An Aspiring Adventurer and an Admirable Academic

      Suddenly, a blue streak zoomed from one tree to the next, vanishing as quickly as it appeared. Everything remained still, apart from a single swinging vine.

      Moona let out a sigh. She had seen this sight far too many times to count, and yet, she couldn’t help but smirk. “Jeez Hector, don’t you think you’ve played adventurer for long enough?” Moona asked in a flippant tone. She knew exactly how to get her brother’s attention.

      Then, from the tree nearest to Moona, the rustling of leaves could be heard from above. Two blue paws emerged from all the greenery to push aside a few branches, and out came a young Kougra with a huge grin on his face. Hector wasn’t fazed by his sister’s snide remarks, but not because he was privy to her teasing, but because he had great pride as a self-proclaimed adventurer.

      Hector bent his elbows, and clenched his paws into a fist, then proceeded to place them on his waist. Moona thought her brother looked very reminiscent of Judge Hog doing one of his superhero poses, but she would never let him know it.

      “Hmph. You shouldn’t address me so casually dear sister, for I am Hector the Hectic,” said the blue Kougra in a mockingly regal tone. He dropped the regal act and spoke more candidly, “I will be the greatest adventurer in all of Neopia, I’m pretty much the best one on Mystery Island.”

      “Pretty much?” replied Moona in a sarcastic tone. Almost as if it were scripted, she started mouthing the words verbatim as Hector replied.

      “Well yea, I’m better than all those second rate explorers, and I’m gonna be as good as Jake one day!” said Hector enthusiastically. Hector idolized Jake, even to the point of refusing a colour change at the Rainbow Pool during his last birthday. He treasured his blue fur; it did match that of his idol after all. Hector then began to praise his hero, “I don’t have to remind you that Jake was the one that retrieved King Kawillawoa’s Mystical Tiki Totem, and he was the one that outsmarted the Konido Clan, and he wa-”

     “Yes, yes. And he was the one that beat Betsy the giant flytrap,” interjected Moona, abruptly ending her brother’s speech. Moona stopped looking up at her brother and as she turned, she said in a stern voice, “We better get going. I don’t want to end up scrubbing the floors again because of your tardiness!”

      Hector was a few years older than Moona, but he knew better than to get on his little sister’s bad side. Hector promptly slid down the tree and caught up with her.

      ---

      The Kougra siblings had bickered all the way to the steps leading up to the Training School.

      “You don’t have to always be so uptight Moona,” said Hector in a disappointed voice. “We could have played a quick round of Gadgadsgame or tried our luck at Tombola before coming here.”

      “Grrr, I’ve had enough of your antics Hector!” snapped Moona. “I swear, if Master Ryshu gives us cleaning duty one more time, I will-”

      “Good evening you two,” said a voice, interrupting Moona’s tirade.

      Hector and Moona looked up; the voice had come from the top of the steps. They both immediately bowed their heads in unison to show respect to the yellow Kacheek. This was no ordinary Kacheek, this was Bloomby. He was an advanced student from the Secret Ninja Training School and was making his weekly visit to help assist with training.

      “Hey there Bloom! Sorry, we’re kinda in rush,” said Moona as she started to climb the steps. Although Bloomby was her senior, the Kacheek was good friends with the Kougra siblings. He had even helped Master Ryshu train the two on several occasions.

      Before the two Kougras were able to climb more than a handful of steps, Bloomby said, “Master Ryshu isn’t here guys. No one has seen him all day.”

      “Yesss!” exclaimed Hector. “We’re not gonna get punished for being late!”

      “Oh no, I’m going to fall behind on my training!” replied Moona, clearly the more studious one. “If I fall behind on my classes, I won’t be able to graduate to the next level, and if that happens I won’t-” Moona stopped herself. She knew Master Ryshu was as serious a teacher, as she was a student. Her teacher had never been late before and would have given a reason beforehand if he did not intend on instructing the class today. Moona’s worries were now diverted from herself to the wellbeing of her teacher.

      “B-Bloom? Do you think Master Ryshu is okay?” asked Moona in a solemn tone.

      Even Hector, the ever so jovial one, was starting to show signs of worry. “Come on Moona, it’s Master Ryshu we’re talking about, I’m sure he’s fine!” said Hector, trying to put his sister’s mind, as well as his own, at ease.

      Bloomby crossed his arms and stared at the two for a few seconds, he then said in a calm voice, “I’m sure Master Ryshu is more than capable of handling himself, but since he’s not here, I think it would be best if we looked for him.” Bloomby raised his left paw to his chin and scratched it, “I’m sure you guys will find him in a jiffy! With all the practice you’ve put in, along with Master Ryshu’s haiku teachings, you’re bound to find him in no time!” said Bloomby confidently. The yellow Kacheek shuffled his feet a bit and continued, “Now then, you two go on ahead. I’ll inform the Techo Master and join the search afterwards.” Bloomby then shifted his gaze so that his eyes met with the blue Kougra’s, “With Hector the Hectic, this will be an absolute cinch!” said the Kacheek assuredly.

      That was precisely what Hector needed to hear. Before another phrase could be uttered, he turned around and started a brisk jog. “Let’s go slowpoke, we’ve got a lot of exploring to do!” said the adventurous Kougra to his sister.

      ---

      Gasping for air, Hector said, “We still... haven’t checked… the Cooking Pot.”

      Moona let out one of her trademark sighs and replied, “You’ve been running around without rhyme or reason. At this rate, we’ll tire ourselves out before we finish exploring the island.”

      The two Kougras had spent the past several hours searching the majority of Mystery Island. They had visited every notable place, including one of Master Ryshu’s favourite spots, the Haiku Generator.

      “The sun is about to set, and my legs are going to give way Hector,” said Moona tiredly. This was a testament to how much investigating the pair had done. Moona did not share Hector’s adventurous ambitions, but she was definitely no slouch.

      A few seconds went by and Hector regained his composure. “We’ve checked Master Ryshu’s usual spots, how about we head to Geraptiku?” suggested Hector.

      “The Lost City?” asked Moona, knowing full well they were not supposed to meander around those parts.

      “Yea, we’ve checked pretty much everywhere else. It’ll be fine, you’re with me after all,” Hector retorted smugly.

      The red Kougra’s eyebrows furled as she looked at her older brother. Hector had already started to trot swiftly towards the Lost City.

      ---

      After an arduous trek, the two siblings had made their way to the entrance of the Deserted Tomb.

      “Are you sure we shouldn’t look around a bit more?” asked Moona timidly.

      “There’s nothing else here,” said Hector. He was anxious to head into the fabled crypt. He had read all about Jake and his fantastic adventures involving the Deserted Tomb, and was eager to mimic his hero.

      “Hmm, the entrance is already open,” said Moona, squinting as she examined the vines surrounding it. She turned around to see Hector messing about on the cold stone floor.

     Hector looked around, he then began to gather a few materials.

      “What are you doing now?” asked Moona insistently.

      “We’re going to need a light source of some kind,” said Hector, as he fastened a vine around a branch that was lying nearby. Ever the stalwart explorer, he then took out his flint and tinder and sparked a fire onto the branch. “Voila!” exclaimed Hector, as his makeshift torch illuminated the tomb’s entrance.

     Before Moona knew it, her brother was already a few paces in front of her, and she cried out, “Wait for me Hector!”

      ---

      The two Kougras had been in the tomb for about half an hour now. Much to Moona’s delight, the famed Deserted Tomb was surprisingly bland.

      Hector held his torch in his right paw, as he gently caressed the walls with his left. He could feel the tiny holes that were riddled across them. Hector knew that this must have been caused by a dart trap trigged by an unfortunate Neopian in the past. He made sure to shift the direction of his torch so that Moona would not spot the holes. You see, Hector had noticed a few things that Moona did not during their short time in the crypt. He saw the pile of bones tucked away in the corridor that they just walked through, he saw shadows lurking around here and there, but he knew it would be best to keep this information to himself. The last thing Hector needed was for his sister to panic, and he realized that the pair had bit off more than they could chew.

      The siblings came to a halt as they wandered into a large spherical room. A lone empty treasure box sat on an ancient pedestal.

      “Well, doesn’t seem like there’s anything else left to see,” said Hector, finally breaking the silence. In reality, if Hector was alone he would have continued exploring, but he knew that protecting his little sister was his top priority.

      Moona simply nodded her head vigorously in agreement.

      The two Kougras turned around, and hastily began walking through the corridor which they had just entered from. They were about halfway through the corridor when Moona felt a cool chill on the back of her neck, her fur stood on end. She slowly turned her head around, and that’s when she saw the gargantuan ghost Hissi!

      “RAAAWR! HISSSS!” bellowed the apparition, its cries echoed throughout the entire tomb.

      What Hector lacked in scholarly prowess, he made up for with his quick wit. He grabbed his little sister’s paw, and the two bolted towards the exit. However, no matter how quickly the two ran, the ghostly Hissi kept gaining on them.

      “My legs are burning Hector, I can’t run anymore!” cried out Moona, as she slumped to the ground.

      “No Moona, get up!” urged Hector.

      Realizing that his sister was too tired to continue, Hector decided to stand his ground. “I’m not afraid of you, I’m Hector the Hectic! A proud student of Master Ryshu of the Training School!” shouted Hector at the top of his lungs.

      “Hector, save yourself!” pleaded Moona with tears swelling up in her eyes.

      Hector ignored his sister’s plea and positioned himself in front of Moona. He threw his torch down and adopted the fighting stance he had practice over the past few months. As the Hissi neared, his arms and legs trembled and he couldn’t help but close his eyes. He felt like a failure.

      It was 20 feet away… then 15 feet… soon after, only 10 feet. Suddenly, two gusts of wind blew by Hector, and as quickly as the ghost appeared, as if by miracle, the ghoul was gone. Nothing left, but a wisp of grey smoke.

      Still in his fighting stance, Hector slowly opened one eye. The ghost Hissi had completely vanished, and in its place were Bloomby and Master Ryshu!

      The pure glee on Hector’s and Moona’s faces could not be measured.

      ---

      The Kougra siblings had been lying in the Training School’s garden for a few minutes now, waiting for Bloomby and Master Ryshu to return with refreshments.

      “Thank you for the piggyback ride Master Ryshu” said Moona abashed.

      “Yea, thanks Bloom,” chimed in Hector. Bloomby may have been small, but the pint-sized Kacheek was able to carry Hector on his back with extreme ease.

      “Heh, sorry to keep it a secret guys,” said Bloomby, feeling somewhat guilty. “Master Ryshu asked me to make sure I didn’t tip you guys off. We started following you around the moment you departed from the steps of the Training School, you were safe the whole time.”

      The Kougra siblings continued to lie on their backs, and shifted around a bit as they stared up at the starry sky.

      “Don’t worry about it Bloom,” said Hector. He went on to bluff, “I knew it was you guys lurking in the shadows the whole time.”

      Moona just rolled her eyes, took a sip of her tea and let out a satisfied sigh.

      “Umm, Moona…?” Hector hesitated, “I’m really sorry for dragging you into all this.” As an older brother, Hector felt terrible for putting his little sister through a terrible ordeal. Hector let out an atypical sigh and said, “And thank you for sticking with me throughout our adventure.”

      At first Moona was awestruck. Did Hector just thank her for something? Then she started to giggle and said, “Ah don’t worry about it big bro! I’ll gladly go on more adventures with you, but let’s tone it down a bit.” The small group proceeded to share a laugh.

      “Mmm,” pondered Master Ryshu for a few moments, “You both passed the test with flying colours.”

      “WHAT!?” exclaimed the two Kougras. “We were being tested!?” said the pair, as if they shared one mind.

      “Being a student of the Training School is about more than just being physically fit. It’s about being brave and facing the unknown, but also having the power to support those who need you,” expounded Master Ryshu. “I believe the two of you complement each other quite well!”

      Moona blushed so hard, that you could see it through her beautiful red fur. Hector on the other hand, did his best Judge Hog impression once more.

      With that, Master Ryshu left his students with a few words of wisdom.

      Believe in yourself,

      and your loved ones around you.

      Work hard and grow strong!

      The End.