The sound of the plane passing overhead became a familiar noise to the residents of the Den as Wolfe worked through the day, making deliveries to all the nearby villages.
Everyone was waiting for the shrieking cry of a large flying predator attacking the intruder, but time after time, the dark green aircraft hummed past the forest with its load of food and returned light, wobbling in the breeze.
In the afternoon, more of the witches made their way down the river to see the process in action, and when Wolfe returned for the last load of the day, there were over a dozen of them there, standing next to their staves and waiting for him to land.
Wolfe let the plane glide to a stop next to the barge and hopped out to greet their visitors while the scout happily stayed strapped in his seat.
He had gotten used to the sensation of flying around the fourth flight, and now that they were on the last one, he didn't want to disrupt his sense of safety by undoing the harness and getting out of the plane.
He hadn't had to do anything yet, but he was sure that his presence helped assure the villages they went to of their identity and that nothing was wrong with the delivery.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Well, what did you learn today, Wolfe?" One of the witches asked with a laugh as he stepped out of the plane in his imitation of a Pilot's jumpsuit and leather bomber jacket.
"Well, for one, they are happy to see us. Second, I think they would want the Garden Charms as much as the Witches if I built them into an array with a Mana Gathering Array just strong enough to keep the spell powered. With some light, their underground gardens could be good enough to keep them fed, and not just with mushrooms.
Speaking of which, there are some bags of them on the plane. We agreed that they could pay in intelligence and other assistance, but they insisted that we take some of their fresh mushrooms with us." Wolfe informed them.
The witches grabbed them out and cheered.
"These things are good. They're magical plants, and they taste just like beef. Cook will love you for bringing them back since the faerie loves them, and she doesn't eat anything meat-based.
It's a shame that we can't eat them, but they're better cooked anyhow, and once they get to the kitchen, we don't stand a chance." The Witch laughed.
Mollie grabbed one large cap from the bag and winked at the witch, then brought it back into the shack to cut it up and cook it. One wouldn't bother anyone, and they could have a snack before they went back.
"When does the next delivery go out?" The scout in the plane asked curiously, as he didn't know anything about their arrangements with the other villages.
"Every second week is the plan. There is no hard set schedule, and I think that a lot of them will start coming to us instead if they run short on important things, but every second week should be enough to keep them up with some important supplies." Jenna told him with a smile as she finished loading the plane.
"Is that long enough to make the charms for them? Wolfe told me about the ones in your garden, and I think that all the villages would love them. They don't have to be strong, but with real light and some extra growth, we would be doing great." He asked.
"We can make them in only a few minutes if we have the herbs. I will tell the boat that is going out tomorrow to bring them to the villages inside the forest. There's so much magic everywhere that a little bit more inside the villages won't alert any of the monsters to attack you.
They've gotten much calmer anyhow." Jenna agreed.
The scout nodded happily, then double-checked his harness as Jenna closed the door and Wolfe hopped in for the last trip of the day.
The plane took off without incident, but for some reason, the twins had a strange feeling about this trip. It was the closest one of the day and only a ten-minute flight from this side of the forest, but something told them that it would not be a regular flight.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIn the air, the situation was very similar but met with a much different reaction since Wolfe could see what was happening. They had flown over a Worgen den, and the giant mutant wolves were chasing the plane.
"Can't we lose them?" The scout asked nervously as they altered course to avoid leading the monsters to their destination.
"Outrun a Worgen in this thing? I don't think so. They can chase down pretty much anything." Wolfe laughed.
"Then what are you going to do?" The scout pleaded.
"I am going to turn around and cast a [Pacification] spell."
That calmed the panicked squirrel, who didn't know that Wolfe didn't know and couldn't use any such magic. Instead, he intended to lure them to the forest and let the magic work on them while he pinned them to the ground with a Gravity spell.
Either they would calm down and be accepted by the forest, or they would get lost and kicked back out once the spell faded. Their intent wasn't really malicious, it was just in their nature to chase things, and the plane was flying low, having only just taken off, when it passed over their den.
The Worgen pack happily chased the plane into the forest, where Wolfe set a [Gravity Array] to hold them while he circled the plane overhead.
The howling could be heard for kilometres around, and the smaller animals cleared the area, worried that the monstrous wolves would hunt them next if their current prey wasn't enough food.
Once they were all trapped by the one-way gravity barrier, Wolfe returned to his original course and left them for the forest to settle. The spell would only last an hour or so, and anything dumb enough to end up inside that spell circle full of Worgen deserved whatever happened to them.
Well, likely. It was far enough from the village that the witches shouldn't come over to try to pet the monsters. How none of them had died yet from trying to pet things that should not be petted was a mystery for the ages.