Haunted Woods
Storm clouds gathered in the sky above as the secret
Society of Chia Despisers, a community of Lupes against the existence of Chias,
gathered into a circle around a tall, raised platform. They were all clad in
heavy black robes with large hoods covering their faces and hiding their mysterious
identities. They muttered unaudible words beneath their breath as the leader,
the only Lupe in scarlet, took his place in the centre of the large stone circle,
bowing his head and raising a law into the air as he read aloud from a big,
heavy book.
"Eville!! Eville!! Plushe!! Plushe!! Eville
Merka Plushe, come to us now!! Cabana Cavort Catapult Ketchup!!"
The wind began to howl as the rest of the
Lupes murmured along with him. They all raised their paws into the air, listening
as the wind began to blow louder and harder, whipping against their robes and
nearly blasting a few off their feet. A deep violet funnel cloud emerged from
the sky, circling around and around the stone platform and whipping furiously
against all pets who were not in the eye of the storm. The leader laughed, jetting
a single paw into the air. A bolt of blue light shot forth from his paw, zooming
through the air and thudding into the sky like an arrow into a victim's flesh.
A sickening sound like a dying moan echoed
from the spot where the blue light had hit, and the funnel cloud was now so
close to the earth that the cult leader could smell its horrible stench. With
a blast, a bolt of lightening surged from the wounded sky, striking the ground
right next to the leader's feet. The group shielded their eyes as the glowing
crackle of violet light began to take form. Tiny paws, a long, strong tail,
two fiery eyes, and a horrible stitched smile with adorable buckteeth rose from
the smoking, charred crater where the lightning had hit. It was a misty and
shadowy Meerca, transparent and almost invisible, except for its piercing red
eyes. The circle of Lupes all dodged as the Meerca snarled, his tail whipping
around and nearly cleaving off the entire circle's heads.
"I HAVE GRUDGINGLY COME TO THOSE WHO CALLED!!"
The Lupes all stayed on the ground as the
shadowy Meerca hovered above their leader, a plump white Lupe He struggled onto
his feet and smiled, leaning against a large obelisk.
"Howdy! So, how's it hanging?"
"GOOD, GOOD." The strange Meerca nodded.
"True. So, possessed anybody interesting lately?"
"I HAVE SEIZED CONTROL OF THE NEOPIAN STAFF'S
BRAINS, FORCING DONNA TO DYE HER HAIR BLONDE, SLOWING DOWN THE OUTPUT OF NEW
WORLDS AND GAMES, AND DRIVING MR. SHANKLY INSANE. I'M VERY PLEASED WITH THE
RESULTS OF THE MR. PICKLES PROJECT. I ACTUALLY MADE HIM THINK HE WAS A PROFESSIONAL
WRESTLER!! MR. PICKLES!! HAAA!!"
"Hm...doesn't seem too different from what
the staff normally does, though...and what, you didn't get them to erase Chias?"
"THEY DO NOT HAVE THE POWER TO DESTROY ALL CHIAKIND.
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO DO THAT, DUMBO. AND BESIDES, THEY'RE FAR TOO INSOLENT TO
ACTUALLY ELIMINATE ANYTHING OTHER THAN THEIR WAGES."
The Lupe drummed his fingers against the obelisk,
taking a brief look around the room.
"So...seen any good movies lately?"
"ENOUGH FOOLISHNESS!! I'M MISSING THE BIGGEST
SOAP OPERA WEDDING OF THE CENTURY!! TELL ME WHY HAVE YOU SUMMONED ME, AND IT
HAD BETTER BE GOOD!!" The plushie snapped.
"Well, you see..."
The Lupe leaned forward, an over friendly
smile on his face.
"We were just wondering if you could try destroying
this Lupologist for us. Nothing personal against her, it's just that she was
one of those freaky scientists who tested make-up on Lupes And Jimmy's cousin
over there just happened to get stuck in one of those labs. He came out looking
like a cross between Kasuki Lu and the Faerie Queen, and well, frankly, we want
revenge. So, seeing how you're so good at these kind of things..."
"FINE!! JUST HURRY UP AND TELL ME WHO TO SLAUGHTER!!
I CAN'T MISS ANTONIO AND BARBARA'S FIRST KISS!!...I've been waiting for it
all season...sniffle...Now, WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE ONE I MUST DESTROY?!?"
The Lupes all stood up, growling as their
leader said the name:
"Cybil P. Antigoni."
The plushie scowled.
"CYBIL P. ANTIGONI, I SHALL COME FOR YOU!!"
The leader held up a golden Meerca doll, grinning
as the circle of Lupes stood up once more, raising their paws into the air and
chanting.
"Enter this body!! Eville Merka Plushe!! Enter
the plushie and you shall be released upon the world! Eville Merka Plushe! Biscotti
Asparagus Elevator!!"
With an evil cackle, the strange Meerca zoomed
into the plushie. A crackle of violet light blinded the entire group as the
plushie began to tremble and shake in the leader's paws.
With a final jolt, it was silent. The leader
nodded, holding the plushie up into the air.
"Now, to transport the plushie to the one
we must destroy!"
He paused, looking around the circle.
"All right, one of you has to pay for air
mail!"
The Lupes grumbled, digging into their robes
for spare Neopoints...
Grippaw's Glade
Cybil sniffled, dabbing a handkerchief against
her huge, watering eyes as she stared at the tiny TV screen. Her white lab coat
and yellow ruff were stained with tears and carrot juice, and her Cybunny ears
were slightly drooping. Although she usually worked hard, she always found time
in the morning for her beloved Soap Operas.
Oh, Antonio, I love you so!
And I love you too, Barbara! But my evil
twin may step in and ruin it for both of us, not to mention the evil alien wizard!
And we can't forget the momeraths...I've certainly outgrabbed them...
I don't care about all of that! I only
want us to be happy, darling!
As do I, Barbara...as do I...
Suddenly, the scene was cut off by a loud
and obnoxious announcer's voice.
As the Stomach Churns will be right
back after these messages.
Cybil sighed and relaxed into her seat, using
the handkerchief to wipe off her glasses. She usually didn't show much emotion,
but when it comes to Soap Operas, even Dr. Sloth can start wailing like a baby.
"Oh, how could you be so cruel, Antonio..."
She lived in a messy, cluttered wooden NeoHome,
with magazine clippings, sci-fi novels, and other such strange objects lying
in the strangest places (for example, a 5-year-old 30 page typed essay on Lupe
Physiology for college in her refrigerator and her spare lab coat on an ironing
board in the bathroom underneath an ancient colony of pizza boxes). The couch
she was sitting on had Neocola spilled on it more than once, and her ancient
computer in the corner was practically falling apart from wear and tear.
The only things that seemed neat and orderly
in her house were the old photographs of her and her sister, Ginny, on the wall
above her desk. Ginny had gone missing years ago under the strangest circumstances,
and...well, that whole story can be found here.
Messy or not, Cybil was undoubtedly a brilliant
Paranormal Lupologist, and could hunt Werelupes, thwart vampires, and exorcise
ghosts when the need arose.
But after a day of zoning out in front of
the TV with no coffee, it was understandable when she groaned at a loud knock
on the door.
"All right, I'm coming..." She grumbled. With
a grunt, Cybil yanked herself off the couch, rubbing her sore eyes as she made
her way past several piles of junk to the front door. She hurled it open, shielding
her eyes against the light and grimacing.
"Yes?" She snapped.
A blue, teenage Acara with braces, zits, and
a red uniform glared at her, holding a light-looking package in his paws.
"Oh, a delivery?" Her expression changed abruptly
as she hastily scribbled a signature on the form in the Acara's paws. "Maybe
it's my new Stephen Kyrii book!"
The Acara shook his head, pointing to a little
note attached to the lid of the box.
"Huh? Who's the Society of Chia Despisers?"
"Whatever." The Acara shrugged.
He smiled half-heartedly, holding out a paw
with a greedy and expectant look on his pimply features. Cybil raised an eyebrow
as she shut the door, heading for the kitchen as she read the note more thoroughly.
"Hm...'Happy Birthday, Cybil! Thought we'd give
you something you'd like?' But my Birthday isn't for months. And what do these
Chia Despisers want from me?"
Suspiciously, she raised the package to her
ear, shaking it and listening for any strange ticking or thumping noises that
would have indicated some kind of explosive. Nothing. At least, it seemed like
nothing. Cybil swept aside a moldy slice of toast and dropped the parcel onto
her counter. Digging through the pockets of her lab coat, she produced a long,
tasty carrot blade, poised for action and ready for anything.
Carefully, she ripped the tape off the lid,
slowly pulling it off to reveal...
A plushie.
What is this strange plushie? Why can't Cybil learn how to run a vacuum? How
can that Acara expect a tip when he's so unbearably sarcastic? Tune in next time
for the next part of 'As the Stomach Churns!' | 
