her sobs wouldn¡¯t let her. Her hands were clenched together, her expression was twisted in pain, and she couldn¡¯t stop crying. It hurt too much to stop¡ªbut it shouldn¡¯t have! She shouldn¡¯t be hurting; nothing had gone wrong! It was just a dumb memory of her being a dumb kid; there was nothing there to actually hurt her! Nothing like with Mom, at least!
And yet, it kept hurting, and Sue kept crying.
Despite Sundance¡¯s best efforts, Comet eventually noticed the excess despair, letting out a quiet whimper as he tried to look over his shoulder. The vixen intervened fast enough to distract him back and prevent the two other tykes from noticing, keeping tabs on Sue¡¯s mental state while at it. Immense pain, but... nothing unexpected, sadly. There was only one way this could¡¯ve gone from the very start.
Spark might¡¯ve not been attuned to Sue¡¯s emotions, and wasn¡¯t feeling as well¡ªor as awake¡ªas she would¡¯ve liked, but she could still hear Sue¡¯s sobs. The sound stirred her back to awareness as she climbed out of her mom¡¯s comfort and onto her own four legs, gasping at the state her friend was in. Before her mom could ask her to wait, the kit was already dashing towards her tall friend, nudging her leg with her wet snout.
Sue jerked back at the sensation, pried her eyes wide open as the lil¡¯ fox jumped onto her lap and began dispensing affection¡ªand doubled over once more, holding Spark as close as she could with her shaking arms. Seconds turned to minutes as the sound of weeping filled the room, the burning pain deep inside Sue leaving her one sob at a time. It couldn¡¯t last forever, but it sure felt like it would, like she¡¯d be stuck here, unable to move on by herself¡ª
She wasn¡¯t alone, though.
¡°^Sue, how are you feeling?^¡± Sundance asked, concern clear in her voice.
Having a question to respond to hastened Sue¡¯s efforts to get in control of herself again. Her success was partial at best, but it far beat the opposite, making her cling to it¡ªand the warm kit in her arms¡ªfor all she could. Eventually, words flowed again, staggered and delivered in a constantly cracking voice. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know why it hurts so much. H-he was just doing his best, i-it¡¯s not his fault. He, *sniff*, he had so much o-on his plate, I had no idea how bad it was u-until he died a couple years ago¡ª¡±
¡°^But it still hurts, doesn¡¯t it?^¡±
¡°I-it SHOULDN¡¯T!¡±
¡°^But it does! Your feelings aren¡¯t a matter of ¡®should¡¯ or ¡®should not¡¯. If it hurts, then it means you were hurt¡ª^¡±
¡°BUT HE WAS TRYING HIS BEST A-AND HE LOVED ME!¡±
¡°^And yet, you were hurt all the same. Over, and over.^¡±
Sue wanted to snap back, to shout back at her for daring to imply that her dad had hurt her. Yes all this hurt and yes she wished he¡¯d done more things with her and took her places and talked to her more and took her to Mom¡¯s grave and read her books to bed and played games with her and did everything she¡¯d heard of other kids doing with their parents but he still loved her and he¡¯d been trying his best! She didn¡¯t want to, couldn¡¯t blame him for this, not when it was someone she loved so much.
Not when he was the only person she had left.
The vixen had been hesitant to use her telepathy for this beyond finding the right questions to ask, but it would be hard to avoid it this time. ¡°^Sue, this isn¡¯t about blame. I don¡¯t doubt you at all when you say that your dad loved you and that he was trying his best. I genuinely believe that he had been, just like you. But his actions still hurt you, didn¡¯t they?^¡±
They shouldn¡¯t have...
...
...
But they did.
¡°I-it hurt, yes...¡± Sue whimpered. ¡°B-but¡ª¡±
¡°^But it hurt,^¡± Sundance cut her off, keeping her mental voice as gentle as she could manage. ¡°^That¡¯s all there is to be said¡ªyou were hurt. It doesn¡¯t make your dad evil; it doesn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t love you. All that means is that his actions, or lack thereof, had hurt you. Those we love can still deeply hurt us, even if they¡¯re genuinely trying their best.^¡±
The truth was staring Sue in the face, but she still couldn¡¯t face it. She had to keep running, to bring something up that would obscure this ten thousand foot tall mountain of pain and grief staring her in the eye, anything to delay it just that bit longer. Facing it wasn¡¯t an option, couldn¡¯t have ever been an option.
Because it meant that him never finding the time for her wasn¡¯t her fault.
Because it meant that them growing distant wasn¡¯t because she was an awful daughter.
Because it meant that she really had done nothing wrong and still ended up like this.
¡°^You were a child, Sue. You loved your dad, and trusted him to not hurt you. But he did, and that fact alone hurt so much more than what he¡¯d done. It¡¯s awful when that happens, especially when we¡¯re young enough to not know any better, or worse yet, that we assume it¡¯s our fault¡ªbut it does happen. Those we love, those we trust wholeheartedly to look after us when we¡¯re little... they¡¯re just people, too. They make mistakes and can hurt others; they can hurt us. If we don¡¯t accept that, if we just keep running away from our emotions after we¡¯re hurt like this, then they¡¯ll never loosen their grip on us, and we¡¯ll be forever stuck at that moment our little hearts broke, unable to move on.^¡±
It was such a simple truth, so blatantly obvious and excruciating at the same time. Sue tried to go along with Sundance¡¯s mental image, to imagine herself as that little girl, how she must¡¯ve been in that memory, trying her hardest not to show her little broken heart to anyone else.
And, for the first time she could remember, she didn¡¯t run. She sat still, watching the ten-year-old that would one day be her try her hardest to blame her dad¡¯s avoidance on anything, anyone but him. On herself, only on herself, more eager to gouge her eyes out than to face the facts. She leaned closer, as close as she could get to this child, this scar at the bottom of her mind¡ª
And touched her.
For a while afterwards, all Sue could hear was her strained breathing. Her heart raced, her eyes sobbed until they had no more tears left within them, her throat grew dry. It couldn¡¯t have taken more than a few minutes; the sun was only a bit further ahead in its downward journey¡ªbut she felt utterly exhausted. She was of half a mind to fall asleep then and there and let someone else deal with the consequences. But she couldn¡¯t, and she didn¡¯t.
There were a couple of little people in here with her, looking up to her. She didn¡¯t want to hurt them, to accidentally pass on the pain she was only now coming to terms with.
She was still not done processing all the aching, even if it had dulled enough to let her think about something other than itself.
And last¡ªshe was hungry, and this chair wasn¡¯t that comfortable.
The very final pair of reasons finally made her twitch as she sat back up, shaking hand stroking Spark¡¯s back. She was still so, so very lost, no less so because the pain was still there. It had eased up a bit; it no longer threatened to crush her in an instant, but it still surrounded her. What was she to do now?
...
...
She didn¡¯t know, but someone in the room did. ¡°S-S-Sundance?¡± she whimpered.
The vixen turned to face her, a weak smile cutting through the earlier concern. ¡°^Yes, Sue?^¡±
¡°It¡ªit still hurts...¡±
¡°^It¡¯ll keep hurting for a while, I¡¯m afraid. However... there is something we can do to help with it, I reckon.^¡±
Sue looked up at her mentor, away from Spark¡¯s diligent attempts to cheer her up by nuzzling her stomach. ¡°Wh-what do you have in mind?¡±
¡°^How much mourning have you done after your dad passed?^¡±
Such a simple question.
Such a painful answer.
¡°N-not much, I-I don¡¯t think...¡±
¡°^Then maybe we should try just that.^¡±
Chapter 32: Purgation
¡°^Then maybe we should try just that.^¡±
Sundance¡¯s words echoed in Sue¡¯s head as she recovered from the blinding pain she¡¯d spent her entire adult life trying to keep hidden. It took a while until her surroundings had turned from an indistinct blur, only dotted by her sixth sense pointing people out to her, back to the vixen¡¯s dwelling. And, of course, all the little people present in it. The edges sharpened, and the colors saturated by the moment, until Sue finally felt normal enough to consider Sundance¡¯s idea in earnest.
Grieving was something she never cared much for, even when it was just her mom who had tragically left her life. She may have prayed a lot for her to come back, shed mute tears at glimpsing her in the photos around the house before dad took them down, but she never sat down to just... let herself cry over the loss. There was always something else she could do, or that dad wanted her to do, something more active and yet more hopeless. Anything but truly acknowledging what happened.
Because the one person she had left to look up to never truly acknowledged it, either.
It was an awful thing, it happened, and then normalcy resumed, even more pretend than before. On one hand, Sue had a hard time rationally imagining why her dad never did anything like that. Why he never made peace with his wife¡¯s loss, why he never noticed that it was eroding the family he still had left, why he never noticed that it was tearing him apart, too. On the other... Sue already knew why. Because she was no better.
Because it hurt so much. Because running away from that pain hurt less in the moment than confronting it, even if not that much less. Because that momentary agony felt so much more imposing than an incomparably larger plateau of suffering, built one distraction at a time. The world could never wait for them, could never wait for her dad. And so, avoiding it became a survival tactic. If it was the only way to keep their family afloat, then it was what had to be done.
And with each passing day, the wound they tried to run away from only festered.
Sue shuddered as she clenched her fist tight, and gritted her teeth at feeling a wave of anger crash against her mind. Anger for what her dad¡¯s actions had taken away from her, for every unseen scrape his neglect had left on her psyche until it had accumulated into a goring wound. She wanted to punch and shriek, to scream in fury about all the ways in which he had hurt her, for nobody to understand. For everything he had done,
And which she had inevitably ended up repeating.
The bitter reality delivered another gut punch to Sue¡¯s brittle psyche, forcing a stifled cry out of her as tears resumed irrigating her cheeks. They had ended up so much alike, in good and bad. And with that insight, the awareness of how badly all this hurt her inevitably cooled her emotions towards him, too. Worse yet, he didn¡¯t even have anyone to help him with it all. Didn¡¯t have anyone to step in and give him a hand before all the anguish could metastasize into shame at itself, at one¡¯s coping mechanisms becoming so painful it was impossible to even examine them, let alone the wound they obfuscated. Sue looked up at Sundance through blurry vision, smiling weakly as she wordlessly thanked anyone who¡¯d listen for having her around to listen to her...
...
...
I wanted to say ¡®nonsense¡¯ again, didn¡¯t I? Is this just another way I¡¯ve been burying all this for so long?
The split-second realization sobered Sue up just enough to let her wipe the excess tears off her face, and give calming down another attempt. Ultimately, the very thing she¡¯d been running away from for so long had come to pass.
All this hurt! Like an absolute motherfucker! And yet, beyond wanting to lash out at the pain, beyond the subconscious desire to shield her wounds from all sight even as they festered, she felt this pain would be good for her. It wouldn¡¯t be pleasant¡ªfor anyone¡ªbut at last it¡¯d help in closing that entire chapter of her life. Sue could only hope for that, of course. For once, however, doing so was... almost surprisingly easy. She had swum down to the very bottom of her mind, after all.
Nowhere to go but up.
With that realization to comfort her, Sue closed her eyes and breathed deeply, putting herself together enough to resume the unpleasant chat without breaking down again. Before long, though, she felt something touch her arm, some kind of rough fabric¡ªa pillow. A plain canvas pillow, neither the softest nor the most comfortable in the world, but at least something to hold. Something to cry into. Something the vixen on the other end of the room didn¡¯t really need three of underneath her and could spare one for her pupil.
As one hand administered pets to Spark and the other wiped her tears with the pillow, Sue craned her head to check up on how the little ones were doing; what kind of drawn masterpieces were they working on? She saw little of the latter. Hard to, with their wooden canvas being obscured by their bodies. To her momentary regret, however, she saw some of the former¡ªand vice versa. Joy¡¯s effortless glance over her shoulder left the girl worried, making her drop the stick of charcoal she was holding and waddle over to her guardian.
Her untranslated words sounded concerned, leaving Sue worried about her troubles rubbing off on others. With a few deep breaths, though, she overlooked said worries for long enough to let herself actually address them. She leaned forward, making sure to not accidentally poke the curled-up Spark with her horn, before holding Joy¡¯s hand as the girl hugged her uninjured leg.
¡°I¡¯m here Joy, I¡¯m here,¡± she whispered, shooting the girl a soft, if tired, smile. ¡°I¡¯m crying a bit, yes, but I¡¯m doing well. Sundance is looking out for me, and everything is going to be okay.¡± Of course, the lacking translation was an issue in the other direction too, but Sue didn¡¯t hesitate to ask for help. Restoring the translation between her and the kids was best avoided for now¡ªthey weren¡¯t quite done talking with Sundance, after all¡ªbut Joy deserved an explanation. ¡°Sundance, c-could you pass on to her what I just said?¡±
Sue sighed as the fox responded with a wide smile and a slow, understanding nod. She watched Joy perk up and turn towards the vixen as the words were soundlessly passed onto her, all the while opening the girl to some more affection on her maw. And this time, she¡¯d even figured out how to keep it gentle enough to not startle her.
I really wonder what her skeleton looks like, though.
With the last of the affection received and her guardian¡¯s leg held tight one last time, Joy turned around and returned to the play area, catching Twinkle¡¯s attention with her sudden return. Or rather, making the ghost realize she had even left to begin with. They turned towards her, and she didn¡¯t hesitate to send a wave their way. To her relief, they seemed satisfied with that sight alone, especially when accompanied by Joy saying something to them in her rough, growly, cute voice. They didn¡¯t understand it, of course, but their... friend was calm. And that¡¯s all that mattered.
And Sue was calm, too. Enough so to finally tackle the heavy topic ahead of them again. ¡°Okay. I-I think I can continue now,¡± she said, petting Spark¡¯s back while the lil¡¯ fox tried her hardest to huddle even closer to her midriff.
¡°^Excellent. I hope this conversation has been providing some reprieve, however painful,^¡± Sundance answered, looking up from the little one¡¯s drawings.
¡°Oh, it¡¯s definitely painful; lemme tell you that much,¡± Sue chuckled dryly. ¡°But... yeah, it¡¯s still some reprieve, at least. It¡¯s easier to understand why I feel this way now. And even though I still do feel that awful way a bit, it¡¯s much weaker now. It feels like something I can face now, and not just something I¡¯ll have to run away from forever, like¡ª¡±
Sue blinked at the tangent, thinking back to moments earlier with her thoughts about her dad. She sighed, and continued¡ª¡°Like he¡¯s done in the past, and like I¡¯ve been doing, too.¡±
¡°^It gets tiring, doesn¡¯t it?^¡±
The Forest Guardian considered Sundance¡¯s question, slowly tilting her head to the sides. ¡°Kiiinda. I suppose moment to moment it does hurt and tire you, but it¡¯s also hard to notice it doing that until it gets really strong. Just sits there in the corner, being a vampire and sucking a little bit of our strength at a time.¡±
Sue put on a confident-ish smile at her point, glad to have finally made a decent comparison herself. Or, at least, a decent comparison to a potential audience who knew what the folklore creature she had referred to even was. ¡°^...forgive me for the tangent, but¡ªare there really creatures in your world that feed by sucking others¡¯ blood?^¡±
Oh, Neptune.
At least this question had a straightforward answer. Key word ¡®had¡¯, as the instant Sue thought about it, she realized that just answering with ¡®no¡¯ would commit the worst sin known to man, mutant or god¡ªbe technically incorrect. ¡°Yes, but the ¡®vampires¡¯ I offhandedly brought up don¡¯t exist. They¡¯re¡ªthey¡¯re a folklore thing. It¡¯s only like mosquitoes and leeches that feed on blood like that, I think.¡±
¡°^Ahhh, lesser beings, then. Either way, I see your intent now, and your comparison is accurate.^¡±
The phrase ¡®lesser beings¡¯ sounded very unlike what Sue expected Sundance to ever say, and a part of her really wanted to inquire about just what she meant by that. Alas, said part was summarily overruled by all the other neurons, eager to keep up their streak of tackling uncomfortable topics and get into the next step of the process. ¡°I¡¯m glad. So, this mourning. Is there anything specific you mean by that, or just... crying about the dead for a while until the tears stop?¡±
¡°^Your description is broadly correct. However, it ideally is much more than just crying,^¡± Sundance clarified. ¡°^Beyond just expressing sadness, it¡¯s supposed to be a time for us to come to terms with all our feelings about those we lost, and let them out. Further still, even that description is incomplete, as it is just one kind of mourning.^¡±
Sue raised her eyebrow. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®one kind¡¯? What other kinds of mourning are there, then?¡±
The smirk on her mentor¡¯s expression grew two sizes at her words¡ªseems she had inadvertently walked right into the point the vixen had wanted her to. ¡°^The other one that I feel is relevant here is mourning for what wasn¡¯t. If you feel you¡¯re capable of it, think of what else you¡¯ve lost with your parents¡¯ passing, beyond simply them as people.^¡±
The once-human wasn¡¯t yet convinced this wasn¡¯t a point made entirely out of pedantry, but she played along. ¡°You mean like, their house, or...?¡±
¡°^Your future with them.^¡±
Sue leaned back at the straightforward clarification¡ªand remained somewhat confused. Because... yeah, that kinda went without saying, didn¡¯t it? She lost her parents, which by definition also meant losing the future she could¡¯ve had with them. ¡°Riiiight. That feels kinda obvious,¡± she muttered, uncertain.
¡°^Oh, I am not saying that it isn''t obvious¡ªbut that, obvious as it is, we still need to mourn for it. Mourn for the future we never had, memories we could never remember, achievements we could never cherish. All the things we could never be, the different paths our lives might have taken, but didn¡¯t because of reasons outside of our control.^¡±
The clarification helped. To Sue¡¯s surprise, even it was enough to stir some emotion within her, catching her by surprise as she thought back to the times when she remembered hurting for that stolen future. ¡°I-I used to daydream a lot about my mom turning out to have survived, or having suddenly showed up when everyone thought she was dead, and our life magically returning to how it was before. Is... is it something like that?¡± Sue asked, wiping her face of the tears that had sneaked up on her as she went over her childhood hopes.
¡°^Exactly. They... they are sweet. I know full well just how alluring it can be, that pretense that things hadn¡¯t gone wrong. And maybe, in some other time, some other world, things would indeed have not gone wrong. But they did in our world, and at some point we have to make peace with that. To look at everything we¡¯ve lost, all the paths through our lives that had been stolen from us by cruel Fate or someone else¡¯s actions, and accept that they¡¯re gone without lingering on them.^¡± Sue was about to respond with an immediate point, before the vixen put a bow on her idea, taking her pupil aback. ¡°^And to accept ourselves as we are, on the path we had either stumbled upon or been forced into.^¡±
Sue shifted nervously in her seat, one pointed fingertip repeatedly tapping on the pillow in her grasp. She didn¡¯t mind the broad outlines of Sundance¡¯s point, but didn¡¯t feel comfortable with all the implications. ¡°What if the ¡®things that had gone wrong¡¯ were awful and preventable, though? I-I guess it¡¯s one thing if it¡¯s just entirely bad luck, but what if the thing that went wrong was something that can be stopped? Shouldn¡¯t we use the events that happened as motivation to ensure they won¡¯t happen again?¡±
Sundance nodded firmly. ¡°^We should, you¡¯re correct!^¡±
...
¡°I feel like I¡¯m missing something,¡± Sue admitted, petting Spark¡¯s back.
¡°^Sounds likely, yes. To elaborate on my point¡ªmaking peace with the tragedies that have happened is not the same as not finding them atrocious. It¡¯s not the same as not fighting to make sure nobody else suffers the same fate, either. More than anything else, it is accepting that they have happened and that their awful consequences are here to stay, without denial or fury. As with everything else¡ªyou cannot move on if you¡¯re unwilling to acknowledge where you stand.^¡±
Sue stewed on her thoughts before responding, chuckling under her breath at how tied together everything she¡¯d discussed with Daisy and Sundance over the past couple of days had been. The topic differed each time, of course¡ªguidance on facing one¡¯s desires wouldn¡¯t ever be identical to a pep talk about how to learn to move on from mistakes¡ªbut the core thrust remained the same.
It all starts by facing oneself in the mirror, and coming to terms with what one finds there.
The realization calmed Sue down more than she expected it to. Maybe because it was another hint that she was on the right track, maybe because she¡¯d walked this general trail enough times by now to make the rest of this trek easier than what came before. That didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t have any objections, or any doubts about some finer points¡ªbut this entire neighborhood of her mind was one that only ever grew more familiar with each passing day. Once terrifying, once disgusting, and now?
Now, it¡¯s just in need of some professional cleaning. Doubt these chats with Sundance count as more than a broom and a dustpan, but they still beat nothing.
¡°R-right. If there¡¯s anything else I¡¯ve learned so far, it¡¯s that, heh. I still have more questions if it¡¯s alright.¡±
The vixen smiled. ¡°^It always is, worry not Sue.^¡±
¡°About being at peace and accepting ourselves with how we are now. Won¡¯t that lead to complacency? None of us are perfect, and I¡¯ve always felt like I should strive to be a better person, even if my execution has sometimes been... yeah. B-but, if we get too comfortable with ourselves as we are right now, won¡¯t that lead to us just falling into complacency and resting on our laurels, so to say?¡±
Sundance¡¯s eyes danced around the room as her blunt claws tapped rhythmically on the stone floor. Of all the responses Sue expected from her mentor, a cheeky chuckle wasn¡¯t one of them¡ªespecially not one accompanied by such a sharp point. ¡°^That sounds like it would only be a serious issue if you think that you as you are right now isn¡¯t enough and that you need improving.^¡±
Sue froze at the piercing remark, mentally scrambling to find a response. Try as she might to deny it because of it being reaching, though, the vixen¡¯s point struck true the actual motivation behind Sue¡¯s point, leaving her hunching over in her seat. Guess for all her progress, she still had a lot left to do. It was a realization that would¡¯ve been crippling to face just a few days ago, and now...
She felt just about strong enough to keep moving on.
Just because her mentor was right, it didn¡¯t mean she had nothing to say in response. A response that never came, however, as the vixen out-sped her once more, continuing her point. ¡°^If you genuinely believe you ought to improve something about yourself, then no¡ªit is not an excuse for that. It has to come from your desires, however, from you looking at who you truly are and only then deciding on what, if anything, you ought to change. It is much too easy to look at all the people you could have been and exclaim that those are who you should be, however possible that feat even is.^¡±
¡®Coulda¡¯ and ¡®shoulda¡¯, my old, beloathed friends.
¡°^I cannot claim to know what person you truly wish to become, Sue, so I ask you¡ªwhat is the one trait you wish you had more in abundance?^¡±
Sue nodded absentmindedly, calming her fidgeting hands by holding the pillow closer as she thought through the question. The answer was ¡®many different things on many different occasions¡¯, but from them all, there was one thread that was clearer to see than others. ¡°I suppose I could stand to be more courageous¡ªw-with the Northeast matter and all.¡±
¡°^That is what you discussed with Daisy earlier today, if my memory holds?^¡± the vixen asked. Her pupil nodded firmly, making her continue¡ª¡°^In that case, some other area would be preferable. Not to diminish what her chat with you had accomplished or the relief it provided, but I believe an older, much older example might illustrate my point better.^¡±
It was time to dive into the mental murk of memories again, and Sue... dreaded it less than she thought it would. It was still unpleasant, obviously, but shifting her focus from the events of the past couple days lessened shame¡¯s grip significantly. And since Sundance asked her for something ¡®much older¡¯, Sue guessed she meant an occasion from before she had become one of Duck¡¯s own chosen. ¡°Before I ended up here, I wasn¡¯t very social. In college¡ªthink like an advanced school for adults¡ªI was always too scared of people to talk much, so I stayed this eternal outsider. It didn¡¯t feel good then, and it doesn¡¯t feel good thinking back to it now, heh...¡±
¡°^That is a great start. What does thinking about that situation make you feel?^¡±
¡°Just kinda embarrassed. Not terrible or anything, but I continuously flunked my one good chance to meet people. I already had a year of it taken away because of the pandemic we had at the time, so the remaining time was even more important. It felt like I should¡¯ve, had to take that opportunity because once it ended, meeting any other friends would be impossible. Which... I now realize is something that is quite hard to believe considering how social Moonview is,¡± Sue chuckled, gaze sweeping nervously around the floor.
¡°^Well¡ªyes,^¡± Sundance admitted, looking at her pupil in disbelief, ¡°^but that isn¡¯t the point. The point is about how that self-perceived failure made you feel.^¡±
¡°Disappointed, mostly. It was something simple I knew I could do, I knew I should do, but which I never did, and eventually just seeing the cafeteria was a big downer in itself and so I stopped¡ªoh.¡±
The vixen tried¡ªand failed¡ªto hold in a chuckle. ¡°^Ha. I will spare you another conversation about how shame ties into it all, because you already have a decent grip on it. Instead, let me ask you this¡ªwhy do you think you didn¡¯t rise to your expectations?^¡±
That was something much simpler to answer. ¡°Because I was scared of people. S-still kinda am, even. And everyone already had their cliques, and I was worried I¡¯d come off weird if I just sat down with someone, and... piles upon piles of other reasons. Most of them probably silly.¡±
¡°^Not silly if your mind takes them seriously enough to act on them. Misguided, incorrect, sure¡ª¡®silly¡¯ is not the right adjective for them, since those impulses aren¡¯t stupid. They¡¯re not fooling around, they¡¯re not pranking you into coming short of your goals, they¡¯re doing what they can based on what you¡¯ve been through,^¡± Sundance clarified.
Her pupil rolled her eyes. ¡°Sure, incorrect then, nitpicking.¡±
¡°^I disagree with it being nitpicking, but¡ªnot the point. Now, why do you think all those misguided impulses had their hooks in you?^¡±
This was where the conversation stepped into painful territory. Nowhere near as blindingly excruciating as it would¡¯ve been mere hours ago, but still unpleasant. ¡°Probably from how I grew up with my parents, right? I wasn¡¯t a very social kid even before... even before I lost my mom, and after, it got even worse and I basically became a shut-in growing up. Never as bad as some people on the internet¡ªI still showered and didn¡¯t become a violent misanthrope¡ªbut it wasn¡¯t pretty. Guess that was enough to just make social interaction too scary by the time college came.¡±
¡°^Are you surprised, then, that you failed to reach the expectations you had set at that point?^¡±
¡°Surprised? No, obviously,¡± Sue chuckled, sighing in defeat. ¡°It was quite the predictable outcome. I still felt disappointed, though.¡±
¡°^Why, though? If you acknowledge it was predictable, then why feel disappointed with it?^¡± Sundance kept pressing the point¡ªmuch to Sue¡¯s confusion.
¡°Because I could¡¯ve done better! Yes, it was unlikely, but it was still possible.¡±
¡°^That ¡®better¡¯ word you used there is quite indicative. That¡¯s not what I want to focus on, however. More so on the assertion that you ¡®could¡¯ have done better.^¡±
Sue blinked. What in the world did Sundance mean by that? Obviously she could¡¯ve done much better; she had free will. It wasn¡¯t some magically impossible task for her. ¡°Is there... something wrong with that assertion? Of course I could¡¯ve done better.¡±
Without skipping a beat, her mentor doubled down¡ª¡°^Could you? From the explanation you just provided for why you think you fell short of your expectations, it certainly sounds like the odds of you accomplishing them were vanishing, if even that.^¡±
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
¡°It wasn¡¯t likely, no, but it was still possible,¡± Sue insisted, growing slightly annoyed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a problem for almost anyone else there. Yes, I grew up as a shut-in, but there was no other way for me to get to where I wanted to be but to keep trying, even if it hurt.¡±
¡°^Was it where you wanted to be, or where others insisted you should be?^¡±
The line between these two was a blurry one. Even in her terseness, Sue wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to think that her desires were pure and untainted by her surroundings. The influence was there; the pressure was there; but in the end, they only acted on a yearning that has been there all along. ¡°Where I wanted to be, yes.¡±
Sundance waited for a few moments, looking over Sue with a raised eyebrow. In not too long, she was satisfied with what she saw and sensed, though¡ªSue had really meant it. ¡°^Good! So, you wanted to talk to people more, wanted to become that more social Sue, right?^¡±
¡°An odd way to phrase it, but yes.¡±
¡°^Was that more social Sue someone you could have become, considering what you told me about your experiences with your parents?^¡±
Sue was getting an idea of where Sundance was trying to lead this entire discussion towards, and she wasn¡¯t sure whether she liked it or not. ¡°Yes, of course I could¡ªactually, lemme just ask that head-on. Are you trying to imply that it was impossible for me to become more social?¡±
¡°^From what you¡¯ve described so far, yes¡ªbarring any external influence outside of your control.^¡±
¡°So I... shouldn¡¯t have even tried to get better?¡± Sue asked, disbelieving.
¡°^That is not what I said~. Striving to become better is admirable, yes, but refusing to acknowledge one¡¯s circumstances in that striving only leads to further misery. Because of reasons outside of your control, you went through years of not receiving the attention you needed. You grew up lonely and weren¡¯t as good at socializing as you wished you were, on top of eventually losing your dad, too. These are not setbacks we can just brute force our way through, they require help from others.^¡±
It might not have been the bad-faith interpretation Sue had brought up earlier, but she still wasn¡¯t entirely convinced. ¡°So what was I supposed to do instead if I was so doomed? There¡¯s nothing I could¡¯ve done about what happened to my parents.¡±
¡°^Yes, exactly!^¡± Sundance replied, making her pupil¡¯s heart skip a beat. ¡°^Nothing you could¡¯ve done there, nothing you could¡¯ve done to prevent yourself from ending up in that miserable spot you ended up in. And from there, is there any wonder you failed to pull yourself out of that dark pit alone?^¡±
¡°No, but¡ª¡± Sue began, cutting herself off right as she noticed the vixen perking up, as if about to stop her herself. She waited for long enough for her mentor to come to rest again, receiving nothing but an amused smirk in return. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure where you are going with all this, in all honesty.¡±
The vixen nodded, taking a moment to gather words before replying, her voice creeping towards seriousness again. ¡°^Let me be as direct as I can, then. It¡¯s not about not trying to be better, it¡¯s not about thinking you¡¯re a perfect being that needs no changes. It is, above everything else, accepting ourselves as we are, together with our shortcomings brought onto us by forces beyond our control, without shame. It¡¯s about not using ¡®what could¡¯ve been¡¯ as a cudgel to beat ¡®what is¡¯ with. It¡¯s about realizing where our limitations lay, and reaching outwards for help with overcoming them if we feel we need to do so.^¡±
Now that was something more concrete¡ªbut also, which left a detail unaddressed. ¡°But what if that help never comes?¡± Sue asked. ¡°Or what if we keep reaching out for it, doing our best to change ourselves and reaching for others, only for all of them to ignore or blow us off? What if we fail?¡±
¡°^Then that... *sigh*, is a sad outcome,^¡± Sundance whispered, memory venturing towards all the people in her past who didn¡¯t succeed despite their best efforts. ¡°^That is an important point as well. Not blaming ourselves in such a situation is one thing¡ªwe did our best¡ªbut it is not the crux of the issue now, is it? Ultimately, it¡¯s an argument and encouragement to help those you can; for us all to help one another. Sometimes, a nudge is all a person needs. Sometimes, it¡¯s just having someone, anyone by their side to ease the load of their anguish.^¡±
All wonderful messages¡ªbut still incomplete. ¡°So, if you¡¯re unlucky enough to not have anyone to help when you need it, you just... fail? Die?¡± Sue knew the answer to that question already. Earth had already beaten it into her plenty. She still hoped that her mentor would have some out, just to let her avoid that cruel reality for a bit longer.
¡°^It is possible to make no mistakes and still lose, yes. Pretending we¡¯re in complete control of our Destiny is a blanket of falsehood that lets us avoid acknowledging that grim fact. Avoid facing our successes not being entirely our own, and avoid facing others¡¯ failures not being theirs. Comforting as it may be at times, it is still a lie. One as harmful to us as it is to others.^¡±
Sue nodded idly as she took the wisdom in, shaking in her seat despite Spark¡¯s warmth. She wasn¡¯t ever particularly religious, not even when both her parents were still alive and regularly took her to church, but the comfort of preordained Destiny wasn¡¯t lost to her. The prayer that doesn¡¯t ask for a different, more just world, but one that claims the world is already just as is. Where everything happens for a reason, where those who succeed are saints and those who fail sinners, where everything is its own justification.
Where there is no Capricious, Fateful Chaos¡ªmerely a Just, Destined Order.
A very cold, cruel world.
Even if she knew better than to assume that everything that happened to others was their own fault, it was exceedingly hard to pull all the hooks that line of thinking had left in her mind. Despite being reassured again and again, ad nauseam and then some, she had a hard time seeing her being unable to make those changes she wanted to, not being able to apologize to Northeast when she had that chance, as only a personal failure. As only her own sin.
Sue was trying her best to pull them away, at least temporarily, and it was just barely possible now that she was consciously aware of them. She didn¡¯t know how long such a state would last, though. Had to make it count. ¡°H-how do I just... accept myself, both back then and now? How do I look over all my flaws, all the things I did wrong, all of it?¡±
¡°^You do not look over them,^¡± Sundance replied, keeping her voice calm at seeing the tension shoot through her pupil¡¯s body. ¡°^You accept them, too. Pretending your flaws don¡¯t exist doesn¡¯t bring freedom¡ªit merely gives them more power over us, lets them bind us all the more effectively. No, you need to embrace them, just as you embrace your strengths. Make peace with yourself as you are, woeful and flawed, burdened by grief and shame and a thousand different scars that make up our minds¡ªand yet, beautiful all the same. As are we all.^¡±
Spark¡¯s quiet whimpers went unheard as Sue tried to focus, closing her eyes and gripping the pillow tight. Her mentor continued; ¡°^Don¡¯t let those echoes of paths untaken, of things that could¡¯ve been, of the people you could¡¯ve become, browbeat you into misery over not being who you could never be. I don¡¯t think they would like that, anyway¡ªto know they¡¯re used in malice, as a mallet for your mind to inflict harm onto you with.^¡±
Sue tried to focus on herself in the way the vixen had described, tried to encompass all of who she was as a person and bring it into her arms to embrace¡ªbut couldn¡¯t. She could try to make peace with some of it, with not fulfilling some of her dreams, but many parts of her psyche were still just too raw to touch. If she was to grow more comfortable accepting her mistakes, this sounded like a good one to take on¡ªnot being ready for the worst of that introspection.
Doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t do anything else, though.
Instead, she clasped her hands and clenched her eyes even tighter, shifting gears towards the kind of mourning she was more familiar with but one she¡¯d still not done as much as she probably ought to. Sue thought back to her parents, trying to put together a vague prayer in her mind based on the little she could still recall from church. She doubted anything she¡¯d come up with would comply with what her local priest¡¯s teachings, but neither she nor they cared for that. The latter, not least, thanks to no longer sharing a universe with her.
She had to start somewhere. And of the two people she¡¯d lost, one was much more recent, and the wound left in their wake much larger.
Dad?
Her mental whisper into the void went unanswered, but she was too focused to care.
I-I hope you¡¯re happy, Dad, wherever you are. It¡¯s been hard to really process it all, everything that happened to both of us after Mom died. I¡¯m only now realizing just what kind of impact it left on me, and it¡¯s scary to think about. I don¡¯t want to be angry at you. You were just as stuck in that position as I was, after all¡ªweren¡¯t you?
Sue¡¯s expression scrunched, tears remaining in their ducts thanks to sheer willpower alone.
Just like I ended up in a spot where I couldn¡¯t grow more social by myself, you... you weren¡¯t able to come to terms with it all, were you? It¡¯s so obvious in hindsight, good god. We were both so destroyed by it all, maybe you even more than me. It¡¯s little wonder we ended up like we did. I wish you would¡¯ve reached out for help when you had the chance. Maybe it would¡¯ve helped us both overcome her loss sooner, maybe it would¡¯ve at least helped me. I don¡¯t know, and... I don¡¯t think fantasizing like that is the best idea, either. All I know is that you tried your best, but I was still hurt afterwards for years to come. I miss you.
It was awkward; it was painful; but she was doing it.
I don¡¯t have to be ashamed of the person I became anymore, though. I don¡¯t¡ªdon¡¯t want to be ashamed.
Sue focused on that thought, repeating it in her mind as many times as she could stomach. She wasn¡¯t sure what effect it was supposed to have, whether the relief from it was supposed to be immediate or not. Either way, it wasn¡¯t doing as much as she wanted it to, even if she could feel the headache-inducing pressure in her head grow just a bit more bearable with each repetition.
The relief didn¡¯t last forever, and at a certain point the words had turned from reassurance to just empty sounds¡ªas good a moment as any to take a breath and refocus onto something else. Mourning for her dad had been a¡ limited success, which left her antsy about how doing the same with her mom would go.
Only one way to find out.
Mom?
To her relief, the thoughts associated with her other parent were much easier to stomach, despite the much more gruesome way in which she¡¯d lost her. There wasn¡¯t any drawn-out decline to remember, no second hand shame or trauma passed onto her. Only the image of a loving, radiant woman, colored that much rosier with the passage of time, and the accident that took her life.
I hope you¡¯re happy too, Mom. It¡¯s been so long, and I still think of you often. I remember the things we did together, all the camping trips you took me to, all the guitar lessons you gave me, all the strawberry ice cream you got me whenever I was feeling down.
The memories ached to be recalled, and the fight against her own expression of sadness was swiftly lost. Though, in a way, those were the easy, straightforward tears, something she knew that at least she had the full right to cry over.
It hurts to know you¡¯re gone. I wish you were still with me, that you were there to see me grow up and how similar I ended up looking¡ªbut you weren¡¯t. And I think... I think I¡¯m finally okay with that. I think I¡¯m ready to move on, after all these years. I still love you so, so much though, and I wish I could¡¯ve expressed that to you while you were still around. I¡¯ll be okay now, I think. I have people looking after me, little people I look after, m-maybe even someone looking at me the same way you looked at Dad. Maybe if you¡¯d been there, then stuff with Dad wouldn¡¯t be anywhere near that bad, but¡ªit¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay.
Sue held in a small flinch at that last point, at the release of tension turning sour because of the impact her mom could¡¯ve had on her dad. She ignored that thread in her mind, hurriedly shoving it off to the side to concentrate on everything else instead. To grieve and mourn over the things she was ready to, to make a long overdue peace with that reality.
And, that small tangent aside, she¡¯d managed just that.
Goodbye, Mom. I¡¯ll always love you.
The discarded thought was still there, small and shriveled and refusing to be forgotten wholly. For better or worse, she¡¯d just have to endure it for now, grumbling to herself as she withdrew from her focused state. It wasn¡¯t a total success, not by a long shot¡ªbut it was progress. She didn¡¯t succeed at everything she wanted to, but... it was okay. It was okay to not succeed at things.
Things were okay.
With one final deep breath, Sue pulled her palms apart and opened her eyes¡ªand almost broke into laughter instantly at the sight that awaited her. On the floor, beside her seat, Joy and Twinkle were mimicking her prayer to the best extent their respective anatomies allowed them to. The metal girl was clasping her hands while pointing both her face and her maw at the floor, while the bundle of ghost beside her was reaching up with a pair of tentacles, intertwining them in lieu of keeping them pressed together.
Both of them sat still and with closed eyes¡ªand they weren¡¯t even the only ones in that regard. Further into the room, beside Sundance, Comet was just as focused as his friends pretended to be, entirely still as he sensed all the emotions in the room, now that Sundance had dispelled her sparkling barrier. Sue wouldn¡¯t maintain her focus at seeing all the tykes being so focused, and as much as she tried to hold her amusement in,
She just couldn¡¯t pull it off, not this time.
Instead, she broke into loud, relieved giggles, forcing Spark to scramble off her lap as she leaned in and pulled both the little ones onto it. Their reactions were positively confused, squeaking and clinging to their guardian as Comet babbled and wriggled at the emotions in the room finally clearing up. Twinkle wasted no time wrapping as many of their tentacles around Sue¡¯s stomach as they could, easing out only with her touch. Joy, in the meantime, pulled the arm, petting her into a tight hug¡ªand spotted the glistening wetness on her cheeks. Taken aback, she asked, ¡°M-more cry?¡±
Indeed¡ªbut those are the good sort of tears.
Glad at her mentor for having restored the translation in the room, Sue responded. ¡°Mhm! I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m still doing good, Joy, and Sundance is still helping me. I was sad earlier, but I¡¯m good now. Those were good tears.¡±
Fascinated, Joy nodded at every translated word. ¡°T-Tears not bad?¡±
A smile bloomed on Sue¡¯s face before she even realized it, the pride accompanying it warm and radiant. ¡°Not always, no,¡± she answered. ¡°Some tears can be good. And even the ¡®bad¡¯ tears aren¡¯t naughty or anything. It¡¯s okay to cry.¡±
It was such a massive insight for the lil¡¯ metal girl she had a hard time processing it all, her hold of her guardian¡¯s arm growing weaker as she considered it. No words in response¡ªonly a lot of relief and scooting even closer to the tall psychic¡¯s body.
Just a couple feet away, a much older girl had her own question. ¡°Are you feeling better, Sue?¡± Spark asked, leaning on her friend¡¯s uninjured leg.
Not as much as Sue would¡¯ve wanted, but... yeah, the answer wasn¡¯t really debatable. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m feeling better now, had a long and very needed talk. Thank you, Sparkie.¡±
¡°Yay yay yay¡ª*ow*,¡± the fiery kit shuddered, curling up to Sue as she turned around to address her mom. ¡°Thanks, mom!¡±
¡°You are very welcome, sweetie,¡± Sundance replied, clearing her throat as she switched back to spoken word.
Sue looked up at her mentor, the wordless gratitude clear in her expression. ¡°Still a lot of... well, everything on my mind, and I¡¯m quite tired, but I am better now, I¡¯m sure.¡±
¡°That is great to hear, Sue. None of this is easy, and any progress is something to cherish and be proud of,¡± the vixen beamed. ¡°And speaking of nothing being easy,¡± she groaned, her expression noticeably faltering. Before Sue could speak up in concern, Sundance looked over her shoulder towards a basket of elongated sticks. She then rifled through them with her mental grasp, before settling on the straightest, most cane-like one. ¡°I sure wouldn¡¯t mind having something to eat before bedtime.¡±
Won¡¯t say no to that either.
Sue didn¡¯t even think about dissuading her mentor away from going out on a walk¡ªshe sure was attempting it in a much more responsible way than her pupil could¡¯ve ever claimed to. Instead, she stuck to the vixen¡¯s side, offering her a shoulder to lean on, alongside her makeshift cane. The resulting march wasn¡¯t fast, but it was much more steady than Sue¡¯s early attempts at walking, while inflicting notably less injury to the vixen with her every step.
Not an especially high bar to clear, but Duck be my witness, it is possible to fail it hard.
Even Comet was cooperating so far, not wriggling too hard even as he squeaked in Sue¡¯s arms. He took up most of her attention, leaving the other little ones to march beside the adults on the ground. They didn¡¯t seem to mind that¡ªall it meant was that Twinkle clung to Joy¡¯s maw instead of Sue¡¯s torso, the difference in weight unnoticeable for the girl. And even if it had been, having a wispy, pitch-black tentacle to hold with her hand as they walked through Moonview was worth all the extra weight. Spark walking beside her, keeping her company and warm, helped too.
If only she¡¯d been tall enough to hold Sue¡¯s hand.
The increasingly orange sunlight nudged them to keep up their pace, but they weren¡¯t in any rush. For once, they could take their time, get comfortable, and just have something to eat. Tomorrow would be a big day for some of them, even if Sue was still doubtful if she even should contribute to carrying all the supplies towards Newmoon. Largely because... yeah, there was no way she¡¯d be carrying anything worth a damn there, not with her slow pace and general roughed up state.
On the other hand, maybe they¡¯d be happy to see her again? Even then, just getting there was itself a problem Sue didn¡¯t know how to solve. Again, something for tomorrow. Right now, they had arrived at the clearing.
The bulk of the tables were already occupied, but there were a couple of stragglers, and a few more that had just one or two people sitting at them. Sundance homed in on the almost-empty one not far from Poppy¡¯s stall, the plate of the person sitting there already almost empty. Sue, however... was focused on somewhere else.
Someone else.
To her relief, Sundance didn¡¯t react as she paused, instead trying to make it the rest of the way to the table by herself. It gave her pupil all the time needed to chew through the sight, her pointed fingers nervously tapping on her forearm as she thought through what to do here. Because she wanted to do something with the sight ahead, didn¡¯t want to waste the first good chance she had to talk with them in a while.
But what exactly she could talk about with Willow, she didn¡¯t know. She still didn¡¯t trust them, but... there were just so many unanswered questions. They weren¡¯t feeling angry or vengeful, merely distraught and broadly sad. Enough so to draw quiet, concerned squeaks from the lil¡¯ Moon Child in her arms, but nothing more.
Sue just couldn¡¯t get it. Couldn¡¯t comprehend how someone who had been so incredibly kind toward her and Joy could have such an issue with the night kin, something that should¡¯ve meant so much less to them since they weren¡¯t even psychic themselves. She didn¡¯t understand¡ªbut wanted to. For all her past anger towards them, she didn¡¯t want to just leave them there, didn¡¯t want to discard them over just that. There had to have been an answer to this, maybe something she could say to sway them the other way. What exactly... she didn¡¯t know. Couldn¡¯t know. Only one way to find out.
Joy¡¯s harsh, confused squeak snapped her out of any further daze, prompting her to catch up and take a seat at the edge of the bench. Joy and Twinkle to her side, Comet on her lap, Sundance off to the stall. A perfect opportunity to chill and grab her bearings. If not for one tiny logistical detail, that is, one that she¡¯d have to intervene with sooner rather than later.
No way is Sunny gonna be able to carry all the dishes by herself.
Sue patted the two kids and got up, walking up to the fox right as she was talking to the unpleasant ghost behind the counter. Trying to not pay attention to Hazel, she spoke up. ¡°I-I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to carry it all back to the table.¡±
¡°¡ªand for them¡ªoh? Well...¡± the vixen began, searching through her mind for an excuse that would let her carry the dishes regardless, to let her feel more helpful. Alas, no catch, again and again. Her psychics weren¡¯t reliable, and her physical paws especially weren¡¯t, either¡ªbest to just call this one a loss. ¡°Sure, sure,¡± she answered, rolling her eyes. ¡°Before I head off, I need to finish the order. Any requests?¡±
¡°I suppose something sweet for me and the little ones? Don¡¯t have anything more specific in mind, sorry,¡± Sue answered. Comet didn¡¯t even come close to understanding her words, but couldn¡¯t resist squirming in her arms at the mention of sweetness.
¡°Sure,¡± Sundance replied, taking the lil¡¯ Forest Guardian from Sue. ¡°Hazel, something sugary and nourishing for Sue and all three little ones, please. Wonderful.¡± With that, she headed off to the bench, Comet vocalizing his displeasure at being carried away from all the yummy scents through his many baby sounds.
Truthfully, Sue didn¡¯t care for a waiter position, especially not while possibly having to deal with any more of Hazel¡¯s... pranks? Shenanigans? Assaults? All three fit in different measures. Either way¡ªnot for her, and she made that distaste clear by leaning on the stall¡¯s wall and looking away from the ghost. To her dismay, that didn¡¯t guarantee she¡¯d be left alone, and she was very aware of that. Though, considering the intense discussion going on between Poppy and her wife, she might¡¯ve just been able to get through this without any further incidents.
Sue couldn¡¯t care one Duck less what they were talking¡ªor more accurately, bickering¡ªabout, keeping her gaze trained on something that brought her joy instead. Namely, Joy. And Twinkle, too, the two soon catching onto their guardian smiling at them from afar and waving at her as hard as they could manage. Adorable enough to melt her heart on the spot? Check. More than welcome considering all the struggles and strains of the past day? Check. Eagerly replied to in kind? Check.
Rudely interrupted? Check.
Hazel¡¯s ethereal, croaky voice made Sue jump a bit, afraid to look at the prankster that now stood beside her, lest even more nonsense happened. Still, it seemed like she had no choice. She kept her expression flat as her eyes met Hazel¡¯s fiercely red ones. And, for the first time in her recollection, she saw in there one emotion in particular that seemed to be the ghost¡¯s anathema¡ªhesitation.
Without any reply on Sue¡¯s end, Hazel spoke up again. Unfortunately, the communication would be necessary. Pushing through the many, many desires to flip her off or continue to just stare idly at her in a sort of juvenile battle of disrespect, Sue sighed and went through her linking ritual. Her arms were sore after a long day and she really, really didn¡¯t want to deal with the ghost¡¯s nonsense, but figured Hazel felt just about the same and wouldn¡¯t be bothering with her unless it was important.
Dial-up noises, dial-up noises, ding! There.
¡°*Sigh.* Yes, Hazel?¡± Sue spoke, not even trying to mask her emotions.
The ghost blinked, taken aback at her bluntness. Still, she continued. ¡°Wanna... thank for caring Joy and lil¡¯ ghost,¡± she grumbled.
It was Sue¡¯s turn to be stunned, focusing on Hazel as she tried to suss out whether there was any ulterior motive to her words, any sense of mischief in her mind. No such thing as far as she could tell, with the ghost¡¯s emotions dominated by unease, mixed with warmth as she turned towards the kids in the distance herself. The once-human still wasn¡¯t entirely convinced that the interaction was in good faith, but... why not play along. ¡°Um... thank you, Hazel. I¡¯m glad I could help them out, too, especially Twinkle. The ghost,¡± she added, sensing the seed of confusion in the ghost¡¯s mind.
¡°Bag ghost Twinkle,¡± Hazel chuckled, her unnatural smile gradually creeping back to its full size. ¡°Very happy, they.¡±
¡°I hope so, yeah.¡±
The conversation wasn¡¯t gonna be winning any awards for the best flow or the least awkwardness, but at least it was progressing. Not even that was enough for the pink cook behind the counter, though. Poppy raised her twinkly voice from behind the backdrop of searing sounds, leaving Hazel cringing despite its gentleness. ¡°Really?¡± she asked in return, looking over her shoulder with an embarrassed, almost pleading expression.
The unenthused flatness and tapping of Poppy¡¯s foot against the beaten dirt floor she got in return straightened her out soon enough.
Take that, you¡ª
¡°Want sorry for prank,¡± Hazel unknowingly cut the nasty thought off, almost bluescreening Sue¡¯s mind.
Out of everything she expected the ghost to do, apologizing was almost at the very bottom of the list. Though... sure, the apology was entirely unlike her, but when it was nudged by her wife and also motivated by Twinkle doing better under Sue¡¯s wings... she supposed she could see it.
Anger was tiring, and she really didn¡¯t want to push herself through any more of it. Sure, why not. ¡°Well... thank you, Hazel. Apology accepted.¡± Sue then did something she knew was a bad idea, bracing for regretting it soon.
Second by second, the hand she¡¯d extended towards the ghost remained un-taken and un-pranked, though. Until, at last, she felt the unnaturally cold touch return her handshake, without anything underhanded. Hazel was even appropriately anguished for wasting such an occasion to inflict misery on prank someone, only proving to Sue that she meant it this once. ¡°Thank, Sue. Look Twinkle, please.¡±
¡°I will.¡±
With the handshake over, Hazel wasted no time retreating into the kitchen, to Sue¡¯s relief. She returned moments later, carrying a wooden plate and a couple of small bowls. The two more bowls Poppy then placed on the counter in her wake, one larger and one smaller, completed the order. Sue realized what was going on just soon enough to grab them before the ghost could get back, wanting to bring them to the table herself. That¡¯s what she was there for, after all.
Ignore the thick, sweet aromas emanating from the bowls, please.
With all the bowls brought over and the little ones sat down in places where they could eat from them¡ªmostly on the table¡ªthey all got to eating. Everyone sans Sundance and Twinkle got the same meal, though the portion sizes differed. It almost reminded Sue of one of the very unhealthy kinds of cereal. Marble-sized, gently fried balls of what seemed to be molasses-flavored cookie dough, mixed with seared black... spheres. They kinda looked like the individual granules blackberries were made of, but scaled up to the size of blueberries, tasting somewhere between the two. All that drizzled with a pinch of ginger and three pinches of sugar.
It was almost enough to make Sue overlook the topic her mind had latched onto earlier, especially when she crunched through the individual marbles of dough and berry and let their flavors mix in her mouth. Only almost, however. Sooner or later, it¡¯d still return, and only nag her into finishing her meal faster before she¡¯d waste the opportunity.
Once her greedy fingers felt nothing but the wood of the bowl and a few loose grains of sugar at its bottom, she made her move. Without saying a word, she got up, looked past Sundance¡¯s furrowed brows, and made her way to a table further into the clearing.
Willow was still there, having long since wrapped up their meal, but still lost in thought. It was only when she sat down at the opposite end of the table did they finally notice her presence, perking up as their eyes went wide. For a moment, Sue worried they¡¯d just run away there and then, unable to look her in the eyes ever again. The medic sure looked like they were about to do it... and then, they deflated with a sigh, resigning themselves to whatever was to follow.
One more repetition of her ritual, one more ache in her horn¡ªonto a long overdue conversation. ¡°Good evening, Willow.¡±
They perked up at her voice, looking away with an absentminded nod. ¡°Evening, Sue. Hope day good, injury good. What thank for presence here?¡±
¡°I want to ask you something.¡±
They didn¡¯t immediately react to the elaboration, evidently waiting for the inevitable follow up. Before Sue was about to present it, though, someone else butted in, someone that brought a pained smile to both their faces.
Joy smiled brightly at the medic who had bandaged her maw just days prior, waving and pointing at where the barely visible by now scar was. After her efforts were acknowledged with a gentle head pat, she ran towards her guardian, squealing happily as she was lifted onto the bench beside Sue without another word. At least she was happy about this interaction.
With one hand passed onto the girl for holding, Sue got to thinking, mobilizing whatever wits she still had about her to come up with the question. The one that would accurately sum up all her feelings about the medic, about their past, about their choices and beliefs, about their situation. One that would cut through this jagged, uncomfortable contradiction and maybe even convert them to her position.
Alas, try as she might, the words escaped her. Which left the fallback option, one almost as evocative if much simpler.
¡°Why?¡±
Chapter 33: Ghosts
Willow stared at Sue as the question washed over them, confusing yet clear in equal measure. They glanced away from her, expression twisting into an uncomfortable grimace as they tried to interpret it in some other way. No obvious alternatives presented themselves, but the medic wouldn¡¯t let that get to them¡ªSue had to have meant something else, right? Of course she had to; there was no way she¡¯d just barge in with a topic this heavy.
Or, at least, that¡¯s what their uncertain mind clung onto as an excuse. ¡°What ¡®why¡¯, Sue?¡± they asked, forcefully putting on a soft, tired smile. ¡°Not sure you mean.¡±
To their dismay, Sue wouldn¡¯t let them have said excuse for long. ¡°Why are you supporting Root and his plans?¡± she clarified, trying her hardest to keep her voice from getting too accusative. She was confused, she was disappointed, and she was even angry to an extent, but that wasn¡¯t something she wanted Willow to see. Despite everything, she trusted them to engage with her as an equal, to have reasons for their actions that went beyond simple bigotry.
They had to have been different. Right?
And, fortunately for them both, the chubby medic had their reasons. They weren¡¯t comfortable thinking about them even at the best of times, and the distraction of Joy¡¯s adorable, confused self could only help so much, but they didn¡¯t run or mouth her off for daring to ask. Their paws tapped on the rough wood of the table¡ªor on each other¡ªas their gaze jumped all over the place, until finally hiding behind their eyelids. There, Willow had an answer, something to get Sue off their case. Hopefully. ¡°Not me place to question forefather faith.¡±
Sue narrowed her eyes. ¡°But this isn¡¯t just their faith, right? As far as I understand it, D¡ªthe Pale Lady has been worshiped in this wider area for a long time, and that hasn¡¯t changed. It¡¯s not like Solstice is championing to demolish her altar. Or, say, banish all her worshipers from Moonview,¡± she snarkily added¡ªand cursed herself for doing so immediately afterwards.
To her relief, Willow didn¡¯t burst into anger at her jab, focusing on arguing her point instead. ¡°Solstice still pressure our faith. But when she come, siblings still alive.¡±
She lifted her eyebrow at their point, wondering what their siblings had to do with anything. They were their own person, and if maintaining the unbroken sanctity of their ancestral bigotry was such a priority for them, they would¡¯ve been devoted to that cause from the get go. Even beyond that, their assertion still left room to be argued against.
At least, so Sue thought.
She had much less confidence about her idea than she wished she had, forcing her to take her piercing gaze off the medic to focus. Before she could get too far into it, though, she felt a tug on her arm. Joy was staring back at her, confused and uneasy at the chat going on around her.
No easy way out of this, I¡¯m afraid.
Sue pointed back at the rest of the group, trying to suggest Joy go there instead, but the girl steadfastly refused. She was uncomfortable; she wanted reassurance; she wanted her big friend to make things right¡ªwhich said friend was entirely eager to do. Sitting on her lap helped, carefully leaning on her torso and hearing her heartbeat helped even more, even if it left the toothy girl staring at her bandaged spike from an inch away. Which just left offering one hand for her to hold in the tip of her maw, the other for her to hold in her little arms, and voil¨¤. One soothed, metal girl, trying her hardest to relax in her guardian¡¯s comfort.
By the time Sue was done comforting her, Willow had already shed much of their built-up discomfort, leaning over the table to watch Joy with a genuinely affectionate expression. Alas, it wasn¡¯t to last, especially once their eyes met Sue¡¯s once more, making them sit back down and sigh as their interrogation continued.
¡°Why would your siblings being alive make any difference to your faith?¡± Sue asked, keeping her voice as quiet as she could, rocking the lil¡¯ girl on her lap. It wasn¡¯t the question she wanted to ask, but it was the safer of the two.
Safer, and ineffective. Willow responded, sighing, ¡°Significant plenty. Spread pressure.¡±
The mention of pressure caught Sue¡¯s attention. ¡°Pressure of what?¡±
¡°Forefather faith. Need respect, need worship,¡± they answered, straining their voice as if responding to a dimwitted, self-explanatory question. Sue didn¡¯t appreciate that tone, about to get back at them with her riskier question¡ªbefore stopping.
No, I don¡¯t want to do this to Joy.
Instead, Sue took one deep breath, then another, then rolled her shoulders for good measure, and only then put the words to the question on her mind. ¡°You mentioned Solstice¡¯s influence. What about all the other influence from people of this land? Are you insisting that your forefathers¡¯ faith somehow remained unchanged this entire time, free from the influence of Solstice¡¯s clan, and it was only her arrival that introduced heresy?¡±
This was an angle that could backfire spectacularly, one Sue expected to set off people like Root if they ever heard it. She trusted Willow to be smarter than this, to recognize the faith they inherited as but one variant of many that all influenced each other, as opposed to a fixed dogma thrust upon them from Duck herself.
And she was right.
Willow clenched their paws, flinching so hard the curls under their ears jiggled as they turned to stare at the dirt path beside the table. The setting sun highlighted their age, bringing the grayish, spottier patches of fur and wrinkles on their snout into focus. They contrasted greatly with their intense blue eyes, shaking faintly as more intense emotion began to build up within them. Annoyance, offense, everything Sue had hoped she¡¯d be able to avoid, making her lean away from the table just in case.
Thankfully, the medic kept themselves under control, letting their emotions subside before arguing, ¡°We good, peace people, Sue. Peace, faithful, help other around, help everyone. Did good acts, good help, make good world. Not only who dislike night kin.¡±
Channeling her willpower, Sue stopped herself from rolling her eyes at Willow¡¯s misdirection. They weren¡¯t wrong¡ªtheir people did a lot of good to the best of her knowledge, and that alone was worth admiration and praise. If not for their willingness to help whoever needed aid, Moonview wouldn¡¯t exist. They obviously weren¡¯t evil.
And yet, they weren¡¯t without flaw, either¡ªeven if that flaw happened to be shared with others. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how one makes the other right, Willow. Yes, your people did many great things, but that doesn¡¯t make them beyond reproach. Just because they helped strangers, or just because other peoples weren¡¯t friendly towards the night kin, that doesn¡¯t make their attitudes right.¡±
Sue kept her mouth open, wanting to continue. She wanted to go on about how their insistence that others¡¯ hatred of the night kin justifying their hatred was backwards logic, how it assumed that they had somehow earned or deserved that hatred, how it could be extrapolated into painting the world as a cruel, ¡®just¡¯ place where everyone who was suffering had somehow had it coming. But she didn¡¯t.
There was a much better point to be made, one she only noticed just now. Two, even. ¡°And you already know that their attitudes aren¡¯t right, don¡¯t you, Willow? You wouldn¡¯t be trying to excuse them if you knew they were in the right. Besides, that the others are doing it too is no excuse¡ªisn¡¯t it a point of pride to you, to your entire people, to be better than others, more righteous in your acts?¡±
She leaned back once she was done with her polemic, more confident about her approach to this discussion. There, something she knew they wouldn¡¯t be able to argue much with, not if they wanted to approach the topic in good faith¡ªthey were getting angrier.
Nope, maybe not the best of ideas after all.
Her eyes went wide as she stared at the pink and cream medic, their expression so much fiercer than she¡¯d ever remembered it being. Sure, she¡¯d seen¡ªand caused¡ªtheir annoyance in the past, but this went beyond that, beyond grumbling and huffing. Their paw shook as their blue eyes glared into her, brows furrowing hard enough to make her genuinely afraid she was about to be hurt.
Fortunately, that didn¡¯t end up happening, with their emotions finding another outlet. ¡°We still better!¡± they insisted, squeaks and whines combining into something much more intimidating than Sue would¡¯ve ever thought possible. They weren¡¯t shouting, but only by the thinnest of margins.
For all their intensity, though, their point made little sense. ¡°Then why not lean into being better?¡± Sue pressed back, pushing through her hesitation and leaning forward in her seat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Willow, I refuse to believe you of all people aren¡¯t aware of the hurt your forefathers inflicted on the night kin with their decisions. You were here when the plague struck, you were here when they were exiled, why continue to insist on excluding them just because your ancestors did!?¡±
This time, it was her that had ended up with a raised voice by the end, the final syllable leaving the young girl on her lap shuddering. Willow wasn¡¯t doing much better with remaining calm, but at least Sue¡¯s pointed response took them aback enough to choke some of their flame. Sadly, that helped little when it came to their reasoning. ¡°Forefathers did for reason,¡± they insisted, clarifying nothing.
It felt circuitous, but Sue was too invested in this silly chat to not dig as deep as she could in search of something that would make it all make sense. She responded, ¡°What reason, then? What about the night kin is so uniquely terrible they deserve shunning and exile?¡±
For once, something the medic felt much more comfortable about answering, staring back at the Forest Guardian with confidence. ¡°They enemies of Pale Lady. Not know already, Sue?¡±
Oh I know a fair bit about the relations between the extremely divorced lunar duo, and it sure ain¡¯t what you¡¯re insisting it is, Willow
As much as Sue wished she could respond with that thought verbatim, she had to resort to a different point. No amount of confidence could offset her having arrived in this world only a week ago, making all her theological assertions moot. Still, she had other options. ¡°Says who? Solanum?¡±
Bringing Solstice¡¯s clan into the conversation again didn¡¯t do either of them any good, leaving both Sue and Willow repulsed at the mere mention, if for different reasons. With how unsightly and vulgar as Sue¡¯s comparison was, though, the medic couldn¡¯t resist arguing back right away, raising their voice and leaning over the table. ¡°They are by nature! That how world is! Just reality, just truth! Not me who decide, Sue! Just reality, just truth, dozens dozens generations. My role is listen truth, not doubt, not defy¡ª¡±
*whi-whimper*
The shrill sound coming from the toothy girl on Sue¡¯s lap sent a chill through both their hearts, leaving the medic shaking as they backed down. Sue was trying her hardest to comfort Joy, holding her even closer and before humming a half-remembered lullaby, hoping it¡¯d bring her the comfort she deserved. It was slowly working, but the little one was still confused about it all. Joy stuttered out a couple words as she looked up to her guardian, intended for Sue¡¯s ears but only understood by Willow.
They visibly winced at the sound, closing their eyes and taking deep breaths as they reached up to rub their temples. The Forest Guardian had no idea how to answer, kicking herself over not having established a link with Joy the moment she¡¯d ran over. What if she¡¯d just asked her something important and would grow confused¡ªor worse yet, terrified¡ªabout her guardian not responding?
She didn¡¯t know, couldn¡¯t¡ª
¡°Apology for loud voice, Joy,¡± Willow cut in, their voice deflated. To Sue¡¯s immediate relief, the girl on her lap not only understood the apology, but was comforted by it, nodding weakly and leaning further on her guardian. It was okay. Things were okay.
This entire cursed, tensed discussion wasn¡¯t over yet, but everything would be alright.
Sue was torn. She wanted, needed to continue, but didn¡¯t want to subject Joy to more of this if she could avoid it. The girl wouldn¡¯t want to be separated from her right now even if she were to physically carry her back to Sundance and others, but who knew when she¡¯d get the next opportunity to truly discuss this topic with the medic one-on-one and without anyone eavesdropping?
Thankfully, despite their stubborn dismissal of her points, Willow seemed just as keen on not exposing the little one to any further shouting. And if there was something Sue could still respect them for, it was that. Everything else, though... it was growing harder and harder to. Yes, they were a selfless healer, but was pride really their motivation behind doing so? Sue didn¡¯t believe that, couldn¡¯t believe that. She hadn¡¯t felt a smidge of superiority in their attitude in the past, nothing but good intentions.
And yet, here they were, adamantly excusing their wrongdoings and blaming them all on their ancestors and the steps they had laid out for them. Sue wasn¡¯t satisfied with that, nowhere near. And, once she felt Joy¡¯s heart grow calm and her own ease out as much as if it would be today, she expressed her dissatisfaction.
¡°Why, though?¡± she asked. ¡°Why is it not your spot to challenge or change your people¡¯s faith? Are you not one of them? Do you not have the right to contribute and shape them?¡±
Disdain flashed through their short snout, muffling into dismissal by the time it had reached their vocal cords. ¡°You not understand. Would not understand. You, Sue, one person. Me, descendant. Above, dozens dozens generations. Me they watch, judge. Me, only left, only who can carry tradition and faith. You, not have that burden.¡±
It was Sue¡¯s turn to grow annoyed, sharply exhaling through her barely visible nostrils at the implication she didn¡¯t have any expectations placed upon her. It was maybe true in this world, now that the intended pathway of finishing college, settling down and starting a family was no longer possible, but that didn¡¯t mean she was unfamiliar with how they felt.
On the other hand... Willow had a point, too.
She wasn¡¯t a stranger to familial expectations, but they paled compared to the sheer pressure the medic must¡¯ve been feeling. All she had on her shoulders were the best wishes of her parents, a single generation, and their kind words as opposed to the many, many more Willow was struggling with. The only one left to follow traditions, to follow their faith, barely withstanding the crushing expectations and the peer pressure of thousands upon thousands of ghosts.
At the end of the day, however, they were just that¡ªghosts. Willow was still their own person with their own volition, free to act as they pleased. And, judging by their scrambled excuses, it wasn¡¯t as if they were utterly blind to the harm they were causing. Sue responded, ¡°Are these traditions, that faith, even something you want to carry?¡±
Willow jerked back, mood snapping from discomfort to a mixture of confusion and disgust. ¡°Y-yes! Beside, what matter if not? Have to. What forefathers think if last child disrespect tradition, how angry they be?¡±
¡¯What would they think¡¯, forever the unrelenting specter.
As much as Sue wanted to snap back, saying that it didn¡¯t matter, she knew better than to go there. This entire topic wasn¡¯t her strong suit. She wasn¡¯t tied to any traditions, any cultural identity; about as plain a slice of white British toast bread as they got. She didn¡¯t know if what she was saying was even right.
But Willow didn¡¯t know either. They were sure trying to convince themselves they knew, to relegate having to think about it all to long-established traditions and beliefs that would answer it for them. Unfortunately for them, they were too smart for that to work perfectly; too aware of the consequences of theirs and others¡¯ actions to let the thick blanket of deferring blame smother all their doubts away and leave only devotion behind.
And it was these doubts that Sue knew she had to use to her advantage. ¡°I can ask you the same thing, Willow,¡± she began. ¡°How angry will your ancestors be to see the last one of their people clinging to oppression even after almost everyone else has moved on? How disappointed will they be to see you put hatred over the values they valued the most¡ª¡±
Sue paused mid-sentence, freezing at the realization of just how furious Willow had gotten.
She looked at them in fear, watching as their wide eyes drilled into her with wrath far beyond what she thought the medic was even capable of. A voice in the back of her head was yelling at her to get up and run, shouting about how she wasn¡¯t safe anymore and she needed to get away now¡ª
Only for Willow to storm off with a huff instead, infuriated and¡ªto all the relief Sue could find within her anymore¡ªconflicted. She sat still, panting as she watched the medic leave the clearing and disappear between the Moonview¡¯s many buildings, taking some of the evening sunlight with them. She¡¯d shone a light on their doubt and made it grow stronger, and it was the only reason Sue wasn¡¯t considering this entire discussion an absolute waste of their combined time.
It sure could¡¯ve gone a lot better, though. Much, much better.
Sue knew she shouldn¡¯t have been focusing on what could¡¯ve been, but that fact only slightly muffled the persistent thought¡¯s effectiveness. She still felt down, both at her missteps and at having antagonized someone she once looked up to as a friend. The rational part of her argued the latter wasn¡¯t her fault, that Willow had brought it upon themselves the moment they let their mask slip off about how they felt about the night kin.
Her emotional part wasn¡¯t convinced. Too late to do anything about it, though. It was time to get up, rejoin the others, and probably start heading in the general direction of a bed. Sue lifted Joy into her arms proper, the girl shivering as her maw had to let go of her friend¡¯s fingers. She slid out of her seat, straightened her legs, began turning towards the rest of the group¡ª
And saw someone in the treeline.
Someone who looked like Nightbane.
Sue jumped at the sight, deaf to Joy¡¯s alarmed squeaks as she tried looking at that spot again¡ªand found nobody. She looked around in panic, whole body shaking as her gaze fixated on every blob that so much as resembled a person between the surrounding trees. None of them amounted to anything on a closer look, though, and the more she thought about it, the more she doubted whether the ¡®someone¡¯ she¡¯d spotted was even real to begin with.
Maybe it was nothing. Or maybe it was Nightbane. Or worse, someone else from Solstice¡¯s clan. All the reassurances that it was just Solstice¡¯s immediate family suddenly meant nothing, the fleeting observation eroding much of Sue¡¯s remaining confidence in them not being a serious threat.
*sq-squeak?*
Right, sorry, Joy.
¡°I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m here, I¡¯m here,¡± Sue whispered, holding the little metal girl tighter as she grabbed her bearings. No matter how unnerved she felt, Joy no doubt had it much worse, and it was her comfort her guardian ought to have been prioritizing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sweetie, I got spooked by something. Here, let¡¯s go back to the others now.¡±
Hearing her big friend¡¯s voice helped Joy remain calm, which, in turn, reassured Sue. Together, they turned towards the table their friends were sitting at, only to spot a welcome addition¡ªespecially now that she was feeling better again. Still not at her best, but miles ahead from the last time Sue had seen her, and that was all she could reasonably expect of her. ¡®Not quite perfect¡¯ sure beat ¡®so foul her and Sue only wound each other up with their mere presence¡¯.
And, even all that aside, Sue was happy to see her. ¡°Good evening, Solstice!¡± she spoke up with as much cheer as she could muster, catching the table¡¯s upbeat attention. ¡°I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re feeling better now.¡±
Comet answered her greeting first, squeaking happily from his spot on his mom¡¯s lap and earning himself a gentle hair ruffle. The Mayor¡¯s smile wasn¡¯t as wide as it used to be, but it felt noticeably less forced, a trade-off Sue eagerly accepted any day of the week. ¡°^I¡¯m glad to see you too, Sue¡ªand you as well, Joy~.^¡± The addition sent giggles through the table as the metal girl in Sue¡¯s arms squirmed happily, letting her big friend lower her down onto the ground again.
After a moment of hesitation and looking up at Sue for reassurance, Joy took a step towards the older Forest Guardian. And then, another, and third, until she had made it and gently embraced her legs, trying to feel at ease. It took Sundance all the restraint she had to not swoon at the sight, instead giving Sue an upbeat smile as her friend leaned in and lifted Joy onto her own lap with her physical arms, seating her beside her son. The movement made the girl flinch, but she eased out once she was sat down and comfy¡ªespecially with Sue right behind her with a beaming, almost tearful smile.
¡°Oh, my goodness...¡± Sue whispered, catching Joy¡¯s attention and further calming her with her happiness. ¡°T-twinkle?¡± She looked around the table, and the ghostly bundle of a child immediately perked up. Within moments, they were scooting up Sue¡¯s body, holding her tight and relaxing at her touch. ¡°Do you want to sit with Joy for a moment on Solstice¡¯s lap?¡±
The lil¡¯ ghost gave the question as much consideration as they could before declining in their own way¡ªnamely, by extending another pair of inky tentacles to hold Sue¡¯s torso with. The Mayor didn¡¯t mind, starting a chorus of ¡®awww¡¯s¡¯ at the sight, one without judgment or mockery, only added to further with Comet¡¯s bubbly babbling as he held his friend. Instead, Solstice gently stroked Joy¡¯s head and¡ªinspired by Sue¡ªher maw, too. The girl grew stiff at the latter, but soon relaxed, unable to resist how pleasant it felt, even when coming from someone she wasn¡¯t as close to as Sue.
¡°^Did you and Sundance end up talking about anything?^¡± the Mayor asked, taking Sue out of idly smiling at the sweet scene.
The younger Forest Guardian glanced over at Sundance, wordlessly asking if it was alright to talk about it¡ªand received an immediate nod of confirmation. These were her struggles, after all. ¡°Y-yeah, we did. It was... mostly about my family,¡± Sue answered, smudging the truth somewhat. She didn¡¯t want to be dishonest with her mentor, but was afraid to bring up Aurora unprompted lest it would send them both into a very unpleasant territory again. ¡°About my family, and how they kinda still haunt me.¡±
¡°And haunting like that is ever miserable indeed,¡± Sundance pointedly added, ruffling the fur on Spark¡¯s head.
Solstice didn¡¯t need to be a psychic to get the allusion, closing her eyes as she nodded. She couldn¡¯t deny that the topic still hurt; she didn¡¯t know if it would ever stop truly hurting. But it wasn¡¯t a pain she had to run away from, a pain she had to keep to herself. It would do neither her nor those she cared about any good, and she finally felt ready to confront that plain truth.
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She took a deep breath, dispelled her son¡¯s worries with a gentle hair ruffle¡ªand talked. ¡°^Oh yes, it is miserable. I¡¯ve... I¡¯ve been thinking about Aurora,^¡± she admitted, bracing for the pain. It arrived soon after as if beckoned, but weak and muffled, defanged by having been summoned with words and not with ever-winding thoughts. ¡°^I wanted to check up on her at the cemetery, maybe talk to her, but¡ªbut I couldn¡¯t push myself to. I promise I tried; I just didn¡¯t have the strength to take those final few steps. It feels like I should¡¯ve pushed through regardless.^¡±
Sundance acknowledged her friend¡¯s words, giving her a small but proud smile. ¡°You can try tomorrow, Solstice. It will hurt, but I am glad you¡¯re confronting those feelings. I believe in you, whether you succeed tomorrow or need more time still.¡±
¡°A-and I believe in you too!¡± Sue added, upbeat and... proud. It was such a weird sensation to acknowledge for Solstice, unexpected and yet more comforting than she had the words for. The Mayor might have doubted whether tomorrow¡¯s attempt at talking to her daughter would end any differently than today¡¯s, but now she felt willing to give it an honest attempt.
And her pupil wasn¡¯t done yet, either. ¡°And now that you¡¯ve mentioned Aurora... *sigh*, we talked about her too,¡± Sue admitted. Every single bone in her body screamed for her to shut up, to not make things even worse now that she¡¯d admitted to something so dumb and embarrassing. The voices were winning, leaving Sue shuddering as she looked awkwardly at the grassy dirt,
Only for Solstice¡¯s words to dispel them all.
¡°^I understand. I can¡¯t¡ªcan¡¯t imagine all this is any easier for you, Sue.^¡± Solstice was struggling almost as much, internally debating whether to acknowledge what they were both feeling, the obvious and yet unspoken detail without which Sue¡¯s focus on Aurora didn¡¯t even make sense. It would¡¯ve probably helped them both, but she didn¡¯t have the strength for it. Not today. But that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t express what she thought. ¡°^I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m proud of you for mentioning this.^¡±
It was a painful sort of pride, one filled with regret at all this even being so difficult in the first place, but no less genuine because of it. And Sue could definitely tell. ¡°Th-thank you, Solstice,¡± she replied, fluttering her eyelids to abate any more tears for today.
Off to the side, Sundance found a moment to roll her eyes without being noticed. Not as much progress as she might have hoped, but more than she expected. The two Forest Guardians working through their respective ghosts wasn¡¯t the only thing on the vixen¡¯s mind, though. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna pry what you talked about with Willow, Sue, but... are you sure you¡¯re alright? You were terrified afterwards for a moment.¡±
Oh boy, and here I hoped they didn¡¯t notice. Though...
Sue shivered at the recollection, nodding firmly. ¡°Well, yes, I got quite spooked there. I was just tired and saw something weird in the woods. Nothing serious, but I do have a question unrelated to that.¡±
Precisely nobody bought the pretense that the question about to be asked was unrelated to what had scared Sue, but none of the older women saw it fit to point holes in it. ¡°^Go ahead, Sue,^¡± Solstice reassured.
¡°Is... is someone looking out for what Solanum and the rest of your family are up to?¡±
As composed as Sue had tried to remain when asking her question, some of her earlier fear still slipped through. Again, neither Sundance nor Solstice could blame her, with the latter answering soon after, ¡°^I don¡¯t think so, no. I doubt they¡¯ll linger around for much longer after today.^¡±
Not the answer Sue wanted, but one she knew what to say in response to. ¡°Well, I think it might be a good idea to have someone looking after them.¡± She had many reasons to want that, but realized that one of them would be what the other two women would immediately leap to. ¡°A-and yes, I know I¡¯m still affected by what they had done today and Nightbane¡¯s entire f-fucking thing, and I¡¯d be lying if I said this isn¡¯t contributing to me asking for it, but it¡¯s not my only reason. I¡¯m seriously worried they have an ulterior motive for coming here, more so than just wanting to harass you, Solstice.¡±
Hardly the most convincing argumentation in the world. Thankfully, it was still enough, if almost entirely thanks to that first, emotional reason. ¡°^Alright,^¡± Solstice responded, hiding her incredulity. ¡°^I¡¯ll ask for someone to keep track of them tomorrow. Astra would¡¯ve been good at that, though she¡¯s unfortunately absent.^¡±
...
Of course.
Sue¡¯s eyes went wide. So that was why Root was so eager to send Astra on another scouting mission. He wanted her gone for a reason, and that reason must¡¯ve been leaving Moonview without someone capable of spying or fighting Solanum and her band! She had no idea just how capable a fighter the dragon was, but her raw strength alone would¡¯ve made her formidable, even against the invaders¡¯ psychics. This was it, this must¡¯ve been it, the realization winding Sue up even more¡ª
Something cold, slimy, and wriggly was touching her leg.
She had only barely kept herself from jumping at the sensation, rational mind cutting in with a candidate for who this sensation might¡¯ve belonged to. And sure enough, said hunch was correct, turning Sue¡¯s panicked leap in the making into a weak, unnerved chuckle at seeing Basil¡¯s little one trying to slither along her leg. And, given that she¡¯d never seen him be intentionally left on his own, meant that someone was probably looking for him.
And she was down to help return him to said someone, and air her mind at the same time.
¡°H-hey there, little guy,¡± she faux-confidently greeted, carefully picking the brown caterpillar up. He was about as uncomfortable to hold as Sue would¡¯ve guessed, especially with the constant squirming, but she tried not to pay that much mind¡ªespecially with him finally spotting her back once he was brought to within a few feet of her face, held at an arm¡¯s length.
As if a switch had flipped, confusion and agitation filling his not-yet-formed mind turned into calm happiness at recognizing someone. It didn¡¯t result in much change to his behavior, and especially didn¡¯t help with his squirming, but it was still appreciated. ¡°Let¡¯s go find your dads, eh?¡±
Sundance¡¯s and Solstice¡¯s giggles were a pleasant backdrop for Sue getting up and turning away, but Joy was still unsure what was going on. She was torn between being interested in the brown caterpillar, and being skittish about her guardian walking away. Luckily, there just so was a course of action that satisfied both concerns¡ªleaping off the Mayor¡¯s lap and breaking into a dash to catch up with Sue.
If the once-human had trusted herself to be able to carry the lil¡¯ bug in one hand, she would¡¯ve kneeled to pet Joy once she¡¯d caught up with them. But, in the absence of that, words had to suffice. ¡°I¡¯m here Joy, I¡¯m here! Everything is alright, we¡¯re just helping our little friend find their dads¡ªoh, and I think we found... uh, Basil¡¯s mate.¡±
Her memory of names might¡¯ve failed her, but she was sure the giant butterfly¡¯s appearance would remain seared into her mind forever, even past the shock of their... mutual introduction. Though, to be fair, that was true of almost everyone else in Moonview as well. As striking as their massive red compound eyes were, though, their vision didn¡¯t seem to be all that good. It took until Sue was within fifteen feet of them or so for them to finally make her¡ªand the lil¡¯ bug in her arms¡ªout.
Their emotions were much more dire than Sue had expected, but they didn¡¯t last. A chirping buzz of relief and joy filled the air as they dashed over, subsuming the grief and fear that had shone through earlier once they took the brown caterpillar into their tiny blue paws. Sue wasn¡¯t sure whether actual butterflies even had arms, but that was not a limitation this world cared about either way, so what did it matter? Either way, their son was as happy as his infant mind could express; the butterfly was ecstatically nuzzling their little one all over the underside of their head segment, and things were¡ª
BIRCH! His name is Birch. Finally remembered.
¡ªand things were good. Once Birch was done making their baby bug flail and squirm, he shifted his attention to Sue and Joy instead; the latter waving at him happily. Just like Sue earlier, he didn¡¯t have the spare arms to wave back at her, forcing him to express his greetings differently. He flapped his powerful wings a few times, the resulting gust of wind somehow ruffling Sue¡¯s hair even further and almost knocking Joy off her feet¡ªto the girl¡¯s amusement, surprisingly. She half-squealed, half-growled something in return, and just like earlier, Birch responded with another gust of wind, letting out laughter-like buzzing all the while.
And if only the wind didn¡¯t contain some weird glitter that made Sue sneeze and feel itchy, she wouldn¡¯t have had any issues with it. Thankfully, Birch realized what was going on and spared the Forest Guardian a third Gust, flying over with mild concern. Joy was more overtly disappointed, but didn¡¯t let it get to her¡ªespecially when she still could play waving at each other back and forth with the caterpillar.
Sue wasn¡¯t even sure if her sneezing was Birch¡¯s fault, but either way, it was annoying more than anything. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m¡ª*achoo!*¡ªI¡¯m good. *Sniff*, good Duck I wouldn¡¯t think my allergies would flare up hereeee¡ª*achoo!*¡±
Not hearing any alarm in the Forest Guardian¡¯s tone, the big butterfly calmed down instead, flying back to keep his distance as the buzzes continued. Giddy but controlled and apologetic towards her, excitable towards Joy, and relieved towards the little one. It probably involved thanks of some sort, and Sue acted proactively by slightly bowing towards him in return.
His amusement hinted at her having either gotten his intent or the timing way, way off, but Sue was feeling too good¡ªand too sniffly¡ªto let that get to her.
Once Birch had flown off, his son buzzing in his paws all the while, Sue turned around towards their table¡ªand saw it was already empty. She only caught a brief glimpse of Sundance and Spark before they disappeared behind buildings on their way back to their dwelling, leaving just Solstice and Comet walking towards them. For once, the latter was allowed to walk on the dirt and grass beside his mom. Or, at least, to try to walk beside her, constantly stumbling and stopping, tripping and falling, and failing all that¡ªawkwardly waddling.
Still, progress! ¡°Good job, Comet!¡± Sue smiled.
*squeeeak!*
His antics helped keep the atmosphere light once he and his mom had caught up to Sue, the two adults exchanging tired, but unfaltering smiles. The air between them wasn¡¯t perfectly clear yet, but they could look each other in the eye again. And just having that was more reassurance than either of them would¡¯ve expected¡ªor been comfortable admitting to themselves.
¡°^Is Birch doing alright?^¡± Solstice asked once Comet was just a few steps away from Sue.
¡°Oh? Why wouldn¡¯t he be?¡±
The Mayor hesitated for a while before admitting with a sigh, ¡°^He has had a recent tragedy in the family, to my knowledge. I¡¯m glad he¡¯s keeping positive through it, though I hope he¡¯ll talk with someone if it gets too much.^¡±
Sue winced, feeling bad about not having said something to reassure him in that case. Then again, aside from that instant of awful murk, he genuinely felt good at being reunited with his son, and not even in the pretend way she and Solstice were all too keen on. Maybe she would¡¯ve only made it worse by bringing it up.
Yeah, I¡¯ve had enough fretting about stuff like this for a while.
She had much more important things to be thinking about, after all. Things, and people. Shaking the previous topic aside, Sue looked straight at Solstice, with the older Forest Guardian noticing the attention and looking back at her after picking her son up into her arms. Once, she would¡¯ve been terrified at those demonic eyes staring into her. Once, she would¡¯ve been aghast at the idea of a ¡®real¡¯ Forest Guardian facing her like this. Once, she would¡¯ve felt too guilty about everything they were both feeling to maintain eye contact for more than a shameful instant.
Once, but no longer.
Taking a bold step forward, Sue raised her hand and patted Solstice¡¯s shoulder. The older Forest Guardian wasn¡¯t familiar with the gesture, but she didn¡¯t flinch¡ªSue¡¯s intent was obvious. And so, so appreciated. Instead, the Mayor¡¯s eyes shone as her psychics embraced her pupil and oriented her into a side hug, gentle and warm to the touch. Not something the younger Forest Guardian would¡¯ve done, but all the more reassuring because of it, the combined warmth undoing more of their respective insecurities than any dry chat.
Especially when accompanied by words. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡ªyou¡¯re trying to face it all, Solstice,¡± Sue whispered.
Her mentor beamed. ¡°^Thank you, Sue. And I¡¯m... I¡¯m proud of you. I haven¡¯t said that enough, nowhere near enough. I¡¯m proud of your intervention yesterday, of your determination to make things right in Newmoon, of how you¡¯ve been looking after Joy and now Twinkle, too. I know none of that has been easy for you, but you¡¯ve been trying your best each and every time. You¡¯re doing great things, and more importantly, you¡¯re a great person yourself. And I¡¯m hardly the only one that thinks so~.^¡±
Sue had no idea when all these tears had snuck up on her, but she didn¡¯t have it in her to mind that much. She let them flow freely, basking in the warmth of Solstice¡¯s words. Twinkle and Joy were quick to notice what looked like distress, but the Mayor was on top of things, covertly whispering reassurances about their... their guardian being happy. Because she was happy.
She hadn¡¯t remembered feeling like this, this comfort, ever since that fateful memory Solstice had watched with her in the cemetery.
The sun was setting around them, but they didn¡¯t rush. Sue¡¯s eyes were puffy from tears, her cheeks glistened with sticky wetness, but neither of these facts mattered, neither of them could matter. Things were okay. She was okay, not just in the moment, but... in general. Inherently. It¡¯s been so, so long since she¡¯d last allowed herself to think that.
¡°Th-th-thank you, *sniff*, Solstice...¡± Sue mumbled, voice unsteady and cracking.
¡°^You¡¯re very welcome, Sue. Feeling ready to walk back home?^¡±
Sue was taken aback at the nudge, but couldn¡¯t blame her mentor for it¡ªthe very last sliver of the sun had just crept its way behind the horizon, best not to waste any more time. ¡°Y-yeah, I-I think I¡¯m ready! How about you, Joy?¡±
The metal girl perked up, looking away from the beautiful shades of shifting sky above her and towards her guardian. ¡°G-g-go, yes! Y-you happy?¡±
More than I know how to describe, Joy.
¡°Yes, yes I am, sweetie. And I hope you are, too!¡±
¡°Yeeees!¡± Joy squealed. ¡°P-p-pretty, up!¡±
¡°^The sunsets are beautiful this time of the year, indeed. Imagine if you could capture all those shifting colors in a painting, or weave them into clothing.^¡±
Sue held in a chuckle¡ªall the ¡®smart¡¯ junk back on Earth could probably do something like that, but even with all its wires and power usage, it still wouldn¡¯t have come close to the real thing. ¡°That would be pretty, yeah. Wanna hop into my arms so that you can watch the sky?¡±
It wasn¡¯t even a question.
The route back to Solstice¡¯s tent wasn¡¯t a particularly difficult or busy one, especially with much of it passing through the outskirts of Moonview. Duck¡¯s altar was in the same state Sue had last seen it in. The flowers in front of the shattered wall were wilting, evidently untouched since before it went down, with nobody exactly certain on how to handle it now. She could only chuckle at the realization¡ªand this time, Solstice was feeling confident enough to laugh along with her.
For all his excited wriggling, Comet didn¡¯t last long once their path grew dark, easing out more and more in his mom¡¯s arms. Joy, however, was still enthralled with the skies above, watching closely as the dark reds faded to purples, then blues, then finally darkness¡ªand, at the other end of the heavens, to pinpricks of stars. The Moon was there too, its thick crescent silently watching over them.
And beside them, between the buildings, a trembling, dimly glowing bundle.
The younger Forest Guardian took a moment to come to after Solstice had pointed out the dim fear in a nearby alleyway, but once she knew where to probe with her tugging sense, she could sense it too. She could even tell who it belonged to based on that feeling alone! Or at least so she hoped¡ªit was hard to deny the possibility of her sight influencing that ¡®hunch¡¯.
¡°^Crackle? Are you okay?^¡± Solstice asked, kneeling beside him.
Sue had no idea how a fire could whimper, but the hidden glowing boy had managed to make that sound, regardless. Worryingly, he didn¡¯t react to the Mayor¡¯s words, leaving her unsure as her pupil tried her luck. ¡°Crackle, did something happen to you?¡± It was the most obvious reason for Sue, and it wasn¡¯t like Moonview was lacking in suspects for having done such a thing, letting a few drops of anger into her thought process.
Not this time, though. ¡°S-S-Sue! Nothing happened to me. I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m just afraid of the night,¡± the lamp child answered, telepathy turning many tiny variations of hissing and crackling into tones and words.
Too bad it didn¡¯t help with making his answer make sense. ¡°W-why?¡±
¡°Because Mr. Root told me the night kin are gonna be coming now! A-and that they¡¯re evil and they¡¯re gonna hurt us!¡±
Had Solstice been any more tired, the impulse to facepalm would¡¯ve won. Sue, instead, was just left disappointed¡ªbut still somewhat hopeful. They were clearly listening to her, so maybe she could try to argue? ¡°Oh no, that¡¯s not true, Crackle! Some of them are a little scary, sure, but they won¡¯t hurt you more than anyone else would.¡±
Immediately, conflict filled his mind, a battle of ¡®he said¡¯ versus ¡®she said¡¯ that threatened to subsume him whole. ¡°But how do you know that, Sue?¡±
¡°Because... I visited them a couple days ago, and they didn¡¯t hurt me!¡±
They didn¡¯t, only that fucking bird. And, well, Alastor had tried, but Crackle doesn¡¯t need to know that¡ª
¡°Ooooohhh. I see,¡± the bedsheet ghost sighed, picking himself up from the ground. Sue wasn¡¯t sure why he was even taking her assertions at face value instead of bringing up Sundance as a counterargument, but she wasn¡¯t about to argue with that. The mean side of her brain suggested it was because Crackle sure didn¡¯t feel like he got to talk much with anyone, but she was sure there had to have been a different explanation. ¡°Won¡¯t they want to hurt me because I make light?¡±
Sue blinked. ¡°What¡ªoh no no no,¡± she answered, trying to hold in giggles. ¡°They don¡¯t sit in darkness all day.¡±
Crackle gasped. ¡°Oh! I didn¡¯t know that. Thank you, Sue!¡± Reassured, they hovered closer to her, carefully wrapping their black... limbs around her waist. Even beyond their uncomfortable warmth, they felt less like flesh and more like stiff metal, making their affection about as pleasant as hugging a kettle. Didn¡¯t matter, though¡ªshe was glad to have helped them out, especially since she hadn¡¯t gotten burned yet.
¡°Y-you¡¯re welcome, Crackle! U-um, gonna be lighting up the¡ª¡±
¡°*GASP!* Yes, I almost forgot, thank you Sue!¡± Crackle jolted into the air. ¡°Goodbye Sue, goodbye Mrs. S-S-Solstice!¡± Before either of them could respond, Crackle was already gone, his trek through Moonview heralded by the streets lighting up with a dim, purplish light.
As silly as this entire exchange had been, one detail in it had left Sue worried, even after they were on the move again. ¡°Does he interact with Root often?¡±
Solstice sighed. ¡°^Unfortunately, yes. Root¡¯s the one looking after him to the best of my knowledge. Mentors him, too¡ªfor better or worse, he¡¯s the best suited person in Moonview to do so.^¡±
Sue wasn¡¯t convinced how well that overgrown ferret was suited to mentoring anyone about anything that wasn¡¯t putting on a pointy white hat and matching robes, but she had little room to argue. And so, she didn¡¯t, letting that point fade into the night as they reached the Mayor¡¯s tent.
Joy grumbled about being taken indoors just as the stars were getting really visible, but her annoyance didn¡¯t last long in the light of her own drowsiness. Twinkle needed little prodding to fall asleep either, and all Comet required was being lowered into his cot. Before long, it was just the two Forest Guardians, exhausted physically, emotionally, and mentally from a long, long day.
And yet, they felt good¡ªbetter than they have in days.
In some ways, better than they have in years.
It wouldn¡¯t be long before Sue joined the two little ones beside her in unconsciousness. Still, she was hesitant to let go of awareness yet, even as warm as Solstice¡¯s affection had made her feel. Her fears from earlier in the day had been dulled, soothed, overshadowed, and weren¡¯t threatening to tear her psyche apart¡ªbut she was still curious about the catalyst behind them. ¡°S-Solstice?¡± she whispered.
There were no words in response, merely a faint psychic touch on her head, accompanied by the other Forest Guardian¡¯s dimly glowing eyes opening to look at her.
¡°If it¡¯s not too much... what was Aurora like?¡±
Predictably, Solstice¡¯s eyes closed at the question, her emotions threatening to sour from their previous mute contentment. It hurt to think about, and Sue feared she¡¯d inadvertently triggered another breakdown¡ªbut her mentor held through it. The Mayor wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d be able to maintain this kind of focus when the time came to talk to Aurora, but she could cling onto it now. ¡°^Always wanted to help everyone she ran into, no matter how much or how little she was really capable of it, hah.^¡±
A sniffle filled the silence, then another.
¡°^Loved to practice her psychics, even if they were quite hard for her. And...^¡± Solstice trailed off, breathing heavily. ¡°^Could we talk about her more tomorrow? I¡¯m not sure how much I can do it tonight, I¡¯m afraid.^¡±
¡°Oh no no, it¡¯s okay,¡± Sue whispered. ¡°I really hope we can do that.¡±
Her mentor opened her eyes again, looking at her with a soft, motherly expression. ¡°^I¡¯ll try my best. It is long overdue.^¡±
And that¡¯s all Sue could ever ask for. ¡°Thank you, Solstice. Sleep well.¡±
¡°^May She keep your rest peaceful.^¡±
?C A E? F? A E? F? G A E? B?¡ª?
Sue kept her eyes closed as her hands played music on their own, putting her mom¡¯s guitar to good use. Even once she¡¯d come to, she took her time opening her eyes to whatever awaited her this time¡ªit¡¯s been a while since she last had the chance to just sit down and listen to something pleasant.
Alas, this un-reality would only indulge her for so long, with the individual chords growing disjointed before stopping altogether as her dreamed-up guitar skills had finally descended all the way down to her actual guitar skills. Killjoy.
Even with the music gone, she was still hesitant to look at what awaited her. The last thing she wanted was another confrontation with Justice¡ªor worse. How about a calm dream where it was just her, the kid¡ªthe little ones, Lilly, and a nice beach? Or a cafe? Or hell, even a decent chip shop. None of that, yet again, that much she was sure of without even having to open her eyes.
Into this replica of a replica of the place where I saw my mom alive for the last time.
Many of the surrounding details were growing almost distressingly familiar. To her right, a shadowy figure, the twisting darkness trying its hardest to coalesce into a vertically elongated shape but failing. To her left, just like in her last dream, Joy and Twinkle, still dancing and squirming in their seat even with the music gone. Just like the last time, they turned to her smiling and excited, waved at her¡ªand were gone in the blink of an eye.
Before her, someone else. Someone like her.
Freezing dread filled Sue¡¯s mind as she took in the details of the stranger, so similar to what she was familiar with and yet so different. White body, green legs, short skirt of loose skin. Green hair falling onto their shoulders, twin red horns sticking out of their head, though not in the same way as with Comet. Taller than him, much shorter than her. Facing away from her.
As much as Sue tried to focus on them, she couldn¡¯t figure out who it was. She felt she should know, but she didn¡¯t, and each moment where the facts refused to click together only added more fuel to the quickly burning panic within her. Who was this; why were they so familiar!?
Before Sue knew, a Dark Void began to encircle her, closing in on her while her entire attention was focused on this shadow, this ghost before her. At last, they moved, twitching as if shocked as they lifted their head and began turning it towards her¡ª
¡°BEGONE.¡±
And then, a blink later, the shadow before her was gone, joining the usual two beside her. Sue panted as she caught her breath, panicking eyes looking around the scene in trying to figure out what was going on. The darkness was gone; the fire was back; everything was as usual¡ªand Night Father was there, too.
Sue could faintly recall seeing Him a couple nights ago in a terrible, injured state, and He sure hadn¡¯t gotten any better since. His left arm hung limply from its shoulder, only attached to it with a handful of thin, dark threads. That aside, He was as usual¡ªblack body, white head, crimson collar and all, calmly watching the fire as He sat a respectful distance away from her.
The last time they had interacted didn¡¯t go the most... swimmingly. On one hand, that was decidedly His fault for siccing multiple cruel deities upon her in His dumb investigation, but on the other, He was just about the only celestial being that was genuinely trying to help her out, even if for His own reasons.
I just hope he isn¡¯t too upset with me.
Left unsure what to say, Sue broke the quiet with a greeting. ¡°Um, good¡ªgood evening, Night Father?¡± At last, a reaction, His pale blue eye turning to focus on her.
¡°Greetings.¡±
¡°Hi, hi. Uh, sorry for your arm?¡±
¡°Inconsequential. Gratitude towards you.¡±
It took Sue embarrassingly long to realize what He was referring to, a nervous chuckle leaving her afterwards. She expected people to thank her for that, sure, but not... deities. ¡°Y-you¡¯re welcome. So, uh... any reason for the visit, or just to say thanks?¡±
¡°Knowledge of the guilty party.¡±
Sue froze at the admission, not expecting Him to have gone from blindly fumbling to figuring out the culprit in just a few nights. ¡°A-are you sure? Who is it? Is¡ªis it Justice?¡±
¡°Certain. Identity...¡±
His voice trailed off, almost as if uncertain. Sue didn¡¯t like this, not after Justice¡¯s many non-answers about which divine bastard had the bright idea to spirit away her, of all people. ¡°Wh-who is it!?¡±
¡°Cannot answer.¡±
She had had enough. ¡°WHY!? I''M SO FUCKING TIRED OF EVERYONE PLAYING THESE STUPID GAMES¡ª¡±
¡°Remember last dream. When saw guilty, dream shattered.¡±
...
¡°Wh-what do you mean? You mean our last dream t-together? I remember th-that fucking Justice douche talking to me with its dumb piece of paper, and then... Th-then¡ª¡±
Sue tried to focus on what happened afterwards. She flexed every neuron her brain would allow her to, recalling everything up to when some unknown voice made her look over her shoulder. Then¡ nothing.
The same nothing as when trying to recall what happened before she ended up in this world. ¡°W-wait, so that thing isn¡¯t even letting me know who it is!?¡±
¡°Almost certain. Apology inadequate answer.¡±
If she hadn¡¯t already been so tired of swearing revenge on assorted celestial beings, she would¡¯ve promised the deity responsible enough punishment to make Margaret Thatcher¡¯s eternal resting place seem like a five star resort. ¡°It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s fine. W-wait, so it¡¯s not Justice?¡±
¡°Correct. Justice not likely cause. However, very likely meddling.¡±
¡°S-so It has something to do with all this! It came in, has been bothering me in my dreams, brought even more pain and confusion into this entire mess and it wasn¡¯t even who brought me here!?¡± Sue half shouted, half begged for an answer, only barely keeping herself together.
¡°Correct.¡±
None of this was making any sense. ¡°B-but for what?¡±
¡°Revenge against the guilty party.¡±
The same reasoning Justice Itself gave her when first talking to her. She had no reason to suspect Night Father was in cahoots with It, which meant that not only Justice didn¡¯t lie, but that It was fighting against the ¡®guilty party¡¯. Sue¡¯s mind was much more keen to use more flowery descriptions for that unknown deity, but couldn¡¯t decide on which¡ªor whether she ought to keep herself to under fewer than five swear words in a row.
Even that confirmation provided little relief. ¡°So, Justice is just using me like a tool to get back at the ¡®guilty party¡¯, somehow?¡±
¡°Basing on knowledge of Justice¡ªalmost certain.¡±
Sue felt sick, and so did her imagination. With the stage now set beyond any doubt, it inspired new exciting and terrifying possibilities for what might¡¯ve been going on. The most harrowing one of all was one where whoever had sent her here was the ¡®good¡¯ one, and Justice was the actual ¡®evil¡¯ she would have to somehow defeat in her stay here. Did it make any sense? Hell no.
Was her mind feeling capable of coming up with anything better? She sure fucking wished. ¡°None of this makes any sense...¡± she whimpered, distraught.
¡°Guilty party, very annoying. Justice, very petty.¡±
The mental image of being used as a cudgel for one asshole to beat another asshole with sure is thrilling.
Sue shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. ¡°Wh-what now? I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m not sure what to do with this knowledge.¡±
¡°Long term, continue as were. Only Justice knows its plan. Short term, want confirm.¡±
¡°C-confirm what?¡±
¡°Knowledge of guilty party destroy dream.¡±
She nodded idly, not particularly caring about His experiments. Guess in the best-case scenario, she¡¯d have her hollow answer, a name to curse but which she had no hopes of ever hurting in the waking world. Otherwise¡ªassuming she understood His explanation¡ªshe¡¯d just wake up.
That sure sounded nice after having been through all this. ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±
¡°Certain ready?¡±
¡°Not like I¡¯m waiting for much in this cruel fucking joke of a place¡ª¡±
Sue blinked.
The dawn creeped across the walls of Solstice¡¯s tent, and it was beautiful.
Interlude V: Velocity
Something very important, huh?
The Windrider sighed as she opened her eyes once more, her faint psychic grasp lifting Latch¡¯s letter before her yet again. She¡¯d read and re-read it dozens of times, unable to stop thinking about it even as the sun set around her. Despite her many attempts to rest, sleep refused to arrive, just like her friend¡¯s words refused to leave her mind.
The excitement therein wasn¡¯t anything unusual for him. However, it was almost always aimed towards his research¡ªand even then, only when he had confirmed a discovery or another. To see it regard something concerning her, and sensitive enough for him to refrain from describing it... left her confused.
For what could even be out there that truly concerned her anymore?
The thought cut through her idle pondering. The shrieks of her friend¡¯s letter getting creased in her psychic grasp broke the silence. It hurt to think about, but was a valid consideration. For all the years they¡¯ve known each other, Latch knew little about her. Definitely not for the lack of trying, either. She was a friend to him, a title she held with joy. At the same time, he also treated her like a puzzle, a living box of secrets and mysteries that had grasped his curiosity and refused to let go.
His nickname for her¡ªa single sound his language approximated to ¡®V¡¯¡ªwas the closest he¡¯d ever gotten to glimpsing one of said secrets. She remembered being annoyed at it once; angry that he¡¯d overheard her drunken reminiscing of the conversations she¡¯d had with her kin over a millennium ago and had somehow figured out which of the whistled, growled sounds corresponded to her name.
Nobody would ever utter it ever again; the intricacies of its pronunciation lost to anyone not of her kin. Nobody was to even try, either. For their names were sacred, gifts from the emerald deity of dragons itself.
And yet, the Windrider was glad Latch kept trying.
It wasn¡¯t much; he would never even get close, but... it was a connection. One much closer than she¡¯d had with anyone since the tragedy that had devoured the archipelago she¡¯d just made her pilgrimage to. She doubted she would ever meet someone like him again, someone so willing to chip away at her defenses, so determined to find out more about her as a person and not a demigod or a being of legend. Too stubborn to ever bounce off her aloofness. Maybe one day she¡¯d finally crack, finally open up, finally admit to the most terrifying truth of all¡ª
That, between her solitude and fraying memories, there just wasn¡¯t much to her anymore.
Anyhow.
She let go of his letter and closed her eyes once more, focusing on the sounds of the ocean. She¡¯d maintained her determination for an impressive two minutes before curiosity reared its head again. And, once more, it honed in on the subject of Latch¡¯s message.
The best¡ªand most unrealistic¡ªscenario would be the news of more of her kin having been found by some distant exploratory mission. The Windrider considered it only for a moment before shaking the thought aside. She had already lost many, many decades to futile searching. The last thing she needed was to fall into that hole again.
So, if not that, what else? Very few even remotely plausible ideas sprang to mind, and she had lived far too long to derive any pleasure in outlandish speculation anymore. Or, at least, so she thought. Perhaps she just hadn¡¯t had any topics interesting enough to daydream about in the recent past; her mind suffocated by idle reminiscing, regrets, and... less than pleasant sights surrounding her whenever she stayed with Latch.
Not from him, thankfully. As far as the dragon was concerned, her friend was the shining star of his people; the very best and most thoughtful that Golden Sky had to offer. Sadly, all that meant that whenever she looked out the windows from his workshop, whenever she descended from his tower, whenever she attempted to talk to anyone, she only saw misery.
Castes upon castes. A vast empire, fueled by forced labor in its many vassal territories. Ruled by bureaucrats who have long since lost the ability to perceive their people as anything but an amorphous mass to be assigned and optimized. Whether there were any noble ideas left in its heart, any of the light she had once seen in its people when it was but a single settlement...
The Windrider didn¡¯t know.
She didn¡¯t want to think about it, either.
With her train of thought sufficiently chilled by the unpleasant topic, sleep didn¡¯t take long to arrive. It was arduous, bereft of either physical comfort or emotional calm, but it was there. She was used to it, really. Rest was something mortal beings experienced, something she was by her very nature above.
Which wasn¡¯t true in the slightest. But sometimes, when she really tried hard to, she could just about delude herself into thinking so. It was easier that way, to pretend she had never lost anything and her current state was just how she¡¯d always been¡ªbroken and restless.
There was bliss in that doomed finality, release from any effort to even try to move on. It wasn¡¯t ever strong enough to overcome her profound exhaustion, but that was a minor detail.
Like many times before, the Windrider woke up before dawn, already protectively curled up and shrouded by her reflective down. After pulling her body out of its defensive posture, she cleaned up the space around herself and finished the leftover provisions she couldn¡¯t force into her stomach the previous evening. If today would go as planned, she¡¯d arrive in Golden Sky before noon, get comfortable in what was once a storage room in Latch¡¯s workshop¡ªnow her makeshift den¡ªand preferably stay there until the next full moon.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
While listening to Latch go on about whatever he¡¯d discovered, of course.
The thought provided just the kick needed to wrap up her meal and clean up everything she could after herself. Latch¡¯s letter, shed down and feathers, any crumbs large enough for her keen eyesight to spot. All of them were grasped with her psychics, crushed, incinerated with a few wisps of dragonfire, and their ash discarded into the wind. Until, at last, no signs of her presence had remained.
Until, at last, she had joined her kin in being but a ghost.
With her ghostly host not seeming to be around, the Windrider closed the door to the tiny outpost and flew off. The earliest tinges of light were brushing against one end of the sky, wordlessly guiding her on where to go. Westward, towards the jewel of the empire. Away from the light. Outracing the sunrise for just that bit longer.
Each mile to the west brought her further and further into skies and seas she recognized, the increasingly familiar path getting rid of at least that source of stress. She was certain she could traverse the rest of the way there with her eyes closed, guided solely by her sense of place in the world. Or, if she were to be mean¡ªand not undeservedly so¡ªby her nose alone.
The juvenile thought forced the briefest of chuckles from her snout; the sound utterly dwarfed by the deafening rush of wind brought on by her flight. As much as she wanted to sprint the rest of the way there as fast as her aging body would allow, it was in hers and Latch¡¯s best interest to avoid being noticed as much as possible, and that demanded more conservative velocities.
Being exposed to the Golden Sky¡¯s ships and the forced labor force that powered them for any longer than necessary was regrettable, but it wasn¡¯t what annoyed her the most. It was the sun, rapidly gaining ground on her and lighting up the surrounding skies. Oh, how it burned, from Wiki purple to Pecha pink; from Sitrus yellow to Rawst blue. A divine spectacle, possibly the only one in the entire small world that hadn¡¯t ever ceased to fill her with awe.
She hated it. It made her reminisce.
How many nights she had spent talking with about the nature of mortal and divine existence, how many days she had spent resting in the ornate shrine the pink-shelled deity had called home. How many dawns she had watched by her side, exhausted, exhilarated, sometimes even exasperated. Too many to count¡ªor forget. The cruel reality of that fact filled the dragon¡¯s white and red body with rage.
Tried as she might to contain her emotions, they only kept building up, handily winning the fight against her usual detachment. They screamed for release, one she finally granted them once the any and all ships were firmly past the horizon. Thunder after Thunder obscured her cries as it boiled the waters below, promising to relieve her fury but only adding to it while draining her strength.
wouldn¡¯t have wanted her to do this, to degrade herself to at His worst. The thought stung, cutting her display of impotent wrath short. And with it stopped, the feelings it had been obscuring were finally allowed to resume.
And so, the Windrider wept, resuming her invisible flight.
The only thing that hurt more than losing them all was knowing what happened to them afterwards. She might not have been successful in finding her kin, but with time, she had tracked down the whereabouts of the husks that used to be her friends and mentors. Most of them, at least.
had been swept away in the waves She once reigned over, carried by the tides until making landfall. The suffocating mists She had brought with Herself drove away all those who once lived near, and the briny tears endlessly spilling from Her shell had eroded the very land beneath Her. To the best of the Windrider¡¯s knowledge, She was still in the same spot over two centuries later, sinking into the earth and poisoning the groundwaters, surrounded by endlessly growing crystals of salt.
Hers was the most merciful end of the ones the dragon knew for certain.
¡¯s lust for life and cruelty alike had persisted, even with her mind gone. Drawn to the former, only to inflict the latter upon it. All who as much as saw Her were subjected to incapacitating mental torture, ending only with their deaths or an exceedingly lucky escape. Beyond just sentient beings, however, Her curse extended to all that was alive. Plants flayed and withered, the soil grew barren, fungi turned into ash; the air itself was brought to a standstill.
She was the most dangerous and the hardest to track; Her bond with Her islands intense enough for any disturbance to draw Her attention. Sometimes, what followed was a Teleport across the globe¡ªa display of psychic power obscene enough to glass the sterile sand all around her¡ªfollowed by swift death of whatever fool that thought it wise to disturb the cursed land. But only sometimes.
, on the other hand, remained unaccounted for. Year after year, decade after decade, all spent scouring the shores of the surrounding continents in search of Him, with nothing to show for it. The dragon¡¯s best guess was that He was terrorizing the depths of the ocean, a place not even she could reach.
¡¯s fate was the most violent one, as befit Him. Locked into an unending, fiery rage, His movement throughout the globe used to be as unpredictable as the lightning itself. One day, He would circle the same spot in the middle of the ocean; another, he would race straight towards the nearest coastal settlement before blasting it into shreds and hunting down everyone trying to escape.
Golden Sky averting that fate¡ªand containing what remained of ¡ªmade the Windrider pay attention to them.
According to their boastful legends, their mine was sacred, blessed with unending ore, with their city having grown around it. The truth, to the best of the dragon¡¯s knowledge, was... less glamorous, but broadly the same. There was a scar in reality going through those caverns, forever changing and renewing them¡ªand forever trapping any soul unfortunate enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Mining was a crucial job, relegated to prisoners and vagrants; their mummified remains doomed to be one-day discovered in a ¡®new¡¯ tunnel of this Mysterious Dungeon the Golden Sky viewed as hallowed.
Realizing they could not fight against the husk of a deity, the rulers of Golden Sky staked everything on their sacred mine. was lured there, body after body, until He was far enough in for the unending caves to trap Him. It was a costly, nigh-pyrrhic victory, costing thousands upon thousands of lives, as well as their main supply of raw ore.
And if that was where their involvement ended, the Windrider might have even found them respectable.
There have been talks¡ªstill rumors, at this point¡ªof tapping into the trapped deity¡¯s unending wrath and His raw electric power. The mere thought of one of her mentors being reduced to a pile of charcoal in a furnace disgusted her. She knew her opinion wouldn¡¯t amount to anything, though.
After all, she was just like Him¡ªa ghost of an age long past, thrashing aimlessly in a world that was no longer her home.
...
...
Onward.
Chapter 34: Charity
For once, Sue woke up early enough for everyone else to still be asleep, even despite the creeping dawn. It took her a few minutes of staring upwards in a daze to finally recall what had happened in her dream before she was suddenly pulled out of it. The gash in her recent memories where the events that transpired should¡¯ve been didn¡¯t reassure her any. Once she¡¯d pieced it together, though, she just sighed and got comfortable on her bedding.
Seems Night Father was right, after all.
That answered one mystery, but so many others remained. Mysteries that not even having the identity, fingerprints, and mugshot of the responsible deity would have explained, but which still burned her psyche to think about. Why was she the one thrust into this world? Why was she being taunted with her memories being kept from her, over and over again? The questions hurt to think about, no less so even after Night Father¡¯s recent assistance, but... Sue didn¡¯t let them get to her. Not this time.
Yes, she wanted to know the answers and hoped she¡¯d get them one day, but they didn¡¯t matter anywhere near as much as what she had right beside her. She carefully reached to stroke Joy¡¯s maw with one hand as the other brushed its fingers against the canvas of Twinkle¡¯s bag. No matter the reason for her god-given task, no matter their excuse for putting her here, in this dangerous world where she¡¯d brushed against death more in days than she had in years back on Earth, she was here now; she had people, big and small, caring for her. And she cared for them in return.
As far as she was concerned, this was her actual mission here, her grand goal in this world. To help these two lil¡¯ oddballs feel loved and cared for, to make positive change around her wherever she could, maybe to even help Moonview and Newmoon mend some of their scars¡ªnot because an asshole god told her so, but because she wanted to help, however she could.
All that and more could come later this morning, though.
Hopefully Solstice won¡¯t mind if I snooze a bit...
A few hours later, the first part of Sue that awoke from her nap was her nose. The thick, peppery smell of yesterday¡¯s breakfast filled the air once more, now somehow even more intense. Her ears chimed in shortly after, noticing the distant murmur of a well-awake town, the quiet crackling of flames, and diligent scraping of a wooden spoon as it stirred the pot¡¯s contents. All those would¡¯ve been lovely on their own, but occasional interjections from a shrill, harsh, girly voice, responded to by a smoother, older, more sing-song voice only made the scene incomparably more pleasant.
Triply so once the latter voice had noticed Sue having woken up, and extended the tent¡¯s telepathic translation to her.
¡°Wh-wh-what... umm, red a-and yellow?¡± Joy asked, uncertain.
¡°Red and yellow?¡± Solstice responded, unsure. There was faint shuffling in response, quickly interrupted by the Mayor cautioning ¡°Careful Joy, the pot is very hot. Here, let me levitate some of the chopped veggies¡ª¡±
¡°Th-this one!¡±
¡°Ah! That¡¯s a carrot, sweetie. They¡¯re really sweet, and orange,¡± the older Forest Guardian explained.
Joy tried her best to pronounce the sounds she¡¯d heard. ¡°Orh-rgh-oooorhhha¡ª¡±
¡°Oooooorange,¡± Solstice repeated, an audible smile in her voice.
¡°Orgh¡ªorhange?¡±
¡°You got it, Joy! Their color is orange, between red and yellow. Any other veggies you wanna know more about?¡±
*yaaaaaaaaaawnnnn¡ª*
Sue didn¡¯t realize the sound came from her until she felt the focus of the rest of the room home in on her, the little toothy girl included. A smile crept on her face as she heard Joy get up from her seat and walk closer. Before long, her little hands were clumsily patting against her chin to catch her attention. At first slowly, then increasingly faster as Sue¡¯s smile grew without her responding.
¡°Joy, I think Sue still wants to rest some¡ª¡±
¡°No no, I¡¯m okay, I¡¯m okay,¡± Sue giggled, finally prying her eyes open and squinting at the metal child beside her. ¡°Good morning Joy, good morning Solstice.¡± Joy responded with a shrill, excited squeak before kneeling and pulling all she could reach of the sleeping Forest Guardian into her arms. Sue couldn¡¯t resist laughing in response as she held the girl close and sat up. A quick check determined Twinkle to still be asleep, snuggled up to her torso. ¡°Someone¡¯s really excited to see me,¡± she smiled.
¡°Goo-ood mh-mhorning!¡± Joy responded, excited about having pronounced the words right¡ªand about her guardian being awake, of course.
Once Sue had finished rubbing the sand out of her eyes, she slid to the edge of her bed and sat the girl comfortably on her lap. As if on autopilot, one hand let itself be gripped by the tip of her maw as the other carefully pet Joy¡¯s front head, the little one¡¯s relaxation downright palpable for her psychic senses. Twinkle themselves was creeping closer to awareness after Sue had sat up, but wasn¡¯t there yet¡ªgiving her a perfect opportunity to check in on Solstice.
Their eyes met each other as they put on their most confident smiles, neither as unerringly upbeat as they would¡¯ve wanted. And that was okay. They had a lot to talk about later today, and Sue was glad to not sense much hesitation in the older Forest Guardian at the thought of having that important conversation. Either way, that was for then, and now they were here; they were feeling okay, and more than anything else, they were glad to see each other.
¡°How was your rest, Sue?¡± her mentor asked, redirecting her gaze down at the pot before her.
I could go on and on about that, but something tells me the last thing Solstice wants to hear right now is the melodrama of gods squabbling with one another for unknown reasons.
Sue stretched in her seat, and Joy followed in tow, mimicking her motions. ¡°Had quite a dream and woke up early, but overall I¡¯m quite good. Whattcha making?¡±
¡°Thickening yesterday¡¯s leftovers, adding some spices to soften the flavor, and we¡¯ll be having them with some bread,¡± Solstice explained, nudging Sue¡¯s attention to a small loaf of what looked like cornbread. ¡°Gotta make the most out of it, ha.¡±
As spicy as her last breakfast was, Sue most definitely didn¡¯t mind having some more of it. She absentmindedly nodded at her mentor¡¯s explanation, before looking down at Twinkle¡¯s gradually creeping tentacles wrapping around her and smiling widely. ¡°Hello there, Twinkle. I hope you slept well.¡± Taking care not to disturb them too much, she unwrapped the knot that kept them attached to her torso¡ªand her skin most definitely appreciated it.
The little ghost wasn¡¯t as talkative as Joy, but they didn¡¯t lack in ways of expressing their affection and gratitude for their guardian¡¯s wishes¡ªif at the cost of some of the affection going the metal girl¡¯s way. They reached up to the hand that was currently dispensing affection toward Joy¡¯s front head, and pulled on it with all their might, managing to nudge it just enough to lower it down between themselves and the other little one. At last, their reward, Sue¡¯s hand, theirs to wrap themselves around. And Joy¡¯s to pet in return, letting her have her revenge.
A revenge that Sue couldn¡¯t get enough of¡ªand probably never would.
¡°Goodness, I¡¯m so happy to have you two,¡± Sue sighed dreamily. The little ones were happy, too, expressing that by holding her hand even tighter. Sweet as the sight was, though, the younger Forest Guardian knew full well today would have a lot more in store than just observing the tykes¡¯ antics, even excluding the difficult discussion she was hoping to have. ¡°So, how¡¯s the aid to Newmoon looking?¡± she asked. ¡°Lilly mentioned it yesterday, and I was curious.¡±
To her relief, Solstice didn¡¯t seem taken aback at all, maintaining her calm as she switched to telepathy and explained. ¡°^The current plans are to wrap our preparations in the morning, and head out around noon. If I were to hazard a guess, all the supplies are already individually prepared. It¡¯s just a matter of figuring out the transport for them all, and prioritizing what we take.^¡±
Only good news, just the balm Sue¡¯s mind needed. ¡°That¡¯s great news! Is transport gonna be the bottleneck?¡±
¡°^Potentially, yes,^¡± Solstice answered, chewing through the question in her head. ¡°^Thankfully, I reckon we have enough strong, eager hands to carry everything we¡¯d want to there¡ªcan¡¯t imagine having to leave anything behind for a future round of aid.^¡±
The Mayor stirred the pot some more once she¡¯d answered Sue¡¯s question, only to stop herself at realizing she¡¯d forgotten something. ¡°^Aside from stone and lumber. We have a few people strong enough to carry it, but it might still be a better idea to carry only a minimal amount of them this first time. Can¡¯t imagine anyone in Newmoon having much need to build much right now¡ª^¡± she stopped herself, wincing at having made yet another assumption. ¡°^Actually, best to just ask what they¡¯ll need in the immediate future once we arrive.^¡±
That sounded reasonable as far as Sue went, and her mentor catching herself brought a tiny, but well-meaning smirk to her face. Though, there remained one part of the entire aid undertaking that she was woefully uncertain about, selfish as it was¡ªherself. She hoped it wouldn¡¯t be an issue if she tagged along, but the multi-hour walk from Moonview to Newmoon would pose a challenge even if she were to just walk along them. And after her mentor having discouraged Lilly¡¯s younger sister from doing just that yesterday, Sue doubted her odds would be much better.
Still, no way but to ask. Guess I¡¯ll never stop learning that lesson the hard way, will I?
¡°Actually, I had a question. Would it be alright if I tagged along with you all?¡± Sue asked. Her true motives might have been... less than perfectly innocent, what with Lilly also helping in the effort, but she hoped Solstice wouldn¡¯t be able to see through them so easily.
Solstice sharply inhaled through her nose in amusement. ¡°^Yes, of course, Sue, why not? Just would have to ask someone to look after Joy and Twinkle. Sundance already agreed to look after Comet, and I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll say no to your little duo. Besides, if she¡¯s gonna be making a costume for Twinkle, then having them there would help immensely with that, no doubt.^¡±
Sue wasn¡¯t as wholeheartedly convinced, what with Joy¡¯s frightened reaction yesterday, but she hoped that clearer communication with the two tykes would prevent another scare like that. Which... was something she could do right now, even. ¡°Joy, Twinkle?¡± she asked, shaking her clung-to hand. The metal girl looked up at her in curiosity and the bagful of ghost extended their tentacles up towards her, as if asking to be picked up. Which she then did moments after, without even having to think about it. ¡°So, me and Solstice will be going on a long walk, and I won¡¯t be here for most of the day. Is it okay if Sundance looks after you two today? It¡¯s the nice fox lady you met yesterday.¡±
The ¡®fox lady¡¯ quantifier explained exactly nothing on its own, while perking up Solstice¡¯s attention. Thankfully, the older Forest Guardian knew exactly how to help, mentally nudging the little ones to bring their attention to the memories of being looked after by the fiery vixen. Twinkle was immediately happy at the idea, but Joy was less so, and both psychics noticed. Sue wasted no time thinking of something to say to help the girl overcome the unpleasant situation yesterday¡ªbut, before she knew it, she didn¡¯t have to. Joy mimicked what she¡¯d seen adults do and nodded firmly, capping off her response with a stuttered, ¡°Y-y-yes.¡±
Sue was so, so proud.
With both the little ones once more snuggled up to her, the resulting emotional warmth was enough to nudge the final remaining member of their impromptu household from his rest. Babbling filled the tent as Comet came to, shuffling around his cot before scrambling to his feet and peeking out through the thin bars on its sides. He looked at his mom, let out a happy squeak, and fell back down into a sitting position from the sheer excitement¡ªbefore standing up again, eager to get out.
And Solstice soon delivered, sitting him down on her lap as he yawned and struggled against wanting to doze back off. The scene was adorable enough to bring the dumbest and widest of smiles to Sue¡¯s face. It almost made her forget about the unanswered question in the room, one that kept her from being fully comfortable with her mentor¡¯s reassurance¡ªbut only, almost. ¡°What about my limp, though? Won¡¯t I lag behind everyone else and slow down the entire convoy?¡± she asked, uncertain whether the word ¡®convoy¡¯ was ideal but not knowing how else to phrase it.
The Mayor laughed quietly before giving her a very knowing look. ¡°^Something tells me that, even in that worst-case scenario, Lilly will carry you there in her own arms.^¡±
Before Sue knew it, her entire face was enveloped in a burning blush at having been seen through so easily. She looked away from her mentor as she reined her embarrassment in, putting in her utmost effort to prevent it from bleeding into insecurity or discomfort. Which paid off, letting her sigh happily and answer without shame, ¡°Y-yeah, that¡¯s basically what would happen if I were to guess. She¡ªshe told me she was coming yesterday...¡±
For once, Solstice didn¡¯t have it in her to express amusement at her pupil¡¯s mood, however well-intentioned. Instead, she just beamed at her, glad beyond words¡ªphysical and mental alike¡ªthat she and Lilly were hitting it off so well. ¡°^Perfect, then! Besides, I doubt there are many people Newmoon would appreciate seeing more than you, even if just to have that confirmation that you¡¯re doing okay after what Juniper did.^¡±
That angle also tracked, yes. Sue was glad that the older Forest Guardian didn¡¯t bring up the people of Newmoon being grateful to her for ¡®saving¡¯ them¡ªeven if that would happen, she didn¡¯t want to fantasize about it. Especially with her having been but one voice of many opposing Root, even if hers was the one to break through his torrent of hateful rhetoric. She didn¡¯t want to be a hero.
She just wanted everyone to be alright.
¡°^Either way, that¡¯ll be then. And now, breakfast everyone!^¡± Solstice cheerfully exclaimed, before pouring everyone their portions of the now much thicker stew¡ªfinally enough to be worthy of that label. This time, Twinkle didn¡¯t mind staying on the sides, leaning against their guardian while watching the older Forest Guardian cut slices from the loaf she¡¯d brought with herself and hand them out.
Once more, Comet had to be helped with his portion, babbling as he watched his mom dip his slice into the thick stew before presenting it for him to nibble at. Sue tried to pretend she immediately understood how the meal was supposed to be eaten instead of copying it from the lil¡¯ Moon Child. The stew was thicker and much less spicy this time, its bite replaced with a smoky sweetness that lent itself very well for being used as a de facto dip for the bread.
The lil¡¯ ghost was okay with staying on the sides, but they were still curious¡ªand Sue answered their curiosity, breaking away a small piece of dry cornbread for them to taste. To hers and Solstice¡¯s surprise, Twinkle reacted much better to the treat than the last time, pulling it into the void inside their bag where it was presumably eaten. Or vaporized. Or spirited away. Or thrown into another dimension. It didn¡¯t matter; they liked it all the same. They only ended up asking for a couple more pieces before stopping, anyway. Maybe their magical, ghostly stomach was small despite its weirdness?
Questions for someone else to answer, while Sue reaped its spoils¡ªfeeling a full, drowsy hauntling flatten themselves on her lap, their amorphous body entirely relaxed.
Behold, a portable pancake ghost child.
It didn¡¯t take long for others to get through their portions. After being thickened, there was only enough stew left for maybe two full bowls. The leftovers got cleaned meticulously, with Sue and Solstice going through almost a third of the loaf as they methodically mopped up the remaining stew. It wasn¡¯t a substitute for washing, of course, but it was best that they got to taste the most concentrated, slightly burned parts of the stew and not the dirt outside.
Once the pot was spotless and Sue felt like she was more cornbread than Forest Guardian by mass, it was time to head out. Her mentor was about to ask her to help carry Comet to their mutual vixen friend before stopping at the last moment¡ªno, not right now. Not with her blasted family around. The thought was accompanied by a strong chill going through the older psychic, strong enough to spread to her pupil and offspring. Even that gloom was nothing for Comet¡¯s antics, though, with the Moon Child reacting to his mom¡¯s shaking by trying to mirror it, showing the world his best dance moves as he wiggled in place and waved his lil¡¯ arms.
Wouldn¡¯t be winning any competitions, but it won the hearts of everyone around, and that¡¯s all that mattered.
To her relief, Solstice didn¡¯t end up accompanying Sue outside for long. Now that the breakfast was over, it was very much work time for her¡ªthere were some details to be finalized and distributions of resources they ought to bring to be settled on. Of course, Sue couldn¡¯t be asked to bring the three little ones to Sundance¡¯s by herself, not after yesterday, which meant asking someone to walk with her and help out if needed.
And there was just the perfect pair of people nearby to help the younger Forest Guardian with that task. ¡°^Patina!^¡± Solstice called out, stopping the tall, fiery psychic mid-step. The Mayor dashed up to her and her parent, with Sue trailing close behind. ¡°^Would you mind escorting Sue and the kids over to Sundance?^¡±
Patina herself was somewhat taken aback, but more so at the randomness of the task as opposed to anything else. She turned towards the Forest Guardians, the contents of the thick bags she was holding filling the air with dry rustling. ¡°^Don¡¯t mind doin¡¯ that, no worries. Any reason for that, though? Doubt I make the best guardian, ha!^¡± she answered, her voice crackling and noisy.
Solstice sighed. ¡°^My family is unfortunately around, and I¡¯m worried they¡¯ll try something with Comet.^¡± The lil¡¯ Moon Child was oblivious to the topic of the conversation, but noticed the downturn in his mom¡¯s mood all the same, holding her closer.
¡°^Ah, so that¡¯s who these ne¡¯er-do-wells were,^¡± Patina sneered, remembering the unsettling interaction from the previous day. ¡°^Caught them creepin¡¯ on me yesterday, had no idea what their deal was since they looked similar to ya. Sure, I¡¯ll help y¡¯all out! Don¡¯t have a free ¡®and right now, and I ain¡¯t sure about psychicing lil¡¯ Comet here¡ª^¡±
¡°D-don¡¯t worry, I can carry him,¡± Sue offered, taking the tyke from his mom¡¯s arms.
¡°^I could have assisted,^¡± Celestica added, to everyone¡¯s amusement. Both at their comment, and at Comet¡¯s reaction to hearing a different voice, his confused squeak lifting everyone¡¯s spirits.
¡°^Ya sure ya wouldn¡¯t drop him, Celly?^¡± Patina chuckled, her voice confusing Comet even more as she turned towards Solstice. ¡°^But but but, getting ahead of mahself¡ªwe¡¯ll figure it out Solly, don¡¯t let us keep ya waitin¡¯!^¡±
The Mayor appreciated the clarification greatly, giving the paired psychics a quick, but genuine bow before turning deeper into Moonview and breaking into a brisk march. The lil¡¯ Moon Child waved and babbled towards her as she left, thankfully not minding a lack of response¡ªhe had a different mystery on his mind. He turned towards Patina and Celestica, observing them intently as the group resumed their march.
¡°^Your interest is highly amusing, Comet,^¡± the immobile psychic chimed in, bits of genuine amusement leaking through their gravely mental voice.
The fiery woman looked at the lil¡¯ Forest Guardian in amusement. ¡°^Guess he¡¯s gettin¡¯ tripped by us bein¡¯ so close.^¡±
¡°^No different from everyone else, then.^¡±
¡°^Hell of a lot more cuter, though!^¡±
¡°^I concur.^¡±
Not even Joy could resist the building giggles that spread through the group watching Comet¡¯s reaction to that exchange, his little head growing dizzy from looking up and down. It provided a much-needed reprieve from the tension filling the air, both the more personal sort referencing Solstice¡¯s relatives, and the general unrest from everyone being busy gathering resources for Newmoon.
And now that Sue¡¯s mind had steered towards said topic, she couldn¡¯t help but notice the bags in Patina¡¯s hands. ¡°Are the bags in your hands intended for Newmoon?¡± she asked, perking her de facto guardians up.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
An immediate affirmation, a cheerful one at that. ¡°^Yep! Bringing some of the charcoal stockpiles I had piling up to the gatherin¡¯ spot, gonna be helping carry stuff too. Bit of a walk, but I sure could use my legs gettin¡¯ stretched from time to time. Would do me good, especially nowadays. And¡ªgonna try lending them a hand in building their own charcoal pit, comes in handy often. If there¡¯s time, of course.^¡±
¡°^And if they¡¯re interested,^¡± Celestica added.
¡°^Yep yep! Also worth keepin¡¯ in mind. The last thing I wanna do is step on some more toes on Moonview¡¯s behalf.^¡±
Celestica¡¯s greenish plates lit up as their eye looked at Patina¡¯s head. ¡°^Airing your lungs from all the fumes that had built up in them will certainly help,^¡± they deadpanned.
Patina rolled her eyes. ¡°^Ya sayin¡¯ it like I got sulfur crystals growin¡¯ in there.^¡±
¡°^Are you insisting you do not?^¡±
¡°^I sure hope I do! Would be more sulfur than I can get my hands on right now, could do a lot of stuff with it, keep on looking into hair dyes and such¡ªoh.^¡± The fiery woman stopped, reminding herself of her mishap from a couple of days ago. ¡°^Sorry for the bleachin¡¯ again, Sue,^¡± she nervously apologized.
With everything that had happened within the past couple of days¡ªand the obvious difficulty in even seeing how she looked without help¡ªSue had all but forgotten about the mishap with Patina¡¯s attempts to straighten her hair. Even the miserable burning sensation, as overwhelming as it was at the time, was little more than a footnote in her recent memories. The discoloration sure wouldn¡¯t help her look any more normal, but considering much of her reference for what passed as normal among Forest Guardians was Solstice¡¯s family, she was perfectly fine not looking normal. There was also that one Forest Guardian she could recall seeing in a... vision after Juniper¡¯s attack, but their details grew hazier by the day.
Ultimately, nobody else was having an issue with how her hair looked, so why would she?
¡°Don¡¯t worry Patina, it¡¯s all good,¡± Sue smiled weakly. ¡°Guess my hair¡¯s just designed to remain a mess forever, hah.¡±
¡°^Sure wouldn¡¯t mind going toe to toe against Destiny Itself with the next straightener I fix up!^¡± Patina boasted.
Sue¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be necessary, promise!¡±
¡°^Well, I¡¯ll be darned...^¡± Patina mumbled in the least convincingly upset way possible.
¡°^Considering the explosiveness of some of your recent experiments, that is not out of consideration indeed. With regards to your earlier question, Sue. Will you be heading to Newmoon as well?^¡± Celestica asked.
¡°^Ya should! And, before I forget¡ª^¡±
Celestica¡¯s plates shifted, cutting their daughter off. ¡°^I reckon Sue has already heard plenty of thanks for her role in putting Root in his place.^¡±
¡°^Not like one more woulda hurt her anyway, then~.^¡±
¡°^Said outcome cannot be wholly discounted.^¡±
I used to be a village mess like you, until I took a ¡®thank you¡¯ to the knee.
The mental image forced a chuckle or two past Sue¡¯s lips, livening up the little psychic in her arms, as well as the lil¡¯ ghost. She didn¡¯t have the most flexibility with both her arms occupied by Comet, but she still tried to dispense Twinkle whatever affection she could at the moment. ¡°Y-yeah, I¡¯ll try to come too.¡±
Patina radiated satisfaction. ¡°^Now that¡¯s what I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about! Wouldn¡¯t have thought you were already convinced to head there¡ªguess standing up to Root really got to ya, eh?^¡±
Sue chuckled before blushing as she thought about the actual reasons for her decision. ¡°...among other things, yes.¡± The merged psychics¡¯ curiosity was downright palpable, leaving the younger Forest Guardian squirming slightly until finally looking up and spotting their destination. ¡°Seems we¡¯re almost at Sundance¡¯s! Thanks for help Patina, Celestica, I¡¯ll¡ªI¡¯ll take it from here.¡±
The fire woman shot her a very smug, very knowing look. ¡°^Uh-huuuuh. Well, either way, take care Sue, see ya in a bit!^¡±
¡°^Farewell for the time being.^¡±
¡°T-take care, you two,¡± Sue responded nervously and turned the corner towards the steps to Sundance¡¯s dwelling. Sure, her real motivation wasn¡¯t exactly a secret, but she had hoped it would¡¯ve been at least slightly harder to piece together.
...
Then again, she wasn¡¯t sure whether Patina had actually figured out the connection between her and Lilly and was shooting her that look because of it. She could¡¯ve very well been bluffing, or had come up with some other reason that sounded convincing but was actually incorrect. It was a more comforting explanation, if nothing else.
...
I¡¯m worrying way too much about this, aren¡¯t I?
With that predictable and yet somewhat disappointing realization and the accompanying sigh, Sue had finally arrived at her mentor¡¯s doorstep. Actually climbing up was more of a challenge than she¡¯d imagined¡ªnot because Twinkle and Comet were extraordinarily heavy, but because Joy was so small she could barely scale one step at a time, with the staircase ahead coming off as more of an extreme obstacle course. Thankfully, the help arrived soon after.
Spark woofed an excited greeting as she ran down the stairs, interspersing it with one or two whimpers. To Sue¡¯s relief, the moment the kit spotted the struggling metal girl, she ran down and began to assist her with the grueling climb. Even with the help, conquering all the steps took a while for Joy, but it was okay. She just needed a hand, much like everyone else from time to time. Sue had no idea whether the internal reassurance that came with that framing would last for long, but it sure made her feel much warmer as she stepped into Sundance¡¯s dwelling.
¡°Good morning, Sue,¡± the older vixen woofed, stretching her body afterwards. She still opted to lie on the floor, but it was clear now that said choice wasn¡¯t because of that being the only pose she could maintain, but because of it just being the most comfortable. Before her, laid several sketches of Twinkle¡¯s outfit Sue didn¡¯t spot yesterday, including one depicting the broad shape of each individual piece of fabric they would need for it. Just needed the little ghost themselves to act as a model.
Sue smiled weakly, holding the lil'' ghost closer to herself before lowering them and Comet to the floor. ¡°Hey, Sundance. I hope you don¡¯t mind looking after Joy and Twinkle too¡ª¡±
¡°Not at all, worry not,¡± Sundance reassured with a smile.
Sue was still somewhat unconvinced, watching Spark help Joy make it through the final few steps with a bit of worry. ¡°Even after yesterday?¡±
¡°Even after yesterday. Though clarifying that you¡¯re leaving for a few hours would be ideal to prevent them from getting frightened again.¡± The words weren¡¯t meant as a jab, and it took Sue all the mental strength she had to not take them as such. She didn¡¯t have to feel bad just because of having made an understandable omission in the heat of the moment¡ªshe just had to try avoiding it next time.
She could do this, and if their responses back at Solstice¡¯s tent were any sign, Joy and Twinkle could do this, too. ¡°Yep. Let¡¯s get that done now, then,¡± Sue responded with determination in her voice, offering both the little ones a hand. The latter took it right away, still easing out after the sudden change of surroundings, and the former edashed towards it as soon as she¡¯d made it past the door frame, panting with her entire tiny body.
Sue might¡¯ve resisted scooping them both in a hug there and then, but that didn¡¯t extend to giving them both some pets and ruffles.
¡°Joy, Twinkle?¡± she spoke up, catching their attention and making sure Sundance¡¯s translation aid had encompassed them all. ¡°Like I said earlier, I¡¯ll be heading out for now, and I¡¯ll be back in a few hours. Sundance will be keeping you all company until then.¡± So far, so good¡ªthe little ones seemed to have heard her, and haven¡¯t reacted negatively, in line with their breakfast chat. ¡°Goodbye, see you later!¡±
And then, she took a couple steps towards the door.
¡°N-noooooooo!¡± Joy squealed, making Sue freeze mid-step as she ran over and hugged her leg. Her distress was hard to ignore, very real despite its sudden appearance. Twinkle wasn¡¯t faring much better, though in their case, fear manifested as freezing in place¡ªwhich they did, shaking weakly.
Thank Duck we had breakfast and headed out early.
Sue had expected that reaction, though not really so suddenly at the very end. Annoying, especially with her having already felt relieved that it all went without a hitch, but better now than in two hours when she wouldn¡¯t be here to help calm them down. She didn¡¯t let it get to her, facing the little girl and the equally tiny ghost with a smile as she carefully sat down on the floor beside them, letting them scramble onto her lap.
Those bony hips most definitely weren¡¯t built to sit on hard stone, but it could wait, too. ¡°I¡¯m here, I¡¯m here,¡± Sue reassured, stroking the backs of both Twinkle and Joy as they clung to her torso. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she then asked, less to find out and more so to help them express it in their own words.
¡°S-s-scared...¡± the metal girl mumbled. She struggled against her own airways and voice for a second, but eventually continued, ¡°P-p-please not leave...¡±
Twinkle¡¯s only response was a couple of drawn-out whimpers, the ghost too unnerved to put together even clear thoughts for Sundance to translate. It was unfortunate, but equally understandable¡ªsame with Joy¡¯s fear. Sue had a couple ideas of how to respond to it, but settled on trying to be as descriptive as she could. ¡°Joy, the place I¡¯ll be going to is very far away. The walk will be very long, too long for you two. You¡¯d get really tired, and probably really scared too. I¡¯ll be back later today to pick you both up, and until then, Sundance and Spark will be watching over¡ª¡±
¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to Newmoon t-too!¡± Spark cut in, wincing as she laid down before Sue¡¯s lap. ¡°I wanna tell¡ª*ow*¡ªtell Pollux the good news myself!¡±
¡°Awww, that¡¯s sweet of you, Sparkie. But¡ªin that case, just Sundance will be watching over you,¡± Sue corrected herself.
The adult fox in question lifted a wooden bowl in the air, giving it a little shake. ¡°I grabbed us snacks ahead of time, too.¡±
¡°See?¡± Sue beamed. ¡°She¡¯ll keep you safe, you¡¯ll have snacks, and you¡¯ll be able to help Sundance with making a costume for Twinkle? Isn¡¯t that exciting?¡± She kept a close watch over the moods of the two kids, feeling the changes her words elicited in them. Most of what she¡¯d just said had little impact, until the very end, where the premise of helping the baggy ghost with their outfit appealed to Joy in particular.
Ultimately, she¡¯d need to be more direct. ¡°I¡¯m not abandoning you,¡± Sue whispered, holding the tykes closer. ¡°I love you both so much. I apologize for yesterday and leaving you both so suddenly for a while, and I don¡¯t want that to happen again. I care for you two so very much, and I always will.¡±
The aid of Sundance¡¯s translation helped Sue¡¯s words have their desired effect¡ªgetting the two kids thinking. They remained huddled to her as they chewed through the words, their tension slowly evaporating with every deep breath. Surprisingly, it was Twinkle to try ¡°speaking up¡± first, with Sundance finally making enough sense of their thoughts to put them to words. ¡°Safe...?¡±
Sue smiled as wide as her Forest Guardian face would allow her to. ¡°Yep! You¡¯re all safe here, and nobody will hurt you here.¡± It had some impact, but was far from a magic bullet. She was perfectly content sitting here for as long as she had to, anything to make these two tiny magical creatures she felt much closer to than she could admit to herself better.
Joy was next to put her thoughts to words. She looked up at her guardian from her lap and carefully grabbed her hand to wrap her tiny arms around. ¡°B-b-back later?¡± she half-mumbled, half-squeaked out.
Her guardian answered with firm, calm nods. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be back in a few hours, before it gets dark.¡±
An immediate reassurance, one that soothed Sue¡¯s heart as much as it did Joy¡¯s. The girl wasn¡¯t done yet, though. ¡°N-n-n-not angry?¡±
Oh, sweetie...
Sue lifted Joy closer to her chest, holding her as firmly as her noodly arms would allow. ¡°I¡¯m not angry at you, Joy, I promise. I¡¯m not angry at either of you. I¡¯m not leaving you here because I dislike you, but because I don¡¯t want you to get scared or tired. How about¡ªmaybe in a while, once things get calmer, we can go there together? Then you¡¯ll get to see where I¡¯ll be going to today.¡±
The toothy girl needed little convincing to appreciate that idea, straightening out as she was lowered onto Sue¡¯s lap. She stood up, looked up at her guardian, and pulled her into as big of a hug as she could manage¡ªwith both her arms and her maw, turning it so that its flat side curved slightly along Sue¡¯s back. Not something the Forest Guardian had ever seen her do before, but no less adorable because of it. Sue beamed as she planted a brief smooch on Joy¡¯s forehead, Twinkle holding her free hand close all the while. ¡°Are you feeling better, Joy?¡±
¡°Y-y-yeah!¡± the girl chirped, radiating more confidence than Sue had ever felt from her. As if to make her guardian feel even prouder, she then turned towards Twinkle and lifted them into a clumsy, earnest hug too, trying to pass on the reassurance that had bloomed inside her. It was precious, and it left Sue feeling even happier at the aftermath of¡ª
¡°T-t-twinkle! We s-safe. M-mom back later!¡±
...
...
Sue froze mid-pet at the word, her mind suddenly going blank. Every smile, every warm, proud sensation, every shred of relief, all of them immediately overshadowed by this single, off-the-cuff word choice. Something Joy had no reason to pretend, something that Sue had spent days preventing from taking root in her psyche. It felt wonderful beyond words to imagine, but that was exactly the reason she couldn¡¯t¡ªbecause she didn¡¯t want to lie to herself, to pretend the tykes thought of her this close when she had no reason to assume that, only for the reality to inevitably disappoint her.
Except, this time, it didn¡¯t.
Her expression shifted and squirmed as it valiantly held back the moisture building in her eyes from spilling down her face. She wrapped her arms tight around the little ones, holding them closer than she ever had before. Her hands held their little hands and even littler ghostly tentacles, rubbing against them with her fingers. They¡ªthey really thought of her as her mom, at least Joy did, which would make them her, her¡ª
My children.
And suddenly, Sue realized it was her who now had a very hard time letting go of the two, the thought making her break into mute, slightly teary laughter. She wasn¡¯t alone in that, either, with even a brief glance further into the room spotting Sundance¡¯s amused, proud expression on full display, capped off with a wink.
¡°^Need a moment?^¡± the vixen whispered covertly.
Her pupil took a deep breath and nodded in return, before slowly unclenching herself from around the tykes. They got the cue to scramble off her lap soon after¡ªthough not before she snuck one more smooch on both their foreheads, anything to make them feel half as warm and loved as she was feeling right now. Her body shook as she stood back up and stretched, the aching in her lower half overshadowed by the happiness lighting up her mind. ¡°I-I love you both so much. B-bye bye, Joy, b-b-bye bye, Twinkle!¡±
She sensed the brief pangs of worry coming from¡ªfrom her kids as they watched her walk through the door. Thankfully, said feelings couldn¡¯t withstand being subjected to seeing their mom¡¯s smile and energetic waving, the latter returned in kind soon after. Before Sue knew it, it was just her and Spark at the bottom of the staircase, leaving her feeling surprisingly empty. It only lasted for a while, but it was still a palpable shift¡ª
*woof, woof¡ªwhimper¡ªwoof?*
Right, linking time. Getting a grip on herself again, Sue went through the motions of constructing a connection between herself and the lil¡¯ fox, the action done faster than she could ever remember it happening. Another little bit of progress, as marginal as it was helpful. ¡°S-sorry Sparkie, I-I didn¡¯t hear you there.¡±
¡°No worry, Sue! Why crying, you?¡± Spark asked, her voice more confused than it was concerned.
Why was Sue crying this time, indeed. She giggled to herself as she got going, recreating the steps to where the path towards Newmoon began, assuming that¡¯s where the drop-off point for all the gathered resources would be. ¡°W-well, Spark, I¡¯m just happy that Joy and Twinkle care about me this much,¡± she explained in rather reserved terms, nowhere near close enough to conveying the sheer warmth fluttering in her chest.
The lil¡¯ fox laughed. ¡°Yeah, they really do! Joy told me yesterday that she really loved her mom, and when I asked who that was, she drew both you and Astra!¡±
Nope, not winning the battle with tears this time¡ª
*growl, growl grumble*
The second set of animal sounds shot a freezing shiver down Sue and Spark¡¯s spines, the sheer emotional whiplash almost giving the former a headache. She wasn¡¯t sure who exactly it was right away, but the lil¡¯ fox¡¯s immediate terror helped fill in the gaps.
With the almost worst-case answer.
Any and all happiness had washed from Sue¡¯s face by the time she finished turning toward the source of the sound, finding him to be who she dreaded he was. The cream and dark purple badger stood a few good meters away from her, staring her down inquisitively. Contrary to the rage Sue had expected him to feel, however, Root didn¡¯t seem to be angry at all, certainly nowhere near as furious as he had gotten on that fateful evening. Instead, he was... intrigued, observing her closely as he awaited a response to his words. That¡¯s not to say there were no negative feelings coiled up inside his mind either¡ªannoyed frustration, cold resentment, both of them present if masked under the pretense of manners.
He was standing on the side of a busy intersection, making it especially unlikely he would try to attack her with so many witnesses. She had no idea whatsoever what he wanted, but whatever it was, she would endure¡ªshe¡¯d already overpowered him once at his worst; she could absolutely do it again. Perhaps she could even try to dig into him some.
Staring fiercely at Root, Sue extended a second link towards him, the gesturing of her arms and fingers raising his eyebrow. She neither noticed nor cared about what he thought of that, her attention instead distracted by Spark¡¯s bright, unpleasant fear emanating from right behind her.
Don¡¯t worry Sparkie, I¡¯ll take care of him.
¡°Yes?¡± Sue spoke up towards Root, breathing heavily as she kept her expression neutral.
¡°Now hear, Moon-chosen?¡± the badger replied.
¡°Yes, I can hear you. What do you want, Root?¡±
Her bluntness took him aback somewhat, slipping a few drops of annoyance into his thoughts and an ever-so-slight scowl into his expression, but he tried not to let it get into his voice. ¡°Perfect. Curious about you, I,¡± he began, eying out every odd thing about her. Her posture, her mannerisms, her perpetually unkempt hair, even the way she did her psychics¡ªnone of them befitting the grace her kin were meant to embody, none of them normal. ¡°Curious about reasons, yours. Why disrespect Pale Lady desire, Moon-chosen? Why give night kin not deserved mercy, you?¡±
Sue narrowed her eyes. He was trying to dig into her reasoning, but why? To the best of her ability to figure out, the curiosity he was displaying was genuine, but if there was anyone in the entire Moonview who she wouldn¡¯t associate with genuine interest in getting to know others better, it was the bipedal, fiery badger. Perhaps that was an omission on her end. Perhaps...
...
Perhaps he was inspired by her having done that same thing to Willow the day before.
Sue didn¡¯t like either of the answers. Instead, she brushed that unknown aside and replied curtly, pushing past the racist overtones, ¡°The ¡®mercy¡¯, as you call it, isn¡¯t somehow undeserved.¡±
Root scoffed. ¡°Magnanimous, you. Misguided, you. Charity virtuous, indeed. Experienced Moon-chosen charity, my kin. Must only give worthy, charity. Otherwise, squandered, waste.¡±
The framing of her actions as some kind of magnanimous, patronizing good will annoyed Sue more than the bigoted thrust of the priest¡¯s words. She couldn¡¯t understand how he could look at the mess that was her and interpret anything she¡¯d done as ¡®magnanimous¡¯ with a straight face. Ultimately, it didn¡¯t matter either way¡ªespecially with the detail he¡¯d snuck in there catching her attention instead. ¡°The Forest Guardians have helped your kin in the past?¡±
It was just the question the badger had been waiting for. His body language straightened out as his smile turned marginally more genuine, with his short arms splaying wide. ¡°Utmost certainty. By Moon-chosen helped, lowly us, lowly me. Many Moons past, attacked were we. Pushed us from land, lesser kin. Filthy kin. Standing water kin, swamp and mud kin. Beneath most, us even.¡±
The racial categorization inherent to Root¡¯s every word wasn¡¯t any more pleasant to listen to for the umpteenth time, even with Sue doing her best effort in focusing past those unsightly descriptors and on the thrust of the priest¡¯s words. Where he kept categorizing and separating his people from their attackers, Sue only drew parallels¡ªbut it wasn¡¯t time for them yet. ¡°Why did they attack you?¡± she asked.
¡°Accusations foolish of arson. Accusations forest fire. Unthinkable, lesser mud kin accuse. More pure than earth are flames, than mud. Accuse, no right had they, below us. Yielded we. Too many, them. Never stop attack they, never stop harass they. Attack they, kill they, never satisfy. Death uncountable, forced me this shape.¡± He looked down at himself, his body shivering. ¡°Many family death. Mate, death. Watch him after death, Pale Lady, beg I.¡±
Sue was staring wide eyed as Root wove his tale. It was nothing like she expected, especially with¡ªas far as she could sense¡ªRoot being entirely truthful in everything he¡¯d said so far. However, he clearly wasn¡¯t done yet, and so she remained silent.
¡°After many day, help Moon-chosen. Swamp kin barbarism, stop Moon-chosen. Messenger Pale Lady, save us Moon-chosen charity. Lesson for us¡ªPale Lady our guardian. Moon-chosen, messengers Hers. That, Moon-chosen charity. Against lesser kin, protect. You, mercy night kin want. You, take away Moon-chosen charity, act.¡±
The intended rhetorical slam-dunk would¡¯ve been unlikely to make an impact on her even if it hadn¡¯t been mangled in translation, but it wasn¡¯t what Sue was focused on. She could only gawk at Root, trying to make sense of what he¡¯d just said, make sense of his actions when taking what he¡¯d been through into consideration, removed from the festering clothing of racialized language.
If she¡¯d interpreted his words right, his people had experienced a genocide from whoever the ¡®swamp¡¯ and ¡®mud¡¯ kin were, before being saved by the Forest Guardian intervention. Root himself had lost family and even a partner, an enormity of loss few even in Newmoon could compare to. Sue had no idea how else to interpret his words; this had to have been what he was implying¡ª
But it made no sense! How could this have been the case!? How could someone who has been through that be striving for nothing more than to inflict that same horror on others!? There has to have been something she wasn¡¯t seeing, something she¡¯d maybe misinterpreted; her brain refused to comprehend the picture being painted before her.
She just had to find out what it was. ¡°What¡ªwhat makes the situation you¡¯re putting the night kin through any different from what your own people have experienced!?¡±
A great question. A terrible question. Root snarled at her words, offense filling his entire body at the gall of his kin being compared to night kin. For the first time since this accursed conversation had begun, Sue felt him get genuinely angry, the purplish flames sprouting from around his neck pushing her and Spark a couple steps back. ¡°How dare insult such!? Cannot compare kin me, kin flames and guidance, and night kin. Hoped you smarter, I. Smart to know, not able compare these. Cannot compare¡ªnight kin danger. Real danger. Damned filth, Pale Lady cursed, lowest, lowest, lowest. Evil in flesh.¡±
A part of Sue wanted to scoff at the obvious double standard, but at that point, she¡¯d be shooting fish in a barrel with a howitzer. Root knew this was a double standard; he actively cherished and underlined that fact; he clearly didn¡¯t care about it in the vacuum. For a second, Sue considered asking him about how he would¡¯ve reacted if she had been a night kin, before disregarding that idea¡ªhe would¡¯ve probably responded very similarly.
*Would¡¯ve been a good one to bring up against Willow yesterday though, darn.*
There was no point in arguing what kin did or didn¡¯t deserve help, because the way Root saw it, that fact was dictated by which kin were ¡®above¡¯ or ¡®below¡¯ each other on some abstract hierarchy he kept alluding to. The only way forward was to attack that very assumption, not to argue where anyone belonged on said hierarchy, but to reject it entirely. At least, that¡¯s how Sue saw it. She couldn¡¯t deny not having given it much thought back on Earth, not least of all because there she was also on top of almost all such hierarchies. Being a woman in a man''s world sucked at times, but it would''ve sucked ten times more if she''d been a poor brown immigrant as opposed to a middle-class(ish) white native.
¡°I guess that¡¯s where we differ,¡± Sue responded. ¡°I don¡¯t see myself or other Forest Guardian as the ¡®chosen¡¯, or the night kin as being ¡®beneath¡¯ us.¡±
To little surprise, her show-stopper of a line had no effect on its listener, only eliciting further disgust¡ªand confusion. Intense, pitiful confusion at something so simple, as if the mere idea of such natural hierarchies not existing was literal insanity. Or, perhaps even more patronizingly, childish hope. ¡°Hoped I, smarter you. Naive, foolish you. Throw away Pale Lady gift, chosen her. Instead, seek blame for inevitable damnation, you. Moon-chosen kin mission, cut rot. Destroy filth, destroy Pale Lady enemies. With prayer, with charity, with Her light, with violence, with flame¡ª¡±
Root paused mid-rant, and Sue¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She watched him calm down in what seemed to be an eureka moment, the most unnerving one she¡¯d ever seen. As if a switch had flipped, his righteous fury had dissipated into confidence, with his light smirk sending freezing fear down her body. He concluded shortly afterwards, ¡°Hope I, one day accept natural reality, you,¡± before turning around and walking off, his bipedal gait clumsy and forced.
For a while, Sue could only stand there, unnerved and pissed, terrified that him and Solanum and others were going to do something, but without any idea why. Worries circled around in her mind, louder and louder, threatening to plunge her deep into a panic attack¡ª
¡°S-Sue?¡± Spark woofed, almost making the Forest Guardian jump on the spot. ¡°Are you okay?¡±
No, she most definitely wasn¡¯t okay¡ªbut that wasn¡¯t something for the lil¡¯ fox to deal with. ¡°I¡¯m¡ªI¡¯m alright, just a bit frazzled from having to talk to him.¡± She didn¡¯t even need to look down at the kit to know she wasn¡¯t entirely buying her reassurance, but there was little she could do about it on the spot.
¡°Well, he¡¯s gone now, anyway. Let¡¯s get going Sparkie; it¡¯s almost noon. People are waiting for us.¡±
Chapter 35: Solidarity
Despite sensing Spark¡¯s unrest following her unwilling chat with Root, Sue tried her hardest not to acknowledge it¡ªor, Duck forbid, react to it. She was expending all the willpower she could scrounge up on remaining calm even as she replayed the exchange to herself, a task that grew harder and harder with each repetition. She heard, saw, and sensed the switch inside the badger at the end; he¡¯d gotten an idea, she knew it. What kind of idea, or how dangerous it¡¯d be for everyone involved in this ongoing mess? No clue.
No clue, no comfort, no relief. Only the knowledge he had some sort of one-up on her in mind, hidden until it was revealed at the worst possible time, undoubtedly.
As usual, really.
Unamusing as the thought was, it wasn¡¯t wrong, either. Trying to analyze what had happened in a more rational way revealed very little concrete, which both helped and didn¡¯t. He was a bigot, sure, but it certainly felt like he wasn¡¯t the type to ever get his hands dirty. The same held true for Solstice¡¯s family, if what she said was to be believed. Even if they conspired together to launch a smear campaign of sorts, a good chunk of Moonview would visit Newmoon today. They¡¯ll get to see the creatures there as people and former neighbors as opposed to light-hating beasts, undermining Root¡¯s efforts.
The conviction she, the builders, and some others had for helping Newmoon wasn¡¯t universal, sure, but most villagers were closer to it than the positively murderous hatred she felt from some of the Pale Lady¡¯s most fervent worshippers. Sue had a very hard time imagining them getting whipped into the same hateful fervor that led to the night kin¡¯s exile the second time. And, without that, any violent plans Duck¡¯s devotees may have had were doomed to fail.
Not something she¡¯d ever want to verify the hard way, though¡ª
¡°S-Sue?¡± the fiery kit beside her whimpered, catching up to her. Sue might have been managing her fears decently well, but it was clear Spark wasn¡¯t doing too hot in that regard, and the constant aching sure wasn¡¯t helping either.
They didn¡¯t have a lot of time, but they were also quite close to where the path to Newmoon began. She could spare a moment to check up on her very first friend in this wild, magical world. Putting on her least flaky smile, Sue crouched beside the kit and offered her a hand. ¡°What¡¯s up, Spark?¡±
The kit took her time coming up with a response. She first opted to take up the comfort she¡¯d been offered, nuzzling the sides of her snout against Sue¡¯s soft, green skin. Every time her pointy fingers brushed through the lil¡¯ fox¡¯s yellow and white fur, another piece of fear flaked off and drifted into the ether, soothing the emotional trembling¡ªand physical discomfort¡ªin the girl¡¯s body. ¡°Scared, Root,¡± Spark eventually replied. Putting her emotions to words immediately brought some of their edge back, but her friend was there to help.
Brushing the short fur along the kit¡¯s back and head brought both of them comfort, giving Sue time to think of what to say. ¡®Me too¡¯ would be honest, but wouldn¡¯t help Spark¡¯s fears any. ¡®He won¡¯t do anything¡¯ would be way too confident, cocky even, for her liking¡ªnot to say the fox would likely see through that assertion in an instant.
Which left a different reassurance. ¡°No matter what he does, we won¡¯t let him hurt anyone¡ªespecially Pollux.¡± Sue¡¯s words made the lil¡¯ fox shudder, at least initially. Not having her fears be offhandedly brushed off as silly, dispelled out of her consideration outright, forced her to grapple with them more than usual, something she still struggled with. At the same time, being comforted that they would be alright, even if the worst-case scenario came to pass, had more effect on her than she expected, taking the edge off the horrors her little mind kept siccing on her.
Because Sue was right. Nobody would let Pollux get hurt, especially in Newmoon. And, after having unfortunately known the priest for a few years now, Spark knew he¡¯d have about as much luck at combat as she would at calligraphy.
More importantly, she wanted her big friend¡¯s words to be right. And, without any pesky details for her fears to latch onto, they gradually withered, ceasing their assault on her psyche. She wanted to ask more, ask things she knew full well Sue wouldn¡¯t be able to answer, but her earlier words ringed in her mind again. People were waiting for them.
¡°Thank, Sue,¡± Spark woofed quietly before resuming her earlier march, keeping even closer to the Forest Guardian¡¯s leg than before. Sue joined her soon after, glad her words had a positive impact, even if she herself wasn¡¯t anywhere near as certain as she wanted to be.
None of them were, but they had to live with that.
If nothing else, the scene they¡¯d walked into soon after provided some distraction¡ªmainly through overstimulation. Dozens of people stood and chatted around a steadily growing assortment of carts, bags, baskets, jars, and even a rectangular stone boulder for flavor. Inside all of them, food and fabric and rope and kindling; medicine and tools; clay and thread; sweat and tears. Most carts were downright overloaded with supplies, but even with their space entirely used up, they didn¡¯t come close to fitting all the town had gathered.
Some villagers had planned for that from the get go, tying sacks around their bodies to let them carry more¡ªbe it by themselves or with help of a dextrous neighbor. Some knew they wouldn¡¯t have that luxury, stretching their limbs and preparing to carry their share of items, with only their strength to aid them.
Some were dragging entire carts by themselves without breaking a sweat. Though, in this specific carrier¡¯s case, Sue had no idea whether she even could break a sweat. Ideally, it¡¯d be something they¡¯d discover together one day¡ªbut not right now. Right now, Lilly was patiently making her way through the crowd, carrying with herself a heaping load of fruits and vegetables, familiar and unnatural alike. The Forest Guardian had no idea whether it¡¯d be even theoretically possible for Newmoon to eat it all before it went bad, but she was sure they¡¯d find some use for it, even in that case.
Sue¡¯s pondering about what a hamlet of ten or so people would do with north of a ton of fresh produce was cut off by the leafy dancer squeezing the breath out of her as she lifted her up.
¡°Lilly, a-air,¡± Sue croaked, her lungs crushed with the power of love. To Lilly¡¯s credit, she lowered her girlfriend onto solid ground the moment she heard her strained voice. That didn¡¯t mean she let go of the Forest Guardian, though, loosening her embrace juuuust enough to stop choking her crush before gently leaning on her. Coincidentally, exactly what Sue wanted too.
¡°Hello Lilly!¡± Spark cheered in between harsh giggles as she watched the farmhand planthandle her friend. The dancer whistled a greeting back right after, breaking into a quiet, melodic tune afterwards. Sue had no idea whether it was speech or song, but it was very pleasant to the ear either way. Much like Lilly as a whole was pleasant to her everything, ribcage aside.
As fun as fawning was, they wouldn¡¯t get far without help from her brain¡¯s translating magic. Having her arms be effectively pinned made all the necessary gestures significantly harder, but nowhere near impossible. The motivation of actually getting to talk to her crush probably helped a lot, too, however that fact couldn¡¯t be independently verified.
Swerve with one hand, push with the other, try to keep her arms like this as a self-imposed challenge even after Lilly had realized what was happening and let go of her, and bingo. The same sensation both of them had felt so many times in the recent days, one that Sue had grown very used to¡ªand which Lilly had become excited by, more and more each time. ¡°Can hear, Sue?¡± she whistled out, looking up at the Forest Guardian from her embrace.
¡°Yes!¡± Sue beamed, netting herself a tighter and only slightly choking squeeze. ¡°S-so happy you¡¯re here, Lilly. This is gonna be a long walk, and any help with carrying stuff will be appreciated.¡±
The plant girl knew full well when she was being deliberately flattered¡ªand she didn¡¯t care, taking Sue¡¯s words in stride and not resisting showing off just a bit more. ¡°Yesss, help I!¡± She accompanied her words by lifting Sue off the ground with the effort of picking up a discarded candy wrapper, beaming at the psychic as she looked directly up at her. ¡°Gather fruit some. Harvest little did. Everything important!¡±
Suppose harvesting all the produce she could immediately beforehand made sure it¡¯d be as fresh as possible. Even if it means a bunch of it still has some dirt on it.
¡°Not alone, too!¡± she continued, piquing Sue¡¯s interest. ¡°Bluegrass! Bluegrass, where you?¡± Sue searched through her memories to see if she¡¯d encountered said Bluegrass in the past and knew how they looked like, but couldn¡¯t recall anything beyond having maybe heard the name before. Spark most definitely could, though, perking up at Lilly¡¯s call and scooting both around and underneath the cart in search for the missing villager.
Lilly, for her part, moved Sue into one arm as she slowly pivoted on her heel, squinting her eyes and scanning the crowds in search of her friend. Sue tried her best to help, but without having a single clue who they were looking for, she had to resort to providing moral support, delivered through gentle pats on Lilly¡¯s shoulder. The dancer didn¡¯t overtly react to them, but if her tightening embrace was any sign, she very much noticed the gesture.
Among other things.
Sue paid the pile of fruit at the back of the cart with no mind, her gaze only snapping there briefly after seeing some fruits tumble down the heap. That couldn¡¯t be said for her crush, though. She knew these yellow fruits; she knew how they behaved in a pile, how easily they rolled¡ªand how they didn¡¯t behave. With only a split-second of hesitation, Lilly leaped along the side of the cart and reached straight into the pile of fresh produce. In less than a second, Sue heard a startled squeak from between the fruits, then Lilly¡¯s triumphant whistle, before the stowaway was pulled into the air, leaving the suspected Bluegrass dangling from their tail for the world to see.
Oh hey, that¡¯s them!
She didn¡¯t know much about the leafy green and cream snake, but what she¡¯d seen of them only endeared them to her. And, now that she could associate their embarrassed expression with an actual name, she could even greet them and pass on her gratitude for helping Joy the other day! Or, she could have, if not for Lilly cutting in moments after. ¡°There you! Bluegrass, why sneak you?¡± she asked, equal parts amused and confused.
Bluegrass dangled upside down as they hissed out a response, red eyes snapping between everyone in sight as they spoke, Sue included. The sight of the Forest Guardian gave them a brief pause as they scanned the nearby ground in search of one particular toothy toddler, but in her absence, greeting just her parent was more than good enough for them. ¡°Scare? Why scare you?¡± Lilly replied. She then relayed, ¡°Oh¡ª¡®Greeting¡¯, say he, Sue!¡±
¡°Hello!¡± Sue smiled, tilting her head to match the snake¡¯s orientation. ¡°Th-thanks for helping Joy the other day.¡±
Without skipping a beat, the dancer forwarded the words, netting them both a bright, cute blush from the boy before them. The warm emotions helped him remain composed even as he began talking about the source of his fears. The earlier mention about him being scared left Sue uncertain about what he was afraid of in particular, hoping she wouldn¡¯t have to be disappointed in someone she felt grateful for again. To her¡ªand Lilly¡¯s¡ªrelief, his answer disarmed their worries soon after. ¡°Meeting people scared you? Not worry, here me! Here Sue!¡±
Sue did her part, nodding confidently once Lilly brought her up. She had no idea how long the resulting reassurance would last for, but either way it was effective enough to at least make the lil¡¯ snake stop shaking (as hard). It was good enough for Lilly, making her carefully lower Bluegrass onto the dirt below¡ªfollowed by Sue, to her spine¡¯s relief and heart¡¯s regret.
Before she could lean on Lilly again and go back to not having to acknowledge the long, messy journey ahead of them, the exchange between the dancer and the snake reminded her of something. ¡°Lilly?¡± she asked, waiting until her pink, wide eyes met hers. ¡°Nervous about going to Newmoon?¡± Sue thought back to their little drunken chat before she¡¯d left for the night kin village the first time, and Lilly¡¯s clear worry on that subject.
Her crush remembered it, too, and wanted to be as honest as she could. She took a deep breath, and answered, ¡°Nervous I? Yes. But, much much better with you! If trust Sue, trust I.¡±
That was just about the best response Sue could reasonably expect, smiling widely in return. She wasn¡¯t used to being a source of reassurance and motivation for... well, anybody, but especially not about anything this serious. It felt nice. It felt so, so nice. ¡°Thank you, Lilly. That¡ªthat really means a lot to me.¡±
Seeing Lilly¡¯s pale cheeks be engulfed in a light green blush was just about the prettiest sight Sue could imagine. It didn¡¯t last long, but it meant a lot to them both. It wasn¡¯t like they weren¡¯t keen on making it last even longer, though¡ªbut, unfortunately, duty came first, and the surrounding carts were finally starting to move. Not a lot of time left.
Which raised... another issue. ¡°Um, Lilly? I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be able to walk like¡ª¡± Sue began. The last word of her sentence was shoved to the back of her throat as she was abruptly picked up into Lilly¡¯s leafy arms again; the world around her turned into a blur as she was carried around. Where or why exactly, she had no idea. Lilly clearly did, though, staying quiet as she leaped and sprinted through the crowd, keeping her eyes peeled for something¡ª
¡°Here it!¡±
The half-shouted, half-whistled exclamation didn¡¯t even have the time to get settled in Sue¡¯s brain before Lilly broke into her longest dash yet, coming to a stop next to one of the other carts. She exchanged a few words with someone nearby, out of Sue¡¯s view, before lifting the Forest Guardian and sitting her down in front of the cart, in what appeared to be a designated seat.
Once the dust had settled and Sue¡¯s eyes were no longer spinning, she took a glance behind herself to check the cart¡¯s contents. Seeds were definitely one of the more practical things to give to Newmoon, though Sue was confused at seeing a mix of several kinds, including a ton of smaller, dark ones. Ultimately, not her place to argue or wonder¡ªespecially with Lilly enthusiastically picking up the cart¡¯s handles soon after, winking at the Forest Guardian over her shoulder. ¡°How this, Sue?¡±
The seat was about as comfortable as unpolished wood could be, but that mattered little with the convenience, the company, and most importantly, the sights. ¡°I-it¡¯s great!¡± Sue hurriedly answered, cursing her blush at that last thought. Whether Lilly had realized where her crush¡¯s fluster came from or not, she couldn¡¯t resist giggling at the sight, making Sue want to melt in embarrassment.
¡°Hope comfortable, too!¡± Lilly added.
Sue¡¯s wobbly smile grew that bit more focused. ¡°I-it definitely is with you here.¡± She didn¡¯t expect her incredibly corny line to have gotten anywhere near that kind of fluster from Lilly¡ªbut it did so anyway; the dancer was too taken aback to respond right away. The surrounding bustle and Spark finally catching up to them before leaping onto Sue¡¯s lap didn¡¯t let either of the two linger on their feelings for long, though. Some other time, some other place.
And in the here and now, everyone was either getting ready, or arriving at the scene. ¡°^Seems you three are all ready!^¡± Solstice laughed quietly, passing the two lovey-dovey dorks a knowing look and Spark a gentle smile as she approached. ¡°^Is it already time? I hope I wasn¡¯t late in all the hold-up.^¡±
The question had Sue look up at the sky to check whether it was exactly noon, while Lilly did a mental roll call of everyone around, both of them pretending not to be embarrassed. While the Forest Guardian was nowhere near outdoorsy enough to be sure off the top of her head, her strong-legged girlfriend was almost certain everyone who either had something to bring or was strong enough to help carry cargo was already there. Neither of them ended up responding to Solstice¡¯s question, though.
The front of the convoy heading out into the forest path was answer enough.
The road was bumpy, but Sue didn¡¯t mind. Or at the very least, she valued the comfort of helping with a good deed while surrounded by friends ~~and more~~ more than the discomfort of her backside being rattled every other second. She passed Solstice a light smile, checking on how the Mayor was doing when faced with venturing out into Newmoon once more. The older Forest Guardian was feeling confident, though it was the sort of confidence that needed to be constantly maintained with thoughts of everything being alright; a voluntary and willful confidence in active defiance of ever creeping anxiety. Sue was equal parts proud and jealous.
Before long, her attention had veered elsewhere, and then, from said elsewhere, towards the rest of the surrounding convoy. She knew better than to underestimate Lilly¡¯s strength, but the dancer was keen to impress her with it over and over again, maintaining a consistently high pace despite the load¡ªmuch more than what could be said for most of the others. They moved fast enough to end up overtaking a good chunk of the convoy, giving Sue a good look at what others she recognized were carrying with them, and how well they were managing their load.
The results varied.
Orchid¡¯s biology didn¡¯t lend itself to carrying much on herself, but with the vines sprouting from the mess of flowers around her neck, she didn¡¯t have to. Each individual vine only carried a small, nondescript bag, contrasting with the intricate, fancy satchel wrapped around her body. What they contained, Sue had no way of knowing, but ¡®medicine¡¯ was a good guess. Others¡¯ payloads were easier to make out, helped immensely by them being visible out in the open. Dewdrop couldn¡¯t carry much in either his actual legs or the... back legs, but it was a limitation he cared little about. A stack of rolled up fabric sat on his back, between the not-legs, secured to both them and his body with several glistening threads of silk. It sure as hell wasn¡¯t comfortable, and the red-black spider made no attempt to hide his struggles, but he persisted all the same.
Further along, they ran into the cart Lilly had originally brought with herself, as well as the person who now carried it. Sue recognized the blue overgrown probably-amphibian at a glance, but wasn¡¯t certain of her name. High... something? No, wait, High Tide, that was it. Either way, High Tide was slightly struggling with her load, but her thoughts weren¡¯t focused on that. Instead, a constant undercurrent of unrest surged through her mind, spinning in circles and growing that bit louder each time as she looked around the convoy. It was the kind of unrest Solstice was dealing with, but without the active effort being put in to keep it under control. Hopefully, she¡¯d get better once they finally arrived at Newmoon.
By the time Lilly had overtaken High Tide enough for the blue amphibian and her cart to be firmly out of range of Sue¡¯s neck¡ªunless she figured out how to swivel it directly backwards¡ªanother group came into view, one that Sue was more glad to see. Or, more precisely, she was glad to see one third of the group, was ambivalent to positive about the second third, and just hoped that the final third wouldn¡¯t get any dumb ideas again. For her and everyone else¡¯s sake, said final third was too busy being unnaturally skittish to even think about pranking anyone again. Something that the other two had both noticed and weren¡¯t shy about ribbing her about.
Poppy¡¯s twinkling voice was as pleasant as it was incomprehensible, stirring Hazel out of her anxious murmurs. The prankster ghost didn¡¯t respond beyond a few grumbles, grunting repeatedly as she tried to levitate while pulling the cart behind herself. She only lasted a couple feet each time, ending up with more of an awkward hop as opposed to a proper ghostly glide. It was a fact that the other ghost with prankster tendencies noticed and pointed out; their prehensile, orange hair easily pulled their handle while their gourd-like body hovered in the air.
The pink cook marched ahead of the other two, carrying her fair share in a much more... unorthodox way. Or, rather, unorthodox by this world¡¯s standards. Sue had precisely zero idea where Poppy found the comically tall backpack strapped to her ears and shoulders alike, or how she was carrying it despite it being taller than herself¡ªbut by Duck, she was doing just that in a more gracefully than Sue thought possible. It was a sight¡ªand smell¡ªto behold. The aroma of baked goods and savory treats gradually filtering through the rest of the convoy, only making everyone behind them hungrier. The handful of items at the very top threatening to fall out each time Poppy did so much as glance around were just as attention grabbing, if for other reasons.
Hazel grumbled something back to Soot and Poppy in response to the latter¡¯s earlier comment, netting herself an amused giggle from the former. The pumpkin-ish ghost was hardly done either, their amusement shining bright as they teased Hazel again and again, making the other spook roll her eyes wider and wider each time. The cook mostly just sighed at the two, but occasionally offered a few reassuring words towards her wife, as well as greetings at anyone nearby. Including, eventually, Sue and others.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
All Sue could do was wave at the trio and nod absentmindedly at their exchange, neither minding nor caring much about it. Just some teasing, fleeting and ultimately unimportant.
But also, crucially, funny. And Lilly loathed the idea of Sue skipping out on her source of giggles for the past few minutes. ¡°Sue,¡± she whispered unsuccessfully, nudging her head towards the mostly ghostly band beside them. ¡°Want know what talk they?¡±
Missing out on some gossip? Well, I¡¯d never.
¡°Sure.¡±
¡°Yessssssss,¡± Lilly chuckled. ¡°Scared dark, Hazel! Soot laugh, joke about Hazel not want competition in shadow.¡±
To nobody¡¯s surprise, Lilly¡¯s whisper was much louder than intended, and the group walking just a few feet away from them overheard it easily. Hazel croaked something out in defiance, stammering slightly as she gathered words. Soot¡¯s snarky response was immediate, only aggravating the other ghost¡¯s annoyance with its mocking tone. Which, in turn, was then defused by Poppy moments later. She wasn¡¯t angry or even stern, her words delivered in an uncharacteristically flat sigh. Whatever she said, it seemed to have been effective, snapping the other two out of their respective annoyance and amusement.
For a second, Sue thought it was serious enough that her friend wouldn¡¯t end up translating it. Which she indeed didn¡¯t, at least not right away. Lilly waited until she gained enough ground on the other group to overtake them, and then a few minutes afterwards for good measure. Even if Solstice had been keeping up with them until that point, she¡¯d opted to conserve her strength at Lilly¡¯s dash, not present anymore after Sue glanced over to check again. By the time the scent of Poppy¡¯s cooking had completely dissipated and Sue had a hard time even seeing the other group in the distance behind them, Lilly finally brought up the topic again. ¡°Want know what say they?¡± she eventually asked, tone much more sober than earlier.
Sue doubted it would be a knee-slapper, but considering Lilly was even bringing translating it up, it couldn¡¯t have been that bad or personal. ¡°Mhm.¡±
¡°Say Hazel about not fear dark, fear what in dark. Joke Soot about scary scary bird and bug in dark. Say then Poppy, ¡®know scared them you, Hazel, but they friends mine, promise I¡¯.¡±
That made sense for why it chilled the air so much, and Sue couldn¡¯t help but feel for Poppy somewhat. Not just the emotional rollercoaster over the past few days, made even worse by her knowing and being friends with at least Ginger, but also having to deal with Hazel¡¯s antics during all this. Though, that perception could¡¯ve been just a tad biased because of the Forest Guardian¡¯s own experiences with the ghost. Maybe. Just maybe. Sue sighed. ¡°I really hope Hazel takes it to heart.¡±
¡°And not tease more Soot. Not help when serious,¡± Lilly added. As far as Sue was concerned, that remark also applied more to the other ghost, but her history with the gourd-shaped jokester was admittedly limited. Who knew, maybe Soot was just as unbearable in large doses as Hazel used to be? Not something Sue wanted to find out either way.
With the exchange wrapped up, the silence from earlier resumed, slightly more morose than before. With them surging ahead of most of the rest of the convoy, barring its very front, there soon weren¡¯t any other villagers for Sue to gawk at, forcing her to distract herself with the beauty of the surrounding nature. And petting Spark on her lap too, though mostly the former. The woods looked mostly nondescript, though she could¡¯ve sworn she recognized some trees around her from her doomed solo journey to Newmoon. They were just as lively as she remembered them being, though, with an assortment of birds watching their cart pass by from the canopy above.
It was a sight she would¡¯ve once not given a second thought about, but now, she wondered. They were people just like everyone else around her, that much she couldn¡¯t doubt anymore. What did they think about the artificial village in their midst, about Moonview and its people? Maybe ¡®artificial¡¯ wasn¡¯t the right term there. The walls and homes of Moonview are no more artificial than a bird''s nest back on Earth. What Moonview was, though, was very cosmopolitan and stationary, rooted to the ground with all its different peoples all at once instead of having the freedom to relocate with the changing seasons or conditions. Both of those would¡¯ve been a concern for those that had spent their lives in a¡ªand Sue loathed this choice of words while simultaneously not knowing what else to use¡ª¡®feral¡¯ way.
She was curious, but said curiosity was something that would have to be left for another day. This was neither the time to think about that, nor to think about anything else¡ªnot with the ground growing even rougher and Sue¡¯s seat even rockier. As much as she might have wished to focus entirely on keeping her rear from falling off the cart, the world around her demanded attention. More specifically, the small leafy snake still slithering alongside them demanded attention, grasping it in his coils through the brute force of calmly speaking up and waiting for a response.
With Lilly not responding right away, Sue wondered whether Bluegrass¡¯s words were even addressed to any of them, or if the lil¡¯ snake was just mumbling to himself to pass the time. As it turned out, it was the former¡ªand once Lilly remembered her passenger would need help with understanding the question that had just asked, she finally passed it on. ¡°Sorry for wait! Ask Bluegrass, where Joy. Curious, uh, too, I.¡±
Whether the leafy dancer¡¯s last addition was because she was genuinely curious or to cover up her having not consciously noticed the absence of the kids until now, Sue could only guess and giggle about. She turned to face Bluegrass with a slightly blurry smile, holding Spark close to her lap as she answered. ¡°Oh, Joy is staying with Sundance, together with Twinkle. I may take them here eventually, but figured this trip would be much too long and overwhelming for them, and they¡¯ve already had plenty of scares lately.¡±
Without skipping a beat, Lilly got to translating. Bluegrass slithered further along to catch up with her as he listened, though neither he nor she could immediately make sense of something in Sue¡¯s explanation. ¡°Sue?¡± Lilly spoke up, uncertain. ¡°Who ¡®Twinkle¡¯?¡±
...
Goodness, have I really not told her their name yet? I guess things have been hectic ever since Twinkle first found me...
The realization of just how much of a blur the past few days have been made her chuckle. ¡°Lilly, remember that little ghost I found a few days ago that I carried in a little bag?¡±
¡°Bag ghost¡ªOH! Remember, I! Very very small, cute! Twinkle they?¡±
Sue nodded firmly at Lilly¡¯s question, and the dancer wasted no breath explaining everything she knew about the ghost in question to her serpentine friend. Said everything only amounted for three sentences or so, but by Duck were these three intriguing, baffling sentences full of mystery. Said mystery only grew as she talked about them, eventually manifesting in more questions being passed back to Sue. ¡°Better feel they? With you stay?¡±
The second question made Sue want to nod her head so intensely it was at risk of flying off her neck, but propriety demanded answering them in order. ¡°Yes, they feel much, much better. They¡¯re quite shy, but really like drawing! And... yes, they¡¯ll be staying with me for the foreseeable future. They¡ªthey have grown quite fond of me.¡± Just thinking back to what she¡¯s heard from Joy earlier today threatened to send more tears down Sue¡¯s face, but she held through, if barely.
¡°They and Joy thi¡ª*ow*¡ªthink Sue is their mom,¡± Spark helpfully added as she stretched, freezing Sue¡¯s mind and body in place. It was true, but not something she wanted to be publicly known, not with it being so recent and undecided. They could very well change their minds on a whim, could be Joy had simply meant it affectionately and not in a real¡ª
*squeeeze!*
Spark might not have realized the impact her words had on the Forest Guardian, but Lilly definitely did, especially with how stiff she had gotten. She wasn¡¯t sure of the exact cause, but could tell Sue was very tense about something. Couldn¡¯t figure out what, though, especially with the sheer adorableness of what Spark had just told them about. Lilly asked, snapping her girlfriend out of her shock, ¡°Good you, Sue?¡±
I don¡¯t know. Some of this still doesn¡¯t feel real.
¡°I-I think so, yeah,¡± Sue mumbled noncommittally. ¡°Just¡ªjust worried about what Spark said.¡±
The fiery kit gulped. ¡°O-oh. S-sorry¡ª*ouch...*¡±
¡°No no, you¡¯ve done nothing wrong Spark, promise,¡± Sue pleaded, some of her emotions leaking through. ¡°Guess it¡¯s just... still worried about them thinking I¡¯m their mom.¡±
¡°Why worry? They care lot you! Know Joy trust you, Twinkle trust too, sure I! Why you be mom worried about?¡±
Lilly¡¯s question was easy to interpret and almost impossible to answer. Not without busting out and digging into every single dirty patch of mental threads and memories that made up her tattered psyche, at least. And that was without even getting into the... practical and time-sensitive reasons why the kids thinking of her as their mom was as worrisome as it was blissful. Which, as her mind was keen to remind her, was also true with her relationship with Lilly.
A part of her wanted to just shrug it off with something non-committal but also misleading, to downplay the blatantly visible impact all this had on her. She knew better nowadays than to try that. Instead, she admitted to the small slice of truth, deeply hoping Lilly would care for it appropriately. ¡°It¡¯s a lot, but... among other things, I don¡¯t wanna disappoint them.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t know if ever disappoint anyone you,¡± Lilly replied in as earnest a tone as she could manage.
¡°I know I¡¯ve disappointed myself plenty...¡± Sue mumbled, hoping she¡¯d be able to keep that particular thought contained underneath her skullcap. Tried as she might to wrangle it, her psyche always found ways to slither out of the neat little cage she wished to contain it in. All her effort amounted to nothing, only at most delaying the inevitable impact on her surface thoughts, actions and even body language¡ªas presented here, with the Forest Guardian almost curling around the leafy dancer. To Sue¡¯s relief, tears were still far off, especially after being shed so liberally earlier. The one saving grace of the current situation.
¡°Not always can be who want,¡± Lilly mused, holding Sue close with one arm as the other stroked Spark¡¯s fur. ¡°Sometime all can do is try, and again. And that good. I know you try, Sue, and again. Not always do what want¡ªand that good. Promise.¡±
Beautiful, simple response, hiding all the details their ol¡¯ pal devil liked to hide inside of. Sue had a hard time denying that she was trying, even in her current state, but did that even matter? Could that even matter? She had no doubt her father had tried too, and look at where it got him and his daughter¡ª
No. Stop. Not now, please.
Sue flinched as she tried to get a grip on herself again, looking up at Lilly and acknowledging her reassurance with a faint nod. There was still much more to be said about this matter, but with the carts behind them in the convoy catching up to them fast, it was best for everyone for them to get a move on again¡ªSue included. Then again, as she knew all too well by now, those kinds of thoughts could only ever be delayed¡ªnever forgotten. A worry for future her, either way.
A couple rounds of Sue putting on her most calm and composed facade later, Lilly was finally reassured enough to resume pulling the cart, even breaking into a light jog to make up for the lost time. The pace, even while burdened by a cartload of produce, was still much too fast for the grassy snake accompanying them, as evidenced by panicked gasps trailing off further and further behind them. Sue was just about to speak up about whether they should slow down for him, but Lilly was already two steps ahead. Without any fanfare, she eased out all the way to a relaxed walk, letting Bluegrass catch up with them before... reaching to pick him up and carefully placing him beside Sue on the wooden seat.
The exchange of surprised looks between the serpent and the Forest Guardian was immediately interrupted by the breakneck pace from earlier resuming moments after.
Sue couldn¡¯t deny getting startled at the sudden appearance of a snake beside her, but with this one being as sweet as he was, her better nature gradually calmed her down. Not fully, especially not with their journey still being so bumpy, but enough to let her at least try to comfort him, too. Spark also contributed, both in being their shared personal heater, and by licking Bluegrass¡¯ cheek once he had slithered onto Sue¡¯s lap beside her. Sue hoped the snake was doing alright, and acted on that hope by asking to make sure. ¡°Is Bluegrass alright?¡±
Lilly slowed down half a gear, both to catch her breath and to make the rumbling quiet enough for her voice to be audible over it. She forwarded Sue¡¯s question to the snake, watched over her shoulder as the planty reptile blinked up at the Forest Guardian, and passed his reply to her crush. ¡°Good feel he! Tired, nervous, but good!¡±
Sue recalled Lilly giving her the reason for the snake¡¯s nerves, asking to make sure. ¡°He¡¯s nervous about meeting new people?¡±
Bluegrass answered right away, though his words clearly took Lilly aback. She almost tripped on the uneven path, blushed almost as bright as she did earlier, sighed in relief, and confirmed, ¡°Y-yes! G-good for him!¡±
There were way too many stutters in these words for there to not be something up, and both Sue and Lilly knew full well. The former gave the latter a knowing look, lifting her eyebrow in amusement. She didn¡¯t even have to resort to words for the dancer to know her omission had been seen through¡ªthough Bluegrass did, and his hissed objection to something was hard to mistake for anything else. Eventually, Lilly reluctantly added, ¡°And... *sigh*, and say he not want disappoint me.¡±
Sue couldn¡¯t help but to let out a quiet ¡®aww¡¯ at that, smiling down at Bluegrass¡ªonly to see him still staring expectantly up at the leafy dancer. She wasn¡¯t sure what else he wanted from her, but he was clearly waiting for something more. He hissed again, as if reminding her of that last untranslated detail¡ªuntil finally, she relented. ¡°He say he not want disappoint me *grumble grumble*¡±
Now that made more sense as being something Lilly would be flustered about. And, it also made Sue more appreciative of Bluegrass¡¯s good taste¡ªbecause hell yeah, he was right, Lilly was amazing. ¡°He¡¯s very right about that!¡± Sue grinned, leaning forward in her seat. Each new shade of green on Lilly¡¯s cheeks only made Sue¡¯s amusement grow¡ªand her heart swell. Sue wasn¡¯t immune to the mutual fluster either, her cheeks burning bright red at the exchange, much of her warmth towards her girlfriend ending up reflected on her. It was soothing, it was lovely¡ªit even helped Lilly run even faster, soon finally catching up to the very front of the convoy.
Sue fully expected the builders to be individually carrying the most out of everyone, but the sheer difference in scale still took her aback. Granite led the group, with one of his upper arms helping carry a hefty stone block, and the other three each holding multiple thin logs¡¯ worth of timber. If his steady pace was anything to go by, he wasn¡¯t even close to breaking a sweat at the load, with his only worry being not accidentally dropping anything because of an itchy nose. The larger of the two bipedal rhinos, Bedrock, was also carrying a bunch of timber. In his case, though, most of it straddled the cart behind him, its frame only barely holding underneath the many logs.
The rest of the builder team weren¡¯t as fitted to carry tons of cargo, but that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t trying to help in their own ways. Chisel, the red, metallic insect, had several large sacks tied all over her body. The occasional puffs of white powder that escaped from them gave their contents away as most likely either lime or cement. Hoff, the spiky pangolin, didn¡¯t have the stature to do even that, which left the lighter, but no less important, items. Even with enough strength to cleave trees in half and put up homes with their bare hands, tools were important as ever, and Hoff was carrying more than enough for Newmoon¡ªboth for now, and likely for years to come. Multiple hammers, picks, trowels, saws, rulers, and levels. There were even dozens of nails tied awkwardly together and to her back, as well as a couple of sticks of chalk and charcoal each, tucked between her claws or behind her ears.
Daisy was mostly preoccupied with balancing the other end of the stone block Granite was carrying, as well as paying attention to the path ahead in case they needed to detour anywhere. Or, more realistically, take down a tree or two to carve out a path wide enough for themselves. Her awareness wasn¡¯t limited to what lay ahead of them, either. Her low growl alerted the rest of the group to someone catching up behind them, and once they all made out who it was, they erupted in cheers that pierced the surrounding silence¡ªmuch to Sue¡¯s fluster.
Oh, come on, I don¡¯t have to be greeted like that...
Torn between wanting to be polite and not wanting to draw even more attention to herself, Sue settled on returning their greeting with a timid wave, acknowledging them without appearing open to chit-chat. To her relief, the builders reacted how she was hoping they would, focusing on walking as opposed to chatting her up. The tons of cargo shared between them may have influenced that, too¡ªas did the growing shade around them, brought on by the thickening woods. They had to be getting closer, but how close exactly Sue had no idea.
Though... there was someone around who did. ¡°Sparkie? How close do you think we are?¡±
Sue¡¯s words made the fiery kit jump¡ªnot because she got scared, but because she had almost dozed off by that point. Spark blinked with her big eyes as she came to, huddling closer to her friends as she processed her big friend¡¯s words. Once she did, she froze and looked up, the darkness of this particular stretch of the woods familiar to her. That familiarity didn¡¯t extend to this specific spot, as she soon explained. ¡°U-uhh, we¡ª*yaaaawn*¡ªwe¡¯re close now, I think. Not sure how close exactly, though.¡±
The first point made sense, but not the latter. ¡°I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d be quite familiar with this place,¡± Sue mused.
Spark knew better than to freak out at her visits to Newmoon being brought up so casually¡ªthings were good now and nobody would be mad at her for doing so¡ªbut them being acknowledged still left her uneasy. ¡°I almost never used the path,¡± she woofed quietly, laying flat on Sue¡¯s lap. ¡°I was scared of anyone at all seeing me, and usually took a path through the trees while just staying close to the path.¡±
That made sense, and netted the lil¡¯ fox a lot more affection in advance, whenever she wished to receive it. She definitely wasn¡¯t saying no to Sue and Bluegrass¡¯s continued touch, her fur being gently played with staving off the annoying aching all over her body that only seemed to grow with each passing hour. If it was up to her, she¡¯d spend the rest of the day like this with Pollux and others coming to her instead. But, alas, no such mercy¡ª
*caw, CAW!*
The piercing sound coming from further ahead made everyone jump, especially as it was followed up on by the panicked flapping of wings, carrying its source away. Sue recognized the cawing, recalling the night kin bird from her first visit in Newmoon¡ªand she wasn¡¯t the only one. The builders stopped, and Lilly followed soon after, unrest and uncertainty growing between them by the moment.
Something wasn¡¯t adding up. Sue asked, ¡°What did they say?¡±
¡°Rainfall said ¡®they¡¯re coming¡¯, and¡ª*ouch*¡ªand everyone else is talking about what to do next...¡± Spark whispered, huddling closer to the Forest Guardian.
The group¡¯s apprehension was understandable, especially with Newmoon not having a reason to think their presence here would be for any good reason. The non-zero chance they were all walking into a trap wasn¡¯t lost on Sue. Though, she heavily doubted said chance had fewer than four zeros after the decimal point. If nothing else, if Newmoon really was waiting for them with a trap, Rainfall wouldn¡¯t have cawed like that to announce their approach. Now, something like preparing for a battle was... much, much more plausible, though Sue hoped beyond hope it would not come to that¡ªand not just because she and others would be caught in the crossfire.
The group might¡¯ve been uncertain what to do now, but there was someone who was. And, with the caws echoing through the woods, she took it as her cue to catch up with the front of the convoy. Her Teleport sent a shockwave through the surrounding area, one Sue only perceived with her sixth sense. She watched as the older Forest Guardian approached the builders after having suddenly appeared nearby, letting her psychics recover while chatting with the builders using her physical voice. Ultimately, there were few specifics to be discussed¡ªjust reassurance to keep going forward.
Granite and his team didn¡¯t have to be told twice. The gray four-arms got them moving again with a single command, and Lilly followed close afterwards, similarly on edge. Sue expected Solstice to fall behind and walk alongside her for the rest of the way to Newmoon. Instead, the Mayor stayed at the front, choosing to lead them all personally, no matter what would happen next.
The path was barely wide enough for Bedrock to fit his cart-ful of logs through it, forcing almost everyone to walk single file. Tension only grew with each passing step as hope combined with worry, both for themselves and for the hamlet ahead of them. They were coming bearing good news and even better offerings¡ªbut would it be enough? Would it be too late? Only one way to know, and they were marching full steam ahead towards it.
And just a few minutes later, they had finally cleared the last corner between them and the loosely delineated town, and slowed down. Newmoon may have been much too small to have exact borders most of the time, but at that moment, the line in the sand separating it from the world was very real¡ªand very much guarded. Almost every adult Sue had seen in her first visit to the town stood there, their fierce stares not flinching even as they saw Moonview¡¯s forces draw closer. The message was very clear: they weren¡¯t going anywhere.
Thankfully for them, they wouldn¡¯t have to.
Solstice signaled for the group to stop with a gesture, putting a few hundred feet between them and the denizens of the night kin town. Spark and Bluegrass climbed on top of the cart to get a better view as the entire clearing was shrouded in thick, suffocating silence. Not even the Mayor was certain of what to do next, mind spinning as worry threatened to take control over it again¡ªbefore stopping, forcibly gripped by her own psychics. There was only one thing left to do, which she then did, taking one step ahead of the stopped convoy, and then another. She breathed heavily as she approached Newmoon, churning through what to say, how to even potentially sum up everything that had happened in the past few days.
Behind her, Sue examined everyone she could make out from the distance¡ªGinger, Alastor, Heather, Thorns. Juniper was nowhere to be seen¡ª
And neither was Daystar.
Sue remembered the lanky biped¡¯s tree climbing antics from her previous visit in the night kin settlement, eyes immediately jumping between the surrounding trees in search of her distinctive coloring. It ended up being the glint of her forehead gem that gave her away; in a spot Sue was certain she¡¯d examined several times before. She was up on the tree closest to Solstice, posed as if ready to pounce.
Or scout.
Daystar¡¯s call had nowhere near the carrying power as Rainfall¡¯s caw, but its effect on its intended recipients wasn¡¯t any smaller because of that. Sue watched as the wall guarding Newmoon shuddered and reeled, several faint gasps echoing through the silence. Sue¡¯s heart hammered as she watched Solstice look over her shoulder and beckon them all closer as she resumed her march with a pep in her step.
She watched Ginger be the one to approach them in return, while Heather inched backwards further into Newmoon with their every step. She watched as Daystar leaped and climbed along the trees, getting close enough to examine not just what the builders had brought with themselves, but their cart too, gasping quietly once she¡¯d spotted Sue.
She watched as one particular icy performer finally dared to peek out from behind Alastor, shock spreading over her expression as the reality of the situation sank in.
Just a few minutes later, their convoy had stopped again¡ªand this time, because it had reached its destination. Not even Ginger¡¯s relaxed attitude could diminish the sheer shock on his expression as he eyed them all, and especially after he¡¯d spotted the cart behind them come into view¡ªand then the next, and the next, much of the convoy hurrying to catch up to the front. And yet, no words had yet been exchanged, for nobody had any idea what to say in response to something like this.
Ginger gave it his best shot, with Solstice¡¯s quick intervention extending her translation to Sue. ¡°¡ªell, hello there, everyone. It¡¯s... certainly been a while. Am I right in assuming that all¡ªall that is for us?¡±
¡°^Indeed,^¡± Solstice answered, her tone equal parts affirmative and disbelieving. ¡°^We figured a more material show of support would only be appropriate, now that we¡ªwe undid the banishment of the night kin.^¡±
That revelation was comparatively less surprising than the tons upon tons of resources being brought before them, but it didn¡¯t mean it had any less of an impact. Some gasped, some stared in awe, some even smiled, in defiance of their jaded expectations of how they would¡¯ve reacted to something like this. Some even cried, especially Snowdrop as she floated closer, her freezing tears flowing down her limbless body. The emotions were building inside everyone, and not even most builders could avoid shedding a tear. Or a hundred.
The growing crowd watched as Granite carefully lowered his cargo onto the ground, the block of stone included, before approaching his long-time friend. Their reunion wasn¡¯t anywhere near as exaggerated as back in Moonview, limited to just a single, drawn-out handshake, but it wasn¡¯t any less emotional because of it. Daystar could only stare at what felt like half of the town she was convinced would remain their enemy forever, still processing the sight even as she climbed down and rejoined her friends.
Snowdrop wasted no time floating over to her, crying out in a haunted, elated voice the moment she¡¯d wrapped her arms around her. ¡°I-it happened, it really happened!¡± she wailed, voice catching as if unsure whether it wanted to cry or laugh.
Daystar... smiled. ¡°Y-yeah, it did, Snowy.¡±
¡°It really, really did...¡±
Chapter 36: Penumbra
The most awkward part of tearful reunions comes immediately after the tears.
As emotional as the meeting of the two villages was, the practical concerns of several dozen cartload¡¯s worth of gifts took over Newmoon¡¯s attention soon after. That didn¡¯t mean there was no talking or especially no affection¡ªthere was, even if not as much as there could have been¡ªbut that it had to take a back seat for the time being.
For the most part, everyone involved was entirely okay with that. Even excluding any malicious reasons, many visitors from Moonview didn¡¯t end up exchanging more than a handful of words with the other village. For some, it was because they were still unsure what to say after all that had happened; for others, it was a caring impulse that didn¡¯t want to overwhelm the already-rattled denizens of Newmoon. Some others still just... didn¡¯t know enough to say anything about anyone here. Sue didn¡¯t need to be a local to tell that Moonview had grown a fair bit over the past few years, and they would see the other village as simply strangers. Strangers more than deserving of a charitable act, absolutely, but strangers all the same.
As the Forest Guardian soon realized, Lilly was a part of that group as well. After Sue had gotten off the cart, Ginger asked the leafy dancer to take the cart full of berries further into the village, where it still sat. Once she was done, though, she¡ªand Bluegrass, after he had emerged from their fruity cargo¡ªdashed right back over to Sue, her sudden skittishness downright palpable for the psychic. Could¡¯ve been the leftover tension in the air, could¡¯ve been the unfamiliar territory. Could¡¯ve been something else altogether.
With a nudge, Sue guided them both and Spark further into the settlement, both to have a quieter spot to themselves and to get away from the main thoroughfare. She considered bringing up what her friend was feeling right away, before deciding against it. Partly because she was already doing a good job getting a gradual grip on herself, going over what Sue had told her after the drunken celebrations a few days ago. Partly because the place was loud, and Sue really didn¡¯t feel like trying to raise her voice over the din just to be heard.
Which left waiting until others were done, and that much they could absolutely do¡ªSpark?
Sue blinked after only seeing grassy dirt in the spot the lil¡¯ fox had been just moments prior. She looked around and caught just the tip of her yellow-red tail as it slunk behind some nearby bushes, stirring concern in her. It only lasted for about a second before both her psychic senses and the ears caught up, though. The former was keen to inform her that the vixen felt no less relieved than they did, mixed with an infectious dose of excitement.
The latter confirmed her hunch that Pollux, for all his stealthiness, didn¡¯t seem to be aware of the concept of keeping his voice down.
Before long, the grassy serpent¡¯s worries had calmed down enough to let him at least curl up behind the other two and wait out the rush. With just her and Lilly left to their own devices, the Forest Guardian scooted half a step closer towards the planty dancer, joining her in watching goods be unloaded onto basically every non-muddy flat surface in sight, rooftops not excluded. She hoped it wouldn¡¯t end up raining, and evidently so did the builders¡ªexcept they were both capable and very willing to do something as a precaution. Ginger included once more.
If nothing else, it was amusing watching them cut an entire thin log into quarters in less than a minute, before using each split part as a stake and attaching one of the large canvasses the convoy had brought with itself to them. The resulting... sunshade was scuffed even by Newmoon¡¯s standards, but like most other things here, it would be likely reused for something else down the line. Sue had the slightest tingle of an idea that the builders only did all this to have an excuse to do something together after all these years. Especially considering Ginger¡¯s unusually energetic sawing.
Good for them either way.
As they went through a hyper-accelerated team(re)building exercise, the rest of the convoy slowly trickled in. Once everyone was done with their cargo, they mostly followed Sue¡¯s footsteps and began chatting amongst themselves off to the side. Some others, acting either out of benevolence or impatience, helped those trying to catch up move their items faster. A handful dared walk into Newmoon proper and have a look around. Solstice, in particular, was keeping the entire process under control, calling everyone individually while psychicing cargo around to the extent her mind allowed her to.
Newmoon¡¯s residents helped wherever they could, but the extent to which they could even do so was... limited. There¡¯s only so fast anyone can pull a cart or carry a bundle of bricks¡ªespecially with many of them magically levitating through the air on their own as is¡ªand the unpaved road the convoy had used was already only barely wide enough to accommodate their largest carts. For the most part, everyone willing to help did so on the back end, preemptively sorting the received items amongst themselves or deciding where they should be stored.
That accounted for most of the locals, but not all.
Heather was nowhere to be seen, which Sue couldn¡¯t blame her for at all. Not with how overwhelming dealing with even one person¡¯s emotions had been for her. Alastor¡¯s absence was more puzzling. Though, with the disguises Sue had seen him use with her very own eyes, it was entirely possible that he was helping and just didn¡¯t want so many eyes being placed on him. For a second, Sue thought those were the only two locals unaccounted for¡ªone murderous owl aside¡ªbut soon enough she remembered the third, one she¡¯d only ever seen briefly before.
She recalled back to when she woke up here after Juniper¡¯s attack and saw the massive black furry creature known as Jasper reaching his hand towards her, as if trying to touch her. At the time, she was just weirded out. There was too much, much too much going on for her to focus on him specifically. In hindsight, though, she couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for him. Did he, like Solstice before him, see his daughter in her at that moment? Was that why he was hiding even now, once the best possible news have arrived? Because bundled alongside them was someone he once loved but which had betrayed him, and someone to similar to Aurora?
The thought stung, even if nowhere near as fiercely as yesterday. It wasn¡¯t pleasant, no, but at least it wasn¡¯t crippling this time. She wouldn¡¯t let those fears, those ceaseless thoughts of comparison, take her down. Not today.
Pretty please with a bow on top.
Sue couldn¡¯t deny feeling bad after Ginger noticed her standing there like a dummy and brought over a log for her and Lilly to sit on, but her legs certainly appreciated the gesture.
She had no way of knowing how much time had passed by the time most of the unloading was done. Could¡¯ve been an hour, could¡¯ve been two. Either way, more than enough rest for everyone who needed any. Especially for most of the rest of the convoy. Once the first person¡ªHigh Tide¡ªfound it in herself to overcome the crowd¡¯s inertia and start heading home after unloading her share of the cargo, others began to follow soon after. Some left on their own, some in small groups, none of them seeming to mind the long path back home. Some others still needed a while, catching their breath or napping on the forest floor or even having meals they¡¯d brought with themselves. A handful even stayed for a while longer. Not for anything social, but so that they could take the empty carts back to Moonview with themselves once all of them were unloaded.
Some others, though, set out to enjoy their visit, and got to chatting.
Lilly had been growing calmer this entire time, much to Sue¡¯s relief, but her heart hadn¡¯t calmed down all the way yet. Not for a lack of trying either, especially if her holding Sue¡¯s hand and resting her head on her shoulder were any signs. Something told Sue that those were certainly signs of something, but alas; she was illiterate in Moonview¡¯s language. And too flustered to acknowledge what her built-in emotional translator has been trying to tell her. Never a good combination, that one.
Sue considered bringing up the topic of her nerves after she¡¯d reestablished the link with her, but suffered from the perennial issue of not knowing what to say. She doubted she could say anything about the folks of Newmoon that Lilly hadn¡¯t already figured out. All she could really offer was reassurance as her friend¡¯s mind churned through the murk at its own pace.
She couldn¡¯t do much, but that at least was very much within her ability. She held Lilly¡¯s leafy hand that bit closer and leaned her head over hers. The planty dancer probably didn¡¯t even have a heart that could swell in the first place, but Sue had felt it do so anyway.
¡°Thank, Sue,¡± Lilly said softly, breaking the silence.
¡°You¡¯re welcome, Lilly. You know I¡¯m here if you wanna talk, right?¡± Sue meant that reassurance in all the ways it could conceivably be interpreted in, but it didn¡¯t take long for her friend to home in on the intended meaning.
She shuddered at that, making Sue scoot that bit closer. ¡°Nervous, I.¡±
Sue nodded firmly at that, thinking back to their chat before they left for Newmoon. If anything, she would¡¯ve expected the worst of Lilly¡¯s feelings to have hit before the journey began. Though, she supposed it was one thing to think about being here, and another to actually find yourself here, in the territory of people you¡¯ve only ever heard being referred to as enemies. Either way, she was here for her, and Lilly appreciated it more than her words could express, but firmly within Sue¡¯s ability to perceive.
Wanting to extend her affection, Sue reached in to swap the hand Lilly was holding, freeing the one closer to her friend. She then wrapped it around her and pulled her in as close as her feeble physique could manage, pressing most of their torsos together.
The air smelled nice.
¡°I understand the nerves, heh. I was really nervous earlier too, and have been slowly calming down now. Can¡¯t imagine you¡¯ve ever heard anything nice about Newmoon while living in Moonview,¡± Sue whispered.
Lilly was almost too preoccupied to listen to what her crush was saying, but she caught onto Sue¡¯s words just in time to not miss their gist. ¡°True, it. Always danger hear. Want trust, I.¡±
¡°And I¡¯m sure you will in time!¡± Sue beamed. ¡°I know that ¡®don¡¯t worry about it¡¯ isn¡¯t very good advice, but I¡¯m sure that feeling will go away with exposure sooner rather than later.¡±
¡°Hope that, I.¡±
Lilly meant her words, but Sue couldn¡¯t help but pick up on some of the associated thoughts not exactly being directed towards the subject of their discussion. Before she could figure out the cause, Lilly let go of her hand with one of her own, and reflected her gesture back to her, pulling her in closer while almost breaking her ribcage.
I¡¯m surprised at how nice this feels.
¡°Much thank, Sue. Happy... happy here you,¡± Lilly murmured, her voice unusually dreamy.
There was one particularly likely reason for that, and it was one Sue¡¯s thinking did a pristine loop-de-loop around, almost managing to completely evade it. At least, before her thumping heart forced her there anyway, growing her smile three sizes. ¡°I-I¡¯m happy you¡¯re here, too! I¡¯m glad I can be with you here, a-and that I can share all this with you, and...¡±
Sue froze for a second, heart racing as she considered all her options. The most direct admission of what she was fully realizing deep inside her felt much, much too blunt and uncertain to go for. Not because Lilly would react badly to it, but because she would the next time her worries about ending up back on Earth inevitably sprouted up. They were already difficult to manage regarding what would happen to Lilly, even with her only thinking of the dancer as a friend or a crush at most. Anything more would be as heartbreaking as when these same thoughts veered towards Joy and Twinkle.
At least, that¡¯s what she feared. She neither had the time nor space to investigate these worries right now, though, forcing her to heed them. And so, instead of any direct admission either Lilly or her own psyche could hold her accountable for, she responded with a kiss on the nearest petal of Lilly¡¯s head flower. The awareness of the dishonesty of her thought process may have dulled a fair bit of her enthusiasm from moments prior, but her feelings remained the same.
Lilly squealed, and it was the most beautiful sound in the world.
It also made Sue¡¯s heart skip a beat before her thinking and sixth sense caught up, showering her with high definition emotional warmth from her crush. Just like before, the plant girl was about to return the gesture in kind and then some¡ªbut before she could start peppering Sue¡¯s cheek, nearby woofs caught their attention.
Spark was looking confusedly up at them, and she wasn¡¯t alone in that. Behind her, the small gray pup Sue recognized from her last visit here but didn¡¯t remember the name of was acting much the same, tilting their little head one way and the other. Pollux, on the other hand, had a much better idea of the shenanigans taking place, keeping his giggling as quiet as he could.
Lilly didn¡¯t act on either of the kids¡¯ reactions¡ªbut the appearance of one of them jogged her memory. ¡°H-hey!¡± she pointed at Pollux, ¡°Remember you, I!¡±
Sue had no idea how she expected Pollux to react to that, but audible disappointment wasn¡¯t it. His vocalizations sounded exasperated in a way she had no idea woofs and barks even could sound. Whatever he¡¯d said, everyone else found it amusing. Including one particular grassy serpent waking up from his nap and peeking at the rest of the group from behind the log Sue and Lilly sat on.
¡°What? Why¡ªoooo hide try, you? Not know when hide you, but remember in trees you. Together others! Here too they?¡±
Pollux¡¯s expression deflated with Lilly¡¯s every word¡ªand so did her nerves, to Sue¡¯s relief. Her final question had both foxes woof out similar calls towards the surrounding treeline, no doubt calling for the rest of the makeshift friend group. Instead of either Thistle or the crow the convoy had heard earlier, though, it was Daystar that responded to them from a nearby gathering. Judging by the mild surprise Spark had felt in response, it seemed to be an explanation for their absence.
A hunch that lived for around a few hundred milliseconds before Lilly outright confirmed it. ¡°Not around? Hope back soon, they.¡± She thought back to her recollection of the times she spotted the dark prankster fox, flicking the tips of her arms together in what Sue guessed was an equivalent of cracking her fingers. ¡°One black bird, one small pink?¡±
Two guesses, two hits, confirmed eagerly by Spark and Pollux alike. The third member of their little trio was more interested in cozying up to Sue¡¯s legs than participating in the conversation. She briefly wondered whether he was just more... feral than the other two in his mannerisms. The thought that filled her with more than a little worry, before she thought back to the last time she saw him, revealing a much more likely cause.
Might¡¯ve looked like a scary wolf pup, but the emphasis here was definitely on the ¡®pup¡¯ part. He¡¯d felt significantly younger than even the other kids. Not quite at Comet¡¯s level, but closer to that or Joy than to Pollux.
Together with the confirmation of Lilly¡¯s hunches, the two older kids had also passed along the names of the two absentees. ¡°Rainfall, Thistle? Good know! You?¡± she asked, pointing at Pollux. ¡°Pollux! Star name?¡±
The dark-colored fox tilted his head at Lilly¡¯s guess, mumbling under his breath. She paid it no mind, shifting her attention to the gray pup and asking for their name in turn, before confirming it as ¡°Howl¡±. She was satisfied at that, but Pollux sure wasn¡¯t¡ªand just a couple of woofed out words stirred Lilly into repaying him in kind. ¡°Oh! Lilly I! Sue she! Bluegrass he!¡±
The introductions were appreciated, already known, and surprising respectively, with the entire group getting caught off guard by the lil¡¯ snake being pointed out¡ªhim most of all. He froze at all the attention with a few nervous hisses, before trying to scoot himself out of view, behind the log his company sat on.
Only for Lilly to pick him with all the grace she was capable of and place him in view of everyone, just a couple of feet away. ¡°Hi say to Bluegrass!¡± The chorus of greetings that followed had the planty reptile almost melt, but it was adorable enough that even Sue added to it, even if only Lilly understood her. She wasn¡¯t the only unexpected voice to join in on it. A very recognizable caw coming from above caught their shared attention. ¡°Rainfall you! Hi!¡±
By now, Sue was giggling at the antics going on around her, appreciating them much more than the nervousness that preceded them, but less than the fleeting intimacy. Surely there had to have been a way for her to get her hands on more of the latter, even if not now...
¡°^How are you all holding up?^¡± Solstice interrupted her pupil¡¯s pondering, snagging the group¡¯s entire attention.
She wasn¡¯t alone, and her company was amusing enough to even distract Bluegrass away from his own embarrassment. Seeing Ginger walk beside her was just about expected, what with them being de facto heads of their respective settlements. Seeing him be carried beside her was a slightly different matter, but one the technicolor lizard himself wasn¡¯t objecting to in the slightest. Could¡¯ve been because he was non-confrontational and somewhat lazy, could¡¯ve been that Poppy¡¯s arms were just that comfortable to be carried in.
One of the mysteries of the world, that¡¯s for sure.
¡°Great we, meet each other!¡± Lilly answered, her earlier trepidation almost entirely answered.
¡°Yeah! And I¡¯m learning I wasn¡¯t as good at disguising myself as I thought I was...¡± Pollux added with a pout.
Ginger angled his head to face the night kin fox before shaking it in as close to the horizontal axis as he could get. ¡°Nah. You¡¯re good at disguising, Pollux. The issue comes when you get too confident to keep disguising.¡±
¡°It gets tiring!¡±
¡°Can imagine!¡± the lizard chuckled, sending the group into reserved giggles.
¡°Sure sounds like all the more reason to keep practicin¡¯ to me!¡± Poppy added with a full body nod, inadvertently shaking Ginger¡¯s scaly mohawk like a rattle.
Pollux groaned. ¡°But I don¡¯t wanna practice, I wanna be good at it!¡±
¡°^Don¡¯t we all, Pollux,^¡± Solstice sighed. Despite her own tension, she was holding up well, even if it required obvious effort. It wasn¡¯t lost on Sue¡ªor Ginger for that matter¡ªearning her a reassuring look from both of them.
¡°How¡¯s dealing with all the stuff going?¡± Sue asked, genuinely curious.
Ginger chuckled. ¡°Well, it¡¯s on the ground and out of your hands now. Gonna be a lotta fun finding use for it all. Not to say there ain¡¯t none, but I¡¯m not sure if we got enough hands for it all.¡±
¡°^I¡¯m sure Granite and his team are itching for an excuse to come here and help you all out some more, too.^¡±
¡°Fair point. Though, if we¡¯re gonna make that idea you had about building out the path between us a reality, we¡¯ll need a bunch more hands.¡±
Solstice paused for a moment at Ginger¡¯s words before leaning back with a silent ¡®oh¡¯ and an uncertain expression. ¡°^In all honesty, I had already forgotten about that until you reminded me just now. Not that I didn¡¯t want it to happen, but¡ª^¡±
¡°No point dwelling on what¡¯s never coming?¡± The Forest Guardian flinched and nodded quietly. Ginger had neither the orientation nor elevation to pat her on her shoulder, limiting himself to the only part of her within reach¡ªher forearm. ¡°No worry, know that feeling. And that what we think is never coming has a habit of doing it, anyway. Worth to start planning it out some more once you¡¯ve got the time.¡±
As much as both Forest Guardians appreciated the lizard¡¯s words, the actual topic he was talking about caught the attention of the rest of the group¡ªand of one little fox in particular. ¡°W-wait, a new path between Moonview and Newmoon?¡± Spark asked, taken aback in the most positive way. ¡°A bigger one?¡±
Ginger nodded. ¡°Aye. Not sure how much practical difference it¡¯ll make in all honesty. If nothing else, it¡¯d tell everyone who needs to hear it they¡¯re safe on either end.¡±
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
And, as an added bonus, it¡¯ll make it impossible for any more stragglers to get lost on their way here...
The lizard¡¯s explanation took Spark aback as she turned towards Pollux, excitement filling her snout. ¡°Did you hear that, Pollux!? You won¡¯t have to hide anymore!¡±
¡°^Already don¡¯t have to,^¡± Solstice clarified. ¡°^Just that, if we ever build that new passage, it¡¯ll be a much safer path between us.^¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡ªthat¡¯s awesome!¡± Pollux yelped, his voice much more emotional than earlier; his raw emotions leaked through both it and a handful of tears. At least, before the rest of his usual facade came back, and with it a nitpick to be faux-disappointed in. ¡°Awww man, does that mean I won¡¯t be able to practice my disguises, then?¡±
¡°Ain¡¯t nobody stopping you from that if that¡¯s what ya really want.¡±
Ginger¡¯s response wasn¡¯t what the kit was expecting, but it was probably what he needed to hear. For a moment, further cheekiness flashed through his features, maw opening as if to tease them all again¡ªbefore gradually closing and nodding instead. His internal conflict wasn¡¯t missed on his best friend either, with Spark wasting no time before scooting up to him and nuzzling him along his snout. The intermittent grunts somewhat deflated the gesture, but had no chance of making it any less sweet.
Speaking of sweet, downright saccharine things. ¡°So! Heard someone might¡¯ve had a hand or two in this whole mess getting dealt with, eh?¡±
Sue¡¯s face twisted in the exact halfway point between a smile and a cringe. On one hand, being appreciated was something her soul couldn¡¯t get enough of, yearning to fill the bottomless pit inside her she¡¯d only recently finally put up a caution sign next to. On the other, said appreciation grew exponentially more stressful to experience in proportion to the number of people dispensing it, and having an entire gaggle of children gushing about her... would not go too well. Of course, speaking up to discourage Ginger away from that exact scenario would only further draw others¡¯ attention in¡ª
¡°^Quite a few people did, I¡¯d say. Here¡¯s to hoping such acts of bravery won¡¯t be required again,^¡± Solstice cut in, before glancing at Sue. The younger Forest Guardian¡¯s heart skipped a beat before relaxing at the heat being taken away from her. And then; it grew that bit warmer at the look her mentor gave her. Reassurance, a welcomed burst of confidence, but also care, warm and innocent. It felt nice to be cared for.
Moonview¡¯s Mayor¡¯s diversion was about as subtle as a swing with a Wood Hammer to the cranium, but Ginger went along with it. Both because that was what the two lanky psychics clearly wanted, and because he sure didn¡¯t feel all too capable of finding the words that would express the enormity of his gratitude. A cynical streak would¡¯ve demanded that gratitude be itself scrutinized and burned, cut down as something that shouldn¡¯t have even been there to begin with.
A cynical streak that Ginger lacked. ¡°Aye. If the worst comes to shove, you can count on us all to get over there to help however we can, too. Figure it¡¯d be much easier for, say, Thorns to tell Root to swallow his words so hard they¡¯d come out¡ª¡±
¡°Ginger~!¡± Poppy cut in, stopping herself from giggling at the graphic description out of pure willpower.
¡°Oh c¡¯mon, don¡¯t tell me the lil¡¯ ones haven¡¯t heard plenty worse than that.¡±
¡°Worse than¡ª*ow*¡ªwhat?¡± Spark asked, drawing the group¡¯s attention to the cluster of kids they were supposedly being oh-so-concerned about.
Pollux kept the flames of his barking laughter under control with deep breaths; Rainfall wrapped one of her feet around her beak to keep it shut. Others... largely just looked around and tilted their heads, the point of the discussion so far above their heads that it threatened to carve through the overhead clouds. Of the two slightly older children, Lilly was following the lil'' fox¡¯s lead, and Sue the bird¡¯s¡ªthough covering her mouth was a slightly more discreet way of going about it than pinching her lips shut.
¡°^You will know when you¡¯re older, Sparkie.^¡±
The fiery vixen groaned¡ªfirst at being treated like a child again, then at the dull ache in her forepaws. ¡°Pleeeeeease, I¡¯m not a hatchling anymore!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think your mom would like you saying these kinds of things, Spark,¡± Sue chimed in, hoping to soothe the girl¡¯s disappointment. And while the specifics of her point might¡¯ve been wholly, utterly inaccurate, the lil¡¯ fox still bought in, deflating slightly. Only for Pollux to nudge her away from the rest of the group with his tail, before pressing the tip of his snout into her ear fur and whisper something that Solstice¡¯s translation didn¡¯t cover¡ª
¡°P-Pfffttt, hahahaha¡ªbut also ewwww!¡± Spark whined, the outburst of sounds and emotion sending her into a hiccup. ¡°You made me imagine it...¡±
Pollux refused to take any blame for something he had unilaterally chosen. ¡°You wanted to know!¡±
¡°But not like that!¡±
As valiant as Poppy¡¯s effort in keeping herself quiet had been, it couldn¡¯t quite endure that. For how twinkly and high-pitched her laughter had been, it also carried surprisingly far, briefly catching the attention of everyone within earshot at how sudden it was. Lilly¡¯s only grace was that much of her highest intensity giggles had peaked beyond the hearing range of many gathered.
Not Sue, though, blessed with the sound she could only describe as a kettle going off, with its steam being piped into a dog whistle. She had a hard time imagining a cuter laugh than that, as much as it kinda hurt her ears. Capitalizing on the moment of distracting amusement, she struck her crush with a Peck on her cheek. The foul attack struck true, making Lilly¡¯s warble as if it was played on a damaged record, before it slowed down into flustered mumbling. And, seconds later, returned in kind, with the Forest Guardian faring barely any better.
Approximately four feet away from them, being constantly jerked around kinda cut into one particular lizard¡¯s enjoyment of the scene. ¡°Mind placin¡¯ me down, Poppy?¡±
The remark finally stopped the cook¡¯s bellowing expression of amusement. ¡°Awwwwwwh, haha, but I haven¡¯t gotten enough of you yet! Do I have to?¡±
¡°Would be appreciated, aye,¡± Ginger chuckled.
With the utmost of her fairy-esque grace, Poppy carefully rotated her friend the right side up before slowly lowering him onto the grass, the touchdown quiet enough to not make a sound. ¡°There ya go! Oh¡ªHazel, what¡¯s up dear?¡±
The sudden reappearance of the spooky prankster right behind her wife made Sue do a double take. If she hadn¡¯t known better, she would¡¯ve guessed that the ghost had popped right out of her partner¡¯s shadow for how well she was hidden there. Regardless of how inaccurate that idea was though, Hazel didn¡¯t look like she was up for any laughs. Her concern almost undid her unnatural smile entirely as she led Poppy away from their group.
She wasn¡¯t the only one to use that opportunity to flake off. Pollux and Spark seemed to have had enough of interacting with the grownups, taking off into the tree line. Sue expected the other kids to follow them soon after, but to her surprise, none of them did. Bluegrass remained where he was, if at substantially more ease than before¡ªnot that it was very possible for him to be any more uncomfortable than he was earlier. Rainfall had hopped to a closer branch, eying out Sue¡¯s side. With her curiosity about the crutch the last time Sue had spoken with her, she figured a reprise of that was in order, but it wasn¡¯t happening quite yet.
Howl was just kinda confused at all the action going on around him¡ªenough so to miss his older canine friends running away. But this tall plant person seemed nice, and her yellow paw-things were pleasant to rest on. Lilly didn¡¯t mind one bit, but that couldn¡¯t be said of the lil¡¯ gray pup once his impromptu relaxing spot started to wiggle underneath him in tune with a whistled melody. He scrambled back to all fours, yawned¡ªrevealing a maw-ful of teeth that somehow was even more intimidating than Joy¡¯s¡ªand looked around. ¡°Huh? Where they?¡±
¡°There ran!¡± Lilly helpfully answered, pointing into the treeline.
The wolf pup let out a low, drawn-out, disappointed growl. ¡°Not go trees alone.¡±
The dancer knew just what to do. ¡°Come with me, you!¡± she exclaimed, springing onto her feet, before leading the lil¡¯ quadruped after his playmates. Sue was of half a mind to chime in that Howl didn¡¯t even respond with any affirmation to Lilly¡¯s plan, but stayed quiet¡ªHowl had already agreed in the only way that mattered, anyway. She felt colder with her crush gone, sure, but she felt much better about it than she would¡¯ve just a few hours ago.
Having Solstice there to shine a just-as-radiant, if slightly different, warmth on her with her presence helped, too. A whole ton, even.
Using the lull in the chatter, Sue glanced up at her mentor¡ªa term that felt increasingly insufficient but which she didn¡¯t know what to replace it with¡ªand received a beaming smile in return. It was a satisfied, calm, cheerful smile. But, above all else, it was proud, and it was that trait that made Sue¡¯s heart swell once she¡¯d noticed it.
She¡¯s proud of me.
So that¡¯s how it feels.
Before the conversation could restart on any new topic, though, someone else decided to join in on it first. Someone Sue recognized much less than Solstice, but both had a hunch the exchange that would follow wouldn¡¯t be particularly... pleasant.
¡°Wouldn¡¯t have thought you¡¯d ever step a foot in here again, Solstice,¡± the segmented purple scorpion growled. Her voice was harsh, but whether that was the inherent quality of her voice or just the tone she was using, Sue couldn¡¯t quite tell.
The Mayor closed her eyes and nodded solemnly, before looking back at the night kin. ¡°^Could have very well happened, indeed. But thankfully, it didn¡¯t, Thorns.^¡±
¡°Good.¡±
The air between Thorns and Solstice remained tense, enough so for Ginger to pick up his loose skin and pivot on his paw away from the conversation¡ªand especially from being right in between the two women. The older Forest Guardian was on edge, but thankfully not afraid. This might not be pretty, but it shouldn¡¯t be miserable. ¡°^Indeed.^¡±
Thorns narrowed her eyes. ¡°What took you so long?¡± she asked, accentuating her words with the clacks of her pincers. Between her appearance, her gestures, and especially her attitude, Sue couldn¡¯t help but shimmy along her seat a bit, away from the scorpion.
Her words might not have much benefit of the doubt in them, but they deserved to be answered, regardless. ¡°^In all honesty? Bad reasons,^¡± Solstice sighed.
¡°That much was obvious.¡±
Solstice¡¯s hand clenched for just an instant before gradually relaxing to the tune of a drawn-out sigh. ¡°^I suppose. Guilt and moping, that entire nonsense.^¡± She lingered on that point, gathering her thoughts before noticing the scorpion¡¯s maw open to speak¡ªand continuing. ¡°^I know you never cared much for any of it, Thorns. It¡¯s no excuse, after all. I thought I was better than it too, once.^¡±
For once, the Mayor¡¯s words weren¡¯t immediately reacted to with snark. Thorns¡¯s eyes were still narrowed¡ªor looked narrowed at least¡ªbut she seemed willing to let her interlocutor finish her point at least.
¡°^Ultimately, what I thought I was doesn¡¯t really matter, either. I¡¯m sorry... for everything, Thorns, and that this took so long.^¡±
Each loud click of her pincers sent a tiny jolt through Sue, no matter how rhythmic they were. The voice that followed lacked some of the edge from earlier, but was still at best unpleasant for human standards. ¡°What happened, happened. I care little for apologies.¡± Her focus trailed off, gaze shifting towards the assorted groups of Moonview citizens standing around Newmoon¡¯s entrance¡ªbefore snapping back to Solstice. ¡°Apply what you learned going forward, Solstice. For the sake of all of us.¡±
Not a lesson the older Forest Guardian needed, but one she supposed she deserved¡ª
¡°And you, younger one,¡± Thorns continued, making Sue jump in her seat as her shaking eyes met the scorpion¡¯s. ¡°Become more worldly. Being startled by everything does not come off well.¡±
As much as being called out had¡ªindeed¡ªstartled Sue, the ¡®lesson¡¯ that followed swiftly burned much of that momentary fear into annoyance. Both at the scorpion being right, and at her being so forceful about it. She mumbled under her breath, ¡°Neither is being overtly blunt like this.¡±
Any fears about the scorpion reacting poorly to being hit with her own attempted lesson soon evaporated at the brief, hoarse... roar-like approximation of laughter that left Thorns at her words. ¡°Ha! Oh, that I know well. I do not care, Guardian. Someone has to say what everyone thinks. Life of an honest person is a lonely one.¡±
Something tells me that between ¡®being honest¡¯ and ¡®being an ass about it¡¯, one of those contributes much more to said loneliness than the other.
Off in the corner of Sue¡¯s vision, the corner of Solstice¡¯s mouth crept upward for just a moment before faltering again. The younger Forest Guardian didn¡¯t notice, though, summarizing her thoughts with a simple ¡°Right.¡± Whether it was meant to be approving, disapproving, mocking, or questioning, not even Sue herself was entirely sure of.
Though, something told her that Thorns stuck to one of those interpretations more than the others. ¡°Hmph,¡± she scoffed, about to snap back with something else¡ªbefore catching Solstice¡¯s expression, the Forest Guardian¡¯s own eyes staring daggers into her. To some, it would¡¯ve been a challenge. Hell, that ¡®some¡¯ even included Thorns most of the time. But not now; it wasn¡¯t worth it to make a scene over something so trite. The scorpion limited herself to returning the glare before reorienting her body with the help of her arms and skittering further away¡ªfrom the crowd and the freshly delivered cargo alike. For a moment, Sue regretted responding that way, because... well, Thorns did have a point.
But, then again, there were ways of being honest without trying to be downright combative about it. Duck knew Sue herself wasn¡¯t always capable of making use of them when she was already heated, but that was on her. Whenever she got peeved enough for the figurative gloves to come off and for her to be ¡®forced¡¯ to dispense some harsh ¡®truths¡¯ on people, nothing good tended to happen afterwards. And even in hindsight, what she said during times like that was rarely incorrect, but was often phrased in such a way as to be more hurtful than helpful.
Yeah, that was it, probably.
Maybe the difference between being ¡®honest¡¯ and the kind of ¡®brutal honesty¡¯ that was just an excuse to be an asshole was just the attitude. The latter was certainly appropriate in places, but any ¡®friends¡¯ it might¡¯ve made you tended to be the kinds of people best avoided¡ªespecially since said friends were never the actual targets of said ¡®honesty¡¯, just spectators salivating over the free popcorn. The people that would inevitably also have many, many things for any ¡®brutally honest¡¯ people to be critical about. And if said honest person did indeed speak out about them, their friends were guaranteed to flake. Not like many of them did, though. Much easier to insult people under the guise of honesty if they aren¡¯t showering you with praise about it.
Sue wasn¡¯t sure if she would¡¯ve respected them if they truly applied their honesty equally, but at the very least she would¡¯ve loathed them less. Because, in the end, ¡®brutal honesty¡¯ for its own sake was more often than not bullying wearing a terrible disguise. Honest, helpful advice could very well hurt like an absolute motherfucker, Sue knew that perfectly well, but it was the intent that mattered more than anything else. The difference between desiring to help people in the long term, even if it meant some emotional anguish at the moment, and simply desiring to hurt people.
And there were many, many out there who simply liked to hurt other people. Mostly to sate their own egos, sometimes for even more twisted reasons. If not for being so harmful, Sue would¡¯ve found them pathetic.
...
She¡¯d somehow got herself in a stray enough tangent to have overlooked Solstice having turned to watch her with increasingly less veiled amusement, leaving her bursting into a bright fluster once she came to and caught onto that. Said fluster was first strengthened by the older Forest Guardian¡¯s laughter escaping containment, but then defused moments later by Solstice ruffling her hair and rubbing her along the topmost spike on the side of her face. The latter felt weird to her human brain¡ªalmost ticklish, but not really. More so the opposite of ticklish, soothing the surrounding sensations and calming Sue down.
¡°^Apologies Sue, didn¡¯t mean to put you on the spot like that. It was... interesting, trying to keep up with your train of thought, though.^¡±
Sue chuckled nervously. ¡°Can imagine thinking of all that in terms of forums and chatrooms wasn¡¯t the most... clear example. Sorry for getting too focused like that...¡±
¡°^No, but it was interesting to decode!^¡± Solstice beamed. ¡°^And as for getting focused¡ªwhy would anything be wrong with that, Sue? Warped as my clan¡¯s morals are, thoughtfulness is a virtue even there.^¡±
¡°What about getting so distracted by a topic I forget there is a world around me?¡±
The phrasing brought a smile back to Solstice¡¯s expression. ¡°^In all honesty¡ªgenuine honesty, not the ¡®brutal¡¯ kind? It¡¯s quite adorable. Reminds me of when Comet focuses really hard on something and just stares there, transfixed. I lay out some cut berries for him to snack on when he¡¯s focused like this and not looking. Wouldn¡¯t mind doing the same for you as well, ha!^¡±
Sue wasn¡¯t sure which of these to be more flustered by, her weirdness being seen as endearing, or Solstice very explicitly suggesting showing her the same affection she showed her actual child. The latter eventually came out on top, but it was nothing if not a close matchup. Their combined force made the younger Forest Guardian briefly rival Spark in raw heat output, and even though most of her blush faded before long, the raw fondness that Solstice describing her gesture to Comet elicited... didn¡¯t. Trying to distract herself from that failed, too. No two ways about it¡ªSue wanted that, more intensely than she remembered ever wanting such relatively minor things.
And, for once, she found the strength to put it to words. ¡°I-I¡¯d really like that, yeah...¡±
Solstice knew better than to respond to Sue¡¯s whisper with words, be they spoken or telepathic. Instead, she walked up to the younger psychic¡¯s seat, sat down beside her, and¡ªstill without saying a word¡ªpulled her into a gentle side embrace, mindful of bumping their chest horns. Sue could only sit there, transfixed as her head was gently lowered onto her... onto Solstice¡¯s shoulder, before the hair ruffling from before continued, if much more gently.
¡°^I¡¯d love to do that, then!^¡±
Sue closed her eyes as Solstice¡¯s emotions washed over her, so much clearer than earlier. Affection was there, no less bright despite being expected. So was pride, much the same as before, just as genuine. But also, a desire to protect. Not out of seeing her as less capable, not because of infantilizing her, but out of¡ªout of...
...
The once-human flinched at the affection, fighting an internal war as she stared the truth dead in the eye, and yet found it so incredibly hard to accept. Not even ¡®hard¡¯, it was easy to analyze the facts, but internalizing them was a whole other matter. Everything that it implied, wonderful and harrowing alike. It was hard. It was still, after everything she¡¯d been through, after every tearful conversation she¡¯d had with Sundance, so, so fucking hard.
But, for once, possible.
And, once Sue finally acknowledged that what she felt was Solstice¡¯s love¡ªhowever full of doubt and worry itself¡ªshe could examine her own emotions closer. To see, with all the clarity she deserved, just how similarly she felt in the other direction. Every single emotion involved was messy, confusing, tangled in self-conscious worries and fears and bracing for the possible, inevitable disapproval.
And yet... Sue wanted them to become clearer. She wanted her doubts to fade away. She saw in which direction her heart was pointing, and even though the path ahead was full of more junk than her average college classmate¡¯s dorm room, she wanted to push through. She wanted to nurture her own love in return. And she was doing just that, even if it was still much too hard to even try to put into words.
If there was one advantage her current form had over her human one, though, it was that Solstice didn¡¯t have to guess any of that. Instead, she only held Sue that bit closer, her own words putting up a challenge. The will was there, the desire was there; the heart was there¡ªbut not the words. Not yet.
And so, a crude approximation had to suffice. ¡°^I really hope today goes well for you, Sue. The Pale Lady knows you deserve that and so much more. Don¡¯t hesitate to talk if you need anything.^¡± And then, after a few moments of gentle swaying to the sides, ¡°^Even this. Especially this.^¡±
Sue nodded wordlessly in return, savoring the peaceful bliss. With how Thorns had approached them just minutes earlier, a part of the younger Forest Guardian wanted to pry her eyes open again and scan the surrounding territory, to be on the lookout for any encroaching threats. Be they real, imaginary, or only of the rhetorical sort. For once, that impulse had weakened enough for Sue to forcibly suppress it. To not just sit there stiff, but to actively relax her body somewhat; to accept the safety Solstice offered her as more than just a gesture to be thankful for but not end up even considering using.
Putting trust in people was hard. She often wondered if other people found it just as difficult as she did. Not because of any ill will or distrust towards others¡ªnothing as malicious as that¡ªbut because of distrust towards... well, the world at large. Because of that creeping, omnipresent feeling that if they weren¡¯t the ones with their hands on the wheel at all times, then they would inevitably catastrophically crash. To let anyone else as much as touch that wheel, however much Sue knew she could rationally trust them...
That was even harder than coming to terms with her emotions.
To say she succeeded at doing that with Solstice would be a generous interpretation. To put it lightly. She hadn¡¯t truly let go of the wheel, but was, in that very moment, holding her hands tight on top of the Mayor¡¯s hands as they gripped the handles. It almost didn¡¯t make a difference at all. And yet, it was more of a leap than Sue recalled having ever since she realized how terrified she was of letting go of that wheel even for a second.
Hardly the most triumphant sort of progress, but progress all the same. It wouldn¡¯t end up lasting that long, either.
Not because of anything Solstice or even she had done, but because, just like earlier, company was approaching. The familiar tension returned to Sue¡¯s body as she pried her eyes open, squinting them as she eyed out the two approaching shapes. Now these two she was much, much more glad to see.
¡°You doin¡¯ alright, Sue?¡± Daystar asked, some of her usual joking tone replaced with veiled concern. Snowdrop beside her was much more overt on that latter front, worry plainly visible on her features. Sue wanted to answer, to explain the situation as... ugh. She had no idea how she could explain this, not in a way that wouldn¡¯t leave her vulnerable to ridicule and Solstice to scorn. Words raced in her head, twisting into sentences that coiled up so tightly the internal stresses broke them apart moments later.
Acting on the protection she was already giving Sue, Solstice picked up the slack, continuing to ruffle Sue¡¯s hair. ¡°^Yes Daystar, she¡¯s doing well. We were just having a heart to heart.^¡±
That¡¯s... not a bad way of describing it, huh.
Sue palpably felt Daystar¡¯s raised eyebrow at the Mayor¡¯s explanation, chiming in afterwards with an enthusiastic nod of her own. Good enough for the lanky farmer. ¡°Aighty then! Your language any better, or still mumblin¡¯ like you¡¯ve never heard of the word ¡®pitch¡¯~?¡± she asked teasingly.
Snowdrop lightly swatted her lover¡¯s arm, getting a giggle out of her. ¡°Daystar, sweetie!¡±
The challenge might¡¯ve been said in jest, but Sue wasn¡¯t the one to back down. Well, actually, scratch that¡ªshe was exactly the person to back down, but in this specific case, she thought she had enough of a chance to at least try responding with something. She reached back, all the way back to what she remembered of her first language lesson with the gray once-hunter. It might¡¯ve been just a few words, but her memory was never exemplary when it came to things she actually cared about, leaving her hoping to Duck, Night Father, or whichever other assortment of celestial godheads was watching, that she would recall the one word she was after.
Miraculously, she did. She perked up, leaning away from Solstice and taking a deep breath¡ª¡°~Kkkhhhhhhyyyy?y?y?y?y?y?y?y?y?y?y?y?y?y?y?a?a?a?a?a?a?.~¡± If she remembered right, that should¡¯ve been a ¡®no¡¯.
To her immediate regret, her single... utterance response threw everyone else for a loop as they struggled to parse it. Daystar, predictably, cracked it first. ¡°¡®No¡¯, eh? Yeah, that tracks.¡± It was only her saying it out loud¡ªletting Sue confirm that the word indeed was something in the vein of ¡°~Ky?a?~¡± like she recalled¡ªthat made the other two women realize that this drawn-out noise was supposed to be a word in their language.
Solstice was simultaneously proud of Sue for trying and baffled that it was possible for anyone to get that word this badly.
Daystar wasn¡¯t done yet, though. ¡°Ya should really pester someone to help ya with it. It¡¯ll pay off and then some.¡±
Hardly news to Sue. ¡°Yeah, I¡ªI know, Daystar, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just that the past... while has been quite hectic. I haven¡¯t had the time to ask for language lessons.¡±
¡°Hectic?¡± the vertically gifted weasel asked incredulously. ¡°How so?¡±
Where do I even begin.
Less than an hour after they had their last lesson, Sue was assaulted by a deranged owl, then was carried back to Moonview and could only watch as a religious monument was accidentally destroyed. Then she had to keep a grip on herself to avoid her thoughts steering toward the nearest noose, lashed out at one child, and ended up finding another. Then there was the mishap with her hair, having to shout down a genocidal dickweasel, a therapy session, being confronted by yet another asshole deity, and¡ªand then Solanum! And Nightbane! And another breakdown! And holy shit!
Even beyond not having time for language lessons, the hectic-ness of the time Sue had been in Moonview made it hard to realize just how much had happened to her¡ªand how much she had accomplished. The latter brought some warm confidence, but the former made her eyes go wide. She wasn¡¯t just going through a lot, she¡¯d been launched into this world with no warning before being welded onto a rollercoaster ride and given a dull hatchet to clear the foliage from it while she was riding it.
In hindsight, Sue was baffled at how well she¡¯d managed to hold herself together through it all. Maybe she really was more resilient than she gave herself credit for. Either way, thinking about that could wait for later.
Because ultimately, there was exactly one way to put it all in words. ¡°Where do I even begin...¡±
Chapter 37: Phantasm
Even when abbreviated, the recollection of everything that had happened within just the past few days was enough to make Daystar¡¯s eyes go wide.
There was, of course, the sheer quantity of the events, the confrontations against the most rotten individuals Sue had the misfortune of encountering in this world. But perhaps even more impressive was the clear emotional impact it all had left on the Forest Guardian. Even the stuff she¡¯d avoided digging into too much had obviously affected her. Taking in a little one as your own was already taxing enough¡ªtriply so in such uncertain times.
The mentions of the ghostly child drew gasps and ¡®aww¡¯s from the rest of their little group, especially Snowdrop. Which then became gasps at the revelation that they were a ghost of sorts, and then fiercely held-in sobs as Sue described more of who they were. The icy performer¡¯s partner took the news in with a bit more distance, but not even she could resist the sadness at finding out about Twinkle¡¯s past. Especially with her own past having likely contributed to at least a few stories like that.
Sue was uncertain what would Snowdrop¡¯s reaction be to her bringing up Lilly, what with her having clearly tried to hit on her earlier. To her relief, it was nothing but positive. And incredibly amusing, but that was more so for Daystar. She snickered, ¡°Wouldya look at that Snowy¡ªwho knows, maybe your attempts with them tied their fates together~?¡±
The suggestion was clearly said in jest, but it burned Snowdrop¡¯s cheeks no less intensely, melting the thin layer of frost built up on her face. ¡°I¡ªwhy¡ªDaystar!¡± she accused, too flustered to continue.
¡°Present~!¡± the weasel giggled back as she leaned in, arm wrapped tight around her girlfriend.
Solstice¡¯s attempts to subdue her amusement at the pair¡¯s antics were going much better than Sue¡¯s, that¡¯s for sure. The latter¡¯s soft, hiccupy laugh was enough to redirect the couple¡¯s attention back onto herself. ¡°Oh-uh, sorry¡ª¡±
¡°You have nothing to be sorry about, Sue!¡± Snowdrop reassured, yellow-blue eyes more lit up than the Forest Guardian had ever seen them before.
And right beside her, the stretched weasel grew curious about one part of Sue¡¯s recollection in particular. ¡°Now I¡¯m wonderin¡¯ what kinda ¡®argument¡¯ ya got into when checking up on Sunny,¡± she remarked¡ªbefore hiding her smirk at seeing the Forest Guardian¡¯s eyes go wide at that. ¡°You ain¡¯t striking me as an argumentative type, is all¡ªwas it Willow? Figured they¡¯d blurt out something nasty for the occasion...¡±
Guess their beliefs aren¡¯t a secret for anyone but myself...
Hearing the pink healer be so offhandedly accused with something like that stung, especially when only the green and cream snake still curled up nearby was as much as taken aback at the idea. It stung to feel like a dumbass, like she was the exact last person to realize the character of the person who had likely saved her life¡ªthe character she was still so incredibly conflicted on. As was the healer themselves, to the best of her ability to piece together.
Ultimately, whether there was something more to them like she hoped for or not, it didn¡¯t matter¡ªbecause they weren¡¯t the culprit here. And the actual answer was, somehow, even more uncomfortable to talk about. She almost didn¡¯t want to discuss the topic at all, especially not with Solstice within earshot. But, she also felt like she had to, specifically because Solstice was around. After all, if she got her undue affection and¡ªand love earlier from her, got more goodness than she¡¯d ever expected or deserved, wouldn¡¯t it only be fair to her mentor to know the full extent of just who she was, for good or ill?
It made all the sense in the world to her self-loathing, at least. Said emotion wasn¡¯t missed out on others, either. Even beyond its intensity being almost physical for the older Forest Guardian, the couple they were talking to picked up on her faltering expression. Daystar had almost found it within herself to go against her teasing nature and nudge Sue away from pursuing the topic further¡ªbut she was just slightly too late. ¡°It¡¯s...¡± Sue began, her gaze sinking to the grassy dirt beneath her. ¡°Northeast. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve met her, Daystar¡ª¡±
¡°Haven¡¯t had the pleasure yet~.¡±
¡°¡ªright. She¡¯s a healer in training, I think. She and Orchid were looking after Sundance while she was out, and they were there when I checked up on her. She asked me about what had happened, which is fine, but then just kept prying into details I had no idea about and I just... snapped,¡± Sue shuddered. ¡°Shouted at her and told her off, and I¡¯ve been feeling awful about it since.¡±
There we go, the ugly truth is out. Now she can hate¡ª
¡°^That sounds like a rough situation for everyone involved,^¡± Solstice gently commented as she wrapped her arm around Sue. There was concern in her voice in mind, clear as day¡ªand so was the fact that said emotion was aimed primarily at her pupil. ¡°^I can¡¯t imagine you acting like that otherwise.^¡±
¡°Yeah no kiddin¡¯. Not sure what the big issue is though,¡± Daystar chuckled, ¡°me and birdbrain used to shout at each other like that every other day and things were fine until she¡ª*ow*¡ªhey!¡±
As nonchalant as the weasel was about the whole situation, her girlfriend was aware of the need for a more tactful response, interrupting her with a spray of fresh, Powdery Snow to the face. ¡°What she meant to say was,¡± Snowdrop began, elbowing Daystar right as she was about to cut in again, ¡°was that it¡¯s hard to imagine someone so affectionate doing something like that without a good reason.¡±
¡°I wish,¡± Sue mumbled in response. ¡°It was just frustration, I think. Frustration and anger that built up until they had nowhere to go but out. That kind of thing happens a lot with me, *sigh*. The worst part is that I haven¡¯t apologized yet; that¡¯s what feels really awful about all this.¡±
¡°When did this happen again?¡± Daystar asked, undeterred by her other half¡¯s intervention.
¡°A couple of days ago. I¡¯ve run into her a few times since is the thing¡ª¡±
¡°*Pfffffft*,¡± the weasel snorted, ¡°I¡¯ve held grudges for much dumber stuff for much longer and things always worked ou¡ªHEY!¡± she cried out after taking a second, much larger dose of fresh, freezing snow to her face.
¡°Please be more tactful sweetie...¡± Snowdrop half whispered, half hissed in Daystar¡¯s direction. It was just about the loudest whisper Sue had ever heard¡ªonly to be immediately dethroned in that category.
¡°She¡¯s just overthinkin¡¯ this badly, c¡¯mon...¡±
Sue had no idea how seriously she ought to take the... ¡®advice¡¯ presented, but figured it at least deserved a chance. Especially since it did make her laugh at how blunt and direct it was, contrasting immensely with her earlier conversations about this exact issue with Daisy and Sundance. And the thing was¡ªit wasn¡¯t wrong, either. She was overthinking this by any logical metric. She absolutely wasn¡¯t a stranger to much dumber arguments that lasted much longer before they inevitably resolved themselves nicely, and by the next week nobody involved had even remembered them. Said arguments taking place online as opposed to in person certainly had an impact, but if anything, it only made the reconciliation harder, not easier.
Because, as she had a decent grasp on by now, telling Northeast off wasn¡¯t really the issue here. It was born of insecurities long past, mental injuries that left no external scars yet turned gangrenous all the same. It all came down to how she worried she¡¯d be perceived for it, especially compared to the person whose spot in Moonview she was inevitably sliding towards.
The Mayor had an arm wrapped around her and was pulling her close, the turbulent mess inside her pupil¡¯s head taking her aback. She froze for a second as the big picture came together and the extent of Sue¡¯s panicking internal comparisons to Aurora finally hit her. Close and affectionate as she was earlier, it was still scary to see it being reflected back at her, to see plainly what her words would only let her express indirectly.
To see just how afraid Sue was of disrespecting her daughter¡¯s memory. Because that exact same fear gripped Solstice, too.
She already had plans for it, to act on Sundance¡¯s suggestion and make a conscious effort to let Aurora rest in her mind. To free her from being invoked as a tool of her own mother¡¯s self-flagellation. It wouldn¡¯t be easy, that much was clear¡ªbut to make any active effort in that direction would be more than she had done since that tragic day combined. Aurora deserved it. She deserved it. Sue deserved it, too.
Just like she deserved to be reassured about this situation. ¡°^Sue?^¡± Solstice whispered mentally, holding the younger psychic closer after feeling her subsequent shudder. ¡°^I think I know why this situation brought and still brings you so much worry.^¡± Sue looked up at her from their impromptu side embrace, finding just barely enough courage within herself for her gaze to be more hopeful than afraid. ¡°^Neither I nor Aurora would ever hold a situation like this against you, Sue. It¡¯s an unfortunate mistake, but one that I know you can fix. I believe in you, and so would she.^¡±
The direct reassurance rattled Sue¡¯s shaky spirit, but there were still things unsaid¡ªthings that deserved to finally be said. ¡°^I know you¡¯ve been comparing yourself to her, using her memory as a cudgel to beat yourself over with. I¡ªI know, because I¡¯m no different. The guilt is still there, however well I manage it.^¡±
Sue cut in, her whisper barely audible, ¡°B-but you¡¯ve been trying your best¡ª¡±
¡°^And so have you, Sue. I don¡¯t doubt that even for a second. You¡¯ve been trying so, so hard, and¡ªand I¡¯m proud of you, deeply proud.^¡±
Despite having already felt that pride earlier, a direct admission like that brought on a whole new intensity to Sue¡¯s emotions, many of them of the tearful variety. For once, for just a second, not even the full awareness of what she¡¯d done to Northeast could knock her off balance, the brief glimpse of freedom from insecurity filling her with strength. As well as her tear ducts with moisture, but that she had plenty of experience in managing¡ª
¡°You two doin¡¯ alright?¡± Daystar chimed in, eyebrow raised high after having spent the last few minutes watching the two psychics hold each other in almost total silence. Not that she minded one bit, but seeing tears creep into the picture made her decide to check in on them, just to be safe.
Which was appreciated. ¡°^Yes, yes, apologies Daystar. You could say it¡¯s an emotionally charged topic for us two,^¡± Solstice explained, taking the attention away from her pupil.
¡°Northeast?¡± Snowdrop sheepishly asked.
It must look so weird on the outside when we¡¯re psychically talking like this.
The Mayor chuckled weakly, calming herself down while at it. ¡°^No, not her specifically, though I do feel bad for her somewhat.^¡±
Daystar¡¯s eyebrow remained raised high. ¡°What else, then?¡±
Sue answered between deep breaths, each of them helping her regain composure. ¡°Y-you could say just confronting our mistakes in general¡ª¡±
¡°Aye, don¡¯t I know whatcha mean, heh¡ªno Snowy, wait!¡± Daystar cut in yet again, before preempting her girlfriend from trying to shush her. Said girlfriend was giving her an unamused look, with a dimly growing snowball having materialized in one of her ear-hands when Sue wasn¡¯t looking. For her own and the Forest Guardians¡¯ sake, the stretched weasel had nothing snarky to say this time. If anything, it was the one area where she could empathize much more than usual, her expression growing much more genuine. ¡°If there¡¯s any lesson I¡¯ve been tryin¡¯ to learn ever since I left my old huntin¡¯ grounds, it¡¯s that no voice that constantly reminds you of your mistakes is your friend. Remember that, both of ya.¡±
The impromptu lesson wasn¡¯t expected, but both Sue and Solstice tried to take it to heart. Neither they nor Daystar were na?ve enough to hope for it being ¡®the¡¯ trick to finally defeating their insecurities, but it didn¡¯t have to be. It was just one tool of many, one voice of a chorus filling their heads. And they added up, especially for preventing any further emotional spirals.
¡°Thank you,¡± Sue answered, meaning that fully.
¡°Ya more than welcome, Sue~.¡± Daystar followed her words with a decently good approximation of a bow. She was about to continue before a loud, hissed growl filled the clearing, catching her attention. And only hers, it seemed, with the surrounding chatter barely noticing the sound. ¡°What?¡± the weasel shouted back, with her intended recipient becoming obvious once the younger Forest Guardian executed the advanced maneuver of looking around her. And, once Ginger was finished shouting his response, Daystar continued, ¡°Move it over to the orchard path! I¡¯ll be there in a minute!¡±
Watching Ginger and half the builder team lift the cartful of seeds before moving it to the specified spot sounded like an absolute riot. A riot which, to her unending horror, Sue and the rest of the group were then spared from. ¡°A-an orchard?¡± a quiet, hissed voice spoke up from nearby.
Bluegrass speaking up at all was an act of immense enthusiasm on his end, mighty enough to overcome the pressure of drawing the entire group¡¯s attention to him. Which was exactly what happened less than a second later. His composure strained, but ultimately held, helped somewhat by Ingraining himself in the ground to not let him run away that easily. Not this time, not from someone who did what he did, but away from home. Something he was so, so curious about.
Daystar, on her end, raised a single eyebrow. ¡°Yup. We have a bunch of trees close to our clearing, and a few small plots of grain and vegetables elsewhere.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t know you grew food here, too,¡± the snake sheepishly admitted.
And I thought I used to be sheltered.
Of the chuckles that went through the group afterwards, only Solstice had any luck containing hers. The tall weasel¡¯s one was by far the loudest, but also the most clearly amused instead of mocking. That latter aspect was reserved for her eyeroll, stealthily obscured from Bluegrass¡¯ point of view. ¡°Can¡¯t imagine not doing so, frankly, hah. ¡®Course it¡¯s not as easy as over in Moonview. Only Juniper has the ability to speed up the progress here, and even before she had her tantrum, she was much more eager to spend her days being angry at everyone and everythin¡¯ rather than lift a wing and help us build somethin¡¯ here.¡±
Sue was not surprised in the slightest at that remark¡ªand neither was Solstice. The same was also true for Bluegrass himself, but for an entirely different reason; one left unvocalized as he idly nodded at Daystar.
She put the pieces together soon after. ¡°Right¡ªyou¡¯ve no clue who Juniper even is, eh?¡±
¡°N-not at all!¡± the snake answered cheerfully.
¡°^Probably for the best,^¡± the Mayor psychically mumbled.
¡°Was about to say, you ain¡¯t missing out on much, kiddo. But¡ªabout our paltry attempts at farming. It¡¯s been quite rough going at times, especially in the winters. Thank the Night Father that Ginger knew how to preserve food. If not for him, then... bad things would¡¯ve happened the first year after we got exiled,¡± Daystar shuddered. She then added, seeing the curiosity blooming on the snake¡¯s snout, ¡°The kind of things neither I want to talk about, nor you want to listen to, kiddo.¡±
Bluegrass blinked. ¡°But I¡ª¡±
¡°Nah. You really, really don¡¯t,¡± the weasel reiterated, the long claws of her intact hand scraping against one another. The point of her comment¡ªincluding her gesture¡ªwent squarely over the head of the lil¡¯ cheerful farmhand, but she didn¡¯t let that get to her. Because he sure didn¡¯t, either.
¡°O-okay. Where¡¯d you find the seeds then?¡± the snake asked instead. Sue listened in, wondering if there was some secret technique to figuring out which plants were okay to eat in the wild¡ª
¡°All over the place, really. We foraged a bunch and planted the seeds, that much was trivial. Beyond that, Ginger and Jasper had a good grasp on what¡¯s edible out here, saved our hides a bunch of times.¡±
The secret technique: ask a guy that knows.
¡°Thankfully, not a concern anymore¡ªespecially with all the seeds you all brought here,¡± Daystar chuckled. ¡°Our few plots are gonna have more food than they know what to do with.¡±
¡°Wh-why not expand your farm, then?¡± Bluegrass shyly suggested.
The weasel shot him a raised eyebrow, but the question was worth answering. ¡°Why would we? We¡¯ve got enough as is, plus every plant more we grow is another plant someone has to look after. I¡¯m doing my best, as are all of us; don¡¯t doubt that one bit, but I only got so much in me. I suppose having this help will let us stop foraging altogether now¡ªat least for a while.¡±
Her first objection got the snake thinking¡ªand arriving nowhere. ¡°Oh. Mr. Root is always talking about expanding our farms and the rest of Moonview. I assumed that was just the obvious thing to do...¡±
Most of the gathered adults were incapable of coming up with a response that wouldn¡¯t involve some untoward vocabulary, expressing their distaste for the priest with a frown. Snowdrop wasn¡¯t burdened with a filthy mouth, however, letting her respond with only slightly strained voice, ¡°He certainly talks about a lot of things with unfounded confidence...¡±
¡°Couldn¡¯t have said it better myself,¡± Daystar blatantly lied. ¡°Best not listen to him, kiddo. Our farm could maybe stand to be a touch larger, but we¡¯ll figure it out.¡±
¡°Could I help?¡± Bluegrass suggested immediately, arousing profound confusion.
¡°How would you help without living here?¡± the icy performer calmly asked, first to break through the awkward silence that followed.
As timid as her words were, the hole they punched in the farmhand¡¯s enthusiasm deflated him fast. ¡°I¡ªI could try coming over! B-but it is pretty far, I... aww.¡±
¡°^Your enthusiasm is appreciated, Bluegrass, but I don¡¯t doubt Newmoon can figure this one out themselves,^¡± Solstice chimed in, lifting his spirits up, and getting a satisfied nod from Daystar.
Still, the boy wanted to help however he could, even if it wasn¡¯t through direct, physical assistance. ¡°I remember Mr. Equinox suggested offerings to farming deities in the past. Maybe you can try that?¡±
The comment grew a different reaction from everyone gathered, though most of them stemmed from the central emotion of confusion. ¡°...farming deities?¡± Sue shyly asked, curious more than everything¡ªbefore noticing the slight unease in her mentor¡¯s mind.
Said unease wasted little time before turning into words. ¡°^I... haven¡¯t heard of that before, admittedly,^¡± Solstice awkwardly commented.
¡°Mr. Equinox doesn¡¯t talk about it anymore because Mr. Root gets angry when he does!¡± Bluegrass cheerfully added.
Yep, that explains it, thought everyone.
¡°I¡¯m not particularly surprised at that,¡± Snowdrop put words to their collective thoughts.
¡°Oh, that gives me an idea for an offering alright,¡± Daystar sneered. ¡°Make a puppet of Root and set it on fire; let that be a tribute to whoever¡¯s watching. Especially the Ever-Blooming, won¡¯t ever hurt to have that one look more kindly on us.¡±
Annoyingly for Sue, the name didn¡¯t immediately correspond to any divine presence she¡¯d seen or heard of before in this world. A question sprung to her mind, already building up in her throat, before nearby cawed words cut in first. ¡°Oooo, we could make that!¡± they excitedly chirped, just as Sue finished looking over her shoulder. Yep, the crow¡ªRainfall¡ªwas still there, still watching.
Godspeed, brave bird.
She wasn¡¯t the only one in that regard, but the other surprised soul was unsure of what to say. Solstice felt like she should¡¯ve nipped that entire idea in the bud for being a decent bit over the line. Yes, Root was a horrible person whose actions had influenced the tragedy the two villages were just beginning to heal from, he had bigoted¡ªor sometimes even genocidal¡ªambitions, and his thoughts aimed towards her were always sleazy, when they weren¡¯t outright seething. What was she thinking again?
¡°I¡¯ll be the damn last person to stop ya, Rainy,¡± Daystar chuckled dryly. It was all the encouragement the night kin bird needed, taking off towards where the freshly brought supplies were being stored and sorted. Bluegrass was confused about the change in topic, and more than a bit uncomfortable at the idea of puppets of anyone alive being set on fire. But he was also very, very curious now, eagerly following Rainfall.
And then there were four, the thinning of the group represented by a comforting moment of silence. At least, external silence. The mention of deities earlier remained a topic Sue wanted to latch onto. Both to satisfy her momentary curiosity, and to let her pry into a topic she hadn¡¯t had many opportunities to ask about before. At least, not without revealing more of her hand than she was comfortable with. She stretched her legs, walking just a couple steps further away from Solstice to avoid getting her thoughts glimpsed, and asked, ¡°What was that farming deity you mentioned, Daystar?¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°Ever-Blooming?¡± the weasel asked, uncertain at the source of Sue¡¯s confusion. Once the Forest Guardian answered with a firm nod, she continued, ¡°I mean, that¡¯s one of the names I¡¯ve heard thrown around when I still lived in Moonview? Admittedly, I never paid too much attention, I¡¯m comfortable with just the Dark Lord in my heart, but the Ever-Blooming is supposed to be a grateful sort, and edible crops are said to be Its gifts to mortal creatures, given without any expectation of repayment, or even worship. It doesn¡¯t sound half bad, now that I said all that out loud, huh.¡±
There was exactly one candidate for who ¡®Dark Lord¡¯ might¡¯ve been referencing, but it was still some impressively unfortunate wording. Or, well, at least it was to Sue¡¯s ears. It probably didn¡¯t carry anywhere near the same connotations in Moonview¡¯s language. Sue hoped. That aside, Daystar¡¯s explanation made sense, even if it wasn¡¯t all that helpful. Something to pester Sundance about once Sue had the chance to.
And now, she could ask about the entity she really wanted to know more about. ¡°It really does, yeah. On that topic, do you know much about the deity called Justice?¡± Sue asked, switching the topic with the inconspicuous elegance of a garbage truck. To her relief, most of the gathered group had no reason to interpret the question as anything but innocent curiosity. And the one person who very much had said reason didn¡¯t immediately act on it, choosing to give Sue a knowing, yet puzzled, look for the time being.
Snowdrop spoke up first, dainty ear-hand brushing her purple... chin. ¡°The name does ring a bell, but it certainly is a small, quiet one. I imagine Sundance would know leagues more than either of us.¡±
¡°No kiddin¡¯,¡± Daystar added. ¡°It¡¯s the ¡®Judicious¡¯ one, right? Odd one to bring up all of a sudden¡ªgot a grievance with Fate, Sue, eh?¡±
You have no idea.
Before Sue could verbally respond to the question, a loud, hissed call pierced the din of Newmoon¡¯s clearing again, making Daystar roll her eyes as she spun on her heel towards its source. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m coming, I¡¯m coming!¡± she shouted back. Unfortunate, but Sue doubted she would¡¯ve gotten any more tidbits of useful information out of the weasel, even if she stayed for a few hours longer¡ª
¡°One last thing¡ªhope ya take learning the language more seriously goin¡¯ forward, Sue. Can¡¯t always rely on psychics, after all,¡± the weasel reminded, shot her a wink, and headed out. The Forest Guardian appreciated the comment not being chiding in nature, but still couldn¡¯t help but groan at the workload such a task would demand. Her fried, scattered neurons already had a hard time keeping themselves together after everything that had happened so far, and now she also had to focus on learning things she couldn¡¯t immediately relegate to muscle memory? The injustice of it all.
Then again, it would be more helpful than just about anything else she could work on here, except for maybe her psychics. If she ever managed to miraculously stumble upon a fresh treasure trove of this heavenly material known as ¡®downtime¡¯¡ªand had any energy remaining by that point¡ªshe would consider practicing with someone. Beyond not excluding the night kin in her communication, talking would also be less draining on her psychics. Being able to communicate with people without going through that annoying spiel with her hands every time would sure be very appreciated..
¡°I mean, I¡¯ll try,¡± Sue mumbled to herself, Daystar long since gone. ¡°Maybe Lilly could be my practice partner? That¡¯d, heheh, that¡¯d provide some motivation...¡± The bright blush that took over her face at the idea was unplanned for, but no less pleasant because of it.
Solstice had her doubts about the leafy dancer being the best person to learn the language from. Though, she guessed that as long as they were still covering the basics, Lilly¡¯s disability shouldn¡¯t make learning that much harder for Sue.
Snowdrop, however, was much more focused on how much Sue obviously enjoyed her idea. ¡°Awww~¡± she cooed, flustering the younger Forest Guardian even more. While Sue tried not to burn to death in embarrassment, however, a realization hit her with the grace of a ton of bricks, reminding her about the icy performer having gone missing from Moonview before today. The much less amusing topic worked wonders in sobering her up, though finding the right words to ask Snowdrop remained tricky.
No way but a direct question, Sue figured. ¡°Actually, Snowdrop, I had a question for you.¡± Her sky-blue eyes went wide at that, what passed for warmth thawing the tips of her ice horns. Sue had to admit her imagination was... lively. Her... fantasy? fear? hunch? that Sue was about to ask her out was so vivid even the once-human could pick up on it. Thankfully¡ªor alas¡ªnone of that. ¡°A few people were worried that they haven¡¯t seen you in a while. How come you were already here when we arrived?¡± Sue asked, trying to not make a big deal out of it. Regardless of her attempt, however, the topic was a big deal, and Snowdrop reacted appropriately, huddling closer and looking away in embarrassment.
Sue cringed, wishing she had a life-sized ¡®undo¡¯ button on hand. She didn¡¯t want to panic and make things worse, but wasn¡¯t sure what else she could do to clear up the situation¡ª
¡°Ah, it¡¯s...¡± Snowdrop began, gathering all the courage she had to look Sue in the eye. ¡°After Juniper had done what¡ªwhat she did, I had lost all hope that I could ever be together with Daystar. At least, if I were to stay in Moonview. Between doing so with nobody to keep me company, and living here in harsher conditions, but with her by my side... I knew what I preferred.¡±
Her answer made all the sense in the world. It also brought on a sad, comforting smile from Sue, together with a desire to comfort her however she could. And, right beside these two, it rekindled some of the earlier pride she¡¯d felt soon after she¡¯d shouted Root down on that fateful evening, letting her feel its warmth for that bit longer. Even beside the obvious factor of having done a Good Deed, trademark and copyright, she had also helped people out in far more material and immediate ways. It felt nice. She wanted to feel like this.
Just like she wanted to help Snowdrop, still clearly rattled by her question. ¡°That¡¯s very understandable,¡± Sue answered with a smile. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t ever dream of holding that against you. I remember how... doomed everything felt. D-do you want me to pass it on to anyone who asks in Moonview?¡± Her question got a soft, relieved smile in return from both the floating lady and the Forest Guardian behind her.
The former even nodded firmly¡ªbefore cutting herself off. ¡°Actually, if¡ªif things are okay now... I could tell them that myself! W-with Daystar! She¡¯ll be able to come visit, r-right, Solstice!?¡± Snowdrop excitedly asked¡ªand beamed after the affirmative answer moments later. ¡°Eeeee... I-I¡¯ve got so much to show her!¡±
Her excitement was downright electric, but not even it could entirely cover up the anxiety that had caused her to run away days earlier. The heady mix of two feelings left her shaking as she floated in midair, in the superposition of relief and stress. Sue sure didn¡¯t know any emotion algebra, let alone how to disentangle a state like that¡ªbut she had a decent idea of something that could help. It was awkward to think of, let alone suggest out loud, but she felt just bold enough to go for it, motivated to help her friend.
¡°Care for a hug?¡±
Sue didn¡¯t have to ask twice. Snowdrop was predictably cold to the touch, but also nowhere near as much as Sue feared she would end up being. A part of her expected her to be so freezing she would hurt to the touch, or even leave her with frostbite¡ªbut no, she was just cold, be it pleasant or not. Just had to avoid any contact between the floating ice creature and her horns, though, as evidenced by the startled jump that went through her at the smallest brush. Ditto the other way around, but with Snowdrop¡¯s horns¡ªthese were painfully cold.
And yet, even despite that, Sue still felt warmer afterwards, her spirit bolstered at being able to help someone in such a direct and immediate way¡ª
*GASP!*
The sound froze Sue and double-froze Snowdrop, their combined attention jumping towards its source. Lilly was there, staring at them in a state of shock so pure that even her normally hidden mouth was visibly open. The Forest Guardian¡¯s mind wasted no time suggesting the worst possible outcomes of being seen with Snowdrop like that, anything from her crush feeling rejected or like she was cheating on her, to getting so angry she would¡ª*squeak!*
It was surprisingly hard to keep catastrophizing after having most of her air squeezed out of her lungs.
¡°Snowdrop, there you!¡± Lilly triumphantly exclaimed, twirling in place on one heel as she lifted both Sue and Snowdrop in the air, holding them tight. The extra dose of vertigo on top of Sue¡¯s already present overstimulation helped little, but the radiant joy that accompanied it had a powerful, and immediate, effect. ¡°Much afraid, I, Equinox! Glad glad good you, I!¡±
¡°I¡ªyes, thank you Lilly!¡± Snowdrop giggled once her own mind caught up to what had just happened¡ªand then to the state of the person who had embraced her first. ¡°I-I don¡¯t think Sue can breathe like this¡ª¡± Before she could even finish her sentence, Lilly got the message, instantly letting go of both women and backing off half a step. Sue staggered backwards as she took a deep, heady inhale, shaking hands rubbing along a few particularly cold spots on her front.
¡°Sorry Sue, I!¡± Lilly shouted apologetically, taking a couple of steps closer to see if her girlfriend was okay.
Her worries weren¡¯t missed on either Forest Guardian, but only the older one was in the state to talk at all. Solstice reassured her, ¡°^Don¡¯t worry Lilly, Sue¡¯s just getting her bearings again, she wasn¡¯t hurt.^¡±
¡°Thank, thank...¡± the dancer mumbled in relief, scooting closer to Sue again and offering her support. Sue didn¡¯t have to lean on her; she¡¯d recovered enough by that point to stand again, only her head spun a bit. She sure as hell wasn¡¯t about to refuse it, though¡ªnot in a million years.
With the sudden moment defused, the only sound left to comment on the scene was Snowdrop¡¯s amused, relieved giggles. Sue wasn¡¯t rushing to say or do anything, not when she could take her sweet time leaning on her crush for as long as she wanted to, the two swaying in a moment of calm, silent bliss. The arm wrapped around Lilly¡¯s shoulders reached up, shyly stroking her cheek. Much to her delight, no less, expressed in as gentle a wiggling as the farmhand could manage.
The calm scene couldn¡¯t last forever, though. For once, instead of any external influence disrupting the momentary bliss, the impulse came from the inside. Or, to be more specific, from the older Forest Guardian. She was looking at the nearby crowd when something¡ªsomeone¡ªcaught her attention, sprinkling her thoughts with growing unease. Sue didn¡¯t even have to look at who that was to guess their identity, with a quick glance confirming her hunch.
Regardless of where he¡¯d been earlier, Jasper was showing himself this time. He was shyly discussing something with the planty medic, Orchid, next to the gathered medical supplies. He was larger than Sue remembered, certainly the largest villager living in Newmoon, and he looked just as disheveled as Sue remembered him. Pitch black hair shifted one way and the other, disrupting his silhouette to the point of being difficult to look at. And yet, Solstice felt she had to. Sue felt she had to, too. Regardless of his weird gesture towards her the other day, she wanted to know more about him.
I want to know more about Aurora¡¯s dad.
After a couple pats on Lilly¡¯s arm, Sue straightened herself back out and took a deep breath. Without saying another word, she pushed through her doubt and approached Jasper. Her crush followed close behind, more out of curiosity and wanting to keep her company than anything.
The night kin creature didn¡¯t notice her at first, only getting clued into her presence there when Orchid turned to look at her. As monstrous as his face was, it wasn¡¯t hard to see the shock written all over it at seeing her, making both him and Sue take half a step away from each other. It was only at that point that Sue realized the in-hindsight-obvious issue of translation she was about to run into, mentally kicking herself over it.
At least, before Orchid spoke up¡ªand Sue understood her words. ¡°Greetings Sue, Lilly, darlings, pleasure to see you both here. How has your leg been, Sue?¡±
Sue blinked in confusion before the pieces fell together. She glanced over her shoulder, back at Solstice, and got a nervous wink in response. Still a wink, though, reassuring the younger Forest Guardian as she turned back to the medic. ¡°It¡¯s been healing well, thank you. Don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve seen her here, but¡ª¡±
¡°Ah yes, Snowdrop has been bonding close with her darling Daystar~. Not a pairing I would¡¯ve guessed, but good for her, by the Pale Lady, good for her!¡± Orchid mused, sounding like she¡¯d had anywhere from one to a dozen drinks beforehand. Sue didn¡¯t disagree, of course, but her attention was firmly away from either that topic or the medic¡¯s remarks about it.
¡°Oh, pardon me, don¡¯t think I¡¯ve introduced her yet,¡± the medic continued, noticing the Forest Guardian¡¯s attention shifting away from her. ¡°Jasper, this is Sue.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve met before,¡± Sue hurriedly added, getting the tiniest of surprised gasps out of the living bouquet. Jasper was about to say almost the exact same thing, and definitely appreciated someone freeing him from the burden of talking, at least this once.
¡°Oooooh, I see~,¡± Orchid enigmatically fibbed. ¡°Well then, don¡¯t let me hold you two up,¡± she then chuckled, before making her way away, leaving just the somewhat baffled pair and Lilly to chat among themselves.
Now I really hope I don¡¯t come off as the kind of girl to go after divorcees.
Even with that awkward introduction over, Sue and Jasper could only anxiously look in the other¡¯s direction for a while, the words refusing to come. The Forest Guardian had no idea what to say, now that she finally had a chance to talk with him, and the night kin... didn¡¯t know how to phrase his part. The words spun inside his mind, the individual hairs around his head frizzling out in a mess of contradictory inputs and thoughts. Ultimately, the gist of what he wanted, no¡ªneeded to say was straightforward, and it was better to just go with it, perfect wording or not.
¡°H-hello, Sue. I-it¡¯s good to¡ªto see you again,¡± Jasper stammered, his powerful growl of a voice betrayed by this uncertain, palpably worried tone. Sue was about to respond, but kept herself from speaking¡ªhe wasn¡¯t done yet. He continued, ¡°I-I must apologize a-about what had happened th-the other day, wh-when you woke up. I-it was uncouth of me, a-and I apologize f-for the discomfort th-that must¡¯ve brought you.¡±
Lilly shifted ever so slightly closer to her girlfriend at there being some kind of history between Jasper and Sue, but didn¡¯t act or speak out otherwise. Sue herself appreciated the words greatly, glad to be able to finally bury that unfortunate incident. ¡°It¡¯s nice to¡ªto meet you, Jasper. And it¡¯s okay, promise,¡± she gave the most confident smile she could force out of herself.
As much as she wanted to get over the incident, it was apparent that the furry night kin himself wasn¡¯t. ¡°No no, I-I really sh-shouldn¡¯t have done that, it was j-just wrong, I-I don¡¯t know wh-what came over me, I¡¯m s-so sorry¡ª¡±
¡°It¡¯s because I looked like Aurora, right?¡±
The words slipped out of Sue¡¯s mouth almost subconsciously, bringing both of them to an utter standstill. She watched as he stared at her with eyes so wide his anatomy wouldn¡¯t let them get any wider; maw left agape. Worry and regret filled her mind; a few tears coalesced within the corners of his eyes before finally bearing fruit that flowed down his green skin and sharp fangs. It was horror. It was misery.
It was understanding, more than anything else. ¡°Th-that¡¯s true, yes...¡± Jasper finally admitted, growls so quiet they barely came out of his voice box. His posture shrank, fur curled up tighter, eyes desperately searched for anything to focus on except the Forest Guardian before him¡ª
¡°I understand,¡± Sue insisted, calm and empathetic. ¡°I-I really do. I know what¡ªwhat had happened, and I don¡¯t want to hold something as small as that against you. And, besides,¡± she let out a mirthless chuckle, ¡°you were hardly the only one that let my resemblance to Aurora do something you regretted.¡± The allusion wasn¡¯t missed on the night kin, his gaze first furrowing in confusion, before jumping all the way over to Solstice, almost at the other end of the clearing. Sue wasn¡¯t sure whether the two actually ended up locking eyes, but there certainly was understanding between them.
¡°I-I see. That¡¯s, that¡¯s very understanding from you, S-Sue. I r-really appreciate it.¡±
As strained as his voice still was, Sue¡¯s explanation really did melt through much of that earlier, suffocating fear. He was still uneasy, but frankly, so was she¡ªand the only way to help with that was to get to know each other some more. Though maybe while avoiding the topic of Aurora herself for the time being. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Sue smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve been curious about you for a while, admittedly.¡±
Jasper chuckled embarrassedly, fur shifting towards a spot on the back of his head. ¡°Oh, h-heh¡ªthere¡¯s scarcely a-anything interesting about me. Just a-a humble wannabe healer. I-If anything, I¡¯m q-quite curious about you now, Sue¡ªif th-that¡¯s alright a-and you¡¯re okay with me asking¡ª¡±
¡°Of course! Go right ahead.¡± She meant it with every fiber of her being¡ªuntil one of the said fibers reminded her that there were some questions she couldn¡¯t answer in anything even resembling honesty.
Such as, for example, the question that followed. ¡°I¡¯m a-admittedly surprised t-to see another Forest G-Guardian here. O-or rather, a Forest Guardian that wouldn¡¯t want to turn me into a trophy,¡± he joked, draining whatever blood remained in Sue¡¯s face. ¡°N-now I¡¯m curious. Where did you wind up here from?¡±
Once she¡¯d gotten past something as morbid as that being used as an off-the-cuff joke, the once-human dug into her memories for the excuse story Solstice gave her back when they first met. It already felt sketchy then, but now, in hindsight, it was downright laughable, leaving Sue to hope that Jasper wouldn¡¯t want to dig into it too much. ¡°I-it¡¯s a long story, y¡¯know. I was r-really really bad with psychics when I was little, and my people ended up tossing me out. But I survived, and now that I¡¯ve met Solstice, I can finally learn how to control m-my psychics and all that.¡±
He didn¡¯t buy a word of that, did he.
As meek and shy as he came off earlier, the doubtful look Jasper gave Sue after she¡¯d delivered her answer chilled her to the core. He wasn¡¯t aggressive about it or anything; it wasn¡¯t hostility; it was just... he knew she wasn¡¯t saying the truth. Of course he knew, her story was laughable at best. And yet, even though he could say with confidence that Sue wasn¡¯t being honest with him, he couldn¡¯t figure out why. She was obviously treating him like a person, she wasn¡¯t even struggling with the same leftover unease from her upbringing as Solstice had when they first met. She couldn¡¯t have been trying to hide something shameful like that.
But if not that, then... what? Why else would she come up with this laughable story? Jasper was stumped, the kind of stumped that would normally have him do a quick prayer for guidance, but he figured it wasn¡¯t necessary here. Both because the last thing he wanted to do was to cause a scene by making Sue¡¯s lie a big deal, and because, to some extent, he didn¡¯t want to know either. It must¡¯ve been even worse than the obvious answer, clearly, and while he¡¯d gotten better about handling the sight of blood, he only had so much endurance when listening to stories of atrocities.
He put on a mock smile before trying to change the subject. ¡°Th-that¡¯s interesting. Either way¡ªI h-hope you¡¯ve been enjoying s-staying in Moonview!¡±
Sue let out a breath she wasn¡¯t even consciously aware she was holding. Partly out of relief at not being seen through, partly because of the squeeze Lilly pulled her into afterwards, not knowing nearly enough to doubt her fake backstory. Jasper¡¯s words, even that relief aside, piqued her interest. She wouldn¡¯t have ever expected to hear the town being spoken of in such a tone by anyone that had been exiled from it. ¡°Y-yeah, I have! I¡ªI haven¡¯t been here for long, but I¡¯m already quite fond of it,¡± Sue mused, only now realizing just how much she meant her words.
Jasper was taken aback. ¡°R-really? I-I mean¡ªyou only showed up r-recently? Of course I¡¯m glad you¡¯re enjoying s-staying there, p-probably with Solstice, b-but with how you showed up here a-a few days ago I¡ªI¡¯d assumed you¡¯ve b-been living there for a good while and maybe only just learned o-of our history or something...¡±
That was another hole in Sue¡¯s story¡ªand this time, it was one not even she had any conceivable answers for. She¡¯d acknowledged earlier just how much of a rush she¡¯d been through over the past week or so, but to have someone else pick up on it, and from so little information at that, was something else altogether. To some extent, it didn¡¯t even feel like a chaotic, random Fate anymore¡ªit was as if she was being hurriedly guided along to some preordained Destiny.
Maybe. She could¡¯ve been just losing it from the frenzy of it all. Either way, she really, really hoped nothing uniquely terrible would happen tomorrow, nothing ground shattering, nothing that left her shook to the core again. She needed some time to breathe. Good gods, did she need it.
¡°Admittedly, it was a really spur-of-the-moment choice on my end, e-especially with that crutch, heh,¡± Sue chuckled dryly, hoping to undermine the blatant and confusing reality. ¡°E-either way, I¡¯m here now, and I¡¯m definitely planning to stay for long!¡± Her confidence was about as solid as spoiled yogurt, but Jasper thankfully interpreted it as her being shy.
He gave smiling his best shot and came up short. ¡°I-I¡¯m glad to hear! Th-thoughtful people l-like you make any place b-better.¡±
Sue had almost mentally tripped over the compliment, cutting her off for a moment. Instead of trying to cram it into her unwilling mind, either now or later, she instead did the more appropriately avoidant move of side-stepping the words altogether, and pretending they weren¡¯t there. After all, she still had a couple of questions. ¡°Y-yeah. I-I¡¯m quite curious, though¡ªwouldn¡¯t have guessed anyone here would talk about Moonview in such a... warm way after what had happened.¡±
She was under no pretenses that this would be a serious, downright grim topic¡ªand she was right. Jasper¡¯s posture deflated, but thankfully, he maintained some composure this time. ¡°I-I¡¯m not blaming you. People here were, m-maybe some still are, quite a-angry, and I d-d-don¡¯t blame them at all. I could n-never feel that, personally. It hurt, a-and even hurts now a bit still, b-but... it was still my h-home for the longest time. I-I hope it can be again.¡±
It was a very heartfelt admission, and Sue was of half a mind to offer Jasper what she¡¯d offered Snowdrop earlier. She decided against it, though. For as nice as it was, there were still some things unsaid there. ¡°I hope so too,¡± Sue beamed. ¡°I guess I just expected you to be... more angry at people that exiled you all.¡± Was that prejudiced to say? Sue really hoped it wasn¡¯t prejudiced to say.
Just like she hoped that the dry, pained chuckle she got in return wasn¡¯t a harbinger of anything bad. ¡°Th-the only person I¡¯m a-angry at f-for all that is m-myself. If I hadn¡¯t b-been a coward, if I had¡ªhadn¡¯t¡ªI¡ª¡± he tried to explain, only for his emotions to get an upper hand before he could even try to wrest them back under control. He clenched his eyes shut, one furry hand reaching up to shield his face. Even his sobs sounded like growls, and Lilly instinctively backed a half step away.
But not Sue. She knew where the sight before her lead, just how many knock-on effects that crushing inward pain had. She wanted to do something, anything, about it. Even if she was unlikely to prevent something like what had happened to her specifically because of her dad, nobody deserved to bear such pain, such guilt¡ªand especially not someone who was a victim in all of this.
She wasn¡¯t sure where the resolve that had filled her had come from, but she wasn¡¯t about to hide it. Without flinching, she took a step forward, and grasped Jasper¡¯s free hand with her own. His fur was thick and somewhat coarse, but surprisingly dry and clean to the touch, a far cry from its shiny look. The limb underneath all the fluff was thin and angular, the three-fingered hand underneath it eerily similar to her own.
Jasper¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he stared at her through parted fingers, stunned at being offered any touch in distress like this. The only thing more shocking than that were the words that followed, as confident as Sue was capable of in the heat of the moment. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Jasper. N-none of what happened is your fault. You did everything you could back then, that much I¡¯m certain of.¡±
He¡¯d heard all that before, from many voices. His mind had gotten quite decent at filtering all that reassurance out over time, always finding one reason or another to undermine what the other person had actually said. In time, the conditions for such words to be actually accepted had narrowed down to where the only person he would conceivably listen to and internalize what they¡¯d said was long since dead.
Sue wasn¡¯t Aurora. Of course she wasn¡¯t, and thinking like that would only ever lead to terrible things happening. And yet, at that moment, when he looked at the unkempt, messed up Forest Guardian in front of her, he saw his daughter again. Just for a single blink, the briefest of glimpses of the future that could¡¯ve been¡ªand yet, it was enough to get through to him, to dent that barrier the scar on his soul had built around itself. He was unsure how to feel, left staring in shock as his racing heart calmed down, and the winding tension finally dissipated.
All that he knew was that he was hurting less now. ¡°Th-thank you, Sue,¡± he breathlessly responded, slowly prying his hand away from his face. ¡°I mean it. I-I think it helped a lot.¡±
The Forest Guardian smiled in return as the tension about having possibly made a terrible, terrible mistake by touching him drained from her body. The emotional whiplash was almost enough to make her head spin, but she held through it, pulling her hand away while drawing deep breaths. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Jasper¡ªI meant it.¡±
¡°Oh, I-I¡ª¡± he chuckled nervously, before straightening out, ¡°¡ªI cannot imagine doubting you did.¡±
The seemingly deliberate stress placed on a completely random word stumped Sue like not much else did anymore. She wanted to ask if Jasper was okay, before hearing Lilly¡¯s whistled giggling behind her, apparently brought on by his words. It made her turn that question inwards, asking herself if she was okay, or if she was losing it or having a stroke or something. It took a moment for the furry night kin to notice her mental unrest, and then three more to figure out the reason for it.
He then, quite abruptly, facepalmed, fur slapping against fur with a loud *pomf*. ¡°I-I should¡¯ve realized S-Solstice is translating f-for you. W-well, it¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s a pun. A terrible pun.¡±
¡°Funny it, think I!¡± Lilly cut in with her sing-song voice while her girlfriend finally processed what Jasper had said.
Heh.
The night kin certainly appreciated her stepping in. ¡°Th-thank you! Um¡ª¡±
The dancer took the cue to introduce herself. ¡°Lilly I! Sue girlfriend I!¡±
Sue¡¯s mind had plenty of words to say about Lilly¡¯s choice of terminology, ranging from the mental equivalent of angelic choirs to opening up a pit straight to the hell of her own anxiety right under her feet. Alas, it wouldn¡¯t be allowed to act on either extreme reaction, or anything in between them. Not for the lack of desire to, but because of being cut off by a different sensation. Someone unnerved and afraid, approaching from right behind her¡ª
¡°S-Sue?¡± Spark whimpered, her voice exactly matching the mood her mind was sensing. The Forest Guardian and the leafy dancer turned around to face the fiery kit, and saw that they weren¡¯t alone. Pollux and Thistle accompanied them, both of them equally uneasy¡ªbut especially the little psychic, swaying erratically from side to side under her ¡®hat¡¯.
Something was wrong, that much was clear. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sparkie?¡± Sue asked and kneeled, offering the lil¡¯ vixen a comforting hand, which she then gladly took.
¡°^My mom is feeling bad and hurting and¡ªand I don¡¯t know what to do...^¡± Thistle answered for her, pinprick eyes looking at Sue pleadingly.
The Forest Guardian had no idea what she could even possibly say in response. She definitely wanted to help, but neither had the knowledge of how she could conceivably help the extremely emotion-sensitive, towering psychic, nor much desire to get close to her after having made a rather poor first impression. Especially when she was feeling unwell and was presumably on edge.
Jasper wasn¡¯t limited by either of those factors. ¡°S-something wrong with Heather?¡± he asked, emboldened. The chorus of childish ¡®uh-huh¡¯s and nods was all the answer he needed, regaining composure now that he could help someone he considered a friend.
¡°D-don¡¯t worry,¡± he smiled as he approached, ¡°she¡¯s gonna be okay. Lead the way.¡±
Chapter 38: Moonshade
Sue wasn¡¯t sure if she should be here.
The wannabe convoy of several children at various levels of concern was tailed by a pair of adults. Jasper¡¯s confidence contrasted Sue¡¯s lack thereof, especially without Lilly to provide constant reassurance. The Forest Guardian had asked her not to follow them for a reason¡ªas emotional as she herself could get at times, the leafy dancer felt everything much more intensely. Not exactly the preferable quantity when interacting with Heather, especially if she already wasn¡¯t feeling well.
Then again, even if most of Sue¡¯s feelings were subdued, they were still so much more intense than the mental silence emanating from the towering night kin beside her. With Thistle and Spark present, she would at least not be the sole source of emotional disturbance, but her better judgment couldn¡¯t help but point out that she should¡¯ve just stayed behind with Lilly. Repeatedly.
Alas, too late for that now. Mostly because she had no idea how to get from where they already were back to the clearing, and getting lost in the nearby woods for the fourth time since she¡¯d arrived here would be... suboptimal. Primarily for her sanity, followed by her continued structural integrity.
Jasper spoke up as their group slowed down, the absence of any translation turning his voice utterly bestial. Grunts, snarls, growls; the sounds reminded Sue of sound effects for orcs or other ¡®evil¡¯ creatures in fantasy movies. Just some audio filler, normally coming in between the swishes of the heroic protagonist¡¯s sword slashes as he carved down legions of nameless, monstrous mooks in his fight against whoever or whatever the big bad was.
But, of course, they weren¡¯t just sounds¡ªthey were words. Words that everyone beside her understood, and¡ªjudging by the response that came soon after¡ªwere supposed to be a question. Thistle slowed down but didn¡¯t vocalize physically, leaving her side of the conversation even less understandable for Sue. If the circumstances had been any less tense, Sue would¡¯ve chimed in to let Thistle know she hadn¡¯t extended a link towards her, but it wasn¡¯t necessary here. She was just along for the ride; the last thing she wanted was to interrupt the important things going on.
Especially since her senses had plenty to feast on even without Thistle¡¯s words¡ªnamely, how she walked. It was one thing to watch the hatted psychic support herself entirely on the braids on the back of her head; it was another altogether to watch her walk on them. Her ¡®real¡¯ body dangled limply underneath the brim of her hat with every step, tossed around in a way Sue wasn¡¯t sure whether to describe as amusing or harrowing. Guess that depended on how much moving like that hurt her, and whether her spine went all the way into the hat or not.
And whether she had a spine to begin with.
The conversation between Thistle and Jasper didn¡¯t last long, ending after just a couple of questions. Whatever was said, it straightened Jasper out even more, while Thistle ended up sticking closer to her friends and Sue, worry radiating from her like the world¡¯s least helpful night light.
Sue wanted to collapse underground at this thought of all things finally attracting Thistle¡¯s attention, interrupting her mental murk with an instant of bafflement¡ªfollowed by an embarrassed realization. ¡°^Oh, sorry, Sue! Didn¡¯t know you couldn¡¯t understand us!^¡±
Just don¡¯t force me to make an entire circus of myself by having to explain what a night light is and I¡¯ll be all good, Thistle.
¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Sue answered, dragging the attention of the rest of the group towards herself. The kids scrambled just close enough to avoid getting inadvertently kicked, while Jasper gave her a brief, approving nod, upping his pace until he fronted the group. Sue¡¯s role was clear now¡ªchild magnet, something she didn¡¯t mind getting volunteered for over and over again. ¡°Though I didn¡¯t hear what you and Jasper talked about.¡±
¡°^He just asked how my mom was feeling before this! And I didn¡¯t really know. She was really nervous when everyone from Moonview showed up, but then kept being tense even after everyone relaxed, then I realized she¡¯d gone somewhere, then we found her and she was feeling even worse and panicking, a-and then we ran back to you!^¡±
Sue entirely understood the first part of Thistle¡¯s recollection¡ªshe could barely imagine how stressful it was to stare down an entire approaching convoy of what could¡¯ve been enemies¡ªbut everything afterwards sounded... worrisome. It made sense for Heather to take her leave with her sensitivity to emotions, but Sue also didn¡¯t doubt one bit that she understood it was just a temporary visit. A cause for a headache, maybe annoyance at so many minds disturbing the silence, but not stress. Not panic, at least not any that Sue could imagine.
...
Unless her panic wasn¡¯t tied to the Moonview convoy to begin with. A very annoying strain of thought rushed to remind Sue that Heather was one of very few people that fully knew who and what she was. Not a reassuring realization, but also one Sue refused to give an inch to.
Fact of the matter was that Heather didn¡¯t care about her even with that knowledge, an approach the once-human preferred greatly to its opposite. There was no reason for that fact to play any more of a role now than it did when they¡¯d first met, especially with Sue being just one of dozens upon dozens of guests slash intruders.
Which left exactly zero leads. ¡°That sounds strange. I really hope she¡¯ll feel better soon,¡± Sue mused. Mostly out of empathy, but she couldn¡¯t deny the desire to avoid being chewed out or snarked at again.
¡°^Me too... w-we¡¯re getting close, I can feel her already.^¡± Thistle shuddered as she spoke, her words slowing the entire group down to a calm walk. It took Sue a few moments more until she felt what the little psychic had sensed, but once she did, it was hard to look away.
Heather stood in place in the middle of a small grove, shaking. Her long, blue arm was bent at a harsh angle, the three fingers on its end curled into a tight fist. High-pitched wheezes filled the air around her as the body hidden underneath the hat breathed heavily, trying its best to soothe the mental turmoil. Said turmoil wasn¡¯t anything Sue had suspected it to be, nowhere close to the anger that would¡¯ve made the most sense in her situation. She was terrified, the occasional jolts of her tall body making her look like she was having a nightmare, especially with her not acknowledging their group¡¯s arrival right away.
It was only after Jasper got within an arm¡¯s reach of her did she finally perceptibly react, snapping her eyes open and scanning their group. She didn¡¯t expect to see Sue here, making that clear with a narrowed gaze, but didn¡¯t linger on her presence here for more than a couple of moments. Before Sue¡¯s self-critical voice could celebrate at getting a one up on her, it was obliterated by an increasingly familiar distraction¡ªthe sensation of a psychic link being established, bold and sharp.
¡°H-hello, Heather,¡± the hairy night kin broke the silence as he walked up closer. ¡°Is it too loud? C-can I help?¡±
To both his, Sue¡¯s, and Thistle¡¯s surprise, Heather lightly shook her upper half. ¡°^It¡¯s not¡ªit¡¯s not being too loud,^¡± she began. Her sharp, distant voice sounded profoundly exhausted. ¡°^I-I cannot deal with this many people anymore. But, for the time being, I would not mind it getting quieter here.^¡±
Jasper got the message loud and clear. He walked up behind Heather and stepped forward, as if for an embrace. His hands grasped the sides of her head, just below the brim. Sue took a step back in surprise as she watched the fur around his hands unfurl, the long black hairs spreading to cover as much of Heather as possible. The thin arms underneath all the hair really were quite similar to the Forest Guardian ones, fulfilling Sue¡¯s earlier hunch.
Said hunch wasn¡¯t what mattered right now, though. Sue¡¯s attention was entirely on the other psychic as Jasper¡¯s intervention brought immediate relief. It was limited, unfortunately, and the murky feelings inside Heather¡¯s ironclad mind were still there, but she could at least breathe slightly easier now. About as much as she could reasonably ask for on a short notice. ¡°^Thank you, Jasper,^¡± Heather muttered as she breathed even deeper than before.
Sue was glad to see her doing better, but also intrigued by what the other psychic had said. What did she mean by ¡®dealing with this many people¡¯? She didn¡¯t remember Heather actually doing anything beyond posturing when they showed up. Could it have been something imperceptible? Was she interpreting this in the exact wrong way? Only one way to find out.
¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, Heather,¡± Sue stepped forward, Spark remaining glued to her leg, ¡°What happened?¡±
A sharp exhale was hardly the most friendly or encouraging of responses, but the emotions therein thankfully stayed out of the words that followed. ¡°^Unpleasant memories.^¡± Heather¡¯s tone was firm despite her clear weakness, as if trying to impose that the answer was exactly that and nothing more, and that no more prying would be permitted.
And yet, Sue wanted to pry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear. Is it because of this many people showing up¡ª¡±
She didn¡¯t even need to finish her question to receive a very clear answer. A dull pain bit down on her head as Heather stared at her furiously, the message as clear as it could get. Sue audibly winced as she backed off, frightened, one hand shooting up to soothe the sudden headache. It reminded her of what Solstice¡¯s relatives did, especially Nightbane, and just like there, she had exactly zero interest in pressing the topic any further.
But this obviously wasn¡¯t okay. Not there, not here. ¡°^Mom!^¡± Thistle squeaked, cutting off Sue¡¯s headache and sending an abrupt, painful flinch through Heather. The sheer intensity of her mother¡¯s reaction stunned the little psychic for a while, but once she realized everything was still okay, she continued. ¡°^Sue was just asking why you were feeling so bad! And I want to know, too! I¡¯m scared for you...^¡±
With the pain fizzling out, Sue watched the scene from a distance, not exactly eager to get close to the psychic tower again. She watched as Heather recoiled at her daughter¡¯s words, expression narrowing as it struggled to hold on to whatever composure it could find. ¡°^Nothing important, I promise,^¡± she answered, her tone simultaneously afraid and annoyed.
Thistle wasn¡¯t a fan of either of these¡ªor of her questions being blatantly ignored. She gathered her own composure, approaching her mother as seriously as a creature built like her was physically capable of. ¡°^But you¡¯re so angry and scared and¡ªand this isn¡¯t how you normally act!^¡±
No, it very much wasn¡¯t, and that was something not even Heather herself could conceivably deny. Still, there had to have been better ways of dealing with it, and Thistle deserved her to put in the effort towards them. ¡°^I know. I am sorry. It¡¯s just a difficult, tense situation.^¡±
¡°You know,¡± Jasper cut in, his monstrous growls once more reassembled into meek, gentle words, ¡°I d-doubt that ignoring what¡¯s hurting you will help any, Heather. I promise you that nobody here will mind. A-and if it¡¯s something private, it can be just the two of¡ª¡±
¡°^I don¡¯t want to hurt Thistle,^¡± a loud, strained whisper slithered into Sue¡¯s and Jasper¡¯s minds. Nobody else had reacted to it, especially not the younger psychic herself. As much as Sue was still reeling from earlier, and would rather not risk having a headache sicced on her again, she couldn¡¯t help but immediately think of several problems with that reasoning. Just like Heather couldn¡¯t help but hear them. ¡°^I know it would hurt her, Sue. It is not her fault. It runs deeper than her or me; it is about our entire kin. I don¡¯t want the truth about us to hurt her even more.^¡±
¡°But it¡¯s a truth she¡¯ll have to face eventually, won¡¯t she?¡± Jasper spoke out loud. For once, he was the recipient of Heather¡¯s annoyance, as utterly ineffective as it was on a night kin. Absent of any context, his words immediately caught the kids¡¯ attention¡ªas intended.
¡°Truth? What truth?¡± Pollux asked, tilting his head as he looked between the mother and daughter.
¡°Is it¡ª*ow*¡ªabout Thistle?¡± Spark added, her tone as worried as the constant aching would let it sound.
¡°Were you lying to her before?¡± a cawing voice asked. Sue strained her neck with how suddenly it had to snap upwards, spotting Rainfall sitting on one of the higher branches. She had no idea whether the corvid had been here all along or if she¡¯d just arrived, but she certainly couldn¡¯t deny her being almost as good at stealth as Pollux and Alastor.
That last addition made Heather twitch, the little Sue could make of her actual body¡¯s expression revealing a small grimace where there was only cold neutrality before. A grimace that wanted¡ªno, needed to defend itself from the situation it was in, from the overt and covert accusations levied against it. It searched for words, any words that could help¡ª
¡°^M-mom?^¡±
¡ªbut in the end, it had to admit defeat. Maybe she could¡¯ve conceivably swept it all under the rug if Jasper hadn¡¯t spoken up, but it was too late now. A very underhanded tactic, only providing further fuel for her annoyance. She couldn¡¯t deny its effectiveness, though. Nor that, at some point, she did want to open up about all this. Just not to Thistle. She deserved better than that, even if she didn¡¯t know that yet.
Alas, her hand had been forced to pass on the pain to a new generation. ¡°^Fine then...^¡± Her mental voice was equal parts resigned and annoyed, a combination that made Sue second guess her every word up to that point. Not Jasper, though, the night kin stepping aside. ¡°Good. However hard you try to hide it, it¡¯s a truth that still affects you. And her too, by extension.¡±
He then eyed out a nearby fallen tree, something Sue had overlooked in all the tension. She didn¡¯t mind crossing the perilous distance of approximately thirty feet that separated the group from it, but Jasper had a better idea. He grasped the fallen tree by the largest branch, individual hairs wrapping themselves tight around it, before dragging it closer. All of it. The entire tree. Sue wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about the fact that neither the sight, nor the piercing loud rustling that accompanied it, even made her flinch anymore.
Saying nothing more, Heather levitated off the ground and hovered towards the seat.
Wonder how she¡¯s gonna actually sit down like¡ªoh. She folds in half. I see.
The bend where Heather¡¯s body sat down on the log was much further up than Sue expected it to be, in what would be mid-torso for a human. It certainly helped that Heather most definitely wasn¡¯t a human, then. The little bipedal body at her center that was surrounded by all the hair was sitting as expected¡ªit was just really, really short; the size disparity between it and her outward presentation was even more intense than Thistle¡¯s. Much the same was true for the glare Sue¡¯s way that followed¡ªit sure was much more intense than any expression her daughter ever had!
Thankfully, Heather¡¯s annoyance didn¡¯t last long, not with the lil¡¯ hat climbing up onto the fallen log to hold her mom tight. Her braids and tiny arms alike wrapped around what was probably Heather¡¯s torso, pinning the outer layer of hair against her body. Goofy as it looked, it was certainly heartfelt, Thistle¡¯s warm affection undoing the other psychic¡¯s tension one deep breath at a time. It helped a lot, but...
Heather was still afraid, clearly so. She really didn¡¯t want to talk about any of this. If not for the well-intentioned peer pressure, she would¡¯ve just brushed it off and tried to rejoin everyone, regardless of whether she was ready for it. But ultimately, Jasper was right¡ªas much as Heather would do everything in her power to ensure that what she¡¯d have to describe would never happen to her daughter... it clearly affected them both, even if in different, indirect ways.
¡°^Do you remember when I told you about how feared our kin is, Thistle?^¡±
Heather¡¯s words made her daughter flinch, stubby braids visibly shaking and turning unkempt as they held the older psychic close. ¡°^Y-yes I do, mom. I still don¡¯t like it...^¡± Thistle mumbled.
Her mom nodded weakly, small body drawing the deepest breath it was capable of. ¡°^I know. I do not like it either. But that is the reality of things, and I don¡¯t think I can hide the full reason behind that from you any longer.^¡±
Sue perked up at the realization that the little hatted psychic didn¡¯t even know why her species was so supposedly disliked. Sadness stabbed her heart¡ªat least for a few moments, before confusion replaced it. Because, now that she thought back, Thistle had given her a simple explanation for why her kin was supposedly so disliked. Them being ¡®mean and aggressive¡¯ in the wild was understandably fearsome, especially since one could¡¯ve easily extended that description onto every predator species out there. Not that Sue could imagine how features this close to cotton candy in coloration could ever be aggressive to begin with.
To her and Thistle¡¯s dismay, however, the full answer was so much worse.
¡°^Once we evolve for the second time,^¡± Heather began, gaze unfocused, ¡°^it comes time to establish our territory.^¡± Thistle nodded, uncertain about her mom¡¯s demeanor, but following so far. ¡°^Except, that territory is not the same as with other kin. It is not as deliberate.^¡± Exactly nobody understood the difference the towering psychic was trying to convey, giving her a pause. ¡°^Emotions are very loud, Thistle, aren¡¯t they.^¡± she eventually muttered.
Her daughter nodded weakly. ¡°^Yeah, but I can live with it! It¡¯s nice to feel when people are happy!^¡±
Sue made a mental note about the comparison between sensing emotions and sound. It was interesting, because that wasn¡¯t her experience at all. It was so much more... tactile with her, like a part of her was being pulled around, without anything for her ears to perceive. She was well aware of the idea that different lifeforms would perceive their environment differently, but she¡¯d never experienced that difference for herself.
Wild.
Heather let the world¡¯s weakest chuckle at her daughter¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°^It is. But it is still very loud, even when it is the best kind of loud. If too many people are celebrating too intensely, you still want to back away, don¡¯t you?^¡±
¡°^Yes, but¡ª^¡± Thistle tried to answer, before her mom continued.
¡°^But imagine if that noise was ten times stronger still. Or a hundred. Or a thousand. Even a single person, even the gentlest joy, would turn deafening.^¡±
Thistle¡¯s eyes went wide as she was first cut off, and then forced to comprehend what her mom had described. She struggled to imagine¡ªbut she could do it, in all the detail that the rest of the surrounding group lacked any reference for. The mere idea made the little hat feel profoundly uneasy. Because at that point,
¡°^Everyone else would hurt...^¡±
Heather let out a somber nod, leaving her head hanging low. ¡°^Correct. And it is that impulse, that excruciating pain, that prompts our kin to establish territories. Not to fight against one another for wild berries, not to secure hunting grounds. It is all in pursuit of even a moment of silence, of relief from that constant pain. And, when our senses grow that sensitive, that relief only comes when not a single soul remains in sight.^¡±
By then, Thistle had joined her mom in staring at nothing, her little expression dripping with fear. It was almost unimaginably terrifying, but what¡¯s worse is that it made sense. The little hat could put herself in these wild psychics¡¯ figurative shoes; she could imagine how existence like that would feel like. And, in a moment that made the puzzle finally come together with a disgusting, fleshy click,
What she¡¯d be willing to do in order to find her silence.
¡°^Do you see it now, Thistle? That miserable, nightmarish existence? One where the woods around us are strewn with untouched, decomposing remains of everyone who dared to trespass, where the very trees and grasses wither and die? Where hundreds of other creatures are at best repelled from a place they once called home, and at worst slaughtered where they stand?^¡±
The explicit, brutal imagery made the rest of the group feel weak to their stomachs. Sue fared better on account of knowing exactly how much pain and regret dripped from Heather¡¯s every word, but the little ones around her didn¡¯t have that privilege. Spark scooted behind her, followed by Pollux soon after, his usual confidence replaced with visible shock. Even Jasper wasn¡¯t left unaffected, though his reaction was much more pensive and inward.
Tears rolled freely down Thistle¡¯s face, her imagination getting the worst of her. It showed her images of hell from both perspectives; someone in such intense pain they would kill to make it stop, and an innocent creature suddenly attacked by a maddened psychic, disarmed and disemboweled before it could even strike back. And yet, despite all that, it could always get worse; an obvious truth that her mind wasted no time reminding her. She slowly looked up at her mother beside her, breathless expression conveying a wordless, yet extremely clear question.
¡°^No, Thistle, I did not do any of that myself.^¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Five pairs of lungs gasped as they let out the most tense breath of their lives, while Heather only shook harder in her seat. Sue hadn¡¯t forgotten Daystar¡¯s words from the last time she¡¯d visited Newmoon, her claim about many inhabitants of Moonview having had to kill for survival in the past. She would¡¯ve been lying if she claimed that the idea didn¡¯t leave her at least a little sick, but even then; murder for sustenance was still so much more understandable than murder for... silence. She had no idea what she¡¯d think of Heather if she¡¯d answered differently, letting her conscience appreciate at least this instant of mercy in this wild world.
Heather wasn¡¯t done with her response, though. ¡°^But my mother did.^¡± The revelation captured everyone¡¯s attention yet again, the crowd of children and big children dreading where the towering psychic would continue that thought. ¡°^I grew up in such a ¡®silent¡¯ territory. It was immensely safe and equally crippling. You get used to the silence, start expecting it, requiring it. And so, the longer you live in silence like that, the lower your tolerance for when emotions and noise inevitably return to your life. And once you finally have to leave a territory like that, the safest and most natural place in the world for you, why wouldn¡¯t you then try to recreate it by yourself?^¡±
¡°^And that is why, more than anything, I looked the other way whenever you sneaked off into Moonview,^¡± she continued, making her daughter gasp at her ¡®secret¡¯ turning out to be about as well-hidden as she herself was in a forest environment. ¡°^Whatever thoughts I have had and still have about Solstice and the rest of them, I was certain you would be safe there, while gaining tolerance to others¡¯ emotions. Earlier, I asked you to imagine the noise being ten or a hundred times stronger¡ªand because of your friends and ¡®escapades¡¯, that will not happen to you. Everything will grow louder once you evolve, but not to that level. You will be alright, Thistle. I promise.^¡±
The little hat could barely contain her own emotions, her expression filled with a painful grimace at her mom¡¯s words. Fear at a fate like that even being possible in the first place, shock at her mom condoning her visits to the other village, gratitude for her reasoning, unimaginable relief at the certainty that she wouldn¡¯t have to hurt her friends¡ªor anyone else¡ªlike her ancestors had. Love for her mom, for her efforts to make sure she ended up okay, despite everything she herself had gone through.
And even with the source of that last emotion being just a couple of inches away, Heather couldn¡¯t help but savor every moment of it, in all its overwhelming intensity.
¡°^Thank you, mom...^¡± Thistle whispered, the mental message too weak to be picked up by anyone except her mom.
It brought the tiniest smile to her face. ¡°^You¡¯re welcome, Thistle. I¡¯m sorry you had to learn about all this.^¡±
¡°^No, no, it¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s okay, mom. I¡¯m...^¡± Thistle searched for words, nothing quite fitting exactly. Because no, deep down she wasn¡¯t glad to know all this, her selfish, self-preserving impulses didn¡¯t want her to know something this existentially upsetting. But if not for that, she wouldn¡¯t have known just how hard her mom had tried to spare her from her forbearer¡¯s tragedies. She would have never understood why wildlings reacted to her the way they did. A painful lesson, but one she had to learn, eventually.
And despite how intense it was, it still remained incomplete.
Sue was conflicted on if she should even bring that up, with what they had already heard having clearly drained both psychics immensely. Sure, her conundrum wouldn¡¯t have gotten an answer, but it didn¡¯t need one. The important lesson had been taught. Everything else was a bonus at most.
Including the actual reason our convoy showing up had scared her so much.
It was a thought Thistle also had in the back of her head, but had given little focus to. At least, until she¡¯d heard it from Sue. And then, in not too long, from Spark, too. As much as her mom had spilled her heart, she remained curious about her reaction from earlier, still worried about there being something she wasn¡¯t being told ¡®for her own good¡¯.
This time, though, Heather had no intention of obscuring anything. ¡°^And as to why I reacted like I did earlier,^¡± she continued, Jasper giving her an approving nod, ¡°^it ties to how territories I had described meet their downfall.^¡± It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine how a territory like that would inevitably fall, either by the psychic maintaining it meeting their match and perishing, or by them deciding they¡¯d rather keep running than fight whichever predators lived nearby. Neither of which mapped onto the current situation particularly well, though.
Because nothing was ever that simple, not even death. ¡°^A single attacker is unlikely to win, even if they¡¯re a night kin. Our psychics may not be able to hurt them, but moonlight can. No¡ªit is never a single attacker.^¡± Even though Heather had regained much of her composure by now, this topic threatened to undo all her progress. Her mental voice shook as she did something she almost never did¡ªvoluntarily reached into her memories, as opposed to them forcing themselves into her mind.
¡°Heather, what happened?¡± Jasper asked calmly, concern clear in every growl and snarl.
No point in running any more, no point in beating around the bush. The tall psychic nodded weakly with her entire upper body before focusing her pinprick gaze on her night kin friend. ¡°^I was younger than Thistle when it happened, only mere weeks after my first evolution. I had little time left there. Mother made it clear I was to leave before the next full Moon, or she would make me. Then, one evening, right as I tried to fall asleep, I heard, felt... them. A chorus of whispers, right at the edge of my hearing. Individually much too quiet to perceive, but adding up into a presence much more fearsome than any deafening shriek of rage. I climbed out of our burrow, climbed on top of the hill we lived in, beside Mother.^¡±
Heather trailed off, no mental words coming for an unnervingly long amount of time. Everyone wanted her to take her time, least of all Thistle, but it was clear this wasn¡¯t just her gathering her thoughts. Jasper walked closer and took a seat beside Heather, furred hand grasping the balled up fist at the end of her blue tendril, slowly prying it apart. Prying her fears apart.
¡°^There were dozens, hundreds of them...^¡± she whispered, as if only halfway here. ¡°^Predator and prey and beast and bird, allied in a deeply unnatural truce, their wrath focused on us, and us only. I felt it from miles away, red hot and seething, long before we saw them. I was so scared, but... Mother was not. I looked up at her, hoping for reassurance, or an answer, or a plan of how we would escape. Something, a-anything!^¡± Heather¡¯s raised voice felt as unnatural as it did distressed, making Jasper wrap his other arm around her for reassurance. She didn¡¯t notice, lost in the past¡ªjust like earlier today.
¡°^There was nothing in her eyes,^¡± she finally whimpered, mental words on the verge of tears. ¡°^Nothing at all.^¡±
Not letting herself stop, she pushed on. ¡°^I teleported as far as I could and ran, did not stop until my body was so exhausted it began to come undone. I was on my own, cursed much like Mother had been at that age. I still wonder what would have happened to me if I had not run into Ginger all those years back, or if his kin had not let me stay in their territory. What atrocities I would have committed, how much blood I would have senselessly spilled. How many more generations I would have condemned to this cursed existence.^¡±
The pang of pain that came from Thistle in the wake of her mom¡¯s words took her aback. The little hat didn¡¯t think of her existence as cursed; that sounded so weird! She was sensitive in one specific way, yes, but that was still only a part of who she was! Though, the more she thought about it, about how her life could¡¯ve gone differently if her mom had followed her own mom¡¯s footsteps... the more she understood. Understood how her mom could think of existence like that as cursed, not just shaped by their sensitivity, but single-handedly defined by it, condemned to violence or madness. It was terrifying.
¡°^I-I don¡¯t know,^¡± Thistle eventually whimpered, redoubling her affection. ¡°^B-but you didn¡¯t condemn me to anything, mom.^¡±
¡°^I know, and I¡¯m so happy because of that.^¡±
Finally, the tension wrapped tight around Heather¡¯s body began losing its grip, letting the tall psychic regain her usual appearance as she stood up from her seat¡ªwith her single limb holding her daughter close. Not the kind of affection Sue ever expected them to share, but no less utterly adorable because of that, forcing a wide smile out of her despite how messed up Heather¡¯s recollection was.
It was a relief everyone gathered was sorely lacking, most of all Heather herself. She hovered towards the rest of the group as she thought through what to do now, whether she should even go back like this. The earlier panic was gone, but that didn¡¯t extend to Jasper¡¯s original concern, namely that of all the visitors from Moonview being much too loud for her to mentally handle. Maybe she could¡¯ve afforded to stay here for a while longer after all, give all the guests time to ~~get out~~ take their leave first. ¡°^Would it be alright if I stayed here, Thistle? I promise I am feeling better now.^¡±
Not an outcome the small hat wanted, but the last thing she wanted was her mom to suffer even more today. ¡°^Awwwh. Okay...^¡±
Pollux, however, didn¡¯t see the logic right away. ¡°But why, Mrs. Heather? Don¡¯t you wanna greet everyone?¡±
Even Sue¡¯s piddly psychics heard the ¡®No¡¯ ringing out from Heather¡¯s mind loud and clear, only letting her remain quiet by her sheer force of will. Everyone but her and Thistle would need an actual answer, though. Heather tried to stretch her language muscles, dressing her immediate, visceral response in words as gentle as she was capable of.
¡°^No.^¡±
¡°But whyyyyyyy?¡± Pollux insisted, his whine turning into the world¡¯s shortest and cutest howl.
For once, Heather wouldn¡¯t even have to come up with an alternative answer to a question like that, the plain reality more than sufficient to justify her. ¡°^Because there are too many people there, and staying around them all would be too painful.^¡± There it was, the bulletproof answer, not leaving anyone else any room to argue¡ª
¡°But didn¡¯t you let Thistle go to Moonview so that she would get used to having many people around?¡± Rainfall pointed out, jumping from one branch to another until she was level with Heather¡¯s blue hat. ¡°If you let her go there so that she could get used to having people around, why not do it to yourself, too?¡±
You couldn¡¯t have waterboarded a question like that out of me.
To Heather¡¯s credit, her initial reaction was much too stunned to even come close to anger. That state of things didn¡¯t last for long though; the muted expression on her face soured into an unamused stare. ¡°^As a general principle, Rainfall, it is best to assume that people have thought their situation through, and if there¡¯s something unsavory about it they¡¯re putting up with, it¡¯s for a good reason. As opposed to immediately trying to argue about it.^¡± Her words were pointed and her tone intense; two parts annoyance mixed with one part disbelief about her actions even being questioned like that in the first place, especially after everything she¡¯d shared. Hopefully, a few sterner words would be enough to straighten her out, even through the means of intimidation.
Success, even if at the cost of the bird slowly backing off from her with shaking, rapid nods, before taking off towards where they had all come from. Neither Sue, nor Spark, nor even Thistle were fans of that outcome. The former was much too skittish after drawing Heather¡¯s ire earlier to commit to even a single thought; the fox was too preoccupied by her increasingly constant aching to think of what to say, and the latter wanted to cut her mom some slack. Which just left the two remaining night kin, a group that Heather was sure she wouldn¡¯t get any more crass questions like that out of¡ª
¡°You can¡¯t deny she had a point, though,¡± Jasper calmly, yet confidently, added. ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯ve been nudging your daughter into growing more comfortable with there being more people around her, but why not extend that to yourself? Wouldn¡¯t you want to visit Moonview again eventually, without having to stay in a mud burrow half an hour away?¡±
To Heather¡¯s infinite chagrin, it was much harder to dismiss Jasper¡¯s point. Still, not impossible, and this was a topic she had thought about plenty in the past. ¡°^It is¡ªit is much too late for me to conceivably grow my tolerance anymore. I¡¯m afraid that it won¡¯t get substantially better than where it is, even if I committed all my energy into it.^¡±
A perfectly reasonable answer; one the tall psychic even had reasons to suspect was accurate. Still, there was one teeny tiny issue with it, one Jasper had noticed as well. ¡°And how do you know that, Heather? Have you tried?¡±
There was nothing in the world Heather wanted more than to snap back with a ¡°yes, obviously¡±. Alas, there was a critical obstacle in the way of that reaction¡ªnamely the fact that she hadn¡¯t ever tried, not with the long-term determination a task like that would require. Her daughter had persevered and improved because of her sheer excitement and the allure of a place where she knew she ¡®shouldn¡¯t¡¯ have been, but Heather herself had nothing that could fuel her anywhere near as effectively. Even if it had mellowed out over time, dismay and distaste still dominated her thoughts towards the denizens of Moonview, and she had grown immensely comfortable living in Newmoon, reaping almost all the benefits of her own territory without having to fight for it.
How much that dismay and distaste were a genuine product of her friends¡¯ exile, and how much it was a post-factum defense mechanism so that she wouldn¡¯t feel bad because of what she¡¯d lost, she didn¡¯t know. But, the more she thought about it, the more she realized the ratio between these two emotions was nowhere near as skewed towards the former as she had thought and wanted it to be.
It would¡¯ve been very easy to lie, and Heather doubted either her daughter or Sue would¡¯ve had enough grit to call her out on it... but there was no point. Jasper would know, by the mere virtue of their cohabitation. ¡°^Nowhere near as intensely as Thistle, no,^¡± Heather eventually answered, trying to keep the saltiness out of her mental tone. Unsuccessfully.
Jasper tried his hardest to keep the smug satisfaction away from his expression¡ªalso unsuccessfully. ¡°Sounds like just the thing to try, then! Wh-who knows, maybe Thistle can teach you some tricks, haha.¡± The little hat perked up at the idea. She hadn¡¯t ever considered the possibility of passing any knowledge back to her mom, as opposed to absorbing it from her.
She liked the sound of that. ¡°^Yeah! I-I think I could teach you a thing o-or two, and maybe we could go visit Spark at her home together!^¡± Thistle beamed from her mom¡¯s embrace, her excitement positively infectious. Which was helped by the fact that, out of everyone still living in Moonview, her mom held Sundance in the highest regard. Only about knee-high, though, but still way ahead of everyone else. Could¡¯ve been a fun excursion, barring the whole ¡®trying to keep her brain from exploding at all the emotions¡¯ part.
Not today, though. Both because of the obvious reasons, and the slightly less obvious ones. ¡°^I will consider it sometime, Thistle,^¡± Heather began, finally finding it within her to look her daughter in the eyes again. ¡°^Probably not soon, though. Spark is not feeling anywhere near well enough for a visit like that.^¡±
The little kit let out a quiet yelp at suddenly becoming the center of attention, only for that sound to be interrupted by another wince. She had gotten palpably worse during their little excursion, to where Sue didn¡¯t hesitate picking her up into her arms the moment it became clear how much of a strain every step was putting on her. If not for Sundance having remained eerily calm earlier when witnessing her daughter¡¯s symptoms, the Forest Guardian would¡¯ve descended into an outright panic at seeing her in that state. Instead, she maintained her cool; green fingers brushed Spark¡¯s extra warm fluff as the kit gave up any pretense of being opposed to her current position.
High time to head back to Moonview.
¡°^Indeed,^¡± Heather responded to Sue¡¯s thought, barely any louder than the Forest Guardian¡¯s inaudible sentence. ¡°^Is everyone here okay with me teleporting us back?^¡±
Sue¡¯s sole experience with that facet of magic was overwhelming, but not at all painful¡ªshe had no objections. Spark was too knackered to care either, only letting out a quiet growl as she closed her eyes. Pollux nodded excitedly for a moment before forcibly suppressing his emotional display to something more calm. Jasper had no objections, and Thistle¡ª¡°^Only if you promise to finally teach it to me tomorrow!^¡±
The Forest Guardian bit down on her tongue to not laugh out loud at the little hat¡¯s tactic. It was childish, sure, especially with Spark already feeling so rough... but it was also incredibly amusing to see Heather¡¯s stoic expression be interrupted by a brief, accusatory look towards her daughter. One returned right after, with cheekiness dripping down Thistle¡¯s pink cheeks. ¡°^Fine, fine. I suppose I have been putting it off for long enough.^¡±
Heather¡¯s tone sounded as dejected as she could project, but it was a flimsy pretense that not even she could maintain for much longer, especially with her daughter redoubling her embrace. ¡°^Thanks mom!^¡± Thistle beamed, her small body resting as close to her mom¡¯s as possible.
Sue¡¯s adoration of the scene was interrupted by her, both psychics, and everything else in the radius of a few feet, becoming surrounded by an intense white sheen. Knowing how the rest of Heather¡¯s act would play out didn¡¯t make it any less interesting, though. Sue focused on her and then on the two night kin, wondering how this trick in particular could affect them too.
She could¡¯ve thought she heard an answer coming from Heather, but by then, everything was too loud for her to hear it.
The few moments that followed were very familiar. A split second of absolute nothingness, of not just darkness but a total lack of any sensory input, followed by the weight of existing again slamming against her mind, knocking her off-balance. Her psychic senses perceived what must¡¯ve been their equivalent of static, a sensation of something coarse and ill-defined brushing against her very soul, before growing weaker and weaker, until disappearing completely. Not painful, not even unpleasant exactly, just... hard to describe.
The total opposite of the scene they had all found themselves in¡ªnot in Newmoon proper, but just outside it. They were right beside the road leading back to Moonview, and while it allowed them to head back home right away, there were several factors that would¡¯ve made it ill-advised. Such as Sue¡¯s leg already feeling rough after her walk towards Heather, and that distance being less than half of what still awaited her. Or her not trusting herself to avoid her soul¡¯s call of getting lost at every opportunity.
Among other, even more important reasons. ¡°Thanks for getting us back here, Heather.¡± Sue turned towards the tall psychic, her eyes closed as she caught her breath. ¡°Lemme just grab Lilly and we can start heading back to Moonview.¡±
Heather didn¡¯t respond, weakly nodding instead as she let go of Thistle instead. They were all still a few hundred feet away from the settlement proper, but even that seemed to be too much for her, making her levitate into the air before hovering away, her small body breathing as heavily as it was capable of. ¡°^Take care, mom!^¡± Thistle shouted, hopeful but not concerned by the sight¡ªit was about what she expected.
Without any further ado, they got going again, catching a few double takes from bystanders as they stepped back into Moonview from the opposite side they left it from. Sue didn¡¯t notice most of them, though, too preoccupied by spotting her favorite flower from the crowd¡ªand there she was, listening in on a conversation between Ginger, Solstice, and¡ª
Kantaro!
Sue wasn¡¯t expecting the sight of the beetle to cheer her up as much as it did. She still didn¡¯t know him that well, but between getting to hear his tale a few days back, and his valiant opposition to Root when the whole kerfuffle with Ginger happened, she was immensely relieved to see him doing okay, if still bandaged in spots around his exoskeleton. Her smile shone as wide as she could put on as she approached the group, with her mentor catching onto her approach and roping her into the conversation with a covert wink.
Part of her wanted to let Lilly know of her presence right away, but the rest couldn¡¯t resist getting to repay her for her little prank shortly before they first met. She carefully snuck up right behind her, barely containing a shit-eating grin even as the tip of her bandaged horn was mere inches away from her girlfriend¡¯s back. And now, she waited until she¡¯d noticed her~.
¡°Can¡¯t believe he got ya scorched like that,¡± Ginger mumbled, eying up Kantaro¡¯s bandages. ¡°Well¡ª¡®course I can, saw it myself, jus... even I thought he was less blatant than that, y¡¯know?¡±
The beetle let out a grinding sound that was probably meant to be a chuckle. ¡°You were hardly alone in that assessment, Ginger. I had expected him to back down as well.¡±
¡°^It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen him get that incensed,^¡± Solstice shuddered, the interaction destined to remain seared into her memory. ¡°^Even if you cared little about that monument anymore, Kantaro, he did. Sometimes it felt like he was more obsessed with it and the other side one than Her actual shrine.^¡±
The technicolor lizard let out a low, guttural sound before spitting off to the side, the subsequent hissing noise overshadowed by his words. ¡°Ain¡¯t too surprised ¡®bout that, aye,¡± he grumbled, the tone of his voice mismatching what Sue could only perceive as a wide, toothy grin on his face. ¡°The point was never to get his own stuff; it was always to fuck with ours.¡±
The Forest Guardian sincerely wanted to disagree. ¡°^I... don¡¯t know. Maybe I¡¯m giving him more benefit of the doubt than he deserves, but he wasn¡¯t always like that,^¡± she mumbled, hand on her cheek as her wide, red eyes drilled into the packed soil.
Exactly nobody else bought that assertion, Sue included.
¡°Uh-huh,¡± Ginger began, projecting all the disbelieving snark onto these two syllables he was capable of. Even he, positive as he had tried to be, had his limits. ¡°C¡¯mon Solly. Out of all the folk out there to have earned that benefit, I¡¯d say Root has looong since tossed whatever of it had remained. Ain¡¯t no use giving grace to those that¡¯ll only ever spit on it.¡±
Solstice nodded weakly, sighing. ¡°^Yes he has, but I¡¯m talking about how he used to be. Though...^¡± she trailed off, before her expression flinched as she forcibly stilled her train of thought from booking it down a dark, well-traveled path. ¡°^...nevermind. You¡¯re right. Can¡¯t let who he used to be dictate what I think of him now.^¡±
¡°I may not have lived in Moonview for as long as you have, Solstice, but I¡¯m not far off. I wouldn¡¯t say that he has changed significantly from how he was when I first interacted with him,¡± Kantaro pointedly added, both men unsure about what the Forest Guardian was trying to get at. ¡°I have. You most certainly have, for good or ill. Not him.¡±
Sue could sense a pang of annoyance radiating off her mentor at that correction, both at Kantaro and at herself. He was right, though, and it was her that should¡¯ve been more precise with her intent. ¡°^Maybe not as much who he used to, but rather what I thought he was. I remember when I first arrived, with a head full of ideas. He was already much closer to what my family spewed than I was comfortable with, but he wasn¡¯t as... constant with it? Ceaselessly aggressive? Restrained enough to not dispense slurs at every non-Psychic he interacted with? Easier to stomach in small doses, either way. And I think that changed how I perceived him, as more ¡®respectable¡¯ than my clan, if it makes any sense. I had mostly disabused myself from wanting any validation from them at that point; it¡¯s what let me run away from them to begin with. I suppose you might say I saw them in him, but more tolerable. Someone I disagreed with, but which I could still hold in high regard and value the input of. Value much, much more than I should¡¯ve, in hindsight...^¡±
The framing made things click in place for the men, Lilly, and Sue alike. Kantaro summed it up. ¡°You make it sound like an addiction, of sorts. Addiction to a poison you couldn¡¯t get away from, despite your best attempts.¡±
Or like an abuse victim gravitating to someone like their abusers.
Sue¡¯s stray thought pierced Solstice¡¯s mind much more intensely than Kantaro¡¯s words, making the older Forest Guardian flinch as she looked up at her pupil. ¡°^Indeed.^¡±
The very same reaction also drew Lilly¡¯s attention to one particular someone standing right behind her. Her piercing gasp single-handedly crushed the dour atmosphere in the air as she repeated her favorite trick¡ªpicking up Sue into her arms, the lanky psychic weighing barely any more than air as far as she was concerned. ¡°Sue! Thistle mom good?¡±
The dancer was far from the only one who appreciated her intrusion, the uplifting interaction sorely appreciated. ¡°Howdy again, Sue,¡± Ginger greeted, hissing with a laughing cadence at watching Lilly¡¯s antics.
¡°Hi Ginger!¡± Sue replied, trying to keep her balance in her crush¡¯s embrace. ¡°And yes, Lilly, Heather is doing better, thank goodness. B-but Spark isn¡¯t, and I thought we could start heading back to Moonview.¡±
Especially since almost everyone else had already gotten that idea, as a cursory glance around the village showed. There were just a few of carts left, and aside from the builder team chatting with Daystar and Thorns, Sue could only make out a handful of faces that didn¡¯t live in Newmoon. A fashionably late time to leave, either way.
¡°Awwh, and here I thought ya were gonna stay here forever, and I¡¯d get a roommate,¡± Ginger cackled, the joke even getting a quiet chuckle from Solstice. ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass on another visit myself for now. Heard Daystar was eager to check Moonview out, though.¡±
¡°Can make everyone, then!¡± Lilly cheered, eyeing out the cart she¡¯d brought here earlier. ¡°Us and Daystar and Solstice and everyone want!¡±
¡°^Not me yet, Lilly,^¡± Solstice gently chided. ¡°^There are still things we need to hash out first. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be terribly long, though.^¡±
The dancer was undeterred. ¡°Can wait! No rush¡ª¡±
Solstice shook her head. ¡°^No, no, no need to¡ªespecially with Spark already so close. We¡ªI¡¯ll get back to Moonview safely, don¡¯t worry.^¡±
Sue wasn¡¯t sure which unanswered question her mind wanted to latch onto first, the quickly discarded ¡®we¡¯ or the unspecified something that Spark was already ¡®close to¡¯. Either way, she didn¡¯t have too much time to ponder on that before Lilly carried her away, yanking her out from underneath her thought process as if it had been a plate on her head, now falling to its doom.
They didn¡¯t have to ask around much to find everyone else that had wanted to tag long on a trip to Moonview. Thistle literally leaped at the opportunity, psychicing herself into the now-empty cart, much to Sue¡¯s amusement. Pollux followed suit soon after, simultaneously excited at the opportunity to finally visit Moonview in the open, and worried for Spark. Daystar and Snowdrop were there too, though both of them were too proud to use the cart despite there being more than enough space for them both to fit.
Snowdrop did let her girlfriend pick her up and carry her in her arms, though. Whether there was any point to that with her levitation, Sue had exactly no idea. It certainly looked adorable, and that¡¯s what mattered.
And last, but hardly least, was one particular green snake, slithering out from underneath a bundled up tarp at the front of the cart once it got going. Everyone was ready; it was time to depart for Moonview, that once-dangerous, once-loathsome town. Or, as some in the group referred to it,
Home.