Beneath the Flowers

With Talpi's shaft sliding against the walls of her sex, the head pressing against her cervix and her mind no longer occupied with thoughts of flight Zaria found it hard to concentrate on anything but the new sensations that were building in her body. Many times she found herself moaning and whimpering. When these sounds escaped her, she would curse softly and order herself to struggle against her enemy.

Talpi would laugh and increase his rhythm, or tease her nipple. "I am going to come, my sweet," he eventually whispered and though Zaria did not understand what he was saying, she knew it signified the end of their coupling. She closed her eyes and waited for this "come(ing)" to happen.

A sudden burst of heat filled her sex, mingling with the waters and her natural fluids. Talpi grunted low and tightened his hold on her hips as he drove deeper into her sex. Her muscles tightened around his shaft, milking his seed and drawing it deeper into the depths of her pussy. She shivered against the sensation and found herself being hugged more fiercely by Talpi. He grunted again before easing up on his hold and sighing contently into her ear. "Did you feel it?" he asked.

Zaria shook her head, but said nothing, not quite trusting herself to speak. The sensations she had felt were unsettling and she did not wish to give them a voice.

Talpi eased his limp cock from her depths and then pulled himself out of the water. "I'm going to cut your ties. You wash your pussy and then dry off. Come to me. Remember don't fight me. I learned from Boll where you came from and I know you have other friends. A butterfly and a trout – butterflies have a lot of scales to pluck off and turn to pixie dust." He left the room laughing at the look of horror that had crossed her delicate features.

For Zaria the threat of her friends' safety forever loomed over her, weighing her down and making her feel as if there were no other option for her but to do as Talpi commanded. It did not take long for her days to begin to blur. One right after the other until eventually she had a hard time distinguishing where one ended and another began.

Mus' children had disappeared. Each one had eventually found their own homes and Talpi had moved in with his friend, choosing to live within the hollow of the tree instead of trying to change his dwelling to meet his new sizes' need. His eyes eventually adjusted to the change in lighting that came with living on the surface and headaches he once had were no longer an issue for him.

Zaria's fate was not so easy. She spent most of her days lying next to Talpi, and if he stirred awake he had her service him by using her mouth or offering her pussy to his swollen shaft. Mus had taken her once, but only because Talpi had offered her to him. Mus fucked her out of obligation. She had been a gift to him for all Mus had given to Talpi. After he filled the young pixie with his cum, he told Talpi once was enough. He had no desire to mate with something so strange and odd.

Her nights were spent cleaning and preparing for winter. Talpi would leave her shackled to a long cord, which would run the length of the kitchen and dining area of Mus' home. She could walk around and do her work, and then when he returned, he untied her and together they headed to the chambers Mus had given him. There she would resume the roll of his sex-slave.

The routine took its toll on the small pixie. Her smile was gone, and the look in her eyes appeared dull and lifeless. She moved slowly. Every muscle in her body ached and cried out for some sort of relief, even if it were death. Talpi never took her out for a walk, so the world outside of the tree no longer existed for her. Her skin grew more translucent and her golden hair began to turn gray. She often thought of Wilson and ached to feel the wind caressing her face as he carried her into the clouds.

It was in the middle of one of those dreams that Mus came running into the tree, screaming and shouting. He waved his hands into the air and yelled for Zaria. Immediately the pixie rose from the corner she'd been sleeping in and hurried to his side. "What is it?"

"Talpi! Talpi!" Mus shouted. "She got him! We have to save him!"

Zaria's brow furrowed in confusion. "Who has him?"

"That has him!" Mus shouted, seconds before pointing toward the door.

Zaria walked as far as the rope would allow her too and peered out into the night. What she saw made her stomach twist and curl. She spun away, covering her mouth as the contents of her stomach threatened to expel. Talpi was being pulled apart by an eagle. There would be no saving him. She looked up and watched Mus as he too stared through the door, witnessing what was happening to his friend.

When the bloody scene was over, Mus and Zaria both worked to collect whatever remains there were of Talpi and together they buried the bits and pieces. Zaria stood outside for the first time in months, wearing a robe that Mus had loaned her. She breathed deep the fresh air. When morning came their work was finished and Mus ordered her back inside. Zaria stared at him as if he had lost his mind, before turning and fleeing her prison. Not once did she look back, fearing that he would be pursuing her.

The pixie ran as far as her legs would carry her, until cramps in her muscles forced her to stop moving. She collapsed on the ground and began to weep. The robe she wore was covered in burrs and scratched her pale skin, but she didn't care. It provided some protection from the crisp air. She pulled it against her and rolled into a ball, hoping to catch some sort of rest before night came and she was forced to move again. She knew the night was Mus' hunting grounds and if he wanted her back, he would use it against her.

Zaria slept for several hours before the shrill of a bird forced her to wake up. She sat up, pushed her fingers through her tangled hair and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The shrill rose up again and Zaria spun around, fearing the treacherous eagle that had claimed Talpi's life. Instead she saw a bird, slightly smaller than Wilson, but just as beautiful. One wing looked misshapen and it was obvious that wing was the cause for the bird's high-pitched shrill. Zaria walked over and spoke softly to the wounded animal.

"Shh," she whispered, then looked around. "If you don't stop making that noise an eagle that lives in these parts will find you."

The bird quieted and stopped shifting nervously. "I was hit by a stone flying in the sky," the bird whispered. She tried to flex her wing, but it refused to move, all it did was send shots of pain up and down her tiny body.

"A stone? Flying?"

The bird nodded. "A boy was using a sling shot and aimed it right at me. I flew away, but not fast enough," she explained, then watched with caution filled eyes as Zaria inspected her wing.

"We need to wrap it up," the pixie said, as she pulled off her robe and began to wrap it around the bird and the wing. She looked around and found a vine that had been torn from its host plant and tied that around the make-shift sling. "There," she said. "Now we have to find a place to keep you safe, until that heals."

The bird stared at her in wonder. "Why are you helping me?" she asked.

Zaria sighed. "I need help too," she admitted, "so if I help you, I am also helping myself. I need a place to stay too, so I will kill two birds with one st... ," she stopped speaking, "sorry, I will accomplish answers to both our plights."

The bluebird nodded her head in understanding.

The pixie hurried away, making sure to mark her path so that she would not lose her route back to the injured bird.

When Zaria returned the bird was resting and Zaria had good news to share. "There is an abandoned barn, not too far from here," Zaria told her new friend, while they both dined on berries that Zaria had brought back. During their short meal Zaria not only learned the bird's story, but also her name: Anna. And Anna was told of Zaria's past.

When their meal was over and silence had fallen between them, Zaria asked if Anna was ready to move toward the barn. The bird shifted uncomfortably on her feet, but with the pixie's help she managed to remain upright long enough for Zaria to slide next to her. The tiny pixie took the brunt of the bird's weight and together they traveled across the meadow toward the barn where they hoped to spend Winter.

The season was hard on Zaria and Anna. Though the barn protected them from the elements, it did not provide a lot of heat, so the two friends often cuddled one another during the long drafty nights. Their days were spent with Zaria tending to Anna's hurt wing and telling her stories of life before her rebirth. Zaria also had become the provider in regards to food and clothing, the former for them both, the latter for herself. The pixie had been lucky enough to find dead frozen bugs for Anna to eat and Zaria lived off of bark that she peeled from nearby bushes.

Inside the barn, the pixie made friends with other creatures that had sought out the sturdy beams and walls for protection. She met more from the Weevil clan, as well as other birds, and animals she'd not yet become acquainted with. By the time Spring was approaching Zaria looked once again as healthy as she had the day she was reborn, and Anna, the bluebird was healed and itching to take flight.

Her first leap into the air was with Zaria riding on her back. The winged creature took Anna high into the air, where both could feel the wind in their faces and take in the fresh clean air – a contrast to the musty smell of their Winter surroundings. Anna chirped loudly, expressing her happiness, while Zaria threw back her head and laughed. Her long golden tresses were a tangled mess when Anna and she finally landed. She hugged the young bird's neck and kissed her cheek. "Oh I wish Wilson were here! I believe you would get along well together," Zaria said as she peered curiously into the sky. "He definitely loved to fly."

Anna giggled. "Most birds do," she whispered, before adding, "with Spring coming, I too wish I knew your Wilson. But... well, if he's changed himself, perhaps it wouldn't be wise for me to meet him."

Zaria's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why?"

The bluebird's cheeks grew a shade darker in color and Zaria knew from earlier discussions that this was a sign that Anna was blushing. "Do you think you might like Wilson?" she asked, lifting a questioning brow.

The young bird lowered her head and tucked it under her wing, before glancing back at Zaria. "It's just you've spoken so highly of him and he left you in hopes to find a way to be with you. It's all very romantic. I'm sorry," she admitted before her beak dipped slightly in a sorrowful way.

"I believe he is a gallant bird and I am touched by his desire to be with me, but I have learned this past year that no matter how much you desire something or someone it doesn't mean they have the same feelings for you." Zaria reached out and stroked Anna's head, letting her fingers scratch at the bird's feathers. "I desired freedom and had to kill for it, then run for it, and love – I have had love for my friends, but none of them would I want to give my everything too, not that I have much to offer without pixie dust."

Anna shrilled loudly. "I've told you before that you are so much more than pixie dust."

Zaria smiled. "I know."

"Come let us take flight again and head back toward the lake and the river in which you came, perhaps we will find Holly and Sebastian. I would like to meet them," Anna said, hoping to find more pleasant thoughts to occupy her friend's mind.

The two again took to the air, and with Zaria's direction they made their way back to the lake, bypassing all the horrors that Zaria would have faced had she ventured back into Mus and Talpi's territories. When they reached the lake, the did not find either one of Zaria's friends, but Anna told her to be patient. It was still early and Sebastian was most likely resting too deep to hear her calling and Holly was probably on her way home from migration.

Zaria sent Anna back to the sky, in hopes that perhaps the bluebird would meet up with Holly. While Anna was gone, the pixie girl wondered about the shores of the lake, unaware that a pair of brown eyes were gazing upon her.

She rounded a corner of the lake and came across a group of spring flowers. Some were still in their budding stage, while others had taken a peek at the morning sun. She leaned in to sniff the fragrant blossom of one plant when someone called out to her, "Careful they bite."

Immediately Zaria jumped back fearing for her nose. She looked around and came face to face with a young man who was exactly her size. Her eyes widened in surprise.

The young man smiled, bowed low and then came back up, this time holding a small berry in his hand. He offered it to Zaria, who eyed it suspiciously.

"It's safe," he told her, then pinched the berry in half and ate one of the pieces. "See."

Zaria reached out and plucked the morsel from the lad's palm. "Were those wings?" she asked, as she popped the tidbit into her mouth.

The creature turned around and fluttered a pair of gossamer wings. A breeze floated across Zaria's face, lifting her hair from her shoulders.

"Simply beautiful," she whispered, before walking around the stranger and eying him questionably. "You're a fairy."

"Yes, I am and you're a pixie. I've never met a pixie before and from the way you're behaving I'd say you've never met a fairy."

Zaria blushed and shook her head. "No I've met fairies, but not any since being sent here by my people."

"Why were you sent here?" he asked.

"We are a diminishing breed."

The fairy lowered his head in sadness. "It's happening all around. We've not had a pixie in our realm in forever and a day."

"I know. What is your name?" Zaria asked.

"Prince Reokon," the fairy said, before bowing low and popping back up with another berry.

"Where are you getting these?" she asked, before giving her own name.

Reokon grinned. "Watch," he told her. He squatted down and picked up a small drop of dew that had not yet evaporated into the air around them, at the same time he used his other hand to sprinkle a bit of glimmering dust onto the dew. Instantly a berry appeared.

"Fairy dust!" Zaria said, clapping her hands in delight. "How wonderful!"

Reokon looked at her questionably. "Do you not have pixie dust?"

"Mine was stolen and I've not had an opportunity to collect more. I will though, as soon as my friend Holly returns."

"Holly?"

Zaria smiled. "She is a butterfly, who has been kind enough in the past to give me some of her scales. With them I am able to create pixie dust. How do you get yours?"

"It's just there," Reokon admitted. "We are born with it. Watch this," he said, once more preparing to amaze Zaria.

She watched him step back and flutter his wings. As he was lifted in the air, small flakes of glimmering dust drifted down to settle on and around Zaria. "It's beautiful," she whispered as she brushed the dust that had fallen on her shoulders. "And warm." Her voice held a soft surprise of shock and awe.

Reokon smiled. "Is your friend coming back?" he asked.

"Anna? Eventually yes. But not for some time. She is looking for Holly."

"Oh yes, your friend the butterfly. Can you use my dust?" he asked, offering her several flakes.

Zaria blew on the powder and it tumbled into the air, but it did not change its course, nor did it transform into anything. Both creatures sighed. "I guess not," Reokon said, then added, "would you like to visit my village?"

Zaria chewed nervously on her lower lip. "I shouldn't. I have ventured many a time out on my own and it has landed me no where good."

"Well that can't be true. You have a friend or two, don't you?"

She smiled and nodded her head. "Yes, I do." It surprised her how easy it had been to forget the good adventures when the bad always seemed to loom at the edge of her mind. "But still, I promised another I would stay put and when I didn't, it led to some bad things. I will wait here for Anna."

"Zaria, my village is within that bush, that's why the flowers bite. They guard our home."

Zaria turned and stared at the bush, then gazed back at Reokon. "Truly?"

He chuckled and waved his hand. Magically a few of the branches parted and allowed Zaria a glimpse of what lay hidden behind the thick foliage. A village did indeed exist and within the village Zaria saw other fairy folk either walking or fluttering just a few inches above the ground. "I don't understand," she said. "This bush is far too small to hold that village."

"Magic," Reokon explained. "We allow the outside world to view this small bush, but in fact if we were to drop the spell that surrounds us, you would see a vastly different shrub. If you'd like I can leave a small window open, so that you can peek in on this side of the world, and return when Anna does."

Zaria took a deep breath. She had trusted so many and had been led down paths of pain and sorrow, and yet Reokon was right – she had gone down other trails and made great friends. In the end she found freedom and had learned more about herself with every new adventure. She bit down again on her lower lip and took the hand that Reokon extended.

When their fingers touched both of them looked at one another with mixed emotions. Zaria's stomach tightened and her face grew flush, while Reokon's heart began to beat more rapidly and his mouth went dry. Neither however chose to remove their fingers from the others' grasp, if anything they tightened their hold.

Above the bush and deeply nestled in the branches of a tree, sat two bluebirds, a boy and a girl. Anna lowered her head and turned away from the painful expression the other bird wore. She had come across the male bluebird just minutes after leaving Zaria's side and once she had exchanged greetings with him, she knew immediately who he was searching for. The male bird had introduced himself as Wilson and though Anna wished to keep him to herself, she knew that he was not there for her, nor was he feeling Spring's rush of desire for anyone other than his pixie love.

She had taken him back to the lake, in hopes to reunite the two, but when Wilson spied the fairy man he had called for her to wait. They had watched the couple talking and sharing food, as well as read the expressions that had passed between the young man and young woman. The two souls were young and unaware of the desire that had been reflected in the others' eyes. But Wilson had seen it and he had understood that eventually Zaria would see it too. Anna had also bore witness, noting the blushing of cheeks and the way neither being chose to release the other as they stepped through the slim doorway.

"I'm sorry," Anna whispered and in truth she was. She did not like to see anyone in pain, especially someone she had grown fond of through stories.

Wilson took a deep breath and shrugged his shoulders. "It's for the best," he admitted. "I could not find any magic in which to change myself for her."

Anna cooed softly. "You shouldn't have to change," she told him. "You're quite handsome just the way you are."

The bluebird turned and smiled and for the first time he felt the rush of Spring accompanied by a swelling emotion he feared identifying. He asked Anna to fly with him and tell him more about herself and the lands in which he now found himself in.

Just before the door to Reokon's world closed and a small window was left open, Zaria turned. She spied the two bluebirds and knew instantly who they were. Her lips formed a smile and she whispered a thanks to the goddess for her journey.