The Whispering of leaves

Moonlit lilies

                    Caught in the bellows of the autumn breeze, the rounded nibs of Fluilir that blanketed the uneven land danced and swayed against one another like skinny blue worms. the faint rustling of the massive Musha trees adding a steady chorus to the evening's symphony. The trees and grasses seemed to sway almost like a vortex, and at the center, a smooth lilting voice flowed from the lips of a fairy lounging at the edge of a boulder overlooking a murky pond. The alluring solo seemed to guide the plants, acting as both the conductor and the lead singer, the fairy's light wavering voice cut through the rhythmic rustling and was enveloped by it. rising and falling gently, as if it were lulling the plant life to sleep in it's warm embrace. The combined light of the full moon and the lazily drifting firebugs bathed the lounging singer in shifting silvery and yellow light which danced across his iridescent blue scales. Despite the beautiful scene of which he was a part, the fairy looked forlorn.

A twig crunched and the fairy's head snapped up in the direction of disturbance. As if shaken from a trance, the song was cut short, and the gentle lullaby of the forest returned to rustling leaves in the wind.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," Moeba stepped out from behind the wide twisting trunk by which she had crouched as she observed the singer. As she pressed forward down the rocky slope towards the pond, the heavy pail of water she carried sloshed noisily, threatening to spill. "...It was so beautiful I couldn't help but stay until the end." Maybe she would have heard the end had she not disturbed the fairy, but to Moeba it seemed as if the song was one that had no beginning or end, only interludes. As Moeba spoke, for a moment pain flashed in his molten gold eyes, only to disappear and be replaced with a tight smile.

"Thank you," The Fairy stared up at Moeba as she stepped down the rocky incline, "But that is not a song I would recommend a Tarvu to listen to for too long. A fichzne's song is known to lul Tarvu into a trance so deep that their own leaves unconsciously join in the song. Shaking a swaying until the Tarvu is too weak to do anything but." He turned back to the glistening pond, as if expecting Moeba to run off as soon as the reality of how close she had come to being lulled into a trap dawned on her. Moeba fought the urge to reach up and check her branches. While the notion did give her a sense of unease, the curiosity that had first led her to the fairy now became overwhelming and overpowered her caution. She stepped closer to the pond, parting the knee high fluilir as she approached. Even as she came closer to the fairy, he continued to ignore her presence, lost in thought as he stared unblinkingly at the surface which bore hazy reflections of the living night lights.

"Yeah, that is a bit scary to think about..." Moeba chuckled nervously, "but I've never seen one of your kind around here before, so you must be lonely, right?"

"You've been lucky until now, then." He replied.

"Why would you say that?" Moeba stepped closer to the edge of the pond, she could see the faint luminescence of his blue scales now, the colors undulating in the shifting light. He finally turned to her, his silvery mist-like hair swirling around his narrow face, and something like annoyance or impatience twisted his features as he spoke, "If you had met another of my kind, you wouldn't be here." Moeba opened her mouth for a question, but he continued, " Leave and don't return to this forest until 3 days pass. Then I will be gone, if you return anytime before that, you'll find your luck has run dry." His eyes were hard.

Moeba retreated a step. And then another. She paused, and was surprised by her candidness, "Do not presume to threaten me, fairy. You don't look to be in a good mood, so I'll forgive you for your rudeness, but it's not your place to make demands. This forest dwells within my family's domain, and I cannot go 3 days without fetching water from the lake." She paused again, and set the pail down with a thump to rifle through the satchel that hung by her hip. Moeba pulled out a handful of Orange-stripe lilies and set them at the base of the rock where the fairy now looked at her with an expression she couldn't interpret, though he made no move to take them.

She continued, "However, I also notice that you aren't very well equipped for traveling. My Baba says it's important to extend a branch whenever you see a person in need of sanctuary, and in doing so all life flourishes. If you are passing through these woods, you can stay at my family home up over that hill if you wish." Moeba pointed past the fairy towards a clearing with the start of a stone path winding out of sight. The fairy followed her gaze, but said nothing. Moeba then hefted up her pail and began making her way through the fluilir toward the path. Not looking back, She called back to the fairy, "My name is Moeba, by the way. Moeba of the Hashaouga family. Come stay with us for a bit. Just don't sing." She chuckled softly to herself And left the fairy to dwell in his silence. 

Rahka says: Hello dear friends, thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Since the majority of this story has already been written, I will be publishing new chapters frequently. Since I tend to be an inconsistent person and I personally enjoy chaos, I won't set a schedule for how often I will publish. I guess you'll just have to keep your eyes peeled for updates. *WINK WINK*