Messi's Meowclops'

      It was the year 18 in Neopia and a small litter of new meowclops had wandered through the Haunted Woods toward the magical smell of Faerieland. There were four of them in the family and they had been separated from their mother for a few hours now. The oldest one, Emmett, was just a few minutes older than the others yet he already felt the drive to walk his siblings to safety. His two younger sisters Bala and Mila were beginning to tire, and Fedlimid, his younger brother needed a little push with his nose. Emmett was just about to do so when he heard a rustling that caused him to freeze. He began pushing his siblings forward and they started running, sensing the danger that was near. They got pretty far before they came to a large tree where they felt they could hide, the footsteps getting closer behind them. They ducked down and waited to see what terrifying thing would pop out from behind the brush.

      “I need my questions answered,” a voice spoke shaking the ground beneath the tiny petpets. Emmett looked around for the speaker but was unable to see very far hiding beneath this huge tree. Soon a quieter voice began to answer, and a body came into view.

      “I have the answer to your question, Brain Tree” The voice said. An Xweetok stepped into sight. She was wearing a black cloak that made it hard to see her face.

      “Speak, Mesi the Xweetok,” the Brain Tree answered. Mesi began to speak in a language that Emmett and the other little ones could not understand. The feeling of satisfaction that came off of the Brain Tree they all could feel.

      “You have quenched my hunger for knowledge, and I have a special prize for you,” The Brain Tree’s voice was terrifying but Mesi did not look shaken. She had done many quests for the Brain Tree and had been waiting to deliver this knowledge until the right moment had come.

      “I ask not for a prize great brain tree,” Mesi began. “ I ask that you let me close enough to you that I can take the petpets that have wandered close to your branches so I can take them to safety.”

      The Brain Tree contemplated this. He was aware of the tiny beings that had crept close to him, and had considered keeping them for himself. However the meow clops were not yet old enough to be able to help him with his thirst for knowledge.

      “Come forward,” The tree answered. Messi was terrified but had faced many dangers in her quests for the Brain Tree and trusted him to let her pass. The tiny meow clops had no idea what was happening but soon were face to face with the Xweetok.

      “I’m not going to hurt you,” Messi leaned in toward Emmett and put her hand out. Emmett assessed her, and saw no threat. He nudged her hand, allowing her to approach closer. She laid the basket she had been carrying down on the ground and let each meow clops hop inside. She was just about to walk away when the Brain Tree spoke out again.

      “You have forgotten one,” The Brain Tree roared. Messi looked around confused. She had only been following the four meow clops.Before she questioned the Brain Tree she inspected the land around her. She took a few steps around the tree, and there on a branch close to the ground was a Bearclops even smaller than the meow clops she was now carrying. She did not know where it had come from, but she could see that she needed to take this challenge on the way she had taken on the challenge of so many quests before.

      It wasn’t a long way back to Messi’s neohome in Faerieland, but it was still very scary for the little petpets, trusting a stranger to take them to safety. The bear clops was in the basket with them, and none of them had seen anything like him. The siblings could sense the small creatures fear though, and invited him to sit close with them and wait to find out their fates together.

      “Hello little ones,” Messi opened up the basket so that they could hop out one by one. At first the lights were blinding as they adjusted to their new surroundings, but what they found was that it was a little home filled with faerie colors and furniture. A row of trophies for Faerie Bubbles lined the top of a huge bookshelf, and different types of candy were all about. This seemed like a safe place to be. Mila stretched out her paws and blinked her eye in an attempt to be cute and get some of the candy that she could smell cooking. Messi obliged them all with some of Illusen’s famous cream cookies and a bit of Healing Potion. Then Messi inspected their collars to find out each of their names. Bala and Mila, the two youngest and the only females were shy but gave soft purrs upon receiving food. Fedlimid was especially cute but was not very trusting and would not let Messi get to close. The Bearclops had no name and so Messi gave him one.

      “Tuau,” Messi said and the bear clops looked up and appeared to smile. She would have a collar made for him the next day. The petpets were happy with Messi, who was a kind and gentle soul and loved them like they were her own children. She had a good amount of money that she had acquired from her plushie shop that was in the heart of Faerie city. She had been saving for a long time, only spending money on earning favor through quests and because of that she had become an ally with many of the faeries.

      She decided that the petpets should be painted so they are able to build their unique personalities as they grow. Messi having never owned a petpet before decided to ask the advice of a wise faerie on how to go about selecting a paintbrush for each petpet.

      The Rainbow fountain was not far outside of Faerieland, but it was a long walk for petpets, so Messi decided it would be best to fly them there in the basket again. It made Emmett a little woozy to think about flying again but Mila and Bala were excited about it. They all wanted to be painted and couldn’t wait to find out which color they would get to have. Tuau was feeling a little excluded because he could not be painted, but he was happy to go along for the ride with the petpets he now considered to be his family.

      They awoke early on the 29th day of Eating, and began their flight out of the city. When they reached Faerieland they stopped flying and began walking. They only had to walk a little ways and carrying that many petpets was very tiring for Messi. The petpets were glad to get a look at the beauty that was faerieland and had few complaints.

      The road to Faerie city was a busy one though, and many travelers began to notice the odd and extremely rare family.

      “How much for the meow clops?” a greedy looking Techo stopped Messi abruptly, neopoints in hand. Messi edged around him, and told him carefully “they are not for sale.”

      She continued walking but the Techo followed close behind them. It wasn’t long before a Ghost Zafara stopped them again asking for the price of the petpets and if they would be put as a trade in the trading post. Messi let the Zafara know as well they were not for sale. She started to get concerned about the rarity of the petpets and the danger that may put them in. The petpets could feel Messi’s anxiety in the air.

      It wasn’t very long before both the Zafara and the Techo surprised Messi again stopping her in her tracks right next to the Wheel of Excitement.

      “Tell you what, Xweetok,” said the Techo menacingly. “We spin the wheel of excitement, and if I get a higher prize than you then I get one of your Meowclops. If you win we got on our way and give you any prize we win.”

      Messi was skeptical of this idea. She didn’t have very good luck and she did not want her new friends to end up with these shady individuals. She looked at the tiny pets, who did not seem to notice the dangerous situation at hand. Tuau however was being very attentive to the situation and was looking right at her. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do. Both of Tuau’s heads were looking at her and they seemed to be telling her what it was she was supposed to do. She thought back to a description she once read in a book about bear clops. “This friendly creature sees all, but it’s two heads never agree on anything” the description read, yet these four eyes seemed to be agreeing about what needed to be done.

      Messi trusted her instincts and paid the 500 neopoints and waited her turn to spin the wheel. First the Techo went. He landed on the Pant Devil and lost something in his inventory. Messi was filled with relief as that was easily one of the worst things that could happen on the wheel. Next the Zafara went. The Zafara gave it a hard spin and it seemed as though the wheel had turned into the wheel of Monotony. It finally slowed down after too many spins to count and landed directly on the 5,000 neopoints prize. Now Messi began to sweat. There was only one better prize on the wheel and it wasn’t hit very often.

      She gave each of her petpets a peck on the head for good luck and walked up to the wheel. Tuau walked with her, and she held him in her arms while she spun the wheel. It turned more times than she expected, but she wasn’t even watching it after the second spin. Her eyes were locked onto the tiny creature in her hands. Everyone else including the light faerie was glued to the wheel waiting as it passed the one prize that could win, twice. Just when it seemed as though it would stop on the skull and cross bones it didn’t and it moved six more slots to the 20,000 neopoints slot.

      The Techo and the Zafara were furious as they handed over the 5,000 neopoints and walked away from the millions of neopoints that could have been theirs. The Techo considered stealing them anyway, but decided against it when a faerie was standing so close. Messi hugged each of her petpets so happy to know they would be safe for the time being.

      The walk to the Rainbow Fountain was short even with the added weight of 25,000 neopoints. Messi approached the faerie at the fountain with her petpets.

      “I have these five petpets that are very special. Fate brought us together in a magnificent way and they have given me much luck. I want to repay them by giving them the perfect paintbrush for them. How do I know what that is?” Messi asked the faerie humbly. She placed the points she had brought in front of the faerie who placed a piece of it in the fountain.

      “You have travelled a long way. Let them relax in the fountain.” said the faerie happily. The meow clops were more than happy to oblige and jumped into the fountain waters, attacking each other playfully. They played for what could have been hours or possibly more while Messi relaxed on the side enjoying the satisfaction of her good deeds.

      When Bala stepped out of the fountain, she was painted in rainbow and was overjoyed at the sight of her different colored furs. Bala however came out painted faerie purple with pink wings. Fedlimid came out Green like the colors of the Earth. Emmett came out painted different than the others, taking on the cloud color. Tuau may not have came out a different color, but he did come out stronger and healthier than he’s ever been and his relationship with the others was different as well. He seemed to be the leader of this group of amazing creatures, and he would lead them on many adventures to come.

      The End.