By My Side

Goodbye

The night of the festival, two days after the searchers leave with the warriors. The searchers look for a new place to settle while the warriors protect them. The celebration is a goodbye to the humans who fed them and to the land that held them. It was a late night as it also happened to be a full moon. Newly finished schoolers get their jobs full moon and they celebrate. All ages were up almost all night, everyone would be sleeping late tomorrow.

"Get up!" Nora yelled, throwing Dain's pack at him from the entrance of his hut. Dain grunted and rolled over, shoving his face into his pillow.

"The Council wants to see you Dain." Nora said before leaving Dain's hut. Dain sat straight up, suddenly wide awake. His mind started racing, what could i have possibly done? I've only been training for a month now and I haven't broken any rules. Am I not good enough to be a magic wielder? Are they going to kick me out of the tribe? Dain jumped out of bed and got dressed, heading for the Council.

When Dain arrived in front of the Council he noticed two there people standing with the usual four. Along with the normal Council there was Zeno and a pixie, Blue Dain noted, she's probably been here before, trading with the Fairies for knowledge. The closer Dain walked to the Council the more tense he became. Dain had never spoken to the Council before and not many people who did talked about their experience. The first to actually speak to Dain was the leader of the elves.

"Thank you for meeting us Dain," Dilya said, gesturing for Dain to sit. Did i really have any choice Dain thought to himself, nodding. Dain looked over at Zeno, wondering why he was there. He knows Dilya is Zeno's mom, and that Zeno hates him because Dain has magic and Zeno doesn't. Zeno catches Dain staring and glares at him, making Dain turn red and bring his attention back to the members of the Council.

Meadow placed her hand on Dains shoulder, "we need your help," she said to him. They need my help? Dain thought, They are here to help and lead up and they thought to ask a 16 year old elf for help? Meadow, the leader of the fairies, lifts her hand off of Dain's shoulder and turns to Monona. The leader of the centaurs steps towards Dain and forces a smile.

"Dain," Monona started and looked back to the pixie, who was standing on Zeno's shoulder, " the pixies are in dangare, and we have no one else to ask for assistance." Monona turned her attention from Dain to Nevea. Nevea nods to Monona and she steps away letting Nevea walk up to Dain. She pauses and looks him in the eye. They sit in silent understanding for almost a minute before she speaks.

"You're scared, any sane one would be, but we need you," she shook her head slightly, "you won't be going alone." The Council turned their attention back to Zeno and the pixie sitting on his shoulder. Zeno turned pink and grimaced at Dain.

"Zeno and Luna will be going with you to help you on your journey," Dilya said, turning back to Dain, "Luna can help you get to where the pixies have been taken, and though we trust you, you only have a month of magic experience so Zeno will going to help you learn more." Dain now looked at Zeno with a puzzled expression. I know he comes from a magic family and I don't but it's not safe for someone without magic to leave the tribe, Dain thinks to himself, worried about Zeno. Neither of them had ever gone anywhere without the rest of the tribe, that was normal, if you weren't a warrior or a searcher, you didn't leave.

"We would send warriors but they are protecting the searchers like usual," Meadow explains to Dain, "the searchers left days ago we can no longer postpone them." Dain nodded, still thinking about how dangerous this could be for Zeno. I can't let anything happen to him, he's next to rule, he can't get hurt or we won't have a future leader, Dain thinks.

"You must leave today," Monona looked over the three of them, "all of you." Luna looked scared, not very strange for a blue pixie especially when they know what they are getting into. Dain wished she was a red pixie, all for adventure and never scared of what might be ahead, until he remembered how reckless red pixies could be.

"Take whatever you might need and go as soon as possible," Nevea told the three of them as the rest of the Council went into their hut.

Dain turned his attention to Zeno. He didn't look worried in the slightest, he did however look exasperated. Zeno always seems irritated when I'm around now, maybe it won't be so different that being here, Dain thought, staring at Zeno. Zeno, growing up in a family full of magic is understandably upset with Dain, the only one in his family with magic, having magic when he doesn't.

"What are you looking at?" Zeno barked at Dain, turning red. Dain turned his attention to Luna who was flying anxiously between Zeno and himself. She seemed more scared than Dain felt, which only made him more worried.

"We, uh, we should head out soon." Dain said looking at Zeno briefly before turning his attention back to Luna, "what do you think?"

"We should leave now," she responds, worry prominent in her voice. Zeno rolled his eyes, picked up his pack and started to leave the others. Luna stood on Dain's shoulder and he took off after Zeno, still wanting to protect him. Well this is goodbye then, Dain thought to himself, hopefully just for now though.