Chapter Six: Peopatra and Anubii
I slowly came to the conclusion that something was not right. My back ached and my neck hurt. My whole body was in pain.
My next discovery was that it was dark. Seeing as I couldn't open my eyes, it was night. I also couldn't move.
I groaned. I hated the dark! It ALWAYS taunted me with questions. Daring me to move through it, unguided and unhelped, not know whether safety or danger lurked ahead of my path.
Rather suddenly, something wet touched my face. I tried to stay calm. After all, it might be a wild petpet.
Then, the wetness was gone, and I heard a voice.
"No, no, Anubii. Leave her alone." A yipping bark responded to these words.
I was relived. It wasn't a wild petpet and there was someone here.
I couldn't move, but I was able to whisper.
"Please, please. Help me..." I trained off. Those few words had drained me.
I felt myself being lifted up into the air. Two, sleek things lifted me up. By the cold felling of them, they seemed to be hooves.
Summoning my strength, I lifted my head. Slowly, the darkness lifted and ebbed away.
I was looking into the face of a Desert Peophin. I saw the bright, stripped pattern of a tent above me.
Looking down, I was looking into the bright eyes of an Anubis. It barked and licked my paw.
Peopatra floated over to a corner of the tent and placed me down on what I could only assume was the counter.
She floated off and returned with a Bottle of Water.
"Here," she said, "Drink this."
I gulped down the water and felt a good deal better. The little Anubis scrambled up onto the counter and sat down by me. I absentmindedly stroked it.
Peopatra smiled. "I see you've met Anubii. She's a sweet little Anubis."
A question suddenly popped into my head. "Why hasn't she been bought? Anubises sell very quickly, don't they?"
She smiled. "Yes, they do sell very quickly. But I just couldn't part with sweet little Anubii here. So I made her my petpet."
"Hmmm," I said nodding.
A couple people and their pets came in and looked around. Peopatra drifted off to help them. Half an hour later she came back.
"Feeling better?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Alright then, follow me." She packed up and put a 'closed' sign on the tent flap.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"To Faerie Land. I want to take you to the Healing Springs."
"Why?"
"You have a very serious sun burn from being out in the desert sun. What were you doing out there, anyway?"
"Oh! I'd been doing a study on Coltzan's Shrine. Here, you can look at my notes... Oh no! Where are they!"
"Where are what?"
"My- my notes! They'd b-b-been in my backp-pack!"
"Oh, you mean this?" Peopatra said, lifting a green backpack off the floor.
"Yes, that's it... But were did you find it?"
"You fell over onto it when you fell asleep."
For the next few minutes, Peopatra looked through my notes on the mysteries I had solved.
"You seem to have done a lot of research."
"Yes, I guess I have done a lot."
"If I may ask, what were you studying about the Shrine?" Peopatra asked, looking at me over the top of my notebook.
"Oh... I wanted to know how often Coltzan would give you something..."
"Oh. That's easy! You can visit once every twelve hours."
I looked at Peopatra amazed.
"How did you know?"
"I've lived here all my life, haven't I?" she said. "Now lets get started. It may take a while to get to Faerie Land. Come on, Anubii. Oh, and if your not up to walking, you can ride on my back."
I slowly came to the conclusion that something was not right. My back ached and my neck hurt. My whole body was in pain.
My next discovery was that it was dark. Seeing as I couldn't open my eyes, it was night. I also couldn't move.
I groaned. I hated the dark! It ALWAYS taunted me with questions. Daring me to move through it, unguided and unhelped, not know whether safety or danger lurked ahead of my path.
Rather suddenly, something wet touched my face. I tried to stay calm. After all, it might be a wild petpet.
Then, the wetness was gone, and I heard a voice.
"No, no, Anubii. Leave her alone." A yipping bark responded to these words.
I was relived. It wasn't a wild petpet and there was someone here.
I couldn't move, but I was able to whisper.
"Please, please. Help me..." I trained off. Those few words had drained me.
I felt myself being lifted up into the air. Two, sleek things lifted me up. By the cold felling of them, they seemed to be hooves.
Summoning my strength, I lifted my head. Slowly, the darkness lifted and ebbed away.
I was looking into the face of a Desert Peophin. I saw the bright, stripped pattern of a tent above me.
Looking down, I was looking into the bright eyes of an Anubis. It barked and licked my paw.
Peopatra floated over to a corner of the tent and placed me down on what I could only assume was the counter.
She floated off and returned with a Bottle of Water.
"Here," she said, "Drink this."
I gulped down the water and felt a good deal better. The little Anubis scrambled up onto the counter and sat down by me. I absentmindedly stroked it.
Peopatra smiled. "I see you've met Anubii. She's a sweet little Anubis."
A question suddenly popped into my head. "Why hasn't she been bought? Anubises sell very quickly, don't they?"
She smiled. "Yes, they do sell very quickly. But I just couldn't part with sweet little Anubii here. So I made her my petpet."
"Hmmm," I said nodding.
A couple people and their pets came in and looked around. Peopatra drifted off to help them. Half an hour later she came back.
"Feeling better?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Alright then, follow me." She packed up and put a 'closed' sign on the tent flap.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"To Faerie Land. I want to take you to the Healing Springs."
"Why?"
"You have a very serious sun burn from being out in the desert sun. What were you doing out there, anyway?"
"Oh! I'd been doing a study on Coltzan's Shrine. Here, you can look at my notes... Oh no! Where are they!"
"Where are what?"
"My- my notes! They'd b-b-been in my backp-pack!"
"Oh, you mean this?" Peopatra said, lifting a green backpack off the floor.
"Yes, that's it... But were did you find it?"
"You fell over onto it when you fell asleep."
For the next few minutes, Peopatra looked through my notes on the mysteries I had solved.
"You seem to have done a lot of research."
"Yes, I guess I have done a lot."
"If I may ask, what were you studying about the Shrine?" Peopatra asked, looking at me over the top of my notebook.
"Oh... I wanted to know how often Coltzan would give you something..."
"Oh. That's easy! You can visit once every twelve hours."
I looked at Peopatra amazed.
"How did you know?"
"I've lived here all my life, haven't I?" she said. "Now lets get started. It may take a while to get to Faerie Land. Come on, Anubii. Oh, and if your not up to walking, you can ride on my back."