Lupe Forest...
NOPAW QUIETLY MADE her way down the many winding pathways of Lupe Forest,
walking briskly and carrying a large plain black suitcase. The trees, most of
which were tall evergreens, seemed to dwarf the small, silent split Lupe, who
made no noise as she made her way through. Huffing and puffing, the Lupess made
her way up to a small clearing, her suitcase dragging on the ground as she panted
from exhaustion.
The ground in the clearing was covered with
boulders, and strange little pale purple flowers that smelled like detergent
were growing all over the place, but she didn't seem to care about them as she
scurried over to a large boulder shaped like a table. With all her strength,
she lifted the suitcase into the air and, with a grunt, slammed it onto the
rock. The bag flew open, revealing loads of stuff, like chocolate chias, grooming
items, and various objects that you would expect Lupes to have in their homes.
And then, there were another few items. Three pictures in three separate frames.
Nopaw brushed off her blue and purple fur before she reached in and picked up
two of the pictures. A long, mournful sigh escaped her mouth as she stared at
them.
One was of a young blue Lupe, with a dreamy,
stupid grin on his face as he held a toy guitar. The second was of a tough-looking
red Lupe with a hearty smile, holding a plastic toy sword.
Nopaw set them onto a smaller table-shaped rock,
along with a flower-print vase with a crack in it, and then reached into the
suitcase to pull out the third. It was of both the Lupes in the previous pictures
and a young split Lupess in the centre, except a little older. None of them
were smiling, and it looked like the red Lupe was about to attack the blue one.
Nopaw frowned, remembering the fateful day that photograph was taken...
Years Ago...
It was a goodbye party for the family, and all
the Lupes were sad that their favourite Lupes, Warpaw, Nopaw, and Peacepaw,
had to go. They had set up a couple of tables with punch and mint chocolate
chias, not to mention a large chocolate cake. Warpaw and Peacepaw's favourite
music echoed from a boom box (Nopaw had no preference for music), and large
banner was constructed by Dippaw, which hung over the trees and proudly stated
in bold blue letters:
"WE'LL MISS YA!!"
The party was well on it's way, and everyone
was having a good time. Warpaw laughed heartily with his group of friends, clapping
each other on the back and grinning.
"Well, it looks like I'm off to train and grow
stronger in distant lands! I'll remember you guys as the weakest and easiest
to beat buddies I've ever had!"
The group punched each other in the arms until
they had bruises, then began to laugh and playfully wrestle. On the other side
of the clearing, Peacepaw strummed his guitar and smiled broadly at his own
group of friends, who were all a bunch of airhead looking hippy characters.
"Well, dudes, looks like I'm off to study and
become smarter in different lands! I'll remember you all as the most supportive,
groovy guys I've ever met!"
They all held hands and tearfully began to sing
a farewell song as Peacepaw wiped water from his eye. And, in the centre, sitting
in a small chair and holding a balloon was Nopaw. Nopaw sighed, staring at the
floor as her balloon suddenly burst into pieces, frightening a group of younger
Lupes Nopaw had no dreams. She had no ambitions. The only place she was heading
for was nowhere, to stay in Lupe Forest in the same old plot of land her parents
had owned before her.
She sighed as she stared at her brothers, who
were all too excited about leaving Lupe Forest and travelling around the world.
All three of the Lupes were triplets, but they were all as different as Lupes
could possibly be.
Warpaw had been born first, Peacepaw had been
born last, and Nopaw happened to be born right in between.
Warpaw had a dream of becoming the strongest
pet in Neopia, Peacepaw had a dream of becoming the smartest pet in Neopia,
and Nopaw... well, I mentioned earlier that she had no dream. She simply existed,
in the shadow of her brothers, having no apparent reason to be there at all.
While Peacepaw purchased many books, practised
the guitar, and hung out with the most intellectual people he could find (which
happened to be hippies), Nopaw sat in a chair and stared out the window, wondering
about bland, boring things. While Warpaw tested out Battledome weapons, regularly
fought in the local arena, and hung out with the toughest, meanest Lupes in
the entire forest, Nopaw... sat in a chair and stared out the window, wondering
about bland boring things. For her entire life, all anyone could say about her
was that she loved staring out that window.
And, now that her parents were gone, and her
brothers were leaving, things were looking dark for her. With no personality
and nowhere to go, it looked like she would simply fade away, never to be seen
again. She sighed, tossing the balloon aside and trying desperately to blend
into her chair as Warpaw and Peacepaw broke away from their friends and walked
over. They all hugged each other happily.
"Well, dearest brother and sister," Peacepaw
began. "It looks like this is goodbye! Maybe, like, forever!"
"That's right! Warpaw beamed. "I'm sorry to
leave you two! You've been the coolest little bro and sis ever!"
They laughed, shaking paws a final time. Nopaw
blinked, smiling weakly. "Well, I hope you two grow up to do great things!"
She encouraged, in her flat, vacuum-like voice. "I suppose I'll be staying here
for the rest of my life..."
"Oh, don't be so stupid, Nopaw!" Warpaw grinned.
"I'm sure you could come with me! I could show you all the great things about
fighting and training in the whole world!"
Peacepaw laughed. "Oh, Warpaw, I don't want
to argue with you, but I think, like, she'd rather come with me, and, like,
learn all the wonderful things about the world!"
Warpaw smiled, laughing heartily again. "Oh,
no, really, that's all right Peacepaw, I'm sure she'd be a burden to you! You
do want to finish that song you've been writing, right? Nopaw would just be
distracting you!"
"Ah, but you'll be in deep training with the
Techo Master!" Peacepaw shook a paw. "That would mean you'd have to focus a
lot more than I would!"
"Well, I guess I don't have to go there. The
academy is a lot cheaper."
"But you can afford both. You won that Battledome
contest, remember? Besides, Nopaw is a peaceful pet. She'd rather learn than
to fight."
"What are you talking about? You don't know
what Nopaw wants! She should come with me!"
Peacepaw frowned. "No she is not! She wants
to come with me! Don't you?"
Nopaw, who really didn't want anything, was
about to speak up when Warpaw put his paws into fist.
"It doesn't take half a brain to tell Nopaw
is a tough Lupess She's definitely stronger than you."
"Well, any pet is smarter than you, Warpaw,
and Nopaw is no exception! Besides, your too irresponsible to even take care
of a houseplant!"
They glared at each other for a moment, their
faces twisting into furious expressions as Nopaw slowly slunk out of her chair.
"I don't want an argument!" Warpaw yelled, drawing
his gleaming sword.
"I don't want a fight!" Peacepaw roared, pulling
out his guitar and twanging a string.
Suddenly, a blue Chia whom none of the Lupes
had ever seen before popped out of a large green bush. He pulled out a camera
from his baggy lab coat and took a quick snapshot as the Lupes lunged at each
other, yelling.
"Perfect!" He grinned. "This will get me an
A+ on my final Lupology exam!"
Nopaw slowly faded into the trees as Warpaw's
friend, Hollypaw perked up. Her green ears twitched as she saw the Chia. A low
growl escaped her throat as a large, muscular paw pointed into the Chia's direction.
"Hey! It's that Chia who wrote that article
about Lupes! A WARNING, EH!??!"
The Chia blinked, the camera falling from his
paws as he gaped at the large Christmas Lupe, who was advancing towards him
and rolling up her sleeves.
"Oh Piffle..."
He whirled around, his baggy lab coat swirling
like a cape as he hurled a smoke bomb onto the ground. The entire clearing was
enveloped in smoke as the little Chia fled the scene, forgetting his camera.
Hollypaw, coughing and wheezing, lead the rest of Warpaw's friends chasing after
him, unsheathing their weapons and yelling. Peacepaw's friends gasped.
"An opportunity to strike against war!" one
yelled. "After those violent Lupes!"
Picking up freshly painted picket signs, they
dashed after Hollypaw's group, yelling. Warpaw and Peacepaw, yelling louder
than both the Lupes combined, continued to roll around on the ground, viciously
attacking each other. They knocked over tables, the boombox was shattered, and
the banner somehow caught on fire as total mayhem took over the once happy party.
Nopaw blinked, looking left and right, rematerialised into the smoke to reach
down and grab the camera. Warpaw and Peacepaw looked up from their fighting.
"Nopaw!" Warpaw yelled. "You have to come with
me!! I can take care of you better than this loser wannabe!"
"Don't listen to this no-life! He'll only get
you into trouble! Come with me!" Peacepaw cried, shoving his brother over.
Nopaw began to babble. "I... I... I... I don't
know!!"
Suddenly, without another word, she disappeared.
To be continued... | 
