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I was always alone, shunned for something I couldn't even
see. But I see with clear eyes now. I was shown the truth -- and it was beautiful.
***
From the first moment, I crawled out the nest, bleary eyed, I was alone. I
tried a cautious chirp then slumped back down. I knew others like me had been
here a short while earlier -- their lingering warmth was trapped in the fibres
of the nest. Petpets are very receptive to emotional and mental impressions,
which is why they rarely speak. I felt only sadness -- others who should have
waited for me were gone.
I tumbled from my former home awkwardly. Weewoos
move in a hopping gait, using their tail feathers for balance. Unfortunately,
this makes them easy prey, as I soon found out. No wonder we're so rare. Hopping
down the rocks, I narrowly escaped a large black shadow swooping over my head.
I tweeted in alarm, diving under a rock overhang. A huge beak scraped under
the edge, probing for me. I flattened my feathers and squeezed into the very
back of the rock. Soon, the beak withdrew but I didn't leave until I heard the
flap of its wings as it took off again.
Breathing hard, my heart pounding in my head,
I crawled out from underneath my rocky shelter. Keeping a close eye on the sky,
I recommenced my hopping down to the slope. I wasn't heading in any particular
direction: just searching for something to fill my emptiness. A companion. That's
all Petpets want. Someone to be with, forever.
I hopped until I came upon a pool of rainwater,
formed amongst the rocks. I looked into it -- a small Weewoo looked back at
me, brown feathers sleek against its body, curious eyes boring into mine. I
smiled at my reflection and it smiled back. But I dipped in a paw to reach out
to it and it fled, dispersed in ripples. It was not the companion I needed --
it was as insubstantial as the shadows in the rocks.
I heard pawsteps on the rocks and wheeled around.
The place was empty.
"Wee woo?" I asked. My cry echoed around the
rocks, its lonely refrain bouncing back at me. I huddled down. I was sick of
being alone. A single tear rolled down my cheek. I lay back, surrounded only
by craggy rocks and looked up to the sky. It was a dispiriting grey, heavy and
oppressive. I sighed. Again, a pawstep sounded on the stones. I twirled around
fast but there was nothing to greet me except more craggy rocks.
Stop taunting me! I screamed inside my
head, frustrated and fed up.
Sorry, replied another voice.
The voice sounding inside my head gave me such
a shock that I took a step backwards. Pinwheeling desperately, I ended up on
my back on the ground.
Ow, I thought silently. I scrambled up
to my feet again, clumsily.
Who are you? I asked.
Look.
I scanned the area carefully.
There is no one here.
That is me.
How?
I have no physical form, no body.
My eyes widened in shock.
How? I whispered, quietly.
I dared to dream….
The voice stilled.
Wait! I cried out. But there was no reply.
I was alone again.
But I could wait. I would wait, forever
if necessary. I stumbled over the rocks, finally reaching a small patch of grass.
I snuggled up a hollow tree trunk. I longed for touch with that voice again
but, widening my mental reach as much as possible, I could not find it. I slept.
Petpets do not dream.
The next morning was cold. I fluffed
up my feathers and crawled from my bed. It took me a short while to adjust my
eyes to the light -- a new dawn. I called out, softly.
Hello?
I felt a presence immediately, responding
to me.
What did you mean, that you dared to dream?
I had picked up from the creature's mind
that dreams were night images that came to you when you slept. Why would they
be forbidden?
I dared to think outside the box. But
those inside the box condemned me for it.
What are you? I questioned.
But there was no reply, only a sense
of lingering shame floating on the morning breeze. And then the voice was gone
again.
I spent the morning in mundane tasks,
eating a few berries and sips of water. Exploring my environment, cautiously.
I spent much time sitting, wondering. It was late evening when the voice came
back. It did not speak to me as before but lead me to a patch of soft earth.
A stick floated in the air and began scratching small pictures into the ground.
A Weewoo; a curious gem; a crowd of other Weewoos, looking angry, and lastly,
a picture that was hard to make out. It seemed to be of a Weewoo with outspread
wings. I frowned in confusion.
What? I asked.
The stick swivelling in the air, pointing
at each picture as the voice spoke soundlessly.
Here is me, in my first form. This is
the True Gem. These are those inside the box. This is me, in my last form.
You are a Weewoo, too!
I was a Weewoo. Not now.
Tell me your story.
There was a short pause then it began.
I was a Weewoo, much like you. I lived
with others but I was not the same. They knew - they left. Then, in my lonely
wanderings, I came upon a gem. It was like a drop from the moon and shone with
a pale white lustre. It was the True Gem. It has been through many hands, paws
and claws in Neopia and it somehow ended up in mine. When I laid a claw upon
it, I was transformed. It showed me my true self - a beautiful winged Weewoo.
No longer clumsy, but graceful and elegant. But the others knew: they came back.
I lost my newly discovered self. And so I have no form now - but I have a purpose.
The Guardian of the True Gem.
Those who are lost are guided by me.
The True Gem will reveal the true self. They will be lost no more.
It comes with a price -- stigma, discrimination,
hatred. But you discover yourself and that is worth any price.
No?
Yes, I answered. Somewhere, there was
a place for me. I must know it.
When the moon rides high on the night, the
True Gem will appear to you. When the True Gem is in its true form, I too can
be. Otherwise, I remain a spirit, nothing more.
I nodded, excited. The voice faded away.
I could barely wait till all the light
faded away and, so slowly, the moon inched nearer to its zenith. At the moment
it was right above my head, a low note sounded. A haunting cry filled the still
air.
"Wee…woo…"
I looked up and saw a white figure step
through the trees. It was the Weewoo. I saw it was a beautiful female, her white
plumage dappled with tree shadows but her white feathery wings reflecting the
pure moonlight. She stopped and at her feet, a pale gem appeared. It shone in
the moonlight, pure white.
She smiled at me and spoke, properly,
a thing a Petpet rarely does.
"This is the True Gem. Will you use it?"
I breathed in deeply and bent down, touching
my beak lightly to the gem. At once, a tingling filled my body. I blinked --
my sight seemed to grow clear. The night was no longer full of shadows, but
filled with the light of the moon and the stars. I saw life everywhere I looked
- I was not alone. I looked down at my own body and saw pure white feathers,
in place of chocolate brown.
"Thank you," I whispered. "Thank you
for showing me the truth."
"Good luck," she spoke back. "You have
found yourself - you are a White Weewoo, with a heart as pure as your plumage."
I nodded, tears shining in my eyes.
"How can I ever repay you?"
"See the world with open eyes. Do not
judge on appearances. Be true to yourself, and those who are true to you."
She smiled. "I found myself too. I know
now that I am the Guardian of the True Gem. My life was destined to be one of
spirits and no substance. Make yours full of life and laughter, my friend."
And I bowed my head and vowed it would
be so.
She laughed, merrily, and dissipated
back into the shadows.
***
And so, my life has always been blessed by the light. For I am a White Weewoo,
and so I shall teach others the truth and how to see. I shall show them the
path; it is up to them to walk it.
I am not alone now…
The End
Dedicated to all those wanting a White Weewoo:
Linny (laurensama), who started it all off;
adoriblelapin
ember188;
neo_tomi
teghan62
simsman24000
Endofdraco
Cheshil
tahu673
fostic_popcorn
thegreenmooseofdoom
matterbug_adoption
too_kule
Stoneman3x
lugia
roxycaligirl101
Random_Joy
a_marie_n
Wolfofthewoods
frostcrystal
stal0s
drhull
rissalime
chibi_leah
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