The Truth About Meepits: Part One

     Bear just looked at her and said, "No, Koda, there are no Meepits in your closet."

     "Oh," Koda said, snuggling deeper under the covers of her nice, safe bed. Suddenly she shot back up, asking, "Are you sure? What about in the closet?" Her eyes grew wide as she thought of it.

     Bear sighed. When were her little sisters going to realize that the whole Meepits taking over the world thing was a myth?

     "Yes, I'm sure. There are none in your closet. Now all of you, go to sleep, please." She looked sternly at each of her other little sisters who were looking at the little coat closest in trembling fear.

     "Bear, are you positive there are no Meepits?" asked Jeanie. The baby Zafara looked at the youngest little sister named Molly and said, "Molly says you should check."

     Molly didn't speak, but nodded her head.

     Bear sighed but gave in. "Okay," she said, walking towards the closet and opening it. The baby neopets shrieked in fear. "See?" Bear said, showing her sisters the closet empty of Meepits but full of toys, clothes, and other things her sisters owned. "No Meepits here."

     They still weren't satisfied. "Bear, are there Meepits in your closet?" Koda asked.

     Bear glared at her sisters sternly and said, "I will not tolerate all this Meepit talk. There are NO Meepits. So all of you, go to sleep."

     "But-" Jeanie started.

     "No," Bear said. "Now good night." She closed the door and the younger sisters were alone.

     "Jeanie!" Koda hissed quietly into the dark.

     "What?" Jeanie whispered.

     "What if Bear's wrong? What if there are Meepits in our closet?"

     "Koda, Bear said there were no Meepits, and Bear is right." Then she thought a moment. "I think...."

     "Molly, what do you think?" Koda turned to little Molly. The baby Korbat replied with a soft sleepy sigh that was good enough for Koda. "Molly says Bear's wrong."

     She turned back to Jeanie, who was now fast asleep. Koda rolled over and faced the closet. Her mind played horrible tricks on her and she saw Meepits creeping out of it that laughed at her with scary faces and big, blinking eyes. She froze in fear. The Meepits cackled evilly and Koda shook her head to get the terrifying images out. She pulled the covers over her head in pure horror.

     "There are n-no Meepits. T-there are no Meepits. There are no Meepits...."

     ***

     "Psst! Koda, Koda!" Jeanie tried to shake her sister awake.

     "Hmm... go away, you old Meepit..." Koda mumbled in her sleep.

     "Wha...? Koda! It's me. Do you hear me?"

     "No! Away with you... scary... monster Meepit..."

     "Uhh...Koda...?"

     "No, no! Get away from... my sisters..."

     Jeanie, now thinking her sister was in terrible trouble, shook harder. "Koda! Koda! Wake up! You're dreaming!"

     But Koda wouldn't awaken. Her nightmare of Meepits was too strong. "NO! NO!" she shouted, batting at the air in front of her. "GO AWAY! GET AWAY FROM MY SISTERS!"

     "Koda? Koda!" It was no use. Jeanie sighed and puffed in a big ball of air. "KODAAAAA!"

     Koda jumped up in fear. "MEEEEEPITS!" she shrieked.

     Jeanie grabbed her sister by the hand. "No, Koda! It's me, Jeanie. Sorry I frightened you." She looked worriedly at the older sister. Koda was taking this Meepit thing way too far. "Did you have a bad dream? Did you dream about Meepits again?"

     "Oh..." Koda said, panting. Her heart was thudding wildly and she sighed to catch her breath. "Gee, Jean! Don't scare me like that! And yes, I had a bad dream. But don't worry, I was beating those Meepits silly."

     "Sorry," Jeanie apologized. She was becoming worried about Koda.

     The door slammed open and in came their older sister Bear. "What happened? I heard screaming."

     "Sorry, Bear," Koda said. "I-I thought Jeanie was a Meepit."

     Bear rolled her eyes and sighed. "Oh, no, not this again. Koda, please. There are no such things as evil Meepits, only the cute furry ones you buy at the petpet shop." She went to Molly's bed and picked up the sleeping baby Korbat. "Now get up, you two. We're going somewhere fun."

     Koda and Jeanie glanced at each other. "Where, Bear?" Jeanie asked. She grasped her quilt sheets in wonder.

     Bear laughed. "We're going to the fair."

     "The fair?!" Jeanie and Koda yelled at the same time, giving each other an excited look.

     "Yep," Bear said.

     "Oh!" Jeanie exclaimed. And soon she and Koda were bouncing around the room in pure excitement.

     "Yay! The fair!" Koda yelled. She jumped off the bed and ran into the closet, forgetting all about the Meepits. She pulled out her favorite blue paw printed cap she had gotten her first trip to the fair.

     Molly clapped her wings and said, "Ooh, funny!"

     Bear smiled. There was nothing like a nice super fun day at the Neofair with her sisters.

     ***

     Koda's eyes lit up at all the exciting things around her. Her mouth watered at the fluffy pink cotton candy swirling around and around in the machine. Jeanie tugged at her paw and pointed at a eight foot tall Tonu on stilts. The fair was so exciting!

     "Oooh, look Koda! Balloons!" Jeanie's eyes grew wide at the blue Zafara balloons floating in front of her. She absolutely loved balloons, and she wondered if Bear would let her get one later.

     "Those are nice," Koda said. "Did you see the pies? They were huge! And yummy looking. I do think I could win a pie eating contest, don't you?" She thought about getting one of those sweet raspberry pies to take home.

     Jeanie didn't think so, but she giggled and said, "Sure, sissy." Then she gasped at the cute little teddy bears at the ring toss game. Wow, fairs were so exhausting! There was so much to do and so much to see and not enough time.

     "Okay, guys," Bear said, looking at all the rides. Nothing like a nice fair day to rid her sisters' minds of Meepits. "I want you to behave now, okay? What do you want to go on first?"

     Jeanie and Koda looked at each other. "Everything!"

     ***

     "Whoa, I'm dizzy!" Jeanie giggled as they stepped off the carousel.

     "Me too! But don't you like the Unis? They're so sparkly!" Koda cried.

     They had gone on almost every ride they liked and now were hungry.

     "Can we get cotton candy, Bear?" Jeanie asked. Koda's stomach growled and she laughed.

     "Sure," Bear said. "Are you hungry, Molly Boo?"

     The little Korbat with a blue pacifier in her mouth nodded.

     "Okay then, let's go!" Bear chanted. She led her sisters to the cotton candy machine. "Four, please."

     The Pteri handed each of them a sticky and puffy fluff of cotton candy. "Enjoy!"

     Koda was already tearing into hers, her mouth becoming quite sticky. But boy, how she did love some cotton candy! "Mmmm...." She let the sticky blue mess melt on her tongue.

     Jeanie licked her sticky lips and said, "I just love fluffy cotton candy. And the color green!" She held her green bushel of cotton candy like a treasure. It was very rare when the sisters got cotton candy.

     "Yummy," Molly cooed. She giggled as Bear wiped her sticky mouth.

     Yes, Bear was thinking. Cotton candy is by far the stickiest food ever.

     "Whoops!" Bear's cotton candy fell to the ground without a sound, being as light as, well, cotton!

     Koda and Jeanie couldn't help but laugh. Bear glanced them a stern look, then shrugged. It was better than having her sisters worrying about Meepits every second of an enjoyable day.

     "Sorry, Beary, do you want my cotton candy?" Jeanie held her bushel up, grinning in her compassionate childish smile. "Or Koda's?"

     Koda held hers and turned away with a pinched up face. Never would she give away her precious cotton candy.

     "No, no, Jeanie Bug. It's yours," Bear said. "And Koda's is hers." She hastily fumbled in her Xweetok coin purse for more neopoints. "But how about we play some games? Let's say... ring toss?" A glint of knowing mischief sparkled in her eyes.

     Jeanie gasped. Her teddy bear! How did Bear know these things?

     So the sisters set off in true happiness, not even acknowledging three small shapes with glowing red eyes and sharp, piercing fangs hiding among the bushes....

     ***

     "Go, Bear! Go!" Jeanie cried.

     Bear tossed the ring, missing the neocola bottle top by several inches. "GRRRR!" she spat.

     Jeanie frowned in sorrow. She wanted one of those little teddy bears more than anything!

     "Don't worry, sis," Koda said. "I got it." She pushed the neopoints into the ring toss adviser's paw and took a ring. She fixed the angle just right and TOSS! There was a anxious silence for a few moments until... CLINK! The ring landed on the bottle top in perfection.

     Jeanie squealed and pointed to the teddy bear with the green bow. She cuddled him tightly and smiled. "Thank you, Koda."

     Koda smiled at her little sister. "It was nothing." Suddenly something furry and blue caught her eye. She looked closely into the bushes, mesmerized by a rustle and faint swaying of the branches. A tingle of fear raced up her spine. "Meepit..." she whispered.

     "What?" Bear asked. She didn't notice Koda was in a trance for she had been fixing Molly's hair ribbon. "What is it, Koda?"

     Jeanie turned away from her teddy bear, peering into the bushes. She too had frozen up. "B-bear!" she squeaked.

     "It's okay, guys... it's probably nothing." Bear set Molly down and walked cautiously over to the moving bushes. Suddenly a terrifying rrrrrr sound growled from inside it. Bear froze too.

     "Eep!" Jeanie cried and covered her eyes, making just a big enough space for one blue eye to peer through.

     Again came the evil sounding rrrrrrrrr followed by a low, frightening growl sounding like the rumble of thunder.The four sisters stood frozen in horror. The branches twitched and suddenly a blue Doglefox crawled out.

     "AHHHH!" cried Jeanie, totally covering her face with her paws. She hadn't realized that it was just a furry little Doglefox.

     Bear laughed at herself for being so silly. It was only a helpless little Doglefox! "It's okay, guys, look. He's only a little petpet." She picked up the Doglefox and stroked his sky blue fur.

     Jeanie sighed in relief and giggled. "He's cute."

     Koda didn't let her guard down, though. She was on edge, and a prickly feeling of dread crept up her spine. She had been certain it was a Meepit. She sighed.

     "It's okay, Koda," Jeanie comforted. "It's only a Doglefox." She turned to pet the petpet and stare in relief into its deep brown eyes. She was so glad it hadn't been a Meepit.

     "Wow, I was so scared of this?" Koda patted the Doglefox, his fur matted and muddy. "Poor little guy."

     "Why do you think he came from?" Jeanie asked. She felt sorry for the little scraggly Doglefox. Her heart cried out for the little guy, probably starving and lonely and lost.

     "I don't know," Bear said. "Maybe-" She gasped, for the Doglefox had jumped out of her paws and was running swiftly back towards the bushes.

     "No! Come back," Jeanie cried in exasperation. "Don't leave." The Doglefox turned around and something glinted in its eyes. Follow me.

     Jeanie pointed and said, "We should follow him. Maybe he leads to a secret world beyond our imagination." Jeanie knew he came from somewhere great, like in the stories she read.

     Bear shook her head. "No, come on, guys. He's probably just a loner. We should leave him be."

     "No!" Koda said. "Can't we follow him, Bear?" She didn't know about all the 'secret world' stuff her sister was taking about, but she couldn't let the little Doglefox get away. She wanted him to come home with them and be a part of their family.

     "No," Bear said sternly. "Now come on, we have to go now. It's getting late and- KODA!" But Koda was gone within the blink of an eye, Jeanie at her heels. "Koda, Jeanie! Get back here!" She sighed in annoyance and picked up little Molly. Then she turned and followed her sisters.

     Evil, glowing red eyes peered out of the bushes at the blue Xweetok running in the deep forest with a little Korbat in her arms. He grinned mischievously. "Yes," he snarled. "Perfect..."

     ***

     "Where is he?" Jeanie cried. They had lost sight of the little Doglefox after running for several minutes this way and that. "Where'd he go?"

     Koda looked in every direction. "Little Doglefox!" she called. "Where are yoooou! Little Dogle- Ooof!"

     Bear had clapped her paw over Koda's mouth. "Quiet!" she hissed in rage. "Don't you listen? I told you we were leaving and then you turn and disobey me and run after a stray Doglefox that came from who knows where and now we're here and lost in the middle of..." Bear stopped and looked around, suddenly frightened.

     They all did, for they were surrounded by a frightening black forest and lonely darkness.

     "Nowhere," Jeanie finished.

To be continued...