Tangled Up in Blu: Part One

      Blu’s paws padded softly across the sand, leaving round indents in their wake. She trotted silently over to a spot shaded by the wide breadth of a palm tree’s foliage, with Liletia, her island alkenore, flitting alongside her. Blu detached the forest green beach chair from her pack and set it up in the cool of the shade. Flinging her purple-and-blue striped pack down beside her, she slumped into her chair. Liletia landed on her lap, curling herself into a furry ball. Blu sighed, her furry chest rising and falling with her inhale and exhale of warm air. The beach was an ideal spot for thinking, and Blu enjoyed thinking about things very much. It helped her keep her emotions from running rampant, as well as helping her to be a thoughtful, intelligent neopet.

      What to ponder today? Blu asked herself as she gazed out at the ocean before her. Nothing of importance had occurred in her clan for quite a while, so there was really nothing to think about. No events to replay in her head, no resolutions that needed creating, nor any events that needed to be organized. It was just a generally dull time around her village.

      Blu lived in a peaceful Mystery Island settlement. It consisted of a tight-knit group of Island neopets that worked together to produce everything the villagers needed to live happily. Their clan had been around for generations, so everyone in the village was probably related in some way, shape, or form. And even if that wasn’t true, everyone in Blu’s clan of Imohakua treated one another like family anyway.

      Blu lived her life in her little village, only leaving it to come to the beach or the market. Her immediate family was nonexistent; they had been wiped out in the Mystery Island famine of legend. She lived in her woven hut alone with only her alkenore as company. Not that she didn’t have any friends. Blu was very well-liked along her fellow clan members. Her quiet, thoughtful nature did cause her to be a bit of a loner, but she didn’t mind. She rather enjoyed it that way.

      Blu couldn’t help but stray from the topic of her village; she had gone over the dull subject dozens of times. Unfortunately, another well-worn topic came to mind, only this one never seemed to lose its intrigue. She glanced down at her paws, then at her stomach. Yep, still strange, she thought with a sigh. Blu was an Island Gelert, but her markings were, well, different. Being an island pet, she had the normal markings of an island Gelert. But with closer inspection, one would notice that Blu had strange, intricate patterns of scars crisscrossing her island markings. Her eyes, which were normally coal black beads on island Gelerts, were instead a shocking electric blue. She had looked this way for as long as she could remember, but no one would ever tell her why. Sure, she had asked countless times, but people would ignore her, change the subject, or tell her that “When the time comes, you’ll understand.” But plenty of time had passed, and no one had bothered to drop a hint to the meaning of her discolored markings. Even after her family passed away, people refused to acknowledge her questions.

      A few weeks after the famine passed, Blu’s dreams had started. They came at random intervals, but they came nonetheless. Troubling images of ruined kingdoms, a glowing being surrounded by water, epic battles, and a strange scepter haunted her dreams. Blu had no control over them; they came and went as they pleased. She had no idea what they meant, and of course, questions about them were treated with the same ignorance as inquiries about her appearance. Blu assumed the dreams were linked to her appearance in some unknown way.

      Yawning, Blu stretched her arms skyward. What else was there to go over? Ah yes, there was that strange incident last week. She had just had one of her dreams the previous night, and she had to run some errands. Blu had to bring some thornberries to N’kyah, an Island Aisha and a dear friend of Blu’s. When Blu had arrived at N’kyah’s hut , her younger brother answered the door. His four ears perked up, and he cocked his head with interest.

      “You’re that neopet with the scars on ‘em! What’s that name for you? The-” His incessant chattering was cut off as N’kyah’s bracelet-adorned paw flew over his mouth.

      “Blu! How nice it is to see you!” N’kyah exclaimed with faux enthusiasm. Grinning too widely, she motioned for Blu to enter. “I just have to talk to Jidye for a second, please bear with me!” Pulling her brother aside, she began speaking to him in a harsh whisper.

      “Jidye!” she hissed angrily at her wide eyed brother, “You know you aren’t supposed to mention anything to Blu about her gifts! She can not, under any circumstance, be told about that, that thing! Everyone in the village knows about it except her. That topic is completely taboo! It is a silent knowledge for everyone to possess, but for no one to speak of. Do you understand me?” Jidye nodded slowly, his ears dropping in shame. Sighing, N’kyah left her brother and returned to Blu.

      “Now, Blu, what was it that you wanted?” N’kyah asked with a smile. Blu held out a woven basket filled with freshly picked thornberries.

      “I had some extra thornberries, and I thought you might like them,” Blu answered. N’kyah took the basket, mumbling thanks. Blu waved goodbye, and left N’kyah’s hut. Her head was swimming at that point. Powers? What powers? And knowledge that everyone except me knows about? What is the world coming to?!? Blu rubbed her temples with her white paws. Her head was throbbing. There was too much information to process and so many holes that needed to be filled. Vision blurring, she hastily returned to her home and sprawled out on her straw-woven bed mat. Unable to comprehend what had just happened, she fell into a fitful sleep.

      That had all happened a week ago, and she hadn’t had any dreams since. Not that that was too strange; she had gone for weeks without having a single dream. But it was still troubling that everyone in the village knew something about her, and she was still in the dark. Yawning again, she began thinking of what they could possibly know. She tried to stay awake, but sleep’s will was too strong for her. Her lids fluttered over her blue eyes, and she drifted off to sleep.

     ***

      Blu was swimming in the perfect blue depths of the ocean. Her paws paddled silently as she swam further down into the abyss. Her body was functioning on its own will, powered by an uncontrollable need to swim towards the grey mound of ruins that lay below her. And so Blu continued to swim until her white paws touched down on the powdery sand of the ocean floor. Feet powered by that unknown force, she moved forward to the ruins. Grey, crumbling, and foreboding, the ruins practically screamed, “Danger! Turn back!” But Blu kept going. Her mind was detached from her body, which she could not control. Her feet kept paddling her towards the ruins, and soon, she was right outside the ruined kingdom. Her cerulean eyes scanned the area, searching for any forms of life. A dark blur swam by, leaving a trail of bubbles in its wake. Spying the tan figure, it veered towards her. Sand forming clouds in front of the creature, it was impossible to see. Blu stared blankly at the mass although her mind was screaming to move. The dust settled as the mass stopped swimming and two fearsome red eyes were revealed. As the last of the dust settled, the creature revealed itself as a hulking Maraquan Skeith-like creature, its scaly body covered in peculiar scars. Baring its sharp teeth, it lunged at Blu with bloodlust in its eyes. Blu’s mind cried out, but her body stayed put. The jaws of the Skeith opened as his mouth came dangerously close to Blu’s frozen form. Roaring insanely, the Skeith’s jaws-

      “Kyaaa!” Liletia’s high pitched squeal cut through Blu’s dream, jerking her awake. Liletia’s snowy wings flapped excitedly as a Squippit hopped along the sand. Chattering excitedly, she gave chase to the petpetpet. The twosome raced around in the sand, until the parasitic Squippit leapt into the depths of the rolling waves. Intrigued, and not about to give up her prey, Liletia dove into the water after it. Giggling in her squeaky tone, the alkenore swam clumsily in the waves. A wave overtook her small form, and she disappeared under the aquamarine surface of the ocean. Knitting her brow in concern, Blu began to rise from her seat. As quickly as she went under, Liletia’s innocent face popped up from the depths of the sea. Exhaling in relief, Blu fell back into her seat. Gasping slightly with widened eyes, Liletia disappeared under the water again. Blu rolled her eyes as she waited for the mischievous alkenore’s head to emerge once again. Only this time, it didn’t.

To be continued...