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Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Fartmoodles: Chapter 13

How to Capture a Fartmoodle
Chapter 13
"Even a Lemming wouldn't go near that."
First Edit
Nellie Tobey


  The Satyr was making no effort to hide itself in the patch of blueberry bushes on the other side of the farm.  Madison could clearly see it at first glance.

*** Most magical energy types are invisible to the human eye. The human ability to overcome the brain and see what is truly in front of them was a rare trait. It was also lacking in comparison to the rest of the animal kingdom.***

Madison was not frightened, and knelled down to stare at the scale bedazzled kitten.  "You are beautiful!"  Madison paused.  The Satyr stood on it's hind quarters and balanced on the long lizard tail. "What are you!?"
  Kettle was busy looking for the scent of Cass while Steve and Tooty watched from a branch of a tall tree.  Madison puzzled, held out a hand to the curious critter.  "I'm Madison, Nice to meet you."
  The Satyr stuck out a long lizard tongue and tasted the air.
  Tooty and Steve glanced at each other and ducked down a little further behind the newly budding leaves.
  Madison sat on the ground and waited.
  The Satyr did a little dance and then a strange whistle.  Madison clapped.  The Satyr danced again and whistled a little louder, the pitch growing deep.
  Madison giggled.  " I can't whistle."
  The Satyr did a curtsy, and a silver coin appeared large and shiny in it's outstretched claws.
  Tooty was ready to take flight, but Steve grabbed her arm gently.  "They won't hurt Madison.  We need to see if it takes the child to the sibling."
   Tooty nodded.  "Can we get a little closer, just in case?"
   Steve agreed. "Good idea."
  Kettle picked up a scent that might be Cass.  The dog senses told Kettle it was similar, but wrong... as if copper had been smelted recently.  The nose stuck close to the dirt, Kettle rushed along to follow the nose to the source of the scent.

  The Satyr was now laying out coins in a path, never letting Madison get to close, but keeping the child's attention with the coins.  Tooty and Steve paralleled the path the Satyr was creating quietly.
  Steve held Tooty back as he spotted Kettle's retriever nose sticking out in the distance.  "I'll go to Kettle, you stay with Madison."
  Tooty nodded, and hurried back after the trail of coins.  
  Kettle was still a minuscule golden dog, and Steve had the strangest urge to reach out and pet the gremlin.  Kettle did a huge doggie smile and sat wagging the furry tail.  "We are really hard to resist when we take on the canine form.  In my opinion this is the most useful form ever created." Kettle stopped wagging the tail.  "The child Cass is currently trying to get a lock open on a sewer release gate."
   Steve cocked his head and motioned for the smallest retriever in the world to lead the way.
 
   Tooty, unbeknownst to her, was heading in the opposite direction of Cass now.  Madison had finally stopped picking up coins and was looking at the large badger trap the Satyr had led them too.  "My grandpa had these."  The Satyr then pretended to limp around, it's cat like eyes wide in an expression of pain.
  Madison stood, found a large stick, and gently eased toward the trap.  "I'll show you how to stop them magical kitty."  Madison then jammed the branch hard into the wide open metal jaws of the contraption.  The Satyr jumped back in one huge leap, digging it's claws into a large tree trunk, and hissing.
  Tooty made a decision.  She came out slowly and bowed before the Satyr.  "I mean you no harm friend."  Madison watched the exchange, a look of curious joy on the child's face.  Tooty pointed up at Madison.  "We are here to help this human little, and the other little that was with us."
   The Satyr had slowly walked sideways down the trunk, and to the trap without taking it's eyes off from Tooty.   With a flick of the tongue, it decided the trap was indeed now rendered harmless.  It's voice was filled with a purr as it talked. "We don't see the pixie folk in this territory anymore.  Why now?"
   Tooty tried to remember the things her father had taught her about negotiating with Satyrs.  Number one rule was, 'Never give them more information then they need.'.  "Me and my companion have come as emissaries to the Gremlins of HammeredByMorning."
   The Satyr stuck out the long thin tongue from under the pink cat nose, checking the air.   "Why are you with these human littles?"
   Tooty pointed up to Madison.  "I was captured by this one, and we knew they needed our help."
   The Satyr sneezed and looked up at the child.  "We don't help the human's in these parts."
   Madison sighed. "I wish I knew what you two are saying.  Where is Cass?"
   Tooty saw Steve motion to her in the high branch of the tree the Satyr had recently been attached to.   "We will be going now.  May your days be long and filled with the sun."
   The Satyr looked at Madison, and then at the disabled trap.
   "These children owe the debt of their family."  The Satyr pointed at the trap. "They must come back to remove the traps from our wood."
    Tooty saluted from her belly saying, "It will be done."
 
With Madison in tow, and Cass prying the rusted lock off the gate with a sturdy oak branch as leverage, Steve was not excited about the prospect of interacting with the children, or the Satyr any more than was necessary. "You have to stop making promises to help Tooty."
  Madison spied Cass and ran up to see what had been found.  "Are these the drains mom would talk about... Cass?"
  Cass pointed at the symbol engraved on the plaque inside the sewer tunnel beyond the gate.  "Old water disposal from the factory,  that's Dad's company symbol on the sign."
  Madison grabbed the branch to help Cass pry at the lock.
  Kettle was now in the form of a very agitated ferret.  When Steve and Tooty caught up, Kettle pointed to Cass.    "Cass knows I'm here, but won't acknowledge it see's me.  That child is hiding it for some reason.  They can probably see you two as well."
  Steve and Tooty exchanged worried glances. Tooty spoke first,  "This is getting too dangerous."
  Steve threw his hands up into the air, "It's been dangerous from the start.  What do we do??"
  The gate swung open knocking Cass and Madison unharmed on to the cold wet ground.  "We should go in."
  Madison looked up at the horizon.  "It's almost dark, we have to get home before Dad does."
  Cass pointed at the iridescent haze coming from the stagnant water inside the tunnel.  "I heard Dad and his friends.  This is the stuff that's making them sick.  It's the stuff that made mom sick."
   Madison looked at Tooty, and then into the tunnel, and back at Tooty.  "Will you stay with us?"  Steve marched toward Tooty to protest, and followed quickly as she launched herself into the air.  Kettle grabbed his foot before he got to far and pulled him down.
   Tooty made sure she had Madison's attention, pointed at the puddle inside, made a getting sick motion, and nodded heavily.  Cass held the now open gate waiting.  "Is that fairy going to help or not?"
   Madison pleaded with Cass, "It will get sick, and so will we.  We can't go in there, we don't even have a flash light!"
   Kettle had transformed into a giant lightning bug and was pulsing light inside the tunnel.  Steve now trying to remain calm watched as Tooty and Kettle proceeded into the darkness with the two children.
   He shouted after them all, "We weren't supposed to put the children in danger!"
   Kettle's voice streamed from the air around the bug now barely lighting the path inside.  "Trust me flutterbait, Cass was going in whether we helped or not, and the sibling would not have allowed Cass to go alone."
   Steve joined Tooty at Kettle's side.  "This could kill you Kettle, those littles are in so much danger."  Tooty agreed.
   Kettle carried on, and pushed more light from the bug butt.  "I received message from my tribe that the great Shepard is starting to shed dead branches. We have to figure this out, and fast."  Steve and Tooty exchanged worried glances, then both proceeded to glow as much as they could.
   Madison gasped at the now additional Fairy, bright bug and the light engulfing the tunnel that came from all three.  "Woah...."
   Cass giggled.  "I hope it changes into that tiny dog again, but the giant bug is pretty cool."  Madison punched Cass in the shoulder.
   "You can see them this whole time!?"  Cass rubbed the shoulder, and pointed at the bend in the tunnel ahead.
   "I can hear them too."  Cass giggled again when the three of the smallest members of the adventure turned to look at them.  "If your Kettle friend needs to stay away from the toxic goo, I'd be happy to carry it."
   Kettles voice  cracked a bit.  "These littles are my kind of trouble."
   If the bug had hands, it might of wiped a tear away, if the bugs had tears.