The Little Indigo (FF)

[font=Times New Roman, Times, serif]The Little Indigo[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I say one,[/font]

Two,

Play me do,

Let me sing

As sweet as you,

Play me wide,

Play me long,

Let me be your song.

Prologue

A fraggle layed an egg near the riverbank and hidden it into the moss.

"Farewell, sonnyboy," she whispered wiping a tear. "They`realready flying to here... I want you to live... though you`ll never more see the place you were born in..."

She tilted her head, then lifted it again looking up. Two dark small spots appeared in the sky, enlarging with every second. It were two black, iron-beaked birds, two Gweerhawks, real enemies of the fraggles. The miserable mother was already mortally wounded by the one of them, but somehow she managed to get here and save herself and her only - and last - egg.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A Gweerhawk swooped at the poor fraggle. The last thing she saw were its claws, and then everything disappeared in the dark.[/font]

"Farewell..."

* * * *

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Cross-roads,[/font]

Five ways,

Come and go

Hours and days...

Minstrels all

Come to rest -

East or west,

Home is best...

Cantus`heart felt already nearness of his native village - judging the fast fur throbbing right over it. Waht can be better than to meet again your old good friends and folks...

Murray was thinking about his lovely old, yet half-ruined cottage, dusty throughout. Brool mused about his parents and brothers, so did Balsam... And as fro Brio, he was as glad as Cantus, since they were the neighbours.

Before saying goodbye for a month to his trusty band, Cantus offered them to rest together. Afterall, it was the day of their season end. So the Minstrels stopped on the roadside, right near the river.

Flapp!.. - The grass was as if lashed with a bright orange whip: Cantus falled on his back and stetched out happily.

"What`s on, boss?", Murray laughed.

"I want to take a bit of tan... Mmm, how good!.."

The musicians parted not so far from each other on the riverbank, each in his thoughts.

Cantus rolled on the side and picked a flower. He was really dreamy after a long way, and already had shut his eyes, but was awoken by Murray`s glad exclamation:

"Look, I`ve found some breakfast!.."

"Good, good, but why make so much ago about it?", Cantus grumbled getting up. "Okay, go ahead, show us what have you found..."

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Today`s special - baked eggs!",Murray declared loudly, lifting a rather large turquoise egg upon his head. "There`s plenty for ever..."[/font]

"Murray, no!!.."

The dusty monstre nearly dropped down his finding.

"Why no?", he arched his eyebrows in amazement.

"Are you going to kill a fragglet?!", Cantus shouted, which made Murray confuse and carefully put the egg back, on the moss.

"T-to kill a f-fragglet?.. No. Maybe, I`m a grumpy, but not cruel! I actually thought that it`s an egg of a certain bird! S-sorry, Cant, I`ve just never seen the fragglish eggs before... But wait! And where from came these?!" - He pointed at four black feathers lying around.

"Er...these?.. I don`t know... But definitely sure that the egg is fragglish. See? The shell is blue. It will be a boy..."

"And that`s what I`ve found else", Balsam pointed at colorful fur flocks on the ground.

Cantus screamed.

"Ah, no!.. Anything but they!.."
This time all the Minstrels stared at him concerned.

"If you only could know WHO did it!", Cantus said in horror. "The Gweerhawks! That predators that chase and eat us fraggles!.."

"It means they`ve killed his mum?..", Brool nodded at the egg. "How terrible!.."

"Yes, but the fragglet mustn`t die", Cantus decided, taking the turquoise egg in hands and holding it by his chest. "He needs warmth. I do believe, he`s alive and undamaged. Dun`worry, kid, we`ll take care of you!"

"So we must stay in here till tomorrow", said Brio.

...And the old feathered fraggle had been warming the egg during the whole evening, but no one was allowed to help hom with it.

"You all have different heartbeat, and he had remembered mine", Cantus explained. "Maybe, he won`t understand who you are."

Certainly, as a male fraggle, he didn`t know how to hatch correctly, but had still found a way to warm the future little fraggle.

Putting the egg closer to his fluffy stomach, Cantus curled up as he could and covered it with his robe flap. The egg sank in fur from all sides - completely safe, in dark and warmed around, - just what was need.

Ooooh! The excitment! The tense-ness! Or...I looooove!!!!!

It's simply gardilardyfiable! Garkers and larkers! It's G-r-eat!!!

I'm already loving it, because this is my second fav Catus song after "Lose your heart and it's found."

Well, well, well. I didn't realise that Fragle's laid eggs. Is this officialy, or just what you decided? It's the most ultimatly cool thing, also, it's just Right!

Scarey. And sad. "You'll never more see the place where you were born in..."

That's so Fragglely and sentimental! Makes me wanna just weep, and hug the little egg and make it happy again.

Oh my!!! THis is definatly freaky now. The Gweerhawk is very fraggleish, and very evil. Someone shoot it.

Ahh, Cantus. What a glark-worthy Fraggle. He's so, so, Cantusy!!!

First sign of danger here! ALarms bells ringing!!!

Shiver.

Tremble.

I`ve learned from Brian Damage (and he learned from a certain muppet encyclopedy) that the fraggles really DO lay eggs and that it`s a canon. "Okay - let it be...", I decided and made it a part of the story.
And I greedily love your sidenotes! A highest mark I can get!

Oh, how lovely that Fraggle's lay eggs! I'd love to see a some scenes one day of Fraggle Hatchings. Would be loooooovely.

His friends were quietly discussing when the fragglet will at last hatch. The sooner he`ll feel his time the sooner it will happen, but how long had the egg spent in the moss, they couldn`t say.
Cantus might get quickly tired from lying so much in such an actually inconvenient pose, but, as a real wiseman, he knew a skill of relaxing, so he managed to lie still curled and do not squash the egg accidentally.
Frankly speaking, the old Minstrel thought that they`ll return the fragglet back in his nativeland soon. He didn`t knew what will happen with him in the near future, and that the settlement the egg came from doesn`t exist more - it`s defeated.
Luckily, Cantus didn`t know about it.
Awhile.

* * * *

He awoke in a hour before sunrise from a weird sound. Firstly Cantus mistook it just for a hungry rumbling (afterall, he was so excited yesterday that forgot to supper), but when it repeated, the old fraggle winced from a guess:

"It started!.."

The crack repeated again.

Cantus carefully got up holding the egg on his lap. A small chink appeared on its top...

"He wants to go out!.."

The old fraggle nearly tried to break the shell himself to help the little one, but refrained stright away - it could hurt the fragglet.

The chink enlarged.

Rays of sunlight had appeared on the east.

A piece of eggshell at last broke out. Now Cantus could narrowly see a flock of bright blue fluff and then - a blinking curious eye.

It seemed he was waiting for ages. But at last the shell completely broke.

Cantis was now looking at a tiny blue furball with big eyes in amazement and delight.

"He`s born", a thought burned him. "He`s born!..", he shouted to the others gladly.

Four friends, not completely awoke yet, stood around... Dreaming was quickly gone by the sight of the small miracle that had just happened.

The newborn fragglet screwed up his eyes from the bright sunlight and squeaked weakly,

"A-ooh!"

It was as if his first greeting to the world he saw first time.

"Hello, kid", Cantus smiled to him. "My name`s Cantus."

"And I`m your Uncle Murray", Murray said.

"And Uncle Brool".

"And Uncle Brio."

"And Uncle Balsam."

"And what`s yours?", Cantus asked the fragglet. "Certainly, you haven`t got a name yet. Maybe, somebody will help me with it?"

"Why don`t call him by his color - "Indigo"?", Brio offered.

The fragglet turned his head at the sound of this word.

"What? Yuo liked it?", Cantus exclaimed and called, "Indigo!"

"Ga-ah!", the fragglet gladly responsed, stretching out hjis hands to the old Minstrel.

"Let it be!", Cantus laughed. "Happy birthday, Indigo!.."

"Happy Birthday!", the other Minstrels shouted gladly in unison.

* * * *

"It`s time", Cantus at last sighed hardly. "You`re, certainly, a sweetie, Digo, but we must find your home."

The temporare camp had been all disposed, and our friends moved onward.

"The settlement must lie at leats in a mile from here", Brio supposed, looking at the tracks.

"Let`s hope that there still IS something to save!", Cantus said worrying.

They hurried towards that place.

A couple of hours later they`ve reached it.

...Yes, not so long ago it was a fragglish settlement with its own funny and merry inhabitants. But the sight our friends had now seen couldn`t bring anything but tears.

Upon the place was a strange dark gloom. No one of the Minstrels could make a step closer to it.

"Wait for me here", Cantus said, passing Indigo to Brool for awhile. "Don`t move an inch to the gloom. I`ll try toi look myself..."

He walked to the nearby cave.

"Hello?.. Anyone?"

Silence everywhere.

"Anyone?.."

The village was deserted.

Cantus looked around. A horror freezed his heart.

"So..they`ve killed them all..."

He turned backward and shouted to his friends:

"Brool, hold him more! I`m going to swallow that thing! Indigo mustn`t know what happened with his folk!.."

"Okay! Wait... what are you going to do?.."

The green monster shut Indigo`s eyes with his hand. Cantus stood straightly and took a deeeeeeeeeeeeeep breath.

The gloom upon the village started to disappear slowly. It was seeming that Cantus is simply gasping for air...

When the gloom had disappeared inside him wholly, Cantus gulped and tilted down his head for a minute.

"That`s all...", he said. "There`s no menace for Indigo more. That`s all."

And, still slim and a bit sad, went back to his friends.

(TBC)

Ooooh. How intriguing!!!

And I must say I looooved this bit: "The newborn fragglet screwed up his eyes from the bright sunlight and squeaked weakly, "A-ooh!" "

Very nicely done!!! I can see it all happening.

This is just beautiful, Effralyo. I love it. I love every inch of it.

The minstrels were all overwhelmed.

"Somebody must take Digo home, we can`t leave him alone", Brio said. "Who will do it?"
Brool had a big family himself.
Balsam felt awkwardly thinking what will his folk say when he`ll accept a fragglet nearly at a half bigger than him.
Murray too much got used to lonely life and dust around.
"So, Indigo will go with us in Tantaradeyra", Cantus said."Afterall, I just can`t leave him after that hatching..."
He smiled taking Indigo back. The fragglet squeaked something in glad and straight away started to tweak tenderly Cantus` goatee, repeating "hehe, hee..."
Murray spied it first and chuckled jokingly:
"Look...Daddy Cantee..."
Cantus himself nearly fainted from sudden tenderness of Indigo. He tilted his head to the fragglet rubbing his nose against Digo`s cheek.
"Ga-ah!..", the blue fragglet squeaked with a giggle.
They already wanted to continue their way, but Brool accidentally glanced at the sky and said:
"Something black flies here... Black big birds... Like eagles..."
"WHAT???"
The idillia was cut off. Indigo screamed sorrowfully feeling a danger. Cantus hidden him under his robe and gestured to Brio to hide too. (They were already far away from the dead village, and there wasn`t any hideout for miles around.)
Balsam simply falled on the ground hiding in his shell.
And Brool and Murray, the two strongest ones, prepared to meet the invaders.
Both Gweerhawks were ready to swoop. Murray started to spin with incredible speed turning into a dusty hurrican. One bird got right in its middle. It was alive for a minute else, and then falled down, all covered with dust thickly and already dead.
The other hawk somehow managed to avoid the hurrican and swooped down to Cantus. But next moment a certain strength stopped it. Brool seized the hawk by the wing with his mouth and torn the wing away roughly. The bird crushed down almost in a foot near the monster.
"Pooh! Never will repeat it!..", Brool thought, spitting black feathers away. Seeing the hawk still alive, he finished it by the fist blow.
"Pheeew.... Can`t believe! Did I really do it? Strange..."

* * * *

After long thanking trusty pals for helping, Cantus decided to invite them all in his village. They used to manage to visit Tantaradeyra all together; besides, since Cantus was not only a band leader, but also a village bailiff, it was a big honour to the Mistrels.

All the way Indigo had been sleeping on Cantus`hands until the group reached Tantaradeyra edge.

Five friends firstly spied a green tall fraggle in the funny hat with plenty of bells on it. It was Cantus`old buddy and neighbour - Jingly Thousandbells.

"Goosh! What do I see!..", he shouted at once. "Look who came! Big Sideb..."

"Sshhh!"

This time, instead of their usual loud laugh and shouting around, Cantus and Jingly simply shook hands to each other silently, and the green fraggle understood why, seeing Indigo. The blue fragglet had already awoken and stretched out his hands to Jingly with happy "hehe".

"Good gra-acious!.. Cantey, ol` pal, where have you found this kid?.."

"Will explain later - ok? At Glamarteo`s. Don`t you see we`re all tired! I`d been hatching Indigo yesterday..."

"His name`s Indigo? Sounds nice! And very suitable! Now I`ve got it on. You`ve found an egg, and..."

Jingly suddenly cut off looking at all the Minstrels wide-eyed.

"How could happen that the egg was leaven?!", he whispered. "It were t h e y again??"

""Yes. If Murray couldn`t find it first..."

Jingly`s look became serious. He nodded in thought.

"I always knew that you`re a good friend, but now you break all the records, Big Sideburn!" -He stumbled a bit. "But how do you want the little Indigo to call you?"

Cantus shrugged, but at the same moment the blue fragglet stretched again to his goatee and squeaked something like "gienda!".

"Granddad? He said - granddad!", Brio guessed.

"Indeed, greetings, Granddad!", Jingly laughed."Okay. Let`s go to Glamarteo now. He`ll be glad when will see you back and even with a new Minstrelet."

* * * *

Glamarteo was an innkeeper, and it was explaining why all the villagers wanted to meet and chat always at his place. It was difficult not to visit his tavern, if the landlord is very large, purple, kind, can make marvellous tea and the cosy atmosphere.

The news about an increase in Cantus`family had spreaded in the whole village with the speed of the light. In that case soon afterwards the inn wasa literally stuffed with fraggles. They all gathered around the Minstrels while Glamarteo poured tea for everyone.

The landlord smiled to Indigo, stroked his hair and sat to the table too:

"Well, tell us now how did you manage to get such a cute grandson."

...Cantus used to drink lots of tea before (to drawn his homesick" -as Jingly called it), but this time during the story he guzzled even ten cups! Glamarteo amazed to it. And when Cantus told about the gloom, he became pale and looked at him wide-eyed. But tried to hide his fear.

And Indigo? He was enjoying strawberries and baked apple (and messed all up in the juice), and, though couldn`t understand till the end what`s going on, was very happy that have got a real Granddad who will never disappear.

"For Indigo!..", Glamarteo declared getting up and holding his tea cup. So did everyone else.

"For Indigo!.."

As the toast and the feast had ended, Jingly took his violin.

"Well, why don`t we play our favorite song to Digo? C`mon, guys, sing along with me!.. -Aaaaaaaand!.."

And sounded a merry choir of the fraggles and three cave critters under the country tune:

Gyokkee-Gyokkairee, why go so far?

-"I wanna find a wonderful star!..

It falled to someplace under the sea,

It is my only dream."

Tan-gerlan-gerlan-tan-gerlan-gerlan-tan-gerlan-gin-da-ah!-

It is my only dream!..

Gyokkee-Gyokkairee went far away,

Lookin`for his star, never astray,

Where did he wander, nobody knew,

But he`ve got back one day.

Tan-gerlan-gerlan-tan-gerlan-gerlan-tan-gerlan-gin-da-ah!-

But he`ve got back one day!

(Yololololaby, yololololololabadedee,

yololololabe, yololobadedee,

yololololabe, yololobadedee,

yololololabe, yololobadedee!

Yololololaby, yololololololabadedee,

yololololabe, yololobadedee,

Yololololabady-olobady-olobady-olobady-dee!..)

He`ve brought a pail, and then we`ve had seen-

He`ve got his star from under the sea!

But in the morning -what a surprise!-

Suddenly star was gone!

Tan-gerlan-gerlan-tan-gerlan-gerlan-tan-gerlan-gin-da-ah!-

Suddenly star was gone!

Gyokkee-Gyokkairee, why go so far?

-"I wanna find a wonderful star!..

It falled to someplace under the sea,

It is my only dream."

Tan-gerlan-gerlan-tan-gerlan-gerlan-tan-gerlan-gin-da-ah!-

It is my only dream!..

Cantus felt a light but bothering headache.

"Owfff.... patience, patience...", he merely thought and didn`t pay any attention to it.

He`d better to do it.

Leving the tavern along with the others, Cantus spied that Glamarteo quietly gestures him to stay.
"Did you gone completely nuts?", he whispered in horror, as the old fraggle returned. "It gnaws you from inside, I definitely see!.. Just think, in the evening you`ll be ruined!"
"But..why?!", Cantus confused.
"Have you seen yourself now? Fur fades! Color is pale!.. And barely can stand!.. Find a way to spit it out, I beg you,Cant!.." - Glamarteo sobbed. "I don`t want to lose a friend!"
But the Minstrel didn`t.
"Just think what will happen if I`ll "spit it out", Teo", he said. "It`s better to lose an one than the whole village, if so. And...... Maybe, it will be gone itself somehow... "
"Good luck, then."
Glamarteo wagged him goodbye and turned away to hide his tears.
...Murray, Brool and Balsam leaved the village under the great fame. Cantus warned them that will come back later than usually the next season, but no one minded. Afterall, the real friends never separate for ever.
...Quiet evening, greetings from friends, and Indigo`s nearness made the old fraggle nearly melt from happiness. Indigo himself was amazed literally by everything, looking credulously in the villagers` eyes, and they were glad to hear his "Ga-ah!" or "Glee-ah!". But no one dared to call him an orphan. With such loving care the fragglet just couldn`t be an orphan.
Cantus knew that will travel again, when Digo will grow up a bit, and that will return to his step-grandson every time. He will teach Indigo to be a minstrel too... Because if you`re a wandering musician, it`s eternal.
Cantus had music flowing through his veins, so he couldn`t leave minstrelhood. But a thought that the fragglet have found a family and home comforted him. Maybe, Indigo won`t see his granddad for long time, but it`s still better than none.
"...Well, welcome to my home, Digo", the old fraggle said at last entering his cave.
It had been waiting for him so long, and now Cantus felt stronger than ever the fascination of home. It was staying still neat and cosy since his last leaving time.
Cantus put the fragglet on his bed, sat near him and inspected him once again.
"The little cute Minstrelet", he thought with a smile and said, "Okay, Indigo, it`s time to sleep. Feel at home. Good night."
He blown out the candle and carefully lied down near Digo. The fragglet squeaked something and shut his eyes.

In the night Cantus felt bad.
Firstly he couldn`t get on what hurts him, but suddenly recalled how scared Glamarteo.
"So it was true!.."
He understood that sees a dream about the dead settlement. The gloom he had swallowed before wasn`t disturbing him in the day, but now it captured him wholly.
The pain forced.
In Cantus` mind sounded a strange voice.
"They torn her to pieces.. They haunted and torn her..."
...chill in the heart..
"Farewell, sonnyboy..."
"NO!..NOOOOOOOOOO!.. Where are you?.."
"HELP!... Heeelp!...."
"Leave me, save yourself!.. Save yourself!.. Don`t think about me!.."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!.."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!.."

Oh no! What's happening! Poor Cantus! Save him, Eff, save him!!!

Oh my, I'm lovin' this story so much. Me wants' more, me does. Ya, more, and more, and more!!!

Cantus guessed that it`s all the voices of fraggles who were haunted by the hawks. He saw as if a real day when the village was totally defeated.
He was trying to make his mind obey again. No way. The horror and grief of that day were now really tearing him from inside.
Cantus sworn himself already several times for such an accident he was the cause of, but - as it seemed to him - it was impossible to correct anything now.
The main thing he had to do now was not to let the horror go out. But how? How to hold a strength that captured his mind and now tries to tear him like those fraggles?..
...Cantus had a strong body, very strong, though the others didn`t know about it, and very solid, but he forgot the only one thing.
It was too small for such force.
And here this story could end for ever. And next day the villagerd could find only several fur flocks - all that had left after Cantus... And Tantaradeyra could end up like that small certain village...
.......Suddenly the terrible sight started to fade. The old Minstrel felt a relief.

But the force that made the horror disappear was also not from his mind. Somebody very kind was trying to defend him.
.....Let us be. Can you hear me? Go away!......- and straight away - I want to live... Life is a pleasure, but it`s impossible, I`ll die...
Cantus strained as he could.
I`ll die??? I`ll die? Me, the Minstrel?!...
The vision changed slowly.
He heard a thin and clear voice that seemed to him familiar.
...don`t want you to die, my Granddad,
Forget it all, my Granddad...
I came to make you happy,
Don`t want you to die,
believe me........
Is it just him, or it`s really Indigo`s voice?..
For some reason Cantus thought so.
Everything sunk in a turquoise gloom...
...the fear of the death prisoned inside dispersed.....
..and Cantus at last expired the white steam: the dark force went out, but now absolutely harmless. It all burned out and turned into the steam.

What dreams were after it, the old fraggle didn`t recall. He could only remember that saw himself gliding along the river flow, and then - something white, like the fog, something cool, something forgiving...
...The first ray of sun reached Cantus`eyes. He blinked and opened them.
Nothing odd around. No more the pain. Indigo is quietly sleeping with his head on Cantus`chest, and the blanket had falled down.
"Digo", the Minstrel called.
The blue fragglet, as ever, responsed with a "Glee-ah!..".
"So you weren`t singing this night?.."
"Hehe.."
"Big Sideburn?.. Morning! How does the kid do?"
It was Jingly, who decided to come and see his neighbour earlier than ever.
"Ah, it`s you, Jingly? Morning! I saw a strange dream... Fancy that..."

Listening all from the beginning till the end, the green fraggle replied thoughtfully:
"Y`know, Big Sideburn, I couldn`t asleep at noght! Were you sawing to pieces during your lifetime or what? Shouts and shouts around.. I even thought that something serious had happened... Feankly! And how did you manage to calm down those visions?"
"Something helped. As if Indigo himself was singing."
Jingly couldn`t help but laughed.
"Haha, seriously?He even can`t speak yet - what to say about singing.."
Cantus nodded, lightly elbowing him and laughed too.
...Who knows, maybe, that place was magical, maybe, the destiny had given to Indigo the only chance to save his new Granddad like Cantus did before,- but for such reason or another the leader of the Minstrels was alive and undamaged.
And, several years later, Indigo turned into a real little madcap who, although his love to the pranks, was very fond of Cantus. For the old fraggle came the time of the new cares, together with new looking for inspiration.
The blue fragglet as if was born in Tantaradeyra, since quickly befriended with everyone and learned something from the village craftmen, like the other fragglets do. There weren`t more any hazards to him.
And Cantus - trust me!- never was pity that had got a grandson.
And who would know that one day Indigo will bring a real happiness in Tantaradeyra...
But it`s an another story.
THE END

This was an amazing, and spine-tinglingly magical story!!!

*hugs him patting his back*
How nice you really are, Gardy. You even dunno yourself how nice you are. You always understand eveerything.