This is what Nevissa always heard. Whenever she asked about the rest of Neopia, this was what everybody would always say. Her parents, her friends, the clan leader, everybody. It was like the wind to leaves; whenever a gust came by, the same rustling could be heard as a response.

However, when a sickness came across the clan, something stirred within Nevissa. The others' fur turned grey and their emotions dulled. The hunters did their best to gather herbs and supplies, but nothing would make the ill better. Every day, the sickness spread. Not even the strongest among the clan were immune; it was only a matter of time before the hunters began to fall ill. Even Nevissa's older brother, Orec, grew sick after his latest hunting trip.

Something had to be done.

The Varwolves were secluded Neopians. Nevissa knew that. But she knew the cure was far outside her clan's territory.

In the night, while the moon was highest and everybody was asleep, Nevissa acted. She carefully wrote in the dirt with her claw that she was leaving to find a cure. Then she carefully treaded around the clan. The clan always set up plenty of dried leaves and twigs around the glade in the event a monster came by while they slept. As Nevissa had set up these alarms before, she knew where they were. As carefully as she could, she stepped over each leaf, each twig, careful not to rustle anything to wake anybody up.

The moment the red Varwolf was past the barrier of twigs and leaves, she ran. She ran as fast as she could, as far as she could, determination fueling her.

However, her instincts kicked in when she heard a large snap amongst the trees. Without even freezing, she dove into a nearby bush. She carefully peered out of the foliage, watching for whatever made that noise.

All of the tales from her parents, Orec, and the leaders did not prepare her for what she saw...

"Okay, maybe just my imagination after all", Nevissa whispered to herself.

She mustered what remained of her courage and continued on. Perhaps the tales and cautions of the clan had been nothing but a way to keep young Varwolves from venturing too far. After all, Nevissa knew these woods like the back of her paw. She had never experienced anything amiss, and she would notice. Just like she knew the location of every warning leaf around their homes, she knew the creatures of this wood.

The moon let down its glow upon her like a beacon as she crept farther into the night. She knew in her heart that this journey was necessary. If anyone else could have helped, they already would have. She couldn't wait and watch what was befalling her clan. What if she was next? What if she was last and everyone else fell before her, forced to watch, helpless? She couldn't allow it.

Nevissa glanced behind her, hearing the soft brushing of Tigermouse tail against the ground. As she walked, it followed. The farther she went, it remained.

"That's... odd. Aren't you usually a bit more timid around Varwolves?" she laughed. The Tigermouse just tilted its head and scurried closer.

"Okay, well I guess you can come along then", said Nevissa.

The longer they walked together the more at ease she grew with its presence. After all, it was just a tiny Tigermouse. She posed more danger to it than it to her. She felt even a small bit of comfort knowing that she didn't have to make this journey alone.

But Nevissa knew the rules of the clan. Rule one was to stay with them. She had heard of the dangers, and she had prepared herself for them. What she didn't prepare for was that those dangers may be more prepared for her than she was for them. She wasn't prepared for how tricky and devious the monsters of the wood could be.

Nevissa heard another crack in the wood, and she immediately leaped to pull her new friend the Tigermouse into her arms. She shielded it as she whipped her head around, attempting to locate the danger. However, not a moment later, the Tigermouse began to grow in her arms, and grow, and grow...

Nevissa looked up at her new friend, and in the light of the moon, she could see that it was panicking and confused. She was certain the Tigermouse was not a threat, but as she looked around the dark woods, she could not see anything else.

"Don't worry! I won't leave you!" She called up to the large Tigermouse, who was now crying against a tree.

She remembered what she learned from the hunters of her clan - to stay low to the ground if you sense danger.

With her body pressed against the dirt, she moved into the shadows, away from the moonlight. She carefully positioned twigs and leaves nearby and waited.

In the calm of the darkness, she drew strength from thinking about her clan. The thought of all the Varwolves back to their usual selves calmed her heart and nerves.

The Tigermouse continued to cry quietly, and soon Nevissa heard a rustling nearby. A figure appeared and poked the Tigermouse, prompting it to cry even more.

"Useless! You were supposed to bring the Varwolf to me! Where did it go??? It couldn't have gone far!"

Nevissa continued to watch from her hiding spot as the figure...

Nevissa recognized this Neopet from the stories of her clan elders about the Meridell and Darigan wars. This Zafara must be Kayla the potions master, but what was she doing here?

“And why does she want to capture a Varwolf so badly?” Nevissa thought to herself, steadying her breathing.

“I’m sorry,” Kayla sighed, placing a soothing hand on the Tigermouse as it trembled. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I’ve just been searching for their kind and their territory for so long.”

The gigantic Petpet seemed to calm down, nuzzling into the sorceress’s touch.

“I guess that Petpet Growth Syrup kicked in. Huh?” the Zafara said with a chuckle. “Come on, let’s keep searching. Can you scent the Varwolf’s trail?”

The Tigermouse nodded and started sniffing the leaves, slowly making its way towards Nevissa’s hiding spot.

“Drat!” the Varwolf thought to herself. “There’s only one thing to do…”

Nevissa cleared her throat, silently rehearsing what she would say: Running an errand... The elders tell stories about you... Let me give you directions.... "Hello," she started. "I overheard you're looking for my clan?"

Kayla jumped. She scanned the dark woods for a moment before she spotted Nevissa, whose fur had naturally darkened to obscure her among the underbrush. "You're here," the potions master said, her eyes growing wide, almost disbelieving. Her heart quickened with excitement, a sound that rang loud in Nevissa's keen ears against the near-silent backdrop of night. Then she blanched, and her next words came out in a barely intelligible rush. "I suppose you overheard what I yelled at my poor Tigermouse, too. I know how that must have sounded. But before you run away or anything--please believe me. I'm not usually like that. I was just so afraid I wouldn't find you in time."

Nevissa's ears twitched. She'd made out those last words clearly enough. She wanted nothing more than to get back to her quest without this distraction, but Kayla's exploits were legendary, and it was probably worth a few extra minutes to learn what she wanted with Nevissa's clan before sending her on a wild Tomamu chase. "In time?" Nevissa repeated.

Kayla nodded, resting a hand on the now-gigantic Tigermouse. "I know Varwolves have always been reclusive, and I thought at first that would keep you safe. But with recent developments... I'm afraid your clan is in danger, too." She reached beneath her cape with her other hand, withdrew an unassuming-looking potion vial from the belt at her waist, and held it out in the moonlight for Nevissa to inspect. "This was found near..."

Nevissa didn't quite hear what Kayla said after that. Her eyes had locked onto the vial, and a terrible sensation washed through her as she took in its swirling, grey contents...

"Where--" Nevissa's voice caught in her throat. "Where did you say you found this?"

Kayla sighed and placed the vial back on her belt. "OK, let me start by giving you an overview of everything I know." The Zafara regaled a complex story involving Vira (another Neopet so famous for her gothic chic vibes and chaotic neutral persona that Nevissa had heard about her from the elders), a Yurble who was sad and wanted to "paint the world sad and grey, like him", and a small group of Neopians who were apparently hiding out in the Woods, trying to uncover the clues and discover a cure.

Kayla, too, on the orders of King Skarl, had been investigating a potential cure for the grey curse. Supposedly, the potions master had been spared of the condition by being away at "MagicCon" while her homeland of Meridell fell victim.

Nevissa could not comprehend the idea of a whole land, someone's entire world, just becoming grey, bleak, sombre. How could that happen? Why would anyone choose to cause that? She dug her claws into the dirt out of outrage, out of foreboding.

"Grey paint patches were rumoured to have been left all over the Haunted Woods, likely by the grey painter's party, likely in an attempt to 'infect' Baelia, Luxinia, Nyx, Juni, and Tavi, whose precise whereabouts are unknown," Kayla elucidated as her summary neared its conclusion. "Once, I found a grey patch deep in the Woods, where the Varwolves of legend were still rumoured to reside, and confirmed its essence as being from the Grey Painter... I KNEW the Varwolf clan was in danger. The Varwolves' communal and secluded nature make you all especially susceptible to its spread, and the Varwolves are such an important Neopet species to the magical balance of the Haunted Woods, and your numbers are already so small after that incident that drove the Varwolves to seclusion..." she babbled on.

Nevissa piqued her ears but maintained her stance. Magical? Balance? Incident? She had never heard of any of these matters from her clan's elders... she wished Orec were here. He'd know what this other Neopet was talking about, surely...?

"I just knew I had to pivot and devote my efforts to ensure the Varwolf clan remained safe through this madness affecting the Haunted Woods, nay, all of Neopia. So please, tell me," the potions master begged, "tell me the Varwolf clan is safe, and go back and warn them to stay safe. But if they are not..." The Zafara wrung her paws and let her words hang in the tense, stale air of the Woods. "Please show me where the other Varwolves are, so that I may venture to help you, help them..."

"An old city?" Kayla stared at her. "Oh, if only Lisha were with me...and we didn't have more pressing matters right now." The red Zafara sighed. "Thank you, thank you so much. My Tigermouse will make sure we don't get lost." She patted its giant flank affectionately and turned toward the direction pointed out to her before halting to look at Nevissa.

"Wait, aren't you going to come with me?"

"I'll follow you later. You said grey paint patches were left around the Haunted Woods, right? Well, I have to...check if they're also in our hunting grounds. Since I was headed there anyway."

Nevissa held her breath and watched as Kayla finally nodded and said, "You're right. Okay, thank you again!"

As Kayla and her Tigermouse headed east and vanished among the gnarled trees, the red Varwolf sighed, and started in the direction opposite them.

They would find the haunted ruins, she thought, but not the Varwolves' glade. She just couldn't tell them where it was, not right now.

Not until she confirmed a few things first.

* * *

It was easy enough for Nevissa to sidestep all the traps and security measures surrounding the Varwolves' clearing.

The hard part was approaching the clan leader. Syrabelle, a dignified blue Varwolf, was unaffected by the strange grey phenomenon, and was deep in conversation with one of the elders who was sick and lying next to a cup of Salmon Mousse Tea and a bowl of soup made out of Rock Baby Cabbages. She was strict, she was stoic, but Nevissa and the others knew she always had the good of the clan in mind.

Nevissa lingered near them, waiting for Syrabelle to finish speaking to the other Varwolf. Then she approached, bowing low.

"Good day, Leader."

"And a good day to you, Nevissa," Syrabelle replied, nodding. "What brings you here? Did you have something to tell Elder Mistclaw?"

"No, I...actually, wanted to ask you something."

Syrabelle raised her eyebrows, but said, "What is it?"

After a pause and a deep breath, Nevissa said, "I wanted to ask about...what made us hide out here in our glade, in the first place..."

"Back when the lands of Neopia opened to one and all, we sent one scout to observe and report. They noted the happy Jubjubs, the boisterous Chias, and the apprehensive Aishas. There were scores upon scores of different Neopians all exploring and playing together. But our scout also took note of the other hidden species, not quite sure whether to join or not."

Nevissa brought her gaze to the foggy sky and tried to think. "Didn't the Grarrls come out of hiding first?"

With a solemn nod, the blue varwolf continues, "Plenty of Neopians joined the public eye. Unafraid of the chaos the dark forces in the land would impact to those they could find. Dr. Sloth. Ilere. Balthazar. The Three. The poor Neopians who become mutated or afflicted by the wraiths..."

Nevissa shuddered, unsure what to ask next but Syrabelle continued.

"Our scout has made a friend with a chieftan of Lutari Island-

"But the Lutaris came forward nearly two decades ago!"

In a gutural reproach, Syrabelle chided, "And have you seen what Dr. Sloth wrought upon them? They are forever turned away from the mists of their island." Nevissa tucked her tail beneath her and, with downcast eyes, nodded for the clan leader to continue.

"It was only when the Vandagyre... *Cough* the Vandagyre..." Syrabelle furrowed her brow, shuddered and fell...

The Red Varwolf watched on in horror as her fearless leader coughed and sputtered in a trembling heap on the forest floor. The previously blue fur across Syrabelle’s body undulated as if in an attempt to blend in with her surroundings, changing from sapphire to chestnut to emerald and finally settling on a washed-out grey.

“Somebody help!” Nevissa cried, her heartbeat leaping to her throat as she shook Syrabelle’s tired shoulders.

The clan leader’s usual chipper smile and sparkling eyes curled into a frown and dulled irises.

“Nooo!” a Yellow Varwolf shouted, approaching Syrabelle. Soon, a crowd had formed around the leader, wailing and mourning the fall of their most respected superior.

“That’s it,” Nevissa said to herself, wiping a tear. “It’s time to find Kayla.”

The Red Varwolf removed herself from the fray and started her journey away from the safety of the glade.

“For Orec and for Leader Syrabelle,” she announced to herself and the spirits of the forest.

While she may not have gotten the answers in the detail that she needed, deductive reasoning told Nevissa enough to inform her next decisions…

How will this story end?

"No! Where are they? Kayla?!" she shouted. However, there was no response so she kept wandering further down the path she sent them. Eventually, she happened upon the faint glow of a campfire up ahead so she followed it. Soon though, she noticed several tents around the fire so she crept closer.

"Kayla?" she said.

"Who's there!" a voice replied. "Show yourself!" it demanded.

Nevissa, desperate to find help, suspended all judgment, which told her to hide, and instead stepped out towards the campfire. She found a Neopet with a large red mane down her back, holding climbing hooks in her hand. The Neopet gasped, looking quite astonished.

"Wait! You don't look like any Neopet we've met before!" she exclaimed before creeping closer to Nevissa.

Nevissa surveyed her surroundings and saw an odd-looking creature with yellow wings. And then another with no wings, but she looked grey and sad. And then a blue Neopet with antenna-like ears. From her books, she recognized the red pet as a Kyrii and the blue pet as an Aisha. She knew of the faeries as well. The grey one intrigued her, though.

"Um, Miss, I am a Varwolf, and I have a clan living in the woods. The folks in my clan are turning grey, and I was wondering if you could help," Nevissa asked Baelia.

"Huh? Oh, me? I, umm... am a Grey Faerie, but I have no idea how to heal..."

"A group of undiscovered Neopets? We should investigate!" Tavi interjected.

Nevissa shook her head. "I only want Kayla to visit. She said she'd help us. Have you seen her?"

"Kayla? She's supposed to be in Meridell."

"Did someone call for me?" said a familiar voice. The Zafara popped out from behind a tree with her giant Tigermouse.

"Why don't we all visit the clan and see if we can help?"

The group migrated towards the glade and soon arrived, only to find the other Varwolves were still distraught at the sight of their leader. They did not notice that Nevissa had brought outsiders, until one of them turned around and yelled "Look! She's brought outsiders! She's breaking our rule-"

But this Varwolf was cut off by Elder Mistclaw.

"I believe it is our time to come out to the outsiders. This crisis across Neopia requires all of us to work together."

Luxinia and Baelia rushed over to Syrabelle's side as she gave off a whimper. The light faerie gently held Syrabelle's paw as Baelia tried to comfort the Varwolf.

"I think we should get her to the volunteer hospital," Luxinia said.

"Perhaps a few others can come with us," she added.

As the events unfolded, the Varwolves began to introduce themselves to the world, no longer living in fear of the outside. Syrabelle eventually felt better and spoke with Nevissa.

"Thank you, you helped us open our eyes to the good in the outside world beyond the Glade. Our clan shall be forever grateful."

At that, Nevissa gave Syrabelle a tight embrace.

"I hope you get better soon."

The End.