It was a cool early-spring morning, the sun barely in sight. The warrior Lupe,
BravoTheBrave stood on a hilltop, his back against the rising sun, the wind
blowing his royal blue fur. He strained his eyes against the darkness of dawn.
He knew his destiny today, today he must battle the great battle lord Clo the
black Grarrl. Clo was more evil than any pet alive, and, like Bravo, he had
no owner. He had kidnapped the Light Faerie in a bottle and drained her powers
into a gold stone, which he wore around his neck. Clo was near the end of his
journey, a day's travel to Clo's palace. He stood still and silent planning
the day's journey. He would reach the palace and then, then, he would figure
that later.
He began the travel, he moved swiftly and silently, almost running, in a northern
direction. On he went, stopping for not food or water, and then he heard it,
"Nawaaaah, Nawaaaah..." His ears perked, the sound was from the bushes to his
left. Was there time? He moved closer to the bushes, there it came again, "Nawaaaah,
Nawaaaah..." He braced himself for the worst and quickly jumped behind the bushes,
ready for combat. He looked and saw nothing. He tightened up. Invisible, the
good ones come in invisible, then spring, he thought. Nothing. "Wahhh..." The
sound was from... below him. He looked down, ready for a ground attack, but
no, it was, a, a...little Aisha? He relaxed and looked down at the helpless
thing. "Little Aisha?"
"Huh?" The little red thing looked up with her big round eyes, startled to
find that someone else was there.
"Where is your owner?" the Lupe asked.
"I don't have a owner!"
"Where do you live?"
"Wherever I want!" the Aisha said defensibly, her little chin sticking out
a little.
The Lupe sighed. He knew Aishas all too well. This creature had an owner, just
wouldn't admit it. She had a collar.
"What's your name then?" he asked.
"Minnie."
"Okay Minnie, listen, I'm on an important mission from the Faerie council and
I need to get moving." With this he turned and trotted off. Minnie trotted after
him.
"Faerie council? Cool! What mission? Is it a big, important one? Is it?" The
Lupe was impatient with the Aisha
"Yes, it's important, now I really must go." He quickened his pace, Minnie
followed.
"I can help!"
"No you can't! I said this was important." He started running. Minnie still
followed.
"I'm coming!" Minnie said as if this ended the argument. And try as he might
BravoTheBrave couldn't get rid of her. Like it or not he now had a partner.
They traveled onward until Bravo came to an abrupt stop. There before them
was Clo's palace. The black towers touching the sky. Guards were positioned
all over.
"Why'd we stop? Why? Why, huh?"
"SHHHH!" Bravo silenced her with a wave of his hand. "Let me think. He thought
and thought. They had to get into that palace. They had to get Clo alone. He
had to keep Minnie safe for her owner. They would sneak around to the back door.
There was only one sentry there. The Faerie council had given him a map. He
studied it carefully. Muttering, "Hmmm, ahhh! Of coarse."
Minnie was jumping up to see over his shoulder at the map. He turned to her.
"Come, quietly!"
He snuck behind the circle of bushes around the palace, step, pause, step,
pause, on they went until they came to the back door. Bravo stood there, waiting,
collecting strength. Then he leapt and with one swift movement bit the Chia
guard in the chest and quickly buried him. Minnie winced at the blood. They
went in silently. They walked quickly up the marble staircase. At the top of
the stairs they heard voices. Bravo quickly grabbed Minnie and ran down a couple
steps, out of view from the hallway. They were guards walking by.
"Yeah that's right Clo's got the Light Faerie. Yeah Ernie, I don't care if
you don't believe me! It's true. Yeah! Saw it myself! No I wasn't dreaming!
I picked out her bottle myself! Clo trusts me, see?"
Bravo waited three minutes after they had passed to emerge from the staircase.
He consulted his map briefly and walked down the hallway with Minnie at his
heels. He stopped. This was the door to Clo's throne. He slowly creaked it open.
Good. No one heard. He hid himself and Minnie behind a tapestry. Waited a few
seconds and then yelled out.
"Attack! It's an ambush at the front gate! Attack!!!" twenty guards came charging
out, down the hall and though the door. After the coast was clear. Bravo quickly
whispered to Minnie.
"Stay here. Don't you move an inch! Hear me? I'll call you when Clo's defeated.
If I don't call," He shuddered at the thought of not calling, "you know the
way out."
Bravo slipped through the door and locked it behind him. He crouched low walked
closer and closer to Clo's throne. He was about to pounce. He looked up. No
Clo! Clo wasn't sitting there. Bewildered he stood up and looked around him.
Then he heard a smooth, evil voice behind him.
"My dear Bravo, don't you think that's a little old? Oh well, I enjoy a challenger,
though I do not think it will be much of a challenge!"
BravoTheBrave turned and saw behind him the warlord himself! He was black as
night, just as the Faerie Council had told him. And around his neck he wore
the stone. By his throne sat the jar with the Light Faerie in it, lying on the
cold glass bottom, nothing but a weak nothing without her powers. Clo was impatient.
"Well what are you waiting for? Challenger makes the first move!"
BravoTheBrave gathered all his strength and lunged at Clo's arm. Clo laughed
and shook him off with such force that Bravo flew through the air and slammed
against the wall.
How could I be so stupid? Bravo thought, he cannot be beaten now, not with
the Light Faerie's power! I must get the stone first!
He gathered himself and was knocked down again by a great swipe of Clo's claw.
He sprang up and made a false lunge to the right, then to the left, then right
again! He jumped up and grabbed the stone. It ripped of Clo's neck with a SWISH!
He held onto the stone with a grip stronger than a boulder and planned his next
move. He must not get too self-confident now, no, Clo was strong, with faerie
power or without. He couldn't afford a mistake now. The window! He could knock
Clo out the window! It was a big window, luck was with him, and it was open.
He jumped at Clo his arms swiping too fast to see. He had to get Clo off balance.
Clo was backing off! Leprechaun's Luck! Nearer to the window!
But no! No! Clo was planning something! Bravo didn't recognise it until it
was almost too late. Clo was whirling his hand around getting ready for a Grarrl
Ultra Punch!!! NO!!! It was too late! Bravo was sent flying across the room
and almost knocked unconscious. But then, then, a blur of red a yell, "RRRRAAAAAA!"
and Minnie leaped like a lighting bolt out of the door and Clo didn't see her
until it was too late! Clo was standing there laughing his booming laugh, thinking
the battle was over, watching Bravo fight to remain conscious. WHAMMM!!! Minnie
hit him with all her strength and Clo who was caught off guard shrieked, "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
and fell through the glass and the last thing BravoTheBrave heard until the
darkness filled in was a shaking THUD.
When BravoTheBrave awoke he saw the Light Faerie and Minnie chatting happily.
The stone was gone. They must have removed it from his hands last night. The
Light Faerie saw he was awake and happily said, "Breakfast?" Bravo arose expecting
his head to hurt but to his surprise did not. Of recognis! The Light Faerie's
healing powers! They ate their breakfast and the Light Faerie teleported them
to the Faerie Council Headquarters and after telling his story to them the Faerie
Queen congratulated him and Minnie and then remarked, "You have splendid choice
in a partner BravoTheBrave! An excellent pick!" Bravo just blushed.
The End | 
