The Magical Road

     "Hurry up or we're gonna be late!" Liv gestured impatiently and started to run off.

     "Wait for me!" Thalia called out, feeling somewhat panicky. However, the Eyrie decided to keep her cool and slowly walk down the road, despite the feeling of urgency tugged at her heart. When she had finished the 20 meters, she started running.

     "Don't forget that you can fly!" her owner teased. With a giant leap, the Eyrie disappeared into the sky.

     "I wonder why she always forgets that…" Liv muttered for herself as she tried to catch up with her pet.

     It felt wonderful. The morning air was fresh and cold. Thalia turned her head and saw to Pteris flying lower. She took a deep breath and gained some altitude by flapping her wings. Flying was a part of her. Seeing the school building, the Eyrie dived. Furrowing her brows, she prepared for another day in the school.

     "Ha! And you call me a slowpoke!" Thalia blew a raspberry at Liv. Her owner was out of breath from running the whole way.

     "You always insist on walking down that road…" Liv trailed off as she gently pushed her pet towards the school.

     When Thalia couldn't think of anything to say, she walked inside the building and waved to Liv. Her owner waved back and went off to her school.

     "Your owner's still in school?" a Cybunny asked Thalia.

     "What's wrong with that, Clarice?" the Shadow Eyrie retorted, eyeing the pet.

     "Well, my owner is already making lots of NP!" the Royal Cybunny exclaimed proudly.

     "Let's start class now," the teacher said upon entering the classroom. "Please take out your homework and place it in the box there."

     Thalia put her paw into the bag, grabbed her homework and ran towards the homework box. There, she tried to get the stuff out of the bag. It was a total failure. The Eyrie's paw was stuck. She pulled harder to make it let go, but the stubborn blue bag just wouldn't cooperate.

     "Is there a problem?" the teacher asked kindly. Thalia frowned and tried again. "Let me see that," the teacher said.

     A few giggles echoed through the room as the teacher tried to get the bag off Thalia's paw.

     "Who did this?" the teacher demanded angrily when they realized glue had been applied to the lining of the bag. They had no choice but to cut a hole in the bottom and get the homework out.

     The room was so quiet you could hear a needle fall. Thalia's beak trembled as her eyes began to water.

     "If you think this is funny, let me tell you one thing: This isn't!" the teacher shouted angrily when no one would step forward and take the blame.

     Silence.

     "Well, since no one will tell, why don't you write an essay on this interesting topic?" Miss Nadine's eyes flared dangerously as she looked around in the room. Everyone looked crestfallen, except for Carl, the Darigan Eyrie. The teacher nodded to herself. Yes…

     "It will be due in two days. Minimum is 1000 words. This counts as credit towards finishing the class. The standards will be the same as for any other essay."

     "It was his doing!" Clarice shouted and pointed towards Carl. His red eyes narrowed as he growled furiously.

     "Carl, it would seem like we will have to have an owner-student conference. Please stay after school and clean up the classroom."

     "Traitor!" Carl snarled in an enraged voice as he glared at Clarice.

     "Please go to the nurse if you don't feel well, Thalia. You're excused. Now, shall we continue?" Miss Nadine said smoothly and gently pushed the Shadow Eyrie out of the room.

     It was too late. The damage was already done. Thalia looked sadly at her broken bag and started walking to the nurse's office. Small, pearly tears rolled down her face as she looked at the ground.

     "Be strong. Don't cry," the winds would whisper. Oh, how she wished to be back at the road again!

     Thalia was inspired. She started to run, but decided that it looked too cheerful and walked sulkingly instead to the nurse.

     "May I be excused for the rest of the day?" the Eyrie asked sadly. The nurse nodded in compassion and let Thalia go.

     Thalia left the school. At the gates, she took a last look at the big, tall building and then at her wrecked blue bag. She swallowed the tears and took flight.

     -

     She landed just where the road began. Thalia walked slowly up to her little cottage. This was her road, this perfect place that could wash away all her sorrows. The Eyrie located a nice tree trunk and sat down.

     "Why me?" she thought as she picked up a leaf to examine it. She'd always do something wrong. If the comments didn't come from Clarice, they came from Anna or someone else. Why wasn't anyone satisfied with her?

     You're being selfish. Liv cares, a small voice said in her head. Thalia looked at the cerulean sky with puffed snow clouds. She inhaled the fresh air and shook her fur. The Eyrie grabbed some leaves and wiped her tears away.

     Don't cry…

     It was as if the scenery was talking to her. Thalia relaxed and choked twice, trying not to cry.

     It'll be okay…

     The Eyrie pondered again. Why didn't anyone like her? Was it the attitude? Was it the coat? But Carl who looked Darigan looked awful (purple with black?) and he was popular… So what was it? Thalia buried her head into her arms as words echoed in her mind.

     "Won't even fly…"

     "Always walking… So unnatural for an Eyrie."

     "She isn't one of us. Look, the pet doesn't even know how to fly!"

     "But I don't want to fly!" Thalia thought. "Then I'd miss all the wonderful things on the ground."

     "She's always alone…"

     "I hear that she hangs out in a weird forest…"

     "I'll bet Dark Faeries have been there!"

     "What was her name again? Tala?"

     "This is the place… I can't leave it… I won't leave it!" the Shadow Eyrie thought defiantly as she looked up. The trunk seemed to smile at her as the leaves fluttered in the breeze. This peace… this serenity… It was a special thing that could not exist anywhere else in the world.

     She stood resolute. Looking at her beloved haven, she didn't care about the mean words of other pets. Someday, sometime, she'd find a friend. The trees seemed to have been here forever, and it was no use to hurry. Besides, Liv would always be there.

     Thalia took a deep breath, and then she left the tree. She smiled gratefully at the black road, the two lanterns and the whirling leaves.

     "You know what? I think that place is enchanted," a kind voice said. Thalia turned around slowly.

     "Liv!"

     "Maybe a faerie blessed it…" Liv said thoughtfully. "Anyway, I got off early."

     "Let's do something fun!" Thalia said, not feeling sad about the bag anymore. "But I don't believe what you just said. It can't be a faerie."

     "Well, it's your sanctuary. Hereby I proclaim Thalia the Shadow Eyrie owner of the Magical Road!" her owner said cheerfully.

     "The Magical Road…"

The End