My written entry for the Winter Wyrm Contest.
This took me a little while basically because I was practicing with a new humor-ish style (A bit different from my usual chapter long epics XD) This was meant to be a 2 page (1000 word) story which kinda morphed into a lengthy short story. I am horrid at short stories, tell me to write a paragraph and I end up with 3 pages XP
Comments are most welcome.
The Secret Life of Wyrms:
A Christmas tale
Evening had begun its steady decent across the land, night slowly unfurling it’s darkened wings over the Earth and one by one stars appeared from the twilight. A peaceful evening for an uneventful night…Or really?
OSheia squiggled her long green furry body out from under a pile of left over tinsel, the glittering decorations shone proudly from their respective lofty heights over her spined head. The Christmas tree was finally done and dusted, what a magnificence sight it was. Whenever OSheia flickered her glance to the towering green marvel she felt her fur tingle with excitement and anticipation. Christmas was almost upon them!
The little green wyrm wanted nothing more than every detail to be perfect for her first summer holiday; she wasn’t normally the perfectionist yet this time she wouldn’t stand for even the most minuet piece of glistening tinsel to be left out of place. She’d decided Christmas was going to be her favourite holiday, it made sense since her pelt was the same bright colour as the tree itself.
She wiggled her way among the presents admiring the effort and love put into every one. Heaving herself up a particularly large pressie she curled up in a fuzzy ball guarding her precious handler’s work. After all, it was her solemn duty to protect these oddly shaped parcels from curious hands and prying fingers. Any wandering hand trying to get past OSheia’s guard was met with a sharp nip from within the trees depths. No one touched her presents! It had led to the Tree being a respected place for fear of the little green beastie who lives within.
Camouflaged, silent, and unseen.
However on this seemingly peaceful night while OSheia kept a watchful eye over her temporary dominion a peculiar noise drifted from within the Christmas tree. The little wyrm lifted her banded head, all the better to hear. Curiosity aroused she slid off the present and climbed up the first branch of the tree coiling her tail around the wire. The sound had gotten louder, and what was that light? A chill fresh breeze blew in from the Tree’s centre ruffling the wyrm’s fuzz. That’s not normal!
Tentatively she crept forward fearing her presents could be in danger, her full attention locked onto the light. What was it?! She had to know.
Then suddenly with a mighty suck, OSheia was plucked from the branch, vanishing!
‘Come on, wake up sleepy head. Get that lazy bum fluff moving.’
OSheia slowly opened her heavy eyelids. What happened? Her blurred gaze met a pair of small dainty white paws. She closed her eyes again wanting nothing more in the world than to go back to sleep, she couldn’t remember anything and didn’t want to remember anything. She just…wanted to…sleep.
‘GET UP!’ The voice roared.
OSheia jumped out of her skin and sprung awake, her fur floofing as if hit by lightning. Confused she scanned the area seeing nothing but fluffy white snow and frost laden pine trees. Snow! The little wyrm hadn’t laid eyes upon snow since she left for her new home. ‘Who said that!’ She meeped.
‘Only little old me.’ Replied an Artic fox in full shimmering winter coat.
OSheia hadn’t the faintest clue that he stood but a foot in front of her very nose! Until he spoke that is, his little sharp white teeth flashing in the sunlight.
The Arctic fox lowered his muzzle sniffing the green wyrm with his button black nose. ‘Ah you be wyrmling kind.’ He said in excitement.
OSheia tilted her spined head bewildered. What happened! One minute she was snuggled under the Christmas tree guarding presents, the next she found herself in a snow covered pine forest being sniffed by a fox. In all her days nothing compared to this incident, not to mention nothing this impossibly odd. She disappeared into a Christmas tree for holidays sake!
‘Who are you, and more importantly where am I?!” OSheia asked urgently.
‘I’m just as important as some place.’ The shimmering white fox said, his warm brown eyes glinting with intelligence. ‘But if you must know you are in the lovely, fluffy white realm of Northtopia where dreams come true and the trees grow chocolate and candy cane.’ He laughed. ‘Oh and you may address me as Sir Navaris.’ He bowed flourishing one dainty white paw. ‘And by what name do you go by little miss?’
OSheia was quite overwhelmed by the fox’s stately behaviour and despite the ordeal she’d encountered managed to merp. ‘OSheia the Marine Wyrm.’
‘Well then OSheia the Marine wyrm I must inform you that your appearance has sparked about a rather unusual occurrence here in Northtopia. You see it should have been impossible.’ Navaris said matter-of-factly. OSheia got the impression he didn’t care one way or the other that she’d suddenly materialized in his world. On the other hand, she cared a great deal and wanted desperately to know how to return home, if not to have the reassurance she could have a little adventure first. Her presents would be safe since a certain reputation had cropped up about the Tree.
Now that the strangeness of it all was passing, she found her mind attaining clarity. And realization dawned.
‘It’s day time!’ She exclaimed.
The white fox made an effort of looking around in mock surprise. ‘And so it is. Jeeze it’s been day time for, oh, 5 hours? Midmorning I believe it is’ He said sarcastically raising on what seemed to be an eyebrow at the wyrm.
‘No, but when I left it was evening! Night time. How can that be?’ A paralysing thought struck OSheia, if it was midmorning here then only one option presented itself. She’d slept through the whole night. Her Handler would be frantic with worry over her disappearance.
‘I have to get back!’ OSheia cried. ‘How do I get home? My handler will be worried sick.’
‘I can’t take you home.’ Navaris explained calmly. ‘Yet never fear, it has been mere minutes since you last set foot, eh fluff, in your world. Northtopia’s time is set ahead of your own.’
‘Oh.’ OSheia’s fears were soothed by his words. ‘Then how did I get here?’
‘Ah, a most excellent question!’ The fox’s eyes sparkled. ‘You entered this realm via the ingeniously brilliant invention a peculiar mad genius created a year ago.’ He sighed sadly. ‘Unfortunately this certain mad individual is a squirrel. . . And he has gone nutty.’
OSheia couldn’t help a snicker escape. ‘A squirrel gone nuts, that’s nothing new.’
Navaris eyed her. ‘A normal squirrel perhaps, yet not a mad genius who wasn’t previously mad. He created a machine able to open up a rift between both our worlds, which is not good either way you look at it.’ He smiled cheekily. ‘Well when you have a nutty squirrel who’s only intent is to rule the world as his personal acorn store.’
OSheia shook her head taking it all in. ‘You didn’t answer my question, how do I get back home!’
Navaris rolled his eyes. ‘You have to help me help you to destroy the brilliant machine.’
‘What you want me to destroy it!’ OSheia meeped incredulous.
‘Yepity yep, he wanted you for something or other. Now climb aboard and I shall take you his hallowed lair.’
Naturally OSheia hesitated, thoughts raced across her mind at 100 miles per hour. What should she do!
‘Trust me.’ Navaris said. ‘If you wish to return home…And help the worlds in the process come with me.’ The shimmering white fox locked his warm brown gaze on the wyrm lowering one shoulder.
OSheia gave in. ‘Lets get mushing.’ She yipped squiggling her way up Navaris’s fluffy soft fur. She perched on his shoulder. The fox turned tail and ran to the East leaving a trail of white power in his fleet footed wake.
‘A wyrm! Wyrm, wyrm, wyrm, wyrm, wyrm! She’s here. I got her.’ The brown fluffy tailed squirrel rubbed his pink paws together in delight. ‘I got her, it worked! HA HA!’ He bounded to his wooden machine and tweaked a nob. ‘She’s here!’
‘Whats a wyrm?’ Ophelia the Reindeer asked bored. She raised her delicately horned head to spy the squirrel darting to and fro in excitement.
‘I snatched her right out of the tree! Oh what a brilliant event in history this is!’ He stopped seeming to comprehend her question. ‘A wyrm.’
Ophelia rolled her blue eyes. ‘I gathered that, what does it look like?’
‘A wyrm. Long and fluffy, ranging in size. But oh my, I snatched her from another world! It worked Ophelia, it worked!’
‘Finale stage then?’
‘Yes finale stage, quick saddle up we’re leaving.’ The mad squirrel darted back inside his lair cackling with laughter. He spun around, his huge brown tail smashing into his brilliant machine with a loud thud. A spring sprung loose.
‘Ah, make that 5 minues Ophelia.’
The reindeer rolled her eyes once more trotting off delicately.
Navaris skidded to a halt sniffing the air. He bowed lowering his upper half for OSheia to wiggle off. ‘Stay here, don’t move.’ The fox said mysteriously and loped off deeper into the snow covered wood. What was he doing now?! OSheia was getting frustrated, she squirmed her way under a snow drift to wait. What had he found, and who was he? A cheeky fox no less but how did he know where she was going to Appear? Perhaps he was working with his mad evil squirrel!
The little wyrm shuddered in realisation. The fox was working for the Squirrel, how else would he conveniently know what do, or were to take her. Any animal in this wood could have found her, but instead the White fox did. And he knew strait away where she needed to go, and where she came from.
OSheia knew what she must do; become lost. Or be swept up in an ill-conceived adventure.
She glanced down the snow drift, a convenient path presented itself leading all the way to an old crooked pine tree. She squiggled as fast as she could slipping and sliding in the snow till she reached the base of the pine. It was old, very old and seemed to have survived a flood of sorts for the roots were once exposed to the air, however over time dirt and soil had slowly packed itself back beginning to form a thin wall along the bottom. In time the roots would once again be underground. But for now it formed a perfect shelter. Cold and shivering she squeezed her way into a gap between two roots, it was dark and damp but strangely warm, she curled up alone and just a little bit scared. How was she going to get back now?
‘I spy upon this day a wiggling wyrm who has decided to stay.’ said a melodious voice from within the depths of the earth. As her eyesight adjusted to the dark OSheia noticed tunnels running along the length of the tree’s base. Someone lived here.
‘Hello, who are you??’ She meeped
‘An ancient soul hiding my treasure, safe guarding it from others pleasure.’
Curious OSheia traced the beautiful voice to the tunnel closest to her, cautiously she sniffed the hole wondering what lived inside.
‘What treasure?’ She asked.
‘Knowledge, wisdom and secrets both, what every being seeks the most.’
‘Why do you hide it then? And not teach others?’
‘I hide it here in my head, so seekers have to read instead.’
‘Why?’
‘So many questions from one so small, I suppose that is why I dwell so far from it all.
I hide my treasure so others may learn, to teach themselves rather than coming to old FrostFern.’
‘Oh, Who’s FrostFern?’
‘Me, myself and I.’ A magnificent light blue head glided out from the tunnel jolting OSheia backwards. The creature kept her head still inspecting the little wyrm while her long frosted blue furry body coiled gracefully into a neat twist.
OSheia gasped unable to take her eyes away, the creature was a wyrm! And not just any wyrm a gorgeous Great Wyrm.
‘You’re like me!’
‘Indeed. Great Wyrm is me, Teacup you be.’
OSheia felt overjoyed, she hadn’t laid eyes upon another wyrm for months. A warmth spread through her little green body, she wasn’t alone after all.
‘You must go with the fox, to find the little wooden box.
Only then can you return home, and seal the rift he has dealt alone.’
‘Are you talking about the squirrel?’
The great wyrm nodded her head, ice blue eyes never wavering from OSheia’s.
‘Not all foxes can be trusted, but this one’s days are done and dusted.
He has no trickery left in him, for his life has turned very dim.’
OSheia’s eyes widened. ‘Are you saying he’s going to…die?’
‘Go now, be free. He is awaiting for you while you’ve been with me.’
OSheia sniffed, a dark weight had settled in her stomach. ‘Good bye.’ She wiggled her way out of the Dark root cave and into the blinding white light.
‘Farewell.’
‘There you are little missy. Wandering off is a stupidly brave thing to do in a strange land.’ Navaris said lowering his shoulder.
‘Sorry.’ OSheia mumbled climbing aboard. ‘Where did you go?’ She asked.
‘I could ask the same thing about you, but in all due haste I haven’t the time. I picked up the scent of our mad squirrel and now the chase is on!’ With fleet feet the shimmering white fox dashed across the snow.
‘Hurry Ophelia Hurry! The time has come, it’s near.’ The Squirrel madly scampered from one delicate horn to the next unable to contain his eagerness.
The Reindeer sighed boredly coming to a standstill. ‘Will this spot do?’
‘Yes YES, perfect.’ The squirrel flew down her horn and began unloading his precious cargo. When the work was complete he flicked the switch, the wooden machine blinked to life to start it’s work.
‘Too late he is! That sly sneaky fox form will be his to own forever and ever!
MWA HA HA HA.’
‘Faster Sir Navaris, faster!’ OSheia yelled above the wind in her ears.
‘I see them! There they be.’ The fox said slowing down into a crouch, he sneakily padded forwards.
‘It’s now or never OSheia the Marine wyrm, I’ll distracted them you take out the Brilliant Rift Machine.’
‘How do I do that?’ OSheia whispered.
‘I don’t know, think of something.’ He hissed back.
OSheia was put off. ‘Hang on if I do manage to destroy the Machine thingy wont I be stuck here?’
‘No, you’ll be sucked back into your world little miss. The Rift machine is keeping you here in my realm…And messing up a lot more in the process.’ He paused flicking his ears.
OSheia couldn’t hold her tongue any longer she had to ask. ‘I met a wyrm, an old frosted wyrm. She said your days were done and dusted. What did she mean?’ In the short time they’d been together OSheia had grown attached to the fuzzy white fox, even though she’d accused him of being in coup with The nutty Squirrel.
‘This is not what I'm meant to look like, but Never you mind miss. Now on the count of three.
One, Two, Three.’ He shook a reluctant OSheia off his back and lazily trotted forward.
‘You’re looking as lovely as ever Ophelia. I really do wonder why you hang around such a nasty old nut.’
‘Oh Just the whole world Sir Navaris. And by the way what unfortunate happening have I done to deserve your presence?’ The Reindeer asked mocking his name.
Navaris winked. ‘Deep down, you know you’re pleased to see me.’
The Mad Squirrel bounded forward. ‘There’s nothing you can do now little fox, it’s far too late.’
The wooden Machine’s lights started blinking faster and faster, a breeze ruffled the tree tops sending flurries of snow dancing in the air.
‘Oh no, it seems your right.’ Navaris laughed. ‘What ever shall I do?’
OSheia listen to them talk, who was this fox? Never mind that now; she had a job to do. Rolling herself in the white snow she covered her Christmas tree green fur in a thick white powder. With her camouflage complete she carefully squiggled her way towards the wooden Machine.
Surprisingly it wasn’t all that big, it was hard to imagine that for all this time whenever she thought of the Brilliant Rift Machine she associated it with size. OSheia smiled to herself, it doesn’t have to be big to be important. She scanned the wooden box trying to discover a weak point, nothing presented itself so she became frustrated, now what!? Navaris was depending on her!
‘Squirrel, over there behind the Rift Mahcine.’ Ophelia said spotting a patch of snow moving by itself. She rushed over to protect the box.
Navaris sighed and nimbly surged ahead blocking her path. ‘NOW OSHEIA!’ He yelled. The white fox nipped at the Reindeer’s heels trying his best to keep her at bay
The Squirrel seeing Ophelia detained darted ahead and pounced on the moving lump of snow. OSheia squealed in surprise and tumbled over flinging the Squirrel off her back.
The Squirrel sprung up and fluffed out his fur appearing more like a giant pom-pom rather than being intimidating. ‘Stay away from my creation!’ He hissed.
‘Well too bad because I want to return home and guard my handler’s presents!’ OSheia squiggled back to the Machine, yet before she moved even an inch the Squirrel leaped over her, blocking her way. ‘Never the world is mine.’ The Squirrel laughed madly.
Ophelia broke loose of Navaris’s quick nips and stood over the Machine bearing down upon the little green wyrm. ‘So this is a wyrm.’
OSheia glared up at the delicate Reindeer’s face. Wasn’t she supposed to be part of Santa’s sleigh?
‘Nah nah we’ve won.’ The nutty Squirrel jeered turning around to face Navaris. OSheia ducked just in time before his huge bushy tail knocked her out. And then an idea stuck her. She didn’t come this far to lose to some insane Squirrel.
‘Now foxy you shall forever be stuck in Northtopia.’ The squirrel flicked a switch with his pink foot forcing the Machine into a high pitched whine. The air began to shimmer in front of OSheia’s very nose. Navrais dropped, not from the noise but rather from something entirely different. OSheia fearing for him growled at the Squirrel. ‘Oi Mr Fuzzy.’ She called.
The squirrel spun around anger on his face, before he knew it his tail slammed into his precious creation. One spring sprung from the woodwork flying high in the air. It so happens that that particular little spring was a useless piece, no were near fundamental to the whole Machine. Yet it set off a chain reaction, another spring went whizzing into the air, followed by a bolt and then a splinter of wood, a button zizzed off hitting the Squirrel in the bottom.
‘No my master piece!’ He cried hopping up and down.
Ophelia collected the Squirrel and ran leaving Navaris and OSheia behind.
OSheia squiggled as fast as she could away from the now smoking Machine, her heart was pumping with excitement until she remembered Navaris lying on the snow laden ground. Her heart stopped frozen. She moved as fast as she could to his side yet suddenly, it went black.
‘Waky waky sleepy wyrm.’ A warm finger stocked her green fur, she crooned happily opening up her eyes. ‘You must have slept on the presents all night silly.’
‘Yeah I must have.’ She merped yawning. OSheia knew humans never understood wyrms but still it was always worth a try.
‘Breakfast is nearly ready.’ Her handler said standing up.
OSheia tilted her head, she’d had a dream, a marvellous dream but it was slipping away like water through her fur. No she mustn’t forget! There was a fox, a white fox. It hit her like a ton of bricks, everything broke through the haze. Navaris! Was he alright?!
She crawled back up into the Christmas tree, no light, no chill breeze. It was like Northtopia was never there. Frantic she checked every branch. . . To no avail.
At least her presents were safe.
On the Night before Christmas OSheia was sleeping in her specially made Christmas stocking awaiting the arrival of Santa, she could barely sleep, her thoughts drifted here and there on the events Christmas day would bring. When suddenly a bright light shone through the red fabric. She poked her head over the top of the stocking to discover a white fox standing brilliantly, his fur shimmering in the light. But no, wait hold on. It wasn’t a fox, it was a faerie. A Christmas faerie!!
‘Navaris?!’ She asked incredulous, blinking her bleary eyes.
‘Who else could it be Missy?’
OSheia smiled. ‘Another adventure before Christmas day?’
‘You bet ya.’
