Origin of the Eventides

     'Other neopets followed, after a while, but I was the first. I was the brave one. Though my legs trembled, and my heart pounded, and every single one of my instincts was telling me to turn back, to carry on hiding, I came forward anyway. I was the brave one.'

     *

     It was summer, and life was easy. Leah had always been a little on the wild side; even when she'd had an owner, she'd done whatever she wanted and paid no attention to his commands. When she was abandoned, she laughed in the faces of the pound staff, and quickly became the most popular Aisha, despite her plain blue colour. She won the hearts of many friends, and soon had gathered together a small circle of the most courageous and trustworthy. And then, one warm, starry evening, they escaped.

     It took them countless weary days and nights, but after persuading her way onto various carriages and cable cars, Leah led her group of runaways into the little-explored forests between Shenkuu and Altador. They were a mismatched bunch, abandoned for many different reasons; the main ones being sickness, weakness, and poor owners, and before they'd left the Pound their eyes had been sorrowful and dull. But now, they sparkled. As they danced amongst the trees, laughing and singing and relishing their new-found freedom, each pet gleamed with a new vitality, their past hardships forgotten. The air was clean and fresh, and the sky was patterned with a thousand constellations. After playing games and gorging on wild berries, they eventually all collapsed into an exhausted heap as the sun was cresting the horizon. Bathed in the hazy, peachy air of dawn, they fell into a deep sleep, each pet relishing the quiet stillness of nature and its contrast to the crying, shouting, and clanging of cage doors that resonated constantly through the Pound.

     And so this was how they lived. After the first night of play in the starlight, the pets were all enchanted with this new way. They slept through the day and lived their lives in darkness. The mystery and magic of nightfall was their time to awaken, to listen to Leah's stories about all the different lands of Neopia she'd explored before her owner had abandoned her. They learned how to build fires, and dig for roots to eat, and which berries made them sick. Each pet, from the Split Buzz with Blurred Vision to the little red Xweetok whose name was so unpronounceable that everyone called her Longtail did their part; every job and task was done with pride. Collecting firewood, making nests from fallen blossom, picking fruit – everything seemed fun. After the work was finished and the night was reaching its darkest, the Neopets would all lie on their backs and gaze at the stars, brimming with happiness at how their lives had changed. They were free, they were joyous, they were loved. Eventually, talk would turn to their old owners, and why they had been left at the Pound.

     'My owner wanted a Krawk, and already had four pets. My brothers and sister were painted, and I wasn't, so I was the one to go,' sniffed a yellow Kougra.

     'My owner created me when she first made her account, and after six years she decided she didn't like my name anymore. So she pounded me.' Longtail hid her tears behind trembling paws.

     'I was just made for an avatar. Then he didn't want me anymore.' Louis, a solemn Fire Blumaroo, told his tale.

     Each pet had their story, and each cried a little when they told it. The others would listen, respectfully and sympathetically, shuddering at the thought of their old lives at the Pound, and pushing the thoughts of their old owners firmly from their minds. They didn't miss them. This new life was better than being 'owned' by someone. They were finally free.

     A few weeks after they had settled in the forest, Leah began to disappear on her own every night. Nobody asked her where she was going; in truth they were all a little afraid of her. They continued their routine of blossom-picking and tree-climbing, marvelling at the prettiness of honeycombs and wildflowers, tasting fruits sharper than any they had ever bought back home. On the fourth night that she vanished, however, a particularly plucky green Draik named Max, who had been brand new to the Pound when they'd escaped, decided to follow her. After fighting his way through a particularly thick and unyielding area of forest, very different from the flowery clearing they had made their home in, he found himself at a pass between two mountains, mountains that shaded them from the sun as they slept. In the pass, he saw Leah, standing and staring at what lay beyond. Fearless as ever, he approached her. She didn't seem surprised that he was there, and barely acknowledged his presence. He followed her gaze, squinting through the night-fog, and gasped in shock and admiration.

     'Is that... Shenkuu?' he asked. Leah nodded. The city was beautiful, enveloped in a sparkling haze, its lights shining brightly into the dark sky. The stars were less visible here, but the city held a different kind of beauty. Strange instruments played, fireworks crackled, and the pungent scents of exotic foods and smoke reached them even from their distant vantage point. Max found his eyes watering as he stared intently at the scene, drinking it in, every sense alive. He heard a sound from Leah, a quiet sob, and tore his eyes away to face her again. She was crying.

     'What is it?' he asked gently, though he thought he knew already.

     'I'm so sorry!' she wept. 'I know it was my idea to come here, but...'

     'But you want to go back,' Max finished simply. She nodded. Max understood. He had been feeling it too, and so had everyone else, though nobody had voiced their unease. Their life of pleasure and fun was wonderful, but they were all getting bored. He would never have believed at their initial elated arrival that this life would become tedious, but it had. Every night was the same; berries, campfires, chasing one another through the trees – and it was fantastic. But he knew they all craved variety, choice, and, though they didn't want to admit it, owners. They weren't missing the Pound – they would never. But every morning as he tried to fall asleep, Max's thoughts inevitably drifted to his old owner. Freedom was nothing compared to a really good owner who would give you, not only a home, and food, and toys, but companionship. And Max knew from his first owner that a pet could have freedom too, to play and learn on their own, whilst still enjoying security and love.

     'I have an idea,' he said to Leah, a huge grin splitting across his face.

     *

     They returned to the rest of the group tentatively but optimistically, a couple of hours before daybreak. The others were settled and relaxed, eating their final meal of the night. Max took the lead, Leah sitting quietly with the others, her eyes swollen and red from crying. It didn't take long for everyone to agree that they all missed ordinary Neopian life, and whilst the forests were beautiful and they'd love to visit them again, they missed the domestic side of things. Then, Max outlined his plan. They wouldn't go back to the Pound – ever again! Instead, they would stand in Neopia Central and demand owners. They were great pets – kind, strong, intelligent. It didn't matter how many books they'd read, or whether they were painted – they were all prepared to love their owners unconditionally and expect nothing but love in return. The general consensus was that they would give this a try. Their time in the woods had given all the pets, even Bella, the most timid of Kacheeks, a self-worth and confidence that they would never have dreamed possible. They all resolved to set out at first light, to get to Neopia Central as quickly as possible and start their new lives.

     As dawn broke, however, everything changed. Seeing one another in bright sunlight for the first time in weeks, they all realised that something was very, very different.

     'Your fur,' Max gasped, staring at Leah. Leah looked at everyone, her mouth gaping open in shock, then slowly dropped her gaze to her own outstretched leg. Her fur! Her pretty blue fur! What had happened to it? Instead of being the colour of the cyan sky in the middle of summer, her legs had become every shade of yellow, orange, and pink, the very embodiment of a sunset. Her only mirror was her fellow runaways, and her shock became greater when she saw their upper bodies, deep midnight blue, and speckled with stars?! The startled silence of the group began to give way to screams, cries, and then, the sounds of feet and paws as the pets ran away in every direction, desperate to hide themselves, petrified by what they'd become. Only Max and Leah remained.

     'It must be all the time we spent beneath the night sky,' Max said quietly, his voice low and husky.

     'Yes,' Leah replied. And, without another word, they began their long journey to Neopia Central.

     *

     'I was the first to come forward. We all changed, but I was the brave one. I stood in Neopia Central, alone. Max, concealed by a thick cloak, was supporting me from nearby, but I was alone. Crowds gathered, people stared. I was collarless, ownerless, and my skin and fur gleamed with the light of a thousand evening skies. I had been changed by our wild forest life. I had communed with nature, and become nature. I wasn't ashamed. I was scared, of course, but had no need to be. The crowds began to cheer, they loved me. They loved my light, my beauty. I was given a collar. I was given a home. I was the first Eventide pet.

     'A few weeks later, when the fuss had died down a little, Max emerged too. It was the day of the Shenkuu Lunar Festival, and we thought it was poignantly appropriate. Shenkuu had been the reason for our return; the light of the moon and stars had been the reason for our transformation. He too was welcomed. As the weeks went by, more and more of our runaway friends plucked up the courage to reveal themselves to Neopia. I am so proud of each and every one of them. There are so many of us now, but there are many more, still in hiding, waiting for the moment when they feel strong enough to rejoin the ordinary world. They will do, one day. I miss them dearly.

     'So, now you know how we came to be. This is our story, our origin. We are not just a pretty colour. We reflect the sky, and our hearts are filled with a thousand stars. Treat us kindly, for it took great courage to come home.'

The End