The Gracklebug and the Grarrl

     "Gracklebug," the Grarrl said, rolling her eyes. She would never admit that she liked those things, though it was obvious that both she and her owner knew.

     "How typical of you to use that word..." the girl named Stephanie said. "It's your favorite word, isn't it?" She shook her head and continued, "I suppose you were infatuated with it at first sight... Remember when we came here two years ago? The first thing Coltzan gave us was this, and that word stuck." She smiled and waved the item around.

     "It looks gross though," Beth said, picking up the Gracklebug with her large yellow Grarrl paws.

     "And then you thought of your second favorite word... Grossickles." Stephanie grinned. "Well, I'll have to compliment you on your creativity."

     "Gracklebug," the Grarrl said again. "I'd never dream of eating one of those."

     "How many do we have? Hmm... This would make the 107th, wouldn't it?" Stephanie looked at her pet. "And this will be our 100th philosophical discussion about the Gracklebug, wouldn't it?"

     "I guess," Beth muttered as she shuffled the Gracklebug around in her hands.

     The owner shook her head. "I've never quite really understood why you like those things... They're so repulsive!" She smiled as her pet opened her big Grarrl jaws. This was usually how they started it off. Some other pets and owners were already staring at the two people who got a simple Gracklebug from Coltzan. Stephanie turned around and blew a raspberry while she waited for Beth's reply.

     "That's why I like it," the Grarrl said. "It kind of looks scary and gross and all that... Kind of like me, right?" Beth's voice had a hint of melancholy in it.

     "But you're nice," Stephanie protested. "We don't know about the Gracklebug, it's not like it can tell us what it feels..."

     "Not really," Beth said and poked the legs of the item, which moved a little bit. "They released a petpet called Gracklebug recently. It's kind of sad... To imagine those cute petpets being stomped on, dipped in grossickly green sauce and pierced with a wooden stick."

     "That's really..." the owner said, searching for the proper word. "...horrible."

     "That was just a fragment of my imagination," the Grarrl said and raised the bug. Several pets around scurried away, fearing the tiny little item. "Gracklebug!" Beth exclaimed and shook her head while grinning mischievously. "The psychological reaction is the best."

     "Don't go too far," Stephanie said warningly.

     A sudden wind ended the discussion, grasping the precious Gracklebug out of the Grarrl's paws and carrying it out of sight.

     "Gracklebug!" the Grarrl exclaimed.

     "That was a mighty powerful wind," Stephanie commented. "So, are you going to go and get it?"

     "I suppose so," Beth replied. "It's not like I have anything to do." She looked at her owner, who looked back at her with ambiguous eyes. "Go and restock, Steph. I'll be okay."

     "Thank you," the owner said, "You'd better be okay!" Stephanie waved, and owner and pet took off in different directions.

     -

     "Where are you, little Gracklebug?" Beth muttered as she stooped down and looked at the sand. She had been wandering at least twenty minutes in the Lost Desert, and she was already sweating her head off.

     The Grarrl looked up. Sand everywhere... She had this feeling that she was lost in the Lost Desert. (How funny.)

     "Beth?" a clear voice jerked the Grarrl back to reality. "What are you doing here?"

     "I should ask you the same," Beth muttered sarcastically and turned around to face the Faerie Shoyru. "Eliza, what are you doing here?"

     "This is not a good time for jokes," the pet named Eliza said. "I got a new petpet today, a Gracklebug... I named it Grackly, and after my routine morning flight I noticed that Grackly wasn't where I had left it. It's awful... You know those Gracklebugs Coltzan gives out..." The Shoyru gulped. "Poor little Grackly..."

     Beth looked at her distressed friend, tempted to tell Eliza that she was also looking for a Gracklebug. She refrained from doing that, knowing that the Shoyru would just get more upset.

     "Oh well..." the Grarrl said, feeling that she had to say something. "I guess I can help you look."

     "Thank you!" Eliza exclaimed gratefully.

     "I'll limit myself to Lost Desert though, this area is big enough... So, how does Grackly look?"

     "Like a normal Gracklebug. Grackly is medium-sized, though its eyes are really sad... It just looks like a plain Gracklebug. I didn't have the time to paint Grackly, if that's what you're wondering." The Shoyru looked around. "I'll have to fly over to Meridell and see if I can find Grackly there. Anyway, I'm really glad that you are helping me!" Eliza smiled and flew off. Her magnificent faerie wings cut through the air like a razor, and she looked truly beautiful.

     I wish I could look so pretty, Beth thought. No... Nevermind. Wings don't suit Grarrls. I'd probably end up looking stupid. It was back to searching for Gracklebugs, one alive and one food item.

     The heat was getting to Beth as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky. It was soon noon, and the Grarrl's stomach begun to growl. She shook her head and muttered 'gracklebugs' as she looked for them.

     Beth was feeling dizzy. She remembered that she hadn't had a large breakfast, since Stephanie had promised to get her hot dogs for lunch. The Grarrl shook her head. So much for lunch! She would have to find the Gracklebugs first, and fast.

     It was getting way too hot. The Grarrl stopped at a large stone and sat down in the shade as she pondered. Quickly Beth calculated the areas she had covered. It wasn't a lot.

     "Lost in Lost Desert?" a familiar voice asked. The Grarrl turned around, and the sun temporarily blinded her.

     "Tsk... Tactless, aren't you?" the Bruce said, sitting on top of the rock. Beth let out a groan, not from hunger but from annoyance. She just had to meet Joker the joker, who just loved to tease pets, right here and now?

     "Leave me alone. I'm looking for Gracklebugs." The Grarrl glared at the Bruce, and he ignored it.

     "Gracklebugs, hmm..." a malicious grin appeared on Joker's face.

     "Yes. Eliza lost her Gracklebug, and I'm helping her. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll keep looking." Beth got up and raised her left paw. Joker managed to get out of the way before it landed on the rock. "And in case you're wondering, I'm not lost. I'm merely looking."

     "You look like you're hallucinating," the Bruce muttered. "Well, I'll leave now since you wish for it so much. See you around!" He grinned again, and a heavy item hit the Grarrl's head.

     "Joker!" Beth yelled, but it was too late. She took a look at the item. It was a bottle of water. Feeling a tad bit grateful, the Grarrl took a gulp. Then she put it away, saving it for worse times.

     Beth kept searching around that area for a while, but her mind wasn't really set on the task. Instead, the Grarrl was analyzing Joker's behavior. He had acted kind of odd, actually giving her something and being nice to her. It was weird...

     She couldn't help but to imagine some scenarios. After a few rounds of elimination, Beth decided that the Bruce probably had something to do with Eliza's Gracklebug. Unfortunately Joker was gone, so she couldn't ask him.

     Soon the Grarrl had gulped down all the water after entering a very hot area. Her vision was kind of getting blurry, so now and then Beth occasionally stumbled. She couldn't imagine how far she had walked to search for a plain Gracklebug, but the Grarrl knew it was a long way home.

     With a loud thump, the Grarrl dropped her left leg on the ground. One, two, one, two... Despite the fact that Beth was tired, she kept marching.

     A squishing noise made the Grarrl stop. She could feel something soft under her right foot. Maybe it was...

     "Gracklebug!" Beth exclaimed in horror, hoping that she hadn't squished the thing she had just uttered. What if... The Grarrl gulped. What would Eliza say when she found her dear Grackly squashed and mashed?

     The few last bits of her energy had gone to moving forward and thinking. Utterly exhausted, Beth fell on the ground. She closed her eyes and prayed that she hadn't stepped on a Gracklebug.

     With a determined face, Beth opened her eyes and looked at the thing she had stepped on. The sun blinded her at first, and when she properly saw it the Grarrl stared.

     "Gracklebug..." Beth whispered. "Thank you, Lady Luck. It wasn't a Gracklebug after all."

     No. It was a mashed Pyramibread.

     The Grarrl just lied there and let the soft breeze brush across her face. She would have to be careful in the future. It took a while for Beth to regain her energy, but finally she got up. She had promised, and now she'd have to continue looking for gracklebugs...

     ...or would she?

     "Gracklebug!" the Grarrl exclaimed and ran towards the little petpet she had seen in front of her. A wrong step made Beth fall, but she kept her eyes on the prize. That Gracklebug... it wasn't her imagination!

     "Grackly," Beth whispered, and the little creature took a careful jump forward. It looked at the Grarrl and touched her with its tiny legs. The Gracklebug decided that Beth wasn't dangerous and positioned itself on the Grarrl's head.

     This presented quite a dilemma to Beth. She wanted to get up, but she was afraid that the Gracklebug would fall off if she did. The next step was obvious to the Grarrl. She had to find Eliza and give the Gracklebug back.

     Eliza will be happy, the Grarrl thought as she tried to move her head. The Gracklebug seemed to stay there, though it shuffled its tiny feet. With slow and careful movements, Beth quietly stood up. The poor little thing wobbled once or twice, but it stayed put.

     "Enjoy the view," Beth said. She could feel a shiver from the petpet, who bravely stood on her head. The Grarrl shook her head, and started walking. What had she expected, after all? She was a Grarrl, and most people were afraid of her.

     The Gracklebug quickly got used to being so high up. Beth smiled a wry smile. At least it wasn't being as picky or prejudiced as some of the pets at Art Class... It was quite a surprise that the Gracklebug was still with her.

     Well, it was operation find Eliza now. With each step, she could feel the warmth of the little petpet. Slowly the Grarrl grew envious of Eliza, who had such a wonderful petpet that could even like someone as ugly as Beth. She sighed. If only I... Beth considered for a second to keep it, but she knew that her conscience wouldn't stop nagging if she did. Eliza was sure lucky!

     "Beth!" Speaking of the devil... The Grarrl turned around just in time to see the Faerie Shoyru land gracefully on the dune behind her.

     "Here you go," Beth said, taking the little guest from her head and handing it to her friend. "Here's Grackly."

     "Umm..." Eliza said, and the Grarrl spied something move in her hands. "I already have Grackly."

     "W-what?" the Grarrl said, utterly confused but somewhat happy. "Y-you... But it's right here!"

     "No," the Shoyru said. "Joker apparently thinks that fooling pets shouldn't just be limited to one day in the whole year, so he played a joke on me. He took Grackly away and watched me run around in distress. Thank gracious he gave Grackly back!" Eliza held up the little petpet and hugged it tightly.

     "So..."

     "Yes," the Shoyru said. "That isn't Grackly. By the looks of it, I don't think that Gracklebug has ever been equipped to a pet."

     Beth could feel the rush of joy inside her. She looked at the little petpet whom she had only known for a short time and smiled at it. The Gracklebug jumped twice and looked at her with big eyes, as if it was smiling back.

     "Finders keepers," Eliza said and smiled when she saw the two of them. "I think you'd better keep it. It really likes you." She looked down at Grackly and hugged it. "Well, I've got to go home for dinner now. You should do that too, or Stephanie will get mad at you for being late." The Shoyru took off, waving at her friend.

     Beth was too euphoric to take notice of how the faerie wings fluttered and reflected the last rays of the setting sun. She held her new friend tightly as she started walking home.

     "Gracklebug," she muttered. "Your name will be Gracklebug..." The little petpet tickled her large paw with its legs, and Beth got the feeling that Gracklebug accepted the name.

     The way home didn't seem so long now, though Beth had imagined it to never end when she was alone in the desert, searching for a Gracklebug or two.

     "Gracklebug!" the Grarrl exclaimed, remembering something. "I didn't even find that Gracklebug!" The petpet looked up at her, and Beth patted it. "Well, that doesn't matter now. You're the best of them all, Grackle." She smiled. "That's your nickname."

     Soon she was out of the large desert, and her home was in sight. Feeling hopeful, Beth started running. Gracklebug could sense the Grarrl's emotions, and got excited too.

     Squish. The Grarrl stopped, horrified. What had she stepped on this time? She had been too overjoyed to be careful. Beth prayed that she hadn't stepped on a living thing, and took a few steps forward.

     It was something green... something black... something awfully familiar. With a gulp, Beth realized that she had stepped on a Gracklebug. She grasped her leg and took a look at the thing she had stepped on.

     "Gracklebug!" the Grarrl exclaimed. It was the Gracklebug she had been looking for all along, the one she and Steph had gotten from Coltzan's. Well, it didn't matter now, since she had the real deal with her. Beth rubbed most of the remains of the gross food item off before she continued, still pretty happy with her new petpet. It had certainly been a very interesting day...

     Suddenly Grackle moved, and Beth turned around. They both took a last look at that sad, squished Gracklebug before continuing. It was no use to dwelling on the past; there were lots of great things to come! It had only begun, the story of the Gracklebug and the Grarrl.

The End