…hands lens, check. Guidebook, check. Journal, check. Plant tissue test kit, check. Granola bars, check.
Then a moment of silence.
Maybe one more check wouldn't—
"Not to tell you your business, sir," a calm soothing voice interrupted, "but I'm confident it's clear by now you have everything you need."
The huge mint green dragon stiffened with a dark green blush on his cheeks and hastily zipped up his sepia handbag before regarding the red-scarfed balloonist standing beside him with a bashful grin.
Sporting a pale pink underbelly with darker heart-shaped ridges, the dragon possessed a big muscular build like Delbin except more squarish along with bison-like ears and short off-white horns. Shoulder length pale pink hair in an undercut topped by dreadlocks tied by a grayish pink hairband into a low ponytail was underscored by a matching angular goatee and thick squarish eyebrows. His jaggy wing membranes and a leaf-shaped tail spade were pale pink as well. Lastly, his clothing consisted of a brown leather floral-patterned apron and fingerless gloves.
It's not as if I hadn't already checked before leaving, the dragon thought to himself in embarrassment, his departure having been several hours ago. I just can't help but recheck sometimes. Or a lot.
Fortunately, Cray the Balloonist did not give the dragon grief for this habit. If anything, he had gone out of his way to give words of comfort for most of the trip, empathic enough to recognize his passenger's anxiety. Even now, he reached out and patted the towering reptile's arm.
"Don't take my words as criticism. I simply think you need to relax." Cray gestured a hand at the swampy realm. "The Beast Makers may live among the most dangerous creatures, but they're also some of the most welcoming of the clans."
Even if some of them displayed the welcoming part a touch too aggressively.
"Besides," he continued. "Don't forget that both your clans have historically been on good terms." The scarf around his neck shifted from the smile beneath. "Simply be yourself and everything else will click into place."
Jesse relaxed and nodded gratefully, appreciative of the aviator's words. The thought of landing a good first impression had been hanging over his head this whole journey, causing him no shortage of anxiety, so hearing such gentle advice aided his nerves a great deal.
All the same, the botanist wanted to ensure he'd be in the right frame of mind lest he make a fool out of himself…which might be suspect if this little conversation with the balloonist confirmed anything. Oy.
Just then, violent tremors overtook the whole swamp, forcing Cray to quickly grip a hand against Jesse's leg to keep himself steady. Not hard since Jesse himself was surprised but not startled by the ruckus. He had seen his fair share of explosions back home, mainly by their weapons expert. Not to mention his experiences with the lady Beast Makers during their stay with the Ecologists.
Still, the botanist couldn't help but be curious as to what the residents could be up to that would warrant such noise.
Cray meanwhile sighed in a knowing fashion, shaking his head. "Assuming you stand clear of the disaster zones."
As if the universe wanted to illustrate the balloonist's point, a chubby lime and pink dragon stumbled backwards from around the corner, yellow catlike eyes wide at whatever he was looking at, hidden from view. The Beast Maker threw his hands up in exasperation.
"Dat boy, I swear ta Agwé…," he murmured. It didn't take his peripherals long to spot not only his realm's balloonist but visitor as well.
"Oh, didn' see ya dere!" The chubby dragon waved a hand before sauntering over. "Name's Lyle. You must be that Jesse fella we were expectin'!"
When Lyle walked up and stuck his hand out for a handshake, Jesse swallowed a lump in his throat before grabbing and returning the gesture, his own handshake trembling much to his displeasure.
"I-It's a meeting to please you, sir – I mean, it's a pleasure to meet you!" He cleared his throat and slapped on a meager smile. "Sorry, I'm just a bit nervous to be meeting the rest of your clan."
Lyle chuckled. "Ah, don't go worryin' yourself ill over us! We Beast Makers are the friendliest sort in the Dragon Realms, behind the Artisans of course. Sure, we live around the most dangerous parts, but that only means nobody's better qualified to keep guests safe here than us!"
Cray smiled behind his scarf and nodded, happy to hear his words echoed by another. Especially since it did help settle Jesse's nerves, judging by the botanist's placated smile and nod.
Maybe this trip won't be so hard after all, Jesse thought.
BOOM!
Everyone shot their heads to the corner where Lyle had appeared, where the noise had once again originated.
Lyle shook his head in resignation, sighing. "You'll have ta excuse the mess. We've been having something of an infestation – multiple ones I should say." Gesturing Jesse to follow him, the green dragon led the way past the well and huts.
Jesse shared a brief (and on his end nervous) look and nod with Cray, who gave a comforting thumbs-up, before the plant dragon darted off to catch up with the older dragon.
When the pair soon cleared the grassy area and reached the first stretch of stylized stone, the Beast Ecologist had to slap a hand over his mouth to resist yelping at two things: the massive piranha flopping wildly in the grasp of the beefy blue (handsome) dragon carrying it over his shoulder, and the equally massive theropod-like skeleton lying on its side next to his companion, held together in a form-fitting seal of water.
Said blue dragon had his back to the group, conversing with a shorter and very chubby (though still comparatively stocky) blue-green dragon with a pale green underbelly segmented like an alligator's; a darker blue green head crest upturned at the front like a low mohawk with matching alligator-like scale outgrowths along the upper head, back, and shoulders and rounded triangular tail spade; a round snout; pale yellow eyes with catlike irises; a pair of downward-curving, terraced head horns; pairs of rounded ridges along their back; a trio of tiny white horns on each deltoid; and finally a dark-green camo-patterned belt with a bag.
The squatter dragon noticed and waved a simple greeting and small yet welcoming smile.
"Well-well-well," they spoke in a husky feminine voice, "took your sweet time gettin' back, did you, old man?"
Lyle rolled his eyes and pointed a joking finger at her, smirking.
"Watch it, young lady. We got a guest here, so keep a civil tongue." He caught the blue dragon arching a curious brow at Jesse. "You especially, Bubba."
Bubba held up his free hand with an innocuous smile while his companion cocked her head upon noticing the Ecologist.
"There's a face I haven't seen in a while. Hey, Jess! I hope the old man didn't scare ya too bad with his welcome!"
Jesse gawked for a moment at the joke, half-ready to genuinely say no, only to hold his tongue and rub his nape in a bashful manner. He'd forgotten how much the dragoness liked to tease.
Lyle merely huffed at the quip before gesturing his head to Jesse. "Seems ya already know Symone; the big blue one next to her is Bubba. Bruno sent 'em here to do some pest control for our hub world."
Although why it had to be this combination of dragons utterly baffled Lyle. Speaking of whom, he turned to address them next.
"I'll be taking Jesse here ova' ta Isaak over at Tree Tops. We clear to head on over?"
Symone nodded. "Just about. We were about to head over to Metalhead so we can set the big fella free into Hunters' Bay" – she thumbed at Bubba and his writhing captive – "assuming this guy doesn't decide ta make lunch out of our catch in the meantime."
She earned a loud raspberry in return, which the dragoness promptly ignored.
Well, that's half of this scene explained, Jesse mused as he regarded the skeleton in mild disturbance.
Symone noticed his staring and gave a half-smile.
"Relax, it ain't gonna jump at you. We've just had folks running across fellas like this lately." Her eyes regarded the skeleton with curiosity. "Weird thing is, wherever there've been critters wreaking havoc, stuff like this always pops up close by – and always on land too. Hmph…"
Bubba waved a dismissive hand. "Eh, the swamps flood a lot this time of year. This stuff's probably washing up along with the critters."
Symone shrugged before picking up her water-bound package without breaking a sweat.
"Either way, we better get back to janitor duty. Oh, and fair warning," she added to Lyle and Jesse, "stay clear of Rosco; he's been more of a nervous wreck than usual. Matthias has had his hands full reining the old man in."
Bubba puffed out a breath, shaking his head in sympathy. "Remind me to check on Matt after we're done dumping this guy," he murmured to the dragoness. "He was really lookin' forward to workin' on the welcome feast with Zeke."
"Uh Bubba," Lyle drolly spoke up while leaning forward and raising one hand up around his mouth. "We're close enough to hear you."
The blue beefcake promptly blushed; Symone facepalmed with her free hand; and despite himself, Jesse managed a meek smile at the pair's antics.
Lyle had to hold back an amused chuckle as well. Never a dull moment with these kids.
"Well then, we'll leave ya'll to it," the elder reptile stated before he shot a glance over his shoulder at Jesse and gestured the Beast Ecologist that they should continue along.
However, as the pair made their way past Bubba and Symone, the former eyed the green botanist and gave a sharp whistle.
"Yo. Jesse, right?"
The addressed paused with a startled stiffening that instilled an instant guilt Bubba tried hard to swallow down. Instead, the Beast Maker compensated by slapping on a confident smirk and half-lidded eyes.
"Keep that pretty head up, hear me?"
Right away, Jesse could feel tremendous heat on his cheeks, eyes widening in surprise. Was that an attempt to cheer him up or flirt with him? Either way, the botanist had no idea how to respond.
Luckily, he didn't have to because Symone proceeded to pull Bubba by the horn, causing the larger dragon to bend backwards and struggle with the huge fish as she fanned her wings out in preparation to fly.
"That's enough from you, Big Boy."
And like a comedy act that had run its course, the pair took off.
It took Lyle shaking Jesse by the shoulder to return him to the present, the elder dragon snorting in amusement.
"Don't mind the way Bubba words things. If anything, it means he's got decent vibes from you." Which struck even the elder by surprise considering Bubba's history with the soft sensitive types. At least this meant less future tension.
Jesse hastily cleared his throat, dark-green blush still there but thankfully fainter now and managed a nod.
Lyle smirked as he gave Jesse's shoulder a few more comforting pats before spinning on his heel. "Now let's get goin' before somebody else distracts us. You do not wanna be late when Ertha's waitin' on you."
Well, hearing that did the trick. Jesse's blush instantly transitioned to a paler tint.
"Don't worry," Lyle assured as he draped an arm around Jesse's shoulders and guided the younger dragon down the stone paths. "This old man here's got a way of charming the masses. Let me soften her up and you can handle the rest from there. While we're on the topic of handles" – he tapped a pointer finger against Jesse's handbag – "whatcha plannin' to do with the stuff in here?"
"O-Oh. Some botanical supplies," Jesse explained. "I have to familiarize myself with the local flora first and cross-reference with what this Isaak knows about the shredder locusts." He nervously readjusted the strap of his handbag. "Let's only hope I don't waste his time."
Oof, Lyle didn't like the lack of certainty in that sentence. By now, the two dragons had passed the portal to Terrace Village and were now carefully traversing the small islands to the huge central tree, where the portal to Tree Tops would be.
"Ah, don't sell yourself so short, son," Lyle assured him, "especially when you haven't even tried yet."
Jesse licked his lips out of anxiety. "I fully intend to cooperate, don't get me wrong! I just want to make sure my effort here doesn't wind up proving pointless to everyone."
The flower dragon reached the mainland housing the tree before Lyle and let out a faint amused 'heh'. He sounded a lot like Nico right now.
"Honestly? I guess what worries me is whether or not you all feel comfortable with my help at all."
Ah, suddenly the younger reptile's behavior made more sense. Lyle took on an empathetic gaze as he reached his guest. To be fair, the Beast Makers did have a reputation for their secrecy, although that mainly pertained to their namesake craft.
"It's not uncommon for us to do cross-clan projects," Lyle explained as he and Jesse started to make their way around the tree, "although ta be fair it is easier with certain groups."
And that's assuming certain individuals across clans hadn't run afoul of each other beforehand.
By this point, the pair had curved around the tree's sprawling roots until the portal to Tree Tops loomed before them, in all its eerie greenness. Jesse had to swallow down a lump at his throat, clearly unsettled by the portal's unsettling color palette.
Lyle patted the younger dragon's back in a comforting manner. "Just stick close to me, son, and you'll be fine."
Right, right! Always trust the buddy system. Jesse managed a grounding breath and nod to Lyle before following the Beast Maker into the portal.
Believe it or not, the sense of weightlessness as the magic transported the pair did not faze Jesse nearly as much, mostly because he'd traveled by portal so many times that the destination didn't matter so much; for as long as the process lasted, the Ecologist could take comfort in the familiarity.
And also have enough time to rehearse what he wanted to say.
Alas, as is common in life, the time couldn't be long enough to prepare because the two dragons touched down on the wooden platform of a huge sawed-off trunk in what felt like seconds.
Right away, Jesse tried very hard not to gulp at the sight of the green mist that obstructed the distant floor beneath. A firm hand clasping his shoulder helped him recenter himself.
"Easy now, son. Don't go forgetting you've got wings there!"
Jesse blushed again and mumbled "right" before following Lyle who, to the other dragon's confusion, started guiding him down the branching path (pun intended) that fed into the hollow of a neighboring tree.
They clearly could have flown there, but apparently Lyle had second thoughts after seeing Jesse's reaction to the drop.
"I don't have a fear of heights, just so you know," the botanist hastily explained. "I'm simply not used to an inability to see the ground."
"Sounds like you ain't used to fog and mist then," Lyle remarked. "Don't worry, once we meet up with Isaak and our other guest, we'll be wingin' it ta Misty Bog. Much better lighting there and plenty more space relatively speakin'. Way flatter, too"
A question about Misty Bog's environment nearly left Jesse's lips, only to stall once he registered all of Lyle's words.
Other guest? Who else was here?
Thankfully, Jesse didn't have to wait long because after he lifted himself up the big step leading into the next level of the tree in Lyle's wake, he could already hear voices from around the bend. He took a moment to close his eyes and take a deep breath for courage.
OK, Jesse told himself. I can do this. I can do this.
Except all he and Lyle found when they turned the corner was a female faun with red hair and a green leaf dress standing alone on the branch path, staring up at something with hands akimbo.
Clearly not the Isaak who Lyle mentioned later. Then where was—
Without warning, a yelp sounded out from above, followed immediately by something heavy falling clean atop Jesse's head, startling the poor guy. In fact, whatever fell on him somehow wound up falling into his flailing arms in an inadvertent catch.
The "something" turned out to be a green salamander-like dragon with reddish frills, groaning as his eyes spun in a comical fashion. After a few moments, though, he recovered enough to notice his unintended savior.
"Oh, hey there! Sorry fer droppin' in like that, I was tryin' to gather a few fruits we need for the shredder locusts. At least until one of them dang Banana Boys went and got me between the eyes."
"You OK, sir?"
At the voice, all dragons turned their heads to the faun approaching them, her face full of concern.
Isaak smiled at the faun, touched. "Nah, I'm alright, Miss Elora, thanks to this big fella right here." He thumbed at Jesse before looking up at the larger dragon. "Thanks for the catch, by the way!"
Jesse blushed at being put in the spotlight. He barely managed to mumble "you're welcome" before gently setting the Beast Maker back on his feet. He stilled, however, when he noticed Elora regard him with a curious gaze.
"You're Jesse, right?" she asked. "One of those Ecologists the Professor's friends with? He mentioned you at one point."
Jesse started at this information. Did the older man really? The botanist shyly cleared his throat and set his hands behind his back.
"'Friends' is a bit…generous. He's more of a fellow scholar. I've hardly interacted with him since we cover completely different fields of science."
"That reminds me," Isaak cut in. "Bruno told me he asked your leader if ya'll had anything from our old haunts. Plants and bugs and the like for stuff like potions. Apparently, she had to check on that front first if I heard right."
Elora cocked her head, curious, as she looked between the two dragons.
Jesse, in contrast, stiffened then wilted. "Oh, you mean Ancient Grove. We sent a few of our clan to check it out, but…the Skavengers there make it a no-go."
Lyle huffed, not surprised at all. "That and without us ta keep tabs on things, I'm sure the wildlife's worse than even here. Got any other sources?"
Jesse shrugged. "Our portals give me access to various areas and their flora, but…"
"But it was hard to decide which to bring with you," Elora kindly finished. Jesse gave a meek nod in response. The faun regarded Isaak and Lyle next. "Didn't your leader give us some recommendations for ingredients earlier?"
Isaak winced and rubbed his nape, sheepish. "Yeah, 'bout that. Shredder locusts have always been tough to tame, even for our clan. Any attempts to herd 'em amounted to using this special repellent we apply to our tech to corral the little demons – the fruits we grow in these parts are one of the ingredients. We've tried various potions and other concoctions over the years, but those either did nil or only worked a short while."
At this point, Jesse had his eyes on the ground, though this time out of thought.
"There are some plants where I usually work that are used for similar effects," he brought up. "They're long-lasting thanks to this type of fruit we mash up into a paste. I brought a jar of it just in case."
The pink-haired dragon reached into his purse to briefly produce one of the items in question, a jar full of a deep fuchsia gel.
Isaak nodded. "Bruno might know what to do with that. He and Ertha keep records on all the potions our clan's used, even the failed ones." He stroked his chin. "We might be able to get something outta the duds with the stuff you brought."
"Let's not put all our eggs in one basket now, boys, " Lyle gently warned with a wagging finger. "Potion-making requires flexibility, so we'd do ourselves well to have alternates and the—"
Jesse, without prompt, exposed the inside of his purse to reveal all the slots inside occupied with various vials full of different colored liquids and plant samples.
And somehow Elora had a sneaking suspicion that bag contained even far more than its size suggested.
"—like," Lyle finished in a dull tone, impressed.
"Sofia suggested that I bring everything," Jesse explained before shrugging. "So, I brought everything."
Isaak and Lyle shared a look before shrugging. Yeah, Bruno would appreciate this sort of overboard-ness alright.
Elora, smiling, walked up and gently elbowed Jesse in the arm, making the big guy only slightly jump. "Nice. In that case, let's get this over to him!" Her eyes shifted to Isaak and Lyle. "Where is he by the way?"
"Terrace Village as a matter of fact," Lyle replied with crossed arms. " Unfortunately, Ol' Bru's had his hands full setting things up for Ertha's birthday all week, and he wants ta be sure any chances for catastrophes are kept to a minimum."
Both faun and Ecologist perked at this information.
"Her birthday's today?" Elora asked in interest, which only increased at Lyle and Isaak's nods. "Then I guess we'll have to check in with his wife after the party."
Jesse nodded in silent agreement. He would hate to delay any celebrations, let alone any for his hosts.
Isaak waved an assuring hand. "She's a little preoccupied with investigations, but don't ya'll worry yourselves! She and Bruno taught their stepson, Sadiki, everythin' they know! In fact, Bruno put 'im in charge of organizin' our plan for the shredder locusts! He even sent me to gather some of the ingredients for the repellant. He'll know what ta do next!"
The lanky dragon then put a hand to his chin. "'Course, that's assuming he ain't got his hands full with the local wildlife."
Not to mention the surprise skeletons littering the place, Jesse recalled.
In fact, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a reddish-brown dragon with feathered wings flying by the group overhead with a pile of bones in his arms – and judging by his perturbed expression, this flyby wasn't normal routine.
A worried frown took over Jesse at the sight.
The sound of Lyle clapping his hands got everyone's attention. "Alright, everybody, that's enough gabbin'! Sadiki should be waiting in Rainfish Riviera, so let's not keep 'im waiting—or drenched for that matter."
With a chuckle at his addendum, he took to the skies, Isaak following suit.
After a moment, Elora shared a meaningful look with Jesse before smiling playfully. "Going my way, big guy?"
Jesse immediately blushed at the faun's teasing tone but got himself together enough to kneel down so she could hop on. Once making sure the faun was secure, Jesse went airborne. The pair didn't take long to catch up with the others.
"Alright," Lyle called out from the forefront of the group. "Once we're back in the hub, it's straight ta Misty Bog! From there, it'll be a straight shot to the Riviera – bit of a long ways but we should be fine. Thankfully, we set up a truce with the seadog pirates last month, so we shouldn't run inta too many problems."
Wait, Elora thought. Did he say pirates?
She set her jaw at the prospect but kept a stiff upper lip. The faun didn't want anyone here thinking she was scared.
Out of her peripheral, though, she couldn't but notice how Jesse seemed unstirred by contrast. Nervous yeah but more in the 'I hope I'm presentable' sort of way.
Has he dealt with pirates before? With the demure personality he'd been displaying so far, Elora wouldn't have guessed. Of course, she'd just met this guy, so what right did she have to judge? Still, the faun made a mental note to pick this guy's brain for details later.
She had a sneaking suspicion a lot lay beneath that meek exterior.
XXX
On the topic of what lays beneath, the trip from Tree Tops to Misty Bog had turned out uneventful.
Well, aside from Jesse getting a near-heart attack from a nearby Attack Frog leaping out of the water to lash his behind the moment their group landed.
The rattled Ecologist had barely started running for his life when Elora put a stop to that nonsense with a swift kick that sent the frog soaring back into a water, much to Lyle and Isaak's amazement and Jesse's relief.
"What?" she'd innocently asked at the pair's stunned looks. "It wasn't that tough."
Needless to say, Jesse made a point to stick very close to the faun's side afterward.
From there, the trip went south-southwest, the dragons having to fly quite a distance to Rainfish Riviera much to Elora's chagrin. This journey would be a lot easier if there were a portal to the place.
Then again, it wouldn't help to give pirates free access to the hub world, Elora supposed. Better yet…
"Hey," she spoke up on the flight there, raising her voice to be heard over the rushing winds. "You said earlier you guys set up a truce with these…seadog pirates, right? What's that about?"
"Oh that," Lyle replied with a roll of his eyes. "When the Sorceress shoved our kind onta this side o' the world, she didn't stop ta think about the folks already livin' here. In our clan's case, it was the Crocoviles and Seadogs. Spoiler alert: the group we're heading for is the friendlier of the two."
Relatively speaking. The Seadogs still had their ornery moments, but at least they were always open to negotiations.
"Anyway, Sadiki said he'd be waiting by the main docks, so it shouldn't take us too long to spot 'im. From there, he'll take us ta where the Seadogs are keeping the shredder locusts."
Jesse and Elora both eyed the elder dragon in surprise, not sure they heard right. Did these guys seriously entrust their own clan's solution to the saboteurs' next attempts in the hands of pirates?
Lyle waved off their concerns. "The Seadogs have about as much to gain from this plan working as we do. Their trade routes have had all sorts of kerfuffle thanks to the fauna gone awry there, too. In fact, they were the first ones to get hit with all this nonsense. Our clan didn't do much at first besides trading inland cuz we figured the issue would sort itself out with time."
A lot of good that assumption did.
Sudden movement in the distance drew Jesse's eye to the nearby ocean, where he spotted a massive dark-green fin with spikes slipping beneath the surface. He took a deep breath when the urge to gulp started to manifest. He'd come this far; now was no time to chicken out.
That said, if a strategic retreat were ever in order on account of whatever lurked beneath the waters here, he would not complain.
Before long the swamp gave way to coastal sands and metal piers, small circular lanterns hanging from the scattered gnarled trees casting the area in an eerie green glow that cut through the fog. Almost right away, the group found Sadiki waving them down from one of the beaches, a blue cooler next to him.
"Took yer sweet time, didn't ya?" Sadiki joked, hands akimbo, as the group touched down before him. He patted the cooler's plastic top. "Got everything we need right in here. Almost anyway. I take it our guest there brought our…'secret ingredient'"
On cue, Jesse pulled out the same jar.
Sadiki gave a smile and a nod of approval in turn. "Then all that's left is rendezvousing with the captain and taking those locusts with us back to Beast Makers. Then we can do some real 'field testing', as your clan might say."
"So, where is this captain?" Elora asked, one hand on her hip.
"A little further up ahead," Sadiki answered, gesturing his head at a nearby cobblestone path before leading the group along it. "He and his crew needed a little more time gathering the last few shredder locusts. The cage they're usin' is a little hefty, so it'll take two dragons to lift the thing."
Lyle waved off the last bit. "Eh, that won't be a problem! Assumin' you ain't gotten allergic to manual labor in the last few hours. In which case we could always have this guy" – he thumbed over at Jesse – "lug 'em around. He's got plenty meat on him after all."
Jesse tried very hard not to blush while Elora held back a snicker.
Sadiki wagged a finger at his fellow Beast Maker with a smirk. "Shovin' all the work onto our guest? How shameful of ya, Lyle. All jokes aside, is that enclosure Bubba promised ready yet?"
"All built an' ready ta use!" Isaak cheerfully replied, wings fluttering as if to emphasis his answer. Then he registered his own words and backtracked with a handgun steeple of his hands. "Well, assuming he didn't get distracted with wrasslin' with the runaway wildlife…again."
Sadiki waved off the concern. "Eh, I'm sure Symone's kicked his behind enough to keep him focused. Why do you think my pops paired those two up for today?"
Lyle rolled his eyes at his junior's words. Clearly, Sadiki had never seen the pair tussle before.
By this point, Jesse had tuned out the rest of the conversation, more interested in the fireflies flitting around here and there along the path, their glow a comfort in the otherwise gloomy misty environment. Especially since he felt as if his first impressions on everyone had been lacking so far. The soft green dragon couldn't help a soft sigh at the thought.
Right then, though, a bit of advice that Dian gave him a few days after her and Madison's return from Peace Keepers came to mind: nothing's wrong with putting your best foot forward, but at the end of the day, the best you is the real you. Trust me, it's way less effort to just be yourself.
Be himself. Same words as Cray earlier.
Jesse set his jaw with a thoughtful hum as he finally looked up. By now, the group was coming up on a stone arch, a lit torch hanging on each front side.
Maybe everyone's right, Jesse mused. Aside from some good-natured ribbing, nobody had gone out of their way to bully him. Actually, the opposite. I've been so worried about getting everyone to respect me, all I've done is make everyone else worry over me instead.
Now that thought made him feel bad, although the botanist tried his best to shake off the guilt and solidify his resolve. He needed to relax and enjoy his time here; otherwise, he'd only make himself miserable this entire trip.
Then he looked to Elora marveling at the fireflies like he had been, reminded of how steadfast the faun had been throughout the whole time the botanist had gotten to know her. Something about that light in her eyes and smile, the way she stayed sure in her steps…
Jesse found himself inspired, thinking back to when Elora helped out with that Attack Frog. If someone so small could tough it out in a realm like this, why couldn't Jesse too?
For the first time since he came here, the botanist found himself finally smiling for real, resolve strengthened.
He just had to be brave.
High above, hidden by the low-hanging mist and unbeknownst to the group, a winged shape with baleful yellow eyes took to the air to follow, bones rattling.
For reference pictures of my OCs:
Artisans - ~professorrat/submissions/1927291/artisan-residents-ocs
Peace Keepers - ~professorrat/submissions/1927292/peace-keeper-residents-ocs
Magic Crafters - ~professorrat/submissions/1927294/magic-crafter-residents-ocs
Ecologists - ~professorrat/submissions/1944688/ecologist-residents-ocs
Beast Makers - ~professorrat/submissions/1927295/beast-maker-residents-ocs
Dream Weavers - ~professorrat/submissions/1927289/dream-weaver-residents-ocs
For the world map - ~professorrat/submissions/2054834/spyro-world-map-surface
