Night in Neopia's Woods

by Pooh Bear

Jade, the blue Cybunny lay in the sun. "Oh, it's great to have a rich owner!" she stretched out in the warm October sun. She was on the Mystery Island right now, basking in the glow of the sun, while her owner was at the cooking pot, trying to get rare items for her successful shop back in Neopia Central.

"Ooh! Look it mommy! It's Jade, the Cybunny!" a young Shoyru tugged at his owner's shorts. Jade was spoiled, as you've already probably figured out, and her owner had entered her in the beauty contest with an original gown, and guess what? She won. This is why she was well known.

"Can I have your pawtograph?!" the excited Shoyru asked excitedly.

"Sure kid!" Jade said lazily, holding out her paw for the poster that the Shoyru held in her hand.

"Well! I'm heading to the Trading Post. I have some business to take care of! Do you mind staying here with Miss Cybunny?" her owner asked.

"No I don't!" the Shoyru said, her eyes darted to Jade. "Is it OK, with you?" Jade waved her paw, and continued reading her magazine after she handed the poster back to the Shoyru.

"Oh good!" the Shoyru said. After the her owner had gone the Shoyru held out her paw, " Hi! My name's Hogger! How are you" the Shoyru said. Jade whipped down her magazine.

"WHO HAS THE NAME HOGGER?" she asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust. " I do!" Hogger the Shoyru said quietly.

"WHO WOULD NAME THEIR PET THAT?" Jade asked nosily.

"When I was created, I was unwanted, because all the owner wanted was money. I was abused and was never fed. In fact, my sister's name was Jade!" Hogger said thoughtfully. "Jade was wanted though, and got all the chocolate that the Bunny gave to us on Bunny Day. Jade was first to be disowned, as our old owner couldn't afford her anymore. I was kept because the owner didn't have enough money," tears came to Hogger's eyes. "In fact, he only kept me because he wanted me to starve, he didn't care about me, he loved Jade NOT ME!" Hogger was now on her knees and she banged her fist on Jade's lounge. "I ran away after that. My owner didn't even care, he just went and got another pet for money, while I froze. The pound rounded me up though, then I was adopted by my owner, Asheea," Hogger stopped crying and smiled. "That was the happiest day of my life!"

Jade had been reading her magazine the whole time Hogger was talking, when all of a sudden. "BUT WAIT! ONLY ONE PET IN NEOPIA CAN BE NAMED JADE! THAT MEANS THAT I WAS ADOPTED!" Jade sobbed. "GO AWAY! YOU'RE BREAKING MY HEART!" Hogger scuttled away, leaving Jade and her selfish tears behind.

Jade's owner came out of the cooking pot. "Phew! It's hot in there!" Jade's owner wiped her forehead. Jade didn't say anything, just kept reading her magazine. "What are you reading there?" her owner inquired, leaning to take a look at the cover.

"I'm reading Teen Pets!" Jade said icily, pulling her hat down over her eyes, even though they were covered by her hip shades.

"Well, we're leaving soon for Neopia Central, you'd better get changed, it'll be cold!" Jade's owner knelt down beside her. "Oh Jadie!" her owner used Jade's nickname. Jade kept on reading, as if her owner wasn't talking to her. "JADE! I have to go put these items in the shop! And I can't leave Cynthia at the shop for too long, as she has to go home to her husband! Cynthia was a gorgeous invisible Uni, who was employed at Jade's owner Lisa's shop.

Jade was now changed into flare jeans and a quarter-sleeve black top that said "Angel" across the front. Her jacket was grey and waist-long, a navy blue scarf topped it all off. She also had a stylish hat on her head. As Jade stepped into the warm air, she felt swelteringly hot. They went to the harbor where they took their private yacht with air conditioning to Neopia Central. Where it was obviously October. A limousine was waiting there and Jade stepped in.

"Hello Miz Jade, hello Miz Lisa!" the chauffeur, Pierre, greeted.

"Hello, Pierre! To the shop please!" Lisa said pleasantly.

"She's always so friendly to the SERVANTS!" Jade thought sourly.

They went into Lisa's Shop, which was almost empty. "Wow! Business must have been BOOMING this week Cynthia!? Are we out of extra stock?" Lisa asked.

"Yes Miss, we're almost sold out!" the beautiful Uni replied.

"Mother, may I have some money?" Jade asked her owner.

"Hang on a minute Jade!" Lisa replied counting out the money that she had earned. Jade scowled.

"MOTHER! GIVE ME SOME MONEY! NOW!" Jade screamed.

"Here you go precious!" Lisa said quickly, shoving it in Jade's paws.

Jade took the bus to the main shops and walked into the grooming parlour. "Hello Miss Jade! What can I do for you today?" the pleasant shop keeper asked.

"Hi! I want some hairspray," Jade said flatly. "OK," the shop keeper put it on the counter, not smiling. "Is that all for you today?"

"Yes!" Jade said, again, flatly.

Jade decided to go to the arcade. When she was grabbed from behind!

****

Jade woke up. She was in a room, lying on a bed that had a pretty quilt made of baby blue fabric. There was a book on the table. The title was All About Light Faeries. Jade glared at it in disgust. She'd stopped reading those a month ago! Just then, a man came into the room.

"Jade do you remember me?" the man asked, sitting on the bed that Jade was lying on.

"No I don't!" Jade said glaring at him.

"I was your original owner! I heard that stupid Shoyru Hogger talking on the Mystery Island to you. I followed you, waiting for the right time. You and I can start over again Jade, because I have more money now!" the man chuckled, leaning over and patting her on the head. Jade couldn't speak. The man had kidnapped her! She just couldn't believe it.

"C'mon, here's a chocolate Negg!" the man offered her the pink chocolate Easter Negg to her. Jade wiped her eyes and took it from the man.

"HURRY! GET ME 2 NEOCOLAS!" the man called. A sad voice came from the bottom of the stairs. "Yes sir!" A beaten up looking Usul climbed the stairs with 2 Neocolas.

"BE GONE!" the man ordered the poor Usul, named Hurry. " Yes master," the Usul bowed and ran down the stairs. "Now I have you from that terrible owner! I'm so glad!" the man said. Jade took one of her powerful hind legs and kicked the man, knocking him down. "Let me free now!" Jade ordered.

"No, I can't!" the man said glaring at her.

"Set me free now!" Jade cried.

"No! Now I'm locking you up here to make sure you don't escape!" The man walked out of the room, locking the door behind him. Jade sat in there for hours with nothing to do. At dinner, the man finally came in with some Danish bacon, a chicken roll, and a ChocoPie slice. Jade acted fast. She sprang up and knocked the man over, ran out of the room, and locked it. She ran downstairs and grabbed Hurry. Both pets fled out of the house, running in the cold October weather. They ran and ran and ran, until they stopped, too tired to run anymore. They panted, gasping for breath. They walked a little ways, when they finally realized, they were lost. Jade sat down and started to cry. This day was a major mess! First she was kidnapped, now she was lost in what was probably the Deep Dark Woods of Neopia. She cried and cried, her tears uncontrolled. Hurry just sat there watching her cry.

"What are you looking at?" Jade asked sourly.

"I'm just thinking how you could be crying, this is great to be free!" Hurry smiled at her through the dark.

"I've always been free, and trust me, this isn't freedom!" Jade took her handkerchief out of her pocket and dried her eyes.

"It is to me!" Hurry said.

They spent a night in one spot and the next day, walked a little ways, not knowing which way to go. It was night again when they heard the crunching of twigs, right up next to them. They screamed, and huddled together. "Hey! What are you girls doing in these woods?" A handsome Cybunny inquired. "You look like town pets, not country pets!" the Cybunny squinted in the dark."Oh well, who cares! Come on! Come to my place!" The girls followed the Cybunny into a warm cabin with soup in a pot. "Here! Have some soup!" the Cybunny offered. They took it gratefully, sipping its yummy goodness.

"So, what are your names?" the Cybunny asked.

"My name's Jade!" Jade said."This Cybunny sure is cute!" she thought in her head, looking dreamily at him.

"My name's Hurry!" Hurry replied.

"Why do we have to hurry?" the Cybunny asked, puzzled.

"No! My NAME'S Hurry!" Hurry laughed.

"What's yours?" Jade asked.

The Cybunny stopped smiling. "Oh, do you girls want more soup?" he asked.

"No thanks!" Jade said, still staring at the cybunny.

"Yes please! I could eat a Kau!" Hurry said politely.

"Hah ha! You're funny!" the Cybunny said, ladling Hurry more soup.

The girls spent the night at the Cybunny's cabin, and the next day asked if he could help them find Neopia Central. The Cybunny accepted and packed a huge lunch for all of them. The NeoPets traveled until dusk until they saw the bright lights of Neopia Central.

"Thank you so much!" Jade kissed the Cybunny on the cheek.

"I'll never forget you!" they walked to the nearest bus stop and took it home.

Two weeks later, Lisa adopted Hurry and Hurry's old owner was thrown in prison for kidnapping Jade. But Jade still didn't forget the mysterious Cybunny who rescued them.

Many years after, Jade was walking on the streets of Neopia with her family and her husband, which was also a Cybunny. He said, "Isn't it weird how we met, Jade?" Jade winked. Her husband was the mysterious Cybunny!