The Adventures of Cleckstarr: Meuka Madness - Part Two

      Cleckstarr the Brave lay thinking on how to get out. Outside he could hear the screams of the Meridellian villagers as Meuka resumed his harassment. He clenched his paws in frustration. There was nothing he could do. His head felt as if a thunder storm was raging inside it, and he could barely twitch a muscle. He lay staring at the green ceiling of his prison, and then banged his head into the ceiling as he tried to get up. Light was shining in through the slime above his head, not a fluorescent glow but light from the outside.

      Cleckstarr did the only thing he could do. He banged his head against the roof to break it. The mucus had only just dried, so it was pretty gooey past the surface layer. He used his head as a drill and began pushing away the snot to allow him freedom. The goo was hard to dig through, and he found it agonizing work with his headache to attempt for freedom.

      After several minutes of hard labor, his head gulped in fresh air as it seeped through the opening he had made. His eyes roved around, taking the scene in. Meuka had resumed his tirade, but it was more of a rampage. He had destroyed over half the town, and the Meridellians were fleeing in all directions to escape the mad Meerca. Meuka laughed insanely as he picked up Neopets and hurled them in snotty targets all over the town, chortling as they stuck fast to the gooey target and screamed for help, all the while sinking slowly into the mess.

      Cleckstarr could not believe his eyes. Meuka was surely out of his mind! He had to stop him. Wearily, Cleckstarr battered at the goo around his body, trying to be as silent as possible. He broke through, and climbed his way out of the mess, only to stumble and fall again into the mucus. As he watched Meuka and tried again to get up, he saw the slimy Meerca pick up Bungle, the baby Poogle whom Cleckstarr had very recently befriended. The little Neopet screamed in terror as he was twirled high above Meuka’s head and released at another snot target. But Meuka’s aim was off. Bungle flew above the target and banged into the stone wall of a building. He slid to the ground and lay still.

      Something snapped inside of Cleckstarr. It was the same feeling he had felt when saving the Rainbow Fountain Faerie against Sloth, but this time it was more concentrated and filled with hatred. His ears deafened to all the sounds around him except for Meuka’s wild laugh. He didn’t hear Doleen, his old red Poogle friend screech in terror, or the Meridellians shouting ‘hoorays’ as they saw the Defenders of Neopia coming up the path. His vision grew red and the sides blurred, making Meuka the only thing visible to him.

      With a leap and a bound he had escaped the mucus and grabbed his staff. Pointed end first, Cleckstarr charged Meuka. His weariness shed from his body, replaced by anguish and anger, his grief knowing no bounds. His thoughts were clouded and he found that he could not think of anything except Meuka. But strangely, he didn’t care. He simply charged onward, his true self unconscious to the vengeance he was about to reap.

      Meuka stared at the baby Poogle. He hadn’t meant to do that. He wasn’t trying to fatally wound any Neopet. Ah well, it matters not to me. What’s that? He turned and fear stamped itself on his features as he watched the stampeding Zafara, its eyes as red as blood. The staff was pointed straight at him, and he was frozen in fear. Meuka’s eyes widened, and then shut at his obvious fate. He’d be skewered.

      Judge Hog, Lightning Lenny, and Danger Buzz had come as a relief for Cleckstarr. Judge Hog was a giant, sturdy Moehog. He wore a red and yellow superhero suit, with black gloves and a dark mask with a red crest on it to cover his face. Lightning Lenny was dressed in a light blue and black costume, with a silver lightning bolt crossing his chest. Danger Buzz followed Judge Hog and Lightning Lenny. He wore a black suit, with yellow sleeves and a red gloves. A crimson fringe ringed his neck and a red B bordered in yellow stood out on his chest. He had olive green skin and was filled with strength.

      “Oh, no!” Lightning Lenny groaned in disbelief as he saw Cleckstarr charging Meuka, who was cowering in fear. “Judge, permission to stop him?”

      “Permission granted. Hurry now!” the giant Moehog said. Lightning Lenny proved his name by running as fast as lightning strikes to the chaotic scene. He bulled into the young Defender and pinned him to the ground. Cleckstarr struggled, still oblivious to all except Meuka, who didn’t even try to escape while the Defenders were occupied. The Zafara wiggled wildly, trying to grab his staff which had been knocked form his hands.

      Lightning Lenny gripped Cleckstarr valiantly, hissing warnings to him. “Kid, this isn’t the time to be doing this! You can’t kill another Neopian!” Cleckstarr paid no heed and continued to tear at his captor. “It is not the way of the Defender!” Lightning Lenny screamed in his face.

      The Zafara stopped struggling just as Judge Hog and Danger Buzz arrived on the scene. His vision cleared and tears coursed down his face unbidden. The trio of Defenders had not witnessed what had happened to Bungle, and were in complete confusion as to this strange behavior of their new recruit. “What’s wrong, lad?” Judge Hog asked the weeping Zafara worriedly.

      Cleckstarr only pleaded with them. “Let me go, let me go! I won’t hurt the snotty Meuka, just let me go! Please, let me go!” The Defenders looked at each other, puzzled. Slowly, Lightning Lenny relinquished his hold on Cleckstarr. The Zafara jumped up and immediately dashed to Bungle, who was lying still where he had been thrown. Doleen was already at his side, weeping. The newly arrived Defenders looked at each other in sorrowful realization.

      “Come on, mate! You can do it, come on! Please!” Cleckstarr sobbed as he clutched Bungle’s body close to his chest. “Please,” he whispered. The other Defenders came, excluding Danger Buzz who was standing guard over Meuka, his eyes as cold as stone as he glared at the mucus-coated Meerca and tried to tune out the weeping of his fellow Defenders.

      Then, Bungle stirred. It was a faint movement, almost undetectable, but Cleckstarr felt it. “Bungle’s okay! He’s alright!” Doleen smiled at last. “Quick, we must get him to a hospital!”

      Doleen rushed off with Lightning Lenny sprinting to a hospital, holding the limp bundle. Danger Buzz followed them, escorting Meuka where he would be taken to a dungeon in Meridell. This left only Cleckstarr and Judge Hog. The mighty Moehog turned towards Cleckstarr. He shook his head in shock and confusion as he recalled the little Zafara’s ferocious attack on Meuka.

      Cleckstarr looked up and saw the disappointment on the Moehog’s face. “Am I in trouble?” he whispered.

      Judge Hog just glared in disapproval.

      “I don’t know what came over me. It was the same feeling like when I battled Sloth to free the Rainbow Fountain Faerie, you know. It’s weird, I just didn’t feel like myself. I felt... different. Like I was someone else, or like someone was controlling me.”

      Judge Hog looked closely at Cleckstarr, as if seeing him for the first time, his glare fading away to be replaced by understanding. “This is rare.”

      Cleckstarr looked up, surprised. He asked quietly, “You mean I’m not the only one?”

      Judge Hog sighed. “No. You aren’t. But it is not a common thing. I know of only one other Defender that has a hatred so strong. He seeks to destroy his enemy, and he has a burning desire that cannot be quenched.” The leader of the Defenders of Neopia fell silent, thinking to himself.

      Cleckstarr waited patiently for a few minutes, before asking, “Who? Who is like me?”

      The giant Moehog raised his head and said quietly, “Magax. His desire to eliminate Hubrid Nox has filled his being. He is the only Defender of Neopia with a lust to kill his enemy. At least, he was the only Defender, but now there is you.”

      “That’s horrible!” Cleckstarr exclaimed. “I’m-I’m not like that, am I? Do I go around trying to murder my enemies without even realizing it?” The young Zafara looked genuinely scared and horrified.

      “Listen, lad,” Judge Hog said, “it is not your fault.”

      Cleckstarr whispered as a horrible thought came into his head. “Will I end up like Magax, forever trying to destroy Neopian villains? Will I be worse, will I become a terror to all?”

      Judge Hog said kindly to the frightened Defender, “I don’t think so. I think that this curse can be controlled, but it will take a lot of hard work and strong will. In time, I think that we can teach you to use it to your advantage, instead of going into a killing rampage. Your rage must not be so great.”

      Cleckstarr smiled. “You mean, I can be extra helpful, if I can master my power?”

      “Yes, young one. And I think Magax can help you.”

      Cleckstarr now looked confused. “But, I thought that Magax was deeply affected by it, so much that he wants to kill Hubrid Nox.”

      “He does. However, he has mastered the strange power. He uses it to his advantage. He has always been a tad violent, and that is why he wishes to destroy Nox so. You aren’t like that. I can tell that you have a gentle soul, which in time will make you a better Defender of Neopia.”

      Cleckstarr smiled gratefully. “I hope so. I would never intentionally kill another Neopet.”

      Judge Hog smiled kindly at the young Zafara. “I know you wouldn’t. You are a very kind young one, and I am puzzled as to why you would be chosen to have such a violent power.”

      Cleckstarr sat silently, his chin resting on the pad of his paw, thinking about the events that had just recently occurred in his life. His mind was in turmoil as he replayed the last three months in his head. Less than four months ago, he had been a nerdy little comic geek. He had only lived an adventure through his comics, only dreaming of being an actual superhero. Now he was a real live Defender of Neopia! He had saved Neopians! Him, Lepus Cleck, now Cleckstarr (the Brave)! But he didn’t feel all glorious and heroic. He felt confused and awkward at his new turn in life. Now, everyday held a new surprise, and situations often became dangerous, not just to him, but to his friends. He now had enemies, which he didn’t have before, and he was learning how to fight. If anyone had told him four months ago that he was going to become a Defender of Neopia with a special ability to excel in fighting, he would have laughed and told that Neopet to sit down and rest, telling them that they just needed to keep out of the sun for a while.

      Judge Hog looked down at Cleckstarr, whose brow was creased in concentration. Judge Hog was worried by the new Defender’s look, knowing that he was thinking of things far beyond even Judge Hog’s understanding. The kindly Moehog decided to cheer him up, and reminded him of something, his eyes glittering playfully as he asked Cleckstarr his question. “Now, isn’t there someone you want to see?”

      Cleckstarr looked puzzled, and then began racing off into the distance as realization dawned on him.

      Cleckstarr, Judge Hog, Lightning Lenny, and Doleen all stood around Bungle’s hospital bed. Cleckstarr asked worriedly, “Will he be all right?”

      Doleen smiled happily and looked down at the Baby Poogle, who was sleeping peacefully, swathed in bandages. “I think so. Look, he’s beginning to wake up.”

      The young Poogle slowly awoke, yawning and blinking back sleep. Lightning Lenny commented, “The poor little tike; he’s been through a lot. He’s quite heavy, though!”

      Bungle looked around groggily. Tilting his head, he said sleepily, “I’m a supa ‘ero!”

      Cleckstarr laughed with the rest, but in truth he was scared. Would his quest to control his newfound power hurt other innocent Neopets? Would he ever learn to control it? How would his strange power affect him in the future?

The End

Thank you if you read this and are looking forward to more of Cleckstarr’s adventures! Thanks for reading!