Triccity's Travels: Shenkuu

      It was fitting that this was the final Wonder of Neopia on my list.

      I followed Min across the final bridge that led to the tall peak where the Cyodrake’s Gaze was moored. It stood tall and proud, alone on the peak with the rest of the Imperial City spread out before it. I stood on the platform where it was moored, longing to explore it further but unable to do so.

      I had to be content with a picture of myself with the legendary vessel that my young guide took, as well as the information that she shared with me about how important its service was to Shenkuu.

      “The Cyodrake’s Gaze is what kept Shenkuu connected to the rest of Neopia. We would have been much worse off without it traversing the mountains and beyond, transporting much-needed supplies back and forth,” Min explained proudly. “And it still serves Shenkuu in this way by making voyages across Neopia.”

      “That’s amazing!” I exclaimed, in awe.

      With the day beginning to fade, Min led me back through the Imperial City and left me where we had met that morning, outside Linae’s Kou-Jong hut.

      “Thank you so much for your guidance today,” I told Min, putting all of the gratitude I felt into my words. “I could not have travelled the Imperial City without it.”

      “You’re welcome! I’m glad to have been of service!” Min beamed at me, bowing once more.

      She skipped off into the fading light as I began the crossing of the final bridge that separated me from Flight of Fancy. I prepared a small meal for myself and then went through my nightly routine before bed. I had seen and learned a lot that day. My flight through the mountains and my exploration of the Imperial City had made my day full. Yet, that did not mean my time in Shenkuu was finished.

      Henry had told me that he had been raised in a remote Shenkuu village known as Hickory Hollow. He had invited me to visit, and I was willing to make the trip. He had outlined the route on my map of the mountains. The map had guided me to the Imperial City. I felt confident I could find my way deeper into the mountains.

      I relished the adventure the next day would bring!

      The next morning, I stood at the entrance to my airship, cup of tea in hand. The mist hung heavy on the mountains, obscuring the city almost completely from view. Though it was not far, even the next peak over was almost completely hidden in the mist. Under ordinary circumstances, had I found myself in these weather conditions, I would have waited for the sun to burn away the mist before beginning my journey, but I had learned that the mist was as much a part of the landscape as the mountain peaks or flowing streams. There would be no waiting for more favourable conditions.

      I would simply have to fly through it.

      Retreating from the chill of the mountains, I quickly shut the door to my airship and made my way to the flight deck. I reviewed the map I had and the route that I would have to take. I knew I would be keeping this close at hand and referring to it often. Henry had warned of how easy it was to lose one’s way through the mountains and how far apart most villages were from one another. If I ran into trouble at any point, help would not be readily available.

      I tried not to let that mar my excitement, but having experienced much through the past two years, I knew I would have to temper both my excitement and my nerves if I were to make my way successfully through. Now ready for the journey ahead, I pushed the lever that would start the airship and took flight. I wended expertly through the passes that surrounded the Imperial City, gaining some height as I went. Not that it did me much good. The peaks still rose above me, the mist still swirled around, and the wind still buffeted me from every side.

      This was nothing close to the conditions I’d faced on Terror Mountain when I’d crashed or the storm I’d travelled through in early autumn that had blown me completely off course to an unfamiliar shore. Even so, I had to keep my full focus on navigating the less-than-ideal conditions as well as following the route outlined on my map. The mountains all looked the same, but Henry had given me tips on how to find my way, airborne that I was. Just as he said I would, I came upon a craggy ridge known as Belonthiss Pass. Beyond it lay Hickory Hollow.

      I came across a sunny slope just outside the village and settled Fancy there. I was just striding down the hill to enter the village when I saw a strange sight coming to greet me that halted me in my tracks. It was a young spotted Koi gliding towards me with a pair of kite-like wings, a Kateil fluttering around her. Henry hadn’t mentioned that there were any inventors in this village, and I wondered if I had somehow managed to get myself lost despite my careful navigation. Regaining my composure, I resumed walking to meet her.

      “Nǐ hǎo!” the Koi greeted me in what I had learned was the customary greeting of Shenkuu.

      “Nǐ hǎo!” I returned the greeting. “This is Hickory Hollow, is it not?”

      “It is,” the Koi answered in Common. “What brings you to the village?”

      “I’m here on the invitation of Henry Reads. We-”

      The Koi gasped, eyes lighting up with interest. “You have seen Henry? Do you have a message from him? His family would love to hear it! Please, come with me!” She turned and began gliding back the way she had come before I could finish what I was saying.

      I followed in the young Koi’s wake, walking through the small village. As Henry had described, it was a huddle of maybe a few dozen buildings hidden in the shelter of hickory trees that gave the village its name. It would appear that they did not get many visitors, for those out and about in the village stopped and openly stared at me as I followed my guide. Used to such treatment, I didn’t let it bother me as we at last stopped at one of the buildings.

      A yellow Vandagyre that reminded me remarkably of Henry turned to give the two of us a curious look.

      “Hello, Mei! This is a messenger from Altador here to deliver a message from Henry,” the Koi explained.

      Here I winced. “That’s not strictly true.”

      “Oh?” Mei, the yellow Vandagyre and who I could presume was Henry’s mother, gave me a curious look.

      “My name is Triccity Truebow, and I am an aeronaut from Moltara. During my recent visit to Altador, I met and befriended Henry Reads. He told me about his home here in Shenkuu and invited me to visit during his winter break from the Academy. Since I wanted plenty of time to navigate the mountains and explore the Imperial City, I’ve come a few weeks early. When we parted ways a little over a week ago, he was doing well and is looking forward to coming home.”

      Mei’s face broke into a delighted smile. “That’s wonderful to hear! I’ve missed having him here, but I know he’s pursuing his dream in Altador and that’s all his father and I have ever wanted for him.”

      As we spoke, the spotted Koi had looked at me in wonder and at last broke in. “Wait, you’re from Moltara?! I’ve never met someone from there. Please tell me more!”

      I cast an uncertain glance at Mei, not wanting to leave so abruptly.

      The Vandagyre gave me an understanding look. “Thank you for delivering the message to me. If that’s all the news you have of my son, then I won’t keep you any longer.”

      “You’re welcome. I was happy to have the chance to travel Shenkuu further than I would have if I’d remained within Imperial City,” I said. With a dip of the head in farewell, I followed the spotted Koi back the way we’d come.

      “Now that you know my name, could I know yours?” I began.

      “I’m Sorakura Kimura, but you may call me Sora,” the spotted Koi at last introduced herself. “My family runs the toy shop in the village, but my speciality is kites, in case you couldn’t tell,” she said with a playful grin and a flap of her kite wings.

      “Kites, you say?” I gave her a curious look. “Kites weren’t a real option underground, but we did have gliders and wings of various sorts.”

      “That’s amazing!” Sora breathed. “Can you tell me more about your airship? Is it like the Cyodrake’s Gaze or…” She trailed off with a meaningful look at me.

      I indulged Sora’s curiosity and talked about Flight of Fancy and Cyodrake’s Gaze, comparing and contrasting the two. As we walked, she asked further questions and told me more about her family’s toy shop. I offered to take her up in Fancy, and she readily accepted. We passed her family’s toy shop and up the slope where I had landed my airship. As she came into sight, I saw that she had drawn a crowd of curious children around her.

      “Sora!” a young camouflage Hissi waved to the spotted Koi.

      “We heard that a flying ship had landed and came to check it out, but this is not a flying ship, at least none that we’re familiar with,” a yellow Nimmo explained. She turned her gaze to me. “So, it must be yours then?”

      “It is,” I confirmed with a nod.

      “Yes, this is Triccity Truebow, an aeronaut from Moltara, and she’s offered to take me up for a ride in her airship!” Sora explained, almost breathless with excitement.

      The children gathered gasped and exchanged excited looks.

      The youngest in the bunch, a Camouflage Hissi, tugged at an older pastel Acara’s hem. “Can we ride on the ship, too?”

      The pastel Acara gave me an apologetic look before looking down at the Hissi. “It's up to the pilot. If she says no, we can watch her fly her airship and ask Sora to tell us all about it when she comes back.”

      “Did you all want a ride?” I asked the group.

      “Would you really let us?” a little spotted Bori asked me with wide eyes.

      “I would, if you all believed your families would be alright with that.” I gave an inquiring look at the pastel Acara and Sora, who were the oldest in the group, being in their late teens.

      The Acara nodded. “They would be alright with that, as long as I went with you.”

      “The village is pretty accepting of new and different things, as long as it isn’t harmful or dangerous,” Sora added.

      I smiled at the group. “Then let’s go for a ride!”

      We piled into Fancy, and I led them up to the flight deck where they spread out along the glass wall. I took us up into the air but didn’t go very high, just above the treetops and made a slow, careful circuit around the valley. The children pointed out various landmarks they recognised. They were clearly enjoying this unique perspective of their home. Within an hour, I had returned us safely to the slope outside their village.

      “Thank you!” they chorused as they left the airship.

      “You’re very welcome!” I returned with a smile.

      I had travelled Neopia, and while I had enjoyed almost every aspect of it, there was something I especially enjoyed about sharing Flight of Fancy with others. Piloting her alone had never been the plan. There had been challenges, of course, but I had done it. Allowing others to share in the joy that flying gave me made me feel like I was using Flight of Fancy as she had originally been meant to be used. It was one of the most rewarding parts of this entire adventure.

      I stayed through the winter in Shenkuu. That had not originally been my plan, but I got caught in an early snowfall and-remembering how perilous I had found Terror Mountain-I didn’t want to risk travelling in those conditions. Though it was far different from my previous mountain experience. The snow was not nearly as severe, nor were blizzards so frequent as they were on Terror Mountain. While I found myself in a remote village, I was not under pressure to repair Fancy after a crash, nor did I feel the intense need to escape.

      One thing of note is that I befriended a wild Dandan. While I roamed the village or stayed on Flight of Fancy, I noticed a curious Dandan watching me from afar. Slowly, by letting him adjust to my presence at his own pace and offering food and shelter to him, he seemed to accept my friendship. Once that was established, he refused to part with me, and I quickly realised that I didn’t want that either. I named him Rudder.

      Another good thing about wintering in Shenkuu was that I was present for the Lunar New Year at winter’s end. Seemingly overnight, the village was bedecked in red, gold and black banners and the distinctive Shenkuuvian calligraphy with traditional messages of good luck and prosperity. There were also images of the Cyodrake, as that was the next animal in their zodiac calendar. There were peach and plum blossoms, which represented longevity, reliability and endurance. There were fabulous fireworks displays that left me in awe.

      To cap off the two weeks of festivities was a Lantern Festival. The traditional lanterns were red and are either round or oval in shape. Shenkuuvian calligraphy is used for decoration in gold or black, carrying messages of goodwill, fortune, happiness and prosperity. While the fireworks were an incredible sight, I will never forget the way the lanterns looked all lit up at once on that final night of the festival. They shone brighter than the stars that night, winking in the darkness as they drifted across the slopes and away, carrying our hopes and dreams of the future.

      So ended my world tour. I had visited fifteen regions in two years, accomplishing the dream Grandpappy and I had had for so long. I no longer felt like a naïve little girl who knew nothing of the world now that I had seen and experienced so much of it. While the pain of losing Grandpappy was still there-would always be there-I no longer felt the need to run from it. With the snow finally cleared, and the grand festival finished, there was only one place left for me to go.

      Home.

     The End.