AN: Sorry this took so long to get up! School is getting a little crazy.

I plan on finishing this story, so don't worry- no matter how long it takes, there will be new chapters!

Thanks for sticking around!

"Now that we've gotten that all sorted out, catch."

Tully reached into her bag, quickly flicking her wrist at him as she withdrew a netted object from its depths. Puck just managed to get his hands up to catch it in time. The object smacked solidly into his palm. Two nearly identical stone spheres, held together in a mesh bag. Curiosity perked, he peered at the globes through the mist around them and nearly shrieked upon realizing what they were.

"Why the heck did you save that thing's eyeballs?" Puck yelped, holding the bag away from his body as if he could become infected by it. Tully blinked disbelievingly at him.

"You're not serious." She stated, watching his squeamishness as he tried to pass them back to her. "Oh come on, they've already solidified. Technically you're just holding two big rocks."

"That were once eyeballs!" Puck exclaimed, though he had calmed down enough to get a closer look at the solidified eyeballs in his hand. Jabberwocky remains turned to stone once a beast was dead- which was why possessing disconnected remains was rare. No one was stupid enough to mess with a Jabberwocky.

Puck held the bag by its tie, hearing the clack of the stones as they walked through the wyldwood.

He heard Tully sigh, just able to make out the ring of an iris in the stone.

"To get past the guardian and into the temple, you need the eyeballs." She explained. The fey waited a moment before piping up, "You'd know that if you had the clues."

Puck scowled, hearing a bemused chuckle from the cat trotting along beside him. "Yeah, yeah." He muttered, not feeling up to explaining his close encounter with the King of the Summer fey. Grimalkin knew, at least, what he had been through today.

"So why do I have to carry these things?" Puck asked, attempting to tuck the orbs into a pocket. Tully glanced sideways at him, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Think of it as a backup in case something happens to one of us." She said casually, hopping over a branch. "Plus, those things are heavy."

Puck sighed. Tully chuckled. The conversation was interrupted by a brief scramble over an upturned tree before Grimalkin spoke.

"There are three obstacles that guard the Mirror of Wisdom from weak-willed fey." He began, hopping over a branch. "The clues are not clear, which makes our journey a tad more difficult. It appears we must visit three places and collect a token from each, thereby proving we were there and completed the task, as it were…" The cat sith trailed off, taking a moment to think. Tully glanced over from his left, before focusing on a patch of moss determined to trip her up. After a moment the cat sith sighed. "I assume these three items are a test, and that they should somehow show us the way to the Mirror. However, I am not aware of the reasoning behind these tests." He concluded. Puck caught himself on a tree, falling behind for a second as he yanked his sleeve from a particularly thorny branch.

"According to the clues, there's three places we are required to go. Tir Na Nog for the Jabberwocky, which I may have cheated on," Tully said with a small smirk, ducking underneath a branch as Puck caught up. "Roho Marketplace and Mirror Lake."

Puck stalled for a moment, briefly resting his hand on the bark of an aged tree. Those names sounded familiar. Grim noticed his lapse in concentration and chuckled, apparently amused at his confusion. He snapped himself out of it, realizing that Tully was watching him with a slight smirk.

"That's the charm of Roho. The name is enchanted to make you feel as if you've forgotten something. You'll understand more when we get there." The brunette said, missing the scowl that appeared on Puck's face as they moved through the wyldwood. She made him feel inexperienced. He didn't like it. And hell if he was- he had been to the end of the world and back, after all! Puck glanced at her as they walked, careful of the forest around them.

"So how do you know all of this?" He asked, vaguely wondering why Grimalkin was so silent. Tully looked up from watching her feet to blink at him.

"I thought that was obvious." When he stayed quiet, she shrugged. "I did some digging in the human world. Did a couple favours. You know, that kind of thing. It was a little tedious, but it got me what I wanted." A loud crack suddenly sounded through the forest, causing all three fey to tense momentarily before continuing onwards. Puck was once again reminded that the wyldwood wasn't exactly a safe area to travel through.

Puck couldn't help it- he was rather curious about this girl. In the gloom of the forest, he could see the thin, faint scars that crossed the odd uncovered parts of her, her hand; the juncture of her collarbone. He quickly switched gears when he realized she was giving him an odd look. Whoops. He couldn't always be stealthy…

"Why did you decide to take this on, anyway?" He asked, exasperation creeping into his voice as he tugged his sleeve off another tree. They were working their way into a darker part of the wyldwood now. Most of the trees were warped in some way or form, casting odd shadows onto their path. He noticed that Grim had disappeared.

Tully glanced at him before her eyes went back to her feet, apparently determined not to trip herself up.

"Why did you?" She asked, stepping around an uprooted tree. "It's not like you need the story or anything. You're Robin Goodfellow. You've reached the end of the world and back." The fey suddenly pressed her lips together. A grin split Robin's face, the trickster barely containing a gleeful chuckle.

"So you do know about me." He chuckled. It was Tully's turn to scowl.

"Of course I do. Who doesn't?" She sighed, throwing her hands up. Puck let another chuckle slip. He thought about her question for a moment.

"I either get this mirror thing or lose my home." He said, surprising himself with his own honesty. Tully studied him for a moment before her eyes slid past him, focusing on something he couldn't see; her face hardening.

"Grim's gone." She stated, the conversation forgotten. She slowed down, glancing around; quietly pulling her sword from her boot. "I don't know how well you know Grim, but-"

"I know him well, sweetheart." Puck sighed, daggers already out. She turned around to scowl at him just as the bushes sprang to life.

Hedge wolves. Rather large, nasty looking ones. Puck started as one exploded from the ground, flying open pawed at the other fey. Tully's head snapped towards the sound, slashing her sword at the air- in seconds the wolf was crashing to the ground, disintegrating into spindly branches.

"Heads!" He heard her shout, a snarl sounding from behind him. Puck jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a flying tackle by another one of the creatures. It landed with a huge thud, rolling its shoulders and growling at him. Heart beating fast, he glanced around; feeling dread work its way into his stomach as multiple sets of glowing yellow eyes focused on him. These beasts weren't the same ones he and Ash had fought together. They were bigger, sharper- and apparently more focused. He whipped one of his secret weapons into the air, watching as a wolf leapt from the circle to shred the bear that exploded forward into leaves and twigs in a matter of seconds. He heard Tully take a step back, both fey waiting for any sign of attack. They were surrounded, one lone wolf circling them within the circle. The Alpha. Silence filled the area. He could hear Tully breathing from somewhere behind him.

The wolf stalking them growled.

The circle exploded.

Words burst from Puck's mouth before he could really stop them, reminded of the last time he had faced a group this large with another fey.

"Back to back!"

He felt a smaller set of shoulders bump into his just as the group bared down on them. He gripped his daggers tight as hits began to rain down on them with flashing teeth and outstretched paws. He drove his dagger into the side of a skull, kicking the animal away as Tully drove her elbow into an unsuspecting nose.

It was chaos. Everywhere he turned there was another set of teeth ready to come at him. He suspected it was the same for Tully. A yelp sounded in his ear, feet sliding in the dirt as he supported her weight, the girl throwing off another wolf who attempted to jump her. A few seconds later, she was doing the same for him. Hot breath hit his skin constantly, followed by the snapping of jaws and sharp teeth. He found that her fighting style wasn't very different from his, and soon they were spinning almost effortlessly; slashing and fending off attacks like they had known each other for much longer. His arms ached, the muscles trembling from the strain of slashing and shoving. A pained gasp sounded in his ear, distracting him; a claw slid a little too close to his arm, splitting the skin. Blood began to flow, hot in the cooling air. Puck reached out a hand towards the trees, dodging a flying paw; watching as a vine whipped into three incoming wolves and sent them backwards into the trees.

After what seemed like forever, the attacks stopped coming. He panted with exertion, watching as the last remaining wolves limped off into the woods. The forest floor was littered with broken branches and torn grass. There was a long, drawn out howl, and then the wolves were gone. Puck could hear his pulse thumping through his body. There was a tense moment of silence before the fey parted, the jester beginning to relax. Puck turned around, noting the grip Tully still had on her sword as she looked into the forest around them.

The fey smirked, pocketing his daggers. He swallowed the dryness in his mouth.

"Wimps." He commented, watching as the serious look on her face softened. She rolled her eyes at him, the tense line of her shoulders dropping as she relaxed.

"They won't be back. We've marked our territory- they'll stay away from here." She dropped onto one knee, shrugging off her bag. At some point during the fight, the sun had begun to set, leaving them in near darkness. With the light they had left, Puck could see blood glistening from a ragged cut underneath her collarbone. His brow furrowed, the gasp he had heard earlier explained.

"You're bleeding." He stated, realizing a second later how stupid that had sounded. She stood, raising an eyebrow at him; her eyes falling to his forearm.

"So are you." The brunette sighed, arm rummaging inside her bag. "Hold on."

Puck sighed, sitting down in the grass among them. Now that the fight was over and his adrenaline rush was gone, his body was beginning to ache quite horribly. His gash was in an awkward place- he would need help cleaning it. There were spindly twigs and plants everywhere, a reminder of the creatures they had just battled. He watched as Tully pulled out a roll of gauze and something else that she handled more carefully. Noticing he had sat down, she shifted closer to him; exposing what looked like a drawstring bag of potpourri.

"Hedge wolves have poisonous saliva." Tully began to explain, reaching for his arm. He let her take him by the wrist, gently straightening his elbow. "They have this habit of licking their claws, so that even if they miss their intended target, they... will still have a meal, sooner or later."

Puck jolted. That was new. The corner of Tully's mouth turned up.

"It takes a few hours to work, don't worry. It would only really give us a splitting headache, seeing as it's meant for goblins and the like." She opened the bag, emptying a small handful onto a piece of gauze. "I'd rather avoid that. This should absorb the poison, anyway."

"They didn't used to be like that." Puck muttered, wincing as she pressed the mixture onto his arm. The smell of dried flowers reached his nose, so different from the musk of the wyldwood around them. It reminded him of home.

Tully's expression darkened slightly. Her hand tightened around his wrist before it relaxed again. "You have the Iron fey to thank for that. The invasion upset the whole Nevernever, but did its worst in the wyldwood. They forced a lot of creatures to evolve in order to survive." He watched as she carefully added more of the mixture to the gauze, beginning to wind the bandage around his forearm. "Look around, Goodfellow." She spoke, eyes hard as she concentrated on his wound. "Do you really think the wyldwood is the same as you left it?" Puck silently agreed, his eyes drifting from her face to look around them. He found himself focusing on a paw print the size of his head, nail marks gouged into the dirt. The wyldwood had become more dangerous since his days of strict court life. Like it was fighting back…

He watched her for a moment, thinking hard; gears turning in his head. Something was nagging at him.

"You don't live in the courts." He stated carefully, knowing after he spoke that he was right. She knew too much to have a home there, sheltered from the real Nevernever. Tully paused for half a second, her face remaining neutral. She tied the gauze off at his wrist.

"I prefer the term 'Nomad.'' She said, tearing away another piece of gauze to press against her collarbone. She barely winced as she sponged the excess blood off her skin. Puck flashed a grin, proud of himself. He leaned back, resting his weight on his elbows in the high grass.

"So why aren't you there now? Court life got too boring for you?" He asked, a gentle breeze blowing through the trees. The smell of flowers hit him again as she opened the bag, pouring some of the mixture out for herself. It was out of place among the gloom and darkness of the forest. She glanced at him, blue-grey eyes studying him for a moment. Some of the mixture fell out of her gauze and into her lap.

"You ask a lot of questions." Tully mused, brow furrowing as her hand shifted against the cut. Puck heard her growl slightly under her breath as more dried flowers disappeared into the grass below, despite the grip she had on it.

"It's my nature." He sat up again, missing the wary look in her eye as he reached towards her. "Here, let me. You're missing it." Tully glanced down. Puck grinned again as she moved her hand, trying to adjust her grip.

"I got it." The fey said quickly. Puck scoffed.

"Sure you do, you're spilling your potpourri all over the place." He got a hint of a smirk for his efforts. It disappeared when he stretched his hand towards her.

He carefully pressed his hand against the gauze, shifting the bandage; feeling her flinch in response. She was warm underneath his fingertips, heart pounding from the fight. He thought her flinch was from the pain until he realized how rigid she was- tense like she was preparing to flee. Muscle clenched like stone. Before he could blink, she had replaced his hand with her own and was standing up, pulling away from him.

"We should start a fire. Grim will be back any second now. It'd be great if you could get some wood until I can patch this up." She turned her back to him. Puck stalled, confused; getting up slowly.

"Are you-"

"I'm fine. We need wood." Tully replied quickly, cutting him off. She was kneeling in the grass, setting up a place for the fire.

He did as she asked, wondering what he had done wrong.

It was much later when they talked again. The sun had definitely set, and the wyldwood had changed from autumn tones to inky blackness. Every once and a while, an echo of a cackle was heard.

Not that it bothered him. Puck had seen much worse than a blood-happy kelpie.

Tully sat opposite him, on the other side of the fire. Her legs were drawn up to her chest, her elbows resting lightly on her knees. Somehow when he was collecting wood, she had managed to bandage herself up pretty well. Grimalkin had returned soon after, and was currently lying in the grass next to her.

"You know, you could give us a heads up before you make a run for it, cat." Puck complained, watching as yellow eyes peered at him through the flames. Tully's map was spread out in front of her, her finger absentmindedly tracing an inked line. Grim sat up, licking his paw.

"It wouldn't be any fun that way. And besides, I'm preparing you for real life." Tully let out a snort, eyes never wandering from the map. Grim glanced to Tully with a chuckle before stretching out in the grass again. Puck had the feeling he was missing something.

Tully shifted, crossing her legs. "We're almost to the first trod. It's only about half a day's walk from here." He heard the rustling of paper, the fire blocking his line of sight. "That one leads to the human world. Still forest, though. The trod to Roho from there is a little far, but not impossible." He reached down in front of him and popped a mushroom into his mouth, roasted earlier when the fire was almost too hot to sit by. He remembered the last time Ash had eaten mushrooms and held back a chuckle. Puck nodded as he chewed, mouth full.

"Seems like a plan." He said. She nodded absentmindedly, and they drifted into their own thoughts again.

His eyes found her bandage. He could just see the faint pink of her blood beginning to seep through the gauze.

"How's your shoulder?" He asked, feeling like his words were swallowed by the night air. She looked up from the map, her eyes reflecting back the fire. Grimalkin sighed lazily next to her, rolling onto his back in a very cat-like gesture.

"Sore. It should be fine by tomorrow, though. Your arm?" She asked, her eyes moving down his shoulder. Puck shrugged, ignoring the twinge of pain his arm gave off as he shifted.

"Sore."

Tully chuckled.

"I blame Grim." He continued, sighing as the cat peered sleepily at him. "All we needed was a heads up, Grim. Just a little 'oh, by the way, incoming big dogs at 3 o'clock."

"You know, I kind of agree with him." Tully replied, watching as Grimalkin sat up with a long suffering sigh.

"Children, it is late. You should go to sleep." The cat sith retorted. Both fey broke out into laughter.

"Fine, fine. I understand when I'm not wanted." Puck said, sounding hurt. He carefully stretched his arms over his head, falling back into the long grass. He heard the fire splutter as Tully put it out, the long grass obscuring his view. The once orange-red area around them, illuminated by the fire, went black. Afterimages played across his eyes like old movies.

"Goodnight, Goodfellow." He heard a quiet voice say.

"G'night." Puck replied, his eyes finally adjusting to the darkness. He was just able to make out the stars through the trees before he drifted off.

Tully waited a long time. She waited until her ears focused in on the sound of his breathing, tuning out the rest of the wyldwood. Eventually his shifting stopped, his breaths turning deep and even.

Carefully, she sat up. The brunette left her bag where it was. The fire was still smouldering. There was a Puck-shaped imprint in the grass in front of her. If she focused hard, she could just make out the rise and fall of his chest.

Now was the time. Tully tucked her hair back, pulling up the cowl that usually laid on her back like a hood. She stood, careful not to step on any branches.

Grimalkin watched her with faintly glowing eyes. They nodded to each other before she walked into the wyldwood, silent as a ghost.

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