Heroes of Dreamland, Book 6 1/2: The Last Sakuranoki (OLD)

A Visitor to The Farm

Cherry finally ended up falling asleep in the branch of one of the younger trees not too long before dawn. With a sad sigh, Donguri threw a blanket over her and then went up the hill to speak to the three Mother Sakuranoki.

After listening to the first one's worried plea, he placed a hand on its trunk and promised, "I will stay with all of you until the end. You won't be alone, my friends."

The second one whooshed at him as well, and he replied, "I know, I miss them all too. Trust me, I mourn them just as much as all of you do."

The third one spoke so quietly that he could barely hear it. With a slow nod, he agreed, "It won't be safe here for much longer, but I will let Cherry stay as long as I can. This is her home."

A chilly Early Autumn breeze blew through, blowing a cloud of thousands of cherry blossoms out of the branches of all of the trees. They swirled around for several seconds, then blew off into the lonely, slowly-lightening sky.

He watched the sunrise silently. For as long as he could remember, he'd loved getting up early enough to watch the sunrise, but today, its beauty was lost on him. Everything was falling apart around him, and poor Cherry hardly even had a clue...

As he was thinking this, he heard the sound of someone approaching. With a gulp, he grabbed a nearby spade and prepared for the worst. But when the someone crested the hill, he saw that it wasn't a foe, but a friend.

"A Star Warrior. Greetings. What brings you here, friend?"

The Star Warrior, a light blue puffball person with green eyes, nodded breathlessly at his greeting and then flopped down under one of the Mother Sakuranoki to catch his or her breath. They were dressed in the uniform typical of an SWA Scout: a plain brown, thick cape that would be good for camoflauge or staying warm, brown leather shoes, and a plain brown beret-style hat with a golden star pinned to it. Their Warp Star, which had shrunk down to badge size, proving that they had earned their name and were qualified to serve in the Star Warrior Army. After a minute, the puffball sat back up and addressed him.

"Sorry about arriving so suddenly. This is Sakuranoki Farm, right?" The Star Warrior's voice showed him to be male.

Nodding, Donguri agreed, "That it is. Again, what brings you here? Good things, I hope?"

The Star Warrior instantly grew professional. "Private Tracker of Reverence Clan, sir. I've been sent here to collect something of the utmost urgency and import."

Chuckling weakly, the Brownie assured him as he put down his spade, "There's no need to be so formal, Tracker. If you're trying to get a tree, I'll tell you now that we're closed. Besides which, these things are obsolete. The Lord of Nightmares has found a way past them, they won't work for protection purposes anymore."

 The Star Warrior hesitated, then shook his head. "Then all hope is lost, sir. One of your trees is desperately needed on the Planet Popstar. The Fairy Forces we've been working with there suggested you to help us, and-"

With a frown, Donguri urged him, "Slow down, Tracker, and start at the beginning. Why do you need one of these things so badly if you've already got the Fairy Forces and some Star Warriors there?"

Nodding slowly, Tracker took a deep breath and started his explanation with a question. "Have you ever heard of the Star Rod or the Fountain of Dreams?"

After shaking his head, Donguri sat down underneath one of the trees across from the Star Warrior. He had a feeling this was going to take a while. "No, I can't say that I have."

The Star Warrior nodded again, then looked off into space. "Well, on Popstar, there's a country known as Dreamland. Actually, the whole planet is part of this one country. So Dreamland is one of the more magic-filled places in the Galaxy. You see, the inhabitants can't have nightmares, because there's this magical fountain, the Fountain of Dreams, that prevents them from even happening."