Faltoh froze. He didn't breathe, he didn't blink, he didn't move. Sahhara hurried
to his side, her head glanced in all directions. There was silence.
BOOM!
A sound like a bomb filled the air as the mountains in the distance collapsed
and turned black. A cloud of mist spread in rings, growing vaster, along the
snow fields. More silence followed.
"Run!"
Sahhara whispered urgently. Like a wisp of smoke, the two Lupe's skimmed the
sugar-like snow toward the only nearest shelter. They came a rough distance
of a kilometre from the village. Ice was falling from the sky, and not just
any ice, long, pointed ice. Sahhara's eyes became wide as she jumped out of
the way from each falling icicle. It shimmered silver as more hailed down each
second. Faltoh was rooted, scared stiff. Sahhara grabbed him by the scruff of
the neck and urged him to keep running. Snow flew into their eyes and noses,
sneering their senses. They fell through the large oak fortress that protected
the village. NeoPets were running about, screaming. Sick with fear, the Lupes
ran past ruined houses and shops.
Narrowly missing another chunk of ice, Sahhara shouted for them to turn left.
As they ran through the alleyway, the pub collapsed. Sahhara stopped dead in
her tracks. Faltoh skidded to a halt at her side. Through the dust of the fallen
building emerged a shadow. A pair of blazing amber eyes were wide. It was a
stray Lupe from the village. Sahhara and the Lupe locked eyes for a moment,
as though lost in a dream.
"RUN!" shouted the voice of the stranger. Sahhara doubled back, and dashed
with the other two NeoPets. Where she was headed, she didn't know. Icicles rained
down as a long rattling roar filled the chilling air. A giant serpent made of
ice slithered silently down the fallen mountains. Sahhara heard the screams
from the panicked villagers.
"It's the Snowager!"
Sahhara felt the crests around her neck longing for a battle. Sahhara became
engulfed with the same feelings, yet she continued to tear through the village.
She glanced over her shoulder, her limbs stinging with the strain of running,
and the bitter coldness of the snow. The newcomer Lupe was slowing down.
Sahhara turned around and skidded over, making a difficult twist in mid-air
to avoid being speared by yet another icicle. She nudged the Lupe, who appeared
to be injured.
"C'mon, we have to keep going!" she said in a half urgent, half sombre tone.
The Lupe looked up. "Follow me!" he exclaimed.
Sahhara followed the dim outline as she was led hastily through the snow and
down a hole, like that of a burrow.
She was lead deeper into the damp, dark tunnel, her feet squelched in the
softened earth. Finally, she saw light. Candles and lanterns were alight as
Sahhara found all the villagers sitting on mattresses, the floor had basic tiles
on it, with only the few bare essentials: canned food, bottled water, and woolly
blankets were strewn everywhere. Families, friends, or relatives were nursing
each others wounds, over coming the shock of the snowstorm, and waiting for
the worst to be over.
The Lupe she had been following turned to face her. He was like no other she
had seen before. His Amber eyes were a new feature, but his fur pattern was
green, gold, red, and orange, in layers, which merged together to give some
form of a... living look to him. Sahhara had never recalled seeing such colours
as vivid as his anywhere in Neopia before.
Sahhara realised she was staring and quickly looked away. She then noticed
Faltoh was not with them. A numb expression over took her face, as she turned
on her heels and dashed back through the burrow, without a word. She was nearing
to embrace the snow and danger once more, when she heard someone padding up
the tunnel behind her.
"WAIT!"
Sahhara spun around. A tubby little Chia was panting, repositioning its gloves,
and plodding up to her.
"My brother's still out there!"
Sahhara stared blankly at the Chia. It had some nerve!
"You're lucky I'm not hungry, Chia!" she growled. Yet, she understood the
feeling it must have had.
The Chia quivered slightly, but continued making it's way boldly towards her.
"Please help me!"
Sahhara looked a bit softened. She held out a paw and led the Chia outside.
The Snowager wasn't hard to find. He was huge and loud, clearly stating his
fury to all.
"FALTOH!" Sahhara shouted, her voice drowned out by the rumbling roar. The
Chia sprinted off somewhere into the rubble of the town. Sahhara didn't care
too badly about this; she sniffed around, coughing as she inhaled the harsh
snow. The icicles had stopped, but were littered everywhere, on every inch of
snow.
The Snowager slithered diving down to something. Sahhara looked up in horror,
a struggling figure was being held by the scruff of its neck. With one flick
of its head, the Snowager swallowed the figure whole. Sahhara's heart stopped
beating.
She couldn't move, that is until something bumped into her. Two Chias were
waddling back down the hole, the first one Sahhara had met, stopped and shouted
at her.
"Hurry!"
The Chias little brother scampered down the hole without hesitation. Sahhara
stood in the snow.
The crests were forcefully urging her forward. She growled, and with a new-found
speed, rushed at the towering ice-snake. Sahhara sunk her teeth painfully into
the icy side of the Snowager It roared and exposed its fangs threateningly.
The Firecrest was released as the symbol burned red on her forehead, like it
had with the Aircrest. This time, a Grarrl engulfed in flames floated in the
air and sent a blast of white-hot fire between the Snowager's eyes. Sahhara
was flung off as the Snowager roared in agony, a patch on its head began melting.
It slithered off, leaving a trail of icy water, like a river, as he retreated
back to the mountains.
***
The villagers, now thawed out from their terror, were working together, recycling
the shattered wood, building new homes and shops. Sahhara over looked the plains.
Why didn't she check to see if Faltoh was with her? He was such a young, ignorant
thing… he wouldn't have had a chance. She sighed as the dark clouds rumbled.
No one had seen the sun for years. The sky was always clouded and grey… even
early in the morning.
The Lupe Sahhara saw last night sat beside her. She continued staring over
the helpless ice fields.
"I heard you lost your friend… I'm sorry," he said.
Sahhara didn't say anything. What was there to say? There was a moment silence.
"Why was the Snowager angered? Who woke him up!? Who stole something!" Sahara
burst out.
There was no answer.
"I'm sorry things weren't different. How's about I take your mind off it…
come with me to the town party tonight, try and forget things for at least one
night…"
Sahhara looked slightly thunderstruck. She had never been asked THAT before
either. "Oh!" Was all she could manage to say. "Erm, all right," she managed
to say with a small, half-hearted smile. She couldn't help feeling a little
special.
***
That night Sahhara arrived to the town opening. In the midst of laughing cheerful
townspeople, she passed Gelerts, Acaras, Unis, and a bunch of cheerful Chias.
That one little Chia waved and smiled admirably at her. She smiled and waved
back. A pack of Lupes were having a cola or two, also proud of their accomplishment.
Sahhara was impressed too, the town looked twice as good as before, and it had
twice as much cheer and happy feelings within its walls as well.
She was soon found by Akadel (the Lupe who asked her to accompany him to the
village opening). He smiled like she did as he held out a hand to dance to the
music now playing from a group of Lennys. The night was better than Sahhara
could have thought. By the end of the night, she was cheerful for at least a
little while.
Akadel she got to know very well. He took her somewhere quiet, and pulled
out a very small, but very lively pink rose. Sahhara's jaw-dropped.
"Is that… a flower!?" she asked, hardly daring to believe it.
"It is, and it's for you!" he grinned.
Sahhara held the flower within her paws, feeling a bit of the fading power
from the world as she stroked its blossoms.
"But… flowers don't grow in Neopia anymore... how!?"
"Ah... I have been growing it for some time, trying my best to bring a bit
of colour to this place, it may be small but I managed it, crushing the roots
of dead trees... melting snow… but it was worth it, don't you think?"
Sahhara couldn't speak. This gift was beyond what she had expected. It showed
there was life still within the world, and with a bit of prompting, it would
return. She hugged Akadel tightly.
She knew who her heart belonged to now.
***
She was ready. With a bag of packed goods Sahhara lingered in the village
before her departure. The Chia (whose name was JingleyBellz) had given her a
fine tooth comb and a little blue Lupe plushie, which she thought was rather
nice, seeing Sahhara was a Lupe and JingleyBellz was a Chia.
Sahhara sat once more on the edge of the cliff. She had made a few friends
in her short stay, and she had to leave once more, to finish the search for
the moon crest. Depression settled in her heart once more. Her mind mostly focused
on Faltoh. That is, until Akadel joined her. She faced him, feeling double the
sadness.
"Why can't you come with me?" she asked sorrowfully.
"I have a job to do… now I'm back on my feet I must go about my duty of protecting
the village… just like you must go about your duty on finding and destroying
these… crests."
"Will I ever see you again?" Akadel gave a confident smile.
"Of course we will!"
Sahhara felt her spirits lift as she said her final farewells, and was on her
way to search the shores of the dead-sea.
To be continued... | 
