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[wierd]

WITH TROUBLE BRING HERE PROBABLY NEED... he muttered to himself while frowning.

He had no idea how to satisfy the request; It was simple and practical enough-- the problem, was that the village did not have suitable furnishings for a being of her... stature.  Why would they have?  Any chair they would have- she would be practically sitting on the ground using.  Also-- her butt would be way too big.


GIVE MINUTE---

he said finally, before walking over to Jack again.


YOU, TREEMAN.  MAKE MORE MUSHROOM?

"ARE YOU $*@&ING SHITTIN' ME?!"  protested Jack.

NOT HAVE THING LARGE ENOUGH FOR FRIENDS SIT ON-- NEED YOU MAKE.

"TIED TO THE DAMN TREE!?"

YOU GROW ON DEAD TREE?

Jack rolled his eye, and muttered incomprehensible curses under his breath.

"FINE-- Need ya ta put a sliver of a good hard one in the trunk, an' get it wet- Caint make somethin outta nothin."

WAIT MOMENT THEN-  said the short fellow, as he wandered off. He walked out of sight, then returned a moment later with a chunk of the giant mushroom Jack had grown last night.

STILL UNDER BIG BUG-- USED FOR SLED TO BRING-- LOTS WET FROM GROUND. JUST SHOVE IN TREE?

Jack groaned.  This was absurd in the most extreme.

"Yeah yeah- Just shove it in someplace, I'll see what I's can do..."

There was the sound of shuffling, and knocking on wood from somewhere to his left, out of his visual range.

"Ya know I can rot the ropes off if ya do this right?"

BUT YOU NO DO, BECAUSE TIED TO TREE IS SAFE FOR TREEMAN-- CHIEF KNOW YOU NOT DO, BUT VILLAGE? NOT KNOW. SEE YOU WALK? NOT GOOD. BE GOOD TREE MAN, NOT TRY DUMB THINGS.

Jack groaned loudly.

"FINE--- Git back. I'll see what I's can do."

He closed his eye, and let the moist bit of day old mushroom have it.  Within moments, the core of the dead tree had been reduced to a squishy sponge, and another huge shelf erupted from the side, stressing the ropes, but not breaking them.

HEHEHE- NEAT TRICK.

Jack just rolled his eye.

HERE LONG-EAR, SIT DOWN.

[wierd]

**ELSEWHERE, ON THE FAR EDGE OF THE BOGLING VILLAGE**

Ikchahp had finally been released from his duties, and was heading home.  He happily walked to the door of his hut, ready to indulge in his new pets affections, as he tossed the secreted sleepspore jar up and down playfully.

Kalya had left the watch some time prior, when the new prisoners had been brought in, to go confer with her husband, leaving just two sentries outside the hut to watch.

He dismissed them, then went inside after he was sure they had gone...

[The Centipede]

As Ikchahp went in, his nostrils were invaded by the smell of burnt rope, and he was then grabbed from the side by Dixie, covering his mouth and pressing him by the neck down on the ground, as ice seeped from her hand into his throat, coating it to prevent any sound from coming out while still letting him breathe.

"Stop squirming, or you die." Dixie released Ikchahp's neck just as he stopped moving, and held it up, producing a floating ice cylinder as demonstration. "Go outside and grab my stuff. You people have a keen sense of smell, right? No wonder Kalya could tell I was lying. Anyway, you should be able to tell which items are mine by that alone, yes? If you don't," the ice cylinder immediately grows thorns in every angle, "I'll skewer your throat. Nod if we're clear."

After he nods, Dixie lets go and sits cross-legged with her right elbow planted on her right thigh, hand pressed on her cheek. "Hurry."

[wierd]

Ikchahp ran from the hut in terror, but did as directed-- He had seen what had happened the day before, when she had taken out several sentries-- he had no reason to doubt she would make very good on her threats.  He would catch hell from the chief for sure, but that was better than being dead.

Deftly, he snagged the boomstick, the odd shield, the starfish and other odd items then put them hastily into the enormous (for him) bag.  It seemed to want to regurgitate the items, but he held the flap shut as it fluttered angrily in protest of the items he had placed inside, and ran back to his hut with it.

Dropping it on the floor, the bag readily expelled the unwanted contents, vomiting them to the floor.

He motioned animatedly at his throat while making plaintive gestures.

[The Centipede]

Dixie swiftly catches the shield and fossilized sea star, then quickly arranges the rest on her person as well, ignoring Ikchahp's gesturing at his throat. She tries to tie her hair with the Magical Orb stuck to a chopstick but it's so dry with blood that her hair hardly bends, and so she leaves that for later.

She looks at Ikchahp, approaches him, smiles, holds his face by the cheek and raises it up a bit and then lip-kisses him with the intention of breathing fire into his throat to melt the ice, as well as potentially stunning or flustering him just long enough to not interrupt her escape as she immediately bolts outside, sneaks past the village as the sun just barely shines in the morning, past the fences and back into the jungle.

[Slyph]

Linea usually didn't mind it, but how the term long-ears had been used lately in a negative connotation, she frowned and corrected "The name is Linea Starboard. My friend here is Edwarg Snewden, that treeman right there is Old Jack."

Then she sat, one leg crossed while the other straight towards Edwarg, who upon receiving their gears back quickly prepared his medkit. Negotiating while having an arrow surgically removed from your thigh was strange at best, and she doubted those natives understand what should be the appropriate order of this collaboration; have her patched up first, then we talk. No, they were clearly not wasting any momentum.

"So you did see our friends, were they still alive? Could you tell me more?"

[wierd]

FRIEND CAPTURE, OR FRIEND TREEMEN TAKE?

the chief asked puzzled.

TREEMEN DRAG BODIES-- BUT BODIES LIMP, NO STIFF. IF DEAD, FRESH DEAD. NOT TAKE DEAD BODY BEFORE-- THINK ALIVE THEN.  NOW? NO SURE.
FRIEND WE TAKE? HURT BUT LIVE. BIG BUG NEAR WATER. BUG-GIRL BEHIND TREEMAN, THERE.  TALL-MAN DOWN THERE-- HALFWAY.  YOU AND GREENSKIN THERE-- NOW HERE.

[The Centipede]

[Dixie's escape happened 19 minutes before present time when Linea has just sat.]

"Linea!"

Dixie shouted from a distance, running towards them, looking very fresh, clean and smooth-haired, with new clothes of the exact same style and colour, but without the singes from her self-explosions yesterday. This is not the same case for her fur-lined buckler but the burnt whiskers of it have definitely been trimmed off. Her leather armor has a single new slice-shaped dent in it that didn't go all the way through.

"I went back in town to see if I could bring any help to kill the snakefish, but to no avail. I came back to where we all were yesterday, I followed the tracks, I just saw a lot of tiny steps and a long snake trail but it was completely straight so I figured it wasn't the snakefish-- What happened last night?"

Dixie sees her leg wound and asks Edwarg and Linea if it's fine for her to magic-heal it, and then glances at the rest of the party looking disheveled and/or tied, and then the Chief and 11 other boglings.

"Did they do this to you?" Dixie's golden eyes glow, and fire momentarily sparks from the sides of her lips.

[wierd]

"You shud see what dey did ta mama!"

Jack groused, still fuming over being tied to the tree, and made to create furniture.

[The Centipede]

Dixie, realizing she tunnel-visioned towards the boglings with murderous intent, had her attention diverted to "Jack!" She spits fire towards his ropes, but it dissipates as he protests. "HEY HEY-- DOn Do that! Sit'ations done dicey aready-- Jus see ta mama." "You sure? Alright."

She rushes to Mama who seems sufficiently sedated. Upon closer inspection, this brown bear has 7 spears sticking out of her fur and 3 additional spearless wounds. Dixie inhales in frustration, particularly at the notoriously small size of these spears, and fire and frost sizzles at her hands as she stoically looks at the boglings closest to her and their village in the distance. "Nice village you have there," uttered with such sarcasm and spite.

Dixie looks at the bear. A wild animal be this, and she hadn't had the chance to be friendly with it. Removing any of the spears would awake it, and anger it. She looks at Jack, and back at the bear, as she formulates a self-preservative plan on the spot. Hm...

First off, heal the three spearless wounds. Then, ignite the ropes from a distance. She walks back to Jack, and forms a small fiery orb that she then tosses between her hands. Every bounce of it spews fire in a small radius. Perfect. She flicks it towards Mama, igniting the ropes ensnaring her with its every bounce, and then for its final bounce makes a pop sound and dissipates in front of Mama's face, hoping to wake her up as Dixie walks further back keeping distance from Jack.

[wierd]

Mama awoke with a start.  The smell of burning plants heady in her nostrils, and the feeling of heat on her face.  She was groggy, and cranky, and hurt all over.

In a daze, she took in her surroundings as they spun around her.  The scent of the little creatures that had broke that jar of stinky sleepy stuff on her face was there- to her left and right.  Turning with fury in a start, she makes an angry growl and a swipe at the nearest one, as it makes a frightened yelp, and scrambles away.

NO NO MAMA, DON' HIT EM!

She couldn't understand the meaning-- But she knew that sound.  It was the one she really liked.  The one that oozed love and affection. The one she had tried to protect the night before. The degree of happiness she felt at hearing that sound was not easy to describe-- it just filled her all over-- It totally distracted her from her attempts at catching the horrible little creatures, as she eagerly lifted her head, and sniffed, looking for him.

He wasn't hard to miss.  Good and strong-- a good smell.  She liked it.

It still hurt terribly to walk.  Pain seethed everywhere on her, and bits of wood were sticking out of her back.  It hurt with every step, but she wanted very much to be near that one. He always made everything better.

What she found did not make any sense though.  It was him alright, but he was... Hanging? .. From a dead tree?  He had those same bits of twisted grass lashed around his whole body, holding his front paws out to his sides, and behind him, with the trunk of the tree in his back.  The twisted grass was holding him fast to there.  It did not make any sense.

She plodded up to him, and looked at him expectantly.  Surely had had some explanation for this---  But mostly, she was just so damn happy he was alive, and did not smell injured.

----


Jack looked down at mama worriedly.  He was glad she had stopped trying to maul that bogling that had been watching over her--  The boglings in question were making confused hand gestures to the chief, who just raised his hand in acknowledgement-- indicating they should hold, and not engage.

YOU CONTROL RUMMAGE-GUT? NO CAUSE TROUBLE?!  CAUSE TROUBLE-- BIG PROBLEM-- GET HURT MORE. ME NOT WANT TROUBLE-- YOU GET, TREEMAN?

nattered the little man, eyeing him warily.

Jack just groaned, then answered.  It was practically a chastizement, but he was too tired really to really let the diminutive oaf really have what was on his mind.

Ain't nobody controls mama, she her own thing.  Does what she wants, when she wants ta. I jus' asks nicely. She real nice though.

The look on the chief's face could curdle milk, and it made jack chuckle.  Life's simple pleasures.

'Ere, I'll ask nicely fer ya-- but ya better be nicer to 'er-- Em spears ain't gonna make 'er tuh happy none-- Dun make me no happier neither-- Treatin' poor critters like at--- What's wrong wit ya? Lucky's Is can take a hint, and not try nothin-- Long as ya dont go hurtin the barr any furder--- Ya hurts mama again, I aint gun be so nice, ya'hear?

"Just shut up, and calm the bear Jack..." Breathed Linea irritably. "We have to get this settled before things get any MORE out of hand."

"I can get those out of her, and patch her up if she'll let me." interjected Dixie, noting Jack's baleful eye glowering in the direction where Linea was sitting, outside his field of vision.

He closed his eye, took a deep breath, and tried to calm his temper.  Contacting her in that state would do nobody any good. After a moment, he opened it again, with a serene sparkle behind it.


Mama was full of curiosity, anticipation, and a mixed feeling he could not properly and fully identify.  It was a mottled mixture of relief, joy, and general excitement, mingled with the first two, and straining through intense physical pain.

Instinctively, and without realizing it, he was asking her what happened.

She flooded his mind with dark images of raining rocks and spears, a choking cloud, an image of his unmoving, slow-breathing body, and of little plune being pummeled by rocks-- Then of her shoving him off the side of the mushroom and into the muck below, grabbing plune, sitting on the both of them, and then pain-- lots and lots of sharp pains, blossoming all over her body.

She was very very glad he was OK.

Jack felt sick to his stomach. This was not how things should be-- He was the one who should have the sticks in him, not her.  He never wanted her to suffer anything else-- not after what she had already been through.

She chuffed irritably at him--- She would protect whoever, or whatever she wanted to, and nobody would tell her otherwise-- and he was important to her.

The sentiment melted him like was warm butter on hot toast, and he wanted very much to hug and nuzzle on her. She was very important to him too.

She plodded up to him, and made to stand up on her hind legs, and lean against the tree with her front paws, but he suddenly flooded the link with a strong expression that she should not--
Mama looked up at him very confused, and wounded emotionally-- why would he not want her to? Did he not like that? (she thought he did...)

It took him a moment to explain-- He wanted her to let the other person-- the one standing free, near him, to get close to her.  He told her it would hurt terribly when the sticks were pulled out, but that she would help make it better.  THEN she could lean on the tree, and they could nuzzle and share affection as best they could (despite the ropes), without her being hurt in the process--- He did not want her to get more injured, just to comfort him.

Mama looked at the woman, then back at him, wanting more assurances.   Jack made promissory feelings, and assurances, as best he could translate them.

She huffed, then laid down at his feet, waiting for the crazy 2 legged thing to do its work.

[darkwarlock3]

at some point during this chaos Dula had disappear and where he was is a hole with ropes leading into it

[The Centipede]

YOU CONTROL RUMMAGE-GUT? NO CAUSE TROUBLE?!  CAUSE TROUBLE-- BIG PROBLEM-- GET HURT MORE. ME NOT WANT TROUBLE-- YOU GET, TREEMAN?

Dixie glares at the chief, saying curtly, "You just try. See what happens."


Dixie looks at Jack, and then the bear who lowers herself. Seems to be a confirmation. Dixie slowly approaches, petting the bear at the head, and gently grabs the spear and pulls it out, healing the wound as the spear clears. Dixie could be seen distraught by this, merely imagining the pain Mama must have gone through.

While she keeps at this process, she asks Jack without looking at him, "So, did I miss an agreement? Why are these boglings still alive?"

[wierd]

They's seems ta think I'ma gonna grow roots outa my damn face, and then haul em all off inta the woods and do gawds knows what ta em or summat.  Like em ugly barstards we put outta their misry  back a few days. Ya remember right? With the damn glidin thingmabobs as jumped us? I think ya was hidin out in a tree 'en-- Anywhoo-- that ol' feller there seems ta be the resident "expert" on old forest hobos like muhself. Set em straight, but apparently the rest o'em in their little fish-reakin village ain't got the sense.  Gotta stay here--TIED TA THIS DAYUM TREE --till they all gets a damn clue.

Jack snorted a disgusted growl, then continued.

Also, kept ramblin on 'bout some 'child-one' or summat.  Thought we's her errand boys er sommin.  Damned stupid's what it is. Jumped us in the middle o the damn night.

[Slyph]

FRIEND CAPTURE, OR FRIEND TREEMEN TAKE?

the chief asked puzzled.

TREEMEN DRAG BODIES-- BUT BODIES LIMP, NO STIFF. IF DEAD, FRESH DEAD. NOT TAKE DEAD BODY BEFORE-- THINK ALIVE THEN.  NOW? NO SURE.
FRIEND WE TAKE? HURT BUT LIVE. BIG BUG NEAR WATER. BUG-GIRL BEHIND TREEMAN, THERE.  TALL-MAN DOWN THERE-- HALFWAY.  YOU AND GREENSKIN THERE-- NOW HERE.

"My friends, taken by those 'treemen'." Linea affirmed, feeling a bit irritated and disheartened. Questioning them was tough, so tough she never thought she had to be more specific when asking for 'details'. 

"How long ago?" She asked again, "and how much those treemen you saw? How far they are from here? Can we get there before sunset?

[Dixie's escape happened 19 minutes before present time when Linea has just sat.]

"Linea!"

Dixie shouted from a distance, running towards them, looking very fresh, clean and smooth-haired, with new clothes of the exact same style and colour, but without the singes from her self-explosions yesterday. This is not the same case for her fur-lined buckler but the burnt whiskers of it have definitely been trimmed off. Her leather armor has a single new slice-shaped dent in it that didn't go all the way through.

"I went back in town to see if I could bring any help to kill the snakefish, but to no avail. I came back to where we all were yesterday, I followed the tracks, I just saw a lot of tiny steps and a long snake trail but it was completely straight so I figured it wasn't the snakefish-- What happened last night?"

Dixie sees her leg wound and asks Edwarg and Linea if it's fine for her to magic-heal it, and then glances at the rest of the party looking disheveled and/or tied, and then the Chief and 11 other boglings.

"Did they do this to you?" Dixie's golden eyes glow, and fire momentarily sparks from the sides of her lips.

"A moment, chief."

When Linea saw Dixie, she felt neither happy nor upset. It was...neutral. Sure she could point out how unwise it was to leave the party on whatever the whim was, but it was also to be expected; they were not her subordinate, she can't control them.

Talking about control, think what the new guy named Skye did.

"Yes it was," she answered, still giving a rather cold shoulder even when the girl volunteered to help Edwarg patching her thigh. "But all is under control now."

YOU CONTROL RUMMAGE-GUT? NO CAUSE TROUBLE?!  CAUSE TROUBLE-- BIG PROBLEM-- GET HURT MORE. ME NOT WANT TROUBLE-- YOU GET, TREEMAN?

Dixie glares at the chief, saying curtly, "You just try. See what happens."


Dixie looks at Jack, and then the bear who lowers herself. Seems to be a confirmation. Dixie slowly approaches, petting the bear at the head, and gently grabs the spear and pulls it out, healing the wound as the spear clears. Dixie could be seen distraught by this, merely imagining the pain Mama must have gone through.

While she keeps at this process, she asks Jack without looking at him, "So, did I miss an agreement? Why are these boglings still alive?"

"I said all is under control" Linea glared at the chief then, to Dixie and Jack. "Guys, let me talk to this native leader, all right? And Miss Dixie, please sit down if you are curious about this agreement, or else, please accompany Mr. Jack and his bear. Chief, I guarantee they won't be doing anything.

They's seems ta think I'ma gonna grow roots outa my damn face, and then haul em all off inta the woods and do gawds knows what ta em or summat.  Like em ugly barstards we put outta their misry  back a few days. Ya remember right? With the damn glidin thingmabobs as jumped us? I think ya was hidin out in a tree 'en-- Anywhoo-- that ol' feller there seems ta be the resident "expert" on old forest hobos like muhself. Set em straight, but apparently the rest o'em in their little fish-reakin village ain't got the sense.  Gotta stay here--TIED TA THIS DAYUM TREE --till they all gets a damn clue.

Jack snorted a disgusted growl, then continued.

Also, kept ramblin on 'bout some 'child-one' or summat.  Thought we's her errand boys er sommin.  Damned stupid's what it is. Jumped us in the middle o the damn night.

"Jack! I am working on releasing you, both from this situation and the knots that bind you. Let me do the talking."

She then turned again to the chief. "As my acquaintance said, none of us was sent by 'any child. I also understand this 'child one' has been giving you great trouble. Who is this child? Are they related to the treemen?"