Triccity's Travels: Terror Mountain

     I had been travelling the surface of Neopia for the past year and a half in my airship. During my time in Neopia Central that spring, I had taken advantage of the resources at my disposal and had done my research on where I would travel next. I had studied the map and discussed the options with my friends. Given the regions I had already visited, there was only one place I could visit next. It was a place I knew by reputation, none of it good.

      Terror Mountain.

      That land of perpetual ice and snow, well deserving of its name. Even though I was an Usul, I had been born and raised in Moltara so I made certain I had the proper attire to handle the severely cold weather I would encounter. While I had been told it wouldn’t make that much difference, I had chosen to visit during the summer and with over a year’s experience as a pilot, I felt I was as ready as I could be for this next venture. I said my farewells to my friends I'd stayed with during the spring, then took flight. I was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly my journey across the water was.

      It was a different story entirely when Flight of Fancy, my airship, reached land. All I saw was white below and before me with soaring mountain peaks reaching for the overcast sky. I thought I had enough piloting experience that I could handle it.

      I was wrong.

      I was given no warning when the world around me suddenly went white. It was like the entire world had lost definition. It wasn’t like crossing the ocean on a clear day; there was still a clear difference between the blue of the sky and the blue of the ocean. But here, the world had lost all definition. It was as if I had been placed onto a blank page, with no variance in the white of my surroundings. There was no hint of where I was in relation to anything else. I could not see or sense the mountains or the sky or the ground far below.

      For the first time in my travels, I felt the heavy weight of fear settle in my belly.

      Before I could do anything else, a hard lurch, as if a giant had swatted Flight of Fancy out of the sky, sent the airship spinning through space. I was helpless to do anything to stop it, though I tried vainly to intervene in some way. In a moment that seemed to stretch endlessly and yet passed in a heartbeat, Fancy finally stopped spinning as she crashed into a mountain peak with the sickening screech of twisting metal and splintering wood. Was this how it would all end? The thought barely crossed my mind before the world went black.

      The Halloween Poogle was awoken from his light doze by a loud, ground-shaking crash. Pebbles tumbled across his shaggy pelt as he rose to his paws. Such occurrences were not unusual in the mountains, as avalanches were a part of life in this snowy region. But this one felt different. He paused for a moment, debating whether to investigate further.

     The cave he had chosen to shelter in during the blizzard was solid enough to withstand the roughest weather. He could stay there and no one would be any the wiser. On the other paw, he didn’t know what had caused this odd crash and if there was a new danger in the mountains, it would be better to know what he was dealing with. Mind made up, he crept forward on near silent paws to the cave entrance, no more than a narrow crack in the mountain face. The howling wind and blinding snow confirmed the blizzard still raged.

     But, Snowytooth had been raised almost from birth in these mountains by a troop of Snowbeasts. He knew the mountains better than anyone. He could navigate through a blizzard with ease though it was inconvenient and much easier to wait it out in a suitable shelter. It was only the highly unusual circumstances that drew him out in these conditions. Eyes scanning the landscape for the slightest change, the Halloween Poogle walked through the thick snow without pause, indifferent to the gale force winds and piercing cold.

     He hadn’t gone very far when he stumbled over a piece of jagged metal half-buried in the snow. As his gaze followed the slope of the mountain, he saw further metal and wood scattered across it. Then, he saw the wreckage of…he didn’t have a word for what it might have been, even if he had seen it whole. Whatever it was, it appeared to be some sort of large vessel that had crashed into the mountain. Though, where it had come from or how it had gotten there would remain mysteries.

     The Halloween Poogle could have turned back then. This wreck was no threat to him. The blizzard still raged and would for a while yet. He had no need to remain in the thick of it. Even if he were curious, sheltering from the storm would have taken precedence over investigating it.

     But, something stopped him from walking away.

     Instead, he ventured further into the wreckage. The vessel seemed to be in two distinct pieces: a large canvas balloon and a metal and wood vessel. The balloon had a large tear in it and the wooden vessel had a large hole in the side. He circled the vessel warily, cautious of any hidden dangers. Then, he came to an abrupt halt as something else caught his eye.

     There was a body in the snow.

     Already half-buried, Snowytooth could guess that this was an unfortunate victim of the crash. He moved forward to get a closer look to discover it was a red Usul. Her long, wavy hair was spread out around her and her eyes were closed; if it weren’t for the current circumstances, one could almost believe she were merely sleeping. She had a gash on her temple that dripped a fine line down her face. The mountain Poogle would have left her to the elements but then she moaned and shifted slightly, though her eyelids didn’t so much as flicker.

     Snowytooth frowned, hovering over the unconscious Usul for a moment. While he was a reclusive creature and never interacted with other Neopets if he could at all avoid it, he also couldn’t bring himself to walk away from one that needed help. She was injured and would need more than a safe place to shelter during the blizzard. He lived a pretty rough life in the mountains and didn’t have even basic supplies for first aid. He couldn’t be sure how hurt she was but it seemed pretty clear that she needed more help than he could provide.

     Thankfully, he knew exactly where to take her.

     Waiting out the blizzard wasn’t an option as they would be stuck out there indefinitely. It meant that he would have to carry the unconscious, injured Usul down the mountain in a blizzard but there was nothing for it but to do it. Having come to a decision, Snowytooth scooped up the Usul into arms and began the journey; she moaned again but didn’t stir. Snowytooth’s step never faltered, nor did he pause to rest. He just put one foot in front of the other, his destination fixed firmly in his mind.

     At last, a small, cosy cabin, its windows shining like a beacon in the storm, appeared in the distance. As Snowytooth reached the door, he used his shoulder to knock against it. He used his body to shield the Usul from the worst of the wind and snow, wondering if she were even still alive. She hadn’t stirred for some time, and she was so very cold. But, he had done everything he could for her; she would no longer be his concern soon enough.

     The Poogle slammed against the door once more when he didn’t receive a reply. It was a few moments later that the door opened to reveal a blue Bruce, taking in his appearance with some surprise. They were not strangers. She had helped him in years past and he knew that she did not make a habit of turning needy strangers away. As such, she stepped aside without hesitation to allow him to enter.

     Snowytooth had to duck his head to enter the cabin and he followed the Bruce as she led the way down a short hall and to a small bedroom.

     “Set her here. Can you tell me anything about her?” the Bruce, named Snowflake, asked.

     Snowytooth shook his head, already uncomfortable at being indoors, even a remote cabin like this.

     Snowflake frowned, studying the still unconscious Usul in concern for a moment before looking back up at Snowytooth. “I’ll do what I can for her. You can go.”

     Snowytooth flicked one last glance at the Usul before turning to leave. Snowflake walked with him back down the hall and to the door. She placed a hand on his arm and he looked at her in some surprise.

     “Thank you for helping her.”

     Snowytooth nodded before slipping out the door.

     Snowflake watched him until he disappeared into the blizzard before turning away. She had a patient to attend to.

To be continued…