Homecoming

The journey to the shimmering circle took longer than anyone had planned. Misty was feeling faint as the three dolls approached the shimmering circle at the edge of the woods. Jackal, ever protective of the mysterious stranger, let them lean on her for support. The next few moments happened so quickly that they became a blur in Lyra’s mind. She reached for the feather in her pocket which glowed brighter and brighter as they approached the shimmering circle. As she handed over the feather, Misty reintroduced themselves as Dove. They raised the feather high as a bright light started emanating from it and a halo that appeared above their head before light enveloped all three of them and, unknown to them for the moment, whisked them all away.

As Lyra came to, she was lying on her side. The light above her was so blindingly bright and she immediately felt nausea wash over her in waves. She rolled over to her side and heaved. Jackal couldn’t help but do the same. Neither of them were meant to be here, Lyra could feel that much. As she looked up, Dove moved over to her to check on both her and Jackal.

“Oh dear,” they said softly as they placed a gentle hand on Lyra’s back. “Are you both going to be okay?” The concern was clear both in their voice and their eyes, but Lyra had to squint up at them still. In addition to the light from above, the halo above Dove’s head was still glowing as well.

“Ugh, everything’s so…so bright,” Jackal groaned as she picked herself up. Lyra took the hand Dove offered to her before standing up alongside them. The sense of wrongness persisted, but at least the initial nausea started to die down.

“I’m sorry to ask you two to come with me but, I have somewhere I need to go, would you mind?” Dove was being tentative, hesitant. They were clearly worried about Jackal and Lyra and it was sweet.

Jackal was the first of them to speak up, “We’ll be okay. Don’t worry about us. You just lead the way, Dove.”

Lyra nodded along with Jackal’s words as she straightened herself up. She brushed herself off as her eyes finally adjusted to the blinding light and the scene before her was absolutely breathtaking. Sure, she had seen clouds in Burrowgatory before, but nothing quite like this. They looked plush enough to lay on, to sink into after a long, hard day. She took a few steps forward and looked around at the grass field in front of them before she realized that underneath the grass, instead of dirt and brimstone, was instead fluffy white clouds. The gasp she let out was audible.

“Where…are we, Dove?” She asked as she turned to look at them. The look on their face was a complicated one, like they wanted to answer her question but didn’t know how best to.

“I think…it’ll be easier to explain once we get back to my home,” they admitted softly.

“Your home?” Jackal asked as she stepped closer to Dove and placed a hand on their back. “You really did remember everything, didn’t you?”

Dove nodded and looked up at Jackal before looking over to Lyra. “I promise I’ll explain everything later.”

Lyra gave them a patient smile and nodded. “That’s okay, Dove, come on let’s get going.”

The sky above them was so clear and so incredibly blue. Lyra was amazed at it as they walked all together. “Where’s the top?” She asked quietly. Dove giggled softly in response. But it wasn’t just the sky that amazed Lyra. The fields around them were more lush and more gorgeous than any she’d seen in Burrowgatory. The lush green grass tickled against her legs even through her sheer thigh highs and the dandelions swayed gently in the wind.

Even though it seemed like Dove was in a rush, Lyra couldn’t help but take her time; who could say when she’d get to come back here? And it seemed like Dove was picking up on it.

“It’s okay, we don’t have to rush,” they assured her before they moved over to a tall tree, offering a bit of shade against the blinding light from the sky above. “Take your time.”

Lyra grinned and moved to take a seat next to dove. “Do you know how to make flower crowns?” She posed the question to Dove because she already had a feeling Jackal didn’t know how to.

“I don’t think so…” they replied before looking down at some of the delicate dandelions near them. “Can we make one out of these?” They picked one gently and held it up, careful not to let the wind blow it away.

“Absolutely we can,” Lyra said with a grin. Jackal dropped down on the grass next to Dove, apparently resigned to this diversion. The three of them picked dandelions near them, gathering up enough for them to make a few flower crowns.

“First hold them like this,” Lyra took two in her hands and held them across one another. “Then wrap the stem this way,” she said as she wrapped the stems around one another. Jackal seemed a little disinterested, but they went along with it because Dove seemed to be enjoying themselves. Lyra added another flower to the mix and demonstrated how to braid the stems together. “Just keep going just like this,” she said as she worked on her own flower crown. “And if anything feels loose or weak just add in another flower to make it stronger.”

Dove was intensely focused on their own crown, but Jackal’s gaze drifted over to Dove and she even had a heartfelt smile as she watched Dove working on their crown so earnestly. The look didn’t escape Lyra’s gaze but she kept her mouth shut for now as she finished her own flower crown. Once they were done, Lyra assessed each of their crowns. First she took Jackal’s and added a few flowers to it to strengthen it before handing it back to her. Dove presented theirs with a small smile and as much reserved excitement as they could muster.

“You did such a good job, Dove!” It was a really impressive crown for a first-timer and Lyra was pleased she was able to teach them how to make it. Lyra carefully put on her own crown over her horns before helping Jackal with hers next, being extra careful of her taller horns. And then, finally, she helped Dove get their crown on and adjusted it around their still shining halo.

“These are beautiful Lyra, thank you so much,” they said as they gently touched against the dandelions on their head. Everything about them was ethereally beautiful, maybe it was the added mystery to their past, their origin, everything. But Lyra smiled nonetheless.

“Of course Dove, let’s make them more often when we get back to Burrowgatory,” Lyra exclaimed proudly. There was no doubt in her mind that once they reached wherever Dove was taking the three of them, they would all be going back to Burrowgatory together. Dove’s eyes shone with happiness before they nodded quickly. Together, they all stood up from the shade of the tree and continued on their way through rolling hills and beautiful fields.

Even though it had been quite some time since they arrived, the light in the sky above never changed or started to wane. Lyra would have expected it to start getting at least a bit later or darker, but instead it was still as blindingly bright as when they first stepped through the portal. And as they walked, another stunning vista came into view.

As Lyra crested the next hill, she stopped in awe to look at one of the cloud islands in front of her. There was a gorgeous, crystal clear waterfall that plummeted down into a large lake surrounded by grass and beautiful flowers. The lake tapered and flowed off the side of the clouds, forming a second waterfall that plummeted below the cloud line. Lyra had no idea where the water was going. If she followed it down, would she end up somewhere new? She looked back at Jackal and Dove as they joined her, standing on either side of her.

“Wow,” Jackal let out softly. She seemed to be equally as amazed as Lyra was. “It’s just…beautiful up here,” her voice was low, nearly in a whisper, but the statement was meant for them both to hear.

Dove smiled as they looked at their two friends. “I’m glad I could show you this and have these quiet moments with the two of you. Even in the face of what I need to do, you two can still make me happy and smile.”

Lyra was touched and she moved closer to Dove to place a gentle hand on their back. “Why don’t we get moving? After your business is taken care of we can come back and enjoy the scenery at our leisure.”

Dove nodded and quickly hugged Lyra before they stepped away. “My home isn’t far from here, we’re almost there. All the closer to confronting Melangel.”