It was the third of June, and Lucia was nearing the storm. Seli was peeking out from inside her backpack, flying energy long since spent. Lightning flashed, and Lucia was buffeted by winds. These did not care that she was the daughter of Calabrus. These were under the control of another entity- or rather, entities. She stopped and strained to hover in the air, and called on her powers. The wind died down a little bit, and a ship far below that was getting tossed about by monstrous waves had a slight repreive.

She noticed it and swooped down, careful to stay out of their sight. But The Drenched saw the little Uni, and combined their powers in one fell blast. WInd howled. The Sea roared, and far, far above, Calabrus reeled back, astounded and for the moment, beaten back by this new effort. He recovered quickly and applied his will to the fury again. But that was all The Drenched needed to splinter the main mast with a wave. The mast was destroyed and wood pieces fell down onto the ship and into the water. Lucia barely heard a yell of fright and desperation before it was abruptly cut off. A wave of horror washed over her. Someone had been in the crow's nest. She darted to the ship, and grabbed the far side railing.

None of the crew saw two pale hoofs clutching the rails. They were too busy hanging on for dear life to anything they could get. The sail was ripped apart and slashed through by a gust that carried some timber with it, but Lucia saw a swiftly sinking yellow figure. She swooped down and snatched the limp form up, and attempted to rise again. Something in the water grabbed her hind leg, but Seli dived down bravely and clawed it. The thing let out a soundless squeal and let go, and the trio burst out from inder the water, a driving current pulling them away from ths ship. Lucia was unable to fly; her wings were soaked and straggly. It was all she could do to hang onto her pack, Seli, and the stranger whose life she had just saved. 'I wish I had never left home... but if I haven't, this one might be dead by now... strange how fate plays with you...' The ship was out of sight now.

They had been floating for what seemed like hours, ever drawn away, but kept aloft by that insistent current. It was cold, but every now and then it was hot, and Lucia learned to spot steam rising from the water in the hot spots. She braced herself, but each time the heat was just a comfort after the coldness and stopped them from freezing. It never lasted for so long as to scald the castaways. Finally, Seli cried something out. Lucia opened her eyes and gasped. There was a small island ahead of them.

Land! They were right before it when she saw something else: A slight purple shimmer above it. Then they were in danger of being bashed on rocks, and Lucia hauled her cargo around the pelirious obstacles. They narrowly missed a pointed, jagged boulder studded with sharp corals, but she just kicked out hard and they were swept around it. Seli helped Lucia crawl onto land, and she rested her cheek for a moment on the sand. Then she came to a start, and carried the stranger farther up the beach, where a jungle was just beginning, but the sand was cool and dry. She examined the stranger. He was a yellow Aisha, perhaps in his twenties. He had a strange hat- a discolored red and dark, faded green in stripes, and it was pointed. He stirred, and coughed up some water, but did not wake.

She sighed again, and flew to grab some branches and coconuts off a tree. She set them up for a later meal, then lit the branches afire with an ability, Torch. Seli bounded over to the fire, and dried herself, ever so elegant. Lucia could almost have laughed, due to how funny and serious the Faerie Seti looked, but the dire situation prevented her from that.

She weighed the possibilities: They were in no state to fly away, and she didn't think the Aisha could fly anyways, they had mostly only coconuts to eat, and The Drenched were patrolling the waters. Moodily she stared into the fire, her forelock falling over her eyes. The petpet patted Lucia's silky fur with one long paw, then stretched out for a nap. Her fur was all fluffed up, and Lucia idly smoothed it down, then let herself enter her mind and dwell on matters involving escape, and her parents. It was sunset by then, and the red sun was sinking, becoming swallowed by distant grey clouds. Enticing aromas of coconut, fresh rain, and exotic flowers tinted the warm air.

She was interuppted from her thoughts when the Aisha coughed again, and sat up, dazed. He saw two large blue eyes staring back at him, and he yelped in surprise, then coughed. His golden-green eyes rested on the Cloud Uni, confused, then they flicked to the Faerie Seti, then around the island, then back to the Uni's face.

"Wh...Who are you? -cough-" Lucia waited patiently for him to realize things. After several awkward minutes, understanding dawned in his eyes as the other remembered.

"You saved me? Where'd you come from? This island...?" Lucia nodded, then shook her head, mane flying.

He nodded back then said, "Is my crew ok? The last I remember was being in the worst storm I've ever experienced at sea, then a wave eliminating the main mast."

Lucia spoke for the first time since he had awoken, rather softly. Her voice was musical.

"I think your crew is fine. I was swept away by a current, and it was all I could do to keep you and Seli over there, that Faerie Seti alive. My- The storm will be done. The ship will not be destroyed. Neither will they. But that tempest was the work of The Drenched, and I'm afraid going into the water would not be advisable right now. My name is Lucia. I live in..." She paused, then chose the least specific answer she could give without lying. "...I live in the clouds, on the outskirts of Faerieland." 'Waaaaaay outskirts.' she thought.

He extended a shaky paw. "Hoban. Navigator of the Cyodrake's Gaze. Thank you for saving my life."

They shook hands/paws/hoofs. "Where are we?"

The Uni shook her head. "I don't know. Want a coconut?" She tossed one to him. Hoban nodded his thanks, broke it open and drank out of it. He made an appreciative face.

"I know I shouldn't make light of this, but at least I can eat something better than Bonju's cooking." They both laughed.

"I'm mostly vegetarien now, thank Illusen. When I was a child, I loved eating meat... Wings told me I had to be restrained to stop from getting at petpets walking around. He took me to Illusen, and she helped me by giving me a modified Illusen's Potion. Now..." She stopped. There was still that strange, animalistic desire in her, but she had quelled it down so far that she was sure it was gone forever. "...Now I like all sorts of fruits, veggies, but NOT Chokatos! Yuck."

They both laughed.

"Don't eat me!" Hoban joked, grinning. His wet hat perched comically on his head, and his two sticking up ears were flopping slightly with the vibrations of his laughter.

Lucia felt her heart lift. Sure, she was stranded, but with two new friends that would help ease the loneliness. Together they could devise a plan to escape- but she had a nagging feeling this would not be as easy as she thought it was.

'Too right you are, my dear.' thought a Drenched sister, looking up and out from her hiding point in the water, grinning evilly. 'Too right you are.'

-----Authors Note-----: Sorry for the cliffhanger! ;D I just love them. Looks like Hoban, Lucia, and cute little Seli are in for some MAJOR trouble with The Drenched. Not good, when they happen to be super-powerful and extremely evil.

Hoban isn't mine, nor are the Drenched. Credit to Neopets for those characters. Thanks for inventing them for me!

Thanks for all the reviews! Keep on readin'!