X Marks the Faerie

"Night so quickly?" Sindri questioned looking to the sky.

"No....not night, those are thick, dark clouds holding back the sunlight!" I exclaimed.

"Clouds blocking the sunlight....oh, no. Trolls," He said looking worried.

Trolls have the ability to control clouds, it helps them stay alive considering the sun's direct light will turn them to stone and it helps them in capturing faeries and boiling them into stews. Apparently faeries taste better than anything else the forest has to offer, and faeries more commonly come out in the daytime.

"Where's Gaylen and Saerien??" I became ecstatic.

"They're probably just on the other side of those fallen trees we'll just..."He stopped talking and fell to the ground, holding his arm.

Behind him, I saw what was a log, shapeshift into a Troll. Twelve feet tall, pale green skin and distorted features, they didn't look pretty. The troll had obviously just scratched Sindri with his claws. A troll's claws had the ability to send basically anyone into a state of paralyzing euphoria. I started to run but was thwarted by a net being thrown on me from behind.

"This faerie has no wings, maybe we can keeps it," A troll's voice from behind me said.

"Yes, but after we eats a leg or two. Lets take our spoils home before its friends come looking!" The first troll said as it picked up Sindri.

Trolls were known for their strength so, not putting up a fight, I let the troll pick me up and loft me over his shoulder and carry me to wherever he was taking me. I just hoped that I could think of a plan before we became Faerie stew.
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I looked around to see that it was now dark. I could hear voices, and I could hear Kysha’s voice. I climbed to my feet and looked around again. My eyes were adjusting to the darkness, but not as quickly as I wanted them to. I heard a whimper, and a small cry. I stumbled towards the source and found a weird furry creature. The quake must have shaken up a lot of creatures and their homes. I bent down to the creature’s level.

“Hey there. I’m not going to hurt you. Can you tell me where it hurts?” I asked the strange creature.

Then I heard someone whisper my name, but I brushed it off and focused my attention on the furry creature. It looked somewhat like a cross between a rabbit and a koala bear. The creature sniffed and rubbed its eyes. It looked up at me and then clung to me like it was hanging on for dear life. I chuckled a little bit. “Momma.” Oh boy. I thought to myself. “I’m not a girl, but I can be your friend. Tell me your name little guy.”

The creature looked at me with its big, round brown eyes and smiled, “My name is Giral. I’m a Bangdi.” I looked at Giral with a confused look on my face. “A Bangdi…?”

Giral nodded and I heard my name again. Giral heard it too, and leapt off me and ran towards the source. I heard Saerien scream a little, and I rushed after Giral and saw Giral bearing its fangs at Saerien and lifting her over its head.

“Giral! No! She’s my friend,” I told it when I got close to them.

Giral carefully put Saerien on the ground. I was shocked that Giral could even lift her. He was so tiny, and she was so big.

Saerien brushed herself off and glared at Giral, “A Bangdi. Of course you would be present during a troll attack.”

I looked at Saerien and she read my mind. Giral growled but Saerien continued on,“Bangdis enjoy manipulating people. They may pretend like they’re hurt and then they attach themselves to you like you’re their surrogate parent.”

I looked over at Giral, “Is this true Giral? You tricked me?”

Saerien interrupted, “They work with the trolls. They help capture their lunch in turn for passage through the Forbidden Forest.”

I shook my head in disbelief, “The Forbidden Forest? What’s so great about it?”

Since the cat was out of the bag, Giral explained more. “The fruit is plentiful, and it’s a safe zone for small creatures like myself. I have to worry about getting picked up by a Gryphon or a Cooper Hawk because of my size. Of course we’re going to bargain to get a safer place to live,” It stated and crossed his arms.

“Well, I think you should be on your way. We don’t want your company,” Saerien said but I stepped in.

“No. That’s not true. I think that if you help us with our journey, we’ll take care of the trolls and you’ll be able to live in peace without having to help again after this one time,” I concluded.

Giral seemed to think about it for a minute before nodding. Saerien just stared at me, “Have you not seen a troll? They’re massive in size and they are strong. Not only that, you do see that they control weather?”

I laughed, “Come on. I’ve read books. Trolls are incredibly stupid. We can fool them with our smarts.”

Saerien seemed to think about this and then nodded, “Alright, if you can come up with a plan, I’ll follow you on it, but right now we need to head to the Trolls’ den and save Sindri and Kysha before they become dinner.”

That was all Saerien had to say for me to get started. Giral attached itself to me and pointed out the way to the Trolls’ den..