My story begins April 16, 2004, the day I was born of course. I was still a pteri back then. I can barely remember what happened at first, but I know my owner didn't want me for some reason. I don't know why. I'm the best neopet in neopia. Who wouldn't want me? Anyways, my owner took me out to a clearing in a large forest (not this forest we're in now. This one's a little better.) and there they set me down, then walked off.

I looked around and saw a small bird. It looked kind of like I did, but it wasn't a pteri, it was something else. I watched this bird for a while, then it spread it's wings and flew off. I was surprised. I'd never seen something fly before. I wanted to try it. I jumped into the air and flapped my wings as hard as I could. I quickly fell back to the ground. So I tried again. Every time I jumped I stayed in the air a little longer. After falling the sixth time (I'm just guessing, I didn't really count.) I heard someone yelling.

Come on!" I looked around. Up in a tree were several birds just like me, and they were all cheering me on.

A little higher!"

You can do it!"

Don't stop now!"

I jumped again. This time I was in the air about half a minute. Then, the pteris above me started flying from tree branch to tree branch. I watched them, trying to figure out what they were doing. Then I heard one yell, "Like this!" They were trying to show me how! I watched one for a few more seconds, then I took off running on the ground. I ran for about three feet, then I jumped into the air and flapped my wings again. I kept getting higher and higher. I was flying! I heard the pteris cheering again. Then, they were flying right beside me. All of them cheering and laughing, even me!

I loved flying from the begining. I could feel the wind moving around me, trying to get out of my way. I felt like I was faster than anything. I could go where few neopets had ever been. I loved it. I never wanted to stop.

Eventually, me and my new friends decided to rest in a tree for a little while. A bright pink pteri landed next to me.

Fun huh?" she cheered.

I laughed, "That was great!"

So what's your name?"

I answered her quickly.

Then she asked, "Who's your owner?"

I wasn't sure. The person who abandoned me wasn't my owner anymore...were they? I just looked at my feet. She looked sad when she saw me doing that. Then, she looked up.

Follow me." She chirped. Then, she jumped off the branch, I was afraid she was falling, but she quickly flapped her wings and soared off like a kite. I did what she said.

I followed her until we reached a large city. I looked around at all the buildings. I'd never seen anything like this before! On the street were hundreds of people and strange-looking animals. My friend flew to the roof of one small building and waited for me. Then we jumped down to sidewalk and went inside. I managed to look up and read the sign:

The pink pteri perched on the desk and began talking to a big lizard-like creature on the other side. I watched one boy come out of the back room with a big long-eared dog-like creature by his side. Both of them looked like this was the happiest day of their lives. Then I heard a gruff voice call me.

The lizard-like creature stood up and looked at me. "Follow me" he growled. I was afraid of what would happen, but my friend was right beside me.

Don't worry. You'll be fine. He's gonna help you." she cooed. I nodded and followed the lizard.

He took me into the back room and unlocked the door to a small metal cage. "Get in" growled the lizard. I was scared, but I believed my friend when she said he would help me. I went in the cage. The lizard closed the door and locked it.

I couldn't have been in there half a minute when the door to the back room opened. In walked a dinosaur-like creature. By her side was a goat-like creature the color of the sky I now loved. She looked at several creatures in the other cages before she stopped at my cage.

Oh! look how cute!" she yelled.

The goat by her side jumped up and down, "Are ya gonna adopt him, mom? He's cool! Can we adopt him!?"

The lizard came back and opened my cage. The dinosaur-girl took me out and carried me out to the counter. After signing a few papers she took me outside. There, four more animals were waiting for us: A blue, long-eared dog; a big green wolf-like creature; a big green horse-like creature; and a smaller hamster-like creature. All of them were excited about having a "new little brother", except the wolf. All of them watned to talk to me on the way home (except the wolf again). Once we were home I was so worn out I fell asleep right away.

As I got older my love of flying grew. I would spend almost all day outside flying from one side of town to the other and back. I loved feeling the air flowing around me like a river flowing around a rock. I couldn't get enough of the warm sun on my feathers. I even loved flying through the moon-lit night, the stars and I watching everything that went on below. I loved that I could fly. My big sisters told me I would seem depressed when I wasn't flying. It was impossible to imagine what it would be like if I couldn't fly. I wanted to fly for the rest of my life.

When I was about 600 days old my flying skills were legendary among pteris. I could beat almost anyone in a flying race. I was faster in the air than a flotsam is in the water. Around this time was when I discovered this forest. I almost love this place more than I love flying. I think of this forest as my home.

One day, I was sent to the store to buy something (I can't remember what it was now). When I was coming home it started to get dark. I decided to fly so I could get home quicker. As I was flying through the small bit of forest between Neopia Centeral and our house I heard someone yelling for help. I landed and saw someone pinned beneath a fallen branch. They sounded like an old man, but they were wearing a black hooded cloak so I couldn't see who it was.

Help me..." he moaned. I knew I wasn't supposed to talk to strangers, but I couldn't leave him there. I set my bag down and used all of my strength to move the huge limb. Eventually I got it off.

Are you all right sir?" I was out of breath from moving that log. The man stood up immidietly.

Thank you," he groaned "I thought I would have to wait all night before someone would find me. Come, I must reward you." He wandered off the path and into the woods. I followed.

I followed him to a small cabin deep within the woods. It looked like it had been there for hundreds of years. Vines grew up the walls, the door looked ready to fall out, the few shingles that hadn't fallen off the roof had been twisted and discolored by the rain, what once was a path was now a few bricks buried in dirt. The man opened the ancient door. The inside of the house looked older than the outside. Dust covered every inch of everything, The bookcases, tables and chairs looked like their owner had left centuries ago. Now, the man was going around the room lighting candles so we could see, although it didn't help much.

Have a seat" he whispered. I cautiously perched upon one of the old, dusty chairs. The man reached into a wooden, dust-covered cabinet and pulled out a bottle of tan-green liquid. He poured a little bit of the stuff into a glass and offered it to me.

Drink," he groaned. I knew I wasn't supposed to accept things from strangers, but I didn't want to seem rude, and I had saved his life, why would he want to harm me? I took the glass and drank a small sip. It tasted sweet yet smoky.

It's good?" he mumbled, "Drink some more." I didn't really like it, but I drank the whole thing. Then I went home.

Good night" he called as I flew off. When I got home my stomach was hurting really bad. Qati asked me where I was when I gave her whatever it was she said to get. I told her I stopped to help someone. I didn't tell her about drinking the potion. Then I went upstairs and fell asleep.

I felt different when I woke up the next morning. My stomach had stopped hurting by then, but something didn't feel right. Killer sat on the edge of the bed. He would sniff me, then come closer, sniff again, and step back. I remembered that he only did that when he met a stranger.

I sat up a little, "What's wrong killer? Don't you recognize me?" I reached my hand out to pet him...hand? Where were my wings? I sat up and looked in my mirror. I didn't see a pteri. The mirror showed a human on the bed where I should have been. I looked all over my body. The only sign of my brilliant blue feathers was the cerulean blue hair on my head. My tail was gone. My legs had flesh. Everything was wrong.

Then my door opened. "It's ten till noon," yelled QI, "Are you gonna sleep all-" she stopped and stared at me. Then she let out a blood-freezing scream and ran downstairs. Knowing her, I don't think it was my new body that scared her, I think it was that I never used to wear clothes ^^;

After lots of confusion I came downstairs, wearing some of my little brother's clothes of course. Everybody sat down around the table. I wasn't used to being human yet, and when I was a pteri I would just jump up and perch on a chair. So, naturally, I jumped on the chair. Gravity doesn't like that.

After bruising my new body I told Qati everything that happened the night before. Helping the man, following him home, drinking the potion. She sighed, but she wasn't upset. She told me I was lucky the potion wasn't poisonous. After a few minutes, the conversation was over and Qati took me to the clothes shop so people wouldn't think I was copying my brother (DI's clothes looked funny on me anyways).

I'd become used to being a human except for one thing, I missed flying. Flying was my whole life. Now, I was stuck on the ground. I thought I'd never feel the wind moving out of my way again. Never feel the embrace of the warm sun as I soar above the treetops. Never again reach up and kiss the glorious blue sky I love. Before that, I couldn't imagine what it was like to never fly again. Then...what I wouldn't give to see the world from a pteri's eye view...just one more time...

Usually at home, I was considered Qati's least-favorite pet. She played with me and fed me, but everyone else seemed to get more attention. I always thought that she never really wanted me. However, when I was 1183 days old, I learned how much Mom really loves me.

For a few weeks before this, Qati had been saving her neopoints like crazy. I didn't really bother to pay attention to her goals, it was usually weapons for my battledome-loving siblings, or paint brushes and potions for her other pets. So I had no idea what was happening when, after her usual "Goal-Reached Celebration", she told me to come with her to the Rainbow Pool.

As I followed her around Neopia Central, I kept wondering what it was she had been saving for. I was pretty sure it was hidden in the bag that she was carrying, but I still couldn't see what it was.

When we reached the Rainbow Pool, Qati sat down in the grass and watched other people as they painted their pets and fought over junk at the Money Tree. I sat next to her and killer sat on my lap. After a while, I finally asked, "What are we doing here?"

Qati laughed a little, then she opened the bag. "I have a present for you," she told me as she pulled something out. It was a green, grass-colored potion with two large wings sticking out of the sides and a furry mane around the neck of the bottle. I shook my head and backed away, I didn't want to drink another potion for the rest of my life, even if it was medicine.

Qati could tell I was afraid of it, so she set the potion down and gave me a hug. "I wouldn't give you anything that would hurt you, Blue. I want to help you."

I gently pushed her away. There were people staring at us. Then I told her, "Alright..." and I carefully picked up the potion and opened it.

It smelled strange, almost like the scent of fresh mountain air. I took a deep breath, the drank a quick sip of the potion. It tasted really strange, so I gave it back to Qati. I didn't want any more.

C'mon, Blue. Just drink it..." She calmly told me.

I shook my head, "I don't want it. It's weird."

She gave me an angry glare, "Drink it or I'll give you another hug." I finished it without complaining.

I felt fine for about a minute after drinking the potion, but soon my stomach began to hurt. My back and shoulders hurt, too, along with my feet, my head, and my butt ( Don't laugh... ). I could take off my shoes to fix the pain in my feet, but when I did, everything else started to hurt worse.

For most of the time, I curled up next to Qati. For some weird reason, it made me feel a little better. killer tried to cheer me up by rubbing against my arms and legs, but that didn't help at all. The pain spread throughout my body, and every time I moved, even to breathe, it hurt even more.

After about half an hour ( it felt like several hours to me ) the pain died away. After it was over, I didn't feel any different. I sat up and looked at my arms and chest, and I couldn't see any difference either. I was still human.

That potion didn't do anything!" I yelled at Qati. I thought that for all the pain it would have to do something good. Qati pointed at my feet.

Just below the legs of my shorts, there was green hair growing out of my skin. It got thicker as I looked down my leg, and the hair completely covered my feet, which were now more like a kougra's paws than human feet. Then Qati pulled her tail between us. It was wrapped around another tail that was connected to me. My tail.

Then I felt Qati touch my shoulders, except...she wasn't really touching me. It felt really strange, so I reached back and felt for myself. My hand hit something soft and feathery, and I knew what it was before I even turned around. I had a pair of wings growing out of my back.

Aren't you just the cutest eyrie ever, Blue?" Qati asked happily. I didn't answer, I was already on my feet and running towards the Rainbow Pool. I wanted to see my reflection.

I sat by the Rainbow Pool for a long time, just staring at my new wings. killer purred and rubbed against me, happy as he could be. After a while of doing nothing but watching, I remembered that my new wings were useless.

I looked back at Qati and said, "I'm still a human, too heavy to fly." killer stopped jumping around and quietly curled up next to me, he looked as depressed as I suddenly felt.

Qati smiled at me, "That's the other part of the present." I tried to ask her what that meant, but she just pointed at the Rainbow Pool and said "Get in."

I looked at the still, clear water of the pool, then back at Qati. She was digging through the bag again, and I managed to see the handle of a paint brush.

What color is that?" I asked.

Qati just looked at me and said, "Get in the pool."

But I want to know what you're going to paint me fir-" Then she pushed me in.

I turned, and tried to swim back up, but I saw Qati had already put the paint brush in the water. I watched as the water above me filled with the light-colored paint. Suddenly, it didn't feel like I was in water anymore. It felt like I was in the sky, with the wind flowing around me. I spread my wings as far as they could stretch, and it felt like I was flying again. I took a deep breath and my lungs filled with cool, fresh air instead of paint-filled water. Then I felt the water around my feet again. I took one more breath, then the water surrounded me.

When I reached the surface again, Qati helped me get out. Right away, I turned back to look at my reflection. My wings and legs were a light blue color, with white, fluffy clouds on my wings and a white design on my legs. I was now a cloud eyrie. I looked up at the sky and watched the pure white clouds floating across the deep blue color. I stretched my wings and took off running.

I felt the wind flowing around me as I ran, a feeling I had missed for a long time. My wings started beating as quickly as they could, but that didn't help at all. I beat them slower and suddenly my feet were just barely touching the ground. I looked down and laughed as the ground fell away from me and the sky came closer. My new wings and color pulled me closer to the sky, and I moved faster and faster until I was almosy dizzy. I slowly landed, but I still wanted to keep flying.

It took me a while to get uesd to my new wings. I had to practice a lot before I became almost as fast as I used to be. I'll still miss the yearly Pteri Flying Races, and being able to fly through the forest at top speed; But I have my wings back, and I can reach the sky again. I always feel like I'm home when I'm up in the clouds. Now that I have flying back, I don't really feel like a pteri anymore. Sometimes, I don't even feel like an eyrie. I feel like...me.