To Build a Bed

Oak swung his pickaxe, focused on what he was doing. Swing pickaxe, clear broken rocks, step forward, swing pickaxe. He liked his work, liked sound of pickaxe hitting stone. Liked the tunnel growing longer, knowing he had done it.

But this was different, he tried to focus and enjoy his work, but he thought about tiny angry pretty boss, thought about red-hair player. He had never seen anything like that. Never felt anything like that. . .

He heard boss in the background, yelling. Yell wasn’t angry, happy yelling. He stopped swinging.

“Oh, now that sounds useful.” he heard her say.

He turned from wall, went to find boss.

“Hehe, stabby vines, I like that.”

“Hey Boss.”

Boss was startled.

“Oak!” Boss’s tiny face was looking red. “You surprised me.”

“Sorry Boss.”

He stood there watching her, thinking about what she had done to red hair player.

“You happy Boss?” He asked.

“Yes Oak, your ‘boss’ is happy.”

“Why Boss happy?”

“Why Oak so damn nosey?” She scolded. “If I want to tell you something I will, but for now we have work to do.”

Oak was confused, “We?” Was Boss going to break rock or chop wood?

“Yeah, remember, we’re going to get materials and build my bed today. Come on, let’s get moving.”

Oak smiled, big happy smile, Boss needed him for special work.

“Don’t you smile at me like that Oak!” Boss yelled. “You’re coming to carry things and cut down trees, you start smiling like that and I’ll start calling you Stupid again.”

Little angry pretty boss flew to the cave entrance. Oak followed, hoping he wasn’t smiling too much.

“Good morning, great Fairy of the woods!” he heard a strange voice say. Oak hurried to catch up to Boss.

“What are you doing in my glade?” angry small pretty boss asked, even less happy than when she yell at Oak.

“I have come to offer my services to the newly established liege of this lair. I can help you in many ways, I think you will find me. . .”

“I find you disgusting!” Boss cut him off. “You will leave the entrance to my lair and then you will leave my glade.”

Oak stepped up behind pretty angry small boss. She was talking to a gnome wearing all black.

“I suggest you rethink this, my liege. . .”

“I already rejected your offer, I am most certainly not your liege. Now leave, I will hear no more from you.” Boss said. He didn’t like sound of boss’s voice, slow and mean, he preferred yelling.

The Gnome bowed, then turned and walked away.

“What the fuck was that? Why the hell would I want a Gnome Backstabber hanging out with me, it wasn’t cute and I already have a worker.”

Oak felt his face smile, Boss liked him more than stabby gnome. He looked away from boss, no get caught smiling.

Boss kept talking, Oak nod or grunt in reply, no say things, try hard to not smile.

“Alright Oak, here we are, you select some good trees for my bed and I’ll get some feathers.”

Oak looked around; he was worried. Pretty angry small boss make him choose wood for bed, needed good wood for good boss. But what wood was good for boss?

“Oak not smart for this.” He said to himself.

“Come here you winged bastard!” Boss was flying near tree tops, birds were squawking.

Oak looked around. Dark wood? Light wood? What wood make boss happy?

“Yeah, you and your mate you fucking flea ridden feather pile!”

Oak smiled, he liked boss yelling. He walked around, he felt less fear, boss yelling at bird helped him relax.

“Hey Oak, check it out, I got half the feathers already.”

Oak turned to boss and smiled. He quickly caught himself and forced a frown on his face. Fortunately, Boss didn't seem to notice.

“Any luck?” She asked.

“No tree good enough for boss.” He replied.

“You know, I like the attitude. But we need that wood.”

“Yes Boss.”

“Oh, hold up. I forgot.” She said as she flew down.

Boss flew up to him, right up to his face, she was gorgeous, better than light through the uncut wood. Her wings shimmered in the sunlight as she flew towards him. Her pale blue skin glistened. Oak felt his face get warm. She flew right to his cheek. Her face touched his, her lips touched his cheek.

“Now, Oak, find me the best tree in this glade and chop it down for me, okay?” She said.

Oak felt his doubt leave him, he had quest from pretty angry little boss, boss trusted him, he would find best wood. He turned, walked away. Boss giggled behind him, he didn’t turn to look, he had work to do.

Oak searched for only a bit longer before he found it, a dark wood tree with a hint of red in the wood. The red made him think a bit of the old uncut wood and his boss’s hair. He took out his new axe, gift from boss, he couldn’t use the shiny rock axe, wasn’t good enough yet, but he could use shiny wood axe.

He swung it for the first time, its weight felt good in his hands, it swung quick and true, bit deep into wood. Boss gave him shiny axe. Boss gave him important job. Boss’s lips touched his face. Oak felt incredible. No Orc was as happy as him. Maybe Gorgug was blessing him. He had cut much wood for sacrifice.

The wood was chopped, Oak gathered the pieces and went back to where boss had been.

“Oak, did you find a good tree?”

“Oak find best wood for boss.”

“Let me see it.”

He pulled out a piece of the wood.

“Oh, wow, good work Oak, I knew you could do it.”

Oak smiled, he tried not to, but Boss nice words were too much.

“Sadly this glade is out of birds, the fucking cowards fly off after you murder just a few of them, we need to wait for them to come back.” She said.

Boss flew up a bit higher and looked around. Turned back to Oak. “I can’t believe they are going to make me. . .”

Boss’s words were cut off by a quick flash of brown that snatched her and drove her to the ground.

“GAH!”

Oak ran to where the bird had pinned boss, it was looking to take off again. Oak got in front of it, he had his axe out, but wouldn’t risk hit boss. The Hawk hopped to side and turned to fly, but there were vines growing on it now.

“Unhand me you filthy bird!” Boss yelled, slipping out of the talons as vines pulled on them.

“Oh, you’re going to fucking suffer for that you shit-brained sack of maggots!” Boss yelled as she stood up, straightened her skirt.

The vines squeezed the hawk as it cried out.

“Shut up loser, you come for me you get what you get.” Boss said as her hands ran over her hair, making it stop standing up.

One of the vines grew over the hawks face, jammed itself in the mouth, silencing the cries.

“That’s better, now let me get some feathers before they get ruined.”

Boss started plucking feathers from the captured bird as it struggled to get free.

“I should have done this to the others, this is much better than killing and looting them.”

Oak stared in awe. Boss was ruthless. Boss took every feather from hawk. Only then the vines left it. Hawk disappeared a few seconds later.