In a piddling little town, houses rose with an obstruction, doted all over within the wall of logs that kept them all safe. Corhagen was secure in thought from the outside, only a few bustled about in their everyday lives. Down a gravel road smudged in dirt was a wooden cabin with a sign that read, “Ye’ ol’ treatment ward,” which hung on a chunk of lumber hanging from the door.
Amender didn't quite know why he was asked to go sit on the crude settee. The slab of wood was only made comfortable by thin layers of cloth and hay on top of it. Not hastily built, it was quite sturdy for being a bunch of cut up wood put together. Tail swooshed lazily as he looked around; A window frame to the outside penetrated the wall on his left, while two other seats sat against the wood flooring in the waiting room.
On some ascended shelves lay an array of plants sitting in brownish red clay pots, covering empty spaces inside the limits of the hovel. Many were green, some a hue of blue, or dotted with orange freckles upon sprouting leaves, but there was one that too rare and beautiful, which demanded his attention. The pair of eyes drew to one with shades of glowing red and yellow. The Pyrocotice, it’s alluring colors dazzling, not far from its name, it looked like a fire. Lit candles of wax and wick sat around it, keeping it warm and toasty.
The door from the other side of the room swung open as an older fox walked in, wearing a normal gray tunic, and a pair of brown trews. He stepped with a routine flow, tan parchment grasped in his paws. The resident doctor looked at the younger fox sitting on the chair.
“Amender,” the adult’s eyes drew towards some of the potted plants on the shelves, picking one up and examining it closely. “Do you know why I called you here?”
The simple questioning made the child ponder why he was in here in the first place. The kit shook his head, eyes wide with attention. “No sir, I do not know why.” Paws were placed appropriately in his lap, etiquette showing his protocol when addressing others.
“It’s about time for the annual water purification rite. A representative of the Hopeitanian Knights is coming into town.” With a twist of his wrist, he turned the plant around, further studying it.
“Woah! The Hopeitanian Knights?” Amender excitedly scooched to the edge of his seat. “Really?! Are they gonna do magic stuff?!” He was pumped!
“Indeed!” The older fox put the floral plant back down, few leaves bouncing with motion. “That’s not all either. There is going to be a contest-“
“What kind of contest! Can I be a part of it!”
“Angelo Nerman Mender!” Said Ashlo in a sharp tongue. Forcing a true name, the boy settled down, ears drawn back with eager paws in wait. “As I was saying, you know that every year the Hopeitanian draws from the deep wells of water from many other villages, purifying them. An exercise that’s existed since even I was a kit.”
“It’s not like our water is dirty or...or anything. Is it?”
“No, no. Not at all my boy. Just that this time there shall be a contest hosted by the Hopeitanian for recruitment into their ranks. I know well you’ve always wanted to become one, so I am giving you a chance.”
Amender swelled like a balloon. Between settling disputes amid kingdoms, wielding magical artifacts, to the smallest performance of a good deed, there was no limit to their extraordinary power. Unfortunately, they were also unpopular for deeming magic to be outlawed, with the exception of their own uses. To keep the people powerless proved a right thing to do, as bandits had a hard time procuring magical items for the facets of evil deeds. But they always find their ways. It was in the hands of the good to keep this balance of power in check.
However, it was not unknown for an individual to acquire a magical item from under the table through the Hopeitanian Knights, if proven in something, such as a contest.
“About that contest father. What is it that I must do to prove my worth?” Amender almost bounced with giddy attitude, excited quick eyes eager to do anything to join the ranks of something with such nobility.
The doctor could only laugh at his enthusiasm. “You can start by going into the Great Forest, and gather the plants from within.”
Amender gave a meep as a cold chill ran down his spine. “The forest? You mean the one with all the...the scary stories of man eating beasts and devouring ghouls of the dead?” The mere child gulped.
“Just stories, my boy. Just stories. I myself have been in there through and through, and they are not true. Tales of the deep words are only that, simple tales.” Ashlo bestowed the parchment to his son, list and their descriptions of the various seeds and plants he must acquire.
Amender balked at the list of names. “Phanzit pedals, venial rose thorns, Airup flowers? How am I suppose to find all these?” The boy read the description of the first plant. “I know that the Phanzit pedals have a leather like skin to them, but where are they?”
Ashlo stood there and looked out the window. “You must go find them. They are lost out there, somewhere in the Great forest. So it is there they must be found. For the foot that steps forward, finds the first rock.”
The door from the treatment ward swung open, entering upon arrival a vixen clad in green stained dressings, wiping her paws on a tomato red cloth. “Don’t confuse that boy with riddles dear. He’s already got a lot on his plate.” Cally fingered out and selected a potted plant with bright blue pedals adorning the lipids and stems. “Did you tell him yet of the pie?”
“Pie?” Amender brightened up. “What pie?”
“Yes, what pie ma?” Even Ashlo seemed to want to hear about this.
“Don’t give me that look dear, I told you about it after bumping into our neighbors, they offered pie in exchange for some pedals of a hoppymop.
“What kind of pie?” Amender pondered in question the type of flavor that would tickle his taste buds later.
“Blackberry!” Cally smiled at her son. “So when you come back from your little adventure out in the woodlands, you can have some blackberry pie.”
“Yay! I like blackberry.” Amender got up from the crude seat that looked worse than it was in shape. There was something to look forward to now. Cally ruffled her son’s head fur before making her way out the door with the hoppymop.
Ashlo took out a metallic gadget from his pocket. “One more thing before you go. One can easily get lost in the forest, so I want you to have this.” The device was flat and round, the face was covered by glass with a red needle inside of it. It pointed in the direction of the treatment room. “There is a small rock that this compass always points too. It’s inside the ward here in case you ever find yourself astray, just follow where the needle is pointing and you’ll make it safe back here.” The doctors paw stretched out to bestow this trinket to the little adventurer’s safe keeping.
“You mean...the stone compass? You’re going to let me use it?” Amender was quiet hesitant on receiving this particular item, for it used illegal magic to point towards the home stone.
“Just be sure to bring it back, I trust that this will be safe in your possession. Tell no one you have it. Are we clear?” Ashlo’s words were serious. Being caught with magic meant dungeon time in the tower of Hoss, the Hopeitanian fortress.
“No word of this will pass through my lips, father.” Amender took the illicit device and stowed it away in his vest pocket. In there it would be kept safe, and secret. With an agreement, a piece of parchment with names of the much needed plants had been bestowed. A basket, twined with dry straw and chaff was brought to collect the floral from the mighty foe; The forest that bordered their small village.
The household of the Menders opened up with the young fox waving bye to his dad, perhaps for the last time for all he knew. Armed with nothing but a basket, the knowledge of foliage, and hope to carry him through his journey. All he had to do was keep moving his feet, and he should be fine. Simple, right?
Following the ground struck with light gravel and rock, Amender followed his path, chewing over the thought that perhaps this won’t be so bad. It’s a new day, a new adventure...yeah! This won’t be so bad! The boy fox cheered up pretty quickly, bounding past the other villas and people. undeniably, it was a fresh morning. Birds scattered here and there, grass swelled in different sizes as weeds were spotted. He hummed to himself, thinking that the plains looked deftly fresh today.
“Amender!”
A sweet voice rang out, calling him, he knew immediately who it was.
“Snowpea?” Amender inverted his direction and beheld a great friend of his, a white squirrel holding something that smelled delicious on a treen plate covered in pale linen.
“Where are you off too? I’m on my way to your house so we can share all these cookies I helped my mom bake.” Her crystal blue eyes darted at his basket.
“The Hopeitanian Knights are coming, and I want to show them I can be one by harvesting from the Great Forest.” Amender took a few steps to her. “If...that’s okay. I didn't know you had plans to come over. Hey! Maybe you can come with me?!”
Her gaze met with the ground. “I’m too scared to go in there, something’s not right about that place. I don’t know what it is, but…” Snowpea looked back at Amender, and gave him an encouraging smile. “Please be careful. And don’t think you’re escaping me without trying out one of my cookies!”
The light material unfolded off the pile of baked goods to reveal nut encrusted pecan rounds, browned to perfection with a heavy cream on top. Amender gladly took one and bit into the soft mixture of sugar delights, closing his eyes and absorbing the sensation of a well balanced treat.
“Mmm...you even roasted the pecans, you know I love that. These are really great!”
“Thanks!” Snowpea turned bashful, but with an infectious smile. “It wasn't hard, it just took a little measuring, stirring, and time was all.”
Amender nodded and finished the rest of his cookie, crumbs falling to the ground for little ants to scavenge later. “I-“
“-I know, you have to go.” Snowpea took on a look of displeasure. “I’ll leave these at your house, Just...return safely, okay?”
“Snowpea...” The weather was calm and a few birds perched on the trees above, they sang in their language, snippets of chirps communicating melodies. “I’ll come back, I promise.”
The squirrel was horrible at goodbyes. she teared up on the spot. Holding herself quaking, she could only think of an excuse to get away. “I forgot I have to go!”
Turned and ran off, the sensitive squirrel was lost behind several buildings. Amender sighed, she’ll be okay.
Barring before he was interrupted, Amender picked himself up out of the thoughts of his distressed friend and began his way out of town once more.
It was a simple town, fenced in with an unpretentious blockade of logs dug firmly into the ground. One wall of which could observe Amenders jubilant pace past it, his tail swaging past the log’s opening.
The view he got was just as clear as ever; Bright sun emitting it’s warm rays, a flat field of green grass taking it all in. Scattered about, he noticed, were blocky stones of random forms. It beckoned the little adventurer to frolic and run with no regards to anything. A zephyr, the waft of air came and tickled his brownish black nose, doing the same to the collectiveness of the meadow that lay before him. Far above the sky, as far as the eye could see, clouds were stirred about slowly, lazily moving like there wasn't a care in the world. The sky it’s self was plentiful as it was blue. The sudden urge to dash, and make use of his legs was very tempting. He took a deep breath, chest rising, filling his lungs with the freshness. And then, he was off! Post haste uplifted him into a sprint, energetically bounding through the brushing grass. Blades of flush green meadow passed by him quickly, hitting his furred legs as he loped through and through. The wind against his face reminded him of the cool breezy summers, feet padding fast as he held his basket full to destination. The sun, the slow moving clouds, the warmth of it all. It felt so good to be alive! Tall grass separated and parted from him cutting past, an obvious trail of where he ran through.
One final leap onto a large slanted boulder and over it, landed him on the edge of his goal. The Great Forest was just in front of him.
Skirting the woods, he could make out what was inside. The trees shaded the ground, cold moss covering the bark on most of it. While the air around it was fresh, it had the stench of fear and magic about it. In the grass, there was a clear sharp contrast that split the very boundaries of the forest, and the open land. The leaves that hung at the top made dark shadows that seemed to push the limits of the light. The little fox looked to his left; this line of intimidating darkness stretched as far as the endlessly long row of trees did. He looked to his right; the sun stopped it’s sudden shine as it was drawn directly to the shady ground. He gulped, sticking his paw into the shadow. His own obscuration on the ground joined with the forest, merging to create something darker. Surely there were things that casted a much bigger, and deeper shadow then he and the forest put together.
To venture into the unknown, to pass judgment on the task at hand. Feet trembled, unsure if they should go in. Dim and bleary areas only shrouded the mystery of what could be hidden inside. What wrathful things could be awaiting him? Maybe beasts that wanted to devour his soul?
He felt a rash in his throat as he gulped, trying his best to shake those thoughts out of his head.
“W-well…I guess I had best go in. Just gotta go in, get what I need…” voiced the uncertain fox. he looked behind to see the beckoning field again. Why can’t all the important things grow out there? Regretfully turning his head to the forest boundaries once more, he gripped his basket closed in his paws. “I can do this, I can do this...”
Slowly the dark shades of green engulfed him as he took his steps. Quiet little steps.
