| also by smileyface12_5690 Fredrickio looked left and right, clutching his red and
white bundle tightly. Nobody was looking, so he dodged in through the deserted
NeoHome's door. He saw the familiar yellow Chia standing frozen in the middle
of the hall. He laughed "Served it right, rotten species they are." He slumped
on the green rug in the middle of the room and opened his bundle. It contained
his prize of his expedition to the food shops: two orange Chia pops and a can
of Neocola. "Lunch," he said hungrily, and devoured the food.
Fredrickio was a run away pound pet; a green
Lupe with a lopsided ear and scruffy tuft on the back of his neck. He had been
abandoned after he was born, but being strong willed and not liking the rules
of the pound he escaped and started out on his own. He had found an abandoned
NeoHome whose owner (an his rotten Chia) had been frozen. The Lupe now used
it as his headquarters for his expeditions.
The next morning, he heard talking outside his
window and decided to take a look. It was a mean group of shadow pets talking
about a contest in their guild. He discovered it was for outcasts and when they
moved on, he quietly ducked out the door and followed them. When he knocked
on the guild door, the guard opened the shutter and looked at him "What you
want?"
"I'd like to join please," Fredrickio said shyly.
"Any qualifications, youngster?" the guard replied
.
"Um... well... what kind of qualifications are
you looking for?" Fredrickio asked. He hadn't heard the Neopets outside his
window talk about being qualified.
"Well, first, you need to have one of the council
people invite you. It would probably be Silletti, he always has the most time
on his hands to do such... anyway, after they come to your house or wherever
you live they bring you here and you are given a task. Once you complete that
task, you're in. But for now, you can wait on your doorstep, kid. I don't think
anyone would be coming for YOU anytime soon," he laughed as he looked up and
down the Lupe, then closed the shutter with a loud bang. Fredrickio sighed and
turned around to go back home. He was an outcast for sure, but was he so much
different that he didn't even fit in with them?
He walked home sadly, closing the door behind
him as he entered. BRRRING BRRRING BRRRING! Came the screechy old doorbell.
He nearly jumped out of his skin. At first he didn't know where it came from...
they had never had guests before, so he had never heard the noise. A few minutes
later he heard a knocking from the broken front door. Opening it slightly, he
peeked out and saw a shadow Shoyru holding a notebook and a pen. He looked up
at Fredrickio and snorted slightly.
"Well, um... you have been invited to join our
top secret guild," he coughed, laughing at the Lupe's odd appearance. "Our leader
can be quite odd in his choices. Anyway, follow me. You won't need to bring
anything, we have it all there for you..."
As they walked back to the guild the shadow
Shoyru explained that if Fredrickio completed the task, he could join; but if
he failed, he would be locked up forever. He would know too much about the guild.
Meanwhile, back at the guild...
"The Lupe has been sent for sir," said a shadow
Aisha to the back of a chair in the middle of the room. "Shall I send him on
assignment 124570 sir?"
"Yes! He shouldn't return from that unless he
is truly worthy. Is that all, Swaslackie?" said a dark sounding voice from the
chair.
"Yes, Silletti, sir," replied the Aisha.
"Then you may go. Please close the door on your
way out," replied the disembodied voice.
In the meantime, Fredrickio had arrived with
the Shoyru. The Shoyru opened a secret gate in the hedge in front of them and
went through it. Fredrickio followed. He saw a mass of shadow, pirate, and mutant
pets battling on a massive lawn. The Shoyru walked across the lawn to a shadow
Aisha and beckoned for Fredrickio to follow.
"Afternoon, Swaslackie!" said the Shoyru, bowing
his head in greeting.
"Afternoon, Veniminor. This is the Lupe, I presume?"
replied the Aisha, looking over the Shoyru's shoulder at Fredrickio.
"Yeah! Little odd, isn't he?" said the Shoyru,
lowering his voice to a whisper.
"Yes... he will be on assignment 124570 today,"
said the Aisha, checking her clipboard.
"124570? But that's stealing a prize from Illusen
that's virtually impossible," stuttered the Shoyru. He then lowered his voice
again and asked, "Do you think he will complete it, Swaslackie?" "I don't know,
only one way to find out for sure," said the Aisha with a slight smile.
The Shoyru and Aisha turned to Fredrickio. He
was watching the nearest pets with amusement and cheering on a Mutant Lupe;
he was so involved with cheering he had not heard a word of the conversation
held between the other two pets. The Shoyru rolled his eyes and tugged on Fredrickio's
ear.
"Ouch! What was that for?" he questioned, glaring
at the Shoyru.
"You are on assignment 124570. You are to steal
a honey potion from Illusen and bring it back here within 3 days. As Vemininor
has probably explained, complete it and you will gain entry, fail and you shall
be locked up. Good luck young one," said the Aisha, talking as if Fredrickio
was a toddler.
Fredrickio blinked. Steal a honey potion from
the great Illusen? It seemed impossible, but he had to get into the guild. He
took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and without thinking the whole thing through,
set out for Meridell.
It wasn't too long of a trip; the hike along
the trail was incredibly short. He casually stepped onto the bright green grass
of Meridell, feeling increasingly nervous. Part of him was having second thoughts,
but the other part was pushing him forward. He gulped and started walking down
the road towards Illusen's home.
Surprisingly, not too many Neopets were completing
quests for the Faerie at this time of day. Fredrickio felt slightly sick. The
less Neopets, the more likely he would get caught. He wanted to do it at the
most popular time so it would go unnoticed. To do it right now would be like
giving up your life's possessions to Chet Flash.
"Go on, take it," said a voice in his ear. Startled,
the Lupe turned around and found himself face to face with Swaslackie, the neopet
who had told him of his task in the first place.
"How did you get here before me?" he asked,
puzzled.
"I run fast," she said dismissively. "Now, are
you going to steal a honey potion or not?"
He opened his mouth to argue, but the Aisha
gave him a very 'I'm-braver-than-you-and-you-know-it' look, so, feeling slightly
numb, he closed it again and walked over to Illusen. She was handing a prize
over to a little baby Chomby.
"Can I help you, young Lupe?" she asked, looking
at him.
"Err," he stuttered and looked over at Swaslackie,
who rudely mouthed the word 'chicken'. "I'd like a quest please," he said, trying
to sound courageous.
"Been here before?" said Illusen, looking down
at her list.
"Nope," replied Fredrickio.
"Okay, so you're at level one, then. Could you
please bring me a plain omelette?" she said with a smile.
Fredrickio faked a grin and walked off towards
the shops. He heard footsteps behind him and turned around just in time to see
Swaslackie following him.
"Great!" he muttered to himself, "all I need
is her following me about when I am thinking of a plan."
Eventually, he managed to steal an omelette
out of a nearby pet's rucksack. As he walked back towards Illusens glade he
came up with a plan, and by the time he reached the glade he had gone through
it fifty times.
"So you've returned, and you're within the time.
Well done. Wait here and I shall bring your reward," said Illusen with a smile,
taking the omelette off Fredrickio and wandering into the underground passes.
Fredrickio smiled and slunk behind Illusen into
her passageways. Soon she stopped and rummaged around in a pile of items. Fredrickio
saw a honey potion by where he was standing. He picked it up quickly and ran
as fast as he could back up to the surface. He was halfway along the lane back
to Swaslackie when he suddenly stopped and found he couldn't move.
"You honestly think I didn't see you?" Illusen's
eyes were glowing red as she turned face to face with the thief in her hands.
Fredrickio looked over at Swaslackie, who laughed silently, and ran off in the
opposite direction.
"Well... um... well..." Fredrickio stuttered,
trying to yank himself free from her clutch. He felt like the little yellow
Chia back at the abandoned NeoHome.
"I'll take that," said Illusen, smirking; grabbing
the honey potion from his paws. "Don't you ever try to think of stealing anything
again."
Fredrickio pulled out of her grasp, leaving
behind some fur in her hand, and quickly ran off back towards the guild.
* * *
He arrived, breathing heavily, clutching his chest as though about to have
a heart attack. Swaslackie smiled and shook her head.
"I knew it. I knew you couldn't do it. I knew
it."
Fredrickio tossed her an evil glare.
"Looks like she got a piece of you," Swaslackie
continued, circling the Lupe and eyeing his back. "It's bad luck when a Faerie
gets a piece of you."
"What do you mean?"
"Bad things can happen. Horrible things. You
best watch yourself."
"Bad things? Whatever. Just give me a different
task... that one was impossible and you know it," said Fredrickio irritably.
"You'd have to bring that up with Silletti.
He's right in there... right through that door," Swaslackie smiled.
"Fine," said Fredrickio, a tone of uneasiness
in his voice. "I'll see him." With that, he walked through the door, more frightened
than he had ever been in his life.
The room was completely black, lit only by a
few dim candles on the walls. He shuddered and gulped. It was a very eerie place
to be.
"You've failed. You should be locked up, you
know," said Silletti, his expression hidden by the darkness.
"Just give me one more task. It was impossible;
but I'll succeed this time. I know I will," Fredrickio quickly spluttered, begging
on his knees.
"Hmm, another chance... not usually given in
this guild, but I like you. Young Lupe, you have guts. Let's see... another
task... aha! I'm hungry, so bring me lunch without spending a single Neopoint
and you have got entry. I would like some kind of sandwich, anything but tigersquash;
that brings me out in a rash. I'd also like a drink of orange juice," said Silletti,
thinking. "A meaty Chia treat would be nice, too, if you could. Now get to it."
"Thank you, thank you," Fredrickio babbled,
thanking the white Weewoos he had been given such an easy task.
Fredrickio slipped out of the room quickly and
ran as fast as his legs would carry him to Neopia Central. He soon slipped into
the food shop unnoticed. He grabbed the nearest sandwich and orange juice off
the shelves. Just as he was about to leave the shop he heard a loud crack. A
puff of green smoke surrounded him, cloaking his escape.
Fredrickio smiled; maybe Swaslackie had been
wrong, maybe Illusen had given him some luck. Nevermind, he would think about
that later. He pushed it to the back of his mind as he waddled back to the guild.
Fredrickio knocked at the door of the guild.
The guard opened the slot and looked down at him.
"What do you…err, I mean... what's the password?"
he said, staring at Fredrickio.
"Fyreashlia," repeated Fredrickio from memory.
The guard looked shocked; how did this pet know
the password? He hadn't seen it before. Unknowing to Fredrickio, the puff of
smoke at the store hadn't been a helping hand. It had been Illusen's spell.
She wanted to teach him a lesson after the honey potion incident, and had cast
a spell on him. Whenever he stole something, he would turn into the species
he hated most. Now, instead of the green Lupe he had always been, he was a small,
yellow, furry Chia.
Whispers passed through the other pets as Fredrickio
walked across the courtyard towards Silletti's room. Once he reached the door,
Swaslackie stopped him.
"Why do you want to go through here?" she questioned.
"Silletti's lunch, compliments of Fredrickio
the Lupe," he replied.
"Oh, carry on then," Swaslackie said with a
smile.
Fredrickio stared at her, wondering why she
was so cheerful. She stalked out of sight and left him there, alone. He shrugged
and opened the door. It was a lot easier now that he knew what to expect and
that he knew Silletti would be pleased with him.
The room was as dark as it ever was. He walked
forward, shutting it behind him. The cold, sinister voice of the guild's leader
spoke.
"Why, hello there... I see that you have my
lunch, little one." Fredrickio felt a little embarrassed at being called 'little
one', but he shook his head and handed his bag of stolen goods to Silletti.
"I hope you are pleased with what I have brought
you, sir," he said in a tough voice, trying to sound strong so Silletti wouldn't
call him 'little one' any more.
"Very pleased indeed..." Silletti cackled. He
flipped a switch and the room flooded with light. Fredrickio covered his eyes
for a few minutes before adjusting to the sudden burst of light. The leader,
a fierce shadow Lupe, was eyeing the new member with a hungry look in his eyes.
The stolen lunch lay forlornly in the corner as if it didn't even exist. Fredrickio
stared at him, confused.
"Silletti, sir, what is going on?"
"Why, little Chia, you don't have to concern
yourself with that. All of life's little troubles will soon be over..."
"Little Chia?" Fredrickio was more confused
than he had ever been in his life. "What do you mean?" He looked down at his
hands and nearly fainted. Silletti licked his lips loudly in front of him. His
heart raced. "No... no... I'm not what you think I am! I am Fredrickio, the
Lupe! I don't know what happened... please don't eat me... please don't eat
me..."
It was too late. Silletti was closing in on
him; he was already inches away... his mouth was open wide, ready to take a
nice, juicy bite. Fredrickio cried and held his breath-it was all over, he thought
to himself. All over...
And yet, it wasn't. Instead feeling intense
agony in his midriff, the hungry Lupe before him subsided and was pulled away...
his by what? Bewildered, Fredrickio's jaw dropped in awe as he stood face-to-face
with Illusen.
"My, my, my," she said breathlessly, nearly
choking Silletti as she held him back. "We have a hungry fellow here, eh?"
Fredrickio was speechless. Surely this was some
strange, messed-up dream.
Illusen muttered something under her breath,
something that sounded like a spell. Another puff of green smoke engulfed him,
then fell to the cold floor. Fredrickio looked at his body again with a flood
of relief washing over him. He was a Lupe again... a green, scruffy Lupe, just
like always.
The Faerie released Silletti, but grabbed a
bit of his hair before doing so. She winked at Fredrickio and stuffed it into
her pocket. Fredrickio blinked, then, with a sudden rush of understanding, winked
back at Illusen.
Silletti ran forward, but stopped in front of
the green Lupe. "Wait a minute... where'd that Chia go?" Fredrickio merely laughed.
"Silletti," said Illusen, "you've got a lesson
to learn. You can't go around trying to eat Chias. Yes, you've definitely got
a lesson to learn..." She muttered another spell under her breath. Silletti
didn't notice due to his utter confusion.
"Well, Fredrickio, would you mind following
me outside?" she opened the door and left the room without waiting for a response.
Fredrickio followed her and shut the door behind him.
"What just happened?"
"When you stole that Honey Potion from me,"
the Faerie began in a disdainful voice, "I knew I had to make sure that you
would never steal again. I put you under a spell so that whenever you did steal,
you'd turn into the species you hate most. It wasn't hard to tell that it would
be a Chia."
Fredrickio nodded to signify he understood,
then motioned for her to continue.
"I came over right away when I sensed that you
were in danger. Faeries just know things like that. I saw Silletti about to
maul you to smithereens, so I held him back just in time. No matter how evil
a thief can be, he shouldn't be eaten. I said another spell to turn you back
into a Lupe. Now, Fredrickio, you have to promise me that you'll never steal
anything again, or I'll have that spell fixed on you permanently. Do you promise?"
Fredrickio nodded. "Yes, I promise. I'll never
steal anything again."
Illusen smiled. "So you've learned your lesson.
It seems as though your dear friend Silletti, on the other hand, still has quite
a ways to go."
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what spell
did you put on him?"
"Whenever he thinks about eating a Chia, his
tail will catch fire," she laughed. "No, the fire won't harm him, but it will
be very, very hot. Hopefully he'll think differently about Chias from now on.
As will you, I hope, now that you know how it feels to be at the other end of
the hungry stare..."
The Lupe nodded again. "Yes, I do. Boy, am I
glad my tail won't be catching on fire..."
At that moment, a scream could be heard from
inside Silletti's room. "Ah, such a baby," Illusen laughed. "Well, I'd better
get going. This guild is shutting down, though, I'll make sure of that. Fredrickio,
I suggest you go back to whatever you were doing before you came here. You don't
really belong... you're not like them. You understand the way things are a lot
better than anyone here."
Fredrickio smiled. "Thank you, Illusen. I wouldn't
have understood it if it weren't for you. Thanks..."
Illusen grinned broadly. "Goodbye, Fredrickio!"
"Goodbye, Illusen!" Fredrickio said happily.
With a slight wave, he set off away from the guild and headed back his home
in Neopia Central. Home sweet home...
The End
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