Chapter NaN: Oneshot
It wasnât all that often you saw an elf wearing a straw hat, but in the afternoon Idyl sun, it was pretty much essential headgear.
Gylfinir was the current trustee of the Arleigh estate, a 300-year-old apple orchard and home of the sweetest cider this side of the valley. Like every trustee before him, he was a Feathercloak-- a tall, thin weasel of a feravo-- sworn to preserve the great Eve Arleighâs legacy for generations to come. Not drought nor flood nor realtors had shaken him, but for Nokt's sake, this latest crisis was just about to do him in.
âListen, I love nature and all of Noktâs creations as much as the next elf, but there has to be something you can do. Traps, poison, name your price. Itâs a full-on infestation in there!â
The horned blue cat in a trenchcoat shook her head. âNo can do, sir. By the looks of it, youâve got woâas, and the Migratory Woâa Treaty Act forbids killing, selling, or hunting them for any reason.â
Gylfinir made a big show of huffing and puffing as Livia turned to leave. But the moment she was out of earshot, he kicked an empty basket towards a waiting teenager and her bright pink hawk.
âPick as many good apples as you can, and if you find one thatâs mostly clean, go ahead and, you knowâŚâ He mimed a chopping motion with his paw. âAnd keep this quiet. Donât want that bleedinâ hunter to get wind of this.â
âWill do, sir!â Tiffany said. It wasnât the most ethical work in Wyvera, but the ranch paid like they offered room and board (they didnât) and sheâd been eyeing a new pair of work boots in town. Plus, âworked for the oldest orchard in Mideltonâ would look great on a resume. âCome on, Aster. You take the north, and Iâll take the south.â
Aster picked up the basket in her beak. âInfestationâ mightâve been an understatement. As the pair walked down the main row of trees, every single one seemed to be writhing with fuzzy worms, each a foot long and covered in brightly-coloured, hair-like setae. Half-eaten, rotting apples lay piled up in their wake, and they didnât seem to be slowing down. Aster turned in a circle and slapped one with her tail. It bristled at her and slithered away.
âSorry, little guy. I really didnât want to do this.â
Aster saw that her rider had cornered one of the smaller woâas. It cowered as she raised her hand high⌠and then chopped down onto empty air, exactly as Gylfinir had demonstrated. The woâa blinked as Tiffany continued to chop towards it, then rolled its eyes and wriggled off to the next tree.
âHuh. I guess that worked?â
Oh, right over there! A pristine apple! Aster trotted over to it, reaching up on her tippy-talons to pull it off the treeâ and came face-to-face with a yellow-and-black striped woâa doing the same thing. The creature narrowed its eyes at her, sucking in a breath to let out a fearsome hiss. She drew her head back and slammed it beakfirst, and while it was reeling, she plucked the fruit and tossed it into the basket.
Some progress, at least. Aster poked her head up to see how Tiffany was doing.
Still chopping at woâas, apparently. A small audience of the beasts had gathered around her, watching as she âkilledâ each of them in turn. A few even pretended to swoon and faint. Well, at least they werenât eating the apples anymore.
âHey. HEY!â
A particularly bold woâa was trying to drag the basket away. Aster kicked it, and it squealed as it went flying over the trees. Oops. Hopefully they were like real worms, and didnât have skeletons, or something.
While Tiffany was playing plaid piper on one end of the orchard, Aster swept up and down the rows on the other, balancing the basket in the seat of her saddle. Most of the apples had unsightly little bites taken out of them, but the woâas had missed a few, and she managed to fill the basket at least half-full. Gylfinir sighed in relief as she emerged from the trees, her bounty held proudly aloft.
âPerfect timing! Iâve got a walk-in here, needs a few Idyl Delicious for her pie, apparentlyâŚâ
He took the basket and ran over to a grey-haired human woman, who was reading a book in the back of her raptor-pulled buggy.
âAbout time. I was just about to head down toâ Doy blimey! What on Wyvera is that?â
Gylfinir gasped as the yellow-and-black woâa from before popped its head out of the basket, a perfect red apple in its teeth.
âOh Nokt⌠I am so sorry, maâam, let me just get that for youâŚâ
âNo, hold on. Let me justâŚâ
The woman held out her hand. The woâa dropped the apple and slithered up her arm, looped around her shoulders, and came to rest in a perfect scarf position around her neck.
âOh⌠oh my. So soft. So stylishâŚâ
âHold on. You actually like this horrible beast?â
âHorrible? Why, itâs darling! It goes perfectly with my evening dress. Iâll be the talk of the Soutton Ball! How much do I owe you?â
Aster stared at Gylfinir. Gylfinir stared back. She could almost see the scheme building in his head.
âItâs free,â they said in unison. âFree with every purchase of an apple.â
âMarvelous! Iâll be sure to pass the word along.â
Aster helped to place the basket in the seat next to the woman, and she flicked the driving whip and sped off down the road.
Gylfinir chuckled as he slipped her baubles into his coin pouch. âWell, my fine-feathered friend, it seems weâve stumbled upon an opportunity. All we need is a safe, efficient way to round these creatures upâŚâ
âHey, guys. Whatâd I miss?â
Tiffany had come out of the orchard at last, a line of woâas slithering behind her. Gylfinirâs jaw dropped, but like any shrewd businessman, he recovered enough to straighten up and give a charismatic smile.
âNothing. Nothing at all. Say, how would you like to double your pay? I just need you to do a little something for meâŚâ
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