The clothier’s tent was a whirlwind experience. An older female elf greeted Lyna and Sofia when they entered and summoned over several young elves. Everyone seemed hesitant at first around the newcomer, but were curious about Sofia's unfamiliar attire, especially the hat. After speaking with Lyna, the older elf, who was obviously the clothier, began to give orders to her workers.

Suddenly, Sofia felt several hands all over her body as the young elves rapidly took her measurements. She was then pulled to a corner of the tent where she could discreetly remove her clothing and was handed an elven robe. Sofia was surprised that the outfit fit perfectly around her waist, but the rest of it was much too long.

All the elves I’ve seen have been fairly tall, haven’t they?

The young elves then led her to a platform where they deftly and expertly pinned back the hems to match her height and arm length. The clothier, overseeing their work, occasionally made comments. 

Within a matter of minutes, Sofia was outfitted with a new shirt, hose, and a long, flowing robe. 

“I will send her measurements to the cobbler,” she had overheard the clothier say to Lyna. “Until then, she’ll have to continue wearing those strange shoes of hers.”

“Thank you, Friend. Síocháin.” Lyna turned to Sofia coldly, “Follow me.”

Sofia, overstimulated, started to scramble all her items together. One of the seamstresses noticed her juggling several smaller items and pointed to her side. Sofia, confused, patted her thigh until she found a pleasant surprise.

“IT HAS POCKETS?!”

Annoyed, Lyna replied, “Of course it does. What proper garment doesn’t have pockets? Come along.”

Carefully, Sofia pulled the small cloth pouch containing the earrings, which thankfully were not glowing, from her crossbody bag and quickly placed them in one of  her new pockets. Then, snatching up the rest of her clothes, she rushed out behind Lyna.

Sofia trailed behind the stern elf for several minutes as they crossed camp. The looks she received this time were filled more with curiosity than aggression. I must look so ridiculous right now, Sofia thought, lowering her face so the brim of her hat could cover her eyes. The pile of clothes in her arms didn’t help, either. She could have given me a chance to fold everything first…

Lyna walked into a large, white tent, leaving Sofia standing awkwardly outside the entrance. After a few moments, she heard Lyna call her inside.

Like the chief’s tent, there was quite a bit of natural light in the tent which made it easy for Sofia to see everything. Which was a lot.

The tent’s interior was bursting with color. Brightly colored art of all kinds filled the space, making it appear almost like a gallery. There were paintings, carvings, tapestries, pottery, and much more. Overwhelmed, it took a while for Sofia to notice someone calling her.

Beside Lyna was another female elf, who’s dark, luminous skin made her brightly colored clothing, dark blonde hair, and light blue eyes dazzle. 

She is stunning!

The new elf greeted Sofia with a large, warm smile. “Síocháin, friend. My name is Faliona, Keeper of Stories. Welcome to Lyfay!”

“H-hello, my name is Sofia. I would shake your hand, but…” She motioned to the pile of clothes in her arms.

“I can help with that! Come, follow me.” Faliona grabbed Sofia by the shoulders and led her towards the back of the tent, and pulled back a dividing flap that revealed a space with two beds. The walls of this space were more muted and calming, a relief for Sofia’s eyes. “You can place your things on my bed for now. We’ll have yours set up before evening.”

“Come again?” said Sofia.

“Chief Kiysat has instructed that you stay here for the time being,” replied Faliona. “With us!”

“Us?” Sofia asked as she put her things down on the indicated bed.

“Myself and Lyna!” Lyna’s dark expression told Sofia exactly how the purple-haired elf felt about the arrangements. “Oh, I’m so excited! I have so many questions about life on Talamh.”

“Sure, but I’m not planning on staying long. I have things I need to get back to…” Sofia began, but was startled by a dark form suddenly jumping out from under the clothes. 

“Oh, and this is Melião,” Faliona laughed as she held what looked like a small black and orange panther. “Seems we woke him up from his nap.”

The first thing Sofia noticed about Melião was his ears – they were long and pointed, almost too big for its body, with tufts at the ends. It had a sleek and muscular frame, big paws, and a short tail. Melião’s amber eyes looked up and down suspiciously at Sofia, its tail twitching nervously.

“D-do you also speak, Melião?” Sofia felt nervous under the creature’s intense gaze. 

“Tch. Of course I do,” Melião answered in a sly, masculine voice. He jumped from Faliona’s arms to gaze up at Sofia from the floor. “Whether we want to or not is a different matter.”

“Oh, don’t be such a sour puss,” Faliona bent down to hug a surprised Melião from behind. “We know all Vrao love to speak, and you most of all.”

“Can all the animals speak in Lyfay?” Sofia asked.

“Do Talmhan animals not speak?” Faliona asked in return, shocked. “How do you communicate with them? Know their needs?”

“Erm, we don’t,” said Sofia. “I mean…some people say they can ‘understand’ their pets, but they don’t actually…speak.”

“Fascinating.” Faliona was wide-eyed, still hugging an annoyed Melião. 

An equally annoyed Lyna rolled her eyes and exited the room. “I’m going out.”

Faliona, finally releasing Melião, grabbed Sofia’s hands and encouraged her to sit beside her. “Please tell me more! What exactly are… pets?”

“Oh, erm,” Sofia felt dazed by Faliona’s bright and bubbly personality. “Well, humans will sometimes keep certain animals as companions.”

“Like Melião!” Faliona turned to the Vrao, smiling. “By the way, we’re human too. I have heard that in Talamh people often think of elves as mystical, magical beings, but I’m a person like you.” 

“Anyway,” ignoring Sofia’s shocked expression, Faliona continued, “how does one find a  pet? Do you have to go on a quest to find it or do they come to you? Do you have a pet? How did you two meet?”

Sofia, dizzy from the bombardment of questions, managed to answer, “Most of the time we buy them.”

“Buy?” 

“Yeah, we’ll go to a pet store or a breeder. Or pay an adoption fee. I guess there is a sense of looking for a connection…”

“You use money to purchase a living creature?” Faliona’s countenance dimmed. “And they have no way of communicating with you? That seems so… inhumane. Here in Lyfay, we choose each other,” she reached for Melião who walked into her outstretched hand. “How we come to each other differs for everyone, but we always have to choose each other. We become compánach to one another – life-long companions.”

Faliona continued, “We believe that we never fully know ourselves until we have loved an animal compánach. Animals unlock in us thoughts and emotions that we would never know otherwise. They also connect us with nature and remind us of our great duty of working together to care for the world we live in. And of course, they make great friends, too.” 

Melião jumped onto the bed and nuzzled Faliona, purring gently. Something about the tenderness of the moment tugged at Sofia’s heart. 

“C-could I go see Harton?” Sofia’s voice cracked, surprising herself and the others.

Faliona gently smiled. Her brightness returned as she grabbed Sofia’s hand. “Let me take you to him.”

Faliona walked arm in arm with Sofia to the medical tent. As they neared the tent, a familiar figure appeared in the entrance. 

“Friend Sofia, síocháin!” Itah greeted them with a warm smile. Bowing to Faliona, she said, “Síocháin, Keeper of Stories.”

“Síocháin, young healer,” Faliona replied, standing tall. “Sofia is hoping to visit one of your patients. May we enter?”

“Certainly! He has been under the care of the Master Healer, and has much improved.” Itah turned back into the tent and motioned for the other two to follow.

In the middle of the tent was a fire emitting a warm light and a pleasant, woody scent that filled the space. It was calming, soothing, and instantly put Sofia at ease.

Itah led them towards the back where a robust, dark-skinned mature female elf with a wine-colored afro was gently bathing Harton. The tub of water, filled with flowers and leaves, glowed as she scooped it up and let it run down Harton’s fur. She was humming as she massaged the Dlam, a tune that Sofia found irresistibly beautiful.

“Master Healer,” Itah bowed and addressed the older woman, “the talmhan woman has come to visit Harton.”

The healer looked up from her work to Sofia and Faliona. Her golden eyes were warm, but piercing. Sofia felt as if she was looking directly into her soul.

“Síocháin, Friend,” she said with a smile. “My name is Ujalam, Master Healer. Welcome to Lyfay’s central village, Ylvly. Come, he has been waiting for you.”

Sofia knelt down by the tub of warm water and stroked Harton’s head. His fur had returned to the brilliant purple as when she first saw him, with new accents of yellow. His face looked free from pain, but his eyes were closed. 

“Hey Harton, you hanging in there?” Sofia asked softly. No reaction.

“He is not yet able to respond, but he can sense you are here,” the healer assured Sofia.

Sofia continued to gently stroke the Dlam’s large head, and thought she saw the corner of his mouth twitch. Her eyes moved down his body as she inspected his back and hind legs through the clear, softly glowing water. The wounds were no longer black and angry looking, and it seemed as if there was some stitching on the largest gash running across his hip.

“He was brought to us just in time,” said Ujalam. “His hind leg was almost permanently damaged, and his life force had been significantly drained. Without proper care, he would have succumbed to his injuries from the Ymplerim. It would have been a great and tragic loss…”

Smiling at Sofia, the Master Healer added, “But thanks to your efforts, as I understand, he lives to see another day.”

A mixture of emotions welled up inside of Sofia. Relief, guilt, joy, and shame crashed over her like the waves she had fought against back on the beach. Keeping her eyes fixed on Harton’s still features, she asked quietly, “What exactly are Ymplerim?”

The three elves glanced at each other, unsure who should answer. Finally, Ujalam spoke.

“The Ymplerim are the embodiment of destruction. Creatures that feed off of imbalance in the natural order and thrive off of pollution. The greater the disconnect between humanity and Creation, the less care is taken of our only home, the stronger they become and the more chaos they leave in their wake.”

“For centuries the Ymplerim have been growing more powerful on Talamh, as its people grew increasingly disconnected from Creation,” Faliona continued. “Our people have watched, doing what we can, to help keep them at bay and prevent them from gaining a foothold in Lyfay. Our warriors are trained to battle them from a young age. They are constantly on the lookout, preparing themselves to fight against their destructive forces. Recently, however, the Ymplerim have been growing bolder and forcing themselves through the gates between our worlds, bringing harm and ruin.”

“Mostly they have been attacking the flora,” Itah chimed in. “They draw the life force from their victims, making the environment unsustainable for the creatures that live here. But in the last few instances, they’ve attacked beings directly. My teacher and I,” she nodded towards the Master Healer, “and other healers across Lyfay are doing all we can to heal those who have been hurt by the Ymplerim.”

Sofia listened to the elves’ words, expressionless. Had she not seen Ymplerim herself, she would not have believed what they were saying. She remembered again the dark gaseous form with the pale eyes and shuddered.

“Why have I never seen them back home?” Sofia finally asked. She looked up first at Ujalam, and then the others. “In Talamh, I mean. That’s my world, right? If the Ymplerim are as strong there as you say, how come there’s never been any mention of them in the news or photos or… anything!”

“They are able to hide themselves in the destruction they cause,” Ujalam explained. “Talamh is already filled with such imbalance, it is easy for them to conceal their true form. They hide within the chaos.

“But here in Lyfay,” she continued, “where our people have worked tirelessly to maintain the balance of Creation, they are forced to reveal themselves. Our land’s energy strips them of their camouflage, and their terrible actions are all the more strongly felt.”

“So, what? You’re telling me in my world they’re invisible or something?” questioned Sofia.

Faliona and Itah looked to Ujalam, who nodded. “Indeed. Invisible; hidden in plain sight.”

That’s… terrifying. Sofia looked wide-eyed at the Master Healer. 

Turning her attention back to the Dlam, Sofia again began to gently stroke Harton’s head. 

To her surprise, Sofia began to chuckle to herself. “You know,” she started, “I always wanted a dog.”

She could feel tears welling in her eyes. “But my parents, they always said a pet would just be another mouth to feed. More trouble than they’re worth. When I moved out, I searched for a place where a dog and I could live comfortably. And I finally found one! A beautiful, spacious flat by the park…” Sofia’s voice caught in her throat as she felt another wave of emotions break over her.

“When I found him on the beach it…” Sofia continued, leaning away from the tub and wiping her tears with the heel of her hand, “almost felt like my wish was being granted.” 

Lifting her gaze to meet Faliona’s, Sofia said, “It almost felt like I had found – what was the word you used earlier? A compánach.”

Itah covered her mouth in surprise. Faliona moved to speak, but Ujalam stopped her. 

Sofia rocked back on her heels, not noticing the reactions. Shaking her head, she laughed. “I had no idea what I was getting into. A whole different world with elves, talking animals, and weird… pollution monsters?? Besides, if I don’t make it back, I’m not going to be able to afford my new place, let alone stay in the city. I have to get home as quickly as possible.”

Harton let out a soft whimper, drawing Sofia’s eyes back to him. Hesitatingly, she placed one hand under his head and stroked him with the other. The Dlam leaned into her hand and whimpered again. Sofia’s heart squeezed. 

“But I can’t just leave him like this…” she whispered. Her brows furrowed in determination, Sofia asked aloud, “How can I help?”

“What do you mean, child?” asked the Master Healer.

“How can I keep him safe?” Sofia reiterated. “From the Ymplerim, from ever being hurt like this again. I want to help fix this.” She turned to face the women. “Please, tell me what I can do!” she begged. 

“Go to Talamh and never return,” a male voice said behind them.

The women turned to see Roquewei and Erae at the entrance of the tent. The blue-haired elf sauntered over to glare down at Sofia. 

“Pack your things. We leave at dawn.”