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Chapter 8

The Cave

The plan has Shae squirming against the web just inside the cave, crying to be let go. Danahlia has the tiny faye wrapped in her tail and a bit of silk to keep her in place while the Liguna and Tokala wait in ambush on opposite sides of the cave's mouth.

"Please, do not let my sister be eaten," Tally begs, hovering in circles over Danahlia's head.

Twinkaleni and Airi have come closer as well but keep a safe distance.

"Don't worry, I'll pull her out before that ever happens," Danahalia assures Tally, taking a firm two handed grip on her spear, then she calls, "Tell us when you see somethin', Shae."

"Release me, please! Do this not! Another way there must be!" the captive pixie cries.

Over the pixie's wailing, Alice can just make out a rapid clicking noise, one that steadily gets louder. She gives Danahlia a look and the Liguna nods. Alice grips her freed sword harder.

"Coming they are! Please, let me go!" Shae cries in panic.

She then lets out a terrified, high pitched scream and Danahalia shouts, "NOW!"

In the span of a heartbeat, Danahlia pulls her tail and the pixie free as both armed girls thrust their weapons into the cave, Danahlia aiming high while Alice strikes low. Danahlia manages to skewer a massive spider right in its mouth, the thing dropping from the wall where it was crawling. Alice comes up short but isn't off by much as a handful of the unsettlingly large arachnids come boiling out toward them.

A breath catches in Alice's throat as Danahlia screeches, "Oh, Ticks!" when they see their numbers, both girls falling back.

They're just as large as the lone spider Alice had freed Tally from a few days ago. Though these are covered with coarse gray, black, and yellow hairs that make them look ferociously thorned. As the monsters approach, they click their fangs together in a menacing chorus, their eight slender legs carrying them forth with surprising speed.

Alice panics, trips over a stone, and lands hard on her back. Danahlia manages to leap away, swinging her spear to fling the first impaled monstrosity off while managing to beat back another against the rocks. She spins to slam her tail into it sending the arachnid flying back with Shae screaming in terror, still stuck to the Liguna's lengthy appendage with thick sticky threads of silk.

One of the spiders leaps with unexpected agility and nearly lands on Alice's face, only to be bisected into two uneven parts by the Tokala's sword, warm ichor falling over her. She scrambles to get to her feet and slashes at another as it approaches, taking off its front legs. As the spider falls forward into the dirt, Alice chops down hard on its head, causing the remaining flailing limbs to go limp instantly. Danahlia misses with a thrust but manages to knock another spider away with the butt of her spear. As it recovers, it's joined by two more, one leaping at her face. Danahlia manages to impale the leaper but is left open to the last two. Knowing she won't make it in time, Alice hurls her sword at the advancing horrors, but the blade flies well over them.

The monsters are only feet away, fangs clicking eagerly, when Twinkaleni calls, "Feasta!"

A small stream of fire washes over the spiders from the side, setting their hairy bodies aflame. Danahlia has to dodge them as they frenzy, fleeing a short distance before collapsing into burning heaps. Alice lets out the breath she feels like she'd been holding the entire battle, recovering her sword on wobbly legs. Danahlia flings the still wiggling spider from her spear, finishing it off where it lands before pulling a shivering Shae from the end of her tail. She, with Tally, then tries to pull the webbing off the petrified pixie. Twinkaleni approaches while Alice inspects the cave, listening for any more clicks.

"Nice shot, Twinkie," Danahlia grins.

Twinkaleni nods, taking in deep breaths, watching the flaming spiders go out. Danahlia puts the violently shaking Shae on the ground, leaving the delicate work of removing the remaining web to her sister and Airi. She then checks the spiders to make sure they remain still.

"Are there any more?" Twinkaleni asks.

Alice, angling her ears by the cave mouth, shakes her head, "I don't think so. At least I don't hear any." The sun is going down and the distance Alice can see into the cave diminishes with it. "What should we do?"

"Estraleete," Twinkaleni murmurs.

A ball of light the color and brightness of a candle's flame appears between her hands. She sends it into the cave with a little pushing gesture, illuminating the cramped passage's inners. Web coats everything but fortunately doesn't span across the passage, though a curve keeps them from seeing further. The magic light pops silently out of existence when it hits the bend.

"It seems we will have to go in if we wish to see more," Twinkaleni says regretfully.

Alice frowns at the prospect. Tally has managed to get her sister unstuck enough to fly. She tells them they will return and then flutters off, her and Airi helping Shae along.

Danahlia joins the others at the mouth of the cave, "So, we goin' in or what?"

"Sure, you first," Alice bows graciously.

Danahlia snorts, "Fine. Twinkie, a light if you please."

The Murin mage creates another little ball of orange light and the trio move in. Danahlia leads, her spear held before her, with Alice following. Twinkaleni brings up the rear, trying to hold the light high over her head in an effort to let it shine over the taller girl's shoulders. The cave forces them to walk single file, and even doing so they still brush against the thick sticky web on the sides. Though, at the very least, it's tall enough that they don't have to hunch.

It's dry and dusty inside. Just as they pass the curve a few yards in, Twinkaleni sneezes. The girls jump at the sound and the light goes out, plunging them into pitch blackness. Danahlia back pedals into Alice, the butt of her spear poking the fox girl in the ribs as she calls nervously, "Twinkie, light."

The mouse mage sniffs and then uses her spell again. Only a few feet after the curve the cave opens into a decent sized chamber. There are several silk wrapped bundles around and no visible passages out which leads the group to believe that this must have been where the spiders had been nesting.

Twinkaleni warns that she can't keep the light going much longer and seeing no visible threat, they make their way back out. It's getting dark now and the girls gather there things to take into the cave. They each grab a handful of glowing core stones from their stores, placing them in crevices, rock shelves, the floor, anywhere that can support them to help light the passage. They then spread more cores all over the main chamber, managing to get much of it lit, if only dimly. By then they're all very hungry and tired but without firewood they can't cook their last ant segment.

For now, they clear a spot on the ground, pushing whatever unfortunate creatures are wrapped inside the web cocoons off to the side and into a pile. The space isn't large but the girls do what they can to settle in, Alice using her pack and some of Danahlia's lengthy tail as a pillow. Twinkaleni seems hesitant to join them in such a confined space.

Danahlia claps her hands and holds them out to the Murin, "Come on, Twinkie, get in here."

The mouse mage sighs but joins them on the floor and Alice gives her a companionable rub along her arm while Danahlia roughly pets her head. Hungry but warm among her friends, Alice eventually drifts off to the sound of rumbling bellies.

In the darkness, Alice hears the menacing clicks of another large spider. Pixie lights come on in a ring around the cavern and she finds herself on the floor, alone. The lights chant in dozens of ugly little voices, "Je-lly-bane, Je-lly-bane, Je-lly-bane." The clicks get louder and she turns to the only way out but freezes as a massive spider, far larger than all the others combined, makes its way in, blocking the exit. Its fangs click together, dripping transparent green venom, its many eyes glowing red with vengeance. Alice scoots back on her rump until her back is against the far wall, her mouth open in wordless fear. The spider pulls its enormous body into the small chamber, all the while the pixies continue to chant, "Je-lly-bane, Je-lly-bane, Je-lly-bane." The spider clicks its fangs at her, closing the distance in a second, it's two front legs poised for the attack.

Defenseless, Alice tucks into a ball, raising her arms over her face, not wanting to see death coming. The moment she feels the moist warmth of the monster's breath she screams, kicking out with both legs.

The spider lets out a pained, "Ow!" then it's gone and Alice sees the cave isn't lit with pixies but the glowing core stones.

"What the tick, Alice?!" Danahlia grumbles angrily.

"Are you alright?" Twinkaleni appears before her, large ears and concerned face blocking out most of the chamber.

Alice takes a few calming breaths, her skin tingling with goosebumps, "Yeah, yeah, just a bad dream." But she still hears someone calling, "Jellybane, Jellybane."

"Sounds like Tally's back," grumbles Danahlia, rubbing a spot on her thigh. Alice offers apology as the girls stretch and then head out to meet their winged friend.

The pixie hovers in front of the cave mouth and bobs excitedly when she sees them, "Stay you did, good. Worried I was. Come, come, brought much we have!"

The girls squint into the early day, greeted by another gathering of assorted animals, all bearing packs of some sort, and even more pixies. The pixies have already begun relieving their feral companions of their supplies, putting them into a growing pile.

"Wags, I was starvin'!" Danahlia cheers and starts unwrapping fruit to stuff into her mouth. The pixies avoid her then, putting the small packs of fruit into a new pile.

Alice marvels at the variety of animals that showed up this time. Various birds, small mammals, and some more creatures she doesn't recognize at all watch the girls, mostly from the safety of trees. One sort has very long arms and short legs with several grasping fingers ending each limb. It has white fur and large eyes with a fairly small body. As the packs are removed by the pixies from its kind, the creatures quite easily scale a nearby tree and wait patiently to have their emptied packs returned to them.

Joining her friends to a feast of colorful fruits, Alice asks about the assembled creatures. Tally tells her that most of them used to live in and around the areas the girls have been clearing and eagerly await the day they can return to their homes. She feels terribly guilty when the pixie informs her that the fruit she and her friends were eating so gluttonously had often come from the ferals own rations, but that they were more than willing to give it if it meant the forest would be made safe for them again.

Alice tries offering some of the fruit to the gathered animals, which only look at her curiously.

Tally interjects, "No Jellybane, keep your strength up you must. Worry not, fed they will be once they return."

She watches the animals immediately depart the moment their packs are given back to them and tries to savor each bite of their sacrifice. Twinkaleni slows in her eating as well, though Danahlia seems unaffected by the news.

They both look at her and she looks back, "What? We're helpin' 'em so they're helpin' us." The two stare at her some more. "We earned this," Danahlia argues, waving an adonseea fruit. The fox and mouse girls frown at her. "Tally said it was ok," she reasons and they keep it up. "Ugh, what do you want me to do?"

"I think we should save some, you know, try to make it last," Alice suggests.

"I agree. If we limit our intake to necessity, perhaps the pixies and their friends will not feel they need to give more," Twinkaleni adds.

Danahlia groans, "Fine," and she shakes the fruit again, "Can I eat this or are you two gonna keep givin' me that look?"

The girls finish their meal, sure to make a show of putting some aside for later. Once all the animals depart with their empty packs, the pixies hover around the caves. Alice wonders what they're doing until she sees them taking bundles of silk in their arms before flying away. She asks Tally about this and the pixie says they can make things from the weaver's threads.

After breakfast, efforts are made to clean up their new home. Spider silk and the wrapped bundles are left out for the pixies that periodically return to gather them up. Once that's done, Danahlia and Alice wait outside while Twinkaleni generates an impressive gust from within the cave, blowing out a great deal of dust and debris. The Murin mage emerges, coughing, but the cavern is made all the nicer for her efforts. Core stones are replaced and added to which helps brighten the interior even more. Twinkaleni has them build a short wall at the entrance from stones to keep jellies and other things out. It's just tall enough that even the mouse girl can hop over it. Tally then takes them to a nearby spring where they can get water and wash off.

The spring is guarded by various jellies, some even the prized red. The girls clear it, adding the cores to their swelling hoard before making use of the cool clean waters. The rest of the day is spent near camp. Alice collects fire wood for a time, while Danahlia scouts out the surrounding area with Airi, and Twinkaleni remains near the cave with Tally. First the mouse mage uses some water to make mud. With it, she packs the little wall at the cave entrance to make it more stable. She then discovers a crevice nearby, in front of which she makes another stone wall. When Alice returns, dumping an arm load of sticks and branches, she asks the Murin what she's doing.

"I'm going to give enchanting another try. I believe this will help keep collateral damage to a minimum," says Twinkaleni, putting the finishing touches on her barrier.

"Wags, mind if I watch?" Alice asks.

"Oh, if you wish," Twinkaleni says a bit nervously, "Though I must ask you do so from a distance. I'd hate for you to get hurt."

The curious Tokala settles in a ways off to the mage's side, Tally landing atop her head, as Twinkaleni sets two core stones in the crevice behind her little wall. She sits down on the opposite side, her barrier just tall enough that she can see over it if she leans while still offering her body protection. Twinkaleni extends her arms around either side of the little wall, her hands open and palms toward the cores. Alice can't see very well, and waits, watching the Murin mage's concentration deepen over the next several minutes.

Twinkaleni's expression becomes steadily more strained until Alice jumps at the sound of another exploding core. Twinkaleni cries out, holding one of her large ears.

Alice leaps to her feet, Tally grabbing some of her fur to hold on as she runs to her friend, "Are you alright?"

Twinkaleni groans in irritation, "Fine. A shard hit my ear is all."

Alice kneels beside her to check and finds a little blood amidst the delicate pink flesh of mouse mage's inner ear. Having nothing else at hand to offer, Alice licks the wound clean.

Twinkaleni shudders in surprise, "What are you doing?"

"You're bleedin'," Alice informs between licks.

"Oh, is it bad?"

"No, it's just a little," says Alice, finishing.

"Uh, well... thank you," Twinkaleni smiles.

Alice gets an idea and rushes off to gather some large leaves. She makes a bed of them and then dumps their small store of fruit out upon it from the crab shell bowl. She then brings the bowl to Twinkaleni, who's replaced the ruined cores with two new ones, both green, and sits to try again. Alice places the bowl atop the mage's head. Twinkaleni shies away from it, but Alice insists it will help, so the Murin mage lets her. Alice folds back both of Twinkaleni's large flexible ears so they wrap almost to the back of her head and fits the bowl on to keep them there.

The little mouse gives her a questioning look and Alice grins giving the makeshift helmet a tap. It's much too big and she looks silly but unbelievably cute as she goes on to try enchanting again.

Tally flutters around Alice's head as the Tokala settles back in to watch, "Clever you are, Jellybane. Difficult is the gifted one's challenge."

"Do you know how to enchant things?" Alice wonders of the blue haired pixie as she perches on her head once more.

Tally doesn't but says she knows some of her own kind that do and through them, knows of its complexity. Alice asks about Shae, who hadn't reappeared since the battle with the spiders yesterday. Tally says her sister is well and resting after the ordeal, though she may make an appearance later. Talk turns to the jellies as they watch Twinkaleni.

Currently, they are near the heart of the forest, where the jellies are the most concentrated. Tally informs the hunter that there are many spots in this general area where the jellies tend to congregate and would very much like for Alice and her companions to clear them. They're discussing plans to do so in the next few days when Twinkaleni pops another core.

They both jump as Twinkaleni ducks behind her wall, a piece pinging off the crab shell helmet. Not hurt this time, the mouse mage smiles and gives Alice a thumbs up before she replaces the ruined cores with two more from the pack at her side.

A piece of core falls near Alice and Tally flutters over to grab it, "Have this can I?" she asks.

"Uh, yeah sure," Alice nods. The pixie grins widely before flying off into the forest.

"Hey guys! Check it out!" Danahlia calls, returning to camp with Airi.

The Liguna has something slung over her shoulder and swings it around to drop it on the ground. It's a very large lizard of some kind. The body alone is over two feet long and the lengthy tail several more.

Alice and Twinkaleni approach her, Alice asking, "What is that?"

"Meat," Danahlia says proudly.

"A spitter it is," adds Airi.

"You want to consume this? Are you sure it's edible?" Twinkaleni asks, looking over the reptile.

Danahlia points and laughs at the Murin, "Why's that on your head?"

Twinkaleni feels up at her crab shell helm self-consciously, "It's proven quite useful."

Danahlia gets some more laughs in making Twinkaleni narrow her eyes at her before the girls turn their attention to the slain lizard creature. Danahlia insists it can be eaten but Alice and Twinkaleni consult the young pixie to be sure. She says it's not poisonous and when asked about its name, Danahlia recounts it spitting a glob of sticky saliva at her. Airi has heard that if small ferals are hit with this projectile it can pin them to a surface and even make it impossible for pixies to fly, turning either into an easy meal. She notes that this one is a younger spitter and despite occasionally eating pixies, shows remorse for the lost life.

While the girls discuss what is to be done with the spitter, Alice gets a good look at its features. The lizard is long and slim with fairly short limbs, each tipped with curved claws making her think it would easily scale trees. It has a pointed head that widens like an arrow and a lengthy tapering tail. Its skin is smooth and grass green with bright yellow stripes running the length of its body. Danahlia must have caught it with the tip of her spear, for the large bleeding hole just under its right forelimb.

The Liguna decides to skin it for the hide, but finds this a difficult, messy, and smelly task as she works with the saw like soldier ant mandibles collected earlier. She eventually gives up and simply cuts the creature into bits to set over a fire made by Alice and Twinkaleni. By then its evening and Tally has gone to see if any of her animal friends want to visit the Jellybane's camp. Several ferals and fairies return with her just as the lizard is finished cooking and the girls have a feast of fruit and meat.

More pixies than animals come this time. Some helping their feral friends unload fruit and reload with cores but most simply hover around the camp talking among themselves. A few of the braver ones come closer for short periods but always flutter back to their colorfully lit little groups. Tally says most of them are younger pixies, curious about the Jellybane and her companions. They seem very amused when Danahlia tries the lizard for the first time, pointing and giggling. Danahlia raises a brow to them curiously before resuming her bite.

She chews in thought for a moment before approvingly commenting, "Not bad." And so Twinkaleni and Alice try some.

The skin is still on for the most part and has become thin, flaky, and has little flavor. Alice finds the meat to be rather nice, tasting faintly of wood smoke more than anything else, but it's warm and filling. Along with the sweet fruit, it is a very nice meal. While they eat, Tally gets a few of the pixies to start singing, and as they sing they dance.

Like Airi's, this song is in a language the girls don't understand but it has a nice uplifting melody. They watch the pixies fly around each other in intricate patterns, their lights flashing in sync with their words to create quite a show. Danahlia starts to put her own words to the pixies' tune.

"See the lights floating in the trees? Twirlin' and flippin' all on a breeze," she sings and then leans into Twinkaleni, nudging the smaller girl with an elbow, "You're seein' this right, Twinkie?"

The mouse mage shoves the larger girl away with both hands before being able to resume watching the display.

Smiling, Danahlia starts with a heavier beat in her voice, "Follow the greens and the blues and the reds, flashin' and dippin' all around our heads. Blink even once and you might miss your chance, to see the magic of the pixie's dance."

Nodding along Alice adds, "Even in the dark of the night, together they make the woods so bright. Yellows and purples and pinks all around, isn't it wonderful what we've found."

The two girls add lines when they can think of them and Twinkaleni hums with the tune, grinning as the pixies flutter about, adopting the new words with remarkable ease.

Once the song ends, the pixies let out a joyous cheer. They lose their previous hesitation and swarm over the girls, laughing merrily while singing parts of the song. Tally calls to them good-naturedly to turn off their lights but in all the excitement only a few listen. Alice closes her eyes against the dizzying array of colors, laughing as dozens of tiny hands pet and feel her fur. They land atop her head and arms, running their delicate limbs through her sunset orange coat. Some feel around her ears causing them to flick, which only encourages the delighted pixies on. A few get curious about her teeth and she can feel them reaching in to touch her canines. Alice gives them a little blow, sending pixies spiraling and giggling away.

The girls only endure this for a minute or two before Tally and some of the older pixies start getting them together to leave for the night. The young pixies let out a chorus of _oh_s and _aww_s as they gather together into a cloud of multicolored lights. Some linger, getting a last look or feel of fur before joining the rest, while others have to be escorted. Eventually the pixies depart, leaving Alice and Twinkaleni's coats in need of straightening.

Danahlia cooks the rest of the lizard and Twinkaleni tries enchanting once more as Alice watches.

After another deafening pop that echoes through the forest, Alice asks, "Why does that keep happening?"

Twinkaleni sighs, "I'm not entirely sure. There could be many causes I suppose but without an instructor or instruction, I fear I may run through our entire stock of cores and still not get it right."

"Tally said she knew some pixies that know how to do that binding thing, maybe she can bring 'em next time."

Twinkaleni's ears perk up, "Well, yes, that would be an aid. I will have to ask her tomorrow when she returns."

Twinkaleni tries again despite the lateness of the hour but once Danahlia has finished cooking the girls gather into the cave for the night. Danahlia brings the roasted lizard in with them so no scavengers come for it, making the cave smell of slightly burnt meat.

For the next several days, the girls enjoy their time at their new home. The pixies come frequently, bringing with them their animal friends and a bounty of fruits. The trio often ventures around at Tally and Shae's request to clear areas of various things, mostly jellies. Sometimes they'll bring down something edible and enjoy meat, or ant, and once a very large egg that seemed to have been abandoned for no reason at all. When at camp, Twinkaleni will practice enchantment. With the help of a young pixie binder, still learning himself, the cores don't explode anymore, merely melt into black quickly hardening puddles.

For a time, Danahlia and Alice try to make things such as rope, clothes, and a few simple tools. Now, they were having a contest to see who could make a functional bow and arrows. Both girls had seen others using them at some point, but had never used them themselves, and thus, on fairly even terms, they try their hand at crafting their own.

It takes a great deal of effort to come up with materials from scratch, but they do their best and share their tools. Though this _was_a contest and so whenever one felt she had stumbled onto something good, she would often jealously guard it from the other. Twinkaleni stays out of this as much as she can but is often made to keep their secrets. Whenever one felt they had it, an archery contest was held and a great deal of bragging was awarded the girl who not only loosed an arrow but got nearest to the target. Neither had actually hit it yet during these bouts. Still, their efforts are rewarded with steadily better results.

During their frequent hunts, Alice notices an increasing number of the highly sought after red jellies. She thinks this curious while Danahlia is overjoyed. The Liguna constantly reminds the girls of all the things they could buy with the rare core stones and encourages Twinkaleni to improve her enchanting so she can further enhance their value.

After a battle that has earned them a few red cores, Alice asks, "Tally. What do you know about the red jellies?"

"Brought you here because of them we did. Created many are, by a taller."

"A taller? Isn't that the term you use for those like us?" Twinkaleni asks.

"Yes, but this taller, not like you it is," says Tally, looking around as if fearing even speaking of it, "Terrible this one. Hunts us and our friends all."

Tally explains that the other taller had been in the forest for some time, hunting and killing indiscriminately. He uses a bow with great skill, forcing the pixies and their animal friends to flee or perish. Fortunately, this unknown archer tends to stay in close proximity to some old ruins at the very heart of the forest.

"Why is he hunting you?" Alice asks, the girls gathering to listen.

"Some he eats, others he ends for...," the blue haired pixie searches for a word, "...joy. Laugh at every death he does, or so my kin say."

"This individual sounds incredibly dangerous. We should avoid him at all costs," Twinkaleni advises to a general agreement from Alice and Danahlia.

"But Jellybane, face him we hoped you would. Force him to leave you must," Tally says, bobbing up and down.

"Sorry, Tally, but this guy sounds like a bit much for us," Alice admits.

"But, but great warriors you are, known this is!" Tally argues.

"Perhaps if we knew more about him, we could come up with some sort of strategy. What he looks like, his capabilities, resources, behavior patterns," Twinkaleni offers.

Tally groans, "Know this I do not. We do not go near the land he stalks. Know only he is a taller and danger to all."

"You mentioned he created the red jellies?" Twinkaleni asks.

Tally flutters in tight spirals, "Some have said what he does not eat he gives to the jellies and red they become."

Twinkaleni wonders, "Why would he do this?"

"I know not," Tally replies glumly.

"Are we close to his camp?" asks Danahlia.

"The hunter's territory is not far. Face him will you?" Tally bobs cheerily.

"Uh, no. I kinda want to head back to the cave," admits Danahlia. The girls agree and Tally sags in the air.

On their way back, Tally tries to convince the girls to challenge the vile hunter and force him out of the pixies' forest. But from what they've heard so far, they have no interest in facing such a being. The blue haired pixie becomes upset and flutters off. Alice sighs, wanting to help but, like the others, is rather frightened of facing this unknown menace.

"Why would some guy be living in the forest?" Danahlia ponders aloud.

"Perhaps a hermit or someone seeking refuge from the outside as we are," Twinkaleni suggests.

"What're we gonna to do? What if we run into this guy?" Alice asks as they reach their camp.

It's late in the afternoon and the girls are tired. They've managed to gather a small larder of food consisting mostly of giant ants and some fruit they've managed to keep from eating. Danahlia collects a decent sized ant from their stores as Twinkaleni lights the fire.

Danahlia breaks the ant into two parts and sticks a spit through both, "Maybe we can take him. You can't be that tough if you need to pick on pixies and small ferals."

"We should avoid this man for now. We know too little. Perhaps the pixies can gather more information on him," Twinkaleni advises, sitting down by the fire.

The girls are amid their discussion when Shae appears, followed by their usual fruit delivery service. The younger pixies have returned as well and after flocking around Danahlia for her greatly embellished tale of the day's battles with the jellies, they flutter around the camp. Shae informs them that she ran into Tally on her way there and wonders what to do about the hunter.

"We wanna help, but we're not sure what we can do," Alice says, a few pixies perched on her head.

Shae bobs, "Understand I do. Hinder us the Jellies and others may, but rarely can they do us true harm. The hunter is different, an ender it is, a threat even to the Jellybane."

The younger pixies share their knowledge of the hunter, which mostly amounts to them all saying he is dangerous in slightly different ways.

Twinkaleni waves away some of the pixies to add, "We may be able to come up with some sort of plan but we must be better informed. We will need your help if we are to have any chance of ridding the forest of this hunter."

"Difficult this may be. Keep far from the hunter we do," says Shae.

"We need spies," Danahlia asserts, taking the cooked ant off the fire.

"Exactly. Perhaps you can ask your people and friends to gather information about the hunter. The more we know, the better we can plan for an encounter," says Twinkaleni, still waving off a few pixies that seem to have made a game of seeing who can stay on her great round ears the longest.

Shae says she will try to do this but seems apprehensive.

"Relax, it's just one guy. How bad could he be?" assures Danahlia, cracking open an ant segment.