Violet’s violent shaking starts to calm down as she takes a few deep breaths.

Merrygold whirls around, snatches me out of Vawweb arms and starts barking at the other pretties, “Greyward, Esmeralda, both of you go fetch Lady Wisemore. Peach, Ariebella, hot water. Linshee, Amy, Maddy, Priscilla, Gwen, Elodie, Sylvie, Delphine, and Gemma find me a soul healer NOW. I don’t care if it’s Bark, Irongut, or even old Zishuy.

“Maeve, Xanthe, Ingrid, Niamh, Fia, Cosima run to the basem–”

Everything suddenly gets wobbly and I can’t make anything out anymore. My everything hurts so bad. I’m so tired. I want to close my eyes and stop but that feels like it will be bad. I can’t help it. I start crying. I don’t think things have ever felt this bad, but I don’t want to go. I can feel myself slipping away and I can’t leave them all. I can feel how important I am to them and I just start to cry.

My sobs aren’t big wailing things, but just the sad silent tears one cries as they say goodbye.

This feels familiar, but different. Part of me wonders what about it could be familiar - yet most of me is just sad that the pretties look so scared and panicked. I wish I could help. I want to help so badly!

I push. I pull. I try and grab at anything but even thought and will start to feel like they’re too heavy. I’m not scared, just… tired. So tired. My body already feels cold and empty. Has it always felt that way? It never did quite feel like me. Did I ever really want to be born?

Huh? Did I want to be born? I love being alive, but did I ever want it? No. I guess I didn’t. I was just, doing… something… and then I was alive. I can kinda remember becoming alive, but not a lot.

*SKRRRCH*

OWW! What the fuck?

*SKRRRCH* ~ZAP~ *SKRRRCH*

My consciousness starts to bounce in and out of my body. I hear gasps and sounds of people around me, flashes of light, explosions of pain - then nothing.

I feel a buildup of pressure that I know is going to lead to another shock of that horrid feeling.

*SKRRRCH*

My lungs catch on fire.

*SKRRRCH*

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My chest explodes in pain again.

A pause.

*SKRRRCH*

I snap back awake screaming, swearing, telling the universe to go fucking itself, wailing for all I’m worth.

“That was pretty touch-and-go there for a bit. I’m glad you got us in time. The damage to his system was much more severe than we guessed. Cleric Strongjaw really did intend to kill this child. It’s honestly amazing he’s still alive. What a tough little shit.” Blinking furiously I look into the face of a tree with a crown of pointy antlers.

Pause.

Blink.

Hiccup.

Pause.

Yeah - that’s super cool! Gimme~!

I whip my hand out and reach for his horns, climbing up on his head to pronounce myself king of the forest!

Tree dude slowly leans back out of my feeble attempt to grab for his antlers that were very much not within my reach. He pauses, cocks his head at me, and his eyes light up. “Well I’ll be damned. Merry, does he usually act this way towards strangers?”

Meywibode’s tiny face appears next to the tree guy’s belly. Tree guy is bigger than Gwab! About as big as Ugly, but so much cooler looking. I wanna climb!

“Greyward says that he didn’t even flinch when first coming face to face with Clark.” I can feel the concern and fear radiating from her towards me. I can fix that easily enough.

I speak my magic phrase, I want food! “Wa waaaa wooo!” I declare proudly while making grabby motions. Woah, I’m really hungry.

There is a tension in the room that just fades away. The pretties giggle and chatter, “If he’s hungry he must be alright.”

An old, old, lady’s face pokes into my line of sight. She has deep deep wrinkles, silver hair, and dark skin like Fia who spends most her time in the garden outside.

Glance down at where she keeps food… Yeah, I don’t think so.

“You know what Bark, ol’ Zishuy’s glad it was just you and me. This boy’s meridians were mangled beyond recognition. It was like they grew twisted. Who did you say his mother was?” The scary ancient lady turns her turbid eyes at Meywibode.

Tree man - Bark? I try saying his name aloud, “Bawp” Nailed it! - picks up scary old lady and sets her on a couch with his really long tree arms.

“Zishuy, thank you for the assistance, but I believe that will be all from us. These ladies are obviously also suffering internal injuries. I think it’s best we let them recover.” Bark says to scary ancient lady.

He stands - soooooo big - bows to the pretties, scoops Zishuy off the couch, and trundles out of the room.

Hey! I’m still hungry! “Wa waaaa wooo!” I pout at the room.

Whoops.

The room descends into a flurry of activity and jostling and crying and arguing over who gets to feed me. Ummm… I’d take turns but that's way more food than I can eat. Apparently things were figured out quickly because I’m now being fed and in someone’s arms. I didn’t catch who, but right now I don’t even care.

The door to the Happy Place bangs open as Greyward and Esmeralda come rushing in and drop to their knees in front of me making noises and sounds of relief. I give them a glance, and then at the very plain looking lady covered in shiny metal behind them. I’m curious, but not enough to stop eating.

Lady Wisemore, I hear the pretties call her, looks very unhappy when looking at the pretties. She doesn’t seem angry at them directly, so I put it out of my mind and go back to eating.

Armor lady goes from angry to angry, “Who…? What…? How did all of you suffer injuries like this? Was it… no. Strongjaw. I’ll kill him for this!”

Merrygold pats Lady Wisemore’s shiny hip before she can go running off, “Now now, calm down Lady. We would much prefer it if you healed us and made sure the little one is alright. We just had Bark and Old Zishuy check his soul and set his meridians to repairing. You must have missed them as you were coming in. No one died and, to be fair, his behavior wasn’t entirely unwarranted. But everything is fine now.”

There’s some milling about, orders to move here, go there, look at this, but I’m getting full and it’s nap time so I close my eyes.