"Hmmm... perhaps it is time that I set out on my own adventure," he said to no one in particular. The darkness that had overtaken the land was becoming lighter since Jahbal's defeat; but still, the world was not as bright as it once was. It was still dangerous out there in the wild.

Walking back to his humble home, Jackal had gathered a few necessary supplies for his trip. He HAD to find his brother. Who knows what could have befallen him out there? His last known position had been far across the land, in the citadel of Kal Panning, where he had defeated Jahbal. For Jackal to get there, he would have to traverse deadly swamps, scorching deserts, dark caves, and dense forests... like his brother had.

Well, I won't get there any faster just thinking about it, he thought to himself, slugging the pack onto his back.

He set off west through the grasslands, with the still rising sun warming his back...

Jackal continued walking for a few more minutes before he became aware of his growling stomach. He stopped for a moment, to rest by a nearby boulder. He pulled his pack off his back, rummaging for a chocolate Chia, or two.

No, he thought as his mind drifted off to slumber, Kris would have gone much farther before he rested.

Kris had always been so much better than he was, always a level or two above Jackal, always a bit faster, stronger, more clever. Kris was always very athletic, and wanted to grow up to be a hero, and he did, and he did. But now, Jackal thought, it would be his chance to shine if he saved his brother.

Although it would be wonderful to have the glory for once, he only hoped his snowy brother was okay.

Realizing he had drifted in his thoughts too long, Jackal took one more bite out of his chocolate Chia, and got up. He had to go a little further, so he could stop at the foot of the Shroom Forest to sleep.

Walking on his pads and starting to feel sore, Jackal could barely see anymore, but he could tell he had arrived at his destination. He took a small flashlight out and looked around for the little cave he knew was nearby. Finally he spotted it.

He walked in, remembering how Kris had once brought him here to search for something that Illusen had requested.

He suddenly tripped. A loud shriek echoed off the walls, as he hurriedly switched his flashlight on to see what had just shrieked. The light came on to reveal...

"Please don't hurt me!" she shrieked, looking up into the light.

"I'm not going to hurt you miss," replied Jackal, trying to sound brave. "I'm just looking for my brother Kris. Have you seen him by any chance? He's a white Lupe."

The Cybunny's face looked blank. "A white Lupe? No, I haven't seen anybody."

"What are you doing in here anyway?" he asked. "This is no place for a little Cybunny like you."

Her face became anxious and she lowered her head. "I'm also looking for somebody. My brother Erick. He went missing just over a week ago. I'm really worried!"

"Why don't you come with me then?" asked Jackal. "It would be better to work as a team rather than work alone."

"Okay," replied the Cybunny. "By the way, my name is Eylora."

With that, the duo set off deeper into the cave, searching for their lost siblings. The flashlight's illumination made the journey through the cave somewhat easier, and less scarier. Suddenly though, the flashlight started to flicker.

"What's wrong with this thing?" yelled Jackal in confusion and worry.

He banged the flashlight a couple of times with his paw. That seemed to have done the trick, for a couple of minutes at least. However, it wasn't long before the flashling had finally given out, plunging them into an eerie darkness...

"Don't worry," said Eylora, "I'm a Cybunny- we can see in the dark because of all those carrots we eat! Now, grab my paw. Okay, follow me."

Stumbling along, Jackal followed the touch of Eylora's paw, listening to the drip-drip-drip of water somewhere and the scuffling of their movement. Suddenly, the Cybunny stopped, and Jackal walked into her.

"Oof!" Eylora exclaimed. "Hang on, Jackal... there's something funny here."

"What?!" he asked, straining his eyes, but still unable to see.

It's a set of doors... they look like they're made from some kind of metal. And there are signs on them, pictures of... pictures of treasure!"

"A treasure trove?"

"I'm going to try the door, wait right here!" Eylora said, leaving Jackal standing in the dark while she went to pull one of the giant door handles. As soon as she touched the metal, torches flared to life around them! Jackal gasped in surprise. In the flickering light of the flames, he could see they were in a small, round cavern, that ended with two enormous shiny doors, one of which Eylora was pulling on with all her might. The archway above the doors had a curious face carved on it, a mean-looking snake face.

"Let me help," he said, "we're a team, remember?"

Heaving with all their might, the two finally managed to pull back the door enough to pass. Slipping through, they gazed in wonder. The room beyond was so tall that they couldn't see the ceiling. Lit with a hundred torches flaring around the walls - and filled with piles and piles of gold!

"Treasure!" Eylora shrieked. She cautiously reached a paw out to touch some of the glittering gold, as if to see whether it was all really there, making sure that she wasn't imagining it all.

Staring at the treasure with wide eyes, Jackal thought there seemed something suspicious about it all. Why hadn't the doors been locked? What did that strange snake face mean?

Then he noticed two sets of footprints in the dust, passing between the piles of gold - a set of Lupe prints and a set of Cybunny prints. Jackal turned to look at his new friend.

"Eylora," he whispered (not knowing why he whispered), "I think our brothers were here."

However, Eylora didn't say anything, as she was staring over his shoulder with a terrified look on her face...

"Oooooooh... bewaaaaaare!" moaned the ghost.

As the ghost advanced towards them, Jackal felt a rush of adrenaline flow through his veins, and he knew that he had to take action. "Run, Eylora!" Jackal cried as he leapt upon the figure... only to be tackling an empty robe. Jackal looked down at the fabric curiously, trying to find whoever was speaking to them.

Just then, the robe slipped out from underneath Jackal and floated back into the air, along with the mask.

The eyes of the Aisha glowed brighter as it stared at the now quivering Lupe.

"Those who enter with greed in their soul,
shall live forever among the gold!"

Jackal wasn't sure why, but those words made him feel very uneasy.

"JACKAL!" the Lupe looked to find Eylora in a doorway at the other end of the cave. Dodging the ghost, Jackal bolted towards Eylora, and together they ran through the door. They weren't sure how long they ran, but soon their lungs were getting heavy and sore.

Resting in a new room, Jackal looked up to find that they had lost the ghost. "I..." he puffed, "I think we're safe."

"What did that ghost mean about, 'being among the gold?'" asked Eylora.

"How should I know?!?" cried Jackal. "I was too busy trying to..." Just then, Jackal noticed that the room was filled with golden statues of... other Neopets! "What is this place?" he asked.

Eylora looked around at the statues and wasn't sure what to think, until her eyes came across a Cybunny statue. "Oh no... Jackal, look!"

Jackal looked at the Cybunny statue Eylora was pointing to with a shaky paw. It had a rather scared look on its face, as if it were screaming. "Eylora, what's wrong?"

"That mark on the statue's paw!" Jackal saw that the leg had a mark on it that looked like a water lily. "Th-that's my brother's birthmark!" cried Eylora. "This is Erick!"....

"Erick..." she whispered, her voice trembling with anguish. Jackal said nothing, just stood, trying to absorb what was happening. He closed his eyes and told himself that he was not frightened, but his body disobeyed him and started shaking uncontrollably. Suddenly he pricked his ears.

"We're not alone." he said quietly, hackles rising.

Eylora wasn't listening. She reached forward with a trembling paw, biting her lip, to touch the statue. She gazed up into its souless, blank eyes, which only reflected light back into her blue orbs. She jumped as Jackal growled and leapt.

"Gotcha!" he shouted triumphantly. Whatever he had pounced on snapped and twisted beneath his paws.

"Let go!!" it shouted. "Get offa me!"

Jackal growled in reply. "Not a chance."

"Fine..." a purr floated up on the musty air. "We'll do this the hard way."

Jackal suddenly felt himself flying through the air, and crash to the ground. Eylora gasped, her paws flying to her mouth. Two wet rivers of tears had formed on her fur; tears for her brother, who still remained cold and dead, just a statue among many in that room.

Jumping to his feet, Jackal raised his hackles, fur bristling as he snarled, making himself look as terrifying as possible. With the partially black fur, the flame markings stretching up his legs, and half bathed in the flickering light of the crackling fire torches, he did indeed look quite frightening. But the opponent was not at all frightened.

"Dear, dear me, we are in a mood today. And an interesting one at that..." said the voice, which had taken on a soft, teasing side, making Jackal's and Eylora's blood run cold. There was something in that voice which made them feel uneasy... something not quite right about the calm attitude of the owner of the voice.

"Shut up." Jackal snarled. "Show us who you are. Or are you afraid?"

"Me?" the voice asked, "Afraid?" It laughed, the sound bouncing off the walls and filling Jackal and Eylora's ears. "Fine. I will show myself."

Out from the shadows stepped a red Wocky, with a sly smirk painted on his face. Around his neck was a golden medallion, and his scarlet eyes glittered with malice. Jackal relaxed slightly.

"Who are you?" Eylora asked, stepping up next to Jackal.

"My name..." the Wocky paused. "Your names first. And kindly tell me what you're doing here."

"I'm Jackal." Jackal said irritably. "I'm looking for my brother, Kris. He's a white Lupe."

"My name's Eylora. also looking for my brother, but..." Eylora faltered, tears welling up as she remembered Erick, frozen with the look of terror on his face, and how cold he had been when she touched him...

"You alright, bunny?" the Wocky asked, sitting.

"Fine." Eylora sniffed.

"Anyway, who are you and what are you doing here?" Jackal questioned, frowning. He didn't quite trust this Wocky.

"My name is Mytzu." the Wocky said, standing and walking towards the Lupe and the Cybunny. Jackal took a step back, eyes narrowed and upper lip drawn back a bit, just to show a little of his sharp, white teeth. Mytzu, unconcerned, carried on walking closer. "I'm here because I'm looking for a gemstone that was stolen from my family. It's been in the family for generations... eleven generations, in fact."

"That's very nice. Now, you go your way, and we'll go ours. No hassle." Jackal started to pass the Wocky, followed closely by Eylora. Mytzu stopped them.

"What do you want?" Eylora asked, frowning.

"No, I think it's more something you want. I know that your brothers were frozen into golden statues. I can help you change them back; I know where the staff is that will return them to normal. I only ask a small favour in return."

"What's that?" Jackal and Eylora said in unison, both watching Mytzu as he stood up, and began circling them, paws making no noise on the sandy floor. After a couple of complete circles, he seemed to have studied them enough, his mouth transformed into a devilish smirk, and he said:

"You understand that this staff is the only way to free all of these poor Neopets in here. I believe I am the only one who knows where it is, aside from those who want to use it for evil. You realise that without my help, your precious brothers will remain statues forever."

"We understand." Eylora said, her fluffy bob of a tail quivering excitedly. "Tell us your favour! We'll do anything!"

Jackal said nothing. He frowned, still unable to trust this wily Wocky. Something did not seem right. Mytzu was not telling them something, he knew it.

Mytzu's smirk became (if it was possible) even more devilish. "The favour is..."

Jackal started to snarl a suspicious reply, but Eylora spoke first with a burst of enthusiastic joy. "So all you want us to do is pull the lever?" she cried, almost bouncing where she stood. "Oh, I can see my brother already; I can almost hear his voice!"

"Wait," said Jackal, his eyes narrowed, his hackles raised in suspicion. "There's something about this favor that doesn't quite ring true. Why don't you pull the levers yourself, Wocky?"

"Ah," said Mytzu, his smirk turning slightly tragic, a note of flippant amusement in his voice. "There you have me. Only one of the levers will open the door -- the other two are instant death for any who touch them. I want the two of you to pull the levers before me, so that even if both of you choose the wrong one, I'll be able to pull the correct one without dying."

There was a silence as this soaked in, and suddenly Jackal burst out, "You're a COWARD, do you know that?" He started to rush at the Wocky, teeth bared in a snarl, but Eylora stepped in front of him, halting him in his tracks.

"I will pull the lever," she said clearly, her eyes still filled with joy. "On the condition that if I should meet my demise, one of you will open the chamber and free my brother and tell him of my fate."

"Eylora," said Jackal, suddenly filled with anguish, "You can't! You've got only a one in three chance that you'll live-- and we only have this coward's word that this will even free our brothers! The chamber might only hold his precious gemstone, not the staff we need at all!"

Eylora shook her head slowly, turning to face Jackal with a slow, sweet smile. "It's alright," she said softly. "I must trust him." Turning back to the Wocky, she lifted her chin, her long ears straightening proudly. "Please lead the way to the chamber, Mytzu."

Mytzu, who had stood watching all of this with the faintest hint of triumph on his face, bowed with a flourish, gesturing down a side corridor. "This way, noble lady. You may come as well if you wish, Lupe."

When they reached the end of the corridor and came to a dead end, Mytzu reached out a paw and tapped the stones in an intricate pattern. A crack in the wall appeared, traveling all the way around a rectangle of stone, which then opened to reveal a dark, musty passageway. The three travelers set down the path without hesitation, and soon arrived at a dimly torchlit space, with three levers on the opposite wall.

"Eylora, please," begged Jackal, trying to hold her back. "Don't do this. We'll find another way to free our brothers."

"Erick has already spent so much of his time frozen," said the Cybunny, her eyes on the levers. "I can't let him stay that way, just because I'm too scared to face the unknown." She paused long enough to turn around and smile at Jackal. "Our journey was fun, in a way, wasn't it? I'm glad I met you, or I'd never have gotten this far, and I never would've had the courage to save my brother. Goodbye, Jackal, and remember... free my brother if I perish."

The final word 'perish' fell in the cavern like a leaden weight, and she turned towards the levers with a strange, soft light in her eyes. Her smile was that of a child during the month of Celebration, innocent and joyful. She stood there a moment in the flickering torchlight, and then took one last, slow breath of musty air before reaching confidently towards the center lever...

Jackal held his breath, waiting for her to scream, to die, to do anything that signified she had pulled the wrong lever. However, nothing happened. Jackal sagged with relief. Against all the odds, Eylora had done it. She had pulled the right one.

The wall shivered, groaned, and began to crack. It splintered into large chunks with snapping sounds, and then the chunks folded back onto themselves, again and again, until the wall was no longer there. Mytzu appeared beside Jackal, grinning eagerly, and ran forward into the room. Jackal, mistrusting the greedy look in his eyes, followed him.

Mytzu knelt on the floor, stroking something in his paw. It was a golden amulet, with a ruby like a drop of blood in the center of it, glistening wetly. For a moment Jackal thought it was real.

Eylora bounded up and began searching the room, becoming more and more frantic as she failed to find the staff. Jackal strode up to Mytzu. "Where's the staff? Give it to us!" he demanded.

Mytzu gave a soft, purring laugh. "There is no staff, fool. Did you really think there was?" Jackal snarled and leapt on him, teeth bared. He was ready to rip the Wocky's throat out, but Mytzu rolled aside, chuckling, as he slid the amulet over his head.

Jackal was suddenly thrown backwards into the wall by an invisible fist. The fire Lupe lay stunned, even if only for a moment; then he was on his feet and growling. Eylora was backed into a corner, staring, but Mytzu had disappeared. There was nothing in the room besides the two Neopets. Where had he gone?

"Come out, coward!" Jackal bellowed. "Show us how to free our brothers!"

Mytzu's sarcastic laugh came again, from everywhere and nowhere. "Ah, but why would I want to do that, young hot-blood? You two will make such a beautiful addition to my statue collection."

There was a gust of air as something invisible passed Jackal. He swiped at it, but missed, and he felt Mytzu leave the room.

"He turned invisible," Eylora whispered, "that's impossible!"

"Not to him, it seems," Jackal replied dully, "that amulet--it helps him. And did you hear? His statue collection? Our brothers, and the other Neopets... he did that!"

They walked back into the room filled with golden Neopets, calling for Mytzu. But nothing answered except their echoes. In the room, they searched for Kris until they found him, backed into a corner.

There was a look of fear and anger upon his golden face; his teeth were bared. Jackal stared at him, grieving, until a thought hit him. How had Mytzu done this to the Neopets? The amulet! But who had taken it from him? "Those who enter with greed in their soul, shall live forever among the gold!" The ghost's riddle flashed into his mind. A little bit of poetry to frighten everyone away--or a warning against Mytzu? Had the ghost taken the amulet? The amulet, with the ruby that was so like a drop of blood... "Eylora!" Jackal called. "I think I know how to free our brothers!"

"How?" she gasped, running up.

"Just follow my lead," he told her, as they headed for the first chamber...

"Uhm, yes, we sure are," Eylora replied, uncertainly. She followed his lead, and played with the gold halfheartedly. What on earth is he doing? she wondered to herself.

Suddenly, the ghost reappeared. "THOSE WHO ENTER WITH GREED IN THEIR SOUL, SHALL LIVE FOREVER AMONG THE GOLD!" it boomed.

"Oh, really?" questioned Jackal, rolling in the piles again. The ghost wasn't near enough yet for him to put his plan into action.

The ghost moved quickly, very near to where Jackal was laying. He leapt upon the ghost, grasping the Aisha mask by the antenna in his teeth and twining his legs through the cloak. Together, they tumbled back to the floor, each indistinguishable from the other.

"OOF!" the ghost exclaimed as the Lupe landed on her. "Get off me, you big dustmop!"

Eylora ran over, and pulled the cloak back to reveal an Aisha lying under Jackal. "Jackal," she cried, "get off of her, you're crushing her!"

Jackal backed away slowly, still holding the mask in his jaws. "Dob't do adydig will bode wegwet!" he growled menacingly.

The Aisha and the Cybunny looked at each other, then at him. "What?" they asked in unison.

Jackal dropped the mask and placed his paw over it. "Sorry. I said, 'Don't do anything we'll both regret'. Who are you anyway?"

"I am Lareena, and I am the keeper of the gold. This responsibility has passed for generations through my family, and now it is mine. Unfortunately, a thief has come that had magic stronger than mine, and I am no longer able to protect the gold. He stole the blood amulet from me, and uses it for his own gains. Only those who enter with greed in their hearts are supposed to be turned into statues. This ring," she held up her paw to reveal a ring of enormous size and beauty, an orb filled with swirling light and color, "enables me to read the hearts of those who enter."

"Then why didn't you know that I was going to jump you as soon as you got close enough?" Jackal asked, suspiciously. After the incident with that Wocky, he wasn't about to trust anyone.

Lareena sighed. "Sadly, it only tells me if the one who enters is after the gold or if their heart is free from greed. And, since you didn't really mean to harm me, even if it was able to show more, it probably would not have warned me."

"Does the amulet have the power to change back the golden Neopet statues to their normal selves?" Eylora asked.

"Oh yes, absolutely!" Lareena responded. "But, I don't know how we'll ever get it back now! He will be ever more careful now."

Jackal trusted this Aisha; her story rang true. Slowly, a plan began to form in his mind to get the amulet back and put a stop to Mytzu's madness once and for all...

Lareena and Eylora came over to help Jackal move the golden figure onto a tall platform. Once it was there, standing tall and proud on the stand, they rested to catch their breath.

Eylora got up after a few minutes of rest. "Ok," she said, "I'm ready." She sighed, not as confident as she had been before when she had pulled the lever. "I'll go find him." So off Eylora went, two pairs of eager eyes watching her leave down the hall to find Mytzu.

Lareena slipped a robe onto the statue, then went and hid behind a treasure chest filled with rubies and emeralds of great value. Meanwhile, Jackal hid right behind the statue, waiting for his signal.

He didn't have to wait long, because Eylora came bursting back into the room. Mytzu was right behind her, screaming, "You have insulted me! Nobody calls me a fool and a coward!"

That's when a chilling voice rang out, loud and clear. "You lusted after that amulet. Now you will pay the price for your greed. Behold your fate!" the voice was haunting, and Mytzu's face turned pale as he looked and saw the statue clothed in silk and speaking (or so he thought) to him.

Mytzu started shaking violently, and Lareena and Eylora took advantage of it. Lareena pounced from her hiding place onto Mytzu while Eylora grabbed onto him from behind, locking his arms. Jackal leapt from behind the "talking statue", grinning at his success of fooling the Wocky. Joining the pile on the floor, Jackal grabbed the amulet from Mytzu.

"Got it!" he yelled joyfully, "Hold him down for me!" The two girls nodded while Jackal ran off to the room with the statues in it. He found the statue of Kris and stared for a moment, then put the amulet around his neck. The statue started turning back into a real pet... first his head, then shoulders and so on.

Jackal felt faint when he saw his brother standing there in front of him. "Where am I? What happened?" Kris asked.

Jackal shook his head. "No time to explain!" he declared, quickly hugging his confused brother, then running from statue to statue, turning them all real again. "Follow me, everyone!" he shouted, once all the pets were able to speak and walk again.

He ran into the hall where Eylora and Lareena were now waiting, and all the pets followed him. Mytzu was sitting there on the floor, tied up and grumbling to himself. He watched as he saw Jackal turn the Wocky statue into a real pet, and gasped when he saw the host of pets standing before him. "You will never defeat me! This treasure shall me MINE!" were his last words before leaping to his feet and rushing into the treasure room.

He kicked the door shut, and a locking sound was heard from inside. Jackal started after him, but Lareena stopped him. "No need. He is without the amulet now, and therefore much more vulnerable. I am not the only guardian of this treasure," she said, winking and nodding meaningfully at the carving of a large snake over the door. Jackal and Eylora shared her mischievious grin before running to unite with their brothers once again.

There were hugs and shouts of joy. Eylora found Erick; Jackal found Kris again. Eylora glanced at Jackal, with tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she said, walking to Jackal and hugging him tightly. "Thank you very much." Jackal didn't reply; there were also tears streaming down his face.

After a fond farewell to the helpful Aisha guardian, they began their journey home, enjoying and appreciating the presence of their sibling more than ever after the thought of losing them.

In the years to come, Jackal and Eylora would pass down the legend of their adventure, calling this particular story Of Amulets and Golden Statues. Nobody will ever forget their quest, and how two ordinary pets became heroes for the love of their family. Their tale will be told for years upon years, and be remembered forever.

The End