Chapter Fourteen: High Into the Trees

Sarah couldn't dare to look over her shoulder. One glance back could mean the difference between life and death. Her lungs were desperately attempting to fill themselves with life giving oxygen that she struggled to gasp into her paralyzed throat. Her legs felt weak and as if they could collapse beneath her at each stride. However, she couldn't think about her physical discomforts. The thing chasing them was slowly drawing closer. Sarah could hear its lumbering footsteps and its harsh breath.

Kyper was far ahead of her. It was easy for him to outrun the monster, but Sarah was a different story. However, Kyper would not abandon her. He could have been totally safe, but instead, every few minutes he waited for her, shaking in terror. Sarah wished that she could tell the little furrygatherer to leave and save himself. She was sure that she would be able to eventually get away just by using her cunning abilities.

"I'm going to get eaten. That is not a very pleasant prospect. Perhaps, I should have let Jareth turn me into stone," Sarah thought to herself.

Her mind flashed rapidly from one thing to another. Her disjointed thoughts only brought more fatigue to her weakening body. The worst thing was that the creature was not slowing. In fact, it appeared to be increasing its speed.

"Okay, Jareth. If you really want me to complete this quest then I suggest that you send a little bit of help, NOW!" Sarah begged silently

There was no voice to answer her, no white owl and certainly no help. Kyper stopped again and looked back at her. He urged her to speed up, but it was useless. Her legs had turned to putty and her next step found no support. Sarah collapsed to the ground and curled into a crumpled heap. Her breathing burned through her lungs and the sound of her heart was pounding in her ears.

A large shadow loomed over Sarah. She could hear the heavy breathing of her attacker. A foul scent accompanied it. Sarah gagged and then only succeeded in choking herself. She rolled on her stomach and tried to crawl away as the coughing fit ravaged her body.

The creature batted at her leg with powerful claws. She grimaced in pain as one of the talons cut a deep groove into her tender calf. Scarlet blood spread from the injury and stained her jeans a bright red. Sarah pulled herself a bit further away from the creature, hoping that it would decide that she wasn't worth its time. The predator's appetite would probably not be satiated by devouring Sarah.

"Sarah!" Kyper cried as he charged towards her.

She looked at the tiny animal in shock. Why was he returning to the danger? She was doomed to die at this stinky creature's jaws. However, Kyper was obviously not ready to let her go. He leapt over her with surprising grace and straight towards the beast looming above her.

There was an audible moan from the large creature. Kyper landed on the ground a few feet from her and quickly got to his feet. He looked at Sarah and urged her to run for safety. The next instant Kyper rushed away, with the beast close behind him. He was drawing the danger away from Sarah.

The thing was huge. It had been at least nine feet tall and massive. It was larger than even Ludo. Its coat was a dingy brown color that nearly blended in with the trunks of the trees. His large jaws rose in ivory tusks that had been stained red with the blood from past meals. Sarah grimaced at the thought. He had two beady red eyes that looked like evil incarnate. So Sarah realized that there was no feeling in the creature. It just loved to kill. That thought brought renewed strength to Sarah and she managed to make her way to her feet.

"Damnit!" She said through clenched teeth.

Horrible pain surged up her injured leg and only made walking more difficult. Sarah hobbled towards a nearby tree and wrapped her arms around it for support. Her leg throbbed and felt disjointed from her entire body. It was unbearable pain. Sarah slid back down to a sitting position and wrapped her hands about the wound to slow the bleeding.

Kyper burst back into view. He was breathing heavily for once. He noticed Sarah and a look of shock covered his face. Why was she still in the open? The beast would shortly be there to kill both of them. Kyper glanced behind himself and noticed the thing barging through the trees. It would reach Sarah shortly.

Kyper skidded to a halt at her side and wrapped his furry arms around her arm. There was no time to lose. They had to run now. Sarah looked at him and pulled her arm from his grasp. Kyper didn't understand what was wrong. She knew that the beast was deadly. Why didn't she want to try to run while they still had time?

"I can't, Kyper. Look," Sarah motioned towards her leg.

The bleeding had eased up slightly, but the stain was still spreading outwards on her pants. Kyper was shocked. He looked from the injury to her face and back again. There was nothing he could do and he knew that he couldn't leave her to be eaten.

"I'll protect you," Kyper stated bravely.

Sarah pushed him away from herself. She wouldn't let the sweet furrygatherer die because she couldn't try to save herself. He needed to get home. He had a family and friends that were probably worried about him. That was when Sarah remembered her quest. She couldn't just sit there and die. Kyper would be destroyed if she allowed the magic to fade away. Sarah took a long breath. There was only one thing to do, run.

"I'm coming, Kyper," Sarah stated as she gathered up all of the strength that was left in her body.

She gripped the tree and made her way to her feet. The pain very nearly made her sick, but she managed to regain control. It wasn't the worst pain she had ever had. She had broken her arm once. The agony had been unbearable and she had made it through that. She would just have to grin and bear it.

Kyper looked at her anxiously. She could only hobble after him. It wasn't fast enough. The creature had broken through closer trees and Kyper was beginning to see the first flashes of the animal's fur. He had gotten closer faster than Kyper had expected. They didn't have any time left.

"Please hurry," Kyper moaned.

Sarah struggled to go faster. She put her weight on her injured leg and tried to ignore the pain. She could hear the beast as well as Kyper. There would have to be some shelter close by. That would be her only hope.

Kyper bounded ahead of her as the creature broke into view. It snarled and slashed at Sarah once again. Sarah dodged the deadly claws by bare inches. She could feel the beast's hot breath against her neck.

"Please, please," Sarah muttered to herself as she bent beneath a branch.

Sarah pulled the branch along with herself and then let it go. It smacked the beast with a horrible thud. It moaned again and then let out a terrifying cry of anger. Sarah moaned to herself. She had only succeeded in making the beast more infuriated. It was her luck.

"Sarah come...," Kyper wasn't able to finish his sentence.

They both stepped into the trap at the same moment. The ground fell away from them and something snapped them up. Sarah was jerked violently into the air and slammed against Kyper. He moaned loudly as the trap pulled taut and they continued to raise into the air.

Sarah glanced down at the beast who was watching his meal fly into the air. The rope net dug into her skin and left horrid little burns. She tried to move, but only managed to press against Kyper a little more roughly. He groaned and pushed Sarah away from him with his tiny hooves. She moved again.

The net came to a halt with a horrible jerk. They both were sent to the top of the trap and then landed back in the bottom. Sarah squirmed to get herself off Kyper, and then leaned against the side. She let out a long and drawn-out sigh. Nothing had been going right since the beginning of the journey. Was that a bad omen?

Kyper suddenly broke into hysterical laughter. Sarah turned to him, shocked at his outburst. There was nothing funny about their situation, unless he was thinking about the hungry beast many feet below them. Sarah swallowed her fears of the height and convinced herself not to look down.

"Please tell me what you find so funny, Kyper. I need something to lift my spirits after this eventful morning," Sarah begged.

Kyper pointed to his left by sticking his leg through the knitted rope. Sarah's gaze followed his direction. She was shocked to see a series of planks and walkways leading to the net in which they had been trapped. Someone lived up here. That was utterly shocking to Sarah. Who would want to live at a top of a tree, other than birds, of course.

Sarah peered further into the trees and noticed houses that had been fashioned from the very limbs and trunks. They looked well made and sturdy, but also too small for Sarah to fit inside. Her hopes of having a stay in a nice bed were instantly extinguished.

"This is a nice place, Kyper. However, I certainly hope that whoever lives here is friendly. I don't think I can face yet another problem. I have had a truly great morning so far," Sarah replied sarcastically.

"No, these people are nice. Don't you see? This is my home!" Kyper exclaimed excitedly.

Sarah's face instantly brightened into a smile. They had reached Kyper's home after all. The furrygatherer did know his way to his people. She only hoped that her weight wouldn't cause the whole town to fall down. Sarah looked nervously to the branch the net had been tied to. She was relieved that it was a nice strong one and not bending from the extra strain she had put on it.

"Well, where are they?" Sarah asked.

She was usually a very patient person, but she had faced too much too soon. She only wanted to get out of the trap and clean her wound and rest. Sarah checked her bag to be sure that it hadn't fallen when she was snapped into the net. It was pure luck that it had remained. So, perhaps one good thing had happened that morning.

Kyper glanced around the area, carefully peering through the thick blanket of leaves. He perked his ear up and his face instantly broke into a large smile. He looked back at Sarah. He was not able to move anymore, for his body was pressed against the net too harshly.

"They're coming," Kyper exclaimed happily.

Two larger furrgatherers came into view. They wore helmets and carried staffs, just like Didymus. Sarah guessed that they were the guards who were supposed to watch the nets. They must have wandered off for a break. They looked at Sarah carefully and then, noticing Kyper, rushed towards them.

"Kyper! Where have you been and who have you brought with you? We are terribly sorry for making you wait in this horrid small net. It can get quite uncomfortable after a while. Anyway, let us get you both down," one of the two said.

"Thank you very much. I'm Sarah. Kyper found me in the forest. He told me that you guys had a crystal. You see I was..." Sarah was cut off by one of the guards' gasp.

"You are the one that has been sent to heal the magical orbs! I must tell Leader as soon as possible. He'll be so excited to learn that you have come at long last. He had started to fear that you wouldn't be here in time," he said.

The other guard took a long hooked pole away from a branch and reached out for the net. It snared after the second attempt and he pulled the trap carefully over solid ground. He then glanced to the other guard, who was still amazed over Sarah's arrival.

"Tover, quick! Untie the top and get our guest and Kyper out!" the first guard demanded.

Tover leapt to the top of the net and unfastened the knot with one pull of a rope. The net fell around Sarah and Kyper. They tumbled to the sturdy walkway beneath them. Sarah cringed from the pain that shot up her injured leg. Luckily, it had ceased bleeding. The guards looked her over carefully. They tisked over the blood and helped her to her feet.

They were about five feet tall. She was glad that she wouldn't have to bend down to speak to the rest of the furrygatherers. Kyper trotted up beside her and looked up, smiling. Sarah returned the smile. It was good to feel safe and be among friends.

"Come on, Leader will be waiting!" Kyper exclaimed.

"Halt young Kyper, she has been hurt. Leader can wait for her to get her wound fixed first. We will bring you to him tonight. Until then, Kyper will show you to old Ravenclove. He will heal you," Trover remarked as he and the other guard walked away.

"Come on," Kyper sounded quite depressed.

She marveled over the community that had been built into the very trees. There were homes upon homes standing beside each other. Running between the two rows was the walkway. Sarah was amazed over the vast expanses of leaves that served as a garden for fruit. There was a large building at the end of the walkway that looked big enough to easily accommodate Sarah. In fact, most of the houses looked large enough, if she squeezed in.

Kyper led her to a building. The inside was lit by several torches and gave the structure a nice and friendly appearance. Sarah ducked inside and was instantly amazed that she was able to stand quite easily. However, it did not stretch very far. The building only appeared to be the size of a treehouse.

An elderly furrygatherer walked up to Sarah and instantly bowed before her. She looked to Kyper nervously, he could only shrug. She did not expect to get that sort of welcome from the animals. She knew that the quest was important, but Sarah was just another normal girl. Well, mostly normal.

"I can't believe that you have come," the furrgatherer stated.

"I'm glad. Listen, do you think you could possibly get up? I feel a little stupid having someone bow before me. Are you Ravenclove?" Sarah asked.

The old creature got to his feet and winced at a pain in his arthritic back. He rubbed it with one hoof and looked at Sarah. He offered his chipped and stained hoof to her and she shook it, feeling a bit strange that he did not have a hand to accompany hers.

"Yes, I'm the so-called 'healer' of this place. Not much healing I can do with the crystal dying. You see, that orb is the reason our community survives while the rest of the forest is turning to wretched stone. I didn't think anyone would come, not to some insignificant creatures like us. Darn king hasn't even given us a second thought," Ravenclove complained.

He reached down to Sarah's wound and tore her pants slightly. Ravenclove poked around it a few times and then hustled over to the many cabinets that lined the walls. He pulled a jar from one of them and rushed back to Sarah. She eyed the contents suspiciously, worried that they would sting.

"No need to fret. This is an herb that will help it heal fast," Ravenclove glanced at Sarah and offered a strange, knowing smile.

"Yeah, I forgot that you read thoughts. Listen, do you know where this crystal is? I really need to be on my way," Sarah explained.

Ravenclove dabbed the ointment over her wound and then walked back to the cabinet. He closed the door and then looked at Sarah with his hooves on his furry hips. He looked stern. Sarah was worried that she had offended him by wanting to rush, but she didn't have the time to stay with them a whole day.

"I suggest that you speak to Leader before you leave. He knows more about the crystals than the dreadful Goblin King himself," Ravenclove said.

A moment of anger stole through Sarah. The thought of Jareth reminded her that Toby was still a prisoner. She then thought of her dear friends in the dungeon and wondered if they had yet to turn to stone. It frightened her. What if they could never turn back again? Sarah drew herself out of her thoughts and found Ravenclove looking at her with concern.

"Do you think you could stop reading my mind?" Sarah asked with a sigh.

Ravenclove turned from her immediately. He looked slightly upset with himself for prying into her business. Sarah didn't mean to be sharp, but she had had enough mind reading for the day as well.

"Sorry, habit. I know that Leader can help you," Ravenclove explained.

Sarah thought about it for a while and then finally shrugged. What harm could one day do? If this 'Leader' knew where there were more crystals, then it was worth it. He might even be able to translate the inscription on the medallion. Sarah fingered it through her shirt. The necklace still felt strangely warm. She would have to start listening to it after she had left the furrygatherers' community.

"Okay, I'll stay for one night. I really have to be going. Do you think that Leader will know about the other crystals?" Sarah asked anxiously.

Ravenclove could only shrug. He then turned and went back to sorting through the hundreds of jars that laid scattered upon the wooden floor. Sarah watched him for a short time and then ducked out. Kyper had disappeared suddenly. She suspected that he had gone to see his family.

"Sarah!" Trover called.

He stood up from his sitting position and rushed over to her. He had probably been assigned to watch her. Trover stopped beside her and then gently turned her to follow him. Sarah adjusted her pack and then hurried after her escort. He stopped outside another building and gestured for her to enter.

"Thank you," Sarah remarked.

"It is no problem what-so-ever. I am glad that you have come to save us from demise. You will find a nice bed in there to rest. There are fresh clothes inside that have been made by Leader. He knew that you would be here soon. I will send Kyper to retrieve you when dinner is ready," Tover said as he headed the other way down the walkway.

Sarah ducked inside the house and immediately sat on the bed. It was more like a mattress upon the ground, but anything was better than the hard forest floor. She had much traveling ahead of her and a good rest was a great treasure. She laid back and threw her pack to the other side of the room.

Sarah drifted off to sleep shortly later. Her necklace shifted gently against her chest and warmed. It was not uncomfortable, but Sarah felt the warmth in her dreams. She dreamt that she had found the orbs and was returning to the castle. The Underground had turned to a stone land and even the animals were statues lining the way to the castle. She walked through the open stone doors and stood before Jareth with the crystals. However, he was only able to look at her with a defeated expression. Toby was gone, she could see that. Then the necklace began to glow and a warm voice began to sing the poem that Jareth had given her.

"The magic that love has found... the magic that love has found..," the voice lingered on the last line.

The necklace warmed her skin. She realized that someone was standing near her. It was another woman. Sarah turned to face her, but it was only a mirror. Sarah looked at her own reflection. Then ,before her eyes, the image changed to reveal a woman with long blonde hair. The woman reached through the mirror and grabbed the necklace.

"Listen!" she demanded.

Then the dream faded away to leave Sarah's sleep peaceful.