I sat on the floor holding the witch princess' limp hand as Finn flew back and forth trying to think of a way out.
"I could always try and distract them," he muttered absentmindedly unaware he was thinking out loud.
"No way, too dangerous." Was my only response, he looked like he was about to argue, but I gave him a look and he closed his mouth again.
"Well, what can we do Akari? I can't think of anything." He hung his head and his shoulders slumped as he drifted back down closer to me.
I looked around the room, there must be something here that we could use. Then I thought of the smashed ingredients on the floor and got an idea.
"Finn, do you think we could try mixing a potion?" I asked.
"Well I don't know about that Akari, I mean I'm a harvest sprite but, we aren't the same as magical beings. You need certain skills in order to be able to do that kind of stuff, it takes years of study." His brow furrowed in frustration. "If only she would wake up!"
"I doubt that's going to happen anytime soon." I said looking at her body sadly. I did not want to be stuck here for who knows how long. What if she never woke up? I pushed the thought out of my head. I had to try something, I got up quickly and started gathering the various items on the floor. I rubbed some of the herbs I recognized in a few of the slimier concoctions that had spilled everywhere.
"What are you doing Akari?" Finn asked nervously while fluttering around my head.
"Something that will hopefully get us out of here. All of these things are ingredients or potions of some sort that the witch princess has made, maybe one of them can help us." His face brightened as he let my plan sink in, but then his brow knitted together.
"But, how we going to get this stuff on them? Its too risky to go outside."
"Well," I said dragging the word out, "I was thinking more of getting this stuff in them. They seem almost rabid, I'm hoping that if I throw this stuff out the window at them, they'll try and eat it like they did me." I looked down at my foot and my stomach did a flip flop, my sock was covered in blood and my ankle still bleeding. I needed to get out and get some medical attention as well as the witch.
I left her on the floor and walked up to the window with about fifteen different objects in my arms. I opened it quietly hoping that it was high enough that the animals couldn't climb in. I peeked outside, but didn't see them anywhere. I guessed that they were still prowling around the door.
"Finn!" I whispered to him urgently, "I hate to ask this, but can you fly just a bit outside the window and see if you can spot them?"
He looked at me and at first I thought he would say no, but then he nodded. "Sure, they won't be able to catch me!" With a smile he went out the window. He was only out for a second before he gave a little screech and came rushing back inside. It worked, the raccoon and the weasel were now just under the window snarling viciously.
I looked at Finn's pale face, "good job Finn, thanks. Now hopefully we'll be able to get somewhere." He just nodded than sank down onto my left shoulder.
I brought my attention back to the window. Here goes nothing I thought and threw the first object out the window. It was a brown root type thing, and sure enough, as soon as it hit the ground, both animals were on it. I waited for a reaction holding my breath. Within seconds, both animals had turned a bright blue! It was almost enough to make me giggle, but then again I was a little bit hysterical. This was our only chance to get out.
I grabbed a blue herb next with some kind of clear ooze on it that I had found on the floor. It was a little harder getting that out the window because it just sort of drifted down to the ground slowly, but sure enough, they ate that too. This time I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing, both animals were now blue with lime green spots and their heads became swollen and humongous. It was all they could do to keep from falling over, but they were still vicious, we weren't out yet.
"Akari this isn't working!" Finn squeaked.
"I have a few more items Finn, just hold on a sec." But the next few items I threw didn't have any helping affects. Their bodies morphed some more and changed to extravagant colors, but nothing that could help us.
"Only three left," I said to Finn, the hope fading from my eyes. He tried to give a smile but I could tell it was forced.
This time I grabbed a green herb with some light pink ooze on it. As it slowly drifted to the ground I begged silently in my mind for it to put them to sleep or something. The deformed creatures leapt at the herb, I waited for a second watching closely still praying to the Goddess. "Oh please, please let it work."
All of a sudden, they fell over. I exhaled loudly, I hadn't realized that I was holding my breath again.
"Finn! Finn, I think it worked!" I shouted in joy. "They're asleep!"
Finn looked out the window with a doubtful expression on his face. Then said, "Akari…they aren't asleep."
I looked and sure enough their eyes were open and they were just rolling around on the ground pawing at the air. I looked at Finn raising an eyebrow.
"Well they certainly don't look vicious anymore." He looked at them then to me and nodded, and before I could stop him, he went out the window.
I watched in fear as he flew dangerously close to them, but they didn't even seem to notice. They just kept pawing the air lying on their backs. Suddenly, the raccoon got up. I started to scream at Finn to get away, but the raccoon just walked on swaying as if he was dizzy. He made it about two feet, then rolled onto his back again.
"Akari! It's ok," Finn had a huge grin on his face. "The animals are completely out of it, they don't even know what's going on around them." He started to laugh. I breathed a sigh of relief. Now to get the witch out.
I walked over to her body and bent down to try and pick her up, but then a thought came to me. I know it was rude, but I started looking through her cupboards and drawers. I found what I was looking for, an unbroken bottle. I went over to the pink puddle of ooze I had found earlier and scooped as much as I could into the jar. I might come in handy.
"Akari!" Finn was yelling at me from the window. "What are you doing, we don't know how long this is gonna last, let's go!"
I nodded, put the bottle in my rucksack then walked back over to the witch and once again bent down to pick her up. It's a good thing she was small, because even with all the farm work I had done over the years, I found her kind of heavy. I had one arm supporting her back and my other under her knees. I balance her on my leg to open the door, and slowly made my way back out of Fugue forest with Finn at my side.
