Tears of Pearl
A low, cool mist hung about the dew-speckled forest. Mara Spring Slaker, a young mousemaid of only a few years, stumbled clumsily through the woods, searching with no avail for the mystical flower, the Deodar Pearl.
Her mother, Flor's birthday was coming up, and she wanted to surprise her mother with the flower that Flor had always dreamed of raising.
Her mother was the best gardener in the Abbey of Loamhedge. Flor would be proud of her daughter if Mara came home with the flower.
Without a care, except to discover the precious flower, Mara pranced around, not noticing a pair of silvery eyes watching her from the shadows.
"Whoops!" Mara giggled. She had carelessly tripped on a vine and fallen on a particularly thorny bush. She winced as she gingerly got to her feet again.
Skyedra the unicorn smiled from her shadowy hideaway. She decided to give up her haven. She expertly walked over to the mousemaid, snapping not one branch on the soft, summer ground.
Mara jumped, then relaxed, seeing that the creature was peaceful. She opened her mouth to speak, but Skye beat her to it.
In a husky yet soft voice the silver unicorn got straight to the point, saying little, as unicorns tend to do. "The woods are dangerous. I know what you seek. Get on." Skye knelt down so Mara could climb on, which the mousemaid did, rather clumsily.
Silently and swiftly, the two flew through the forest and for a few seconds, a meadow. In a matter of minutes, Skye stopped, and Mara saw small clusters of shining, white flowers, each one like a pearl, in a tiny clearing.
"Wow." She breathed. The flowers were prettier than in her wildest dreams.
In the same soft voice, Skye said curtly and firmly, "I must go now. Do not take more than one bundle. The flowers are vital to the surrounding area." With that, she disappeared.
Mara smiled. Wow, she thought, imajing de look on Muvver's face if I bwing home H'ALL dese flawers! Even when she was thinking to herself, the talk of babies came back to her; she was only a season older than what others considered a tyke.
A voice in the mousemaid's head said, scoffing, "Well, yeah! But little mousemaids like you have to listen to their elders, and the flowers are important. you can't take them all!"
Mara scowled. She hated being told what to do and so more often than not disregarded rules and warnings. Finally her greed got the better of her. She started picking flowers and soon had a few fat bundles of flowers.
"Hohoho!" Mara pretended to be her mother. "Lookee here, h' ain't young Mawa Spwing de best H' abbeybeast to e'er walk dis land? Hohoho!"
Satisfied with herself, she set off. Skye had left her a path of silver dust and magic so she could get home quickly. Mara trundled off again, tail up and chin up, her head wreathed with the Pearls.
When Mara got back to Loamhedge she proudly shoved the flowers into her shocked mother's paws. Flor gasped. She knew what she was holding the second she saw them. "The Deodar Pearls! Oh, Mara, thank you! Thank you so much!" She picked up her daughter and looked at her. "You're filthy, too! Where have you been?!"
Mara grinned mischievously. "In de fowest!" She proudly exclaimed.
Flor gasped again. "Never go in there alone again! I can't believe-"
She was cut off by a young, responsible Sister named Lavender. "Why don't I give young Mara a bath? You're right, she is filthy!"
Flor sighed and nodded. Mara was furious. "H' afta h' all de twouble I went to, dis is what I get?"
Lavender cuffed Mara's ear lightly, chuckling. "I just saved your skin, you little rascal!"
Mara glowered as the kindly mouse dragged her off.
Flor watched them leave, smiling. She then realized that she was still holding the white flowers in her hand, smiled again, and proudly showed her fellow gardeners. The mice of Loamhedge were all in awe of the Pearls. Flor then placed the Pearls in an empty hole in the sunniest place in the garden. The hole had been reserved for the Deodar Pearls for as long as she could remember; her great-grandmother was said to have dug it when she was young. Flor did this all with great ceremony and a smile on her face.
Mara glowed with pride, even while she was being scrubbed furiously.
Skye sighed sorrowfully. When she returned to the clearing some hours later, there were only a few little clusters left. Her tribe was doomed.
Mara was the heroine for the night. The Loamhedge cooks prepared all her favorites pasties and sweets, such as candied chestnuts. All the mice wanted the story to be related again and again. Each time it was even more unbelievable. Mara loved the attention and danced the night away.
When her mother finally tore her from the glory and put her in bed, Mara dreamt of Skye and her tribe. They were at the clearing, which was flooded up to the knees of the tallest unicorn. The eldest, most silver unicorn sternly looked down at Skye, who blinked back bitter tears and bowed, ashamed.
The next morning, Mara didn't remember her dream, but something disturbed her inside. Being still young, Mara simply shrugged it off and went out to play.
Flor had heard many tales about the beauty of the select places that the Deodar Pearls grew. She wished that she had been with her daughter and seen where they grew. She even had the urge to go out looking for them.
She confided her thoughts in Sister Lavender.
Lavender was thoughtful. She chose her words carefully, trying not to discourage her friend. "If indeed Mara encountered a unicorn, like she says, I doubt the Pearls would be an easy walk away. Unicorns can travel great distances in a matter of minutes."
Flor sighed. She really wanted to see the flowers in their real home.
Lavender carefully studied her friend's grief-stricken face, a smile slowly spreading on her face. "Oh, come on, poutyface! I happen to know a young mouse who's dying for adventure! Why don't we quest a little with some good ol' chums, eh?"
Flor smiled. She couldn't find words for her friend and after a few seconds of battle in her brain, she hugged her friend tightly.
***
Skye was so ashamed. So, so ashamed.
Her tribe was going to starve because she had tried to act mature and knowing to the little mousemaid. She knew she should've kept a closer watch before leaving in what she thought was a "mysterious" manner.
Her tribe was angry, angry at her. She knew it, even though they didn't show it and told her it wasn't her fault, that it was meant to be.
The unicorns only had a few more days.
***
"Ah. such a sunny, bright day to go a-questing!" A fat, jolly mouse called Tubbut adjusted his haversack to a more comfortable position.
Lavender breathed in the fresh air of the forest and smiled at Flor.
The three, plus Mara (who insisted on going) and a strong, quiet mouse named Bluggen left Loamhedge that morning to find the clearing.
***
Skye had had enough of waiting for death. She went to her father, the leader, and asked as calmly as she could for permission to seek help.
Her father glanced at his daughter's eager face sadly. "All right, daughter. Hurry, we do not have much time. Don't work yourself too hard."
***
Skye took off immediately.
Suddenly, she stopped dead. Voices were ahead. She heard singing and laughter. Good, she thought to herself, only honest travelers.
She was about to continue on her way when heard a thud, followed by an unmistakable "Whoops!"
In a flash, she was blocking their path. Mara waved.
Skye acknowledged Mara with a curt nod. "Mousemaid, I have told you that taking more than one small bundle of the flowers was wrong." She paused. "Now my tribe is doomed." She turned to the four older mice. "May I ask for your assistance?"
Flor was stunned. She was only vaguely aware of Lavender firmly nodding. Mara hadn't told her that she was warned to only take one bundle.
Skye continued, speaking a lot for a unicorn. "The flowers are special because they need more than five times as much water than normal plants to survive. The unicorns' food, a plant called white corn, does not need a lot of water and can drown in too much. However, the unicorns, the Pearls, and the white corn all live in the same area- a wet, flooded area if it were not for the Pearls. Lately, in the absence of the number of Pearls, the clearing is flooded and the white corn is dead. You see, the Pearls need clean water and use a lot. They also need a lot of space. The white corn takes up a lot of room and needs little water. But the roots are long and webby and help clean the water that flows through the ground. My tribe eats the white corn, clearing away enough vegetation for the Pearls that protect the white corn."
Flor didn't know what to say. It was so complicated. She silently wept. Skye gently wiped Flor's tears.
"It's too late for my tribe, even if you bring the Pearls back there now."
Lavender couldn't bring herself to believe it. "But-but-but couldn't your tribe move to a different home?"
Skye shook her head. "We're tied to that place by a thousand threads of magic."
Flor found her voice. "W-what about th-the young ones? Can we save them?"
Skye shook her head again, wishing she didn't have to. "The little ones will probably be the first to go. They need the most nourishment. We can try, though I honestly don't know what we can do."
Tubbut, who had been quiet the whole time, spoke up. "How will we get there in time? We aren't fleet of foot like you!"
Skye suddenly grinned. "You'd be surprised at how much weight I can carry! Remember, Mousemaid?"
Mara, who had been hiding in the folds of her mother's cloak, now jumped out gleefully and cried, "Fun! Fun! Gimme anuvver ride. Whatsa name?"
Skye smiled. "Skyedra."
Flor smiled. "What a pretty name! My name is Flor, this is Lavender, this is Tubbut, and this is Bluggen. Oh, and this nuisance here is unfortunately my daughter, Mara." Flor named all the travelers.
"Ahem." Bluggen interrupted. "I say, aren't we trying to save a tribe of unicorns?"
They laughed.
Skye didn't show it, but she was exhausted, and extremely hungry. Unicorns only ate white corn and therefore she was not satisfied with the offerings of flans and biscuits.
In half an hour, she had taken them all to the clearing, which was even more flooded than before. Skye's tribe was already dead. All dead from starvation. Skye collapsed as a tear trickled down her face.
"Skye, Skye, whatsa matta?" Mara was at her side.
Skye smiled faintly. "I'm going to sleep." Her eyes started getting misty, and Skye imagined that first day she met Mara. She closed her eyes and smiled peacefully. "Don't take more than one bundle. Mousemaid."
Those were the last words she muttered.
Flor looked around at the silvery bodies of the unicorns as her tears, round and shiny as the Pearls themselves, slid off her face.
A low, cool mist hung about the dew-speckled forest. Mara Spring Slaker, a young mousemaid of only a few years, stumbled clumsily through the woods, searching with no avail for the mystical flower, the Deodar Pearl.
Her mother, Flor's birthday was coming up, and she wanted to surprise her mother with the flower that Flor had always dreamed of raising.
Her mother was the best gardener in the Abbey of Loamhedge. Flor would be proud of her daughter if Mara came home with the flower.
Without a care, except to discover the precious flower, Mara pranced around, not noticing a pair of silvery eyes watching her from the shadows.
"Whoops!" Mara giggled. She had carelessly tripped on a vine and fallen on a particularly thorny bush. She winced as she gingerly got to her feet again.
Skyedra the unicorn smiled from her shadowy hideaway. She decided to give up her haven. She expertly walked over to the mousemaid, snapping not one branch on the soft, summer ground.
Mara jumped, then relaxed, seeing that the creature was peaceful. She opened her mouth to speak, but Skye beat her to it.
In a husky yet soft voice the silver unicorn got straight to the point, saying little, as unicorns tend to do. "The woods are dangerous. I know what you seek. Get on." Skye knelt down so Mara could climb on, which the mousemaid did, rather clumsily.
Silently and swiftly, the two flew through the forest and for a few seconds, a meadow. In a matter of minutes, Skye stopped, and Mara saw small clusters of shining, white flowers, each one like a pearl, in a tiny clearing.
"Wow." She breathed. The flowers were prettier than in her wildest dreams.
In the same soft voice, Skye said curtly and firmly, "I must go now. Do not take more than one bundle. The flowers are vital to the surrounding area." With that, she disappeared.
Mara smiled. Wow, she thought, imajing de look on Muvver's face if I bwing home H'ALL dese flawers! Even when she was thinking to herself, the talk of babies came back to her; she was only a season older than what others considered a tyke.
A voice in the mousemaid's head said, scoffing, "Well, yeah! But little mousemaids like you have to listen to their elders, and the flowers are important. you can't take them all!"
Mara scowled. She hated being told what to do and so more often than not disregarded rules and warnings. Finally her greed got the better of her. She started picking flowers and soon had a few fat bundles of flowers.
"Hohoho!" Mara pretended to be her mother. "Lookee here, h' ain't young Mawa Spwing de best H' abbeybeast to e'er walk dis land? Hohoho!"
Satisfied with herself, she set off. Skye had left her a path of silver dust and magic so she could get home quickly. Mara trundled off again, tail up and chin up, her head wreathed with the Pearls.
When Mara got back to Loamhedge she proudly shoved the flowers into her shocked mother's paws. Flor gasped. She knew what she was holding the second she saw them. "The Deodar Pearls! Oh, Mara, thank you! Thank you so much!" She picked up her daughter and looked at her. "You're filthy, too! Where have you been?!"
Mara grinned mischievously. "In de fowest!" She proudly exclaimed.
Flor gasped again. "Never go in there alone again! I can't believe-"
She was cut off by a young, responsible Sister named Lavender. "Why don't I give young Mara a bath? You're right, she is filthy!"
Flor sighed and nodded. Mara was furious. "H' afta h' all de twouble I went to, dis is what I get?"
Lavender cuffed Mara's ear lightly, chuckling. "I just saved your skin, you little rascal!"
Mara glowered as the kindly mouse dragged her off.
Flor watched them leave, smiling. She then realized that she was still holding the white flowers in her hand, smiled again, and proudly showed her fellow gardeners. The mice of Loamhedge were all in awe of the Pearls. Flor then placed the Pearls in an empty hole in the sunniest place in the garden. The hole had been reserved for the Deodar Pearls for as long as she could remember; her great-grandmother was said to have dug it when she was young. Flor did this all with great ceremony and a smile on her face.
Mara glowed with pride, even while she was being scrubbed furiously.
Skye sighed sorrowfully. When she returned to the clearing some hours later, there were only a few little clusters left. Her tribe was doomed.
Mara was the heroine for the night. The Loamhedge cooks prepared all her favorites pasties and sweets, such as candied chestnuts. All the mice wanted the story to be related again and again. Each time it was even more unbelievable. Mara loved the attention and danced the night away.
When her mother finally tore her from the glory and put her in bed, Mara dreamt of Skye and her tribe. They were at the clearing, which was flooded up to the knees of the tallest unicorn. The eldest, most silver unicorn sternly looked down at Skye, who blinked back bitter tears and bowed, ashamed.
The next morning, Mara didn't remember her dream, but something disturbed her inside. Being still young, Mara simply shrugged it off and went out to play.
Flor had heard many tales about the beauty of the select places that the Deodar Pearls grew. She wished that she had been with her daughter and seen where they grew. She even had the urge to go out looking for them.
She confided her thoughts in Sister Lavender.
Lavender was thoughtful. She chose her words carefully, trying not to discourage her friend. "If indeed Mara encountered a unicorn, like she says, I doubt the Pearls would be an easy walk away. Unicorns can travel great distances in a matter of minutes."
Flor sighed. She really wanted to see the flowers in their real home.
Lavender carefully studied her friend's grief-stricken face, a smile slowly spreading on her face. "Oh, come on, poutyface! I happen to know a young mouse who's dying for adventure! Why don't we quest a little with some good ol' chums, eh?"
Flor smiled. She couldn't find words for her friend and after a few seconds of battle in her brain, she hugged her friend tightly.
***
Skye was so ashamed. So, so ashamed.
Her tribe was going to starve because she had tried to act mature and knowing to the little mousemaid. She knew she should've kept a closer watch before leaving in what she thought was a "mysterious" manner.
Her tribe was angry, angry at her. She knew it, even though they didn't show it and told her it wasn't her fault, that it was meant to be.
The unicorns only had a few more days.
***
"Ah. such a sunny, bright day to go a-questing!" A fat, jolly mouse called Tubbut adjusted his haversack to a more comfortable position.
Lavender breathed in the fresh air of the forest and smiled at Flor.
The three, plus Mara (who insisted on going) and a strong, quiet mouse named Bluggen left Loamhedge that morning to find the clearing.
***
Skye had had enough of waiting for death. She went to her father, the leader, and asked as calmly as she could for permission to seek help.
Her father glanced at his daughter's eager face sadly. "All right, daughter. Hurry, we do not have much time. Don't work yourself too hard."
***
Skye took off immediately.
Suddenly, she stopped dead. Voices were ahead. She heard singing and laughter. Good, she thought to herself, only honest travelers.
She was about to continue on her way when heard a thud, followed by an unmistakable "Whoops!"
In a flash, she was blocking their path. Mara waved.
Skye acknowledged Mara with a curt nod. "Mousemaid, I have told you that taking more than one small bundle of the flowers was wrong." She paused. "Now my tribe is doomed." She turned to the four older mice. "May I ask for your assistance?"
Flor was stunned. She was only vaguely aware of Lavender firmly nodding. Mara hadn't told her that she was warned to only take one bundle.
Skye continued, speaking a lot for a unicorn. "The flowers are special because they need more than five times as much water than normal plants to survive. The unicorns' food, a plant called white corn, does not need a lot of water and can drown in too much. However, the unicorns, the Pearls, and the white corn all live in the same area- a wet, flooded area if it were not for the Pearls. Lately, in the absence of the number of Pearls, the clearing is flooded and the white corn is dead. You see, the Pearls need clean water and use a lot. They also need a lot of space. The white corn takes up a lot of room and needs little water. But the roots are long and webby and help clean the water that flows through the ground. My tribe eats the white corn, clearing away enough vegetation for the Pearls that protect the white corn."
Flor didn't know what to say. It was so complicated. She silently wept. Skye gently wiped Flor's tears.
"It's too late for my tribe, even if you bring the Pearls back there now."
Lavender couldn't bring herself to believe it. "But-but-but couldn't your tribe move to a different home?"
Skye shook her head. "We're tied to that place by a thousand threads of magic."
Flor found her voice. "W-what about th-the young ones? Can we save them?"
Skye shook her head again, wishing she didn't have to. "The little ones will probably be the first to go. They need the most nourishment. We can try, though I honestly don't know what we can do."
Tubbut, who had been quiet the whole time, spoke up. "How will we get there in time? We aren't fleet of foot like you!"
Skye suddenly grinned. "You'd be surprised at how much weight I can carry! Remember, Mousemaid?"
Mara, who had been hiding in the folds of her mother's cloak, now jumped out gleefully and cried, "Fun! Fun! Gimme anuvver ride. Whatsa name?"
Skye smiled. "Skyedra."
Flor smiled. "What a pretty name! My name is Flor, this is Lavender, this is Tubbut, and this is Bluggen. Oh, and this nuisance here is unfortunately my daughter, Mara." Flor named all the travelers.
"Ahem." Bluggen interrupted. "I say, aren't we trying to save a tribe of unicorns?"
They laughed.
Skye didn't show it, but she was exhausted, and extremely hungry. Unicorns only ate white corn and therefore she was not satisfied with the offerings of flans and biscuits.
In half an hour, she had taken them all to the clearing, which was even more flooded than before. Skye's tribe was already dead. All dead from starvation. Skye collapsed as a tear trickled down her face.
"Skye, Skye, whatsa matta?" Mara was at her side.
Skye smiled faintly. "I'm going to sleep." Her eyes started getting misty, and Skye imagined that first day she met Mara. She closed her eyes and smiled peacefully. "Don't take more than one bundle. Mousemaid."
Those were the last words she muttered.
Flor looked around at the silvery bodies of the unicorns as her tears, round and shiny as the Pearls themselves, slid off her face.