A/N: These are some of my favorite characters. As you can see, I used their names in my Squiby pets. Please level them up! :-D I decided to use them in a story that will eventually involve more tickling, but for now it's just distant memory. Enjoy!!
-Ticklitis
------
Chapter 1: Giants
Nephele is a wanderer. She enjoys rushing about the leaves, and causing a stir to their crackles in autumn. She was also one of the last Lae born this season, right before the swift blanket of white barreled down between the naked boughs. It was always a difficult winter in Lae Timberland, but Nephele had beaten odds when the leaf which carried her broke from a small, twiggy branch shortly before the first storm struck. She was one of the last leaves to fall this autumn, a dark magenta that was much different from her brilliant yellow and orange colored siblings. Her eyes were a light blue, shining brilliantly under her almost purple hair. Her skin was also slightly tan, allowing her to blend in with the trees. It wasn't very often that such a stunning beauty was born, but her morbidity was less efficient. She was prone to disease, especially during winter when she could easily catch a cold that may develop into pneumonia.
Normally, the last leaf to fall is already crackled, wilted like a flower at the end of spring. The Lae which reside inside the leaf is still born when the leaf is turning from purple to brown. It makes Nephele a rarity, and she is considered a special Autumn Child for perseverance. When the storm hit, she had taken refuge in the elder's house underneath her tree's roots, and was shielded from the cold. The elder was considered Nephele's old mother because they became inseparable. Then Nephele had grown into delicate young Lae who loved playing with her siblings, cousins, and friends.
The young Lae was now rushing passed flower buds developing on the trees. The first sign of spring, and she was turning eighteen this year, a record for one so frail. Nephele was also agile, and what she lacked in resistance, she gained through the speed of her wings--as long as raindrops didn't fall too strongly. When she was limited, she would call one of her two mythical friends: Quill or Bracken. Quill was a griffin, more shaped like a falcon than an eagle. He could fly high, and the raindrops didn't bother his wings. Bracken was her best friend since they were young, but Nephele new he was awaiting their marriage, and she was resistant to their coupling. She didn't want to lose her best friend.
On this particular day, however, Nephele was nervous even though she didn't need assistance. In the distance, she could see a strange site coming closer and closer to her wood. She stopped shyly when she found the source of the commotion. Who ever they were, they were loud and rough about the edges, almost like some of the Lae in Timberland. She sat daintily and unnoticed until there was a sound CHOP! Nephele felt her stomach lurch when she observed the tree's sharp indent. Even though Nephele couldn't feel or sense pain coming from the tree, she worried for the young leaves waiting to be birthed. She cried out, but the loud noises of the chopping, and the voices talking wouldn't stop. When nothing deterred the strange men from continuing, the tree finally toppled with a loud, hoarse, "TIIIIIIIMMMBEEEERRR".
Eventually a chilled wind started to stir. There was going to be a storm that evening, and Nephele hopelessly debated trying to stop the choppers; however, she was finally relieved when they stopped, and she stared longingly at the tree stumps left behind. Biting her lip, she flew back quickly and relayed her events to the old mother.
"With just one of me, I'm nothing more than a speck of the dust to them!" Nephele shouted loudly. "We need to go together, Mother...to make a swarm so large they'll want to leave!"
The old mother looked at her sadly. "No Nephie. I've lived long and there is nothing we can do. They have something much worse planned if they cannot get just some of the trees without hindrance."
And she was right. The old mother was one of the last remaining Lae of a different. When she tried to stand against the big creatures, they had mistaken them for blood sucking mosquitoes or other insects. They had died under the chemical spray.
"Leave it alone, my dear. Perhaps none of our trees will be touched, and we can move on." She said to soothe Nephele as she wrapped a blanket around the fragile beauty. Standing up, Nephele darted out from under the brush before running toward Quill. Wet from the rain, she dried off and huddled close to her feathered friend. Despite many myths, the Griffin Quill had retreated into the forest, and was magicking himself to be smaller than he really was.
"What's wrong Nephele?" he asked while his feathers tickled her skin gently. She rubbed his shoulder.
"It's the strange things in the woods. I wish I could talk to them." She replied quietly. "I wish they could see and hear me."
Quill looked around quietly. "I'm not supposed to tell you this Nephele, but I might be able to make you bigger, but I don't know if I'll be able to change you back. I've never done this trick on someone else before."
Nephele,a rare beauty, could be married quickly under good fortune, but decided to follow Quill's plan. She would leave Lae Timberland in order to save her family's trees, and stood with defiance. "No. I'll do this!" She looked toward the hollow where her old Mother was humming a tune, rocking in rhythm. Not wanting to depart on uncivil terms, she mounted Quill's back, and returned her gaze once more. She would miss her, her and Bracken who would tickle her until she was warm with laughter. He was her best friend now and throughout her childhood. Not wanting to say farewell, she asked Quill to fly until he found the giant's settlement. She was going to request that they stop under her terms!
"Ok Quill..." she said, but sounded similar to a cricket to the men in the surrounding area. Once she was their size, however, the men stared at her immaculate beauty. They were charmed, infatuated. Feeling uneasy under their gaze, Nephele blushed. She was still shy about her own beauty, and didn't appreciate men staring at her all the time. It made her nervous, and she couldn't find marriage easily because of it. She wanted more than just staring. She wanted love.
"Hello..." she stated awkwardly. She was slightly dumbfounded, and became frustrated when she couldn't speak. She had stage fright, and when one of the men dropped his coffee, she snapped out of her confusion just as frightened as he was. The man couldn't believe was he was seeing. Being an atheist, he didn't believe in mythic creatures, the paranormal, or even god. Looking Nephele up and down, however, he wasn't sure what he was angriest with: her fakewings or dyed hair. This was certainly a trick!
"Who are you!?" He snapped. He was blunt, and shouting didn't help Nephele's confidence.
"Um...I..want..." She miserably failed, and quickly stepped backward.
"Don't you know it's dangerous out here! You could get hurt. How old are you anyway!?"
Nephele appeared young for her age, and despite her trembling a few more questions were shouted in her direction. The last question, however, was what brought her to the reason she was here.
"HOW DID YOU GET HERE ANYWAY!?"
"I live here." Nephele stated confidently. "I live over there, under that tree. Please leave some of these trees. My family needs them."
The atheist didn't believe Nephele, and grabbed her by the arm. She seethed, quickly obeying because she was still fragile. Then she felt a hand on her wing, and she desperately pleaded with the atheist. "Please...oh please don't!! I need my wings, they're all I've got!"
Noticing Nephele was frightened, the atheist quickly relented from removing her wings. He could be ruthless, but the fear in the young woman's heart was enough for him to leave the lifelike costume alone. What this girl was doing in the woods alone, he could only question until she was capable of speaking. That was quite difficult, he realized, when he was yelling at her.
Then he noticed Nephele's shivers had continued. She was cold, and he quickly asked one of his men to bring a blanket. He didn't realize it yet, but he was already in love with the young Lae.
To be continued....
-Ticklitis
------
Chapter 1: Giants
Nephele is a wanderer. She enjoys rushing about the leaves, and causing a stir to their crackles in autumn. She was also one of the last Lae born this season, right before the swift blanket of white barreled down between the naked boughs. It was always a difficult winter in Lae Timberland, but Nephele had beaten odds when the leaf which carried her broke from a small, twiggy branch shortly before the first storm struck. She was one of the last leaves to fall this autumn, a dark magenta that was much different from her brilliant yellow and orange colored siblings. Her eyes were a light blue, shining brilliantly under her almost purple hair. Her skin was also slightly tan, allowing her to blend in with the trees. It wasn't very often that such a stunning beauty was born, but her morbidity was less efficient. She was prone to disease, especially during winter when she could easily catch a cold that may develop into pneumonia.
Normally, the last leaf to fall is already crackled, wilted like a flower at the end of spring. The Lae which reside inside the leaf is still born when the leaf is turning from purple to brown. It makes Nephele a rarity, and she is considered a special Autumn Child for perseverance. When the storm hit, she had taken refuge in the elder's house underneath her tree's roots, and was shielded from the cold. The elder was considered Nephele's old mother because they became inseparable. Then Nephele had grown into delicate young Lae who loved playing with her siblings, cousins, and friends.
The young Lae was now rushing passed flower buds developing on the trees. The first sign of spring, and she was turning eighteen this year, a record for one so frail. Nephele was also agile, and what she lacked in resistance, she gained through the speed of her wings--as long as raindrops didn't fall too strongly. When she was limited, she would call one of her two mythical friends: Quill or Bracken. Quill was a griffin, more shaped like a falcon than an eagle. He could fly high, and the raindrops didn't bother his wings. Bracken was her best friend since they were young, but Nephele new he was awaiting their marriage, and she was resistant to their coupling. She didn't want to lose her best friend.
On this particular day, however, Nephele was nervous even though she didn't need assistance. In the distance, she could see a strange site coming closer and closer to her wood. She stopped shyly when she found the source of the commotion. Who ever they were, they were loud and rough about the edges, almost like some of the Lae in Timberland. She sat daintily and unnoticed until there was a sound CHOP! Nephele felt her stomach lurch when she observed the tree's sharp indent. Even though Nephele couldn't feel or sense pain coming from the tree, she worried for the young leaves waiting to be birthed. She cried out, but the loud noises of the chopping, and the voices talking wouldn't stop. When nothing deterred the strange men from continuing, the tree finally toppled with a loud, hoarse, "TIIIIIIIMMMBEEEERRR".
Eventually a chilled wind started to stir. There was going to be a storm that evening, and Nephele hopelessly debated trying to stop the choppers; however, she was finally relieved when they stopped, and she stared longingly at the tree stumps left behind. Biting her lip, she flew back quickly and relayed her events to the old mother.
"With just one of me, I'm nothing more than a speck of the dust to them!" Nephele shouted loudly. "We need to go together, Mother...to make a swarm so large they'll want to leave!"
The old mother looked at her sadly. "No Nephie. I've lived long and there is nothing we can do. They have something much worse planned if they cannot get just some of the trees without hindrance."
And she was right. The old mother was one of the last remaining Lae of a different. When she tried to stand against the big creatures, they had mistaken them for blood sucking mosquitoes or other insects. They had died under the chemical spray.
"Leave it alone, my dear. Perhaps none of our trees will be touched, and we can move on." She said to soothe Nephele as she wrapped a blanket around the fragile beauty. Standing up, Nephele darted out from under the brush before running toward Quill. Wet from the rain, she dried off and huddled close to her feathered friend. Despite many myths, the Griffin Quill had retreated into the forest, and was magicking himself to be smaller than he really was.
"What's wrong Nephele?" he asked while his feathers tickled her skin gently. She rubbed his shoulder.
"It's the strange things in the woods. I wish I could talk to them." She replied quietly. "I wish they could see and hear me."
Quill looked around quietly. "I'm not supposed to tell you this Nephele, but I might be able to make you bigger, but I don't know if I'll be able to change you back. I've never done this trick on someone else before."
Nephele,a rare beauty, could be married quickly under good fortune, but decided to follow Quill's plan. She would leave Lae Timberland in order to save her family's trees, and stood with defiance. "No. I'll do this!" She looked toward the hollow where her old Mother was humming a tune, rocking in rhythm. Not wanting to depart on uncivil terms, she mounted Quill's back, and returned her gaze once more. She would miss her, her and Bracken who would tickle her until she was warm with laughter. He was her best friend now and throughout her childhood. Not wanting to say farewell, she asked Quill to fly until he found the giant's settlement. She was going to request that they stop under her terms!
"Ok Quill..." she said, but sounded similar to a cricket to the men in the surrounding area. Once she was their size, however, the men stared at her immaculate beauty. They were charmed, infatuated. Feeling uneasy under their gaze, Nephele blushed. She was still shy about her own beauty, and didn't appreciate men staring at her all the time. It made her nervous, and she couldn't find marriage easily because of it. She wanted more than just staring. She wanted love.
"Hello..." she stated awkwardly. She was slightly dumbfounded, and became frustrated when she couldn't speak. She had stage fright, and when one of the men dropped his coffee, she snapped out of her confusion just as frightened as he was. The man couldn't believe was he was seeing. Being an atheist, he didn't believe in mythic creatures, the paranormal, or even god. Looking Nephele up and down, however, he wasn't sure what he was angriest with: her fakewings or dyed hair. This was certainly a trick!
"Who are you!?" He snapped. He was blunt, and shouting didn't help Nephele's confidence.
"Um...I..want..." She miserably failed, and quickly stepped backward.
"Don't you know it's dangerous out here! You could get hurt. How old are you anyway!?"
Nephele appeared young for her age, and despite her trembling a few more questions were shouted in her direction. The last question, however, was what brought her to the reason she was here.
"HOW DID YOU GET HERE ANYWAY!?"
"I live here." Nephele stated confidently. "I live over there, under that tree. Please leave some of these trees. My family needs them."
The atheist didn't believe Nephele, and grabbed her by the arm. She seethed, quickly obeying because she was still fragile. Then she felt a hand on her wing, and she desperately pleaded with the atheist. "Please...oh please don't!! I need my wings, they're all I've got!"
Noticing Nephele was frightened, the atheist quickly relented from removing her wings. He could be ruthless, but the fear in the young woman's heart was enough for him to leave the lifelike costume alone. What this girl was doing in the woods alone, he could only question until she was capable of speaking. That was quite difficult, he realized, when he was yelling at her.
Then he noticed Nephele's shivers had continued. She was cold, and he quickly asked one of his men to bring a blanket. He didn't realize it yet, but he was already in love with the young Lae.
To be continued....
