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We were all abandoned. I was originally named Tif495, but somehow MiracleStar
managed to change our names. I think she either snuck into the records office
of Neopia one night and changed the records herself, or bribed someone to do
it for her. Either way, I'm sure whatever she did it was 100% illegal. MiracleStar
is not a role-model for anyone, not in the least. But she's our owner, and we'll
follow her no matter what.
I sat alone, the Dr_Death knew better than to put someone
in with me. I had a short temper, and the incessant crying of the other pets
annoyed me to no end. But one day someone abandoned a Pteri, and they just couldn't
find room for it.
"Here you are," Dr_Death muttered, shoving the
sniveling green bird into the cage with me.
I bared my teeth at him in response.
"Try to be nice Tif," the Techo scolded. "It's
only temporary, I promise."
And the Techo walked away. The Pteri stood uncertainly
near the edge of the cage, still crying.
"Cut that out!" I snapped.
"But, but…" he wailed.
"I know, but my owner abandoned me, yada yada
yada," I said in scorn. "I've heard it all before. Forget about the humans,
they're all worthless. You're on your own now."
The Pteri stared at me in shock, and retreated
to the opposite side of the cage as me, trying to contain his crying. I sniffed
in disgust and curled up in my corner, wrapping my tail around me and glaring
out of the cage with glittering eyes. I was a blue Zafara, one no one ever wanted.
They could tell I was nothing but trouble. I heard footsteps, and the patter
of hooves. Another human, another adoptee blubbering out of gratefulness to
have a home again. I watched the girl walk by. She was skinny, but carried herself
with such grace and confidence I couldn't help but be impressed. I stood and
walked closer to the cage door, the Pteri hastily moving out of my way.
"I need four pets," the girl was saying.
"Four! How wonderful!" the Uni said enthusiastically.
"How about this one?"
The girl looked at the green Gelert indicated,
leaping and slobbering in excitement. She shook her head and moved on to the
next cage. It was a red Acara, like me, silent and moody. He'd been in there
longer then I had, and was known for his violent outbursts and dark demeanour.
I'd never heard him talk.
"What's this one's name?" the girl asked.
"Oh, that's starbubble239," she said.
The Acara sneered in disgust at the mention of
his name.
"I'll take him," she said, deftly opening the
cage before the startled Uni could say anything. She lifted him out and held
him up, looking at him. The Acara was startled, and I watched with amusement.
"Any moment star's gonna attack her," I whispered
to the Pteri. "He's got a sore streak a mile wide."
But to my amazement, he didn't. The girl whispered
something in his ear and set him down. She continued walking down the corridor,
the red Uni gaping at her. But she quickly recovered and followed her, hopefully
pointing out potential adoptees. The two soon disappeared from sight. I sighed
and lay back down.
"Think she'll adopt me?" the Pteri asked hopefully.
"No," I replied.
"But she took starbubble-whatever!"
"She took the surly pet. She took one who knows
how to be self-dependent, not one who clings to an owner like glue," I retorted
sharply.
"You're just jealous!" he snarled.
I ignored the Pteri and went to sleep. After
a while I heard footsteps again. I yawned and stood, looking curiously out.
The girl was back, starbubble still following her, along with a red Kyrii and
a yellow Aisha now. The Kyrii seemed nervous and jittery, but I recognised it
as someone with too much energy who had to have an outlet somewhere. The Aisha
surprised me. So far it seemed the human had chosen pets that were tough and
self-reliant, but this one seemed downright timid. I sneered at her, and was
surprised at the flash of anger I saw in the Aisha's eyes. Maybe she wasn't
as weak as I'd thought. The human seemed to be taking her sweet time at choosing
the next pet, and I sat up straighter as she neared my cage.
"I knew it!" the Pteri hissed. "You want to
be adopted just like the rest of us. You may act so tough, but in reality you're
just a cry-baby wanting a home!"
That was too much for me. I spun around the struck
the Pteri, sending him crashing to one side of the cage.
"I need no one!" I shouted at him defiantly,
then turned in shock as I heard the cage door open. I squeaked in protest as
the girl lifted me out of the cage, holding me at eye level.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Tif495," I said, squirming, trying to get out
of her grasp.
She leaned forward to whisper in my ear.
"I can make you greater than you imagine, if
you give me a chance," she said. "I only ask for your loyalty."
It was then that I saw the starburst necklace
she wore, and there was something about it, something that spoke of power, and
a potential for something greater than this stinking pound. I slowly nodded.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am MiracleStar."
She brought the four of us to a small NeoHome
in Neopia Central. It was only three rooms, but it was more then most newbies
had.
"I'm not really a newbie," she explained, seeing
our surprise.
She led us inside to a modestly furnished living
room. I leaped onto the couch and the other three followed me. MiracleStar took
a seat opposite us.
"First thing you need to know is that I'm a
thief," she said coolly. "Not because I want to be rich or because I have no
other choice, but because I chose so. I live how I wish. You are my pets now,
and we shall be a team. If you don't want this, I suggest you leave now."
None of us moved.
"Good then. First, names. We, as a group, shall
be the Dragon Thieves. Individually, well, I am MiracleStar, and you four shall
also have new names. Don't protest, I don't like the ones you have now. I'll
fix it up so it's official, don't worry."
She got up and left the room, and returned carrying
four paint brushes. I gasped in awe as I saw them. They were like normal paint
brushes, except each had dragon wings. She walked over and knelt in front of
the Kyrii. He stared in suspicion at the brush, his fidgeting gone now.
"You shall be Taffin StarJumper," she declared,
and brushed the paint brush down his back. His fur deepened to black, and harmless
flames erupted from his back. But that was not all. Two dragon wings appeared
on his back, black with flame patterns. He gasped in awe and flapped them a
couple times.
"You can also use a ability no other can," MiracleStar
said softly.
Taffin nodded and closed his eyes, than vanished.
The three of us pets gasped in shock. "Hey, it's okay!" a voice said from behind
us. I leaped up and gazed down on the other side of the couch. Taffin stood
there, grinning in delight. Then he vanished again, and reappeared on the couch
again. MiracleStar smiled and moved on to the Acara.
"Jaix NightStalker," she declared, painting
him with the second fire paint brush.
The Acara gazed at his fur in amazement, flapped
his wings, then looked back up to MiracleStar.
"What can I do?" he asked.
"What do you think?" she asked.
He was silent for a long moment, then turned
to Taffin and gave him a wicked grin.
"You may be able to teleport bro, but I could
still kick you from one side of the Battledome to the other."
The Kyrii sneered at him in return, then burst
out laughing.
"You do that!" Taffin said with a chuckle. "Since
you're so tough now, I'll simply teleport out of the way and let you do all
the fighting."
MiracleStar nodded and turned to the Aisha.
"Skyil SecretJewel," she declared, painting
her desert.
The Aisha leaped to her feet, twisting her head
to admire her new look. She flared her wings in speculation, light brown ones
matching her fur, but the wings of a dragon.
"So what's my ability?" she asked, then shook
her head, "I know, don't tell me MiracleStar! I'm a mind-reader now, but how
come I can't tell what you four are thinking?"
"Because I didn't want you to, a little condition
worked in there to keep the family's thoughts private," the girl muttered, turning
to me. "You've got to be sneaky Skyil, and smart. Your ability's gonna take
a good deal of manipulation. Now, for the last brush…"
I gazed at the starry paint brush in her hand,
once again feeling the sense of power and destiny.
"Everything will change, won't it?" I whispered,
so that only she heard.
"Everything," she whispered in return. "You
shall be Nianso DreamWish."
And she brushed the paint brush down my back.
I shuddered, feeling something powerful sink into my bones, remaking my fur,
and something deeper, changing the very core of what I am. I sat up and stared
fiercely around me, feeling the power burning in my chest, filling my bones.
I flared my wings, the deep blue and gold stars gleaming.
"So what's your ability?" MiracleStar asked,
"I don't know," I reluctantly confessed. "It's
very powerful, I know that much…"
MiracleStar sighed noisily.
"He didn't tell me what that one did," she murmured,
so softly I knew I heard only by sheer luck.
"So what do we do now?" Taffin asked, his restless
fidgeting back.
She was silent for a moment.
"I train you as thieves. Then, we make our first
attempt."
The End | 
