Wake Up Call
FlameKeeta, the fire Lupe, was asleep in the second
chamber of the NeoRenegade cave on a bed next to FlamingFireCannon's 'nest'
(it was really a collapsed bed filled with anything that proved comfortable).
Above them was a large hole that FireCannon and Walfoulm used to fly in and
out of when they didn't want to leave a scent or tracks.
The sun had just rimmed the horizon and the
stars were receding when a large BOOM filled the entire cave, shaking the ground.
After it was a piece of paper, fluttering gently down.
All four of the cave's inhabitants awoke with
a start and FireCannon picked up the letter. He read a few lines and turned
pale, handing it shakily to Keeta who took it, confused.
Well, FlameKeeta, it seems I have found you at long last.
I have your precious Uni, you know. She isn't harmed in any way - yet.
If you do not come to the old lab within the next full moon,
she will breathe no more... And neither will you.
Have a good day!
Chezonan Mautfeld
Keeta dropped the letter and collapsed, shuddering.
"Sparklene…" she repeated weakly as Chargoun and FireCannon tried to comfort
her, after Chargoun read the letter.
Walfoulm, seemingly having known what the
letter said before it even dropped, raised his wings and flew out of the cave.
FireCannon, catching on, gave Keeta one last pat before following. If Chezo's
sender were still in the area, they would find it and demand to know where they
were camped out.
Keeta closed her eyes for a moment and broke
away from Chargoun's attempt to comfort her. She looked up, strength renewed
and eyes aflame, before running, full-speed, out of the cave. She saw FireCannon
in the sky and followed behind him, gaining ground between them with every bound.
Chargoun got up and was running after her,
yelling, but she was a blur, and he lost sight of her quickly. He had no choice
but to stay at the cave to make sure that Chezo didn't think of coming there
to attack.
When FireCannon landed, Keeta was there, panting.
A dark, shadowy Shoyru stood before the fiery Scorchio and Keeta herself. His
eyes were fierce and smaller than a normal Shoyru's. With a roar, he plunged
at FireCannon, but FireCannon braced himself and grabbed the Shoyru's lower
neck, biting down on the rest of it, hard, causing the Shoyru to scream in pain
and anger. He whipped around and knocked FireCannon off-balance with a quick
swipe of his ebony tail. The two circled slowly and finally the black Shoyru
dove and ripped FireCannon's soft underbelly, causing him to double over and
moan in pain. The Shoyru's wounds were bad, life threatening, but FireCannon's
death was imminent. The Shoyru laughed evilly and was about to go in for the
kill when Keeta let out a battle cry and launched herself on to his back, clawing
at his open wound. The Shoyru yelled and fell back in surprised, twisting and
writhing to try and get her off. Keeta clung and began to recite a spell, a
spell she had never learned but knew by heart.
She murmured the words softly and was incoherent,
even to herself. The Shoyru relaxed and his wounds closed, as did FireCannon's.
FireCannon simply lie there, moaning, but Keeta kept reciting the spell and
she jumped from the Shoyru's back, still speaking softly. The dark dragon-like
creature spread its wings and flew lazily into the air, soon disappearing from
sight.
Within moments, Keeta was at FireCannon's
side, demanding that he speak to her and tell her if he was okay. He answered
her, telling her he was fine now, and asked her what she had done.
"I don't know what I did," she admitted.
"The words just came, fell out of my mouth."
FireCannon grunted. "You're some sorceress,
you are."
"Who was that?" Keeta asked.
"FlareCharcoal, one of Chezo's most quick,
tough, angry, untrustworthy, quiet, small - and did I say quick? - messengers,"
FireCannon explained, getting up shakily. "As for you and I, let's go back to
the cave, shall we?"
Aqua Tonu
After traveling for weeks, getting lost,
running out of food and water, and barely escaping a hostile Night Lupe Pack
(black Lupes with red eyes that serve the goddess of darkness), the NeoRenegades
finally made it to the 'old lab'. This lab wasn't just a lab, it was a teleportation
spot. It could teleport Tallists* to Neopia and vice-versa. It had been out
of use since the scientist that operated it mysteriously disappeared and hadn't
been seen in about three or four years.
"This place is spooky…" Keeta said quietly
as she gazed up at the rotting laboratory.
"You're telling me…" Chargoun agreed.
"Listen," Walfoulm ordered. "There's a cave
entrance in there that leads to the Cave of the Aqua Tonu, if we speak to the
Aqua Tonu we may be able to defeat Chezo and get Sparklene back!"
Keeta took a deep breath. "Let's do it." With
that, she began forward with new-found determination.
***
Knocking open a window, the trio entered cautiously. Walfoulm, ever the wizard,
was able to navigate them through the old, crumbling lab to the entrance to
the Cave of the Aqua Tonu by use of magic. They hid out in a passageway and
searched day in and day out for Mautfeld to no avail.
It was about a week later when they heard
their voices. They put out the fire and hid and crevices in the wall. Keeta
was unarmed, but Chargoun had a sword and Walfoulm his staff. She hadn't the
time to grab a weapon now.
She didn't notice that she was staring at
Chargoun until he turned and smiled hopefully at her. Keeta seemed to crumble
and she didn't know why. Breaking away from his gaze, she collected herself
and shivered involuntarily.
The voices got closer and closer and eventually
stopped all together. Chargoun, ahead of the other two and being the leader,
crept out of his hiding place and motioned with his head for the others to come
forward. Slowly, cautiously, they slid by on the rough walls, the floor cut
their unprotected paws, as it was formed like choppy ocean waves. Above them
to the left was a huge, almost glowing ancient cave painting of running blue
Tonu. How could that be? Keeta wondered. If Tonu are so new?
She didn't have time to ponder this as Mautfeld and his crew spotted them and
were beginning to charge forward.
Keeta, feeling a bit helpless, plunged back
into their hiding place and scrabbled through the darkness for a sword as three
of Mautfeld's people followed her. She cursed as she cut her hand on the sword
blade and quickly found the hilt, raising it and herself up to fight the three.
It was a ferocious battle and left many of
Mautfeld's Neopets destroyed (he brought nearly half an army) and many more
wounded. The NeoRenegades retreated, fleeing farther into the cave, even though
they knew Mautfeld would not risk his men to go in after them. Not for their
safety, but for his in future battles.
***
It was in the middle of their battle two days later that Keeta's question
was answered. Cornered by a green Kyrii and a dark brown mutant Grundo (one
that seemed to stalk her every battle), Keeta put a paw on the ancient painting
to steady herself. The giant cave painting glowed and dulled. Heavenly voices
filled the air, talking in unison. Keeta seemed to be the only one aware of
this, and she looked around, oblivious to the gentle, lulling voices.
"We are the Aqua Tonu," the voices said
again, snapping Keeta to attention. "We are here because this is where the Tonu
hid before they entered the worlds of Neopia and Tibejb. We are here to protect
all those in the line of good. You, fiery Lupe, are not good, but are not evil,
either. Therefore, since you have a good amount of light in you, we will aid
you."
With that, the bottom of the painting began
to crumble and the two cornering Keeta, just about to strike, stopped and looked,
wide-eyed, at the happening. The Grundo turned quickly as Keeta tried to escape
and lashed, out cutting her arm. She yelped in pain and turned to fight when
the crumbling part of the painting stopped and a sound like a lot of rushing
water filled the cave and everything stopped, all heads turned to the fabled
artwork on the cave wall.
Keeta stopped breathing and she began to sweat
and panic. Water? She had a serious problem with water - she couldn't swim!
After a few heart stopping moments, the water plunged into the cave underneath
the Aqua Tonu and the beaten were washed away, the wounded that couldn't swim
went with them and the rest were left to fend on their own.
Keeta tried to swim, she did, and she hoped
that somehow Walfoulm would swoop her out of the air or FireCannon would mentally
know their peril and rush to her aid. She grabbed for anything that might hold
her up and came up with nothing but a piece of wood used for firewood and she
was sinking on it fast. The wood broke in two and she screamed for help.
"I'm coming, Keeta! Hang on!" Chargoun yelled,
swimming quickly over.
"Hang on to what?" Keeta gurgled and suddenly
felt herself being pulled out of the water - but not by Chargoun.
To be continued... | 
