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I woke myself up by muttering, "Borovan..." through my
dreams. My eyes opened. I sat up in astonishment. Not only were the glade and
the magnificent tree still there, but Faeries and Kougras and jungle coconut
people surrounded us. "Korrinea!" I whispered, feeling around behind me for
my Kougra. "Wake up!" I accidentally grabbed her face and she snapped at me,
and then yawned.
"What tihhhme is it?" she said through her yawn,
obviously remembering nothing.
With one voice all the people answered, "Hail,
Korrinea, guardian of the jungle!" They all bowed before my astonished Kougra,
and the trees around them bent also. The silver tree above us burst into bloom
-- a veil of tiny white flowers replacing twigs and sky. Jhuidah the Island
Faerie stepped forward and produced a wreath of lacey silver boughs from somewhere.
She settled it over Korrinea's sleepy ears and
pronounced, "I hereby name you, Korrinea -- daughter of Eliyana, daughter of
Kerntau the First Guardian, nephew of Veronu the Last Ruler, son of Arninya
the Good, daughter of Seylea the Sleek, sister of Bordeu the Hunter, son of
Sorlau the Wise, son of Manyu the Silver, son of Huntau the Hero, Kougra chieftain,
and first Kougra of the silver tree -- guardian of the Mystery Island Jungle,
and keeper of the Mystery. Who will testify to her ancestry?"
"I will," an ancient Kougra, with fur bleached
by time, spoke. Blue tattoos swirled up his paws and his eyes were almost hidden
in wrinkles. The other Kougras seemed to treat him with great respect. "I am
your father's father, child. May Pango Pango bless your reign." He withdrew
with the help of a blue Kougra youth. Korrinea's grandfather? This was
very weird.
"As the silver tree accepts her, I will also
testify," said Jhuidah.
She turned to the audience and they said together,
"Long may she reign!"
Then a young Kougra, orange with white stripes,
was nudged shyly forward. She bowed to Korri and said softly, "We've um, prepared
a song in honor of um, your return, Silver One." She cleared her throat and
began to sing. She had a high, clear alto, and the song was a sweeping jungle
ballad.
It is too long to record here, but it told of
the great Pango Pango, who made the world from a coconut shell, and of the great
seed, carried long through many dangers by the Grey Faerie, who lost it in a
battle with a sea beast over the ocean. From this seed grew the island, and
in the center of the island rose a great grey tree.
The song told of the first Kougra to walk through
the mists in the dawn of time, and how he earned his stripes. Then it sang of
the heroes and warriors and struggles of the Kougra people, and of the coming
of humans to the Island of Mystery. She sung a verse about each of Korrinea's
ancestors and their doings, and of the time when the Silver Kougra was lost
and trouble entered the jungle, and the tree was silent and alone.
Raised by humans far away
Her heart knew not its home
The meaning of her twining stripes
And heritage unknown.
But her paws did know the path
And may her people ne'er forget
Korrinea, the silver cub
Who first became a Neopet.
The silver Kougras, given power,
By the ancient silver tree
Will protect their land and people
On the Isle of Mystery.
When the orange Kougra finished, everyone applauded.
Then three coconut people of the Pango tribe shouted and rolled forth a large
hollow log. One straddled each end and on some invisible signal, set up a great
fast jungle drumbeat. More coconut people with painted faces and bells on their
ankles leapt out of the bushes carrying trays overflowing with fruit. They brought
a huge platter and placed before Korrinea.
"Um, thanks..." she said vaguely. Then Kougras
were everywhere -- dancing and laughing and eating. It was Gadgadsbogen all
over again.
The Mystery Island Faerie came up with a coconut
drink. "I know this must seem very sudden, but your people need you. I believe
you met Balthazar (Fyora curse him)?" Korrinea said nothing, so I nodded. "We
have all lived in hope that you, made complete by the powers of the silver tree,
might set things right. We have tried, to see to your training without being
too obvious."
She glanced to her left and I saw the Tiki Tack
Man dancing in a circle of Pango coconut people. Nearby the Techo master hovered,
talking to the haikougra. It was like some big conspiracy. Every detail of our
lives together was coming back to haunt me.
"The powers of the..." Korrinea spoke at last.
"The Silver Tree. Don't you feel them?" Jhuidah
looked worried.
Korrinea closed her eyes and poked around inside
herself. When she opened them again they were full of wonder. "Yes. I feel as
though I've woken from a long dream. How could I have been walking around all
this time with only part of myself?" Jhuidah laughed. Illusen came up to congratulate
Korri and say hello to the tree.
I pouted. A dream, was it? What about me? Do
I just get thrust aside now that my pet is a jungle queen? Korrinea must have
sensed my mood, for she twitched her tail and a white rose grew out of the moss
by feet and blossomed right under my nose. It smelled of lemons.
"Ashberrie will stay here with me? We do have
to stay here?" my Kougra asked.
Illusen muttered something to the Silver Tree.
A crack appeared down its trunk. It opened wider, enough for a person to enter.
A short silver hall with three doors was inside the tree! On the left was a
grey bedroom, with portraits of Kougras on the wall. One of them looked so like
Korrinea I knew it must be her mother. The other room was obviously for me.
It had several bookshelves and blue wallpaper. The last door led to a silver
kitchen, with a tiny bathroom next to it. The tree, like many things, was much
bigger on the inside than on the outside.
"Cool!" said Korri. When we came back out the
Illusen and Jhuidah were gone.
She sighed and sat down to receive her subjects.
After listening to the pixies, she proclaimed: "I hereby declare that Balthazar
the Lupe, Faerie-bane, not again set foot ever within confines of this forest-
namely, the Mystery Island Jungle -- as long as he shall exist -- and afterwards-
on penalty of imprisonment." I had a sudden mental image of Balthazar cowering
in a prison those vines that now grow at a twitch of Korrinea's tail. But I
doubted he would bless whoever released him! "I also suggest that you, the Faerie
people, form alliances to help each other if necessary, and travel in groups.
In return for my protection I request that you carry messages when I have need
of you."
"Wow," I whispered to her. "You're a natural!"
The tiny faeries made a great jingling noise and one little earth Faerie flew
forward. It pulled out a strand of its hair and held it out. Korrinea looked
confused. "To seal the pact." I hissed, yanking out a bit of her fur. I handed
it to the Faerie as Korri took the green hair. They bowed and scattered.
Next, Korri accepted a grass skirt and pledge
of arms from the Pango tribe and got acquainted with the Kougra chieftain and
her grandfather, and, to her surprise, several cousins. The Haikougra came forward
and kissed Korri's paw.
"I dwelt here when young,
heard tales of a silver tree
and a Kougra queen.
When first I saw you
I thought of the old legends
now they are fulfilled."
Korrinea and I didn't know what to say. The Haikougra
dashed away. The Tiki Tack Man shyly gave us a box of wheat flakes, and the
Techo master gave us two free training sessions. Last in line was, of course,
the Island Mystic.
"I suppose you knew all along?" asked Korri.
I could have told her she wouldn't get a straight answer.
The little old man winked. "I'm a good guesser,"
he said, handing us two steaming cups of borovan.
The End
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