"This is where you saw it?" Bog questions.
"This looks like the place," Sunny confirms before urging his borrowed dragonfly to another section. "I saw the pink light flash near here before seeing something white running through the brush thataway."
Bog groans at the implication as Sunny points farther into the Dark Forest. He had hoped that the little thief had returned to the Light Field.
"Sire," Fang calls as he approaches on his own dragonfly. "Not everyone has reported back from the Wild Hunt."
"How many are missing?" Bog asks.
"We're not sure how many might be missing because of celebrating a successful hunt but at least half of the participants haven't returned to the castle," Fang mentions.
"Meaning at least ten goblins. Sunny, return to the Light Field and inform King Dagda of this," Bog orders. "Tell him that it'll be unsafe for any of the Light Field residents to search the Dark Forest, so keep watch at the edge in case the thief crosses the border again."
"What about anyone that's gotten dusted?" Sunny questions.
"It'd probably be best to confine them until they can be cured," Bog comments. "This fairy King Dagda sent for can cure them, right?"
"Plum isn't a fairy but no one's quite sure what she is exactly. Other than totally nuts, anyway," Sunny mutters. "King Dagda's father, King Elatha, had imprisoned her for twenty springs for making love potions and giving it to any creature that came to her. King Dagda released her after he was crowned when she swore not to make another love potion again. If anyone knows how love potions work, it's her."
Soft cooing causes the trio to look to the ground and none of them can hold their groans at the sight before them. Love is good and all but that's crossing a line.
Bog quickly flies down and pulls the mouse off the sentient mushroom. Only the love-dusted mushroom's sobbing pleas keep him from killing the randy love-dusted mouse. He has no desire to permanently traumatize his poor subject. A harsh growl and a shake on the fur within his grip makes the unusually aggressive mouse revert back to timidity, its pink-hazed eyes filling with tears.
"I want every love-dusted creature in the dungeon until the antidote is ready," Bog orders Fang. "Sunny, get to King Dagda as fast as you can. Make sure he confines anyone caught dusted before something irreversible happens."
Sighing as they both fly off to obey him, Bog pats the mushroom's head to get it to calm down but it only focuses its pink-hazed eyes on the mouse as it squeaks pitifully.
The memory of his mate's sister's own pink-hazed eyes turns his stomach sour. Especially with the added memory of Sunny's heartbroken gaze when the little fairy started professing her love.
There better be an antidote or he's liable to start his own war on the Breezy Meadow.