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Xo rose from his sleeping space, stretching out his limbs. The quiet sounds of rats and nouls below working on tasks and projects had him glancing over the edge of his platform, looking down. Soft conversations rose to meet his ears as he flicked them forwards. He moved back and started towards the many series of ramps and bridges, designed and built by the many dire rats he employed. He passed a few nouls and rats that were lounging in a lower section that was open to the public. They called greetings to him and he dipped his elegant head at them as he continued his descent.

As his hooves met the main floor of his warehouse home, his sister Quetz approached him. “Good morning dear brother. I trust you slept well?”

Ahh, sweet Quetz. She deserved so much better but she insisted on supporting him in his break from their father and his duties. Being of a noble family was too stuffy for Xo but it seemed to suit Quetz. He smiled gently at her and nuzzled her.


“Morning, sister. I’m afraid my sleep was a bit distubed. The tree is calling me still.”

Quetz was following him as he walked across the main area of his teahouse to the garden. He had been working on a painting in a section of the garden area. Anything to hide the muted and dirty greys of the metal beneath. His paints were all still scattered about, showing what a chaotic mind he had.

“Are you going to continue to ignore it’s calls, brother?” Quetz inquired of him as he began to cap his paint pots.

“I feel I can no longer ignore it. Grandfather is insisting I come to it.” He turned to her and then shouted across the way to a couple dire rats, “Bindi, Clare, can you come help me with my harness and paints please?”

“You’re going to take them with you?” Quetz asked.

“I see no reason not to. Maybe I’ll spot a canvas that calls to me just as loudly at the tree,” Xo replied as Bindi and Clare bounded over. They sorted out his harness and pulled it on him, then loaded up his paint pots and brushes. The harness was certainly handy to have and beautifully crafted. It held his paints so that they didn’t spill and he could use them easily while wearing the harness. It made for being a traveling artist more convenient.

“Thank you ladies,” he cooed at the dire rat does. They tittered and blushed before racing away to do whatever they had planned. He noticed Quetz staring off to the side. “Don’t worry so much, you’ll develop lines on your pretty face.”

Quetz pursed her lips and frowned at him. “Just be safe. I need to go check on the girls.”

Xo gave her his usual mischievous grin, “Don’t let Flossie eat too many sweets while I’m gone.”

Quetz was already walking away and she swished her silky tail in response. His grin never left his face as he walked back through the warehouse but it faded a bit as he stepped outside. “Let’s get this over with,” he muttered lightly as he picked up a trot that took him through the ruins and out to the barrens. Travel to the tree was uneventful which was a bummer, he was hoping for something exciting to happen but alas, it was not so. It seemed like it didn’t take much time to reach the large oak, perched on top it’s plateau. He sauntered up to it and raised his head to look up it’s trunk to the branches. “Truly magnificent. Well...I’m here and ready.”

wc:615

Xo heard the leaves rustle and before he knew it, the world blurred and reappeared. He had no idea where he was as metal walls rose up all around him. It was still light out so he could see just fine. His gaze went towards the metal walls and he looked them over. They’d make a lovely canvas for him to create his masterpieces on. However, he decided to see where the walls lead before he got to work.

Trotting down to the end and looking both ways had him pause for a moment. One side went a bit farther but then stopped in a dead end, the other direction has a turn to the left. Was this a maze? If he had hands, he’d rub them together. Maze or not, that meant a lot of wall space. He could image flowing scenes that anyone could follow, maybe paintings that doubled as riddles that one could solve to find their way. He’d have to start small and double back to elaborate on them. Certainly a project he could throw himself into.

He gazed back the way he came to make sure there were no other paths he missed, nothing. Good, he’ll start right here. He unpotted his paints, tucking the lids to the side of each pot and whipped out his wide brush. “We’ll start with thick broad strokes to block in color first,” he said allowed, his words muffled by the brush in his mouth. Blocking in colors with big broad strokes was quick and easy once he had the image in his mind. There was a general idea of what may appear from just that but he needed it to dry a bit before adding any defining details.

Xo turned his attention to the side that wasn’t a dead end and began to block out colors here as well. He pulled them to the corner and wrapped them around. The colors flowing out like willowy fingers pointing the way, at least that’s what it seemed. With the colors blocked in on both sides and a general idea forming, he moved on. It was time to turn right and then take that left down the way. A short stretch spread out before him with a few options branching off. He trotted down and looked at the first option, another left. Quickly, he used his brush to paint a line on the wall, around the corner so he knew his way back. The path doubled back on itself, ending in a dead end.

Returning to the painted line, he blocked out a painting to elaborate on this path being a dead end. Then moved on to the next turn. This one was to the right and he promptly marked it before walking through. He turned right but was made to turn left immediately, as if the path ran perpendicular to the path he left. Then it dumped him in a right turn. It continued to zig zag on itself a few times before ending with the option to turn right or proceed forward and left. Xo marked the right turn and stepped through. He still had two other turns he had yet to investigate and paintings to add details to but the right turn had lead him to a circular area. In the center was the tree, only it was a small replica. “How fascinating,” he mused aloud. His mind returned to the paintings that he wished to finished and just as Xo was about to turn back, the maze fell away and the tree stood large as life before him. “Well that was fun,” Xo replied to the tree.

WC: 610 / 1,225