Wrapped in a Box

     Nearby, a group of young Kacheeks chatted and smiled at everyone that passed, while not too far away an Aisha sipped a hot cup of borovan. Everywhere you looked pets were in their highest mood, enjoying the last, crisp cool of winter.

     Nearby in a metal cage at the Petpet Shop between a Noil and a Buzzer was a modest Warf. The cages were set in front of the big glass window where everyone outside could see them. All day, pets in different colors and sizes walked past and cooed over the Petpets that sat nearby on either side of the Warf. Then, as quickly as you would blink, it seemed as though everyone would burst in the second the shop would restock, and in a flash the place would be full of empty cages, except for one.

     Nobody seemed to want the Warf. The poor Petpet watched with envy as well as pity for himself as each other Petpet in the shop was picked up, cuddled and carried to the counter where they would be bought. The Warf couldn't find out what was wrong with him, what made customers pass over him without a second glance. The Warfs he had known before had always been bought as fast as the others.

     He had assumed that he was an okay Petpet, and was sure the day he was brought in the shop that he would be chosen and out of a cage before the others. Well…he thought wrong.

     Now he sat, alone in a locked cage. Just seconds before the whole shop was filled with customers. The Noil and Buzzer both gone, he knew he was alone again.

     Patricia, an Usul, was the shopkeeper. She began to hum a cheerful tune as she busily mopped the tile floor. The Warf knew that she was getting ready to close the shop for the day.

     Minutes later, the Usul grabbed her coat, glanced quickly at the Warf to see if he would be all right during the night, and then rushed out the door, locking it behind her.

     Sighing, the Warf sunk down onto his torn, reeking blanket and closed his eyes. He knew without a doubt that tomorrow would be the same.

      ****

     A sudden blast of air awakened the Warf. Yawning, he cracked open one eye and realized that the door to the inside of the shop was open. Completely awake, he sat up, turned and saw that the shopkeeper was back. She was busily rummaging through the storage room, which was located behind the front counter.

     Puzzled, the Warf couldn't help but wonder why Patricia was here so early in the morning. It would be at least four hours until the shop was open to the public.

     "Where is it?" the Usul growled through gritted teeth. Her brows were scrunched up in concentration and determination, and her paws were nothing but a blur, quickly shoving aside old boxes and aged Petpet toys. "I hid it here yesterday, and if I don't give it to her now, I'll forget!"

     Hearing this, the Warf's curious nature kicked in. What is she looking for? His black eyes wandered to the lock, the very thing that kept his freedom out of reach. If he could only unlock it…

     Something glinted in the light. The Warf looked down and saw a piece of thin metal. He realized that it had broken off from one of the cage bars.

     The idea hit the Petpet. The slim piece of metal could possibly unlock the cage for him!

     Heart pounding, he struggled for a minute to grasp the metal with his dainty paws. But when he finally got it in his possession, he padded to the cage door and slipped the metal as far as he could though the bars and into the lock. He fiddled with it for a few seconds, and then gave it a little boost by pushing it in a little further.

     Click.

     The Warf almost fainted from excitement and triumph. Without a moment to lose, he carefully pushed the cage door, winced as it squeaked, and tiptoed out.

     "What was that?" Patricia perked up, eyed the room, shrugged and turned back to what she was doing. The Warf froze for a moment. He sniffed the air cautiously and quietly crept closer to the front counter.

     "Aha! I've found it!" With a satisfied cry Patricia dragged a large box out into the opening and grinned. With one swift motion, she opened it. Inside, it revealed different plushies in different colors. Each toy was sewn perfectly and wore a smile. Indeed, it was a perfect gift for a young Neopet.

     The Warf, who had peered around the counter, saw the plushies and felt his curiosity increase. Wanting to have a better look at them, he climbed onto stray boxes Patricia had scattered around and hopped onto the top of the counter.

     However, his foot went too far off the edge, and in seconds he felt himself begin to fall…

     It took him a moment to realize it. The Warf found himself in a heap of plushies, the exact ones that were in the box. Pushing aside the toys, he hardly had time to climb out when suddenly the box closed, and immediately he was exposed to darkness.

     The poor Petpet panicked. He had never liked the dark, and he wasn't ready to be trapped within it. He whimpered, he howled, and he even scratched the sides, but nobody could hear him because the plushies muffled the sound. So, in desperate attempt to escape, he pawed at the top of the box where it had closed. It wouldn't budge. Again, he howled, but the plushies blocked his chance.

     He was trapped.

      ****

     Meanwhile, Patricia had just finished taping the box and had started wrapping it. Her nephew had wanted some plushies for her birthday, and she was excited for her to receive it. Today was the only day she could deliver it, all the way to Happy Valley. The Petpet Shop would be closed for a while.

     Humming as she worked, she skilfully folded and taped the wrapping paper until the box was completely covered.

     "There. That should do it." Pleased, she lifted the box to the counter. She was surprised at how heavy it was, but quickly pushed that fact into the corner of her mind.

     Excitedly, she grabbed her coat, cradled the surprisingly heavy box in her arms and hurried out the shop door, locking it behind her.

      ****

     Back in the box, the Warf was shaken and terrified. Luckily though, there was an undetected hole on the side of the box, and it supplied some air for him. But even if he had that, he was still worried and anxious about what was going to become of him.

     Silence taking over his mouth, he listened to the sound of gravel crunching and someone humming. Somehow, it soothed him.

     Suddenly, the plushies that surrounded him became a very convenient pillow space, and within minutes he felt his eyes become heavy until he could no longer keep them open.

      ****

     Something cold planted itself on the Warf's nose. He opened his eyes. Yawning, he immediately remembered where he was. Panic struck his heart again, but he pushed the frightening feeling down, crawled through the sea of plushies and peered out the hole.

     Snow. Everything was white and so blinding that the Warf had to blink his eyes several times to regain his vision. But then he realized that this was no ordinary snowfall. In fact, it seemed more like a blizzard.

     The box seemed to move very slowly. Only the wild whistling wind could be heard.

     Suddenly, freezing snow whirled and entered the hole from which the Warf was looking out of. He shivered and shook the flakes off his fur.

     He couldn't help but wonder where he was.

      ****

     At that very moment, outside the very box the Warf was in was Patricia. Her coat hem was wildly flying out from behind her, and her fur was matted and tangled from the wind. Obviously, without the proper clothing, she was absolutely freezing.

     But with fierce determination, she still made her way forward in the blinding snow, clutching the box tightly in her paws. She was unprepared for an unexpected storm in Terror Mountain, and she feared that she would catch the Sneezles in this condition.

     "I can't give up," she said through gritted teeth. "I've gone too far to turn back. I'll make it there." Her nephew lived in Happy Valley in a tiny cottage where she would be having her birthday celebration. Patricia knew the way it looked by heart. She was sure she'd find it.

     So, with shivers running down her back and a new supply of fresh hope, she continued plowing through the snow, squinting now and then to see if she had reached her destination.

      ****

     Back in the box, the Warf let out a sigh and shivered. He wiggled between a Pteri and Wocky plushie and tried to get back to sleep, hoping that he would somehow be out of the box when he woke up.

      ****

     It was impossible. The blinding snow and wind had succeeded in scrambling Patricia's sense of direction, and she was hungry, tired and freezing. Weary, she decided to simply continue forward until she stumbled upon Happy Valley.

     The box still safe and sound in her arms, she trudged through the snow and tried to hum over the wind. Surely she needed some happy spirit for her to go on.

     After what seemed like eternity, to the Usul's relief, she could see fading footprints in the snow, which were headed forward. She was grateful that she had had the chance to see them, because after she saw them, the new layer of snow began to hide it. She knew that she was close. Eagerly, she continued heading forward, and then eventually rammed into something solid. Rubbing her forehead, she glanced up through the blinding snow and almost fainted with relief when she saw it was a small building… a familiar one.

     Finally, by some miracle, she had reached Happy Valley.

      ****

     "Oh, hello, everyone!" Smiling, a very relieved Patricia let herself enjoy the warmth of the cottage and the glow of the fireplace. The sweet smell of cookies and cake rode the air and filled her nose, making her mouth water. Indeed, she had made it to her nephew's home, and she was never so happy all her life. Away from the biting cold, she sunk into one of the sofas and sighed deeply.

     "Glad you could make it!" Her nephew, Annabelle, was a young red Usul, full of curiosity and kindness. "It's a really bad blizzard out there! I was worried."

     After cake and singing happy birthday, Patricia and Annabelle's siblings gathered around in the living room. They were all in a cheerful mood and everywhere you looked everyone was smiling.

     "Where's my present?" Annabelle asked, eagerly searching high and low for any indication of a box wrapped in colorful patterns.

     "Here." Patricia lifted the box off a table and handed it to her. "Open it."

     Excitedly, Annabelle ripped off the wrapping paper and pulled off the ribbon. She squealed in delight when she opened it.

     "Plushies!" the gleeful little Usul exclaimed. "Thank you!" She took one out of the box and cuddled it.

     "I'm glad you like it."

     Annabelle nodded and glanced once again at her new set of plushies. Something was out of the ordinary…

     "What in Fyora's name? Look!" Pointing, Annabelle shifted back a little, her little eyes locked at the inside of the box. "The plushies are moving!"

     The plushies wiggled and squirmed. It seemed as though some invisible pet was messing around with them. Puzzled and curious, everyone watched with awe as they witnessed an amazing sight.

     A tiny head popped out. Yawning, the Warf wagged his tail, realizing with glee that he was finally out of the box.

     Annabelle squealed and clapped. "A Petpet! I've always wanted a Warf!"

     But Patricia was puzzled. "How did that Warf get into the box? That's just the strangest thing. I was sure that he was in his cage when I left…"

     Annabelle cut her off. "It's okay! I want him! He's the best gift I've ever had! A gift in a gift, how cool is that? And I only get one gift a year!"

     The Warf listened to the two Usuls and felt his heart pound. In the strangest situation, he had finally found his home and owner.

The End