Fird squinted at another spectre in the clearing of the Harvester.

The human ghost glared at the courser and promptly faded out of sight.

The courser gave a great sigh looking down at his sketchbook. All of the strange anthropomorphic ghosts and spirits that wandered around the Harvester’s (home? Place of business?? Hm. He’ll have to think on that.) ‘abode’ were generally called ‘restless’ spirits for a reason.

None of them would stay still for him!

The last five pages of Fird’s sketchbook were completely full of half-finished speed drawings of the sigil’s Fird had spotted in the army of shades.

None of them were finished though!

The ghosts either got antsy and left before Fird could finish or would notice his staring and leave in a huff.

Honestly.

It’s not even like they had anywhere they needed to go! They were literally dead!

Staying still for thirty minutes was NOT an unreasonable request!

Oh yeah, Fird may be a researcher and obsessed with looking into the mysteries of the dungeon, but he was still a horse, and didn’t exactly have the easiest time drawing. Especially small, complicated details he can barely see because some ghost won’t just sit down for him!

“Hey Fird! What’cha up to?” Sable laid their head over Fird’s shoulders to look at the sketchbook. Trout 2, their osprey leaned over Fird’s other shoulder and nipped his ear good-naturedly.

“Ugh. Not much it seems. I’ve been here for HOURS!” Fird spat his charcoal out onto the ground where Lightning grabbed it and ran off.

Limestone, who had come up with Sable watched the goose head into the nearby corn field honking in excitement.

“Hey guys? Where’s he going?”

The other two ignored them.

“Is it too much to ask for these ghosts to just stand still? I just want to draw the sigils they display! I’m not even asking them what they mean!” Fird paused his head raised haughtily. “… Anymore.” He conceded.

“Fird, babe, you can’t ask ghosts to explain anything! They can’t even talk!” Sable snickered. A nearby elf ghost looked at the group of coursers and spat a glob of ectoplasm in disgust before also fading away.

“Hey!” Sable snorted at the now empty space. “Talking ghosts are never a good thing. Poor spirits are too attached to life then! It’s basically a compliment to say!”

Limestone was still looking at where Lightning had disappeared.

“No seriously guys, where did he go?”

The other two continued to ignore them.

“Well would you like to be reminded of your death in such a blasé fashion?” Fird said smugly at his boy-girlfriend.

Sable threw themselves down on the ground next to their boyfriend, rolling around on the fallen leaves and corn husks. This dislodged Trout 2, who flapped away to a nearby branch in a huff.

“I suppose not!” They huffed.

“Fird!” Limestone shouted.

“What?”

Limestone shuffled a bit. Their thick forelock covered their eyes, but they did appear a bit embarrassed by their outburst.

“Uh, I think your goose is a thief.”

Fird laughed.

“Limestone, I KNOW my goose is a thief!” He pulled out another charcoal stick out from his surface pack. “You just gotta let him have his small victories so that he doesn’t go for the stuff you really need.”

Fird sighed.

“Not that I really need any charcoal if I can’t use it though.”

Sable furrowed their brow.

“Unless… I have an idea!” They jumped up. “Limestone! Trout 2! Join me!”

They quickly shrugged off their surface pack, dropping it down to the ground. They then rifled through it, pulling out shiny little charms and fancy feathers that they had found in their dives.

Trout 2 cocked his head from the tree before soaring down and picking out a few medals himself.

Limestone and Fird both looked at the courser and the osprey in befuddlement. What on earth…?

Sable looked up from where they were looping their treasures around themselves and Trout 2.

“Limestone, come on! Join me!”

Limestone paused, lifted a hoof in the air, then lowered it again and shuffled their own pack off as well.

Fird was completely lost now, his boy-girlfriend seemed to be completely losing their mind, deliberately putting feathers and bright leaves in their mane.

Limestone on the other hoof was layering charms on fossils on medals on… uh. Fird wasn’t really sure what all Limestone had all hooked together on their pack. Either way, it glittered, sparkled, and made a heck of a lot of noise.

Fird had been so caught up in the spectacle that he nearly didn’t notice that he wasn’t the only one so interested. Spectres and shades all around him were phasing into visibility, peering closer at what Limestone and Sable were doing.

Oh!

Aww, Fird really didn’t deserve such a wonderful partner as Sable. He allowed a second to gaze lovestruck at Sable, who was now making a fool of themselves, hopping around on alternating hooves.

Fird then adjusted his grip on the charcoal and bent down to scribble the various sigils surrounding him.

As he drew roughs for all the different images, Sable and Limestone had finally put all the loot they wanted on and were now creating some form of… interpretive dance that neither of them knew the steps for.

Trout 2 occasionally swooped between the two coursers, trailing more glittering items and colorful feathers.

Fird was having the time of his life! Several ghosts were mere feet away, leaning forward to watch the show. He could look directly at the sigils and no ghosts were fading away!

Several minutes passed, Fird taking advantage of the display to get as many details as possible of the sigils he had clear sight of from his position.

Some ghosts were starting to disperse out of boredom as he worked on some final details to a depiction of a stag, the decapitated head of a rival still locked in antlers. Certainly creepy, but tastefully done.

All of a sudden, Lightning exploded from the cornfield in a spray of white feathers. The goose had a dead pixie in his beak and a glass jar stuck on his head. The goose was followed quickly by an irate Magna, still spitting out a mouthful of white feathers.

Lightning clearly couldn’t see very well through the warped glass as he ran up to Fird and bonked directly into his body. Off balance and a little freaked out Lightning toppled backwards to lie on the floor, his chest heaving from exertion.

Sable, Limestone, and Trout 2 all quit their strange exhibition to catch their breath as well. The clearing that had been chock full of spirits a moment ago was now nearly empty as the souls dispersed to do their own activities.

Magna heaved as he stomped over to the rest of his group. His face and body were covered in… glittery pink … goo? He also had feathers from Lightning sticking out of his roached mane in places. The original charcoal stick Lightning had stolen was pointing straight up out of his forelock.

Fird had to fight the urge to laugh.

“WHAT. WAS THAT.”

“Research!” Sable gave a giant grin that crinkled up their entire face. “Speaking of which, Fird, darlin’, did you get what you wanted?” They asked while putting their items back into their pack.

“I did!” Fird picked up their sketchbook. “I’m not sure what they all mean, but I wrote down what species had what sigils, and I hope that they might make sense if I compare them to some books I’ve found in the dungeon!”

Magna cooled down a bit. He understood doing silly things in the name of science.

“Oh, you were doing research?” A feather fell out of his mane.

“Yeah!” Limestone panted from where they were still kneeling, catching their breath. “It was Sable’s idea.”

“Oh, trust me I could tell.” Magna gave them an unimpressed look. “Anyway, if you three are done screwing around, I’m afraid I may be having an allergic reaction to this blood.”

Fird quickly packed his stuff up as Sable began to snipe at Magna in the background.

“Blood? Whatdja do? Explode a Glitterbug?”

Fird nudged Lightning up and removed the jar from his head. The goose gave him a look that may have been intended to convey gratefulness before eating the last dried pixie he had in his beak.

“Don’t speak to me about things you don’t know Sable!”

Fird allowed the bird to get onto his pack before standing up. He took it slowly and had to stretch a little after, whew, he had definitely been lying down for too long.

“HA! Then it’s even more embarrassing! What is it Magna?” Limestone joined in on the teasing.

Before Fird followed the other three coursers out of the clearing into the forest towards their house, he took a second to look back at the spirits still stuck in this place.

He hoped they found their rest soon, but until then he was thankful for their help.

He took a deep bow and left an apple on a tree stump, then turned and followed his herd out of the thin place.