Bringing Spring to Neopia

     Overshadowing the grove were the sky-high giant sequoia trees, their pine-filled branches sinking under the weight of snow but still providing a sense of greenery and some semblance of life in the forest.

     A gust of chilled wind whipped through the thicket of trees, ruffling the fur of a creature that was normally small but looked even more minuscule beneath the wooden giants.

     Her sepia-coloured fur shone brightly against the environment when the forest wasn't filled with luscious green and brown vegetation but you could tell she would blend into the scene nicely in summer. Her pelt was decorated with small bunches of azure flowers, adorning her head, chest, and tail, giving her the namesake of Fleurra, the Woodland Lupe.

     The flowers lining her pelt seemed to be living, breathing peony blossoms, almost growing out of her very frame, appearing to have no problem thriving in this cold climate, unlike other flowers.

     The petite Lupe stepped forward slowly, approaching the calico ground covered in snow and dirt. She had a very kind demeanour but was currently sporting a slightly concerned look on her face as she examined the forest floor.

     It was extremely common for certain environments in this world to not only snow in winter time but also year-round, especially in the north, where the permanent wintery weather was almost uninhabitable.

     However, she was thousands of miles away from the lands of Happy Valley and Terror Mountain. It didn't normally snow this far south in the forested groves of Faerieland, especially this close to springtime.

     The ground should be littered with an array of colourful flowers already, blossoming and sporting their inflorescence, but beneath her paws lay mostly nothing, simply cold dirt with a few small pieces of colour.

     ❀

     In recent years, the once thriving Neopia began experiencing declines in many forms, the state of the weather and seasons being just a piece of them.

     The seasons were shorter but also much harsher and nature seemed to recover much slower than normal. Many Neopians were losing their homes and numbers because their natural environment was falling apart and this snowballed through the rest of the ecosystem. It felt as though the very heart of the forest was slowing down, barely beating. She couldn't feel its presence pulsating through the earth like she normally could. Her mind began racing at all of the destruction that might be caused by this seemingly small change in the climate. Would Neopia still be the same in a year? …what about several years?

     ❀

     “The seasons are not quite the same, little one.”

     A quiet but solemn voice interrupted all of the racing thoughts in the Lupe’s head and she looked up, her bright blue eyes meeting that of the Faerie Queen herself, Fyora, who stood nearly two times her height, looking down at the Lupe with a soft look on her face.

     “What are you doing out here so far from the castle, my Queen?” Fleurra inquired gently, a tinge of concern for the Faerie seeping through her tone that she couldn’t manage to hide. She did not talk to the Faerie Queen often, for she didn’t usually see the Queen Faerie this far out and rarely ever ventured inside of the Faerie City walls herself.

     “I feel so restless stuck behind the castle walls sometimes. Walking through the Faerieland groves helps me clear my head, coming to look at the… the flowers…”

     Her voice trailed off to a quiet whisper as she extended an arm to reach towards a tangle of barren branches where lush shrubs and blossoms would have been adorning by now. Her long fingers met with the cold, shrivelled remnants of the previous spring bloom, sending a chill throughout her body that almost felt like it tried to reach the depths of her heart, as well. She pulled her hand away slowly, letting it fall back at her side, before the feeling could linger for too long and sink into her bones.

     Fyora’s gaze fell towards the ground, leaving the quiet, coldness hanging in the air. "The flowers will be back soon enough, my Queen. They will never really be gone, I'll make sure of it." Fleurra said assuring, taking a seat on the ground and reclining back and they both sat for a bit, feeling the weight of what this might mean for all of Neopia.

     After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Fyora lifted her head back up again finally, staring out at the land with a strange emotion in her gaze that Fleurra couldn’t quite pin. The Queen’s demeanour seemed strong, as always, but almost defeated in a way. Her head was held high, but her shoulders seemed a bit more sunken than usual.

     This was a crisis the Queen didn’t quite have a solution for. It wasn’t like the Altador Council or the Neopian Defenders could be summoned to try to fight the atmosphere, the heat, the cold… There wasn’t a direct villain this time, no one single creature to apprehend for these troubles. It felt like a heavy fog was looming over Fyora just as much as the entire world of Neopia.

     “I fear something bad is coming to Neopia, reaching corners of the world it never has before… Stay warm, little one. Seek comfort in the walls of Faerie City if you must.” Fyora placed her hand gently on the Lupe’s shoulder, almost to comfort her but also to embrace both of them for what was to come. In one elegant but swift motion, the Queen Faerie’s hand retreated and she turned away from the Lupe, facing back towards the Faerieland castle.

     “Of course, I do look forward to your work, though.” she said gently with a slightly happier tone, unable to hide a small smile that crept upon her mouth as she said the words. Despite this foreboding feeling she couldn’t quite shake, Fyora knew the glades would be blossoming soon enough thanks to this Woodland Lupe. Despite her being turned away and unable to see, Fleurra gave a short but fierce nod for her response, as if to assure the Queen she would take care of it.

     ❀

     “Well, time to get to work…” Fleurra whispered out loud, as if she were confirming her job to not only herself and to the Queen, but also the wounded earth. She usually helped the forest re-grow from disasters or seasonal changes, but this time she'd have to expend much more energy. As the Lupe pressed a small paw firmly on the ground, closing her eyes and emitting a gentle aura, the flowers on her body began to emanate a slightly blue glow.

     Beneath her paw, the earth started to warp and change immediately, as if spring were being inspired before her very eyes. Lush moss and vegetation sprouted forth, covering the ground underneath her, stemming from where her paw was placed and spreading outward in a small but full circular pattern. She took another step forward, repeating the process in another barren patch of ground. Bluebells and various other vibrant flowers began adorning the scene between the new thickets of greenery.

     It might take her until the next season to re-grow the forest in its current state, but she was more than happy to spend her life this way, as she always had and always will.

     The End.