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Ilere, the haunting of the woods


by devotedly

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Faerie Fables - Ilere, the ghost in the woods

     Dusk began to fill the evening air, as the Haunted Woods was enveloped by the dark shadow of night, making the atmosphere more creepy and dangerous than it had previously been before the sun began to set. The Neopets visiting the woods had retired to their homes for the night, leaving the woods to those much braver to withstand the darkness. The familiar groans of the Esophagor filled the air as Ilere woke, rubbing her eyes and getting ready to venture out for the night. Walking past the mirror she frowned at her reflection, Ilere sighed at her curled hair, trying to tame it down before she attempted to put on her hooded cloak. She brushed the leaves off her cloak with her comb. Upon noticing her hair was not sticking up like the Brain Trees branches, but more like a tamed mess, she pulled on her outerwear and crept into the night.

      Ilere had spent a very long time working on her clothing to help her blend into the woods, as a forest faerie she was fortunate enough to have leaves for wings which helped her camouflage into the treeline when someone was approaching. She had styled her cape to be the same colour as the trees when the shadow hit them as well as the detail looking like moss growing upon it (she was most pleased with this detail) with green hair and dark skin. She was unnoticeable when she wanted to be. Ilere discovered that the only thing letting her down were her eyes. When she closed her eyes, she blended in with the forest but when her eyes were open... Well, no one had been brave enough to approach the glowing green eyes in the forest so they could not be that much of a giveaway.

      Ilere cackled to herself, remembering when she had been startled and flashed her eyes upon a young Blumaroo collecting items for his master in the woods. How frightened he had been to see emerald green eyes hovering above him. He had dropped all his collected ingredients that day and ran back to his master empty handed. She had eaten well that night. Unfortunately, not all nights were as easy as that one and tonight she would have to go out and find food. Pulling her cloak closer to her body, she began to venture out of the treeline and into the shadows surrounding the buildings of the Haunted Woods. Cautiously, she approached the dull lights of Edna’s Tower, slinking over to the door and knocking twice to announce her presence. Edna opened it and ushered her in, indicating she had no one inside asking her for a quest.

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     Edna pulled a chair out and motioned for Ilere to take a seat. Flashing a very rare smile, Ilere gratefully accepted and sat down at the table where Edna was pouring out fresh soup from her cauldron. ‘Any successful spells today?’ Ilere asked, looking at Edna over the bowl of steaming hot soup that had been placed before her. The old Zafara laughed and placed her own bowl on the table. ‘Ah of course, plenty of spare ingredients for you too, all packed ready for you to take home,’ she replied as she nodded towards the paper bags on the floor. Ilere nodded back at her, casting her eyes upon the witch. ‘Ah Edna, I do continually owe you for always being here to help me out, you know how I feel about…,’ she cut her sentence short and rolled her eyes at Edna, who finished the sentence in her mind and nodded back. Edna swallowed a spoonful of soup and composed herself, looking at the young faerie. ‘Ilere, my dear, I am afraid it is not my turn to ask you, for help,’ she uttered, looking into her bowl of soup defeatedly. Ilere frowned at Edna and motioned for her to carry on with the request.

      Begrudgingly, Edna began to speak once again, ‘Ilere, this favour, this help... I require... It isn’t something I can get just anyone to help with... I need the help of a faerie...’ Ilere, upon realising where this was going began to stand up, ‘You know how I feel about going past these woods Edna, it simply will not be done.’ She began to push her chair in to leave but Edna placed her old, wrinkled hand upon the young faeries arm. ‘Ilere,’ she encouraged, looking into her shining eyes, ‘it’s a young witch, she needs help, there's something going on in Neovia. A potion maker called Krawley has created an elixir that will apparently give you everything you desire.’ Ilere began to stifle a laugh at this, covering her mouth, ‘what a preposterous idea, I hope people don’t believe it will actually work.’ Edna looked up once again at Ilere, ‘this is the problem my dear, it does work, but not for good.’ Edna looked down at the floor, ‘word has it, the whole town has gone crazy. They’ve all taken a large drink of it and well… they have turned into their own examples of greed. The only one unaffected is a young Ixi, named Sophie. I see potential in her but I..’ the old witch sighed defeatedly and looked up at Ilere ‘please, you know I would not ask if I could do it alone. Neovia needs a hero, and I believe you are the faerie to do it. Her brother Bruno will bring her to you, all you need to do is put a spell of protection around her so no harm comes to the child, that is all.’

      Ilere paced around the room, collecting her thoughts and trying to make sense of all the information the old witch had given her. She spun around quickly, ‘alright, all you want me to do, is save this young girl? That’s it, she won't have to live with me, she won't have to depend on me? I just have to place her somewhere safe surrounded by magic so nothing can get to her?’ Edna nodded and begrudgingly, Ilere stepped into the night with her promise already weighing on her shoulders. Turning to Edna before she went, she grumbled ‘tell him to bring her to the old shack, I will make sure it is well equipped and well protected,’ and with a flick of her cloak, was gone. True to her word, Ilere waited for Bruno and re-assured him that Sophie would be safe with her. Turning to the young Ixi, she stated that she would be safe up to twenty feet from the shack and nothing more. This would allow her to forage for food and firewood. Before Sophie had a chance to answer, Ilere had closed the door, returning back to her home within the Haunted woods.

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     Years had passed and Ilere had quickly adapted back to her life of solitude, only venturing out to see her old friend Edna. The nighttime dusk approached once again and she rose from her slumber, stretching slightly - only to be disturbed by a knocking on the door. Ilere growled and flicked it open with magic, prepared to become the nightmare for whoever had disturbed her. Her face fell as she looked upon the Ixi - Sophie, or whatever her name was, standing there with her brother and an oddly dressed Usul, Gilly, she had often seen around Eliv’s place. Ilere began to smirk, holding her hand up ‘Ah, young Sophie, how wonderful for you to have come all this way to thank me for saving you all those years ago,’ she cackled. Sophie gulped and looked up at her, ‘I am not here for that Ilere, although I am incredibly thankful. We ran into some trouble, with a guy… the spirit of the slumber.’ The colour from Ilere’s face drained as she heard that name. She glanced at Sophie and her company. ‘Power like his is not to be trifled with, go home before you get hurt,’ she replied abruptly and turned away from them.

      Upon doing this, she heard a growl, turning back around she noticed Bruno was charging for her with anger in his eyes. Somebody had already cast a spell before Ilere could cast her spell. Ilere glanced down at Sophie and began to smirk, ‘Ah, Edna was right, there is potential in you. I will help you ONE FINAL TIME, then you leave me in peace? Understood?’ The trio stood before her and nodded. Ilere carried on, ‘You need to speak with someone who has been here longer than I have, the Brain Tree will only respond with questions, so make sure you have enough food for the Esophagor.’ Noticing that the three were ready to argue or protest, Ilere waved her hand and sent them out of her home, slamming the door behind them. Exhaling, she smirked to herself, glad it was them and not her that were dealing with this problem and resettled back down into her chair.

      A few days passed and Ilere could not help but wonder about Bruno, Gilly and Sophie trying to deal with the spirit of the slumber alone. These thoughts were keeping her from her own slumber, so she scowled and ventured out into the forest to see what they were up to. It did not take her long to find them as they had created a mess along the way. The trail of destruction led her to Gilly, who was quickly hurrying on clutching a small flower. She watched her bump into Sophie who had exclaimed this was the last ingredient for her spell to solve the problem. ‘Oh, I’ve got to see if this works,’ laughed Ilere, slowly traversing the darkness to follow the two to Sophie’s shack. Ilere watched Sophie place the ‘antidote’ into the water supply, supposedly to save the town from the mutations that had happened. Ilere smiled and turned to go back home when she heard an almighty sound, she watched the mayor mutate and charge right for Sophie. The young Ixi was talented with magic, but her spells were no match for the grotesque strength of the newly mutated mayor. ‘I’ve never been a fan of unfair fights,’ grumbled Ilere, sending some of her own magic with Sophie’s and turning the mayor into the bloodsucker he was, a Moquot seemed fitting enough. Pleased with this outcome and sensing no more danger she retreated back to Edna's Tower.

      Ilere knocked the familiar knock and the old witch opened, glad to see her. ‘So..’ Edna pressed, looking at Ilere, ‘... been busy today?’ Ilere grinned, her green eyes flashing as she glanced over at the witch, ‘you’ve already seen what happened in your cauldron Edna, do I have to..?’ Edna began to chuckle, ‘Oh, come on Ilere, give this old witch a little bedtime story.’ Ilere laughed and told Edna all about the help she had given to Sophie and her accomplices today to help all of Neovia. ‘Ah Ilere, I knew you would be our hero,’ cackled Edna. ‘Not too bad for a recluse eh?’ Ilere glared at the old witch, ‘that, doesn’t leave this building my old friend..or else the mayor won't be the only Moquot today’. Edna looked shocked, then began laughing wholeheartedly at the faeries humour whilst Ilere lost herself in thought. Maybe, she wasn’t such a bad faerie after all.

     The End.

 
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