“Addie, are you ok?” Nettal called from inside the building.
“I’m ok,” Addie called back. “Just never seen that before.”
Squishy plodded out from the building, his paw pads dead silent on the cavern floor as he approached.
Seeing her companion come over, Addie decided to sit down on the ground so he could rest his head on her lap. He did just that, and the two of them just sat outside the building to wait.
She idly scratched at the soft scales underneath his chin, causing him to preen and lean into the scritches.
It looked like Nettal might be awhile. Lotty was in there with her, but it looked like every single male in the village had come to get a doctor’s checkup.
“Ember,” Addie started to ask through their bond, “Can you go find the mushroom Furrian and ask him to come here?”
A feeling of consent came across the bond before Ember shot out of Addie’s chest leaving a brief trail of ghostly flames in her wake. She went up as high as she could, which was surprisingly far in this massive cavern, and she used the vantage point to circle the entire ruins. After three circles, she swooped down out of Addie’s sight.
Squishy let out a long breath, his body decompressing against Addie’s legs.
A ping came across their bond, and Addie pulled her head up to look off in the distance and to the right. She could feel Ember pinging her from somewhere in that direction. Her feelings were confirmed when a little bit later she could see the old graying mushroom Furrian start walking over with a slight hunch. He was still pretty far away, so it would probably be a minute or two before he got here.
Addie looked back down at Squishy, “Didn’t we just wake up? How are you so tired already!” she poked at his squishy tummy. “If you keep resting like this all the time you are gonna get fat.”
He lazily swiped at her poking finger, moving it off his tummy. “Warriors do not get fat.”
Hearing the crunch of cave pebbles, Addie looked back up to see the mushroom Furrian approaching. Ember was flitting about his head, causing him to track her with his eyes with a look of wonder on his face. Once they got close enough, Ember flapped her wings as fast as she could and soared back into Addie’s chest— once again getting comfy in her soul shell.
Addie wiggled a bit at the slightly uneasy sensation. She’d never get used to Ember slithering into the soul cracks like that. She grimaced and shook the feeling off.
Since he was finally here, Addie stood up abruptly, forcing Squishy out of her lap.
“Hi!” Addie waved at him, but he didn’t really seem to get it.
He raised his arm and looked at his hand as if Addie was trying to say there was something he should look at on his own arm.
“No, that’s just a wave silly!” Addie smiled.
He smiled back. At least he understood that one.
Remembering why she wanted him in the first place, Addie unwrapped the one pelt she had around her arm and held it in the air with one hand. She pantomimed wrapping it all around herself, covering her arms, back, torso, everywhere she could really.
The mushroom Furrian watched her the whole time, and something seemed to click since he nodded his head and turned around to walk off.
“Wait!” Addie shouted. She needed shoes, too!
He turned around after hearing her voice, and this time Addie sat down on the ground for the next demonstration. She put one foot in the air a bit and wrapped the pelt around her foot, with the skin side facing out.
With this second demonstration, the Furrian just tilted his head in confusion, before shaking it. He lifted one of his feet into the air with surprising flexibility. He managed to lift it nearly vertically to directly inspect his foot, which to Addie looked more like a hand. While staring at his foot, he shook his head again, dropping his foot back down.
Addie sighed. No shoes, then.
She quickly pantomimed having coverings all over herself again. Then, she pointed once at herself and pointed again at the building. She held up two fingers, to show that both she and Nettal each needed some warmer clothes. The mushroom Furrian understood easily (Addie hoped) and began to walk off again.
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Turning behind and to her left, Addie saw a Furrian leaving the building’s doorcloth. Addie had no idea what had been wrong with him before since he looked perfectly healthy now. The line still looked just as long as before, though.
Addie sighed as she settled in to wait.
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It took mushroom Furrian a surprisingly long time to return. The line to Nettal’s building had already been reduced by half. Since he seemed to understand her, Addie thought it would only take him a little bit to grab some spare fur clothing and walk back. But, she should have known better. None of the Furrians wore clothes properly, their own natural fur covered them plenty. Addie was starting to worry he didn’t understand what she wanted after all.
Luckily, by the time he started walking back, Addie could see him carrying two big bundles of cloth. He held them tightly against his chest as he walked back to Addie.
Once he got within talking distance Addie waved to him with a smile. He smiled back, but since both his hands were occupied he didn’t wave back. Or maybe he still didn’t really get the whole waving thing. Either way.
Now standing next to Addie, he lifted one of the fur bundles up into the air and inspected it. He quickly dismissed that one by hanging it over his shoulder. He unfolded the other fur bundle and held it over Addie’s head.
Addie closed her eyes as he put the bundle over her head. He yanked it down firmly, but without jarring Addie too much. He knew how to be gentle.
Now able to open her eyes again, Addie inspected the furs. Disparate colors of brown, gray, white, blond, and even red furs had all been mixed and matched together. Addie recognized rabbit and fox pelts that had been sewn together, as well as some other animal pelts she didn’t recognize. The entire thing draped over her shoulders and hung there like a poncho. The sleeves were long and went slightly past her hands. In true poncho fashion, the sleeves connected to the base of the garment, making the entire thing look triangular when she raised her arms.
Amazingly, the fur poncho fit her perfectly, despite its rustic make. It sort of made sense, most of the Furrian women were about Addie’s height, but slightly wider. Still, she admired the fit. She wouldn’t have expected such well-tailored clothing in this environment.
“How come it took you so long to bring it?” Addie asked curiously. She tried to sound curious and thankful with her tone since her words could be interpreted as rude otherwise.
The mushroom Furrian smiled back, and then he pantomimed a sewing needle. He put his fingers in front of his head and framed Addie’s arms within them from afar, looking out between his fingers with one eye open.
“You just made these!?” No wonder it had taken so long. They felt so well-fitting because they had just been tailored specifically for her. Or at least, that’s what she assumed.
The ever-persistent goose-bumps she had been suffering from while in the caverns finally started to go away. She snuggled into the poncho. It was perfect.
She heard laughing and moved her head back up to look at the mushroom Furrian. He seemed amused by how much Addie liked the poncho. Of course, she liked it! Addie would have been happy with something half as warm. Her pajamas barely kept her warm at all— it was lucky the cave system was a lot warmer than the snowy mountains outside.
The mushroom Furrian then handed the second poncho to Addie, who quickly grabbed the proffered offering. She’d give it to Nettal later.
Just as the mushroom Furrian began to leave, Addie called out again, “Thank you!” She gave him a bright smile and waved.
He smiled, then hesitantly waved back, still slightly unsure of the gesture.
With Nettal’s poncho in hand, Addie stood up and approached the entryway. She had to wait a moment for the doorway to clear as one of the wounded exited the building.
She darted inside the moment it was clear.
“Hi, Addie!” Nettal called from within the small room. She waved Addie over. “What are you wearing?”
Nettal knelt on a floor covered in furs, hovering over a Furrian who lay in front of her. Nettal’s eyes were glowing green, and she had her hand over the Furrians as a healing glow emanated from her palm.
The warrior Furrian was still standing in the room with Nettal. He towered over her from behind, leaning back against one of the crumbling walls with his arms crossed. He smiled after he noticed Addie.
Addie walked toward her, “The mushroom Furrian found us some warmer clothes. I brought your poncho. Do you want it now?”
“Yeah. It’s kinda cold.” Nettal stood up, mindful not to disturb her patient. She turned her head down to him and bent over, “You’re all better now!” She patted his arm.
The warrior Furrian made a whooping noise, causing Nettal’s former patient to quickly get up and leave the building.
Addie turned slightly to let him go past. Once he was gone, Addie stepped closer to Nettal and handed over the poncho.
She turned it around in her hands a few times to find the front, and then put it on over her head. She shivered, “Oh it’s warm! That’s so much better.”
“Right?” Addie agreed with a nod of her head. “I’m glad we found the Furrians. They’re so friendly!” Addie smiled.
“Yeah, but I don’t think I’ll be able to leave today. I’m only halfway done healing everyone! Can we wait to go until tomorrow?”
Addie grimaced at the idea of needing to eat more mushroom soup. Well, at least there was some food. “Alright. Tomorrow.” Addie promised.
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Since Nettal was busy, Addie and Squishy decided to explore a bit. The village consisted of around 20 or so crumbling dwellings and a whole lot more constructed dwellings with walls and roofs made from giant mushrooms.
Addie wasn’t quite sure how it was decided who exactly would live in the limited stone buildings, but she suspected the leaders might live in those since she saw the mushroom Furrian living in one.
The ceiling of the cavern with the village reached much higher than the cave tunnels that Addie and Nettal had walked through before. Even the giant glowing blue mushrooms didn’t reach the ceiling, here.
The Furrians had created a system of lights through the village since Addie could see one of those big glowy mushrooms anywhere things started to get dark. A small stream even flowed through what Addie thought of as the ‘center’ of the village— the area with all of the stone buildings.
After just wandering around a bit, Addie could see all of the women Furrian were in the village’s center, much the same way they had been when Addie and Nettal first found them.
Addie decided to get closer and see what they were doing.