The Fairy Diary Day 407 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We stumbled across a cave entrance that had eluded Dunfallon’s notice from the air, so Gibley just had to check it out. While I stayed outside with a dozing hatchling, the goblin went in accompanied by Rumble and Noralei. 

They were not gone long, for it turned out to be inhabited by an animal of some kind – absent at the moment.

Gibley did find a few scraps to give to his dragon later. 

We were about to move on when Dunfallon dropped in to see us. As he slid off the back of his eagle we all saw that he was wielding a knobby stick and made to strike the hatchling with it. Before any of us could react, the hatchling was awake and threw itself at the stick. It was soon wrapped around it and making contented sounds. The pixie laughed and explained he had found this dragon training staff near the cave that was farthest from the river. 

Dunfallon had recognized it from his library research. And Gibley confirmed its use by his people. 

His hope soared that he may soon be back with them.

Advertisement

The Fairy Diary Day 406 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

With the new information from Gibley, Dunfallon increased the scope of his time aloft on his eagle. We have decided to help the goblin find his people, if they can be found. 

The pixie brought back the location of two possible cavern entrances to goblin lands. Rumble marked them on his map, and he, Noralei and Gibley will check them out as we get closer. 

Dunfallon also has begun to fly higher and has picked out that tower of a mountain that points the way to Merlin’s castle. Its heading he also shared with Rumble. 

However, both Rumble’s maps and the pixie’s observations reveal that a huge river lies between us and all those destinations. 

Hopefully we can find a way to get us all across safely.

The Fairy Diary Day 403 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

I regret not going further than outside the other gate, but we were tired and wanted to rest up before venturing out into the canyonlands. My decision resulted in another attempt to wrest the hatchling from Gibley and us. I suspect that Artoxon set the plot in motion. And thankfully we believe neither Fliget nor Gnoston were involved. 

Both Dunfallon and I were awakened from a sound sleep to the sight of two burly dwarves creeping up to the swaddled hatchling. Our cries of protest awakened the others and we rallied around the dragon and its goblin. Rumble and Noralei beat them off with their drawn swords, forcing them to drop the sack into which they hoped to secure the hatchling. She bit the ankle of one of the dwarves before they both stumbled off. 

Our attackers did not enter the city, but made off for the canyonlands. So, we were a bit apprehensive when we exited the land of the dwarves and emerged into the first canyon. And like Rumble once said – a vast army could be hidden down here. 

Thus the very first thing, Dunfallon summoned his eagle and flew ahead as a precaution against being taken unawares.

The Fairy Diary Day 366 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

The High Fairy broke the spell that bound Dunfallon’s memory. It was as the image in the crystal portrayed it. The black bird had precipitated the pixie’s fall from the eagle, and chased his mount from the sky. It later appeared in Willie’s lair daily while he languished in the cage. 

Dunfallon awoke many times becoming aware that the two were discussing him. Their voices so low that he never could understand their meaning. Save for one time when he saw an image projected above the crystal. 

In the shimmering light he clearly made out exact representations of the dragon eggs he had seen with his own eyes. 

Then a strange thing happened – the Will’o’the Wisp reached for the eggs – and the crystal burst into flame. The black bird was quite upset with Willie and left. 

I knew immediately what I had to do. I stepped out of the burrow, grasped my pendant and summoned Merlin. 

A gust of wind forced my eyes closed and when I reopened them – the wizard stood before me. The others joined us and together we explained the latest.

The Fairy Diary Day 365 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Nailbiter gave over to us his private audience chamber so we fairies (including the High Fairy) could question Dunfallon about his captivity. There are so many details that he could not recall. It was our hope that we could jog his memory. Especially as to what Willie had done – and what the Wisp was planning next. 

It had been disappointing to find the crystal cover to the chalice charred and cracked. I held its pieces and examined them throughout the questioning. 

What Dunfallon recalls was being knocked off his eagle and somehow being caught by Willie. It was a pleasant encounter at the first – Willie was friendly, even apologetic for his recent behavior. 

Noralei pointed to his silver whistle and asked why he had not used it to summon his eagle. By the pixie’s blank stare we all knew that there was a spell of forgetfulness at work. 

Rumble, Noralei and I left him in the care of his excellency to deal with the enchantment. 

We gathered outside the burrow to examine further the broken crystal. In the afternoon sunshine a facet to one of the crystal pieces flashed. Looking closer we could see a repeated image of our pixie being pushed off his eagle by the black bird.

The Fairy Diary Day 360 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Gilgorgon’s dwarves have now all returned. They have covered the immediate vicinity of their mountain and have nothing to report about our pixie – but they did come across dragon droppings. Therefore, Merlin has decided to turn his focus to the possibility that the dragon Dunfallon had encountered is on the hunt for the eggs. 

It will fall to us fairies to take up the search for Dunfallon. Once we have everything together we will set out for the pixie burrows, and failing that to Willie’s bog or even Nonin-gal-dith beyond. That is, if we don’t meet up with the High Fairy before then. 

Because Rumble reasoned that Dunfallon may have lost his silver whistle with which to summon his eagle, he came up with the idea to take the pixie’s mountain goat along with us. (It was just delivered to Gilgorgon today by Cawthrup’s son Corbet who has offered to accompany us just to this side of the pixie burrows). 

When all was prepared Noralei hurried us down the mountain before night set on. 

The Fairy Diary Day 359 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Dunfallon’s eagle had returned without its rider. According to Merlin he disappeared somewhere between Gilgorgon’s mountain and Nonin-gal-dith. 

My immediate thought was that he was headed home to his own pixie burrow, but then I remembered that Willie’s bog was in that vicinity too. 

With the wizard’s approval I dashed off a note on the scroll to the High Fairy and asked him to send word to the pixies to be on the lookout for Dunfallon. 

Then Merlin took all of us to Gilgorgon’s mountain. 

What should have been a gladsome time was dampened by our fears for our friend. Gilgorgon already had dwarves out looking for him. 

We settled in for the night to prepare for the search tomorrow. 

Each of us is anxious for our friend. Particularly Noralei. 

A Pixie Tale Day 356 #TFDbyRWOz2

Dunfallon writes:

Meribabell made me write down my story in his journal. I much better prefer telling it to writing it – especially as I can not include the music I played on my harp to accompany the tale. (Besides I find it annoying that Rumble stands over me correcting my pictagrams). 

But here goes. 

It all began back at the time Artoxon’s dwarves were reclaiming their city. 

It seems rewards were flowing to everyone. And I admit I was a bit sad that nothing was coming my way. Not that I was expecting anything. I am sure no one was. But once the dwarves started handing out rewards I could not help but think – where is mine? I did not say so outloud – but Fliget could tell something was off just by looking at me. 

It was after I helped him by handing out all those sacks of gold to the Dromadil pixies, he came up to me and with a flourish presented this marvelous harp to me. I was embarrassed for the attention – and perhaps for what I did next. I asked to speak to Fliget alone and then and there I asked boldly if I might have a sack of gold too – (after explaining the debt I owed to some humans for the loss of some livestock). 

He surprised me and gave me two. 

Then and there I knew I needed to make good on my debt as soon as possible. And I felt one bag would cover it. 

So when I left from the stronghold on my eagle to fly to Merlin’s castle, I took my instructions to heart and extended my search for Willie all the way up to Nimrood’s kingdom – then just a bit farther to Cawthrup’s homestead and there paid the debt for my part in the loss of his lambs. 

And I did not see Willie anywhere thereabouts – so I think we can rule out the human kingdom. 

But while with Cawthrup, one of his goats came over to greet me. It was MY mountain goat!!

Cawthrup bought him off of an itinerant herdsman some time ago. 

I immediately gave him my other bag of gold – firstly, to reimburse him and secondly, to hire one of his sons to transport my goat to Gilgorgon’s mountain. I am not willing to trust the fairies of the pasture near Nonin-gal-dith again. 

Satisfied with their promises that they would fulfill my wishes, I was about to depart, but Cawthrup tried to dissuade me on account of dragon sightings in the area at that time of day. 

I should have listened. 

No sooner had we taken off than a dragon came snaking after us in the sky. My eagle dropped like a stone and I held on for dear life. Before I knew it the dragon was making another attempt on us. But I had sufficiently gained enough control to put my eagle into a corkscrew spin. And in the dragon’s haste to follow us it tied its neck into a knot and broke off its pursuit to disentangle itself. 

I know this all sounds fantastic but it is all absolutely true. 

And just wait until I tell about my recent encounter with Willie.

The Fairy Diary Day 355 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Concern was growing for our absent pixie. He should have completed his tasks long ago. I prevailed upon Merlin to check on his whereabouts. The wizard managed to call up his image on his seers’ stone. 

Dunfallon and his eagle were a long way from their assigned locations. We could only surmise that he had completed those tasks and was off on some business of his own. 

At least he was safe. I would have a few choice things to say to him on his return. 

I turned over the last of my gleanings on crystals to Rumble so he could get up more maps for us. 

I joined Merlin and Noralei in the wizard’s workshop and watched them put together a new lantern/cage for Willie. And now and again I took a peek at the seer’s stone. 

By all appearances Dunfallon is on his way back.

The Fairy Diary Day 351 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

I awoke this morning with a jolt. I must have been dreaming. All I could remember was flying along, when on a sudden, I fell out of the sky. In my groggy state I had to remind myself where I was and what my new pendant was for. 

Then everything came back to me. 

For now, I am Merlin’s only guest, as Dunfallon has not yet arrived. I have no concern about his absence as I figured he was just following his curiosity. For after all, he was looking for signs of Willie. 

(Merlin did consult his seer’s stone and ascertained that the pixie and his eagle were not too far off course, and in fact should be here with us later this evening).

Also we are awaiting word as to whether or not Rumble and Noralei will be joining us. 

After a brief time on the rampart with Merlin, he pointed me to the section of his library that he wants me to explore. It contains all his volumes about crystals.