Morgan held the pen in her hand up to her lips, as if that action could draw words from her mind. She searched through words, trying to find the perfect word that would fit in the empty spot upon her paper. She scribbled the last sentence upon her paper, and rewrote, finally finding a way to solve her dilemma. She glanced over her paper, searching for errors, or words that did not suit her purpose.
Morgan had sat writing for the past two hours. Her heart poured out as she wrote about heroic knights and long lost loves, but she always had problems. In her mind she saw a wonderful scene of love and hate, creating a strange world of intrigue and magic, but when she described those places upon her paper, they always seemed wrong. She wanted so much for her writings to express her utmost feelings, but she never had the words.
Her long brunette flowed over her shoulders, concealing the room around her. She rubbed her brown eyes, sore from the hours of work. Morgan was not considered tall or short, but she never really cared about that. A lot of people thought her pretty, and had expressed so, but she never considered herself pretty. Her own self confidence was low, and eventually she had stopped caring. She massaged her forehead and realized that her incense had gone out.
She sighed and set her writing down upon her nightstand. She stood up and went to tend to her incense. Taking a lilac flavored one, she lit the end with her lighter, and placed the burning incense into the holder. She breathed the rich flavor and sighed happily. Instead of picking up her work once again, she threw herself onto her bed.
Morgan curled up, facedown, and thought about her separate worlds that she had created. The only time she found happiness was when she daydreamed. Within her own mind, she was a swordsman or an elf, but without she regained her old life once again, a normal person with no real position in the world. She sighed dreamily and once again picked up her pen, and tried to write once more.
A sudden knock brought her out of her mood, and she cursed whoever was at the door. Opening the door, she found her father looking at her. Her father was past his thirties, and the years were greatly effecting him. Thinning gray hair stood in tufts upon his head, and wrinkles marred his face. But throughout his whole life, he always managed to come out smiling, as he was doing know. Morgan stared blankly at her father, waiting for him to finish his task so she could be left alone once again.
�Dinner is done,� her father said in a soft voice. Kind as it may sound, Morgan always seemed as if he spoke from a far away place. His voice alone made Morgan feel as if she was only a burden.
�So? I�m not hungry,� she said as she began to shut her door on this intruder. �Your mother wants you to come to dinner. She wants it to be the whole family,� he replied, using the same voice. Morgan knew that what her mother wanted, she received. Since she wanted to keep her books and her freedom, she exited her room and closed her door. Her father expressed his thanks and retreated down the hall in the direction of the dining room.
Coming into the dining room, she found her whole family seated at the table. Her mother looked at her with a warm smile that never reached eyes. Her mother had aged better than her father had. Her mother was a bit overweight, and constantly trying to lose weight through ineffective diets. Morgan considered her mother as a tyrant, and kept out of her way at all possible times.
Her mother beckoned her to sit at the table, and she did, adjacent to her father and between her brother and sister. She stared at the food sitting upon the table below the bright glow of the ever-present lights. The meal consisted of steak, potatoes, and biscuits. She wrinkled her noise in disgust at the steak and potatoes. Her mother did not see, engrossed in her own meal. She took two biscuits and slowly ate those, waiting for the time until she could retreat back into her room.
Her father was the first one to speak, �So, Kensey, how was your game?� Earlier today Kensey, her younger sister by two years, had had a volleyball game. Her father never went to the games, for he was ever engrossed in his own meaningless job. He always seemed interested, but Morgan knew it only as a ploy to make himself seem more like the fatherly figure.
�Our team did pretty well. We won and we are still undefeated,� replied Kensey. Kensey�s tone was full of irritation, like all the other times this petulant child spoke. Morgan hated her for her rudeness, and always had to keep in the urge to reprimand her for her horrible behavior.
�Kensey sat on the bench the whole time. The coach never puts her in, and when she does, it is only for two rotations. I sware, I am going to have a talk to that man,� Her mother always got heated about these subjects, and wondered why she did. When events like this one happened to her, hardly a word was said.
�That�s because I can only defend! I can�t do anything else,� Kensey�s tone rose and Morgan silently prayed that her mother would not have another outburst about Kensey�s tone. One did not happened, so she silently reflected about today�s game. Yes, her sister was in for only a short time, and from what Morgan saw, Kensey had no skill for volleyball. She could not play worth beans, and she did not know how she ever made the team. She even did not blame the coach for keeping her on the bench.
�Well, if you keep sitting on the bench, you won�t play anymore,� her mother made the same empty threat she used every other day. Kensey made her usual small nod and kept eating. Morgan and Kensey both knew that she would never back that threat up, and she sighed. That would mean more days of getting home late and being forced to watch her sister�s games.
Her father turned towards her brother and started to ask him about his school day. Only seven, he was in the second grade, and in danger of being held back. Stupidity did not go well with Morgan, but her parents just ignored his bad sides. Even though his intelligence was low, they looked upon the way her acted around people and how lovable he was. The conversation did not last long, and Morgan was glad she did not have to listen to her brother�s inane ramblings.
Surprisingly, her mother�s attention turned to her. �So how was school today,� her mother asked in a slightly sharper tone than that she had used with Kensey.
�Okay,� she murmured and went back to her bread.
�Why are you so depressed today,� her mother inquired. Morgan laughed silently to herself, wondering however in the world her mother had come up with that wonderful question. She came up with her usual answer.
�I�m not depressed. Just tired. May I be excused,� she looked at her parents questioningly. Her mother let out an exasperated sigh, and rolled her eyes. Morgan took that as a �yes� and quickly left the table. She pushed in her seat and put her plate in the sink, even though she knew her actions as futile. Once her dinner was over, her mother would yell about plates left out and chairs not pushed in, and her siblings would blame it all on her. Being the outcast of the family, no one would believe her.
She crept quietly back to her room. The candle and incense were still burning, and she was glad for the strong smells that greeted her. Once closing her door, weariness settled over her. She collapsed onto her bed, and pulled her sheets tightly around her. Her family somehow always reminded her how much of her life had gone to waste. Ever since she could remember, she had taken orders and never chose her own path to follow. Even though she detested her parents, she hated the fact that her sister always received more attention. She had grown up without support or love from her cold family, and it had taken its toll upon her spirit.
She remembered to blow out her candle before her eyes closed to allow her needed sleep to come. Soon dreams of happy times and legends of old crept into her mind, chasing away thoughts of sadness, and as she slept, a slight smile came upon her face.
~~~
Morgan first realized a biting cold surrounding her. She tried to pull the sheets tighter around her body, but at once she realized that they were no longer there. She opened her eyes, and the sight she saw blew her away. The sun stood high in the middle of the sky, illuminating the golden meadows that she found herself in. She stood up, and when she did, she saw that the clothing she wore was not her own. She wore a dark blue robe, completely different than the sweat clothes she had fallen asleep in. The wind picked up suddenly, blowing her hair into her face. Morgan grabs a piece of her hair and holds it up under her eyes for closer inspection. She gasps as she realizes her hair as turned pure white, and catches the last of the remaining light. She looks down and sees that the rest of her still says the same.
After the first initial schock, rational thought begins to play through her mind. This could be a dream, she thought, but I am way too aware...strange.
"Where am I?" Morgans says out loud, in hopes of some answer coming to her. The breeze dies and she smoothes her thick hair back. The meadow around her seems as if it is dying, the golden light it was reflecting soon going away. About twenty feet of is a small forest, the only shelter from the sky. Morgan sits down, thinking about what to do next, with thoughts of despair creeping into her mind.
"Where am I?" She repeats again and this time she is answered.
You are in realm unlike your own.
"Who said that?!?" Morgan cries as she climbs back up on her feet. She looks around and around until she realizes that the voice is inside her head.
I have no name. The voice is light and dark at the same time. But through all that, she knows that she can trust the speaker.
"Can you tell me where I am?"
As I said before, in another realm.
"I do not understand, why am I here, and what is here?"
This is the realm created by people's imaginations and dreams. Me and my brethren have decided to bring you here.
"Who are the Brethren?"
We are beings without form, you may think of us as spirits.
"Why did you bring me here though? I wish to understand."
Through your dreams we have seen how much you wish to live somewhere else. We decided to bring you here, in hope that you will find happiness. Sudden realization dawns upon Morgan. She smiles and begins to giggle, overcome with happiness. I must take my leave now, explore this realm and find your destiny.
"Wait, how am I supposed to do that?!?!"
Travel this world, find yourself a new home, the rest will come when destiny wills so... and with that finl whisper, the spirit is gone. Even though she had no way of telling whether or not the spirit was really gone or not, she still had the feeling it was. With a new resolve and determination, she sets out towards the forest, looking for a place to sleep for the night. Upon entering the thicket, she discovers a small stream that she could not see from her old position. She finds the water clean and drinks greedily, wetting her dry throat.
Investigating one of the bushes next to the water, she finds berries of a dark red color. She takes one and sniffs at it, making sure they were not poisonous. Morgan decides they are good enough to eat, so devours a couple of them. Morgan looks over the bushes and finds their leaves soft and large. Pulling a couple off, she puts them into a small pile near the water, and falls asleep, staring at the stars above her, and listening to the soft trickle of water next to her.
~~~
The chirping of birds wakes Morgan up in the morning. The sky is a dark greyish blue color, the sun still not up far enough to brighten the sky. She steps up, and makes her breakfast of berries and water once again. Finding a small pouch on her belt, she fills it with berries in case she can not find food later on. While doing this, Morgan hears a light nicker on the the other side of the stream. She finishes her task, and crossing the stream, she walks behind the trees there.
Standing there is a white horse, completely saddled and girldered. She knew that the horse had been left from the spirit, for the horse resembled one that she had dreamed of not too long ago. Remembering the name she had given him at the time, she names him Kiro and pats him upon his head. Getting up into the saddle she felt that she had grown up in the saddle. Something flashes from beneath the saddle bags, and digging it out, she finds a long sword. Taking the cloth off the sword, she wielded it about a bit. She had never used the sword, but it felt like an extension of her arm, and she knew that if the need be, she would be able to use the sword with deathly accuracy.
All the things that she had always wished and dreamed were true, had finally been given to her. Morgan kicks the horse into gallop and heads out of the forests, riding along the stream, hoping that would lead her to some kind of civilization. Traveling for a few hours, mountains forming a rather large valley are seen in the distance. Morgan thinks to herself, 'there must be someone living in that valley over there.'
Morgan decides to head there, but the sun is now setting. Morgan can not remeber where they day had gone. and when she got down from the horse, luckily she wasn't too sore. Looking in the saddle bags, she finds a small bed covering. Not far off is a forest, one that hugs the outside of the valley. She still has a long way to get there, but she should be able to make it there in a day or so. Finding some bushes in the undergrowth, she spreads out her bed roll. Once done, she ties her horse's reins to the branches of a tall oak, she lies down upon her blankets. Once she finds a comfortable and warm position, she falls asleep easily. ~~~
The sun greets Morgan's closed eyes, preventing her from sleeping any further. She pulls her blankets aside, and the cold of the early morning chilling her to the bone. 'A little extra clothing wouldn't hurt', she thinks. She went to the horse still tied to the branch, chewing small tufts of grass upon the ground. Going through the packs on the horse's back, and in there she finds a small coat and several days worth of food. Once she pulled on the coat, the cold was less prominent.
Getting back upon her horse once again, she rides towards the forest once again, still following the small, clear stream. The horse walked with a light, springy step, and nickered happily as they went. She pats his neck with affection and the horse nickers in reply. Morgan smiles to herself, her old life already forgotten. Even though she was gone from all that she had known and all that she had grown up in, she was not sad. She felt as if she had awakened from a terrible nightmare, and the remnants of that were finally slipping away.
The sun stood at the apex of the sky when Morgan reaches the edge of the forest. The forest is dark, and shadows play across the flowers and shrubs covering the floor of the forest. Morgan peers in, but can see nothing from where she is. 'Well, I guess the only thing left for me to do is to enter the forest.' She nudges her horse through the first of the trees, but soon sees that the going will be tough.
She gets off the horse and wraps the reins around her right hand. Searching for the best path among the crowded undergrowth, she guides her horse over the uprising roots from the trees, and the occasional rock covered in a thick green moss. Traveling for hours, Morgan glances up over the trees and looks towards the mountains in the distance. The mountains are no closer than they were hours ago? What has happaned?
Morgan asesses the problem, knowing that she had not walked in circles. Remembering what the spirit had said about this world earlier before, anything could make this anomolous act possible. Morgan decides it best to stop and rest for the time being, so, after tending to her horse, she sits down upon the ground, eating some food from the saddlebags. Another fact that Morgan had not noticed earlier was that ever since she had entered this forest, there had been no sound of any kind of wildlife. Also, there was no breeze whistling through the branches overhead.
Morgan stands up, looking around for any other sign of intelligent life. Kiro snorts and Morgan goes to him and calms him down. She notices the horse looking at something strange in the distance, and she follows his line of sight. Squinting hard enough Morgan sees the faint shadow weaving among the trees not far off. The blur resembles the height and stature of a human, but this is no reason to not take precautions. Morgan draws her sword, and taking a fighting stance, she waits for the being to come into full view. The figure steps out from between the trees.
Morgan gasps as she realizes that this person is not human, but is a fairy! Looking her over, she sees that she is not armed, but the aura radiating from her is enough to know that she has the power to use magic. She seems to be about her own age, with long, light brown hair and brown eyes. From her worn clothes she can easily distinguish that she has made this forest her home.
Raising her hands, the fairy introduces herself to Morgan, "I mean you no harm. I have only come here to see what you are doing in this forest." Morgan stares blankly at the fairy, not fully understanding what she wants from her. But, through the fairy's tone, she knows that she can trust this stranger.
"Uhm, I am new to this land, and I am searching for a new home." The fairy thinks for a little bit, her first finger resting lightly upon her lower lip as she does so.
"Well, I can tell from your aura that you mean no harm and your'e intenions are well, therefore I can trust you. My name is Iris, what might your's be?" Morgan puts her sword back into the sheath, and stands up rightly.
"My name is Morgan," she replies, "what is this place, if I may ask?"
Iris smiles slightly and then says, "Oh, yes of course! You said you were new here. First come to my home where you can sit and rest in peace." Iris turns her back on Morgan, and raising her arms about halfway into the air, begins to murmur in a sing-songy voice a difficult chant. The trees before her begin to shimmer and disappear all together in front of Iris, and in its place is a broad path leading further into the forest. Morgan realizes her mouth is hanging open and quickly shuts it.
Iris saw though and explains, "This is a area protected by magic and the only way to get any where is through magical means." Iris steps onto the path and motions for Morgan to follow. Taking her horses reins, she follows after Iris. Her horse prances as far as his reins allow, and nudges Iris in the shoulder. Iris giggles and scratches the horse's muzzle. While walking, Morgan sees that the mountains are getting closer, and looking behind her, she sees that the path has closed back up, and the unmarred surface of the forest remains.
"This place is home to several different kinds of dragons and each one has it's own caretaker," Iris says after a brief hiatus. 'Dragons?' Morgan thinks to herself. She had never seen a dragon, hopefully now would be her chance to.
"So," Morgan begins, "What kind of dragon do you take care of?"
"You are interested in dragons I see?" Morgan nods eagerily and Iris smiles and says, "I take care of a dragon named Kami who came from Rose Caverns. She was the first one to live within this realm. We are always bringing dragons into our home, giving them a peaceful and safe place for them to live. Maybe later I shall introduce the caretakers to you."
They keep on walking and soon reach another trail leading up through the mountains. Iris walks along this one, and Morgan follows. Luckily, her horse found the trail easy enough to walk upon. After ten minutes of steady walking, the two find themselves standing on a ledge overlooking a large valley.
Iris turns to Morgan and says, "Here is where the dragon I watch over lives. We may talk here in peace." Iris sits down, and opening one of the packs upon her belt, she takes out a small canteen and two small cups. Iris pours a light red liquid into both and hands one to Morgan.
Taking one she asks, "So where is the dragon you spoke of?"
"Oh, yes. She is not here right now. She is busy taking care of her child in a cave at the other end of this valley. Now, why don't you tell me about your interest in dragons." Morgan tells Iris about her dreams as a child, about fairies and dragons and magic. Iris listens closely, soaking up all the information about her mundane world.
When Morgan finishes, Iris says, "Wow, this is all so interesting. Another world without dragons and magic! If I had not known the truth of your words, I would have never believed it possible!" Morgan laughs and takes a sip of the drink in her hand to soothe her sore throat. The taste was earthy and sweet, almost too sweet for her too handle. Iris seems to brighten, an idea coming to her.
"I have a great idea! Since you need a home, you may live here. And you can even become a caretaker when the need arives!"
"Oh my goodness!! That would be so great," Morgan says, almost a yell. Both of the women giggle and drink the rest of their drink. "All right, there is a cave at the base of one of these mountains just right outside this valley. We shall head there now," as she finishes, Iris takes the glasses and puts them away in her pack. Once at the end of the path, Iris turns to the left, and pushing aside some of the bushes, shows another path through the trees. They follow this path, and Morgan finds herself standing in front of a rather large cave. The sides of the mountains are of a dark black, covered in a dark green moss. The mouth of the cave was wide and tall enough for even a dragon to walk through. After tying her horse to a small tree in front of the hidden cave, she joins Iris in walking in. The way soon grows dark, and Iris turns her hand upright. A small ball of flame appears above her palm, lighting their way through the cave. "Wow! I have never seen any kind of magic before," Morgan says excitedly. "Hehe. Yes, this is only a simple spell. In time, I think you will be able to learn a few spells of your own. Come on, just a little farther," Iris says. Morgan turns around a sharp bend and finds herself in a large cavern. In the center of this cavern is a large lake, and from the looks of it, very deep also. "This is the place. A little sprucing up and it will be inhabitable. Also, this will be a perfect place to raise a dragon. Hmmm, the first thing we need is proper lighting." Gathering sticks and branches scattered on the ground, they build a small fire which illuminates half of the cavern. Once done, they cleared out the debri inside the cavern, and brought her stuff inside. Her horse was let loose, the magic of the forest making sure he remains safe and inside the realm. Outside the sky darkened and soon the sun was out of sight behind the horizon. "Well, I must be going. I will return later to teach you the arts of magic, and help you become a caretaker. Goodbye!" and with that, Iris leaves to take care of her own dragon. Morgan says goodbye and goes back into the cave. Lying upon her spread out blanket next to the fire, she thinks about the day's happenings. She had found her home, and now the only part left was to find her destiny. Who knew what that could be, but at least she would be able to take care of a dragon. She thought about Iris, glad to have found a friend in this strange but wonderful world. Morgan sighed happily and closed her eyes, truly happy for the first time in her life.
~~~
You find yourself in a forest, vibrant green trees growing all about you. A small trail leads farther into the forest, newly made and wanting to be tread upon. You decide to follow the small trail and see what is farther on. Small patches of light decorate the pathway, the light itself struggling to break through the canopy. The path seems to narrow a bit, and you soon find yourself in a small clearing. The plants here are healthy, growing tall and strong. You here rustling in the bushes to your right, and you turn in that direction. A woman wearing a blue robe walks into the clearing. She smiles and turns around, facing something that is still in the trees.
"Come on out, Kahi, the person is not dangerous." You wonder at what the person meant, but your thoughts are soon stopped. A green dragon walks out and stares with dark eyes.
"Hello. I am Morgan, and this is Kashi. We live in a cave not too far away. Would you care to visit?" You nod your head and follow the two as they easily traverse the thick growth of the forest. You soon reach a small cave set into the side of a mountain. Following inside, you find a small fire already burning, the smoke curling out of a hole in the ceiling.
"Welcome to our home, please make yourself comfortable." You sit down at the fire, where Morgan hands you a cup of tea. Kashi sits not too far away from you, staring with curious eyes.
Kashi seems to brighten as he says, "Would you like to see my treasure?" You nod your head, not wanting to offend the green dragon. The green dragon gets up and heads towards a small depression at the back of the cave. Leaves and twigs line the bottom of the depression, and on top, carefully laid, are jewels.
Kashi first points to a red orb where images of dragons can be seen. "This is a Dragon Orb. A lady named Desiree gave it to me when I first came here." He then points to three green gems, the same color as the trees of the forest. "These gems were given to me when I grew into a shrape stage. I was full grown then, but my magic had yet to come in. The people here are very kind to me." He then pointed to a green orb, the green colors of spring. "And this, my most precious object. It is my Spring Orb. This was given to me at the Shantel for my clutch. My father has one too." His chest puffs out with pride as he remembers the event.
Morgan calls over to the two of you, inviting you towards the fire. She hands you some food, and the three of you eat in silence.
~~~
You decide to come and visit Kashi, enjoying the quiet visit earlier. Morgan and Kashi are sitting outside of the cave, running about the lovely trees. The two stop and welcome you. As you look to Kashi, he seems to bream, happiness controlling his features.
"You seem a lot happier than yesterday," you say as you watch the happy bishen. "Well, thats because I got a Mate!" Kashi trails off happily.
Morgan continues for him, "Her name is Juliette, a red terran bishen."
"And she gave me gifts! What a wonderful mate she is!"
"Well, congratulations, Kashi." The two continue to play, running about the trees and bushes, Kashi extremely happy for his good fortune.
Name: Kashi
Gender: Male
Age: Bishen
Clutch: Amon'Ra and Keisne
Color: Green
Type: Terran
Magical Object: Spring Orb
Powers: Create the season of spring and inspire growth in all plants. Mate: Juliette!
Gifts from Juliette:
Branch of Erith:
Allows user to command plants to aid them (ex. vines to trap someone chasing them), cannot be used to command plants to hurt other plants.
Toys!
