Shadow Lands
The-The Beyond Lands? Yae stuttered.
The Lunemara nodded. I can feel it through the ground. Zuri has left the forests. The Beyond Lands are the only place that I cannot go. Not without help.
What help do you need? Zuri asked, desperate to find her sister.
I need a Fairy Mushroom from Mushroom Grove. The Hunter answered. But not just any Fairy mushroom, I need one that is Green.

Shadow lands

Zima and Yae looked at each other. Zima asked "The.. beyond lands?" She paused, "is that where the blood coven is? I believe they're are ones who took my sister"
The hunter gave Zima a long look. "You believe it then, that they really exist?"
"Yes. I think, that I saw them. No one in the council will believe me. Please, misus, help us!"
The hunter sighed. "Well, I can't just let kids go messing around with the blood coven can I. I'll bring you to the edge of the beyond lands. From there, I can go no further, but I shall do my best to equip you for your journey." She gestured to Zima and Yae "Come," and floated down a long passageway.
The two tumbled along after the Hunter, panting. "Wait!" Yae cried, "Where are you taking us?"
The hunter called back, but it was muffled and hard to make out.
Eventually, after many twists and turns and stumbles, they reached a large cavern. The hunter was hovering near the far wall, grabbing things off the natural shelves. She turned when they entered, and gestured again, leading them to a small table that had a map on it. "Here," she said, "This is what I think we should do..."

Shadow Lands

"The Beyond Lands?" Zima asked, shivering. The very mention of the name chilled her to the bone. "I thought they were only legends told to young Sylesties. But then, I thought the Blood Cascade Coven was, too..."

"Every legend has a root of truth in it," replied the Hunter. "The Blood Cascade Coven seems to have indeed taken Zuri to the Beyond Lands. But why?" she mused.

"We have to set off at once!" exclaimed Zima, her voice trembling with fear. "What if they hurt Zuri?"

"Patience, young one." the Hunter said gently. "I know you want to save your sister, but careful planning is always wiser than recklessly forging ahead. If you insist on following the Coven, I cannot let you go without guidance."

Zima and Yae followed the Hunter down a tunnel into a room with a map on the wall. Zima started pacing, her footsteps echoing loudly. The Hunter hovered in the corner.

"Not much is known about the Blood Cascade Coven. They take away young Sylesties that are never seen again." Yae's eyes widened. "I believe that they are doing something with these kidnapped Sylesties that is all leading up to a larger, darker plan. And yet they have been so quiet in the past millenia, that they have faded away into nothing but legend." The Hunter sighed. "The only one who could possibly help you now is Kirito, the great adventurer. But there is one problem: no one has seen him in centuries."

Shadow Lands

Zimas heart sunk. She had heard of the Beyond Lands before. They were also known as the "Unnamed Territories". Small areas of land throughout all of sylestia separated by borders, with no given name or landmarks. Nobody has ever seen what goes on them, or ventured in them. Those who have gone in have surely perished. However, it is known that most of those territories have small villages, but nobody knows what is in them. It is assumed the most deadly and most aggressive monsters live in those lands. Two of them were actually right outside of the Umbra Forest. The mountains and the frozen tundra. Yet, nobody has gone into them since they are unable to enter, due to a magic barrier that prevents anyone from passing.

"Who took her there? Which one is she in?" Zima asked, fearing the hunters response.

After a moment, the hunter finally answered. "I do not know. It is nearly impossible to anyone who knows about those lands." Before Zima could answer the hunter continued. "However, there is one who knows and has explored these lands. Find him, find Kamili, and he will aid you."

Shadow Lands

"The Beyond Lands." Zima muttered, trying to figure out where she had heard it before. Yae fluttered closer to Zima.

"Um." Yae said, tilting her head. Zima nodded.

"It's a story. But, after all that we've went through, let's just say, nothing can be a myth now." Zima said looking tiredly at the dangerous hills. "It's going to take a while, but first, can we take a nap, I'm tired." Yae nodded, missing a beat of her wings.

"Me, too." Yae said, as the friends curled up and fell asleep in the bushes, the night turned calm and peaceful.

Later. ...

Zima woke up in a cage. "Um." she said groggily, waking up slowly. "Where are we?" Zima looked around. Yae was swinging in a lantern. "Yae, where are we?" she asked again.

Yae looked up. "Oh, Zima. Someone should have been on watch. The Blood Cascade Coven has gotten us. It seems no use now."

Shadow Lands

Zima blinked. "The Beyond Lands? What are those?" A shiver went up her spine. She turned to Yae, who also had a blank, confused expression on her little face.

"There is a reason you have not heard of the Beyond Lands before. They are dark, dark places that are only inhabited by those with darkness in their souls. If your sister is there..." She cut off her sentence ominously, a dark look on her face.

"B-but..." Zima was shaking from head to toe. "We need to find my sister!" Her face set into a look of determination. "I don't care where she is, I'm getting Zuri back!"

The Hunter smiled, but her face still held bits of anxiety. "I admire your perseverance, young one. While it is true I cannot help you find your sister, I know someone who can. You will find him in the Cataract Mountains, one of the bridges between our world and the Beyond Lands. He is known simply as the Mage of the Beyond. Find him, and he will guide you on your way."

Shadowlands.

Zima shook her head, "What do you mean beyond lands?" The hunter turned away looking at a glowing cave fungus as she spoke, "Lands beyond our realm. I do not know much, but I do know that you can only get there through a magic portal. There is much danger there. You will never make it alone."

Zima growled in annoyance, "I will do whatever it takes to get my sister back." The hunter looked at the younger lunemara, "And you youngling, do you feel the same?" Yae gulped nervously before she replied. "Zima is my friend, and friends don't abandon each other. The help with whatever is necessary. So where Zima goes I go too." The hunter looked at them for several tense moments before replying, "Very well in respect for your courage I will give you one more tip. To cross the portal you must first negotiate with the portals gaurdian."

Shadowlands

The Beyond Lands were the most dangerous in the entire of Sylestia. Rogue luporas skulked about at night looking for weary travellers and weak sylestis to devour and nytekries swoop down from treetops to snatch their unwary prey and carry them away to their bone-littered dens. Zima stared in horror at the lunemara infront of her. "The Beyond Lands?! Zuri's in The Beyond Lands!? But, how?". The hunter flitted forward and whispered "The Coven. The Blood Cascade Coven. A tribe of insane, cruel vulnyxes who capture other vulnyxes to change them into... one of them.". Yae shuffled about nervously.
"And, how do they do that..." she queried. The hunter did the same ferocious gaze that she had earlier.
"During the blood moon, they will feed Zuri a deadly mushroom from the cave of O'kalor. The mushroom ,however, shall not kill her: it will instead turn her into a member of the coven. Crimson fur and hollow, black eyes. It will... change her in ways that are unimaginable to those who haven't met a member of that terrible coven themselves.
Zima cautiously stepped forward and asked "Have you have met one of the coven?" The deep blue lunemara's large eyes suddenly filled with tears "I.-I....," she composed herself "I have. My childhood friend is now their leader. He was a kind, sweet and timid kit... a wonderful sylesti. And- and then they found him. And they changed him- and for that I shall never forgive them... but I cannot go there young ones. I'm ever so sorry.," she paused "But I can help you prepare yourselves.".


264 words. Sorry that I went a little over the limit!

Shadow lands.(I may have gone a bit over...285 words.I tried to get the idea through the fastest i could.>~<)

A cold,unearthly wind blew though the cavern causing the two hatchlings to shiver."W-what's that?" Zima asked."The land beyond life" the hunter responded,"the land where the forgotten ones go to roam".Yea seemed to get smaller,"The place where the Ryori come from." she said softly.
"Why would she be there?!" Zima asked scared."Little one..Follow me,you'll see why." he began to drift off into the shadows."Wait!" Zima cried running after him followed by Yae.They followed him into a tunnel.As they entered pictures and runes appeared on the walls."Every Hallowed Eve The lord of nightmares takes his Ryori's and Hallowed Reapers into our world.They roam Umbra searching for escaped souls from the Beyondlands." he paused."But once it ends they are forced back inside,and those not captured stayed in the realm of the living,influencing the thoughts of others.Bringing dark secrets into our world." a red rune appeared on the wall."One Lupora met a spirit,she asked him for a favor and led him though paths of shadows where lights have never touched,into a chamber of sorts to the beyond lands." as he continued the story the runes began to shift from to redShe told him of a forbidden magic,one where the spirits of the Beyondlands could return to the world of the living,granting powers to those who helped.But she didn't tell him that in order for this to happen,the helpers would lose their bodies to the spirits,becoming trapped in the beyond lands.He followed thru with her plan,and she took him over becoming the leader of the Blood Coven.Using his body she began to steal hatchlings,and bring her friends into this world." he said the last part ominously.

Shadow lands

Zima and Yae shuddered. The Beyond Lands were the basis for every scary story ever told to frighten young sylesties. If even this terrifying lunemara couldn't find anything that had entered them, what hope could they, two hatchlings, have of finding Zuri?

"But," Zima quavered, "If you can't help us, how are we ever going to find her?"

"I never said I couldn't help you" The hunter snapped, gesturing with one of her legs for the pair to follow her before turning and beginning to fly at a slow pace through the small village.

"But--" Yae started, and the the hunter cut her off.

"Yes, yes, I know I said it was out of my jurisdiction. But I can still give you some advice, a direction, and a shortcut to the Beyond Lands."