Ivan's house noe looked like something from a fairytale... Or perhaps a horror story.

Aura huffed and puffed as she reverted to her humanoid form. Dead plant parts were scattered everywhere as she had gone crazy on the damn thing that was growing out of Dimi. But the plant vines kept growing and the vines she had cut down or chewed off were quickly replaced with new ones before a minute had passed. Aura licked the wounds on her arm as Ivan returned. He did not look happy as he grabbed his ax.

“How did it go?” Aura dried her forehead for sweat. “What is it that can… fix this?“

“It doesn’t matter.” Ivan cracked his neck. “I just have to cut down the whole thing to save Dimi.”

Ivan charged toward the thicket from hell before Aura could object. He chopped and slashed like a mad man as he got whipped and got scratches all over his forearms. Aura returned to her monster-form so she could bite Ivan’s collar and drag Ivan away like a mother-cat would drag away a misbehaving kitten.

“Ivan, stop.” Aura dropped Ivan on the ground after getting far enough away from the house that was more like bricks and wood that somewhat still resembled the shape of a house. “You are gonna get yourself killed.” As Ivan was about to stand up, Aura placed one of her massive paws on his chest and pinned him to the ground.

“My little- Dimi is still inside. I have to save her!”

“Ivan, I mean it. Stop.” The face of the giant lion monster looked at the minotaur with pity and sympathy. “We wait for Nora, she MIGHT have a solution. I’m sorry, I know you care for that girl as if she was yours, but you can’t do anything besides maybe getting yourself killed.”

Ivan sighed as he stopped trying to get himself free. But then, his eyes widened as he realized something. “Wait… You are right. I really do, don’t I?!” Aura looked confused as Ivan began to laugh in relief. “Aura, you wonderful woman, I LOVE YOU BEYOND BELIEF!” He got up and kissed the monster lion on the mouth.

Aura lifted an eyebrow. “Ah… I love you too, but what are you talking about?”

“I have a plan!” Ivan looked determined as he stood up from the dirt. “I need you to fly me across the roof. Trust me.”

Aura bent her forelegs so that Ivan could get up on her back while armed with his ax. As they flew above the roof, the plant-tentacles tried to reach for them like a hungry animal.

“Here. This is perfect.” Ivan looked at the roof as if he was aiming for something. “I’m getting off here. Wish me luck!” And then he jumped off of Aura’s back and landed on the roof. Then, he began making a hole in said roof.

“IVAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Aura roared as she landed on the roof as well. Plants began to reach for them and Aura did her best defending her beloved that had apparently lost it as he kept chopping the roof.

“YES! That’s it!” Ivan succeeded in making his hole to Dimi’s bedroom. He jumped down the hole and saw that Dimi was still on the bed. Her body was covered by greenery the same way a child was covered by sand when they buried themselves with it on the beach. Only Dimi’s face was still free. A big branch was connected to Dimi that had crushed a hole in the wall that it then moved through. Ivan’s guess was that it was the root where everything else grew from.

But that did not matter. What mattered was whether or not his theory was right. “Please let this work.” Ivan whispered to himself as he took a step closer to the unconscious Dimi. “I know it’s a cliché, but please, please, please let this work.”

Then he screamed in pain as smaller vines appeared from Dimi’s “quilt” whipped him and then tied themselves around him. Ivan pulled his arms free as he took another step closer and now stood at the bedside.

Ivan took in a deep breath and then breathed out as he slowly placed his lips on Dimi’s forehead.

***

Aura desperately clawed her way out of the vines that had covered her as if they were a cocoon. She growled as she saw a massive branch about to hit her.

And then, it just stopped moving.

Aura studied the thing that had been just about to try and kill her. Cautiously, she stepped closer, sniffing the damn thing. It was completely still.

“AURA!” Ivan yelled from his hole. “Aura, please come help me! It’s all over now!”

The lion-creature smashed the roof above Dimi’s bedroom so a hole big enough for her would appear. The floor creaked as she landed on it. Ivan held Dimi in his massive and bloody arms. The human girl looked as if she was half asleep and sea-sick.

“I feel awful…” Dimi coughed. “And I’m hungry.”

“It’s okay.” Ivan smiled as if he repressed a laugh of joy. “I’m here, I’m taking care of you.” Ivan looked at Aura who looked relieved as she turned to her usual form. “Could you help me get her down to the kitchen?”

***

Dimi devoured the whole bread as if her life depended on it and then attacked the mushroom salad. Meanwhile, Aura and Ivan studied the house that had been ravaged. The ton of plants lay lifeless around. Ivan had removed enough of the green to open his front door. Outside, Nora stood and explained to a couple of the townspeople what she wanted them to think had happened.

“What a disaster!” Sunmut the old satyr looked at the blacksmith’s home with his old weak eyes. “What sort of wizard does such a thing?”

“The cheap kind that refuses to pay his bills.” Nora shrugged. “It makes me sad to speak about my species like that, but humans can be rather relentless as well as petty.”

The gathering of creatures all agreed that humans could be quite petty, especially now after the orc’s takeover.

“I’m so sorry.” Dimi had finished eating and had been told what had happened.

“Not your fault.” Ivan patted Dimi on the head. “All that matters is that you get better, you need to rest as much as possible.”

“Yeah, I have to get ready for next week’s fight.”

“No. Absolutely not. I won’t let you work for a week, and I won’t let you fight before at least two have passed.”

“What?! But-”

“No buts. You are benched till I say something else. You could have gotten killed, I won’t let you do anything physical for a while and boxing as it is is not harmless even when you are in shape.”

Dimi pouted. “Whatever mom.”

As Dimi went to look for things to salvage from the ruin that had once been Ivan’s home, Aura went to Ivan and placed a wing around him. “Are you gonna be okay?”

Ivan shrugged. “It’s just a house.”

Aura rolled her eyes. “Not an answer.”

Ivan blinked, then took in a deep breath. “I… I will be okay… just, not now.”

***

They all went to Aura’s farm after collecting most of Ivan and Dimi’s still intact belongings in two barrels.

Dimi had been sent to bed after she had to her great annoyance been kissed goodnight by Ivan who took no chances. She slept in Aura’s guest room. In the kitchen, Ivan had just finished explaining everything to Aura.

“And you honestly think it is a good idea to let Dimi get into a fist-fight with an orc?” Aura asked.

“Honest? I’m not sure. She surprises me, she is extremely stubborn and she is actually a talented fighter. And besides, I can’t really tell her what to do when she is eighteen years old. I might as well prepare her as best as I can.”

“That’s not the same as saying that you should encourage her.”

“It gives her hope. I don’t know how I would feel if it was MY dad who was in the slammer.” Ivan sighed. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. But I have been sworn to secrecy.”

“I get it, I get it. Still…” Aura frowned. “You should know that you could have trusted me.”

Ivan nodded, looking ashamed. Then, he yawned. “I better get some sleep. I just lost my home, I have to figure out what to do tomorrow. The forge is still somehow intact, so I can still work… Can we live here? Just… for a few days?”

Aura did not answer right away. Then, she smiled. “You know… the two of you could just… live here. Period.”

Ivan blinked. “Oh?”

“Yes, but I have a condition.” Aura smiled as she stood up from the table. “You have to do it right. You have to get down on your knees and… Well, you can probably guess the rest.”

It took a moment before Ivan realized that Aura was serious. Ivan smiled from one ear to the other as he got down on his knees and grabbed Aura’s left hand and held it as he asked her the question