Pishicu and the Wisdom Council: Part Seven

      The clearing, lighted with moonlight, was quiet as Terskun sat down to plot what he would do next. Unlike most pets, he decided it was best if he didn't mope, for moping would only waste time. He thought, and he thought, and finally decided that it would be best if he went to rescue his friends first. Though he knew it was of the utmost importance that he save his poor sister (even though he was still annoyed at her own stupidity), he knew that taking on the Dark Faeries of the Wisdom Council all by himself to get her right away would be ridiculous. No, he would need help, and his friends would provide it; not to mention they had the Eternity Orbs with them and if he gathered them all together then he could get rid of them.

      So where should I start? Terskun pondered. He thought about Amar's pleasant little poem that she had recited to him before she departed. She had stated that "For where they lie is where their from," meaning that she must have taken them and hidden them in the place of their birth. Luckily Terskun knew where all of them were born; Yessey from Tyrannia, Levita from Mystery Island, Fedle from Faerieland, and Rucsk from Krawk Island. He finally decided that he would go to Tyrannia first and get Yessey, since he figured that she would be the most daring comrade and would be more useful when it came to rescuing the others.

      The Skunk Draik started to flap his thin, black wings and then took off into the black night, preparing to reach Tyrannia by the time the sun went up.

      However, he made one mistake; he forgot to think about the last part of Amar's spell. Of course, like most important things do, it did not occur to him until it was all to late.

      Pishicu warped around in the swirling, violet vortex for only a few seconds, but then it spit her out with a large lurch. The Poogle tumbled down a rough, dusty hill and then smashed into some lush green plants, breaking her glasses in the process. She then got up, dusted herself off, and looked at her surroundings.

      Dirt was plentiful, as well as rocks. Yes, there were plenty of rocks, plenty. Occasionally there was fern or two, but for the most part it was a desolate wasteland.

      I must be in Tyrannia, Pishicu thought to herself.

      She got up, clutching her glasses pitifully so they would stay in front of her eyes, and walked around. Surely the cave Sisle had been talking about would be somewhere around here! Of course, she couldn't see too well considering that her glasses were constantly slipping and her vision wasn't very good.

      "Hello!" she called as she fumbled around. "Anyone here? Can someone please help me?"

      Pishicu's words echoed around in the vast wasteland she was in. As far as she could tell, no one was there.

      Where did Sisle bring me? she thought as she tried to work her way back up the hill she had tumbled down from. It was no easy task, though; there were many stones and the ground tilted in odd places so her pudgy feet that were meant for the snow had a hard time climbing. Finally she reached the top, and stopped to take a breath, but then something she did not expect happened.

      *SMASH*

      Pishicu was shoved towards the ground by a great force, and ended up eating dirt. She tried to pull herself up, but something just a tad less then twice her size was on top of her.

      "C-could you please move?" she hissed as she tried to push herself up.

      "Sure, but please realize that I did expect you to move before I landed and I'm quite beaten up myself, dear sister," a familiar voice mumbled bitterly as it got to its feet.

      "Terskun!" Pishicu cried as she got up and stared at him.

      "Yes, Pishicu, yes. But it is not I who I am concerned about, it's you. How did you get here? What happened to you? Did Sisle harm you in any way?" the Draik asked as he clutched her shoulders and shook her slightly, a look of worry looming in his eyes.

      "Gerroff Terskun!" snapped Pishicu as she jumped back. "I don't want a filthy liar like you to touch me!"

      "What do you mean?"

      "I met Sisle, and she was nice to me! She told me the real truth behind the whole thing! And she's the one who sent me here, by choice just so you know," Pishicu spat as she looked at her brother in a disgusted manner.

      The Draik met her disgusted look with one of his own. How could Pishicu be so stupid? He had never believed that she was this gullible. Or maybe, maybe she really wasn't.

      "Pishicu, now calm down. Did Sisle stare at you a lot? When she was telling you these stories, where her eyes very wide and looking into yours?" inquired Terskun, his heart in his throat.

      "Umm, I think so. I think she was looking at me, why?" Pishicu pondered.

      Terskun shook his head at his sister's foolishness and said in a matter-of-factly voice, "Did you even listen when I told you about Sisle?"

      "Yes!"

      "Well, don't you remember that I said that she could control minds like some of the other Darkness Faeries if you looked into her eyes long enough?"

      Silence.

      "Well?"

      Pishicu looked down at her chubby feet, making her dilapidated glasses fall to the ground. She realized what Sisle had done to her, that was obvious, but to admit her mistake to Terskun was unbearable.

      "I-I'm sorry Terskun. But you must believe me, I didn't know who she was until the end of our brief meeting!" Pishicu cried. The Poogle bit her lip, trying to fight the tears that were bursting from her eyes, but then she gave in. They flowed freely down her cheeks, and she did nothing to stop them. She had messed up badly on all accounts, and she knew her brother would probably never forgive her.

      Terskun's hard expression softened, and he went over and gave his sister a hug.

      "Pishicu, it's okay. I understand; you had a hard day. It's not easy to find out about a secret society and be tricked by an evil Faerie in one day. I'd even be freaked out! Now calm down Pishicu, it's okay," he whispered to her while patting her back gingerly.

      "No it's not! I screwed up everything, and I nearly screwed this whole thing up even more!" she shouted.

      "Well, you did screw things up pretty bad..."

      "Thanks for the support."

      "But you didn't mean to. Now listen to me, you need to take a break, and fix your glasses. Hold on--" He then waved his finger at the thick, black glasses on the ground and they immediately sprang together as if they had never been broken.

      Pishicu picked them up, and put them back on her chubby pink face. She wiped her cheeks free of tears, and looked at her little brother with sheer gratitude and appreciation.

      "Thanks Terskun," she choked happily. Her brother wasn't nearly as bad as she made him out to be.

      "It's okay sis."

      Pishicu gave her brother another hug, and then thought about something.

      "Terskun, why are you here?" she inquired.

      "I'm suspecting for the same reasons as you are; you are here to go get Yessey, right? If not, I'm quite confused on why Sisle sent you here," the Draik replied serenely as he inspected his claws.

      "Well, originally I was sent to retrieve the Eternity Orb, but now that I know that Sisle was manipulating me, I'm going to go save Yessey," Pishicu declared.

      "Wait, hold on. You see that very formidable looking cave over there?" Terksun questioned as he pointed to a very scary looking cave.

      "Yeah," Pishicu replied as she looked timidly at the cave. It was rather dark, and there was a fowl odor admitting from it.

      "That's where Yessey is located. I don't think that you will really want to go, so how about you go to town and I come get you after I get everything I need," Terskun suggested weakly.

      "CERTAINLY NOT! There's no way you're getting Yessey without me!" Pishicu snapped.

      "B-but you said it yourself that so far you've only screwed things up!"

      "Well I've grown, you should too."

      "THAT MAKES NO SENSE IN THIS SITUATION!" Terskun hollered as the Strawberry Poogle stately walked away from him and towards a cave that was located on the side of the wall.

      "Gosh Terskun, if you're going to analyze everything I do we're never going to get anywhere. Hurry up, slacker!" Pishicu called back at him.

      Terskun said nothing, but he wanted to hit her; she was such an idiot! How could she be so immature?

      He clutched his fists unnaturally tight, and muttered mean words under his breath, but Pishicu did not hear him. In fact, she entered the cave without a glance back, singing if you can believe it. Terskun couldn't believe it.

      "PISHICU COME BACK HERE! PI-SHI-COOOOO!"

      "Terskun, I'm not coming back so you might as well come in here with me!" she called back to him, now shrouded by the darkness of the cave.

      Terskun shook his head, opened his mouth to argue, but then realized it was hopeless and flew ahead to catch up to her.

      When the Draik finally caught up with his annoyingly stubborn older sister, she was inspecting the cave walls with intense interest.

      "It's so dry and airy in here," Pishicu remarked as she rubbed a chunky paw up against the rough rock. "I don't understand... Aren't caves supposed to be dank and kind of stale?"

      Terskun grabbed her by the wrist, and then pulled her along and replied, "You're wasting time Pishicu. This is why I didn't want to bring you!"

      Pishicu looked at him indignantly. "Well sor-ry!" she spat. "I thought it might be important or something... Sometimes things like that are. In Chipster's stories--"

      "Well this isn't just one of Chipster's stories! This is real Pishicu! If we screw up, it's most likely going to be over! No hero's going to come save us! We have to do this by ourselves, and it's not going to be easy! So if you want to pretend this is one of the little, rather pathetic, childish tales that Chipster writes, then go home!" Terskun yelled.

      The Poogle stared at him in awe, not sure whether to be silent or make a satiric comment. She had never seen this side of him before; he always seemed patient and understand, even when he was mad, but now, he seemed so bitter and serious.

      "Sorry," she finally whispered as she continued to trudge on.

      "Accepted, and the reason the cave is dry is since it hasn't rained in this part of Tyrannia for over a millennia," Terskun replied, his voice void of emotion. "Now hurry up, we need to get Yessey. No telling where she is--"

      "There."

      "Pardon?" Terskun replied as he turned to Pishicu.

      "I said there!" the Poogle persisted as she pointed her paw at a Pteri who was hanging silently in a large, open room through a small tunnel that the pair had nearly missed. She looked quite odd in her position, as if held by invisible ropes and something small and round placed around her neck. "Let's go get her!"

      Terskun, however, stretched his arm out and blocked her path.

      "Don't Pishicu. There's bound to be a trap of some kind around here, and you're the most likely to fall for it. Please, I don't mean to be rude, but I really, really want you to stay back for once; no matter what," he stated, his eyes pure and sincere.

      Against her own will, Pishicu agreed, and slunk back against the wall while her brother ran over to the brown Pteri. She watched fixedly as Terskun started flapping his wings and rising into the air.

      "This would be the perfect time for a sneak attack," she thought to herself. Terskun would be vulnerable right now, so she feared for him.

      However, nothing happened and he managed to fly high enough to reach Yessey, who was about fifty feet off the ground. He fluttered over to her, all the while maintaining a steady wing beat. He reached out to grab the Pteri, but then something happened. Terskun was slung back by an invisible force, and was slapped against a wall.

      Pishicu wanted to cry, but she stopped because when she was about to open her mouth, she heard a soft laughter.

      "Terskun, oh my... Terskun, how could you be so foolish?" said a very soft, squeaky voice.

      The Poogle looked up, held her glasses very close to her face so she could see better, and stared in awe at a Dark Faerie with dark brown hair in the middle of the room. She was not exceptionally tall, but her legs were very long and gave her a great height and a semi-foreboding atmosphere, and she wore blue, lots of blue.

      "Kathry," Pishicu heard Terskun mutter.

      "Yes... It's me. Too bad, huh? I bet you thought this thing wouldn't have a guardian, and only a bunch of traps, didn't you? Rather foolish for someone who used to be on the Wisdom Council. I'm slightly disappointed in you; I expected more you know," the Faerie said as she pushed stray piece of brown hair back behind her ear. Pishicu was rather shocked to see how extremely dull and monotonous she sounded, considering how high her voice was and what she was talking about.

      "B-but, isn't there a trap? Why couldn't I touch Yessey? Wasn't it you who through me back?" Terskun stuttered, very much confused.

      Kathry looked entertained (at least Pishicu thought she did for her) and replied quietly, "No, that wasn't me. You were when Amar cast her spell, you of all people should know Terskun."

      Terskun thought about it, then the words hit him like a Skeith who had just come from the Golden Dubloon had been dropped upon him.
...But no one who is or has ever been,
With the special ring were knowledge lies in,
Is allowed to lay paws or hands,
On the ones which the curse stands...

"No one who is currently in, or was in the Wisdom Council can touch her!" Terskun screamed in shock. "Precisely. Which is also the reason why I can't go grab the Eternity Orb from the Pteri. Amar's such an idiot... She never plans anything out right, and now I'm stuck waiting for some dumb Poogle to come so I can help it up here and get my orb... That stupid Amar, I have to pay for her stupid mistakes-- Terskun you stop right there!" Terskun stopped in horror when he realized he had been caught after trying to sneak out. "Oh, sorry, you still need me?" he asked innocently, a phony smile on his face. "I just figured since I can't save anything here that I might as well leave--"

      "Did you really suspect that would work?" Kathry interrupted, continuing in her regular, bland, high-pitched voice.

      "I doubted it, but it was worth a try wasn't it?"

      "No," the Dark Faerie snapped. "You knew I would catch you. And you know what I have to do, right?"

      "Let me guess, is it along the lines that if I want to get out of here, I'll have to fight you?" Terskun muttered dully.

      "Yup, pretty much. Ready?" Kathry inquired as she rolled up her long, blue sleeves and shook her wrists which were a very light colored tan.

      "Whenever," Terskun replied as he stretched his fingers.

      "All right, NOW!"

      Pishicu was in awe. The Draik and the Dark Faerie went at it without so much as a moments hesitation, and it was obvious to see they were both masters in magic and flight. They swerved, and flew, and blasted and froze each other, but neither seemed to make a flaw and the battle seemed to continue forever. Then, Terskun made a horrific mistake.

      He was about to get focused on her, he faced her straight on and look her into her eyes (his powers seemed more effective when he did such), but then it seemed as if he stayed in that position a second to long. His eyes started to droop, and a look of peace spread over his face. Terskun vainly tried to keep his wings flapping, but it was to no avail; he plummeted to the ground and crashed into the rock.

      Kathry was looking down at him cruelly, flapping her midnight blue wings with very little enthusiasm. "So foolish, you should've known I'd do that," she muttered as she allowed herself to drop a few feet to get him into sight. "And now, dear Terskun, I must destroy you. It's an awful shame to waste such a great mind, but you must know that it absolutely has to be done. Goodbye--"

      "Hello?" Pishicu called as she stumbled into sight. "Erm, Miss Faerie, am I in the right place?"

      Kathry looked a little surprised, and looked behind her shoulder to make sure Terskun was still asleep and wouldn't interfere. He was, but she still fluttered as far away from him as possible so the Poogle wouldn't see.

      "Miss Faerie?"

      "Huh? Oh yes, of course, Sisle sent you. I've been waiting to help you get to this awful, little Pteri's Eternity Orb all day. Come on, I'll fly you up," Kathry said as she picked the little Poogle up and started to fly up to where Yessey was.

      "Oh thank you," Pishicu said innocently, trying to make her eyes as large and confused as possible. "I won't wake the Pteri by taking the orb though, will I?"

      "No, no, you have to actually shove her out of the trance on her to do that," Kathry mumbled distractedly, still afraid Terskun would awake. Finally they reached the right height and the Dark Faerie stopped. "There, take it."

      But Pishicu did not. Instead, she continued to question the Faerie. "So, if I shoved the Pteri she would wake up?"

      "Yes, I told you that already! Now please, just take the Eternity Orb," Katrhy pleaded, a worry growing in her voice as she noticed Terskun was starting to move.

      "So it would be just awful if I did this, wouldn't it?" the Poogle cried as she shoved Yessey with all her might.

      Yessey awoke instantly as she was moved from her position. Her eyes were very wide, her feathers ruffled, and she looked confused. Then the Pteri laid her eyes on the Dark Faerie, which was now strangling Pishicu.

      "AAAAIIIIEEEEEE!" Yessey screamed as she immediately charged into Kathry's head.

      The poor Faerie didn't even have time to react, she was thrust backward into a wall and knocked unconscious. Unfortunately, no one was holding Pishicu up anymore.

      "YESSEY, HELP!" the Poogle screamed as she felt the wind rush around her face.

      Yessey looked down as if she had just noticed Pishicu, and then realized who she was.

      "H-hold on!" she cried as she flew into a deep dive. She flapped her wings furiously and then pressed them tight into her body in attempt to accelerate, but it was to no avail; Pishicu was still to far away and the ground was approaching fast.

      Five feet, four, three, two feet, one foot! Pishicu started to scream, but then she felt something lift her. She turned her head, and to her surprise there was Terskun, his arms clutching around her tightly. The Draik then fluttered a bit, and landed lightly on his feet.

      "Th-thanks!" Pishicu stuttered.

      "Just paying a favor," Terskun mumbled without even a look at the Poogle. "Now let's get out of here, shall we?"

      They all nodded their heads in silent agreement, and rushed out of the cave before Kathry had the chance to awake.

      "Hold on, just to make sure she doesn't follow us--" Yessey muttered. She then placed her wings on the ground and everything started to shake. Rocks tumbled, and the wall of the caves started to collapse; in less than a minute the exit of Yessey's prison was blocked.

      "Good job, but," Terskun muttered to the squat brown Pteri, "Yessey, are you okay?"

      "Sure I am! Terskun, I'm not a baby, you know!" Yessey snapped haughtily, as she folded her wings. "But, I am a little confused..."

      Pishicu noticed that Terskun was suppressing a smile, but he made no notion of it while he explained everything to Yessey.

      "Aaah, so to get rid of these awful Faeries we have to find the others and collect the Eternity Orbs," Yessey mumbled.

      "Yes," Terskun and Pishicu answered simultaneously.

      "But no one who is in or was in the Wisdom Council can touch the people who are in trances, so that's why we need the little screw-up."

      "Yes."

      "Yes-- hey!"

      "And the others are located in the places in which they were born, just like me. Wow, I'm going to kill Amar next time I see her," Yessey growled. Then she started to flap her wings and take off into the skies.

      "H-hey! Where are you going?" Pishicu called after her, a little shocked.

      Yessey rolled her large, golden eyes and looked down at Pishicu in an annoyed way and chirped, "Well if we keep sitting here, we're going to waste time, aren't we? Besides, I know Kathry, she's smart, she has the power of sleep, and she has regular Dark Faerie powers; she'll be out of there in no time. Do you really want to stick around until she gets out?"

      Pishicu then hopped on Terskun's back expectantly and cried, "Time's a-waisting Terskun! Let's get out of here!"

      The Draik stared at her in disbelief, rolled his eyes, and then took off into the bright, clear, noon sky.

      Kathry finally made her way out of the cave, and flew back to the Wisdom Council's headquarters where Sisle was waiting.

      "You failed, didn't you?" Sisle said in a cold, hard voice.

      "You know very well, Sisle. I know I needn't tell you," Kathry replied, her voice tone as equally steely.

      Sisle shook her head, a gaunt smile upon her face. "I wouldn't act smart in the position you're in, you know the punishment for your failure... Now go, you are of no use to me now," the blond Faerie said as she held up her hand, which released a few threatening sparks.

      "Yes ma'am," Kathry said as she retreated, her head lowered.

      Sisle then lifted her hand as if to grab an invisible object, but instead just released some more sparks. Instantly, another Dark Faerie appeared, this one had very tan skin, dark hair, and long fingernails with chipped polish.

      "Yes Sisle, what is it? You called at a very inconvenient time, I was about to go get a manicure you know--"

      "Silence Annecy!" Sisle snapped, her features becoming even sharper. "This is more important than your manicure! Kathry failed--"

      "--What a surprise, weakling--"

      "--And I'm counting on you to head them off at the next cave so they won't get another Eternity Orb!" Sisle screamed.

      "All right, all right! I'll go! Where are they heading?" Annecy inquired, an annoyed look on her pale face.

      "Mystery Island would probably be closest, so I'd have to tell you to check there."

      "Okay, going. Seeya!" Annecy cried as she started flapping her wings and flying off.

      However, Sisle was not done speaking. "Annecy," she cried, "Make sure you finish them! Remember that they if they get all of the Eternity Orbs together and chant the spell we're done for!"

To be continued...