Secret of the Lost Species 2

Secret of the Lost Species (Chapter Two-Part One)

By that night we were on our way, passing over a remote temperate rainforest in one of the Defenders’ massive transports, a carriage of great size pulled by four pairs of powerful Eyries. All of us were in parachutes, ready to go overboard at the right moment. Jhudora and Ariana wore jeans and hooded shirts while the rest of us were in our fur or feathers; Reve and Jina were still getting used to their new forms.

“Are we there yet?” Jina asked.

“Not yet,” Nimras told her.

Our captain, a Gelert in a grey uniform and a black beret, opened the rear cargo hatch and lowered the ramp. “Now when I give ye the word, ye’ll be runnin’ down the ramp one at a time. Count tae three or say ‘Geraptiku’ before ye give yer rip cords a fine hard tug.”

I always have a hard time trying not to laugh when I hear a Meridellian say ‘Geraptiku’.

“This is it, lads and lassies! O’er with ye!”

We began diving off the end of the ramp, shouting ‘Geraptiku’ in bad Meridellian accents. I pulled my rip cord and my parachute snapped open, reminding me of my bad back. The land below us was completely dark, not a single light to be seen, just a rolling landscape clad in a dense forest.

“Are we there yet?” Jina called out.

“Soon.”

That was when we discovered the flaw in this plan; I’ve always suspected that the Defenders have been able to keep Neopia safe because the villains are even more incompetent. We entered the trees with a great shuddering crash, followed by a series of loud crashes and snaps as we continued down through the branches. Birds flew screeching and squawking into the night sky. We finally came to a stop only about a third of the way down.

“Are we there yet?”

Nimras sighed. “Not quite.”

Considering how late it was by the time we finally got down from the trees, we decided to make camp where we were. Perhaps it was a Lupish habit but Nimras and I were up before the others and went out in search of something to eat so that we could save our supplies.

By the time we returned, we found Reve once again buzzing her wings for all she was worth under Jhudora’s surprisingly patient instructions. The Faerie Lutari was showing some improvement, even if it was no more than lifting off the ground for few seconds.

“Hey gang!” Nimras called out as we approached. “I can’t imagine why, but there are fruits from all over Neopia here. We have purplums, skeems and fluranges, and Juppies of five different types.”

“Hey, the Fruit Lupes!” Parrot declared as he fluttered down from the branch where he had been keeping watch.

Reve ducked her head just in time to avoid Jina’s hooves as the Island Uni drifted past, gliding with all the grace of, well, a horse with wings. She turned sharply, banking so far that she almost stalled, then landed lightly with a few quick thrusts of her wings.

“Now that’s just not fair!” Reve complained. “I’m much smaller than a Uni.”

“I don’t have to flutter,” Jina reminded her. “Do you fly yet?”

“Not very well,” Ariana admitted. “I, ah, flew into the window at Uncle Bilbo’s house the other day, just like a sparrow. But I’ve only had my wings a few days now.”

“Why did Jhudora chose you for her apprentice anyway?” Reve asked as she contemplated her breakfast purplum. “I mean, you don’t seem like the type.”

“I’ve wondered about that myself.”

Jhudora remained very quiet, but I knew that she had been meaning to talk to Ariana about this from the first. This was a complex issue, more so than it might seem, and even I knew only part of the Dark Faerie’s thoughts and plans on the matter.

“We’re going to have to be careful,” Parrot warned us. “I’ve been scouting a bit this morning. This forest is full of Draconaks, and some are the size of dinosaurs.”

With that warning in mind, we made ready to set out. To keep our arrival secret, we had parachuted into the forest a couple of day’s walk to the east of the Xweetari lands.

“And tell me why I have a Lutari on my back?” the Uni inquired.

“I can’t fly yet, and I have these short Lutari legs.” Reve shrugged helplessly. “Now, when it comes to riding bareback, I kick the right flank to go right and the left flank to go left.”

Jina glanced back slowly. “You want to fly, faerie? How about I kick you in the beau-sinkus to make you go straight up?”

Parrot was able to guide us safely around the draconaks all that day. When night came, a heavy darkness settled beneath the deep cover of the forest, although we dared to light only a small fire. After a time Jhudora asked Ariana to join her, and they sat together on a log just outside of camp and talked for a long time.

“I suppose you wonder why I wanted you for an apprentice,” Jhudora approached the subject at last. “Those of us native to Neopia have another name for the Owners. We call them the Visitors. They stay for a while, sometimes for years. But sooner or later most of them leave. You start to miss someone you haven’t seen in a while and their Lookup tells you that they haven’t been seen in a long, long time. I’ve come to hate the sight of all those crying pets.”

“You want to keep me from leaving?” Ariana asked.

“Well, not just you,” the Dark Faerie admitted. “In a lot of ways you remind me of my sister, and I think about how those stupid Quests came between us. Pretending to be rivals was part of the game, but so many things were said in jest for so long that we eventually forgot that it was all just a big joke. Hanging out in the Guild finally brought Illusen and myself back together.”

She sat for a long moment looking up at the trees above, as if she could see  the stars beyond. “Anyway, I don’t want you to think that selecting you was just some way of indulging myself. That was just what brought you to my attention. My reasons for making you my apprentice were practical ones.”

“I understand,” Ariana assured her. “And I’m glad you got your sister back.”

Jhudora actually smiled. “Hey kid, I hit the jackpot. I got two.”