The Hummingbird Queen and Fruitbat King were not the most powerful or tactical animals in Hidden Kingdom but the two of them had managed to keep their kingdom out of the war for the past six years as well as taking human and animal refugees when they could. This had caused the population to more than double in a short amount of time and the two monarchs were struggling to keep up with the growing demands of their people. Some hummingbirds and fruit bats suggested that they should join Big Green in order to get the help they needed while others were threatening to join Highroller in hopes of a better life. This went directly against what they wanted but they were running out of options. That was until Jilpa Zhìhuì arrived.
Jilpa Zhìhuì had been a royal advisor to the emperor and wife to the top general in the imperial army. She had escaped East Citadel and been on the lamb ever since, surviving by her wits and magic alone. Unfortunately her magic had made her the target of Highroller's obsession and she was being hunted day and night. When she had arrived in the Hummingbird and Fruitbat kingdom she had offered her help in exchange for asylum. The king and queen
readily agreed. Jilpa was in her mid thirties with long black hair that was always pulled into either a bun or braid, dark sapphire eyes and milky white skin. She wore a distinct black and green dress that went just below her knees with long bat sleeves and black sandals.
That had been four years ago and the kingdom had gone through massive change, resembling the old days of Hidden Kingdom with animals and humans working side by side for a better tomorrow. The hummingbirds had finished a massive wall that surrounded the kingdom that was covered in large thorny bramble bushes that also served as a hidden lookout point for the fruit bats to use during the night watch. Inside humans and animals created farms, mills and small but comfortable homes for themselves. The kingdom had truly become a safe haven for all the war weary souls. However, this would all change one moonlit night.
Hummingbird Queen was getting ready to retire for the night when a fruit bat soldier came flying in. The queen had dark, almost black, green feathers along her main body and top of her head and white feathers along her chest and belly. When flying the feathers on her wings shown with brilliant shades of pink and bright yellow.
"Your majesty! There's a wounded human outside the wall!"
"One of ours?" She asked worriedly.
"No, she's not from here, but she isn't alone, there's a coyote with her and he's not letting anyone near her." He says.
The queen thought for a moment before looking back at the soldier.
"Get Zhìhuì and my husband and have them meet me out there." She said before flying outside, the Hummingbird Queen soon found the girl and coyote surrounded by hummingbirds and fruit bats, but unfortunately they weren't alone. The bear army, led by Bear Stomp, was attacking her soldiers as well as the coyote guarding the girl. The humming birds and fruit bats were just small enough to dodge most of the attacks but the coyote wasn't fairing as well at them. He was trying to dodge the attacks and protect the girl at the same time, taking some nasty hits at the same time, hits that should have killed him but somehow he was still kicking. The queen noticed the moon mark on his forehead and made a mental note of that for later.
She ordered her warriors to fight in formation and use their beaks to stab at the bears while the bats used their high pitched screeches to disorientate and confuse them. With the bears distracted the coyote was able to drag the girl to safety inside the wall before rejoining the fight, scratching and biting the bears enough to cause serious damage. They were soon joined by Zhìhu and the Fruit Bat King. Zhìhu went for Bear Stomp with a spear made of magic energy while the Fruit Bat King let out a high pitch screech that knocked out most of the bears. Seeing that they were outnumbered and with no other options the bears made a tactical retreat, but not before Zhìhu managed to get a hit on Bear Stomp, taking a chunk out of his left ear. The Bear King snarled in pain and continued to run away.
"AND DON'T COME BACK!" The coyote yelled and spat in the direction of the bears before falling to the ground.
The Fruit Bat King flew over to the coyote and helped him back up. Zhìhu ran over and began healing the canine's wounds.
"How are you not dead?!" Hummingbird Queen asked as she flew around him in worry.
The coyote gritted his teeth. "I'm fine, it's Autumn you should worry about. We've been running from those bears for over a week."
Hummingbird Queen quickly flew over to the hole and was disturbed to see the red-head mere inches from death with a large cut on her forehead oozing blood with bruises covering most of her arms and legs. Her left leg was bent at a sickening angle and she was sure that one of her arms was dislocated.
"JILPA!" She cried out for help.
The human sorceress ran over and quickly examined her. With a grim face she picked up the girl and ran straight for the infirmary inside the palace, with the two royals and coyote not far behind. Fruit Bat King called for medical equipment and fresh towels to be brought while Hummingbird Queen brought Zhìhu's medical bag. They got to work patching up the young girl's wounds while Tempest laid on a pile of pillows being attended to by some fruit bats. They started by cleaning her head wound and soon discovered the crystal moon attached to her forehead. The three were shocked but decided to question it later and continued to work to save the girl's life. By sunrise they had managed to stabilize her and put her arm back into its socket. The two royals laid on the ground next to Jilpa and slept as she searched through her books to identify Autumn's crystals and markings.
"She's not a moon rabbit, and there's no indication she's a werewolf, fairy or anything other than human, maybe it's a spell…" she muttered to herself as she stood up to grab another book, only to trip over another stack of books she had already read through. She cursed and began picking up the books when she saw something.
On one page was a diagram of the same crystals on Autumn's head and hands. Known only as The Blessing of the Moon, it was a sacred spell only used by a now extinct group of magic users known only as Moon Soldiers. The spell would help them channel the moon's power into themselves, becoming even stronger in the cases of a full moon, eclipse or any other lunar event. Powers could include increased speed, agility, faster healing and hydrokinesis during such events, but during the day or any other moon cycle the only other ability given was a limited control of magic without training. Jilpa scoured the pages for any more information but there was little other than warning;
"Intense emotions, especially for younger Moon Soldiers, pain or trauma can cause extreme magical outbursts, it is HIGHLY advised that a magical inhibitor is used."
Jilpa bit her lip. Judging by the girl's size she could be more than fifteen, sixteen at most and remembering her own teenage years she knew how volatile teenage emotions could be. This girl would need serious training if she was to have any chance of controlling her powers. It then occurred to her that this is why the bear army was after her and the coyote, that High Roller wanted her for something nefarious, or worse that Twin Master's was after her. She needed more answers and the only one who could give her those answers was the coyote asleep next to her.
"Hey, wake up, I have questions." She said quietly as she poked the sleeping dog.
Tempest, now grouchy that he was woken up, glared at her. "What? Can't you see that I'm sleeping?" he groaned.
"What's with those crystals on her? Who are you two? Why do you have a moon mark? Why were the bears chasing you?"
Tempest sighed and sat up. "First off, her name is Autumn and she's not my human, I am her guardian, not her pet. Secondly, we don't know how we got these marks or her crystals, we just woke up in the middle of East Citadel a few weeks back and barely managed to escape with our lives. All we know is neither of us know how we got there, who we are or why Autumn has these two weird books, and thirdly my name is Tempest."
"Books?"
Tempest went into the pile of clothes they had taken off of Autumn and pulled out a crude handmade bag made from vines and twigs. Inside was a blue book and a red book, both seemingly brand new and barely opened. There was a small twig in between two pages that acted as a bookmark. The page marked was a clean water spell and hunger stasis spell. Clearly the two had been using these spells to survive. Jilpa looked at Tempest who looked at her tiredly.
"What about your families? Don't you think that they're worried about you two?" She asked.
"All we have is each other and even if we did have families, we can't remember them." He said before falling back asleep.
Jilpa sighed and picked up the two monarchs before leaving the room. After setting them in their respective rooms Jilpa went to lay down and think about the matter at hand. On one hand they really couldn't afford to keep Autumn and Tempest around with the bears on their tail, and maybe sending them off to Big Green would be the better solution. Autumn could get the magic training from someone who was more qualified than her if she sent them off to the monkeys or panthers, animals who were renowned for their magical abilities and talents. She had been close to both the panther and monkey kings before the war and had even met the panther king's adoptive son; she was sure that either one of them would make a great mentor for her.
On the other hand, Jilpa could teach Autumn herself. Looking over at her nightstand she looked at crude, weathered painting of her husband and infant daughter. Her husband had left to find a cure for his curse and she had been left to raise their daughter alone. When he never returned she had run out of options and put her daughter in an orphanage before she got her job as the royal advisor. When she had gone back to get her daughter she was gone, adopted by another family. Maybe it was selfish of her, but there was the sense of motherly longing she felt deep in her heart, but maybe this was a second chance for her. She would need to discuss it with Hummingbird Queen and Fruit Bat King but right now she needed to sleep.
Over the next few days Autumn was in and out of consciousness, not having the strength to move or speak other than little grunts and moans. Hummingbird Queen and Jilpa sat at her side while Tempest and Fruit Bat King would work together on getting a permanent room ready for her and Tempest. The king and queen ( who Tempest learned were named Shuǐguǒ for the king and Huā for the queen) had discussed with Tempest about Jilpa's plan to teach Autumn magic and not seeing any better options Tempest agreed on Autumn's behalf. There was no way that the two of them could survive any longer without help and this seemed like a pretty sweet deal, except for one thing.
"To make sure she is fully protected in our kingdom, we would like to adopt Autumn as our daughter." Shuǐguǒ said as he and Tempest sat down next to Autumn's bed.
Tempest made a face. "Look, that's completely up to her. I personally think it's a great idea since we have nowhere else to go but Autumn is…. Stubborn to say the least. She might need convincing and in the end it's all up to her and I have to respect her wishes."
"What's up to me?" Autumn asked in a raspy voice.
The redhead had been woken up by the two talking. Tempest nuzzled her hand softly and explained their situation.
"I honestly think it would be in our best interest to stay here." He said.
Autumn sat up slowly so she wouldn't irritate her wounds and looked at Shuǐguǒ who was now flying at eye level with her.
"We don't really have a home, so I'll agree so long as I'm not forced into any political marriages or anything like that." Autumn said.
"We can agree to that, princess." The king said, hugging her gently.
Autumn returned the hug before laying back down to sleep, but before falling back into the realm of dreams she swore she heard another voice say; "You'll find your place honey, we all do eventually."