The Warf that Got Warfnapped

It was unusually hot, and felt like a midsummer day. A nice, cool breeze shifted and blew the grasses and leaves. It was the perfect day for-wait a minute, this sounds peculiarly familiar. Oh... that's right, I'm at the wrong chapter! Sorry... Aha! This sounds about right. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the sequel to The Warf that could Fly.

    * * * * *

    Rain lashed against the windows and streets, bone-chilling, fur-soaking cold, endless, and desperate. People ran towards houses, stumbling on rolling trash bins and tripping on run-away toys. Now, our story begins at a cozy, simple Neohome in Neopia Central.

    The curtains were closed, and downstairs a fire was lit, for the electricity had gone out. A group of Neopets, their Petpets, and an owner lay in sleeping bags before the crackling, merry fire.

    A Purple Lupe lay on his belly, reading aloud a large book of scary stories, mysterious, haunting, and chilling to the bone. I guess you could say it was pretty creepy, until one turned and saw all the merry faces flickering in the firelight.

    At the Lupe's side was a plain Warf, a Warf named Norp, who managed to get tangled into fascinating adventures. Just a few months ago, he had flown on a runaway kite out to the ocean. A Green Eyrie had to save him, and Norp had managed to find his owner, the Purple Lupe, Shorn.

    Shorn's sister, Nuneera, was poking the fire with a stick. She was an Electric Acara, and her petpet was a timid little Feepit named Soda Pop. Soda Pop and Norp managed to get along, though at times it wasn't easy.

    Shorn's owner, Sammy, had her head in her hands, and was watching Soda Pop play while listening to Shorn read at the same time. Curled next to her was a White Gelert, Lilu, and her petpet, a Buzzer. The Buzzer was named, well, Buzzer, and he just got along with Lilu.

    "It was a cold night," Shorn read, "Rain splattered on the rooftops. A family of Neopets lay about a nice warm fire, thinking they were safe. One petpet, a fat pup, was kidnapped when the others weren't looking. He was taken away to a mysterious-"

    "Enough." Sammy sighed. "I'm going to go get some cookie dough."

    Norp looked up at Shorn and he burrowed deeply into the velvety, soft sleeping bag, nice to know he was safe. Shorn marked the page where he had stopped and got up to go to the bathroom. Nuneera went upstairs to get Soda Pop a toy, and, being left alone with two petpets, Lilu tailed her owner, and Buzzer followed.

    Norp was left alone, quite alone. It was almost unnerving, the quiet except for a tree branch scraping the window.

    Thud! Thud! Footsteps, LARGE footsteps, thudded behind Norp. He swirled around to find himself face to face with a very large person dressed in black. The person picked Norp up with its two gargantuan hands, and plopped Norp into a bag before somebody could even say 'Defenders of Neopia.'

    It was very dark inside the bag, and a bit cramped.

    "Woof! Woof!" Norp barked, meaning 'Help me!', but that could also be mistaken for 'I'm hungry!'

    The door opened and didn't shut. Norp felt himself bouncing along with the rhythm of the footsteps, and he could also feel chilling rain piercing the fabric bag. It was quite cold, and Norp realized he was on an adventure, just like a few months ago. He would have to fight back, after a sleep.

    * * * * *

    "Norp! Sorry, had to go to the bathroom, buddy," Shorn smiled. No bark greeted him. He peered into his sleeping bag.

    "Mum, do you-" Shorn started, but something attracted his attention. The front door was wide open, and puddles were forming onto the carpet.

    Norp was gone. Again.

    * * * * *

    "I'm agoin' to town, goin' to town, I'm goin' to town today. I've got a Warf that'll fetch a hefty sum, I've got a Warf that'll fetch a hefty sum, I've got a Warf to sell today. Eat my breakfast. Pack my bags. Can't be caught. I'm agoin' to town today," Norp heard a husky, gruff, choked voice sing. It sounded like nails on a blackboard.

    Then, Norp remembered. He had been kidnapped, Warfnapped. There was a hole in the bag and Norp peered through. He was in a gloomy forest, and his kidnapper was a Yellow Skeith. The hole was too small, so Norp decided to wait, wait until the bag would be opened. Then he would be free. Getting home, however, was the problem.

    * * * * *

    A gloomy night was spent looking for Norp. The rain was still pit-pattering, but a bit softer. Shorn was very upset, he knew that Norp would do ANYTHING for him... but... why would he run away? This was the question, the problem, the unanswered. Obviously, nobody was around. Then, it hit them all. Was it possible that Norp was taken away against his will?

    * * * * *

    The Skeith was walking, walking through a gloomy alley in Neopia Central. Rain patted against the bag, and it was an empty silence, quite depressing, really. Maybe, they were going away, away from Neopia Central. Hours were spent. Darkness and light blended together, and the rain kept falling. The air wasn't sweet; it was dirty and salty. The bag rocked to and fro uncomfortably, then it jerked and stopped. The footsteps began again. Everything blended together, nothing was different, except to survive. That was what mattered, to get away and find home, to sit by the fire, listening to scary stories right next to a Purple Lupe named Shorn. That time seemed so long ago; how long, Norp wasn't sure, but it seemed like a millennium ago.

    Everything was so different, so cramped. This wasn't a good adventure, Norp decided, because he wasn't free. He was trapped against his will and the path before him was unsure, uncertain. There was no way out, no place to breathe. Everything became one, and slowly, gradually, Norp forgot his will to survive; he forgot what being free was like. The one thing, the only thing he remembered was surfing the skies. His only memory that he was allowed to remember. His mind started to forget, time passed, and life went on.

    * * * * *

    Three months passed, and Sammy gave up hope. Shorn sometimes took routes when going to home he wouldn't usually take. He couldn't get a new petpet; it would be like losing Norp again. Life went on, and slowly Shorn gave up all hope for finding Norp.

    * * * * *

    Norp pressed his nose in his fur. He had been sold three times already, and there was nothing left for him. He didn't hope Shorn would rescue him. There was no hope, just and empty darkness all around. Shorn was a thing of the past, someone shoved out of Norp's life.

    "I missed you. You should never disobey me. Ever. Neither because you're mad or because of a kite. Those things can happen again." Norp remembered those words spoken half a year ago today. He sighed, and looked at the clerk, an evil Shoyru. When his back was turned, Norp ran out the door, as far as he could, until he collapsed, half dead. There was no returning.

    * * * * *

    Shorn kicked an empty Achyfi can across the street. It was all his fault. He was walking outside Neopia Central. It was all his fault that Norp had vanished.

    No petpet suited him. Exactly three and a half months ago, Norp had vanished. He had been looking for two weeks for a suitable Petpet. There were none. Shorn walked into a dark alley, and a yellow fluff-ball caught his attention. A Yellow Warf.

    "You aren't wanted, are you?" Shorn asked. The Warf made no move.

    "I'll take you home. I guess you could say we could help each other, it seems we have both lost something very dear. You remind me of my old Warf, Norp," Shorn sighed, caressing the mangled yellow fur.

    And suddenly, Norp knew he was finally going home.

The End