The Expedition of Walter Wesley: Part Seven

     Dr Wesley curiously moved forward, whilst Vivian cautiously stepped back.

     Slowly, the Creature approached them and growled.

     "Walter – the Artisans Lens!" Vivian suggested, but much to her dismay, he shook his head and stepped closer to the Creature.

     "Shh!" he simply replied.

     Cora was also intrigued by this mysterious Creature. The shadows were unforgiving and did not reveal its true shape or form, so it was not clear to Cora what this being was. All she noted was green, glowing eyes.

      In one swift move, Vivian stole the Artisans Lens from Dr Wesley and stretched out her arm to point it towards the Creature.

     "Noooo!" the doctor yelled.

     A blinding stream of light emerged from the Artisans Lens, and disturbed the Creature. Dr Wesley quickly snatched the lens from Vivian. Cora noticed the Creature sprint in the opposite direction, leaving clear tracks in the woods.

     "Walter – have you finally lost your mind?" Vivian furiously shrieked.

     "What did you do that for?" Dr Wesley shrieked back

     Cora stood between them and called out, "It's gone!"

      Without hesitation, Dr Wesley adjusted his jacket and with no hesitation chased the Creature.

     "I've seen it all. I've really seen it all now," Vivian thought to herself and watched in disbelief.

      For the first time since leaving Brightvale, Cora felt an unexplainable wave of excitement. She left the path as well, and followed the Creature and Dr Wesley.

     Vivian stood in shock, alone.

     "For Fyora's sake." She sighed. "Wait! Walter! Cora! Wait!"

     She clutched the Artisans Lens tightly, abandoned the known path, and followed the tracks of the Creature, Dr Wesley and Cora.

      After what seemed like hours of dodging trees, leaping over swamps and racing through the wilderness, they finally came to a halt.

     Dr Wesley and Cora saw the Creature disappear into the opening of a cave, just as Vivian caught up with them.

      Dr Wesley turned to speak to Vivian who, leaning on Cora, tried to catch her breath again. "Don't even say a word," she hissed.

      Cora took the Artisans Lens from her and gave it back to Dr Wesley.

     "Doctor," she said, "what do we do now?"

     "Yes, doctor," Vivian replied sarcastically. "I have an idea. Why don't we follow the Creature into its lair and get ourselves in trouble while we're at it?"

      Cora looked at the Lenny, who was deep in thought. After a long pause, he adopted an authoritative stance and calmly announced, "More likely than not, nobody knows the existence of that lair. That's why the Creature hides there. Vivian and I will investigate the cave, whilst you wait outside."

     "No chance!" Cora objected.

     "Walter, what is happening to you?!" Vivian questioned.

     "Cora – it's too dangerous. Vivian – we can't turn back now. We are so close!"

      Vivian saw the glint in Dr Wesley's eye. The only time he ever showed such enthusiasm was when he was studying his Motes and Mote collection.

     "Fine," she answered. "But after this, we are going to The Lost Desert – absolutely no distractions."

     "No," the doctor confirmed.

     "And Cora is coming with us."

     Dr Wesley stood in confusion. He knew that after the ship wreck, they seemed to get on better than before. However, he never expected this.

     He questioned, "Are you two actually friends now?"

     "Well, she is obsessed with controlling everything, but she is an excellent archaeologist, so... yup." Cora smiled.

     ​***

      So they made their way through the dimly lit tunnel from the cave entrance, until they stood before what seemed like a wooden door.

     "Interesting," the doctor remarked.

     Vivian examined it carefully, whilst Cora look around in wonder.

     "This is obviously another entrance."

     Dr Wesley bravely opened the door, to reveal yet another dimly lit room.

     "What is it with all this darkness?" Cora complained as they entered.

      Each corner was lit with candlelight. Cobwebs and dust decorated the walls of the cave. Cora noticed an arched doorway at the opposite end of the room, whilst Dr Wesley inspected footprints on the floor, and Vivian examined a stone table in the centre of the peculiar room.

      "This just doesn't make any sense," Vivian said, facing Dr Wesley. "I've just never seen anything like this arranged by a wild Creature."

      She looked around and saw four chairs, wooden cupboards and cabinets.

     "What do you mean?" Cora asked.

     "Well," Vivian began as she picked up an old copy of The Neopian Times, forgotten at the table, "Wild Creatures just don't have furniture, newspapers and general utilities."

     "Maybe they are items this Creature has acquired from its victims," Dr Wesley suggested.

      "Whoa!" Cora gasped. The two archaeologists both stood beside the Wocky and saw a figure emerge from under the archway.

      Chocolate, coffee, cocoa – the creature's coarse coat guarded him from that night's icy temperatures. His long, fluffy mane framed his haunting face. Neither his shabby clothes, nor his sharp claws were as terrifying as the growling of his breath. The Creature of the Night advanced through darkness, and the shadows ceased to follow, as the nearby candlelight exposed him to the three uninvited guests.

      His eyes were green; the kind of green that breaks through the icy snow as a reminder that spring is fast approaching; the kind of green that revitalizes a forest after the gathering of the last stormy clouds. Slowly moving towards the centre of the room, his overpowering presence became more and more discernable. Cora was as still as stone. Vivian's eyes became as wide as a startled Poppit. Dr Wesley smirked with conviction as his suspicions were confirmed.

     "This is the Creature of the Night!" the Lenny thought to himself.

      "What are you doing here?" the Creature roared with a thunderous voice.

     "Um..." Cora squealed as she gazed at the Creature's unusual green eyes.

     "You are the Creature of the Night, aren't you," Dr Wesley demanded as he looked at the creature amongst the shadows.

      Vivian shook her head impatiently. How could the doctor not recognise the long brown furry mane, the glowing eyes, the red checked shirt and the grey trousers?

     "Honestly. I can't believe it," she murmured. "I give up."

     "Huh?" Cora asked, as she held her gaze upon this mysterious being.

     "Look at it," Vivian insisted. "Tell me what you see."

     "A Creature," Dr Wesley replied.

     "Yeah," Cora agreed.

      There the Creature stood, watching the three Neopets make fools out of themselves, as his anger turned into amusement. He could see that they were not locals from the Haunted Woods.

     "With my reputation, I could easily scare these fools away," he thought to himself.

     "You there!" Vivian addressed the creature with not even a hint of fear in her voice. "You are not the Creature of the Night. I can see you are nothing but a Halloween Kyrii who thinks scaring an entire population is fun."

      Dr Wesley frowned and observed the Kyrii more closely, whilst Cora quickly glanced at him from head to toe.

      "I knew it all along that this was all a load of nonsense," Vivian complained.

      The Kyrii looked at the Neopets with curiousity. This reaction was extrememly unusual – normally, his presence had a terrifying effect. How did this blue, hysterical Aisha figure out his true identity? And why was that Wocky observing him?

      "What?" the Kyrii snapped. "Have you never seen a Halloween Kyrii before?"

     "Um... I... er... dunno, like," she responded in a quiet voice.

      Vivian scowled at the Kyrii, whilst Dr Wesley flung out his wings with puzzlement and began to question the Kyrii.

     "What is your name, and why are you frightening all the locals?"

      The Kyrii paused for a moment. He was so used to solitude and darkness that suddenly having three strangers in his lair was awkward. Every other Neopet he ever came across either fainted with fear, or ran away as fast as a cloud racer.

      "My name is Leon," he said roughly.

     He invited them to take a seat round the table, and continued.

     "My appearance seems to scare everyone away. All I wanted was to stay amongst the other pets, read books and have a normal life. But then the more my eyes glowed in the darkness, and the more my mane waved in the wind, the more frightened everyone was of me. So I had no choice but to stay away from them. And that's how I made this cave my home."

      Cora felt sorry for the Kyrii – his eyes had become watery, and his voice quivered.

     Vivian looked suspiciously at Leon whilst Dr Wesley remained speechless.

     "Leon..." Cora repeated.

     The Kyrii glanced up at Cora.

     "So," Vivian said, "I am sorry to hear that everyone thinks you are a monster, but we really must be going. You see, if it wasn't for you, we'd be in The Lost Desert by now."

     Leon noticed the Aisha's extra blue ears gradually fall forward, and responded.

     "No one told you to follow me. And let me remind you Miss, that you were the one who nearly blinded me with that strange mirror. My guess is that it's an Artisans Lens."

      "Yes, so what?" Vivian snapped back. "This mess started when we found out about you. If you weren't scaring the locals and travellers, none of these rumours would have started, and we wouldn't be sitting in this dark cave."

      "It's not my fault if they are easily scared. I haven't done anything wrong – I just go about my daily business. It's them."

      Dr Wesley chuckled and covered his eyes.

     "Oh, you think this is funny, do you?" Vivian addressed the doctor, who broke into laughter.

     "Um... am I missing something here, Dr Wesley?" Cora wondered.

     "What a fool," he responded, as he shook his head. "Oh what a fool I've been."

     Leon quickly turned his head to face the doctor, and as he did so Cora admired his impressive mane swishing to the side.

     "Dr Wesley? You mean you are Walter Wesley of Brigthvale?"

     "Er... yes." The Lenny also looked at Leon from head to toe, and laughed nervously. "Do I know you?"

     "No," Leon replied. "But I know you. I read about you in books and articles. You are one of the best archaeologists in Neopia. Doctor, please don't tell me that even you believed the rumours!"

     Dr Wesley winked at the inquisitive Kyrii, and then they both laughed.

     "So not only do you read," Vivian snarled. "You talk and you laugh as well. But, monster, you still haven't explained yourself."

      Cora noticed Leon's smile had disappeared, and his friendly look had turned into a frown, and intervened.

     "Don't worry about her. She is that way when she first makes new acquaintances. But once you get to know her, she is a great friend. Anyway, what she's trying to say is that we are curious to know the details about your er, situation."

      As the three Neopets listened attentively, Leon explained to them that Halloween Kyriis were so rare, that locals had even forgotten what they looked like. They sometimes even mistook him for a Werlupe. They were terrified of him, and regarded him as a monster, so he saw no other solution but to hide away into the heart of the Haunted Woods. His was so accustomed to being alone, that being around others angered him.

      "Well, when I promised myself I would catch the Creature of the Night, this is definitely not what I expected," Dr Wesley said and laughed again.

     "Creature of the Night," Leon repeated. "Is that what they call me?"

     Cora nodded and giggled along with them.

      "I honestly don't know how you find this amusing," Vivian firmly said. "This has been nothing but a waste of my time. I suggest you quit messing around Walter, and find a way to get us to The Lost Desert." She snapped her fingers. "Like, now. Now. Now!"

      "My dear Vivian," Dr Wesley sighed. "I think I finally have to admit that I'm getting too old for this."

     "Or," Vivian responded, "you are spending too much time studying those Motes."

      ​***

     Beyond the darkness of the archway, Cora could deduce a flight of descending stone stairs. She picked up an oil lamp posed on a nearby cabinet, and inquisitively approached the mysterious archway.

      As she paced down the stairs, Dr Wesley's and Vivian's voices diminished and instead, she could hear the crackling of fire. At the base of the steps, she saw a door.

     Her paw reached to open it.

     Inside, the warmth of the fireplace filled the room with a comforting glow. This room was unusual and definitely not like any monster's den or creature's lair Cora had ever imagined.

      The far wall featured a wealth of shelves loaded with books and special editions of The Neopian Times. There was a rug at the centre of the room, and beside it stood a simple desk with a simple chair.

     Cora noticed Leon's mane cast a large shadow against the wall. With his back turned to her, she could still see he was concentrating on a book. Slowly, she approached the desk.

     "Ahem." Cora spoke in a small voice.

     Leon turned his head round sharply, again causing his mane to elegantly swish. His green eyes twinkled in the light.

     "Dr Wesley sent me here to ask you about how to return to the main path."

     Leon turned away from the desk to fully face her. Cora's attention was captured by the book he was reading.

     "Eye-Sha!" she blurted.

     "Huh?" Leon questioned her quizzically.

      Cora pointed to the book on his desk, as she set the oil lamp aside.

     "You know this book?" Leon asked with interest.

     "Uh-huh." Cora sat opposite the Kyrii. "It's one of my favourite books, actually."

     "You like reading?"

     Cora nodded, as she glanced down at the beginning of chapter four of 'Eye-Sha.'

     "All I do is read." She continued. "You see, Brightvale is a land of knowledge and learning. There is inspiration in every corner, and opportunities to study and increase one's understanding about everything!"

      Leon closed the book, and placed his paw on the front cover. Cora noticed his face sadden and his gaze drop down to the book.

      "I am an intelligent Kyrii," Leon began. "Before this drama started, I was considered as one of the smartest Kyriis here. Even the Brain Tree was impressed. I was destined for great things. Neopians look at me, see that I am a Halloween Kyrii, and believe that I am some sort of wild Werlupe or monster with neither thoughts nor feelings."

      Cora shook her head.

     "When I see you, I don't see a monster. I see a simple Neopian who wants to learn about the world! Why don't you come to Brightvale? There, you could learn and read all the books of Neopia!"

      Leon looked up and amongst the sadness; Cora noticed a glint of hope in his glowing eyes. The prospect of leaving his isolated home in the Haunted Woods to pursue his dream of learning immediately lifted his mood. Finally, he could become the successful scholar he yearned to be.

     "And Brightvale is the only place to do it!" Leon thought to himself.

      "But," he began, "didn't you say you're headed to the Lost Desert?"

     Cora nodded.

     "What are you doing here, then?"

     Cora explained how she came across the Doctor's map, how she followed the archaeologists to the port, were caught up in a tempest, and how they ended up in the Haunted Woods. She also told him how they encountered many obstacles, distractions and the most unusual Neopians Cora had ever seen.

      "Ha. You must have come across the Mutant Usul." Leon grinned. "Fate sometimes inconveniently interferes like that."

     "Well then," Cora adopted a determined tone, "right here, right now. You're either in or you're out!"

     Leon hesitated for a moment. The idea of leaving the Haunted Woods was too good to be true. What was the catch?

     "There is always a catch." He pondered.

     How would he afford the books, the travelling expenses, the teaching, and other costs? Would Dr Wesley accept him, after all even the doctor believed that he was the Creature of the Night.

     He sat in silence, as he recalled the hysterical Aisha refer to him as a monster.

      "If you take us to the Lost Desert, I'll make sure Dr Wesley takes you on as his apprentice!" Cora offered, as she noted a look of disappointment.

     "Why?" Leon snapped at her with suspicion. He couldn't understand the motivation behind this Wocky's kindness towards him.

      "Because I read in a book somewhere that everyone deserves a second chance," Cora concluded with purpose, as she saw how Leon's green eyes glimmered with hope again.

      She watched Leon stand up, and walk over to the shelves.

     He reached out for a scroll. "Desert Survival Skills for the Dim-Witted."

     Cora pursed her lips.

To be continued...