Needed Too: Part Three by tdyans |  |
"A long time ago," Dantam began his story, "or at least,
it feels like a long time ago, I had an owner named Madison--Maddy. That's
why I'm painted. She was pretty wealthy, but she was a good person too. I, on
the other hand..." he trailed off, and decided to start again. "Well, anyway,
one day I came home and Maddy told me that she had to leave Neopia--that she
had to sell all of her things and abandon me. And that's how I ended up on the
streets..."
He'd struggled to find the right words at first,
stuttering and stumbling over his explanations, but as he continued with his
story, Dantam found it easier and easier, until it seemed as though the words
were flowing from his mouth of their own accord. The beautiful cloud Gelert
was an attentive listener, and he found himself telling her everything. He told
her how he'd stumbled upon Feruli and the others when he was starving and exhausted
after being abandoned and how they'd led him to the warm, inviting junkyard
that he would have scoffed at just a week before. He told her about all the
things that the junkyard pets did to provide for each other and survive for
another day.
He told her about Cap, the old green Skeith who
had acted as a kindly father figure to all of the homeless pets in the junkyard,
watching over them and telling them stories at night. He told her about that
dark day when Cap had passed away and about the promise that Cap had asked him
to make to take care of the others. And finally, he told her how he'd fulfilled
that promise by finding good owners for all of his friends, and how he continued
to run the junkyard in Cap's stead to this very day--taking in and caring for
pets off the streets and then working to find them just the right owners who
could teach them to love and trust again.
By the time Dantam had finished his story, they
were climbing to the top of a grassy hill in the west of Neopia, and the junkyard
full of pets lined up to receive their dinner rations came into view below.
"Well, here we are... home sweet home," Dantam said a little uncertainly. Even
though she had obviously already concluded from his story that "home" was a
junkyard and hadn't said a word, he still worried about how she might feel about
really living there. It was apparent from her painted coat, intricate collar,
and impeccable grooming that she was used to living in luxury, whether she consciously
remembered it or not.
But Tessa just nodded trustingly and followed
him down the hill and toward the entrance to the fenced-in junkyard, where a
yellow female Elephante was waiting with a clipboard. "Sorry I'm late, Portia,"
Dantam called out to her.
The young Elephante looked up from her notes
and smiled to see Dantam approaching, with a cloud Gelert following shyly behind
him. "Oh, that's all right Dantam. I know how you are. Now, who's our new friend?"
"This is Tessa," Dantam introduced. "Tessa,
this is Portia. She takes care of the, uh, book-keeping around here, so to speak.
So, Portia, are all the teams in?"
"Yes," the Elephante said brightly as she marked
one more thing off on her clipboard and then fell into step beside Dantam and
Tessa as they headed into the junkyard. "And I've tallied our supplies, sorted
out what we need to sell and what we need to keep, and decided on the team assignments
for the next week."
Dantam chuckled at the Elephante's enthusiasm.
"Good," he said. "Allegra taught you well. It's really too bad that I'll have
to bring her back to teach a new pet to replace you soon..."
Portia's leathery face crinkled in confusion
and then lit up with excitement as she suddenly realised what he was implying.
"Oh, Dantam, do you really mean it?! You've found an owner for me?!"
"Ah, ah, ah," Dantam chided mock-seriously,
"Owner Day is only a couple of weeks away. You'll just have to wait until then
to find out just like everyone else." By the end of his little speech, Dantam
could maintain his stern expression no longer. A sly grin broke across his face,
and he winked at Portia, which sent the Elephante dancing excitedly ahead of
them through the maze of junk with her happy news.
Dantam led Tessa along after the excited Elephante
through the winding pathway bordered on either side by stacks of old and broken
things that the rest of Neopia had thrown away. Finally, they reached the centre
of the junkyard and the passageway that they'd been traveling down opened up
into a large clearing bustling with activity. As the two Gelerts walked together
through the centre of the clearing, the other homeless pets were quick to notice
that their leader was not quite as alone as he normally was. Some paused in
their games, or conversations, or dinners to toss a friendly greeting to Dantam
and the newcomer, while others simply stared curiously and whispered to each
other in interest about the pretty cloud Gelert with the nice collar.
Dantam finally stopped and sat, nodding for Tessa
to do the same, beside a large pile of food in one corner of the encampment,
where many pets were lined up waiting to pick out their meals for the day. Dantam
smiled as Tessa sat down, looking a bit uncertain. "Best way to meet everybody,"
he explained. "Catch them as they're getting dinner. Everyone's got to eat,
after all."
One by one the lined-up Neopets stopped to chat
with Dantam and say hello to the new member of the junkyard before collecting
their food of choice and retiring to their favourite eating place. It wasn't
long before Tessa's timidity had evaporated and she was happily talking with
several of the junkyard pets as if they were old friends. Dantam ceased making
the introductions altogether, simply standing back and observing. Tessa seemed
to have a way about her that could charm even the most hard-hearted of the homeless
pets.
Suddenly, a little red Aisha cub came running
crookedly through the line of pets, whimpering, "Dantam, Dantam, help--"
Dantam stepped forward quickly, his brow creasing.
"Koda, what's the matter?" he asked the distraught cub.
"We--we were p-p-playing," she sobbed, "and
then, and then... look!" The Aisha held out one little red paw, showing him
the splinter that she'd gotten during her rough-housing.
"Oh--" was all that Dantam could manage as he
realised how small the problem really was and felt a surge of relief.
"Oh, let me see it," a voice spoke up suddenly.
Dantam turned to watch Tessa as she approached the little Aisha, who held her
paw out to the stranger. "Ooh, that is a nasty splinter," the female Gelert
said, offering just the right amount of fussing to satisfy the little Aisha's
distress. "Dantam, do you have any cactopus leaves?"
"Uh, yes, yes, I think we have some stored away
somewhere around here," Dantam said, wandering off obediently to find it. By
the time he returned, Tessa had efficiently removed the terrible splinter and
Koda's tears seemed to have similarly disappeared as she laughed at some joke
that the cloud Gelert whispered in her long ear. Tessa thanked Dantam for the
cactopus leaf, broke it open, and gently rubbed the sap on Koda's hurt paw.
"There, that should make it feel all better, and now it will heal faster," she
said before finally releasing Koda to go running back excitedly to her playmates.
Tessa turned back to Dantam then and he couldn't
help the smile that spread across his muzzle at the simple magic she'd just
worked. He ducked his head and coughed, but the grin refused to leave. "Well,
uh, why don't you grab some food and I'll show you where you can sleep. You
can stay in my shelter and I'll sleep outside."
"Oh, I wouldn't want to turn you out of your
home."
"No, no, I don't mind sleeping out under the
stars... just until we find your owner, whoever it is."
***
But Tessa's memory refused to return, and although Dantam always kept an eye
out for clues, it was difficult to search for someone who he knew nothing about.
It wasn't long before Tessa had come to feel like a regular part of life at
the junkyard. While Dantam and the other homeless pets went out during the day
in order to collect food and other needed supplies, Tessa stayed at the junkyard
with Portia and helped to watch after the pets who were too young to go out
on duties and who absolutely adored her. She seemed to have a gift for healing,
although, of course, she couldn't recall where she'd acquired it, so she always
tended to those who arrived at the end of the day bruised or scratched from
various mishaps on the streets.
Every one of the junkyard pets grew fonder and
fonder of Tessa, with her friendly and compassionate manner, as the days wore
on. And Dantam found himself returning to the junkyard earlier and earlier each
evening, although he couldn't pinpoint just why.
To be continued... |
