ONC 2024 ~ On Hold
Once upon a time there was a little golden dragon. He was the last of his kind and knew nothing of the ways of dragons. One day his hoard of gold was stolen by some men from the castle down the hill. This is the story of how the l...
Golden Scale carried his wizard and sorceress friends back across the sea to the waiting party. "Now we shall push onward into the fairy forest," Derrick said.
Everyone marched into the forest.
"Be careful," Felix warned. "There is a satyr in these woods who can transform people into animals."
"It's true," said Yellow Feather to a nearby soldier who seemed doubtful. "We were trapped here by the satyr until Golden Scale came to rescue us."
"I've never met a talking bird before. Are you a human trapped in the shape of a bird?" the soldier asked.
"No," Yellow Feather said.
"I think you can understand my bird because she's my familiar now," Derrick said.
Golden Scale had always been able to understand Yellow Feather and Shina, but maybe Golden Scale had the ability to understand everyone because he was a dragon.
The party followed Selene into the woods. She knew where to go because Fawna the fairy sat on her horse's head, leading the way. The little fairy would point this way or that, and Selene would lead her chestnut mare in the correct direction.
The beauty of the forest overcame them. Old oak trees towered over everyone as they wound their way through the woods. Above, the thick canopy offered shade from the bright sunlight, but here or there, little bits of sunlight filtered through. So it was rather dark. No grass could grow, so the ground was covered in moss as green as emeralds. Bushes and ferns covered the area, and a few soldiers stopped to pick berries, then hurried to catch up with the group. The forest seemed to breathe with life.
Golden Scale did not wish to knock down trees, so he flew over the forest with Yellow Feather, found a clearing, and landed. There, he took a little nap. Yellow Feather could lead Derrick to their location, which was a large enough area for all of the gigantic party to find a place to sleep.
As the daylight turned to nightfall, the forest somehow resisted the darkness. The travelers were not plunged into inky blackness. Instead, the trees glowed with fireflies so thick, their light was like a beacon that led the soldiers, cavalry, wizards, sorceress, centaur, and dwarf through the night. When they reached the clearing where Golden Scale slept, he awoke and told everyone he would keep watch while they slept. He sat with his head up and searched in all directions, while everyone slumbered away through the night, which passed by uneventfully.
When the sun began to rise, and its early rays pierced through the thick blanket of trees, Golden Scale awoke everyone and the party pressed on into the forest. Fawna pointed the way, and Golden Scale and Yellow Feather flew in that direction in search of a place where Golden Scale could land without knocking down trees. He landed in a lush green valley.
What he found was a settlement of fairies. Golden Scale breathed a sigh of awe at the twee miniature village before his eyes. Hovels decorated in flowers and leaves sat nestled between bushes and trees that hummed with ancient power. The settlement had its own babbling brook winding its way amongst the trees. Fairies currently flitted about its surface, washing their faces and gathering water in little acorn buckets.
The village bustled with life. All around, fairies flew in and out of delicately carved doorways, on their way to a market in the central square of the village. Tiny cobbled stones had been laid out to support the stalls where fairies sat selling their wares. Inside the little hovels, Golden Scale glimpsed silky curtains fluttering in the wind, with fairies sitting at tables tinkling to each other in their fascinating language that only Princess Cadence could comprehend.
The smell of the blossoms adorning the roofs of the cottages mingled with the aroma of freshly baked bread sprinkled with brown sugar and smothered in cinnamon butter. Golden Scale realized he had not eaten in days, not since the feast at the castle. He wondered how much bread the fairies would need to give him to fill his large stomach. Too much, he decided, and he convinced himself he'd have but a taste of the sweet smelling bread.
"Wow," Yellow Feather said simply, and Golden Scale echoed her sentiments.
Fairies noticed his approach. They ventured forth on fluttering wings, emerging from their market stalls and their homes, and coming down from the tree branches above. So many came that they could join hands and create a large circle around him. They danced on the wind as they spun their circle surrounding him, their voices tinkling with beautiful notes.
And that is how a bird and a dragon arrived at a village of fairies.
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