You agree to keep your hands to yourself, and the two creatures lead you into the trees and down a path that was not visible from the clearing. They chatter among themselves, whispering so that you cannot hear them. Almost like a blind man, you follow them down the path until you reach a small cottage-like house. "In there is all of the information you'll need. The key is on top of the porch light," the brown one says with a flick of his tail. "Just don't mess anything up, human," interjects the golden-white female. "If you do, you'll be thrown out and banned."

Again, you nod in agreement, and walk up four steps to the creaky porch and grab the key from on top of the light. You slide the key into the lock, and swing the door open, and inside is something you never expected. Your jaw drops, and you look back for the two creatures to inquire, but they are gone.

You turn back to the small building, and walk in. Underneath your feet is a lush red carpet and the walls are covered in shelves that are filled with books. The only time you've ever seen so many books was in a library, and that was in the middle of a city, not a forest. To one side of the room is a great fireplace that is unlit, but has logs in it. There are overstuffed chairs and a sofa around it, and coffee tables in conveinant places. To the other side of the room, is a small kitchen-like area, with a cappucino machine and small refridgerator filled with sodas and PB&J sandwiches with your favorite jelly in them. "Wow," you say to yourself.

Unsure of where to start, you go over to the fridge, grab a soda of choice, and plop down into an overstuffed chair. On a coffee table, you see a book entitled, "Léra'elen." You pick it up, and flip to the table of contents and see various chapters. You decide to start at the beginning, and make your way to the end. Might as well, right? You turn to the first actual page, and see that it's more of a journal and scrapbook than anything, and the first image catches your eye. You see the exact creature in the book that led you here! Beneath it, it holds the description of the creature and then in a few paragraphs beside the picture, it tells a little about them.

Habitat: Léra'elen like densely wooded areas and even pastures. Some also enjoy swimming, and thus love beaches or places with lots of fresh water.

Diet: Herbivore. They eat a strictly plant diet, although they do like the ocassional sugar treat. ;)

Personality: Some are cheery, some are grumpy. But they are all curious and stubborn.

Speech: It is rare, but some Léra'elen speak English. Most communicate to each other through signs and movements. The few that can actually speak, are usually the leaders in their charm.

--
After reading that, you find yourself very interested in learning more about these creatures, and read on through the rest of the book. Inside, you find many other pictures, and even some with odd mutations such as leathery-dragon wings and horns instead of crests.
--

Reproduction: Léra'elen females can breed any time of the year, but offspring are rarely born during the winter. The spring months are never busy with breeding either, and the summer months(May, June, July and early August) bring many new foals to the charm. When a female is ready to breed, she flutters her wings and calls to them, and a male must choose her to breed. A female normally has one foal, but it is not impossible for her to give birth to two.

Group Structure/Life: Each group of Léra'elen is called a charm. Yes, a charm. There is a head male and female, and the rest are all subordinates.

Known History: There is little history known of the Léra'elen, but it is said that one evening a young woman had been exploring the forest behind her home, and came across a field when she saw little animals that reminded her of fuzzy-tailed dragons with angelic wings jetting over the tall grass. The girl soon came to learn that a few in the charm that lived in her woodlands could speak, and she visited them every night when the stars came out to listen to their fables. She had also learned of their species name, which was Léra'elen and meant "free star" in Quenyan, and where they came from. One of the elders in the charm told the girl that their ancestors came down from the heavens and the clouds to bring happiness to those that knew them, but that the humans soon came and destroyed their homes and peaceful lives, and forced them to split up and flee to different places in the world. He also spoke that many had mistaken them for winged horses without forelegs(which in basis was what they were), and that others called them a mutated dragon. The girl soon became quite attached to the Léra'elen, and once tried to capture one and take it home. But, being wild as they were back then, they rebelled at her evil and greed, and left. The next night when she went to apologize to them for her evildoing, they had gone.

The last reported sightings of a wild Léra'elen was over 15 years ago in Norway, and then again a year later in England. Now domesticated by a woman in her early-20's named Genesis, the Léra'elen live in solace in a wooded area only accessable by Genesis herself.

--
You set down the book, look at the leather-bound cover again, and smile. Could it be just coincidence that the girl that domesticated the Léra'elen has the same name and is about the same age as your friend in the sanitarium?

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