A few days after Jeb left, DG and Glitch sat by the lake together. "I've been thinking," Glitch said (he was carving a skylark from a piece of wood), "You need something to keep you busy. An adventure of some sort."
She laughed. "Maybe we should go find another witch?"
"Don't," he said sharply, and she instantly regretted her jibe. She had seen the harrowing destruction the last one had caused, but Glitch had suffered more than her as a result of it. "No," he said, "There's been a pape runner mutiny."
"Mutiny?"
"They're a farmer species again, thanks to your magic," Glitch's face briefly shone with pride before he continued, "I did some research. They work in packs but if one of them doesn't work with the rest it's banished."
DG whistled, "That's harsh".
Glitch nodded. "Most die, but this one's loose in the Resistance Forests. We have to hurry. Three viewers have already gone missing."
DG's eyes widened in alarm and she jumped up. "Then we have to catch it quickly – Raw's in danger!"
They walked briskly back to the palace. "I was thinking maybe you could train it," Glitch explained breathlessly.
"To do what?"
"Pull a cart, keep as a pet."
"Maybe," she mused," But how do we get close enough to it to take control?"
"We could stay with Raw and use the resistance treetop walkways. We could lasso it from above or something and then use some fruit to train it with until it trusts us. You still look doubtful!" Glitch seemed personally affronted by DG's sceptical expression.
"Can you blame me?"
He tried to think of a defensive response, failed and laughed. "I guess not," he admitted.
"You're not needed anywhere are you?"
"No," said Glitch and frowned, "At least I don't think so."
"Good. Get your things and I'll meet you out here!"
-/-/-/-/-
It took two days to travel to the edge of the Raw's forest. They had planned to find the river running through the centre and walk up it as an extra safety precaution. Before they entered the forest, they turned to look at each other. "Are your sinuses flaring?" DG asked, and Glitch wrinkled his nose in response.
"He said an elm tree," said DG, casting an eye around as they crossed the forest floor towards the river. "See any elms?" For some minutes they walked, keeping their eyes peeled. At that moment, Glitch's head jerked up and his breathing became shallow. "I smell runner," he whispered.
"Where?" DG's eyes flicked from side to side as she too sniffed.
For a moment there was silence. Then: "THERE!" Glitch whirled round, shot out a finger and pointed. "Run!" They exploded into a hectic dash, hand in hand, deeper into the forest.
"He's gaining on us – !" DG panted.
"Elm tree 2 O'clock!" Glitch interrupted, pointing, "Quick quick quick!"
"There's a rope!" DG jumped, grabbed hold of the rope and, using lumps and small branches on the tree as footholds, pulled herself up the tree trunk, adrenaline giving her extra strength and speed, until she reached a wooden platform several meters up. "Grab my hand!" she called to Glitch, who was dangling, the runner snapping at his ankles. His hand came closer and finally closed on hers. He scrambled, she heaved him up (he was surprisingly light), and they both sat on the branch, breathing hard and thanking the stars that they were alive and unharmed.
"So much for following the river," Glitch commented.
"That looked nothing like the runners in the pape fields!" DG gasped, wild-eyed.
"Yeah, I hadn't realised it would be that big," Glitch stared down between his feet to the forest floor.
"How come?"
"Evolutionary magic," he replied, "They can adapt certain things about themselves to suit their surroundings."
Suddenly there was a roar, but one they recognised well and knew not to fear. "RAW!" DG cried, joyfully, as they saw him standing on a platform in a tree about ten metres away. He was holding a rope. "Swing over!" he instructed, pushing the rope out. DG caught it.
"Er…are you sure is this a good idea?" The runner was waiting underneath the tree. Glitch's fisted hands were jiggling with sudden nerves, and she remembered how he had once said he didn't like heights.
"Yeah, it's fine," DG reassured him, "I'll go first if it makes you feel better."
"If you say so…" Glitch bit his nails as DG stood up carefully, took the rope and pulled it back. He drew a sharp breath as she launched herself off the branch and out in a wide arc, to be caught by Raw on the other side. "See?" she called over. She pushed the rope back out and Glitch caught it distractedly. She could see him stealing himself to swing, and remembered that the last time he had done anything like this someone had needed to push him. She sighed. "Glitch…if you're nervous, just close your eyes. It's ok…Raw and me'll catch you. You crossed a gorge. You jumped into a gorge. And you swung from a basket when I first met you, remember?"
"I can do it," he muttered, and squeezed his eyes tight shut. He grasped the rope firmly in both hands and took a running jump. For a minute the skin on his palms was burning, his stomach was churning and his legs were kicking in empty space. And then it was all over and he felt two pairs of arms grab him round the waist – one large and furry, the other smaller and smoother.
"Raw – good to see you!" He clapped a laughing Raw on the back. "Uh-oh, standby…" Glitch grabbed DG's shoulders as she threw up over the edge of the platform, onto the forest floor below. "Here," he said, handing her a cloth hanky, which she wiped her mouth with. "Must've been the swing over," he commented, laughing awkwardly. "Must've been the swing over. Must've," Raw laid a hand on his arm and the glitch subsided. Then he tentatively reached towards DG with a questioning look. She gave a nod of permission. Raw closed his eyes and laid a hand on her head, then moved to her shoulder. Silence fell and even Glitch stopped his fidgeting. Raw's hand descended to her stomach and lingered there. His eyes opened slowly, and they were radiant and twinkling. "Sickness good," he informed them.
"What do you mean?" Glitch enquired, protectively.
"DG mudder."
"Mudder?" DG frowned.
"Mudder, father, baby. DG become mudder," clarified Raw, looking on with amusement as Glitch gaped at her in speechless disbelief. DG started to chuckle, then laugh out loud, as her hand wandered incredulously over her flat stomach.