The desert sun made the sand like a hot plate under Lethal’s feet. He crept over each dune hoping the helicopters above wouldn’t spot him. He didn’t want to go back home. He’d rather die of thirst under the desert sun. Lethal was but a puppy of a Lupe, and escaping from the madman of an owner had to have been the greatest feat of his life. It might be the last.
The sun was only beginning its decline into the western sky and Lethal felt like he could take it no longer. No puppy was built for this, it just wasn’t his enviornment. His environment was his humble home, his Utopia within an imperfect world, and he wasn’t ready to give that up. But once Master had died, and his son had taken him home to his shabby hut…who builds a hut in the deep outskirts of the Lost Desert, anyway?
Lethal could hear the distant bussle of the town ahead of him, but all he saw were dunes…nothing but dunes. He heard a helicopter approaching. He began to dig, but unlike all the others, this one was too close, he hadn’t quite heard it in time over the sounds of the city. The helicopter swooped down to the sandy desert lands, creating a funnel of sand around him.
Lethal’s barking instantly turned to a growl when he saw who was flying the plane. Poachers.
“Come on, puppy, you’ll make a nice coat” said one of them. The other one yanked a rifle from the plane, but he was apparently a clumsy one and the gun fell to the ground, and shot off. The clumsy poacher fell to the ground, a wound on his leg. Lethal saw this as his chance. He gracefully and quickly trotted away.
“HEY! COME BACK HERE!” yelled the unwounded of the two.
Why do the enemies always yell that? Do they ACTUALLY think the person will come back?
Lethal ran quickly through the plainlands and there it was…town. A safehaven for a refugee Lupe. The town was surprisingly noisy. A crowd of people were all bunched around Coltzan’s shrine.
“It’s horrible!” cried Princess Vyssa. She was bawling, and Senator Palpus stood beside her with his head down.
Advisor Wessle split through the ground. Being a friend of Lethal from the many visits he and Master took to town, Lethal had no trouble getting his attention.
Wessle smiled at the sight of him. But his smile went away as he mumbled, “The crown has been stolen again”
Lethal gasped. “Oh my…any suspects?”
Wessle shook his head. “We did notice an odd amount of Blumaroo around on that day, oh, and Sankara was acting particularly strangely.”
Lethal wished Wessle luck and then continued on through town. He let out a long sigh. Master had always gone to the Coltzan shrine. He had bought the desert paintbrush that had painted Lethal so well with the 1000000 neopoints that Coltzan had given him just days before his tragic and mysterious death. Master died from a very strange helicopter wreck while on his way to Mystery Island with a delivery of codestones for the Tiki Man.
Lethal curled up next to Brucey’s War Tent and went to sleep quickly.
He felt a strange warm object brushing against his cheek and instantly awoke again. It was another Lupe, a fire-colored one.
Lethal rose to his feet. “Yes?”
“Hi, I’m Hatchet, I think I may need your help.”
“Help? With what?”
“Finding that crown.”
“What?! Don’t you think that should be left to Wessle and the kingdom?”
“Wessle? Wessle?! Wessle, as strong of an advisor as he is, won’t find out where the crown is if we don’t tell him.”
“Don’t tell him? Coltzan’s shrine is at stake…”
“The reward is 200000 neopoints”
“Well….” The reward was tempting for a Lupe who was living on his own, but what about his home land, what would Master think. “Okay, fine, I’ll help you. But don’t you think we need more people…”
“It’s covered” said Hatchet. At the instant he said it, as if premeditated, four other wolves came up behind him. “The yellow one is Antsy, the white one Snowowl, the faerie one is Angel, and the desert one is Nuke. We’re the Prowlers.”
Lethal greeted them. “Now, Hatchet, where do we need to go?”
“Roo Island.” replied the Fire Lupe.
“ROO ISLAND?! That’s near the Marketplace! That’s a little bit far don’t you think?”
“2 million neopets…Think about it, Lethal”
“How do you know my name?!”
“I suggest you take off your identification colors” laughed Hatchet.
“Agh! You’re right!”
The white Lupe named Snowowl stepped forward, and with sharp fangs, broke the collar off of Lethal’s neck.
“Why did you choose me…?” Lethal questioned.
“If you made it from the lost lands of the desert to here without being captured or poached, you must have some brains.” answered Hatchet. “I think brains is what we need.”
“I resent that!!!!” yelled out the yellow Lupe Antsy.
“Antsy, we’re common criminals, we can’t…” Hatchet started to remind.
“COMMON CRIMINALS?! I’m sorry, I can’t commit crimes for you.” interrupted Lethal.
“Lethal, we ran from home just as you have. We’re not criminals, that’s just a brand that the people of the desert give us who have to steal to thrive. Do you wanna die or go home?”
“No, I want to live, just better than I had been living before.”
“Then, come with us to Roo Island. It’s eat or be eaten. What do you say?”
Lethal sighed. This decision would change his life. It was die or hold out on his land for money. “As long as we find that crown for Coltzan…I suppose it’s okay…I’ll come.”
Hatchet nodded and smiled. The Prowlers were complete.
To Be Continued….
[Read Part 2] – Porygonix