A Lair of Giving

     Kal let out a shriek of excitement. "I've done it," he squealed, grinning from ear to ear. "It's the perfect gift."

     A grey Gelert in the row in front of him turned around, her eyes narrowed. "Quiet," she shushed him, but Kal didn't care. He had just won his first auction and gotten the perfect gift for his best friend.

     As he sauntered over to the counter to collect his purchase, Kal couldn't believe his luck. Surely, that bow had to be worth more than the 500 Neopoints he had just spent on it? He picked up the bow and ran his fingers over the wood. Even in the harsh light of the auction house, it almost looked golden. Rosie was going to love it!

     Kal was never going to admit it openly, but the spotted Aisha was the best archer he knew. She was a natural and far more talented than him. They had started archery as children, but what had begun as a casual game had turned into Rosie's favourite hobby. These days, not a single day passed without Rosie shooting at least a handful of arrows.

     Kal couldn't wait to give her the bow on the Day of Giving. All he needed now was some wrapping paper. And maybe some slushies? The days were getting shorter and colder, but no matter how cold, he could always eat slushies. Maybe he'd pick up one for Rosie along the way.

     -----

     The weather on Terror Mountain was dreadful. Kal could barely see the path in front of him. Maybe coming here in the middle of a snowstorm hadn't been the best idea?

     The wind was so cold, Kal felt as if he was getting hit by thousands of tiny icicles. Around him, the world was white. He made out the shadow of a tree on the side of the path, a faint grey that almost blended in with the rest of his surroundings. Rosie better be grateful for the slushies he was getting for her!

     Fortunately, Kal had taken this path many times before and knew exactly where to go. Not much longer, and he would reach the Happy Valley.

     From the corner of his eyes, he saw a shadow. Probably his imagination that was playing tricks on him, trying to recognise shapes in the whiteness around him. He pulled the bow closer to his body, shivering as the wind turned and hit him in the face. The weird shadow was still there, moving alongside him.

     Rooooaaar

     Kal jumped at the loud sound. The shadow next to him grew bigger, now looming over him. For a moment, the wind calmed down and Kal could see it.

     The Snowager!

     Kal screamed, stretching out his wings. The moment he took off, the wind caught him. Kal didn't care, he just needed to get away. Up, higher up into the white, somewhere he wouldn't get eaten by the Snowager.

     Breathing heavily, he flapped his wings. The Snowager let out another roar, a bit further away this time. Kal was too afraid to look behind himself. Instead, he kept going and going, disappearing in the white. He didn't stop until he almost hit a building.

     Even through the snowstorm, Kal recognised the neon letters. The Slushie shop, finally! Kal pulled the door open and hopped inside. Breathing heavily, his wings shaking, he leaned against the closest wall.

     "Are you okay?"

     Kal looked up at the Eyrie shopkeeper. "Snow- Snowager."

     The Eyrie nodded. "Yeah, it's the weather. It likes to come out during snowstorms."

     "It was just next to me. I thought it was going to eat me. I…" He abruptly paused. The bow. He didn't have the bow anymore.

     Frantically looking around, even though he already knew it wasn't in the Slushie shop. Kal started to panic. "The bow. I must have dropped it. I was carrying it when the Snowager attacked."

     "A bow?" The Eyrie raised its eyebrows.

     "It's a gift," Kal hurried to explain. He didn't want the shopkeeper to think he was some weird person, randomly carrying around bows. "It's a gift for my best friend. She loves archery. She's pretty good actually. You should see her shoot an apple off a tree."

     Kal grinned at the thought. Granted, Rosie had only managed that once, but the Eyrie didn't need to know that.

     "I got a bow for her, for the Day of Giving." His face turned more serious again and he furrowed his brows as he wondered if it was safe to go back outside. "It's probably still lying on the path where I ran into the Snowager." He walked over to the Slushie shop and looked at the whirling snow outside. "Do you think it's safe to go back?"

     "No." The shopkeeper's answer came instantly. "You can't even see the path, let alone a bow. Plus, the Snowager probably has it by now. You might have to get a new one."

     Kal's heart sank. He had heard of the Snowager herding treasure, but why would the creature want his bow? It couldn't even use it, and it wasn't edible either!

     "I need to get it back," he muttered, softly enough that the shopkeeper couldn't hear him. It was the perfect present for Rosie, so giving up on it wasn't an option.

     -----

     Kal burped. He quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, glancing at the Eyrie apologetically. "Sorry."

     Four empty slushie cups stood in front of him. Over the past two hours, he'd made a plan. He was going to get that bow back, no matter what.

     If he was lucky, he'd find it lying on the path. If not, and that seemed far more likely, considering what the Slushie shopkeeper had told him, he'd have to steal it back from the Snowager.

     But even in that situation, he had a plan. He'd heard of some lucky pets stealing treasure from the Snowager, so it had to be possible to go into its lair. What he needed to find out was how to stop the Snowager from eating him.

     That meant he needed to do research. Fortunately, he had gotten plenty of experience in research over the past few months. Ever since starting his job as a reporter of the Neopian Times, he had done nothing but assist other journalists in their research.

     Maybe that was even his chance to publish his first article. "The Snowager's Lair - What Is Really Going On In There?" Kal could already see the headlines. On top, a special edition was coming up, and it would be pretty sweet to be featured in it.

     "I think I should leave now."

     It was still snowing outside, but the storm had calmed down and Kal could now see buildings outside the window of the Slushie shop.

     "Good luck finding another present for your friend!" The Eyrie gave him a friendly wave. Kal waved back. He hadn't told him that he was planning on recovering his bow. Instead, over the past hours, he had asked the shopkeeper as many questions about the Snowager as he could. The creature liked coming out during snowstorms, and it had stolen many treasures from unsuspecting pets. When it roared, most would drop whatever they were holding.

     Nobody knew what the Snowager liked to do with its treasures, although the Eyrie insisted that he had heard rumours that it used them to lure treasure hunters into its lair. Then, it ate those treasure hunters.

     When Kal had asked why the Snowager would lure the treasure hunters into its lair instead of eating unsuspecting pets during snowstorms, the shopkeeper had just shrugged. "Nobody can see into the Snowager's head. All I know is that it's madness to come anywhere close to its lair."

     Kal stepped outside the shop. A fresh layer of snow covered the paths of the Happy Valley. Finding the bow, even if it hadn't been taken by the Snowager, would be difficult. As he traced back his steps from earlier, the Draik whirled up as much powder snow as he could with his wings.

     An hour later, Kal had found nothing but twigs and rocks. By now, he was pretty certain that the Snowager had his bow. He'd need to do research and find out how to best get into the lair.

     For now, though, this would have to wait. The sun was setting behind the mountains, and he had promised Rosie to meet her tonight.

     -----

     Thud.

     “So what did you do on your day off?” Rosie didn’t look at Kal as she spoke. Instead, she concentrated on the target at the other end of the meadow, which already had three arrows stuck in its inner circle.

     “Nothing interesting,” Kal brushed it off. “Just wandered around a bit, enjoying the day.” He wasn’t great at lying, and he knew that Rosie would see right through it. So what he needed was a believable story.

     “I went to Happy Valley, took a look at the shops there. But then I came into a snowstorm, so I spent a bit longer than I wanted to,” he quickly added. There, that wasn’t even a lie. He had been to the Happy Valley and he had spent more time than anticipated.

     Thud.

     They had put up candles next to the target, so they could still see the red and white circles in the darkness. The light wasn’t strong, though, and Kal wasn’t surprised when the next arrow missed the target by a few centimetres.

     “And you didn’t even bring me a slushie?” The spotted Aisha lowered her bow. “That’s a bit mean of you.” She lightly poked him with the tip of her bow.

     Kal laughed. “Sorry. As I said, there was a snowstorm. I was too frozen for slushies.”

     Rosie picked up another arrow and took aim.

     “I was thinking of writing my first article. About the Snowager,” Kal blurted out.

     Rosie lowered her bow again and turned around to look at Kal. “Do you think that will get you published?”

     Kal shrugged. “No idea. But I’m hoping to do a lot of research; maybe that will get Mister Hunch’s attention.”

     Rosie reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “It’s not your fault that Mister Hunch is the strictest editor the Neopian Times ever had.” She smiled. “Good luck. Maybe I could help you with your research? If you need anything, just let me know.”

     -----

     The next day, Kal found himself back at Terror Mountain. He didn’t have much time. Yesterday, he had barely managed to stop Rosie from tagging along. His best friend was so excited at the idea of him finally publishing an article that she had even offered to take a week off to research the Snowager with him.

     Of course, that wasn’t an option for Kal. He didn’t mind Rosie tagging along for some research, but he needed to be by himself to get the bow back from the Snowager’s lair. Not just because he didn’t want to ruin the surprise for her but also because he knew that if she found out about his plans, she would try to stop him.

     Kal decided to start at the top of Terror Mountain today. The weather up there was rougher than in the Happy Valley, and if they were more used to snowstorms, they might also have more experience with the Snowager.

     The brown Draik headed to the Toy Repair Shop. It seemed as good a place as any.

     A ball rang when he entered the shop, and a few seconds later, a red Bori appeared behind the counter. “What can I do for you?”

     Kal squeezed past a dollhouse with a broken roof, almost stumbling over a bike as he made his way to the counter.

     “My name’s Kal. I’m a reporter for the Neopian Times, and I’m writing an article about the Snowager.” He pulled out a small notebook and a pen. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

     The Bori shrugged. “Yeah, sure. But make it short. The Day of Giving is coming up, and I have a lot to do. Everyone wants their kid’s toys repaired before then.”

     “It’s very short, just a few questions,” Kal assured him. “Have you ever encountered the Snowager yourself?”

     “A few times. Although, maybe ‘encounter’ is a bit too strong of a word.” The shopkeeper picked up a screwdriver and gestured towards a window. “We get a lot of bad weather here. And the Snowager likes to come out during snowstorms. I’ve heard it myself a few times already.”

     “How close were you to the Snowager?” Kal scribbled a few words into his notebook, even though he hadn’t learned anything new yet. The trick, he thought to himself, was to look professional and as if he had been doing this for years already.

     “I wouldn’t say very close. I’ve never seen it. I know someone who has, though.” The Bori leaned forward on the counter. Kal came closer.

     The Bori lowered his voice into an almost-whisper. “There’s this Xweetok, up at the research station. They say she’s had multiple run-ins with the Snowager already. She almost got eaten one time and barely got away.”

     Interesting. That Xweetok seemed worth speaking to. Kal thanked the shopkeeper and left for the research station.

     -----

     Despite the sunny day, Kal had to fight against strong gusts of wind to reach the research station. The higher he got up on Terror Mountain, the windier it got.

     Eventually, he gave up flying. As convenient as it was to use his wings, it wasn’t fun when he had to fight against strong currents of air. The research station was already visible, so it wouldn’t be much longer.

     The large white building almost blended in with the snow. Kal rang the bell, rubbing his hands to keep them warm. If he had known that he was going to the top of Terror Mountain, he would have taken gloves.

     Finally, a Snow Blumaroo opened. “Yes?”

     “Hi, the name’s Kal. I’m a reporter for the Neopian Times and I’m writing an article about the Snowager.” The Draik reached for his notebook, but his fingers were so numb from the cold, he could barely hold it. “Mind if I come in?”

     The Snow Blumaroo crossed his arms in front of his chest. “That depends. Do you have an appointment?”

     “An appointment?” Kal drew out the word slowly.

     “Yes, an appointment. We’re all busy, we don’t have time for random reporters.”

     Well, that was inconvenient. As much as it made sense, it also made it difficult for Kal to do his research. This was a new lead, he hadn’t even known he wanted to talk to the Xweetok until fifteen minutes ago!

     “Look, I only have a few questions. It’s going to be very short. Can you make an exception?” Kal put on his most hopeful face. “Please?” he added.

     The Blumaroo sighed and fully opened the door. “Just this one time. And only for five minutes. Not a single second longer.”

     Kal rushed past him into the warmth. Finally! A minute longer and his fingers would have turned into icicles. “I heard there’s a Xweetok working here who’s an expert on the Snowager. She’s seen it multiple times already.”

     “Yes.” The Blumaroo nodded. “Aila. Professor Aila. She specialises in the Snowager. Let me see if she has time.”

     A professor who researched the Snowager? That was perfect! If anyone knew how to get the bow back, it would be her. Plus, she was an excellent source for his article. Mister Hunch would be so proud when he saw that Kal had interviewed the most knowledgeable expert on the Snowager.

     “What is your article about?”

     A Pastel Xweetok came towards Kal.

     “Nice pin.” Kal motioned towards a Snowager pin attached to Professor Aila’s lab coat. “I am writing an article about the Snowager. My name’s Kal. I work for the Neopian Times.”

     “Yes, I heard that. But what is your article about?”

     “Err… the Snowager?” Kal furrowed his brows. What did she mean? He had said multiple times already that he was writing about the giant creature, hadn’t he?

     “That’s a very broad topic. I suggest you narrow it down. There are so many topics you could write about. Snowager eggs and the perfect hatching conditions, the Snowager’s roar, the peculiarities of the Snowager’s skin, a study of the Snowager’s sleeping schedule….” Professor Aila counted the topics on her fingers. “No, forget about the last one. I’m going to publish that myself. A large research journal already contacted me about my data.”

     “I work for the Neopian Times. Most of our readers aren’t scientists,” Kal carefully said, when the Xweetok’s words fully sank in. “The sleeping schedule? The Snowager goes to sleep from time to time?”

     “Oh, yes, it does. And I have spent the last three years collecting data about its sleep.” The Xweetok pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. “See?” She smoothed it out with her paws and showed it to Kal.

     “This here.” She pointed at a table. “These are the times when we observed the Snowager going to sleep. And we’re starting to see a pattern.”

     “Fascinating.” Kal scribbled a few lines in his notebook. “What kind of pattern are you seeing?”

     “Oh, I can’t tell you.” Professor Aila laughed. “You’re going to have to read my publication. But don’t worry, I can send you a copy once it’s out.”

     Well, that wasn’t very helpful. Kal needed the bow as soon as possible, he couldn’t wait to receive a Neomail with an article. At least, it would help him to complete the research for his own article.

     An idea suddenly crossed his thoughts. “How do you know when the Snowager is asleep?”

     “Let me show you. This way.” Professor Aila motioned down a corridor. “At first, I watched the Snowager in its lair. I spent hours in the nearby ice caves, sitting in a hiding spot from where I could watch it. It almost ate me once. Then I installed a camera.”

     She opened a door and led Kal into a room. A large monitor took up one wall, showing a Snowager sitting on top of a pile of items.

     “See?” Professor Aila motioned at the screen. “Now we can watch it at all times. Makes it very easy to study the Snowager.”

     Kal stepped closer to the monitor. The image was a little bit grainy, but he had already spotted what he was looking for. Lying on top of the pile of treasure, balancing on two neggs, was his bow.

     ------

     An hour later, Kal found himself in the Ice Caves with a vague plan in his head. He would wait for the Snowager to fall asleep, sneak into its lair and get his bow back.

     What could possibly go wrong?

To be continued…