Snatcher

     Snick was sleeping rolled-up in his basket when suddenly someone pulled a bag over his head. The little Snicklebeast couldn't understand what was going on. Just a moment ago, he had a beautiful dream about Aleena and him playing tag in the snow. And now he was being carried away in a dark and stuffy bag. He tried to scream for help but it seems that no one heard him.

     ***

     The next morning...

     Like always Aleena – a young and energetic Snow Usul – jumped out of her bed when the first sunlight touched her nose. "Good morning, Snick! Let's have another great day together." With those words, she went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. But something was different. Usually, Snick would follow her everywhere. However, today he remained in the bedroom. "Hey Snick, wake up, you little sleepyhead. You'll miss breakfast."

     When Aleena saw that the basket was empty, her heart skipped a beat. "Snick, where are you? Come on, that's not funny!" she shouted but did not get an answer. She looked for her beloved petpet everywhere. Snick was nowhere to be found, though. Worried as she was, Aleena left the house to look for Snick outside – calling his name over and over again.

     As time went by, she met a couple of other villagers who were looking for their petpets as well. Especially a young Bruce caught her attention. He was all in tears, unwilling to believe that his best friend would leave him behind just like that. His grandmother was accompanying the boy. With a deep sigh she shook her head. "Oh my dear boy, I don't think that little fellow ran away. It's them who took him!" Hearing those words sent chills up and down Aleena's spine. Them... The granny must be talking about the Snatchers.

     The Snatchers are a group of villagers who kidnap petpets to sacrifice them to the Snow Beast. For some reason, they believe that offering poor innocent petpets would protect them from harm.

     For their crimes, they were banished from the village and forced to live in the woods. But that didn't keep them from sneaking into nearby villages and abducting petpets. In the past, they only took Snorkles, Meepits and Polarchucks since the Snow Beast likes them the best. Recently, however, there have been disturbing reports of different species of petpets being taken away.

     Realizing what has happened hit Aleena like a ton of bricks. Her heart hurt so much and, for a moment, she was unable to breathe. With the first tear rolling down her cheek, she collapsed to the ground and started to cry uncontrollably.

     ***

     Meanwhile, deep in the woods...

     A group of cloaked figures gathered around a small fire pit which was the only source of light. "Bring them here!" ordered the biggest one. Immediately, the others hurried to carry a large cage to the fire. The big one took a close look on some dozens of frightened petpets that his underlings captured during the last night. "Is that all? I doubt the beast will be satisfied with this. You better bring some more tomorrow." That being said, he turned around, sat down again and stared into the fire. "You know what you have to do next."

     Three underlings were chosen to carry out the task. None of them seemed to be happy about it but they obeyed. Without a single word of complaint, they took the cage and left.

     Their destination was a cave high up in the mountains – the home of the Snow Beast. It was an exhausting climb and much to the chagrin of the three Snatchers they were already expected. Three agents of the Petpet Protection League waited in front of the cave's entry. "They never learn," said one of the Snatchers and took out a number of Stone Snowballs. He was a skillful snowball thrower and hit all three agents on the head, sending them to the ground. "Now let's hurry before they wake up again!"

     And so they took one petpet after the other and threw them into the cave from where a bloodcurdling roar cut through the silence. Of course, poor Snick was one of them. The little fellow struggled against his abductors but in the end he stood no chance of freeing himself.

     ***

     Two hours later...

     After Aleena had recovered from her breakdown, she mobilized some villagers to help her rescue the kidnapped petpets. When they arrived at the cave, they found the three agents from the Petpet Protection League lying on the ground. "We are too late," moaned a Yurble who hoped to get his Doglefox back.

     "Shush," said Aleena, "there is still hope!"

     Together, they took care of the agents. Luckily, they were not seriously injured. The stone snowballs simply knocked them out. Soon they woke up and apologized for their failure. "We are truly sorry. When the PPL heard of the crimes committed by those Snatchers, they sent us here. We were supposed to prevent further sacrifices but once again we failed. Those Snatchers are just too cunning," said the Chia, deeply ashamed.

     "It's not too late. Maybe our petpets are still alive," suggested Aleena, but the agents shook their head.

     "The petpets serve as food for the Snow Beast. I doubt that there is anything we can do for them," the Kacheek replied.

     These words crushed the petpet owners' last hope.

     They decided to go back to their village to grieve for their lost friends. Only Aleena didn't move. There she stood, her eyes filled with tears. "But we have to save them..." she whispered.

     The Chia put his hand on her shoulder and said in a comforting voice "You should go home, too, girl."

     Aleena shook away his hand. "I can't! I have to try to save Snick. Otherwise, I will never be able to forgive myself!" And then the little Snow Usul dashed forward right into the beast's cave.

     The cave was filled with a strange cold light. Before Aleena lied a long tunnel that led her deeper into the mountain. Slowly she moved forward and finally found the beast sleeping in a corner of a huge hollow. The size of that monster took away Aleena's breath. Nevertheless, she continued to put one foot in front of the other. As she entered the hollow she noticed a little ice cage in the corner opposite to the beast's sleeping place.

     Aleena almost shouted out. There he was – alive and kicking! Her beloved Snick and many other scared petpets. Apparently, the Snow Beast does not devour its offerings immediately but saves them for later.

     The little Usul rushed over to the cage. "It's alright. You are safe now. I'll free you. You just have to keep quiet until we get out of here," she explained in a low voice. The petpets listened to her as they understood that this might be their only chance to escape. One after the other was lifted out of the cage. The last one was Snick. Aleena held him tight, happy to have her friend back. Together they sneaked out of the cave.

     Outside, the PPL agents and villagers waited for Aleena. They were so worried about her that they did not dare to go back. Seeing that she was not alone was a real surprise to everyone. The petpets whose owners were present fell into their arms. Also, the other petpets were safely returned to their home. Everyone was happy and thanked Aleena for being so brave. Initially, she was very happy herself but when she came to rest she started to worry about the future. After all, Snick could get kidnapped again...

The End