Please visit here for some background information on the characters, as well as what they look like.
And go here for the original story, where you can see our discussions and the character-picking.

((The earlier posts in this story sound bad and awkward. I apologize for this, but I think I've gotten better at writing over the years.))

You open the book, coughing at the dust that rises from the pages as you flip through them. The text is old and hard to read, but you squint and bring your lantern closer. Your little sister warns you not the let the fire get to close to the aged parchment, so you tell her to hold it as you sit down in a chair and turn to the first page. There's a drawing, a very realistic one, of two people sitting beside six pets. Three of these pets are Sylvorpa's, and they cuddle next to a girl with a fine and pale face, wearing armor that looks like it's made of ice.
Across from them is a boy with wild red hair, reclining with some Zolnixi's who nuzzle him playfully. His armor is made of metal that's on fire in some places. They both look around the same age, with similar faces and postures, so you assume that they're twins.
Enchanted already, you hold your breath as you read the graceful text under the picture.


A long time ago, in a world called Sylestia, a battle raged. People fell to the ground as an arrow was shot threw them. Sylesties ran to protect their partners, only to find them dead. Siblings fought each other, husband and wife too. The war had started because of something very silly. But as people died, it got more and more serious. This war was called the War of the Sylesties. It was called this because some thought that Sylesties had started the war but really...

It had started between two siblings. They were young warriors, and they were training their Sylesties. They had a very rich father who happened to be the king. Their names were Lithia and Colit. "Did you know that Sylvorpa's can breathe underwater? And that they're very loyal?" Lithia asked her brother. "Yes. Did you know that Zolnixi's don't only know how to fight and protect, they also learn cool tricks." Colit responded. "Yeah, I still think Sylvorpa's are better." she said. Then an argument struck up. They were yelling about how their Sylesties were better than the others.
Ever since they were children, they had never really argued over their Sylesties. So they both took this very seriously. "I declare war between you and I! You can only have an army of Sylestians and Sylvorpa's. I can only have Sylestians and Zolnixies." Colit said. "Accepted. But I shall win! I will notify Father. He shall supply me with the best warriors!" Lithia called as ran towards the castle.
The Sylesties in the Training Grounds look at each other sadly. "Dandy. The foolish brother and sister make a war. How did I see it coming?" The eldest of the Sylvorpa asked her friends. "Sylva, I have no idea. But we can't fight each other! We must notify every single Sylesti that they must leave." A Zolnixi called Cather declared. "It isn't that easy. There's thousands of them everywhere and-" Sylva paused as Lithia came back. "Noooo!" all six Sylesties cried as Lithia and Colit grabbed them and went to the Armory.
As Lithia looked at Sylvorpa armor, Cather and Sylva dashed away. "No! Come back here!" Colit cried. "We need you for the war!" Lithia added.


***


They dashed around sharp corners, and guards yelled at them. Eventually, a bulk Morrko stopped them. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the Prince's and Princess's best Sylesties. Ye two running away, eh? Not this time." The Morrko blocked their way, but Cather jumped over him, Sylva following him close behind. "Come on!" Sylva urged. The Morrko growled fiercely and started running after them. Three Draeyl's joined the chase, and then a growling Puffadore raced past the others.


Sylva woke up with a startled shriek. The Puffadore stopped her grooming, and said "Giving a Morrko a hard time? I hear you're the Princess's Sylesti. What're you doing in the grand halls?" Cather woke up, jumping. "Ouch!" He said as he bonked his head on the cage. "Cages? Really? Aren't we semi royal, Miss?" Cather complained. The Puffadore chuckled quietly. "You did run away from your leaders. Listen, I hate my job as a guard. I'm gonna set you free, 'k? But, you must allow me to tag along. I hate this place!" she whispered harshly.
"Deal. By the way, my name is Sylva, and this is Cather." Sylva said. "Nice to meet you. I'm Lavender." The Puffadore said. "Okay guys, we need to head for Sweet Blossom Orchard." Sylva said. "Umm... I hope you realize we're in Ethernia..." Cather said, looking at his paws. "Correct. If we go there, the guards won't find us." Lavender said. "Exactly. The guards here are very lazy. No offense Lavender." Sylva said. "None taken." Lavender said.


As the three ran to the kitchen in the shadows, the Princess and Prince stood awake in their rooms, pondering what to do about their missing Sylesties. Lithia eventually stormed over to Colit's room. "Ugh. How are we supposed to have a war with our best Sylesties missing?" She complained to her brother. Colit tapped his chin. "Maybe we should forget about the war." He suggested. "No way! I'm going to show you how much better Sylvorpa's are. And I'm going to win that war, no matter what." Lithia growled. "Okay, fine. When we find Cather and Sylva, their days of happiness will be over. They brought their own death to themselves." Colit said vigorously. We'll get back to the royalty, but for now to the Sylesties!

When Sylva, Cather and Lavender finally reached the kitchen and were stuffing their bags full of food, they were interrupted by a bang. They all jumped in fear. "Oh, sorry. Say, what are you all up to?" The chef called Honey asked as she picked up a pan off the floor. Cather and Lavender looked at each other, worried. But Sylva went right ahead and told her. "We're running away to Sweet Blossom Orchard, because the king's children are planning on making us attack each other." Sylva said in a proud voice. "Oh, is that so? Well, I mean... Who's going to cook for you guys? I mean, I have a reputation for being the best cook in the kingdom... And who doesn't need an expert chef on a long adventure? Everyone needs an expert chef!" Honey said awkwardly, looking everywhere except the three staring at her, confused. "You, the best chef in the kingdom wants to come with us, to run away?" Lavender said curiously. Honey nodded. "Only if it's okay..." Her voice began to crack. "Oh, please take my with you! Please! I get tortured by the royalty, and they're always saying I'm doing something wrong!" Honey said with tears forming in her eyes. Sylva looked at Cather and Lavender, and they both nodded. "Okay. Wipe your tears from your eyes and pack your bags. Freedom waits for us!" Sylva said, smiling. Honey smiled back and gathered food and cooking supplies.


After gathering all the food and water the four of them needed for the journey, they left the kitchen. After what seemed like an hour of darting through the shadows and avoiding the guards, they reached they reached the door that led to the castle garden. Conveniently, there were four cloaks hanging on a hook. Using his paw to bring them down, Cather gave Honey a black and yellow cloak, Lavender a teal and lavender one, Sylva a blue one with embroidered gold, leaving him a ripped brown cloak that had many stains on it. Reluctantly, Cather took it. Laughing, Sylva turned to the other side of the hall that had another cloak, of which was green and leaves covered it. She gave it to the pouting Zolnixi. Cather accepted it without hesitation, but with a smile.
Honey opened the door a crack, and the whole group gasped. The trees were dead, along with every other thing in sight. Sylva let out a cry of horror. She had once seen this garden when she was a baby, before she was rescued by Lithia and it had been thriving, vibrant, and the noises of birds and life filled ones ears. But now everything was brown and silent. Not a living thing in sight.

***

((Okay I need to tell you guys some things that happened in the past!!)) The garden had once been a beautiful thing, tended with love by King Dalan's former wife. His wife was a druid, as is he. Her name was Solandrie. She was killed one day in her garden when Lithia and Colit were twelve. No one knows how she died, but when she had died so had her plants. Solandrie was a strange thing, completed with ice and fire powers, wolf ears and wings. She had long, beautiful red and white hair. Her children were Lithia and Colit who, surprisingly, were twins. Though Lithia had inherited her mother's ice powers, Colit gotten her fire, and they seemed as different as anyone could be, they shared the same thoughts. Same dislikes, same likes. (Though Lithia scolded her brother when he burnt stuff.)
When Lithia was ten years old, she found Sylva asleep in a puddle, shivering. Lithia had rescued her and they became the best of friends. Still, to this day, Sylva regrets ever leaving her caretaker.

***

"We must continue. Do not make noise." Sylva said, sadness in her voice. Lavender walked out behind everyone else, shocked. She did not understand. How had everything died? It has been quite rainy these last couple of days, she thought, so shouldn't everything be alive? She was no plant expert, keep in mind.
It scared Lavender, to see something so devoid of life. Cather jumped at small sounds, like Honey stepping in a puddle. Cather spread his dotted wings and took flight above the rest of them. Looking around, he saw completely brown within the gardens walls. But outside of them, he could see green and other colors. He suddenly felt very sad and wanted to leave this place immediately. He flew back to the ground, looked at the dirt path, and imagined that the dirt was the only brown thing around him. "It looks like we have over two more hours of this road."

***

Lithia stared at her hands. How could Sylva have left her? Who would help her with the war now? After all, Lithia was the one who had saved her. Anger blotted her thoughts, so she did what she always did when she was mad. Train. She grabbed her weapon and put on her armor. It had been her mothers, and it was icy cold. Like me. she thought. After descending down two flights of steps, she reached a door. Next to it was a rack, and many weapons were on it. She opened the door, and the coldness rushed to greet her. Lithia accepted it, welcomed it even. She was the cold. She wandered around the training yard. There were dummies lined up all along each side. She chose one of the bigger ones, which had been enchanted to block attacks. She trained at that dummy for over an hour. Then, breathing in the icy air, she stepped away and beamed up at the dummy. It now had many, many cuts in it. Sighing, she left the training yard and went into the hatchery. All servants parted for her, saying stuff like "Welcome, Your Majesty." and "How can we be of service to You?" Most of them bowed their heads and curtsied. She nodded briskly and made her way to the stables, which were in a corner of the large room. As soon as she became five feet away from it, a brave Lupora named Horizon jumped at her, baring her teeth. Nodding again, she said "Come with me Horizon." Lithia had not expected an answer. But she got one.

"And why exactly should I follow you?" Horizon asked. No Sylestian has ever heard a Sylesti talk. No one, not even the druids. Lithia stopped in mid-step, turned on her heel, and said "What?"
"I asked why I should follow you." Horizon said. "H-how are you talking? Sylesties can't talk..." Lithia asked, obviously confused. "You do not know? What do they teach you in school? Nothing?" Horizon said with a sigh. "You're mother was strange. You know that." At this, Lithia looked at her feet. "She could talk to beings that other Avatars could not. You got that trait from her. Surely you've heard voices when you were alone with your 'pets'?" Horizon asked. Lithia did not want to admit it, but it was true. When she was training while her Sylesties watched, sometimes when she got a good hit on the enchanted dummy she heard quiet voices saying "Good job Lithia!" and "Amazing!" She did not mention this, but continued to stare at her feet. Horizon laughed and said "Yes, you have. Now, answer me. Why should I come with you?" Just then, a bell rang. "Runaways! Runaways! Search the perimeters!" a guard yelled.

***

After many hours of walking through the dead garden, the group of four reached a bridge. Cather tested it, wings fluttering. Though it was old and crumbling, the brick bridge seemed sturdy enough. "It's safe!!" Cather called from the other side of the raging river. Head held high, Sylva went first without hesitation. Honey was next. She tested each brick she stepped on, trembling. When she reached a missing brick, she looked down. The water was roaring beneath her. With a yelp, Honey covered the rest of the bridge in a leap. Lavender rolled her eyes and ran across. "Remind me to never go across that bridge again..." Honey said with a shudder. "Gladly." Lavender said, annoyed at the chef. "It's getting dark. We need to find a camp." Sylva said. The other three said words of agreement.

***

Lavender lay on the ground, stretching and yawning. Nearby, Cather shook off, water flying everywhere. "Do you mind?" she snapped, and Cather stopped, his spectral wings drooping sadly. Honey was busy making a fire and some food, making a great deal of noise. "So, what're we going to do? We can't run away fo-" Sylva began, but was interrupted by a sharp gasp. Then, from the depths of the shadowy cave, stepped forward a Zolnixi. His eyes were a deep purple, and they surveyed them all fearfully. "Rainbow Dust, what's going on? What's all that noise? Is something wrong?" asked a voice from behind him. A Sylvropa emerged, his eyes wide with shock as he stared around. "Cather? Sylva? What're you guys doing here? The prince and princess... In our cave... What?" he stammered, staring around. Something clicked in Sylva's mind. "But of course, Seaweed and Rainbow Dust! You were abandoned by our owners. I 'magine it ain't been fun? No... I suppose not... We ran away. The two fools started a war! We tried to warn the others but, well, they'll be fine." she said, smiling.
"You've said nothing, Rainbow Dust. Speak up!" Seaweed said, looking at him. Rainbow Dust cleared his throat and looked as if about to say something, before merely shrugging and looking away. "Ah, I've forgotten! We got some new friends living with us. And Cather," at this he beckoned the Zolnixi forward, "be wary of Temp." He shook his head at Cather's questioning look and let out a strange gurgle. Another Sylvorpa stepped into the light, glowering at everyone and snarling at Cather. "This is Tempesttorn!" Seaweed said cheerfully, though he looked scared. "And- come on out, Summerless, it's okay!- and this is Summerless!" A beautiful Ryori came forward, staring at everyone in turn with a neutral look. "Hello." she said, before sitting down.
Cather grinned at Summerless, but glared fiercely at Temp. The Sylvorpa suddenly gave a strange yelp and made to charge forward, if Sylva hadn't barely caught him and held him down. "LET ME HAVE AT HIM! THEY MUST BE DESTROYED!" he roared, struggling. Rainbow Dust shrank father into the shadows, trembling. "You see," Seaweed said in between gasps as he held on tightly to the fighting Sylvorpa, "he's not exactly friendly with Zolnixi's. Or any Sylestie at all, really." he added thoughtfully, grinning despite the struggle.

***

Horizon licked her paw as she watched Lithia pace around her room. "So let me get this straight," she began fiercely, (the Lupora rolled her eyes in exasperation) "I can talk to you. But I'm the only one who has ever been able to." The Sylestie stopped her grooming to glare. "Besides your mother, who you inherited it from." she said, standing up and yawning loudly. "Besides my mother..." Lithia agreed absently. "Well?" Horizon asked expectantly. "What did you want me for in the first place? You stole me from my... 'home' and now you merely pace, which is getting extremely agitating!" The Avator stopped and instead plopped down onto her bed. Rubbing her eyes, she sighed. "So, I may have started a war with my brother and maybe two of my best warriors ran away and maybe I need your help rallying a bunch of Sylesties to my side. I said I would only use Sylvorpa's, but I know for a fact that Colit has already cheated! So please, please, Horizon. Aid me in my time of desperate need!" Lithia cried, leaping to her feet to resume pacing. "Defy the very laws of my peers and of yours? Doubtful! This is your mess, your problem. I have always been shunned aside by you, ignored and spat upon! I am called filthy and a beast, a savage! I am no more than an animal to you! So, no, never shall I aid you!" Horizon hissed, stretching and flicking her tail in a rude gesture at the stunned Lithia.
"But I am your master! I own you!" the princess said quietly, instantly realizing once she saw the Sylesty's eyes widening in anger that she had said the wrong thing. "It's no wonder your greatest warriors ran away from you! We are so much lesser to you, we are common filth. But we are the ones that truly rule this world! Your kind hardly has any control of us. You're a cruel and horrible mistress. Perhaps I should flee too!" Horizon exclaimed, eyeing a small mouse that had entered the room. "But no, I shall not. I will not disobey my 'masters' so openly. But like I said, I will not work as a common servant in your war. Perhaps I have some bloodthirsty friends that are willing for a chance to carve Zolnixi flesh... Perhaps." Horizon grinned wickedly, her bright green eyes widening a the thought of the android, Tempesttorn.

***

Rainbow Dust tried not to shake as Tempesttorn walked near him. While he was a Zolnixi, the dreadful robot no longer savagely attacked him. He was rather scared now that his old friends had come back to him. Temp was especially moody lately (no doubt to the constant and rather annoying presence of Cather). Seaweed was cheerfully entertaining the guests with a game of seaweed-catch. He would throw one of his pale bracelets lined with seaweed and shells into the air, before catching it in his jaws and making it mysteriously disappear. When Honey asked what on Sylestia he was doing to make it vanish, his answer was, of course, magic. "Ya shouldn' be a fool, Honey! The obvious trick here is basic principles of... magic. The seashells we see here are part of our dear friend Seaweed, so they always come back to 'im!" Sylva had huffed proudly, Cather trying his best to contain his laughter, but of course he couldn't. There was a loud slapping noise and then darkness.
Cather woke up ten minutes later.
But now Temp kept coming awfully close to Rainbow Dust. He feared an attack, so he moved father back into the shadows. He clearly recalled the earlier fight, in which the Sylvorpa had nearly torn Cather apart. Luckily, the latter had no crucial injuries except for a few minor scratches on his arm that he had commented loudly looked like a sword going into a green Sylvorpa's heart. He nearly got killed there again, before Sylva hastily explained that it couldn't Temp because the android didn't have a heart. This satisfied the angry Sylesty, but still he prowled, waiting for a chance to launch an attack on someone who was unaware of the furious Tempesttorn. Lavender and Summerless had remained deep in conversation for most of the rainy night, so now the Zolnixi crept silently near them to hear what they were saying. "-but of course, Colit wouldn't want to give up his Zolnixi's or Lithia with her Sylvorpa's. We must alert everyone to go into hiding! This war can be prevented, I truly know it can! The two stup- sillies got themselves deep into this mess, and as both being past guards, we must get them back out! That is our duty, our solemn one." the Puffadore was explained earnestly, gazing intently into Summerlesss swirly eyes. The Ryori nodded her beautiful head, sighing deeply. "Of course, I agree. But if there was any possible way we could prevent this dreadful battle without any violence, it would be so fantastic. I know there is a way, we need not be worried." Summerless said in a sorrowful, musical voice. Tempesttorn, who had followed Rainbow Dust, leapt out of the shadows, a crazed look in his gray eyes. "BATTLE? WAR? CHANCE TO SKIN THE HORRIBLE BODIES OF ZOLNIXIES?" he roared, making Rainbow Dust beside him howl in fear and pain. Temp had accidently scratched him hard on the side during his brief but terribly loud rant. "So sorry." he added to the trembling Zolnixi, trying to smile but making his face twist into a cruel smirk.
"No, there is no war going on," Summerless lied calmly, gazing into the intense eyes without a trace of fear. It was known by everyone in the big cave that the Ryori had been the only one to be able to calm down the robotic Sylvorpa. That was why when Temp was banished, she had left with him. If she hadn't, then all of Sylestia would be in disarray and ruin. "No war, but instead an era of peace and calm." Summerless said, and the air around them sort of gave a slight twinge. Everyone noticed it, though none questioned it. Summerless was mysterious and magical. Sylva suspected that she had the ability to change the future itself, or at least the Sylvorpa hoped so. "Now that were all riled up, let us go to bed." Honey suggested, knocking over a jar of honey in her rush to set down small blankets for everyone. There were murmurs of agreement from everyone, even Temp, as they lay down and slowly drifted to sleep.

King Dalan stared blankly at the piece of paper in front of him. It was something about a merchant that had been robbed by a child, but his mind was far from that. He thought of nineteen years in the past, when two members had been introduced to the family...


The king eased open the door as quietly as he could, smiling at the sleeping forms in his bed. He nodded to the maid behind him, who passed him a platter full of cookies and other sweets. Dalan set the tray on the bedside table beside the bed, before lightly sitting down on the edge. A beautiful woman lied there, with folded wings behind her back and pale wolf ears sticking out from under a messy head of red and white hair. In her left arm, she cradled a little baby boy, with flaming red hair and bright orange wings coming out from his back. In her right, a girl who looked stern even when young with white hair and wolf ears like her mother. The woman's left arm had tiny burn marks, an odd contrast to her pale skin. Her right had frost encircling it, slowly moving upwards even as Dalan watched. The woman was awake, though barely. She smiled up at the king as he laid his hand on hers. "Hello, Solandrie. How are the children?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. She mouthed "Fine," back at him, grinning. He passed her a small berry cake, which she moved her body slightly so she could take it from him.
Years passed this way, with the family in perfect harmony. The kingdom adored the people of the castle, saying them to be blessed by someone greater than even the gods. There were rumors flying around that Krinadon, most revered Avatar in the lands, had smiled upon the children and parents. The king stubbornly said that, yes, those were rumors and nothing else, though it was rather obvious he was having an inward battle to resist the urge to grin.
Five years later, the family sits in a large room full of books and cushions. Solandrie had a book in her arm and a cup of tea in the other. When Dalan came toward her, she set both down on a low table and beckoned him to sit. He did so, smiling. While they talked, Colit thought up a devious plan. Momma likes her tea, he observed carefully. He quietly moved behind the couple, before placing a small hand on the cup and forcing magic into it. It grew hotter and hotter but he stayed. It didn't burn; quite the contrary. He barely felt anything! He only stopped when he knew that the cup would soon break. He tip-toed away, but to his disappointment Lithia walked up to his place, and laid her hand on the cup. She winced, but poured coolness into it until it was back to it's normal heat. "What're are you two doing?" Dalan asked, suddenly glancing at the quietly arguing children. "Nothing, Father." they repeated in unison, bowing their heads.

***

What innocent Dalan didn't know was that not only two children had been born, but three. Indeed, the poor man thought that his life was somewhat... unfinished. Not entirely whole. Solandrie had assured him that while the children might have her powers, they had his generosity and wits. This had comforted the king for many years, but he soon knew that something was wrong. The time around the twins birth was slightly fuzzy and vague. His men merely laughed when they heard him mumble that to them, telling him that he had been excited and nervous. "Of course yer memory's not so good, lad! Ye've just had two younggens, no common feat!" Sir Fal, an ancient but sturdy knight had cackled one late evening. Still Dalan did not believe this. There were too many things that led him to believe the contrary. Why had there been three cribs in his room the night of birth? He had quickly strode over to the extra, seeing it quite empty. But it looked as though someone small had been taken out of it. Indeed, there had been a faint but definite outline of a body. Once again he heard excuses, and he wanted to believe them all. "My king, why are you so paranoid? That night we set Colit in that crib but he fussed and fussed, nearly burning it down in his attempt. Of course, that didn't happen but... We had to move him to your own bed to sleep with the queen, and when he fell asleep we put him in a more cushioned one. Please, sire, believe me!" had said the queens personal maid in earnest. "Then explain this emptiness that fills me!" he had cried back in response, beginning to pace (a trait that Lithia had assumed from him). The maid had smiled softly and inclined her head slightly to the right, where there was a door ajar in which a soft tinkling laugh was coming from, followed by a less controlled one but still feminine. Then came a roar of anger, then outbursts of giggling. "Your family misses you. You work too hard, my king. You have not held your children in months, or kissed your wife." she said sympathetically. "They need me not. The children grow older. My wife has many things on her mind." he said stiffly, though in his heart he knew these words not to be true. The maid merely shook her head sadly and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her with a soft thud.
He strode over to the door in which his family sat, play-fighting with each other. Colit had a ball of fire in his hand, aiming it at the two others, a threatening look on his face. Lithia promptly made a wall of ice between them, smiling neatly. The seven year-old boy threw the fire at the shield, turning into water. It showered them all, bringing roars of laughter from them all. The two children then sat at their mothers feet, begging her to tell them a story. "Well, if you truly need me to, my fire and ice whelps!" Solandrie had said in her stern voice, so different from her untidy look and personality, shooting a wink at Dalan who still remained in the doorway. He smiled encouragingly at her, and she began.

You've heard of dragons, my children?

"Yes, Momma, of course we have!" interrupted Colit, looking proud. "Shut up for once, wont you?" Lithia snapped, though she smiled warmly. Colit didn't look even slightly insulted, mumbling "Fine." at her. Solandrie's grin reached her eyes, and once again she glanced up at Dalan, silently asking him to sit with them. He complied, sitting down, much to his children's disbelief. Colit looked about to say something, but Solandrie slapped his hand. "Yes, shut up!" she roared, once again bringing laughter from everyone.

Dragons, my children, are ancient and graceful creatures. They are not all bad, though not all good. If you see a dragon, you must respect it and worship it. They are proud and haughty, and do not take to being insulted. Once my mother called one an ugly old beast. Ha, she barely escaped with her life! A feisty one, my mother. She returned to our humble home with half her face burned off! No, of course I'm just joking, Lithia. But she had three nasty scars all in a row, and one of her eyes was going blind. Ah, those were the days... Your father and I were freshly in love back then, but I was loyal to the prince and he was loyal to me. He healed her slightly, but it didn't matter much when she ran off to fight that same dragon with only her bow! But that is not a tale for the night, she was so badly scarred, instead you shall hear of a great dragon, with power unmatched. Her scales were icy cold, and yet they claimed her to be a red dragon! Her breath caused armor to crack, frost encircling it, and yet it was fire. It burned the skin, it scorched it. Well, what an odd dragon, everyone thought. Two in one... how rare. It has never been seen twice. There has not been a Sylesty like this, there hasn't been an Avatar like it.

A smile danced on Solandries lips as she sipped from her tea. Her husband looked slightly disgruntled, hoping that he had misheard her. The children, so young, merely looked confused. "But, Momma, you're two in one!" Colit blurted, bewildered. "Indeed I am, child, and I have told you it has never been seen twice." she replied simply, setting her cup down. She looked sad as the next words came out of her mouth.

The current king wanted to slay the beautiful beast, to rid his lands of the creature. But when he arrived at the dragons lair, she was nowhere in sight. Instead, a beautiful young woman weeping. 'Oh, please, my good sir! The beast has burnt my farm to the ground, and I know not my family's fate! Please, my king, chase the dragon! She flew far to the north, to the Umbra Forest. You must avenge my fallen kin!' she had cried. This was a lie, my children. Her family was, in fact, perfectly safe. Her farm was not destroyed. The dragon had never laid a claw on anyone in all her time. And so the king trekked to the north, but found only a barrier of undead awaiting him. He lost many men in his desperate attempt to escape. If you go there to this very day, you will find lost-looking zombies in the castles royal crest.

"And now, children, you must scurry off to bed. Off you go. Colit! GO!" Solandrie said, lifting the young boy up with her feet. He didn't comply, instead staying there, whining. She shot a burst of fire at him, which engulfed him in flames. Lithia cried out, looking as if to rush to his side and help. But Colit emerged from them, looking thoroughly annoyed. He stalked off to his and Lithia's room without saying goodnight. Lithia looked paler than normal, but she spun on her mother and glared. And she was also suddenly somewhere very dark. Solandrie laughed, having encased her in a shield of cold ice, though the girl felt it not. But she was smart. Lithia lifted up her leg as much as she could and kicked. The ice cracked, and fell into pieces onto the floor. She too walked away, not looking back. The couple looked at each other, grinning. "Well," Solandrie whispered into Dalan's ear as Lithia slammed shut the door, "I think you ought to teach them a lesson of respect!" He grinned wickedly, nodding his consent. They left the room, turning out into a long hall. The only sign showing that anyone had been there was the soft fluttering of a tapestry, which Lithia had retreated under. The king and queen, both graceful but silly, flung aside the banner and walked into a dark passageway. "Really, I don't know why they made these tunnels!" she exclaimed quietly, looking around. "I bet they've been made for the convenience of Colit and Lithia. The two probably begged someone into digging them out. Truly, they are charming!" Dalan chuckled, smiling. They emerged again, this time in a room with another tapestry blocking the entrance. The twins stood off to one side, arguing quietly. "Of course she didn't hurt you, you don't feel heat!" Lithia whispered, her face flushed with anger. Colit was about to say something back, except they heard a soft cough behind them. They spun around in unison, eyes wide. "Hello, my queen and king." they said together, dipping into a bow. This was normally required when they were directly approached in public, and there was a servant dusting shelves, making hardly a noise. The two suddenly felt something climbing their backs, and it was very clingy. Colit managed to get a hold of some of it and tear it off. He stared at it, looking confused and then angry. "Ivy!" he growled, glaring at Dalan and secretly making the kings cloak began to smoke. Lithia also glared, encasing her fathers feet in ice so he couldn't move. Then the twins, using some uncanny magic that they had (Solandrie often called it twinism) launched a perfectly timed attack on Dalan. But their magic was nothing compared to the quick thinking of their mother. With one hand, she shot ice at his smoldering cloak, with the other melting the ice on his feet with some fire. Then the room was filled with shouts and bolts of magic, vines and ice, fire and water. The servant had long ago scurried ago in fright. Once they were tired out, the room was hardly recognizable. The walls were burned away in some parts, and dressers were still smoldering. Plants sprouted up in between cracks in the walls and floor, and vines grew up the walls. Ice hung from the ceiling like crystal chandeliers, and the floor was slick in some places with small puddles of ice. Any bystander would have thought this to be a deadly battle between enemies, and they never would have guessed this to be an almost regular goodnight. Dalan and Solandrie swept from the room, taking good care care to step on toys and the like. Lithia and Colit stared at their backs in shock. "We have to clean this up?" Colit complained, plopping down onto his burnt bed. Lithia shook her head, and even as she did so, everything went back to normal. "Momma's magic, of course." he said, nodding. "Perhaps, but you must be more formal. Call her Mother or queen." she snapped back, crossing her arms and laying down on the bed. "Sorry, Lithia, princess." he mumbled to himself. Lithia smiled to herself and rolled over, her head on her hands.


Tears fell rapidly down his face and onto the paper in front of him. Nothing hurt him more than recalling his family's old playfulness. Now a member of it was gone, and Colit seemed to become less rebellious every day. This deeply saddened the king, for Solandrie had raised her children to be fierce and silly. He recalled the beautiful gardens of the castle, tended with loving care by his wife and children. Dalan would even sometimes go out with them, helping grow new plants and help old ones. Then the carefreeness of the kingdom changed on a misty knight. The long story involves a dragon, a blade, and a queen. But our other friends are eager for a chance to tell their story. Remember Honey, the clumsy Ferikki. Recall Cather, sarcastic and sassy. Rejoice with Summerless, mysterious and magical. Laugh with Seaweed, carefree and a silly Vorpa. Talk to Sylva, the smart Sylvorpa. Glare with Lavender, the strong yet snappy ex-guard Puffadore. Shulk with Rainbow Dust, the shy Zolnixi. Don't forget to fight with Tempesttorn, the fierce robot.

***

Wish stirred the contents, muttering a complex spell. There was movement off to the side; he didn't mind. Onyxia, his faithful friend, had warned him of a danger. A group would travel to his hut and seek company. "This must be prevented!" he growled, shaking his wild mane of hair. Onyxia glanced up from the pond she lay upon. A lily-pad was beneath her, allowing her to recline easily. Wish continued to stir, finalizing his potion. He knew that King Dalan would get him in trouble for such use of herbs, but right now that was not on the wizard's mind. He let out a maniacal cackle and carefully poured the contents into small vials. He grabbed some wooden bowls and poured milk into it, uttering a spell. The milk was suddenly warm. Wish measured the potion and poured equal amounts in each bowl. Satisfied, he put the bowls on the ground outside his hut.
Already, angry bickering could be heard from a far. Then a blue Sylvorpa rounded the corner, followed by a green Zolnixi.

***

Sylva halted as she saw a small and shabby wooden cabin. Cather bumped into her back, making the Sylvorpa bare her teeth at him. He shied away, moving back beside Seaweed who nudged him playfully and whispered something about how cute Sylva was. Cather blushed furiously, flicking his tail at Seaweed, who dodged it.
"Stop yer messing around!" Sylva snapped, cautiously slipping into the murky water. She swam through the liquid like a dart, and clumsy Honey was truly amazed. Sylva then climbed onto a side of the hut, peeking through an empty window. There was a Nephini draped across a person's shoulder. Wish turned around, his wild antlers almost catching hold of one of the dreamcatcher's he had set up. The wizard grinned wickedly, revealing to long and pearly white fangs amongst a bunch of crooked and yellow teeth.
He quickly cast a spell that no one else knew, a spell that would allow him to talk to all Sylesties.
"So, you're the leader of the group who's coming to pay me a- ah, visit?" he whispered, waving his hand carelessly. A small wave suddenly tugged at Sylva, who was perched on a thin piece of wood. She knew the man to be teasing her, giving her a taste of his rage and power.
"Perhaps I am, but we'll be on our own way, and ye on yours. We didn't mean ye any harm, I hope ye know!" With that, she dove back into the water and swam to the shore where her friends were waiting. Temp stood behind them all, trembling. He scratched Cather's back before dodging behind Seaweed. Cather glared at Seaweed, assuming that he had done it.
"There's a crazy wizard back there and a Nephini companion. We best not interact." Sylva said in a low voice, walking forward. "I HATE NEPHINI'S!" Tempesttorn roared, making Rainbow Dust nearly fall over. That's not true, Sylvorpa's and Nephini's get along fine, Lavender thought, but then again, you hate everyone.
With a start, Honey realized that Summerless had left her side and was nowhere to be found.

***

The Ryori gasped for breath as soon as she was released. She spun around, looking for her captor. She only found a dark green Nephini hanging from a branch calmly. "Onyxia," Summerless said politely, bending her front legs in a half-bow. "Summerless," Onyxia replied, nodding her head. The two stared at each other for a minute, before there was rustling and out from the bushes came Wish.
"Good job, my friend." he whispered to Onyxia, who entwined herself around his arm like a sleeve. "I notice you are the most powerful of your group. I sense you can control natural disasters?" he inquired to Summerless, who nodded, seeing no point to lie. "I do what I can to stop some. But others I must not, for I can not save everyone... If I do, I die." she said calmly.
Wish nodded, biting his lower lip. "I have been banished from the kingdom of Ethernia. Onyxia came with me, bravely. She left her family..." he paused to give the Nephini a loving scritch on her chin.
"I can find uses for you. You must destroy King Dalan and his people," Wish whispered. "They're going to start a war that will ruin all of Sylestia." Summerless stared at him calmly with those huge grayish-blue eyes.
"No." she said simply. "I would not hurt other's for the sake of one. I would never, never, kill innocent people." Her face contorted with horror as what the wizard was asking of her sunk in. "Never." she whispered again, glaring at the man furiously. Wish shrugged; he had assumed this to be her answer.
"Say, you're an astral sort of thing?" he asked, grinning horribly. "What would happen if we put out your smoke?" And with that, he pushed Summerless, with surprising strength for such a thin man, into the swirling brown water. There was a yelp of terror and then silence.
"Whoops!" Wish muttered when she didn't come back up. With a shrug, he started to walk back across the wooden bridge to his cabin.
He was thrown off the bridge by a furious green Sylvorpa.

***

Dalan ordered a servant to his fetch his children. The maid complied, hurrying off. While the king waited, he read the paper again. It claimed his children had declared war on each other. This, of course, was not good. A few minutes later, two nineteen year old children walked into his room, shoving each other roughly. When Dalan's gaze fell upon them, they immediately bowed. "My king," they offered politely, righting only when their father bid them to do so.
"I have heard tidings that you two have declared war upon each other," he whispered, looking disappointed. The two stiffened, bowing their heads and nodding. "I'm ashamed. You will call this off at once." Colit's face fell. "I'm afraid that's impossible, sire. We have already rallied many troops and there's already infighting. We will let those who don't wish to fight leave, though who would want to abandon their leader's?" Lithia exclaimed quietly.
The king's eyes flashed. "You will call this off," he repeated through thin lips. "Your mother would not want any of us to get hurt." He struck gold then, the twins beginning to shuffle their feet nervously. "Mother would want us to come out of this battle, victorious and unharmed. We will not call it off." Lithia and Colit said together in unison. Dalan stood up, trembling with rage. "You will." Once again they shook their heads, making him roar in anger. "Guards! Escort my children to some cells. Do not let them get out." he cried when two heavily armed men rushed into the room. One grabbed Colit roughly, the other gently lifting Lithia off her feet.
Outraged that she was considered gentle and not fierce, she bit the man's hand the was laid upon her breast, restraining her from breaking free. He let go briefly, wincing, but this break was all Lithia needed. She shot a bolt of ice at the guard holding Colit and he too let go. The twins rushed through the door, the princess sealing it with ice. There was an angry yell from inside, obviously from the king.
The two ran through the castle, drawing curious looks from Sylesties and Avator's alike. They stopped when they reached the cleverly concealed room that no one else knew about. Lithia sank down onto a cushioned chair, trembling.
"My God, my God!" she whispered repeatedly, and Colit shared her concerns. To disobey to the king was punishable by prison, or more commonly, death. "What are we going to do?" he asked, shaking servely. Lithia shook her head in confusion, not knowing. Then she said something like nothing obedient Lithia had ever said. "We run away," she whispered, terrified at the thought. "Perhaps we can not do this war... Perhaps we must flee like our warriors before us."
"And do what?" Colit asked sharply, breathing heavily. "We look for Cather and Sylva. Only with aid will we survive... Maybe we can find clues to our past, to why mother so mysteriously died. And that story... the story where she said that not one being except a great dragon had ice and fire powers. It was a hint, a clue." she said, barely comprehending the words which she spoke. The two snuck down into the kitchen, where the Ferikki chef had gone missing. They stole bread and cheese, before calmly walking out of the front doors of the palace.
The guards there tried to stop them, but they were no match for the magic of the twins. Soon the two were heading towards where it was rumored the deserter royal Sylesties had been headed; Sweet Blossom Orchard.

Dear reader, I feel the need to remind you that this is the past and has not been told; therefore, anything can change. Remember how Summerless lied to Tempesttorn, about how there was no war... only peace and calm. Perhaps these words will come true- perhaps they will only soften the blow of a thousand sweeps of a sword. Perhaps.

Seaweed swam as fast as he could, charging through the water like a bullet. He heard Wish struggling against the fierce Tempesttorn, but ignored this and tried to navigate through the murky water. Eventually he heard a quiet splash some twenty feet away, and when he got there, he found Summerless trying to climb up a thin sapling that had grown in the water. A wet Ryori is not a pretty sight.
Summerlesss normally astral-like smoke arising from her body had disappeared, leaving a bare and unprotected layer of skin. Her skin was a mixture of gray, brown and blue. Her eyes were frantic and fearful as Seaweed hesitantly approached her. "Come on, Summerless. Its okay, come on then." he whispered calmly, and Summerless allowed Seaweed to gently lay her down on his chest, before swimming backwards and upside down through the water, taking great care to make sure that the Ryori's head stayed above the murky surface.
Once the two were back on the spongy shore, Summerless shook her body gracefully, scrunching up her face in concentration. Her smoke began to curl out of her paws, then her legs, then her neck, and so on. Soon she looked normal, if but a little shaken. "Where's that man?" she asked. Seaweed gestured to the shore, where Wish lay with many scratches and bruises.
The seven walked towards him, Temp sitting by the mans side. Wish felt the angry eyes on him, and could only chuckle drily and shake his head. "Is she okay?" he whispered, eyes closed. "Perfectly fine," responded a cold voice, Rainbow Dust. Everyone looked at him in surprise, but he paid no attention to them.
"But thanks to your foolishness, she's badly shaken and will need time to recover. So I hope you'll accept us as your guests, because your home really looks comfortable."
Wish let out a resigned sigh, and peeked open one eye. "Please, make yourself home." he said, sitting up. He stood up, spun around on his left foot, and magically teleported into his hut. Seaweed, Rainbow Dust, Summerless and Temp walked out onto the rickety ramp, the last two reluctantly.
As Lavender and Cather made to walk behind them, Sylva flung herself in front of them. "We can't just stay here!" she hissed quietly. "Recall that we ran away?" Honey and the other two stopped in their tracks, lowered their heads and sighed. "Just- stay here." Cather said to them, and they watched as he darted across the rickety walkway.
It was silent as the Zolnixi walked to the empty door frame of the house. There he saw all the Sylesties glaring at Wish, who was sitting on a wooden table, glaring right back. Onyxia let out a faint hiss at the sight of the Zolnixi. "What is it, Cather?" Rainbow Dust asked, turning around.
"So, remember how Lavender, Honey, Sylva and I ran away from the castle? Were being sought after- were to be killed if were caught. I'm sorry, we have to leave you. But I wish you all luck and good fortune, wherever your other journeys may take you." he said, inclining his front knees in a sort of bow.
"Farewell, friend." replied Summerless, somewhat sadly. The others murmured farewells, too, looking sad. And even Temp was sad- who was he going to beat up now? And so the two groups were separated, four friends staying in the swamp, four others walking back down the murky trail.

***

Lithia let out a groan as her cheek was scraped against a thorny rosebush. Her armor, which she had long ago taken off and put into a bag, slowed her down. Colit was having similar problems, occasionally setting small bushes on fire, causing Lithia to quickly shoot the smoldering plant with her ice, glaring at her brother.
The two were a sorry sight. Both of their hair was tangled and had twigs in it, their arms and legs were scratched, and they were simply in a foul mood. So when they found a well maintained wood cabin deep into the forest, relief flooded their senses as they stumbled to the door and knocked.
An old and portly man answered the door, his wife close behind him. "Oh dear," said the man, looking worried. "Come on in, you two. Do tell what happened." The two were quickly ushered in, the man muttering "Make some tea for them, Beth." to his wife. "I'm Jonathan," he said once the twins had sat down on a couch. "And you are?" The two glanced at each other and accepted the tea from Beth, sipping it to avoid conversation. But Jonathan didn't relent.
Colit sighed and brushed his shaggy bangs out of his eyes. "I'm Colit, and this is Lithia. Were the kings children, and we've declared war on each other. But now that we really think about it, we've realized how stupid we were. But... When our father asked us to apologize and leave this whole fiasco, we said no. So... now we're running from the royal guards." he said quietly, quite embarrassed at the look of confusion that passed over the couple's faces.
Jonathan shook his head in awe, reaching for his cup before quickly withdrawing it due to the heat. Lithia leaned forward and placed her hand on it, cooling it down. This was an absent minded action, one that she had to do a lot due to her mischievous brother.
"So, we should maybe leave or else you two could get in trouble. We wouldn't want that. But we can offer you gifts to beg you of your silence- you might call them bribes." Lithia said, sitting up and saying a quiet word of thanks for the tea. She then muttered to Colit, "Do something cool with your fire. Or- something hot." She quietly laughed at her stupid pun, Colit rolling his eyes.
He shook his arms and tapped his chin thoughtfully. He spun his arms around in a circular motion, eyes looking as if they were on fire (and they were). "Winter is fast approaching," he said wisely, the old couple agreeing. "I grant you both eternal fire- one that will change its degrees according to your single thought." Then he gently placed the now flaming orb of fire into the fire place, where it licked at the logs but didn't burn. It did give off a tremendous amount of heat, heat that was indeed welcomed.
"And I- I give you something more of beauty than practicality. Ice can hurt and scorch, as can fire. But when used in a kind and gentle manner... By the gods, it can be astonishingly helpful or pleasant." Lithia said, closing her eyes and raising her hands, speaking softly. In an empty corner, an ice sculpture appeared. It was of every known Sylesty, Sylvorpa's splashing in small puddles, Puffadore's chasing each other around, Bulbori's shyly cuddling. They all were in their own private spot, and at the very top, supported by magic, was a dragon, a blue one.
Beth and Jonathan admired the sculpture and eternal fire, bowing down and thanking them immensely. "Be assured, Your Majesties," Beth said in a British accent (though of course there is no Britain in this world). "None will hear of your passing this way. But please, stay the night. We have food and bed, and heaven knows what trouble will befall you if you wander out into the darkness."
The twins thanked them and allowed themselves to be led to a small room, where there was a small bunk bed. Colit immediately climbed on the higher bunk, sticking his tongue at Lithia's quietly angry face. Jonathan, who had shown them the room, shook his head happily and wished them both protection from the wild dangers. And more royal ones.

When morning came, Beth made a delicious breakfast of eggs and pancakes. Once everyone had finished the food, the two elders sat up and walked to their room, where they stayed for fifteen minutes or so. While the twins waited for whatever they were doing, Lithia washed some dishes while Colit gathered clean clothes and polished their weapons and armor.
Jonathan and Beth came out of the room, holding two knapsacks, offering one to each of the twins. They peeked inside, revealing normal supplies like food, water, and rope. "Stay safe," Beth commanded sternly, everyone nodding in agreement. "And if you ever wander this way, pay a visit." But everyone knew that the odds of that happening were low.
So the prince and princess, in common but clean clothes, walked out of the door and into the dense forest. The sun filtered through the branches of tall and sturdy trees, creating an odd pattern on the leafy floor. A breeze, hinted with the slightest chill, desperately tried to reach anything it could. All in all, it was a fine autumn day, and the twins were feeling confident.

***

The sky flitted around its wings.
The sun shone behind it.
The ground whooshed past below it.
The beast was free; from mortal bounds, from natural ones, from more draconic ones. The great beast sighed and shifted its wing ever so slightly, changing direction to a network of caves. The air, which had been reasonably warm, suddenly got colder, then hotter, and back again. The dragon didn't question it; its brood was of ice and fire dragons. It was the mother of over fifty of them, though they held little to no respect or concern for her.
As she landed on the ground, she heard rather than felt the burst of fire behind. Spinning angrily, she lashed out with her tail, knocking a fire dragon to its side. It started to get back up, before feeling the intense heat and biting cold of our brood mothers special breath- Iceflame. And that was her name, though she hated it.
The red dragon, smoke furling from its nostrils, limped away, occasionally stopping to tenderly lick its wound on its front left leg.
Iceflame sighed again, and stretched out as a cat might. She hated that red- it was one of her oldest children. He had ambition, and was getting out of control. Though the females of dragons were dominant and superior to males, he still wanted power. Power that wouldn't be willingly given.
She let out a roar, startling new-born whelplings. None of her children had been a combination of fire and ice, not yet. All her mates had been one kind, sticking to fire and ice. One time, she even mated with a water dragon. Those eggs had not lived, battling with themselves, not being able to decide which power to take on.
She was interrupted from her brooding by a quiet hiss behind her. Iceflame turned around in concern. There was a small ice dragon, icicles pointing up on its back to form spikes. It breathed in regular air, but the thing that went out was snow. It bowed its head in respect, Iceflame nodding in her turn. The ice dragons, while still fierce, were far more wise- but smaller than the more famous red. But wit, like they always said, could be used as a far stronger force than sheer size and power.
The newcomer, named Crystallize, indicated that she would speak to her mother. The latter let out a quiet hiss in response as they shifted their minds so that they could telepathically speak.
I see you harmed my ignorant brother, Crystallize mused, grinning a toothy grin. It serves the foolish male right. My sisters inform me that he has found a mate. I hope she is worthy and strong, and dominant! Iceflame nodded her head in agreement, stretching out again. If not, we can easily kill her. What's another life, when we currently have twenty new eggs hatching. Speaking of which, perhaps we should check on the new whelplings.
The two flew up into the sky in unison, before pulling into a dive, gracefully landing on a rocky and rigid platform. In between slabs of stone were eggs, some being cold to the touch and an icy blue, others scorching and red. Only a few of these eggs were cracked and abandoned; these ones would be older and more skilled than their slow siblings.
Crystallize nodded in satisfaction. Even though she was quite young, she had laid some of the eggs that had already hatched. They would be purebred- ice, stronger ice than most dragons in their network. We must find the whelplings. They've probably already wandered into our caves, the ice dragon suggested, Iceflame nodding and flapping her wings as to rustle the still confined whelps.
Then the two carefully picked their way to a huge cave that was situated right next to the hatching grounds. They could hear snarls and winces coming from the depths of the cave. Iceflame rushed forward quickly, roaring loudly. The sound disappeared, replaced by a quiet shuffle of eight claws against stone.
There were four dragons, three of which were huddled together. The one that was alone, a green, growled angrily and tossed its head back. Iceflame was genuinely surprised that an earth dragon was in her caves, but didn't question it for long. The other ones were what made Iceflame stop in her tracks.
They were all side by side, two of the whelps leaning on another for protection. The middle one, the largest in the room besides the adults, had a menacing gleam in her eyes, teeth bared. To her left whimpered a red dragon, a male who was almost as big as the middle one, who was female. To the right was an ice dragon, who looked frightened but brave. She cuddled closer to the middle dragon.
The two younger ones were obviously from the same egg. No two dragons of such different breeds would willingly be so close together and look for comfort in the other. The middle one was truly puzzling though. It seemed that for once, a dragon of ice and fire had finally been born. She was an adolescent, as was the other green that had bullied the newborn whelps.
The names of these dragons escaped Iceflame, so she said what came to her mind. Solandrie, she muttered, gesturing to the mixed dragon with a talon. Dalan, she pointed to the menacing green. Colit and Lithia she then gestured to the red male, then the ice female. The words came to her, as did a picture of a family. There was a king, a queen, and twins. But... no, not twins. Triplets. Iceflame fainted, a very undragonlike thing to do.

***

Honey yawned and stretched, shaking her head fiercely to remove any drowsiness from her body. She opened her eyes just to find herself snout-to-snout with Lavender. The Puffadore cleared her throat and sat down, beginning to groom herself. "Sylva and Cather are out looking for food," she explained when Honey glanced around questioningly. "Your honey is getting toxic." she added, making the Ferikki scowl and plop back down.
She then made an orb of honey and stubbornly tossed it into her mouth, making her try desperately to keep a straight face. Lavender scoffed and walked away, laying down around a sturdy oak tree.
Honey surveyed her surroundings, as she hadn't been able to see them in the night. They were in a dense forest, though the ground was still swampy in places. They couldn't find a clearing as they stumbled in complete darkness the night before, so they eventually settled down at a place that seemed safe enough. The ground here was firm, with a large slab of rock shooting out of a small hill, providing shelter from the wind and rain. They had made their weak fire there, cuddling around it to preserve warmth.
Lavender shifted uncomfortably; this was the first time Honey and her had been alone and she didn't know what to say. "Tell me your story", she commanded. "Then I'll tell mine." Honey stared at the Puffadore for a second, before shrugging and beckoning Lavender closer and lifting her tail in front of herself.
Then to Lavender's great surprise, she saw a reflection staring back at her. But not hers. Instead, two Ferikki's. They looked exactly like Honey. They were obviously her mother and father.
"My mother and father, though I loved them both, left me when I was still a child. It was a tearful goodbye, them saying to use my powers to serve the kingdom and royalty. I knew only one skill, besides being clumsy- I could make honey. So, even though I had a name, I was dubbed Honey. Its a fine name, and I don't even remember my old one. Though I was accepted into the royal kitchens as the lead chef, they still scolded me and treated me differently. I don't know why.
"The maids and servants and cooks all said I was just an absolute delight. Mind you, I speak of the Sylesties. The Avatars, well, they kicked me around since I was a cub. The prince and princess were the nicest of all, Colit sometimes dropping a bite for me to eat and Lithia patting me on the head. Even though they couldn't speak to me, they were my best friends. And my worst enemies.
"The royalty of Ethernia had to be strict and unrelenting. Lithia, she's cold and snappy. Colit is like a firework- he could go off at any minute. And King Dalan- well, no one ever sees him. He's secluded from the world, barely ever seeing his children. He more often visits his councilors and other court people then his own family.
"The cause of this is because of his wife's death- or mysterious disappearance. No corpse was found, no evidence leading to her murder. The top investigators of Sylestia couldn't see any clue, some of them even helplessly suggesting that a plant in her garden had eaten her, because that was where she was last spotted. Dalan and his children immediately snapped back that no plant would willingly harm their queen and friend. And besides, they had planted every flower, every tree, every bush- everything, together.
"But I suppose you didn't ask for their story. You asked for mine. I don't have much to say, except I know what happened to Queen Solandrie. I was there that terrible night." Honey stopped talking, closing her eyes.

Sylva cursed as she heard Cather's anguished cry in front of her. Rushing forward, she saw him caught in a deep hole, obviously dug by some elf. The Sylvorpa let out a sigh and rolled over onto her back, breathing deeply. She had really thought that something had happened to her friend. In Cather's eyes, this was something, and that grumpy Sylvorpa was doing nothing.
"Hellooo!" he called up angrily, fluttering his wings. Sylva sighed again, turning so she could better glare at the Zolnixi. "Ye have something that we don't." was all she called back, making him stomp and flutter his wings again.
"What an idiot ye are!" Sylva finally exclaimed, sitting upright. "Ye have wings." Cather felt beyond embarrassed as he gently landed in front of his friend, glancing back at his astral wings. He sighed and shook his head hopelessly. "What's the point?" he moaned, glancing longingly back at the pit. "We're probably not even going in the right direction!"
Sylva immediately slapped him across the face with her tail fin. "Don't question my accuracy or senses." she growled, making Cather back away. "Sorry, sorry! I understand what Colit meant when he said that Sylvorpa's had terrible tempers." He said the last part quietly, so that Sylva might not hear. But she totally did.
"Listen, if yer so good at tracking and finding the right way to go, then by all means, lead the way!" Sylva snapped, walking away back towards their makeshift camp when Cather said nothing.
He moved to follow her, but couldn't make it as he fell into yet another deep pit. This time, he tore one of his wings (they're made of weird silky substance, but don't ask me how he hurt one) on a root and couldn't fly back up again. He tried pawing at the dirt, trying to find a hold so that he might climb up. But this time, the hunters were waiting for him. Two elves, both strong but hard to see, threw down a Lesser Snare Trap on Cather, who, being so surprised, couldn't escape.

Cather winced as he felt the rope dig into his flesh. The cruel hunters had put him into a net that they suspended above the ground. The Zolnixi heard the laughter of the elves, and he tried desperately to spin around. He was barely able to, catching just a glimpse of two elves- wait, not elves. He did a double take as he realized he was staring at a genie and a faun.
The genie's eyes had a a blank look, as if she was possessed. The faun seemed to be decaying in some places of his body- like on his cheek, it looked like an apple that got chewed up by a bug.

***

The king pushed his way past the bowing stablehands and swept up to a stall with two Sylesties in it. One was a Bulbori with ribbons tied all around her arms and body. She looked graceful and silly, though stern and serious when needed. Beside her, in the dark shadows, was a Lighira, who seemed to really melt into the darkness. These two were the best trackers in all of Ethernia.
With a great sigh, he announced his presence with a hoarse cough. The two Sylesties knew their mission already. There had been talk of the prince and princess running away, and it was expected that soon the king would send scouts or at least guards to find the royalty.
Before Ribbon and Kelena ran off, Dalan held up a perfect picture of a rather frightening Lunemara. Their eyes were black. And eyes, they had a lot of. This was the supposed most dangerous Sylesty in the kingdom, and was known for closing down on their victim and ripping their eyes out to add to their terrible collection. Ommeta would then use magic to attach it to their wings or body, and as soon as the eyes touched them, they would turn black. But since Ommeta took way too many eyes, they ate a lot of their findings.
Ribbon and Kelena, fearless even now, nodded and kneeled in respect before bounding off to find the mysterious Lunemara. "I just hope we don't get our eyes eaten!" Ribbon muttered to Kelena, who spread her feathery wings and let out a low growl.


A lone elf wandered down the empty street, hair disheveled from a long day of hard work. He straightened his jacket as he turned the corner and walked towards his small house. He couldn't make it as he became blind, then quickly dead.

Ommeta fluttered their wings in satisfaction. That elf had had especially tender and large eyes, making for a marvelous bedtime snack. But they sensed someone coming. Perhaps another tasty snacky to satisfy my hungers? they wondered, many eyes bright at the very notion of two snacks.
They felt breathing on their neck, so they spun around eagerly before sighing in disappointment. It was just Kelena, though they didn't know that. Very soon Ribbon appeared too, gasping for breath and twirling her ribbons majestically and grinning. Ommeta knew their task. They knew that maybe the twins would be in such grave trouble that the king would allow them to eat some eyes! This thought made the Lunemara fluttery and excited, and they nodded readily when asked to assist the two in their search.

***

Sylva walked into the camp angrily, glaring fiercely at Honey and Lavender. "Calm down, Sylva!" the Ferrikki cried, and Sylva stopped. "I'll tell you a story of a dragon, a blade... and a queen."


Solandrie walked through the moonlit garden, her simple dress flowing behind her. Such joy. Such joy that could not last. The queen sighed and raised her arms to the sky, tears streaming down her perfect face. Two inch faeries flew around her and joined the sorrowful dance. The faeries all looked the same.
The queen danced through the night, until a cloud obscured the moon and the world was cast into darkness. She then suddenly disappeared into the night, wings spread and claws clenched. The dragon soared into the sky, roaring with the joy of freedom. There was a detail missed by the many faeries who had watched their beloved queen soar away, never to return.
On her back, Solandrie carried a twelve year old boy with a Ferrikki clutched tight to his chest. The boy's hair was disheveled from the wind, and he looked like a miniature version of Dalan. He had inherited the pale skin and wings from his mother.
"We fly, Zaos. Soon you will learn to fly like this," Solandrie whispered into the cool night air. "Soon, my son, you will be a dragon."

***

The dead leaves crunched under her delicate paws, making the Lupora wince and glance around nervously. She was pretty sure that Lithia had seen her one rainy night. Flashing a toothy grin, Horizon jumped to a rock, then another, before finally landing on a large slab of stone that overlooked a small meadow. In this meadow, Lithia and Colit sat.
The prince and princess picked berries from the surrounding forest, then took them back into the field. Lithia picked flowers and put them in her hair for decoration. Her brother rolled his eyes in exasperation, trudging back to the woods to find dry wood for a fire. It would rain that night, so they had to get some firestarters before everything got wet.
Colit, unlike Lithia, was not a jumpy person. So when Horizon calmly strode out to meet him behind a small line of trees, only his eyes widened. Then he ignored her altogether and gathered some branches of a tree that had recently fallen over.
The Lupora was not too surprised by this reaction, so she carefully picked her way through the meadow and to where the twins had set up their camp. It was surprisingly safe- the high plants surrounding the small circle Lithia had made protected them from onlookers and the wind. They had a long sheet of birch bark that they had pulled off of a tree, and now Lithia was poking small holes in the edges of it and sticking blades of grass into them. Once done, the "roof" was just a foot shorter than Colit, so they would have to crawl on their hands and knees to move at all.
"Making this looks tedious," Horizon commented as Lithia lay back against a mossy rock. She was in the shade now, protected from the harsh sun. The princess jumped up and almost tore a hole in the ceiling. "Sorry, didn't mean to disturb you." The elf caught her breath and slowly sat back down, straightening her humble clothes.
"I was not disturbed," Lithia replied slowly, deeply disturbed. Horizon scoffed in disbelief and scanned the small "room". Spotting a bowl of berries in a makeshift corner, she rushed over and began to gobble them up. "H- hey!" Lithia yelled angrily. "These are ours!" The poor Lupora was starving, though, and Lithia could see it. So she shared.

He was pretty sure that he was a god.
And that he ruled over all.
And that this new continent was his.
And that this "king" was a fake.
He wanted to see the armor-clad, idiotic man.
But this man was wise.
And had no armor on, save his odd tree-like clothes.
He didn't have a name. Where he came from, everyone was addressed the same, though this angered The Lord. He wanted to be different in any way possible, wanted a splash of color. So he was called 'The Lord'. The land he came from had no color, or differences, or any emotion at all. They claimed they did, but it was false. When he told of his home to King Dalan, the latter immediately thought of an ancient book called The Giver. ((This is a real book!))
Anyway, King Dalan was a terrible barbarian and The Lord thought it in the best interests of these people and his for him to conquer Sylestia. Little did he know that Dalan had a thousand men and women ready to fight at their kings very gesture.
So when The Lord casually thrust a sword through Dalan's belly, he was met with the rain of a hundred arrows and blades.

***

Onyxia entwined herself tightly around Wish's arm, hissing faintly. Her yellow eyes glared at the four Sylesties before her. How come they, Rainbow Dust, Seaweed, Summerless and Tempesttorn could gaze upon her master? How come they, who were so insignificant, dare snarl back at Wish? Onyxia's mouth twitched and she thought of ripping them to shreds. This was really odd- she was usually calm and gentle towards other Sylesties. But she had the urge to please Wish at whatever cost, be it her own life.
"Calm, my beautiful baby," Wish whispered lovingly into his only friend's ear. "There is no need to kill them; they are quite useful." He looked imploringly at the Sylesties seated before him. "Or at least they will be soon." He grinned his wicked grin and thought up a curse that just might get these stubborn fools to work with them.

***

She listened intently to the faun, before bursting out into uncontrolled laughter. Not as if she had a choice. The genie, Atha, was basically mind controlled by her companion. She had to obey his every wish- as was all genies terrible fate. But Atha was the most powerful genie in all of Sylestia, granting up to a thousand wishes. She was not deceitful when providing for her masters. She had had this faun controlling her for only a month, yet Sylestia began to crumble every hour.
Atha had caused the argument which began the war.
Atha had, years ago, enchanted Tempesttorn to hate Zolnixi's.
Atha had dropped the filter of unlearning on Rainbow Dust and Seaweed.
Though no one knew it yet, Atha had melted the Sylesty sculpture that Lithia had made for the generous couple, and had froze Colit's flame.
Atha had run the thought through Solandrie's mind to flee. And never return.
Atha was actually a good person- genie- and was nicknamed Atha the Kind, but she was more commonly known as Atha the Possessed. She couldn't escape her horrid fate.

***

Seaweed found his thoughts wandering to Sylva a lot. In fact, he was thinking of her at least half of the time. So when Wish hit him, the Sylvorpa didn't notice it. He just had a huge goofy grin on his face, hoping his friend was all right. Summerless, being the wise Ryori she was, shook her head, smiling slightly.
His childhood had been a good one, being raised by Lithia. Rainbow Dust, practically his brother, had been raised by Colit. Then a careless stablehand dropped a Philter of Unlearning onto the two of them. The prince and princess, only thirteen, threw them out, disgusted.
Rainbow Dust gave a yelp, and Seaweed was brought back to reality. Wish, with Onyxia draped across his shoulders, was plucking the Zolnixi's tail-hairs out, one by one. Summerless, who had been wandering by, quickly dashed in but then stopped. What could she do? Harm Wish? She cast a begging look at Seaweed, who nodded and batted the wizard aside with his paw.
Onyxia sprung out like a spring, trying to find a good place to bite the Sylvorpa. She choked him, slapped him, bit him, until Seaweed lie in a heap beside Rainbow Dust. Summerless stared at the bodies in horror. Wish looked at her expectantly. "They're your friends, aren't they? Do something! I will not have my--" he began wickedly, but was cut off by Tempesttorn.
Temp had been getting a sort of therapy from Summerless, though this angered him greatly. But, much to the Ryori's satisfaction, he seemed to become more loyal to his companions, and his anger was simmering down. Of course, Summerless wasn't telling him about how she occasionally snuck up to him while he was inactive and fiddled with wires. Seaweed, who sometimes caught her at this, had no idea how she did it, but... Temp was getting better at being nice.
Summerless rushed to her friends sides, whimpering slightly. She tended to their wounds while Tempesttorn battled with Wish (Wish was losing). Eventually the wizard just growled and shot a wave of magic through the Sylvorpa that made him stop in his tracks, frozen. Then he walked away, the Nephini fluttering after him.
When Tempesttorn could move, he let out a roar and stalked away, brooding.
Rainbow Dust was fine, except for a small chunk of fur that was missing from his tail. But Seaweed had venom running though his veins. So, when no one was looking, Summerless gently placed her nose on one of his more serious wounds, and it closed up and some color returned to his face and body. Once everyone was back on their feet, the three ran off to find Temp. They would not be coming back.

***

The Lord yawned and stretched. What a day! He had been thrown into a dank dungeon, humiliated, and scolded. This didn't mind him too much. After all, this was some excitement from his normally gray life. He sighed and lay back down on the stone bed. His son would soon be coming to these lands as well. The Lord hadn't been able to send out a warning in time. But the hope was that his son would marry Lithia, and an alliance would form between the two lands... Making Sylestia easier to conquer!

***

Iceflame woke up and spread her wings. She muttered something then let out a yelp and looked down at her claws. Claws? Nope. Strange pale sticks of flesh. She had toes. And hair! And her scales were replaced by the same pale substance. She was small and scared. Her teeth, thank goodness, were still sharp and jagged. But oh-so-clean. What was going on? Iceflame couldn't breath ice, or any flame. Panic, a strange feeling to come over a dragon, overtook her.
She raised her trembling hands to her head, where she felt two soft and fluffy ears. Wolf ears. She spun around to look at her back, which still had two wings coming from it. She was covered by a thin robe, which trailed off into small fires. She wiggled her toes. Iceflame- though the dragon-wolf knew that wasn't her name- slowly stood up, almost falling down. She spread her wings and decided that it would be safer just to fly. And she was almost right!
Iceflame let out a gasp as she collided with something large and cold. She looked up to find Crystallize staring into her eyes. The transformed dragon saw her reflection in her daughter's eyes- her own eyes were huge and blue, her skin was pale, and her wings looked the same.
But the dragon in front of her was enraged. What was this tiny thing doing in her way? In the brood mother's chambers! Crystallize opened her mouth to freeze the puny thing, but Iceflame held out her hands, eyes pleading. She closed her eyes and connected her mind to her daughter's. It's your mother! How dare you insult me by threatening me with your power! You should be ashamed, Crystallize. she thought harshly, crossing her arms across her chest. Hmph, a human like you is my mother? I think not! I shall- Crystallize began, before Iceflame raised her arms and shot both flame and ice at her daughter. "Is that enough proof?" she asked out loud.
Crystallize stared at Iceflame. What is going on? she asked, alarmed. "I don't know, but I do know that I'm trapped in this body! I keep seeing images of Ethernia, so I'm going to see if I have any connection with the king. If not, tonight the newborn whelps will feast of Dalan." With that, Iceflame raised her wings and flew through the caves, before finding herself in broad daylight. As she rushed towards the kingdom, she noticed that it was much harder to keep control of herself. "I'll find out who did this!" Iceflame growled as the castle came into view.

***

An elf walked whistled cheerfully as he lightly patted his horse. They were slowly walking down a misty road (you can guess what's going to happen) after a long day of fishing. His name was Nathan, and he had two sons and a beautiful wife. Since winter was almost upon Sylestia, he needed as much food as possible. When he was less than a mile away from his house, he heard a rustle and a growl. Then his horse stopped altogether. The mist was too dense, and Nathan could see long and spooky shadows everywhere. There was just a single lamp hanging from a fence post, which made the sight even more eerie. "Let's go..." Nathan whispered, urging his horse forward.
But Nathan was thrown off as his horse whinnied and reared back, before dashing off into the forest. The lamp was knocked down, and then the elf was in total darkness. "Great," he muttered angrily. "Great!" Then, somehow, the mist got denser until he couldn't even see his own hands. He saw a dark form stalking towards him, followed by another that was floating a few feet off the ground.
"The Fall Festival is over!" he called out nervously. "No more pranks, please!" Nathan thought that these were just some mischievous teenagers out to annoy a weary man. Then he was knocked off his feet as a huge gust of wind swept the road. Once he was on his legs again, he was dashing towards the general direction of his house.


Myst and Shadow fell over themselves with laughter. "D- did you see his face?" the Ryori gasped, rolling over in mid-air. Shadow responded by making a weird grimace, and the two were screaming with laughter all over again. They really were the perfect team. Myst could make the mist close in around the unsuspecting victim, and then the two would slowly crawl towards them. And then Shadow would use her wings to create the wind, and then the Sylestian would ran away as fast as they could. It was always hilarious!


Myst had always been a cheerful Ryori compared to her friends and family. So when she was still an adolescent, she was put in charge of entertaining the hatchlings. The children would giggle and gasp and cower as she told make believe stories. They especially loved the one about the Walrus and the Carpenter. It went like this:

The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.

...and about ten more minutes of that.

Shadow was found in the woods outside the Ryori tribe just a few weeks after Myst hatched. The Zolnixi's fur was wet and soggy, and her eyes still unseeing. So she had been introduced into their tribe, which she could only appreciate when she was older. She had told jokes and stories along with Myst, and they became fast friends. The two often pranked Myst's parents, and the parents didn't mind because they were their daughters. They had immediately volunteered to adopt Shadow and care for her.
Shadow is often considered the blunter and dumber of the two, because she seems always to have an enemy behind her back. But she can most definitely be smart when she wants to. Once, she had saved the whole village from a dangerous and somewhat blind Lunemara by spreading her butterfly wings to confuse it. The Lunemara thought that she was a male Lunemara protecting his territory. Thank goodness he was blind!

He shifted uncomfortably, rearranging his wings. He shut his eyes fiercely, but it was no use. He simply could not sleep. Aiedaeil sighed and sat up. He stretched out like a cat and yawned. His tail sliced through the air as he raised his head to the sky. It was chilly; snow slowly fell from the sky, blanketing the mountain in a soft white glow.
Aiedaeil turned around as he heard a soft clip-clop of hooves behind him. His father, Elysian, stood smiling in front of him. "Good evening, father." the prince said clearly, his voice piercing through the cold night air as he bowed down. His father shook his head, chuckling softly. "No need to bow, my son. You are a prince of the Thesian clan- I hope you are being treated as such." Elysian glanced up at the sky. "It is nearly time for our clan to head down the mountain and forage before a blizzard. I'd be honored if you'd join us."
Aiedaeil nodded. "I will join you." he said, bowing again. Elysian grinned. "Now, try to get some sleep, okay?" he said, wandering off. The prince nodded again absently. He would not be getting any sleep tonight, not with horrible memories and nightmares always lurking at the back of his mind.
No sleep at all.

***

The faun grinned as he rubbed his palms together. He glanced at Atha, grinning even wider. "Those fools, those fools! We'll go to the next town with not a coin in our bags- we'll leave with a million!" he cackled quietly. They were hiding in the bushes, watching Sylva, Lavender and Honey worry over the missing Cather. "Of course, Nes. You and I make a great team; no one can escape us," Atha replied smugly, bringing down her staff. "I have a plan," she whispered to her master. Nes looked like he was going to ask what is was, but she shook her head. "You'll see." was all she whispered.
There was a little cage on top of her staff, and inside that cage was a bird. It twittered expectantly, rustling its small wings. It knew its job. Atha, smiling, unlocked the cage and set the bird free. It chirped again, catching the attention of the companions. Lavender heard the twittering first, and she spun around. She realized just how hungry she was. That bird looked delicious...
Fantastic, Atha thought to Nes. We will have those gold coins! And you'll be happy, my purpose will be served.
Meanwhile, Lavender was sneaking up on the bird. Sylva and Honey stopped talking, and began to slowly follow the Puffadore. After a few minutes, the bird flashed its bright wings and they all raced after it. There was something... magical about this animal.
Nes had laid down a net, which the companions stepped onto in unison. Atha cackled and raised her hand, and up went the net. The bird flew back to the genie, and Atha petted it lovingly before ushering it back into its small cage.
The three, no longer hypnotized, were thrashing about angrily. "Let us down! We don't mean no harm!" Sylva cried. Nes laughed cruelly and instructed Atha to shut them up. The genie waved her hand and the three stopped moving and fell into a deep slumber. "Four beautiful Sylesties for the market. Four million gold coins for us..." Nes cackled, rubbing his hands together in glee.

***

Horizon woke up to the sound of snow crunching under paws. Another Sylesti, a big one, was sneaking about. She slowly got up and woke up Colit and Lithia, whose eyes were wide but knowing. Slowly, Lithia grabbed her spear and Colit readied his fire spells.
A Ny'vene slashed his way into the makeshift tent!
Horizon dashed over and cut, bit, and ripped at the Ny'vene. It growled and swiped at her, which she dodged. Colit then sent a wave of flames heading towards the enemy. It had no effect. Lithia cursed and kicked it in the face, then she stabbed it two, three, four times with her staff. Bruised and angry, the Ny'vene roared and lunged for Lithia's head. Horizon, seeing his throat unguarded, bit it fiercely. Blood covered the two as the Ny'vene focused on the Lupora.
Meanwhile, Colit was deep in his thoughts as he searched for his fiery companion. Finally, it obeyed and flashed into existence. The Ny'vene left quickly as Lithia stabbed him one more time.
Panting, the twins grimaced and carefully inspected each other. Only Horizon was injured, and she just had a few scratches that would quickly heal. None of them wanted to go back to sleep in this bloody mess. Colit and Lithia did put on their armor just in case another enemy wandered by.

***

They found Tempesttorn brooding about a mile away from Wish's hut. "Are you all right?" Summerless asked kindly. "Yes," Temp snapped, flicking his tail. "I'm fine." He glanced at Seaweed in horror. "Are you all right?" the android asked Seaweed. The Sylvorpa nodded grimly, wincing as he shifted from one paw to the other. His cuts were sealed up, thanks to Summerless, but he was still bruised. Rainbow Dust cowered in fear behind Seaweed.
Temp couldn't control himself. "DIE, YOU WORTHLESS HAIR-COVERED-" The rest of his words were drowned out as Rainbow Dust yelped and begged for mercy. "Tempesttorn!" Summerless whispered. The android stopped trying to attack Rainbow Dust immediately. His eyes glazed over and he bowed his head. "I'm sorry." he said in a flat tone. Seaweed and Rainbow Dust looked at her in silent awe, and she smiled warmly. "We've been working on controlling our anger," she said calmly. "We've made some progress, don't you think?" She smiled again.
"Yes, progress," Temp muttered angrily. "I know you're up to something, Summerless. You cant trust a Ryori." Shaking her head, Summerless led the way out of Wish's swamp.

After a few hours, they no longer had to test each step in case it was watery mud. Seaweed, exhausted, flopped down under a slab of rock. There was a dying fire next to him. Intrigued, Rainbow Dust inspected it. It had been lit about one hour ago, somewhat poorly. There was a set of paw-prints leading into the forest, closely followed by webbed prints. Then a larger set of paws followed after the webbed ones.
Summerless was next to Rainbow Dust in an instant. "How odd. I would've assumed that these prints belong to our friends, but it seems someone is missing," The Ryori got close to the ground, inspecting the slight indents in the snow. "From the sizes, I believe Lavender went first, followed by Sylva, and Honey went last. But no Cather."
Temp glowered and laid down. Rainbow Dust, Seaweed, and Summerless followed the tracks. But they abruptly ended about five feet into the forest. "Well, I'm no detective, but I'd say that they were pulled up in some net," Seaweed muttered, frowning. "Who would capture them though? What use are they to some total strangers?"
Rainbow Dust squinted into the sky. "It's almost dark," he said in a quiet voice. "We should find out tomorrow." Seaweed looked at him in shock. "And what, have it snow again and erase our clues?" he said somewhat angrily. "I agree with Rainbow Dust," Summerless said. "We'll have more sense in the morning." After five more minutes, Seaweed shrugged and grumbled that, fine, they would sleep. But I'm not happy about it! he thought furiously.
Everyone, except Temp, curled up next to each other and fell asleep. Eventually, after waiting for an hour, he stood up and followed the footprints into the forest. "What on Sylestia is going on?" he muttered to himself. Summerless watched him go and try to find out where the four had gone. She smiled and fell fast asleep.

***


Iceflame shifted her wings to turn. A single strong gust of wind could blow her way off course. And she was pretty sure that she had been blown way off course. She brought her wings close to her body, and zipped downward before spreading them out at the last minute. She was gliding over an orchard. There was a small barn with rows of trees in neat, orderly lines behind it. Baring her teeth, she carefully landed outside the barn and rapped on the door. A worried looking man opened it. His eyes widened as they stared at Iceflame.
Pale and looking a little faint, he opened his mouth to speak. "Q- Queen Solandrie?" he stuttered, clutching his heart. "Queen? Of the elves? Ha! Not I." Iceflame said coldly. "B- but you look just like her!" he cried. "Oh, madam, this is such fantastic news! The king will be overjoyed to hear that his wife is alive and well after all these years." Iceflame looked startled. "King? I'm sorry, you must be gravely mistaken. I'm a dragon, you see. I was transformed into this body." Her eyes were like daggers as the farmer spoke. "Yes, yes, you were always known for your jokes!"
"You fool!" she roared, her eyes lighting up. "You play with fire!" The farmer laughed loudly, clutching his stomach. "And ice!" he chuckled. Iceflame couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want to kill this man. He was, as far as she knew, innocent. But really, he was crossing way too many lines.
You play with fire. she thought one last time as she raised her hands and shot the man with an ice spike. He let out a gasp and clutched the cold thing. He pulled it out, his eyes wide. "My queen," he whispered in shock. "You wouldn't. You couldn't." Iceflame grinned wickedly, encasing him in a shell of flame, before raising her arm to the sky and shooting up a single strand of ice. When it reached a hundred feet in the air, it exploded and ice showered down upon the orchard. The trees, still grasping their leaves, became bare and empty as the ice pulled their leaves to the ground. After everything was bare, Iceflame hopped onto the roof of the barn, using her wings to assist her. And she froze everything in sight. The trees were encased in a thin layer of ice, making them glitter strangely. All the plants froze over, the streams froze, the animals froze. Iceflame smiled dangerously and shot into the sky like a bullet. Then she burned the barn to the ground. Everything else stayed frozen.
"Let this serve as a reminder to all who anger me. Do not anger the Queen of Dragons." she hissed, flying south. She knew where to go.

***

Myst and Shadow stared at the next traveler walking down their road. She looked like a completely ordinary human. The Ryori grinned at her sister, and Shadow grinned right back. Myst straightened up and walked boldly out onto the road, shrouding herself in a light mist. The traveler, a young woman who was a maid or farmer, was clearly unimpressed by the ghostly Ryori. "Oh please, play your jokes on the children." she snapped, crossing her arms. The sisters looked at each other in alarm, and Myst backed away.
The girl, who looked about sixteen, rolled her eyes and continued down the road. "Well, that was a fail." Shadow muttered, scowling. Myst shrugged and bounced up. "We should follow her." the Ryori suggested. "To what end?" Shadow asked. Myst shrugged again. "Maybe we'll make a friend." So they snuck after the girl.
But they got bored. She just walked, and walked, and walked.
It was evident that she knew she was being followed. After an hour, Myst made the mist around her and Shadow disappear and trotted noisily away. Then she came back stealthily. The trick had worked, and the girl became less tense. Convinced her followers had left, she dashed into a bush suddenly. Myst and Shadow glanced at each other with uncertainty, before following after her. They entered an entire different world. There was hissing and murmurs and flashes of bright light coming from all over the place. "What?" Shadow asked herself, staring in shock at the strange symbols carved into stones. The girl continued to weave her way throughout chanting people, trees, and other obstacles until she got to a quiet glade. There she sat down and murmured a stream of complex words.
This continued for some time, Shadow and Myst getting bored once again. Their attention was drawn as the girls eyes lit up in a ghastly purple, the chanting getting louder. Demonic runes appeared in a circle around her, glowing neon green. Pure darkness closed in on her, causing Myst and Shadow to rush forward near her in order not to be touched by whatever it was. The Zolnixi let out an agonized scream as a strand of darkness reached out and made a grab for her tail. Myst pulled her sister away from it, floating a few inches off the ground and growling uncertainly. "You okay?" she whispered to Shadow, but it wouldve been a miracle if the injured Sylesti had heard her. Wind began to rise up, making the strange girls hair whip about her face as she chanted fiercely. Lightning struck somewhere, causing Myst and Shadow to jump in fear. The wind, bright lights, chanting and darkness were too much for the poor Sylesties. They whimpered and cuddled close together as far away from the girl as possible.
Then everything stopped.
Silence was draped across the forest as a light snow began to fall. The darkness disappeared, as did the runes. The girl was gone, too, in her place a shaking demoness. "I've done it," the demoness whispered, looking at her hands in awe. She flexed her fingers, the sharp claws looking deadly. "I've finally done it." She jumped up and spread her wings, cackling in glee. She flapped her bat wings in fascination. "Finally!" she roared in glee, stomping her hooves in a mad rhythm. "Ha! Years of endless training and studying have paid off. I have conquered what my mother before could not! Ah, the taste of power is a sweet one indeed. Nothing can stop me." she whispered, her strange green eyes glittering evilly. "Nothing can stop me," she repeated. "I dare anyone to stop me." In her hands appeared a whip, which she cracked through the air to see how it worked. "Nothing can stop Fifi." She spread her great wings and took off, her laughter ringing in the clearing long after she was gone.
Shadow and Myst were petrified. "Demon," they whispered in unison. "Demoness in Sylestia." They had to do something. "Demoness in Sylestia." Anything, really, that could stop this horrible woman from doing whatever she was going to do. "Demoness in Sylestia!" Yes, something had to be done! "Demoness in Sylestia!" they roared a final time, dashing off towards their home. "Well get help," said an excited Myst, who was racing along beside Shadow in the air. "We'll get help and notify King Dalan. We'll rally all the troops in Ethernia-" She was cut off by Shadow, who had stopped. "You really think the king will listen to some random Ryori?" she asked, amused. Myst sped back towards her sister. "Why not?" she asked in concern. "Well, you're a Ryori. They're not exactly common. Itd be strange for you to just waltz in an-" This time Myst cut her off. "Then you'll do it." she said simply. The Zolnixi groaned in despair. That is not where she meant this conversation to lead. "Okay, fine. I will. But keep in mind that you owe me." she grumbled, taking off once again.

***

He paced angrily in his study. Nothing good yet, only bad reports. A set of footprints that turned out to be a farmer's footprints, a blue Sylvorpa thought to be Sylva. He was genuinely worried. No news from his trackers, either. Just then, there was a swift scratching on the door before the sound of flapping wings and quiet whimpers. He opened the door, finding an Aeridini flying around a corner. A maid stood near the wall, holding a small vial. "Hello, my king. You have visitors, but you must drink this in order to understand them." the servant said, bowing down and nodding encouragingly. Dalan downed it in one go. "They should be arriving soon." the maid said, taking the vial and walking to the kitchen. He choked on the potion, trying not to throw up. It tasted terrible. Once he righted back up, he found himself looking straight into the many, many eyes of Ommeta. He gasped and stepped backward, surprised.
The Lunemara wiggled their antennae, thinking themselves brilliant. They had crawled up onto the ceiling in an attempt to scare Dalan. And it had worked! Eyes, eyes they thought as they landed on the ground lightly. "Kingee want news?" they whispered, clicking their mandibles. The king nodded hesitantly, connecting the potion with the fact he could understand Ommeta. "News, news" they whispered, staring into the green eyes of Dalan. "Eyes," they acknowledged smartly. "Good, good eyes. Want eyes?" They held up their wings, fluttering them for emphasis. All the eyes were dark and forbidding. "No, thanks." he whispered in a mortified voice. Ommeta smiled (an impressive feat, since they don't have a mouth) and flicked their antennae. "News. Kingee wants news. Wizard come soon. Tell king all," They nodded knowingly. "Kingee find his caterpillars?" Ommeta asked, fluttering their wings in excitement. Dalan raised an eyebrow. "Uh, that's the plan." he said. They looked him in the eyes intensely. "Kingee love his caterpillars, Ommeta hope. Ommeta love eyes." They clicked their mandibles together, sighing longingly. "Been long since Ommeta had good eyes. King got good eyes." Dalan became nervous. He could only pray that Ommeta was full and not in the mood for his eyes.
There was light tapping on the door. The Lunemara flapped their wings excitedly. "Wizard here," they said in a forbidding voice. "Tell king all." Dalan looked at them quizzically before answering the door. The same maid stood there, looking troubled. "Another visitor, my king," she said, bowing. "I am sorry for the interruptions, sir. You must have important work to do." The king looked sheepish as he nodded. "Is it the wizard?" he asked. "I'd like to see him." The maid cleared her throat awkwardly. "About that, sir" she stammered, bowing her head and backing away to make room for someone that Dalan recognized. But someone he didn't know.

***

Kelena slipped through the shadows noiselessly. Ribbon followed silently behind her. Ommeta had gone off to tell Dalan about their finds. Fortunately, they'd had better luck than the foolish Sylestians. They had heard a peasant and his wife sobbing in their cabin. "The gifts from the prince and princess, gone! Oh, what're we gonna do?" asked a feminine voice with a British accent. Intrigued, Kelena and Ribbon leaned up against the door. A homely looking man threw it open in anger, causing the Sylesties to topple over and into the house. The woman shrieked and fell onto the couch in surprise. Kelena was the first to recover. She frowned slightly as she muttered a spell. It worked, though, and she was able to connect her mind with the Sylestians minds. Hello. she whispered, both of them jumping in surprise. Who is this voice that has entered my head? thought the lady. Kelena waved a paw at her. Me, the dark purple Lighira. she thought back. I'll get straight to the point. You said something about the gifts of the prince and princess? You two know something, don't you, and you'll tell us. You see, King Dalan is looking for Lithia and Colit. He chose the best of the best to find them, of course, and you'll assist us. Won't you? The man nodded unwittingly. "They made us gifts- eternal fire and a sculpture. But now they're gone! We'll help, they went tha-" He was cut off by a sharp slap from the woman. "My husband is a lunatic," she said coldly. "We know nothing of the prince and princess. I do hope you find them."
Ribbon's laughter startled the Sylestians. She caressed her blood-stained ribbons, smiling softly. "Tell them we've seen many lies, and that they'll help us no matter what they say. Get the man talking again. Maybe he needs to be persuaded." she said quietly, Kelena nodding. I'm afraid that your assistance is mandatory, she thought, smiling wickedly. Now, would you like to do this the easy way or the hard way? The woman scoffed and crossed her arms. "I already told you, we know nothing!" she exclaimed. Hard way it is. Kelena thought. The Sylestians doubled over in pain. Kelena was using her dark magic to cause agony from the inside out.
They would break.

***

Aiedaeil woke up to find his face cold and wet. He jumped up in surprise, before recovering his senses and wiping the snow off his face with a delicate paw. The other Griffies were getting up as the suns first rays of light touched Sylestia. Elysian was speaking rapidly under his breath with a tough looking Griffi. The leader looked up, spotting Aiedaeil. He waved his son over, smiling. The younger Sylesti walked over, feeling the supreme presence of the Griffi. He bowed down, saying in a strong voice, "I am Aiedaeil, prince of the Thesian clan. I sense your rank of command. Might I be honored to know your name?"
The Griffi, surprised at such formality, bowed down. "I am Lunarfeather," she said, and her name fitted her well. Her wings were dark blue, with the bottom sides speckled with silver as if they were stars. "Surely it is an honor to meet you, Prince Aiedaeil of the Thesian clan." Her voice, gruff and quick paced, was unaccustomed to such slowness and deliberation. Aiedaeil ruffled his feathers, squinting at the slow-falling snow.
"We leave for Viridian Meadows soon," Elysian called out, and silence fell over the clan. "Be wary of enemies. I would be loath to lose one of our kind so early in the year." The Griffies let out squawks, flapping their wings. The more fierce of their kind would stand guard on either side of the weaker and older Griffies as they made their way down the mountain. They would of course fly, Elysian at the lead with Lunarfeather and her sister, Solarfeather, flanking either side of him.
Aiedaeil looked around. "Why do the young ones come along?" he inquired to his father. "Because no one would be here to guard them. All the adults must reproduce, and the younger Griffies shall forage for food. Aiedaeil, I'm putting you in charge of the hatchlings and adolescents. The hatchlings will ride on the backs of the teenagers, and it is your job to protect the bunch of them," Elysian forced his son to look him in the eyes. "Can I entrust you with this task?"
Aiedaeil nodded. "Yes, father."
"We leave soon." repeated Elysian.

***

Perhaps you are wondering what happened with King Dalan. The story went from him having a sword in his chest to him talking to an eye-obsessed moth. Here is what happened three days in between those two events.

The king fell to the floor, clutching the sword protruding from his body. There was shouting as guards quickly shoved The Lord into the dungeons, while healers and medics rushed to Dalans side. A man whimpered and gently lifted the king and carried him to the infirmary. The injured man struggled to keep his eyes open. Before long there was darkness.

Pain. Ow. Burning. He had been in many battles- he knew that he must keep still and let the healers do their thing. His eyelids fluttered and he let out a sharp gasp. There was none other than Wish mixing up a potion a few feet from him. "You!" Dalan gasped, sitting up swiftly. Medics rushed around him, gently pushing him back down. "Please, sir, understand that you are in a critical condition. You're lucky you were punctured where you were- an inch to the side and you'd be dead. Wish is making a potion for you that'll ease the pain." said a soothing voice that Dalan couldn't quite place. He clenched his fists weakly, shaking. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them he was staring into the green eyes of Onyxia. "Urgh! Get off me, snake!" he yelped. The Nephini appeared insulted. " 'Snake'. Ha! Those slimy fools know nothing but how to capture a meal!" she hissed, going over to Wish and entwining herself around his arm. The king propped himself up on an elbow.
"I thought I banished you, Wish." he whispered hoarsely, sinking back down into a pillow. "You did, sir, until I was flown back here by some Aurleon. Trust me, I'd rather be sitting in my swamp then mixing a potion for you." Wish scoffed, grabbing a pinch of dried leaves and tossing it into the bowl. There was a small glowing vial of a liquid substance that looked watery but more thick. "What's that?" asked a curious medic. "Hmm?" Wish asked, appearing to be oblivious. "Oh, this? This is a part of a Kelparies mane. I got it from a traveler who visited my hut. She was a strange witch, y'know. Had magical ingredients I hadn't even heard of! Apparently, Kelpari mane is a good thing to use when in pain. It soothes the mind and takes away all worry. But I must be sparing with it. I don't know anyone who can harness it."
Dalan laughed drily. "Sounds cruel, to 'harness' a Kelparies mane." he said. Wish shook his head in disagreement. "Hardly, sir. Its no different than clipping a Qitaries mane. They won't like it, and they'll be a little less vain, but it does no harm." he argued. Dalan shrugged. "Hurry up with the potion. I'd rather be asleep then listen to you. Keep in mind that as soon as you're done here, you're banished once again." he said. Wish shrugged and petted Onyxia's head before going back to the potion. If one squinted, they'd see the tiniest glimmer of a tear on the wizard's face.

***

Colit froze and held out his arm, stopping Lithia and Horizon from going any further. They glanced at him quizzically, but he only shook his head sternly. There was growling and yelping coming from behind a dense line of trees. The princess clenched her staff while Colit prepared to burn anything that moved.
"Ye best let us go!" said a harsh voice. Lithia recognized it. "Please, my kind sir, my gentle ma'am, have mercy on some wandering adventurers. We mean no harm to either of you. What is it you want? Money? We have none. If you'd like honey, that's another question..." said a very honeyed voice. The cook? thought a confused Lithia. "Stay here. We'll be back." said a humanoid voice.
The princess got an idea and prayed it worked. Colit couldn't hear the words Sylesties spoke, but she could... Maybe... She placed her hand on his arm, gripping him tightly, trying to translate the words through her mind. It worked and all three heard the next words. They were dripping with a mixture of venom and sarcasm. "They'll of course let you guys go, but I'm a different matter. Why, I have better looks than the three of you combined!" scoffed someone with a snarky voice. "Cath-" Colit began excitedly, but was cut off as Lithia hit her staff smartly on his stomach, knocking the breath out of him. "Shut up!" she whispered harshly yet quietly. "Cather!" groaned three feminine voices
"Ha!" said a sassy voice. "Please, spare us your brags! We all know that I have the looks, and the brains, but you guys'll handle the brawn. No, actually, I have that covered. After all, I was the top guard in Ethernia." More scoffs and groans. "Come now, Lavender, we know that I have the brains. Who was it that escaped from the prince and princess? 'Twas all my ideas and plan." said the first voice. Shrill laughter, followed by eyerolls so loud the eavesdroppers could hear them. "And who set you free after I caught you and became the top guard in Ethernia? Why, that was me!" The last part she said in a mock imitation of Sylvas voice.
"You were top guard for twenty minutes!" said Sylva and Cather in unison, cackling. "You think you all have it figured out. Sure, I may be a clumsy oaf, or whatever you'll call me, but at least I have skills none of you can grasp. Ever heard of a triple decker honey sandwich? Oh, who am I kidding, course you haven't. Save Queen Solandrie, bless her kind heart, I'm the only one who knows the recipe!" said Honey. "Hmph," scoffed Cather. "All of you are so grounded and simple! I am more free than all of you combined. See, with these wings I can soar above the tallest rooftops in all of Sylestia!"
"Aye, my dear friend, but can ye swim to the deepest parts of the deepest lake? No? Ah, I thought so. With fins like these and brains like this- why, I'd be more helpful in the gloomy wet than in the sunny dry!" exclaimed Sylva. " 'Aye', " Cather said, imitating Sylva. "But if you need a look up above, 'ye best be calling me to do the dir'y work!' " All four prisoners laughed at the smart replication of the Sylvorpa's accent. "'Worry not, me dear friends, for if ye be needing a person or thing tracked down, I am your gal! With a nose like this, I can smell ye from a mile 'way!' " Lavender said primely, licking a delicate paw. Laughter, genuine laughter, rang out once again as they took turns trying out Sylva's accent. The Sylvorpa sat up as tall as she could and frowned and made silly faces while judging their impersonation. "Mmm... a wee too much. When have I ever said 'gal', me gal?" Sylva asked, pretending to look confused. " 'Though I ain't saying I am the best at diggin', I am darn good at it! Cather, ye do not know 'bout the dir'y work! Ever been three feet in the ground? No? Ah, I thought so.' " Honey chuckled.
Cather nodded earnestly. "I have, remember when I fell in that hole, Sylva! It was at least five feet deep!" he said. There was giggling, then complete silence. Colit and Lithia had been grinning, so glad that they had found their friends, but now they were scared. What was going on? "Yeah, you fell, that was when we caught you! Ha!" said a silky voice. "And you three behind the trees- yeah, you guys!- get out here." Lithia, Colit, and Horizon began to tremble. "No use hiding," the Lupora muttered, stepping forward. The prince and princess followed her lead. Sylva, Cather, Lavender and Honey were all hanging from a net suspended from a tree.
Nes cocked his head to the side as they stepped out. "Why, what a ragtag group of adventurers. That armor will fetch a fine price. Atha, bind them."
The genie bowed her head reluctantly and snapped her fingers. Colit and Lithia fell to the ground in surprise and their hands were tightly wrapped in rough rope, as were their feet. Horizon stood still with shock. "Don't you know who we are?" spat Colit. "No." Nes cackled, clutching his stomach as he shook with laughter. "Why, you're a pretty girl, ain't you?" The faun walked over to Lithia, who bared her teeth at him and snarled. "Ha! You got fangs, then? Some old man will want you as his maid. As for you, young man, ho ho! You've got a fiery spirit, don't'cha? Well, flames can be easily put out with water. Atha-" Nes was cut off by the genie, who crossed her arms and shook her head.
"Whatever you're thinking; no. I won't drown him, if that's what you're asking." she said harshly. Nes's face grew red with anger as he clenched his fists. "Why, you little cheeky thing, you! I am your master, ain't I? You obey my every word?" he hissed, trembling with insanity. Atha bit her lip and snapped her fingers once again. Colit let out a yelp as he was plunged into a tub of boiling hot water. "See, its so cold its boiling." the genie said to the gullible faun. He laughed and grinned crookedly. Nes walked away, humming a quiet tune under his breath as he counted his imaginary money.
Lithia looked up at Atha. Colit grinned and relaxed. "Burr," he muttered, struggling to keep a straight face. "Thanks, 'Atha'. I'm real mad you put me in this cold water." Lithia relaxed- good, her brother was in warm water. Horizon snarled and snapped at the ropes. "What a beast," she muttered to Lithia. "He traps not only Sylesties but Sylestians. What a beast." Atha laughed and nodded her agreement. Horizon looked surprised. She didn't know Atha could understand her!

Iceflame saw Ethernia. Something came to her- she wasn't sure exactly what, but it was... memories. Flashes of laughter, children hugging her, games played... She scrunched up into a tight ball, losing altitude quickly, before spreading out and flapping her wings furiously to avoid crashing into the treetops.
"Psh," she scoffed, shaking her head furiously. "Stupid... 'Memories'! Hmph! Just my mind playing tricks on me. Or not. Haha, I remember helping Dalan set up the magic fields around the kingdom. Anyone that enters them remembers only the good things they have forgotten. Tha'ts how I'm-" She let out a shriek and plummeted to the ground as fear overtook her.
"You're a dragon, Iceflame, a dragon! This Queen Solandrie is a cheap knock-off of you. Get a hold of yourself! You rule over a hundred dragons. A hundred! You are no queen to humans, or elves, or fairies, or any type of Sylestian! Queen of the Dragons. Iceflame, Queen of the Dragons. Grr, that farmer deserved what he got! Got what he deserved? Agh, now I'm speaking in riddles! Curse Farmer Joe! He deserved to die! Joe? Oh, by the gods, I'm going insane!"
The Queen, for she was a queen, ruling over both Ethernia and her dragon kingdom, hit the ground with a sickening thud. She bounced right back up, healing herself immediately. She twitched her ears as she heard growling and voices a few miles away.
"Can't hurt to pry into some else's business." she muttered distractedly. She hopped through the forest, fluttering her wings to help propel her forward. The ground got damper, and the trees began to turn brown and viney.
"A swamp." she acknowledged. Iceflame continued until she got to a ruined campsite with many paw prints around it. She followed the prints, until she got into a small patch of forest where there were no trees. There was a net, a tub, and a shed. Inside the tub was a young man with bright red hair and mischievous eyes, just like Solandrie's. Beside the tub was a girl with such a pale and fine face that no one would question her heritage.
Those two were definitely Iceflame's children. She shook with fear, not understanding, and flew away to Ethernia.

***

Lithia yawned and stretched down next to the tub. "Why are we still here?" she asked. "We could very easily break out of these binds."
Colit shrugged. "What, we're just gonna abandon our Sylesties and their friends? I think not." he said. Lithia sighed and sat back up, wrapping her arms around her legs. "And I'm hungry!" the twins said in unison. Nes poked his head out from behind some trees.
"Oy, if you're hungry, go foragin'! Oh wait, looks like your hands are tied. Ha! Better luck next time." he cackled, muttering to Atha to make a giant table appear, laden with delicious foods. Colit and Lithia looked hungrily at the food. Nes sat down and dug in.
He ate delicious blackberry pie topped with whipped cream and syrup, rare steak, cheesy calzone, tarts, scones, cakes, pudding, cheesecake, wafers, salads, fruit salad, pies, noodles, casseroles, to name just a few.
Then to top it all of, he drank from elaborate cups filled with ale, wine, juices, and many others... "That's a mighty lot of food," said Colit hopefully. "Mind sharing some?" Nes stopped his feasting to glare at him. "You? Share with you? Oh ho ho ho, you must be out of your mind! Ya see, I don't share anything, not even food, with the common filth. Oh sure, you had that shiny armor- emphasis on had- which you must've stolen from the kingdom armory." he hissed, digging into some turkey.
"Maybe ye would change yer mind if ye know that there was the prince and princess of Ethernia. Aye, that's Prince Colit and Princess Lithia." Sylva piped up hopefully from the net. Nes looked shocked. "Oh, your Majesties, forgive my insolence. I never knew you were of such great power. You must go tell the king how I've tortured you and starved you and took your goods!" he said, getting down on his knees and kissing the ground in front of them.
Colit smiled in satisfaction and Lithia crossed her arms as best as she could. "That's more like it!" he said. Nes hopped up and spat at them. "I don't care if you're a god or a peasant, that armor is mine, and so are you," he whispered, sounding deadly. "Now hop up, you dirty little things. Were going to find someone that'll take you in and give me some money in exchange. Aye, you're being sold!"
Lithia let out a cold laugh. "That's illegal, my dear Nes," she said quietly, standing up. She was taller than the faun. "And you know how much I care for rules. Now, just this once, I'll let you go. But you must hand over all of your belongings, and all of ours. You will cut down our Sylesties from the net, and be on your way. You will never set foot in or near Ethernia. Now go before I change my mind!"
Nes laughed right back. "And what if I don't leave?" he challenged.
"You don't want to know." said Lithia and Colit in grim unison.
"'Guess I'll find out, because I'm not leaving."
"Are you sure about that?" they asked.
"Hmph, am I sure, I've never been more sure! I ain't moving unless I die."
"Last chance."
"I'm staying here until I die!"
"Then die you shall." the twins whispered, flinging their power at the foolish faun. He fell to the ground and screamed as soon as Colit's fireball and Lithia's icicle hit him. "You... you! Atha... quick, sa-" he gasped, but his eyes rolled over and he went limp.
Honey whimpered loudly and covered her face with a paw.
"That's how it's done!" said a cheerful Cather. "Now, lend us a paw and get us down, will ya?" Lithia was still shaking as she untied her own bindings and brought them down. Had she just... killed someone?
Yes, you foolish girl, now get a hold of yourself, because remember that war that you declared on your brother? Yeah? Well you'll be killing a lot more people in it. a voice said in the back of her head.
We've been so foolish, we're making our own people fight against each other! What have we done? cried another voice.
We've done what we thought was smart, but we were being utterly foolish. There's a bigger threat, Lithia, but we can't tell you much. Just that there's a demoness whose vow it is to destroy Sylestia and rule over us! But don't worry, Solandrie will recover her memories soon and help you get rid of the demoness. In the end, hopefully all will be well. said a mystical voice in the back of her head.
Wh- what? Tell me more, please! thought Lithia.
We can tell you no more. That is all we are allowed. You'll find out the rest on your own, Lithia. Good luck. said the mystical voice.

***

"We're doomed to live in this shed the rest of our lives." complained Seaweed, pawing the door angrily. "With that attitude we are." Rainbow Dust muttered sharply back.
"WHEN I GET OUT, I SWEAR I'LL KILL THAT CURSED FAUN AND THE GENIE TOO!" roared Tempesttorn, throwing himself against the wall of the shed in an attempt to break through.
"Yeah, me too!" yelled Seaweed. "You'll be dead before you know it, dumb-hooves!"
"Cow-legs!" Temp shouted, throwing insults at Nes.
"Terrible captor!"
"Cruel Qitari!"
"Disguised unicorn!"
The two broke into uncontrolled laughter. "Enough, you two!" Summerless said as she paced around the small room. The faun and the genie had found them and caught them unawares in their camp, before springing a net on them and hurling them into the tinyshack."We should be focusing on how to get out of here, not what you'll say to the fauns face as you run a dagger through him." She looked up. "And that's not going to happen. I won't allow you to kill him. I'll just send him on his way."
Temp grinned evilly. "So you'll kill him?" he cackled.
"No, of course not, you silly android. I'm going to send him somewhere. Maybe the void." Summerless said.
Seaweed giggled, before realizing she was serious. "Th- the void?" he stuttered.
"Yes, Seaweed, the void," she replied as she tapped a hoof against the door. "Right here is the thinnest. Rainbow, Temp, get over here. Ready, Seaweed? On three, we're going to shove against it and hope it opens. One... Two" she began, bracing herself against the door. "Three!" They all shoved into the door and it cracked under the pressure, allowing them to tumble out unceremoniously. Summerless recovered first and hopped up.
"Looks like Sylva and the others already escaped." she muttered. Seaweed jumped up at the name.
"Ugh, right when were about to see them, they're gone!" he groaned in despair. Temp slapped his tail against the dirt. "Dunno 'bout you guys, but I am feeling really dry. We've been on land forever!" the android said. Seaweed immediately agreed.
"There's probably a stream nearby." Rainbow Dust said. They nodded and walked towards the very, very quiet tinkling of water. If only they had looked closer, they would've spotted a demoness crouched in the trees above them. If only.

***

Ma'am, we've recruited eight hundred more soldiers. The voice echoed through her evil mind. She turned away from the four and darted up the branches until she was at the top of a tree. Good, she replied wickedly. I'll be there in a moment to test their endurance. She shot up like a bullet and spread her wings, flying towards the edge of Umbra Forest.

When she got there, there were a bunch of figures wandering about.
"Ah ha ha ha! My children! I am Fifi the Wicked. You obey my every word. Failure to do so will cost you your life. Am I clear?" she said, her arms crossed. There was a mumbled chorus of "Crystal clear, milady." She bared her teeth angrily. "Am I clear?" she repeated harshly. "Crystal clear, milady!" the recruits repeated with much more enthusiasm.
"Good. Now begin your training while I speak to my commanders. Talk to Rotface, he'll tell you what to do." she said.
The recruits turned to Rotface, to find he was an intelligent zombie. "Skilled with bow, go there. Like sword, go there. Kicky and punchy go there. Magic peoples go there. Well, go ya livin'!" he said weakly, letting out a dismayed grunt as one of his fingers fell off.
The recruits saluted smartly and jogged off to their stations. Archers aimed bows, swordsmen battled each other, people did martial arts, and the sorcerers and sorceresses practiced making magical shields and fireballs.
"One more thing," Rotface called out. "Healy peoples over there." A few walked over to where a dark elf was sealing a wound with magic then wrapping a bandage around it just in case. She looked up and grinned.
"In a war, the medics are most important. We keep our soldiers going!"
Fifi grinned as she surveyed the training. She bounded up a tree and looked across the expanse of forest, barely seeing Ethernia in the distance. "I'm coming for you, Solandrie." she whispered, grinning crookedly.