How the Snowickle Came to Be

When most of us think of a snowickle, an image of a rare and beautiful petpet flowers into our minds, but how many of us have even stopped to wonder where these strange and mysterious animals come from? I had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the beginning of one of these magical creatures right before my very own eyes. I have decided to share my story with you.

     One day at dawn I found myself trekking trough a deserted part of Terror Mountain following my Lupe guide, who wishes to remain anonymous. The snow was not a sparkling white but an ocean of black, swirling around us like a hurricane waiting to devour anyone who was foolish enough to venture off alone and unwary. I was not surprised that no one else was wandering out here; it was unwise. I began to wonder if I would ever return to my house and my loving neopets.

     Suddenly my eyes caught sight of a small cave over a snow bank. It was hidden so well that at first I thought I was seeing a mirage in the snow. However my guide headed straight toward it so I assumed he saw it also. We approached slowly knowing the mountain is home to many wild and dangerous creatures that lurk in the shadows waiting for the right time to pounce. Inside it was very dark, leaving room for the imagination of the mind to run wild with imaginary fears. The steady drip, drip, drip of the stalactites became unnerving, since no other sound could be heard, except my heart, beating so loudly inside my chest I worried it might cause an avalanche.

      Then suddenly through a small hole in the roof the bright morning sun burst through, blinding me temporarily after several hours of darkness. Light was filtering through a multitude of these small holes, leaving not one corner to be a refuge for darkness. It was as if I was seeing the sunlight for the first time after living my entire life in total darkness. Not only was it mesmerizing but it was also somewhat frightening. My eyes slowly overcame the shock of the sudden brightness and when they had adjusted I saw that the cave had turned into... I hate to be corny but it truly was a magical wonderland. No longer was it frightening; instead it froze me to the spot on which I stood, entranced that such simple beauty could exist in a world that is filled with an ever growing amount of complexity.

     The icicles that hung from the ceiling sparkled like deadly daggers made of diamonds ready to strike. Walls were flawless sheets of icy glass, so smooth and polished nothing could climb up them. Everything came to life with a dazzling sparkle that I was filled with an unnatural joy few ever experience in their entire life.

      Below the largest of the icicles of hanging gems were small piles, no more then a foot in height and six inches across of the purest snow I have ever seen. They were white and shimmering. In fact it did not even look like snow, but a pure white cloud made of small pearls - not even clouds, more like some indescribable object.

     Slowly the biggest icicle began to melt, eating away at the snow beneath it, carving away at the delicate structure. I watched in fascination as one by one icicle and snow joined to form a beautiful creature. Each drop of water seemed to know where to fall exactly, not one fell onto a wrong spot. Soon another icicle also began its own journey downward, joined now by another, then another. It was a uniform procedure that nature had created without any help from us, a rare thing to find now with so much monitored and controlled by us. The most amazing part of all of this was that each icicle contained two magical stone-like gems of the most beautiful blue. These were the last things to fall into the snow shaped figure. They were bluer then the sky had ever been, bluer than the deepest ocean and the perfect sapphire could not even rival such a color.

      "How is it that they can only be made here? Couldn't anyone with snow and some frozen water be able to make one in there own homes?" I asked my guide, curious about how this happens.

     "Normally they would, but everything you see here is enchanted. The snow comes from the walls of Taelia's own house. The water that is used in forming the icicles comes from the Rainbow Fountain in Faerieland. The walls of this cave are protected by Fyora herself, Queen of all the faeries. That is how what looks like simple snow and water can create a snowickle. Fyora is very protective of this place. I had to ask her first before I was allowed to show you. Only a few are ever allowed access and I was one of the few hand chosen by Fyora to care for and look after all you see here."

     "I thought some sort of magic was involved in this. Nothing else could have created such wonder." I spoke quietly but with a grin spreading on my frozen lips.

     These last two stones fell on the head of the one closest to the entrance where we stood. They formed the most endearing eyes. These eyes slowly opened and instantly took in all the sights of the wonder surrounding it. They darted so quickly I could barely keep up trying to follow its gaze.

      Within six or seven hours there were a dozen or so small blue snowickles running around the cave. At first their tiny legs were a little unstable causing them to trip and fall over each other. They would then let out a sound, a sound that words alone cannot describe. It did not echo off the cavern walls as most sounds would, but it was not quiet either. Actually it was fairly loud. It was a sound that combined all the good of the world, hitting me straight in the heart.

     Within half an hour or so all the snowickles had gained their footing and were running as fast as they could, playing with each other and making a general nuisance of themselves if you tried to move about the cavern. They would run under, around, and sometimes straight into our legs. A few would try and jump to grab one of the leftover icicles that were still too small to form another snowickle. Two were completely engaged in a game of tag; soon a third joined and they ran about, slipping and sliding into walls and everything else getting right back up and joining in again.

     "Why are they sliding? I thought snowickles could walk and run on ice without slipping?" I questioned, noticing their falls, even after they were stable.

     "They will gain that ability within a few days. The pads on their feet need to grow small ridges on them that can be dug into the ice," my guide said offhandedly, eyeing the group expertly.

     That is when I noticed one all by itself staring intently at the walls of the cave. It was smaller than the others; this one was only about seven inches long while the others were all about a foot in length. It was also a darker shade of blue.

      When I went near it, it didn't run away playfully like the others did as I moved across the floor slowly, but looked at me sincerely. What I saw in those two small eyes gave me a huge shock. That moment will stay with me forever. They were not like the others. Yes they were the same color and shape but what they held in them was what made them different. In all the others their eyes were filled with the simple sparkling joy of a young child, with no knowledge or care of the world around them. These contained a great amount of intelligence. I only saw them for a second before they turned back towards the wall. Yet that second seemed like eternity, an eternity only all too short. All that was held within that tiny creature was displayed in his eyes, and I believe to this day that he meant that look for me alone.

     He stared at that wall with an intensity that I have only seen once before, but that is a different story. Looking to see what was so interesting I leaned over behind him. I stared at the wall then stared down at him, in awe of his keen awareness of what was around him. He had seen something that I had missed before. Outside of our little cave was Happy Valley, with neopets merrily milling about their daily lives. It was unmistakable, yet the scene was blurred and distorted, creating a dreamlike view. Without taking his eyes off of the moving picture from outside he let out a sound that I didn't hear any of the others make. However I recognized it right away, although I had never heard it before, it was a sound of longing. Longing to be outside to explore to join the neopets in their daily activities.

     Watching with him I was suddenly struck with the realization that we could see them but they could not see us. The neopets out there were going about their daily business, bundled up in coats against the weather, all of them unaware that next to them a beautiful occurrence was taking place at that moment. I turned and stared at my guide with an inquisitive look.

     As if reading my mind he replied, "This cave is only visible at dusk and dawn and even then the swirling snow makes the search for it uninviting for most. The rest of the time it appears as any part of the mountain would."

     Realizing that the sun was setting my guide started gathering all the snowickles into the large basket he had brought up with us. This was easy because they had stopped running around and were lying down to go to sleep in a large pile in the center of the cave. There was a lot of squealing as a foot jammed into a stomach or an eye. A few were giving out amazingly loud snores that echoed off the cavern walls.

      The one by me had even lain down, although not with the rest of them. He had curled up on my feet; he was no bigger than a football. My guild slowly scooped up this small sweet creature and handed it to me with a small smile on his own face.

     As we left the cave at sunset, the one I held snuggled deep into my arms and slept in the folds of my jacket all the way down the mountain. His body was not freezing cold, like a chuck of ice as one might expect but pleasantly cool. He squirmed around every so often and at one point let out a snore that startled me and woke up several of the others that were in the basket my guide was carrying.

     At the bottom of the mountain I stopped and attempted to put him in with the rest. However my guide stopped me.

     "He is yours. Or rather you are his; he chose you from the beginning and to separate him from you would break his small heart. Take good care of him."

      I stopped before I reached home to buy him the most beautiful bed I could find from the Petpet supply store. I would have gladly paid ten times that amount on anything for him. He was just too precious, my Snowdew.

     I found out that these are truly precious petpets worth all the neopoints in the world. I hope that all of them find wonderful homes; every home has room for one as does every heart. Can you take the time to love one today?

The End