65 A Gleeful Treeful (2/2)
”What is this crap.It tastes like silage sme—AAARGH!”
Jen flung out every limb she had, which had the fortunate effect of keeping her lodged in the branches, even when a few of them broke off under the onslaught and crashed down the cliff.She then froze, rigid.
[A few good primate instincts in that chimera body still. That one was—ah—the Moro reflex.]
Nelda was quite satisfied at retreating that arbitrary fact acquired somewhere in the stygian gloom of what she remembered from her undergraduate studies.
”Eeep!” Jen said.
The branch Nelda was clinging to started to droop, crack, and generally proclaim it desired to succumb to gravity.Nelda threw one arm around Jen's waist and then lept onto her pony-back.
”Sorry to be so familiar,” Nelda said. ”But you seem to be wedged up here pretty good at least for now. On the up side, you sure showed Reg what's what.”
”Yay,” replied Jen in a very small voice.
”Yay for pyrrhic victories,” Nelda agreed.
Nelda had never in her life gone horseback riding. Her interest in animals and their behavior, the subject of her bachelors and masters degrees, was purely observational in nature. [Not participant-observer.] Nevertheless, if the movies were anything to go by she was seat more-or-less how on should be in a horse.[But when the horse has the torso of a woman attached to the front of it, there isn't much of a view.]
”You have really nice hair,” Nelda commented.
”Thanks,” said Jen, still in an incredibly tiny voice.
”You don't need to whisper.It's not like an avalanche or something, that would be triggered by sound.”
”Let's not take any chances.”
”Bit late for that.” Nelda peered to tried and see how strong the remaining branches under them were.
”Why ish my mouth full of leaves…?”
There was a sound a bit like a whip being cracked, and the entire tree shuddered.A cascade of small rocked bounced down the cliff, for really quite a long time as if they were making a deliberate show of just how far down it was.
”Oh that's the good news,” Nelda said, trying to project confidence.”You remember how I explain the pixies dust effects of stripeflower leaves?”
”I am not very… brain right now,” Jen peeped.”Please start making sense.”
”I've been feeding you leaves that should make you positively buoyant.Or in more literal terms I am hope--I mean expecting--more of a neutral buoyancy.Last time I floated up-up-and-away things got very complicated.But I guess it was all for the best.”
[I get nervous.I babble.It's been working out for me so far.]
The tree moaned and shifted again.
”Are you feeling… floaty,” Nelda inquired hopefully.
In the distance, SmithGuild could be heard yelling, ”Where did you put the horn?”
”Buck, bwAAArk. Cluck, cluck, cluck.”
Nelda briefly considered making a leap for it.Glancing back she saw Phyllis looking… no more than mildly concerned.
[Maybe dragon facial expressions aren't that easy to read, but she sure as hell isn't doing anything to help.]
Another large root sprung loose; it's smaller strands giving up the ground with a sound like tearing silk.
The tree bobbed, nodded, and then with a strange silence just fell away.Nelda clutched the back of Jen vest.
They stayed in place.
Jen stayed quite level.The rotate very slowly in a counter-clockwise direction.
”Oh.It worked,” Phyllis said.She sounded rather surprised.
Jen started to giggle hysterically.