Iredessa was chosen to be the next one. "Ok, I know! The last light of day, it's the richest kind of all. Wait for it. Wait for it. Okay, and now!" She grabbed a ball of light straight out of the sky! "Oh, wow!It's incredible!" "Ok, now for the fun part."
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Iredessa reached into the tube holding the light-ball, threw a piece of it into the air, and fireflies began to hit the light, making them light up. "Here, you try," Iredessa prodded me. "Is it heavy?" I asked. "No. It's light." Iredessa laughed. I took the tube just like she had and grabbed a piece of light. I threw it out, the light bursting onto the rest of the fireflies. "Cool," I giggled, looking over at Iredessa. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes were wide. "What's wrong?" I asked, confused. Hadn't I done it right? "I thought it would take you at least a couple tries!" She explained. "But that was like the speed of light!" I laughed again, wondering what the other talents would be like.
• • •
Fawn took me up near the Autumn Woods, way up high in a tree to a nest. There were two little chicks there, one seemed very strong and healthy, but the other was pale and skinny, almost as if it hadn't been fed. Fawn didn't seem to notice, as she was so excited to show me how it was done.
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"We're teaching baby birds how to fly. First, you have to get their attention. Smile and establish trust." She smiled, petting the stronger bird. It chirped a cheerful call. "See? Okay, open your wings, honey, and flap them up and down. Up and down. That's the way. Faster, faster. That's right. Yes! You're doing it! Okay. Come out this way a little bit." The bird faltered a bit when it saw how high up they were. "You're okay. You're okay. You got it. Keep flapping, keep flapping!" The bird flew unsteadily out, narrowly avoiding another tree. Fawn sighed. "Hey, can you help that last little guy? I think this one needs to be watched for a bit." "Sure," I said. "That would be wise." Fawn thanked me and sped off to help the new flier. I turned toward the nest. The little bird was hunched in a corner, shivering slightly, although it didn't feel cold to me. I knelt down in front of it, smiling gently. It wouldn't look at me. I leaned back on my heels, thinking hard. It needed food, I knew, but I didn't know if it would accept it from me. I flew deeper into the tree until I found a small bug, brought it back to the bird and placed it in front of it. I stepped back and then kneeled again. The bird took the little bug in its beak and ate it carefully, watching me with one eye. Then, braver after eating, went up to me, and stopped, apparently waiting for more food. "Hey there," I said softly. Anything louder than a whisper might scare it. I put my hand on it's head a stroked it, slowly getting up onto my feet. My hands smelled like the bug, so it followed my to the edge of the nest. I then raised my arms and lowered them, until it opened its wings as well and flapped. It seemed happier now, and flew out with me. "That's it, you're a natural!" I said, smiling. We eventually caught up to Fawn and the other bird. We perched beside them, enjoying the view for a bit. That is, until the worst happened. A bone chilling screech made me shiver, frozen to the spot. Fawn quickly hid the chicks in a hollow in the tree. There was no room for us fairies. Fawn dived down the tree, but the hawk was diving too. It was up to me to save her.
