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Neopia's Fill in the Blank News Source | 18th day of Running, Yr 26
The Neopian Times Week 99 > Continuing Series > Zarrelian and the Fifth Grade Neoschool Camp of Doom: Part Seven

Zarrelian and the Fifth Grade Neoschool Camp of Doom: Part Seven

by battlesunn

The students huddled miserably in their cabin, unable to sleep due to the fact that they were all far too scared to even blink, let alone turn out the light and close their eyes. The only sleeping person in the entire cabin was Mr. Bronston, who was currently snoring loudly on the bottom bunk of a bed in the corner.

     Atyur gave a small shudder.

     "That story was so scary!" he whispered. Everyone nodded in agreement.

     "I know! I mean, the eye was like, always watching him!" Mrkrawk quaked. A sudden snap coming from outside the cabin caused all the Pets to jump in terror.

     "Ack! What was that?"

     "Maybe it was the glass eye coming to watch us!"

     "Eeeep!"

     "Help me!"

     "What do we do?"

     "QUIET!"

     Everyone turned his or her head in Zarrelian’s direction. The Ixi had been the one who had shouted, nearly rousing Mr. Bronston out of his slumber. Zarrelian seated himself on his pillow.

     "Okay, now, I know you’re scared… so am I. And obviously, there’s something menacing outside of our cabin." He spread open his hoofs. "I mean, come on! We heard a snapping sound! What more proof do you need?" Atyur clawed at his face in anxiety.

     "But what do we do, Zarrel?" He cried. Zarrelian punched one hoof into the other.

     "Simple. We do the most logical thing… we run outside screaming like headless Pedackles into the forest and hide there. That way, whatever’s outside the cabin will only be able to paint Mr. Bronston ghost without the brush, and we’ll be completely safe."

     A roar of approval tore from the throats of every pet. Zarrelian led the charge out of the cabin, all of them screaming, as the Ixi had so aptly put it, like headless Pedackles. They stumbled blindly into the menacing forest and scrambled up one of the trees.

     Hardly daring to breath, the pets sat on one of the tree’s boughs, crouched underneath the rustling foliage. Zarrelian grinned.

     "We’ll be safe here, guys. Glass eyes can’t climb trees!" the Ixi hissed. The pets watched with bated breath as a shadowy figure shrouded in darkness swept up to the deserted cabin, and entered. Atyur whimpered.

     "For a glass eye, that thing is pretty big!"

***

Mr. Torrent gasped in shock and released his hold on the mug of steaming hot chocolate, the hot beverage splashing on to the cabin’s floor. The Kacheek had entered the cabin just to check on the students, just to make sure that they were okay. Every year, the students had been fine. But not this year. So where were they? He allowed his gaze to rove around the sparsely furnished cabin before coming to rest of the sleeping form of Mr. Bronston. The Kacheek growled under his breath and stomped over to the peacefully slumbering Draik, shaking him roughly awake.

     "Andy! Wake up!" he hissed. Mr. Bronston yawned and groggily sat up, blinking blearily as he glanced around the cabin.

     "Marcus! What’re you doing here?" the Draik asked, rubbing his eye with one paw while massaging his aching wing with the other. Mr. Torrent jabbed a spotted paw at the empty beds.

     "Your students are missing Andy! And you know why? It’s because your stupid story scared them!" he roared. Mr. Bronston coughed, drawing his covers tighter around his scales to keep out the cold evening air.

     "Sure, Marcus. You expect me to believe that when students get scared they go parading around the woods in the middle of the night?"

     "This ain’t no pajama party, Andy. They’re MISSING! And it’s all your fault." The Kacheek cursed under his breath. "I knew they should’ve fired you when they got the chance." Mr. Bronston’s eyes watered.

     "What do you mean?"

     "You’re a lousy teacher, Andy! And you can’t even keep an eye on your dumb students." Mr. Torrent spat. The Draik snarled, jumping out of bed and pulling on his coat.

     "I’ll show you, Torrent! I’ll FIND those pets, and comfort them too!"

     With a vicious hiss, Mr. Bronston turned on his heel and stormed out the door, determined to relocate his Pets. Mr. Torrent remained in the abandoned cabin for a few moments before grudgingly jogging after him.

     Mr. Bronston immediately regretted not grabbing a flashlight before venturing out into the woods. It was black as pitch, and not even the moon, hanging in the inky black sky like a polished silver dollar, could provide any illumination. Instead, Mr. Bronston had to rely on his own fire-breathing powers to light his way. The Draik grabbed a smoldering branch from the fire pit and alighted it with his fiery breath, pleased at how bright the flame was. He held it at an arm’s length and continued on his way, plodding clumsily through the forest.

***

From the top branches of the tree, Atyur spotted a strange figure and raised his orange-furred maw to the sky, releasing a low howl and signaling an intruder. Zarrelian turned from his post in the cross-section of the tree and peered out into the darkness, frisking his small tail from side to side in excitement. Atyur approached the Ixi and crouched down next to him.

     "Do you see who it is, Zarrel?" the Lupe asked. Zarrelian shook his head.

     "No, but my Ixi instincts tell me that he — or it is evil. Grab the pinecones and prepare to attack." Atyur nodded and hailed for the other Pets, who came scrambling down the tree, armed to the teeth with pinecones of varying sizes. Zarrelian held up his hoof.

     "Okay… wait just a little longer. Yes, that’s it… just a little closer…" Down on the ground, Mr. Bronston obliviously strayed within throwing distance of the student laden tree. Zarrelian grinned wickedly.

     "Okay, fire at will!"

     With a ferocious warcry, the Pets hurled their pinecones, striking Mr. Bronston quite a few times on the cranium. The Draik tottered for a moment on the forest floor before finally loosing his footing and toppling down to the ground, out cold. The pets cheered triumphantly and leapt off the tree, revealing in their victory. Mrkrawk, who had the best night vision, quickly stopped celebrating when he recognized the unconscious form sprawled amidst the leaves and twigs.

     "Stop!" the Krawk shouted. "It’s Mr. Bronston!" Zarrelian gasped.

     "So… you’re saying that Mr. Bronston was the glass eye all along?" he exclaimed in an astonished tone.

     His fellow students just stared at him. The Ixi sniggered sheepishly, glancing nervously around.

     "Joking, only joking…" he assured. At that exact moment, Mr. Torrent came jogging through the forest and over to the crowded Pets. Upon seeing Mr. Bronston’s limp form, the Kacheek chuckled and shook his head pityingly.

     "Poor Draik. Oh well, he’ll be happy to know that we’re leaving tomorrow…"

***

Mr. Bronston was extremely grateful for the busses that the Neoschool principal had sent to pick up the students and their teachers on the last day of camp. The Draik sighed contentedly as he leaned back in his cushy seat, appreciating the cool breeze from the open window that played across his scaly face. A sudden tap on his shoulder jolted Mr. Bronston out of his reverie. He whirled around to come face to face with non other than Mr. Torrent. The Kacheek grinned.

     "Another successful camping trip, eh Andy?" he chuckled. Mr. Bronston rolled his eyes.

     "Sure. Let’s just count not loosing any students as successful," he replied sarcastically. The Draik was already anticipating a dreadful, small-talk dripping conversation, but luckily, the bus rolled up in front of the Neoschool, the front doors swinging open as it came to a complete stop. The Pets clambered off the bus, chatting and shoving as they fought to be the first to exit. Mr. Bronston strolled leisurely out the doors, picking up his suitcase as he went.

     The Draik grimaced as he caught sight of the Neoschool principal standing off to the side and wringing his paws distractedly, dying to know how the camping trip had gone.

     "So how was it?" the Poogle anxiously asked. Mr. Bronston sighed. Where to start? He recalled all the crazy misadventures of the trip, and finally managed to compile all of them into a single, all-answering word.

     "Fine."

The End

Author’s Note: A shout out to the wonderful Smudgeoffudge, who was kind enough to le me use her Krawk, Mrkrawk, in the story. Thanks, Fudge! =)

Previous Episodes

Zarrelian and the Fifth Grade Neoschool Camp of Doom: Part One

Zarrelian and the Fifth Grade Neoschool Camp of Doom: Part Two

Zarrelian and the Fifth Grade Neoschool Camp of Doom: Part Three

Zarrelian and the Fifth Grade Neoschool Camp of Doom: Part Four

Zarrelian and the Fifth Grade Neoschool Camp of Doom: Part Five

Zarrelian and the Fifth Grade Neoschool Camp of Doom: Part Six


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