It had been three weeks since Lyrelle's death.
Fel hadn't yelled again after that night. No shouting. No crying. Just… a quiet frost in her tone. Like she was storing all the emotion in a sealed jar labeled For Later Rage.
Valen had moved on. Death, to him, was as inevitable as Fel's refusal to season anything. But Fel? She served her grief cold, passive-aggressively, and with extra garnish. This morning's "meal" was a cube of moss carved to look like a skull.
He didn't even pretend to eat it.
So he enacted his Plan.
The Pufflet Gambit
With a crackle of blood and magic, Valen condensed himself into a tiny, perfectly fluffy pufflet. Round. Small. Eyebrows still vaguely judgmental.
The transformation spell took effort. It wasn't easy condensing a tall, pale, extremely handsome vampire prince into a loaf-sized fluffball, but for meat access, he would endure.
He scampered past Fel's wards, hopping into her territory like the world's most disgruntled rabbit cloud. He picked a sunny spot, fluffed dramatically, and waited.
It didn't take long.
Fel appeared above him like a divine judgment in a sundress. "Oh my stars," she gasped. "A baby pufflet? In my part of the woods?"
Valen-pufflet blinked innocently. Play it cool. She doesn't know. Just act like prey. Soft. Pathetic.
"Oh no, you're filthy," Fel said, scooping him up with zero hesitation. "Let's get you cleaned, my sweet little sneak."
Wait. No. I didn't plan for thi-
The Pufflet Gambit: Denied
The bathwater smelled like lavender and shame. Fel scrubbed behind his ears with a petal-bristle brush, humming the entire time. He tried to wriggle free. She gently shushed him.
Okay. It's fine. I'll endure this. It's worth it if I can sneak to the... wait, is that a bow? Don't you dare p-
She dared. It was sparkly.
After the bath came the fruit platter. Sliced bananas shaped like stars. Papaya cubes on a leaf tray. He took a reluctant bite.
...Okay, this part's not bad.
She even tucked him into a warm towel and cradled him on her lap like some fuzzy royal brat. He considered shifting back right then and there... enough of this nonsense.
But then, she smiled. Too sweet.
"I should name you."
His tiny heart froze.
"…Valen."
She knows. SHE KNEW THE WHOLE TIME.
He made a strangled pufflet noise... part rage, part panic.
"Oh, you like that?" she cooed. "It suits you."
He scrambled to the edge of the table, ready to drop the act and reclaim his dignity in a dramatic swirl of dark smoke-
"Stay like that for the week."
Her voice rang with magical force, coated in moonlight and smug satisfaction.
WHAT-
The spell hit like a velvet hammer. He toppled backward, unable to shift, to speak, to do anything but squeak.
Fel hummed contentedly, then plucked him up and placed him gently inside a newly-sprouted cage of living vines.
"What the hell is this?! How dare you imprison me Fel!!"
He gnawed on a vine in protest. It tasted like cucumber.
"There," she said, locking the leafy door with a flourish. "Now you won't go wandering where you shouldn't."
Wandering!?! WANDERING?!
She leaned in, eyes glittering. "And just so you know… your name? It's growing on me."
Fel flounced off to tend to her garden, leaving Pufflet Valen gripping the bars of his organic prison, squeaking obscenities in his head.
By the second day in the vine cage, Valen had stopped trying to chew his way out. The vines regrew. Always. And now they did it faster, like they were mocking him. One even sprouted a flower in the shape of a thumbs-up. He didn't know plants could be smug, but here they were.
He was still stuck in pufflet form. He squeaked. He squeaked louder. Nothing. That command magic Fel used really meant business.
But something new started happening... creatures began visiting him. First it was a rabbit who dropped off a single blueberry and ran off like it was delivering a sacred offering. Then a deer wandered by, looked into the cage, and said.
"Don't worry, little one. We've got your back. Stay strong."
And… Valen understood.
Wait. He understood.
The transformation that should just change his shape was turning him into a full Pufflet, this was Fel's doing, it let him hear and understand the forest creatures speech. Which meant...
Two chipmunks sat nearby, chatting while munching on acorns.
"I heard the vampire came through the border yesterday," one said, mouth full of nuts. "Scared the nuts off of me."
Valen tilted his pufflet head.
"He drinks blood, right? Meat, too. Gross."
"I know. Total predator vibes."
Valen blinked. Wait. Are they talking about... me?
"Fel's lucky she keeps her side sealed off. I bet she'd fry him like an overripe turnip."
Oh, come on. She couldn't fry me even if she wanted to, I would absolutely destroy her.
Then a bluebird fluttered down, peeking into the cage. "Hey, you okay in there? You look kinda tense."
"I'm fine," Valen squeaked, forgetting he was still in pufflet form.
The bird chirped, surprised. "Ohh that's... Cool. Just… don't go to the near the border, okay? That's vampire territory."
Valen slumped. It's my territory, actually. I'm the scary thing, guys. Me.
A baby fox trotted up, dropped a peach slice through the bars, and whispered, "And If you ever see him, be sure to bite him first."
I... WHAT?
Before long, it became a routine. Morning fruit deliveries. Casual chats about the scary vampire in the woods. More unsolicited advice.
And then there was the goat.
"The vampire can suck out your soul with just his eyes," it announced confidently. "My brethrens told me, he experienced it."
I literally just stared at a rock for hours yesterday.
Valen sat there in his leafy prison, ribbon still clinging to his ear, surrounded by helpful forest creatures who pitied him and feared him at the same time. without ever realizing he was the very thing they warned each other about.
He considered turning the ribbon into a tiny noose.