Disclaimer: Recognizable characters are not mine.

Stand Your Ground

Part 3

Legend of the Monster

and the Firebird that Never Returned

This is a sequel. It may be confusing if you have not first read 'Stand Your Ground' and 'Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears.'

See my profile for chronological list of my Vida series.

Chapter 1

Misty Refuge

It wasn't well known that there was an island right near Neverland. It's name was the Misty Refuge.

There had been a monster once – a creature like a snake whose name was long forgotten, but a fairy had discovered it's weak spot, and used that to force it into exile on Misty Refuge, a island covered with jungle and marshes. The serpent found an enormous cave and stayed there. Once in a while he would swim to Neverland and kill some creatures before returning to Misty Refuge. A brave Firebird ventured to the island and the neither creature returned to Neverland.

Vidia stepped out of her boat. Somehow she had managed to cross the ocean without a problem. She was standing on Misty Refuge.

She walked forward determinedly. It was starting to get dark, but she wanted to reach the edge of the marsh before she stopped.

She looked up at the tall trees around her. Everything was green, damp and dark. She suddenly realized that her glow made her a target for anything that hunted at night. She tried to put the thought out of her mind, but it stayed, making her nervous.

She heard something move beside her, but it was a large mole scurrying away –

Away from what? Me? Vidia wondered, but suddenly she looked up in time to see a dark, furry creature jumping from a tree limb onto her.

"AH!" she shouted, jumping away.

The cougar landed, unshaken, on the ground and snapped at her. She jumped back and grabbed a strong stick. She used it to hit the cougar hard between the eyes, then stuck it in his mouth.

He spit it out, then reached for her with a paw.

"You stay away from me!" Vidia exclaimed, kicking the paw with all her might.

The large cat meowed in distress, and Vidia yelled in pain, having used her injured foot to kick him.

The cougar was also in pain, and Vidia took the distraction and ran into the underbrush. She stopped, hiding under a large leaf that she was pretty sure would hide her glow.

She kept her head down and her wings folded, waiting. She listened carefully. Soft paws padded near-silently down the path, but she couldn't tell how close they were. After a few minutes, she heard animal creatures coming from their hiding places, signaling safety.

She climbed to her feet and got back to the path. After only a few minutes of walking, the trees cleared. She stood on the beach of a marsh. She peered across it, but couldn't see anything through the darkness and mist. She glanced up at the sky, where only a few stars blinked sleepily at her.

I should get some sleep before dawn.

Vidia sat down and rummaged through her bag until she found a crumpled leaf blanket. She smoothed it out and pulled it around her.

She scanned the treeline before she lay down and fell asleep.

Stand Your Ground

Vidia woke up first, as usual. "Wake up, Scruffy." she called. "We need to – oh."

She remembered that she was alone.

She sat up and put the blanket into her bag, and took out a piece of everfruit for breakfast. She finished quickly and stood, but was almost knocked over by a sudden wind near her. She turned, but for once it wasn't a hawk – it was an eagle.

"Hi!" she said, cheerfully. "What's up?" She was pretty sure that eagles didn't eat fairies.

The eagle started turning her head to examine her carefully.

"I don't like your manner." she said, loudly, then softly she added. "I wonder if she's eaten breakfast yet."

The eagle didn't waste time intimidating her – she took a large bound forward, then jumped into the air and reached down with her claws and grabbed Vidia by the shoulders.

"Ow! Ah!" Vidia yelled. "Let me go!" she tried to fight back, but the eagle didn't seem to hear her, or feel her punches.

She stopped pummeling her captor, suddenly realizing she was about fifty feet in the air. She tried not to move, hoping the eagle wouldn't drop her. She noticed an giant tree in front of her that the eagle was heading to. Her heart started beating faster, but it wasn't the tree that scared her. Near the top of the tree sat an enormous nest. The eagle swooped lower toward the nest, and Vidia could just make out several large eaglets turning beady eyes toward her.

Vidia reached up, trying to grab the eagle's feet, but the eagle dropped her – then flew away.

Vidia landed on a very comfy bed of feathers. She stood, but then the nest moved beneath her. Was that the nest?

She twisted around and found an eaglet staring at her with a large black eye. Then it snapped at her hand.

"Ah!" Vidia shrieked and jumped back, slamming into something hard. She whirled, but the baby bird she'd run into flapped it wings, sending her flying across the nest. She pushed herself to her feet, and shook her head, dazed, and opened her eyes to see an open beak coming for her face.

Vidia ducked, letting the eaglet take a large mouthful of nest. She reached over and pulled a few feathers out of one baby bird, then ducked out of sight, leaving, leaving the bird to attack another bird in rage.

Vidia moved to the wall of the nest, and looked up, but she she couldn't see any sturdy footholds – besides, the baby birds would notice.

She glanced over her shoulder, but the birds weren't done fighting yet. She dropped to her knees and pulled pine needles, sticks, and fuzz from the bottom of the nest, trying to burrow out.

Her hopes soared as she could see lower branches of the tree through the hole. She reached for another stick, then looked up as a wind hit her back. A bird cannoned into her, and she sprawled into her escape route. She frantically grabbed for a handhold as she fell, but they slipped through her fingers.

"AH!" Vidia made a last effort to grab a stick, but it pulled free from the nest, and her fingers clung to it uselessly.

She fell.

The wind whipped her hair into her face, and she blindly reached out. When she could see again she saw a large, sturdy leaf flying up toward her, and she grabbed it. It bent downward a little, but didn't break.

When it had steadied from the impact, she reached up and scrambled onto the branch.

That was close. Sort of wish I'd had Scruffy there – but he's safer at home.

Stand Your Ground

Vidia jumped the last few inches to the ground. Her long, braided leaf-strip rope was a masterpiece, and had taken a while, but there was nothing for it.

Now, to get back to the marsh. Vidia turned to look around, then noticed eyes – staring at her from a bush.

She ignored them and limped to what she was sure was the right path. She stopped, hearing soft footsteps behind her.

She whirled and found herself face to nose with a wolf. He was crouched low to the ground, ready to spring when she ran.

She stared at him. "Hi!" She said, then hit him.

He paused, startled at the aggression of his snack. Vidia seized the moment of inaction and darted between his legs and grabbed his tail. Feeling discomfort, the wolf whipped it back and forth.

"Whoa!" Vidia was swung off the ground to slam into the wolf's side, then the tail reversed direction, and she was sent flying through the air holding a fistful of fur.

She rolled to a stop and sat up. A beaver was staring at her, curiously, but she could tell that he wasn't planning on eating her. She suddenly realized that he would be easy prey for a wolf.

"Wolf!" Vidia said, aloud. "There's a wolf coming!"

The beaver cocked his head, not understanding. Vidia tossed the wolf fur toward the beaver for it to smell, which he cautiously did.

She pointed from the direction she had soared. "There's a wolf over there." She said, clearly.

The beaver jerked his head toward his back.

"Are you offering to give me a ride?" Vidia asked, astonished.

The beaver nodded and pointed to the foot she was keeping her weight off of.

"Thanks. I won't forget this, Mister Beaver." She smiled, touched.

She took two big fistfuls of fur and he started away. It was not like riding Scruffy – it was a lot smoother, but she was reminded that she missed her furry steed and friend.

The beaver ran back to the edge of the marsh, then stopped and waited for her to slip to the ground.

"Thanks." Vidia petted him gently, and he nodded politely. She walked away, and heard him taking off for his home in the marsh.

Vidia sighed and looked up at the sun.

Evening. How has this taken all day? I'll have to wait until tomorrow, now, and I'm running out of time. Vidia shook her head, frustrated.

She limped to the treeline and set up camp, then the evening darkened around her while she found a large stick and sat, sharpening it into a formidable weapon.

Stand Your Ground

Vidia blinked sleepily. A blurry white shape floated over her. She blinked again, startled, trying to clear her vision. A heron was settling down next to her.

Vidia sat up, slowly, worried. "I'm really not a good breakfast." she tried to warn him. "I'll give you a stomachache you'll remember your whole life."

The bird plunged his beak toward her.

"Ah!" She shrieked and rolled out of the way, and, staring at it, she climbed cautiously to her feet.

"Stay away from me!" she snatched up the weapon she'd made the night before. She held it up, threateningly.

"Vidia, run!"

"You wish." Vidia replied, under her breath, then did a double take.

Since when do herons talk?

Vidia froze, turning slowly to stare at the fairies flying toward her. Iridessa was digging frantically through her bag.

"Tinkerbell?" she said, surprised, but unmoving.

"Run!" Tinkerbell screamed again.

The Heron's beak descended, and Vidia snapped her head up. Time seemed to slow around her, but she found herself glued to the spot as it descended, getting closer to her. She knew the other fairies weren't close enough to her.

I won't be a burden anymore. She thought, cheerfully, unable to look away from her inevitable death.