Late morning

'Birthing' Fay was an interesting experience. You felt your womb being opened once again, the small fairy pushing herself out. Your canal was eager to help, squeezing and pushing her down until she popped out with a loud squelch. Of course she was a sticky mess covered in the smell of your sex. Without a hot bath available, she had to make do with one of the small streams of water that keep the forest growing lush.

Even now, though, she still smells like...well, you. She's perched on your shoulder as you wait for fanfare to finally announce the day's first visitors, and the scent still clings to her body. It's kinda distracting, and it makes you feel an itch deep inside.

'So we can still communicate like this?'

As long as we're touching. If you fly down to fight, I won't be able to.

'I see. Say, Fay. Do you know how old you are?'

Nope.

'Yeah... Me neither. I can remember a lot of days--most of them dying, usually more than once--but I never thought to count until two days ago.'

Fairies don't die often, but we don't really bother with counting days, either. We just watch the forest and prank heroes.

'That sounds like a lot more fun than just being killed.'

It's hard. We still have legends of the best pranks ever pulled. I've never done anything that impressive. I don't think I could.

'Oh. Huh.'

Before you can figure out how to respond to that, fanfare finally breaks the quiet of the forest. You're so startled you almost fall out of the tree, but after some quick wing maneuvers to right yourself you jump up eagerly. At last you have something to do! You take flight toward the direction the fanfare came from.

You stop and hide in the branches of another tree before you catch sight of them. Soon they come up the path beneath you. It's a party of five: one female knight dressed in sturdy (if well-used) steel armor; one male ranger (just seeing him makes your rump smart, remembering this morning) with the pointed ears of an elf; one male cleric in the middle, the symbol of Anari prominent on his vestments; one female wizard (or maybe a sorceress; you've never understood what the difference is, really) just behind him; and a female rogue dressed in practical leather armor that doesn't cling to her like a second skin. Bizarre.

Unfortunately, that ranger is diligent and his eyes are sharp. Even as you're appraising them, he catches sight of you. He shouts to his teammates and readies his bow.