It was a normal day for Ottokar traveling from one city to another. The sun was bright in the sky. It was a hot day with his brown robes and he was sweating under his fox mask. The mask covered his face and had a Pelt of Hair that covered the back of his head and went down his shoulders. The dust of the road was easy to pat away. His fur was ruffled and uncomfortable as it was prone to do after a long walk in his outfit. He hated how he looked and how people looked at him. Many could guess what he was by his job but he liked it when they had to pause and guess. It made them more careful in how they talked to him. He knew what he had been born for and he resented it. He was never allowed to have his own problems because he was supposed to be a peacekeeper, a bridge for the races. It was because he was an ‘outsider’ he was supposed to have perspective, someone with no money in the game but it just made him lonely. There was only one other of his kind that he had met and he did not care for her personality. Not that she was a bad person, it is just… She was all in for the mission and never had time to talk about Their unique circumstances. All the time it was about what they could do for other people, never what they could do for themselves. He couldn't even think of her as a potential partner because she had a vow of celibacy. Not that he had thought seriously about having a Partner. To have viable offspring He had limited Options. It was one of the downsides of being a first generation. His genetics were a lot more limited than the rest of the world. There would be a very small percentage chance that there is offspring would be the same race as him. And even then what kind of life that they have? Would they have to grow up solving other people's problems or Would he end up jealous of them, them with the options that he just didn't have?

He was on the edge of the Magiji forest, and the forest's gloom was a sharp line in the grass. The coastal prairie hit a sharp end into the palm trees. He was just at the Shark Tooth caves and was trading some metalwork for Maigojie City. The Gem Bellies did not like the people of Maigojie so they were hard trading partners because they did not want the silk that Maigoije was known for and their metalwork was in high demand. The Gem Bellies didn’t want any food from Maigoije because one: they had plenty of mushrooms and two: They are vegetarian and the Magiji of Maigoije eat mostly fish. So the Magiji wanted metal and salt and the Gem Bellies of Shark Tooth Cave didn’t want anything from the Magiji. Well, that is not quite true, the Gem Bellies wanted so much lumber and the city of Maigojie was a city of trees. So the one thing that the Gem Bellies wanted from the Magiji was the one thing that culturally they were not going to give up for any money. They settled on shells, Magiji had shells and Gem Bellies thought shells were pretty. But it was a great deal of Shells to metalwork or salt. No one was happy with it but they stopped fighting about it.

The city of Maigojie was a beautiful place, as many times as he had seen it; he never stopped being impressed. The tree city of the Maigojie was a forest of tall trees with spider silk webbing so thick that the ground always looked like night, the mushrooms thrived with other plants that didn’t need the light. Civilized Life was in the trees as the people were. Which was not fully true. The Magiji children lived on the ground. The palm trees stood like pillars in the gloom. The forest floor was covered in mushrooms that were little homes to the children. Some mushrooms glow and some don’t, some are small and some are bigger than Ottokars head. The smell of the sea rippled in on the wind. The whole city was a cross between macrame, crochet, and kitting. The roads are knitted and the buildings hang like macrame. They had nets that looked like lace. The city was old but the Magiji maintained it to look new.

The city was mostly a silvery white but the were colors in the blend, he was told that The colors were a matter of eating the source of the dye. There were many sea creatures that the main color change but it was hard because one would have to eat a huge diet of the purple snail to get a small amount of purple silk. It was hugely expensive as the one spinning the silk would not have to time to go fishing for the snails. They were very expensive to have these colors as they never faded like other dyes that faded in the wash away over time. Not that they didn’t use the dyes sometimes after the silk was made, but it was never as vibrant. The silk was soft, beautiful, and stronger than metal. The city was cool during the day and warm at night. They had many things to buy and sell but the main thing people wanted was the silk they could only get from the Magiji. Ottokar knew that they had many great dishes to eat but their food did not travel well, they ate most of their food raw or salted. They lived on trees and silk; it made sense that they did not care for fire, they found it weird that other races used it so carelessly. The Magiji did not care for gems but they did like jewelry made from metal. They did not care for things made from wood as they found it a waste of a good tree. There were many layers of housing to use in just one tree, there were many homes on each tree, and there were many Magiji to house. They did like bone tools as they lasted as they do live a long time. The trade was easy when you knew what to expect. Ottokar had been working as a merchant for many years. For many years he worked with his mother, as she taught him many things on the road as she had him sit in the wagon she pulled along. From language to math and maps to the stars themselves, So he can never get lost at night.

The Magiji people were a light blue color, from head to toe, with dragonfly wings of many colors, They looked a little like bipedal ants, Their eyes Looked human in shape But the inside Had many lenses, Leaving an eerie effect when they blinked. Their hands and feet were not like ants or humans There were three three fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot. They looked more like bird claws without the claws with their blunt fingers instead. Their chitin was smooth and shiny. As adults they made wigs and clothing out of their silk, They didn't need either But it was a social status To show off who made the better silk. One of the reasons they wanted to trade with the Gem Bellies was that they made the best sewing supplies.

As a people were very spiritual but not religious. As far as he could tell there was not a religion but the feeling that there was something greater but It was not their place to dictate what that thing wanted. It was to them that they should live good lives and live and let live. This is in part due to their childhood. The children lived on the ground away from the adults, until they were strong enough to fly to the treetops. Soon after they outgrow their wings. The wings don’t grow when they molt and then they can’t fly anymore. Then they hide their wings in the shell of a large nut that grew on the trees and start spinning silk. The molt was horrifying in Ottokar's opinion, sliding out of your old skin. He had a nightmare about it when he had learned about it. The molt grew thicker every year, and the oldest of the Magiji had to have help to get out of their skin or they would die. The Magiji lived the longest of the sentient races. The old ones were huge rivaling the badger wolves in size and strength, their skin like armor. The silk holding their weight. They had the best silks to buy, but they tended to use their silks to reinforce the city.

They act like they never were small and if one was not paying attention one can think that they are not the same species. They lay eggs and then leave them alone, there were one or two adults who teach them to speak but that is all. The babies are as small as dolls, an easy mouthful for a frog. It is the Children that dance on the forest floor. Mostly they just played with each other. They eat or try to eat everything. From pollen to bugs to frogs when they are bigger. Ottokar had seen Grinjaw and the others swarm and devour. He had met Grinjaw early in his childhood on only the second time he had seen the city. She didn’t have a name back then but his nose knew her out of all the Magiji children, she was the one the most curious about him. They spent many a trip hanging out when his mother was trading goods.

There was the Badger Wolves warehouse, there was one in each town. It was a big building that had no others like it in this city, the city was way up in the trees for one, and the warehouse was on the ground. It was a massive building made from long logs and had a simple door that was easy for Badger Wolves to open but a little hard for Ottokar to open. The wood used was from far away as it was illegal to use Trees As Building materials The forest. The hinge was on the top not the side like in human doors. He was strong but just not as strong as a Badger Wolf and the door was heavy as it was many logs together. He pushed it open, with a grinmace on his muzzle that no one could see. The warehouse was not the best building but then the Badger Wolves were not known for their buildings. The weather did not bother the Badger Wolves, their fur was nearly waterproof and it rarely got cold enough to snow. He pulled his wagon into the warehouse, it was safe there. There was an old badger wolf in the warehouse Skyfang was the one who watched the wagons and warehouse as his job. The Magiji children were small and liked to get into things. Skyfang was not a talker and Ottokar got a nod and that was it but he knew that his wagon would be fine.

Now the hard part He would have to climb the massive rope ladder to talk to the merchants in the city to see what they wanted to buy, he knew what they wanted to sell, silk was a popular export of the city of Maigojie. The many peoples of the valley Hemohola wanted the strong, waterproof silk, it went for a good price and the people of Maigojie were not lacking in it. The whole city was made of silk, from the building to the roads, the silk held strong.

Ottokar didn’t care for heights, and the city was high up, with layers and layers of homes, he climbed passes But he climbed up to the top layer, it was hard to tell from the bottom but some trees were only 50 feet but the oldest trees were up to 200 feet. It was a scary climb. Maigojie was by the sea, so there was a lot of fishing in Maigojie, at least Ottokar liked the food, his mother fished for him from time to time, but it had always worried him, Orcas were big and mean enough to eat a swimming badger wolf. He had had bad dreams about Orcas. To think about it he had a lot of bad dreams. On the upside, On land, there was little else that could hurt his mother. She was on top of the food chain. He was on the food chain but not on the top of it. He was stronger than most races but that didn’t not change much. He had never even got into a fight before. He had seen his mother fight but he was young then, not expected to fight only to hide in till it was better.

The badger wolves could not climb the ropes or the tree to get into Maigojie and the people there liked it that way. They are respected but feared as they don’t turn down a meal and sometimes other sentient are that meal. It was well known not to go to a Badger Wolf for medicinal help. They believe in putting others out of their misery. Because of that Ottokar and a few others were the go-between the Tree City and the Badger Wolves.

Ottokar was out of breath when he made it to the top. There was more walking to do as the city was 5000 acres across and it had many layers, it was a big place and easy to get lost. He would have to make the climb many times to get the goods that they ordered to them. It would take him a day or two to get everything in the right place, then he could start taking orders again. This was going to be a long trip.

At the top level, he met with the city head, Frogchacer. A huge Magiji that was the same size as a badger-wolf and was ancient. Their winter was mild and it very rarely snowed. But they still needed food, the sea was rough in the winter and wasn’t safe. They were very relied on fish for their food. So they traded for it. FrogChacer was a kind old Magiji and wanted to talk to Ottokar about his travels. But Ottokar was not sure what to say as he had walked these roads for years and didn’t have much to say about it. He wasn’t one to make up stories so he talked about the Gembelly at Shark Tooth Caves and the people he met there. That was a Mistake as the face of the ancient Magiji Soured by the mention of Gembellies. He had forgotten that they did not get along, The Magiji didn't understand why the Gembellies didn't like them. It would be frustrating to be called a liar when you don't know what you're supposed to be lying about. Ottokar understood a little bit better why the Gembellies didn't care for them but he didn't know how to explain it. It could come down to meanings of hair but to the Magiji hair was purely to show off. To the Gembellies it was a whole language. Ottokar knew the braid for merchant and that was all he needed to know but he was curious about what it all meant but the Gembellies were tight-lipped about it. The chat faded out and he was on his way.

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Then there was Mushroomheart, a sweet old Magiji, though not as old as Frogchacer, who had a love of pottery and plants. She has a gorgeous garden that she is always adding to, getting the dirt up the ladder was the hardest part as it was heavy. She mostly liked to start was seeds, not seedlings. so that made it easier. She always had a tasty fish for him. He had a feeling that she would love tea but it was rude to bring things that needed fire to work. She was sad that she couldn’t have fruit trees because of the weight limit, but she had many berry bushes. Many of the younger Magiji loved her because she shared the fruits of her labor with those just learning how to use crowns, the currency of the city though It was used outside the city but was not preferred. He was hoping to see Grinjaw at Mushroomheart’s place but she wasn’t there, in her place were three Magiji that could still fly. They must be a similar age as Grinjaw but he did not know them. Hopper, Bait, and one that for the life of him he could not remember her name. He asked if they wanted anything but they said they had nothing to trade and what more did they need but the sea? He was not going to argue with that.

Then he moved on to Twinkletoes who was still young and finding his way through life. He was a year or two older than Grinjaw and was just heavy enough to lose the ability to fly. Ottokar had known him even before he had a name. Magiji doesn’t get a true name in till they fly to the city. Usually, their nicknames become their names. The group that flies up name each other. The names are varied and sometimes hilarious but he knew better than to laugh. It was bad for trade relations. And the Magiji had long memories. Twinkletoes wanted some bone jewelry and some rare food. He had just made his first wig and it was obvious but it would be rude to say so. The wig was too thin and was showing bald spots. He would figure the fine details out soon enough.

Ottokar wondered where Grinjaw was, she was one to follow him around not that that bugged him as she was one of his best friends. She wasn’t in her home on the first layer or the mushroom garden and he didn’t see her in to marketplace.

Ottokar’s days went on like this. He was happy and enjoying himself but he did miss his friend.

—

The trees wave in the wind. The massive nest that her people used as a home. GrinJaw was big enough to have a home there on the lower levels but it wasn’t want she wanted. She wanted to see the world. And she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. If Ottokar did not take her she was going to go by herself. She went to the store, it was halfway up the tree. All of her people started their adult life with a hundred “crowns.” She was getting used to the money names, money had never been important before. In till she understood it better, she was rare to spend her money.

Money was a new thing for her. The children didn’t need money as there was food growing all over the place. They could play by the beach and get fish any time they wanted. The blue of the sky and ocean mix together on the horizon, and the clouds are stark white on the blue background. She hated that no matter how high she flew she couldn’t touch a cloud. She didn’t know that she had as mist was just a low-hanging cloud. To be fair she did love flying in the mists that came in from the ocean. The cold air on her Chitin made her invigorated. She had heard of bones and found it weird, why wouldn’t you want an exoskeleton? It just made sense as the hard part was outside but she forgave Ottokar for it. It wasn’t his fault that his biology was weird.

She was getting older but she didn’t want that life. Just making silk for a living, seemed boring and expected and she liked being unexpected. There were many things in the world. Ottokar talked about the different races and the different Towns. The Shark Tooth Caves of the Gembellies. the Hobs forest called Hornruu, and the human home the Flower Valley, sounded so alien and fascinating. She didn’t like that she wasn’t with Ottokar when he was in town but for her plan to work she had to wait.

Grinjaw, she was just getting used to the name, There was a naming ceremony not too long ago and her hatch-mates thought it a good name for her. Her best friend wasn’t even a Magiji, it was the Gee-off named Ottokar. She saw his wagon coming a thought of a plan to go with him. His wagon was easy to see as it was much smaller of the badger wolves' wagons. She was new to selling her silks and hadn’t even decided how she wanted her wig to look, so she stayed with a bold bald head and was very grateful for Ottokar’s help as she had only recently flown up to the canopy. She had been friends with Ottokar throughout her young life. He had started trading in her area not long after she had hatched. His wagon was not as big back then as he walked with his mother's wagon.

There was one thing the Grinjaw wanted to do, she wanted to be on the road. To see more than her forest. So she had a plan, she was going to get on that wagon and go on an adventure. It was a simple plan but it was hers and she was young. So it wasn’t a good plan, Skyfang knew her and knew that she wouldn’t mess with the wagon so she bribed him with three tasty frogs. It was barely a bite for him but he was happy. His old bones hurt and he didn’t like to hunt anymore. So she had been feeding him frogs for so time now. He liked the colorful ones, he says they help the pain.

Soon it was time for Ottokar to have out. He had the order forms for all the things he was to get. He was happy that it was such a fruitful trip. He was walking down to his wagon and saw a happy Skyfang and a slightly moving tarp.

“What are you planning?” Ottokar said with a sweet smile on his face, he was very fond of Grinjaw. It wasn’t the first time that Grinjaw tried to get into his wagon. With his mask high on his forehead. Ottokar didn’t feel the need to wear his mask with Grinjaw or any badger wolf. They knew what he was by smell alone. There was no hiding from them, so he didn’t hide that he was his mother's son and was going to live up to her name. The tarp moved again “I can see you moving, what are you up to.” there was a giggle as Grinjaw moved from under the tarp.

“Nothing…” Grinjaw said unconvincingly her eyes darting back and forth looking at anything but Ottokar. She was never good a lying.

“I know that look Grinjaw, I’m your friend and I know you, and when you are up to something.” He didn’t like that she lying to him but he found it cute despite himself. He found a lot of things about her cute. He had missed her these past few days. He hadn't seen her at all these past few days going up and down the Silk ladder.

“Well, I wanted to sneak into your wagon but maybe we can just walk together to the next town, I want to sell my silks of course but I want to see the world!” Grinjaw was Happily blathering.

“You should have asked me, not try to sneak. You’re not good at sneaking Grinjaw.” his words had no bite to them. Skyfang found it hilarious but that may be just the colorful frogs he had just eaten. Ottokar had eaten one of the colorful frogs that Grinjaw had handed to him but he didn’t like how it made him see weird colors and made the ground move.

Otttokar shrugged, why not?

Many times Ottokar had come and gone but this time is going with a friend. His wagon was huge now that he had grown to his full size and strength. He was part of the Badger Wolves from his mother's side and human on his father's side, Their love was not unheard of but was uncommon. He was smaller than his mother's kin but larger than any human male.

The badger wolves owned the roads and as one of their kin, he was free to pass. They knew him by their noses so it didn’t matter that he wore a mask. A bone-white mask with swirls that resembled a fox in shape.

The badger-wolves are big sentient beasts bigger than some bears they look the cross of a Honey Badger and a Grey Wolf. They only care to own the roads and a warehouse in each town. The safest way to travel was with Badger Wolves, they had the monopoly on shipping. They planted miles and miles of fruit trees on the side of the road to encourage small animals to the side of the road for a snack. They are the most wild of the sentient, their thick fur protecting them from the weather. They are the biggest predator around but they find that attacking other Sentient was too much of a bother and would rather trade for their meat.

Ottokar and Grinjaw started their journey on the road, they weren’t a lot of fanfare as the Magiji people were not very social and very solitary. She said goodbye to her friends but not her parents as the Magiji people did not keep track of such things, laying their eggs The Below in the darkness and mushrooms. The ones who survive fly to the canopy. They did not care who was who.

Ottokar didn’t care for the canopy as he was not a fan of heights. But he did his job well. He would not ever want to live there.

With the wagon loaded and goodbyes said Ottokar and Grinjaw started down the road, it was a three-day journey to pull the wagon out of the coastal Prairie where the wind was high. They hit the Hornruu at Noon on the fifth day there was a boom, it was the loudest thing that they ever heard. It was to the right of the road and a few miles away. Curiosity was killing them and they took and detour to see what made the noise. As they traveled closer they found pink crystals with black lighting shapes inside, Crystals of all sizes. They had never seen crystals like that before and Ottokar knew the area well. He was seeing money and not really thinking.

There was much to do, the crystals were bound to be worth some money as they were never seen here before, and they moved further into the grove of crystals, there was just more and more. It was eerie as there were no bugs or birds that they could hear. Looking closer the crystals sometimes had a bug or small animal inside of them. Despite the cheery color, they both were scared, this was unheard of, this devouring crystal. Suddenly the crystals they had collected looked more like a burden than a boon.

“I think this place is cursed,” Grinjaw said looking back and forth. She didn’t want to touch the ground. She was worried that she would become like the bugs in the crystal. She shook herself the closest thing to a shiver her race can do.

“I think you may be right” Ottokar replied and at that time they heard a moan, high like a woman but in obvious pain. “I think someone is hurt.” His ears were more acute than hers and so was his nose. He smelled blood.

“Someone is alive in this crystal-death storm?” Grinjaw said.

They moved deeper in with their blood pumping in their veins, sweat cooling on their skin, and their mouths dry in anticipation. Grinjaw was reminded of the time that a very large frog had almost made her dinner. Ottokar was reminded of a badger-wolf that had been out of control and was frothing at the mouth. His mother had killed him Quickly but with pity. “The rage disease will turn us mad. This was saving him. Others would have fallen to him and the disease would spread.” His Mother said to him that night. He didn’t know why he thought of disease. The Pink Crystal was a stain on the dirt. It was wrong and never should be there.

It wasn't far when they saw a black and yellow carriage with nothing to pull it with. That was creepy, it was not on a hill, and it shouldn’t move on its own. There were pink crystals embedded in the carriage. It was moving slowly like it was looking for something. It stopped about two wagons widths away. One side had no doors and a human woman stepped out, she was a darker shade than he had ever seen, she had dark brown skin, black hair, and ember eyes. She smelled of blood, there was blood on her weird dark green clothing, and was favoring her injured hands. They looked like they were bleeding. On the other side of the carriage, a door opened and another human woman stepped out, she was the opposite with red hair and the palest human he had seen before, red-orange hair, her eyes were not the same color and she had a dark mark on her forehead. They did not look like the humans that live in this area. Not in the least.