The road back from Pinehollow was supposed to be calm. After the Patchwork Horror, Nyra hoped for a few days of uneventful walking, sewing repairs into Button's shoulder and patching up Biscuit's wings while Puff dozed in her hood. But the world had other plans.
By the third evening, the sound of distant drums and shouts carried on the breeze. Bright banners fluttered above the treeline, and the smell of roasted nuts and fried dough reached them before they saw the tents. A circus.
Nyra's face lit up instantly. "A festival! Oh, it's been forever since I saw one."
Tovan arched a brow. "You've nearly been mauled twice in as many days, and now you want to waltz into a circus?"
"Not just any circus," Nyra countered, tugging his sleeve toward the colorful lights. "A stitching circus. Look—see the embroidery on the tents?"
Sure enough, every banner and flag was stitched with extravagant patterns that seemed to shimmer in the firelight. The closer they came, the louder the chaos grew: children squealing, barkers shouting, animals bellowing. And then—a roar so deep it shook the ground beneath their boots.
Button stiffened, his button eyes narrowing toward the largest tent.
When they arrived, the cause became apparent. A massive plush lion—stitched from golden velvet, its mane flowing with hundreds of tassels—was rampaging through the midway. Performers and townsfolk scattered as the lion swiped at stalls and roared with unnatural fury. Its seams glowed faintly red, corruption pulsing through its threads.
"Not again," Nyra muttered, dropping her satchel. "Come on!"
The circus folk gaped as Nyra charged forward with her needle drawn, Button thundering at her side. Puff bounded out of her hood, flames flaring. Biscuit growled, wings spread wide, while Sprout slithered across the dirt, vines lashing.
"Uh, Nyra—" Tovan started, but she was already sprinting. He groaned and ran after her. "I swear, you attract chaos like honey draws flies!"
The lion roared and lunged at Button, claws raking across his plush chest. Button grunted, shoving back with all his might. The crowd gasped as the two giant plush creatures wrestled, cotton stuffing flying like snow.
"Sprout, anchor his leg!" Nyra shouted. Sprout shot vines around one hind limb, dragging it off balance.
Puff zipped in, spitting a burst of fire into its mane. "Puff!" he squeaked proudly.
"Not the mane! Do you want to set him on fire?" Nyra scolded.
Puff deflated with a small fwoom, singeing Tovan's boot instead. "Oi!" Tovan hopped back. "Your little torch is trying to barbecue me!"
Biscuit pounced onto the lion's tail, biting down with plush ferocity. He growled like a squeaky toy, wings flapping furiously.
Nyra puffed her cheeks. "Biscuit, less chewing, more tugging!"
Biscuit gave her a glare that clearly said, Don't tell me how to do my job, before doubling down on biting. Puff squeaked at him as if starting an argument, and soon the two were trading loud squeaks and huffs even as they clung to the lion.
"Stop bickering!" Nyra snapped, exasperated. "You're supposed to be helping!"
The lion bucked furiously, scattering the smaller plushies, and Button staggered. He gave Nyra a sharp look as if to say, Hurry up.
Nyra thrust her needle forward, casting a glowing stitch into the lion's seam. For a moment it held—and then the corrupted magic flared, snapping her thread apart with a hiss.
"Too strong!" she gasped.
Tovan drew his blade and stepped in front of her. "Then we cut it down the old way."
"No!" Nyra caught his arm. "It's not like the Horror—it's still whole. Someone corrupted it, but it isn't lost. I can fix this."
She looked up at the towering creature, its glowing red eyes full of rage. Her heart pounded. "Button, hold him steady!"
Button roared silently and tackled the lion again, grappling it to the ground in a clash of stitches and seams. Nyra hurled her anchor thread, driving it deep into the soil beneath the ring. Her needle flashed as she cast line after line, not unraveling this time—but repairing.
The lion's seams sparked and shuddered as her glowing blue thread wove over the corruption.
"Sprout, tighter! He's wriggling free!" she cried.
Sprout whipped extra vines around the lion's torso, grunting with strain. Puff zipped over the stitches, puffing bursts of flame to cauterize the broken strands. Biscuit climbed its mane, tugging at corrupted tassels and tossing them aside like trophies. Each time one came free, he flapped his wings and chirped smugly at Tovan. Puff squeaked back indignantly as if claiming credit, and the two nearly toppled off the lion in their squabble.
Tovan wiped sweat from his brow. "You're all insane. Completely insane."
"Welcome to my world," Nyra replied through gritted teeth, pulling the final stitch.
The lion roared one last time, then slumped, its seams shifting from red to golden glow. The tassels of its mane shimmered with new light, and its button eyes blinked clear. It rolled onto its paws, shook itself like a living beast, and bowed its great head to Nyra.
The circus erupted in cheers.
A frazzled ringmaster stumbled forward, hat askew, eyes wide. "By the stitches! Miss, what did you do? He's… he's back!"
Nyra stroked the lion's velvet muzzle, smiling softly. "Just needed a bit of mending."
Tovan snorted, wiping sweat from his brow. "A bit, she says. Nearly got us flattened."
Puff puffed up his chest proudly. "Puff!"
"You set me on fire!" Tovan shot back. Puff answered with a smug smoke ring. Biscuit squeaked mockingly. Sprout gave an exaggerated vine-slap against the dirt, clearly siding with Puff. Nyra groaned and held her head. "You're impossible, all of you."
The ringmaster clutched his chest. "You've saved our troupe. This lion was our pride and protector. Without him, we would've been ruined."
Button loomed behind Nyra, arms folded, looking smug despite his ragged shoulder. Puff squeaked as if demanding applause. Biscuit preened with wings spread wide, and Sprout thumped his vine against the ground until dust puffed up.
Children ran forward, giggling as they hugged Button's legs and patted Puff's round form. One little girl tried to hug Biscuit, who growled until Nyra gave him a look. With a grumpy squeak, he allowed it, wings twitching in protest. Another boy tried to climb Button's arm, but the giant bear simply crossed his plush arms and refused to budge until Nyra gave a nod. Only then did he stoop, lifting the child gently onto his shoulder to a chorus of delighted cheers. Puff squeaked jealously until Nyra scooped him up so he could bask in the applause too. Biscuit squeaked louder, demanding equal attention, and Sprout waved his vines dramatically until several children cheered for him as well.
Nearby, performers tugged Tovan toward a game of ring toss, insisting he try. He resisted, grumbling, but the crowd clapped and chanted until he relented. With an exaggerated sigh, he tossed a ring—and landed it perfectly on the first try. The crowd erupted, and Puff squeaked loudly as if taking credit. Nyra smirked and teased, "Careful, or we'll have to start calling you 'Champion of Stitches.'" Tovan rolled his eyes. "Saints forbid. I'd never live that down." Biscuit squeaked mockingly again, as though agreeing with Nyra.
The lion lay calmly nearby, curling his tassel-mane around the little ones protectively. A pair of clowns attempted to lift Button onto a stage for a performance, but he crossed his arms and sat down heavily instead, refusing to move. The crowd howled with laughter. Puff jumped on a drum and tried to beat it with his little plush arms, making a ridiculous thumping noise. Biscuit joined in by roaring squeakily at the top of his lungs, which set several children rolling in the grass with laughter. Even Sprout got into the act, lifting a child's dropped hat with a vine and plopping it onto Tovan's head. Tovan groaned as the crowd applauded, and Nyra nearly doubled over laughing.
Nyra wiped her eyes. "Guess you've got your guard back. Just… keep an eye on his seams."
That night, the circus folk celebrated with fireworks and music. Nyra sat between Button and Tovan, her smaller plushies piled around her like mischievous children. The lion, now tamed, dozed nearby, its tassels glowing faintly in the firelight.
Tovan leaned close, voice low. "You can't keep pretending your magic is just sewing. I saw what you did. You healed him."
Nyra's smile faded, her hand tightening on her spool. She didn't answer right away, only stroked Puff's head as the little plush snored. Sprout snuggled into her lap, while Biscuit curled at her feet like a vigilant cat.
Finally she said, softly, "Sometimes, sewing is more than stitches. Sometimes it's about holding things together when they want to come apart."
Tovan looked at her for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Then I suppose I'd better stick around. Seems like the world's got plenty that wants to come apart."
Button's button eyes glinted in approval as the circus music rose, and above them the fireworks painted the sky in threads of gold and crimson.