(A/N: The title makes sense. Shhh. Also, from here on out the story will be based mainly on the manga but may include extra events from the second season. If you haven't read/watched that far I would recommend doing so before reading! The story will be confusing if you haven't seen it yet.)

Y/n looked up at the massive trees surrounding them.

"They're huge!" She muttered, her comment echoed by many others. She already knew they were massive- but they were even bigger up close. Emma beside her looked up from her compass. Y/n's eyes trailed around the strange plants that were unfamiliar- along with the massive trees that all 23 of the escaped children together could still not wrap their arms around and touch. 

The pace was slowing noticeably and Y/n smiled. Soon they'd eat breakfast.
"Emma!" Don called. Emma responded with a "yeah!" Before announcing that they'd eat breakfast there. Daisy and Niko looked at Y/n, as if asking for permission, who nodded in response. The two plants sat together, sharing their food and eating little to make sure it lasted a while. 

Y/n grabbed herself a bun and walked after Emma, who'd just left to take watch. 

Y/n watched Ray approach Emma from the bushes. He plopped a jar of water on her head and reassured her and Y/n smiled. They're were both so close... it made ever heart hurt a little. She wished she were that close with them... but she shook her head. She didn't belong here. 

She watched sadly before leaving, heading back to her own family. 

"No matter what happens, I won't cut them off." She heard Ray promise. Y/n sighed and continued the journey back to the others. Then she stopped, remembering the conversation the two others would be having right now. She felt for the pen in her pocket and was happy to feel it still there. She turned back around and jogged towards the two kids. 

Y/n arrived just as Emma was explaining about twisting the pen. She watched as Ray did it and the small screen glowed. Y/n's eyes glittered in excitement. 

"Yo!" She called as she approached. Ray and Emma turned to her, surprised. Y/n grinned and pulled out her pen. 

"Talking about these?" She asked. Emma nodded, her eyes happy.

"You guys have one too?!" She said excitedly. Y/n smiled and nodded.

"It was an unexpected gift from one of the previous children from our farm-"

"LANI?!" There came a sudden shout and Y/n cussed. There's too many things going on at once! 

"What's up, Thoma?" 

"Emma! Ray! This is bad! Lani disappeared!" 

"What's going on? Was he attacked! Or did he get lost..." Emma conversed with the young boy nervously. Y/n glanced around as they spoke, looking for the way she came. She ran back to the clearing and was unsurprised to see them all gone. Her fists were clenched when the kids from her plant were missing too. But... all of them had Mr. Minivera's adventure book memorized! Maybe they would reach a conclusion before they even arrived.

"Oi!" Ray called at Y/n. Y/n looked back to him as the three kids came running at her. "They're gone?!" He shouted and asked at the same time.

"They were gone when I got here too..." 

"Where did they go?" 

"Stay calm! The older kids from my plant are with them, too! I'm sure they'll be okay..." Y/n tried to reassure them. She remembered what happened next and braced herself, seconds before the ground suddenly opened and swallowed them whole.

Y/n stood up off the ground as she heard Emma and Chris 2.0 meet. She called out to Ray and Thoma, who responded with shouting, 

"AGHHH! A BUGGGG!" To which Ray echoed; "You hear that? We're fine!" 

Y/n stifled a snort at Ray's way of confirming their safety. 

The children soon met up and Y/n was embraced by her plant. 

"Y/n!" Daisy cried. "I was so worried you wouldn't find us!" Y/n smiled and patted her back.

"You're okay!" She answered happily. 

The children started gushing over the cool plants while Thoma screamed about bugs. Y/n watched as Ray was beginning to notice something was up with the ecosystem. Deciding it was a reasonable excuse to talk to him about, she walked up behind him. 

"The ecosystem is different, huh." She said, as if she had no clue what was going on but figured it out quickly and was incredibly smart. Of course, she then lost her mysterious awesomeness by tripping into a tree root and face planting. She pushed herself off the ground while Ray stood over her.

"Smooth." He smirked. Y/n stuck out her tongue. She stood up and brushed herself off, glancing around the cave. 

"No light from the outside..." she said quietly, knowing Emma was worrying about the same thing. Y/n knew what was happening down here and it made her stomach churn with nerves- but she also knew that everyone makes it out safely which helped ease her a little.

They soon arrived in the field of glowing flowers and Y/n gulped. She looked up to the ceiling and her face paled. She knew the skeletons of animals were up there before looking, but it didn't help her stomach. 

"WAAAAH!" Nat cried as he saw them too. Ray and Emma caught sight of it. They both paled and Ray spoke nervously.

"Emma, we're in big trouble. This place... this forest is..."

Y/n slammed herself into Alicia and Jemima to keep the roots from getting them. She knew it was coming. But she didn't know that Niko and Hannah were in danger of getting snatched too.

"Hannah! Niko!" She yelled it warning. Emma was closer to them and grabbed them, running away. 

Y/n set down Alicia and Jemima and Hannah and Niko stood up. 

"NO WAY! WE'VE BEEN SURROUNDED! WHEN DID THESE ROOTS BLOCK OUR ROUTE-?!" 

Y/n tried not to snicker. "Root, route? Funny, funny... ok I'll stop now." 

"This is most likely where this tree feeds..." Ray spoke, calm as usual, after giving Y/N a mildly concerned side-eye- more concerned for her mental health, then her state of being. 

"The trees here feed off of live animals." Y/n said, finishing his sentence. 

"Live animals?!" Everyone began to close around to the middle, avoiding the squirming roots. 

"Everyone, no matter what don't stray!" 

Y/n wanted to keep her cool and let Emma figure it out on her own, but Reina and Poppy beat her too it.

"Y/n, wasn't there something like this in the adventure book?!" They asked. All of Y/n's kids eyes widened in realization- they'd all memorized the book. 

"Yeah!" They shouted. Emma noticed this and joined in.

"That's right! I can't remember the details, but-"

"The snakes of Alvar Pinera!" Hayato shouted.

"What are you talking about?" Ray asked, stumped. 

"Mr. Minevera's adventure book- the one with the Morse code 'promise'!" Emma said.

"The Adventure Log of Ugo!" Daisy joined in. 

Emma began explaining about the snakes of Alvar Pinera from chapter 3. Once she finished Y/n smiled.

"Similar, isn't it?" Y/n said coyly to Ray beside her.

"It's all talking about this tree!" Emma said cheerfully.

"Y/n was right!" Poppy yelled. "It is a guide for us!" 

"Hold it Emma.." Ray the ultra-paranoid emo boy began. But he paused, taking in he information. "Well... I suppose it's possible. Let's give it a shot." 

Y/n snickered and elbowed Ray. He scowled and started digging through his bag. Y/n did a similar thing, grabbing the leftover rope they'd gathered after crossing the ravine that was stashed and tossed it into the wall. The second it touched a root tip the mug Ray threw was shattered and the rope was shredded by the sudden stabbing of roots, providing a demonstration to all the children.

"Alright! It uses "Touch!"

Emma and Ray started conversing and Y/n did a similar action, walking right up close to the roots.

"See, it's fine!" Emma called cheerfully.

"We'll be fine as long as we don't touch them!" Y/n said, doing a mini Macarena dance and attempting to appear perfectly unbothered by the death that was literally inches from her body. 

"It's not scary!" Emma reassured them. "So let's all calm down first!" 

Y/n watched as the kids faces softened and she sighed happily. Emma really was super inspirational. Despite that, she was shivering in fear and inching away from the root tips slowly, despite them not making a move for her.

"Listen up!" Ray began before explaining the plan to climb up the centre trunk. Ray reassured them about their tree climbing skills but he turned to Y/n's group. 

"You guys have been practicing, too?" He asked, as if looking for a reason to say they were unworthy of escaping with them.

"Of course!" Y/n answered, crossing their arms, which was the truth- whoever wasn't at the wall meetings or memorizing the book was tree climbing and doing physical training along with distracting Nina.

"So we will escape." Gilda said, reassuring the kids who weren't already convinced. 

"Then, let's go everyone!" 

The kids started climbing, and Poppy, the monkey she was, made it to the top far ahed of everyone else. 

She leapt onto the ceiling and grabbed hold fo the roots, Emma, Don, and a few others following closely behind them. Y/n grabbed on last and the ceiling collapsed, sending all of them crashing to the bottom. 

Y/n landed roughly and Niko and Hayato helped her up. She chuckled thanks and noticed Ray sending her a sideways glance. She stuck her thumbs up and chuckled and he turned away.
The kids then all safely exited the cave, out into the winter that awaited them outside.