oliver follows the birdkin woman inside of her house after she invited him in for tea. she sets a cup down infront of and introduces herself “i am sierra and you have already met the little truiblemaker eva.” she takes the kettle of the wood stove and carefully pours the hot liquid into olivers cup where it mixes with the dried herbs. Oliver takes a sip of the tea and afterwards introduces himself. “I’m Oliver Moreau. I moved into the estate near Lake Vermillion.”

  She nods and says, “Yes, we saw you yesterday when you arrived in town, and don't worry, I don't fault you for coming in here as far as you could have know something dangerous moved in here.”

  Oliver answers, “Yeah, it's a habit, always prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and most of the time it won't be near what you think is the worst, but that one time it is the worst. We'll be prepared. But that's what we learned for the city’s here its prepare for weird and and get even wierder.”

  She chuckles at that. “You're right about that; the ones living in these forests are a strange bunch, but they are nice. We once met a treant, and he told us the story of how he used to be an apple tree. He was a great help when we first arrived here. I do wonder what happened to him.”

  “A treant, he's probably slumbering. They can stay like that for a couple of years at a time. I wouldn’t worry about him if he came from a tree. It meant he's a progenitor. Oliver took another sip of the tea and saw she had no idea what it meant to be a progenitor treant. “A progenitor is the first of its kind; like a hazel nut treant would have its progenitor. Basically, he would be where all future of his veracity comes from.”

  “You seem to know a lot about them. Have you met one before?” Sierra asks.

  “Once when I was out in Oregon, two of my cousins were going to go to a city there and watch their items get uactoined of i asked if they would let me come with as there was a hiking trail I wanted to do there… I'm getting off track. There on the trail, I met possibly the biggest tree there is, the redwood tree progenitor. I tried to get his attention, but he was too busy trying not to step on animals and people to notice me. Still, I would go again; it was lovely there.”

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  Eva looks at him with eyes full of wonder while Sierra looks more relieved. “It’s good to know that he can take care of himself. Would you like some more tea?”

  Oliver nods, and he asks, “How did you two end up here? Not to be rude, but this isn’t the best place for your kind.”

  Sierra sighed. “I know, but it's safer here than back home.”

  Oliver asks, “But will you be fine here? In a few months, it will be freezing here.”

  Sierra looks down and says, “Well, find a way.”

  Oliver says, “Maybe, but if you need help, all you have to do is ask.”

  She nods and says, “Thank you, and I will keep your offer in mind.”

  Oliver holds the warm cup of tea in his hands and thinks, his family has taken in several anomalous beings as one rule everyone in the family agrees on the if its living or sentient we protect it while this rule was once only meant for the mundane population olivers ancestors never liked the idea of selling living beings so they extended the rule over all living anomalous or mundane we will try to keep it safe. Some of the family took it a step further and became fully vegan, but Oliver liked his steak too much to become vegan. As Oliver thinks back, he remembers he once took lessons from a butcher on how to butcher at home and in the wild. Oliverr thinks, “How many years was that ago? I wonder how the butchers dog is doing what was he called again… scraps that was it; he alway ate the butchers scraps.” as he thinks back to his butchery teachers pat dog he gets a gnawing feeling. He tries to remember what is causing the gnawing feeling. Oliver shoots up as he remembers, “Ho, no, I locked the dog in the basement. As he ran to the door, he turned to the two birdkin. “It was great meeting you, but I have to go. Thank you for the tea; it was lovely,” he says before running to his truck.

  He drives up the road to his house, stops the car in front of the garag,e and jogs up the steps to open the front doorThe moment he opens the door the spectral dog is waiting for him. he is confused for a moment before remembering “your a ghost that door couldn’t keep you in even if i wanted to.” he says to himself a small smile creeping on his face as he gives the dog some scratches behind the ear and his guilt about locking the dog in the basement fades.

  He stands up after giving a couple more scratches before going to the basement to put the doghouse onto the transfer formation.

  After opening the basement door, Oliver takes the rifle and the wildlife-hatting amulet and puts them on the table before moving the dog house onto the formation along with an amulet, before locking the door again and climbing into his sleeping bag in the walk-in closet.

  And after laying in bed thinking about the day he remembers “oh dammit i forgot to call the roofers.”