| After the events of Mr Brown, I doubt any sane person would
want to repeat our rather charming meeting with the Lost Desert Faerie. Paranoid
that my lie would be revealed, we moved, although officially my address is still
listed as 3229 Ixi Meadows, Meridell. Since that date, precious few had changed;
Lae was now a disco Aisha (Much to my surprise) and Jero now bore purple wings
and a hazardous flying regime. But the biggest change was my personality.
True to my word, I had never told Jero of his
legacy. I could see the Lost Desert Faerie's point - it was a big responsibility,
being the Jewel of Neopia. I had a hard time comprehending it some days, and
I was just his owner. The Lost Desert Faerie enjoyed visiting me, although she
had always spoken to me at the dead of night, when Jero and Lae were asleep.
Apparently I was the only one she could talk to…
No longer was I a petty thief; I now walked
the straight and narrow path. Well, as straight as an ex-thief could walk…
***
Part 1 / Drushii
I love the online trading post. Laeyan, my Disco Aisha, had been annoying
me for a while, complaining her pink spoldged colouring wasn't 'hip' enough,
or something to that extent. So now, despite my bank balance chanting 'Don't
spend me Sari,' I was searching aimlessly through the trades for an orange paint
brush (For some reason, Lae wanted to be orange). But it wasn't as though I
expected to find anything.
"Orange paint brush," I spoke clearly. I love
voice-activated searches. The page loaded with a few lots with orange Paint
brushes in. One caught my eye. A Halloween Paint brush and an orange paint brush.
A tag said "Good deal. 180k for both."
"Lae? Jero?" I called. They both stuck their
heads around the door; Lae's pink ear stalks bent round the door frame. Jero
looked excited, the cause of it becoming more obvious as I spotted another ripped
Chia doll and a rainbow gun in one paw. Jero, like most pups his age, had taken
to destroying anything within 30 foot on him. Needless to say, he was banned
from my Safety Deposit Box.
"What Sar?" Lae asked, slowly edging into the
room, keeping one eye trained on Jero. After Jero slipped and shot Lae with
his rainbow gun accidentally, Lae had taken to watching him like a Hawk.
"What would you guys say about getting a little
sister?" I asked, looking at the Halloween Paint brush.
"Pardon?" Lae said, looking at me, then Jero,
then back at me.
"A little sister. A Halloween Kougra," I said,
looking at the paint brushes. I don't exactly know why I had the sudden desire
to get a third pet, it had never crossed my mind before then. It just seemed
right, the right time, the right place, the right idea.
"Cool, what'cha going to call her?" Jero grinned,
bouncing on the spot. I thought for a moment before replying in a certain tone;
"Drushii."
"So am I being painted orange?" Lae cut into
the silence. I looked at the post, and started to type in a bid. She smiled
and looked at the Halloween paint brush. "I just hope this Drushii won't be
a girlie girl."
***
The acceptance came through the next day, along with a small parcel containing
the two paint brushes. I noticed, with considerable dismay, that my bank balance
was smaller than before. Lae, on the otherhand, was delighted with her paint
brush.
"Come on," I grinned, placing the two paintbrushes
carefully into my rucksack. "We've gotta find you guys a younger sister."
***
We reached the create-a-pet centre quickly. Although it has been seen as more
unethical to create a pet rather than adopt, I felt it was the right thing to
create a pet.
The create-a-pet centre is a lot like the pound,
except every pet within it has no name. There are hundreds of pets in it, each
red, green, blue or yellow. I knew what I was looking for though. Lae and Jero
entered the building before me, anxious to examine the pets critically. Lae,
despite pretence, was more excited with the prospect of a younger sibling then
Jero.
I headed for the Kougras. I knew I wanted a
female cub, but the colour didn't matter. I just knew I would know the one when
I saw her. There were 4 pens, holding around 5 cubs in each, each cage also
held a different colour. The first cage held 5 blue cubs, all playfully fighting.
I walked past them onto the second cage.
They were red cubs; 4 of which were also play
fighting. But a fifth cub sat in one corner, watching them with a beady eye.
She turned as I walked towards the pen, and I almost did a double take.
Her eyes were a shade of purple; the colour
of a fresh flower in the morning. She held her gaze steady, matching my eye
line, never blinking. It surprised me; most cubs were playful. But as she kept
her gaze on me, I knew she was the one.
I reached into the pen and picked her up. Rather
than scratch or bite, like the other pets seemed intent on doing, she merely
placed her head on my shoulder and purred. I decided to ask the question; the
one that meant life or death, the big cheese. "How do you feel about Drushii?"
I whispered in her ear.
"I like it," she replied in a small voice.
"Ever wanted to fly?" I whispered again, not
wanting to break the spell.
"All the time."
So that day, I left with Lae, Jero, 180k less
in my bank balance and a young cub named Drushii. Not a bad day.
To be continued…
Author's Note: Neomails will be stuck on a pedestal and worshipped by Chia
gods for a while before being replied to.
| 
