A Storybook Tale: Part Two

     "Rodalat?" the pet wondered as she yawned. "Maybe this is just another dream," she thought as she tried to move her feet.

     "Rodalat, the land of the Faeries." A beautiful light faerie appeared.

     "Umm... Then why am I here?"

     "Rodalat has been taken over by powers of evil, and we need you, the great hero, to save our land!" the faerie cried out. "I am Lyster of Light and I shall guide you."

     "What do you mean?" Lexicae was very confused. "And by the way, could you help me?"

     Lyster waved her hand and Lexicae found that she could move again. "No problem," the faerie added. "But you'll have to help us in return! Rodalat is in danger! Please defeat the powers of evil, only you can do it!" she asked with begging eyes.

     "What exactly is wrong?" the Aisha asked, quite eager to help. She was feeling rather grateful and acted on impulse. After all, she hadn't been anyone spectacular back there in the Pound. Then again, it could be dangerous...

     "Well, some malevolent pets are taking over our world, controlled by an evil force. The pets themselves are only puppets, and we don't know who is behind the scenes."

     "Can't you do anything?" Lexicae asked, having seen the faerie's great power.

     "It takes many faeries to stop a single pet, and we aren't that many of light. Some have already fled and others have joined forces with darkness. We need a pet to fight a pet!" Lyster pleaded.

     "And that pet is me?" the Aisha asked, not quite convinced.

     "Please help us! I'll even grant you some powers!" the light faerie gestured dramatically. Then she added exasperatedly, "If you would just try to believe..."

     Lexicae thought for a moment. This was a chance to be a hero! The chance of a lifetime! One could definitely not miss out on something like this...

     "I'll help you," the Aisha replied graciously. It felt natural, this new politeness and elegance. "Maybe I'm getting to be a better pet? This is odd..."

     "We are many who are grateful. Please accept this," the light faerie handed a lime-colored orb to the Aisha. "The Orb of Eternal Light shall guide you while I'm not here. Use its power wisely."

     "Where am I supposed to go?" Lexicae asked, fearing the faerie would disappear any second.

     "In the heart of this dark forest there are some pets turned evil. Please begin with them. I'll contact you after you're done with that," Lyster said and disappeared in a swirl of rays.

     "I guess they all have their own ways of disappearing," the Aisha thought.

     Lexicae started walking, and soon found out that the ground would drag her down if she stood in a place too long. Soon she began running, blinded by the light of the orb. A glance at the orb told her she had gone the wrong way. There was a nice compass in the orb, and it pointed to the center of the forest.

     The Aisha stopped and jumped on a low branch of an oak tree to catch her breath. She shrieked when a branch grasped her arm. The vines on the old oak slithered around like snakes and trapped her.

     "Ugh... I can't stand reptiles!" Lexicae thought as she darted away. "Maybe being a hero isn't all that great..."

     There was no time to think as she swiftly ran through the forest. In order to reach the destination faster, the Aisha began to run on all fours.

     Soon she reached the heart of the woods. It was very obvious, since this was the only place where the trees didn't hide the light.

     There wasn't even any light coming from above. The source of light was in the ground, and quite spread-out. Lexicae stopped behind a tree before rushing into the area, considering there would probably be mutant pets around.

     Two appeared. A Werelupe and a Ghost Lupe. More Lupes howled in the background. "Forest of Lupes," the Aisha quickly figured out as she wondered what she could do to save these poor pets.

     "Well, I'll have to do something," Lexicae thought as she played with the orb. The bright light illuminated the whole area when she accidentally dropped it.

     "Who's there?" the Werelupe growled when he saw the green-yellowish light. Lexicae hurriedly picked up the orb, breaking some dried branches and causing more sound.

     "Uh-oh," she thought as she jumped into a tree. Too late she remembered what had happened last time. With a horrified scream, the Aisha fell onto the ground, right between the Werelupe and the Ghost Lupe.

     "What have we here?" the Ghost Lupe grinned slyly. "A little Aisha?"

     "Let's roast her," the Werelupe growled, mad that the other Lupe found the little pet.

      "Not so fast! What do you guys think?" the Ghost Lupe called out to the rest of the Lupes.

     "Roast!"

     "Tender!"

     "Fry?"

     Lexicae closed her eyes and clutched the Orb tightly, hoping it would help her somehow. All those horrible shouts made the air seethe with malice. "Why me? Why now?" she panicked as she awkwardly tried to get away.

     "No, little brat! You won't be escaping!" the Werelupe snarled, grabbing the Aisha's ears.

     "You're hurting me," Lexicae whined. She didn't really expect the villains to apologize or anything, but...

     "You might want to release her," the Ghost Lupe said.

     "Help!" the Aisha shouted, biting the Lupe. She quickly stood up and looked at the sky. The light of the full moon gave her strength, and suddenly Lexicae knew what to do.

     The Orb glowed in the dark, resting on the Aisha's paw

     "Let there be light! Banish the dark and evil... May you never return!" Lexicae shouted as she held the Orb of Eternal Light for all to see.

     All the Lupes immediately threw themselves on the ground and shielded their eyes. The two leaders were too close to be protected by the darkness, and they howled in confusion.

     The rage of light ended and Lexicae squinted, trying to adjust to the dark again. However, it wasn't the same bone-chilling darkness like before. The shadows seemed friendly and warmth seeped through the trees.

     "Being a hero is worth all that trouble... But I wish I wouldn't get so scared," Lexicae thought, "After all, all those heroes one sees are always confident. I'd like to have that kind of confidence." She smiled gently as she reached a paw out to the two Lupes.

     They weren't so sinister-looking anymore. Actually, the Lupes seemed to be rather peaceful.

     "Thank you for freeing us," one of them said. Lexicae immediately recognized that it had been the Ghost Lupe.

     "You're our savior," the other one said, "and we'll give you some clues. The final and greatest evil is inside the fortress on the edge of the forest. It is a long and dangerous path there."

     "May luck be with you."

     "That is all we can say," the former Werelupe said.

     "Thanks for the information!" Lexicae called out as she walked off. To be honest, she was kind of disappointed. Wasn't a hero supposed to get a parade or something like that? Just four sentences and a piece of advice...

     "Being a hero is odd. Definitely."

     -

     As she continued to walk, she looked at the Orb. It had shown its power. For a single second, Lexicae had felt all that power going through her and then into the forest. It was such a great force, like a strong wind that could knock you over.

     "You have been informed about the location of the greatest evil," a voice whispered. The Aisha recognized Lyster.

     "What are you doing here?" she asked, somewhat confused.

     "Wow! What an amazing bravado! Just whopped out the orb and they all turned good!" the faerie exclaimed, then looked at the pet. "I'm here to help you!" Lyster added.

     "Thanks," the pet replied humbly. They slowly but steadily marched towards the fortress.

     "Can you see it now?" Lyster pointed.

     "Yeah... It's that gray, ugly building, isn't it?"

     The light faerie nodded.

     "Well, let's keep on walking!" Lexicae exclaimed cheerfully. It felt good to defeat some enemies. But deep down there, she felt a twinge of doubt. Was it supposed to be this easy to conquer villains? The Lupes had seemed too easy... It was unnatural.

     "What is it?" Lyster asked as she saw the Aisha involuntarily shiver.

     "Nothing," Lexicae lied and kept on walking. There was also this dry taste in her mouth. Something was wrong... It was just a little bit wrong, but still not completely correct. She'd have to be careful.

     "By the way, I'll have to warn you for something," the light faerie gave the pet a serious look. "You see, there'll be this pond somewhere over there, quite close to the fortress. Do not drink from it, I repeat, do not drink... since the water will make you forget everything."

     "Everything?" the Aisha shuddered. If she forgot Valkera, Dr. Death, Neopia... All those wonderful things!

     "Yes. Everything."

     "I see. But why are you telling me now?" Lexicae asked. She had that prickly feeling again.

     "I have to go ahead and check the place out for you, now don't I?" Lyster asked.

     "Umm... I guess..." the Aisha mumbled, suddenly unsure of herself. "Is this how a hero is supposed to act?" she reprimanded herself. It all seemed so trouble-free... in fact, too effortless to be true.

     "Well, I'm off!" the light faerie waved and flew off, leaving a trail of glowing yellow stars after her.

     "She looks pretty..." Lexicae thought before she resumed her duty, the long walk to the fort.

     Soon the Aisha reached that body of water Lyster had been talking about. She looked into the pond. It was so dark, so frightening... Yet fascinating.

     "Wasn't it the same thing with the book?" she asked herself and drifted off. So sleepy... Hypnotised, the Aisha dipped her paw into the pond.

     A scream woke her up. Lyster!

To be continued...