“The beehive we get our honey from is in this tree,” Willow advised us. Lily grinned and I felt her surge of pleasure.

“Lily?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you so happy about Willow telling us where they get their honey from is?” I asked. Lily flew to me and landed in my upturned palm.

“Because pixies are worse than bees when it comes to sharing their honey, silly!”

“That’s very true,” Yam agreed.

“Ok. Then why are you telling us where your beehive is?”

“Lily bribed the elder!”

I laughed. “And how did you bribe the elder?”

“With your honey drop candy.”

“Lily said that you could make more and share it with us!” Willow added.

“I see,” I replied. Lily winked at me while the other two pixies looked hopeful. “I suppose I can make more and share it with the clan.”

“Hooray!” Yam and Willow shouted as they started flying circles around my head. “Can you make more sweets and candy?”

“We’ll see,” Lily cut in before I could answer.

“Ok!” the two local pixies chorused.

“Jase, is there anything in particular you’re looking for?” Lily asked.

“Not really. I want to see all the useful plants, herbs, and trees,” I answered. Yam and Willow exchanged a look.

“I know! Let’s show them the crabapple trees,” Willow said.

“Yeah! Come on you two!” Yam agreed before the two took off. I groaned a little as I saw they were moving up the mountain. Lily giggled.

“Come on, Jase! The exercise will do you good.”

*

“Ugh! Too tart,” I complained after taking a bite of the crabapple I had been given. I had walked 20-30 minutes to get to the crabapple grove. Lily shook her head when I offered it to her before getting out a bottle of water to drink.

“You two like these?” Lily asked the other two pixies.

“Yep!” Willow replied.

“Sure do,” Yam agreed. “You get used to the flavor.”

“Do the other humans know about these trees?” I asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” Willow replied. “Why?”

“I was just wondering.”

Yam giggled. “Most of them refuse to leave the village walls. They’re scared of the bears and the hunters generally stay closer to the village and rarely come up the mountain,”

“Bears?” I asked nervously looking around.

“Uh huh. Big black ones.”

“Don’t worry. You can outrun a bear,” Lily told me.

“Nah. Attempting to run from a bear is a bad idea,” Yam replied.

“Why?” Lily asked.

“They’re quite fast when they want to be,” Willow answered. “The best bet for humans is to play dead unless they are traveling in a group.”

“Why is that?” I asked.

“Because if there is more than one of you, you just have to be faster than someone else!” Yam answered and burst into giggles.

“But playing dead might not work either,” Willow said. “Sometimes they decide to attack anyway.”

“Another reason not to worry about bears is that you have your magic,” Lily reminded me.

“When it works.”

“Well, I’m with you too!”

“Won’t the bears be a problem for the beehive?” I asked as I remembered something I read once.

“Sometimes,” Yam conceded. “The bees usually drive them off or we help drive them off before the bear can destroy the hive.”

“Make sure you get good locks for your doors!” Willow told me.

“Why?”

“Bears can break into your home silly human!”

“Hey! I’m the only one allowed to call my Jase silly!” Lily mock pouted. She busted out into giggles when the other two pixies did.

“I had my hopes up that the crabapples would taste sweeter.”

“Why?” Lily asked.

“Crabapples are essentially wild apples like the ones that were grown back home,” I answered. The pixies nodded. “Still, these should make good jelly and jams.”

The pixies perked up at that. “Jellies? Jams?”

I couldn’t tell who asked what first. “Yep.”

“Will you make some for us?” Lily asked.

“By us do you mean you and me or you and the other pixies?”

“Yes.”

I laughed and Lily smiled. “Figures. Help me harvest some and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Yay!” all three pixies cheered before flying up a couple of trees to get the riper fruit that I couldn’t reach.

The rest of the day went by quickly as the pixies showed me where cornflower, burdock, chicory, chickweed, trillium flowers, and other edible plants, herbs, and trees were. Most were within an hour’s hike from my new home which pleased Lily and I greatly.

*

Mohe and any villagers he could find to help repair the cottage never showed the morning that Mohe said they would. It was drizzling, so figured they wouldn’t work in the rain. Still, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed as there was work that could be done on the inside. Lily and I did what we could, but I admit that wasn’t much. Carpentry and the like were never my strong suit, and my familiar didn’t know much about them either. So, I spent half the day practicing magic. The next morning was the same and the villagers no showed once more.

“I wonder why they haven’t shown up as Mohe promised,” I said to Lily.

“I bet it’s because of his wife. Ama totally changed her tune about us once she found out about me being your familiar.”

“I hope not, but it’s probably the case,” I replied.

“What makes you say that? Are your experiences in Beau Ferry coloring your opinions here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” I countered with a grin on my face.

“Oh! You got me there,” Lily replied matching my grin. “But seriously, is it the rundown cottage outside the village that gave it away?

“Yes,” I answered seriously. “It makes sense in a way. Plus, they never really talked about me starting once we revealed you as my familiar. I fear I’ve been ostracized yet at the same time, they’re wanting to keep me close at hand in case they have need of an alchemist or herbalist.”

“My poor Jase,” Lily said flying to me and hugging my neck. Lily then kissed both my cheeks and forehead. “We will always have each other.”

“I know and love you too. Well, let’s look on the bright side.”

“There’s a bright side?”

“This house is sort of far outside the village.”

“And?”

“Does the village really own it, or did they just know about it and stick us here?”

“That’s an excellent question. Some really old laws would say the cottage belongs to whoever claims it and lives in it. That would be us if we claim it since we are living in said cottage. Mohe and the village may disagree though.”

“Well, let’s go talk to Mohe.”