From Cloud High to Rock Bottom

by Muas

Have you ever seen a poor, dejected pet who seems to just meander the streets every day, never going home, always in front of the shops, looking out with sad eyes, some too proud to beg and others who do, and all of them too thin? I never knew what these pets were doing. All pets had owners, except those in the pound. And the pets in the pound stayed in the pound all the time. So what could possibly have happened to these pets that they walked the streets, instead of being with their owners?

Well, my own owner never let me talk to these pets. She didn't tell me what had happened to them, either. Whenever I asked, her mouth tightened, and she said, "Good pets don't ask those kinds of questions."

I lived in a middle-class part of town, an upper middle-class, I guess. We went to higher-level shops, were part of a guild that was made up mainly of richer Neopians, and generally did not have to do much with the poor. My owner liked it that way. She said poor people only got that way through laziness, and if they wanted to complain, let them, but they should know that all the time they were complaining they could be playing hide and seek with those poor pets they had and getting some NP in the process.

So I lived a pretty closed-off, protected life, and knew next to nothing about people with less than 100,000 NP. I even remember pets from my neighbourhood going to the Soup Kitchen to make fun of the pets who were forced to go there.

Then, one day, my owner came home, in a new outfit she had just bought, a fancy one that was new. After I told her it was really neat, she sat down and put her head in her hands, but didn't cry. She never cried.

"What's wrong?" I asked, very alarmed. Usually, my owner was bouncy and happy.

"Oh," she said, "Today I bought this outfit, then left Neopia to go back to Earth for a while. While I was there, I went on NeoPets.com and went to the message boards. There was somebody there, being rude to everyone. He just really affected me, that's all. He insulted Ajinn, too!"

Ajinn was my owner's best Neofriend, who had one pet, a Kougra like me, named Akinn. He was my best friend!

"Hey," I said, "remember what you told me? People who insult others are just self-conscious and feel the need to put others down so they can feel better. You're not supposed to take what they say to heart."

She smiled. "Thanks, Dijin. I guess you're right."

I thought that was the end of it, but it wasn't. She kept getting Neomails from this person, really mean ones! A couple of times he said she was scamming people and then she got mean Neomails from everybody. She reported him to the Neopian Team that ran the Web site version of Neopia, and they froze him, but he got another account and started it all over again!

She did the same thing as him - got another account - but she told some people what her new name was and the guy found out. He kept it up for two months, and my owner stood it. She continued to e-mail the staff about it, and delete his Neomails as well as his inflammatory comments. I was happy that she seemed to have not been influenced by this guy.

One day, I was at home happily playing with a stuffed Quiggle toy when somebody rapped on the door. It wasn't my owner's knock (she always did the "shave and a haircut, two bits" rap) and nobody but your owner would knock on the door (everybody else had to ring the doorbell. It's just one of those traditions.)

I thought it was my owner, maybe trying something different, so I rushed to open the door for her.

I was incredibly surprised, then, of course, when I opened the door to find a teenage boy standing there grinning at me. He looked vaguely familiar.

"Huh? Who're you?" I asked.

He didn't reply, but just shoved the door open and pushed past me. In that instant, I realized why he looked so familiar. He was exactly who I imagined the guy who was flaming my owner to look like!

"Where's yer owner's stuff?" he asked, grinning.

Shaking, I replied, "Her inventory." Actually, most of her items of value were in her safety deposit box, and I had the key to that. He'd just take the items there and leave, I hoped.

"Inventory, eh? Come with me."

I followed him down the road to my owner's shop, where the inventory for every user is. As he walked inside, I turned around and bolted for home. Once there, I ran to my owner's room. I wasn't allowed in there, but once I had snuck in there and found a stash of very rare items she was apparently keeping for when she really needed some money, and a stash of a lot of NP.

I grabbed it all, put it in a sack and was heading for the door when I heard footsteps. The man shouted, "Hey, you stupid pet, where are ya? What were you thinking, ditching me like that? I know you've got the key to your owner's safety box!" I gasped, and it sounded like a police siren. Certain he would find me, I ducked into the kitchen and into the pantry.

I stayed there for hours. I heard him fiddle with the User Information Machine my owner kept on the counter, typing in a new password so she'd never be able to get in again. Then he shouted, "OK, stupid Kougra, I'm leaving now. Good riddance!"

The door opened and shut. I creaked open the pantry door just a bit to see if he was really gone. From what I could see, he was.

Now I headed for the door, intending to go to her safety deposit box and remove those items, too. Since she would never be able to get back into her account, I would need everything she had to survive myself.

She had ten items in her box, mostly food, but heavy food. I'd never be able to carry all of this!

While I was pondering the problem, my mind flashed back to her mention of Ajinn's being insulted by that guy. Several times in the past months when she had mentioned the guy's latest insult, she said that Ajinn had been insulted like that, too. What if she was being hacked? What would happen to Akinn?

I put all the items back in the box and ran for Ajinn's house, a few doors down from our shop.

The flamer was nowhere in sight, but that could mean he was already in. So I snuck around to the back door and into their house.

"Akinn?" I whispered. "Ak, where are you?"

"Dijin? Is that you? Why are you whispering?" asked Akinn from behind me. I nearly jumped out of my fur! "Oh, Akinn, you're okay!" I shouted joyfully.

"Well, sure. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because the person who was sending both our owners mean messages just hacked my owner's account! He took everything that wasn't hidden or in the Safety Deposit Box."

"Oh, jeez. I'm sorry, Dijin. You think he'll hack my owner's account?"

"It could be! You'd better warn Ajinn!"

Akinn sat down with a heavy thump. "I can't! She's visiting her relatives in that Earth place Florida. They don't have the Internet and I could never get a message to her!"

Just then, I heard that same knock of the boy who had hacked my account. "It's him!" I hissed. "Come on, we've gotta make a run for it. Out the back door!"

I grabbed him and dragged him out the door. We snuck around and managed to get away as he was entering the house.

"Where are we going?" panted Akinn as we ran down the street.

"To my shop. I got a stash of items there and we can get away from this. C'mon!"

"OK," he panted.

We ran into the shop and, with Akinn's help, I was able to carry all of the items. And so we set out on a journey, away from the town we loved, knowing we would probably never get to see our owners again.

At first, naturally, we were sad, downhearted and angry. We kept a close eye out for any person who even remotely looked like the "NeoHacker", as we had dubbed him, or NH. We only ate one item of food a day, and kept ourselves equipped with the rarer items my owner had had. At first we tried walking in a straight line but soon found that was impossible. The place where we had lived was warm, comfortable, and never above a reasonable temperature. But now, as we journeyed forward, we found it getting warmer and warmer.

At last, a week later, we came to the next city. It was really just a town, certainly not as huge as Neopia Central, but it was a place to restock since we had almost exhausted our supplies.

"Come on," said Akinn, "let's go to the food shop. How much NP do we have, anyway?"

"Umm, I dunno..." I muttered, digging around at the bottom of the sack where I'd dumped it all, and pulling out some gold, silver, and brass coins.

"Lessee...two, four, ten...we have fifty NP!" I cried mournfully.

"It looked like so much more."

"Oh no. That's only enough for three food items, and who knows when we'll reach the next town?!"

"What're we gonna do?" I sobbed, dropping down to sit on the road. "We only have five food items left. Plus eight, that's only enough for four more days."

"Well, let's go buy the items we can first," said Akinn, always the stronger one. "We'll cross the next bridge when we come to it."

We walked into the bright, bustling, happy food shop and immediately felt our spirits lift. The shopkeeper, a yellow Nimmo, grinned at what he saw to be two wealthy NeoPets, wearing fine items and equipped with some great battle equipment. "Hello," he said. "What can I do for you today?"

"What can we buy for fifty NP?" I asked quietly.

The Nimmo's eyes widened. "50 NP?"

"Yes," I said a little louder.

"Well, sir, surely you'd like to buy some of the more quality items, like this luscious chocolate cake. The bank is just down the road if you'd like to withdraw some more."

"No, thank you," said Akinn stiffly. "If you can't find anything for us for 50 NP, we'll take our business elsewhere."

"No, no," said the shopkeeper anxiously. "I'm sure we can find something. How many items do you need?"

"As many as you can buy for 50 NP. Quality does not matter."

"Right. Stay right here."

We moved over to the side of the shop and watched the happy NeoPets and their owners come in and out. Some NeoPets stared at us, while others pointedly looked away; one young pet came over and asked us loudly why we were sitting here, but his owner pulled him away.

Finally, the shopkeeper came back with three bitten apples, a hunk of bread, and a piece of cheese. "You could get five bitten apples," he said, smiling, "but I'm sure you want a little variety."

"Yes, thank you," replied Akinn. "Please ring these up."

He did so, pocketing the last of our money. Sadly, we left the shop and sat down to ponder what we would do next. "We have supplies to last us four days, maybe five if we stretch it. The next town is at least five days away. We might be able to make it."

"Couldn't we look around in the forests for some flowers or berries or something? That could tide us over."

"Yeah," said Akinn. "And there's always begging."

"Begging?" I said, aghast. "I've never begged in my life. The Soup Kitchen?"

"I doubt a town this small has one, and even if they do, you need an owner to go there."

"The only option is begging! If we want to be sure we'll make it to the next town, that is."

"Why would anyone give any NP to some pets who look like they're rich?" I replied angrily.

"DIJIN! THAT'S IT!" cried Akinn.

"What is?" I asked, bewildered.

"We can sell these items! What use do we have of them? We have our abilities, which are enough to keep us from being harmed!"

"You're right! Why didn't we think of that before? Come on, let's try it!"

"Wait. I don't think anyone will buy from us when they can be sure of good prices and good quality inside the shops. They'll think, 'Those pets are probably scamming, with inferior quality and high prices. So, what I think we should do is supply the shop owners themselves with the items!"

"Yeah! You're a genius, Akinn!" I cried joyfully, giving him a hug. "C'mon, let's go back here so we can have some privacy and space to sort all our items out."

It took a while, but we finally got them all sorted out and prices put on them so we'd remember. We had a few battle items, two faeries (captured, and only owners can release them), some stuffed toys, one Nerkmid, five books, and some gift items. "Let's to the magic shop first. I think they'll take our faeries and battle stuff."

We headed over to the shop and stood in the long line of people waiting to get in. When we finally did, the shop was packed full of people haggling with just the one poor Chia, the shopkeeper. He looked completely worn out, and when finally the crowd was gone, he started talking to himself: "How am I supposed to keep stocked when the items' prices are so high I can't make a profit? Why won't people understand that prices are going up and I can't help it?"

Akinn grinned; this was exactly what we wanted. He stepped forward and said, "Well, Mr. Chia, your troubles are over."

"What? Oh...not another customer. Listen, try the Shop Wizard. You won't be happy with my prices, no matter what."

"No, no, we don't mean to buy; we mean to help."

"Ha! How can you help?"

"Well, we have gotten our hands on some quite rare Battledome items, and two faeries. I'm sure we could make a deal." "How could you two get your hands on rare items?"

"It's a very long story, but rest assured they were acquired fully legally. Now, I can sell you these items for much cheaper than anyone with a shop could. What do you say?"

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Let me see the items."

"Sure!" I said, handing him the two jars. He held them up to the light and saw that they really were a dark and light Faerie, then gave them back.

"What are you asking for those?" he asked. Akinn pretended to think for a moment.

"Oh, just a quick little 499 NP." Four ninety nine? I wondered. Why not just 500?

"It's a deal!" said the Chia quickly, handing over the coins. "Thanks. Let's see your other stuff."

He examined our items and gave us 4,999 for the whole lot, then scooped it all up and, with a thank you and a wave, deposited it all on the shelves.

We headed out and to the book store. On the way, I asked Akinn, "Why'd you sell them for 499 and 4,999 instead of 500 and 5,000?"

"Quite simple, my boy. 500 sounds like a lot of NP, but 499 sounds like much less. In reality, we only lose 1 NP, but the 'keeper thinks he's making a great deal."

"Wow, you're some businessman," I said admiringly. "Would you let me take the next one?"

"Certainly, my friend."

We sold our five books for 25 NP, and the 'keeper there was overjoyed, too, considering that he'd normally have had to pay 50 NP for the same books. And so we sold the rest of our items, leaving us with over 10,000 NP and in great spirits.

Joyfully we went back to the food store, and bought a stash of food that would last us for months; we also bought toys and books to keep ourselves entertained. We considered living in that town, but realized we needed to hunt down the man who had hacked our owners' accounts and make him pay. So we moved on.

It was very hot by now, as we moved through the forest. The miles of trees thinned out until we were walking on a dirt road with nothing but miles of fields and land stretching out on either side. We had to stop every few minutes to rest and drink, but we figured we were making good time, considering the circumstances.

I now knew who those pets were; they had been hacked, or their owners had simply left without any warning. And now, I felt a deep compassion for them - I was one of them! We had not met a single solitary soul for hours, although we saw small houses and neatly kept fields every few miles. When it finally began to get dark, we decided to ask at one of those houses if we could spend the night there.

"Look, there's one up ahead," said AK "Looks pretty big, too."

As we neared the house, though, it began to shimmer and finally fade. "It couldn't have been an optical illusion," I cried. "There's no other houses that I can see around here!"

"Oh, no," cried AK, for once without a kind word to say. "What'll we do?"

"I know what we'll do," said a deep, unfriendly voice from behind us.

"Wha? Whozat? Whatryoudoinghere?" I cried, the words coming out in a jumble.

A Skeith walked out of the darkness. "Just me," it said. "And my owner, of course."

Its owner - a tall, brown haired teenage girl, wearing slacks and a black shirt - joined us. "We're with the Jolinar Adoption Agency," she said. "Do you have owners?"

We looked uneasily at each other. "Both of our owners' accounts were hacked," we said. "Now they can't get in and we can't get out...we don't have owners, then, no."

"Well, we can find ya owners. Come with us."

"Are you the people who made us see the image of the house?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "To get you over here."

"AK," I whispered, "I don't trust people who trick you and have their Skeith scare you. Let's go."

"Yeah," he hissed back, and we started to move away, shouting thanks, but no thanks.

The Skeith moved forward menacingly, and the teenager asked innocently, "Don't you want to find a home?"

"Yeah," we said, "but only light faeries or the person who took our accounts can let us out!"

"Wrong," she said. "Uber dark faeries also have that power."

Uber Dark Faeries?! I wasn't getting mixed up in any place that had Uber Dark Faeries helping them! "Come on, Akinn! Let's move!"

We began running, but an instant later we were frozen in place. The girl laughed and said, "The Dark Faerie is capable of just about anything. Don't you know that?"

We couldn't respond, but we were trying with all our strength to move, even if it was just an inch. It was no use, though; she held us in her grasp. "Ha ha ha, silly pets. Trying so hard to beat the Uber Dark Faerie. Even with all your levels, potions, and armor, you can't do it, huh? Such is the power of the evil one!"

I found her comment a source of even more strength in me. I directed my thoughts of beating this on her, and it worked! In a few seconds, she was the one crying out, and I the one unfrozen. "Come on, c'mon, Akinn. Just think really hard about being free and that Skeith being the one frozen," I coaxed.

Akinn stared at me, but I knew he was trying. "Come on!" I yelled as I saw a black figure moving against the sky.

"She's coming!" He tried and tried. I know he did. But he couldn't move even a paw. The Dark Faerie cackled, "Go away, pitiful pet! At least I'll have this one in my grasp." She drew nearer and nearer - what could I do? My abilities were nothing against her spells, and I'd never be able to drag Akinn out in time. It nearly wrenched my heart out to do it, but I finally left him. I glanced back once as I was running, and everyone had disappeared.

Well, what was I to do then? I had just lost my favourite friend, and didn't even have an inkling of where he was. He'd taken half our NP with him, too, so I only had around 5,000, and only half the items we'd brought.

In the days that followed, I walked from town to town, only buying the bare minimum and asking everyone if they had seen a pet named Akinn or anybody who fit the description of the Neohacker. Nobody could help me, not even at the Adoption Centers I had tried. One person even advised me to give up: "Dark Faerie adoptions usually end up in the pet being used for evil magic."

I finally ended up in the blazing hot town of Light City, population 12,000 including pets. I was hopeful because people said light faeries often visited Light City, and maybe one of them could help me. I only had 200 NP left, but it was enough to treat myself to a fairly nice dinner at an okay hotel.

After dinner, I wandered the streets. Not enough money for even a roach-infested motel to stay for the night...no items any shopkeepers would want...what is a Kougra to do? I found a pretty nice park, at least, and curled up next to an old tree to sleep and get rest for tomorrow's journey. It was about midnight when I was suddenly awakened by a glowing light. I opened my eyes, and saw an amazing sight - a glowing mass of ethereal yellow light, shimmering in the darkness. As I watched, it took the form of the familiar Light Faerie and smiled at me. "Hello, Dijin," she said.

"Uh, hi," I replied blearily. "What's goin' on?"

"I am a Light Faerie," she explained (stating the obvious). "I've heard of you, you see."

"Heard a' me?"

"Yes. Some Faeries have told me of your kindness in giving them to a shopkeeper who released them from their jars. Others told me of the Uber Dark Faerie's capture of your friend, Akinn. After hearing so much about you, I had to come and see you myself."

"Well, you saw me," I said stiffly. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

My many weeks of journeying and toughening up had made me cynical. She laughed. "Exactly like I expected. Well, I am not a very powerful Light Faerie, but I can make up for it. I can deliver your plea of help to the rulers of Neopia, and they can then move you to the Adoption Center and see that you are adopted along with your lost friend."

"Then he's not..."

"No, he is not. What is the message you wish for me to bring?"

I was up, dancing, and excited now. "Please say, 'My name is Dijin, and I am a Kougra. My owner's account was hacked months ago and only now have I found a way to tell you. Please, if you can find out who did it, do whatever you can to get my account back...or, if you can't, please at least let me go to the Adoption Center and be adopted.' "

"Very good. I'm sure they will grant your requests. Until then, would you like to come live in the glen of faeries I live with, so that you may be happy until you can be adopted?"

Of course, I accepted. It's not every day you can join a glen of faeries! I was overjoyed at the sudden turn of events my life had taken, and my mind was free from any more worries. "Close your eyes," the faerie instructed, and I did as told.

When I opened them, I found myself in a beautiful meadow, with spots of light dancing around. They coalesced into the shape of a light Faerie and, after I explained what had happened, happily accepted me. I spent a few days there, learning some tricks the faeries taught me.

I learned how to turn into a ball of light (but only for a few seconds), how to fly (again, for a max of five seconds) and also that I could depend on them anytime. I was out playing, and practicing my transforming skills, when I heard a shout - a voice I hadn't heard in so long, yet still recognized!

Scarcely able to believe it, I ran back to the glen and saw my best friend, Akinn, standing there with the faerie who had helped me, grinning from one huge ear to the other. "AKINN!!!!" I shouted, and embraced him. "YEAH!" he shouted back.

When we finally stopped jumping around and doing crazy jigs, the faerie got our attention. "I took your plea to the rulers and they have granted your request to be adopted. As of now you do not have owners. My orders are to take you to the Adoption Center."

My joy was now coupled with a sadness of leaving these friends, the nice faeries who'd taken me into their glen. What if I was adopted by the same type of person as the boy who'd hacked my owner's account? What if Akinn and I were separated? The faerie must have used her mind-reading powers, because she smiled. "And they have decreed that only responsible pet owners who have proven themselves such may adopt you, and that you may only be adopted if Akinn is adopted into the same account."

Now I was happy. Ten thousand smiley faces couldn't have expressed how happy I was! We finally went to the Adoption Center, where we stayed for less than a week - our story, apparently, had made us celebrities! We chose the owner we felt best qualified, muas_134, and have been living there in happiness with her other pet, Klaue, ever since.

The End