It was quiet in the Tavern when Sonja Wu arrived. She hadn’t come here before, but as Ingrid had told her of the Spring Court Hollow, as well as permission to enter, the Beast hadn’t had a hard time finding her way inside. The climb down the well was the easy part, especially for a Steepscrambler. The weird gravity shift was unexpected, though. Good thing she hadn’t had lunch yet.


In any case, alone is what she wanted. Safe, quiet access to the Hedge is what she needed. “Hello? Anybody here?” she called out, and when no answer came, Sonnie shrugged and set to work. “Cute place,” she commented, glancing around.


The Beast set her staff against a wall, and pulled the strap of her messenger bag off her shoulder and over her head. Moving to an open space on the floor, Sonnie sat down and placed the bag next to her, unzipping it.

From within, the monkey girl removed several items and set them in a haphazard array before herself. Some of these items were bought, others collected during her travels.

Pieces of red leather, cut from the hide of some quick-footed hedge animal, and given to her by a Wizened in Denver for delivery services rendered. Spools of strong thread to match. A pair of treaded soles removed from the bottoms of athletic shoes. Sewing needles, an awl, and other leatherworking tools. Sparrow feathers (at least she thought they’re from sparrows, ornithology was not her strong suit). A few pebbles taken from a trod.


On a nearby table, Sonnie sets her phone to play a long video of hurricanes and tornadoes, with the volume turned up to the max. The Spring Beast overlooked her preparations, and nodded to herself. She supposed she was as ready as she was going to get. Sonnie had never hedgespun before, but she understood the basics and had been careful to cover all her bases.

Time to begin. The tip of her monkey tail tapped her phone screen, and the video started to play. The sound of howling winds echoed loudly in the quaint room. Sonnie began to speak a story as her hands started to piece the materials together.

“Ào Ming, Dragon King of the North Sea, was vexed by Sun Wukong. The Monkey King had taken one of the pillars of his palace and turned it into a staff. The vandalism of his palace could not stand, but the king’s guards were no match for the mighty Wukong. And so Ào Ming decided to bribe the monkey into leaving, gifting him with a pair of magic shoes.” The athletic soles were placed down first, then the hedge-leather and red thread pushed together on top.


“Ǒusībùyúnlǚ, the Cloud-Stepping Shoes, gave Sun Wukong the power to walk upon the clouds, to fly across the sky at great speeds. But the shoes meant more than that. As a monkey, Wukong was always barefoot. While he was comfortable with this, he found himself part of a larger, shoe-wearing culture. Wanting to fit in better, the Ǒusībùyúnlǚ gave him the opportunity.”


Sonnie’s own monkey-like feet flexed their toes as she continued her story, “Should he have to sacrifice his freedom and comfort just to fit in? Quite the dilemma Wukong found himself in.” The trod pebbles were worked into the soles to encourage speed of foot, becoming one with the rubber. The sparrow feathers were sewn into the leather seems until they vanished from sight


“But what if the shoes could not only let him blend in amongst the humans and demons and gods, but also be comfortable and not limit his dexterous toes?” the Beast smiled as she ended her tale with a cliffhanger.


The recorded sounds of fierce winds had continued to excite the process of the hedgespinning. Here at the end, Sonnie capped it off by taking as deep a breath as possible, holding it for a few seconds, and then blowing as hard as she could upon the mass of merging materials before her. She was careful not to spit.

Her breath expended, the Steepscrambler looked at the finished product in her hands.

The shoes were indeed complete. Red leather tabi boots, in fact. At least, that’s what mortals would see in their world. Here in the Hedge, and to the eyes of any fae beings, the shoes looked more like a pair of gloves, fashioned for the feet of a monkey. They would provide warmth and protection for the Beast’s feet, while the 'palms' had rubber treads for traction. In the leather, Sonnie could see engravings of stylized wind icons, along the lines of which streaks of golden energy raced.


Grinning widely, Sonja Wu tried on her new Cloud-Stepping Shoes. They fit perfectly, of course. Laughing, she ran about the room, and she could feel their magic. As with any Hedgespun item, the shoes’ mystical powers were always active in the Hedge. The footwear made her faster than normal. The monkey girl could tell the difference immediately.


Sonnie was still laughing when she departed for the mortal world. “Whoo-hoo! No cold feet for me this winter!”