Never Ending Story. Read Rules and Play!

[AnnaKirsten]

RULES...

All you do is carry on with your part of the story! You can use thoughts that come to you via any of the images in the gallery, or just your own imagination. Write a short paragraph or two to follow on from the previous one, and let's see where this takes us!!! I'll start, then it's over to you..
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Here begins the Never Ending Story...


Deep in the forest is a dark, dark secret that no-one has yet fathomed.

For centuries, and despite no-one ever returning from their attempts to discover this secret, people from all over the world keep coming along to see if they can be the ones to unravel the mystery. They come armed with instruments that detect ghostly beings.. They come with spears, arrows, slings and even guns for protection. Some have come with gifts of treasure and food to offer. But alas to no avail. Strangely too, no-one has ever found out what has happened to all these people who have so mysteriously disappeared somewhere in the forest's depths, right where the woods thicken and the darkness becomes almost tangeable.

Oh yes, these explorers know the dangers, for one thing is known as a fact! There is "something" residing there with mystical powers, and once its eyes rest upon anyone approaching, they cannot survive. They must therefore approach unseen, unheard, undetected...

It is supposed that there is only one person who is able to do this, but it is only once they have succeeded that their identity, along with the answer to the mystery, will be revealed, so of course, we all feel compelled to find out.. Could it be me...? Or you...?

Let's explore......... :sprint:

[wile1]

As the travelers Entered the forest they knew not what to expect. They had heard the stories, they had come to explore for themselves. What would they find.. Would they survive.. No one knew.. No one spoke about it either. They just walked on deeper and deeper into the enchanted forest.. Searching for the unknown with anticipation...

"Lets stop here for the night." said Anna the leader of the group. " this is a perfect spot to rest. I think we should however take turns on guard. I'll take the first shift.. Yote you take the second shift"

"Aye Aye Cap'n Anna!" Said Yote in her ususal laughing matter.

The Yote was only there because she loved a good story. And to her it seemed that this was probably a wild goose chase but hey you never know. Yote was a wiley little thing.. Always looking for something.. Always testing.. Always alert to anything.. Except when she was tired.. Then she would sleep and sleep deep.

"Wake me up when its my shift Anna." And with that Yote slipped off into a deep sleep.. probably dreaming of cookies which was her faovrite thing in the world...............

[AnnaKirsten]

"Wooooooo! Woooooo!"..... "Wooooo Wooooo!".... Gradually Yote awoke, thinking she had been dreaming this noise, only to discover something really odd had happened. "Woooo! Wooooo!" she heard again, and as she looked towards Anna was horrified to find her fast asleep when she should have been keeping watch!

"Anna!!! Quick!" whispered Yote as she urgently shook Anna. Then she realised something else.. Anna seemed to have been transformed in some way.. Not herself.. She looked somehow different, but in what way, Yote was unable to discern. "Woooo! Woooo!" came that sound again, eerie and sinister. It seemed to be coming from behind where they were but it was such an odd sound! Not an owl, but something else Yote had never heard before.

Quickly Yote looked around and was able to see that the rest of the explorers were still all there, but they were still fast asleep, seemingly unaware of anything going on.

Just as Yote turned back towards Anna to give her another urgent shaking -

[wile1]

Yote shook Anna again. "Wake up Anna please" But to no avail Anna was fast asleep and looking a bit smaller than usual.

Yote decided to check everyone else to see if someone would wake up. She shook everyone in turn but no one would wake up. "This can't be good!" She said to herself.

"Wooooooooot Wooooooooot"

"Well theres only one thing to do I guess!" Yote quickly rolled everyone together on top of the sled they had used for supplies and harnessed it back to the horse.

"giddyup horse lets get going" The horse bolted and took off full tilt down the small mountain trail leading into the ravine below with Yote, Anna and the rest in tow.

In the distance.. "Wooooot Wooooot" could be heard fading.. Yote sighed in relief.

[ppetersen]

Giggling at the site of the yote pulling a sled and wondering what has gotten into her, (yes we faeish folk know which is what without peeking) I step from behind the tree and scratch my head in puzzlement...

Wondering why they took off so quickly. Eyes wide I nod my head at Master Owlet, for he is a mage extrodinaire. "Time to call Bahamut down from his mount, for I think those humans and that yote might need some aid."...

Scaling the tall oak, checking to make sure the doorway is still hidden, I watch as Owlet races to Bahamut with the message....

[wile1]

Yote, still pulling the sled of sleeping people down the trail toward the valley decides to stop for a moment and rest.

"I think these folks need to loose weight!!" Yote grumbles.

Suddenly Yote spies an owl flying overhead towards the mountain. "Hmm I wonder if that wasn't really an owl woooting all along?" "Okay well I still need to wake these sleepy people up so I must get to the valley river! Its obvious they are under some sort of sleeping spell. Which of course I am immuned from being a yote and all" Yote giggles under her breath. "Its great to be Yote!"

Yote heads out towards the deep cold flowing river at the foot of the trail. "Sure hope this works!" Yote exclaimed out loud!

[Engel47]

Determined, Yote headed toward the river, leading the horse and the sled with it's burden of sleeping humans. Her plan was a simple one, and was sure to work, and work well. On reaching the river she walked along the bank for a distance looking for exactly the right spot. Suddenly she stopped, having found exactly what she was looking for. Just as she was about to her plan into action a large owl flew down and landed on the horse's back, watching her every move..........

[ppetersen]

Owl blinked her eyes, dipped her head and took wing once more circling Yote... landing once more atop the Horse... leaning her head forward in the common tongue of all animals she tell Yote to follow...

Taking to wing once more turning her head to see if Yote understood common here in this neck of the woods...

[wile1]

Yote understood every common word the owl said and decided to follow.. "WAIT Owl! what do you want me to do with these humans sleeping here?"

The owl turned his head in mid flight and calmly said.."Dump them in the river like you planned will surely wake them up" And with a grin he flew on towards the mysterious Dark Castle Mountain.

"Oookay!" Yote replied and with that soved the sled with the sleeping people into the water and ran off following the owl towards the Dark Castle Mountain.

[AnnaKirsten]

Glug.. Glug.. Glug.. "What on earth's this weird place we're in?" Anna asked as she stirred from what seemed like a sleep of death. She saw odd fish that looked like tadpoles - and they were twice her size.

Startled, she sat upright, and remembering the company she had been in charge of, started to look for them. As she moved forwards, she made another discovery, for something strange was happening just under her arms and down the sides of her rib-cage. Looking closely, she realised she had gills - she was actually breathing through them!

"Oh NO!!! I've become a waterling!" She cried out horror-struck! She had heard of these before... A water-snake slid past her ominously as she was trying to get used to her new state.

"Hellloooooooooooooooo???????????" She called to the others.. "Where is everyone?"

Silence... Only the sound of the river-water could be heard in her ears, and she felt terrified. Was she the only one? Where was Yote? She had so doted on Yote.. Surely Yote would never have left her side?

[wile1]

Yote ran on following owl... "Owl Owl wait up you are flying to fast! Im an old yote!! I have bad paws!! Slow down will ya!! Oh come on slow down!!" Yote yipped as she ran as fast as her old paws would take her.

"Sometimes owls just don't seem to listen and other times I just think the fact they can move their heads all the way around makes them think they are better than the rest of us creatures." Yote snorted.

"I heard that!" Owl replied as he landed in a bit old oak tree at the base of Dark Castle Mountain. " I do not feel superior to other creatures, I just know more but most of the time I just choose not to mention it."

"Well you couldn't prove it by me!" Yote snipped at the owl as she finally got a chance to sit down. She looked up at the owl in the tree.." Okay why are we here?"

"You want to save your human friends dont you?"

"Yes"

"Well then you will need to go to the Dark Castle to get the anti sleeping potion. And while you are there better pic up some anti fish potion to. See I had you dump them in the river because they would be safe in the water. The land is so full of dangers.. So many creatures in the woods. some good some bad.. But the water is safe." Owl turned his head all the way around. "best be heading towards the castle now before the sun rises on it.. It disappears in the daytime"

"Owl you didn't say anything about them turning into water creatures!! The waters of the river aren't safe for humans!! Don't you know about the Water Bugs? The ones that live on the North banks somewhere down river near the old mill?"

"Im not a water creature Yote.. I just figured the water was safer, Im an air creature."

"Well I am a land creature who goes swimming in the water and I know!!" Go get the Little fae Pat and have her cast a protection spell on the waters til I can get back with the potion!!" Yote was very annoyed, Anna was not going to be happy in the water, she hated having wrinkly pruney skin.

"Okay Okay I will!! But you best be going!! And please be careful!" With that owl flew off to the forest to find the little fae.

"Oh I will be" Yote yelled back. " Okay off to the dark castle.. I sure hope I don't run into any Little gremlins!"

[ppetersen]

Owl lands in the tree, as I've seen the entire scene transpiring below. Still shy of strange creatures for our woods has never seen the like of such a creature as this Yote, although she does speak common.

Ears perk up at Owl's request. Ahhh something I can do quite well at last. flying down from my perch, checking my pouch to make sure it's there, I race as if I had the wings of eagles, I stop short of the river, peering into it's depths. Lifting my voice in the song ... I weave the enchantments needed for protection and health... yes health for these humans surely must need a bit of aid in that area as well.

Satisified with my casting, I gingerly dip my foot into the water to feel it's temperature, ahh still too cold, for them may turn into merfolk, which wouldn't do for our river has never held such as that.

Swirling about in the air, a low mist falls to the river as the warmness meets the cold of it. Nodding in satisfaction, I decide to take a swim.

diving into the center of the river I paddle about....... "OUCH!!!!" my foot must have hit that sled... oh dear, now I'll have to dive for it...

Whistling for the creatures below aid... I .....

[wile1]

"Boy this is a long long trail to that castle!!! I don't remember it being this far. I just know I've been here before for some strange reason....." Yote shook off the feeling that she had seen this trail and the castle before.. and continued the long climb toward the Dark Castle looming in the shadows.."I hope Anna and the rest are fine. Wonder if owl got the lil fae Pat to take care of the water? Can't worry about that right now I guess.."

Yote found herself at the door to the Dark Castle.. "Okay how do I get it to open? Say Open Sesame? or just knock??" Yote knocks on the door.. it slowly opens to reveal.............

[ppetersen]

A tall and forbiding Elven master, dark and lonely he seems. Saddened and perhaps a bit wistful. No inner light shines forth from one who it should be ....

Owl circles overhead once more to make sure all is well, sees Yote at the entry way and prays that the master is not in a wicked mood this night.

Racing back and forth between her Fae and the Yote and Anna has tired and hungered her, she dives for the rabbit that is racing across the road...

[AnnaKirsten]

"Was that Pat Fae? " Anna was in a daze.. She felt very strange in her new Waterling state, and found it hard to comprehend anything. But she was sure she saw Fae - and yes, Fae was casting a spell, surely, because the water temperature was rapidly rising...

She reached out to try and grab Fae just as she saw her shadow above her. "Ouch!!" cried Fae. That was hard! What was it - was it the sled?" she yelped.

All too shockingly, Anna realised that she had become rock-hard all over by now, and when she had tried to grab Fae, it had hurt her! "Oh No! She didn't even recognise me!" Anna cried and sobbed. "She thought I was the sled! How can I communicate with her?"

"Fae!! Fae!!" Anna called amidst her sobs. "It's me! I'm not a sled - I've become a Waterling - please don't go away -"

But Fae had gone. Anna was all alone. By now she had begun to give up hope for the other humans that had landed in the water with her and she wondered if they had turned into Waterlings as well... She was terribly unhappy and there seemed to be no-one to whom she could relate. Then she remembered one other... Yote! She now put all her trust in Yote - and Fae too - to try and solve the mystery of all that was going on, for there didn't seem to be any other way out.

Oh the water was getting warm! Now this was a bad thing for a Waterling once the skin had become hard and crusty. Anna started to fear for her life. "Help! Help!" She cried out, but despite what she thought she said, the words sounded very strange indeed - they weren't English words at all...

[wile1]

Yotes mouth dropped open to see her old friend master fae at the door of the Dark Castle.. "Master!!" yelped Yote in her usual yippy manor.

"Hello Yote it has been a very long time hasn't it? What are you doing here?"

Yote began to tell her story of the humans Anna and the owl and the fae and the sled in the water to Master Fae. " And Im very worried about the humans and what has happened to them. Especially Anna who really hates having prune skin. What can I do Master Im just a yote with four paws.. Its not easy to do things for humans but they are so nice sometimes to me and I really must try!"

"Yes Yote you must, but truthfully there are strange happenings going on in these woods. Lil Fae Pat will cast a good spell to protect your human friends. Even if they have changed into waterlings they should be fine unless one of them is seperated from the others and gets lost in the stream of rock caverns. Which is really hard to find but could happen. I will make sure that owlet keeps track of things and in the meantime I will see what I can do to reverse the magic of the water on the humans. But you need to go find someone for me... You need to run as fast as your paws will carry you to the Mountain of Lost dreams and see if you can find Lord Bader.. If anyone can figure out what is happening in the woods it is he... Now go grab some food and whatever else you need from the kitchen then get going. I will make sure the humans are okay. Hurry we have very lilttle time I fear!"

Yote scampered of to the kitchen and packed up some food.. "Bagels, ham, oh and some cheese.. Better grab some water bottles to ... Hmmm Master sure has good food in here! Lookie at that .. cookies!!!" Yote began to salivate over the cookies.. "No No I must get moving I've got to do what Master Fae said!" Yote crammed everything into her backpack and fastened it on. As she started out the door she grabbed an axe and a piece of rope sitting by the door. "I bet I'll need these for the Mountain!" And with that yote raced of towards the Mountain of Lost dreams to find Lord Bader!

[vos]

this is the end off chapter one,chapter two soon

[bigH]

I did like this - good work by all . :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Now are there any cookies left . Love cookies :eat_arrow :eat_arrow
Arrows are hard .

More to come yes - :spotlight

H

[wile1]

Rushing as fast as her paws could carry her Yote came to the base of Lost Mountain. "Oh this is really high!! and I sometimes get dizzy up high, but I must find Lord Bader he is the only one that can fix the forest!!"

Yote began to climb up up up she went towards a small light near the top of the mountain.

"I sure hope thats where he is cause Im getting dizzy!!"

The world below seemed smaller and smaller as Yote climbed higher and higher. As she turned to look back down at the valley below she saw something, something she dreaded seeing, a distant figure she recognized immediately starting to climb up the mountain after her.

"Oh no! I have got to get to Lord Bader and fast!!! Climb Yote climb!!!"

[ppetersen]

Flitting about trying to find that silly owlet, I spy him catching a rabbit... thinkng to myself "Well one must eat, even though that poor wee rabbit is dinner" sighs.

Looking up at the stars, I see a beacon of light and fly towards it to be suddenly pulled earthward once more. Landing at the base of the castle, Lord Fae walks towards me with a grim look upon his face. Dear me what have I done now. Hmmm looking over my shoulder thinking if I can fly to the woods in time before the scolding comes.

"Over here now young lady" I hear loudly and forcefully... "Eeeps"

[wile1]

Yote reaches the top of the mountain and the light which is coming from a cave. She slowly enters the cave and follows the tunnel toward a brighter light. Emerging into a huge cavern full of beautiful jewels and gems shining and glimmering on the crystal waters of a large pond. Toward the back of the cavern sits a large crystal house, shining brightly almost blindingly bright. The grounds of the cavern are covered with a soft moss and lots of beautiful flowers and mushrooms in all colors and shapes and sizes.

Yote is in awe of all this and fails to notice a figure coming toward her from the house.

"Yote is that you?" A booming loud voice from the small man says. Startled yote turns around in a whirl.

"Bloom!!! is that you!!?? Its been so long!"

"Yes Yote its me what are you doing here?"

Yote preceeds to tell Bloom her tail of the humans and the fae's and owlet and the water and Master sending her to look for Lord Bader and the figure following her up the mountain.

"My goodness my dear Yote your adventures are really interesting. I wish I knew where Lord Bader was, I haven't seen him in years. But I can help you with your little problem of your stalker. Lets set a little trap for him shall we?"

Yote agrees with a smile knowing exactly what Bloom has in mind. The two set out to the entrance of the cave where they set up a typical box propped up with a stick. The bait.. cookies! "That will do it!" Yote giggle with glee then she and Bloom hide behind a large rock and wait.

[vos]

:eat_arrow A break,continuation of the tale soon :sprint:

[wile1]

Suddenly a figure appears at the entrance of the cave. Slowly it inches towards the box and the cookie trap. Suddenly it lunges for the cookies and Bloom and wile pull the stick out and trap it under the box.

"Woohoo Bloom we got it!! "

"We sure did now lets see just what its up to!!"

Yote and Bloom tiptoe up to the box and raise it up slightly. There sitting under the box cowering in the corner eating a cookie was...... Vos!!!

"Vos!! I knew it was you!!! Why are you following me??? Are you going to help me find Lord Bader? Well are you are you???" Yote yelped excitedly.

[vos]

Why I am following you always get in troubles Yote,always,trouble.And why must you find Lord Bader,perhaps,I help you,depend how many cookies you still have.

[wile1]

"I have cookies lots of cookies and no I don't always well almost always well okay so I get in trouble alot but honest its not always my fault well mostly its not always my fault well okay so its my fault most of the time.. Oh nevermind Glad to have you here vos you can help me find Lord Bader. We have to get him to help Master Fae, owlet, the forest faery and everyone to help save the humans from the water and find out whats wrong with the forest!!" Yote yelped all in one breath.

Wiping her brow off Yote takes a deep breath.. "Okay vos you can have cookies, come on Bloom you to lets all go find Lord Bader he's somewhere oin this mountain Im sure!! I can smell something unusual in the air!!"

[Engel47]

So saying Yote raises her nose and takes a big, deep, sniff. "Well" says Vos, "what exactly can you smell"? Yote turning towards Bloom and Vos, says "Ah, you will have to wait and see, but now follow me, my nose will lead the way".

[wile1]

Yote scampers off in the direction of the smell. Racing along the rim of the mountain towards a small cave on the eastside overlooking the Fossil valley.

"Hurry up hurry up vos come on Bloom!! I smell Lord Bader!!! Hurry before he leaves again!!"

[AnnaKirsten]

But before anyone could get any further, another sight caught their eye..

There deep down in the valley, beside the spellbound river, lay a strange looking creature.

They feel compelled (despite what they were smelling) to go and investigate.

No! Surely not! Or was it?

The partially decomposed body - a very deformed and different body to the one they had formerly known became apparent, with an expression on its face that left them dumbfounded and bereft.

It was Anna! She had lost her way as a Waterling, had succumbed to the change in temperature evoked by Pat Fae - for she had already begun her transformation into a Waterling, such creatures being unable to take such termperature changes - and despite all her cries for help, her searching and scrambling about to find a way out, she finally succumbed. She was no longer...

Anna had died. For now her spirit lived on, but in her physical form, she had come to the most unimaginably cruel of deaths. Now her spirit was also beginning to fade and as it did so, the body of this ghastly looking spectre also began to fade before the very eyes of the shocked onlookers..........

[judee3d]

As Yote, Vos and Bloom watched in horror, their pain became palpable. They fell to the ground weeping, their tears spilling into the earth. "Not Anna!" Yote cried, "why is this happening?"

But even as she watched through her teary eyes, she could see Anna's spirit form faded more and more - she was barely visible. And yet -

A slow steady humm began vibrating in Yote's sensitive ears. She could see that the others did not yet hear it. And there, next to Anna's fading spirit, a wavering in the air, like a distant mirage quavering out of nothing. The wavering grew more visible, the humming taking on a tone, low and vibrant, lifting and falling, musical in nature. Anna's spirit image began to fill with light, it began to take on substance. What was happening, and who was behind this strange transformation?

The wavering air next to the spirit of Anna was now flashing color - all colors of the rainbow, and beyond, colors that even Yote eyes could not normally see, and yet there they were, swirling in a concentrated ball of energy and light. The humming tones began to take on their own kind of form, and Yote realized she was hearing words....

"Not yet, Anna," the words were barely more than musical tones, yet understandable in a kind of universal language. Even Bloom and Vos could hear it by now, their heads raised, their eyes fixed on the swirl of color and the ever filling image of Anna's spirit.

"You cannot leave, Anna, your goal in this life is not completed. Come back, be strong, and help your friends, for there is evil in the forest, evil that must be vanquished, and you, as well as your friends, are all part of the Key."

Suddenly, the tones diminished, the color began to fade, then grew again to an immense ball of power and light, exploding outward, blinding the small group of adventurers who had to shield their eyes in astonishment.

When their eyes cleared, they could see..

"Anna!" Yote cried and ran quickly to her friend, for Anna stood there, the Anna she had always known, staring back at them in confusion, as if she were not quite sure what had happened...

[wile1]

Do something Bloom!!! Quick your a wizard of great power bring her back!!!

Bloom starts chanting and holds his magic staff over the lifeless body of Anna. A orangish glow appears and covers her body. Bloom continues to chant as Anna's spirt slowly returns to her body.

Its working its working!! Yote yells excitedly.

After a few minutes which seemed to take hours Anna's spirit is pulled back and Anna is healed and becomes a mortal again.... but there is something strange about her. yote dismisses it and slurps Anna.

Good to have you back amongst us Anna!! Now will you go with us to find lord Badar?

[AnnaKirsten]

Yet again, the Anna that seemed so real just a moment ago, began to fade. There was indeed something different about her, and it didn't seem to be for the good. As they watched, she seemed to ebb and flow in and out of a glow, then for another instant she appeared to be normal, but quickly she would begin to fade once more.

She seemed to be trying to whisper something but no-one could hear what it was. Her mouth, now barely visible in her once more vanishing state, could be seen to be moving, wording something inaudible..

What was happening? Was this all an illusion in any case? Were each of the onlookers only imaginging what they saw? Was Anna only an apparition after all? But what was it she was trying to say - they all perceived that there was an attempt being made at communication.

Communication! Yes that seemed to be what was amiss. It had become blurred and uninteligable.. Suddenly there was a terrible stench that reached the noses of the onlookers! Anna did indeed seem to disappear, but there in the distance was the sound of heavy footsteps in the forest and an atmosphere of even more foreboding fell upon the little group as they realised they had been spotted by the one they dreaded the most......

[wile1]

"Yikes" yelled yote in her usual excitable voice "Its... Its .... Santer Claustic!!!"

Everyone was frozen in fear of this hideous monster in the big red suit being pulled along in his ratty old sleigh by 8 tiny elfs.

"Shhhhhh everyone we need to keep quiet or the big red guy will notice us and you know he hates it if we aren't asleep. So pretend to be snoozing!!" said yote as everyone dropped to the ground and pretended to be asleep.

"On Dazer, on Dumble on Pretzel on Voixen, on Commando on Stupid, on Dinner, on Blockhead.. to the top of the hill to the top of the tree now pull away pull away pullaway each!!" said Santer Claustic in his booming evil voice.

"WHAT IS THAT?" yelled Santer Claustic as he pulled in the reins of his elf sleigh very hard sending all the little elves tumbling over one another. " Is that weary travelers I see???"

"Yes master Santer" said Dinner as he got to his feet. "Looks like they are very weary and sound asleep."

"Well then if they are sleeping We should welcome them to our corner of the woods in our usual manner shouldn't we?" Boomed Santer

"I suppose so" said Dinner as he began to unload the sacks of manure from the sleigh.

"That will teach them to sleep in my woods!! Throw it on them!!" Laughed Santer in his usual evil laugh.

"Run everyone!!!" yelled yote.

Everyone in the party began running in different directions away from Santer Claustic .. into the woods over the creeks they ran and hid. Yote was alone in a small rotten stump when she heard a funny noise behind her. "I've got to be quiet" she mumbled. "It might be Santer!"

[AnnaKirsten]

As he listened intently, trembling, lonely and fearful, Yote became aware of a beautiful spirit-being approaching from behind. There was something vaguely familiar about her, yet Yote couldn't make out what it was.

"Shhh" whispered the beautiful spirit. "That wasn't who you thought it was! It was Lord Bader himself in dreadful disguise, for he'd love nothing better than to frighten all little children into thinking he was Santa just so that he could do evil things to them when they trusted him the most!"

"Huh?? What's that you're telling me - and who are you?" mumbled Yote, still terrified lest this too, was a disguised being with a trick up her sleeve.

"Shhh! You must whisper! I'm telling you, Lord Bader isn't just wicked and an evil monster in these parts, but he is also capable of disguising himself to appear as anything he likes - he can trick your mind and make you think you've seen what wasn't really there! Oh dear, I don't know if I can convince you, or even why you should believe me, but I'm Anna!"

"Anna?" gasped Yote. "What? You're Anna? What happened?" Yote was so surprised that yet again he forgot to whisper.

Anna touched Yote's furry head very lightly, and Yote felt a strange tingling sensation throughout his body. There was some heavenly musical sound that came with the touch and it calmed him, and he knew Anna was really here, really talking to him, that she had not after all gone from their midst.

"Well, you remember just now, before you thought you saw Santa? You remember that I kept fading, then appearing again like a ball of energy - you remember those rainbow colours, the beautiful lights and heavenly music tinkling in the air?"

"Erm yes I do -" said Yote, eyes popping out of his head now in total amazement.

"It was a process of metamorphosis." continued Anna. "I will never again be human, because under that dreadful cold water, over which Pat Fae had cast one of her spells, I bacame a waterling - and once that happens, you can never revert back into what you were before, you are changed for ever. Despite that spell, it was too late. But I'll tell you a secret now - come closer to me, for no-one else must know this until the right time.." Yote lent very close to this beautiful being - so close that the colourful radiant light that seemed to surround and contain Anna seemed also to envelop him.

"A secret? The right time?" whispered Yote.

"Yes, yes!" cried Anna, and then, without any words, but through a process of thought transferrence known to humans as telepathy, Anna conveyed the secret to Yote. With an enormous sense of importance because he was the only one of the party who now knew, Yote stood up and did a strange little dance, peculiar to yotes. "Not a word to anyone - I promise!" he cried in elation! I'll be sure to keep this strictly between you and me!

When Yote turned round after his little dance, he discovered he was completely alone and there was total silence all around him...

[wile1]

Suddenly yote woke up... "That was a strange dream.. I thought I saw Anna.. and she was calling me a he and telling me all sorts of things about Lord Bader and"....yote caught the familiar scent of Anna in the wind. "That was no dream was it?"

Yote shook off her drousiness and headed out to see if she could find the rest of the party. "I promised I would not tell but boy.. thats gonna be hard for a yote to do. Since I, Yote, loves to talk about everything... but I will keep my promise.. I will not tell anyone til the time is right about the...." Yote covered her mouth. "shhhh yote ya can't talk about it either silly!!" And with that yote began to lope towards the hidden valley where she suspected the rest of the group would show up eventually. Since that was where everyone knew they would be safe from all the evils that surrounded them.

[AnnaKirsten]

As Anna moved on ahead, knowing where Yote was going, she reflected on something that had just hit her - hard!

She could no longer distinguish between male and female - could this be because in her new condition she and others like her were all of no sexual appearance whatever?

She did not know the answer to this, but now she would need to observe and listen very closely to those who were still earth-bound so that she did not repeat the mistake she had just made. She felt sorry for Yote as she had so mistaken her identity - but then she giggled a bit as she remembered how Yote had been very inflated with that sense of importance that comes with knowing something no-one else on earth knew, so she reasoned, maybe the mistaken identity slip-up wouldn't do Yote any harm after all... She conveyed a :hug: to Yote through her telepathic powers, and Yote responded with a little gasp of acknowledgement, then skipped on with renewed vigor to find her other friends.

Meanwhile, there was still complete silence surrounding Yote, who was becoming more and more anxious as she approached the hidden valley. Minute by mintue brought a further sense of foreboding, and she whispered into the air, "Anna are you there?"

With no words spoken, Yote immediately knew she was being accompanied and guarded by the hidden Anna, and so she trundled on cautiously but now reassured that all would be well.

Suddenly there was a huge surge of cheering voices somewhere ahead of her, and she darted behind a tree for refuge whilst she attempted to suss out what this was about and from whom the voices came. There was a beautiful smell of lavender in the air, and as she listened, she thought she could again hear that faint heavenly music that seemed to surround the spirit of Anna.

Then she heard another sound...

"Oh No! Not that! Oh Nnnooo - Ohh H-e-l-l-l-p-p!!!" cried a very terrified Yote who had no idea where to hide. A very sharp metal blade suddenly appeared right in front of her nose and everything became blackened as she fell to the ground...

[wile1]

When Yote came to she found herself in the middle of a quaint little village full of strange little people. They were all standing around her whispering and nudging each other. They acted as if they were frightened of the Yote.

"Where am I?" yote yelped as she tried to move but couldn't. Seeing that she was bound with ropes and tied to a pole. "Hey let me go!!!"

The crowd of little people, barely 2 feet tall jumped back in horror at this strange talking beast! "I won't hurt you, my name is Yote and I am trying to find my friends. Do you know where they are? They don't really look like me they look more like you but taller. Can you help me?" Yote pleaded but the people seemed not to understand.

"Anna I could use some help here!! If you are here!! How do I communicate with these people to let them know I am not a threat??" Yote yelped again to the air then stood their quietly trying to listen in her mind for an answer. But nothing.. No one seemed to be around, no Anna, just the little strange people who were by now looking even more strangely at her as if they thought she was food!!

Yote gulped! "help" she whispered.

[AnnaKirsten]

SHhhhhhh! Don't tell anyone!!! Promise?

OK.. Reason you haven't heard any more, either from me, or from Yote, is... I've got her safely hidden away with me!

Yes, we spent Christmas and New Year together, and we have had the most amazing time!

Yote thinks she's been dreaming all this - just thinks she passed out on that pole where she'd been tied up, and that everything that's happened since is just one long happy delirious dream...

Well there's a reason for this. I can't possibly let Yote, or anyone else, know where I am, and so when I rescued her from those strange people, I threw her into a trance to prevent her from knowing where I was taking her.

Now I'm just waiting for the right time to let Yote go free again - not that she hasn't enjoyed this time we've had! Not a bit of it! But go free she must, because she isn't yet ready to be let into all the secrets I know...

Those little people she found herself in the midst of did indeed intend harm to her, and quite right she was to have called out for help. Had she not done so, she'd have been devoured in the most painful manner. Those little people live deep in the Forbidden Forest, and they are part of the reason why anyone who enters this part of the world is never seen again.

There is in fact only one way to overcome the problem of disappearing. I now know that secret, but it's not yet possible for me to divulge it to any human being or Yote.

I will release Yote back into the world of all that's "known" once the danger has subsided. She will announce herself to one and all when she returns...