Lost Little Stray...(private)

[Anonymous]

The little old lady did not find Mystery's contortion act to entertaining. Apparently watching the spry young thing twist herself into impossible angles was some sort of affront on the women's age, because she muttered something about inconsiderate young whipper-snappers, and was off.

Mystery pouted, pacing about the room for a moment or two, before creeping quietly to the door. It was open a crack so she could see inside just slightly, and with her amazing ears it was easy to catch what was being said. She listened silently as the pair in the other room spoke, not having to strain in the least to hear Fiona's sobs.

Something inside her tightened uncomfortably. When the freak show was empty, and all the "attractions" had been let out to roam, Princess was often left in her cage, so she couldn't run away; and she cried like that, when she thought no one was listening. Poor Princess just wanted to get away from the circus, and Fiona just wanted to get away from the idiots...

But Mystery had to find her mother, it was the Ring Leader's orders. It would not be pretty for her or Princess is Mystery refused. Still, watching Fiona cry, Mystery couldn't help but feel the weight of what she was really doing to her mother creep over her like fog. From her own inner turmoil, and her sympathy for Fiona, Mystery began to cry. Her face grew slick, even her skin under her mask. The porcelain thing slipped off her face. Mystery cursed, shying away from the door even as she was called.

"Y-yeah, one sec!" her voice shook as if she had been crying, as slipped under the table and cowered. She tried to slip her half-mask back on, but her face was wet, and the mask would not stay. This frustrated her, scared her, which only caused her her eyes to tear up more.

[Anonymous]

OOC: really sorry for it being late and for it being lame. I can't think of anything but Fiona running away so I'll have to go with that.

Fiona heard the girl crying and looked up. She went over to the door to see the girl curled under the table and crying. 'You! You were listening to that? I wanted you to leave the room for a reason. Screw this, if I can't trust you to keep your nose out of my business, what's the point in trusting you with anything?! Gods, you should have let me fight my own way out of that cage!'

Fiona was furious, she punched the table with both fists then stormed from the room. Calim went over to her but recieved a full forced uppercut to the chin and bit his lip open, 'get out of my way you blabbering imbicil! And don't come looking for me or I will rip that stupid tounge from your head.'

She slammed the door and the hinges broke slightly. She was now near naked, freezing and fuming at the same time. How could it get any wor...

Fiona tripped in a puddle of green paint, 'FUCK THIS! Fuck this whole god damned city. You hear that Idiots?! Screw the lot of you.' She stepped again and landed in another puddle, when she wrenched her foot out it was covered in a little curl-toed shoe she looked at the other foot and found it in another little shoe. Large gold bells started blossoming from the end of the shoes and another forced itself out her left nostril. She continued marching forward until she got to the gate. It was light now so the gates were open. Thank the gods that it was still too early for any but the earliest travellors.

'What the fuck are you looking at?' she snarled at one of the travellors.

Fiona stopped at the gate and looked around. She could take the sea route as planned or she could try to go over the mountains, that would take longer and would be harder but at least it would be harder for anyone to track her. Fist however, she needed clothes. She shivered and fell to the ground in a strong sneezing fit. BY the end of it there was blood coming out her nose. She looked up and saw that all the places she had spetted since leaving the house had begun to glow orange and sparkily. Well, no need to worry about being tracked; she was as good as dead if this kept up, not to mention Mystery, Calim and the old woman. The Village would not not take kindly to how they had helped her. 'Let them boil,' she muttered before pushing herself back to her feet.

'Are you okay miss?' asked a travellor on a horse. he hopped off and put his hand on her. He was zapped by static electricity and looked at her curiously.
'Don't touch me. It will hurt me a lot more than you,' she snapped. The man offered her a coat but she punched him just below the chest. Persistant bastard. 'I don't want charity. Get lost,' her voice was little more than a snarl. She turned from him and headed away from the main road, onto the beach and down the shoreline. The cursed footprints were becoming brighter. She continued trudging, who knew how long until a Village Idiot would realise what the tracks were and follow them?

It was night again before she evemn thought of taking a rest. The tide was getting higher and the rocks were getting slimier. She tripped and scraped her hands and knees on the rocks, her handprints also glowed. Curse it, I need sleep. She pushed herself up then fell to the ground again, then again, then again. By the time she was on the sand she was shaking with cold and sleepiness. She got to the treeline and pushed herself into a tree. The places where she touched the tree glowed but it was safer than being on the ground.

The night grew colder and she continued sneezing to the point where it hurt to breathe through her nose. The sneezing caused doves, raining buttons, fart noises, bells and other paraphenialia to appear. It was too cold to sleep but she couldn't dare to light a fire, her position was already compromised by the glowing orange trail of footprints. Even if she could have slept she wouldn't. She needed to be awake in case someone came. Eventually her joints seized up and she couldn't move. Typical.

OOC: Great, now I feel kinda sadistic for putting her through that.

[Anonymous]

OOC: really sorry for it being late and for it being lame. I can't think of anything but Fiona running away so I'll have to go with that.

Fiona heard the girl crying and looked up. She went over to the door to see the girl curled under the table and crying. 'You! You were listening to that? I wanted you to leave the room for a reason. Screw this, if I can't trust you to keep your nose out of my business, what's the point in trusting you with anything?! Gods, you should have let me fight my own way out of that cage!'

Fiona was furious, she punched the table with both fists then stormed from the room. Calim went over to her but recieved a full forced uppercut to the chin and bit his lip open, 'get out of my way you blabbering imbicil! And don't come looking for me or I will rip that stupid tounge from your head.'

She slammed the door and the hinges broke slightly. She was now near naked, freezing and fuming at the same time. How could it get any wor...

Fiona tripped in a puddle of green paint, 'FUCK THIS! Fuck this whole god damned city. You hear that Idiots?! Screw the lot of you.' She stepped again and landed in another puddle, when she wrenched her foot out it was covered in a little curl-toed shoe she looked at the other foot and found it in another little shoe. Large gold bells started blossoming from the end of the shoes and another forced itself out her left nostril. She continued marching forward until she got to the gate. It was light now so the gates were open. Thank the gods that it was still too early for any but the earliest travellors.

'What the fuck are you looking at?' she snarled at one of the travellors.

Fiona stopped at the gate and looked around. She could take the sea route as planned or she could try to go over the mountains, that would take longer and would be harder but at least it would be harder for anyone to track her. Fist however, she needed clothes. She shivered and fell to the ground in a strong sneezing fit. BY the end of it there was blood coming out her nose. She looked up and saw that all the places she had spetted since leaving the house had begun to glow orange and sparkily. Well, no need to worry about being tracked; she was as good as dead if this kept up, not to mention Mystery, Calim and the old woman. The Village would not not take kindly to how they had helped her. 'Let them boil,' she muttered before pushing herself back to her feet.

'Are you okay miss?' asked a travellor on a horse. he hopped off and put his hand on her. He was zapped by static electricity and looked at her curiously.
'Don't touch me. It will hurt me a lot more than you,' she snapped. The man offered her a coat but she punched him just below the chest. Persistant bastard. 'I don't want charity. Get lost,' her voice was little more than a snarl. She turned from him and headed away from the main road, onto the beach and down the shoreline. The cursed footprints were becoming brighter. She continued trudging, who knew how long until a Village Idiot would realise what the tracks were and follow them?

It was night again before she evemn thought of taking a rest. The tide was getting higher and the rocks were getting slimier. She tripped and scraped her hands and knees on the rocks, her handprints also glowed. Curse it, I need sleep. She pushed herself up then fell to the ground again, then again, then again. By the time she was on the sand she was shaking with cold and sleepiness. She got to the treeline and pushed herself into a tree. The places where she touched the tree glowed but it was safer than being on the ground.

The night grew colder and she continued sneezing to the point where it hurt to breathe through her nose. The sneezing caused doves, raining buttons, fart noises, bells and other paraphenialia to appear. It was too cold to sleep but she couldn't dare to light a fire, her position was already compromised by the glowing orange trail of footprints. Even if she could have slept she wouldn't. She needed to be awake in case someone came. Eventually her joints seized up and she couldn't move. Typical.

OOC: Great, now I feel kinda sadistic for putting her through that.

[Anonymous]

Mystery fumbled helplessly with her mask as Fiona began to shout, but the poor women was so hysterical she hardly seemed to notice anything was amiss with Mystery at all. The small girl quivered as Fiona shouted, guilt weighing on top of her already frayed thoughts. When Fiona stormed out Mystery remained under the table, still attempting to fit her mask onto her damp, slightly-swollen-from-crying face.

After a moment she heard footsteps, and with her hands over her face, looked up and peered through her fingers. She heard Calim's voice, speaking in an urgent tone, perhaps urging her to follow Fiona when suddenly, he stopped.

Mystery starred back at him while he starred at her. He was bleeding. Her face was barely visible through the spaces in her fingers. Calim opened his mouth, perhaps to scream from the apperent leprosy or gang-green that seemed to have afflicted Mystery's face, or perhaps only to speak, but Mystery would never know. She was too fast, up to him in a moment, her hand clasped over his mouth. His blood seeped between her fingers. Her pupils dilated, unfocused, a hazy look clouding her face. Her mask was left on the floor, her face in full view. Her jagged, sharkish teeth were visible through the frayed flesh of her cheek on the monsterous side of her face, her huge apple-sized green eye seeming to bug from her face.

If he had not before, now Calim looked frightened.

((OOC: Damn... exams... *points to signature* I'm so sorry ;_; ggaahhh...

Poor Fiona! ;_; Uhm, sorry my post isn't longer, Calim is your NPC so I didn't want to damage him to much without giving you a chance to make him save himself somehow, or something.  Mystery will probably bite him though, if he doesn't get away. Wont kill him, and she can't change him, but she'd prolly bite him...))

[Anonymous]

OOC: feel free to do what you want to Calim. Until Fiona is back in the story, I will just be playing NPCs. If it takes too long to get to Fiona however, I will probably have her tracked by the Village Idiots. I don't mind if she is or isn't.

Calim felt around for something, anything that would help him get the poor girl off him. There was nothing so he resorted to slapstick. It would leave her a bit confused but it wouldn't hurt at least. First he knocked her around the side of the head so that it made a loud noise. Hopefully the noise would shock her out of her fit. He needed her ot get out of the fit and at full wits so that they could go get Fiona before something Foolish happened to her. It was highly likely that her Idiocy had turned against her when she had lost control of her emotions.

Calim tried to grab the girl's head and bng it against his knee. She was strong; he wouldn't be able to fight for long. Perhaps he could goad her somewhere and lock her up until he got Fiona? Technically, that wasn't part of his board (rent) contract with the Mrs Barber but after everthing else that happened he would probably be kicked out anyway.

[Anonymous]

Mystery barely flinched from the slap to head, and when Calim tried to grab her head she knocked him clear backwards, her strength eerily great for her small size. She took half a step towards him and then froze, covering her face with both her hands.

"Please," she whispered, "G-go away... I don't wanna bite you, just go away..." she sniffled. She didn't want to hurt one of Fiona's friends, not when she had already upset Fiona so much. It occurred to her that it was probably dangerous for Fiona to wonder around alone when the Fools were still after her, and instantly she wanted to find Fiona and help her... but the women had been so angry at her...

And at the moment, Mystery barely had a handle on her own self control.

((OOC: Since you're kinda stuck with NPCs until Fiona enters the story again I thought I shouldn't control Calim; that way you have more to do with him :) ))

[Anonymous]

Calim fell back to the other side of the room and hit the ground hard. His nose started bleeding more, that was not good. The girl was even stronger than Fiona. This would be hard, he needed the girl if he was going to get Fiona back but he couldn't talk to her. Perhaps he could write to her! He pulled a hanky from his armpit and put his finger up his nose. When there was enough blood on his finger he tried writing on the hanky. He stuck his tounge out and wrote the words Fiona in danger on it.

Alas, writing does not come easily to Village idiots and as soon as he threw the hanky over to her, more hankies (this time red) came out his nose. It was worth it. He pushed himself up and inched towards the door, circling the girl in a wide arch. When he got there he noticed the footprints leading to and from the house. That was very not good. Without any hesitation he grabbed the girl's arm and attempted to drag her to the door. He pointed to where Fiona had jumped through the window then slapped the girl several times across the face. Please gain control of yourself, he thought.

'Walrus will be whacked by washing waves and winged weirdoes! Wits wont wait!' he said in a panic. Fiona is going to get hyperthermia or get attacked. We must hurry.

[Anonymous]

Mystery shoved away the note, the smell of blood making her dizzy. "You IDIOT," she near sobbed, "I'm trying to get a handle on myself and it doesn't help when you shove BLOOD in my face! I-I just, I just want to go and help Fiona, god, I feel so-so... Stupid!" Mystery turned away, her shoulders shaking with the effort it took to contain her sobs, and to control her blood lust.

"Don't you think I wanna go help her? I do! I really do! But it's not that easy! I feel like I could snap at any second, I could attack you or her or anyone that gets in my way..." slowly she turned her head, peering over her shoulder, so the ruined monstrous side of her face was visible to Calim. "I just need a little bit... to calm down and... f-fix my m-mask..." tears beaded on the corners of her eyes; she felt so disgusting without her mask on. As Calim moved to grab her arm she ducked away, retreating to her space under the table and hiding there, curled up into a little ball.

[Anonymous]

Calim sighed. If she didn't understand the way he spoke then he would have to help- her in some other way. He went picked up an empty ewer and went outside to fetch some - very cold - water. He splashed his face and washed the blood off himself before returning with water for the girl. He opened a cabnet in the hall and pulled out some facecloths and rags.

He placed the ewer and facecloths in front of the girl and began cleaning up the mess. The Idiots would be here soon and it would be best if they didn't come to a bloodsoaked room. That and he had the urge to clean things. He continued cleaning until all that was left was blood on the rug. He doubted that the blood would get out of it so he went over to the girl and sat a few feet away from her.

He looked at her curiously before singing in a soft and quiet voice. The song was about a girl who's dolly got lost at a fair. The girl was lost without her dolly and wandered aound the fair before meeting a jester who was looking after the dolly. The girl saw that the dolly was more happy with the jester and let him have it. The dolly hugged the girl and said thankyou.

[Anonymous]

From under the shadow of the table, only Mystery's ears could be seen perking slightly as the water and clothes were placed in front of her. She waited cautiously for a few long moments, before reaching out and grasping the offerings, and drawing them under the table with her. She dipped the clothes into the water and pressed the cool damp fabric to her face, trying to calm down. Then, after drying her face with the untouched side of the cloth, she finally managed to slip her mask back into place. She felt a slow reluctant calm creep over her as she watched Calim clean.

At first she shied back, slipping further under the table as Calim sat, but as he began to sing she began to relax, and inch by inch, crawled out from under the table.

"... That was a nice song," she said quietly, her long elfish ears folded down at the sides of her head. "Maybe you could teach it to me? So I could sing it at the circus?"

[Anonymous]

Calim smiled and pulled the girl to him in a large hug. It probably wasn't the safest thing to do but the child needed love and care, much like Fiona had during her hard times.

'Two blue bottles floating on the sea. Pirates come to hunt seals.' he said softly. Shall the both of us leave now? The other Village Idiots may be here soon.

He didn't want to hurry but if they didn't go everyone would be in danger. Trouble really did seem to follow Fiona everywhere. It was a shame it couldn't just let her live her life.

[Anonymous]

Mystery was slightly startled by the hug; she hadn't been shown a good deal of affection before, especially from someone she hardly knew. Still, she allowed herself to enjoy the contact for a moment or two, before her sheepishness over took her and she wiggled out of the embrace.

"Uhm... I'm not quite sure what you said, but I think I have an idea. Yeah, we should probably go look for Fiona now..." Mystery's ears wilted as she stood, readying to leave. "I didn't mean to make her upset... It's just that... it seems like she's a lot like my mom," Mystery said.

[Anonymous]

Calim got up and held his hand out for the girl. There was a soft smile on his chubby face, encouraging her to trust him. The poor child is more like Fiona than she realises. Both were starved for affection during their times at the circus.

'Black spirals on parchment?' he asked. Can you read? He cupped his hands to look like a book and imitataed reading. It would be very hard for him to communicate with her understanding but he had gotten used to it with many others. It was like an everlasting game of charades.

He pointed to the door, insisting they hurry. Outside, Fiona's footprints were glowing.

OOC: Do you want the Village Idiots to find them or Fiona?

[Anonymous]

Mystery smiled back, a little shyly, before taking his hand. She looked puzzled for a few moments at his question, before a little light of realization brightened behind her eyes.

"Oh, reading? Yeah, I can read. Words, and music too," she said, a little sheepishly. Absently she tugged the ribbon off her wrist and began to tie up her hair again, a little sad Fiona had not let her put up her hair. "I'm a singer, in the circus... among other things, so I need to be able to read notes and lyrics, and stuff."

Seeing Fiona's footsteps, Mystery hurried towards them, pulling Calim by the hand. "Okay, lets get going... I hope she isn't hurt or anything, because then it would be my fault..." she quickened her footsteps out of worry, tugging Calim behind her.

OOC: Hmmm, maybe they can find Fiona? Then Mystery and Calim can save her?

[Anonymous]

In a tree down by the beach, music could be heard billowing though the wind:

The hunter winds his bugle horn;
To horse, to horse, halloo, halloo!
His fiery courser snuffs the morn,
And thronging serfs their Lord pursue.

The eager pack, from couples freed,
Dash through the bush, the brier, the brake;
While answering hound, and horn, and steed,
The mountain echoes startling wake.

The fox it twists and then it turns,
Forsooth, there is no place to hide.
It cowers low behind some ferns.
To Hell it is a lonely ride.

'No,' groaned Fiona.
She didn't have enough strength to peel herself off the tree, let alone fight however many Idiots were coming for her. They were sure to find her too; there was a large ring of paint, sparlkes juggling gear and face-planted pies on the ground below her. Not to mention that the song would probably get louder the closer they got to her. She sat there shiverring, sneazing and plastered with salt-spray. Every time she sneazed something odd happened and her nose stang.

A weaker person would have thought of surrenderring but Fiona was determined to fight her way out of this; nomatter what, she would not go back.
_______________________

Calim ran wheazing and splutterring behind Fiona's little girl. The girl was too fast for him and his feet only touched the gound every few steps. The footprints in the snow were getting brighter and the day was beginning to wear on. Perhaps he should have left as soon as Fiona had and not waited for the girl. They had wasted far to much time and Fiona was much faster than him.

They made it out of the city and the tracks diverged to the east: towards the beach. Fiona would have frozen by now in nothing but her underpants. He doubted that she had even had the sense to ask or steal clothes.

[Anonymous]

"Come on Calim, come ON! Do you need me to carry you or something?" Mystery shouted so her voice could he heard over the wind. She wasn't using even half of her vampire-speed, and could be be moving a lot faster if not having to move slow enough to avoid dragging Calim. Still, she wouldn't leave him behind, knowing it would be good to have as many friends present as possible.

Finally Mystery made it to the tip of a frozen slopping sandbank, and from her spot she could see the footsteps that lead to a tree, not far in the distance. There Fiona could be seen clinging to the branches, below her a pile of odd and ridiculous items.  Mystery almost felt relieved, but then she spotted the crowed of Idiots, billowing up the beach toward Fiona like a sinister shadow.

"No!" Mystery shouted, taking a few hurried steps forward before stopping, looking to Calim, and then to Fiona with panic. She pulled her hands forward and held them in front of her, shutting her eyes in concentration. Suddenly, just beside the pile of items that sat under Fiona's tree, white sparks littered the ground. Up from the earth floated three ghostly white wolves, transparent, there eyes burning like hell-fire. The creatures growled and snarled, focusing on the approaching Idiots, and readied to attack.

"Those are spectral wolves," Mystery panted, tired from the spell and tired from running as she stumbled down the icy slop of sand, just beside Calim. "They'll protect her for us."

[Anonymous]

OOC: Calim is back to being an NPC now; feel free to do what you like with him.

Fiona looked down at the other Idiots. Great, this couldn't get any worse, could it? It was then Fiona spotted the strange wolves. Okay, not good.

An Idiot was climbing the tree towards Fiona but her muscles were too stiff to move. He poked her with a balancing pole to try and dislodge her. She didn't budge so he dropped the stick and came up closer to her.
'Gods, Lady Foolsfoot! What happened to you?' he asked. He was looking at her with humiliating and pitying eyes.
'F-f-fuck-k-k off-f-f-f-f,' Fiona snarled. The words didn't come out proberly because she was shaking so much and her teeth chattered to the point where they were louder than her voice. She sneazed and more paint sprayed both her and the Idiot. He ignored it and continued peeling her stiff body from the tree. Once he had her unstuck her tied her in coloured ribbons and lowered her to the ground.

The most of the Idiots were distracted by the wolves but rest bundled her up and started carrying her off.
'P-p-p-put me d-d-d-own!' she hissed.
'We should wrap her in something at least,' said the one that had taken her from the tree. 'She'll die before we get her back if we don't'
The others grudgingly agreed and wrapped her in giant lengths of hadkerchief ropes. The effect was that she looked like a colourful mummy. She has a sneazing fit and assortment of strange happennings occured including purple doves, yellow snow, sizzling streamers, a strange hamster looking creature with a sock nose and multicoloured hoola-hoops spinning around her body. The Idiots laughed at her and she turned bright red. It was both humiliating and aggravating.

[Anonymous]

"Sorry Calim, I gotta run!" Mystery said, dropping the tired man's hand and picking up speed. At her full speed she reached Fiona in a matter of seconds, in fact she ran clear in front of her, blocking the Idiots from taking her any further.

"Put her down right now you- you-"

"Idiots?" one of them suggested, and the whole crowed burst into mocking giggles. Mystery flushed, her ears curling at the sides of her head.

"Shut up! You think that's funny? Laugh at this!" she held her arms forward, her arms pointed at the Idiots, when up from the ground floated another pair of spectral wolves. "Sick 'em," Mystery said, and the wolves attacked. Suddenly from the left of her came what appeared to be a dazzling purple firecracker; no doubt an attack from one of the Idiots. Mystery dodged it easily with a sideways flip, landing prfectly on her feet.

"Hey, that was pretty good! Do it again!" said one of the idiots holding Fiona; the wolves would not attack them for fear of hurting the poor shivering women.

"Huh?" Mystery could only blink and stare, "This is not a performance you stupid-" but suddenly more brightly colored firecrackers flew at Mystery from all directions. Through a series of complicated flips, rolls, and jumps she managed to avoid them, but with her concentration broken, the spectral wolves faded away. Avoiding the last whistling firecracker, Mystery landed on one foot, perched upon an abandoned clothes line someone had left on the beach. She, and about half of the idiots, were a little down the beach from Fiona, now.

"She's really good, think we should bring her too?" one of them asked.

Meanwhile, Calim was creeping down the beach, approaching the crowd of men who held the poor tied up Fiona.

"Gentlemen," he called once he was close enough, "A horrible curse! In your trousers, gentlemen, lurk wild things!"

"Huh?" the men didn't seem to understand, but a few of them carefully looked down, lifting there waistbands away from there stomachs and peering down.

"What the hell are you-GAH!" the men shouted as out from there pants leapt swarms of springy fake snakes. The men tumbled over in surprise, and Calim rushed to Fiona's side, tugging away the scarves and freeing her arms, and then placing his coat around her shoulders.

[Anonymous]

Fiona glared at Calim and Mystery as they came closer then split up. She would have shouted curses at them if she thought her voice would hold out. Instead she continued to glare at them. While the Idiots were focussed on Mystery she tried hopping away. She doubted any amount of Idiocy or luck would unwrap her and she was too proud to ask for help.

She was knocked to the ground with a juggling batton. With her muscles already tight from the cold, the blurdeoning cause unnessecary pain. Fiona fell to the ground and groaned: her face had landed in a hot apple pie. Fiona hated pies. She rubbed her face in the snow to get it off then rolled onto her back. How she hated having to rely on others. She would have prefered to have been captured and escaped later.

When Calim shouted out Fiona sighed, how was it that the Idiots didn't know what he had said. Perhaps these ones had failed at Loon classes. As soon as Calim unwrapped her arms, Fiona went to hit him. She was however too cold and sick so she flopped back down, landing in the same pie she had fallen in before.

'I hate you, you and all the other Idiots.' Her voice was as cold ad ice and she hissed in an evil tone. Calim winced at the insult but tried to shush her.

One of the Idiots overheard them and laughed, 'Ha! Hear that Calim? Not only are you a traitor for helping her, she doesn't even like you! That's Fiona all over.'

Fiona would have hurt the Idiot but she didn't have the energy. Instead she sneazed out big blue bubbles.

[Anonymous]

Mystery was just about fed up with all these damn Idiots. She could only think of one way to really get rid of them, and get away, but it would dangerous.

"Calim!" she called across the beach, "Take Fiona and get as far away as you can! I'll catch up in a second!" there was something serious about her voice, something that left no room to argue. So, despite any kicking nasty protests Fiona might have, Calim sighed and picked Fiona up, softly saying, "It's just wind through the dandelions; hush the wild cats..." We're just trying to help, please calm down. Calim was extremely tired from having to keep up with Mystery the whole way to the beach, but something in the child's voice was so urgent, it unnerved him. What was she planning?

Whatever it was, it needed himself and Fiona to be away, so away they would be. Panting heavily, he carried the shivering Fiona damsel-in-distress style all the way to the top of the icy frozen sand-slope he and Mystery had climbed down in the first place. Upon reaching the top, he could hardly believe what he saw.  

The whole beach below was alive with swarming insects. The air was full of the painful howls of those being bitten and stung; bodies could be seen crumpling to the ground, clawing themselves, while some fell over and where just completly still.

A moment later, Mystery ran up the slope as a pink-gray blur. She was panting, her skin slightly damp and her eyes half-lidded, and tired. It took a lot of energy to use that magic, especially after she hadn't eaten properly in a long while. She groaned softly and wobbled on her feet, seeming to have trouble standing.

"O-okay, where to now?" she panted, looking to Calim and Fiona.