by Natalie Erin
“Where?” Lilja questioned from his pack. “I’m getting tired of traveling.”
“Then maybe you should have stayed home instead of becoming a little stowaway,” Kia said harshly. “If you want to keep complaining, you’ll be sent back to the forest.”
“And how do you plan to do that, Miss Kia?” Ionan asked dryly.
“She’ll magic us back!” Keota said, his eyes wide. “Just wave her hands around and poof! We’re gone! You know fairies can do magic!”
“Fairies can’t do magic, you dunce,” Kia snapped.
Keota’s scared look was replaced with confusion. “They can’t?”
“No! If you think they could do you really believe I’d be walking all this way? Oh sure, let’s just have Kia forget about her magical teleportation powers because she wants to help the tourists!”
“I don’t see you doing much walking,” Snow Drop muttered under her breath.
“But…” Keota said weakly, “There’s stories in Nesting’s Haven of fairies being able to heal in an instant and control the weather…you can make plants grow really well, can’t you?”
“Maybe that was true long ago, but not anymore. Fairies can’t control the weather and my talent with plants is only a talent. We can’t heal.”
“But isn’t there magic in the Lands?” Keota asked.
Kia nodded. “There is magic, but there’s only so much to go around. It’s what makes the animals talk and gives fairies the ability to fly. If every fairy had powers, we’d use up all the magic in a day and the Lands would begin to die. That’s why witches are such a terrible thing for the Lands; they use up all the magic in one area, kill it, and move onto the next one. The Lands is made of magic, and needs magic to survive. Without any magic there’d be nothing left.”
“But isn’t there another way?” Keota said.
“The only way for a fairy to become magical is for them to become a witch. End of discussion.” Kia urged Snow Drop to beat her wings faster and the mare let out a grunt of protest.
“That’s not what I was taught,” Keota protested.
“Well, what I was taught about you wasn’t correct either. You’re not extinct and you’re certainly not a myth.”
“Our races seem to have the tragic flaw of never understanding each other and never wanting to,” Ionan said. “That, of all things, may be our downfall.”
“Like my family,” Kia whispered.
“Like my friends,” Keota said.
“Excuse me?” Ionan asked. “I hope you’re not including me.”
When Keota didn’t answer Ionan let out a small spurt of flame. Lottie, who had said nothing all morning, let out a sigh from her bag.
“Don’t worry Lottie. We understand each other pretty well, so we won’t fight all the time like they do.” Lilja stuck his head into his sister’s pack, whispering so the others didn’t hear.
“No, it’s not that. It’s the day we lost mother,” Lottie answered. “I keep dreaming about her ever since we saw Casiff and that wolf that was following him.”
“Yeah, she looked pretty familiar, didn’t she?” Lilja jumped into her pack to offer his comfort.
“Not just looked familiar, she smelled familiar too.” Lottie told her brother. “Do you think that maybe…”
“Maybe. But I’m not entirely sure. What if she was, Lottie?” Lilja suddenly got excited.
“That would be the best.” Lottie smiled at her brother. “I would be so happy if she was still alive.”
“Me too.” Lilja smiled back at his sister. The two pups curled up together and were asleep within minutes. The fairy and Accompany looked at them sadly.
“Poor Lottie.” Kia said softly so as not to wake the pups up. “She’s been having nightmares lately. She hasn’t been eating much either.”
“I’ve been watching her,” Ionan rumbled. “It is an affair of the heart that ails her, not the traveling.”
Keota nodded his head in agreement. Kia saw a bright red flash behind Keota and Ionan. “Duck!” she yelled. Ionan flew lower to avoid being struck by whatever the red blur was. It was Scarlet, the small red bird from the forest.
“Kia!” the bird yelled as it collided with her.
“Scarlet? What’s wrong?” Kia said in a worried tone.
“It’s Casiff,” Scarlet told her. “I’ve been flying nonstop for days to try and catch you. He’s taken over the entire forest. All of his animals have fallen sick now and he’s blaming you. He’s going to try to find you so he can kill you!”
“That arrogant asshole!” Kia yelled into the sky. “How could he do this to me? I’ve only been gone a little while and he takes over all of my land? I’m going to KILL him!”
“Calm down Kia. We still have a long way to go until we make camp, so let’s not get carried away here,” Keota told her gently.
“Stay calm! You expect me to stay calm after what he has done! He had no right to take my land! No right at all! Just wait till I get back to my land, I will hit him so hard his grandchildren will feel it!”
“Keota is right. You need to keep yourself calm. All this talk of killing each other is horrible. The more you upset yourself the better chance you’ll have off falling off Snow Drop.” Ionan flew closer to them, looking happy at the thought.
“I have a little bit of good news too, if you could call it that.” Scarlet informed the group.
“Well, out with it then.” Kia commanded.
“Caini, Casiff’s right hand uh…she-wolf, caught the sickness and now she’s dead,” Scarlet said.
“Caini?” Lottie and Lilja awoke, saying the name in unison. “That was our mom’s name.”
“Your mother?” Kia looked at the two wolf pups.
“Yeah. Her name was Caini. She disappeared when we were only a few moons old,” Lottie explained. “Did she have mismatched eyes, like me?”
Scarlet thought. “She had white fur, and the same eyes as you. Some animals were saying she had lost her pups in a forest fire a few months ago.”
Lottie became very still. In a hushed voice she replied, “That was her.”
“We thought that wolf with Casiff looked familiar, but we couldn’t figure out why.” Lilja said softly. A single tear fell down his cheek.
“And now she’s dead!” Lottie began to cry with her brother.
“I’m sorry, Lottie and Lilja. We’re all here for you.” Kia lifted the pups out of the packs and placed them onto her lap, compassion replacing the anger on her face. “I love you both and will make sure your mother will be buried properly. Even though I hated her fairy I can at least do that.”
“I am sure she is at peace,” Keota offered, not knowing what else to say.
“Yes, certainly,” Ionan told the young wolves, offering what comfort he felt he could. “The Creator will give her rest.”
“The Creator?” Kia said, looking at Ionan. “I didn’t know that the Accompanies had the same deity we do.”
“You worship the Creator here? I thought that fairies had different gods,” Keota said in astonishment.
“Some do. But the main religion follows that of the Creator,” Kia said. “I’m really surprised that you know about the Creator in Nesting’s Haven.”
“I’m surprised you know about him in the Lands,” Keota smiled. “I suppose that’s one thing fairies and Accompanies have in common.”
“We all have much to learn about one another,” Ionan said. He turned his attention to the pups, who were still crying. “Your mother loved you both very much. I’m sure you make her very proud, being so brave on this journey.”
“I hope so,” Lilja said quietly. “At least we finally know what happened to her.”
“Yes,” Lottie sniffed. “It’s better than never knowing. Creator give her rest. I love you, Mama,” Lottie said softly to the sky.
TWO DAYS later they reached the Ice Borns. The mountains were enormous giants, with caverns existing within them, tempting the group to come and warm up from the shelter of the
constant blizzards. Kia did not trust them though, and purposely avoided them in case they wandered too far in and became sacrifice to the endless tunnels within, for there was no Nagli to save them this time. Freezing white snow was up to Snow Drop’s knees as she landed. There was a cliff side that was large enough for Ionan as a dragon to land on, and he nearly fell in through a pit of seemingly harmless snow hundreds of feet deep.
“Be careful!” Kia cried. Ionan struggled to get himself out of the sucking snow trap and when he had managed to, landed gingerly on an icier patch nearby.
“Dismount here,” Kia commanded when she saw that it was safe for Keota to walk.
“Why?” Keota climbed off Ionan and walked over to Kia and Snow Drop.
“The mountains are too dangerous to fly over. The wind and snow will almost certainly knock us out of the sky, if we don’t lose air to breathe first,” Kia told him.
“That’s fine with me,” Ionan took the form of a small cat and jumped on Keota’s shoulder. “This is a rather comfortable spot. My turn to ride, instead of the other way around.”
“Please get off of my shoulder. I don’t want to carry you,” Keota growled.
“Oh, but it’s fine for me to carry you, I see,” Ionan hissed.
“Be nice Keota. It may be dangerous for him to walk on his own.” Kia said softly. Ionan’s eyes widened, and he said, “Thank you Kia.”
“I hate having to make the pups walk, but they’re too big to carry now,” Kia said. “Do you think you guys can handle it?”
“We’ll do it for you, Kia,” Lilja said bravely. With that their climb up the mountain began.
MEMBERS of the party had fallen many times on the treacherous slopes. Kia pushed her companions to travel long periods and they only stopped for a few minutes at a time so they wouldn’t freeze to death in the icy temperatures.
“I’m so cold,” Lilja complained. “I want to go home.”
“I’m cold too,” Lottie added. “And I’m hungry.”
“I know,” Kia gasped through the thin air, hanging onto Snow Drop’s halter. “But you’ll just have to be patient. We’re almost to the top, the valley shouldn’t be far.”
“Kia, it’s been six days since we started up this mountain. You’re going on a thief’s word here! We all need a break!” Keota yelled from behind her.
“Don’t you go whining like a child,” Ionan commanded. “We have no time for it and you know that.”
“Don’t be mean to him, Ionan! He has all the reason in the world to complain right now!” Kia reached back and took Keota’s hand in hers. “I hate what I’m putting you through. I’m sorry.”
Ionan’s face rose up in a snarl. As she said this Keota’s foot struck a patch of ice. He fell back and was saved by Kia grabbing tightly onto his hand. Ionan, however, was not so lucky. He slipped from Keota’s shoulders and plummeted, and no one reached out to catch him. Keota let out a cry as his Changer’s claws caught on a shaft of ice leaning off the rocks far below, too tiny for Kia or Keota to navigate. Under his weight, the ice began breaking.
“Help me!” Ionan yelled.
“What’s going on? Why can’t he change shape?” Kia looked at Keota desperately for answers.
“It’s too cold! Most Changers can only morph in warm temperatures! He’s going to fall to his death!” Keota answered hastily. “We have to help him!”
“I can do it!” Lottie took off onto the ledge, racing down to save Ionan.
“Wait for me!” Lilja quickly followed his sister down the snowy mountain.
“Pups, wait!” Kia cried, but they didn’t hear her.
“Ionan, are you okay?” Lottie called as she ran, snow blasted everywhere by her paws.
“Yes! I have grabbed the ice but I can’t hold on much longer!” the Changer called back.
“I’m coming! Just hold on!” Lottie called back.
“Slow down Lottie! You’re going too fast!” Lilja stopped to take a breath while his sister continued to race towards the Changer. Lilja shook his face of snow and cried, “I can’t catch up to you! You can’t do this on your own!”
Lottie didn’t hear her brother. She was too busy thinking about what would happen if she didn’t make it to Ionan in time. If he fell she would be mad at both herself and life. But if she caught him, she would be a hero. Saving Ionan would make up for her mother’s horrible death. Caini’s fall kept replaying in her mind, over and over and over. “I’m almost there Ionan! Just a little bit farther to go and I’ll have you!”
“Lottie, it’s too dangerous! Go back!” Ionan demanded.
She ignored his orders and ran over a sheet of rock, that fell apart to the depths below once she had crossed over. She turned to face the top of the mountain again. Lilja hadn’t moved since the last time he had called to her, stranded due to the collapsed rock. “Grab on to my tail and I’ll get you to the top,” she commanded, looking Ionan in the eyes.
Ionan did as he was told, latching onto her tail with sharp claws. Lottie swung him up to where she stood and grabbed the scruff of his cat neck. She then began to run back up the snowy peak. Lilja paced back and forth while Lottie struggled to make the climb. Finally there was nothing left to latch onto…it was a clear jump from where she was to Lilja. She wasted no time and took the leap but as she was hurtling through the air she knew that she couldn’t make it. In an effort to save the Changer she threw Ionan onto the ledge, latching onto the ice with her claws and struggling to get herself up. But her paws slipped at the last minute. In the moment she fell Lilja saw his mother, plummeting to her doom in the flowing river.
“Mother!” he yelled, and reached out to grab Lottie. His teeth dug into her scruff and he pulled Lottie up onto the ledge in an immense feat of strength. The two pups collapsed into a heap of fur, panting heavily.
Kia had slid down next to them. She carefully lifted the pups up the slope and scooped Ionan up into her arms last, carrying him to safety. With help from Keota she climbed back up to the ledge where they had been when Ionan had fallen.
“Thank you for saving me, young wolf. I owe my life to you,” Ionan said, lying in the snow and trying to catch his breath.
“And I owe my life to my brother,” Lottie looked at her brother with a grateful expression.
“I just couldn’t lose you, Lottie. Not after losing mother. I wouldn’t be able to handle life anymore,” Lilja replied, coughing.
“I’m just happy everyone’s okay and that no one got hurt in that whole ordeal,” Kia smiled, if not in a frightened away. “I think we should get moving. We only have a little ways to go.”
“Watch out for ice. It’s dangerous,” Keota said in a joking tone, clinging to Ionan. They all laughed nervously and then continued their steep climb.
TWO HOURS later they stood at the top of the large mountain. The other side was smooth and flat, with no ledges standing out against the white surface. Kia stopped and stared down at the steep decline, pondering all the sharp boulders.
“Come on, we could roll down this side no problem, and I’m sure the valley’s only a short walk away,” Keota chuckled.
“Yes we could. Or we could just walk about forty feet to the left and go visit the unicorns,” Kia said with a grin.
Keota turned around and gasped. Down a small path and under the mountains the snow ended and became a lush, green valley, the most lovely he had seen in his life. The valley seemed to be permanently stuck in a warm spring, with wildflowers blooming and the grass greener than emeralds. It was a strange sight with the snowy mountains all around it. He saw at least fifty unicorns, all of them with coats in all shades of the rainbow. “Yes, there’s always that,” he said in a soft, embarrassed tone. Kia threw back her head and laughed at him.
“Come on. We have a cure to find.” She began the short walk to the herd where the cure for the sickness lay. As she did so, her friends cheered in happiness.
The unicorns could have cared less about their presence. They simply went on with their sim
ple lifestyle of eating and sleeping. The travelers, however, were amazed by their existence. Some were just as they imagined, the most beautiful horses in the world with horns. Others were nothing like they had assumed. Some had cloven hooves and the heads of deer, other’s ox tails or twisted horns instead of straight. Some had scales and there was one who looked more like a dragon than a unicorn. The one thing about them all that was the same was they were the most pure and lovely creatures they had ever seen, and the flowers bounded around them as if they enjoyed being a part of the valley the unicorns called home.
Snow Drop became quite jealous in their presence. Keota and Ionan couldn’t rip their eyes away. Changers could turn into unicorns of course, but the ones back in Nesting’s Haven were not anywhere near as wonderful as the beasts that resided here. Ionan looked at them longingly, wishing for the first time in his life that he could transform into a unicorn instead of just a horse.
“Now be on your guard. We just have to ask a unicorn what the cure is and get out of here. I don’t like the sound of whoever takes care of them,” Kia whispered.
“She can’t be that dangerous,” Keota said. He started walking slowly towards a green mare with a long mane. The group walked towards the creature, spreading out and walking around the mare in a circle. The unicorn’s head rose up and it began to do a nervous dance, skittishly jogging away.
“Easy girl, we just want to talk...” Kia started, holding out a hand.
“Leave that unicorn alone!” a voice cried, and everyone jumped. They turned to see a tall, scrawny fairy with her hand at a dagger in her belt. She had blood red streaks running through her black hair, with the ears and tail of a fox that were the exact same color. Her black eyes seemed more ancient than anything they had ever seen. She didn’t look that scary, but there was something about her that was.
“I need help,” Kia told her carefully and the group stood still, fearful of the fairy. “My forest is infected with a plague and I was told I could find the cure here. Is that true?”
“Aye, ‘tis true,” the fairy said, putting away her dagger slowly. “How long has your forest been infected?”
“Since spring,” Kia said. “I know summer is almost over, but I’m hoping it’s not too late.”