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 Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2005 9:46 pm
Prompt Silently you pull on the tiny brass knob of the old oak desk in the hall. The aged desk had once belonged to Wolfie?s Great Aunt Beatrice, who has recently passed. Unfortunately, it is your job to prepare the estate for sale since Wolfie is so busy trying to keep tabs on everything else. You slip your hand inside the drawer, pulling out a single, long ivory envelope that has been aged with time. Turning it over in your hands, you wonder who it could be from, and what it might say inside.
"What should I do with this?" I wondered as I stared at the envelope. Wolfie's busy and I promised her I'd help prepare for the sale... I want to ask her so badly about this... maybe... I should... "I haven't a clue who it's for or who it came from but curiosity won't kill me; I'm not cat," I joked to myself. Sighing at my lame attempt at a joke, I sliced the envelope open carefully and pulled out the note. It read:
"Dearest niece,
I am sorry I could not have stayed longer to see you as you grew older and into your life. I am sad to say that most likely you are by now selling things off my estate. I ask that you should, at least, keep the desk. It is a valuable antique, a gift from my mother, your grandmother. I wish to see it kept in good hands. If you do not wish to keep it, please donate it to a museum. I am happy to say that I've had a satisfied life and that I'm glad you're growing up to be the beautiful woman you are.
Fare thee well, my niece,
Aunt Beatrice."
My eyes widened as I finished reading the note--no, letter--as I felt my mouth drop open in surprise. "How... How odd," I murmured. "Well, it's obvious I can't let this desk fall into the estate sale. This is urgent..." Nodding to myself, I headed off to find Wolfie and tell her all that I'd discovered. Grinning, my thoughts whirled, Good thing I found that note! Wolfie, you'll love this letter, I think, as I strolled over to where I last saw Wolfie.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 3:28 pm
Weaving my way out of the mansion (I didn't exactly have the BEST sense of direction, but I had some), I continued to contemplate the letter I'd just read. "Will Wolfie know what the desk is hiding or for?" I mused. I should've paid attention to my surroundings...
...I got lost. Again, for the sixth time. I seriously needed to stop thinking so much. Groaning, I tried my best to retrace my steps and get UNlost... was that even a word? Anyway, I soon figured out I was just going around in circles...
...Urg. Stupid, that's what I was. Sighing, I made my way outside (finally) and looked around for Wolfie, still holding the cream-colored envelope with the letter (...maybe it was more like a will...) tucked safely inside. "Wolfie!!" I called, hoping I'd find her. The mystery with the envelope and the desk was killing me with my curiosity at its peak. Grrrr....
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 1:56 pm
Wolfie sat reclined in the old sofa of the great room. She was watching the pups play when she noted Phoenix come rushing in.
"What? What is it? I dont think Ive ever seen you move so fast hun. Is one of the Moonlits hurt? Is the house on fire? Did HPM Create the 24th genome and accidenally mutate her head off?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 3:42 pm
"Wolfie! No!! No way! Look! I found something--it's for your, from your aunt. I think it might..." A "clunk" kind of noise was made, and a miniature silver key fell from the envelope I held out to give to Wolfie. I bent to pick it up. "Hm? I didn't notice this before!" I recalled see a keyhole in the desk... was this possibly the key to open it?
"Wolfie, take a look at the letter, and here." I handed her the little key as well as the envelope.
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 7:15 am
Wolfie reached out and took both the envelope and the little silver key from Phoenix. It was much a relief that noone was hurt and the house wasnt on fire. And apparently HPM was fine as well. But this...this was a strange little envelope.
"You found it where?" Wolfie looked a little confussed. She had made sure the desk was cleaned out before she had let the others try to set it up for auction. Could it have gotten stuck somewhere inside and fallen out with all the jarring or people walking by?
She turned the key over in her hands. "I beleive I know where this came from... but I cant be sure..." She squinted and looked for the tiny familiar markings on the inside of the key's hole. Something someone would not ordinarily look for. "Phoenix, this doesnt belong to the desk, do you know what it was doing with the envelope?"
Once again she paused, remaniscent of her aunt, tears welling up in her eyes. "I...I cant read this hun. Can you read it for me? Im still...a...bit touchy. I guess," She paused. "She was very close to me growing up and I spent many summers here with her."
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:51 pm
I nodded, only empathizing, as I had never had a family member die, nor one that I was close to die. "Sure, Wolfie. Are you sure that key isn't supposed to be for the desk, though? I remember seeing a keyhole that that key would work for," I commented. Take the letter, I re-read what I'd just recently read earlier. As I finished, I noticed something I didn't see before. "Huh?" I said out loud, confused, and read:
"P.s. Wolfie, the desk holds something extremely valuable. See if you can figure out what it is, and if you do, you will hold the greatest treasure in the world..."
Slightly grinning, I said, "That sounded almost a little cheesy since I've read something similar in novels, but then again, she might be right, Wolfie! Maybe we should check it out! C'mon--I bet this little 'treasure hunt' will cheer you right up!" I was eager, mainly because I couldn't stand seeing a friend look as sad as Wolfie did, right then.
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 4:34 pm
"No, the drawer with the keyhole is unlocked. Spud, my aunt's huge Great Dane smacked it about ten years ago and shattered the chamber."
She paused. "What an odd little note Bea left me though. And even stranger challenge. Find something? With the desk? Its a desk and weve been through it!" She was stumped. Half-heartedly she got to her feet.
"Okay, lets grab a cup of tea first and find some tools. I get the feeling were going to need some sort of kit for this. Not sure what we will use or need, but I dont wanna run around the house after we start to get something. Agreed?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 1:37 pm
"Agreed," Phoenix said, and began to help Wolfie. "Hm... Flower tea. Delish." The dark-haired girl grinned happily as she sipped her tea. "...I believe that there's something she wants. Do you think she was hiding that she had mystical powers or some-- Ouch! Aqua! What was that for?" Phoenix's two-headed moonlit chick had bitten her finger (the hand that wasn't holding the teacup) a little hard.
Aquarius cheeped and pecked Phoenix lightly. "Eh? Oh, you're hungry. Heheh, sorry. Here you go!" Phoenix gave her little blue-two-headed chick some food who happily began to gobble it up. "Sorry about that Wolfie," Phoenix said, a light pink tinge on her face indicating her embarressment. "Anyway, so? Do you think your aunt is actually some type of sorcerer who once rescued the world?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:50 pm
Wolife laughed at that one. "Aunt Bea? The only thing she was a sorceror of was the kitchen. Man, could that woman ever cook!" She thoughtfully rubbed her tummy in rememberance. "Ever know someone like that?"
Wolfie headed down the hall towards the desk. Now she was just perplexed with the whole thing. "Phoenix, I have no clue what it is about this desk she wanted us to know..." She paused. "Lets pull it out from the wall so we can get a really good look at it." Wolfie pocketed a handful of tools along the way including a flashlight, a pencil, a crowbar, a lockpick, and some safty glasses.... she wasnt sure she had anything useful, but then again it was a desk. What would be useful here?
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Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 5:19 pm
"Hey! What's this?" Phoenix exclaimed as she noticed something shining in a darker corner behind the desk. Reaching in, she pulled out a glass orb that fit just right in her palm. "Hey! I know what this is!" The orb glowed with pale, pretty light, like moonlight.
"A moonstone! How cool is that! I wonder what it's for? Whatcha think, Wolfie?" Phoenix was surprised to even find such an item at all--moonstones were quite rare, after all. "A moonstone! I can't believe it!" she exclaimed, awed by the gem she held in her hand. "These are... wow!!" She couldn't get over it.
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 7:24 pm
"What's a Moonstone?" Wolfie was genuinly lost. "I've never heard of them. And what would a stone be doing behind the desk?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 12:37 pm
"Mm... Moonstones are super rare. They're said to be able to catch the light of the moon! So... Aqua, come here." I beckoned to my elegantly blue-colored, twin-headed bird flying around near the roof. He descended, making a perch out of my shoulder. "Here, Aquarian. Touch this, will you?" I showed the moonstone to him.
He leaned down with one of his heads, letting his beak touch it. A flash of pale, silvery light appeared, and when he moved away, crying his surprised, the light disappeared. "Oh... awesome!!! Eltian magic!!" I cried, astonished. "How did your aunt get her hands on one of these? Moonlits were... hm. Actually, what's the whole history behind Moonlits, anyway?" I asked, curious now.
Aqua was eyeing the moonstone warily on my shoulder, so I said, "Aqua, you can go outside to stretch. I'll meet you later, unless I whistle for you, ok?" He bowed his heads, and then flew out the door.
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Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 1:20 pm
"Oh boy," Wolfie said hesitantly. "Its quite a story actually. And theres lots of spaces to be filled in yet." Wolfie sat on the floor near the desk and pushed herself up against the wall. "Remember on the Obstacle course I uncovered some rune markings and that myst wolf kept showing up? I think they have some part in the history of things out there. Im sure over time we will find out more."
She took a deep breath and began the long tale of the two native boys who shot an arrow into the stars and how the heavens poured fourth a strange rain in which the animals drank from. She told of how the boys discovered the moonlits many months later and brought them to the shaman of the tribe and how he beleived it was a gift of the people of the stars.
"I know it sounds crazy, but Im a descendant of the tribe. And from all of whats been told through the family, I have no reason to doubt the tale. There is something more here than what meets the eye, and I get the feeling that the woods are full of mysteries. I feel that this place is full of them too."
"So... how did my aunt get that stone?" Wolfie scratched her head for a moment and looked at Phoenix. "Hun, I know she used to spend days at a time out there," Wolfie motioned towards the woods. "Perhaps that myst wolf showed her things as well?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 2:44 pm
"Well, moonstones can only be found out in the wild..." I agreed, fascinated with the story. "Hm. I agree... maybe this myst wolf of yours might have something to do with your aunt. I've studied different things, but this myth... well, true story, I'm hoping... sounds like it might be connected to these moonstones. Moonstones were used by Eltians, people similar to what we know are called elves, but they lingered more with the night, since their power came from the moon instead of the sun, which the elves' powers came from.
"Moonstones are very important, I think, to the Moonlits. Maybe we should search the woods... and see if we meet up with anything... unusual. Aqua's been acting weird lately, and I can't tell if Lunar is feeling any different (since he's still a cub), but otherwise, this is very, very intriguing and I say we find out what's up. This myst wolf might even appear before us...!" I was very excited now. Thanks to the discovery of the moonstone, Wolfie's family history might be completely revealed, and her family history was very, very fascinating...
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Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 5:01 pm
"I agree about the woods holding something more, but then again the myst wolf chooses when he wants for me to see him. So Im not sure just tromping out there is going to accomplish anything. Do you think aunt Bea had anything else hidden around here?"
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