Groaning I jumped off of Stargate's back and stretched my aching limbs. Traveling is so taxing. Yawning I walked over to Ferras who was already setting up the camp for later. "Are we making a fire? Should I get some wood?" Ferras shook his head. "No, don't. It would scare away the Flurax and attract unwanted attention. Out here on the planes you would be able to see a fire from miles away." Grunting he pulled up a wooden beam that had been obviously laying there for quite a while already. "What are Flurax? And have you been here before? It looks like you set this up somehow." I hurried over to help him. Not that I really had an impact but the thought counts. "Yes I have been here before. No I didn't set this up and as to the Flurax." He pulled up a camouflaged canvas like sheet as a roof for the makeshift tent. He tied the sheet to a hook in the floor. "As to the Flurax you will have to wait and see." He smirked at me, then turned away and unsaddled Stargate who immediately started grazing on the long flowing grass. I helped Ferras unpack our supplies and the, once we were all set up, went goofing around with Kimba. Playing baseball with small rocks and Kimba's tail as a baseball bat turned out to be lots of fun. I tried to convince Ferras to join us, but he politely declined and preferred sitting on a stone, sharpening his knife and watching us.
It was in this carefree moment when I had to think about home. Playing here outside without a care in the world. It reminded me so much of home again. I really missed them.
I hope there is a way back somehow. There must be. I mean I got here somehow right? I looked into my pocked where the blue arrow tip was safely hidden from sight. It looked pale and dead. No more magic in it I assumed. It is what brought me here. Maybe I have to recharge it somehow to get back again? No, that's ridiculous. Then again so was the whole situation.
Exhausted from the running around, I walked over to where Ferras was sitting and leaned against another stone next to him. He was carving something now. I asked him what it was.
"It's Kimba." He held out the wooden piece for me to see. And indeed it was. It was a miniature version of Kimba. The body was done, only the wings remained to be cut out.
"Wow! That looks amazing!" I blew a strand of hair out of my face. "I wish I were as talented at carving as you are."
"Oh?" He returned to carving the statue. "I am sure you are talented at many other things that I am not."
"Maybe." I tipped my head and stared out at the horizon where the sun was rapidly setting now, painting the sky in a rosé gold. The moons could already be seen in the early night sky. "I still haven't gotten used to the fact that there are two moons here. It looks so surreal." Ferras nodded absent mindedly.
"Hmm-mm. Just wait a bit longer. Then you will know what surreal really means."
I gave him a questioning look but he wasn't willing to answer. So I waited.
And sure enough half an hour later it began. The sun had set and the two moons shone in all of their glory coating the ever moving fields in a milky silver. It looked like a moving ocean of night. The night sky was so clear with zero light pollution, we could see the sky full of stars. Sadly, I recognized none of the constellations, which was proof that I really was in another universe. But the best part was yet to come. Suddenly thousands, I mean thousands, of blue fireflies started appearing seemingly out of nowhere. Like stars, they swished and swirled over the ocean of grass. It was incredible. Ferras, Kimba, Stargate and I all silently stood and sat next to each other and watched the light show. But the fireflies weren't the only ones. No, a swarm of Flurax also joined the party. Luminescent bird like creatures, but with four legs and a horse tail glided through the unsuspecting fireflies gobbling them up as midnight snacks. It was an enchanting sight.
"This was so worth it. Right Kimba?"
Mesmerized, Kimba nodded. Yes. Definitely.
I looked over to Ferras who also looked completely fascinated, despite having seen it before. "Thanks for showing this to us. It's just..."
"Breathtaking." He finished my sentence. "Yes. Breathtaking."
We sat out for about one hour longer. Knowing that tomorrow we had to get up early again to make it to Whisteria on time, we finally dragged ourselves to bed.
When dawn broke, we were already up and about moving east towards Whisteria. Shortly after lunch, we could see the city gates rising high towards the sky. Nothing compared to skyscrapers of course, but for this world they were massive.
We stopped on the last hill overlooking the bronze roofs of the city below.
"So what will you do?" Ferras asked.
"I have no idea. Find a job I guess." He nodded.
"I am sorry that I can't help you any further but this is where our paths diverge. I will only go this far." He sounded sad. "Oh." Is all I managed to say. My words were stuck in my throat. Slowly I slid off of Stargate. "Goodbye buddy. I'll miss ya." Stargate neighed as I petted his face and rubbed his head against me. "Yeah, take care of Ferras for me, will ya?" Ferras snorted. "You're the one talking. I don't need any taking care of." I smiled at him. Kimba was on my shoulder bawling his eyes out. Nooooo! Why!? Come with us. I don't want to leave you! This is so unfair. Ferras caught Kimba as he flew up and hugged his neck. "Don't worry Kimba. Maybe we'll meet again." Kimba sniffed, wiped his nose with his tail and with droopy eyes flew back to me. I didn't know what to do with Ferras to wish him goodbye. I didn't think that hugging him seemed appropriate and shaking hands was awkward too. Heck, I didn't even know how people greeted each other. It's not like I've ever formally introduced myself to any Human before.
"Hey look. I have one more thing for you before you go." I caught a small pouch he threw at me. "Don't open it here. You'll need it later."
"Okay then." Carefully I put the pouch into my pocket. Ferras turned Stargate around once then turned northwards. We waved once. Then, he disappeared.
I could hear Kimba quietly sniffling on my shoulder.
"Guess we'll just walk down and see what Whisteria has to offer. Does that sound like a plan?" Kimba nodded. "Don't forget to keep an eye out for any potential jobs and a cheap place we could stay in for a while." Again Kimba nodded. His tail was drooping over my shoulder and his head hanging down gloomily. "We can also buy some food if you want to?" Kimba just nodded again. I sighed. "Yeah. Same buddy. Same."
Carefully I slid down the hill as a short cut down to the gates. In front of the gates there was already long line of merchants and travelers waiting to be checked before they could enter the city. "Oh no. Do you think we need a city pass or something? I don't even have an ID card or so. How will we get in?" Finally, Kimba reacted. I can check really quickly if you like. "Yes that would be great." With a certain slowness, Kimba spread his wings and took off towards the caravan, suddenly disappearing from sight. Shocked, I was about to yell Kimba's name, when I realized, that it was probably one of his illusion spells. Similar to the one he had cast on my hair.
A few minutes later Kimba appeared right on my shoulder again, making me jump. Hey, don't worry. It's just me. So no you don't need some kind of pass, but they will ask you why you want to enter and what your occupation is. In other words, you will just have to come up with some dumb reason and occupation if you want to go in. Shouldn't be a problem. I agreed thoughtfully. "How about a traveling scholar from the northern parts of Alvira?" Okay, but from what city? They might ask you know. "Oh good point. Or let's just say, that I am from Mariquus? And if they question my skills, let me speak a bit of Werehuman language for them. They can't say no." Good plan. Let's go.
In the end, the guards at the gates didn't even ask me anything. One look at me and I was through. One lone girl with almost no magic aura and nothing with her but a small leather pouch probably really wasn't worth their time.
Inside, we found ourselves standing on the main street of Wisteria. It led all the way to the center of the city and had a variety of shops along the sides. Unlike Mariquus, there weren't any small food stalls here. Everything was much bigger. The white houses with the orange golden rooftops, the fountains in the streets and on the squares. The roads as well. It reminded me a lot more of the modern cities at home. After about an hour of exploring, we sat down on the side of the Onyx fountain. Which had a beautifully decorated puma on it. We sat there a bit in silence, enjoying the calm atmosphere.
Now what?
"I have no idea Kimba. I have no idea."