"It's getting late, little one," Enzo says.

His voice rumbles, low and gentle, tickling at her ears. Spook nods, transferring Alida from her hand to her shoulder.

"Five more minutes," she replies as she tucks a strand of silver hair back behind her ear. "I'm sure it's going to happen. Any second now."

Alida's whiskers tickle her cheek as they wait, staring up into the trees. The forest people are watching too, the leaves on their heads tugged about by the chilly evening winds. They wring their hands in excitement, holding their breaths in anticipation. A shiver runs down her spine, and Spook tightens her grip on the fabric of her skirt.

Enzo snorts his agreement as he climbs to his feet. He checks the perimeter, searching for danger, listening hard and scenting the air. He can hear nothing but the usual sounds of the forest.

Perched in her tree, Spook begins to grin as the first firebug bursts into life, bathing the surrounding leaves in a red glow. When she claps in delight, the forest people join her, clicking their long wooden fingers together, chattering amongst themselves. More firebugs follow suit, and in their newfound brightness they find each other, forming a flock which pulses and twists like starlings.

Music starts to play, filling her up from her toes to the top of her scalp. Laughing in delight, Spook shimmies down the tree. Once on the ground she sprints over to Enzo and takes hold of his hand. It dwarfs hers utterly. She wraps tiny fingers around his thumb.

"Look Enzo!" she enthuses, "listen!"

He looks at her with steady brown eyes, and soon they too are smiling.

"Its beautiful, little one," he agrees, nodding his great head, "you've done it again." Enzo closes his eyes, listening to the music drifting across to him from his fairy's mind. It's the most beautiful sounds he's ever heard.

"I'm going to dance!" Spook tells him, "dance with me?"

Enzo shakes his head. "I'm not made for dancing, precious," he tells her, "you go, I'll watch over you."

"I love you," she tells him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She hugs him, throwing herself against his strong chest to plant a kiss on his cheek. He lifts one arm from the ground and wraps it around her, resting his palm gently against the back of her tiny head.

"I love you too," he reassures her, "now go on with you, dance with your firebugs."

---

She sleeps soundly on his back, and he moves carefully through the trees. Her mind is all colours and music still, made more beautiful still by the gentle fog of dreams. Enzo smiles to himself, following the now-familiar path to home. He can still see her, dancing with her firebugs, Daegal the shadow dragon, wrapping himself around her almost like a scarf, perfectly in-tune with her movements.

They're almost there.

The mouth of their cave looms into view, the entrance part-concealed by long trailing vines. Enzo peels them back like a curtain and wanders inside, making a beeline for the back. It was a good cave, dry and warm, and they had made themselves a bed of dried leaves. He reaches up, easing her down off his back and sets her gently amongst the leaves. Her silvery hair falls untidily across her face. With all the gentleness he could muster Enzo strokes it gently away so it falls in ringlets down her back. Satisfied, he settles himself beside her. He's only just settled when she starts to snuggle up to him, wrapping her tiny fingers into his fur.

"Sweet dreams, little one," he says, "I've got you."

---

A scrabbling sound wrenches Enzo from his sleep. He's alert immediately, peering through the darkness. Extracting himself from Spook's embrace he takes a few steps forwards, the hair on the back of his neck and across his broad shoulders standing on end.

A growl grumbles in his throat as a shadow flits across vision. A strange bird-like creature with a ditsy expression (all birds looked ditsy, but this one especially so) stared at him. Enzo rears up, slapping his chest, once twice, and throwing his arms out to make himself as large as he could.

"Go away!" he shouts, advancing, his fists biting into the soft mud of the cave floor. He herds the bird back towards the mouth of the cave. "Go away!" he roars again, "this is our cave!"

The fresh evening air brushes over his skin, and he stops in the cave's mouth, his eyes settling on a small boy, staring up at him with wide eyes. Enzo watches him.

"You should go back to your nest," he says, "the night is unkind to infants."