Mystery Island Mayhem

      The Lost Desert? Too hot.

      Terror Mountain? Too cold.

      Jelly World? It doesn’t exist, *cough* yeah right…

      Mystery Island? YEAH!

      With sandy beaches and glistening sea water, tropical fruits, (some) friendly natives, and not to mention many activities from volleyball to Tombola, Mystery Isle is the perfect place to take a vacation, even for those slightly crazy.

      After searching through the lost city of Geraptiku for nearly three hours straight, dodging arrows and venomous petpets, Apsy was more than tired, especially since she and her brother Sky also had to baby-sit their friend Tintilla the Darigan Gelert and her pet Zomutt Nanna that day, for Tintilla was more than crazy – she was always hyper, and, no matter what Apsy or Sky said, Tintilla refused to listen.

      While scouring the forest in the three's search for a nice shore for an end-of-summer picnic, Tintilla had not only fallen into three hunters’ traps and flown into several trees, she had also, somehow, managed to scare away a giant Hasee and a tribe of cannibalistic natives, a skill thought only to belong to Jake the Explorer. For Apsy and Sky however, this was a stroke of luck. After all, it’s better than being eaten alive.

      Apsy, a teenaged Werelupe, tramped through the undergrowth, carrying Nanna in her arms, frustration burning in her olive green eyes. She had been listening to Tintilla “sing” since they had left Geraptiku, and she wasn’t too happy. Apsy’s brother Sky, the Faerie Zafara, walked alongside his sister, trying to convince Tintilla to be quiet… but nothing worked.

      Tintilla continued to flap her wings madly, occasionally taking flight and hitting her head on a tree branch. Tintilla’s head, however, was as hard as a volcanic rock, so no serious injuries occurred during these few rare occasions.

      The three pets (and Nanna) continued to trudge through the forest until, at last, they found a nice sandy beach.

      As the three exited the tangled web of tree leaves and vines, Tintilla stood and stared at the sight of the golden sands and palm green shores; perplexed, and for once, silent. Never before had she seen such a magnificent sight!

      Tintilla gasped. “We have found the water!” she yelled as she plunged herself head-first into the sea, soon followed by the madly-howling Nanna.

      Apsy fell to her knees and kissed the ground. “Oh sweet, sweet sand…” she mumbled as Sky nervously watched Tintilla try to eat the waves as they crashed upon the shore.

      “If sand was all you wanted, we could have just gone to the desert,” Sky said, folding his arms.

      “I wanted it to be quiet…” Apsy said, pointing a clawed finger towards Tintilla with a snarl, never once raising her head from off the sand. "Or, at least, I wanted to be by the waters, so the sound of the waves would drown out… that…"

      “I see NEOPOX!” Tintilla yelled as she and her Zomutt skipped through surf.

      “Don’t we all?” Sky said, walking closer to the water and laying down on the warm sand, pleased that Tintilla didn’t need to be waited on hand-and-foot anymore.

      Apsy got up and walked to her brother’s side while Tintilla began to chase the fish that swam in the water, then began to chase the water itself.

      To Tintilla, life was just a big game, filled with little mini-games. Wave chasing was on of them. She and Nanna ran up onto the shore and waited for a wave to come crashing down upon the sands. Tintilla and Nanna then chased the wave back into the sea until another wave came roaring out of the cold, dark depths of the Neopian Sea, sending white, bubbly mist into the air where it evanesced into nothingness. She then ran away from the wave in a frightened huff, just to chase it back into the sea a few seconds after.

      For once, Tintilla had nothing to bother Apsy or Sky about.

      Now relaxed, Apsy and Sky lay on the beach while Tintilla continued to play with her Zomutt in the water.

      After a while, the tide began to fall as the sun rose higher into the sky. The warm winds blew stronger, causing the palms to sway. It was the perfect time of day for a swim, and now, Apsy, Sky, Nanna and Tintilla were now no longer the only ones on the beach.

      Tintilla had been in a dazed state of mind since she had entered the water – in a different world, as some might say. But once she left this ‘new world’, she was shocked to see how many people were now at the beach. Also, she was cold.

      Suddenly uninterested in the waves, Tintilla strolled casually onto the shore to Apsy’s side.

      Slosh, slosh, slosh…

      Apsy was aware there was a presence to her right, but she tried to ignore it.

      Drip, drop. Drip, drop…

      Cool water dripped onto the Werelupe’s back, slowly trickling down her spine, but she still ignored it. Even when a tiny clawed paw jabbed her side, she still tried to ignore it, but Tintilla could be persuasive.

      CHOMP!

      Apsy screamed in pain and leapt into the air in a flurry of sand. With her sharp canine teeth, and enough drool to fill a bathtub, Tintilla bit Apsy’s tail, and now hung on with all her might, even while Apsy, in a fit of sweltering rage, proceeded to hit the tiny Gelert with an unlucky Landfish who happened to be strolling cheerfully next to the two, completely unaware of the chaos that was about to be unfurled.

      Tintilla finally let go of Apsy’s tail and smiled.

      “Okay! I’m up! What is so important that it can’t wait?” Apsy said, looming over Tintilla with flaring eyes and bared fangs.

      Tintilla said nothing.

      “What is it?!” Apsy yelled again, snarling.

      Tintilla shoved Nanna into Apsy’s face. “We got wet,” Tintilla said, crossing her eyes and staring at her long black hair that hung over her nose, obstructing her view of the enraged Werelupe.

      Sky moaned and turned away from Tintilla in shame.

      “Oh, go bury your head in the sand or something,” Apsy said, tossing the rather angry Landfish into the water.

      He swam away with disgust.

      Tintilla dropped Nanna and ran back to the water without a care in the world. Nanna howled and followed her owner, wagging her tail.

      “How does anyone live with those two?” Sky asked, looking at his sister with a strange expression on his face. Apsy just scoffed and laid back down in the warm sand, trying to forget all that just happened.

      “So, they’re yours?” came a voice from above Apsy’s head.

      Apsy looked up in shock and found herself staring into the bright blue eyes of an Island Shoyru.

      Apsy sighed. “Unfortunately, yes,” she said sitting up to face the small Shoyru.

      “Oh. I feel sorry for you,” the Shoyru said while looking at Tintilla, who was now coughing. For some reason, Tintilla had thought it was a good idea to drink the saltwater… she soon found out it wasn’t.

      “My name is Maia,” the Shoyru said with a happy giggle as she turned back to Apsy and Sky.

      “Oh,” Apsy said with a smile, “I’m Apsy. And this is my brother Sky,” she said, pointing with her thumb to Sky.

      “'Sup?” Sky said while raising his wings as if to take flight.

      Maia watched with awe as the sun’s light reflected off of Sky’s translucent wings, the glow encircling his figure in sunlight.

      Apsy giggled. “You blowhard…” she said, shoving Sky to the ground.

      “Neopox!” Tintilla yelled from the water.

      The three pets watched Tintilla as she dove into the water and raised her wings so that just the tips were showing on the surface.

      Sky giggled. “Oh this is too easy…” he whispered, pushing himself up onto his haunches.

      “Don’t you dare!” Apsy said, pulling at Sky’s tail.

      Sky inhaled deeply. “Arkmites!” he yelled frantically.

      The crowd of people swimming in the water, after hearing Sky’s cry and spotting Tintilla’s wingtips, screamed and ran to the shore, scared for their lives, while Sky was laughing so hard he fell to the ground holding his side.

      Apsy slapped Sky across the face. “That wasn’t very nice!” she said, slightly giggling herself, watching with amusement as the screaming tourists and islanders fled from the water for fear of being eaten.

      “Yeah, but it was funny wasn’t it?” Sky said with a smile, pushing Apsy’s hand off his shoulder.

      “Well, you managed to get everybody out of the water,” Maia said with a shrug, running her paw through her long green hair.

      “Nan-NA!” Tintilla yelled as she emerged from the water and stared at Maia with hunger burning in her golden eyes.

      “Uh…” Maia said frightfully. “Is she gonna… eat me?”

      Apsy giggled. “Naw, she won’t eat you.” She paused and thought, trying to remember what Tintilla usually did when she was hungry. “She might try to bite you, but not eat you,” she added with a sigh, rubbing her sore tail.

      Maia covered her mouth with her paws. “How do I know if she’ll eat me?” she asked, her voice trembling.

      “She won’t eat you now,” Sky said, “she’s not ‘on the hunt’ at the moment.”

      “Um… on the hunt?” Maia asked, cocking an eyebrow. “How do I know if she’s… ‘on the hunt’ or not?”

      “Oh, you’ll know…” Apsy said, running a paw through her tangled brown hair.

      Tintilla looked up and caught a glimpse of Maia’s coral bracelet sparkling in the sunlight around her wrist.

      “Shiny…” Tintilla mumbled, her pupils narrowing to tiny slits.

      Maia gulped. “What’s she doing now?” she asked frightened.

      Sky gasped as he saw Tintilla’s eyes flare. “You might want to run…” he said placing his hand on the Shoyru’s shoulder and slightly pushing her towards the forest.

      “What? Why? What’s going on…?”

      “SHINY!” Tintilla yelled as she bolted after Maia in a quest for the bracelet, soon followed by Nanna.

      “Run, RUN!” Apsy yelled, standing up and facing Tintilla in a defensive position.

      Maia screamed in fright and leaped up into the air. She flapped her wings vigorously, sending up a storm of sand until she hovered above the ground by a few inches. With a flash of golden light and a gust of wind, Maia flew into the forest. Tintilla, however, didn’t give up that easily. The small Gelert lifted her large black wings while still running and took to the sky, in hot pursuit of the Shoyru.

      Apsy reached for Tintilla’s tail, hoping to stop her from continuing this chase, but to no avail. Tintilla took off in a huff, leaving no trail behind but the sound of her screaming.

      Sky yelled and flew into the air himself, hoping he could do something to help.

      “Should I follow them?” he frantically asked Apsy.

      “Whatever! I’ll look from the ground,” Apsy replied with a moan, grabbing the trunk of a nearby tree.

      Sky nodded and flew after the two others with surprising speed.

      Apsy hit her head against the tree to try to relieve some of her frustration.

      Suddenly, Nanna ran past Apsy’s leg, trying to keep up with her master.

      “Oh no you don’t!” Apsy yelled as she grabbed the Zomutt’s tail. “You’re coming with me, little one.”

      Nanna eyed Apsy with her deep black eyes. Then, with a little bark, she licked Apsy’s face.

      Apsy giggled, placed the Zomutt back onto the ground and patted her on the head. “Go seek out Tintilla,” Apsy said, pointing to the forest.

      Nanna smelled the ground. Then, with another bark, ran into the forest, Apsy trailing not too far behind.

      “Coarse likes bananas!”

      Coarse, the human owner of the notorious Tintilla, walked through the forests of Mystery Island with her friend Ember, Apsy and Sky’s owner.

      Ember was holding Coarse's hand tightly so that Coarse wouldn’t go racing through the forests madly again – Coarse was just like Tintilla.

      “Coarse likes bana—”

      “Stop,” Ember said sternly wagging a finger in front of Coarses nose.

      “Aw, Gnemma. You’re no fun,” Coarse moaned – she and Tintilla called Ember ‘Gnemma’.

      Crack!

      Coarse screamed at the sound and fell to her knees, tugging at her hair, while Ember clenched her ears.

      “Dude! It was probably just some Mimbi or something!” Ember yelled, facing Coarse.

      Coarse stopped screaming and licked her nose.

      Suddenly, a small gray blur leapt out from the trees and into Coarse's arms. It was Nanna.

      “Nanna!” Coarse yelled, hugging the Zomutt, nearly suffocating it in the process.

      Nanna squealed and leaped out of Coarses arms, landing quietly on the forest’s ferny floor.

      After regaining her footing and tripping over nearly everything, Nanna ran away, barking madly.

      “Bye Nanna!” Coarse yelled, waving to the petpet as it dashed into the forest.

      “Wait, why isn’t Apsy looking after Nanna?” Ember asked, scratching her head.

      Coarse licked her nose and shrugged.

      “Oh, she’s in so much trouble…” Ember said as she dashed into the shadows of the trees, pulling the screaming Coarse along with her by her hair.

      Oh, if only Ember had stayed a few more seconds, then she might have seen Apsy as she frantically chased Nanna through the trees in search of Tintilla.

      “Insanity!”

      Sky was muttering to himself as he flew through the air. He looked from side to side, listened as carefully as he could, but he couldn’t spot Tintilla. She was nowhere in sight.

      It was just past noon, and the sun’s warm rays fell upon Sky’s back as he soared through the air. The warm island winds were strong enough to hold him suspended in one spot for a few minutes, giving him time to look for the crazed Gelert.

      As Sky looked to his right, something hit him in the face and began to squawk madly.

      Sky screamed and began to flap his wings frantically, trying as hard as he could to stay up in the air while still trying to get this screaming thing out of his face. Green and white feathers flew everywhere as he finally stopped flapping his wings long enough to get it away.

      It was a Pawkeet.

      Sky thrust the petpet to the side and lifted his wings to try and catch the air again.

      A gust of wind blew towards his face and he began to glide, suspended in mid-flight.

      Disgusted, Sky watched as the small Pawkeet continued to fly away at a very fast pace, almost as if trying to get away from something…

      A scream could be heard from the distance.

      Sky thought nothing of this and continued watching the petpet.

      Then the scream grew louder.

      Now, Sky was interested in knowing what was making this scream, but too afraid to look.

      Still, the scream came closer.

      Sky gulped and decided to turn around, only to catch a glimpse of Tintilla as she head dived into his chest, sending the two plummeting to the ground.

      Sky hit the ground first. Luckily, he wasn’t hurt. He clenched onto Tintilla’s ears so as to not let her escape again.

      “A-ha! I’ve got you now!” Sky yelled with an evil smile. “Where’s Maia?!” he yelled in Tintilla’s face as she frantically clawed at the ground, trying to escape from the Zafara’s tight grip.

      “Neopox!” Tintilla yelled as Sky pinned her to the ground in a way so that she couldn’t escape.

      Sky held the screaming Gelert down until something hit his side, knocking him away from Tintilla. The next thing he knew, Tintilla was flying away and his face was being licked by a very happy Zomutt.

      “No! Tintilla!” came a voice from the trees. Apsy ran into the small clearing on all fours, clawing her way to Sky’s side and helping him up.

      “Apsy, why did you have to come at that precise moment? I had her pinned down!” Sky yelled, flying back into the air.

      “It wasn’t me, it was Nanna!” Apsy yelled, pointing a finger towards the small Zomutt, who was now licking her paw.

      Sky opened his mouth to retort, but just then, a scream was heard… Tintilla’s scream…

      Apsy, Sky, and Nanna turned in the direction of the sound. It seemed to be coming from the beach.

      Nanna howled and leaped into the air, did a back flip, landed on the ground, and ran to the sound. Apsy and Sky followed.

      Apsy tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground, skidding into the sand. Sky flew over Apsy’s head and landed quietly on a small hill of sand. Nanna, being the first one out of the forest, turned around and ran to Apsy, hopping onto her back.

      Sky watched as Tintilla lay on the ground, being held down by someone who Sky didn’t recognize… at first.

      Sky gasped as he realized who had stopped Tintilla’s mad rant.

      It was his mum, Ember.

      Coarse was a few feet away from Ember and Tintilla. She was running madly in circles, flailing her arms and screaming. And a few feet away from Coarse was Maia.

      “Maia! You’re okay!” Sky yelled to the young Shoyru. She looked up and smiled.

      “She didn’t eat me!” Maia yelled as if surprised.

      Apsy got up and shook Nanna off her back. The Zomutt fell to the ground and ran to Tintilla’s side.

      Ember looked up and caught a glimpse of Apsy and Sky heading towards her. She rolled her eyes and stepped a few feet away from Tintilla.

      Apsy gasped. “Mum, no!” she yelled, but it was too late. Tintilla leaped into the air and began to fly towards the forest again.

      “Hey Tintiller, Neopox!” Ember yelled to the small Gelert.

      Tintilla froze, her ears standing strait up in the air. She turned around and faced Ember, and with a smile on her face, slowly flew to Ember’s side.

      “Now for Coarse…” Ember muttered as she stuck her foot out in Coarse’s path, tripping her. Coarse fell to the ground, much to the delight of Ember.

      With a sigh, Ember grabbed Coarse's hand and helped her onto her feet.

      Astonished, Apsy and Sky stared at Ember. How did she manage to stop Tintilla that easily?

      “Pay attention. You may learn something,” Ember said to her two surprised pets who were still staring at the surprisingly calm Tintilla.

      “Well, I’m glad that’s over,” Maia said with a sigh.

      Suddenly, the other people at the beach began to scream in panic. The waters began to twist and churn and bubble as a black shadow appeared at the edge of the shore. A strange, frothy, green substance began to appear on the surface of the water, changing its color from blue to green.

      Oozy slime encircled the shadow as a giant tentacle came into sight, soon followed by three more, and a large clawed paw like that of a Mutant Draik.

      Ember stared at the giant thing for a few seconds, then nudged Coarse’s shoulder. “Go…” Ember muttered.

      Coarse and Tintilla both screamed and ran to where Apsy and Sky were standing, just as amazed as Ember. Maia and Ember soon followed Tintilla and Coarse to Apsy’s side.

      The water began to tremble and quake from some strange force beneath its surface. Three horns came from the water, then two gleaming red eyes were seen. At last, its entire head emerged.

      Its body was covered with green scales that shimmered in the light. Its teeth were stained yellow, and it drooled green slime.

      Nanna wasn’t afraid however. The small Zomutt ran to the edge of the water and began to bark at the large serpent-like creature.

      Apsy yelled for the Zomutt to come back, but it didn’t work. To everyone’s horror, the serpent opened its slimy jaws and thrust its head down upon the small petpet, grabbing it into its mouth.

      “Nanna!” Tintilla and Coarse yelled, but it was too late. They all watched in horror as the serpent began to head back down into the water.

      Suddenly, it stopped.

      The serpent threw its head back, making a strange hissing sound with its nose. It lurched forward and landed with a splash, sending a shower of slimy green water into the air. It screeched and slapped the surface of the water with its shimmering webbed tail, flailing its tentacles. It clawed at the air, clenching its long neck with its tentacles, its eyes growing wider and wider with each passing second.

      Tintilla saw this moment as a window of opportunity. While everyone was distracted, she pulled off Maia’s coral bracelet and placed it around her own wrist. Nobody seemed to notice.

      The serpent continued to tremble and quaver, until at last, it spat Nanna back onto the shore and swam away quickly.

      The Zomutt meandered to Tintilla’s feet and sat in front of her. Green slime dripped off its body, but it didn’t prevent Tintilla from picking it up and hugging it, yelling, “Yay, Nanna!”

      Ember shook her head and blinked in disbelief of what had just happened. “Okay, this is officially freaking me out,” she said, rubbing her arm.

      Tintilla eyed Maia hungrily.

      Maia saw Tintilla, screamed, and flew away in a huff.

      Ember watched Maia with a strange smile across her face, then turned to Tintilla and patted the Gelert on the head.

      “Hey, where did you get the bracelet?” Ember said, noticing the coral bracelet around Tintilla’s now ooze covered arm.

      Tintilla smiled and looked at her nose. “Hi!” she said merrily.

      The End.