Pixie Magic Ch. 13.5 Pt. 02

"Buck?" the golden-haired pixie with the eastern yellow swallowtail wings called out. Her wings marked her as the Queen.

Her voice had a distinct familiarity to it. I felt something deeply emotional stirring inside me.

"You're not my son! What have you done with him?" the King demanded.

I looked up at the two royals hovering in the air in front of me. The Queen was the same beautiful, golden-haired pixie in my dream this morning. I felt myself being emotionally drawn towards her.

"Mama?" I found myself asking.

Fern lifted her head and looked over at me. "Skyler! What are you doing?" she whispered loudly.

"Where is my son? What happened to him? What have you done to him?" the King asked again angrily.

"I don't know. I don't understand what's happening," I answered.

"We sent our first-born son to mate with your Queen over a year ago. But we haven't heard from him since. But when you showed up at the restaurant, his aura was in you," the Queen explained.

A raven-haired pixie flew in closer. I recognized her as Tilly, the waitress at the restaurant. "You have Buck's aura. How do you explain that?" she asked.

Another male pixie hovered closer. Without knowing how, I knew his name was Cosmo. "You knew our names even though we never met. How do you explain that?"

I was flustered. "I-I don't know. I've been getting flashback memories ever since—"

"Skyler! The stag!" Fern whispered.

Of course! Fern was right. This must all be related to the stag I tried to rescue last year. I looked up at the King whose name I now knew to be Argent. I stood up and moved my wings slowly back and forth as a show of strength and as a royal peer.

Gasps were heard from the surrounding pixies. Apparently, they weren't used to seeing anyone stand up to their king.

"King Argent, I think I can explain," I said, looking him in the eye.

I reached down for Fern's hand and pulled her up alongside me.

"Before I do, I want to know what you have done with our other two companions," I demanded.

"They are unharmed. But they will remain our hostages in the event that you should do anything to my wife or children," Argent responded.

That last statement shocked me, and I was flustered.

"Why would I . . . How could you think. . . What made you. . ." I paused and took a deep breath, "King Argent, you have my word. I won't harm you, your wife, or your children. Such an action is anathema to me."

Fern started to giggle beside me. I turned to look at her.

"What's so funny? We're in real trouble here," I whispered.

"You couldn't harm the King or Queen if you wanted to. Just like they can't harm us. Royal pixies have a magical protection from other pixies, including other royal pixies," she whispered back.

When I looked around, I saw the other pixies also giggling at my gaff.

"Well. . . then. . . how come I could use pixie dust on your sister Vix when she was Queen?" I whispered.

"That's because you didn't try to harm her. Just like I can use pixie dust on you, but I could never harm you with it, not that I would want to," Fern explained in a whisper.

"This seems awfully complicated. Who makes up these rules, anyway?" I muttered.

"Have you finished explaining to him how this works?" Argent asked, looking at Fern. He had a trace smirk on his face.

"Yes, your Majesty," Fern replied with a suppressed giggle.

"Please don't keep me in suspense, tell me what happened to my son," the Queen implored.

Argent turned to his wife. "Aurora, we have his companions. There's no need to disgrace yourself."

"There is never disgrace in a mother's concern," I said, "like you, Argent, I want to protect the loved ones entrusted to me. But I'm willing share what I know with you without preconditions."

I told her the story of Randy and his father and how the two of them tried to trap and kill the Green Mountain Pixies. Fern supplemented the fact her father, the King, was killed by the senior Randolph Knox 21 years earlier. That was why her mother requested a king from the Berkshire Pixies in the first place.

I told them about my work as a veterinarian and how I rescued and treated woodland animals, including Fern's mother the Queen, who was wounded in a steel foothold trap while guised as a doe waiting for a stag from the Berkshires.

I explained that in exchanged for my medical care, Queen Aine gifted me with the ability to understand animal speech.

"So that was your fee for treating her?" Argent asked tersely.

"No sire," Fern spoke out, "Sky didn't know the doe was my mother or a pixie when he treated her. He asked for nothing. He treated her because she was hurt and because that's just the person he is."

"Hmm," was his response, but my pixie-sense told me he didn't believe her.

I continued the story, explaining how my ability to understand animal speech enabled me to convince a dog to lead me to a stag caught in a trap deep in the woods.

"Given what you have told me, I now believe that poor creature was your son Buck," I said, sadly.

"What happened? What did you do to him?" Aurora asked, sobbing.

"I didn't harm him if that's what you're asking. But rest of the story is unpleasant. Are you sure you want me to continue?" I asked. My voice cracked a little.

Aurora slowly landed on the ground in front of me. She nodded solemnly in anticipation of the worst. Argent followed and placed his arm around her shoulder.

I explained how the stag had been shot the night before I arrived. He had been slowly bleeding to death throughout the night and was barely alive when I found him. Despite my efforts, I was too late to save him, and he died in my arms.

"I think he must have thought I was a pixie because the last thing he said to me was 'I leave you to carry out my line'."

"Then what happened?" Argent asked.

"What do you mean? Nothing happened," I said.

"What my husband meant to ask what you did with his body?" Aurora asked, no longer sobbing.

"I understood the question, but there was no body. He simply vanished without a trace," I explained.

Argent looked upset. "Maybe you don't understand how death and the afterlife works with pixies. There's always a body. That body needs to be cremated in order to join the spirit world," he said condescendingly.

"I may not understand how royal pixie protection works, but I do know about pixie cremation ceremonies and their entry into the spirit world. I attended the funeral pyres of Fern's mother and sister," I replied, "But when your son died, there was no body."

Aurora gave me a long, penetrating stare. "I wonder," she murmured softly.

She slowly walked towards me; her right arm stretched out in front of her.

"Aurora, where are you going? What are you doing?" Argent called out.

When Aurora was close enough, she threw a handful of pixie dust over my head. A chill ran down my spine, the same chill I felt when the stag disappeared. Aurora then touched my arm.

"You're there! My son! My Buck! My poor son!" Aurora cried, stepping forward and burying her head in my shoulder, and wrapping her arms around me.

I became suddenly aware of memories and events of people and places I'd never experienced before. They were memories of a whole separate life I never knew about. I had a sudden deep affection for this woman hugging me. She was my mother and the bond between us was incredibly strong.

"Oh Mama! I missed you. I missed you so much!" I cried as tears poured down my face.

As I hugged Mama, I heard Fern's voice behind me. "So, it's true? Buck was the stag you sent to Vermont to mate with my mother?"

"He was our third born, but our first son," Papa replied.

"Mama, I had a dream about you this morning," I said, kissing her hair. "My head was on your lap, and you were combing my hair with your fingers and caressing my ears."

"I had the same dream this morning. That's how I knew you were close by. I used to comb through your hair and caress your ears when you were little. It always calmed you down when you were afraid," she said softly. Tears still flowed down her face, but now these were tears of joy.

"You must have been surprised when he came back as a pixie" I overheard Argent saying to Fern.

"Oh, but he wasn't a pixie then," Fern explained, "That happened the night after my mother's funeral at the Festival of the Full Moon last June."

As Mama held me, more memories came flooding back. They were overwhelming. I could feel myself getting lost in those memories as that other life took over. All of Skyler's memories were still with me, but they seemed so insignificant. Skyler was insignificant. These new memories became vivid and important in the way I identified myself. Skyler was still there, but I was also this other person whose life and family surrounded me and embraced me.

"Sky? Are you alright? What's happening?" Aurora, what did you do to him?" I heard the concern in Fern's voice. I wanted to hold her and reassure her, but I was in the arms of my mother, whom I hadn't seen in over a year.

I looked into the face of this beautiful Queen embracing me and felt her deep motherly love for me. My heart melted for her, and another shiver ran down my spine.

I pushed Skyler aside. He didn't matter to Mama, Papa, or any of my siblings. I felt like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon after a long sleep. But my last memories were of dying moments in Vermont, how is it possible that I'm home in the Berkshires. How did I get here?

"Mama, what happened to me?" I asked, "I remember I was a stag with my leg broken and caught in a trap. I was attacked by dogs and fought them off until I was shot in the stomach. I laid awake all night, feeling a horrible burning pain in my stomach and slowly bleeding to death. I remember being so terribly thirsty, but the nearby stream was just out of my reach."

"My baby! My poor baby!" she said, and she hugged me against her bosom.

"A very kind pixie came along and tried to help me," I continued. "He gave me water and released my broken leg from the steel trap. He did his best, but I knew he was too late to save me because I saw the death demon rapidly approaching. But when I released my royal birthright to the kind pixie, I felt my whole body being pulled in, too. For the longest time, I felt like I was in a deep, dreamless sleep, only to waken and find myself here in your arms. Am I dead and in the spirit world? Is this what it looks like?"

She kissed me and hugged me tighter. "No, my son, this is not the spirit world. You're home and living within the body of another. Pixies can't absorb the essence of another pixie, for pixies are already filled with their own essence and magical abilities. That kind creature you released your royal birthright to was actually a human. Since humans have no magical abilities, they are capable of absorbing magic from us. So, when you released your royal birthright, your pixie essence went with it."

"And now you're home!" Papa repeated.

"Nooo! His home is in Vermont with me and his clinic. Skyler tell them," Fern cried as she clutched my arm.

"It's okay Fern, I'm with my family now. I'm sure they'll let you stay with us," I said reassuringly.

"Skyler, what are you saying? What about your practice? You can't just abandon the pixies in Vermont," she pleaded. She made a fist and closed her eyes and threw a handful of pixie dust over my head.

A slight chill ran down my back, but other than that, nothing happened.

"Skyler's gone. Your dust won't bring him back," I said, "I'm Buck and this is where I belong."

"Buck, in recognition of your return, tonight's Festival of the Full Moon will be in your honor," Mama said, proudly.

My brothers and sisters cheered at the announcement.

Tears were in my eyes when I thanked Mama and Papa for the honor.

"Skyler, please. What about me?" Fern asked as a tear ran down her cheek.

"Oh Fern, just because I'm no longer Skyler doesn't mean you're not welcome. Let me introduce you to my sisters and brothers. I'm sure they will help you feel at home here," I said sympathetically.

I turned towards the swarm of pixies flitting about and called out, "Gather around everyone! Let me introduce you to my friend Fern!"

"Friend? I'm not just your friend," Fern said, raising her voice, "We're married. I'm your wife. We've been married for almost a year!"

My brothers and sisters were landing in front of us. "Line up by age and I'll introduce you to Fern," I instructed.

It took a few minutes for everyone to sort themselves out, starting with my oldest sister, Ivy.

"Nice to meet you, Fern," Ivy said, shaking Fern's hand, "I can't believe anyone would want to marry my stuck-up brother, but I guess you're only meeting the real Buck now."

"Don't listen to her. Older sisters can be a real pain sometimes, but I guess you know all about that, right Fern?" I said chuckling.

Fern gave me an icy look.

Next in line was Tilly. "I know you've already met Tilly," I said, "She's the second oldest and I was born after her."

"Hello again," Tilly said, "I'm sorry lied to you about the real reason the restaurant was closed this evening. But I'm glad you'll be joining us for the Festival of the Full Moon tonight."

Next in line was Bambi, but my brother Wolf was standing there instead.

"Wolf, where's Bambi?" I asked.

"You mean your sweetheart fuckbuddy?" Wolf teased, "Everyone knows you'll be looking for her tonight."

"You're just jealous," I taunted.

"Who do you think has been fucking her when you were gone?" Wolf retorted.

"If she fucked you, she must have been desperate. Lucky for her, I'm back," I replied.

"Bambi's working at the Tanglewood amphitheater. She's now the Director of Operations there. She won't get back here until sometime after 2 AM," that voice came from Wren, my youngest sister. She was next to last in line and stepped out and waved at Fern as she spoke.

She got back in line briefly before stepping out again. My name is Wren by the way," she said smiling before stepping back in line.

"If you couldn't tell, she's my littlest sister. She likes to butt in where she doesn't belong," I said to Fern.

"And this asshole is my brother Wolf, who was born after Bambi," I said, pointing to Wolf.

"Fern, Bambi's the reason that Papa sent Buck up to Vermont. Those two always had a thing for each other and Papa sent him North before he got her pregnant," Wolf said.

"That's not true!" I said, raising my voice.

"Just ask Barney and Violet. They were both with me when we heard Papa tell Mama after you left," Wolf continued.

Barney was the next oldest after Wolf and Violet was next after Barney. They were both nodding in agreement to Wolf's statement.

"This is Barney," I indicated to Fern, "he's the one who gave the barn owl call earlier."

"Were you the one who was watching us last night?" Fern asked.

"Yes, you and Skyler put on quite a show. If I were Buck, I'd dump Bambi in a heartbeat," Barney said grinning.

"You saved us from that snake, didn't you?" Fern asked.

"I enjoyed watching you guys so much that I almost didn't see that snake until the very last minute. I'm sorry, I should have been paying more attention to the snake than the show you two were putting on," Barney said, bowing his head.

"But you did save us. Thank you, Barney," Fern said.

"Uh, I guess I should thank you too, Barn," I added.

After introducing my sisters Violet and Dustie, and my brothers Cosmo and Woody, we came to my brother Chip. He was dressed up like a girl, with real pixie tits and all.

"This is my gay brother Chip," I told Fern, "He thinks he's a girl."

"I am a girl and I'm not gay," Chip insisted in a feminine voice, "and my name is Chippie."

"Papa's right there, you know," I reminded him, "You know what he'll do if he catches you."

"I don't care. This is who I am. I may have been born with a penis, but inside I've always known I was a girl, right sisters?" he said looking around at his siblings.

"Right, sister!" a voice shouted from the end of the row. Wren again.

"Thank you, Wren," Chip said.

"You're welcome, Chippie," Wren replied with a wide smile.

Tilly, Dustie, and the twins Nyx and Dawn also agreed with Chip. So, I decided to rat him out.

"Papa! Chip is at it again!" I shouted.

Mama and Papa flew over and took a good look at Chip.

"Chip, not again! What have I told you about that?" Mama scolded.

"You would embarrass the whole family in front of your brother and his friend? Let's see you change after this!" Papa said, sprinkling pixie dust on him.

All of Chip's female enhancements and adornments disappeared, and he looked completely male. He also looked miserable.

Once the introductions were over, I suggested to Fern that we take a walk to the waterfall and take off our frocks and go skinny dipping. Afterwards, I would show her our home, a warren tunneled into a nearby hill.

"I think we should find out what happened to your brother and Janet," Fern said.

"You mean those stupid and annoying humans? I'm sure they're alright. Papa wouldn't hurt them," I replied.

"Aren't you the least concerned about Ben and Janet?" Fern asked. She had a worried look on her face.

"Why should I be concerned about him? He's Skyler's brother, not mine," I replied.

"You may think of yourself as Buck, but you're in Skyler's body and I know Skyler has to be in there, somewhere," Fern responded. "Can't you think of anyone but yourself?"

"Look Fern, I understand you and Skyler were close, but I almost died in Vermont. Now that I'm home again, I want to look around and reminisce a bit before the festival begins," I explained.

"Well, I'm going to check up on them, even if you're not," Fern insisted, "And for your information, the only reason you're here and can reminisce is because of Skyler and his kindness towards you."

"I can take you to the two humans," a voice from behind me said. I turned around and saw Wren standing there.

"Butt out Wren, this is none of your business," I said.

"Thank you, Wren. Please take me to them. I could use the change of company as well," Fern said, looking at me.

"Fine, I'll go with you," I said reluctantly.

Wren led us to a high branch of a nearby tall pine tree. There, inside a crow's nest, were two naked people three inches high. A large crow was perched nearby, keeping a careful eye on them. The male, who must be the one named "Ben," was looking over the edge of the nest, peering down at the ground far below. The female was curled up in a fetal position against the side of the nest closest to the tree and as far away from the crow as possible.

Fern tried to fly past the crow, but the crow spread her wings to block Fern's way. "Keep your distance," she cawed.

Fern backed off slightly and hovered near the side of the nest. "Are you two okay?" she asked.

"Fern!" Ben shouted excitedly before seeing me, "Skyler! What's going on? What's happened to us? You look so different, what happened to you? How are you flying? Can you help us?"

"See, I told you they were fine," I said to Fern.

"Skyler! Please get us out of here!" Ben shouted.

"Skyler? Is that you? Can you help us, please?" the female pleaded. Her eyes were red, and her cheeks were moist. She looked like she had been crying.

"I'll try to get you out of there," Fern called to them, "until then, you'll have to be patient. In the meantime, let me see if I can get you something to wear."

"Let's go Fern. You saw want you wanted to see," I said as I flew away.

"Wait! Skyler! Come back! Don't leave us here!" Ben called out.

As Wren and Fen followed me, I overheard Fern asking Wren to find some frocks and food for Ben and Janet.

*******

Next Chapter: Bambi joins the Festival of the Full Moon.