A raven with giant wings and bald head descended from the skies. It was his raven. Baldie.

He landed right in the middle of the Dryads. They all turned their rigid heads of bark and stopped. A whirl of black smoke, branches, and black feathers wrapped the raven and a raven-man emerged from the middle. Ferry's heart skipped a beat. 

"Move away from him!" his voice thundered, covering the sound of snapping branches. The Dryads took a few steps back, but the one holding Ferry didn't loosen the grip.

"A visitor from the far land of the Moon among us. Such an honor," he said in a long-winded, low voice like the one of a wise man. "Why is he so important to so many?" he asked.

"Let him go or else ─ "

"Or else?" asked the Dryad.

" ─ or else I'll peck your bark so hard,  it's going to turn into pierced cheese when I'll be done."

When hearing his words, the Dryads stopped. Ferry felt the grip loosening until he was free.

The Dryad behind him took a bow. "Forgive me," he said, "but it wasn't my wish to harm this fairy. We just want to help her protect him. But now, since you're here, that would be your honor," he said, taking another bow.

And the Dryads retreated and walked away with large, slow steps towards the trees around, becoming one with them. Silence fell as if nothing had happened. All Ferry could see now were still trees. Only their branches were slowly undulating in the wind. The raven-man bowed his head, then turned and set moving towards the edge of the clearing.

"Baldie, wait!" Ferry shouted behind him. The raven-man stopped, without turning.

"Please, don't leave me here," Ferry begged. "Take me with you, please! I know it's you. Matilda needs me... And I ─ I need you. Please..."

And Ferry fell to his knees. He couldn't bear the thought of being alone anymore. Baldie hesitated for a moment. But Ferry clung to him like an old friend he hasn't seen in a long, long time.

Baldie smiled. Then he pulled out a throaty call. Somewhere from above, three strange creatures descended. A giant lizard, a wolf-man, and a woman with the ears of a hare. Izzy, Shadow, and Harry made their fairy appearance. Or better said Parsley, Sage, and Rosemary.

"I'm so happy you're all right, Master," said Shadow, taking a bow.

"I'm happy to see you, too," said Ferry with all his heart. He recognized them all from the meeting in his backyard. It seemed like ages ago. Home looked like a distant place now.

Baldie sat in the middle, calling the others to come closer, "We needed to come, this place is not safe," he said. "I've seen this place from above and I know where we can talk quietly. Let us go!"

"But we need to find Matt!" Ferry insisted. "She's alone and helpless. And she's in danger."

Shadow sniffed the air around with his wolf-like nose, "That's easy. I know how to find her. Follow me!"

"How do you know where to find her?" Ferry wondered.

"I only have to follow the smell of cookies and shoe polish," Shadow laughed, leading the way. The others followed, too. Just like Oona, they walked side paths, away from curious fairy eyes.

"Say, Master, how long did you know we were fairies?" Baldie asked Ferry as he removed the brambles and shrubs on their way.

Ferry shrugged, "Since always, I think. I knew you weren't ordinary pets from the moment I saw you."

"Couldn't you think of a better name for me?" Baldie laughed. "The others got decent names. Not names of heroes or warriors, to be fair. Yet, far better than mine."

"That was because of your head," said Ferry. "What happened to your head?"

"Well, I was attacked by a Nihil," said Baldie. "Fortunately, it only hit a feather on my head. But their charm is so powerful, my whole head was left bald."

"You should be grateful you were under the raven's shape when he attacked you," Izzy laughed. "Else you would've had some glorious baldness. "

Baldie skewed at Izzy and he stopped laughing. But Ferry had something else in his mind. "What's a Nihil?" he asked.

Baldie hesitated, then said, "A Nihil is a creature born out of nothing. He can't feel anything, whether love or hate. But he can be terribly dangerous if he obeys an evil power. Because once he becomes the slave of evil, nothing stops him. And since they have no heart, they become merciless creatures. You need to stay away from Nihils, Master! In the hands of evil, they are simple objects of perdition."

"Have I met a Nihil before?" Ferry asked. "And why are you calling me Master?"

Baldie looked away, "It is not in our power to tell you," he said in half voice. "You will find out when the time shall come..."

Ferry felt discouraged, "I keep hearing that," he mumbled. "Is there ever going to be the time for finding the truth?"

Rosemary--or better yet, Harry, since May didn't know her pet was a girl--who's been silent all this time, stepped closer. "Say, Master, how do you like Tenalach so far?" She was obviously trying to turn the conversation. "The tuck-ins at The Hornless Unicorn are a delight, aren't they?"

Ferry smiled, "If there is something I love in Tenalach that is definitely the food. It's the best I've ever tasted."

"Tell me about it," Izzy said. "Those meals are simply luscious."

Yet, Ferry couldn't help but wonder, "How long have you been in Tenalach? You've been gone a long time before we've reached here. Why?"

They all turned silent.

It was Baldie's round to talk, "The fairies of Tenalach have always been dangerous. You see, they don't obey the laws of the Book of Fairies. So nothing would stop them to trade you for a bucket of gold if they captured you. Especially if they would know how precious you are. When we understood that nothing could've stopped you from coming to this place, we decided to go, too. That's why we left before you--to know the menace of this place ahead of you. So I am telling you, beware of the fairies of Tenalach! Don't trust them! Not even Oona."

"You know Oona?" Ferry asked.

"I! I've known her ever since she was visiting you. And I know how reckless and stubborn she can be..."

Ferry had that strange feeling again--as if a thousand thoughts were coming to his mind all at once. He stopped in place. "Wait a minute! You mean you knew where I was and what I was doing this whole time? Ever since I got here?"

Baldie kept silent while the others looked away.

"But how?" Ferry insisted. "Even if you knew I was to come to this place, it must've been pretty hard to find me, especially this time of the year. This place is pretty wide and there are hundreds of visitors coming from all over. How did you know where to find me?"

"I think we'd better take off," said Baldie. "Sage, where to?" he asked the wolf-man.

But Ferry didn't move, "I'm not leaving until you tell me how you found me." That's when he noticed Shadow looking at the raven's stone at his neck. "It's that it?" he asked. "You used the raven's stone to spy on me?"

Baldie sighed, "It's true, but we did it only to protect you. There are so many dangers, waiting at every turn. Here and in the world of humans, as well. We must know where you are all the time."

The news was too much for Ferry. He wanted a bit of quiet if only for a few seconds. He wanted someone he could trust. He could feel the stone at his neck burning. So he pulled it out and threw it away.

Now that he thought about it, he could tell he was never alone. Never just him and his thoughts. He's always been watched. Spied on. Observed from the darkness by unseen eyes. The raven stone must have been a magical object which helped Baldie and his friends find him no matter where he was. They could watch him even in his most special moments. When he thought he was alone. Or with his friends. When his mother sang to him. Or when he was with May on her balcony full of flowers. Ben would've called the raven's stone a tracking device, most definitely.

"You mean I was never alone? You've been spying on me all this time?"

"Well, not the entire time," said Izzy. "We couldn't have watched you in the bathroom, could we?"

"Shut your mouth, Parsley," Baldie cut him short. Then, he turned to Ferry, "That is not true, Master. We didn't break the laws of the Book of Fairies if that's what you're asking. We never watched you while at home, or with your friends, or at school. We've only watched you from above just to know you are safe. And yes, we've used the raven's stone for that. I gave it to you myself when school started, remember? When you left your home and you weren't safe anymore. But we never mingled into your life with the humans. Please, keep the stone, Master! Let us protect you."

But Ferry shook his head no. "Stop calling me Master! I can take care of myself," he said and he broke into a run, with his heart broken into thousands of pieces.

He was running as fast as he could, tears coming to his eyes. He always thought Baldie was his friend. But for him, he was just a mission. A purpose. And Baldie, or Thyme, or whatever his name was, he was nothing but a soldier with one purpose--to complete his mission.

He kept on running, branches scratching his face and weeds clinging to his feet. Soon, he left the Dryads' glade and ventured in the middle of the magical creatures again. Dozens of faces were coming in his sight and Ferry had the feeling everyone knew his secret. As if all of them knew who he was, except him. He was walking randomly without knowing where to and bumped into a lot of the creatures. Some were smiling at him, calling him to join their dance. Others would study him with their big, black eyes. While others, small and humpbacked, were catching at his cloak, speaking that strange language and trying to convince him of something he didn't understand.

The fairy fires were showing up all over, dancing in the air, their light hurting his eyes. He could see now that his protectors lost his track. He stopped running, but he was still feeling so tired... He could barely stay on his feet. The fires, the trees, the creatures began to dance in a circle around him, making him dizzy. Stumbling on his feet, he managed to come off that frantic dance and retreated to a napping shelter.

The shelter was empty. It seemed so soft and cozy, alluring him with jasmine scents. If he could fall asleep, if only for a second... What could've happened in just one second? If he could just close his eyes...

The mattress of leaves and flowers welcomed him in its soft, scented arms. The voices, the laughter, they all scattered and then faded away. Ferry was falling, falling... sinking into a cloud of warm touches. He surrendered to that peaceful feeling. He could feel warm, beloved arms embracing him and a soft hand caressing his face. He tried to open his eyes. Between the heavy eyelids, he could see he wasn't in Tenalach anymore. He was in front of a fireplace where a frisky fire was burning; its warmth was wrapping him like the softest blanket. He could smell cookies and chamomile tea. Someone was rocking and singing to him.

Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay...

He would've recognized those arms and that voice from a thousand others. He was home. He was with his mother. He couldn't hold back his tears anymore, and let them fall freely.

"Don't worry, my sweet boy. Mummy is here... I'll always be here..." he could hear her soft voice as if right there, with him.

When he woke up, he could still feel her breath in his hair and the warmth of her hands around his body.

"I miss you, Mum," he whispered.

He sat up, wiping out his tears. How long has he been sleeping? He felt good and rested as if he would've slept a whole day. He was confident again. He tried to stand up. That's when he saw two dark eyes staring at him. A small, black animal, with bristled fur, was watching him, frozen still. A curious creature, part hare, part goat. A Pooka.

Ferry bounced up and went out of the napping shelter. But the creature followed, its thin finger lifted in the air. It spoke the language of fairies, but the words were not sweet and gentle anymore. They were short and biting, repeated over and over again by the strange creature.

"What do you want from me?" Ferry asked, retreating from its way. "I don't have the raven's stone anymore."

But the Pooka followed. "You has it!" it said in a small, whispered voice. "You have the Moon's Tear..."

"No, I don't!" Ferry shouted. "Shoo! Go away!"

But the Pooka kept on following, its finger still pointing at him. And, to Ferry's despair, the creature opened its mouth and a sharp cry emerged from its throat. Ferry was petrified. If that creature had kept on screaming, he would've been discovered. That moment, he wished Baldie and his friends were there.

Just when he thought all the beings of Tenalach would turn and rend him, a white light fell over him from above the trees. And the Pooka dashed away, vanishing between the trees.

Ferry looked at the sky above. The Moon was rising. 

Sooo, what do you think about Ferry's journey so far? What do you think he'll do next? I Can't wait for your clever comments and mind-blowing theories. And don't forget to vote :) Thank you so, so much for your great support!