He sneezes. And then sneezes again. Damn allergies, especially this time of year. Damn Ivy and Basil and their clique coating everything that moves with fairy dust to signal the approach of the winter snow. He thinks it’s unnecessary- surely nobody’s dumb enough to think it’s still okay to fly around without any shoes when the dewdrops are beginning to freeze? No wonder everyone’s so red-nosed and twinkly-eyed. They’d probably have permanent pneumonia if it weren’t for this glittering reminder.

Pine was never the cheery type. Most fairies’ souls come about from a baby’s first laugh, or the chime of wedding bells, or some other crap like that. Not Pine’s. Everyone in the Hollow believes his soul came from a wolf’s howl or the sound of broken glass. And they’re not wrong. He’s half Feary after all.

Fearies are the “evil” twins of the rosy-cheeked, dainty beings who prance about and suffocate insects with pixie dust- he sneezes once more- and sing incessantly. Fearies ride on bats, and butterflies’ ghosts and prefer to be in darkness (they can see better and feel less attacked by whispers). But without darkness, would one ever see light?

Without them, there would be an imbalance. When others refuse to acknowledge reality (because it’s so much nicer to hide the “ugly” creatures away in the dark depths of the forest) then people like Pine step in and remind them of their place in the chain of being. How come you get so say that Gareth the Mole is hideous when you only wear solid turquoise, Melody? And Fawn, surely you can tell that those beetles are an invasive species? You’re literally named after animal-kind for f***’s sake. He has to escape sometimes.

Pine’s wings are like pure onyx, and absorb the sun’s rays. He picks up a fallen leaf, and carries on walking. Too much sky traffic this time of day anyway.

The trees above begin to thicken and he sets the leaf aside. He clambers through the spiderweb, stops, looks around, and takes a swig from his pouch. Fermented honey. Just the right thing to get his buzz going. He mustn’t forget to pay the bees later.

This is his paradise. A log on the forest floor. It has a few furnishings, but he’s just let nature do its thing. Mushrooms are soft stools and moss is better than any carpet he could weave. Nipper, his stag beetle, charges him and knocks him over.

Pine may be an Outcast- too dark for his Fairy side and too shiny for his Feary side- but he’ll always have the company of his fellow castaways. He doesn’t have to wait long before the others start to show up. Priscilla and her girlfriend Peony, and Bramble (who’s feeling more feminine today) signing a story to Stone.

Those in need know that they are always welcome here. It is a safe haven.