Purrow's Story
"I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, but Kailee made the best of
it. My two brothers and I always had enough to eat, and there was always a little
bit extra for toys and a smoothie. Back then, my name was Kimiko. Kailee went
to the Money Tree once and she didn't come back. We grew a little worried, but
my older brother Benjamin made the best of it. He took Kailee's place, but our
beloved owner was never found. One day a gang of Skeiths came to the door..."
'We come for th' ring,' one of them grunted.
I fiddled with the ring on my paw that Kailee had given me. It was a Neopian
heirloom with magical power, and I certainly wouldn't give it to the Skeiths.
They had paws like stone blocks, and would most likely break it.
'What ring?' asked Benjamin, feigning innocence.
'We search you owner las' month,' said the leader. 'She no got th' ring.
So we looks her up in Neo Pages. And we come to her NeoHome. So give the ring,
and we give you owner. You no give the ring, and there be Sloth t' pay.'
'We're not giving you the ring," said my younger brother Nobaru bravely,
or maybe foolhardy. 'Who knows what damage you would do!'
'Look, kid,' said the leader, exasperated. 'We bein' nice to you. There
be damage done t' you if you no give the ring.'
'Never,' said Benjamin. 'It's all we've got.' And it was true. Pets by
themselves were not permitted to play most of the games that gave you lots of
money, and slowly our funds were dwindling, though we had all played so much
Meerca Chase, Kacheek Seek and Lenny Trivia it was coming out of our ear stalks.
So Benjamin had sold some of the furniture.
'That be too bad. Now we's a take you sista.'
I froze. What would be worse: being taken away from my brothers, or losing
Kailee's ring? I decided to be the courageous, selfless sister for once in my
life.
'Fine,' I said boldly.
Nobaru gasped. 'Kimi!' he shrieked. 'Don't go!'
The Skeith leader, though, nodded. 'Thazza goooood choice if you no give
us ring,' he said heartily, stretching out the good. 'Come, girl.'
But before they could lay one creepy brick paw on me, I sprinted out the
door. Nobody said Aishas weren't fast, and I ran like the wind.
I stopped to catch my breath when I reached Bracknell Road, quite a distance
considering we lived on Market Street. I counted the coins in my pocket. 80
Neopoints. Just enough to cover what pound fees were back then.
I walked to Main Street and to the pound.
'Yeeeeesss?' said Dr_Death, looking up from his Neopian Times.
'I'd--like to put myself up for adoption, sir,' I said meekly.
'Do you have an ID?' he asked.
I rummaged through my pockets again. No ID I must have left it at home,
I thought.
'Erm, no.'
He paused, studying me. 'You know, with a bit of a scrubbing you could
pass for a new pet.'
'Yes, well, I'm pretty small,' I admitted.
'Why don't you go to Neopia Avenue where the Creation Centre is? Bring
them this note, too, so they know.' He scribbled on a piece of paper and handed
it to me. 'Take care.' As I walked out, I loved Dr_Death.
I went all the way to the Create-A-Pet Centre. I gave a red Uni the note
and they allowed me past the door, to the other side of the desk.
'Dr_Death said that a bath is all you need,' said the Uni, 'and I'm inclined
to agree. You're in pretty good shape. Have you had your NeoFlu shot?'
I nodded. She asked me if I had had various other vaccinations. I had gotten
all of them.
'Well, kid, let's get into the tub then. Do you prefer Pretty Peophin Shampoo
or Shiny Fur Care?'
A few soap bubbles later, I was clean.
So then Dorothette came along, and I was taken into her care and renamed
Purrow02. Dorothette was pretty nice to me at the beginning, but I never told
her my story. Pretty soon, though, the money began to run low. That's when she
told me that the reason she named me Purrow was because she wanted me to be
like the Aisha thief: quick, strong, agile and, above all, sneaky. That's when
she told me that she wanted me to steal. She just targeted a random person to
keep her shop in business, and I guess that random person turned out to be you.
After Purrow finished, I had to sit down. So I was just a target because someone
was down on their luck. I couldn't blame Purrow, though. Not after all she'd
been through.
"Is that all?" I asked weakly.
A silence of a million years passed between us. Finally, she went down on
her knees (or whatever it is that Aishas have), paws clasped around a fat Tchea
fruit.
"Could you help me find my family?" she begged.
How could I say no to something like that?
To be continued... | 
