Disclaimer: Gargoyles does not belong to Clan LeFemme or Byrdie. They belong to Disney and Buena Vista Television. The character "Byrdie Fae" belongs to (of course) Byrdie as does anything that was created by Clan LeFemme belong to all of us. No other character may be used by another member unless given permission.

Description: A mountain stands in Byrdie's path. A given opportunity to explore a little...

A big "Nihao" goes out to all of my clan sisters. A special "Thanx" goes out to my clan sista, Skydancer. Thanks for your help on this one. Much love. Peace.

The full moon shined down in beams of mystical light, giving the world on the surface mysterious shadows. A thick fog covered the land for what seemed to be forever, giving the earth the vagueness of a dream.

Fireflies danced in the night air, the imaginary thespian stage containing their patterns that illuminated the night. The wind blew softly, dancing to it's own magical music, the trees swaying to the immutable beat.

The young Faerie slowly flew through the dark night. Usually, she could see through this and go faster, but the fog slowed her down, preventing her from making but so much progress on her journey.

Looking ahead of her, Byrdie peered through the mists. "What is that...?"

There was a huge shadow hanging in the fog before. The shadow of something really big. "A mountain...?"

Swerving in the air, Byrdie backed off a little to confirm her thought. A slow, curious smiled formed on her lips, and she began to make a slow landing.

Her booted feet touched grassy earth beneath her and the magic around her body stopped it's work. She then heard the sound of rushing water. Turning slightly, Byrdie gaped at the sight of a crystal waterfall in the midst of a lush forest, one much like the kind on Avalon. Breathing out slowly, the young Faerie floated over the waterfall's pool and through the falls, the rushing waters parting themselves in her passing.

Behind the falls was a large entanglement of vines. Looking closer, the Fae saw that the shrubbery partially covered up a dark cave. After thing about it for a moment, Byrdie pushed the vines aside and floated in. Inside, she had entered a large cavern. Being as dark as it was, the Faerie lifted her hand an da small ball of light illuminated the cavern. Glancing down to the far end, she saw a large doorway that seemed to lead into another room. Flying over to it, she proceeded to go through, having little fear of the unknown.

She was now in a main cavern, much larger than the last. The floor was covered with broken pieces of brittle, wooden furniture, all showing the wearing of time upon them. Thick moss and lichens covered the broken furniture, giving them an ancient look.

"It would seem as if Mother Nature is slowly reclaiming what was once hers," Byrdie said softly as she pressed through the cavern. She then looked up to the far corner of the hall and saw a straw bed next to a hearth. Landing on the chamber floor, the Faerie woman walked over to the far side of the hall and knelt down beside the straw bed. Examining both the straw and the hearth, Byrdie confirmed that they were both newer-- both seeming to be more recent-- though the charcoal remains in the hearth showed that it hadn't been used in several months.

Standing away from these things, Byrdie saw another doorway. "How intriguing," she said, her curiosity peaked. "I wonder how many chambers there are in this cave." And she walked through.

The next chamber was smaller than the last, but far more curious. Wooden bookshelves lined the walls; a table and chairs stood in the middle of the room. The wood that they had been carved out of matched the antiquity of the broken furniture in the earlier chamber, but these had been taken care of, signs of careful repair evident.

Byrdie looked back up at the wooden bookshelves. Hundreds and hundreds of books lined up and down them in large rows. They were all clearly from another age, perhaps dating back from over a hundred years-- or at least the turn of the century. The Fae stared at the neatly arranged volumes, a questioning look written clearly on her face. Floating high off of the ground, she slowly went over to a shelf and picked out a random book. A thin layer of dust covered it, showing that it had been cleaned off recently.

Going through the books one by one, Byrdie managed to find every subject that she could have possibly imagined: science, language, medicines, mathematics, and herbs. There were books of Faeries, and their magic, mythical animals of legend, and even books full of spells. Clutching a book of ancient spells to her chest, she sighed. "Such nostalgia..."

Then reality struck her in the face and she sighed again. Byrdie slipped the book of spells back onto the shelf when she noticed something unusual. On the book's cover were small clawmarks. Though nearly unnoticeable, she had pointed it out quickly and it struck her as strange. Glancing onto the upper shelves, Byrdie saw the same curious markings. "That's funny..." she mused. "These shelves are high above any human's head. What could be tall enough to leave clawmarks on shelves and books such as these and not completely destroy them?"

Pondering over this new development, Byrdie looked back out through the main chamber. A small glow that shined through the falls caught her eye. Looking back to the library, she decided that she could always come back and she flew towards the light.

Out past the waterfall, Byrdie discovered that the fog had cleared. Distant lights below the mountain's height shined brightly, giving the aura of a far away city.

"Hmm.... Very interesting..." she said slowly. "How very interesting, indeed..."