Revel

Pooft's older sister, Squishy, has a heart of gold...and a bossy demeanor to back it up! Sadly, her little brother Pooft usually catches the brunt of her bossy 'tude. That was until Revel arrived. Now, the impish little boys give back double the sass Squishy can dish out!

...continued

Pooft drew his wing back just in time to dodge the Shadowbeast's teeth as he flew straight up and disappeared into the thick leaves of the tree above. Revel darted around the trunk and pressed against the rough bark as he trembled, frozen in fear. For long minutes, he heard nothing - no footsteps of the horrorbeast leaving, no sounds of his friend, not even the sounds of the swamp's creatures-of-the-night creaking and croaking in their customary music. Revel's nerves were wound tightly, ready to snap at the slightest noise, which never came. Instead, a silent darkness slowly crept around the tree trunk, snuffling the air that was heavy with rich smells as the Shadow beast searched blindly for an errant Fae boy.

With a last, strangled squeak Revel launched into the air and flew, straight and true, for the safety of home. The littlest Fae felt the cold air of the Shade snapping at the tip of his tail and his evasive maneuvers included flips and slides in midair that would have impressed even the agile Kielek. After a moment, Revel's brain started to work better and he realized that if he went directly to his home he'd be leading the dangerous beast into his clanlands, and he would endanger his family! So he ZOOMED hard to the right, led the Shadowy beast from his nightmares back toward the sticky mud that bordered the swamp. "Maybe I can lose it in the water," Revel panted under his breath.

"The beast can swim, youngling," a soothing voice came to Revel from his left. He glanced over and saw the dusky form of Bluejay as she flew, her strong wings nearly touching the minion of the Shade, to save him. "Lead him along the shoreline!" she barked to him as she banked sharply and flew away. Without question, Revel adjusted his flight and led his pursuer along the edge of the swamp, where the murky mud pulled at the Shadow beast's great bulk. As the mud clung to its feet, trapped it, slowed it down, Revel heard Pooft call to him from above. Without thought, Revel banked his wings and sped straight up into the tree and collapsed at the crook of a sturdy branch high above the hindered beast below.

"You okay, Revel?" Pooft squeaked as Revel drooped over the limb with a wing to either side and gasped for his breath. All Revel could do was nod weakly, but he also flashed a claws-up sign for his friend. Each was reassured their bestie was safe, so they watched the fight on the banks of the swamp below them.

Bluejay, garbed in her customary red cloak and wolf pelt, was flying circles around the enemy. She circled it steadily as it lashed out at her, stayed just out of reach of the darkly glistening claws, and with a grin she would randomly duck under its attack and bite its flesh. As she spun 'round and 'round, Revel caught sight of slight movement in the leaves below and he tapped Pooft with a wingtip, then silently pointed to the stranger coming onto the bank from the trees. Mottled somewhere between a red and a yellow was a Bogsneak of terrifying looks. The long tongue slithered from the stranger's mouth to catch at drool as he slowly stalked his prey - the pair fighting in the slick mud.

Pooft started to call to Bluejay, but Revel stopped him and whispered, "No, look," as he pointed to a shape in the water. "I...I think that one is fighting with whatever's come from the water." As the boys watched, an algae-covered head broke the surface and darted onto the bank faster than the Faes could see. Suddenly, the Shade's minion was fighting not one full-grown Bogsneak, but three. The fighters darted in and back in pairs, and the noise was fearsome. Looking closely, Revel pointed out to his friend, "When the red one bites, it seems to suck at the Shadeling. I think he's draining it!"

Pooft nodded eagerly and pointed to the green Bogsneak as he whispered, "That one has another dragon in the skull on his wing. I think he's a shaman!" Revel concentrated on the green Bogsneak and saw a sickly-green luminescence dart out and bite the shade's flank as the dragon in question took a chunk from the beast's neck. And thus, the battled continued until more dragons arrived to join in the defense of the nameless clan's lands. Soon, the Shade's weak flails stopped and the creature lay in the green-grey mud, defeated and lifeless. Chaos called up to the boys in the tree, "Are you two safe?"

Revel and Pooft dropped to the branch just above the clan leader's head and assured the Tundra they were both unharmed, and with a satisfied nod Chaos led his fellow warriors home. Bluejay was the last to leave and she sent a motherly smile to the boys before she looked over her shoulder and met eyes with the red dragon who had been the first to arrive, the first to defend her. A look passed between the two dragons that confused the dragonlings, but there seemed to be a lot said in that one glance before Bluejay smiled and turned to head home.

Baldr faded into the leaves as the two Faes flitted toward their home. He felt an odd feeling in his chest, satisfaction that the youths were safe, and he wondered why he would care about two strange younglings. But then he remembered the smile his lovely Bluejay sent to him and felt a matching warmth from the memory of her beauty as she stood before him in the moonlight. "This has been a good night," he breathed in the stagnant swamp air as he licked the last drops of blood from the corner of his mouth. Then he carefully followed sweet Bluejay home to make sure she arrived safely.