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In the Ice


Onuki

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It was not a happy time in Ko-Koro.  Not that there were ever many happy times in a village of esoteric recluses led by a Turaga who didn’t even speak English, but they still had their moments.  This was not one of those moments.

 

In spite of his most persuasive protests that his distinctive sand blue coloration had destined him for a noble life spent accruing sage, arcane wisdom, Kopeke had been assigned menial guard duty on the North March in light of a series of recent Rahi raids.  The raids had damaged a guard outpost and left several indistinguishable Ta-Koronan guards missing, a turn of events about which the Turaga had not been particularly concerned.  What was worse, Kopeke had been assigned guard duty alone!  Not that he didn’t prefer doing things alone; all Ko-Koronans save the convivial guards Talvi and Pakastaa did.  But if there was one thing most Ko-Koronans preferred not to do alone, it was getting mauled by Rahi.

 

What was even more incredible was the fact that his duty hadn’t even been ordered normally by Turaga Nuju; in wayward Matoro’s exuberant Rahi-hunting absence, Jaa, the Sanctum’s chief loafer resident, had halfheartedly attempted to decipher a Turaga’s weekly agenda that was as garbled as it was sparse.  Other orders had apparently been for Talvi to go to Onu-Koro to buy a snow plow and for Jaa to take a paid vacation.

 

It was against this unhappy backdrop that a grim Kopeke now found himself hunched over a small heatstone in a cramped guard hut on the North March.  He had already lost track of the time; all he knew was that every time he had tried to return to Ko-Koro, a distraught Pakastaa had reluctantly reminded him that his orders had been given, however garbled.  So much for his plan of taking Talvi’s job; that party animal still hadn’t even returned with a new snow plow.

 

As he huddled by the small light, he tried to remember the Ko-Wahi Rahi manifest that Matoro had once all-too-eagerly rattled off for him; Muaka, Ice Tarakava, and… something-Jaga?  All he remembered was the second half of that last one, but he also remembered its most distinctive feature: Its twin light blue Kanohi Pakari.  Those Jagas hadn’t been seen in Ko-Wahi for years; their recent appearance was indeed a harbinger of dark times, dark times in a village whose primary color was white.  This perhaps made the dark times even darker.  Although not really less colorful.

 

But now there was a sudden noise; creaking, thumping.  Kopeke sprang up.  Something was coming.

 

Disc in hand (although recently-honed knowledge of how to use it not really in head), he jumped out from the hut, turning wildly in search of his foe.  But he had only to glimpse the gargantuan yellow head of a Muaka before dropping his erstwhile weapon and opting to flee.

 

Kopeke ran.  He heard roaring and crashing behind him as the Muaka lurched on and snowbanks collapsed in its wake.  A fine job Matoro had done hunting these things!

 

As he turned a corner, he glanced back to watch in dread as the beast, which had clearly gained ground, began to head right for him.  Its jaws were agape; it was frighteningly close.  Kopeke skidded and stopped, horrified.  He regretted never visiting the Kini-Nui.  Also, never talking to that quiet Ga-Matoran he kind of liked.  Also, talking to simpleminded Matoran so much.

 

But even as he leapt in the air in a last attempt to defy the beast, something changed, and it slowly veered away, perhaps in pursuit of larger prey.  But still Kopeke was doomed; with a mighty swing of its tail, the snow-tiger haphazardly felled the snow drift above him, knocking him down and bringing the world to darkness.

 

***

 

When he came to, Kopeke found he was very cold.  Not that this wasn’t a typical experience living on an icy mountain, but he was particularly, singularly cold.  Bitingly cold.

 

Only now – what was this?  It was warming!  But why?  Why –

 

Then it hit him, in a sudden, ice-cold flash: He was frozen.

 

What was he going to do?  Who would ever find him?

 

And yet, even as he realized his peril, the unforgiving ice was beginning to lift.  He could start to feel his hands, and his feet, and his…

 

“…!” he cried.

 

Before him stood the fabled mask of Ko-Koronan dread, the one that had not been seen for centuries…

 

At the sight of a menacing light blue Pakari, the dazed Kopeke struggled wildly in his now fast-thawing prison, lurching and yearning to get free and flee.  Everything was still so cold…

 

But then, in a sudden blink, he was finally thawed, standing and shaking but waiting only long enough to note with certainty the Jaga’s blue Kanohi in front of him before turning to run.

 

With the memory of the massive Muaka now quickly returning to him, this time he did not stop to turn around.  He did not even stop to wonder what had so suddenly warmed his icy fate.  Kopeke ran.

 

***

 

At length, the cold, dismayed Matoran finally reached the secret village entrance located in the foot of an unassuming snowbank.  Fumbling with the door, he at last managed to open it and rushed inside.  Exhausted, he collapsed.

 

Kopeke gasped for breath and looked fondly around the (relatively) cozy inner guard room.  He couldn’t help but think to himself: I wonder when more help from those boastful hotheads down the mountain will ever come?  They send Matoran, but they never think things through.  It was probably their bright color schemes that attracted the original Rahi attacks in the first place…

 

Oh well, I’m safe now.  Whatever that was out there, I sure hope it doesn’t find its way to Ko-Koro; I’m sure it was dangerous and up to no good.

 

He gave a wry smile at having escaped from such a deadly, unknown foe.  And they had thought he wasn’t guard material!

 

“…,” he snorted and muttered to himself.

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This was hilarious, in fact, it made me laugh out loud. However, it's "canonical" enough to be counted as a humorous in-universe occurrence. It's nice to see someone blend the real Kopeke with the metatemporal comedy version we all know and love. He's a well-rounded character in a well-written story, and a look into his mind is extremely welcome.

Keep up the great work! 

 

I rate this a  :afro:  for Awesome.     

Edited by Erasmus Graves
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"Mutiny, Booty and Entropy"  - The Three Vices of the Frostelus

[flash=250,100]http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/sprxtrerme/BANNERS/thornax.swf

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This was hilarious, in fact, it made me laugh out loud. However, it's "canonical" enough to be counted as a humorous in-universe occurrence. It's nice to see someone blend the real Kopeke with the metatemporal comedy version we all know and love. He's a well-rounded character in a well-written story, and a look into his mind is extremely welcome.

 

Thank you very much, Erasmus! :) Those are indeed all the things I was going for, so I'm glad you think I achieved them! :) I wanted to write something that would be funny and original but would also fit into the established story, just as you said. And Kopeke was a fun character to write; much of the story is silly, but we still identify with his problems! :P

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  • 2 weeks later...

Fantastic story as usual! Any clues as to who that cute Ga-Matoran is?

 

Thanks, unknown! :) Hmm, I didn't know when I wrote it, but if we know Kopeke, it's probably someone who reminds him of himself, so... Amaya? :P This makes me wonder if anyone has ever paired those two up before. -_-

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