Main Page Go to Short Stories Go back to Articles Go to Comics Go to Continued Series Go to Editorial Go to New Series

Show All | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Week 19 | Week 20 | Week 21 | Week 22 | Week 23 | Week 24 | Week 25 | Week 26 | Week 27 | Week 28 | Week 29 | Week 30 | Week 31 | Week 32 | Week 33 | Week 34 | Week 35 | Week 36 | Week 37 | Week 38 | Week 39 | Week 40 | Week 41 | Week 42 | Week 43 | Week 44 | Week 45 | Week 46 | Week 47 | Week 48 | Week 49 | Week 50 | Week 51 | Week 52 | Week 53 | Week 54 | Week 55 | Week 56 | Week 57 | Week 58 | Week 59 | Week 60 | Week 61 | Week 62 | Week 63 | Week 64 | Week 65 | Week 66 | Week 67 | Week 68 | Week 69 | Week 70 | Week 71 | Week 72 | Week 73 | Week 74 | Week 75 | Week 76 | Week 77 | Week 78 | Week 79 | Week 80 | Week 81 | Week 82 | Week 83 | Week 84 | Week 85 | Week 86 | Week 87 | Week 88 | Week 89 | Week 90 | Week 91 | Week 92 | Week 93 | Week 94 | Week 95 | Week 96 | Week 97 | Week 98 | Week 99 | Week 100 | Week 101 | Week 102 | Week 103 | Week 104 | Week 105 | Week 106 | Week 107 | Week 108 | Week 109 | Week 110 | Week 111 | Week 112 | Week 113 | Week 114 | Week 115 | Week 116 | Week 117 | Week 118 | Week 119 | Week 120 | Week 121 | Week 122 | Week 123 | Week 124 | Week 125 | Week 126 | Week 127 | Week 128 | Week 129 | Week 130 | Week 131 | Week 132 | Week 133 | Week 134 | Week 135 | Week 136 | Week 137 | Week 138 | Week 139 | Week 140 | Week 141 | Week 142 | Week 143 | Week 144 | Week 145 | Week 146 | Week 147 | Week 148 | Week 149

Neopia's Fill in the Blank News Source | 29th day of Running, Yr 26
The Neopian Times Week 90 > Short Stories > Intruders in the Valley

Intruders in the Valley

by too_kule

A brisk morning dew dripped from the tree branches. The water collected on a single leaf, which gave way causing the pristine water to fall to the ground. It splashed on the face of a young Chia sleeping on the ground. He stirred a bit and opened one eye, and then the other. He was hidden under a queue of thick fir trees which dotted the valley. Mountains surrounded the region, providing shade for the little Chia. He lived there, all alone in peace. Yip yawned and scratched the bushy mat of olive green hair on his head. It was a new day, one that promised peace and serenity for the little green Chia.

     "What to do today... A dip in the pond? A swing in the trees? A-- uh-oh," the little Chia muttered to himself. Yip looked at his diminished food supply. Yip was a hermit, which meant he lived alone away from civilization. His supply of mushrooms was nearly gone, which meant he was going to go out picking them.

     Yip strolled through the valley, sniffing all the way. He tried to pick up the scent as best as he could but found it was more difficult than usual. There were only a few smells in the entire valley, namely the plants and himself. No other Neopets lived in Yip's valley. For some reason, the smell of the mushrooms which usually stood out very clear in the morning air was masked by another smell.

     "This isn't good, isn't good at all," Yip muttered nervously to himself. His instincts were telling him to run and never return. The smell entering the little green Chia's nose was a new one, yet something he knew he should fear.

     The morning went on, and Yip just couldn't shake off the nervous feeling that had welled up inside of him. He managed to locate some of his little beige mushrooms he loved so much in a heap next to the large vestal lake. Yip picked them out of the ground and began to walk away, when his tiny ears picked up a sound. A rustling sound could be heard through the trees. It's probably just the wind blowing through the trees, Yip thought to himself.

     Yip carried the reassuring thought in his mind all the way home. He returned to the little clearing he called home and gasped at what he saw. Pawprints that were much unlike his own filled the clearing. The smell was even stronger in his clearing, causing the Chia to shake with fear. He also noticed the few mushrooms that were left in his stock were missing.

     "Hello?" Yip called out in a weary voice. He looked around the clearing which was empty, but he could tell someone had been in his clearing. That thought scared Yip, because the valley surrounded by mountains was completely deserted besides himself. Yip squinted his eyes and stared through the thick undergrowth to see saw two amber eyes stare back at him.

     Before Yip could make a move, a four-legged Neopet leapt out of the darkness. The creature's slick black pelt shone in the sun as he darted around the clearing, stopping Yip from making a break. It didn't take a genius to realize what Yip was staring at. A Lupe. The Lupe stopped and let the Chia see the many sharp carnivorous teeth in his mouth. While Yip was a hermit, he hadn't spent all of his life in the secluded valley. He was born in Neopia Central, and knew of the ancient rivalry between Lupes and Chias. It had been such a long time since Yip had been around civilization, Yip could barely recognize them. But the Chia did remember the fierce yellow eyes.

     "Please, don't hurt me," Yip whimpered. He was defenceless against the shadow Lupe. Yip wasn't trained at all in the skills of battle, and was unarmed completely. The Lupe crept closer toward Yip. The green Chia noticed the mushrooms in his hand. Yip launched the mushrooms at the Lupe, hitting him in the face. The Lupe put up his paw to defend himself against the assault of the makeshift weapons. That gave Yip the time to make a break for it.

     He ran from the Lupe as fast as his stubby legs would take him. Yip jumped over a rock, around a tree and over the grass. There was no place to hide from the intruder.

     "Come back here," snarled the Lupe from the distance.

     "Eep!" Yip cried as he ran across the valley. He didn't dare pause to turn his head to see if the Lupe was gaining much ground. But he could hear it; the Lupe's paws slamming against the ground.

     Suddenly Yip dove into a bush. His green skin helped him blend in with his surroundings. The Lupe ran past Yip without noticing and kept on going. Yip exhaled a sigh of relief and got out of the bush. He shook some leaves out of his hair and looked around. The Lupe was nowhere to be seen.

***

Yip had spent most of the day hiding in the undergrowth, praying the Lupe wasn't going to find him. So far the Lupe had not been seen again, but Yip still didn't dare to leave his hiding spot.

     Suddenly, Yip could pick up another smell. It was similar to the Lupe's... only different. It was unexplainable. The odour was just like that shadow Lupe's, except there was something else about it he couldn't quite tell. All he knew was the smell was overwhelmingly powerful. He didn't hear any rustling which could only mean one thing: the Lupe had found other Lupes to hunt the Chia.

     Of course! Yip thought. The different smell was caused by different Lupes, and it was so powerful because there were so many. Yip cowered at the thought or there being a whole pack of Lupes in his valley. All of a sudden, he could hear the whispers of the Lupes.

     "Where is that little wimp?" snarled a vicious looking orange Lupess.

     Yip stared through the bush at the approaching Lupes. The shadow Lupe he had met earlier in the morning had left the Chia's valley and found four other Lupes. A purple and an orange Lupess and a silver and a white Lupe. They prowled through the forest in search of Yip.

     "I told you," the shadow Lupe grunted in response. "He's here somewhere. I came here earlier looking for food. I found some mushrooms but never thought I'd fund a plump defenceless Chia."

     Howls of laughter emanated from the Lupes' maws as the continued trough the forest. They passed right by Yip's hiding place and trotted off in the other direction.

     That was close, Yip thought. He hopped out of the hiding place and ran in the opposite direction of the pack of Lupes. He couldn't let them catch him or else... he didn't want to think about what came next. Yip ran down the path at a high speed. He ran out of the forest and reached the mountain side. The Chia looked up at the towering mountain, looming down on him as if daring him to climb it. Mountains surrounded the hidden valley and he knew they were the only escape. Yip took one final look at his serene abode and began to make the climb.

     Up the mountain he went, one rock at a time. His short arms made ascending the mountain difficult and his tiny feet were useless when climbing. Finally he reached a spot where the mountain leveled out, allowing the Chia to take a break. Yip laid down on the mountain breathing heavily.

     He just couldn't believe that after so many years he was leaving his home. He had lived in the mountain ever since he had left Neopia Central as a young Chia. It was such a lush and hospitable place to live, and he was leaving it just because of a couple of Lupes.

     "I can't do that," Yip suddenly proclaimed aloud. He turned around and stared down at the valley. He couldn't just leave his dwelling because of a couple of overgrown furballs! This was his home, and nobody else's. "I might not be able to beat them in combat, but let's just see how smart those flea-bitten mongrels really are.

     The green Chia jumped off the edge and slid down the rocky surface. Dust blew into his olive green fur as he made his way quickly back to the bottom. He landed on the ground and looked into the forest. He'd show those Lupes a thing or two.

***

It was quite a lucky thing Yip was born a green Chia. His colour made it perfect for him to blend in among the tree tops. As he swung from branch to branch high above the ground, he kept a careful eye out for the pack of Lupes.

     Finally the five Neopets all came into view. The shadow one seemed to be the alpha as he lead the pack. The orange and purples ones followed with the silver and white Lupes bringing up the rear. Yip knew if he was going to be successful in riding the valley of the intruders, he was going to have to pick off the weakest in the pack. And he didn't mean physically, because even the weakest in the pack could probably take him down. He was thinking intellectually.

     Yip landed on the ground behind the pack of Lupes as silently as possible. The white and silver Lupes seemed to be a couple drops short of a puddle, and Yip was going to test his theory. He reached up and grabbed a wine from a tree. He pulled it down with all of his strength. The Chia swung it around in the air slapped it against the white Lupe's hind-leg. Yip then quickly tossed the vine over right in the silver Lupe's direction. Yip quickly jumped out of sight in a nearby bush.

     "What was that for?" barked the white Lupe. He growled at the silver Lupe who simply growled in response.

     "I didn't do anything you moron!" grunted the silver Lupe in response.

     "Yeah you did," replied the white Lupe. "You whipped my leg with that vine! It's right there." The white Lupe jabbed his paw toward the vine which sat motionless on the ground in front of the silver Lupe's paw.

     "Stay on task you two," the shadow Lupe interjected. "We're going to find that Chia no matter what."

     Yip rolled over in the bush silently sniggering. That worked perfectly. He jumped out of the bush and saw the five pets continuing to prowl down the path. Yip snuck up and grabbed the vine again. The little green Neopet swung it around in the air and whipped it at the silver Lupe's tail. As quick as a little Chia can go, he tossed it toward the white Lupe and jumped back in the bush for cover.

     "Why did you hit me?" roared the silver Lupe this time. "The vine is right there, it's proof!"

     Before the white Lupe could respond, the shadow Lupe interrupted. "Quit messing around! There's a little Chia in the valley and he can probably hear you!"

     Not as well as you think," thought Yip as he remained in the bush trying not to laugh his head off.

     "I don't care about one little bugger of a Chia!" the silver Lupe growled. "I'm not prowling around this stupid valley for one little snack if it means I have to be with this dolt." With that, the silver Lupe walked off and the white Lupe did the same in the other direction.

     "You don't get away with insulting my valley," growled Yip. He tossed a rock at the white Lupe.

     "WHY I OUGHT TO--" the white Lupe roared as he ran after the silver Lupe with his claws ready to attack.

***

"The sun is going to set in a couple of hours. Can't we just forget about the little Chia?" whined the orange Lupess as the now three Lupes continued to prowl through the valley.

     "No. The little Chia is around here, I can smell him. If it weren't for those two buffoons making enough noise to wake the Turmaculus himself, then we would've found the Chia by now. But they're gone, so we can finally make that little Chia pay," the alpha Lupe grunted.

     "But why?" the purple Lupess asked. "What did the Chia even do?"

     The shadow Lupe paused to think about it. "Uh... he threw a mushroom at my eye! And anyway, he's just a moronic Chia. He deserves to end up as a side dish," explained the shadow Lupe.

     The three remaining pets prowled some more through the valley. Yip was close behind, following the Lupes at a good distance. He could tell the females didn't enjoy walking for so long. They weren't exactly the toughest pets. That gave Yip an idea. He ran up to the three Lupes and jumped clear over their backs.

     "Come on you mutts, can't you catch me?" Yip taunted. He blew them a raspberry and ran off. The three Lupes growled and ran after him.

     "Come back here!" the alpha grunted viciously.

     Suddenly, a the pristine lake came into view. It sparkled in the dying sunlight as Yip drew ever closer. Right before the shadow Lupe could slash at him with his claws, Yip jumped into the lake. The Lupesses couldn't even see the lake from behind their alpha's back, so when he jumped in after the Chia the didn't have enough time to stop.

     SPLASH!

     "AHHHHH! MY FUR!" howled the purple Lupess.

     "I GROOMED IT FOR AN HOUR THIS MORNING!" screeched the other Lupess.

     The alpha looked around and saw the Lupes struggling to get out. "It's only a bit of algae," barked the shadow Lupe.

     "ALGAE?!?" the two Lupesses squealed. "GET US OUT OF THIS!"

     The shadow Lupe had no choice but to help his two friends out. He nudged them out of the water. The females sprawled out on the ground, panting heavily. Their beautiful pelt had been reduced to nothing but a drenched mat of shaggy fur.

     "That's it, no meal is worth this! I'm leaving," cried the purple Lupess. She shook the water out of her coat and the orange Lupess did the same. They trotted off away from the alpha Lupe.

     "Heeheehee, looks like your friends couldn't take me down!" mocked Yip. He was on the other side of the pond, dancing with joy.

     The shadow Lupe just stood there, panting heavily. A look of pure malice glared across the water at Yip. Yip was rolling on the ground laughing. Suddenly, with an emphatic bound, the Lupe leaped clear over the lake on the ground next too Yip. The Chia wasn't laughing anymore. He stared at the Lupe through his narrow eyes.

     "Prepare... to... be... punished," growled the Lupe.

     Yip bounced up off the ground. The Lupe leaped toward him which Yip managed to evade. Yip sped off over to the tree and jumped up in. The dark Lupe jumped at the little green pet but couldn't seem to make it up the tree. As the Lupe landed back on the ground, Yip took the time to make a jump from the tree. Before the Lupe could defend in any way, Yip's dark green foot came crashing into the Lupe's face.

     "AROOOOO!" howled the Lupe in pain. He collapsed to the ground and Yip sprung off the alpha's face and onto the grass.

     Yip stood there, breathing heavily as the adrenaline flowed through him. He stared the Lupe in the eye. The panting mongrel crouched on the ground. Finally, he stood up. Fear flooded through Yip, but the fear washed away as the Lupe gracefully trotted away. Away from the olive green Chia he walked, heading toward the mountain range. The exit.

     As Yip watched the Lupe walk away, a rush of triumph filled him. He had defended his valley from the intruders. He, a little Chia, had won.

The End

Note: Yip's opinions of Lupes does not reflect at all upon my own. Just because he doesn't particularly like Lupes, doesn't mean I hate them too. I also understand all Lupes aren't as vicious as the five Lupes in the story were portrayed. I love Lupes too.

Week 90 Related Links

Background Voices of Neopia: Nick Neopia
Some jokes can be sick and disturbing, VERY sick and disturbing.

by too_kule


The Ghost of Cotton Island: Part Three
Sheer darkness engulfed the three friends. They tiptoed through the warehouse as quietly as possible. A rustling in the corner or some the sounds of movement above them caused them to jump.

by too_kule



Search :
Other Stories

At Least It Might Be Good For Publicity
"Why are you so excited about going to the Wheel of Excitement? We go there usually every week."

by turkeypen


The Aisha Brothers Go To Camp
Just as they predicted, the cabin was dreadfully dirty. They weren't alone in the cabin, either.

by hamsterz_r_best


A Figment of Your Imagination
"Tsk tsk, I think someone has been reading one too many Faerie stories," said Todd.

by peppermintpaste


Fallen: Angel
"I have lost most of my memory, Dreamer," she said. "All I remember is falling… just falling…"

by oily106


Neopets | Main | Articles | Editorial
Short Stories | Comics | New Series | Continued Series | Search