Moonlit Peaks: Part Three

     "Tell us what happened to Killerflurry and Zarrelian!" she said, eyes blazing. Mr. Bronston gulped, holding up his claws defensively.

     "Alright, calm down. Now, I'm sure that your pets are fine. I used the buddy system; it's completely infallible," the Draik replied evenly.

     Sunny had managed to get ahold of both Pup and Mr. Bronston, and had scheduled a meeting with them as soon as she could. Pup, upon hearing that her Lupe's partner had also failed to return home, had instantly begun to worry. She had thought that maybe Killerflurry had gone to Zarrelian's house directly after school, or something like that. It had been unlikely, of course, but Pup was the kind of person who liked to make excuses for other people, usually in denial of the possibility of the worst-case scenario arising. Now, however, it was impossible to ignore the terrible reality of what had happened. Their pets were stuck on Terror Mountain during one of the worst storms in Neopian history. Sunny regarded Mr. Bronston with the air of someone examining a squished Slorg: utter contempt.

     "You worthless excuse for a teacher!" she roared. "Are you telling me that you didn't even bother to do a head count because of some stupid system that you thought up? I swear to the Faeries, Bronston, I'll have you fired for this if it's the last thing I do!"

     Mr. Bronston bared his fangs, rising sharply to his feet. "Are you questioning my credibility as an educator?" he rasped.

     Sunny clutched at her hair. "Yes, I am! What kind of a teacher leaves two Pets on a mountaintop in a BLIZZARD?" Pup nodded earnestly.

     "Yeah! My poor Lupe's up there; he's the only Pet that I've got!"

     Mr. Bronston quailed under the enraged owner's onslaught. "Well, what do you want me to do about it?" he asked. Sunny spread her arms.

     "What do you think? We want you to go up to Terror Mountain and get them back!" she insisted. Mr. Bronston shook his head furiously.

     "Absolutely not! They aren't even sending Eyrie Taxis up there anymore, it's impossible! The mountain's been closed to the entire Neopian public," he protested. Sunny rose to her full height of six feet and one inch, towering easily over the cringing Draik.

     "Well then you'd better find an alternative means of transportation!" She glared at the harried teacher. "Because if you don't, then I will most definitely have you fired. I'm sure that the Neoschool Board wouldn't hesitate after this little incident!"

     Mr. Bronston ran his claws through his graying plume of hair. "Alright, fine," he wearily agreed. "I think that I could find a way to get up there... A few of my buddies have wings, and I suppose that if I rallied up enough of them then I might be able to assemble a little flying team to get me up there."

     Sunny snorted contemptuously. "You've got wings, why can't you just fly up there yourself?" Mr. Bronston narrowed his eyes, staring at her with nothing short of loathing in his eyes.

     "Because then there'd be no way for me to get your precious pets back down again. Not to mention that I'd probably be blown against a glacier in those gales."

     Pup rolled her eyes. "That'd be no great loss."

     Mr. Bronston ruffled his wings angrily. "I don't even know if it's worth my job to help you two out. But I will!" he added hastily, noting the owner's twin scowls. "I'll get my team together and have your pets back in a jiff, no worries."

     Sunny gave a disdainful little sniff. "You'd better, Bronston, for YOUR sake. And they'd better come back looking just as healthy as they did when they left."

     ***

     Flurry valiantly leapt in front of Zarrelian, shielding the Ixi from the Lupes. He backed up, slowly and carefully, doing his best not to look the alpha in the eye, which he knew to be the signal for a challenge for leadership of the pack. Flurry had absolutely no interest in challenging the big red Lupe. He just hoped that they hadn't caught sight of Zarrelian; that would be the worst possibility. If they saw the defenseless little Ixi then the pack would attack indefinitely, ensuring both of their demises. Unfortunately, Zarrelian seemed determined to throw a wrench into Flurry's plans.

     "Hey!" the Ixi grunted, neatly sidestepping away from the starry Lupe. "Why'd you push me like that? And why are you standing in front of me? Hey, don't tell me to be quiet, you're not the boss of me!" The Ixi turned, and finally saw the Lupe pack. Zarrelian's reaction to the ferocious visitors was not what Flurry had expected.

     "Oh, finally!" the Ixi cried, galloping up to the alpha as though it was his grandma. "The rescue team has found us at last! Thank the Faeries, I couldn't stand another second with that Lupe."

     Flurry's blood ran cold and he was certain that his heart had stopped. "Zarrel," he croaked, for his throat had become very dry. "Zarrel, don't!"

     The Ixi didn't hear him. He cocked his head to the side and gave the alpha an appraising look. "Man, you could really use a bath. Don't they have running water up here? I mean, you could at least roll in the snow once in a while. And why are you frothing at the mouth like that? Are you rabid or something? Hey, talk to me, you stupid Lupe!"

     The alpha seemed temporarily stunned by Zarrelian's complete lack of respect. It didn't last too long, though. The Lupe began snarling, his large yellow eyes bulging as he stared down his long snout at the impudent Neopet. Zarrelian winced.

     "Ugh, your breath smells terrible! And really, stop growling! I don't speak Cave Savage."

     Flurry finally summed up the courage to jump before the pack. Doing his best not to look at the alpha, the Lupe lowered his head to Zarrelian's level and hissed frantically in the Ixi's ear.

     "You idiot! That's not a rescue team, that's a pack of wild Lupes, they don't speak Neopian! And you've probably severely insulted the pack alpha!" He cast a furtive glance at the leader's paws. "In fact, I can't even understand why they haven't attacked us yet!"

     Zarrelian grinned, buffing his hoof on his chest. "It's probably my roguish charm," the Ixi quipped. Flurry shook him by the shoulders.

     "Don't you get it? We are in serious trouble! We--" Zarrelian cut him off.

     "Would you be quiet? I am so sick of you always treating me like I don't know anything!"

     "You DON'T know anything!"

     Zarrelian reared up on his hind legs, paddling his hooves in the air as the wind and snow swirled impressively around him. "I KNOW A LOT MORE THAN YOU, LUPEY!" Zarrelian screeched. Both Flurry and the Lupe pack winced at the Ixi's piercing cry, ducking their heads and folding back their sensitive ears. It was then that something incredible happened.

     The storm stopped. The winds ceased to blow and the snow disappeared from the sky. Flurry glanced up. The clouds had shifted, revealing a huge, glowing orb in the sky. Kreludor, Neopia's moon. It was about three quarters full; bathing the entire mountaintop in its glimmering, silver light. The Lupe pack rose their heads and turned to Zarrelian, their luminous eyes wide and frightened. The alpha stepped forward and gradually inclined his head, exposing his rough, crimson-furred neck to the bewildered Ixi.

     "Zarrel," Flurry exhaled in wonder. "He's showing you his neck, that's a sign of complete submission and deference among wild Lupes!" Zarrelian grinned.

     "Whoa, they must think that I have crazy powers or something!" he exclaimed. Flurry frowned.

     "I'm sure that plays a part in it, but... There must be something more, something striking about this particular phenomenon." The Lupe brightened.

     "Of course!" he barked, jabbing his paw upwards. "Kreludor! Wild Lupes revere the moon, and you screamed just as the storm stopped and the moon shone through the clouds. They must think that YOU made the moon show!" He furrowed his brow in concentration. "I remember reading something about Lupe mythology a while ago. Something about... Oh, what was it?" Flurry kicked the ground in frustration.

     "Darn! I can't remember. Ah well, I'm sure it'll come to me later." He noticed that the alpha had lifted his head once again, and seemed to be gesturing to the rest of his pack. He made a funny growling noise and the pack began to march off through the snow. The alpha turned back to Zarrelian and made the same noise. The Ixi cocked his head to the side, feeling confused. Flurry stepped in and nudged Zarrelian with his snout.

     "I think that he wants us to follow him," the Lupe murmured. "I'm just not sure if we should." Zarrelian looked at him incredulously.

     "Are you kidding? Of course we should follow him! If it's a wild Lupe pack than they ought to have a cave, and that cave will be warm. Besides, if they've mistaken me for some mythological character then they'll probably treat me like a king!"

     Flurry chewed his lip worriedly. "I'm still not sure... I mean, what happens if they realize that you don't have weird powers or anything?" he asked. Zarrelian scoffed, already setting off after the departing Lupes.

     "That won't happen. Besides, I don't really care what you do. I'M going, and you can come if you want, but I'm not going to wait up for you."

     Flurry sighed resignedly, shaking his starry pelt to dislodge some of the clumps of snow that had embedded themselves in his fur. "Alright, I guess I don't have much of a choice."

     Flurry followed a little ways behind the Lupe pack, still not feeling entirely at ease. It then struck him that he didn't see a white Lupe anywhere among the pack.

     That's odd, he thought. I would've figured that that funny white Lupe that I had seen earlier would be in this pack. Flurry got a funny tingly feeling on his nape. He glanced behind him, and saw, to his amazement, the white Lupe. It was standing on a large rock, no more than twenty or so meters behind them. Flurry's insides squirmed. He wasn't sure why, but something seemed strangely familiar about the Lupe; it stirred up memories that he wasn't even certain he possessed. Flurry clenched his eyes shut and turned resolutely back to the pack. He had no reason to worry about the white Lupe. He already had enough on his mind.

To be continued...