Into the Forest

     "I've got to find it!"

     Papers flew and ripped as clawed hands tore through them. Books, manuscripts, even ancient scrolls flew through the air as a girl desperately searched for answers. 

     "Aha," she cried as she raised the piece of paper she needed in the air triumphantly. She ran to her messy desk and threw the paper down so it could finally join its brethren. As she taped the last piece of the puzzle in place, she couldn't help bust let loose a wicked smile. At last. She had completed the map to the coveted Forest Sprite.

     When Zindrerre was young, she had been told the tale of the Forest Sprite more times than she could remember. It told the story of a magical entity that hid itself away in a magical forest forgotten by man, and if one managed to find it, it would grant them a single wish. Zindrerre, always one to plan ahead, had devoted all her free time to proving that old tale was real, to finding the way to the Sprite, in case she would one day need a strategic wish. Thank Circe she had, because boy, did she have a wish to make. 

     A few months ago, Zindrerre's girlfriend Chorynth-the heir to the Dragon Lord throne and practically her fiancée- had broken up with her and moved to the human world. Well, she didn't officially break up with her or casually move away; she had to flee the kingdom following a rigged fight to the death with her mother-the current Dragon Lord. But she didn't even come by to say she was leaving or even ask Zindrerre to run away with her! How romantic would that have been? And then, to rub salt in an open wound, she finds Chorynth dating some other woman! A human at that! That lowly creature did not deserve her precious Chi-Chi. She had to get her back, and she was willing to so at any cost. Snatching her makeshift map and stuffing it into her messenger bag, she ran out of her house and slammed the door, not stopping to lock it.

     "It has to be around here somewhere..." Zindrerre sighed. She had been searching for three-or was it four now?-days for this Sprite, not even counting the time it took her to even make it to the forest itself. This entity sure knew how to hide itself. Plus, she had no idea what to look for. Every single literature gave a different description; some ranging from a fairy-like creature the size of a human thumb to a giant, bark covered terror that towered over 50 feet tall. She curled her upper lip in a deep, throaty snarl, letting the world know exactly what she thought of it. She was not one who had the luxury of knowing defeat.

     At last, she stumbled into a clearing. While the rest of the forest was a dark, perpetual night, this clearing seemed of eternal day. Zindrerre immediately knew this was the spot. 

     "Forest Sprite," she roared. "I have found you at last! Show yourself! I know you are here."

     A light rustling came from the canopy of the tree across the clearing. Zindrerre unsheathed her talons and bared her fangs in preparation of fighting some terrible beast. However, to her surprise, what looked like a young girl dropped from the leaves. Quite ungracefully, she noticed. She stood up, and Zindrerre realized she was only about two-thirds of her height, and Zindrerre was fairly short to begin with. 

     "Hi!" The Forest Sprite had a bright and squeaky voice. It was very loud and piercing, completely offsetting her small stature. "I like your hair!"

     Zindrerre self-consciously grabbed the lock of hair the Sprite was pointing at; the single section of pink she had growing from her scalp. In the dragon realm, dragons were ranked by the colors of their manes. Green only ran in the family of the Lordship, blue was second, and orange after that. The lowest color were the pink dragons. Even though she was not a full pink-maned dragon, the presence of pink was enough to sentence her to the lowest class of society. Her parents had disowned her and regarded her as a failure. That's why she was so grateful when the heir to the Dragon Lord started dating her-and why she was so keen on keeping her. 

     "You." She pointed at the girl, not bothering to address her well-meant but misguided compliment. "Are you the Forest Sprite the legends speak of? The one that grants wishes to all those who successfully seek and find it?" 

     “Yep,” she chirped. “My name is Angelle! What’s yours?” 

     “This is no time for pleasantries, Sprite! I have spent years of my life trying to find your location. I have traveled days to reach you!” Zindrerre was losing her patience. “I Q a wish!” 

     Angelle sat down on a stone, blowing a wild strand of hair away from her face. “Fine.” She flourished her hands in a grandiose way, a tired look of annoyance painted on her face. “What is your wish?”

     Finally! After all these years, Zindrerre could harness the power of the Sprite herself! “Sprite,” she addressed, straightening her posture. “I wish to win back my girlfriend’s heart. The beautiful Chorynth, heir to the throne of the Dragon Lord.”

     Angelle gave her a confused look. After a few moments of awkward silence, she spoke up. “I... I’m sorry, miss, but I can’t spell love.”

     “WHAT?” Zindrerre roared.

     Angelle nodded apologetically. “You see, love is a magic all of it’s own. That is why wish-granters and spell-casters are unable to tamper with affairs of the heart. It is among the four rules of wishing: no wishing for more wishes, no raising someone from the dead, no wishing someone to be dead, and no wishing for love.”

     Zindrerre grasped at her head in an angry panic. How could this be? Nothing in the manuscripts had mentioned limitations! She roared furiously. “Useless,” she roared. “I’ve waisted my entire life looking for you! You will be of use to me!!”

     Claws and fangs bared, she lunged forward and grabbed both of Angelle’s arms. “What are you doing,” she cried. “Please, leave me here! If I ever leave the clearing I will... die?”

     When Zindrerre had stopped dragging her, she looked around in confusion. She was out of her clearing. In the Forest of Night. Away from the safety of the Eternal Day. What was going on? Was she... free?

     Elated, she jumped into Zindrerre's arms and gave her a giant hug. "You! You freed me! Thank you!"

     "Ick!" Zindrerre shook the girl off of her. She hated physical contact if it wasn't Chorynth. "What was that all about? I "freed you"? What's that supposed to mean?"

     "Exactly what you think it means!" Angelle bounced on her toes happily. "I've been in that clearing for thousands of years. I always thought I was cursed to die if I ever left it. The only company I ever had was the odd adventurer that would find me every other century, and they would never want to talk. They only ever asked for their wish and left. As an immortal Sprite, it got lonely. You freed me! For that, I am eternally grateful to you, and promise to serve you as long as you live!"

     "As long as I live," Zindrerre asked, intrigued. 

     "Yep," Angelle responded with a bright smile. 

     Zindrerre grabbed her hand and began pulling her out of the forest. Angelle happily bounded along after her. The Forest Sprite of legends, serving me as long as I live, Zindrerre thought with an evil smirk as she walked. She may not be able to get my Chi-Chi back with her magic, but I can still work with this.