As luck would have it, while Sprigg'n was asking "... I wonder who will find it [the Dragon] first?", elsewhere in the Shadows' Realm The CAT was sitting in a tree listening to the Twitter birds chat about the lost Wish Dragon.

"Who cares?" thought The CAT as this was The CAT's first of his nine-lives, and he was not in any hurry to be eaten by anything Dragon-like that would start him on life number two.  "Besides," he decided (just like every cat), "I will need all nine lives just to create the mischief I want to do... so many things to annoy and so little time."

Soon the Twitter bird conversation started to turn boring.  It wasn't as fun anymore either to be watching Nemmer poking around in the bushes searching for the Dragon.  The CAT started thinking, "What more opportunities of fun could I  have if I was to find the Dragon myself?" 

It was then that he felt the magical pull... someone (or something) was scrying him.  "Who would be searching for me?" The CAT wondered.  "It's a good thing most don't know that this goes both ways - look at me and I can look at you," smiled The CAT.

At first The CAT only stared at the Spite, but then he felt it... The CAT's hair started to stand straight out like the time that Efem had rubbed his fur the wrong way and she got an electrical shock from him.  As The CAT felt his fur rising, Sprigg'n also started to feel a strange electrical tingle course over her skin.  It almost tickled in a way and she could tell that the energy was building!  "What are you doing to me?" she suspiciously asked The CAT but he only looked at her wondering the same thing as his hair started to sparkle.

When any Dragon hatchling is born, the stones of the egg nest are magically turned to crystal.  Each crystal will absorb the loose magic released from the hatching thus giving the crystal specific magical powers.  Most crystals will be of a range of colors from red to green or blue, but some crystals will be as clear as the air.  These are the most powerful and are usually from the nest of a Wish Dragon.

​The Trolls specially crave these crystals for their power or wealth.  They know these are stones of the earth transformed by magic.  But for the Dragons, the crystals are necessary for their sleeping nests.

​It did not matter how much gold or other items a Dragon gathered for its bed for at the core of it is the crystals the Dragon was born with.  The crystals are like a soft cushion which allowed the Dragon to sleep soundly and in peace.  If a crystal was taken, the Dragon would sleep fitfully and if all of the crystals were gone, then the Dragon was not able to sleep at all!  One doesn't want to run into a Dragon that hasn't had a good night sleep... where do you think those evil stories of Dragons attacking villages came from.  ​So who were stealing the crystals?  The Dragons already knew about the Trolls which is why Dragons weren't on speaking terms with them for eons.  Rumor had it that even Goblins were known to trade in stolen crystals.  

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.  

​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.

​For those of you who have been following Hungry (and for those of you who are new to the adventure), we thought it best to bring everyone up-to-date on where everyone in the Realm of Wymsy and the Shadows' Realm is at and what are they currently doing... 

To start off, we last saw Hewy, Parsley, Cornelia, Efem, and Sprout leaving Parsley's mushroom cottage together to meet with the Sleeping Sisters after receiving a Petal Post invitation.

Spirits were high as Hewy was hoping to see someone he had not heard from in many years and the others were excited as they had never been invited before to meet with the Sleeping Sisters. Even though they had received messages from them several times in the past, now they were being invited into the Hallow Chambers.  The only one who was not excited was Sprout - all he had hoped for was dinner.  I mean, how does one expect a growing teenager to survive without frequent meals?

Meanwhile, Nemmer, the Archer of the Elfshot Guild and Cornelia's husband, is off on a mission that Cornelia and Efem started him on.  He and The CAT were sent to find Hungry.  Currently he is somewhere in the forest continuing to follow the trail but where The CAT is, nobody knows.

While Nemmer (and who knows what The CAT is doing) is searching for Hungry, the inhabitants of The Baron's Mansion in the Realm of Wymsy are also wondering what has become of their dragon friend.  They had last seen him going off to play with Meen, the Pyksee.

The Baron wonders what has happen to him for he had been hoping for a new adventure. While Griselda, the Dowager, sees Hungry as a new hope for the future. Fiddlefaddle and Sneefle are there to serve and watch over these residents as  Fiddlefaddle is the Baron's BAT man and Sneefle is the Dowager's faithful  servant.

So where is Meen?  She is off on another mission for Hunter, the King of the Shadows' Realm.  Occasionally she is tasked by him to run messages since she likes to spend most of her time running and jumping (if not also playing practical jokes).  Normally, a tune is all that fills her head when she is jumping, but this time, she too is wondering where her friend was at and if she was going to maybe bump into him as she delivered her latest message.  

So, now that we know where everyone else is, where is the guest of honor?  He is currently somewhere in the forest searching for his lost pillow and trying to find his new friend, Sprout.  Hungry had first met Sprout outside of the Sugar Plum Bakery but lost him as they were traveling back to Sprout's home on the other side of the forest.  If only Sprout had known that the others were looking for his new friend, just maybe they might have found him sooner...

​ “Too bad this place is so far away from the house,” mumbles Sprout as he is halfway to the Sugar Plum Bakery.  “It takes so long to walk here that by the time I get back home, I am hungry again.”  Strolling through the bushes, thinking about those sweet muffins he will shortly be eating, he starts singing a little ditty about sweets.  He decides to take a shortcut that he has used many times hoping to get to the bakery that much quicker. As Sprout approaches the edge of the brambles, just before the bakery, a loud noise catches his attention.

​Just as Sprout was ready to scream and run away, the purple nose pushed through the bush and Sprout found out that it was attached to a Dragon.  A Dragon that was licking its lips.  “I’m Hungry,” the Dragon told him.  At this moment, Sprout decided this would be a really good time to run like the wind.

​Now, keep in mind that Sprout had not been told about the Dragon that everyone was looking for, so he was not too happy to find a Dragon standing in front of him, especially one that was licking its lips. 

A little while later as the two of them walked down the trail away from the bakery.
​​“… as I was saying before," Hungry continued his tale, "then the King sent Meen on an errand and I have not seen her since.  Scarlet showed me that Nytemares have shoes and then the King told me that he was going to send me to a teacher and that I could keep my pillow, which I lost in the woods,” Hungry explained to Sprout as he smacked his lips while eating the muffins from the bakery.  “By the way, where are we going to now?” asked Hungry 

​Efem, using her mind-talk, distractedly told the Dusty Mytes "Goodbye!" as they left to go off somewhere.  She was getting a little concerned.  Her sister, Cornelia, still had not told her whether or not The CAT had shown up at her cottage.  “Oh, where could that cat be and what mischief is he getting into this time?” she thought to herself.  “I know I shouldn't worry," she continued to tell herself.  "He will probably show up when he’s hungry,” this time saying it out loud.  When she realized that she was talking to herself, she knew that it was because of The CAT.  “Look at what you got me doing now.  I don’t normally talk to myself…”  Then she giggled and continued, “As long as I don’t answer myself I guess that will be okay.”

​Just then she saw something flicker over by the ferns under a tall golden willow tree.  It was The CAT.  “At least you are not out causing mischief,” she said as she watched him saunter over to her.  Efem reached down and scratched him behind the ears.  As soon as he started purring she lit up!  When Efem was truly happy it was hard to keep all that happiness inside and she began to glow!

Staring at Efem the whole time, The CAT stretched and then sat down - waiting.  “I know that look," Efem sighed with a slightly crooked smile. 

​“You are hungry I bet.”  The CAT slightly nodded his head. “Sometimes I think you understand what I am saying, but then you go and do just the opposite.  Sometimes you act just like one of those mundane cats, but only I know how special you truly are,” whispered Efem - glowing a little brighter now.

​Efem’s tree grove is a special place which is why The CAT liked it here so much.  

​​The Dowager looked up from her cup of tea that she had been swirling in her hand and directly in the eyes of her son.  “Do you remember what I said about Dragons being literal?”  Before he could answer she continued, “Well never mind - they are.  It caused the Great Age of Befuddlement and was the first conflict of the Outies, Dragons, and Fae in the Village."

​Griselda standing up from her chair, leaned forward and rolled back her sleeve to show her Dragon tattoo.  “When I was a young girl, I was selected to become a Wish Dragon Guardian and receive my tattoo.  It was a special day of celebration for the clan when this ritual came to one of us."

​Whispering to herself so low that the others could not hear,  "It is a memory that is never far from my mind."  Quietly she sat, sipping her tea and staring into space, thinking back to those days, as her two listeners sat waiting for her to continue, not wanting to break the spell of her tale.

​Finally, Griselda realizes that she has been day-dreaming of the past.  "There is much more to tell, but, that will have to await another day as I am tired and the evening is here."  Rising, she continues, "When Sneefle arrives with my things, have him deliver them to my room.  I will meet with both of you again in the morning."  She nods to the Baron and then turns to look directly at Hungry, "Good night Hungry.  Sleep well this night and tomorrow I will tell you more about your heritage," smiling, she adds, "Oh... and if you like, you may take the pillow with you."

​Hungry and the Baron were totally absorbed in what they were hearing.  This tale was no longer just a story, it was real.  "That village that was moved from the world of the Outies and into this land of Fae is the one we live in now" Griselda told them.  After another sip of tea, she continued with her story.  “At first the Fae hid from the Outies because they were so different.  Fae usually can take any shape or size desired.  Today one may float in the air and look like a small bird, tomorrow it may decide to look like a rock and stare at the sky.  That is the way of magic - time and shape mean little to Fae, it is the experiences and feelings involved that are important to them.  The Fae were attracted to the Outies because of all the new experience they got in observing them.  The Outies, because of all this shape shifting and floating rocks, were noticeably having difficulties with adjusting to the Fae.”

​Griselda took another sip of her tea and began speaking again.  “Those Fae that stayed decided they would take forms that would not confuse or scare the Outies.  Most chose to look like humans with a head, hands, fingers, and toes.  The problem was the Fae had never really looked that close at the Outies.  Who looks at little things like fingers and toes when you can change your shape and form?  Anyhow,  they had just assumed they had the Fae style of  three fingers and four toes.  It was much later they found out it wasn't the case.  Oh well...  Some did noticed that the Outies had no beautiful wings though.  Most of the Fae remaining decided they could sacrifice their lovely wings to minimize the jealousy of how beautiful they looked."  

​"But all of us were determined that we would keep our pointed ears – some things we would not change.  Anyhow, those Fae that stayed soon were accepted by the Outies and started living together in the Village on the Wall.  Shortly though, was the first of the Great  Misunderstandings to occur.  It was because of these misunderstandings that the Wish Dragon clan was created and how it came to be both the Village's aide and later be it's curse." 

​​When the Baron and the Dowager returned to the Parlor with Hungry, and with Fiddlefaddle off somewhere putting his feet up after brewing a fresh pot of tea for them, it was time to start the tale.

​​​“Once this land was filled with only Fae and Dragons.  Both living in harmony as they were so used to each other that neither really noticed the other.” 

“How can you not notice each other? That doesn’t make sense,” interrupted Hungry looking slightly confused.

​“This Dragon heard a wish in the making from a young Outie who was asking for magic.  Dragons, being extremely literal, thought, why not?  So it gave a small child named Myrddin the power of magic.”

​​Griselda smiles at her son and the dragon.  "We are the Guardians and descendants of the Wish Dragon clan.  We once worked with the Wish Dragons to help make ‘Wishes’ come true.