Oona throws caution to the wind and enters the Dark Wood

"This is no time to be a coward!" Oona declared.

With that, she flapped her swallowtail butterfly wings and delved deep into the gloom of the Dark Wood.

Now Oona's goal was to find a dusk pearl, which was a kind of jewel that grew only in the shadows of the Dark Wood. It was the single beautiful and pure thing that grew in that wicked forest. The pearls grew as big as goose eggs and shimmered with a light akin that reflected by the moon. Given how forbidden the Dark Wood was to the fairy folk, few dusk pearls ever found their way into the Honey Glade. Only those discovered by intrepid human explorers found their way into the fairy kingdom. Oona had only seen one in her life -- the one kept in the royal vault.

Even in the Dark Wood, dusk pearls were exceedingly rare. Oona did not even know where to begin searching for one, so she wandered, moving deeper and deeper into the forest. It was strange here. The trunks of trees bent at odd angles and strange, insectoid shadows moved in the distance. Everywhere she went, Oona felt watched.

Hours passed and Oona found nothing. Eventually, the sun faded and true darkness descended on the evil forest. Oona expected to lose visibility completely, but this was not so. If anything, the Dark Wood was brighter at night. Fungi littered the forest floor, some large and some small. All of them glowed with sallow, unhealthy light. Eventually, Oona collapsed on one such mushroom, feeling despair creep into her heart.

"I should have listened to Polly. This was a mistake. There is no way I will ever find a dusk pearl. These woods are massive! I'll be lucky if I even find my way back out at this point."

Oona shivered. She could feel eyes on her more than ever. It almost seemed as if the forest itself was watching her. Waiting for something. So far, nothing had attacked Oona, but that didn't mean she did not feel the danger of this place. One wrong step and she could be in big trouble.

Oona shivered and hunched over, feeling worse than ever. She was scared and **** and, worst of all, lonely. For once, she missed the cozy, boring confines of the palace walls. Heavens, she even missed her sisters! Polly most of all.

"It's hopeless!" The young fairy exclaimed. "I'll never find a dusk pearl. I will always be runt that no one cares about."

As soon as Oona said this, a strange glow began to shine in the distance. It was not the sickly glow of the luminescent fungi, but something pure and beautiful. Oona's heart fluttered.