More OOAK Fairies
This a pair of sisters. The oldest is Cherry and the younger is Blossom. They are very close and their home is in a lovely cherry orchard.
During the spring of every year they talk to the trees and coax them to bloom. They fly through the orchard and talk to the trees making sure that each tree sets on the right amount of fruit.
At the end of the season all the petals started to fall and it made Blossom very sad and she started to cry. Her older sister came up next to her and put her arm around her, "What's wrong?"
I don't want the flowers to die. I want them to stay forever and ever!"
Cherry put her arm around her younger sister, "Don't worry, the flowers will be back next year. Until then we have cherries to watch over." Then she held on a little tighter until her sister began to smile again.
Alex poured herself another cup of tea, she would have straightened up except that everything was neat and tidy. She considered cooking so he would have something hot to eat when he came back but she didn't want to go searching through his cupboards and she thought she smelled soup or something. All she could do was sit and wait for him to return and see if there was something she could do to help.
She heard a sound and as Rafe had warned the two big cats came strolling into the room. What Alex didn't realize was how intelligent these two were and froze where she was as she watched them slowly move closer. "Nice Kitty, nice kitty."
Shasta stopped and sat down to watch her. He hated it when people screamed, it made his head hurt and he could smell the fear. Goldie on the hand started to creep forward and Shasta warned her, "What are you doing? She's scared of us. Why make it worse?"
Goldie looked back at
Shasta, "Rafe is interested in her, I can tell. He told her that we were
friendly, I want to see if she listened." With a single bound Goldie landed
on top of the coffee table knocking things onto the floor and causing Alex
to jump, but she didn't scream.
"Goldie! Rafe always scolds when you get up there. You scratch the wood."
"Oh hush I have my claws retracted." She stared at Alex and then started to wash her face.
Meanwhile Alex tried to calm herself by talking, "Nice kitty. Why don't you go play somewhere? I wonder what big kitties like? Right, wash your face, it makes you look less vicious." Then Goldie yawned, "Oh! Look at those teeth. Nice kitty, nice kitty."
"Goldie stop tormenting her!"
"Oh all right." Goldie stood up and jumped from the coffee table onto the couch where Alex was sitting and moved right next to her.
All the while Alex kept up the litany of "Nice Kitty. Nice Kitty." Goldie pushed her head underneath Alex's hand and Alex carefully started to pet her and as she did Goldie started to purr. Shasta jumped up on the other couch and watched the pair waiting for Rafe to return from the stable.
"Hello, the camp," the stranger called out in a high, female voice.
"Hello stranger. Show yourself."
A slight figure walked forward into the dancing light of the fire and Rafe looked her over with his senses carefully probing. Rafe discerned quickly that the stranger wasn't a threat, he could feel waves of pain and exhaustion that were rolling off her. "Be welcome by our fire, stranger."
The figure moved forward slowly, "My thanks, friend. I am Katsa." She sat down heavily and stretched her hands toward the fire as Rafe introduced himself and the others. Rafe offered him the leftovers from dinner and a water-skin that he had filled earlier. Katsa tore into the food clearly too hungry for dainty manners.
Sleepy watched alertly and then disappeared in a flutter returning quickly with another small rabbit that he dropped at Rafe's feet. Before Rafe set himself to cleaning it he took the time to ruffle the owlet's feathers in appreciation, and by the time the rabbit was clean and roasting over the fire, Katsa had eaten every bit of the food that Rafe had offered.
She leaned back cautiously wincing as she did so, "May the Gods bless you for your kindness to a stranger. I regret that I have nothing to offer in return."
"When the opportunity presents itself, do the same for another and I will be amply rewarded."
Rafe turned the rabbit so that it wouldn't burn on one side while remaining raw on the other. Then he relaxed stretching his feet toward the fire, "I suspect that you would be more comfortable if you took off your cloak." Katsa betrayed her surprise by only a small twitch but Rafe saw it and it was all he needed to confirm his guess. "You have nothing to fear from me, I promise."
Katsa sighed, "How did you know?"
Rafe chuckled, "I am both healer and mage; elf, human and fairy. You might have fooled the human but not the others."
Katsa nodded in understanding as loosened her cloak and let it fall to ground. She was sitting on a log but as her wings unfolded the edges brushed the ground. They were a brilliant, iridescent swirl of colors even in the flickering firelight. As they fluttered gently it became clear that one was drooping and there were large rents in it which explained why she was walking and not flying.
Rafe smiled, "I believe you are in need of my help."