The Quest of the Hudion

Chapter 4 - Mermaids

Rubybain flew until he gasped for breath, the strong flaps of his wings weakening to the strength of a tiny finch.  I gripped his slippery spine, his scales scratching my tender skin.  The sun was quickly slipping behind the horizon, and the sky was ablaze with fiery colors.  I scanned the ground for a landing spot to stay the night, and was amazed at how dense the lush trees were.  The forest seemed to extend for hundreds of miles into the distance, and the castle seemed just as far away.  Deer rustled through the underbrush, as small as ants from my high viewpoint.  I jumped as a hawk screeched to my left, diving swiftly through the clouds.

A grassy clearing in the trees caught my eye, and I pointed it out to Rubybain.  He nodded his head, and I warned the fairies to hold on.  Rubybain dove towards the Earth, and I gripped his spine with all my strength.  The wind plastered my dress to my legs, and I struggled to breath with a mouthful of hair.  Rubybain let forth a piercing shriek, mixing with the howl of the wind in my ears.  The Earth whizzed closer, and we angled for a horrific nosedive.  I closed my eyes in terror as we approached the ground, and screamed for Rubybain to slow down.  My heart thundered with terror, and my words were stolen by the wind.  Never before had I feared for my life - but I certainly did now.

At the last moment, Rubybain unfurled his wings, and softly glided to the ground.  I breathed a sigh of relief, and closed my eyes for a moment, trying to clear my dizzy head.  Rubybain sank low to the ground, and lay his wings by his sides like two giant slides.  We slid off, but when I tried to stand up, my legs collapsed in a stiff, soar heap beneath me.

I plopped down on the dewy grass, gazing up at the emerging stars and the perfect crescent of a moon.  The moon shone with an eerie lavender glow, and the stars were a sparkling white.  The Aevynonian moon seemed to have a happier energy than the Earth’s moon, as though excited to shine down on so many magical creatures.  Remnants of the sunset still lingered at the edges of the sky, reflecting in Rubybain’s polished scales.

I reached into one of my pockets, eager to satisfy my growing hunger with one of my crumpets.   A wolf seemed to be gnawing at my insides, tearing me apart with each passing moment.  I took a bite of the crumpet, but was startled at the dry, crumbly, pasty taste.  Hadn’t they been delicious just a day ago?  I grimaced, and tossed the remainder of the crumpet to Rubybain, who happily ate it off the grass.

"Do you have any food?" I asked the fairies, who were lying sleepily around me, cloaked in their dainty wings.

"Mmmm..." said Nettle sleepily.  "Hungry?”

“The food I brought with me doesn’t taste right,” I replied.

Nettle sat bolt upright.  “The food you brought with you?” she asked in alarm.  “You ate some?”

I nodded, not sure what was so wrong with a little snack.

“Don’t eat any human food while you’re a fairy,” she said, pointing me towards a patch of mushrooms a few feet off.  “Fairies are only supposed to eat mushrooms, candies, and Aevynon fruits.  Everything we eat has to be seasoned with the air of Aevynon, or it takes away all our powers.”

“Oh,” I said, frowning.  If human food robbed me of my powers, I knew I could not risk another bite.  However, I had never tried raw mushrooms before, and wasn’t sure I was ready to.  But the hungry wolf in my stomach gave another growl, forcing me to eat.

I slowly stood up, and bent over to pluck a small mushroom from the grass.  I stared at the mushroom suspiciously, then closed my eyes, and took a bite.  To my surprise, I liked it.  The taste was meaty and fresh, and I eagerly took another bite.  Nettle picked a rare fruit from one of the nearby trees, and we smiled at each other, enjoying the quiet peacefulness of the twilight.  I gazed thoughtfully through the trees.  They took on a deep purple hue in the moon’s light, and their leaves rustled in a slight breeze.  Glowing eyes appeared here and there amongst the foliage, peering at me with curiosity.  I smiled at the inquisitive creatures of the night, knowing I was protected by the fairies’ power.