The Grey Warrior Clan

     Alora, an evil light faerie (yes, dear Neopians, they exist), and I had been caught in battle. Unfortunately she had won.

     I awoke, and something felt... wrong. Horribly horribly wrong.

     I looked in front of me, and a pair of dark faerie wings lay on the ground.

     Then, I realized whose wings they were.

     MINE.

     I stared in utter disbelief. My skin, once pale blue, now grey!

     My long blue hair, grey!

     The only thing that didn't change was my red eyes.

     I am a grey faerie.

     ----

     I spent several weeks traveling back to Faerieland. Alora had been caught, but what she did could not be reversed.

     I spent several months feeling sorry for my self.

     Looking back, I realize I was being a big baby.

     One day, my aunt took me to watch a battledome battle, to try and cheer me up. As I watched, I noticed the Neopians fighting with hardly any magic at all. Eventually it came down to a battle between a large Grarrl, and a Kacheek with no magic whatsoever.

     The Kacheek was laughed at, and everyone was betting on the Grarrl, yet, the Kacheek won the battle.

      Without magic.

     Suddenly, everything clicked in my mind. Why should I feel sorry for myself, when a small little Kacheek could overcome his opponent without the use of magic?

     Then, suddenly my life had meaning again. I would show all of Neopia how powerful a grey faerie could really be.

     ---

     Ten years later.

     I walked through the graveyard, my childhood play ground.

     But I was not here to play.

     Amancus, a purple Kyrii, and Danoth, a green JubJub, followed closely behind.

     Amancus was a swordsman who was disowned by his parents for reasons he wouldn't tell, and Danoth was a dark mage -since JubJubs can't exactly carry things, most specialize in magic- who was cast out of his village, despite his dear want to help others.

     And then there was Roger, who was guarding the camp. He was a large speckled Grarrl who was trying to reform after ten years in jail. Excellent with a bow.

     Derin, a small mutant Korbat with remarkable strength for his age, was still trying to decide whether to join us or not. He wasn't well liked in his village, so I didn't see why he didn't cast his lot with us. Roger thought he might have a girl he liked, but I was not so sure.

     I wore thick armor, but I had my helmet off. We were looking for someone, and I wanted to make it clear I meant him no harm. My twin swords from Shenkuu were back at the camp.

     "Hello?" I murmured, quietly. I didn't want to attract any... unwanted guests coming. We saw some Werelupes on the hunt, and we wanted to take no chances.

     Besides, it's said he can hear a cricket chewing on grass from miles away... whatever a cricket is.

     I heard a soft rustle, and look over. I slowly walked towards the bushes where the sound came from.

     Danoth shivered. "Careful," he whined. He was not the bravest soul, but he was the most cautious of the group, and we'd be dead if it weren't for him, but that's a story for some other time.

     However, he had already put protection spells up to make it so only the living could see us, so ghosts were unlikely to attack.

     I pushed aside some shrubbery, and find a small meepit in the bush.

     Definitely not who we were looking for. I sighed. How long is this going to take. This graveyard is huge, and-

     "Hello," a deep voice said, interrupting my thoughts.

     I turned around and saw Magax, just who we were looking for.

     "Hello, Magax," I answered, amazed at how quickly he found us. How did he do that?

     I gestured towards my companions. "This is Danoth and Amancus, and you may call me Grey."

     I had completely given up my name from when I was a dark faerie, since I was starting a new life.

     Magax glared uneasily, probably because of the resentment most faeries felt towards him. "You used to be called Narcaca."

     My eyes widened. "How did you-?"

     "You used to play here, and you lost your wings not far from here," he said, answering my unfinished question. "I do not forget a face. Your skin and hair may have changed, but other than that, your nose, lips, and eyes are the same, although older."

     He floated up so his eyes met mine. "You," he said, smiling, "haven't changed nearly as much as you think you have, child."

     I stepped back, shocked about how much he seemed to know, and somewhat resentful to him calling me a child.

     "So," he started, lowering himself to the ground. "What brings you here, and why are you looking for me?"

     Figures he'd know everything except why we're here.

     "I'm forming a team," I said, somewhat nervously. Suddenly I couldn't find the right words. I had said it so many times, but somehow I lost the words.

     Amancus saved me. "Of outcasts, and misfits. We want to prove ourselves."

     Danoth chimed in, "I want to be accepted, no matter what kind of magic I practice."

     Amancus added, "Roger is a thug, who wants to use his abilities for good."

     "And I," I said boldly, "want to prove that a faerie is not truly lost without her magic. We are forming this group to prove ourselves, and protect the innocent."

     Magax nodded, and then asked, "How do you plan on doing that?"

     Oh drat!

     That was the question that made many people decide not to join. People like to have a plan, but we had none.

     Magax was right, I may be an adult, but inside, I am still very much a child.

     Magax chuckled after a long period of silence, "So, you don't have a plan then?"

     "Not really..." I admitted, wishing I had been wearing the helmet after all, just so he couldn't see my face.

     After a longer pause, Magax looked me in the eye. "Why do you droop? You were so confident a moment ago. I didn't have a plan when I left Hubrid Nox."

     ---

     In the end, he decided to join us, after a lot of talking. However, he insisted on training me, which I had no squabble about. I needed the lessons, since I was unable to learn as much as I had hoped from the battle faerie (almost every attack involved magic).

     Derin decided not to join us, and Roger was right; there was a girl involved.

     We got together one night, and we had to decide on a name for our little rag-tag group.

     "The Misfits," I suggested, but no one else liked it, and felt it was too blunt.

     "DARING UNDERAPPRECIATED WARRIORS OF AWESOMENESS!!!" shouted Danoth. "DUWA for short."

     We all said no, much to Danoth's disappointment. I don't think anyone would take "DUWA" very seriously.

     Amancus stepped in. "The Clan." We decided that was too vague, far too vague.

     Roger suggested adding something to "the clan."

     "How about, The Grey Warrior Clan?" Roger suggested.

     Magax nodded his head, "Sounds good to me."

     Everyone else slowly agreed and the clan was born.

     After a few days time, we did have a plan... Alora had escaped. She was the perfect enemy. Everyone believed light to be a sign of goodness, so she herself was the opposite of what she was supposed to be, and I was the opposite of what I am supposed to be.

     Now we search for her, for we know not where she is, but when we find her, we shall prove ourselves. I hope someday to write of our adventures, but for now you shall have to settle for our formation.

The End