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A Sister's Care


by blackghoulmon

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Sand and mud were worked deep into my fur. My mane and tail were badly tangled. My wing feathers were all out of alignment. My hooves were scratched and chipped. My horn was so badly tarnished that it looked black instead of its usual silver color.

      I was a total mess.

      And I was thrilled, because I was one of the only Royal Girl Unis on Neopia who loves to make a huge mess of herself.

      The sun was going down behind the sand dunes as I headed for the back door of my owner’s Neohome. My owner, an adult man named BG, met me at the door.

     “Hold it,” he said, showing me that he had his camera.

     “This so totally deserves a picture,” he went on.

      I grinned happily at him.

     “Do you think this is a new record?” I asked.

     “I’ll know once I find out how long it takes me to clean you up,” he answered, looking me over.

      I lost track of how long it took BG to get me clean again. But by the time he was done, I knew I had set another record. My owner looked at the clock as he toweled me off.

     “OK, that was a new record,” he said. “You got yourself so messy that it took me 39 minutes longer to clean you up than it did with the previous record.”

      I began to giggle uncontrollably. My younger sister, Ludroth the Darigan Peophin, watched in amusement.

     “You’d think, Urasina, that YOU are a Peophin and I am a Uni, given our views on getting dirty,” she snorted.

      BG finished toweling me dry. Once the three of us had returned to the main room, I looked at the clock for myself. It was almost bedtime.

     “I’ll sleep well tonight,” I sighed happily. “And tomorrow I’ll try to break my new record!”

     **********

      Boy, did I ever eat my words the next morning.

      When I woke up, I thought it was still dark out, because everything was out of focus in the bedroom. So I looked around, trying to see if BG and Ludroth were still in the bed.

      They weren’t.

     “Did something happen?” I thought to myself.

      I tried to get to my hooves, but as soon as I did, I felt sick, and fell back on my side. As I looked around the room again, I noticed that it was pretty bright, but everything was a blur. Now I was worried, and I looked down at one front hoof. I could see pink and silver, but that was it; no shapes were visible.

      I blinked several times and shook my head, trying to clear my vision.

      Nothing happened. In fact, I only felt worse.

     “Help, someone!” I cried, hoping somebody was still in the Neohome.

      There was a sound of thundering hooves, then I saw a blur of purple and black rocket into the bedroom. Ludroth skidded to a stop in front of me.

     “Are you OK?” she asked, a bit out of breath.

      I shook my head.

     “I-I think I have Blurry Vision!” I moaned. “Where’s BG?”

     “Oh no...” I heard my sister whisper. Then she spoke louder.

     “He went to Qasala to talk to the weaponsmith about getting one of his swords rebalanced,” she said, sounding quite nervous. “You know how long that takes him.”

      I sagged back onto the bed.

     “Hrrgghn,” I groaned. “At least Blurry Vision isn’t too dangerous...”

      Ludroth disappeared from my field of vision. Then I felt her climb onto the bed and lie down beside me, resting her head on my back.

      While I appreciated her display of concern and care, I didn’t want to be a burden on her.

     “Ludroth, why don’t you go have some fun, or keep yourself busy, or something?” I suggested. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay here with me.”

      I heard her click her tongue in a motherly fashion.

     “Urasina, you’re my big sister, and Fyora be darned if I’m going to leave you to suffer alone!” she scolded me.

      I was completely touched, and began to cry.

     “That’s it,” Ludroth said quickly, nuzzling me. “Cry a little. Maybe it’ll clear your vision.”

      I did cry, and I cried for several minutes. But once I was done, nothing had changed.

     “Ludroth, do you know where the medicine chest is?” I asked her after a few minutes of silence.

     “It’s in the bathroom, isn’t it?” she replied. “Under the sink?”

     “Yeah, that’s it. Can you go look in it and see if you can find the cure for Blurry Vision?”

      I heard her get up and hop off the bed. But she didn’t leave the bedroom.

     “What’s the cure for Blurry Vision?” she asked me.

     “Extra Thick Goggles, I believe,” I answered.

      My sister hurried out of the bedroom. A few minutes later she came back, but instead of handing me a pair of goggles, she climbed up onto the bed again.

     “The medicine chest is locked...” she sighed sadly. “I’m sorry, Urasina...”

     “I-It’s OK, Ludroth,” I managed to say, trying not to cry again.

      I felt my sister’s head resting on my back once more. Then she spoke up again.

     “Where does BG keep the main keyring?” she asked.

     “I have no clue,” I admitted. “Even if I did, what if the medicine chest key isn’t on it? You know how cautious our owner is, even with the security system on the Neohome, and him and me being warriors.”

      I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep, hoping that by some chance miracle, BG would come back early.

      To my astonishment, I heard the front door open only a few minutes later.

      Ludroth leaped off the bed and dashed out of the room, and I could hear her talking with our owner. Then, I felt BG’s hand on my nose.

     “Hold still, Urasina,” he said, sliding a pair of Extra Thick Goggles over my eyes.

      I looked through the magical lenses, and my vision began to clear. Within a few minutes, the magic had all been used up, but when BG removed the goggles, I could see again.

     “Oh, BG, thank you so much,” I sighed, getting to my hooves and hugging him.

     “If I had known that you were sick, I wouldn’t have gone off on my errand,” he said, seemingly disappointed in himself. “As it was, the weaponsmith wasn’t busy, so he rebalanced my sword quickly. Then, something told me to hurry home, so I got back here as fast as I could.”

      He picked me up and cradled me.

     “You must be hungry,” he commented. “You didn’t have any breakfast, and it’s about lunchtime now.”

      I nodded and snuggled down in his arms as he carried me to the kitchen. Ludroth followed us.

     “I wish I could have done more...” my sister sighed.

     “Ludroth, you did everything you could have done, and far more,” I scolded her. “You didn’t have to stay with me and try to make me feel better. You could have been off enjoying yourself, but instead you kept me company, and even tried to get the cure for my affliction. That speaks volumes about you.”

     “Indeed,” BG replied. “I think, Ludroth, that you’re the hero today.”

     “I so agree,” I chimed in.

      I could see tears forming in Ludroth’s eyes, and she looked away, obviously embarrassed. BG put me down, and I quickly embraced my sister. She returned the gesture.

     “You may not be a battlefield hero like me, but on the home front, you do just fine,” I whispered in her ear.

     “I love you, Urasina,” she whispered back, starting to cry.

     “I love you too,” I replied. “And thank you for everything.”

The End

 
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