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Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 17:03:59 GMT -5
Chapter 16 Laura was still in a comfortable sleep when the sun began to rise. As she stirred a little, she heard voices coming from somewhere around the castle, but she decided no one would mind if she got just a few hours more sleep. Just as she was drifting off again, she felt a gentle prod. She brushed at her side subconsciously and snuggled into the pillows. However, the prodding became more insistent. Reluctantly, Laura opened her eyes to find the source of her discomfort. It turned out to be none other than Moondust. She was still nudging her side, even though she could see Laura was awake. "Wake up! Wake up!" the mare called, her eyes wide in alarm. Laura sat up. "What is it?" she questioned, now beginning to share the anxious emotions of Moondust. "Get ready! We have to leave!" was Moondust's reply. "Moondust! What's going on?" Laura asked, bewildered. "Come on, get up! Get up!" the mare persisted as she tried to use her muzzle to push Laura off the bed. "I am not moving anywhere, nor doing anything until you tell me what is going on!" Laura declared. "You're stubbornness will get us nowhere," Moondust answered impatiently. But Laura could hear the hint of defeat in her voice. "I'm aware of that. Now tell me." Laura responded. "You know that Fiona had to speak with Sara last night?" "Of course. I was there, remember?" "Right. Well, Fiona said that a road-runner had come from Shahazar Castle---" "All the way across the Autumn Sands?" Laura interrupted. "Yes. Anyway, the road-runner said that he saw some wolves travelling towards the castle." "Oh no! So that's why we have to leave!" Laura exclaimed. "No. Fiona left to handle that. We're leaving because there's been a recent report of a pale woman in purple around Darkcomb Forest." Feral. Laura's eyes widened. She was very much awake now. Quicker than Moondust thought possible, Laura leaped out of bed. She was ready in less than ten minutes. "Let's go! We have to stop her!" Laura declared. "We're not doing anything that Sara doesn't tell us to do. Come, we're to meet her and Bella downstairs," Moondust stated. "We are so glad you could make it here so quickly," Sara greeted, her voice touched with anxiousness. Around them, people were running to and fro, yelling out directions, making preparations. "What are we going to do about Feral?" Laura asked. "Don't worry about her. Sara and I will handle it. You two must stay away from her at all costs. Understand?" Bella explained. "Yes," Laura said, a little disappointedly. "Moondust," Sara began, "Get Laura as far away as possible. In fact, Laura, do you think you could find that tree...?" "I think I can," Laura affirmed. "Oh, and what I was meaning to tell you about the place you mentioned yesterday was, we think that it may be what the Patchwork was talking about." the goddess explained. "I think so, too." Laura replied. "Bella. Sara," Jewel called as she trotted into the room with a bow of her head. With a glance over at Laura and Moondust, she said to Sara, "You're needed outside." "We're coming," Sara informed her. "Now, go," the goddess instructed Moondust. She gave Laura a smile that didn't reflect the emotion in her eyes. Laura, herself, was already settled on Moondust's back. As the mare took off, the Laura watched the hectic scene grow smaller and smaller, as the sky opened up in front of her. She shivered as her mind conjured up all types of possibilities brought on by Feral's reappearance. Most of the things she saw, she wanted to forget. How could this end well? A knot of anxiety twisted in her stomach, and she hugged Moondust's neck tightly as the mare flew in search of the tree that would keep them safe. The landscape blurred past below them as Moondust pressed on. 'I don't understand why Sara wants us to go so far away. We could just stop anywhere and you could call the Tree, couldn't you?' Moondust transmitted to Laura when Rolandsgaard Castle became a mere dot on behind them. 'I'm not sure. I don't think the Tree is something that can be called. . . It think it would be sort of, sort of like trying to call a storm, or a sunset. It appears when it wants to.' Laura had responded. As they flew forward, Laura squinted hard at the passing land below, trying to make out the shape of the magical tree. But, after ten minutes of this, she deemed the attempt futile. And then, quite suddenly, she thought she heard a whisper of a humming sound. Before she had time to make it out, it was gone. 'Wait! Stop! Turn around!' Laura insisted. The mare halted sharply, and veered back the way they had just flown. 'What's the matter?' Moondust wondered. 'I thought I heard something...' Laura explained. 'You thought you heard something? From this high up? Mightn't it have been the wind?' "No. I don't think so. It was right around here, somewhere," Laura said. Since Moondust had slowed, the wind had died down enough for them to resume speaking. Then, out of nowhere, the humming began again. "See? Can't you hear---?" Laura started. "No." Moondust replied. "Wait a minute," the girl remarked. She realized that is was more of feeling, not a sound. "You don't feel that?" "No. What does it feel like?" Moondust asked. "It feels like a humming. Or, the vibration of a humming. But because I can feel it, I can hear it, too. Do you understand?" Laura tried to explain. "Not completely. But I trust you. So, which way do we go from here?" the mare wondered. "Descend a little," Laura began. Moondust did. "Alright, now turn a small way to the...left," the girl directed. Moondust tilted ever so slightly to the left. "That's right!" Laura said. Moondust veered back. "Wait a moment, why are you turning around?" Laura asked. "You said I went right, so I'm turning left." Moondust remarked. "No. Sorry! When I said 'That's right', I meant, 'That's the correct way,' " Laura enlightened. "Oh. Alright," Moondust nickered as she glided back in the correct direction. Laura chuckled. "This is it! Land here, please. The Tree is somewhere around here." Laura instructed. Moondust circled around the treetops of the forest, located a clearing, and hovered down to meet the earth. "It just occurred to me. Why would the Tree be here? Wouldn't it be where we left it last?" Laura implored. "You, yourself, said that the Tree works in mysterious ways. We do not know what kind of energy it uses, or what type of entity it is, exactly. For now, let's just hope we find it as quickly as we can." was the wise mare's response. "I don't think we'd have to be in too much of a rush to find it. After all, Feral probably still thinks we are inside Rolandsgaard Castle," Laura remarked. "I wouldn't be so sure about someone as treacherous as her, who has been here at least as long as I have. The sooner we find the Tree the better." Moondust ruffled her wings and pawed ground with her hoof. "What forest is this anyway?" Laura wondered, perhaps taking Moondust's comment a little too lightly. "The Jasmine Forest," the mare replied somewhat impatiently, though she was somewhat calmed by the aromatic smells around her. Her ears were pricked up as she listened intently for anything coming their way, her eyes peeled for any tell-tale sign of the Tree. She couldn't shake of the tense feeling the had encompassed her, despite the fact that they were in such a beautiful forest. But wait a moment, where had Laura gone to? She couldn't have gotten too far. Perhaps she had found a clue to the tree. Moondust searched around and around her, trotted this way, then that way, but didn't pick up a single sign of where Laura had gone off to. Moondust was just about to call her when, 'Shhhhh!' Moondust froze as the sound resonated loudly in her head. The command had a certain Laura-ness to it. 'Don't make a sound!' Yes, definitely Laura's voice. 'Why?' Moondust thought. 'Moondust! Get up into a tree as quick as you can! Please hurry!' Laura ordered, pleadingly. First Laura didn't want her to make any noise, but now she wanted her to get up into a tree, in silence? Needless to say, the poor mare was very confused. But she had heard and felt Laura's urgency. So, she flapped slowly into the air, making sure her wings didn't brush the branches of any trees. When she found a suitable branch, she lowered herself a little, stretched her front hooves, and finally managed to shakily land onto a branch. 'Now, what ever happens, don't come down until I say so! What ever happens. ‘Laura’s voice insisted. Moondust wasn't sure how the girl had known she was in a tree, but she didn't have much time to wonder. Suddenly, she full on felt a wave a fear, muddled with a bit of courage, and a tint of loneliness. She knew at once that these feelings were those of Laura's. All of her instincts were telling her to get down from the tree to see what was troubling Laura, but Moondust remembered her words, 'What ever happens, don't come down until I say so!' And, so remained on her branch, stricken with worry.
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Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 17:05:24 GMT -5
Chapter 17 For Moondust, moments seemed like hours. She was so high up in the tree, and couldn't see or hear anything that indicated anyone else's presence. The poor mare felt completely cut off from her Rider. Suddenly, she marked Laura quickly making her way back to where Moondust had first lost her, coming from an easternly direction. She looked alright, but her eyes were wide with terror and worry. Moondust didn't hesitate to contact her. 'What happened? What's going on?' 'I've got some good news and some bad news.' Laura responded. 'Wh--' Moondust began. But Laura didn't wait for her to finish. She seemed to be in quite a rush. 'The good news is, I found the Tree.' 'Wonderful! Now wh--' However this time, it wasn't Laura who had cut her off, it was the the pale-skinned, cruel-faced woman dressed in black and cloaked in purple fur, ploughing her way through the forest. Anger flared inside Moondust like a raging inferno. Her nostrils flared, her eyes widened, and she beat her hooves on the sturdy branch. For who else could bring so evil an aura, but Feral. 'Stay. Please,' was Laura's plead. She stood her ground as Feral made her way towards her. 'I will not stand here while that...that creature tosses you around like a kitten with yarn!' Moondust cried out before Laura could stop her. 'She can't hurt me if she doesn't know where you are. She wants to use you, not me. And since I'm the only one that will always know where you are, she'll need me alive. ‘Laura quickly explained. 'And just how can you be so sure of that?' Moondust asked. But, she didn't get a reply, because Feral had made her way to Laura. "Where is she, you insolent little girl?" Feral's voice rang out through the forest; it had the unpleasant feeling of hundreds of spiders crawling all over you; it made your blood run cold. Moondust shivered, she waited for Laura to say something, but the girl stood staring. What was going on down there? Moondust wondered. In fact, Laura was in shock. The appearance of Feral had not only made her uncomfortable, like Moondust, but it also made her cold from the inside out. All of the horrible sensations that she had felt in those moments of dark between this world and Earth came back to her. It was as if someone had just punched a cold, gaping hole right through her stomach and had sucked out all positive emotions from her. "What?" Feral snapped. "Surprised to see me? It was almost too easy to get past Bella, and Sara," She spat out the two names in disgust. Laura didn't even move. Moondust tentatively reached towards her rider with her mind. 'Laura?' she prodded worriedly. Moondust saw the girl give a start. "Enough of the delaying. Where is that horse? What was her name again? Ah, yes,Moondust." "She isn't here." Laura replied. 'Oh Laura!' Moondust thought to herself. The poor girl wasn't much good at lying. Moondust hoped that Feral hadn't detected the shakiness in Laura's voice that had blown the truth right out of the sentence. But unfortunately: "You lie. Both of you are bound together like dark resin on a leaf! Wherever you are, your pet is sure to follow. Now tell me the truth!" 'Try harder,' Moondust encouraged. "I already have. Moondust went with Bella and Sara to hunt out your wolves. She wouldn't let me come, she didn't want to see me hurt," Laura's huff of disappointment was so convincing, Moondust was almost about to apologize to Laura for leaving her behind. "Hmm. That does seem like something that overprotective animal would do," Feral mused. It was working! Feral was buying it! "And she just flew me here, dumped me, and took off! I never get to have any adventure, I never get to do the things I want!" Laura continued in very real-looking anger. She stomped the ground with her foot. Feral stood, watching the tantrum. Moondust saw the woman's brow's furrow as she thought about something. "She really mustn’t be here. No matter, though. I've thought of something better!" Oh no. Moondust was sure Laura hadn't counted on that. "You will take me to that confounded Tree of yours and get it to open!" Laura's mouth opened up in real shock. "Oh yes, I know all about your dear little Tree! Except, how to get it open! You will do it for me!" "What are you going to do?" Laura asked. "Oh no! Your games won't work with me! I am not as ignorant as the wolves!" And with that, Feral strode over, and grabbed Laura roughly by the arm. "Now, you will do as I say, or even your dear horse won't be able to save you!" Feral began to pull on Laura's arm as the girl tried to stay rooted in place. The woman's hand was very cold. Out of instinct, Laura looked wildly around her, trying to catch a glimpse of soft blue among the treetops. "So!" Feral exclaimed. "She is here!" "N-no! She..." Laura stuttered as she tried to find an explanation. Of course, it was no use, as Feral herself began looking about. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" she called. It was then that Laura saw her chance. With her free hand, she quickly pulled her sword out from the sheath around her waist. "Let me go!" Laura yelled, as she brandished the weapon with her left hand. Feral froze for a moment and then replied, "Fine." She shoved Laura away, and the girl nearly lost her balance. Laura did a double take. This was a little too easy, suspiciously easy. And she was right, for Feral began to cackle. "You really think a sword will protect you against me, as fancy-looking as it may be?" she said. But, she obviously didn't mean for Laura to answer, because she continued, "No matter, though. I have other ways of making you comply with my intentions." Up in the branches, Moondust gave a shiver. She just couldn't stand for whatever was going to happen next. But Laura's words kept repeating in her head over and over again. A purple ball of light began to grow between Feral's hands. She looked at Laura and smiled, and then blew onto the bright, undulating mass. There was nothing Laura could do but to shield herself with her hands as the purple ball raced towards her with incredible speed. Moondust pawed the ground anxiously and her wings began to twitch. There was only a thin thread of control that kept her feet on the tree branch. There was a bright flash of deep violet as a feeling of intense pain swept over Laura. It felt as if she was burning from the inside out. She cried out as she fell to the ground. Feral let out an evil trill of laughter. The infuriated mare took of the tree so powerfully the branch she had just been standing on quaked violently. She dove straight down and landed right between Feral and Laura, who was still writhing in pain. Feral silenced immediately. She opened her mouth, probably to say something in contempt, but, Moondust didn't wait. If wait was the right word, for, as she explained afterwards, she wasn't sure she was in control of what she did. A blinding flash of white light exploded out from Moondust and cast its light everywhere. Laura stopped screaming, but Feral yelled in horror. Why? Because the light was good and pure. It was full of happiness and positivity and everything else the Feral was against. In short, it repelled her, caused her pain to feel it. She gave Moondust a glare of the purest evil and the mare returned it with an equally menacing look. Then, Feral's face contorted with pain and hatred, and she bolted off.
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Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 17:07:30 GMT -5
Chapter 18 Moondust stood with her eyes fixed on the spot Feral had been for a few minutes after she had gone. There was no way she would have let Feral take away another of her Riders. She gave a satisfied huff before finally turning to Laura. She had stopped screaming, in fact, she wasn't even panting. But her eyes were as blank as a starless night sky and her breathing was shallow. "Laura?" Moondust called worriedly. Nothing. "Laura!" she urged as she prodded the girl with her snout. But, she would probably have gotten a better response from one of the flowers the scattered the forest floor. The mare's heart began to beat in the rhythm of panic as she heaved Laura up with her snout and carefully placed her on her back, using her wings to secure the limp girl in place. Moondust knew she didn't have nearly enough time to fly back to Rolandsgaard Castle. In fact, she couldn't even chance flight at all because the risk of Laura falling off was just too great. Darkness would begin to fall shortly and Moondust realized her only hope was the Tree. Thankfully she remembered the direction Laura had come from and proceeded the same way. It didn't take long for her to find the Tree, but it took her an even shorter time to realize that she didn't even know how to make it open. The mare's mind raced furiously as she tried to remember how Laura had done it, but she just couldn't. Defeat seeped into her. It would be all her and her cursed memory's fault now if Laura --- But she couldn't even think of it and hung her head in despair. But then, a creaking noise pierced the air. Followed by a groan. Could it be? Moondust slowly raised her head. It was! "Thank you," she said, although she didn't quite know why. She made no hesitation to trot through the doorway. The Tree had brought Moondust to exactly the same spot as last time. It was a late twilight in this other world, fitting Moondust's worried mood perfectly. She looked around quickly for any sign of a sentient being, but found none. Not knowing what else to do, she made her way to the entrance of the forest and set Laura against a tree trunk. Her eyes were still blank, as if she was looking but not seeing. Moondust could barely hear her breathing. Put out, Moondust lay down beside the dazed girl and settled in beside her. Then, all at once, she caught a gleam of yellow among the trees, but it was gone when she turned her head. Wait, there it was again, closer. Moondust stood up and positioned herself in front of Laura, her eyes peeled. She looked to her left and to her right, and didn't catch a wisp of movement. But, when she turned back to look straight in front of her, there sat a huge wolf, the owner of the yellow eyes she had spotted just moments before. Moondust started, quite noticeably. She glared at him (for she was sure it was male). Could one of Feral's wolves have followed her through the Tree? 'No, that couldn't be it,' a worried voice denied in her head. But then the mare realized that that really couldn't be what had happened. If it was one of Feral's wolves, it would have attacked her and Laura by now. And secondly, this wolf seemed different. For one thing, it was black. And not just night sky black, really truly a deep black that, in fact it would have made night sky black look like grey compared to it. But the wolf wasn't just physically different. Moondust detected a unique sort of intelligence in its eyes. The creature sat there, tail slightly twitching, staring at Moondust as she stood there thinking. "I'm not going to eat you, if that's what you're worried about," he said gruffly. Moondust started again and snapped out of her thoughts. "You speak?" she remarked in a shaky voice. "You seem surprised, for an animal who talks herself," he replied. Moondust regained control of her voice, "Well, I apologize. But I have other, rather pressing matters on my mind right now." "I'm Gryffin. And you are?" The wolf said. "Moondust. You--" the mare began. Gryffin had peered around Moondust and remarked, "What's wrong with her? The girl. Laura was it?" The mare was taken aback, "So, you know her name, but not mine? How did you know?" "I watched you two last time you were here. So, what's wrong with her?" he implored. "She was...someone had...it..." Moondust stuttered. She wasn't sure how to explain it, but in the end was able to get across what she was trying to say. "Hmm. I know something that may bring her back. It's a flower, but it's hard to find," he told her. "Do you think you could---?" the mare started to ask. "I'll try my best. Stay here, watch over her. I'll return as soon as I can," he instructed. Moondust turned to look at Laura. As if she was going to do anything else. The mare turned around to remark upon this, but the wolf had already left as silently as he had arrived. Moondust had to admit, he was a peculiar creature. But he was helping her, and that was what mattered. Moondust pawed anxiously at the ground. It had already seemed like days since she had last spoken to Gryffin. She kept her eyes peeled for any sign of the wolf for the first while, but finally settled down beside Laura as she watched the bluish moon rise among the treetops. And just as it had happened before, when she looked back down, there was Gryffin sitting calmly in front of her. But this time, he carried two purple flowers in his mouth. He placed the flowers in front of the Pegasus. "Is there anything special I need to do with them?" Moondust asked. "The flowers will reach their full potency when the moon is at its highest. And, they must be placed where the scent will directly reach her." the wolf replied. "Thank you," said Moondust and she was about to lower her head to pick up the flowers when Gryffin coolly snatched them with his mouth first. The mare watched his every move as he strode over to the dazed girl and placed them upright on her lap. Then, he backed up and sat down on his haunches with his tail beginning to twitch ever so slightly. 'The nerve of this creature!' Moondust thought to herself. Nonetheless, the two animals waited patiently for the flowers to take effect. Finally, the moon's rays fell through the branches to the left of them and cast their ethereal glow on to Laura's lap. The flowers opened up wider and began to glow with purple-blue light. A wisp rose up from within the flowers and traveled up to Laura's face before disappearing. "Is that--?" Moondust began. "Shhh!" Gryffin cut in. The mare was really starting to get annoyed with him now. But, when the wolf turned to look at Moondust it was with kind eyes. "Wait," he said. Gradually, Laura's breathing became louder, and more normal. Then, for the first time in hours, Moondust saw her eyes fill with light and awareness. She blinked a couple of times then looked down at the flowers on her lap, then shifted her gaze to Gryffin for a few moments, and finally focussed on Moondust. The girl looked at her quizzically. This look, however, only lasted for a few moments before she began bombarding Moondust with questions. "What happened? Where's Feral? What happened to me? How did you get away? Are you alright? How long has it been? Where are we now?" Moondust explained to Laura to the very best of her ability, and , perhaps, secretly relished the fact that this was a matter that Gryffin could not interfere with. She felt even better when Laura got up to give her a hug. However, while the mare was answering Laura's questions, she did notice how often the girl's eyes kept glancing over at him. After Moondust was finished, Laura turned her complete attention to the stranger. "Who are you?" she asked. "I am Gryffin," the wolf replied. "Gryffin," Laura murmured, her brow furrowed as if trying to remember something. "What is it, Laura?" Moondust inquired. But it was to Gryffin that Laura directed her next statement to. "You look...familiar, somehow. Although, I'm sure we haven't met before, have we?" "Only you can answer that," Gryffin responded. "I don't think so," she answered slowly, "And yet...I have the strangest feeling that I know you." "What do you mean, know him?" Moondust wondered, "Know him as in his favourite fruit?" "Wolves don't eat fruit," Gryffin replied haughtily. Moondust gave him a quick glare and continued, "Or know him appearance-wise?" "Neither," Laura replied slowly. "It's sort of...know him presence-wise." "Explain please," said Moondust. "I can sense you," Laura looked at Moondust, "and I can sense you," Laura looked at Gryffin,"with my mind. Right now. Both of you have your own unique --I'm not sure how to explain this-- energies or waves that you give off. Moondust, you should know what I mean because you can probably sense me too. That's how we find each other." At this, Moondust smiled and nodded. "I am used to Moondust's energy-feel because she is always around me. It becomes familiar, comfortable. But Gryffin, I'm almost positive that this is the first time I'm seeing you, and yet, you have nearly the same comfortable feel as Moondust. It's odd. As soon as I sensed you, I felt as if something was telling me 'Oh, it's only him again.' and so it was very confusing. It still is." "Thank you. I think I understand it a little better." Moondust said, smiling. "We'll figure it out," Laura replied as she stroked her mane. It was then that Gryffin gave a huff. The girl looked at him and gave him a small smile, “Thank you for helping us." She took a small step towards the wolf. Gryffin bowed his head. And before any of them knew what was happening, Laura was petting his head and stroking his ears as if they had been friends all their lives. "Now, we need to find our way out of here. Sara probably needs our help! Do you think you could help us?" "Of course," Gryffin replied as he stood up. He was almost as tall as Laura! "I'm curious to see what that Tree of yours looks like." Laura and Moondust were stunned. Neither of them had said anything about the Tree. And Gryffin certainly couldn't have seen it last time, since they were a fair distance away from it when he claimed he first saw them. Perhaps, there was more to this wolf than it appeared...
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Post by stardust12 on Dec 30, 2010 17:08:42 GMT -5
Chapter 19 Gryffin began to lead the way out of the forest, followed closely by Laura and Moondust. "This isn't the way I came in," Moondust remarked. "But, this is the way out," Gryffin replied. Knowing the confused reaction his statement would generate, he proceeded to explain. "The trees, they sometimes reposition themselves when they sense new presences." "Why?" Laura asked. "To confuse potential enemies. They can keep them trapped within the forest until help comes. Not everything in this world is good, you know. At least, not anymore," he explained. Suddenly, he began to walk faster. Laura had to duck a couple of branches as she trotted up to keep pace, "What is this world called?" Gryffin stopped and turned around. Moondust and Laura nearly ploughed into him. The wolf tilted his head. "What do you mean?" "The world Moondust and I came from is called North of North. What's this one called?" Laura explained. It took Gryffin a few moments to answer. "This part is called Sephyr. My apologies, but it's getting harder and harder to remember." This time it was Moondust who asked, "Why? What happened here?" "That is a very long story. One, considering the circumstances, that is best saved for later," he said, as he continued walking. Before they knew it, Gryffin had led them to the outside of the forest, and there stood the Tree in the same place it had been when Moondust had arrived with Laura. Gryffin loped right up to it, and looked it over. He even sniffed it and pawed lightly on its thick trunk. Finally, he stood back and sat on his haunches. "Mysterious," he remarked. "What is it?" Laura asked. "Certainly, it's unlike anything I've ever seen before," he said, "It seems to allow you to travel to different worlds." "We've figured that much out, I should think," Moondust stated. "Yes," Laura affirmed. "It's linked us to Earth, North of North and, now, here." "That makes three, so far." Gryffin responded. "What do you mean, 'so far'?" Laura inquired. "Haven't you wondered whether it could take you anywhere else?" the wolf asked. It hit Laura like a thunderclap that, no, she had never thought of that before. "There's bound to be millions of other worlds out there. Ones where no creature has stepped foot on, yet. Or even, ones where things can appear simply by imagining them," Gryffin said, with an odd glint in his eyes. Laura mind was filled with images of the worlds the huge wolf had just described. Moondust's soft nuzzle brought her out of her reverie. "It's time to go," she said softly. The girl knew she was right, and in the familiar manner, she walked up to the Tree, where its trunk groaned open. Moondust trotted up beside her as a warm breeze blew out from the opening. Laura turned to wave goodbye to her new friend, but he was already gone. Laura and Moondust walked through the door in the tree. Laura looked around her and blinked. For, landscape that met them on the other side was unfamiliar to her. They were in a vast green field that sloped gently in some parts. Trees and other vegetation dotted the landscape sparsely; there was no sound of any other living thing. If Laura craned her neck, she could see a border of trees a fair distance away. "Moondust, we are in North of North, aren't we?" she asked. "Of course we are," the mare responded. "You've been here before?" the girl questioned. "No. But, I just know," replied Moondust. Laura pulled out the map, but could not locate where they were anywhere on it. "How will we find our way back to Rolandsgaard Castle from here?" she pondered. "Come," Moondust instructed, "Let us see what this place looks like from the sky." "Good idea." And with that, she climbed on to Moondust. The mare flapped her wings, took a running start, and soared into the air! First, Laura looked ahead, and she realized the line of trees was farther away than it appeared from the ground. Then, Laura focused on the greenery below her. She marked slope after slope. Suddenly, as they flew over yet another, granted, larger slope, something was visible behind it, or rather, in front of it. It was a glistening pool of blue water, about 2 1/2 times larger than a pond. You may consider it a small lake. On one side of its shores, something sparkled in the sunlight. Laura realized that they would soon fly past it, and cried, "Stop!" Moondust halted, hovering in the air. "Do you see that? Something is down there. Let's land and find out!" The Valkyrie steed descended, quite close to the sparkling object. Laura dismounted. She saw that the object was a small bottle. It was crudely shaped, with deep purple liquid inside it. Just as Laura was about to grasp it, however, it rolled into the water. Now, this wasn't the kind of pool that you could wade into, and go deeper as you went. This was the kind of pool that had an even depth all through it, so that no matter where you were in the pool, you would be in the same depth as anywhere else in it. And what a depth it was! For, Laura watched in dismay as the bottle tumbled slowly down, down, down until it settled on the bottom so far down that the bottle was now about the size of her thumbnail. "Oh!" she cried. "How can we reach it now?" Laura was certain she couldn't swim all the way down and come back up alive. Moondust chuckled softly beside her. "And what, may I ask, is so funny about this?" For some reason, Laura really wanted that bottle. "You're forgetting something very important," said Moondust. "What?" "You are a Valkyrie and I am a Valkyrie Steed. I could swim down there and bring the bottle back in no time, if you want." Laura felt a little foolish, because she had forgotten that, for a moment. "Could you?" "Of course," answered Moondust. Laura was filled with anticipation, and not just because she was about to get the bottle, but because she had never seen Moondust with fins before! Laura took the saddlebag off of the mare and she dove in. The water shimmered around her as her front hooves became fins, her hind hooves and wings disappeared, and the whole back end of her body curved into a beautiful tail. Moondust's mane flowed around her, and transparent, light blue ribbons of fin adorned her back, and ribboned around her tail and fins. She took one look at Laura, and darted down to the bottom of the pool, in a streak of soft blue. Laura saw her stop at the bottom for only a moment, before swimming back up, the bottle clamped tightly in her mouth. In one smooth motion, Moondust was out of the water and back on land. Her underwater features disappeared and she was once again the Moondust that Laura was familiar with. Laura put the saddle bag back on her. Surprisingly, Moondust wasn't wet. She deposited the bottle into Laura's eager hands. However, as soon as the bottle was in Laura's hands, she almost wished that it wasn't. A sense of foreboding overcame her, and she could tell that Moondust felt it too. Laura's fingertips tingled where they came into contact with the bottle, and it made her blood run cold. She nearly dropped the bottle into the pool again, but managed to hold onto it long enough to put it in the saddlebag. For the first time, Moondust felt a weight in the bag. It mightn't have been physically, but she felt a weight with her mind. The best way I can think to explain this is if you imagine putting something extremely valuable or important into a knapsack, a basket, wherever. As you carry it around all day, you feel a certain weight to it. In any case, both Laura and Moondust knew that they carried something very powerful. "The best thing to do, I think, is to go directly to Rolandgaard Castle, and see what Bella and Sara think of this," Moondust advised. Laura heartily agreed, and without another word, Moondust took off in the direction of Rolandsgaard Castle. Laura had to trust that she was going the right way, and was heading there as fast as she could. Because, when she had touched the bottle, she had known the feeling it had given her once before, only that time, it was in the presence of Feral herself.
I just realized how overwhelmingly long this whole story already is! I really appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read it so far! ;D
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Post by stardust12 on Dec 31, 2010 14:03:55 GMT -5
Here's more!
It felt like they had been flying for an agonizingly long time to Moondust. She just couldn't get that weight out of her mind; no matter how she tried to distract herself, it was still there. The sooner they passed on the bottle to Sara the better. 'And good riddance!' thought the mare.
Laura was just as anxious to get the bottle out of their hands. She was certain that Feral would appear any time now, a purple blot among the tall trees they flew over now. However, the girl's fears were put out of mind at the moment, for she noticed that Moondust's wing-beat had begun to slow. "What the matter?" asked Laura. She awaited Moondust to reply, "It's Feral!" Instead she declared, "I need to rest." For an instant Laura was a little more taken aback than she would have been if Moondust had announced Feral's appearance. For, they had been on longer journey's than this in much fiercer weather, and Moondust hadn't grown tired even then. Something was definitely wrong. "Of course," Laura said, in a worried tone. "Are you okay?" she asked as they descended. Moondust did not respond until they landed: "I think I just need to take a break." Laura hopped off her tired friend, and came to stroke her. She noticed that the mare's eyes were glazed over and she felt the weight when she touched her mind. "It's the bottle, isn't it?" "Yes," Moondust responded wearily. "It's affecting me, too," the girl commented. Suddenly, Laura was overcome with regret: "I'm so sorry I asked you to retrieve it from that pool! Why did I want it so badly? Why couldn't I have just left it to sink for someone else to find? This is all my fault! How could I---?" "It's alright, Laura," Moondust assured her, as she nuzzled her. But even though Laura hugged the mare's neck, Moondust felt that she was distracted by something else. She noticed that Laura was staring at something behind her. Moondust turned her neck to follow the girl's gaze, and her eyes widened.
At first glance, she thought she was looking at Gryffin. But this wolf was different. This one was smaller, more angular and less fluffy than their canid friend. However, it was by these features that they recognized him as another, familiar wolf: Shadowscar. Anger filled Laura so powerfully that Moondust felt her begin to quiver a little. The mare saw Laura begin to reach for her sword and called out, "Wait!" "What do you mean? This wolf tried to kill me, remember! Multiple times!" "And do you remember how the last encounter ended off? As I recall, you spared his life. I don't think he's going to harm us," the mare explained. Moondust turned out to be right. For, Shadowscar looked at them for a few moments, gave them a slight nod, and loped off. Both Laura and Moondust let out sighs of relief. "See? I told you," the pegasus commented. "Okay, okay. You were right," Laura admitted. "What should we do now?" "I don't know about you, but I could use a drink of water. Let's find someplace to drink," Moondust declared. "An excellent plan!" Laura exclaimed, feeling a little lighter. As they walked among the trees, the pair took up their I Spy-20 Questions-Trivia-Name Chain game again. It was Laura's turn: "Okay. The thing that I see has the same feature that the first Valkyrie's dearest friend uses to share his or her gift." "Too easy," said Moondust. "The first Valkyrie was Sigga. Her dearest friend was ,no doubt, her steed Valkrist. Valkrist's gift is he can touch two creatures with the tips of his wings and create or strengthen a bond of love between them. So, the thing that you see has a pair of wings, like him. So, it must be me!" "Correct," Laura sighed. "The only reason that it's easy for you is because you were present for most or all of North of North's entire history!" "Excuses, excuses," the mare tutted playfully. They both laughed. "Look, there's a stream up ahead!" Laura remarked. It took them only minutes to reach it, and once they had, the pair drank their fill. "That's much better!" said Laura. "Yes. Let's go back to the clearing, I'm ready to continue on," Moondust declared. As they turned around to leave, Laura gave a startled cry and Moondust snorted in surprise. Sitting calmly, as if he had been there all along, really was Gryffin. He held something in his mouth. "What? Where? How--how did you get here?" Laura stuttered as her eyes scanned wildly for the Tree. She couldn't find it, nor detect its presence. Gryffin did not answer, but only dropped the book at the girl's feet. Laura recognized it as her Ballad. "You dropped this," he said. "Good luck on that bottle expedition of yours." And with that, he ran off. Moondust shook her head, and Laura blinked to clear her mind. What had just happened? How did he get here? Where had he gone? How did he seem to know these things? One thing was for sure: This wolf kept getting stranger everytime they met him.
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Post by Starry Dancer on Dec 31, 2010 21:40:31 GMT -5
YAY Moondust! I am soooooo glad that you have reposted this, stardust!!!
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Post by stardust12 on Dec 31, 2010 22:15:07 GMT -5
No problem, Starry! I'm so happy you like it so much! ;D And, an early Happy New Year!
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Post by ponyiowa on Jan 1, 2011 1:58:24 GMT -5
I love it! But I thought that Valkrist's power was that molten gold marks flowed from his wings and hindquarters, or something like that. Wait, did you get Valkrist's power information from your Bella Sara ultimate guide?
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Post by stardust12 on Jan 1, 2011 12:41:40 GMT -5
Yes I did. Maybe the molten gold sparks that come from his wings help create or strengthen the bond of love.
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Post by ponyiowa on Jan 1, 2011 17:40:40 GMT -5
'Kay!
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Post by stardust12 on Jan 2, 2011 0:21:05 GMT -5
Oh and I've taken advantage of the poll feature and added one called: "Which Moondust character is your favourite?" I can't wait to see what kind of results there will be!
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Post by ponyiowa on Jan 2, 2011 15:00:38 GMT -5
I voted!!!
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Post by stardust12 on Jan 2, 2011 15:18:30 GMT -5
Wow! It looks like Moondust is the definite favourite so far!
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Post by ponyiowa on Jan 3, 2011 19:30:46 GMT -5
More story please???
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Post by stardust12 on Jan 3, 2011 19:38:03 GMT -5
Don't worry, it's nearly finished! And by nearly finished I mean the next part. I'm not sure if I want to the want the story to end, but if it does, I'm definitely considering a sequel!
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