Closing time just couldn't come soon enough.

Forcing himself to bury his efforts in a bundle of silk had proved to be no easy task. On any other day, it'd be natural enough for him to get lost in his work, only able to pry himself away when Karen announced that their candle had finally dipped past the tenth line etched into the side and they could begin to pack their materials at long last. But today? Not a chance. Kenny kept his eyes flickering back and forth between that damnable pillar of wax, cursing time for not cooperating with his sense of urgency. But then again, that's just always how it was, wasn't it?

He blew his bangs out of his face, snagging a long strand of moss-shaded silk and dropping down onto his knees, eye-level with the cinch of the skirt. He hummed through his nose, reaching between a midline split, pinning the color between two curtains of glossy white. He backed up and cocked his head, snatching a rudimentary drawing from the table, recalling his drawing session with the customer as best he could. She wanted elegance but something different, same as any maiden who wandered into his shop if he was being honest. Blue eyes flitted between his sketch and the product, nodding slowly. He glanced up at the bodice, stunningly adorned with vibrant, golden petals embroidered days before by the girls. He'd sent Clyde off with a small order for intricate metal beading for him to paint and sew, the blacksmith more than happy to be given such a task. He'd always had a fondness for losing himself in the midst of a simple, but time-consuming job, after all.

"Girls, whatcha think?" he called back, hearing Karen and Carol moving from their stools and coming over to him as he got back onto his feet. He slipped extra pins back into the pouch on his hip, quickly closing it again as they approached.

Carol grinned, "It'll look better once we have the sleeves on."

"Well, yeah," he rolled his eyes. "But as of now?" he glanced down at Karen, elbowing her lightly. "C'mon you're my coordination expert. Anythin' we can do better?"

Karen twisted her lips, stepping closer and scrutinizing the gown up and down. She hummed, pointing at the bodice. "Can you alter this?"

"I can do anything," he crossed his arms and cocked a boastful brow. "Why? What're you thinkin'?"

She placed a careful finger on a side seam. "What about ripping the sides and puttin' more of the silk in there? Give it more color," she shrugged. "Ya bought all that silk, may as well use it."

He nodded slowly, glancing between the remainder and the bodice stepping beside her, leaning down to her height and blowing out a long stream of air. "I'm usin' some on the cuffs of the sleeves, but I think you're right. It'd help it pop more."

"And it'll emphasize her shape," Carol added.

"Right," he nodded again. He gestured to the waistline, "Stop the stripe at the skirt or keep it flowin' down?" he asked Karen.

She cocked her head thoughtfully, "Stop at the skirt. She's not a festival pole."

Kenny snorted, "True. All right, I'll tackle that tomorrow…" he glanced back towards their candle, creeping so close to their time that he could taste it. He bit his cheek, "Where are Pops n' Kevin?"

"They're at home mashin' the berries," Carol informed him. "Why?"

"Feel like callin' it quits early?" he asked hopefully. "I kind of have an errand to run."

Karen raised her brow, "An errand? What're we missing?"

He waved his hand dismissively, "I'm just gonna go see if I can find a substitute for the low woad supply out in the woods. I heard there's some variety of elder leaves out there I can use."

She perked up, "I can come with ya!"

Carol shook her head, "Karen, I need yer help at home with supper."

Karen groaned and pouted, stalking back over to their table and beginning to cover their materials. "Fiiiine,"she drawled. "Don't want t' git hit by a thorn bush anyway," she grumbled.

Kenny chuckled, "Maybe next time, Kare." She let out a hmph and continued her work. Kenny glanced over at his mother looking at him suspiciously. "Ma, come out with me," he folded in his finger as he walked towards and out the front door. He waited for her to cross the threshold, the woman closing the door behind her and crossing her arms sternly.

"What are you really doing?" she asked warily.

"Lookin' for plants," he insisted. "Ma, Cartman is robbing us. I can't keep up with the prices for our dyein' stuff. I gotta find some alternatives. So I'm just gonna scavenge around. Make a hobby of it maybe," he grinned softly, hoping that he was a lot more adept at lying than he was when he was younger.

She stared at him and hummed. "Just… awful strange yer wantin' t' do this after your father and brother tell ya a wild tale 'bout somethin' out there."

He shrugged, "It inspired me. I mean, blue mushrooms? I ain't ever seen that before, neither have any of us," he gestured around. "That's means there's more stuff out there than we know about, right? So there's a chance that I have a goldmine just waitin' for me."

Carol nodded slowly, the words making perfect sense, but mother's intuition just stomping around inside of her insisting that something Kenny was telling her was off. But she also knew better. He was a grown man and he was going to do as he pleased. He didn't even need to tell her a story, he very easily could have just taken off without a word. "Just… be careful," she requested softly.

"Aw, Ma," he winked, moving up and kissing her cheek. "I think I can handle me some plants. Can you and Kare close down the shop by yourselves?"

She smiled and nodded, "Of course. Hang on for one moment," she requested, turning back and walking into the shop. Kenny cocked his brow, waiting for her to reappear. She did so quickly with a satchel in her hand, passing it off to him. "Just in case ya find somethin'."

He grinned, slipping it over his shoulder, "Thanks. I'll be back 'round supper, I'm sure."

"Better be," she chuckled, waving to him and heading back into the shop.

The smile dropped from his face, Kenny quickly turning on his heel and heading across the main road, on a beeline right towards the fields. A hand reached up and snagged his satchel handle, fingers digging into the worn cotton and a gulp steadily making its way down his throat. He just had to be sure, but he didn't know what it was he could be walking in to.

If it was anything like the book had told him, he could be walking into an ambush. Then again, the book also told him that these creatures were supposed to be barely halfway up his shin, so he wasn't entirely sure of just what he could believe. But the rings were a recurrent theme, a mystical marvel discovered all over the land from what Meryl had heard. However, the facts were never quite the same; Some claimed them to be created by fairies dancing over the grass. Some determined them to be a trap, a way to lure too-curious humans into their snare and hold them in place until death.

But no matter the purpose, the creation, the meaning, the only substantial element was that it was a widely accepted belief that they were linked to the creatures. And to Kenny, that's really all that mattered in the end.

He sunk guiltily, tromping over grass and heading towards the reeds, glancing back and forth for anyone watching him going on his strange, outwards journey. A part of him really had wanted Karen to tag along, for her to be able to see with him just what it was they could be the first to discover… But that pesky doubt rang so loudly in the back of his mind there was no way he could in good conscious lead his little sister out into the unknown. After all, some claimed mythical creatures to be nothing more than good natured spirits, and there were some that believed them to be bloodthirsty and vengeful. And without a good, stable example, he certainly wasn't going to let Karen be in danger of a threat that he didn't even know if he could handle.

A tiny little pest barely larger than his hand? Sure, not a problem. But something taller than she was? Not a chance. Ken couldn't even be sure if he could protect himself, let alone the both of them. He'd have to do the initial survey, determine if there was anything even there for them to be excited about. Though, with the descriptions that Kevin and his father had come back with, something was certainly in the air that rang with promise. It was just too coincidental. Spawning from the same wooded enclosure that Meryl had so long ago had his first encounter? Something that matched up so perfectly with the tales the man had gathered over his years?

Kenny stoutly refused to believe that this was something ordinary.

He made his way through the reeds, grateful for the days of not being able to see out past the stalks being long behind him. The world sure seemed smaller when one grew, the field not nearly as vast as he seemed to recall it being. He thought his treks with Karen would last for hours, but it seems as though it was barely a ten-minute adventure from one side to the other. And this time, he didn't have a specific image of what he'd find.

There were no fireflies he was tromping towards, no particular berry as he'd sent the boys to fetch. No, no. He was dealing with an anomaly. Something that he merely knew the basic shape of. He winced, hitting the edge of the forest and gulping, putting his hand on the trunk of an evergreen as hesitation slammed into him. He could be dealing with a monstrosity. Something with sharp teeth and a taste for lost souls wandering about in its home.

He glanced back towards the town lingering in the distance and frowned. He'd never let himself live it down if he turned back now. The concept would eat him alive that he'd let his chance of confirmation slip through his fingers. Rolling his shoulders back and taking a deep breath, he crossed into the woods, instantly hitting crackling twigs beneath his feet and falling into the shroud of the leaved canopy. He could hear the twitter of birds, singing freely as they swooped from one branch to the next, biting his lip and trying to lighten his leather steps to fall under their melody. He clutched his bag tighter, chest aching as his heart pounded madly. The apprehension and the uncertainty was far worse than he'd imagined it could be. This could so easily turn from innocent curiosity into the gravest mistake of his life… But it had to be done. Nine-year-old him would never forgive him for passing up this opportunity if he did.

He veered slightly to the left, remembering well enough all the journeys he'd made for the patch of mulberries at Levick's request. It was one of the few things that they could get on their own, and a rich, deep red color fabric was almost always needed on hand. He hummed under his breath, knowing well enough he'd never seen anything so odd hidden in the mess of bushes, having ventured there so many times. Why now? Why would this creature suddenly decide that berries were its best cover? Perhaps it merely wanted a quick, convenient snack. Kenny shook his head, knowing that guessing their dietary habits was ridiculous.

After all, for all he knew, he was going to be looking at a cannibal within a few minutes.

The thought nearly made him freeze before he took another breath, angrily letting it expand his chest before continuing onward. He was being childish. Completely unhinged. Living a sheltered one-town life certainly wasn't doing him any sort of favor, riddling him with a nonstop array of horrifying scenarios. He groaned to himself, glancing up and seeing the block of green in the distance, slowing his steps and coming to a halt. He ground his lip between his teeth, looking back and forth for any signs of trouble, keeping his breathing quiet and steady to hear approaching danger.

A brief moment of silence persuaded him onwards, moving to hide himself behind a tall, thick tree. He shook his head at himself, fingers scraping against the bark, convincing himself that he was truly in this moment before slowly slipping around the trunk and making way for another. He was probably being a bit too cautious, but as his mother always told him: Be safe, not dead. He intended to honor her wishes.

He continued pressing forward, slipping smoothly behind trunks, avoiding cracking more twigs under his feet than needed, giving a silent thank you to Tavin for allowing this to happen while the leaves remained stemming from the branches. Stomping through those after they'd crackled and fallen would be the equivalent of walking up to whatever this was and screaming like a madman.

He finally edged up to a large tree close enough to just barely see within the center of the mulberry patch, eyes catching the slightest glimpse of a bright, sapphire shape. His breath hitched. Kevin was right, that was far too strange.

Kenny gulped, dropping down to his knees and taking another deep breath to steady himself. He slowly counted to three, making his way towards the bushes in a timid crawl. He swung the satchel over his back, not willing to let it drag and give him away. Fingers reached up to the lush leaves, slowly picking back a few, listening closely for any foreign noises. Hearing nothing, he pushed himself forward, reaching to the outermost branch and pulling it down in the slightest, glancing through the disarrayed obstructions to peer on the other side. Nothing but the clearing far as he could tell, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. He licked over his lips, carefully pushing himself through limbs and into the shrubbery to get a better view, peering through the sunlight mottling over his shaded face to the eye-catching mushrooms laid out just as his brother and father had described them.

A perfect circle, lined with sporadic, vivid blue in a clearing of dirt and grass, cleaned of sticks and debris. All fallen twigs from other trees hovering near the ring within the patch were seemingly swept out, thrown casually to keep out of the collection that someone had procured. Kenny narrowed his eyes, leaning forward just a bit more to see the items so neatly arranged.

Books and strewn papers were stacked adroitly into a pile atop a piece of cloth. Another pile was laden with those mismatched toys he'd been told of, catching glimpses of small, wooden trinkets lying atop one another at the forefront of larger items. He narrowed his eyes confusedly at the seemingly random selection, as though peering into a spoiled child's toy crate. Glancing past them, a sharp glisten caught his eye, finding himself staring at a vast array of jars and broken shards of glass arranged carefully; still assembled pieces used to hold counterparts and dancing brilliantly as leaves moved the sunlight hovering above them.

"What the fuck," he whispered, shaking his head. This was bizarre. Beyond bizarre.

He froze, hearing the sound of footsteps off on the other side of the patch and folded his lips in, biting them sharply as he forced himself to remain perfectly still. He could hear his heart hammering away, palms sweating and eyes burning with the need to blink.

'Stay calm, stay still,' he chided himself, carefully moving his fingers off of branches and pulling them back towards himself, leaning up in the slightest for the best unobscured view he could secure. He put his hand over his mouth and nose as the footsteps drew nearer, managing to subdue a flinch as a figure came over the bushes and back into the patch.

Kenny's eye automatically drew to the long, glistening appendages springing from the creature's back; translucent and shaded a vivid green. They flapped once, twice; hitting the sunlight just well enough for Kenny to catch the veins spreading throughout them, the long lines of cartilage shown so clearly under the unique, thin coloring, spread about like the branch of a fern. He gulped, jaw trembling as he forced himself to look up at the owner, blinking rapidly at a surprising sight: A very human face.

They couldn't have been older than Kenny himself if he had to guess, giving off the air of adventurous youth and thought-out purpose. Gently looped curls of cramoisy rested upon his head, a jade scarf wrapped in behind fluffy bangs and secured lazily around their scalp. A loose tangerine tunic was situated over a lean, lithe form, another green scarf tied taut around their waist, a long, thin bag dangling from the belt leading towards bare legs and feet. Wide, beaming eyes too far away for Kenny to study were open, staring with a smile at a paper in their hand, twisting and turning it, holding it up to the sun to see through the parchment in awe.

The creature hummed; A gentle, thoughtful tone before hopping into their ring and settling down onto the sides of their legs, casually setting the new paper under the topmost book of their pile before sliding a bow and quiver off their back and dropping it down beside them. Kenny blinked at the weapon before settling his eyes back on the young being across from him. He gulped. 'It…He? Is it a he? Looks like it,' he thought, forcing himself to contain his quaking. 'If he has a weapon, he can't be dangerous on his own… right?' he prayed, hoping such a shot in the dark wouldn't result in a literal shot through his chest.

Kenny watched in astonishment as the bright green wings folded down, resting against his back and large enough to jut out behind a slender waistline. Even in the daylight, they looked damn well like a cape, giving his drunken self an apology for the lack of believability of credence. The fairy sighed, slipping a set of bags off from over his shoulder, snagging one and bringing it in front of him. Kenny watched him pulling out a book, bound in worn and torn leather and twine, snatching a bone-tipped quill and inkwell along with it and flipping open the book.

'What do I do?' Kenny fretted. 'Do I leave? Should I stay? What'll he do if he sees me? He's shorter and smaller than me… maybe I can shove him down and run?'

He was almost jealous of how calm and unaware the other was, reaching forward and pulling a long wooden whistle from the pile of discarded toys, twisting it in his hands and smirking as he dabbed his quill into his inkpot and began to scribble onto a page of his journal. Kenny narrowed his eyes, watching him staring at the cheap toy, as though it were a rare jewel needing to be appraised. He'd never seen such fascination on another being's face, eyes flickering between the creature's eyes and his rapidly writing hand.

"Hm," the fairy cocked its head, holding the whistle far out in front of them, quill beginning to be dragged in long, careful lines, looking between it and the page. Kenny raised his brow, knowing that studious look from his own works. He was drawing it. Drawing a toy. But why? This was raising far more questions than it was answering, and Kenny still didn't have the slightest idea as to how to proceed.

He snapped out of his panicked quandary as the fairy stopped their sketching and set the book and his quill aside, bringing the whistle back towards them and stroking a thumb down the engraved design, a gentle, smoldering smile on their face. He raised the edge of his short tunic, wiping off the mouthpiece situated on the end and brought it back up. He flicked it a couple of times, hearing the hollow click of the carved oak and humming once more. The creature turned it and softly blew into the mouthpiece, both himself and Kenny jerking at the sharp, crisp note darting through the air.

Kenny watched in bewilderment as the other's brow quirked before they broke out into soft chuckles, those wide eyes rolling dramatically. "Aikopia, preita. Lae beln'ae ke'naina aikopia noti len inalsa."

The tailor's face scrunched in confusion. 'What the fuck did he just say?!'

The fairy sighed and shook his head amusedly, hopping back onto his feet and towards a tree outlying his ring. He smacked his lips, placing the whistle against the trunk with his palm overlaying it. Kenny's jaw dropped in horror as his hand sunk down through the bark with an eerie green glow, the fairy pulling his hand back out and brushing dust off his wrist.

A loud, frantic sound squeaked through Kenny's throat and he froze along with the redhead. Kenny's jaw quivered, cursing at himself for letting the sound slip through. He began to panic once more, glancing towards the ring for an answer of some kind, wondering if he should just stand and run for it, do something to get himself out of a potential death zone. He glanced back up at the creature, jerking back violently as he found two spring green eyes locked in on him in equal shock.

Oh shit.


A/N: Special thanks to my buddy Kris for helping me for literally hours trying to figure out the grammatical structure of the fairy language. For this one line. Whispers they're far too good to me.

Thanks for R&Ring!