#dreaming

The shirtless man eating ice cream wanders through the dreaming, summoned by the wistful fancies of one or more of the women of Rivervale. The hunky chimera is quite willing to share his ice cream, and anything else a gal might fancy.

Riding a dog, a snow monkey chimera charges past the ice cream licking guy bowlling him over. The ice cream cone flips in the air, and then lands in the monkey's hand. Snow licks it "Strawberry!" And onward the two questors travel

Adventure! ADVENTURE! Connor travels the trods regularly, but it's rare that he goes on his own. Not since his Firnost-frequenting days has he roamed so free on the silver. Trotting along at a good clip, though he does stop here and there to sniff - within the safe radius of the path.

And he gets to lick the ice cream cone if he wants

Joy of joys! A slight guilty glance back where the shirtless man is now out of sight, but that can't be helped now, and the ice cream will melt if not eaten - so he helps.

"Yay!" Snow declares. And they move along the trods with haste, nothing will stop their quest to-

SQUIRREL!

Connor - no, BUDDY.... freezes, eyes wide on the squirrel... has it seen him yet? A perfect point, one paw raised, tail out (as much as a curly brush of a tail can) - quivering, eager, at the ready...

"No, friend Buddy Connor puppy boy! " Snow says "We must not go off silver, it is a trick. Dreaming tries to lure us."

The squirel does not seem to notice... but it looks fluff tailed and smug on it's tree off the silver

He gives his head a shake, ears flopping about, sneezes - and with a supreme effort - and expenditure of a precious WP point - he does NOT give into the urge to CHASE!

Holding his tail high, he haughtily trots past the temptation.

Snow nods "Good, we must be strong!"

And she gets her fuzzy face licked by clever contortion!

MOnkey stunned look, "Perhaps fruit will help your breath. A minty fruit. We go"

And they go. Into Foresty Shadows, along pathy silver! Mountainy tallness in the distance as they paw paw over the hills green!

So many smells, so smelly manies!

He inhales deeply, enjoying the foresty scents. Rivervale is great and all, but the trees in the dreaming smell so much... MORE SO.

Oh soon the trees begin to talk, the Pine is wistful about past loves, the Evergreen would prefer to talk about NEW Subjects, everyone likes the poplar!

Finally, they wander near a great grumpy old man faced tree. Snow approaches "This is the Sage tree.. it can answer questions."

Taking a moment to flip back to Connor mode as Snow is distracted by the tree, he approaches as well. "I like sage... it smells nice and makes things taste good. Oh. I promise not to eat you, though, Mister Tree." Polite!

"And so you have come" the tree intones "Adventurers seeking my wisdom! It is met that..." then one eye swivels "Wait. Where are the adventurers? Kid, are you a page or something? Where's the knight? "

Snow says "I am Snow, eater of fruit, this is Connor! "

"This is Snow, Climber of Trees and Friend to Trolls and Connor, and I am Connor, Friend to Snow and Trolls, and also climber of trees. I'm a page in my own storybook, both day and night."

"Uh huh, no, seriously, were are the real adventurers in need of real wisdom?" The tree flutters lightly as if craning it's embedded neck to look past them.

"We are the adventurers! You are sage tree, we need advice to find fruit to cure the sick! TERRIBLE Plague, for one of our fruit fetchers is ill! She makes wonderful fruity dishes!"

Snow insists

He frowns a little, and peers up at the tree, hands on hips. "We DO need real wisdom! Our Hearth is really sick and nothing is making her better. I tried waiting and waiting, and they give her hot tea and soup, and fruit didn't work and we got SHOT at, and she can't even smell flowers, and everyone is trying hard but they're Not KERRI and I want her back - we need her!"

"...sides, I'm practically a squire anyways..."

"A hearth? That's not a king, or even a princess." Sage tree says "Seems like not really big on the 'awesome legend list'"

"Princesses are useless!" Snow sniffs "Barely ever share fruit. Fall asleep when they eat them. Dwarves make fuss. Bah. Hearth shares fruit!"

He huffs, offended on her behalf. "Where would your kings be without someone to keep their castles running? And princesses if no one filled their closets with frilly fripps and fruffs? Knights if no one made sure to order oats for their ponies - they'd revolt and run away! And our Hearth IS a Knight, so THERE."

"Meh" The Sage tree says "Not sure why I should act as a sage to this. Nothing in it for me."

"Snow, I'm sorry I had this idea. He doesn't know anything after all. I thought there would be Gallen-tree but instead he's just Stumped. Should we just leaf? We can go back and warn others not to waste their time."

"Here now! I HAVE the knowledge, and I am not stumped!" Hurumph and fluster! "Why I know THREE different sources of cure for almost anything you little whipper snapper!"

Snow nods to Connor "He is a knot head, and not knowing!"

"I will not be insulted by escapees from the zoo and pound!" The tree says "Why you think a tree doesn't know where to find the curing tree?"

"I'd think if you DID know, you'd want to help us, because Hearth Kerri is practically a relative - she's a Knight of the Pan-tree. But it's sad to come all this way and you don't know." Now, sympathetic. "It's okay, sometimes I don't know things either. We'll tell everyone you tried."

"TRIED, why you furry vermin, I am one of the only ones who knows that you move between the twin mountains of the moon, look for the argent trail that breaks off from the silver path and wait for the south wind to part the grabby tangles and step down low through and you met the final challenge! Few others KNOW that!" Harumph

"Vermin is NOT a very nice word." He shakes a finger at the tree, scolding, though he shoots Snow a knowing grin. "I guess we should go before we bother you any more. Sorry to wake you up!"

"Yes, get off my lawn!" A gruumble "LIttle lore moochers!"

Snow takes the pooka's hand and walks away "I like your bark better"

He giggles and hoists the Monkey up to ride on his shoulders - it's fun to be giving a ride for once, as often as he gets them from the Trolls!

And off they go, looking for the twin mountains of the moon!

"Are there mountains on the moon? I know there's a man in the moon, or sometimes it's a rabbit, and it's made of green cheese..."

"I thought it had a boy fishing from it? Huh"

On they ride, following the directions from the grumpy tree

And deeper into the mists they go until....

He watches the way they go, and, offering fruit to Snow to snack on, leaves a bit of a trail of peels to help guide their way back.

Indeed a mighty trail of peels! So clever!

And they then find the mountains of the moon, each shaped like opposing jutting crescents.