The Great Migration: Part Three

"Borver, wait!"

      Borver turned around slowly. "What do you want?"

      "Look, I know that you may or may not want my help, but you seem to need it," Arkatha began, "Borver, I want to help you. I'm going to help you find your colony.

      Borver cocked his head, "how would you be able to help me?"

      "Well, you see," Arkatha began, "I read this article once about the great Bori migration. It's really quite fascinating. I also studied a map with all the routes taken by the Bori. According to the map and article, tomorrow afternoon, the whole Bori population should be passing through Aigon Ridge, which is just about a mile away from here. When we reach the Ridge, all you have to do is find your colony."

      Borver shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, that's a good idea, but there's only one problem."

      "What?"

      "I don't remember my colony."

      "Hmm…" Arkatha scratched his head, "that's a tricky one." Suddenly, the gears in Arkatha's head clicked. "Hey Borver," he asked, "Have you ever heard of a relapse?"

      "No."

      "A relapse is when something occurs again. A memory relapse is suddenly remembering something that happened along time ago. It can often be triggered by looking at someone or something. For example, you forgot which colony is yours right? Maybe if you spot one of the Bori that happened to be in your colony, you will remember them."

      Borver nodded. "That sounds good to me." He then looked into the direction of the ridge. "Well, we better get going if we reach this migration place by tomorrow."

      Arkatha nodded, and with that, the two set off towards the ridge, not knowing what to expect when they got there.

     ***

      After a long night of walking, Arkatha and Borver finally planted themselves on top of a cliff overlooking Aigon Ridge. They had had a rough night; the mosquitoes had been bad and an unexpected rain storm had blown in.

      Borver anxiously wandered over to the edge of the cliff. "Where are they? Why aren't they here yet?"

      "Patience my friend," Arkatha assured his friend, "they will be here soon. The Bori probably ran into some trouble on the way here and will be a little late."

      "Whatever you say," Borver murmured, but he still looked quite nervous.

      Day soon turned to night. Borver and Arkatha had grown tired waiting and fell asleep.

     ***

      "Rumble, rumble!" A deep sound echoed through the moonlit sky. It had awakened Arkatha from his sleep. A sudden chill hit him. A thin layer of snow coated the ground; a sign that fall was official over.

      "Rumble, rumble!" The earth seemed to shake beneath Arkatha's feet. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Borver, still asleep.

      "Borver," Arkatha whispered sharply, "Borver, get up!" The Bori slowly opened his eyes and looked around.

      "Wha…?"

      "No time to explain Borver, come on!" Arkatha led Borver to the edge of the cliff. "Their coming," he breathed.

      Arkatha was right, for a second later, thousands of Bori starting pouring into the ridge.

      As Borver gazed down in awe, an old memory came to him. He remembered a white Bori with auburn eyes, talking softly to him. The Bori had been his mother.

      "Arkatha," Borver yelped, "I remember, I remember my mother! She was a white Bori; a white Bori with auburn eyes!"

      "I think I see her!" Arkatha cried, pointing to a Bori that was leading the way.

      Borver looked, "that's her all right!"

      "Well, what are we waiting for, come on!" Arkatha cried and the two started down the cliff.

      The ridge was like a mad house. There were so many Bori that it was nearly impossible to move.

      "I see her, she's over there!" Borver hollered over the commotion, pointing to the white Bori who was just a few feet ahead.

      "Jump Borver, jump," Arkatha shouted. "You must rejoin her!"

      Suddenly, a Bori turned and saw Arkatha. Its eyes grew wide. "Ah, a Lupe, run for your life!" it cried. All the other Bori saw Arkatha, and they took to their feet, shouting and screaming in the process.

      "What is it with other Neopets and Lupes?!" Arkatha grumbled.

      Borver jumped, but he lost his sight of his mother amiss the confusion and landed on top of a frazzled Christmas Bori.

      "Watch it buster!" the Bori shouted and pushed Borver off his back. Three Bori trampled poor Borver trying to get away from the so called 'dangerous' Lupe.

      "Arkatha, help me!" Borver cried.

      "I'm on my way!" Arkatha shouted as he rushed into the crowd and helped his friend up.

      Suddenly, a rather tough looking ice Bori snuck up behind Arkatha. "Mess with us, eh Lupe? You'll have to deal with me!" And with that, he struck Arkatha right on the noggin.

      "Stop it!" Borver cried and he scratched the ice Bori across the nose. Enraged the Bori charged at Borver and Arkatha, sending them both flying. They landing on the edge of a steep hill, and with one more powerful blow from the Bori, they were sent tumbling down the hill.

      Borver slowly raised his head and saw the ice Bori snort and rejoin the group. He lowered his head, knowing he had missed his one and only chance. His only chance of ever rejoining his family. His only chance of ever seeing his mother again. His only chance. The sky clouded over and snow slowly began to drift to the ground.

      "Borver…" Arkatha tapped his friend on the shoulder, "are you okay?"

      Borver rolled over and moaned, "I guess, but I missed my only chance at ever rejoining my family again."

      "Do you want to go for a walk?"

      "Sure," Borver moaned, "I have nothing better to do anyways."

      Arkatha and Borver started away from the hill and towards the North.

      As many may have noticed, everything seems quieter when it's snowing. In Arkatha and Borver's case, the silence was eerie and uncomfortable.

      "It's not all that bad," Arkatha said dryly, breaking the silence, "I mean, there'll be other chances. As a matter of fact, if we go quickly, we will be able to cut the off at the Terror Mountain…"

      "Arkatha," Borver interrupted, "that's not the point. We can go on, for the rest of our lives, chasing my colony, and even if we do catch them, it will be pointless because none of the Bori would remember me and they would think that I am an outsider and they would chase me away. Don't you get it?"

      "It's not true," Arkatha choked, "I bet you more than anything else, they still remember you, as a matter of fact, I bet your mother would still be looking for you if you weren't dead!" Arkatha quickly shut his mouth as fast as he had opened it. "Borver…I didn't…"

      Borver turned around swiftly, "what?! What are you talking about?! I'm not dead! I'm right here, so I can't be dead!"

      "I'm sorry Borver," Arkatha murmured, "it's just that for a long time now, I've been having the same strange dream. In the dream, a child falls into the river. His mother chases after him, but she can not catch him. She then falls onto her knees crying, because she thinks her son is dead, and she spends the rest of her life in total sadness. All because she thinks her son is dead. Borver, if you just give up now, you might as well be dead, because really, no one knows that you're alive right, so what's the point? What if that mother in my dream is your mother Borver, if so, you've let her down."

      Borver opened his mouth, but no words came out.

      "I…I think I'll go back home Borver, my so called 'friends' are probably wondering where I am. They probably miss insulting me." Arkatha turned to walk away, but he stopped. Where was his home? Where was anything? While Arkatha had been talking to Borver, the light snowfall had turned into a wild blizzard. The snow was coming down so hard that Arkatha couldn't see a single thing.

      "Borver," Arkatha croaked, "I think we have a problem."

      Borver looked up and frowned. "Woah, when did it start snowing like this? We better find shelter fast or else we'll freeze to death!"

      "How do we find shelter?"

      Borver rolled his eyes, "it's easy, you just keep walking until you find shelter, come on!" Arkatha shook his head and followed his friend deeper into the snowy abyss.

     ***

      The two had been walking for quite some time when Arkatha suddenly stopped.

      "What is it?" Borver asked.

      "I…I think I see something…about fifty yards north…" Arkatha said as he shielded his eyes from the blustering wind and snow.

      Borver strolled alongside Arkatha and squinted. "Yah…I think I see it to…it looks like a…like a…like a cave! Arkatha, caves mean shelter, we're saved!" And with that, he took off.

      "But…but, Borver! You silly Bori! Get back here, oh well," Arkatha sighed and he followed Borver.

      The inside of the cave was cold and icy, just like outside, but it was slightly warmer because there was no wind.

      Arkatha plopped himself on the ground and watched his curious friend scurry around excitedly, explorer the new-found territory.

      "Wow, isn't the neat Arkatha," he sang, "We discovered a great big ice cavern!"

      "That's nice."

      "Hey," Borver exclaimed, "I wonder where this tunnel leads…"

      "You can go and see for yourself Borver, I think I'll lye down and take a nap," Arkatha yawned and rested his head on his paws.

      "Suit yourself," Borver said as he rushed down the tunnel.

      As Arkatha started to close his eyes, he muttered "this place kind of looks familiar; I think I read about it in an article once, but I forget what the article was about." And with those words Arkatha started snoozing away, but not for long.

      "Hey Arkatha, come check this!" Borver suddenly cried.

      "What is it," Arkatha moaned, "and can it wait?"

      "No, you have to come see now!"

      "Very well then," Arkatha said sleepily as he got up and strolled down the tunnel.

      "What is it that you want…?" Arkatha stopped. He found himself in a huge chamber. In the center was huge pile of treasure.

      Neggs, weapons, you name, were all stacked in that pile. "Isn't this neat Arkatha?!" Borver shouted as he rummaged through the pile.

      As Arkatha watched his friend, his memory slowly began to come back to him.

      "Um Borver…" he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Borver to hear, "if I were you, I would get out of there."

      "Oh what's you problem?" Borver laughed as he made his way to the top of the pile and started jumping up and down, "it's just a pile of stuff."

      "Borver I wouldn't…"

      "Chill out Arkatha! It's not like I'm going to fall and break my neck or something!"

      Arkatha had had enough. "Borver," he shouted in frustration, "get down from there now before…"

      Arkatha never had time to finish his sentence. The mountain of treasure beneath Borver's feet started rising and falling. "What the..?" Borver breathed. Suddenly, out from underneath the treasure burst a huge, icy worm. Its deep blue eyes looked strait at Borver, who was petrified with fear.

      "I was trying to warn you," Arkatha shouted, "that this was the Snowager's cavern, and that thing that you are looking at right now is the Snowager!"

      The Snowager fired an icy blast at Borver, but he managed to leap out of the way just in time.

      "What do I do?" He cried as the Snowager lunged at him once more.

      "Grab a weapon!" Arkatha replied. Borver quickly stooped down and picked up a sword from the pile of treasure. Just as the Snowager opened its mouth to shoot another ice blast at Borver, he leaped at it and drove the sword through its heart.

      The Snowager let out an awful shriek and fell backwards, crashing through the ice wall behind it.

      As Arkatha stepped through the hole in the wall made by the Snowager, he saw it and his friend, wrestling on the edge of a huge ice canyon.

      Borver lunged at the Snowager one last time and managed to knock it off balance. The Snowager tumbled down into the canyon, taking Borver with it.

      The two hit the ground with an earth-shattering force.

      Borver, who managed to survive the fall, glanced over at the disfigured Body of the Snowager. It was dead. Borver's head started to spin. He saw images in his head, images of the past. He saw his mother, her auburn eyes looking down at him; he saw the den that he used to live in; and most of all, he saw the river that had swept him away from his family. Then everything went black.

     ***

      "Borver," Arkatha cried as he slid down the icy canyon, "are you okay?!" Arkatha finally reached the bottom and discovered Borver, lying limp on the ground. Arkatha took a deep breath and put his head to Borver's chest. He heard a faint but steady heart beat. Borver was out cold, but he was alive and well.

  To be continued...