I'm No Krawk

      Kyle loved taking flight but as each day passed, his lust for the sea grew. He didn't want to give up the ability to fly, the gift of the air. Every time he caught glimpse of the ocean, he sighed sadly. If only there were someway he could swim.

      Each day the water provoked Kyle. He was a green Eyrie, but he grew so sad, he became a blue one. He compared himself to the sea whenever he looked in the mirror. He even lost his liking to fly. He needed to do something and he wanted to waste no more time.

      One day, Kyle sat on the dock near the hazy bay. It was a humid day as he watched the tide go in and out.

     "Yarr!" a pirate grumbled. Kyle turned around. It was a pirate Krawk with a peg leg. He was hobbling down the lane.

     "There be a Jelly World!" he declared, waving his cane at some young Kacheeks.

     What a loon, Kyle thought.

      The Krawk staggered towards Kyle. He cocked his head sideways in curiosity.

     "What be your problem?" he asked. Kyle scowled, glowering at the murky waters.

     "Nothing," he angrily mumbled.

     "Aye," the Krawk replied. He pulled out a mysterious vile with a swirling blue liquid inside.

      Before Kyle could say anything, the Krawk was gone, but his crazed yelling was heard in the distance. The Eyrie examined the potion and turned it around in his hands.

     "Oh, who cares?" Kyle asked. He pulled out the cork and chucked it into the sea. It floated in the waves.

      Kyle pulled his head back and took a swig of the brew. It tasted like mint. He looked at the half-full bottle. Then his stomach started to tingle. He felt dizzy and soon it was hard to see. The next thing he knew, he was in the water.

      Kyle opened his eyes. Yup, his whole body was underwater. He thrashed about, trying to reach the surface for fear his wings would become useless. When his head poked out of the bay, he took a big gulp of air. His wings! He couldn't feel his wings! They were numb!

      Kyle flailed around trying to reach the shore. He jumped onto the gray sand and hopped around. He looked at his paws, but they weren't the paws of an Eyrie. He now had claws. His body was still blue, but more reptilian. He looked at his reflection in the ocean. A Krawk stared back at him.

      "I'm a Krawk!" Kyle exclaimed. At first he didn't know what to feel. He was unfeeling, apathetic. A grin spread across his face.

     "I'm gonna be the best Krawk ever!" he burst out, diving into the water as if he had done it a million times.

      Kyle swam expertly through the water. Once he was about ten meters from the shore, he swam down deep. He went deeper and it got darker. He squinted to see the ocean floor. There was coral there, and a small cove was visible. Lucky for him, the newly morphed Krawk was just the right size to fit into the entrance.

      It started to get brighter when Kyle swam into the hidden cavern. A vast city started to appear before his eyes. He saw houses and small buildings made of shells and coral. There was even a monument made of sea glass.

      "Never saw you around," a voice said. Kyle was startled. He looked at the red Krawk next to him.

     "I'm Xoali," she greeted, smiling.

     "I'm Kyle," he said, shaking her hand, "And I drank a potion and became a Krawk," he added as if it were a pathetic excuse.

     "Well come on! I'll show you what being a Krawk is all about!" she beckoned, started to swim away. Kyle chased her.

      "Krawk races," Xoali announced as they passed a race track. Several Krawks stood side by side, poised to sprint. A loud crack sounded and the Neopets were off. A pink one was in the lead. Kyle wanted to win the shiny trophy award to the fastest Krawk.

      "Krawk beauty contest," Xoali declared as they swam further into town. Three Krawks stood on their own pedestal labeled one, two, and three. Xoali marveled at the cute plushie Krawk winning first place. Kyle admired the sparkling medal around the beautiful Krawks' necks.

      "Shiny teeth contest?" Kyle hollered. "That's crazy!"

     A Krawk stood on the middle of the stage, grinning. His smile was full of pearly whites. The crowd cheered. Xoali shrugged.

     "Let's go to my place," she suggested. "It's getting late."

      Kyle yawned. Xoali had a big house and it was a chore getting to his bedroom. But the day was over and he could finally sleep. Even that didn't come easy. Thoughts of the day spun in his head.

     "I'm gonna be the best Krawk."

     Beauty contests, shiny teeth, racing, it would all be a breeze.

      Kyle woke up before dawn. He had the sudden urge to run around. But first, he had to brush his teeth. He went into the bathroom and found a new toothbrush. He brushed longer than necessary and when he was done he idolized his smile. He noticed the Krawk hair lotion and decided to try it out. It made his hair shiny and new. He then figured that he should use the Krawk claw polish to look his best. It worked!

      Kyle got outside and stretched out. He felt one lump on either of his shoulder blades.

     "Huh?"

     He chose to swim to town square and back. It would not only be good exercise, but it would serve as training to certainly win the race. Speed came easy to the Krawk. The streets were empty as Kyle hastily swam. He wasn't only quick, but skilled.

      "Good morning," Xoali said, her eyes still tired, when Kyle came back. From the bumps on his back, sprouted a feathery crest. Xoali looked at them curiously. Kyle shrugged.

     "Can we go to town square?" he asked. Xoali looked at him,

     "Why not?"

      "Xoali, I want to race," Kyle proclaimed. She laughed but saw the seriousness in his face.

     "Okay, Kyle," she said leading him to the sign up booth. Within minutes, Kyle was standing on the track preparing for the race.

      Kyle leaned forward, ready to spring outwards. The masses on his shoulders had by then turned into strange wing-like wisps. The crack sounded and he was off. The race went so quickly. Kyle barely knew what was happening. He just pulled his arms and pushed his legs. He saw the finish line and with all his remaining power, he dove for it.

      Kyle won the race! The crowd cheered. Xoali yelled and scream but was slightly confused.

     "Where did this Krawk come from?" she thought. After the hoopla, when the next race was beginning, Kyle met up with Xoali.

     "To the shiny teeth contest!" he cried, thrusting his arm out and marching forward.

      Kyle stood at the end of the line in the far right of the stage. The judge closely inspected each participant's mouth. He was approaching. Kyle grinned. He knew his teeth were white but were they good enough? There was a moment of intense silence. The other judges conversed a moment before handing off and envelope to the announcer. He cleared his throat before declaring a winner.

     "...Kyle!" he said the name. Kyle grinned even wider. The crowd cheered. His prize was Krawk claw polish and hair lotion.

      "Beauty contest?" Xoali figured. Kyle nodded. His scaly Krawk tail was turning thin and furry.

     "What the..." he trailed off.

     "Excuse me, kid! Are you going to enter the contest or not?" an impatient voice asked. Kyle nodded, smiling as he filled out a form.

      There were more judges for the beauty contest. Kyle was revved up. In a matter of an hour he had won two big contests, and knew this would be his third. He just had to win. He had shiny teeth and an athletic body. What else was needed?

      He was on a bigger stage. There was a bigger crowd. The judges looked harsher. The examined each contender closely. A slight flaw could drop the score. Kyle was actually nervous.

      Two judges approached him. All eyes were on him. The spotlight was on him. A bead of sweat dripped down his back. Suddenly, the two buds on his back blossomed back into Kyle's full-size Eyrie wings. One judge shook his head and they moved onto the next contestant. Kyle's face burned red.

      Kyle no longer cared for being a Krawk. He swooped off stage and started flying up. Just as his slimy blue skin started turned yellow, he reached the surface. He jumped onto shore. His head was the last to turn back. He was a yellow Eyrie again.

      "But why?" he asked himself. That same strange pirate Krawk was shuffling around the beach.

     "You were trying too hard to be a Krawk. You're an Eyrie. That's who you truly are," he said in a very articulate way. For a second it seemed impossible that the pirate Krawk spoke like a normal neopet. He returned to normal and was once again babbling about Jelly World. Ha, Jelly World; that's funny!

The End