Tales of the Frozen Tundra: Part Two

by diamonn

Now outnumbered, diamonn and Synicle began to back away, only finding themselves in the second half of a circle that had surrounded them. Diamonn then stepped forward. "I will not let you hurt my Lupe...not today!! He is the bravest, most valiant, and most obedient pet this side of Neopia. He only does what I tell him to do...so if you're gonna hurt someone...it should be me."

"Our quarrel is not with you," proclaimed a light blue Chia. Battle scars and a score-keeping tattoo on his chest indicated that he had encountered and defeated 22...23...29 Lupes! "You made the mistake of trying to tame a beast. Your crime is ignorance...his crime is murder."

As if he had stated the unanimous Chia battle cry, they all charged. Some were in tackle attacks, others in punches, kicks, the leader launching a poison snowball that he had kept for such an occasion. As they descended, a change occurred. The wind whistled louder and with more base as it swept up the snow and the belligerent Chias, it's bitter air crashing against their soft skin. Swirling, the air accelerated to not only shield the Lupe and his owner, but to launch the freezing Chias into the distance. "Air shield!," exclaimed diamonn.

***

Back in the igloo, Fortuneon was getting impatient. Usually, Synicle would be back now with some Chias and Kacheeks to play with. Synicle had never eaten or even harmed a Chia - he only pretended to do so to please diamonn. In truth, he did not see a reason to as they never had harmed him unless they were provoked. Any moment now, he would poke his furry head through the door and drop off three frightened Chias and maybe one or two 'Cheeks' as he called them.

They would look around, tense and defensive, only to see their captor go into the second room for a nap while the pudgy Jubjub threw them a deck of cards and asked, "Black Jack or poker?" But, it wasn't like that today. Passing the time, Fortuneon squeezed his furry little blue body out of the igloo and began to walk. He yelled greetings to a flying Shoyru and even a Skeith as he carried his master to the Haunted Forest. Moving deeper into the woods, the little Jub Jub put on a bubble shield. As he entered the dark abyss.

Here, he thought he would find diamonn or Synicle, but there was no sign of either. "Hmmmm...and they say we are an unlucky bunch."

"Huh?" questioned Fortuneon. "Were you talking to me?"

"No," replied a deeper, more menacing voice than the first.

"HE WAS TALKING TO ME!"

The quiet air was pierced by the movement of wet snow and the stench of a recent battle. The ground trembled as the speaker advanced, taking one step forward. Scowl and all, the beasts collapsed on the Jubjub - almost finishing him if it were not for the Bubble Shield. He tried to squirm free, using a Spark and Water Jet against the towering beast, but to no avail. He was squeezed in between the palms of the hairy oaf. Suffocated and smothered, his only wish was that he would survive...

To be continued...