Dreamworlds: Footprints and Pawprints

  “And ‘Juvenile’?” Colin asked.

  “That’s it’s growth stage. Comrades start from Cubs or Hatchlings, then go to Juvenile before becoming Adults.” Nami explained. “Juvenile means it’s still young and not yet fully grown.”

  “Her.” Colin corrected. “Meek is a ‘her’. Not an ‘it’.”

  “Her.” Nami nodded. “Check her abilities.”

  Colin tapped the tab.

  “Uhoh.” Nami pointed to the ‘Str 1’ bar. “This is the weakest creature I’ve ever seen.”

  “She’s only level 2.” Colin replied. “And there’s no reason to worry about strength.”

  He pointed to ‘Spd 5’ and ‘Feline Finesse’ trait. “I think Meek might actually be useful in a fight.”

  When Meek reached level 7, she’d be only half as fast as Shiro, but then, Katrin said nothing was as fast as Shiro.

  Still, there were other things he didn’t understand. Colin pointed “What’s this?”

  “Packrat…” Nami read. “This girl knows how to store more things in less space.”

  “And these two?” Colin pointed to the other two Traits.

  “ ‘Hiding Sense’ means it can find hiding places more quickly than others… whether it’s a place to hide, or whether it’s the hiding place of something else.” Nami told him. “ ‘Stealthy’ means she can move in ways that are not so noticeable. More quietly, and less obviously, so people might miss seeing her.”

  “That’s good.” Colin said. “I’d rather not let her get attacked in the first place. I want to bring her along to find things, not get into fights.”

  “Well, then, I’d say you have what you’re looking for.” Nami said. “Place your foot next to hers on the plate, please.”

  ***

  The next time Colin opened Meek’s profile, her image was tagged ‘Meek, Common Lynxmouse Juvenile’.

  “Welcome to the Journey, Meek.” Colin told the Lynxmouse.

  “Meek.” She replied. “Meweek. Mik, mik, mik, mik.”

  “Don’t worry about being useful.” Colin reassured her. “I picked you for a reason, and I know you’ll do the job well.”

  “Mik.” She said, and scurried up to Colin’s right shoulder.

  Now with a wolfcat on one shoulder and a Lynxmouse on the other, Colin entered Town once more that night.

  Dani was talking to Henry when Colin arrived back at the Gym. Colin eyed Henry and noted his progress.

  Henry had two Lynxmice and a Redbit. He also wore a brown leather backpack, and a red cap which seemed to have a flip-down magnifier scope built in on one side.

  I have to go and get those. Colin thought.

  The wall behind him opened again, and a sharp voice asked, “Henry! How long are you going to take? Are you ready?”

  Colin and Henry turned at the same time to see Rita standing there with her own Comrades and travel gear.

  “Rita! I’m almost done…” Henry began.

  Rita, though, had seen Colin and seemed to have forgotten about Henry entirely. “Colin? What happened to Katrin? Weren’t you two Travelling together?”

  “Um…” Colin began.

  Rita talked so fast, Colin couldn’t get a word in. “I mean, that’s what we do, right? Jonah, Alicia and Larry are going all over the place together, and you and Katrin were going south, so I paired up with Henry, because I couldn’t find Phillip and… Colin? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Actually…”

  Rita fired out words like a machine gun. “Well, whatever it is, I don’t see her anywhere, and you seem to be alone now. You know, if Jonah, Alicia and Larry can get along like that and do so well, we should band together as a trio also!”

  “Rita…”

  Rita went on like a train. “The first thing you need to do is get travel gear! Get a backpack, and a cap with a mag-scope! And buy food for your Comrades… you’ve brought two… another Lynxmouse?! Oh dear…. But better than nothing. Is that your Starter Comrade, by the way?”

  “My…”

  “Fancy that, you and Henry both starting with Lynxmice! You know, I was thinking of starting with one myself, but the thing is…”

  Colin stopped listening to Rita for a moment and glanced at Henry. “Is she always like this?”

  “Always.” Henry said gloomily. “I can’t get more than a word in edgewise. She can go on like that all night, I think.”

  “And did you know, I heard of someone who managed to raise a Lynxmouse so strong, it could defeat lions?!” Rita was saying. “I can’t remember the name of that thing… what was it…? Let me think. Oh, forget it. I’m never very good with names. You know, my mom’s brilliant at names, but I…”

  “Are you really going to Travel with her?” Colin asked Henry.

  “I already said I would.” Henry said. “Before I found out she was a chatterbox.”

  “Where are you guys going, anyway?” Colin asked.

  “North, to Riverside Town, using the road that follows the river. They’re holding a Treasure Hunt tonight, something simple enough for beginners.” Henry said. “Lynxmice, remember?”

  “Sounds good.” Colin agreed. “But… Rita?”

  “She offered to help me out all the way to Hot Sands Village.” Henry told him. “My elder brother’s based there. He wants me to get there on my own before he teaches me how to raise really strong Comrades.”

  “So you’re really heading to Hot Sands, and this Riverside Town is on the way.” Colin thought about it. “Well, I think I’ll go with you as far as Riverside, at least. I’m curious about the Treasure Hunt.”

  “Sure. Get your stuff together and meet us back here. I don’t think she’s going to stop talking any time soon.” Henry said.

  Colin nodded and said to Rita, “I’m off to the market to get some gear.”

  Rita nodded and went on talking to Henry and Dani, not even slowing down. “But then, she said ‘Oh, no, I’m Daisy. That’s Jasmine!’, and I was so embarrassed…”

  The last thing Colin heard before the wall closed behind him was Dani’s groan.

  ***

  Colin stopped by a shop at the Market called “Traveling Gear” and asked the shopkeeper what he’d need for a trip to Riverside.

  “Just your Comrades, really.” The man said. “You can get there in a couple of hours if you take the road by the river.”

  “But I’m Traveling with two other Travelers, and they both have backpacks and caps with mag-scopes.” Colin protested.

  “Backpacks are useful to carry things around. Everybody could use one, not just Travelers. Caps too.” The man shrugged. “You should get those even if you’re not planning to leave town any time soon.”

  Colin sighed. “What else should I get? I’m aiming to go for a Treasure Hunt.”

  “The Golden Watch hunt in Riverside?” the man said knowingly. “I think your Lynxmouse is really all you’re going to need. But for everything else…”

  The shopkeeper brought Colin around his store. “Do you intend to travel far, and through rough terrain?”

  “Uh… everywhere.” Colin replied.

  “Everywhere…?” He stared. “You’re new, right? White badge and all?”

  “Uh… yeah.”

  He shook his head, thinking hard. “How much money are you willing to spend on all your gear today?”

  “Three hundred Clira.” Colin replied easily enough. He wanted the other 40 for food.

  “300cr…” the shopkeeper grunted. “I think this would be best.”

  He handed Colin a padded backpack made of thick gray material that looked like stone but felt like plastic. “That’s 100cr by itself, but it’s padded for long journeys, made of strong waterproof material, and could be mistaken for a stone from far.”

  Then he brought Colin to the headwear section, but ignored the caps and hats. He handed Colin a straw hat with a wide brim and a light strap.

  “There’s no mag-scope.” Colin protested. “It’s just a simple straw
hat.”

  “That’s the best for shade.” The man told him. “Look, there are better things to put over your eyes if you want scopes and sensors. Hats are for shelter or shade, and there are better things for shelter. What I’m offering you here is good for shade and lacks the biggest problem caps have.”

  “What’s that?” Colin wanted to know.

  “Heat.” He replied. “Caps get hot if you wear them too long. This hat won’t.”

  “And how much does this hat cost?”

  “5cr.” The man told him.

  “That’s cheap.” Colin nodded. “I’ll take it.”

  The shopkeeper handed Colin something else. “This isn’t so cheap, but if I’m Traveling to dangerous places and I want to see stuff, this is what I’d take.”

  Colin looked at it curiously. It seemed like a silver frame around clear blue glass. It looked a lot like Michi’s visor.

  “Put it on over your eyes. That triangular part goes over your nose.” The shopkeeper advised.

  Colin put it on and felt it stick to his face the way his badge stuck to his vest. He looked at the shopkeeper through the blue glass. “Now what?”

  “Tap it and think of magnifying.”

  Colin did just that, and the visor presented him with options – 2x, 5x, 10x, 50x, 100x. “Which one do I pick?”

  “Try 2x. That’s two times magnification.”

  Colin grinned. “So, 100x should mean…”

  He suddenly found himself looking at a huge black pillar over a brown background. “Whoa!”

  That pillar vanished and he was suddenly looking at a liquid white surface. “Colin?”

  White faded and the surface turned dark brown. That’s his eye… Colin realized. That black pillar was a hair… Cool!

  Colin tapped the frame again and switched back to normal. “What do you call this?”

  “It’s a Lina Visor.” The shopkeeper said. “It’s got tinted shading, mag-scope, thermal vision, nightvision, recording and playback.”

  “Very cool.” Colin said.

  “It’s also a bit expensive.” The guy said. “It’s 160cr.”

  “Wow…” Colin whistled. But… but… the things it could do! And it even looked cool!

  “And you should get a utility belt.” The shopkeeper added. “Climbing gear, raincoat, gloves and multitool.”

  The raincoat went into the left side pocket. Most of the climbing gear went into the backpack itself, except one length of thin rope which went to the utility belt. The gloves (strong leather) and the multitool went onto the belt too.

  “All these together should cost about 400cr.” The shopkeeper said. “But since you’re buying it all, I’ll sell the whole set at 350. What do you say?”

  Colin winced. “Sorry. I can’t afford that.”

  “Come on! It’s a worthwhile deal! Everything here should last you a long time!”

  “But I really don’t have enough money.” Colin said. “And I need to buy food for my Comrades too.”

  “340, then? I’m practically giving you the gloves free…”

  Colin took out the climbing gear. “I don’t think I’ll be needing this today.” He took out the raincoat. “This can only shelter me. My Comrades would be soaking meanwhile. I’d rather find a place to shelter with them or get soaked with them.” Then, he looked at the gloves and multitool. “You know, I don’t think I really need those either…”

  “290!” the shopkeeper cut in. “Backpack, visor, hat, belt, gloves and multitool, worth 320cr. I’ll sell the set at 290.”

  Colin thought about it a while more.

  “Okay.”

  Phase 07: Going North

  Henry whistled when he saw Colin come in wearing his hat, visor and backpack. “You look like a mixed bag.”

  “A what?” Colin blinked.

  “A mix of high-tech and low-tech.” Henry said. “That hat’s totally simple and that visor is totally techno.”

  Colin shrugged. “I didn’t get the visor for how I look with it. I got it for how I see with it.”

  Rita spotted him and Colin wished she hadn’t. “Colin! There you are! You’ve been away so long! You know, I was just telling Dani, maybe Katrin’s run off with Phillip! And…”

  “When are we going?” Colin said as fast as he could.

  Rita blinked as if surprised to find someone able to say more than one word in the middle of her chatter and then answered, “Right now.”

  There were two ways to get to Riverside, she explained, even as she led them north. One was to take the ferry down the river. Because the river came from the lake, they could follow it all the way to the sea by ferry.

  The other was the road they were going to take.

  “It’s a nice way to journey, walking beside the river and all…” she said, thoughtfully. “You know, I once…”

  “Does the road go straight to Riverside?” Colin asked Henry, as Rita went on and on about what she did around rivers before.

  “As long as we stick to it, yes. It branches off in the middle, and I don’t know where that road goes to, but as long as we follow the river, we’ll be fine.” Henry said. Then, he glanced at Shiro and Meek on Colin’s shoulders. “What does your wolfcat eat, by the way?”

  “Shiro? I’ve been feeding him canned tuna.” Colin said. “Because it’s softer. Shiro’s still a cub.”

  Henry, relax, he’s not going to eat your Comrades…

  “And what about your Lynxmouse? What have you been feeding her?” Henry asked.

  Colin blinked. “How did you know Meek was a ‘her’?”

  Henry pointed. “Look at her tail. It’s curly.”

  Colin glanced at Meek. It was true.

  “You see my two Lynxmice?” Henry pointed again. “Chip is male. His tail is straight. Biscuit is female. Her tail is like Meek’s – curly.”

  “Wow. You really know Lynxmice.” Colin said.

  “I’ve liked Lynxmice for a long time. My brother used to let me play with his.” Henry said.

  “Your brother sounds like a nice guy.” Colin said. “My elder sister never lets me touch her ship.”

  “You have a sister?” Rita jumped in. “You know, I have a sister too. Total chatterbox, she just never stops talking! You know, one time, she…”

  Colin and Henry shut up and didn’t say a word as Rita went on and on about her sister (who sounded exactly like her) all the way to where the road branched off.

  By that time, Colin was wishing he’d found earplugs somewhere. He glanced at Henry, who also looked rather tired of the chatter. He glanced at Rita, who looked like she was only just getting started.

  Henry had two Lynxmice and a Redbit. Rita had an Arachnid and that walking plant.

  Colin thought about that. Mice… rabbit… wolfcat… spider… walking plant… hmm.

  Colin gave Henry a sideways glance.

  Henry too, was giving Colin a sideways glance.

  “Hey, Henry.” He said mildly.

  “Hey, Colin.” Henry said, sounding just as neutral.

  “I’ve been thinking.” Colin went on.

  “Me too.” Henry said.

  “Thinking? You know, sometimes, my mom says it’s not good to think too much…” Rita started off on a whole different topic at once.

  “Want to race?” Colin asked Henry.

  Henry grinned.

  Rita stopped when they stopped, and stared at them both as they arranged their Comrades in a straight line. “What are you two doing?”

  “It’s a race.” Colin told her.

  “Oh! A race!” Rita put her Comrades on the line too. “You know, the first race I ever…”

  “Ready?” Colin asked Henry.

  “Too ready. Set?” Henry asked back.

  Colin nodded and took a deep breath.

  At the same time, both of them shouted “Go!”

  And ran for their lives.

  ***

  “Hey, you two! Wait for me!” Rita yelped. “My Comrades can’t keep up
with yours! You’re going to leave me behind!”

  Colin grinned. Exactly.

  That was the reason for their race in the first place. After one hour of non-stop chatter, he and Henry had both reached their limit.

  “Go, Tomato!” Henry called to his Redbit, although it was already clear that the red bunny wouldn’t win the ‘race’.

  The Redbit was the fastest of Henry’s Comrades, but it was no match for Shiro. Already the little white wolfcat was leaving Colin, Henry and the Lynxmice far behind. The Redbit had only covered half that distance.

  But it didn’t really matter. The important thing was that Rita’s Arachnid and walking plant were falling farther and farther behind, and with them, Rita and all her chatter.

  They passed Jonah, Alicia and Larry on the way, all three staring as they dashed by. Larry called to him. “Hey, Colin, are you STILL chasing that white wolfcat?!”

  Colin was too busy running to reply.

  ***

  In a minute, Shiro was getting too far ahead to see without using his visor at 2x. “Shiro! Slow down!”

  Shiro was too far ahead to hear him. Colin started to get worried. How do I…?

  Then he remembered what Edward did. Colin tapped his watch. “Shiro! Slow down!”

  Ahead, the little white spot slowed.

  Henry stared at Colin for a moment, then tried it also. “Tomato! Wait for us!”

  His red bunny slowed down too. Henry, Colin realized, learnt things quickly. He was also getting tired quickly. “We need a place to rest. Somewhere Rita wouldn’t find us.”

  Henry pointed. Up ahead was the Riverside Comrade Home.

  ***

  When Rita arrived at the Comrade Home five minutes later, she asked around for two boys with three Lynxmice, a Redbit and a wolfcat.

  The breeders there checked around, but all of them agreed, none of them had seen those two boys.

  “Are those the ones you’re looking for?” one of the breeder nurses pointed out the front door.

  “No…” Rita said. “That’s Jonah, Larry and Alicia. But they’ll do. Thanks again.”

  “You’re welcome.” The breeders watched her go.

  Rita joined up with Jonah and started talking to Alicia about her hair.

  Colin and Henry watched them disappear down the road and sighed with relief. “That’s good.”

  “Hey! You two!” the chief breeder found them. “What are you doing behind the Home?”

  They jumped. “Um… well… we…”

  “You were hiding from that girl, weren’t you?” she asked them, her mouth twisting. There was an orange bear in her arms, twice the size of the Starter Comrades, that kept pawing the air in front of them.