How a Hissi Learned to Fly

      Schyff, a Magma Hissi, was sitting and quietly reading a book when a strange feeling came over him. The sort of feeling you get when you feel you’re being watched. His eyes left the page to glance around and, upon turning his head to look to the left, he found the face of a very serious-looking Xweetok staring right at him. Schyff jumped in surprise.

      “You know what I realized, Schyff?” the Xweetok asked.

      Annoyed, Schyff responded, “I don’t know, Yottir, maybe that you enjoy being a creep? Why don’t you go join the Deserted Fairgrounds? Talk something up with that stupid coconut throwing Quiggle guy. I’m sure you guys would work something out.” He went back to his book, trying to find his place.

      Yottir didn’t falter. “I realized that you’re a Hissi. And you have wings. And yet, I have never once seen you fly. Nope, never. I have not once seen you off the ground. In fact, I don’t even think I’ve even seen you jump.”

      “Hissis don’t jump,” Schyff retorted, trying to concentrate on reading.

      The blue Xweetok slapped the book away from Schyff, sending Rainbow Faerie Tales crashing to the ground and, alas, Schyff was without bookmark.

      “HEY! Was that really necessary?” Schyff complained, picking up the book.

      “You were avoiding the subject! I don’t think you know how to fly.”

      “Of course I know how to fly, I just choose not to.”

      “Well,” Yottir continued. “Either you don’t know how to fly or you’re afraid of heights.”

      “Keep it up and I’ll prove I can fly by dropping you into Techo Mountain,” Schyff threatened, trying (almost desperately) to find his page again.

      “You wouldn’t. You’re all talk,” Yottir pushed with a sly grin.

      Schyff snapped the book shut and glared at Yottir. “Do not test me,” he growled with a glare. “I won’t hesitate to see if Techo Mountain could produce a Magma Xweetok.”

      Yottir hushed for a moment, weighing the likelihood of the Hissi’s threat. On one hand, Yottir has never seen Schyff take flight, or jump for that matter. On the other, Schyff usually makes every possible attempt to follow through with a threat. So, what were the chances that Schyff would actually carry an Xweetok up Techo Mountain to throw him in?

      Those chances were pretty slim.

      Yottir grinned again, this time larger than ever. “You’re just a worried Wocky, aren’t you?”

      “YOTTIR!” Schyff bellowed, closing his book once more with a slap. “I am NOT a worried Wocky!”

      At this, Yottir simply burst into laughter, paws over his stomach as he laughed. “Okay, then prove it,” he said between breaths. “Show me you can fly, and I’ll stop.”

      Schyff grew more and more agitated as he watched the Xweetok laugh before finally slamming his book down onto an end table. “FINE. Let’s go outside,” he stated before getting up and storming out. Yottir scrambled after, excited for the show that was only just beginning.

      “Are you ready?” Schyff asked, looking back at Yottir who was once more stifling a laugh. It was true, Schyff had never flown before, but it should come naturally, shouldn’t it? He would know what to do. He could figure this out. He was too mad to back down now.

      “Oh I’m ready alright,” Yottir said, leaning against the Neohome. “Whenever you’re ready.”

      “Then here it goes,” Schyff said before looking ahead. He began to move very quickly, began to move his wings and attempted to leave the ground… Only to come toppling down into a hard face plant. So much for beginners’ luck.

      The Hissi let out a long groan before lifting his head and spitting out a churned mixture of dirt and grass, and stuck his tongue out in disgust.

      “Can never accept me being right, can you?” Yottir called over as he began making his way towards Schyff. Schyff only grumbled again.

      “What in Neopia is going on here?” a female voice called. Both Neopets looked up to the direction the voice had come from.

      Zarstun, a pirate Draik, landed a few feet away from them. This only gave Schyff’s irritation a dramatic boost. She just had to FLY over to them, didn’t she? Zarstun just couldn’t mind her own business, could she?

      Upon the knowledge that it had been Zarstun, Schyff was almost immediately up from the ground with a scowl and grumbling something about irony. Yottir eyed him warily for a moment before turning his attention to Zarstun.

      “Hey, how ya doin’ today?” Yottir asked, ignoring Schyff’s obvious and growing annoyance. “We were just, you know, trying to figure out how… Uhh, how wings work.”

      “Wings?” Zarstun questioned, raising an eyebrow before glancing over to Schyff in curiosity. He looked dirty, like he had perhaps came to a skidding stop in the dirt. “Like, flying?” she asked with a gentle flap of her wings.

      “No, not flying,” Schyff snapped back with unreasonable rudeness. Zarstun was taken aback a little.

      “Yes, flying,” Yottir said, giving Schyff a look of disapproval. “That tone of voice was unnecessary, and you know it.”

      “I know how to fly,” Schyff argued, looking between the two Neopets.

      “Sure looked like it. You do realize that Zarstun could probably help you, right?” Yottir replied.

      “I don’t need help.” The Hissi’s voice was almost in a persistent, irritated growl now. “It’s just been a while.”

      The blue Xweetok slapped Schyff upside the head. “SNAP OUT OF IT, WOULD YOU?” Yottir yelled. “You don’t need to know how to do everything and be all doom and gloom and hate everybody because you discovered ONE thing you haven’t figured out yet!”

      Schyff, now stunned by Yottir’s outburst, stared at him for a long moment. Zarstun slowly began to back up, beginning to think she should maybe leave the two Neopets to whatever it was they were doing. Just then, Yottir spoke again.

      “Apologize,” the Xweetok stated simply.

      “What?”

      “To Zarstun. Apologize to her. You know for a fact she meant no harm and would have helped if you would have just asked. You treated her unfairly, and my bets are on the fact it was just because she can fly.”

      Schyff quickly glanced over at Zarstun, almost feeling a pang of shame along with his embarrassment, then flicked his gaze back over to Yottir.

      “That’s not necessary—“ Zarstun had begun to say, but was abruptly cut off by Yottir once more.

      “Yes it is,” he stated, keeping his eyes on the magma Hissi. “It is, and we all know it.” In all of this, for what seemed like the first time, Yottir almost appeared to have some sort of stern calmness. He was not afraid to fight for what was right, nor get others back onto the right track.

      Schyff let out a long, slightly less irritated sigh, and rested a shameful gaze onto Zarstun. “I’m sorry,” he muttered.

      “Apology accepted,” the Draik said, offering a kind, hopefully comforting smile. For the next moments all was completely and utterly silent between the three of them before, slowly gaining the courage to do so, Zarstun broke it. “Do you need help with flying?” she asked timidly.

      The anger that flashed in Schyff’s eyes earlier on seemed much more watered down, now being more of a faint, dim irritation. He couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact with either Neopets now, however. “I might,” the Hissi quietly muttered.

      Yottir smiled, looking back and forth between the Hissi and Draik before eventually yelling out, “FAMILY BONDING TIME!!!”

      Zarstun and Schyff both rolled their eyes.

      ***

      Zarstun led both of the Neopets to a large, wide open field somewhere between the Haunted Woods (where they all lived)and Neopia Central. She took a careful look around before finally looking back to Schyff.

      “What do you know about flying?” she asked.

      “Uhh… I read something about aerodynamics and wind—“

      “I’ll stop you right there,” Zarstun stated, deciding this may be more difficult than she thought. “I want you to forget everything you’ve read in books,” she added. “I’m not saying it’s wrong, but the jumbles of facts may cloud your judgement.”

      Schyff frowned slightly before giving a solemn nod. “Okay,” he said, trying to be cooperative. He could hear Yottir stifling another laugh, but he wasn’t sure if it was at the situation or just in his excitement.

      “This will speed you up,” the Draik said, moving her wings closer to her body. “This will slow you down,” this time spreading her wings outward. “This will keep you from falling on your face again,” she said, this time flapping her wings slightly. At this, Yottir burst out laughing once again.

      “What about wind?” Schyff asked, but the first response was only a shake of the Draik’s head.

      “You’ll know, Schyff.”

      The Hissi digested all this information for a moment before giving a nod. “I’m ready,” he stated, his heart pounding in both nervousness and excitement.

      “Then let’s go,” Zarstun said with another smile.

      Together, both Neopets moved quickly, only a mere couple of feet, before Zarstun gracefully lifted off the ground and Schyff, although very clumsily and wobbly, lifted off of the field as well. Yottir looked on after the Hissi a little worriedly.

      “Let your wings do the work,” Zarstun stated, noticing that he was struggling to keep himself up. “This is what they are meant to do, Schyff,” she said, smiling again.

      “I can do this,” Schyff whispered to himself. “I can do this, I can—“ the wobbling stopped. He braced himself, but he was still in the air. He wasn’t falling!

      “That’s it, Schyff! You’re doing it!” Zarstun said excitedly.

      “Oh my Fyora, I’m flying!” Schyff exclaimed in his own excitement. He began to fly higher and higher before whirling back around towards Yottir. Zarstun followed. “YOTTIR! I’M FLYING!”

      Yottir clenched his paw closed and pumped it into the air in his own overwhelming excitement. “I knew you could do it, Schyff! I knew it!! I’m so pro—!” Just then, Zarstun scooped Yottir off the ground and the three Neopets went higher and higher, laughing joyously.

      “We’re in the sky!” Schyff cheered.

      “That we are, Schyff! That we are!” Yottir called back.

      That day, a magma Hissi learned to fly, and it will always be one of his most cherished memories.

      The End.