Algid by christinetran |  |
Deep within the cold caves of Terror Mountain, two Neopets
approached an opening in the wall. The opening looked like it was naturally made,
but the sides were absolutely smooth and perfect, which gave off the hint that
it might've been tampered with by some Neopian of the past. By its sides, large
drifts of packed snow towered like, well, towers, hiding the opening from the
view of the other Ice Cave dwellers. As the two Neopians passed by the opening
and into the cave within, their eyes fell on a long, icy, monstrous beast that
lay on the ground; the Snowager. But instead of running from this terrible sight,
the two Neopets smiled at him.
Ages ago, way before the time of many things
that we know now, the Snowager wasn't the terror that it is today. Before, the
Snowager was friendly with all Neopians, from the ignored Lenny's to the overpopulated
Shoyru's. Instead of guarding his treasure and keeping it to himself, he offered
it freely to all that happened to stumble within his lair. That was how the
Snowager was like in the past. He was caring, kind, and generous, the complete
opposite of what he is today.
Even though the Snowager was known world-wide
as a wonderful addition to Neopia, and all who knew or heard of the Snowager
loved the icy beast down to each and every ice chip in his body, there was still
a problem that lurked within his mind. Every day, Neopians would gather by hundreds
into his enormous ice cavern, asking for treasures of great worth. In return
for these many treasures, the Neopians stayed and kept the Snowager company.
That was his problem; he absolutely despised being alone. Solitude was his fear,
his phobia, and any type of company beside his reflection in the icy walls was
a blessing to him.
Because of this phobia, the Snowager hated the
nights of Neopia. For it was during this time that the Neopians who visit him
in his cave leave him alone. He knew that they couldn't stay forever, and that
all Neopians who enter his cave must eventually leave. But he hated that fact,
and he tried his best to persuade them to stay; and like the many times before,
they would say no and state that they couldn't stay with the Snowager any longer.
Most Neopians are able to bear the cold of the cavern for a certain amount of
time until they have to leave. If they don't, they will eventually freeze, turning
themselves into a block of ice, and leaving the Snowager alone once again.
Finally, after quite a bit of time that was
accompanied by loneliness, the Snowager decided to construct himself his very
own companion. His companion had to be able to survive the coldness of his cavern,
yet be friendly and loyal, someone who would stay with him no matter what happened.
He created his companion out of the icy rocks that fell into his cave from time
to time, and shaped him into his likeness. The Snowager used the tools located
in his treasure hoard to smooth out the rough parts of his creation. He carved
in a pair of perfect aqua eyes, adding a slight bump above it to make it more
interesting. He hammered out the mouth and created the perfectly smooth stripes
that wound around the body. The last thing that he added to his new mini-twin
were two pairs of legs, so that they would at least have a slight difference
in form.
After he finished his wonderful creation, the
Snowager lowered his massive head towards the place where the heart of his companion
should be, and he breathed out a cold mist. Although the mist he breathed looked
ordinary, it contained some articles that other mists didn't have. This mist
contained intelligence and the ability to feel, it contained loyalty to the
Snowager and the flexibility to move, it contained all the things that are necessary
for any living thing. But most importantly, within this little being was the
Snowager's only true friend, an icy brethren that will stay with him no matter
what.
The moment the icy mist touched it's surface,
it acted like a sponge and absorbed until no evidence of the mist existed. The
tiny creature's eyes turned warm, and it's beak-ish mouth opened slightly. The
creature's eyes swiveled upward and stared at the Snowager, a tiny smile grew
onto it's face. With a warm heart and a loving look, the Snowager named this
new critter Snowickle.
The day after the Snowickle was created, a large
group of Neopians once again entered the Snowager's cave, eagerly looking forward
to collecting a new extravagant item. Besides sighting the usual image of the
icy beast wrapped around his treasure hoard, this time, laying daintily atop
the treasure trove, was a smaller version of the Snowager with legs.
It wasn't long before all of Neopia heard of
this new individual that resided in the Snowager's Cavern. Thousands more Neopians
flocked over to the Ice Caves to receive even a tiny glimpse of this 'Snowickle'.
Everyone fell in love with this adorable new being, and many asked the Snowager
if there were any more. Many were disappointed when they realized that the Snowickle
was one of a kind, for they all wanted one as a companion as well. Some of them
even offered the Snowager millions of Neopoints just for ownership of the creature,
but the Snowager continuously turned them down. It soon became obvious that
no amount of items or NP was going to convince the Snowager to sell the Snowickle,
and eventually the crowd around the Ice Caves decreased until only one Neopet
was left, a Shoyru.
The Shoyru's name was Artonic, but he preferred
being called Tonic. He was one of those Neopians who entered the Snowager's
cave early in the morn, claimed a prize, and left as soon as possible. Because
of this, the Snowager didn't know Tonic as well as the others, which is either
bad or good depending on the situation. In this situation, it was bad, for the
Snowager did not know what Tonic's thoughts were. He didn't even have a shadow
of a hint of what Tonic was thinking. The only thought that ran in his mind
was that Tonic stayed just so that he could be another companion of the Snowager
and his new Snowickle.
For many days, Tonic was the first Neopian to
enter the cavern, and the last to leave. He even chose all the cheap treasures
instead of the expensive ones, the ones that he usually chose in the past. During
the hours he visited the Snowager and his new pet, Tonic played games with them,
but no words were exchanged, since everyone thought that the Snowager couldn't
talk. The Snowickle was able to let out a few distinct sounds, but that was
all he was capable of doing. Eventually, the Snowager came to trust Tonic, and
considered him as a trustworthy person. No one warned the Snowager of Tonic's
past and reputation, for they never thought that Tonic had a shadowy thought
of doing something wrong and angering the peaceful Ice Cavern Beast. For many
days, life remained like this. Tonic would came, claim his prize, stay with
the two ice creatures until late into the night, and then he'll leave, returning
once again the next morning. It was a normal ritual that the Snowager eventually
got use to, considering it a part of his normal day.
The sun was about to set beyond the horizon,
and drafts of cool wind blew by the entrance of the cave's facade. Nearly all
of the Neopians had left his cavern for the day. Only a few stragglers remained
behind, battling it out in a game of Cheat. Tonic was sitting in the corner,
quietly reading a book. His eyes occasionally lit over the the book top, staring
at the Cheat game as if he was interested in it. But his eyes always shifted
back towards the book after some time.
Nearby, the Snowager wasn't that interested
in the Cheat game, for he was too busy arranging his pile of treasures into
sections. One part was dedicated to items under 10,000 NP, the other section
is dedicated to items that cost 10,001-20,000 NP, and so on and so on. His Snowickle
was busy practicing his jumps, leaping from one boombox to the other. An occasional
laugh of delight flew from the Snowickle's mouth every time he missed his landing
spot and fell on the soft ground.
Occasional grumbles and laughter echoed off
the cave's entrance, mostly from the Buzz who was going against his Lupe opponent.
Finally, after quite a bit of card shuffles and unpleasant snarling, something
slammed against the table and a deep groan echoed around the cave. The Snowager's
head snapped around quickly to stare at the origin of the intruding noise. His
eyes set upon a Buzz wearing an apologetic expression.
"Snowager," the buzz (who was playing Cheat)
said, disturbing the cold silence once again. "I just lost against him," he
stared disgustingly at his opponent, who was ecstatically emptying the Cheat
cards into a container. "So I got to get going. Sorry for the annoying sounds
I made. Well, bye!"
The red buzz released his transparent wings,
flexing them to warm them up, and shot off towards the distance in a few seconds.
The other pet, a rather prideful blue Lupe, trotted off confidently towards
the exit of the cave, flicking his tail in goodbye. The Snowager simply smiled
after them, then resumed his task of organizing his prized treasures. Considering
the fact that the Snowager has enough items to give to almost every single Neopian
in Neopia, it took quite some time for everything to be organized. The Snowickle
was still playfully leaping from one boombox to another. Tonic continued his
reading by the corner.
After the sun disappeared beyond the horizon,
the Snowager finally gave up on sorting everything. On one side of the cave
lay his carefully arranged treasures, and the other side contained glimpses
of blue, green, red, and many other colored items, piled on top of each other.
After staring at those two piles with a artistic eye, the Snowager abandoned
it and started to approach Tonic slowly, tilting his head in question after
he stopped in front of the book-reading Shoyru. The Snowickle hopped lightly
onto the Snowager's head, and settled himself into the cold nest.
Tonic pretended not to notice the Snowager until
a few minutes had passed. He casually glanced up and acted surprise to see the
Snowager in front of him.
"Now when did you sneak up on me like that?"
Tonic exclaimed, clutching his heart in shock. The Snowager just simply smiled
at the astounded Shoyru.
"You shouldn't do that, you know, 'Ager? It
scares the bum off of 'em," Tonic said, this time more good naturally than before,
grinning mischievously while doing so.
The Snowager smiled back at Tonic once again,
but his eyes still held a questioning look in them.
"Oh, big guy, I bet you wanna know when I'm
going to fly off, eh?" Tonic asked.
The Snowager's eyes glinted, but his expression
stayed the same. It was as if he was frozen to the spot... well, more
frozen than he currently is.
"Well, this book, I just can't put it
down! Did you ever read one of these stories? It's like this hook that keeps
on pulling you deeper and deeper into the plot!" Tonic said excitedly, his eyes
just brimming with delight. "And I know that I can probably take this home...
but... well, ya see, 'Ager. I can't read as well in other places than in here,
ya know what I mean?"
A twitch flew throughout the Snowager's body,
and his face changed it's look. This time, a puzzled look was dancing in his
eyes, reflecting off the lights from the walls. The Snowickle, atop the Snowager's
head, moved around a bit, but settled himself down once again.
"Well, I was hoping I could stay longer... just
until I finish the book," Tonic said, shifting his weight and looking pleadingly
up at the Snowager.
Fear shot itself into the ice beast's head.
Even though he enjoyed company, for he completely believed in 'the more the
merrier' quote, he felt strangely insecure about this. Ever since he received
his Snowickle's companionship, he's been very particular about how long a person
may stay in his cavern. But his heart melted at the look on Tonic's face, and
because he knew that Tonic was trustworthy, the Snowager simply nodded.
"Thanks 'Ager! You're the best!" Tonic chirped
back, a grin plastered on his face. After he said that, his smile ran away from
him, and he fell against the wall of the cave and resumed his addiction to the
book.
The Snowager, however, slithered slowly away
from Tonic, trying to make as less movements as possible so he wouldn't disturb
his Snowickle's slumber. Sliding over to the corner of the cave, beside the
pile of unsorted treasures, he wrapped himself into a ball and drifted off to
sleep. His last memory was of seeing his Snowickle's dangling tail fall against
his eyelid.
********************
His eyes flew open, and his head popped up. The Snowager stared around the
cave. Outside, soft winds blew the feathery flakes, but his snow towers guarded
his cavern from becoming any chillier. He stared around suspiciously. He didn't
know why, but he felt that something was wrong. He slithered out from behind
the pile of costly articles, and took a quick glance over at where Tonic once
sat. The place sat empty, holding no hint that a Shoyru lay there. His eyes
furrowed in puzzlement as he glanced at the reflective walls, staring out into
the winter coldness. Suddenly, his eyes flew back onto the ice mirror. His Snowickle
wasn't on his head! Instead, two Neggs wrapped in a scarf rested upon his crown.
With a ferocious roar, the Snowager slithered out of his cave and down towards
Happy Valley, a rush of ice and snow rained on the Ice Cave dwellings that were
standing nearby.
The Snowager raised his head up once again the
moment he reached Happy Valley, spraying large daggers of ice upon the tops
of the houses. His eyes were blazing with cold fire, and he swept down the mountainside
in a rush. His sharp eyes glared through the snow, trying to catch a glimpse
of the only thing he ever truly owned and cared about. His ears listened intently
for the gleeful call of the Snowickle. But he heard and saw nothing. Another
wave of ice and snow flew out of his mouth, and he flew towards the Terror Mountain
path, leaving a mess of snow and ice and coldness behind him.
Atop the cold mountain, Tonic was busy chomping
on some Snowberries, sometimes tossing a piece at the Snowickle by his side.
His feet dangled off the edge of Terror Mountain, and his eyes feasted upon
the gorgeous view before him. He saw the ocean waving in the distance, and Neopia
Central's burning glow of lights lit up a part of the dark world. Tonic reached
down and handed another snowberry to the Snowickle, who happily munched on it.
The Snowickle's happiness seemed to be lacking, but a sometimes aggravated look
appeared on his face whenever he tried to run but was pulled back by the rope
around his neck. Finally, a soft whimper echoed from the Snowickle's mouth as
he stared at Tonic with large eyes.
"I'm sorry, 'Ickle, but I have to tie you up,
you see? So that you won't run back to the 'Ager. You see, you're going to make
me very rich," Tonic grinned at the Snowickle as he dropped another snowberry
at his feet. The Snowickle just whimpered again, then bent down and gulped down
the white berry. Tonic stared down into Happy Valley, a few miles below. But
all he saw was pure white, with an occasional chimney popping out of the snow,
and some whiffs of smoke floating away.
A cold draft flew on him, sending a shiver running
down his spine. Staring around, he felt as if something was wrong. Everything
was completely silent, but if felt as if this deep rumbling was shaking the
world. Like some sort of earthquake.
Moments later, Tonic's eyes widened in surprise
when a swirling mass of frosted ice attacked him and the Snowickle. He reached
out, his paws searching in vain for the critter that will take all his troubles
away. After hastily searching with his numb hands, he finally got a hold of
the rope and followed it until he felt something icy under his fingertips. With
both hands gripped tightly on the little Snowickle's back, the Shoyru desperately
stared into the snowstorm, hoping to catch a glimpse of Taelia's igloo or some
sort of ceiling to hide under.
"It's okay, little guy, I won't let anything
happen to you," Tonic screamed after his search for some type of shelter proved
pointless, but the Snowickle only stared at him. The puzzled expression upon
the Snowickle's face resembled that of the Snowagers, as if they really were
brothers. Tonic lifted the Snowickle and placed him carefully into a sack. He
slung the sack behind him and opened his wings, preparing himself for flight.
Just as he was ready to fly off, the wind stopped blowing like a hurricane,
and the ice and snow stopped raining down on him.
Tonic stared around in awe once again. The tranquility
took the place of the blizzard so quickly, almost as if somebody exhaled an
upheaval of snow and inhaled it back in seconds later. He lowered his wings,
and was ready to just sit down again and continue eating his snowberries (safely
tucked in the bag with the Snowickle) until he felt a breath of cold air tinge
his neck.
His eye's bulged open in fear, for he knew that
the cold air didn't come from the wind. The gusty breaths continued to rain
on his neck as he slowly turned around and stared into the eyes of the raging
Snowager.
"I-I-I can explain," Tonic stuttered before
the Snowager lunged forward towards him. Tonic jumped out of the way just in
time, spreading his wings and pushing himself off the ground. The Snowager stretched
his long body upwards, his jaws wide open, his eyes blazing with cold fire.
But he couldn't reach Tonic, for Tonic was high up in the air by now, the sack
dangling against his back.
The Snowager let out another blast of ice, aiming
it straight at Tonic, but Tonic simply dodged it. The thieving Shoyru was extremely
agile, and even more quicker in the air. Another blast of ice flew towards him,
but Tonic just simply flicked his wings and he flew a few feet away from it.
The Snowager looked desperately at the Shoyru, his eyes filled with frozen tears
of frustration and terror. Pain conquered his emotions as he stared at the unreachable
Shoyru. His jaw was partly opened, tasting the bitter cold of the wind upon
his mouth. The Snowager's body felt limp, yet he managed to keep it still and
rigid. The piercing eyes was now desperately pleading with Tonic, asking him
to give back the only thing that ever mattered to them.
Tonic simply flew a few feet away in reply.
With a smirk planted on his face, Tonic turned tail and disappeared among the
clouds, taking the Snowager's heart with him.
Deep within the cold caves of Terror Mountain,
two Neopets approached an opening in the wall. The opening looked like it was
naturally made, since the sides were battered and jagged with ice daggers that
threatened anyone who approached them. By it's sides, large drifts of packed
snow towered like, well, towers, hiding the opening from the view of the other
Ice Cave dwellers. As the two Neopians passed by the opening and into the cave
within, their eyes fell on a long, icy, monstrous beast that lay on the ground;
the Snowager. But instead of staying in the cave to keep him company, the two
Neopets flew in terror from the icy beast.
The End
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