Thread: Wild Honey (Survivor00 & Chokuro)

Elliot Slater crept quietly down the stairs to his family??s bakery, like had been doing once a week for the last few months. Being careful to not wake his folks, he slipped on a thin jacket just enough to keep him warm in the chill of the morning air. It was dark outside, with only the edges of the horizon painted in hues of crimson and gold, but it was enough for him to navigate without needing a lantern. He was sure that nobody would approve of him doing this, but he had not been caught yet, so he??d keep doing it. He gathered a few empty glass jars from the cupboards, placing their caps on so they wouldn??t come loose, and placed them in a shoulder bag. Quietly, he slipped out the back door of the bakery, closing the door behind him. Elliot stopped briefly at the small flower garden he had been tending, kneeling down to look at the plants. His parents thought it was such an ??adorable?? hobby. He rolled his eyes it was for something much more important than that. Finally though, the flowers were fully grown and he carefully plucked them, brushing any dirt from the stems. Placing the picked flowers in his bag, he hopped over the wooden fence onto the dirt road heading out into the countryside. His family??s bakery was fortunately located at the outskirts of the small, rural town, so there was little chance of him being caught. He walked for several miles down the long road, looking out at the endless fields that surrounded the nearby hills. The air was thick with pollen, and he was thankful he didn??t have an allergy, or else this would be impossible. As he crested the hill, his eyes fell upon the Hive that rested in the center of the field. It was massive ?? larger than any house in the village. He was sure the entire town could live within it and then some. Right now it was still, but with the rising of the sun it would quickly become a flurry of activity. He??d rather be safely away when it did ?? this was the bees?? territorial grounds, and he was technically trespassing. There was sort of an ??agreement?? going on between the humans and the bees ?? ??You leave us alone, we??ll leave you alone.? This agreement was held rather strictly, as nobody wanted to risk angering the bees, but it also meant that wild bee honey was an incredibly rare come by. Most of the time, people settled for honey made by domesticated bees, but it was always of poorer quality and taste than the real stuff. And since his family??s livelihood depended on the quality of their baked goods, he wanted to make sure they had the best available goods to sell. So for the past few months, he had been meeting with one of the bees in secret, and she would give him a few jars of honey. He didn??t know why she had agreed to it, she could have easily driven him off their land, she could have even stung him ?? something he really didn??t want to go through, since being stung could easily cripple you. The flowers he had picked today were a ??thank you?? gift to her. He thought it was kind of silly, since they collected hundreds of flowers every day it was like a drop in the bucket. But he couldn??t think of anything else to give her in thanks. He walked off the main road into the field of flowers, watching his step as he crept along. The Hive loomed before him, and he couldn??t help the chill that slithered up his spine. He headed towards their usual meeting spot ?? a small cluster of trees in the middle of the field. ??Juniper.? He whispered, looking around for her. ??Are you here??