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body div#devskin0 hr { }

I have lived through many ages, through the eyes of salmon, deer, and wolf. I have seen the Northmen, invading Ireland, destroying all in search of gold. I have seen suffering in the darkness... yet, I have seen beauty thrive in the most fragile of places. I have seen the book, the book that will turn darkness... into light.

I remember waking one day in my bed. I could smell the sweetness of flowers and trees all around me. Oh how wonderful it was to me, waking up to see the woods and the friendly faces of my family.
"Is it spring, Mother?" I ask.
"Yes, Aisling, it is spring." My mother, Eriu replied.
I rubbed my eyes groggily. All the snow was gone! I was only four hundred years old, I didn't understand.
"I think I'll go play in the flower bed." I say. I was so excited to play in the flowers I didn't realize...
"Ahem, Aisling, you're forgetting something..." Lug, my father, reminds me. Forgetting something? What could it be? I wasn't forgetting anything. Or was I?
"What am I forgetting?" I ask.
"Your breakfast." Lug replied. Oops! I did forget.
"Sorry." I say. I hung my head low.
"Its alright, Aisling, everyone makes mistakes sometimes." Eriu says. I felt better. Eriu always helps me feel better, I thought.
"Mother, why do we forget so much?" I ask.
"Because sometimes little things slip out of our minds, so we have to trace our steps back to what we have forgotten. Soon we will teach you how to see into the future." She told me.
"Can you teach me today?" I ask.
"No, I can't. You are much too young, Aisling. Besides, there's other things for you to do." Eriu says.
Oooh! Things to do! I hope I get special tasks-things I can learn. I can't wait. Why can't Mother tell me now? It must be a secret. I like secrets. I thought.
"You will start by tidying your bed in the Wolf den. Then you will practice how to forage for food--that will be your breakfast." Eriu says.
"All right then!" I exclaimed and ran to the den. I began to tidy my bed. It was easy. It's always easy, I thought. All done, it looked nice.
"Mother! I'm done!" I call.
"I'm coming!" Eriu replies. She ran over to me. I beamed.
"Wow, this is very nice, Aisling. I like the little flower." Eriu commented.
"What flower?" I ask.
"That snowdrop over there." She replies.
I was confused. Flowers don't appear here and there every five seconds. I couldn't possibly have made it.
"But why, Mom?" I ask.
She chuckled and said, "Come on, I'll teach you how to gather nuts and berries."
Sigh. Some of my questions remain unanswered.
"So how do we do it?" I ask.
"You have to search for it." Eriu says.
"Alright." I say. We looked for a while. I began to lose hope. I'm starving, I need to rest. No, I must keep going so I can learn to survive.
"Look, brown berries, can I eat them?" I ask.
"Those are oak galls. You can't eat those." Eriu says.
"Oh. Can I eat those blue things?" I say, pointing to some blueberries.
"Yes, Aisling, you may." Eriu says. "These are called blueberries. They are very sweet."
Blueberries! I'll remember these! I thought. I popped one into my mouth. Hmmm! These are good.
" I'll have more, I love these..." I say, gulping down the berries.
"Don't eat too many." Eriu warns me. "Or you will have a stomachache.
I stop. But they're so tasty, I thought. Maybe... just one more?
"Aisling..."
"I know, I had enough. Can I play in the flower bed now?" I ask.
"Yes," said Eriu.
My eyes widen in enthusiasm. Hee hee hee! I run off to play in the flowers. All around me, ferns, flowers, and giant trees. I dive into the flowers, careful not to crush one. I see a shape in the flowers. I am curious. What is that? I peek into a thicket. I see spots. Spots? Now I am even more curious. I peek in closer.
"Gasp! A fawn!" It looked at me with its big, brown eyes.
"Mother! I found a fawn," I half-whisper. Eriu came over to me.
"It is a fawn, a white-tailed fawn. It's barely taller than you, Aisling. It's quite lovely." She says.
"Aisling?"
"Yes, Mother?" I say.
"Would you like to learn how to talk to animals?" Eriu suggests.
Talk to animals? Could I do that? Maybe I'll try.
"Yes." I say.
"All right then," continues Eriu. "well, first you must approach the animal quietly, and talk to it, like this." She suddenly goes on all fours, and makes deer-like movements in front of the fawn. I am watching her. Mother certainly look funny like that. I step toward the fawn.
Lug comes.
"May I watch?" he says.
"Yes, of course you may." Eriu says.
"She is learning." Lug says.
"Yes, she is learning, this is good. These are the very skills Aisling will need when she's older, growing up as a young faerie." Eriu says.
The fawn watches me romp around. It stands up on its wobbly legs. Maybe it will come to me. I romp again. This time the fawn walks toward me. I romp again, and again, it follows. Soon it starts running. It's working, I thought. Soon it is playing with me. We romp together.
"Mother! I feel like a fawn too! I'm playing with it!" I say.
"You know, Eriu, maybe we should teach her how to shapeshift. It would be a good life skill for Aisling. She may need it someday." Lug says.
"Yes, and we must teach her bravery. I think you should, Lug." Eriu says.
"Yes, I will, but as far a shapeshifting goes, I think Aisling should shapeshift into a salmon of wisdom, deer of grace and beauty, and a wolf of bravery and spirit, after all, the saints blessed her with those options."
"But she has to unlo-"
"Mother!" I interrupt.
"Climb trees with me!"
"Um, Aisling, I'm a bit big for that..." Eriu says.
"Please?" I ask.
"Oh, alright, but just for a little while. I need to talk to your father." Eriu says.
Whatever. She can talk later. I run to the big oak tree and dart up it like a little white squirrel. I try to reach a branch, but I fall. I feel scared as I plummet to the ground, but Eriu catches me.
"Hmm, hmm, I don't think you quite got it yet." She says. I look up at her with wide, scared eyes.
"You're alright, I'm here. Maybe we should find something else to do." Eriu soothes me. I am scared, but I quickly calm down.
"Yes, we should." I say.

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

I have lived through many ages, through the eyes of salmon, deer, and wolf. I have seen the Northmen, invading Ireland, destroying all in search of gold. I have seen suffering in the darkness... yet, I have seen beauty thrive in the most fragile of places. I have seen the book, the book that will turn darkness... into light.

I remember waking one day in my bed. I could smell the sweetness of flowers and trees all around me. Oh how wonderful it was to me, waking up to see the woods and the friendly faces of my family.
"Is it spring, Mother?" I ask.
"Yes, Aisling, it is spring." My mother, Eriu replied.
I rubbed my eyes groggily. All the snow was gone! I was only four hundred years old, I didn't understand.
"I think I'll go play in the flower bed." I say. I was so excited to play in the flowers I didn't realize...
"Ahem, Aisling, you're forgetting something..." Lug, my father, reminds me. Forgetting something? What could it be? I wasn't forgetting anything. Or was I?
"What am I forgetting?" I ask.
"Your breakfast." Lug replied. Oops! I did forget.
"Sorry." I say. I hung my head low.
"Its alright, Aisling, everyone makes mistakes sometimes." Eriu says. I felt better. Eriu always helps me feel better, I thought.
"Mother, why do we forget so much?" I ask.
"Because sometimes little things slip out of our minds, so we have to trace our steps back to what we have forgotten. Soon we will teach you how to see into the future." She told me.
"Can you teach me today?" I ask.
"No, I can't. You are much too young, Aisling. Besides, there's other things for you to do." Eriu says.
Oooh! Things to do! I hope I get special tasks-things I can learn. I can't wait. Why can't Mother tell me now? It must be a secret. I like secrets. I thought.
"You will start by tidying your bed in the Wolf den. Then you will practice how to forage for food--that will be your breakfast." Eriu says.
"All right then!" I exclaimed and ran to the den. I began to tidy my bed. It was easy. It's always easy, I thought. All done, it looked nice.
"Mother! I'm done!" I call.
"I'm coming!" Eriu replies. She ran over to me. I beamed.
"Wow, this is very nice, Aisling. I like the little flower." Eriu commented.
"What flower?" I ask.
"That snowdrop over there." She replies.
I was confused. Flowers don't appear here and there every five seconds. I couldn't possibly have made it.
"But why, Mom?" I ask.
She chuckled and said, "Come on, I'll teach you how to gather nuts and berries."
Sigh. Some of my questions remain unanswered.
"So how do we do it?" I ask.
"You have to search for it." Eriu says.
"Alright." I say. We looked for a while. I began to lose hope. I'm starving, I need to rest. No, I must keep going so I can learn to survive.
"Look, brown berries, can I eat them?" I ask.
"Those are oak galls. You can't eat those." Eriu says.
"Oh. Can I eat those blue things?" I say, pointing to some blueberries.
"Yes, Aisling, you may." Eriu says. "These are called blueberries. They are very sweet."
Blueberries! I'll remember these! I thought. I popped one into my mouth. Hmmm! These are good.
" I'll have more, I love these..." I say, gulping down the berries.
"Don't eat too many." Eriu warns me. "Or you will have a stomachache.
I stop. But they're so tasty, I thought. Maybe... just one more?
"Aisling..."
"I know, I had enough. Can I play in the flower bed now?" I ask.
"Yes," said Eriu.
My eyes widen in enthusiasm. Hee hee hee! I run off to play in the flowers. All around me, ferns, flowers, and giant trees. I dive into the flowers, careful not to crush one. I see a shape in the flowers. I am curious. What is that? I peek into a thicket. I see spots. Spots? Now I am even more curious. I peek in closer.
"Gasp! A fawn!" It looked at me with its big, brown eyes.
"Mother! I found a fawn," I half-whisper. Eriu came over to me.
"It is a fawn, a white-tailed fawn. It's barely taller than you, Aisling. It's quite lovely." She says.
"Aisling?"
"Yes, Mother?" I say.
"Would you like to learn how to talk to animals?" Eriu suggests.
Talk to animals? Could I do that? Maybe I'll try.
"Yes." I say.
"All right then," continues Eriu. "well, first you must approach the animal quietly, and talk to it, like this." She suddenly goes on all fours, and makes deer-like movements in front of the fawn. I am watching her. Mother certainly look funny like that. I step toward the fawn.
Lug comes.
"May I watch?" he says.
"Yes, of course you may." Eriu says.
"She is learning." Lug says.
"Yes, she is learning, this is good. These are the very skills Aisling will need when she's older, growing up as a young faerie." Eriu says.
The fawn watches me romp around. It stands up on its wobbly legs. Maybe it will come to me. I romp again. This time the fawn walks toward me. I romp again, and again, it follows. Soon it starts running. It's working, I thought. Soon it is playing with me. We romp together.
"Mother! I feel like a fawn too! I'm playing with it!" I say.
"You know, Eriu, maybe we should teach her how to shapeshift. It would be a good life skill for Aisling. She may need it someday." Lug says.
"Yes, and we must teach her bravery. I think you should, Lug." Eriu says.
"Yes, I will, but as far a shapeshifting goes, I think Aisling should shapeshift into a salmon of wisdom, deer of grace and beauty, and a wolf of bravery and spirit, after all, the saints blessed her with those options."
"But she has to unlo-"
"Mother!" I interrupt.
"Climb trees with me!"
"Um, Aisling, I'm a bit big for that..." Eriu says.
"Please?" I ask.
"Oh, alright, but just for a little while. I need to talk to your father." Eriu says.
Whatever. She can talk later. I run to the big oak tree and dart up it like a little white squirrel. I try to reach a branch, but I fall. I feel scared as I plummet to the ground, but Eriu catches me.
"Hmm, hmm, I don't think you quite got it yet." She says. I look up at her with wide, scared eyes.
"You're alright, I'm here. Maybe we should find something else to do." Eriu soothes me. I am scared, but I quickly calm down.
"Yes, we should." I say.