The next day, Crisis yawned as she woke up. She smiled at her loved ones sleeping on her body. "Good morning, sleepy heads!"
Lea and Michael smiled at her. "Good morning, Crisis." They both said.
"Crisis, I have a question. Lucilya teleported us to the fairy kingdom after we met Cypress. Couldn't a fairy have just teleported us to Cypress in the first place? It would have saved us a lot of trouble." Michael asked.
Crisis giggled. "Yes, it would have been great if we could do that, but we didn't know any of the fairies where Cypress or Marsha were. In order for the fairies to teleport you, they need to link with another fairy. Since Lucilya came with us, she could link with another fairy to teleport us here."
"Alright, we need to talk to Anna. We have to find a way to save Ivan." Crisis kissed Michael and Lea. Then she began slithering to Anna. While she was slithering to Anna, She tripped a wire set by Melany. A bucket full of mud splashed over Crisis's head.
"Hey, who did this!" Crisis asked. Michael and Lea had mud on them as well. Suddenly, they heard Melany giggling.
"Hahaha! That's what you get, Crisis!" Melany said, grinning.
"Why did you do this? What's the big idea?" Crisis asked.
"That was payback for all the delicious snacks you took from me. Over the past year, many of my traps were destroyed! I recently learned that you were destroying my traps to rescue my humans! There were days that I had to live off animals and fruits because of you! It was terrible!" Melany said.
Crisis and her friends rolled their eyes. "My goodness! That must have been terrible! Except, I've had my fair share of days like that as well. Seriously, it's not that big of a deal! Get over yourself. Besides, I forgave you for almost eating Lea and causing her to run away. If I can do that, then you shouldn't mind me rescuing people from you!"
Melany was embarrassed. "Hey, I was only joking! I wasn't really going to eat her. How was I supposed to know she was going to run away? It wasn't my fault!"
Crisis rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. You wanted to eat Lea because of Lesona's curse. Just admit it!"
Melany immediately looked uncomfortable. "Oh, I forgot! My husband, Bubba, needs me. I have to go!" Melany flew away.
Crisis and her friends laughed. "There she goes! She always flies away when I confront her about that incident. I think she is ashamed of it, but she's too proud to admit it. Anyway, let's go see Anna."
Anna was already working on some gadgets to help her in her quest when Crisis slithered in. "Hey, Crisis Patrick and I are going to try to convince our comrades in the Deluran underground base to not join the fight against us. We are doing this to rescue my brother."
"Can I come with you? I really want to make things right with Ivan." Crisis asked.
"I don't know if that is a good idea. You ate hundreds of them back in the day. They even used your name as a boogeyman to scare the men from deserting. Seeing you might torpedo our chances for a peaceful resolution." Anna said.
"I know, but what if something goes wrong? I will hang back out of sight, I promise. But if they attack you or another predator attacks them, then I can help you. You know that I am a master of stealth! They won't know I'm there!" Crisis said.
Anna pondered for a moment. Eventually, she agreed with Crisis. "Alright, but hang back and let Patrick and I do the talking."
Crisis nodded, and she left Lea and Michael with Fiona, Ramtov, and Thas. "Alright, I am going to help Anna save her brother. I'll leave you with Fiona. Subeta and Temi are also here if you need anything else." Crisis hugged Michael and Lea, and then she left with Anna.
After Crisis left, Michael and Lea began talking with Fiona and her friends. Suddenly, they were approached by a fairy who looked at them with anger! Lea immediately tensed up. "What do you want, Lily?"
Lily gave an evil smirk. "Oh, I just wanted to see Crisis's human friends. I can't believe Crisis threw away our friendship because of a stupid human like you. I knew it would only be a matter of time before she became a filthy human lover!" Then she turned her attention to Michael. "Oh, you must be Crisis's lover. The predator fell in love with the prey. How disgusting!" Lily made a gagging gesture.
"I think you should leave. We are in the middle of a war. Now is not the time for petty grievances." Fiona said.
"Yes, the humans are killing our people. They have revealed that they are monsters that should have been exterminated! I told Temi that we should find a way to breach the Isolon eye and attack Negav, but she didn't listen to me. She said that we should not upset the status quo. That things are working perfectly, and we shouldn't change it. Well, guess what? The humans have killed hundreds of our kind! They killed Jissy's son as well as Hiral's son! They also killed Belletia's little niece, Mako. Both girls lost their husbands, and now they lost their sons. All because of you horrible humans!" Lily said.
Subeta appeared and approached Lily. "That's enough! I know you hate humans, but these humans are our friends! I must ask you to leave!"
"Of course, we wouldn't want to upset Temi's little princess! We literally lost eight fairies, including our best warrior, Alvar. All so she could be safe and protect those evil humans!
"That's enough! Leave now!" Subeta yelled. Lily glared at the humans and left.
"What's her problem?" Michael asked.
"I'm sorry, Michael. Lily has an intense hatred for humans. Many years ago, she had a little sister named Wanda. Wanda was an innocent fairy who was friendly and kind to everyone. Lily was also a sweetheart in those days. She was kind and very helpful. Unfortunately, a horrible tragedy occurred one day. Several adventurers ambushed Wanda and took off her wings. When a fairy loses her wings, she loses her magic. The adventurers proceeded to torture Wanda to death. The worst part is that Wanda meant them no harm. They killed her for fun. After that horrible day, Lily changed. She developed an intense hatred for humans. She doesn't swallow humans whole like most predators. Instead, she uses her plant control powers to suck the life out of each human just so she can watch them suffer. Lily and Crisis used to be very close friends, but one day, she tried to kill Léa. Crisis became enraged and told her that she never wanted to see her again. Lily only became even worse after that. Her hatred of humans has turned her into a monster." Subeta said.
"I see, but each human is different from one another. They are not all like those evil adventurers." Michael said.
"I know, we have tried telling her that, but she doesn't listen. She believes all humans are evil, and there's nothing we can do to convince her otherwise. When we heard that Crisis opened a new safe harbor specifically for humans, she became enraged! She would have attacked Crisis if Temi and I didn't stop her. What's worse is that now she has caused a rift in the fairy kingdom."
"What do you mean?"
"Lily has convinced a significant number of fairies that Temi will always put Crisis's needs over the needs of our tribe. After Temi led a group of fairies to defend Crisis from that giant vampire and eight of them, including Alvar, died. Many fairies started to believe her after that. Temi wants to find a peaceful resolution to the war, but Lily wants to kill all the humans. Fairies are tending to side with Lily in that argument. Some of them have lost loved ones to the humans, and they want revenge."
"I see. You know revenge is a common human emotion. Lily hates humans, but she is more like us than she realizes." Michael said.
"Yes, I agree with you. I always saw humans as food, but now I am starting to see that we are very much alike. Unfortunately, it is the worst traits we have in common. But enough of this gloomy conversation. Let me tell you guys about all the treasures I have found in my many years." Subeta said.
While Subeta was telling the group about her adventures as a tomb raider, Michael remembered something and asked a question. "Wait, what was the story about Melany almost eating Léa because she was cursed?"
"Oh, about thirteen years ago, I was cursed by a witch to smell delicious to predators. She used some weird relic to curse me. I only found out recently that the witch was Lady Lesona. She was hoping that Crisis would eat me to punish both of us for her eating habits. It was around the same time when Ramtov and Thas escaped from Crisis. However, she underestimated the bond that Crisis and I shared. Unfortunately, Melany wasn't as close to me. Crisis left her to protect me, but the curse was almost too strong for her. Melany stopped herself before she ate me, but I felt like a burden to my friends, so I left. Crisis eventually found me, and we reconciled, so it all ended well." Léa said.
"Wait, but what happened to the curse? Were you able to lift it?" Michael asked.
"Yes, Vivian and Subeta found a relic that was able to remove the curse. All of us were very happy! Though I imagine that Lesona was fuming with anger!"
"Wait, so that's why Lesona sent us to the great tree and left us to die? Just so she could curse you because she didn't like you? What a bitch! Talk about the worst boss ever!" Ramtov said. The group laughed. Soon, they talked about other topics.
***
Lily had a group of predators willing to help her take revenge on the humans. They were Hiral, Jissy, Lucilya, Caylin, Tinatalan, Tilhian, Belletia, and Elle.
"Welcome, my friends. We all want to kill the humans. Some of us lost loved ones, and some of you just want to eat them. Regardless of your reasons, humans are our enemies, and we must destroy them! I know the location of a group of humans called the Delurans! They have a secret underground base. Let's go kill all those evil humans!"
However, only Belletia and Tilhian decided to go with her as the others didn't want to go against Temi. They were hoping that Temi would declare war and they didn't want to burn their bridge with her. "Fine, the three of us will be enough, but you will soon realize that Temi will disappoint you. She has placed Crisis's needs over the needs of her fellow predators. Since Crisis loves humans now, I am afraid Temi will allow the humans to get away with their atrocities just to make Crisis happy. But I will let you see it for yourself." Lily left with Belletia and Tilhian.
***
Meanwhile, Crisis, Anna, and Patrick were heading to the Deluran underground base when Anna noticed something. "Wait, a second. Tuulikki! I know you are following us!"
Tuulikki flew down to Anna. "Awww, how did you know?"
"I figured you would come. You were always eavesdropping on our conversations. This is dangerous! Humans and predators are at war! I saw the humans use anti-aircraft missiles on giant harpies like you. This is too dangerous for a child like you. Go back to the fairy kingdom." Anna said.
"No, I know I am just a child, but I still want to help. Ever since I lost my father, you guys have been like family for me. I refuse to just sit back while you guys are risking your lives!" Tuulikki said.
Tuulikki and Anna continued to argue until Crisis intervened. "Guys, we don't have time for this. Tuulikki will hang back with me while you and Patrick do the talking. This is actually better. Now, I will have some company."
Anna eventually relented. "Alright, stay close to Crisis, okay?" Tuulikki nodded, and Anna slithered off with Patrick.
"Why is Anna always telling me to stay back? I'm a giant harpy. I can help her." Tuulikki said.
"Hey, Anna is just being protective of you. She sees you as her family too, so she wants to keep you safe. Anna cares about you a lot, you know?" Crisis said this to Tuulikki. Tuulikki nodded and smiled.
Anna and Patrick made it to the Deluran underground base. The men immediately screamed and ran inside! "Wait, I'm not going to eat you! I am looking for my little brother. His name is Ivan Demorrah. He must have come here recently. You might not recognize me, but it's me, Anna. I used to be your comrade thirteen years ago."
One of the Delurans came out to talk to her. She was visibly scared. Anna understood that she was chosen to talk to her. "Anna Demorrah was eaten by Crisis thirteen years ago. She's dead, so you can't be her.
"I know, it's difficult to believe, but it's really me. I don't know how it happened, but after Crisis digested me, I came back to life as a giant Naga. I will prove it to you. I know all of your protocols and procedures. It was thirteen years ago, but I still remember all of it." Anna began telling them all of their procedures, which surprised them.
However, they were still in disbelief. "It's her. I was her friend since we were children. I know she has grown a lot, but she is still the girl I knew all my life." Patrick said.
Unfortunately, the Delurans recognized him. "Wait, you are a deserter! Five of our men got eaten by Katrika because of you!"
"They were eventually going to get eaten anyway. The Deluran government doesn't care about you! To them, you are the trash of society. You are here to mine minerals for them to make them rich. Then they will leave you here to be eaten! If you ever want to go back home, you will have to trust us! Quick working for a government that doesn't care about you and come with us!" Anna shouted.
At that moment, Ivan came out. "No! I am not going anywhere with you! You know, I used to blame Crisis for all my pain, but I realized you are to blame too. When we were kids, you promised to always protect me! So where were you those past twelve years? Oh yeah, you were busy playing and having fun with the monster that ate you. Why didn't you try to rescue me sooner?"
Anna's eyes started welling up with tears, and Patrick started to get upset. "That's enough! You are an ungrateful little ass! Anna and I traveled to Negav, Hweg Varr, and Delurah to rescue you! We had to fight a zombie naga, a giant werewolf, and a giant mech! We even had to orchestrate a prison break just to rescue you, and this is how you repay us? Not to mention, we had a friend named Alexios who died in the process. Anna wanted to convince you to come back with kind words, but I think you need an ass kicking!" Patrick yelled.
"Patrick, please calm down. You aren't helping." Anna said.
"I'm sorry, Anna. But he is really starting to piss me off! Doesn't he know all the trouble we went through to rescue him? I really want to punch him in the face!" Patrick said.
Anna worked to calm down her boyfriend. However, Ivan was dead silent. It looks like Patrick's rant had an effect on him. However, before he could respond, Lily, Belletia, and Tilhian appeared!
Anna saw them and immediately tensed up! "What do you want?"
"The humans want war, don't they? Well, not they got it! We are going to kill them all!" Lily said. Then she used her plant magic to break through the underground base and fill it with water! This forced all the Delurans to run out! As soon as all the Delurans were outside, Lily and her friends attacked!
Anna rushed to defend her comrades, and Tilhian tackled her. The force knocked Patrick off, and Tilhian grabbed him. Tilhian was a voracious giant naga! She was purple with black hair and grey eyes. She almost swallowed Milly whole thirteen years ago! She used to be Malika's lover, but Malika dumped her for Vivian. Tilhian was really depressed after this. Tilhian saw how happy Crisis and her friends were, and this made her very jealous! Her depression turned to anger, and she is a dangerous enemy for Crisis and her friends!
Tilhian brought Patrick up to her face. "So, this is the human that melted the grumpy naga's heart. You look so delicious! You will make a nice snack for me."
Tilhian brought Patrick to her mouth and opened wide! She was about to swallow him, but Anna managed to electricute her with her tail! Tilhian cried out in pain and dropped Patrick. Anna quickly grabbed Patrick, got on top of Tilhian, and placed her in a chokehold!
Unfortunately, Belletia swooped down and began clawing on Anna's head! Because of this, Tilhian managed to get free. Tuulikki saw that Anna was in trouble, and she flew in to help her! Tuulikki attacked Belletia, and the two giant harpies flew into the sky.
"Why are you doing this? Leave these humans alone. They have done nothing to you." Tuulikki said.
"Done nothing to me? They killed my little niece! When they blasted down the great tree, all of us began flying, and the humans began launching missiles at us. Many of my kind were killed, including my little mousemuncher! Lily is right! We need to kill them all!" Belletia said.
Unfortunately, Belletia was bigger and stronger, so she was dominating Tuulikki. Anna wanted to help her, but Tilhian quickly attacked her from behind. Anna elbowed her and continued her fight with Tilhian. However, Tuulikki thought of an idea. If she couldn't defeat Belletia, then she could at least distract her until the others finished their fight.
Belletia tried to pin Tuulikki against a tree and crush her, but Tuulikki managed to break free and fly away. Belletia chased after her ,but since Tuulikki was smaller and agile, she was able to fit through tight spaces, which gave Belletia a lot of trouble.
During the commotion, the Delurans tried to flee into the forest, but they were stopped by Lily. She used her plant magic to block their way. Then she used her plants to start killing them! She saw Ivan trying to flee, and she grabbed him with her plants. Lily gave a malicious smile as she prepared to suck the life out of him! Ivan screamed in horror as Lily plant pierced him and began sucking the life energy out of him.
Fortunately, Crisis rushed in to save him! She smacked Lily with her giant tail and crushed the plants to save Ivan. Crisis quickly grabbed Ivan and put him in her cleavage to protect him. Ivan was surprised. He always hated Crisis for eating his sister, but Crisis just saved him from a horrible fate. He realized that his treatment of Crisis was wrong. That even though Crisis ate his sister and inadvertently led to his prison sentence, she was a good person. He realized that he owed Crisis and his sister a big apology.
Lily glared at Crisis. "Crisis, I should have known the human lover would come in to save them. To think that you would throw away our friendship for the same violent species that killed my sister. You really do disgust me!"
"No, you threw away our friendship when you tried to kill my best friend! Why can't you just believe that there are also good humans? That each individual human is a unique creature? Why do you insist that all humans are evil?" Crisis shouted.
"Shut up! You have no idea what it's like to lose someone you love. You lived your whole life being pampered by the fairies. Living innocently without experiencing true suffering like I have. If a human killed the person you hold most dear, you will finally see my point of view."
"You're wrong, Lily. I used to think that humans were just talking food, but now I know better. I know that each human is unique. I will never let hatred consume me like it has consumed you!"
Lily didn't respond. She just launched many plant attacks against Crisis! Crisis dodged them with her quick reflexes, but Ivan fell out of her cleavage in the commotion. Before Crisis could grab him, Lily immediately tackled her and pinned her against a tree. Lily began punching Crisis repeatedly until Crisis managed to deliver a powerful headbutt to Lily's nose! Crisis tripped Lily with her tail and reached for her wings to rip them off! Lily managed to stop her, and the two former friends engaged in a fierce struggle!
Suddenly, Temi and other fairies appeared and immediately stopped the fight. "That's enough! Lily, take your friends and head to the fairy kingdom now!"
Lily nodded, and Tilhian and Belletia left with her. But before she left, she gave Crisis a look of poison. Anna and Tuulikki regrouped with Crisis after their fights with Lily's friends.
"Thank you for helping us, Mama, but what are we going to do about these humans? Their base has been destroyed by Lily, and we can't afford to take another trip to Cypress or Marsha." Crisis said to Temi.
"Don't worry, the human army is heading this way. That's why I came here so I could bring you back quickly. The human army will take care of them. They have no reason to harm them." Crisis nodded.
Anna heard the conversation and explained the situation to the Delurans.the Delurans understood the situation and agreed to wait for the humans to rescue them. However, Ivan wanted to go back with Anna!
"Wait, I want to go back with you, Anna. I'm sorry I was such an asshole. Please take me with you. I love you, big sis." Ivan said.
Anna smiled warmly and picked up her little brother as they made their way back to the fairy kingdom. When they got there, Anna set Ivan and Patrick down so they could have a chat.
"Patrick, you were right. I was an ungrateful little ass. I'm really sorry. I'm so grateful for everything you did to rescue me. I promise I will make it up to you. Anna, I am sorry for placing blame on you for my suffering. You did everything you could to save me. I'm happy to have you as my sister." Then Anna gave him a really tight hug. The hug was so tight that Ivan thought he would suffocate.
After Ivan reconciled with his sister and Patrick, he wanted to talk to Crisis. "Hey, Crisis, can I talk to you for a moment?"
Crisis nodded and slithered over to him. "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"
"Why did you save me from Lily? I said I wished you were dead! I set up your boyfriend to get kidnapped by nekos so they could attempt to kill you. I was so horrible to you. Why didn't you just let Lily kill me?" Ivan asked.
"Because Anna is my friend, and she cares deeply about you. I know she would have been heartbroken if you died, so I rushed to save you." Crisis said.
"But I was so horrible to you. Everyone I knew would have just let me die. Do you care about my sister that much?" Ivan asked.
"Yes, I care about Anna a lot she is a very dear friend to me. But I also saved you for another reason. I know you hate me for eating Anna, but I've changed. I told you this speech before, so what I am trying to say is that everyone deserves a second chance. If I can change for the better, then so can you. I wasn't going to let Lily take that chance away from you. But in order for you to change for the better, you have to let your hatred of me go. Ivan, can you forgive me for eating Anna?" Crisis asked.
Ivan was crying. "Yes, I forgive you. Can you forgive me for all the terrible things I did to you?"
Crisis nodded. "Yes, I forgive you, Ivan." Then Crisis hugged Ivan while he was crying.
Crisis was happy that she and Anna were able to reconcile with Ivan, but she knew that she had a new problem with Lily. Crisis knew that Lily would pose a big threat to any chance they would have for peace with the humans. She knew that the two of them would fight again.
To be continued...
Felarya character credits:
Anna, Crisis, Temi,Subeta ,Lily,Belletia, Melany, and Lea belong to Karbo
Tilhian belongs to FrenchSnack