Runaway: Part Three

      "I guess you really are my lucky charm," Toren croaked as he sat up. He rubbed his throbbing head. "Where am I? How did I get here?"

      The cool breeze continued to ruffle his fur. He was sitting on a beach, staring out at the ocean. It was as gray as the sky with waves crashing haphazardly across its surface. Toren could see lightning strikes in the distance where the clouds were darkest. I hope that doesn't come our way. The last thing we need is a storm while we're stuck on some unfamiliar island, he thought.

      The Lupe had mentioned storms in the vicinity of Lutari Island, so perhaps Toren had washed up ashore on a nearby island? If so, then all he needed was a bit of rest, some food, and some water and he could probably fly the rest of the way.

      Toren gingerly got to his feet, inhaling deeply and turning toward the interior of the island. He was faced with a dense jungle and he could see thick tendrils of fog weaving between the trees. His head still throbbed, but he felt optimistic that the plant life meant that he was likely to find at least one tree that bore edible fruit.

      The Lutari pushed a few low hanging branches out of his way as he began to look through the forest for any sort of fruit. He felt May bumping into his ankles as she tried to stay close to him in this unfamiliar territory.

      Something bright blue caught his eye. Toren looked down to see a bush sprouting several blue fruits. He was pretty sure he recognized them from a picture showing a feast on Mystery Island that he had seen once with Mike. The name Blobbule seemed right. His stomach growled as he looked at them and contemplated whether or not they were safe to eat. He was so hungry that it hurt.

      I'm going for it. What else can possibly go wrong?

      Toren pulled off one of the blue fruits and bit into it. The fruit had a sweet taste and it gushed water into his mouth. In that moment, it was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. He tore off a chunk of the fruit's meat and held it down to May.

      "It's all we've got, girl," he told her, his voice muffled through the fruit he was still chewing.

      Although it was probably not to her taste, the Doglefox quickly ate the offered fruit. Toren plucked another whole fruit and gave it to her before taking another two.

      Once the pair had eaten their fill of the refreshing fruit, Toren flopped down with his back against a tree. His stomach was full and his head was feeling better thanks to all the water in the fruit. "Well, we have food," he remarked to May. "It feels good to be full. Next, we should find a source of fresh water." Sitting and relaxing was nice, though.

      "Or maybe we should find out if there are any people on the island," Toren continued to himself after a moment of thought. "If there are, I sure hope they aren't hostile." He knew he could take care of himself, but a violent tribe would outnumber him, plus he had ditched all his weapons outside of the Pound. Mike had probably scattered them to the wind at the Trading Post by that point.

      Toren yawned. Falling unconscious had not been the most restful experience. I probably got enough water from those fruits to last me a few hours. I'll be fine, he thought drowsily. The trees around him were thick and, even though clouds obscured the sun, the air was still warm. He closed his eyes and felt the familiar weight of May curling up on his lap before he drifted off into what was, in his opinion, a much-needed nap.

     ***

     Toren awoke to a light rain falling; the canopy above kept most of it off him, but still a few drops made it to his face. It was noticeably darker than when he had dozed off. He heard a rustling sound and saw May digging a hole under the bush from which he had gotten the Blobbules. She must have been trying to avoid the rain.

      "I know you don't like the rain, girl, but we need to keep moving. I can't fit under there," Toren pointed out.

      May yipped unhappily as her Lutari owner pulled her out from her hiding spot, but he held her to his chest and bent over slightly to keep her from getting too wet.

      Between the fog, the rain, and the darkness, it was nearly impossible for Toren to see much of anything. He briefly considered flying above the trees for a better vantage point, but he did not want to risk such a move during a storm. Other than the light pitter-patter of rain on leaves, he could hear nothing. Not even other Petpets trying to escape the storm, and nothing that sounded remotely like Neopets had created a civilization.

      Hopefully the storm would break the next day so Toren could continue his flight to find Lutari Island. At least he had food and water to last him through the night.

      At the edge of the jungle, Toren hesitated. The rain was falling substantially harder outside the thick trees. On the other hand, the fog seemed lighter and he could see farther in front of him than he had been able to in the forest. Dark shapes rose up from the ground in the distance, but their outlines were fuzzy and their features were indistinct. "It's too dark to do much of anything," he sighed.

      Once again, Toren wished he were Stealthy because of the enhanced night vision. Of course, if he were Stealthy, he would have been sleeping comfortably in a bed at the AstroVilla at the moment, with an owner who would never dream of abandoning him.

      Lightning arced across the sky; for the briefest moment, the blurs in the distance were illuminated. Toren could see clearly that they were buildings. He could not make out any details, but he didn't care. Buildings meant people. People meant he wasn't alone and could find out more about where he had washed up.

      Toren clutched May tighter and ran as fast as he could toward the structures. He didn't care that he could see no windows lit up or any other signs of life. The buildings themselves were enough to fill him with hopefulness. He didn't notice how much wetter he had gotten after stepping from underneath the trees and how cold the winds were. He did not even care when his paw slipped in a muddy patch and almost sent him sprawling to the ground (May, on the other hand, barked angrily at the near accident). None of that would matter once he got inside and found people.

      Toren could hear the door's hinges creaking as he got nearer to it. The door was blowing in the wind; between the creaking and the rattling of the door bouncing alternately against the frame and the side, it was enough to drive anyone crazy. Still, Toren put a paw against the door to hold it steady before poking his head in.

      "Hello?" he called. When he got no response, he continued: "Sorry to intrude, but I'm lost and I don't have anywhere to go to wait out the storm."

      Still, no one answered. Toren frowned. Maybe the people who owned the house were asleep, or out somewhere. He couldn't imagine where they would be on such a rainy night, but it was still a possibility.

      Toren did not want to have some poor family walk in – or wake up – and find a stranger in their house, so he ducked out and walked to the next house. This house did not even have a front door. Its windows were cracked and rainwater was accumulating inside. He didn't need a light to know that the house was empty. It was probably the best he would get for the night on such short notice.

      A large, decorative vase leaned against the inside of the wall of the abandoned house. It was dusty, but it looked to be intact. As long as it was going to be raining, Toren decided he might as well let some accumulate so he would have drinking water. He pulled the vase out and set it near the door where nothing covered it. Sighing, the Lutari walked back into the ramshackle house – for hopefully the last time that night as he was sick of the rain.

      "We'll crash here, May. It's better than nothing, I guess," the Lutari sighed as he sat on a very threadbare rug in the center of the room. It was the only spot he could see that was somewhat dry. "Tomorrow's a new day. We'll figure out where we are," he promised his Doglefox as he lay down and tried to get comfortable. The rain pattering against the roof and floor of the dilapidated house lulled him to sleep.

     ***

     Toren grimaced as he woke up. His back was stiff from lying on the hard floor all night, but at least he had avoided catching a cold. The rain had stopped, and it was moderately bright. Must be daytime... but it still looks kinda cloudy. I sure picked the wrong time to fly out here, Toren thought sleepily.

      A piece of paper very close to where he had slept caught his eye. Toren reached for it. It was waterlogged, but the paper was of decent quality so he could still read what was written:

      Welcome to beautiful Lutari Island!

      We hope you enjoy your stay here and take in all that we have to offer! Will you win big on the Wheel of Happiness? If so, feel free to take your winnings to the Lutari Island Bank! Don't forget to pick up some Lutari Talisman Beads – they make great souvenirs! And, of course, don't forget to have fun! We would love to see you again!

      Toren stared at the paper until he zoned out; his paw slackened and the flyer drifted to the ground. He didn't notice.

      "Is this..." Toren whispered, unable to finish.

      He slowly walked out into the village and looked around. In the daylight, he could see that all of the houses – including the first he had seen the previous night – were dilapidated and abandoned. The bright colors of their exteriors were faded and worn, but the designs were identical to those on the Lutari Island leaflet. There were no signs of life anywhere.

      "What happened here?" Toren wondered as he gazed at the abandoned houses that were once a part of a Lutari Island community.

To be continued...