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He sifted through the woods, unsure of what exactly it was
that he sought. In his trembling paw held a tatted map, stained with mud and other
ominous substances the likes of which he did not want to dwell upon.
Footstep after footstep he traveled down the
overgrown path, knowing indeed that he could be walking ever closer towards
his doom. Yet he did not care any longer. He had endured another despicable
day, one which he longed to forget…
Yet he knew that today would be the last day
like that.
At the fork he was to take a left--at least the
map showed him. His eyes squired in the forest dank, the trees blocking out
all the light from the sky. The minuscule drawings were almost possible to make
out, yet one detailed drawing easily stood out from the rest.
It was a tree, a simple ordinary tree. The drawing
showed its gangly branches and dark, twisted bark while it stood in the center
of the forest, completely alone and in a clearing of its own.
It was the Tree of the Dark Faeries; a frequent
motif in legends and ghastly tales, always the backdrop for some horrific and
chilling end. Legend spoke of this sinister abomination as the gathering place
for all Dark Faeries when the moon disappeared from the sky and the stares ceased
to twinkle.
But when the moon shone through the night, the
tree stood alone in the forest waiting for its dark companions to arrive again
on the next new moon. But even then none dared to pass the tree's shadow, for
it was believed that a single Dark Faerie was always waiting in the tree…
Waiting and watching for the weak…
Timidly, the Moehog trotted up to the tree, the
swirls on the bark forming angry eyes that bored down upon him. Next to the
tree a tiny pool sat silently, almost like an empty hole. Not a single ripple
of water damaged the glassy surface of the seemingly endless liquid shadows,
while the trees around strangely did not reflect upon the deep pool. The Moehog
took a stone by his hoof and kicked it into the tiny pool. The rock skipped
an inch or two on the water before splashing down; making no noise as the black
pool swallowed it whole.
Nothing stirred around the tree, the entire
world seemed detached from this tiny grotto in the middle of the forest. The
Moehog waited and watched for something…anything…to come and aid him in his
plight. Yet minute after minute ticked by, and soon the Moehog realized that
reality had crushed his plans once again…
He made to turn around and head home until his
breath caught in his chest. It was icy cold and solid, a feeling which he never
felt before, but wishes never to feel again. He knew that it could only mean
one thing, as he turned around fearfully to the tree, his eyes wide and expectant.
Like a delicate breath of wind she flit down
from the midnight sky to the tree under her feet. Her long purple tresses gently
flapped in a wind that suddenly sprung up, while her dress swirled around her
like an unearthly mist. The young Moehog's chest thumped with fear at the sight
of her. She was a tiny faerie, and yet he was completely and utterly terrified,
more so than he had ever been in his life! He tried to run, but something kept
him rooted at the spot, not allowing him to leave though his heart wished for
nothing more than to run away from this dreaded place...
"Did you call, my dear child?" inquired the Dark
Faerie, her small feet landing upon the bank of the tiny pool. The tiny faerie's
eyes glittered with the cruelty of so many heartaches and pains, while her sadistic
smile beamed with the terror and fear locked in so many dark hearts. She was
no more than a foot in height, and she still possessed the ability to drown
the Moehog in terror.
"You-I...I-" the Moehog fumbled, still amazed
at the tiny creature before him. The Dark Faerie giggled loud and shrill, her
short hair still blowing in the random wind.
"Ahhh, do not be nervous child. Those stories
that are always told about us Dark Faeries are quite hyperbolic!" she
chuckled. The Moehog tried to feel somewhat relaxed at this idea, yet realized
that the gleeful smirk on the faerie's purple face did not ease him at all.
A howl cut through the night while the Dark Faerie turned from the Moehog to
study her lonely reflection in the surface of the black pond, almost uninterested
in the Moehog existence for the time being.
"Well?" she inquired, still not looking up from
her own reflection. "Why have you come here, dear pet?"
"Oh..." the Moehog fumbled nervously. "I-that
is to say I came here becau-because...there are some bullies at my school..."
"Ahhh, tease you, do they?" she inquired, turning
about to stare at him with her hungry eyes. The Moehog nodded; his blue mane
ruffling as he did so.
"Y-yeah...they...well, everyday they just...just
make my life so hard." The pet turned away from the faerie, a large pearly tear
ruffling down his face. He felt so embarrassed to be crying and weeping in front
of such a wonderfully divine presence. The faerie's lips twisted up to a grin
as she slid next to the sobbing Moehog, a coating of sweetness infused within
her voice.
"Ohhh...you poor thing!" she coaxed. "You truly
are brave to go on about as you do, though they make your life so difficult.
Please…tell me more," the Faerie invited, her smirk never disappearing, only
growing hungrier with each cry and tear shed from the Moehog.
"Last month they...they switched my jelly dessert
with some poisonous jelly when I was at lunch...an...and I was sick for a week!"
he whimpered. "A-and that's why I came here because...because I want your help!"
The Moehog turned to the Faerie next to him, dropping upon his belly, in a bowing
sort of fashion. He silently wished to himself that the faerie would help him.
He couldn't go about being bullied any longer! He needed…needed something!
The Moehog only hoped it was within the faerie's
kind heart to give him the aid he needed…
"Why my help?" The Dark Faerie seemed taken aback.
Dramatically she placed her finger to her lips, looking fairly innocent. "I
would be honored to help you in any way that I can! But, how can a small faerie
like me be of any aid to a strong and wonderful pet such as yourself, my dear?"
"I-I've heard of how you Dark Faeries can give
out power an-and I want some power because...I want to make sure they don't
bully me again!" The Moehog's voice was loud and defensive. These were exactly
the words the Dark Faerie wanted to hear. Gingerly, she took the end of the
Moehog's horn in her tiny hand and led him to the black pool.
"Well, I can help you there, dear sweet pet.
Simply take a swim in these waters, and everything that you want: power, revenge,
respect. Anything you want will be in your grasp!" Her voice was sweet and soothing,
rather like a lullaby like for the Moehog. He didn't even hear her gently cackle
as dived into the fathomless pool.
His mind raced with all the stories and books
he heard: every legend about the Dark Faeries and the terrible consequences
which befell those who listened to their powers. Yet the Moehog did not listen,
he did not care, his mind was already lost as he dove deeper and deeper into
the impenetrable blackness.
Everything was pitch black, as if his eyes were
closed, even though he knew they were wide open. He swam through the liquid
night, startled that this tiny black pond could seem so endless.
While he waded through the pond, a rush of newfound
power surged through his veins and mind, empowering him. He smiled as the feeling
washed over him, a new state that he never knew before: one of absolute respect
and power. It was a feeling which he loved perhaps more than anything in the
world.
Come a voice ripped through the water
with clarity. The Moehog turned outside to see the shimmering moon above the
water's surface, the only light that sparkled in the inky blackness of the pool.
He broke the surface, gasping for air while his limbs shook. Though the power
of the darkness rushed through him, he staggered about feeling like he just
recovered from a bad bout of the flu.
"It is done," the faerie smiled, an excited wave
rifling through her like electricity. "Go and do whatever your heart tells you.
Just know, that you now have the blessing of the Dark Faeries." The Moehog turned
his black eyes towards the tiny being before him and nodded his head slightly
while the Dark Faeries gave an elaborate bow. She held her stance as the Moehog
clamored out of the forest, only looking up once his footfalls were gone, an
excited and cruel shine in her eyes.
***
Mondays were always such horrible days for him. Every morning the bullies liked
to stand by his locker waiting for him with something which they wanted to 'experiment'
upon him with. It was the most embarrassing spectacle, everyday being degraded
to a side-show while the entire student body looked on, too afraid or too immersed
in their own glee to help.
But not today, he thought. His stride
was confident and his mind cool. Indeed, everything which he thought of, from
the moment he left the faerie till this second was simply revenge and how sweet
it would be to extract it.
"Whheeellll! Look at who it is!" a muscled Grarrl
leered as he peered down the hallway. At these words his companions turned,
each of them delighted now that the morning's attraction was here.
"Heh, you ready for 'em?" inquired a midnight
blue Lupe to the Grarrl. In response the Grarrl pulled out a large vial of 'Mud
and Mayo' chip-dip which had a distinct foul odor about it.
"Yeah! I made sure to give this stuff some 'improvements'!"
The group laughed at the end of this, giving each other a high five as the Moehog
drew closer. None of them could put their finger on it: he seemed calm, almost
detached, today.
"Mornin' runt! Have a good weekend?" crooned
one of the members, a Kyrii. The Moehog did not answer, staring straight ahead,
his eyes blank.
"Hey! He asked you a question!" the dark Lupe
snapped. The Moehog still did nothing, staring straight ahead. The group cracked
their knuckles menacingly and looked around, wondering which one would be the
first to make the move.
"Hey runt! HEADS UP!" the Grarrl yelled. His
hand darted into the bag, pulling out the concoction. He threw the entire container
at the Moehog, its contents spilling out all over the hallway. Deftly the Moehog
dodged them, not a single drop landing on him as everything else was coated
in the substance.
"ARGH! YOU THINK YOU'RE SMART, EH?" an Aisha
in the group roared.
"Oi! Hold 'em down!" a Skeith snapped. The group
surrounded the Moehog, their eyes hungry. The Moehog stared around at the group,
his mind strangely blank as the first one, the Grarrl, launched himself at the
Moehog.
SMASH! The Moehog sidestepped him with
blinding speed, causing his attacker to smash into the lockers. His overly large
head had managed to burst through the locker, yet it was too big to pull it
out of the hole he made.
"HEYY! I'm-I'M STUCK!" the Grarrl roared, a hint
of panic in his voice. The other's ignored him, continuing to all run at the
Moehog. The halls were abuzz as many stopped talking and clamored around, each
of them eager to se the ensuing madness.
It was a swipe here and a sidestep there, but
none of the bullies even touched the Moehog. No one could believe that this
tiny, timid little Moehog in their class was capable of such raw strength, yet
after only a few moments of a scuffle he was standing there, each of his bullies
either stuck in a locker, or having fled the area.
Cheered erupted all around him as the fiends
of the schoolyard were no more. The Moehog tried to smile and say thank you,
but soon realized that he could not…
He was no longer in control of his body.
Look at them all! So happy, yet where were
they when YOU needed them? asked a voice in his ear. Crush them,
the voice commanded.
No! No I don't want to! his mind yelled.
However, his body no longed seemed to pay allegiance to his voice as he launched
at the group of schoolmates. The pets cried as he charged at them, causing them
to scatter in each direction, looking for refuge. Indeed, a new power flowed
through his body as he commanded a bit of magic from his hoof.
NO! Please-please stop! His mind cried
and begged. The lightning crashed among the walls while his schoolmates hid
in classrooms and lockers. The Moehog desperately tried to gain control of himself
and his actions, yet all he could feel as was own mind wafting about from space,
as if trapped in some horrible sort of glass cage that he was forced to watch
in.
All around him he could feel control over nothing,
and slowly, ever so slowly, he felt himself slipping into darkness like the
water in the pool...
***
The Moehog stirred on the hard rocky ground. Gingerly he opened his eyes, relieved
to find that he could control his actions. Yet this relief was quickly abated
when he saw that his surroundings were not what they should have been..
All around him the dark trees turned and curled,
while night invaded every crevice of the air. It was the forest he had visited
last night but…how did he get here?! He was at the school, in the hallway! It
was morning-
"You've been unconscious since this morning..."
a voice said. Startled, he turned towards the tree, a tiny glowing figure sitting
in its branches. The Dark Faerie peered out at the space where the moon should
have hung, yet did not, leaving in its place a decisively dark night which chilled
the Moehog.
"I-I have?" he asked uncertainty. He tried to
stand up, but had great trouble doing so. He just felt so weak. "I...I don't
know what happened this morning-,"
"Nothing happened," she said, inspecting
her nails. "You act like it was some sort of mistake," she smiled.
"IT was!" the Moehog cried. "I lost control!
I didn't mean to attack everyone and then I did, but I didn't want-,"
"Well, you still have a price to pay!" the faerie
cooed. The Moehog ceased his stuttering and peered up at the Dark Faerie, shaking
violently.
"I...I what?" he asked. The Dark Faerie continued
to avoid her glance from the Moehog, yet her lips were set in a full grin of
amusement.
"You don't think we give out power for just
anything!" The Dark Faerie laughed. "There is a price, foolish pet! Everything
has a price!"
"You didn't say anything about that!" the Moehog
cried, a tear slipping out of his eye. The Dark Faerie laughed a high pitched
squeal while the hairs on the Moehog's mane stood up in response.
"Typical! Just because something isn't said
you silly pets just assume! Doesn't work like that anymore, fool!" The faerie
smiled. "You took our power, and now you pay our price!"
"I didn't agree to this! You didn't say anything!"
the Moehog snapped back angrily. The Dark Faerie raised an eye at the pet's
impudence, yet eased back into her content state.
"Ha, it's Faerie law, pet. Ever faerie knows
that if a faerie or a Neopet is aided by the other, the one being helped is
indebted to the first! So you see, your little excuses can't stand up here…"
Moehog cried in anguish at hearing this. It wouldn't be true! It wasn't true!
He simply wouldn't accept this!
Step by step he backed away form the tree. Hoping
that he could get away long enough to tell someone what he did. Maybe they would
save him from this mad faerie!
Yet the Dark Faerie knew this trick far too well.
She turned from her nails to the Moehog a vicious grin on her face.
"Oh, don't think you can run away without paying,
for you see…you already have!" she laughed. The cruel Faerie opened her hand
and pointed at the Moehog. Instantly he froze, no longer running away, but standing
there every muscle frozen.
Move! MOVE! he ordered his legs, but they
did not obey. The same feeling of helplessness washed over him while a familiar
voice wormed through his thoughts, creeping about like a vile snake in the grass…
Come here! it commanded. Obediently he
followed the command, though he did not want to. The expression on the Moehog's
face was one of sheer terror as he walked towards the Dark Faerie who laughed
hysterically.
"You think it's a game! The reality is, my dear,
that the game has just begun!" Her voice ran in his head and through the night,
taunting him. All around him the eyes of unseen faeries burst to life, each
of them glowing with the same things: malice, anger, spite, cruelty. Their violet
glow filled the Moehog with fear, while their voices rang shrilly and delightedly
thought the night. The Dark Faerie descended from her tree and landed upon the
Moehog's nose, her smiled bright and true.
"Welcome to the darkness..." she laughed as did
the other faeries, who slipped out of their hidden shadows, using their captive
to join them for all eternity…
The End
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