Colby got to work making wheels for the Skate Goats and installing them into their skateboards. Some of them only wanted one wheel, others two or three, but never all four. That was reserved for the head Skate Goat.

  The only way he knew how many wheels a particular Skate Goat requested was because of his mother. Surprisingly, she was quite in tune with the Skate Goats. She would tell him how many [Wheels of Cheese] the Skate Goat, whose skateboard he was working on, wanted, while collecting the fees in milk.

  The work was repetitive and downright monotonous, but he was rewarded.

  Congratulations! [Wheels of Cheese] has reached Level 4!

  Congratulations! Cheese Press has reached Level 4!

  Colby, along with the rest, showered the Core Construct in a litany of encouraging praises.

  Meanwhile, Jack stood in the corner of the shop, struggling to comprehend what he was witnessing as more and more Skate Goats squeezed in.

  They funneled through the doorway, unintentionally creating a blockade outside the shop. Thankfully, the stampede of monsters seemed to have ceased.

  A loud grunt told Colby he had spoken too soon.

  Skate Goats near the entrance bleated in panic, forcing their way in. The head Skate Goat yelled, causing the rest to quieten and settle down. The Skate Goat he had helped—the one with the original [Wheel of Cheese] rolled up to Colby, motioning for him to follow her.

  The Skate Goats made way for them, as they, and an accompanying Thornelius, walked out of the shop.

  Outside, he saw the cause of the Skate Goats' panic.

  Flowers. A lot of flowers. A herd of flowers. All of them racing forward, their roots pounding against the cobblestone pavement. Milk-white petals fluttered in the wind, leaves whipping back and forth as they sprayed yellow pollen in panic.

  At the front ran a much larger one. Its petals weren’t soft and rounded like the others. They were hard and sharp, like a ring of horns.

  That was the Daisy Bull. And behind were the Daisy Cows.

  Maybe they wanted wheels, too?

  The Daisy Bull, upon noticing Colby sped up, let out a deep polleny grunt.

  Did they want wheels that badly?

  Allowing the small non-cheese part of his brain to take over, Colby realized that the Daisy Bull’s attention wasn’t fixed on him, but rather the monster next to him.

  Thornelius.

  He also realized why the Skate Goats just didn’t move out of the way. They were queuing, making way for the stampeding flowers would mean potentially ending up at the back of the line the moment they had passed.

  Apparently, wheels for their skateboards were more important than their lives.

  Speaking of wheels, it was too late to hide Thornelius and convince them that the Thornwolf was just a trick of the light, but maybe he could spin something up.

  Colby stood in front of Thornelius and held up his arm.

  That was enough to get the Daisy Bull to cease his charge, stopping right in front of him. He let out a huff of pollen as the Daisy Cows behind trembled in fear.

  “Worry not. I have tamed the Thornwolf that has been hurting you.”

  Thornelius barked while the Daisy Bull grunted.

  “Fret not, I will ask the Skate Goats to move and you can—”

  Another brilliant idea flashed across his mind.

  Colby cleared his throat.

  “If you desire protection, then enter my abode. Of course, for a fee.”

  Thornelius let out a series of barks as if translating what Colby had said.

  The Daisy Bull grunted, shooting out an angry huff of pollen before bellowing at the Daisy Cows behind. Gingerly, they tiptoed towards, roots trembling and nervous eyes darting between him, Thornelius, and the crowd of Skate Goats outside the shop, blocking the road.

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  Though he didn’t speak Daisy, Colby could tell that they had accepted his proposal. Now, they offered tribute in the form of the thing he desired most: milk.

  “Mom!” Colby yelled. “I need more bottles.”

  Space was a luxury inside the shop. Desperate space-saving measures had to be taken. Skate Goats could only produce milk outside the shop. The ground was rough and bumpy, a horrible place to skate, much less pull off such a precise trick. On the other hand, it just showed how desperate they were to get their hooves on a [Wheel of Cheese]. Ensuring that there was no foul play was the bestest boy in the whole wide world, Thornelius.

  The Daisy Cows, being part flower, were able to bunch themselves together, tucking their stems together real tight. Leaves layered over one another and root-legs intertwined, transforming the Daisy Cows into a one massive bouquet of really weird flowers.

  The Skate Goats didn’t have the same luxury. They had to get creative.

  Skate Goats stacked on top of each other, until their horned helmets touch the ceilings. Now, Colby was serving them one whole stack at a time. But even after they had gotten their wheels, they still remained in the shop, taking up valuable space.

  Maybe they sought out protection as well?

  Of course, if they wanted to stay, they too had to pay the fee.

  Now, Colby was drowning in milk. The quality wasn’t very good, a far cry from what they normally got delivered to them, but milk was milk. And he was more than willing to share it with his parents.

  A loud bark echoed from outside the shop as Thornelius barged back in, darting around the stacks upon stacks of Skate Goats. He hopped onto the counter, where Colby was in the middle of outfitting another skateboard with another set of [Wheels of Cheese].

  Thornelius kept barking, barking, and barking. Barking like he had never barked before.

  “What is it, boy?” Colby asked, giving the Thornwolf a quick rub on his leafy little head.

  All he got was more frantic barks. Thornelius hopped off the counter and started pulling him by the pant leg.

  “Okay, okay. I’m coming.”

  Navigating through the precarious pillars of Skate Goats, Colby made his way outside. Another group of monsters was heading towards them. Placing his hand over his eyes, he peered into the distance. Green blobs slowly sharpened as they got closer and closer at a terrifying pace.

  “Are those… Thornwolves?” Colby asked. “Is that your family?”

  Thornelius barked, happy that his master had gotten it correct.

  “Do you want to protect them too?”

  Thornelius growled, his leaves standing on edges.

  “Okay, okay. You don’t want to protect them. Are you scared they’re going to attack us?”

  Thornelius barked, jumping up and licking Colby’s hand.

  “Got it,” he said before turning to the Skate Goats filling up bottles of milk. “Everyone in. Or you know, don’t.”

  Everyone squeezed themselves into the shop floor, but there still wasn’t enough space. With no other choice, they opened the ‘Employee Only’ door, allowing them to spill in. Whether or not that made them the shop’s employees now was something only his parents could decide.

  Once there was enough space, Jack pounded the door with a hammer… again. He boarded and secured the door, just as the Thornwolves arrived. Unlike most of the other monsters, they decided to have a quick rest stop at the cheese shop.

  Howls, barks, and screeches echoed. Scrapes of claws against wood made Colby wince. Good thing he wasn’t a Timbermancer, or he would’ve been extra mad. Right now, he was regular mad. How dare they vandalize their shop!

  It’s not like he could do anything about a whole pack of Thornwolves, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t be mad.

  Soon, the scratches and growls grew silent as they continued to run away from whatever had destroyed the barrier around Brinebrook.

  Thornelius breathed a sigh of relief.

  A loud shriek from the ‘Employee Only’ door made the Thornwolf jump, along with the family that had adopted him.

  It was Brie.

  Colby, his parents, and Thornelius squeezed through the horde of monsters, nearly toppling several Skate Goat stacks who couldn’t roll out of the way in time.

  Brie stood at the top of the stairs, a huge beaming smile on her face.

  “Mommy!” she cheered. “Is this my surprise?”

  Pepper sighed, relieved that she was okay. “Yes, Brie. This is the surprise.”

  “So many friends! Can we keep them all?”

  Pepper turned to Jack, who in turn turned to Colby. He shrugged before returning the look to his mother.

  Another sigh escaped her lips. “Not all of them, Brie. But you get to pick your favorite.”

  Yay!” she cheered, running down the steps and leaping into her mother’s arms.

  As Brie went through the Skate Goats and Daisy Cow and the lone Daisy Bull, Colby continued to make wheels for the Skate Goats. They couldn’t pay at the moment, so his mother decided that his father would have the honor of keeping tabs on which Skate Goat owed what.

  As they carried on with the weirdest way to seek shelter and safety, banging rattled the shop door once more.

  The banging was different, very unlike the Thornwolves digging their claws into wood—it was more blunt. Yet, softer than a Skate Goat banging its head against the frame.

  There was also the fact that accompanying the knocking was a voice, the voice that spoke in a language that Colby could understand.

  Porter?

  “Dad!” Colby yelled. “Open the door.”

  Together, they wrenched the boards off the shop door… again. At this rate, there were going to be more holes than wood. But they had much more important things to concern themselves about.

  Standing outside was Colby’s best friend, Porter. And the little Supply Runner was carrying the most odd of supplies. In his arms was an injured girl, her black robe caked with dirt and half-dried blood. Her breath was quick and shallow as she barely hung on to consciousness, maybe even life.

  It was double dagger girl.