Fone and Thorn are shopping at the Spring Fair, an outdoor market lined with kiosks. Fone is glum; he and his cousins are planning to leave the Valley within the next few days, which means he’ll have to leave Thorn behind. He bickers with a honey vendor, Tom, who flirts with Thorn and insults Fone’s appearance. Fone resolves to gather wild honey for Thorn and encounters a honeybee that is twice his size.

Phoney and Smiley are still working at the Barrel Haven Pub and advancing their scheme to fix the race. Smiley convinces a few patrons to switch their bet from Grandma Ben to the Mystery Cow, and Phoney posts fake odds. Phoney asks Smiley if he’s seen any monsters in the area. He describes the rat creatures and the Hooded One, but Smiley hasn’t seen them. Phoney irately tells him to forget about it.

Grandma trains for the race with a jog around the stables. A friend of hers warns her that there are rumors about her poor health. She is unbothered at first, but several people stop her during her jog to let her know they won’t be betting on her.

Elsewhere, Fone is covered in bee stings and dragging a massive honeycomb behind him.