Our New Treasure

      "Urjorahn.”

      The green Kyrii flinched as the lights were harshly switched on, the bright light flooded his caramel eyes. When his sister Erissare announced his whole name, he knew he was in for a scolding. It was barely daybreak and he had just came home. The house was dark and the soft orange hues of sunlight stained the room before the Cybunny caught him red handed. The last thing he needed was this sibling to catch him in action.

      “Yes, Eri?” Jorahn asked in a voice as sweet as honey. He thought that if he called her by her nickname, things could be a little more casual and smooth, but the Cybunny was having none of it.

      “Where on Neopia have you been?” Jorahn could hear Eri hiss at him. The correct answer was a secret. Jorahn’s treasure hunting places were always a secret. He had his back turned away from his sister, and he really did not want to see what sort of expression she had on her face. Alas, he probably had to. Slowly, while he tried to keep his latest find hidden behind his back, he turned around ever so slowly.

      Eri had just left her bedroom, and she was clearly not pleased at all to see that he had left the house during the witching hours. This wasn’t the first time either that he sneaked off from the house. Eris nose wrinkled in frustration as she hopped across the living room to stand face-to-face with him. Despite being younger than the Kyrii, Cybunnies were naturally taller when they stood on two feet. She towered over him, and Jorahn hated it. What made it more unpleasant was her piercing pink eyes that stared down at him condescendingly.

      Jorahn stuttered as he frantically searched for an excuse. He shouldn’t be in this situation at all - after all, he was the eldest one in this dysfunctional family, wasn’t he? “Erm, out there, somewhere,” he started, words spilling out from his olive lips before he could stop them. “Errands, you know? Serran asked me to fetch the milk and-“

      “At 3 in the morning?!” Eri roared at Jorahn’s face and he flinched once more. How can Cybunnies be this feisty? He thought a Cybunny for a sister would have been adorable. Cybunnies should just stay fluffy and adorable, but Eri here was doing a good job of tarnishing that picture. “By Fyora’s beard! That thing you have there doesn’t even look like anywhere near a carton of milk!”

      This was true. Instead of milk, Jorahn was carrying an egg, and a rather large one too. It was almost half his size, since he was so short. Jorahn sighed in defeat as he pulled out the egg from behind his back. The egg was in a smooth oval shape with bright blue spots speckled here and there. It felt warm in his arms, and it almost seemed like it was humming.

      “But look what I got!” Jorahn tried to be as cheerful as possible. “It could be a Draik egg!”

      His optimism was shot down as Eri tapped her foot on the ground repeatedly.

      “You dolt, that looks nothing like a Draik egg,” she growled, giving the thick shell a few soft knocks. Jorahn protectively drew the egg farther away from her, in case it might crack from her prodding.

      “How would you know anyway?” Jorahn grumbled at her, feeling annoyance creep inside him. He shouldn’t be treated like this at all! “I’m older than you and I explore the world while you’re just a homely shut-in.”

      This only made Eri’s temper flare. Her long, pointed ear flattened against her head and Jorahn knew he was in for it now, but he couldn’t care less. “I’m the only one here who actually goes to school!” she screeched at him, which caused the Kyrii to flatten his own pointed ears. “At least I have an education! At least I ha-“

      “Come on, guys,” A weak voice sounded from the room. It was coming from Milah, the youngest Neopet in the household, and yet the tallest. The poor sleepy Hissi was still in her nightgown, and with one wing she clutched a stuffed bear. “It’s too early for this.” She yawned, her forked tooth flickered out for a millisecond. “Serran could be home any minute.”

      “That’s right,” Eri interrupted Milah and turned back to Jorahn, who still clutched tightly around his prize. “Once Serran comes home, I am SO going to tell her.”

      Jorahn felt his own anger build up, so he carefully set down the egg on the carpet before he had the urge to throw it at his sister’s face. “And then what?” He spoke back. “You know what, it’s not even MY fault. You know fully well that I was born to LIKE hunting for-“

      “But it has gone too far!” Eri shot at him, leaning forwards in attempt to pressure him into caving in for an apology. This only made Jorahn step forward, and he stood on his tiptoes in hopes to level his eyes with her.

      “What, you think I can’t fend for myself?!” The Kyrii growled defiantly. “I’ve ventured out countless of times, more than you will ever do!”

      “That’s not what I meant!” Eri snarled back. “Your treasure is nothing more than poor man’s trash from the Money Tree!”

      Jorahn obviously took this offensively as he staggered back, clutching his chest dramatically. “Excuse me?!”

      Milah spoke up again. “Um, guys?”

      The heads of Eri and Jorahn snapped back towards the third sibling. “What?!” They yelled in almost perfect unison. Milah stared back at them dryly, as if she was used to the two bickering every single day. With a tip of her free wing, she pointed at the idle egg.

      With all eyes on the strange egg that sat on the carpet, Jorahn only noticed now that a crack had formed. Before he could ask if it was always broken, the egg suddenly moved.

      Eri cried out in surprise and propelled herself behind the sofa. “What if it’s a Grarrl? Or a Skeith? Or something just as horrid?”

      “Whatever it is,” Jorahn snorted quietly. “I bet it’ll be nothing compared to you.”

      The Cybunny sneered. “I heard that!” She was immediately silenced when the egg rolled on its side and a good chunk of the shell came flying off, as if something inside it just kicked.

      All three Neopets walked towards the egg slowly and quietly, watching in awe as whatever it was inside desperately hatched. A foot broke through one spot of the shell, and then suddenly a wing.

      “Hah! I told you it was a Drai-“ Before Jorahn could finish, a head popped out of the egg. Just like Eri said, it looked nothing like a Draik.

      “A Shoyru?” Milah eyed the newly born Neopet, her yellow eyes shined with interest. “Where did you find a Shoyru?”

      The blue Shoyru stared up at the Kyrii with it’s wide, dark eyes, as if waiting for an answer as well.

      “I.. Um..” Jorahn just couldn’t find a reply. He wasn’t expecting the egg to hatch this soon. The Shoyru wagged it’s pointed tail impatiently for whatever the Kyrii was going to say. After a few seconds, it shot out from the remains of the shell and into the green arms of Jorahns. For a newly born Neopet, it was strong enough to tackle-hug the Kyrii down to the floor. Jorahn cried out in surprise as his back hit the wooden surface with a dull thud. What the Shoyru said next was something else that he least expected.

      “Mommy!” The Shoyru cried with glee. Jorahn felt his stomach drop. Eri bursted into peals of laughter, which did not help at all.

      “Oh quiet, you!” Jorahn called out to her as he tried to push off the Shoyru away from him in vain. He looked over at Milah for help, but she was looking away with one wing that covered her lips. She was laughing too!

      Eri was nowhere near done with making fun of him. The nerve! “He.. He called you ‘mommy’!” she howled between her giggles as she rolled across the wooden flooring of the living room. He could already see her crawl towards the phone for Serran.

      Milah, who stayed in the sidelines the entire time, rubbed the side of her temples before she retreated back to her room. Before she closed her bedroom door behind her, she could already hear Jorahn spouting countless angry words at Eri to stop her from calling Serran. Whether or not they call her, it was inevitable that their owner will find out what happened this morning. For now, she will continue her sleep and will gladly welcome their new family member in the next few hours. She bet he'll be a treasure to be with.

      The End.