THE AFTERNOON SUN shone on our backs as we walked towards Gerake, warming us
to our core. "This should be a relatively easy job. Don't you agree Dorono,"
I said as I continued to walk.
"Yeah, and since it will be so easy can we stop
for lunch, because I am starved."
I laughed at Dorono. He was so different from
Tarnox. "Of course." And I sat down on a rock in the shade taking out two already
made sandwiches for the two of us. I savoured mine, while Dorono scuffed his
down, and then when we were ready to go we started walking once more.
As nightfall approached, I Found a suitable
spot to sleep, and I laid out my sleeping mat. As night hit, Dorono curled up
next to me, and closed his eyes ready to sleep, for it had been a long day.
I too was tired, so I closed my eyes, and let sleep take over my body.
***
As the yellow Shoyru grabbed me I didn't take any time at all to react. I
bit down on his unprotected hand, and as soon as he let go I started running
with the Airax nestled in my arms.
I made my way into the forest, and didn't stop
when the Yellow Shoyru took flight. I knew that he was attempting to seek me
out through the forest, but I wouldn't let him find me. Mostly I stayed to the
thicker clumps of trees to avoid being seen. Soon, too tired to run I sat down
in front of a tree. It was then that the Airax spoke.
"Thank you for saving me. My name is Tarnox,"
Tarnox managed to squawk.
"My name is Zarrel Charmain," I puffed
out, right before falling into a dreamless sleep.
I awoke the next morning felling a jab on my
ear. I opened my eyes to see Tarnox poking me with his beak.
"Stop poking me Tarnox!" I said aloud, for it
kind of hurt.
"Shhh, you must be quiet. I woke you to tell
you that a yellow Shoyru is coming this way," I gasped, for I could not
let that Shoyru find me. The only problem was that he had already heard me.
I heard his feet pound into the ground as he ran after me. I could not let his
catch me, so I picked up Tarnox, and started to run away as fast as my feet
would carry me.
As the yellow Shoyru neared me I bent my head
downwards, and ran as fast as I could regardless of where I was going. Suddenly,
I hit something, and bounced backwards. I looked up at what I had hit, and gasped
at what lay before me. There in front of me was a green Zafara. He stood up
tall in a greenish tunic, and he had a long cape that was wavering in the wind.
He held a blue handled dagger in his hand, and looked at me.
I crawled backwards a bit, because my mother
had told me about these creatures. They were the ruthless assassins, and it
was unwise to cross their paths. My mother had said that they would destroy
any pet that got too close to them, and I had just ran into one! But the assassin
was not my only problem, because at that moment the yellow Shoyru ran up.
"There you are Zarrel Charmain. Your father
offered a reward to the first one of us that could catch you, and it looks like
it will be me." I guess that he had not seen the assassin that was standing
in the shadows of the trees, but then the assassin made himself be seen.
"Leave the young Zafara alone," he said
walking up to the Shoyru
"What are you going to do about it?" the Shoyru
said, and then he took out a dagger, but the assassin was too fast for the Shoyru,
and he took out his dagger swinging it at the Shoyru's dagger knocking it from
his hand. The Shoyru jumped back with a startled look on his face, and then
he took flight. I watched as he disappeared into the sky, and then my attention
was back on the assassin as he slowly started to walk towards me…
***
I woke up to the sound of someone searching through my pack. I looked at Dorono
who was still asleep, and then I silently got up from my sleeping mat. Silently
I walked towards the creature that had wakened me. Then I caught a glimpse of
the creature. A young Gelert, scarcely visible in the night, was searching through
my pack.
Silently I crept off of my sleeping mat, and
I quietly walked towards the Gelert I could not have any creature stealing my
provisions. I slowly took out my green handled dagger as not to make any sounds,
and as soon as I was close enough I grabbed the Gelert by the scruff of his
neck. "Let me go!" he cried in his childish voice, thrashing about. He tried
snapping at me, however I had been wise enough to hold him out at an arms length,
and his snaps ended harmlessly away from me. 'Let go of me!" he said again giving
a kick which made him turn in the air.
"First of all," I said scorning at the young
pup to try and scare him, "who are you, and what possessed you to try and steal
from an assassin." And I finished the effect wanted by rubbing the flat of my
blade across his ear.
"I was only hungry," he said, his eyes
wide with aghast, but then he made a scowl. "It doesn't matter anyway, because
I am never going back there." And the pup made a notion with his muzzle. Then
he started to thrash again.
"That is it," I said annoyed by the pup's
antics. "I would like nothing better to do then to sleep, and I don't have time
to deal with runaway pups. So I give you a choice, either stop squirming, and
let me set you off on your way, or keep moving around, and have me tie you to
that tree there!" and I pointed at a large tree. The pup gave me a long look,
and I thought that he would finally calm down, but then he tried to kick me
once again.
"That's it!" and slipping my blade into my belt
I reached into my pack of provisions, and took out a rope. I had just started
to wrap the rope around the pup's front paws when he finally came to reason.
"Okay, Okay! I'll leave."
"Good!" and I threw him a small piece of ham
left over from the morning. "Now leave, and don't be coming back, because next
time I wont be so willing to let you walk away." I watched as the Gelert pup
walked back into the darkness of the forest, and then I laid back down on my
sleeping mat, but this time I had my pack nuzzled up against me, so as no one
tried to steal anything else from me. I had no time for young creatures that
were dense enough to try and steal from an assassin. Even so, I was able to
fall into a deep and dreamless sleep.
I woke up the next morning felling something
nestled up against my side. "Good morning Dorono," I said, for he often
woke up, and then he fell back asleep at my side. I laid down on my sleeping
mat with my eyes closed, and listened to the sounds of the birds chirping in
the trees, but I couldn't lie down forever, for I had a job to complete. I sat
up, and opened my eyes. "ARRGH!!!" I yelled slapping my hand on my forehead,
because there next to me was not Dorono, but the pup.
"What's wrong Zarrel Charmain?" Dorono said
jumping up, and then, "Yeahhh! There is a little Gelert pup next to you!"
"I've noticed." And then I told Dorono about
what happened in the night. "So now," I said, "How do we get rid of that little
nuisance? We can't have a Gelert pup following us around when we pay Lord Chagen
a visit." And I smiled a wry grin.
A loud yawn came from behind me, and I turned
to see the pup with his eyes still full of sleep. He licked his chops in an
'I just woke up' fashion, and then he said, "Hey Zafara girl, what do we do
today."
Dorono had to hold me back I was so outraged.
"First of all I am not Zafara girl! I am Zarrel Charmain, and you see this,"
I pointed to the golden skull pendent on my cape. "That symbolises that I am
an assassin. Second of all pup, there is no we. There is only Dorono and I.
There is no pup included! So GO!" I yelled at the pup. "Come on Dorono, let's
try and make time to Lord Chagen's place." Dorono nodded, and soon we were on
our way going at a brisk walk, but that did not do any good of ridding us of
our little parasite.
"Hey! I can help!" Pup said jumping up and down
in front of me. He just did not take the hint to leave! "I can help you get
to where Lord Chagen lives in no time."
"Listen Pup, we do not want your help. If you
knew what I planed to do at Chagen's place you probably would not be so eager
to lead me to him. To me you are a parasite that cannot be removed. So just
leave us!"
"My name is Wherric," the pup said.
"Pup! I don't care what your name is, because
to me you are just Pup, and you are not coming with us." And Dorono just nodded
to show his agreement. Pup, on the other hand, stopped for five seconds, cocked
his head, and was back up running around Dorono and me.
"Awww, won't you just let me help."
"Do you even know what an assassin is!?!" I
yelled in my rage towards Pup.
"Nope!" Pup said shaking his head vigorously.
"Is it good?"
"ARRGH!!!" I yelled, and I just sat down with
my hands on my forehead, and a long scowl across my face. There was no ridding
myself of Pup.
I listened as Dorono slowly walked up to Pup.
"You see Wherric, an assassin is a creature who, well, does jobs that the average
Neopian would never do. That is for a sum of Neopoints."
"I can do that!" Pup said enthusiastically.
"No. You cannot," Dorono said shaking his
head. "What we, an assassin that is, do is not something that a young Gelert
should do. It is probably best to leave it unspoken."
"Well if you don't tell me," Pup said, "then
I will stay here forever and ever bothering you to do so." And I groaned at
that.
"Well…" Dorono started.
"Oh I'll just say! I said standing up. You see
Pup, we assassins destroy other pets for Neopoints." Pup looked at me in shock.
"But my mom always said that hurting other creatures
is bad…"
"Well, you wanted to know, and now you do. So
will YOU. JUST. LEAVE!"
Pup looked up at me, and then he smirked. "No!"
"But you said you would leave if we told you
Pup!" I said baring my teeth.
"Nope, I only said that if you didn't tell me,
that I would stay forever." It was there that I just gave up.
"Okay Pup, you can lead us to Chagen, but as
soon as I get there I am dropping you off, and not picking you up."
Pup smiled, and jumped into the air, "This way
Zarrel Charmain!" and he trotted off in a northward direction with Dorono and
I following behind.
Towards nightfall, as we neared closer to Chagen,
it started to get colder. The breeze carried leaves and dust past our feet,
but we kept on at our pace, following Pup, who didn't even seam to be affected
by the colder climate. Soon I called it a night, and I fell asleep next to a
curled up Dorono, while Pup slept next to a hollowed out tree, and it was one
of my few dreamless sleeps.
I woke up the next morning, and even though
the sun was shining directly on my face, it still felt cold. I threw some eggs
over the fire, and as they neared completion, Pup woke up. He walked up to me
sniffing at the eggs, "Those smell good. How many do I get huh?"
I tossed him one of the smaller eggs, "That
one is for you, the rest are for Dorono and I." And I grabbed one of the Hard-boiled
eggs, and after carefully pealing off the eggshell; I tossed it into my mouth.
I had just enough time to eat one more before Dorono too awoke, and ate the
rest in one gulp licking his chops. "Some times Dorono, you act more like a
Skeith then an Eyrie." And Dorono then lay down, and did his best Skeith pose
making us both laugh.
Soon we were on our way once again towards Chagen
with Pup in the lead. We kept on walking towards Chagen's place, until the sun
had started to go down once more, and then I was starting to get apprehensive
of Pup. "You better have been leading me in the right direction Pup, or else
you will have wished that you hadn't."
"This is the right way. I'm sure of that,"
Pup said, as we walked through the thick bushes. "Chagen's place should be just
through here…" and Pup pushed aside some bushes, and there in front of me laid
a vast castle. The last rays of sunlight were reflected off of the castles windows,
making them appear golden, and the tops of the tower reached up around eighty
meters.
I surveyed the landscape, from the moat around
the castle to the trees next to the entrance, and then I grinned. At last we had
reached Chagen's castle, and Dorono and I could finish our job.
To be continued... | 
