Disclaimer: This story is fanfic only. No copyright infringement is intended. No money is made off of this and characters are...mostly OOC. I've said this before and I'll say it again: Everybody wins when nobody sues!

Chapter 2

The Cow as White as Milk

The instant the sun set, there was a whirlwind if white feathers that engulfed Justin the swan, swirled around, up and up, imploding, and then imploding again until there was only the single white feather again which then... ‘POP'! hopped itself back onto his hat.

Before Justin could do much more than turn around and catch sight of Brian, the brown owl feather popped off his hat, multiplied and engulfed him.

"Brian!!" Justin screamed in horror. But it was too late.

When everything had quieted down, Justin was left alone in an unfamiliar field by an unfamiliar road in the middle of nowhere feeling very alone and bereft. There was a large, brown horned owl with a golden chain around its neck. There was their picnic basket with a piece of paper sticking out of the blanket.

Justin read:

Dear Justin,

My time is short so I'll make this quick.

The tower we explored was indeed home to a wicked witch. He cast a spell on us. By day, you will be a swan and by night I am an owl. I'm not sure what will happen so just in case the owl with the gold chain around his neck is me. The chain is enchanted and will keep me with you, so do not remove it. To break the spell we need four ingredients, the first of which is a white cow. I was informed that we will find it if we keep heading west. Continue on, my sweet or have a sleep but don't forget to take me with you. We have 104 days to gather everything and get back to the tower.

I love you,

Brian

Justin was in a state of complete stupefaction. He didn't know whether to come or to go to stay or hurry, and he only had the dwindling twilight to tell him which was the right way to go. And he felt absolutely confused; as he remembered nothing from the time he had been turned into a swan until just now.

"What on earth am I to do? I hardly know whether I am coming or going. All I know is that I should head west. And what's all this about a white cow? And I feel terrible leading around a gorgeous creature like this like a bull with a ring through its nose. Especially if it is Brian." He petted the owl tenderly and the owl rubbed its face against his hand. "Oh God! I wish I knew what to do!"

"I can tell you what to do," said voice behind him.

Justin whirled and before him was a very strange creature indeed.

It was a short man in his 30's with short, black, straight hair. He wore a blue tunic and leggings and black shoes. His entire being glowed with a pale blue aura that was both haunting and sickly to look at. At the same time it was steady and determined and Justin could tell that this being was filled with a quiet power.

"Who are you?" asked Justin.

"I am Michael. I am the Blue Fairy. My light burns from the power of unrequited love. My light burns the lowest but it is steady and strong and filled with hope. I know you are well acquainted with my light as your love was unrequited for many years. For this reason, I have been allowed to help you."

"That is true. But it is not unrequited anymore. It is returned very much so, if only this cruel curse had not been placed upon us. Are you sure you can still help me?"

"Yes. The love you have is the love you have earned. And so you have earned my help as well. Take this." Michael held out a blue whistle and a black leather collar. "The whistle will call the other to you, wherever you are in the world. However, keep in mind that it will still take a little time for you to fly to each other so take care not to lose track of each other. The collar will give you sentient awareness and allow you to remember what you did during your time as an animal."

Justin took them solemnly. "Thank you, Michael. I can't ever repay you for these gifts."

"Yes, you can," Michael answered earnestly, "Succeed in your quest to break the spell. Then we can show you how to destroy his evil barrier and we can bring him to justice."

"I'll certainly do my best," Justin said humbly. "At the moment though, I hardly know what to do. I feel as if I just woke up from a long nap. I don't even know where I am."

"It doesn't matter. What does matter is that you continue on down that road until you reach a crossroad with a cluster of sunflowers at each corner. There you can rest and await the day. You must wait near that crossroad and sometime during the day tomorrow, you shall come across the white cow you need. At that point, I think you will come across the clue you need to find the next ingredient as well."

"Thank you very much Michael!" Justin enthused.

"Good bye Justin....and good luck." Michael's light pulsed a few times rather sadly, faded and then disappeared, taking him with it.

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Justin returned to Brian who was still waiting for him passively by the side of the road. Justin put the collar on him.

At once, the owl perked up a bit and looked up at him with an intelligent gleam in his eyes.

"Brian? Are you in there?"

The owl flapped a little and hooted.

"I'm going to take the chain off now, OK? You'll be free, understand. I can call you with this whistle but you won't be enslaved, all right?"

The owl seemed agreeable.

Justin drew off the chain. The owl took off, a darker, magnificent image against a dark sky.

Justin watched him go and then picked up the basket and continued on down the road.

The night was a bit creepy but it was warm and fragrant with flowers. Justin felt as if the silence was pressing in upon him. But then he realized it wasn't really silent. The wind whooshed through the trees in a way he never would have noticed in the day. Owls hooted and it was a nightingale that serenaded him instead of a lark. Trees and bushes rustled as moles, rats, raccoons, cats, and other nocturnal creatures crossed his path or roamed the countryside

Justin walked for a few hours and then rested a while by the side of the road. His feet were very tired and he still seemed to be a long way from anywhere. There wasn't a crossroad in sight.

Justin rummaged through the basket and decided this would be a good idea to write Brian a note back. He also blew on the whistle to call Brian to him.

After jotting a note, Justin continued wearily on. It was about 15 minutes later when Brian joined him. Justin wrapped the blanket that they had picnicked on around his arm and Brian landed on that.

"We shall have to get something proper," Justin said, stroking Brian's soft feathers lovingly. "In the meantime, we have to find a crossroads with sunflowers in each corner. Would you fly ahead and see if it is much farther for me?"

Brian hooted and took off. He disappeared but was back about 15 minutes later, hooting excitedly. Justin took this to mean they were very close and he was correct. Another hour or so and he was at a crossroad with farmland on all sides. A cluster of beautiful sunflowers decorated each corner. Well, they were dark shapes in the night, but in the daytime, they were probably lovely.

Rather sadly, Justin contemplated the fact that he wouldn't be seeing things in color for a long time. Then he sighed and shrugged and found a nearby haystack to burrow into and promptly fell asleep.

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Justin awoke to Brian's gentle hooting into his ear. He stroked Brian's tawny head and struggled out of the haystack, which was now quite messy. The eastern sky was rosy pink with the impending dawn but the sun was not up yet.

Justin quickly checked his note again and made sure everything was in order. And then it was time.

A sliver of sun climbed the edge of the world and sent its cautious rays over the world.

Instantly, Brian was transformed back into a man and was treated to one torturous second of Justin's sweet face before the white feathers swirled and consumed him again.

Brian felt very conflicted. As soon as Justin had put on the collar, he had been awake and aware all night and he remembered everything. He remembered going hunting for mice and voles and even eating a few. And while it seemed like the right and good thing to do at the time, he was now a little disgusted. However, he decided not to dwell on it and not blame himself for anything he might do while he was wildlife.

He took off the collar and before Justin could get away, he put the golden chain on him and then collared him. The collar hung loosely, even at its tightest setting but it had the desired effect. Justin the swan perked up and honked softly in approval.

The swan waddled over and picked up a piece of paper from the basket. Brian plucked it out of his mouth. He read:

Dear Brian:

A blue fairy with the power of unrequited love gave me the collar and the whistle. The collar keeps us cognizant even if we are animals and the whistle will call me to you. He also told me the white cow we need, will come along at this crossroad sometime today. He said we would also receive a clue as to where to go to get the next ingredient as well.

I love you more than I can tell.

Justin

The note was so short and sweet that Brian had to smile a little. Concise and to the point, and yet romantic and sappy as hell. Without really thinking about it he tucked it deep into the basket before settling down to wait. Justin had flown back to the haystack and was making himself a makeshift nest. When he was done, he sank gratefully into it and fell asleep with his head under one wing.

Brian sat beside him and kept his eye on the road.

Nothing much happened for a few hours.

Finally, there came a time where Brian spied a figure coming down the road.

Brian gauged the distance and snuck over to a place on the road where the person didn't see him. He walked along the road in such a way so that he met this person at the crossroads.

It was perfect. It was a boy of about 12, leading a cow by a rope. The cow was perfectly white but so thin its ribs were sticking out drastically.

"Good morning," said Brian, as if he met young boys at deserted crossroads every day of his life. "What's your name and where are you going?"

"Good morning sir. I am going to town to sell our cow. Our farm was hard hit this year and we can't afford to feed her anymore and as a result she stopped giving milk. I can only hope the butcher will give me a good price."

"Well actually," Brian said, carefully keeping the excitement out of his voice, "I'm in the market for a cow myself. I'll fatten her up again so she can give me free milk. Let me buy her from you and then you don't have to go all the long, hot way to town and back."

"I dunno," said the boy cautiously, "What do you have to give me for her? It doesn't seem like you have much money."

Brian took a deep breath and presented the beans. You're right there. But I'm offering more than just a butcher's one lump sum. I'll give you these beans. They're magic. Grow them and a beanstalk will grow into the sky, up to a land in the clouds where you can seek your fortune. Be brave and you can bring home many times the money that I or any butcher could give you."

"What!? That's nuts. Why should I believe you!?" cried the boy.

"Don't just believe me," said Brian, "Just look at the beans. Have you ever seen anything like them?"

"No. I haven't," Jack admitted. "But if they are so magic, why don't you use them?"

Brian thought quickly. "Well, I'm a lot older than you," he was loathe to admit. At the same time, he hoped he seemed downright ancient to the youngster. "I won the beans in a game of chance but I'm too tired to go adventuring. I just want to settle down in a nice little cottage, with a chicken or two to give me eggs, a cow to give me milk and a garden to grow. An adventure to seek your fortune if more for your age and ilk. So how bout we trade?" Brian gave his most winning smile and waited for the lightning to strike him dead for all the lies he had told in that breath alone.

No lightning came. Instead, there was a short silence as Jack was thinking a mile a minute and glancing down the western road in distaste as he thought of the long hot way he still had to go but didn't want to.

At last though, he handed over the rope and put the beans in his pocket. "I hope you're right, old man," he said.

Brian's smile felt as stretched as a cord of taffy as he replied, "Oh, I am. You'll do great, Jack. Good luck on your adventure. Oh by the way..." he added as if he'd just thought of it, "Is there a place in town to stable her...you know...while I house hunt." He kept smiling throughout and tamped down the urge to grab the whippersnapper by the ankles and shake him till the stupid fell out.

"The king will stable the cow if you take up...the challenge," said Jack.

"Oh? What challenge?"

"The king has 11 daughters and one son. Every morning they are very hard to wake and their shoes have been worn through as if they had been walked or danced in all night. But they are locked in their room at night and there is no way for them to go anywhere. The king is sick of replacing their shoes every night not to mention driven half mad with wondering what the mystery is. He has offered 1000 guilders to whoever can solve the mystery but if they cannot tell him the answer within 3 days, he will cut off their head. Many have tried but none have succeeded."

A wild excitement grew in Brian's belly. This was the clue that had been promised them!

"A thousand guilders would be a welcome addition to my pocket. Thanks for telling me Jack. I think I will try it! Good luck to you and don't let the giants eat you!"

"God forbid!" said Jack, and then he was off and running back the way he had come, as if the devil himself were chasing him. He looked and felt unfettered and free, as young boys should be.

TBC