The first thing I can remember is that I was lonely. I was born in the jungles
of Tyrannia, although I didn't know it at the time. To me, it was my only world.
It was always dark, and it seemed that, as much as I crawled through the thick
vegetation, there was still more to explore! Whenever I was cold, I could snuggle
beneath some leaves, and, whenever I was hungry, I could eat them... but, something
was missing. I didn't know it, but I was lonely. I didn't even know the meaning
of the word... well, OK, I didn't know the meanings of a lot of words, but,
for as far as I knew, I was the only creature in the whole wide world.
In the blink of an eye, all that changed.
One morning, or at least I thought it was morning (it was quite hard to tell
in the thick jungle), I was walking along on my four legs when something brushed
past me. It was a fly! A playful little bug. Happily, I squealed and chased
after it. I was having so much fun, that I didn't look where I was going. The
fly, in an attempt to escape me, flew upwards, and out of the brush.
I've got you now... I thought as I leapt after it. Suddenly, I couldn't
see anything! The light was so bright! The air was so dry! I had finally reached
the edge of the jungle grasses and, for the first time, had ventured out into
the open. I squealed and rubbed my eyes with my paws. When my vision finally
cleared, I gasped with wonder. Everything was so big and scary! There were huge
rocks; bigger than any rocks I'd ever seen before, and such strange and huge
creatures!!! (I later learned these rocks were "buildings" and these creatures
were "humans" and "NeoPets.") I wanted to explore and to meet new people! But,
before I could take one step...
PHWAP! A net surrounded me.
"KRAWEEEE!!! Lemme go! Lemme go!" I squealed as I tried to loosen myself.
I scratched and bit, but my tiny claws and teeth were too dull for the thick
ropes. Jerkily, I was lifted from the ground and taken away into the strange
new world.
The creature that caught me, a Grarrl, held the net in his sharp claws and
grinned at me through two rows of sharp teeth. He spoke in a garbled, slow way
that I couldn't understand, but, I something told me that I didn't like him
very much. Luckily, I didn't have to see much of him. The first thing he did
after catching me, was take me to one of the rock buildings. Once inside, he
set me, still in the net, down on a counter in front of a HUGE hairy creature.
The counter was so cold. I missed the jungle already. The scary creature who
caught me and the hairy creature behind the table spoke in the garbled, slow
talk for a while before I was exchanged for a bagful of gold coins, and given
to the hairy creature. The hairy creature grinned at me as the scary creature
left, picked up the net I was in, and dumped me in another cold place.
The walls were smooth and hard, and the floor was dusty and covered with wood
chips, but the most amazing thing of all was... I wasn't alone. There were several
other small creatures, just like me, everywhere. Well, they weren't exactly
JUST like me; there were all different kinds. Some were furry, some were scaly,
some were cute, and some were tough. I was so excited! I wanted to meet them
all!!
"Hello!" I said happily to one with big tusks and rough skin.
"Hmph..." he muttered before turning around and walking away. I thought this
was very strange, so I decided to try again.
"Hello!!" This time, I was even louder, and decided to try to talk to a tall
one with a beak and soft brown feathers.
"What do you want?" he asked in annoyance.
"Uhh... I don't know..."
The beaked creature shook it's head and turned away. Maybe they don't
know what "hello" means... I thought. I better say somethin' else.
"Hi! What's your name?" I asked one with orange fur and black stripes.
"You know very well what my name is..." grumbled the creature.
"Oh... what is it again?"
"It's 'no name.'" The creature was very annoyed. "I'm just a Gruslen, and
I always will be!" With that, the Gruslen turned and walked away like the rest.
"Why don't they like me...?" I wondered out load, voice quivering. Was it
my paws? My long tail? Maybe they just didn't like the colour green...
"I'm sorry, little one. Please excuse them," came a soft, kind voice. I looked
up to see the most beautiful creature I had ever seen in my short life. She
was pale, with a hint of blue and green in her soft, icy skin, and with flowing
hair for a mane and tail. "Hello. I'm a Bluna."
"Hi," I said shyly. "I'm a..." I paused when I suddenly realised I didn't
have a name. I never thought about having one before. "I'd tell you what I am,
but I don't know..."
The Bluna giggled.
"You really don't know? Wow, you are a young one... You're a Krawk."
"A Krawk?" I liked the sound of that.
"Yes," the Bluna answered firmly. "It's not that they don't like you. It's
more like... they're jealous."
"Jealous...?" I cocked my head in confusion. The Bluna must have guessed that
I didn't know the meaning of that word, so she began to explain:
"You see, there are three types of creatures that live in this world: The
humans, the NeoPets, and the PetPets, like us. We're the lowest on the scale."
"Lowest?!" I exclaimed. "But why?"
The Bluna hung her head.
"It's just because we're small, and we can't talk..."
"We're talking now!"
The Bluna giggled again.
"No, no, no, silly. Talk like the humans and NeoPets do. They can't understand
us."
"Why not?" I was confused.
"Well, go ahead and try..."
And so, I did. I stood on the tiptoes of my hind legs to peek over the side
of the cage, and said, as loud as my squeaky voice would let me, "HELLO! HELLO?
I'D LIKE TO GET OUT NOW... HELLO?"
The large, hairy shopkeeper looked up, but all he heard was squeaking. He
walked over to the cage, sprinkled a brown, powdery substance in front of me,
and then walked back to the counter.
"What's this stuff?" I asked the Bluna.
"PetPet food. You'll get used to it," she replied.
"Kreee-yuk!" I cringed after tasting it. "Can't we get anything good?"
The Bluna sadly shook her head.
"How could we when we can't tell them what we want?"
Just then, a loud, roaring sound was heard coming from outside. I peered over
the edge of the cage again, to see a crowd of NeoPets and their owners shouting
in that talk I couldn't understand. However, I could pick out one word: "Krawk."
"Quick!" gasped the Bluna as she pushed me into a pile of sawdust. "Hide!"
I protested, but decided that I trusted the Bluna. I waited patiently and
listened to the commotion around me as the crowd flooded the store:
"Garble garble Krawk! Garble Krawk!"
"Krawk garble!"
"Garble garble garble Krawk?"
"GARBLE KRAWK!!"
Eventually, the crowd left, and I shook the sawdust from my back.
"What was that all about?!" I asked the Bluna.
"They come every day looking for Krawks. They wanted to take you away."
"But... I want to get out..."
"Not with them, you don't. They'll either sell you, or put you on display.
Then you'll never..."
"Never what?"
"Never become a NeoPet."
"Huh?!"
"There is a legend..." the Bluna said softly. "That, on a faraway island,
there is a magic that will turn a Krawk into a talking, walking NeoPet. Every
PetPet knows this legend, and that's why all the others are jealous of you."
"You mean, that someday... we could be like them...?"
"Not me," the Bluna answered sadly. "Only you. Because you're a Krawk"
I felt bad for the others, but learning this filled me with such excitement
and hope. I had just been introduced to this brand new world, and everything
was so confusing. I thought I understood, somewhat, though. I didn't have much
time to think about it, however, because I was awakened by the jingling of the
bell on the shop's door. In entered a little girl and her Shoyru. Curiously,
I peered over the edge of the cage. They seemed so sad... especially the Shoyru.
I couldn't tell what they were saying, of course, but it seemed like the shopkeeper
was arguing with the girl.
"I've seen this before..." said the Bluna. "She wants a PetPet, but can't
afford one."
"How can you tell?" I asked.
"They are both young, and hardly carrying any items. Look at the NeoPet--it's
unpainted and only a level one. Skinny, too. They've been eating from the soup
kitchen."
Although I didn't understand all that the Bluna said, I knew that I felt bad
for the pair.
"Help me up..." I said to the Bluna.
"What are you doing?!" she asked.
"I'm going with them..." I said flatly.
The Bluna knew she couldn't talk me out of it, and that I'd probably be happy
with the girl and her Shoyru, so, she let me climb on her back, and, as the
girl walked by, I jumped into her backpack.
"Good luck!!" the Bluna called out as I was carried away.
"Thanks for everything!" I called back. "I'll see you again, someday!!" Of
course, when I said that, I had no idea how big Neopia was. I was soon to find
out. The girl's name was Shay, the Shoyru's name was Kebba, and they were explorers.
Shay and Kebba were never rich Neopians, and were always living from day-to-day.
So, they decided to make an adventure of it, and began travel far and wide over
Neopia, hoping to get lucky and strike it rich someday (while also having fun
exploring.) Living with them, there was never a dull moment. Sometimes I didn't
even know what part of the world I was in! Whenever we reached a new town, I'd
talk to the PetPets, and usually find one or two who were willing to stop and
chat. Most, however, were like the others I'd met back at the Tyrannian PetPet
store, or kept of leashes by their NeoPet owners.
Time went by, and Kebba and I became the best of friends. She never went anywhere
without me! Although we couldn't share a conversation, Kebba and I worked out
a system of pointing and winking... although we always started laughing before
we could say anything. She named me LittleDragon, because, well, I looked like
a little dragon. I liked that name, and, of course, anything was better than
"no name." Sometimes, I had so much fun travelling and playing with Kebba, I
almost forgot I was a PetPet sometimes. However, when I turned around to try
to say something to Kebba or Shay, and only got a confused look and a pat on
the head, I was, unfortunately, reminded. It was because of the lowly placement
of a PetPet in Neopia, that the dreams planted in my head by the Bluna's legend
were eventually forgotten.
That was, until, one fateful day....
It was cool and breezy, but it felt so good. Slowly, I opened my eyes. Water!
Clear blue water, as for as the eye could see stretching before me! It was so
beautiful, and it smelled of delicious salt! All I could do was stand, tall,
and look out upon it as the wind blew through my hair... hair? I didn't have
hair...?
"Huh?" I gasped as I awoke. It was all a dream. "Kebba?" She was gone. Shay
was gone too. That's when I heard their voices, speaking the human talk, outside
the Neolodge room we were staying in. I stretched, and went to find them. Shay
and Kebba were jumping up and down, excitedly and happily.
"LittleDragon!" Kebba gasped. "Garble, garble, garble!" Kebba pointed to me,
Shay and herself, then pointed to outside. We were leaving. Shay had found 500
Neopoints on the ground, and was taking us on a cruise to the islands in the
Neopian Sea! For the first time, I saw the ocean. It was just like in my dream!
We sailed for a few days before arriving at a sandy island where we would spend
a few days. I looked around for other PetPets, so I could ask what island I
as on, but there were none around, and I was getting tired. I fell asleep in
Shay's backpack, and woke up, hours later, in our Neolodge hotel room.
"Weeeeee-wooooo," came a soft, chant from outside. "Weeeeeeee-woooooooooooo...."
I awoke looked out the window. It was a PetPet! A type of water bird! Quietly,
I slipped outside and down by the water to where she was. If she saw me, she
didn't paw much attention, because she continued to chant: "Weeeeeeee-wooooooo...."
"Hello. Uhh... can you talk? What are you?"
The PetPet giggled.
"I'm a Weewoo, silly."
"Oh... I'm sorry, I've never been to this island before. Where are we?"
The Weewoo looked at me strangely.
"You really haven't? This is Krawk island."
"Krawk island?!" I exclaimed. "You mean there are other Krawks here?!"
"Yep. Tons of 'em. Some of them live under the rocks by the ocean. You won't
be able to talk to them, though, 'cause they hide from the visitors. A lot of
non-native Krawks like you pass through here, though."
"Wow," I said softly. "But why?"
"I dunno. Weeeeeeee-woooooo...."
Turning that information around in my head, I returned to the Neolodge and
crawled back into bed. The next morning, I found myself walking beside Kebba
and Shay as we explored the island. Shay as reading from a travel brochure.
On the front page, it read that the sights on Krawk island included "The Deck
Ball Tournaments, The Smuggler's Cover, the Armada, The Food Club, and the Fungus
Caves." Since the Fungus Caves was the only attraction completely free, we were
headed there. However, Shay and Kebba stopped at the entrance and just shivered.
They didn't like it; it was cold and slimy, and so they started to leave. I
didn't want to, though, and I didn't know why. It seemed as though it was calling
to me... It wasn't slimy, it was refreshing, and even the fungus looked tasty.
I hadn't had anything to eat besides PetPet food in soooo long...
"LittleDragon?" Kebba called out when she noticed I was missing. "LittleDragon?"
Eagerly, I picked up some of the fungus, and took a tiny bite.... WOAH! I
could feel my body shaking all over! I guessed my stomach didn't agree to it!
But, then, I began to grow... slowly at first, but then rapidly! My round body
became long and limber, my beady eyes became sharp and keen, my snout became
full and strong, my scales became tough and spotted, and I even grew spiky hair
on my back. I was so dizzy and so confused. I tried to stand, but my head hit
the ceiling!
"LittleDragon!" Kebba gasped. "You're... you're... are you all right?!"
I opened my mouth to chatter like a PetPet, but I couldn't. All I could do
was let out a squeak--my voice couldn't reach that high. So, I cleared my throat,
and tried to talk in a deep, full way...
"H-hello. I'm fine... I think..." my voice quivered as I spoke in this new,
strange tone.
"LittleDragon!" Shay exclaimed when she saw me. "Well, I guess we can't call
you little, anymore! Now you're just our 'Dragon!'"
The Bluna's legend was true! I was a full-grown NeoPet, and I could finally
talk!
"Hello!" I said to the academy's Cap'n Threelegs. "Hiya!" I told the Deckswabbing
Blumaroo. "How's it going?" I asked the Golden Dubloon's waiter. I told Kebba
and Shay all about what it was like to be a PetPet, and how great it was to
finally be a NeoPet I could stretch my long legs and run all around the island.
But, the best part, was the food! I could eat whatever I wanted! Apples, slices
of chocolate cake, loafs of bread, cheese sandwiches, chocolate Chias, rainbow
slushies, I wanted to try it all! Shay bought me all of the kinds of food that
I wanted, although Kebba still ate from the Neolodge and the Soup Kitchen. I
really didn't want to take her money, but, I had never eaten like this before!
Besides, Shay and Kebba offered because they felt bad about my time imprisoned
as a PetPet. A few days went by, and the cruise ship we'd arrive on left for
Mystery Island... but we weren't on it.
"We're going to the Lost Desert..." Shay informed me after I asked. "...and
we're taking a different boat."
Oh, boy..., I thought. Maybe it's a luxury liner!
It was a rowboat. Leaking a little, too. The captain, a seafaring Lupe, didn't
seem to mind, though.
"I've sunk inner-tubes before, and lived to tell about it!" he boasted. I
clung to Kebba and Shay. After two long days of travelling, we made it to the
Lost Desert, and checked into the Cockroach Tower Neolodge. Something was wrong,
and I knew it. Shay was quiet for a full hour before, she said:
"Dragon... could you go downstairs and bring back a drink of water?"
"Sure.." I told her, but, as soon as I left the room, I waited, on the other
side of the door. When Shay was sure I was gone, she began to talk to Kebba:
"Kebba..." she said softly. "I don't know what we're going to do. With Dragon's
mouth to feed now, I have no money. We're not going to be able to pay for this
hotel room, but we don't have enough to go back to Neopian central..."
After hearing this, I trudged down the hallway, and outside of the hotel.
There was no money, it was all my fault. What if I had to go back to being a
PetPet? What if I had to be abandoned, or worse, SOLD! Sadly, I decided I needed
to go for a walk.
The Lost Desert was sandy and beautiful, but it didn't cheer me up. There
were pyramids, tents, palm trees, a castle... and a tall tower.
"How strange..." I thought out loud as I approached it. A nearby sign
said that it was "Coltzan's Shrine." I felt it must have been important to the
ancient society of the Lost Desert, and so I bowed down before it, and told
it my story. About how I had lived as PetPet, was scorned by the others, grew
to be a NeoPet, and was now going to lose the best owner and friend I'd ever
had.... Just then, the sand began to feel warm, a breeze began to blow, and
a screeching sound echoed through the air. Maybe this wasn't such a good
idea!! I thought, feeling scared... but then, it stopped. Complete silence.
"Huh..." I retorted. "I guess nothing happened.... oh, well." With that,
I began to walk away...
CLUNK! Something fell on my head. It was a gold coin -- a Neopoint.
Then, another one fell... and another one... and another one! It was raining
money! When it finally stopped, I was rich! One million Neopoints in all! I
shared it with Shay and Kebba, of course. Now, we were all rich!
The first thing we did was buy a NeoHome... in Faerieland, even!! Finally,
we didn't have to travel... to survive, as it was. Now, we could travel anywhere,
anytime... and in a private jet, too!! Kebba and I could eat gourmet food, be
painted any colour we wanted, and receive special training lessons on the faraway
islands!
"This is the life!" I happily exclaimed while scratching a scratch ticket
at the Kiosk.
"We have a winner!" shouted the Wocky behind the desk as he handed me 500
Neopoints I took the money, and continued to explore on my vacation to the Ice
Caves. As much fun as I was having, I couldn't rid myself of a though in the
back of my mind.... I was lonely again. Shay, Kebba, and I were hardly together
anymore. Sadly, I sat down on an icy bench, and wondered where they were. Kebba
was probably on Mystery island training, and Shay was probably in Faerieland
betting on the Poogle races. I missed them so much...
In my frustration, I stomped the icy floor beneath me. Big mistake--I immediately
heard a loud cracking sound.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" I screamed as the ice broke beneath me, and I was
falling... falling... THUMP! I landed on soft ground. Where was I? I
gasped when I realised that I knew this place! All around me was lush vegetation
and soft ground. I was in the Tyrannian jungle! Mouth wide, I began to explore
as memories of my childhood as a Krawk PetPet came back to me. Finally, I reached
the village, and stopped in my tracks. I knew this place, too. Especially a
building labeled, "Tyrannian PetPets." Just thinking about my experience there
made my blood boil... I had to face it, though, and, so, I walked through the
front door. The huge, hairy shopkeeper, although, now I could see he was a normal
sized Tyrannian Elephante, looked up when I stepped into the room. Somehow,
he could tell I was rich, and so he immediately approached me.
"Hello, there. How are you today? Would you like me to set aside a Gathow
for you?"
"No thanks," I snarled. "Just looking."
"Suit yourself."
With a sigh, I strolled by the cages. I couldn't believe I was once small
enough to fit in one. Feeling depressed, I was about to leave, when I heard
a high pitched squeaking sound:
"BLUU! BLUEEE! BLUUUNAEEE!!"
It was a Bluna, peering over the side of a large bin in the middle of the
store. When it realised that I couldn't understand what it was saying, it sadly
slunk back into the cage. My eyes widened. Could it be? I swallowed and tears
stung my eyes.
"I'll take her!!" I said to the shopkeeper while pointing to the Bluna.
"HER?!" she shopkeeper laughed heartily. "They can't be male or female."
"Yes they can be! They can talk, too! We just can't understand them because
their voices are so high-pitched..." I was quite annoyed.
"Whatever you say.." The shopkeeper took the Bluna from the cage and placed
her in my arms. "That'll be 16,902 Neopoints, please."
I paid the shopkeeper and left in a huff.
"I'll call you... IcyMoon," I told the Bluna. "And I'll take good care of
you, and, don't worry, you'll never be in another cage or have to eat that yucky
PetPet food again!" I couldn't tell if IcyMoon understood me or not, but she
snuggled happily in my arms.
"Bluneee..." she squeaked.
From that moment, I dedicated my life to rescuing PetPets and giving them to
good owners who would appreciate them. PetPets are Neopians, too, and you should
never forget it.
The End
Author's note: Thanks for reading my story! It was written to prove a point,
and, unfortunately, the characters are only fiction, except for Kebba--she's my
real Shoyru. | 
