Wielding his machete expertly, Cub slashed through the foliage in search of something he was certain had to be nearby. The drone hadn't flown too deep into the forest before discovering the camp Ren and Grian were staying in, so it had to be close. He followed the video feed as closely as he could, identifying any landmarks he could find. He was certain they were nearby, but so far it was a dead end.

A loud squelch drew his attention to his feet, where thick mud gripped his boots and threatened to pull him in. He was especially grateful he had decided to wear his heavy duty boots. A preliminary examination showed Cub that the mud continued off to his left, and the further he followed the trail, the more clearly a small farm could be seen, clearly the source of the mud. Now rejuvenated, Cub jogged through the garden into a clearing, the clearing he knew Grian and Ren were in. "Hello?"

A loud crash shook one of the vans, and out the door tumbled Grian, who slammed the door behind himself quickly, breathing heavily. His eyes settled on Cub with happy familiarity, but there was a measured nervousness behind it. "Cub!"

"Hi Grian, how're you doing?"

The van shuddered again. "Uh, fine! What- What are you doing here?" Grian cracked a lopsided smile.

"Just checking in on behalf of a few people. Is Ren around?"

Grian sent a sidelong glance at the van. "Ah, he's a little preoccupied at the moment, but I can tell him to give you a call later today?" He offered.

Cub squinted. "Really. Is he the one shaking the van?"

Grian's eyes widened further, if that was possible. "No! Well, I guess, but not because he's in trouble or anything! Let me go get him." Grian offered a fleeting smile as he carefully slipped back inside the van, keeping the door as narrow as possible. With a sigh, Cub glanced around the campsite. It was more pleasant that it seemed from the drone's camera, with a large fire pit and two large vans they were evidently living in. Turning his attention back to Grian's van, the shaking had settled down, and hushed voices replaced it, too quiet for Cub to pick up on.

After another minute, Cub grew impatient. A gentle rap in the door was his reminder that he was still here, but he didn't expect the door to explode outwards, throwing him roughly to the ground with the dented door beside him. The most shocking part however, was the monstrous Venus fly trap diving right for him.

With a deft roll to the right, Cub launched himself to his feet, reaching for the machete on his belt. He only found air though, and spotted his knife across the clearing; it must have been blown away when the thing attacked. Equipped only with his bare fists and adrenaline, Cub squared up and landed a solid blow to the creatures head with a solid thunk. Before he could land another hit, his arms were restrained, and he noticed Ren holding the plant like Grian now held him. The two were yelling at their captives, telling them to stop fighting, but Cub missed all of it, too fixated on the plant in front of him now that it was holding still. It was massive, far larger than any natural plant, and clearly possessed sentience. The way it swayed and almost made guttural noises at Ren pet it were unheard of for a plant, and Cub was both fascinated and terrified by the amalgamate.

When Cub didn't give any response to Grian's questions that he only vaguely heard, Ren began to carefully lead the creature away, and once out of sight Cub managed to relax his tense muscles. Grian released his arms cautiously. "Are you okay?" He whispered.

Cub nodded mutely.

"I'm sorry you had to see her, she's just overprotective of Ren yknow?"

Cub nodded slowly. "Where... did you find it?"

Grian laughed weakly. "Well, she first of all; her name is Scara. And that probably gives you a hint, right? We think she's an escaped alien from Area 77."

"Area 77?"

"Oh yeah, that's what we started calling Scar and Doc's situation over there. Weird huh? She hasn't shown any sort of aggression like that before."

Cub shook his head, trying to parse all this new and extremely important. "Wait, are you telling me you're in close contact with another alien? You guys know how risky this is! What if it was created by the alien? You saw the powers it seemed to give Scar, what if it starts possessing you as well?"

Grian's expression fell at Cub's concerns. "You're right, but... she's just so nice. What if we're protecting her from them? I can't risk it."

"Grian, I-" Cub took a deep breath, slowing his anxious heartbeat. This was the worst case scenario. "Grian, I know I can't change your mind on this, but promise me one thing. If you notice anything- magic, vines, possession- you'll tell me. We can't lose more hermits, okay?"

Grian evidently caught the heavy tone in Cub's voice, and nodded solemnly. "Of course. I'll do everything in my power to protect Ren."

Cub nodded, happy with the agreement; well, not happy, but placated for now.

"Um, I hate to do this but, do you think you could leave now? Ren and Scara don't take very well to strangers..." Grian asked, shuffling the dirt at his feet.

Cub nodded stoically. "Of course. Watch your back." And with that, he grabbed a firework and launched into the sky. It wasn't until he was halfway back to the shopping district that he allowed himself to replay everything that just happened. It was very quick; only five minutes at most, but there was so much new and terrifying information, it felt like an eternity. He was thankful to know precisely where the two were living, but...

This new creature was a troubling development. On one hand, there was a chance the alien itself created the plant with malicious intent. In that case, Ren and Grian were in great danger. Scar and Doc were also in danger, as evidently they have no greater knowledge of it's powers than anyone else. On the other hand, Scar made the plant with the magic he displayed in the clearing, which deeply concerned Cub. If Scar's mysterious powers had grown this powerful, who knew how strong of a grip the alien had over his mind. It clearly possessed mind manipulation abilities, and Cub could only hope it wasn't damaging Scar's mental capacity in order to possess him.

All these new revelations weighed heavily on Cub, clearly the only person which all the information without being exposed to alien influence. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to take a nap, and wake up with everything back to normal. However, he couldn't dwell in these fantasies for long; this was reality, and that daydream was impossible. If everyone in the forest was infer the aliens influence, he got to be the hero of this story. Cub had to stay strong, as any falter could cause him to stumble. As much as he needed to report back to Xisuma and continue his work back in the lab, he had a previous engagement with Stress, so he steered himself towards her portal and drifted through.

The instant he crossed into the frigid tundra, he was wrapped in a warm hug. "Hiya Cub, I figured ya'd be ere soon!"

"Hello Stress, it's always good to see you." Cub smiled warmly, worries pushed to the back of his mind for now. "What did you need my help with?"

Stress giggled, embarrassed. "Well, ya know tha lab I'm sharin with Iskall? Well e's got cool redstone an stuff down there, and I have cool ideas too, but I'm rubbish at makin em!" She laughed. "Ya think you could help me make a couple gadgets?"

"Of course. Let's head down, shall we?"

Several hours later, the pair emerged from the lab, laughter echoing off the expanse of ice. "-And then 'e fell on his bum!" Stress giggled.

"Really? I can't believe Scar never told me about that!"

"I mean, it is pretty embarrassing."

Cub sighed with a smile. "You're right, he's very proud sometimes,"

"By tha way, have ya seen him lately? He's been out an about now, asn't he?"

"Yeah, a couple times..."

Stress opened her mouth a couple times, clearly trying to decide what to say, but instead she threw on a large smile. "Let's go ave some hot cocoa, shall we?"

Cub hadn't been inside Stress' castle since the beginning of the season, and things were truly starting to shape up on the inside. Magenta rugs lined the wood floors, with hanging chandeliers and ornate tables decorating the space. Upon entering the kitchen it was clear she always had hot chocolate at the ready, so they retrieved two mugs and filled them up, steam drifting up into the rafters. Stress motioned towards a discrete door with her head, and Cub followed her through it cautiously.

This room was far smaller than the previous, but was clearly shown much more love. The floor was covered with long, soft carpet, and matching drapes framed the pair of windows revealing the setting sun outside. The warm light cast the space in shades of pink and orange, making it feel even cozier. Pillows and blankets were scattered around the floor, and Stress wasted no time dragging two of the larger pillows over to the windows for them to sit on.

Once settled in with drinks in hand, Stress turned to Cub with deep compassion in her eyes. "Cubby, what's on your mind?"

Cub stirred his drink for a moment, calculating how to phrase his feelings. "I think... I think Ren and Grian have seen more of Scar than I have recently. And... that makes me feel jealous."

"And why is that?" Stress prodded. Only Stress could make Cub open up so easily.

"I suppose I feel like a side character in my own story, if that makes sense." This analogy had been in Cub's mind for a long time, but he was never quite sure how to express it. "Grian seems to be making himself the hero of this story, but it's my business partner that's in trouble. My best friend. Why am I being pushed to the side when it's my chance to be a hero?"

Cub took a deep breath, calming down. These thoughts had been stewing inside of him for some time now, and he couldn't help the anger bubbling up inside of him. He didn't mean to dump everything on Stress, but based on the way large tears rolled down her cheeks, he may have shared too much.

"Oh Cub, I'm so sorry..." She sniffled. "I just- I'm so so sorry." With a hiccup, she threw her arms around Cub, and he sank into her touch. For some time that felt like an eternity, they sat that way, wrapped in each other's arms. They watched the sun slowly dip below the horizon, the last of its warm beams bouncing off the expanse of ice before fading out. Without the warming rays, the room grew cold quickly, and they were forced to return to reality.

Wordlessly, the pair tidied up the room and returned their mugs to the kitchen for washing. Stress had offered to let Cub sleep over, but right now he was craving the familiarity of ConCorp, so he declined politely. It took some time before he could fall asleep, but when he did, he dreamed only of Scar's face, disappointed by his fit of jealousy.

Love you, my little stars!
-RaeTheStar