Tang Ri Shan

(Please don't forget to comment! I miss getting feedback!)

Tinkerbell: Curse of the Duskmoth

(I do not own Tinkerbell or any of the Disney Fairies. Enjoy!)

Chapter 10

Vidia gasped as Erikel slowly nodded, she slowly turned to look at the clutch of eggs that lay submerged in the glowing water. Each egg was about as big as she was and appeared to be a brilliant white, or maybe that was just the light that they were giving off. Vidia counted at least a dozen. As she craned her neck to get a better look, her foot slipped on a loose stone and she stumbled. Her hands broke through the surface of the water. The Duskmoth gave a shriek of anger and alarm, but she barely heard it as she stared down into the water, her body frozen. One of the glowing eggs was inches from her hands, which were resting on a large stone that looked almost exactly like the egg next to it. And this stone didn't feel like a regular stone.

"Erikel" She finally said, her voice cracking as she turned to look at him. "Why does this stone look like one of the eggs?"

Erikel looked solemn "Because at one time, that stone was an egg" He replied, nodding grimly as Vidia gasped again. "It was part of the Duskmoth's former clutch."

Vidia felt her heart sink as Erikel knelt beside her. "The Duskmoth is nomadic" He explained. "It only comes to Pixie Hollow to lay, and then hatch, its eggs."

"So when it said..." Vidia began, but became so choked with despair that she couldn't finish. Erikel nodded grimly.

"The Duskmoth needs blue pixie dust in order to hatch its eggs." He explained.

"And, if it doesn't get it?" Vidia asked, dreading the answer she would get.

"Without moondust, the brood will not live" The Duskmoth hissed from behind them. The creature's antennae and eyes drooped, and Vidia felt her heart sink just looking at it. The Duskmoth no longer looked terrifying, it just looked sad.

"It's a big problem" Erikel sighed, his hand still on Vidia's shoulder as they watched the Duskmoth pine over its brood. "The Duskmoth needs to deliver blue pixie dust to its eggs soon or they'll die, just like its last brood all those years ago. But there is no way that the Guardian Guild will let it get near the Pixie Dust Tree, let alone share blue pixie dust with it."

"So why don't you get the pixie dust instead?" Vidia asked, glancing ar Erikel.

"I've thought of doing that" Erikel admitted, looking thoughtful. "But there are two problems; first, I'm supposed to be dead, second, if any fairy saw me, or you for that matter, in our current state, they'd either flee from us, or try to fight us. Either way would bring trouble"

Vidia nodded in agreement, staring at Erikel's gray skin and purple eyes and wings.

"Plus, as long as we're like this, we can't go out in the sun, and bright light of any kind will be painful for us." Erikel explained. "That's the weakness of the mucus"

"Mucus?" Vidia stared, looking confused. Erikel smiled and slowly dipped his hand into the glowing pond. When he pulled it back out, a clump of glowing ooze clung to his fingers.

"This mucus" He explained "is the reason that you and I look different from other fairies. The Duskmoth secretes it when it lays its eggs and it helps to protect the eggs. If a fairy eats this mucus, it turns them into this sprite-like state."

"You mean I ate that! Eww! Gross!" Vidia shivered, but Erikel smiled.

"You might think its gross, but that mucus can also heal almost any kind of injury, and can temporarily enhance the abilities of any fairy that eats it." He explained, and Vidia suddenly had a flashback to when she had been flying faster than she had ever flown before, when she had felt like the wind itself.

"I gave you the mucus after the Duskmoth brought you here last night" Erikel continued. "It seemed pretty upset by what it had done." He broke off, looking over his shoulder at the creature. "I don't think it actually wants to hurt anyone" He said, sighed, than continued, lowering his voice as he spoke. "It's my fault that the Duskmoth's last clutch didn't hatch. After I tracked it here, I fought with it but was knocked out like you were, I woke up a sprite, like you did. The Duskmoth had just finished applying some mucus to my limbs. I should have fled, but something made me stay. I began to see the creature for what it was, not a mindless monster, but an innocent being who never intended any harm. Later, when I returned to Kelsier to tell him this, he was so frightened by the sight of me that he attacked me and I was forced to flee. I flew back here and, in my fear and haste, I didn't realize they were following me until I was almost to the cave entrance. Fortunately, I was able to find the Duskmoth before Kelsier found this place." Erikel shuddered. "I'd hate to think what would happen if Kelsier ever found out about the eggs."

Vidia winced as Erikel continued. "I was able to warn the Duskmoth and it battled with the Guardian Guild, but by the time it had fought them off, it was too late for the eggs" Erikel's shoulders slumped and he suddenly looked defeated. "And now, another brood of eggs is in danger and I don;t know what to do. If only we had another fairy, someone on the inside who could help us"

Vidia suddenly stiffened. "Tinkerbell" she muttered.

"What?" Erikel shot her a confusing look.

"My friend Tinkerbell" Vidia explained. "She's seen me like this. She wouldn't be afraid, plus she's a tinker-talent, one of the smartest I've ever seen. She once saved me from a human." Erikel's eyes widened. "Trust me, if anyone can find a way to get blue pixie dust to the Duskmoth without alerting the guardian guild, she can". Erikel looked thoughtful, but there was still doubt in his eyes. Vidia darted past him to the Duskmoth, who looked up as she approached. She gazed into its deep blue-purple eyes. "Duskmoth, I'm going to get my friend Tinkerbell. She's a very nice fairy and very smart. She'll be able to get the moondust for you, I promise".

The Duskmoth cocked its head, eyes slightly narrowed, but then nodded. "If she can help, bring her. But she does not come near the brood" It growled, its eyes narrowing to slits, as if daring her to disagree. Vidia felt a shiver of fear snake down her back as she nodded.

Vidia turned to go, nodded Erikel sating "I'll be back soon" and she took off. She soared through the winding maze of tunnels and finally shot out into the open air. The horizon was still lit, but the sun had set and the light was fading fast. Vidia didn't waste a moment but rocketed towards the Pixie Dust Tree. She felt the air around her bending again as she zipped through the trees and smiled. She could get used to being a sprite, if nothing else to be able to fly this fast.

Seeing the Pixie Dust Tree ahead, she slowed her pace and dove down into the reeds. Just in time! she thought to herself as a Guardian guild fairy passed overhead with a lamp in hand. Vidia flinched as the soft light of the lamp shone through the reeds where she was hiding. It didn't hurt much, she barely felt any pain, but now was not the time to get careless. She waited until the Guild member had flown on, then began darting from one shadow to another. Now that she was this close, the last thing she wanted was to get spotted. She had just emerged from one such shadow when she heard voices from both in front and behind her. Glancing around in a panic, she noticed the branches of an overhanging tree and shot up to them just as two more guild members appeared. Clutching a branch, Vidia scowled. How many members did this guild have?

"Anything to report?" One of the members, a brunette fairy asked. The red-haired sparrow-man shook his head.

"Pretty quiet so far" he said, than he yawned, and stretched, dropping his lantern."This is ridiculous! Why do we have to patrol all night?"

"Because the Duskmoth could attack at any moment" The fairy replied, sounding annoyed. "It's already gotten two victims, and I will not be responsible for it seizing a third."

The sparrow-man snorted. "You mean Vidia and Tinkerbell? Please! Vidia's disappeared on us before, and I'm not sure Tinkerbell's infected at all" In the branches above, Vidia snorted.

"You saw the scratch on her face!" The fairy argued.

"Which came from Vidia, not the creature itself" The sparrow-man countered, a small smile on his face. "Even the fairies that brought her in admitted that it was Vidia, but Kelsier still locked her up just because she looked like she'd been in a fight" Vidia gasped, but the fairies below didn't seem to hear her.

"Kelsier's not taking any chances, and neither am I!" The fairy snapped, glaring at the sparrow man. "Just get back to work!" She flew away before the sparrow man could reply. He watched her leave, then bent and picked up his lantern and flew in the opposite direction, chuckling to himself.

Up in the tree, amidst the thick branches, Vidia felt her heart sink. "Tinkerbell's imprisoned" She muttered to herself. "What am I going to do now?"