Blackfeather Woods i won't become the thing i hate

Cicero lead Grimnir through the dark forest, with neither of them speaking. It was good that they did not, for Cicero preferred to stay silent. If he was asked too many questions, there was always the chance that he might have a slip of the tongue at some point; it was better to stay silent and run. Besides, Grimnir understood the urgency of his pup's life, and that it was better for him to spend his energy on running rather than waste breaths and therefore time on idle talk that would bring them no closer to Baldur.

Once they reached the edge of the clearing, Cicero halted. "Baldur was put in this tree," said Cicero. He looked guiltily to the ground, his sides pumping from the exertion of running back and forth, as he admitted: "Cicero is scared of Damien when he is like this, so Grimnir should go first." It did not matter that he lied, or what he said about Damien. Grimnir would already think that Damien had done this, and it was necessary for their plan for Grimnir to go first.

The clearing itself was patched with light spots where light broke through the forest's dark foliage, and in the middle of the clearing stood a large willow tree; the tree that brought forth the spores that would seduce Grimnir into a state in which he would no longer be able to attack (well, successfully) and in which he would either pass out if he took too many, or become very unstable and challenged in his balance, and perhaps would start to hallucinate, if he inhaled only some.

Cicero waited at the edge of the clearing, waiting to see until how far it would come before Grimnir would realise that this was all a ruse.