The Owl and the Frog

Chapter 15: The Red Heron

So this is a chapter I was really looking forward to writing. In this chapter, we will learn more about Uodeela and her past, including what she did before moving to the wilds to teach magic.

Again, since a lot of this is speculation, I'm keeping it vague since we still don't know what happened in canon. But smart money says that one of the people in that torn portrait was either the king's wife or daughter and she is either dead or lost in another realm. So that's what the conversation at the end is referencing.

This is a chapter I'm really excited to write, so I hope you all enjoy it!

Uodeela and her students were walking deep into the forest. She had elected to take them on a long walk into a deeper area of the forest in order to show them more of what it had to offer. Many of the plants in this area were much different from the ones that grew closer to her house, as Uodeela pointed out a tall flower that was a mix of red and yellow.

"That's the blood flower, very useful in many potions and a required ingredient in the Elixir of Fire," said Uodeela.

"Fascinating," said Lilly, taking notes. She turned to see that Luz was drawing in her sketchbook. Luz had taken the sketchbook with her on their various outings and had used it to draw pictures of the plants they had come across. Lilly looked at the picture Luz had drawn.

"That's pretty good," said Lilly, commenting on Luz's drawing.

"Thanks!" said Luz. "I hope that even if I do get home, I'll have a record of everything I learned here. Plus, it's nice to be able to keep practicing my art."

"Let me see," said Amara, a little forcefully. She stared at Luz's picture for a few minutes before commenting, "That is actually pretty good. Your use of color blending helps make the colors in your drawing look more authentic. I see you also prefer the technique of wavy lines. That's helpful for a flower, as it tends to not be straight."

Both Lilly and Luz were stunned to hear Amara compliment her.

"What?" said Amara, seeing their faces. "I'm from Newtopia, and I have an appreciation for art. It seems that even though you are from a different world, art is still universal." With that, she walked away.

Uodeela pointed to a bush that had some purple berries on it and said, "These are wartberries. They're very tasty, and you can cook them in a pie if you want, but they also make for a good ingredient in some curses."

"Speaking of which, when will we be learning about curses?" asked Amara.

"Eager to learn about curses, eh?" asked Uodeela.

"Master, I assure you," began Amara with a smile, "I don't wish to learn curses just so I can start curing all my enemies. That being said, if my enemies knew I could potentially curse them, they might be more keen to not anger me."