Page 19 of Rescued By the Surly Sasquatch

"'To calm wild magics and restore order,'" Betsy read aloud. "Perfect! Okay, let's see... 'Speak these words while focusing your intent on harmony and balance...'"

She squinted at the handwriting, trying to decipher the spell. "Magicus... calmicus... wait, no, that can't be right. Magicus... harmonious? Eh, close enough."

Taking a deep breath, Betsy raised her hands dramatically and spoke the words she thought she'd read. "Magicus harmonious calmicus!"

For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, with a sound like a thousand wind chimes all ringing at once, the air around her shimmered. Betsy felt a surge of triumph... right up until she noticed the change spreading through the forest.

The trees, once a lush green, were now a vibrant, almost neon pink. The grass beneath her feet had turned a shimmering silver. And in the distance, she could hear what sounded suspiciously like a barbershop quartet of squirrels.

"Oh, shitsky," Betsy groaned. "This is not what I meant by harmony."

As she stood there, surveying the now psychedelic landscape, a low growl came from behind her. Betsy turned slowly, a sense of dread creeping up her spine.

There stood Chase, his usual impressive figure somewhat diminished by the fact that his fur was now a brilliant, cotton-candy pink.

"Betsy," he rumbled, his voice a mixture of exasperation and resignation. "What have you done?"

Betsy offered him a weak smile. "Would you believe me if I said I was trying to help?"

Chase's pink eyebrows drew together in a furry frown. "This is why I did not want to tell you everything," he said. "The magic of this place is not a toy. It is ancient, powerful, and dangerous in inexperienced hands."

Betsy felt a flare of indignation. "Well, maybe if you'd actually taught me instead of being all mysterious and evasive, I wouldn't have had to resort to guesswork and badly translated spells."

For a moment, they glared at each other, the air between them crackling with tension and residual magic. Then, without warning, a rain of acorns began to fall from the candy floss-pink trees.

"Ow! Ow! Okay, okay," Betsy yelped, covering her head with her arms. "I get it, forest. We need to work together. Message received."

Chase moved swiftly, shielding Betsy with his massive body. Despite her frustration, she couldn't help but feel a rush of warmth at his protective gesture.

As the acorn deluge subsided, Chase looked down at Betsy, his expression softening slightly. "Perhaps," he said slowly, "Ihave been overly cautious. You are right. You cannot learn if I do not teach."

Betsy's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow. That must have hurt to admit. Are you feeling okay? The pink fur isn't affecting your brain, is it?"

Chase's lips twitched in what might have been the ghost of a smile. "My mind is clear, little one. Though I would appreciate it if you could return my fur to its natural color."

Betsy grinned up at him. "I don't know. I think pink rather suits you. Very spring collection, very now."

"Betsy," Chase growled warningly, but there was a warmth in his eyes that belied his stern tone.

"All right, all right," Betsy laughed. "I'll fix it. Just as soon as I figure out how. And maybe after we deal with the barbershop squirrels. Is it just me, or are they getting better at harmonizing?"

As if in answer, a particularly rousing chorus of "Acorn to Be Wild" drifted through the air.

Chase sighed, a sound like wind through pine needles. "Come," he said, taking Betsy's hand in his massive one. "We have much to discuss, and much to undo. The forest's magic is more unstable than I feared, and it seems it has chosen you as its new steward."

Betsy gulped, suddenly feeling the weight of responsibility settling on her shoulders. "Me? But I'm just... I mean, I can barely identify plants without poisoning myself. How am I supposed to be a magical forest steward?"

Chase's gaze was intense, filled with a mixture of concern and something deeper, something that made Betsy's heart skip a beat. "You are more capable than you know, little one. And you will not face this alone. We will learn together, you and me. As partners."

The last word seemed to cost him some effort, but the sincerity in his voice was unmistakable.

Betsy felt a warmth bloom in her chest, a feeling of rightness that went beyond the craziness of the situation. "Partners," she repeated softly. "I like the sound of that."

Chase's lips twitched in what might have been the ghost of a smile. "The magic of this place runs deeper than you can imagine. And we—you and I—are bound to it in ways I have not fully explained."

As Chase began to speak, revealing the ancient pact that tied the Sasquatches to the land, Betsy felt her world tilt on its axis once again. The enormity of what she was facing—of what they were facing—threatened to overwhelm her.

But then a commotion from the forest caught their attention. A deer burst into the clearing, its eyes wild with panic and glowing an unnatural blue. Magic crackled around it like lightning, causing the nearby plants to writhe and twist.

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