A Faithful Steed

by dragonshark173 and her Chia-loving Lupe, Griffin337

It was a cool fall day. The air was crisp and clear, and all around you, you would hear woodpeckers anxiously pecking at the trees, and hungry Usuls gathering acorns and nuts for the oncoming winter. Griffin, the male fire Lupe, known for his exploits in saving and helping Chias, was getting ready for a long week ahead of him, camping out at Sunny Woods to chase all the Chia-eaters out.

Griffin was up in his room, stuffing items into his bag. After his experience, hiking for days in the woods, he remembered to pack lightly. No, 'Oh, I should just bring this 50 pound stone snowball along, just in case'. His room was fully decorated, the log walls covered in posters of crocodiles, sharks, and Indiana Bones. In one corner of the room he had his pool table, and in another corner he'd have his fungus-ball bed. Griffin was sitting on the bed, his usual cowboy hat with the pull-string around his neck and his red bandana on his neck as well. Stuffing bits and pieces of this and that into his khaki coloured backpack, he didn't notice Surpento Fuerte, his Cobrall from the Lost Desert, flipping and twirling and spitting Negg juice at his rope toy. Surpento looked up at Griffin, his tongue flopping out, panting, and giving Griffin the puppy-dog look.

"No, Surpento Fuerte. Not now. I'm leaving and I already took you on a long walk this morning." Griffin said, still focusing on what flashlight he should bring.

Griffin decided on the flashlight made of titanium steel and got up, slinging the backpack on his back. Surpento Fuerte followed him. "Fuerte! Not now!" Griffin complained. He turned around and walked down the steps, Surpento getting just ahead of the stairs and stopped, panting. Griffin didn't see him, and tripped over him, sending him falling down the steps.

Hearing the commotion, Valerie, Griffin's owner, a tall, twelve year old girl with her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, crooked greenish-framed glasses, and army dog-tags on her neck. She had a white war Chia T-shirt on and a thin khaki-like jacket. On her head was a crushable brown fedora hat with a wide brown strap around it, and on her legs were old blue-jeans.

She looked down at Griffin, a heap of a Lupe, his eyes closed and rubbing his head with his Cobrall on top of him, spitting Negg juice in his ear. Val raised her eyebrows, her arms crossed. "Need a hand?"

"Yes..." Griffin said, raspy, in a low voice. She shook her head and picked up Surpento Fuerte and turned him in a different direction. "Go play. Play nice." she said the Cobrall, and picked Griffin up and set him back on his feet. Griffin rubbed his back and lazily said, "Thanks..." While trotting off into the kitchen to find some food to bring.

"Griffin, don't get into the smoked turkey again, we're having that for our dinner party when you come back. I'm having some of my friends over." Val said, running over. "Bring some canned stuff instead. Like Mayo n' mud."

"But Valerie! That stuff is GROSS!!" Griffin wailed, sinking to the floor.

"Don't take it so seriously. I was just kidding. I'll pack the foods for you." She said, and picked up Griffin's backpack and filled it with canned goods such as canned spaghetti, canned soup...

After a while, Griffin walked out the door of their large NeoHome and started to walk on the side of the road, the trail to town for Griffin.

But for other pets, it was a road to freedom...as Griffin, it was his mission to save helpless pets...not just Chias Chias are his main goal, but if he sees others on the way, he'd help them too. Although, it was a rare occasion.

Crunching through the just-fallen leaves, Griffin looked at his wristwatch/compass. That was strange...he was heading north. He was supposed to be heading east...he shook the compass. Still, north...he must've taken a wrong turn. Confused, he looked at his surroundings. He was on the side of a double-yellow lined road, gravel on the sides....and trees, trees wherever there wasn't road there would be trees, booming with shades of reds, oranges, golds, and browns. And he had not realised it, either, but the sun was starting to set. Flustered, Griffin retreated to the woods to find a trail. Maybe the trail would lead to a forest ranger's cabin, where he could ask for directions. If he got there by nightfall, he could take the train to Sunny Woods.

Griffin marched down the long, winding trail for hours after sunset. It was getting cold, and the night owls hooted deeply. Griffin continued the trail.

After many forks in the roads and decisions, he got to the end of the line. The trail slowly turned into brush and overgrowth, and finally it was time for him to give up. "I've risked more than I've bargained for..." Griffin said, letting out a deep sigh as he sat in a patch of weeds. "I am...officially...lost."

Griffin got out his tent and sleeping bag, and set up a warm fire. As he poked at the blaze with a stick, he thought to himself...where was he? If he took the trail back tommorow, he would probably get lost again as he never memorized all the directions he went in...his stomach rumbled an interruption. He hadn't eaten all day.

Griffin took out a can of soup and stuck the can between a forked tree branch and rotated it in front of the fire. He would only eat once a day to keep supplies as long as they'd last. Griffin hoped there were no pant devils out here...because if it stole everything of Griffin's, he would surely not survive out here.

A twig cracked. An immense screech sounded out in the whole woods. Whatever it was, it wasn't human. Griffin dropped his stick, sending the soup in the flames. His jaw dropped and he got up, grabbed his pack, stuffed a can of...he didn't know, something, he didn't have time to check in his pack and ran off in the direction of the sound. Galloping at top speed, Griffin was hoping it wasn't something like the Pant Devil or the Swamp Goul...he shuddered at the thought.

For running for about a half an hour, Griffin was somewhat worn out and steadied his run to a trot. He looked around, stopped, then sniffed the air, turned in a different direction, and padded off that way. The scent he was picking up was indescribable to him, and unfamiliar. He continued trotting, looking out for something...watching out, not knowing what would be ahead of him.

Just then, right out in front of him, was what looked like a feathery raptor jump right out in front of him. The tall, yellowish, bird/raptor like creature screeched at Griffin. At recognising the funny thing on its head, he realised it was a Lenny. A Lenny? Out here? It didn't act like a Lenny Knowing Lennys, Griffin would've thought it would be asking for directions, not screeching in his face. He studied the Lenny It seemed taller than usual, with long, strong, ostrich-like feet, with huge claws on the end. I mean huge. They could rip one apart in seconds! The Lenny's hat-like thing on its head was...somewhat different, now that you look at it. Griffin came a little closer, slowly, but the Lenny was startled and growled a little. He froze, afraid the Lenny might get out of control.

Griffin slowly pulled out from his pack a can of peas. After opening it with a sharp rock, he set it down arm's length away from himself. The Lenny walked forwards a bit, one claw still in the air as if in mid-walk. With its long beak, it sniffed the can, then licked the mushy peas out of it, until they were all gone. It sniffed Griffin, snorted, then licked him on the forehead.

Griffin smiled and patted the Lenny's head. The Lenny shook its head and neck, as if trying to get something off. Griffin thought it was probably just some loose feathers, but then he noticed that that hat-thing on its head was not really a part of its body! Flustered, Griffin pulled it off. It looked like a party hat. Relieved, the Lenny smiled and licked Griffin's forehead again.

A party hat?!?!? Griffin stood up again on all fours. Boy that Lenny was big. About three times larger than the average. It was eerie to him...maybe...maybe this was a mutant Lenny of some sort. It bent down its neck, as if trying to tell Griffin to get on. He did as so, and got on its back. It felt sorta...odd and all. He knew how to ride a horse, but not a fellow NeoPet. Suddenly, it felt like something was in Griffin's brain, telling him something.

Do not be afraid, said the voice, I am the Lenny you are riding on...I can communicate with you by telepathy, as I was born with no voice. My mother was a Lenny and my father was a raptor from Tyrannia...

"Is that really you?" Griffin said out loud. "I think I'm going crazy...okay, WHAT was in that soup..." Griffin said, touching his forehead.

The Lenny nodded. I escaped from a group of humans trying to experiment on me, dreaded humans. They took away my parents and...I never saw them again. My brothers and sisters escaped, but I, being the runt, couldn't run as fast away from them. They took me, and for being at their lab for five years, they thought I was tame enough to bring outside to experiment there. Six men tried holding me down with ropes, but I snapped the ropes with my jaws. Running was easier for me then, until a little girl found me. She wanted to make me a 'pretty Lenny It was no picnic. She put this dumb party hat on me that I couldn't get off (stupid feathers) and put a pink shirt on me. I drew the last straw when she set me down for a tea party. I screeched as loud as I could and ran off, tearing the pink shirt off me. I ran, and ran, and ran, until I got here... the Lenny communicated to Griffin.

"Wow..." Griffin said. "You're safe with me, though. We could be partners. My goal in Neopia is to help the ones in need of helping...mostly Chias"

I love Chias!!

Griffin laughed. "But you need a name. Do you have a name?"

My parents always called me SCCCREEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAACCCCCHHHH! when I was little. When I was captured, I was Specimen A13...and that little girl called me fruffykins. *gag*

"So, I guess you DO need a name...how about...Jude."

No, it came from a song. How about Kingsley?

"That's my last name. How about Larie?"

Larie...has a ring to it. I like it!

Griffin patted her side with his foot. "A smart Lenny-raptor like you'll probably know the way outta this jail-of-a forest. But lets get back to camp so I can get my stuff."

***

After miles of trotting down the road, that next day around 3:00 NST Griffin got home, riding Larie all the way there. Griffin got off Larie when they arrived at the gravel driveway, and told her to come forward. When they got to the stoop of the house, he told Larie to stay. Griffin closed his eyes and knocked on the door. Griffin heard a crash of pans, a 'Bah!!' and stomps to the door. He laughed, knowing Valerie was a clutz. She opened the squeaky door to see Griffin standing right there, his fur all full of static and covered in mud, his hat on crooked and his bandana all crinkled.

"Griffin?" Valerie said, kneeling down to hug her Lupe "What happened to you? I thought you were at Sunny Woods!"

"I got lost on the way, and met this nice Lenny over here. Well, she's not really a Lenny, more like a Lenny-raptor thing. Her name's Larie, and she helped me out big-time. We're keeping her. Right?"

"Well..." Valerie said. "Of course she can! We'll have to set up the stables for her in the backyard."

Griffin put on a big grin, and gave a thumbs-up sign to Larie. Larie squeaked and ruffled her feathers.

Ever since then, Griffin wouldn't go on a trip without Larie, Griffin's faithful 'steed' to ride him long distances. Larie eventually became almost like a member of the family, and when he wanted to, Griffin would give his brothers a chance to ride her around the estate. All's well that ends well, I suppose.

The End