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There never were two friends like Purlp and Lepp. Perhaps
such a thing could be argued, but there friendship was evident in the way they
treated one another. Purlp, a green Kiko, looked with fondness at his petpet
and never used a harsh work against him, while Lepp, your average Polarchuck
(although Purlp would hate me for using such a word to describe Lepp), would
bat gently at the Kiko's balloon like body with his large paws.
Both were daydreamers, dreaming big and coming
up with master plans for all sort of mischievous things. They loved to romp
around in the snow, Lepp's natural environment, but at the end of the day both
were content with curling up in front of a warm fire and letting their damp
fur dry. Neither cared about being painted or having lots of Neopoints. Instead
they focused on having fun and helping those less fortunate.
Purlp and Lepp were two of a kind, yet drastically
different. Each had their own quirks, which the other knew full well about and
loved them all the more for. Lepp's was popping balloons. No one could bring
a balloon into their small Neohome without the Polarchuck bounding over and
flinging himself on it with such precision that you would have thought it a
sport. After wrestling around on the floor with it for a few moments, the balloon
would finally explode with a great, POP! Ironically, Purlp's quirk was his obsession
with balloons, which caused for quite a dilemma. Purlp could no sooner bring
a balloon into the Neohome than Lepp would attack it. Nevertheless, Purlp kept
trying and Lepp kept popping.
On this particular occasion, the Kiko and Polarchuck
sat on the floor of their Neohome brainstorming.
"How about going to the Snowager?" Purlp suggested.
"That's always exciting!"
Lepp shook his head. The last time they had visited
the Snowager's lair he had had to carry Purlp home after the icy monster had
woken up and attacked him.
"How about getting something for the chef on
Mystery Island, then?" Purlp offered. "She could definitely use some help!"
Lepp shook his head again. The last time they
had helped her, she had spilled a bowl of scalding hot soup on the poor
Polarchuck.
"Well, what did you have in mind?" Purlp asked,
running out of ideas.
Lepp furrowed his brow in thought.
"I know!" Purlp exclaimed suddenly. "Let's go
to the Turmaculus!"
Lepp beamed. Now that was sure to be an adventure!
The Turmaculus was a giant creature in Meridell
that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Where he came from was indeed a
mystery, and if anyone knew the answer they certainly weren't sharing. Pets
traveled from all over Neopia and brought their petpets to try to awaken the
gigantic beast. It was a great challenge, for the Turmaculus spent most of his
days sleeping and woke very rarely. When a petpet was successful in waking him
up, the Turmaculus often rewarded it with a book or some kind of exotic food.
There were a few stories of petpet having been eaten, but they were usually
regarded as fiction, tales woven to scare others away.
Lepp and Purlp set out at once, eager to reach
the Turmaculus before dark. At first neither said much for they were too busy
contemplating the best way to wake it up.
Suddenly, Lepp yelped as the snow beneath his
massive paws gave way and he was sent tumbling down a steep hill, Happy Valley
becoming increasingly smaller all the way. Purlp's eyes grew wide and he floated
after his friend, fighting a strong wind as he did so. To his relief, the Polarchuck
came to a halt at the bottom, snow from the avalanche piling up behind him.
Purlp rushed to Lepp's side and looked at him
with concern. "Are you okay?" he asked.
The Polarchuck stood up, shook the snow from
his heavy coat and nodded.
Purlp heaved a sigh of relief and said, "You
scared me."
The two continued on their way, with Lepp making
sure to step only on places where the snow was heavily packed. As they journeyed
Purlp made sure to keep an eye on their surroundings, for he had heard various
accounts of pets finding treasure chests filled with Neopoints while they explored
the snowy valley.
Then he saw it. It was partially buried, trapped
by snow. Rays of sunlight bounced off it, painting the white ground with beautiful
patterns. Lepp saw it too, and the pair headed toward the glittering object
in a trance. When they arrived beside it, Lepp reached over and took it in his
paws.
"Wow, that looks like an ice negg!" Purlp exclaimed
in awe. "Those are worth at least a couple thousand NP…"
While the Kiko yammered on excitedly, Lepp looked
curiously at the plant, turning it in his paws and then putting it to his nose
to sniff.
"Just think, Lepp! Two-thousand Neopoints!"
The Polarchuck brought the negg to his mouth
and took a large bite. Finding it to his satisfaction, he nodded and took another.
"Leeeepp!" Purlp yowled.
Lepp grinned up at him innocently, the negg still
in his paws, bit marks carved into it.
"Well, at least you won't be hungry," Purlp
reasoned. After all, who could be mad at that face? "Come on, though, let's
get going."
Lepp nodded, munching on a large mouthful of
negg before loping after Purlp who had begun to float away.
As the pair continued, their surroundings slowly
changed from icy cliffs to grassy meadows. The climate changed as well, from
chill winds to humid stillness.
"Gee, I didn't realize Meridell was so far away,"
Purlp said breathlessly.
Lepp wheezed in response, his thick coat embedded
with sweat. The young Polarchuck was not accustomed to such hot weather.
Eventually the grassy meadows began to grow more
and more forested, a tree or two added every here and there.
"Finally," Purlp said exhaustedly. He hovered
just above the ground, his energy depleted. "I think we're getting closer."
Little by little the scenery changed, until they
were walking through a dense forest bordering Meridell. Then, just as suddenly
as they had thickened, the trees began to thin, revealing a great sea of lush
grass before the Kiko and Polarchuck.
"We made it!" Purlp exclaimed, momentarily rejuvenated.
Lepp looked on with large, wondrous eyes, scanning
the vast distance ahead of him.
"Okay, well the Turmaculus should be right…over…there!"
Purlp exclaimed, pointing to a spot a couple of miles away where they could
see crowds of Neopets gathering round. "Come on, Lepp! We can still make it!"
Despite their weak limbs, Purlp and Lepp hastily
headed toward the growing mass.
**********
"Golly, there sure are a lot of pets here," Purlp said, gazing at the scene
around them. The two had finally arrived, sweaty and fatigued, but in good spirits.
Lepp wiped off his damp forehead and nudged his
way closer to the giant beast, vying for a better position.
"How long do you think we'll have to wait?"
Purlp wondered aloud.
Lepp shrugged, standing on his back paws for
a better view. The Turmaculus was gargantuan compared to the surrounding pets
and petpets.
Time after time petpets tried to awaken the massive
creature, yelling at the top of their voices, crashing symbols over his head,
trying anything and everything, yet nothing seemed to work.
"We have our work cut out for us," Purlp said,
sizing up the Turmaculus.
Lepp rubbed his chin in contemplation. The crows
were thinning and his turn would be soon. He was currently debating between
singing, for his voice was sure to wake up even the soundest of sleepers, and
tickling the giant beast, although he was not exceptionally keen on that idea.
As the minutes ticked by and the Polarchuck's
turn grew closer, Lepp began to shake with fright.
"It's alright, Lepp. You'll wake him up no problem,"
Purlp said confidently.
Nevertheless, Lepp shook violently and when the
Kadoatie in front of him failed to awaken the Turmaculus, he knew it was time
to give it a try.
Lepp stepped timidly up to the huge creature.
Set off to the side were a variety of objects available for use in their attempts.
Quivering from head to paw, Lepp could scarcely keep his thoughts on track.
Suddenly eager to get it all over with, Lepp grabbed the first thing in his
sight: a pail full of water.
"Good luck, Lepp. I'll be right here," Purlp
said, his voice wavering slightly as the Polarchuck stepped up to the Turmaculus.
Wasting no time, Lepp picked up the heavy bucket
and heaved it over his shoulder, showering the Turmaculus with ice cold water.
Then the Polarchuck stood dumbfounded, staring
at the big creature in awe as it opened first one heavy eyelid to peer at the
tiny petpet and then the other. It groaned as it lowered its head to Lepp's
level.
The Polarchuck stood still, frozen with fear.
Slowly, the giant beast reached out with a stocky
arm and grabbed Lepp in its clammy hand.
"What-what are you doing with him?" Purlp called
up desperately. Lepp looked back with large, frightened eyes.
"Mmm," the Turmaculus moaned, opening its large
mouth and dropping the Polarchuck inside.
"Noooo!" Purlp yelled, watching his best friend
disappear into the dark depths of the Turmaculus' mouth.
The Turmaculus looked back blankly.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Purlp
shouted angrily. "Spit him out!
When the creature didn't move Purlp demanded,
"NOW!"
Still, the Turmaculus did nothing.
Desperate, Purlp floated face to face with the
beast. The crowds behind him disappeared. Nothing mattered but getting Lepp
back. How could such an innocent adventure turn so violent? If only they had
gone to the Snowager instead! Then this never would have happened.
Snap out of it, Purlp told himself. You
must be dreaming. But it was no dream and Purlp was all too aware of that.
Thinking of life without his beloved Polarchuck,
a sob caught in Purlp's throat and his eyes swelled with tears. He turned again
to the Turmaculus. "Please, he's nothing to you-just a snack, but he's everything
to me." A tear trickled down his check as he pleaded with the Turmaculus. "Why?
Why Lepp?" Purlp collapsed on the ground in front of him, sobbing. He couldn't
move. He couldn't think.
The Turmaculus looked curiously at the Kiko.
It didn't understand this emotion, this love. Sniffing at Purlp it smelled the
salt of his tears and something clicked. Somehow he realized that what Purlp
wanted was what he had just eaten.
Then the Turmaculus felt something he had never
felt before. For a brief moment it was as if his heart had been yanked by an
invisible string. He felt Purlp's sorrow. Slowly the Turmaculus opened its huge
mouth and spat the Polarchuck back onto the ground.
Purlp looked up and found to his great relief
that Lepp lay in a heap beside him, slimy with saliva but otherwise fine.
The Kiko immediately rushed over to him, embracing
the Polarchuck in a huge bear hug. "I thought I'd lost you," he said.
Lepp shook his head, saliva flying from his damp
fur.
Purlp looked up in time to see the Turmaculus
closing its eyes again, the moment passed. "Thank you," Purlp whispered.
"Come on, Lepp," he said, turning back to the
Polarchuck. "Let's go home."
The End
- Never take anything for granted -
This story is dedicated to all those who have lost loved ones to the Turmaculus.
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