OMYGANDALF THAT IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was the first one to be put in the story! Yay! And I love how you portrayed my personality- (at least for this) awesome! And Queen Brightstar...is controlling me? Oh no! I cannot believe I left my sisters all alone!

Hazel says ifod. I don't know what she's talking about. I'm not letting her get an iPod until she's 11. 

I know this is filled but......*kittin eyes* can I join?

This is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!

Part Three

~~

The dappled shadows slid over Owlgirl's head as she traveled through the woods. Leaves crunched and crackled beneath her feet as she wandered. Frowning at her companion, she shook her head in disbelief. "Damian, I know you're lying. Queen Brightstar can't possibly be coming here. She'd never bother with that kind of thing." Damian shook his head, smirking.

"I know it's true, Owly. I heard it myself. Those silly townsers are chatterin' about it allathe time," he said. "Apparently she's already gone and got herself two real worlders to help wit' this peacekeeping mission. Personally, I don't trust 'er an inch. I'd rather follow a worm than that slippery snake of Moonlight's."

"Damian!" Owlgirl said, playfully bopping her friend on the head. Damian ducked aside, chuckling. But after a moment his expression darkened and he ran around and stopped her.

"'N all honesty, though, Owly, you really ought not to trust her," he said quietly, his amber eyes flashing. Owlgirl stopped, bemused.

"Damian, what is all this about? She's our queen! And she's trying to fix Moonlight's mistakes. What do you have against her?" Damian sighed, shaking his russet head.

"I jus' have a bad feelin' about this, Owlgirl. A premonition, call it." Owlgirl's face creased into a worry, but she then shook her head.

"You're crazy, fox. She's perfectly fine." She skipped around Damian, who twitched his tail impatiently. "I'm going into town now," she called over her shoulder. "Bree's coming too." The owl swooped down from a branch, landing on her shoulder. Bouncing away to the town, she left the fox standing on his own at the edge of the forest.

He shook his narrow head, fear pressing down on his chest. "I hope you're right, Owlgirl. I sure do hope you're right." 

***

Owlgirl danced through town, excitement coursing through her body. She got a few strange looks from passersby, but... she didn't really mind. It never helped her to care about what others thought of her. Only her opinion mattered to her. Ducking through a shortcut alleyway, she came out in the town square. A group of townspeople were clustered around a portalcut, the town mage keeping it alive. Finally he tossed it into the air and let it expand until a stately figure exited. Queen Brightstar's long black hair shimmered over her back, the tiara tightly nestled on her forehead. She stepped into the square, her eyes warm and smiling. Owlgirl gasped and shoved her way to the front of the crowd, Bree fluttering around her head.

Brightstar gazed around the crowd, her eyes sharp and thoughtful. Finally her eyes fell on a young boy with messy ginger hair. She turned back to the crowd, though she was looking a the boy out of the corner of her eye. "Good citizens of Brookvine! I've come on a very important mission, as you may have heard. I'm traveling the land looking for open minds and hearts to seek peace with the normal world." She tossed her hair, turning to face the boy. Owlgirl felt an irresistible urge in the pit of her stomach. As she watched Brightstar turn to the boy and open her mouth to speak, she burst out.

"Dear boy," said Brightstar, addressing him. "Would you like to--"

"I want to come with you!" shouted Owlgirl, shocked at her own audacity. The words caught in Brightstar's throat, and she seemed to choke for a second. Then she slowly turned to Owlgirl, her eyes wide. Owlgirl heard her mutter something like 'armseeker'. Or maybe it was 'carmbeaker'? Brightstar daintily stepped towards Owlgirl, her shoes clicking on the stone. The crowd moved back like a single entity to make way for the queen. Owlgirl shrank down, regretting her moment of outburst.

"Dear owl girl, would you care to join me at my palace?" she said unexpectedly. Owlgirl blinked. "I would be honored to have one as talented as you to serve as a diplomat for the normal world!" Bree flapped forwards, rustling her feathers. "And don't worry," Brightstar added. "Your dear little animal friend will be welcome as well. After all," she murmured, ensuring no one else could hear her. "We can't have an animalspeaker without her animals, now can we?" Owlgirl froze, shocked. How could Brightstar possibly know she was an animalspeaker?! "So, will you join me?"

Owlgirl paused, hesitant. She didn't like making big decisions on the spot, and she had Damian, her mother, and all other Brookvine Forest animals to worry about. "I... don't know," she said awkwardly. Brightstar grinned, showing her brilliant white teeth. She seemed a little stressed. Owlgirl hoped she hadn't caused it.

"I'm sure you'd love--" she broke of, looking strange. Was it anger? Worry? Even... fear? "I'm sure you'd love to join me. Please, I would love to have you." Owlgirl waited more, feeling the silence stretch out, then solidified her decision.

She nodded.

Brightstar laughed, smiling warmly. "WONderful! I'll take you to my palace now, and you can meet Miss Cleo and Leafpool!" Owlgirl reached out slowly, then grabbed the queen's hand. Brightstar pulled her into the portalcut, Bree shooting in after her. Owlgirl closed her eyes to the sudden blinding light. She felt a prick of fear.

There was no going back now.  

Part Four

~~

Leafpool awoke to a soft, dark warmth encasing her, closing her in. Panic shot through her, and she thrashed out against the darkness, tangling herself even more in the linen. Linen? Forcing her heart to stop pounding, she opened her eyes and shoved the covers off her. She was in a small room, with bright sunlight filtering in through a polished window. As she stepped out of the bed, still cautious, she noticed the shaggy rug tickling the soles of her feet. She walked over to the window, peering out. She was met with a grand scene of towers, gardens, and spires, all very intricate and very beautiful.

Her mind felt thick and foggy, as if someone had smashed her over the head. There was something bordering on the tip of her mind, but she simply couldn't recall what it was. In fact, she could barely think of where she was, or even why she was there. As she stared out the window, roving her thoughts, someone softly knocked on the door. Leafpool, jumped, still on edge, and turned around. She hesitantly opened the door, not sure who to expect. A round, pretty face framed with silk black hair greeted her. Queen Brightstar smiled, and the memories slammed into Leafpool like a tidal wave.

She tried not to show the internal torment that was pounding at her as she waved to Brightstar. Brightstar's eyes narrowed slightly, suspicious, but she quickly recovered and grinned at Leafpool. "Come to the dining hall, dear," she said in a cheerful voice. "Miss Cleo and Owlgirl are waiting there for us, and shortly I'll be departing to the real world to choose a lucky person from there to help us with our mission of peace!" Leafpool found it rather odd that she chose to call Cleo a 'miss' and not Owlgirl, but she supposed it was just a slip-up. She nodded, unable to speak for fear of being sick. She felt awful with all the memories scratching at her brain.

Brightstar led her into a tall, ornate hall with looming marble pillars and a curving, beautifully painted ceiling. A long oak table stretched in the middle of the hall, and two girls were already seated there. One had short brown hair like Leafpool, and a small owl perched on her shoulder. The other, seated next to who Leafpool presumed was Owlgirl, had dark, thick hair that curled at the ends. She looked happy, and brightly waved at Leafpool as she entered. That must be Cleo, Leafpool thought, sliding into the chair next to her. However, Leafpool did notice that Owlgirl seemed a little haunted, a tad bit scared. Leafpool felt almost the same way. Cleo, however, was as bright as the sun, and instantly struck up a conversation.

"Hiya! My name's Cleo. You're Leafpool, right?"

Leafpool nodded, faintly surprised she already knew her name. "Yeah, that's me. Where're you from?"

"I'm from the physical world, as some might call it, just like you." Now this really caught Leafpool off guard. Cleo was more than just airheaded, it seemed. Cleo smiled like she knew just what Leafpool was thinking. "I can tell from the way you hold yourself, from your clothing and from the way you speak." Leafpool cracked a smile, beginning to like Cleo.

"Oh, hey," said Owlgirl from behind Cleo, joining the girls' conversation. "I'm from this world, actually." Leafpool nodded, unsurprised. Owlgirl had an ethreal feel to her, like there was an aura surrounding her. Cleo grinned happily and started to chatter to Owlgirl. Leafpool felt herself drifting away, only catching snippets of the other two girls talking. Eventually her eyes wandered to the other side of the hall, to where Brightstar evidently focused on decorations. There were tapestries drooped everywhere, embroidered with dragons and mermaids and all kinds of fantastical creatures. The walls were outlined in gold, there was a painting of who Leafpool thought was Queen Moonlight, and two statues.

At first, Leafpool's eyes passed over the figures dismissivly. But as she looked at them more carefully, she noticed something she hadn't seen before. Both were in the same position; one leg daintily stretched out, hands clasped, heads raised. One statue was tall and lanky, with short-cut hair and freckles. The other was smaller, with soft hair that framed the round face. Their hands were closed around two flowers. Leafpool squinted to identify the plants, and felt a dull blow when she realized what they were. Ohhh... no, no... oh, don't worry. They'll be helped soon. At least, for now, they're safe. With an effort, she turned back to the conversation, away from the statues.

Away from the stone lavender and rose clasped in their stone hands.