Drake nodded and followed her as they rushed toward the wailing. The scream had been so high-pitched, Gigi couldn’t tell if it was an animal or maybe a child. Panic flooded her system. Whatever was hurt needed them. Her ears twitched as she tried to locate the source of the sound.

After a mad dash through the brush, they came upon a grassy clearing. In the center lay a fox kit. It was wailing in agony, its hind leg caught in the teeth of the trap. Gigi had never seen anything like the baby fox before them. It was the same brilliant shade of green as herself, with long supple grass making up its fluffy coat. It had little triangular ears that drooped and looked to have a soft, mossy texture. Emerald eyes flashed with fear as its tiny muzzle howled in pain.

Gigi noticed something was growing around the pup. Every time it wailed; a fresh growth of thorny vines grew around it, as if trying to protect itself from the pain. She sprung into action.

As she ran toward it, she was lost in awe once more. Gigi assumed she had to be looking at an elemental. While she had never seen one herself, she had read stories and seen them depicted in her books. They were animals of all different sizes and stripes, but they were always made of the elements themselves. Be it a viper that thrummed with electricity, a shark that bellowed lava, or a fox made from earth. To her, it was like finding a unicorn that had been ensnared by barbed wire. Her wonder was soon replaced by rage.

“Drake! I need you over here now!”

He charged forward without hesitation. The soldier was ready to help with cool composure. Gigi drove her hands into the thorns, reaching for the trap and pinning the fox’s leg. The thorns pricked and cut as she fished for the deadly contraption. She ignored the pain, knowing that this creature’s suffering was far worse. Finally, her fingers found the teeth of the trap. She dug her nails into it and violently thrust the jaws open.

The kit immediately pulled its wounded leg free. It tried limping away but collapsed into the grass within a few feet. Gigi rushed to the downed kit, inspecting the damage. The fur was smeared in a dark brown liquid. Blood, she assumed. It cried, rising to attempt to walk again, before falling hard once more.

“We need to stop the bleeding,” Drake said from behind her. He gripped the sleeve from his tunic, ripping it off in one clean motion. “Here, use this.” He handed her the sleeve.

She nodded, grabbing the makeshift bandage. Gigi had learned how to set bones and dress a wound from her mother. Growing up, she had a habit of taking in anything with a pulse that was hurt. Her mother scolded her but helped her heal the animals all the same. She supposed she could add humans and elementals to her list now too. Wrapping the cloth tightly around the kit’s injured hindleg, the pup continued to whine and mewl.

“It’s okay, girl, you’re going to be okay,” she cooed.

Drake knelt down beside them. “What is she? I don’t think I’ve ever had to fight anything like her. Also, I can help. Let me carry her.”

“We need to get her back to town. I can clean her up at the bakery.” Her mother would throw a fit, but she would have to worry about that later.

“I think I hear it coming from over here!” barked a booming baritone voice.

Three finely dressed dwarves stepped into the clearing. They were resplendent in fur and gold. Gigi recognized them as merchants-playing-hunters immediately. All three were brandishing freshly-bought crossbows. They all had great beards, the one on the left a sizable gut, the one in the center was handsome, by dwarf standards, and the one on the right was smoking a large pipe.

The smoking dwarf stepped forward, dumping his pipe ash onto the forest floor. “Ah, I see you have done us a kindness and found our little elemental.”

“That witch doctor was right! They come right up from the dirt!” said the handsome dwarf.

Gigi reflexively picked up the whining fox kit and held it close to her chest. It felt warm and bristly, like hugging a fern baking in the sun.

“You’re the ones!” she seethed.

“What’s that, lassie? I can’t hear you over the sound over our property in your arms,” the dwarf said, putting more tobacco in his pipe.

“She’s not your property,” Gigi snapped.

“Well, our three arrows to your none says it is,” the one with the gut boasted.

Gigi tensed, realizing she may be staring death, or at least three arrows, in the face right now. She was brave, sure, but she wasn’t stupid. There was no way she could avoid getting hit, but maybe if she was smart she could take it in the shoulder. She looked toward her companion.

He was staring a hole through the dwarves, sizing them up. Whatever sadness lingered inside was gone, replaced by a steeliness that made Gigi both uncomfortable and intrigued. She was going to get to see exactly what kind of man this Drake really was.

“You three should leave,” Drake stated calmly.

The dwarves let loose a thunderous chorus of laughter.

“We won't be doing any such thing human,” the handsome one barked. “Now hand over the elemental.”

Drake nodded. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked. The dwarves stared at him in bewilderment. “The forest, I mean.” He swept his arm to showcase the trees that loomed above. “You three are really pretty lucky. If I was about to go blind, I think I would want exactly something like this to be the last thing I ever saw.”

The laughter died in their throats.

“Think you’re funny do you, human?”

Drake shut his eyes and began to whisper.

“I’ll show you the last thing you’ll ever see!” The smoking dwarf raised his crossbow to fire at Drake.

“Die, you arr-” The dwarf’s threat was cut off.

They began to look around. At first slowly, but then in a panic.

“Darryle! Where are you?!” the big one cried.

“Larryle!” shouted the handsome one.

“The light. The light is gone!” shouted the smoker, dropping his crossbow.

The three began to scream in a blind panic. They tossed down their weapons, running wildly into the woods, bumping into trees and tripping over branches. It was not long before a metallic clink was heard, and the panic became a painful scream. It appeared one of them had found their own trap.

“Brothers!” came the distant cry.

In the clearing, Gigi and Drake stood with the sobbing kit. Gigi was still trying to process what she had just seen. She looked at her companion, mouth agape. Even with their defacto mayor being a witch, Gigi had never seen magic like this.

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“What did you do?”

“I took the light from their eyes,” he said solemnly.

Gigi nodded as if she understood, gripping the fox kit closer to her. She was unsure what to make of the man in front of her. He appeared to be sweet enough, but he had just so casually blinded three men. She was beginning to understand just how dangerous Drake really was. Perhaps these men had earned their punishment though. Conflict writhed inside of her like a snake with its prey.

“We should get back to the bakery,” Drake said.

The goblin woman was pulled from her thoughts. Her brown eyes met with Drake’s placid blue again, and she was surprised to find no hint of the mettle she had just witnessed. It had come and gone like a summer storm.

“Uh, right,” she nodded.

The fox kit whined and nuzzled into Gigi’s arms. Whatever the truth about Drake was would have to wait. This pup took priority.

In a rush, they made their way back to the bakery in no time. They took the creature to the bath and used the pump to fill the tub. The claw-foot tub, older than Gigi, began filling with the pump’s bone-chilling cold water as she lit the burner under it. It had a nasty habit of making your bottom scalding and head freezing if you weren’t patient, but it worked.

Gigi took a towel and washed the mud-like blood out of the elemental’s wound. Drake attempted to pet the creature reassuringly, unsure of exactly what to do. He had spent his life causing wounds, not fixing them. He was impressed, though, with the quickness and confidence of Gigi’s ministrations.

“Okay, girl, bath time,” Gigi said sweetly.

The fox whimpered. Drake picked up the pup gently from Gigi’s arms, placing it in the lukewarm water. The fox was confused at first, but quickly took to the warm water. The little kit paddled leisurely in the big tub. Its grassy fur seemed to absorb the water, puffing up like a small mane.

“Um, do you think it’s supposed to do that?” Drake asked.

Gigi looked at the kit, unsure what he meant. “Do what?”

“Uh, stuff is growing in the tub.”

Gigi refocused her eyes. He was right. The surface of the water was growing a thin layer of duckweed, little leaves floating listless in the water as the kit began happily splashing. Soon, larger blooms were blossoming until they threatened to take over the bath in its entirety. The little fox was turning the white porcelain a mossy green.

“We should probably take her outside,” Drake said.

“Ugh, yeah,” Gigi agreed, scooping up the elemental. Bits of freshly growing greenery fell off the pup as they moved it. Even if they moved it outside though, it was still hurt. She wasn’t sure what they could do to help, without turning the bakery into a greenhouse. Then an idea bloomed in her mind.

“The garden!” Gigi exclaimed. They rushed the dripping and growing fox outside to the waiting flower beds.

“What are we doing exactly?” asked Drake.

“She’s an elemental, so I think she needs what a plant needs to heal,” Gigi replied.

Drake nodded. “Makes sense I guess.”

Gigi handed Drake a shovel. “Dig a shallow hole she can fit in up to her head.”

“Why?”

“We’re going to plant her.”

Drake shrugged, taking the shovel. He quickly began to move the loose soil until a proper bed had been dug. Gigi put the shaking kit into the dirt. It walked in circles, sniffing the area. Wherever the kit walked, small flowers grew and bloomed under its paws. Finally, the pup laid down.

“Okay, put the dirt back on her.”

“Really?”

“I think so, yeah.”

Drake complied, shoveling the dirt back around the fox until only its little head poked out. It rested its muzzle on the soft earth and closed its tiny eyes. Wildflowers began to sprout in abundance around where the little fox was planted. They spread to the entire garden, growing around the pair’s feet. Gigi looked around. It was hard to believe this was the same garden they had been in hours ago. The ground was carpeted in lush, colorful blooms. She bent down to touch one of the flowers.

“This is amazing,” she whispered.

“Think your mom will be mad?”

“GIGI, WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE BATHROOM?!” came a cry from inside the bakery.

“A little,” Gigi shrugged.

A while later, the pair was scrubbing the bathroom of the new plant growth under Griselda’s watchful eye. Drake was trying to get a complex series of roots out of the drain.

“I see from the state of the garden we have another pet.”

“It’s not a pet. She’s an elemental,” Gigi scoffed.

“Yeah, I don’t think this one can be housebroken,” Drake offered. He finally wrenched the root from the drain. Griselda shook her head.

“My daughter has a penchant for bringing home wounded wildlife.” Griselda motioned to Drake as he threw the roots into the bin full of plantlife.

“You would have done the same,” Gigi said, standing and stretching.

“What should we call her?” Drake asked. The goblin women looked at him perplexed. “The fox?” he offered.

“Oh, what about Jester!” said Gigi. They looked at her perplexed. “Because her floppy ears are like a jester’s hat.” She folded her own ears down to demonstrate.

“Pass,” said Griselda.

“What about Ele?” Drake asked. They chewed on the name.

“I like it,” Gigi said finally. “Ele the elemental, welcome to your new home away from home.”

“Who are you talking to? She can’t hear you from the garden.” poked Griselda.

“She can hear me in spirit,” Gigi snapped back.

Over the next few days, the kit slept and flowers caught like wildfire all over the garden. Gigi would water the kit every day as it slept in its bed of multi-colored petals. On the fourth morning, she went out to water Ele, finding the kit lying in the flowers. It perked up its head and looked at her.

She slowly approached it, watering can in hand, hoping the creature didn’t run. It was still a wild animal after all, or forest spirit. Whatever she was, Drake had been right; Ele was not a house pet. The elemental was a wonder of the natural world and Gigi would never seriously dream of trying to cage the critter. That being said, she also very much wanted the majestic beast to let her kiss its cute little foxy face.

The kit stood and trotted toward Gigi gingerly. Wherever it stepped, new blooms grew underfoot, and the flowers already there swelled. Gigi put down the watering can, kneeling to the same level as the fox. Desperately wanting to show she wasn’t a threat, the goblin turned her green palms to the sky.

This seemed to reassure the little fox and it crept closer. Finally, it was close enough for its nose to prod Gigi’s hand. It sniffed her tentatively before giving it a small lick. The kit looked up at Gigi with wide green eyes. A huge smile erupted on the goblin’s face. Its little face was even cuter up close. The fox quickly licked Gigi’s nose once before scampering away back to her flowerbed.

The kit looked back at Gigi and, uncertain if she was imagining things, heard a “thank you” whistle gently through the winds. Then the little fox turned back toward the forest and bounded away.

Gigi waved as the critter receded into the distance. She felt like crying as a sense of loss tugged at her heart. The goblin reminded herself that it was better this way. To cage a wild spirit like Ele would have been cruel. Still, she did hope that one day she would see the elemental again.

“Hey, Gigi, your mom...” Drake stopped. He looked to Gigi, who was sitting with her arms around her knees in the flowers the kit left behind. Drake sat beside her in the brilliant hues.

“She finally left us?” he asked with a hint of sadness.

“Yeah, but I think she appreciated it,” she responded wistfully.

“Well, that’s all that matters,” Drake said. Gigi nodded in agreement. Drake leaned back and stuck his legs out. “Maybe you aren’t a baker, but you sure have a way with animals.”

“I don’t think they pay you to let them go,” she snorted.

“Maybe, but Ele sure is better off for it.”

Gigi gave a wan smile. “You were very brave back in the woods. I bet you were a good soldier.”

Drake said nothing for a moment. He shook his head. “No, I wasn’t brave. I knew those men couldn’t hurt me.” He looked over to her. “But you…you were ready to take on all three with a baby fox in your arms,” he said with a hint of wonder. “That’s bravery and it’s rare.”

Gigi could feel her cheeks heating up. “We should get going.” Gigi stood up abruptly. “We have lots of deliveries to make today.”

Drake grinned and stood with her.

“Aye, captain, let’s get to it.”