The forest was a gourmet supermarket with no checkout lines and a very high risk of death.
Ren was in heaven.
She moved through the undergrowth with the focus of a woman hunting for clearance stickers at a high-end grocery store.
She spotted a plump, fuzzy pink fruit hanging low on a vine. It looked like a peach that had gone to a rave.
"System, appraise this bad boy!" Ren commanded, reaching out to cup the fruit. "It looks juicy."
[Devil's Peach. Highly poisonous. Symptoms: Explosive diarrhea followed by death within three minutes. Do not touch.]
Ren shrieked and snatched her hand back as if the fruit had growled at her.
"Okay! No pink fruit. Got it."
She shook it off and moved to a patch of vibrant, spotted flowers. They were gorgeous, with petals that shimmered like oil on water. She leaned in close, taking a deep breath.
"Mmm, these smell like vanilla and... burning?"
