What kind of creature are you in the Unicorn Forest? Come play with me - please

[Satinjoy]

Truth is truth, it is personal to who we are, celebrate it and enjoy...The fairy is just reminding, nothing more my loving friends, no blame or anything here, just visions and dreams

Love to all that are here, and a lot of it.

Blessings

Satinjoy

[Satinjoy]

The fairy flies to a treetops and looks over the forest.  Sh'e is ashamed of herself, Sh'e knows she tries to control and to guide, but is Sh'e overbearing?  Sh'e does not know.

Sh'e sees the precious creatures playing and hurting and being, how dare Sh'e try to influence them, forcing to a dream not their truth.  Sh'e is so sorry.

Sh'e loves all here, the playing and the pain, revelation and frivolity, the is nowhere like this anywhere, it is a dream come true.

Sh'e lights a candle for them all, and quietly lets them play.

Forgive me dear ones, my passion will blind, this place is so precious, so important, it is yours.

Sh'e seeks out the flower, and curls up next to her to rest.

Carry on please my dears, do not let me steal your joy.

[Mark3]

The snail wakes up also, after long nap, tired from a long journey into the shops in the cities and back..

Yes, the snail shouts into the breeze, your thank you's were heard Melody, and not ignored.. The small snail may not be much of a warrior he explains, but hanging the picture in a house will ensure his protection and peace on all who live there..

On the way home the snail thought about all of the other creatures, talking to them even though they were not there, as he often does during the day where ever he may be, here or in the CIS-realm.. 

The snail blushingly remembers looking upward from under the fairies treehouse, A secret he must never tell anyone else of, thus spoiling it for himself and his secret fantasies... 

The snail remembers his day today, in the shops in the cities.. At one shop he noticed one of the shopkeepers was trans, but was in hiding they're identity from the others in the CIS-owned shop.. The snail was wearing a trans emblem on his neckless, exposed over his snail shirt.. The shopkeeper noticed the snails neckless and smiled, even though saying no words.. The snail smiled also on his way out of the store, and for a few monemts while shopping, 2 strangers connected simply with a smile, and a mutual understanding that came from a simple emblem on a neckless.. The snail had not experienced this phenomena before, and was quite moved by it the rest of the day...

Now thinking of the future, and putting the past behind, the snail goes for a late evening walk into the moonlight of the forest, unafraid and emboldened by his day... 

[kelly_aus]

Kel sees the snail return to the forest with a smile. She walks alongside side him, chattering away in Dormouse.

She also wonders when the fairy will find the acorn message she has left in the treehouse..

[Mark3]

The snail enjoys talking with Kel in dormouse, and they're voices add sounds to the night air like wind chimes during a breeze.. They're voices neither awaken any of the other creatures, nor cause the night owls to stop calling, but create a pleasant sound reminiscent of summers past in the unicorn forest.. 

[♥︎ SarahD ♥︎]

The three celestials streak through the forrest like a trio of fighter jets, slaloming through the trees like the winds of a hurricane.  The fur, hair and skirts of the other creatures of the forrest are blown about as the winged sisters streak by.  "SORRY!" Melody shouts apologetically to each one as she passes.

As they approach the the tree house, they see the great fairy sitting there, looking sad.  "They must've heard my message" Melody thinks to herself.  Rhapsody and Harmony fly by, continuing their game of chase, while Melody pulls up and lands in front of the fairy.  She holds out her arms and gives the great fairy of the forrest a loving, sisterly embrace.  "There's no need to apologise dear fairy," Melody reassures her, "we're new to the forrest - I just wanted to make sure we weren't stepping on the Mome Raths is all."  Melody kisses the fairy on the cheek and smiles kindly at her.  Rhapsody and Harmony - who by this time had circled around again - streak by once more, tagging their big sister and giggling like schoolgirls before jetting back off into the trees.  Melody rolls her eyes and laughs, "Sorry, I have to go deal with *THOSE TWO*!" she tells the great fairy playfully, giving them one last loving hug and sisterly kiss before taking flight once more to chase down her two miscreant companions.  "Oi!  Come back here you little rascals!" she yells after them as she takes off.

The three zip and spiral through the trees for several hours, paying no attention to where they're going and getting hopelessly lost deep within the forrest.  The trees get more dense, and Melody looses sight of her two tiny sisters.  She slows down and stops for a minute, trying to get her bearings.  "Rhapsody?  Harmony?" She calls out, "Where did you two go?".  She hears their familiar giggling for a moment, and starts following the sound.  The trees get too dense to continue flying, and the Archangel is forced to land.  She moves forward, brushing aside the leaves and branches of the forrest.  "Rhapsody?  Harmony?" She calls out once again, as she starts to get a little concerned.  She pushes through the densely packed forrest for what seems like ages, when finally the trees and the bushes open up into what appears at first to be an enormous clearing.  Melody shields her eyes as they adjust to the bright sunlight that she hasn't seen for several hours.  As the light becomes less blinding, she sees that what is in front of her is not a clearing as she'd first thought, but instead it's a large lake.

The Archangel takes in the beautiful and pure serenity of the vista in front of her.  She can see mountainous cliffs on the other side, and a parting between the rocks where a river outlet runs.  The banks are lined thick with trees of all varieties and beauties.  The water is the purest of blues, and reflects everything like a perfect mirror.  The left side stretches off to who-knows-where.

A little further up from where she stands, Melody notices a beautiful Willow tree overhanging the water.  It has been her favourite type of tree ever since she can remember.  There's just something so special about its flowing branches, and the gentle softness of its mossy green bark.  Melody approaches the magnificent Willow tree, touching it to feel its essence, and embracing it, letting it know that it is loved dearly by her just for simply existing.

She's not sure why, but something deep inside her tells her that no other creatures have visited this part of the forrest before.  It's as if the forrest has created a private sanctuary specially for the Archangel.  Melody feels obliged to go down to edge of the embankment, and touch the virgin waters.  As she gets close to the edge, she sees her own reflection in the calm lake, but.. something is different.  She stops, confused and wary.  The woman staring back at the Archangel looks like her, but at the same time - somehow.. doesn't.  She can't put her finger on it at first, but as she stares deeper, she realises that the image isn't wearing any armour - instead displaying a feminine dress much like that which her two little sisters wear.  Her face and body are softer and more delicate looking.  She's wearing beautifully painted makeup, and is missing the eternity of battle scars.  Melody touches her own face, trying to feel what is being shown to her, but only feels her rough, scarred skin.

Rhapsody and Harmony emerge from the tree line, having been searching for their big sister for some time since they noticed she was missing.  They find her by the waters edge, staring at her own reflection like the fabled Narcissus.  They fly over to her, and as they draw close, Melody sees their reflections too.  Unlike her own, the sprite's reflections are completely unchanged in any way.  She looks at her two sisters, baffled by what she sees.  "Why are your reflections unchanged, yet mine is so different?" she asks.  The two tiny beings smile at their big sister knowingly, and Harmony places her small hand on Melody's shoulder.  Melody looks back at the reflections, still puzzled, before eventually a look of realisation spreads across her face.

"Are you saying.. that's my *TRUE* self?" she asks.  The two sprites nod in confirmation.  The Archangel looks back once again at her reflection in the water. "I'm.. beautiful.." she states, a tone of surprise in her voice,  "Is this how you've both always seen me?".  Rhapsody and Harmony both close in and embrace their big sister, happy that she's finally seeing what they've always known to be true.  Melody touches her face once more, again trying to feel what she can see in front of her, and smiling cautiously as her skin seems just a little less rough, and a little less scarred than usual. 

They stay until the sun sets, and the three move up into the Willow tree for the night.  The tree is happy - it has never had creatures nesting in it before.  As the trio curl up in its branches, the Willow draws its leaves and branches in to protect them.  Feeling safe and at peace, they all fall into a deep and restful sleep.

[Satinjoy]

The fairy is glad for the kind words, Sh'e heh had a tough time of late, it will be good, but has required all h'er strength to win through.  There are traps in the path of transition, she has stepped in one of the worst, a daughter nearly lost, but in the end, a hard anddpainfull lesson learned by both her and her father.

Sh'e whispers to the flower who has such a beautiful voice...I have a special word for you here tomorrow, a gift for us all, and you are the key...

Sh'e flies to the treehouse.  Sh'e does not see the precious dormouse gift.  Sh'e sees the mirror, and worse.

Stressed and tired the trap was clever, not of the forest but the past, this one was for the fairy.  A bottle of forgotten wine was next to the mirror, a glass ready, poison to h'er, nothing to others.

Sh'e looked at the the mirror and pulled off h'er hair.  Satinjoy in h'er was too strong, Sh'e does that when stress breaks, and the loss of control is fearsome.

In the mirror, the beard is there, that gift to the ciswife, needed so much.  The shoulders too large, the boobs too small, hair too short, and worse, the needs for the man who must be dad, falling short, failing to protect, distracted by trans.

Sh'e hurls a shoe at her mirror, hating the man who let h'er down, the failure she sees.  Not true, but it still hurt, Sh'e triggers.  The mirror shatters, the wine whispers of days long lost and buried thirty years before.

For three hours Sh'e fights the face off with h'er bottle, then with a final deep breath, Sh'e hurls it into the forest and collapses on h'er bed.  Sh'e needs h'er friends, she won her battle, in the world of cis, and her world of true gender.  This day will pass, balance return, but for now, others need to carry h'er, none of us are so strong that we do not need each other.

Sh'e sleeps along the glass , it will be ok, it is not easy to be the fairy.

[suzifrommd]

The shoulders too large, the boobs too small, hair too short, and worse, the needs for the man who must be dad, falling short, failing to protect, distracted by trans.

Seeing this, the flower is sad. She knows the fairy to be a wonderful creature, surely as beautiful outside as within, and one whose honesty, caring, and devotion, shines like the warm midday sun. The broken mirror must be truly evil if it cannot show the gentle fairy this truth.

[Satinjoy]

The fairy awoke with a start, having dreamed the flower again.

Sh'e rose quickly, knowing sh'e had been tricked into feeling the way she had.   Picking h'er way over the shards, she took flight to the deep place in the forest sh'e knew, the mirror of truth.

Looking deep within into h'er core, sh'e saw the old man and the young woman, the old man seated on the floor.   The woman over him, whispers in his ear.

"I love you" sh'e said. " You have protected us and endured, you are courageous and free, one who saves lives and sets hearts on fire.  Free yourself from this pain, and dance with me my dear, stand up, know thyself, and dance."  "You are a warrior, survivor of trans, survivor of booze, you have nothing to be ashamed of".

The old man stood, embraced the young woman, and  started to dance to the music of the forest.

As sh'e panned out from the mirror, only the diamond remained in sight, burning with light, as the two figures blended in totality into one heart, one mind, and one soul.

And in the treehouse, h'er mirror healed.

[♥︎ SarahD ♥︎]

Somewhere between the the etherial planes, the dream world, the forrest and reality, lies a place of blood-red skies, roiling and contorting like a raging sea of tormented souls.  Beneath this, an unending expanse of black jagged rocks, gaping wounds pockmarking the ground, and from them, toxic clouds of sulphurous gas and hot magma spewing forth, spreading hatred, venom and bile in their wake.  Countless minor demons scurry around the hostile landscape, toiling endlessly for their unseen greater masters.

In this place lies a vast flat circle - several miles in diameter - forged of shinny black marble which gives off an eire red glow.  Great canals of blood criss cross the circle, forming a massive pentagram intersected by several concentric inner circles.  In the middle stands a formidable tower, made of the same black marble as the foundation on which it stands, and stretching right up - almost touching the violent clouds above.  The sides of the tower are covered in uninviting spikes and chains, which in turn are often entangled with the decaying bodies of tormented souls.  At the top of the tower, four large claw-like structures jut out and curl around a huge pure black orb which reflects no light, and which floats unsupported between the claws.  The tower stands, silently and endlessly fulfilling its dark purpose.

Melody has walked past this tower a million times, yet has never seen it.  It is hidden from her, as it is hidden from everyone, even those who helped to build it, and those who continue to work for it.  For this is a tower of lies. A tower of illusion.  A tower of deception and untruths.  A tower commissioned by the greater demons.  A tower designed with one purpose in mind: to keep its victim for whom it was built from seeing the truth of reality - and in turn - keep them in check.  The greater demons have constructed countless towers just like this for every creature in existence, to cover up countless truths and lead the innocent away from the light of love and tolerance, and instead into the hands prejudice and hatred.  Such towers compel their unknowing victim to help build more towers for others: even Melody herself - unknowingly - has helped build similar towers in the past, just as we all do.

This tower conceals the truth of gender from Melody.  The truth that gender is not binary.  The truth that trans* folk are regular people.  And perhaps the most important truth of all - that Melody herself is trans*.  And like all lies and deceptions - even this illusion can be shattered.  A chance encounter.  A moment of realisation.  A split second of lapsed concentration of the tower which allows a fragment of truth to escape and start a chain reaction.  It doesn't take a lot, but such towers are indeed powerful, and some can stand for the entirety of a creature's lifetime, even spanning entire generations.

Fortunately, this was not to be the destiny of this tower, for Melody had found her Lake of Truth, and seen her true reflection in the waters.  A chance encounter.  A moment of realisation.  A split second of lapsed concentration of the tower.

Out of nowhere, the ground beneath this particular tower shakes thunderously for just a moment, rocking it to its very foundation.  A lone piece of masonry falls silently from part way up the tower, hitting the ground with explosive force, and shattering into a cloud of dust and debris.  Another piece falls, following the same fate.  And then another, and another.  The tower begins sinking, leaning to one side as it does so.  The black orb at the top flickers, trying desperately to cling on to its pathetic existence, to stop the tower from falling, and to maintain the veil over the truth it was charged with guarding.  But it's already too late.  The orb of deception flickers one last time, before finally disappearing forever into the void from where it had once come.

The tower crumbles and falls with apocalyptic force, dragging the clouds above down with it in its wake, and sending a mushroom cloud of dust and debris rushing up to meet them.  The walls of the blood-filled canals below shatter with the impact, allowing the vile liquor they once contained to drain away forever into the landscape around.  Everything stops, and the dark tower is no more.

The lesser demons run around in panic, crying "The tower has fallen!  The tower has fallen!  The tower has fallen!", fearful of what their malevolent overlords will do to them for having let this unfortunate event occur.  "How could this happen?" they ask each other, when out of nowhere - the booming voice of Melody sweeps across the dark landscape like a hurricane, filling the ears of all the lesser demons around and answering their question.  Her voice says little.  Just four haunting words aimed squarely at all those who helped build this tower of illusion, laced with anger, pain and betrayal:

"YOU *LIED* TO ME!"

A chance encounter.  A moment of realisation.  A split second of lapsed concentration of the tower.

[Satinjoy]

The fairy looks out of h'er treehouse, after checking h'erself out in the mirror again, the mirror now magically healed through the mirror of truth deep in the forest, a mirror not all dare to look into, but all who do are changed forever.

Sh'e delights in seeing the new creatures and the old, and the freedom.   She opens her unseen eye and looks into the unseen world and sh'e smiles, the lower planes are low indeed, and the ruin of deception is a wonderful thing to see when it wreaks havoc on the deciever instead of accomplishing its mission.  Sh'e wishes that the trine one, sh'e cannot call that name it is holy to h'er, but sh'e wishes they could see farther and higher, into the higher planes.  That they could travel up faster than light, and see the other dimensions, the ones where every cell in their body would be filled with joy.  It is true, the fairy has been there, long ago, and the One who protects h'er lives there.

The fairly closes that awareness down again, and looks out into the forest.  Sh'e seldom uses  that gift, sh'e has seen far too much already, there is enough here to handle.

The fairy spots the flower and smiles again.  Sh''e gently soars down to see h'er friend, the one with the beautiful voice, so authentic, so true.

Something new.  Something different about the flower, what was it, maybe the fairy was just aware of it, maybe it had always been there.

Sh'e was puzzled.  There was a scent in the air, not of h'er candles and incense, but something else, attractive, though the flower does not know this, like Obsession on a summers eve, or another perfume that stirs the emotions, and passion.

The fairy moved h'er face to the flower to smell the delicious scent better.

And so the visions begin.

It is the power of this flower of trans to speak boldly and reveal truth in a person, whether gender, or heart, and mostly they reveal the heart.  When the fairy smelled the flower sh'e saw a man, smoking a pipe, in front of a fire.  A tap on his shoulder, and a forlorn litte woman, seeking attention, ignored, told to go away.  The man got up, put down his pipe, and ran out the door, the girl followed,  He ran and ran, age catching him, the girl grew stronger and stronger...   finally, exhausted and in the beginning of the twilight of his life, he turned to her.

"Who are you, I am afraid, I do not want you, go away." he said.

"I will not sir", said the girl, homely through lack of attention.

"Who are you?" Said the man, and stuck her hard upon her head, kicking her stomach, ignoring all she said, hating her sweet spirit, it corrupted his mind.

"Sir," said the forgiving woman, "Sir, I am you."

And the man fell to the ground in utter terror, sobbing that he would never be able to outrun the woman.

Coming to, the fairy was stunned.  Sh'e paused a moment and retched, it had been too much for the moment, but still, the fragrance of the flower was sweet.

"Again" said the flower, in h'er very female voice, the voice of trans beauty.

Obediently the fairy bent and smelled the powerful scent of truth and past and dreams and vision.

Her mind was propelled to a high place, a blanket spread among the trees, the old man was with the woman, and he offered her flowers and incense and candles and lace.  And then, he offered her his heart.

She accepted the grace, healed from her wounds, she embraced the gift, and now beautiful from being helped, from the fullness of transitional love, she reached out slowly, and kissed the man on his forehead.  And with the kiss, she melted into the man, and the man changed instantly into the semblence of her, but still inside, he guides, he protects, the ferocity of that anger and hate now turned to the power of indomitable and untamed trans, no longer hate, but ferocity of protection.

And the two became one, and loved each other, and never again would either be ignored or spurned.

H'er head spinning the fairy snapped again to full consciousness.

The flower smiled a big smile, a puff of scented glory rising above her.  "I reveal hearts my dear, dreams, and truth, I do not hold my toungue."

The beauty of the flower, truth teller, revealer of hearts, precious to the world of trans, and to our forest.  And we will protect her.

Who dares partake of the scent of  this flower, revealer of the past and the future, revealer of your heart?

Love from the fairy, for of course, those visions here are of h'er.

[Umiko]

the vampire stirs from slumber. still saddened, she pulls out her gem. this gem is her heart. whenever she was close to finding herself, the gem glowed bright and strong, but now, its dull, almost lifeless. she can hear noises outside. "looks like they are all fine. that makes one of us. wonder how those 2 are doing." she clutches the lifeless, cold stone tightly

[Ev]

This game sounds fun.  I think I'll join in for a bit. 

I'd say...an elven changeling.  I take many forms, and the only time you'll ever see the "real me" is if you stumble in my den...and at that point, well, I don't envy you.   

I was hideous as a child, malformed...I was never the child they wanted me to be...until I found my gift and then I chose a visage I found to be beautiful: frightening, but still beautiful.  I found out later that it was because I was not fit for the realm of Man, instead belonging amongst the elves and satyrs in the woods.  I find power in my dark gift, but many fear it because they never know what to expect...and sometimes, I show them their inner reflections, which can be beautiful or frightening depending on who is looking upon me.

If you are pure, however, you have nothing to fear...

[Satinjoy]

The fairy flies over to the dormouse, and gently scoops the wonderful creature up.  Sh'e also carries the flower with h'er, h'er new friend, a straight speaker sh'e values greatly, gifted to know.

Sh'e smiles as sh'e sees the fairy with the rainbow skirt flying around, looking at the forest, quietly watching, waiting to help.  Sh'e sees the genderless one, who has changed in the forest so much, one who found their core, and more than that, they found themselves, here in this place, allowing us all to be part of it.  Very exciting.

Sh'e chuckles a moment, that one wears some things that rival h'er own, sh'e needs to find out where they got it.  They can wear a stocking as hotly as sh'e can.... sh'e finds it quite enthralling, to say the least.

The eagle is soaring, it flies over the fairy's no longer needed mask, shed for the sake of authenticity, the dragon who's tail sh'e pulled is flying and shifting as they struggle through their night, an invisible spirit pursues them, not of this forest, not of this world.  But they press on.

In the alternate world of the cis, a replica of the fairy sits, writing h'er story, early in the morning the coffee steams, the hair is on, sh'e is fully transitioned, sh'e is as authentic as h'er wildest dreams...so greatful, it is something sh'e did not think possible.

But in the forest sh'e soars, seeing the squirrel and the porcupine who had found h'er wine, they are getting ready to have fun, they love the stuff.  The witch with the broken broom still studies the guide of transition and stares down that path to the top of the mountain.

Sh'e takes h'er two wonderful passengers, and then picks up the sootball, begging again for the mascara they provide, they comfort h'er in the night, they are precious to h'er.

Sh'e flies over the forest, remembering what is it, where it came from.  Birthed of a single sentence written in the book of the forest, one from the fallen Nero, that the androgyn is as rare as the unicorn.... the first of the unicorns is Nero.  Did trans take their life?  We do not know, and we weep for our brother.

Sh'e feels good today, having drunk deeply of the tree of hormones, and flies with h'er little friends over the forest.  Sh'e picks up the snail and thanks them for their picture, endearing is this one, cute and cuddly.  A dreamgiver.

There are so many others here, sh'e remembers now, some have left, some stay.  All have been changed by the forest, no one that enters remains the same.  It is a life changing place, it reveals hearts and gender, it is the way of us here.

Sh'e remembers the words spoken that astound, that reveal....

[Satinjoy]

 Sh'e remembers the words of Sarah, the one that was here before, for now there are two.  The amazing revelation of the fact of the pains of trans, of loneliness, a haunting post here and there, breathtaking.  Sh'e remembers the original intros, long before the creatures knew what the forest would become, revealing their natures in the types of creatures they chose to be, revealing truths about themselves.

The casting ongoing, with only the orginal guide to keep it clear and focussed, the fairy remembers the first interactions, and the moment where it was called nothing but a game to play.  It is not of course, and no offence is taken, but it is so much more than a game, it is  the revelation of trans itself, it is what cannot be spoken in word, but can be revealed here, in many ways.  The joy of finally communicating who we really are, without the limits of words.

Sh'e remembers the introduction to the forest paths, the fun of  the forest, creatures playing innocently with each other, learning the way.  She remembers the places found, the tree of hormones, the path of transition, the statue of nero.  The treehouse, h'er own, but born of the history of the forest, it is not h'er thought, but that of those now gone.  The fountain, the cliffs, all that is here, much still undiscovered.

Sh'e remembers the fire.  It was bad, one of h'er protectors, a sage of the forest, was lost, so was the old woman and the tiger, the woodelf too has moved on, but they can be recalled.  Sh'e remembers h'er own stories too, many of them heartrending, but all of them true.

And sh'e remembers in the mirror of truth the finding of h'er gender and her core, and then, in another place, with another creature, the genderless kitty child sh'e chases found their mirror, and their truth.... exciting to say the least.

There has been pain here and pleasure, joy and sadness, anger and bitterness, and laughter.  it is the forest.

And newcomers come, and old ones go, and some remain.  And hearts are revealed, and truths are told, and the thread lives on, unique in the whole world, there is noplace anywhere like this, it is the androgyne forest, renamed to the nonbinary, it is the Unicorn Forest, deep in history, rich in culture, powerful in truth.

Let the new creatures come, let the old remain, join us living true, come have fun, reveal your hearts and genders, and let your feelings out.

The fairy finds h'er treehouse, and sets a table of trans for h'er guests, the wine of passion, the meat of fulfilled desires, the incense of love, the candles of light and of God, those darn mushrooms of fun, bitter herbs, sweet honey, a table set for all here.

The love of the fairy protects all of you, sh'e watches the forest, hoping to share the vision of unity, grace, and the great power of the diamond of trans to change us all into better creatures, proud of who we are, not hiding in shame.

Blessings and unconditional love, my dear ones, to all who post here, without exception.

Satinjoy the Fairy

[Satinjoy]

Come to the table, elven changeling, revel with us, tell us your tale.

Meet us at the treehouse, if you dare.



Welcome my dear

[Dread_Faery]

The dragon stalks the corridors of her old nightmare, seeking. She is filled with rage and fear and compassion, and her form flickers between shapes, like a bad television signal. But in the maelstrom of emotions that fills her she finds new certainty in what she is. She is Cerys, a being with the soul of a dragon and the heart of Ja human, and a survivor. The dark corridors could not consume her when they were her home and they will not consume her now.

She hears a sound - a sob, barely a whisper - but she knows it is the one she seeks. Shadowy hands grasp at her, trying to slow her, but in her rage her strength is legion and they part like mist before her incandescent fury. She finds the one she is looking for locked in a toilet cubicle, it is a small child, their gender uncertain, hidden under a mop of chestnut hair. Their face is beautiful, showing both the promise of what they will become, and the pain they will endure to get there.

"Who are you?" They ask. There is a hunger to their words, a longing that would break your heart.

Cerys smiles, tears rolling down her face, "I'm you little one."

"But... You're beautiful."

"As are you little one."

The child shakes their head, "No I'm not, I'm a freak. No one loves me."

Cerys smiles again, "I love you. Even those that brought you into the world love you."

The child's expression freezes but the anger is hot in their words, "They're not my parents! I hate them!"

"I know, I did too. But they still love you"

The child looks at her, " Why are you here? Have you come to take me away? Are you the one I called to?"

"Perhaps," she smiles again, "I wanted to give you something." And having said that she pulls a burnished copper acorn on a fine chain from around her neck. "Keep this safe, one day it will blossom."

The native curiosity of all twelve year olds takes hold of the child, "Into what?"

"You," she says simply.

"I don't understand, are you a dream?"

She smiles, knowing the truth, "We are all dreams child, be safe."

The dream fades, if it was a dream. Cerys is not sure anymore, besides she's not sure if it really matters. The dragon knows that we all shape our own realities through the lens of our perception, reality is relative, not absolute. She smiles, knowing she is back in the unicorn forest in a shape that is comforting to her, she can hear the distant chatter of creatures and life, but is not yet ready to join them. She thinks of the shadow, and the paths they wandered before they left the Forrest.

"Perhaps I'll walk a while"

[♥︎ SarahD ♥︎]

Rhapsody's eyes creek open in the dawn light.  She stretches and glances over at Harmony who's still curled up asleep on the branch next to her.  The faint smell of acrid smoke fills her nose for a moment, but nothing in the forrest is on fire.  The smell quickly disappears again, and Rhapsody reasons that it must just have been her over-active imagination.  Sleepily, she hovers down out of the great Willow tree to the water, landing and kneeling on a partly submersed stone so she can splash her face.  She suddenly realises that something is missing.  What could it be?  Is it important?  It feels important.  She looks around, trying to figure out what it could be.  Then she realises: where is Melody?

Rhapsody flies back up to the tree and tries to rouse her sleeping sister.  Harmony turns over, trying to ignore the rude interruption and return to the lovely dream she was just having.  Rhapsody continues jabbering at Harmony insistently, pointing at the branch where Melody had been sleeping.  Harmony gives her sister an irritated look, but glances over to the branch she's pointing at.  She rubs the sleep from her eyes and looks again, this time her eyes widening as she comprehends the situation.  She sits up suddenly, nearly knocking Rhapsody off the branch.  The two sprites jibber about what to do and where she could have gone.  They are just about to go searching for their big sister, when they hear a blood-curdling scream of pain from somewhere near by in the trees.

The sprites dart down from the Willow tree and into the forrest, trying frantically to locate the source of the noise, full of concern for the Archangel.  As they search, they hear it again, this time followed by the distinct thunk of metal on the ground.  They look harder, trying desperately now to find their sister.  Eventually, they find a clearing and see the Archangel standing in the middle with her back to them, seemingly clutching her right arm and breathing heavily through gritted teeth.  She doesn't look up as the sprites approach her cautiously, unsure of what's going on.  As they get close, Harmony grabs Rhapsody by the arm and points at an object on the floor near to their big sister.  It's a tubular piece of thick metal, split open like a clam shell and lined with a sticky-looking red, black and yellowish goo.  The sprites don't know what it is, but it makes them feel slightly queasy regardless.

They get closer, and peer over Melody's shoulder.  She's holding her right arm, more in curious study than in pain.  They look closer, and almost recoil in horror as they realise that the Archangel's arm guard is missing, exposing her bare forearm which is caked in blood and pus.  Some skin is hanging off in places, and raw muscle can be seen almost the entire way up.  They look back at the object on the ground, now realising that it's the missing arm guard that had been prized open and discarded.  They see now that the strange lining is in fact what remains of their sister's forearm's skin, which had fused and woven itself into the armour after eons of continuous wear.  The archangel had been wearing her armour for so long, it had practically become a part of her.  The sprites try hard not to vomit at the gruesome sight, and come close to Melody again.  Slowly, Melody looks up at her two little sisters with tears in her eyes.  "I... I had to know," she tells them simply.

They give their sister an understanding smile, and embrace her reassuringly.  Rain starts to fall in the clearing.  Melody has always loved the calming, soothing pitta-patter of the rain.  The sprites start healing the wound, but they've never had to deal with such a large surface area before.  It takes them time - most of the day in fact - along with the help of the healing rain from above to clean up the wound and weave a lattice of new skin cells, but as the sun starts to set, they manage to complete the task.  The new skin of Melody's forearm is incredibly thin, fragile and raw, but as the trio settle down for the night in the great Willow tree once again, Melody can't help but hold her new arm out in front of her, turning it and studying it from all angles.  The Archangel imagines a future day where she can walk naked and unashamed, without the burdensome armour weighing her down.  She doesn't want to be rid of it entirely - the ancient metal has protected her from many deathly blows, and no doubt there will be times where it will be needed again.  She just simply wants to not feel like she has to wear it every moment of every day, so she can just be her true self.

Is that really so much to ask for?

[Ev]

...and so, the changeling looms in the murky distance with a smile on Its face, watching as this tale unfolds.  It finds this all to be amusing, indeed. 

Preferring to watch more than to play, It keeps Its distance.  Like Itself, it knows that the world only changes on the surface...but while It has known this Tale before, It has not seen it creep about with this skin.

Will It have a role to play in this ordeal, or will It remain simply nothing more than a presence to be forgotten about, but strangely felt?  Only time will tell.  In uncertainty is where the changeling is most comfortable, so it is there It shall remain.  All anyone can know is that there is a changeling about, somewhere...but where?

The next time you embrace your lover, ask yourself: is it really the one you know?  Or has the changeling come to steal away your affection, if not but for a brief moment in time?

If a friend betrays you, will you blame the changeling?  Or will you face the dark reality that, perhaps, your companions are not as loyal as they seem?

[Taka]

a young elf-like creature sleeps in a glade in the forest, within thick grass and fragrant wild flowers.
it's a girl, the forest creatures who pass by her can see that for she is naked and without shame.
bathed in the silvery light of the full moon, she dreams of being both he and she, of both genders, and of none.
the dream is sweet, it's of a lovely future of unlimited possibilities.

but dreams will end, they cannot go undisturbed.
the moment the moon is filled with the light of the sun, a chill runs through the girl.
vile memories of a violent past walk her dreams, a smoldering rage from times immemorial run through the young one's body.
her eyes open, darker than the night, with a fire burning hotter than molten lava.
the moon answers by turning red.
a silent whisper runs through the forest as the blood moon shines upon it, dying everything bright the color of blood.

darkness seeps out of the girl's body, it drowns every living thing around her.
the grass wilts, the flowers turn to ash.
the little elven girl weeps, her tears burning dark lines on her silvery skin.
the shadow eats into her flesh, she becomes darkness, a wish to destroy.
her childish smile lacks warmth, playfulness has left her mind.
her darkness starts a fire which it quenches moments later.
she looks up at the moon, asking it to rain meteors on everything that hurts her.

out of the deeps shadows rises a shard of a forgotten memory, a pice of the dream that was broken.
he holds her softly, whispers in her ear.
"calm yourself. death is not ours to bestow."
he embraces her tighter, takes on her anger. becomes a cold that can chain her hate.

he is her, she is him. they are the same, they have always been.
they share the darkness, become one like they should always have been.
and elf-like creature stands up under the blood moon, they have silvery skin dyed red by the moon's light.
ice blue eyes with a hot red fire deep inside.
a balance that is hard to keep.

when the blood moon is over, the fire runs out, the ice will melt.
our natural form has sky blue eyes full of hope.
but tonight we fight demons of old, chaining the lava with thick ice.

a tiny black ball jumps on our head. we wish to embrace it.
but he is too busy holding her hands, stalling her on her way to get revenge.
and she cries as she remembers where that soot once came from.
that thing's story will be told on another day.