Not Just Another Lupe Story: Part Two

      "So? What do you think?" He flashed an award-winning smile in an attempt to win Cole over.

      It took a moment, but finally Cole became slightly more adjusted to the new look of his no longer innocent looking Lupe.

      "Uh, it's nice, I guess. I don't know, though, you suddenly seem so... " Cole's voice trailed off.

      "Charming?" Cobalt filled in the missing word. "Intelligent? Handsome? Charismatic? I can go on, I've got more."

      Cole shook his head, "No, please don't. I guess I just need to get used to it, that's all." Cole turned to Tarrow. "We've really got to be going if we want to get to the Soup Kitchen before it closes. Thank Riley for us, okay? And if we can ever make it up to you guys, just say so."

      Tarrow nodded and headed out the door.

      Only a few seconds behind, Cobalt and Cole walked out the door. Cole turned to lock it and dropped his key. "Oh, what's the use? We don't have anything valuable anyway," he gave Cobalt a once over, "except you."

      Cobalt wasn't sure how to respond to this remark, so the two of them walked together to the Soup Kitchen. Cole couldn't seem to figure out what the difference was in Cobalt. He just somehow sensed that not all was right.

      Cole was deep in thought, when he abruptly noticed that he and Cobalt were in line. The line for the Soup Kitchen was longer than normal this evening and Cobalt was growing impatient. It seemed to him that every Neopian was purposely trying to take as long as they could.

      At long last, they were next in line. The warm scent of the soups wafted up to Cobalt's nostrils and his mouth watered. He rubbed his paws together, hoping for his favorite type of soup, Turnip Broth. He could almost taste the warm liquid rolling around his tongue when a voice severed all of his pleasant thoughts.

      "I'm sorry, boys, but we're closing up now." The Soup Faerie reached up to begin to pull the blinds down, when a deep purple paw stopped her. She looked up to the livid face of a Darigan Lupe and she gasped.

      "I have had hardly anything to eat all day, and you think that you can deprive me?!" Cobalt roared at her.

      "I'm SORRY, sir, but we are closed now," she said a little more firmly.

      However, Cobalt would not take this. His eyes glowed a fierce red and he leapt violently into the small room, knocking the Soup Faerie onto the floor. He took one massive paw and swept it across the large pots, spilling the many varieties of soup, including Turnip Broth, onto the floor. His paws and legs were smeared with vegetables and hot liquid. He snarled at the Soup Faerie, who still was sprawled across the floor, covered in soup.

      "You could've just come back tomorrow!" she yelled at Cobalt.

      Cobalt raised one paw to strike her, but a crowd was drawing from the commotion. He looked up as a voice summoned him.

      "Cobalt! What do you think you are doing?!" A surprised Cole stood spitting accusations at him.

      Cobalt heard none of it. He suddenly realized that he was standing amidst an extreme mess. The small Soup Kitchen had been nearly completely ransacked, and there was soup all over everything-including himself. He looked down at his paws, wondering how he could have done something like that. With that, he became afraid and lifted into the sky, trying to run away.

      Cole ran after him shouting, but he couldn't follow the small shadowy figure that faded into the inky sky. He squinted, searching for any sign of Cobalt. There was none he could find. He put his hands to his head, hoping that Cobalt had just gone home.

      "He cannot be the one we are looking for." The Queen Faerie was once again gazing into that small hand held mirror, watching Cobalt intently. "However, this is beginning to intrigue me somewhat, so I think I shall observe a while longer."

      Her chief adviser nodded and left the intricately carved room.

      Back in Neopia Central, Cobalt dashed to his cramped room. He was very confused and shaken up. He felt numb all over, and thought he would be sick. He clutched his stomach and moaned. His mouth was dry, and the thoughts kept running through his head mercilessly.

      'What happened? What possessed me to do such a thing? How am I going to deal with the consequences? Why couldn't I think of the repercussions then? What will Cole think?' He grabbed his head and tried to roll into a ball. It didn't work. He knew that any time, Cole would be home to give him grief.

      He was right.

      A few seconds later, Cobalt heard the door slam. He knew he was really going to get it now.

      "COBALT!" An enraged Cole yelled at the tops of his lungs.

      Cobalt reluctantly stepped out of his room, looking about as meek as a Babaa. "Yes?" he said in a little innocent voice.

      "Just what do you think you were doing?!"

      "I-I-I don't know what came over me. I just suddenly realized that I was destroying the place, but I never had any intention of doing something like that. It just happened; I don't know how."

      "I'll let you off with a warning this time, but if you ever," Cole paused to point a finger at Cobalt, "And I mean EVER, do something that foolish again..."

      "I know, I know," Cobalt finished. "Can we just forget the whole thing and go to bed? I'm kind of tired."

      Cole nodded and they headed off to their straw beds for the night.

      Early the next morning, Cole headed off to his job. He left a note for Cobalt on the door.

      It read: "Have a good day, but don't get into any trouble!

      "P.S. I mean it!

      "P.S.S. No really, I mean it!!"

      It was several hours later when Cobalt was jolted awake with a loud knocking at the front door. He tried to rub his eyes groggily, but he forgot that he now had claws that were not retractable. He ended up clawing his face with his black claws. He yawned as wide as he could, exposing lethal fangs (which he was very proud of).

      Another knock at the door got Cobalt on his feet and out of bed. He toppled over, not quite ready to be awake yet. As he got up and walked out of his room, be saw that Tarrow had decided to let himself in.

      "Yes, come right on in." Cobalt stood at the empty door after Tarrow had flopped down on a straw sofa. "No, really, I insist."

      From the sofa, Tarrow chuckled. "Don't mind if I do."

      Once Cobalt had closed the door, he noticed the note that Cole had left him. He snorted in disgust and tossed the now crumpled up paper over his shoulder.

      "What was that about?" Tarrow inquired.

      "Cole thinks I'm going to get in trouble today. As if."

      "Yeah." Tarrow rubbed his thigh and found that pieces of straw were stuck in his fur. "So, what do you want to do today. Got anything exciting and adventurous in mind?"

      Cobalt rolled his eyes. "Not exactly, but I was thinking that maybe we could go to Tyrannia and get some omelette, 'cause I'm half starved."

      "Yeah, I heard about what happened last night, so sure, let's do that then." Tarrow got up. "And I was just starting to get comfy, too." He laughed at his own sarcasm.

      Together, the fire Eyrie and the Darigan Lupe set off with the midday sun burning brightly above their heads. It was scorching hot that day, but once they started flying, the wind cooled them quickly. It was only going to get hotter, though, since they were headed to Tyrannia, where the sun literally can fry an egg.

      It was right around noon when the duo arrived at the plateau, and the warm scent of fried omelette wrapped itself around their nostrils. Even though Tarrow hadn't been hungry, now he was ravenous and thought that he could probably eat the whole omelette if he tried. Cobalt, too, felt that way, except he really could eat the whole omelette without trying.

      Tarrow and Cobalt, although famished, tentatively approached the titanic omelette which loomed menacingly over their heads. Beside this walloping fried egg stood a rather primitive-looking greenish Lupe. Sabre-X , the Lupe, eyed them with an austere face that never fluctuated. They both took their daily serving, and Tarrow was just beginning to lick his beak, but when he looked over at Cobalt, his cheeks were large and swollen with omelette and he was already licking the bits of crumbs off of his paws.

      "HOLY KAU!" Tarrow yelped. "Did you even chew that?"

      With his muzzle still full to the brim with his meal, he shook his head no. As Tarrow watched, smaller lumps were going down his throat. He shook his head in disbelief.

      After Tarrow had finished eating his portion, Cobalt came over to him. "I'm still starving," he said as his stomach growled, "I want some more. You distract Sabre-X, while I get some, okay?"

      Tarrow folded his arms across his chest, "Fine, I suppose." He walked up to Sabre-X while Cobalt sneaked around the back.

      "Wow... looks like you're doing a pretty good job around here, keeping selfish Neopets from taking more than one slice, and all." Tarrow looked Sabre-X right in the eye, but his stern gaze never faltered. "I really do appreciate all that you do, you know." He forced a tiny tear to squeeze out of his eye. "You're my hero."

      Suddenly, Sabre-X spotted Cobalt with another helping of omelette in his paws.

      "NO! You cannot take more than one slice per day!" he roared at Cobalt.

To be continued...