Synopsis of Lumikki Silvermoon

LUMIKKI (age sixteen) brave, anxious, quick-witted, orphaned, quits yet another job in a burst of anger due to poor management. In the pouring rain and feeling lost, she forces herself home in the late hours of the night through the ancient cobbled city of Mountainfall. During her journey, she reminisces about a strange woman that visits the town occasionally dubbed The Raven Haired Lady (real name ASTA) . It is also mentioned that there are many rich, shady folk visiting the town most days that are particularly interested in the local bank.

Upon arrival at her derelict home, she remembers her keys are in her coat that had been left at her former workplace. After anxiously knocking on the rotting front door, she is greeted by her worried guardian MRS. MAPLE (late 60s) Too caring, sweet, part of the secret organisation The Storm Revolt, makes terrible stew. Mrs. Maple also brings up that Lumikki's pet rat had been stealing biscuits from the kitchen again. The rat, OPAL, full name Fire Opal because of her mysterious red eyes, was Lumikki's best and only friend.

The day after Lumikki quit her job at the inn, she and Opal took a hike up the mountainous hill that sat just outside the city. Fog begins to gather as they ascend near the peak and they catch sight of a dragon rising from the mist, though they think it's a monstrous bird as dragons were unheard of. They are then shooed away from a distance by Asta, though they can only see a figure in the mist.

A month or so later on Halloween night, Lumikki is stopped from the shadows by SVELL who wears a mysterious long blue coat. He explains that he is a professor from Nix Academy (Snow academy) and that Lumikki's crystal shaped birthmark on her wrist is actually a sign that she is a Snow Spirit (one who can tame frost dragons.) He fails to realise there is a circle above her crystal marking which indicates she has the ability to summon the storm dragons (powerful, almost godly creatures. One hasn't been seen in hundreds of years).

After agreeing to join Nix Academy on the condition that Opal would too be allowed to join, they depart that night for the college. The Academy is built into the side of a very large mountain not far from Mountainfall. Lumikki soon makes two close friends at the academy, THORA (Female, courageous, cunning, smart) and KAYLIN (brave, timid, nervous, funny.). It is at the academy that Lumikki discovers the exciting, full throttle sport of Dragon Racing. During a fly training lesson with Lady Swift, it is soon apparent that Lumikki posses the skill to command her dragon impressively and her friends convince her to join the school's drag race team. A few weeks later, the first match begins which takes place at the academy's flying grounds against the two other schools, Ignis Academy (Fire) and Terra Academy (Earth). At the starting line, Lumikki finds herself locked in eye contact with a handsome young man from the Ignis team, the enemy. The race begins and following an initial struggle, it appears Lumikki may be the winner. It begins to get dark and is heavily raining but, feeling alive for the first time and yards in front of the rest, Lumikki is sure to be the first winner of the year. Not too far from the finish line, a shadow of a person materialises amongst the clouds and waits until Lumikki is close enough to fly past. It is then that the shadow whispers something to her dragon which causes it to lose control and they both crash to the ground. This puts the Ignis team in first place and they proceed to win. Lumikki is taken to the academy's nurse where she is kept for a few days to regain her health. During this time, Lumikki's two friends visit, bringing Opal along with them and Lumikki shares the story of what had happened. They ponder together as to what could have been the cause and who was the mysterious figure. On the third day, Lumikki is released from the hospital late at night and sent to walk straight to bed. Along her journey passing a classroom, she overhears a conversation between two teachers. This conversation sounded suspicious so she hides nearby to listen. Lumikki overhears two men discussing plans of bringing Shadow Warriors to Mountainfall. Confused, she carries on her journey back to her year's common room to meet her friends and share with them what she had heard. They explain that a long time ago, the Shadow Warriors saved the dragon world from the villainous leader of the Storm Revolts. Lumikki couldn't shake her suspicions as the conversation she overheard sounded under wraps and ominous. The friends pointed out that the Shadow Warriors are highly admired so they probably didn't want to cause a fuss and draw attention to themselves. This quickly put Lumikki's mind at ease. That night however, Lumikki had a dream about the shadowy figure in the clouds from the day of the race, except this time a vague face appeared on the shadowy figure. She awoke abruptly and sat in bed thinking deeply about how she had recognised the face but couldn't put her finger on it. A few months pass and between races, studying and socialising, Lumikki felt like she had a real purpose and sense of well being for the first time. This was soon shattered as one day Thora stopped turning up to lessons and didn't tell her two friends why. They grew suspicious of her and Kaylin shared that Thora's family are a long line of highly strung dragon riders that can be traced back to the first dragon war. He suspected this had a lot to do with Thora's mysterious absences.

Summer began and Thora was attending classes again. She shared with the group that she had to keep leaving for a family illness and she was too sad to tell them. Lumikki and Kaylin understood and they welcomed her back without hesitation, though Opal could sense something was off.

The fun summer days were soon drawn to a close as the atmosphere around the academy turned dark. There were rumours circling that the leader of the Storm Revolt had been seen a few cities over near the Ignis Academy. Not being from the dragon world, Lumikki's friends explained that the leader of the Storm Revolt had created a war between the three academies. Nix and Terra joined forces to tackle to fire elements of the Ignis members, who eventually lost the battle. The friends continued to explain that the leader of the Storm Revolt was a woman named Astra who had not been seen for decades and was thought to be dead. Ignis Academy were notorious for joining dark orders so the trio were naturally concerned over the new sighting.

It wasn't long before the rumours came into play. During a visit to the Dragon World shopping district, Orbis City, the trio and Opal were enjoying a quiet Saturday night evening at the local inn. The far wall of the Inn exploded open and came crashing down around frightful looking dragon and its rider who demanded that Lumikki came with her that instant. Lumikki recognised the rider as The Raven Haired Lady (Astra) and felt a great sense of fear and confusion. The people at the inn took charge and sounded the alarm causing dragons to fly in from all around to fight Astra, who after an intense battle, eventually took the skies and vanished, leaving Lumikki and her friends in utter shock at what just happened. The teachers assure the students that Astra is gone and encourage them to concentrate on their end of year flying test.

Shortly after, the end of the school year comes around and Lumikki and Opal are back staying with Mrs. Maple until the new school year.

Sample Chapter

Lumikki Silvermoon

Chapter One: Old News

A fierce slam of a heavy wooden door disturbed the midnight silence that lay upon the old the city of Mountainfall. The sound of irritated footsteps slapped across the wet cobbled stones without knowing where they were going.

"Absolutely ridiculous." grumbled a young woman named Lumikki.

"She cannot expect me to work like that! Drunken men fighting, overpriced drinks like it's my fault. I've had enough of this ancient town and all the ancient people who live here."

Lumikki stumbled, catching one of her very worn shoes on a loose cobblestone and fell to the ground. She let out a long sigh and rose to sit on her knees, exasperated. Tears began to fill her eyes but they were washed out by the rain streaming down her tired face. The rain was a familiar friend to her. It was comforting, like a hug that didn't have to end too quickly. She peered down at the puddle forming next to her and saw only her gloomy reflection staring back. Her sapphire eyes shining in tune with the moon like they were connected through the many lonely nights they spent together. Her short messy hair as white as snow, danced in the night time breeze quickly becoming damp and sticking to her pale rosy cheeks.

Lumikki got to her feet and began to pace towards an old crumbling wall surrounding the nearby murky brown sea. The waves below were calm but determined, not at all reflecting how Lumikki was feeling. She unravelled the knot that tied her damp, stained apron to her waist and bunched it together into a ball in her hands. Without a word, she threw the bundle of heavy cloth in to the misty air as hard as she could and watched as it unfolded itself and floated delicately down onto the sea waves, as though mocking her one last time.

As the young woman sighed with her back against the wall, she peered upwards to watch the patchwork quilt of clouds above and wondering if things will ever change.

A half hour had passed while she was deep in thought and a frosty breeze began to set in from the sea's horizon that sent a chill directly to her bones.

"Oh no, I left without my coat!" Lumikki cried, wrapping her arms around herself. "I had better go home before I catch a cold. Then who would deliver old Mrs. Maple's Newspaper?".

The shivering young woman walked briskly through the sodden town, still clutching to herself in the hopes of becoming warm again. Past the bakery with the wonky bay window where she had stopped for her favourite breakfast that morning; pancakes with thick cream and strawberries. The next shop along was the hatters which always displayed the most extravagant hats that Lumikki often admired. Today there was an elegant, tall turquoise pillbox hat which twisted together at the very top like an ice cream and housed a beautiful plumage of rich violet feathers to one side. She occasionally imagined the finely dressed ladies and gentlemen of whom would acquire such hats and wonder the types of events they would be worn to. Lumikki guessed that this particular one would be worn by an eccentric old dowager to a ball of some sort. In the large city of Mountainfall, there were often Lords, Ladies and people of other titles pottering around the busy town centre going about their daily business. These visitors often included unsavoury gentlemen making regular deposits to the bank while their unsuspecting wives were out for afternoon tea and finger sandwiches. Lumikki was drawn to one lady in particular that she would see frequently visiting the ancient city. The lady's name was a mystery but Lumikki could vividly picture her in mind as though the lady was there herself. She was in her forties yet still retained a youthful glow. Her long, raven black hair cascaded down her back in a low ponytail that she kept under a peculiar array of hats, no doubt from the hatters shop. Lumikki cannot remember a time when she didn't catch sight of the lady wearing what seemed to be her favourite shade of icy blue, though her outfits were often concealed in a long coat that stopped just below her knees. The long coat was also in her usual frosty shade of blue. She had fierce blue eyes like the lightest hues of the ocean but her smile was sweet and kindly as though all the nearby flowers would bloom even in the deepest depths of winter. The lady was never alone. She was always accompanied by uppity Earls or professors that talked at her while they walked along the stony paths, though the lady was normally preoccupied by her own far more interesting thoughts. It was outside this hatters shop where Lumikki got her first glimpse of the raven haired lady. Busy cupping the sides of her eyes with her hands to shield them from the burning sunlight of midsummer a few years ago, Lumikki was gazing through the shop window attempting to get a closer look at a very summery pink sun hat which sat under great numbers of ivory flowers bunched together by a soft pink ribbon. As she admired the handy work and artistry of this beautiful hat, Lumikki was completely unaware of an icy blue figure staring back at her from the other side of the window. It was only when Lumikki let out a little sneeze caused by allergies, that she caught the lady's gaze while trying to focus back on the delicate hat. The raven haired lady swiftly looked around in all manner of directions and squinting as though she was browsing for something in particular. Lumikki couldn't help but stare without thought after the woman for reasons that were not clear to her. She had felt a warm sensation in her wrist followed by an icy breeze, which seemed strange on such a bright and cloudless day. The summer days were long gone now and Lumikki, sopping wet and starting to shiver, was nearly home. Just a short walk across the old town centre, she paused outside an old cottage which had a sparse thatch roof that liked to leak. The walls were beginning to deteriorate in the corners with a few pieces of loose rubble on the ground already. The windows were dark and uninviting and the wooden front door was rotting away at the bottom with a jagged gap large enough to let the wind whistle through.

"Home, sweet home." Lumikki sighed, fumbling around for her keys. "Of course, they're in my coat pocket which is back at the Inn." It was too late to walk back and collect her things. She took a deep, apprehensive breath and knocked on the front door. The wet, rotting wood numbed the sound. She knocked a little harder, this time anxiously looking around hoping she didn't wake up the neighbours. A faint glow of candle light began to protrude from the gap under the door which grew brighter with every second. There was the sound of a heavy lock clunking as it was turned and Lumikki heard the familiar struggle of someone trying to lift the metal latch across the warped front door from the inside. Lumikki braced herself and the door began to creak open, candlelight almost blinding in the late night darkness.

"Lumikki! Do you have any idea what time it is? I have been up worrying for hours. You're soaking wet, no coat and alone. People will start to think you live on the streets! Come in before you get ill."

A small, rotund woman with fraying grey hair ushered Lumikki inside, her face was the expression of thunder.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Maple, I was working at the Inn tonight. I left you a note on my dresser but Opal most likely ran off with it again."

Mrs. Maple's face softened and suddenly she appeared more like her kind, sweetly self again.

"That's okay my dear, at least you're home now. There may be embers still hot in the fireplace, go and warm yourself up a little while I fetch you some dry clothes." Mrs. Maple began to walk off and then turned around again. "And tell that rat of yours to stop stealing my biscuits!"

When Mrs. Maple was out of the room, Lumikki couldn't help but let out a little giggle. Opal was her pet rat, her best friend, really. Her soft fur was a brilliant white, enough to make snowflakes envious. She had dark, fiery red eyes which earned her the name Fire Opal, Opal for short. Lumikki found her by accident some years ago in old Mrs. Maple's newspaper pile as she was tidying up the living room. Opal was only a small rat then, barely bigger than the palm of her hand., she looked very hungry and barely moving. After Lumikki spotted her, she raced to the kitchen pantry to find the rat some food but all she could find were some stale rich tea biscuits and some milk which she poured into a chipped saucer that lived in the dusty display cabinet. Hoping she had not scared the rat away, she entered the lounge again carefully carrying the milk and biscuits. She was relieved to see that the small white rat was still there in the pile of yellowing papers.

"I brought you some food. I hope you don't mind old biscuits and milk?" Lumikki said quietly, kneeling down the rats height.

The fluffy white ball barely winced.

Starting to worry more, Lumikki snapped off part of the dry, beige biscuit which released crumbs on to her lap and the dark wooden floor. She slowly reached out to the weakening rat and placed some of the biscuit under her little pink nose. The rat's nose began to twitch and gradually, her eyes began to open revealing the deep ruby shades. She began to nibble the broken biscuit which looked a lot bigger in her tiny paws. When she was done, Lumikki offered her some milk from the saucer which the rat lapped up desperately and she began to become more awake.

"Are you alone?" Lumikki asked her and the rat just looked at her and blinked.

"So am I. I always have been actually, apart from Mrs. Maple."

Mrs. Maple! Lumikki jumped up, wide eyed. She completely forgot about how much she hates rats being in the house and often tried to sweep them out of her home very hard with her broom. She held out her hand to the rat.

"Climb on," she said. "Quick, before Mrs. Maple sees you!"

The rat clambered onto her warm hand and Lumikki held her close to her chest. As she approached the living room doorway, Lumikki poked her head through checking left and right for any sign of Mrs. Maple. It was clear. Lumikki ran up the dingy, wooden staircase just opposite from the living room doorway, then tiptoed across the landing. She passed through another old, creaky door and then up one more set of ageing stairs. This was Lumikki's room, kindly given to her by Mrs. Maple who was a close family friend at the time. Lumikki's room was dark, damp and smelled faintly of brussell sprouts. But as dusty and depressing as it was with all its cobwebs and breezy windows, it was home. The only home she had ever known. Lumikki walked towards her antique bed where she lay down a frilly beige pillow to place the rat softly down on. She sat herself on the bed next to the pillow and carefully stroked behind the rats ear. The small white rat looked so peaceful laying there as though it was the first time she'd ever been able to be present without the worry of food or shelter.

"Lumikki!" Came a booming voice from down the stairs. It was was Mrs. Maple in the living room.

"I left the milk and the biscuits on the floor!" gasped Lumikki, quickly jumping to her feet. "You'd better stay under here until I get back."

She carefully picked up the pillow and slid it under the bed, away from prying eyes. Mrs. Maple was waiting for her already by the time she ran down the second staircase.

"Lumikki dear, would mind telling me why there is a saucer of milk, one of my very special saucers I might add, and a packet of biscuits on the floor in the living room? I specifically asked you to tidy up the newspapers, not attract an army of ants." she said with one hand perched on her hip waiting for what should be a good excuse.

"Uhh... Yes, you see... I was hungry, you know from all the tidying and I fancied a biscuit or two." Lumikki began, twiddling her thumbs. "Only the biscuits were a hundred years old so I thought that if I dipped them in the milk, it might make them taste nicer, better than old leather boots anyway. I thought that if I used a saucer for the milk I could lay the biscuits flat down instead of breaking them in half to fit into a glass." Lumikki looked down at her feet. There was no way Mrs. Maple would buy that.

"That is actually very logical, I'm impressed. I may even try it myself. But Lumikki dear, please remember to tidy up after yourself. That was the point in tidying the living room in the first place, after all"

Shocked, Lumikki tried to relax her face as though the world hadn't just flipped upside down inside her.

"Sorry, Mrs. Maple. I'll be more careful next time." Lumikki said and walked away to finish tidying the living room.

When she was done sorting the newspapers, she carefully balanced the packet of biscuits and the saucer inside her arms and proceeded along the corridor. Lumikki was transfixed in a deep thought about who her parents may of have been, and failed to see the tatty wooden broom laying across the floor. Her foot caught the handle as she was mid-step and Lumikki fell to the floor. The biscuits and the saucer were sent crashing along the cold, stony ground. The saucer broke into three separate pieces and spread out across the stones. The blood drained from Lumikki's face. Not the very special saucer! She thought to herself in a panic. There were footsteps coming down the stairs and heading her way. It was Mrs. Maple.

"Lumikki, are you quite alright, dear? I heard a crash." She called.

Brushing herself off in hurry, Lumikki quickly gathered up the broken biscuits. There wasn't enough time to collect the pieces of saucer before Mrs. Maple was standing in front of her. Lumikki shifted her weight so the broken china was behind her, out of view.

"S-sorry, I tripped over the broom." She said, hoping Mrs. Maple couldn't see the smashed mess on the floor.

"Are you hurt at all? Let me take a look." Mrs. Maple said, walking towards Lumikki.

"No really that's fine, I'm oka-" Lumikki tried to reply in an attempt to stop Mrs. Maple from finding the pieces. It was too late. Mrs. Maple had done a full circle inspection of her to ensure she wasn't hurt. Lumikki clenched her eyes shut waiting for the screams of peril as Mrs. Maple discovered that the very special saucer was no longer very special. But nothing happened.

"Not to worry, dear. Accidents happen. As long as you are okay." Mrs. Maple said smiling brightly, making sure one last time before she pottered off to the kitchen to begin cooking dinner.

Lumikki stared at the floor in astonishment. There was nothing there. She searched all around. She checked under the broom, under her own feet and even in the packet of biscuits. Nothing. They had vanished. Did she imagine it? Not one to question a miracle, Lumikki sprinted up both the staircases to her room before the broken saucer reappeared again. Slowly, she tiptoed over to the bed hoping the rat was still there. Lumikki unveiled the pillow from its hiding place and there waiting for her was the little white rat napping peacefully and all the pieces of the saucer.

"It was you? But how?" Lumikki said, her head spinning with all sorts of questions. "Never mind. Thank you so much. I really owe you one."

The small ball of white fur let out a deep yawn and blinked longingly at the biscuits peeking out of Lumikki's pocket.

"Is it one of these you would like?" Lumikki asked, handing the rat a small section of a crumbly beige biscuit. She received it lovingly and Lumikki stared thoughtfully at the rat.

"No one has ever done anything like that for me before. I would really like it if you would be my friend?" She asked, looking down at the floor. "I'm not sure what to call you though."

Lumikki considered the rats white fur and red garnet eyes.

"I will name you Fire Opal, it suits your appearance and your personality." Lumikki said, delicately stroking the rats soft fur. Opal gazed up at her lovingly as though she too had never known the secrets of friendship until now.

Lumikki laid herself down on the hard, dusty floor next to the crumb laden pillow where Opal yawned and curled herself up. Gradually, they both fell into a deep sleep sharing dreams of their hopeful adventures together.

Lumikki and Opal have been an inseparable team ever since that day.

Lumikki Silvermoon

Chapter Two: Duck and Run

Lumikki slowly opened her tired, groggy eyes and stretched her arms far above her head to welcome the new day. Seeing that Opal was still sleeping soundly next to her at the head of the bed, she decided to not embrace the morning just yet. The dim glow of dawn attempting to break free behind the horizon suggested it was too early anyway. Instead, Lumikki watched the thin, greying curtains breathe in and out with the early morning breeze that always intruded through the corner of the cracked window. She lay there thinking about the events yesterday and how she would muster the courage to tell Mrs. Maple that she quit another job. Lumikki could already picture the pretend cheerful face that Mrs. Maple wears whenever she broke the news.

"Never you mind, dear. Another door will open for you." Lumikki whispered, already knowing what Mrs. Maple would say in reply.

Feeling slightly depressed, Lumkki sunk back down under the bed covers and sighed.

"I know Mrs. Maple's heart breaks every time I do something like this, I can see her eyes welling with disappointment behind that caring mask." Lumikki said quietly to herself, her own eyes tearing up at these thoughts. Opal began to stir so Lumikki quickly wiped away her sadness and pretended to be fast asleep. It wasn't long before Opal let out a wide yawn, stretched her little paws out in front of her and began to nudge lumikki's shoulder to wake her up.

"Good morning, Opal." Strained Lumikki, pretending she just woke up. "Lovely day."

Lumikki repeated her earlier arm stretches and rose out of bed to get dressed. Taking a deep breathe in to try and encourage some positivity within herself, she walked over to her dark wooden dresser that was older than Mrs. Maple, to pick out an outfit for the day. It's Autumn, Lumikki thought, Autumn is a funny month. Either roasting hot or freezing cold. She stood on her tiptoes using the dresser to balance herself and tried to peer out of the window that sat above the dresser. Being too short and giving up, Lumikki turned to Opal who was still comfy in bed and attempting to get a few last minute snoozes.

"Opal," Lumikki began, sweetly and grinning, "Please could you check if it is hot or cold outside today?".

Opal, grumpily raising her head to look at Lumikki, did nothing except blink and frown at her. Any new friends would just leave it at that, but being very close friends for a number of years, Lumikki knew what to do. She opened a small top drawer from the wooden dresser and Opal's head rose some more, her nose beginning to twitch.

"I wonder, what could possibly be in this drawer?" Lumikki said, reaching inside. Opal watched stubbornly as Lumikki pulled out her favourite biscuit; a dark chocolate digestive with little sprigs of orange zest. Lumikki slowly raised the chocolate biscuit to her mouth as if to eat it.

"It would be a shame if I was to eat the last one, considering I don't even like these ones." She said, eyeing Opal from the corner of her eyes. Opal couldn't take it any more. She sprang off the bed, scurried across the floor, climbed the dusty curtain rope, hopped off at the windowsill and launched herself at Lumikki's hand that held the biscuit treasure. It happened so fast it was as though she was a ball of white lightning striking different parts of the room. Opal hurried away with the biscuit between her teeth and disappeared through the crack in the window. Moments later, Opal reappeared with her dark chocolate biscuit, sat herself down on the windowsill and started to nibble on her favourite treat.

"You look a little damp, is it cold and foggy today?" Lumikki asked her. Opal nodded, not daring to take her eyes away from the biscuit in her paws. Lumikki rummaged through her drawers and finally decided upon a white t shirt, a dark green pinafore and a pair of grey woollen tights. After Lumikki had changed, she checked the mirror quickly and ruffled her hair a little bit.

"That'll do!" She said, walking over to the bedroom door to go downstairs. Opal crammed the last piece of the biscuit in her mouth and chased after Lumikki, crumbs embedded between her whiskers and chocolate all over her face.

"Just popping out for a while, I'll be back later." Lumikki called to Mrs. Maple when she reached the downstairs hallway.

"Make sure to borrow one of my coats until you find yours. It's chilly outside today, dear," Mrs. Maple replied, "Also, please could you pick up a copy of the Weekly Flyer newspaper for me on your way home? Have a nice day, dear. Be back in time for beef stew supper, when the street lamps are lit."

Lumikki's stomach churned at these words and Opal looked up at her, horrified. Not Mrs. Maples beef stew, they thought. Just the mere mention of the words and Lumikki can already taste the overpowering flavour of old socks and boiled beef. She can vividly imagine the consistency of thick, brown gloop that jiggled like jelly on the spoon. Can't wait.

After putting on an oversized, yet too short, burgundy coat with frilly sleeves that belonged to Mrs. Maple, Lumikki kneeled down and held out her hand for Opal to climb up and sit on her shoulder. Unhooking the spare jumble of iron keys from the wall by the front door, she picked out the one that fits the lock that currently held them in beef stew doom. The familiar clunk sounded as the key turned and Lumikki lifted the bar across the door with strained difficulty. As the rotting wooden door opened, a heavy wind howled at them through the nearby buildings and blew their hair and fur in all manner of directions. Once outside, even with Opal's help, they struggled to battle the door shut against the wind.

"So much for a lovely day." Lumikki remarked sarcastically.

"I was thinking today we could go up to the hills, it could do us some good to be away from all the hustle and bustle of the town, how does that sound?" Lumikki asked, checking Opal hadn't been blown away from her shoulder. Opal nodded and twitched her whiskers in reply. Lumikki began to walk against the wind and Opal vacated into one of the coats deep pockets.

The town was busy that day, everyone was in a hurry to be out of the stormy weather and back home in the warm. The smell of the bakery caught drift in the wind and sailed past Lumikki and Opal and together they paused for a moment to smell the air.

"Saturday special" Lumikki said, her stomach grumbling a little, "buttery almond croissants and freshly baked cinnamon scones."

Opal licked her lips and sniffed the air some more. Lumikki bent down to remove her shoe and fumbled around inside it.

"I was saving this for emergencies but I think Saturday bakery specials count." she said, pulling out a small handful of bronze and silver coins. Opal clapped excitedly in agreement from inside of the coat pocket. Lumikki looked down at her hand, prodding the shrapnel with her finger.

"I only have two silver scallies and five bronze belks. Should be enough for one of each though." She said, following her nose to the bakery.

Inside, it was packed like a tin of sardines with people wanting a warm pastry to make up for the bitterly cold day. Compared to outside, it was swelteringly warm and the heat from the baker's ovens and all the people caused the windows to steam up almost completely. Amongst the babble of customers waiting to be served, Lumikka stood on the end of her toes and stretched her neck towards the counter to see if there were any croissants and scones left. There were only three croissants and two scones remaining. The busy room was loud and lively, no one would notice her sneak through the crowd. Lumikki pushed past a short, stout man wearing a tweed waist coast. His vision was clouded by his own cigar smoke so he didn't see her squeeze past. Lumikki stretched on her tiptoes again. Two croissants and two scones left. She sighted a gap between two posh ladies wearing tight corset dresses that flowed to the ground. They were so involved in their own conversation that the outside world seemed to have dissolved. Lumikki darted through them. Nearly there. Lumikki spied around searching for another quick route to the front. Squeak! Squeak! Came Opals voice from the pocket. She was pointing to a middle-aged woman only one or two rows ahead. She had greasy brown hair as dull as mud that was pulled into a tight bun at the top of her head like a crown. Her face was heavy and it looked as though she hadn't smiled in a century. The miserable woman also wore a dirty apron with a damp towel clinging to the front pocket.

"It's Greasy Gladys from the Inn!" Lumikki panicked under her breath. She ducked before Gladys could find her and pushed past a small crowd of people waiting to be served. A group of gentlemen were clogging up the line discussing business plans. They were all dressed in sharp suits and wore very expensive top hats. Lumikki stretched once more to view the counter. Two croissants and one scone left. Panic forced her decision to push through the centre of the gentleman's conversation.

"... Ah, yes and we must think of the snow spirits before we-Oh, ow!" One of the gentleman said as Lumikki rushed past. "What a rude girl!"

Snow spirits? The thought was quickly discarded from Lumikki's mind as Opal tugged at the coat to get her attention. They had made it to the front, finally!

"Good morning, thank you for waiting. What can I get for you today?" Asked the baker. He was a tall man, with a smiling face. He had bushy dark eyebrows and dark, warming eyes like chocolate drops.

"One buttery croissant and a cinnamon scone, please." Lumikki said, her eyes widening as she watched the baker pack them in a paper bag for her.

"There you go. That'll be two silver scallies and six bronze belks." The baker said, handing over the pastries.

Lumikki's heart rose in her throat and her stomach lurched forward. She was one bronze belk short.

"Excuse me, what seems to be the problem?" came a soft woman's voice behind Lumikki. She didn't dare turn around, she was too embarrassed. Lumikki could already feel her face as red as a lobster and burning hot

"Are you short of coin?" The kind voice asked. Lumikki nodded. A periwinkle gloved hand reached past her shoulder and put a few coins on the counter.

"And I'll take the last buttered croissant please, sir." The gloved stranger said to the baker. Lumikki swallowed her pride and turned to thank helper when a different, raspier voice called out.

"Lumikki! Lumikki I can see you! Come here at once!" it said.

It was Gladys and Lumikki has been spotted. Trying to make a run for it, Lumikki spun around and headed straight into the kind stranger. Lumikki was staring right into the eyes of the raven haired lady. Under the bright light of the bakery, her eyes were icy blue with specks of silver and white like an arctic sea. Her raven black fringe cut bluntly just above her pruned eyebrows. Despite the collection of frosty blue shades the lady wore, she was as warm as a late summers eve. Lumikki stood there in awe before Gladys abruptly snapped her out of it.

"Lumikki, don't you ignore me! I'll tell Mrs. Maple!" She boomed. By now, everyone had started to watch.

"Thank you!" Lumikki cried at the raven haired lady as she ducked and started pushing through people in an attempt to escape from Gladys' small, beady eyes.

Lumikki didn't stop running until she had crossed the town centre and out the other side. The crowds of people were sparse here and the cobbled stones turned into grass. Trying to regain some breath, Lumikki stopped and rested against an old, dilapidated farmhouse that stood at the base of the hill. The wind had calmed down so now was a good time to sit on the grass and rest. Opal clambered out of the coat pocket feeling a little queasy from all the running. That soon disappeared when Lumikki pulled out the bag of goodies.

"Half each?" Lumikki asked Opal. Opal nodded and couldn't contain her excitement. She ran up and down Lumikki's shoulder, around in circles on the grass and jumped on the spot. She only stopped when Lumikki laid down one half of the buttered croissant on the ground in front of her.

"We'll save the scone for later." Lumikki said, stuffing the paper bag back in to her coat pocket. They both ate their halves of the croissant and, sprinkled with pastry flakes, rested for a little while longer. They watched as the clouds gathered abundantly overhead.

"We should carry on before it starts to rain." Lumikki suggested, pointing at the incoming darker clouds.

Opal climbed upon Lumikki's arm and perched on her shoulder. Lumikki got to her feet and dusted away the pastry crumbs which fell into the long, forgotten grass. She slowly started to hike up the rocky hill and her leg muscles began to strain from the steepness of the climb. The wind was becoming blustery once more and the grass followed whichever way it blew. The air was beginning to turn damp and heavy even though it still smelled as fresh as it had early that morning.

"How can they call this a hill? It's more of a mountain if you ask me." Lumikki said, in between deep breaths of air and squinting through the wind. They were nearly halfway to the top when they paused to take in the view. From the hillside, you could see almost all around and further. The city below looked small and busy. The Saturday markets were open with all different types of stalls surrounding the cobbled plaza in the centre. Some were selling fruits and vegetables, others were selling meats and fish. If Lumikki looked hard enough, she could see her favourite stall of all in the middle – Miss Mulberry's Sweet Stall. Miss Mulberry sold the best sweets in Mountainfall and all of them were lovingly handcrafted by her. At her stall, you could find pink and white marshmallow rabbits that were incredibly fluffy. They were often described as 'like eating a cloud' so they were famously named Cloud Bunnies. Miss Mulberry also created these fiercely fizzy sour dragons. Eating too many could make your head spin! There were creamy white chocolate mountains that looked just like the ones that surrounded the city. Black liquorice spiderwebs were another tasty invention of hers. They were stretchy, stringy and would turn your teeth black. Not forgetting Miss Mulberry's speciality; eight layered bonbons. Every layer was a different flavour that started with strawberry and ended with lemon. Each individual sweet would last for hours and they were nearly always sold out. Lumikki had only been lucky enough to try them twice. Just outside the market square, the streets were aligned with old shops with golden, hand painted titles and large inns that were open almost twenty-four hours a day. There was always a room should you need one for a humble fee and the fires were consistently burning. Grey stony houses filled the gaps between the shops, down the alley ways and around the city. These houses were very old and some were beginning to crumble. It was often the poorest of the city folk that resided in these homes. Further out, the buildings got larger and were well kept. These were the residences of the Lords and Ladies. Some of the buildings had tall spires, long gravelly driveways and many, many rooms. They were contructed using the same grey cobblestones as all the other buildings in Mountainfall as these stones were mined directly from the mountains many years ago. Above the city, the clouds were growing darker and the daylight was starting to fade.

"Let's reach the top this time and then we'll head home. Though, make sure to fill up on the scone before we leave or we'll have nothing to eat except Mrs. Maples gloopy beef stew." Lumikka said to Opal and they both gulped at each other, looking scared. Fog was beginning to surround the hill and it was getting difficult to see the city below. As Lumikka turned to continue the climb, there was a sudden tug at her coat from Opal.

"What is it?" Lumikka asked, looking down at her. She then followed Opal's gaze and saw in the distant mist, there was a figure pacing quickly up the hill wearing a long coat that was bellowing in the wind.

"Who do you reckon that is?" Lumikka whispered, squinting ahead. "Let's follow them, they won't see us from back here, it's too foggy."

Lumikka briskly followed behind the mysterious person until the mist became too thick.

"I can't see them anymore," Lumikka said, trying to spy the person through the swirling fog. Lumikka's attention was quickly caught by a huge shadow materialising in the mist. A Monstrous bird began rising into the dark grey sky above them. It's wing span engulfed the entire area into darkness and Lumikki fell down onto the ground as she watched. The great bird flew into the clouds, barely visible except for a shadow. Its heavy wings creating blasts of wind that forced nearby treetops to almost touch the grass at their roots. There was a loud roar that echoed through the mountains and rocks trickled down the sides.

"Leave this place! Now!" a familiar voice bellowed from the distance. Lumikki quickly jumped to her feet and looked around. A silhouette of the strange figure they were following was now running towards them, still concealed by the fog.

"I said leave!" The figure shouted, sounding both angry and fearful.

Lumikki picked Opal up from her shoulder and stuffed her quickly in the coat pocket. Lumikki ran as fast as she could back down towards the city. She made it nearly halfway before the incline was too much for the speed of her feet and Lumikki tumbled down the rest of the way, taking Opal with her and then everything was dark.