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Wildling Series; Wild Adventure. Episode 13; Chapter 10: Stories

With Atcher, Prism, and Tonic all reunited, evening is arriving. They set out dinner, arrange a camping spot, and once it was dark enough, they set up the Night Tent. The trio hug and joke and laugh as they go about their tasks. Turbine assists with starting a fire, and Steam helps find tasty plants. Undertow stays in the Seafoam Satchel and rests from a grueling day. Once they are all settled and eating their meal of roasted veggies, bread, and cheese, the friends are eager to share their stories.

Prism goes first, sharing the story of taking the stream. “You were right, Tonic. The stream is part of the village, and did not allow me to swim my way around the Marginalia’s twisting. I had a terrible rough time.The stream was never where it should be, and sometimes it wasn’t even a stream! I would swim forward into open water, only to bash into impossible rocks and muddy banks. Everything was disorienting and uncomfortable, and I hated feeling alone. Every time I thought I was making progress, I kept finding myself back beyond the wall, or halfway out in the forest! Once I even found myself in the ocean; I had to swim a current that was hidden in a subaquatic cave to keep up with that twist. The stream did not like my affinity for water, and had to pull a lot of tricks to keep me turned around! Everyway I faced was upstream current. Undertow could barely keep up with the flickering speed of twists. Skidding along the surface as fast as a freshening wind, that Wind Rabbit almost got twisted to places without me! I had nearly made it into the middle of the village, when I came to some shallows lush with cattails and thick with mountain laurel. The fight to get there was exhausting, as whatever way I went, I was fighting current. The place was gorgeous, though, just like The Shallows at home! Undertow sniffed a laurel bloom floating in the stream, just as the place twisted again. I was horrified! I barely caught a hindfoot as I felt the waters changing, and Undertow ended up stretched thin across several waters. Poor thing was barely a puff for a while. I gathered Undertow up into my arms, calling the fierce little Gale to me across the wide winds and waters. It took forever, I was worn out from trying to stay still in the shifting river, but every moment Undertow was stretched meant another twist and a further stretch of the wind rabbit. I gathered as swiftly as I could, coiling the rabbit up and gathering as much breeze into my arms as I could; I think Undertow lost a bit of an ear, but it will heal.” Prism gently pets the sleeping rabbit in the satchel and goes on, “Once I had Undertow together I just slumped against the riverbank and stayed still, cradling the little Wind Rabbit as the world twisted around us. I think I slept that way for a while. That’s where we were when Undertow heard Steam singing. I’m so glad I was already holding the rabbit, or I never would have been able to keep up! I’m so relieved to be with you both again. I missed you, my friends.” Prism finishes the story with a smile and a friendly hand-squeeze.

Atcher’s story is next, of using a Sudden Idea and getting help from some Bits and Pieces. “I didn’t think we could just ASK for help, and I really wanted to use a Sudden Idea about maps! I opened to a fresh page in my birchbark journal, and started mapping what I could see of the town. The Sudden Idea helped orient me, and I kept track of where I’d traveled with my stratigraphy skirt. I walked around part of the outside of the Village, but the edges kept mutating, and didn’t properly match up. I was sometimes one one side, sometimes another, but never going where I wanted to. I took a break to rest and re-organize my map pages; I have pieces of maps crammed in all over multiple pages. It’s a mess! While resting I was reorganizing my birchbark journal, and also my bronze bag when I found a Bit hidden in the bottom! I have a Piece in my pocket, and I think I focused on that for a while; I remember the light changing. It might have been night, because I got out the folded-up Night Tent and used it as a glowing star to see by. I was eventually able to construct a Useful Device, which was reenergizing for me! Unfortunately, the Useful Device I created wasn’t much help with the specific problem of navigating the Village of Twist; it allows me to see further, but as the village keeps changing and shifting, seeing distant things wasn’t really pertinent. It just made me more aware of how lost I was in regards to my mission.” Atcher says while showing the crammed map pages and Useful Device to the friends. After Prism and Tonic get to examine the maps and murmur appreciatively over the Useful Device, Atcher packs them back away in the bronze bag, knowing the Useful Device will be helpful later. 

Tonic shares the story of befriending River Brindle, and getting guided through the ever-changing village of Twist.

*Much later, Tonic learns that River Brindle journeyed far away, and the gnome realized they weren’t likely to meet again. Tonic made a note in Graeme’s journal, “Although having friends too far away to visit may be sad, it is good to have met them. Some friends are deeply important to us even when we only see them for a short time. Being far away doesn’t end a friendship.” Tonic wished they had exchanged some way to send letters to each other. “A happy thing to look forward to from a friend is a much needed delight.” was also recorded in the journal by the gnome.

The three friends are happy to be reunited, and get some much needed rest. The next morning, Tonic, Atcher, and Prism are all together, and the Lintel is close. “River Brindle said the Tree Beyond the Garden is just past this meadow, in the woods there.” Tonic points. “So after we break our fast, we’ll be on our way!”

With the sun already up as the friends finish breakfast, Atcher nearly manages to get the Night Tent mostly folded up again. Rather than a hand-sized glowing star, it looks more like a pillow-sized moldy sandwich, but at least it is mostly put away. 

The morning light warms up the wide meadow, evaporating dew, and waking the flowers. It promises to be a lovely morning, and they are almost at the end of their journey. Walking hand-in-hand-in-hand the three friends cavort across the meadow. “You know what?” Tonics asks aloud, “I feel much lighter. I don’t have the urgency I felt at the start of the Wanderlust. I’ve traveled some, I’ve been to new places, met new people, I even helped the Season Knights! I think I’m coming around to the idea of going home again.” 

The meadow, which had looked so short, seemed to just keep unrolling in front of them. The friends soon slowed their cavort to a calm walk, and eventually a puzzled plod.

Sweaty, slightly confused, and appearing to be about halfway through a meadow that should only be 20 paces across, the brownie, sprite, and gnome pause to assess their situation. “How long is this meadow?!” Prism exclaims as the trio rest.

Looking towards the woods on the far side, Atcher points across the meadow, “Is that it up ahead? I think I see something!” The friends turn and see a colored dome in the distance. Excited, the trio run and tumble toward the not-too-distant dome, and the Wind Rabbits run behind them, rushing wind at their backs.