Marron didn't like saying goodbye, because it all felt so final.
So she tried to ease her anxious nerves.
I'm just visiting the snakekin. It's like a business trip. And the Lord Jackal said so himself--to tell the snakekin that I was Whisperwind's guest first.
This morning, departure smelled like sea salt and apple pie.
In a short time, the village that once treated her like a stranger had become a temporary home. Marron packed the cart, completely trying to detach her feelings from the work. Even Mokko noticed.
The pots were overly secured, with cloth and bits of twine. Lucy felt water droplets from Marron's tears as she settled into a glass water jar with a lid. It sloshed around as she moved, and Lucy cooed comfortingly as Marron wiped her tears with the edge of her apron.
"Come now, it's not like you're moving to the Cove," Lyra said, head poking through the door that led to the outdoor kitchen. She hugged Marron and pressed a silk pouch into her hands. "Here. It's some of my grandmother's herbs. Use it on friends or bribe strangers."
Marron smiled and sniffled. "I'll try the friend part first."
Mokko crouched beside her, patting her back. "Snakekin can be formal. Especially with humans. Keep your ears open more than your mouth."
"Got it," Marron said, tucking the herbs away. "Oh! They wanted me to make them some crumble..."
Her utensils were all packed, so she used the inn's kitchen to make it. As she peeled the remaining fermented and baking apples, her mind drifted. She thought of safe roads, calm waters, and Mokko pulling their cart back into Whisperwind's forest.
Lucy hummed inside her jar each time Marron spooned the sweet, crumbly topping on top of the baked apples.
Marron could have sworn she saw the crumble sparkle, full of her hopes for a safe journey. She packed them into small jars and covered them with cloth and twine, with some small wooden spoons.
+
Gradually, Whisperwind's forest changed. The tall, twisting trees she had grown used to slowly disappeared. The trees were still tall, but they were less twisted. They were tall and light-green, and when the sun streamed through the trees, the soil looked like dappled gold.
The dirt ground gradually grew darker, too. When they saw grass, it was much greener. At one point, Mokko pawed the ground and sniffed it.
"Richer here," he murmured. "No wonder they harvest such delicious apples. Other fruit probably thrive in here too."
"Yeah, and here--the soil is a little different, but just as rich." She showed Mokko the wild citrus and glossy-leafed herbs peeking from the underbrush.
Lucy spotted a fallen orange, absorbing it into her body with a delighted "Later!"
Half a mile from the coast, two snakekin scouts joined them, moving with quiet precision. Their scales caught the sun, their greetings clipped but polite.
When she brought out the little jars of crumble, the two scouts moods dramatically changed. Marron thought she even heard one of the snakekin scouts humming as they walked.
+
Snakewater Cove appeared like a painted scroll unfurled: turquoise waters curling against pale sand, houses on stilts stretching into the shallows, small fishing boats bobbing lazily. The salt air mingled with the heavy sweetness of ripe fruit from the sprawling orchards just inland.
Children darted through tidepools; adults mended nets or picked figs from low branches. Marron felt the soil under her sandals—rich, loamy, humming with life.
It was different from Whisperwind's observant yet silent children. Instead of nets, the wolfkin hunters repaired spears and in their spare time, whittled animal-shaped carvings out of wood.
Marron couldn't wait to fully experience what the Cove had to offer. Although, she might be tested by the snakekin, similar to how she tried to win over the wolves.
That's fair, I think. I am still a different species from them. But since they know the wolfkin trust me…hopefully it won't be too hard.
+
The Snake Queen's hall was an airy structure open to the sea breeze. At its center sat the Queen herself—tall, poised, and unmistakably regal even from across the room.
Marron's first impression was of gold: the gleam of sunlight on her lower coils, the shimmer of the scaled bangles around her wrists, and the golden crown atop her head. The crown's emblem was a serpent whose eyes glittered green in the light—emeralds, most likely.
Even at this distance, Marron caught flashes of bright blue eyes framed by long, dark hair that spilled across her shoulders. Her voice carried low but commanding, the kind that didn't need to rise to be heard.
She was surrounded by attendants who hung onto her every word, and even the breeze through the open hall seemed to bend its rhythm to hers.
"Welcome to Snakewater Cove," the Queen said, her voice warm and even, like sun-warmed stone under bare feet. Her coils shifted against the polished floor, the light glancing off her scales in a ripple.
"Thank you for allowing us this visit, Your Majesty. I have brought a gift for you: an apple crumble." Marron stepped forward with her gift, in a humble glass jar. One of her attendants held it and pulled the twine from the cloth, unwrapping it.
The same attendant held the spoon Marron had provided and tasted it. The hall was silent as he chewed. After nothing happened, he held both the jar and the spoon out to the Queen.
"Here you are, my Queen. It does not appear to be poisoned."
She delicately held the spoon, her bangles gently clinking together. The Queen ate the apple crumble thoughtfully.
After she had swallowed a bite, she reached for a second, to Marron's delight.
"You cook with intent," she said quietly. "Not many humans do this without knowing."
Marron blinked. "I… don't always realize I'm doing it."
"Still, you are welcome here. As our visitor, at least. Arianna," she called, and a young snakekin woman slithered to her side. "Yes, my Queen?"
"When the sun sets, do take them to the visitor's quarters."
Arianna bowed deep and low.
"Your wish is my command."
+
After their short meeting, Marron wanted to relax by visiting the marketplace. She walked among baskets of bright pears, nets of dried shellfish, smoked fish hanging from beams. Snakekin youths approached her cart, curious about the scent of butter and apples.
She showed them how their orchard fruit contributed to the soft and gooey half of the crumble, with the crispy and delicious top. Marron baked them in clay dishes, and the buttery-sweet aroma spread the way the tide approached the shore.
Ding!
[Dish Created: Snakewater Apple Crumble]
[Cooking Skill +4]
[Temporary HP Buff: +10]
Curious onlookers and traders alike slithered over to her little food stall. It still stuck out like a sore thumb, with its rustic appearance. But it wasn't falling apart anymore, and that gave Marron a twinge of pride.
It's shabby, but it's my Comfort & Crunch now.
She noticed that it was taking on the quality of its environment--the weathered wood now looked like it was made of bleached driftwood, the wheels adapting to the sand and rich soil.
That amazed her, because she knew that she would be upgrading the food cart/stall, but never expected it to transform, little by little.
+
When the sun set and it was time to pack up her food stall, Marron saw Arianna approach.
"Mm, punctual. Good. The visitor's quarters are past the market, and a little to the left. Come."
Even without legs, she was quick. Mokko grabbed the cart and quickened his pace, and Marron was half-tempted to jump onto the cart.
"Dizzy," Lucy whispered from within her glass jar.
"Sorry, kid--could you sleep it off?" Mokko asked apologetically. He couldn't risk slowing down and losing Arianna completely. While the crowd was quieter than Whisperwind, there were still a lot of snakes moving out of the marketplace, toward their own shelters.
"Will try," Lucy replied softly.
When Mokko finally put down the cart, he had broken a light sweat--and so had Marron.
Arianna looked back to see them frantically wiping their faces on spare washcloths.
"Oh! My apologies--why didn't you say I was being too fast?"
"We didn't...huff...want...huff...to lose...you..." Mokko said, his paws holding onto his knees as he caught his breath.
"How considerate! I'll let the Queen know. You are very peculiar visitors."
She led them to a modest-looking house near the forest. It wasn't a complete mess, but it was extremely barebones: there were two bedrooms with a large bed in each one. There was a small living room, and a large kitchen. The dining room was meant to be outside, with a small umbrella to shield it from the rain.
The kitchen was so large there was still room for Comfort & Crunch to park inside.
"Enjoy your stay," Arianna said quietly. "Before new quarters were built for our chefs, they stayed here. That's why most of the labor went into the kitchen and the bedroom."