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Caroline laughs. "Aye, it does. My wee Rojiza is quite fond of shiny objects. She has quite the little collection of trinkets an' baubles, aye?" She nods. "Mayhap they'll be useful if we come to meet the fae."

Silver walked effortlessly alongside her wagon, enjoying the cool forest air and the shifting shadows that made the forest feel alive. After their unusually long stay in the Sheulan those several months ago, Silver had decided forests were where she was most at home. Khevashi was in a very good mood as well. For the most part he was perched on the wagon roof, keeping watch over his family, but now and again he would fly off and hide in the trees, waiting for his sister to spot him. The first time he disappeared, Silver had been worried. She couldn't see him and he had been gone for quite some time. Finally, Aisrhan, who was quite enjoying having the driver's seat of the wagon all to herself, exclaimed, "I see you, 'Vashi!" and pointed excitedly. Silver watched with amazement as he seemed to materialize out of thin air, cawing and swooping out of a tall tree playfully. So then it was a game. Khevashi would hide and Aisrhan would look for him. Silver had no idea how Aisrhan could see him. Maybe she could sense her brother through the meij? No matter how the girl did it, Silver never once caught the crow before Aisrhan yelled "I see you!" and dissolved into giggles. Silver smiled and shook her head, letting them play and becoming distracted by her own thoughts.
It had been such a strange dream... but Mherudyn's fortunes wer usually just that: a strange dream that needed to be deciphered. Falling further and further into the memory of the dream, Silver felt the heavy weight of guilt upon her shoulders once again. She had been glad it wasn't Aisrhan this time and then so angry at herself... guilty, feeling so guilty that she could even think such thoughts. The forest was no longer comforting, but a prison. She felt claustrophobic, as though the trees themselves had resolved to punish her for being glad it was someone else's child. A caw. Giggles. Khevashi. Aisrhan. Silver came to her senses as Khevashi swooped back toward them again, landing once more on the wagon roof. Silver smiled weakly and kept walking. She tried to shove all thoughts of Mherudyn's twisted prediction from her mind as she observed her family rolling along ahead of and behind her, spotting a Fortunette child or animal here and there. Once again she found herself enjoying the forest. She couldn't help it. It was so beautiful. Surely not all predictions came true?

At last, after two days of uneventful travelling, winnowing their caravan through the trees with a slow but deft ease, Valelldia finally felt her insecurities begin to fade, somewhat, and she called for the wagontrain to moor itself at the end of the travelling day.

As the gypsies wandered about, settling their load animals in for the night, and pulling the wagons in a haphazard circle, off-kilter for the sake of the intrusion of trees and brambles and such, Valelldia sat upon her leadseat, away from the others who manuevered in the midst of the great circle. She watched them silently- protectively- her elbows and knees atop one another. They seemed safe, and they were cooking something heavenly-smelling in the cooking pot. It nearly drew the watcher into center of the circle. ...And it was not Valelldia.

Outside the view of any of the gypsies, a tree leaned forward- and seemed... of all things, to inhale- its leaves shuddering pleasurably and its bark expanding a mite. Then, it settled back into its original place, but tipped its leafy head to one side to watch the gypsies better. It would not move again- but seemed content, instead, to watch the newcomers- and to admire, as it always did, those shining white stones that sat on the ground near Weathered Melody.

The music drew others to the wagon train. ...And not gypsies. Or trees.

The small pink and green creatures were flat, small forms of color up in the highest of the trees. Only when they flitted between them did their bodies flash in a bright pinprick of dazzling light- however, they were high enough up in the tall trees that it would be unlikely that any below would regard the sight.

A lanky green female- lanky in that she was nearly an eighth of an inch taller than her sisters and brothers- came to the foreground, flitting out from behind the others and away from the protection of the trees. She was the uncontested leader of their little group, and so, when she pointed downward at the assembled gypsies, pointing off forms and assigning them to the fae behind her, they obeyed, smiling and laughing their trilling laugh. They readied- but only three came forward. The others held back, waiting for their turn.

Down below, with the gypsies headed towards the music, it is unknown how many would have realized that, without even a flash of light... a very few of them... had disappeared.



Kalpana was confused, finding herself at the base of a great tree. A single birdcall was in the distance- but otherwise, only silence. Where was the wagontrain? Where was anyone?



Less at ease... would be Anezka, who did not possess the sole confusion of an animal outside of its home- she would know that something was wrong. She found herself- one blink she had been with the others, and now, for all she knew, miles away, in a moss-floored section of the forest, thin trees with lightly colored bark upon them.



And the other two that found themselves gone- were gone together. Miles away, deep into the forest, and near a slight stream... brother and sister... stared at each other. The leopard and the canary's mother... was nowhere to be seen.

Days later, when the caravan circles itself, Caroline busies herself with dancing, as well as the music. She doesn't get herself too costumed up--after all, it isn't a performance, it's family. She does circle around the fire, twirling and adding her own ululating voice to the song. She sees too many things at once to notice a disappearance.

Rojiza, whose feelings are a mix of ease in the forest and discomfort at its pressing presence, had taken sort of a 'babysitter' stance. She keeps watch over the wee ones, mainly the infants. She feels that the animals in the caravan may know instinctually how to protect themselves, and the children like herself...she had no place to watch over. She does, however, notice that Anezka, her friend, had made herself absent. Frowning, she wanders 'round, weaving through wagons, looking for her.

Marissa clapped as Caroline danced. She was enjoying herself greatly, and remembered fondly when some of the other children had danced around a fire such as this. She turned to where Anzeka had been sitting.

"Ani, why don't you join--" her voice fell flat when she realized Anzeka was not where she had been. She leaned over and tapped Leshya'e on the shoulder. "Lesh?" she asked, puzzled, "Where's Ani?"

Heather turned her head back to Amkia and suddenly he wasn't there. She screamed, so loudly. Tears immediatly fell from her eyes. "AMKIA!!!!" She wasn't worried about Kala, the cat could look after herself but if they were together? Oh no... "Amkia..." She whispered the last word jumping from her caravan and untieing one of her horses. She had to go find them.

Kala had found the strange event most amusing especially as Amkia was sitting in front of her. Her tail flicked and her green eyes looked around them. Her mother wasn't in sight and nor were any of the other people. She smiled in her own feline way before stretching then shifting the dirt under her claws.

Amkia was terrified if that was the right word to use. He had been happy next to his mother and was now stuck with the sister who wanted to kill him. He might be young but he knew his sister well enough, she could feel his fear and he could feel her hate. This wasn't going to be good.

Lorelei's hands stilled on her harp, and she set it down, reaching out and grabbing Vanna's hand. She pulled the girl close, enveloping her in a tight embrace. "What...?" Amkia never left Heather's side - and if Heather's scream was any indication, Amkia was... lost.

As she looked around, she noted others oddly not there. She didn't raise the alarm just yet, though, as she didn't know who was supposed to be there. Had Kalpana come with Irina? Had Anezka come with Lesh? She couldn't be sure...

Still, the abrupt end to the music set the tone - something was wrong. Very wrong.