"Do you wish for anything?" (Patreon)
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I asked Vernier.
"The only wish I can think of," she sighed, "is that I want you to succeed. Become King of the Elves and free yourself from this prison."
"I'll try my best to grant it," I declared, trying to hide my disappointment that she hadn't wished to stay here in the woods with me. "But I have a wish for you."
I handed her one of the Mumble-Mugs which I had made out of leaves and bark.
"Take this," I said. "It is part of a matching set. I have the other. Just pull the string taut, and we can talk to each other. Promise you'll call me every day."
"I will do my best," she nodded, tucking the mug into her skirt pocket.
There wasn't much to do after that, except send them off.
I ordered my remaining Ixies to escort the femmes and make sure they got safely past the rabbits.
"If we pass the blockade, we may not be able to return," the Ixies warned me.
"That's a risk we will have to take," I replied. "Make sure they get out safe. Especially Vernier. Find your way back here when you can."
"It might help if we had some sort of disguise," Vernier suggested.
"A simple Glamer should be enough to convince those dumb bunnies that you are members of their community," I theorized. "Petunia, you'll have to take off your rain ring until you are safely out of view."
"I don't need a disguise," Oak declared confidently. "I have a cloak of invisibility."
I fashioned basic rabbit ears for the other four.
"Are you sure this will work?" Gretchen asked uneasily.
"As long as you don't do anything weird," I informed her, "the rabbits shouldn't notice anything amiss."
"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Petunia muttered as they turned to enter the forest. "I had hoped to learn magic, but oh well."
"Thanks for everything," Chloe grinned, with a wave and a shake of her torso.
"I will call you on the Conversation Cup to let you know we got through safely," Vernier promised.
"See thee when we see thee," the Ixies declared with a snappy salute.
They plunged into the undergrowth and I listened until their footsteps faded away.
I was alone.