Deep in the Forest: The Kayfas Prophecy

Ga . . . ka . . . Kwack. The sound cut through the peaceful Forest like a flash of lightning in a thunderstorm. Every creature in the Forest recognized the sound immediately—the guardian Enuku bird was sounding the alarm, and no one doubted that something terrible had happened. Ga . . . ka . . . Kwack. The Enuku’s unmistakable voice traveled the whole of the Forest and all its inhabitants took notice.

The bird’s call woke a Kayfas elf named Codcil, who was sleeping comfortably in his home in the trunk of a great Hezant tree named Tarella. The blue-black sky was streaked with thin, faded ribbons of amber light across the sky, signaling that dawn was nearing.

Codcil’s response was more instinct than logic as he reached for his trusty Sword of Justice with one hand and his golden unicorn’s horn with the other.

As Grand Protector of the Kayfas elves, his job, as well as his reason for existing, was the protection of all the inhabitants in the Magic Forest. With one flap of his wings, he launched his luminous body toward the opening in Tarella’s trunk that served as his front door. Once outside, he blew three short, powerful blasts on the golden unicorn’s horn, sounding a call to arms for all five hundred of the Kayfas elves serving under him. Within seconds of his last blast, the winged defenders emerged, awaiting their Leader’s command. They each carried a Sword of Justice; their iridescent orange eyes reflected the flashing blades as their yellow glowing skin shone on their trim muscular bodies.

One long blast on the horn sent the majority of the elves to their positions all around the Forest. Their Leader, with an elite force of fifty, flew on toward the nest of the Enuku bird almost faster than the human eye could follow. As Codcil climbed higher and higher, he could see the entire area of the star-shaped Forest. He was flying from the bottom of Witch’s Point out to the tip of Alanamsa’s Point, the site of the alarm call.

The other creatures in the Forest, aware something extraordinary was happening, sounded the alarm. The Kangaroos were first, spreading the news in their traditional way by singing in their beautiful voices.

Something strange is happening over near the pond,
The elves are in frantic flight and they are bearing arms.
We don’t know the score for sure,
But we’re willing to declare
That the way the force is flyin’
It’s big trouble over there.
Big trouble in the air.