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Flueriel was resting her depressed head on her paws, thinking
about her old life. Everything kept changing. It was like a roller coaster in
the Deserted Fairground, and she wanted to get off. She wanted Devil_the_Wolf_2
back. She wanted Jessica and Scott and Grar the Puppyblew. She wanted Annalisaca
the most of all, to hug and whisper that she was sorry for letting them be separated.
She was sure Anna had been adopted.
Every time a potential owner walked past, she
barely lifted her eyes from the Neopian Times shreds that lined the cages. It's
true that the humans did take an extra long look at her, but she growled or
even snapped at them if they reached a hand to pat her, something she would
never have done in the past. All she wanted was her old family back, she'd lost
her brother Devil_the_Wolf_2, and then more recently her baby sister Annalisaca.
Gelerts are very loyal to their family and it hurt her deeply to think they
could be unhappy. If only she could see them one last time.
"I told you that you would be separated," Regorey
said bluntly. He was the Eyrie who now shared Flueriel's cell, in replacement
of her sister.
Flueriel ignored him, tears burning her eyes.
How could he understand? He didn't care about anybody. He didn't even care about
himself enough, the red feathers that had fallen out of his uncared for coat
were enough proof of that.
"Do you, want to talk about it?" he asked awkwardly.
The blue Gelert looked at him, tears shining
in her eyes. "I've lost everything," she whispered. And it was true.
She was just drifting off to sleep when she
heard human voices. Slowly the footsteps came to her cage, she opened an eye
and saw a young girl looking at her.
"This one's okay," Heidi announced to Dr. Death.
She had long black hair and dark clothing, but she didn't look too unapproachable.
"I was kind of hoping for a Gelert." Flueriel's extra long ears perked up half-heartedly,
knowing that they were talking about her, but she didn't leave the straw she
was lying on. Instead, she read the Neopian Times shreds, trying to piece together
an article. Anything to stop her making false hopes again. All she could decipher
was "Chet Flash w--" and "Lab map prices soar."
"Do you want to come with me?" Heidi offered,
looking at Flueriel.
The Gelert kept her eyes down, willing the girl
to just go away. After a while, her eyes flickered up and the girl was still
standing there.
Regorey nudged her with a red wing, "I think
she's asking you."
Flueriel stayed still, not sure if she should
accept this generous offer or growl and return to sleeping. She took a better
look at the girl.
"Come on, before we're old!" she said. She sounded
so much like Jessica, her old owner that for a second Flueriel thought she was
still in the old house with Annalisaca by her side, getting ready to go shopping.
Should she go? She could stay here, knowing
she would never be truly happy, or leave with the knowledge that her dreams
could so easily be dashed into pieces, like they had been so many times before.
She decided it was her time. The cage clicked
open and the blue Gelert padded over to her new owner.
"Goodbye," Regorey said sullenly, avoiding her
eye.
"Oh, don't be like that," Heidi said. "Umm.
Do you want to come too?"
Flueriel looked at her new owner. She knew that
Regorey could never replace Annalisaca or Devil, but with surprise she realised
that she wanted him to be her brother.
* * * * *
Annalisaca was the only one left in the Pound.
She made friends there easily, her energy and bubbly personality winning over
even the most antisocial pets. But her cuteness didn't seem to win over the
potential owners that came looking for a more sensible pet, and gradually she
became very unhappy. Footsteps were seldom heard at the part of the Pound that
Anna had been moved to.
Owners were looking for a battler, somebody
strong. Or a beauty contestant, somebody beautiful, and Anna certainly didn't
look as pretty when she was going for weeks, even months without a bath or brushing.
She didn't fully understand it yet, but she
knew the Pound was a place she did not want to stay for very long. She felt
she wasn't wanted, and it seemed she was Dr. Death's least favorite pet. He
took great pleasure in insulting Anna whenever he could. She would hug her orange
fuzzle tightly as she closed her eyes and blocked the words out, imagining she
was with her Lupe brother and Gelert sister again. Her unnamed fuzzle was her
only family now, the one that Flueriel had given her. She guarded it with her
life.
Gimpimloo was the green Skeith that shared Anna's
cell. He was funny, but Anna decided that being in the Pound for almost his
entire life had made him a bit strange.
"When I am adopted, I'm going to eat broccoli
every meal," he declared, with that strange expression on his face. He had never
tasted broccoli, but he heard it was delicious and first thing he would accomplish
out of the Pound was to eat it.
"I've never tasted it," Anna said honestly.
Gimpimloo looked serious, "Oh, you're missing
out on a lot. It tastes like chocolate candy Juppies. It tastes like rainbow
honey Chia pops!"
Anna giggled at her friend.
Gimpimloo was adopted eventually, but Anna wasn't
resentful. She was just happy for him, hoping that he was enjoying his broccoli.
One fateful day the yellow Techo came to feed
her and humiliate her some more. He noticed she had not touched her food from
the day before.
"You better eat something, Fluff Ball, or there'll
be nothing for anybody to adopt," he said, glaring at her. "Not that you make
them want to, dribbling over that disgusting toy," he added, noticing the orange
fuzzle that she was cradling. He went to grab it.
"NO!" she shrieked, her eyes flashing open.
She held onto it desperately with all her strength, scared that if her last
friend was taken from her she would have nothing left.
"Yes," he said, finally ripping it from her
grasp. She started sobbing into the corner of her cage. The Techo looked at
her, repulses as she sniffed loudly and tears streaked down her yellow Jubjub
body, making a small puddle on the prison floor. Why did this always happen?
Why did she always lose everything that she loved? Dr. Death exited the cage,
bumping into a girl with an Usul by her side.
The black haired human was frowning. "She's
only a baby, let her have her toy."
"It's unhygienic and stopping her from getting
an owner," he retorted, starting to leave.
"Oh yeah?" she said with a smile, "well it just
happens I'm going to adopt this Jubjub here."
Anna cocked her head to the side, peering at
the girl and Usul who both looked very familiar. The girl had short black hair
with blond streaks and a nose ring. Anna screwed up her face trying to remember
where she had seen them. It seemed she had been in the Pound her whole life.
"I wemember you. You gave me Neopoints dat day
at da Money Twee!" Anna exclaimed. She grinned happily.
The girl laughed, "Yeah, I remember you. You
were the Jubjub that was studying everybody so curiously. Well, my name's Joey.
Umm... listen, do you like it here?" That question wasn't as stupid as it seemed,
because Anna was grinning like she had just won the neolottery. "Not weally."
"Okay, how about you come with us?" the skunk
Usul stepped in. Doctor Death grinned himself, now that Neopoints would be involved.
The door was unlocked, and Anna emerged. She
looked over to the Techo holding her fuzzle.
"Excuse me can I pwease have my fuzzle?" she
asked sweetly. She could almost reach out and grab her toy.
He glared at her, "No!" Anna's heart sunk, and
she felt as if she would start crying then and there. Then he looked over to
the frowning girl, ready to hand over the Neopoints for Anna. "However... I
would be happy to sell it back to you."
So the girl and her two pets left the pound,
one of them gripping a 2000 NP orange fuzzle and knowing that she would never
return there.
THE END
Note: Yes, I adopted Annalisaca and completely made up her past.
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