The Pearl Fox

Witch of the Forest

Arasine was given a new horse that was a swift mare of russet colour, with a black mane and tail in braids. The horse was draped in a breast piece and tail guard with colourful tassels and pom poms. The brow band jewel above the eyes was silvery with tiny crystals. Blue and white feathers covered the sallong. The leather bronc halter was decourated in painted pebbles, amber and sequins.  She didn't need the wagon anymore and preferred to ride the new colourfully decourated mare called Hazelnut. This was a gift in courtesy of the Zirch. The elderly white priestess of the shrine took the moulding wagon and frail grey horse from Arasine in exchange of this new vibrant mountain Hazelnut from the faith. She also gave Arasine a rainbow compass, which was a crystal lens inside a brass capsule that was created in another temple within the Dream Rocks. The magnetic dial pointed to true north and a heat dial that pointed towards a recipient. All Arasine need do was tell the rainbow compass that she was looking for the pearl fox. The old priestess gave her a small pouch containing rolls of paper currency, a slender sword, a roll mattress, two thick blankets, a canteen of water and small bags of food for both Arasine and Hazelnut. 

The Purple Forest was enormous. It was named for its blueish violet coloured Autumn leaves that turned the forest purple, and in Spring the fruit trees would bloom in violet, pink, blue, lapis, turquoise and black blossoms. Ghostly snakes of mist coiled and slithered around the trees day and night. The forest was full of echoeing sounds of animals and the wind. It trapped those sounds that could've been made hours earlier, because whenever Arasine spoke to the mare, or whenever Hazelnut snorted, the sounds trailed off into the distance. The sound of crunching leaves and breaking sticks created eerie vibrating noises, day and night. The Purple Forest was famed for being haunted, and filled with legends of trolls, goblins, gouls and harpies. Arasine needed to head east to find the wood witch. Her rainbow compass pointed east when she told it to locate this person.

The forest was far from being easy. There was sliding mud beneath tall grass. Hills and giant cliffs that dropped to a death trap. Plenty of stinging plants, snakes, bogs and tarantulas. The eastern part of the Purple Forest was dangerous and many people over the years fell to their deaths using it. Arasine was guided well with the rainbow compass and the strength of the horse getting through this wretched land.

Before nightfall, the visible glow from the windows of an isolated cottage appeared in the dusk light, but it was on a slope full of mounds belonging to fire ants. Arasine avoided stepping on these with care. As she approached the cottage, she could smell freshly baked bread coming from within. On a tree beside the cottage was a WANTED poster featuring a portrait of a handsome young man. She read about the man named Hanzak Deerlock, and it occurred to her that he might be the one stole from the temple. This had to be the same thief. She remembered what went missing and laughed. These items were nature spirits that enjoyed pretending to be treasured objects. The Blue Path faith adopted these spirits and allowed them into their temples throughout Diaphry. This wasn't common knowledge. They were fools gold to this robber as they were enchanted beings. It still angered the priests whenever someone stole from the temples, real treasure or not. This man on the poster was also wanted for stealing a horse and he was a murder suspect. She realised that the authorities didn't know what he'd really taken from the temple. She used this tree with the poster to tie a loop with a rope and then attached this to the halter of Hazelnut. She placed some fruit on the ground for the mare. She didn't know how long she would be in that cottage, if she was going to meet anyone, but she was aware to check on the horse.  The front door opened before Arasine could knock.

"Come in priestess," a kindly voice said from inside. "You're looking for the missing fox."

Arasine sensed nothing. When she sensed nothing, there was nothing to fear. She looked back at Hazelnut. She would be out in a flash with her sword if anyone tried to harm the mare. She was trained to use a sword and martial arts were taught to young priests and piestesses. When she entered the cottage, the room was full of scented objects, herbs, vegetables, hanging cloves of garlic and onions, pots, pans. On shelves were potions, candles, books and bottles, jars and more plants. A small black cauldron full of steam smelled of peppers. Throoughout the rest of the room were jars, bones, powders,sacks of spice, potatoes, rice, sugar, coal and stacks of fire wood. A plump little old woman had been unnoticed behind a table, and she was stirring stew in a pot. She wore a fat yellow bonnet on her head, a big yellow dress and a stained frilly apron. On her feet were pretty shining red shoes with pointed tips and blue bows. She peered around the table and smiled at Arasine. She had a snub nose, big brown eyes and freckles. Her mouth was very wide and each corner of her lips almost reached her ears.

"Sit down priestess" the wood witch said. "I'll make you tea. I've put the kettle on. Eat this warm stew as you were out in that cold cursed forest."  

"Thank you for your hospitality," Arasine found a wooden stool and sat down on it. Arasine didn't really like to take the woman's food. She had to be poor living alone out here, she wondered. The wood witch poured tea into a wooden cup and passed it to Arasine.

"Are you Ikatra Niya?" Arasine asked not quite expecting a woods witch to be like this. She'd imagined a frightening old crone dressed all in black who rode on a broomstick.

"Yes, I am Ikatra Niya, nicknamed a wood witch by all who come here," the woman said, serving the stew and filled two wooden bowls. When the stew was eaten, and tea swallowed, Arasine asked about the missing fox.

"I know where it can be found, although it's guarded," Ikatra said. "You won't reach it, unless you use the Hag-Pearls. They're special pearls. They come from a large oyster shell where a baby girl was born, thousands of years ago in the West Green Sea. Divers brought it all to Diaphry, and they opened it, and discovered the baby with all those beautiful pearls. A princess adopted the baby, and a king gave the pearls to his wife as a birthday present. The queen wore the pearls all the time, and she became even more lovely and youthful as each year passed by. Then one day, she removed the pearls so that she could put on a new necklace that her husband bought on another birthday. As soon as she took off the pearls, she turned into a very wrinkled old woman with a balding head, large chin, warts a crooked nose. That is why they're called Hag-Pearls, for they can age a woman if she takes them off.

"The pearls were thrown into a plague pit that wasn't far from the Vralli Ruins," Ikatra Niya continued as she and Arasine drunk more tea. "One day, the dead bodies that were buried deep down in the pit crawled out of their grave, bringing up the Hag-Pearls with them, so that they could use it as a rope to help other dead people climb up through the soil."

Arasine shuddered. It was a story that she remembered listening to as a child when she attended school in Jorno, and it used to frighten her and give her bad dreams. She had since forgotten much of the tale until now. Ikatra Niya was bringing back childhood nightmares. Ikatra placed wood into the hearth and made a small crackling fire.

"One of the undead corpses decided to wear the pearls," Ikatra continued with the story and poured more tea into the cups. Arasine felt very thirsty. "It turned flesh into a living person, or like a living human again but still dead. It's said that each of those gouls took turns wearing the Hag-Pearls, to give their living bodies back. It put flesh back onto them. They kept the Hag-Pearls with them. They still have them and according to legend, they'll never part from them until the end of time."

Arasine listened over her tea. "If this is true, where can I find these Hag-Pearls?"

Ikatra's eyes went big and she was silent for a short while, and it felt like a long while. Then she spoke in a whisper: "In the Valley of the Dead".

Arasine got up and put the empty cup on the table. "Where can I find this place?" The plump woman's turned from smiling to a look of someone feeling sore, and she also got up, then waddled in her swishing big dress towards the front door.

"It's not mentioned," Ikatra whispered, "It's north from my cottage, but you must get to the Green Snake river, Follow it, northwards, and you'll come to it. Be very careful. Oh and don't forget to take this." Ikatra went to a low shelf and picked up a small bottle full of powder, then handed it to Arasine.  "This will protect you."

Arasine had many more questions to ask, but she was ushered out of the cottage. She thanked Ikatra for the food and tea but already the door had closed shut as soon as she was outside. Asking where to find the Valley of the Dead altered Ikatra's mood. The wood witch had known that she was coming. Unless she wanted her to get out in a hurry, and something made her tense. She felt disappointed that she was never offered the chance to sleep over in the warm cottage that night. She went over to Hazelnut, and she sensed that rain would come. She decided that she won't give up her search, whether it rains or not. She climbed on the mare and spoke to the rainbow compass and said "I want to go to the Green Snake river". It pointed northwards. That is where she will go.