The Fey Forest Part II
image source: google images
I entered the aqueous entranceway and walking became wading as my eyes adjusted to the light reflecting off the body of water I had just entered. I raised my hand, trying to adjust to the change in brightness, but Elok pulled it back down. I couldn’t help but gasp as the bright fog cleared. We were wading through a wide river, dwarfed by long stone cliffs lining either side. We faced a half-circle arch about thirty feet away that was attached to stone formations on either side of the river, forming an entryway below and a bridge above where, what looked to be sentries, greeted the group with whistles and melodic yells. The stone cliffs on either side jutted out in random places and were covered in intricate braids of hanging ivy and patches of soft mosses. Weeping willows drooped over the river and the ends flowed into the current. I realized I hadn’t moved in sometime as a majority of the group was much farther into the clear water, laughing with their friends on the bridge. Elok and Erabella were watching me curiously, Erabella more-so amused at my inability to find words. A tree near the banks where we stood, full of lovely light pink and yellow petals, rustled and I tensed, falling behind the siblings. Erabella smiled warmly and placed a hand on my shoulder, gently pushing me in front of her.
“Do not be afraid,” she whispered, “they are simply waking for the night.” And as she finished her sentence, the petals rose from the tree in unison, as though a gust of wind had picked them off and they flew in a winding formation from the tree headed above the towering cliffs to the left. As they passed by in front of us, I realized they were not petals at all, but tiny butterfly-like creatures with human-like features on their faces.
“They are the Eyina, the Night Fairies,” Erabella explained, “they sleep on the trees in the day and they wake up around sundown for the night. I hope you have the chance to see them when it is dark. Their beauty is unrivaled.” It was difficult to imagine how beautiful they could be when Erabella herself was one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever laid eyes on. Some of the other elves called for us to hurry up and Elok barked back at them to mind their business.