Maze of Mirrors

By Catopisis of the Leafwings.

## Chapter 1

I got to my feet, shaking off dirt caught on my clothes and skin. I blinked several times before taking a exhaling. *You always knew it would come to this one day* I thought, lost in a wave of memories *Just me, myself and I now*. I remembered playing with my brother in the snow; I remembered my friends joking with me about there favourite books; I remembered curling up in my bed at night, when I was younger, with my parents telling me stories and legends; I remembered much more but I couldn’t remember how I got here.

I studied the landscape around me with sharp eyes: Weird animals loped gracefully along the ice-blue grass, shimmering like shards of glass, they sky held a few winged creatures who shone silver against the black. *Like stars with wings* I thought, staring at the creatures. The winged creatures looked like something I should know about… *Dragons!* I thought *Mist, you idiot, of course they’re dragons*. My mother had told me about dragons who used to soar the sky’s before humans came, or so they said, I never believed- until now. But being honest with myself I knew this wasn’t Earth, I knew I might never go home.

“You can’t give up yet” I told myself aloud “Not until you actually tried” I hung on to those words like a cactus with water, trying to make myself believe.

I looked at an animal on the ground, going through legends but tossing most aside once they crossed my head. Finally I knew what those were: They looked like spirits of foxes. My jaw dropped in wonder as I stared at the foxes, they looked healthy and happy, there pelts caught the moonlight like the sun on dew would. The thought made me homesick. *You can handle this* I scolded myself *You’re not a baby*

I traced a finger along my pale skin then flicked my dark brown hair back as it fell in front of my face. I started down the hill I was standing on, drawing in a deep breath as I saw the creatures in more detail. I started to pick up speed, breathing evenly as if in a trance. I only stopped when I saw the size of the creatures, but unluckily that was when I was only a few meters away.

“And again”, I muttered to myself, “Mist, why are you such an idiot” I didn’t need an answer to know that I would be fresh-kill for the foxes if I stayed much longer.

I started to run but soon a dark shadow blocked my path. I looked up in horror to see that an ice dragon had swooped down and now was upon me, I didn’t know what was going to happen next so I shut my eyes as it lunged for my throat

## Chapter 2

I opened my eyes after a few moments of realizing I wasn’t dead. I looked around to find where the dragon was: The dragon was circling a fox that had protected me? Why would a fox bigger than a wolf want to help me, a shudder rippled through my body as I realized it could want to eat me itself.

“Why?” I asked “Why did you protect me?” I knew the fox couldn’t answer but I still wanted to know. Unexpectedly, the fox did look at me, then the dragon and back to me again.

A popping sound broke through the air and I could now here voices: the fox’s “You can’t kill her before she’s done *it*” And the dragon’s “Fine, but don’t expect me following your orders ever again.”

The dragon flew off so fast that my face was blasted with cold air. I stumbled back but the fox was there to catch me. It smiled sweetly, then with a flick of it’s tail some of the foxes watching came to the first fox.

“That was stupid” One growled, spitting his saliva into the smaller fox’s face “It could have killed you easily” He stormed off without another comment, flicking his tail irritably as he went.

Most of the other foxes radiated the same fury, but one didn’t, “That was so awesome” She said, her tail twitching in delight “I can’t believe you were able to talk a dragon down like that” One’s frowned deepened after she said that, but he was more worried then angry, I could tell.

The fox who had saved me smiled at her, but her gaze shifted back to me. “Let me help you” She said “You wouldn’t survive a day here without help, and I can-” She cut herself off and I wondered what she was going to say but I nodded “Irene at your service” She ducked her her head about to say something else but interrupted

“You can’t go off” A fox barked at Irene, his fur bristling “You have to get approval and even then they’d say no” He let out a dry laugh “You’re no good at anything” His claws curled into the ground dangerously. Irene looked like she was about to spit something mad but stopped herself

“Look” She replied calmly “I need to do this” She muzzled me gently before turning back to the fox “We knew she would come and no one wanted to do ‘it’ with her, so I will” He looked defeated, she had done her role well. “Brother, go home and tell them where I am” He nodded sadly and started padding off to the other fox’s

“Where to, Irene” I asked, stroking her fur. She looked at me “Wherever *it* leads us” I didn’t ask what “it” was but dipped my head and replied “I am Mist, Irene”

## Chapter 3

We had been walking in silence for what felt like hours, Irene and I agreed that I shouldn’t try to ride on her back, at one point we had tried and it felt extremely uncomfortable for both of us and also I do know how to walk

Irene snorted “What!” I yelped, as I said above: we had been walking in silence, that’s why this freaked me out so much “Is something wrong!”

Irene shook her head “Of course not” She said, with such amusement in her voice it was kind of hard not to glare at her “It’s just that when you first arrived we were centaurs, remember those ‘Weird animals loping gracefully across the grass’ I can’t believe you didn’t realize we were different animals”

“Well, well” I sputtered “I wasn’t paying attention before, or something…” I trailed off with Irene grinning at me “Wait!” I exclaimed, realizing something “You can read minds and change shape! So cool!”

“Glad you think so” Irene’s grin seemed to get bigger “Want some dinner or supper, whatever you call it?” She couldn’t have found a better time to ask me this, I was starving! Not literally

“Yes please” I said “You can do that?” Everything around here either seemed inedible or to hard to catch, but Irene had lived here her entire life, or so I thought, so she must know what to do

“Of course I can!” Irene was jumping up and down now “You’re not a vegetarian right? Because if you were you’d probably have to live at the center of Xlogtqu where there’s the only *large* freshwater source” I was amazed by her knowledge, or that could just be me not knowing a thing about this place

Irene ran off before I could say anything so I was left by myself. *Will I ever get home* I worried *And if not what am I going to do*. I kept worrying until I was startled out of my thoughts by Irene dragging a lump of meat or something? I couldn’t tell what it was because it was drenched in blood but I thought I saw silver scales…

“Thanks, Irene” I said as she started to rip it, I was still pretty sure she had caught a dragonet “Do you have magical powers to start a fire?” I quickly figured out she did as a bush went up in flames. “Irene, will I ever go home?” I asked softly watching the fire and the piece of meat I was trying to cook

She stared at me, her eyes full of answers I didn’t want to hear “I can’t say” She whispered eating her piece of meat raw “If you manage to survive *it* then you risk dying and there’s only one way to get back to your planet but the thing that guards the place has an opinion: Once you come here you don’t leave unless you leave in a coffin”

I settled down to sleep with Irene’s back pressed against mine but as I did drift into sleep her words still echoed through my head