Disclaimer: All recognizable subject matter doesn't belong to me.

Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears

Chapter 1

To Desolate Pinnacle

This story is a sequel. It may be confusing if you have not yet read 'Stand Your Ground'.

See my profile for a chronological list of my Vidia series.

Thanks, M.J.J.

"You can go now, Vidia. I'm very sorry about your wings." Flo was a nursing-talent fairy, and was trying to be nice to Vidia.

"Thanks." Vidia replied, grudgingly. She walked to the Tearoom, where she sat alone, waiting.

A very kind confectioner-talent fairy offered sympathy and cookies, of which Vidia only took the cookies.

"Hey, Vidia!" Fawn flew in and suddenly dropped to the floor and walked over to her. Rosetta and Iridessa quickly followed suit.

"The healer fairies finally discharged you?" Iridessa asked.

"Ah, you know Vidia!" Rosetta smiled. "She probably bugged them about it until they threw her out."

Vidia snorted. "I'll have you know I didn't give 'em any trouble at all." she looked around. "Where's Scruffy?"

"Weell, dear . . ." Rosetta began, awkwardly.

"Some of the fairies are a little bit scared of him." Fawn finished.

"Oh. Well, I can understand, might be a little scary – a big, fluffy, friendly, talking rat -" Vidia paused. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I." Fawn confided, quietly. "But he's perfectly happy outside with Tink and Sil."

"Vidia?" A brown haired fairy was hovering next to her.

"Yeah. You're Lyria, aren't you?"

"Yes. We haven't actually met, but everyone knows who you are." Lyria smiled.
"I was just about to say that about you."
"Well, I'm just a storyteller. I don't want to raise your hopes -"

"Raise what hopes?" Vidia could feel her heart beating faster.

"I have heard of a near-impossible way that your wings could be restored." Lyria confessed. "I wouldn't have told you until I research, but it says that it only works in the first fifteen days of the harm done, and that means you have to hurry!"

"What?" Iridessa sprang into the air. "Restored?"

"What do we need?" Fawn asked.

Lyria sighed. "Firebird tears."

"Where do we get them?" Rosetta queried.

"I'm afraid I don't know." Lyria admitted. "I only know what is necessary to tell a good story."

"Let's ask Tome!" Rosetta suggested. Fawn looked puzzled. "He's a scribe-talent sparrowman. He works in the Library."

"What're we waiting for?" Vidia sprinted out of the Tearoom.

"Good luck!" Lyria called as they left.

"Nice to see you, Vidia." Scruffy flew over, his coat sparkling with pixie dust.

"How are you, Vidia?" Silvermist asked, kindly.

"Fair enough." Vidia climbed up onto Scruffy's back. "To the Library!" she directed.

"I didn't know you liked the library, Vidia." Tinkerbell was surprised.

"Neither do I." Vidia grinned. "I've never been there. Let's go, Scruffy!"

Stand Your Ground

Tome directed the fairies to an old book full of legendary tales, covered in dust (not pixie dust), and apparently was so heavy that the bookworms couldn't get in.

Tinkerbell put it on the table and opened it to the chapter titled 'Mythical Birds'.

"Roc, Thunderbird, Phoenix." she flipped through the pages. "Strix . . . Aha! Firebird." she pointed.

"Firebird: a glowing magical bird. Both a blessing and bringer of doom to it's captor." Silvermist read. "Sounds dangerous."

"The tears of a firebird are a cure for any condition for small animals and fairies. Has no effect on humans." Iridessa read, excitedly. "Sounds good!"

"Aged firebird tears can only heal fairy wings within fifteen days of the injury. Fresh ones are untested."

"It says heal – not restore." Rosetta pointed out. "It might not work on Vidia at all."

"That's good enough for me." Vidia decided. "Where are the firebirds?"

Tinkerbell turned back to the page. "All the remaining firebirds have died or disappeared . . ."

"Oh, well, that's helpful!" Vidia sat back, disappointed.

"But – there was a sparrowman who went on a quest to get firebird tears for a gravely injured friend." Tink continued, "He did get one, but on his way through the Shadow Shelter, a cave, he dropped the vial."

"Why did he do that?" Rosetta demanded. "His poor friend!"

"He was attacked by vicious bats, and had to fly away."

"Vicious bats?" Rosetta squealed.

"We need to think this through." Iridessa seconded.

"Where is the Shadow Shelter, anyway?" Fawn asked.

"The main entrance to the Shadow Shelter collapsed a century ago, but there was another, smaller entrance hidden at the base of a mountain – Desolate Pinnacle."

"Are you sure no one ever found the vial?" Silvermist checked.

"It says here that he was the last fairy ever to enter that cave." Tink informed them.

"Well, let's give it a go." Scruffy suggested.

"Hang on. Let me get this clear. We are looking for a Firebird tear, which may or may not help Vidia, which may or may not still exist, in a cave which may or may not still exist, which we must enter by an entrance we may or may not find, which may or may not still exist. Anything else?" Iridessa asked.

"We've only got seven days to do it in." Vidia replied.

"Seven and a half." Scruffy corrected.

"Oh. Well, I would take some time to argue about it, but since we're on a schedule, let's go!" Iridessa darted off, and the others followed.

Stand Your Ground

"There it is." Rosetta peered into the dim evening. "Desolate Pinnacle!"

"It does look desolate." Silvermist noted. "There aren't many plants or animals around."

"So the entrance is hidden in the base." Vidia leaned forward so see more clearly over Scruffy's ears.

"It's too dark to look now, Vidia." Tinkerbell told her, gently. "We'll have to wait until morning."

"Yeah." Vidia paused. "Of course. Come on, Scruffy – that looks like a good place to camp." She pointed.

Scruffy landed too fast, and scrabbled his claws against the ground, trying to slow to a stop. He had gotten better at flying, but still wasn't good at landing smoothly. Vidia slid off his back.

They ate dinner quickly, then all settled down to sleep.

Scruffy curled up, then lifted his head and twisted around to look at Vidia. "Vidia?"

"Yeah?" she looked over at Scruffy.

"Goodnight."

"Oh, shut up!" Vidia turned over and covered her ears. The other fairies looked at her in surprise.

"No, come on, Vidia. Goodnight . . ."

"Stop it."

"We've been through this before, Vidia." Scruffy poked her gently. "Come on . . ."

"I'm trying to sleep."

"Pleeeaase."

"All right! Okay! Fine! Good night! Now go to sleep!" Vidia said, emphatically.

Scruffy curled up, pleased, and went to sleep.