Pets On The High Seas

by Freakota(Val Duncan)

"You can't do this to me, Gerin. I don't believe it." "Eana, when you were created, you had an average intelligence, no abilities, you were weak and only level one. You're almost a month old now, and we haven't seen a marked improvement. I've had a talk with Farana and we've decided it's for the best." Eana the green Aisha buried her face in her paws. How could her owner, Farana, do this to her? Why would she listen to her tutor, Gerin, over her? She and her owner had had this conversation a thousand times; if you don't improve over the next few weeks, Eana, I think you'll have to go to the training school. No, I won't! I can't! You can't! You don't have three totems, yet! I'll find two more if it means you'll be a better pet, Eana. Now, it was actually happening. Farana and Gerin were sending her to the Mystery Isle. "Your boat leaves in ten days, Eana. I'm sorry we have to do this to you." Yeah, right! thought Eana, you're not sorry! You don't even know what you're doing to me! Eana was not an average pet. Most pets her age and with her financial stability were much farther ahead than she. It wasn't her fault, she wasn't stupid, just...different. She thought differently than the rest of them. That was why she hadn't gone to the training school as soon as it was opened and why Gerin taught her at home instead. Farana knew that school was a better environment for pets to learn in, but she also knew what the others would say about little Eana. Stupid. Strange. Freak. Psycho. Farana didn't want that for her Aisha, she loved her, but now there seemed no other choice.

Then, Farana looked at her pet, and there was so much pain in her eyes that Eana could have cried herself. The ship was salty, grimy and manned by a group of unsavoury characters that called themselves sailors. They were most often roaring drunk and had no qualms with inviting passengers to join in with the festivities. It was noisy below deck, and it reeked of ale, so Eana stayed on top most of the time and dreaded having to go below to sleep each night. It was perhaps six days from the mainland to the mystery isle, but Eana wished it were much, much more. The longer it took her to get to the training school, the longer she could put off her terrible fate. She moved about the deck listlessly and sighed often. On their second day at sea, she stood at the stern, looking back at the wake trailing behind them. If she strained her eyes, she could just see the misty mountain tops of Neopia so far away. She watched her home drift away, knowing it would never be her home again, and she sighed once more.

"And why so great a sigh?" Asked an unfamiliar voice from behind her. Eana whirled around, she had thought she had been alone, but there he was, another Aisha standing right there! "Oh, my! Begging your pardon, sir, I had thought I was alone, otherwise I would have greeted you." The red Aisha laughed. "If you thought you were alone, you're terribly unobservant. I watched you come up, stand at the rail, and heard you sigh just a moment ago. I've been here at the tiller the whole time." He smiled a rather crooked, but rather handsome smile at Eana, and she blushed. The red on her cheeks made her green face look quite curious, and the red Aisha smiled even more. "You can call me Kyran, but I'm no sir. I'm just the tiller boy. Except at night, they don't trust me in the dark." He laughed again, almost at himself. "Why's that?" Eana asked, genuinely curious, "If you're trained then..." "Well, back on the mainland, I was a thief," Kyran explained, he didn't seem ashamed, either. "But, I was figured out, so I figured I would just hop the country and head for the Mystery Island-except that they had agents watching for me there, too. So, the good captain hired me, and I stay out here." He looked fondly at the blue water around him, "There are no laws on the sea." And then, he was lost in thought. So was Eana. She was shocked! No wonder they didn't trust him! Well, she most certainly wouldn't get caught with Kyran-what would Farana say?! "You'll excuse me, I hope." It wasn't really a question. Kyran didn't reply, just stared out at the ocean. Eana fled.

That night, Eana couldn't stop thinking about him. She couldn't sleep anyway, not with all the carousing going on about her. What if he's over there partying? That was the question that set her off. Soon, she was remembering every little thing she knew about him, the sound of his voice, the gleam of his fur, his crooked little smile...No! Kyran was a rebel, a thief! Eana must stop thinking about him, besides, soon she would be on the mystery isle and would never see him again anyway- Never see Kyran again? For some reason, thinking about that made Eana desperately want to cry. Even though she had gotten virtually no sleep the night before, Eana was up bright and early the next day searching for Kyran. It was quite cold and a wet mist covered the deck and blocked all view, but Neopia was probably out of site by now, anyway. None of it mattered, all that mattered was finding Kyran. As she had expected, he lounged at the tiller, wearing nothing more than a scarf for warmth. Today, Eana got to surprise him. "Aren't you cold wearing only that in this weather?" She asked in as neutral a tone as she could muster. Kyran seemed to jump a little, but he recovered very well. "You get used to it after a few years. You build up resistance, you know?" "Ah, I understand." Eana took a precarious seat on the railing. A long period of silence followed, and though Eana felt the overwhelming and overriding urge to speak with this young Aisha, she couldn't think of a single interesting topic. "When was the last time you were on the mainland, Kyran?" She finally broke the silence. He hesitated, as if making calculations. "Hmm, well, perhaps seven years ago-maybe more." He concluded. "Well, why don't you go back, then? Surely they've stopped looking for you by now. I mean, it was only petty thievery, right? You didn't murder anybody or anything," She paused, "Did you?" "Of course not." Kyran said disgustedly. "Well then, " Eana rushed on, "why don't you go back? Settle down? You could get a real job, buy a house, get an owner like I have-maybe even get married..."Now, why had she said that? Kyran looked quite seriously at her, "I suppose you're right. Someday I'll have to, I guess." He turned back to the tiller, and there was a long pause. "Hey, Eana, You know those parties they have every night?" "The ones below deck that keep me up all night? Yes, I know them very well." Kyran actually blushed. "Well, If you're going to be up anyway, why don't you come to one...with me?" A billion factors flashed through Eana's mind; He's a thief, he's got no job and no life, no money, Farana would never approve, you're both too young..." "Sure."The party had been Raucous and loud, filled with whirling lights, faces and forever forgotten names and people. Eana had loved it-just as she had loved all the others she had been to with Kyran on their six-day voyage.

By the last day, she was very, very tired, but very, very happy. She walked up on deck, to the tiller, but didn't find Kyran there. A split-second and irrational panic came over her, and she briskly walked all over the deck, until she finally found him-standing at the bow. She practically ran over to him and cried, "Kyran! I was so worried! Why aren't you working he tiller?" "Somebody should be covering for me. Look." He pointed out over the waters to a misty mountain range far in the distance, "The Mystery Island. End of the line." His voice was filled with deep sadness and Eana's heart sank. They both stood watching the isle approach in silence for a long time, until finally Kyran spoke again. "Eana, I've been thinking about what you said, about me going back to the mainland? Well, I think I will." Eana could scarcely breathe, "W-what?" "You said there was a training school on that island, well, maybe I'll get myself an education." He turned to her, "What do you think about that?" Eana flung herself onto Kyran, filled with an overwhelming joy, "Oh, Kyran! You're wonderful!" Then, he wrapped his arm about Eana's shoulders and they both looked out over the sea towards the Mystery Isle, and their future-together.