Tolerable Interlopers

Scary boy, glowy boy, pathless, pathless! cried the ravens in the morning haze above the meadow.

Oh, not again, he thought to himself, getting to his feet out of the field of flowers he'd been tending with the bees. He'd trained them not to pollinate the invasives, and was checking on progress of the purge. These big green teasels had finally gotten under control after a couple years, but the bindweeds were impossible. He'd have to tell the ants to look for the seeds and eat them. No, that wouldn't work, the ants were too mechanical, seldom listened to him. Maybe it was because they had a queen already. But he could reason with the bees, so why- it didn't matter, he'd figure it out eventually. There were more pressing matters to deal with.

First off his dragonflies scouted for him, reporting the locations of the intruders. In truth there were three people, one on the path moving east, one hanging behind calling at the third- in fact he could hear the shouts as himself, faintly, now- and one highstepping through the moist earth and toward the stream.

Why, he mused, irritated, did anyone ever step foot casually into his woods? There were skulls hanging from the trees. He'd harvested them himself. They were not ethically sourced. Even if he hadn't sicked the wilderness on some sorry sap in over fifty years (not counting recent hunters, who'd escaped, which was fine by him), you would hope the old tales of haunts and nature spirits would work! But some people were stupid, and that was the greatest bother to his old, old soul, was fools. He was tired and jaded and worn out and a little weary of killing. Some days he was merciful for Grandfather. Other days he was merciful because he just didn't have any craps left to give. But slaughter or no slaughter, this idiot had to be ran out.

With a long, long sigh, the fawn walked through the tall, flower strewn grasses, sending pollen wafting on the wind. Buzz and Flip rejoined him from wherever they'd been soaring. Was he feeling ominous crows, spooky bush noises, objects falling from trees, or bees today? Bees, he decided. The spectral bee eater opened her beak to release a swarm of very real bees of all sorts, individuals without hives collected over two centuries. They were friends, but also weapons, and reuseable ones at that as even the species that lost their stingers when they stung could rejuvinate in the sanctuary of the familiar's borrowed magic.

Hello bees and wasps.

Hello! Who do we hate today? They asked.

The man taking a bath in the spring, Dusk answered, glaring down the rock faced as he reached the edge of the meadow. Below him a good ways was a pool of clean water fed by a spring in the tall hill, and some outlander was happily bathing in it. Oh great. His companion had followed off the trail as well now, though...she, an equine, was admonishing her with all the old tales Dusk had planted the seeds of over the years. He smirked from his cover of greenery. Then frowned, because it wasn't working. 

"You know these woods is haunted!" hissed the woman with a nervous whicker. "Full'o ghosts. And the animals. They's organized. And they's hates you. Thems trees hunger fer blood. Somethin' hangs up skulls in them and they wants more."

"I doubt this forest will harm one who steps softly," laughed the fat outlander, who wallowed in the clean water, letting it sweep the red sweat off his back. "You just need to treat it right and it'll respect you too. I won't get into any more trouble than you would in an average woods, and I won't poke the bears."

"You Wistrinian-"

"Wistrinanian."

"-Wisrynanan hippy, you think just cuz you're at peace means everything'll be at peace around you.

"Well, yes!"

"Look, that's great, but that ain't how it works! AAAAAAA!" The female companion screamed as the bees started to swarm around her.

"Don't freak. Come enjoy the water! Relax and they'll leave you alone."

"I CAN'T HOLD MY BREATH FOR EIGHTY THOUSAND MINUTES YE NINNY!"

The first bee stung. Dusk snickered.

"GET THEM OFF-"

"Back off slowly."

"WHY ARE THERE SO MANY-"

Another sting.

"SEE THIS FOREST HATES US-"

"Hates you. You've got a gun and a telescope."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-" shriked the woman, swarmed by insects, and fled at a violent gallop into the woods, tripping over a root and flying over some rocks before wobbling to her hooves again and bolting. Equine screams were the worst.

"Sillyhead," scolded the grayish brown outlander, shaking his massive, blobby, tusked head. "You just gotta get in tune with your world..."

Buzz was very interested in unleashing her bees on the big one for revenge, but for some reason, Dusk stilled her. She flapped about angrily, full of aggression, itching to have at it. The man in the water started singing a song.

"Perfect place to be is where it's quiet,
Just gotta fill it up with mel-o-dyyyyyy!
Of the busy cities clamourI will ne'er be enamored
Give me a view with tents and dirt and trees!

"We'll remember in our travels
All the bad stuff we unraveled
And live a life that's good and pure and free
Full of love and humblesness and earth and tea!

"All the good things come around when-" and Dusk assumed there was more to the song, but the stranger ducked below the water in a burble of bubbles, happy as a clam, in total ecstasy. He'd snuck a little closer to see and to listen, and huffed a hoarse laugh to himself. I suppose I'll let the funny fool be, he decided, at least for now.

After a moment, the stranger came back up, ears flipping back and forth comically. The bushes behind them whispered "The forest has accepted your song." A primeval scent of earth and wood hung on the air, laced with a hint of something feral, dark, and dangerous. 

The stranger didn't startle at all. "That's great!" he said. "Knew it would. Pardon my buddy. She just doesn't know what's good yet."

"And what's good?" asked the trees, sussurating with grasshoppers and cicadas.

"Hm. Simple living," answered the stranger, who thought for a moment. "Friendship, too!" he added.

"Enjoy the forest. You will not be harmed. But do not stay too long. This is no place for mortals."

"Thank you kindly tree voice."