Triccity's Travels: Terror Mountain

     So, where was I?

     And, how did I get here?

     Feeling weaker than I could ever remember being before, I leaned back against the headboard, my eyes fluttering closed. My questions weren’t enough to keep me from the tempting blackness that pulled at me. Before I could fall back into unconsciousness, however, I was roused to wakefulness as I heard the door open.

     A blue Bruce peeked her head into the room, her face breaking out into a pleased smile as she saw me looking back at her. “You’re awake!”

     “How long have I been out?” I asked.

     “You’ve been unconscious since you arrived over twenty-four hours ago.”

     I reeled at this news. “How-,” I paused, my throat dry from disuse.

     At once, the Bruce was by my side and proffering me a glass of water.

     I sipped from it slowly, thankful for the drink.

     “You were discovered in the snow by a wandering Poogle who brought you to me because I’m the closest sign of civilization to be found outside of the more populated areas of the mountain. Do you remember anything?”

      I sighed, the pain cutting to my core hurting worse than any physical pain. “I remember crashing my airship after being caught in a whiteout.”

     My mind suddenly raced as I realized what this meant. Flight of Fancy was out on a mountainside somewhere, lost to the elements. My grandfather’s long-held dream and mine was now gone. Was this really how my journey ended?

     “You’re lucky to be alive, you know,” the Bruce said.

     My gaze fixed back on her face.

     The despair I felt suddenly shifted. Of course, she was right. My grandfather had never let anything bring him down. He had lived a long, happy life in Moltara after losing his wife and son and having to raise his infant granddaughter. He had never seen his dream of travelling Neopia in an airship come to pass but he hadn’t let that stop him from living.

     And neither would I.

     I felt a rush of determination fill me. “Yes, yes, I am.”

     The Bruce gave me a soft smile and patted my hand in reassurance. “My name is Snowflake. You can stay as long as you need to. If there’s anything I can do for you, perhaps someone you want to get in touch with? I’ll do what I can to help.”

     I smiled in return. “My name is Triccity Truebow. I’m originally from Moltara but have been traveling this past year and a half in my airship.” My smile faltered. “I have no family left but I do have friends in Neopia Central that are awaiting word of my safe arrival in Terror Mountain.”

     I gave Snowflake the directions to reach them and she left me to rest.

     It was a couple days before I finally felt well enough to get out of bed. I was still rather achy but no longer weary to my core. I was also getting restless, stuck in a single room while there were things I wanted to do. I sat at the small table in Snowflake’s kitchen as she prepared a breakfast of oatmeal dosed with liberal amounts of butter, sugar and cinnamon. I waited for her to join me at the table before I began sharing my plans.

     “I believe Flight of Fancy is a total loss but, for my own peace of mind, I would like to visit the wreckage and see if there’s anything I can salvage from it,” I said.

     Snowflake looked at me for a moment, as if gathering her thoughts before responding. “I don’t know how easy that will be for you to do. I don’t know where Snowytooth found you.”

     “Then may I speak with him, please? My entire world was on that airship. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t at least try to recover something of what I’ve lost.”

     Snowflake’s brow furrowed. “I understand but Snowytooth isn’t so easy to track down. He doesn’t live in one place but roams the remotest parts of the mountain. He almost never seeks out the company of other Neopets and if he doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be. Even if he is found, there’s no guarantee that he’d be willing to speak with you.”

      “Oh,” I said, unable to keep my disappointment out of my voice or expression.

     “But, I’ll see what I can do.”

     “Thank you,” I said, feeling a flicker of hope and clinging to it as tightly as any life raft.

     While I had managed to get myself out of bed, I still didn’t feel quite ready to venture out into the wintery landscape that awaited me beyond the cabin. Thankfully, a few more days passed before Snowflake was able to bring me some news of her efforts to track down Snowytooth.

     “It took some effort and a bit of luck to reach Snowytooth and even more than that to get him to agree to help you but I managed to convince him it’s in his best interest to do so,” Snowflake said with a smile. “He should be here any moment to take you to the place where he found you.”

     “Oh, thank you, Snowflake!” I exclaimed, clasping my hands together in delight.

     “Before he arrives, I need to tell you that Snowytooth is different. He had an unconventional upbringing and he has an intimidating presence but he means you no harm as long as you respect his boundaries. He can talk but he very much prefers not to. Silence is always better with him. Don’t force any interaction unless absolutely necessary.”

     My curiosity was piqued by this description and I had so many questions but was unable to ask any as it was just then that my mysterious benefactor arrived.

     There he stood some distance away in the snow, apparently reluctant to come any closer. His appearance, as Snowflake had warned, was quite wild, his pelt shaggy and gaze hard with mistrust.

     “Go with him. He looks fierce but he’ll see you safely to your destination and return you safely here,” Snowflake urged me.

     I nodded, gathering my resolve before heading towards the Halloween Poogle. Before I got too close, he turned and began walking away and that’s where he stayed the entire time. Thankfully, the pace he set wasn’t bad and I quickly learned to follow almost exactly in his footsteps so that I wasn’t trying to break a path through the snow. Even so, I found it tough going. It had only been a week since I crashed on the mountain and I felt like I couldn’t get enough air so I tired far faster than I would have liked.

     “Snowytooth, can we…please stop…to rest?” I panted, my chest heaving and my legs feeling heavy with fatigue and cold.

     Thankfully, Snowytooth paused, though his gaze never once turned towards me.

     I slumped in the snow, my snowsuit doing a good job of insulating me from it though I still felt the cold. I took a few moments to compose myself, focusing on steadying my breathing. I wondered how much further we had to go. I guessed that it wouldn’t be an all-day journey but how did I know? Though, I suspected that this wasn’t something I could ask.

     Feeling not energized but at least well enough to continue, I rose unsteadily to my feet. The snowsuit was cumbersome, the snow slippery and my equilibrium not what it should be given my fatigue. I windmilled for a moment as I lost my footing and braced myself to take a tumble in the snow when a strong hand pulled me upright. I blinked up in surprise at Snowytooth.

     “Thank you,” I breathed.

     The Poogle released me almost at once but didn’t distance himself quite as much as before.

     Our trek continued.

     It was half an hour more before we finally came upon the debris field. My breath caught in my throat as I took in the wreckage of my airship. I had expected it to be bad and had been mentally preparing myself since I’d awoken in Snowflake’s cabin but the sight still made my heart squeeze painfully in my chest. Overwhelmed, I could only stand there on the remote mountain slope and stare, unable to look away. Once the first shock finally faded, I stepped forward to take a closer look.

     The balloon had a large tear in it and the undercarriage looked as if it had been broken in two. The glass walls of the flight deck had been shattered and the metal framework was bent out of shape. This was where I had been when I crashed. Even if Fancy had had safety features, the crash had been devastating and sudden with no time for me to so much as try to protect myself. I was struck again by the remarkable act of providence that had spared me from my fate.

     I should have died.

     But I hadn’t.

     My gaze left the wreckage to land on the scruffy mountain Poogle that stood some distance away. It struck me then that he had found me here, in a blizzard, no less and had proceeded to carry me down the mountain for an hour to get me somewhere safe. And I, a complete stranger to him!

     I knew I was pushing his boundaries but I had to acknowledge just what he had done for me. And continued to do so, by agreeing to bring me back here. I left the wreckage and approached him but stopped as I saw him tense and shoot me a warning look.

     “You saved my life. You didn’t have to but you did. I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am to you for helping me. I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for you. So, thank you,” I said.

     Snowytooth’s tension eased and he gave me a curt nod.

     Sensing that I had overstepped enough, I returned my attention back to the wreckage. Yes, it was just as bad as I imagined. I entered the lower deck of my airship that served as my living quarters. Everything was covered in a thick layer of frost after being exposed to the elements for the past week. My belongings were strewn haphazardly about and I began the process of packing a few essentials: clothing, a picture of Grandpappy, his fancy top hat and my journal.

     I paused as I looked at my grandfather’s picture, my heart squeezing at the sight. “Oh, Grandpappy. I can’t believe this is how our dream has ended.”

     But has it?

     I could almost hear my grandfather’s voice and I furrowed my brow. “Actually, it has,” I responded. “It took years of work by both of us to build the airship and that’s when we had everything we needed at our fingertips. I’m all alone now, Grandpappy and in the middle of nowhere.”

     But you wouldn’t be building it from scratch. Just some repairs.

     “But I would still be making the repairs on my own. That could take months, if not longer!” I exclaimed. I realized that I probably sounded like I was around the bend, talking to myself. I was thankful that Snowytooth wasn’t close enough to overhear me.

     I didn’t raise no quitter, gal.

     I smiled as a rush of determination filled me. “No, no you didn’t.”

     I hardly knew where to begin but I knew I wanted to get started as quickly as possible. I grabbed my duffel bag and hurried out of the airship.

     “Snowytooth, thank you for your patience! I’m ready to head back now,” I said.

     My surly escort didn’t acknowledge other than to begin walking down the slope. I once more followed in his footsteps, my fatigue and despair from earlier now forgotten. Traveling downhill and with a trail already broken was much easier than the initial journey. Full of hope and ideas for the challenge ahead, I didn’t feel the need to stop for break this time. Instead, it felt like no time at all had passed before we reached Snowflake’s cabin.

     “Thanks ag-” I began to say only to discover that Snowytooth was already gone, the snowy expanse as empty and untouched as if he’d never been there at all.

     To be continued…