 Where Are the Pteris?
by liktra
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What is a Pteri? A Pteri is a cute Neopian bird who enjoys the freedom of flying in the skies, or in the Maraquan Pteri's case it would be underwater. They came to Neopia on the sixteenth day of Hunting in Year Three. The Pteri species originated in Tyrannia, but since then they have slowly spread out over the planet of Neopia. Each year on the eighth day of Storing, Neopia celebrates the species by holding the Pteri Flying Championship, which is also known as Pteri Day. At the time that this article was written, there are thirty-four different Pteri colors ranging from the simply drawn Baby Pteri to the sought-after Faerie Pteri.
So far the only species specific clothing that the Pteris have are the ones obtained from paint brushes or the lab ray. Such colors are Desert, Island, Disco, Pirate, and Robot. There will most likely be more Pteri clothing once the next Pteri Day comes around. There are a few Pteris that you can find hidden around Neopia. Some of them are quite easy to find while others require someone to actually search for them.
In the Battledome, there are two Pteris that you can find, both of which can only be challenged after receiving their Random Events. The Black Pteri is the stronger of the two. The Down For Maintenance Pteri ended up in the Battledome after many people complained about seeing him more than they would have liked. It wasn't the Pteri himself that they were mad at. It was just that this poor Red Pteri is the Pet that they always saw when Neopets was down for maintenance. This Pteri withstands the abuse that other Pets give him because his ultimate goal is not to antagonize everyone, but to help them. Don't you see that he is sad whenever the site goes down? And do you ever notice him when he suggests other options in empty shops? The DFM Pteri is one of the most misunderstood Pets in Neopia.
The two NeoQuest games managed to draw in a few Pteris. The old Yellow Pteri wizard, Gali Yoj, is the only one that appears in the original NeoQuest. She helps out the hero by giving him a wealth of information. Her home is the ever bright Sunny City. NeoQuest II has three Pteris throughout the game. The Orange Pteri, Estrunda, is the first one you meet. He is a sleepy guy you find in Lakeside, Meridell. In the Mountainside Inn on Terror Mountain, you meet the annoyed Blue Pteri, Evyas. Lastly, there is Erweb the Desert Pteri in Waset Village, who owns a nice little potion shop.
There are other Pteris that you can find in games. The Green Pteri from Pterattack: his name may not be known, but his power can clear away scores of Pterodactyls and daze the ferocious Grarrls. Another Green Pteri, named Clutch Billaban, is the goalie for the amazing Roo Island team in the Altador Cup. He may be one of the oldest players, but his skills help Roo Island stay near the top. Clutch's team may be from a small island and have uniforms with bells around their necks, but the spirit of the Rooligans is outstanding. Let's not forget that Desert Pteri that sometimes appears up holding a fruit card when other Pets play with the Fruit Machine.
A gaming Pteri that is easily overlooked is Gif'n, the Orange Pteri. He along with the Yellow Chomby, Milo, created the popular game called Tyrannian Mini Golf. The two were bored one day, but managed to lighten their day when Milo kicked a rock into a Symol hole. Soon both were playing around with sticks, rocks, and Symol holes. Thus the game was invented. Sadly, both Pets are not featured in the game itself, though there is a different Chomby in the game. Every once in a while a new plot arises in Neopia. But tell me, how many Pteris have you seen in the plots? Depressingly, only one Pteri can be found anywhere in the plots. That one Pteri is the kind old Pteri Handmaiden from the Lost Desert Plot. She talked with Nabile as she brushed the young Ixi's hair. No other Pteri can be seen in any other plot. There isn't even a simple silhouette of a Pteri flying in the background.
Other Pteri around Neopia include the generous Golden Pteri who enjoys giving neopoints to his fellow Pteris, the kind greyish green Pteri who keeps the Neovian Printing Press, the brave Medieval Pteri, the courageous Pteri Champion, the ever watchful Pteri Lookout, the beautiful Rainbow Pteri, and Mrs. Owen. That strict Red Pteri was going to be the Grammar and Language teacher in NeoSchool, but apparently the rulers of Neopia (probably the Meepits) want to prevent the Pets from becoming smarter than they are. When it comes to items, you can find over one hundred of them related to the lovable Pteri. Though, do you ever wonder why there are no stamps that feature any Pteris? And what ever happened to last year's Pteri Day items? People have yet to see them appear in the shops. This had happened before when it took about a year to release the Rainbow, Speckled, Purple, and Pink Pteri Plushies. We love to collect avatars. Right now there are five secret Pteri avatars: Faerie, Baby, Darigan, Fire, and the Black Pteri's.
One thing that is special to Pteris is that a simple worm can do amazing things. Give a Pteri a Rotten Wormy Apple or any other 'worm' item, and he or she instantly becomes very bloated and cured of any illness.
All over Neopia Pteris are being underrated, left out in the clouds where few people can find them. Bring more Pteris into the plots, stores, and games. Let them be heroes, sidekicks, or even a cameo of a Green Pteri buying an Ummagine in Sakhmet.
Give our beautiful feathered friends the respect they deserve. Thank you for reading.
I would like to thank my good friend, pigeons707, for proofreading.
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