Lupina Returns: Part Five

by thegreatlupelover

Reunion

Jonah was the head of a wandering Gelert band. He was out on the flat open, and it was beginning to rain. Seeking shelter, he lead his tribe into the forest. The lush green leafy boughs, which gave this area, Verdancia, its name, kept most of the rain out, downpour as it was. Jonah remembered Verdancia. This was the place where he had rescued a little Lupe pup, Lupina by name. Lupina had passed the tests for the magic of the Lupe Moon Charm, which she had been born wearing, like all descendants of the great Moon Lupe. Lupina had befriended one of his pups, Rosy, and they had run off because Jonah wouldn't let them follow the instructions the Battle Faerie had given them. Jonah's eyes filled with tears at the thought of little Rosy. What had happened to her and Lupina? Where they now? Or...were they destroy?

Ducking under a low-hanging bough, Jonah realised where he was. He was very close to the place where he had first found Lupina. After Rosy and Lupina had left, he and his Gelerts had returned and buried Lupina's mother, then sealing the entrance to the den.

A drop hit Jonah's nose, reminding him of the present situation. Of course! The canopy was thicker over Lupava's Den; his tribe could spend the night there.

Jonah crawled low through some bushes and emerged on the faint path that he and his tribe had been traveling so many years ago when he had heard Lupina's whimper. But to Jonah's amazement, the entire area was already filled with sleeping NeoPets.

Surveying the scene, Jonah drew his breath in sharply. There, in the center of the sleeping pets, lay a Gelert and Lupe, their features so alike to those of Rosy and Lupina that Jonah could have sworn that was who they were.

But no-Lupina and Rosy were green and red, not fire and cloud. Jonah shook his head. He was being stupid, thinking that those two could possibly be Lupina and Rosy.

Suddenly, Jonah went on the alert again. The Lupe shifted. Her eyes were open-and she was looking straight at him.

***

With a bark of delight, Lupina jumped to her feet. There stood Jonah, right on the outskirts of the camp! Rushing towards him, Lupina said, "Jonah! Jonah! It's so nice to see you again!"

Jonah was confused. Why did this Lupe seem to know him? "Who-who are you?" Jonah asked shakily.

Lupina stopped. "Jonah don't you recognise me? It's Lupina!" She looked just as bemused as Jonah did.

"But...but...I thought Lupina was a green Lupe!" Jonah said. What was going on?

Just then, Rosy's Warf, Speckles, shook her awake. On the sight of her father she bounded toward him. "Dad! Dad! It's me, Rosy! Oh, Dad!"

That was it. Jonah knew his daughter's voice. He rushed forward to greet her and Lupina. Soon, the whole camp was aroused. When the excitement died down, Lupina and Rosy sat down to explain it all to Jonah, Jen, and their tribe. Jen was practically weeping in joy at the return of her long-lost daughter.

"Well, you two," Jonah said in a mock stern voice. "What mischief have you been up to lately?"

Rosy batted her father's ear playfully. "Oh, dad, haven't you heard? It's been all over the Neopian Times! You probably don't know how we got painted, saved Neopia, and escaped Dr. Sloth, do you?"

Lupina placed a paw on Rosy's shoulder. "Easy, now, Rosy, the Sloth stuff hasn't gotten into the newspaper yet. He wouldn't be expected to know about that."

"Oh yeah?" said Rosy, taking a scrap of paper and waving it in front of Lupina's nose. "What does this say, then?"

Lupina snatched the paper from Rosy and read it aloud. "It's a headline from the Neopian Times. It says, ‘Hundreds of Prisoners Escape From Dr. Sloth."

Rosy nodded. "Yesterday's Neopian Times. I found that scrap lying on the ground. So there. It has been in the Neopian Times."

Then Lupina recalled what she had seen lying awake. "Guys, I saw a spaceship last night. It was flying over our camp. It was sending out a Search Radar. I think Sloth is looking for us."

Emala, who had been sitting on the sidelines, spoke up. "Sloth is tricky. If he finds someone he's looking for, he usually pretends he hasn't found them and ambushes them."

These words put Jonah on the alert. "Lupina, are you in charge of all these pets? Send some scouts out to find Sloth if he's hiding nearby."

Lupina nodded. This time, she made an announcement by messengers, who past silently through the camp, telling each NeoPet, "Volunteers wanted at the center of camp for scouting work. We are on the alert for Dr. Sloth. Gather at the camp center in half an hour."

Sure enough, in half an hour, thirty volunteers had gathered. Lupina nodded in approval. "Just right. Now let me focus." She shut her eyes and concentrated. To the amazement of those watching, the volunteers grew dimmer and dimmer and then disappeared altogether. Lupina opened her eyes and spoke to the invisible pets. "Go out in groups of five, in six different directions. Search the woods. Beware, though, the invisibility spell wears off after an hour."

There was a quick brush of wind in six directions as the scouting parties set off.

***

An hour later, four of the parties were back with no sign of Dr. Sloth. Lupina was beginning to worry about the others when the fifth party trooped into camp. When they were asked if they had found Sloth, they replied no.

Fifteen minutes passed. Then 20. Half an hour later, a green Zafara streaked into the camp. He was down flat and running as fast as he could go.

When he recovered his breath, the Zafara gave a quick account of the events that had taken place. "We got lost...wandered around...came upon a camp...Sloth came out of a tent...destroyed the others...I ran as hard as I could...he's chasing me now...be here any minute..."

Lupina knew it was too late to run. Turning in the direction the Zafara had come from, she called out, "Prepare for battle! Sloth is coming, and we need all the help we can get!"

Just then, an unmistakable figure burst out of the trees. Behind him came a huge army of gigantic robots. Dr. Sloth had arrived.

To be continued...