The sounds of a whimpering canid pup echoed throat the night. A female Gelert ran swiftly through the underbrush, dark green in color, with blue, shiny eyes. A male Gelert ran beside her, dark-furred with a serious look on his battle-scared face. The male carried a small, squirming piece of fluff; the cause of the noise. They had traveled from afar, and now they were in a forest, just on the borders of Neopia Central.

Unknown to the crying pup, however, a dark fear was running through his parents. A dark, mysterious figure was heading after them in the gloom of the forest. The adults knew this, however, and we're trying to find a safe place to hide the defenceless scruff.

The two stopped to take a short rest.

."Hold him... hurry, I hear something," the male muttered, through the pup's scruff. As the female took the pup, the male cropped his long, pointed ears; standing still and listening carefully. He growled softly in his throat.

."Get him in that bush!" the male whispered, a frown at the corners of his face. The female nodded, trotting over the said bush, and tucking him in snug.

."Stay here my little love, mummah will be back soon," she cooed, then padded back to the side of her partner. "He's coming?".

."Not just him, half the pack!" At this, they both heard the sound of snarling and barking, and seven Gelerts, their eyes glowing gold, appeared from the underbrush. A dark blue figure stepped forward. A deep, booming laugh rose from his chest.

."You really thought you and your little family could escape, Al?" a sneer was on the edge of his words, "Well, you didn't, did you? Weak, you are! You don't deserve to live! Good that the Alpha ordered you dead. "The dark male, Al, frowned even more.

."Why are you doing this? What is your point, wasting your energy by tracking us two-hundred miles out of your territory, down from the mountains? What have I done to you?" Al came back, his lips now forming a snarl of his own. The whole pack then let out a booming, thunderous laugh. The lead gelert broke the noise with a swift swipe of his tail.

."I have a lot to gain, my old friend... You are considered a traitor to the pack, for one thing, and must be exposed of... Plus, I never really liked you in the first place," the blue male replied, his voice smooth with a tinge of a sneer.

The female, who had been quiet out of fear, stepped forward.

Please... Mur, let us go," she said, her voice sweet with fear. The blue male, Mur, turned his attention toward the female. His shining, gold eyes, suddenly softened.

."I'm sorry Nei, I truly am.." he said softly, but then shook his head, his voice becoming hard. "You did choose this.. You ran with the traitor." With another flick of his tail, and a deep snarl, the pack lunged forward.

During the fighting, the small, forgotten pup wandered out of the bush and in the opposite direction of the battle. He wandered aimlessly through the trees and underbrush until his little paws were too tired to hold his body, and hunger was clawing at him. He collapsed, whining, on the soft earth. Little did he know, however, that he had wondered to the backyard of a neohome, that a very insane user had just bought.

As the fighting died deep in the forest, a dark green and a black gelert lay motionless on the ground and the pack was beginning their trek to their mountainous home, the pup was being taken inside the neohome. He had found, unknowingly, a safe place like that his parents were looking for.

Years later, the pup that had crawled to the doorstep of Nemo P. Dragon had grown up to be a energetic, if a little naive, young Gelert. He had also acquired the name "Leaderpup," or Leader for short. He had many interests, including playing pranks on his sisters Lily and Rylinie (who, for one, did not take them lightly).

Another interest that he had obtained was Pokémon, just like his "mum," Nemo. Nemo was delighted by this, and never hesitated to show him her newest catches (you have to capture the Pokémon to obtain them), strategies, and cards (the Pokémon TCG). Leader was awed by all of this.

On the day of his twelfth birthday, Nemo presented him with a round-trip ticket to the Johto town of Goldenrod City (how you can get tickets from Neopia to Johto, we have yet to figure out), saying she had another for herself. Leader was ecstatic, and showed off to all the Neopets of the house. Gets excited, doesn't he?

The next day they were off. Within a few hours, they arrived at the Goldenrod City in Johto airport. They got their luggage, hopped in a taxi (Nemo can't drive), and headed to the Hotel.

After checking into their room and settling in a bit, it was off sight-seeing! Of course, Nemo had to stop at all the stores to look at the Pokédolls, kimonos, and other "girly" things (as Leader puts it). Leader looked in at the Pokémon Center, and got to see a real Pokémon up close (a Pikachu), but Nemo had to pull him away because the trainer was looking at Leader funny.

In fact, everywhere the pair went, Leader got funny looks. It was like they had never seen a shadow Gelert before (which they probably haven't). One nice boy, with curious blue eyes and brown hair, came up and asked Nemo if he was some sort of mutated Houndoom, and got a thorough shocking when Leader answered: "No, I'm a Gelert!

That night they returned to their room, laden with shopping bags. Nemo plopped on the bed and was asleep in a heartbeat. Leader, however, went on the balcony to look at the city again. He was excited about the day, and didn't feel tired. So, he watched the lights of the city glare on into the night, making shapes with them. Soon, there was a dazzling array of fireworks glistening in the sky above. How could he sleep when it was so wonderful?

Another set of lights caught his eyes, and a siren wailed in his ears. He sat up straight and looked over the railing. Several police cars were recklessly chasing a black van. The van came swerving around the corner and two dark figures jumped out before it had stopped completely. They quickly scaled the hotel that Leader and Nemo were residing at, jumping from balcony to balcony.

Finally, the goons reached Leader and stopped dead when they realized it was occupied by a strange creature. Leader blinked, his mind working furiously as he scanned them over. They were both male, and both wore white leotards with a big red "R" on their chests, and black belts around their waists. One of them held a large mechanical object, that looked like a gun, with a small compartment half-filled with a black, sloshy substance.

Leader remembered something Nemo told him about people who looked like this, and it wasn't a happy tale. Gulping, Leader plucked his courage and growled, trying to puff himself up and look menacing.

The two human goons looked uncertainly at one another, then back at Leader. In their minds, they were wondering what this thing was, and if it was a new sort of Pokémon that they could maybe swipe for their boss. Before they could make a move, though, one of the policemen who had chased the two men spoke into a megaphone. This act startled the two goons, and the one with the device in his hands accidentally pulled a trigger on it.

A glistening, black beam headed straight at Leader. Before he had time to think, it had struck him square on the nose. He felt a sharp pain run through him, his eyes blurred, and he passed out with a howl of rage and fear.

He blinked and opened his sky blue eyes. He was lying in a bed in what looked like a hospital. He coughed once and tried to sit up, but a hand pushed him back down. He looked at the hand's owner; it was Nemo.

She gave him a smile. "Had me worried, you did. Promise me you won't go challenging Team Rocket goons again, Leader?" Her smile broadened, she was obviously impressed, but Leader took no notice.

Is that who those people were, Mum? Team Rocket? They just came on the balcony and I didn't know what to do. And then this thing came at me and--".

."It's alright, silly!" Nemo replied in a teasing voice, cutting him short, "Know the whole story. Actually, I think all of Johto does. They did a report on it. 'Neopian gets hit with DNA Blast'. Wow, huh?".

Leader blinked. "Wazzah DNA blast?".

."What you got hit with," she replied simply, grinning harder. She then stood and held up a mirror. Leader stared into it, and thought he was staring at a stranger. He had a Gelert's tail, but no ears, blue eyes, and brown markings on his muzzle and underbelly. He also had two Houndoom-like horns sprouting from his head, a metal collar-like feature digging into his neck, and two metal bands on his back. He looked like half a Gelert and half a Houndoom, mixed together.

."Who's that?" he asked, dumbly.

."You.".

."Me?".

."Yes, this is a mirror. It shows your reflection.".

."Oh... I LOOK LIKE A POKÉMON!!!!!!" Leader shouted, and sprang up. Instantly he felt the skin on his shoulder pull as his IV popped out.

."I told you not to do that. I'll have to call the nurse..." Nemo sighed. Hardly listening, Leader was looking over his new form with great ecstasy.

Settle down, Leader," The nurse said as she walked in, "A few more days rest and you can go home." The nurse reapplied the IV, and left.

--x--

."Oh, the doctors said you might experience some strange symptoms from the blast. You know, other than your appearance..." Nemo said, as she unlocked the door to the neohome.

."Like what?" Leader questioned.

."Pokemon powers and attacks. Those of a Houndoom, actually..." she replied.

."I CAN DO POKÉMON ATTACKS, NOW???" Leader shouted, breathing out a puff of smoke.

."Oh, God, please let that not be smog..." Nemo prayed, looking up at the sky and sighing. "Now, calm down Leader, don't burn down the house. Or poison anyone...".

Nemo opened the door and Leader ran in, yelling for everyone to come and see him. First came Rylinie, who cocked her head a the sight of him.

."Nemo, what did you do to him?" the golden Ixi asked, puzzled by his appearance.

."Didn't do anything. He wanted to play hero," she said, and told the story as the rest of Nemo's pets came to the entrance. When Nemo was done, all there pets turned their heads to Leader.

."We're all dead!! He's gonna burn the house down! Why don't we just drop him in the pound while we have the chance!" cried a blue Wocky (Lily was a wocky back then). Nemo just snorted.

."He stays. No buts, ifs, ands, or whats! Now, I fancy a nice pasty. Anyone care to join me?" Nemo swooned, walking to the kitchen. A few of the pets joined her.

Later that day Leader was in the garden, one of his favorite spots, blowing embers from his mouth. He sighed; it wouldn't turn into a full flame. Not disgruntled, he tried again, with some success. The jet of flame wasn't large, but it was enough to catch some of the grass on fire. Before Leader had time to react, the flames had spread to the house.

."Mum! Fire!" he whimpered, racing into the house to fetch Nemo. Nemo raced, frantically, back to the scene and drenched the fire with the hose. By the time the blaze was out, the other Neopets had come to see what had happened.

."Okay, Leader," Nemo said, blinking at the fact that she had acted like a fireman, "What happened?".

."I-I was trying to do flamethrower and the ground kinda.. caught on fire..." he replied pitifully, his tail low. Nemo sighed and began to say something when Lily cut in.

."You stupid little twerp! I told you, Mum, we should have sent him to the pound. Look! He almost burnt the house down! We should have never taken him in in the first place!" she snorted, glaring at her little brother.

Leader sniffed and shuffled his paws. He didn't mean to set the lawn and house on fire. Maybe Lily was right. She usually was about most things. Letting out a low whimper, Leader surged forward, clawed his way over the fence that separated their land from the wilderness beyond, and raced into the forest behind the neohome.

He heard shouts behind him. He was sure they were something along the lines of "good riddance". He sniffled again as a tear ran down his face.

He ran straight through the forest, his heart pounding in his chest. Shadows began to fade into the trees as night began to approach.

It seemed like he was running for a lifetime when, finally, the trees began to thin. He slowed his run to a brisk walk as the ground underfoot began to slope at an upward angle. The great trees soon subsided, and in their place stood bushes of brambles.

The slope was getting steeper and rockier underfoot, and the brambles, too, began to thin. The sky was almost gone, and the first stars were appearing in the sky. Leader looked at them with interest. He remembered a story Nemo had told him about the stars; that, legend had it, an ageless Uni brought the stars to the sky every night.

This made Leader extremely homesick. His stomach churned with hunger, and his paws ached. Yet, he stubbornly pressed on.

The brambles faded into non-existence, but the Gelert didn't take notice. It was almost pitch-black, save for the stars, and he was aching all over.

He gasped and stumbled as the ground suddenly leveled. He walked a few ways from the edge and toward the center, unsure of what to make of what he was standing on. He took another step, and staggered slightly. His head swam with weariness. Sighing he plopped down and was asleep in no time.

--x--

He blinked his eyes as a ray of sun hit him. He grumbled and raised his head groggily. He shook his head, clearing his mind of sleep, he opened his eyes and gasped.

The sky before him was a soft pink, with a ting of blue, purple, and yellow. He cocked his head at it. He had never seen a sunrise before now. He stood and walked forward, smiling.

Now that it was light, he noticed that the ground he was standing on was flat, and somewhat circular. The ground sloped away on all sides. He also noticed similar structures all around, along with taller, pointed structures. He blinked when he realized he was on the top of a plateau.

He looked up at the sky. It shone red and pink. He ran over to the edge of the plateau and looked down. Bad idea; it was a long way down. At the bottom, though, were millions of trees. He blinked. He only saw trees, no neohome, no Neopia Central, just an endless sea of trees.

He gulped. He was lost.

Whimpering, he backed away from the edge and sat down in the middle of the plateau. His stomach grumbled; he remembered he hadn't had anything to eat for dinner, and he wasn't going to get any breakfast. He sighed. What to do? He could always practice flamethrower. That was a start.

So, he stood up again, puffed out his chest, concentrated and pictured himself releasing a large jet of flame. Then, he blew. He got a jet of flame, though it was smaller than he hoped. He tried again, with greater success. He smiled, pleased with himself. He did it five more times, pretending he was burning his sister, Lily, each time.

When he was tired of producing flame, he sat in the middle of the plateau once more and looked up at the clouds. The sun had risen more, and now they looked white instead of pink. From the top of the plateau where he was sitting, it seemed like he could reach up and catch them. Stupidly, he tried it. He sprung up on his hind legs and, with his front paws, grabbed at the air. To his surprise, his paws latched around something soft and fluffy.

."Eeep!" it went as he brought it smacking down to the ground.

."Eeep!" went Leader, who was surprised that the cloud could talk, and jumped back. The little cloud shuddered, opened one blue eye, and raised himself a few inches from the ground.

."You hurt me," it said in a small voice. Leader blinked.

."Sorry... M-Mr. Cloud..." Leader said, hiding his head in his paws.

."Am I really that scary?" the cloud-creature asked, opening the other eye and looking quizzically at the cowering Gelert. "You look more scary than I do...".

."Well, um..." Leader said, straightening up. The last thing he wanted to do was be called a coward by a talking cloud. "What are you?".

."A Cirrus. But, really, I'm a Cumulus. TNT doesn't really know their clouds too well," the little Cirrus said, winking.

."Oh.. your a petpet?".

."On the contrary. I'm a cloud. I rain. I thunder and lightning. And, I float.".

."So... you're a petpet?".

."And you're simple-minded!

Leader thought about this for a second. Was this thing calling him stupid? "What's your name?".

."Skyler-Alto Cumulus Cirrus the Third, at your service!".

."I'm LeaderPup, or Leader," he replied, his stomach growling. The Cirrus frowned at him.

."Say, what's a um.. well, what are you doing way up here, anyhow?" Skyler-Alto asked. Leader frowned.

."I ran away because I almost burnt the house down.. and Lily was right, I'm a twerp and I should have never came to live with Nemo and her family.." he murmured, getting teary-eyed.

."Now-now, I'm the only one allowed to drizzle around here!" said Skyler-Alto, chuckling to himself.

."And, now, I'm hungry and lost.." Leader finished with a sniffle, his head low. Skyler-Alto pondered this for a moment.

."What if I were to say... I could take you home?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Leader sniffed. "They wouldn't want me back...".

."Are you sure about that, Leaderpup? I don't see anything wrong with a..um..what exactly are you?".

."I'm a half Gelert, half Houndoom.".

."Houndoom?".

And so Leader told Skyler-Alto Cumulus Cirrus the Third about the trip to Johto.

."It seems to me that your Mum loves you very much, Leaderpup, and she is probably missing you greatly now!" Skyler-Alto said, giving the young Gelert-Houndoom a smile.

Leader sniffled again. "Mr. Skyler-Alto Cumcum, er Cir-".

."Call me Sky," the cloud interrupted.

."Okay, Mr. Sky? Could you please show me the way home?" Leader finished. Sky nodded.

Skyler-Alto took the most direct route he knew to the place Leaderpup described. He floated close to the ground so that the young Gelert-Houndoom could easily see him. They headed down the plateaus and through the forest. And while they walked, he told Leader about his trips around the world. The young canine seemed rather awed, and Skyler-Alto seemed pleased.

Soon, they had come across the Nemo's neohome. Leader ran up to the door, and knocked rapidly. He motioned with a flick of his tail for Skyler-Alto to come beside him. The door banged open, a stunned Nemo in front of it. She had tear stains down her cheeks and her hair was in a knot. She took one look at Leader, then grabbed him by the horns and shook him.

."Don't you EVER do that EVER again!! You hear me? NEVER!!" she said, more tears flowing freely down her face. "You had me worried sick! Why did you listen to Lily, anyway?".

She pulled him inside and released him, that was when she noticed Skyler-Alto Cumulus Cirrus the Third.

."Um...?".

."I'm Skyler-Alto Cumulus Cirrus the Third, at your service," he said, doing a little twirl, that for clouds, was a bow. Nemo nodded.

."Nemo Pyro Dragon, charmed," Nemo replied, with a slight smile, and confusion written on her face.

."I got lost and Sky helped me back!" Leader put in. Nemo's face lit up.

."Well, Mr. Cirrus, you have just become part of the family!" She said, ushering both Skyler-Alto and Leader in. Skyler-Alto blinked.

."I have?" he questioned.

."Yes, you are free to come and go as you wish! I would love it if you stayed for lunch!" Nemo replied, a grin on her face as she led them both to the kitchen. Leader grinned and sat at the table, full of staring Neopets and food. Nemo pulled up another chair for Skyler-Alto and they began lunch.

And, after that lunch, Skyler-Alto Cumulus Cirrus the Third never really left the house. He became Leader's sort of navigator for when he decided to go and explore, which Leader decided it was something he liked to do.

One day, Leader went back to the mountainous region with Skyler-Alto to practice his pokemon powers and explore the area more. He came back to it the next day, and it soon became Leader's favorite spot, for some reason. Everyday since, Leader and Skyler-Alto travel there.

I practiced a different technique of drawing for the first time with this picture. The background reminds me of the 70's, man.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g85/nemotart/neopets/leadercg.png

His current layout.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g85/nemotart/neopets/leaderpuppimg.png

YAY!!! Thank you so much Kirsten! I LOVES IT!
http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/8383/parilorelb9.png

.shadows.