Island of Legends

Talon was silent for a long time. And then he sighed and said in a soft voice, “Never have I desired trouble more.”

The Tales of Vido, the Dropbears, and Lhasa

He’s so hot!” Lani whispered. “Seriously—I almost burned my arm when I bumped into him. I thought Florence was hot after a day in the sun, but Talon, being metallic, is even hotter. I bet he sizzles when he goes in the water.” Lani, Samheed, Alex, and Sky sat around a campfire while Talon served them dinner.

“I can fry an egg on my biceps,” Talon agreed. “Would anyone like an egg? I can ask Vido if his hen friends have any.” Then he shook his head in disgust. “Chickens,” he said. “Foul creatures. I don’t understand them at all.”

Sky and Lani erupted into laughter. “No, thank you. We’re so full already. Everything was delicious!”

“And speaking of Vido,” Samheed asked, “what is up with that golden rooster guy? Does he ever come down from that tree?”

“No, he never does,” said Lhasa, a mischievous smile on her face. She float-walked over to the fire and sat just above the ground nearby. Florence, Simber, and Bock, the golden-horned deer, gathered as well. “Vido doesn’t leave his post. He’s waiting for the gods and spirits to return.” Lhasa waggled her furry head. “I keep telling him we are here already, right, Talon?” She tittered in laughter.

Talon, who had finished serving his guests, sat down across the fire from Florence and smiled at her. “Yes. In the meantime, he has plenty of advice, whether you desire it or not.”

Alex spoke. “He told me that when I look in the mirror, a stranger looks back.” He scratched his head. “I’m afraid to ask what that means.”

Sky sat up. “He told me a girl with eyes of fire has a heart of ice.” She gave Alex a long look. “So don’t mess with me.”

He grinned uneasily.

Talon watched all this with a smile on his face. “I wouldn’t worry about anything Vido says.”

“He opined that a beast without furrr has narrry an hourrr to live,” Simber drawled. “I told him that a birrrd without featherrrs has about ten seconds.” He licked his paw and began working a claw with his teeth. “That shut him up.”

The snow lion laughed. “He’s harmless. Very spiritual and superstitious.”

“I don’t blame him forrr finding the tallest trrree to sit in, though. I almost had a few drrropbearrrs for lunch.”

Florence grinned. “What happened? What do they look like?”

“They’re not tiny,” Samheed said with a wry grin. “About the size of a really fat baby. They look soft and cuddly. Gray and white and furry with long arms, cute round ears, and black button noses. They sit in the trees eating leaves and being all cute—cute enough that you think, ‘Hey, I should get one of these down for the girl I like, and maybe she’ll forget we’re fighting.’ ” He glanced at Lani, who started laughing. “But I do not recommend that.”

Florence’s eyes widened. “What happened?”

“As soon as he started climbing the tree,” Alex said, “about a hundred of these things started dropping out of nowhere onto our heads. They grabbed our hair like reins and rode on our backs like knapsacks. They clung to our arms and legs until we were completely covered with them.”

“And then there were the fangs,” Lani said, still laughing. “If we tried to get the dropbears off, they opened their mouths and showed us their giant fangs, and then they started growling and hissing! It was so weird to see these cuddly-looking creatures turn into your worst nightmare.” She wiped her eyes and sighed. “But you were right, Talon. They didn’t hurt us. After a while they got bored and climbed the trees again.”

“Where did they come from?” Florence asked.

“They were here when I got here,” Talon said. “None of us understands their language, but they seem to understand me, at least a little. In the early years, when it was just Vido and me, they would attack and try to bite me, but it didn’t hurt and eventually they stopped. I think it has something to do with the metal,” he said, rapping on his chest. “It’s a bit hard on the teeth. They are tame now and stick to eating plants. Too afraid to try to take a bite of anything that moves.”

Alex was fascinated. After a moment, he looked at Lhasa. “When did you arrive?”

“I was born here,” the snow lion said. “My father was kidnapped by sailors, and my mother drowned chasing after them.” She didn’t seem bothered by this. “Talon was too heavy for the sailors to carry, so they tied him down. The dropbears bit through Talon’s ropes and set him free, and Talon found me and took care of me.”

“How is it that you seem to float just above the ground?” Ms. Octavia asked from the shadows. She didn’t like to sit too near a fire because it dried out her skin.

The snow lion laughed merrily. “I should ask the same of you.”

“Oh, me—it’s just an optical illusion,” Ms. Octavia said. “I sort of roll along on several tentacles, but each only touches the ground for a short time, so it looks like I’m floating.”

“I have always been this way.” Lhasa lounged to one side dramatically. “Talon says it is because I am a queen, but Vido thinks it is because my mother’s spirit is inside me, lifting me up.” Her laughter filled the air again.