It was a day like most any other. Some times at the CAP, or Create a Pet Agency,
a few dud eggs are found. These are often placed in the western forest to feed
the wild dangerous creatures and keep them from wandering into town in hunger.
But once and a while, ever so rarely, there maybe one that wasn't really a dud
at all. One employee, a green Wocky named Jack, was eager for his lunch break.
He kept staring up at the clock. He could almost swear it was going backwards.
The workstation was like a u-shaped desk, several different conveyor belts.
Tubes that emptied into boxes deposited eggs of requested pets into the box,
from which he would have to sort it onto the correct belt. Again he looked at
the clock. Five minutes left, just five minutes. More came out and he began
setting them on the belt. It was an easy job with good pay. He leaned back in
his chair and grabbed a stick and switched the mode to auto as he ran off to
get his lunch. The machine gave a small creak sound; the auto mode was on earlier
than usual. A second later it was running smoothly. Except for in that one moment,
three eggs had fallen off the belt. Strange eggs. Jack came back after lunch
and glanced at the three weird looking eggs in the box of duds. He shrugged
and hit the intercom.
"Hey, the dud box is full. Should I get Charlie to take it out?" Jack spoke
into the intercom.
"Yeah, and tell him to ask Cheri if her duds are ready for take out too, okay?"
a voice answered.
"Kay," Jack called over to a Gelert walking back in the back door. "Charlie!
I got some duds here! Oh and check Cheri's too okay?"
Charlie nodded and picked up the box then walked over to a young blue Uni
working several slots. "Do you have a full box yet?"
She looked up from her work. "Sure, here."
"Thanks." Charlie took the eggs from her box and walked out the back door
to the forest. He went into the forest for about ten minutes and then looked
at some broken eggshells on the ground and huge freaky looking footprints trailing
away from the shells. He set down the box and began placing the dud eggs under
a tree near the other broken ones. He picked up the empty box and carried it
back to the CAP. It was just another day, and extraordinary things can happen
on ordinary days.
***
The dawn sun shown down through the tall trees of the forest, landing on a
patch of eggs. A short alligator like creature scuttled down a tree and sniffed
the eggs. It bit into one and began eating. Suddenly the creature scuttled off.
A strange egg began wobbling slightly. A crack appeared in one with light blue
colours swirling around on it. It slowly rocked back and forth, and tapped an
egg that looked like a starry sky. A seemingly normal one with a gold glint
to it also began wobbling. The sky blue one cracked open and a breeze blew.
A small striped Shoyru lay on the ground. It opened an eye, which was the colour
of crystal ice. Silently it fell asleep. The second one fell over and hatched,
revealing a star coloured Scorchio. He fell asleep next to the Shoyru. Last
came the normal looking one. A small gold Zafara appeared from the eggshell,
making three. Rest had overcome them all. As the time passed, you could see
a noticeable difference in the three compared to other pets of the same species.
They developed their own language, not knowing the common Neopian language.
Without culture, parents, or anything of the such, they became like animals
rather than proper pets. They walked not like one would think, but on all fours.
The Shoyru developed a sort of control over wind. The Scorchio was the first
ever starred. The Zafara was nothing different, other than being wild, like
they all were. But this wasn't ever spoken of, for they never learned to judge
how someone was by appearance. Only who, and the Zafara's indifference was un-thought
of and unspoken.
1 Month Later
The young Shoyru lay on a tree branch lazily, his striped tail slowly swinging
back and forth. Suddenly a Zafara pounced on him playfully, the branch bending
slightly, the Shoyru smiled and leapt over the gap between two trees gliding
a little.
"Drake! Wait up! I can't do that you know!" the Zafara said, jumping just
short of the branch and grabbing on to the tree trunk with his small claws.
He ran up it and on the branch above the Shoyru, quickly he leapt down on him
and pushed him off. The Shoyru glided back onto a branch and looked back up
at the Zafara, who looked up. Suddenly a starred Scorchio tackled him, the Zafara
somehow lost his footing on the thin branch. He fell and began tumbling downward
toward the ground.
Suddenly a gust of wind caught him, and pushed him into a file of autumn leaves.
He poked his head out of the pile and spat out a leaf, he ran swiftly back up
the tree and pushed the Scorchio off. "I win in the end!" he yelled as he shoved
the Scorchio off. He flew onto a sapling and looked up at the Zafara.
"Sunray you're pathetic sometimes!" he said.
"You shouldn't be talking Draco!" Sunray yelled down at him. Life was a game
to them.
Drake looked toward the east, where Neopia Central was. "People!" he yelled
as he ran up the tree to the foliage in it and hid. The others did the same.
Two owner people and their pets came by talking. They didn't understand a word
of the owner people. One had a Lupe and an Acara, the other with a Eyrie, Kacheek
and an Aisha. They walked on, never once looking up at the silent watchers.
The day settled into night, the moon rising into the sky. They were still awake,
looking through the trees for fruit or some food. SunRay had followed a faint
light westward. He leaped swiftly down into a lower tree that had pear shaped
fruits with a soft light glowing from them. He pulled one off and began eating
it. He wondered if the others were having any luck.
He took three more of the glowing fruit and began to walk off. He heard something.
A faint crying sound. He knew it could be some beast, but his curiosity was
strong. He slowly walked along an outcrop of rocks, following the sound. He
saw something down by a tree crying. He slowly walked towards it, cautious and
ready to bolt, he approached. It suddenly looked up and sobbed; to his surprise
it was afraid of him. It spoke something but he didn't understand it.
Still carrying the fruit, he took a step closer. Again it asked him something.
He shook his head. It stood up and walked over to him. He stepped back from
it. It was that Eyrie from earlier, with the owner person, he realised. It was
a blue colour, and the tears had streamed his face. He looked at his scavenged
food, and set it down, pushing one forward to the scared pet. It smiled and
said something then ate it. SunRay tried to ask him something. "Why are you
out here?" but it didn't understand.
He pointed to himself. "SunRay."
The Eyrie nodded and pointed to himself. "Helonsare."
SunRay tried to hide a laugh at the strange name. He nodded and gestured toward
the direction he had come from. Helonsare nodded and followed him back.
To be continued... | 
