The Hawkmother

Chapter Two: A Decision Is Made

"Could you tell us please, Miss Leahleaf?" Nibbles called up.

"Not for free!" The glider cried out, offended that she should be asked to trade any kind of information based on merit. "Gotta gimme something, then I'll tell."

"We don't have much."

"Give me the poke 'em."

"Absolutely not!" Jareth spoke on his sister's behalf. While he didn't want getting stuck with Grawff's quill, he knew how important it was to Nibbles. "We can bring you some honeyed pears, if you'd like."

"Oooh, honeyed pears. My favorite!"

"Then you'll tell us?" Jareth called up.

"Sweetums first, then I'll talk!"

Jareth looked at Nibbles, and she doubtfully shrugged her shoulders. "We don't have much choice, Jareth," she lamented. "If Leahleaf does know something, we need to know. What if mother is in danger? What if she needs help?"

"Well, I guess we'll risk it then. Wait here. Make sure she doesn't go anywhere." Jareth left his sister standing under the sugar glider's tree, and ran as fast as he good back to their own, climbing swiftly to gather a small sack of honeyed pears. He had been hoping to eat them with his family, but Nibbles was right. This wasn't like their mother, and if Leahleaf knew something, they owed it to their mother to find out what.

When he returned, the sugar glider was gibbering nonsense at his sister. "Is that the sweetums?"

"Yes, Miss Leahleaf. I've got you some honeyed pears. May we come up?"

"Up, up!"

The sugar glider had come to Dawnmarsh with Mickey Pouch, though as far as Jareth and Nibbles knew, the two had never interacted outside of their journey here. What the pair did know for certain, though, was that if there was gossip to be found, the sugar glider would have it.

The pair climbed the tree, Jareth carefully clinging to the sack of pears so as not to spill any. Inside Leahleaf's home, he reluctantly sat the bag upon the table.

"Starling flew by early this morning, before the sun," the sugar glider started, opening the bag with greedy paws and shoving as much of a pear into her mouth as she could. "Said there was problems in the north. Some goose, said the starling. Said a hawk got captured leaving Sheepshear Hollow. Leaving the foxes."

"Why would mother be visiting foxes, Jareth?" Nibbles asked. The cat shrugged and shushed her.

"Tell us more about this hawk, Miss Leahleaf."

"Starling bird described her, sounds like Hawkmother to me."

"But why would a goose want mother?"

"Because Hawkmother was visiting foxes, silly mouse," Leahleaf laughed, and Jareth got the impression they were being mocked. Nibbles did, too, and Jareth saw her paw tighten around the quill from Grawff. He rested a paw heavily on her tail, warning her to stay in place.

"What's so important about the foxes, Miss Leahleaf?" Nibbles asked, inhaling slowly to keep herself calm.

"Hawkmother taught you nothin'!" She squealed with glee. "Foxes have magic, dummies! Lots and lots. Goose wants them."

"The goose wants the foxes?"

"No! Goose wants the magic! Bad things are happening outside these walls. Hawkmother won't be coming home, oh no. Now, leave, leave. Leave and let me eat the sweetums!"