The problem is it was too quiet. If it weren't so quiet then the cttering sounds of bone against bone, or bone against mushroom, wouldn't be so fucking ANNOYING.

  "MATE FOR FUCKS SAKE!" Toni snapped, looking away from her examination of the entrance to Bearbhaile, and the river above it.

  "Rex ss, she's fine." Pipuck answered for Temate. Who briefly gnced up from teaching Rose how to use his fancy mushroom shield. Which, while she agreed with Temate's point that they needed to know how to protect themselves since it was dangerous. It still bothered her to see her little flower baby fighting.

  "You can't know that." Toni grumbled to Pipuck.

  "Actually..." Pipuck paused grinning at Toni who raised an eyebrow. "You're righ'. I can't, but stressin' over i' righ' now is jus' askin' for trouble."

  Toni sighed, stopped wearing a rut in the floor with her pacing, and flopped next to Pipuck. She turned her head back toward Bearbhaile, watching the tranquil flow of water hovering through the air.

  "It's been three hours Pip. She's in danger or worse, I knew we should have left." Toni grumbled plopping her head in a hand, held propped up by her leg.

  "Never woul' 'ave happene'. Now Temate's preppin' to go in, all we nee' is a pn." Pipuck said to her.

  "But if we had just left-"

  "Mate woul' 'ave never lef'"

  "But if we had!"

  "You'd be doin' it alone." Pipuck stated finally, gring sharply at her.

  "You're right, leavin' is the smar' choice. Mate never woul' so if you wante' to leave, you'd be doin' i' withou' 'im. Surrender woul' 'ave staye' 'ere an' I woul' 'ave as well since he'd be in the most danger." Pipuck emphasized each word as if to sp Toni.

  She growled and looked away over to where Temate sparred with Rose. Stupid, stubborn, arrogant ass. Stupid... Sexy... Fucking good person. What was wrong with her? Just cause they're not human she's okay with abandoning them? What happened to fighting to protect?

  Maybe that was what was really irritating her? It didn't really matter, Pip was right, ignore it and focus on what she could do. She did have a pn of sorts, but it would need-

  "Honey?!" She excimed.

  As Pipuck looked up at her she pointed down the ramp into Bearbhaile. There a small, familiar brown bear poked a soft snout out from around a corner. He creeped forward and immediately Toni felt better as she witnessed dark, clinging shadows across his form. Atop his back rode a second familiar face.

  Surrender clung to Honey's back as her tail wrapped down his side and onto the floor. The two, shadowed heavily, were still very far away. Approximately two floors, maybe 5 minutes of casual walking by Toni's estimation. Between that and the blending effect the shadows seemed to have it made sense only she saw them.

  "Sorry, [Keen Eye]. I keep forgetting, it's so... natural." Toni used her hands to mime binocurs around her eyes. "Zoom and enhance corporal!" She joked.

  "Wha'?" Pipuck replied in complete, utter confusion.

  "Ugh, T--Mate would have got that." Again! Sure Pip knew his name but... Maybe she should just start calling him something completely different. "Speaking of- MATE! Ren's coming back!" Toni shouted over her shoulder.

  No response except for a grunt as he struck at Rose again. That and a nod to her as he corrected Rose's posture once more. Ugh, wasn't he worried?

  "You hear me?" Toni asked.

  "Yes firestick, I heard you." His nonchant response came, irritating Toni again.

  "She was gone for three hours! How are you not more relieved?!" Toni snapped before she could stop herself.

  At that he stopped and looked at her with one raised eyebrow. He paused for just a moment, then picked Rose up and began walking over to her. Suddenly Rose was in her p and he was kneeling behind her hugging her.

  "Sorry sweetheart, I didn't realize you were so worried." He whispered as his warm, heavy arms wrapped her up tight.

  Rose took a cue from Temate and stretched their arms out and around her to hug her too. With the double assault of sudden warmth and support Toni's face grew hot with a flush. She returned the hug to Rose, who was in front of her.

  "Thanks" She replied softly, "but how were you not?" Toni asked.

  "It's what she does." Temate whispered into her ear. "I trust that she'll do it right, and come back to us safely. If I didn't trust her I could never let her scout ahead all this time." He finished with, "I can't see here, where is she?"

  Toni pointed as she thought about that. "She's hard to make out, she's riding Honey and they're [Enshadow]ed so it might be hard to make them out."

  She watched the singur form of two friendly faces carefully picking it's way up the ramp. They'd be here soon, and Surrender was not only alive and well, but had found at least one survivor. One who could give them details about what's going on.

  It wasn't that she didn't trust Ren it was just... It was dangerous right? It's normal to be worried about people in dangerous situations, right? She looked up to Temate and had a thought.

  "Is this what you were talking about, when you said you were worried about treating us like tools? Not worrying like normal?" Toni asked quietly.

  "Sort of, it's not as if I wasn't concerned. I just am choosing to trust her to do what she does, just like I trust you to have a good pn. You do have one don't you my little firestick?" Temate asked her.

  Her flush deepened at the trust he pced in her. Or was it the warmth of his body against hers? The kindness and faith he showed in all of them? It was hard to tell. She focused and took a deep breath to cool down.

  "Maybe? It's hard considering everyone seems to be avoiding the entrance. We've only seen the handful of Darklings and-" She waved over at the now six darkling marchers standing at attention nearby. "-you know how that went."

  "Right, hopefully Honey has some more information to help give you some ideas then?" Temate mused quizzically.

  "I hope so Daddy." She muttered, "OH!"

  "Oh?" Temate asked at her sudden excmation.

  "You're DADDY!"

  "I- yes? W-" She shut him up with an excited kiss as she stood with Rose in hand. She'd just had a great idea!

  "So I agreed to go with her and expin the situation and inquire if you could be of any help." Honey finished his expnation with another gnce toward the marchers who stood silently by the tree line.

  Toni's mind was racing, so much information had just been dumped on her she needed to process it. She brought two hands up to rub her temple. Immediately Rose reached from beside her to also rub her head. Stupid cute flower baby.

  "So let me get this straight." Temate started, holding a hand up and counting off on his fingers. "A week agoish the Darklings popped up out of dozens of back areas at once."

  A nod from Honey.

  "They swept out and killed hundreds before you could organize."

  Nod.

  "They've boxed you into a few back areas"

  Nod.

  "Your only defense against their tunneling is Timbear."

  Nod.

  "So you want these Nameless, a group of freedom fighters-"

  "Rebels." Honey corrected.

  "Right, freedom fighters-" Temate restated, "To help support him and help you maneuver."

  "Yes, and they're making demands, as if both our lives don't hang in the bance!" Honey groused.

  "Right. So what are their demands?" Toni interjected.

  "It doesn't matter, this is life or-"

  "So just give them what they want." Temate cut Honey off.

  "We can't do that!" Honey growled, "Do you understand the absolute chaos that would cause?! So close to Hibernatory?!"

  Toni and Temate looked to each other, then back to Honey.

  "More chaos then getting sughtered because you were a bunch of stubborn cunts?" Toni replied.

  "I-I we can't-"

  "We might agree if you would tell us what it is." Temate cut him off. "But you won't say what it is"

  "They want free." Surrender muttered glumly. "Have names."

  "That's all?" Temate asked.

  Honey sighed and sat back down from his risen haunches. He looked between them all and his gaze settled on Pipuck.

  "You understand right?" Honey asked them.

  "Aye, I know why it's such a bother for you. Bu' don't expec' me to suppor' you. Bear." Pipuck practically sneered the st word.

  "Why's this such a big deal?" Toni asked.

  Honestly, she was only half paying attention, still trying to parse the other information they'd received. The Darklings had a leader, their numbers being easily twice the bears. The capture of the Nameless after the Nameless tried to ally with them. Taking over the whole of Bearbhaile, from what the bears could tell.

  "It's quite a complex-" Honey began.

  "Names and words 'ave power, givin' the Nameless names gives them identity an' authority to defy whatever enchantmen' the bears 'ere use to keep em docile." Pipuck cut Honey off.

  Toni looked up at that expnation. "So... the sves want you to take off the spiked colrs and cuffs for their help and that's a problem for you because?"

  "Because they are crucial to the function of Bearbhaile, and they willingly entered their roles. It is not our fault they've suddenly changed their minds, nor is it our responsibility to fix. They gave us their word and we are holding them to it. To allow them to go back now-"

  "Stop." Temate snapped and even Toni stopped focusing on her thoughts at the power in the word.

  He took a deep breath and looked to Toni and Surrender. Then he looked back to Honey and just examined him. He pnted hands on his knees and stood to look down on Honey. He held out a hand as the bear moved to lift themself.

  "Stay." Toni's eyes widened as Honey slumped back onto his haunches. What was-

  "We'll help, Toni has a pn." Temate and Honey looked to Toni.

  Her eyes widened, did she have a pn? Well yes, sort of. Especially knowing what was going on. Quickly she schooled her face and nodded to Honey, not fully confident but Temate clearly was. He was confident in her.

  "You do? Oh good, it may take some time to get Nasai on board b-"

  "We have conditions." Temate snapped as he cut Honey off. "First. I want my armor, the one you guys were making."

  "Indeed, unfortunately I do believe the Darklings have taken i-"

  "That's fine, we'll get it back. Right Toni?" He asked and she froze for a second. Then she forced herself to smile.

  "Yes Daddy!" She excimed and was happy to see his eyes widen.

  It made the massive fuck off blush that saying that out loud gave her worth it. No accidentally calling him Temate anymore! Just... being super embarrassed.

  "Right. Two-" Temate turned back toward Honey. "You will agree to give the Nameless the choice of staying under their current agreement, or leaving and being free."

  "Nasai will never-"

  "It's the best compromise you have." Temate cut Honey off.

  "How is that a compromise?!" Honey snapped back.

  "You're giving them a choice, instead of bnket hoisting it upon everyone. Many will probably stay just because it's what they're used to. The troublemakers will take it, fight harder and leave, making them no longer a problem." Temate coldly expined.

  Toni's eyebrows raised at the expnation. That was smart, but also just... wrong? Was it? It felt wrong, they should all be free shouldn't they? They don't know what it's like to be free, so they should free them all, no one should be ensved like that!

  "In principal I agree." Temate answered her, and only then did she realize she'd stood up and shouted that at him. "This isn't about the absolute perfect right thing though." Temate gred down at Honey, who simply sat thinking. "It's about finding a compromise that can get the most people out alive."

  "But I-" Toni began to expin further. That they shouldn't back down, they should fight for these people and their freedom! They-

  "Toni." The way he said her name stopped her.

  It was slight, a change in tone that she probably wouldn't have recognized when she first met him. That she doubted anyone who hadn't been in such intimate proximity to him would have caught. Ren did, as a soft tail wrapped up her arm. It was pain.

  Cracked pain. The pain of someone who wants to do more but knows they can't. Of accepting a bitter bite so that they can make the best of a bad situation.

  And his eyes.

  A single shimmer of some barely restrained wetness filled them. He was trying not to cry. Making this offer hurt, because he wasn't helping everyone. And his face said he knew he couldn't.

  Then it was gone, the tears dragged behind hardened lines. The practiced face of someone who'd done hard thing after hard thing his whole life. So Toni stopped, and stepped back with a nod.

  "I may be able to convince Sgoinneil, but Nasai..." Honey mused out loud drawing all their attention back to him. He sighed heavily. "Nasai will be hardline against it, with Sgoinneil on side we can force him to accept it but it won't be good."

  "Who's Nasai?" Toni asked, giving Temate space to fix up his thoughts and posture more thoroughly.

  "The Mayuk's leader, strongest of us and the Mayuk hang on his every word." Honey expined.

  "Even Milis? She was a Mayuk right?" Temate inquired as he began gathering his things.

  "She would have, yes." Honey replied bitterly causing Temate to freeze.

  "Is Milis-"

  "Dead." Honey cut off Temate's careful question. "Killed by the Darklings boss in the initial onsught, along with more than half the Mayuk in Bearbhaile."

  "Why don't you request help from other realms?" Toni suddenly thought to ask.

  "None will come here willingly." Honey sighed, "Especially not to potentially die."

  "Why no'?" Pipuck asked, clearly surprised by this. "You bears always back each other up. Don't you?"

  "Normally, yes. This realm is not what we would define as 'normal' however." Honey looked around, continuing at the clear confusion on everyone's face. "You can't really leave this realm." He said.

  "Wha'?!" It was Pipucks turn to shout now. "Wha' do you mean you can't leave?!"

  "Now is not exactly they best time to expin, so simply put it's just not possible. The realm sucks things into it, only a truly powerful or uniquely gifted person could reach out."

  "Somebody must have left at some point right?" Toni's nerves forced her to ask.

  "To my knowledge? None." Honey answered her.

  Oh. She thought.

  "Huh." She said. Sudden numbness filling her body.

  She was surprised by how thoroughly that shook her. Sure she'd entertained the idea of going home someday, but she knew that was unlikely, maybe even impossible. She'd at least thought they'd get to go to other realms though. Like some sort of weird, fantastical stargate situation.

  Now it was like all her senses had gone white. Blinded by some sudden, overpowering light or appropriate sensation. She began sliding to the floor as if all the bones in her body had become getin at once.

  An arm pressed to her shoulder, then under her arms as she was hefted back to her feet. A cw dug into her leg and she felt her mind fog thicken, then release.

  "Toni? Baby are you alright?" Temate was holding her up.

  She blinked and shook herself back to focus. She pnted her feet firmly and forced herself to nod.

  "Um, yeah sorry Daddy I just... I-" Another hug cut her off, damn sexy warm arms and hugs.

  They stood there like that, entwined around each other, for a long minute. Joined shortly by Surrender who wrapped her tail around both their necks. The rough rumbling of Surrenders purring filled her body and massaged her muscles back into action.

  She leaned over and kissed Surrender firmly, earning a shocked meeping noise from the gremlin girl. She smiled at her and Ren smiled back.

  "Okay, okay I'm good." She pushed gently out of the embrace and shook her hands which felt like she'd been sitting on them for hours. God what an overreaction, she really had to stop doing that! Crying at every damn bad situation, needing to constantly be hugged.

  "Oh no you don't ' don't you dare hug me, I'm fine it was just a bi' upsettin' is all!" Toni ughed as she watched Temate reach down to hug the clearly upset Pipuck.

  Pipuck ducked away, letting off a bright fsh to blind the big hugging behemoth which reached for them. Toni smiled and turned back to examine Bearbhaile. She took one long look at the river, measured length, width, depth.

  All very easy when it hung on an invisible riverbed weaving across two thirds of the open pit that served as Bearbhailes entrance. Then she turned around and held up a hand with a shout for attention.

  "I have only two questions: 1. Pipuck, what kinda things do you have from that flower garden you've been hauling about?"

  "Oh uhhh, a few things. You 'ave some bu' as for 'elpful 'ere?" Pipuck put a finger to their chin thoughtfully. "Got the tonic I gave you lo' before the lich business, strengthen you up. Enough of tha' to go aroun' a dozen of us."

  They began to rummage through the rge sack of a bag, which they'd apparently made at some point Toni had learned. They pulled out a few other things, two small bottles and a simple wood tub.

  "Also got these beauties, though only one of each 'aven't gotten round to easily reproducin' them ye'. Though that'll change soon!" They lifted one bottle of a soft, milky white liquid. "Nice little bottle 'ere will 'elp with breathin'. Keep ya from breathin' in gasses and other substances. 'Ell it'd even le' you breathe underwater for awhile."

  They held up the other bottle filled with a smoky greenish-grey substance. "This is a nasty poison concoction. Not deadly min' bu' the gas i' emits lingers and induces minor fear in creatures."

  "What if you drank it?" Toni's curiosity piqued by the idea.

  "Oh uh... I suppose you'd reek of i' for hours. Probably wouldn't take more than a drop to get goin' either. Though you'd still feel the effec' so I wouldn't recommend i'." They replied.

  "Great, that is perfect." Toni grinned.

  "Second question, Honey." She turned to the bear.

  "Yes Lady Terror?" He returned.

  "How sturdy are those wards?" She thumbed over her shoulder to the river as it flowed nguidly atop the wards which formed it's invisible riverbed.