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Ealdor_StormLife stared miserably out the window of his
room. The red Eyrie watched the rain flow in thick streams down the window pane.
The wind made the bamboo walls creak and moan, but surprisingly none of the gale
came into the house.
Ealdor sighed; he knew he shouldn't feel scornful,
what was the point? He heard his door creak open and quiet padding footsteps
move across the floor. Ealdor turned his back on the door not wanting anything
to do with whoever had come in.
A dark paw, rested on Ealdor's shoulder. He
whipped around to see, his brother standing in front of him. Scinan_DarkShine
gazed silently at his brother, the Eyrie fidgeted under the Lupe's intense gaze.
"I know, I know!" Ealdor burst out when Scinan
said nothing. "I know I shouldn't be jealous of you, Leo, and Maest. But honestly
Sci, I am, I also know that it is the most childish thing I could ever worry
about." He snapped his wings open and fluffed his feathers in exasperation.
The shadow Lupe raised and eyebrow at Ealdor.
"You're getting awfully worked up about a petpet, after everything else you
have to answer for," he commented. His soft voice hid an undercurrent of amusement.
The Eyrie whirled on Scinan. "You're laughing
at me!" he snarled, eyes flashing with rage.
"No," Scinan said abruptly, "I'm laughing at
the fact that you won't face Hryre. I know she's an airhead Eal, but she'll
notice eventually. You'll have more to answer for if you don't say anything
then if you just go up to her and tell her what happened." He turned and with
a swish of his long ebony tail was gone.
Ealdor hung his head. He knew Scinan was right,
he just couldn't stand to see the disappointment on Hryre's face whenever he
did something as stupid as he had.
"SCI, Leo, Maest, Eal, dinner! I ordered pizza!"
Hryre's voice floated up the stairs. Leoht_ShadowLight, a Maraquan Draik, came
bounding out of his room and went thudding down the stairs. Maestitia_SunSorrow,
a fire Shoyru whom he'd nearly collided with coming out of his room, shook her
head and rolled her eyes. Ealdor trudged miserably down the stairs, dragging
his feet his wings drooping.
Scinan kept glancing up at Ealdor all through
dinner, Hryre chattered happily about some new story idea that had recently
popped into her head. Maestitia was hanging onto her every word beaming. Leo,
as usual when he wasn't causing mayhem, was staring off into space.
Ealdor made an abrupt decision. It's funny how
one little choice can change the occurrence of events forever. Little did the
Eyrie know the choice he'd just made would have a drastic effect on his life.
Ealdor shoved his plate away from him, causing
it to rattle. Hryre looked at him confused and slightly shocked by his behavior.
Ealdor's siblings were staring at him with wide eyes.
Ealdor took a deep breath. "Hry, I - I've got to talk to you." He looked at
her pleadingly.
It took Hryre a moment to come out of her daze.
She shook her head to clear, "Yeah, of course Eal." She walked with Ealdor out
into the back garden. It was shielded from the storm, but that didn't prevent
it from being cold.
Ealdor sat down with his back to his owner.
"A couple of days ago I did something really… really stupid." Hryre heard the
guilt in his voice; she knew he was not proud of whatever he'd done.
She crossed her arms. "And?" the girl prompted.
Ealdor turned to meet her gaze. "Hr-Hry, I'm
really, really sorry I did, I wish I hadn't done it." He dropped his gaze in
shame. "I made a bet with someone at the Battledome. I bet some of my rarer
weapons, and a lot of the shop stock, a - and even Feir!" Tears streamed down
his cheeks now. Feir, or Feirlen had been Ealdor's Airax and very dear to the
Eyrie.
Hryre's mouth had dropped open. "You what?"
she gasped in horror. Ealdor backed away from her, his ears laid flat.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered. The Eyrie leapt
into the air, wings beating swiftly, he disappeared into the night.
"Eal!" Hryre cried running forward. "Ealdor,
come back! Eal please!" The red Eyrie was deaf to his owner's cries. Head bowed
against the wind, the Eyrie flew on. Tears flowing freely, Ealdor_StormLife
left his home.
Leoht, Maestitia, and Scinan ran out onto the
patio. "What happened?" Maestitia asked. Alarmed to see Hryre sitting on a bench
with her head in her hands and her shoulders shaking.
Scinan lifted his gaze to the sky. "He's gone,"
the Lupe breathed, "Ealdor left." Maestitia gasped and Leoht snorted in disbelief.
"I don't believe that, Eal has more sense,"
he said matter-of-factly.
"What do you know of sense?!" Scinan snarled
turning on the Draik. "Life is an on going joke to you. Do you even care what
could happen, I bet there are a lot of people out there who want to get their
hands on a battler that will earn them credit?"
Leo mouthed soundlessly at Scinan. "You don't
think that's what'll happen do you?" he squeaked.
"You'd be surprised," Scinan said coldly turning
away. "If they got hold of him, they would never give him back."
Suddenly, Maestitia flared. "And what makes
you an expert all of a sudden, hrm?" she cried. Tears were streaming down her
ashy cheeks and her voice was anguished. "Scinan since when have you become
an expert on humans? You barely talk to anyone as is, how do you know that's
what'll happen?"
Scinan turned his cool gaze to her; she quailed
under the gleam of hatred in his eyes. "Because that's the way the world is,"
he said softly.
"Well yeah I th--" Leo began.
"Stop it!" they all turned their heads. Hryre
was on her feet and glaring at all three of them. "Shame on you," the girl hissed.
"Bickering amongst yourselves, that is family out there. If you aren't loyal
to each other and thus to him, then who will be? He's your brother, and my pet,
and I'm going to go find him, with or without you." She marched into the house
slamming the sliding glass door so hard behind her it nearly shattered.
Leoht and Maestitia glanced at each other then
looked at their feet. Scinan's gaze was held still by the sky. "We'd better
go after her," he commented. "Who knows what kind of trouble she'll get herself
into without us." The others nodded mutely and the three pets followed Hryre
into the house.
Ealdor landed in Neopia Central next to the
Rainbow Pool. The storm had blown itself out and everything was soaked. There
was still a gray overcast of clouds blotting out the stars.
~*~
Ealdor raised his head to look at the blotched sky. His heart ached and tears
filled his eyes. He wished none of it had ever happened. Wished he hadn't challenged
Acole, wished he hadn't been arrogant enough to bet his weapons and the shop
stock. Ealdor scrunched his eyes shut trying to stop the flow of tears. But
they only came more freely, they Eyrie lowered himself onto his stomach placing
his paws over his face, and began sobbing.
"This is really it, I can never go back," he
whimpered his voice shaking. Suddenly the sound of a small sneeze interrupted
the Ealdor's grim thoughts. He looked up, his shoulders heaving, to meet a pair
of cerulean eyes.
A shaft of moonlight broke through the clouds
and lit the scales of a small white balloon. It was sitting on the rim of the
Rainbow Pool staring at Ealdor. The Eyrie saw that the petpet was shivering
violently, but its gaze never left his.
"Hello," Ealdor said quietly. "Are you an outcast,
too?" The Gallion emitted a feeble chirp. Ealdor held out his paw and the petpet
stepped onto his arm then jumped to his lap. The Eyrie wrapped his arms around
the Gallion and whispered. "Then we can be outcasts together."
To be continued...
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