Fizzberry Juice

"Fizzberries? I have a thermos of hot fizzy with me," Troy said. "Do you think that would work as a peace offering?"

Helena shrugged. "It's worth trying. Tell your friends to pull back, ok?" she asked the pixie in her hand.

The finger-sized woman looked like she wanted to refuse, but a warning squeeze of Helena's fist made her reconsider. Sticking two fingers in her mouth, she produced a sharp whistle.

Instantly, her flying compatriots changed course to return to them. The nymphs stopped shooting for a moment too, curious to see what was happening. Then Troy opened the thermos he'd pulled out from under his cloak. A loud hissing sound filled the forest, like a carbonated drink but deeper. The bubbling berry juice also released a fruity smell that quickly permeated the area.

The scent only got stronger when Troy upended the container, tipping its contents out into a bowl. Placing it down on the ground, Troy backed up and Helena followed. Several large steps away from the bowl, they stopped and waited.

For several minutes nothing happened, but eventually the first tentative nymph approached. Sneaking forward in a zigzag pattern, head darting around to monitor its surroundings, the strange creature approached the frothing bowl. Having reached it, the frost nymph stuck a hand in and pulled back, licking its fingers clean as it ran for the nearest bush.

When that nymph had escaped unharmed, the others found their courage as well. One by one they raced up to the bowl, some retreating with sticky hands and others sticking around for more. They really did seem like a horde of squirrels gathered over their prize.

They still kept a wary eye on the humans, but when Troy tried speaking to them they didn't respond. "They're not talkers," a pixie explained. "Language is just noise to them."

"As long as they don't start shooting again," Helena said. "We're here so Troy can study them, not to negotiate a peace treaty."

Indeed, Troy was already scribbling away in one of his notebooks. But the frost nymphs didn't give him much time to jot down his thoughts. The moment the bowl was emptied, which happened unbelievably soon, they darted off in the direction they had come from.

Troy sighed but contined writing for a while before pocketing his quill and notebook again. "Do you think it's safe to follow them?"

Before anyone could answer, two nymphs darted back out from behind a tree. At a safe distance, they dropped two small orbs onto the ground, waved their hands at the humans, and fled once more.

"Odd," Troy said. "But we might as well see what they dropped."

Helena nodded, letting go of the pixie she still held in her clutches. Together, they advanced from their position and picked up the yellow orbs. "They're fruits. A thank you for the juice?"

"Could be," Troy said, the fruit already at his lips. "Could be poison too."

With that, he slipped it into his mouth and started chewing.

"No!" Helena gasped. "Why would you say that and then... are you nuts!?"

Troy laughed dismissively. "Relax, Helena. It tastes great, you should eat yours."

Rolling her eyes, Helena did just that. Boys and their dumb jokes, she thought to herself as she bit down, releasing a gush of sweet juice. It really was delicious. And when she swallowed, it filled her stomach with a nice warmth.

Actually, not just her stomach. The sensation spread quickly, filling her body and bringing a flush to her face. Her tail began to swish involuntarily, cat ears twitching on top of her head. As one, Helena and Troy swiveled to look at each other with wide eyes.