Big Dippaw and Little Dippaw were starry Lupes. They were also father and son.
Every day, Big Dippaw would take out his son and teach him stuff about Neopia.
The trees, the plants, hunting, everything he knew he passed onto his son. His
son was a bright little pup, eager to learn more about the world around him.
The Dippaws lived in a cozy little corner of Lupe Forest, where they lived without
a care. And just yesterday, they had quite an unusual adventure…
Lunchtime in Lupe Forest…
Big Dippaw shushed his son, Little Dippaw, with a star-covered paw. "All righty
now son, listen up. Ya see that ridiculous blue Chia with the glasses? He's
Al."
Al was quietly sitting on a stump, eating a sandwich with his Cobrall, Fluffy,
who was listening to a Jazzmosis CD, his personal favourite.
Little Dippaw nodded, looking up at his father. "Yeah. What about 'im, pops?"
"Well, today I've decided to wean ya off stalking Chia plushies. For now,
I'd like ya to attack this Chia"
Little's eyes widened with surprise and glee. "Really pops? That is SOOOO
COOL!!"
Big D. chuckled, patting his son on the head. "All right. Before I let ya
attack IM, I'll show ya the proper way of how it's done. Got it?"
"Got it pops! I'm so excited! This is SOOO COOL!!"
Little D. sat down on a rock, eagerly watching as his father stalked out of
the cover of the bushes. Suddenly, a little butterfly landed on his tiny nose.
Little Dippaw smiled. The Butterfly flapped its wings a couple times before
taking off, with Little Dippaw following close behind…
A short time later...
Big Dippaw carried Al by the hem of his lab coat back into the hidden area
a while later.
"All right son! I got him ready for ya! Come on over and make me proud!" He
was greeted with silence. Dippaw frowned. "Uh… son?" He dropped Al onto his
head with a coconut-like crash. "Son? Where'd ya go?" He pushed aside some bushes,
beginning to worry. "Gosh, your mother's going to kill me if I can't find ya…
Where are ya boy?"
Al got up and brushed himself off.
Soon, Dippaw was collapsed onto the very stone his son was sitting on, nibbling
his paws with worry. "Where is that little menace? Gosh darn it, I bet he's
off chasing dem skeeters again…"
Al walked over, fixing his glasses. "Pardon me sir, I couldn't help but notice
your predicament…"
Dippaw sighed. "Aw, he probably wandered off while I was pouncing on ya, Al."
Al reached into his pocket, pulling out a notepad. "Could you please tell
me what he looked like? Maybe I can help you find him."
Dippaw looked up. "Well, he was yay high, fifty pounds, starry, and has the
same dashing looks as his father."
Al scribbled a rough sketch into his book and turned it around. "Like this?"
"Ya, that's about right." Al put the notebook away and nodded. "I'll help
ya… I mean you… find him, just as long as you don't eat me. Deal?"
"Deal."
A remote corner of Lupe Forest…
Little Dippaw giggled as the butterfly landed on his nose again. "This is
soooo cool…" he observed. With a gentle flutter, the butterfly took off.
"Bye bye!" Yelled Little Dippaw, waving with a starry paw. He turned around
to find nothing but a long row of identical trees behind him.
"Uh… Pops?" He was completely lost, and it was getting darker. Suddenly, a
dark figure emerged from behind a large tree. Little Dippaw let out a shriek
before a black gloved paw fell over his mouth and another paw dragged him away…
Back at Al…
"Behold!" Al reached into his backpack and pulled out three vicious-looking
plants. "These are my Bad Seeds!! Not only are they attractive additions to
any NeoHome garden, they can hunt down anything I ask them to!! Isn't that right,
my precious little cupcakes?" Fluffy sighed as Al began doting over his plants
like an old Chia with her favourite PetPet. As he turned his head from Al in
disgust, he noticed a trail of pawprints heading off into a bush. Looking up
at Al making little kissing noises, Fluffy decided to follow it on his own,
slithering along the trail as Al set the Bad Seeds down onto the ground. "All
right, my preciousssss.... Erm, favourite plants." He pulled out the drawing
of Little Dippaw. "You see this Lupe pup? I want you to sniff all over this
forest until you can find them, got it?" The Bad Seeds nodded and yipped. Al
smiled. "Aww, you're so cute. Anyway, the first Bad Seed to bring him back gets
a delicious treat! Now GO!!"
The Bad Seeds shot off like bullets, deep into the forest.
Al chuckled. "That pup will be found in no time, right Fluffy?… uh… Fluffy?…"
Al looked around, confused. "Where'd you go?…"
A secretly hidden base…
"This is SOOOO COOL!! I've been kidnapped by a Lawn Gnome!!" Little Dippaw
yelled.
The dark figure scowled. "You insolent little crunchy snotball... I'm Creeper
the Thief! The greatest, biggest menace to society in Neopia! So don't you forget
it!"
Little Dippaw was bundled up and perched in a chair in the corner. He paused
and squinted down at Creeper for a second longer.
"Did you say you were the biggest? Gee, you must have to be pretty short to
be a thief. Are you sure you're not a Lawn Gnome?"
"Uh…" Creeper stammered.
It wasn't difficult to say he was pretty short for an Aisha. Creeper stuffed
a sock into the pup's mouth. "This should shut you up."
"HEE!! Hwy hid who hick ha hock hin hy houth? Hit tmhells Hummy!!" Little
Dippaw inquired.
Creeper shook his head. "It's no use. I'd better find this little loudmouth's
dad and get my ransom before he drives me nuts."
He leaped out the door, Little Dippaw watching him go with wide-eyed wonder.
"THITH ITH HOOO HOOL!!" He yelled over the sock…
Back with Al…
Al sat down on his portable lawn chair, sipping on a Neocola. Suddenly, he
heard a yipping, followed by the sound of something approaching. "Ah!" Al jumped
off the chair. "I knew my little flowers could hunt down anything! Bring it
to papa!!"
A short time later, the three Bad Seeds burst through a bush, one carrying
a very mangled MailChia, the second a fresh copy of The Neopian Times, and the
third a bone of unidentified origin. Al drooped.
"What?" The seeds dropped the beaten MailChia onto the ground with a thud,
grinning up at Al like Puppyblews who just fetched a ball. The MailChia moaned,
rubbing his head. "Excuse me, Al the Chia, correct? I have a message from the
postal service. They said if you can't tame your garden, they'll stop delivering
your mail."
Al sighed, throwing a Meerca Plushie onto the ground for the plants to munch
on. "I guess you can't teach an old plant new tricks."
To be continued... | 
