A Nonblasting Visit to the Snowager

“Lisha, you can’t go! I don’t want you to die!” Kacheeker, my Faerie Kacheek, sobbed.

“Don’t worry, Sweetie,” I said, patting him on his head. “I’ll be fine. Perhaps I’ll even bring him a peace offering. Granted I get the chance to give it to him before he blasts me halfway across Neopia,” I added as an afterthought.

This only made Kacheeker cry harder and cling tighter. “Stop being such a baby, Kacheeker,” scolded Kirjava. “Plooshy is younger than you and he is taking this just fine. Lisha has never been seriously injured on an interview before. She will be fine. So pull yourself together.”

“Kirjava is right; I’ll be just fine. Don’t worry about a thing. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll wear some protective armor.” Kacheeker nodded and I went to my room to get dressed.

Coming back out, I gave all of my pets a hug and then slipped on a winter coat and gloves. I grabbed a package off the coffee table and headed out of the neohome.

I trekked through Neopia until I reached Terror Mountain. It was so cold! I pulled my jacket even tighter and continued the climb to the Ice Caves. When I reached the top, I saw it. The Snowager’s cave. A yawning hole in the side of the cave was his home. A place where brave neopets only ventured when he was sleeping. And here I was, planning on going in while he was still awake! I was beginning to have doubts about my idea...

I approached the cave and carefully poked my head around the opening. The Snowager was staring right at me! I gulped and stepped into the cave holding the present out in what I hoped was a nonthreatening gesture.

“Who dares disturb me,” roared the Snowager.

“Umm... Hi, I’m Lisha, also known as __lyra152__... you may have heard of me... I write articles for the Neopian Times.”

“Let me guess,” bellowed the Snowager. “You came up here hoping to get an interview with me for one of your precious articles.”

“Umm, yes, that was the general idea,” I stammered. “I even brought you a present if you promise not to blast me and answer my questions.”

The Snowager looked skeptical. “You mean to say that you want to give me something instead of stealing something from my pile of treasure like all those pesky neopets?”

“No Sir,” I said as I held the package out in front of me. “I think you will really like it too.” The great beast took the package from my hands and, like a little neopet on Christmas morning, tore into the wrappings.

“A Snowager Plushie,” he gasped. “I have always wanted one of these.” He squeezed the plushie to his chest using his enormous tail. “Since you have brought me such a wonderful gift, I will grant your request and answer your questions.”

I could not help the smile that spread across my face. I wasn’t going to get blasted across the world, and I was getting my interview, with the Snowager no less!

“Okay,” I said, taking out my notebook, “first question is: where do you get all of these items in the first place? I mean, you never really seem to leave your cave...”

“Well, that is a good question. I actually do leave my cave once a week to travel to a specific spot in Neopia and pick up items that Neopians have discarded. However, it is a different time each week just so no one will take advantage of my absence and carry off my treasures.”

“Can I ask where you go to get these items?”

“It is a simple answer, really. I go to the Money Tree. You can get some really nice items there.”

“But those are for poor Neopians. You already have a lot of things; why do you need more?”

“Answer me this, Lisha. How many of those poor helpless Neopians are really poor? Are a lot of them not already well off and trying to gain even more NP?”

“Well, yes, I guess a lot of them are not really that bad off.”

“My point exactly. At least when I take things people still have an opportunity to get them from me if they are able to sneak in without waking me up.”

“I guess you do have a point. But half the time no one can actually get anything because you roll over and the neopets is too scared to go back in. Plus, nowadays, a lot of people want you to blast them.”

“Blast them? But why? I hurt the neopets every time, sometimes all of them. Why would people want that?”

I smiled. “You must not be aware of your own avatar then.”

“I have an avatar? What does it look like? How do I get it?” The Snowager looked very eager at this new notion.

“It is a picture of you and it is attained randomly when you blast a pet. So I’m not entirely sure if you can even get it, seeing as you would need to blast yourself.”

“I guess I will have to take the matter up with TNT next time I have a meeting with them.”

“You’ll have to do that,” I agreed, nodding my head.

“Well, Lisha, it has been nice chatting with you, but you are going to have to excuse me. It is time for my nap so I am certain that neopets are going to come flooding up here at any moment to bug me. Plus, with only three hours of sleep a day, I need all the shuteye I can get.”

“I can certainly understand that. Thank you for letting me chat with you. Enjoy your new plushie- I would keep that in a safe place where no neopets can get to it.”

“I’ll do that,” yawned the Snowager as he curled his body around his plushie. “Good night.”

I tiptoed to the entrance of the cave and took me leave. Wait until my pets see me still in one piece! Until next time, this is __lyra152__ signing out!