They travelled for a few days, Rick keeping the mood light with his more or less constant jokes. Eden woke early one morning and found Moonshadow watching Rick sleeping, with a pensive look on her face. Eden yawned, and Moonshadow glanced back at her. "Come on." She whispered, and Eden followed her away from their campsite. Once Moonshadow was sure Rick couldn't hear them she started speaking. "Eden," she began, "don't you think that something's, well, a little strange, about Rick." She carried on, speaking quite quickly. "I mean, he's always joking. He never seems to be serious about anything. And, well, tell me everything you know about him."
Eden blinked, surprised. "Well, he's… he's…" She stopped, and Moonshadow looked triumphant.
"See? And what does he know about us? Practically our entire life stories. He hasn't told us a thing about himself. He always avoids the questions." Eden glanced back towards the camp. Moonshadow sighed. "Eden…"
The yellow Lupe turned back to Moonshadow. "Alright, alright. Keep your fur on! We'll ask him, okay?" Se had barely finished the words when there was a cry from the camp. The two froze, then raced back to Rick. He seemed to be fine, and smiled at them as they hurried in. He was packing up his things. "What happened? We heard a cry." Rick blinked, and there was a momentary flicker of fear in his eyes. Or was it just Eden's imagination, playing tricks on her?
"Oh, that. I, I just rolled onto a thorn, that's all." There was a pause and Eden glanced at Moonshadow. "Now then, my divine deities, shall we pack up and move out, or unpack and move in here?" The other two laughed obediently and started packing up, both with their minds elsewhere.
They walked quite a way before stopping to eat lunch, and as Eden showed no signs of asking Rick about his past, Moonshadow took the initiative. "Why does food always taste better when you're eating outdoors?"
Rick smiled. "That's not the outdoors, Moon. That's my added secret ingredient, passed down from generation to generation for who knows how long?"
Moon smiled, used to Rick. "So who invented it? Your mother?"
Rick looked affronted. "But of course not! I said generations. It was invented by my grandmother, actually." He smiled as Eden laughed.
"What was she like?" Moonshadow asked.
Rick paused. "What?"
Moonshadow smiled. "Your grandmother. What was your grandmother like?"
Rick blinked, then smiled. "Oh, my grandmother. Well, she was… a very inventive cook!"
Moonshadow nodded. "But what was she like? What was your mother like?" Rick seemed stuck for an answer as Moonshadow plunged on. "Where did you come from? What was it like there? You know where we come from, what it was like there, so tell us a little about you, Rick. Because so far we know nothing." Rick said nothing, still listening to Moonshadow as she continued. "Not one single little piece of information, and you wouldn't offer us any if I didn't try to wrench it from you, would you? You'd just keep quiet about yourself until we ran out of things to say. Then where would you be?"
Rick looked down at the ground. "Lost." He said quietly. Eden blinked and Moonshadow paused, interrupted.
"What do you mean?" Eden asked, as quiet as Rick had been.
Rick looked her straight in the eyes. "I mean lost. Not like your father, gone, disappeared. I mean taken. Turned away." He shrugged. "Lost."
There was a long pause, then Moonshadow sat back. "Rick?"
The other Lupe sighed. "I'm going to really catch it for this. Alright. Listen up. This'll take a short while to tell.
"Aeons ago, when the world was young, there were two mighty powers. It should come as no surprise that there was one good, one evil. The good had created the world and everything in it. For that reason it was dubbed 'Creator'. The evil plotted to destroy, and tear the power away from the Creator for itself. It was named as 'Destroyer', or sometimes, increasingly often, as the Dark Lord.
"You might already have guessed that the Light Faerie is the earthly representative of the Creator, and the Dark Faerie is that of the Destroyer. In times of great need, the Creator and the Dark Lord can control the two Faeries, and pit them against one another. If they fought as themselves, the battle would totally destroy all of Neopia. Although they have battled slightly before.
"Darkness struggled for decades, but light always pushed back. The Destroyer had to be content with plotting its revenge. It did try, later on, after the beginning of the world, but its poorly planned attack was swiftly put down and the Dark Lord fled and went into hiding. Nobody is sure where. Or was sure.
"The Destroyer has been recruiting. Now he has a large army, all under his control, completely, and kept alive by his growing power. They've been brainwashed in a way. None of them properly remember freedom, or even what life before was like. The Destroyer has them hidden, somewhere safe. But not too safe. Every now and again somebody stumbles across it, and the Destroyer has a new recruit. People go looking, and more.
"I stumbled upon it, a while back. I was lucky. I've got a natural defence against the Dark Lord's powers. It'll take him longer to turn me to his will. But he could keep me there, and he did until my family wandered in, searching for me. He turned them, but told me he could release them any time he chooses, and sent me out. He did give me a job to do in return for their freedom, though." Rick stopped and fell silent again. Moonshadow glanced at Eden, who asked the inevitable question, although they both felt like they already knew the answer.
"What's the job?"
Rick looked back up at Eden. "You."
The yellow Lupe shivered. "Me how?" She murmured.
Rick sighed. "The Dark Lord wants your power. With you he could finally defeat the Creator. If you won't be turned, he wants you dead. He sent me out to fetch you to him."
Eden raised an eyebrow. "Why you? Why not send one of his more experienced, shall we say, trustworthy, minions?"
Rick smiled wanly. "He said my youth and charm would entice you after me. It was working, wasn't it?"
Eden's eyes widened slightly. "Rick…" She began.
Rick interrupted. "It could still work out for the best though, you know. There's still a way we…"
Eden jumped to her feet, eyes flashing with anger. "Rick! You… you imbecile!"
Rick blinked. "I don't like you saying that, when…" He began, but Eden interrupted him this time.
"What did you expect me to say? Oh, it's fine that you're working with the powers of evil trying to destroy the world, and me incidentally. I like a little danger in my life! Well tough! Go on back to your role model and let him brainwash you! Forget about everything! Forget about me!" Rick was stunned, and couldn't bring himself even to move as she strode angrily off through the trees.
Moonshadow blinked after Eden's outburst, then turned to Rick. "She likes you."
Rick shook his head to clear the confusion and stared at Moonshadow. "That was liking me?"
Moonshadow grimaced. "Well, not really like. More, sort of…" There was a yelp from the woods and both Lupes jumped up and ran for the sound.
There was a clearing. Eden was facing another creature, lurking in the shadows. Her hackles were raised and she growled. Rick and Moonshadow peered into the gloom, and managed to identify what looked like a dark cloak, with the hood up and hanging over the face of the creature wearing it. Its back was to the sun, so its face was in shadow. Rick blinked, then his eyes widened and he stepped backwards as the cloaked figure glided forward. Eden and Moonshadow got the impression of a particularly malicious smile before a deep voice bypassed their ears and appeared straight in their heads. "You failed, Rick. Now come and fetch your… payment." The fire Lupe went slowly and stood behind the cloaked figure, head down, refusing to meet both Eden's and Moonshadow's gaze.
Eden stepped forwards. "It's me you want, isn't it." She managed to sound calm, making a statement, instead of a question. "Well, I'm not joining you. Did you ever think for one moment that I would?"
The Dark Lord nodded its cloaked head slowly, not in answer to Eden's question. "But this way we have an even fight. Two against two." It raised an arm, the cloak covering even this from view, and shot a ball of dark magic at Eden. She leapt out of the way, and turned to see another, only just managing to dodge it in time. They hit trees, which turned into blackened stumps with a loud explosion. Moonshadow jumped at the Destroyer, hoping to knock it down, and the cloaked figure turned its attentions to her, moving aside from her attack with speed faster than lightning. Moonshadow landed and stumbled, having to catch her balance and wasting precious seconds. The Destroyer floated off the ground, behind them all, and shot dark magic at her. Eden yelled a warning and Moonshadow rolled over, the ball missing her by an inch. As Eden's back turned, the Destroyer launched an attack on her, and Rick leapt into action, hurtling across the clearing and knocking Eden aside. The dark magic missed. Rick bounded to his feet and leapt at the Dark Lord as the Destroyer flung a ball of dark magic towards them. It engulfed Rick and blazed a brilliant white before exploding. The Dark Lord laughed and vanished, as Eden froze, unable to prevent the strangled cry being torn from her throat. "Rick!"
To be continued…
