TALES OF WOOLHOPE #2

It had been exactly two and a half days since Pepper had arrived at The Ugly Cloth, and already she was feeling more at home. Outside of Hanabi’s huffs, Pepper was welcomed more often than she was snubbed, and that was when she was acknowledged at all. Most of the time, eyes averted and Pepper was left to her own devices.

She didn’t necessarily mind this. It was better than being actively antagonized and even though Piero assured her that Hanabi meant nothing by it, Pepper’s distaste for her grew exponentially every time they crossed paths.

When the weather was nicer, Pepper perched on a withered stump just to the side of the northern road, kicking her feet against the side of the stump in thought. Piero had given her a cute pair of rain boots to ward away the mud and while they didn’t fit perfectly, they worked well enough.

She found herself entranced by the northern road. She hadn’t seen anybody approach and as the day passed her by, she didn’t see any animals or any birds either. The residents of Woolhope pulled their coats tighter around themselves as they crossed the road and sometimes, they whispered what Pepper assumed was a prayer of some kind.

“Hey!”

Pepper was broken from her internal ramblings as a shadow loomed over her. Another Scarfox, this one easily more than five and a half feet tall and dark blue. They had starlike patterns on their legs and a brightly colored orange pattern across their arms. Wrapped in a coat tightly to ward away the cold, and a huge bow tied around their neck. Their tail was long and bushy and had equally bright orange stripes across the length of it and the warmest smile Pepper had seen today.

“What are you doing out here all by yourself?” they asked, voice ringing with joy. “Are you okay?”

Pepper looked up at her visitor, turned off from how bubbly and excitable this fox seemed to be. “I’m just sitting here. Looking at the mountains.”

“Oh,” came the response. “Well, maybe you’d like some company!”

No, not really, but Pepper moved a little to the side anyway and her visitor took a seat next to her. The withered stump was barely big enough to let both of them sit comfortably and Pepper frowned.

“I’m minding my own business,” Pepper said after a long and stilted silence. “Did Piero send you to get me?”

“Nope! No idea who Piero is. I’m just passing through town. Was trying to go north, but the driver wouldn’t take me, so I had to get off here.”

“Cool,” Pepper replied, though it was anything other than cool. “Why won’t they go any more north for you?”

“No idea!” said the fox. “Thought I’d ask around town to see if I couldn’t figure it out. Figured this was the best place to start. Then I found you, but it doesn’t look like you know what’s going on either.”

“‘Fraid not.”

“I’m Starlight!”

“Cool,” Pepper replied, once again not thinking that it was cool. “Pepper.”

“Pepper’s a nice name,” Starlight said. “Never met anyone with that name before.”

Starlight sure liked to talk, Pepper noticed. The type of girl who could make a friend just about anywhere, with a bright smile and expressive eyes for the brief periods that they were open. And she seemed perfectly comfortable rambling without any signs of stopping. Pepper had to put forth a significant amount of effort to pay attention to the sheer volume of words that tumbled out of her mouth, but she did find that it wasn’t nearly as grating as one would assume. There was a comforting warmth to her voice underneath all the excited explanations.

Starlight had mentioned a driver and how they were not able to go farther north. No, not willing to.

“Would you like to check it out with me?” Starlight asked suddenly. She brushed her long fire-tipped hair out of her face and tied it up into a bun as best as she could. It was difficult to tie such small knots with large flat fingers.

“Check what out?”

“The northern road.” Starlight stood up and stretched, then placed a meager backpack on the stump in her place. “I figure the reason they don’t want to run the carriages up this far is because the roads aren’t suitable for it. I could just scope the place out and see what I can’t do about maybe walking the rest of the way. Used to go camping with my brother all the time. Shouldn’t be too bad, but I want to get a closer look.”

This seemed like a bad idea. Starlight hadn’t seen the looks of the Woolhope locals when they passed this part of town. They actively avoided it, like just by staring in the general direction, it would undo them. Pepper couldn’t understand the reasoning behind it. She’d been staring into the mountains for the past few days and nothing of note had happened except for the odd looks from the locals.

Which wasn’t nearly as informative as Pepper would have liked.

“I don’t know about that,” Pepper said.

“What’s wrong with doing a little poking around?” Starlight shot back.

She rummaged around in her backpack until she withdrew a small black case that was latched with heavy-duty locks along the front. Pepper was curious despite her reluctance to engage with Starlight on any meaningful level, but there was a mysterious box and she wanted to know what was inside of it.

Starlight flipped open the latches and pulled out a sleek camera.

“I’ll take some pictures of the road to prove to the next guy that they aren’t dangerous. Or maybe they are! Either way, I’ll have my evidence.”

“There’s probably a reason for it,” Pepper replied.

“Yeah, and I want to know what it is. Are you coming or not?”

“Not this time,” Pepper said.

“Suit yourself! If I don’t find anything then I guess I’ll take the carriage out to Corriedale tomorrow morning. It would be out of the way, but better than getting hurt I suppose.”

Starlight bowed deeply and stowed all her supplies back into her backpack. Pepper held her camera for her as she packed up and hoisted her bag up. Still as bubbly - though, Pepper surmised, maybe Starlight was just stupid - and when she took the camera back, she clicked some straps around it and let it hang from her neck.

After an excitable farewell, Starlight followed the road into the forest, Pepper watching from her stump until the bright fox had disappeared from view entirely, swallowed by the density of the trees.

No sooner had Starlight disappeared, did Piero show up, still as chipper as ever.

“Pepper!” he cried. “Thought you would be out here, nyehehe.”

That laugh again, Pepper thought.

“What’s north of here?” she asked, eyes back to the treeline where Starlight had disappeared. “I tried asking around, but nobody wants to answer me.”

Piero hummed in response. “Well, unfortunately, some foxes are afraid to talk to newcomers. That’s all I can offer.”

“It’s annoying,” Pepper replied. “I just want answers.”

Piero reached to pat Pepper on the shoulder but thought better of it at the last second. Pepper didn’t seem the type to like being touched without permission, no matter how benign the intentions.

“Well, if it makes you feel better,” Piero added. “I don’t really know what’s north of here.”

That was a lie and Pepper remained silent. Whatever it was must have scared Piero as well, and she knew better than to question it right now. She watched the forest firmly and frowned as she saw wispy forms rise from the trees and flutter away.

“Did you finish preparing for my journey?”

Piero laughed. “Yes, indeed! I’m planning to send you off first thing tomorrow morning, nyehehe. Just have to finish packing everything nice and neat! You can come with me, if you like. Hanabi is making a fancy seed bread for you. You’ll like it, I reckon. It’s the best seed bread in all of Woolhope, mark my words.”

Pepper stood and brushed herself off. She hoped that Starlight would come back, if only so she could ask about what she had found. She suspected that Starlight would likely come back before dark because she hadn’t looked prepared to spend the night in the woods and The Ugly Cloth was the only inn available to travelers as far as Pepper could tell.

Piero remained suspiciously quiet on the walk back to The Ugly Cloth.

---

The first thing Hanabi did when she saw Piero and Pepper return was roll her eyes. She hadn’t been a fan of Pepper from the start, and she especially did not like that Piero was so concerned about her. The ill-informed might have written her off as jealous, but Hanabi knew better than that.

Newcomers to Woolhope were not welcomed for a reason, though they were typically more open than the residents of Throttleshed, who were known for unraveling visitors who stuck around for too long. There was a carriage that left Woolhope every morning to head west, and most visitors were gone on that very carriage as soon as possible.

Hanabi chalked it up to the rain. There were more outsider foxes in town than ever before and it was only a matter of time before unsavory eyes were drawn to them.

“We’re back!” Piero shouted as he pushed the door to the inn open, Pepper trailing behind him.

“Welcome back,” Hanabi said. “Good to see you’re on time for your shift.”

Piero sputtered a little bit as he took his place behind the reception counter. Hanabi promptly went to the kitchens, her arrival once again announced by the sound of tinkling bells.

Pepper took a seat in the communal area, perching on a stool at the bar across from the reception desk. It was the early afternoon and The Ugly Cloth was mostly empty. There were a couple of Scarfoxes in the corner booth playing cards, but they mostly kept to themselves, barely a grunt shared between them as they shuffled the decks and played their games, a pile of purple crystal shards in the center.

Piero whistled shortly after Pepper had dozed off in her chair and she grumbled as he waved her over. There was a backpack on the counter, a ridiculous red and white striped thing with gaudy baubles. It was a circus tent, plain and simple and Pepper grimaced despite herself.

“Finished packing your bag, nyehehe,” he announced proudly, patting the horrible mess of a backpack. “You have everything you need to camp out for a few days. Food, water, a knife. Some magic surprises. The works! All that’s left is the seed bread.”

“I didn’t know I would be camping for a few days,” Pepper said. “I thought I was picking up a delivery for you.”

“I, uh, well yes, you are!” Piero explained, lowering his voice. “But I could only afford to get you out to Corriedale. You’re going to have to make your way back on your own. Don’t worry! It’s just a matter of walking the same road back, but it’s going to take a few days. That’s what the camping gear is for!”

“And the knife?”

“Well, you never know when it will come in handy, nyehehe. Might have to cut something loose or mark your path.”

Pepper grimaced at the backpack again and Piero gasped.

“You don’t like it?”

“It’s a little big, don’t you think?”

“Well it’s chock full of magic. Should be light as a feather.”

“And what if I decide to go north instead?” Pepper asked, voice monotone. She eyed Piero’s expression, which barely changed. “What is up north?”

“I, uh, I,” Piero frowned, brow furrowed in concentration. “It’s better for everyone if you don’t concern yourself with that, Pepper. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s dangerous. Everybody in Woolhope knows that it‘s dangerous.”

“Do you have anything more than that?”

“Why do you want to go north, hmmm?”

Pepper didn’t have an answer. Similarly to Piero, she could not explain it. There was just something deep within her that told her to head north. A mystical force that drove her to want to walk in that direction no matter the weather. She had pushed through rain and snow to get to Woolhope after all, and while the pull to the north was still just as strong, there was something about the way the foxes of Woolhope lived their lives that felt familiar.

It was odd.

“I don’t know,” Pepper finally said. “I guess it’s not important.”

“Maybe you’ll figure it out one day,” Piero replied. “But, uh, everything else is going okay for you, yes? You’re adjusting alright?”

Pepper shrugged. “I guess. Nobody really says anything to me and that is how I prefer it.”

“Poor thing.”

“I prefer it that way,” Pepper repeated. “Anyway, I’m leaving tomorrow, right? Do you have the letter you were supposed to write?”

“Sure do!” Piero said, producing said letter. He also placed a small pouch on the desk. It rattled quietly. “And here’s the payment for the carriage. It’s going to be on the southern road. Can’t miss it, really. The driver will take the pouch, ask you where you’re going and get you there as soon as possible. And!”

He rummaged around for another pouch and placed that on the table as well.

“This is for the carriage beasts. I think you’ll like them.”

Pepper took all the pouches and the letter without another word. She had agreed to this after all, so it was only fair that she actually did the things she promised. And while not enthusiastic about camping out in the wilderness when it frequently rained, she did prefer to be alone most of the time.

“Hey, Piero?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you let me know if a fox named Starlight checks in?”

Piero sighed. “I don’t tend to spread other fox’s business, you know.” A pause. “I’ll think about it. Get some rest! You’ll have to be up bright and early if you’re going to catch the first carriage out.”

Pepper said nothing as she hoisted herself up the stairs, the key to her room hitting the lip of each step as she climbed.

---

The next morning, Pepper woke at the crack of dawn and she stayed swaddled in the blankets, listening. The Ugly Cloth was silent save for Hanabi moving around hurriedly downstairs and snoring from one of the adjacent rooms. It was too early for this nonsense and Pepper curled deeper into the darkness of the blanket nest.

She didn’t want to do this anymore.

She hadn’t even really wanted to do it in the first place, but she had already promised to do so. And, she gathered, she could get answers out of Piero when she returned with his package. It was important to him after all, so it would be excellent leverage.

With a tenacious groan, Pepper untangled herself from her blanket nest and grabbed the hideous backpack. Much to her surprise, it really was as light as it needed to be despite being much too big for her. She checked for the letter and the pouches, both of which were secured inside a side pocket of the backpack, and she ran her fingers through her mop of light brown hair in an effort to make it look less like a bird’s nest.

An effort that proved fruitless in the end.

As soon as she was downstairs, Hanabi looked away from her, but she did hold out a couple of loaves of seed bread.

“Just take it and get going,” Hanabi said pointedly. “I’m very busy and so are you.”

Pepper blinked a few times but took the loaves anyway, putting them into her backpack. The bag made an unattractive slurping sound as the loaves were dropped into the magical void, and Pepper had to will herself into not openly retching.

What a horrible feature.

“Key,” Hanabi added.

Pepper unhooked her room key from her egg brooch and dropped it on the floor before rushing out the door, much to Hanabi’s intense annoyance. Pepper didn’t look back, though, and focused on finding the carriage that would take her to Corriedale.

It was thankfully easy to spot. A huge, but otherwise plain-looking wagon pulled by two equally large creatures. Distinctly whiplike in appearance and not very strong looking, the creatures stood in the mud on stilt legs that ended with metal caps, not unlike fountain pens, with quill like tails that hung limp in the dreary morning.

The carriage itself was a massive dark grey shape in the early morning fog, but the creatures were colorful and stood out, and they looked down at Pepper inquisitively as she approached them. These must have been the carriage beasts, and Piero had been right, Pepper liked them. They looked unlike anything she had ever seen before and she reached into the side pocket to pull out the pouch that Piero had offered her the night before.

It had thick, pungent seeds inside of them and when she opened the pouch, the carriage beasts snorted and shook and reached down to nip at the pouch excitedly, rumbling the whole of the carriage until a disgruntled Scarfox wearing a heavy rain poncho exited the vehicle to calm the hungry creatures.

“Oi, leave ‘em alone,” the assumed driver said, swatting the seeds away. “They ain’t allowed to eat until we get to where we’re going.”

Pepper put the seed pouch away before the contents spilled into the mud and squinted at the driver. It occurred to her that she should kick him, but she squashed that feeling.

“You are going to Corriedale, right?”

“Sure are, little lass,” came the response. “Leaving soon.”

“I am supposed to give you this.”

Pepper pulled out the pouch of crystals and held it out. The driver took the pouch, shook it around a few times and peeked inside before shoving it into his pocket.

“Yep, this gets you to Corriedale alright. Hop in and make yourself comfortable. It’s going to be a long ride.”

“Has anyone else shown up yet?” Pepper asked.

“Not a one.”

“Have you seen a fox that’s blue and orange? She talks way too much.”

“‘Fraid not.”

Pepper huffed and climbed into the carriage, batting away any attempts for the driver to help her. She was adamant that she could do it herself and once she was settled into a window seat, she set her bag down next to her and peered out the window towards the northern road. There was no way Hanabi was going to tell her if another Scarfox had checked in.

Pepper hadn’t heard any loud movements throughout the night either. Late night guests had a habit of making tremendous noise and Pepper hadn’t slept too spectacularly. Surely Starlight wasn’t still in the forest. If it really was as dangerous as the locals were led to believe, then Starlight would have returned.

Surely, she would have returned.

The inside of the carriage was surprisingly comfortable and much larger on the inside than it appeared. It had plush seats that were faded from use, but still likely just as comfortable now as they had been on day one. The wood finish was chipped in some places, stripped entirely of their chestnut color in others, but was reminiscent of grandiose times of old. The same wood that the rest of Woolhope was constructed of. In a way, it felt familiar.

Pepper sighed and said nothing to the driver as the minutes passed. Fifteen in total before the whole carriage rocked as the driver settled into position and grabbed the reins. There was a soft snort from the carriage beasts as they hustled forward, the single rider watching the misty fog swirl in the distance. No one else had shown.

And Pepper determined that as soon as she got back, she would be getting some answers.