A Lair of Giving

     Don’t approach.

     Warning: Snowager!

     The further Kal went, the fewer pets he saw. This part of the Ice Caves was almost empty, and the conversations and laughter faded into a barely audible background noise.

     He had just passed the last sign when one voice stood out. It reflected off the ice walls, reaching him even though the speaker had to be far away. Kal froze. He would recognise that voice anywhere.

     “I’m looking for a brown Draik. He’s researching the Snowager.”

     What was Rosie doing here?

     Hadn’t they agreed that he didn’t need her help for now and that Kal was going to do the research by himself? The bow was her gift, she couldn’t help him recover it!

     Besides, she would talk him out of it. And he couldn’t have that, not when he had found the perfect present for Rosie.

     Kal continued along the corridor, hoping that Rosie wouldn’t find him here. Surely, she wouldn’t go past all of those warning signs, would she?

     He turned a corner and instantly jumped backwards. There it was. The Snowager’s lair.

     Kal carefully sneaked forward, poking his head around the corner. The Snowager was awake, but fortunately, it seemed to be looking the other way. Kal quickly withdrew again. This was his waiting spot. All he could do now was hope that the creature would fall asleep quickly.

     -----

     Staring at the blue walls, surrounded by ice, Kal quickly lost track of time. He carefully looked at the Snowager every few minutes, but so far, the creature was still awake. It already felt as if Kal had been standing here for hours, even though the more rational part of him knew that it hadn’t been that long yet.

     Kal carefully glanced around the corner again. This time, the Snowager was curled up, with its head resting on its long body.

     The Draik’s heart started racing. Was that it? Was the creature asleep?

     Carefully, Kal took a step forward, unfolding his wings at the same time. If anything went wrong, he would take off instantly. Standing on tiptoes, he took another step. And another.

     The Snowager didn’t move.

     Kal heard his blood rushing in his ears. He could already see the bow, just next to the Snowager’s enormous body. One of these days, he would need to go back to meet Professor Aila and ask her more questions. Surely, it wasn’t normal for a creature to grow that large?

     Kal sneaked forward, his eyes on the Snowager, when his foot hit something. A can rolled for a few metres, making a loud noise as it scraped against the ice.

     The Draik froze and held his breath. The Snowager’s head stirred, but the creature didn’t open its eyes. Kal slowly breathed out. It looked as if the creature had gone back to sleep.

     This time, he looked down before taking the next step. A few toys littered his path, and he walked around them, approaching the pile of treasures. Maybe it was best to use his wings from here on, it would be much more silent.

     As slowly as he could, Kal rose into the air. The Snowager’s treasure was even more impressive than he had imagined. He knew that the creature liked stealing, but how had it managed to acquire such rare items? Was that a Kaleidonegg over there? Those were expensive!

     Kal was now hovering a few centimetres above the bow. He reached down, picking up Rosie’s present, when he spotted an unusual object.

     A Jelly Negg.

     Even though he didn’t know much about Neggs, he knew that it was one of the most expensive ones out there. So expensive that if he sold it, he could easily take Rosie and himself on a holiday.

     It wouldn’t hurt, would it? Since he was already here anyway, he might as well pick up the Jelly Negg.

     Taking his bow into his left hand, he bent forward. His right hand wrapped around the stem of the Negg. This was insane. He lifted the item slowly, holding it up in front of his face.

     Wow. The Purple Negg wobbled as he turned it around. What a fascinating thing, these Jelly Neggs. He turned it further, watching the light break through the egg, when he lost his grip on the stem.

     Kal quickly tried to catch the Jelly Negg, but he was still holding the bow, and the Negg fell onto the pile of treasures. It hit the Kaleidonegg he had seen earlier, then bounced off into the assortment of items. The pile partly collapsed, with the treasures flying in all directions with loud noises.

     The Snowager raised its head. Within a split second, Kal took off. Time to get out of here, before he could get eaten! The creature roared and Kal flew as quickly as possible into the tunnel. He needed to get away!

     Was the Snowager still behind him? He glanced over his shoulder, but couldn’t see it. When he turned his head back, suddenly, there was a wall of ice in front of him. Kal barely managed to slow down before he crashed and tumbled to the ground.

     “Ouch!” Kal touched his head. He was going to get a bruise, he could already feel it. Getting back to his feet, he stretched his arms, legs and wings. Everything else seemed to be fine, even the bow was still good.

     The only thing that didn’t match were his surroundings. This was not the way he had come. He was standing at the end of a tunnel, at a dead end.

     How had he ended up here? Why was the cave suddenly different? And what was the Snowager doing?

     Kal could feel panic rising. He was trapped here. If the Snowager came after him, he wouldn’t have an escape route.

     Maybe he had taken a wrong turn somewhere? He didn’t remember any crossroads, but he hadn’t paid much attention to any side tunnels either.

     Picking up his bow, Kal slowly headed back. He couldn’t hear the Snowager. Surely that was a good sign? Tiptoeing, he made his way through the tunnel. No paths left or right yet, but that could still come, right?

     Kal turned a corner and froze. He was looking at the Snowager’s lair, and the creature was now awake. It hadn’t spotted him yet, and in the split second before he jumped backwards, Kal realised why he had ended up in a dead end.

     He was in the wrong tunnel.

     The exit was on the other side of the lair, and he couldn’t get there without the Snowager seeing him.

     Great. How often did that Snowager go to sleep? Professor Aila had mentioned a pattern in its sleeping rhythm, but what did that mean? Once a day? Once a week? Once a month? Or maybe every few hours?

     Kal slid to the ground. He was getting cold and tired. It had been a long day, with a lot of waiting already, and he had been looking forward to getting home. Plus, Rosie would get worried if he didn’t make it back tonight. She was probably already wondering where he was.

     Or worse, maybe she had figured out by now that he had sneaked into the lair. Kal didn’t know how, but she was a pretty good detective and could see right through him. Sometimes, they made jokes that she should have become a journalist, as she was perfect at finding secrets.

     Kal sighed. He glanced around the corner but the Snowager was still awake. It was going to be a long night.

     -----

     Kal yawned. The Snowager might still be awake, but he was getting tired. Tired and cold. He rubbed his hands over his arms. His coat was getting damp from the ice, and he could barely feel his fingers anymore.

     This was not ideal. He wanted to fall asleep, but he was afraid of missing the ideal moment to leave. And he didn’t know how much longer he could stand the cold.

     Suddenly, he heard noise from inside the lair. The Snowager. Kal carefully looked around the corner. Did he see that correctly? Was it leaving its lair?

     The Draik jumped to his feet, feeling a rush of energy. This was his chance! He carefully took off, approaching the lair.

     The Snowager was gone.

     Finally!

     Kal rushed through the massive cave as quickly as possible, back into the tunnel on the other end. He saw the first warning sign, then the second. Now, he could hear voices again. The Ice Caves had to be close by!

     “Kal!” A spotted Aisha stood in his path, squealing his name.

     “Rosie? What are you-”

     Oh no, the bow! Kal quickly tried to hide it behind his back, as he landed in front of his friend. “What are you doing here?”

     “I was looking for you!” Rosie moved her head, trying to look behind Kal’s back. The Draik turned slightly, still trying to block the bow from her view.

     “Well, I couldn’t find you,” Rosie continued. “But I found Professor Aila. And she told me that she had seen you on the camera in the Snowager’s lair.”

     Ah, the camera. Of course. Professor Aila must have seen him sneak into the lair. How foolish of him not to remember that she could see everything that was going on in there.

     “The Snowager is back in its lair,” a familiar voice appeared, as the Xweetok professor rounded the corner. “Don’t try that again.”

     Kal turned red. She must have figured out by now that he had questioned her to sneak into the Snowager’s lair and steal the treasure. “Professor Aila.”

     “You’re lucky I saw you. What were you thinking?” Professor Aila shook her head. “If you wanted to learn more about the Snowager, you could have asked me. You didn’t need to go into its lair to see it from up close. It’s too dangerous!”

     Was it possible that she hadn’t seen him take the treasure? How had she missed that? Or was she being nice?

     Kal didn’t care what it was. He looked down, still embarrassed. “Thank you for coming to my rescue. How did you get the Snowager out of its lair?”

     “We have our ways.” The corner of Professor Aila’s lips lifted in a smile. “But that’s a real research secret. I can’t reveal everything to you. For now, you should go and warm up. And then let’s make an appointment for tomorrow so you can ask all of your questions about the Snowager.”

     That was a good idea. Kal could use a cup of Hot Borovan.

     “Let’s get you back home,” Rosie said. As they started walking, she fell back until she was at his side. She leaned over and whispered, “And then you can tell me what you’re hiding behind your back.”

     -----

     “I’ve done it. Look!” Kal held up the Neopian Times as he joined Rosie behind her house.

     Thud.

     The arrow hit the bullseye with ease. The spotted Aisha lowered her bow. In the last light of the day, the wood almost had a golden glow.

     “Let me see.” The spotted Aisha’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

     It was two weeks after the Day of Giving. Kal had managed not to show the bow to his friend that day when she and Professor Aisha had rescued him from the Snowager. She had seen it, he was sure of that, but she also hadn’t really seen how nice it looked.

     When he had handed it to her on the Day of Giving, her eyes had widened with astonishment at the intricate carvings on the bow.

     Kal opened his newspaper to the second page.

     “Here.” He pointed at an article. “An encounter with the Snowager - Neopia’s largest creature?”

     It wasn’t the front page, but it was his first article.

     “Congratulations!” Rosie pulled him into a hug. Kal smiled, wrapping his arms around her. He might have been terrified, but in the end, it had all been worth it.

     “Let’s go and celebrate. How about a cup of Hot Borovan?”

     The End.