Letter #1

Dearest Sheri,

It's been almost 2 months since I have been in Talisman Keep. I miss all of you dearly and pray that everyone is well.

The Keep is still under construction, although not as heavily as before. Most of the Talisman Tree has been carved out for our watchtower and the tunnels have been dug to make rooms for our little army. What a strange army too. I think many small critters of the forest are represented here - from the little hamster to the mighty armadillo, from the swift hare to the sneaky gecko.

At the moment of writing, I am the only mousekin. We are expecting a company of four mice to arrive from the Northern Forests, so I will not be alone for long. I doubt, however, if Satria will find company of her own kind here. Fae-dragons are a rarity in this realm, and certainly not natives of Fyre Leaf Forest. Satria is viewed with awe as few have ever managed to tame a fae-dragon, nor bind themselves to one. I could never have done it with my own will if she didn't come willingly; if I didn't come upon her caught in that horrid trap. The sight of me riding around on such a magnificent creature is as peculiar as seeing a human on the back of a winged unicorn. The recruits are much impressed, and that has somewhat made my stay more pleasant.

But let me tell you about the friends I made here!

Saberoth Brownleaf is badger hailing from the Eastern Hills. He is easily five times my size and strong enough to move a boulder with little help from the rest of us. He is also charmingly shy for a creature so large. He is our blacksmith, and he is working on some lightweight protective armour for Satria. Suti Tally-Paw is a squirrel from Pear Grove, a stone throw away from the Northern Forests. She can talk you in circles and keep talking even if you've passed out from exhaustion! Even if no one is around, she's talk to herself - I've come upon her alone in the kitchen talking to the turnips while she slices them! Did I mention we have an armadillo? His name is Olin Mernant but everybody calls him Roller... for obvious reasons. Roller is one of our healers.

My private quarters is very simple - nothing but a bunk, a chest for my clothes and personal belongings, and a wash basin on a tiny table. Nothing to tell. When the Keep is completed, they can probably afford better accommodations for all of us. For now, we have to rough it out.

You might be comforted to know that the humans have halted their destruction of the South-Eastern Quarter of Fyre Leaf Forest. Their tools and noisy machines are still in place and we fear that the peace is only temporary. Already, thousands of critters are homeless and the Relocation Section is having a hard time finding a place for them to go. Some have never been away from home before and the shock alone is slowly killing them. I am thankful that Father had the sense to build our beloved Blossom Hedges far away from human civilization; easy scavenging be damned. There is always a price to pay if something is easy or free!

How is the mint garden doing? Does Lucky still nibble on the young leaves? I swear that "laggybug" of yours was going to eat our garden up last summer! Has Scrampy grown up and started bringing you flowers instead of pulling your pigtails? Tell me news of hooooome!

Give Father and Mother my love, and look after them for me. And give Lucky a smack on his hard bottom for me to remind him that I haven't forgotten about him peeing on my favourite shirt.

Your slightly homesick sister,

Mystia.

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Letter #2

Dear Sis,

Da and Mumsy sends their love and would also send a pie but the Sparrow Mail service cannot deliver anything too heavy. They referred us to Draconic Mail for large packages but they only fly your way on Tuesdays. So expect a pie to fall out of the sky on Tuesday. I also send my love and the finest mint leaf from the garden. I don't think it'll look the finest anymore when it gets there, but it should still make this letter smell nice. I will not smack Lucky. I hope the pie hits you in the face for even suggesting that.

Scrampy doesn't come over very much anymore unless it's to deliver something to Da from his Da. He insists on being called by his real name now but I still call him Scrampy. Can you ever imagine calling him Kieran Greywhisker? He doesn't look like a Kieran Greywhisker. He looks like a Scrampy to me.

Mumsy is trying to teach me how to knit. I'll make you a nice bonnet to wear underneath your helm when I stop tangling up the yarn. Da is talking about moving deeper into the woods... maybe up the mountains. He doesn't think that humans will stop with the South-Eastern Quarter. But that means leaving Blossom Hedges behind! Right after he said that, I went to visit the Shiny Pond and the Skyward Tree because I'm afraid I'll never see them again. Remember how I can never make it to the top without you to carry me up the last few lengths, Mysti? I did it all by myself that day.

I think it's horrible that humans are trying to take our homes away. When I'm old enough, I'll go and join you at Talisman Keep and I'll make bonnets for everybody. Bye bye.

Love, hugs and blossoms,

Sherini Firewind.