Fred tilted his head at the prospect of Oz's [i]abnormality,[/i] but shrugged it off. His friend was in a pickle, and although Fred had shed the bindings of his town long ago, he wasn't about to leave Oz to fend for himself without whatever help he could offer.

	"Huh?" Fred grunted, "Scare me? Of course not, I live here after all! If you know where you are, and what you're bound to be eatin', it aint so bad, s'long as you evade the eh.. More sinister patrons of the woods... If you're so resolute on passin' through these here thickets, I'd rather guide your myself, Oz."