Chapter five: The Mountain of Freezing
Evening came. Mewtwo and human stopped in a small cave to rest for the night. Since neither had any idea as to how to make a fire, they huddled together for warmth.
"Some climb, huh?" Sparky panted.
"Meh. I've climbed worse."
"Heh... the only 'mountain' I've ever climbed before this was my city's patron large hill. I've never been an athletic person, see. I'm pooped. G'night."
"'Night, Sparks."
In the middle of the night, Buck woke. He raised his head and snorted. Something was troubling him, though he knew not what. He lay quietly, listening to the mountain's wind, Sparky's quiet sleep-breathing, and his own, somewhat anxious breath. His eyes suddenly caught movement that was not of the mountain air, and he grew tense.
A strange reptilian quadruped was approaching the cave. He had oversized feet, was ice blue, and curious icicle-like things hung from his belly. Buck stood up, careful not to wake Sparky, and watched the creature approach. As the odd being grew closer, Buck noticed more and more of his body.
He was a little shorter than Sparky, and a bit less long than Buck was tall. The oversized feet had long, blunt claws that rested on top of the toes. He had huge, moose-like antlers that drooped in front of his muzzle, with his eyes barely showing through the spikes. Two wings were folded at his sides, with icicle-like spikes on the joints and along their edges. The tail had spikes along its bottom, and a single one hung from his chin.
The stranger sat down in front of the cave and said nothing. Buck tried to catch his scent, but it was in vain. The Mewtwo looked at the dragon's back trail and realized there were no tracks. He fidgeted uneasily, nearly stepping on Sparky. The visitor finally spoke: "Hail, brother."
Buck looked at him with one eye, then the other, weighted odds in his head, and decided to return the greeting. They stared at one another for a few minutes. The stranger once again spoke first: "I come here to help you find the Queen of Ice."
*Now how did he know that?* Buck thought. He simply nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"The wall at the back of this cave will give way if both you and your human press on it. Is will reveal a tunnel. This will lead you strait to the Queen of Ice. Understand?"
"Um... yeah..."
"Very good."
And that was that. The advice-giver stepped back a few paces and spread his wings. A blast of wind stirred snow in front of the cave, and when it cleared, he had gone.
Buck stared out the cave, particularly where the dragon had sat. No butt-print. He looked down at Sparky, who was shivering. He made an 'I give up' motion with his arms and laid down beside his human. Fatigue eventually overcame confusion, and he fell back into sleep.
* * *
When next Buck woke, the sun was up. He yawned and stretched, then nudged Sparky's head with his muzzle. She made an unintelligible moaning noise and swiped at him. He smirked and shoved her with his shoulder, sending her into the cave's wall. She yelped awake, and Buck laughed.
The teenaged human strutted to where her glasses lay behind Buck's tail, dramatically snapped them open, and stepped firmly on her Mewtwo's tail.
"IIIKE!" Buck cried. Sparky placed her glasses on her nose and smirked. Buck stood and sighed, "Fair enough. Say, Sparks?"
"Ya?" she yawned.
"Help me push this wall in."
"Um... okay."
They placed their hands on the cave's back and pushed. After only a few moments, it collapsed, revealing a tunnel.
"Cool!" Sparky exclaimed, "How'd you know that, Buck?"
"Ehr, I had another dream-vision, I think. We follow this; we'll go strait to the Queen of Ice."
As they started through the tunnel, Sparky said, "It sure is pretty in here. Say Buck?"
"Yeh?"
"What's the deal with all this 'Hail brother' stuff in Lowger?"
"Term of respect. 'Brother' and 'sister' are use for their respective genders, and 'cousins' is used for a group of mixed genders."
"Oh. Hey, look!"
Sparky pointed excitedly ahead. The tunnel was ending, and they could just make out the silhouette of a large bird against the exit. Buck greeted her, "Hail, sister!"
The bird looked their way, and in an almost singing voice, said, "Hail cousins! What brings you to my mountain? And how'd you know about the cave?"
The two companions reached the exit and stood in the beautiful blue bird's presence. "Hello, Queen of Ice." Sparky said, a bit shakily. Her exited breathing made quick puffs in the air.
The Articuno made an expression that conveyed the same emotion as grinning. "The One Who Speaks!" she cried, "She has come at last! Human-chick, I have waited long for you. Dreams have haunted me for a hundred years of your coming."
She turned her gaze on Buck. "You were in the dreams too, Mew-chick. You who sees visions. You who wanders in search of your Clan. And I am to help, though I know not how. But we will speak of this later! She Who Speaks," and the bird refocused on Sparky, "I know from my dreams that you are a Namer. For far too long, humans have known me as 'Articuno.' This is not my Name! Speak now, little human. Speak now my true Human-name."
Sparky looked at Buck. He smiled and made a 'go ahead' motion with an arm. The human took a deep breath and approached the Queen of Ice, placing a hand on her white belly plumage. Sparky looked at her wings of ice, her tail that flowed like a blizzard's wind, the three feathers that shot out of her head like icicles, and the way her crystalline feathers glinted in the morning. And the human looked up at her eyes, past the steam rising from their breath, and spoke the Ice Bird's Human-name:
"Artica. Artica the Articuno."
Silence pervaded for about 30 seconds. It shattered with the newly named Artica screaming her name to the mountain repeatedly. She was overjoyed. After a full minute of cheering, she focused again on her new friends.
"I don't believe I know your names."
"Sparky."
"Buck."
"Buck... you see visions, correct? What told you to bring yourself and Sparky to my mountain?"
"Well, my dead father came and told me to find the 'Five Soarers' with Sparks here. This Sneasel led us to your mountain, we climbed it, and here we are"
"Artica?" Sparky asked, "Do you know where the other Birds are?"
The newly Named Artica shook her head sadly and said, "We haven't seen each other for seven hundred years."
The group thought quietly for awhile. Sparky finally said, "I'm hungry. I propose we go to Celedon and get some eats."
"Hear hear," Buck said.
"Breakfast would be nice."
And so, with Sparky riding Artica and Buck bounding down, they descended the mountain.
When the gatekeeper beheld the mythic bird, his jaw dropped and he babbled incoherently. The trio laughed and continued on their way to Celedon.
Evening came. Mewtwo and human stopped in a small cave to rest for the night. Since neither had any idea as to how to make a fire, they huddled together for warmth.
"Some climb, huh?" Sparky panted.
"Meh. I've climbed worse."
"Heh... the only 'mountain' I've ever climbed before this was my city's patron large hill. I've never been an athletic person, see. I'm pooped. G'night."
"'Night, Sparks."
In the middle of the night, Buck woke. He raised his head and snorted. Something was troubling him, though he knew not what. He lay quietly, listening to the mountain's wind, Sparky's quiet sleep-breathing, and his own, somewhat anxious breath. His eyes suddenly caught movement that was not of the mountain air, and he grew tense.
A strange reptilian quadruped was approaching the cave. He had oversized feet, was ice blue, and curious icicle-like things hung from his belly. Buck stood up, careful not to wake Sparky, and watched the creature approach. As the odd being grew closer, Buck noticed more and more of his body.
He was a little shorter than Sparky, and a bit less long than Buck was tall. The oversized feet had long, blunt claws that rested on top of the toes. He had huge, moose-like antlers that drooped in front of his muzzle, with his eyes barely showing through the spikes. Two wings were folded at his sides, with icicle-like spikes on the joints and along their edges. The tail had spikes along its bottom, and a single one hung from his chin.
The stranger sat down in front of the cave and said nothing. Buck tried to catch his scent, but it was in vain. The Mewtwo looked at the dragon's back trail and realized there were no tracks. He fidgeted uneasily, nearly stepping on Sparky. The visitor finally spoke: "Hail, brother."
Buck looked at him with one eye, then the other, weighted odds in his head, and decided to return the greeting. They stared at one another for a few minutes. The stranger once again spoke first: "I come here to help you find the Queen of Ice."
*Now how did he know that?* Buck thought. He simply nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"The wall at the back of this cave will give way if both you and your human press on it. Is will reveal a tunnel. This will lead you strait to the Queen of Ice. Understand?"
"Um... yeah..."
"Very good."
And that was that. The advice-giver stepped back a few paces and spread his wings. A blast of wind stirred snow in front of the cave, and when it cleared, he had gone.
Buck stared out the cave, particularly where the dragon had sat. No butt-print. He looked down at Sparky, who was shivering. He made an 'I give up' motion with his arms and laid down beside his human. Fatigue eventually overcame confusion, and he fell back into sleep.
* * *
When next Buck woke, the sun was up. He yawned and stretched, then nudged Sparky's head with his muzzle. She made an unintelligible moaning noise and swiped at him. He smirked and shoved her with his shoulder, sending her into the cave's wall. She yelped awake, and Buck laughed.
The teenaged human strutted to where her glasses lay behind Buck's tail, dramatically snapped them open, and stepped firmly on her Mewtwo's tail.
"IIIKE!" Buck cried. Sparky placed her glasses on her nose and smirked. Buck stood and sighed, "Fair enough. Say, Sparks?"
"Ya?" she yawned.
"Help me push this wall in."
"Um... okay."
They placed their hands on the cave's back and pushed. After only a few moments, it collapsed, revealing a tunnel.
"Cool!" Sparky exclaimed, "How'd you know that, Buck?"
"Ehr, I had another dream-vision, I think. We follow this; we'll go strait to the Queen of Ice."
As they started through the tunnel, Sparky said, "It sure is pretty in here. Say Buck?"
"Yeh?"
"What's the deal with all this 'Hail brother' stuff in Lowger?"
"Term of respect. 'Brother' and 'sister' are use for their respective genders, and 'cousins' is used for a group of mixed genders."
"Oh. Hey, look!"
Sparky pointed excitedly ahead. The tunnel was ending, and they could just make out the silhouette of a large bird against the exit. Buck greeted her, "Hail, sister!"
The bird looked their way, and in an almost singing voice, said, "Hail cousins! What brings you to my mountain? And how'd you know about the cave?"
The two companions reached the exit and stood in the beautiful blue bird's presence. "Hello, Queen of Ice." Sparky said, a bit shakily. Her exited breathing made quick puffs in the air.
The Articuno made an expression that conveyed the same emotion as grinning. "The One Who Speaks!" she cried, "She has come at last! Human-chick, I have waited long for you. Dreams have haunted me for a hundred years of your coming."
She turned her gaze on Buck. "You were in the dreams too, Mew-chick. You who sees visions. You who wanders in search of your Clan. And I am to help, though I know not how. But we will speak of this later! She Who Speaks," and the bird refocused on Sparky, "I know from my dreams that you are a Namer. For far too long, humans have known me as 'Articuno.' This is not my Name! Speak now, little human. Speak now my true Human-name."
Sparky looked at Buck. He smiled and made a 'go ahead' motion with an arm. The human took a deep breath and approached the Queen of Ice, placing a hand on her white belly plumage. Sparky looked at her wings of ice, her tail that flowed like a blizzard's wind, the three feathers that shot out of her head like icicles, and the way her crystalline feathers glinted in the morning. And the human looked up at her eyes, past the steam rising from their breath, and spoke the Ice Bird's Human-name:
"Artica. Artica the Articuno."
Silence pervaded for about 30 seconds. It shattered with the newly named Artica screaming her name to the mountain repeatedly. She was overjoyed. After a full minute of cheering, she focused again on her new friends.
"I don't believe I know your names."
"Sparky."
"Buck."
"Buck... you see visions, correct? What told you to bring yourself and Sparky to my mountain?"
"Well, my dead father came and told me to find the 'Five Soarers' with Sparks here. This Sneasel led us to your mountain, we climbed it, and here we are"
"Artica?" Sparky asked, "Do you know where the other Birds are?"
The newly Named Artica shook her head sadly and said, "We haven't seen each other for seven hundred years."
The group thought quietly for awhile. Sparky finally said, "I'm hungry. I propose we go to Celedon and get some eats."
"Hear hear," Buck said.
"Breakfast would be nice."
And so, with Sparky riding Artica and Buck bounding down, they descended the mountain.
When the gatekeeper beheld the mythic bird, his jaw dropped and he babbled incoherently. The trio laughed and continued on their way to Celedon.