Lost, But Not Forgotten - A lesson learned.

[Loxiel]

Peeking through the leaves of the bush he was currently sat in, Loxiel wished he had picked a better spot to observe the cat; trying to focus on the cat's behaviour and movements was increasingly difficult when one had branches and sticking into him!

He had left Ajteire at first light, slipping away easily and beyond the city's borders to go on his own little adventure. It wasn't one without purpose, however. Loxiel was determined to broaden his choice of forms he could shift in ... since he only had one! Being a hawk was very useful, but if he were to be an adventurer someday, and so to traverse the mass of jungles and forests of the world he knew, he needed a form that could navigate through, and not just fly over. How would he find lost treasures if all he could see was the forest canopy?

It had taken a few hours to find any creature he wished to master the form of. There had been squirrels and rabbits ... but he disdained to bother with them. He wanted something better!

When Loxiel had spotted the cat, he had smiled triumphantly. Though not that much bigger than a house-cat, it had long legs, large ears with small pointed tufts, and beautiful green eyes. An animal form like that would give him agility, keener senses ... this was it!

With the greatest of care (and being thoroughly scratched and scraped in the process), the young changeling had managed to creep inside the bush that looked onto a clearing where the cat was lounging. Once or twice, it's ears pricked up and it would raise its head in his direction, causing him to freeze until the cat settled down.

Then ... well, Loxiel wasn't really sure what to do. He knew he had to study the animal; the way it moved, how it held itself, what it looked like. He had to try and know this creature as completely as he could, if he ever hoped to be able to shift into one.

The problem was, was that the cat wasn't actually doing anything! It was just lazing around! Loxiel needed to see it move! He needed to see it hunt, to preen and sleep and stretch ... this wasn't going well, and the day was wearing on. This was the furthest he had ever been from the city by a long way, and he wasn't all that keen on trying to search out another cat or any animal given the time he had left until it got dark. He supposed he could study what he could from this lazy feline, and then come back tomorrow and see if he could do better.

All of a sudden, the cat's head rose quickly and looked right at him. It's ears forward and it's eyes wide. Loxiel could see the cat tense. Had it noticed him? He hadn't moved a muscle (despite the increasing desire to make himself more comfortable), and yet the cat seemed most definitely on high alert and looking right in his direction. The next moment, it sprang to it's feet and leapt off into a run, vanishing in the undergrowth.

With a sigh, Loxiel's shoulders slumped. What a wasted day! He had always been proud of his stealth, and yet ...

A groan behind him and a tearing sound, brought Loxiel's heart into his throat.

The bush behind him was torn away, and when he turned, his dark eyes fell upon a hideous creature. A man ... or at least it might have been, once. Grey, rotting flesh hanging from protruding bones, and lidless eyes; undead.

With a cry of fear, Loxiel pushed forward as the undead abomination pulled away at the foliage to try and get to him, the next sound a loud, long moan of frustration as it reached out to grab him, and the young changeling managing to fall through the other side of the dense bush. He winced as he fell onto his back, and scrabbled backwards while the undead thing frantically forced it's way through the branches.

With his heartbeat in his ears and his stomach in his throat, it took Loxiel a moment to get to his feet. He turned and, breathless, clenched his fists as he forced himself to shift. It took a few more seconds than usual, probably because of the terror of seeing such a thing for the first time in his life, but soon he was no longer the slight young teen, but a hawk on the wing, frantically flapping it's wings and navigating through the trees with a skill that surprised even him.

***

How long had he been flying? He couldn't tell. Had it been an ten minutes? An hour? It felt like an eternity.

Taking some time to use his heightened eye-sight to scan his immediate surroundings, Loxiel had not reverted back to his form for some time, too scared to do so and he wanted to be ready to take flight if there were any other monsters here. He had been perched on a high branch, his head moving this way and that, constantly watching, taking in the smallest of movements. When he was as sure as he could be, that there was no immediate threat, he allowed himself to warily flap down to the forest floor and shift back to his usual form.

"Ugh," he moaned as he rested his back against a tree. For a young changeling like he, both the quick shift and the frantic flight had taken their toll. He felt incredibly weary. There was no way he would be able to take his hawk form for a while, not after some rest, at least. At least he was alive! But that relief lasted only a moment when he realised that, when he had been fleeing, he had been doing so away fro,m Ajteire!

A new panic hit him, as he realised he could be miles from the city! And with all the chaos of his flight, he didn't even really know the direction Ajteire would be in, as he had made so many twists and turns in his fright.

The answer should be simple: shift back into a hawk, fly above the forest, and use his heightened senses to find the city ... but he was exhausted. He knew he would not be able to shift and hold the form long enough to do anything of the sort. He needed to rest; some food would have helped, but it was growing dimmer in the forest now, and he had no skill for hunting when he wasn't in hawk-form. Loxiel cursed himself thoroughly, saying things he would get a smack from his mistress for ... she would be even angrier when she found out what he had done, and that was assuming he ever managed to get back alive. It was a scary thought.

Despite the fear and the situation, as he sat, he felt his head nod towards his chest. Loxiel jumped as he realised he had nearly fallen asleep! He would be easy prey to anything if he fell asleep in the middle of the forest!

Despite his weariness and inability to shift, he was still nimble and agile enough to climb, and so he found one of the larger trees, and up he went. It took some exploring, but he soon found a nook that he could nest in without fear of falling off. The thought of the undead monster that had nearly got him might have been enough to keep him awake, but he was exhausted, and soon, he fell into a deep slumber.

***

His eyes opened slowly ... until he remembered his situation, and then Loxiel near jumped into hyper-alertness. He still felt tired, but not so much now, and he must have had a good few hours for him to feel so. But night wrapped the forest in an incredible darkness. If there was a moon; the light of it did not penetrate the deep forest canopy. The only thing his eyes could latch on to was a tiny speck of light, dancing some feet away. "Firefly," he muttered, smiling a little, despite his situation. The sight of it was somehow comforting.

Although he had had some hours sleep, he was still extremely tired, and wondered why he had awoken when had? He had hoped to sleep through until morning when he would be better rested and able to shift long enough to locate Ajteire. He quickly realised he had not awoken, but had been woken up ...

A deep growl set the hairs on his arms on end, and covered his skin in goosebumps.

Whatever it was, it was below him, it was big, and it was climbing the tree!

"By Kelorha!" He said, breathlessly. Dragging himself up into a crouch, Loxiel felt around, trying to see if there was something he could grip in order to climb higher, but there was nothing. His heart thudded in his chest as he began to panic, pure fear for his very life.

His attention was caught by that little speck of light. It flew towards him and danced in front of his face, then flew straight up through the leaves and out of sight. Was he going mad with fear or did that little firefly want him to follow? Either way, he had no choice. As the grumbling of whatever it was that was coming for him got nearer, Loxiel forced himself to shift, and stretching out his wings, he brought them down in one heavy beat that launched him upwards.

It was not smooth-going. Hawks do not see well in the darkness, and for a time he was flying blind, and occasionally, a keen cry would come from him as he tore through branches until he was finally free of the forest, and into the cool night breeze, under a heavy moon.

Once again, Loxiel had the relief of escape, but the despair of being lost, alone and easy prey to whatever might want to get to him. As he hovered, he wondered if he was going to die out here. He felt utterly stupid and he might as well have been 6, not 16, considering all his actions and choices since the morning before.

Once again, the firefly came to dance before him. It bobbed up and down for a while, and Loxiel sent out a silent 'thanks' for helping him find the courage to take action and get away from ... well, whatever it was. Suddenly, the firefly zipped behind him. Curiously, Loxiel dipped his wing slightly and turned. What he saw gave him a flush of relief and hope, for in the distance was a dim, but very large glowing patch of forest.

Ajteire!

The sight gave him some strength, and he he turned from his hover, dipping his wings and began to steadily beat them, heading towards the light. He knew he wouldn't be able to maintain his form for that distance, it quite a way off in the distance, but if he were steady and consistent, he could shorten the journey significantly!

***

Despite his best efforts, it wasn't long before fatigue forced him back down into the darkness. As he landed, struggling in the darkness to find a place he could shift back (which consisted of a lot of fluttering and hopping around), Loxiel dropped back onto the soft, mossy floor of the forest, panting. He would not be able to shift again for a while. Not only was he incredibly tired, but his stomach groaned and grumbled in protest at the lack of food. But he could not rest, not yet. He now had a direction, and he was so close! He just had to stay on course and keep going.

It took a moment for him to stand straight when he finally dragged himself up. His head spun, slightly, and he had a headache. But better a headache than a snack for some passing monster!

With a heavy sigh, he began to walk in the direction he had been flying, stumbling in weariness, and having t take occasional, reluctant breaks while he caught his breath. He just had to keep walking ...

***

No more beautiful sight had Loxiel's dark eyes beheld than the many dancing fireflies that surrounded the city of his birth. Though they had always been there, it was in that moment that he thanked whatever gods and heroes may be, for those beautiful, wonderful, magical creatures.

A tired smile on his lips, he staggered forward, every step was challenge, his head was spinning and he could barely focus. Whatever power that changelings had that enabled them to shift resided in Loxiel, was nearly gone.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

At first, Loxiel thought he was imagining it. His vision was so blurry that he couldn't be sure if what he was seeing were tall figures approaching, or his mind playing tricks with the shadows. But that voice ...

He didn't respond; he couldn't. The glow of the fireflies dimmed, and he felt himself falling forward, and then something catching him. But that was all he knew as his world turned to black.

***

The first thing he noticed was the smell of clean cotton and chamomile. It was a familiar smell, and one that gave him immediate comfort, even before he opened his eyes. He knew where he was.

"It seems out little adventurer is waking up!" The voice of Mistress Karya was as welcoming to his ears than the sweetest sound of a songbird. It meant he was home.

His eyes felt grainy as he opened them. He was in bed, covered in a light sheet. He was also covered in dressings, and when he looked down at his arms and chest, he was as bruised as he had never been so before! He turned his head to the tall, old Elven woman who sat beside him with a book in her hands.

She closed the book and stood. "Let's sit you up."

Loxiel winced as she helped him into a sitting position, putting the pillows at his back, and then putting a mug of water in front of him. This he drank eagerly, and two more mugs-full and he finally sat back, satisfied. When Mistress Karya said he "must be hungry", his stomach immediately gurgled in response.

"I don't suppose telling you off will do anyone any good," the Elf said, once Loxiel had eaten his way through a significant amount of cheese, bread and fruit. "That doesn't mean to say I am not completely furious. No one my age should be made to worry so." She held up her hand as he began to apologise. "I don't want to hear excuses or 'I'm sorry's ... you'll have double chores for the next month, and I shall be keeping a close eye on you."

Loxiel gave a long sigh, but a month of extra cleaning and running errands was preferable to being eaten alive! "I just wanted to learn a new form," he said. "I have no magic and I can't fight. I should be able to ..."

"Enough of all that," Karya cut him off. "Self-pity is not something I tolerate, unless the person truly has something to feel sorry for himself about! And you, Lox, do not." She got to her feet and took the plate from him. "In time, you will find you have talents that will do you just as well as any spell or sword can serve you. Everyone is good at something, and though I am loathe to give you any idea that I am encouraging what you did yesterday, you still managed to go out into the wilds, survive two attempts on your life, and find your way home. That is no small feat, and if you ever feel like doing it again," she turned to look him right in the eye. "Don't."

After she left, Loxiel lay back. He might as well take this chance to be a little lazy if the next month was double chores! He supposed she was right. He had survived out there! Barely, but he had!

Now all he had to do was wait out the month, and then try again! Next time though, he would be much more careful. He had learned his lesson.

Hadn't he?