I LOOKED OUTSIDE at all the millions of stars, glittering in the night. The
full moons light made the fire of my fur burn almost silver. My name is Fire
paw, and I am a Kougra like no other. My coat burns with a hot fire that is
unbearable to the touch.
I was born normal, like most
Kougras, but something different happened to me. My mother abandoned me in an
active volcano, about to erupt, but before that could happen, a Fire Faerie
blessed me with fur of fire, so that no fire or lava could burn me. Thus I lived,
but it is a sad and lonely life. The only ones I get to talk to are the very
same Scorchios that took me into their tribe. I wish that someday, though, I
could have an owner, but who would want a pet that they could not touch?
So as I lay looking out at
the stars, I got that dreamy feeling that something important was going to happen
on the morn. Little did I know at the time, that the morn was my first steep
to a brand new beginning.
***
I woke up as I always did, warm on the outside, but not the inside. I looked
up above at the hole in the roof of my cave out at the sun. I was about to lay
down again, when I heard a noise coming from the caverns in which I lived.
I walked towards the sound,
not caring to keep to the shadows, because no matter where I was, the fire enveloping
my fur would give me away in an instant, and who could grab me anyway without
getting burned, and anything they tossed over me would also be destroyed. Besides,
the voice did not seem dangerous. It was the voice of a girl, and she was talking
to someone, or was it something?
"I told you Talonosh, to bring
a light," the girl said, to what I guess was her pet.
"But I heard that Kalinap
was supposed to get it," the creature that I think is called Talonosh said
with a grimace. Just a few more steeps, and I could see them.
"Don't rag on me Talonosh!
At least Samudeli and I brought the rope and water," the creature Kalinap
said.
"Speaking of water," the owner
girl said, "Is it just me or is it getting hotter in here?"
"I noticed that too,"
the voice of the third pet rang out.
"What's that!?!" I saw a blue
Cybunny yell pointing at me.
"OH My!" the girl yelled.
"That Kougra is on fire!" and she grabbed the water bottle from around a Halloween
Kougra's neck, and tossed the water over my head.
I jumped back, with the water
sizzling all over my fur. The pain of it was unbearable. Water always hurt me
so much. It was a pain to even get a drink of water, but to have a canteen of
water sizzling over my entire body was agonising. Soon I collapsed from the
water, and before my vision went black, I could hear the girl yelling to get
help.
***
I woke up, pulled out of the cave. I wondered how, and then I saw the girl,
her hands were bandaged with a long roll of tissue. She was not the only one
out there, for besides her, there was the blue Cybunny and the Halloween Kougra
that I had seen earlier, a faerie Kougra, who I guessed was Talonosh, and the
green Gelert doctor who I sometimes saw when I left the safety of my cave.
When he saw that I was awake,
the doctor turned to face me. "You really are a strange Kougra This kind girl
dragged you out of that cave after you had blacked out. She really burned her
hands doing so. I am so intrigued to as why you have fire for fur?"
I did not answer his question,
but instead I turned to face the girl. "You really did that for me?" Tears welded
up in my eyes, but had evaporated before they could fall. No one had ever done
a thing for me, except for maybe that tribe of Scorchios
The girl smiled, all of her
teeth were perfect. "It's Karma, and yes I did do that for you."
"But why?" I asked. "You badly
burned your hands. You didn't have to do that."
"Yes I did," she said.
"What was I supposed to do, leave you blacked out in that cave? Besides, wounds
heal."
I smiled, but before I could
say anything, the doctor interrupted. "I really must go soon, but before I leave,
I want to know why your fur consists of fire."
"Yes, I can say that much."
And then I slowly told the tale of me being abandoned, and the blessing and
also cursing of the Fire Faerie. I told of how the Scorchios found me, a hungry
mewing Kougra, and how I grew up with them. Karma, and the rest were staring
relentlessly on ahead, intent on hearing every word. I never have had anyone
besides the Scorchios ever even talk to me, but especially listen.
I smiled when I had finished,
and Karma looked up at me sadly, "So you never knew your mother, and were left
to die?" I slowly nodded to answer Karma's question. "I'm sorry," she said
in a light whisper.
"Here is where I bid you fare
well." And with a wave of his paw, the doctor Gelert walked off.
Karma smiled, and looked at
me, "How would you like to stay with me and my pets. At least see if you like
it."
I looked up with excited and
watery eyes, "You mean it?" I said, but then I shock my head, "But you can't
even touch me."
"I don't care," Karma
said, "I just would like you and me to be friends."
I smiled. "Well in that case,
my name is Fire Paw."
Karma, her pets, and I learned
a lot about each other over the next few weeks. Karma really lived in Neopia
Central, but she and her pets were taking an extended vacation here in Tyrannia.
Her pets were Samudeli the Halloween Kougra, Kalinap the blue Cybunny, and Talonosh
the faerie Kougra
Karma tried to be nice to
me, by buying me a toy, but as soon as I touched it, it went up in a burst of
flame. I had apologised to her, so instead she took me out to see the sights.
We were walking through a field of grass, but it caught fire from my feet, and
we had to run out before the fire could get big enough to hurt Karma or her
pets.
"We can't go anywhere or do
anything with Fire Paw," Kalinap complained, she really was not too fond
of me.
"Just give him time,"
Karma said, patting the reluctant Cybunny upon the head.
"I would like to see you pat
him like you just did to me," she said sneering.
At first Karma looked at a
loss of words, but then she heartily responded. "True, he does have his differences
from us, but he can't help it. How would you feel if you were him?"
Kalinap opened her mouth to
respond, but nothing came out. I smiled at Karma, who in return handed me a
very heave bag. I looked into the bag, careful not to touch it, and saw four
fire walking boots. I slipped them on my feet, and smiled when they didn't erupt
into flame. They were actually extremely comfortable for being slabs of rock.
"Thank you Karma," I said looking up to her.
"Ah, don't thank me, that
Samudeli. It was his idea." I turned to face the Kougra, and then thanked him.
"Tomorrow we are going back to my home in Neopia Central. Do you want to come?"
Karma said.
"I would not miss going with
you for the world!" I said excitedly.
Neopia Central was different
then the way I had pictured it. I thought that it would look like Tyrannia,
only bigger, but it was very different indeed. There were large buildings everywhere,
and pets of all sizes and shapes were walking about completing their business.
Soon enough, Karma, and all
of us had a crowd of curious Neopians surging around us to get a look at me.
"Is he real?" one asked.
"Hey, I wonder if that fire
is hot?"
"Why does he wear rock boots?"
I had never seen so many people
and pets at one time. I was really starting to become crowded, but before I
said anything, Karma told all the curios onlookers to leave me in peace. I mumbled
a thank you, and then we went the last few miles to Karma's NeoHome.
"Where do I sleep?" I asked
Karma.
"Not in my room!" Kalinap
said crossing her paws.
"You can sleep in my room,"
Karma said, smiling. Then her smile turned into a yawn. "It is getting late
isn't it? We should probably get to bed." And so with that, a tired Karma led
all of us pets to bed, and me into her room.
"Good night," I said,
curling up on the floor.
"Good night."
The next morning we awoke
to a loud pounding upon the door. "Now who could that be?" Karma said, trudging
up to the door. She had barely opened it when a whole cast of news crews, and
people and pets who just wanted a look came in bursting through the door.
"Is it true that there is
a Kougra whose fur consists of fire in this household?" One of the reporters
asked.
Karma frowned a big frown,
and was about ready to shove all the people and pets out the door, when they
spotted me. Instantaneously, I was crowded by tons of pets and owners all asking
questions. Karma stormed up, and pushed all the curious creatures away. "That's
it!" she screamed. "We are going on a vacation to get away from all this ruckus!"
When Karma said something
she sure meant it, for on the morrow, we were off to Happy Valley, and Terror
Mountain. When we got there, all the snow awed me, for you see I had never seen
snow before in my life. As soon as I could, I ran out into the snow, and stuck
my nose into it, but quickly drew back feeling a burning sensation. It felt
just as bad as if I had dunked my nose in a bucket of water. "Hey Karma, what
is snow made of anyway?"
But before she could answer,
Kalinap cut in, "It is made of water, stupid!"
"Water!" I said jumping up,
but I didn't want to alarm my new found family, so I just was careful not to
touch the stuff. "What are we going to do here?" I asked.
"We are going to go skiing
up on Terror Mountain," she said with a smile.
"Ooooh, skiing. What is skiing?"
I said.
Karma laughed at me. "You
will find out soon enough, Fire paw."
***
"Come on Fire Paw, ski with us!" Talonosh yelled taking a sharp left. Skiing
was bad, you got covered in the burning snow, and if you fall, you can, or in
my case, will get hurt.
"Nope!" I said sternly watching
both Karma, and her pets go speeding down the hill. I would follow them, but
there was o way I was going to ski. If I tried, the burning snow would hurt
me.
They were making there way
to the next slope with me following when Kalinap turned to face me. "You are
such a looser Fire Paw," she said sticking out her tongue.
"Kalinap!" Karma roared. "If
he doesn't want to ski he doesn't have to!" Karma yelled loudly, a little to
loudly.
The ground started to shake
under our feet. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-what w-w-was t-t-that," I said excitedly,
for the rumbling was starting to get louder.
Karma shook her head, and
then she looked up, and her pupils grew to tiny dots. "Avalanche!!!"
With a gasp we all started
to run, but it was to no avail, for the avalanche was picking up speed, and
closing the gap. I stopped running, and turned to meet the avalanche head on.
"What are you doing!" Karma said, turning to face me, all the pets doing likewise,
but I didn't answer.
I had found a family, and
I was not going to loose them, not to an avalanche. I would not let them be
crushed by the snow, even if it meant my own doom, so I faced the tree-crushing
avalanche, and took off my boots.
The snow sizzled underneath
my paws, and I squinted from the pain, but I still had to protect my family.
I reared up on my hind legs, and spread out my paws. I closed my eyes, and concentrated
on letting as much heat as possible escape the fire that surrounded me. The
avalanche struck me head on, I stood as long as I could, the snow melting away
harmlessly as it neared me, and touched my fire laden coat. The pain struck
me as if some one was swinging a mallet at me, and striking me on all points
of my body. I collapsed under the heavy snow, the pain too great.
***
"You'll be okay, I promise." I heard a familiar voice, and felt a hand rub
across my fur, parting it on my head. But how, no one could touch me the fire
was too great.
I suddenly realised as I opened
my eyes that I was laying on a soft bed, on top of a feather pillow. I smiled
when I saw Karma looking down upon me. Things strangely felt cold, even though
I was under several blankets. Wait, how could I be under blankets and on a bed?
Everything I touched burned up in flames. Kalinap walked up to me, tears streaking
down her cheeks, "I am so sorry Fire Paw," she said and then kissed my
cheek
"What is happening? How come
nothing in on fire?" I tried to ask, but instead my voice came out as a horse
croak.
"Don't talk Fire Paw,"
Karma said, rubbing her hand across my fur. I didn't realise how smooth hands
really were. "Just rest." I tried to smile, but I hurt too much. Instead, I
just closed my eyes, and slept.
I woke up some time later
feeling completely restored. I opened my eyes to the soft touch, and caring
face of Karma, "What happened. How come I don't burn you when I touch you?"
I asked.
Karma's smile never faltered,
"I am not completely sure, but I think that it has to do with the avalanche.
You should have told me that water caused you extreme pain, and I would have
brought you somewhere else, though I am glad that we went to Terror Mountain.
Well anyway, you saved us all from doom Fire Paw. That avalanche would have
crushed us, but you stood up, and none of the snow got by you, until then end,
when it covered you. Talonosh, Samudeli, and even Kalinap were in a rush to
free you from the snow, and by the time we had uncovered you, you were near
death. I picked you up out of impulse, and found out that all the fire that
surrounded your fur had disappeared. I carried you to the hospital, and they
sent you off to the better one here in Neopia Central."
I looked down at my paws,
they were the colour of fire, but no heat came from them. I suddenly started
to violently shiver. "Everything is so cold," I said, and Karma put an
arm over my shoulder.
"You are just used to being
shrouded in flames, that's all. Now all my pets are looking forward to seeing
you… hero." I smiled, as we walked out of the hospital, and off towards Karma's
home.
I was greeted by hugs, and
pats on the back from my fellow pets. Karma walked over to me, with her hands
behind her back. "I have something for you Fire Paw," she said.
"What?" I asked full of excitement.
Karma pulled her hand out
from behind her back, and in it were a lot of papers. "These are adoption papers…
for you Fire Paw, and all they need is your signature." I weep tears of joy,
and this time they didn't evaporate under heat. I took up a pen, and Singed
Fire Paw and then with a smile, Karma hugged me, "Welcome home Fire
Paw. For good."
The End | 
