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My story begins when I was just a young pup. My father and I were curled up under a large, tree trying to stay warm. The spindly stick that rose above our heads was clearly near death. Its branches were leafless, littering the ground in a crackling blanket despite the fact that is was supposedly summer time. I had heard stories that the forest where my pack resided used to be green, full of life, and teeming with creatures of every sort…but now it was a desolate tree grave. The leaves had all fallen off years before, and the thin brittle branches snapped off easily in the chilling winds. It was the result of a series of dry and dusty years. It was a cold drought, too—-extremely dry and freezing cold. Because of this, food was scarce, and the pack's numbers dwindled. Hardly any pups were born in those years and constant blizzards kept the pack from moving on. I was born in the second year of this disaster. Although no one mentioned it around me, I overheard the pack elders discuss the burden that a young pup like me cause for the pack. It bothered me, but I tried to shake it off and forget about it. Of course, I wasn't the only pup that was born in these difficult times. Five other pups were born that year, and we became close friends. Let's see…If I remember correctly, there was Aspen, a white pup with curious black stripes on his legs. He was very small and thin--I don't recall a time when I couldn't see his ribs and hip bones. Aspen was a close friend. There was also Deirdre. She was a dark chocolate brown, and she was stubborn as a mule. Her right ear was deformed slightly, and her tail had an interesting spotted pattern on the bottom. She was the twin sister of Toby, a yellowish pup with an elongated back. His little black paws padded silently through the leaves, and his different colored eyes wandered aimlessly through the trees. Then there was Lily, one the sweetest things you'd ever meet. She was a dark red-brown color, and she had large curly ears. She somehow managed to stay fat and chubby throughout her whole childhood. Her dark coloring set her apart from her sister, Tulip. Tulip was an interesting character. She kept to herself and almost never spoke. She was just a dirty white, with smaller ears than Lily. Sometimes Tulip looked just like she acted—blending in to her surroundings and staying away from the other lupes. At any rate, we all suffered. One day while I was enjoying a game of Tag the Tail with my friends, news arrived that Aspen's mother was dying. She had always been a thin, frail lupe, and the lack of food hit her really hard. She managed to survive for a couple of years to take care of Aspen, but...it was unavoidable. Aspen went off to say his goodbyes. Me and the other pups looked amongst each other, and we each knew that it was only a matter of time before our parents fell into the same trap. Thinking about my parents made me remember my mother, who I hadn't seen since I was a mere four weeks old. No one knew where she was…except my father.
 It was that night as me and my father were gazing at the stars through our twig of a tree that I asked him about my mother. Dad…what happened to mama?" I asked, looking up at him sadly. He in turn looked down at me. The smile that was previously on his face dissipeared into a frown. "Honey..." He began, "Your mother left to see if she could find a better place to live. She knew that the pups wouldn't last long in this freezing dustbowl, so she decided that she had to do something about it. No one has seen her since." "Will she be coming back soon?" My father paused. "…I don't know, Essie. I don't know…" We left it off at that and tried to sleep, but the questions in my head swirled around in dusty devils like the chilly air that tousled my fur. There was no way in the world that I would be able to sleep now! My mother might have gone off to me her end…and she never even said goodbye. I huddled up closer to my father. He was the only thing I had in this world. I loved him more than words can express. Later that year, I was digging in the well, searching for a drop of water. But as paw after paw scraped the dust away, only more dry dirt appeared. I sighed. Why was life so difficult? Why did that rain have to stop coming so many years ago? So many questions, never enough answers. I was on my way back to our tree when someone called to me. "Esuria! Come quick!" It was the pack medicine lupess. I hurried back only to find my father lying down with his eyes closed. He isn't going to live much longer," the medicine lupess explained. And at that, she trotted off.
 Dad, don't leave me! I love you. I don't want to say goodbye…" He was everything I had, and I did not want to lose him. "I don't think I can live without you… He blinked painfully and replied softly, "We're gonna make it. It's gonna be okay…Don't worry, Esuria. I love you…" His sky-blue eyes closed slowly. I cried so much that streams of mud formed on my cheeks. looking at the rib bones jutting out of my father's sides, and I immediately decided to go the pack elders. I stomped wildly to their tree. It was a huge, hollow willow that they called home. "Why haven't we moved on yet?!" I cried madly as I intruded. "My father DIED. Died because we didn't have enough food and water! So many lupes have died because of this drought, yet we haven't budged an inch!" Tears streamed down my face freely now. The three elders that happened to be there at the moment stared at me blindly. "We don't know what you mean." "YES YOU DO!" I yelled. "Are you purposely killing off your own pack?!" Enflamed, I stomped out of the tree. I was leaving that night. I was going to find something better! And with only me, I wouldn't have a shortage of water and food…or so I hoped. Since I owned nothing personally, I ran off immediately. I ran and ran until my lungs ached as much as my quivering heart. It was there that I lay down and cried myself into a deep sleep. It was three days later when I completely woke up again. Starving, I dug up some roots from a common weed and chewed on them thoughtfully. What had I gotten myself into? Even if I wanted to, I couldn't return to my pack. They wouldn't accept me anymore, not after that outburst. For two years I wandered through the cold, dusty, ghostly forests. It seemed that I only ate dust and roots those days, and finding water was extremely rare. My throat was constantly dry, and my stomach always craving more. It felt as in my belly was caving inwards until it was squeezing the last of the life out of me. But despite that fact that I didn't care to live anymore, I never lost consciousness. Something in me stayed alive. Thinking back, I believe it was the image of my father telling me that everything was going to be okay…
 Statistics
Name: Esuria Nickname: Essie Age: For RP purposes, Two years Species: Lupe Brush: Brown Gender: Female Owner: aevin Pelt: Light brown Socks: Light tan Ears: Dark grey Eyes: Deep turquoise blue Muzzle: White Nose: Grey-pink Love: None Offspring: None
Adoptables
Trades: Always open unless stated otherwise! I love trades :) 2. No entering in the BC, AG, ect. 3. No altering! These are NOT makeables. 4. Not for use on other websites, keep on Neopets please. 5. Only take your own!     Link back?So you wanna link back? Sounds like fun! Here's my piece :) You can pick from the animated one, or the solid one.
  If you would like for Atlantistel to link back to you, send her a neomail :) 
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Have you ever felt so alone? Have you ever felt the stinging pain of losing a dear friend? Most lupes have not. Unfortunately, I was not one of those lupes—I felt the loss, the loneliness, and the terrible thumping of my breaking heart.