Freedom Pets: Part Three

by luvpugz

Kit's story haunted Ettne weeks later. Her determination grew to save them. One week, most of the household came down with a bad case of the flu. Workers and residents spent their days in bed. Ettne and a few other workers were the only one's not sick. Unfortunately, the cook was sick, and the healthy workers were trying to decide who should cook.

"Can anyone cook? We need food, for us and the sick." Ettne bit her tongue, then said, "I guess I could cook. With a recipe book."

The small amount of workers looked at the Wocky. "You can? Great!" a Blumaroo said. The rest of the workers spilt up to serve everyone. Ettne stood in the kitchen with a sigh. "Here goes nothing," she muttered, and pulled out a recipe book.

That night, after everyone had been served, the healthy workers sat down to eat. "This is great, Ettne! You are a great cook!" an Elephante said, the others agreed.

"Thanks," Ettne replied.

Soon, after the dishes had been clear, Kit came into the kitchen. "Kit! You're sick and should be in bed with everyone else!"

Kit snorted but sat down anyway. "Who cooked dinner? It was better than anything the cook ever makes."

Ettne blushed, "Me."

Kit's eyes bulged, "You? Wow!"

Ettne smiled, but then insisted Kit go to bed. Soon Ettne's compliments grew and she was hired as the Jr. Cook. Ettne loved her new job, cooking most of the time. But it also meant she had some free time. One day, while finishing a Turkey dinner for the boss and his NeoPets, a green Chia was brought in.

"Let me go!" the NeoPet yelled, squirming in a human's hands.

The human dropped the Chia roughly and hurried back up stairs. The door slammed and Ettne realized that her free time would be spent downstairs. She sighed, and continued to cook the dinner, watching the Chia.

"Hey there. Are you new?" Ettne asked watching the Chia jump in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm new here. I'm not suppose to be here though, I'm a free pet!" Ettne smiled and motioned to a stool. The Chia climbed on it and looked at Ettne.

"Well it seems to me your not free anymore."

The Chia glared, "Just wait. You'll see. I was a worker once, like you. But some humans saved me, they call themselves the NeoPet Railroad."

Ettne laughed, "Humans save you? That's a laugh!"

The Chia shrugged, "It's true!"

Ettne laughed again and glanced at the dinner. "Right. Well, it might be, but I doubt it. Anyway, I'm Ettne."

The Chia smiled and extended his hand, "I'm Nack."

Ettne's paw dropped on the stove. She yelled and pulled back, falling off her stool. Nack gasped and ran around to help Ettne. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Ettne stood shakily, "Your name is Nack? You're that Chia, that my mom saved two years ago!"

Nack frowned, and then his face lit up. "Are you serious? Oh my- wow!"

Ettne and Nack stared at each other, then they both burst out different questions. They sat there for a long time, each one telling their own tale. Nack explained how a human had rescued him from a factory and freed him. Then a hunter trapped him and brought him here. They talked until Ettne smelled smoke.

"Oh no! The turkey dinner!" she yelped yanking the Turkey dinner from the stove. A part of the dinner was black, but the most of it was perfect.

Nack looked at Ettne and said, "It looks okay. Don't worry about it." Ettne nodded, but she didn't believe it. That night, after dinner, Ettne was called to Precious' room. Fear grew in Ettne but she obeyed. The Uni lay on her bed lazily. "Are you the one that cooked dinner tonight?" Ettne nodded, staring around the room.

The bedroom was bigger than Belle's was, with a roaring fireplace, huge bed, two closets, and two large mirrors one that was connected to a vanity. Ettne gaped at it, unable to believe how much one NeoPet owned. "Did you know, that my piece was burned?" Ettne nodded slightly and watched the NeoPet prance off her bed.

Precious placed her face near Ettne's causing the Wocky to step back. "I don't like burned dinner." Precious said, taking a step with each word. Ettne stepped back until she could feel sparks from the fire burn into her flesh. "What if I were to burn you, would you like it?" The Uni shoved Ettne down, face to face with the fire.

"Please, don't!" Ettne begged, feeling the fire burn at her nose. Pain welled in her nose and the Uni pushed her closer. Ettne's face felt like it was on fire and she pulled back desperately. Precious stopped and allowed Ettne up. Ettne's face was black from ashes and tears spilled down the soot.

"I'll allow you to make it up. From now on, after dinner, you will be my personal slave." Ettne frowned and wiped at her face. "It's that or stand in the fire."

Ettne quickly agreed to be a slave, and was released. She hurried to the worker's bathroom, drenching her face in cold water. Kit and Nack entered, horror etched on their faces.

"What happened to you?" Kit asked moving closer.

Ettne explained between sobs as rage built in Kit's soul. "We have to get you out of here," Nack said, and Kit agreed. Ettne stopped the water and looked in the mirror. Patches of fur were missing on her face. Nack left, unable to look anymore.

Kit kissed Ettne's forehead, "Don't worry. I'll protect you." Ettne laid her head on his chest and let the tears fall.

***

Life for Ettne became miserable; Precious made sure of that. The poor Wocky cooked by day and worked at night. Being Precious' personal slave was awful. Sometimes her jobs were easy, but most of the time they were pure tortuous. The one Ettne hated the most was cleaning the fireplace. Forced to clear out the still red-hot ashes with only her bare paws caused Ettne to limp most of the time. Kit and Nack watched their friend deteriorate. Their helplessness grew, as did their anger. Kit often threatened to beat Precious, but Ettne calmed him. Nack continued to believe that his real owner would save him, no matter how much he was teased. Somehow the three friends survived.

The next afternoon, when Ettne was stewing soup for the workers, Nack raced up. "He came, Ettne! You are saved!"

Ettne glanced at him, "Who came, Nack?"

Nack bounced up and down, joy radiating through his eyes. "Jb, my owner! He says he has a plan!"

Ettne sighed, getting tired of the young Chia's stories. Nack noticed Ettne's dejected attitude and climbed on a stool to sit face to face. He lowered his voice and looked around. "Don't worry Ettne. Together, Jb and I will save you. Precious won't lay another hoof on you."

A wistful look clouded Ettne's face, and for a moment she believed the Chia. She turned away from him, and Nack walked out, feeling suddenly discouraged. That night, after everyone was asleep, Nack and Kit sat awake, making plans. Kit had been convinced by Nack's story, and they struggled to think of a plan. Both boys decided their main concern was for Ettne.

Hours slipped by until they had thought of a plan. Then they each slipped into their own beds, falling into fitful sleep. The next morning, Kit noticed Ettne crawling from bed. Cook was also getting up, preparing to make breakfast. Ettne's eyes were swollen and hollow. Her paws were scared, and Kit noticed a few fresh scars. Ettne smiled at him before moving on. Kit stopped her, and kissed her forehead. Ettne winced, as the lips touched a bruise.

"Good morning, sweet heart," Kit whispered, moving closer to Ettne.

A smile spread across the Wocky's bruised face. "Good morning to you, too. What are you doing up so early?"

Kit grinned, "Couldn't sleep. And I wanted to say good morning."

Ettne's face softened, and her heart fluttered. Kit always knew how to brighten her day. Ettne excused herself, hurrying off to the kitchen. Kit watched her leave with a crooked grin. Then, remembering his job awoke Nack.

"We got work to do buddy." Ettne eased into a chair, eager for a break. Cook smiled at her, then turned back to his food. Lunch had just been served and the bell was about to ring.

Suddenly, the boss and a young man walked down the stairs. "As you see, we have plenty of workers. Are you looking for one in particular?" the boss was asking, sweeping his hands.

All of the NeoPet workers glanced up, but a glare from the boss, turned back to their food. "Yes, I am. A Wocky, I want a Wocky," the young man was saying, walking down the aisles of NeoPets He glanced at each one, stopping near Nack and Kit. The man coughed, and Kit smiled at Ettne.

"It needs to be a hard worker, and preferably one with a cooking ability." Slowly heading toward Ettne and the cook. The bell rung and the workers began to file out. Kit and Nack stayed seated, ducking beneath the table. The young man stopped before Ettne and leaned close.

Pretending to inspect Ettne, he whispered, "Are you Ettne?" Completely baffled, and scared, Ettne nodded. "This one looks good. How much for her?"

The boss shifted uncomfortably. "Well, Jb, this one is somewhat of a hassle. Besides, my NeoPet, Precious enjoys her. And we all enjoy her cooking." Ettne squinted, struggling to remember that name…

"I am willing to pay, plenty." The man held up a large bag, bulging with Neopoints. The boss man's eyes grew greedy looking. "She is a good worker, and with some discipline, she'll learn her place. We can always find a new chef! You can have her."

Ettne's stomach dropped, and she screamed. "No, you can't sell me! I won't go, no matter how much Precious beats me! I want to stay with Kit and Nack!"

The man tried to hush Ettne, but she yelled all the more. A bang came from a table, and Nack's head appeared. Kit's followed, rubbing a sore spot he bumped. They hurried over, and Ettne leaped into their arms. Tears bubbled down, and Kit looked about ready to cry also.

He held her, and whispered, "You got to go, get away from this place. Trust me."

Ettne pulled back, shocked. Nack tapped her shoulder, "You'll see us again, I promise."

Ettne hugged him, and kissed his cheek. Nack's green cheeks grew red and he stepped back. Kit held her again before kissing her.

"I love you," he said, a tear slipping down.

Ettne could only nod through her weeping. Jb gently scooped her up, and tossed the bag at the boss' feet. Ettne struggled, but was too weak to win. She blew a kiss over Jb's shoulder, before she left that mansion. Never to return.

Once outside of the gate's, Jb set Ettne down. "Well, my dear, you are free. I'll take you to your new home, with Molly."

Ettne gaped at him. "This was all a set up? You mean Kit and Nack were involved?" Jb nodded sheepishly. "I'm free." Ettne repeated.

~EPILOGUE~ Life took a turn for Ettne. Slowly but surely, Ettne began to heal. Not just physically, but emotionally. She learned what it was like to actually live. Only one thing continued to gnaw at her heart, Nack and Kit were still at the mansion. Molly tried to fill that gap, and it did work for a little bit. On Ettne's birthday, Molly took her out to dinner and shopping. But when Ettne got home, did she find the real present. Kit and Nack sat there, each one wearing a bow. Then the real joy began. Nack lived with Jb and Kit and Ettne lived with Molly. Ettne now only had one unanswered wish, that one day her mother would be found. Until that day, Kit and Molly would give her all the love she would ever need or want.

The End