Even with Pesta’s smaller stature, Juniper's arms burned by the time they made it close to home. The journey back had taken much longer than the trip out and utilized the coast instead of doubling back the way they’d come. Even if it took longer, they were most likely getting back sooner than anyone anticipated considering the first time Vesta and her had traveled to the far hills. When they passed the pool, Juniper briefly considered trying to wash the mix of blood and sweat from Pesta’s skin but Aurora could help with that back home. They shouldn’t dey getting the Jolthog back any more than was necessary.

  Now that they were close, Juniper turned to the Glumos beside her and flicked her head off in the direction of their clearing. "Flora, run ahead, gather the others, and make sure the table is clear."

  "Yes ma'am!" Flora replied before sprinting off through the woods, her hand atop her makeshift hat to ensure it didn’t fall off as she went. Once she dipped into the trees and out of sight, Juniper returned her attention to the Pal in her arms. Who looked like she was fighting the urge to go to sleep.

  "Pesta," Juniper accompanied the name with a slight shake of her arms. "Don't go to sleep. We’re almost there, okay? You need to stay awake.”

  The Jolthog's eyes opened again at the prompting before they shifted from Juniper’s face to try and look ahead. "Where?" She asked weakly.

  "My home," Juniper replied. “It can be yours too, you just have to hang on a little longer.”

  Pesta nodded and then took in a deep breath. "Is it nice?"

  “It’s very nice. You’ll like it, I promise. Everyone will be so excited to meet you, too.”

  “Really?”

  “Really,” Juniper confirmed with a nod. “We’re always happy to meet others and add them to the team.”

  “Mmm,” Pesta hummed but otherwise fell quiet once more.”

  Seeing that gave Juniper a little boost of energy and her steps hastened at the need to get the Pal to safety. When she finally made it through the trees and into the clearing, she saw Vesta dragging the table out from the shack where it was stored in between meals. Aurora was there too, filling a bucket with fresh water utilizing her powers.

  However, Juniper was surprised to find Aoi running across the clearing from the opposite direction, following Flora who led the way. Strangely, there were two other Pals in tow. On one side was her Lifmunk Sephie and on the other, another Glumos kept pace. A hand holding the same kind of acorn-top hat that sat on Flora’s head. After a moment, Juniper had to do a double take between the new Pal and Flora to make sure she wasn’t losing her mind. In the end, they all converged on the table at the same time but it was Aoi that ended up speaking first.

  “What the hell happened!? Who is that?” She asked as her eyes dropped to the Jolthog for further examination. The whole thing was probably quite the scene but at least Aoi wouldn’t think the blood was Juniper’s due to the odd color.

  “I could ask you the same thing,” Juniper responded before dropping her eyes to the new Glumos.

  “Oh, this is Mai.” Aoi brought up a hand to indicate the Pal, who smiled and bowed her head following her name.

  “Hello, Mai. Sorry, introductions will have to wait.” Juniper turned away and then y Pesta on the table, who then proceeded to look around at all the faces crowding around her. “This is Tempesta but she’s very hurt right now.” Once the injured Pal was down, Juniper held up her hands and shooed the others back. “Give her some space, girls.”

  Once they did, Juniper leaned in and peeled the makeshift bandage back from the wound. Or tried to, anyway. It had partially dried into the opening and Juniper sucked air in through her teeth. But that was the only moment she allowed herself any outward sign of frustration.

  “Aoi,” she said before looking up to the young woman.

  “Yes?”

  "Go into the cave and get any of our old clothing or bits of rags or cloth."

  “Oh, okay!”

  Before she even turned to run off, Juniper had already shifted her attention to the Foxparks. "Vesta, get water boiling to sanitize them."

  “Right!” The Foxparks gathered up the pot with fresh water from Aurora and immediately sat off to the side to heat herself, and the water, up.

  "Aurora, water for Pesta to drink."

  “Yes, Miss Juniper!” The Lamball turned and ran inside the shack, no doubt looking for one of the canteens to use.

  That left only the grass-attuned Pals and Juniper whipped her head around and took in all three of them where they stood. "Flora, Sephie, Mai–"

  "Miss Juniper," Sephie interrupted before stepping forward and pcing a hand on the woman's shoulder. Her face was calm, even pleasant with the small smile that graced her lips.

  "What?" Juniper spat, her tone a little clipped from being stopped mid-sentence.

  "Allow us to help, please. We may be attuned to grass but it is the path of life, along with water. We can see Pesta through this." As she spoke, Sephie dropped her hand and looked back to the Jolthog where she y on the table, a small pool of blood now forming beneath her.

  “The path of life?” Juniper asked. That made sense, in a way. They created life when working with pnts so it was at least a logical step. Besides, it wasn't as if she had much of a choice. There wasn’t exactly a Pal hospital she could take the Jolthog to. Shit, she didn’t even have a first-aid kit to use! Finally, she nodded and took a step back herself. “Do everything you can, please.”

  "We’ll do nothing less," Sephie assured her. "There are Pals better suited to this work but we should be alright with three of us." Now that she had Juniper’s blessing, the Lifmunk turned around and gathered Flora and Mai to her side with a few quick flicks of her wrists. The three moved closer to the table and Sephie soon took the lead as presumably the most powerful of the group.

  Juniper watched them get to work, tapping her foot impatiently as she did so. After a few moments, she raised her hand and bit at her thumb’s fingernail in an uncharacteristic dispy of anxiousness. This wasn’t how she typically liked to handle things. Juniper had always been the one to step in and take charge not sit back and let others get their hands dirty.

  Aurora returned a minute ter and brought a canteen to Sephie after Juniper shook her head and pointed at the Lifmunk when the Lamball started to bring it to her. Aoi got a simir treatment after bringing out her old shirt and some torn canvas. After which, she came to Juniper’s side.

  “Obviously it wasn’t you that hurt her. Did you find her like this? Did she fall or something?”

  Juniper kept her eyes on Pesta as she took in a deep breath and slowly shook her head. “No, she was attacked.”

  “Attacked? By another Pal?”

  “I’m afraid not, unfortunately.” Juniper reached behind her back and removed the gun from where it sat tucked partially into her waistband. “She was shot.” It wasn’t loaded so she felt comfortable letting Aoi see the weapon.

  “Jeeze, that’s awful! What kind of a person would do that?”

  What kind of person indeed. A particurly shitty kind, if Juniper had to guess. “I think it was that group Sephie mentioned. Flora and I subdued a woman and took the gun right after she told Pesta that she was taking her back to her camp.”

  “I see,” Aoi said before returning her attention to the injured Pal. “I don’t suppose you were on the far side of the foothills everyone is talking about?”

  “Nope, this was down in the valley below.” Of course, Juniper didn’t have to expin why that was bad and Aoi didn’t need to ask because she grew silent from the implication. Whoever this group was, they were armed and apparently very willing to use force to get what they wanted. That realization, as much as seeing the injured Pal, made Juniper’s stomach feel queasy. For the umpteenth time, she wished Lily was here to help with these people, whoever they were. Of course, Juniper knew how the blonde would deal with the intruder and that was something Juniper wasn’t exactly keen for either. Even if in the back of her mind a part of her felt like they deserved it.

  “What happened with the woman? The one that you disarmed.” Aoi asked after a few minutes of silent contemption.

  “I’m not sure. Flora left her tied up with vines while we made a run for it with Pesta. She’s probably free by now.” And possibly looking for them.

  “Well, at least she isn’t armed anymore.”

  “Yeah, small mercies, I guess.”

  The two fell silent again and Juniper continued to watch as the grass Pals moved around Pesta at the head of the table. They were leaning in so it made it hard to see but at one point, Juniper observed her t-shirt being removed and handed to Vesta for cleaning. Only for it to be traded with the one Aoi had brought out. At one point, Sephie did something that made the Jolthog shift and hiss in pain and Juniper couldn’t help but take a step closer. Only to be stopped by Aoi when she reached out and grabbed her hand.

  “It’s okay,” Aoi said. And for the first time, Juniper looked away from where Pesta y. "She'll be fine." Juniper only searched Aoi’s eyes for a moment before her attention once again shifted.

  "Yes, she will be." Juniper turned back to see Sephie break away from the group and wipe her brow before coming to a stop. "We stopped the bleeding so there is nothing to worry about. Flora, Mai, and I still need to work on helping Pesta's body get on better footing but you should go rex." She paused then and looked down over Juniper's torso where a smeared mess of Pal blood and sweat made it look rather grim. "Perhaps you and Aoi can go to the pool and get you clean?"

  Before Juniper could answer, Aoi squeezed her hand and nodded. "That's a great idea, Sephie." However, Juniper didn't look convinced.

  "The danger is past us now. There's no need to worry, Miss Juniper.” The Lifmunk tried to reassure her but Juniper still felt nervous. Then again, she still couldn’t really do anything to help.

  "Come on, Juniper. Let's give them some time to work and make sure you're feeling better when Pesta wakes up, hmm?"

  "Alright, alright. We'll go."

  "I should come too, for protection." Vesta stood from the pot looking as if she were ready to tag along.

  "No!" Juniper nearly shouted but took another deep breath and calmed herself. "No. Thank you, Vesta but I'd rather have you here watching everyone's back while they work." And if there was going to be trouble, Juniper didn't want any of her Pals throwing themselves into danger to try and keep her safe. One hurt Pal was enough for today. Aoi and her could handle it themselves. And to help with that, Juniper could always take the weapon she had…procured. Not to actually use but even an empty gun could look menacing.

  Vesta looked as if she might argue but something on Juniper’s face must’ve given her pause because she shut her mouth soon after opening it to speak.

  “We’ll be fine, Vesta,” Aoi assured before stepping to the side and pulling Juniper with her.

  “Alright, be safe.” Was all the Foxparks said as the pair made their way toward the hidden base? Much to Juniper’s confusion.

  “I thought we were going to the pool?” She asked once it became clear that wasn’t the direction they were headed.

  “Let’s get the soap, first,” Aoi replied. “You haven’t used any yet, right?”

  “No,” Juniper admitted.

  “Then it’s the perfect time.”

  Juniper only nodded by way of agreement and allowed herself to be led inside and then back out again after groping around in the dark for the small bag Lily had brought her. Subsequently, the two made their way across the clearing and through the forest to the small pool they all used for bathing. Whereas she normally enjoyed the sight of Aoi getting undressed, Juniper only stared into the water as she removed her clothing and then lowered herself in without so much as a gnce sideward.

  It didn’t take long for Aoi to get undressed either and soon they were wading in the cool water. Juniper had walked in a few feet and crouched so that she was submerged except for her head. A moment ter, she felt Aoi’s breasts, followed by the rest of her body, press into her back and the woman’s arms come to rest over Juniper’s shoulders to bring her into a hug from behind.

  “It really upsets you seeing them get hurt, doesn’t it?”

  “I just don’t understand,” Juniper started before leaning back into the embrace. Had she not been so focused on the question, and Pesta’s injury, her mind probably would’ve reeled from having Aoi’s naked body pressed up against hers. They had cuddled a few times in bed now but this was going up to a whole other level. “There’s no need for the violence so why hurt the Pals?” Of course, she’d only met a few types. Perhaps these were more docile than others? Still, it just didn’t sit right with her.

  “I can’t say I understand either,” Aoi admitted. “To be honest, I was scared to death those first few days. Especially of the Pals. But now? They’ve really grown on me.” As she spoke, Aoi’s hands dropped to Juniper’s chest and torso. Not in a sexual way, only to help wash off the dried blood that clung to her skin.

  “I’ll say!” Juniper followed the retort with a small ugh and turned her head slightly to dispy the small smile that crept onto her lips. “Don’t think I wasn’t going to bring up Mai. You went and got a Glumos for yourself while I was gone?”

  Aoi ughed too and nodded before separating and moving back to the edge of the pool to open the small bag and retrieve the shampoo. “Yeah, I guess so. I’ll tell you about how it happened if you let me wash your hair.”

  “Wow, really twisting my arm, huh? Please, both those sound lovely and I could really use a distraction right about now.”