One year had passed since Lacey had awoken on the island. She had gotten stronger, she learned how to use a spear and her dress had changed shape to a short knee high skirt and half length sleeves. Silvia had made two new outfits out of hide for herself and one for Lacey, but Lacey still preferred to wear her dress. They had killed many more monsters which were all different in size and looks.
Lacey learned how to cook and clean up after herself. Before then she'd had a maid to clean her room and wash her cloths. Silvia helped where she could to help her learn, but she mainly just watched and laughed. They had many a good laugh over Lacey's attempts at doing things.
Monsters seemed more rare to see in the forest now, and when they did see them they took care of them. They had been planning to go up the mountain for a week now. Silvia had made a backpack for them both and they had dried fruit, berries, and meat, and picked nuts for the trip. They had packed their bags and had everything ready to leave the next morning.
They left the tree with the backpacks on, they didn't know how long it would take to get to the top. When they reached the bottom of the mountain and started climbing slowly onto a small ledge, which was like a small shelf and then continued climbing. They climbed for hours before taking a rest and eating a little food. Then they started again.
The girls trudged along, as they went higher the air got thinner. After hours more of climbing the day came to an end. As the sun began to set they knew they had to find somewhere to sleep because they couldn't climb in the dark. "Look!" Silvia said pointing to the big hole in the mountain not faraway from where they stood. Lacey looked up from her feet to look at where Sylvia was pointing at the big cave. They hurried to get inside so they could get camp set up before the sun went down. As they entered the big mouth of the cave. "Be careful!" Lacey said, it echoed off the rock walls of the cave. Silvia nodded and led the way deeper into the cave. Silvia took the wood off her pack that she had packed, and lit a fire that was small in the inky blackness. "See that's why I packed wood, because there are no trees in a cave!" she said.
Lacey Laughed, "Yeah, Sorry I questioned you!" She said, Silvia giggled and set down by the fire, Lacey sat too and pulled out a piece of dried meat. After eating they pulled out their bedrolls that were made from monsters hides and set them up around the fire.
Every sound they made eoched off the cave walls. Both of them had learned to sleep with one eye open, so Lacey and Sylvia soon fell into a light sleep. Nothing came near or attacked them as they slept. Lacey awoke at the first sign of sun light coming in through the cave opening, she woke Silvia. They packed up again and started on there way up the mountain. Thy soon began following a small faint trail whiched looked like it was made by some sort of animal. It seemed to go on forever.
As they took slow steps on the small shelf they had began climbing across, suddenly Lacey's head jerked up at the loud squawking noise. She shielded her eyes as to see better in the bright morning sunlight.
A big shadow flew overhead, making loud squawking noises, as it flew above them, circling like it had found food. "What is that?" Lacey called to Silvia, she had stopped too and pressed herself up against the rock wall behind them, she moved to look at Lacey. "A flying monster." she mouthed over the loud cry's. Lacey looked up again at the big bird like creature that had spotted them, and circled again. Then Lacey watched as it dived straight toward her. It hit the shelf they were on and Lacey lost her footing as she shook in fright and fell. Her hand grabbing for anything to slow her down.
A scream left her as she fell, closing her eyes tight. The wind as she was falling made her hair fall lose from its band. She hit hard knocking the breath out of her. She opened her eyes, which widened in fright. She was on the back of one of the many bird like creatures in the sky now. It was flying high above the trees. Lacey held on the best she could but the beast balked trying to get her off its back. She held on for dear life but soon lost her hold and with another scream, she fell towards the ground. She fell through tree branches on her way down.
She closed her eyes again, knowing she was going to hit hard and probebly die. Suddenly she stopped with a hard and fast lurch. She slowly opened her eyes. She was hanging in a tree about ten feet from the ground on a small branch by the skirt of her dress. Lacey let out a breath in relief that she had not hit the ground, but then she noticed her skirt was ripped where it was caught on the branch. As she moved the skirt ripped even more so she stopped, she would fall if she moved any more. She would have to wait for Silvia to come help her, if she was still alive. She let out a laugh, Silvia was to smart to die now.
Silvia tried to grab after Lacey as she fell, but pulled back as the big bird came for her again. (Of couse it was not going to be that easy to climb a big mountain, with out a couple big things that would try to kill them.) She jumped over the gap that Lacey had just fallen off. She couldn't see where Lacey had fallen to but she hoped she was still alive. She ran along the small shelf as fast as she could, her pack weighing her down. She couldn't lose the stuff she had so nicely packed.
The loud squawks the big bird made had allerted more of its kind which came circling too. She looked out over the trees far below her and saw the hint of yellow on the the back of one of the big black birds,
she would have to get down the mountain fast if she was to get to Lacey before she was killed and eaten. It had taken them a day and a half to get this far.
She watched as Lacey fell off the birds back and heard her scream echo off the rock wall she was beside. She ran even faster but she would still take a day to get down even if she hurried. She just hoped she could get to Lacey before she bled out or was eaten by the big birds, she was sure they could smell the magic of her dress.
Her cunning mind was working hard to find a better way to get down the mountain, as she ran the bird flew right for her again, but this time she jumped as high as she could as the birds beack slammed into the rock. Silvia pulled the rope from her backpack as she flew through the air landing on the birds back and throwing the rope over it's head. The bird was a bit dazed so it complied with her comands as she pushed it to fly away from the rocks of the mountain and head towards the trees.
It started to pull back as she pushed it to go lower, she kicked it as hard as she could on the neck as she tried to keep her balence.
The big bird pulled up and they cicled the tree tops Silvia saw a branch which she thought she may be able to get to as they circled by. As the bird flew near it she jumped and landed a little shaken onto the branch. The bird sqawaked at her and took off.
Silvia cought her breathe from the ride she just had as she watched the bird fly away back up to the top of mountain with loud squawking. She knew which tree she was in and headed in the direction Lacey had fallen. She saw a glint of red and headed for it. Lacey hung from her skirt on a small branch. As she saw Sylvia approach she let out a sigh of relief.
"Get me out of this mess!" She yelled, Silvia couldn't help the giggle that came out as she went to help Lacey up onto the branch. Silvia saw the rip on the skirt and Lacey sighed at the sight of it. Her backpack was no where to be seen. "Well let's go back to the hut, we will have to figure out a different way around the mountain, we aren't going to go back up there with those birds blocking the way." Sylvia said, Lacey nodded.
When they reached the hut and Silvia had taken care of Lacey's bruises and scratches from her fall, they sat at the stone table to talk about what to do next.
"We could find another way around the mountain, maybe we should take a couple days scouting it out and find a way around the birds." Lacey said, "There is more to this island than just this forest." She said, Silvia nodded.
"Its getting lame over here! We have killed most of the monsters, and it's getting to be to easy of a life over here!" Silvia said, Lacey laughed, "I like it here without monsters." She said, Silvia sighed. "Well we can wait a while and scout it out before we try again, we still have a lot do to get you into shape." Silvia said. " Yeah, I miss my life before, I didn't have to do anything!" Lacey replied. Silvia looked at her, "That sounds boring Lacey, here we have a whole island to ourselves!" she said.
"Yeah, but I really miss my family." Lacey said. Silvia looked down at the table. "Yeah I miss my mother too. But there is no way off this island, unless you can build a ship and can sail it." Silvia said. Lacey shook her head, then sighed. "Do you think maybe someone would come find us if we lit a fire on the beach as a help signal?". "Maybe but it will take a lot of work to make one big enough to attract a ship, they never come close to here." Silvia said. "Oh, well the trees here would burn big and hot for days." Lacey said. "Well we aren't going to lite the whole forest on fire." Silvia said getting up and heading up the ladder to her room. "I didn't mean the whole forest!" Lacey called after her, Silvia stopped and sighed. "Well we can't cut down just one of them, I don't have the tools." She said going up the ladder.
Lacey sighed getting up and heading outside to sit on the branch, and looked up at the sky. The stars were bright in the dark sky. She sighed, she did want to see her family again, but there was no way off this island that she and Silvia knew. She didn't mind the island or the monsters that much now that she had grown use to the big forest and the ways of not living in a castle. The night air was chilly but she was warm. She got back up and headed back inside and layed down to sleep.
They took a week and started to dry more meat and berries for another attempt at going over the mountain, "I don't know about this." She said, as she hung the last of the meat strips to dry. Silvia sighed. "Come on Lacey, if you don't want to go you can stay here." She said, Lacey sighed too. "No I want to go I'm just a little worried that's all." She said.
Two days later they headed on a scouting trip, Silvia led the way down the trail on a smaller part of the mountain hoping it would be easier to climb, they hiked their way up the mountain one step at a time, the loud squawking made them both look up at the big bird in the sky circling them, "Oh come on!" Silvia said going low, Lacey laid down on her stomach next to her, her dress so nicely turning yellow.
"Great" she said. "Get your spear ready!" Silvia said. Lacey pulled it into an attack position, as the big bird came for them. They jumped up at the same time planting their spears deep in its neck, but the bird wasn't fazed by it. "Attack" she screamed as she saw her dress blaze red, and jumped on top of the giant bird's head. it let out a loud squawk as it's head was burnt to a crisp where the dress had touched it. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air, "What the.." Silvia stood shocked as Lacey stepped back from the bird that was dead, her dress turning blue again. "What? How did you do that?" Silvia asked. Lacey shrugged. "I just felt like the dress would help so I jumped." Lacey replied looking down at her dress. "Wow! Well we will try again another day. I think that was enough for today. Let's go back to the hut" Silvia said, as they turned back and headed for the tree.