The Wise Whoot: Guardian of the Elements - Part One

“Blaze! Blaze, wake up!”

     The Doglefox’s eyes slowly opened. He flinched back as the light hit his face. He covered his eyes with his paw and groaned. “Zihark... what is it now?”

     He heard a voice, but didn’t think much of it. His eyes flashed open again, when he realized he wasn’t in the place he thought he was. He lifted his head, when he recognized his surroundings. This was the spare room that his family always used in case they had company. The Doglefox frowned and slowly placed his head back down.

     “Blaze!”

     He turned toward the door, and there stood one of his younger sisters, Snowdrop. She was named this because of her snow-white elegant fur.

     He sighed. “What’s wrong?”

     “Mother says breakfast will be ready, soon,” Snowdrop explained. She cocked her head. “She told me to come wake you.”

     “I’m awake now,” the Doglefox yawned. “Tell her I’ll be right out.”

     “Okay!” Snowdrop exclaimed, and rushed out the room toward the kitchen.

     Blaze put his head back down. Sure, he loved being back with his family, but he couldn’t help feel that something was missing. No, he knew what was missing: Zihark, the famous Wise Whoot of legend, also Blaze’s friend and mentor. Just a couple days ago, Zihark had received a strange dream, but unfortunately Blaze couldn’t get any information on what it had been about. The Whoot had been deeply disturbed by this dream, and for reasons Blaze didn’t know, Zihark had to leave and take care of something.

     Zihark had accompanied Blaze back to his Petpet Village that resided in Uni Meadows. A year beforehand, the two of them had come here in order to show Blaze’s family who he was now: the Wise Whoot’s apprentice. Though surprised they were, they respected what Blaze had become. Blaze, upon becoming an apprentice, had been given a special gift. He could change into a Doglefox or Lupe on command. This was just one of the things he had learned from Zihark.

     So here Blaze was, a year later, not sure what to do with himself. Zihark needed him, whatever the reason, but still the Whoot had refused help. The Whoot had come with Blaze to the Petpet Village, and then the next morning he soared off into the morning dawn. It worried Blaze to no end. Though, if something bad happened to Zihark, Blaze would be able to feel it. Over the three years they had been with each other, Blaze and Zihark had created a bond, and somehow Blaze knew that bond would never break.

     Blaze slowly stretched on his bed, one that a normal Petpet would use. He wasn’t used to sleeping on beds anymore. He usually slept on solid ground, with nothing but a blanket and his traveling backpack for a pillow.

     “Blaze! I made your favorite!”

     He heard his mother call from the kitchen, and from the tone of her voice it sounded like she was getting impatient. He hadn’t slept in that long, had he? Blaze rushed out into the hallway that connected to all the bedrooms. He turned right, which led to the living room, and from there took another right down to the kitchen.

     The kitchen’s walls were a faded yellow with light blue polka dots. Cupboards that matched the polka dots were on all the walls of the kitchen, holding plates, cups, cooking ingredients and more. A big table, set for nine, was placed in the middle of the kitchen. A tablecloth that looked exactly like the kitchen walls was placed on the round table.

     Blaze’s mom, a Faerie Doglefox named Jewel, was an excellent cook. She had decorated the kitchen the way she had always imagined it since she was young. Jewel had once won a trophy due to her amazing talent, and she had written her own cookbook for her children to use when they got older.

     Blaze’s father, on the other hand, worked as a carpenter. Dusk, a Black Doglefox, was excellent with his paws. He could make a bed, cabinet, a dresser, anything essential. He even made this little house in the Petpet Village. Dusk also had another talent for storytelling. Many of Dusk’s stories had made Blaze want to go out and search the world, and even one of those stories had been about the Wise Whoot.

     As Blaze walked into the kitchen, his mother placed a plate of pancakes onto the table, where Blaze usually sat while staying at home. She looked up at him. “Ah, it’s about time you woke up!”

     As Blaze smiled, his sisters giggled. His six sisters sat in their usual spots, with their father sitting beside Snowdrop. There were two empty spots next to Dusk, one for Jewel, the other for Blaze. He took his spot and sat next to Rivulet. Rivulet was Blaze’s favorite sister, even though he rarely said so. Sure she was the youngest, but she was the most adventurous of all his sisters, and she loved hearing Blaze’s stories of when he was traveling the world with Zihark. With her beautiful blue and white fur, Blaze thought she was as adventurous as the river itself.

     Rivulet whispered into Blaze’s ear, “Mum’s been a little nervous since you got back. She told Plum that she didn’t think you’d like her cooking anymore!” She laughed quietly. “Did I tell you Plum wants to be a cook like Mom?”

     Blaze shook his head and glanced over at the Purple Doglefox. Plum seemed to be the exact opposite of Rivulet. She was always quiet, shy around others, but she was great with ideas. She was a great tactician, always winning checkers because she knew what her opponent was thinking. It was strange thinking about her wanting to become a cook.

     “Hey, Blaze!” Plum piped up, breaking him from his thoughts. “Wanna play a game of checkers after breakfast?”

     He groaned, but recovered quickly, making a fake smile. “Of course! I’ll probably win, though,” he said, knowing it wouldn’t happen. His sisters continued to giggle.

     When Jewel finally took her seat between Blaze and Dusk, she gave a long sigh. “Okay, now everyone has some Faerie Pancakes, so let’s eat.”

     Blaze’s mood changed quickly as he began to eat and chat with his family. He almost forgot about Zihark completely. He kept asking them questions on the neighbors and the village, wondering what had taken place while he had been away. Every other moment his sisters would ask him about the knights of Meridell, the snowy slopes of Terror Mountain, or the scorching skies of the Lost Desert. It was strange, knowing Blaze had been to every known place of Neopia in just the short span of three years. Still, it had happened, and Blaze had learned many things, especially from Zihark. As Blaze talked about the world, his mind always went to something Zihark had said. That was what kept reminding Blaze of his teacher.

     “It’s too bad Zihark didn’t teach you how to fly!” Rosa giggled.

     Blaze shrugged and smiled. “The best thing Zihark ever did was give me the gift to change into a Neopet. Throughout the world I’ve met others who’ve been having problems, and just by switching into both my forms, I’ve been able to help.” He was about to take another bite of his pancake, when he realized his plate was empty. He looked down and blinked.

     “You must have been hungry, Blaze!” Sunshine exclaimed. She glanced over at Plum. “I’m sure Plum over there will like to make you another batch!”

     The Purple Doglefox flinched at the sound of her name and shrunk back, looking down. Blaze was shocked, was Plum really embarrassed by this?

     Blaze put on a smile. “Well, if you’re talking about Plum, then I’m sure her pancakes will be as good as Mum’s!” Blaze caught Plum’s gaze as he said this, and he winked at her. She gave a small smile, and the light in her eyes returned.

     “Hey, Blaze?”

     After breakfast, and after he lost a match to Plum, Blaze had returned to the spare room and been going through his backpack, trying to see if he had forgotten anything that might’ve belonged to Zihark’s. After a couple minutes, he gave up. Zihark never had any belongings; all he ever needed was his mind and heart.

     Blaze turned toward the doorway, seeing the Green Doglefox. “Forrest? What’s wrong?”

     Forrest looked down, as if hesitating. “Um... I was just wondering... oh, never mind.” She was about to turn and leave when Blaze stopped her.

     “Come on, Forrest, you can tell me anything. I’m your big brother, after all.”

     She turned back to face him. After a moment she sighed, then nodded. “Can... can you tell me how big the Faerieland Library was?”

     “What? Is that it?” Blaze laughed. He remembered how Forrest was always afraid of admitting how much she loved books. The little Green Doglefox was a bookworm, he was sure of it. He went to his sister so he could put his paw around her. “Forrest, it was amazing! So many books... hundreds, no, thousands of them! Actually, when I first took one look at the place, I wanted you to be there, too.”

     Forrest smiled. “Really? You were thinking of me?”

     “Why, of course!” Blaze paused and thought for a moment. “Thinking back on it, it seemed everywhere I went, I thought about my sisters. I guess I never really left home at all, did I?”

     “Hmm, well, I guess the only thing that really changed was...” Forrest looked up at her brother, “...was the family, who gained a new family member. Someone called the Wise Whoot, you heard of him?” she giggled.

     Blaze laughed too. “I guess you’re right.”

     The few things that ever changed... weren’t just that I met a new friend. The other thing that changed, besides befriending the Wise Whoot, was my spirit. I’ve grown stronger since three years ago. I can feel it.

     Blaze thought about this for a long time, even after Forrest left the room. Blaze was still pondering about these thoughts when there was another knock on his door. He sighed as he sensed another one of his sisters. When he saw Rivulet in the doorway, eyes as wide as a full moon, he grew suspicious. She had a big smile on her face. “Come on, Big Bro!” she whispered. “There’s a place I want to show you... but you have to keep it a secret, okay?”

To be continued...