"But Mum it's true!" protested Tattan. "Why won't you listen to me?"
"Because Tattan, you shouldn't tell such ridiculous stories," said his mother.
"I need to have a talk with Myra about this nonsense."
"Mum, please…"
"Tattan not another word," she said. "Finish your dinner and go to sleep.
I must go speak with Harla about some medication for my wings," his Mum said
while heading out the door of their small wooden cabin.
"Why won't she listen to me?" Tattan said.
"Because it's so unbelievable."
Tattan fell off his chair and hit his head on the floor. "Celia! Don't scare
me like that," said Tattan while rubbing his head.
"Sorry," said Celia leaning against the open window. "Your Mum won't listen
either?"
"Nope," said Tattan with a shake of his head. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Practising."
"For what?" asked Tattan.
"Sneaking out to go see Myra and for sneaking out tomorrow morning." Celia
said with a sneaky grin.
"You're actually going through with this?" Tattan said. "After you spent half
an hour trying to convince me to use my head!"
"You bet, now hurry up before Myra goes to sleep. After all she's not well,
even if she won't admit it."
Tattan hopped off of his chair and headed to the door. They walked down the
path towards Myra's cabin. Myra was outside reading a small leather book. She
didn't notice Celia and Tattan come up to her.
"Myra?" said Celia.
"Oh hello dears," she said with a smile. She closed her book. "You two should
be in bed soon."
"Myra do you know where Kondach lives?" Tattan said.
"Why?" she said giving the two a quizzical look.
"I think we know where the Wings of the Dream are," Tattan said. He expected
Myra to tell them that they were being foolish, but the response was the exact
opposite.
"The wings, are you sure?" she said.
The two nodded. They saw a glow in Myra's eyes. Tattan never realised until
now how old Myra was. When he saw the glow in her eyes, she looked almost ten
years younger.
"You must return them," said Myra. "You must carry them in a bag made of white
cloth. If you don't then the wings will lose magic."
"We don't have any cloth bags…" said Celia sadly.
"Don't give up yet. I have a white cloth bag for my knitting," said Myra.
"You may use it."
"Thank you Myra," said Tattan. "But we still don't know how to get to the
mountains.
"I can help you there," said Myra with a smile. "Follow me," she said while
leading them into her cabin. It was littered with books, quills and scrolls.
Myra was the village recorder, which meant that she recorded the village history.
Myra scanned a long shelf of books. She withdrew a large purple and green book.
She opened it and flipped through pages, until she came to a page with gold
writing. It said The Wings of the Dream and The Great Mountains. Tattan saw
that the right page of the book was a map. It showed the great river and the
mountains.
"Myra thank you!" said Celia. "Now all we need to know is how far we must
go from Sunbreak Valley.
"Let me see…" said Myra. "SunBreak Valley is North of here, so when you get
the wings leave before sunrise and cut through the village. Nobody will see
you. Even the earliest Shoyru's aren't up before then. You would be able to
get through easily."
"Myra thank you so much for everything," said Tattan. "How can we ever repay
you?"
"Just make sure I'm mentioned when the story is told," she said. "Now hurry
home before you get in trouble."
The two friends waved good bye to Myra and raced back to their homes. Tattan
was home and in bed before his mother got home. "A clean get away," he sighed
when he saw his mother pass by his bedroom door. Then he turned over and went
to sleep.
Tattan awoke very early and got ready. He went into the cellar and got some
provisions. He grabbed some cheese, fresh vegetables, seeds and creamed chestnuts
(his own personal creation). Celia was bringing medicine since her mother was
the village doctor and Celia knew a lot about healing wounds. Tattan licked
the strawberry cream off of his hand and headed outside to fill up some canteens
with water. Tattan scribbled a good-bye note to his mother, then he headed to
the magic oak to meet Celia. He had never been up so early before. He saw the
pink sky peeking up over the horizon. He saw the last of the night Cybunny's
heading into their burrows. He saw Celia washing her face by the Great River.
He landed softly beside her.
"Ready to get the wings?" said Celia when Tattan landed next to her.
"Ready," he said. The two friends crawled through the tunnel and came out
very dirty. They only had a few minuets to get the wings. They slipped them
carefully into the white cloth bad and hurried back through the tunnel. They
were on the outskirts of the village when they both turned around.
"I can't believe we're doing this," Celia said while she watched the village.
"Me neither," said Tattan. "Me neither."
Then the two headed onwards towards the woods.
***
"It's all your fault Myra!" shouted Tattan's mother. "Telling them such stupid
stories. Following along with their little game!"
"Now Marle I will not take the blame for this," said Myra. "I do not deny
that I told them where to go, but I believe they are telling the truth. Your
child and his friend have done an amazing thing."
"Well we'll never see our children again thanks to you!" sobbed Harla who
was Celia's mother. "The Lupes will eat them alive! Or they will be killed by
something else."
"Do you not believe in your children?" asked Myra.
"Of course we do," said Marle. "But…"
"Well then trust in them," said Myra. "They will come back."
***
"I'm so tired!" wailed Celia. "Come on Tattan let's rest it's been all morning."
"All right," said Tattan. "But only for a little while. If we don't keep moving
we'll have to travel by night."
"All they scary Neopians come out at night," gasped Celia. "We can't travel
at night! We need to be careful or we'll end up…"
"Don't say it," said Tattan.
Tattan and Celia had not stopped walking since the left the village. The walk
through the woods was not easy. They had tripped and stumbled down a steep hill.
They agreed not to fly until it was absolutely necessary.
"Tattan do you think they miss us back home?"
"Of course they do. I just hope they don't blame Myra."
"Me too. She shouldn't take the blame for our actions."
"No she shouldn't but…"
Tattan stopped in the middle of his sentence because he had heard a noise.
It was a fairly small voice and it sounded like it was getting closer.
"HEEEEELLPP MEEEEE!" it yelled.
"What was that?" asked Celia.
"I don't know," said Tattan. "But it's coming this way so be careful." Tattan
heard the voice and the sound of several feet hitting the ground.
"Get down!" yelled Tattan to Celia. Celia leapt out of the way because at
that instant a Chia ran through the bushes.
"HELP!" it yelled as it hid behind Tattan. " Save me! I don't want to be eaten!"
"Calm down," said Tattan. "Save you from what? What's going to eat you?"
At that instant a large red Lupe crashed through the bushes.
"That is!" yelled the little Chia
Tattan grabbed a branch and tried to fend off the Lupe. The Lupe grabbed the
branch and threw it away and with a menacing growl he turned back to Tattan
and the little Chia Tattan closed his eyes and waited for the Lupe to strike,
but it never did. He heard the Lupe give a loud whimper before he heard it crash
to the ground. When Tattan opened his eyes he saw the Lupe out cold and Celia
holding a sling made from an old cloth.
"Celia you saved us," said Tattan.
"I sure did you big chicken," she replied. "Luckily I decided to bring my
trusty sling. Tattan blushed.
"Thank you so much," said the small Chia "My name is Morton and I live in
the village of the valley Chias just down the road."
"Could we rest at your village?" said Tattan.
"Of course," said Morton. "Follow me," he said running off. He stopped to
stick his tongue out at the Lupe Tattan and Celia followed the Chia until the
reached a very small village in a small valley.
"Where are all of the others?" asked Celia.
"This is pretty much everyone," said Morton. "Most of the Chias wandered
out of the hills and were taken by the Lupe's." Morton gave a large shudder.
"The hills?" asked Tattan.
"Yes, the Lupes cannot come into our village because the hills protect us.
Sometimes Chias must go search for food and sometimes a few just wander.
Most of them don't come back though. Let's go and see my house!" Tattan and
Celia arrived at a very small house in the center of the village. The wood looked
very old and a bit rotten. One or two window shudders were hanging by one hinge.
Morton opened the door squeaky old door. "Mum, I'm home. I brought some friends
who saved me."
"Morton Chia how could you walk into the woods like that," said a very plump
Chia that was Morton's mother. "What would your father have said? You aren't
an explorer! You are to stay in the house for the rest of the day."
"But, Mum," protested Morton.
"Not another word. Go and peel some potatoes for dinner. You must be Morton's
friends," she said turning to Tattan and Celia. "That's right," said Tattan.
"We helped your son out of a fix he was in."
"Well thank you so much for saving my little Morton. This isn't the first
time he has run out of the hills. I can't imagine what I would do if I lost
him. In return I invite you to stay here for as long as you like."
"We only need to stay for a night or two," said Celia. "Thank you for you
hospitality."
That night Tattan and Celia feasted on vegetable soup made by Morton's mother.
They had a nice room set up for them too.
"You know what?" said Tattan.
"What?" replied Celia.
"I've grown rather fond of Chias."
"Me too. But only if they don't need saving," said Celia. She leaned over
and blew out the candle.
To be continued… | 
