'The Everspring', a state of eternal bounty, where the crops grew healthy and the fruits ripened just right. Even the people were blessed with fertility, health, and all the joys of life. And if there was anyone who'd benefitted from such a blessing, it was Rosemary–the girl once adopted by an old farmer and now the owner of the same farm as her adoptive father.
"Ho-how…much longer?" However, those blessings today felt like a curse.
Making her way towards the city on foot, her clothes had turned near transparent. They stuck to her skin as if someone had poured cold water on top of her clothed body.
Creased into her curvy folds from her breasts to her navel and even the crevice between her ass-cheeks, her clothes were making her movement even more difficult, especially since the wetness around her privates when brushed by the breeze, chilled her from her groin and sent a ripple of ecstasy up her spine.
"AGHHHH!" Blushing red as she continued to walk, she was gravely thankful that nobody was around to see her in her vulnerable state.
Shaking her head, she looked to the distant city gates beckoning her. Usually, she traveled on her trusted yak to the city, but the poor animal's ankle was hurt while attempting to haul a load of harvest a few days back.
Already a week late to sell her goods with no signs of the animal recovering, Rose had decided to visit the city herself and get the animal some medicine as well as find another way to get the corn to the city.
"At…this rate…" For once living so far from the gates, was proving to be quite a pain as it left her panting with a mild sense of lightheadedness. "The corn will be…fer-fermented before I get there!"
Dragging herself along through the dusty road, her throat grew dry and her vision split in two. Like a zombie, she straggled forward. One foot dragged along by the other, she kept pressing onward not even realizing that a Coppalicon-drawn cart was slowly approaching her from behind.
Only when it stopped right beside her, the two large beaked birds croaking with their gular, did she even realize someone was right beside her.
However, the moment her eyes laid on the bulging yellow eyes of the featherless birds, her heart was seized with horror. Stumbling away from the creatures, her eyes glued to their upheld beaks, Rose fell on her butt often but kept dragging herself back through the dirt.
"GET AWAY!" She screamed, covering her face.
Expecting the up-arched birds to either peck at her eyes or swing the dark razor bones sticking from their tiny elbows, Rose kept her face covered to protect herself from being disfigured, but after a while as nothing happened and the cooing of the birds reverberated the ground, she let her hand down to see what was happening.
"Easy~ Easy~" To her surprise a young girl was running her hand along the Coppalicon's neck. Calming it with her touch, she looked at Rose with a finger pressed to her lips.
"Here, let me help you," whispered another woman, standing right beside Rose.
Turning to her voice, she found Brenna the renowned herbalist. But more importantly, she knew of her through her lover–Raven. One of his many lovers, and not particularly one who was shy about her affection to him, Brenna was already rumored to be dating the mage even though it hadn't been even a year since her husband's death.
'She's beautiful…and smart.' Thinking of Raven and Brenna for a moment, a smile crept up Rose's face. Although he was now her lover as well, she still felt like he was a kid who needed her guidance, and if anyone was a good fit for him in her eyes, it was someone like Brenna–a well-read herbalist.
"T-thanks…" Taking her hand, Rose pulled herself up.
"No problem, just try not to scare the giant pelicans. They don't like getting startled or being stared at for too long," Brenna explained but was quickly corrected by her daughter.
"Not pelican, Coppalicon!" The creatures shrieked at her raised voice, but hurriedly brushing their naked necks, Aerin managed to calm them down quickly. "There~ There~ No need to stress, I'll treat you two to a liver so just stay calm, okay?"
Slowly backing away from the creature, Aerin motioned the other two to quickly get into the curtained carriage. Getting in without question since they seemed to be headed to the city as well, Rose did as instructed. Once inside the curtained and somewhat cushioned structure, she finally felt slightly at peace.
"Your clothes, let me help you with them," knowing a lick of wind magic, Brenna cast a spell to her breath as Aerin got the carriage moving again. Breathing up and down Rose's body, it took Brenna not more than ten seconds to get her from soaking wet to completely dry. "There, done…"
Squinting with a hint of confusion, however, the herbalist couldn't help but ask.
"You're the ex-hero's mother, aren't you? What were you doing walking the city on foot? I knew that you lived outside the walls like us, but don't you have something to get you in there?" It was quite a loaded question, one that would bring more questions as Rose began explaining and that's exactly how the duo spent their time while traveling to the city.
"Enough about me and my son, why are you using these beasts as tow for your carriage?" Rose asked after she was done explaining the recent mess she'd been in.
"These beaked bastards ate our horses so we're getting them a slave collar to be more obedient," Brenna explained, but her explanation only confused Rose even more.
"W-what? What do you m-mean they ate your horses?" She asked, a bead of nervous sweat trailing down her forehead.
Brenna however seemed utterly unbothered, almost as if horse-devouring beasts were not just drawing their carriage.
"Hmm? I don't know where they came from but, they showed up one night and ate our horses," shrugging her shoulders, Brenna turned her gaze to a pot of herbs sitting just across from her. "But thankfully, I managed to drug them with these herbs and now I want them turned into slaves so they can pay for the damage they've done!"
'I…may have been wrong about her being smart if she thinks keeping those monsters around is a good idea.' Not as confident in Brenna's plan, Rose hoped that the herbalist's drug wouldn't wear off before they reached the slave trader. 'Wait, isn't slave trade banned in Athenia?'
She was right, but there was still someone in the city who could get Brenna exactly what she wanted.
"We're almost there, let's hope these pelicans don't eat the guards!" Brenna exclaimed looking through the slight gap between the curtains.
"It's not pelicans! It's Coppalicon!" Her daughter yelled.
Turning back around to look at Rose, Brenna chuckled at her daughter's frustration.
"That's a made-up name I told her this morning, who the hells knows what these things are called?" Only the exotic animal breeder would've known but that man had already left the city after his animals were let out.