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MHO chapter 37! Several things going on here, starting with hopefully the last little bit of violence and blood for a bit, and a bit of foreshadowing for... quite a way into the future. Truth be told, I originally planned for Kerr to be a quick, throw-away villain, but I think he has some potential for more, even if not in the current story, so there you go.

Other than that, time for the boys to see Whitlan!

-Llox

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"Whit tae fuck is goin' oan aroond here?!" Caelan demanded, mildly panicked. It was early in the morning the next day, and he had just discovered another corpse. If there were any prisoners still sleeping, his outburst ensured that their slumber came to an end.

"Agin?!" Barabel responded upon seeing the dead body. "Whit, are they sneakin' 'em in 'ere efter we're asleep jest ta mess wi' us?!"

"Shut it in there!" the guard shouted through the door, thumping it loudly. "Tis too earleh fer yer shite!"

"Yer a fine one tae talk! Ye put another damn corpse in here efter we wis asleep!" Caelan accused. "Thaes es sick!"

There was a moment of silence, followed by the sound of the barricade being moved. "We're comin' in. Any o' ya na' sittin' or layin' doon well away fra th' door is a dead lepne, unnerstan?"

Caelan and Barabel grumbled and walked back to sit against the wall. "Aye, fine," Barabel snapped. "Yer damn fookt fer doin' this tho."

The door opened and a trio of guards walked in. Two of them kept an eye on the prisoners, weapons at the ready to cut down anyone that made a sudden movement. The third immediately spotted the body and went to examine it. She looked up afterwards and glared at the prisoners. "Right. If one o' ye don't fess up, none o' ye eatin' todae."

"Whit tae fuck are ye talkin' aboot?!" Caelan demanded. "Do ye see enny blood?!"

"Fer how are ye doin' this? Ah git we're prisoners 'n' ye wantae punish us, but this is a fookt punishment if tha's yer game!" Barabel added.

"Aye, jest put us in th' fields or get ta hangin' us a'ready, none o' this mind game shite!" one of the bandits pled.

The guards exchanged a look, then the one that investigated the body began carrying it out. "Right, time fer interrogations. When the chief is up, yer gonna regret yer behavior. Best start askin' th' spirits fer mercy, 'cus he'll 'av none fer yer sorry arses," one of the others said before he and the other followed her out the door.

"Ah'm sae tired o' these mind games," Barabel grumbled, punching the wall next to her lightly in frustration.

In the corner, Dougal, who'd done his best to keep a low profile and avoid attention, curled up and eyed each of the other prisoners nervously. "Somethin' na right, here," he finally said, quietly.

"Whit wis tha', trade-boy?" Caelan asked, quirking a brow.

"Look, ah ken we never really got ta ken each other ver' weel, us Kerney folk 'n' the others, bit there wis nine o' us in here originally- ten, efter Kerr wis brought in. 'n' all o' us wis breathin'- mibbie in a bad way, but ver' much alive, 'n' na bleedin' or anythin'," Dougal continued, looking around warily. "Ah wisn't payin' attention ta who wis who, but count agin'. Thir's two less o' us. Them bodies wis freish."

"Ah, shet yer-" Caelan started, but then one of the others interjected.

"Th' bastard's right," said one of the bandits, sitting up and looking around nervously. "There wis onleh six o' us tha' survived th' ambush. 'n' they made sure we wis well enoof to walk back afore they brought us."

Barabel looked around and counted everyone. "... six, seven, eight..." Her tough expression started to slip slightly. "Caelan, they're right..."

"Someone must ha' jest miscounted, obviously," Caelan suggested, though he, too, was starting to seem a bit uncertain. "Ah mean, otherwise, that'd mean-"

"One 'o us is upty something dreich as fuck," one of the bandits suggested. Everyone eyed one another suspiciously as an uncomfortable and ominous silence fell over the group. Each individual slowly made sure to put as much distance between themselves and everyone else as they could.

Suddenly, Caelan's gaze drifted over towards the only one that hadn't spoken or moved the entire time- Kerr. Their former boss had remained by the wall, facing it, for most of the time they'd been in there. "Oy, 'druna', ye still breathin' over there?"

The others likewise turned their attention to the silent heap laying by the wall.

"Ach, dinnae bother, he wis th' most fookt up o' anyone when he got 'ere," Barabel commented.

Caelan shot her a brief glare before turning his gaze back to the bandit lord. "Kerr. Wake up, ya false shite. Dinnae think ah'm still scared o' ye. Ah seen whit they did tae ya," he said, standing up.

Still, there was no response.

Caelan gritted his teeth and slowly walked towards him, even as Dougal and a few of the others shrank back nervously. "If yer tryin' ta reassert yer dominance wi' a creepy act, ah swear ah'll-" he started, then suddenly froze in place and clutched at his throat, his eyes widening in a panic as he found himself unable to breath.

Slowly, Kerr sat up in an almost unnaturally smooth motion. He then stood and turned around, revealing his nearly fully-healed body, though one arm didn't quite seem to match the other right, and he'd left various scars visible on his flesh. And his eyes remained cloudy. Most of all, his hands were glowing with magic again. "Or ye'll what, friend?"

His victim clawed at his throat and slowly sank to his knees, unable to grasp what was happening.

"Ye should really be mair careful chewin' yer food. Tha' scran fra last night 'ad seeds in it, ye ken," Kerr said darkly.

Caelan's eyes rolled up and he slumped over. Barabel got up to confront the bandit lord while he was seemingly distracted, but then froze and clutched her stomach right before she was about to kick him. His eyes glided over to her. "Ye 'ad th' same thing, aye? Everyin did."

Suddenly, both victims exploded in a bloody shower of gore as large, thorny plants burst out from their torsos, killing them as they were rooted to the ground. One of the bandits panicked and ran for the door to call for the guards, but suddenly he suffered a similarly violent, yet eerily quiet fate, his blood fertilizing the very same twisted rooty plant that now stood where he'd been.

The rest of the prisoners cowered in their respective corners, trying to avoid the dark druna's attention as he slowly walked over to where Caelan's remains laid in a mess around the base of the new plant. After standing there for a moment, he bent down and picked up a piece of the former lepne, then began thirstily licking and drinking the blood from it. His eyes scanned the room, observing the terrified lepne that shared the space with him.

"Ah see th' rest o' ye still 'av yer survival instincts," he commented, before taking a bite out of the bloody flesh he was holding. After swallowing, he continued. "Guid. If ye survive the chieftan's judgement 'n' still 'av the spine fer it, ah'll be oot in thae hills agin' a year fra noo wi' a new plan. Ah 'av a new friend ta work it oot wi', bit it'll tak' a while," he said. Suddenly, a whispy red entity appeared, slowly floating around him. After a moment it faded behind him. His own eyes turned a dark shade of crimson and a set of subtle spikes grew from his head. "Wi'll be back in a year. Try na tae die withoot mah permission, aye?" he added, with a crooked grin, his voice distorted and twisted, seemingly combined with a second, somewhat ethereal one. He then cackled as a plethora of twisted, diseased looking thick roots shot up from the ground, swallowing him up, then buried themselves again, taking him with them.

*****

After a few days of travel, the Dunnyhill caravan finally came within sight of Whitlan. Beyond a small sea of farms- notably lacking any of the sheep or more leafy crops found around Kerney- sat a town larger than any settlement either Lykou or Kuna had ever seen. Its walls were much taller, as well- around ten feet high, in fact. But tallest and most notable of all were the enormous cluster of different trees forming a ring in the center of the town, rising high above the rest of the town. Several other roads from different directions came from the hills and led to other gates. And at least one other caravan could be seen approaching the town, and another was just leaving.

Numerous lepne were out working the farms' fields. Most of them paid no mind to the Dunnyhill gang as they passed by, but a couple looked up in surprise and stared for a moment when they caught a glance at Lykou and Kuna, clearly intrigued and surprised at the sight of non-lepne travelers on the road. Lykou just smiled and waved to them, while Kuna did his best to avoid catching anyone's eye. The latter was already starting to get anxious about the size of the town.

When they reached a certain distance from the walls, a group of nine guards was dispatched to meet them, all marching in formation, two by two, with one at the front leading them. Unlike the slightly more casual appearance of Kerney's guards, these ones were all wearing identical, well-kept uniforms, including bronze shields, bracers, and some polished plates covering their chest, back, and shoulders. Half of them were carrying truncheons while the other half were carrying spears. The four at the back also had bows strapped to their backs.

The caravan came to a stop as the guards met up with them. The lead guard stopped the others and spoke with Bhaltair for a minute, notably pointing to the two non-lepne members of the caravan during the discussion. Luckily, the trade leader had encouraged everyone to wear the sashes they'd received in Kerney that day when they'd stopped for lunch, knowing they'd be arriving in Whitlan later on. The decorations certainly seemed to impress the guard capain. Once some questions were answered, he stood at attention and turned, barking an order to the other guards, who then marched forward and took up an honor-guard position around the caravan. "Welcome, honored friends, tae Whitlan," the captain said, then nodded to Lykou and Kuna. "Especially ye ootlanders. If ye 'av enny problems wi' tounsfolk, let one o' us ken, 'n' we'll see ta it fer ya. We wull tak' ye to yer lodge fer th' night, 'n' efter yer trade leader talks tae th' trade administrator, ye may 'av free roam o' th' common areas o' th' toun," he announced, then pulled off a snappy salute the boys weren't familiar with, then turned and began leading the group at a moderately brisk pace to the gate without another word.

Several of the guards shot sidelong glances at the boys as they walked, but their expressions remained perfectly neutral and they made no comments. Lykou was tempted to try and strike up conversation with them, but he got the impression it'd be very one-sided. So instead he contented himself with chatting more with the other caravaneers. Ealar and Gavin were happy to go on and on about the town, having apparently lived there for a while before joining the caravan. Bhaltair chimed in and explained that Whitlan was basically a huge trade-hub, more or less in the middle of Clovaria, where caravans came and went from all the other towns and villages across the landscape.

Once they were past the walls, numerous lepne could be seen milling around on the heavily-worn earthen streets between the many buildings, most of which were at least half made of stone. A few structures were even two or three stories high. Various townspeople stopped to stare in curiosity at the non-lepne visitors, but the guards were enough to keep them from approaching or causing any issues.

Finally, the group approached a particularly large rectangular building with several large stalls in the side, two of which were already filled with carts from other caravans. One was in the process of unloading, and a few of the ones doing the unpacking waved to the Dunnyhill gang. After the guards finished leading them in, most of them marched off back towards the gate, though two stayed behind in case any assistance was needed. Bhaltair greeted the leader of the other caravan on the way in, exchanging some small talk as his group moved their own carts into place and started unpacking them. Lykou hurried to offer a helping hand. After a few minutes, he paused to gently nudge Kuna, who was stuck standing near the entrance, gawking at the size of the nearby buildings and sheer number of lepne milling about, many of whom repeatedly shot him fascinated glances.

"Quite a place, huh?" the konuul asked him with a concerned smile. "You alright?"

"Y-yeah, I'll uh... be f-fine," the sereva replied. He turned around to help unload some of the lighter things from the carts, staying close to his friend. Once the unpacking was finished, Ealar led the group through a door at the back of the stall into the common area, where there was a large cluster of tables and stools, some of which were already taken up by members of another caravan, chatting and eating their dinner. Their eyes immediately fell on the newcomers and their conversations faded as they eyed the boys. Gavin helped introduce them to the strangers, who in turn were introduced as members of the Durvinna trade gang.

Lykou and Kuna took up a seat over by the large fireplace as the konuul struck up a friendly conversation with them, only too happy to tell them all about himself and the sereva. It wasn't long before he was telling them about their story, much to the strangers' delight. For his part, Kuna mostly stayed quiet, but offered a small smile and the occasional added commentary once he relaxed a bit. At least in the trade lodge, there were far fewer lepne around, and he already knew more than half of them anyway.

Eventually, however, Bhaltair returned from talking to the trade administrator and called his gang together. Lykou excused himself and Kuna from the conversation with the other group, promising to continue later if they were interested- and of course they were. "A'right, we're guid 'n' settled in fer th' night, 'n' it'll prolly be at least a day afore we heid oot agin'. Ah think we're bound fer Tannil next, so ah'm afraid this es where we'll be partin' with ye two," Bhaltair said, turning to the boys. "Bit until then, yer o'coorse welcome tae stay wi' us in th' lodge as members o' oor caravan. 'n' please dae let us ken when ya plan on leavin', so's we kin all say a proper goodbye."

"Of course, and thanks for everything," Lykou replied, hugging Kuna in one arm. "This has definitely been the highlight of our trip, minus the whole bandit mess."

Kuna nodded in agreement. "Yeah, thanks again guys. This has been really nice."

"Tis bin oor pleasure, lads," Effie said, hopping up to give Kuna a hug, while the others all echoed the sentiment.

"Na' then, ah 'av a stipend fer each o' ye ta goan enjoy the toun. Try na tae spend it a' in one night tho, s'all ye get till we leave, ya ken?" Bhaltair said, pulling out a pouch and passing around some small copper discs decorated with an intricate design featuring a spruce tree on one side and a stylized lepne portrait on the other.

"What's this?" Lykou asked curiously as he and Kuna looked over the little things.

"Ach, ye dinnae 'av coins back hame?" Gavin asked. "In these bigger touns, ye trade 'em fer things. Cannae jest work oot normal trades n' such wi' so many people aroond, s'they 'av these as a sort o'... middle-step kind o' thing."

"Oh..." Lykou replied, scratching his head. "I guess that makes sense. Uh.... So what do we do with them?"

"Well, ah dinnae aboot you, bit I'm heidin' fer th' brewhall, mysel'," Gavin announced with a smirk. "Alwis a crackin' way ta relax efter a trip."

"Aye, ah'll join ye, then," Finlay said, putting his instrument away before joining him. Most of the others voiced general agreement.

Kuna shifted uncomfortably. "I think I'll just... stay here for now," he eventually said. He went to sit back down on one of the stools, but Lykou pulled him back.

"Oh no you don't," the canid teased. "There's things to see and do here. Besides, you were going to see the druna council, right?"

"Ach, tha's right lad!" Ealar agreed. "Still time fer tha' afore the garden closes fer the night, if we hurry. Lik' ah said, ah kin tak' ye th' quiet way, where there'll be less folk aroond."

The sereva glanced back and forth between them, then sighed. "Yeah, I guess I did agree to that," he said reluctantly. "Alright then... as long as there aren't... too many people around."

"Nah, tae gardens mostly get visitors earlier in th' day. Practically sunset noo, sae they'll be emptyin' oot soon."

Kuna took a deep breath. "Alright... l-lets go then, I guess."

"Great!" Ealar said, then turned back to the others. "Ah'll join th' rest o' ye efter."

"You sure you're okay with that, Ealar? I'm sure we could find the way on our own," Lykou suggested, then smirked. "Hard to miss those enormous trees."

"Aye lad, ah bin wantin' ta visit the gardens agin mahself anyway. 'sides, ah already promised ye the quiet way," the lepne replied with a smile. "C'mon, le's git!"

*****

The walk was a little nerve-wracking for Kuna, but at least they encountered fewer lepne than out on the larger streets as Ealar led them steadily towards the enormous trees standing in the center of the town. Lykou, on the other hand, was fascinated with everything, grinning and waving to every lepne he saw. He found himself wondering about each building they passed, and Ealar did his best to answer what he could.

Finally, they arrived at another set of walls- shorter than those around the edge of town, but still taller than any of the three of them. And they were positively overrun with ivy hanging down their sides. They followed the wall around until they came to an ornate bronze gate flanked by two more guards with especially decorative-looking uniforms. One held up a hand as the three approached. "Tis past usual hours. Who are ye, and dae ye 'av business fer the council?"

"Aye, ah'm Ealar, 'n' this es Lykou and Kuna. We're wi' the Dunnyhill trade gang, 'n' Kuna here," their guide said, gesturing to the sereva. "Es a druna. On th' advice o' Moyra o' Kerney, he seeks an audience wi' th' council, as a visitor fra far away."

The guard sized up Kuna, noting his flower crown, then nodded to the other, who then opened the gate for them. "Welcome, then ta th' Grand Garden o' Whitlan. Ye are expected ta treat everythin' growin' 'ere wi' respect, 'n' please keep the noise doon. Please enjoy yer visit. 'n' Kuna, ye kin let th' guards a' th' sanctum gate ken yer bis'ness wi' th' council," he said with a nod and a small, professional smile. He snapped a quick salute before stepping aside and letting them in.

The three thanked the guards and walked through the gate, which was closed again behind them. Right away, Lykou and Kuna were amazed by the enormous, fancy garden that met them. Moyra's garden had been impressive in its own right, but this one was massive, and far more organized- a bit ostentatious, even. There were a large number of diverse plants filling the area from wall to wall, all neatly cultivated and organized in clusters and patches lining grassy, carefully maintained paths that wound their way around and through the garden as a whole. Many of the plants had various colorful flowers, with quite a few of them putting off a faint, magical glow- which was good, since the sun began setting as the three slowly made their way through the garden, gradually making their way towards another gate further inside. Some enormous roots even protruded from the ground and formed benches, shaded by broad-leaved ferns of some kind.

Several other lepne were scattered around the gardens, some enjoying the sights and a few tending to the plants themselves with various gardening tools. Most of them were already heading for the exit, but paused to ogle the new visitors on the way out. By the time the three approached the much larger and more extravagant sanctum gate, only one other lepne- a groundskeeper, apparently- was left, besides the four guards standing at the sanctum entrance.

When they walked up to the gate, one of the guards stepped forward and held up a hand. "State yer name 'n' purpose," she said simply. These guards were more decorated still, with flecks of gold and silver lining their armor and weapons, which glinted in the light of the plants and the slowly-rising moon.

Again, Ealar went through his spiel and introduced Kuna as the one seeking an audience with the council. The guard arched a brow at the sereva questioningly and took note of his floral circlet.

"Ye say yer a druna," the guard said to the sereva, then pointed to a vine hanging on the wall nearby. "Wi' respect, ah'll need ta see proof afore ye go enny further."

Kuna nodded and took a breath to calm himself, then manifested his magic and altered the vine to produce several more tiny, glowing flowers. Satisfied, the guard nodded and turned to speak with one of the others for a moment. The other guard opened the gate and walked through, shutting it behind him. The first turned back to the trio. "Th' council is bein' informed o' yer request. It'll be a short wait till we get word back, sae please mak' yerself comfortable and enjoy th' garden in th' meantime."

Kuna nodded and looked around, then sat down on a root-bench next to Lykou. Ealar walked over and smiled at him. "Weel, ah think ye got it fra here, lads. By th' time ye leave, tae streets should be less busy 'n' if ye need halp, jest tell a guard yer wi' th' Dunnyhill gang and they'll halp ye back tae th' lodge. Ah'm ginnae goan join th' others noo. Ah'll see ye at th' lodge later, either tonight, er in tae mornin', aye?"

Lykou nodded and smiled back. "Sure thing, Ealar. Enjoy the brewhall."

"Thanks for bringing us," Kuna chimed in, trying his best to hide his nervousness.

"Aye, nae problem. 'n' Kuna," the lepne said, then patted the sereva on the shoulder. "Dinnae fret, yer a mighty fine druna. Ye'll be perfectly fine in there."

The sereva smiled and, after a moment's hesitation, pulled the lepne in for a hug. "Thanks, Ealar."

Ealar chuckled and returned the hug. "Ah'll see ya later, lads," he said, then walked back off towards the garden entrance.

For a short while, Lykou and Kuna sat and enjoyed the serene quiet of the mostly-empty garden. As the last traces of the sun vanished beyond the horizon, and the stars and moon climbed into the sky, the beauty of the gardens took on an almost other-worldly quality. Finally, the fourth guard returned and spoke with the first for a moment. Afterwards, the first stepped forward to address the boys. "Kuna, th' council wull see ye noo. Lykou, ah'm afraid thir onleh seein' drunas at this time, so ye'll 'av ta stay here."

Lykou nodded. "Fair enough," he said, then turned and hugged the obviously-anxious sereva. "Hey, you've got the crown, the sash, the pin- and your magic. You've got nothing to be anxious about. I bet none of those drunas have done as much as you have, so just keep in mind you've got nothing to be intimidated about. You've got this, Ku."

Kuna smiled a bit and returned the embrace. "R-right... be back in a bit, I guess," he said, then reluctantly pulled back and took a deep breath. He then walked to the gate, where the guard led him through the gate and into the woody hall beyond.

Lykou sat back down on the bench and sat for a few minutes in silence before trying to start a conversation with the guards. They weren't particularly chatty, however, and only gave the briefest of responses, when they could be bothered to reply at all. So, eventually, the konuul stood up and began casually wandering around. Eventually, he spotted the lone groundskeeper still working on the garden, humming contently to herself. After a few minutes, her work brought her closer to him, so he decided to try again at some idle conversation.

"You always work at night?" he asked casually as he looked over a patch of flowers nearby.

"Aye, tis peaceful," the lepne replied as she pruned a small bush.

"Sure is. This place is incredible," the canid replied. There was a brief silence before he continued. "I'm Lykou, by the way. Nice meet you, er...?"

"Aelana," the lepne responded simply, not taking her eyes off her work. "'n' es a'right. A wee bit showy, bit tha's howfer the council likes it, sa tha's how et is."

"Well, it's certainly peaceful," the canid said, sitting back down on another bench. "Which is nice after all the little... adventures I've been on recently."

"Adventures, ye say?" Aelana inquired with a faint smirk, still not looking up. "Tha' whit ye call it?"

Lykou opened his mouth to continue, but paused for a moment, thrown off slightly by the odd reply. "Er. Yeah... Kuna and I- sorry, that's my friend th-"

"Aye, th' young druna ye walked in wi' thas wi' the council noo. Ah figured."

"Er, yeah," Lykou said, arching a brow. "He and I have kind of been on this long, complicated journey for a while now. We're a long way from home-"

"Agin', ah figured," she interjected, glancing sidelong at him for a moment before returning her attention to a patch of flowers down in the dirt, where she was adding a transplant from elsewhere. "Yer nae lepne."

"...right," he continued. "Actually... you're probably the first person around here that hasn't seemed terribly, uh... surprised or distracted by us, now that I think of it."

Aelana shrugged. "People are people, na' matta' whit they look lik'. S'all th' same ta me."

Lykou nodded slowly. "I try to think the same thing, though admittedly before this journey I hadn't seen any people besides konuul, and a few ursarans. Until I met Kuna, anyway."

"Aye? We ne'er git enny non-lepne aroond here, bit ah figured there wis more oot there," the lepne replied with a shrug. After a moment she stood up and brushed some dirt off her hands, finally looking over to size him up. "Kerney, aye? Musta doon somethin' nice fer 'em tae get tha'," she said, nodding to the sash he was wearing.

"Oh, yeah!" Lykou said, perking up. "We helped take out this real nasty bunch of bandits that were planning to try and start a clan war or something. Kuna and I helped Kerney's druna and one of their night-watchers figure it out and counter it."

She quirked a brow and smiled a bit. "Mighty decent o' ye, especially bein' ootsiders 'n' a'. Well doon."

"Thanks," the konuul said, his tail flicking slightly behind him. "You know, I really liked Kerney. In fact I like these hills in general. Disregarding the bandits, this has been the nicest part of our trip so far."

"Ah'm glad ta hear it. Ah hope th' rest o' yer time in Clovaria is nice as weel," she said, leaning over to prune a rose bush.

Lykou tilted his head and watched her work. "...you know, I would have thought the drunas of the council would manage this garden. You know, with their magic."

Aelana snickered. "Tha' stuffy bunch? Nah. They'll sproot things up now 'n' then, bit they'd rether leave it tae other folk ta keep up wi' it. They mostly stick tae rulin' th' toun and dealin' wi' whate'er mystical nonsense catches thir interest."

"Huh... sounds like Whitlan's pretty different from Kerney. Besides just the size, obviously."

"Tha's pure," she replied, almost wistfully. "Moyra's lucky, havin' such a nice wee village tae look efter. This toun's all hustle 'n' bustle a' th' time. Keeps th' council plenny busy ev'ry day."

"Sounds like you want a change of scenery," Lykou pointed out. "Ever thought about going to live there?"

"Aye, wid be nice, but ah cannae dae that."

"Why not?" the canid asked curiously.

"Got obligations here, ah'm afraid," she replied with a shrug.

"Ah. Family?"

"Nah."

"...the garden?" Lykou asked, raising a brow.

She smirked. "Aye. Sure."

"Aren't there other folks that help out, though? I know I saw a few earlier."

"They do it tae mak' a livin'. Ah do it fer passion," she explained, flicking a bug from a stem, then plucking off the leaf it'd been occupying. "Besides, none o' em stay efter sunset, lik' ah do."

The konuul grinned. "I guess there's something to be said for being dedicated to something. You been doing this a long time, I take it?"

"As lang as ah kin remember," she replied, then shot him a mildly bemused look. "An' no, ye cannae halp. Bit ah appreciate the offer."

Lykou jerked back in sudden surprise. He was indeed about to make such an offer, but he had no idea how she could have known such a thing already. "I... uh..."

She snickered. "Ye've got 'ah'm a good boy, let me help ya 'n' prove it' painted all over ye, lad," she said. "Nah offense tho, bit ah dinnae think yer well suited tae this kind o' work."

The konuul was a bit taken a back. He would've pouted a little if he wasn't so stunned at feeling like his mind had just been read. He was about to reply when she spoke up again.

"Oh, dinnae tak' offense. Ah 'av nothin' against ye fer bein' a meat-eater. Ah'm sure some o' ya are fine gardeners as weel," she said, then smirked up at him. "Bit ah kin tell yer more o' a runner. A... chaser o' somethin' mibbie?"

At that point, Lykou was more than a little bewildered. "Uh.... Y-yeah...?"

"Yer certainly built fer it. Probably could be a decent hunter, or warrior, but ye dinnae 'av the attitude fer one," she continued. "Nothin' against them guards, bit they kin be a smidge tae serious sometimes."

"You're... pretty observant," Lykou hazarded.

She shrugged. "Ah 'av two things ta do a' day. Tend this garden, 'n' observe its visitors. Ah pick up oan things."

"Clearly," he replied with a bemused smirk.

"Well anyway, ah best stop distractin' mahself. If ya want, thir's a bath over on th' other side o' them hedges over there," she said, gesturing to some tall, shaped bushes nearby. "Wid do yer sore muscles a treat."

"A... bath? Like a little lake or something?" the konuul asked curiously.

She chuckled. "Somethin' lik' tha'," she said as she turned to walk off and resume work on a different section of the garden. "Ah'll send yer friend tae join ye if ah see 'im, efter he's out."

"Oh, uh... thanks," Lykou replied, watching her go. He thought it over for a minute, then shrugged to himself and got up, deciding to check out the 'bath' she'd mentioned. When he rounded the shrubs, he was surprised to see what indeed looked like a perfectly circular pond- only it was clearly artificial, with smooth marble sides and a matching bottom. It was fed by a series of wooden tubes held up by vines of varying thickness. The water drained out of a wooden grate at the other end into a more natural-looking stream winding through the garden.

He looked around for a minute, then disrobed and stepped into the water. The water was chilly, but surprisingly less so than he would have anticipated, given the cool night-time air. He slowly sank down into the artificial pond and leaned up against the edge, the water coming most of the way up his torso by the time he was fully sitting down. After a few minutes adjusting to the change in temperature, he smiled and leaned back, looking up at the stars as he let the water soak his aches away.

*****

Kuna was led down a curved hall made up of the trunks of tall, skinny trees that didn't seem entirely natural. After a short walk, they arrived at some wooden steps that seemed to be made from their carefully-reshaped roots and branches, and they began climbing up a tight, winding staircase. The only light came from lichen with what looked like tiny glowing berries growing on it.

Eventually, they arrived at a hall that led to a mossy curtain-covered entry. The hallway was strange, with every part of the structure clearly being made of the branches and trunks of unnaturally-shaped trees. Patches of carefully and symmetrically shaped pine needles dotted the sides as a form of decoration, forming sconces lit up by glowing pinecones. When they reached the curtain, the guard pulled it back and gestured for Kuna to walk inside.

He entered a large, circular room, with a series of raised seats along a high second level forming a semi-circle around him once he reached the center. The room was more brightly lit than the rest of the strange structure, thanks to a large, perfectly circular skylight allowing the moon and stars to shine down on it. "The council wull be wi' ye in a moment, lad. Ah'll be ootside when yer doon," the guard informed him, then turned and stepped back out of the room.

Kuna looked around nervously, waiting and taking in more details of the strange place. It was like a full forest and the ruins he and Lykou explored were combined- not something he really wanted to think about, given the harrowing adventure they'd had in those ruins.

Soon, a group of robed, hooded figures entered the room from a pair of passages up on the second level and took their places in the seats. Once they had all sat down, they pulled down their hoods, revealing a group of mostly elderly lepne individuals. The one in the middle in particular had long, grey whiskers and matching eyebrows, as well as tufts around his ears.

"Welcome ta Whitlan, young stranger," he said, once everyone was situated. "Mah name es Ivor, and ah'm th' High Druna. To mah left are Fionn 'n' Lagan. To mah right, Gordon 'n' Rhona. Ah'v been informed yer a druna yerself. By the name o'.... Kuna?" he asked, quirking a brow. "This is nae jape, is it?" he wondered aloud, glancing sidelong at Lagan.

Lagan shook his head. "Nae, tis whit ah wis telt as weel," he said, then looked back down at Kuna. "Tha' is yer name, aye?"

"Uh, y-yes, that's right," Kuna replied with a nervous smile. "The um. Th-the similar s-sound is just a coincidence."

There was a brief pause, then the council shared a light chuckle. "Weel how aboot tha'," Rhona chimed in. "Ah suppose ye wis fated ta be a druna, aye?"

"Do make yerself comfortable, lad," Gordon chimed in. "'av a seat."

Kuna looked around in confusion. "Er..."

"Feel free ta mak' one," Fionn said, leaning in and watching intently. The others followed suit, waiting to see what he'd do.

"...oh. Oh! Right," Kuna said as realization dawned. He manifested his magic and nervously felt around the floor. It was such a strange mish-mash of limbs and trunks and other bits he didn't even recognize that it was a bit tricky getting it to shape the way he wanted it to- especially given that it was hard to tell the different individual plants apart. But eventually, he formed a somewhat impressive chair from numerous twisted branches and stems, including a mixture of leaves and pine needles, and several flowers for good measure. He hadn't meant to make it decorative, but somehow adding a bit of color felt a bit soothing to his nerves. Once the chair was finished, he sat down with a small sheepish smile.

The council murmured in general approval. "Nicely doon, lad," Ivor said, then conjured up his own magic. "Do join us up higher, tho. We may be th' high council, bit yer a druna jest the same, n' should feel welcome." Suddenly, Kuna chair rose up to be, if not quite at the same level as the council, then close to it. "There, tha's better."

Kuna blushed slightly. "Uh, th-thanks..."

"Weel then, let's git right tae it, shall we?" Rhona suggested. "Ah willnae mince words, we're mair than a smidge fascinated ta see ya here, lad."

"Whit manner o' folk are ye, fer starters?" Gordon chimed in. "Been a lang, lang time sin' we caught a whiff o' any non-lepne folk in Clovaria."

"Oh, I-I'm a sereva," Kuna replied, rubbing his arm a bit. "M-my friend down in the garden, Lykou, h-he's a konuul, by the way. W-we're from a long way away."

"Ah'd assume so. Ah'v never heard o' anythin' like either o' ye," Ivor said, to the general rumbling of agreement from the others. "Whit brings ye to these parts?"

"W-well, it's a long story, but Lykou and I w-were, uh... m-magically transported a long way from home, a-and now we're trying to make our way back. A-and that just happened to bring us through um. These h-hills."

"Magically transported, ye say?" Lagan asked. "Who by, a spirit o' some kind?"

Kuna opened his mouth to respond, but paused to mull it over for a minute. "Uh... maybe. W-we're not entirely sure. It turns out it w-was this weird... individual, named Inkari, that d-did it to us. She c-claims to be some kind of m-mortal, or at least p-part mortal. S-something called a jarzin. But I d-don't know if I believe her, she's incredibly powerful."

"Aye, she'd have ta be, fer somethin' lik' tha'," Rhona asked, somewhat incredulously. "Ah dinnae even ken people could learn such magic."

While the others murmured for a moment, Ivor stroked the tuft of grey fur hanging from his chin thoughtfully. "Jarzin, ye say? Hmm..."

Kuna perked up slightly. "What, have you heard of them?"

Ivor shook his head slowly. "It... sounds a wee bit familiar, but ah dinnae ken. Nothin' specific comes tae mind, tho."

"So yer jest wanderin' in hopes o' findin' a way hame, noo?" Fionn asked.

"W-well, no... not anymore, anyway. I-I learned a way to help at l-least point us in the r-right direction," the sereva explained.

"Oh, aye? 'n' howfer kin ye do tha'?" Rhona asked.

"W-well... with, um. S-star magic."

"Star magic?" Ivor asked. "Kin ye show us?"

Kuna's ears folded down and he grinned a little. "Uh... s-sure," he said, then lifted his hand and manifested the silvery pale-blue glow and caused the light to reappear and jump up to its path through the stars.

The council chattered again, then quietly applauded him. "Very, very impressive, lad," Gordon said.

"Yer very talented, Kuna," Ivor agreed, then lifted his hand and showed a similar pale blue glow. The others followed suit, then dismissed the energy. "Yer in th' presence o' th' only other druna in thaes hills tha' 'av a knack fer whit ye call 'star' magic."

"Um." Kuna bit his lip and hesitated for a moment, then grinned, unable to help himself. "Well, not anymore. I uh... mayyy have helped someone else learn it w-while I was in, um. Kerney."

The group seemed pleasantly surprised. "Is tha' so?" Gordon asked, leaning forward. "Moyra kin do et noo as weel?"

Kuna nodded. "Mhmm. She uh. Picked up on it kind of quick, in fact."

"Ah'm na tae surprised. She wis alwis a clever lass," Fionn commented with a smile. "Shame she cannae find time ta visit thaes days."

"Indeed," Ivor agreed. "Sae tell us aboot yerself, lad. Whit's yer hame like?"

The sereva shifted around uncomfortably. "Er, well. That's... kind of awkward to answer."

"How's that?" Rhona asked curiously.

"I uh. Kind of didn't h-have a home anymore, exactly," Kuna explained, looking away with a frown. "It's... kind of a t-touchy subject. But Lykou w-wants to bring me back to his v-village. He could t-tell you a lot m-more about it than me, obviously."

The council chattered again. "Soonds lik' a dreich past ye got, sae we willnae pry," Ivor assured him. "Still, we'll hear whate'er yer willin' ta tell."

Kuna looked around at the lepne, realizing that, for all their power and authority, they were ultimately just a friendly, but bored group of strangers itching to hear a good tale. Resigning himself to story-telling duty, he took a deep breath and launched into the story of his and Lykou's journey so far, albeit a fairly abbreviated version, omitting certain more sensitive bits.