Kelsky and Big Slap had been the kind of brothers that didn’t need to say very much to each other, but they seemed to understand and communicate effectively anyway. A gesture, a nod, something anyone else would dismiss, was enough for them to cooperate on opposite sides of a river or stream.
Mama Beaver said they were born with the same mind. They’d laugh at that.
“I have half a mind to argue with you,” Kelsky would tell her.
“And I have the other half,” Big Slap would say. “But arguing with you is harder than Oak. I’m gonna go fell a softer tree.”
When they heard the call from Brother Fenzel, they had the same idea at the same time. Reroute the orcs. It was a simple as that. Everyone liked an easy path. You just got to make all the other paths too much trouble. It was like building a dam and guiding water.
And guiding a river, redirecting a stream, wasn’t that different from redirecting a troop of orcs, was it? They just needed to clear any path they wanted the orcs to take; and fill the rest with barriers, fallen trees, branches, things that wouldn’t look purposefully placed, but naturally fallen.
They needed the woods to be a suggestion of pathways.
Their suggestion.
They did not have time to fell as many trees as they needed. They would have to use what they already had. And what they had were their homes.
Kelsky grabbed both sides of a big sycamore atop his recent den addition and pulled, disturbing several other branches and logs.
“No,” his brother said, slapping the ground with his tail. “You need that.”
His brother smiled, his two teeth bright, “I’ll be getting it back, don’t worry, brother. It’s a temporary thing.”
“Well, we will need more logs than that.” He began dismantling the roof over his kitchen.
His brother huffed loudly, “There is plenty in this den. I overmade it anyway. You just keep your kitchen and we’ll use my den.”
“Won’t be enough, and you know it.” Big Slap kept pulling out logs from his kitchen.
Conversation was over. They both knew the other would not relent or change their mind. They were both right. It would take several well placed logs and branches to block the paths. Fitting that they would use their homes to save their homes.
Without a word, they spent the afternoon, pulling and dragging and scattering their home logs and branches into an effective set of barriers, placing them as if the wind had merely knocked them over and an open path never existed.
Go to Chapter 5
“Protect the Autumn Woods!” is an illustrated story by Jerome Stueart in 33 short flash fiction chapters. The story features D&D-inspired magic-using forest animals who fight to protect their homes. This story was at first a response to a prompt list created by Jenn Reese and Deva Fagan for an October Art Challenge in 2021. You can now read all 33 parts of the story, “Protect the Autumn Woods” with the search term, #AutumnWoods. “Protect the Autumn Woods!” Art Show at the Dayton Society of Artists (48 High Street, Dayton, OH) from November 1 — December 15 2024.
“Protect the Autumn Woods!” is adjacent to a larger show of amazing Dayton Artists, “Small, but Mighty.” Come see all of the art, any weekend, Friday 12-5, Saturday 12-5 to experience the art yourself.
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