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Disclaimer: No, I don't own Hamtaro, and I never will.
Guess what?! It's the new story, sequel to Nothing you Love is Lost! Visit N.Y.L.I.L. under my FanFiction pen-name, TerraLuna17! I hope ya like it! For a picture of Keona, go here: http://www.geocities.com/viennawood/keona.jpg
New! Due to a request, I've made a picture of Meeka! It's not as good as Keona, but whatever. If you wanna send in some fanart, please do! I'd love some! To see Meeka, go here: http://www.geocities.com/viennawood/Meeka.jpg
Chapter Three: Will the Sun Rise?
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That night, Panda, Keona and Meeka found a cold, damp niche in a brick wall to sleep. Keona had lived there for several months at one point, so she had many surprises hidden in case she returned. She had hidden two books of matches, an old candle, a spare key to a grocery store, five pencils and a crayon, a lightbulb, a ripped quilt (At least five years old) and an ancient cat pillow, as well as several secret passageways.
Panda soon found that he was very grateful for her experience on the streets; without her, he probably would have been out of the picture as early as the incident with the cats.
As for Meeka, the two hamsters quickly grew accustomed to her, and grew to love her as their own daughter. Although neither of them mentioned it, taking care of Meeka really made them think about children. Watching Panda with Meeka, Keona couldn't help but smile.
The first night, they gathered the pillow, quilt and matchbooks, and settled down to sleep. As Keona and Panda struggled to start a fire, Meeka curled up on the pillow and slept. It wasn't until they had a tiny fire started that they turned around to check on Meeka.
With smiles, they tucked her into a warm position and both kissed her good night. For a while, neither Panda nor Keona said a word as they brought the flame up. When it was at a good, steady burn, they decided on a system of guarding; one would sleep for a half hour and the other would watch. Unfortunately, if a threat approached, the most they could do was run. They were, after all, only two hamsters and a baby mouse.
Since neither of the hamsters would admit to being tired, even though it was almost midnight, they stayed up and chatted quietly for a while.
"I can't believe we're actually out here, looking for Mina. It's so unreal," commented Keona thoughtfully, gazing at the twinkling stars.
Panda took her hand. "I know. It's been a long night."
Before Keona could reply, a harsh wind picked up and they heard Meeka shiver. Going to adjust her coverings, Keona said, "I think we should get to bed; it's awfully late."
Panda agreed to take the first shift. As the wind howled steadily louder around him, he too shivered, hardly awake. When he went to wake Keona up for her first shift, he discovered that she wasn't actually asleep.
"I can't sleep, it's way too windy. Tomorrow night, if we get out of the city, I have some friends who are quite hospitable. I'm sure we can stay with them." For now, Panda decided not to pursue this topic too much.
It was an unbearably rough night, but somehow they survived. At dawn, Keona woke Panda and beckoned him look. The first rays of the sun were peeking over the hilltops, casting the sky into deep shades of violet and indigo. Panda and Keona watched, unmoving, as the sun slowly rose and lit the night sky.
When the sun made its full appearance, Panda and Keona smiled and kissed. Honestly, neither of them were sure whether they would make it to see this sunrise. To see the merry sun sparkling on the buildings and awakening city brought them a great feeling of joy and relief.
Meeka scampered up to them and laughed, "Meeka!" Suddenly, Keona noticed something about their new friend that the moonlight hadn't revealed the night before. Meeka's eyes were a bright dawn-tinted violet, the most gorgeous things Keona had ever seen. When she pointed this out to Panda, he gasped.
"Wow! Purple eyes! You don't see those every day," he remarked, scratching his head.
"No," Keona agreed, smiling. "But they're beautiful, aren't they?" Meeka was obviously growing tired of standing around talking. She ran circles around Panda and Keona, crying, "Meeka! Meeka!" without stopping to catch her breath. Keona grinned.
"I suppose we should be on our way. Do we have everything we can carry?"
"Yeah," Panda nodded. "And I might add we could carry a lot more, if you wanted."
"No," Keona said firmly. "We don't need anything else. If I can find these guys, they can help us out a lot. We should get to their place by evening. Okay?" Panda smiled ruefully. He knew she had spent two years on the streets, and always wondered what kind of friends she had picked up. I guess I'll find out tonight, he thought decidedly.
So, with that, the three rodents started off into the bustling city, with more confidence than normal. Something about the young mouse who had joined them was strangely comforting, and helped them grow more confident.
After a few hours, the three began to get hungry. They soon discovered that Meeka didn't do things halfway. If she was upset, everyone was upset. She made herself very clear.
"Meeeee-ka!" she whined, making Keona bite her lip in despair. She turned to face Meeka.
"We're going to get some food soon, okay? We just need to leave the city."
"What's past the city?" Panda interrupted.
Keona's eyes sparkled in delight. "A gigantic cornfield, as far as the eye can see. Imagine... such a feast we'll have! Add that to the acorns and nuts outside the field, and we-"
"Are you telling me we have to get past a huge cornfield?" Panda said abruptly.
"No! Of course not! My friends live on the edge of the cornfield, near the middle. Once we reach their house, we spend the night. Only then do we brave the rest of the cornfield. 'Kay?"
Panda nodded, but still grimaced inwardly. It will certainly be a while before dinner, he thought unhappily.
Finally they began to see the last traces of the city. In the distance they could catch glimpses of hugely tall cornstalks waving in the morning breeze. At last the city was behind them and there was indeed a gigantic cornfield in front of them. They swerved to the edge and found a good place to rest.
While Meeka played with the butterflies and insects, Panda and Keona scurried up a stalk and worked on gnawing a cob off the stalk. In between bites, they chatted.
"Are we really going to keep Meeka all the way with us?" Panda inquired. "Something could happen to her..."
"What you don't think I -uh, we- are responsible enough to care for a child?" Keona demanded. Panda couldn't think of a suitable response, so he busied himself at getting the husk off.
A minute later, Meeka had scurried up the stalk herself. When Keona spotted her she yelped and stumbled, catching herself just in time. She took Meeka in her arms.
"See?!" Panda hissed. Keona scowled at him and climbed back down with the laughing mouse in her arms.
When she got back up to the top, she stopped to catch her breath while Panda watched amusedly as Meeka returned, a huge smile on her face. Suddenly Keona cried out; the corn had been almost gnawed through and now it was falling... the strain on the husk broke and the corn tumbled down to their resting spot, nearly taking the laughing child with it.
Keona once again got down the stalk with Meeka in her arms, Panda following close behind. Soon they had gotten the husk off and were preparing too late. Meeka, however, lacked the patience of her elders.
Upon seeing the corn she grinned, "Meeka!" and dove in, chewing it at a rate that would have seemed impossible. Quickly Keona and Panda took some for themselves and ate it off to the side.
"Ooh! This is good corn!" Panda exalted with his mouth full.
"Yeah, totally!" Keona agreed. It was indeed, some of the best, juiciest corn around, and they were lucky to have picked it.
Meanwhile, Meeka filled her tummy and joined the two hamsters, and settled in for a quick nap.
Stroking Meeka softly, Keona smiled, "We are lucky to have found her. She's like an angel..."
Panda agreed and kissed both girls softly, before realizing that Keona had fallen asleep as well. Smiling, he settled down to rest and guard his friends, alone with his thoughts. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Keona and Meeka woke up twenty minutes later, they prepared to leave, storing several kernels of corn and husk pieces with their stuff. They set out for several hours of walking. Though they walked for a time that seemed impossible, they never seemed to get anywhere. The stalks moved past them slowly, and only two hours later did they catch the first glimpse of the end of the cornfield, at least half a mile away.
When Panda wondered why they didn't see the house they would stay at, Keona explained. "Their house is hidden. See, they're not too fond of visitors... um..." Panda cocked an eyebrow, and Keona sighed.
"Actually, they're not really on good terms with the police, frankly." Panda blinked.
"They're outlaws," he said, nonplussed. Keona nodded eagerly.
"Thieves, yeah. It's a married couple of raccoons, and-"
"Raccoons?!" Panda demanded abrubtly. Keona flinched. "Meeka!" cried Meeka happily.
"Is that a problem?" She asked meekly.
"Of course! Golly, you mean I never told you? I've had traumatical experiences with raccoons," he explained dramatically. Keona rolled her eyes. She knew Panda's definition of 'traumatical experience'.
"When I was six months old, a raccoon chased me down the street and into an alley," He said sufferably. Keona laughed loudly.
"That's it?" she laughed, tears brimming at her eyes. "Honestly, Panda-"
"I was only a little kid!" he said indignantly. "And it was scary-" But Keona would not stop laughing, and now Meeka was laughing along with them, and eventually he joined in. For a while none of them paid attention to their surroundings, and before they knew it, they were there.