Encountering Wild: Part Four

     My mind was still confused by the actions yesterday, and I was busy thinking about the long, cold howl that Wild had shouted at the moon. I really wanted to know his past, but I did not understand him. I wanted to understand him, but I doubt that I could ever learn to speak the language of the wild Lupes.

     "He asked me," Genee said suddenly, interrupting my thoughts, "why I was different."

     "Who asked you that?" I said back.

     "Wild did."

     My hands tightened into a fist, and a lump rose in my throat. Ask him why he's different?! I thought silently. How dare he call my Genee different...

     "What... what did you say?" I asked.

     "I told him the truth. I told him about my shock-a-lots, about how you have to buy specially designed items... the works."

     "Oh," I said. "When was this?"

     "Last night, after we brought Wild in from the beach. While you were sleeping on the couch again," Genee replied. "He told me about his past, too... his history."

     "Really?"

     Genee nodded. "Yeah... and yes, he is a wild Lupe. He was part of a pack that has existed upon Mystery Island for years. The only difference, though, is that this pack is hidden, for they have few members. The natives of this island have nearly hunted them all. Right now, they reside in an abandoned city to the north of Mystery Island. Geraptiku. That's what they called it. Geraptiku, their home."

     "Oh," I said.

     "They're a family, you know?" Genee whispered. "Wild, and his pack members. They take care of each other. They all have equality, they share, they all protect. There is no alpha male. They're all equal. Even the young ones. On the night you discovered Wild, he was the babysitter that night. He was supposed to teach them how to hunt that night, too. They were going to enter one of the petpet farms that raise Grackle bugs, get some dinner. They tricked the alarms, though, and Wild had to play decoy in order to save the future of their pack. He had to save the young Lupes, or else the pack was done for."

     "Oh," I repeated.

     "He ran towards the beach, for he thought that he would be able to hide beneath the soft sand. He headed for the wrong beach, though, and ended up in The Island Getaway beach. So, in order to survive, he fought off the natives. Grarrls, Kougras, Jetsams, and many more Neopets. He fought them all while he was in the forest. He injured many, if not all of them, but they must've called for back up, since new, fresh natives started to appear. He grew weaker. They fought for hours. Into the middle of the night. That was when he finally realized that he couldn't keep doing this. That he must stop."

     "Oh."

     "Wild ran towards the beach through the nearest opening he could find. He ran in circles, in twists and turns so that he would be able to lose them. Finally, he did lose them... most of them. Then he fell down. He was tired. Dead tired. He was hurt. Injured. Broken." Genee's voice broke after the last word, and he stayed silent for a few minutes. He looked at me, finally, and I could see that his eyes were narrowed in anger. "Wild did not understand why his pack never came. He did not understand why they didn't try to help him. When he told the young Lupes to run, he told them to call for help. But they never came. Wild knew that the natives were angry at the Lupe pack for raiding most of their farms... injuring most of their people. He knew that this hatred would overpower him. He understood that, and he knew that his pack knew that as well. Yet, they never came."

     I stared at Genee for a few moments in shock, but I wasn't surprised. For some odd reason, I knew that Wild was an outcast... or that he was outcasted. During the middle of Genee's story, I knew that Wild was hurt by something much deeper than physical pain. He was wounded inside. "Oh," I whispered, for I did not know what to say.

     "He wants to go back... to journey back to the north. Back to Geraptiku. He wants to see his family again," Genee whispered.

     "He... he can't," I said quickly back. "The natives should still be looking for him. Front what you said, he must've hurt a lot of them."

     "I know... and they are looking for him. While you were napping on the beach yesterday, I went to town. I found out that, yes, the Mystery Island warriors were looking for Wild... they've been looking for him ever since he escaped."

     "Does Wild know that?" I asked.

     "I told him. Doesn't care, though. All he cares about is his pack. He's still weak, CT," Genee muttered softly. "But once he gets better, he's going to leave."

     "The natives will catch him, though, doesn't he know that?"

     Genee nodded.

     "But he still wants to leave?"

     Genee nodded again.

     "I won't let him leave. I refuse to."

     "CT," Genee said softly, "If we keep him, and the natives find out... we'll be in a lot of trouble. A lot."

     "It doesn't matter. I don't care. I can't let him step into danger. That's absurd, and you know it, Genee!"

     "Don't be stubborn, CT, he's not your pet. You can't keep him. You can't have five Neopets."

     "I don't care! I'm keeping him, and I'm not being stubborn. You're the stubborn one, Genee."

     "I'm not going to argue with you anymore, CT. Besides, this is Wild's choice, not yours."

     "So."

     "He's not your Neopet. You already have four, CT. And he's wild."

     "Why don't I just abandon you and adopt him then?" I cried.

     Genee was silent after that, and he continued to gaze at me. He did not look hurt at all. He still had a passive expression on his face. I was breathing hard, though, and my eyes burned as I tried my best to hold back tears. My hands shook, and my head felt hot. Despite this, though, I realized what I had just said was wrong, and I instantly apologized to Genee. Genee just nodded.

     Outside, I could hear Weewoos call to each other from the tops of the trees. The wind rustled silently, and I heard another Weewoo call. Genee was listening to them as well.

     "Weewoos, they are amazing petpets, aren't they, CT?" Genee whispered. "There's a legend about them, too. A Lupe legend, actually."

     I nodded slowly in response. "Did Wild tell you this legend?"

     "No, he didn't. I read about it... heard of it," Genee said. "It is said that Weewoos are special messengers to Neopians. It is said that they know our fate. In fact, they're called 'Winged-Fate' in Lupe tongue."

     "Oh," I said, once again. "Well, what does the legend say about these 'Winged Fates'?"

     "It is said that, whenever a relevant, different... special... moment happens, Weewoos appear. So whenever you see a Weewoo, you're supposed to remember exactly what you said, and exactly what you did, hear, saw, etcetera. It's going to help you later on in life, or so they say."

     "Are you making this up?" I asked.

     "No, CT," Genee replied. "I wish I was, for I do not want to remember this moment. Ever."

     Another Weewoo call echoed in the wind, and I shuddered. Their voice now sent shivers down my spine, almost as if they terrified me.

     "Wild asked me another question, too," Genee said. "He asked me to join his pack. To go back to Geraptiku with him."

     I lifted my eyes in shock when he said that. "Oh... and... and... what was your reply?"

     "I said no, of course," Genee said back calmly, but he was slightly amused at the shocked expression on my face. "I would never leave my family."

     I smiled when Genee said this. "That's good," I said. "Did Wild ask about anything else?"

     "Yes, he did," Genee said. "He asked me why I stayed with you. With the others."

     "What?" I said.

     "Ages ago, Lupes were solitary. They cared only about themselves, and occasionally, they will adopt family members, other Lupes, and care about them as well. It took ages for Lupes to finally warm up to humans, and even then, not all Lupes would place complete trust in them. As time passed, though, wild Lupes started to evolve... or, to be more precise, devolve. Their instincts dimmed, and their connection to the wild started to break. They were becoming tame, and therefore, they started to place their full trust in humans."

     "Wild," Genee continued, "doesn't understand this connection between Lupes and humans. He asked me about it, and was particularly curious about my condition. He asked me why I stayed with a family who I could not feel, or touch, at all. He asked me about... the invisible bond that bound me here, to you, and Hopper and Bloo and Tiger. He did not understand why I stayed, and he asked me why I did stay."

     "And what did you say?" I asked.

     Genee was silent after that, and he turned away from me and faced the fire. The flames were starting to die, but their bright orange and red were still visible.

     "Genee?" I said uncertainly.

     "I didn't answer him," Genee whispered. I heard his voice crack when he said this, but I could not see his face.

     "You didn't answer him? Why not?" I asked.

     "I don't know," Genee said. "I don't know why I stay with you, CT."

     "You... you don't know why..."

     Genee sat up then and jumped off the plastic chair. He still did not dare look at me, though I knew why he didn't want to. My face was stained with tears, and Genee could not stand seeing me cry. The first time he saw me breakdown was hours after he cracked open from his egg. I hugged him, and he shocked me. When I found out that my little Genee wasn't... normal... I started to cry. And when Genee saw me cry, and he knew that he was the reason for my tears, it broke his heart. He's been walking on glass ever since...

     "I'm gonna go for a walk, CT," Genee said before he rushed out the door.

     I quickly brushed the leftover tears from my face and tried to coax the lump out of my throat. "He doesn't know why he stays with me..." I said softly. I've taken care of Genee ever since he was a young pup, and he doesn't know why he stays with me? Why? Does he hate me? The lump started to appear in my throat again, and I tried my best to coax it out once more.

     It hurt. It really did. Knowing that the Neopet that I have spent so much time on didn't appreciate it at all. And if he did appreciate it... he didn't appreciate me, and that meant a whole lot to me. I did not hate Genee, though. It was impossible. I could not hate any of my Neopets. I care about them too much. That's what being an owner does to you, I guess. You care about something so much that you can't ever let it go, even if you try.

     I looked over at Wild's resting body, and I lifted the hand that he had bitten the previous night. There were teeth marks on it... slight indents in my skin where his teeth had landed. It did not hurt, but it reminded me of what he was capable of doing if he were stronger. As I stared at Wild, I saw his eyelids flicker slightly under my gaze. He must've felt me staring at him, for his eyes flew open and he looked at me.

     "G'morning," I said to him as cheerfully as possible, but I knew that he did not understand me. His tail moved a little, though, as if he was going to wag it. I smiled when he did that. Impossible to tame? Nothing's impossible. "Are you hungry?"

     Wild continued to stare at me. Once again, the knowledge that he did not understand me hit me once more. So, I assumed that he was hungry and headed towards the kitchen. I remembered that Bloo told me that he got some rancid old meat from the marketplace on our first day here, so I headed towards the fridge in order to retrieve them. After I took them out, I noticed that they were cold.

     "Oh well, I sure hope that he likes them," I said uneasily as I headed towards the living room with the plate of cold, rancid, old meat in my hand. I was a horrible cook, which was why Bloo had always made dinner for our family. The only good thing I could make, though, was salad. I love gardening. The gardens in my Neohome prove that.

     "Hey, Wild, I'm not really sure what type of food you like, but I hope you like cold, rancid, old meat," I said cheerfully. This was the first time that I was actually glad that he didn't understand Neopian. I placed the dish in front of him and watched intently as he sniffed it. It only took a second for him to dig in, though, and he tore it to shreds. He even cracked the bone, and ate that, too.

     "Wow... you must be hungry," I said with a laugh and plopped myself down on the couch. He just growled and continued to eat.

     As I sat there, I started to think about what life without Genee would've been like. I knew that I would have a ton more Neopoints, since, like I mentioned before, I had to order specially created items for him. This made quite a dent in my bank account each month, but I learned to live with it, like I had learned to live with Genee. But... if I had never adopted Genee in the first place, maybe I would've had enough Neopoints to place a third story on my Neohome. Perhaps I could even buy a few new vegetable or fruit seeds to create a new garden plot. Tiger needed some new books for his library, and Bloo could do with some new furniture, and a new bed. Hopper just spends like crazy, so I rather not get her anything new. Probably some blush or lip-

     "Stop it," I shouted outloud. I didn't realize it, but my eyes were tearing up again. Man, I'm such a cry-baby, I thought to myself as I wiped the tears away. I hated crying so much. It hurt, it really did, knowing that I wasn't able to control my own emotions. I really wanted to, badly, but I couldn't.

     I heard Wild growl again, and I looked at him. He was done devouring his breakfast, and now, he was looking at me. He licked his lips hungrily as if he wanted more, and I started to become uneasy as he stared at me.

     "D... do you want more?" I asked. He did not answer, so I assumed that it was a yes. I walked over to the fridge and started to look for more food. As I was looking, I heard a loud crash from behind. Glass had broken.

     I quickly turned around and rushed towards the living room... Wild wasn't there... and the windowpanes were gone, too. Broken. Wild had run away.

To be continued...