CHAPTER 2

Thanks for all the great reviews, please tell me if I write something wrong so I can change it, tell your friends about this story! and sorry for keeping on changing the summery It sounded so cheesy!

Briar woke in the morning with a full plan in his head to find what Aylahs gift was, when Briar was fully awake and dressed he opened his mages kit and drew out a large bottle filled with a strong smelling potent. He drew a circle with it steped in then clossed it Briar took deep breath and started to meditate.

He awoke from the meditation to find Evvy staring at him "I wanted to meditate too why didn't you call me?'' she asked

"sorry I didn't know, I'm just trying to do this quickly we have to leave today, where's Aylah and Rosethorn" he asked sweping up the circle around him.

"Aylahs brushing the horses in the stable, I tried to stop her but she somehow thinks shes in dept for you helping her,Rosethorns watering her plants grumbling about not getting any sleep last night.Briar looked at her"I didn't either to tell you the truth" Evvy said "I swear she's like a human lightbulb!"Evvy said exasperated "You really need to teach her meditation".

"Yes don't worry I will, I just wanna get this out of the way first!"

Evvy knew that tone of voice so she jumped up and left.

"Now" said Briar "To work"

Briar tested experiments writting them down and changing them until he looked into the flat based dish he was working in and found a response, It was his face and surronding it were many plants of different variations. Briar smiled, now he just had to fine tune it.

Briar was just adding a few more additions when Rosethorn knocked and came in without an answer "It's dinner time, you've been at this since early morning, have something to eat than you can get back to it"

"No need, I'm done" Briar said yawning and getting up.

"Well lets see it then" asked Rosethorn allready looking into the dish not waiting for an answer "This is good"said Rosethorn

Briar beemed with pride, Rosethorn did not give compliments easily.

After a quiet dinner Briar showed Aylah to his room Rosethorn and Evvy following "I guess where staying here another night" asked Briar

"Your fault" said Evvy "You took so long"

Briar just grinned " now Aylah" he said "Just look into this dish and tell me what you see"

Aylah hesitated for only a second she knew this would change her life for ever.

Aylah saw herself clearly and behind her were many animals some of witch she had never seen,"Aylah?"

"Yes" she said trying to study every animal in the picture.

"What do you see?"

"Animals" she replied finaly realizing what this ment, she loved animals! she had allways had a special bond with them.

"Mmm" said Rosethorn thinking "Rare very rare, there have onley ever been a few who have had a gift with animals, well I guess you have just got to teach her ourselves Briar" said Rosethorn "Than she can continue her studys more at Winding Circle if we are no good, for now you will travel with us Aylah and at the next town we will buy you supplies for your studies.

The next moring they rode off at dawn Aylah sharing a horse with Evvy, they stopped at lunch to water the horses and eat, that was when Aylah discoverd Evvys cats. They all watched as Aylah conversed with them for awhile, then smiling they rode on again.

That night Briar taught Aylah how to meditate."I helps you concentrate, get what you want and other things" he said when Aylah enquired.

When they fell asleep he knew what Evvy said when she looked like a human light bulb, lighting up the whole plain.

This carried on every night they would meditate and fall asleep Briar started to notice a change in her light it was no longer a tangled web, it was sorting itself out and pulling into her so she was no longer dripping with magic.

"We are nearly at the next town" said Rosethorn one day while they were traveling through a narrow valley. The tree tops clouded there vission of the sky so they only saw it at various intervels.They were walking through a very thin part in the valley when Briar stopped "Okay Aylah" he said grimly"This is your first test where have all the animals gone right now?"

Aylah listend "They are there just being quiet there's probaly a preditor around" She listend again "They say there are 9 two leggers around...Thats what they call us humans"

"well, I think where being attaked" she said as shadowy figures glided out of the forest.