The Last Beacon

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Lion.

Lion? Lion!

Enter the dark and find the Lion who will show you the way to the hills of Iron.

"That's it!"

The creature eyed her strangely, and that's when Sascha realised she had blurted that aloud.

"If you don't mind me asking, miss, but what's got you so excited?"

She began to smile; something was finally going her way. "You're in the prophecy! You're apparently supposed to lead us to the 'hills of Iron'."

"Am I now? I think you'd better follow me, miss. A proper conversation may be in order."

"Oh, yes, right. Of course. After you, Lion." She said.

The creature nodded once. "Follow me, if you will. My den is not far, and I suggest we hurry."

Sascha tilted her head as they began walking side by side. "Hurry? Why?"

Lion momentarily glanced up at her, before looking back at where he was going. "Let's just say that it's lucky that I'm the one who found you, and not something else."

"Right..." Sascha said, trailing off. They walked in silence for a few minutes, before she spoke again. "I'm not trying to be rude, but what exactly are you?"

Lion chuckled. "I'm an enfield, miss. My species is a hybrid, genetically bred by the elvish folk in the west. We used to have high numbers, but as time dragged on, the demand for enfield skins increased. Soon, everybody wanted a stuffed enfield on their wall, and of course, it ripped a hole in the population."

Sascha looked down. "How many are left?"

"Unless there are some that are too good at hiding, there would have to be only one, miss."

Sascha bit her lip when his words sunk in. He's all alone.

Lion let out a heavy breath and didn't dare look up at her.

Lion's head didn't go higher than Sascha's knee, only his upright ears and unfurled wings did. His wings were made up of mottled beige feathers with flecks of brown, white and black, and the talons on his front legs were sharp and curved, just like those of a bird of prey.

The pair were soon in a clearing, and the pale sky was streaked with the colours of dawn.

Stood before them was a giant sequoia tree, bigger than any tree Sascha had ever seen. The top seemed to almost touch the wispy clouds, and towered over the rest of the forest, making all of the other trees seem tiny in comparison. The base of the tree had a broad split that went well up the trunk, creating an opening just large enough for a person to squeeze through.

"This tree is my home, miss," Lion said when they reached the opening. "Go in, I'm right behind you."

Sascha ducked her head and shuffled her way in, where a path led her immediately downwards on a slant, into the ground. Below ground, the path levelled out and quickly opened up into a room; the walls reinforced by tree roots and lit by burning lanterns that hung from the low ceiling. Through the dim lighting, Sascha could see a figure sitting at the wooden table in the middle of the room, and she knew it could only be one person.

"Laurenz?"

He stood quickly, rushing over to her, close enough that she could clearly see his face. He's safe, thank God.

"Sascha! Oh god, you're alright! I thought you were right behind me, but then I looked back and you weren't! I assumed you might have wandered off, but you couldn't have been far, so I called your name over and over, searching for you. However, I couldn't find you anywhere, but I did find Lion. And now here we are. What happened to you?"