9:10
“We have two obvious options. Hold on,” Dempsey blocked a wolf lunge with his shield while striking out with his weapon at a wolf arrowing in from his left. Once the wolves were dealt with for the moment, Dempsey continued.
“Two obvious options. One, we split the party with me and someone else trying to sneak to get the axe.”
A chorus of Nos and Don’t split the party and Splitting the party bad echoed around the circle.
“You’ve proven to be a preferred target for Roanne.” Prairie nudged her way back into the defensive line since she no longer had a reason to stay in the middle.
“Roanne?” Siobhan interrupted.
“Roanne is the wolf. Sorry I didn’t clarify.” Prairie took a breath and met a wolf charge with a carefully pulled punch. Knowing they were connected to Roanne or part of her essence made her fear to hurt them was to hurt Roanne worse. “Dempsey and Ivan seem to be her preferred targets so having you, Dempsey, go off alone or with only one other person could be a problem.”
“Valid,” Dempsey agreed. “So the other option is we move our circle towards the cottage. I can tell the axe is off in the back near the woodline.”
“The woodline the wolf, I mean Roanne, is trying to knock us into?” Gwen asked.
“That woodline.”
“Swell.”
“Then that’s our plan. We move as a group towards the cottage, keeping our formation and holding the wolves back.”
Siobhan raised a tentative hand. “Won’t that draw the wolf’s, I mean Roanne’s attention to what we are doing?”
Dempsey shrugged even as he blocked another wolf attack. “Probably. But what option do we have? We can’t stand here forever fighting these wolves. We are doing no damage.”
His choice of words made Prairie remember what Granny said, that they actually could stand there forever fighting, never moving forward or back. Quietly she repeated what Granny had said, “We can’t remain frozen on the precipice of growth.”
“Huh?” Ivan asked then cross blocked a wolf sweeping in from the right, shooting for Siobhan’s side.
“Something Granny said. She said we can remained trapped in an eternal winter, retaining our innocence at the cost of our life outside of The House.”
“Ew,” Gwen interjected, “No.”
“I agree. So we should move, follow the story which involves the axe, and if Roanne reacts we’ll handle it. Sounds good?”
“Sounds great,” Ivan’s quick response formed a warm spot next to the numb place in Prairie and she felt a few pieces of the cocoon’s strands release and the numbness draw back a fraction.
Gwen turned to stare intently at Prairie. Her gaze tracked down to stop at the place Prairie felt the numbness within. She patted her chest and mouthed ‘It’s okay.’ Gwen tipped her head and lifted her brows.
“Really.” She said this aloud and gave Gwen a smile. Gwen lifted the corner of her mouth on a snarl, squinted with one eye, then shrugged and turned back to the encroaching wolves.
Prairie looked over to where Kirby continued to harry Roanne in time to see him land a solid wallop on the wolf’s snout.
Whomp! Hello called in a gleeful tone.
You let Hello lead? She projected to Kirby.
One answered, They are having fun. No bunnies made Bunny disinterested.
Prairie shot a quick look at Bunny’s head and saw their gaze kind of drifting. I can see that. Are you okay to keep Roanne’s attention? We are moving towards the cottage.
We shall continue to keep her busy.
Thank you.
Prairie?
Yes?
We heard what the crone said to you and we have faith you will succeed.
That makes one, I mean, three of us.
Prairie brushed the black cord coiled around her wrist with her free hand then lifted her voice to be heard around the circle, “Kirby will keep Roanne busy. We should move.”
She slowly rolled her hand, spooling more of the black cord into her palm. It should have filled and overflowed her hand but it felt like it collapsed into itself so her palm remained unburdened. As she spooled the cord she sidled on a diagonal between Roanne and the cottage, trusting the others to hold their formation and follow her.
The wolves upped their attacks as they moved closer to Roanne, leaving Prairie’s friends to actively defend their group as they moved slowly towards the cottage. Roanne released a warbling howl and the wolves flowed forward to throw themselves in the group’s path. From Roanne’s direction two black cords snapped out, one going for Ivan and one for Dempsey. Prairie darted forward and snagged the one heading for Ivan out of the air with her free hand, then shifted it quickly to the hand that already held a cord. It snaked down her wrist, feeling a bit like oozing oil, and then twisted to join with the cord that was already there.
She had to lunge to snag the cord heading for Dempsey and she nearly missed. It splatted against his chest, the impact point spreading out the super fine mycelium-like strands that had hooks at the questing ends. Before the hooks could sink in Prairie yanked the cord back and shoved them into the mass in her right hand where they hooked in and then slid down to wrap her wrist.
She panted out a breath, blinked, then shouted, “I have this, keep moving!” just in case anyone had the impulse to stop. They kept up their slow fighting shuffle, their circle becoming more of a wedge with only Dempsey covering the back. The wedge formation allowed them to part the waves of wolves much like a boat prow cut water.
Kim flung her hands forward and a gust of wind blew the wolves back and then apart buying them time to pick up their pace and dash towards the cottage.
Another two black cords flew from Roanne. Prairie snatched them too. Her wrist was beginning to feel a bit heavy.
Kirby? Any chance you can distract her more?
Hehehehe, Hello! Hello chuckled in her mind then she felt a distinct thunk through the golden cords connecting her to Kirby. Roanne yelped and the black cords went slack.
Thanks!
Helllllllllo, Pwaweeee! Hehehehe!
Prairie spared a moment to look over at Kirby and Roanne. Kirby was partially on top of Roanne’s much larger form, front paws locked around her throat and Hello’s head was thrown back with a look of pure doggy joy.
You go, Hello, she thought but didn’t project. She didn’t want to distract Hello because there was a chance, a fairly good chance, Hello might take her words as direction and “go” somewhere not Roanne’s back.
Gwen followed the direction of Prairie’s gaze and she snorted. “Your dog is weird, Prair.”
“Yes. The best kind of weird.” Prairie turned, running sideways so the dark cords she held didn’t strain or pull her towards Roanne. She shot Dempsey a look over her shoulder. “Do you still have a lock on the axe?”
“Yeah. Feels like that woodpile.”
Prairie snapped her head to look over her opposite shoulder. They were almost even with the cottage now and she could more clearly see the woodline, against which a large pile of chopped wood was stacked about shoulder high for her.
“Okay, uh, I think we should shift so we are all facing Roanne and we can provide cover for you to head for the woodpile. Does that work?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Good. Uhm, everyone shift?” She wasn’t used to being the one to direct their action so her voice was a little hesitant. But, everyone listened and shifted, forming a kind of bowl shape with Dempsey in the back and Ivan in the center. The new position alleviated the tug of the cords on her shoulder, drawing a small sigh of relief from her.
She threw a look back over her shoulder to look at Dempsey. “Maybe you want to duck down a little?”
Dempsey nodded and did exactly that, lowering his head far enough that it was likely he was obscured from Roanne’s view behind Ivan’s height.
“Going,” Dempsey announced on a whisper.
Prairie curled her fingers around the ball of cord in her right hand and yanked. As she hoped the action drew Roanne’s attention to her. She felt the wolf’s eyes meet hers from across the distance separating them. She liked to think she saw understanding in Roanne’s eyes but probably that was wishful thinking. Roanne was fighting Kirby too hard and tugging on the dark cords too much for Prairie to read any cooperation in her actions. That was okay, they didn’t need Roanne’s cooperation, just her attention.
The dark wolves poured on, their attacks coming at them from all directions so they had to reform their circle, but they kept it looser with decent sized gaps between each of them so they didn’t risk constricting the circle and jamming themselves up like they’d been earlier.
Next to Prairie Kim wove her hands on the air, movements like a conductor using her arms and even her torso, and a gust of wind rippled through the encroaching wolves, travelling like a wave that blew probably three-quarters of the attackers away into molecules.
Prairie risked a quick glance towards the woodpile. Dempsey slid the last short distance towards it, then rolled behind its cover. “We need to keep Roanne’s attention on us so she doesn’t notice what Dempsey is doing!”
“This calls for a distraction!” Gwen yelled gleefully. She took a stomping step forward, her actions unrestricted by the dark wolves as they hadn’t reformed yet. “Here, Wolfy Wolfy!”
“Here, Wolfy Wolfy?” Ivan asked on a laugh.
“Yeah! Here, Wolfy Wolfy!”
“Here, Wolfy Wolf!” Prairie added her voice to Gwen’s, giving a gentle tug to the cords. Gentle because she didn’t need Roanne aggressing, just focusing on them.
Roanne snarled and screamed at the sky as Hello grabbed her thick neck in his mouth and shook his head, worrying the heavy fur and skin. The sound of Roanne’s scream covered Dempsey’s steps as he ran back to the group with his shirt pulled out to form a makeshift bag for objects that clanked together within it. Siobhan and Gwen fell apart, leaving him a direct shot into the center of their defensive circle.
“I found it,” Dempsey panted, “but its broken.”
“Broken?” Ivan shot back.
“Yeah.”
“I can probably fix it but it could take a little time.” Ivan dropped back into the center of the circle. Everyone else shifted to keep it loose but effective.
There was the sound of objects clacking together again as Dempsey held out his shirt to loosen the mouth of the temporary bag and Ivan reached in to collect them.
“Hmm.” Ivan grunted. “The wood is splintered along the grain in several places.”
“Can you fix it?”
The look Ivan shot Dempsey questioned his intelligence. “Yeah. I can. I can fix anything. Just somethings take more time than others.”
“How much time will this take?”
Ivan shrugged. “As long as it does.”
“Very informative.”
“I thought so.”
“We can fall back to the cottage, keep it at our back and buy you some time. Kim?” Dempsey asked.
“Yes?”
“We need big and distracting to buy Ivan time. Chaotic and flashy. How many of those dogs can you call?”
“How much fire is in the world?”
“A lot?” Gwen answered before Dempsey could.
Kim nodded. “A lot. I can call a lot. If you need chaotic and flashy I’m your girl.”
“Okay,” Dempsey said, pushing to stand next to Ivan and then direct him into the center of the group. “First we move then I need you to make a big light show.”
“Got it, boss.”
They flattened out their circle, making it a bowl once more with Dempsey in the vanguard facing Roanne. Then they backed up until Ivan called out that he’d reached the front of the cottage. The rest of them stopped moving, forming a defensive arch. Once they were settled in position, Kim took a very big breath, tipped her head back with eyes closed and mouthed some silent words.
From all sides of the clearing glowing figures burst out of the woods, leaving behind wisps of smoke to trail behind them as they charged over the grass. Scorched footprints marked the grass but it only smoldered rather than catching fire.
It wasn’t just the standard fire coyote-dogs that came either. No, there were wildcats as well as their smaller domesticated brethren and even a lion came to Kim’s call, shaking out a mane made of fire. Prairie’s eyes smarted from the wave of heat that came with the creatures’ charge but she couldn’t look away from the wonder of it.
Was that? Yes, it was. A bear made of fire lumbered out of the woods, charging forward with a speed that was alarming because Prairie didn’t see how something that large could stop its charge in time to not barrel into them.
Cries came from above as flying creatures formed out of the air. Embers fell from the sky, forming into birds. There was a large number of crows, all black as soot except for the glowing hearts of fire that burned in their chest, their fire radiating through the cover of sooty feathers. Several eagles swooped in with claws furled, fire dripping from their tips. From the right a giant owl swooped in, its wing span large enough to block the sun.
They were definitely on the Shock and Awe with this display. Prairie couldn’t breathe and it wasn’t just the heat causing it.
Is Prairie okay? Bunny asked.
Prairie is in awe, she responded.
Oh, okays. The big birdies’ is pretty.
Yes, they are.
Bunny catch birdy?
No!
Okay. Bunny went back to Bunny thoughts after that and Prairie returned her attention to the creatures coming at Kim’s call.
Kim’s head remained thrown back. As more of the creatures poured from everywhere she raised her hands at her sides, her fingers splayed as she took in a deep breath and did not let it out.
“Is that a chihuahua?” Dempsey pointed to the left where, yes, a chihuahua made of fire came flying at the line of fire around Roanne and Kirby.
Kim let out her breath and opened an eye to shoot Dempsey a look. “I don’t define their shape. They assume whatever form they want.”
“But a chihuahua?”
The sound of the chihuahua’s bark carried to their line. Kim translated, “Chihuahuas are small of body, fierce of Spirit.”
“Got it.”
There was a series of clanks from behind their arc then the sound of a thunk followed by Ivan cursing.
“Okay back there?” Dempsey asked
“Fine,” Ivan snarled. “Just need a little longer.”
Mostly all the group had to do was watch the elementals Kim called wreck house. Every once in a brief while a wolf would lunge at them and they’d block the attack, but mostly all they had to do was keep a loose perimeter around Ivan and watch the chaos.
Besides the multitude of creatures made of fire that seemed to be having a great time stomping around and causing a fuss, zipping through the wolves, and frollicking or rolling or otherwise cavorting in the black clouds the wolves left behind when they dispersed, the air elementals Kim called previously continued to whip around. In a spectacular show of acrobatics to the left of their arc and some feet out, closer to Roanne and Kirby than Prairie’s group, the air swirled and flounced in a miniature siphon cloud and several smaller fire creatures danced along the streams making something like a fire-cyclone.
It was insane and also astonishingly beautiful and Prairie found her mouth dropping open as she watched the swirling dance. If she was closer probably she would have been less astonished and more horrified but from over here, far enough from the thrashing storm to be safe, it was gorgeous.
That none of the grass in the clearing so much as smoldered showed a level of control that was both staggering and necessary because they so didn’t need to be standing in an open burning field. This couldn’t have been clearer than when the fire-cyclone touched down on the ground and fire creatures came flying out the base in an arc.
Over where she wrestled with Kirby Roanne stopped her fight and stared at the cyclone, eyes wide and giant wolf jaw gaping. The fire chihuahua broke the ranks of the creatures encircling Roanne and Kirby, dashed up to Roanne and leaped as far as it could leap which wasn’t super far. It flailed its front paws in what Prairie couldn’t only interpret as a “neener neener” then dropped, headbutted one of Roanne’s legs, before dashing around to her rear and headbutting her haunches.
Roanne kicked out at the chihuahua with her back legs, bucking Kirby where he continued to cling to her neck so his back legs went flinging to the side.
Whee! Hello yelled, Ye haw, mudder-trucker!
Prairie lifted a hand to cover her laugh. It didn’t fully work if Gwen snapping a glance at her was any indication.
“Ye haw, mudder-trucker,” she repeated on a gasping giggle.
“What?!”
Prairie lowered her hand from her mouth and vaguely waved it in the direction of Kirby and Roanne.
“Kirby.” She giggled again. Then clarified, “Hello.”
“Hello?”
Before Prairie could explain the division of the three heads and fursonalities to Gwen, Ivan said, “Got it.”
Ivan pushed into their line between Kim and Siobhan, then cocked his head, taking in the fire and air crazy happening with an expression of wonder that spoke to the amount of concentration he’d been putting into fixing the axe to have blocked out the elementals’ actions. He cocked his brows. “You don’t see that every day.”
“Nope,” Gwen quipped. “You don’t.”
Dempsey acknowledged Ivan’s change of position. “Done?”
“Yep. What now?” He eyed the action in front of them then swung the axe on a forward arc with a snap of his wrist. It was a typical woodman’s axe, a wedge head on a thick wooden handle that looked a bit small in Ivan’s large hand.
Prairie held out the hand the cords weren’t coiled in. “Give it to me.”
“It’s pretty heavy.” He flicked his wrist again, proving it was not all that heavy for him. Yeah, she got it. Big man, swing axe.
She rolled her eyes, then heaved a small sigh and flicked her hand open and closed and open again. “Give it to me.”
He lifted his brows then acquiesced. Immediately the axe head dipped towards the ground. Okay, so, it was heavy. Whatever. She had this.
She tensed her wrist and righted the axe, then choked her hold up so it was closer to the head. The cords around her wrist pulsed, tightening then releasing slightly then tensing again like they were providing her encouragement. She picked one of the five cords stretching from her to Roanne and brought the axe around to whack the cord with it.
Nothing happened. She frowned at the axe head where it rested on the strand. It looked sharp enough so why wasn’t it…
Oh. Magick. She shook her head at the obvious answer. She closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and willed Spirit into the axe handle through her hand. It met a little resistance. Kind of expected considering the axe was not animate or alive and that was what her Magick latched onto. It wasn’t as simple as when she read an object for the Spirit clinging to it from its previous wielder. In this case she actually had to shove Magick into the object, not pull it from it.
She shifted her head, twisted her mouth, then tried releasing her Magick in a trickle instead of a push, willing it to seep into the substance of the wood handle. She cracked her eye open when Ivan gave a huff of air, her eyes going wide as she watched gold seep from the point her hand contacted on the handle to illuminate the wood. The glow carried up the handle to the head which also took on a golden hue, starting at the center of the head and radiating out until the entire head shone from within. The gold carried down the handle as well until the entire axe glowed.
She pulled the axe back and brought it back down on the cord. Where the axe met the cord it turned gold. The gold cascaded up the length towards Roanne and down it towards where the cord coiled at Prairie’s wrist. Prairie watched as the gold flowed over the cord, converting black to gold as it crossed the distance illuminated by fire creatures until it met Roanne’s side. There a splash of gold blossomed on the dark fur, lighting it from within so each strand glowed. Then there was a twang Prairie felt through the cord and it released, falling slack on the ground. It released from her wrist, pooling on the ground with the rest of the length then the entire cord elevated into the air and wove into one of the thinner sheer strands crossing the area, its glow equalizing with that of the fine threads so it blended into the tapestry.
Roanne howled as the cord turned gold and released her. She curved in on that side, causing Kirby to fly out again although this time at a more gentle arc. As she cried out the wolves that until then had been distracted by Kim’s light and wind show surged, packing themselves tight at the shoulder to withstand the hit of the elementals as they pushed to reach the group. Or, Prairie. Probably Prairie considering every single dark head was turned with muzzles pointed at her. Then as with one mind they came flowing forward, lips pulled back on snarls, eyes burning with an inner light reminiscent of banked coals.
“Oh, crud.”
Eyes wide she chopped another cord with the axe and it did the same black to gold fade, chasing up the length to hit Roanne’s side. Roanne let out another howl as the cord snapped, fell, and then rose to join the tapestry of gold lacing the clearing.
Prairie frowned. She’d thought they cords would return to Roanne. They were a part of her essence. Corrupted though they’d been wasn’t the Magick fixing them? Shouldn’t Roanne get those parts of her soul back? It was very troubling but she simply didn’t have the time to consider it as the wolves en masse were snapping and snarling and trying very hard to get to her, probably to stop her chopping.
Prairie’s friends fought to keep the tide of wolves back. Dempsey and Ivan took several giant steps forward and met the wave with their shields, diverting the flow to the left and the right where Gwen hit them with her plunger, Siobhan tossed implosion potions at them that knocked them back and into particles, and Kim redirected the air elementals to blow them apart. The fire elementals surged in from all sides and tore through the wolves’ ranks, but all they managed to do was dash through the creatures which dissipated and then immediately reformed.
Trusting her friends had this, Prairie refocused on the three cords left wrapped around her wrist. The next cord that snapped drew what was more of a scream than a howl from Prairie. It vibrated with pain, so strong that Prairie went weak at the knees.
Tears rose in Prairie’s eyes. She was used to suffering. It was part of her life. A large part of it. But she was usually not the one causing it! As a healer she understood sometimes you had to hurt someone to fix them. And yet…
Further down the line Gwen gave a huge sniffle and collapsed to her knees, her arms wrapped around her head. Dempsey didn’t hesitate to step in front of her and block the wolves from her with his shield. Prairie hunched her shoulders and moved to place her free hand on Gwen’s shoulder.
Gwen looked up at her with cheeks wet with tears. She grit her teeth and pushed out, “It hurts so much.”
“I–” Prairie blinked her burning eyes. “It will be over soon.” She lifted her wrist. “Only two more lines. We can do this.”
Gwen nodded and sniffed. “We have to. She hurts so much.”
Prairie placed her axe over the next strand and then drew a hard breath through her nose, shut her heart to the hurt, and cut.
Roanne’s yelp echoed through the clearing, bouncing off the stone of the cottage. Gwen sobbed and fell forward, crossing her arms over her chest and clasping her shoulders with her hands.
Prairie gulped, closed her eyes, and rolled her lips. The pain she was causing!
Just one more. One more. Looking up and across the clearing Prairie followed the line of the cord back to Roanne, to where it erupted from her chest, pulling the fur and skin out like the cord was a fish line latched into Roanne. Prairie cringed, sympathy once more weighing her.
But just like a hook caught in a fish’s mouth, the humane thing was to cut it away. So, with a deep surge of Magick she brought the axe down on the final cord. Gold chased black. At the point it entered or exited Roanne the black remained. It pulsed. Prairie could feel it through the cord which wrapped tighter around her wrist like that end was trying to help her get the cord free of Roanne.
Roanne’s skin drew so tight she arched forward, throwing Kirby off her back. Kirby darted a glance at Prairie and then ran across the clearing to brace against Prairie’s side opposite Gwen.
Renewed by Kirby’s strength Prairie pushed with her Magick, willing it down the cord. She felt resistance at the black point remaining sunk in Roanne. Gwen reached up with a hand and closed it right above the point where the cord wrapped around Prairie’s wrist. She drew a deep breath and calm settled in Prairie. And then conviction. And then a surge of power that fed her Magick. She threw it along the cord, willing it to break the blockage at Roanne’s skin.
The anchor burst free of Roanne’s chest, the force of it snapping the cord back at Prairie. With it came a clump of the fur and skin that had stretched at the pressure of Prairie’s grip. It tore away, pulling up Roanne’s chest to her throat, leaving a gaping wound in its wake. From the wound white light poured, the shade of the plasma at the puncture points. And then a blast of dark, liquid and viscous exploded from Roanne, propelled forward by a strong pulse of light.
Prairie raised her arm, now free of cords, to block her eyes. Gwen threw up her free arm and shoved her face against her shoulder. Dempsey and Ivan raised their shields to block the light and Siobhan and Kim fell behind them.
White light flooded the clearing, washing over the group. Kim yelled for the fire elementals to leave, alleviating some of the burn of light. Wind whipped around the group as the air elementals left as well. And then it was only them standing there, huddled behind the shields and their arms as the light slowly, so very slowly, faded away.
Prairie blinked her eyes, trying to clear the black spots dancing in her vision.
“Ow. Ow ow,” Gwen muttered beside her, still on her knees. Once she could make out the vague outline of Gwen through the black spots, Prairie reached down and offered Gwen an arm up.
There were no snarls or the heavy pants of breath. The wolves were gone, either driven away by the light or maybe released when the cords came free of Roanne.
Dempsey and Ivan lowered their shields, revealing the spot where Kirby had fought the wolf in the circle of fire elementals. Prairie blinked away the last of the fuzz from her eyes and stared at where a small figure lay in the grass where the wolf had fallen.
She flicked a look at Kim who blinked her eyes slowly then focused on Prairie.
“It’s safe now,” Prairie said. Kim nodded then looked around the clearing at the fire and air elementals still cavorting about.
Cupping a hand to the side of her mouth, Kim threw her head back, focusing somewhere between sky and land, and yelled, “Thank you, Friends!”
The elementals whirled and stomped and wriggled a bit more and then one by one they broke away from the wild rumpus and disappeared into the woodline or up in to the clouds depending on their form of movement. The last to leave was the fire chihuahua which came running at Kim at full speed. She dropped to a knee and scooped up the dog. She nodded down at it and said, “I saw!” then clasped the dog to her chest where it melted into her.
Prairie waited a moment for the intense heat of the fire elementals to dissipate from the air then ran forward. Her feet fumbled in her rush and she stumbled a few steps before Kirby ran up to her and bracketed her side. She dropped a hand on his haunch, using him to prop her up, as she rushed across the clearing. Gwen ran a bare foot behind her and Ivan streamed just to the right of Kirby.
In front of them the figure lay, covered in a red cloak. Skidding to a stop, Prairie fell to her knees and dropped a hand to the red covered shoulder, turning the figure over, careful of the head that hung on a limp neck.
The figure turned to its back, the red cloak forming bloody wings around the naked form of a young woman with tangled ash blonde hair matted down to her head and pale skin with lashes matted to her cheeks by a watery grey liquid. A swash of the liquid obscured the young woman’s mouth and the bottom of her nose. Roanne’s chest heaved and she lifted a hand to it, fingers sinking into her skin. A pale sun marked the back of the hand, a distinctive birthmark covering the skin from knuckles to wrist.
Prairie grabbed the bottom of her top and quickly cleared the liquid from Roanne’s nose and mouth. The young woman’s mouth parted and she pulled in a shuddering breath.
From just beyond Roanne Patti’s voice came out in a choked. “Gross.”
It was a testament to the focus she’d had on Roanne that Prairie had not noticed Patti until she spoke. She looked up and saw Patti, Ben, Dan, and Abe ranged behind Roanne sluicing off dark goo with varying looks of disgust, discomfort, and relief.
That’s all the focus she gave to them. She trusted the others would interact with them, determine their fitness, and perhaps get the story of their disappearance and return covered in the same goo that washed Roanne’s face. Even as she turned back at Roanne’s whimper she heard Siobhan’s quiet voice and Ivan’s rumble asking questions of their returned friends followed by Dan’s low voice, Patti’s alto and a distinct mouse peeping replying.
“Hello.” Prairie gave Roanne a gentle smile. “Welcome back.”
“Where? Where am I?” Roanne’s gaze darted around, taking in the clearing, Prairie’s group, the very large form of Kirby with his three heads which was surely one of the weirder things she was being forced to process. Then she looked down and saw she was naked. She grabbed the edges of the cloak and tried to draw it around herself but her arms were weak.
“Here.” Gwen reached over and gently smoothed the cloth over Roanne’s form. “Dempsey!”
Dempsey looked over at Gwen’s sharp snap. “What?”
“Give me your shirt.”
“What?” Dempsey looked at Roanne fully, taking in the cloak wrapped around her. “Oh. Sure.”
He lowered his shield to the ground, took off his jacket, then pulled his shirt over his head in that one-handed way guys had. He tossed it to Gwen who caught it then pulled his jacket back over his naked torso.
Gwen kneeled next to Roanne. “Here, let’s get you sitting up and put this gigantic thing on you. Okay?” She moved to support Roanne’s shoulders while the young woman pushed to rise. When she struggled to do so while clasping the cloak to her, listing to the side, Prairie curved her hand around one of her shoulders and pulled from the front while Gwen pushed from the back and they got Roanne to sit.
“Hi,” she said in a soft tone, “My name is Prairie. The one behind you is Gwen. We’re here to help you.”
Roanne met her gaze with melting eyes. “Where is here?”
Gwen snorted and Prairie answered, “That is a good question. You’ve had an adventure.”
Roanne frowned and blinked goo-crusted eyes.
“May I?” Prairie indicated she would like to wipe the eyes with the bottom of her top.
Roanne frowned again then nodded slowly. “Okay?”
Prairie gave another gentle, encouraging smile, the kind that usually relaxed frantic patients. It seemed to have a similar effect on Roanne if the relaxation of the young woman’s shoulders was any indication. She leaned in and gently wiped the goo from Roanne’s cheeks and eyes. “It will be. Let’s just get you cleaned up and then Gwen will help you with that shirt.”
“Where?” Roanne tapered off, rolled her lips, then asked. “Where are my clothes?”
“I’m not sure, but let’s just get you into this shirt.”
Gwen reached around and handed the shirt to Prairie who in turn handed it to Roanne so she could reach forward and gently unclasp the cloak from Roanne’s throat. Roanne raised shaking hands to the edge of the cloak to try to draw it away but her arms fell.
“Here.” Prairie smiled again and pooled Dempsey’s shirt in Roanne’s lap then gently took the edges of the cloak in her hands. “We’ll let Gwen pull the cloak back and I’ll help you get this shirt over your head.”
Gwen reached around for the cloak, keeping it furled to cover Roanne’s nudity and Prairie quickly situated the shirt over the young woman’s head.
“There we go. All better.” She sat back on her heels and waved a hand to shoo Kirby around behind her. After what Roanne had gone through a three-headed dog might either tip the balance into complete collapse or she might just take it in her stride but Prairie didn’t figure to push it.
One seemed to understand. We should return to you for now. Our work here seems done.
Prairie nodded at the silent suggestion. A mikro later she felt Kirby return to the skin of her side. She patted him with her free hand.
Thank you, dear one.
You are welcome, my one. We shall sleep now.
I don’t wanna sleep! Hello grumbled in a sleepy tone.
Hush you, Bunny said. I sleep and dream of bunnies. Night night, Prairie!
Night night, Pwawee! I wode a wuff!
You certainly did. Good night.
Wuv Pwawee!
And I love Kirby. Now go to sleep, please?
Oooooookay.
Prairie gave an inward smile at the three fursonalities, then turned her attention back to Roanne who squinted around the clearing in a clear state of confusion.
“I know this is confusing. Your mom and dad are worried about you and we’ll get you back to them.”
“Mom? And Dad?”
“Yes.” She offered Roanne a hand. Roanne took is and let Prairie pull her to her feet. She wobbled a little, throwing out her free hand for balance. Gwen stepped up next to her and offered her a hand. Gaze darting around the group, Roanne took Gwen’s hand in a tentative grip and forced a smile that melted when she took a steadying breath.
Gwen stooped down and grabbed the red cloak and balled it up under her free arm. Prairie slanted a look to the rest of her group where they clustered around their returned friends. Patti was gesticulating, hands spread out as she waved her arms, sketching out a bowl shape around herself. In the house on her belt Sass leaned out with tiny hands splayed in a similar gesture as she made something between a chirp and a long sigh. Ben, standing almost shoulder to shoulder with Dan, rocked back on his heels, hands in pockets as he followed the conversation with his eyes. As for Abe they’d dropped down to sit on the grass and pulled their knees up to their chest to rest their chin on the shelf of them.
“Hey.” No one looked up from their conversation at Prairie’s call so she pitched her voice louder. Much louder. “Hey!”
Patti stopped talking. Sass went quiet. Dan, Ivan, and Dempsey broke off talking amongst themselves and looked over. As did Kim, Siobhan, and Ivan. Abe tipped their chin up to look at Prairie.
“When did Prairie get so…?” Patti muttered from the side of her mouth.
Kim replied. “Confident?”
“Awesome?” Siobhan added, slanting her gaze at Prairie and giving an encouraging smile. “Go on?”
Prairie fought to not shrink under the combined gazes of her friends. This being in the limelight was… yeah. She hadn’t realized how much she’d come to accept she’d always be on the sidelines, the quiet support stepping in when needed with the scalpel or with this group a dagger. The one everyone overlooked. Overshadowed by the bright shiny lights like Ivan and the doctors she worked with. The ones who stepped up. She’d never been one of them. Until now.
Shoving her introspection aside, she squared her chin then gave a subtle head nod towards Roanne. “We should get Roanne back to her Mom and Dad.”
Before anyone could make any sign of agreeing the light in the clearing dropped precipitously. The golden strands threading the air glowed against the false dusk. Then from the woodline dark, glistening threads shot towards the group.
They writhed on the air. Some were thicker and had bulges in their lengths from which other tendrils thrust, making them look more like neurons in the brain than the subtle silken threads of gold weaving through the environment. The thinner strands arched out, writhing in electric pulses. Some doubled back and joined with others, forming thicker strands while yet more flew across the space. Where they met the golden threads weave the surface expanded and the intruding strands surged through the resulting gaps. Where they touched the golden tapestry the finer strands lost some of their shine. Not all, but they dimmed at the touch of the intruding root-like structures.
Prairie gasped, her eyes wide. She pressed her fee hand to her mouth and rotated her head from left to right, taking in the threat. Next to her Roanne let out a cry. Gwen grit her teeth and stared hard at the strands.
“You can see them?” Prairie whispered to Gwen.
“Yeah. And feel them. They are g-r-o-s-s. Super gross.” She grimaced dramatically to emphasize the point.
The intruding strands all stopped their writhing search of the air currents, turning at the sound of Prairie and Gwen’s voices. For a mikro they hung there, unmoving, and then as one they flew across the clearing, heading for Prairie, Gwen, and Roanne.
Dempsey and Ivan immediately ran over, shields at the ready to block the three women. Dan threw a hand down towards Abe who scrambled to their feet with his help. A dagger appeared in Ben’s hands like Magick and he held it steady beside his head while glaring at the strands.
Siobhan stood, arms crossed as her hands reached for her bandolier of potions, and stared at the strands with trembling lips. Her gaze was locked on the encroaching dark strands and her shaking hands froze short of her potion vials. Kim’s gaze was focused as well though she didn’t seem frozen. She shook her head, took a very deep and loud breath through her nostrils, then furled a hand, calling a nimbus of fire at least two feet in diameter to wreathe her fingers.
“Fuck that shit,” she mouthed. “Siobhan?”
Siobhan jerked her head hard and fast and shoved her hands until they hit her potions. “Yeah. Yeah. It’s fine.”
“Yeah, fine,” Kim echoed. “Fuck those fuckers. They are not getting us again.” Her voice wobbled but her fire held strong, in fact flexing out a few more inches. Suddenly the fire chihuahua was braced in front of her feet, its muzzle pulled back on a snarl that shot out a cloud of sparks.
“You can all see them?” Prairie half-whispered.
“Yeah,” Ivan shot a look back at her before turning to glower at the onrushing strands. “Brace!”
As soon as he yelled that both he and Dempsey dropped back as the strands splatted against their shields. Before they could do anything more to react a dark streak with a very long tail streaming behind it came flying from behind the cottage and skittered to a stop in front of Ivan and Dempsey. The figure braced its feet and swept out an arm, flinging small particles out in a wide arc.
Where the particles hit the ground brambles sprang up, growing so fast it was like time had stopped or speeded up or something. Between one blink and the next a wall of brambles formed in front of the group, spanning almost the entire width of the clearing. Blackberry clusters hung in the thicket of brambles, going from green to red to black almost faster than Prairie could track.
Framed against the wall of brambles was the woman who had approached the group with Roanne’s mother and father. From where she stood Prairie could see the woman’s profile. The bramble wall towered probably double her five-foot height. If there was any doubt it was her the very long, very thick golden braid trailing down her back to her knees kind of solidified it. There probably weren’t a ton of short women with incredibly long three inch thick braids in the area.
Prairie squinted at the braid, tilting her head as she realized that the strands of it glowed with the same golden power as the gossamer strands in the tapestry of “that which binds”. The gloaming of the false dusk and the looming thicket made the shine all the more clear.
The woman whipped around and wiped her hands together, then dug into the pockets of her jeans as she met the astonished gazes of the group. “Don’t stand there. The brambles won’t hold. We need to move!”
“Lady, who the fuck are you?” Kim’s vehement snap overlapped Ivan’s “Wha–?” and Patti’s “Huh?” as well as Gwen’s “Aren’t you that lady that was with Roanne’s parents at Leo’s?” Gwen’s question being the longest trailed after the others astonished and confused interjections.
The woman turned to address Gwen’s question. “Yes.” She pulled a balled up hand out of one of her pockets and flung another spray of what were now pretty obviously seeds out to fall at the roots of the bramble wall. Where they hit more brambles shot up, weaving with the existing wall so it became thick enough it blocked out the view of the encroaching dark strands.
Kim balled her shaking hand, quenching the fire around her fingers and jerked a look at the woman. “I repeat. Who the fuck are you, lady?”
“There’s no time to explain,” the woman snapped and lunged for Roanne, grabbing her shoulders in both hands and shoving Gwen’s away. She did a quick visual inspection of the younger woman.
“Are you okay?”
Roanne gave her a confused look. “I don’t know?”
The woman waffled her head back and forth while keeping her eyes locked on Roanne. “You look okay.”
Dropping her hands from Roanne’s shoulders, she turned and cast her focus over the group. “We have to run. Geppetto’s strands are insistent. The hedge won’t hold them back for long. We have to get out of here!”
Prairie tightened her hold on Roanne’s other arm and stared at the woman with wide eyes. “Geppetto?”
The hedge rustled and then leaves exploded as dark strands surged through the brambles.
“No time!” the woman yelled, hip checked Prairie out of the way and planted a hand in Roanne’s back, shoving her forward as the woman ran away from the hedge and towards the cottage. “We have to get through the door!”
Dempsey spared the shuddering hedge and the writhing strands barely held back by it and then yelled, “Get to the cottage door!”
No one protested as the entire group took off at a run for the cottage. Urgency drove their steps, the rustle of breaking hedge behind them and the slick, wet, sucking sound of the encroaching dark strands playing a flapping soundtrack to their flight. A dark strand shot out, grabbing the cloak bundled under Gwen’s arm. Gwen whipped around, her fingers tangled in the cloak, fighting the pull of the dark strand. Prairie shoved the axe into her belt, snapped a hand out, and grabbed the strand.
It was almost as thick as her wrist, slimy, and it pulsed in her hand like a heartbeat. As she tightened her hold she felt nodules pulsing down the length like blood clots migrating in a diseased heart. Her stomach heaved involuntarily but she clenched her fist around it, squeezing it and willing her Magick down its length. Gwen bundled the cloak against her chest and reached her hand down to cover Prairie’s. Prairie felt Gwen’s Magick surge through her hand and into the dark strand. It didn’t turn gold but a net of gold did form on its surface, contracting so the strand thinned.
Kirby burst off of Prairie’s skin, forming in a blink under her. She jerked but retained her hold on the strand. Kirby nudged Gwen hard with Bunny’s head, heaving her up onto his back. Prairie shimmied back, making room for Gwen in front of her. The sudden elevation must have been too much for the black cord as it thinned further at the point the golden net contracted on it and then snapped.
Kirby took off at a run, heading for the cottage with Gwen and Prairie holding on with their legs to keep their seat on his back. Gossamer fine threads burst from Prairie’s chest, their expulsion leaving a tingling sensation. They slammed through Gwen’s back and then flowed through Kirby’s neck connecting the three of them.
The cottage loomed closer with every one of Kirby’s giant steps. Prairie flung her arms around Gwen, caging them together. She felt the squish of cloth in Gwen’s hands where she continued to cradle the cloak.
Kirby vaulted up the stairs and lunged for the door, flying past Siobhan, Kim, and Abe as they ran across the grass. Ben was in the lead, scant steps from Kirby with his jacket flying back at his speed, and Ivan was right on his heels.
Abe cried out. Prairie looked back to see a very thick dark strand slam Abe’s back, hooking them and yanking them off their feet and back towards the bramble wall. Dan spun around and ran back with a book held up in the air while hollering something. The cord lit up bright white halfway down its length then recoiled, releasing Abe who flailed their limbs on the air for a mikro before dropping from the air. They threw their hands out, screaming as they fell. Dan snapped out his free hand and grabbed the back of their cassock, stopping their descent with their face mere inches from the ground. He lowered them fully then dipped down and threw Abe’s slight weight over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.
Grunting he came up from his crouch and immediately began running, weaving to avoid the grasp of a new cord that grasped at them. When Siobhan stumbled over her feet Dempsey scooped her up like a princess in his arms and kept running. Siobhan latched one arm around his neck to help his hold and held onto her flower crown with the other so it didn’t fly off her head. Patti ran full out, holding Sass’s house to her thigh, with Kim right beside her.
Satisfied all her friends were following, Prairie turned back and looked over Gwen’s shoulder towards the door they were on a collision course with.
The woman, half carrying Roanne now, was steps ahead of Kirby. She grabbed the door and flung it open. A blast of white light came from it, half blinding Prairie. The woman and Roanne stood out, dark figures against the brightness, for a mikro and then they disappeared into the light. Kirby galloped steps behind them, diving through the door. Prairie instinctively shoved her face into her shoulder and squeezed her eyes shut against the bright light.
Kirby came to a swift stop once through the door, his back legs almost tangling with his front ones. He stumbled and Gwen and Prairie shifted around on his back, flung forward by his rapid stop. Considering how fast he’d been going they really should have been thrown over his head but they barely rocked before falling back against his bulk.
Prairie looked down, expecting to see the golden strands binding them but all she saw was Gwen’s jacket and Kirby’s fur. She released her hold on Gwen and reached back to feel behind her. Her fingers met nothing but air.
She frowned and adjusted her focus to look around them as Kirby righted himself and took several large steps forward. There were no golden threads weaving an elaborate tapestry. Just air, sky, plants, and a path leading to a stone fence with a pretty wood gate in it. She twisted fully to look behind her as the others tumbled and stumbled and ran through the door in the exterior of The House.
Prairie cast a quick look at her belt where she’d shoved the Woodman’s Axe. It too was gone. A sharp spike of anxiety stabbed her stomach. Leaning her chin on Gwen’s shoulder, she groped at Gwen’s front startling a “Hey?” from her friend.
Something in her settled, her anxiety melting away as she felt the bundled cloth Gwen still held tight to her chest. “Just checking.”
Gwen turned her head to look at Prairie and almost bopped their noses together. Prairie pulled back with a soft smile. “The cloak.”
“Oh.” Gwen reared her head back. “Yeah. I have it.”
Dan let Abe down to their feet and turned to stare at The House with a look of consideration before he turned to stare at Roanne and the woman with the long braid. He retrieved a book from his tac vest pocket, pulled out a pencil, then gave the woman an steady look. Dempsey came through on a run, still cradling Siobhan. Once they were through Siobhan patted his shoulder and said something too low for Prairie to hear. He let her down, waiting while she regained her feet. She tilted slightly and winced, reaching out to brace her hand on Dempsey’s arm while favoring her right ankle
Patti stumbled through, shuffled to the side, and bent over to brace her hands on her thighs. Ben, right behind her, careened into her bent form. She teetered to the side and he reached out to grab her shoulder and right her. Patti muttered a thanks then stepped back to smooth her hair and run her fingers over the mouse house hanging from her belt.
Under Prairie and Gwen Kirby flexed. Prairie released the grip of her legs on his sides, leaned her weight back, and swung her leg over his side.
Thank you, Kirby. That was quick thinking.
You are welcome, as always, my one, One answered. We should return to our rest. This adventure was quite strenuous. We are usually not called on to be anyone’s mount.
Prairie slid off Kirby’s side. I am so glad for you.
I am glad to have been there for you.
As you always are. Prairie turned and helped Gwen off Kirby’s back. Gwen’s knees wobbled a little as she gained her feet. She curved her arms tighter around the cloak and locked her knees then adjusted her neck left and right.
“That was a wild ride.”
Prairie smiled. “It was.”
Gwen looked at Kirby. “Can he understand me?”
“Yes.”
Gwen nodded and made a big show of meeting each of Kirby’s eyes. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure we were getting out of there.”
Tell your friend we are glad to be of help, One said.
Prairie smiled at him then looked at Gwen. “He is happy to help.”
She turned back to Kirby. You should go back to sleep. I’m sure we will have more adventures soon.
One nodded his head, Bunny nudged her side, his eyes drooping, and Hello gave her a big slurpy kiss then Kirby melted into a transparent spirit form and a mikro later Prairie felt him settle on her side. Once that was all settled she turned her focus back to Roanne and the golden-braided woman as Kim stalked up to her and shoved a finger almost in the woman’s eye. “In case you didn’t hear before, I’d love to know who the fuck you are!”
Flame flickered on the fingertip making the gesture even more expressive.
For her part the woman looked surprisingly calm, giving the flaming finger barely a glance before diverting her attention to meet the universally intense and fairly hostile stares directed at her.
“And what the fuck is going on!” Kim continued, speaking for all of them as she jabbed her flaming finger at the woman.
“Yeah!” Patti snarled and swung her finger in the woman’s direction. “That.”
Without the fire the gesture was a little less effective than Kim’s, but it made up for it with the vehemence Patti loaned the stabbing.
The braided woman reached a single finger forward, pressed it to Kim’s wrist, and pushed the flaming finger out of her face. “My name is Rapunzel and what’s happening is the end of the world.”
End Episode 9
Enter The Woods 