Lost Beauty

      Crunch. Crunch. The dead leaves shattered beneath the young Draik's feet. The cool, fall breeze rustled the remaining leaves on the nearby trees, shaking them loose and making them flutter past her face. One leaf brushed by Pilotare's nose, making her giggle. She stopped to gaze at the leaves flowing through the air, making their journey from their home tree to the cold ground. Pilotare's giggle faded into a small frown. She stepped over to one of the nearby trees and sat down, carefully maneuvering her silk cape behind her as to not sit on it. She observed the forest surrounding her. All the leaves, that had been radiant colors of red, gold and green not but a few week ago, were now lifeless and brittle. The trees that had born plentiful and vibrant fruit now lay bare, preparing for their months of long slumber. She was taken back by this achromatic place. While autumn brought many people bliss and serenity, it only made Pilotare feel melancholy. The only thing that kept her spirit up this time of the year was the fact that the trees would one day come out of their hibernation and would once again fill every forest with life and color. The trees would once again have a plethora of rich, green leaves. Flowers would bloom every color of the rainbow, attracting Buzzers from all around with their fragile beauty. She imagined carmarillers dancing through the air, filling the forest with their song. All the petpets of the forest would come out of their burrows and nests and celebrate the new season! Spring would soon come to fill Neopia with new life.

      Pilotare smiled as she stretched her wings. Her claws ran through the green silk on her cape. She paused to stare at her blue, luminescent arms. Her orange to yellow ombre tail wrapped around to sit calmly in her lap. Ever since she became an Eventide Draik, she developed a new and unique look on the universe she lived in. It provided her with such comfort. As if she and the universe had a special connection.

      She began to feel an aching in her feet. How long had she been walking? A few hours? A few days? She often got lost in her thoughts, which often made her lost in general. This never worried her though. How could she truly be lost if she had no destination? She had no place to call home, so where was she truly to be? She bent over to untie her sandals. The feeling of the earth in between her claws always made her feel better. She unbuckled the latches to slip her claws into the soft earth. But yet, something wasn't right. The soil did not feel as it should. Even though it was well into autumn, the earth did not feel light. In fact, it was extremely hard to dig her claws into at all. This was not the norm for this part of the woods. Something was wrong. She tossed her sandals in her satchel and jumped to her feet. Not knowing where she was going or what she was looking for, she ran deeper into the forest. It was almost as if the soil was leading her; the forest was calling out to her.

      Pilotare had an unpleasant feeling in the pit of her stomach. She dreaded to know what lie at the end of her path. But yet, she couldn’t resist it. It called to her and she would not dare leave it unanswered. She swerved through the woods, dodging every tree, vine and brush in her path. Her heart raced. Her feet pounded from the soreness. Every step she made on those dry leaves, her feet cried out a little bit more in pain. Crunch. Crunch. Her breathing became labored. Crunch. Crunch. A sharp pain started to generate in her right side. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could bear. Crunch. Crunch. And then suddenly, she came to a sharp stop. She had come to the end of her journey. She now knew what the forest wanted her to see.

      Ashes circulated the air as another cool breeze swept through. The breeze dissipated some of the remaining smoke to reveal the devastating scene. Trees that once stood stories high were now singed in half. Flowers that once scattered the forest floor were now but specks of dust. The burrows that once housed petpets were now abandoned and collapsed. Acres and acres of woods, as far as the eye could see, were reduced to ash. She thought what she had seen before was lifeless, but now she knew she was mistaken.

      The smell of burnt wood was overpowering. Pilotare's head was spinning out of control. She was feeling so many different emotions at once: anger, confusion, sadness, fear, disgust, all of them consuming her. She didn’t know what to feel. She fell to knees, her right eye producing a single teardrop. The droplet rolled down her cheek and onto the thirsty earth below. She glanced down, immediately becoming enraged. She dug her claws into the ground as her eyes began to glow silver. Her multicolored wings began to flap vigorously. They slowly started to emit a silver light that began to spread throughout her body. When the light reached her claws, it continued into the soil, distributing to the burnt woodlands. As the light touched the incinerated tree, the mighty, brown bark it once wear started to regrow! Long branches started to develop with exquisite berries sprouting off. The grass surrounding the trees grew long and luscious. Flowers of red, blue, pink and yellow started popping their little heads out of the ground. No longer did the smell of smoke fill the air. The forest was once again alive and flourishing. It was as if spring had come in full throttle, gracing the land with its majestic artistry.

      The silver light illuminating out of Pilotare's eyes began to flicker. The light she produced started to dim. As the light left her body, the auroras receded from the plant life and thus reducing the vegetation back to its pervious state. The berries shriveled up and fell to the ground as the branches they stemmed from started splitting apart. The new flowers starting to bloom wilted and lost their petals one by one. Entire trees lost their rich, brown color and began to collapse over, unable to support themselves. The forest once again resembled the lifeless site it had recently become.

      As the light completely left Pilotare's eyes, tears came to fill its place. Why had the forest brought her here? Even with all the magic she possessed, there was nothing she could do to permanently provide the woods with life. A wave of guilt washed over her. Pilotare rose to her feet. Her tail wrapped around to wipe the tears from her eyes. She could not bear to see this tragedy any longer. She turned and walked back from which she came, raising her hood to cover her head. There will be no new life for this place. Spring will not come.

      The End.