The big wolf just stared down at Veka sternly. Then he rolled him over with one paw and picked him up by the scruff of his neck without a word.

Veka protested to the treatment immediately. "Put me down! I'm going to tell Mom!"

"What are you going to tell me, my son?" another sky wolf with a more feminine voice asked as she helped Alex and Lana out of the bush they had landed in and joined them.

Veka's ears fell flat against his head in defeat, and he stopped struggling. "Nothing."

"Welcome, heirs of Merlin. I am Asara and this is my mate, Seto," she addressed Samantha and Alex. Then she spoke to Lana. "It is good to see you again, Princess."

"Um...Have we met before? Do you know who I am?" Lana asked eagerly, taking a few quick steps forward.

She nodded. "We have met once, a long time ago. You were only a baby when Mariana came to us for the last time." Her ears flicked, and she looked to the sky. "The weather is changing. Please, come with us. It is not good to get caught in a storm without shelter."

The sky wolves led them to where the forest gave way to mountainside and carried them on their backs up to a large cave higher up. Veka was carried like a puppy by the scruff of his neck when the first raindrops started to fall. He had been pretending to be a dog for so long that he had forgotten how to fly.

The place was huge and littered with stalagmites and stalactites. Natural gemstones embedded in the walls reflected faint sunlight from somewhere higher up. Two dozen or so sky wolves watched the children curiously, even the three smallest pups ceasing their play to observe the new, strange creatures.

Asara introduced them and assured her pack that they were trustworthy. She also explained to the children that although heirs of Merlin had been their friends and allies for a long time, the war and its aftermath had left all denizens of Ildathach on edge. Some even felt betrayed that they had not done more – that legendary Merlin himself had not appeared to put a stop to the ambitions of the Dragon King.

The young ones quickly got very close to the children and wouldn't budge after they figured out that hands were really great for petting and scratching itchy spots. Veka tried to bully the one attached to Lana away to keep all the petting for himself, but one stern look from Seto made him settle down next to her with a pout.

"You still look very young to me, but I assume your arrival means that it's time," Asara addressed Lana. She watched the girl for a moment, then added, "You seem confused."

"I don't understand," Lana admitted. "Everybody thinks I can somehow save Ildathach. How?"

"Ahh, I'm sorry. You did say that you don't know who you are." She looked fondly at the little pup who was in seventh heaven with Lana rubbing her belly. "It is easy to forget everything while watching the little ones."

Then she turned her head to look at her mate. "Seto, it's rude to have private conversations in company."

Seto just yawned widely and returned his head on top of his paws.

She huffed in frustration. "Be that way then."

"Are you...telepathic?" Samantha asked curiously. Seto hadn't said anything. But they had already encountered multiple beings that spoke directly to their minds.

The puppy on her lap instantly noticed that the petting had ceased and whined loudly for attention until Samantha resumed.

"Yes, almost all magical beasts are," Seto stated in a fairly indifferent tone. "More often than not, we understand each other without saying a word."

Then he stood up, shook himself and walked to Lana. "You have spoiled him."

Asara smiled. "You have to admit that we spoiled him first, dear."

"Who? What?" Veka didn't have the time to make his escape before Seto picked him up and carried him to where he had been before. "Not again! Put me down!"

Seto lay down again, placed Veka between his front paws and rested his chin on the pup's back to keep him there. "Having to share is not a sign that you are not loved, son."

"Ahem." Asara tried not to laugh at her family's antics. "Let me tell you about Ildathach and the Tree of Life."

A long time ago, Ildathach and the human world had been one. Although humans and magical creatures had clashed every now and then, mostly the cases had been quickly forgotten or settled on personal level. Asara had to admit that their own people had not always been innocent – some magical creatures did consider humans playthings at best and prey at worst. But as human civilization became more advanced, their natural tendency to seek more power started posing a dire threat to their more magical neighbors.

Of course, there had always also been humans who embraced the differences whole-heartedly. But it wasn't until Merlin, a son of humans and the sidhe, was born and raised to know the power of both kinds, that things really changed. Merlin was both extraordinarily wise and kind, and he understood that the human world and the magical world could no longer coexist.

With the help of the great dragons and the great birds – the ancestors of the Dragon Clan and the Bird Clan respectively -, he split the world in two and placed a veil between the two new realms. Magical creatures could pass through freely, although they would be hidden from human eyes in their world. Gifted humans – children, artists, storytellers and, of course, those with magic in them - were sometimes able to catch a glimpse of Ildathach but were barred from entering on their own.

According to the legends, the Tree of Life had always existed, but it was Merlin who built the Sanctuary at its base and gathered a vast amount of magic inside it. This was the very cornerstone of Ildathach. The great dragons and the great birds – and eventually their descendants - were tasked with overseeing the Sanctuary and their magical world with it. The Dragon Clan, with their proud warriors and ageless wisdom, took charge of keeping the peace when the interests of different races clashed. The Bird Clan cultivated their magic and closeness with the lifegiving spirit of the Tree. Every generation, some of their numbers were chosen to be the keepers of the Sanctuary, and they were marked by having feathers the color of the sun.

"And then the Queen of the Dragon Clan died, and her mate went mad," Seto commented with a deep sigh when Asara finished recounting their history. "He attacked the Sanctuary and killed all the keepers there, except one – Lady Ilyana - who he took prisoner to force her to open the inner door."

"Um...What's behind that door?" Lana asked. She had a feeling it was something very important. Important enough that everybody thought she should go there.

"The heart of Ildathach," Asara answered her question. "Only the chosen ones can open that door. Whoever prays there will have their wish granted. Those wishes also renew our world."

"As you have no doubt noticed, the effects of no one being able to open that door are visible all around us. The Tree of Life is withering."

"What happened to Lady Ilyana?" Samantha asked.

"Mariana, her sister, gathered people from all races to save her, but it was the Dragon Prince who helped her escape. They had fallen in love and had a baby together. That baby was you, Lana." Asara closed her eyes briefly. All the keepers had been close to the sky wolves, and Mariana had also become a good friend. "They both died in the final battle to protect the Sanctuary and our world from the Dragon King."

Alex didn't quite understand why. "Couldn't they have just made a wish to stop him?"

Asara shook her head. "Merlin sealed the door with two medallions. Lady Ilyana only succeeded in stealing back the Medallion of the Sun. The Medallion of the Stars remained with the Dragon King."

"That must have been what Dad and Uncle Tom went to get!" Alex exclaimed.

"Pardon me, what did your father do?"

"We saw them through this magical portal in Aunt Valeria's house before coming here. They were captured by a big man with horns and spiked hands and long red hair."

Seto frowned. "The mad Dragon King..."

"And Uncle Tom was a dragon!"

Veka fought himself free while Seto was distracted. "We came to Ildathach to save them!"

"You will not save anyone-"

"Will too!"

"You are all very brave children," Asara interrupted. "We will help in whatever small way we can."

Seto sighed. "This would be easier with Mariana still here, but the remains of the rebels she gathered should still be around. Let's hope that the protective spells placed on you will make them inclined to help you."

"We can't get near the Dragon King's castle without drawing the attention of his soldiers, but I'm certain that someone from the Dragon Clan can sneak you inside and help you free your father and uncle."

Asara did also worry about sending mere children alone, but they did have the best chance to succeed out of all of them. Young ones always carried unique blessings, and in Ildathach, faith and a pure heart that believed in one's self and others were the greatest power of all.