Chapter 2

Nothing haunted Uesstii that night. She woke again and stared up at the ceiling.

I’m still here, huh?

Uesstii wiggled in the bed, but did not get up. She buried her face in the pillows and relaxed. She could smell the mouse, his scent was all over the pillows. That smell! So intoxicating. She took as much as she could. The mere act bothered her, to no end, but deep down, she loved every moment.

There was no sign of the mouse. No knock at the door. The only light in the room spilled in from under the heavy oak door. She stretched her arms behind her head, cracked her back, and finally sat up. A pitcher of water sat on the nightstand, paired with a cup and a bowl of fruit. The mouse may be annoying, but he really did know how to care for a guest. She drank her fill of water. It was so clean, tasted of the deep earth, and was still cold to the touch.

Faylo must have just been here...

Uesstii wiggled her nose. There was that smell again, hers, of heat. Surely he could smell it, she certainly felt it, let alone smelled it. That poor mouse must be going crazy. Her eyes widened and she looked down. She was very naked. She squeaked! And covered her breasts, for no real reason.

He saw everything!

There was no denying that. What a mess! So uncouth! How everything could fall apart so quickly was beyond even her own understanding. She sighed again and let the blanket fall away from her breasts. What was the use of covering them while alone? The pain in her head was still there, but was reduced to a gentle throb, one she barely noticed; but the bandaged remained, tight as ever.

Uesstii threw the sheets to the side and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She dangled there for a moment, far too short to reach the floor, before sliding off and landing with a thump. She fumbled in the dark for a light switch. The lights came on with a loud click; the bulbs hummed and flickered. Her sword stood propped against the wall, her armour was laid neat in a pile, and her loincloth was folded on top. She grabbed that first and gave it a quick smell. Clean and fresh.

He’d make a good husband...

She shook her head! Where did that come from? This heat was driving her insane. Never in her life did she have to bear the company of a male in the midst of a heat, and now, she did not have the experience to deal with it. Her thoughts were a muddled mess as she tied her loincloth around her waist. It only covered her front bits, leaving her ass completely nude. That fluffy tail was more than enough to give her, and squirrels in general, enough modesty; albeit very slight. Then, she wiggled into her shirt, but kept her sword and armour where they lay.

Uesstii opened the door, slowly, and peeked her head into the hall. She looked both ways. There was no sign of Faylo.

Hmm, if the hot spring was that way, then I’ll go this way...

The lights in the hall buzzed and flickered, casting long shadows.

Uesstii’s stomach rumbled. She was hungry, but decided that finding Faylo would be more appropriate than raiding his kitchen. From deep within the house, she could hear banging, of steel on steel. She followed the noise through a side door, along a winding hallway, and down through the earth, to a large door. She wiggled her nose. Was she going the right way? There it was again, that tapping noise, from inside. She shrugged and opened it. The door squeaked and groaned, the wood timbers old and worn.

The room was alive with machinery. Whirling, humming, spinning; all powered by single cylinder steam engines. A whoosh of steam erupted, filled the ceiling, and then was whisked away by a draft that shot straight up a metal chimney. Workbenches lined the room, against every wall, save for one, where the firebox blazed hot and furious. Weapons and armour, swords, guns, plate and mail, all in various states of completion and rejection, sat in stands, on the benches, and hung from hooks on the stone walls. Papers were strewn about, crumbled, torn, and covered in scribbles.

In the middle of it all, the mouse, still very naked, sat hunched over a project; with one eye shut, the other focusing through a magnified glass held up by a brass stand. His paws tinkered with small pieces of metal.

‘Faylo?’

No answer. Uesstii stepped inside, wiggled her nose, and padded gently towards the mouse. What little noise her pawsteps made were masked by the whoosh of steam and sliding pistons. The mouse did not move, barely twitched, so focused he was, his tail, usually playful, stood completely erect. His fingers moved so delicately, and glowed ever so slightly.

‘No...’ Faylo whispered. ‘You can’t... No... no... no...’

The air grew cold and nipped at Uesstii’s whiskers. She paused, sniffed the air, looked to the dark places in the room. She has felt this before.

Uesstii placed a paw on his shoulder. ‘Faylo?’

Faylo squeaked! Shot out of his chair, flailed about, and ended up on his rump; shuffling away from Uesstii. She reacted as one would, with a sudden jolt of fear that sent her jumping backwards, with her forepaw going to a sword she did not have.

‘Stay away!’ He cried! ‘I won’t let you take her!’

‘It’s just me!’ Uesstii squeaked. ‘Faylo! It’s Uesstii!’

The mouse was a trembling mess. His fur was spiked, his tail curled around his leg, perhaps for comfort, and he looked desperately to the dark corners of the room.

‘You can’t have her! I won’t let you!’

‘Have who? Give who up? Faylo, it’s Uesstii! We met in the forest, you took me in, treated my wound.’

The mouse wiggled his way to a wall, placed his back against it, and began to swat at invisible things.

‘Don’t hurt her!’ He squeaked! So desperate was his voice, it rose even the fur on Uesstii’s nape. ‘She’s my friend!’

The air began to snap and crackle. Like a brewing storm, the air smelled of ozone, of a humid summer storm. Thunder boomed! Lighting snapped around the mouse, striking stone, wood, and metal; exploding the wood to splinters, heating the metal, and destroying chunks of stone from the walls. Waves of magic pulsed from the mouse, erratic, strange, powerful, untamed and deadly.

Uesstii could feel it. The magic. It tickled her whiskers, nearly blew her off her paws, and rose the fur on her body. She acted fast. With incredible speed, she dodged, dipped, and dived between bolts of lightning and rolled next to the mouse and placed her paws gently to hold his face; their eyes locking.

‘Faylo. Listen to me.’

The storm raged around her, crashing against stone, showering them in rubble.

‘Faylo!’

Uesstii’s voice did not reach his ears. She felt the air charge, and with a resounding crack, a lightning bolt slammed against her back like a sledge hammer, nearly knocking her flat. The electricity shocked her body, seared her flesh, and burned her fur. She squeaked! Trembled! Her teeth clenched, body tingling with aftershocks. Adrenaline quickly took her, the pain a far memory.

‘Y-you’re okay.’ She said. ‘I am not here to hurt you. You need to calm down.’ She pulled his face against her chest, right between her soft boobs, soothing him with a hug and warm fur. ‘What is wrong, my dear mouse?’

So soft and sweet was her voice, her scent, her form, that Faylo relaxed, melted in her paws, and went nearly limp against her and began to cry. The roar of thunder waned, the lighting sputtered, and the waves of magic ceased.

‘Uesstii?’ Faylo sniffed back his tears.

‘Yes.’ She said, her paw caressing the back of his head. ‘Be calm.’

‘I’m sorry!’ He sobbed against her. ‘I’m so sorry...’

‘Shh. It’s okay. Come on, don’t cry.’ She hugged him tight. ‘What in the divines happened back there?’

Faylo sniffed back his tears. ‘Nothing.’

Uesstii broke the hug and looked him sternly in the eyes. His eyes were soft and bright, but with terrible bags, as if the mouse had never slept a day in his life.

‘You’re lying.’

Faylo looked away. ‘No...’

Uesstii narrowed her eyes, her tail whipped, and her claws dug ever so slightly into his shoulders, making him wince.

‘Do not lie to me.’

‘Nothing happened.’

‘That was a whole lot of nothing.’

Faylo wiggled his fingers, a strange warmth dripping between them. He looked down at his paws, his face going pale. They were stained with fresh blood.

‘Uesstii y-you’re...’

‘I know.’

‘I didn’t mean to...’

Uesstii exhaled hotly through her nose. ‘Do not lie to me, Faylo.’ She pushed him roughly against the wall. Faylo’s eyes widened, his whole body light as a feather to the powerful squirrel. ‘You were talking to someone, not me, someone in this room with you. What is its name?’

‘Nobody is here...’ Faylo quivered. ‘I was just having a bad dream.’

Uesstii growled! ‘What is its name?’

Faylo looked the squirrel in her eyes. Those angry eyes, once so soft and caring, were now full of fire and ferocity. She was a stunning force of physical strength, even while seriously wounded. Even now, as he looked to her, blood dripped from her nose and the corner of her lips. Faylo looked to a shadow in the room, then back to Uesstii.

‘...It would not say.’

Uesstii looked at him, scrutinized every little detail, and did so for a very long time, before letting him go. She stood up, wiped her face with a forearm, and looked to the dark corners of the room with a scowl. The shadows seemed to swirl, twist, and grow longer, deeper, an endless abyss, one she was far too familiar with. She felt suddenly very naked without her sword.

‘How long have you been alone?’

Uesstii extended a paw for him to grab, he did so, and she pulled him to his feet.

‘For as long as I can remember.’ He squeaked, still trembling with fear.

‘Years?’

‘Decades.’

Uesstii’s tail twitched. Like moths to a flame.

‘Have you spoken to it?’

‘Yes.’

‘Do not.’ Uesstii growled. The sheer anger that radiated off of her could be felt like the flames of a roaring fire. ‘Do not believe it. Do not reason with it.’

Faylo swallowed nervously and nodded vigorously. ‘It said it was my friend...’ He sniffed back new tears. ‘Said we would be friends forever, but...’ He looked to Uesstii, to her beautiful silver eyes, his own full of tears. ‘It said horrible things! Oh, Uesstii! It wanted you.’

Uesstii’s tail twitched and her stomach churned with a mix of anger and disgust. She knew exactly what that meant.

‘I begged it not to hurt you!’ Faylo wailed, crying hard against her chest.

Uesstii softened and placed a gentle paw between his soft ears. She was still tense, her ears scanning, twitching to every sound; every creak and groan, and every drop of blood that dripped from her wound.

‘Uesstii...’ Faylo squeaked, as he wiped his tears with a forearm. ‘Let me stop the bleeding.’

‘Not here.’

Faylo wiggled his nose. ‘You won’t make it up the stairs like that.’

It was true. Uesstii was a mess. Her shirt was torn, near in tatters, and hung loosely from her neck, barely covering her breasts. It was as good as junk. Her breath was hot, ragged, and she wheezed with each inhale, twitching in pain as she did. The bolt of lightning did far more damage than even she realized. Her paw went to her ribs and held them gingerly.

Uesstii coughed up blood and spit it on the floor. ‘Let me lean on you.’ She said.

Faylo hurried to her side and looped her arm around his neck and let her full weight lean against him.

Uesstii sighed. ‘I really am just a damsel in distress.’

Faylo said nothing. He helped her to the steps, and they took them one at a time, ascending from the jaws of darkness. Paranoia clawed at Uesstii’s mind. She looked over her shoulder nearly every step, her nose sniffed the air, and her eyes stayed open, focused, and she kept a tight grip on Faylo; as if the mouse would be dragged away from her at any moment.

‘Take me back to your room.’ Uesstii wheezed. ‘I need my sword.’

‘You are in no condition to swing one.’

‘And you are?’ Uesstii snapped. ‘A helpless, little mouse.’ She coughed again, splattering blood across her lips. ‘I will protect you, no matter what.’

Faylo’s paw began to glow, soft and warm, and he traced it ever gently along her back.

‘You have five broken ribs.’

‘I can handle it.’

Faylo clenched his teeth and his eyes began to water. ‘And a punctured lung.’

‘That explains why I can barely breathe...’

‘You don’t need to act tough.’

‘I’m a warrior.’ Uesstii coughed.

‘A stubborn one.’

The halls felt cold and dim. The shadows grew long and dark, coiling, reaching far and wide. In the silence, a ticking clock, rhythmic and unyielding. The air was heavy, claustrophobic, and seemed to tug at Uesstii’s tail. She could feel it against her whiskers, a jolt, and from it, she looked to the shadows; and silhouetted in the dark, something stared back.

Faylo opened his bedroom door. It opened with a slow creaking squeak. The room was dark and silent. He fumbled with the light switch, whilst keeping his delicate charge standing. The lights flickered on, hummed gently, but seemed to fade with every passing moment. He walked Uesstii to the bed, where she sat with a squeaky wince.

‘Ow.’

‘You should rest.’

‘All I do here is rest.’ Uesstii snorted.

Faylo placed a paw under her breast, against her ribs, she winced, and pulled away from him.

‘Watch your paw...’

Faylo wiggled his nose. ‘You need to let me touch.’

‘It hurts. What else do you need to know?’

‘I can only help, if you let me.’

‘Fine.’

Faylo inspected her injuries, this time more delicately. She was in rough shape, more so than he original thought. His paw glowed, traced along her fluffy sides, along her back, and around again. He tried to keep his composure around her breasts, but it was hard, for they spilled from her ruined shirt. And as if she was reading his thoughts, Uesstii wiggled her nose, sighed, and then began to pull the shirt off. She looked at him, to his eyes, his flushed cheeks, and his wiggling whiskers.

‘The shirt will just get in the way. It’s not like you haven’t seen them already, I suppose.’ She tossed the shirt to the floor and looked away with a blush. ‘Just... hurry up, okay?’

Faylo nodded dumbly. He went right back to work, trying his best to remain professional. The wound on her back still bled, albeit slowly. The bolt of lightning left a nasty gash in her flesh, and was rather shallow, with seared edges that smelled of cooked meat. It made him gag. He grabbed a roll of bandages, applied a poultice, and squished it against the wound. She squeaked!

‘That stings!’

‘It will.’

‘Warn me next time.’ Uesstii barked.

Faylo wrapped a roll of bandages around her shoulder and back, and tied it firmly above her breast. His paws began to glow. A heat soaked into her fur, and she sighed in relief as the pain slowly began to melt.

‘How does that feel?’

‘So much better...’

Faylo pressed his paw against a rib, she winced. ‘This one is bad.’ He said.

‘I felt it.’

‘I can set broken ribs, even pull this one out of your lung, but...’ Faylo’s tail wrapped around her leg. ‘I need you to lay down.’

‘Why?’

Faylo began to push her towards the pillows. ‘On your back, please.’

Uesstii did as she was told. Just twisting her body to lay down was excruciating. She bit her lip, growled slightly, and winced with every little movement.

‘I can’t.’

‘I’ll help.’

Faylo grabbed her, gently, and guided her back to the bed, and placed her head on the pillows. She sighed in relief once her back was straight once more.

Uesstii coughed again, a hacking, ragged cough that splattered more blood across her white chest. ‘You sure do pack a punch.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Faylo whispered. ‘Why would you do that? Jump into a mess of magic for someone you barely know?’

Uesstii smiled and looked to the ceiling. ‘Because that is what a hero would do.’

Faylo’s heart fluttered. She really was a hero.

‘Are you ready?’

‘Yes.’

Faylo offered her mouth a piece of wood. ‘For biting.’

‘It’s going to hurt that much?’

‘I do not know.’

Uesstii took the wood between her teeth and bit down. She watched his paw glide across her fur, along her sore ribs, and with a moment of concentration, his paws lit up and she felt her bones set; could feel them move. The horrendous pain hit her immediately. She bit down on the wood, harder this time, her large incisor teeth nearly snapping it in half; and her paws clenched and her toes curled. There was nothing Faylo could do. The rib slipped from her lung and set itself back where it belonged. It was disgusting.

‘I need you to breath for me.’ Uesstii nodded and began to inhale deeply through her nose. ‘That’s it. Take deep breaths.’

Faylo cupped her breast, from the bottom, and lifted it up. It was so sudden, so swift, she hardly noticed at all. He placed his large, dinner plate ear to her chest and listened. Every breath was a rattle, hallow, and came shallow on one side.

‘Your lung is collapsed.’

Faylo lingered with his paw against her breast longer than he should have before letting it bounce free.

Uesstii spit the piece of wood out. ‘Can you fix it?’

‘I will do what I can, but you will require lots of rest.’

‘How long?’

‘The books say it could take weeks.’

Uesstii strained to sit up, but was pushed back to the pillows. ‘We don’t have weeks.’ She tried to get up again, but was held down with a gentle paw. ‘Let me up.’

‘I need to fix your lung.’

Uesstii wiggled her nose and huffed. ‘Be quick.’

Faylo placed both paws against her chest, up against her right boob, and began to concentrate. Magic flowed to his paws, a golden glow, that penetrated deep inside her. She felt a pressure release, then, she could breath properly again. Those first breaths of air were the softest she had ever felt.

‘I feel better...’ Uesstii took several deep breaths. ‘Yeah, I think that worked.’

Faylo pulled his paws away. ‘Are you in pain?’

Uesstii wiggled a shoulder, stretched her arms and legs, and poked idly at her ribs. ‘Still sore.’

‘Your ribs are still broken.’ Faylo said, as he pushed with two fingers against her side. ‘Be careful.’

Uesstii winced and sucked in sharply. ‘Be careful where you poke!’

‘Sorry.’

The lights flickered. Uesstii watched carefully, her eyes went to the door, to the lights in the hall that stayed bright, to every part of the bedroom. The air grew cold, and for a moment, her breath vaporized.

Uesstii tried to push herself up, but Faylo quickly helped her sit upright on the edge of the bed.

‘Things are worse than I thought.’ Uesstii wheezed. ‘There’s a pouch attached to my cuirass. Grab it, bring it here.’

Faylo did as he was asked, but a million questions swarmed his mind. ‘What’s going on?’ He handed the pouch to Uesstii.

‘My first night here,’ Uesstii began, as she dumped the contents of the pouch on the bed. ‘I had a dream. A terrible nightmare. I was unsure at first, but now...’ She sorted through the mess, two copper coins, a bell, and pushed those to the side, as she fumbled with three crystals. ‘This place. Your home, Faylo. Is haunted.’ She shivered. ‘I felt it. The horrible entity that clings to you. It is a creature of hunger and malice. A parasite from a world between worlds, a demon of the Fringe.’

Those three crystals, each carved with special runes, glowed brightly in her paw and pulsed with a soothing warmth.

‘These crystals,’ She held them flat in her palm. ‘Represent the sun,’ A yellow crystal radiated warmth and love (ᛋ). ‘The earth,’ A green crystal that smelled of petrichor (ᛖ). ‘The night.’ A crystal of stygian black, dotted with twinkling stars (ᚾ). ‘The three great primordial gods.’

Faylo was quickly getting overwhelmed! His tailed curled, his ears flicked, and his nose wiggled. ‘I don’t understand!’ He squeaked. ‘You’re scaring me!’

‘All you need to understand is that these crystals will keep you safe.’ She placed them upon the night stand. ‘Do not leave this room, not without me, you hear?’

‘Yes...’ Faylo squeaked. ‘Will... that thing. Will it come for you?’ He looked to the open door and then back to Uesstii. ‘The things it said...’ He shivered. ‘I thought it was my friend. It was there when no one else was.’

‘It was drawn to you, Faylo. Through the Fringe. Like a moth to a flame, it found your light in the dark.’ She hopped down to the floor and stretched her arms above her head, albeit carefully, and her fluffy tail danced behind her. ‘These things prey upon the weak, the emotional and the desperate. They hunger tirelessly, search the void for the brightest souls.’ She gave him a soft look. ‘You are like a beacon to them, Faylo.’

‘It never hurt me.’

‘Would you bite the paw that feeds you?’ Uesstii walked to her armour, her breasts bouncing hypnotically with each step. ‘These parasites feast on souls, for they lack one themselves.’ She slipped the cuirass over her head, pulled it over her breasts, and winced as she pulled the straps tight. ‘To exist in our plane, to cross the boundaries of space and time, they require magic.’

Faylo looked sick to his stomach. ‘A soul is where magic resides...’

‘Yes.’

Uesstii grabbed her sword, paused for a moment, and wiggled her nose. ‘What have you done to my sword?’

Faylo seemed to finally relax at the opportunity to change the subject. ‘It’s really impressive you noticed!’ He managed a small smile. ‘It was really rough. The blade was chipped in several spots, and the weight distribution was all over the place.’

Uesstii raised a brow, and with a quick pull, she freed her sword from the scabbard and held it in her right paw. The blade sparkled in the light, polished, sharpened, and repaired. The sword felt nearly weightless. She slashed it through the air, a fast arc, then, with two hands, she brought it down with a powerful overhead strike! The blade stopped just shy of the stone floor, blasting the room with a gust of wind that rattled dishes, sent paper flying, and ripped open the doors of a large wardrobe.

Faylo squeaked! Nearly toppled over by the powerful display.

‘You did this?’

Faylo nodded, his cheeks flushing red. ‘I like to tinker.’

Uesstii brought the blade close. ‘Very impressive work...’ She traced her paw along the blade, tested the sharpness with a claw, and then sheathed the sword in the scabbard. ‘I can’t pay you.’

‘I wouldn’t dream of asking!’ Faylo squeaked, as if the mere thought of being compensated was offensive. ‘Making sure you could defend yourself properly is the least I can do.’ He looked to the ground, his toes curling and uncurling. ‘When I wouldn’t be there to do it myself.’

Uesstii squeaked, blushed hotly, and stared down at him, nose twitching, stomach full of butterflies; her ears wiggled, and her tail flicked. It took a moment, but she snapped out of it with a laugh that hurt her ribs. ‘That was almost cute.’ She slipped her vambraces on and pulled the straps tight. ‘You really do read too many romances.’

‘Only what was on the shelf.’ Faylo shrugged.

‘You know,’ Uesstii placed a paw on her hip, struck a sassy pose, and huffed. ‘Males back home would never speak out of line like this.’

Faylo perked up with a squeak. ‘Where is back home?’

Uesstii placed her sword against the night stand and hopped back up on the bed to sit with her legs dangling.

‘Here in these woods. The Great Drey.’ Uesstii reached over and grabbed an apple. Her stomach growled quite audibly. ‘A magnificent palace built upon the antlers of the Ulyphyn. Where a squirrel is safe, the food is hot, and the company is sweet.’

‘Sounds wonderful.’ Faylo sighed wistfully. ‘I wish to see something as amazing as that someday.’

Uesstii took several quick bites of her apple, swallowed what she could, and spoke with a half-full mouth. ‘Why haven’t you?’

‘Where would I go?’ Faylo filled a glass with water and offered it to Uesstii. ‘Who would look after my home?’

Uesstii drank a full cup of water, then another, before setting the glass on the nightstand. ‘I couldn’t imagine being chained to a single place like that.’ She grabbed another apple and tore into it ravenously. ‘I left home as soon as I could hold a sword.’ She smirked. ‘Mother didn’t like that.’

Faylo stood away from the bed, fidgeting awkwardly.

Uesstii rolled her eyes and patted the spot next to her. ‘You can sit with me. It’s your bed.’

Faylo perked up, and his smile returned, bright as ever. ‘Thanks.’ He hopped up next to her, far closer than she was anticipating, their furry shoulders pressing together as he looked up to her with those wonder filled eyes. ‘Where did you go?’

‘I wandered for a long time.’ Her eyes began to wander themselves, to between his legs, where his sheath was just as much of an unkempt mess as it was when they first met. Even the smell, that blasted scent! Wafted again and tickled her nose. She had forgotten about her heat in the midst of all the excitement, but it certainly did not forget about her. She sighed. ‘Do you not own clothing?’

‘Do I have to wear something?’

Uesstii smiled. ‘You’ll fit right in with the craziest of squirrels, the naturalists, they call themselves. Tribal types, they are.’

‘So I can stay naked?’ Faylo asked, rather hopefully.

‘Here?’ Uesstii shrugged. ‘It’s your house, but anywhere else you’ll go will likely enforce clothing. We aren’t savages.’

‘But what if I am hot?’

Uesstii's ear flicked. ‘Dunk your head in a water trough, you little pervert. You can’t be naked all the time. I feel like a mother scolding her son!’

Faylo fell backward on his bed and looked at the ceiling. ‘I don’t remember what mine was like. I wonder if she would have been like you.’

‘Bossy?’ Uesstii smirked.

‘Kind, beautiful, and understanding...’ Faylo yawned, stretched, and then snuggled into the blankets and shut his eyes. Exhaustion finally catching up to the little mouse. ‘I would have liked to meet her...’ And with that, he was fast asleep.

Uesstii pressed the back of her paw to his forehead. He was hot, but without fever, his ears were firm and soft, and his breathing was calm and steady.

‘Sleep well,’ Uesstii whispered. ‘May your dreams be full of sunlight.’