Wisp

= Wisp, Wisp, the sound of her name rang in her ears. Before he died, her father named her after the sound of soaring arrows. He died in 2024 a year after the war between Mages and Slayer. He died two years ago, when she was just sixteen and her sister only three. No one knew how he died, but one day he went hunting and disappeared. They found his dead body in the forest a week after he disappeared. = = Wisp, she shot a third time. Three shots three targets, all hit. One rabbit, two squirrels. Wisp headed back to Dragonfish-market as her destination. Before she left the forest, a deer walked up to her. The deer told her she better hide her game before she entered the town because main market closed down today, and people were fighting for food. The deer warned her not to go hunting tomorrow unless she wanted an adventure. Wisp thanked the deer and was about to ask her what adventure was she talking about when she disappeared into smoke. Most of the magic animals helped out Wisp. Wisp entered the town and headed to Lily’s to trade. Wisp traded the squirrels for some spices and bread. Wisp was tempted to eat bread, but Wisp knew her little sister Poppy wouldn’t approve. = = When Wisp got home she opened the door and saw Poppy standing there with a present in her little hands. Poppy greeted Wisp with a happy birthday, and hugged her. Poppy gave the present Wisp after she squeezed the air out of her. Wisp opened the present inside there was a new quiver stocked with arrows. She thanked Poppy and gave her a small biscuit for her to eat while Wisp cooked the rabbit. When dinner was cooked Poppy and Wisp feasted on rabbit stew and some cake left over from the last birthday. Finally when their stomachs were full they headed to their beds. = = The next day Wisp went hunting again, forgetting about the deer’s warning. This time she collected some berries. She waited in a tree for about an hour, which seemed like forever to her, but finally a little turkey strutted into a clearing. The deer appeared in front of her warning her again, but it was to late. She shot and hit. Wisp thought about leaving the turkey because the deer’s warning made her shiver. Wisp was going to leave it, but then she remembered there was an adventure ahead of her. = = Her life was so dull, she wanted the adventure so much, so Wisp picked up the turkey. Wisp started to home to cook her feathered friend when she heard growling. Wisp quickly looked behind her. There was a wild dog or a bear; she couldn’t tell what the thing was. The frightened girl slowly backed away step by step, then turned and ran. She thought this might be the adventure. She hoped it wasn’t. She thought an adventure was something like being granted a magic potion, not getting chased by a big, ugly, creature. Wisp ran with all her might trying to lose the monster. Just then Wisp tripped over a root of a tree that was sticking out. When she was about to leap up, the beast is hovered over her. She tried to scream, but nothing came out. Then an idea popped in Wisp’s head. She steadily reached for the dagger in her boot. When the dagger was steadfast in her hand, Wisp stabbed the monster. The knife had no effect. Then the deer appeared and distracted the beast; and, in that time, Wisp slid out from under the animal and ran. As she ran Wisp shot an arrow back toward the creature, looking back to see if she hit the demon. In the moment Wisp looked back see saw the monster being blown to dust. She stops and looked at her hands. They were smoking, smoking with magic. Only a Mage could hit a critter like that and turn it into dust. At first Wisp was stunned with happiness, but then the deer said that Poppy was now in danger. She ran home to make sure Poppy was okay. She hoped nobody saw her kill the savage animal, or else Slayer will come after her and her sister. = = When Wisp got home there was note on the door that said, “Your sister shall hang in the town square with the other Mages in three days from now, on the blue moon, but if you turn yourself in now your sister won’t be hurt. = = Sincerely, = = Slayer” = = Wisp panicked, trying to think how to save her sister. She reread the note and thought about turning herself in. So Wisp packed her things up and grabbed her weapons and headed out on an adventure to the castle where her sister was being held prisoner in the dungeon. As she headed out she snatched an apple from the market. = = For a while the trail was just dirt and pebbles, but then up ahead there was the forest. So Wisp starts making her own trail through the forest. Soon branches whacked her face. One scraped her she right above the left eye. She winced in pain, thinking Poppy must be in more pain. Finally when the forest thinned she saw a cottage, not a big cottage, but a small simple one that reminded her of the cottage back home. The one with the cupboards filled with berries, spices, flour, and the bars of chocolate. Oh, how she missed the chocolate. A tear slowly formed in her left eye, not because it hurt, but because she missed her sister and the cottage, all the good times they had there. Wisp put those thoughts out of her mind and walked up to the cottage, and knocked. Nobody answered. Wisp knocked again, but yet again nobody answers. Then Wisp opened the door a crack and peeked in. A stick came flying at her legs. = = She stumbled and fell backwards on a hard rock, blacking out. When Wisp awoke, she was lying down on a bed the perfect size. Wisp was wanting to stay there forever, but she knew she couldn’t. She stood up and saw some fresh clothes on the night stand, but she didn’t put them on knowing that she should not enjoy herself without knowing where she or if she was a prisoner. = = Wisp pushed open the door to the bedroom and went downstairs to try to find her stuff and escape. Yet again a stick whacks her down, but she didn’t black out - she just landed in a small chair. An old man was standing over her. The old man mumbled something like, “...need help to save sister...” Then the man gave her the map of the castle and said that if she followed it, it would lead her to her sister. Wisp was about to question him when she realized that he was just doing a favor. Wisp was just leaving when a girl about her age walked in with a sword on her belt & a turkey over her shoulder. Wisp asked the girl if she was related to the old man. The girl answered her with a nod and told her the man’s name was Gannet & that her name was Jay. Wisp introduced herself telling Jay that she was from the town Dragonfish and her name was Wisp. She then asked if Jay could accompany her on the quest. Jay agreed and also volunteered to guide her to the castle. = = Jay and Wisp readied themselves and set out to save Wisp’s sister. Suddenly, out of the forest creeped the deer, who had been watching over Wisp since her hunting right before Poppy was taken. She was a wise deer, and the girls really needed her. She agreed to accompany them, warning that she couldn’t save them, but she could advise them. When the two arrived at the castle, they tried to think of a plan to gain entrance. Then the deer advised Jay. Jay pulled the hood of her cloak up over her head and grabbed a stick off the ground. She walked up to the goblin guards and asked in a croaky voice if she could pass, so she could visit her grandchildren. The goblin on the right hand side of the monstrous gate asked to see her papers. Papers! Jay forgot about the papers. When she didn’t hand over any papers, the guard pulled down her hood. The goblins saw Jay’s face and grabbed her, but little did the guards know that Wisp had sneaked up behind the guards while Jay was distracting them. Whack! Wham! Wisp knocked out both guards. The deer disappeared into woods, saying that she would be watching, but the castle was a danger to her. = = The girls pulled open the gate and pulled up their hoods. When they got into the town, they saw a platform being prepared for the hanging. Quickly Wisp started yelling, “...arrest me...!” = = Finally a guard grabbed Wisp and started heading toward the dungeon. Then Jay kicked the guard. Both girls got thrown in the dungeon. After a while the guard grabbed Wisp and left Jay in the dungeon. The goblin brought her to a big room with a throne at the end. Slayer sat there on his throne. = = Slayer had black hair and eyes. He slumped on his throne, eating meat from bones and gesturing when he spoke to his servants. He ordered the guard to leave. = = Wisp said that she turned herself in, but Slayer said he caught her, so that meant that both sisters would die. Wisp was sentenced to hang with her sister. = = When Wisp got back to the dungeon, Jay was out of the cell holding the keys. She had miraculously figured the way to unlock the cells. = = Jay and Wisp went to find Poppy. They let the other prisoners out to make a distraction. Wisp was about to turn the corner, when Jay stopped her. Jay said that Poppy would not be in there because once Slayer learned of their escape, he knew they would check there first. Jay told Wisp that she would be the guide, even though Wisp had the map. Wisp asked how she knew the castle so well. Jay just kept quiet. = = They heard crying around the other corner. As they turned the other corner, they saw Poppy comforting a crying girl. Jay sprung towards the cell and unlocked it. Jay looked in the girls eyes and questions, “... Autumn?” = = The little girl embraced Jay. After a brief but necessary time of family reunion, Jay introduced Wisp and Poppy to Autumn and told them everything that happened. = = The castle had belonged to Jay’s family. Jay explored the castle everyday, but then Slayer conquered the castle. Autumn had tried to stop him, but she just got thrown into the dungeon. = = Slayer had banished Jay and Gannet to the forest, saying if he ever saw them again they would all be in the dungeon. = = As Wisp, Autumn, Poppy, and Jay were leaving the dungeon, a goblin saw them and made a sound like “Arglarfff” or “Arfgarggg.” When he finished yelling he stepped aside and there was a huge, giant skeleton dog. The dog had broken and old crumbly bones. Jay whispered to Wisp, asking her to turn the skeleton dog into a mouse. Wisp tried to turn the dog into a mouse by imagining it as a mouse, but she just couldn’t imagine the beast as a mouse. Wisp stomped her foot in anger. She looked back at the dog planning to try one last time. When she looked back the dog wasn’t there - only a mouse. = = The goblin was stunned and ran away to tell Slayer the prisoners had escaped. The four girls headed out trying to escape before Slayer came. As soon as they got out of the castle the prisoners, who they released, were attacking the guards. Five were tossing apples at the guards while six were throwing punches at them. The rest were just causing commotion. One was passing weapons from the armory to the others, who started destroying everything in range from ink bottles to a diamond incrusted chair with a small moron, velvet pillow. = = Quickly the four adventurers ran for their lives. Wisp picked up Poppy and ran, ran for her life, for her sister’s life. As they reached the gate somebody grabbed Wisp from behind. It was one of the prisoners thanking her and handing her a scroll telling Wisp she would be needing it. When the four girls got to Gannet’s cottage, Wisp looked in the scroll. It was a spell to turn a large animal into what it truly is. Wisp asked herself why she would be needing it when she heard a voice. Not any voice but Slayer’s voice; he was standing there holding a knife against Gannet’s throat. He threatened to kill him, promising that if Wisp turned herself in, nobody would get hurt. Wisp whispered to Jay to keep him distracted while she thought of a plan. Wisp thought of how large a person Slayer was. Wisp took out the scroll and started saying the incantation, hoping that he would turn into big rat or something else. She finished the incantation. = = As she finished Slay had started turning into a chicken. Wisp knew why he was a chicken. As they went back to now reclaim the castle, they saw the trees start dancing, the clouds protruding, and the goblin guards turning into to humans. After they claimed the castle, all Mages were set free and the forest even started to regain its magic. Oh yea, even Wisp and Poppy knew a good ending. They both lived in the castle with all the chocolate they wanted. = = The End. = = Oh I almost forgot Slayer the chicken was never seen again. Last I saw him he was by the butcher’s. Have you been eating chicken? =

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