For everyone who missed the last issue, here's an update of our heroes, heroines
and villains ...
Angel_72_21, a.k.a. Angel. The heroine of the story. She's a pretty, smart
Electric Eyriess whose stubbornness can get the better of her at times. She's
very lyrical and poetic, and—being a country gal—believes all the
rumours of Neopia being such a fantastic centre for the arts. Her favourite
item of jewellery is a lovely golden locket that she never opens. She's getting
bored of life at the swamp, and is determined to travel to Neopia Central to
solve the mystery of the Krawk Clan Raiders.
SwiftBrightBeak, a.k.a. Swifty. He's a well-known Electric-coloured Eyrie
at the swamp who carries around a blue rucksack everywhere. He's good at geology
and geography, which is why he becomes so valuable in the search for the Raiders.
He sees the trip to Neopia Central as an opportunity to expand his geographical
knowledge, check out the pubs 'n' clubs, and to get to know Angel better.
Shining_Safyre, a.k.a. Saf, a blue Aisha. Saf is Angel's best friend, and
it was she that Inspector Burzwakh decided to victimise. She became very suspicious
upon hearing of the Krawk Clan's reputation outside the swamp. She's normally
quite quiet, but goes beyond caring when listening to her really cool rainbow
boom box! She was very optimistic about going to Neopia Central with Angel and
Swifty, in the hope of seeing some of the celebs, but doesn't expect anything
odd to happen ...
Spike, a.k.a. Jen is the owner of Angel, Rincham and their older sister Twist.
She's the one who, with Rincham, sees the shadowy figure lurking around the
swamp.
Rincham constantly changes his colour and species after becoming a Lab Ray
pet. He's very crazy and VERY immature, which was what got them into trouble
in the first place. With his owner Spike, he was the first to witness the appearance
of a very strange, shadowy character lurking around the swamp.
Burzwakh the stone Grarrl is a bit of a bullyboy, and thinks the only way
of getting his job done is to intimidate the witness as much as possible. Unluckily
for him, his first victim just so happened to be the best friend of a very protective
Eyriess! Both Angel and Saf were very suspicious of him, and the rest of the
police force were sent to investigate the claims.
Haltred, a white Uni. Haltred is a lot more professional than his partner
Burzwakh, but he too just wants to get his job done. He is very suspicious of
the Krawk Clan, mainly because they choose to live in a damp, dank swamp instead
of the city. He takes the Swamp Raider case a lot more seriously than Burzwakh,
but deep down he still believes the rumours that Krawk Clan are just renegades
and doesn't entirely trust them.
~*~*~*~
Angel's dream quest was turning out to be quite a pointless task. She had
been hunting all day, and there was nothing. No evidence whatsoever. If she
can't find any evidence, that's one dirty big black mark the locals can hold
against the name of Krawk Clan for a long time to come. She fingered the locket
nervously.
It was getting quite late. There was a foul stench in the air. A cold zephyr
bristled through her azure fur, and she shuddered. She looked up as the sun
was beginning to set.
"Oh well," muttered Saf, "We might as well just visit the scene of the crime
again." They had already investigated the willow trees, but to visit them at
exactly the same time the attack happened? That would be exciting!
The willow trees are famous for their beautiful view of the lake, and are
usually bustling with life. Now it was as quiet and eerie as a morgue. Angel
searched the ground. Nothing, yet again.
"I was a fool to think I could make any difference in this investigation",
she sighed.
"Don't be disheartened," comforted Saf, "There'll be something here. You know
Spike and Rincham as well as I do—better, even. They didn't lie about what
happened last night."
At that moment, something caught Angel's eye. A few shrubs on the other side
of one of the willows were illuminated by a light source. "Wait here," she whispered.
She crept round the tree slowly, and pounced... onto nothing. There was nothing
there. But there was still a bright light that now cast her shadow across the
ground. She turned. The light was coming from the tree. There were vast claw
marks etched into the bark, beaming bright light for a few feet around. Of course,
it wouldn't have been seen during the day. And it was quite enclosed too. Deliberately?
Things were starting to make sense.
"Ach! That hums! What is that smell, Saf?"
"Angel, I think you'd better take a look at this," Saf called from 'round
the tree. She was standing on a log and looking on the ground. Heaped under
the roots was a reeking pile of sludge.
"A clue?"
"I think so."
~*~*~*~
Angel and Saf returned to The Hollow, Angel's tree-home built into a majestic
Oak, named ~The*Eyrie*Oak~, to discuss this new evidence. ~The*Eyrie*Oak~ was
quite a pretty house, covered in bracken ferns and adorned with wild lavender
plants. The aroma of the plants intoxicated the air, making anyone who passed
through feel incredibly relaxed.
Saf sat at the desk, reading the local paper, The Neopian Times. That, too,
was biased against the Clan, donating only a fraction-page article to the case.
Angel typed frantically on her laptop.
"Found anything yet?"
"Almost. What colour sludge is it again?"
"Brown."
She stopped typing and turned the laptop to face Saf. "Brown sludge comes
direct from Mystery Island. It was being kept under a log. I'll bet someone
is trying to get rid of it, or hide it. The log prevented the stench from reaching
the investigation area."
"How do you know someone wasn't just trying to dump the stuff illegally in
the swamp?"
"That's my point. They were."
"WHAT?!?" Saf looked disgusted.
"Someone has been using the swamp as an illegal sludge dumping ground for
years now. Just look at the darker areas of the swamp behind the willows. They're
full of it! However, if they've been dumping sludge for years, it doesn't give
much insight into why there have only been these mysterious sightings recently
..." Angel spun around sharply on hearing a rustling sound outside the window.
Seeing nothing, she shrugged and carried on typing.
Saf was frantic. "Forget the sightings. Our swamp is being polluted! We've
got to do something about it."
"Shushushush," Angel muttered suddenly. She crept towards the window. The
floorboards creaked as she stepped lightly over them, but they were muffled
in comparison with the crackling sound coming from the plants. She reached her
paw out of the window, and grabbed something that choked loudly. She yanked
her arm back in. Another Electric Eyrie was being dragged, head first, through
the window.
"Swifty? What in Neopia are you doing here?"
Saf gave a sigh of relief. SwiftBrightBeak was a handsome Eyrie and a common
visitor to the swamp. He was good friends with Angel. He squirmed in her grasp.
*cough cough* "Let go of my throat, and I'll tell you!" *cough*
She let go, reluctantly.
"Okay, okay, I was just passing by and saw this ENORMOUS Tigermouse right
outside your window. I couldn't just leave you to get attacked and have your
cheese stolen, being the gentleman that I am, so I grappled with it. It tried
to bite me, but I was just too fast for it. And then--" He was cut short by
the poisonous glares Saf and Angel were giving him. "Alright, I was being nosy.
You happy?"
Angel laughed, showing him there were no hard feelings. "Okay, your story
checks out."
"Well, FYI, brown sludge comes from Tyrannia, not Mystery Island." They both
gave him funny looks, but before they could say anything he explained: "I aced
geology."
"You were listening to our conversation?"
"How could I ignore it? Well, if you're going to Tyrannia, you're gonna have
to pass through Neopia City; count me in."
Angel shuffled uncomfortably.
Saf had one of those deep-thought looks on her face. "Hmmm, well ... who said
anything about going to Neopia City anyway?"
"You need help in solving the case. The most logical thing seems to be to
trace these clues back to their origin. Don't try to tell me the thought hasn't
crossed your mind already!" Swifty's eyes glazed over in a daze. "Think about
it ..."
"... the poetry, the atmosphere ..."
"... the concerts, the stars ..."
"... the clubs and the bright lights ..."
They all grinned together. Saf jumped up. "I'll tell the Clan. We're gonna
be gone for at least a few days, so we don't want anyone missing us. Pack your
bags; we're off to Neopia City!"
To be continued... | 
