Finally, I landed hard on a drastically slanted strip of dirt and continued
to tumble down, head over heals. The slick ice had given away first to cold,
rocky soil, and eventually to warm, soft soil. The crevice had turned into a
misshapen tunnel and the ground leveled enough for me to finally stop rolling.
I lay on my back with one foot over my head, not moving, as I waited for my
head to stop spinning. When it finally did I untangled myself and looked back
where I had come from. There was no way I could climb back up the almost vertical
dirt tumble I had taken--and even if I could, climbing up the walls of the crevice
would be impossible. All I could do was go down.
As I limped down the tunnel, ouch-ing and oohing, I reprimanded myself for
not checking more carefully where the ship was going, rushing into a dark cave
without a second thought, even leaving home. "I can't even avoid getting myself
injured for one day and I think I can support myself! I'm pathetic... a baby.
I thought I knew so much!" I chided myself. "I've wasted all the Neopoints Caitlin
gave me, all the food, I've beaten my body up badly, I'm stranded in a wasteland--no,
under a waste land--and I've lost my book I've worked so hard on!"
Despite myself, I began to cry, but the faint smell of fresh air rooted me
from my sympathy trip. I ran forward. The wall of the tunnel was now covered
with flowering vines... and suddenly, I was there, in the middle of a lush,
green land. Tall trees towered high about with chattering animals hiding within
the branches, vast green plains stretching as far as the eye could see in either
direction. Could this be... Tyrannia? I squinted in the bright sunlight. Warmth!
I would probably find fruits to eat... I won't starve! My mind was racing and
I had already figured everything out: I'd find some fruit to eat, camp out under
a big tree for the night, tell the villagers what happened to me and get some
Neopoints, load up on a ship, and head to Mystery Island--wait... my book was
gone. I felt so miserable I flopped onto the ground. How could I face Caitlin
again? She would know I was a failure if I came back without my book. I couldn't
rewrite it, it was too long. Caitlin would love me and care for me as always,
but I didn't want to stay a puppy forever.
"Paint brush Professor," I snorted in disgust. "I might as well give up now!"
But hunger drove me to my feet. I trotted off in a random direction, desperately
sniffing the air. The tall green grass grew halfway up my legs and my limbs
became repeatedly tangled in the waving greenery. I plodded doggedly onward.
I literally jumped out of my skin as a menacing growl came from behind me. Whipping
around, my eyes scanned the horizon. Nothing. I turned to keep walking, and
suddenly I was knocked to my feet. A beautiful purple Gelert stood glaring down
at me.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"Uhm... Andrew...?" I stammered, still on the ground
The Gelert rolled her eyes and stepped back so I could get up. "No! I meant
what are you doing here!"
Standing up, I replied weakly, "Vacation...?" Suddenly I was pinned to the
ground again.
"You are not on vacation! I know because you came through that tunnel-not many
people fling themselves into crevices to get to their destination!"
"You've been following me?" The Gelert backed off once again. "You're obviously
not a threat." She shook her head.
For some reason I felt derided. Drawing myself to my full height I demanded,
"What makes you think I'm not dangerous?"
This time the Gelert erupted in laughter. "Because, firstly, you came stumbling
out of that tunnel like you just learned to walk, secondly, your floundering
through the grasslands of foreign territory as if you think no one would be
hunting you, and thirdly, your scared to death of me--"
"I am not scared of a girl!" I declared defiantly, lifting my muzzle indignantly.
The Gelert snarled viciously, causing me to shrivel to the ground in terror.
"Coward," she muttered.
I flattened my ears to my head and rose to my feet once more. "Why were you
following me, anyway?"
"Why?" she asked with a snicker at my incompetence. "Because this is my pack's
territory, that's why. And I'm on territorial duty today, thank you very much!"
I snorted. "Oh yeah? Gee, I don't see your 'pack' anywhere, Miss Territorial
Duty, thank-you!" I swiveled my head dramatically as if looking for the Gelert's
pack.
"That's because my pack's territory is huge, idiot," she snarled.
I flipped my tail and marched off in the other direction. In the blink of an
eye, the Gelert was blocking my path once more.
"Excuse me!" I snapped, pushing past her. Once again she was in my way. "This
is my territory, buster! Go back the way you came!"
"To the tunnel?" I asked, in shock. "But-b-ut-I... can't, you see I--"
"That's not my problem!"
I shook my head, too angry to form words for a moment, and then I burst out,
"Who do you 'Wilderners' think you are, anyway? You think a bunch of scraggily
runaways can declare any random piece of land is yours? Unless you have paid
for it, it is not your--"
"Your way is not the only way! We do not abide by human's laws. Out here, the
strongest survive, and nothing is ever guaranteed yours. The only runaways out
here are NeoPets who believe Neopia should be the way it was before humans came.
We--"
"My owner takes very good care of me! She loves me, looks after me, feeds me,
and protects me--"
"Before humans came there were no unhappy pets abandoned in a shelter, there
were no fancy NeoPets being paraded around like trophies. Being locked up in
cages when not 'in use.' Being used as if they were not living things, to be
repeatedly fought in the Battledome. There were no real wars, no scammers,
hackers, cheaters. There was no constant scrambling and fighting for Neopoints
No, before the humans came we lived reasonably peaceably. Then they came and
ripped up our land, captured, mutated, and tortured us at their will. They staked
up their ridiculous laws and claimed us outlaws. You 'civilised' NeoPets look
down your noses at us, only because your owners have pounded it into your heads
that they are the 'True Neopians', and that we are mere radicals trying to stir
up trouble!"
My head drooped. Not all humans were bad. Caitlin Opal was not bad. But I knew,
for a fact, that humans, as a whole, had changed Neopia. Even though I knew
this I had never so much as pondered the fact that Neopia was the worse because
of it. What could I say to this Gelert? I knew what she said was true. The Gelert's
expression softened slightly. "If I let you go through this territory, I would
be kicked out of my pack..." I had no choice. I had to tell her everything that
had happened to me. So I did. Soon we were sitting under the shade of a huge
tree, eating slices of the giant omelette from the Tyrannian Plateau as I poured
my heart out to her. As I finished, she raised an eyebrow. "Paint brush Professor?"
"So much for that career option!" I sighed.
"Look," The Gelert offered softly. "By the way, my name's Lindsay. You know
what I said about humans is true. If you go back to Caitlin and take up a career,
you will be submitting yourself to the human superiority, even if Caitlin is
a kind person. If all NeoPets revolt, the humans will be powerless, and forced
to leave the whole of Neopia. Maybe they all won't, but that doesn't make it
right for you to go back."
As I swallowed my last bite of omelette, I cast a nervous glance into Lindsay's
deep brown eyes. "I don't know what to do. Caitlin will be worried sick about
me."
"So go to her and tell her to leave Neopia, and go back to Earth, where she
belongs. Then come back, bringing as many of your friends will come."
I shook my head firmly. "I could never do that."
"Why, Andrew?"
I shook my head again. "I don't know what's right. Can't the humans and NeoPets
live together peacefully?"
"Believe me, we all want that. I don't think its possible."
"Is that why you ran away?"
"I never ran away, I've lived here since I was born."
"Born? As in a human gives birth--you were born?" I gasped in shock.
"Yeah... not all NeoPets were created by scientists in labs. I had parents--a
family."
"Really?" I choked.
"Sure... but then my parents became part of a carefully planned operation,
to free all the NeoPets in the shelters out into the wild." Lindsay cast her
eyes downward.
"What?" I ventured.
"They were two of four Gelerts going. They stowed away on a ship to Neopia
Central, and, according to plan, released all the NeoPets. Each one got away--except...
except my parents. They stayed behind to help two Eyries-too young to fly, get
to safety. Dr_Death caught them and punished them by feeding them to the Esophagor."
Lindsay bit her lip, still avoiding my eyes.
My heart went out to her. "Your parents were very heroic."
She only nodded her head.
Dusk was settling and I felt my eyelids drooping. I began nodding off but was
prodded awake by her lovely voice. "You can stay with the pack tonight. Uh,
that is, if Leonardo grants his permission."
"Leonardo?" I questioned sleepily.
"My pack leader. C'mon."
I followed her as she sprang delicately over the grass to keep it from tangling
around her legs. I attempted to do the same but repeatedly stumbled. I walked
closely behind Lindsay as she easily wove her way through the dense greenery
we had entered. The canopy of trees above us blocked out the remaining light,
and I kept bumping into Lindsay. As we approached a small clearing, I smelled
dozens and dozens of Gelerts grouped together. A powerful, booming voice froze
me in my tracks.
"Lindsay?"
To be continued... | 
