It wasn't long before every bed in Riverspan was filled. Even Naile had retired to one of the secluded beds tucked into a passage deep in the hollow tree. She smiled when she saw Naile had covered it with dozens of blankets. I wonder who she made carry that?

  Despite the time, six Hodekin were still awake and bedless. Shelby directed the stragglers towards the unfinished homes, but most of them didn't seem to mind waiting a little longer. One of them sheepishly commented, "I'd rather not get bitten by bugs..." but another of them dragged a bed under a loop of elevated roots and immediately fell asleep on it. Have a bug free rest, friend...

  The night was much quieter with nearly everyone sleeping. In between yawns, Shelby stared out over the bridge towards the river and swaying grass beyond. The tree seemed to stop 'raining' at night, but the sugary barrens to the southeast still looked like a field of gems under the starlight.

  AIDAN had given Shelby her 30 minute warning 15 minutes ago, but she still wanted to check in with Thimble before she logged out. He was at the edge of the bridge, kicking his feet against the outside of the raised guard-wall he was sitting on. Her knowledge of Player Tendency, the effect her perception had on the characters around her, had helped make a little headway with Naile, but... Is it really okay to keep thinking this way? It feels a little manipulative.

  This particular egg wasn't going to ever be un-cracked. She watched him from a distance for a few moments before approaching.

  Trustworthy? Or was it companionable... that'd what AIDAN said. He has been by my side for all of this.

  Shelby sat down next to him, "Hey."

  "Hello. Seems like everyone's gone to bed," He smiled. He was having a good night.

  "Sure does. What are you gonna do? I forgot to make any guest beds..." Shelby gave an apologetic smile.

  "I'll go back to Copperglade when I'm ready," He said with a shrug, "it's not too far to quickly return with those boars."

  "Okie dokie. Tomorrow we're going to go north, right? I'm still curious about why you want to go..."

  He's... protective.

  "I promised Pico I would."

  "But do you want to?" Shelby asked.

  And adventurous. My partner in dragon hunting.

  "Of course. I want to know all about the world. Even the parts that aren't going well. If we can help, we should," Thimble said.

  "Is that why you finally agreed to help me with the farming village?" Shelby said with a laugh.

  A tiny knight.

  "In part. And, because Nisa asked me to," Thimble said.

  "I'll go straight to Nisa and Pico if I ever need you to do something."

  All good things, more or less. I should just be open to who he is.

  "I- it's not like that..." Thimble muttered.

  "Is that what you want to do with your life? See the world?" Shelby asked as she watched him.

  "For now. Someday I want to have something like this place, or like Copperglade, I suppose... and I want to find great people to live there," Thimble said with a smile.

  "A kingdom and a round table for the mouse knight! I suppose that explains why you've been so helpful," Shelby said.

  Thimble scowled at her, "I persevered through trying circumstances, against all odds. Anyhow, enough of your featherheadedness. I talked to quite a few of the Hodekin tonight. Are you aware of the political situation in Kin Bleak?"

  Shelby frowned, "I talked to Naile for a little while, and she told me they had to flee when their former leader was killed..."

  Thimble nodded, "I heard the same. It seems that he was a much beloved figure. Deaca, that was his name. Did you know there are quite a few expatriated Hodekin here in your new clan?"

  Shelby nodded, "I did notice that. Umm, Scath and Bas clan members, I think I saw."

  "Those are the other two major clans in the region. Your adoptees were folded into Syn Bleak when Deaca was in charge."

  "I wonder how common that is," Shelby said.

  "I asked. Not very. They said they decided to leave their clans after being revived by Deaca and spending time living with the Syn while they waited to be returned home. Not that it matters now..." Thimble trailed off.

  "It's good to know!" Shelby said, "Maybe others will want to join. Once they see those luxurious cots, no doubt."

  "Who can say," Thimble rolled his eyes, "Catach seems to be a different story entirely. Everyone I talked to seems to be afraid of them. They arrived in Kin Bleak roughly six months ago, or so I heard."

  "Not that long ago..." Shelby said.

  Thimble's in full detective mode...

  "No, not long at all. They were said to have come from the north. I find that hard to believe," Thimble turned and straddled the bridge's guard-wall as he spoke animatedly, "I haven't heard of Hodekin living in Vargfell or further north."

  "Me either," Shelby said with a playful smile, "but what does that mean to you?"

  "I'm not sure. It seems suspect. If they did come from the north, then why target Syn Bleak? If they didn't come from the north, then why lie? Something more must be going on..."

  "We'll have to figure that out, then," Shelby said, "Nothing we can't track down!"

  "So you say... I doubt we'll be welcomed with open arms. I'd like to go to their sole city, Siarabha, but I think we'll need some pretense for wanting to visit. No one here has been back to Siarabha since they were forced into exile, but they seemed to think that Catach has closed it off completely," Thimble said.

  "That's not good," Shelby twisted up her mouth, "If we can't go there, then maybe we should figure out why the other clans support them?"

  "That's on my mind too," Thimble said.

  "Sounds like our first lead, then," Shelby said, "But for now, I desperately need to sleep."

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "I should go too, I haven't rested in days," Thimble said with a stretch that popped his back, "I'll see you tomorrow."

  "See you then," Shelby smiled.

  Thimble hopped down and squinted at something invisible for a few seconds, then flashed blue before fading away.

  I'll give him a few minutes, then switch back to Mille. I don't want to have to explain why we both showed up at the same time. Now that I know that feeling suspicious makes people think I'm suspicious... augh!

  Nisa beamed as she looked up from her workstation, "Ah! The return of my new helper!"

  Shelby's wave turned into a yawn, "Hello hello, you're up late. Do you ever sleep?"

  "Of course. I sleep for 2 hours after breakfast!" Nisa said cheerfully.

  Shelby mentally pushed that conversation bait to one side, "Oh. Of course, before the lunch rush."

  "See? You get it," Nisa said with a nod, "You look like you could use some rest yourself. I heard that you fixed the piggy-carty-thingy that Pico wanted. I'd say she offered to pay for your room to say thanks, but she actually does that for everyone who visits town."

  "I appreciate it anyways," Shelby drawled.

  "Let's see... our little knight is in two... Caramel in five..." Nisa languidly paced along a rack of keys, "Oh, here we go."

  The room she brought Shelby to looked identical to any other, but Nisa grinned as she showed Shelby around, "See you bright and early? I want to teach you how to make porridge for the old timers."

  Shelby sat down on the bed with a loud whump, "Well. I was kinda hoping to sleep in..."

  "Sleeping in, huh? So more like six then?" Nisa said as she strolled through the door, "I guess a little rest wouldn't hurt once in a while. Sweet dreams."

  Shelby didn't have time to dwell on what she had gotten herself into before sleep washed over her. She lay sprawled out on top of the covers, mouth wide open. AIDAN carefully removed himself from her apron and floated to the side table.

  "I wonder... how will you come to see me?"

  Shelby lay across the back seat of the car. The heat had lifted a long strip of duct tape off of the shabby upholstery, and the gross, stringy, sticky material kept sticking to her fur.

  Not my fur, my skin.

  Every where it touched her skin was coated in a dull gray residue that took forever to scrub off. She didn't care. She was carsick, hot, and bored. The Devil's Tower was seven hours away from boring, stupid Helena. She had seen more shrubby trees on the same bumpy, dried out hills than any person was ever meant to see. Now all she could bear to do was watch the back of her mother's seat as they rumbled and bounced down the road. The last half hour had been especially twisty, but she wasn't going to sit up no matter how many times her head hit the molded plastic on the car door.

  "Are we there yet?" she moaned.

  "Actually, we're getting close. I think I just saw it," her mom replied, a voice that was always full of optimism and joy. Annoying.

  Shelby propped herself up on one elbow and looked between the car seats. Lots and lots of brownish trees. Patchy grass. Long flats of sugar rotted soil. No... there wasn't sugar.

  Hurk... the road turned suddenly and she slid right through the disgusting tape. Not my cutoffs... She felt the tape slime all over the back of her shorts. They would be mucked up with dirt and pollen and trash in no time.

  She saw it though. Like a great tree trunk that had been severed by a perfect blade. It rose out of nothing.

  She sighed. She did not want to be here.

  "Isn't it amazing?" her mom said with reverence.

  "It's something," Shelby retorted with an overwhelming dose of teenage sass and disdain.

  The parking lot was unusually empty. It was late September, way past tourist season, and it was a Wednesday. Shelby scrambled out from behind the passenger side seat and her long ears were smooshed against the nasty foam texture of the roof. The fabric on the surface was unpleasantly warm. Her mother's car had no air conditioning.

  "I thought we could camp out," her mother said offhandedly as she stretched and looked around, "I bet they have fun camping spots."

  "You told father that you'd have me back on Thursday," Shelby said with her arms folded.

  "We could make it! We'll leave early."

  Shelby shook her head. They weren't going to make it. Her mother was never on time. I'm the one who is going to have to live through the fallout...

  "Shelby, honey, we'll be fine."

  Shelby yelped as the hot metal on the car's hood burned the back of her legs. She had sat down to set an alarm on her flip phone. 4 am.

  She hopped around the parking lot with her hands over the back of her thighs, which were sticky with tape muck. That better not have gotten on my tail...

  She felt around for longer than she should have. What tail...?

  Her mother laughed, then handed Shelby a lukewarm waterbottle. A Nestle bottle from Walmart that had a feeling in her hand like fossilized styrofoam. She dumped out a handful into her palm and rubbed it onto her red-tinged skin.

  They wandered around the winding paths, never quite getting to the base of the tower that loomed above them. Tiny people scuttled about on long, drifting ropes like ants on a log, and there were red and yellow tents punctuating and endless field of loose stone.

  "Nature is so healing," her mother said, over and over.

  Shelby rolled her eyes. It feels familiar. A giant tree trunk...

  The next morning, they inevitably got lost.

  "I told you!" Shelby groaned as she bounced against the car seat, sending little puffs of dust into the air.

  "Ah, shit..."

  Hours of driving on bumpy roads that weren't even roads! Just rutted, grassy nothings that went deep into wilderness. Surrounded by nothing but thorns and dense brush and...

  Wait. That's not true. It was just some normal road...

  When they got back to Helena, Shelby's flight had been gone for hours. She called her father and held the phone 6 inches from her head as it shook in her hand. She spent the next 10 hours in the Helena Regional Airport, under the rustic wood and stone decor, eating two servings of increasingly cold mozzarella sticks. I wish they had those giant cucumber slices. It feels like I'm eating lead...

  Giant cucumber slices?

  She arrived home at 3 am. The airport was lit a strange, angry, ominous red. A pulsing red. Wait... was it? Her father was too angry to say much more than, "Did you forget anything?" before they trudged through the parking structure to his car.

  All to see a giant rock. A rock bigger than any tree. A monolith, out in the middle of nowhere.