echo sighed and rolled her shoulders, sore. why did using such a tiny amount of magic make her so exaushted?! she glanced at the bow. she did want to practice, she wanted to be more independent and able to fight, but she was aching! oh! the fountain, that could probably fix her! or was it frozen? hopefully not. she could always go to the bonfire. she left, where everybody was waiting for her. awkward...

"echo, happy birthday." frost smiled at her.

"its my birthday?"

"yeah, i figured we could try to make aa human part since you love human culture so much."

"um... thanks." she smiled. it meant so much. maybe frost did care. though of course it didn't mean much. pip smiled.

"were playing right?" frost smiled and nodded, and key tackled her, laughing. raven jumped on top. echo laughed. frost smiled in her way and tossed her an apple, on it was akwadly carved happy birthday echo, with a presumably sanitary claw. she was actually happyish. oh, it had been galaxys birthday a few days ago. well, that was certainly quite the happy birthday echo had given her. not that it mattered... cheer up! the wolves are making an effort to be human.

she ate the apple as the wolves sort of awkwardly stood around talking and wrestling. she knew where the fun was though. she glanced at herself. she was purple with lime polka dots. she jumped in with the pups, wrestling gently with them as they stared at her in amazement. she totlly forgot how sore she was. the 'party' lasted a few hours, and when it ended she felt even more sore. but she actually told frost where she was going. 

she took flight and stiffly made it. the fountain wasn't frozen, though it was bitterly cold. she stepped in and got pulled into that black plane again. hopefully this magic wouldn't make her ache. the energy was pulsating green water, but it was a sort of rounded mountain shape, a shpere trying to form but being harassed by gravity. she was able to lift the water into a sphere and her leg felt better, and not freezing, though before it had still been sore. cool! she got out and shivered, so she headed to the bonfyre and dried off. she then flew to the border. she just wanted to stare at it. she landed in a tree and looked around. where might her parents have found her? she fell into a void of thought, just silently staring at it, doing absolutely nothing inside or out, until she heard a rustling. a couple, bundled in sweaters and something she didn't recognize, wearing a new sort of hat, walked into view. she heard faint sobs. was it her parents? she flew out of sight and changed form, then walked back into view. 

"echo?!" her mom stared, then screamed, then cried with joy. her dad followed. she hugged them tighter than ever before.

"what are you doing here?"

"we wanted to come back since its you're birthday and we found you here."

"so did i."

"please come home!"

"i literally cant. i would if i could."

"where are you?"

"practically a glorified prisoner. frost lives with me, but we basically hate each other. and galaxy is also in the area, but she betrayed me. if i had the energy left id hate her to."

"did they kidnap you?"

"no, its more complicated. it involves wolves."

"tell us!"

"i dont think I'm allowed. but if i could come and go it would be a dream come true."

"what? is there magic?" she sounded sarcastic.

"i cant say."

"echo! please be serious!"

"i am."

"come with us please!"

"watch." she tried to walk out of the forest, but hit the unseen barrier. she tried to run thru it, but just slammed hard. 

"what? is it magic?"

"i cant say."

"echo! you can tell us anything!"

"the world literally depends on me not causing problems. if i did tell it could potentially start a war that would destroy the world."

"echo, why would massive countries care?"

"they arent countries. i want to tell you, but i cant. and if i could go back i might not. I'm different. you wouldn't recognize me. maybe this is the only place i have anymore..."

"no! no, come back with us! you're always welcome! we'll always love you!"

"you dont understand."

"we could, tell us!"

"maybe i can show you." echo changed to an owl and took flight... on her own! she finally learned to fly!" she landed again and changed back.

"did you just turn into an owl?"

"what? that sounds crazy! dont spread rumors or youll be put in an asylum."

"we wont tell..."

"that's not the only thing that you could hallucinate."

"we can go with you to wherever you are!"

"no, you cant. humans... er, people who didn't disappear once every ten years, cant find it."

"what can you tell us?"

"since i didn't die people will stop disappearing every ten years."

"how do wolves kidnap people?"

"well i think you might hallunucinate frost turning into a wolf sometimes, and some other people."

"what? she kidnapped you?"

"no, a woman named secret did. she was going to kill me. frost saved me for a month, then decided that she had to save me for real. information was learned, the weather was saved."

"is this related to the winter?"

"yes."

"how?"

"i think i should go. if people find out i was talking to you i dont know what might happen. dont frequent here. if you show up occasionally in a way that doesn't look suspicious and followed my pet owl you might find a place to meet me occasionally."

"wait that owl was your pet?"

"hard to say." she flew back and totally forgot to figure out the root of the magic problem... although, she did know how to find out more... but it was maybe not was. well, it was also dangerous,the lions could find her. but she had to.

she waited until dusk fell and silently flew to the windrock. she hesitated, and then boldly touched it, pulling back her face. she saw a flash of silver and looked back. a riddle.

bitterness and battle and strife tears down

forgotten friendships turn around

the anger will rage and imbalance grows

the warriors oppose

the shape of the land, though broken in two

both sides angry will eventually rue

the truth buried deep when risen will heal

forever the magic and blackness repeal

thank the moon for night vision! seriosly rock? forgotten friendships turn around? this was not about her and frost. this was way older! was it about her and galaxy? maybe. but how were they relevant? unless... were they the only friendship? maybe not. but what else was there? and what did it mean about the shape of the land? darkness repeal might mean that those weird creepy emptynesses around the energy would go away. now wasnt the time. she jotted it down in her journal and left.