Josei had mixed feelings on Mao’s wish to pursue a career in medicine making. Pride? Oh yes, a good deal of pride, but also worry because while it was true that the nature of medicine makers was to heal and aid, it also involved its own set of unique dangers. Working with potent herbs exposed you to all sorts of fumes, toxins, and hidden thorns. Sharp tools, hot burners, heavy cauldrons, all things that might cause hurt if one wasn’t careful enough.

Not to mention the trips into the wilds in pursuit of materials. You might not even make their first potion before a wandering bear mauls you dead, or a snake takes offense to your presence and strikes. There were sinkholes, poorly marked hunter traps, bandits, cliffs, dangerous waters, malicious spirits, sunburn-

Alright, maybe that last one wasn’t the most pressing of concerns… but Josei was afraid. While Mao slept she stayed awake, staring at the ceiling while listing all the dangers she’d never considered too deeply in her line of work. Her own teacher had been perfectly content to let his apprentice go alone through the woods to gather herbs for them both.

Had her parents objected? She’d never thought about it until now. To her those childhood memories had been full of wonder and exhaustion, early mornings and late nights studying and dreaming about one day opening her very own shop.

Yet here she was, wondering about the future of her own child and how she might best protect him. It kept her from sleeping until late morning. Mao took off with some friends after a quick breakfast, leaving Josei to stew over her feelings. She decided that Katja might have a good suggestion, so she wrote a note for Mao saying when she’d be home, then went off towards the cookery.

Katja and the other cooks were busy so Josei ended up lending a hand in cooking for the morning crowd. Her friend kept the conversation up with ease while juggling pans, checking the oven, kneading dough, and a hundred other little tasks that made Josei’s mind spin. The other cooks were grateful for the help but mindful of her tired state, so Josei got put on kneading duty. It was heavy work but it felt good to have her hands busy.

Katja turned out to have a rather good solution to Josei’s dilemma.

“Just pair him up with an older kid in the same field. They’ll watch out for each other. Wan’ me to see if any of me cousins wan’ a buddy? I think Tobby might be interested. He’ll be 15 this winter so he’s ‘ad his fair share of experience already, and enough wit to keep ‘em both outta trouble.”

Josei still hesitated- not only because the cook’s strange accent tended to thicken up when she was busy, but also because she was still hesitant to the idea of Mao... Growing up? Goodness, maybe that was what worried her the most?

Katja gave her shoulder a light punch, leaving a mark of flour behind on Josei’s sleeve. “Cease ye worryin’ Josei. He’ll be fine. Better ‘n those rich snobs sittin’ in the school all day. Heard them teacher lot can be right creeps if yous unlucky.”

Josei added ‘creepy noble teachers’ to her growing list of concerns. She sighed.

“I just keep remembering when I was a kid. Should I really have been left to go through the woods alone? Wilds know what might have happened to me…”

To that the cook scoffed.

“Like what? Fall in a puddle? Wilds’re as bad as the city, if even that. Besides, the wilds tend t’look after the young. Y’also got the watch on patrol, and them arrows too if the weather’s foul enough. Tobby knows to stick near the path ’n trails. The Hunters patrol it at least once’a day.”

“And what if they get lost?”

Katja gave Josei a disbelieving look bordering on laughter. “The arrows??”

Josei threw a bit of flour at the cook. “The boys.”

“Ah,” Katja sneezed, sending a cloud of white fluttering through the air. The other cooks gave her a dirty look that made her shrink on the spot. “They’ll stay put and the arrows’ll sniff them out befo’ sun down. They done it before. Haven’t had a bad case since…” Katja tapped her lower lip, eyes rolling towards the ceiling in thought. It made her freckled nose crinkle in a way Josei found adorable.

“Can’t remember. Point is that they’ll do it. Scary as they may seem, the arrows are alright.”

Now it was Josei’s turn to look disbelieving. “Aren’t you always nagging about what shady sorts they are? You surprise me, Katja.”

The cook blushed. She waved it off with a snort. “I do, I do. ‘s just… They are scary. But good people. Probably. Else we wouldn’t keep ‘em around, no?”

Josei had to agree to that. She still wasn’t too certain whether to trust them with Mao’s safety though. She had a nagging fear that if she let her wild child return to the forest alone, he wouldn’t be coming home again. Katja’s expression softened.

“Give it a thought, yea? Can’t do much more’n that.”

Once the breakfast rush was done with, Josei returned home. She heard a familiar voice from the street below hers and leaned over the railing for a peek. Mao and some other kids were playing tag. Tulip seemed to have joined them, chasing hands in the hope of treats. Josei stayed a few minutes to watch, feeling the knots in her belly ease up at the peaceful sight. Maybe she worried a bit too much.

She ended up agreeing to let Mao become an apprentice medicine maker. They discussed it over dinner, Josei with some reluctance and many “but it’s still being planned, so don’t get overly excited just yet,” and gleeful cheers from Mao.

She spent the next day talking it out with Katja while Mao went with some friends to the midday market. Supervised by amused adults of course. The plan went as follows:

Katja’s cousin- or was it nephew? The Havre family was a sprawling ordeal and Josei struggled to keep up with their relations at times. Either way, Tobby Havre came over early one morning to introduce himself and brief Mao on what he could expect from a day’s work.

It was a lovely morning in mid spring. Mao was bouncing on his seat, too excited to sit still. Tobby was calmer- it came with being older, and seemed to tolerate his younger friend with good patience and humor. He was like a mini Katja, ginger haired and so freckled that you could have sworn the sun kissed his face first thing every morning. Unlike Katja’s warm brown eyes, Tobby had pale green ones, almost yellow in the right light. They looked just as kind though, as did his somewhat nervous smile.

The nerves were mostly from Josei grilling him with questions over a shared breakfast. The older boy did his best to seem mature and confident, without overdoing it lest he be lumped in with all the other childish kids. Josei was trying to remember if ‘dope’ was still considered a hip thing to say around kids these days.

“What if we meet a bear?” Mao wanted to fight a bear.

“You stand still and move your arms slowly to look bigger. Talk to it in a calm voice so it knows you’re there. It’ll walk off if it realizes you’re not prey,” Josei calmly instructed. Mao seemed disappointed.

“What if it’s a human eating bear?” Mao persisted.

“Bears don’t eat humans.” Josie objected, but Tobby piped up at that.

“Some do…” The older boy pursed his lips and shrunk in his seat after saying that, uncertain if he should have kept that to himself or not. Mao’s eyes went wide.

“You tell it that you taste very badly,” Josei continued in an even tone, “and that you have a mother waiting for you to come home,” She gave Tobby a stern look that made him shrink further. Her son pouted but seemed to accept her instructions for infallible fact. Goodness, was it too late to turn back now?

“We’ll be sticking near the paths. Bears don’t like going near them because they reek of humans.” Tobby spoke in a careful voice, slowly regaining his confidence. Josei gave him an approving smile and the kid beamed.

“That’s right. And you’ll be home before the midday toll.”

“But that’s so short-” Mao tried to object but Josei shut him down.

“Before the midday toll. It’s your first time going alone-”

Tobby blinked. Josei added, “Alone with another kid your age. It’s a test run. If Tobby tells me you misbehaved we’ll have to find you another job to learn.”

That settled it. Mao promised to be an ideal student and stick close to Tobby. Josei allowed herself to relax again only after the two had left, a basket under either arm and a jar of fresh cherries as a snack. Tulip announced himself with a hissing croak, then followed after the boys.

It took only a small heap of effort for Josei to keep from running after them, or spying from afar to make sure they were alright. Was this what it felt like to grow old? She thought it was supposed to make you dignified and wise, not anxious and tired. They better return in one piece or she would send both the watch and the Hunters’ Guild after them.

-

Mao was ecstatic. Then focused, then a little bit worried. It was one thing to wander the woods with his mother, hand in hand and basket swinging in the other. Now? Tobby who had seemed so tall for a kid just an hour ago, now looked tiny compared to the ancient maples and the towering redwood trees.

They kept to the main road as promised- and Tulip following at a short distance helped to sooth his worries a bit- then veered off along a path that took them through a dense field of blueberry bushes. The trees stood sentinel above them both, allowing only the faintest beams of golden sunlight through all the way to the forest floor.

Tobby pointed out several common plants, like wood sorrel, cranberry, and spidervän. That last one they both stopped to stare at while Tobby took on a lecturing voice. Josei had often ignored the plant as it didn’t have many worthwhile uses according to her, but Tobby believed it to be worth at least a moment of learning.

“Spidervän is a common plant in the Maple Woods. It grows little red fruits that are very sweet but are very low in nutrition. They attract insects that then attract spiders.”

Mao frowned at the plant. It was rather small, no taller than his knees. It looked like an odd little bush of gnarly branches and green needles that forked several times. Little bits of spiderweb had been spun between most of the needles, nearly invisible save for when the light hit them just right.

“Why would they want spiders?” Mao asked. Tulip snuck up to eye the curious plant for a bit, then decided that spiders weren’t worthy of being snacks.

“To eat the insects and keep stuff away,” Tobby replied.

“What stuff?”

Tobby paused. The older boy frowned and looked around, then remembered his lessons. “Twigs and stuff. Leaves and other plants. Spiders are actually very strong and spidervän needs help to stay clear or it won’t get enough sunlight.”

“How do you know that?”

“Know what?”

“That it needs help.”

Tobby frowned and thought. “Plants don’t move. It can’t clear the stuff away itself.”

Mao considered this, found no fault in the argument, and nodded begrudgingly. On they went.

The forest had many interesting sights. A squirrel racing up and down a tree for example, or that deer that Mao only saw the butt off as it ran away from the not so quiet pair of boys. They still held their breath and waited just in case it decided to come back.

Their first trip through the forest went pretty well. They found a bunch of harefoot, some early wild strawberries, a funny looking mushroom that Tobby couldn’t identify but was certain his teacher would like, and a small handful of moonbells.

Mao wanted to pluck all of the moonbells at first, but Tobby stopped him. “We need to leave some behind so they can make seeds and grow more flowers for next year. We’ll remember the spot.”

Mao had asked if they couldn’t plant some at home instead, Josei kept a few potted ones after all, but Tobby had been adamant. “The wild ones are more potent. They get more light from Lady Moon.”

Despite the reasonable explanation, Mao had still sulked on their way back. He knew how much his mom enjoyed moonbell tea, so he’d wanted to bring her an entire armful of the precious blooms.

Tobby chewed his lip while watching Mao stomp after him. The older boy stopped, made a show of looking around, then bent down to Mao’s eye level. Confused and curious, Mao inched closer. The older boy cupped a hand next to his mouth and whispered, “This is a secret but I’ll tell you since we’re colleagues now.”

“What’s colleagues?” Mao’s question put a stick in Tobby’s metaphorical wheels, but the older boy recovered swiftly. “Work buddies. It means we work together on the same job under the same boss.”

“But you work for mister Brewer.”

Tobby leaned back up a bit, frowning. “You wanna hear the secret or not?”

Mao nodded quickly and leaned in to listen.

“Katja told me that Mother Wolf sometimes goes out to pluck moonbells to brew tea with, then she invites Lady Moon down for a cup. That’s why the moon is gone sometimes.”

Tobby got a bewildered look in return for his secret, then a pinecone to the shoulder.

“Ouch!”

“That was a lie!” Mao made for another pinecone to throw and Tobby backed up fast, hands raised to block the incoming projectile.

“Oh yea? Then what’s your explanation?!” He yelled from a safe distance. Tulip was giving him a narrow stare. Mao paused to think, pinecone raised but not yet thrown.

“To… to go hunt?” The younger boy didn’t sound certain, neither did he look the part. Tobby took that moment to hurl a pinecone back at Mao, quick as a squirrel. Mao shrieked in surprised outrage.

“You can’t do that! You’re supposed to look after me!” Using the good ol ‘mom said’ tactic? Classic. Tobby didn’t fall for it.

“And teach you stuff. Like that if you throw something at someone they might throw something back! Like this!” Tobby picked up another pinecone- there were plenty of them around- and raised it but didn’t throw it. Mao took off screaming into the woods.

“Stay on the path!” Tobby yelled. Mao corrected his course, still screaming because it was common knowledge that screaming made you go faster. Tobby gave chase with a grin. He was a quick runner, and a durable one. He was confident he could catch up with ease whenever he wanted to. Unfortunatly for him, Mao was a quick one too.

By the time they were back at the western gate into Redlog, both boys were red faced and panting. Two durable, quick, runners canceled each other out quite efficiently. The watchmen on station at the gates just chuckled at the sight of them trudging back up the stairs.

Mao slept well that knight, pride threatening to blow up his chest after his first day of apprentice work. Josei treated him, Tobby, and Katja to a meal at the Droopy Swan noodle shop to celebrate.

-

Over time the excitement of becoming an apprentice slowly ebbed out, but in its place sat pride and the comfort of experience. Mao got better and better at spotting plants, probably because he’d return home with an empty basket if he didn’t do his best.

Tobby had many bits of wisdom to share. Sometimes silly things like how the nobles up at the Peak often tripped over the many chickens that lived around the temple erected in their dubious ancestor’s honor.

Or about the urban legend about the frogman that lived in the sewers and collected all the coins people dropped while out and about. Tobby claimed that there were tiny gaps between the cobblestones that made up most roads in Redlog, just big enough for coins to slip through so they could fall into the sewers.

Mao had his doubts about that. Especially after sneaking out one night with a candle to try and see through said gaps. He even tried to pry a stone loose but it wouldn’t budge! Tobby was probably lying. Probably… Mao had nightmares about frogmen staring up at him through the toilet when he peed, but refused to tell Josei where he got it from. Thankfully Tulip saved the day by tagging along. Probably out of love. Or maybe the treats Mao bribed him with until he followed. He wouldn’t tell Josei about that part either.

It was at the end of spring that something went wrong during their near daily herb gathering trips to the forest.

Tobby was the first to spot the rare price, a small cluster of yellow flowers growing on an odd looking heap of dirt and roots. It was a fallen tree, Mao realized with a gasp. A large pine with roots so firmly grasping the ground that it had pulled a big chunk of it up when it fell over, leaving a big hole in the ground behind.

His second gasp came as he recognized the yellow flowers. They didn’t have leaves and they clung tightly to the fallen tree. Sunlight hit them through a hole in the canopy in a way that made them glisten, wet and slimy. Mushrooms.

“Wildersun,” Mao whispered. His mother’s flower. The ones Summer had grown for her while he was still alive. He made to run up and grab them but a hand planted itself on his chest before he could.

Tobby was staring at the flowers too- no, Mao frowned. Tobby was staring at the tree, brow furrowed in deep thought.

“What’s wrong?” Mao’s question seemed to startle the older boy. Tobby looked down at his companion, still with the frown, then back at the tree.

“That’s a rotvälta. Do you know what those are, Mao?”

Mao stared at the tree. He shook his head. Tobby explained, and from the tone in his voice the younger boy realized that they had found something dangerous.

“It’s a tree that’s fallen over, but it hasn’t given up yet. It could flip back over again. You must never go near them or you might get crushed to death.”

Crushed? Mao shuddered. But the yellow flowers glittered in the sun. His eyes began to sting as he realized they would have to leave them behind… but Tobby was still staring at the tree. Mao didn’t understand why, not at once. He tugged at Tobby’s arm, hoping to snap him out of it.

Tobby kept staring but answered in a distracted voice. “Wildersun are very rare… I might be able to grab them.”

Mao’s eyes grew wide. “But you said…”

“I know but… see I’m a- I’m quick. And nimble. It- yes, it might be fine if I do it.” Tobby’s eyes refocused.

He turned to give Mao a stern look, grabbing the younger boy by the shoulders. He knelt down and spoke in a tone Mao only really heard adults using. Urgent, important, and a little worried… The fear was infectious… but Mao trusted Tobby’s judgement.

“I’ll go grab those flowers, Mao, but you need to stay here. Do not come closer no matter what, alright? It’s very dangerous. I’ve been going to the forest for more years than you, so I know what I’m doing. So stay here. Got it?”

He didn’t let go until Mao nodded. The younger boy stood frozen in place, uncertainty gnawing at his every nerve. Tobby gave him a confident smile.

“I’ll tell you a secret if I get them, alright? Something only a few people know.”

He meant for it to distract Mao, but the younger boy couldn’t help but worry. Tobby seemed so confident though… so Mao swallowed his fear and nodded, promising to stay put. Tobby gave his arm a friendly slap, gently. He was tense with nerves despite his brave act.

Mao watched him carefully sneak up to the rotvälta. He only saw part of the pit from where the roots had once been buried. This part of the forest was thick with cranberry bushes. There were more pines than maples here and the berries seemed to like that.

It also made it terribly hard to make out the exact edges of the rotvälta pit. Tobby snuck around it carefully, trying to see where his footing would be the most stable, wary of upsetting the feeble balance of the tipped tree.

Mao had to stand up on his tip-toes to see the bottom of the pit. It wasn’t overgrown yet so the tree must have fallen over recently. The wildersun were growing among the roots, small buds of golden yellow. They were blooming a bit early considering summer was only just starting. Maybe because the tree falling over had exposed them to the light? Mao remembered something about mushrooms having odd blooming cycles. Especially in places where the wild ones roamed actively.

Tobby touched the edge of the rotvälta, a piece of ground turned vertical from some force of nature, roots reaching in every direction as if trying to figure out why they were suddenly on the side like that. Mao held his breath.

Nothing happened.

The blooms looked so tantalizingly close, Tobby just had to reach out and-... He couldn’t reach them. Oh he tried but they were just…

Just far enough away that he couldn’t reach them from where he stood. Mao couldn’t breathe. Tobby looked at the ground, the very edge of the hole. A line cut through the cranberry bushes, then just dirt and torn roots. Tobby weighed his options. Mao wanted to scream.

‘Get away from there! Forget the flowers! I wanna go home!’

He tried to yell but all that came out was a wheeze. He coughed, trying to silence the sound as if a single gasp would cause the rotvälta to move. It felt like he was choking. Tobby jumped.

Mao actually screamed then. The older boy landed on the edge of the pit, hands meeting the underside of the tree and the big chunk of ground held in its roots. It didn’t move. Tobby’s right hand had landed on the wildersun. He closed his fist tightly and then he had them. Mao wanted to laugh, cry in relief. Tobby turned his face towards Mao, a wide grin spreading across his face. His eyes seemed to say ‘See? I told you I could do it’.

Maybe this tree was like Summer, even though it was dying. Maybe it wanted to- The rotvälta moved.

It was a snap of a sound. Some root pulled taut finally breaking. It happened so fast that by the time Mao’s scream left his lips, Tobby had already disappeared. He’d caught a glimpse of the older boy’s smile slipping, eyes widening, realization settling in-

THUMP!

It should have been a louder sound. Mao felt as if a piece of the ground had just exploded. It should have been a roar that sent the birds flying and made Josei break through the trees in a mad dash to save them.

It wasn’t louder than someone dropping a pumpkin from the lowest Redlog wall. It had been a fair distance down to the ground back then. The pumpkin had burst with a thud, goey insides and pale seeds splashing over the ground. It had been a dare by one of the older kids. Mao found himself wondering for one paralyzed second if Tobby had… if Tobby was…

A scream broke out from under the rotvälta. The tree actually stood upright now- almost. It had a strange tilt to it… Mao heard something yowl in pain from beneath its roots. He couldn’t move. He had to-

“MwwWWWOOOOOOOOmmm!”

It was Tobby. He was crying. It sounded like someone dying. It was far from the controlled yell of an adult, or the shrieks of playing children. It was shrill, too high in pitch, terrified. Tobby called for help. Mao took a trembling step forwards-

The rotvälta made a groaning sound. Tobby’s cries cut off in an instant. Mao could hear a faint tone of… it was like an intake of breath, a scream without air. Just for a moment, then Tobby yowled again.

Mao knew he had to do something, but the rotvälta might move if he got closer. Tobby wasn’t dead- just hurt. He might make it if he got help. Tulip wasn’t here to help. Mao ran for the road.

He ran faster than he ever had in his life. He could hear Tobby’s shrill cries echoing behind him, louder than anything else. Mao’s eyes fogged up with tears. He couldn’t breathe so he ran.

The forest broke with a gasp of leaves as Mao crashed through the edge of it, landing on the less overgrown grass of the outskirts of Redlog. He made for the gate. Why did it seem so far away? Why couldn’t he go faster? He couldn’t hear Tobby anymore but the sound still played in his head on constant repeat.

Mao felt hands on his shoulders and realized he’d run into someone. He couldn’t see through the tears, couldn’t speak through the snot pouring out from his nose. He felt warm leather, soft through years of use, someone’s tunic. He clutched at it and managed to hiccup out a stilted “r-roootväl-aa-aaaa-”.

Warm hands lifted him up. Mao clung to this unknown person, praying they would help him. He was being spoken to but the words made no sense. He could still hear Tobby’s screams in his head. The voice of the adult that had picked him up was male, gruff, it smelled like smoke. He held Mao to his chest and started running.

A different kind of scream rose from his chest. Mao thought it was his own for a moment, then realized that the sound came from the adult. A howl of sound, so deep it shook his bones. Similar sounds answered it from far away. The man carrying Mao ran.

Twigs and leaves broke around them. They were going through the forest. Mao squeezed his eyes shut and cried, unable to do anything else. He could hear things better with his eyes closed. The beating of someone else’s heart, quick and urgent, the huffing of deep lungs, his own sniveling cries. Quick, sniffing breaths, like a dog following a trail.

The thump thump thump of multiple sets of boots crashing through the forest floor.

All too suddenly the sensation of running stopped. Mao felt dizzy. The man carrying him kept a firm hold around him, protective. Other people ran past him. Men and women in leather armor. Hunters’ Guild.

They had the same uniform, the same grim visages and worn boots. No horses like the watch had when they needed to go fast. Mao wiped at his face, grunting in frustration at his blurry vision.

He saw the Hunters crouching, listening, waving their hands in strange signals. A man with a grey fur cloak crept towards the rotvälta. Mao thought he could hear sobbing. A hiss cut through the air and the creeping man slank forwards, as smooth as water. His shape blurred as he pulled the cloak’s hood over his head. His hands touched the ground, still in that flowing motion that shouldn’t have made sense. There was too much grace in it, too much confidence.

The rotvälta groaned and everyone grew tense. A yowl started and cut short as the grey furred man sank a hand- no a paw, beneath the edge of the rotvälta’s crust of dirt, the piece of land still attached to its roots.

The figure tensed and heaved, forcing the crust of dirt back up, up, up. Until it fell back over, heavy trunk hitting the ground with a sound that echoed through the woods.

Another Hunter slunk forwards. She wore a similar fur cloak and as she moved it shifted, engulfing her until there was no Hunter left, only a big grey thing… It had a snout and eyes like fire. A coat of needling silver. The wolfwoman lifted something orange out of the pit while the other beast held the rotvälta in place.

Once the woman had retreated to the rest of the group, the first shifter let go. The rotvälta slid back into place with a sigh, trunk once more upright but…

Dead. This tree wouldn’t live again. It had nearly killed Tobby. Mao felt exhausted, all tears cried by now. He stared at the orange thing in the wolfwoman’s arms, the small bundle of shaggy orange fur…

A green eyed cat looked up at him, tail so bushy with fright it could have made a squirrel look twice. The wolfwoman’s fur shifted, slid back over her shoulders and settled there, a cloak once more. She made hushed sounds to the frightened cat. It yowled, a low, pitiful sound. Mao wondered why it sounded like Tobby.

The Hunter he’d run into when trying to find help carried Mao back to Redlog. Despite his shaken mind, Mao fell asleep on the way back. Maybe because the group of Hunters walked there rather than sprint like before. The cat kept crying quietly into the female Hunter’s arms. She held it gently, so gently...

-

Mao woke up to a hysterical Josei hugging him. He vaguely remembered the Hunters telling her what had happened. Tobby had fallen into a rotvälta pit when it fell back over, but they’d gotten him out in time. He had a broken leg. Mao was fine.

Josei cried all night, never letting go of Mao, as if the ghost of the fallen tree would come back to claim him.

He was forbidden from going alone to the forest for the next few weeks. Tobby had to stay home the first few days, no visitors. A healer set his broken bone and wrapped it up so it could heal. He wouldn’t be walking for a while.

Josei said it would take months to heal, but Tobby said he’d be back at it in a few weeks at most. Mao didn’t believe him at first, so Tobby told him the secret he meant to share if he got the wildersun.

“I have 9 lives- well, 8 now. I’ll be fine once I’ve had a bit of sleep.”

Mao’s friend was a wild one. An orange cat. He didn’t know what to make of that.