Chapter 20: The Myths on Land, Water, and Air

Chapter 20: The Myths on Land, Water, and Air

Angie saw a variety of mushrooms, some bell-shaped, and others cup-shaped. A long-snouted mouse was gathering some of them.

“Oh, ‘ello there. I’m Andy, and unlike everyone else here, I’m not mythical. I’m just some old mouse who lives here. However, I can say I’m unique ‘cuz of my long nose.”

“Hello there. I’m Angie and I’m here to break the walls. I’m pretty sure you can see them.”

“Oh, right. Those walls have kept me confined here, in mah cave.”

Andy was a kind mouse, letting Angie set up her sleeping bag in his cave and preparing mushroom soup for her.

After 15 days, Angie made it to a wooden bridge leading to the next area. Andy packed some mushrooms in a basket and gave it to her.

She thought that the Pet Snatchers forgot to place walls in the next area, but when she realized what was actually the case, she put her paw to her face.

“Ugh… are you kidding me right now? Oh, Pet Snatchers, you never miss an opportunity to put walls in the water. Just great!”

A kirin was standing on the island in the middle of the river.

“Wènhòu. I am Hui, and welcome to the Path of the Righteous. I can sense that while you are determined, resourceful, and polite, you tend to complain and to be a little bit close-minded. You also have the desire to protect others.”

Angie thought about this long and hard, and realized that she was right. She put on her wetsuit and started working on the first wall.

After 16 days, Angie was able to make it to the top of the stone stairs.

“Remember, I have told you your good qualities, and what can be improved about you. You are now going to higher ground, so it’ll be cold as winter. You’ll need my scarf.” Hui untied her red-and-white scarf and gave it to Angie.

“Thank you, Hui.” Angie replied, before putting on the rest of her winter gear and hopping up the stairs to Highest Heights.

Angie immediately started to break the wall right in front of her, and after a while, she started to get dizzy. She shook it off, but the dizzy feelings started getting worse. At one point, her claws were latched onto a high part of a wall. Just as she was about to tap the group of blocks she wanted, her vision blurred, and she blacked out, falling about 6 feet to the ground in the process.

After a while, Angie started hearing voices.

“Gee, is she okay?”

“Yeah, but…”

“She just had a bout of mountain sickness…”

“She’s obviously not mythical…”

“Mythical animals can’t get mountain sickness…”

“If she just has mountain sickness, then how do we explain the bruises on her back?”

“We found her in front of this annoying wall…”

“Must’ve blacked out while trying to climb it…”

“That about explains it…”

“Wait! I think she’s coming to!”

Angie found herself on the ground surrounded by griffons looking at her. She was wearing a mask attached to an oxygen tank.

“What… happened? The last thing I can remember is climbing a wall then…”

“You just got a bout of mountain sickness. You need to rest.” A griffon replied.

“But… if I need extra oxygen to not keep on blacking out here, how will I break the walls?”

“Listen. Why would you need to break the walls?” Another griffon chirped in.

“I’m on a journey to find my parents. I’m also breaking the walls to save the pets trapped in them.” Angie said weakly.

“Look, we got just the thing for you.” A third griffon said. “These barrels on our necks are magical barrels that can function as breathing devices that don’t need to be refilled or anything like that. Since this won’t be your last time climbing mountains, I suggest you keep this one. Just put your nose and mouth over the barrel’s opening, breathe normally, and you will be able to move freely. However, I suggest you don’t get for 2 days before you equip it and continue breaking walls. Now, let’s carry you to one of our houses so you can be treated better. The houses have as much oxygen as in land, so you don’t need the tank there.”

A pair of griffons put her on a stretcher and prepared to carry her, while others decided on whose house they would take her to. Finally, the griffons carrying her stretcher landed in front of a green-roofed house and took her in. As she was taken to a bed, she saw that the house’s interior was minimalist and clean. One of the stretcher griffons took off her oxygen tank.

Over two days, Angie made her own meals in the griffon’s house. She also conversed with the house’s owner, Grenda.

“So, my name’s Grenda and this here is my house. It’s been a long time since anyone visited us, and I believe it’s because the walls have been keeping us from going out. I can’t wait for your two days to end and for you to start breaking walls again, because I can’t wait to stretch my wings and fly around outside this town for a while.

When the two days ended, Angie took the barrel the other griffon gave her, strapped it over her nose and mouth, took her wall-breaking supplies, and headed back towards the first wall.

After 12 more days, Angie had reached the end of Highest Heights and started running towards Pretty Plains, a desert lined with cacti.

“Shucks! It’s been a long time since someone came here! Well, hello there, plucky one!” A jackalope said before hopping towards Angie. “I’m Jacko, nice to meet you!” He extended his paw and intensely shook Angie’s paw with it.

“Hello there. I’m Angie, and I just want to break the walls.”

“Walls? Well, that’ll explain why no one ever comes here anymore!”

17 days later, Angie stopped at a desert cliff. All she could see ahead of her was clouds. A rainbow suddenly formed before her.

“Go on, cross the rainbow.” A voice told her. She stepped on the rainbow, and it was like stepping on glass. A Pegasus came up flying towards her.

“Good afternoon.” The Pegasus said. “I’m Prince Iris, and I can understand your shock at this rainbow. Non-mythical pets may be surprised by magic like this, but I can make it happen with my Crystal of Unity. Out of the 5 sapphires on my collar, the center one’s the Crystal. Blue as the sky, it gives me the power to control clouds and rainbows. I can create messages of pictures to be read from afar with clouds, and I can light up dark places, create bridges, and shoot powerful beam with rainbows. However, my parents disappeared from my life before I was ready to rule, and now, I’m kind of lost.”

“First, let me relay a message from Princess Catarina. She saw a vision in her crystal ball confirming that the ones causing the walls to appear are also the ones causing the disappearances of most of the rulers. However, I know for sure that they are still in the Pet World, for Princess Catarina is now reunited with her mother. Your Majesty, I started my journey to find my parents, and I continued it to rescue all the pets and to find the missing rulers. Will you allow me to continue my journey?”

“Hmm, I can sense that your intentions are good. Therefore, I, Prince Iris, shall allow you to go beyond Mythical Meadow to Memory Lane.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Angie bowed towards Prince Iris.

18 days later, Angie had made it to Prince Iris’ castle.

“The clouds will lead you to Memory Lane.” Suddenly, Prince Iris’ Crystal of Unity glowed, and a pile of clouds gathered around Angie, picked her up, and whisked her away.

-End of Act II-

Angie’s inventory:

Thermos of water

Trail mix

Dried carrot

Dried apple

Bunch of grapes

Half-tub of ice cream

Tin of Arabica coffee beans

Clothing

Winter set: black beanie with blue pompom and lining, black scarf with blue tassels, black winter coat, and black boots with blue pompoms

Red-and-white scarf

Desert set:

Tunic and *shemagh (*desert scarf) (both white)

Wetsuit

Hard hat

Straw hat

Blue cap

Horned Helmet

Goggles

Others:

1 Firework Rocket

2 Skeleton Keys

5 Color Buster Balloons

1 Mesh Cutter

First Aid Kit

Flashlight + compass

Shell horn

Lasso (From Mount Petmore)

Telescope

Oxygen barrel

Mini-radio

Comic book

Map of the Pet World

Extra batteries

Matchbox

Blue sleeping bag