Return to the Ring (Free Fantasy Short Story)
Beenie and Troy stepped into the Ring behind Troy's parents, staring around with wide eyes.
The Ring, which had seemed a quiet, safe place the night before, now looked as though it had been hit by a storm. A very destructive one.
It was bustling with various forest creatures so that it looked like an anthill that had been kicked. Trees had been knocked down, somehow, and been pulled into place like a wall around the green circle of grass. The grass, while still green, had been trampled into the ground by many feet.
The wall of logs itself hadn't been completed, but it was rapidly progressing that way. As they watched, a group of deer in harness pulled another log into place, and it was swarmed with rabbits, who began weaving its branches together with the other trees already there.
There was a great crash that shook the ground, and Troy jumped.
"What was that?" he asked.
"They just felled another tree," Horace said.
"Oh," Troy said in a small voice.
"What are they doing?" asked Beenie.
"Turning the Ring into a fort," Kara said. "It's our meeting place, but it's not really defensible."
"We could have chosen a better place, but Peter is in no condition to be moving," said Horace.
Beenie glanced up at the head of the Ring, where the silver unicorn was holding perfectly still, laying on the grass and watching all the activity with a detached expression. He did look very tired, and as far as Beenie could tell, he hadn't moved from that spot since she had last seen him.
"What would happen if he tried to move?" Beenie asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"He might get sick, or even die," Kara said sadly. "He's weak enough here, where there's still magic in the air. There's no telling what would happen to him if he tried to leave."
"That's terrible," Beenie said.
Another tree thudded to the ground some distance away as Beenie wondered what was going to happen next. With Peter as old and frail as he was, how was he going to lead them?
Another question popped up inside her mind, as if it was somehow connected to the first.
Where were the Greater Fairies?
The Ring, which had seemed a quiet, safe place the night before, now looked as though it had been hit by a storm. A very destructive one.
It was bustling with various forest creatures so that it looked like an anthill that had been kicked. Trees had been knocked down, somehow, and been pulled into place like a wall around the green circle of grass. The grass, while still green, had been trampled into the ground by many feet.
The wall of logs itself hadn't been completed, but it was rapidly progressing that way. As they watched, a group of deer in harness pulled another log into place, and it was swarmed with rabbits, who began weaving its branches together with the other trees already there.
There was a great crash that shook the ground, and Troy jumped.
"What was that?" he asked.
"They just felled another tree," Horace said.
"Oh," Troy said in a small voice.
"What are they doing?" asked Beenie.
"Turning the Ring into a fort," Kara said. "It's our meeting place, but it's not really defensible."
"We could have chosen a better place, but Peter is in no condition to be moving," said Horace.
Beenie glanced up at the head of the Ring, where the silver unicorn was holding perfectly still, laying on the grass and watching all the activity with a detached expression. He did look very tired, and as far as Beenie could tell, he hadn't moved from that spot since she had last seen him.
"What would happen if he tried to move?" Beenie asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"He might get sick, or even die," Kara said sadly. "He's weak enough here, where there's still magic in the air. There's no telling what would happen to him if he tried to leave."
"That's terrible," Beenie said.
Another tree thudded to the ground some distance away as Beenie wondered what was going to happen next. With Peter as old and frail as he was, how was he going to lead them?
Another question popped up inside her mind, as if it was somehow connected to the first.
Where were the Greater Fairies?
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