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Neopia's Fill in the Blank News Source | 28th day of Running, Yr 26
The Neopian Times Week 62 > New Series > Opifex-Eversor - Destiny's Child: Part One

Opifex-Eversor - Destiny's Child: Part One

by songbreeze35

The young Lupe puppy scrabbled around inside the hollow in the roots of a tree. It attempted to widen a gap, and failed. There appeared no way out. It whimpered a little, howled, whined, yapped, and finally quietened as still no help came. It curled up and miserably tried to sleep.

***

Inside the rough hut, a young, yellow female Lupe suddenly sat bolt upright, eyes wide. She blinked a few, times, then shook her head and frowned. A sleepy voice interrupted her thoughts. "Eden? Nightmares again?" Another female Lupe yawned over to Eden's right as she nodded. "Go back to sleep Eden. It's too early in the morning for lengthy discussions on paranormal activities invading your mental privacies and interrupting your subconscious state during your periods of rest." There was a brief pause, then Moonshadow, Eden's best friend in the Lupe pack, grinned, her white teeth showing up eerily in the semi-darkness of the early morning. "Did I just say that?" she wondered.

     Eden yawned. "Maybe it is too early. But I can't sleep after I've just dreamed that."

     Moonshadow shrugged. "So go for a trot in the Arctic wastelands out there. Freeze yourself to sleep."

     She yawned and Eden smiled and got up. "Good idea Moon."

     Her friend rubbed her eyes. "I was only kidding Eden. Oh never mind. Just be back for breakfast, 'kay?" Eden nodded and left as Moonshadow curled up to snatch some more sleep.

     Eden's full name was Eden-Latin. Her mother had been a great superstitious believer, and having had a very strange dream that she must name her daughter in Latin, Latin from a dream, she had searched for the right word to describe her when she was born. Nothing had seemed to fit except for one word. Or rather, two words. Opifex-eversor. Again, from a dream of Eden's mother's, thus fulfilling the task she thought she was meant to do. As a young pup, Eden had loved playing by, or in, the river - River Eden. Almost every Lupe took to calling her Eden after the river, but her mother held out for a Latin connection. As it was, Eden would probably have changed her name anyway, if she had grown up being called Opifex-eversor. Far too much of a mouthful!

     Now the young Lupe headed for the forest, wondering over the dream again. It seemed so lifelike, so... vivid. No matter what anybody else said, she couldn't get it out of her mind. She paused as she reached the edge of the wood and the dusty, beaten path that led through it. She went in, and followed the path for a bit, then turned off at some unmarked point. She walked on for a while, and suddenly the forest stopped and there was a steep drop and the river began. A waterfall was not too far away, and a permanent rainbow shimmered above it. Eden stopped here and sat down, leaning against a tree. She thought quietly, about her father, about the dream, about everything that troubled her. She could hear her mother's voice, telling her when she was little. "Your father had wild blood, Eden-Latin. He was never content to stay in one place. I suppose he would have been happy to end his days off adventuring. I just hope you don't take after him." Eden sighed. Her father had gone off looking for adventure, and found it many times. But he'd gone just after she was born, and never came back from that one. And she knew that, despite her mother's warnings and worries, she had the same wild spirit. And it was beginning to show its strength.

     She got back to the Lupe pack in time for breakfast, and found Moonshadow. The friendly Lupe smiled. "Enjoy your little walk on the wild side? Fall of any interesting cliffs?" Eden laughed. Moon grinned. "Rainbow same as ever?" Eden blinked. Moonshadow smiled. "Come on, Eden. You go there every time you just trot out for a walk."

     Eden laughed. "Okay, maybe I do go there a lot. But right now I'm hungry!" She didn't mention the feeling that she was in the wrong place. She didn't tell Moon about the pull of the outside world, and how much she had had to struggle to come back the way she had come.

     Over the days, the pull grew stronger. Incessant, nagging at her. Moonshadow, and most of the others, noticed she was a little preoccupied, but they put it down to her upcoming birthday. Only Eden knew what it really was.

     The dawn of her birthday loomed near as she lay awake, close on midnight. She sighed. It turned midnight, and she sat up. The pull was far too strong to be resisted now. Quietly, so as not to wake Moonshadow, Eden gathered some things and slipped out of the hut. She paused for a moment, and jumped when someone whispered behind her. "Eden!" She turned to see Moonshadow, looking at her quizzically. "Going for a wander at this time of night - sorry, morning?" Eden smiled wanly. Moon sighed. "I can't stop you. You've got that look in your eye. And if I can't keep you here, I'll just have to go with you. To keep you out of trouble, of course." She winked.

     Eden shook her head. "No. Where I'm going, I'm going alone."

     Moon put her head on one side. "That's a point. Where are you going?" Eden blinked, caught off guard, and Moonshadow smiled. "See? You need somebody with a bit of common sense, and..." She grinned. Eden smiled as Moonshadow lifted up a map and a compass. "...these." She finished triumphantly, and then frowned in mock severity at Eden. "Now let's get this straight. You're about to run away from the Lupe pack, leaving everyone to worry, and you're not even going to take your best friend with you? Eden, I'm disappointed! I expected better from you! And besides, I can't stop you going, and you can't stop me coming with you. Got it?"

     Eden grinned. "All right, you talked me into it!"

     Moonshadow smiled. "Well, then. Let's get going, before somebody stops us." As they set off, Eden murmured quietly, "Thanks Moon." The other Lupe pretended not to hear.

     The two friends walked all the next day, and rested only when they felt tired. They talked as they went, and joked to keep their minds off other, darker things.

     They were resting and eating about noon when they heard faint singing off into the wood. With a glance at each other, they packed up the food and started forwards to investigate. They soon found the source of the singing in a clearing - another Lupe, flame coloured, sitting on a rock, mournfully reading a notebook, and singing to himself. The duo looked at each other, then pushed the branches away and moved into the glade. The Lupe jumped, and hastily stowed the notebook away behind him. He tried to look nonchalant. Eden smiled. "We heard your singing and came to investigate." She said bluntly.

     The other Lupe relaxed a little, and grinned. "Ah, once more, the singing of the Siren brings defenceless damsels into danger!"

     Eden hid a grin. "Watch who you're calling defenceless, mate!"

     The Lupe leapt up and bowed with a flourish. "Perhaps instead, we have royalty, warrior princesses!" Moonshadow dropped a curtsey as Eden shook her head, smiling. The Lupe looked shocked. "Why, then, only goddesses would suffice! So brave, so beautiful..." He put his paws up as Eden pretended to look insulted. "...so fearsome!" He grinned as Moonshadow gave up and started laughing. "And may I be so rash as to enquire upon the names of these two lovely visions?"

     Moonshadow and Eden bowed. "Moonshadow and Eden-Latin. And you might be?"

     He smiled. "Nothing quite so exotic. Just plain old Rick I'm afraid."

     Eden nodded. "Rick sounds fine to me." Moonshadow smiled to herself.

     The three Lupes took to each other well and decided to continue travelling together, as Rick had no specific destination and was merely wandering the land. As Rick put it, "If we're going to get lost, we might as well be lost in some pleasant company!"

To be continued...

Previous Episodes

Opifex-Eversor - Destiny's Child: Part Two

Opifex-Eversor - Destiny's Child: Part Three

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