Snuggling Squirrels Separately (Patreon)

 When Peter Dogood first saved enough gold coins to purchase his caravan and trusty Udderat steed, he never knew the complexities of travelling between towns, buying and selling wares as a travelling merchant.

Firstly there were the logistics. Food, supplies, stock. All needed to be replenished, and easily topped up. Stock alone was a complex task, knowing what was selling at a premium at each settlement, and which settlements wanted to offload valuables to him.

Worse, however, were the bandits. The woodlands throughout Thistleland are home to squirrel bandits. Unlike Peter, these squirrels were not the sleek, well groomed and civil types of squirrels. Instead of his red fur, they were grey. Worse still was their nature. Nobody knew what happened to create these unending bandits, but whatever it was, somewhere along the line they were robbed of their sanity, making for chittering, aggressive squirrels.

Certainly they were not everywhere in the woods, but they could be anywhere. Peter was robbed three times by Squirrel bandits, each time being left for dead tied up to a tree with his caravan ransacked, his ability to trade ruined for a while. By the third time he knew he needed help, else the next time would be his last as a merchant.

Peter had first tried the Adventure Guild. Certainly there were numbers of Adventurers that can guard him, and naturally they were all trustworthy examples of professional protectors. They were also, however, expensive. With little money from his misfortune, Peter could hope little to afford a weeks worth of protection, let along the month of time it can take between settlements.

Wherever a knight in shining armour fails, a rogue is there to take their place and in doing so take as much as they can. With his option for a legitimate protector gone, Peter attempted the illegitimate. When he approached the towns less reputable tavern and enquired about protectors, there were many offers. Protection for half his asking price, no questions asked, whatever he wanted for great value. As a Travelling merchant, Peter saw through the smokescreens: If he took any of these offers, he would not reach the next town alive.

One offer, however, did stand out to his eye. The price was reasonable but not competitive with the other scoundrels, and it came with a condition: The guard got to choose how to protect him, with Peter not asking how he is protected.
With little option left, aside bracing for a trip through bandit-infested woods that housed squirrels that knew he were coming, Peter folded back his ears, and took up the pine marten's offer. With a glint in her eye that caused Peter no end of preyish worry, Garnet has joined Dogood Distributions.

It was arguably one of the best decisions Peter ever made.

Since those early days Peter and Garnet have kept their arrangement faithfully. Garnet keeps Peter safe during the travels, and Peter keeps Garnets pouch lined with gold in the towns. And as she requested, he never asks how she protects him, though after that fateful first journey together, he quickly found out.

Professional partners, the two keep some distance when in settlements, tending to their own affairs until it is time to travel again. However, once alone, the roads between settlements in Thistleland can be very lonely places indeed, and there is more then enough time for a red squirrel and a pine marten to get to know each other quite intimately. As Garnet has said to old adventuring partners on occasion in the towns "One way or another, I'll be eating squirrel this journey."

Some times, however, Garnet's way of dealing with the nuisance grey squirrel bandits along their travels certainly causes unexpected complications for Peter when they snuggle up in his caravan...

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Peter Dogood and Garnet are two of the minor characters of Thistleland, constantly travelling from town to town to sell his wares while she protects him from grey squirrel bandits. Professional partners in public, their relationship is a little more steamy while on the road, with the slight complication with how Garner guards her squirrel charge. A pine marten certainly has a few squirrel-based needs to indulge in every journey~! 

This artwork was crafted by the delightful GreedyGulo!