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Neopia's Fill in the Blank News Source | 29th day of Running, Yr 26
The Neopian Times Week 47 > Continuing Series > Needed: Part Two

Needed: Part Two

by tdyans

Dantam lay sobbing in the empty dirt lot for hours, unable to comprehend a reality without his owner, Madison. Storm clouds rolled in, but Dantam took no notice until the first drops of rain splattered on his face, blending with the tears that still ran down his cheeks. At first, he remained where he was, relishing in the sympathetic feel of the heavens crying down on him. As afternoon lengthened into evening, however, he began to shiver in his soaked-through, black fur.

Dantam ran across the street and scratched at the door of a neighbour's house, hoping that they would offer him some shelter, if only for the night. When the door was opened by a human and a striped Aisha however, they both took one look at the Gelert's collar-less neck, frowned, and slammed the door in his face. At the next house he tried, a yell of, "Get out of here, you stray!" chased him away, and at the one after that, he narrowly avoided an angry kick that was aimed at him. Finally giving up, he crawled beneath a bush in someone's front yard to wait out the storm, and felt exhaustion lull him into sleep despite his distress.

When he was chased out from under the bush by a broom with an angry human on the other end of it the next morning, Dantam fled to Neopia Central. For days he wandered the streets, unsure of what to do with himself now. He'd still had the bag of candy that he'd bought just before his world was turned upside down, but he'd eaten it all quickly and found himself still hungry. He wandered into shops, wondering if anyone would loan him some food until he could manage to pay them back, but the answer was always no, and his lack of a collar always got him chased out if he tried to persist.

After a week without Madison, Dantam still found himself walking through the dark streets at night, not knowing what to do, but knowing that he had to do something and soon. He was cold and tired, and most of all hungry, but he had no shelter, nowhere to sleep, and didn't have a clue how to find food for himself. Just then, Dantam happened to look over into the alleyway that he was passing by to see a half-eaten piece of ham come flying out of one of the trash cans and land at his feet. Dantam couldn't believe his luck, until a familiar yellow Kacheek came flying out of the trash can after it. "Hey!" the Kacheek exclaimed, snatching the ham before Dantam could sink his teeth into it. He took the ham and set it down atop a pile of other foods further back in the alley. Dantam's mouth watered at the sight. He dragged his eyes away from the feast that he would have scoffed at only a few days before to look up at the Kacheek who was walking back toward him.

"So," the Kacheek said, arms crossed over his chest and a satisfied smirk on his face, "If it isn't that pampered Gelert we're always seeing with his nose stuck up in the air?" Dantam watched as the Kacheek's eyes fell to his collar-less neck, and the smirk turned to a malicious grin. "Not so high and mighty now, are you?"

Dantam growled and bared his teeth. His raw nerves had taken just about enough, and although he had never been much of a fighter, he felt that he could take this Kacheek, especially if it meant that he'd finally get some food. But just as he was about to advance on the Kacheek, a red Kougress emerged from the shadows to stand threateningly behind the little yellow creature. Her steel-gray eyes glistened along with her claws under the light of the moon, and Dantam unconsciously took a few steps back. He would have to take a different tack. He laid his ears back and put his tail between his legs. "I'm sorry," he whimpered passively. "I'm starving... maybe you could share some of your food with me?"

The Kacheek curled his lip and was about to respond when one of the other trash cans behind him fell over with a crash. All three Neopets looked back to see a red Lupe emerge from the can, shaking his head and looking a little dazed from his fall. When he spotted Dantam though, he trotted up and sniffed at the Gelert curiously. Dantam examined him in turn. He was a young Lupe, nearly full grown, but obviously still a pup in many ways. He had only half of a tail, which he wagged excitedly as he turned to look at the Kacheek and Kougra and ask, "Who's this?"

"It's none of your concern Brenner," the Kacheek answered, glaring at Dantam. "He doesn't deserve our help."

The Lupe looked back at Dantam in confusion. "But I heard him say he was hungry. And it looks like he doesn't have an owner... doesn't that make him one of us?"

"Yes, it does," a new voice said, and a blue Eyrie with a green female Zafara perched atop his head walked out from deeper in the alley.

The Kacheek spun around to face the Eyrie angrily. "He's not one of us Feruli! How can you say that? You saw how he treated us yesterday-- like he was better than us! Why should we help him now?"

The Eyrie sighed. "Yes, I was there yesterday, but that was yesterday. Now he's a homeless pet just like us, and we can't turn our back on one of our own!"

"One of our own?!" the Kacheek exclaimed. "Just because he comes here with a sad look on his face doesn't make him one of our own, and I for one am not giving up my food for him!" The Eyrie stared down at him menacingly, but the Kacheek just stared right back. The Lupe whined, while the Zafara and Kougra stayed silent and still, and Dantam looked back and forth between the members of the group, feeling the rising tension in the air.

Suddenly, as though he had caught something out of the corner of his eye, the Kacheek broke away from the Eyrie's gaze to look at something behind Dantam. His eyes widened and he yelled out, "Run!" The other Neopets scattered away into the back of the alley with practised instinct, but Dantam found himself rooted to the spot, not knowing what was going on or what to do. He understood when the net fell over him and he was scooped up to find himself looking into the face of an angry-looking yellow Techo with frazzled gray hair who he had only read about before.

Dantam yelped, but it didn't seem to have any effect on Dr_Death, who tossed him into the back of a van and slammed the doors shut. Dantam felt panic well up in his chest as the van began to drive away with him. He'd heard horrible stories of what the pound was like. What if nobody adopted him and he lingered there forever in some little cage? Or what if he was adopted, but whoever adopted him was a terrible person who treated him poorly? Dantam didn't know if he wanted to be adopted, even if it was by a good owner. He'd thought that Maddy was a good owner, after all, and she'd left him. He didn't think he could stand to be hurt like that again. As these thoughts swirled through his mind, he watched the alleyway recede into the distance through the little barred window in the van door and he howled out, "Help!" not really expecting any to come.

To be continued...

Previous Episodes

Needed: Part One

Needed: Part Three

Needed: Part Four

Needed: Part Five

Needed: Part Six

Needed: Part Seven

Needed: Part Eight

Needed: Part Nine

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