Pinky the Brave: Part Five

     "We did it!" gasped Cicadasan. Emakoke slowly opened one eye and smiled an exhausted smile at the yellow Aisha. She's my friend, thought Emakoke proudly. Someone finally respects me. She then shut her eyes again, exhausted and content that she was safe.

     "Colin, there you are! I told you not to go around this side!"

     "What?" Ema moaned, thinking it was Cicadasan talking. "Who's Colin?"

     "But look, there's a big hole!" another young sounding voice replied excitedly. Ema realised it was not her friend talking, and her eyes bolted open. Both Aishas squinted up towards the hole they had fallen through before. Far above, two figures were leaning over the edge, and looking at them...

     "Help us! We're stuck down here!" cried Cicadasan.

     "Oh my!" exclaimed the first voice. "Wait there, I'll get some help!"

     Soon a whole group of small children had gathered around the edge of the hole, and were peering down with wide, astonished eyes at the two Aishas, who were covered in sand, mud and cuts and were dressed in grimy rags.

     "Don't worry, we're going to get you out of there!" said the first voice, which belonged to a young Acara dressed in a smart blue suit. She kept her word, and not long after a ladder was carefully lowered down and Emakoke and Cicadasan scrambled up, eager to see and feel the light of the sun again.

     "Who are you?"

     "Are you explorers?"

     "Did you come from in the pyramid?"

     "What's it like?"

     "What were you doing in there?"

     A chorus of little voices surrounded them as they emerged from the hole, grinning their heads off as they felt the heat of the sun beating down on them again, and they knew they were safe again.

     "It's extremely lucky we decided to come here on our neoschool trip today," said the Acara, smiling softly and approaching the two.

     "Ah, so that's where this lot came from!" chuckled Emakoke, indicating to the little children who were tugging on her rags of clothing curiously and hanging onto her legs. It was slightly irritating, but nonetheless Ema was thankful she had been rescued and was back in society. She grinned and ruffled a tiny Zafara on the head. The teacher smiled again, a warm smile.

     "So, what happened to you?" she asked. Both girls sighed and rolled their eyes, memories of the past two days flooding back to them.

     "Too much!" Cicadasan moaned eventually, wiping the sweat off her forehead. Her fur was sticky and clumped together with sand. Ema started to laugh, before she realised she was just as bad. She ran her claws through her knotty, matted coat and groaned.

     "Well, it certainly looks like you've had a very eventful day!" said the Acara, a note of humour mixed into her soothing voice. "Would you like me to take you back to your Neohomes? I'm sure your owners must be worried."

     The smile drained out of Ema's face. She looked uneasily over at Cicadasan, who sighed and looked down at her feet, looking as if she were trying to gulp back tears. Now, she would have to go back to the pound. Ema realised it was partly her fault, and suddenly felt very guilty.

     "Yeah... " Cicadasan sighed, her face stony. "I guess I should go back to where I belong..."

     As the two Aishas followed the Acara teacher across the open sands, watching the Gebmid blur with heat haze and then fade into the distance behind them, they began to talk over the excited murmur of the stream of children behind them.

     "You know what, Pinky? If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have got through these past few days," Cicadasan admitted, smiling weakly. Ema sighed, realising she had reverted back to calling her Pinky again.

     "And if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have got into this mess. And you would still be back in camp, where you loved it. And you wouldn't be going back to... that place," she mumbled sullenly in reply. "You will always remember me as Pinky, the pink weakling who almost got you killed."

     "No. I'll always remember you as Pinky," she said, attempting to switch to a cheerful voice, and ignoring Ema's angry look, "... Pinky the Brave."

     Ema's expression softened as Cicadasan finished her sentence and both of them smiled at each other; it was a storybook moment. Suddenly realising how cheesy the whole thing was, both of them suddenly turned away from each other, blushing, and stared out into the desert around them, a frame for the brilliant setting sun. Pinky the Brave, Ema thought contentedly, her eyes twinkling. It has a nice ring to it. She hoped the name would stick.

     "So, where do both of you live?" the Acara asked, cutting into the silence in the most awkward way possible.

     ***

     "The Neopian Pound."

     Cicadasan read the sign out loud glumly as it loomed above them, the bleak, uninviting building casting a cold shadow over the three Neopets. As they walked nearer they saw a poor blue Uni being dragged through the revolving door, kicking, screaming and wailing hysterically. The two young Aishas stared at him with distressed expressions. Soon the Uni had melted into the darkness of the Pound's interior, and they lost sight of the unfortunate pet. They stood outside the door, not wanting to go any closer.

     "I'm sorry, Cicadasan," said the Acara sympathetically, turning around to face the miserable Aisha. "I'm sure there's someone out there who will want to adopt a lovely Aisha like you."

     Cicadasan snorted.

     "Yeah," she retorted, rolling her eyes. "Lovely."

     "Hey, cheer up!" Ema said, patting her friend on the back. "You didn't think we'd get out of that tomb alive, but we did!"

     Cicadasan shrugged--it was no use, there was no cheering her up. Rain had just started to drizzle down from the dismal grey sky--it matched the girls' moods. Cicadasan started to shuffle slowly towards the dark, shadowy doorway of the pound, followed by Ema and the Acara teacher. When they got close enough they could see a scary looking Techo standing at a desk grinning through the dusty glass. Ema bit her lip when she saw his menacing grin--it did look terrifying in there. She knew she had to do something. She had to help her friend, or at least try.

     "Cicadasan, stop!" she called suddenly. Her friend stopped, turned around and looked at her sadly. "Don't forget my offer," Ema said.

     "What?" asked Cicadasan in a bewildered voice.

     "When we first escaped from the camp--when you first told me you came from the pound! I said that you could... you could... come and stay with me, maybe?"

     Cicadasan looked taken aback for a second, and then shook her head.

     "No, no! I... I couldn't," she said.

     "My owner wouldn't mind at all--she loves Aishas! She'll love you!" Ema exclaimed.

     "I'll just be trouble..." Cicadasan murmured, but Ema saw her eyes light up.

     Emakoke watched her friend's retreating back sadly as Cicadasan walked through the door to the Neopian Pound, a look of defeat about her. As the yellow Aisha approached the desk and gave her name, the Techo looming over her with a leer plastered to his face and his eyes bulging, Ema decided that no matter what Cicadasan thought about herself, she was not going to leave her in that horrible place. As soon as she got home, she had an important question to ask her owner.

     ***

     A few days later, Emakoke burst through the door of her Neohome, bubbling with excitement. Her owner, Ikea, strode in behind her, chuckling at her enthusiasm. Behind her was Cicadasan, smiling sheepishly and carrying her small suitcase, holding the few belongings she had owned in the pound, behind her.

     "Wow..." she gasped, looking around at her first ever proper home with awe.

     "Come on in!" giggled Ema, grabbing her friend by the paw and dragging her into the hallway. "I'll show you the bedroom, and the kitchen, and all the food, and our big bathtub, and the big comfy sofa, and the games room, and all my games..."

     As she followed her animated friend, and now her new sister, into the kitchen, Cicadasan thought about how much she regretted saying all the spiteful things she had said back in the camp. She also thought about everything that had happened in the past few days, and the adventure she'd had. She was no longer bouncing along behind Pinky, the scrawny, pathetic 'runt' who had appeared at the end of the line one day at camp. Now, she was walking behind Pinky the Brave; the Aisha who had guided her through a sandstorm, the Aisha who had helped her escape from an ancient tomb, the Aisha who had accompanied her on the greatest adventure she had ever been on , and who just happened to be a girly shade of pink--her sister. Pinky the Brave indeed. She found herself beaming from ear to ear, proud of her new sister.

To be continued...