Fortune was shaking from fright. She couldn't believe she had gotten into the
Snowager's Cave. If she had her wits about her, she would've run for her life,
but she was paralysed with fear. "Who disturbs my peaceful slumber?" boomed
the Snowager.
The gigantic snake of ice was truly the most fearsome sight Fortune had ever
laid eyes on. Every word he spoke made the cavern shake. "And why have you come?
To plunder and steal my hard-earned treasure?" the Snowager shouted.
Fortune got up the nerve to speak. "Um, I'm Fortune the green Gelert. I didn't
come to take your treasure... just to seek shelter from the blizzard."
"The blizzard, eh?" Suddenly, the beast's voice wasn't so horrifying. It was
somewhat friendly, even. "Well, that's a first," the Snowager laughed. "Everyone
who comes here either wants to battle me, or steal my precious items. Well,
come on, make yourself at home."
Fortune was seriously stunned. All the rumours, stories, and legends about
Snowager were about his greediness, his evil personality, his breath of frost
and ice, and about how he loved to eat NeoPets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Fortune and her sisters had always been fascinated by this horrible creature,
and she had read every story, heard every rumour, and listened to every legend.
Not one had said he was kind.
"Maybe it's just a plot to get me all comfortable, and then he'll attack me!"
she thought nervously. She considered running away, but then remembered the
raging snowstorm. She cautiously walked over to his pile of treasure.
"Come sit, don't frightened." He actually sounded sweet. He gave her a nice,
hot cup of Borovan.
"How did know, this is my favourite drink!" Fortune exclaimed in spite of
herself. He just grinned.
"So, what brings you to my Lair?" asked the Snowager conversationally as he
sipped a cup of Hot Chocolate.
Fortune guiltily remembered running out on her Mum. She was probably worried
sick about her. "Well, actually," she admitted. "I wanted to find out more about
my past. My Mum just told me that she found me here in the Ice Caves when I
was a little tiny puppy, and that she didn't know who my real mother was. I
got quite mad at her. I felt as if she'd been lying to me."
"Well, from the sound of things, your Mum didn't tell you everything because
she loved you. You do know that, right?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I think I do," she murmured. She did know that Annie loved her.
She'd known it all along.
She decided to change the subject. "You seem quite nice," she told the Snowager.
"How did you get such a bad reputation?"
He laughed. "Well, to you, it might seem like a bad reputation, but to me it's
good! The image that I am frightening makes people less eager to steal the treasure
I earned through years of hard work. Plus, it makes it easier to beat people
in the Battledome. And it's sort of fun to scare the wits out of people." The
Snowager's grin stretched from ear to ear.
Fortune laughed too. She really liked this "terrifying beast."
"Well, it was nice getting to know you," she smiled. "I'll visit often."
"Same to you. But before you go, please take a treasure. No one else has looked
past my scariness before, and it would be fun to share my priceless items for
once. Oh, and please don't tell anybody about my nice side. Everyone would be
wanting a piece of treasure, and you know we can't have that, could we?"
Fortune smiled even wider. "Really? I could have a treasure?"
"Anything you want." She looked around. There was everything from shaking Codestones
and glowing Faeries to Korbat Key Rings and Hair Gel. There were even paint
brushes. Something far in the corner, glowing and humming, caught her eye. It
was a magnificent Faerie Paint Brush. Her heart leapt. She turned and looked
at the Snowager. "Could I maybe have that paint brush, over there?" she asked.
"Ah, the amazing Faerie Paint Brush. One of my favourites. You deserve it.
Go on, take it."
She walked over and picked it up. It danced slightly in her hand. She was so
happy, for she knew would soon be able to fly with beautiful lavender wings.
Now she could pay more attention in class, because she wouldn't have to daydream
about having wings and Maladra would have nothing on her! Fortune looked out
of the Cave. The blizzard was still fierce. "Could I maybe stay the night? Or
at least until the storm blows over?" she requested.
"Of course," replied her new friend.
The Snowager found a bed among his treasures, and Fortune lay down. She snuggled
up under the covers and she drifted into the world of sleep, thinking about
how perfectly awesome it would be to finally be able to fly. She took one last,
deep, satisfied sigh of happiness as she slipped into dreamland...
She awoke to sound of Annie's voice. "Time for breakfast, honey! Hot Cakes
today! Oh, and great news! After auctioning two Codestones we won on Tiki Tack
Tombola, we had enough to cure Begonia, Ryella, and Saskia!"
Fortune groggily sat up. "Uh, what's going on?" she asked sleepily. "Where's
the Snowager?"
"The Snowager? Honey, you've been here all night, since after dinner! What
are you talking about?" Fortune was now more clear-headed. "What do you mean?
After you told me the truth I ran out to the Snowager's Cave!"
Her Mum looked a little worried. "No, darling. After I told you about finding
you, you ran up to your room and slammed the door. You've been in here since
then."
"What? But then how..." Fortune's voice trailed off. It had all been a dream.
The Snowager really was a monster, and she wasn't going to be a Faerie. She
sighed, deeply disappointed.
"Oh, and Fortune, sweetie? About what I told you yesterday? You're OK, right?
You do know I love you with all my heart?"
Fortune looked up at Annie's concerned face. "Yes, I do know that," she said.
"Good! Well, come down soon, all right?"
"Uh-huh." Fortune was still terribly unhappy that it had all been a dream.
She threw off the covers and got ready to get dressed. But as she got up, she
spied something under the blanket. She picked it up. It was a Faerie paint brush!
"How did this get here?" she wondered. She stared at the book on her desk: Snowager's
Saga. His normally ferocious face seemed to be smiling. "Ah." Fortune nodded,
for she knew it wasn't a dream. She walked down the stairs into the kitchen,
still holding the paint brush. "Hi, Fortune!" said Begonia when she saw her.
Then she saw the paint brush. "Where did you get that?" she gasped. Fortune
smiled again. "From a friend,"she said.
The End
Author's Note: All the pets and owners I mentioned in this story are fictional.
I hope you enjoyed this story! | 
