A Day in the Life of a Weewoo

      The blue Kacheek finished the last sentence of the letter, dipping the quill into the ink one more time to sign her name in a flourish. Next to her, Avis, a white Weewoo, dozed in a roomy bird cage, her head tucked under her wing.

      There was a quiet knock on the door, and a yellow Wocky stepped in. “Hey, Sky!” she said cheerfully. “Heather and I are going to the park, since it’s such a nice day. Wanna come?”

      “Sure, Milly!” Sky said, putting the quill away. “Is Flo coming?” she asked, looking around for a Halloween Cybunny.

      “No, I think Thea took her to the Trading Post,” Milly replied, referring to their owner. “Mystery Island’s quite far as well- I wouldn’t expect them back until nightfall.”

      “Alright, let’s go then,” Sky said. “We can grab some ice cream on the way. I’ll buy,” she added, pocketing a few hundred neopoints.

      “Sounds good! Let’s-” Milly faltered, her eye catching the Weewoo still asleep in the cage. “Who’s this?”

      “That’s Avis. She’s my new petpet!”

      The Wocky stepped closer, studying the dozing petpet. “I thought white Weewoos didn’t exist,” she mused.

      “Oh, they don’t,” Sky said, reading over her letter one last time. Milly blinked in confusion as Sky sealed the letter and wrote a name on the envelope.

      “Right. What happened to Jingle?” Milly asked, asking about Sky’s old petpet, a Christmas Slorg.

      “Oh, him. I couldn’t find him one day,” Sky began. “While I was wandering around, Avis started following me. She kind of grew on me. When I found Jingle in our Safety Deposit Box eating the food we have stored, I made her my official petpet, since Jingle didn’t want to come out anyway. He seems to love it in there.”

      Milly smiled. “Why’s the door open?” she pondered.

      “She likes to be free. I leave the door to her cage open, as well as the window, so she can fly out whenever she likes.”

      “HURRY UP GUYS!” a Baby Bori called from downstairs.

      “COMING HEATHER!” Milly, shouted back. “Come on Sky, we better go,” she said, and the two of them began to walk downstairs.

      They were almost to the bottom when Sky suddenly exclaimed, “Oh wait!” and stopped. “Just one second!” she exclaimed, sprinting back up.

      “IT’S BEEN ONE SECOND!” Heather exclaimed.

      Sky ignored her little sister and ran back to her room, picking up the envelope she had discarded on her desk. She walked over to the large cage and gave the Weewoo inside a light pat, just enough to rouse her. Avis opened one dark eye blearily.

      “Hey Avis,” she said, stroking the Weewoo’s head. “Sorry to wake you.” Avis gave her a glare. “Yeah, I know you’re tired, but you shouldn’t have been up flying all night! Anyway, would you mind delivering this letter for me?” The Weewoo tilted her head up to indicate that she was listening. “It’s for my friend Amy. I need to ask her something, but her Neomail inbox is full. Do you think you could get it to her?”

      The Weewoo hesitated a moment, then held out a leg. “Thanks,” Sky said, attaching a ribbon to the envelope and tying it to her outstretched leg.

      “I won’t be here when you get back,” Sky said as her petpet stretched out her wings, preparing for the long flight. “I’m going out, so I guess I’ll see you later. Feel free to fly around, but be back in Faerieland before it gets dark, okay?” Avis affectionately nipped her hand in understanding.

      “What’s taking so long?” Milly had suddenly appeared at the door, making Sky start. The Wocky raised an eyebrow. “Were you talking to her? You know she can’t understand you, right?” Avis ruffled her feathers in annoyance and took off, gliding out the window.

      “Yes she can,” Sky said, watching the Wewoo fly further and further away. “Trust me. Weewoos are more intelligent than you think.”

      Avis was exactly where she wanted to be. Gliding, soaring, riding the wind like a wave. It felt so great to be up in the air again. But she couldn’t fly free, not yet anyway. She had a job to do first.

      For hours she flew, feeling the wind beneath her wings, loving every moment that she was up in the sky. Everything looked so strange and incredible from an aerial view. Neopets walked around on the ground below like scarabs crawling across sand dunes. She flew past Brightvale University and across the green hills of Meridell, watching a blue Chia roll a chunk of Shiny Golden Cheese toward a finish line. As she neared her destination, the air around her began to grow cold.

      Snow and ice caked the treetops and the tops of the cozy looking cottages and shops. The Weewoo had never been to this land before. Avis ruffled her feathers to shake the snow out and took in her bearings.

      She was in a small little valley with a happy feel to it. Though summer had only just ended, a blanket of snow covered the ground. A slight breeze blew, making it cool, but not unpleasantly so. Neopets were everywhere; a red Kougra and a yellow Tuskaninny threw snowballs at each other, laughing as they ducked behind crude forts of snow to avoid being hit. Nearby, a blue Bruce lay on his back waving his flippers to make a snow angel, and a brown Aisha built a snowpetpetpet nearby.

      The little Weewoo took flight again. She knew Amy lived at the top of the mountain, but she wanted to explore a little first. Avis poked her head through a small cave-like opening and gave a small hoot of amazement.

      Beautiful caves of ice glistened wherever she looked, reflecting in her wide dark eyes. Everything around her seemed to shimmer like diamonds. It gave the illusion that many things were going on at once. A yellow Bori was trading in a negg at the Neggery. A pink Elephante boldly ventured into the Snowager’s lair, grabbing a scratchcard and walking out unscathed. A family of Vandagyres sipped slushies together on a frost covered bench. All while the ice twinkled and sparkled as if it were dancing.

      Avis blinked. There would be time for more exploring another time. For now, she had a job to do. She spread her wings and shook the snow out once more before gracefully taking off. A small open area in the caves revealed a shortcut to the mountaintop. The Weewoo flapped her wings hard, gaining altitude as she flew up the steep mountain.

      Reaching the top, Avis perched at the top of a tall tree to get a view of the area. Amy lived only a few blocks away. She hopped off the tree and flung her wings out in a glide. Taelia, the snow Faerie, gave her a wave as she flew over her home. Avis gave a short whistle in greeting before flying off.

      Less than a minute later, she was tapping on a window of a very cozy looking house. A purple Zafara opened her bedroom window, looking very confused. “Oh!” she said in surprise at the little petpet hovering outside her window. “Um, hello,” she muttered, before her eyes widened in recognition.

      “Oh!” she said again. “You’re Sky’s petpet, aren’t you? Avis, right?” Avis hooted in confirmation. Amy seemed to realize that the petpet was still outside, flapping her wings to remain airborne. “Come in!” Avis happily zoomed through the window, holding out her leg so Amy could untie the letter.

      “A letter?” Amy asked, closing the window. “Why would...” she paused. “Is my inbox full?” Avis hooted again. Amy sighed. “I knew it!” she said, exasperated. “I always forget to clear it!”

      Amy untied the ribbon and ripped open the envelope, sitting on her bed to read the letter. “Perch anywhere you like,” she said. “You must be tired; that was quite a long journey. I’ll bring you up some water in a sec,” she added.

      On the contrary, Avis was full of energy, the exhilaration of the flight still coursing through her, but she didn’t want to reject Amy’s offer. So she perched on a bookshelf to give her wings a rest.

      As promised, Amy brought up a bowl of water when she finished reading the letter. She sat down on her bed again and sighed. “I’d reply to her in a Neomail,” she said, “but I have to go pick my brother up from his friend’s house.” She stood up and began to pace, now talking more to herself than to Avis. “And then I have to go deliver that to a family friend,” she said, gesturing to a small covered basket in the corner that smelled strongly of baked goods, “who lives all the way in Neopia Central! And then-”

      Avis gave a loud whistle, cutting the Zafara off. She fluttered to the corner of the room and grabbed the handle of the basket in her yellow beak, then tapped the closed window with her foot.

      “What are you doing?” Amy asked. Avis shook the basket a bit and tapped the window again. “You want to deliver that?” Avis gave a small nod. “For me?” She nodded again.

      Amy shook her head in disbelief. “If someone had told me petpets were this amazing, I would have gotten myself one a long time ago!” Avis gave a muffled hoot in thanks as the Zafara opened the window. “Her name’s Valerie, if that helps.” Avis gave a nod of acknowledgement. “Thanks again!” Amy called as the little petpet launched herself out the window, spread her wings, and soared away.

      It was late afternoon by the time Avis reached Neopia Central. There was the usual hustle and bustle, but the numbers dwindled as shoppers went home to have dinner with their families. It would be busier once the sun set.

      Finding Valerie’s neighborhood was easy. She lived in a quiet area away from the crowds, but close enough that she could get to the city quickly if she needed to.

      Spotting the house was easy too. Valerie lived in the last house on the right side of the neighborhood. Avis perched on a lamppost in front of the house, taking in the well-maintained garden in the front yard. Bluebells and roses were carefully arranged in neat and precise rows. Draphlys and Springabees buzzed around the flowers, and Ladyblurgs littered the ground and sky.

      The Weewoo took a breath of fresh air before grabbing the basket again and flying it up to the door. Setting it down on the welcome mat, she tapped the door with her beak, hoping Valerie would hear it. After about a minute of waiting, she flew up to the side of the house and peered through the windows. The curtains were drawn, making it difficult for Avis to tell whether anyone was home or not.

      After a few minutes the little petpet gave up, deciding to leave the basket at the door for Valerie to find once she arrived. She was about to take off when a loud crash made her jump about a foot in the air. Avis put her ear against the door and listened, completely still.

      “Darn it Leonard, be quiet!” a muffled voice hissed from the other side of the door. “I swear, you’ve got two left feet. Keep it up and I’ll throw you to the cops myself!”

      “Hey, I found most of this loot myself. Besides, without me, you wouldn’t have even found this place!”

      “Whatever, just keep it down. I’m don’t have any intentions of going to prison tonight. I’ve got dinner plans.”

      “I reckon we’ll have enough of this stuff soon, anyway. Wow, whoever lives here has some good loot. We’ll be rich in no time!”

      Avis had heard enough to know exactly what was going on- this place was being robbed. But who could she go to?

      The Chia Police! Of course! She had seen a station only about five blocks away. Faster than she’d ever flown in her life, the brave petpet soared to the police station, grazing the winds like an expert. When she saw the station from above, she went into a spectacular dive, pulling up at the last second and landing without a scratch. The doors were open, and Avis ruffled her feathers before zooming inside.

      “Hey, who left the door open?” A yellow Chia said, annoyed. “Oh great. Now a bird’s got in!”

      Avis whistled, letting out a panicked cry to let the Chia know that something was wrong. He merely sighed and began shining his already shimmering badge. If only they could understand her!

      She whistled again, trying to tell him that he had to come with her right now, before the robbers could get away with their heinous crime. She sang with everything she had to get his attention, but to no avail. She sighed. This just wasn’t working.

      But she wasn’t going to give up. Avis wanted to help, and she would do so by any means possible. So the white Weewoo swooped down, grabbed the badge from the paws of the unexpected Chia, and began to fly in the direction of Valerie’s house, making sure that he had time to follow.

      “Hey!” he yelled, getting up from his seat and chasing her in annoyance. “Get back here with that you dumb bird!” But Avis flew, hoping with all she had that this would work.

      It took a while since she had to fly slow enough for the officer to keep up, but she was confident that the men were still in the house. For one, the basket of goods was still at the door; they would have had to move it in order to get out, especially if they were hauling bags of loot, and she doubted they would have bothered to put it back.

      She perched on the lamppost again to let the officer catch his breath, his badge still secure in her beak.

      “Get...get down from...there,” he panted.

      Avis wasn’t sure how long she could keep the officer there. When would the robbers show?

      As it on cue, the door banged open. A Kyrii and a Mynci stepped outside, each hauling an enormous bag of loot. “Let’s get this back to the van, Leonard. I’m going to be late,” the Kyrii growled. “What the-” he said, as he tripped, nearly falling down the front steps. “Hey, who put this basket here?” he said, glancing around. The two robbers suddenly went completely still as they took in the officer in front of them. The Chia was frozen as well, staring at the two intruders.

      Avis swooped down and dropped the badge in front of the Chia’s face. He reached out and caught it with one hand, staring at it for a moment as if he had never seen it before. Then everyone seemed to unfreeze at once, the spell broken by her sudden movement.

      “Officer, we can explain,” the Kyrii began, but the officer just blinked and held out his badge.

      “FREEZE!”

      The sun had set by the time Avis had returned to Faerieland. She had left the rest to the police, having done what she could to help, and decided it was time to go home. She was done for the day.

      Reaching the house, she swooped through the window, landing gracefully inside the birdcage. The Weewoo tucked her head under her wing, and took a well-deserved nap.

      Avis awoke later that night as Sky trudged into the room, looking worn out. “Back already?” she asked the Weewoo, suppressing a yawn. “I assumed you’d be out until dawn again.” The petpet gave a small shrug in reply, closing her eyes again.

      “The park was pretty fun,” the Kacheek continued, pulling the thick purple blinds shut about two-thirds of the way, leaving just enough space for Avis to fly out if she wished to during the night. “Until Heather threw a fit after the ice cream vendor said he was all out of Double Chocolate, of course. That kind of put a damper on things, especially when we had to explain to the police why a Baby Bori was attempting dark magic on an ice cream cart. Now Thea has to pay a small fine for Improper Use of Magic, and Heather’s grounded.” Sky cleared her throat. “So what did you do today?”

      Avis gave another shrug, too tired to give any further response.

      “Not much, I guess.” Sky said, rolling her eyes.

      You have no idea, Avis thought, happily tucking her head back under her wing as the Kacheek turned out the lights.

The End.