After arriving at the Elven village, I decided that we first had to tell Meira about our little adventure as it takes too much time to gather all the Elders.

As soon as we enter her bedroom, I see Meira carefully brushing her hair in front of the mirror. She only does this in the morning, and right before going to bed. Could it really be that late already?

We become visible again and Meira sees our reflection in the mirror. 
"Ah!!! What?.....Oh? You two startled me! Huh? Rose, Daisy? Is that really you?"

"Yep, we sure are. Sorry for startling you, Meira." I said while landing on her bed.

"Awww...look at you two....so cute! Tell me, what happened? And where have you been all day?"

"Meira, Meira! We just met another goddess! She blessed us!" Rose's voice is brimming with excitement.

Meira opens her mouth in amazement and drops her hairbrush, then shakes her head. "You...you  mean..actually met her?"

"That's right. It's just as Rose said. We went further into the forest and..." but Meira interrupted me.

"No, wait....please. I have to assemble the Elders for this. Would you two please wait and tell the story there?"

Rose looks disappointed, just like me. "Eh...sure. But we thought you would be happy to hear our story?"

"I am! But, you see....this is our way. This is too important and must be shared with all of us at once. ....Please?" Meira seems serious about this. 

I look at Rose and see her nod...yeah....it's been a long day, but we can manage seeing the Elders.
"Okay, Meira, we'll wait for them in the usual meeting place."

Meira's expression is a serious one, she simply nods and leaves the room quickly, heading for the Elders. Rose follows me outside and into the meeting area where the small table is still standing proudly in the center of the room. We both land on it and I ask Rose "I just noticed...the sun is down already and I'm not really that hungry. How about you?"

"Yes, you're right. Now that you mention it, I'm not hungry at all. Perhaps the goddess did something to us? You know, filled our bellies somehow?"

"Ewwww....or we are just excited and will soon be so hungry that we can devour a whole bear!"

She gave me that are you nuts-look again, but only for a moment. "Sorry, I keep forgetting...those memories of yours. Bears are very tiny rodents, so....I don't know what you....nevermind..."

 

At this point the Elders are entering the room, one at a time. A few of them seem to be older than I had thought, needing a bit of support while walking.

Only moments later and the Elders are already discussing recent events, but of course not our little adventure. Some are actually complaining that they need to show up here! Can you believe that?

The Matriarch stands up and looks around, then addresses all present. 
"People, people, please settle down. Let's not forget our duties as Elders. Now, Daisy and Rose....your appearances apparently have changed again. I assume this is related to why we're here?"

I nod and start explaining what had happened to us earlier. But when we arrived at the part where I told them that my memories of Earth were actually fake.....I couldn't keep my emotions together anymore. I cried. Bigtime. Rose embraced me, while the Elders remained silent out of respect.

"Rose <sniff>...none of it really happened. And I don't know anything about this world. Not even my family. How can people be so cruel to take one's memories?"

"I know it's difficult, Daisy, but you heard the goddess. Even she can't help it without hurting you. You just have to learn again...and I'll help you with that. I promise. Besides....you really look like the Daisy I remember more and more every day. It's just that I couldn't tease you as much as I can now."

This put a smile on my face. "Thank you, Rose. I guess I should be grateful. I could have been killed by that assassin. Well, two assassination attempts actually. No, make that three. Anyway, it's better to live without memories than not at all."

The Matriarch walks over to us and sits down before us. "Daisy, that's the spirit. Now...is there anything else you want to tell us?"

I nod and continue to explain everything else, including that we wore other clothes for some mysterious reason. 

She then comments "mmmm, it is consistent with our stories. A fairy is a magical being after all. Their clothes can change depending on the occasion. Perhaps it means that when you are in a snowy environment, your snow outfit appears. I guess you'll have to wait and see."

I nod. "Perhaps, but does this mean that being a snow fairy forces me to join another group of snow fairies? So...I can't live with you people or Rose anymore?"

Rose then answers my question. "That was once the case, yes. Our ancestors lived together in groups of the same type. Snow fairies with snow fairies, wind fairies with wind fairies. But at some point they realized that having groups of different types is healthier for nature, but also more convenient for us as well. Think about starting a fire, letting it rain, having a gentle breeze in summer....people can help each other, you know? That kind of stuff. Ha ha ha ha..."

I look at Rose, confused. Why is she laughing at me now?

"Daisy...my goddess.....your tail...just look at it!"

I look at my tail and see it swaying vividly. In a reflex I take it in my hands and put it in front of my face, trying to hide my blushing cheeks. 

"Awwwww......." Meira picks me up in her hands and holds me carefully near her shoulder, just like a child would cuddle her doll. "It's okay, Daisy. All of us here are your friends. Rose didn't mean it like that."

I nod, but still feel my cheeks burning. I land on Meira's shoulder and Rose lands next to me.

"Sorry...." Rose's expression tells me she really feels sorry.

"It's okay, Rose. Because your tail is doing the exact same thing now!"

"I know!" Rose smiles while looking at her tail, doing its own thing.

"Rose? Why are we both looking differently now? I mean you are a wolf-fairy and I'm a fox-fairy. Shouldn't we both look the same, you know, because we're from the same city?"

"Huh? Ah, no no. We learned that in school. Our ancestors, the blessed ones, not only have their own specialty like rain or snow.....but they also have what we call a kinship. This is something from way back when fairies lived close to other races. Fairies who lived near fox-people started looking like them at some point. Same for fairies near wolf-people. Since more recent times though, nature has decided what our kinship will be, no matter where we live."

 

After discussing these topics a bit more, I had to ask the Elders something important. Something that has been bugging me for a long time. Elves.....can they really live for hundreds of years? I just have to know. 

The Matriarch looked confused for a moment when I asked that question, then laughed so loudly that all of them joined her. When she noticed that I felt stupid for asking, she replied "don't worry so much, Daisy. We'd love to live for centuries, but that's not how things work. Most of us live until 120 or 130 years of age. And as we've already told you earlier, none of us have met a blessed fairy before. That's why we tell these kinds of stories at night. To remember our ancestors and pass along important knowledge. Something we probably wouldn't have to do if we could live for centuries."

After this revelation, we showed our updated stats to the people gathered here. Finally! Finally we got rid of those demonic skills!

 

 

It's now night time and we're sitting comfortably around a rather large campfire, something these Elves do each night. It's one of those social events where people can relax and share experiences. 

It seems that today it's our turn to tell stories, or I should say "Rose's turn," as I don't know anything about our ancestors or even our current rituals. I feel like a tourist here, just trying to have some fun and let the locals lead me through their tales.

Everyone around us is focused on Rose, waiting with excitement for her to start. But they also need to concentrate in order to hear our soft voices.

Rose looks around with a big smile and seems to like the attention.  "Ahem...so.....did you people know that blessed fairies have their own spirit animal?
No? Well, a spirit animal is a normal looking animal, just like you would see them in your forest here."
Rose points back to the forest. "According to our history teacher, they can be anything really. Good examples are Sinno birds, Krattan lizards and Yalugos."

"Ehh, Rose...what's a Yalugo?" I can't understand the story...I just need to know.

"Oh? That Karra from back in the guild? You called her a "cat-kin", but her closest relatives in nature are Yalugos. Small little furry creatures, often used as pets."

I nod. So...basically cats I guess.

Rose smiles when she sees me imagine one of their cats. "Those spirit animals can help you with inspiration and help you when you are feeling down. Just like real friends do. But in combat, they can also help you survive where you otherwise wouldn't be able to. It is said that Elves also have magical abilities and therefore should be able to summon their spirit animals as well."

At this point the audience started talking excitedly, hoping that they really could summon one of their own. I have to hand it to Rose, she's a great story teller. The Elves appear entertained.

"So.....considering that Daisy and I are now blessed fairies, just like our ancestors were....how about we try...summoning one now?"

Again the excitement around us increased until Rose motioned that she wanted to speak again. I could see the Matriarch, ready to interrupt, but Rose noticed that already. "Alright, alright, I promise that we won't do anything dangerous." This was enough to see her relax visibly. She's smiling again. 

"Daisy, how about you?"

"Huh? Wha??? Me? Like...now????" 

"Ha ha ha ha..." The Elves are enjoying seeing me making an idiot out of myself again. 

"Okaaaaay.....tell me how and I'll be your guinea pig."

"What's a....okay nevermind. Just relax....yep....very good. And sit up properly. Now speak the following words loudly." She whispers what I need to say.

Now it's my turn to be in the spotlights, I guess.
"Okay everyone. This is my first time trying to summon a spirit animal. So....bear with me please." 

The audience goes quiet..very quiet. The only sound I hear is the crackling of the fire. Occasional sparks fly upwards and disappear in the night sky. The stage is set, the audience is here...showtime!

I speak loudly. "My spirit animal, my friend. Journey here to me, from far away on the other end."

"Aww...." The audience realizes that after waiting for a minute...nothing is going to happen. 

Rose repeats the same and....again nothing.

 

 

[ Perspective of two spirit animals ] 

Somewhere far away in another plane of existence....two souls volunteer for a new adventure.
They have humanoid shapes but are nothing more than pure light, waiting for an opportunity to choose a new form. And finally...they can. They were resting when they received the invitation. 

Yukio: "<Yawn> Hey, Odin, long time no see."

Odin: "<Yawn> <Yawn> <Yawn> Oh, hey, Yukio. Yeah....been way too long. I guess we finally found ourselves a new adventure. Shall we?"

Yukio: "By all means. but.....these two are just tiny fairies. Do you have a form in mind that would suit them as well?"

Odin: "Ohhh.....yeah....that's right. Mmm.....a Razorbeast won't work....that's my favorite."

Yukio: "Ha ha ha, didn't go too well last time, now did it?"

Odin rolls his eyes. "Ugh, don't remind me of that. Okay, I think I have something in mind. And you?"

Yukio: "I'm going for the same as last time. It's just...I don't know.....it feels natural, I guess?"

Odin: "Ha ha ha....okay...looking forward to meeting you physically again. Ready to leave?"

Yukio: "Yes my old friend. Let's help those two little ones!"

 

FLASH! Both spirits have embarked on a new journey, a journey where they will be Rose's and Daisy's friends for life.

 

 

[ Daisy's perspective ] 

I'm listening to Rose who's answering questions from a few Elves. All the young ones are already sleeping, so only the adults are gathered here now.

One of the Elves seems hesitant to ask a question, but still does after a bit of encouragement. I guess more people want to know. "As you fairies are magical beings....are your children....eh.....also born? Eh......you know?"

But before a blushing Rose can answer, we are startled by a FLASH.

"Ahhh!!!!"  People shout loudly and run away to find safety. Whatever this is, it scared the bejeebies out of everyone.

Rose and I find ourselves high up in the sky, I guess it's some sort of a fairy reflex.

When we look down, we see two animals looking at each other near the campfire, then up at us.

"Sorry! We're late! You summoned us earlier, remember?"

I look at Rose and see her carefully nod, so we descend, but still ready to flee if needed.
The animals keep looking at us, but seem to make a friendly impression...they don't move a muscle.

I land near one and see that it's a fox. A white fox. Perhaps an Arctic fox. Well, it would make sense if this one would be "mine."

The other one is a genuine wolf, quite the large animal. But its eyes are inviting and kind.
Rose now lands next to me and I see some Elves return to us...one after the other. Some are cautiously peeking behind one of their huts.

Both animals lie down, to show that they mean no harm, allowing for even more Elves to return. After a few more minutes, most of the Elves had returned.

"Eh....are you two perhaps...our spirit animals?" I carefully ask while keeping an eye on both animals.

The fox stands on all four paws and answers my question. He definitely has a deep male voice.
"Yes, Daisy. I'm your spirit animal. I'm sorry for our late arrival, and for scaring you as well. That was not our intention at all." His voice was kind and he almost sang that sentence, not monotonous at all.

For some reason I'm drawn to the fox and I ask "do you mind, if I touch your fur?"

"Not at all." He's even swaying his fluffy tail.

I pet him near his nose area and cheeks. My god, he's cute and fluffy! "Thank you for that. What's your name?"

"I'm Yukio, Daisy. And this is my dear friend."

Odin now stands on his paws as well, also speaking in a male voice, but not as deep as Yukio's. "And I'm Odin. Rose, I'm your spirit animal. Also my apologies for startling you. We are here to stay with you guys and help you out however we can. But just being good friends works for us as well."

Rose seems happy now, she's also carefully petting Odin for a second or two.
"Nice to meet you, Odin. But why did you wait so long to appear before us?"

"This is the first time you called for us. We still had to choose our forms. From now on we can be there with you in a split second. And we can leave you as well. Just call for us when you need us."

Huh? Aren't they supposed to help us all the time? I don't get it. "Why would you need to go? And where would you go when you leave us?"

Yukio then replies "having us around drains you of your mana. While the both of you have quite the amount...you should still let us rest in the spirit realm after a while. And when your mana is back to normal, just call for us again. The more you practice, the longer we will be able to stay with you. After a few years of practicing, we can stay with you all the time."

"Is there anything we can do for you now?" Odin asks, looking at Rose and me and back to Rose. 

"That depends. How about just relaxing here with us for a while? Or do you need to leave right now?" I asked.

"We can stay here for about an hour. Then we will return to keep you both safe. Is that acceptable?" Odin suggests.

I walk over to Odin and pet him as well. "Of course it is. Welcome to......Rose, what is this world called anyway?"

Rose facepalmed, a gesture that became second nature to her, considering the fact that I almost do that on a daily basis.

"This world is called Enua..." Yukio answered on her behalf, "...and thank you."

 

 

After getting to know our friends a bit more, they sat down near the fire and we fairies cuddled into their fur to keep warm. This is sooooo relaxing!

At some point we must have fallen asleep as Meira gently brought us back to her bedroom, telling us that our new friends disappeared after pushing us gently away with their noses. They asked Meira to tell us "goodnight."  

Suffice to say that we slept very well, dreaming of newly found fluffy furry friends.