Battlesunn looked up at the clock sitting on the mantelpiece of her living
room. It was nine O'clock, and it was time for Shelleylou, Battlesunn's Gelert,
to go to sleep.
"Bedtime, Shelly," she said.
Shelly barley looked up from the picture she was drawing.
"Do I have to? Can't I stay up just a bit longer?" She pleaded.
Battlesunn smiled. "If you brush your teeth and get in to bed, I'll read you
a story."
Shelly jumped up with excitement, she loved being read to. So far, she hadn't
heard a story that she didn't love.
She rushed up the stairs, brushed her teeth and hopped into bed, cuddling
her Puppyblew and her yellow Gelert plushie.
Battlesunn walked into the room slowly, holding a copy of Scaredy Acara
behind her back. She sat down on the stool beside Shelly's bed and pulled out
the book.
"I thought that I'd read you Scaredy Acara tonight, it's a comical
book and I think that you'll like it."
Shelly snuggled down into her blankets, and closed her eyes as Battlesunn
began to read....
Sheldon the Acara was scared of everything, even his own shadow!
At school, he didn't have any friends because he was afraid of making them,
and he didn't have a PetPet because they all frightened him.
One day, Sheldon was walking to school in a particularly bad mood. His
owner had enlisted him in a Battledome fight, and the thought terrified him.
He was also worried. He knew that his owner loved him, at least that's what
he thought, but he knew that he was getting a bit fed up with his cowardly ways.
He sighed, and looked up to the sky, searching for a way out of his troubles.
There was no way of getting out of this fight, he was sure of that. The question
was, "What should I do in the fight?"
If he didn't win. Then his owner might get very mad at him. If he did win,
his owner might put him in even more fights, and that was the last thing that
he wanted.
He was still lost in these thoughts when two pets came up to him, Mooneye
and Liz. Mooneye was the strongest pet in school, and no one dared to oppose
him. He was a muscular, Fire Lupe. His sister, Liz was a cloud Lupe. And wasn't
as strong, but still quite formidable.
Mooneye grinned at him. "I hear that you're fighting Liz, don't expect
to get an easy fight from her! she's tough!" Both Lupes jogged off again, leaving
Sheldon feeling very confused and scared.
Had his owner really set him up in a fight with Liz? She was really strong!
He would never beat her!
Sheldon changed his mind right there and then. He would runaway.
Sheldon packed an Omelette, some milk and a worn out Acara plushie in a
bag. He had decided what to do. He would runaway from home, and find a cave
or something to live in. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was better then facing
Liz in a battle.
Late that night, Sheldon opened his window, and using a rope made out of
tied up sheets, he managed to climb down.
He hit the ground with a soft thump! and quickly scurried into the forest.
He kept on Hiking through the forest until he found a small cave, It was perfect
for a small pet like himself.
He crawled inside, ate some omelette and fell asleep.
He awoke the next morning to the sound of something looking through his
bag, he opened his eyes, and saw two large Eyries, eating his food!
well, that was enough for Sheldon! Wailing a war cry he jumped onto the
first Eyrie, a large striped male. He pummeled and bit, and soon both Eyries
had fled, for fear of the small, but ferocious Acara.
Sheldon was congratulating himself when he realised something. He wasn't
scaredy at all! he had learned to overcome his fear and had proven to himself
that he was tough.
Sheldon ran home to his owner, who was very worried for Sheldon. His owner
apologised again and again for forcing Sheldon into that fight, and promised
never to do anything like that again. But Sheldon really surprised everyone
when he told his owner that he did want to fight, and low and behold... he won!
His owner surprised him with a gift, a skunk paint brush. And, since he
wasn't so scared anymore, a pet Triffin, too.
So the next time you're feeling cowardly or down, remember Sheldon, the
not-so-scaredy Acara, who learned to overcome his fears.
Battlesunn finished reading and closed the book. She smiled at
Shelly, who was fast asleep, one paw curled around her Puppyblew and the other
holding a plushie. Battlesunn sighed. She hoped that Shelly hadn't missed too
much of the story.
Giving Shelly one last pat on the head, she turned and walked out the door,
already selecting a book for tomorrow night.
The End | 
