Matriarch of Monsters

Another bright morning in the city of Pesinwok. Families eating breakfast together before parents head off to work and kids go to school. Exhausted guards that had to work the night shift. The city is an ever bustling place. At least, that's how one girl feels.

The light of Blaze shines through the window of certain manor's study. It was a mess in the room due partially to the owner's scattered research papers as well as papers riddled with the scrawlings of a child. The child in question currently sitting at her father's desk working on yet another one of her masterpieces in the making.

The girl enthusiastically writing on a sheet of paper is none other than a young Alix Deminal. She frequented her father's study early in the morning to work on her spells when he was either asleep or at work. Her eyes were glued to the desk.

"I think this would work best right here. No here! Or maybe it shouldn't be there at all? Gah this is so hard!" the child grabbed a bundle of her own hair as she desperately tried to remember what her father had taught her.

It was not going as well as she hoped. "The girl reaches an impasse in her spell writing work. Will she be able to over come her block or will the demons steal away her creativity? If only she had a faithful companion to assist her." Right as the girl finished speaking a small bird flew into the window.

It was covered in orange feathers and seemed to be in it's youth. "In flies the girl's assistant. The beautiful, ever helpful, and intelligent bird. Nuka!" Alix cupped her hands around her mouth and cheered for the bird as a one girl crowd. Nuka ever so elegantly waved her feathers to her invisible fans before hopping closer to Alix.

"Glad you could make it Nuka! Now are you here for fun or business!" The bird squawked. She did say words but it made perfect sense to Alix. "I'm here for the business of fun Allie!" Alix nodded her pigtails bouncing as she did so.

"That's right Nuka! Because when you're doing magic even work is fun!" Alix held up her hand allowing the bird to hit it with her wing mimicking a high five.

The pair began to pour into the spell. Slowly the scenery shifted. The girl was no longer sitting the desk and was instead leaning against the windowsill with Nuka gently resting on her arm.

"Mom and Dad don't think that you can talk! Can you believe it?!" Nuka folded her wings in dissatisfaction. "I know right?! They keep treating you like some sort of normal bird when they don't even know that we're gonna be the twin Mistress's of Magic!" Nuka nodded in agreement. She squawked aloud again but the girl heard her voice.

"That's right Allie! With our talents and beauty we'll be the greatest spellcaster-bird combo to ever grace the lands!" Nuka exclaimed. Alix shook her head.

"You're wrong Nuka." The bird cocked its head to the side. Alix stood up proudly and shouted out of the window. "We'll be the best sorceress-bird combo to grace the land and sky!" Nuka flapped her wings excitedly.

"Ooooh! That's way better!" Alix nodded proudly. The scene froze suddenly. The young Alix smiling brightly to her feathered friend who was now flying in front of her. The Alix of today slowly approached the scene.

'What is this?' She placed her hand gently onto her young self. 'This is me. I remember my dad working so hard to do my hair because mom never had time.' She smiled nostalgically at the memory before turning to the other participant in this memory.

'Nuka. How could I have forgotten about you? You were my best friend growing up. I could never have imagined my life without you but one day you just..." The scene darkened startling Alix. She backed away confused when she heard a noise behind her.

It was the sound of the younger her crying. Alix knew exactly why she was crying. Her head was pressed down into her father's desk. It was the day of her father's punishment. Her mother had tried to forbid her from going but she refused to miss it.

It was a very traumatic day for the girl. Alix watched as Nuka flew onto the windowsill. Alix could see the worried expression on the bird's face. The bird squawked voicelessly but the girl didn't seem to hear it. Nuka flew to the desk to be closer to the girl.

She squawked again causing present day Alix to furrow her brow. 'Why isn't she talking anymore? I used to be able to hear her just fine.' Nuka gently nudged Alix's arm with her head. Alix finally acknowledged her presence causing Nuka to perk up only to for it to be replaced by concern.

The girl's eyes no longer looked as vibrant as they once did. The looked listless, dull,.

Empty.

"What do you want?" The young girl's voice was monotonous.

It was like present day Alix's natural voice but not quite the same pitch. Nuka squawked a few times in an attempt to cheer Alix up. The young girl's eyes widened as she lifted her head from the table. "Nuka?" Her voice was shaking as she spoke. Nuka tilted her head and squawked again.

"Nuka, speak." The bird squawked in response. "No, don't squawk! I said speak! Like you normally do!" The bird backed away slightly afraid as the girl raised her voice.

"WHY WON'T YOU SPEAK!" Alix slammed her hands on the table which seemed to be all that the bird could handle as she flew to the window. At that moment the older Alix saw something that she hadn't seen when she was younger.

The silver thread. She could see one extending from her younger self to Nuka but it looked different from the one she had connected to Mo. It looked faint and thinner than usual. Like it was ready to snap at any given moment. The younger Alix clenched her fists in frustration.

"So mom and dad were right? You speaking was in my imagination?" Nuka squawked again but this time it was more restrained. "Hah! Of course! Why didn't I see it before? Those kids outside were right! I am nothing but a sad excuse of a jester putting on a show for no one but herself!

I'm a stupid, lonely girl that needed to make up something as crazy as a talking bird just to have someone she connected to! And now that my dad is gone the illusion's been broken. The spell shattered like my heart!" Nuka stared at her friend with deep concern as Alix continued her enraged rant.

"Well, I don't need it anymore! I don't need my father's stupid dream talk! I don't need to be some sort of Mistress of Magic. And I certainly don't need a stupid, fake talking bird to make me feel normal!!" The last comment directly spoken to Nuka. Tears seemed to be forming in both Alix and Nuka's eyes as the string between the two began to shimmer. Nuka opened her mouth to squawk again but withheld it.

She didn't want to make the girl anymore upset. However, it was far too late for that. "Get out." Nuka stared at the girl in shock. "I SAID GET OUT OF HERE!!!" Nuka fell out of the window quickly steadying herself with her wings. She flew away from the girl as fast as she could.

Present day Alix continued to watch he bird fly away with tears in her eyes. "She was my first friend. The only one I had before Mo and I scared her away because I was upset." Alix fell to her knees as she was completely shaken by the events from her past. She whispered to herself.

"Nuka. I'm so sorry." At that moment she felt something in her chest. She looked down and saw the same faint silver string that was extending from her younger self's chest. She unconsciously grabbed the string. She gripped the string tightly and squeezed her eyes shut.

'I just want to be friend's again!"

'We'll always be friends Allie!" Alix's eyes opened wide. She heard Nuka's voice in her head just like she could hear Mo or Felix when the string went silver. She looked at the string in her hand and life seemed to have been partially returned to it as it now seemed a bit brighter.

"Nuka? I-I'm sorry that I yelled at you. Please come back to me! We can still become the twin Mistresses of Magic. We can be the best bird and human combo across the land and sky. We could-" Alix was cut off by Nuka. She heard something reverberating in her head.

It was faint but slowly grew louder until Alix could finally hear what it was that Nuka was saying. No what Nuka was pleading. 'Help me Allie." Alix's eyes widened. The string light of the string flickered.

'Please!"