Moondust

[stardust12]

Thanks for the welcome, ponyiowa!
And in case any one was wondering, the Golden Bane Potion is not something from the Ultimate Guide. I made it up!

[stardust12]

The Darkcomb Forest did not seem quite as eerie during the day. In fact, Laura thought it was beautiful. As they walked between the tall trees, looking for any type of fruit tree, bright sunlight shafted between the branches, dazzling everything it touched. After a bit of walking, Laura came upon a thriving spiceberry plant. She took an experimental nibble and found that she liked them very much. They were juicy, and had a heated zing to them. While she was eating, Gryffin remarked, "Look! What's that over there?" At first, Laura froze, fearing that it might be Feral, one of her wolves, or even Ivenna. But when she turned to look where Gryffin meant, she saw that he was talking about a severely misshapen, abandoned cottage.
"Wow!" Laura exclaimed, coming to where Gryffin stood. I wish Moondust could see this, she thought sadly. Although the cottage had certainly seen better days now, it must have been a thing to behold when people had lived in it. The fallen roof was made from interwoven wood, leaves, and flowers, and the crumbling walls were made with bluish and grey stones. The broken windows looked as if one or two of them were made from stained glass.
"Let's look inside!" the girl suggested, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Gryffin walked beside her as she entered the archway where the door should have been. The inside of the cottage was just as bad, if not worse than the outside. In the main room alone, there was old furniture flung into various corners, the stuffing ripped out in some places, a toppled cabinet with lopsided shelving, and a flurry of yellowing paper strewn across the room. Broken glass littered the window ledges, and most noticable, a worktable had been snapped clean in half. Laura began to feel tingly all over. She was just deciding to leave when sunlight flowing in through one of the broken windows caught something in its light. Laura squinted at first, but walked towards the bright object, her boots making a soft pat against the floor as she moved. As she came closer, she realized it was a shield. And not just a shield, but an elegantly crafted one as well. It seemed to be the only thing in the room that was untarnished. Laura knelt down to have a better look at it, and trace the designs along the smooth metallic surface. The two most intricate patterns on the shield were a flower Laura recognized as an orchid, in one corner, and a tree-shaped symbol near the bottom. As her eyes took in the beauty of the shield, they also noticed something peculiar about the floor. Deep lines ran across some parts of it, four lines parallel to one another. Instantly, Laura felt a sense of foreboding about the whole place. She stood up to leave, and contemplated whether or not she should take the shield with her. No one seemed to have come here for years, and if it had belonged to someone in this house those many years ago, wouldn't they have taken it with them? In any case, Laura decided she would take the shield with her, and when she picked it up, she realized it was much lighter than it looked.

"Let's get out of here," the girl said. Gryffin stood, shook, and followed her out of the abandoned home.
"So," said Gryffin. "Are you going to try calling the tree or not?"
"Sure. It would save us a lot of travelling time if it came. I hope this works," Laura pleaded. Once more, she closed her eyes. She envisioned the Tree: how enormous it was, the way it creaked and groaned as the doorway within it opened, how thick the roots were...
Gryffin gave a sort of satisfied growl, and Laura opened her eyes. "I did it!" she whooped. For there the Tree stood, looking as ancient and grand as ever. But, there was no door in the centre. Of course she had to tell it where to take her, but would it transport her into another part of the same world? As if in tune with her thought, Gryffin posed, "Do you know where you want to go?"
"Sort of," Laura replied. She took out the piece of paper that the Golden Bane had left behind and read it over. She was torn between telling the tree to take her to the place where she had first met Moondust, and telling it to just take her where Moondust was, in case she wasn't where Laura had surmised. So she decided to meld the two ideas. Not closing her eyes this time, but staring directly at the Tree, Laura pictured her valiant friend and the place of her meeting. "Take me to her," she whispered. The knotted wood that made up the centre of the tree cracked and moaned as it made space for the doorway. When it was finally formed, Laura peered through and found herself looking at more trees, different than the many pines that grew in the Darkcomb Forest. With one hand clutching the shield, and the other on Gryffin, she ventured forward. She hoped that it would take her to someplace that was still in North of North, she hoped it would take her to where Moondust was, she hoped she wasn't too late. So many things relied on hope.
"Here we go," Laura breathed, and they walked through.

[321unicorn]

good chapter
I hope Moondust is okay
Update very soon okay

[stardust12]

I certainly will, 321unicorn!

[stardust12]

Laura took a look around, and with a sigh of relief concluded that she was still in North of North. As if to affirm this, a Pufferfox flitted by; an orange streak between the greenery that lay around them. Suddenly, Laura felt a prickle near her forehead. When she concentrated on it, she found she could feel the faintest presence of something.
"Moondust!" she cried, "I can sense her! But, she still feels far away."
"Do you know if she's okay?" wondered Gryffin.
"I can't tell from this distance. Let's keep going!" Laura replied. However, as soon as she had taken a few steps forward, a loud rustling caught her attention. It was coming from the bushes and trees right in front of her. No sooner had she noticed that, than she realized the noise was coming from every piece of foliage she could see.
"Look!" she gasped, "They're moving!" And indeed they were. All of the trees, bushes and plants seemed to be stretching, and creeping closer together. Before Laura knew it, they had formed an impenetrable-looking wall in front of her. Laura tried slashing at the branches and leaves in front of her with her sword to clear the way. But it was no good, as the vines and branches refused to be cut away. Next, she tried pressing forward with her newly acquired shield. This worked for a couple of steps, until all of the branches she had pushed away flung back, throwing her backwards. She tried other ways of breaching the wall of vegetation, and before ten minutes had passed, she was panting for breath and covered in small scratches from the pointy twigs and thorny vines.

"I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. No way it was going to let me just walk right up to Moondust and take her." For, Laura felt sure that this was the work of the Golden Bane. "It will take hours to find a way through," she stated dejectedly. Unsure how to proceed, Laura reached into her back for the paper with the inscription. After a quick searching, she realized it wasn't there. Was this another of the bottle's tricks? That's okay, Laura thought. She had copied the writing on the paper in her Ballad. However, after pushing aside a heavy book, and a number of other miscellaneous she found that it wasn't their either! She let out a heavy sigh; it must have fallen out of her bag somewhere in the suffocating darkness last night. All of her memories she and Moondust shared had been carefully recorded in it; it was apart of being a Valkyrie, fully-fledged or not! Just as Laura began to think that everything horrible seemed to be happening at once, she heard a rustle from behind. She turned, expecting some hulking, sinister form. Instead, however, she set her eyes on a creature that looked much like a deer. It was its crimson hide, and long white-tipped tail that clued Laura in to what it was.
"A Vulpi Deer!" she cried, momentarily forgetting all her worries.
"What is so particularly special about this deer?" Gryffin asked, noticing her exuberance.
"A Vulpi Deer can find paths through seemingly impassable landscapes; like this wall for example," Laura explained, pointing. "All we have to do is get her to help us."
"Just how do you plan on doing that?" the wolf wondered.
"And you say I ask a lot of questions?" Laura giggled, as she rummaged through her bookbag. At last, she found what she was looking for! She took a handful of the sunset-coloured berries that she had stored from earlier and held it out in her hand. "I hope she likes spiceberries!" she said.

The deer's nose began twitching in Laura's direction, probably picking up the indulgent aroma of the spiceberries. Slowly, it took a few steps towards her. Laura made sure she stood quite still as the deer took cautious step after cautious step towards her until finally, Laura could feel its warm breath on her fingertips. The deer touched the girl's hand with its velvety muzzle and nibbled on a couple of berries. Then, it looked up, straight into Laura's eyes and gave a slight nod.
"You'll help us?" Laura breathed. The deer gave another small nod and walked a little forward before looking back at Laura and Gryffin.
"Gryffin, let's go!" said Laura. The pair followed the Vulpi Deer as it walked closer and closer towards the wall of greenery. At first, Laura thought the deer would walk right into it, but she noticed that as they got closer, the tangled vines and branches began to weave apart, granting the trio entrance. When they stepped through the opening in the wall, it promptly closed behind them. Laura was silently thankful. If not for the Vulpi Deer, they would have been standing outside the wall for who knows how long, trying to get through. At least if Feral tried to follow her, it would be much more difficult, as she was certain that no Vulpi Deer would offer their help even if Feral had all the spiceberries in the world! Smiling for the first time in a while, she and Gryffin followed the deer deeper into the lush green world, pleasantly aware that with every step, she was getting closer to Moondust.

[Starry Dancer]

Oooh, nicely done stardust! I hope they find Moondust soon, and that she is okay... what a cliffhanger! I am so glad you are updating again, I missed this story!

[stardust12]

Thank you Starry! By the way, I came up with the plot of my submission today, and so I wrote and submitted my story for the contest!

[321unicorn]

When are you going to update your story?
By the way I wrote a story called Into The North of North.

[stardust12]

321unicorn I'll definitely check out your story!

Laura and Gryffin trekked their way through the thick, leafy brush; the Vulpi deer trotting lithely ahead of them. Laura's blue-green eyes couldn't take in enough of the fauna around her, nor could she breathe in enough of the sweet loam-scented air. She wasn't the only one, for she noticed her wolf-friend's nose was constantly quivering, absorbing up the delicious scent. It appeared that this forest had been growing for some time without any intruders passing through its dream-like green world. The canopy above her filtered the sunlight to such a measure that she couldn't tell what time of day it was.
"Are you going to leave me again once night falls?" Laura asked Gryffin. The wolf tilted his head to one side. He seemed to be pondering something.
"Perhaps, perhaps not," he replied cryptically.
"No, I want a straight answer for once. Where do you go, anyway?" she wondered.
"Here and there," Gryffin replied. Laura's eyes gleamed malevolently, and the wolf elaborated. "What I mean is, I don't always get to choose where..." he paused, "..where I end up."
"I don't understand," Laura stated.
"I didn't expect you to," answered Gryffin.
"But, I want to understand," the girl pursued.
"It will probably sound unbelievable," warned the wolf.
Laura laughed, "You're talking to the girl who was whisked away from Earth through a giant tree, remember?"
"Of course," Gryffin affirmed. "It must have slipped my mind..."
"So are you going to tell me do I have to use this shield to force it out of you?" Laura threatened, smiling.
"Well, since you asked so nicely," said the wolf.

"You've seen how the Tree can transport you into different realms," he stated.
"Of course I have," said Laura.
"I can accomplish the same feat without the use of any medium," he explained.
"I didn't quite---" the girl began...
"I can slip through worlds whenever I please," said Gryffin.
"Oh!" Laura exclaimed, a look of understanding lighting up her face. "How do you do it?" she asked.
"Most of the time, I simply think of where I'd like to go, hold the thought very lightly in my head, and suddenly I am there," he disclosed.
"Most of the time?" Laura echoed.
"Sometimes, no matter how determined I am to go somewhere, I will end up somewhere else. Oftentimes its somewhere I have never been before. Whether it be a new place in a world I have already visited, or a new world completely. That's how I saw you," he illustrated.
"That time in Sephyr. The first time Moondust," here Laura faltered, "and I entered another world." the girl nodded knowingly.
"No," Gryffin answered. Laura stiffened. "The very first time I saw you. On Earth."
"What?" Laura whispered, breathless.
"It was some years ago. No, two perhaps. Yes, two." He seemed to be assuring himself more than anyone else. "I was meaning to go somewhere else; a world entirely encompassed in forest. There was this particular place, with a waterfall that poured water with tiny jewels inside. In any case, though I ended up in the forest, I knew immediately I was not where I wanted to be. Before I had time to think that through, I heard someone speaking, somewhere close by. When I investigated, it turned out to be a young girl of about ten. She was alone and talking to no one in particular."
Laura blushed with embarassment. That was the year, she remembered, that she had taken it upon her self to name every flower in the only wildflower patch outside the orphanage. She may have spent some time talking to them now and then. They did look lonely, Laura thought, 'At least as lonely as I was then.' Laura also recalled that that was also the year when the rest of the girls became less accepting of her presence and became particularly nasty.
"You were interesting to watch," Gryffin continued, a small laugh in his gruff voice. "Sometimes when I felt bored, I came to see if you were out. Most times you were, sitting on a large rock, reading a book..."
"Talking to flowers," Laura added, and they both laughed. Quite suddenly, Laura was hit with a feeling of recognition. Her eyes lit up.
"You!" she gasped. "It was you that I saw!" Laura recalled the time she had caught glinting pair of yellow eyes in the nearby forest, followed by a streak of black. She had often felt as if she wasn't alone went she spent her time near the forest. It was this comforting feeling that kept her coming back. A previous conversation of their replayed itself in her mind:
' "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." '

Laura turned and smiled at Gryffin. Abruptly, she realized that the greenery around them was thinning, and trees were no longer growing close together; they grew apart, with plenty of space to walk. The Vulpi deer stopped, and nodded her head in farewell. It had helped them find a way through the thicketed wall, and now she took her leave. Laura waved as the deer cantered away, and then took a more detailed look at where she was. And though it was still brighter than when Laura first set eyes on it, she recognized nearly the very same spot that she had stepped foot on the first time she entered North of North. And, the moment became in more similar when she caught the sound of a familiar whinny, not so far off.

[stardust12]

Laura's heart lifted immensely at the sound of her dearest friend, and it took all that she had not to go bolting after the sound. But, after only a second's consideration, she felt her spirits sinking, and a knot of worry clenched within her stomach. The whinny was not one of joy, but of terror! Of course, the girl should have sensed that the trials set by the Golden Bane were not over. Gryffin sniffed the air cautiously before giving the sign that they could proceed safely, for now. Laura's left hand clenched her sword hilt, and she gripped the handle of the shield tightly with her right; Gryffin boldly walking ahead of her to clear the path of any danger. As they made their way through the trees, neither of them heard any other sign of Moondust. Quite suddenly, a sharp bay echoed through the trees ahead, but puzzlingly, it sounded much farther away than before. The reason for this became clear when they reached a thorny thicket. Though the brambles did not grow very close together, Laura could tell that trying to walk through it would be as painful as it would be foolish. As the girl ran through the options, a slender path formed through the sharp vegetation. In fact, it was so slender, it was clear that Gryffin's hulking form could not pass through without getting badly scraped. Especially since neither of them knew how long the thickets ran for. Laura gave the wolf a look of sadness, and the silence that had cloaked them since the Vulpi Deer's disappearance was broken as the girl remarked, "I think I'm meant to go alone."
"I think you are," answered Gryffin. "I will wait for you here, if it lets you out this way on your return."
"Hopefully, I won't be returning alone." Laura replied with a faint smile. And because of grand stature of the wolf, Laura was able to hug him tightly around his thick, furry neck before departing into the thickets.

Now that Laura was alone, she was hit with the full effects of the fear she had been feeling since Moondust has been swept away by the Golden Bane. She had had enough of the 'Bane' part, but when would she experience some of the better qualities said to inhabit the bottle? Maybe she would have to overcome the bottle's worst challenges in order to use its goodness. Though, she stood resolute on the fact that she wouldn't be the one using it, Sara would. She would know just what to do with it, and at least know how to deal with whatever happened when the bottle was opened. All Laura cared about right now was rescuing her winged friend. As she struggled to stay on the path and avoid being scratched up by the rough thorns, she realized that so far she had only seen the Golden Bane use its power through plants. At this thought, Laura felt less afraid. After all, how much damage could plants do, when compared to a wolf's dagger-long fangs, or Feral's cruel magic? A loud neigh made Laura snap out of her muse, and she noticed that the path opened out ahead. Forgetting the brambles and the pain they inflicted, she raced ahead. The clearing that she found herself in was not very large, it was bordered all around with the same thicketed wall. Near the centre of the clearing, sinister-looking trees that bore no leaves twisted their dead branches together to form a cage. Within the wooden prison, Laura spotted a light blue mare, her eyes wide in panic, her wings attempting to flap in the cramped space. The entirety of the Pegasus was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, a mark of her labored attempts at escape.
"Moondust!" Laura yelled, tears forming in her eyes. Anger seethed within the girl. That accursed bottle could do all it wanted to her, but how, how could they imprison her valiant friend so heartlessly?

Immediately, Laura ran towards her friend, and began trying to pry the branches that held the steed captive, apart. But, try as she might, this only resulted in her fingers being pricked. As Laura was about to pull out her sword to try and break through another way, Moondust gave an ear-piercing shriek.
"What's the matter, Moondust? I'm here, I'll get you out!" Laura soothed. Nonetheless, the mare continued with her cries of anguish.
"What's wrong?" Laura implored. Why wasn't Moondust speaking? the girl suddenly wondered. She was about to voice this concern when she had the strangest feeling that someone was watching her from behind. Instinctively, she whipped around only to find no one in the vicinity. The girl shook her head, her mind was definitely not in its best shape right now. She turned back to address the problem at hand, when she heard a loud crackle, as if a thousand twigs had snapped. The girl spun around, heart pounding. Again, she scanned the area. "There's nothing..." she began to say to herself, when her eyes suddenly locked onto a bundle of thicket that had certainly not been there before. It stood alone from the wall of thorns, not 5 feet away from her. She stared at it for a couple of moments, and she heard a rustle within the thicket. 'There, she wasn't going crazy after all!' Laura thought. Then without warning, the whole bundle of bramble moved, and she caught a gleam of light from somewhere higher up on the structure. The form gave another large quake, followed by loud crackling. The girl's eyes widened in alarm as she distinguished that the thickets formed the shape of four legs and a head. It almost looked like a bear...even more so, as it grunted with the first spark of life. The thickets were alive, fueled no doubt, by the magic of the Golden Bane! What was more, the bear was readying itself to charge right at her!

As the creature barreled towards her, Laura raised her shield in front of her. The bear head-butted the piece of metal, sending the girl flying backwards. Thankfully, she didn't hit the wall of thickets, but landed with a thud frighteningly near it. Dazed, Laura could make out the bear approaching nearer. She picked herself up, and steadied herself for the bear's second charge. A plan quickly put together in her mind. The bear rushed at her, instead of slamming itself into her, it decided to leap at her so as not to send its prey flying away again. As it soared towards her, Laura managed to duck and she jabbed her sword firmly into the animated thickets. Unfortunately, the rear claw of the bear grazed the girl's shoulder as it flew over her. Upon landing, the creature bellowed in rage and reared, just as the girl expected. Seizing the chance, Laura jammed the sword into the bear yet again, and the bear howled in defeat. The mad gleam that made up its eyes disappeared, and the thicket-bear was once more a pile of harmless plant. Laura sighed, finally recognizing the exhaustion of not having slept in days. But, there was still work to be done. Laura raced over to where Moondust was, and cut the branches away with her sword. With a nicker of pure joy, Moondust came rushing out to greet her.
"Laura!" she bayed, nuzzling the girl.
"You can still speak!" Laura cried, relieved, and hugged the mare tightly.
"I'm not sure why I couldn't when I was in there. Something was holding me back..." Moondust answered.
"At the castle, you...you just disappeared! And I thought...I didn't know..." suddenly Laura found herself crying, whether because she was happy or overwhelmed, she didn't know.
When she dried her eyes, she looked up at Moondust and smiled. With a final look around them, she declared, "Let's get out of here!" and climbed onto her friend's back.

[321unicorn]

Poor Moondust!
Keep Updating the story!
I can't wait for the next chapter!!!

[stardust12]

Thanks 321unicorn!

[Starry Dancer]

Reunited at last! Yes! I am eagerly anticipating the next chapters, and more backstory on Laura/Gryffin... I think it's awesome that they knew each other years ago! Poor, cute younger Laura...

[Rain]

[ponyiowa]

Great! Keep writing! ;D