"We live in marvelous times, my little magelet."

-Numair, Wild Magic

Immortal Forever

Chapter Two: Wanderer

You have returned, and the dragon is ready to continue her story. Her eyes flicker, as if remembering something unpleasant, and her scales, which you remember to be green-and-gold, are now a deep blue-green. And then she begins again, in her mind speech somehow makes the tale different, more real and alive, than if ordinary speech were being used:

Alone. In all my life, I had never felt so entirely alone as I did the night that I left. It was into the forest that I went- somehow I did not feel it would be right to take the main road out of Corus. The moon, blotted out for the most part by the trees, was my only light, my only guide on the dark path. There was a kind of eerie silence in the woods- a silence that I felt doubly. Before my transformation, I would have been able to feel the presence of the creatures nearby through my wild magic. Now their voices were deadened. The only magic I had now was the was the magic that all dragons possessed- magic that I was unable to use. I had had no training in it, and had only taken this new shape half a day ago. The only kind of magic I had had before had come to me naturally- this new kind was different, and I had no idea how to work it. Anyhow, it would not enable me to hear the forest creatures not, even if I could use it. Even without wild magic, I could tell that they were silent even without the help of wild magic. There was absolutely no sound except for the crunching of my feet on last autumn's fallen leaves that littered the path. Not a breath of wind, or the call of some night bird, nor even the far-off howl of a wolf, that not so long ago I could have understood and responded to. Loneliness was no longer the only thing I felt. Fear had joined it in my mind.

After perhaps an hour of walking, in the clumsy, unstable way of one who is unaccustomed to the body she wears, I stopped, tired, exhausted, simply unable to go further. I took shelter underneath a tree whose branches spread far out into the forest, and, where they began, closest to the trunk, completely covered the night sky, shutting out weather and moonlight. I did not now then if immortals needed sleep, and it didn't matter: whether they did or didn't, I did, and I was going to get it.

When I awoke, a thick green wall of leaves glittered with dew above my head. It took me a moment to remember where I was. And what I was. After that the events of the last day came back to me in a flash, and made me wish I were asleep again, unaware of any of my difficulties. I made myself get up, begin walking again. I was not yet far away enough from Corus. Not as far away as I wanted to be. I thought of my position. To the best of my knowledge, I was headed north. Walk far enough, and I would end up at the foot of the Grimhold Mountains, on the border to Scanra. I wasn't sure if that was where I wanted to be or not. Surely, I would be despised anywhere I went- anywhere there was humans. And if not despised; I would be misunderstood- I had no way to communicate, no way to tell people I meant no harm, no way to say- anything. I would stay out of the way of humans. It seemed I had no need to worry about other creatures, who now avoided me. For what reason, I did not know, but I suspected it had something to do with my form. This left two options, the second of which I was slow to realize: I could live out my life completely alone, never to speak again- or I could seek out the last manner of creature- neither human nor the ones that called themselves the People- but the ones in between. The beings that I myself was one of now, neither humans nor the People, but a mix of the two- Immortals.

I though of this as I continued in the direction that was most likely north: even when I made my choice, I did not stop, for I had no idea where to find immortals even if I was able to talk to them. More desperately than ever I needed to talk to someone. But that seemed impossible.

I did not see the tree sprite until she stepped in front of me. The height of a human knee, the small female had skin tinted green, and hair that was a darker shade of the same color. She was dressed in a brown garment that could easily have been made from tree-bark. When she spoke, her voice was soft, and sounded like wind whistling through treetops. "You are no dragon," she told me. "Yet why do you wear the body of one?"

"It- it was a mistake," I replied, before I remembered I was unable to talk, but to my surprise, she heard me and answered.

"You are human then. Unable to change back from immortal shape- yet you did not know this when you chose to transform?"

"Of course I didn't," I said, vaguely annoyed. There was something about her tone that bothered me.

"You are young," she said, a realization, rather than an explanation as it had been before, her telling me things I already knew. "You are the daughter of the wildmage?" This comment was made with astonishment, as if she already knew the answer and were surprised it was possible.

"My mother is a wildmage, yes."

"You are the Wanderer than. Your path will be long and hard."

"You can read the future?" The comment was meant in sarcasm; again, I didn't like her tone. All-knowing and condescending.

"This prophecy is known by all immortals." And you are ignorant not to know it, were the unspoken words that somehow I heard.

"I am not an immortal. You said so yourself. 'You are no dragon.'" I repeated her earlier words.

"Yet you are still an immortal; you will not die of old age or disease." I sighed. She had answered my own unspoken words; an answer I had known to be true, but wished otherwise. The Wanderer. What did this mean? Your path will be long and hard.

"So what is this prophecy? If I am an immortal, I should know it." I enjoyed spitting back her words at her for the second time.

"I will recite the words of it for you," she said.

'Child of the Wildmage, turned to immortal

Her path will be hard and her years will be long

Able to finish what others have not

Told of in stories, recounted in song

'This is the Wanderer, chosen by legend

Whose days will be weary and life a sad dream

This is the Wanderer, whose years unending

Will end with a glory that is yet unseen'.

The word rang in the morning air, and I wondered at their meaning, even more confused than before she had. "It is confusing, yes," the tree sprite went on. "But I am sure that it tells of you."

"You may be, but I am not," I replied.

"Doubt it if you want. I don't think it will matter in the end." And then she was gone: she had melted into the tree that she perched on as if she had never been there in the first place. The words of her prophecy still in my ears, I continued on my way. In all that had taken place, one thing, for sure, had been accomplished. I now knew for certain that despite my being unable to talk to humans or the People, I would be able to communicate with immortals. This gave me new energy as I made my way through the forest.

The dragon's scales are again green as she brings this part of the tale to a close. You know that it is time to leave, and that there will be more of this tale later on. As you move away, you distinctly hear the dragon mutter 'Tree sprites' in a disgusted voice. You leave, smiling and shaking your head.

Author's Note: Wow! Nine reviews last chapter! I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you like this chapter, which as again shorter than I planned, as much. Thank you so much for all your positive comments. I put a new quote up! I probably won't do that every chapter- if I can't think of one, I'll bring back the first one- it fits for the entire story. In this chapter, Leaf says- 'I did not now then if immortals needed sleep.' Food and drink- definitely not. But sleep? I don't know either. So if anyone does, please tell me. And what did you think of the poem? I'm not sure if I like it… But it's your opinion that I want.

Reviewers:

ladyknight- Thanks so much! No, I haven't finished it yet. I had just written the prologue and that chapter.

Hollie- Leaf is, indeed, the best of darkings. There's a story behind the nickname which I may or may not put somewhere in this story. Thanks about saying I kept them in character in the last chapter- I often get really worried about that. Abandoning their daughter doesn't really seem like something Daine and Numair would do, but it's important to the plot. I wanted to make it as true to their personalities as possible.

Archangemon- Thanks! I will write and update as much as possible.

Tarilenea- Yes! It is up! I'm glad you liked it, and I included that name but just for you. If not acorns, names...

Keziah- Yeah! I'm back. Thanks for reviewing, and for giving me the tip about my bio. I'll try to keep updating this time.

Stuffed Dodo- Thanks so much. I wasn't sure how well I did that part in the chapter, so your comment was really helpful.

Mist Tiger- Thanks! I'm glad you're curious. I'll try to keep it that way, so you'll keep reading, and thanks for putting my story on your favorites list.