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Taelia squatted down in the short, stiff, recently mowed
grass and cupped her chin in her hands, with her elbows resting on her knees.
The sky was a lot more gray than blue that day, with the huge dark clouds blocking
out the sun. The crisp wind was chilly, whipping relentlessly through the piles
of crunchy autumn leaves hiding beneath the trees' empty branches. Almost winter,
the leaves on the trees had turned yellow and brown, and then broken off their
branches and drifted gracefully down to the ground. The plant-life on the floor
was starting to wither away as well. Soon there would be no more pretty flowers,
like the one that stood daintily in front of Taelia now. It was red, a most vibrant
red, with a little bit of yellow spilling from the center onto the delicate petals.
Taelia only had to think once before she reached out, picked up that beautiful
little flower and hurried back home.
You may have noticed that this isn't Taelia
as you know her. This is Taelia when she was 9 years old, almost 10, still living
up in Faerieland as an Air Faerie with her guardian, another, older Air Faerie
named Kaelia. This is Taelia when she was young and carefree, sweet and innocent,
and knew nothing, absolutely nothing, about snow.
***
"Kaelia," called the young Faerie, swinging open the wooden door encrusted
with vines and running into her cottage home, "where are you? I found a flower,
see, even though you said it was winter and there weren't any left. Kae?" Taelia
was Kaelia's apprentice, but they had established a close relationship, almost
like a mother Neopet and her daughter.
"She's not here," replied a calm, sophisticated
voice. The owner of the voice padded up to Taelia and sat down in front of her.
It was Kaelia's pet, a beautiful, very tall Faerie Lupe, with flowing, spread-out
butterfly wings and bright yellow eyes. Her name was Flowella, but Taelia lovingly
called her Flo. When Taelia was 5, she used to take rides on Flo's back. The
proud Lupe had a soft-spot for the young Faerie.
"She went out to see an old friend," continued
Flowella, "and she said she would be back at dinnertime. She told me to keep
an eye on you. That's a lovely flower you've found," she added, looking down
at the flower in Taelia's closed hands.
Taelia looked down as well, and blinked in surprise.
"It doesn't look as fresh as before," she observed.
"It's dying," explained Flowella. "You plucked
it out of the ground, right? You've removed it from it's home, it's shelter.
It's safe place."
"I didn't want it to die," Taelia whispered
sadly. She turned the flower over in her fingers, running them gently over it's
long stem.
The Lupe watched her with a sympathetic smile
for a second before saying, "Well come now, maybe it doesn't have to die yet."
She took the flower gently out of Taelia's cupped hands. She pretended to examine
it seriously before saying, "Taelia, please go find me a flowerpot."
The girl ran to find one immediately, coming
back with a tan clay pot between her palms. It had a small Horus painted on
the side in rich, fading red paint. Flowella instructed her to fill the pot
with dirt from the garden, and Taelia obediently did so.
"Now," said Flowella, with the air of one performing
a dangerous stunt, "we shall attempt to save this innocent flower." Taelia watched
with a look of rapt attention on her face.
The Lupe dug a hole in the damp, moist soil
and carefully wedged the flower in. She patted the soil back down around the
stem and said briskly, "Water."
Taelia rushed to get a pail of water from the
kitchen, and handed it to Flo. Ever carefully, the Lupe sprinkled a few drops
of water on the flower. Then she raised her own paw over it and said, "And a
pinch of Faerie magic." She tapped the flower lightly and it seemed to straighten
up, spreading it's leaves just a little bit and raising it's colourful head
to the sky.
"Oh, thank you, Flo!" chirped Taelia happily,
clapping her hands together in joy. She turned and gave the pet a big hug. "Thank
you."
Flowella chuckled. "Any time."
***
The first thing Taelia's guardian saw when she came through the door with a
plastic bag in one hand was the young Faerie running up the hall towards her.
Taelia grabbed her guardian's free hand and began dragging her down the cheery
hallway. "Kaelia," she gushed, "Flo saved my flower!"
"That sounds exciting," said Kaelia enthusiastically,
following the young Faerie into the living room. Kaelia was a beautiful Air
Faerie, but you might have guessed that she was an Earth Faerie if you hadn't
noticed the pair of light blue Air Faerie wings sprouting out of her back. She
had shaggy, rumpled, dirt-brown hair to the middle of her back. The Faerie wore
a brown vest over a loose, button-up white shirt and loose-fitting green pants.
Lastly, she had warm, chocolate-coloured eyes and a kind smile.
Taelia carefully lifted the flowerpot from the
fireplace and showed it to her guardian. "See? Flo fixed it! It was dying, but
now it should be fine."
The older Faerie beamed. "And what a pretty
flower it is. Where is Flo?"
"Here I am, Kaelia," answered the Lupe, stepping
into the room while wiping her front paws in a dish towel. "I heard you come
in. Dinner is ready. I thought we'd have one last picnic outside before it really
gets too cold."
"Excellent idea," said Kaelia. "I'll help you
set up."
"I'll get Incari!" chirped Taelia brightly,
pushing the flowerpot into her guardian's hands and rushing around the corner
of a wall. She pushed open the door to her own bedroom and called, "Incari!
Dinner's ready!"
Sitting under a large open window, Incari, a
small Faerie Shoyru, looked up from the book she was reading. Taelia went over
to her curiously. "I've never seen that book before."
"Neither have I," said Incari shyly, a timid
little Shoyru. "I found it on Kaelia's bookshelf."
"Let's ask her to read it to us after dinner,"
said Taelia excitedly. Incari nodded in agreement, and the two set the book
down on Taelia's cushiony bed with a Lost Desert bed sheet and Lost Desert pillow
for later. Then, they raced/flew down the stairs and out the door into the backyard.
***
"That was delicious," commented Kaelia after dinner, "did you make it by yourself,
Flo? You're getting lots better at cooking! How about you cook Taelia's birthday
dinner tomorrow?"
"Oh yeah!" said Taelia. "I almost forgot. Tomorrow's
my birthday!"
"That's right," said Flo kindly. "You're tenth
birthday." She looked expectantly at Kaelia. Taelia, confused, looked at her
guardian as well.
"Oh," said Kaelia, looking rather hesitant.
She cringed, something she did not do very often. "Well we could tell her tomorrow…"
she started uncertainly.
"You've put it off long enough," admonished
Flo firmly.
Frustrated, Taelia started hopping up and down
in front of Flo's face. "Tell me
what?" Neither of the two adults paid any attention to her.
"Oh, alright," sighed Kaelia, giving in. She
knelt down so that she was eye-level with the young Faerie. "Here, let's take
a look at you," Kaelia said, carefully looking over Taelia's appearance.
Taelia had shoulder length, coal-black hair.
She had rather pale skin, which was a contrast to her guardian, but it wasn't
unusual for an Air Faerie. She had delicate hands, and smaller wings than most
Air Faeries her age. The most unusual thing about her appearance was her pale,
ice blue eyes. Kaelia didn't know where she had gotten them from.
With a nudge from Flo, Kaelia began explaining.
"When a Faerie turns 10 years of age, she has to leave the home that she grew
up in and go out to live by herself somewhere in Neopia. For one year, she is
only allowed to visit her home on special occasions, with permission from Fyora.
In that year, she has to fend for herself the best that she can, and improve
her magic." Kaelia gently tucked a strand of Taelia's hair behind her ear and
sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, Taelia. I just feel that you aren't
ready to leave yet… I can file a special request to Fyora, though, asking if
you can stay with us for a while longer."
"No!" replied Taelia, startling her guardian.
"I'll be fine out there Kae, really! And don't worry about not telling me earlier;
I already heard about it from my friends."
Kaelia was surprised for a minute, and then
she grinned. "Well, where in Neopia do you think you will be going?" she asked,
although she already knew the answer.
"The Lost Desert!" answered Taelia at once.
Flo smiled. It was common knowledge in the neighborhood
that Taelia had always wanted to live in the Lost Desert. She hated the cold,
and wished she could live in a place where it was always warm.
"Well I suggest you pack up your things tonight,"
advised Kaelia, standing up. "You'll leave tomorrow evening. The rules state
that you have to pack by yourself as well." She smiled sadly. "My little apprentice,
all grown up…"
Taelia didn't hear any of that. She was already
halfway to her room, trying to decide whether she should look for a nice hut
down by the river or opt for a spacious room in the palace.
***
Taelia was pretty much all done packing. Her Angelpuss Back Pack was stuffed
to the rim with all it could carry: a bit of food for the journey, a single
Mallowicious bar for a treat, 2 extra T-shirts and a pair of Cool Shades to
protect her eyes from the blaring sun, her Yellow Toothbrush and Golden Moon
Comb, a Healing Potion, her favourite Fuzzie Bear, and as many Neopoints as
she could fit in with the rest of her stuff. She stuck a Sparkshooter in the
side pocket, so that she wouldn't be completely defenseless.
"Have I forgotten anything?" Taelia asked herself
aloud, looking around the room. She checked under her blanket to see if there
was anything there, and the book that Incari had been reading earlier fell out
beside her.
Kaelia knocked on the door and came into the
room, with Incari sitting on her outstretched arm. "How are you doing?"
"I'm finished packing," said Taelia, bending
down to pick up the book, "but Incari found this earlier and we were wondering
if you could read it to us."
Kaelia padded over to the bed and sat down on
it, pulling both Taelia and Incari on her lap. She picked up the book and read
off the cover, "The Snow Aisha Adventure." Then she flipped to the first page
and began, "Mikki the Green Aisha loved playing in the snow."
Confused, Taelia interrupted, "What's snow?"
Kaelia paused and thought about that question.
"We don't get snow here in Faerieland," she explained, "because we're too high
up. Snow is made in the clouds below us and sent down to places like Neopia
Central, and Terror Mountain."
"Where is Terror Mountain? I've never heard
of it before."
"You wouldn't like it there," Kaelia told her.
"It's always very cold, all of the time. It's like the opposite of the Lost
Desert."
"And it snows there," said Taelia.
"Yes," Kaelia confirmed.
Taelia frowned down at the first page, where
there was a picture of a Green Aisha wearing a scarf. "But what is snow,
Kae?"
Kaelia tapped her chin. "It's sort of difficult
to describe," she admitted. "It comes down in the form of white, beautiful snowflakes…
and sometimes it's soft and fluffy, and sometimes it's crunchy, and sometimes
it's like the ice that water forms when it freezes. And you can make many things
out of it; snowballs, and snowfaeries, and snow forts…"
Taelia turned the page by herself, and gazed
at a picture of a single, pure snowflake. "I should like to live on Terror Mountain,"
she decided.
Kaelia blinked in shock. "But Taelia dear, you
hate the cold!"
"That was before I heard about snow," argued
Taelia. "It sounds really wonderful…"
"Snow isn't all that great," disagreed her guardian.
"It can really be nasty stuff, all dirty and hard. And it's absolutely freezing.
You won't like it, Taelia."
Taelia flipped to the next page, where it showed
a picture of a peaceful, undisturbed snow scene; the snow had fallen in sloping
layers onto the ground, like rolling hills of white that weren't quite so curvy.
The evergreen trees, which lasted all year round, were all wearing lumpy white
coats. The Aisha stood at one end of the picture, and a track of footprints
followed her feet from the other side of the page. "It's usually nothing like
that," said Kaelia quietly, answering Taelia's unasked question.
The older Faerie gently nudged Taelia and Incari
off her lap. "Time for bed now," she said, placing the book on Taelia's bookshelf.
"You're going to have a busy day tomorrow! Think of all the fun you'll have
in the Lost Desert, Taelia," she said, giving them both a pat on the head and
tucking them under the covers. "Goodnight."
***
"Are you sure you packed everything?" asked Kaelia breathlessly, as Taelia
spread out her tiny wings outside their cottage door. "And do you really think
you can make it all the way to the Lost Desert? You'll get too tired, I just
know it…"
"Kaaaae!" Taelia wailed loudly. "You're not
supposed to help, remember?"
Flo pawed her owner's arm reassuringly. "She'll
be fine." The Lupe turned to Taelia and smiled. "Good luck, Taelia."
Taelia nodded her thanks and patted Incari's
hand affectionately. The tiny Shoyru pouted. "Can't I come?"
"Sorry," said Taelia, shaking her head. "Don't
worry, I'll be back to visit you in a year!" She gave each Faerie there one
last hug, and then began to flap her wings. Slowly, she rose into the air, and
then she flew off awkwardly. "Don't forget to stop and rest along the way!"
her guardian cried after her. Taelia disappeared between the clouds.
Spotting the latest issue of the Neopian Times,
freshly delivered, lying on the grass, Flo picked it up and read silently, 'Weather
forecast for today: Very heavy winds, and pouring rain. Possibly the biggest
storm all season. Neopians are advised to stay indoors. Flying is not recommended
for weaker pets.'
Flo pursed her lips grimly. She hid the paper
under her wing, so that Kaelia wouldn't see it and worry.
Good luck, Taelia, she thought to herself.
***
Sharp drops of rain shot down from up above, pelting down at Taelia, and slashing
at her bare skin like prickly thorns. In the distance, thunder rumbled, and
lightning shot down to brighten the dark, cloudy sky, just for a split second.
A roaring gust of wind surged towards Taelia from the side, knocking her heavily
off course.
Raising one hand weakly, Taelia swirled her
fingers around. She was an Air Faerie, after all, with the power to control
the weather. A feeble breeze whooshed across her face, blocking off the rain
for about 5 seconds before it came down again, harder than ever, drenching her.
Taelia's wings were soaked, quivering uselessly.
She barely had the energy to keep her eyes open, let alone fly through the storm,
or try to use magic. She felt herself dropping, and she didn't bother trying
to stop it. She descended little by little, until her eyes shut for good, and
she plunged down through the wind. It seemed to jeer at her, hissing and snapping,
while the rain still poured down, unaffected.
***
When Taelia woke up, the first thing she felt was considerable pain in her
back. The next thing she noticed was that she had a headache.
Her eyes opened, allowing her to take in her
surroundings. She appeared to be in a cave of some sort… the walls looked as
if they were made of ice, like the cubes in Kaelia's ice tray, only these seemed
much more elegant, like crystals. She was lying on her side, on something very
soft and warm. The floor was made of the same thing that the walls were.
Taelia dug her elbow into whatever she was lying
on to support herself. Looking down, it appeared to be a large, furry blue and
white coat. She looked over her shoulder, wondering why her back hurt so much.
It was obvious almost immediately. Her wings were completely gone!
Taelia felt her head swoon, and the pain intensified
greatly. She moaned and sank back down onto the coat.
"Oh, are you awake now?"
Taelia bolted upright when she heard the voice,
and yelped in pain as her wingless-back objected to the sudden movement.
"Shh, don't move…"
The owner of the voice landed noiselessly in
front of Taelia, so that the lying down Faerie could only see the speaker's
boots, soft like slippers, but hardy like hikers, and up to the mid-point between
her (it was clearly a female) ankle and her knee. Taelia inched her face upwards,
to take in all of the speaker's appearance.
The end of her coat hung just over the edge
of her boots, and it was lined with clean white fur. The coat itself was a tan
colour, probably made of leather. A thick brown belt was fastened around her
waist, and the middle of the cloak. The ends of the sleeves and the hood were
also both lined with fuzzy white fur. Taelia's eyes flicked upwards, so that
she could see the speaker's face. Taelia gasped; they shared the same dry lips,
the same pale skin, and the very same ice-blue eyes.
"Who are you?" Taelia whispered.
The faerie bent down, so that Taelia didn't have
to twist her neck. "I am Miriolahn, the Faerie."
"What kind of Faerie are you?"
"Well…" the faerie smiled, and brushed a strand
of Taelia's hair out of her face, just like her guardian used to. Taelia was
surprised that she felt completely comfortable with this. "I was a Light Faerie.
But I'm known as the Snow Faerie now."
"Taelia's mouth dropped. "Snow Faerie? Am I on
Terror Mountain?"
""The Ice Caves, to be exact," replied Miriolahn.
"But yes. You have landed on Terror Mountain. Now lie on your stomach for a
minute," said Miriolahn, "I need to heal your back."
""I'm ruined," moaned Taelia, as she did as she
was told, slowly rolling over. "I have no wings. A Faerie is nothing without
wings. I don't think I even remember my name anymore. I've got no name and no
wings. I'm nothing."
""You will be fine," Miriolahn told her soothingly,
interrupting her babbling. "Your wings are right here. But they're a bit ripped…
so I've made you a new pair from your old ones. Hold still for a moment, while
I attach them…"
"Taelia felt magic tingling around her shoulder
blades. "All finished," said Miriolahn reassuringly. "Would you like to see?"
"Taelia sat up slowly, while a mirror appeared
out of thin air in front of her. Looking into it, she smiled with delight. Her
new wings were shaped like Scorchio or Korbat wings, and they were a lighter
colour than before, with a shade of blue that was almost white, like ice crystals.
""Thank you, they're lovely!" chirped Taelia
happily. Now that the pain had ebbed away, she stood up quite sturdily and took
another good look around. "Thanks for all your help," she said appreciatively
to Miriolahn, "but I really must be going now, if the storm is over. I've got
to make it to the Lost Desert!"
"Miriolahn rubbed her chin. "You're 10 now? The
Lost Desert…"
""It's always hot there," Taelia informed her.
"Miriolahn nodded. "I know. That's where I'm
trying to go right now."
"Taelia tilted her head to the side, frowning.
"You're leaving Terror Mountain?"
" The former Light Faerie smiled at her sadly.
"I want to… I really do. I once promised myself that'd I go to every single
place in Neopia. But I don't want to leave Terror Mountain without a Snow Faerie…
I protect the inhabitants, you see. And I've grown so attached to them."
"Taelia paused. She thought of the pictures of
the Lost Desert that she had lined on her bedroom wall, of the brilliant sun,
where it was warm everyday… she thought of the book that Incari had found, and
that beautiful snow scene… she thought of Kaelia, warning her that she wouldn't
like Terror Mountain… and then she thought of what Miriolahn had just said.
And suddenly, what Taelia wanted was to let Miriolahn have the chance to visit
every place in the world. After all, Taelia was only 10. She'd have plenty of
time to go to the Lost Desert someday.
""I'll be the Snow Faerie here," offered Taelia,
making up her mind.
"Miriolahn smiled. "I knew you'd say that."
""Why?"
""It's the same thing I said when I became the
Snow Faerie. Remember my words, young Faerie. You'll say them someday in the
future too, to another little 10 year-old. And she'll have ice blue eyes, and
a dream of being somewhere where it's always hot. Just like you, and just like
me, when I was 10." She nodded to the cloak Taelia was sitting on. "Keep that."
Then, she spread her own Korbat-shaped wings and flew out the cave entrance.
"Taelia waited until she was gone before picking
up the coat and putting it on. "This is never going to fit me," she muttered.
To her surprise, the coat shrank to fit her rather nicely. It even had a special
stretch of cloth to fit perfectly over her wings.
"Taelia flew out the cave entrance as well, grinning
with delight when the new wings proved stronger than her old ones, and finding
out that the coat was much lighter than it looked. She fluttered down to land
on something white, soft, and fluffy; she knew it was snow.
"Looking around, the scene looked just like the
one in her book. A beautiful stretch of snow lay out in front of her, and everything
was coated in it. Her feet were cold, but that was okay; she'd just buy a pair
of boots later. Her light shoes left tiny imprints in the snow. Taelia stuck
out her tongue and caught a snowflake on it. She smiled. Everything was just
how she'd expected it to be. For the first moment in the short period of time
that she'd been on Terror Mountain so far, Taelia wasn't surprised at all.
The End
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