The Opals: Part One

by Rose1505

My name is Snowflake, Snowflake Opal to be exact. Also known as Miss Opal and Miss. Snowflake. My last name was Opal. Which is a tad bit odd, because I just happened to be born in October, and Opal, is, one of October's two birthstones.

Looking back, I remember what life was like without Woodle. Yes, I remember it quite clearly. If you asked me which if I could go back in time and never have taken Woodle in, would I? Well that depends when you're asking. If you're asking after he broke my priceless crystal vase, oh yeah, if it's when we're curled up reading together, in one of those rare moments when he is a perfect angel, no.

Before he came along it was just the three of us. April, Charity, and me. I had created April & Charity myself. I spent hours deciding on creative names. (AprilOpal & CharityOpal it turned out to be.) I worked hard to buy two striped paint brushes. April was a striped Kacheek, Charity was a striped flotsam. They were both cute and cuddly and quiet. They never fought, they never broke things, they always minded me. I was obsessed with good names, that's why I never adopted. I was firm with them from the start and they were always perfect angels. We lived happily and enjoyed our quiet life in peacefully harmony. Then Woodle came along.

It was a warm morning, with the Eyries singing happily in the trees, and young pets frisking and playing in their yards. April, Charity and I were having a little 'picnic' of bread and milk and cheese on a small red and white checkered table cloth just outside our backdoor, next to the in-ground pool where Charity and April liked to swim. Suddenly we heard a terrified shriek. Whippings around to face the cluster of trees behind our house we saw a blue Poogle shoot out from the underbrush, screaming and howling as he shot past us. Behind him fled wild Meercas, Kyriis, Wockys, Eyries, Lupes, Zafaras and Moehogs. They spanned across our yard, fleeing for their lives. They trampled our picnic and food.

I quickly snatched up April in my arms and screamed for Charity to go inside. Charity 'ran' as fast as her flippers could carry her and I was right behind her with April. We got inside and I locked the door, but we all watched out the window. Suddenly 3 very mean looking Grarrls broke from the trees roaring and swiping at the wild NeoPets. I was utterly mortified. I never carried weapons because I had never allowed my pets to fight in the Battledome. I regretted that now. The Grarrls ran past the house after the majority of the NeoPets, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't let April or Charity go outside though, just the same.

I went outside and shooed all the wild animals away and went back inside. "Look, Momma, something blue is bobbing on the water." April said with concern written all over her caring face as she studied the surface of their swimming pool. "All right, I`ll go check it out," I agreed.

We had a big lot of property. We had a small, cozy white house with black trim, set in the back of our lot with thick trees on three sides of us, giving us a lot of privacy. But the open side, with no trees, was the front of our lot, the way the house faced. There you could see little houses like ours. Our pool was right up against the woods so we often had critters swimming about in there. I was used to this. I went to the pool and looked over at the blue blob. It wasn't a pleasure seeker, it wasn't swimming at all. It was a blue Poogle, shaking with fear, pressed up against the wall of the pool and the first step. It was too scared to swim.

My heart went out to the little fellow, and I snatched a fluffy pink towel that was hanging from a rail in the sunshine that we always kept there. "Hello there, little guy," I cooed. "No reason to be frightened any more." The little Poogle looked up at me and let me wrap the towel around him and pick him up. I carried him inside and got him a warm bed with a heating pad under the pillow. He got a warm bath and I scrubbed him until I was satisfied that he was clean, then I dried him off and put him to bed. We sang him to sleep, April, Charity and I.

He was fine when he woke up and was all better in about two days. He told us he had actually been in the pound but when a worker was taking him for a walk the worker fell asleep and he had gotten away. When I heard this I was relieved. All right, then as soon as you`re well that's where you`ll go right back. The Poogle looked up at me with big puppy dog, sad eyes and began to cry, "Oh please oh please don't put me back in that horrid terrible place I want to stay here I promise I`ll be good oh please oh please!!!" Then April and Charity started begging me to let him stay. "Haven't I taught you girls not to whine??" I scolded them sternly. The Poogle grabbed hold of my leg and didn't let go. It started to sob. "I dooooont waaan ttttoooo leaaaave!!!"

I couldn't do it, I just couldn't put him back in the pound, so he stayed. We named him Wilbur. His full name was Wilbur Opal. We never called him that, though. We always called him 'little Woodle' even though he was older than April and Charity, he was always the baby of us Opals. And that's when life truly began.

To be continued...