Storms of the Sky

better in the flesh - XVII

TW: cursing

--Bastet--

"The Meadow is past the Crystal Grove. Everyone says it's faster to go straight through the forest from Maylea, but I heard a story of a fifty-foot-tall Fachdeer, and I'm not gonna take the chance," Quarry says, leading us away from the city and into the forest.

The trees here are tall. I mean tall, tall. They're the same trees from Maylea. You could carve out the inside to make more shops and homes. I'm the size of some leaves. And those are the small ones.

The deeper you go, does the wildlife get stranger? I shiver at the thought of anything more uncanny than three-eyed squirrels.

"Fachdeer are hardly alive, Quarry," Avery waves her hand, her other steadying her backpack's strap. "I have only heard of like, two."

"You'll love the Crystals, Bastet," Quarry spins to me on his heels, walking backward. I watch as he steps over a root he can't even see. I wonder how he knows it's there. He doesn't have plant myth. Or maybe he's just good with the forest. I want to be good with the forest.

"They are taller than you," Avery says. She squints at Quarry. I think she wants him to fall.

"And when Lady Sorrel meets you, oh she'll freak. She hasn't met another Gold-Eyed in so long." Quarry turns back around. He has his pink hair tied up in a bun.

"You mean because that other Gold-Eyed disappeared? What was the xer name?" I ask. I wonder what drove xer off.

I would never want to abandon people. Not when they need me. Not when they want me.

"All," Quarry responds.

I don't know why someone would name their child All. But it sounds cool.

Our feet tread the earth until shadows of the sun disappear. Past the towering trees and mammoth roots. I continue to take notes in my head. I should probably write them all down at some point. I didn't bring paper or a pencil. Maybe Lady Sorrel will have some.

I wonder if she is like Aken.

Quarry described her Meadow like a school. You have certain teachers for each subject. Or Ring, he said. Apparently, you get housing as well. Quarry said there is row after row of small dorms. They're cottages.

We pass mushrooms twice my size. I stop, and gawk at them for a second before Avery yells at me to hurry up.

* * *

Avery stops us by a large maple tree. I would expect all the trees to be towering and scarily large but the maples here are the same size as regular trees. I chuckle. Poor tree.

Avery takes out a small fabric pouch out of the backpack. She thumps down on her ground, crossing her legs elegantly. It looks funny to sit so graceful in the middle of the dirt.

She hands Quarry a more pink than red strawberry. I get one too. It tastes extra good considering that I haven't drank water since we started walking.

Note: it gets hot in the forest

We eat in silence.

"We should–" Quarry pauses to lick his fingers. "check for prints." Avery looks at him disgustedly.

"That is not a bad idea," she says with an edge. Quarry sticks out his tongue like a five-year-old.

Avery takes my arm and pulls me to my feet. I stumble as I quickly get pulled away. My eyes catch Quarry move in the opposite direction.

"Quarry said something about a huge deer before we left," I say, saving my arm from Avery's pressing grasp. Walking beside me, she nods. Avery kicks up the dirt and leaves, which isn't helpful, but I don't tell her that.