Wild

Chapter 16

Wilbur felt the heavy pot clunk against the counter when he set it down, drying his wet hands on the front of his shirt. He had just finished up cleaning the dishes from the soup, barely taking a few minutes with how few dishes there were.

Dream was near the front door getting his gear ready. They planned to head out as soon as possible, going to collect the few things Wilbur had spotted in the nearby forest and garden. It was mostly food he could make into something long lasting, like nuts and rice. He had spotted the rice plant near the edge of the garden, and the walnut tree a little ways into the forest. But he also spotted a bee hive that he fully intended to send Dream into for some honey.

Wilbur joined Dream by the front door, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He made a quick trip back to the kitchen when he got an idea for the honey. He crouched down in front of the counter, looking through the lower cupboard. He pushed a few things around before he found what he was looking for. Wilbur pulled out two large glass jars from the cupboard, big enough to take up both arms when holding them. He walked back out of the kitchen, nudging the cabinet shut with his foot on his way out.

"I need you to carry one of these, it'll come in handy later" Wilbur said, passing one of the glass jars to Dream. He nodded, taking the jar and slipping it into his bag. He didn't waste time questioning it, he would find out eventually. "ready to go?" Dream looked at Wilbur, seeing him finish checking to make sure he had everything. "Yep let's get going" they both headed out after that, making their way silently through the dark tunnels.

Dream spoke up after a few minutes of walking, glancing back at Wilbur. "So I was thinking about borrowing some glow stones to light up some of these tunnels, I could use your help if you're interested." Wilbur hummed in thought, looking around the dark edges of the path they walked. "Yeah i suppose that would help, might keep rats away too"

"Huh i hadn't thought of that, are rats usually a problem this far in?" Dream questioned, suddenly a lot more weary of the dark turns in the tunnels that they passed. Wilbur smirked slightly, seeing how spooked Dream was. "Oh yeah, a huge problem, rats come here all the time. Ripped up the walls and made nests in our houses, they wouldn't hesitate to kill a borrower." Wilbur nearly laughed out loud at the nervous looks Dream was sending at every turn, expecting the ugly beasts to be waiting for them.

He didn't correct his dramatized version of the rat problem, finding this a bit more entertaining then he should. "So...what are we getting with this trip anyway?" Dream spoke up, the silence making him even more nervous then he was before. The idea of that rat coming back for revenge was putting him on edge.

"Just some things to make our trip a bit easier, I found a walnut tree nearby and a rice plant in the garden. Well go for the rice first, then the other things" Wilbur spoke quietly, barely interrupting the quiet of the dark passages. The soft creaking of wood could be heard echoing in the dark, the wind outside blowing against the walls making a hissing noise. Dream jumped every time the wind whistled loudly, the echoes making it so much louder.

"Well have to keep an eye on this wind, could be a sign of bad weather" Wilbur said, frowning at the whistling wind. Dream nodded in agreement, a storm was definitely not something they wanted to happen. For a human, storms were not very bad, easy to just walk through if they didn't mind getting wet. But for a borrower it could be life or death, one instance of too heavy rain or wind blowing a branch off could take their life. So storms were something closely watched by any wild borrower.

Wilbur slowed to a stop when Dream stopped in front of the entrance to the garden. He tried not to look too closely at the door, not wanting the painful memories to distract him. He watched as Dream pushed the door open, letting the heavy wood slide away. They slipped outside quickly, sealing the door behind them.