Petpet Adventures: Reunited - Part Three

     He sat miserably on the narrow grass strip before the house.

     “They must have gone somewhere else,” he mumbled.

     “You think?” Folfeux snarled at him, then strode away, her paws leaving brutal dents in the ground.

     She paused and looked up as a movement caught her eye. It looked like it was coming from... no, it was only the house next to the one Malei had shown her. She narrowed her eyes as the movement came again.

     Ignoring Malei, she leapt lightly over the flowerbed surrounding the front yard and padded slowly towards the window where she could see the movement. There was no lights on, but she could dimly make out the faint outline of a small figure, most likely a petpet. And it looked oddly like Archilles.

     It was only when she came closer that she realised that the petpet was not quite a Sandan, but a very close cousin, the Dandan. They looked similar, except that Dandans were bright red with a bit of white and Sandans were white with a bit of blue. What did an unknown Dandan want with her?

     Then she realised it was beckoning.

     She quickened her pace to a jog and leapt up onto the windowsill. The Dandan smiled at her on the other side of the glass and she relaxed a bit.

     She focused as the Dandan’s mouth formed words... Help me. Folfeux frowned, and the Dandan repeated what it had just said.

     “Malei,” she barked over her shoulder.

     The once powerful looking Juma wandered over to her.

     “What?” he asked.

     “Help me get this window open.”

     “Huh?” Malei looked thoroughly confused.

     Folfeux rolled her eyes and tapped on the glass with her paw, her claws making clacking sounds. The Dandan shook his head ruefully and mouthed, I’ve already tried that. Folfeux frowned.

     “You could break the glass.”

     Folfeux stared at Malei. “Excuse me?”

     “It was just a suggestion,” he muttered.

     “Let me guess, you used to do that all the time when you robbed houses?” Folfeux growled.

     Malei bunched his muscles and leapt up beside her.

     “No. Too conspicuous. The point of robbing people is to take something without them knowing you did.”

     “Besides the fact that the thing you took was so obviously missing?” Folfeux quipped.

     Malei sighed. “If you heard a window in your house breaking, you would come running, right?”

     Well, no, because I don’t own a house, Folfeux muttered in her head. But she didn’t say anything and waited for him to continue.

     “But if you don’t hear anything, then there’s no reason to come running. But because we happen to have no way of sneaking in, I suggest we break the glass.”

     Folfeux could hear his tone becoming stronger, gaining the mocking edge once again from when it had been lost with shock. With his last words, though, Malei landed on the ground and picked up a rock, hurling it at the window.

     “Great Fyora!” Folfeux fell off the ledge with shock and landed on Malei’s back. “You could have hit me,” she snarled as she rolled onto her feet and squared up against him. He only went up to his shoulder.

     Malei graced her with a wicked smile. “I know.”

     Glass fell to the ground around them, and a few shards bounced harmlessly off their fur. Their little confrontation, however, was ruined by the Dandan, who gingerly stepped out of his house and surveyed them.

     “Gee, thanks,” he said, sounding supremely happy. “It feels so great to be out of there!”

     Both Jumas watched in puzzled silence as he fell off the windowsill and began to spin in circles on the ground, a wide grin on his features.

     Finally he stopped and looked at them.

     “What?” he asked.

     Folfeux blinked. “Nothing... What’s your name? I’m Folfeux and this is Ma—”

     The Dandan bounded forward seized her paw. “Folfeux. What a beautiful name.”

     “Um...” Folfeux gently tugged her paw out of his grasp. “Where was I...? Oh yeah. This is Malei.”

     Malei backed away a few paces and stared suspiciously at the new petpet, paws studiously kept out of reach.

     The Dandan didn’t seem to notice. Or maybe he did and just didn’t care.

     “I’m Kororr!” he shouted to the world at large and grinned. “And you two have freed me from the neohome I’ve been stuck in for years. My pet was too old to remember to let me out.”

     “Was...?” Folfeux said uncertainly.

     “She’s not my pet any more, is she?” Kororr said triumphantly. “She’s just a pet. And we’re petpets!”

     Folfeux was beginning to regret helping the Dandan.

     “And so was Ellyana and Gaefio,” Kororr continued without taking a breath. “They were the only petpets that ever came to talk to me by my lonely window.” He finally breathed and studied them wryly. “I thought you were them when I saw you out there. You’ve got the same features. In fact, you look almost exactly the same, just a bit smaller. But I couldn’t think why they would come back so soon.”

     “You know our parents?” Malei said harshly, finally joining the conversation.

     “Your parents, you say?” Kororr said. “Well, now it all makes perfect sense.” He smacked his paw to his forehead.

     “They’re our parents? How do you know?” Folfeux rounded on Malei.

     “Well... I just guessed from what Kororr said,” Malei replied. “He said they look just like us so... I never knew their names. Gaefio...” He let the name trail off.

     Folfeux turned to Kororr once again, his words finally penetrating her brain. “They were going to come back? Where did they go?”

     “Well, you two aren’t very good children if you can’t even keep track of your parents,” Kororr huffed. “I shouldn’t tell you for being so neglectful.”

     His words inflamed Folfeux. She rose up to snarl at him, but Malei got there first.

     It was just as well, because he and the Dandan were about the same height. Which meant that naturally Folfeux was much shorter than Kororr.

     “Well, Kororr,” Malei growled. “Let’s just say that you were stolen from your parents when you were, say, a few weeks old. And you only found out at around my age, just as an example. Maybe you’d like to find out just where they are so you could meet them.”

     “That can actually happen to someone?” Kororr said, his tone completely innocent. Folfeux was trying to figure out if it was genuine or not.

     Malei’s mouth dropped open and his brows crinkled. “I wasn’t being hypothetical,” he snarled. “That’s what happened to me!”

     “Oh,” Kororr said.

     Folfeux smiled, quite enjoying the Dandan’s discomfort.

     “So do you know where Ellyana and Gaefio are?” she asked, hesitating as she said the names.

     Kororr frowned. “Some mountain lodge outside the city of Shenkuu, I think,” he said. “Ellyana told me exactly how to get there. And she told me she and Gaefio would try to come back one day and help he get out of there.” He jerked a paw at his house. “But they never thought of the whole rock-through-the-window thing. Stroke of genius, that.”

     “Can you tell us where the lodge is?” Folfeux asked impatiently.

     “Maybe,” Kororr said. “But I can’t remember what comes after taking the east road out of the city and turning right. I might remember if you took me along.” He grinned.

     Folfeux took a deep breath to calm herself down. “Of course,” she said sweetly.

     “Why would you want to come?” Malei challenged, the fur on his back standing on end.

     Kororr stared at him. Then he smiled. “Well, let’s just say you’ve been cooped up in a house for the first few years of your life. And then suddenly two petpets, Jumas, as an example, smash one of the windows and set you free. Wouldn’t you want to help them on whatever reckless quest they’re on?”

     “I have a strong feeling of deja vu.” Folfeux smirked. Malei was frowning.

     “So can I come?” Kororr sounded pleading, and suddenly Folfeux made up her mind.

     Not only did Kororr know the way to where her parents were, but he also would be a sort of barrier between her and Malei. Which meant that they wouldn’t have to try and talk to each other or even get along. And besides, Malei didn’t look like he wanted Kororr along. An added bonus.

     “Sure, you can come,” she said.

     She heard Malei take a sharp breath, but he made no comment, only spun around and scanned the dark streets.

     “Let’s find somewhere to hide,” he whispered. “I don’t want to wake up tomorrow morning with the crazy Quilin and her friends around me.”

     “Kiya’s not crazy,” Folfeux hissed. “Unless trying to catch a thief is called crazy.”

     “Then you must be crazy for not trying to catch me,” Malei hissed back.

     That made Folfeux stop and think. She could turn Malei over now. Kororr knew the way to her parents, and she didn’t feel quite the same in his presence.

     But then she realised that without Malei she wouldn’t even know her parents existed. He at least deserved to meet them first. With this thought in mind, she followed him through the streets with Kororr bounding after them.

To be continued...