The Lessons Begin
"Aisling, don't rush through your food, just because your excited," my father ordered sternly, as mother chuckled. It wasn't that, I didn't like my food I was just so excited! Today was the day! After so much waiting, I would finally learn how to unlock my animal forms! I could hardly wait. After I had finished, I waited for my mother and father to finish as well. After they were done, I looked at my mother with pleading eyes. She chuckled lightly and said: "Yes Aisling, we can go now."
As soon as I heard that, I leapt out of my seat, and ran was fast as I could out of my castle home. I barley hear my father, telling me to slow down, because of how fast I was running. I ran past the citizens, while trying to bump into any of them.
"Hello Everyone!" I shouted/greeted my friends, as I ran past them.
"Hello Aisling! Good luck with your training!" Ronan shouted back.
"Thanks!" I thanked, as I entered the forest. I kept running through it until I finally made it to the field where I would usually train with my mother.
Since I came here first, I decided to wait for my mother. I looked over to my right, and saw a large rock nearby. As I walked over to it, I could sense that there were a few, sleepy snowdrops there. Using what my mother taut me about how to connect with the plants, I softy sang: "Wake up little flowers, it time for you rise", and slowly the small snowdrops, started waking up, and spouting from the rocks.
Snowdrops were my mother's and my favorite plant of the forest. Their beautiful white color and long green peduncle just looked so beautiful to me. But what probably made us like it so much was what we believed it stood for. My mother told me that she always believed that snowdrops symbolized purity and hope. That I should never lose hope no matter what.
After a few seconds of waiting, I heard a dove flapping its wings behind me. I turned to see my mother, in her dove form, which landed next to me, and turned back into a Tuatha Dé Danann. "Aisling, you could've waited for me," she sternly spoke, with a bit of a frown on her face.
"Sorry mother, but I was just too excited," I apologized with a playful look on my face.
"Isn't your father, teaching you to be more patient?" My mother asked, as she raised her eyebrow.
I sighed and responded: "Yes, it's just not as easy, when you've been waiting for something for so long."
My mother exhaled. "I suppose you have a point there," she muttered, which made me grin a little. She then turned her attention to me, and had a serious look on her face. "Now, it's time to learn about unlocking your animal forms," she said. I made sure to play full attention. "I believe you have your list memorized by now?" She asked.
I chuckled and confirmed: "Yes mother! I chose an otter, a fox, a bird, a rabbit, a deer and a fish."
"Those are all excellent choices," My mother praised, before getting back, to her serious look. "As you know, every Tuatha Dé Danann has three different animal forms. For example mine are a dove, horse and wolf," she demonstrated this, by first turn into a dove, then a horse, then and a wolf and finally back into a Tuatha Dé Danann.
"How do you do that?" I asked her when she was done.
"Well my child, it requires a certain state of the mind. Are you ready?" My mother asked me. I nodded in determination. "Good, which animal, would you like to try first?"
I gave it some thought, and after a brief while of thinking, I answered: "I think I'd like to start, with a bird please,"
"Very well then, let's begin," My mother said. The two of us walked towards a small waterfall by the lake.
"So how are we going to do this?" I asked her, curiously.
"First, I want you to climb to the top, of that waterfall. But give me your tiara first, so you don't lose it in the water if you fail," My mother instructed. I nodded, and carefully gave her my tiara. I climbed up the rocks, until I reached the top. Once I was up the waterfall, my mother flew up in her dove form, and landed beside me, before turning back into a Tuatha Dé Danann.
"And now I want you, to close your eyes. It will help you concentrate," I complied, closing my eye. "Now, I want you to spread your arms." She asked me. I was a bit skeptic about this, but I did what she said, and spread both of my arms. "Now, I want you to stand still. Feel the wind against your body." She said gently. I said nothing and stood still, and let the gentle wind blow through my hair. I smiled as I felt it against my body, my hair practically dancing alongside. The wondrous feeling was simply amazing to behold. A few minutes later, I heard my mother whisper. "Now Aisling, I want you to do one more thing." I nodded. "Fly."
With my arms spread, I leapt into the air…and quickly fell face-first into the water. My eyes snapped open, as I entered the lake. I immediately resurfaced, my ropes dripping wet with some seaweeds on it. "Aisling! Are you alright?" My mother asked concerned as she was running towards me.
"Yes, mother I'm fine," I mumbled annoyed that I failed, as I took the seaweed off.
"Oh thank goodness," Mother sighed. "Do you want to try unlocking a bird again? Maybe you'll get it this," She then encouraged, as I dried off.
"I don't know. Maybe later," I answered.
My mother handed me my tiara back, and asked: "Alright then, what would you want to try next?"
I put my tiara back on, as I thought about it for a moment. "How about the rabbit?"
My mother smiled and said: "Very well. Pay close attention now alright?" She then went up a nearby hill, and when she reached the top, she made a small daisy wake up. She then quickly climbed back down, and appeared right next to me. "Now Aisling, I want you to get that daisy for me. Close your eyes, and use your instincts to guide you."
"Are you sure about this?" I asked my mother, a bit skeptic.
"Aisling, you have nothing to worry about. Your memories and instincts will help you. You only have to trust them." While I was a bit skeptic, I did what she told me to. I closed my eyes, and carefully went to retrieve it. I walked up the hill, using my hearing, smell and memory to guide me. "Now, go faster Aisling," I began running up the hill, as I let my instincts lead me to the daisy. I could practically feel myself, as I was getting closer and closer by the minute. "Now, I want you to continue on all fours," My mother instructed me. Though a bit skeptic, I did as she instructed, crouched down and continued on both of my hands and feet. "Try using your sense of smell, to help you locate the daisy." I sniffed the air, and could smell the daisy not far from here. I quickly followed the scent, and before I knew it I was almost at the top of the hill. "Your almost there Aisling! Just little further," My mother encouraged. As I got closer, I could smell the daisy not far ahead. When I was close I jumped and grabbed the daisy in midair. I placed it in my ear, and ran back down to my mother with it.
"Did it work?" I asked, when I reached her. I opened my eyes and saw…that I was still a Tuatha Dé Danann. I sighed sadly: "I suppose not." This was a lot more difficult, than I first thought.
"Do you want to try it again?" My mother asked me.
I sighed again, sat down and said: "What's the point? If I couldn't do it the first time, how am I supposed to do this time?"
My mother frowned at this, and said: "Aisling, you shouldn't give up hope, just because you weren't immediately successful. You keep trying, so that you can improve yourself and your skills." She then crouched down, and placed her right hand on my shoulder, her frown softening to a sympathetic smile. "I know your having a hard time with this, but don't stop. When I was your age, I had a similar reaction when I was unsuccessful. But I knew that stopping all together wouldn't help. So I kept trying, and eventually I succeeded. I never let any of my failures stop me. I learned from my mistakes and kept on trying, until I succeeded. I never gave up, and neither should you."
I could tell by my mother's expression, that she meant every word she said. She believed in me, and thanks to her so did I. I jumped up, and gave her big hug as a thank you, for supporting me. She was a bit caught of guard, but she just chuckled and returned the hug. After a while, we let go of each other, and my mother asked: "So what do you say? Do you want to try again?"
"Yes," I said smiling happily. "But first I'd like to try out, the rest of the animals on my list."
"As you wish. So which one do you want to try now?" She asked.
"How about the fish?" I asked, as I pointed to the lake.
"Well I don't see why not…" My mother began. As soon as she said this, I ran as fast as I could to the lake. My mother's speech had fully motivated me, and I was ready to do this. I could hear my mother running towards me, asking me what I was doing. Before she got her answer, I was by the lake. I closed my eyes, and jumped into the lake. When I was inside the lake, I kept swimming and doing numerous underwater acrobatics, all the while the feeling of the thin seaweed and wet water went through me. After a while, I noticed that I was running out of air. Instinctively, she took a breath… and was fine. I was breathing underwater.
I opened my eyes, and after being so focus on swimming I only now noticed how different my body felt. Did it work? Had I actually done it? I jumped out of the lake, so I could see my reflection the water. In my brief moment in the air, I could see my mother with a shocked expression, and when I looked at my reflection in the water, I saw that I was a white salmon. I was a fish! I had unlocked my first animal form! When I landed back under the water, I was so happy, and just kept swimming, and racing and jumping until I got tired. When I had had enough, it was noon. It took a little while, to get back to my Tuatha Dé Danann from, but eventually I did.
As I emerged from the water, my mother grabbed and harshly demanded: "DO NOT DO THAT AGAIN! Do you realize how worried I was?"
"Sorry, I was just so happy, I forgot about you for a moment," I said, with a sorry look on my face.
My mother's expression quickly changed from an angry one, to a proud one as she then hugged me, and complimented: "It's alright my dear. Congratulations on unlocking your first form. Just warn me, when you do something like ok?"
I giggled, let go off her and said: "Don't worry, I won't do it again. I was just so excited, after your speech."
"Well, we still have two more to go. Which one do you want to try next?" Mother asked me, after a while."
"Oh I know! I want to try a deer!" I said excited.
My mother chuckled a bit, and said: "What ever you say my dear. Now, I want you to walk around the forest for a bit, until you can remember it all by yourself," I did what she told me to do, and walked around the forest, until I could recognize every rock, tree and bush.
"Now I want you to close your, and take a few breaths," My mother instructed me calmly. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths and did what mother told me to do. "Now I want you, to run,"
I didn't question her this time. I did what she told me to, and ran as fast as I could. At first I only did so with my legs, and then I ran with both my legs and feet. I used the advice mother told me when we where trying to unlock the rabbit, and let my memories, senses and instincts guide me. My sense of smell and hearing helped me know, if there were any animals or something dangerous in my way, in which I would then change path, and I used my memories and instincts, to memorize where I was going, and how to react to any situation my senses picked up. Eventually I reached the point, where I remembered a large log, was lying on the ground in front of me. When I got close enough, I leapt as high as I could, and when I landed on the ground, I could feel that my body had changed.
I opened my eyes and stopped running for a moment. I saw that I was in the middle, of a field of trees, rocks and bushes. There were several animals around me, and few bird on the branches or flying in the sky. And when I looked, I saw to white deer hooves. It had worked! I was a white deer! I ran, or bounded in happiness. I went past the trees, the animals, the bushes and the rocks, as the wind blew through my new fur.
"Well congratulations Aisling," I stopped, and turn to the sound of the voice, to see my mother, running towards me in her horse form. "You've successfully unlocked, your first two animal forms. I'm proud of you my dear," My mother complimented proudly, as she turned back into a Tuatha Dé Danann.
"I should be thanking you mother, it was you who encouraged me to get better." I said smiling back.
My mother smiled back, and said: "I always knew, you had it in you my dear. I'm so happy you took, my encouragement to the heart. Now, do you want try unlocking a different animal?"
"Actually mother, I would like to enjoy this for a while longer," I answered, happily.
My mother chuckled and responded my saying: "Well then what are you waiting for? Have fun."
I smiled and went back to my running through the forest. I kept running and running, until I saw a part of the forest, which was…darker. As I walked towards it, I turned back into a Tuatha Dé Danann. The close I got, I could feel the air getting colder, I could hear the cawing of crows and ravens, and when I took a closer look, I saw that there was barley any living thing there. No trees or animals except ravens. No there wasn't even any grass. I was just about to walk inside of it, when I felt someone gripping my arm tightly. I turned and saw my mother, standing there with a serious and frighten look on her face.
"Aisling, we have to go home, immediately," she ordered seriously.
"But…"
"NOW!" she shouted harshly, as she ran back to our home. Since she was holding my arm, I had no choice but to follow. However as we were walking, I was secretly watching the dark place, until it was out of my sight.
Well now that I'm back on track, I can hopefully continue forward without anymore problems. Hope you all enjoyed this.