Quest for Wings: Part One

     The Poogle felt truly happy watching this beautiful scene, vivid and alive, but she also had another thought. Oh, how she wished to be able to fly!

     A few small figures flew across the sky, both of them blue. The Shoyru and the Pteri flapped their powerful wings around in the air and played circus. Frost felt quite jealous, since they were her best friends and she couldn't join in. But she wished even more that she would have wings, so she could also fly and experience the sky.

     She watched as they dove, made flip-flops and other kinds of funny things in the air. This was one of the times that Frost really felt like an outsider. They were all in the same class, blue, neighbors with each other... The list went on and on. But flying... That was something different.

     The little Poogle didn't notice the two friends landing behind her because she was too busy trying to get some of those annoying milky light blue stripes on their place. Sure, it looked really nice from a distance, but close-up they needed careful attention or they wouldn't match together perfectly. With a last exasperated puff, the vain Poogle turned around.

     "Hi Frost," the Shoyru said.

     "It's nice and windy, just perfect for a flight," the Pteri teased.

     "Pat!" the Shoyru exclaimed, lightly hitting her friend.

     "Aw... That was just for fun, Chris," the Pteri named Patrick said as he gave her a slightly sour look. Then he turned around to see Frost looking up at the sky.

     A fierce wind hit them, and the three friends quickly huddled together in order not to be blown away.

     "Sorry about that," Pat said when the worst winds were over. He eyed the Shoyru, who nodded approvingly.

     "Apology accepted," Frost muttered.

     "We know how much you want to fly..." Christine began.

     "So, we'll take you for a ride today!" the Pteri finished.

     "How?" the Poogle asked suspiciously. They were good friends, but the practical jokes that Pat would play had a huge chance of failing. Perhaps this would be the same...

     Pat held up a big rope that had been made of thick green vines. He tossed one end to Chris and grabbed the other. They both pulled, as if they wanted to show to Frost that this time, she was wrong. The Poogle smiled.

     "Okay," she said. "But how?"

     "Well, it's easy," the Pteri said. "I'll just grab one end and Chris will grab the other, and then you sit on it like you sit on a swing."

     "I see," Frost said as her friends gained altitude, letting the rope hang just like a swing. She sat on the lowest part and grasped the vines running beside her tightly. As they took to flight, the Poogle felt happy. She had never thought that her friends would think of a little trick like this, and just for her... It was great to have such nice friends...

     A strong wind almost knocked Frost off. The two caring friends asked if she was okay, because they were used to this kind of weather. The Poogle nodded and held on for her life. She was truly grateful for this, for this new experience that her friends had brought her. For the first time Frost felt that she belonged with them, even in the air.

     The whole experience was amazing. Even though it was much colder and cloudier up here, the sky was better. She could see the layers and how the fluffy clouds formed. She could just imagine when they moved across the sky, occasionally bringing rain and snow to all of Neopia. Down there on the ground she had imagine to touch the top of the sky, that deep blue just above the horizon. But up here, it felt more like a sphere and less like something that really could be reached like a ceiling. With a little shiver, Frost let one paw go of the vine and tried to touch the sky again.

     "Having fun?" Chris asked as they were above the ocean that held the Ruins of Maraqua.

     "Yeah," the Poogle replied just as the two friends stopped mid-air. They were still keeping the altitude, but the rope acted like a swing now. Frost closed her eyes as she swung back and forth. Some of the winds had made it swing, but nothing was as bad as this! She gulped as she felt the rope tugging down and feared that she would fall, but she doubted that her friends would let go. After all, they were great friends, thinking of her and taking her on a trip like this.

     When she opened her eyes, she saw Chris and Pat talking to a Cloud Eyrie.

     "Really?" Chris asked. "An all-powerful air faerie?"

     "Really," the Eyrie said. "She blessed me and now I have some power over clouds."

     "Do you think she can bless our buddy here?" Pat asked. Frost smiled. Even though Pat was really mean sometimes, he was a really good friend.

     "Possibly," the Eyrie said after eyeing the Poogle. "However, she lives in a castle of air far, far away from here and it would take at least a day to get there. I doubt that you two have the energy of carrying her there, since the castle hovers mid-air."

     "That's a problem," the Shoyru stated as she scratched her head.

     "Since I'm feeling nice," the Eyrie declared, "I'll conjure up something for you." With those words, the pet began forming his paws and a small cloud appeared. It expanded and grew big enough for Frost to sit on. The puffy little white cloud looked a little bit misty, but the glow around the edges marked that it was made by magic.

     "Thanks," the three friends said in unison.

     "Well, I've got to go now," the Eyrie said. "Remember, her name is Vraira and she lives in a castle of air around the Misty Breeze area." With that, he flew off.

     "Wow," Pat said. Then he looked down at the Poogle who was patting the little cloud.

     "It looks like it can carry you around," the clever Shoyru said. "That's my guess..."

     "Why don't you try?" the Pteri asked. Seeing Frost's worried face, he added, "We'll catch you if you fall."

     "Um... Okay," the Poogle said quietly as she let go of the rope and sat on the magic cloud. She closed her eyes tightly and prayed that she wouldn't fall down. When she had counted to ten, she opened her eyes and found that she was still in the air.

     "It works!" Frost said happily.

     "Though it isn't the same, is it?" Chris said. The Poogle nodded. The ride through the air had been great, but she had relied on people. Now she wanted to experience the sky all by herself on her own.

     As if he had read her mind, the Pteri asked, "Why don't you ask Vraira for wings?"

     "Well... I'll try," the Poogle said. She was secretly pleased at the fact of perhaps getting wings, like her friends!

     "Hmm... A quest for wings, eh?" the Shoyru said.

     "I'd sure love to have some, like you guys," Frost said. "But maybe that's beyond her power?"

     "Well, you don't know unless you try!" Pat gave the cloud a little push. The Poogle feared that she would fall off, but the cloud wasn't that delicate. She patted her sturdy companion absentmindedly as she watched her two friends. Frost noticed that Chris looked like she wanted to say something.

     "Sorry, but I don't think that I can follow you today," the Shoyru said, looking down. "I promised my owner to do some chores."

     "The same goes for me," the Pteri said.

     "It's okay," the Poogle lied. Somehow she had known that this would happen. Even though she was sad, she plastered a big smile on her face.

     The two friends looked relieved. "We're sorry," they said and flew off. Frost watched them, knowing that they would've loved to come with her, but a promise was a promise. She shook her head. No. It was definitely meant that she should face the dangers alone.

     For a minute or two, she felt great sorrow at her friends not being able to join her in this exciting adventure. The cold winds surrounded her as she watched them disappear into the clouds. Then she realized something and smiled thoughtfully.

     "I'm in the air," she told herself, "And on a quest for wings, doing things that I thought was impossible. I shouldn't be sad at all!" She smiled and looked down at her cute companion, who was resting and carrying her effortlessly in the air.

     "Let's go!" she cried out impulsively, "Let's go to the Misty Breeze!"

To be continued...