The idea for this fic came out of nowhere, right after I saw a wallpaper of Ly. Since I only played the original Rayman, I may write one or two things wrong, although I hope Wikipedia is a correct source :P

As per usual I am dedicating this to my friends at the BGE Revolution Forums, in addition to David Csúri who gave me a new writing book after the old one has been stolen, and Milan Barkóczi for reading it in advance :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything concerning Rayman, except Shya, Ranika and Salian since they're mine. :D But I warn you Ubisoft, if you won't make a Beyond Good and Evil 2 very soon, I'm going to unleash horrors you can't even comprehend:D

Chapter 1: The Newcomer

Stardust sparkled in the bright moonlight, gathering on the green leaves, giving them a dim, silvery shade. The age-old branches seemed so alive and fresh like they were in their youth again. Beyond their sheltering limbs however, lurked the real surprise. The forest was overflowing with life that night, even the normally grumpy trees silently joining in the celebration. The usually quiet woods were loud with singing and laughter. All creatures, big or small, celebrated the anniversary of their world's creation, a night of joy and happiness dedicated to their god who dreamt them into existence, the Eve of Polokus. As the Lums, Teensies, Glutes and all other inhabitants frolicked around the forest, so did Polokus' emissaries, the fairies too. Their laughter, like tiny bells ringing, reached into every corner of the forest, planting joy into the hearts of everyone who heard them. They played along with everyone, while singing their ancient and beautiful songs, encouraging the trees and flowers to grow.

One person in particular was captivated by this midnight symphony, a young fairy sitting on a treetop, holding her head in her arms. Shya was enchanted by the singing and Moon's compelling light. Although she was old enough to join in the song, she rather stayed up here, gazing at the brightly shining stars. The fairy shook her sapphire-blue hair, letting it fall over her violet eyes and pointy ears. She laid back on the branch, putting her right leg above the left, her long, light-blue tail encircling both. She closed her eyes, letting the sweet moonshine emit goosebumps all over her; she loved the feeling. Giggling, she turned to her side and yawned. Suddenly the tree shook, almost causing her to fall off.

She looked around angrily to find her assailant when a derisive voice hit her ears. “Got you!” said the fairy behind her. Shya threw a small branch at the unexpected visitor. “Rani, how many times have I asked you not to sneak up on me like that!” she shouted, more glee in her voice than anger. The aforementioned, a blonde fairy by the name Ranika, grinned at her: “I still got you.” she remarked winking at Shya, her blue eyes sparkling with humour. Although she was older than Shya by two eves, she was much more playful than any other fairy Polokus had created.

“That wasn't fair, you attacked without notice!” she replied, pouting. She crossed her arms, putting on a strict face.

“I swear, next time you'll know exactly when I'm near.” Rani said with a devilish grin. “Sorry, I lied!” she shouted, jumping on the other fairy and started to tickle her.

“No, stop!” she laughed between two waves. Despite her pleads, Ranika continued, which she tried to counter by wiggling around madly. As she was throwing herself around, suddenly the branch disappeared under her and she fell from above. “SHY!!” Rani screamed as she saw Shya fall.

Luckily, the forest, fresh and vigorous from the fairy magic, was on guard and just before she would hit ground, a huge flower grew there, catching her. Shya praised the forest for being so aware but also scolded herself for not using her magic. “Ouch...” she hissed as she got up, her back hurting lightly from the fall. Even though the flower had caught most of her velocity, she still had enough to bruise herself a bit. She glanced up, and saw Rani above with a concerned look.

“When I get up there, you're going to pay for this!” she shouted to her friend. Ranika laughed at her threat, relieved that she was okay. Shya rubbed the back of her waist, laughing along when an unusual sound hit her pointy ears. It sounded a bit like someone crying, but slightly different. What could it be? she thought. Acting purely on instinct, the fairy began to run towards the sound. She briefly heard Rani asking where she was going, but ignored it for the moment. Soon, she was flowing with the wind, her eyes and ears relying completely on its currents. This way, she quickly arrived at the source of the noise. When she reached the outskirts of the forest, she materialized again and started to look for the noisemaker. Soon, she noticed that the sound was coming from some bushes in front of her. As she got closer however, it began to die away and by the time she had gotten to it, the forest was in complete silence again. Shya brushed aside a few leaves and branches, and was surprised to find a small open basket inside, with something breathing in it, under a blanket. Carefully, she leaned closer and brushed the blanket aside a little. She fell back with a surprised look on her face, just as Rani arrived. “Shy, what happened?” she asked dumbfounded. The blue-haired fairy pointed at the bushes. The other fairy looked into it, reacting almost exactly the same way as she did.

“What is it?” she asked wonderingly.

Shya shrugged her shoulder as she got up. Despite the shock, curiosity got the better of her and she took the basket out of the bushes, holding it in her arms. She lifted the blanket to look at the being inside once more. All remnants of her fear disappeared however, as she looked into the small, green orbs. The child inside fell back into sleep again, shivering a bit. It was already close to midnight and even though it was warm season, the night was a bit chilly. To Rani's amazement, she took the infant out of the basket and held it in her arms, supporting him with her own body heat along with the blanket. As her friend sat down, she took the opportunity to examine the little one. “It looks a lot like...” she spoke up.

“He.” Shya cut in.

“Okay, HE looks a lot like us.” she corrected herself, grinning. “But he's definitely not a fairy.” she continued “Maybe someone lost their baby?”

“I don't think so.” she whispered, not wanting to wake the child. “I've never seen any creatures that resemble us this much.”

“You're right on that one...” Rani admitted. “Maybe his whole species is like this? Nah, I don't think so either.” she corrected after seeing the fairy's expression.

“Whatever kind he is of, I'm downright sure that he can't possibly take care of himself.” Shya added.

“You're probably right.” sighed the other fairy. ”What are you suggesting we should do with him then?” her voice seemed concerned. This question had been bothering Shya for a while now and even though the answer was already in her head, she wasn't exactly sure about it yet.

“We can't just leave him here; he couldn't even survive the night like this! But we can't give him to anyone since there's no one of his kind around...” she said nervously, finally saying what buzzed in her mind. “No one who resembles him...except us...”

Ranika couldn't believe her ears. “You can't be serious! Neither you nor I know ANYTHING about his specie-

“But he's just like us!” Shya cried.

“But not exactly us!” shouted the older fairy. “Shy, he's not a fairy and we have no idea how to raise an infant anyway.” she lowered her voice to a kind whisper, seeing how upset her friend got.

Shya looked at the boy in her crossed arms so alike, yet so different from them. She watched as he turned around suddenly, his tiny mouth opening for a second as he yawned. The child was searching for something solid to grab onto with his small hand, finally gripping one of her fingers. A teardrop sparkled down her face as she saw him falling sound asleep again. Deep inside, she could only feel a determination that she had to protect this young life, so that he could one day see the beauties of the world. “I'll raise him.” she spoke up suddenly. Rani, although she could barely believe what she had just said, didn't want to upset her any further, so she just crouched down beside her.

“Are you sure?” she asked putting one arm around her.

Shya took a moment to look at him once more and whispered, “As sure as I'll ever be.”

“Then it seems the Eve brought many things once more, especially for you.” she said, hugging her friend. She glanced down at the sleeping child. “A newborn is given a future by a fairy...How will you call him?”

She paused for a second, and then said, “Salian.”

“Newcomer?” asked back Rani, smiling. “Fitting name. Come on, we should go back to the other's now. Both you and Salian could use a good night's sleep.”

“Go ahead, I'll be with you in a second.” she answered,

Rani was uncertain whether she should leave her like this, but in the end nod and left, leaving her alone with the child. She pulled the blanket closer around Salian, since the air was becoming positively chilly. Despite her clothing being rather fitting, it was less than enough to keep her warm. She curled into a foetal ball, encircling both of them with her tail. Though she was determined about her decision, Shya couldn't help being scared since she really had no idea how she was going to take care of him. As she was thinking about the future, the little one wiggled in his sleep, his eyes slowly opening. She gazed into the tiny lambent-green eyes, when all of a sudden he started to cry. Shya looked around scared, not knowing what to do exactly. There was absolutely no one near, leaving her without help. What should I do? Having no other idea, she dug into her memory for something that could help her. Remembering an old lullaby she heard once, she sang it to Salian as best as she could. It was no use however, since he would not stop crying no matter how she tried. Shya felt tears gathering in her eyes too. I can't...Rani was right, w-what was I thinking?! I'm not even able to calm him!” she burst out in tears, her face almost reaching his. Suddenly she felt a small hand fondling her face. Sobbing, she looked at the infant, who was stroking her face, red from crying. He had already stopped weeping and was now smiling at her, acknowledging Shya as his mother. She lapsed into a smile, staring into the beautiful face of Salian...her child.

Ranika was seriously nervous now. She had been walking around in circles for a while, the other fairies watching her curiously. Almost an hour had passed since she left Shya alone with the boy and she was getting really worried now. I never should have left her alone like that! she cursed herself. If anything was to happen to her, she could never forgive herself for it. Suddenly the bushes shook, the mentioned fairy appearing from them. “Shy!” exclaimed Rani and ran to her. She hugged her best friend as hard as she could without crushing Salian, who she was holding. “Where were you? I've be-What's wrong?” she asked noticing that her face was blood red and swollen. Shya shook her head. “Nothing, I'm just happy.” she said sobbing, but smiling. The other fairies gathered around them, eagerly watching the little infant and his new mother. Enthralled by the newcomer, they admired the two, wishing good luck and a bright future for the both of them, especially for Salian. Some of the fairies even started to sing, informing everyone through their sweet melody. Shya, overjoyed by their reaction, giggled and kissed her son's forehead: “Welcome home.”

"On this night the fairies kept singing,
Unaware of what else was happening.
For far beyond their knowing,
A threat was already growing.
But a hero too has risen this night,
To one day battle this lurking blight.
And from high above, a god gazed down,
Waiting for the day to give over his crown..."
(Ly: Salian's Birth)