Mystical Mountain

By Saundra Ryherd

Katrina is a young mountain girl who finds love to be sad and hurtful.

 

She finds friendship with two Pegasus', maybe fairies, and her own forest animals.

 

She later finds love in a stranger but wonders if she can trust her own feelings. It's a magical, mystical, and romantic time on Mystical Mountain.

 

Do you believe in fairies or magic?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Saundra Ryherd
• Release date: Feb 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393638445

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Long ago in a faraway land, seldom heard of by mortal man, there lived a girl. She had long, light brown hair, which cascaded to her knees. She had brown eyes and a slight dimple on each cheek. Her name was Katrina. She lived in a cabin with her parents on Mystical Mountain. There wasn’t anyone within miles of her place. She seldom talked, except to the wild animals, which came to her home for food and shelter. Katrina hadn’t seen her parents for several days, when she came across their footprints in the snow. She followed them for a long way before reaching an avalanche. She knew the footprints headed right into a pile of snow. She was only fourteen when they got caught in the avalanche. They had no chance of surviving the heavy snow, which covered their bodies. She heard the cries of the wolves in the distance and knew that they already knew what had happened to her parents. She knew then, that there wasn’t anything she could do for them. Too much time had passed since those footprints had been made. She went back to her cabin and began to cry. She had no idea what she would do all alone in the empty cabin. It never even crossed her mind that she might not be able to survive on the mountain all alone. She knew no other kind of living, other than surviving off the land. Her only thought was the loneliness that she would have to endure.

Come spring the rains melted the snow so that she could find her mother and father. She had no trouble finding them once the ice and snow had melted away. They looked the same as they had a month ago when they first left. The snow had kept them frozen, so they hadn’t changed at all. At the age of fourteen, Katrina buried her mother and father near the place where they died. She sat and cried for two days. She wasn’t sure what to do now that her family was gone. She felt angry towards her parents at first because they had left her all alone. She knew somehow that they didn’t really mean or want to leave her. She loved them with all her heart and would miss them for the rest of her life. She then got up and made her way back to the cabin. She stayed in the cabin for a couple months. She didn’t eat enough to feed a wild bird. One day she found a sick raccoon on her front porch. She discovered that there was someone out there that needed her, the forest animals. She healed the raccoon and at the same time she healed herself. The raccoon was set free and Katrina decided to dedicate her life to helping all the creatures of the forest.

She survived quite well on her own, since her mother had taught her all she needed to know about surviving in the wilderness. She had learned about herbs and berries of the wild. Katrina also found seeds left from the gardens they had planted in the past. Her father had carefully dried them and placed them in the back entrance of the cabin. She remembered and used her parent’s teachings well. There wasn’t anyone around her for miles. She was very lonely, except for the wild animals that came to visit her. She didn’t know her way around the mountain since her parents were so protective. Though she learned the area easily, she didn’t dare go beyond the protection of the forest near her cabin. She had been warned by her parents that there were very bad people in the valley below. She was always told never to go in sight of it. Even after they were gone, she never ventured down close to the valley. The town was easy to see from the cliff that she’d named, Horse Cliff. She had named the cliff herself after seeing the horses, with their wings, grazing on the cliff. She just happened to be walking along, trying to forget her loneliness, when the mystical horses flew to the top of the cliff. They didn’t seem to care about her being there. They just went right to eating the wild grasses that covered the cliff.

The Pegasus’ were known to be just a legend to all who lived near this beautiful mountain and the people in the valley below. The legend was older than any of the people that lived in the entire surroundings. Though no one ever believed that they were really there, Katrina knew they were real, only because they had shown themselves to her when she truly needed a friend. The first time she saw them, she just stared in amazement. She couldn’t believe they were real at first, but soon she got closer and found them to be very real. She was able to walk right up to them and touch their soft necks. Their tails hung long and silky to the ground. They were the most beautiful sight that Katrina had ever seen.

As the days passed by, Katrina would look forward to seeing the horses there on the cliff. They spent many hours there on Horse Cliff, getting to know one another. Katrina had named the horses herself from a story book that her mother used to read to her. The first horse, which was a male, she named Shane. The second, a female, was named Samantha. They were both pure white, yet their wings seemed to glitter as though there were diamonds between each feather. Katrina began to enjoy life again with the horses and all the other friendly animals in the forest. She thought nothing of the legend her parents had once told her, only that these winged creatures were now her family.

Samantha, you cheat, you can’t hide up so high, said Katrina as she was looking through the trees for the Pegasus’. I can’t get up there like you because I don’t have magical wings like yours. You come right down here immediately or I will go home. Then I won’t be here to play with you and Shane. Speaking of Shane, where are you hiding? I will find you sooner or later, so you might as well give up now. Ha Ha!! Now I’ve got you Samantha, I knew you were up above those trees. I wish you could talk to me. I would love to hear another voice again. I sure do miss mother and father. I wish they could come back and not be dead.

Katrina walked to the cliff’s edge where she sat hanging her feet over the edge. She could picture her father scolding her for being too close to the edge again. It seemed like an eternity since she had lost them, yet it hadn’t really been that long ago. The forest animals kept her busy enough where she didn’t always think about being alone.

Katrina realized that she had forgotten her friends and felt bad for bringing them down. "Oh, I’m sorry for making it such a sad day again today. I just get so very sad without anyone here to talk to. Okay, come on, let’s go to the other side of the cliff and have some lunch. I’ll find some of the greenest grasses for you two to feed on. The three of them played and ate together for a very long time.

The seasons came and went while this small child grew into a beautiful young woman. One day, the Pegasus stopped coming to the cliffs. At first Katrina paid no attention because they would sometimes disappear for a day or two at a time, but then they would eventually return and they would play once again. This time they had been gone for almost two whole weeks, without a sign. She started to worry and wonder if they were safe or not.

At first, she was angry, because she felt that they had left her like her mother and father had done years before. She resented the idea of them leaving her all alone again. She missed her horse friends, but she came to realize that they might not be able to get back to her. She went on caring for the other animals and doing her daily chores. She kept busy enough to make the hurt a little easier. She felt a big loss for her friends, but the work and the animals of the forest helped her to accept her loss. Though she missed them, she remembered the happy times with the mystical Pegasus’.

The other animals of the forest also started to disappear from her home, slowly, one by one. The forest animals seemed to go deeper into the high plains of the mountain. Some just disappeared altogether. Some of the wilder animals such as the bears and mountain lions stayed. This really began to worry Katrina, so she set out for a journey down through the forest.

CHAPTER TWO

One day while walking through the forest, she heard strange noises. Though familiar, she couldn’t place the sounds. She knew she was a long way from her home without any kind of protection. Even so, she decided to find the source of these strange noises. She was excellent about moving through the forest, as quietly as the wild creatures that crept throughout the forest unnoticed. She hoped this would be an advantage to her own safety. She moved quietly from tree to tree, getting closer and closer to the sounds. She would stand perfectly still, listening to the sounds on the winds and then they would disappear as fast as they came. Then they would start again. She thought once that she could smell smoke, but she brushed off that idea knowing no one lived up this far into the mountain. Yet, there it was again, only stronger this time. The wind was just blowing enough to blow the smell through the entire forest. The sounds she could hear seemed closer with every step she took. She still couldn’t make out quite what it was that she was hearing. She was convinced that this must be danger, but something made her go toward it anyways. She just had this strange feeling about this sound. As she wandered through the forest, she tried to remember where she had heard that same sound before. It was like hearing her own voice, but it wasn’t her voice.

Between the fear, curiosity, and confusion, she just couldn’t concentrate. She was getting weary from the journey and the fear she had been feeling. She decided to rest for a while, hoping that sitting quietly would make it even easier to hear the sounds again. Sure enough, she heard the sounds echo off the giant trees, bouncing in her direction. She had lived in the mountain long enough to know how to travel the forest without scaring the animals away. Katrina moved quietly and swiftly through the thick foliage of the forest.

After taking a rest, she headed for the voices. She soon came to a small clearing which was only about twenty five feet in diameter. There was a small tent pitched in the middle of the clearing. Beside the tent was a campfire, burning low and warm. The sounds had stopped by the time she reached the clearing, so she sat in the shadows watching the tent and the fire. Katrina sat there with many thoughts going through her mind. She knew now, the sounds she heard were other people. Soon night had fallen and the fire began to die slowly. By the time the night was half over, the fire had gone out and the forest was cool and damp. Katrina fell into a deep sleep after watching the fire dwindle down to embers. She dreamed that her parents were with her, talking to her again. This brought her out of a sound sleep. She shed a tear after realizing that it was just a dream, probably brought on by the sounds of these voices. She adjusted her position and drifted back off to sleep.

She was awakened early, by the cry of an eagle far above in the clear blue sky. He seemed to be hunting for his morning breakfast. Suddenly he dove deep into the forest out of sight. Katrina then looked around the campsite, remembering where she was and why. She looked for some sign of movement, but found none. She sat there in the protection of the brush, watching and waiting. She knew she should leave before they awakened, but something had compelled her to stay. She didn’t know how long she had been sitting there, when suddenly she heard small sounds coming from the tent. Her instincts told her to flee now, but her curiosity got the best of her. Now she was stuck, for a large man exited the tent. He seemed to be about her age, maybe a few years older. He had blonde hair, cut just above his ears. He had blue eyes that seemed to match the color of the clear blue sky above. He straightened up after clearing the opening in the tent and stretched his arms far above his head. Katrina watched in amazement, for she hadn’t seen another human in eleven years. She didn’t dare move a muscle for fear of him seeing her. He walked to the circle of ashes, where the night before a fire had burned hot. He kicked the ashes to one side, revealing a few red hot embers, then he added a few twigs to get it started once again. The wind seemed to blow the life right back into the embers that had burned hot the night before and soon a fire was blazing high once again. He then took a pot from the tent and placed it on a rock near the fire.

Katrina soon caught the smell of coffee brewing by the fire. The aroma made her mouth water and she wished she could have some to wake herself up. The man moved around the clearing, seemingly dressing and getting ready for the day to begin. Suddenly he was heading for her small hiding place, looking right at her. The fear shot through her like lightening striking through the angry skies in a thunderstorm. She didn’t know whether to run for better cover and take a chance of him seeing her, or staying where she was and hope he hadn’t really seen her. By the time the idea to run hit her, he was just inches from her hiding place. He stared deep into the forest as if looking for something special. When she felt almost safe again, he bent down, his face only a whisper from hers. He then retrieved a jug of water from the cold shade. He set a mirror on a tree branch, right beside her hand. He didn’t seem to notice her yank it away rapidly. He then smeared some white lather on his face, just like her father used to do. She thought it was funny how she still remembered little things now and then about her parents. There were times when she couldn’t even remember their faces, which made her sad. She just sat there watching this stranger, shaving his whiskers that had grown since the day before. As he scraped the whiskers away, Katrina pondered what he would look like with a full beard. As the whiskers were removed, she could see that he had deep dimples as though he was smiling down into her face. He then turned toward the tent and yelled to someone else very abruptly and loudly. He again turned back toward Katrina, opening his mouth as he ran his finger across his bright white teeth. He smiled again and went toward the tent. Katrina wondered for a short second, if maybe he was teasing her and knew she was there.

The other man stepped out of the tent, looking only half awake. He looked mean and rough with his rugged beard. He growled his good morning to his companion and then went straight to the fire. He bent down over the fire to retrieve a hot cup of coffee. The second man wasn’t as stunning as the first. He wore dirty clothes that seemed to need a bath as much as he himself did. His face was even thicker with whiskers than the first mans.

Katrina saw that he wasn’t even close to the tallness of his friend. He had brown hair with gray streaks running through it. His teeth seemed to be a darker, almost yellowed color. Katrina felt fear of this particular man, more than from the first. As she sat there watching the two men moving about, she noticed the first man was starting to undress. Katrina felt the redness in her cheeks burning. She didn’t want to watch, so she looked at the other man, trying not to notice him. As he took his shirt off, the thick muscles of his arms caught her eye, for she had never seen a man of his size. She found herself watching him intensely. He washed his upper torso until his body glistened from the early morning sun. He then put a light blue flannel shirt on and neatly tucked it into his jeans. Katrina could not take her eyes off this handsome stranger and she didn’t know why not. Her pulse was racing so fast and her heart was beating so loudly, she was sure he could almost hear it from the other side of the camp site. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling, but she felt it must be fear of the two strangers.

The other man didn’t seem to care much for his appearance because he kept his wrinkled shirt on and his blue jeans were worn through in the knees. The other man that had brown hair wore a brown and white shirt with light colored jeans. The tall blonde man wore neat, newer looking blue jeans and a nice light blue flannel shirt. Katrina noticed how the blue shirt matched the blue in his eyes. He rolled the sleeves up almost to his elbows and left a few buttons on the top of his shirt open. He had a deep tan and what little hair he had on his chest, poked out where the buttons were left open. She found herself staring at the over six-foot-tall man.

After being mesmerized by this new stranger for about an hour, Katrina felt danger near the clearing. She suddenly realized that she hadn’t been watching the other man and now she was afraid that maybe he had found her hiding place. She glanced around the clearing trying to locate the other stranger as quickly as she could, yet she didn’t see him anywhere. The feeling of danger was growing stronger so she tensed, ready to flee if her hiding place had been found. Suddenly, she saw her reason for feeling danger. There, on the far side of the clearing, was a hungry bear. He was looking for his early morning breakfast. The two men started yelling loudly at the hungry bear, trying to scare it out of their camp. The bear gave a growl toward the two men and headed for the tent. The two men went running scared, climbing the nearest tree that they could easily climb. They climbed as high as they possibly could climb. Katrina then saw her chance to flee the frightening spot, which she had occupied for several hours now. Without a second thought of the two men, she ran straight for the bear. She assumed they would be too frightened to care about anything except the bear. She scurried right past the bear, calling to it as she went by him. He quickly followed her into the thickness of the forest’s brush, going out of sight of the two strange humans. Katrina wanted to look back,