Aquatic Friends at the Rock Pool

     He came upon a small bowl that held a Baby Blu inside. “Hey little dude! Today’s going to be a great day, I can feel it!” Rufus energetically said as the Baby Blu happily swam circles, matching the Kougra’s energy. He then continued with greeting the rest of the aquatic companions as he set up the shop for the day.

      A pair of young Kacheeks walked in as he finished his opening duties. “Good morning kiddos! Looks like it’ll be a nice one today,” Rufus said as he squinted up to look at the sun. “Can I help you boys find anything, or answer any questions?”

      The Kacheeks had already begun walking around to view the different pools and tanks holding the numerous Petpets. “We’re new to Mystery Island!” one of them squealed. “There’s so many Petpets here! How did you even get so many!?” he said as he pushed his face up against the glass of a bowl that held a Leeble.

      Rufus let out a small laugh. “It’s been a collection in the making for many years. The ocean is so expansive, that there always seem to be new discoveries. Plus, a small fact that maybe not all Neopians know, but a lot of the Petpets we have here come from Old Maraqua.”

      “Really? I didn’t realise there was an Old Maraqua. How did that happen?” the second Kacheek questioned as he petted a Delfin whose head had popped above the water line. The Delfin playfully squirted water at the Kacheek, who started giggling while trying to block the stream of water with his paws.

      The Yellow Kougra’s eyes shone as he watched the young Kacheeks having fun with all his favourite Petpets. “Keep checking out what we have, and I’ll tell you my story,” he said as he followed the two around the Rock Pool.

      “Many years ago, Old Maraqua had been destroyed. This happened when a nasty pirate named Captain Dread put a curse on the land, causing a whirlpool that tore everything Maraqua had to ruins. The conditions didn’t change for years, so it was too dangerous for us to try to investigate when the storm first came up.

      “Months later, we continued our annual tradition of hosting a celebration for the Gadgadsbogen festival. Even today, everyone flocks to Mystery Island to check out all the new fruits that get produced every year. That year especially seemed to be packed with tourists; I believe the festival was such a big hit because Neopians wanted to have a positive event to celebrate instead of continuing to mourn for what was lost down below.

      “That year I had been elected as Grand Bogen. I was a young Kougra then, but I was more than eager to put some hard work in to create a great event for everyone. I took my job very seriously, ensuring there were many fun activities for our guests to enjoy. But with great parties, I learned there also comes a great mess. I had still been cleaning up long after everyone had gone to bed.” Rufus paused his story as he saw the Kacheeks stopping to point out a Hippalop swimming by with a necklace hanging from its mouth. “Oh yes, they love to collect shiny objects. Every day they come to show me what new treasures they found that day!”

      The group continued to walk around as the Kougra continued his tale. “I was walking along the beach, picking up leftover trash from the festival, while I admired the ocean. As I was looking, I noticed that a creature was swimming up towards me. We had our own native Petpets that would regularly populate the waters, so that’s what I was expecting to see when it came to greet me. Instead, I found an unfamiliar Petpet. What we know now as the Ghoti was staring straight into my eyes. I stepped into the water to get a closer look at this unusual Petpet. The Ghoti seemed a bit uneasy at first, but quickly seemed to warm up to me as I gently stroked his back. He began to swim circles around me, and I felt his slimy fins graze my legs. I was having fun and giving his belly a rub when I noticed other Petpets starting to gather around us. These too were also Petpets I had never seen before, all in different shapes, sizes, and colors. I was amazed by all the new species I was finding – Slugawoo, a slow but friendly shelled creature; Bowla, a fish-shaped as a bow whose size continued to grow as it sucked in water; Crabula, who surprised me by pinching me in me behind when I wasn’t looking!

      “The parade of Petpets kept coming, clearly enjoying the love and attention I was giving them. As I stared at the horde of aquatic pets that had gathered here, I thought about why I had never seen them on our shores before. I realised that they must have escaped from old Maraqua when that terrible whirlpool had struck. They were probably just looking for some care, food, and home since they had lost everything down below. So, I showered them with even more affection. Who knew how long these poor Petpets had been struggling for!” They stopped to look at a group of Peos playing a game, with small pebbles grasped by their tails and quickly swimming around each other. They were being competitive and getting frustrated with each other.

      “As I was saying, I then gathered them all and led them over to the Rock Pool. I already looked after several of our own local Petpets there, but there was plenty of room for more. I organised and grouped together our new friends with our old friends. There was no need for division – they may come from different places, but they were all loving Petpets just the same. And they seemed to agree, as groups began to pair off and play together; a Pfish with a Walein, a Catamara with a Peadackle, an Eelika with a Ramosan… It was a beautiful sight, seeing the unity and bonding between the two groups. The refugees were easy to care for, after all, they were the same aquatic Petpets just like we had here at Mystery Island.

      “And that’s how we came to grow such a large collection at the Rock Pool! And it only continued to grow as new Petpets were discovered along our sandy shores. Although Maraqua has been rebuilt, we still have many of the Petpets who loved it here and decided to stay in our waters. I love each little guy here, and I cherish the time I get to spend caring for them. It does make me a little sad when I have to part ways with one of my buddies, but I know they’re heading to their new forever home,” Rufus finished with a smile as he sat down in a sandy spot. A Meturf came up to the Kougra and gave him a loving hug.

      “Wow, they had such a great history! It’s been great seeing all these new Petpets today, they seem to have so much fun!” one of the Kacheeks squeaked. “I for sure want to get one! Now to decide which one…”

      “Me too, me too!” the other Kacheek said bouncing up and down. “Let’s check back at the beginning, I want to make sure I didn’t miss one!” he said as he ran back.

      Rufus smiled as he enjoyed the young Kacheeks excitement over the Petpets he adored. “This love and happiness. This is why I do it,” he said under his breath as he went to follow the young boys to help find their perfect match.

     The End.