The Phoenix Stone: Chapter 2

Isabel loved the fresh smell of the woods, and she loved the plants and animals. She always took Elsa to explore with her, and protect her from the wolves. One day, Isabel and Elsa decided to go off the main trail. The leaves rustled with every breeze, and the air was nice and fresh. Squirrels tossed acorns to each other and the birds chirped in the sky. Isabel walked with Elsa in her backpack for hours on end. The two explorers only realized it was getting late when the stars shown above. Elsa crawled out of the backpack and started to lead the way. Isabel only followed Elsa because she didn't want to lose her dragon. Not the smartest choice. Elsa turned every which way in the dark forest to no avail. Isabel sat down, at last, and cried. " I want to go home. I'm cold and hungry." Elsa nudged Isabel. After crying for a while, Isabel sniffled and looked up. In the distance was a bright light. Elsa zoomed ahead toward it, with Isabel following behind. When they got close, Isabel saw that it was a tower. " How odd. A tower in the middle of a forest." Isabel wondered. For, indeed the tower was in the middle of the forest. Isabel had seen towers before, but she had never gone inside one. Her parents were afraid she would fall out a window. Or jump out one. The tower was made of brick, Isabel noticed, and had a wooden door with a metal knocker. Elsa started eating the door but Isabel dragged her into the tower. Inside, it was almost completely dark except for the moonlight that shone through a single window. A long, winding staircase went up-and-up until you couldn't see where it ended. Isabel cautiously climbed up the stairs, while Elsa refused to go up, so Isabel had to pull Elsa up by the tail. If Isabel had thought that thinking about climbing was tiring, she soon changed her mind when she reached the top. Isabel was out of breath, and Elsa was bruised all over from being dragged up the stairs. They rested a bit then worked on opening a door that was at the end of the staircase. It was jammed a bit, and since Isabel was not too strong, and Elsa was not too smart, it took over an hour to open. When it finally creaked open, Isabel was half asleep and Elsa was eating the door. Isabel soon awoke and looked inside the room behind the door. The room was set up like a huge study. There was a desk in the room covered in books. The three bookshelves in the room were overflowing with books. In one corner of the room was a globe seemingly spinning by itself. The floor had stacks of books all over it, and Isabel practically had to climb over to the desk. A candle holder on the desk held a candle that offered the only light in the room. Isabel sat down in the chair behind the desk, and was about to fall asleep when something caught her eye. On the desk was a stone necklace. Underneath was an old piece of paper with many drawings of a large male lion. Isabel picked up the necklace and put it on. Then, she yawned and fell asleep. Elsa crawled on a stack of books and snored within seconds. When Isabel awoke, a short man was reading in the corner with the globe. He was wearing a green robe. " Good morning." He said without looking up. The man read 2 or 3 more pages, set down his book, and walked over to Isabel. Isabel was studying the pictures of the lion. " Ah." The man said joyfully. " This is a picture of a famous lion that lives in the deep woods." Isabel looked quite puzzled. " What is so special about a male lion?" The man smiled. " This lion is actually 2 lions formed into one. And when he wants, the 2 lions separate from each other. They always come back together into one. Many say he can walk through fire. He is known as the lion of the woods. He attacks people who get in his way." At this the man looked as if he were going to cry. He quickly recovered, though, and continued. " My father always said that the line of the woods lived in these parts. But he always called him Silas." And the man told the story of how Silas came to be.