Garnet and Larkyn's Plan

      While her owner was laying out the faded blue blanket for their picnic, Larkyn looked out into the jungle, with the tall trees reaching up high into the sky. She thought she saw a bush move, so she went to investigate it. She glanced back to make sure Kara wasn't watching, and ran into the trees.

      Larkyn walked around to the side of the bush that was not too hard to see into. She peered through the dense leaves and then jumped back with shock. There was another Kougra in there! It was too dark inside to see what color it was, but she could tell that it was a Kougra.

      The other Kougra leaped out at her, with its claws unsheathed. Its teeth were bared and its yellow eyes were narrowed in anger. Larkyn could now see that it was red with dark blue stripes, a natural color for Kougras. Larkyn turned around and fled into the trees.

      She glanced back over her shoulder a few times and found that though she was tiring quickly, the other Kougra was not. She knew that she would have to stop soon. So she turned around and faced her attacker.

      Startled by her sudden movement, the other Kougra tried to stop but instead barreled into Larkyn. Larkyn threw the other Kougra off her and leapt to her feet. She bared her teeth and prepared to fight.

      The other Kougra took longer to get up. When it did, it stood unsteadily on three paws, taking the weight off its front right paw.

      It turned around and spat, "What do you think you're doing on my territory? I would chase you away if I hadn't done something to my paw!"

      Larkyn blinked in surprise. She had never met anyone so rude!

      "For your information, I saw you move and came to find out what it was! And you might as well be a little nicer and help me find my way out of here," she snapped back.

      The reddish Kougra looked taken aback. After a moment, it looked down at the ground and muttered, "Sorry." After glancing up again, it said, "My name's Garnet. I was abandoned, but I escaped from the pound and came out here. I figured since Kougras originally came from Mystery Island, I would live there. And I have."

      Suddenly, storm clouds gathered across the sky and thunder rumbled from far away, but not too far for a storm to be there in a few minutes.

      "Come on," said Garnet. "We can get to my home in a few minutes if we hurry. We don't want to get caught in that storm. It looks nasty."

      "Your home?" cried Larkyn. "We need to go to my home so I can get back!"

      "Listen, Cloudy," snapped Garnet, "If you want to go home, good luck. But I'm not walking around in any jungle during a storm - especially if there's lighting, which there is sure to be. Now you can come with me, or risk getting soaked and being killed by a tree that got struck by lightning. Are you coming, or not?"

     "How do you know it's not just a little rain storm?"

      As if proving Garnet's words, lighting flashed across the sky and struck a tree a few hundred feet away as thunder shook the ground.

     Larkyn took one last look at the sky and turned back to Garnet. "Proof enough. I'll come."

     ~

      "So..." Garnet said. "What's your name, anyway?"

      Garnet lived in a secluded cave deep in the jungle of Mystery Island. It was hidden by trees and other vegetation.

      "Larkyn," said Larkyn.

      "That's a weird name," said Garnet, a look of disapproval on her face.

      "No weirder than Garnet," said Larkyn.

      "I'm named after a gemstone. What are you named after?"

      "It's just a cool name! And if it does mean anything, it's probably 'lark' or something like that! At least I'm not named after a rock."

      Garnet turned around so she was not facing Larkyn.

     ~

      The storm lasted through the night. The next morning, when Larkyn got up, she found Garnet sitting at the mouth of the cave, staring out into the dense jungle. She looked lonely, and so Larkyn thought of a great idea.

      "Hey, Garnet?"

      "Yeah?"

      "If... if my owner said it was ok... do you... do you think... think she could adopt you?" The words came out in a rush, because she was worried about how Garnet would feel about finding a new home.

      "Live in a Neohome again? Are you insane? Do you know why I was abandoned?"

      "No," Larkyn said, rather uncomfortably.

      "I took up too much space, according to my owner! She wanted another pet, a Lutari! Thought they were cuter than Kougras! I am SO not getting abandoned again!" With that, she turned her back on a very distressed Larkyn and would not speak to her, despite her many attempts.

      A little while later, Garnet finally turned to face Larkyn. "I told you I'd take you back," she said. "I always do what I say. Come on."

      Larkyn followed Garnet down a narrow path leading down a steep hill. Suddenly Garnet stopped.

      "Your owner... how many pets does she have?"

      "Two. Me and an Eyrie, Griffin."

      "And... is she nice?"

      "Yes, she is."

      "No chance whatsoever of being abandoned?"

      "Nope."

      "Well, I've changed my mind. I will come and live with you, if your owner says it's ok."

      Larkyn was elated.

     Eventually they came out of the forest and into a small clearing. There was a tent set up in the middle with a rather crude fire pit next to it - a little hole dug in the ground with medium-sized stones surrounding it. Larkyn immediately ran toward it and meowed loudly at the front of it.

     Instantly, the tent flap flew open and Kara hugged Larkyn. "Larkyn! Where were you, are you all right?"

     "I'm fine," Larkyn told her owner. "But I have something to ask you."

      "What?"

      "Well... I made a friend and I invited her to live with us at our Neohome. I thought it would be ok..."

      "What is she?"

      "A Kougra."

      Larkyn's owner finally looked in Garnet's direction and smiled. Garnet looked at her, nervousness in her golden, catlike eyes. "I'm sure Griffin won't mind another Kougra, will he?"

      "No," said Larkyn, smiling. "At least I hope not! But I don't think he will."

      "Well, what's your name?" asked Larkyn's owner - and Garnet's new owner.

      "My name is Garnet," Garnet said shyly.

      "How nice! You were named after a pretty gemstone!"

      Larkyn and Garnet exchanged a glance, and laughed.

      They went to their Neohome, where they surprised Griffin with Garnet. He was, of course, surprised and startled, but he welcomed her into their home happily.

      Their owner assured Garnet that she would never abandon her, and that she didn't take up too much space in their Neohome. Reassured, Garnet enjoyed the rest of her life in her new home. All of them got along very, very well and she never had to worry about being carelessly abandoned again.

The End