The Evergreen Clearing

Shops lined up alongside the alley's street, bearing hastily made wooden signs with labels such as: "Ye Olde PetPets", "Potions and "Food Shoppe". Romyne speedily walked further, and the shops began to wither out. They were replaced with quaint, cobblestone houses, but one stood out to her. She skidded to a halt and gazed up longingly at the window of a worn-down house. It was vacant. Last summer, Romyne's best friend, Kiteigh, never failed to play a competitive game of yooyuball with her. Kit had moved back to Virtupets with no trace, leaving their days of carefree fun were left in the dust, and Romyne was only left with the sting of nostalgia.

Romyne sighed heavily, attempting to shake the bittersweet weight off of her chest, and she sluggishly continued her venture. After a painstakingly slow thirty minutes, she arrived in the wooded outskirts of Meridell. She found her way to a familiar clearing amongst the evergreen trees that she and Kit used to travel to. The air was unbearably hot until a gust of wind blasted through the trees carrying the faint memories of the two friends. They felt sweet and joyful, but a certain loneliness crept into her heart. Romyne had moved into Meridell two years prior, and Kiteigh had been her only friend. It felt as if she may never find someone to spend time with again. She proceeded to take a deep breath and slowly let it back out. She whipped out her yooyuball and began to thrust it around.

"SCORE! AND THAT'S IT, MERIDELL TAKES THE CUP!" Romyne shouted as she swiftly jumped in the air and then dramatically slammed into the ground. A sinking feeling suddenly erupted in her stomach. She was isolated, with no friends, in the woods. No one to share her passion.

"Cluck, Cluck!"

"AAH!" Romyne jumped around, with the yooyuball clutched to her chest, ready to defend herself. A fluffy Albat crawled from underneath the trees. She smiled warmly and got onto her knees reaching out toward the Petpet. "How did an Albat like you stray from the farm?"

It looked lost and appeared underweight. Romyne dug into her pockets and handed the Albat her homegrown chestnuts. The Ablat seemed hesitant to come closer, but as Romyne backed up, it leapt forward and hastily ate the chestnuts. The Albat desperately peered up at her with its large eyes begging for more food.

"Sorry, I don't have anymore," she frowned. "I can bring by some tomorrow!" Romyne secretly hoped the Albat wasn't still in the woods the next day. It shouldn't be alone in the wild. She packed up her things and headed back to the city after wishing the Albat a goodnight.

The following morning couldn't have come fast enough. Right as the sun's rays peeped through the window shutters, Romyne hopped out of bed with no hesitation. She slipped on her combat boots and threw on an old hoodie with the Kreludor team logo. She stopped after hearing a loud crash of thunder.

"No!" she turned around to see rain pounding onto the pavement outside. The wind crashed against the house with loud bangs. "I really hope that Albat has a home and made it back." Romyne worriedly grabbed a handful of food items before busting out the front door. She threw her hood over her long, orange hair and made a run for the outskirts of Meridell, yet again. It only seemed to take longer than usual to get to the clearing and the rain sent Romyne shivers down her spine.

Romyne arrived at the clearing and threw off her book bag while grabbing food from the pockets. "Hey!" She shouted, her voice echoing through the trees. She hoped she was loud enough against the roaring of the thunder. "Are you there?" She nervously searched the brush of the woods trying to find the albat. Her breathing accelerated as the Albat was nowhere to be found. Romyne slumped beneath the trees and hopelessly stared at the wet, muddy ground.

"Cluuuck," a prolonged and depressing sounding peep came from beneath a bush. Romyne jumped up to see the Albat emerge in fear of the rain. She immediately took out the food, offering it to the Albat with her hands shaking. A few walnuts fell onto the ground from the nervous shaking and the Albat proceeded to eat the stray food.

"I - I," she stuttered with a grin plastered across her face. "I am so glad you're okay! You need a name..."

Thunder roared and lightning splattered across the sky.

"I'll name you Rory!" Romyne tilted her head at him. "Stay under the trees. I'll see you when I came to play yooyuball tomorrow." She sat under the trees to accompany Rory so he wouldn't feel lonely during the storm. Romyne headed home after an hour.

Rory seemed to be in the clearing every day that Romyne came to practice yooyuball. She made sure to bring food to feed him. The summer was lonely without any friends; Romyne's favourite part of her day was visiting Rory, as she enjoyed his presence. Suddenly, she didn't feel so alone. Slowly, over the next few weeks, Rory gained a fair amount of weight and resembled a healthy Albat again. Romyne felt a warmness in her heart seeing him prosper again, but she still worried about his well being in the wild. As each day passed, it became clear that Rory didn't have a home to go to anymore, and he was in danger of being lost for good.

"Rory," she spoke in a soft, soothing voice as she pet the albat. "Would you like to come home with me as my new Petpet?"

Rory slowly crawled onto her lap and perched. He rubbed his head against her face letting out what sounded like a purr. Romyne smiled and proceeded to hug him. She wasn't alone anymore.

Throughout the rest of the summer, Romyne made sure to take Rory on walks through Meridell's streets to show him around. She quickly became the center of attention as a little Albat trotted behind her. A few Neopians came up to her and asked to pet him. Many people found it sweet to see her showing the Albat around the city. They were always together. Even though people started conversations with Romyne now, she still didn't have any friends beside Rory, but she was okay with that now.

"Hey Rory, check this out!" They approached a coffee shop with a sign reading, 'THE COFFEE TAVERN'. She picked up the Albat and walked through the front door of the store. Old, rustic wooden tables were placed throughout the store, and a few booths lined up against the wall. In the back corner of the shop, a small tent fortress with books inside of it awaited customers. The shop smelled of strong coffee beans and had an atmosphere feeling like a cosy home.

"Hey, hi! Welcome to The Coffee Tavern!" An overweight, desert Xweetok with bedhead tousled hair and a red flannel came from behind the counter. "I'm Ashdken, how can I help you today?" His big, green eyes locked onto the small albat.

"Hey, I'm Romyne -"

"WHAT IS HIS NAME?! HE'S SO CUTE AND FLUFFY," Ash bends over and hugs Rory while handing him a treat from behind the counter. "Have a coffee on me, Romyne! Just hang around and read a book or two. I'd love to have you two chilling around here. It gets lonely."

Romyne smiled and nodded. The two Neopets chatted away over a cup of coffee. They ended up having a lot in common and especially bonded over Rory. Romyne and Rory regularly visited The Coffee Tavern to hang out with their new friend, Ash. After a month, she decided to apply at the coffee shop, and she too became a barista with her new best friend, Ashkden.

Although Romyne's old friend, Kiteigh, will remain in her memory, she is confident in the future and her new pals.

The End.