The Chronicles of Earth and Time: Summer Awakening

Chapter 4

The three girls ran through the castle avoiding the elves as they tried to do their duties. Once they finally made it to the exit, they almost literally flew through the door into the center of the Whispering Woods. Amber began to run through the woods and Juniper was just about to jump through a hole when Flare suddenly shouted. "Wait!" They both paused suddenly and look at Flare questioningly.

"What?" They both asked clearly itching to go visit the pixies.

"How am I supposed to get there if you two leave me?" Flare inquired as she looked from Juniper to Amber in confusion.

"Oh, yeah!" Amber suddenly exclaimed in realization. "You haven't figured out your method of transportation yet."

"Here," Juniper gestured for them to come over, "until Flare figures out how to travel we can just travel together." Juniper and Amber jumped in the hole followed by a reluctant Flare who called after them to wait for her. Flare found herself sliding down the hole after her older sisters who were whooping in joy and excitement. They continued to slide until Flare was finally able to see a light quickly approaching her. As soon as she met the light, she felt herself fly out of the hole and propel into the air only to meet the hard ground soon after.

"Ow!" Flare complained as Juniper and Amber helped her up.

"Sorry, Flare!" Juniper apologized. "It's hard to get used to."

"Yeah, no kidding." Flare joked as she looked around. They were still in a forest, but it was not the forests she had become accustomed to. "Where are we?" She asked as she looked around curiously.

"We are just outside of the Whispering Woods." Juniper answered as they began walking through the tiny woods.

"What's the Whispering Woods?" Flare questioned as she began to imagine a creepy, scary woods somewhere near them.

"It's what the humans call Mother Nature's forest." Amber suddenly answered as she pointed across the field at something. Flare squinted across the field to see a small town in the distance.

"Wow, the humans!" Flare exclaimed as she started to make her way toward the town only to feel somebody grab her shoulder. She glanced over her shoulder to find Amber holding her back. "Aren't we going to the town?"

"No way!" Amber answered. "I wouldn't go near the humans."

"Why not?" Flare asked in confusion.

"Because the humans can't see us." Amber replied hesitantly. It was like the conversation she had with Nixie back when she first woke up.

"We're not supposed to interfere with them." Juniper interrupted in a very serious tone. She then began to walk pass the field into a small patch of forest. Amber looked at Flare and shrugged.

"She's a stickler for the rules." Amber whispered as they followed Juniper into the woods.

"What was that?" Juniper shouted as she shot a look at the two younger girls.

"Nothing!" Amber and Flare answered at the same time as they both straightened up. Juniper smiled slightly as she reached out and pulled a wall of vines over revealing a small clearing with a stone circle in the center. As they walked inside, Flare ran up to the stones.

"I thought we were visiting pixies." Flare kicked the stone softly. "This is just a bunch of rocks." At that moment, a bunch of childlike figures appeared out of the woods around them. They appeared as human children, but they had animal like features. One little boy ran up to them really excited. He had long, brown puppy ears and his tail was wagging as fast as it could possibly go. Flare looked around and noticed another little boy with bear ears approaching them cautiously.