Part 2: The NER and The Wonderful Kevin The next day consisted of a tour around the NER. It was a big place, but we covered it. The first floor consisted of mostly bedrooms, the kitchen and the living room. The Animal Hospital and Research Centre was also located there. The hospital was a huge white room, humming with bright light. There were medicinal cabinets, tables, pens, ointments, medicines and linen wraps. Around the room there were also various cages, I walked to the closest one. Inside of this particular cage there was what appeared to be a podgy bird. The bird was pure white and quite rounded, with a tiny, hooked, black beak and beady eyes. Both the bird and I jumped when a voice came from behind me. This is a Willow Ptarmigan, hes broken his left wing quite badly, the bird shuffled around, revealing the bandaging on the left side of his body, Hes a miracle bird, to say the least! The speaker looked at me with emerald eyes, Im Angel, its nice to meet you, The brilliant white pegasus said. She had a very long, blonde mane that she had tied up in a ponytail with a neat curl at the end. Her tail looked pretty much the same, tied up and finished with a curl. However, the most prominent feature on this pony were her deep, green eyes. I fell over my words, I... Its n-n-nice t-to meet you too, I smiled and turned back to the bird, shyly. We stood at the cage, watching him wander and scrape at the sawdust, then Angel said, Would you like to hold him? I fluttered my little wings excitedly, R-really? Angel moved forwards and opened the cage, she picked the bird up gently in her hooves and handed him to me. To begin with he flapped around a bit, but then settled in the crook of my foreleg. He gurgled contently, Was that the ptarr-maay-gen? I asked Angel inquisitively, It was, she smiled Ptarmigans, make some very funny noises! The ptarmigan gurgled again, as if in agreement. Does he h-have a name? I asked, He doesnt, which is a shame because he could be here for a while... Angel replied. Kevin, I said. What? Angel sounded puzzled, We can call him Kevin! Everyday I went to visit Kevin in the hospital with Angel, it was nice to have something to do. Storm was too busy upstairs (where I was definitely not allowed) with Dusty and a pony called Sora, who I had never met. So I stayed downstairs and helped with what I could. Angel told me all about the animals that lived around there, from the tiny stoats to the humongous polar bears. She also taught me all about medicines and what you could make with very little. In the week or so that I had stayed at the centre, I met another pony. Morokei. I didnt like Morokei, he was very loud and boisterous. When he was with Angel I tended to hang out with Kevin. Kevin was much more pleasant to be around. Morokei was a deep, oceanic blue, with a bright, electronic blue mane and tail which consisted of neat curls. His eyes were a sharp yellow and his humour was cruel. Angel and Morokei seemed to talk more and more as the days went by, so it was just Kevin and I. Kevin had reached the point where he now followed me around the house, with a handful of seed... He was all I had in the cold of the North. The weeks continued like this, Kevin and I against the world. Until it was nearing Hearths Warming Day... Kevin was curled up at the end of my bed as usual, much like a cat. He cooed a gurgle-ey coo and nuzzled into his good wing for the night. Goodnight Kevin, I love you too, you know its Hearths Warming Day tomorrow, I might have got you a special present. But dont tell the others! I yawned, Kevin gurgled in response. I fell asleep quickly that night, eager to wake up early on the holiday. I awoke abruptly, something was wrong. There was arguing coming from the kitchen and Kevin was gone. WE DIDNT HAVE ANY TURKEY, YOU SAID YOURSELF! IT BECAME TAME! IT COULD HAVE NEVER BEEN RETURNED TO THE WILD! THIS STUPID BIRD IS USELESS TO US, ITS NEVER GONNA HEAL! THERE IS NO PLACE FOR IT HERE ANY LONGER! It was Morokei. There was a crash. I bolted from my bed to the kitchen.I reached the kitchen entryway and screamed. To my horror Angel was lying limp across the kitchen floor, her body battered and bruised. Her hair was loose and messy, blood dripping from her split lip. I turned to the blood soaked surface, grimacing. Kevins head rolled across the counter, his eyes staring blankly and coldly. Morokei held a knife. Kevins lifeless body was under his hooves. I stared in terror at the scene before my eyes. YOU MONSTER! I yelled at the top of my lungs and ran as fast as my hooves would carry me, outside of the centre. Once again the cold was snapping at me in the vast tundra, but this time I was alone. My hair billowed around me and my tears felt as though they were freezing on my face. I stood still for a moment. My heart was aching from the loss of my pet, and hope that Angel was okay. I took a step. There was a crisp crackle as my hoof left a print in the snow. I sighed and walked on. My cousin was gone, Morokei was evil and Angel had no time for me. I carried on walking to where the ice met the water a little way from the back of the centre. I kicked up the snow, watching it rise and fall to the ground. I heard a groan to my left and stopped dead. There was silence. I kept walking by the side of frozen sea until I was met with a huge formation of icy rock. There was a gap in the formation, I stuck my head in curiously. The inside of the formation was hollow, it was den-like. Quite cosy, but bright. The gaps in the rocks were cemented tight with ice, letting in warm light and providing defence against the wind. I ventured further inside. There was no snow on the ground inside, the magnified sun rays had melted it. The ground was instead dry earth, with a few snowdrops just visible beneath the dust. They mustve come early that year. I heard another groan, closer this time. I backed down in the cave I had found, there was a distorted shadow visible through the ice. It was nearing the entrance if the den. I woke up thrashing, I kicked something and yelped. Scrabbling in the earth where I had fainted. I opened my eyes and stood calm, panting lightly from my panic. Just next to me there was another pony. His coat was a dark shade of grey and his mane and tail were deep black. His left ear was torn up and he had a few deep scars. He was very cob-like and big. The stallion was kneeling in the dirt, looking up at me with grey eyes. I broke away from the ponys eyes and looked around the cave. There were a few furs on the floor where I had risen from as well as a heavy blanket over the entry-way. Lucky I found you, his voice was rich and dark, Any longer and youd be polar bear meat or frozen stiff! I shivered. Im Otar, the stallion stood up, towering above me, And you are..? S-Snowie... I mumbled, Well Miss Snowie, we must get you back to the centre, everyone is looking for you, Morokei killed my bird... I trembled and the sadness crept up on me once more, I know, sweetheart... Morokei isnt the nicest pony in Equestria... I dont want to go back... I said You have to, its not safe out here alone. Now come on, He lifted me onto his back and wrapped his furs around me, Its cold out here, he ducked out of the cave and started towards the NER, Yeah, Id like that, I replied.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 17:02:47 +0000