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Untitled Document
Dane's feet were only walking out of habit. She kicked
a rock angrily across the dingy dirt road. Tila sighed, shaking her head. Dane
had been like this all day. The fire Lupess seemed to be living in her own dreary
world. Tila stopped short and blocked Dane's way.
"Leye, what has gotten into you! You've been
like this all day!" the red Wocky said, her voice edged with exasperation.
Dane glared accusingly at her friend. "Like what?"
Tila rolled her eyes.
"Like that! Glaring, kicking rocks, standing
around and pouting. What's going on?!?"
"Nothing," Dane retorted, holding her head high.
"Absolutely nothing."
"Whatever," Tila mumbled. Dane could act however
she wanted, no snot out of my nose, Tila thought, catching the angry, accusing
mood Dane was in.
Suddenly, a long sigh erupted from Dane. "It's
just so... boring! Nothing ever happens. Everyday it's the same old thing:
Wake up, go to school, come home, and tend the vegetables for granny. I'm sick
of it! I want to do something... worthwhile." She sighed again, and stared down
at the ground. "Like that'll ever happen," she muttered.
Tila shrugged. "I guess it is kinda routine.
But I'm fine with it. I like a little order." She paused and shuddered. "Besides,
why would you want something to happen. I hate excitement." She gave another
shudder.
Dane sighed and said softly, "I guess that's
where we're different."
***
That night Dane ate at Tila's house. Every time she glanced at Tila or her
family members, she seemed to notice how boring they were. Her father for instance,
took a forkful of food, turned his fork upside-down, placed it in his mouth
then chewed fifteen times exactly before swallowing. He did this each time he
ate. Dane could hardly bare it.
"Can I be excused," she choked when Tila's father
began to chew his mashed potatoes. Tila nodded.
"I'll come with you. I'm full anyway."
They walked outside into the late evening calm.
Dane sighed with relief, happy to be away from all that painful sameness. She
stared up at the sky, and wondered out loud, "You know what would be great,
Tila? If someone just took me away from here."
Tila shrugged. "I guess. I dunno, though. It's
so beautiful with all the stars out and everything. Why? Do you want to go to
your house?"
Dane sighed wearily. "Forget it. I'm going to
take a walk. You can stay here."Tila nodded as Dane walked over to the side
of the road and crossed without a glance for traffic.
When she was out of hearing range, Tila crossed
her arms and said indignantly, "Humph! Well, I like my yard just fine, thank
you very much!" She then turned on her heel and strutted inside.
***
Dane sat on a log, wondering how she and Tila had become friends. She was so
different from her. Her and every other pet this side of Neopia. She sighed,
wishing even more that someone would just take her away.
"I wish they weren't so boring at least," she
thought out loud. "They never do anything." She shook her head, staring down
at the ground. Suddenly, she remembered that she hadn't made a trail to follow
back home. She groaned. It was nighttime and she was lost. A piercing howl split
the air. Werelupes.
***
Tila was tired. It had been almost an hour since Dane had left. She sighed.
She wanted nothing less than to leave home and search the woods for Dane. But
there wasn't much else she could do.
"Drat," she muttered. "I wish Dane didn't wish
for excitement so. I hate it, and one way or another, I always get dragged in."
Nonetheless, she was searching the woods in minutes, making sure to leave a
trail behind. Getting lost would just cause more excitement, and she wasn't
going to let that happen. She shook her head sadly. Dane was more trouble than
she was worth.
***
Werelupes were the least of Dane's worries as she soon found out. She had no
idea what else could be lurking in the dark of the night. She searched the ground
for some sort of weapon. The best she could find was a heavy branch. She heaved
it up and took a clumsy fighting stance.
Suddenly, she heard something. A shadow flashed
in the corner of her eye. A bead of sweat slid down her forehead. She spotted
a dark shape darting behind a tree.
"I mean no harm," she called softly, half-tempted
to drop her stick in a greater gesture of peace. Of course she was only half
tempted, and kept a tight grip on her make-shift weapon.
Suddenly, a figure stepped out from the trees.
Dane shrieked and swung her weapon. The creature was shocked and stepped back,
letting out its own shriek.
"Don't hurt me!" it squealed. Dane dropped her
branch. Cowering before her was a small green Eyrie. His feathers were shocking
electric green, rather than the normal plain green of many Eyries.
Dane sighed with relief. "What are you doing
out here?" she asked. The Eyrie peered through his wings at her. He blinked.
"Oh. You aren't a werelupe, are you?" Dane shook
her head no. The Eyrie sighed and flopped onto the ground. Cold beads of nervous
sweat matted his feathers. "Oh good. That means you aren't going to eat me,
then." His head jerked up quickly, terror etched in his features. "You aren't
going to eat me, are you?"
Dane almost laughed. "Of course not." She lifted
a curious eyebrow. "Who are you, then?" she asked.
The Eyrie reached across his back and pulled
a silver harp from the leather strap slung about his shoulders. He smiled mysteriously
and struck a chord on his harp. "I am Lao, the traveling Eyrie bard--and I am
lost."
***
Tila flopped down onto the forest floor. She was exhausted. She panted as she
glanced around the forest. Something caught her eye. There was light at the
edge of the clearing. She stood up and began walking toward it, as if entranced.
Then, she was out of the forest, standing feet away from a comfortable-looking
inn.
"Ah," she whispered, "an inn!"
***
Dane and Lao were now just as exhausted as Tila. They trudged endlessly through
the dark forest, feeling desperately that they were going in circles. Suddenly,
Lao caught sight if what looked like. . .an inn! Dane and Lao rushed through
the forest, nearing that glorious break in the trees. Suddenly, Dane shrieked
in pain.
Lao flipped around to find Dane crouched on the
forest floor, a whip-like serpent clinging to her leg with his fangs. Dane shrieked
again and lashed out at the snake, hoping to strike. But it was to no avail.
The serpent bent and twisted his thin body to avoid the blow. Lao clutched at
his harp.
"Oh help!" he wailed pitifully. Dane was still
writhing on the ground with the serpent, when suddenly, a red blur lunged out
and struck the snake silly. Dane took his moment of dazedness to reach out and
whack him sharply at the base of his neck. He let out a strangled hiss of pain
and slithered off of the wretched creature that seemed to be attacking him.
He rolled over upright and slithered off into the darkness, pausing only to
turn and his angrily at his attackers.
Tila walked up to Dane and began checking her
leg. "Thanks, Tila," Dane gasped, staring at the spot where the serpent had
disappeared.
Lao stepped forward shakily. "Who are you?" he
asked the red Wocky who had just saved Dane's life.
Tila stood up and blinked, noticing Lao for the
first time. "Oh," she said, sounding surprised, "I didn't see you there. Were
you the one wailing for help?" Lao nodded numbly. "Oh." Tila stood there for
a second, mulling through her head what had just ucuored. She had actually attacked
a snake. She shuddered, wondering what had come over her. Then, suddenly remembering
her manners, she thrust out her paw and began to shake paws with Lao. "I'm Tila,"
she said, "I'm friends with Dane. . ." she trailed off. Why was she shaking
paws with this complete stranger? "Dane," she tentatively, "do you know him?"
Dane stood up slowly, wincing with pain. "Er,
Tila, this Lao the Eyrie bard. We er, met up back in the woods earlier."
Tila blinked. "Oh. Of course. Hello, Lao."
"Hey," Lao said in a strangled voice. How quickly
things seemed to be happening.
There was an uncomfortable silence that followed.
Dane was the first to break it, saying, "Er, what do you say we go and see if
there's any open lodging in that inn over there."
"Okay," Tila and Lao replied in cautious succession.
Dane led the way to the inn, and paid the innkeeper at the front desk. They
trudged up to their third-floor room where they were shortly served some bread
and soup.
After they ate, Tila, Lao, and Dane--the three
new-found friends--went readily to sleep.
***
The next morning, Dane was up at the crack of dawn, hurriedly shaking her companions
awake. "Come on," she said urgently, "you must get up. We have a lot of traveling
to do today."
Dane dragged the two reluctant wakers out of
bed and down to the front desk, where she tipped the innkeeper, and then rushed
outside.
Tila yawned. "Gee, I wonder which way's home?"
Dane snorted with laughter.
"Home? Tila, what are you talking about?! I went
out in the first place to get away from home. We're not going back now."
Tila looked stunned; Lao looked pleased. "Ah,"
he said happily, "finally, some traveling partners."
Dane smiled. "Yes, Lao." She turned to the rising
sun, Tila and Lao following her gaze. "Now we can go out there--go out and search
for what we were meant to do." The smile on her face widened, and even Tila
couldn't resist an excited grin. "I know there's something better out there,
and we've got to find it!" And so, they started out on the journey, searching
for purpose. For they all knew, even Tila, that there was something better out
there just waiting for them to find it.
The End
And that is Dane's tale--or at least the beggining. For their journey has
only just started, and I may someday be out to continue it. Until then, this
is supergirl309, signing off.
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