Illusion Vale: A Spirit's Cry

"My beautiful lands. What has become of you?" The Spirit's voice was soft and had a slight musical tone to it. Her voice usually brought joy and peace to those that heard it, but now it was filled with sorrow. A deep sorrow for the state of her people, for the end of what she had worked hard for for so long. The time of darkness and strife was long behind them, but now it was coming back. And the Spirit mourned for the lost peace.

She looked over her balcony rail and watched the land grow beneath her. From her tower abode, she could see the entire of Illusion Vale as if it were a map on a table. The shifting of the mountains, the running rivers and the rippling lakes. The swaying of the forests as breezes moved under their protective canopy. She sighed and her eyes centered on her own city, the City of the Vale. She watched with love and compassion as the people moved freely around her beautiful city. Many creatures, great and small, moved together with peace in their hearts.

She heard a distant cry and her eyes narrowed onto a darkened alleyway. A Felinish woman stood rooted to the ground in fear as two shady males stalked towards her. She saw the distinctive single horns pointing towards the sky from their heads and knew that they were Leracacians and watched as the female was held at knife point as they robbed her of all her possessions. The Spirit searched around and found two City Watch Guards nearby. They were both Leracacians as well and seemed to either not hear or heed the desperate cries of the Felinish woman. Others hurried by with their heads ducked down, trying not to catch attention.

A single tear ran down The Spirit's right cheek and she had to close her eyes briefly to avoid watching as the Felinish was killed. She whispered prayers for the departed woman and felt the loss deep within her compassionate soul.

There had once been a time when a crime such as what she had just witnessed had been unheard of. Either the City Watch would have stopped it, or the city-folk would have helped the woman. Then again, there had once been a time when no-one would have thought to rob and murder anyone either. She sighed and turned away from her balcony view. She could see... but up here in her icy tower above the clouds, in her weakened state, she could not do a thing to help that woman now.

She bowed her head and let her hot tears flow freely as she weeped without sound, her long pale blue hair wisping around her face in a breeze that was neither heard nor felt. Her pale blue hands clasped in front of her, her long sky blue dress filtered down to her ankles moved and rippled around her body, echoing her grief of a single lost.

Soft footfalls approaching her made her raise her head. Malas, a young elf by elven standards, stood at a respectful distance and bowed his head. In a similar voice to her own, though more masculine he said, "It is ready,"

The Spirit rose to her full height and brushed away her tears, "I will join you in a minute,"
Malas nodded and turned to leave, but hesitated, "Must this be done?"
The Spirit nodded, "There is no other way. If there is to be any hope for this land, it is with its original owners,"
Malas stood for a moment, contemplating, then nodded and left.

The Spirit turned to the balcony again and the view changed to that of the entirety of Illusion Vale. She sighed and shook her head slowly. It must be done.

Leaving the room, she traversed her small sanctum and turned towards the corridor that led to the fate of her lands. Taking a small, quiet breath, she entered a room made completely by crystals. They were of numerous size, type and colour and made the room shine with brilliant glory. She took a moment to soak in the beauty before she crossed to a raised crystal dais. There she placed one hand on the crystal plate and closed her eyes.

Malas watched quietly from the Crystal Chamber's door. He watched as The Spirit opened her eyes wide and began to sing. What the words were, he did not know, for he could neither fathom nor wanted to, the words to her cry for help. He just knew that after this, she would need him for many many more years to come.

A brilliant white light filled the room, heating to a light rosy glow and finally cooling down to a pale blue. He felt the sorrow of her pleas and the desperation and found tears running down his face. His beloved Spirit was breaking and he knew that she was using what little power she had left.

In a blink, the light was gone and The Spirit was draped across the Crystal Plate. Malas moved quickly and took her gently in his arms, laying her down on his lap on the floor. He folded his arms around her and traced his finger down one cheek, feeling the wetness of her tears. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled, "I have done all I can my dear Malas. Now we must wait and see who answers the call," her musical voice drifted off and Malas stood, carrying the unconscious Spirit to her bedchamber and laying her gently to rest.

"Yes, but will they save us, or destroy us?" he whispered into the dark.

Michael O'Donnell stepped from O'Malley and Son's funeral home, the sounds of pipes and flutes dying down as the door closed. Kevin O'Briens wake was about halfway through but the boss had come calling with orders. Michael always obeyed his orders.He produced a pack of cigarettes and a zippo from inside his trenchcoat. He pulled out one of the smokes and light it, inhaling the delicious smoke. The Castiglione's had gone too far this time. Four of the lads were dead. the fifth was expected to recover but was never going to walk again. Kevin had apparently fought like Fionn. Patrick said Kevin must have killed 4 of the fuckin' wops himself. There was no doubt about it, this meant war. War between all the Irish outfits and all the filthy Wop's. This was gonna mean shootouts in the streets, assasination's, the whole nine yards. Lot of law will need to be bribed for this one. Michael produced his Colt .45 semi-automatic and made sure it was loaded. There was gonna be some hell to pay this night. Michael focusedon the task he had been given. There's gonna be lots of crying guinea bitches tonight. He flicked his cigarette away, and suddenly felt a strange sensation, as if being pulled but not moving anywhere.

He disappeared into the night and one lit cigarette butt hit the ground.

Eeth Odok

It was fall in northeastern Arizona, and a man stood on one of the many buttes that covered the landscape. He was of the local Navajo tribe, one of their most respected members. With tan skin, long, flowing black hair, he was dressed in traditional Navajo clothing. In the days when the Navajo people still wandered free in the land, before the white skins came and took the lands from the people, he would have been considered a warrior. But he did not go looking for fights, he didn't even like fighting, but he would fight when he had to. He held respect for all people, even his enemies, so he was respected in turn by his people, good or bad. He followed the Old Customs of the Navajo people, which is why he stood on that butte, watching the sunrise.

There was turmoil in the world. All was not well. In fact, just the other day there was a massacre at one of the universities back east. He had come to this place to pray to the Great Spirit and ask for help. He had gathered the necessary items and built a lean-to, which stood behind him. After his morning prayer, he went into the lean-to to begin his prayers to the Great Spirit. The lean-to was dimly lit, with a hole in the ceiling providing some light, but most coming from a small fire that burned in the center.

He sat down on the opposite side of the fire from the door to the lean-to, and began to chant in the Navajo tongue. Fifteen minutes later, he passed out.

Michael and Sila

Sila shot along the ground, skipping from shrub to shrub. Not much grew where she was but the few plants that did were most beautiful. She looked over to her left and saw the Ethari Plains in the distance. She gave a low whistle and the breeze lifted, playing along her wings. She fluttered them once, twice and then a third time before skipping along the ground again.

She knew what she was looking for would be here somewhere. Afterall, she had transported him here herself, but it didn't make looking for him all the more easier in the least.

She raced over the rocky ground and wondered just why he had ended up here. The Trinias Mountains, though pretty, weren't a good place for a new comer at all. She shrugged her shoulders and skipped along, occassionally dislodging loose stones that tumbled down sheer cliff faces. She skipped and fluttered, not a care in the world when she stumbled upon what she was looking for.

Lying in a heap on the ground was a large and very hairy creature. He would have easily stood at six foot and he was covered from head to toe in dark red fur. He was muscly and quite butch looking, his long snout covering sharp looking caninies.

Skidding to a halt, she tilted her head from one side to the next and gave a small giggle, "I found you!" her voice a tiny tinkling sound. She giggled again and nudged him with one tiny hand. When his eyes opened, she looked into his fierce orbs and smiled, waving airily.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully and gestured around them, "Welcome to Illusion Vale. I'm Sila, what's your name?"

She hovered in front of him and waited cheerfully for his answer. The three foot fairy with iridescent wings and tiny, tiny features did not seem, in the slightest, bothered by the great big hairy beast in front of her with the sharp teeth. Not at all...

As he stood on the roof of the building Lance Wolf looked over at the other building, his target and wondered just what the hell he was doing here. He had been paid a lot of money by his employer just for this one job, enough to retire on and Lance knew that it would be stupid to turn it down. He looked back down towards the ground before picking up the grappling gun. As he aimed the gun he realized that this would be a hard job to pull off but it would well be worth his time. He heard the slight pop as the grappling arrow took off and flew through the air to land in the roof of his target building.

Seconds later he landed on the building and looked around for his entry point. He had taken several days to plan this job and would make it perfect as the last thing he wanted was to get caught. Lance looked around and headed for the vent; his entry point for this job and pulled off his backpack before pulling on his mask. Without even pausing he slid into the vent, placing a spike into the top of it before he started to slide down.

He moved until he was at the elevator shaft, looked down and once again was glad that he didn't suffer from vertigo or he would be really bad at his profession. He climbed down the rope he threw down, stopping in front of the doors. As soon as he shut off the alarm he pried the door open then looked in just to see the hallway of his target apartment. Mr Angus Holden was rich beyond all belief but what Lance saw of his security system was a joke. It was one of those ones that would be impossible for even the best of thieves but Lance was better than any one of them and this one would be simple.

He moved slowly out of the elevator shaft, all the while keeping an eye on the camera and looked at the door just across from him, the security room. With a smile he slid the small disc across the floor and watched as it went under the door. He watched the door for several seconds just to see the haze come underneath it then the thuds. Strange, only expected one in there.

He pulled himself out of the elevator shaft and moved to the door, opened it and walked in just to see the security guards very much unconscious. After he taped their hands, feet and mouths Lance moved out of the room and down the hall, knowing that he did not have to worry about the cameras but he knew not to get too cocky and saw the iridescent green beams in the air. He knew that they would scream in his ears and shut this place down if he touched them so he knew not to touch them, it was that simple.

Moving as quietly and stealthily as a cat Lance moved to his left, right, rolled around on the floor and jumped through the air until he saw his prize sitting there in front of him. The huge smile came to his face as he reached out to grab the amulet, realizing that it was a totally ugly looking thing but stopped. It was far too easy. He knelt down and looked at the pedestal, looking around the glass until he saw the slight little seal around the bottom of it. Smart, very smart. he thought before he pulled out the small canister. As he sprayed the seal Lance heard the hissing sound and lifted up the case. He closed his eyes, waiting for ear piercing shriek of the alarm to go off but when he heard nothing he smiled and grabbed the amulet.

It was then that the alarm went of and James cursed at the top of his lungs before looking at the hall. When he saw the large metal door coming down Lance's eyes widened before he started to run towards it as fast as he could. He cursed loudly as he hit the ground and slid just barely under the door and towards the elevator shaft, grabbing the rope before he fell to his death. He closed the doors and as he did he heard the footsteps and shouts of the guards.

Minutes later he walked out of the other building just to see the cops and Mr. Holden arguing. He knew that he was not pleased but did not care, it was just another pay day for him. With a whistle Lance began to walked down the rope to his car.

He slowly walked into the pub, wondering what he was going to do now. He had been chased ever since he had taken the amulet from Holden's penthouse apartment and wondered just what the hell for. It looked totally worthless but Seamus O'Donnell had told him that it would well be worth his while and as he walked into the building he wondered if Seamus had finally gone mad. He knew not to say it to his face though.

As soon as he closed the door he saw several people look in his direction and a voice say, "You're late."

"I'm sorry, I was kinda caught up with my work. It won't happen again."

A strange smile came to Seamus's smile as he moved towards him and maneuvered Lance to the back room. Lance didn't say anything as he walked but wondered if there was something wrong.

They entered the back room and Lance was shocked to see his backer and best friend sitting in a chair with a large red sack over his head. It was then that he heard an all too familiar click behind him. Turning around he saw Seamus holding the large pistol and wondered just what the hell was going on. Was there something about this amulet that made everyone want it; was there something about it that people would kill for?

"Just put the fookin thing on the table and get the hell out of here before I shoot you. You got me."

Lance looked at him and thought that was a good idea but there was something else that he had in mind.

"I would love to but there is the matter of my remaining money. I didn't do this for free you know."

Seamus laughed.

"You are fun you fook but that would stop me from killing ya."

Lance moved before Seamus could stop him and jumped into the air, his foot connecting with Seamus's head. Seamus did a flip over the chair before he landed on the ground but Lance did not give him a chance to land as he ran from the room and into his bodyguard.

The bodyguard swung a large fist at Lance's head but Lance ducked it before running past him, kicking the door open and running out into the street.

He turned and ran towards the parking structure, towards his car but before he could get a few feet down the street a shot rang out, taking a chip out of the pavement in front of him. He turned to look back just to see Seamus and a few others running at him.

"Get that little fook, I want him dead!" Seamus shouted out and Lance cursed again.

Lance turned again and ran as fast as he could towards the parking structure. He hoped that when he got there he would be safe but as he ran up the stairs to his floor he heard the footsteps running towards him. He slammed his shoulder into the door, flying into the floor. When he saw his car sitting there he let out a smile but it was then that he felt something else. He felt something pulling on him and let out a loud shout a second before he disappeared.

Eeth and Van

Van ran lightly over the ground, he used all four paws to cover the great distance more easily. His little pink tongue hung out of his feline mouth as he panted with the effort. Van was a Neko. His fur was a light brown with tufts of white at his ears and on the ends of his paws. His tail was tipped with white as well.

Van stopped and scented the air, his ears twitching back and forth. He let his tongue hang out slightly and tasted something bad in the air. He sucked in his tongue and wrinkled his pink nose. Then he stood on his back paws. At full height he was only five foot two, his tail adding another two inches to his length.

Surin Forest wasn't the most ideal place for his kind as they preferred the more open areas that came with rolling fields of grass and plains. But he had to be here, it was his job. He had to be a guide to the soul that had just been transported to Illusion Vale.

He picked his way through the undergrowth, going more slowly now as he knew that his 'Soul' was somewhere near. He wrinkled his nose again and passed a particularly foul smelling plant. He gave it a very wide berth.

"I should have stayed home and let him come to me," he thought to himself sourly. He didn't like to travel anymore than he liked water, and he was near a huge lake!

Sniffing the air again, cautious of any foul smelling green foliage, he caught onto the unique scent of his 'Soul'. Stepping lightly over the roots underfoot, he peered at the ground and finally found him.

He was an elf.

"Great," Van muttered to himself, "Here comes the communing with trees," he poked out his tongue, "and the swimming, pah!" He frowned in disgust at the idea of immersing oneself in water.

He took a stick and poked the elf in the shoulder. He kept poking him until his eyes opened, then Van took a step back and flopped onto the ground, sitting indian style. "Welcome to Illusion Vale. I'm Van."

The Wake-up Call

Eeth slowly woke up to someone poking him with a stick, like child would poke a dead animal. When Eeth opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the ground. But it wasn't what it was supposed to be. It was dark, rich soil, not the parched desert dirt that he should have been sitting on. The second thing he noticed was his pants. When he had started the pray, he had been wearing tan leather pants. Now he wore something like silk, which seemed to shift colors anywhere from stone gray to forest green.

He then lifted his head and looked around. He noticed that he was in a dense forest, not a lean-to on a butte in Arizona. I'm sure as hell not in Arizona. I don't know what trees these are but they sure don't grow anywhere in Arizona, thought Eeth. He then noticed that something, probably what had been poking him, was sitting opposite him. The best way to describe it, according to Eeth, was as an oversized cat. When it spoke, Eeth was surprised. I really should have cut back on the incense in that lean-to, thought Eeth.

"Uhhh...mind telling me if I'm dreaming or something? What's going on?" said Eeth.

Becca

“Fuck me.” Becca muttered as she stood outside the emergency room entrance of St. Francis hospital and lit a cigarette. “Lost another one….”

The man was in his late forties, and his car was all smashed to hell. It seemed like it took NYFD forever to cut him out of the twisted wreck of metal and glass. Aaron and Dane knew the guy was a goner, but she continued to work on his shattered, lifeless body until they pulled her off.

Becca took a drag off her cigarette. She rubbed the dark circles beneath her eyes--tell-tale signs of long shifts, and barely any sleep.

They keep dying. It’s my fault….

“What the hell am I doing wrong?” she whispered.

“Hey, here.”

Her partner, Aaron, nudged her and held out a steaming Styrofoam cup of coffee.

“Those things will kill ya.” he smiled wryly as he sipped at his own coffee. “Thought you quit?”

Becca plucked the cigarette from the corner of her mouth with a shaky hand and flicked ash from the glowing tip. She exhaled smoke and sighed harshly. She’d quit, but everything was piling up lately—one hour after another, one death after another, and she couldn’t help but slip back into old habits. It didn’t help her nerves…

“I’m done.” Becca said tiredly, as she took another drag.

“That’s what you said last week. Dane and I had a bet that you couldn’t go a week without a cigare--”

“—I’m done, Aaron. I can’t take it.”

Aaron looked at Becca for a moment and gave her a tired grin.

“C’mon… I’ll let you quit next week.”

“I’m not kidding. I just… I can’t do it anymore. I can’t.”

Aaron’s grin faltered.

“If it’s about the hours or being short-staffed…”

“It’s more than that, Aaron. When I close my eyes, I see them. I see the ones we couldn’t save.”

“We can’t save them all.” Aaron said softly as he took hold of her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. “No matter how hard we try, some things are out of our hands. We’re having a bad run, Becca. Every paramedic I’ve known has had a bad run at some point, but you can’t kick yourself about it, Okay? You’re good at what you do.”

Aaron paused for a moment.

“Maybe you should talk to Charlie….”

“I’m not talkin’ to a goddamned shrink.” Becca said, as she exhaled smoke through her nose and crushed out her cigarette in the sand of the outside ashtray. “I’m finishing this stretch and I’m out. I’m putting my notice in.”

Becca went to push past Aaron and he grabbed her arm. She looked back at him, too tired to really be annoyed.

“I’m not talking to her.”

“Okay. Fine. Don’t talk to Charlie.” Aaron said. “But don’t bail on us, Becca. Dane and I need you. I don’t want to get stuck with someone green who doesn’t know Hell’s Kitchen, or worse: not getting anyone at all.”

“Look, you’re tired. We’re all tired—me, Dane, everyone who has to tow the line because of the cuts. If I get you twenty minutes of sleep, will you at least rethink the quitting thing?”

“I don’t know… maybe. I guess.”

Aaron nodded.

“Okay. Dane and I will run interference and you’ll get your twenty.”


A vague, antiseptic scent greeted Becca as she threw open the doors to the back of the ambulance and crawled inside. A new gurney had already been put in and she lay down. Becca stared at the roof of the ambulance and tried to close her eyes. She swore softly when she couldn’t just drift off; she was so tired that she couldn’t even sleep.

“Twenty minutes?” Becca chuckled harshly. “Twenty minutes ain’t enough…”

A strange shadow fluttered across the roof of the ambulance and she abruptly sat up. She looked around in the dimness of the ambulance and rubbed her eyes.

I’m seeing things… am I seeing things?

Becca saw it again and the shadow zipped past her. There was a vague voice calling out, reaching for her and she was suddenly afraid.

“Jesus…” she uttered. “I’m finally losing it. I’m cracking. Maybe I should talk to Charlie, maybe--”

That voice, that calling suddenly became too loud in Becca’s head. She needed to find Dane or Aaron. She wasn’t sure if she could or should finish her shift like this. She was in full-blown panic now and tears started to stream down her cheeks but when she tried to get off the gurney, her eyes rolled up. Becca was consumed by the tumult of the call and she fell back not on the gurney that she’d tried to sleep on, but through it…

Largos and Len

Len flew serenely above the canopy of what was known as the Dark Woods. Many dangerous creatures lived in this part of Illusion Vale and she knew to be careful just exactly where she flew. She knew most of the dangers, but as always in this land, what you expected and what actually happened was most always different things.

She banked to the left and dipped beneath the tree tops, hunting, her sharp eyesight penetrating the dark gloom in the forest. Despite its sinister reputation, Dark Woods was actually a really beautiful place. The trees were huge and the flower species exotic and colourful. The creatures that lived here were, despite having a mean streak, caretakers of these woods and the divergence of all three major river systems right through the middle of the forest did give it more glamour.

She cocked her head to one side and perched on a tree to rest and grab her bearings. Closing her eyes, she collected her thoughts. Long black feathers ruffled with the slight breeze and she felt the slight dampness gather on her beak. She reached back and scratched an errant itchy spot near her tail feathers, her eye glancing past the strange white feather amongst the black that covered her body.

Having rested, the raven took the air once more and resumed her search of her 'charge'. She was responsible for the third soul that answered the Call and was transported here.

Searching through the undergrowth, her sharp eyes soon caught sight of an unatural hump on the ground. She cocked her head to one side and landed near it. Hopping closer, she found that it was a body. The body of an elf to be precise.

If she had had lips, she would have smiled.

Fluttering her wings, she settled down to wait until the elf awoke. Fortunately, she didn't have long to wait. He stirred almost an hour later and she chirped at him, a strong, startling sound so close to his ear. Though she could not speak the Spirit's Tongue, she could speak directly to his mind.

"Welcome to Illusion Vale, I am Len."

Eeth and Van

Van scratched behind his ear and errantly licked a paw before tilting his head to one side, "Dreaming? What do you mean?" he frowned and pointed around him, "We're in Illusion Vale, don't you know? Mew?"

He stared at Eeth and and then frowned somewhat severely, "Hey, you didn't say your name, that's rude!" he poked his tongue out at Eeth and his tail waved from side to side in aggitation. "I don't like rude people," he muttered, more to himself than to Eeth, "Why'd I have to get an elf?"

He licked furiously at an itchy left paw and mewed forlornly, "You're the one that's gonna save Vale? Nya?" he shook his furry head and his ears twitched erratically. Then he shrugged. "Doesn't matter, you're here. No matter, Van here. Van help,"

Then he poked Eeth with the stick again...

Becca and Kail

Kail zipped through the trees and whistled to himself in a low tuneless melody. He was happy, for a change, because he now had another purpose. Not one of those generic 'go live your life things' but a real purpose. Illusion Vale needed to be saved, from what, he didn't know nor cared at the moment, but it needed him. And he needed his charge.

From what he understood, several (he didn't quite know the numbers) different 'helpers' had been assigned to different 'souls' that would be arriving in Illusion Vale. When he had heard this, he had assumed that he was going to look after a newborn, but Malas had warned him that his charge would be different. Warned him not to make assumptions.

There had also been a number of rules concerning interaction and guidance of the charge, but Kail didn't really want to think about that right now.

He sighed and spun on the spot, illuminating the immediate area around, above and below him briefly with pale blue light. The forest was dense and he was using almost every bit of luminance he had to find his charge. He knew that it would be around here somewhere, he just didn't want to chance missing it.

Spinning forward, the pale blue wisp searched further and deeper into the forest above Vakare. He whistled to himself constantly, trying to alleviate the lonelinees he was feeling in this large place. He was more at home in the city, truth be told, in his little cage. But he had heard the call and attended Malas and now he had a true purpose in life.

Stopping, he hovered a few feet off the ground and cast an eery pale light upon the woman he had found amongst the foliage. He looked down at her dark blonde hair and noticed the absolute exhausted aura around her. He spun lightly, casting his glow on her form and waited patiently for her to wake.

When she woke, she would find a pale blue wisp of light floating above her. Its luminance gave off a calming and soothing feeling and its voice was soft and gentle, "Welcome to Illusion Vale. I am called Kail, what may I call you?"

Wolfsister said:

Van scratched behind his ear and errantly licked a paw before tilting his head to one side, "Dreaming? What do you mean?" he frowned and pointed around him, "We're in Illusion Vale, don't you know? Mew?"

He stared at Eeth and and then frowned somewhat severely, "Hey, you didn't say your name, that's rude!" he poked his tongue out at Eeth and his tail waved from side to side in aggitation. "I don't like rude people," he muttered, more to himself than to Eeth, "Why'd I have to get an elf?"

He licked furiously at an itchy left paw and mewed forlornly, "You're the one that's gonna save Vale? Nya?" he shook his furry head and his ears twitched erratically. Then he shrugged. "Doesn't matter, you're here. No matter, Van here. Van help,"

Then he poked Eeth with the stick again...

Click to expand...

Eeth was baffled. He wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not. He figured that with everything else appearing to be "normal," he couldn't be high from the incense. Then the overgrown cat poked him again. "Illusion Vale? Never heard of it. I apologize for the rudeness, but you're the one poking me with a stick. I am Eeth Odok of the Navajo people. And as far as I know I am human, so I don't have a clue of what you mean when you say 'Why'd I have to get an elf?'" replied Eeth. Still confused, he continued to sit where he was trying to piece everything together. One minute, he was sitting in a dimly lit lean-to in northern Arizona praying to the Great Spirit, the next he was sitting here talking to a cat. This has got to be a dream. An all too real dream. thought Eeth.

Becca and Kail

Becca’s consciousness slowly swam up from darkness. Her eyes half opened to pale blue light and she threw her hand up against it.

“Twenty minutes, Aaron.” she said tiredly. “You promised!”

The light wasn’t going away.

“Aaron? Dane?” Becca said as she lowered her hand. “Turn off that damned--”

Her words caught in her throat as she sat up in the tall grass. She was surrounded by huge trees and shafts of sunlight pierced the emerald canopy above her. The pale blue light, as blue as ambulance lights, hovered over her as well. It was soothing to her even though disordered thoughts sprung up in her mind.

One of two things is happening: Becca thought dimly as she stared up at the blue wisp. Either I’m having a very vivid dream and I’m still in the back of the ambulance or I’m having a nervous breakdown and I’m hallucinating…

The grass around her felt far too real. The birds, the sounds, the smells—all of it, and most disturbingly, the wisp that floated above her. It spoke to her in soft, gentle tones, and she blinked as she reached up to it. It welcomed her to a strange place she didn’t know; it asked her name and gave one of its own.

“Kail?” she murmured. “I’m… I must be hallucinating.”

Near hysterical laughter bubbled up from Becca until she saw her hand in Kail’s light. She stared at it for a moment as her laughter died as suddenly as it had come on.

“The hell?” she whispered. “My… my hand!”

It was the color of oak wood split open and darker beautiful wood grain patterns gracefully swirled on the back of her hand and hypnotically wove their way up her arm. Her nails had become the color of dark, rich earth...

“What is this? What’s happened to me?”

The calming effect of Kail’s light started to wane with Becca’s growing panic. Her strange, new hands frantically felt over her satin-smooth, wood-like skin. She was no longer clothed in her EMT black and blues. It was everywhere on her that she could see: arms, legs, torso… Becca felt her neck and her face and knew that it had changed there too. Her finger tips brushed over her ears and they had grown to points like an elf's.

There was a rustling in her dark blonde hair when she shook her head in denial against her new body. She reached up and it was somehow thicker, weightier then it had been. When she pulled a lock of it up, it was long and ropey like dreadlocks and there were leaves...

Becca winced as she ripped out smallish, summer green oak leaves that were interspersed and growing sporadically along the cords of her hair. It hurt just as much to pull the leaves off as it did the hair on her head. She watched in disbelief as new leaves started to bud and grow in where the others had been torn out.

“This… this isn’t me” she said as tears wet her cheeks “This isn’t real!”

She drew her knees up and hugged them to her chest.

“Becca..." she whispered to herself. “You have to wake up, you have to get yourself together--this isn't real.”

Michael opened his eyes and saw the fairy "WHAT THE FUCK?" he yelled, jumping backward, he landed on his back, then quickly rolled and took cover behind a rock. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?" he asked. He then noticed his hands on the rock and, bewildered, brought them closer to his face "WHAT THE FUCK AM I?" he yelled again, starting to get angrier then he had ever felt in his life "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS PLACE?" He looked back over the rock at the fairy. "Whats your name again?"

Van scratched his head in confusion again. "So... an elf AND you're dumb?" he poked his tongue out and mewed again, swishing his tail back and forth. Then he skipped up onto his feet and leaned forward, grabbing Eeth by both ears. "Look, pointy ears, like mine, 'cept not so furry," he waggled them around some then mewed again.

Springing backwards in a flip, he landed on all four paws and then sat on his haunches. Digging into the small pack he had with him, he soon picked out a ridiculously large hand mirror. You would wonder how it fit in the bag in the first place.

Then, after taking some time to look at himself and preen somewhat, he turned the mirror to face Eeth. "See the elf? That's you, nya?" Then he gestured around them, "Elf in Suvin Forest. What else, mew?"

He handed the mirror over, shaking his head. "How can you be confused about what you are?" he muttered to himself.

Becca and Kail

Kail watched calmly as Becca seemed to fold herself up in her state of shock and confusion. He spun, his pale blue light twinkling in the relative darkness of the forest around them. When he stopped twirling, he seemed to pulse slightly, as if thinking.

"Becca, is this your name?" When he did not get an answer straight away, he spun lightly again and thought of his next words carefully.

"Becca, I do not claim to understand your confusion, but surely you cannot be this upset at being such a beautiful creature?" He spun, casting a warming light on her, "A Dryad is a sacred being, one with the world around them. I know there have been changes, though I am not sure why you are so shocked," he paused, "Did you not know this would happen?"

He floated closer to her and extended that same calming sensation, "Do not worry my dear. I am here, you are not alone."

Eeth and Van

Eeth clenched his teeth as the talking cat grabbed his ears, but in a spot where the ears weren't supposed to be. He didn't have time to wonder at that when the cat produced a mirror, and turned it towards Eeth. Eeth just stared at disbelief at the image that stared back at him. It sure as hell wasn't a member of the Navajo tribe that looked at him from the mirror. Looking back at him, was a man fair of face with white skin and long black hair. There were indeed pointy ears that framed the face. Eeth reached a hand up to check his head, to make sure that it was indeed him in the mirror, not something else. Eeth also wore a shirt made of the same material as his pants, silk-like that shifted in color.

"How...? What's going on?" asked Eeth, his voiced choked with disbelief.

"You! What's your name? Van? Tell me what's going on! You obviously know a lot more about this than I do! Earlier, you said 'Welcome to Illusion Vale.' To me, that means you know that I'm not from around here. And you also said you were here to help! So help! Explain to me what the hell is going on!" said Eeth, his voice strong and getting angry. He spent a moment muttering a string of curses in the Navajo tongue, waiting for that overgrown furball to explain things.

Michael and Sila

Sila fluttered her wings and flitted around in excitement, "Fuck? Fuck?" she tilted her head and giggled as the big hairy monster ran behind a rock trying to hide from her. A three foot fairy.

She tilted her head the other way and began to dance around on the spot, in mid air. In her tiny little sing song voice, she asked curiously, "What the fuck, is fuck?" then she giggled and bopped her head from side to side, "I like that word, it sounds fun!"

She watched with bright blue eyes as the big man sized wolf began to panic and scream the word out even more, then she realised that he wasn't panicking at all, he was having fun. She decided that she didn't want to be left out, so she started to dance around in the air, prescribing an erratic circle above his head. Her wings fluttering wildly as she waved her arms in the air, swung her short purple hair around and sung at the top of her lungs, "Faarrrck! Fuck! Faarrrck! Fuck!..."

Eeth and Van

Van inched up a long haired eyebrow and mewed, "So many questions! Van try, Van start at beginning,"

He sprung up and began to pace slightly, purring softly under his breath as he thought and swished his tail beneath his snubby nose. "Van say 'Welcome to Illusion Vale' before because you not from here, Van knows you from other world," he frowned, "But Van thought you would know answers to questions you just asked," then he shook his head and gathered himself once more, sitting cross legged in front of the bewildered elf again.

"How you save Vale if you not know?" he cocked his head and mewed again, then took a deep breath, puffing out his chest idly, "Van only know you from other world, where long lost Guardians live and Van has to help you get around Illusion Vale,"

Then he pouted and mewed forlornly, reaching for the mirror in Eeth's hands and snatched it away from him. Now purring contently, he licked his paw and began cleaning his face while looking in the mirror. Then, seemingly satisfied that his fur was straight, he turned to tuck the mirror back into the pack. He had a bit of trouble though, as it seemed to big for the opening. He grunted and mewed as he fought to squash the oversized silver mirror into the pack.

Finally succeeding, he mewed in delight and then turned back to Eeth. "So, how you plan save Illusion Vale?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Save Illusion Vale? I don't even know what Illusion Vale is or why I'm here! One minute I'm sitting in a desert doing my own thing, and then next thing I know, you're poking me with a stick in this forest! I must have missed the memo that explained everything, because I am clueless right now. And what do you mean I came from where 'long lost Guardians live?'" asked Eeth, one of his own eyebrows raised in a questioning look.

Michael calmed down a bit and stared at the fairy that was dancing around and yelling fuck. What kinda place is this? he thought to himself. "Stop that lass, that word doesnt mean what you think it means." he said standing up and coming out from behind the rock. "Whats your name wee one?" he asked "And where am I? and more importantly what am I? more importantly then all that lass, have you got a smoke?"

Eeth and Van

Van gestured around them, "This Illusion Vale. Everywhere Illusion Vale," he cocked his head, "Even Van know that."

Then Van did something similar to a blush, except more masculine, but still feline, so pretty feminine anyway, "You like Sticky?" He then proceeded to poke Eeth again in the leg, "Sticky like you."

Then Van sighed, "I explain. Long lost Guardians used to be here, but they left now, so they long lost," he paused, "Get it?"

He scratched behind his left ear and continued, "You are Guardian but not long lost 'cos you here. So not lost anymore, Nya?"

Licking a paw, he kept going, albeit Eeth would probably have a hard time keeping up, "Illusion Vale in trouble. Big peace everywhere long time ago, but gone now. People keep dying and peace no where. The Spirit send call to Guardians, take peace back. You guardian... who not lost now,"

"Van not know what guardians are, but now you elf. Van here to help and answer questions. Van also only friendly guide you have, so no eating Van!" he puffed up and mewed, "Van know elves greedy and eat Van's People, Mew!!"

He then sat back and watched Eeth warily from the corner of his eyes while licking his tail.

Eeth mused on this a little bit after having calmed down somewhat. "So, Illusion Vale is a land, right? You're going to have to tell me alot more about this land, because, if I'm correct, it has been a very, very long time since the Guardians were here. And I'm one of the Guardians. Therefore, the Guardians are human. But why bring me here and make me an elf?" Eeth said, partly to himself.

"And no, I don't like Sticky. If Sticky keeps that up, he's going to take a strong liking to you. And you don't have to worry about me eating you. While it is partly true that my ancestors, not the elves, ate felines every-so-often, you don't have to worry about me eating you. At least, not right away," said Eeth with a devilish grin on his face. He was going to enjoy messing with this cat's mind, but mostly just for laughs. Seeing as how most humans tend to have a bit of a cruel streak to them, Eeth was no exception, but he was a good man all-in-all.

Lance lay there on the ground and felt as though he had been hit by a truck, or someone had finally gotten him and he was laying on the floor of the parking structure bleeding to death listening to the sound of his mother calling him up to heaven. It was then that he realized that his mother wasn't dead and that the ground beneath him felt nothing like the concrete of a parking garage whatsoever. He opened his eyes slowly and moved his hands around just to feel the tall grass underneath them.

"Okay, just what the fuck is going on here. Where did this grass come from and just who is talking to me. Wait a minute, I have died and this is heaven. I have robbed a lot of people and this is heaven. Does that seem a little bit odd? And why the fuck am I laying here talking to myself?"

He rolled over and the first thing that he saw was the large tree in front of him. Lance shook his head and reached out one hand to touch his face but stopped suddenly. His hand was no longer his hand!

"What is going on here. What the hell have you done to me Seamus!"

It was then that he heard the voice inside his head again telling him that he was welcome to Illusion Vale and looked around to find the speaker. He turned his head to the left and the right before spying the raven who just sat there as if waiting for him to say something.

"Okaaaaayyyyyy.... That's it. I have finally gone mad."

Michael and Sila

Sila stopped dancing suddenly and looked down between her toes at him, then she fluttered her wings and moved around to his eye level. With wide eyes she said in a dramatic whisper, "Its not fun?" She blinked her vividly blue eyes in quick succession and cocked her head. "I don't think its fun anymore then," she said and nodded her head to confirm it.

Then she blinked at him again and giggled, "You sure ask alot of questions for a werewolf, and you talk funny," then frowned and pouted indignantly at him, "I already told you my name," she looked away from him and crossed her arms, "Its Sila... and I asked your name first! Hmph!"

Then she scratched her head and gave him a comical expression. "A smoke?" she asked him quizzically. After thinking about it for a while, hovering in front of him, she suddenly brightened and promptly forgot about being angry with him, "You mean a pipe!"

She began to search around her tiny body looking for something. Her tiny pink tongue poked out of her mouth with effort as she felt around her little green dress. Suddenly her eyes widened and she clapped in delight, sticking her hands into her short purple hair and pulling a long, thick, wooden pipe from it.

Proudly holding it up in front of him, she gave him a brilliant smile. "See, I love helping people!"

In all the excitement, Sila still didn't remember that he'd asked her where he was... twice.