Lupenapped!
Marylena was hated, picked on, and looked at as
being inferior at the Neviumbre army's training fort. Why, you ask? She was
the only female there.
"Oh, Marylena, golden rose of my heart, would
give my feet one of your wonderful paw massages?" A brown Wocky sneered.
Since it was lunchtime, and Marylena wasn't particularly hungry, she took
her plate of food and walked over to his table. "Hmm? You want a paw massage?"
The Wocky looked smug and nodded. "Well, maybe after you take a shower."
"Huh?" the Wocky grunted. "Why?"
"Oh, because you're a bit dirty…" she said
with an innocent, sweet smile as she poured her plate of food on his carefully
groomed fur. His eyes widened as the room boomed with laughter. He put his paws
in the air, looking at his coat, his mouth open wide. She gave a well-practiced
girly giggle and grin, while tweaking his nose before turning, her grin changing
into a frown, and she stalked off.
***
Marylena reviewed that moment earlier with a satisfied grin as she bounced
her Rainbow Gun between her fiery paws. Guard duty was dull. She stopped and
put her head in her paw. Being a Lupe was dull, too. Too many of them, and too
many who thought that they were so cool… She snorted. There was no Lupe she
knew that had been awarded her trust and friendship. A few Grundos, perhaps,
she got along with them rather well, and a couple Gelerts and Shoyrus… She made
friends quickly with the battle Unis and Peophins, the mounts of the warriors
and knights.
She set the Rainbow gun down and collapsed
into the grass, cradling her head in her hands. She watched as an ant scrabbled
through the blades, looking for its home. She sighed. A home. Her eyes drooped
and she fell into a dream….
***
When Marylena awoke, she found herself a bit tied up to say the least. Without
waiting, she snapped her eyes open and jerked herself around, lashing out as
she felt someone holding her in a saddle.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Relax! Relax!" the blue
Lupe cried, but Marylena struggled even more. Once she was about to break out
of the saddle, the Lupe put her ear in his teeth, and a stinging pain pulsed
through her head and she winced, quieted. "Better. Listen, we're helping you
out, now," he said. "We know who you are, where you came from, your age
- all of that."
"Then tell me," Marylena said, but her voice
was muffled through the gag. "And take this thing off of my muzzle!"
"I'll only take it off if you promise to shut
up and stay still - and no biting!" the Lupe said.
"Fine," Marylena murmured grudgingly.
The Lupe snipped off the gag with a swipe
of a claw. "Does that feel better?"
"Quite," Marylena said and leaned her head
over his arm (or leg, he being a Lupe, but whichever you prefer…). They were
trotting through a forest, not a path, on a dark green Uni. "Where are you taking
me?"
"To the NeoRenegade cave, Keets," the
Lupe said cheerfully.
Marylena didn't know why he had called her
'Keets', but without hesitating or thinking, she hissed. "Don't call me Keets!"
The Lupe snorted with laughter, and soon doubled
over the side of the saddle, bellowing in hilarious insanity. The Uni snorted
and gave a sharp kick, causing the Lupe to shoot back up and grab on to the
reins again, fully alert, but a grin was still on his face. "Your name is FlameKeeta.
We saved you and gave you to your first employers while you were still in a
coma. Apparently, you have amnesia, too. You are to be NeoRenegade warrior."
"Do I have a choice in this?" Marylena/Keeta
growled.
"Well..." the Lupe pondered. "No." Keeta would
have retorted, but he had given the Uni a kick and a cluck, causing it to leap
into a slightly uncomfortable canter.
***
The Lupe nudged Keeta awake in the saddle.
She mumbled incoherently for a moment before squinting her eyes open. She blinked
a few times before she looked with full eyes and pretended not to see the blue
Lupe's paw out to her to help her down. She slid off the green Uni's back and
turned. They were in a clearing of a forest that ended in a cliff where a cave
mouth opened widely before them, in a never-ending yawn.
"Where are we?" Keeta questioned.
"You are at the NeoRenegade Cave with me,
LoveChargoun." He grabbed her paw and raised it to kiss her paw, but she ripped
it back to her and rubbed it like he'd stabbed her, glaring at Chargoun evilly.
"You'd better not be the only one here," Keeta
growled.
"Oh, no, of course not! WIZARDWWAALLFFOOUULLLMM!"
Chargoun screamed.
A silver Eyrie stomped out of the darkness
of the cave mouth, scowling. "What do you want Chargoun? I am in no mood for
your most recent antics!"
"Ah, but we have a guest!"
"Eh? Who is he?" Walfoulm said, squinting
out into the light of the sun.
"She is FlameKeeta!" Chargoun exclaimed, throwing
his paws around to introduce the fire Lupe. Keeta glared and was about to speak
to the Eyrie when she suddenly felt the ground leave her. She gave a yell and
began to squirm.
"Let go of me!" She screeched.
Whoever it was carrying her up and up laughed
in a deep voice, causing Keeta to shake a bit as his stomach jiggled merrily.
"Not likely! I believe I will keep you as my princess and take you to my lair!"
He chuckled again and swooped slightly lower.
"Bring her down, FireCannon!" Chargoun yelled,
motioning him down with his paw as Walfoulm looked on in amusement.
"Ha! And let you have this fine beauty all
to yourself?" FireCannon, Keeta presumed, laughed again. "Not likely!"
Keeta coughed. "Excuse me, but 'fine beauty'
is not exactly what I would prefer to be called!"
"How about ugly rat?" FireCannon suggested
gleefully.
"Better," Keeta muttered. This caused FireCannon
to loose a lot of altitude as he bellowed with laughter and made Keeta cringe.
"Well then, I think I'll leave you to these
two fellows. You're a bit to lively and ugly for me," FireCannon said happily
as he deposited Keeta back on the now-blessed ground.
She snorted at him before turning her back
to him and looking at Chargoun and Walfoulm. "Anybody else you'd like me to
meet?" she growled to the blue Lupe.
"Nope, nobody else," Chargoun said with a
rather demented-looking grin.
Keeta continued to glare. "Where do I sleep?"
she asked evenly, not breaking her gaze on the Lupe, who she was talking to.
However, the silver Eyrie, Walfoulm, answered her question.
"In the cave. I will show you if you will
follow me," he said and motioned his paw towards the cave.
Keeta turned, slightly surprised. "Of course."
With that, she followed him into the cave and to her little cot in the far corner
of the second 'room' of the cave.
Meanwhile, outside of the cave, Chargoun watched
after them until they disappeared into the darkness, grinning. "A bit spunky,
eh?"
"Spunky?" FireCannon chuckled. "She's a bit
more than spunky. I wouldn't be surprised if she was the dark goddess herself…"
To be continued... | 
