#dreaming

The tree does appear to be on the silver.

He approaches the tree, nose twitching, and he does eye the fruits curiously - but attention is caught by the man in the tree. A few moments listening, and he asks, "Why are you sad?" Head tilted to one side. "The wind is soft and the music is playing..."

"Cuz Choice brings sorrow" he says with a bluesy tune "Because while there maybe other curse, no being can pluck from me twice. And everyone eventually meets more than one person in need. " He blows again, the classic blues sadness flowing in the music, then looks up "Cure a man of Diabetes, but then another person you love gets cancer. Cure a man of cancer, what about the woman with Alzheimer? If you've got a heart, my gifts eventually smart"

"...Oh. ...I -want- Hearth Kerri to feel better. But what if she gets better anyways, and we could've helped someone else?" He gives Snow a glance, shifting his weight uncertainly.

Snow says with a whisper "But Kerri gets us fruiiiit"

"Can we plant your fruit back home to grow more?"

"Wont' grow anywhere else, not even with spring magic" the tree answers "Sorry."

"Oh." Disappointed. He really thought he'd thought of something clever. "Can we both have a fruit, Snow an' me? Or just one?"

"you may each take a single fruit, but-" Before he can finish, Snow moves up, grabs the nearest fruit and plucks it free.

"Done!" The monkey says happily

"Oh!" He exclaims, clapping his hands to his face in surprise, Caulkin-esque. "But what but?"

"You must face the last challenge" He points

The monster rises on the silver, apparently taking the fruit gave it permission "hahahahaha" It says

"Oh! Oh! You can't come on here!" He yelps in surprise.

"By taking the fruit, you accept the challenge!" The creature rasps

Snow looks at the fruit in her hands, and throws it over to Connor.

He catches it, and looks down at the fruit in his hands. Standing tall - or as tall as he can, he steps in front of Snow and squares up at the creature. "What's the challenge? I can do hide and seek, or connect 4, or hi-ho Cheerio...."

"We battle... to the the..." AN irrtated look "Stop flapping that dirty thing around. "

"Does your face hurt? Or did you make a face too long and it stayed that way?" He tilts his head to one side. "If you bit your tongue it might get poisoned." A blink. "Not to be rude. What thing?"

"That tail.. it's swaying.. filthy both of you, all that fur... so much dander" the creature answers. In the dreaming, boon confidant works to get folks chatty

IT had been an anxious wag to be sure

"I might be a bit dusty from my adventure, but I'm not filthy. Neither is Snow! She keeps herself all nice and clean even when I play in the mud. You should apologize to her for being rude."

"Enough" The monster reaches and grabs the boy living him up by the shirt "This fight is over!"

Snow swallows, wanting to run, but then there would be the knotted belly so.. "Snow offers moral support!" She mimes cheerleading "Like Sylvi... rar rar rar"

The monkey moving around causes the creature's eyes to water.

He yelps and tries to squirm free! "If the fight is over, then it's over and you have to get off the silver again! That's the rule!" Arguing even though he never DID get the chance to hear the rules. And instead, he reaches up and starts scratching at his ears! SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH, furiously, so that the dander and hair will fly free!

"I..desoy..cough " A breath "ACHOO! " His face has gone puffy, still ugly and scary, but puffy!

Snow catches on and begins to scratch and fluff too! "Give me an A, Give me a Aller, give me a GEE!"

"And I can shed all day long! I'm GREAT at it!"

"My hand is breaking out! Do they ever BATH you?" He drops the boy "Someone get me some magic benidryl!"

"You can take one from the tree, but only one, and then you have to fight yourself." He offers, helpfully. "And knowing is half the battle."

His tail wags furiously!

The creature flees! Coughing, choking... rather htan going after the tree's fruits.

The Tree seems stunned, "Well, he had one once to tend his wounds."

"No one can take two. I.. " Glamour flows and the tree nods "YUp. You won"

"Is he your guardian? Or just a meanie?"

"Kind of both... I tried to warn you, but someone got grabby" The tree eyes Snow

"Oops" Snow says

He shuffles his feet a little. "Did I cheat?" Peering after where the monster fled. "I want the fruit... but I don't want you to be unguarded, because then someone could come and steal ALL the fruit and then no one will get anyone healthy ever."

"YOu didn't cheat lad. The monkey got hers, you can get yours." The tree says "Why, you might even eat it for yourself"

"But I'm as fit as a fiddle!" He looks over the fruit with wide eyes. "Not that I know what that means. How fit IS a fiddle?"

"So there's no condition on you that you'd want ..improved?" the tree looks to the boy "mmm"

Snow eyes the fruit in Connor's hands, "Want me to hold that?"

He pauses a moment, nose twitching. And then he reaches for a fruit that looks particularly good, plucking it free. Snow gets hers handed back to her. "Here Snow, you earned it. " A bow to the tree, and he carefully tucks his Special Fruit into a pocket. "Thank you, Curing Tree. I know we can't have another fruit but.... Can I come back to visit sometime?"

When he looks back, the tree is gone.

A sign saying "SORRY, We've MOVED" is all that's left in its spot

"Oh." He waves anyways.

SNOW says "Some people are very rude, friend Connor. Not like you and I."

"I know, right?? They need to learn to mind their P's and Q's." Walking back along the path.