"And a fine fix you have landed us in now."

"It wasn't my fault, you said this was the way out."

"You where the one that said you knew were to go. Why did you listen to me?"

Snort. "Like I had a choice."

"Well now what are we going to do?"

There and gone, as quite as a shadow. The leaves parted and swished back together without making a sound. The grass whispered gently as her silky smooth tail flicked over it.

At the wall she stopped. Stretching, she pulled herself up and two brilliantly striking blue eyes appeared over the edge. Folding her legs she placed the front of her feet against the wall and draped her arms over the top, her elbows keeping her in her crouched position almost six feet off the ground.

"I'm still not sure about it... I know it would be best for her, but... I don't know if I can part with her that long."

Aunt Malsea nodded gently. "I understand dear... a mother always feels that way for even the most useless child."

The brilliant blue eyes narrowed and the perfectly shaped deep red lips puckered.

"She isn't useless..."

"We all know how you feel dear, but you must try and see through your motherly instincts. What has she done for anyone? Every time she is upset she flies away and in a second she has forgotten what was wrong. She's one of the most forgetful children I have ever seen. And I have seen quite a few."

"But that isn't true. You know she does it on purpose..."

"But does she? It may have started that way... but dear..." Aunt Melsea paused and reached across the table to lay her hand comfortingly on Chilldea's arm. "Dear... it's time for you to face the truth. Your daughter is simply of no use here."

Chilldea nodded slowly. "Yes... I understand... I-"

A screech drew the ladies from their seats in time to see a figure back flip off the wall. In mid air a faint puff of rainbow colours shimmered and disappeared.

A tiny spray of light zipped through the trees. Passed bushes, under branches, over a puddle, passed a startled boys face. The light stopped abruptly without even slowing down. A flip and a twirl and the colourful glint sucked in and popped out, revealing a girl around five and a half feet tall. Jumping forward, she landed in the boys lap, knocking him, chair and all, flat on the ground.

"Shifaraa! What's wrong?" He asked, looking down at her with startled surprise.

The girl raised herself on her elbows, causing the boy to wince as they dug into his chest, and frowned into the trees. Then she grinned. "I don't remember."

The boy sighed. "Shifaraa..."

"Let's go flying!" The girl jumped up and extended her wings, jumping into the air before the boy had time to protest.

Her slender frame slipped through the clouds at an almost unreal speed. Her wings, a cross between bat wings and bird wings, when stretched out from tip to tip, where as long as her body, and when folded in seemed to shrink until they lay almost flat against her back. Her tail, present in any form, was the colour of roan red fur and was smooth and silkier then the finest cloth. Her pointed ears arched gently back and reached higher then her head. Her red hair bounced and flipped every which way, stopping short just below her chin. She wore a roan red bathing suit, slashes of black net lace cutting its way in here and there around her neck, shoulders, and sides. Her arms from elbow to wrist and legs from ankle to just below the knees where covered in the same roan red fabric stitched here and there with the black net lace. Her hands and feet looked gentle unless pressed the right way, and then claws sharper than razors glinted dangerously. Around her neck was a black choker.

"Shifaraa!" Dilvaro was fast, but not as fast as her. "Hold up I can't even - ack!" He stopped abruptly, almost running into her as she stopped short.

Shifaraa grinned as she turned back to him. "Look how high we are! You can see everything for ages!"

Dilvaro turned and smiled as his deep brown eyes scanned the horizon. "You can almost see the main land."

Shifaraa nodded and stuck her hands behind her back. "I wonder what it's like over there..."

Dilvaro frowned and turned back to his best friend. "Shifaraa, you know we're not allowed..."

She nodded and almost shook with excitement. "I know! But still, it would be neat to see. Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like to get off this island?"

Dilvaro shrugged. "I suppose..." In truth he didn't really care. He had lived on this island his entire life, and yet hadn't even seen all of it. None of their kind had seen the entire island.

Shifaraa bounced up and down in mid air, her energy almost to full to stand keeping still this long. Dilvaro saw the warning but didn't have time to react. "Let's dive!" Shifaraa grinned and folded her wings against her back. For a second she hung still and then she bent almost in half and straightened out, falling head first toward the ground.

"No, Shifaraa!!"

The air whistled passed her ears as she folded her arms across her chest, her eyes closed. Falling always made her tummy raise to her throat. A prickly feeling flashed through her body and stole her breath as she grinned. Opening her eyes, she tilted her head back so she could see where she was headed. Then she blinked and frowned in puzzlement. What where those buildings? No one lived this far over...

Flipping over she slowly opened her wings, letting the air catch in them and slow her to a gentle stop. Thick clouds hung over her like a blanket, but she didn't notice them as she watched the buildings with curious eyes. Then she saw something that made her even more curious. There where strange shapes moving through the buildings! And there, by a cliff that dropped into some trees... there was a whole crowed of the strange creatures!

Shifaraa forgot all about Dilvaro as she dropped at a slower rate until she landed silently on the grassy carpet under the trees. Going forward, she stopped at the edge and peeked through at the buildings. The creatures weren't so strange after all... they looked almost like her, only their ears where tiny and round, and they had no wings or tail.

Shifaraa's eyes glinted and twinkled with excitement. Her signature rainbow sparkles silently appeared and caved in like magnets attracted to mettle. Jumping back they hung in the air as Shifaraa paused to look down at herself. Yes... she looked like the creatures now. Except she had to do something to hide her tail...

Looking up again she noticed one creature had something hanging off of her. Shifaraa recognized that it was a dress and grinned as she pulled her sparkles in. They melted onto her and faded into a light purple dress. Twisting around, Shifaraa twitched her tail and was satisfied when it remained hidden under her skirts.

Stepping out of the trees, Shifaraa put her hands behind her back and looked around with a curiously excited grin. No one noticed her at first, but then a girl looked up and noticed her.

She said something with a polite smile and Shifaraa paused. Then she said something else, her face showing slight curiosity. Shifaraa tilted her head and concentrated hard. She was usually quite quick at learning languages, but this one was so different....

The girl frowned. "Can't you talk?"

Shifaraa grinned. She understood that one! Opening her mouth, she started to answer, but the girl had looked away.

"Hey, the picnic has already started." Turning back she looked Shifaraa up and down. "Since your here, why not come join in?"

Shifaraa quickly followed as the girl turned and started toward the cliff. When they got there Shifaraa's eyes widened. So many strange creatures! So many strange things they where using...

"Hey Maggie! Who's your new friend?"

Shifaraa turned and watched as a tall boy came toward them. He was holding something in his hands and Shifaraa grinned at it. It looked just like a bubble, coloured strangely.

"I don't know, she hasn't said anything." Maggie answered.

The boy looked Shifaraa up and down. "She must be from the Librent ship..." he paused.

"That's what I thought... though she doesn't really look like them..."

"She looks even less like-" The boy stopped short. Smiling a tightly polite smile, he stuck his hand out. "Names Jay."

Shifaraa looked at his hand, puzzled. The two creatures watched her for a minute, then Jay took his hand away with a shrug. "Hey, you want to play with us? We where just about to start a game of volley ball."

Shifaraa thought he was talking to her until Maggie nodded. "Sure!" The two turned and ran back the way Jay had come. Shifaraa followed slowly and stopped a little ways away from the group they joined. Placing her hands behind her back, she watched as they began to play.

She was lost in wonder at what they where doing, fascinated with the way they moved without a tail or wings, when suddenly a scream pierced the air.

"No Patrick! Stay away from the edge!"

But it was to late. Just as Shifaraa turned, a small child disappeared over the side. Without thinking Shifaraa raced to the edge and leapt into the air. More screams filled the air, but Shifaraa didn't notice as her rainbow came off, then pulled back in and off again with a gentle puff of air as Shifaraa flipped and stretched out, her wings folded back to let her fall with speed.

There, ahead of her! The boy was halfway to the trees already! Gritting her teeth, Shifaraa pushed herself to go faster and suddenly her fingers touched the boys foot. He had his eyes closed and didn't seem to notice as she pulled him into her arms and started to open her wings. At the same instant as they opened she felt the trees close around her. Bending her body, the boy hugged tightly against her front, Shifaraa flew at a paroles speed through the forest. Branches snapped against her and she bit her lip. Finally she had bent her body far enough to crash through the canopy and far into the sky.

She had closed her wings again well under the trees, unable to keep them open as the branches had tried to tare them off of her, but now she opened them again and slowed her speed to a stand still. Breathing hard, her eyes widened in surprise as she looked down at the body pressing against hers.

Slowly, the child's eyes blinked open. He stared straight passed her arm for a startled second, and then he raised them to her face. She grinned down at him, her energy and bubbly excitement returning in a flash. Looking up she glanced around and then realized they had gone farther up then the cliff's top. Looking down at it, she could see everyone grouped together at the edge. With her excellent hearing, she could hear their voices, but couldn't quite tell what they where saying. None of them seemed to see her.

"Did I die?"

Shifaraa's wings flapped as she jumped and looked down. "Who are you?"

"My names Patrick." The boy answered. "Are we really flying?"

Shifaraa nodded and then she remembered. "You fell! I fell after you. Then we crashed through the trees."

"Did we hit the ground?" Patrick's voice was a low whisper of wonder and amazement.

Shifaraa frowned indignantly. "Hit the ground? I never hit the ground!"

Patrick looked down and gasped. "We're higher than the cliff!"

Shifaraa looked down over his head, her wings adjusting automatically to the change in balance. "Yes... look at those strange creatures down there... I wonder what they are doing?"

"Strange creatures?" Patrick twisted his head up again to look at her. "Don't you know what a human is?"

Shifaraa leaned back again and looked at him. "Is that what they are called?"

Patrick nodded.

"I thought the one said he was a Jay..."

Patrick blinked and then laughed. "That's his name! That's not what he is..."

Shifaraa tilted her head and than grinned. "Oh! I understand now!"

Patrick looked at her curiously, like he suddenly realized there was something strange about them floating in the air. "How are we flying?"

Shifaraa shook her wings, startling Patrick into grabbing her around the neck. His eyes widened as he looked over her shoulder at her wings. "You have wings!"

"Of course I have wings... and a tail!" Shifaraa twitched her tail and Patrick's eyes grew even wider. "Mommy said that talking animals aren't real...."

"Animal?" Shifaraa blinked. "I'm not an animal!"

"You're not?" Patrick looked at her with a completely puzzled look.

Shifaraa shook her head and grinned with pride. "I am a Form Changer."

Patrick was so surprised his eyes grew to twice their normal size. "But... but they aren't real!"

Shifaraa's smile melted. "Not real?"

Patrick frowned as he concentrated. "Daddy... said that Form Changers are just in stories... along with all the other magic things and aliens and stuff..."

"Magic things?" Shifaraa tilted her head.

Patrick nodded. "Like mermaids and centaurs and fairies and talking animals and nymphs and-"

"But they all live on this island..." Shifaraa looked down at the trees and then turned to look out at the water. "See? There's the water..."

Patrick strained to see, his excitement obvious. "I knew they where real! Daddy never believed me! Now he can see them for-"

"Oh you can't see them."

Patrick looked back up at her, his face falling. "Why not?"

Shifaraa shrugged. "They don't like talking to anyone that isn't a sea dweller..."

"Oh.." Patrick looked crest fallen. Then he brightened. "Are their more Form Changers?"

Shifaraa nodded, a huge grin lighting her face. "Lot's of us."

"Can I see them?"

Shifaraa paused. "Well... some of us don't get out much..."

"Well," Patrick stopped short as a sound reached them on the wind. Looking down again he saw that everyone had moved back from the edge of the cliff. They had gathered around one figure and Patrick suddenly realized it was his mother. "Mommy!"

Shifaraa looked over his head again, a mildly curious look raising her eyebrows.

"My mommies crying... she must think I hit the ground!" Patrick looked up at Shifaraa. "She thinks I'm died!"

Shifaraa laughed. "Silly... you didn't die! I caught you before you reached the trees."

"Let's go surprise her!" Patrick giggled.

Shifaraa grinned hugely and started forward. As they got closer they could hear what was being said.

"I knew this was the wrong place to settle! We should have settled closer to the Librent ship! Or even the Morgnith ship! Why did we have to set down here!?"

"Settle near the Morgnith ship?"

"How could you even suggest that!"

"It's bad enough mentioning the Librent ship."

"Matthew, your wife needs to be more careful with her tongue."

"She just lost her son... give her a bit of a brake."

Shifaraa suppressed her laugh as she landed, skipped a step, and planted both feet on the ground. Patrick was quite for a minute, but no one noticed them. Shifaraa folded her wings against her back as Patrick wiggled with a silent laugh. "Mommy!"

Everyone turned and in one breath a gasp passed over the group. No one moved.

"We flew mommy!" Patrick grinned in excitement. "She never hits the ground. She caught me and we went waaaay up in the sky!"

No one moved for another minute and then one woman pushed through the crowed and ran to take her son. Stepping back a few steps she stared at Shifaraa, who grinned, her tail twitching with the excitement and amusement over the whole situation.

"Who... what... are you?"

"She's a Forma Changer mommy! I told you they where real!" Patrick crowed.

His mother looked at him, then back at Shifaraa, who's wings had partly unfolded as she skipped lightly again. This was the best joke she had played on anyone. Imagine, them thinking she wasn't real!

"She's no Form Changer, she's a monster sent to destroy us!" Came a hissed warning from the group.

Shifaraa blinked in surprise and her smile slowly melted. A monster? She wasn't a monster! They lived on the other side of the island...

"No she isn't!" Patrick frowned at the one that had said it. "She said there are mermaids and fairies and talking animals and nymphs and more Form Changers and-"

"That's enough Patrick." His mother hushed him as she stepped back again. "Stay away from us you... you monster..."

Shifaraa looked hurt. "But I'm-"

Another gasp rippled through the group. "Don't let her say anything! She'll do something to us!"

"Elisa, your son! She's probably already cast a spell on him!"

The woman hugged her son closer in fear.

Patrick looked at her in puzzlement. "But mommy... she's-"

"Leave us you monster! Leave us and never come back!" One of the men stepped forward and pointed his gun at her threateningly.

Shifaraa looked at it with curious eyes. "I've never seen a-"

"Don't say anything! Just leave us now!"

Shifaraa back up in surprise and nearly fell off the cliff. Looking around at them, her eyes clouded over. Suddenly, she jumped up and flipped forward, the sparkles moving in and out, and before they where gone a fairy zipped through the air.

Dilvaro searched the clouds with growing despair of finding Shifaraa. One of these days he was going to have to learn to keep up with her never ending motion.

Suddenly a fairy zipped passed his face, stopped, flipped, and abruptly turned into Shifaraa. Throwing her arms around Dilvaro, she nearly knocked him out of the air.

"Shifaraa, what happened?" He asked, trying to keep his balance.

She let go off him and looked at him for a second before she shrugged. "I don't remember."

Dilvaro caught her wrist before she had a chance to fly away. "Shifaraa, you just came flying passed me as a fairy. You know what that tells me?"

Shifaraa thought hard. She loved games. "That we should race?"

Dilvaro shook his head. "It tells me that something upset you. Every time you get upset, you turn into a fairy, and eventually you always seem to find your way to me. And then what happens when you turn back into yourself?"

Shifaraa thought hard again, not at all put out by the fact she just guessed wrong. "That... I want to play?"

Dilvaro shook his head again. "You forget what upset you."

Shifaraa didn't say anything until she realized he wasn't going to say anything else. "Is that bad?"

Dilvaro sighed loudly. "I guess not, but it's... why do you always forget everything when you turn into a fairy?"

Shifaraa shrugged and grinned. "You make me happy."

"And that makes you forget?" Dilvaro looked dizzy.

Shifaraa shrugged again. "Fairies always forget things."

Dilvaro shook his head, finally giving up. "I don't think I'll ever understand you Shifaraa. Everyone knows your smart... but sometimes you really make us wonder."

Shifaraa stilled and stiffened. Dilvaro looked surprised. "Aunt Melsea want's to send me away. She say's I'm useless."

Dilvaro winced. On second thought, maybe it was better that she forgot things so easily. "Shifaraa..."

"Let me go Dilvaro, I don't want to talk about it." Shifaraa tugged her hand free and turned to fly away.

"Wait Shifaraa!" Dilvaro hurried after her.

"It's so pretty..."

"Not as pretty as you."

"It's way prettier!"

Laugh. "There's more you know..."

"Where?"

"Come on, I'll show you."

"Where were you Shifaraa?"

Shifaraa shrugged and grinned. "Flying with Dilvaro."

Chilldea paused, then took a deep breath. "Shifaraa... where you at the wall earlier today?"

Shifaraa tapped her chin with her finger. "I don't remember. Was I supposed to be?"

"No..." Chilldea smiled faintly and turned her attention back to the salad she was making. "I was just wondering that's all..."

Shifaraa leaned over the table and snagged a bit of lettuce. "Is dad going to be getting home soon?"

"I'm not sure, he said he had something extra he had to do tonight."

"What?" Shifaraa was half on the table, her arms holding her up so she could watched her mother work.

"I don't know. Something about..." Chilldea paused. "Never mind, can you get some radish's from the cool box please?"

Shifaraa jumped from the table and ran to get it. Half way back, her older sister came into the room. Eldinea was a little more 'down to earth' than Shifaraa, and wore her long hair back in a braid. She always wore a sleeveless dress, normally either yellow, to match her hair, or blue to match her deep eyes.

"Shifaraa, you shouldn't be on the table." She scolded softly. "Mother, tell her young ladies don't lay on tables."

Chilldea sighed quietly. "She's right honey, you shouldn't be on the table."

Shifaraa wrinkled her nose and slipped back onto her chair. "Did you have fun with Zalbreed?" She asked.

"We had a fine time thank you," Eldinea smiled. "He actually took me dancing. He's very good at it. It was wonderful!"

Shifaraa grinned, happy for her sister. They where only a few years apart, which was basically twins. Most children where no less then tens years apart, and that was close. Shifaraa had forgotten how old she was. All Form Changers did when they hit one hundred. The only way to tell who was older was the colour of their tail. With each hundred years, their tail got lighter. When she was born, Shifaraa's tail had been darker than black.

"Has he asked yet?" Shifaraa wiggled her eyebrows and Eldinea blushed.

"No... not yet."

Shifaraa giggled and Chilldea hushed her. "Don't tease your sister."

Shifaraa jumped off her chair and went to grab her sisters wrists. Eldinea looked startled as Shifaraa spun her around. "He'll ask soon! I just know it!"

"Stop Shifaraa I'm getting dizzy!" Eldinea pleaded.

Shifaraa stopped and laughed, her usual energy running over. "I'm going outside for a bit!"

"But Shifaraa it's..." Chilldea stopped with a sigh as Shifaraa disappeared. "That girl has more energy than every other Form Changer put together..."

Outside, Shifaraa flew high into the air, the whole way flipping and twirling and skipping back and forth. When she was high above tree level, she searched the darkening sky. Perfect.

Flipping backwards, she zipped across the sky on her back and twisted onto her tummy just before bending to fly higher above the water the straight back down to dive headfirst into the water, a rainbow of colour melting into the gentle ripples.

"Far beneath the waves, in the coral caves, the castles of our dreams, are bursting at their seams, as the moon light shines above, all will sing like doves, and in the still night air, land creatures will stare."

Shifaraa grinned as she swam deeper under the water. In a minute, she came within sight of the mermaid city. And there in her own little plant, sat Amina.

"Shifaraa!" The little mermaid swam up to greet her. "I was afraid you wouldn't come, and then I'd have no fun..."

Shifaraa giggled. "Not come? I always come!"

"Except when you forget, or when you're upset." Amina reminded her.

Shifaraa swished her tail. "So have they left yet?"

Amina nodded. "Just a minute ago, come on, let's go!"

Shifaraa swam after her friend and a minute later they had reached the surface again. They where now farther out at sea and the water had grown colder. High in the sky, the moon was starting to rise. Shifaraa watched as the other mermaids surfaced. Some of them pulled themselves onto the rocks that jutted from the water, but most of them staid in the water.

Everyone knew that mermaids had the loveliest singing voices and most beautiful songs. Form Changers where descent singers, but Shifaraa had spent a lot of time with the mermaids, coming with her friend Amina to listen as the older mermaids taught the younger ones, and with practice she had become almost as good as one of the middle class singers.

As they sang, Shifaraa watched the sea creatures gather around them. Dolphins jumped from the water and played happily together, fish danced intricate dances that only a fish could understand, and farther out where the water was deeper, Shifaraa could hear the whales.

The moon was getting high in the sky when Shifaraa and Amina swam back to the city.

"Can you stay for tonight, till the morning light?" Amina asked hopefully.

Shifaraa shook her head. "I have to get home. I want to know what dad was staying out late for!"

Amina sighed sadly. "Alright I understand... you must return to land."

Shifaraa hugged her and swam straight up. Amina grinned as she disappeared from sight. A second later, Shifaraa broke the surface, the colourful sparkles dashing across the water as she somersaulted into her self and flew back toward the land.

When she got home Shifaraa bounced up the steps and into the house. Then she stopped short. A light was on in the kitchen, which she had expected, but from the room came the stressed voices of her parents, which she hadn't expected.

"I don't know what they are Chilldea, but they look like trouble."

"Are you sure they came from the main land?"

"Yes. They had something that floated on the water... they where taking things off of it and cutting trees down and building houses."

"How do you know they mean trouble?" Chilldea's voice was soothing, but Malcha was to worried.

"They had strange things with them... it sparked fire from the end."

"But Malcha, many creatures on this island can make fire..."

"But they didn't just make fire. They made it at the animals. They killed them! For no reason..."

Shifaraa slapped a hand over her mouth. Killed the animals?

"You don't... mean... the..."

"Yes Chilldea, I do mean the talking animals."

Shifaraa's eyes widened and she backed up till she bumped against the wall. Who was doing this?

"Do you know what they are called?" Chilldea's voice was so quite that Shifaraa almost missed it.

"Morgnith."

In a flash Shifaraa zipped out of the house, her tiny body easily missing the branches and bushes.

Dilvaro opened his window and blinked against the light as Shifaraa came in and turned back to herself. Throwing her arms around him he sighed to himself. "Shifaraa, it's almost the middle of the night..."

"Dilvaro... they killed!"

Dilvaro blinked in shock. This was the first time she had ever remembered something after coming to him as a fairy. "Who killed?"

Shifaraa shook her head. "I don't remember." She leaned back and looked back and forth at his eyes. "But dad was talking to mom. Someone killed... something."

Dilvaro smiled gently. "It's okay Shifaraa... they must have been talking about the monsters. They kill sometimes..."

Shifaraa paused for a second, then let go of him and stepped back with a shrug. "I guess you're right." He smiled as she stuck her hands behind her back. "I gotta get home, it's late!" Going to the window she waved a hand and flew away.

Dilvaro sighed as he watched her disappear into the night. Sometimes he wondered how he was still sane. But he loved Shifaraa, even if she was the strangest girl he had ever met.

"See! I told you it went like that!"

"So you did. Looks way better now."

Nod. "Much. And now where?"

"Somewhere over there."

"You get it, I'm tired."

"Suuuuure you are."

The sun peeked it's eyes over the horizon then slowly raised it's head. The land was cast in a glow as it yawned and smiled, then climbed it's way to reach the top before sinking to the other side.

Shifaraa was watching it move and didn't notice when Eldinea came up behind her.

"You're going to hurt your eyes if you keep doing that..."

Shifaraa grinned and tilted her head back to look straight up at her sister. "But it's pretty!"

Eldinea smiled. "Yes it is..."

"Hey I know!" Shifaraa jumped up, almost running to Eldinea who backed up in surprise. "Let's go see the centaurs!"

Eldinea looked unsure. "They're so stuck up about their looks..."

"Not all of them are..." Shifaraa grinned. "And besides, they are pretty!"

Eldinea thought about it for a minute. "Alright... I suppose I'll go with you."

Taking off, they flew high into the sky and off toward the centaurs forest. It took them a few minutes, but when they finally reached it Shifaraa landed with a huge grin. Eldinea landed behind her and followed as Shifaraa started forward on foot.

"Good morning Shifaraa..."

"Morning Thisera!" Shifaraa grinned at the beautiful centaur. Her hair and tail, which where dotted with bright blue flowers, where a strange mix of dark blue and deep purple, and her gleaming coat was the palest pink their is. Her half shirt was as pale as her coat.

"This is the first you have visited in a long while..." Thisera smiled a greeting to Eldinea.

"I'm sorry, I have been busy." Eldinea smiled back.

"Yes... we have been busy too..." Thisera swished her long tail back as she turned and started toward the grass homes. "Our flower gardens are growing beautiful this year... they smell so wonderful in our hair... would you like some...?"

"Sure!" Shifaraa folded in two, her legs still straight, and stuck her nose into the flower bed. "Oooooh they smell so nice!"

Eldinea smiled to. "They're very pretty..."

"Here's a flower to match your dress..." Thisera bent and plucked one carefully, turning with a smile to present it to Eldinea. "May I...? I know just where to put it..."

Eldinea nodded and turned her head as Thisera tucked it over her ear. "It looks lovely..."

"Almost as lovely as mine..." Another centaur smiled widely as she came up behind them and studied the flower in Eldinea's hair.

"Which one would look good in my hair?" Shifaraa asked, looking up at Thisera.

She thought for a minute but the other centaur beat her too it. "A bluebell, to match your eyes..."

Shifaraa could hardly stand still as the centaur picked a handful and skillfully weaved them into a crown, then carefully placed them on her head, putting them down far enough to stay when Shifaraa flew.

"Thank you Karsale!" Shifaraa bounced up and down a few times and tried to look up at the flowers. "They look so happy!"

Thisera and Karsale smiled at each other. "Yes, they look happy..." Thisera answered.

A short while later, Eldinea said she had to go home, and so the two said goodbye to the centaurs and flew home. Halfway there, Shifaraa stopped and looked down, a small frown furrowing her forehead.

"What is it?" Eldinea asked stopping beside her.

Shifaraa shrugged. "Just thought there was something I should remember... let's go!"

Eldinea paused a second longer and sighed quietly. Then she flew home. Shifaraa only stayed long enough to show Chilldea her flower crown, and then she took off. When was high the sky she stopped again and crossed her arms, sure that there was something she was supposed to remember.

After staring at the ground for a few minutes, she decided to explore. A minute later she saw something strange on the ground. She was sure no one lived this far over... yet that looked like a bunch of buildings. And what where those strange creatures walking around them?

Diving, she landed quietly in the woods and went to the edge. Peeking through, she grinned. Something about this place seemed familiar. Those creatures! She had seen them before... The colourful sparkles flashed silently as they went in and out. Then Shifaraa stepped out from the trees, her hands behind her back, a light blue dress hiding her tail. What where these strange creatures like?

"Hey!" Shifaraa jumped and turned around to see who had spoken. Then she spotted one of the strange creatures standing in the trees. "Come here!" he called, his voice hushed. Shifaraa wasn't sure why she could understand him, but she turned and came over out of pure curiosity. The instant she got there the boy pulled her down into the grass.

"You can't just walk around like that! Someone will shoot you!"

Shifaraa blinked and grinned, not sure what he meant, but liking the game. The boy looked her up and down. "It is you.... isn't it?"

Shifaraa tilted her head. "Who are you?"

The boy shook his head. "Are you the Form Changer?"

Shifaraa's eyes widened and she looked behind herself in surprise. No... her tail was still hidden. "You know me?"

The boy nodded. "I saw you jump off the cliff after Patrick. You where wearing a different dress then, and you didn't have flowers in your hair, but your face is the same."

Shifaraa wasn't sure what to say. "Cliff? Patrick?"

The boy frowned. "Maybe... your not the same girl..."

Shifaraa grinned. "Maybe I'm not!" She giggled and started to stand but the boy pulled her down again.

"Wait! Just... change back into your uh... your normal form... and I'll know if it's you then!"

Shifaraa grinned and shook her head, making her wild hair bounce all over as excitement prickled through her. In a tiny flash of rainbow, she changed back to herself. The boy's eyes went huge.

"It is you!"

Shifaraa, still grinning, nodded. "Of course it's me! Who else would I be?"

The boy shook his head. "But... but then why don't you remember Patrick?"

Shifaraa tilted her head and tried to think. "I'm sorry... I don't remember. Everyone tells me I have a bad memory... though actually it's not me that has the bad memory it's-"

"Shh!" The boy silenced her as he peeked over the edge of the tall grass. "Don't move! There's someone there..."

Shifaraa tried to peek over but the boy warned her to stay down. Slightly annoyed, Shifaraa parted the grass at the base and looked through there. "I don't see anyone..."

"They're gone now." The boy breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, let me get this straight. You saved Patrick's life yesterday, and you don't remember?"

Shifaraa shook her head solemnly.

"Then I guess you don't remember what happened when you brought him back and showed everyone that you where a Form Changer?"

Shifaraa started took shake her head and then stilled and looked away. "Now I remember."

The boy frowned slightly at the tone in her voice. "So now you remember why you can't walk openly around here?"

Shifaraa sat down properly and hung her head. "Yes."

The boy watched her for a minute. Then he half grinned. "This is weird..."

"Weird? What does that mean?" Shifaraa asked looking up at him curiously.

"Weird... strange, odd, funny..." The boy's grin widened.

"Why is it weird strange odd funny?" Shifaraa asked, her excitement bubbling up.

"I'm sitting here talking to a Form Changer like I do it every day... that's what's weird." The boy shook his head. "No one believed you guys where real until we saw you yesterday. Before that you where just in stories with-"

"Mermaids and fairies and centaurs and talking animals and nymphs." Shifaraa said it in a sing song voice that sounded like Patrick. "And..." she paused and whispered low and mysterious. "Monsters!"

The boy grinned. "Yeah... like all those things."

Shifaraa giggled but had to cover her mouth as the boy peeked over the edge to see if anyone was close to them. "So, what's your name?" He asked turning back.

"Shifaraa Halsia Amalsar Yiveldo!"

"That's really long... what's the first part of it? Shif.... Shifaray?"

"Noooo," Shifaraa shook her head. "Shiff-AIR-ah."

"Shifaraa..." The boy paused and Shifaraa nodded with a huge grin. "Cool name..."

"What is your name?"

"Jason. I'm Patrick's older brother."

Shifaraa thought about it for a few minutes, then grinned. "Where is Patrick?"

Jason peeked over the grass again. "Mom wont let him come outside without her... she's worried he'll try jumping off the cliff again so you'll come save him again."

Shifaraa laughed and then quickly covered her mouth and fell over, kicking her legs in laughter. Jason watched her for a minute. "What's so funny?"

"He doesn't have to jump off the cliff to get me to come!" Shifaraa laughed quietly.

"Well he thinks he has to... mom wont let him talk about you or any of the other creatures you said are real. She gets really mad at him if he does..." Jason frowned in anger. "He's six years old and she wont let him play outside just because she's paranoid..."

"Six? Years?" Shifaraa sat up, the curiosity showing again. "What are those?"

Jason turned back to her in surprise. "You don't know what a year is?"

Shifaraa shook her head.

"How do you tell how old you are?"

"Old?"

"How long you've been alive."

Shifaraa paused for a second and thought. "I don't remember how old I am. We always loose count when we pass one hundred."

"One hundred?!" Jason squeaked. "You're over one hundred?!"

Shifaraa nodded. "At least... I think I am. My tail is getting lighter... the lighter it gets the older we are. It was darker than the darkest black when I was born." Shifaraa twitched her tail as she thought about it. "Then it turned just black when I turned one hundred."

Jason stared at her. "You mean... your probably something like five hundred years old?"

Shifaraa thought hard and looked at her tail closely, but all she could do was shrug. "I don't know."

Jason shook his head in wonder. "And mom thought she was old..."

"How old is she?" Shifaraa asked tilting her head.

"Forty-five."

Shifaraa rolled over laughing again. Jason grinned as he watched her. "I'm guessing she would still be called a kid to you guys..."

Shifaraa nodded as she rolled over onto her back again and grinned up at him.

"Your funny..." Jason laughed silently as he watched her pick a handful of grass and throw it in the air above herself.

"Can you fly?" Shifaraa asked sitting up suddenly.

Jason sighed, a dreamy look coming into his eyes. "I wish I could..."

Shifaraa looked at him, then up at the sky, then back at him. "I think you're to heavy for me to carry..."

"Probably... I'm nine years older than Patrick."

Shifaraa pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them tightly as she thought. "I suppose... I could turn into a flying horse."

Jason's eyes went huge. "You could?!"

Shifaraa grinned and nodded. "And then Patrick could fly too!"

Jason paused. "I told you mom wont let him out of the house..."

Shifaraa shrugged. "He can climb out a window. I do that all the time!"

Jason looked unsure. "Well... maybe..."

Shifaraa jumped to her feet and into the air, a glint of sparkles weaving in and out. Jason backed up in shock as a beautiful black mare stood in front of him, her wings arched around her like a gateway.

Jason was still staring when she lowered her head and he saw his reflection in her brilliant blue eyes. Jumping to his feet he ran out of sight around the corner of the house. A few minutes later, he came racing back, Patrick in close pursuit.

"It's really her?" Patrick asked breathlessly as they skidded to a stop beside her.

Shifaraa tossed her head. "Yes it's me! Luedvara gave me only and only me permission to change into her!"

Jason and Patrick looked at each other and than back at her. "How do we get on?" Jason asked.

"One in front of my wings and the other behind!" Shifaraa turned slightly so they could get on, Patrick in front and Jason behind. "Now I have to get into an open space so I can take off." Shifaraa told them matter-of-factly. Stepping out from behind the trees, she took a short running jump and spread her wings wide. Jason and Patrick both gasped and grabbed on tightly as they where almost shaken from their seats.

As they went up higher, Jason looked down and noticed someone looking up at him. He started to think maybe this wasn't a good idea, when Shifaraa warned him to hang on as she folded her wings back. Patrick laughed gleefully as they zoomed through the air.

After only a minute Jason looked down at the ground and went wide eyed when he realized he couldn't see his home any more. "Shifaraa.... where are we going?"

She didn't answer at first, but Jason leaned forward and called again. "Shifaraa!"

"I don't know... I just fly!" Shifaraa whined with laughter. "Do you want to go home?"

Jason started to say he did, but then another idea struck him. "Can we see some of the other creatures? Like the centaurs, mermaids, or fairies?"

"Sure! The fairies live right below us!" Shifaraa answered happily. "Hold on!"

Jason hugged Patrick tightly, and he in turn hugged Shifaraa's neck. Shifaraa tilted almost vertical and flew up at on only slightly slanted angel.

"I thought you said they lived BELOW us..." Jason looked down and found himself shaking.

"They do."

Jason and Patrick looked at each other and the next second they screamed in unison as Shifaraa went into a nose dive, her wings folded back over her passengers. Waiting as long as she could, she finally spread her wings and slowed them down before landing neatly on the grass.

Jason and Patrick where frozen in shock.

Shifaraa twisted her head back to look at them with one huge eye. "I thought you wanted to see the fairies?"

"I-I-I-I-I d-did..." Jason stammered.

"That..." Patrick slowly grinned. "That... was the coolest ride... I have ever been on!!"

Jason stared at his brother, but he had to admit his tummy was flipping from excitement, and not just from the scariest moment of his life. "Yeah... that was actually... cool."

They both jumped off a second later, falling over as their legs turned into jelly, and Shifaraa flapped hard, sending herself into the air. A second later she landed as herself and the boys grinned at her. "Come on! Their over that way!" Shifaraa pointed and they started through the trees.

As they got closer, they found the forest growing to a steady glow. Then Patrick gasped. "I see one!"

There in the trees sat a tiny figure. She looked down at them and jumped into the air in surprise, but when she saw Shifaraa she paused. "New creatures... in the woods?"

"It's okay Nimi they're my new friends!" Shifaraa grinned up at her and the tiny fairy cocked her head.

"Friends? To Shifaraa?"

Shifaraa nodded her head. The fairy smiled brightly and zigzagged up higher then down till she was almost eye level with Jason. "Nimi!"

Jason, who was tongue tied, just stared at her. Patrick took his moment. "I'm Patrick! And my brother is Jason! Are you really a real honestly true fairy?"

Nimi cocked her head again and zigzagged up a centimeter and down right up close to Patrick's face. He leaned back in surprise as her light shone in his eyes. "Shifaraa's friends... friends funny!"

Shifaraa giggled. "I know they are! Patrick is only six! He's a baby!"

Nimi kicked her legs wildly as she hugged herself and practically fell out of the air laughing. "Big baby... very big little baby!"

Patrick stuck his lip out. "I'm not a baby..."

Jason finally found his tongue. "To them you are Patrick... Shifaraa is something like five hundred years old!"

Now it was Patrick who lost his voice. Jason looked at Nimi curiously. "How old are you?"

"Six days old!" Nimi laughed happily.

"Six day's?" Jason paused. "How long do fairy's live?"

Nimi cocked her head yet again and looked at him for a few minutes. "Nimi don't know... Nimi's mother four months old!"

Jason's eyes widened too saucers.

"Where is everyone Nimi?" Shifaraa asked.

Nimi shook her whole body at the same time as her head and zipped up a foot, down three feet, and up to a foot above Shifaraa's head. "Nimi all alone... everyone went away."

"Where'd they go to?" Shifaraa asked next, used to Nimi's clipped language.

Nimi flew straight up and out of sight. A second later she came back. "No can see. Nimi don't know."

Shifaraa stuck her lip out in thought. "Oh Nimi! Aren't they at the fairy tellers place?"

Nimi stood rigid, which looked strange with her wings flapping furiously behind her. "Fairy teller? Fairy teller! Nimi all alone... Nimi didn't go."

Shifaraa shook her head. "Come on! Let's go to the fairy teller's place. Tonight he's telling a story about the sea!"

Jason and Patrick followed the two as they headed farther through the trees.

The light that had been brightening the forest turned out to be deeper than one would have expected. When Shifaraa stopped, Jason and Patrick looked around with open mouths as fairies zigzagged and zipped through the air. Before they realized what was happening, Shifaraa disappeared and a fairy took her place. She zipped away and Jason and Patrick ran to keep up with her. She flew into a tree and the two brothers looked at each other, then into the tree.

Shifaraa, who for the moment had forgotten about the boys, sat down beside Nimi and looked up at the story teller. He looked out at everyone with a solemn look.

"My story today is one brought down through many generations of families. It is about the sea, and the sad tale it brings." The story teller paused as everyone hushed with awe. "The sea was once happy and joyful, its waves playing together in the sun, moon, and stars. And then one day, something strange came upon the sea. It was a strange creature made of wood. And on it, it carried more strange creatures. There was three of these strange creatures, and yet they did not seem to like one another. Strange sounds came from them..." the story teller paused dramatically and everyone gasped. "And then as the sea tells... these strange wooden creatures came to this island. Stranger still, they sit in the waves. But now they are empty!" Everyone murmured in wonder but the story tellers voice quieted them again. "The strange creatures that had been on the strange wooden creature, moved onto babies, just like the large wooden creature, only smaller. And from there, they came to the island! And now... the sea cannot see... but from the trees and the grass, we hear that these strange creatures have made themselves homes!" The story teller nodded as everyone gasped again. "Alas... that is all that can be told... for this ancient story has gone through so many families that it has been partly lost, never to be found again."

Everyone agreed that this was awful, but a second later they had flown from the tree and where playing together like nothing had gone wrong.

Shifaraa flew out with Nimi and they laughed as they raced. But then Shifaraa paused mid way and turned. "Oh!" Flipping over she pooped back into herself.

Jason and Patrick looked at her with white faces. Shifaraa came over with a grin. "Did you hear the story? Wasn't it amazing! Imagine.. they have kept so much of it after it's gone through so many families!"

"But Shifaraa..." Jason stopped and Shifaraa waited with twitching tail and half unfolded wings. "That's not... that only happened three weeks ago..."

Shifaraa paused for a second, then skipped into the air and landed again, her energy almost to much for her t o stand still a second longer. "You know the story? Do you know the rest of it?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah." Jason answered, his voice quite. "The strange wooden creatures where boats. The strange creatures on the boats where humans. Patrick and I where on one of them."

Shifaraa's wings slowly closed and her tail lowered to almost ground level. "But... but what do you mean?"

"He was telling about us. There was three boats... because there are three colonies... the Librent colony, the Morgnith colony, and us... the Falbaro colony."

"No..." Shifaraa stepped back. "Morgnith..."

Suddenly she flashed out of sight and a fairy disappeared into the trees.

"I never said that!"

"I heard you."

"Never."

"Once."

Pause. "Well..."

"See?"

"Shut up."

"Shifaraa, do you know what time it is?" Dilvaro gently pried her arms from around his neck.

She hung her head. "It's not late."

"No... but the sun is going down. I don't mind you coming to me... I just wish for once you would remember why you came to me."

Shifaraa grinned. "Because you make me happy again!"

"And that makes you forget..."

Shifaraa nodded. "Fairies always forget things that make them sad!"

"But your not a fairy now! Why can't you remember?"

Shifaraa opened her mouth, then closed it, then shrugged and grinned. "Guess what I just did?"

"What?" Dilvaro asked with a deep sigh.

"I just heard a story from the..." she stopped short, a huge grin still on her face, and her eyes went huge.

Dilvaro raised both his eyebrows. "Shifaraa...?"

"Jason! And Patrick! I left them..." Shifaraa stopped short again and fell against the wall.

Dilvaro frowned in real worry. He had never seen her act like this before. "Shifaraa... what's wrong?"

"Dilvaro... the story... the fairy teller told us a story... he said it was passed down through many generations of families... but Jason... he said it only happened three weeks ago..."

"What story Shifaraa?" Dilvaro asked gently. "Tell me what happened..."

Shifaraa raised her eyes to his and Dilvaro was stunned to see something he had never seen there before. Fear.

"One day soon..."

"Sooner rather than later?"

"Actually later rather than sooner."

"You scared?"

"Lazy."

"Ha!"

"But what if she doesn't come back?"

Nimi shrugged and zipped around a leaf and back. "She comes, she goes... she never misses a story!"

"But when is the next story?" Jason asked.

"Soon..." Nimi bounced around a few times before pausing. "Or late?"

"Jason... I'm cold..." Patrick shivered against his brother. "Why did she leave?"

"I don't know... I think it was something I said..."

"Mommy told us not to talk about the other colonies..." Patrick whispered.

"But Shifaraa is a Form Changer! She doesn't hate them..."

Patrick's voice lowered even more. "Maybe she does..."

Jason looked down at him, then up at Nimi who was doing lazy, for a fairy, circles around a branch. "Maybe-"

"Shifaraa!" Nimi zipped away and Patrick sat up straight, both boys straining to see through the growing dark.

And then Nimi came back, her light showing as Shifaraa landed. Jason and Patrick stood with relieved looks but stopped dead when they realized Shifaraa wasn't alone.

"Jason and Patrick... this is my best friend Dilvaro." Shifaraa introduced them as she stepped closer.

"He's a Form Changer?" Patrick asked in an awed voice.

Shifaraa nodded. Dilvaro stepped closer and looked back and forth at the boys. "Tell me the story."

Jason and Patrick looked at each other. "What story?" Jason tried to pretend he didn't know what he meant.

Dilvaro glanced at Shifaraa, who was hopping around in one spot. "The true story, of the creatures in the water, that brought you here."

Jason bit his lip hard. "We came from the main land because we wanted a new home... there was three ships, Jason and I where on one of them."

"What are your people called?"

"We're from the Falbaro colony..."

"And the other two?"

"Librent and Morgnith."

"Morgnith kill!" Shifaraa backed up, her wings flapping hard enough to bring her feet off the ground for a moment.

Jason glanced at her and back at Dilvaro quickly. "The Falbaro people don't like the Morgnith tribe! We don't even really like Librent because they will do things with Morgnith sometimes..."

"So what you mean is that Falbaro hates Morgnith and doesn't mind Librent, Librent doesn't mind either, and Morgnith hates Falbaro but doesn't mind Librent?"

"Well kinda..." Jason shrugged. "I guess..."

Dilvaro studied the two. "Have you two ever been to the other tribes?"

Jason shook his head. "We're not even allowed to name them around each other... especially not Morgnith... if mom knew I was talking about them..." Jason stopped and looked back at his brother before glancing at Shifaraa. "Mom's going to realize we aren't there any minute if she hasn't already... we need to get home!"

Dilvaro nodded. "Shifaraa, take the smaller boy, I will take this one."

Shifaraa came forward and pulled Patrick into her arms and before either boy could say anything they where flying through the air. Dilvaro was nearly twice as big as Shifaraa, all male Form Changers being bigger then the females, and didn't have to fly much slower because of Jason's extra weight.

As they got nearer to the village, they stopped flying and walked instead. At the edge, Jason and Patrick hurried to get back to their house before anyone saw that they where gone... but before Shifaraa and Dilvaro could turn to leave the two boys where stopped.

"There you two are! You're mother has been worried to death! We already started a search party for you!"

Jason tried to think of something to say but Patrick beat him to it. "We where exploring!"

"Exploring where exactly? We've been miles from the village! We almost made it to-" The man stopped and frowned at them. "That doesn't matter. Get inside before your mother dies with worry." Jason and Patrick hurried around him and disappeared inside.

Dilvaro and Shifaraa glanced at each other and quickly went deeper into the forest before they took to the air. Headed back toward their homes, Dilvaro turned his head to Shifaraa. "We are going to have to tell the elders ring and let them think of a way to straighten this all out. If the one tribe is killing animals, they must leave. And the others..."

Shifaraa started to whimper. "I do not want Patrick and Jason to leave!"

"Shifaraa, from the reaction you said their people had against you, I do not think it will be possible for them to stay!"

Shifaraa pulled herself into a ball, stopping her forward progress. Dilvaro stopped to and hovered in the air, watching Shifaraa. "Don't turn into a fairy Shifaraa, don't!"

She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them to look at him. "It's a habit... I don't want to remember... they always make me happy again..."

Dilvaro nodded. "I know they do but you can't keep running away from every problem you meat! If you do you will never learn how to fix them and keep on with your life..."

Shifaraa uncurled and landed in his arms, knocking him down a few inches as he lost his balance. "What will happen next?"

"I don't know." Dilvaro shook his head. "But whatever does... promise me you wont run away!"

Shifaraa tightened her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

"If you don't get down from there I'm going to-"

"To what?"

Pause. "Come up there and get you!"

"Yay!"

"That's not the reaction I wanted..."

"It's the one you got!"

"So I see."

Shifaraa sat silently as the elders ring though about what she had told them.

"We will have to talk to the other creatures." One of them spoke up. "The centaurs, the mermaids, the fairies, the nymphs, the horses, and the animals. The island is as much theirs as ours, they need to have their say."

The others agreed. "But who will talk to the mermaids? You know they do not like talking to us... they are of an entirely different group then us."

"We will have to find a way. For this I am sure they will agree to talk to us."

"They wont know this is what we wish to talk about."

"I'll talk to them!"

The elders turned to Shifaraa. "You?"

She nodded pinging crumbs of dirt at a clump she had gathered together. "Amina'll help me get their attention."

"You have talked to the mermaids?"

Shifaraa nodded with a grin. "I go with them to sing in the night!"

Everyone within hearing's eyes widened. "Shifaraa... why didn't you tell us you swim with them?" Chilldea asked her daughter.

Shifaraa twisted and looked straight at her aunt. "No one believes me. I go with the mermaids, the horses, the fairies, the everyone all the time. But Dilvaro's the only one that listens to me."

Everyone was looking at each other. Chilldea glanced at her sister with a slightly raised eyebrow and turned back to the elders. They nodded.

"If Shifaraa knows the other inhabitance of the island as well as she claims, this will be easier then we anticipated."

Shifaraa poked a toe at a bug crawling across her pile, then pinged another piece of dirt at it, hitting some of the dirt off the top. "Will Jason and Patrick have to leave?"

The elders looked at each other.

"After."

"Now!"

"Later."

"Please?"

"Fine!"

Shifaraa flew slowly across the water and then ducked under the waves, her colours moving quicker then usual as she hurried below the surface toward the mermaids city.

Amina looked up in surprise as her friend halted in front of her. "Shifaraa! Singing is not until tonight, seeing you know is an unexpected sight!"

Shifaraa nodded. "The Form Changer elders need to talk to your king and his counsel."

Amina's eyes widened as she backed up. "Form Changers talking to the king? I've never heard of such a thing!"

"It's about the humans that came to our island from the main land." Shifaraa explained. "You guys saw them, well now that their on land some of them have become destructive and... and.." Shifaraa had to gulped before she could force the words out. "And they have been killing the talking animals!"

Amina looked sad. "This news is very bed indeed... follow me, I will lead!"

Shifaraa swam after Amina to the palace. She had never been in this far before, normally swimming over the mermaid city and never actually going inside it. The palace was near the center and by the time they had reached it half the building's had faces watching them.

Amina led Shifaraa inside the castle and up to the throne room. The guard standing at the door talking to Amina in their language, which Shifaraa pretended not to understand, and finally agreed to ask the king if he would see them. He disappeared inside and a minute later came out with a nod.

Amina brought Shifaraa into the room and they both bowed to the king. Amina went up to him and said something in his ear, Shifaraa looking at the ceiling as her friend talked to her father.

"What is this matter that is so urgent? Speak the words needed to tell me, I will act as one at your level."

Shifaraa nodded, knowing it was what Amina had asked him. "Your people saw the strange creatures come across the waters from the main land to our island. They have settled there and have now started to clear land for their homes." Shifaraa frowned in anger. "But not only have they done that... they have started to kill the talking animals."

The king nodded. "This is a grave matter indeed, but why should it concern the people of the sea?"

Shifaraa shook her head, startled that he didn't know. "But it's not just the land animals they have been killing!"

The king merman stood up as he narrowed his eyes. "It is not?"

Shifaraa shook her head. "Just a moment before we came to seek your help it was discovered that they have been killing creatures from your kingdom!"

The kings eyes widened as anger tightened his mouth. "If this truly be the case then I will come to talk with your people!"

Shifaraa nodded. "I would not lie to you!"

The king nodded. Turning, he called in his own language and talked to one of his guards. He left and a few minutes later the kings guards where swimming with him, Shifaraa leading the way to the land, Amina following unnoticed.

When they got to the surface they found that everyone else had already gathered. The leaders of the flying horses, the centaurs, the fairies, the nymphs, and the Form Changers. They all greeted one another and then got down to business. Shifaraa told them all everything she knew, just to get everyone caught up, and then her father told what him and the others had been seeing.

Shifaraa, still in her mermaid form, sat beside Amina to the side and watched with wide eyes as the leaders talked. At first they had no idea what should be done, but by the time they had finished they had all agreed on a plan. A plan that made them all sad, but there was no other way they could think of to get the message across to the humans.

They would let the monsters loose. The monsters lived across the island and had, by all the others together, been trapped within certain bounds they could not get out of. Now they would be released, watched closely by the land and sea animals and kept in order, but set free to do whatever it took, except killing, to get the humans to afraid to stay on the island.

Shifaraa said goodbye to Amina and started swimming away before they had finished talking. When she was far enough down, she jumped from the water and fly at her top speed toward the cliff village. Reaching it as the sky started dotting with stars, Shifaraa turned into her human form and walked cautiously to the house she knew Patrick and Jason lived in.

Going around it, she found the window she was looking for and tapped on it. Jason looked up in surprise and came to the window immediately.

"Shifaraa! What-"

"I came to warn you!" Shifaraa leaned against the window frame. "Where is Patrick?"

"I'm right here..." Patrick came to the window rubbing sleep from his eyes. "What's wrong? What's happening?"

Shifaraa shook her head, fighting the urge to fly away into blissful ignorance. "You have to promise you will not say a word of this to anyone!"

"Of what?" Jason frowned.

Shifaraa tightened her mouth and for the first time in so many years she couldn't remember, tears sprang forward. "You must leave."

"Leave? Leave to where?" Jason asked.

"You and your people... all of you must leave the island immediately!"

"But-"

Shifaraa shook her head. "You will see soon... I came to warn you, stay inside!"

"Well we where just going to go to bed anyway..." Jason blinked. "Is something going to happen?"

Shifaraa nodded. "I promise nothing will happen to you... remember that! Nothing will happen to any of you!"

"But why would-"

"Jason? Patrick? Why aren't you two in bed yet!"

Jason whirled to face the bedroom door as it opened. "We where just going to bed mom! I was just... closing the window!"

"I don't remember it being open..." their mother came across the room and pulled the window down. "Now both of you into bed. Turn the light out! We don't have enough candles for you two to use them all up staying up till all hours of the night!" She blew the light out and made sure they where in bed before she left the room, pulling the door closed behind herself.

Jason propped himself up on his elbow and watched the darkness brighten slightly with stars. Shifaraa's face appeared for an instant, and then she was gone.

"One last time..."

"One?"

"One."

"How about two?"

"One."

"No fun..."

"It's getting dark."

"True..."

Shifaraa bounced around the window, her energy to much for the confines of the building. "Why can't I go outside?"

"You know why you cannot go outside!" Chilldea shook her finger at her daughter. "Those monsters are dangerous! What with being in the water, on the land, and in the air... there is no safe place except inside!"

"But they wouldn't be able to catch me! I'm faster then any monster!" Shifaraa's wings kept unfolding part way as she hopped around, hating being trapped inside. "I want to help! I want to see!"

"No Shifaraa! Let the men handle it! They do not need you getting in the way..."

"But mother!"

The door flew open as Malcha was carried in on a gust of wind. He slammed the door and looked at the three startled woman with a grave face. "It happened."

"They left?"

Malcha shook his head. "You must get down in the shelter."

Chilldea and Eldinea slapped their hands over their mouths. "You mean the monsters... they-"

Malcha nodded solemnly. "They have gotten out of hand. The storm isn't helping matters and the monsters have begun killing."

A screech made everyone in the room fall back in fear. Everyone except Shifaraa. She turned to the window, her face set in a look no one had ever seen on her before.

"Shifaraa bake away from the window!" Chilldea pleaded. "Before-"

The window crashed in as a monster's huge head stopped inches from Shifaraa. It opened it's mouth and saliva dripped to the floor, burning a hole right through it, the monsters teeth glinting in the light. It hissed and seemed to smile but hesitated and drew back when Shifaraa returned the sound to perfection.

"Shifaraa!" Chilldea tried to pull herself away from her husband and older daughter, but non of them could do a thing as the monster lunged at Shifaraa.

She dodged it easily and slipped passed it outside. The monster turned in anger and charged after her as she flew through the trees, dodging and weaving through the branches in her true form. The monster didn't bother dodging anything. Trees crashed to the ground around it as it followed Shifaraa, bellowing in anger.

Shifaraa flew straight and smiled when she heard the sound she was searching for. Speeding up, Shifaraa twisted straight up and didn't lose any speed as she flew just below the tops of the trees, barley out of sight of either the sky or the ground. Dropping at just the right moment she bounced off the huge monster, kicking it hard enough to make it yell in a rage.

Bringing half the trees down as it turned, it searched for Shifaraa and chased after her as she flew back the way she had come. Coming to a slight clearing, she stopped short and stood with her arms straight up, staring at the clouds as the covered the stars, their angry crashing bringing warning of the rain that would soon be falling.

Then Shifaraa closed her eyes and listened as the monster closed in on her. One thing she knew... the monsters had terrible hearing. At the same instant they crashed through the trees and Shifaraa zipped straight up into the sky, just barley missing being smashed between them as the monster collided head on.

Shifaraa snickered as they fell to the ground. The sound of wings made her look up and she took a deep breath as she spotted a flying monster not far from where she was. It hadn't seen her yet, and Shifaraa quickly dove under the tops of the trees and started toward the cliff village.

She had to get to Jason and Patrick. She had a promise to keep.

She passed under several flying monsters and over even more ground ones, but non of them heard her as she passed without a sound. The rain had started by the time she got to the village and found it in ruins. The buildings where completely crashed through and not one was left standing.

Shifaraa gulped several times, desperately searching the ground but unable to find anything. Pausing for a second, she searched her mind and nodded. Twirling, she spread wings of a beast and flapped her powerful wings as she again looked through the buildings, this time with eyes that saw better in night then her own eyes could in the day.

And then she saw them. At the same time as a flying monster did. Her wings bent back the trees as she flapped them, every powerful muscle in her body forcing her through the rough wind toward the humans fleeing through the night.

The flying monster didn't see her until she had ran into it. She was only slightly bigger then it, and was almost knocked out of the air herself, but managed to keep her balance as the monster went spinning out of control. It regained itself and screamed into the cold air as its eyes seemed to catch fire. Shifaraa new that as powerful as the animal she had become was, it wouldn't be able to fight with both the monster and the wind. She had to find another way out of the problem...

Folding her wings, she flew straight up and stopped so high in the air she almost felt dizzy. The monster followed her up. Shifaraa waited till it had almost reached her and the she dropped like a stone, hitting the monster with her entire body weight. The wind seemed to be the only one in control as the two fell toward the ground. Shifaraa waited until almost to late before opening her wings abruptly. The wind caught her and jerked her back from the ground as the monster slammed into the dirt.

Shifaraa let out a cry of pain as the wind tore her wings, but fought hard and got her balance back. Rolling backwards, she turned back into herself and flew straight forward, her body like an arrow as she sliced through the wind and rain. She caught up to the humans in no time, but they didn't notice her as she flew over them and came down in front of them.

They stopped with frightened cries as they realized she was there. Shifaraa raised her voice to be heard over the storm. "You have to follow me!!"

"Why should we trust you!?" Someone screamed back. "We saw your people in the sky with those monsters! You let them loose on us!"

Shifaraa searched the crowed desperately but couldn't see well enough to know if Jason or Patrick where there. "If you want to live you must get to your ship! The monsters will see you unless you let me lead you!!"

"We don't need your help! Get out of our way!!" Another human screamed.

Shifaraa jumped into the air in alarm as they ran forward, not caring if they hit her or not. Shifaraa watched them below her and just about didn't hear the monsters crashing through the trees in their direction. "Stop!!" Shifaraa flew above the humans. "Stop can't you hear the monsters coming toward you!? Turn the other way!!"

But they wouldn't listen.

Shifaraa cried into the wind as the monsters broke through the trees and the humans fell to the ground screaming in fear. Shifaraa flew straight at the monsters and stopped just short of hitting the one in front. Dropping to the ground, she flipped back into the air... and the monsters backed up in complete shock as they faced on of their own kind.

Shifaraa roared into the night and charged at them. They backed up and fell over each other as they turned and raced back into the trees. Shifaraa turned around and faced the people, her lip still curled back to show her teeth. They had made her turn into something everyone on the island had nightmares about. She was mad now.

"If you do not wish me to kill you myself you will follow me before those monsters realize I'm not as frightening as I look!" She yelled at them. The humans scrambled to their feet and ran in the direction she indicated.

Shifaraa turned back into herself and it seemed to take forever as she zipped through the trees, straining to hear every sound before the monsters found them. Finally, they broke through the trees and there ahead of them where the ships. The only problem was that they where to far out to sea to get to without using the smaller boats, and they where all in splinters.

"Great! So you lead us right to nothing!!"

Shifaraa turned and stuck her face so close to the humans their noses where touching. "I could leave right now and watch the monsters tare your bodies to pieces if you'd like that better!!"

The human stumbled back and shook his head, meekly. Shifaraa turned back to the boats and desperately tried to think of something. And then a hand slipped into hers. Shifaraa looked down in surprise and gasped as Jason looked up at her, fear widening his eyes to twice their proper size.

"Jason! I was so afraid you died!"

Jason shook his head as Shifaraa looked over his head, spotting the tiny group he had come with.

"Where is Patrick?" Shifaraa asked, her eyes clouding as she didn't see him.

"I don't know..." Jason's voice was choked with tears. "He was with us... but the group got split up when some monsters found us..."

Shifaraa stumbled back. "No!"

"I thought you where going to get us out of here?"

Shifaraa shook her head. "I have to find Patrick!"

"What about the rest of us?"

Shifaraa felt like she was falling as everyone talked at once, most of the voices pleading for her to get them to safety as ones here and there cried for the ones that had been separated from them only a short time ago.

"Shifaraa!"

Shifaraa twisted and jumped into the air, reaching Dilvaro before he could reach her. "Dilvaro Patrick! The monsters!"

Dilvaro nodded. "I heard. You go find them!"

"But th-"

"Go! We will take care of them!"

Shifaraa looked over his shoulder and nodded at the sight of the flying horses and Form Changers behind Dilvaro. Not pausing a minute longer, Shifaraa raced across the sky in the direction the humans with Jason had been coming from.

One glance across the sky told her that the other animals had come back out after rushing to warn their families and where now fighting against the monsters, trying to get them under control enough to trap them back in their section of the island.

Shifaraa turned her attention back to the ground and had to summersault back into a flying beast to see the ground. Her large body caught the wind and made it hard to fly, but there was no way she would find anything with her eyes, and if she tried to be a fairy, who had better eyesight then anyone ever realized, she would easily forget what it was she was supposed to be doing.

Then she spotted a group of monsters, surrounding a tiny huddle of humans. Bending her wings back, Shifaraa dove for the monsters and brought her claws forward to rack across one of the monsters backs. It bellowed in anger and pain and the humans, so scared they had all fallen to the ground, shoved themselves away from the acid saliva.

The monsters twisted around to see into the sky and saw Shifaraa as she turned to dive again. This time they where ready and Shifaraa missed as she scrambled to get away from their teeth. One of the monsters stepped on a humans leg and Shifaraa heard the bone crack from high in the sky. Thinking fast, she dove again as she turned back to herself. Falling straight to the ground, she flew between one of the monsters legs and her claws dug into his tender stomach. It howled in agony and stumbled, almost falling on one of the humans.

Shifaraa flew out over the humans and twisted around the monster to land behind him. The monsters turned and started after her, which meant half of them where walking on the humans. Shifaraa flew up into the air, biting her lip as she heard the human cries of pain. The monsters followed her into the trees, the five of them bringing every tree down to created a wide path before them.

Shifaraa had no idea how to get rid of the monsters. She had to keep slowing down to almost a stand still for them to catch up to her, her speed nearly six times faster then theirs even if they weren't being slowed down by the trees. Flying up into the air, Shifaraa suddenly froze stiff as a thought struck her. From her view point, she could see the monster fighting back against her people and the others. They had been trapped long enough that they had had time to grow strong in their anger and hate for the free people. And they where winning.

Shifaraa bent her head forward. If it worked, everyone would be safe again. But even if it worked, there was no way to be sure she would live through it. Fighting the desperate wish to fly away as a forgetful fairy, Shifaraa dropped back into the trees in front of the monsters and changed direction. The monsters followed her. Swerving in lines, Shifaraa flew with speed even she hadn't known she had. Monsters that hadn't been following her before now caught sight of her and raced along with the others in a thundering herd.

The air grew warm and Shifaraa swallowed passed a stingily dry throat. The monsters didn't stop to think until it was to late, and then they stopped so fast they ran into each other and fell stumbling to the ground. By the time they had gathered themselves together again, it was to late.

Shifaraa slowed herself down as fast as she could, but at the speed she was going she was hardly going any slower before she hit the mountain. Falling to the ground, she felt like her entire body had been broken and couldn't force herself to move. The ground shook.

On the entire island, the people had learned to live with each other. They kept to their places and visited, but there was always the knowledge that they where on their turf, or someone else's. Even the monsters kept to this rule, only with them they never went for visits. There was nothing more dangerous then to go onto the land of another monster. Especially the land of the dragons.

No one on the island mentioned the dragons. No one in the free peoples land, no one in the sea, and no one in the monsters land. No one set foot within a mile of the dragons land. The dragons so big each one almost took up the entire inside of a mountain that could fit everyone else on the island plus room to spare. There where only two dragons there at one time, since if there was more the island would sink with their weight.

Shifaraa gasped for breath as her lungs burned with the heat and the fact almost every rib was broken. Twisting her head up, Shifaraa watched the dragon's head appear. It didn't see her, though it's eye was at her level. It would deal with her after. For now, it had others to take care of.

The monsters screamed and bellowed as the turned to flee, but the dragon simply had to stretch it's neck out of the mountain and twist around and it had encircled the entire group. The other dragon appeared and the air shook with it's yell, the flying monsters loosing their balance all the way across the island.

Everyone on the island froze. Monsters and others alike, everyone turned to see as the dragons head rose above the trees till it seemed to touch the clouds. Dilvaro nearly dropped the human he was bringing to the ship and the human shook so hard it only added to the problem of not dropping it. The dragons eyes seemed to burn as it searched the land. The first one that had appeared opened it's mouth and the entire group of monsters, passing two hundred, burned in the flame that emerged.

The dragon raised it's head to join the other as the watched the island, then turned to see Shifaraa. She watched his eye come closer till she couldn't even see her reflection in his eye she was so small. It tilted it's head and watched her struggle to breath. The other dragon turned it's head and looked over top of the first dragons head. The dragons eye was so big she couldn't see anything else to look at even if she could have made herself look away.

"Please..." She begged, her voice a broken whisper as her lungs screamed at her. She could tell she was dying. She had known when she started out in front of the monsters that she would hit the mountain before she would be able to stop. The mountains roots came far enough out that she couldn't have stopped flying before hitting the side of the mountain, falling to the ledge, or the monsters would have realized where they were and backed up before coming onto the dragons land. She had also needed to let the dragons know they where their. They heard every sound against the mountain.

The dragon raised it's head higher so it was looking down at her, it's head tilted as it opened it's mouth. A voice so loud it hurt filled her head. "Why have you crossed our borders?"

Shifaraa blinked against the pain filling her body to the point of death. "They where killing... they where killing us all... we had to free the monsters... and then they turned on us." The words took all her breath and Shifaraa leaned her forehead against the dirt, tears adding to the pressure of getting air through her throat.

The dragon brought it's eye closer ones again. "You would die to save the island."

"Yes..." Shifaraa breathed in to hard and dust filled her lungs. Coughing brought more pain then she could stand and blackness took over her world.

"And then their was one."

"No! We just did the last one!"

"What about that one?"

"That wasn't there before..."

"It was hidden."

"Cheat."

"It's the last! I promise!"

"You said the last was the last."

"But I didn't promise."

"Patrick!!" His mother folded him in her arms as tears watered his hair. "I thought I would never see you again!"

"It's okay mom! Shifaraa never hits the ground!"

His mother pulled back to look into his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Patrick smiled at her and his brother, twisting to look back at the island as it faded fast behind them. "She never seems to know what she's doing... she doesn't seem to know whats going on... but no one realizes how strong she is. She seems to them all like she's falling... like there is no way she will pull up in time. But she always does. She will always fly. She never hits the ground."

"Okay now it's done."

"Yes. It is. And it's beautiful."

"Still not as beautiful as you."

So ends the memories of SHAY.