Chapter Seven. Last Four OC's for now. Also, I was sad about how this one ended. After chapter eight, i took a hiatus until i could get my head together. Also, sorry about the length. i try not to make chapters too awefully long but this one just kept turning out ideas.

I don't own Neopets. Tamara and all them are mine.


Incident On The Cliff
Chapter Seven


Needless to say that my once, non-existent list of friends now had names. Including names of people I hadn't even considered as my friends before.

My friends came in small groups. Randi and Camara were always together (basically, they were inseparable). So were Kayla and Alison. Bella and Maya were the ones I hung out with most but I chose not to hang out with the same people constantly (even though you usually saw me with Bella and Maya). Depending on which group was doing what, I migrated between them. And, all three were excepting and welcoming if I wanted to hang out with them.

As for my main group with Bella and Maya, two new members appeared. Both boys. Boaz (nicknamed Bo) and Thorley (nicknamed Thor). Bo was fourteen while Thor was fifteen.

We met them one day in the cafeteria as we sat down to eat. Maya glanced up and saw the two boys, seated alone with only their neopets for company. Maya waved at them and the light of hundreds of glow stones shimmered off the many scars on her forearm caused by the glass shards (they had fully healed but left tiny scars in her tan skin).

"Bo! Thor! Come over here! We've got plenty of room." She called.

Surprisingly, the two boys picked up their trays and came over.

Bo was a rather handsome boy with his reddish-brown hair and light, freckled skin. His brown eyes flickered between each of our faces, as though sizing us up. He didn't smile or talk much as he sat down between Bella and Thor. His neopet was an electric-blue Gelert named Thunder.

Thor, on the other hand, was only a few inches taller than myself. He had dark-brown hair (almost black), hazel eyes, and a slight stubbling of beard on his chin. He had an infectious smile that made me take an immediate liking to him.

But, it was his neopet that I took an interest in.

It was a Lupe the color of shale in a muddy river bank. It's eyes were a bloody crimson color and it glared angrily at Fangore who cowered behind me (not that I would make that great of a shield if he did attack) until I touched him on the head to calm him down. It was twice the size of Callaban and perhaps thrice the size of Fangore. Its paws were as big as my face and its jaws could have swallowed my head whole.

It took me a moment to realize the creature I was staring at was, in fact, one of the most dangerous Lupes ever to roam the face of the planet. Banned by the Neopian High Council because of its ferocity and its tendency to attack without warning. Perfect for Battledome competitions but still really hard to control or even tame. I was really astonished (more like mortified) that this boy of only fifteen could have obtained a Cave Lupe.

Thor placed a hand on the Cave Lupe's rump and gently coaxed him into a laying position. "Relax, Mudbane." Thor said, petting the thick fur on the creature's head.

"Mistress! It's a Cave Lupe!" Fangore whined in my ear.

The Cave Lupe let out a deep grumble and lay his head down between his massive forepaws while, at the same time, eying China who was seated comfortably in Maya's lap.

"What's wrong?" Thor asked as Fangore crawled into my lap and licked delicately at my chin.

"He's worried that your Lupe is gonna attack him." I said.

To my surprise, Thor smiled. "Who? Mudbane?"

I nodded.

Thor laughed even louder. "Mudbane's as tame as they come. He couldn't hurt a fly much less a normal wild Lupe. I've had him ever since he was a puppy—easier to tame that way. Nah. He won't do anything unless if my life was in danger or if I ordered him to."

I felt Fangore relax at this. Without further ado, introductions were made 'round.

A few occasions after that meeting, Bo and Thor would sit close with us. All this lasted until about early March; only over a couple of months after my thirteenth birthday.

As we were seated at supper, Bo asked me a strange question. "You wouldn't know anything about Eyries, would you?"

I shuddered but launched into the explanation of what Bo wanted to hear.

"Eyries (though beautiful, majestic, and looked upon as mighty creatures) were the world's worst nightmare. Though, not as bad or powerful as a Cave Lupe, Eyries were just as unpredictable, violent, and prone to attacking without cause or reason.

"They were revered as 'The Ancients' or 'The First-Ones'. The first neopets to even come to Neopia. Feathered, four-legged gods from the stars who created the planet we called home. This explanation was probably why nobody could tame them. Only a handful of people have ever even encountered an Eyrie and lived to tell the tale. Though there had only been a few cases of unexplained Eyrie attacks, Eyries never actually attacked—or killed—unless if their homes or nests were disturbed. People (including Trainers and Masters) were asked not to visit Eyrie inhabited lands to reduce the risk of serious injury or death."

Someone blew raspberries behind me. Looking up, I snorted when I saw that it was Kara who had made the noise.

"Eyries aren't that hard to tame." She said. "I bet you I could tame one even now."

"I wouldn't suggest it." Thor said. "With the best of luck, you'll only lose an eye. They're on the Dangerous list."

"They're not so dangerous." Kara said.

"Oh really, Kara?" I asked. She nodded and I could see the fury of being contradicted beginning to show on her face. "How many case reports have you read involving Eyrie attack accidents? How many of those people have survived an Eyrie attack without losing something?"

The color drained from Kara's face. "Only a few."

"Yes. Four out of thirty people have survived an Eyrie attack and just lost an eye or an arm or leg. We're just teenagers, Kara. Those guys were adults. What chance do you have against a three-hundred pound creature?"

"I'll take my chances." Kara said, storming away with Callaban at her heels.

I shrugged. On some occasions, she didn't try to argue with me. On others, it was usually best not to start a fight.

Suddenly, I had an ominous feeling that Kara was up to no good. I wasn't hungry anymore. Even with half a vegi burger sitting on my plate in the middle of excess mashed potatoes and gravy. Standing up, I roused Fangore. "Well, I have to start on a report of my own. I shall see you around."

Maya rose too. "I'll come with you." She said.

I shook my head. "I'm gonna be writing my essay." I indicated Thor and Bo (Bella had gone home due to some problem with her uncle). "You should stay here and keep 'em company."

"Actually," Bo began. "We need to go. Jason will be waiting for us to go on a nature walk."

Thor nodded. "Yeah It's an assignment from one of the upperclassmen classes. I'm just taking Bo along because he doesn't have anything better to do."

"We'll see you around, then." Maya said, allowing China to take her usual perch on her shoulder.

No sooner had we gone out of the cafe then Maya pulled me in close enough to whisper in my ear. "Tam. What's wrong?"

"It's Kara." I answered. "I think she's gonna try something stupid."

Maya's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "You don't think she would try to climb the fourth Mount Eyre, do you?"

I considered this. There were seven mountain ranges all inhabited by Eyries that were spread all over Neopia. All seven of them were addressed as Mount Eyre. The nearest one was only a quarter mile away from the Academy. Second-year students at the Academy climbed this Mountain during the day while the Eyries were dormant (since they were nocturnal beasts). Since Kara was a second-year student, she had gone through the training necessary to mountain climb (a skill expected for all Trainers to enhance endurance, strength, and stability).

"I think she'll try anything at this point." I said. "Kara has her pride and we only encouraged her by saying that taming an Eyrie is impossible."

"But it is impossible." Maya said. "Kara's a year ahead of us. She should know better than to actually attempt it."

"I fear that because we said it was impossible . . . she's liable to try it just to prove us wrong."

Maya tugged on my sleeve. "Then let's see if she's still in the room."

Our haste was wasted. No sooner had we entered the room then we were confronted by a sight that we knew would meet us. It had appeared that Kara had made a mad rush in an attempt to prove us wrong. The curtains to her closet were flung wide open and the bags to her neo-armor and climbing gear were strewn across the floor, limp and open.

"You're roommate is an idiot." Maya said.

I nodded. I knew she had her pride and a sense of rebellion. If someone said no, she would take that as an encouragement to do it anyway.

The image that came in my mind of Kara lying dead—her body marred with beak and claw marks—did not rest easily with me. I cringed and my stomach turned over. I bit down hard on my tongue to keep from throwing up.

"I have to find Thor." I said, as soon as the sensation of vomiting cleared. I went to my closet and began lacing up my hiking boots, shin guards, and gloves before armoring Fangore.

"And I'm coming with you." Maya said.

I shook my head. "I can't risk it, Maya." I said, tying off the last shoulder piece on the leather armor Fangore was to wear.

Maya grabbed my shoulder. "Listen. We've been through thick and thin. I'm not about to let you go off on a dangerous mission on your own. Besides, aren't we supposed to report runaways to campus security?"

"There's not time for that." I said, making sure my gloves were on tight enough. "They have to send out a report, organize search and rescue parties, do head counts, and report to her parents that she went missing. You really think the Eyries are gonna wait that long for that to happen?"

Maya shook her head. "Okay. Let me gear up and I'll meet you down in the lobby."

"I'm not waiting for you." I said, brushing by her. I didn't want to wait for reasons of my own. One, she was my best friend and I felt guilty about dragging her into this. Two, I was in a hurry to find my roommate and bring her back. And three, Kara was my roommate and, as such, I was supposed to keep her out of trouble.

Maya's hand closed around my shoulder and she turned me around. Her eyes were dark and hard and her voice had an ordering tone to it. "Tamara! I am going with you."

I glowered back at her. "Fine. But suit up fast."

"Will do." She called after me as I ran downstairs to wait in the lobby.

It only took a few minutes for Maya to come downstairs in full, Trainer battle regalia. She even wore the light green apprentice vest that all students were expected to wear whenever they left campus to visit the town. We walked down the trial with Fangore in the lead; sniffing out Mudbane's scent until we found Thor.

I quickly explained the issue to the older boy who nodded sagely. Then, turning back to his friends, he snapped out orders.

"Bo, report this to campus security. Tell them that a small-scale search party is looking for a second-year student named Kara. Tell them that we're going to the fourth Mount Eyre. Jason, Jesse, I'm going to need your grappling gear. These two girls are underclassmen."

The three boys who were with Thor quickly ran off to do as they were told. Jason and Jesse returned with their climbing gear and let us put them on. Jason's gear (whose I took) was quite big on me—considering that Jason was three times my height and almost twice my girth. I fumbled with the adjusting straps until they fit snug around my waist and legs. Then, I readjusted the helmet until it fit perfectly under my chin.

Before long, Maya and I were running after Thor toward the fourth Mount Eyre. Dangling from the rockiest face of the mountain was Kara's multi-colored rope. There was no sign of Callaban so we were forced to conclude that Kara had taken him up with her.

I looked at Thor. "How'd she manage to carry an eighty-seven pound Dire Lupe on her shoulders up that mountain?"

Thor shrugged my question off as though it meant nothing. "S'not that hard." He said. He turned back to Jason, Jesse and Bo. "You three can be our spotters."

Jason looked Maya and me up and down. "Thor, you really think it wise to let those two go up there? I mean, Jesse and I would be much better at climbing than these two first-years."

"Kara is my roommate." I argued. "I'm supposed to keep her out of trouble."

"And she's not going anywhere without me." Maya said, turning so that Thor could hook the carabineer to her climbing belt; the assembled rope already hooked onto the top of the mountain.

Thor glanced up at Jason. "There you have it, Jase. They're both persistent." Then, he put his hand on Maya's head. "Especially this one." Then, he put his hands on my shoulders and pressed his bristled cheek next to mine; his lip pouting and his voice a pleading tease. "Look at this face. Tell me you can't look at this face and say no."

Jason picked up Maya's rope. "Fine." He grumbled. "I'll be her spotter. Jesse, you can take the other girl's rope."

"And I'll be Thor's spotter." Bo said, hooking the carabineer to Thor's belt.

As for our neos, China latched onto Maya's back and held on hard. A carrying pack was fashioned for Fangore and was hitched across my back and around my waist. At first, the weight of the sixty-two pound Lupe was unfamiliar and seemed heavy to me but I found that I could still carry him. A similar pack was shaped for Mudbane and was hoisted onto Thor's back. Thor winked at me as he hooked the waist strap.

"You never know when you might need the help of a Cave Lupe." He said.

Without further ado, we mounted the cliff face and began climbing. Below us, our spotters grounded themselves and the ropes tightened every time we moved upward.

Fangore licked the side of my neck just as I felt a small twinge of concern. "Don't worry, Mistress. I'll protect you."

"But who's gonna protect Maya? Surely not China! I mean, what chance does a Mynci have against a full-grown Eyrie?"

"Would you like me to protect them too?" Fangore asked.

For a moment, I thought I was asking too much of my faithful neopet. He has done nothing except protect me since the day we bonded. I felt a small snag of guilt as I considered saying yes. Instead, I decided to test Fangore's multitasking ability. "Can you do that?"

"What? Pay attention to more than one thing at once? Probably. Besides, Mudbane will be there too and he's more than a match for some feathery beast that hides in a mountain."

"Then, don't worry about me." I said. "Focus on Maya."

"I have to protect you. You are my first priority."

"But, isn't it true that you're supposed to obey any order given to you by the human to which you are bound to?" I asked. Another twinge of guilt. I just had to use the communing card, didn't I?thought to myself.

"Yes." Fangore answered.

"So, I order you to watch Maya. Don't worry about me. Worry about her." I said.

Fangore was silent. I could feel the internal battle he was having with himself. Should he protect me, his Mistress? Or should he obey his Mistress's orders and protect her best friend? "I will do as you ask. But, only if I know you are safe." He compromised.

I gave a satisfactory sigh as I hoisted myself up onto the ledge. Thor—who was already there—hooked me under the armpits and hauled me up onto the landing. Then, he threw a thumbs-up to Jesse before helping Maya up and giving the same sign to Jason. Then, he unhooked the carabineers from our climbing belts.

I fumbled with the belt buckle that held Fangore's carrying pack to my back. Once it was unhooked, I slipped it off my shoulders and started to undo the straps holding the back to the actual backpack when Thor slapped my hands aside.

"No. Leave 'em."

"Why?" Maya demanded.

"Because, if we're attacked, we need to make a fast getaway. We won't have time to rehook the entire thing." Instead, Thor drew back the pack straps and tied them with a strip of twine. By shoving aside the straps, Fangore was able to move about easily.

"Tam." I heard Maya breathe.

I looked up at her from watching Thor do the same thing with Mudbane's pack and saw that Maya was pointing. Then, I saw the thing that Maya was pointing at.

It was Kara. She was sprawled out on her side. Her left arm was twisted at an odd angle behind her back and her shoulder looked out of place. Callaban was lying beside her; licking her face.

I went to her and placed two fingers on the side of her neck. Her heartbeat was a dull throb.

"Well, Doc. What's the prognosis?" Thor asked, teasingly.

"She's alive but unconscious." I answered, ignoring the jib. I stood up. "We'll have to get the cage to take her down."

"TAM! LOOK OUT!" Maya screamed as she shoved me down on my stomach, hard. All the air left my lungs at the force of the blow. My clothes billowing around me.

I heard a loud thump and, looking up, I saw a tufted tail hit Maya square in the stomach. Unfortunately for Maya, she was standing too close to the cliff edge.

I watched as she was sent flying over the edge. Her body bowed in a crescent-moon shape; arms and legs reaching out in front of her. For a moment, time seemed to slow down as I watched my best friend look at me with a glance that was both fearful and surprised. Our eyes locked just before she plummeted down to the grove of pine trees below.


in case you were wondering, maya is based off a girl i know named megan. no, she's not dead but my decision to kill her character was just how it turned out. i had no control over how this chapter was written out. i didn't want to kill her and i kept changing things around but it always came back to that last scene.