Nemmer would not admit it to anyone, being a little stubborn, but sometimes he liked fighting with The CAT. "Now that stupid CAT has me thinking about him just because he had to go and do something noble," Nemmer grumbled to himself with a slight pang of annoyance and a touch of nostalgia rumbling around in his chest. "Durn fool CAT. Why did you let that stupid troll pull you into that portal? You could have blinked out of there and gotten away," growled Nemmer as he was thinking about what the others told him had happened. "If I had found Hungry, then I would have been there to save you," Nemmer whispered to himself as he leaned his back against an old oak tree. So, that was it! Nemmer was feeling guilty about not being there and possibly saving The CAT. "If I was a better hunter, I would have found that Dragon first," moaned the archer. "Maybe I am not as good as I thought I was," he said as he slumped down the side of the tree to sit on the grass by the trunk.
While he was standing under it and trying to see through it, another apple fell out and almost hit him again. "Ha! Missed!" crowed Nemmer prematurely as another one fell out of the portal and smacked him again before it closed and disappeared. It was as he was rubbing his sore head and looking at the last apple that had hit him he now was holding in his hand when the realization struck him. "He's alive! That blasted CAT is okay! I've got to tell Cornelia and Efem. They will both be happy to hear that their CAT is still out there causing mischief and mayhem." It was with that thought Nemmer picked up the rest of his arrows (for an Archer of the Elfshot Guild would do no less) and started out to the cottage he shared with his wife Cornelia. And where was The CAT and what mischief was he getting into... well, that is another story.
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I am not called Snoop for nothing as I realized this could be another story for the newspaper. Granny then started to tell me about a frog family that has lost it's lily pad. She was trying to help them move into a tree stump by the river by raising funds to make sure their new home would be safe and secure. "Especially by flooding," she told me as I was leaving. But I couldn't leave until I knew her secret in staying cool in this heat as she certainly looked tidy. She too winked at me and said "My secret? I spray it on first thing in the morning and it keeps me cool and comfortable." Not wanting to get more details in her grooming technique, I left it at that for if I stayed another five minutes by her ovens I might be the next heat victim Thinking of what Granny had told me about this poor frog family, I decided to check out the river. Would anyone be down at the local swimming hole trying to keep cool? When I got there, it was empty. Not a person in site, but when I put my foot into the water I understood why. Even that was hot! Out of the corner of my eye I did see Meen, the Pyksee, bouncing from toadstool to toadstool in a nearby meadow but she disappeared before I could talk to her about how she was staying cool.
"We should all have something like that!" I realized. "Instead of sitting in a tub of water, we could have cold water poured into a bucket with a bunch of holes in the bottom and have it drip down. I'll call it a 'shower'. This is brilliant!" Snoop then rushed off to Ironmonger's Hammer and Spike shop to pick up his bucket list of supplies to build his own 'shower' to keep cool.
Standing up and walking around the library she slowly made her way over to the wall that held ancient scrolls. The very old ones were stacked on the shelves, written down before Snoop brought in his magical machines that made printing possible into the now familiar book format. "Maybe I can find one about who this herald is that calls himself Aralt," mused Griselda. She started scanning and looking through several of the old scrolls until she found one that was still rolled up and sealed with an unbroken golden seal. She could feel the magic within the scroll as she touched it and especially behind the seal when she ran her fingers over it. "I have heard about these types of seals," whispered Griselda in awe for actually seeing one herself as she was unaware her son had one in the library. "It's to keep the scroll in mint condition for future generations so as to not lose the knowledge within." Deciding that it was time the scroll be read, the Dowager broke the seal. As she did, she felt the powerful magic released seeping into the room. Time started to fade away and she was transported back to where the scroll began.
He had traveled to that place between dreams and miracles to leave the politics of the world behind. Once the Dragons had left, nothing had been the same. Then he had heard that blasted chime for it not only called the Dragons home but woke him from his eternal sleep. No placing a pillow over his head was going to block out that sound. He knew why he was being called for he had been one of the Ancient Fae of the Council. It was the Council who had been a part of creating the Wish Dragon Clan. "Oh, Go Away!" he growled as he rolled over and tried to see if the pillow would work after all.
For as much as he tossed and turned to find that just perfect spot, he knew he was going to have no peace and quiet nor comfort. "That darn chime won't stop until I do. I know I'll have to return as well," Aralt grumbled to himself. It was time to start packing for this new adventure that the Magic was sucking him back into. As he was packing his few belongings, it occurred to him. "I wonder if that cantankerous old she-demon of a Wish Dragon is still in charge?"
Dree excitingly started reciting. "See there are Fire Dragons, Water Dragons, Air Dragons, and even Crystal Dragons. Wouldn't these all be like cousins to me?" asked Dree. The Baron nodded his head in agreement and further explained that these would be the Elemental Dragons as the Crystal Dragons would represent the Earth energy. But then something started to tickle his mind. What was he missing here?
As a gatherer and caretaker of many creatures small and large over his many years as an adventurer, the Baron understood the ruling government of a pack. There was always an alpha that was a leader. Even if a lesser alpha choose to join with another alpha, there was always just one leader that ruled over all and often alone. Here in the Realm Dree had been the last of the Wish Dragons before he transformed into a Moon Dragon. He was also the only Dragon since all of the others had left many many years ago. The tickle that had been playing in the back of his mind was continuing to gnaw at him - would there be any Wish Dragons returning as well as the other Dragons? Would there be an alpha among them that would assume it would still be alpha in returning to the Realm? How would that affect Dree? All this thinking was starting to make the Baron's head hurt. After talking to his mother, The Dowager, he now knew that a Moon Dragon was a rare and very strong magical Dragon. Therefore, by rights, should be an alpha or leader over ALL of the Dragons including the Wish Dragons. But Dree was young and untrained.
"But Dowager," answered Fiddlefaddle, "How will we summon so many? I don't speak Bee-G and nobody but Parsley knows how the Mushroom Line communicates..." Before he could continue Griselda cut him off. "That is not your problem. I will take care of that. You will just need to give them the messages when they arrive. Make sure that the right messenger gets the right message. If I tell you that it has to go to a cave, make sure that the Root Connection make the delivery. If the message is going to a mountain peak, then make sure the Twitter Birds get it. I am sure that between the two of you, you will be able to figure out the best way to send the message. Now I have to get busy writing messages. The Baron has his own tasks to do." Knowing when they had been dismissed to get on with their work, both bowed and left the parlor. "If the Dowager was writing the messages, what could be my task? thought the Baron. Since just returning from the Council meeting, it struck the Baron that maybe someone should check on Dree. As he brought the subject up to his mother, she realized that he was right. No one had thought of how the one Dragon that was already in the Realm would feel if everyone else thought the Dragons' return was to be a dangerous situation. Given the fact that Dree was a new Moon Dragon and unaware of the powers that he possessed, now would be a good time to make sure he was not upset or scared. Upset or scared powerful Dragons could cause a few problems - especially when they are only partially trained.
For that the Baron was grateful. "I have walked enough today without having to go searching for Hungry, oops, Dree, somewhere in the Shadows' Realm," he thought as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Opening the door to the secret caverns below his mansion, he could tell that they had another visitor. "Even the dirt on the floor is clean," he chuckled to himself about the house brownie. "Granny Flare must have been here." Soon the Baron was in the chamber where Dree was sitting on a stack of pillows and reading a book. At first the site of it surprised him, but after a moment, he started to chuckle. "Why not?" he decided to himself. "His teachers would be proud of how well the new Moon Dragon was applying himself to learning." It was the chuckle that alerted Dree to the Baron's presence as he looked up from the book. "Good day Baron. Have you read this book yet? It's fascinating! It's all about Dragons. Granny Flare left it for me to read." Deciding that it would be a good way to start the conversation he knew he would have to have with Dree, the Baron answered. "No, I have never seen that one before. What can you tell me about your kin?" Soon Dree was telling the Baron about the different types of Dragons and the things they could do... "Now, this one is a water Dragon and he can swim and use water to build things with. Won't that be neat? If I could do that I could make blocks of water with fish in them and then stack them up along that wall," as he pointed to a wall in the cave, "and watch them swim around without getting hurt." "It's funny that you said that," replied the Baron. "Dree, you were at the Council meeting today and heard what the Dowager said. Do you understand why we are all so concerned about the Dragons returning?" The question made the young Dragon stare at the Baron for a minute. Then he put the book down on one of the pillows and stared at the wall he had pointed to only minutes before, not saying a word. After a short silence, Dree finally turned to look at the Baron and answered. "Yes, I think I do. You are afraid that with the return of the Dragons that whatever made them go away might happen again. But maybe this time it will happen after something bad occurs. You are here because you don't know what I will do now that I am a Moon Dragon." As surprised to hear that the Dragon did understand his concerns, the Baron knew now was the time to ask his other question. "What will you do?"
Upon entering the maze of the caves he instinctively knew where to go. Soon he was back to the spot where he was born, or more correctly, where his egg had opened. "Sigh... those were better days," he thought. "All I needed then was someone to feed me when I was hungry." It was that thought what made him start laughing... realizing the play on words... "When I was Hungry," he chuckled. Hungry was his name before he had transformed from a Wish Dragon into a Moon Dragon. "I wonder what Acorn, Dragonia, and Granny Flare are up to?" Dree thought.
"I even brought a few extra pillows for you, compliments of the Dowager, since I had heard your old one was either lost or a little ragged from it's travels." Dree was so happy to see Granny that he forgot that she was not a hugger as he lifted her from the floor to give her a big one. At first she thought of magically popping out but realized that might make the young Dragon sadder than he appeared, so she let him hug her and set her back down on the floor. "My... you have grown a little since I have last seen you," she told him. Blushing slightly (as only a Dragon can blush), he just stood there and looked down at the floor bashfully. "I really came to tell you that if you need me, follow that tunnel," as she pointed to one of the many branches of tunnels from where they stood. "My place is at the end. Knock on the cellar door and I will let you in. I will also have your meals ready for you so come when you are hungry," she finished. Again, Dree was so happy that as he was reaching to give her another hug, he remembered and stopped himself this time. "Thank you," was all he could say. Smiling, Granny walked up to the Dragon and gave him a hug (surprising Dree even more). "That's alright Hungry. Oops, I meant Dree. I have to go but you know where to find me. Welcome home," said Granny as she started down the tunnel to her place. "Home," thought Dree. "Yes, this is my home and I need to help the others in protecting it," the Dragon thought. "I know so little about myself. How am I to help the people who raised and taught me everything I know against my own kind? I don't know how..."
"Why would Granny leave me a book about Dragons?" he wondered as he started to settle himself down in the fluffy pile of pillows and start reading. "So much better than a rock," he mumbles to himself as he turns to the next page of the book.
"I need to stay calm and open my mind to this new energy," she reassured herself. "For if this helps the Village on the Wall and the Realms, I need to know." The more she stared into the crystal ball the more she felt that she was being taken into another realm. The trees were so green and she could feel their magical roots connecting under her feet as she was walked along the unfamiliar path. She was holding her crystal ball in front of her like a lantern lighting her way when she started to see the mist in the ball clear away.
She followed the new trail which led her down into a grotto with a large waterfall. As she stared at the falls and listened to the crashing of the water onto the rocks, she heard the voice again. "Enter the waterfall for there are those that have a message for you." After seeing a few stepping stones in the water, Awena proceeded ahead hoping the waterfall wasn't going to destroy her elaborate headpiece she wore. As she was just about to step into the falling water, magically the waters parted to reveal a cave. She slowly entered in to see two Dragons laying in wait for her. At once she felt a connection to one for this was the mother of Dree. Beside her lay a white Dragon though transparent more like the spirit of a beautiful Dragon. Awena could feel in her heart that this was the Dragon that gave her magic to the girls that created the Sleeping Sisters. They nodded their heads as she entered and she heard a melodious sound in her head. It was a different language then anything she had ever heard before but yet... somehow she seemed to be able to understand it. The Mother Dragon said "Sit Awena for we have words of strength, guidance, and love to share with you. We are here to help this change that is about to happen to your realm." Awena sat and suddenly it occurred to her that she would also talk with these Dragons. It seems like hours for there was much to learn and yet time also flew by. Soon she knew it was time to return to her world and as she rose, thanking the Dragons for sharing their wisdom, she was met at the cave entrance by another Fae. She was not sure who it was until he spoke. "Let me say these final words to you Awena as you will never return to this vision again," said Aralt. "Sunlight may banish the Darkness away. But Moonlight is the Light in the Darkness." At which Awena awoke in her room holding her now silent crystal ball.
Seeing the look of concern in everyone's eyes, even Dree's, the Dowager realized that she was the one who was going to have to inspire confidence to them all. "I bring this up so we can prepare and be ready for their arrival. It appears from what Goodie4U has seen that the Dragons are widely dispersed. That means we will probably start seeing them either return alone or in small groups. That will give us time."
"Let everyone in the Realms know that Dree is a peaceful Dragon and that the council welcomes their return when it should happen." Seeing Snoop nod his head and start writing on the paper he held, Griselda knew that he would do as she asked since he now understood the danger they were all in. "For the rest of you, I will be returning to the Mansion with my son. We have a lot of messages to start sending out to see who will respond. I will also call an All Clans meeting to see who will attend." For a second, the Dowager stopped talking. A very concerning thought came to her but she did not want to have the others notice so she quickly continued. "Each of you must return to your homes and start preparing both yourselves and your people as to the Dragons' return. What we did worked last time after the Great Age of Befuddlement, so it will work again. Before you go, I will talk to each of you as to what I suggest you do. But I also suggest you start thinking of what you might also be able to do in addition to that." While the Dowager was meeting with everyone before they left, Awena and Dree were standing in a corner of the council chambers talking in a low whisper. "Dree, I think it is time for you to return to the caves under the Mansion," Awena told the Moon Dragon. "That way you will be closer to Griselda when she needs you as I am sure she will in the coming times." "I hadn't thought about that," answered Dree. "I would like that. I will let the others know also so if they need me they will all know where to find me."
"Dowager, I don't mean to be rude, but I don't know why a dragonfly is so important," he said when it was quiet again. The Baron realized that he should say something as his mother seemed to sometimes think that everyone else should just 'understand' what was going on.
"Maybe later, what's important is that they understand the importance of receiving a Dragonflyye," answered Griselda. "What all of you must understand is that when the Dragons were here and plentiful, there were several of the Great Fae who helped the clans keep the peace between Dragons, Fae, and the Outies after the Great Age of Befuddlement. Most of these Fae are now gone (who knows where... but we hope they are having a good time), but a few are still here in the Realms in case the peace is disturbed again." As Griselda paused, it was Awena who now spoke. "According to the ancient scrolls, the Great Fae used Dragonflyyies to send important messages to the Dragon clans. These special Dragonflyyies were one of the few creatures that could speak both to Fae and Dragons. Only the 'Outies' could not understand the messages they would deliver." Nodding her head, the Dowager continued when Awena paused. "That is correct. As a member of the Wish Dragon clan I would routinely see the Dragonflyyies delivering messages to the clan elders. I was so shocked to have one appear at the Mansion before leaving to this meeting that I almost forgot about the meeting."
Snoop pointedly asked, "What did the Dragonflyye say and who sent it!" When he realized what he had just done, blushing from embarrassment, he quickly apologized to the council and sat down but not without having his pencil out and paper ready to write it all down. "Before the interruption," Griselda glared at Snoop, who continued to shrink further into his chair, "I was about to say that the message was very short. All it said was 'They are returning' and it was signed Aralt the Herald." "Dowager, who is returning and who is Aralt?" Queen Ffion asked as she was just as confused as the others in the council chamber. "That my dear, is a long tale that I need to tell all of you so everyone understands the dangers that are coming to the Realms. It all began when Goodie4U appeared before me while I was enjoying my favorite tea..."
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GreetingsWelcome to my blog. This is where I will reveal the magic of my Fae and their stories and share with you some of the success and pitfalls through the journey of doll making, sculpting, and other crafts that all come back to my dolls in many ways. Archives
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