Petey was ready.

Head down, tail wagging in the slight breeze surrounding him, he was ready. Ready to finally find Dave's chew toy which was also called a sword and Fetch it back to him.

Leula sat nearby, looking worried. And you promise you'll come right back?

Petey nodded, focusing on the swamplands in front of him. He had an expression of rare focus on his fluffy face. I promise! I'm going to get Dave's sword and then I'll take it to him and I'll be back before you can finish saying goodbye! He gave her a quick lick, and then returned to his stance.

Leula rubbed her front legs somewhat anxiously, worriedly cleaning them. If you say so, Petey. Just don't talk to anybody suspicious, okay?

Giving her another nod, Petey took a deep breath. Bye, Leula! See you soon!

She sighed. Good-

The world froze. Dropping into Floof Speed, Petey walked over to Leula and had a moment of uncertainty. He knew he could get distracted, and he didn't want that to happen. What if he forgot to come back? It wouldn't be the first time he'd gotten lost and hadn't been able to find his way back.

He squashed the doubt, shaking his head. He wasn't just going to be fast! He was going to be faster than he'd ever fasted before!

A slight hum filled his ears as he went further. Full Floof, maximum speed. He could actually feel his stats creak as he filled out into them all the way for the first time.

The world went weird at the speed he was going at. Colors sapped from everything as a slight blur positioned itself everywhere, and Petey could have sworn Leula actually started moving in reverse, although it was impossible to tell.

No! Focus! He had to pay attention to one thing for now!

He took off at speeds that couldn't be measured in standard terms, raising his nose to the sky as he hunted for the smell of Dave's sword. He found it a second later, hovering uneasily in the air and as frozen as everything else. His fur rippled strangely as he followed it into the heart of the swamp.

The trees began to loom over him, casting darker and darker shadows until it was probably brighter underneath mountains. Petey slowed down slightly, the faintest feeling of worry coming over him. The water was getting deeper too - he could see below its surface.

He paused as he realized he was walking over the water. He wasn't floating, not really, but the water was some weird combination of soft and hard at the same time. He decided to ignore it in favor of looking for the sword.

After a few more minutes of walking, Petey stopped in front of a cave entrance. It looked like a giant mouth, but that could mean it liked licking people! Besides, the smell went inside, so he just had to follow.

He sat down, looking at it worriedly. Something about it made him feel... less than happy. He wasn't sure why, but he really didn't want to go in. He barely even noticed the light dimming as Golden Fur deactivated.

But... what about Dave's sword?

Steeling his nerves, Petey went in.

He was too nervous to see the giant claw marks on the sides of the entrance or the scorched husks of trees nearby, and he was moving too fast to see the claw-shaped shadow that loomed over him.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

...bye, Petey.

Leula sat on the tree stump, watching the space Petey had occupied a fraction of a second earlier. Four pawprints left in the water filled rapidly, swishing around muddily.

Petey didn't appear for a good minute, but Leula didn't move at all. She didn't budge, even as a sinking feeling plunged her heart straight to her abdomen. Taking a shaky breath, she struggled to keep the memories suppressed.

It was not the first time she had been left alone, it wasn't the third time someone had promised to return and never did, but it would be the second time someone she had so deeply trusted had left her behind.

Leula closed her eyes and deliberately slowed her breathing, feeling her hemolymph come to a resting state. If she had learned anything about Petey in the short time she'd known him, it was that he was an open book, that he cared about everybody, and that he really did love her.

A wide and worryingly chaotic series of emotions was attached to the final notion. The knowledge that Leula's species could shape-shift into nearly anything later on in their lives only stirred the pot and made it worse. She would have been lying if she had denied thinking about becoming a dog, but she had ruthlessly crushed any thoughts that came after that point.

At the moment, such thoughts were distant from her mind. Petey still wasn't back.

Leula cast a web from the stump she was on to the hut where Petey's group had been staying and carefully crawled over to it. She needed some help for what she had in mind.

Inside, she was met with the odd sight of the orc, somewhat stiffly talking to the group of elves. The elven boy who had come to her the prior day - Rosen, if she remembered his name correctly - was standing next to her, silently supporting her. Leula hated to interrupt something like this, but it was necessary.

Clearing her mind, she cast a link to everyone present. Hello, all. Petey's missing.

Whatever had been going on was promptly canceled as everyone turned to stare at her, shock evident on their faces. The storm broke all at once as people rushed her, a tsunami of questions crashing down on the young spider. Jumping to the ceiling, Leula calmed herself down and spoke again. One at a time, please! I'm just as concerned as you are!

The orc's voice was louder than anyone else's. "How can I help?" She received a good number of dirty looks the moment she spoke, and several elves stepped away from her. She shifted uncomfortably at the negative attention, but kept her focus on Leula.

Before Leula could answer, the oldest elf in the room snapped, "How do you know he's just missing? He could be out for a stroll or summat."

Leula stared evenly at him. Because he promised to return immediately, and he didn't.

He snorted. "So what? The codger broke a promise, everybody does it."

The orc glared at him. "The only promises broken are those that were not given genuinely. Are you calling Petey a liar?"

The ancient elf put his hands on his hips. "Yer one ta talk, orc. Ya might have Rosen fooled but ya ain't gonna fool me. Now I'm gonna go ta bed and see you all in the morning, which is when that dog is gonna be back. G'night, all. Except you, orc. Don't care if you have nightmares or whatever." So saying, he turned around and trundled back to his bed, muttering complaints under his breath.

To Leula's dismay, the other elves began to disperse back to what they'd been doing, pointedly ignoring both her and the orc, who moved towards Leula. "My name is Dolai, mistress spider. How can I be of help?"

Leula stared at her for a moment, but shook the instinctive distrust away. The Matriarch had told her stories about the brutality and barbarism of orcs, but she could use all the assistance she could find. I need someone to walk for me. I'm not large enough to travel ground effectively on my own.

Dolai seemed a bit uncomfortable at the notion. "You want me to carry you?"

"We want to come too."

Their conversation paused as they looked down, seeing Alana and Rosen watching them. Leula immediately shook her head. No. I appreciate the offer, but you are both too young. I won't budge on this.

Both of their expressions crumpled, and Rosen stepped forward, hand outstretched. "But-"

NO. Leula's psychic shout was firm, brooking no argument, and both children lowered their heads. "Yes ma'am."

Good. Leula turned around and jumped onto Dolai's shoulder, noting the instant stiffness that seized her shoulders, and crawled down to her back. We're going right now. Don't follow us. To Dolai, she said, I can track Petey based off his mental signature. Follow my instructions closely.

Dolai took a deep breath of fresh, albeit somewhat swampy, air. "No need, mistress spider. I can nearly taste his power, thick as it is. I'll have no problem tracking him down. Thank you for allowing me to assist you in this quest."

Leula waved it away. No need to thank me. And call me Leula - I have a feeling we'll be working together for a bit, and 'mistress spider' is already getting old.

Dolai set off at a rapid jog, water splashing around her calves. She ignored the curious and alarmed anuran watching her from the trees. "Yes, mistr- Leula. I hope Petey is all right."

Leula stared off in the direction of Petey's mind, a pillar of gold light that traced through the woods. Me too.