StoryPaws: A Mystical Story: Toxics Episode 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN ORIONWOOD Orionwood was humming with the news that the Quest Company had arrived,

And preparations were in full swing as the troop awoke.

Looking up,

Flisty gazed at their shelter.

It was similar to the teepees she'd seen in pictures of the Native American Indians,

Tall and made of some sort of thick cloth.

It was probably animal hide,

But Flisty didn't like to ask.

A hole at the apex allowed smoke to escape from a centrally situated small brazier.

The beds lay round the edge,

Filled with soft feathers,

And it felt like bliss last night.

Vents above their sleeping heads had let in the sounds of the wild,

And someone had laid a fire that smouldered sweetly overnight.

It smelt marvellous,

Thought Flisty,

And had ensured them a deep,

Restorative rest.

This morning they ate outside the shelter,

So Flisty was able to watch the activities with great curiosity.

There were mainly Orion bustling about,

But scattered amongst them were all the beasts and plants of this exotic world.

There were a group of colour changers carrying food and drink,

And bringing all their glowing colours of autumn into this green settlement.

There were tall trees encircled with fragrance that swayed and murmured,

Adorning the trees in a multitude of rich pastel petals where their columbine faces.

Looking up at them,

Flisty could see the fragile fragrance preferred to be raised out of the noise.

Toro cantered about,

Raising dust and making the ground shake.

Thankfully,

None of them were as massive as George,

But even so,

They stayed out of the thick of things.

Seeing a torel knock over a group of thorns like skittles who had ventured into her path,

Flisty understood why.

There were thorns lined up,

Subconsciously forming hedges wherever they congregated.

Flisty looked for any lupata.

She spotted a pack nesting under a tree further off.

There were not many sibylline,

And those that were lay silent and still,

Tongues flicking as they observed matters with a wary eye.

There was a pale green one that Flisty guessed might be female.

She was smiling at a group of young colour changers,

Who were fighting over the honour of carrying drink to the quest company.

In a large clearing,

A group of tall elderly greens were forming a tunnel with their long arm branches.

Their aerial roots formed dangling long curtains.

Three orion that clearly carried some sort of authority were walking up and down the tunnel,

Tweaking and closing the gaps of the sides,

Whilst talking earnestly to the greens that they were helping.

Two thorns were brushing the ground in the tunnel to make a smooth,

Clean floor.

A large,

Ginger-haired orion approached Reuben.

He smiled and held out his arms,

And they embraced.

Welcome home,

My son,

Said Reuben's father.

Running up behind him came a gaggle of four smaller orion.

Two had Reuben's eyes.

They jumped all over him with glee.

Ouch!

He exclaimed.

Wow,

You four have certainly grown since I left.

He gave each of them a strong hug.

Where's mother?

He asked his father.

She wanted to prepare you a feast for this evening.

She left early to gather the foods.

But let's discuss your progress and your plans,

Said his father,

Brushing away the little brothers and sisters.

First,

Father,

I must introduce you to my friends,

Said Reuben.

Everyone stood up to meet Reuben's father.

Before Reuben could begin,

However,

He saw his mother running across the clearing towards them.

She was laughing,

And with a happy smile he stepped forwards to meet her.

She wrapped her arms around him tightly.

Flisty was fascinated by her.

She was quite tall,

But smaller than Reuben.

Her hair was dark and silky like Reuben's,

But flecked with grey.

Her eyes were huge yellow-amber orbs.

She moved with a grace that Flisty envied.

She was truly a beautiful creature.

Flisty felt shy.

Reuben stepped back and took her hand.

He pulled her in front of his parents.

Father,

I introduce to you Felicity Isabel Penfold.

She has come from a world apart,

And is the stranger I was first sent to seek for the quest.

The two Orion bowed with dignity,

And Felicity found herself trying to curtsy.

She had only ever seen people doing it to the Queen,

And it wasn't the same when you tried it yourself.

She gave up and simply smiled the biggest,

Politest smile she could muster.

"'How do you do,

Mr.

And Mrs.

Orion?

' she said.

Reuben laughed.

"'Flisty makes names for us all,

' he said.

"'She finds ours too long.

I like them well.

' "'So do I,

' said Reuben's mother,

With a gentle smile that made Flisty feel welcome immediately.

"'Welcome to Orionwood,

' said Mr.

Orion,

With a mischievous smile.

She liked him.

Reuben introduced all the others,

And pointed to George,

Who lowered his head in acknowledgement from the edge of the settlement.

"'My,

What a fine old Toro!

I haven't seen one like that since I was a small boy.

' "'He is truly of the old ages of our world,

' Mr.

Orion said,

Awed by George.

Little Green smiled with delight.

Felicity remembered the Greens and Toro were enharmonics.

Reuben's mother clapped her hands,

And the bustling village gradually fell silent and stopped moving.

Two little Orion continued chasing each other,

Until a tall Green picked them up and planted them on his shoulders.

Mrs.

Orion spoke aloud to the crowd,

A strong face commanding silence.

"'Our son Reuben returns with his quest company.

The aquatics inform us they may stay for one week.

There's much to resolve before they depart for the Upper North.

We,

His family and friends,

Must aid the company in whatever way we're able.

My son was chosen,

Along with the other quest members that we are honoured to receive,

To heal our world.

They need our support.

' There was a murmur of approval from the crowd.

Mrs.

Orion continued.

"'Today the banyan will commence to decide the fate of the young Greeness that travels with them.

Please do not bring your own grievances to this banyan.

It is solely for the elders of the world to resolve the breaking of one of our laws.

As always,

However,

All are welcome to bring their energies and strength to aid these discussions.

There's a village feast this evening to welcome and nourish the weary travellers.

Would all who are able please offer their services to the Orion women for instructions?

' At this she nodded sideways,

And Felicity noticed a long line of Orion women,

Young and old,

Patiently waiting to begin preparing the feast.

They really were an attractive people,

Thought Felicity.

It was only their luxuriant,

Stripy tails poised behind them that separated the line-up from a beauty contest.

She twisted a lock of hair and stuffed it in her mouth.

It tasted dusty,

And she longed for a bath.

Whilst Scrat and Sib stood together,

Wolfgang and Pippi sat quietly,

Listening to Mrs.

Orion,

But their eyes scanned the village perimeter constantly.

Felicity saw Pippi and Georges meet eyes.

She focused with her growing skill and managed to tune in.

"'No,

None have been seen for about a week,

' Georges was saying.

Felicity knew he spoke of the toxics and felt herself shudder involuntarily.

Reuben took her hand,

Aware of her anxiety.

Mr.

Orion's eyes watched,

But he said nothing.

In silent agreement the whole village bestirred itself.

Felicity could still be surprised by the unspoken communication.

Here in the West it was so strong.

To see them all move instantly like that was quite disconcerting.

For a moment she felt a stranger in this peculiar wise world.

She took a big breath and let it slowly out.

A warm glow spread through her,

And she knew without looking that Little Green had come close.

"'Thanks,

' her mind whispered as the calming energy flowed through her.

"'You're not a stranger to us,

Dear Felicity,

' Little Green echoed back into her mind.

"'And I would love you to show me your lovely world.

' So as the village fluttered about,

The tall plant and the beautiful young woman stood immobile in its centre,

Sharing their thoughts.

Felicity pictured Earth.

She thought of its oceans and its forests,

Of its snow-capped mountains and its icy tundra.

She thought of the glorious creatures of so many varieties,

And of the plants that held all the secrets of life.

"'What a magnificent place,

' said Little Green in wonder.

"'But we have many problems,

Little Green,

' said Felicity aloud,

Lowering her head.

"'Show me,

Dear Felicity,

' said Little Green.

Felicity made herself think of them—the polluted cities,

The poisoned land,

The savage rainforests,

The starving people,

The diminishing wildlife.

Tears poured down her cheeks as the images flooded her mind.

Little Green's eyes went dark with pain.

"'To all there is balance,

Felicity,

' she said.

"'Show me more,

And we will find it together,

Perhaps.

' So Felicity made herself think again.

She saw the passion of those who fought to stem the tides of destruction on Earth.

She saw the love and unquenchable hope of mankind at its best.

She saw the creatures running wild that had been saved by the dedication of those who sheltered and rehomed them.

She heard the laughter of all the voices that defied the darkness and found the light.

Little Green followed her thoughts and images.

"'Hope is light.

Light is love,

' she said.

Together they stood—the hope of the old world and the hope of the new,

And Felicity allowed Little Green to ease the pain she had carried in her heart for so long.

Like an arrow striking her,

All became blissfully clear,

And for a moment her very essence touched the light.

"'My life has been leading me here for as long as I remember,

' she thought.

Her father had thought her odd,

Strange.

Her mother had known her and loved her for it.

Ruben turned around,

And their eyes met.

He smiled,

And watching the corners of his shining eyes crinkle,

Felicity knew she had found her place.

"'Soon,

' said his voice,

Deep inside her mind.

A shout broke the spell of the moment,

And they all turned.

"'The Banyan Commences!

The Banyan Commences!

' A chorus of young thorns rustled along,

Pronouncing news.

They were giving away sticky buds to Felicity's delight.

Her stomach rumbled loudly,

And Ruben laughed.

"'You said they were only eaten in the temperate north,

' said Felicity.

"'There are always exceptions,

' Ruben replied,

And called over the thorns.

They took a handful and shared them out with the others.

George raised his head with interest,

And Felicity ran over to him.

He took six.

She ran back to the group,

Concerned they might lose her.

"'Come,

' said Mr.

O'Ryan.

Mrs.

O'Ryan had long left to begin the feast,

And Felicity felt a little guilty going to the Banyan.

She hoped Mrs.

O' would understand.

The quest company was organised by two tall greens,

Who peered down from wizened faces.

Little Green was asked to stand in the centre of the tunnel alone.

She stood erect and calm.

Ruben kept Felicity by his side,

And they,

Gus,

Scrat,

Wolfgang,

Pippi and Sib,

Sat on each side of the tunnel close to the centre.

The musky scent of the old greens made their noses tingle.

Felicity heard the bellows of George as he tried to come close.

A green placated him,

And he was allowed to stand at the entrance,

Thereby blocking everyone else from entry.

The green and O'Ryan elders debated how to overcome the law that disallowed a young green ass to travel alone.

The voices rose and fell as the point went back and forth all day.

Disconcertingly,

A thread of conversation would suddenly disappear as the participants wove in and out of verbal and mind language.

Felicity felt dirty,

Tired and excluded.

It was stuffy,

And the droning voices were hypnotising.

She closed her eyes.

Instantly,

Scrat's clear voice jerked them open as he piped up.

But,

Sirs,

The old world has solved the problem if only you could see.

Green 7,

070 and I have matured unexpectedly.

We're full grown and need only our enharmonics to reach full maturity.

The world has provided us with our answer.

No rule is broken if Green 7,

070 is no longer a child.

It's unusual,

But not disallowed for females to travel.

There was total silence as all eyes turned to this adolescent thorn.

Reuben and Mr.

Arai looked at each other.

The silence stretched out.

Felicity held her breath.

Outside,

Noises of beasts and plants filtered through the shady canopy.

Finally,

The eldest Green broke the silence.

The power of little Green's phosphorescence has been noted.

It is not usual in such a young female.

He peered down at the adolescent thorn,

His mouth a thin line as he spoke.

Our world has been changing for a long time,

He said.

His voice was like a low rumble of thunder.

We have been slow to embrace these changes,

But the anger of the toxics causes us to listen.

If this brave group think they can rise to the task the Oceanids have created,

Then we must rise to the challenges these changing times present.

There was a murmur of voices,

But all were silent as he spoke again.

We,

The Greens,

Hold the knowledge of the world in our stipples.

We have sent them since the first Green to lay down the knowledge in the roots.

The elder Greens and I believe the answer for this world will be found with the success of this courageous company.

We fight to protect our roots,

And yet to realign the old world with the dark toxics,

To find their place and heal their curse.

Our laws were made to protect us and keep the balance,

But our forebears did not lay them down to hinder us.

If my learned Orion agree,

Then,

With conditions,

We should be able to allow Green 7070 to travel and fulfil her destiny and the destiny of our old world.

The Orion gathered together and the talks went on.

Their elders were not going to accept the fact that little Green was tall as evidence that her childhood had ceased.

The sun dipped down and shone over George's head,

Bathing one side of the dark tunnel in a deep red glow.

Felicity longed to escape.

This is worse than end-of-term assembly,

She thought.

She slumped on her prickly seat.

Eventually the elders turned to the Banyan attendants,

And a taller Orion said,

The young Green heiress must pass maturity tests,

Beginning with the new sun tomorrow morning.

If she succeeds,

Her enharmonic will be found.

If this is as it should be,

It will also have matured early and be ready for the soul-bonding.

An excited murmuring began as he finished speaking,

But he interrupted them.

It has been agreed,

However,

That the young Thorn,

In spite of his fast advancement,

Must wait until the proper time to seek his enharmonic and fully mature.

We do not accept his speedy growth as significant.

There is knowledge of Thorns achieving adolescence far in advance of usual expectations.

Felicity looked at Scrat.

He looked winded.

As the Banyan broke up,

Little Green went to comfort her friend.

She soaked him in her light,

And at last he raised his head with a sigh.

Plants and beasts brushed past as Scrat,

Little Green,

Felicity,

Reuben,

Gus,

Wolfgang,

Pippi,

And Sib clustered round.

No one spoke,

But each in turn patted Scrat on his branchy shoulder.

Sib raised his legs to their highest position so he could look at Scrat.

The old world can be hard.

Scrat looked at him and then turned away.

The aromas of the evening feast floated in and the group went in search of Mrs.

O's grand repast.

Reuben was quiet as he walked by Felicity's side.

She realised Orcadia hadn't joined them for the Banyan.

No,

She prepares for our bonding,

Reuben said,

Reading her thoughts as always.

What about you?

Asked Felicity.

She cleared her throat and spoke more loudly.

When will you prepare,

Reuben?

When is it to be?

Reuben stopped walking and turned to face her.

He lifted his hand to her cheek and she turned her face to meet its gentle touch.

He didn't need to reply.

She knew the answer.

It would be tonight.