| Jay took a deep breath, balling his hands into fists. He hoped this would work. He knew Donny was the best Pet for what he had in mind, even though this wasn't exactly a toy he was asking him to fix...
The little Draik knew that there were other options, but he was too poor to buy a Draik Morphing Potion, and he didn't want to turn into any other species. But he wanted to fly.
Ever since he'd hatched, and his mother had shown grief at the tiny nubs on his back that were there instead of wings. He'd felt hopelessly cut off from the rest of his family. They were always kind and supportive, and had made so many adjustments for him--he knew that if it weren't for him, they'd still live in a cosy treetop somewhere.
He was sick of walking. He wanted to soar, to glide, to fly loop-the-loops with his friends instead of watching from the ground. He'd heard of Donny's prowess at fixing things, and figured he might know how to fix his wings.
He pushed open the door to the tiny repair shop and walked up to the counter... |
Author: t0tor0
Date: Jun 30th
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Behind the counter, a Red Bori peeked up from the equipment he was repairing.
"Ah, hi there," said Donny in his raspy but friendly tone, laying down his wrench. "What can I do for you today?"
Jay swallowed hard, starting to lose his nerve. The words felt stuck in his throat. Finally, he managed to squeak "I… I was wondering if you could fix my wings?"
Donny's face softened. He'd had a lot of Neopets come through his shop in the time he'd been running it, with damaged toys or the occasional malfunctioning Petpet, but few whose voices held such desperation.
"Your wings, huh?" Donny ventured gently, walking around the counter to get a closer look. "Can I see what we're working with here?"
Jay turned around, exposing the small wing buds on his back. They were covered with beautiful scales that fit in exactly with the rest of him, but they were clearly far too small and malformed to ever be able to fly.
Donny examined them carefully. "Well now," he said, "this is a far cry from what I'm used to. But..." He thought for a long moment, stroking his chin. "I believe I have an idea…"
| Author: barrelchic22
Date: Jul 2nd |
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"...just follow me."
Donny motioned to the back of the store where he kept his trinkets and his gizmos. Jay followed Donny into the dimly lit storeroom while his eyes took a moment to adjust. There were so many different things to focus on that Jay didn't know where to look first. One pile held gears of all shapes and sizes, one held trinkets of various origins, and another was stacked with broken weapons from a multitude of Pets around Neopia. The list went on.
"Are you sure there's something in here for me?" Jay asked hesitantly.
"Just give me a minute," Donny said as he disappeared behind a stack. "I'm sure it's in here somewhere."
As Donny rummaged through items Jay could only dream of, he began to wonder what it would be like to finally fly. It was as if his life-long wish was actually coming true. Jay was snapped back to reality from his daydreaming by the sound of Donny's grumbling as he reappeared from behind one of the item piles.
"Ah. Here we are..." Donny said.
| Author: metakitsune
Date: Jul 3rd |
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...He held out an ancient looking carved wooden staff with a dusty purple gem at the top. Upon closer inspection Jay could see notches and imperfections on the staff that suggested it had once been damaged.
"Go on," Donny said. "Take it."
Jay reached out and took the staff in his hand and felt a surge of electricity rush through his body. The hairs on his head, which usually flopped into perfect curls stood straight up. And for the briefest of moments he felt the wings on his back twinge, as though they were trying to reach forth and take flight. But as quickly as he felt it, the feeling passed. Quickly enough that he might have thought he imagined it, but the gem was emitting a soft glow, so it must have been real.
"Whoa," Jay said.
"Impressive, isn't it?" said Donny, nodding knowingly. "An old friend brought it to me for repairs years ago."
"This can fix my wings?" Jay asked, full of hope for the first time in his life.
"Not yet," Donny said. "The magic was weakened when it broke, and I am but a simply toy-smith. Magic restoration is beyond my abilities. But I do know someone who can help..."
| Author: beagums
Date: Jul 4th |
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..."Rasala the Bright."
The little Draik's eyes widened. "Rasala, leader of the Order of the Red Erisim?"
Donny nodded. "Aye. She should definitely know a thing or two about the crystals in the Terror Mountain Bori caves." He tapped the purple gem crowning the staff.
"Oh wow! How did you get to know her?"
"She's... actually my second cousin," the repair-Pet admitted sheepishly. "But she's always down the slope in Tyrannia, with the Order, battling for the Obelisk. And... well, I don't like leaving my shop, let alone going to a battlefield." He smiled down at Jay. "It's on you now, laddie."
Jay gave a firm nod and hugged the Bori. "Thank you so much Donny!"
Donny chuckled. "Well, you can thank me later by showing me your flying ability, when you finally get it."
"I most certainly will!" Jay exclaimed before he left the repair shop, en route to the Obelisk...
| Author: rielcz
Date: Jul 7th |
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Battleground. Yeesh. Jay knew a skirmish broke out here every couple of weeks... but thankfully, he arrived at the Order during a rare moment of truce.
He approached the towering oak doors, above which the words Order of the Red Erisim was painted in shimmering gold.
"Who *mumble mumble* goes there?" came a half-mumbled voice from the Tonu mage standing guard. It was Belisarius, his beard as unruly as ever.
"H-hello, Sir. I’m here to see Rasala the Bright, please?" Jay asked, trying to sound braver than he felt.
Belisarius blinked slowly. "And for what reason is that?"
Jay turned slightly, showing the mage the small, nubs on his back.
Belisarius let out a low murmur of sympathy.
"I’m here to get this staff fixed. I was sent by her cousin Donny--"
Before he could finish, the massive oak doors burst open in a rush of golden light.
A voice rang out from within. "Did someone say Donny??"
| Author: eyeliner01
Date: Jul 8th |
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It was a Pink Bori with red hair and mischievous eyes. She wore robes of an endlessly deep maroon with a pointed hat to match. It was Rasala the Bright, no doubt. She gave off an effervescent sparkle, as if her magic was too strong to be contained within the confines of her body.
“Donny?” Rasala repeated, looking around the room. “Did I hear that wrong? Is my cousin not here for a visit?” Her shoulders slumped in disappointment as her eyes slid to the Baby Draik beneath her line of vision.
“Oh. Who are you? Are you here with a message from Donny? He’s my favourite cousin, you know,” she said with a wink.
Jay was so awestruck by the Bori’s aura and whimsy that he forgot to speak or even respond.
“Come now, we can chat in my office,” Rasala said with a smile, ushering the Draik back through the oak doors from whence she had emerged.
“Th-Thank you for seeing me, Ms. Rasala,” Jay said, taking a seat that was too tall for him, leaving his little legs swinging beneath him.
“A friend of Donny’s is a friend of mine,” she responded with a wink. “What brings you here?”
“My wings… They never formed right and… and Donny gave me this staff. He said it could be the answer to fixing them, but… Its magic needs to be restored,” the Baby Draik explained in a babble.
“Oh my,” Rasala exclaimed, taking the staff and turning it over in her clawed hands. “It’s…”
| Author: i_lovee_icecream
Date: Jul 9th |
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“… not actually broken,” she said with a knowing smile, as the gem glinted in the light of her enchanted candles that lined the walls. “Sometimes magic is imperfect, just like this staff. Flawed, but still powerful.”
Jay blinked. “Then why didn’t it work?”
Rasala’s eyes sparkled as she leaned forward. “Because you didn’t ask it properly. Magic doesn’t always respond to commands or fleeting thoughts. It responds to deep desires. You must wish for it with everything you are.”
Jay thought back to the brief twinge on his back and the glow from the gem.
“But,” Rasala added, tone lowering. “magic sometimes demands a cost. If you’re willing to risk it.”
The Draik swallowed hard but nodded. “I want to fly.”
Rasala studied him for a moment, then gently handed the staff back. “Then ask for it.”
Clutching the staff in both hands, Jay closed his eyes and focused on the ache that had always lived inside of him. The yearning, the need in his heart to have wings.
The staff pulsed. His back tingled.
A light burst out around him, blinding and violet...
How will this story end?
| Author: treeword
Date: Jul 10th |
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After several moments, the light disappeared. Jay opened his eyes, but he was shocked by what he saw - he wasn't where he had been just a moment ago, with Rasala. He looked around, trying to locate anything that could give him a clue as to where he was, but nothing looked familiar. Clutching the staff, Rasala's warning echoed in his mind: "magic sometimes demands a cost."
Fear gripped the young Draik. Could this be the price? He had wings, but he knew not where he was, nor how to get back to his family. He flew up and looked around, but nothing looked familiar. He landed, and, as the realization he may never see his family again set in, he wept.
"No, no, no!" he cried. "I just wanted wings so I could fly with my family and friends - I didn't want to never see them again, stupid staff!"
Suddenly, he was shaken, and he looked up and blinked through his tears. It took a moment, but things came in to focus, and his mother stood over him.
"Wake up, honey," she said. "Looks like you were having a bad dream!"
Exasperated, he threw his arms around his mother, sobbing, and she held him. When he finally settled down, she asked what his dream was about, and he explained the whole thing from Donny and Rasala, to the staff, and how he got his wings but it cost him everything he cared for and loved.
"I'll never want wings if it costs me my family and friends," he finished. Just then, he noticed his mother's smile.
"Oh, sweetie, that was an awful dream! You're home, safe and sound!" She put an arm on him reassuringly, and looked at him. "I do have to tell you something, though. You just had a minor accident a few days ago, and have been out of it for a while now. You injured your wings, but you're going to be just fine, and flying around again in no time!"
She held a mirror up so he could see himself and his wings. Sure enough, he had wings, and they were bandaged up. Had that whole thing just been a dream? Or perhaps the staff had done something and altered his life in some way? Well, that's for a future story ...
The End.
| Author: douglas2085
Date: Jul 11th |
