Category: Awena

It came in a dream...

8/25/2021

I do admit I get interesting dreams and from time to time I will get such complete and detailed ones that I receive a full story... like the Story of the Sleeping Sisters. It was that story that inspired the creation of Awena. I felt this tale needed to be told but didn't know how to incorporate it into our Dragon Tale.

Again... little messages or clues inspired the "competition" between two kings.

So what is so important and why is the King of the Trolls trying to find a blue rose? Ahhh, but this is not just any colorful flower. This is a treasure of great mystery and power! The Blue Rose is one of the greatest treasures in all of the Realm of Wymsy but it has been hidden for a very long time by the Sleeping Sisters...

Maybe you will understand more if you knew the tale? It all began a long time ago, not very far from this spot, and it involved four sisters who were just trying to find a way not to get into any more trouble... but let's have Awena tell the tale...

***Click here to read the tale***

Singing in the chaos...

6/16/2021

"A Wish Dragon? Hungry here is a Wish Dragon and I am his Spite?" growled The CAT. "And there is some prophecy? Is that what you were singing Hewy?" Hewy nodded his head to the surprised feline. "Okay, so I can understand this right... could you sing the prophecy again Hewy?" The troll slowly started his melody again with the first part of the prophecy.

"When the last of the Wish Dragyns are lost
and is starving for knowledge at any cost;
will choices be made by many
that will bring the Realms to despair or to plenty. "

"Now wait a minute. Sorry to interrupt but I am trying to figure this out," cut in The CAT. "If Hungry is the last of the Wish Dragons and he has been lost for this whole time... sounds like to me that he would certainly be starving. Also sounds like he might be in need of a teacher too. Okay, please continue."

Hewy then continued his song.

"Which way will it sway and who will triumph none yet can foretell
but for good to win the evil must not prevail;
for if evil wins forever magic will be changed or lost
and the Realms will suffer at the cost."

"Whoooh!" said The CAT. "That sure sounds like the wizard here. He almost prevailed with trying to get his wish. Not that I am saying you are evil, mister wizard, as I don't know you that well. But it sounded like to me that the wish you were asking for could have changed things not only here in this Realm but where you were from too."

Dewin, hung his head and nodded. "I hadn't really thought about what my wish could do. I was just angry and wanted to go back to where I had come from. Now I can see that maybe fate put me here for a reason," answered the wizard slightly raising his eyes to look at Hungry.

Excited, Hewy sang the next line of the prophecy. "For in the telling of this tale a musician must play' - that sounds like me," exclaimed Hewy getting caught up in the solving of the prophecy. "But who would be the - 'as the dryad who has forsaken it's way'?"

Parsley raised her hand and told the others that it could possibly mean her. "I left the ways of the Tree Mothers to become the herbalist I am today. Though I don't see why that would make a difference?"

"The troll will mend what was once broken, " Hewy continued. "Apparently that is me also as I am the only Troll here. The sole thing I had broken was my heart when the love of my life left, but that was healed when I saw Awena again. This last line still confuses me though," said Hewy as he sang the next part.

"As they both must gain the Dragyn 's token."

Excited about how the prophecy was coming together, Hungry pipped in, "That is easy. A Dragon's token is his trust. Nothing is more important to a Dragon than knowing who to trust."

As the others thought about what Hungry had just said, Hewy wrapped up the prophecy by singing the last stanza.

"For if this does not happen another will sway
the young mind which will drift away;
and from the lack of knowledge will the choice then be
for the Dragyn will grant the destructive plea."

Silently everyone gathered around the little Wish Dragon. Dewin was the first to speak. "I am sorry for misleading you Hungry. I just wanted to go home, not realizing that maybe I am already there." After that, everyone agreed that Hungry needed to learn more about the powers of the Wish Dragon. It was decided that Hewy and Parsley, having gained the Dragon's trust, would be responsible for starting those lessons. The CAT was happy he was also going to be returning to familiar surroundings, as he now had to have lessons too apparently as the Dragon's Spite.

Sprout was thrilled to hear that Hungry was going to be heading home with him as her heard his mother tell the Wish Dragon that she would be his teacher. Until Parsley added, “and you will not be alone for Sprout will take classes with you.” “WHAT?” exclaimed the startled Dryad.

So now that the little Dragon was found, and the prophecy seemed to have been fulfilled, everyone decided they could all return to their homes. Of course a stop by the Sugar Plum Bakery on their way didn't sound to bad too. "I wonder where Nemmer is?" thought Cornelius as they started to leave. As luck would have it, Nemmer had forgotten all about getting to The Wishing Well (he had bumped into some Dusty Mytes who had sprayed him out of habit with the forgetful dust) and too was on his way home.

It was only The Wishing Well who noticed after everyone had left Snoop rushing from the bushes he had been hiding in to hurry back to the Bellwether to get out the scoop of his career. A Dragon had returned to the Realms!!!

Looking into the Mystic Ether (AKA 'What the Future Holds')...

1/4/2021

Awena was sitting in her room doing her daily meditation when she felt a 'pull' to take out her crystal ball. As she gazed into the ball it began to change from clear crystal to a swirling mist. "Well... it might not hurt to check on the little Wish Dragon and those that seek to find him," Awena mused to herself.

"Several new characters have appeared in the search and Hungry is still looking for his pillow, but where are they?" she muttered as the mist began to take a shape.

Granny Flare was the first to appear with Parsley, the Dowager Griselda, Efem, and Cornelia. "This Zooming on their PEE-Cs is almost like looking into a crystal ball," Awena thought with a smile. She could see they were discussing the need to expand the search for the Wish Dragon as the Mushroom Line, the Bee Gs, and the Twitter birds had still not located Hungry. The only problem with a crystal ball is that images may appear clearly, but it is difficult to hear all of the conversations completely. "I really need to work on getting better at lip reading," she reminded herself (not for the first time and probably not the last) as she pieced together the searchers' conversations.

As the ladies faded out, Passporte' and the wizard, Dewin, came into focus. They were still out in the forest of the Shadows' Realm. Awenda could feel something in the ether that each had a different purpose in mind in regard to the little Dragon though she didn't feel that it was truly evil. Awena had noticed that the Spite still has not reappeared since Dewin last saw her in his cave where he left his magical spell book behind. "I'm sure Dewin's journal book would make interesting reading," thought Awena as she watched Dewin telling Passporte' before they faded from the crystal ball that in Spite of her not being there, "She might actually be useful for once."

As the crystal searched for another, soon Hewy, the troll, appeared. He too was out with Sprout trying to find the Dragon. Hewy had decided that if Sprout had met Hungry earlier by the Sugar Plum Bakery and since Sprout had told him that the Dragon was as hungry for sweets as Sprout - it was a perfect place to start. "And of course Sprout offered to go since they were going to be near the bakery," she snickered. "It must be a great magical gift the way that kid can make food disappear."

Then the huge Mansion of the The Baron's popped in. The Baron, Fiddlefaddle, and Sneefle were sitting in the Drawing Room playing with some cards and wondering what will happen next as they await word from Griselda and the others about the search.

Suddenly, the image shifted and the entire crystall ball was filled with a Cheshire grin! It was The CAT. He seemed to look right at Awena as if he knew she was watching him. She could see past The CAT that the archer Nemmer was still searching for the Wish Dragon and trying to avoid the Dusty Mytes. The CAT then turned and went his own way. Awena didn't have difficulty realizing that The CAT was thinking that chasing a Twitter Bird might be a little more fun than Dragon hunting. Funny that he should be the one to find Hungry first...

Being "asked to leave"...

9/1/2020

While the others were in the breakfast room, the Sleeping Sisters were in Awena’s chambers forming a circle in which Awena sat in the center. She had closed her eyes and was meditating on what they must do. Finally she spoke. "Sisters, as you all know, we must not directly interfere with events. I may have already stepped over the bounds by telling Hewy of the prophecy, but we must not divulge any more information. They must leave immediately." Nodding their heads, the Sisters left Awena to do as instructed.

As Hewy and the others finished their meal, a Sister entered and bade them all to follow her. They were lead to the entrance of the Hall where other Sisters were holding the few items they had left in their rooms. "Please take your things and go. There is nothing more here for you to learn."

Soon they were all standing on the front yard of the cottage, wondering what they were doing outside. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN? We haven't learned anything," growled Efem as she was handed her things. "What is going on here? What is the big hurry in having us leave?" Efem continue to scowl at the Sisters.

Hewy just nodded his head and turned to go. Cornelia and Parsley glanced at each other when they noticed Hewy leaving. Without saying a word, Cornelia grabbed Efem's hand and started pulling her in the direction of Hewy's departure while Parsley motioned for Sprout to follow. "What are you doing? We came to get answers. We can't leave yet!" Efem growled at her sister.

"Look at Hewy. I think we did get an answer but we will need to get it now from him," answered Cornelia. As Efem started towards Hewy, she could finally now see that his shoulders were slumped, his eyes cast downwards, and what might have been tears at the corners of his eyes.

All of a sudden it hit Parsley!

"How did you know his name? We never told you his name was Hungry," she asked Sprout.

"You mean the Dragon? I was taking him home to meet you a few days ago after we met at the Bakery, but we were separated,” answered Sprout. “He said something about trying to find his pillow." Turning to Cornelia he continued, "How far is it to your home? My stomach is starting to growl again. Did anyone not eat the chocolate mint that was on your pillow last night?”

Come on...Tell us what you know...

8/25/2020

Soon Awena bade Hewy to return to his room as the dawn was approaching. Reluctantly, he started for the door to find another Sleeping Sister waiting to lead him back to his room. As he followed her, Hewy repeated the prophecy over and over in his mind so he would remember all of it.

The next morning, as he and the others were taken to the breakfast meal, Hewy again passed the doors where he had found Awena. This morning they were closed and he also noticed that they did not meet any other Sisters on their way to the dining room. "I wonder where they are," he thought. He did not know that the other Sisters were meeting with Awena while he sat for the meal.

"Hewy, are you okay?" Efem asked as she noticed he was only picking at his meal. "What is happening here?"

After a long pause, Hewy finally answered. "It all about a prophecy and a Dragon..." he began.

"Awena told you a prophecy?" asked Parsley. "What do you remember of it? And she thinks it is about a Dragon?"

Hewy paused for a moment before answering. "The prophecy includes a Troll that must mend what was broken, the last Wish Dragon, a Dryad who has forsaken it's way, a musician, and one other who was unnamed. The unnamed one will ask the Wish Dragon for something and if the Dragon is not taught it will cause the destruction of the Realm."

Efem, Cornelia, and Parsley all looked at each other in shock. A Dryad who has forsaken it's way - what could that mean and who could it be? Each of them secretly thought that they could be the one. Parsley who decided to work with herbs and flowers instead of trees, Cornelia who talked to animals and the bees, and finally, Efem who had given up teaching many years ago. Each felt that in some way they had forsaken their way.

Sprout was the first to ask Hewy, "and you are the Troll?" Hewy looked at Sprout with a small smile and told him "that's what Awena thinks anyhow?"

Efem piped in, "Did she tell you anything about the others mentioned in the prophecy?" Hewy frowned and replied, "No, after she told me of the prophecy, the night was ending and the dawn was near. I was asked to return to my room. I didn’t see or hear anything until I was invited to breakfast with the rest of you," Hewy answered.

"We need to talk more about the prophecy and exactly what Awena told you. Prophecy is fickle. Every word can have a hidden meaning and every sentence may have several outcomes that are not expected," said Cornelia. "My home is the closest. Let's go there and talk when we are done here. Maybe Nemmer will be there with news of the Dragon he was sent out to find. He does seem to be the center of everything."

"Hungry?" asked Sprout.

"I am sure I can make you something," answered Cornelia with a smile. "Nemmer is the greatest hunter in all of the Realms." Cornelia boasted. "If anyone can find a lost baby Dragon, it will be him. While we wait I can make you something to eat."

"No... The dragon's name is Hungry," replied Sprout.

The others decided that Cornelia was right. They needed to talk and get the latest update on the search for the young Dragon Hewy knew that he needed the others to help solve the prophecy's mystery.

And a Prophecy is Unveiled...

8/4/2020

Now that Hewy had found Awena, all of the things he wanted to say seemed to have fallen out of his mind, so he sat and stared at her. Finally it was Awena who spoke.

"It is good to see you Hewy. You still look like the troll I met so many years ago."

"The moment I saw you, it felt like it was just yesterday. The years have been kind to you," replied Hewy. Her comment finally broke the ice between them and slowly they just sat and talked of what each had been doing since they last were together.

As the conversation started to slow, Hewy finally asked the question that had been nagging at him since he received the Petal Post. "Why after all of these years have you finally tried to reach me?"

Awena knew the conversation would eventually get to this question and had been waiting for it to be asked. "Hewy, let me tell you of why I had to come here and what I found. I felt a strong pull to the Sleeping Sisters and it was during my early training that I discovered a scroll in the library. It was old even then when I first unearthed it those many years ago. I was a young novice and so new to my studies but this scroll had a prophecy written on it. It had a troll in it and each time I read it I was reminded of you." Closing her eyes as if trying to remember what was written, she took a small breath, and began.

"The entire prophecy is very long and convoluted as if the writer was slightly crazed and wrote down the thoughts that came to his mind, but, in it there is a part that suggests you will help save all of the Realms or help destroy them." Hewy jumped up from the floor where he had been sitting. "What are you talking about? You must be wrong!"

Without moving, Awena slowly continued speaking, "This is what is in the prophecy that you must know." With her eyes still closed she repeated the words she had memorized those long years ago.

When the last of the Wish Dragyns are lost
and is starving for knowledge at any cost;
will choices be made by many
that will bring the Realms to despair or to plenty.

Which way will it sway and who will triumph none yet can foretell
but for good to win the evil must not prevail;
for if evil wins forever magic will be changed or lost
and the Realms will suffer at the cost.

For in the telling of this tale a musician must play
as the dryad who has forsaken it's way;
the troll will mend what was once broken
as they both must gain the Dragyn 's token.

For if this does not happen another will sway
the young mind which will drift away;
and from the lack of knowledge will the choice then be
for the Dragyn will grant the destructive plea.

Hewy, standing before her, was trying to both understand and remember the prophecy. As surprised as he was, he failed to notice the small tear at the corner of Awena's eye. Had he but known the rest of the tale, he might have made a different decision that day.

Dinner and a dash of Snooping...

7/28/2020

Shortly after Parsley returned to her room and finished preparing for dinner, one of the novice Sisters arrived to lead her and the others to the meal. Hewy, nervously fiddling with his necklace, followed the others down the mass of connecting hallways as they headed to the dining room. He heard Efem ask the Sister if they would be meeting their host to which the novice replied,

"This meal is for you, our guests. There will be no others there tonight," the Sister answered.

Disappointed, Hewy knew he wouldn't be getting his answers this evening. Walking slower he started to look down the adjoining hallways in hopes of at least seeing Awena. At one hallway he noticed a grand entrance way with the doors not quit closed. He was about to look in when the Sister appeared and whisked him away to join the others who were waiting for him in the dining room.

Dinner was quiet with only a few words said as each of the travelers ate. They tried to make small talk about some of the strange things that they were finding in their rooms but even Sprout was quiet as he ate his weight in food. Shortly it was over and the Sister lead each of them back to their room asking if there was anything they needed. Again they were each told the same thing that "You will meet with Sister Awena in the morning. Good Night."

As the Sister left Hewy, he had already decided that he was not going to wait that long. One gift that every troll has is that they cannot get lost. They instinctively can always find their way back from anywhere they have ever traveled. This made it easy for Hewy to return to the doors that he wanted to open and to see what was inside. Call it inspiration or just a feeling, but he knew that he must see what was behind the doors.

Upon arriving, Hewy discovered that the doors were already open as if waiting for him. A moment of doubt entered his mind, but only a moment. He came to see what the Petal Post message meant and if Awena had anything to do with it. No time to turn around and leave now...

As he entered, he noticed a Sister was sitting and meditating in the center of a large room. Quietly he neared to get a closer look as he could see something most trolls don't see every day - a magical light floating from her hands.

"Hewy, please take a seat before me. I have been waiting for you," the Sister said. Startled, he sat before her and watched as she continued her meditations. Soon the magical light was extinguished and she opened her eyes. It was then that Hewy was sure. He had found Awena after all of these years!

So many things came to his mind. So many questions, but all he could finally tell her was, "I have missed you." Smiling sadly, she felt his pain for she also felt the loss of their young love but she knew that she had made the right decision to join the Sisters. She had a part to play in telling him of the prophecy that he was fated to be a player in. It was in her latest clouded vision of the one who would bring the greatest threat to the Realms that made her glad to see Hewy and yet afraid for him. Things still weren't clear enough in her mind to know how this was all going to occur especially with the changes that the prophecy alluded too.

The weary travelers arrive...

7/21/2020

As Hewy and the others continued their trek following the magpie, twilight was just starting and the woods were slowly beginning to get a little darker. "I hope we get there soon or it will be a long night out under the stars," he thought. The others were beginning to think the same thing when all of a sudden a line of purple sparkles appeared on the side of the trail leading off into the undergrowth.

Landing on a tree branch at the start of the magical markers, the magpie sat and pointed with his head for the travelers to follow the magic. Sprout, as usual and probably thinking with his stomach, rushed ahead to follow the trail before the others. As the rest passed the bird, Parsley quietly said "Thank You" as the bird acknowledged with a short nod of his head before flying off.

"It appears we are here," Sprout told the others as they came through the bushes and saw a tree house with a small door, window, and several mushrooms. "I thought all of the mushrooms reported to you Parsley as the head of the Mushroom Line," Cornelia asked? "Why didn't you know about this place?"

Surprised as the others, Parsley just shrugged her shoulders. "Apparently they don't tell me everything it appears," she thought to herself.

As they approached the door and before they could knock, it was opened from within by one of the Sisters. "I have been told to greet you upon your arrival. A room has been prepared for each of you and after you have had a chance to freshen up, a meal will be served," she told them. "Can we eat first? I am starving," Sprout eagerly replied almost before the Sister had finished. He realized that he had said the wrong thing immediately when he looked at Parsley and got 'The Mother' stare... "Sorry, thank you," he quickly told the Sister.

As they were lead up the winding stairs (they were inside of a tall tree after all), they were all surprised at the great number of books, bottles, jars, and scrolls everywhere. As they passed one room with the door left open, Parsley could see a large selection of herbs and powders that she would love to spend more time in. "I must find my way back to this room, " she told herself.

As luck would have it, her room was directly across the hall and as the others were being taken to their rooms, Parsley quietly snuck out and took a quick peek at the contents of the room. She had never seen so many books on Herbology before. "This must have taken a long time to gather this many," she thought to herself.

Looking at the powders and potions next, she saw some that even she could not recognize. Finding a mixing bowl already filled with some herbal leaves that one of the Sisters had started to mix together, she decided she would see what would happen. As she began to grind the leaves...CRACKLE...POOF!

Silently she sat everything down. "I guess I now know where Sprout gets his spontaneous urges from," she realized as she quickly returned to her room to prepare for dinner.

Practice, practice, practice...

7/14/2020

"Sisters, they are coming. We must prepare," Awena told the others as she blew away the flames of her vision. In it she had just seen Hewy and the others following the magpie she had sent to guide them.

"Ah Hewy, you look as young as when we first met. To bad it was never to be," she thought, but only for a moment as she would never have changed her life of being a Sleeping Sister. Before Awena had ever met Hewy and had fallen in love, she had been gifted with the talent of clear knowing.

Of all of the intuitive abilities - the clear knowing is the strongest as Awena receives prophetic dreams and visions of future events. She instantly knows which are true and which are not. When she had met Hewy those many, many years ago, it had been a surprise to her as she had never had a vision of him before that day. There were times afterwards, while she was serving as a novice in the Order, that she tried to see him in her visions but he was always cloudy and the dreams were never clear. Only recently as she was trying a new higher order lesson to enhance her abilities did she start to understand why.

Awena had been thrilled back then to be asked to join the Order of the Sleeping Sisters because of her ability. Her first task as a novice was working in the huge library so she could begin her studies of the Language of the Flowers. She was surprised to also find that they not only had the Language of the Flowers but Sign Language, Ogham Letters, and the Ganome shorthand she had learned as a child. She soon learned that the flower language was slow (who knew that flowers didn't talk very fast), as compared to her Ganome shorthand. She started to explore the great library in her boredom. It was during those explorations when she discovered the prophecy. It was a very obscure reference to a time when a Wish Dragon would make a choice that could change the Realms and how a Troll would play a part in the balance. Reading the prophecy reminded her of Hewy, so she read it again and again and again until she had memorized it.

It was while she was practicing her new lesson when a thought of Hewy popped into her head. The magic just happened and the prophecy became clear to her. The Troll in the story was Hewy and the events predicted in the prophecy were now!

"Hewy, my love, our future may all depend on you. I hope you and your friends are ready for the story I will tell when you arrive," she told herself.

The Great Gnome Race Day Event...

5/26/2020

With the Outies finally sprucing up the yard and finishing some badly needed infrastructure, the garden was looking pretty good indeed. And what better way to celebrate than with a Gnome Race. The King and Queen had decided it could be done with the right timing to keep themselves hidden from the Outies and still have their fun too.

But before the race could happen everyone would have to be notified. The Queen thought how best to do that... why of course, use the Humming Bird Express (HBE). All the HBE messengers had to do was to hum the words "And they're off" and every gnome would know it was race time!!!

Of course everyone would need to be invited and the event would have to be carefully planned. The Gnomes certainly didn't want to catch the Outies watching them. So spreading out the activities and events would certainly be the answer.

Knowing someone who was an expert in organization and construction would be needed for setting up the race and the Queen decided that no gnome was better than Hugo, of the Miners Guild, to be in charge.

Soon preparations were all made and the day of the Race was here.

All of the gnomes were there of course. Those with a birds-eye view watched from their perches...

...while others took advantage of how busy the humming birds were in the delivery of the race results. This resulted in the HBE's high-energy nectar (used to keep their humming voices in top shape) just being too tempting while unguarded not to enjoy with an occasional sip while watching the race.

Five participants had registered and were lined up for the start. The King would start the race and the Queen would be at the finish line to honor the winner. Even the station judges were positioned to make sure that all of the racers stayed on the course and followed what few "rules" there were.

Soon it was time for the race to begin...

The King had made his introductions and then raised his hand. "And they are off !!!"

And off they went!

The rabbit racer held tightly to his hat as he shot out of the starting line, hopping down the trail to take an early lead when he noticed a shadow sailing over him...

It was the frog! What a leap of faith he had taken by jumping that greenery - hoping it would put him out in front of the race! Seeing that the rest of the racers were well behind him, the frog racer thought for sure he would now win this race.

Bearing down upon the frog rider the rabbit and the squirrel racers were soon neck to neck and coming up fast right behind him. They were just making it around the first judge's turn --making it too soon to tell yet who could win.

There it was - the red arrow marking the second turn. As the racers flew past the second judge, the goose racer let out a large "honk" as if signaling to pass. This, of course, the made the squirrel go a little nuts. Which gave the rabbit the lead just by a hare (oops... meant hair) as they were racing down the last leg of the race course.

As they turned the final corner, they were surprised to see the frog racer not hopping to it anymore. He had wore himself out from his last great leap! He was toad-a-ly exhausted. Quickly the rabbit raced past him, followed closely by the squirrel and then the goose (being goosed by his rider), leaving him in the rear. But wait! Where is the racing turtle?

Knowing that he could not outrun the others, he had found a shortcut and was almost at the finish line when the rabbit crossed first. The turtle wasn't there to win... he was there to have a good time and be a part of the shell-ebration!

So off to the shell-ebration they went. And like all great events, hare (here) today and gone tomorrow, or at least for another year.

Isn't it fun to imagine what might be happening in your back yard when you are not there?