Book 1, Series 1, Chapter 6

 Chapter 6

          The tall trees stood graciously with their green glory, each leaf catching every ray of sun. They all trudged through foliage and greenery, their bags bouncing with every step. Gaze observed every leaf, plant, and stone, making sure nothing was dangerous, while Firestone carelessly bounded through anything without hardly taking a peek at it. She was really starting to make him nervous. Celestial, on the other hand, had a stick she was using to move away stems and branches in front of her, although each time they flung back, nearly nailing Celeste in the face. Celestial had made a big fuss about leaving most of her bags back in the village, they had convinced her to bring one bag with the most important of her possessions, and one favorite outfit, "besides, there'll be lots of stores as we go" Gaze had reassured her, and that seemed to lighten her mood. "This is so awesome!" Leilani squealed with excitement "Junica never let me go into the Willowing Woods, she always said it was way too dangerous and I could get badly hurt, but this is so cool!" 

         "Yeah, but Junica has a right to worry, there has been countless attacks in the Willowing Woods, not to mention sicknesses, poisonous plants, anything could happen" Gaze said matter-of-factly. "Oh that's right! I forgot about the poisonous plants, don't tell me there's pixie-eating bugs too?" Firestone teased, rolling her eyes.

         "Hey, I think it's cool" Celeste jumped in, stepping over a log. "Besides," she continued "there's at least three villages in the Willowing Woods, how can it be so dangerous when pixie's live in it?"

          Gaze opened his mouth to explain when everyone's attention was caught by a startled cry, Celestial sat on the floor clutching her foot that was part way into a hole, "my heel got stuck" she confessed, "I can't get it out! Oh I bet something nasty lives in there!" She cried, tugging on her shoe, but it didn't budge. 

         "I can help" Neptune reassured her, and bent down to try to tug it out, "Try digging around it instead of tugging" Gaze told them.

        "I'm not shoving my hand in the dirt!" Celestial complained, giving the dirt a nasty look. Firestone let out a sigh that sounded more like a growl "whoever wants to not waist time pulling out a shoe she can easily just take off, your free to join me" she said, turning around and continuing into the forest beyond. "You got my vote" Crystal said, joining her.

         "I don't think it's a good idea to get separated" Gaze told them, Midnight nodded in agreement "Gaze is right, we have to stay together."

        "Got it!" Neptune announced proudly, holding a soup spoon that was now covered in dirt. 

        "Good, now we can catch up to Firestone and Crystal" Midnight said, walking in their direction, everyone else followed.

                                                                        * * *

         "Can we stop for lunch, please!" Leilani begged, rapping her arms around her stomach. "Sure, this seems like a good time to sit down and eat" Midnight agreed, setting her backpack on the grassy forest floor before sitting on a rock, taking out a sandwich. 

          Gaze took out his sandwich, spreading a cloth on the floor and setting his sandwich on it, then taking out a blank scroll and starting to draw the map, thanks to his photographic memory he could draw every detail, if only it didn't take so long. "Smart." Midnight said, watching line after line appear from the tip of his quill. 

        Gaze blushed, "anyone could have thought of redrawing a map" he stated, but Midnight just smiled "not without your memory" she replied. "If you two love birds are done cooing at each other, I'd like to get going." Firestone's voice boomed, and this time both Gaze and Midnight blushed with embarrassment, looking up and seeing everyone up and done eating. 

        Midnight cleared her throat "yeah, right" she said, standing up and helping Gaze put his stuff away.

        Time flew by like lightning, and before Gaze knew it the sun was beginning to set, casting long dark shadows across the golden floor. They all decided it would be best to stop then and set up camp before it got any darker, Leilani and Celeste went off to find firewood while Neptune took out some cooking supplies. "I suppose we have to make some kind of stick contraction to hold up the pot?" Neptune said, glancing at his large metal pot, and weighing it with his hand. 

       "Leave that to me!" Midnight said cheerfully, wandering off into the woods to work her magic.

        When Leilani and Celeste got back with wood piled in their arms, they carefully arranged the sticks, then Leilani started fiddling with a stick, trying to create fire when Firestone pushed her aside "alright junior, why don't you sit this one out" she said, cracking her knuckles before conjuring a fireball in the palm of her hand and flinging it at the stick pile. The sticks got engulfed in flames and Leilani staggered back, yelping when ashes flickered about, landing on her arms. "Too much fire! Too much fire!" She cried, flinging dirt on the fireball, Celestial gasped in anger when some of the dirt sprayed her in the face while she was removing her makeup, and Firestone just burst into laughter.

      "I knew her crave for watching the forest burn would show itself one day" Crystal sighed derisively, giggling when Firestone tossed dirt at her, "but seriously, you should turn it down a bit, I'm pretty sure the flames react to your anger."

      Gaze knew Crystal was just teasing, but he had once wondered whether Firestone's flames reacted to her emotions, they always seemed so wild when she was angry, and a bit more tamed when she was laid back.

     "Fine." said Firestone, rolling her eyes, "but not because YOU asked me to, because I WANT to" she glared at Crystal, pulling some of the fireball back and whisking it away as if it was a bug getting flicked off her finger, Crystal shrugged.

                                                                    * * *

     Later that night, when the glow of the fire was their nightlight, and the blanket of night had covered the sky. Long after Midnight had finished stringing sticks together to hold the pot up, and they had all eaten their fill, scrunched up in their blankets, and fallen asleep. A curious shadow looked upon them, as if making sure they were all fast asleep. A black vine slithered across the shadowed, dusty floor, making it's way silently over to Midnight and sinking into her bag, appearing back out with the mysterious pixie's visor, and making its way back into the shadows. Unseen by all, except a certain green haired pixie, who quietly followed into the shrouded darkness beyond.