Enoki’s left hand grabbed onto the branch, causing hir to wince as it started to burn the skin a little. Hir right hand came up to let McStabby quickly cut through it. Once it was done ze could feel the air around hir becoming more and more dry as the branch bled out a sickly green sap onto the ground. The branch itself was getting hotter, causing hir to scream out for a moment as ze fought the urge to throw the branch down to the ground down below.

Out of the corner of hir eye, Enoki could see En’mat getting ready to run and help. Only to be stopped by the bitch. Turning hir focus to the branch, it looked like it was starting to turn to ash as the green sap slowed down. 

It was fine. 

It was all going to be fine.  

The fruits’ fire turned down to a faint glow as the branch started to burn away from the intense heat. Enoki carefully set the branch down, quickly cradling hir hand, fairly certain ze saw muscle tissue in there. There was no time to waste though. One of the smaller fruits had already started to turn into a crispy black husk. Ze quickly started picking everything off the branch and putting everything in the basket. This was easily three times the fruit that was expected. Soon the fruit was in the basket, only a few pieces had burned away to nothing.

Ze looked to En’mat, cradling hir hand as it healed. Ul’ta didn’t need to know how fast it was healing yet. It still hurt, anyway. “Can you freeze it now?”

“Of course. But I don’t understand why?”

“It’ll break down the fruit but prevent impurities in the melomel. As a dried fruit, all of the flavor is still inside. I’d normally have washed the fruits before drying but I think the fire probably kept everything clean.”

Without another word, En’mat let out a soft low note that brought a breath of relief on the sweltering tree. Most of it was aimed at the basket which quickly froze, gaining a beautiful layer of frost on each piece. With a sigh of relief Enoki got the curtain again and laid it on the ground, opening it and pouring the fruit inside. Ze almost didn’t notice Ul’ta starting to come up behind hir. 

Almost.

Enoki quickly picked up the curtain and smiled. “Well, That’s what I need for now.” Ze had Bob as a basket in one hand and McStabby as the cutting tool in the other. “So now I need to get the wood for my barrel—erk!”

“Enoki!!” En’mat was trying to come forward as some guards started to restrain hir.

“I think not, false one. It’s bad enough you managed to get our Heaven’s Tears. But you will not be allowed to leave with them so you can corrupt it with the Bound Sinner’s Wood. Or worse. Free that which it holds.” Ul’ta’s grip tightened around hir neck, ready to choke the air out of hir little body. “If only you had your toys instead of ours.”

“Bout. . .  that. . . ” Ze tightend hir grip on McStabby and shifted it into a staff, causing it to jam itself right into Ul’ta’s stomach with a hard thud. 

Enoki was dropped as Bob went back to hir hand. The robes quickly transformed back into the boots and armor. The asymmetrical skirt fluttered down as it finished forming behind hir with a wisp of blue flame. Without wasting a moment, Enoki ran forward screaming.

“Let her go!” 

The guard's grip loosened as they raised a hand to shoot off a spell. A critical error as En’mat quickly elbowed the guard and threw the other one over her shoulder. Enoki swung low to knock the first guard over. En’mat thankfully caught it in time. 

“I had no idea, I swear!”

Enoki gave a fast nod. “How do we get out of here fast?”

“I don’t know, I only know of the tunnels!” En’mat looked panicked. They were too high up and a fall would cause too much damage to anyone from here.

Ze looked back to see Ul’ta starting to get up. And the curtain right near her. “Shit. Do you trust me?”

“Just do the stupid thing and I’ll fix it.” She was already bearing the runes on her arms, ready to cast. 

“Great. Follow me!” As ze ran forward, ze gave a hard swing into the back of Ul’ta’s head. Enoki didn’t trust she was knocked out but it would delay her. Even a second would help. Ze grabbed the cloth and shoved it in hir shirt. Ze held out hir arms, holding onto the staff like a set of handlebars. This was more complex, making a two person hang glider. Bob had to join in and help make the fabric. Enoki had been worried about that. 

“Grab on the other side.”

“We are not birds! We will crash!” She still grabbed on, looking at the guards that were quickly gathering around the area.

“Just jump!” A few quick steps and they took off. Enoki knew they were going to spiral down. There was far more weight on one side than the other. But they just needed to go down slow enough.

As they curved around the tree, elves all over could be seen in a state of panic. Some of them started to shoot arrows at them. 

“How do we steer this thing?” En’mat was trying to lean out of the way of the shots.

Enoki looked down, starting to panic. They weren’t close enough to the ground for En’mat’s sake. For that matter Enoki wasn’t sure how much shifting ze could do yet after this morning’s mess. 

“Uh, don’t know. Can you teleport us?”

“Not us.” Enoki could feel the shift in weight before seeing En’mat’s hand start to let go. “You are a bad influence.”

“En’mat, no!”

En’mat let go completely and let out a high note, pointing to Enoki. As she did the entire world turned bright until it was just the two of them. No words were spoken but ze could feel En’mat’s words in hir own heart.

I’ll find you. Now go!

Just before En’mat disappeared in the light, there was the sound of an arrow being let loose into the air. There wasn’t time to find out if it hit a target, as Enoki found hirself flying through the room, Both Bob and McStabby returning to their normal homes in hir gloves. Ze flew through layers of rock and dirt and then up into the sky. Past confused elves. Past trees and the gate. Past the inner area of the city and not slowing down until ze landed in the middle of a dark alleyway, just past a huge pile of rotting food.

Ze laid there in the alleyway, having somehow gotten onto some reasonably dry stone. All ze could do was stare into the sky. The sudden shock of change sinking in. Ze didn’t get to fly out with hir friend. Ze didn’t save anyone. En’mat saved hir. Promised to find hir but, how was that even going to happen? As ze slowly got up, hir eyes started to tear up.

“Damn it. . . ” Hir hand got into a tight fist as ze looked up at the slowly darkening sky. “You said. . .  to find my flock. You said to. . .  She could be dying or worse right now! You protected me but how can I protect anyone else!?”

As Enoki stood on hir feet ze threw hir fist into the wall. “Damn it! DAMN IT!”

Again and again and again hir fist met the wall, starting to slowly put a crack in the stone. As ze threw one last punch, screaming, thunder could be heard. A chunk of the wall fell off as the skies opened up and rain came down, hiding any tears. Ze looked up at the sky, sniffling a bit. 

“This isn’t fair. She’s in danger.”

“Who’s out there?!” Came an unknown voice from the other end of the alleyway.

Shit.

Enoki could feel a cloak appear on hir back. Ze quickly put it up and started to run out of the alleyway, trying to disappear into the crowd of elves that got caught in the rain, all of them scurrying to find some shelter. Eventually the crowd disappeared, leaving only Enoki running down the streets with no idea where to turn. In a city built for elves, everything seemed so big and intimidating right now. The best ze could manage was finding a small old store that looked like it had been through a fire in recent months. It wasn’t much. But it was standing and had some cover from the rain.

Ze ran around to the back of the building. That side looked less damaged, so there was a chance the store room was fine. Sure enough, the door was open and the space was cleared out. Shelter. Ze needed to make shelter. If En’mat— No, when En’mat got out of there she probably had an idea of where to look. Enoki would rest, figure out where to go, and maybe even buy supplies. 

Enoki just had to hold out hope that En’mat wasn’t out of reach forever like hir own family was.