Not the Best Family Reunion

     Kayixu, or not Kayixu, was dressed in a dark hoodie that was a few sizes too big. The hood was pulled up and the feline ears of it were on full display. She wore a pair of sweatpants, and her feet were half-buried in some mismatched slippers.

      “Kay! Are you you? Or are you someone else disguised as you? Who are you?” Mio questioned in between her heavy panting. Kalilu growled adorably as if to help with the interrogation.

     The Faerie Xweetok blew a strand of teal fur from her face. “Who’s this?”

      “This is Mio. She lives with us now. Mio, meet Reena,” said Kayixu before taking a sip of coffee. “Sorry for disappearing on ya Mio, but there was this squid-dog from this planet whose name our tongues can’t pronounce, and we had to deal with that.”

     Reena nodded, as did the Spyder on her shoulder. “It was a whole thing. You shoulda seen it. I liked the part where it projectile vomited at us.”

      “But missed, thankfully.”

      “And hit a building. The building’s gone now.”

      “Wanna finish my waffles for me?” Kayixu asked.

      “YES.”

     Mio, Kalilu, and the Petpets shared what was left of the meal. Kay ordered another couple of servings and a third cappuccino. Mio knew that she should have been more focused on the matter at hand, but they couldn’t very well handle the Not Kayixu when they were starving, right? The cursed cub especially needed to eat.

     Before long, the group was relaxing in the booth and all that was left of their lunch-after-lunch was a few drops of syrup. Things were peacefully quiet. The few patrons aside them made their leave, and late afternoon light flowed in weakly through the arched windows.

     Mio took a deep, satisfying breath. “Kay?”

      “Hm?”

      “There’s an evil clone of you lurking around and plotting Neopia’s destruction.”

      “There’s WHAT?” yelled Reena.

     Kayixu drank her caffeine and stared thoughtfully at nothing. “Hm, that sounds familiar. Wonder what- AH, CRAP IT’S HER!”

     Mio slid out of the booth and Reena was close behind, grabbing her silver staff and gripping it tight as she could. Kayixu bolted from her seat and followed the ‘pets toward the door. She stopped, went back for the last bit of her drink, and then hurried outside with her Neopian friends.

     The group stumbled out into the cold air and promptly fell over each other and into a pile. Kalilu wailed. Blook hovered over them with the Bowla and the two shared a concerned look. Bystanders were not impressed by this display.

      “Kalilu?” Kayixu scrambled to her feet and gave the cub a quick examination.

      “Is she okay?” asked Mio.

      “I think she’ll be fine, but uh, can you undo whatever you did?” she asked, turning to Reena.

     The sorceress chuckled awkwardly and stared at her tail. “I um- I was- Okay, so here’s the thing…”

      “I shall take that as a no.”

      “Oh! I was talking with Leala earlier about that. Maybe the Fountain Faerie can change her back?”

      “Okayokayokay,” said Kayixu twitchily. “We’re gonna need all claws on deck. Mio, you go find Leala and Nixie and bring them to the fountain. Reena, stay close, and keep an eye out for trouble.”

      “Oh, um, Nixie. About that…”

      “I can only do one dozen things at once, people! Just do the best you can, and we’ll burn the next bridge when we get to it!”

     Reena saluted with an “Aye aye captain!” and took off, her wings a flash of bright, silvery white.

     Cradling the cub, Kayixu hurried off. Blook followed, leaving Mio alone with her new Bowla friend. The Plushie watched them go, a phantom thread pulling at her multiple heartstrings. She shook her head. No, the baby was safe. Her task now was to find Leala and help defeat this horrifying monster. She’d lost one world to a creature such as this. She refused to lose another!

      “What an interesting family I’ve joined,” she said quietly, then turned to her levitating friend. “What about you, little one? Do you have somewhere you need to go?”

     The Petpet’s jagged mouth showed a frown, and she shook her head. Which, for an individual of her species, was more like shaking her entire body.

      “Wanna stay with us?”

     She paused for a heartbeat, then eagerly nestled herself at the base of Mio’s ear.

     Mio giggled and began to run. “Hold on, Thimble! We’ve got a grumpy kit to find!”

     * * *

     Reena hovered above the skyline, her pelt aglow with the setting of the sun. She held her staff in both hands, her fingers coiled like an angry serpent. Ill-defined magic danced along its crescent tip. Niri perched on her shoulder and the two of them waited to pounce on the first sign of danger that should dare rear its ugly head. Messy fur jumped across her short muzzle and behind it was a set of sharp, pale blue eyes. Her wings fell like thunder, and a dark shape was rolling in from the distant horizon.

     The wind howled and made her ears numb. Fiery shades turned to twilight. Dusk came and went with no incident.

     Weary, she soared to the Hidden Tower and landed on its roof. She scanned the area, then sat at the edge with legs and tail dangling across ancient pink bricks. She growled with impatience, dusting off her jacket as she did. Reena was never the type to wait around for too long. Excitement was her forte and there was a painful lack of it well into the night.

     When again they all came together, Leala was nowhere to be found.

      “Oh no, oh dear, the Bad Kayixu must have gotten to her,” Mio fretted as she paced around. “She’s gotten to Leala, and she’ll get to us too and she’ll get to everyone else and then I’ll be all alone again…”

     Whilst Kayixu attempted to reassure the bunny, Kougress and Xweetok stared each other down. Naia had done it; Kalilu was back to her old Tyrannian self, pearly sabre fangs glinting in the glow of fae streetlights. Blook levitated by her head. Reena stood with arms crossed, and Niri shifted on her shoulder.

      “So,” said Reena.

      “So? Is that all you have to say to me? After everything?”

     Kalilu wasn’t one for violence. She was the bookish type, always clean and tidy and poised. Standing before Reena now, with teeth bared and her fur dishevelled, she almost looked threatening. Almost.

      “You cursed me, you lunatic!”

      “And I’ll do it again if you sic the sanity police on me!” she fired back, aiming her staff at the feline.

     Kalilu’s ears drew back as she finally took in her sister’s appearance. “You… You do not look well.”

     Reena rolled her eyes. “What? You think just ‘cause they’re Light Faeries, they can’t be evil? And

     nobody believes a “crazy person” trying to get that information out there.”

      “I didn’t… I didn’t know.”

      “You didn’t listen, either.” Reena sighed. “Look, you don’t have to believe everything I say, okay? Don’t believe in Jelly World, don’t believe in Weremeepits, and don’t believe that jellybeans belong on a pizza. Just don’t try to stop me from living my life! We know an alien for Slorg’s sake!”

      “I suppose you are right,” said Kalilu after a long pause. She stared at the ground. “With how unconventional our lives are, I… I shouldn’t have dismissed you and the things you say so quickly. I was simply- I was worried, okay? Worried that you would end up hurt, or worse.”

      “When you would return from those expeditions of yours, you were seldom unscathed. Whatever you were doing was different from the Battledome. There were no rules to protect you if you were in over your head. I wanted you to behave more rationally-more normally-so that I wouldn’t feel the need to worry so much.”

      “We’re all gonna die!” yelled Mio, flopping over onto the grass.

     Kayixu’s efforts were not going well.

      “You think I can’t handle myself?”

      “Everyone has a limit.”

     Reluctantly, Reena jammed her staff into the earth and took a few steps over to her sister. “I’m an adventurer. It’s in my blood. Like Tyrannian rocks are in yours. It’s the danger that makes it fun.”

      “We’ll get nowhere arguing in circles,” said Kalilu, shaking her head. “Do what you must… Just promise that you will always come back.”

     They shared a few wordless moments before Reena broke the silence with, “This is the closest thing I’m getting to an apology, isn’t it?”

      “I’m giving you permission to go off on mad quests, Reena; do not push your already fragile luck.”

      “You think I need your permission? You trying to get your tail kicked?”

      “Enough! I loathe your hotheaded, stubborn tendencies.”

      “And I hate how you’re always acting like a genius!”

      “I am, and if you’d quit chasing fables, you could learn-”

      “Don’t even start with me you little-”

      “Cute as this is, I believe we’ve got something of yours.”

     They all froze where they stood, turning to the slender silhouette in the darkness beyond faerie glow. Crimson eyes regarded them tauntingly, and fangs gleamed between lips parted for a smirk. The Ixi took a few steps toward the group, horrible and foreign magic crackling faintly at the tips of his horns.

      “Who the heck are you?” asked Kayixu.

      “Call me Maul,” he said. “The Boss has your little friend, and if you want her to live, you won’t give me any trouble. Come.”

To be continued…