Blinking rapidly, I found myself in the bustling town of Junonpolis. The sun shone brightly down upon the busy streets. Vendors called out their wares and shoppers scurried from stall to stall. In the flurry of haggling, I strolled along the shops, sporadically checking random stalls. Seeing nothing of interest, I continued my lazy walk around the main square. As I approached the bank, someone ran by with a dog. I want a dog.
I rapidly looked around, searching for that person. A moment later, I spotted him standing by the weapons merchant. He was busy chatting with the merchant, so I stood to the side. When he finished, I tapped his shoulder to get his attention. He turned to face me.
"Yes?"[/size]
"Sorry to disturb you," I said, "but where did you get your dog?"
"Dog?" He looked confused.
"Yeah! The one running with you just a moment ago."
"Oh. I fought off an angry mother outside the Gates of Muris. Not sure why it was angry, but it was going to destroy the Gates."
"Okay, thanks for the info!"
"No problem." He ran off.
I headed over to the Ship. After a quick flight, I landed in the City of Muris. Arid winds whipped flecks of sand around, scratching at my face. I put on a Junon Mask and some Desert Goggles to protect myself from the flying sand. I ran down the stairs, through the quiet, empty streets of the city, to arrive at the city gates. Looking around for any guards, I pushed the gates open and slipped out into the untamed desert.
I was immediately buffeted by much stronger winds. Shielding my eyes, I pushed forward, looking for the mother. My eyes swept left and right, but the sand-filled winds greatly impaired my vision. Now without any sense of direction, I stumbled across some bones and heard a soft “whuff”. I must be getting close.
Baby dogs milled about, but for fear of them alerting the mother of my presence, I decided to Camouflage. Though despite being invisible to the eye, one could still see my footsteps in ground, and the wind clearly whipped around my body. I continued forward, searching for the mother. Perhaps I could get away with just finding and taming a puppy.
No such luck. With only a moment’s notice, I dove forward, narrowly avoiding a sweeping tail. The displaced air drove me into the soft earth. I felt myself sinking. Was this quicksand? At least I knew where the mother was now. Of course I had forgotten that dogs were known for their sense of smell. No point in attempting to be sneaky anymore, so I charged forward (or what was more like stumbling), my shiny claws sparkling in the sun. The mother loomed in front. When I was within range, I jumped, raking my claws down its hide. I attacked furiously, scratching along its entirety. But its hide was too thick. All my effort had to show were a few light cracks here and there. It roared, belching blazing hot air at me. The stink of teeth covered in sandy brush and wet tongue wafted out, stunning me. In the time I was immobile, it took the chance to swipe at me with its paws, sharp claws bared. I took the hit dead on, rivers of blood erupting from the deep wound. The surrounding sand turned pink before regaining its color as new sand swept over. It shook itself out, roaring again. Before I lost too much blood, I quickly applied a bandage and drank a concoction that made the blood clot quickly. Gathering up energy in my shoulders and focusing on the heat emanating from my wound, I jumped up, wincing a little, and drove a flaming uppercut into its jaw. Its jaw afire, it whimpered and busied itself with trying to pat it out; but, in its pain, it forgot to sheathe its claws. Exhausted, I sat on a rock jutting out of the ground to the side of the animal. Its feeble attempts gradually slowed until it finally was at rest, sinking into the ground. I pushed myself up off my seat.
I squinted. There was no puppy to be seen. However, a dull bone laid magically atop the sand where the heavy body had sunk. I picked it up. It didn’t look too special, so I waved it around, hoping to attract a puppy. The faintest whuff floated out from the Gates. Not sure if I imagined it, but seeing as I was finished here, I slowly trotted back, pain still lashing out through my body. By the time I reached the Gates, the pain had faded to a dull throb. I entered the Gates, welcomed by the calm, still air of the shielded City. Continuing to wave the bone around, I limped forward. As I was approaching the center pyramid, I stumbled over a small bundle of fur. I groaned in pain. The bone slipped from my grip, tugged away by the Thing. When I could finally open my eyes, I was met with sight of a floppy, drooling, smelly baby cow. Meowww, it yelped. My bone but maybe I will keep you company for a while as repayment, it yawned, sucking at the bone. My eyes widened. I ran back to the ship, trying to escape it, but my wound prevented me from achieving my top speed. I couldn’t lose it. It clung onto me as I hopped onto the ship.
Back in Junonpolis, followed by this ugly thing, I ran to the shops. Would anyone like a cow, I shouted. It can talk, and I’m sure, provide sustenance! Everyone ignored me. Out of desperation, I went back to my old village in Adventurer’s Plains. If I couldn’t sell it, I’d give it away. Everyone in the village likes free things. As I tried to give it, it bit deep into my hand. I couldn’t shake it off. I despaired. What was I to do with this? I couldn’t take care of it even if I wanted to.
“Psst.”
My head whipped around. Nobody seemed to be the culprit of the whisper.
“We’ll take care of it for a down payment. We can’t guarantee it’s lifestyle, health, or any transmutations, but we can take it off your hands temporarily. Just sit near the campfire and we’ll whisk it away.”
Immediately, I sat by the campfire, eager to be free of the monster. As I was blinking, I felt my hand lighten. It was gone. All my pains to find a dog resulted in...nothing. I blinked back tears of frustration. If not a dog, maybe I will have luck finding a kangaroo. There were certainly plenty back near the Gates. However, I needed to rest up before I went hunting again. My eyes closed, my breath deepened, and I entered a deep slumber.
Mommy Dog
Baby Cow
Edited by Nifa, 02 October 2013 - 04:36 PM.
