Disclaimer: All recognizable subject material does not belong to me.

Stand Your Ground: Legend of the Monster – and the Firebird that Never Returned

Chapter 2

Rescue

Then the beak turned yellow. Sparkling yellow. It stopped descending and moved upward, taking the heron with it. Vidia stared for a moment, then turned toward the fairies and saw that Iridessa putting an empty pixie dust bag into her pack. Tinkerbell landed next to her.

"Are you all right?" she asked, anxiously.

"What did you think you were doing?" Fawn put her hands on her hips.

"Going off without us!" Rosetta scolded.

"Did you think we would let you do that?" Silvermist frowned.

"That wasn't very smart." Scruffy agreed.

"Good to see you, Vidia." Iridessa said, straightening her pack straps on her shoulders.

Everyone paused and looked at her.

"We're trying to make sure she doesn't do this again, Sugah, and you ain't helping." Rosetta said, pointedly.

"Oh."

Vidia glanced up at the heron who was unhappily floating into the clouds like an angel. She waved, mockingly.

She turned back to her friends, who were watching her, worried.
She was silent for a moment. She knew she was dirty and had scratches and tears on her outfit. She wiggled her toes covertly to make sure that she still had her shoes on.

"How did you find me?" she asked, suddenly.

"Well, that's really Scruffy's story." Tinkerbell turned to him."

"You spied on me?" Vidia asked, disgusted. "After that whole crying scene?"

"No!" Scruffy denied, "I went for a walk. You left your house and I hid behind a bush because I thought you'd think I was spying on you . . ."

What Happened Before

Fawn woke from a sound sleep because something was hammering loudly on her door.

"Fawn! Fawn! Fawn! Fawn! Wake up! Wake up!" It seemed to be Scruffy's voice. "Please wake up! It's Vidia! She's -" Fawn opened the door.

"What?" Fawn asked, sleepily, but kindly.

"Vidia – she's leaving."
"Leaving where?" Fawn asked.

"The Sugar Plum Tree. I mean – the Sour Peach Tree – uh – uh – uh – Pixie Hollow." Scruffy stammered, panicked.

"What?"

"I think she's going to try for some more Flamebird Tears." Scruffy admitted. "I'm not sure, but she shouldn't leave alone."

"Not in her condition." Fawn agreed. "I'll get Tink and Rosetta. You find Dessa and Sil. We'll meet at the Sour Plum Tree."

"Right – meet at the -" Scruffy paused.

"Vidia's house."

"Vidia's house." Scruffy scampered away.

Stand Your Ground

"Look – there's a note on her bed!" Rosetta picked it up. "Scruffy and everyone else: I'm fine. I need a few days alone. Do not follow. Vidia."

"She must be going somewhere dangerous." Scruffy said, worried. "She'll get into trouble."

"But she asked us not to follow her." Silvermist pointed out.

"Of course she did!" Tinkerbell shrugged. "That's the way Vidia is."

"So let's get crackin'!" Rosetta exclaimed. "She wouldn't let one of us go on our own!"

"And we won't, either!" Fawn nodded.

"Right – everyone pack and meet back here. I'll see if I can get some extra pixie dust." Tinkerbell said.

"She's had too long of a headstart." Scruffy said. "We're going to lose her."

"We'll catch up." Silvermist assured him. "She can't get too far."

Back to Present

"But you did get too far." Scruffy finished. "You got so far it took us all this time just to track you down. We found your tracks by the marsh once, but then it seemed like you'd just vanished off the face of the island."

Vidia was silent.

"We'll have to rest up for a while, Vidia." Tinkerbell said, apologetically. "We've been looking for you all night."

"That's fine. I understand." Vidia nodded.

They set up a camp and the fairies all sat down.

Vidia noticed Scruffy out on a sandbar extended into the water. She walked out to join him.

"Keep a sharp lookout for herons. And eagles." Vidia said, awkwardly.

Silence.

"Are you unhappy that we found you?" Scruffy asked.

Vidia thought for a moment. "Since I left I've been attacked by an eagle, fought off an army of eaglets, a cougar, a wolf, met a friendly beaver – and you all just saved me from a Heron. If I wasn't afraid for you, I would never have left alone." Vidia put her arm around his furry shoulders. "I'm glad you found me."

The ground jerked beneath them, knocking Vidia to the ground – staring at it from only inches away, she realized that the sandbar wasn't sand.

Scruffy was shifting his feet, trying to keep his balance as it moved again.

"What's the matter? Earthquake?" he asked

"It isn't a sandbar!" Vidia shouted. "It's an alligator!"

"Alligator?" Scruffy squeaked, horrified. "Help! Tink! FAWN! Help! Help!"

Vidia joined in, shouting and yelling for the fairies.

Fawn was streaking toward the head of the alligator, intending to talk to him – not that Vidia thought he would listen.

Rosetta sped toward Scruffy and Vidia, ready to rescue them.

"No! Rosetta, look out!" Vidia shouted, but the alligator lifted his tail from the water and struck Rosetta, who soared backward through the air and landed on the sand, dazed.

Tink and Iridessa seemed to be constructing some sort of anti-alligator weapon, but Vidia didn't want to wait. The alligator lunged toward Fawn, who only just managed to jump out of the way.
"Come on, Scruffy!" Vidia shouted. "Jump!"

"We don't know what's in there!" Scruffy protested.

"Dirty water, or down his throat. Take your pick!"

"Three, two one -" Scruffy chose water.

They both jumped into the water.

Vidia surfaced, but a wave splashed over her head, getting water into her mouth. Sputtering, she looked around "Scruffy?" she didn't see him. "Scruffy!"

"Right here, Vidia." Scruffy replied, and she twisted around in the water to see him paddling effortlessly.

"Get to the beach – the alligator might see us." Vidia warned.

Scruffy stared at her. "Vidia . . ."

"What?" Vidia suddenly realized that a shadow had fallen over her – as if there was something behind her . . . she turned around "AHH!" she screamed.

The eyes of an enormous snapping turtle were examining their lunch.

Vidia was frozen for a moment, but suddenly water was pouring over her head and she couldn't see or breathe. Just as suddenly she was lying on the sand coughing. She rolled over and her hand landed on Scruffy. She opened her eyes and Silvermist was kneeling next to them.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked,

"Fine – fine. Is Fawn?" Vidia asked, breathlessly. "Rosetta?"

"I don't think Fawn's hurt, but I haven't seen Rosetta. I'd better go check."

Silvermist zipped away through the air and Scruffy bounded ahead. Vidia made a small wind to dry herself off – she was very cold, but it was better than being wet for ages. She sprinted to join the others, who were grouped around Rosetta.

"Is she okay?" Vidia asked, panting.

Tinkerbell turned. "Just stunned."

"I'm fine." Rosetta was sitting up. "So where are we off to next?"

Everyone looked at Vidia.

She pulled off her backpack and forced out a large book.

"What's that?" Iridessa squinted to see.

"The Legend of the Monster, and the Firebird that Never Returned." Vidia told her.

"Wait – what?" Iridessa exclaimed.

"There was a monster once." Vidia began. "It was enormous. No one remembers what kind of monster he was, but a long time ago, it lived on Neverland and ate fairies. One fairy found out how to defeat it, and used this weapon to drive it off Neverland and onto Misty Refuge. But that fairy died of disbelief without telling anyone how to keep the monster away. When the monster found out that the fairy was dead, he came back once a year and took fairies and animals to eat -"

Fawn shuddered.

"That was when the fairies found a Firebird. This Firebird was very wise, and he figured out the secret of the monster. He went to Misty Refuge to imprison or kill the monster, but he has never returned. Neither has the monster. I intend to find out if the Firebird is alive. If he is, I'll try to get one of his tears, and have my wings back."

"But what if he's dead and the monster is alive, waiting to eat any foolish fairies who go looking for a Firebird?" Rosetta pointed out.

"The Firebird left some clues for us to figure out what the monster's weakness is."

"What are they?" Tinkerbell asked.

"Well, apparently he was best friends with an animal fairy, and he told her that 'the myth of the monster is a lie'."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Silvermist asked, turning to Fawn, who shrugged.

"Anything else?" Tinkerbell asked.

"The firebird also was quoted as saying 'from a trickle to a roar'." Vidia answered.

"That means fairy dust." Scruffy said, proudly. "Zarina says that a lot."

"That saying is actually recent. No one said that back then." Iridessa corrected. "He might have been saying the same thing, or it might mean something else completely."

"Maybe the monster is allergic to Pixie Dust!" Silvermist suggested, excitedly.

Everyone paused. "Sorry, Sil, but I don't think so." Rosetta smiled, encouragingly.

"What was the Firebird's name?" Fawn spoke.

"Doiteain." Vidia replied. "He was a good friend of the fairies."

"When do we leave?" Fawn asked.

"Right away." Tinkerbell decided. "Dessa, give Scruffy some Pixie dust. Vidia – where are we going?"

"Across the marsh – look for a river and a mountain." Vidia replied.

"Sil, that's your job." Tinkerbell instructed.

"Aye, aye!" Sil obeyed, shooting into the air.

"I'm all covered in fairy dust." Scruffy announced, padding over to where Tink and Vidia stood.

"Do you hear that?" Vidia said, her eyes narrowing.

"No – not the alligator!" Scruffy turned, looking at the beach, but the water was still and there were no enemies in sight.

"No, it isn't like that . . ." Vidia turned in a circle, surveying the area, then she looked up. "Sil!" she screamed. "Look out!"

Silvermist turned in midair and ducked an attack. The dragonfly missed her by a hair, then turned and started chasing her through the air.

In a heartbeat all the other fairies were in the air distracting the dragonfly.

Tinkerbell let him chase her in circles until he had to stop because he was dizzy. He blinked his eyes a few times, then saw the fairies were regrouped, planning his demise, just a little way away.

Scruffy waited on the beach to keep Vidia safe. When he saw all the other fairies safe, he turned, but Vidia was no longer beside him.

"Vidia?" he called, turning around, worried. Then he heard her shout.

"HEY! Over here! I'm wingless! I can't fly! Come get me!" Vidia was far down the beach, waving her arms, yelling at the dragonfly. "Easy lunch! Come on!"

The dragonfly took a glance at the other fairies, who were staring at Vidia, thunderstruck, then he took off toward her.

Scruffy started bounding across the ground, but he knew he wouldn't reach her in time.