AN: This is a long one. Thanks for all the reviews!

Hope you like it.

Puck had scrambled out of the castle as fast as his tired feet would let him. He had felt Oberon's gaze glued to the back of his head even as he passed the guards he had previously startled, feet headed towards the wyldwood. It felt rather surreal to be leaving the castle after he had been so close to becoming a lawn gnome. The grass crunched underneath his feet; the wind whipping through the trees as he entered, very different from the wind that had abused him in the court room.

Summonings were considered very important in their world- they could only be carried out if an individual had receited an oath of servitude (Like he had given to Oberon centuries before) or simply used as part of a favour. Puck guessed that this was the latter. Now that he had been summoned, Oberon couldn't call him back until the purpose of the summoning was finished. Puck decided that was a good thing. Though he didn't know if where he was headed was a good thing. He was exhausted, and therefore doubted his ability to fight any kind of being that might decide he was dinner. Puck hadn't realized how much he had missed his bed in the castle until now.

His feet stepped over a log in his path, forcing Puck to duck under a low hanging branch. A muscle worked in Puck's jaw as he looked around. The quest Oberon had assigned him to...that still stood, no matter the summoning. He huffed indignantly to himself. He had some work to do. The mirror had three clues that supposedly lead to its whereabouts, but they had been lost through time. Three clues that lead to three destinations. One of the destinations had to be where the mirror was hidden.

He might have to do some digging in the human world. That always made him a little antsy, especially if he had to look through fairytales. It just reminded him that his world was based on the myth of another. In Meghan's world, stories were stories; passed down through word of mouth and written in books. Here, stories were power. That was how it had always been. That was how he was so powerful, after all.

Puck was suddenly smacked in the face by a branch that wasn't there before. He heard snickering from behind him. He scowled, wiping tree sap from his face. God damn pixies.

His biggest problem was that he didn't know where to start. He could either try to talk to some fey and find the clues that way, or barter for a trod to the human world and hit the books. He preferred staying in his world, but if he had to…

He didn't want to lose his home. Arcadia, with its bright summer days and crisp red apples, was his everything. He was summer. It was in his blood. Being banished from that, from everything he knew…

Puck shook himself. It was best not to think about that right now. The fey forced himself to focus, scanning the trees around him. He guessed he was going to meet his summoner soon.

The summoning had brought him to a darker part of the wyldwood, a part he hadn't been to in a long time. Possibly since Meghan had first set foot in Faery, when they had been trying to outrun Ash… Had it really been that long?

An earth shattering roar broke through the silence, shattering his thoughts. A flock of birds erupted from the trees in the near distance, squawking in fear. Puck pulled his daggers out, tingles of surprise running up his spine. Of course a Jabberwocky would find him now as he was being summoned. Of course it would be right in his damn path when he couldn't protect himself! His feet continued on regardless of the incoming threat, stepping nimbly over the twisted roots and knotted grass in his way. Puck sighed, heart racing; staring intently at the forest around him. Well, if something was going to attack him, he could at least attempt to fight it…

There was another roar, followed by a tremble in the ground underneath his feet. Puck had the feeling that if he wasn't currently enchanted, he would have fallen over. Something stupid was irritating a Jabberwocky, he decided grimly. There was a few minutes of silence as he continued on, deciding that the thing (It was probably a Goblin, Pixies weren't that stupid) had either been stomped on or fried. It wasn't smart to mess with a Jabberwocky- they were impossibly quiet and powerful. That was the main reason why most fey avoided them- Despite their size, they could sneak up on their target without the faintest hint of a sound. He still thought the most surprised he had ever been was when Meghan, at the tender age of 8, had asked him to read her Alice in Wonderland. What kind of sick minded human would create something like the Jabberwocky?

Curiosity prodded at Puck's thoughts as he continued on, lowering his daggers. Why was there a Jabberwocky in the wyldwood, anyway? They usually lived near the border of Tir Na Nog, and he hadn't been walking for nearly long enough to even be close to the Winter Realm…

Puck jumped as a death cry rang out from his right, loud and clear. There was a spurt of fire that illuminated the space between the trees, leaving most of them singed and blackened. The mist in the air evaporated instantly, leaving the air hot and dry. Puck stumbled to his left as the summoning ended. Without the glamour steadying his footsteps, he tripped; falling over a gnarled root and landing on his rear end. One of his daggers flew from his hand, hitting a nearby tree. There was a final thud accompanied by the sound of breaking branches as the beast collapsed, its body taking down the forest around it. The earth gave one final, massive shudder before it was still, the wyldwood falling deathly silent. Puck took a deep breath then spluttered as the ashes drifting in the air hit his lungs.

There were a few moments of silence before he stumbled to his feet, giving the occasional odd cough. There was no one around. The only evidence that he had nearly gotten charbroiled was the dead Jabberwocky nearby. Though the burnt trees near to him, he could make out a massive claw armed with wicked talons. Puck brushed himself off, reaching for his dagger. Well, as long as it was dead, he was fine. No harm done, minus a bruised bottom.

Footsteps suddenly caught his attention. It sounded like leather shoes, crunching through the underbrush. Apparently shoes worn by someone who wasn't afraid of being attacked- they were being far too loud for that. Before Puck was really aware of what he was doing, he had yanked his dagger out of the tree and had whipped it behind him, realizing too late that what was approaching him may not be violent-

The dagger stuck into the blackened tree next to her head.

A girl. Dread filled Puck for a moment as the girl looked up at him. He had nearly taken her head off. She didn't seem to care, though- she was looking at him…

There was a tense moment where both fey regarded each other carefully before the girl sighed and turned away, stomping through the singed underbrush with ease.

"…The hell did you do, cat!" She called out, walking away from him.

Puck blinked.

He grabbed his dagger and yanked the other out of the tree as she walked through the forest ahead, intending to catch up with her. She seemed to have no problem navigating the broken terrain, whereas he was stuck stumbling over burnt branches and rocks. He hadn't expected her reaction at all- usually any kind of violent act towards another fey promised some kind of violent act in return. It was a fey thing. That was just how it worked, even if it was an accident.

"Hey!" He called out, breaking into a jog. She moved fast. Light filtered into his vision from a clearing up ahead, giving the forest the illusion of warmth. The girl turned around, already at the tree line.

She looked rather annoyed.

"What? " He heard over the rustle of leaves in the wind. He heard the swish of metal against leather and noticed that she had a sheath in the leg of her boot. A handle stuck out near her knee.

"What did you-?" He asked, about to tack on a 'and do you know of a certain cat' when she disappeared into the clearing, the sun blocking his view.

"Doesn't matter." Her voice carried back to him. Puck vaulted over a fallen tree, evidence of the Jabberwocky's death as he entered the clearing.

At first the sunlight blinded him. He had been walking through the wyldwood for so long that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Puck blinked away the spots dancing before his eyes just in time to see a certain feline appear.

"Cat-"

"Grim-"

Both fey turned towards each other, brows furrowed in confusion. Of course it was the cat sith. It had been so long that Puck had forgotten about the favour he had given away so long ago. In the light, Puck could see the girl's brown, tousled hair and grey eyes. She regarded him warily before turning back to the grey cat who sat before her, looking quite amused.

"What did you do , Cat?" The girl sighed in a monotone, glancing back at Puck for a moment. Grimalkin took a moment to answer.

"In order for our trade to work, you said you required-"

"Not another fey!" She argued, sounding exasperated. "I needed you to find one of the clues. I didn't need another person to..."

Puck stood awkwardly at the edge of the clearing as they squabbled, looking around. This clearing was obviously a by-product of the Jabberwocky's death- there were broken trees everywhere, save for the middle of the area. There were blackened trees and a few bloodstained ones. As he watched, Grim hopped up onto a fallen tree near the girl and began licking his paw as she talked at him. Puck put his daggers away and approached, feeling rather out of his comfort zone.

This was a first. The girl didn't recognize him. He had to admit that his ego was stinging. Usually normal fey had a healthy fear for him- Robin Goodfellow, the famous trickster. Robin Goodfellow, able to create massive chaos with a simple snap of his fingers. It made introductions a lot easier when fey had a healthy respect for him.

Grim said something that he didn't quite catch. The girl hesitated for a second, turning her head to look at him, before speaking to the cat sith again. Not grey eyes- Blue. She wasn't garbed in traditional Seelie clothes, either. Knee high leather boots (one of which held a sword), human jeans, and a tunic that was seelie for sure. The green gave it away. Now that he looked at her, he couldn't tell what she was. That unnerved him. He didn't know why. After a moment of awkward silence on his part, he noticed what she held in her other hand.

"You killed that Jabberwocky?" He said in disbelief, effectively halting the conversation the two were having. The girl turned towards him with a sigh, displaying the fang in her other hand.

"It was dying anyway. Out of its habitat." She replied, before turning back to the cat sitting in front of her. He was suddenly aware that she was splattered in purple blood.

"Fine. Happy?" Puck heard her say a few moments later as she dropped the fang onto the log next to Grimalkin. It rocked back and forth, rattling against the dry wood before it settled. Grimalkin purred as the fang disappeared without a trace. It appeared that a settlement had been reached between the two. The girl sighed under her breath before approaching him.

"You're looking for the Mirror." Not a question, but a statement. Puck's gaze shifted to the cat next to her, remembering a certain flash of grey he had seen as Oberon had been squeezing the life out of him. He sighed, shifting his weight onto one leg. "That I am." He replied coolly, wondering what this was all about. She was looking down, obviously in thought. He took the opportunity to study her. She was obviously travelling and had done some time in the human realm- her jeans proved that, not to mention the cloth knapsack she had on her back. There was a cowl around her neck, attached to what looked like a long scarf.

"You're Robin Goodfellow." She said, snapping him out of his observation. A lazy grin spread on Puck's face, not unlike a satisfied cat.

"The one and only." The thought of bowing briefly crossed his mind.

She glanced at him a moment longer, pale eyes resting no doubt on the grime on his clothing before shrugging. "I thought you'd be taller."

Puck barely held back a splutter. Ouch. Right in the didn't seem to notice.

"Grimalkin," She started, a hint of annoyance in her words, "Decided it was a good idea for us to meet." Puck sent a narrow eyed look to the feline nearby. "Maybe fight together, if it comes down to it. The trip to this thing won't be easy. We'll probably have a better go if we team up." The brunette girl was already moving, shrugging off her bag and reaching inside of it. He heard the crinkle of a map.

"If we start moving now, we can r-"

"Whoa there, sweetheart." Puck cut her off, causing the girl to stop and raise a sarcastic eyebrow at him. Puck rocked back on his heels, playing with the idea in his head. Her eyebrow never lowered.

"What if I don't want to travel with you?" He asked, all smirks and ego. The girl stopped for a minute. He could tell she was thinking.

"How many clues have you found?"

"…What."

She rolled her eyes at him. "The three clues to the mirror's location. The famous missing clues." She regarded him with a faint smirk, knowing she had the advantage here. Puck tried to backtrack. He didn't succeed.

"And even then," she continued, resting a hand on her hip, "If you did know where you were headed- which you don't- how do you expect to get past the mermaids?"

Puck blinked.

"Mermaids?"

"Exactly." She finished, shouldering her bag. Puck sighed, defeated; following after her as she began stepping over the outside of the clearing. He didn't like this. His only travel companion had ever been Ash, and he wasn't the kind of person who could trust blindly. On second thought, he wouldn't ever trust her unless…

"Make an oath." He blurted suddenly. The girl turned around to give him a strange look, surrounded by blackened trees.

"An oath for what? We're both looking for the same thing-"

"That you won't jump me after you find this thing," Puck smirked, knowing it wasn't a nice smirk. "That if we get into a tough spot, you won't leave me behind as ogre food."

He thought that he might have insulted her by mentioning it, but she didn't seem offended. In fact, she seemed to be considering it. The brunette turned around, taking a few steps towards him.

"I would have thought the great Robin Goodfellow would have been above oaths." She mused quietly, twigs crunching under her feet as she came to a stop in front of him. "Fine. Start it off."

He noticed Grimalkin sitting on a fallen tree a little ways away, watching in silence. Puck gathered glamour to him, ignoring the voice in his head that told him he was being rather rude. He let the old magic of the wyldwood calm his thoughts and sink into his bones.

"The path we are to undertake will be a dangerous one." Puck began, feeling the power within his words. The girl regarded him steadily. "For this journey, an agreement must be reached."

"I, Tulmarilyn Springfeld, promise to never intentionally harm Robin Goodfellow and to fight alongside him as best my ability."

Puck ran her words over once in his head, looking for any loophole she may have given herself. Surprisingly, he couldn't find any. He repeated the same words, substituting her name for his.

"It is done." He said, and felt the glamour in his words tighten, becoming something of substance before fading back into the air. The oath was complete.

The girl smiled once, the corner of her mouth quirking up. She seemed a little more relaxed.

"Call me Tully."

Puck didn't hear the loud purr Grimalkin gave from his perch on the tree as the cat hopped off the tree, the duo making their way back into the depths of the wyldwood.

R&R!