Phoebus stayed outside for a bit. She walked around the house to get a good layout of it. It was large and sturdy. Lengthwise, it made a relaxed U shape. In the bend there was a mossy tree cut off on a little island by a small creek that ran underneath the front porch and close to the back wall.

In the back there was a door leading into a kitchen and a balcony above it. There were windows indicating a lot of rooms.

On one side there was an overgrown garden. Phoebus looked through it and was able to find a few strong plants that were fighting, despite the weeds trying to choke them out.

Overall, the entire place just looked like it needed plants cut back and a bit of cleaning.

Phoebus looked through the weeds in the garden. She didn't know a whole lot about plants but when she found a small squash plant she weeded around it until there was a clear path the sun could go through to get to it.

"Phoebus."

Phoebus started as Lyndee suddenly appeared behind her. You think someone with that size of wings would have at least made a bit of noise walking through the dense plants.

"What?" Phoebus stood and looked at Lyndee.

Even though Lyndee's face was still relaxed it showed a sober solemness. "I think Mattie's parents are dead."

Phoebus furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?"

"I asked him why he was in the forest. He said that all he remembers is his "mother falling over and his dad telling him to run." He also said that it was dark and there were sharp sounds."

"Sharp sounds?"

"I couldn't get any other details out of him. I think he blocked most of it out of his memory."

Phoebus nodded. She looked at the house.

"This place is nice."

Lyndee nodded. "It feels familiar. Like an old friend."

"What's it like inside? Have you explored?"

"Mattie and I did. There's a bunch of empty rooms upstairs and an attic. Downstairs there's an apothecary filled with dead plants, the main living room, the kitchen, a pantry, and what looks to be a bedroom between the apothecary and the bee room."

"What's a bee room?"

"It's where you can process honey from hives and store all your bee keeping necessities."

"Oh."

They stood in silence, staring at the home.

Phoebus looked down at her feet. "Hugho gave me a map. The nearest town is half a day's walk."

"Then we should probably get started."

"Yeah. Maybe we'll find a place Mattie can stay. Unless you're willing to take him with you to wherever you're going."

Lyndee shook her head. "Mattie needs a home."

They sat in silence for another second. Then Phoebus stepped forward and walked into the house, Lyndee trailing behind.

They gathered their things when they got into the house and set out with Mattie. He looked like he wanted to say something but didn't.

It was early afternoon and the trees swayed, making dancing shadows on their path. The pine trees created stiff sways while the leafy trees fluttered like butterflies. The occasional wind made the leaves greet each other with feathery laughs. Ferns and plants that Phoebus didn't know the name of quietly framed their path.  It was almost as if the forest was trying to seem pleasing to them.

"Oh." Lyndee stopped suddenly after about three and a half hours of walking without exchanging words.

Phoebus bumped into her and Mattie side stepped to avoid the collision.

Lyndee seemed unfazed. "Do you see her?"

Mattie and Phoebus looked in the direction Lyndee was gesturing but didn't site anything unusual until a voice snapped "It's rude to stare."

"It's rude to spy," Phoebus snapped back at the teenage girl that finally took shape before them.

The girl crossed her arms. "I wasn't. Just watching you walk by."

She was shorter than Mattie but heavier built. Her hair was red and spiky. A spray of freckles went across her peeling sunburned skin.

"What are you anyway?"

"Phoebus, she's a tree nymph," Lyndee looked her with a how-could-you-not-know-that look.

"Where's you?" Mattie asked. He seemed fairly fine with the nymph. He had probably seen some before.

"Over there." The nymph gestured to a redwood tree that matched her short, thick, and spiky self.

"I'm very sorry if I seemed rude," Lyndee looked downcast at the disapproval that had been shown. "I've never really met a wood nymph. Only heard stories."

"No nymphs?" The redwood seemed slightly baffled. "Where are you from?"

"Further down the coast," Lyndee pointed in a direction that was definitely not where the coast was. "Peckree port."

"Mm. Never heard of it."

"Oh," Lyndee's ears turned the color of her hair. "We do have trees but they don't have nymphs."

"They probably do," Mattie said. "They just might be sleeping because it's not as safe there."

"They're trees. I think they'd be fine." Phoebus glanced down the path and dug her toe in the dirt pointedly.

"Not really. If they reveal themselves they're more likely to be attacked," Mattie ignored the message. "If you make someone mad you can run. But if you're stuck in the ground there's only so much you can do to save yourself."

The corner of the redwood's mouth turned up. She affectionately rubbed Mattie's ears and offered her hand to Lyndee. 

"I can take you to the village if you'd like. Introduce you to some friends."

As they walked the redwood chatted relentlessly. Lyndee was delighted and Mattie seemed to share the feelings, but he would occasionally glance back guiltily at Phoebus. The path had only been wide enough for the three of them to walk side by side. 

The redwood's name was Thea. She marched along happily, her clomping bare feet kicking up puffs of dry dirt. She pointed out plants and trees, calling them by their name and their species name, both in Common and a strange language Phoebus couldn't quite identify. 

"That's Litzy. She nearly killed someone when they misused her once," Thea pointed at vine climbing the trunk of a tree.

Phoebus wasn't sure if "used" meant that a person used the sprit in some relationship or that they picked the plant and used it for its wrong purpose. Lyndee's face stopped her from clarifying.

"I know, right," Thea noticed Lyndee's face as well. "She's so cool. I'm growing the courage to ask her to lunch some time." She tugged on her sleeveless red-brown dress self consciously.

Overall, Thea didn't seem like that bad of a spirit. Though a bit bad at reading the room. It was also good that she knew where the settlement was. Because Phoebus didn't even know which way to look at the map Hugho had given them.

Despite her first impression, Lyndee couldn't help but feel relieved when they reached the town. Thea didn't loose her pace, heading straight for the inn/tavern/cafe. Mattie trotted along with her and Lyndee fell out of step so that she was back a few feet with Phoebus.

Lyndee opened her mouth but then closed it. Phoebus didn't have a conversation starter to offer either.

The "Sayfreen Forest Inn" had an ancient look to it. It was in good repair and clean, with mismatched inlaid carvings and windows decorating the outside. The door that led to the buzzing interior was propped open by a large pot, allowing some ventilation to pass through the humid room.

"Thea, what can I do for you?"

Still not breaking pace, the spirit clomped to the counter that lined the back right corner of the room and took a seat on a high stool.

"Wriggle juice for my friends and I," she told the person behind the counter. "How's the family, Series?"

As Lyndee joined her she took an odd mental note that the first thing she noticed about this person was their glowing yellow eyes; and she found it odd that she hadn't noticed the nine (well, nine and a half. One was missing at the elbow) arms first.

"Uncle Whin died."

Series the bartender paid full attention to Thea while their hands moved deftly in their work of making the odd sounding drink.

"Again?"

"Again."

"That's the fourth time in the last five years."

"I know. But luckily he's recovering quickly."

Lyndee noticed Phoebus's eyebrow twitch and was glad to know she wasn't alone in her confusion. Mattie seemed unperturbed, watching in fascination, his head bobbing and swaying as he tried to follow the action in front of him.

"Who are your friends?" Series served the drinks with a theatrical finish, much to Mattie's delight.

"That's Lyndee, Mattie, and... Saaaarrrah?"

"Phoebus." Phoebus squinted and screwed the corner of her mouth at Thea.

Series leaned on their second set of elbows while their first left one used a napkin to swipe up a small spill Mattie had already made. "Do you happen to know a Cred?"

"Um. I have a third cousin, once removed by that name," Phoebus leaned to the side and away from Series. Their eyes seemed to pierce right through her. 

Nervously her own eyes darted around their face, observing their black hair and brown skin.

"I thought so. You both have the same nose."

Phoebus hand found her nose. Maybe they did. 

Series had small horns coming from just above their brow. Black hombre-ing to a deep yellow.

"So what's in this?" Lyndee said, loud enough that Series gave her their full attention. She swirled the drink in her cup for extra effect.

"I never tell what's in my drinks to customers," Series winked at her. "Only what's not."

"Fair enough," Lyndee took a sip. It was green, fizzy, and sweet. Little sour gummies slowly dissolved in the bottom. Mattie had already finished his drink and was chewing on the gummies, occasionally picking out what got stuck between his teeth with his grubby hands. Thea was blowing bubbles in hers.

Another costumer called for Series. They excused themself and went to go help.

"So, what are we going to do with Mattie?"

Lyndee looked at Phoebus from over the brim of her cup. "Hm?"

"Maybe Series knows of a good children's home," Phoebus kept her voice low, hoping the noise around them would drown out the words before reaching Mattie.

Lyndee set down her cup and nodded, resigned.

Mattie pretended not to listen but his twitching ears gave him away.

"We could ask-Oh, nevermind. She's walking away."

The three of them watched Thea skipping to the door and exiting, completely forgetting her new friends. Whether it's because they had stopped talking to her or she needed to get back to her tree, Lyndee wasn't sure. But there was no stopping her as she disappeared into the sunlight.

"Tree nymphs are rather free souls," Series was suddenly back, whisking away empty cups. "Not to worry, her drinks are on the house. She did me a favor once."

Phoebus pulled out and dug around her purse, pulling out enough money to cover the three of their drinks. Lyndee tried to protest but Phoebus waved her off.

"Series, do you know of any groups or families that look like Mattie?" Phoebus inquired.

"Um, yeah, actually," Series set down a glass they were polishing. "Do you mind if I have a word with one of you?" They side glanced at Mattie.

Phoebus slipped off her stool and followed Series to the end of the long counter. Series's hands set to work folding napkins, except for the top pair, which they folded and looked down at the ground.

"I was hoping that Mattie was yours."

"Ours?"

"You and Lyndee."

"Oh. Oh, no. Lyndee and I met two days ago. We found Mattie in the woods yesterday." Phoebus tried not to get distracted by Series's moving hands.

"Ah. So he does belong to the Golden Pack. Or did." It was hard to tell where Series was looking because their eyes were entirely yellow with no pupil.

"Mattie hasn't said much be he remembers his "father telling him to run and his mother falling over"," Phoebus didn't like the way Series's chin turned up to look at the ceiling.

"We're not entirely sure what's happened but the Golden Pack has been weirdly silent the past week. We tried to send scouts but they've only come back turned around and confused. We're not sure if anyone is dead but Mattie's report rules out them just wanting to be left alone, or something."

"Is there somewhere Mattie can stay until that's figured out?"

Series placed the last napkin in a basket and started polishing silverware. "It's times like this I wish Heartwood was still open."

"What's Heartwood?" Phoebus glanced over at Lyndee and Mattie. They were having a lively conversation of some sort.

"There's a cottage out in the forest-."

"The abandoned one?"

"You're familiar?"

"We sheltered from the storm there last night."

Series nodded. "It used to be a kind of inn. People could stay there if they just needed a place to rest while they traveled. But some stayed longer." Series got a far off, dreamy look. "Maybe it was the forest, maybe it was the owners, maybe even the water, but it was said that place could heal any wound. Physical or emotional."

"Emotional wound?" Phoebus raised an eyebrow.

Series came back and looked at Phoebus. "Yeah. Emotional."

"There's no such thing as emotional wounds."

For the first time since Phoebus had seen Series they became still. None of their hands moved. They just stared Phoebus in the eyes.

Uncomfortable, Phoebus looked away.

"I can just tell by looking at you that's not true."

"Why do people keep saying stuff like that?" Phoebus snapped. She looked at Series in the eyes defiantly, but couldn't keep looking into their glowing voids, resorting to glaring at their horns.

"Please. Have you looked in a mirror? You look awful."

"Gee, thanks," Phoebus's nose scrunched.

"I'm not sugar coating my words cause you're the type to chomp on the salt."

"Whatever that means-."

"I shouldn't talk to costumers this way but you do look terrible. Your face is sunken and I can tell from your eyes you feel guilty and awful about something. It gets worse every time you look at me. Like you're afraid I can read your mind. I can't, by the way. But I am good at reading people. That bird girl," Series finally looked away, jerking their head in Lyndee's direction. "has helped you already. More than you realize."

"What a shame," Phoebus stepped away. "Because we're parting ways."

"You can get angry all you want. But from my own stay at Heartwood I've learned how to identify a scared lost soul when I see one."

"I'm not-."

Series turned on their heel and went to help a costumer.

Phoebus stared at their back. Slowly she turned, then briskly walked out the door into the light.