Freiyon Fables A Tail To Remember

Harriet and Oliver were surprised to find they were heading up continuously and were no longer in the palace. How did they know? There were no more signs of steps, walls of brick or anything else like that. Instead, they found they were in a wider, longer tunnel leading to the surface.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Harriet suddenly exclaimed, looking down at her fish-tail.

“What’s wrong?” Oliver asked.

“Look at my fish-tail, it’s turning brown and has fur on it! What’s happening, Oliver, why is it changing?”

Oliver took a look at her tail and then at her body.

“Hurry!” He exclaimed, taking her by her paw and pulling her towards the surface as quickly as possible.

Harriet couldn’t say anything, but as they went up to the surface, she realized what had Oliver so freaked out.

They were turning back into normal animals, AND running out of breath. If they didn’t get to surface in time, they’d drown.

Micklang, Frebil, Abrigail and everyone joining them saw the duo disappear into the distance, getting closer to the surface.

“There they are!” Abrigail exclaimed.

“The surface, we can get to the surface! Oh, thank you so much, Micklang.” The lemur cheered.

Micklang stared at Harriet and Oliver as they raced towards the surface.

“Why do you think they’re in such a hurry, and what on earth is wrong with their fish-tails?” Micklang asked Frebil.

“It looks as if they have normal tails again, which would mean … oh, boy, we’d better hurry up, Micklang. The same thing is happening to us as well.” Frebil replied, looking at Micklang’s tail in surprise.

“Ooohh, boy! Everyone, get to the surface right now before we all drown! Come on, go quickly.”

A few animals were wondering what he was talking about, but they needn’t have been told to hurry up; they were so eager to get to the surface that they went off without another thought.

Frebil and Micklang chased after them, making sure they left no-one behind.

Back in the palace, Quasapoor woke up with a pain in his feet. Looking around wildly, he realized that Silvia was staring at him from a distance, smiling meanly.

Quasapoor lunged at her, teeth and claws ready to rip her apart, but something stopped him.

He looked down at his only remaining feet and saw he was chained up to a huge boulder, one which wasn’t able to be moved unless a number of other creatures helped.

Quasapoor shook at the chain, trying to get it off. But then he realized something. His legs! They were back to normal.

“You’re an evil tiger, Quasapoor, and this is just a good revenge on you from everyone whose life you’ve ruined. Tonight, every vicious fish known to any world will have a delicious dinner and you will be the main course, HAHAHAHAAA!” Silvia explained, laughing madly. Silvia floated away, leaving Quasapoor thrashing about trying to get off the chain. And that’s when the creatures attacked. They were so fast and furious, Quasapoor couldn’t beat them. Slowly, after at least nineteen vicious fish attacked him, he started to faint to the ocean floor.

Thus, these were the final moments of the mighty enemy Quasapoor.

The gang of creatures led by Micklang burst out of the water happily and just in time, because their transformation back to normal had finished.

“Look, there’s our ship!” Abrigail shouted, pointing to his and Brushtail’s’ joined ships.

“Land! There’s land ahead. Let’s get on to the ship and sail to it.” Frebil announced.

“Yay!” Everyone cheered.

Swimming towards Abrigail’s ship; Micklang and Abrigail helped the crews, prisoners and otters on board until both ships were full of animals great and small.

Micklang was the last on board as Abrigail lifted him up by his paws.

“Well, we’re back on the surface. Shall we find out what is on that island?” Abrigail asked.

“That’s what we intend to do.” Brushtail replied.

“Frebil, me lad, you may do the honours. All hands, full speed ahead.”

Micklang smiled as both crews got the ship moving again and the rescued prisoners dried themselves off and got ready to set foot on land again.

Harriet was chatting to one of the rescued prisoners about her adventures with Micklang and Micklang noticed that the ex-prisoner was gasping and laughing when Harriet said certain things.

Oliver, who hadn’t had time to find out where his father had disappeared too, walked up to Micklang silently.

“Micklang, I just noticed that my father is missing. Where has he gone?” Oliver asked.

Micklang sighed and patted Oliver on the shoulder.

“I’m sorry to say this, Oliver, but your father died trying to save my life back in the palace. He loved you, you know. His last words were about you.”

Oliver pulled away from Micklang.

“No, that’s not true. Please tell me it’s not true.” Oliver said, backing away.

“I’m afraid it is, Oliver. He died because of Quasapoor’s evilness.”

Oliver looked around at the ex-prisoners, the otters, and both of the crews and saw they had heard and seen what happened as well.

“But … he couldn’t be. He … he hadn’t even lived for the rest of the quest. My father … but, where does that leave me …us? We’re chief-less now.” Oliver stammered, sitting down on the deck and sobbing.

Jarryd walked forward to Micklang and handed him a small necklace with an otter’s tail on it.

“Give it to him. He’s the son of Oscar and every son of a chief must become the new chief in the case of old age or death of the old chief.” Jarryd explained.

Micklang nodded and walked over to Oliver.

Putting the necklace around Oliver’s hand, Micklang bent down and whispered to him kindly.

“Oliver, you are chief now. Your father wanted it that way. Don’t cry, Oliver; new chief of the otters, the death of your father is just one part of the biggest legacy of all, and you’re next in the legacy. The otters are yours to command now, Oliver, and a fine chief you should be.”

Oliver lifted his head and looked at the necklace and then at Micklang.

He smiled and sniffed.

“The chief otter’s authority necklace. I never saw Oscar without it. And now it’s mine, such a change in events. I don’t know what to say, Micklang.”

“All you have to say is that you will do it, you will be chief of the otters.”

Oliver chuckled as he looked at his squirrel friend.

Then, quickly as he could, Oliver jumped up and looked at his otter-clan.

“The old chief, Oscar, was my father and my teacher. And by my rudder and my arrow I promise to make you, my otters, as well taught and respected as he did for me. I am Oliver, your new otter chief, and I promise you that from this day forward I shall make our clan the bravest and strongest clan known in this world.” Oliver announced.

Everyone cheered in delight, and as they did Jarryd turned to Micklang and said.

“Hey, that was Oscar’s pledge when he became chief. I wonder how Oliver knew it.”

And, as they sailed to the new island, Micklang smiled when he looked up at the sky and saw two otter’s smiling down at them, the otter faces made up from the clouds.

About five miles from the shore of the island was when Micklang first saw something move on the shore. Micklang was back in his favourite position in the crows’ nest, so he was the only one who could see where they were going to land.

“What is that?” He mumbled to himself, grabbing a telescope given to him by Abrigail and looking through it.

When he focused it on the object, he had to wait a few seconds before he saw the thing move again.

“It can’t be.” He looked through the telescope again.

The object waved at the ships, begging them to help.

“But … that’s not possible.”

He took one more look to confirm his suspicion and saw the clothes and skin of the object.

“Oscar, Oliver AND Libertas said for certain there were none of them around here.”

He turned around to announce his sighting when he came face-to-face with Oliver.

“Is something wrong, Micklang?” Oliver asked.

Micklang blew a sigh of relief.

“I really wish you wouldn’t do that.”

“Sorry, it’s just something Oscar used to do to friends or strangers, gives them a little jolt. Now, you look like you’ve seen something you didn’t want to see. What is it?”

“Well, I THINK, but I can’ prove it until we get closer to shore, that there is an object on that island. A MOVING object. And it isn’t an animal or tree.”

“How do you know it isn’t an animal or tree?”

“First of all, it has clothes, second of all it’s too small for a tree, and third of all, even from this distance, I can tell it doesn’t have any fur.”

“What kind of creature doesn’t have fur?”

“There’s only one thing I can think of, and if I’m right, then I don’t know if we should panic or not.”

“Oh, come on Micklang, tell me.”

Micklang took one more look at the object and nodded, knowing he was right.

“It’s a human.”

Oliver raised his eyebrow at Micklang and then made a little chuckle.

“You’re kidding, right?” Oliver asked, faintly remembering what Micklang had said about humans.

Micklang sighed and looked down at the crew and friends he knew.

“I wish I was, I really do.”

Oliver was shocked, scared, he didn’t know what to do. So he did the only thing possible.

“Turn around!” He shouted to Frebil.

Frebil looked up at Oliver, surprised.

“What … Why? That’s where we want to go!”

“We want to get to land, but not this land. There’s danger on that island.”

“How do you know?”

“We’ve seen it.” Micklang and Oliver said together.

Frebil raised his eyes at them, but decided that they knew best.

“Which way should we go, then?”

“Go East, for all I care, just avoid that island!” Micklang replied.

Suddenly the ships came to a rough halt.

Harriet ran to the front of the ship and looked down into the sea.

“We’ve hit the rocks. The ship is going down. We’ll have to abandon the ship.” She announced.

“Oh, no! Not my ship!” Abrigail said. “That’s the second time we’ve had to abandon her.”

“Wait, we’ve still got Brushtail’s ship to go to. That means we can get away after all.” Frebil suggested.

“Brilliant idea, Frebil, but with only one set back.” Brushtail replied.

“What’s that?”

“My ship is sinking as well.”

They looked at the other ship which had already half-filled with water and started breaking apart.

Abrigail stared at the sight in horror.

“Oh, bugger!”

“All hands, abandon ship! Let’s get out of here!” Frebil announced.

Micklang heard them and looked down at the rocks.

“Oliver, where did those rocks come from?” He asked.

“I don’t remember them being there before Micklang.”

“That’s just the thing. I think that someone wants us to go to that island. I think that there’s more to this than we realized.”

“Shouldn’t we get off the ship as well, Micklang?” Oliver asked, looking slightly nervous.

“Well, we could, but we’re in the highest part of the ship, which would mean we’d go down last. We don’t have to rush, it’s not like we’re being attacked. Besides, I don’t trust that human. How did it get those rocks out to the sea so quickly and what helped it? You know what I told you about humans, they’re a strange lot.”

As the ships sunk into the sea, Micklang and Oliver swum slowly to shore; watching everyone else come out of the water and onto the land.

“Hmm, good news is our friends haven’t encountered the human. Bad news is that the human now knows where we are and is coming towards us. Quick in pace, Oliver, we must get to them before it does.” Micklang said, in-between swimming.

Oliver raised an eye at Micklang but followed none the less.

‘Now he decides to hurry up.’ Oliver thought.

As they swum closer to shore, the other animals saw a figure coming towards them, not sure what it was.

“Let’s go and introduce ourselves, maybe they need help as well.” Maria suggested.

“No, wait. Something isn’t right here. Micklang and Oliver wanted to avoid this island and now that we’re here, I’m not sure I want to stay here either. I think its best we wait for Micklang and Oliver and see what they have to say.” Harriet replied.

When Micklang and Oliver arrived on the shore, they wanted to get away from the human as quickly as possible; so, not taking another look back, they headed straight into the bush.

Running as quickly as possible, they avoided twigs, stones, vines and rose-bushes as best as they could until they were exhausted from swimming AND running.

They came to a small river and decided to camp there for the night.

Setting up everything they had, the three big groups stayed close and helped each-other where they could. Then, when they thought everything was fine, they eventually went off to sleep.

Sometime during the night, Micklang woke up to the sounds of a branch braking and a tree groaning in pain.

“Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to hurt you.” He heard a voice whisper.

“That’s alright, my friend. But why are you sneaking up on those animals?” Another voice replied, which Micklang guessed was the tree.

“I’m trying to find out if they ARE animals. I’ve never seen animals with clothes on before. I want to help them, but I think they’re afraid of me.” The first voice said which Micklang now knew was the human.

“I can understand why they would be. Imagine it in your position. There you are, sailing to an unknown island, when you see something standing on the island waving for help which you’ve never seen before. Naturally, I would be scared, and I know you would be, Emily.”

Micklang silently rolled over in a way that would make anyone think he was still sleeping, but he was actually trying to look at the human properly.

There it was, just a few feet away, facing the tree it was talking to. A young female human, which seemed vaguely familiar to Micklang, but only faintly.

“I wouldn’t be that scared if I was in their position.”

“That’s because you’re a human, you’re not a small animal that isn’t used to seeing strange things.”

Emily looked at Micklang and his friends and then back at the tree.

“What about you? Wouldn’t they be afraid of a talking tree? You may remember well that I was.”

“I have heard there are other places with talking trees like me. Many other islands bigger than this one. Maybe they have been to islands with talking trees already.”

“What? And not find other islands with HUMANS on them? That would be a bit unfair, seeing as I came from a place full of humans.” Emily argued, crossing her arms.

“How many times have I told you that you aren’t in your world anymore? This is a different world, maybe one that is completely ruled by animals and trees alone. You could be the very first human to ever set foot here. Maybe you shouldn’t creep up on them like you are.”

“It doesn’t matter now, I know you’re here.” Micklang said, popping up next to Emily.

“WHOA!” Emily screamed in surprised, waking the entire camp up.

“What on earth was that?” Abrigail mumbled, looking around and wiping his eyes.

“Is it morning yet?” Frebil asked.

Emily looked at all the animals in surprise.

Micklang stared at the human and chuckled.

“And here I am thinking that you would try to capture us. You’re a different type, aren’t you?”

“They’re talking! Just like you, Merino. This is so weird.” Emily said, turning to the tree.

“I believe that strange looking creature in front of you asked you a question, Emily.” Merino, the tree, replied.

Emily looked down at Micklang.

“Um, hello. I’m Emily, what and who are you, if I may ask?” Emily asked Micklang.

Micklang studied the human carefully before answering, did he know her?

“I’m a squirrel and these are my companions. My name is Micklang Lightning-tail.”

The human lowered her eyes to a disappointed expression.

“Oh, well I was kind of hoping you’d be a rare new species of animal not discovered by people yet … Wait, did you say Micklang?” Emily asked, suddenly looking pleased with something.

Micklang knew that look, he DID recognize this human.

And she recognized him.

“Oh, GREAT!” They both said, Micklang sarcastically and Emily happily.

Abrigail walked forward to Micklang.

“May I interrupt for a minute? Do you know each-other?” He asked, looking at Micklang and then at Emily.

“Unfortunately, yes. She used to be my … feeder back in the other world.” Micklang replied.

“You mean one of the humans from that zoo you were imprisoned in?” Harriet asked.

“That’s right.”

“Hey, I lost my job thanks to your escape.” Emily interrupted.

“How did you end up here?” Abrigail asked.

“Well, after I found out that cheeky Micklang here had escaped from the zoo, I got canned from the job and had to look for another one. I found a job available involving fish which I thought would be ok for me. So, I applied, only to find out that the boat I was given to get ‘special’ types of fish was a dinghy, too small for even ten fish. Naturally, I was upset, but they threatened to fire me if I didn’t catch at least fifteen fish. So, out I went on my boat, when this big, fierce storm thundered over. It wasn’t long before my boat was struck by lightning and sunk, so I made my way to the nearest land. Then, somehow, I ended up here. No money, no way back, no hope of anyone coming to help and worst of all, no job. I’m a cast-away, Micklang, and it’s your fault.” Emily explained.

Micklang looked hurt.

“My fault? I wanted to get out of that zoo for my own reasons; it had nothing to do with you.”

“If you hadn’t of escaped during the time I fed you, I wouldn’t have lost my job, Micklang. And I certainly wouldn’t have ended up here.”

“But it was YOU who decided to take that fishing job in the first place.”

Emily was about to reply when she suddenly realized Micklang was right.

Abrigail interrupted again.

“Um, excuse me but we seem to be in need of assistance. We need your help to get off this island and you want to get back to your world. Don’t you think it would be best if you help us?”

Emily looked at Abrigail.

“Well, it’s funny you should mention that. I have managed to build half a boat from some wood and rocks, and with some help, I could get it done and be able to get off this island and back home. Right now it is about, hmm, one o’clock in the morning, so when it is seven I shall wake you up and we shall work on that boat together and be out of here in no time.”

“Well, what a wonderful idea.” Harriet said.

“Thank goodness for that.” Abrigail exclaimed.

“Hmm, I’m still not sure about her, but maybe this MIGHT work.” Micklang mumbled.

Watching Emily walk away, all the animals went back to sleep, confident that they would be on their way again soon.

Micklang woke up just as the sun started to rise and wondered what time it was. He looked around at his friends and was thankful that they were still all there.

“Psst, Micklang. Over here.” Emily called out from the bushes.

Micklang looked at Emily in surprise.

“You? What are you doing here? What do you want?” Micklang asked.

“Look, Micklang. I know we got off at the wrong foot, with our backgrounds and all, but you must understand I do not mean to harm you, seriously. We are both from the same world, treated badly because of our differences. I know you might have been treated differently to me, and I realize I wasn’t the one stuck in a small, pointless cage like a prisoner, but you must understand that I was like that as well. Maybe not trapped in a cage like you, but trapped in a world which didn’t want me except for criticism. I realize you are upset and that you may think of me as a villain, and I can understand perfectly. All I want is for you to trust me enough so we can work together and escape this island. We’ve had enough of being trapped somewhere or in something, am I right?”

Micklang nodded but didn’t say or do anything else.

“Then trust me, and you’ll understand as well. I thought I heard you call yourself Micklang Lightning-tail last night. It suits you, I think. In our world, a warrior forgave an enemy when that enemy came to him for forgiveness, he didn’t always want revenge on the enemy. You, I can see, are a great warrior. Your friends, they follow you anywhere, they care about you, and they risk their lives for you and all because you did the same for them. You gave them a warrior’s love and care; you want them to be safe, right?”

“Yes.”

“Whereas with me, I have nothing left now. A cast-away from my right world. No parents, no husband or kids, no money, no job, no life. If I help you build the ship for you and your friends, you must promise me one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“That you take me with you. Micklang, I have nothing in the other world. What harm would it be if you were to add a human to your group? I’d help you spot a trap, help you plan and show you special things I have which will help, no doubt, in certain elements of your quest. What do you think?”

Micklang stared at Emily, trying to see if she was serious.

“If we help you and you come with us, how will I know you will keep your word and stay on my side, bearing in mind I have come across too many traitors during my quest to know what they were to say and do?”

Emily beckoned Micklang to follow her and they walked off back towards the beach.

“Micklang, before I was hired to do the food and water service at that zoo you escaped from, I happened to come across an old lady who said she was a fortune teller. Now of course, as you could imagine, I was suspicious. This lady just appears out of the blue, saying she knew what my future was going to be like, and asks me if I wish to hear it, do you think I would say yes straight away?” Micklang shook his head. “No, of course not. So I walked away. But then she followed me and wouldn’t stop following me until I gave her a chance.”

“But you didn’t just tell her to go away?”

“You try telling an old, strange and slightly creepy lady to go away when you know you don’t have anything to go to.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, I decided to hear this lady out and see what she had to say. Now, you may find this odd, but she told me that I would be a helper to an explorer of ‘new worlds’ as she put it. The other strange thing is that she told me it would come after my life seems to have no more purpose. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t that sound a lot like meeting up with you here?” Emily looked down at Micklang.

“Well, yes, but that could mean any explorer.”

“And yet, you’re the only explorer and adventurer that I have ever come across in my life.”

Micklang realized that Emily was correct.

“Just curious, though Emily. What exactly did this lady look like? What was it that made her creepy?”

Emily started walking again, slowly and surely through the bush and Micklang followed.

“Well, let me see. She was grey-haired, of course. Most old people from the other world have grey hair. She had glasses that were too big for her eyes. She wore a dress that had rain drops on it and her shirt had a huge lightning strike painted onto it on both sides. I don’t know why that made her look creepy, it just di … Micklang, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That this woman was a human version of a lightning-tailed creature like me?” Micklang replied, smirking.

“Exactly. She knew I would meet up with you twice because she could really see the future from her being-hit-by-lightning experience. And now, it’s come true and I have met up with you, the traveller that she mentioned.”

Micklang smiled when she said this, realizing that Emily was smarter than he first thought.

“You know, Emily. I think I am going to enjoy having you with me.” Micklang said as they headed back to the camp.

“Me too, Micklang. I will like it a lot.”

When it was seven o’clock, the camp got up, and Micklang and Emily were standing there in front of them eagerly waiting for them to wake up properly.

“Right, my friends. Micklang and I have had a good chat with each other and he has finally agreed that we will help each-other get off this island. So, come on and shake a tail or two, we’ve got a boat to build.” Emily announced.

“Right, you heard Emily, if we wanna continue on our journey, then we’ve gotta work together and quickly to build that boat. Let’s go, gang!” Oliver commanded.

“Aye, I agree, the sooner we build a boat, the better for our sea adventures.” Abrigail said.

So, following Emily carefully back through the bush, the animals cheered happily and jumped around the bush.

Emily smiled when she saw this, because she realized that she was probably the first human to ever see and experience this in the other world.

“Harriet, could you go and find some tough vines?”

“Frebil, you won’t be able to carry that yourself, let me help,”

“Jarryd, are you sure that’s the right pole to use for a mast? It looks sort of old,”

The construction of the boat was going on full bore, every animal chatting and helping whenever they could. Emily helped to reach the higher parts and to carry extremely heavy wood (for the animals, anyway).

Micklang and Abrigail were the busiest of the lot as they jumped from activity to activity, always helping every creature in any way.

Emily, every now and then, found herself in very ticklish positions because the animals would sometimes use her as a ladder to get higher if they didn’t know how to climb trees.

It took them around three days in total to finish the boat, and when they had finally finished, the animals were astonished at the size of the boat.

“Would you look at that? It looks like it could hold every animal in both worlds. How many humans would it hold, Emily?” Abrigail asked, glancing up and down the boat.

“Um, to be truthful, only twenty. And you’d be surprised how many animals would fit in there. I’d say just around, hmm, ninety more of your small types.”

“Really? Seems like it could fit more than that.”

“You’d think that, but when all of you have to help do certain things, you’d be surprised how much space you need on a ship like this.”

“Enough chit-chat, Emily. I think it’s time to give this baby a test-drive out at sea, eh?” Brushtail suggested.

“Great idea.” Micklang replied.

Emily helped to carry the boat as they headed towards the beach.

Putting the boat on the sand softly and pushing with all their might, the animals watched as the boat sailed a few meters away and then stop because it had hit some rocks.

Thankfully, the impact didn’t cause the boat to sink.

“Alright! We’ve got it! The ship is a success! We’re on our way.” Jarryd cheered.

The ex-prisoners from the sea-kingdom came forward and spoke firmly to Micklang and his friends.

“Micklang, as much as we’d love to come with you on your adventures, we’ve been under water for a long time, we want to stay on this island, no matter how small it is.” A young badger explained.

“No offense to you, of course, but we feel fine here. This island should be full of things to keep us happy here. I hope you can understand.” A beaver added.

Micklang nodded, understanding completely.

“I know how you feel. This island definitely is a wonderful place to call home … for animals that is, Emily. I fully understand that you would rather stay here. My friends and I wish you well adjusting to this life-style, and I hope that you’ll never have any trouble again.”

“Thank you Micklang.” The ex-prisoners said together.

“Ok, let’s get going then, crew. We’ve still got a quest to go on.” Abrigail announced.

“Next direction we’ll take … we’ll go South-east until we find another island, shall we?” Micklang suggested, smiling to his friends.