It all began when I was just a pup. It was a time when there was a war between Maraqua and Krawk Island... two adult Gelerts, one male and one female, darted for cover as another bomb struck the land of Krawk Island. They hid behind a few bushes, taking a rest. Suddenly, the female Gelert began to pant heavily. Before anyone knew it, the Gelert had given birth to two healthy newborn puppies. Yes, I, Xylorn, was one of those puppies. I also had a brother, Shadow, who had pure black fur, just like our mother's. I, on the other hand, had silky reddish-gold fur, like our father. We laid beside our mother, unaware of the death that surrounded us. Sounds of guns and weapons filled my ears, and also the screams of the innocent. But Shadow and I were completely clueless of what was happening, and if it was dangerous or not.

For about a half hour, we rested on the ground, until the bush that we were hiding behind caught fire. In an instant, my father picked up Shadow and my mother grabbed me by the scruff of my neck. As quickly as possible, they dashed away, the bush exploding behind us. I was afraid. I wondered what was going to happen to us.

Our parents found an alley to escape into. They laid us in a pile of newspapers and nudged us, trying to convince us that it would be okay. But Shadow and I weren't trusting them. We knew there was trouble, but we didn't know what. Well, our father sat beside us, and our parents spoke for some time, until eventually, they agreed to something. Father got up and stood by Mom. They both hugged us good-bye, trying to explain to us that they were going to join the Krawk Island pirates in order to earn some money, but they knew that we would never understand. They promised us delicious foods and a big house to live in when they came back safely. So Shadow and I sat helplessly in the alley whilst we quietly watched our parents abandon us.

Months passed, and Shadow and I continued to grow as the war began to end. We lived in the streets of Krawk Island, eating off of any scraps that we could find. But one day, a male yellow Skeith wearing a black business suit waddled over to us and tipped his hat. "Hello, is this Xylorn and Shadow?" he asked.

Shadow hid behind me in fear, but I slowly nodded a 'yes.

Oh, well... I am terribly sorry, but your parents were killed in the war. They were both shot in the back by arrows by a fellow pirate. The pirate claimed that it was an accident, but I am not certain if he meant to kill your parents or not. I am sorry once again," he sayed truthfully, then turning his back and leaving.

Shadow's deep blue eyes swelled up with tears. "X...Xylorn?" he whispered, staring at me longingly. "Mom and Dad broke a promise... they said that they'd come back safely.

I frowned. "I know, Shadow... but... you can't protect someone's life with a promise." I knew that saying that would hurt Shadow deeply, but he needed to know. Without another word spoken, Shadow buried his face into my fur and sobbed.

That night, I noticed that Shadow was unusually reckless and he kept growling, getting up out of bed, and pacing back and forth. We slept in the darkest corners of an alley, so I didn't expect him to be comfortable or anything, but that particular night, he was extremely confused. It was because of our parents' deaths, that was for sure. But I knew he could get over it... Shadow was a strong Gelert. The last thing I saw him do was flex his claws, and then I fell asleep.

That morning, I looked to my side, and Shadow was not there. My eyes widened. I jumped to my feet and called, "Shadow?! Shadow!!

There was no sound but the intense beat of my heart. I began to panic. I frantically scrambled out of the alley and into the open. I looked around and saw a large crowd forming at the plaza. I heard loud, familiar barks and squeals. My eyes widened. I raced towards the crowd and pushed my way to the front. There, I saw Shadow, blood staining his fur and scars tracing his body, trembling to stand as he looked into the eyes of a pirate Shoyru. The Shoyru held a bow and a quiver of arrows were hung on his back. A cheesy grin was worn on the Shoyru's face. That pirate must've been the one who killed our parents! "Shadow! Stop, right now!" I commanded desperately.

Shadow ignored me. He gave a grunt, then lunged at the Shoyru. The pirate swiftly dodged Shadow, jumping behind him. Before Shadow had time to turn around, the Shoyru chuckled and threw a sword at my brother. The instant the sword sliced into Shadow's back, blood sprayed everywhere, and Shadow gave out loudest, most desperate howl I had ever heard. "SHADOW!!!" I screamed, leaping out and rushing to Shadow's side. "Shadow, are you okay?

I gave an attempt to pull the sword out of Shadow's back, but it was hopeless. It was in deep, and the more I pulled, the more blood gushed out of Shadow's wound. I frowned and looked down at Shadow. My dying brother looked up at me and whispered, "...I tried to avenge them, Xylorn. I tried..." Shadow's muscles unclenched, and his eyes softened. He no longer panted or breathed heavily. He had died.

I buried my face in his fur and cried. He was all I had left, and now he had faced the same fate as my parents. I hadn't cried long before the pirate Shoyru grabbed my neck and jerked me upwards. He glared at me and scowled, "Get out of here before I kill you, like your brother.

Scared, I scrambled off as quickly as possible, leaving my brother's corpse with the one whom had killed him. I did not know what to do next. I was alone. I was afraid. I was hopeless. I wandered around Krawk Island for the next couple days, until I overheard a few Peophins talking about visiting a place called Neopia Central. By what they said, it sounded like a good place to live for a while. With nothing left to do, I darted off to find transportation to Neopia Central.

I snuck onto a ship that was heading towards my new home. I hid in the lower parts of the ship, where no one wandered. It didn't take too long until we arrived at the Neopia harbor. I leaped off the ship and looked around. It was more sunny than Krawk Island, more crowded, and many more stores... it was strange and new to me. How I longed to have Shadow by my side, facing it with me... but that was just not possible. My fate was always cruel to me.

I wandered around the streets, and noticed that the pets were much more beautiful and well groomed, completely different from those on Krawk Island. There were many strange shops, for clothes, toys, and so much other stuff that would take me hours to name. The allies that I found in Neopia Central were actually quite decent to live in. There were few traces of garbage, and it didn't smell as much as the ones on Krawk Island. I crept into one and made myself a new home. I picked a few sticks and twigs out of my fur before I flopped myself over into a pile of newspaper and slept soundly.

I awoke the next morning with hunger nipping at my stomach. I growled angrily and trotted out into the sunlight, stretching my legs as clumps of people and their neopets roamed the sidewalks. I trotted towards a garbage can near the food shop and knocked it over. The lid toppled off, and I jumped inside to see what it had. I found a few scraps of bread and meat, and quickly ate them up as soon as I found them. But even that didn't satisfy me. I sighed in dismay and crawled out of the garbage can. When I took step onto the sidewalk, I stared into the sparkling, emerald eyes of a female Gelert. She stared at me like I was insane, and I could see why. Her green fur was so clean and beautiful, whilst mine was so tangled and dirty. Her front paw was splotched with a bit of chestnut, and she sported a bit of gold jewelry. I lowered my head to tear our glance apart. To my surprise, she took a step towards me, smiling. "Hello," she greeted.

I slowly brought my head up until I was once again staring at her. "Hi," I whispered, my heart pounding. I was more nervous than ever.

She grinned bigger and said, "I am Kaora. What is your name?

I was surprised that she didn't scold me or tell me that I was a worthless beast, as most people called me. But I was not about to judge her that quickly. Kaora might turn out to be okay. I replied, "I'm Xylorn... nice to meet you, Kaora.

The pleasure is all mine," Kaora commented charmingly as she began to walk circles around me. I just sat frozen as she did so, afraid to make any movements. She paused and tilted her head. "You are a street wanderer... yes?

I gulped. Maybe Kaora was like the others. "... Yes," I replied quickly, prepared to hear her tell me how much she hated me.

She smiled at me. "Yes, I can see that... you appear to be weak. Tired. Starving... lonely. Not like an average Gelert," Kaora spoke cruelly. I clenched my jaw to keep myself from running away.

... I... guess..." I whispered, prepared to wrap the conversation up and leave as soon as possible.

She seemed to examine me more than she talked. Kaora smirked. "Hmmm... I like you. And that is extremely rare. Here," she said, tossing me a sack of neopoints. I caught them and gazed at them, unsure if I should accept them.

I decided that I could probably need them more than she did, so I said gratefully, "Thank you. I really appriciate this.

Kaora winked at me. "No problem," she laughed. "Maybe we should get together sometime. Maybe I could buy you something to eat?

I nodded a 'sure.

Well, I could on any other day other than today. I am very busy with... Well, I just can't today.

Okay. Thanks again," I said, waving as she scrambled off. I was thankful that she ended the conversation instead of me. I wondered what she was so important that she had to leave so abruptly... but that didn't matter. I shrugged off my worries and rushed into the food shop and bought myself some real food.

That night, I slept soundly in my snug little alley, and when I awoke, I found Kaora standing in front of the food shop again. She smiled as soon as she saw me, and saved frantically. "Hey, Xylorn! Over here!" she called. I raced over to her and greeted her.

Hey, Kaora? How are you today?" I asked her happily.

I'm great, now that you're here!" she cried, leaping into my arms. I was surprised at her sudden action. But I just smiled and laughed. She looked up at me and asked, "Now, would you like something to eat?

I eagerly accepted. Kaora led me all around Neopia, taking me to the Bakery, the Smoothie Shop, Pizzaroo... so many wonderful places to eat so many things. By the end of the day, she was hugging me so much that I couldn't keep track of how many times she jumped into my arms. I dropped her off at her house, then walked back towards my alley.... but it didn't seem like I was walking. I felt like I was floating. I was probably the luckiest Gelert in the world. And it didn't take very long to realize that I loved Kaora.

So, every day for the next few months, we would constantly visit each other. Every day was always the same routine: wake up, meet Kaora at the food shop, visit and shop, sleep. But I loved the routine. As long as I saw Kaora, it was perfectly fine.

One day, it was officially six months since we had met. I had decided that half a year was long enough to keep my love a secret. There was a good chance that Kaora loved me back. I ran into a farmer's garden, stole the most beautiful flowers I saw, then raced towards the food shop. Kaora was not there. I worried. She was always at the food shop, no matter what. Every day for six months she appeared there before me. Maybe something was wrong. I wasn't sure. I decided to sit in front of the shop and wait.

I waited for what seemed like hours, and the flowers began to die. I decided to throw them out, as that would be rude to give Kaora dead flowers. I was relieved when I finally saw Kaora walking over towards me, her usual friendly-smile replaced with an evil grin. "Hello, Xylorn," she said cruelly. "Would you like to come to my home today?

She seemed a bit... off today. But I ignored that as I agreed to visit her home. She led me into a forest. We walked on a dirt path, and I had to duck under many tree branches to avoid getting hit. Kaora seemed perfectly content with the environment. She walked quickly and swiftly, as if she wanted to get me off her back. But I wouldn't let her go that easily. We walked for an extremely long time until we reached a small, straw hut built in a small clearing of the forest. I blinked. "This... is your home?

Kaora looked over her shoulder and stared at me. "Yes. The only home I've ever come to know and love." She led me into the hut, and it was very small in there. A small couch, a tiny kitchen, a fireplace, a cabinet, and a bed made on the ground. I sat on the couch, but she stood, staring at me. The silence was horrible to me. Usually, Kaora was a chatterbox. But today... she was acting different. Kaora shattered the quiet by saying, "I am a witch.

I could hardly hear anything she said, as I was lost inside her eyes. "Yes... okay..." I murmured, in a daze.

... and for some time now, I have been looking for... a lab assistant. To help me make potions and protect me from harm's way.

Yes. Okay." I still wasn't listening. Her beauty had captured me.

And I have chosen you.

Now that I heard. I shook my head, snapping myself out of the transe. "What?! Me?! I'm not... exactly... sure that would work... You see, I am in love with--

Great, so you accept! Now, I couldn't have a lab assistant that will refuse to serve me, so I will have to erase your mind, memories, thoughts, and feelings." Kaora cackled gingerly, pulling out a bubbling cauldron. A churning purple liquid was held inside a small vile. "Now, drink this.

No!" I stated firmly, slapping the potion out of her clutches. "Kaora, what is wrong with you? I thought you loved me!

She laughed. "Ha! I never love. I was luring you right into my trap... I need a strong, loyal assistant to serve me... and you were perfect!

... No... no, I'll never help you! I will not drink your potion, eighther!" I headed for the door as quickly as possible, but she blocked me off.

She glared at me furiously, sending chills up my spine. "You dare defy my orders? Very well then! I shall just rip your spirit from your body, and steal someone else's life and seal it into your body!!" Kaora yelled, lunging at me. I tried to get her away from me, but she was surprisingly strong. She bit and kicked me, and I became weak very quickly. I limped towards the door, but she shoved me over onto the ground. She grinned as she towered over me. Kaora lifted her claws and sliced them into my neck. I let out the loudest, most painful howl I had ever given. She did not stop. She lifted her other paw and sunk her claws into my scalp. I howled even louder, my shrieks echoing throughout the forest. Blood gushed from my wounds, and I felt my life quickly draining. Kaora grinned. "Ha... good. Now that you are on the edge of facing death, I shall now enter your mind and make sure you won't come back!

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain inside my head, as if I needed to suffer any more. Apparently Kaora was lurking inside my mind to try and kill off my spirit. I felt her enter my heart, and then she paused there. I assumed that she had found something interesting. She remained inside my heart until eventually, I felt that sharp stab of pain fade. I looked up at her weakly, to see that she was staring down at me with soft, wide eyes. "You... you really loved me... so much...

I nodded slowly. "I thought you were the one...

Your love... I felt the love in your heart for me... it was... so pure..." a tear trickled down her cheek and settled on her nose. She sat beside me and cried. She sobbed, "I was so cruel to you, and all you wanted was for me to love you back! And the price I made you pay was death!" I felt like my whole world was spinning. More and more blood leaked from my wounds by the second. My whole body ached. I was going to die. Although my senses were going wacky, I could still smell smoke. Closeby. I looked up and saw that Kaora's straw hut was on fire!

... Kaora! Your hut... is on fire..." I muttered quietly. She looked at me, then looked up. A small flame was beginning to spread at the roof of her hut. She screamed and quickly laid me on her back. Then she charged out of the hut. As we stepped into the forest, a line of hundreds of the Neopian dwellers stood in a circle around us. I looked at them, and saw fury in their eyes. They all carried weapons: scythes, bows and arrows, swords, knives, pitchforks... I wondered what was wrong.

A red Techo stepped forward and yelled, "You, Kaora the Gelert! You are the witch! You have killed many of our friends... Now, we must kill the witch!

The other neopians behind the Techo yelled and hollered to support his theory. Kaora panicked. Then she asked, "How would you know that I am the witch? Do you have proof?

This time a christmas Lupe spoke. "Yes! That Gelert on your back screamed, and we have heard many screams from the ones we love over here. Prepare to pay for your crimes, you witch!

Kaora threw me off her back and barred her fangs. "Fine! Try and take me down, fools!" she taunted, standing her ground and growling furiously.

I laid on the ground, unable to move, as I stared up at the event. The Neopian dwellers didn't take her warning. Instead they all charged at her, waving their weapons in the air as they ran. Kaora doing very well. There were twelve men attacking her at once, and she quickly killed them all off. More and more rushed in to fight, and Kaora always succeeded at killing them. When most of them were dying and began to give up, she trotted over to me, panting, "Xylorn, I know I never got to say this, but I really love y-

Before she could finish, I heard a ripping sound. I looked at Kaora, and saw that her eyes were wide with fear. She opened her mouth to scream, but couldn't. She fell onto her stomach, revealing the scythe that had been thrown and dug deep inside her back. Kaora moaned in pain, and I instantly ignored the growing pain and stood up. I stood over her and asked frantically, "Kaora, Kaora! Are you alright?!

Xylorn... help... me..." Kaora whispered desperately.

I said, "Don't worry, Kaora, I'm here and-- ugh!!" I couldn't finish, as I felt a stabbing, burning pain in my back. An arrow had been fired and pierced into my skin. I strained to keep myself up. I kneeled down in pain. I looked over my shoulder and saw a few Shoyrus readying a few more arrows into their bows. I stared at them, whispering, "... Please... No..." I felt three more arrows dig deep into my flesh. I yelled in pain and collapsed next to Kaora. Blood seemed like an ocean around the two of us, and we both died, side by side.

But... well... Kaora never quite got the curse that I did. About a year after I had died, I was able to open my eyes. I looked to my side and saw Kaora... she was a rotting corpse. I looked down at myself, and saw that my reddish-gold fur had been replaced with bright green fur that seemed to glow. I... didn't understand it... I was dead, so how did I return? I felt no confusion. I felt no pain. I felt no sorrow. I was restless. I was the living dead.

Some time after my rebirth, I wandered around aimlessly, wondering what was left to do and why I was sent back to Earth if I had nothing left. It was a punishment and I knew it. It wasn't long until a girl named Kiaxian and her psychotic Kougra found me at the graveyard, staring at all the lucky fellows who got to rest. They took me home and made me part of their family... I suppose Kaora is still watching out for me...

~The Story Continues~

Some say my story ends there, just because I'm dead. Some say that there's nothig more worth telling, as when your a spirit, nothing more could happen. That's what I thought as well. Well, that is, until I met my clone...

It all started one average morning. I awoke, grumpy and depressed, as usual. Kobaino made me play a few card games with her, I talked to Zeitheris for a rather long time, and Orchalium wanted me to help him in the lab. As angry and negative as I may be, I still find it nessecary to spend time with my family, some of the very few people who actually love me, and I care about them in return. To finish off the day, I usually spend some time with my 'owner', Kiaxian. Usually, she simply takes me out for ice cream or pizza, and we talk for a little while. Our outings certainly aren't my idea of a good time, as Kiaxian is extremely annoying, but sometimes it's nice to have some time with the person who took me out of the graveyard and took care of me. So, on this particular day, Kiaxian suggested that we'd pay a visit to the pound. She said she was going to adopt another pet for her new 'account.' She wanted me to help her pick one out. I assumed that would be fine. It wouldn't affect me at all. The little beast wouldn't be living with me, anyways.

So, we walked to the pound. It was a windy day, rather chilly and cloudy. Something about the ghastly, gloomy weather gave me a hint of something dreadful going to happen. My instincts were correct. As we approached the front doors of the pound, a yellow Chia dressed in a police sheriff's oufit yelled, "Get outta the way, make room! We're bringing in a new Gelert, and we need some space to bring in this crazy monster!"

Kiaxian and I, along with a few other people, stepped aside. We leaned our heads outwards to get a glimpse of the new pet they were hauling into the pound. A cop car pulled up, the brakes screeching as it halted to a quick stop. A few more police officers stepped out of the car, walking to the back seat and opening the door. Sitting in the car was a crimson Gelert. He had a muzzle strapped tightly around his mouth and chains bound around his legs. There was a collar wound on his slender neck, tight enough to perhaps cut off his circulation. His fur was ruffled, madded, dirty. He looked extremely abused, telling by all the scars, bruises, and scratches. I wondered if there was dried blood on his fur as well, but it could not be noticable, as his fur was the color of blood.

Three of the Chia officers snapped a leash onto his collar, and began tugging violently on it. The Gelert began twisting his head, resisting to exit, but he was overpowered. He tumbled out of the seat, landing on his back onto the cold, cement ground. I stared at the Gelert with sadness and concern, and he stared at me back with confusion. He stared at me as if he knew me. Our exchanged glances were broken by one of the Chias pulling out a whip and whacking the Gelert on the hind leg. He whimpered and flinched, leaping to his feet. His attitude instantly melted away into furiousness. The Chias continued pulling on the leash, and the Gelert continued to fight back, but his attempts were fatal. He had sat down firmly on the ground, but the officers were still stronger. He was sliding around on the sidewalk, and when he came close enough to me, I suddenly realized something. I saw a familiar scar on his theigh. It was a circle, along with a crescent-moon shape under it. In the middle of the crescent moon was a line that twisted into a few spirals at the end. Above the circle were two dots.
Why was the scar so familiar?... It was the scar on my theigh. Before I could examine the Gelert further, he was dragged into the pound. Why did I share the same scar with that Gelert?

Boy, what a strange Gelert, huh, Xylorn?" I heard Kiaxian comment as she smiled down at me, adjusting the olive green scarf around her neck. "Good thing you're not that much of a rebel. I don't know what I'd do if you were anything like that."

Shut up," I hissed in response, tossing my nose into the air.

Actually... uhhh..." Kiaxian began, staring in a daze at the pound doors. She stood stiff, as if she were suddenly paralyzed.

What?"

Do you think I should adopt that Gelert?" Kiaxian asked, smiling wider. "I'd love a challenge, and that Gelert looked kind of cute. He probably just needs a nice mommy to love him. What do you think?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, snapping, "Are you insane? That thing looks like it'll tear your face off in a second! There's something seriously wrong with that thing!"

Kiaxian laughed, reaching down and patting me on the cheek. I shook my head, shaking her hand away. "Well, he seems to be a lot like you, then, Xy!" Kiaxian chuckled. "Come on, when I found you, you were practically the same way. Maybe the Gelert just needs a home, you know, another chance. I'll bet I could find the real, kind, gentle Gelert within him."

I sighed. "Fine, come on," I grumbled as we entered the pound. Little did I know that me and that Gelert were more alike than I would ever have guessed.

We entered the pound. The old, smelly, tattered pound. Boy, I hate that place. It smells of rotton eggs and looks like a haunted house, only with thousands of cages and a bunch of pets trapped inside them, eighther yelling for someone to adopt them or crying because they felt rejected. I sure was glad that I was never fated to be dumped in that horrid place.

Kiaxian and I approached the front desk, where a red Techo sat, flipping through the pages of the Neopian Times. Kiaxian cleared her throat to get the Techo's attention, which she successfully aquired. He slammed the issue of the Neopian Times onto his desk, folding his hands and smiling grimly at us. "So, do you wish to dispose of this useless creature?" he croaked, looking at Kiaxian and motioning towards me.

No, I want to adopt a pet," Kiaxian replied happily.

The Techo frowned. "Oh. Then I'm not the guy to talk to." He growled in anger and stood up, looking to the right, then to the left. "AMY!!!" he hollered at the top of his lungs. Almost immediately, a pink Uni scurried over, panting heavily.

Yes?" she asked.

This young lady would like to adopt a pet."

Great!" Amy exclaimed, jumping up excitedly. "So, do you already have a pet in mind that you'd like to adopt, or would you like to browse around for a bit?"

I have a pet in mind," Kiaxian answered. She seemed to glance down at me and give me a huge grin before continuing, "We just saw a red Gelert be brought in here by a few police officers. I'm interested in him."

Amy's eyes widened, and her optimistic, happy attitude instantly faded. "Oh... uhh... You mean... Cethix?" she murmured. She rubbed her hands together nervously, adding, "Umm... Are you sure? He's not exactly a good idea for adoption." She looked from side to side before leaning forward and whispering, "Don't tell my boss that I'm letting you in on this, but you need to know. We just recieved Cethix, and it turns out that he's not like the rest of these pets. He's actually a lab expiriment, cloned from another Gelert by a few scientists. Cethix is a raging, angry monster, and we found him attacking young citizens..." My mind began wandering at what she had mentioned about Cethix being cloned from another Gelert. Could I be...? The Gelert he was cloned from? Naah... I thought, shaking my head.

Kiaxian hesitated, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Well..." she began, crossing her arms and pondering the thought. "Could I at least see Cethix?" she asked. "I just want to meet him, you know, see what he's like."

Well... Alright," Amy responded. "But don't tell anyone I'm letting you do this." She reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a ring of keys. "Please follow me." Kiaxian and I followed close behind the horrified Uni as she led us into a room behind the front desk, having to unlock several doors and lead us down many staircases before approaching the final room. She spun around, whispering so quietly that it seemed impossible to hear, "Alright, beyond this door is Cethix. He's locked up, so you can be sure that he won't attack. Make it quick. We have to get it out of here, and fast."

Kiaxian nodded, and Amy unlocked the huge iron door. It swung open with a loud dragging, scraping noise. Kiaxian and I wandered inside. It was almost pitch black in there if it wasn't for the single, barred window, which hung high on the wall, letting in a few streams of silver moonlight that rested in the center of the room. Below the window was the blood red Gelert... Cethix.

He was heavily secured. His mouth was still stuffed inside a puny muzzle. His front paws were chained above his head, and his legs dangled below him, locked inside what seemed like millions of chains. His tail hung lifelessly beneath him, and his head fell uselessly as well. It appeared as if he was dead. But Kiaxian spoke first, awakening him from his restless slumber. "Hello, there," she said in a soft tone.

Cethix's head shot up, his wide blue eyes locked on us. He began squirming, making the chains rattle against each other. He grumbled a few noises from his throat, unable to talk because of the muzzle. He tossed his head and snapped his tail from side to side. Kiaxian slowly stepped closer towards him, her hands out in front of her to protect herself just incase. She stretched out her right arm and gently stroked his cheek. "Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you," she insisted. I nervously trotted to her side and sat by her feet, staring up at the new Gelert. Cethix shot his head downwards and stared at me. His eyebrows raised, astonished, as if I was somehow very different from everyone else he'd seen. Well, that was sort of true. It's not every day you see a spirit.

Cethix continued staring at me with the same surprised -

Author's Note: I'm really, really sorry, guys. Something went wrong with Xylorn's page, and a HUGE portion of his story was somehow deleted. ;__; *SOBS* So... It kinda jumps from this scene to a scene that occurs much later in the story. Again, I'm sorry for the confusion. :(

Cethix heaved me off the ground, straining to keep his grip on me, and then dashed off. Echoing voices were the last thing I remember of those cops.

."You agree to my offer, Little Ghost?" Cethix huffed.

I grimaced, and slowly replied, "Y-Yeah... I guess so." Cethix's jaw shifted, and I knew he was smiling. The replica carried me onto the street, where he carefully scanned each corner before he scrambled through. Then a thought struck me. "... Where exactly are we going?" I finally asked, mentally scoffing as I heard Cethix gasp for air, and felt his jaws quivering. Obviously, he wasn't strong enough to even carry me. Maybe I overthought his strenth.

."First, I just want to show you a few things to assure your loyalty," Cethix growled in response, and I merely blinked in response. 'Show me a few things'? What did that mean? I'd just have to find out.

*~*

A few minutes later, the battledome came into view. It was illuminated by the hundreds of lights inside the massive arena. Late-night battlers were trotting in and out of the main doors. Ugh. I hated the battledome... Nothing but pain and blood. Kiaxian entered me a few times, and occassionally tried to train me, but I've never really been into the whole fighting thing.

Cethix gently placed me on the ground, where I found that my legs were strangely stiff and sore. "I know that all I do is ask questions, but..." I tilted my head. "Why are we at the battledome?"

Cethix grunted, "Uh. I'll show you." Then he turned tail and raced towards the enormous building. Instead of entering through the front doors, he crept to the side of the building, where windows lined the wall, allowing you to see into each battle. With each window he passed, Cethix carefully lifted his head and scanned to see what was inside. I followed close behind, finding it rather odd that I was following the bloodthirsty clone instead of running from him. I put that thought aside as Cethix suddenly stopped. "Here!" he whispered urgently. "Look into this window!" He placed his front paws on the wall and lifted himself up to his full height, his tail suddenly remaining completely still.

Puzzled, I obeyed. I crawled beside Cethix and looked through the window. Inside, there was a young fire Eyrie strapped to a wall. His head sagged, clumps of feathers torn away, blood oozing from various places. "Do you know what that is?" Cethix asked, not even bothering to turn to look at me as he spoke.

I raised an eyebrow and observed the Eyrie more closely. "Uh... An Eyrie?" I guessed.

."It's a clone, Mr. Observant," Cethix scowled back. I was about to argue about how it was basically impossible to tell a clone from an original, but my words went unspoken as the sound of a concrete door being scraped open rang through my ears. Twitching in anticipation, Cethix and I patiently watched a muscled red Shoyru stride into the room. Behind him was a Techo officer, who briefly whispered a few words to him, then turned and left. The Shoyru looked at the Eyrie, bewildered and looking slightly confused, and then he walked forward.

My ears perked forward and my jaw went agape. "No way!" I found myself screeching. Cethix roughly shouldered my neck and shushed me. "Sorry..." I whispered. "But this can't be a battledome match! It isn't fair! That Eyrie is tied up... It's not right..."

."Whoever said this was a battledome match?" was the cold response. "Heck, this may as well be called a murder dome. Few people know what's really going inside this wildly popular arena." Cethix glared at me, and I suddenly felt small as he pinned me down with his sapphire eyes that were now reduced to slits. "Now... Watch..."

I turned my attention back to the window, where I now saw the gruesome sight of the Shoyru punching the Eyrie in the torso. The victimized creature merely squeaked in pain, not even trying to shake off the chains. The Shoyru continued this pointless violence for about 10 minutes until he decided to unsheathe his sword, to finish the job quicker and easier. "This is absurd!" I scowled under my breath. "Can't we help the Eyrie?"

Cethix curled his lip. "No. We must watch what you are encouraging."

What I am encouraging? What in Neopia was that supposed to mean? I mentally winced as the final blow was struck upon the Eyrie. A clean slice through the throat caused the Eyrie before our very eyes to be vanquished. The Shoyru quickly resheathed his blood drenched sword and he walked out of the room, the look on his face leaving the impression that he had done absolutely nothing within the past 20 seconds. "How am I encouraging that? I hate violence! Why would you accuse me of being responsible for this?!" I roared at Cethix as we both removed our front paws from the windowsill.

Cethix laughed. Of course... He never took me seriously. "Xylorn, you obviously think that clones are tearing the world apart. But, truth be told, you and your human comrades are your own demise," he stated with a snort. He turned his back to me, shaking his head humorously.

."What does that mean?" I called. Instead of answering me, Cethix simply took a step forward, giving me the signal to keep moving. "Stop acting like such an enigma. What are you trying to say?"

It was obvious from his sapphire eyes, which had been reduced to mere slits, that he was simmering with rage. He whirled around, ramming his forhead into my chest, causing me to stumble back into a wall. He grabbed me shoulders and tossed me up. I made a small noise of protest, but he held a paw to my collarbone to keep me upright. "Now shut your little mouth, Little Ghost, and this will all make sense without any bloodshed," Cethix rumbled. For some odd reason, I knew that my clone wasn't doing this simply to enjoy my pain. I just had this intuition that he wanted me to pay close attention to what he was going to say, instead of firing back with my own subjective thinking.

Well," he began, clearning his throat, "It's only natural that humans and beasts alike fear the unexplainable or out of the ordinary. Namely, if something isn't like them, then it isn't accepted. And because of this certain fear, it seems that the only solution to them is to destroy or shun whatever this strange thing is." Cethix dropped his grip on me, causing me to flop limply to the ground. I staggered into a sitting position, raising an eyebrow at what Cethix was explaining. He continued, "I thought Merunde explained this clearly enough. You... People... Treated us terribly. It's your fault we're like this, and thus, your own fear and sick hope that these 'evil' clones would simply die off has brought your own end." Confusion overcame me. No, perhaps it wasn't confusion. It was the terrible feeling of truth. "Any questions, Class?" Cethix added briefly.

I grumbled, "That... Isn't true. You're a liar. You're trying to get me to help you even further. Well, even though we're 'partners', I still refuse to believe what you do. I'm not helping because I like you or what you're doing, I'm doing this for Zeitheris."

."I'm a liar? Oh, but Xylorn, I'm just the opposite." I glanced awkwardly at Cethix. "Think about it. Have I ever lied to you? I've done nothing but feed you information, and you call me a liar. That makes me feel just fantastic about cramming the truth into your empty brain. And besides, Xylorn..." He swooped to my side swiftly, giving me the most creepy grin ever. Not evil, not bloodthirsty. But knowladgable... clever. "You remember all those dead bodies around you? Dear little Ghostie, that was YOUR work, not mine!" Cethix claimed, smothering it in my face. He began laughing once more. "And you say that you don't like what I do. That's priceless, Xylorn. You have to be the biggest hypocrite I've ever met."

."I told you! I... I don't ever remember killing anyone! Something's gone wrong with my head... Something inside me is making me feel angry," I snapped. I then realized that I really had changed greatly. Before, I would've never helped Cethix, even if he offered to help me find Zeitheris. I could find her myself! But... For some reason... I've agreed to join Cethix. I came to reality. What was I DOING?!

I was pushed out of my thoughts as Cethix roughly wedged his muzzle inbetween the ground and my rear end and tossed me back to my feet. "Those are empty claims, Little Ghost," Cethix murmured. "Now, let's get moving. Time to get to the main cloning facility, where the head of the pack of moronic scientists is just sitting in a big chair, waiting to be killed. Do you want to go, or would you rather me drop you off at the police station?"

I hesitated. "I'll... I'll go," I responded, surprised at how quickly I responded.

Cethix and I then began sprinting down the road, and it suddenly struck me... There were so many unsolved mysteries in my life. Where is Orchalium? Why did he betray me? Why did the police officer say I was a clone? Why was I passing out, and waking up in an ocean of dead bodies? And lastly... Why was Cethix suddenly having a change of nature and willing to work with me? No matter how many excuses Cethix could think of, I simply couldn't believe the fact that he suddenly decided to be partners. It was so weird.

But I suppose that things were just about to get weirder.

The cold night air stung my throat as we continued to run. Cethix's pace was longer, quicker, while my strides were shorter and less powerful. I tried not to act disappointed and jealous as I gradually began to fall behind, until Cethix was a good fifteen yards away. It wasn't until we finally reached our destination when Cethix finally turned around and realized how far I was. I stopped in my tracks when I reached him, huffing and heaving for air, only to find that the more I breathed, the more my lungs throbbed.

The replica rolled his eyes. "Good work, Musclehead," he murmured sarcastically, motioning his head forward. In front of us was simply... A meadow. "Apparently, this is the most elite facility, so it's well-hidden." Cethix looked at me again, as if expecting me to immediately know where it was lingering. When he caught the dazed look in my eye, he scoffed, "... It's underground."

."Fantastic," was my immediate, sarcastic response. "So do you know where the entrance is?" This time, Cethix played the role as the idiot. His head lowered in frustration and he furrowed his brow.

He replied lowly, "No. That's why we have to search. You search northward, and I'll search down over here. Got it?"

I nodded. "Just to let you know, I'm going to stop it."

Cethix peered at me questioningly. "Stop what?" he asked.

."Whatever you're planning," I answered coldly, shouldering past Cethix and walking towards the area I was going to search. With my back still turned, I contined, "I don't believe that you'd just give up like that. You're plotting to do something terrible to me, but I won't let you. I'm keeping my eye on you, Clone..." I smirked with satisfaction as I heard no response from Cethix. No witty comeback. No cruel remarks. Just silence. It was... Nice.

Cethix shuffled his feet rather loudly. "Well... Whatever. Just shut your trap and search over there. Don't make too much noise, or the cops will catch us," he informed. I didn't respond. I simply trotted to my corner, and began looking... Looking... And then it struck me. What was I looking for?

."Cethix!" I called as silently as possible, which wasn't very quiet. The replica whirled around, curling his lip, indicating for me to stop talking. Without even asking what I was calling his name for, Cethix turned back around, nose to the ground, sniffing for the entrance. I decided to copy, lowering my snout to the ground and trying to pick up a scent. All I smelled was dew on the grass. I groaned in dismay and wriggled through a wall of bushes. I padded forward... And suddenly... I smelled something. The aroma was raw and revolting, but I decided to follow it anyway. I continued forward, dodging small rocks and being sure not to snap any twigs as I walked. And finally, I found the source of the scent...

A red Hissi feasting on a Puppyblew carcass.

I sighed angrily, turning my back to the Hissi, and backtracked to where I started. I took two steps, and suddenly felt two daggers be slammed into my hindquarters. I bellowed out into the cold air, twisting my head around to see the Hissi, with its two front fangs sunk into my rear. I drew back my left hind leg and began repeatedly kicking the winged snake in the face. "STOP.... VIOLATING.... ME!!" I commanded, my lip curled.

Finally, a small amount of blood began leaking from the Hissi's nose and mouth. The savage creature groaned, jerking its teeth out of my flesh, and slithered into the sea of trees. Pain egnited through my fanny and worked its way into my haunches. I whimpered, looking down at the wound and carefully trying to nurse the two, massive bite marks by softly licking them.

There was the sound of crunching in the bushes, along with a dim light shining through a few thorny branches. I thrashed my head up and gasped at my stupidity. Cethix had warned me about it...

... Just shut your trap and search over there. Don't make too much noise, or the cops will catch us...

I quickly began to elaborate my options. I could run, but the throbbing in my upper legs would cause my to collapse within less than a mile. I could try to hide, but my glowing, crimson eyes would easily give away my location. I could fight, but if there was more than three of the cops, I'd be taken down...

I just had to hope there were three or less. I had to fight.

After deciding on whether to flee or fight, I then began to think stealth. I planned out how to sneak up on the cops from perhaps an aerial angle, so then they'd...
There was another crunch, which drove me out of my stealthy state of mind.

It was happening again...

I barred my fangs, ripping out of my careful, quiet nature, and released a savage howl. My heart beat terribly fast and my stomach moaned for fresh blood. No, no, not this again... Not this... Then, blackness grabbed hold of my vision. I fought and strained to stay concious... Just a little longer...
My muscles trembled as I tried to keep myself still. I huffed through my gritted teeth, "THIS... WON'T... HAPPEN..." My back bucked upwards and my forehead dropped to the ground. "I don't want to... hurt anyone...
... And then...
... Darkness.

*~*

AGH!!
I tore out of the blackness that had swelled over my vision. I looked around wildly, and it was deja vu. I was laying on my belly, in an ocean of blood, on an island of broken carcasses. They were scientists, six of them. One of them was still alive, a green Chia, one of his arms ripped off. Dark red stained his white lab coat, which was now reduced to a few slivers of fabric. He whined and screamed, tears dripping down his face. I hastily stood and walked over to him. "Please be quiet..."

."Help! Help me!! G-Ghost beast! HELP!!" he continued pleading at the top of his lungs.

I narrowed my eyes and firmly restated, "Silence, now..."

He didn't oblige. "HELP!!! HELP!!! CALL THE POLICE!! DESTROY THIS MONSTER!!!"

."I'm warning you..." My patience was being tested.

."SOMEONE... ANYONE... HELP ME, PLEA--"

Shut up! I roared, raising my claws and digging them into his chest. At that moment, he no longer spoke. I sat there for a few seconds, my paw still lingering inside his body. But then, I drew it out quickly, wrinkling my nose in disgust. I wiped the blood off on the already-soaked lab coat. This was getting annoying... Passing out, and waking up in bodies... Perhaps this was the work of Cethix. But why would he become partners with me, then? He'd just be putting himself in danger...

My ear twitched as a faint, squeaking noise was heard. I pivoted around, scanning over the corpses strewn around. "Another...?" I whispered to myself. I made my way towards the pile of rotting bodies and picked through them. It was very odd when I came across one corpse, with something rather large moving around inside his buttoned lab coat. I angrily ripped it open, and there laid a small, red Gelert puppy.

."... What is this?" I asked, carefully picking up the puppy and setting it on the ground before me. The pup merely curled into a ball and tried to hide its face. I examined the new form... It had soft, feminine curves, so it was clearly a girl. Her red fur was the shade of Cethix's. She had a scar on her thigh... But not my scar. Her scar had more dots and another crescent moon around it. I rolled her onto her back and now noticed the many bruises, scratches, and burns along her delicate body. There were two black circles around her eyes, her ears and legs having terrible burns upon them. I also noticed an impressive amount of stitches. "... Who are you?"

The Gelert remained silent.

."Please tell me your name. I'm not going to hurt you. I see that these scientists have already hurt you enough," I tried to explain as carefully as possible. But then again... It'd be weird to hear someone, who had just viciously slaughtered several scientists a few seconds before, claim that he wouldn't hurt you.

She still refused to answer.

I grumbled. "Well, then!" Without hesitation, I roughly grabbed onto the scruff of her neck, expecting her to wriggle in response. But when I found that she simply dangled there, almost lifelessly, I realized that she had passed out. From pain? Or fear? Who knew. But I wasn't going to let an innocent Gelert pup starve and rot amongst several decaying corpses.

As if things weren't getting intense enough, I suddenly heard Cethix growl, "Xylorn, you bum!" I jumped in surprise, whirling around to find Cethix standing to the left of the corpses. "I was sniffing around, and suddenly my backside felt like someone was slashing at it. What have you gotten yourself into?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at the gruesome scene before him.

I put down the Gelert pup. "It happened again, I passed out and woke up in bodies..." I tried to explain, but my words trailed off as I noticed Cethix's attention was aimed at the puppy beneath me.

."Who's this?" he asked, curiously and angrily at the same time.

I cleared my throat nervously. "I found her inside one of the scientists' jackets. Probably an experiment or lab rat of theirs. I decided that we should take her along, you know..." My mind churned for an excuse to keep the pup. I sure as heck didn't want to kill her, and telling Cethix that murdering a pup was sick would only show my vulnerable side. "... So she won't run off and tell the police about where we are."

Cethix was quiet for a moment, looking over the puppy's features. Without even bothering to look up at me, he grunted, "And? Why don't you just kill her? That way, she won't be a burden and she sure won't be reporting to anyone concerning our whereabouts."

I mentally winced. Agh. I was hoping he wouldn't say that. Okay. Okay. Think of another excuse... "She might come in handy, you know, incase we need help finding the entrance to the lab, or if we get lost or something... Telling by all her scars, she must've been with the scientists for quite some time," I answered, prideful at how quickly I could come up with lies.

I sighed in relief as Cethix bobbed his head up and down, as if he understood what I was saying. He pushed her towards me with his nose. "I know it sounds crazy, but this puppy seems familiar. Something about how she looks, smells, her posture... Everything just seems so... faint. I suppose we can bring her. But if she starts crying, she won't be getting any more chances." I nodded happily, picking the puppy up into my jaws once more. Cethix chuckled in amusement, padding forward and roughly thrusting his shoulder into mine as he walked by. I stumbled for a moment, almost losing my grip on the Gelertess, but quickly regaining composure.

The pup squeaked faintly, and I could've sworn her fur flashed black for a moment.

*~*

To Be Continued...