The Fae's top stratus Ruler...

Introducing AeriEmin...

Gnoming around...

Waz that by the hole? - Rogue

The Gnome, guarding his cave. Now hush. Can't have ur rude ass screwing up our security, aye? - A

Huh. Case it scaped ur notice. We's ain't gnome sized. - R

Don't have 2 b. He gives u pass, u'll fit. Just don't b blatherin', aye? Le me chat him up. - A

Heh heh, no prob. I'd pay 2 c this show. I'll shut it 2 c it 4 free. Lol... - R

'K then. Just rub his head... - A

Wot?? Ur sheitin' me, right? - R

Lol... Nope. :-)
- A

Borders...

Hey! Where'd the monochrome go?? - Rogue

Really? Ur asking me that? The freaking Gouls n company r dispatched, either to their final spot, or to go find some friends. The River's the border for the Hollow Lands, aye? Y u think I said into the water? - A

Cool!
Sheite. K. We gots to go. Fadin' fast, me.... - R

Arm over. C'mon, Mr. Fancy Pants.... - A

Done in...

Wow. 'S all I can say... - Arrow

I'm done. U can b impressed later. Now, u gonna have 2 carry me. - Rogue

Coo u all sprawled out on the river bank with a woody n ur pants n icky bits all over, singing out the orders. I'll see ya @ home, aye?
- A

Arrow, Luv. Dead serious here. Anything else comes @ us n it's all u. That was me reserves, eh? - R

Huh...
My bad. 'K.
Gnomes cave it is then. C'mon. Hup!! B4 they decide on round two... - A

Motivation...

Hah! Hah! Hah! Rrrrrrraaaahhhh!! 2 my left!! Ahhhh! Ahhhh! Haah. Tanx! - Arrow

No... Prob... Unnff! Unnff!! Rrrr... Rrrrrr... Rrrriiiight! There's the spot! Ahhh! - Rogue

Hey! Watch the blade! It's tipped! - A

Wot?! Lol... NOW she tells me. Uhhhrr.. Uhh... Urrr turnin' my crank Long Bow. Sexxxxxy! - R

R u kidding me?? Shut! IT!! N fight!! ARRRRRR!!! This is NO GAME!! - A

Serious?! N y is it so fun then??! - R

U, ahhh!!!, like this sheite?! -

Well... Yah! A course! Hunffff.... - R

Men!! Rrrrrr... Ow!
Hey, don't stop! I'm good!
Oh. Wow. Look @ him go...Freaker was just playing b4.
Assun hole...
- A

The Crowd...

Wots comin' ur side? - Rogue

Gouls. Urs? - Arrow

2 Walkers, part solid. N a Were @ a distance, looking 4 leftovers, I'd guess. She'll b comin' up to peak hunting now... - R

She? It's a Were, how can u tell?? - A

Nipple rings. _ R

Wot?!! Nvrmnd! Seeooooooo! Haaaaaa..... Blades up!! - A

Mine's up alright. Likes havin' u @ me back... - R

Wot?? DON'T DISTRACT ME!! - A

Lol... Game on Sweets!!! - R

Loyalties price.

Oye! That Bowyer musta know'd n didn't say sheite. Hey! OW! Ya little Shyster. Stop with the arrows n let me in! I'll b throwin' u out on yer ear when we's done! Eh! A me daughter that! Lemme in! Eeoww!

Fine then! U best keep her safe ya little freaker! I gots no time 4 this sheite. Still gonna out u when alls calm, hear?! N no small bits a Fae blood or what ever it is u have in ur veins will save u, hear??!! Ur people don't wants ya, n neither do I!!

- Ogre

Defence.

Don't hesitate, aye?! Into the water, backs up n pull blade!! - Arrow

Down for the count.

Arrow says ur sleep's nigh. Says 2 keep watch. - Runt

Did she now. Good girl, that 1. It's bad, bad timing 4 sure. Going down @ Hallows puts me way under. Ogre'll have 'is hands tied with the nasties in the Bramblewood n no guard 4 me. Pull ur bow, n don't let him in when he comes. That'll convince him ur good 4 the job. :-)
-SB

Y u sleep so, Beauty? - R

Hah! Now THAT story will have 2 wait. I, I...
- SB

Oye!! Beauty!! Hey. No. Midge! MIDGE!! HELP!!!! - R

Gaining ground.

Wot u think? Sheitter got away when the Gouls came out. Gots him in 'is solid bits 1st tho. Will slow 'im down some, but won't stop 'im. Don't get y he was so hyped on a Rugrat. He was more flesh than spook!
- Rogue

Yah, well, Runt's no runt despite his size, eh? There's more there than wot u sees. Oh! Crap. Hairy arms!
- A

Wot?? - R

Well Sweets, y don't we stop 2 chat, eh?! Run!  - A

Can't. - R

Hobble fast then! Stream by the wood. Go! Now! - A

Makin' tracks...

'K, Ass. Lean on me some soes we can make better time...
No!
Nuff!
Ur Macho sheite's slowin' us 2 much. N we gots followers... - A

Ugh. Right bitch 2day, wot? - Rogue

Me? Hey. We gots 2 get off the Hollow Lands. This monochrome landscape flips me vision. Don't want 2 b going back to back with that crowd behind us here if we can help it. - A

True? Ha! That's how they to got 2 me! Was wondering bout that. - R

Huh. Not surprising. N my blood lines r better with vision here than urs. No. Hush. Don't get ur back up. Is just fact.
 Sooo.... Wots with Runt's Walker?? - A

Wot Arrow finds under Rogue's drawers...

That's a right nasty bit, eh? Will put the slugs 2 it @ home. - Arrow

Hey, no need for callin' me bits nasty!
Arrrgh! Owwww! Don't have 2 pull that so tight! Eeeee. Woman! Eh?! Alright. 'S good!
N wot u mean slugs? Y? Wounds fresh! - Rogue

U been hackin' up Gouls, yes? They sheite on their weapons. Brings the rot wots their life into ur system, startin' @ the cut n rotting out from there. The Slugs gets rid a the rot. Grimmy little bastards but they eat the rot right up. - A

Gouls sheite?? - R

Huh. Of all I said, that's wot sticks in ur brain?? - A

Well beggin' ur pardon Miss! I's cut up a mite. Not firing on all cylinders here, eh? - R

U never r. K. Nvrmnd. DON'T respond. Hup! Les go. We gots a day's march with the nasties 4 company. - A

Only a day? To the Bramble?? - R

Little more than. U followed the Bee's dance, eh? They work as they go, stoppin' every which way. Crickets r more direct. - A

Well, Crimmy... - R

SB n Runt.

Oye, Munchkin. Is a good heart u have, eh? But hurtin's part a the love, seen? The people, n the place. It's a broken world, aye? U didn't hesitate 2 take ur wee bow out in defense of us when u figured wots the Walker had. Same for the rest, eh?! One hand washes the other, wot? We all takes our chances 4 those we love, n 4 what we know 2 b good n right...

- SB

PTSD, of the Rogue kind...

Where'd u go. Eh?! I was startin' 2 worry u were serious. - Rogue

Was. Runt would b pissed tho. So for his sake only. U bloody shyster... - Arrow

Ahhh.... Don't b that way, eh? C'mon. So how'd u find me? - R

Ur kidding, right? Couldn't miss the trail a Goul bits, eh? Ur a handy 1 with ur tools, huh? - A

Oh, Darlin' u have no idea. ...
K. Dead stare. Probably not good that. Sorry Luv, fightin' jacks me up. - R

Huh. I'll have 2 keep that in mind. That waz ur 1 free pass. K? Now. Lemme see the leg wots oozing dribbles all over ur cozy cave floor, no? - A

Sure thing Darlin. How much can I take off?? - R

Arrrgh! - A

Hey. Apologized once. 'S alls u get. Am whose I am, seen? - R

'S cool. Anyone's covered n flecks of blood n body bits has a right to be jacked n a mite testy. Just don't expect me to help u out with that stand ur sprouting, aye? - A

Lord a Sanctuary, ur a hard woman Long Bow. - R

Not as hard as u, apparently... - A

Ohhhhhh, aaarrrrrrrrRRRRRRGGGHHHH!!!! Just quit, eh?!! - R

Heh heh heh.... Eh! Stop that u Oaf or ur on ur own! - A

Wot Arrow finds in the Hollows.

Stupid man.... - Arrow

Hah! Darlin', ur a sight fer sore eyes! C'mere! - Rogue

Hey... Arrrrgh!Hey! Uck!! Wots THAT 4?? - A

4 bein' u, Long Bow. I's a mite happy 2 c u, aye?! - R

Well I don't need ur kisses, Oaf, so don't make a habit of it!! - A

Ow! Ain't I wounded enough here? Put ur sharp tongue away.
Hmmm....
Fact is, I gots a couple places u could put it. ;-) - R

K. Leaving u. Going back home now. - A

Hey! Hey! No! Just teasin', eh?! C'mon now, eh? Arrow!! Sheite. - R

Too grown up...

But wots if they gets hurt becuz a me??? - Runt

Hallow's Moon

Wide's my bed, Hallow's my moon this nite. Sanctuary, I'm letting fly my heart's arrow. May it find its mark in the dawn....

- Arrow

Small but mighty.

U? Ur strong stuff, eh?! Growns fear their Walkers, but u, u went after urs. Good man! A Mite like u has no tricks, tho. Us whose battled knows a few. That Walker can't keep ur name. They sucks the young-uns out quick. Is y Rogue n Long Bow r out @ Hallows. Nvrmnd the Ogre. K? Stays near, aye?! N keep ur wee weapons ready.

- SB

The Good Stuff.

U gots 2 live. N u gots 2 love. N u got 2 deal with all the parts of Sanctuary's Fabric. The ruff weave n the smooth. Danger n death r tied into the living n the loved. If u didn't love, wot would it matter about the Walkers? Have @ us n b done. It's the love that gives us hope n a reason 2 fight. The wicked know only fear n the hard things in all the worlds. Is y we battle. 2 know the good.

- SB

Ogre's Maze

Do u think u'd like who u r if u loved no one? Seen? There's the danger. U think the Ogre loves no one? U think every barbed word n angry thought that keeps us in n the world out protects him, or us? He's as attached as we. But u have 2 work ur way thru all his Brambles 2 see it. Denying it twists it up.

- SB

Wots Love got to do with it?

I think the Ogre's right. Best not 2 luv, eh?! No danger then. Huh? - Runt

Well. Depends. Wot would u do with Arrow. Can u not love her?
That's where it gets u. See? Things r hard, places harder still. But people? Huh....
- SB

Justification.

Is y Ogre doesn't like us leaving, seen? N he tries to keep us from attaching 2 anything cuz he knows it's a danger out there. But we r who we r n he can't stomp it out. We love. People, places, things. N out there, that love not only turns on us, but we bring the wicked home.

- SB

Losing ur sweet bits...

But if u harbour something personal, that's precious 2 u, it can be lost, in any space u occupy. Here, or there. N they stalks us, eh?! N if they c u, n mark ur trail, they can find ur careless moments n make off with what needed guarding, n they use it same way. It's ur energy, the importance u put on it wots gives the sweets value.

- SB

Not me!

NEVER, EVER, EVER have I gone eyeballs with a Walker. Ever!! - Runt

Shush. Listen. Is not the only way 2 grab u, hey? We wots this side of the Briarwood, it's a struggle but we makes our way in it, n in the Tanglewood beyond, n into the Outside. We're immune 2 the Wood's poison. Some more, some less. - SB

About dem Ghosts....

One a the ways they gets u is eye ball to eye ball after the thorn's got 'em, but b4 they pass. Tricky work, that. Gettin' them down when they's like that.
N u'll find, when a Walker has ur name, as u go about ur days ur fears will ride u, for no reason. Well, it's the Walkers. They know how to prod them. N they tap into u n feed off  ur crazy that comes of it. That energy gives them substance. It gives them life. N with ur name they don't dies the same any more. So they get further in the Briar this time. N they's motivated now, eh? Cuz now they know what's on the other side of the Barrier.

Food...


U...

 - SB

Bloody things never stay put...

Well, we buries them in the Tanglewood... Wot choice? Eh? It's as it is. They gots 2 go somewhere n it's as far as Long Bow n I can carry 'em. But whatever's in dem thorns won't allow 'em 2 stay in the ground. So they's Grave Walkers, aye? - SB

Finally!

So wot IS a Grave Walker? - Runt

Huh. Well. U knows how men tries their hand @ the Hedge, eh? Wanting wots behind it, without even knowing. N u know the Ogre's wots created the Bramble n keeps it flourishing. It's full of the wicked sharp thorns, beautiful in their flowering but deadly to the prick. One scratch, eh? U sees Arrow n I hauling off the corpses? Wot? - Sleeping Beauty

Queue the Hollow Lands...

Arrgh! Arrrrrgh! Auh! Auh! Auh! Feel THAT u nasty little sumbit*h! Hah!
Oh. Sheite....

- Rogue

Bedding down in the Tanglewood.

Wot's bound 2 freak u out is the things that walk in ur tangled places who can see better in the dark than u. Cracklin' movement thru the undergrowth just beyond ur vision. Stillness n watchin' is oft safer than running. Huh. No place spookier than ur woods @ night. Hmmm.... Unless it's someone else's....  - Arrow

Fast Goodbye.

Hey! Stop! Hey! Waz ur plan, eh? Ogre's pissed I ran. Talk! - SB

Crick's view gave me the end game. So it's shortcuts 4 me. Hollow Lands it is.  - Arrow

Ha! Short road brings blood, long road brings sweat... - SB

Eh? Hear ur mama talking! Bloods coming either way, even fast routes r 2 slow now. I'll b thru the Bramble n sleep in the Tanglewood 2nite, run again @ dawn. K. Nuff. Go back. N sleep well sister, mine. - A

Huh. C u in the dreaming, then. xo - SB

Bush healing...

Rain on the canopy n woods damp easing up round u. Some mystery, eh?! That breath from natures growth n decay. Cleansing n healing... Just wot the soul needs... - Arrow

The Exchange

Going where I'm supposed 2 Ole Man. - Arrow

No. Ur my Bowyer. N as such I have the talk. Otherwise u can get ur ass over the Hedge n stay there. - Old Man

Huh. Was about 2 fetch ur Ghost Buster back. U think my time's worth ur food n hearth? Or should I just stay gone. - A

Always a smart ass. Gotta have ur way. Whatever. U think ur brain's up 2 it? Haul his ass back. Bout time ur were useful. Eh! Don't slam the door!! - OM

Huh. Freakin' Ogre... - SB

Wot?! Any one talkin' 2 u?! - OM

The voice of reason, or some such...

Oh shut it, Bowyer. Wot u want? A medal  or a chest 2 pin it to? Giving the great sacrifice on behalf of us all. Saint r u? Like ur mother? Huh. Don't need ur sheite. Got enough a me own, yah?
Waz this about Rogue hunting a lone Walker? Freakin' Hippie, better get his ass back here. It's the Thinning. Wot I pay him 4 if not 2 b @ the Borders @ Hallows?? N where u think ur going?? - Ole Man

Scattered bits.

U found 'im? - Sleeping Beauty

Aye. He'll b seeing u 4 the rest of it. He needs 2 know. His turn, eh?
U finish my pack? - Arrow

Seen. Arrow? U could live beyond the Hedge. U could b free? Y stay here? - SB

Huh. How could I get out n stay out when the rest of me is here? U, the rugrats, the Ole Man? Y'all r here. Only pieces of me r free. I come back n battle 4 the rest, eh? Cuz we're all parts of a whole n we work 2 make the whole free... - A

A job 4 each...

It's part of this place, see? The Walkers stalking us, hunting our name. It's not u or me. There's us, n our home n its people. There's the Hedge n our neighbours beyond. N Worlds beyond that, in this time n in others. It's all a warp n weft of the fabric that flows from Sanctuary's loom. So no, not ur fault. We all face the same challenge, tho it's different 4 each.
Rogue's story is tied 2 the Grave Walkers, who r tied to our Briarwood. Spookin' is his business. 'S y the Ole Man let's him stay. - A

Nuther story that, eh? - Runt

;-) True that. But we've heard the talk, u n I. N me guts churning. Not a good time a year to be a lone hunter. - A

U'll b lone till u finds him... - R

True. But Over Hedge is not strange 2 me. I've friends. N when I'm gone Beauty'll need 1, eh? N that's u, k? Oh, n eh. She sleeps soon. So I'm chargin u, keep watch. - A

Take care of the small things...

Munchkin? Hey... Midge thought u might b here. Y so blue? Hey, 's cool Titmouse, c'mere. - Arrow

My fault, eh?!! Ain't it?! - Runt

Wot? Rogue spooking the Walker? No, Babe. I never finished the Walker story, eh? U gonna chat with Beauty, k? 2nite, 2morrow. Tell her ur ready 4 the tale. K? Hear me now? - A

Yesum. I hear. U goin' 4 Rogue, eh? Please? - Runt

Mmmmm... I is, but there's 1 bit I'll tell u 1st.... - A

Never a straight line...

K. S y u? Rogue's not 1 to stick his neck out 4 u? Eh? - SB

Not always had his back either now, 'ave I? Thing is, people r like peeling an onion. The more layers u take off the likely u r 2 find out wot's going on. That Man makes ur eyes burn n run water, but he adds good flavour. Good heart under the crusty top. - A

Huh. Here... - SB

Hey! Midge! Waz up?! Slow up chickie! - A

Runts run!! - Midge

Wot? Now?! Crap. - A

Possibilities

N this close to Hallows? Ha! More 'en Walkers about, eh? Gots dust from the Fae. - Arrow

Eyeee! How'd u do that?! Don't b smirkin'! Wewh. A lady of possibilities, u! - Sleeping Beauty

Lol. Shut it, eh? - A

No sheite! No easy game, them. Like ur danger, wot? - SB

Huh. Ole Man shoulda not picked Faelan 4 his fortress then, ya? It's all of a piece.  - A

Hunh. It's Rogue's job, eh? The Walkers. - SB

Ass. Shoulda took back up this close to Hallows! - A

Pro packing...

Wot? No bow? - Sleeping Beauty

Huh. Ya! The wedged 1 n the click arrows wot fold, just in case. Not so strong as the Long but the fold set packs lite n tight. Bows r 4 open turf, he's in bush. I gots sword 4 arms length, sgian-dubh 4 close quarters n dagger 4 in ur face, I'm good. - Arrow

They all tipped? - SB

Yew, Wolfsbane, Nighshade n Moonseed. - A

Woah. Not pulling ur punches, wot? Lol.. Don't nick the Balls with that! ;) - SB

There's no accounting for Faelan's flora n fauna, eh? N poison works. I'll give 'im a heads up but the Balls will just have to look after his own set when the swinging starts, ya?! - A