Legend of the Quintilc

     In the center of the island sat a temple, the highest building anyone had ever seen. It glistened even when it was wet and rainy outside. Not even a speck of dust lighted on it.

     Inside that temple lived the governors of the Quins and their mages.

     Sophia, a gentle Kacheek, was the oldest governor's only daughter. Every day she sat at her throne to her father's right side. Instead of sitting up high and regal as her parents, siblings, and every other Neopet in the court, Sophia slouched.

     She was bored. She was lonely. No one in the temple was anywhere near her age. She had no friends.

     Kazik, the governor's favorite mage, was sympathetic to the young Neopet. He would bring her small toys from the city, toys he enchanted just for her. Wheels squeaked, little smoke puffs issued from carved wooden trains, balls bounced on their own.

     But Sophia still was not happy.

     One day, Kazik had a plan. “Miss Sophia,” he began, catching the youngest inhabitant of the temple outside her bedroom, “I have a present.”

     “A sheet of paper?” she scoffed, watching the mage pull a sheet of paper from his robes.

     “A special sheet of paper. Hold it.”

     Playing along with the aging mage's joke, Sophia took the paper. Kazik had been right. It was a special sheet of paper. A sheet of paper that fluttered and moved in her hands.

     It felt... alive!

     “Kazik, what is this joke?” Sophia's voice shook but she tried to control her emotions.

     But as the paper squeaked, she dropped it and jumped back in surprise.

     She continued to stare at the paper as the old mage chuckled. Lines folded themselves, eyes blinked, wings fluttered.

     A beautiful paper bird sat in the hall, looking from the old mage to the young girl. Testing its wings, it shot up into the air, hovering around Sophia.

     “Kazik!” she breathed. “Oh Kazik, it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! Thank you!”

     From then on, Sophia and her bird, which she lovingly deemed a Quintilc, were inseparable.

     But Sophia's siblings grew jealous. They all knew Kazik had made the bird for Sophia. And Kazik refused to make them their own birds.

     “Sophia's bird is one of its own,” he would say to them. “I cannot duplicate it.”

     He ignored cries of “We're telling Father!” “You love Sophia more than us!” “It isn't fair!”

     To the other children, he offered paper pets of their very own. A paper bull, paper goat, paper snake... none of the children wanted any of them. They all wanted Sophia's bird.

     One day, Sophia grew ill. Too ill to leave bed. Kazik and her mother and father were beside her bed every single day and every single night. The Quintilc flew in anxious circles around the young girl's bed.

     And Sophia's siblings waited outside the closed bedroom door, planning.

     One night, as their parents went to bed, the other siblings hid in the shadows. Neither Mother or Father saw them.

     As the oldest, a large Gelert named Joshua, reached for the door, the others peered inside. Kazik, the old mage, was fast asleep at the foot of their sister's bed. The Quintilc lay resting at the end of the bed, next to Sophia's foot. Its chirps indicated snoring.

     “Should we grab it?”

     Joshua shushed a younger sister. He tiptoed into the room and reached for Sophia's Quintilc. Sensing someone who did not belong in the room, the paper bird flew up high out of even Joshua's reach.

     Younger siblings took this as their cue to rush in and try to frighten the bird down.

     In the chaos summoned up by the children, the mage, and Sophia's coughing cries, the window of the room flew open.

     And out flew the Quintilc.

     “Joshua,” Sophia cried, “I will never forgive you!”

     The Quintilc flew as fast as its little paper wings could. It got lost and confused in the night. It could not find its way home.

     The paper bird longed for its owner. It had never been away from her. But it had been scared and confused.

     And now it was even more confused. Where was home?

     So it flew. It flew on and on, getting away from the island. And even further from Sophia. It missed her desperately.

     Years passed. But as a pet designed for a governor's daughter, it could not tell this. It still assumed that once it would make it home, young Sophia would welcome it happily.

     It stayed and various small islands, nibbling away at green apples and trying to avoid predators.

     A small island, housing nothing but small animals and tress, soon became the Quintilc's home. It stayed in a tree, trying to protect itself from the harsh tropical storms the tiny island endured. It felt itself getting older. It was growing tired of flying and just wanted to stay stationary.

     But one night, as Sophia had gotten ill, a dangerous storm attacked the island. The tree the Quintilc had lived it was ripped from the ground. The tiny paper bird was blown away from home.

     Raindrops pelted it. It could not control its own flight in the heavy wind and rain. So it let the wind blow it away.

     Once the storm was over, the paper bird did not know where it was. It was on hard wood, like a floor. Lifting its head, it saw something pink.

     “What have we here?”

     Soft, fuzzy paws lifted it up to eye level. The Quintilc found itself facing a pink Kougra.

     “So you're alive!” she said excitedly. “But what are you?”

     “What have you there, Linae?”

     “It's some form of Petpet.” Linae, the Kougra, carried the Quintilc over to her captain, Captain Tuan. “It looks lost. And I've never seem one before!”

     The captain and Kougra carried the paper bird to a warm, dry room inside the ship. Nestled among beautifully painted tiles and bits of cloth, the captain examined the bird.

     And found, long forgotten, the word “Quintilc” written on the paper bird in Sophia's child handwriting.

     “So you are Quintilc?” the captain asked.

     Slowly, the bird nodded. The Kougra brought him food and left him bed to rest and warm up.

     Shaking itself, little flecks of water landed on nearby papers. Some of Kazik's magic still remained on the bird. And therefore, once the magic water drops hit the paper, it began to fold itself.

     Wasn't Linae surprised to find several little Quintilcs of all sizes flying around her room when she returned!

     “We must take them to Fanciful Fauna.” She sounded sad as she spoke those words to Hoban, the ship's navigator.

     “We will land in Shenkuu soon,” he reminded her.

     Linae frowned. She knew the keeper of the fauna could care for the paper birds better than she, but she could not bear to let them go.

     But despite her reluctance, she rounded up all the paper birds, including the original, and gingerly put them in a box. Even so gently, she carried them to land, refusing anyone's help who offered it. She must do this alone.

     It was a Koi who ran the Shenkuu petpet shop. And he was pleased as she had ever seen him when he opened the lid and several paper birds flew out.

     Linae pointed out the word “Quintilc” on the original. “Captain Tuan assumes that that is what they are called.”

     “I see.” The Koi turned to the Kougra. “How did the little ones come about?”

     She explained the Quintilc shaking water onto paper and the others popping up in her room soon after.

     “I see, I see. Very well. You may go. I will tend to them, see if I can get some more, and sell them.”

     Sadly, Linae headed to the door. As soon as she got outside, she headed towards the ship. There was work to be done, cargo to unload. And she knew Captain Tuan needed her help.

     “Wait!”

     Turning, she saw the Koi running to her, something resting on his fin.

     “Yes?”

     “Here.” The Koi thrust his fin to her. Resting on it was the smallest of the Quintilc. It fluttered over to her and rested on her ear. “You may have this one. A friend for you.”

     Linae whispered her thanks and headed back to the ship, proud of her reward for finding such a fantastic petpet species.

The End