|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 16:38:00 GMT -5
Here is my story, Moondust, for anyone who would like to read it! Chapter 1 Laura sat on a rock with her arms around her knees, looking up at the night sky. Her long, wavy black hair occasionally ruffled by the soft, cool autumn breeze. Tonight was an especially beautiful night because the aurora borealis, or northern lights, had decided to make an appearance. The vivid blues, greens and purples flashed across the sky in a curious dance, and the colours were reflected in Laura's blue-green eyes. Right now, she felt like her only friends were the playful colours in the sky... Then, she snapped out of her muse to check the time on her watch. It was 8:45. That left her 15 minutes of freedom and peace before she had to head back to the orphanage, where the curfew was exactly 9:00. Laura wished that she could spend all night out here, admiring how the northern lights danced without a care in the world. She didn't have any friends at the orphanage. They all teased and made fun of her for one reason that made Laura different from everyone she knew. Laura had no idea where she had come from. She knew nothing about her parents or family. The other children called her names and jeered at her. One girl even told her that the reason she didn't know where she was from was because her family disliked her so much that they didn't want her to find out where they were. Laura had gone to bed crying that night. She grew up knowing only the orphanage and it was explained to her that she was found on the doorsteps on a night very much like this night, as a helpless little baby. "That would have been almost twelve years ago, now." Laura murmured to herself. She checked her watch again. 8:52. Laura sighed, climbed down from the rock and picked up her book-bag. She carried it wherever she went, which weren't many places, much to her dismay. The book bag had 4 books, all of them about fairy-tales and magical creatures. How often had she tried to bury herself behind the words or make herself disappear behind its pages? Laura took one last look at the beautiful lights in the sky and was about to head back when she felt something. The feeling she felt was a sort of pulling, deep inside her, but slowly unearthing itself as time went by. She stopped. Half of her was telling her to keep walking back to the orphanage. But the other, much stronger half was telling her to walk in completely the opposite direction. It was the pulling. Almost physical, and yet not quite. Laura considered things for a few moments and the stronger half prevailed. "I'll take whatever punishment I get for breaking curfew, but this feeling it too much to ignore!" she proclaimed, even though she was all alone and didn't have anyone to explain herself to. So, with that, she began walking in the direction she was being drawn towards. And that direction was taking her right into the thick, green forest that spanned the north side of the orphanage. She began walking slowly, but as she pushed her way past prickly pine branches and leafy ferns, her walking became so fast, it was almost a run. The pulling was urgent now and stronger, as if telling Laura that she had to get somewhere and she had to get there fast! The pulling was getting stronger and stronger the farther she walked, but then, it began to weaken as she kept walking. So, she stopped and took a few steps backwards. There it was, getting stronger again. Laura chose to turn around and retrace her steps, and yes, the pulling was getting stronger again. Finally, the pulling became so overwhelming that it brought Laura to a standstill, right in front of a monstrous tree. It had a trunk three times thicker than a pine tree and it was 2 times as tall. Its giant snake-like roots ran deep into the ground. Laura wondered how she could have walked past such a wondrous tree. Then, the center of the tree pulled away, revealing a hole in the trunk that went from the ground to a little over Laura's head. She gasped in amazement. But that wasn't all. When Laura looked through the hole in the tree, she expected to see other trees behind it, shrouded in darkness, but being lit all the time by the flashing northern lights. She saw trees alright, but they were tall, their leaves were different colours and she saw flowers she knew did not grow in the forest she was standing in. Also, the light filtering in through the trees was golden, with sparkly motes floating in the air. Laura was shocked, but the pulling was telling her to go through the door in the tree, if that's what it was... But this time, Laura wondered if she should do what it was asking her. After a couple of minutes, Laura decided that since she had gone this far, she might as well keep going. 'But wait!' cautioned a tiny voice inside her, 'What if you don't come back?' Well, would people begin to look for her? Perhaps, after a few months. No one seemed to acknowledge her existence anyway, except for the teasing children. 'And I'm sure they wouldn't bother saying anything, anyway.' she concluded. Would her disappearance be mourned? Probably not. It seemed to Laura that no one shared her interests here. While the other girls were flipping through magazines and talking about what to wear, she was flipping through fantasy books and admiring flowers. With that, Laura silenced the miniscule voice. She took a deep breath and with one last look around her, she approached the magnificent tree. Any place is better than here, she thought and she stepped through the door in the tree. The air smelled sweeter here. That was the first thing Laura noticed. It was refreshing and pure. The next thing that she noticed was that the tree through which she came wasn't there behind her. Instead, a vast expanse of beautiful forest met her eyes. It was still daylight here, but the light was an orangey-gold colour. "The sun must be setting here," said Laura. Somehow, she knew that the place she had come was no place on Earth. Also, the pulling inside Laura had weakened since she had arrived in this forest, but now it gave a gentle tug, as if reminding her that she still had somewhere to go. Laura stopped admiring the scenery and began to walk forward cautiously. She listened intently for anything around her. 'After all, this is a new world and anything could happen here.' she thought. Laura could hear many different kinds of birds chirping and singing sweetly. She also heard animal calls that she couldn't distinguish. But, there was one noise that directly caught her attention and it came from the direction the pulling was insisting she go. It was sounded farther away than the noises Laura was hearing around her, but she still heard it. It was a cry. An alarmed whinnying. Laura ventured forth towards the sound and she realized that the closer she got to the sound, the quieter the forest seemed and the pulling began gaining more and more strength. But Laura didn't need the pulling to guide her in the right direction as she could have followed the cacophony of neighs, bays and whinny’s alone! Laura had never seen, nor heard a horse before but luckily one of her books had a chapter called A Guide to the Pegasus that taught her to recognize a horse, real or fantastical. Laura pressed on, until the horse's cry was the only sound in the forest and it sounded very close. Laura halted. She was about ten feet away from the source of the noises and only some oak and maple trees hid her from view. Slowly, Laura pushed away the branches in front of her face and peered through them. Since Laura had come through the door in the tree, she had wondered whether this was all a dream. But what she saw so close in front of her was so brilliant and majestic that she had no doubt in her mind that all of this was real. Perhaps even realer than things on Earth.
|
|
|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 16:40:06 GMT -5
Chapter 2
What Laura, thunderstrucked, was gazing at was not a horse. At least, it wasn't just a horse. This magnificent creature was a soft, light blue and it glowed like the moon that was now rising into the sky. There was an outline of a glowing star that marked the left side of its rear. Its white mane and tail were long and flowing. They were also as wavy as Laura's hair. Strands of mane and tail glinted silver in the moonlight. The creature's hooves were also white. But the most formidable feature of this horse were its wings. From what Laura could see of them, the wings were white and feathery and the tips of the feathers at the end of each wing were connected by clear, satiny purple membranes. Laura thought the material looked very much like a see-through butterfly wing or, as she remembered from one of her books, a fairy wing. While these observations were made, the winged horse was certainly not standing still. It bucked, and tried to rear. It bayed and neighed and snorted. The reason for all this commotion was quite clear. The front left leg of the horse was trapped in between a tree root and most of its wings were covered in a dark, thick sap. The horse kept trying to flap its wings, but to no avail. Laura felt a little afraid to approach the horse, but the pulling became a pushing and, as if Laura was not in control of her feet, she walked forward, out of the cover of the trees and in plain view of the horse. The winged horse took one look at her and became even more frantic and as it moved about in alarm, its trapped hoof became wedged deeper and deeper in between the thick roots of the tree. "Hold on! It's alright!" Laura said, in what she hoped was a confident voice. She was finding it very hard to hold herself together in the presence of something so majestic. "I'm not going to hurt you, I want to help you," she explained as she walked closer to the horse. The horse still tried to escape the grasp of the tree's roots and still tried to flap off the black resin from its wings, but it no longer tried to rear or buck. If Laura was ever unsure if the horse could understand her, her doubts were put to rest with one look into those deep, black eyes. Laura slowly moved even closer towards the horse, and it attempted to back away from her. Finally, Laura came right up to the winged horse and once again looked it right in the eyes. The creature was breathing quickly and heavily, and with a final snort, stood still and lowered its head in what looked to Laura as a gesture of some sort of defeat. Before anything else was done, Laura saw it was only fitting to introduce herself. "Hello," she began calmly. "My name is Laura. I'm not from here. I came from a place called Earth...I haven't been here very long. A horse as beautiful as you must have a name. What is it?" Laura felt a little silly for asking that question because she was fairly certain she wasn't going to get a response. In fact for a couple of minutes, the horse just stared at her, looking her over. However, finally and to her surprise, a female, sagely voice resonated inside of Laura's head. It said, "Moondust." Laura stood stock still. How had the horse's voice penetrated through her head? She was quite sure she hadn't imagined it because it sounded just as clear, if not clearer, than one of her own thoughts. Wide-eyed, Laura stared at Moondust in a trance of wonder. Then, her head was invaded my an image of herself pulling the thick, knotted roots out of the way, freeing Moondust's leg. "Oh!" exclaimed Laura. 'So, she can speak to me with her mind!' she thought in amazement. ‘Yes,' Moondust replied, somewhat impatiently. Then, the image of Laura helping Moondust reappeared in Laura's head, but this time it was accompanied by a very strong feeling of urgency. "Right!" said Laura, finally shaking off her trance-like state. Uncertainly, Laura kneeled down next to the trapped hoof. She could feel Moondust's eyes on her. Next, with two hands, Laura grasped one part of the root and began to pull. She tugged and pulled with all of her strength for more than a minute, but the root wouldn't budge. Laura took a moment to catch her breath. As she did so, Moondust snorted at Laura, as if she was making fun of her weakness. Laura felt a little pathetic compared to the magnificent Pegasus she was trying in vain to help. But that feeling didn't last long, for Laura had an idea. She took a reasonably long, thick stick from the ground and pushed it in between the two roots that trapped Moondust's leg. Then, she began to dig around with the stick, moving away the soil and other plant matter surrounding her leg, creating more room for it to move. Finally, she discarded the stick and again began pulling the one part of the root with her hands. This time, it began to budge. Slowly and with all her strength, Laura pulled the root backwards. Finally, Moondust was able to remove her leg from between the roots. Laura, panting, looked up at Moondust triumphantly. She awaited a voice to commend or at least, appreciate, her efforts, to enter her head. But instead, she felt a smug feeling being transmitted by Moondust and with a final whinny she turned tail and began to gallop off as quickly as she could.
|
|
|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 16:42:12 GMT -5
Chapter 3 As Laura watched Moondust turn away and begin to run off, she couldn't help but feel a little betrayed. Laura had known this feeling before, in her early years at the orphanage. People would be nice to her when they needed her, but they couldn't stand another moment in her presence when they didn't. But for some reason, Laura didn't think that this was why Moondust had left her. All of these thoughts raced through Laura's head in mere seconds and Moondust had only made it a few feet when all of a sudden, the leg that had been trapped between the roots buckled underneath Moondust. She tried to flap her sticky wings to keep her balance but she nearly collapsed to the ground. "I think you and I better stay together for awhile," Laura advised. Moondust turned around to look at Laura sheepishly and hobbled back towards her. "Now, let's take a closer look at your leg," Laura said as she reached towards Moondust's injured limb. But Moondust wouldn't have it and she shied away. "Come on, now. You won't be able to make it very far on that leg, as you just demonstrated," Laura persuaded, holding back a laugh as the memory of Moondust stumbling over replayed in her head. Moondust, who had happened to be paying attention to Laura's thoughts, neighed, offended. "I'm sorry. But could you please let me take a look at your leg?" Laura asked politely. In response, Moondust limped forward. She still didn't allow Laura to touch her, but instead, she raised her front left leg for Laura's inspection. Laura observed that the part of the leg below the knee was swollen. Fortunately, Laura had learned from a passage in one of her books (A Survival in Mysterious Circumstances) that said: 'Rule #1: Always be prepared; you never know when an adventure will find you.' So, she carried a roll of bandages and other necessary survival equipment in a separate pocket of her book-bag. Moondust allowed Laura to tie the bandage in place, and then she put her leg back on the ground. 'It's too late at night to do anything about your wings, so we'll have to figure out something tomorrow. For now, though, we should find a place to spend the rest of the night," Laura concluded. Moondust looked at her for a moment, and then huffed in agreement. A few minutes later, they found a clearing in the forest and Laura was beginning to make a fire (she was now very thankful that she had read that book), when Moondust's voice echoed in her head, 'Thank you,' she said. Laura stopped to look up at her and replied, "You're welcome. Why did you try to run away from me in the first place?" Moondust flashed Laura images of animals that were unknown to her. One showed Moondust prancing around as a foal with what appeared to be a lion-like creature with ivy growing on it, another showed her other, beautiful horses, the next showed a small furry yellow creature with big brown eyes and pointy ears. Moondust showed her so many different animals that Laura began to wonder whether there were people, like her, in this world. But the last image the mare showed her was one of Moondust, timidly hiding up in a tall tree as she watched two girls pass by that were gathering plants that grew on the rocky terrain below. Laura noticed that the ground in most of the memories Moondust showed her didn't look anything like the rich soil they were standing on now and decided that Moondust must not be from around here either. The memory of Moondust and the two girls and the feeling of fear and uncertainty that came with it drove Laura to a conclusion. "You've never been this close to a human before, have you?" she asked. 'No,' responded Moondust. Some minutes of silence passed as Laura finished starting the fire and began making her bed out of dead leaves. The ground was quite comfortable to lie on by itself, but Laura did not want to wake up in a faceful of dirt in the morning. After this was done, Laura picked some apples from a nearby tree. At least she knew some of the fruits were safe to eat because they grew back on Earth as well. As Laura arrived at the campsite with an armful of apples, she remembered a question she had been meaning to ask. "Moondust?" Laura began, as she set the apples down. The winged horse looked up at her from where she was lying down. "Where did you come from?" Moondust just watched her, as she had done so many times tonight. But now, Laura detected a sadness in her soulful black eyes as they closed as Moondust went to sleep. Laura awoke early the next morning. So early, in fact that the sun had barely begun to rise in the sky. She yawned, stretched and rose from her leafy bed. Then, Laura rubbed her eyes and looked around her. The fire she had made last night had been reduced to smouldering ashes and not very many apples were left. Then, she turned towards to the place where Moondust had been sleeping during the night and found the spot beneath the large oak tree empty. Laura wondered where she could have possibly gone, when she noticed some hoof prints. She followed them as well as a small feeling that she had. They lead her to a grassy outcrop. The outcrop was not particularly tall, and it looked over some more forest. When Laura stood on her toes, she could see a castle, farther away. Standing near the edge of this outcrop was Moondust, her head following the slow rising Sun. Laura approached her from behind, and not wanting to startle the mare from her thoughts, whispered, "Hello." Moondust turned towards her and nodded. Laura took a step backwards and gasped. There, in the middle of Moondust's forehead, and a little below her ears, was a horn. The base of the blueish-white horn swirled into a point one side of it shone as it was met by the sunlight. Laura was sure that it had not been there last night and she didn't even recall noticing the beginnings of one either. No, somehow, it had grown overnight. "How---?" Laura began, but she didn't need to finish, as Moondust explained through pictures. First, Laura saw Moondust asleep beneath the oak tree. Then, this faded into white and Laura was overtaken by a feeling of mystery muddled with sleepiness. 'A dream,' she thought. Through the hazy white, Laura could see Moondust standing on a cloud, hornless. Then two horses appeared in the sky and landed on the cloud in front of her. One horse was a deep blue like the night sky, and Laura got the impression that he was a stallion. His mane shimmered like twinkling stars and his back was adorned by a pair of feathery wings. The other horse, which Laura felt was a mare, was white, her mane was light purple and she her purple wings looked like those of a fairy's. A feeling of love radiated from the whole scene. "Are those your parents?" Laura asked in awe. Moondust nodded, and continued. In the dream, Moondust bowed her head as her parents approached her and they both touched their noses to her forehead and a horn emerged from Moondust's forehead. Then, the fairy-winged mare conveyed a feeling of urgency to her daughter and the shimmering stallion snorted and tossed his head. The image faded as the dream ended. "Where are you parents?" Laura questioned. Moondust sent her a feeling of uncertainty. "Me too," Laura whispered quietly. "So...they gave you that gift because they thought you'd need it?" 'Yes,' replied Moondust. What could possibly be awaiting them that had caused Moondust's parents, to visit her in a dream and act as they had? Laura wasn't sure she wanted to know.
|
|
|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 16:43:42 GMT -5
Chapter 4 A few moments of sadness and anxiety passed between both girl and horse. Moondust looked up at the rising sun and huffed, worried. Laura wanted to reassure Moondust and she reached out to stroke her mane. But the winged mare whinnied uncomfortably and moved away from her. Since the time of their meeting, Moondust had permitted no contact between her and Laura and she stood resolute on the matter now. Laura didn't have time to ponder Moondust's reasons for her actions because as the wind blew, it carried strange sounds with it; sounds of snarling, growling and snapping, coming from not too far away. Moondust pricked up her ears and she looked straight ahead. Both Laura and Moondust came down from the outcrop and walked ahead, towards the monstrous noises. Again, the ground began to rise. The rise became a hill that ended in a steep drop. Moondust and Laura looked down on the scene that was producing the so much noise. There were seven large wolves. One was completely black and the others various shades of purpley-grey. One of the wolves had something gold in his mouth, but it was hard to make out just what, with all the moving around. These wolves had surrounded and cornered a magnificent black stallion that was darker than a starless sky. The poor stallion was trapped. In front of him were the wolves and behind him and rose a steep cliff. The wolves kept attempting to get close enough to the horse to inflict some damage, but every time they got too close, the stallion would rear and neigh. Fear seemed to emanate from him when he did this because the wolves would back up and yelp. As the trapped horse reared for the second time since Laura and Moondust had come upon the scene, Moondust sent Laura an image. It showed exactly the same scene that they were looking down upon, but with it came a feeling of hopelessness and loss. "You're right. He can't win alone, there are just too many wolves!" exclaimed Laura. Moondust transmitted another image to Laura, this one showed the same scene except, behind the wolves stood Laura and Moondust. "Us? We're going to help him?" stuttered Laura. "We can't! How can we? We don't have any weapons and we don’t have a plan! We can't even fly in and take them by surprise because your wings are still sticky! I don't think that’s a very good idea. I don't even know how to fight!" Laura explained. "We must do something!" Moondust cried, a loud urgent voice inside Laura's head. And in that moment, something in Laura changed. Moondust's voice had blown away all her insecurities and had filled her with such confidence that she felt like she could have flown if she wanted to. But instead she charged down the side of the steep hill with a battle cry roaring out of her lungs! Moondust reared, neighed, tossed her head and galloped behind her. They ran towards the wolves without a weapon, without a plan, with only hope. Coming towards the end of the hill, Laura had a sudden idea. Moondust, who was linked to her thoughts, knew what she was thinking, and started galloping away from her. As they neared the wolf pack, Laura and Moondust diverged from each other and Laura began making as much noise as she could. The wolves stopped what they were doing and they all turned to look at her. Laura knew idea was working, she could see it in their eyes: Here, standing before them, was a girl; all alone and totally unprotected. She would be much easier to kill than the stallion they were battling. And so the chase ensued. Laura turned and ran as fast as she could and the wolves, abandoning the stallion, chased after her. Laura ran in the direction Moondust had gone and that was as far as her small plan had gone. She didn't know what to do from here so she kept running with the wolves right behind her. Laura was gaining distance between her and the wolves when suddenly, she felt herself flying forwards towards the ground. She had tripped over a thick root that was sticking out of the soil. Laura hit to ground hard and she was too dazed to get back up. She heard the wolves getting closer and closer but there wasn't much she could do. Would they circle her or just go in for the kill? Whatever they did, Laura hoped it would be painless. These were the thoughts that now crowded Laura's head. Now she could see the wolves bounding towards her, but at the same time, Moondust galloped in front of her, protecting her. The wolves slowed a little, obviously stunned. Then several things happened at once. The black wolf barked what must have been a command, because all the other wolves began circling Laura and Moondust. Then the black wolf barked again and one of the purplish wolves lunged at Moondust. At the same moment, Moondust lowered her head and a white light burst out in all directions from her horn. Laura sat up just in time to see the wolf colliding with an invisible wall about eight feet away from where she sat. The wolf picked itself off and ran away, whimpering. Moondust gazed determinedly at the other wolves and scratched the ground with one hoof, as if inviting them to try and get at her. Another wolf readied itself to jump and in its mouth was the gold thing both Laura and Moondust had seen earlier. But she could make out the general details of it now. It looked to be a gold chain, with a silvery-blue pendant in the shape of a shield. The chain swung from the wolf's mouth as it back up and jumped at Moondust. But he too collided with something. To Laura, it looked like a bird hitting a window, except, you couldn't see the window. As the wolf hit the invisible wall, the gold chain flew out of its mouth and fell into a bush. However none of the wolves noticed as they were all running about in fear, away from Moondust, with their tails between their legs. All of them ran off at the same time, except for the black one. He glared at Moondust, growled and then ran off after the pack. Laura finally got up off the ground, and before she knew it, she had run towards Moondust and was hugging her neck. For once, Moondust did not object and nestled her head in the space between Laura's neck and shoulder. "Thank you!" she cried happily. As Laura hugged Moondust, she felt a constant stream of energy enter her from her hands. Laura looked at them, and beheld that where her hands met Moondust's neck, it glowed. Laura stepped back and began stroking Moondust's neck. Yes, wherever she stroked, Moondust's skin would glow. And whenever her hands came in contact with Moondust, she felt energy entering and leaving her at the same time. It was as if they were connected. Then, Laura recognized that feeling of energy. Laura had felt the same kind of energy pulling her back on Earth. But there was no more time to reminisce as Moondust replayed the scene of the gold chain flying out of the stunned wolf's mouth. Laura began walking towards the bush that the chain had fallen in when she had a thought. What if she walked into that invisible wall? Uncertain, Laura was about to put her arms in front of her to feel the way when Moondust entered her head. "Don't worry, it's gone. I only put the shield there while the wolves were here," she explained. "You did that?!" exclaimed Laura in awe. "But how?" "I don't know," responded Moondust. "I just did..." Moondust sounded just as confused as Laura had. "Well I know for sure that something came from your horn, maybe that did it." said Laura as she searched through the bush. Finally she pulled out the chain from the clutches of the twigs and leaves. "Here it is!" she cried triumphantly. As Laura admired it, she noticed the distinct details of the chain. Encircling the pendant were two golden horses and in between them rested a blue gem. The center of the shield had a lightning bolt engraved in it. Now that Laura saw it, hadn't she seen that same mark on the rear of the black stallion?
|
|
|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 16:46:05 GMT -5
Chapter 5 Yes, both the mark on the pendant just about matched the mark on the black stallion. 'Hm,' Laura thought, 'It must belong to him.' Below the platinum lightning bolt, a word was engraved. "Val-rick? Vail-rick? Val-er-ick?" Laura pronounced slowly. "Ahhh! Valeryk!" she declared. "Moondust, what does Valeryk mean?" 'I don't know...' the Pegasus replied. "But you were born here! You should know, shouldn't you?" questioned Laura. 'Yes, I was born in this world, but the place of my upbringing is far away from here," Moondust explained. "Didn't you have your parents to teach you things?" asked Laura. Moondust shook her head. "Oh. Well, at least you actually know who they are," she sighed. 'However,' Moondust interrupted Laura's thoughts, 'the shape of the pendant does look familiar...' "Well there's a start! In any case, we better keep this safe," Laura decided. Just then a gust of wind picked up some leaves from the forest floor and blew them towards Moondust. Some of them became stuck on to her sappy wings and the irritated mare flapped them in annoyance. “'Alright, before we continue on, let's get that sap out of your wings," said Laura. Suddenly she remembered how she had found Moondust and a question came to Laura that she had never thought about before. "Moondust, how did you get yourself into such a predicament anyway?" she enquired. Moondust sent her a mental image of herself flying with --- were those dolphins? She was clearly enjoying herself, gliding and turning and even doing loops. The dolphin-like creatures imitated her and added their own tricks; both animals were trying to outdo the other. So, Moondust flew high above her spirited friends and dove, twisting and twirling. However, she lost control and the creatures below her bolted, out of her way. Moondust was falling fast and as she spun towards the treetops of the forest she beat her wings in an effort to slow the plummet and rise back up towards the night sky. Unfortunately it was too late and she crashed into the forest. As she fell through the treetops, the branches covered her wings in a black syrupy substance. Moondust had not suffered a single scratch by the time she reached the forest floor, but her wings paid the price for that as they were nearly completely covered in the glutinous black substance. The stunned mare did not know what else to do and just began to run. But, just as she had come to a full gallop, her front leg got caught between two roots and her run was brought to a halt. Laura couldn't help but laugh a little. At first Moondust looked a little embarrassed as if ashamed that she was caught acting so foolishly, but then she began to wicker along with Laura's laughter. It was nice to be able to laugh in the midst of what had just happened. "Okay, come on! I think I hear a river ahead! Let's get that stuff off of you!"Laura said. Moondust neighed in agreement. As they both walked off towards the flowing water, Laura placed the mysterious chain safely in her book bag. Luckily the black sap washed off easier than Laura had thought and in fifteen minutes, Moondust was flapping her wings dry. She couldn't wait to stretch her wings and take to the skies, but, and to Laura's relief (she had never flown before, let alone on a horse) the dense canopy above them would not allow any sort of take off. Again, Laura pulled out the gold chain. "We must find a way to return this to that stallion, but I don't have the slightest idea where to start looking for him!" she exclaimed. Moondust sent Laura an image of the castle they had seen from the outcrop. "Good idea! Though, we'll have to find a high place to look over the trees to get a sense of direction. We must have gotten turned around at least twice, being chased by those wolves!" Moondust nodded and they both continued forward in hopes they would find a hill of some sort. This didn't take long and it took them an even shorter time to locate the castle, which looked closer than when they saw it last. "Hey! We were going the right way after all!" Laura remarked. Moondust whinnied and began to flap her wings anxiously. The sky was all clear here, since the hill rose above most of the trees (some were still so very tall!) and Moondust could hardly contain herself. Laura went over to Moondust and stroked her to calm her down. "No way. Not now! I'm sure we could reach the castle on foot before it gets too dark," Laura said. But before she could persuade her case anymore, Moondust reached under Laura with her nose and lifted her on to her back. "Whoa! What are doing?' Laura demanded and she tried to scramble off of the excited Pegasus. But Moondust paid no attention to her and began to gallop towards the edge of the hill, which ended in a steep drop, like the last one. "Moondust! Please! Put me down!" Laura begged. Of course Moondust ignored her cries of protest and as they reached the very tip of the small cliff Laura had no choice but to hang on for all she was worth! Laura closed her eyes tightly as the ground disappeared beneath Moondust's hooves. Slowly, Laura opened one eye and then the other. They were soaring above the trees, almost parallel with the fluffy white clouds. The steady beat of Moondust's wings calmed Laura and she began to take in the scenery both above and below her. The sun was shining high in the sky now and it was a beautiful day! "Oh!" exclaimed Laura in surprise. Today wasn't just any day, it was her birthday! Back at the orphanage, no one would have even paid attention to this and the day just went on as usual without any sort of anything to mark the occasion! Only Laura, herself, marked it down in one of the blank pages of her books. But Laura decided that being here, high up in the sky on the back of a flying horse made up for it all!
|
|
|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 16:47:29 GMT -5
Chapter 6 Moondust soared over the tree-covered landscape as Laura looked about in wonder. She was beginning to enjoy flying a lot. The wind whipped her face and made her eyes tear, but eventually she got used to it. Gradually, the forest began to thin and Laura could make out a distinct path that began to wind its way between the colossal trees. To the north of her, in the direction they were flying, lay the castle and to the east, two enormous mountains met the horizon, both mountains shaped like a horse's head. Laura wondered if the monuments were formed naturally or if someone had deliberately carved them. She leaned towards Moondust's ears and made her curiosities known. 'The very first Valkyrie, Sigga Rolanddotter, carved the faces of Bella and Bello into the two mountains that look over this valley in tribute to the goddess, Sara, for all the kindness she has done her and her sisters,' Moondust replied. "So you know that, but you can't figure out the pendant??" Laura asked. Moondust put on an offended air as she said, 'My parents were only with me for a short time during my upbringing. In this short time I had only learned the fundamentals of the history of our world.' "Oh...I---" Laura began, 'I hope this explains my seeming naivety,' Moondust added a little coldly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know," Laura apologized. She didn't know what else to say, so they continued the rest of their airy journey in silence. Finally, in minutes that seemed like hours, Moondust began to descend. She landed right at the edge of the forest, and Laura, who was a little sore, gingerly climbed off of Moondust. As nice as the flight was, Laura was happy to have her feet planted firmly back on the ground. Moondust seemed to have forgotten their conversation in the clouds because she nuzzled Laura affectionately. Everything seemed much better and both Laura and Moondust felt much lighter when they landed. By the looks of their surroundings, this place seemed to be much more human-inhabited than the dense, green forest they had come from. A dirt path stretched out in front of them in three different directions. After a little discussion over which way they should go, Moondust lead Laura on the most direct path towards the castle. This path took them past a beautiful gazebo surrounded by all sorts of enchanting flowers and across a sturdy bridge under which a gushing river flowed. A few steps through a marble-like arch and they had reached the castle's front. Most of the architecture seemed to be made up from the same marbley substance. A few vibrant horses trotted around, but none of them were the stallion that Laura and Moondust were searching for. However, one of the most prominent of the horses was pure white with a black mane and magnificent feathery wings. Beside this horse stood a girl that looked about Laura's age. Laura started to walk confidently in their direction in hopes of finding out more about the chain they had found, but Moondust eyed them suspiciously and did not take another step forward. Laura walked back towards Moondust. Some of the horses around were probably looking watching her. She wondered how silly she must have looked walking forward a few steps only to walk back again. Why wouldn't Moondust move? Then again, a tiny voice in Laura's head said, maybe Moondust had the right idea. After all, she hadn't had much luck making friends at the orphanage; she couldn't remember having any sort of pleasant conversation with anyone. If she barely spoke to people on Earth, how could she expect to talk someone on another world without coming across as a complete fool?' Even when Moondust answered Laura's question about the mountains, she had only had more questions. There was a goddess? Who was Sigga? What had Sara done that deserved such recognition? In fact, the mention of Sara had immediately sparked an interest in Laura and she wanted to find out everything she could about the history of this world. Laura could sense Moondust listening to her thoughts. Moondust looked at her in reassurance and took a few steps forward. "You're right," Laura admitted, she would have to put her curiosity on hold. "We have to try." Slowly, they approached the girl and the white Pegasus. The girl looked up as they came closer. Moondust and the white stallion touched noses. "She's beautiful!" the girl exclaimed. "Is she yours?" "I....um....yes! No! I don't really know...." Laura stuttered. Moondust huffed and she felt a little more comforted. "She's my friend. Her name's Moondust and I am Laura." "Hi! I'm Emma and this is my horse Wings! It's nice to meet you both! I haven't seen you two around before. Where did you come from?" "It's a long story," Laura replied. She was about to begin the long account of events, but luckily, Moondust stepped in and conveyed a much briefer explanation through images, thoughts and feelings. Her recount began with her encounter with Laura and ended with their finding the chain. A flurry of emotions flashed across Emma's face but she remained silent for the duration of Moondust's story. "Wow. There's so much I want to say, but first, there's one thing I have to find out," Emma said. "What is it?" Laura wondered. "Moondust explained how you found her, but where were you before that?" Laura debated how to answer her. Should she tell her the truth? Wouldn't she sound crazy? Oh well, it was better to be honest and crazy than to be a liar. So Laura told Emma all about the orphanage, the northern lights, the feeling and lastly, the huge tree. "Hey!" Emma cried. "I'm from Earth too!" "You....you are?" Laura replied, aghast. "Sure! Sara found me and brought me here. But enough of that, let's talk about that chain. Moondust, the horse you showed Wings and I looked like Thunder." "Thunder?" said Laura. "Yes. He's the patron for one of the main herds, Valeryk." "Valeryk! That's the word carved onto the chain pendant!" Laura exclaimed as she pulled out the chain. Emma's brow furrowed as she studied the chain and pendant. "Hmmm. That's the symbol of the herd, so yes, it must have been him. Strange though...." Emma trailed off. She began muttering to herself, and Wings evidentially, was adding his thoughts. Soon they seemed to reach an agreement. "Laura, Moondust. We think that the best thing to do would be to bring that to Sara and tell her everything you told us." Moondust nodded, but Laura stared at Emma, wide-eyed, then she began to bombard Emma with questions. "Sara? But didn't Moondust say she was a goddess? You really think we should be the ones---?" "Don't worry! Here, take this map. You'll probably find her ---and Bella--- in the Overgaard Skylands. On your way there, you should stop by Bagatella Row. There's a book shop there. Books helped me out a lot when I first came here!" Emma directed as she indicated the places on the map. "Thanks Emma! Thanks a lot!" Moondust also nodded in thanks. "You're welcome. I know we'll meet again! Good luck!" With that, Moondust and Laura walked forward, through the marbly arch and took their first steps towards the Overgaard Skylands. "Laura! Moondust! Wait!" Emma called. The pair walked back towards Emma and Wings. "Wings just reminded me! I don't know what I was thinking! Sending you two off when it'll be dark soon! Why don't you both spend the night in the castle? That way you can get a fresh start tomorrow." "Really? Wow! I don't know what to say! I've never been inside a castle before, let alone slept in one!" Laura bubbled excitedly. Moondust nudged her gently on the shoulder, which brought Laura to her senses. "Thank you Emma, that's a wonderful idea." "Don't thank me, thank Wings. If he hadn't said anything, you'd be wandering around in the dark!" Laura looked into Wing's onyx eyes and said. "Thank you." Moondust also conveyed her gratitude. "Come, we'll show you where you'll be staying," said Emma. They stepped inside the castle and Laura was overwhelmed. Beautiful winding staircases led them down to the main floor where doorways and corridors went in many different directions. The ceiling was very high and there was a huge, gaping hole in it where you could look up into the sky. Almost everything was made with the same white marbly stone. "It's beautiful!" Laura exclaimed. "What kind of stone is this?" Laura questioned as she ran her hand over a smooth railing knob. "Aurorite." Emma replied. "From the mines of Whitemantle Mountain." "Amazing!" Laura breathed. They walked on, and Emma and Wings led them up four more staircases and down a corridor. "Here. We'll be in the ballroom if you need us, okay? See you later!" Emma said. Wings looked at Emma and snorted. With that, they left. Laura took a moment to look around. This was the most beautiful room she had ever seen! A big, four-poster comfy bed with huge, white fluffy pillows with fresh clothes folded on top. There were fancy-looking dressers and chairs that looked more like works of art than furniture. A hot meal was steaming atop a table beside a basket of fruit. A plush rug lay in the middle of the room with a couple of blue and purple pillows strewn across it. Finally, two elevated white troughs stood on one side of the room; one filled with fresh oats and one with water. Laura marvelled at the speed of preparation. The ceiling was very high here, too and on the side of the wall opposite the troughs was a big arched opening with a platform. It must have been built to make it easier for flying horses to come and go. A bathroom joined the bedroom. Its furnishings included a deep claw foot bathtub and thick white towels. Half an hour later and Laura had eaten, bathed, changed and was feeling better than she had in a while. While that was happening, Moondust had made a trip the stables where she had been brushed, bathed and had had her wings oiled. Laura had just settled into her bed when Moondust said, 'Good idea. We'll both need our rest for tomorrow.'"Sleep? I'm not going to sleep. At least, not yet! I want to look over this first." Laura reasoned as she pulled out the map from her book bag. There were so many beautiful places to see and Laura wanted to see them all. But, she decided, the first place she wanted to visit was the enormous tree, illustrated on the left of the map. Calligraphic writing indicated it to be "Drasilmare ~ The World Tree". For some reason, it reminded her a little of the tree she went through when she found Moondust. Laura folded the map, put it away and nestled deeper into the pillows. She imagined herself flying on Moondust over an ever-changing landscape. First water, then grass, then desert, then trees! They would go everywhere together, after the chain was returned... With these thoughts, Laura drifted off to sleep.
|
|
|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 16:49:08 GMT -5
Chapter 7 As soon as the first beams of sunlight hit Laura's face, she was awake. She felt completely refreshed. Wait a minute...where was she again? Laura sat up and looked around. Moondust was the first thing she saw and all of the previous night's occurrences flashed quickly inside Laura's head. "Oh, right!" Laura said as she smiled. 'Good morning,' greeted Moondust. "Good morning!" replied Laura. Then she hopped out of bed and hugged her. Out of habit, she checked her wrist to check the time on her watch. But her watch wasn't there. This was the first time she noticed it was gone, but she couldn't remember the last time she saw it... 'You'd better get ready,' the mare advised. "Good idea," Laura said. So, she made the bed and ate the hot breakfast that awaited her at the table. Then she noticed another pair of clothes folded across an armchair. That was it, she had to find out. "Moondust, how did these get in here? Not by...not by magic?" A picture appeared in Laura's head. It showed a girl, older than Laura. Her skin was an amber-tree bark colour, she had very long hair with vines and flowers braided into it and the dress she was wearing looked like she had just stuffed herself through the head of a very pretty flower. 'Hmm,' Laura thought. This girl looked familiar. Yet Laura had never seen her, exactly, before. Then Laura remembered. In one part of a book she had, there was a whole page full of drawings of the same type of girl that Moondust had shown her. She also recalled that there was a word written above the drawings to indicate what they were. After a few moments, she had it! "Dryads!" Laura called. "She's a dryad! Wow!" she exclaimed. After that burst of excitement, Laura changed her clothes, brushed her hair and slung the book bag over her shoulder. "Okay! Let's go!" Laura declared. They were just about to leave the room when the dryad entered their room. She was speaking very quickly. "Hello! You must be Laura. You were sleeping last time I came. I'm Maia. Emma's waiting for you downstairs, but she asked me to give you these first." "Nice to meet you! That's right, I'm Laura! You seem a little rushed today," Laura remarked. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I'll slow down," said Maia as she handed Laura a small sack that jingled and a larger bulgy sack that must have held fruits in it. "It's just that I'm supposed to meet Deru at the World Tree in fifteen minutes and I'm running a little behind." Maia explained as she started to speed up again. “I couldn't find Primrose and when I found her she was all covered in mud so I -----" "Okay!" Laura interrupted. "Well, don't let us hold you up. Thank you for giving us these!" she said as she held up the sacks. "Oh... you're welcome! See you around!" Maia exclaimed. Then, she dashed out the door. 'The World Tree...." Laura breathed. She was about to slip into a vivid daydream when Moondust nudged her in the back. "Oh! Right! Let's go Moondust!" she exclaimed. Laura began to walk towards the door, but Moondust wasn't moving. 'Not again!' Laura thought. She turned back to look at Moondust and noticed that the mare was looking up towards the doorway in the wall. 'I'll meet you on the main floor.' Moondust said. "Okay," answered Laura. With that, the Pegasus took off and flew out of the windowed opening and Laura began making her way downstairs. It took her five minutes to descend all four staircases and she reached the main floor, there were Emma, Wings and Moondust waiting for her. 'Slowpoke.' Moondust teased. Laura smiled as she walked up to them. "Hello Laura! Did you sleep well?" Emma asked. "It was the best sleep I ever had!" Laura replied. "I'm glad. I see Maia gave you the horseshoes and fruit." Emma remarked. "The horseshoes?" Laura echoed, confused. She pulled on the string and opened the smaller sack. Emma was right! Inside the sack were tiny golden horseshoes. "Yes. That's our currency!" Emma explained. "You'll probably need to buy a few extra things along the way." "Thank you." said Laura gratefully. She closed up the sack and put both of them in her book bag. It was still very roomy, despite all the things in there. But it was beginning to feel a little heavy. "You're welcome. Well, you two best be on your way! Good luck!" So for the second time, Laura and Moondust walked through the marble --no—the aurorite arch and truly began their journey to find Sara. "Okay, according to Emma, we should head for Bagatella Row first, which is here," Laura said as she pointed it out on the map. Moondust nodded. "We are here, right now. The Trailhead, and there's Bagatella Row. It shouldn't take us very long to get there." As they walked down the wide path, a vision appeared in Laura head of her and Moondust flying there. "No, absolutely not. This is no time for grand entrances. I think we should just try to blend in as much as we can. I'm not completely convinced that the wolves have given up yet." 'Oh, alright...' replied Moondust, a little put out. Laura was right, it didn't take them long to make it to Bagatella Row. However, as much as they both tried to blend in, many of the people recognized their new faces. They were welcomed by all sorts of people while passing through Artisan's way. A girl named Penny Inkwell asked them lots of questions, but Laura made sure she was careful with her answers, in case word spread too far. Also a creature introduced himself as a tea-leaf panda named Leoni. By the time they reached Bagatella Row, Laura's left arm was a little sore from all of the handshakes she received. "Okay, we're looking for a bookshop. Keep your eyes peeled, Moondust." Laura advised. They passed a gardening store and an emporium before Moondust spotted the sign. 'There. Patchwork Books. It's just after this shop,' she said. However, before they could get there, a kind-looking lady greeted them. "Hello dears! I don't believe I've seen you two here before! I'm Mother Comfort. I hear both of you are travelling somewhere?" "Where did you---? Penny, of course! My, news travels fast around here. Yes, we are," Laura finally replied. "Well, then! You can't go wrong with a few goodies! Here, take these plumberry tarts! I just took them out of the oven!" Mother Comfort insisted. "Oh! Thank you!" Laura replied, as she put them carefully into her book bag. "You're very welcome! See you later!" Mother Comfort exclaimed. After that meeting, they finally walked up to the bookshop. "Good morning ladies! The name's Iverson P. Opus! Anything I can do for you?" "Well, actually..." Laura began. "Wait! Don't tell me! You two are bringing something to Sara?" "What! Who told you that?" Laura asked, shocked. Moondust snorted in surprise. Laura was very sure that she hadn't let that much slip out when answering Penny's questions. "Oh, don't worry! No one told me!" Iverson replied assuringly, seeing the surprised look on Laura's face. "Emma sent me a letter by citrustack! Amazing little housekeepers aren't they?" “I'll take your word for it," answered Laura, relieved. "Anyway, the letter also mentioned that you're pretty new around here. And if you're planning on visiting Sara, you better take a couple of these books so you know what she's talking about!" "That's what we're here for!" remarked Laura. "Great! Okay, these two will do nicely!" exclaimed Iverson. He tossed Laura two rather heavy looking volumes. One was titled 'The Complete History of North of North' and the other 'North of North: Its People & Places". Laura did her best to catch them both and when she did, she struggled under the weight. Iverson looked at her a minute and then exclaimed "Ah! Yes! Emma also told me to give you this!" He rummaged through a pile of books and then pulled out what looked like a saddlebag without the saddle! It was also a dark blue that complemented Moondust's colour. "It's enchanted!" Iverson whispered, smiling. "What does it do?" Laura asked. "Put those two books in and see!" directed Iverson. So, Laura took the bag and placed the two books inside. She didn't feel any difference.... Wait a minute! She didn't feel any difference! The bag still felt light as a feather! Laura peered inside the bag. Yes, the books were still there! Laura gasped. This was just what she needed! If she had tried to stuff any more things in her book bag, not only would the plumberry tarts be squished, but she would be walking lopsided! "Thank you!" Laura exclaimed as she strapped it over Moondust. "You know," began Iverson, holding back a smile, "It wouldn't be a bad idea to do some sightseeing along the way." Moondust looked into Iverson's eyes. "Ahh! Ha Ha!" he laughed. "What?" Laura asked. But, of course, no one answered her question. Instead Moondust scooped her up onto her back and took off into the sky and Laura didn't have a clue where she was taking her.
|
|
|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 16:50:34 GMT -5
Chapter 8 The wind whipped past Laura's face as Moondust carried her higher and higher into the air. "Where are we going?" Laura yelled above the wind. 'You'll have to wait and see,' Moondust answered. Laura knew Moondust wasn't going to divulge any more information and she couldn't even check her map because she had placed it in the saddlebag. The last thing she wanted was to fall off trying to reach the map before she got to wherever she was going. They flew through numerous clouds before Laura spotted the magnificent tree. As they neared it, Laura could make out structures hanging from its branches or built into the curves of its roots or trunk. It was as if the tree was its own city. In front of the tree was a glistening lake that poured over an enormous cliff. "Drasilmare!" Laura exclaimed in awe. It wasn't until Moondust touched down beside the legendary tree that Laura remembered to breathe. "Moondust! Thank you for bringing me here!" 'I didn't do it for that reason alone. I had another dream last night....' However, Laura's mind was too overwhelmed with wonder to fully take in what Moondust had just told her. Instead, she rushed to the saddlebag and pulled out the book called 'North of North: Its People and Places'. Her fingers turned page after page until she found what she was looking for. The page showed a beautifully illustrated picture of Drasilmare and several paragraphs of information were written beside it. According to the book, Drasilmare become what it was when the goddess, Sara's, tears of grief for her parents pooled into a lake (giving it its name, Teardrop Lake), which Drasilmare (it was just a sapling then) drank from. Thus allowing it to grow to its monstrous proportions and allowing it to draw knowledge and magic from all over North of North. Laura was awestruck. The lake, just steps in front of her, was formed from the goddess' own tears! Laura wondered how much a person needed to cry in order to make a lake. But, the book answered her question. It said that Sara was overwhelmed with grief so powerful that she actually stopped aging and she cried for her parents for hundreds of years! As if to confirm this, there was a sign placed in front of a fountain that Laura read. "Every tear is a memory of a love shared." She couldn't help but feel moved by that. She then returned her gaze to the lake. Moondust was standing just at its shores, peering into its depths. Laura took a few moments to finish reading the information on the pages about Drasilmare and Teardrop Lake. Then she glanced at Moondust again. It was said that the First Generation horses never left Sara's side as she grieved and when they drank from the lake, their magic gained strength and some even developed new magical gifts. Laura didn't dare even dip a finger into the sacred, magical lake but Moondust began to wade right in! "Moondust!" Laura called, "What do you think you're doing? Don't you know what lake this is?" But, for the umpteenth time, Moondust ignored her and continued her descent into the depths. Laura couldn't watch. Surely, some kind of almighty power would sweep down and strike them both with lightning for what Moondust was doing! In fact, something did sweep down. Two somethings. Laura squinted to see what they were, and finally the two creatures landed by the lake. Laura gasped and nearly dropped her book! Those were the two horses from Moondust's dream; her parents! Laura wondered what they would do when they saw her standing there in shock. But they weren't looking at her, they were watching Moondust. Laura followed their gaze and watched. Moondust was almost completely underwater. Only her head and part of her neck stuck out. It seemed like all three horses were waiting for something and then Laura saw it. The water around Moondust rippled into small waves around her, and motes of light circled her. Then, they went inside her! Moondust glowed brightly from the inside out and as Laura watched in amazement, the purple from her wings melted away and her horn disappeared. Then a breeze blew past Laura and around Moondust. It whispered things as it blew by. Laura only caught a few words of it like, "Sara's Gift"...."inspire heroes"...."protect your world"...."history of the...." Then, as suddenly as it had started, it had quieted down. Moondust swam to shore in a strangely smooth manner, and when she reached the shallows, she stepped out of the Lake. Oddly enough, she wasn't even wet. Moondust walked towards her parents and she touched noses with both of them. Then, the mare's voice resonated inside Moondust and Laura's heads. 'It took both of our magic to hide you as you were, but now you know who you truly are.'
|
|
|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 16:53:08 GMT -5
Chapter 9 Moondust nodded wisely, but to Laura it still looked like she was in a trance. "Child," the stallion's voiced echoed inside her, "We must speak to Moondust alone." "But---" Laura began. She did not feel in the least bit comfortable being separated from Moondust when something so extraordinary had just happened. "I'm sure a dryad would love to help you find a room in the Hearthroot. Moondust, come with us to the Skyloft," the mare advised. With that, her and her mate took off. Moondust turned back to give Laura a reassuring look and then took off after them. Laura watched them go and then sighed. She didn't have the slightest clue what had just happened and now she was left alone with no one to answer her questions. So, she picked up the saddlebag that still lay on the shore and took the mare's advice. Indeed, a dryad did help her find a room to stay in and Laura wondered where all of them had been when Moondust's magical change had occurred. Since she didn't have anything else to do, she turned to the two books that Mr. Opus had given her. Surely they would at least give her some answers? Whatever the case, she spent at least three hours filling her mind up with their contents. Admittedly, there was no better way to spend her time than learning about the world she was in now. At one point during her reading, she discovered something particularly amazing. During this time, Laura had laid out the map Emma had given her so she could quickly glance at the places as she read about them. Then, she came upon the sweeping story of Sigga Rolandotter and Prince Archer. Just as she was learning that North of North awaited an heir to take her place, a breeze entered her room, turning the map over. There, in the lower left-hand corner, it read: Property of Emma Roland Laura gazed in wonder. Without knowing it, she had already met someone of immense importance! Emma had to be Sigga's heir, after all the passage clearly read: 'a girl on wings'. Rolandotter must have been shortened to Roland on earth. Laura wished she knew her last name but it was just as mysterious as her parentage. Putting that aside, she continued ploughing through both books. Finally, while re-reading the first encounter of Bella and Sara for the third time, Moondust entered the room. 'They are ready to see you now.' she said. "You're coming with me, right?" Laura asked. 'Of course.' Moondust said. She hopped of the bed she had occupied for the last few hours, smoothed her hair and walked out the door with Moondust beside her. The pair of Pegasi were waiting for them on the shores of Teardrop Lake. When Laura and Moondust reached them, Laura mustered up all her confidence and asked the beautiful mare, "Will you tell me what happened to Moondust?" 'There is much to say. And, yes, that is part of it.' she replied. 'We'll begin thousands of years ago when Mitka Rolandotter had taken in Sara. As you know, when the First Generation horses began showing up in great numbers at their home, they were given to the other Caregivers. One of those horses was Moondust, and she was given to a caregiver named Solana Featherwind.' "Wait a minute," Laura interrupted. 'If Moondust was alive that long ago and given to a Caregiver, then that would make her a---" 'A Valkyrie steed, yes.' "How come she doesn't remember all of that?" Laura enquired. ' She does now. In time, Laura, all of your questions will be answered,' replied the mare. 'Continuing on. When Feral found out about the Caregiver's, she secretly joined them and tempted them with her Wolves as more powerful steeds. Some of the Caregiver's accepted her offer and joined her, abandoning their horses. Feral commanded her Wolf-Riders to take the resisting Caregivers by force. They would have been doomed if not for Sara, who granted their steeds wings in order to escape. However, Solana worried that Feral would attack again, so she hid Moondust and herself in a cave. Eventually, though, one of Feral's Wolf Riders tracked her down as she guarded the outside of the cave and attacked her. Moondust wanted to rush out and help her, but Solana urged her to remain hidden. My mate and I as well as two nearby people, Edna and Edgar Elindor, heard the commotion and all four of us fought off the Wolf Rider. However, for Solana it was too late. Her last wish was for us to watch over Moondust until she found a new rider. And she told Edna that her new rider would be born in one of her future generations.' 'Naturally, we told Sara and she appointed us The Watchers. She granted us two gifts. One, was that we would live at least as long as it took for Moondust to find a rider. And, secondly, she gave us the gift to alter memories. You see, Moondust was so traumatized by Solana's death that the refused to ever have a new rider. So, we had to make Moondust forget who she was in order to fulfill Solana's last wish. Generations passed and with each one, the Elindor's would take their daughter to Moondust in hopes that she would accept them as her rider. Every time she refused them, we would have to alter her memory to forget them so she would give every generation a chance. Meanwhile, the Wolf Riders knew that there was a rider-less Valkyrie steed and Feral wanted to use her for her own advantage. Luckily, they never had much luck finding her until the time of your parents. You were just two months old when the Wolf Riders came. They killed your parents, thinking that they had finally vanquished the Elindor's line, so Moondust would never have a new rider. It was only a matter of time before they found you and we knew something had to be done.' 'So,' the stallion's voice cut in, 'I flew you through the Auroborus and brought you to the doorsteps of a place where they looked after orphaned children.' Then the mare's voice resumed, 'And now, you have found your way back here and we think that Moondust has finally found a rider. That is why we are very happy to see you, Laura Elindor.' Laura was at a loss for words. But she struggled to find the right ones, ' I can't possibly...Are you sure that she chose the right one?' 'Moondust is sure, so we are sure,' the mare replied. Moondust nodded. "Did she already know when we met?' Laura asked. 'She didn't have her memories then, so no. But you two seem to have formed quite a strong bond since,' answered the mare. 'When I entered the lake, all of my memories returned and I became a fully fledged Valkyrie steed once more. And I am glad that I have chosen you as my Rider,' Moondust continued. By now, all of Laura's doubts had disappeared and was replaced by feelings of immense happiness, joy and excitement. A Valkyrie steed had just chosen her to be her rider...forever! 'Our work is done, but we leave you with a warning.' remarked the stallion. 'Return Thunder's chain as quickly as you can. That black wolf Moondust mentioned may have already alerted Ivenna, or even worse, Feral, of your arrival. Make haste and be safe!' he finished as he and his mate took off. Moondust and Laura watched the pair until they became specks lost in the vast expanse of the sky. You still have many questions, don't you Laura?' Moondust guessed. "Yes! I was hoping you'd be able to answer them,' replied Laura. 'I will do my best,' the pegasus responded. 'Alright, first, while I was reading, I came across something about 'Horse Sharing'. It said that horses communicated using pictures and feelings, not words. Yet I can hear you as clear as day in my head, speaking. Why is that?' 'I know that Solana and I used to communicate just as you and I do, now. Perhaps all Valkyries, or in your case, Valkyries-to-be, share this power. It may even be apart of Sara's Gift.' 'Okay. Secondly, how was I able to find you in the first place, if we were in completely different worlds?' Laura wondered. 'It seems that we had already bonded a little before we had even seen each other. You see, a Valkyrie and her steed share such a strong bond that they will always know what the other is feeling and ,approximately, where the other is.' 'That's incredible!' Laura exclaimed. "Finally, my last question is, can you still create that shield, like the one you created when the wolves attacked?" 'I'm certain I can. I believe The Watchers released that gift from the holding magic so I could protect us. However, I am not sure if that is my only gift,' Moondust answered. "Thank you, Moondust. For everything,' said Laura gratefully. 'No, thank you Laura. Without you, I would have been wandering, lost, forever.' Moondust replied. "You're welcome...." Laura said. "Look, the sun is already setting! We may as well spend the night here and take off first thing tomorrow!" she remarked. Moondust nodded. As the sky darkened, both girl and horse spent the hours, going over the map and flipping through the books as Moondust recounted her memories of the times they depicted. When the moon had settled itself into the sky, they finished off their plumberry tarts and drifted off into a comfortable sleep. However, Laura's sleep was disturbed by a fearfully vivid dream involving a laughing woman with a purple-black hue to her skin and a black wolf with glowing yellow eyes.
|
|
|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 16:54:38 GMT -5
Chapter 10 Moondust and Laura were up well before the sun the next day. In fact, they sat by the shores of Teardrop Lake to watch the sun come up. At the moment, though, Laura was packing up all of their things in preparation to leave and begin their flight to the Overgaard Skylands. So, they were a little surprised to hear a knock at the door. Who could know to find them here? Laura's mind flashed back to the eerie dream she had had and became a little anxious. Moondust, sensing her tenseness, came beside her as Laura tentatively turned the knob and opened the door. Both girl and horse breathed a sigh of relief as they recognized the dryad that stood before them. "Well hello again! What are you guys doing here? Oh wait, that's right! You're on some sort of journey, right?" "Hey Maia! That's right, and it's nice to see you too!" Laura replied. "Who is that behind you?" she asked. For, standing behind Maia was a horse coloured in a blend of blues, purples and pinks. Its mane in tail were the same mix of colours, and there were familiar-looking flowers weaved into the mane and tail. "Oh, her? That's Primrose! Remember I told you that she was the reason I was running a little late that time? It's alright 'Rose, come out and say hello!" Primrose stepped shyly out of Maia's shadow and nodded bashfully in Laura and Moondust's direction. She looked like she still had a lot more filly in her than mare. "Hello Primose! It's nice to meet you! Yes, Maia told us about you a little, last time we met." Laura greeted. Primrose quickly stepped back behind Maia, as if she couldn't even bear the memory of her mud-covered self. "Don't mind her, she's a little shy. Anyway, I have your breakfast here and some extra food for later. I hope you enjoyed Drasilmare's hospitality!" Maia exclaimed as she handed Laura the tray of food.. Then, Primose nudged Maia and whinnied. "Oh, Primose wants to wish you good luck on your journey!" Maia explained, "And so do I! Okay, until we see each other again, goodbye!" she added. "Bye!" Laura returned. Moondust snorted in accompaniment. After the leaving of Maia and Primrose, Laura and Moondust ate a quick breakfast. There was a buttery, fruity muffin for Laura and some fresh oats for Moondust. Laura put the rest of the fruits, nuts and other food into a separate pocket of the saddlebag. She debated whether or not she should leave her four books behind that she had came with from Earth, but decided to keep them. She didn't really know why she wanted to, but something wouldn't let her abandon them like that. Finally, they both went over the map one last time ('I don't see why we need to. I remember where everything is now! Let's get going!' "You never know!") and then they were off. By now, the sky was like Laura's second home. She felt so comfortable and free, as did Moondust. Laura predicted that soon, they would be spending more time in the air than on land. It was then that a peculiar question came to her. "Moondust," Laura called into the pegasus' ear. "I read that Valkyrie steeds can change form to adapt to air, land and water," she remarked. 'That is correct.' Moondust answered. "So far, I've seen you on land and in the air, but never in water. I wonder---" 'Yes you have,' Moondust cut in. "I have?" Laura questioned. 'How do you think I got out of the lake so quickly? Surely not by paddling with my hooves!" the mare explained. "So that explains how that happened!" Laura realized. "You sprouted fins!" she shrieked excitedly. 'Yes,' Moondust confirmed. "Have you ever had to do that before? Use your fins?" Laura wondered. 'Of course. The cave Solana and I were hiding in had an underwater river system. Solana sometimes sent me to bring back food or news.' "Well, I've never seen you up close with your fins. Wouldn't the food get wet on the way back?" Laura bubbled on. And so the rest of the trip was spent asking and answering questions. The subjects of which varied from water horses, to goddesses, to quixie fawns. Eventually they landed on one of the floating mounds that made up the Overgaard Skylands. It was definately one of the biggest they had seen, and hopefully the one where they would find Sara. Laura climbed off of Moondust, and was surprised when she didn't feel any stiffness at all. "Which way, now?" she enquired. "This way," Moondust said confidently as she clopped forwards, towards a bridge. "How can you be so sure?" Laura asked. " I don't know. Just....this way!" the mare replied.
Laura sighed, but smiled to herself, as she followed the eager pegasus. How ever she knew, Moondust did lead them to Sara and Bella, for there they were, standing exquisitely on the banks of the river. Both of them looked up at them at the same time. Laura felt a feeling of majesty sweep over her, and she knew the Moondust had felt it, too. Valkyrie steed or not, Laura was sure Bella and Sara's presence had the same effect on everyone. The goddess herself was dressed in a flowing, satiny dress in light purple. And Laura decided that there was nothing in the world quite like her eyes; a deep, sagely green.'Those were the eyes that had cried for centuries in mourning.' Laura thought to herself. "Greetings Laura and Moondust," welcomed Sara. The two being addressed knelt and bowed their heads. "We believe you have something to show us?" Laura was about to ask how she had known that, but decided that it wouldn't be polite to question a goddess. However, Sara seemed to read the words that were on the tip of Laura's tongue. "The Watchers came here and told Bella and I everything. Your bravery is quite commendable. Now, bring forth the chain," Sara instructed. Carefully, Laura took out the chain from her bookbag and handed it to Sara. "Thunder is in your gratitude for you brave acts," the goddess said as she smiled. "If it isn't too bold, Sara," Laura began a little nervously, "What was Thunder doing there?" "As curious as The Watchers described you!" Sara laughed. Bella whickered alongside Sara. "Thunder was on his way, here, actually. We were holding a meeting to discuss plans of action against Feral and Ivenna,' Sara answered. "Plans of action?" Laura echoed. "As Emma searches for the pendants of the Lost Herds, Feral and Ivenna will surely be trying to attain them before she can," Sara explained. "Oh," Laura responded. "Enough of such dark matters, though," the goddess dismissed, "I'm sure Thunder would appreciate it even more if you returned the chain yourselves. You'll find him in Valeryk Castle in Midwinter Mountains," Sara explained. "You really think it should be us?" Laura asked. "Of course! After all, Moondust, you've finally found a rider!" Sara exclaimed, smiling and clapping. "Now, Laura, Bella has something to say to you." "Your Majesty," Laura greeted as the magnificent horse approached her. 'It is well met, Laura Elindor," Bella replied. 'Now that you are Moondust's rider, you will soon become a Valkyrie yourself. Of course, you won't be a fully-fledged one right away. That will happen overtime, as you learn about North of North. Now Laura really didn't know what to say, but she managed two words, "Thank you." 'Normally, the ceremony would take place at Hestheim, but Sara has brought your sword here,' Bella continued. Indeed, there was Sara, walking towards her carrying a sword with a stunningly metallic handle and a blade that flashed in rainbow colours. "Do you Laura Elindor pledge to: Always revere Sara's Gift?" Bella asked. "I do," Laura replied. "To fulfill your own potential so you can help others fulfill theirs?" "I do." "To discover and inspire heroes to protect your world?" "I do." "And to preserve the history of the Valkyries and their worlds at all costs?" "I do." "Then by the power of Sara and I, Bella, we hearby name you Laura Elindor, the newest member of the Valkyrie Sisterhood," Bella declared as Sara handed Laura a book with a beautiful cover. Laura immediately knew what it was. Sara had just given her a Ballad! A place for her to record all of her adventures! Laura looked around at Bella, Sara and Moondust smiling at her and she a feeling of joy, gratefullness and responsibility swept over her. Did she really deserve all this? After the ceremony, Laura took her place beside Moondust. Then, it was Moondust's turn to ask a question. She radiated her thoughts so everyone could hear, "Sara, you told us what Thunder was doing when the wolves attacked him, but why were they attacking him to begin with?" "As a part of each meeting, every horse brings their own ideas to contribute. Thunder in particular had been working on the more complicated strategies that we might have to use against Feral and her minions. So, naturally, the wolves wanted to seek him out to force him to divulge any information that he had regarding our plans to stop them," Sara answered. "Fortunately for him, you two came and distracted the wolves with yourselves. Although Thunder would have never succombed to their demands, you both spared him from harm," continued Bella. "Now, do you two have any more questions before continuing your journey?" Sara asked. "I have one, your Majesties,' Laura responded. "Our ears are yours," Bella replied. "Why me? Why didn't you let Emma take the pledge instead? After all, she's been here longer than I have," Laura pointed out. " Emma has taken the pledge." Bella began. Laura started a little, she had already met a Valkyrie without knowing it? "But like you will be, she is not a fully fledged Valkyrie, yet." "Are you sure that you did the right thing by picking me? Couldn't you read the Patchwork and see if I'm the right match for Moondust?" Laura asked. "We have barely even read a part of our own stories," Sara remarked. "We believe the Patchwork only lets you read what is necessary to know at the time. Besides, if we already knew everything that was going to happen to everyone we knew, where would the joy in life be? Where would people find true courage, or heroism if they already knew the outcome of their actions?" Sara replied. "I have never thought of it that way," Laura said. "That's the only question I had, so we better get going,"she announced. 'Thank you, for everything,' Moondust added. "Yes, thank you!" Laura echoed. Moondust bowed her head and Laura curtsied. "You're welcome!" replied Sara. "May good luck be yours!" Bella exclaimed. Laura tucked the sword into the hilt Sara had given her, climbed aboard Moondust, and they took off towards the very distant-looking Midwinter Mountains
|
|
|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 16:55:54 GMT -5
Chapter 11 "You're absolutely sure you know which way you're going?" Laura asked as Moondust flapped her way through the puffy white clouds. The winged mare had refused to stop and look at the map and insisted on continuing forward as quickly as they could. "Are you doubting my abilities?" Moondust questioned, in mock surprise. "No," Laura laughed, "I just don't want to get lost!" Onward they went, and Laura was trying to make out the landscape through the clouds when Moondust gave a snort of surprise and began to descend. "We can't be there already, can we?" Laura asked. "No, but we are wanted," Moondust replied as she neared the rocky terrain below. "Wanted? By who?" Laura wondered. But Moondust didn't need to respond, for the two pegasi standing to greet them answered her question. "The Watchers?" Laura remarked as Moondust landed in front of them. "What are they doing here?" Laura wondered. 'A warning...' began the stallion. '..and a gift,' finished the mare. "A warning?" Laura repeated worriedly. 'Danger is close at hand young Valkyrie!' exclaimed the stallion. Laura was a little surprised to hear someone call her a Valkyrie. She really hadn't gotten used to her new title yet. Certainly, she didn't feel like one right now. Valkyries were supposed to be strong, confident, courageous weren't they? Right now, she felt completely the opposite. Moondust nuzzled her in reassurance. "What kind of danger?" Laura asked. 'That is not for us to say,' replied the mare. Suddenly, Laura remembered what Sara had said about knowing the outcome to everything. 'However, we do have a gift for you,' announced the stallion. And, seemingly from out of nowhere, the mare pulled out a dark blue coat and a pair of beautiful blue boots and handed them to Laura. The coat was soft and thick and velvety and the boots were just her size. She had never thought about it, but it would be quite cold where they were going and she would never have survived in just her t-shirt. It was already beginning to get chilly where they were standing right now. "Thank you!" Laura said. "The pleasure is ours,' the mare replied. "Now you two best be off,' she said. "Be careful!" advised the stallion as Laura folded the coat and placed it in the saddlebag. Then she climbed aboard Moondust. "We will!" Laura replied. With that, they took off again. It was at least a few hours before Laura began to shiver. Moondust could feel her cold tremors as she continued on. "We may as well continue on foot from here. The pine forest is approaching and I won't be able to land in it,' Moondust suggested. "G-g-good i-i-dea,"Laura answered. As soon as they landed, Laura jumped off Moondust, fumbled inside the saddlebag with her cold, stiff hands and threw on the blue coat and put on the boots. She felt immediately better as she enveloped herself in warmth. "You're not cold, are you?" Laura asked. "No," Moondust replied. The mare was right to land here because the pine forest began just steps in front of them. They took a few minutes to snack on some of their provisions before continuing into the forest. As they trudged through, Laura asked, "Which way is Valeryk Castle?" 'Don't worry, just follow me. I know the way," was Moondust's answer. They walked silently for at least half an hour, listening for any suspicious noises around. Laura's hand never left her sword hilt. However the only sounds they heard were their own footsteps and the rustling of Moondust's wings as she occasionally flapped off the snow that settled on them. And then, Moondust's ears pricked up and she gave an umcomfortable huff. "Do you hear something?" Laura asked in alarm. 'Yes. But, I'm not sure what it is...' Moondust replied. After that, though, they were both on full alert. 'Keep your eyes peeled and ears open,' Moondust advised. However, it was Laura who noticed the two black shapes moving through the trees alongside them. Immediately she unsheathed her sword and came to Moondust's side. "We know you are here! Approach us and you may be spared from harm!" Laura declared, trying to sound braver than she felt. And suddenly from the bushes to their left, sprang not one, but two wolves. Two hulking black masses of fur, teeth and claws so big that Laura could have ridden one. Moondust reared and flapped her great wings while Laura put her sword in front of her and stared determinedly at the largest wolf. "You think you can harm us, girl?" the large one questioned. The smaller black wolf slunk back, behind him. Laura gasped a little. How could she understand him? She thought only the Starstone had that power. 'If I can understand them, then you can,' Moondust explained quickly. "Then how come I couldn't understand them before?" "I wasn't a Valkyrie steed then and you were not my Rider," the mare finished. "Why are you here?" Laura finally asked, bravely. "Isn't it obvious? We're here to kill you and take the horse!" answered the smaller wolf. "Enough, Fyllon!" growled the large wolf. "My apologies, Shadowscar," Fyllon answered. Laura's mind raced furiously. She had read many stories where the villian would reveal their plans to the victim they were about to kill. So, she decided to take a risk and hope it worked here as well. "Why kill just me? Why not kill both of us?" Laura enquired. "We cannot let you live! Feral has foreseen the pages of the Patchwork and----" began Fyllon. "Quiet you insolent pup!" roared Shadowscar. "What does it matter? She's going to die anyway," whined Fyllon. "I am the one who speaks, not you. Girl, we cannot let you live because you are a Valkyrie," Shadowscar began. "Every Valkyrie must chose a world to protect and Feral has foreseen that the world you choose to protect would make a very powerful enemy by itself. But together with this world, would render it nearly impossible for us to overcome Sara and the Valkyries. We must kill you before that ever happens," he explained. "You will not touch her as long as I am here!" Moondust cautioned. "She's right, you know. Remember you said that she could put out a shield?" "Take down the horse," Shadowscar ordered. Fyllon leapt forward, but Laura saw it coming. She dashed between the wolf and Moondust and Fyllon tackled her to the ground instead of the mare. Laura yelled out and pushed the wolf off of her. She grazed it with the side of her sword. Anger blazed in the eyes of the wolf, but instead of finishing her off, he sat on his haunches and looked up at the sky. Shadowscar was about to spring towards Moondust when he caught sight of Fyllon. He stopped where he was. "Moondust! What are you waiting for? Put out your shield!" Laura gasped. "Fyllon! What do you think you're doing? You dare summon the Shadow--" Shadowscar bellowed at the same time. But he was interrupted when suddenly, Fyllon opened his mouth and let out an ear-piercing, bloodcurdling howl. "SILENCE! You fool! Silence at once! Feral will have your fur!" Shadowscar yelled. But Fyllon continued his howl-call. Laura felt a coldness plunge right through her chest. She felt nothing but hopelessness and despair. She cried out in surprise. Moondust ran forward and trampeled Shadowscar to the ground. He picked himself up and glared at Fyllon. "Fyllon! Don't do it!" he ordered. "It is already done," Fyllon replied. "You are a fool! I will not stay for this!" Shadowscar yelled. Then, he disappeared into the forest. "Leave! Coward! You don't know what true power is! I will take the horse to Feral!" Fyllon cried. Laura wanted to run towards Moondust, but her injuries coupled with the coldness wouldn't let her. So, Moondust was rushing towards her, instead. Laura could see her coming when all of a sudden a dark blackness enveloped her. She couldn't hear, or see, but something was whisking her away. She felt like she was being dragged backwards by the cold fingers of the wind. She wanted to cry out and scream, but nothing came out of her mouth. Then, she was flung aside. She felt solid ground beneath her. Laura opened her eyes and got up as much as she could to look around. The feeling of recognition hit her before she could stop it. She was in a forest, again. She recognized the air, which had lost its sweetness. She recognized the path she had often taken when she wandered alone. And, lastly, not too far off, she recognized the orphanage.
|
|
|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 16:58:35 GMT -5
Chapter 12 Laura closed her eyes and opened them again, she shook her head and pinched herself, but she was still there. How could he? How did he? Laura had read about the Shadow Path. If it was it Shadow Path, she wouldn't have survived the travel, would she? The other wolf, Shadowscar, must have been mistaken in his fear. But then how did she get here? 'No time,' a small voice remarked inside her head. 'No time.' It was right, of course. She had to find a way back to North of North, and quickly. She was hurt where Fyllon had tackled her and it was only a matter of time before her injuries rendered her immobile. Why did his claws have to be so sharp? And there was no way she was staying on Earth, not when Moondust needed her! 'Moondust,' Laura said in reminisce. She had told her something once. Then the memory came rushing back to her. 'You see, a Valkyrie and her steed share such a strong bond that they will always know what the other is feeling and ,approximately, where the other is.' It had worked once and she didn't even know it, hadn't it? So, Laura closed her eyes and cleared her head. Then she filled her mind with thoughts of Moondust. She concentrated as hard as she could on these thoughts, and finally she felt the pulling. Slowly, the thoughts of Moondust faded away, and new ones invaded her head; cold, white, trees. 'So Moondust is still in the pine forest!' Laura concluded in her mind. 'That answers that question, but how am I going to get to her?' Laura wondered. Then, she heard groaning and creaking coming from behind. She turned around to see the enormous tree that had brought her to North of North before. It wasn't nearly as big as Drasilmare but it was larger than any tree in this forest, by far. Laura watched as the knarled trunk pulled away to reveal a door. Through it, Laura could see that it was snowing, hard. And through the snow she could make out numerous pine trees. A cold gust of wind blew out of the doorway, right past Laura's face. She bent down to pick up the book bag that had fallen when she was thrown to the ground and stepped forward. Laura winced; it hurt to walk. But, every step was worth it if it meant that she would be with Moondust again, she concluded. She walked through the tree and a wintry landscape surrounded her. Laura looked behind her. The tree had disappeared, but a little ways behind where it would have stood was the place where her and Moondust were attacked. But, Moondust wasn't there. Laura looked around her and above her, squinting through the flurry of snow, but she couldn't see Moondust anywhere. She tried to close her eyes and fill her head with thoughts of Moondust, but her mind was clouded and was starting to feel a little dizzy. Slowly, she felt her way over to a tree. Although it protected her from most of the snow, it didn't stop the cold rushes of wind. Then, Laura was overtaken by intense pain and coldness. She wasn't sure if she sat down or if she had fallen down. Everything swam before her eyes and was just a blur of sounds and pictures. The only thing she could feel was the pulse of pain from where the wolf had taken her down, and where those cold fingers had dragged her back to Earth. She was trying to focus her vision and fight the coldness and darkness what as clouding together inside her, but it was becoming harder and harder not to succumb to it all. As Laura's eyes closed, she made out the shape of a winged horse galloping towards her. Everything was like a dream to Laura, as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She remembered the sky and then a horse, who she recognized from one of those books; Mireldis. Mireldis had been gifted with the power to brew magical potions to heal the ill or hurt. After that, she remembered more sky and the biggest, fluffiest clouds she had ever seen. Finally, Laura opened her eyes and things seemed more real. She had only blinked a couple of times and things seemed clearer already. She lying down somewhere extremely comfortable and she was just about to close her eyes for a little longer when she caught sight of what was to her left. Moondust was looking over her. Laura shot out of bed and hugged Moondust tightly. "Moondust!" she cried, happily. "I am so happy to see that you are well! And strong too!" Moondust remarked as she nuzzled her rider. In all the commotion of happiness, Laura didn't even realise the the voice was coming from beside her ear instead of inside her mind. "What about you? Are you alright?" she asked. "Of course! That wolf was no match for me!" Moondust declared. "But...we almost lost you," she said sadly. "Me? How? It was just a few scratches wasn't it?" Laura questioned. "The Shadow Path!" Moondust exclaimed. "But the book said that if it was the Shadow Path, I wouldn't have survived the travel!" Laura answered. "That wolf couldn't summon the Shadow Path in its entirety. Even he is not that strong. However, its dark magic lingered around you and inside you and nearly ended up----" "Don't say it," Laura pleaded, "Don't say it." "In any case," Moondust continued, "It took Mireldis, Bella, Sara and the Starstone Otter's magic to save you! While I...I could only stand there and hope you would be alright!" she explained, a little angrily. But Laura knew Moondust's anger only sprouted from the worry for her. "Well, I'm fine now," Laura said reassuringly. As she stroked Moondust, she felt that the connection of energy was all that she needed. "Come, they are waiting for you outside," Moondust remarked. As the two walked through an archway, Laura wondered just where outside was. However, when the landscape opened around her, the alcoved walls answered her question. Laura's mouth opened and she took a deep breath to steady herself. She looked around in awe, and saw Bella, Sara and the Starstone Otter waiting for them in the middle of Hestheim's Great Hall. "We are glad to see you on your feet!" Sara said, smiling as the two approached. Laura curtsied and Moondust bowed. "Moondust told us everything that happened in the forest. You both were very brave. And Laura, self-sacrifice is no small feat." "Thank you," Laura said. "But, if what Shadowscar said is true, both of you must be on your guard. We all must be. There's no telling how far Ivenna, or worse, Feral, will go to stop you. It would be quite something if North of North had an ally as strong as Shadowscar described," Sara remarked. "We have decided," continued Bella,"That first you must return the chain to Thunder, and we will speak after that. Emma must be alerted of these turn of events, as well as the patrons of the herds: Fiona, Thunder, Nike and Jewel. In fact, when you see Thunder, tell him that we will meet him at Rolandsgaard Castle, tomorrow evening," Bella instructed. "Of course, but will we get there in time?" Laura asked. "With time to spare," Bella replied, "And thank you." "The pleasure is ours." Laura said. "But, before all of that," Sara began, "We have one question for you Laura." "A question? For me?" Laura echoed. "Yes. How did you get back to North of North?" Laura was stunned. "Don't you know? Weren't you the one who sent the tree?" She asked, confused. Laura had always thought that the tree had always had something to do with Sara. "Tree? What tree? No, I didn't." Sara responded. So Laura told Sara all about the tree that had brought her to North of North both times. "Hmm. One usually uses the Auroborous when travelling to different worlds," Sara mused. "From what it sounds like, I believe it may be the work of Drasilmare," Bella concluded. "That makes sense," Sara remarked. "Yes, it does!" the Starstone Otter agreed. 'What a beautiful creature!' Laura thought. "Well, that answers that!" Sara declared. "That is all for now. We will see you two tomorrow," the goddess finished. "Yes," Laura confirmed, climbing aboard Moondust. The mare was flapping her wings in eagerness to take off. "Goodbye!" Laura called as they left the ground. Sara waved. "One thing is for sure," Laura said into Moondust's ear, "We are not stopping until we reach Valeryk Castle."
|
|
|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 16:59:46 GMT -5
Chapter 13 It seemed like Moondust and Laura flew for hours until they spotted the tallest towers of Valeryk Castle. Laura breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure how much longer she could have taken the cold gusts of wind that were whipping her face as Moondust flew. She was glad to see the warm glow that radiated from the windows of the castle as they got closer. Now, they could see Wintermere Lake stretched out in front of the Valeryk Castle as the northern lights flashed behind it. The castle itself was a wonder to behold. Finally, Moondust touched down on the bridge that lead to the castle's main entrance. It was one of two bridges that spanned across Wintermere Lake and connected the Pine forest to the castle. Laura alighted from Moondust and produced the chain from the saddlebag. Then, with one hand she opened one side of the double doors and with the other, she clutched the chain tightly. Moondust and Laura stepped through and found them standing in a beautiful hall. It was comfortably warm inside and at first, Laura wondered how the castle didn't melt, since it was made of snow and ice. "It must be magic....or enchantment," she concluded. Several horses stood around, going about their businesses. Laura recognized them all! There were Lady Starunna, Steward Valdespar, Knight Magic, Minstrelle Nieva, Page Gracie and even the Jester, Spottie! King Sleetmane and Queen Snowdreamer were standing majestically on a balcony overlooking the scene. However, standing in the middle of the hall was the magnificent Thunder. His dark figure contrasted against the icy whiteness of the castle's interior. Laura felt the King and Queen's eyes on her and Moondust as they made their way towards Thunder. Finally, Moondust and Laura came right up to the great stallion. Laura did not feel the least bit nervous. 'We have something that belongs to you,' she declared. 'So I have heard,' Thunder replied in a deep, rumbling voice; sounding not unlike his namesake. Laura showed the chain to Thunder. The stallion bent his head forward and Laura knew what she had to do. Carefully, she slipped the chain over Thunder's head so that it rested around his neck. 'You have shown great acts of courageousness and selflessness, you have risked your lives and you have endured much in saving me and in returning my chain,' Thunder announced. "I speak for both of us when I say: Thank you," Laura said. "It is I who should be thanking you both. I am grateful for all that you have done. But, I sense there is more to your story than just returning my chain,' remarked Thunder. And so Laura and Moondust went on to explain everything that had happened after coming into possession of the chain. After that, Laura delivered Sara's message. "It will be an honour to attend," Thunder answered. "In the meantime, you two are welcome to stay in the castle," he added. "Thank you," Laura replied. Page Gracie herself, lead Laura and Moondust to their magnificent room. The room was a sculpture in itself, in fact, every room in the castle.probably was. A feast was brought to them, courtesy of the King Queen, and Thunder. Gracie showed them many other rooms in the castle and they explored so much that by the time that Laura and Moondust retired to their rooms, they were exhausted! "Just think, Moondust," Laura began, "By this time tomorrow, a plan will have been made to slow down Feral and Ivenna! And maybe even stop them!" "Let's just get through the daylight portion of tomorrow before we jump to conclusions," Moondust reminded her. Laura and Moondust breakfasted well the next morning. After that, they went down to the main hall to meet Thunder. He had said that he wanted to see them and Laura's mind raced furiously, wondering what he would talk to them about. To occupy the time before their meeting, Laura filled in as many pages of her Ballad as she could with the detailed account of events that had happened so far. Finally, it was time, and as they descended the last, icy staircase, they saw Thunder waiting for them, standing magnificently in the center of the main hall. "Why do you look so worried?" he enquired when he read the emotion on Laura's face. "I was just wondering why you wanted to see us," Laura replied honestly. "It's nothing serious. I just wanted to see you off," Thunder remarked. "We're leaving already?" Laura asked. "You two are," Thunder answered, "I have some buisiness to attend to, but I will see you there later." "But, the meeting doesn't start until the evening," Moondust pointed out, "I don't understand." "I think it would be best if you two got their as early, and as quickly as possible, " the stallion advised. "For your safety," he added. "Of course," Moondust responded. "We'll see you later!" Laura exclaimed as she climbed onto Moondust's back. "I look forward to seeing you then," Thunder replied. With that, Moondust trotted out of the castle through its great double doors. To her and Laura's surprise, it was snowing quite heavily. "I don't want to take a chance flying in this weather." Moondust stated. "I agree. We'll have to walk. Besides, the forest will provide some cover," declared Laura. "Yes," Moondust said. However, neither of them really wanted to go in there, in case they relived their horrible encounter. But, it had to be done, so without another word, they proceeded into the pine forest. At first, Laura wanted to walk quickly, to get through it as fast as possible. But then, Moondust pointed out that the faster they went, the more noise they made, and the more likely they would be found if they were being pursued by an enemy. Reluctantly, Laura slowed down. She put one hand on Moondust's side, and they continued forward in that manner. Every twig that snapped made Laura nearly jump out of her skin, and to Moondust, every gust of wind sounded suspiciously like a wolf's howl. After a painstakingly long half-hour, both Valkyrie and Steed were seeing yellow eyes peek out from every bush and hear the panting of tongues all around them. "Okay," Laura finally said. "I can't take much more of this. Let's find a way to take our minds off things." "Yes! Let's!" Moondust agreed eagerly. And so began a Trivia-20 Questions-I Spy-Name Chain Game like no other. "Alright, my turn!" Moondust declared. "I spy: Something that begins with the last letter of the colour of the horse that befriended the girl who was adopted by Mitka." "Hmmm. Sara would be the girl. Her horse is Bella, and Bella is white. So whatever it is starts with E, right?" Laura deduced. "Right."Moondust confirmed. "Okay, don't tell me. I'm thinking." Laura said. "You're taking too long!" Moondust exclaimed playfully. "Give me a hint!" Laura remarked. "Fine. They are all around us." "Hmmm," Laura said. Suddenly, Moondust pushed her backwards and stepped in front of her. Laura gasped in surprise, but she steadied herself so she didn't fall. Before she even had time to ask Moondust what the matter was, the answer surrounded them from nearly all sides.
|
|
|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 17:01:06 GMT -5
Chapter 14 "What do you want?" Moondust interrogated. "Seeing as you won't give yourself up, horse, we'll have to take you by force!" Shadowscar replied. "You call our previous encounter your idea of asking nicely?" Moondust asked. "Enough of the questions! I'm tired of all the questions!" Shadowscar bellowed. "Now! Kill the girl and take the horse!" he ordered. Three wolves leapt towards Laura at the same time, and all three of them thwacked against Moondust's shield. "You fools! I warned you about that!" Shadowscar roared. The wolves looked at him, dazed. Meanwhile, Laura scanned their surroundings for a way to escape. She was aware of the six wolves in front of her, but they had not surrounded them from behind. She closed her eyes as she tried to figure a way out of the confrontation. Suddenly, Laura realized that even though she couldn't see the wolves, she could still feel them. Even when Laura opened her eyes, she felt with her mind six pulses of energy. forming a crescent in front of them. Then, there was the seventh, much stronger form of energy that Laura immediately recognized as Moondust. She envisioned prodding the being of energy and suddenly, she was one with Moondust's thoughts. Then, Laura had an idea. 'Moondust?' Laura thought, still inside Moondust's mind. The mare snorted in surprise. "Laura?" Moondust said aloud as she countered attack after attack. 'Think the words in your head! I can hear you!' Laura advised a little excitedly. 'How are you doing this?' Moondust asked. 'No time, right now! Moondust, I have an escape route! Keep backing up into that clearing behind us. Then, when we reach the clearing, I'll jump on your back and we'll fly away!' Laura explained. 'A brilliant plan!' Moondust exclaimed. They immediately began putting Laura's plan into action. Each time the wolves would try to jump their way through Moondust's shield, Moondust and Laura backed up. They slowly began their retreat and they were already half way to the clearing in the span of only three minutes. The five attacking wolves had just been flung down again and Laura tentatively took a step backwards. Perhaps her step was too large, or perhaps she should have watched where she was going. But whatever the reason, Laura's heel stepped on the edge of a loose rock and she flew backwards. Moondust turned sharply to check if Laura was alright, but with that move, her concentration was broken and one of the wolves successfully penetrated her dissipating shield. He flew towards Moondust with impressive speed. The wolf aimed to tackle Moondust, but his paws were put out too far in front of him. So, he ended up pushing Moondust backwards, farther away from him. Both Laura and Moondust were flying backwards for a little longer than they both expected. The sound of the battle had been silenced and when they both hit the ground, Laura noticed it wasn't cold, hard or snowy. In fact, it was lush and warm and felt a lot like grass. Laura shot up from where she was lying down and the first thing she laid eyes on was an ancient, magnificent tree rooted quite near in front of her. Before Laura could even think about where she was, she looked to her right to find Moondust in the process of getting up. "Are you hurt?" Laura enquired worriedly. "No," replied Moondust, shaking and flapping her wings, "Are you alright?" "Yes," remarked Laura. "Moondust, I'm so sorry! I should have watched where I was going! I should have been more careful!" she apologized frantically. "It's okay!" Moondust reassured her. She trotted over to give her rider a nuzzle. "What's done is done. We should be thinking of right now, which leaves the business of figuring out where we are. . ." Moondust declared, somewhat confusedly. At first glance, Laura thought that she had the answer, for a large forest stretched out in front of them. "Earth," she was going to say. But upon further inspection, she saw the forest was not made up of pine trees. Firstly, most of the trees were much, much larger than any of the trees in the pine forest on earth, and rich orange light that only the sunset could provide, filtered through their leaves. Secondly, if Laura looked hard enough, she thought she could see balls of glittering, golden light weaving among the trees. The trees themselves looked ancient, for their thick, knotted roots looked as if they ran miles below the earth. Some of them even looked vaguely like the enchanted tree that stood nearer in front of them. For the first time, Laura noticed that the tree was still there. Usually, as soon as she stepped through its door, it would disappear, but not now. Even more oddly, when Laura peered through the doorway of the tree, instead of seeing another place, she saw right through to the other side of the tree. It was like looking through a window. So, it didn't take Laura very long to reach the conclusion, "Moondust, I don't think this is Earth." But Moondust wasn't replying. Laura turned to look at her and found that she was facing the opposite direction, taking in the landscape behind her. "Laura," Moondust whispered, "Come see this." Laura came to stand beside the mare, wondering why she was whispering, and found that they were both standing on a significantly large hill. It sloped down gently to meet the landscape below. It consisted of a glistening, cerulean blue lake that sparkled in the light of the setting sun. Lush green grass covered every other inch of the terrain, occasionally dotted by bunches of colourful wildflowers. But, more formidably, seven creatures of the purest white were making their way towards the lake. Their silver-white manes wisped around by the soft breeze and each of their horns sparkled in the golden light. It didn't take Laura more than a second to recognize them as unicorns. A short distance from the lake stretched more forest, probably where they had emerged from. At this point, Laura was scarcely breathing.
"This is unlike any place in North of North," Moondust remarked in a whisper. "If it's not Earth, and it's not North of North, then where are we?" Laura whispered back in question. Right now, all she wanted to do was rush down the hill and stroke any and every one of those beautiful animals. Moondust answered softly, “I don't know, but one thing is certain. We must bring this up at the meeting."
|
|
|
Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 17:02:44 GMT -5
Chapter 15 After what seemed like ten minutes (they couldn't be sure of the time over here) of watching the unicorns graze by the lake, a bird broke into song somewhere in the forest, sweet and musical. As if on cue, many other birds began to sing their own songs as well. Moondust's ears pricked up and she shook her head as if waking from a trance. She nudged Laura very gently on the back and Laura started as if she, too, were waking from a daydream. "We should go," Moondust remarked. Laura stared at Moondust wistfully. Did they have to leave right now? Laura felt she could watch the unicorns all through the night. But, Laura suddenly realized, she might have done just that if Moondust hadn't nudged her. "You're right," Laura agreed. Slowly, she got up from the spot she was lying in and put on her coat that she had taken off. The grass had flattened where she had been, but as soon as she got up, it rose back up into place. They walked back to the enormous tree that still waited for them. However, the opening in the trunk was closed "Do you know how to get us back?" Moondust asked. "I think so," Laura answered. She walked up towards the tree and envisioned North of North. She thought of Drasilmare, the Bella and Bello Mountains, and lastly, she particularly focused on the pine forest. Slowly, the tree began to groan and creak. The knotted wood that made up the trunk separated in the middle, revealing the doorway. Moondust huffed a sigh of relief. Instead of seeing right through the tree, the northern landscape of the pine forest was visible through the door. Laura took one last look at the dreamy, sunset world and then walked through the doorway with Moondust right behind her. When they were both through, the tree closed shut, but still stayed rooted in place. Crepuscular light filtered through the tall pine trees. The breeze was light and cool, but not cold. Both Laura and Moondust looked up at the sky, searching for the clearing they needed to take off. So far, all of the pine trees were too closely knitted together. All at once, Laura had a feeling that something wasn't right. Instinctively, her left hand reached for her sword. Then, a big black mass sprang from the trees, aiming towards her. Laura didn't know what drove her to do what she did next, but she suddenly found herself leaping up and meeting the wolf in midair. Of course, the wolf wasn't expecting it, in fact, neither was Laura. Before she knew it, she had tackled him to the ground and had pinned him down with her sword. Laura looked into the wolf's eyes and recognized him as Shadowscar. "Maybe Feral was right," he panted, "Perhaps all of our attacks have only made you stronger." Then, Shadowscar squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the fatal blow he was sure awaited him. "I may have been brought here for many reason," Laura declared, "But, one of them is not killing." Slowly, Laura lifted her sword from the Shadowscar's neck. The alpha picked himself up and shook. As he made his way back to where he came, he turned back once to look at her and then disappeared through the brush. Was it Laura's imagination, or did she catch a hint of gratitude in his eyes? Moondust walked over and nestled in her shoulder. "That was very brave of you," she commended. "Thanks," Laura replied. After that, it only took them a couple of minutes to locate the clearing. Laura climbed onto Moondust and they took off. The sky that surrounded them was getting dark very quickly. Moondust sped over the wintery landscape so fast that the pine forest was just a blur of green. "Aha!" Laura suddenly cried out. "What is it?" Moondust's voice resonated in her head. Of course it made more sense to communicate that way, instead of trying to yell over the howling wind that whipped past them. "I've got the answer to your riddle!" Laura transmitted back. "Have you, now?" Moondust questioned. "Yes, I have. 'Something that begins with the last letter of the colour of the horse that befriended the girl who was adopted by Mitka.' And they were all around us. It's Evergreens, isn't it?" Laura answered. "Took you long enough," Moondust replied jokingly. Laura could hear the smile in her voice. "Hold on tight, now," Moondust advised, "Let's see if we can make it to the meeting before the patrons get there!" And with that, she put on such a burst of speed that Laura had to close her eyes at first to protect them from the whipping wind. Hopefully, the would make it to Rolandsgaard Castle in enough time to eat something first, because Laura was starving! Laura and Moondust hovered into Wind's Eye just as the moon was beginning to rise into the sky. Upon landing, Emma and Wings greeted to them warmly. Luckily, none of the patrons had arrived yet, but Emma informed Laura that Bella and Sara had arrived during the day. At the moment, though, they were somewhere high up in one of the castle's rooms. Maia had returned and quickly had their room arranged. Laura tucked into a warm dinner and Moondust ate her fill of fresh oats. After that, Laura had time to bathe and put on a new change of clothes while Moondust went off to the stables for a full grooming. The moon had just settled into the sky when the patrons began arriving and Sara and Bella were there to meet them. Thunder was first to arrive, followed by Nike, Fiona and, finally Jewel. Thunder greeted Laura with a bow of his head. Laura noticed he was wearing his chain. As the other patrons greeted her, Laura was a little shaky. After all, she was meeting the legendary horses that she had only read about in books! She curtsied politely to each of them, and then took her place in the circle of horses, waiting for Sara to begin the meeting. It took Laura a few moments to realize that everyone was looking at her. Her eyes widened a little. Did they expect her to say something? "Go on," Moondust whispered encouragingly. Laura stepped forward, somewhat shakily and cleared her throat. "I...I trust you all know why you're here?" Laura began, a little weakly. Everyone nodded. Sara smiled warmly at her and Bella snuffled. Almost immediately, Laura felt a boost of confidence. "Since my arrival," Laura projected, "Feral's wolves have tried to kill me no fewer than four times." "Four times?" Emma echoed questioningly. "Sara told us it was two." A restless murmur erupted from the gatherers. "Well, you see. The last two times actually happened today," Laura answered. "The third time was when we were walking through the pine forest near Valeryk Castle. The wolves surrounded us, but then Moondust projected her shield, but then I tripped backwards and, well. Something strange happened. I can't really explain it," she continued. "Um, Moondust?" Laura turned to her steed for help. The mare stepped forward, and continued the recount. There were gasps and whispers, but the horses were generally quiet while Moondust spoke. "I've never seen anywhere like it! And ,I'm sure, neither has Laura," Moondust finished. "Fascinating," Bella suddenly remarked. "Up until now, Sara and I had thought the tree could only take you through this world to Earth. But you say that it took you to a place that was in neither of these worlds?" "That's right," Laura replied. "It may be more than the work of Drasilmare, then," Sara mused, "Continue." So, Laura recounted all the events that occurred after that, up till they reached the castle. "This meeting was brought together so we could discuss possible measures we might have to take if Feral decides to strike back more powerfully, this time. After all, it's not just Moondust and I that are endangered, but all of you and your herds as well," Laura finished. From there, Sara took hold of the meeting, and the next couple of hours were spent devising strategies and defences against the possible and probable strike of Feral and Ivenna. At the end of the meeting, the patrons dispersed. A definite plan was not reached, but each patron had agreed to take extreme precautionary measures. It was wholeheartedly agreed upon that any sightings of wolves were to be reported immediately to the other herds. When the main hall was nearly cleared, Sara and Bella walked up to Laura. "Was I alright up there?" Laura asked her. "You did wonderfully," the goddess replied, smiling. "Now, we wanted to talk to you about that other world you said that tree took you to." "You do?" Moondust wondered. "Yes. We have a theory we would like to share with you ----" "Sara, your highness! I'm very sorry to interrupt!" Emma exclaimed as she dashed across the enormous room. "Fiona would like to speak with you. She says it's important," the breathless girl explained. "Of course," Sara replied. Bella looked at Laura. "I'm afraid this conversation will have to wait until tomorrow. Don't worry, we'll still be here in the morning. You two should get some sleep in the mean time, you must be so tired!" she advised. "Okay," Laura replied. "We'll see you tomorrow!" Bella and Sara gave them a quick smile, and then hurried gracefully (if those are the right words to describe a goddess and her horse in a hurry) after Emma. By now, Laura was familiar with their room. She changed into her nightgown almost right away. Her limbs were suddenly so heavy, overwhelmed by exhaustion. "Goodnight, Moondust!" Laura called as she nestled into the soft mattress, enveloping herself in the thick, warm covers. "Goodnight," the sleepy mare replied. As soon as Laura closed her eyes, her mind immediately began to wander. Suddenly, she was envisioning the sunset world so clearly, she might as well have been back there. 'If it's not Earth, and it's not North of North, then where are we?' Laura heard her own voice echo. At that moment, although she was deep asleep, Laura knew exactly where it was. It wasn't just any world, it was her world. The one she had been meant to protect, all along.
|
|