Morgain was walking trough the Fungal forest, hapilly chatting with his friend Carus as he walked. The two had been out to do a survey of the surrounding edible mushrooms, to ensure that there would be enough foragables around to sustain the colony, as well as local wildlife. Nathalia had already made a trip around the forest once, but had asked for the two belemoids to double check her work. Carus had complained at first, but eventually Morgain had pointed out that he, too, would appreciate having someone else double-check important work- and that a walk on a sunny day was honestly not the worst fate for a workday. Morgain crouched down, inspecting a trail of crushed mushrooms and bent stalks. "Look at this, Carus," he said, waving his friend over. "Shriiv tracks. A whole herd must have come through here." Carus raised an eyebrow, glancing at the trail with mild interest. "Yeah? So? We see Shriiv all the time. What's the big deal?" Morgain stood up, raising an eyebrow at Morgain. "We see them, sure, but what if we actually brought one back to the colony? A full-grown Shriiv could make a real difference. They're great for clearing terrain,

and imagine how much easier our farming would be with one of them helping out." Carus looked back at him, sceptical. "You want to _catch_ a Shriiv? Have you forgotten that they're not exactly pets? Even if they're docile, they're still huge. And what makes you think one will follow us back? Better to just note their location so we can hunt them later, isn't it?" Morgain smiled, pulling a small pouch from his belt. "I found these mushrooms earlier today. They love this stuff. If we can get one interested, it’ll follow us for miles. Won't need to hunt them, either, if we can get two of them to follow us home." Carus peered into the pouch, where bright orange mushroom caps rested. "You really think that’s enough to lure one away from its herd?" Morgain nodded confidently. "It's worth a try. The calves we’ve been raising in the colony are doing fine, but having a full-grown Shriiv would be a huge help. They could clear the overgrowth, help with mushroom farming, and even haul supplies. Plus, if we can figure out what type of mushroom they prefer, it could improve their domestication." Carus shrugged. "Alright, let’s give it

a shot. But don’t blame me when this goes sideways." The two friends made their way deeper into the forest, following the tracks of the Shriiv herd. The air was thick with the earthy scent of mushrooms. The forest floor was damp, a tangle of roots and fungal stalks rising like pillars around them, creating a maze of shadows. After a while, they heard it- the low, rumbling snorts of a Shriiv herd, grazing just ahead. Morgain crouched behind a thick mushroom stalk, motioning for Carus to do the same. "There," he whispered, pointing. Through the gaps in the foliage, they could see a small group of Shriiv grazing on the mushrooms. The large creatures were surprisingly graceful for their size, their antennae waving as they sniffed out edible fungi. Their thick hides glistened in the filtered light, and their smaller eyes blinked lazily, as if unconcerned with the world around them. "There’s a young one over there," Morgain whispered, nodding toward a Shriiv that had wandered a bit farther from the rest of the herd. "Not a calf, but young enough to follow us if we’re careful." Carus looked at the creature, then at Morgain. "And you really think

it’ll just follow us if we toss it some of that mushroom?" "Many shriiv here favor it- that's why we struggle gathering more of it, usually they get to it before we do." Morgain grinned. "Only one way to find out." He pulled out a small handful of the mushroom caps and tossed it gently in front of the young Shriiv. The creature’s antennae perked up almost immediately, and it took a few hesitant steps toward the food. Its wide nostrils flared as it sniffed the mushroom, then it began to munch on the offering. "Okay," Morgain whispered, excited. "Now, we just need to lead it back to the colony." They moved slowly, tossing small pieces of the mushroom ahead of the Shriiv, which continued to follow, captivated by the scent. The large creature lumbered after them, its thick legs crushing the undergrowth as it moved. Carus glanced back nervously, clearly still unsure of the plan. "This thing’s a tank," Carus muttered. "If it decides to run, there’s no way we’re stopping it." Morgain kept his eyes on the Shriiv, tossing another handful of mushroom at it. "It won’t. They're pretty docile, so as long as we keep feeding it,

we’ll be fine. Plus it's already too far from it's herd to consider attacking us now- if anything it'd run back." The forest began to thin as they neared the clearing, the tall mushroom stalks giving way to shorter, more open areas. The Shriiv followed them, occasionally letting out a low rumble as it snuffed at the air, its antennae still twitching, looking for more food. It had realized that the food came from the bag now, and occasionally got a bit braver in search of it, walking towards the two colonists. Quickly the familiar sight of the colony's farmlands came into view. Morgain’s heart raced with excitement. "We did it," he said, barely able to contain his smile. "We actually brought a Shriiv back!" Carus looked at the large creature, now lazily chewing on another handful of the mushrooms, safely in a fenced off area where the colony had planned to put some tamed shriiv whenever they had the funds. "I can’t believe that worked. Let's hope the others are as excited about this as you are- and let's hope this little guy behaves itself. If it breaks out, we're back to square one."