Past Collar and Leash: Part One by moonstripe |  |
You'll never know what it's like when they come and take you
away. It flies silent, never letting you know till the last possible moment.
But when it comes... you've no doubt it's over...
It was a day like any other... and why shouldn't it have been?
I, Kyro, lay dozing on the sofa, like any Kyrii would be doing at that time
of day. The TV was blaring, chip crumbs scattered over my red silken fur...
a perfect afternoon. The clock struck four, but as everyone who came to our
NeoHome knew, the clock was 10 minutes behind.
Still, I stretched, shook the chips from my fur and flicked
the remote. With a click the television went blank. Scratching my ear doggedly,
I sauntered over to the fridge. Ahh... the refrigerator... what magic it
holds...
"An Apple... yuck... Tomato... nope... ah ha! Holiday Slushie!"
Tye always did make an excellent shopper... he knows just what I like. He's
my owner... quite a guy... well, usually... He's always off shopping at this
time of day.
There was a thump at the door... Tye isn't usually home this
early. Little did I know at the time... the person behind the door certainly
wasn't Tye.
Maybe if I had been more alert and ready, it wouldn't have
happened. Maybe if Tye had been home, they wouldn't have got me. All that I
know, is that whatever happened, it's gone and past. As I made my way to the
front door of our little NeoHome, slushie in paw, I failed to see the white
truck parked outside the front window in our gravel driveway: Neopian
Pound.
It happened so fast. The door flew open, a huge hand cuffed
me round the head and I fell to the ground, my slushie splattering over the floor
in a shower of Christmas colour. A green meshed net was thrust over my head,
and I struggled, too much in shock to shout out. Soon I was tangled in the net,
and the fibers were cutting into my skin. I lunged and kicked but nothing worked,
I just got even more tangled and... and terrified...
I had no idea what was going on, my heart pounded in my chest,
and before I knew it, I was dumped into this place, to sit in the miserable
silence, with nothing to do but wonder. You know it as well as I do Paroko.
All of us here know it..."
The little bit of light, coming in from the bared cell window,
was enough to show the little Pteri whom Kyro was talking to. His eyes were
navy blue, and shone in the darkness, while his rich blue feathers were a match
for the sky. He had his head thrust through the bars listening to the young
Kyrii's story. A moment of silence passed, in which only the moaning and growling
of other homeless captives where heard.
Finally Paroko (for that was the Pteri's name) clacked his
beak, and shuffled awkwardly on his perch in the next cell. Then, he spoke,
with a strange Mexican accent, "Kyro, me pacha, I can see you must 'ave it mucho
harder dan dee rest of us. But don' sweat it man, you' see Tye 'gin." Kyro ran
a paw over his ears, scratching behind his neck. Dejectedly, he slumped against
the wall, "I don't know Paroko. I can't even begin to think where he could be,
or why he doesn't come and get me."
Just then, the heavy wooden door at the end of the long hallway
creaked open, and a bulky man in a black suit stomped in, a grin on his face,
which could be seen in the bright light of the doorway. Kyro and Paroko pressed
their faces to the bars, and looked out at the scene. He took a ring of black
iron keys from his waist, and fingered through them, muttering something about
'finishing the job once and for all'. Finally, he found the right key, and pushed
it into the lock of the nearest cage.
A roar sounded from inside, and the man hurriedly grabbed the
end of a long steel chain. A huge red Skeith jumped out, and the guard whacked
it heavily between the ears with a iron crow bar. It whimpered slightly, and
followed the man through the door. With a thumping creak, it closed, and left
them all in darkness once again.
Paroko stayed at the bars, looking out into the dim as Kyro
went back to the wall, and curled up. The Pteri spoke up, as he looked around
at the Neos in cages beyond, "Anoder one for dee shippin'. You know Kyro me
man, we'll 'ave ta go too sometime..."
Silence greeted this remark, until Kyro replied, "I'm going
to sleep now Paroko..."
Kyro lay down on his damp straw bed, nuzzling in as deep as
he could get. Through eyes fogged with sleep, he watched as Paroko shook out
his feathers, and settled into sleep himself, saying groggily, "No kindin' man..."
Dreams are one of the more peculiar things in life... like
a summer breeze it has no boundaries, and is free to fly to the limits, being
what ever it wants to be. Kyro tossed and turned, kicking up straw and moaning
piteously...
He was running... he was running no place, from nothing and
for no reason... but he had to run. Through fogged visions of future events,
through forest, through mountains, through sky... all he knew was that he was
running... Suddenly, someone was in front of him. Looking up, he saw who it
was. "Tye!" The brown haired boy smiled, an leant down to pick the Kyrii up...
But when the hand touched Kyro, he knew in an instant his owner had left. Looking
up, he saw the man with the green net, an evil smile on his dull face.
"No!!!" Kyro cried, and he kicked and tried to jump, but no
matter what he was still there.
"TYE!!!" he cried, "Tye, Help me!!! Where are you Tye? Where's
Tye!!!"
"Man! Wake up dude!"
With a jolt, Kyro sat up, his fur hot and sweaty. He was breathing
heavily, trying to make sense of what had happened. Looking up, he saw the dark
cell, and Paroko's gleaming blue eyes. The Pteri flapped his wings, looking
down at Kyro, "Yo man, you was wakin' da whole house! Wha'ds up wid you
dude?"
Putting a shaky paw to his forehead, he ran it down past his
ears, and gave a shake, "It was... Tye! It was Tye, Paroko! I saw him!
He must've been here! TYE!!!"
Paroko hissed angrily, "Wha' cho wanna do? Wake up DA whole
place?!? Keep it down, man!" Kyro looked at him, "But my owner, Tye! Didn't
you see him? He was-" Paroko interrupted him, flapping his wings angrily" Listen
dude, 'was a dream! Go back TA sleep!" The Pteri turned his back, settling down
on his perch.
It struck Kyro hard. Tye... he wasn't here... it was a dream.
Disappointed, he slumped back down into the straw. The dream didn't matter now...
he would see Tye, one way or another...
***
With a squeal, the wooden door opened once again. Morning had
come and that meant food. It was Marco, a skinny teenager who had the responsibility
of feeding the Neos. Kyro watched him through the bars, coming up the hall,
opening first one door then another dealing out their one and only meal of the
day. A huge pot of slop in one hand and a ladle in the other. Along side him
jangled the key ring; that was what Kyro was after.
Within 20 minutes, Marco had made it to Paroko's cage. Clumsily,
he fumbled with the keys until the door finally swung open. That was Parokos
queue. With born speed, he launched himself from his perch, slamming heavily
against the boys shoulder, and knocking him to the floor. The keys flew from
his hand, as the small Pteri came in for a second attempt.
It felt like every one of the captive Neos were watching him,
as Kyro grabbed the key ring. He had to do this quick, before Marco knew what
was happening and could sound the alarm.
Shoving the first key in, he turned it. Nothing. Hastily, he
took it out and tried the next. No luck. Feeling desperate, he knew he was almost
out of time as the 5th key failed him. Marco was fighting Paroko off with the
soup ladle, swearing as the young Pteri swooped down on his head and began pecking
it. The 6th key went in, "Turn, turn!!!" He thought.
Click. The door flew open, and Kyro raced behind Marco
and down the cement floor of the hall. Paroko was soon flying low beside him,
urging, "Hurry man!!! De do-fuss is almost upon us!!!" Chancing it, Kyro
looked over his shoulder, where Marco was run clumsily along, shouting, "ESCAPE!!!
P-Prisoners 123 and 124!!! ESCAPE!!!"
The exit was before them, shining bright light upon them. Suddenly,
the worn wooden door swung fully open, and there stood something Kyro and Paroko
would never forget...
To be continued... |
