The two little ice creatures had snuggled into his hood behind his head and he was careful not to bounce. He stayed close,not to close to the two new members of the group though. He was talking under his breath to himself. "It's just around that area,who says she'll be there? But what if her kids are? What if her boyfriend is? What if they see me,and take me back? No,I won't let them. I'll just run,they can't take me to Juvie...they can't." He shook his head again and bit his lower lip with a sharp glistening fang.

Puck noticed. "You okay? You look...really, really stressed."

He seemed a little shocked for the caring question but soon his worry showed through again. "No,not really. Heh. You know,the foster care system....it's just scary to be going back to where they put me this time. It's around that area and...well...." He then spoke softer with his eyes down and tail quivering a bit. "If they find me again,I'll be in big trouble and they'll send me back...but....this was the last time they'd station me for a home,after this...it's Juvie for me."

"Well, then I can just say that my 'family' took you in. Trust me, I'm the best at deceiving people. Anyway. The Briars, Puck began, keeping a wary eye on Ironhorse walking in front of them, or Brambles or Thorns, or whatever you want to call it, is a maze. No one knows how big it really is, but its huge. Some say it encircles the entire Nevernever. There are rumors that if youre in the wyldwood and start walking in any direction, youll eventually hit the Briars. You can find patches growing almost anywhere, from the Greatwood and the Venom Swamps to the courts of Arcadia and Tir Na Nog."

He nodded,moving closer to Puck. ""Hm,is it a natural thing or is it made by hand?" He asked,clearly thankful for the change in thought,a small shutter of his breath giving his relief away.

"They're alive," he warned in a low voice. "Not in the way that were accustomed to, but do not take them lightly. The Briars are a force, one that cannot be tamed or understood, even by Oberon or Mab. And they're always hungry. It's easy to get in--getting out is the tricky part. Not only that, but the things that live in the Briars are always hungry, too."

Jason shuttered,freckles and underwings bursting with white. "Dang,and I thought Flasher had an appetite sometimes. But always hungry?Ih." He shivered and rubbed his arms in his hoodie sleeves a bit,flinching as he felt the fabric still there from when Ash had bound it. He grit his teeth,vowing to remove the fabric at some point,despite that it was holding his arm in one piece.

Puck chuckled. "Aw, it's okay. I can protect you. The only reason we're going through is that the Briars have the greatest concentration of trods in all the Nevernever, Puck replied. "There are doors hidden throughout the Briars, some constantly shifting, some only appearing at a special time under special circumstances. Rumors are that, within the Briars, there is a trod to every doorway in the mortal realm, from an L.A. strip club to some kids bedroom closet. Find the right door, and youre home free." The grin grew wider, and he shook his head. "But you have to get to it first."

He saw Pucks smile and for a moment admired how he was able to smile a lot of the time,but he ripped his gaze away,not about to go down that path again. He'd tried love once,thinking he had learned what it really was but then found it as nothing but heart-wrenching. He didn't want to risk it again,nor could is body handle another threat of a shattering. He removed the bindings on his neck and fiddled with them in his hands,swallowing as the cracks on his neck became exposed like black veins full of deadly poison,barely healed and mostly running above,right above,where his major blood vessels where. But he gave Puck a thankful smile with those different colored eyes and cracked fangs.

"Whoa...What happened?" He reached out to trace them but pulled his hand back.