7
EAST AND WEST
A month later, Yeolani walked out from under the southern edge of the forest and onto the open plains. There he finally saw the same image from his aborted dream, but this time, without the fairy interference, he could truly appreciate it. In fact, the only fairy nearby was the single fluffy little Life Giver that had followed him, rolling and bumping along the forest floor in Marit's wake on the day they had left. It had looked pathetic by the end of that first day, covered in dirt and pine needles. Eventually, Yeolani had taken pity, snatched up the creature against its protests, and picked it free of debris. After that, the Life Giver allowed itself to be carried in Yeolani's pack, almost forgotten.
Certainly forgotten as Yeolani finally saw what he had come to find:
