Dark Guardian of Meridell

     The massive Darigan Eyrie known as Owslen stretched her black talons from her hidden perch in the shadows of Meridell Castle. High up in the alcoves, in the shadowed recesses of stone, they couldn't see her. At this height, no other Neopet was at her level as the clouds passed by lazily, so she could relax and lounge without being bothered. The only thing that made it up here was the occasional forlorn Lord Kass plushie, set airborne by some disgruntled Meridellian playing Whack a Kass. Owlsen propped her beaten Kass plushie against the shadowed stone, one of her few possessions.

     Often she perched among the stone, but sometimes she sought out an old tree to hide in; the ones with the sprawling, massive branches made hiding easy. This evening, she was among the stone recesses, her aquiline eyes missing nothing, as she could watch easily from a distance.

     A Kacheek farmer was hauling a massive marrow haul in a cart. A Techo guard was slacking off on their security job. A Yurble was shepherding their Babaa flock through a meadow. So mundane. And yet so interesting. Owlsen pulled out a shiny red apple and took a bite with her sharp beak, contemplating their simple lives. It was a fruit she pilfered from one of their carts in the middle of the night. She would take the core back home to use in some potion brewing, which was a casual hobby she picked up. Owlsen flicked her tufted tail in contentment.

     Owlsen revelled in the knowledge that there were things only she knew. Only she knew that the Draik potionmaster diluted their stock to make it last longer. Only she knew that the castle guards took turns sleeping on the job, waking up the other when their time was up. Only she knew that the Gelert farmer raised their prices when he saw a desperate buyer. So many scams and lies were present in Meridell. Owlsen chewed her apple carefully and considered all the things she had seen in her time here.

     And yet...there were other things she witnessed. Illogical things. Rare, but they happened. Owlsen looked at these events as unique. No one else saw the Zafara seller slip a loaf of bread to a begging young Aisha. A group of Neopets banded together to pull a broken cart through the castle doors. A Korbat gifted a single yellow flower to a crying Pteri.

     Interesting lives were her personal Mootix farm of Neopets that she observed. The Eyrie picked a bit of grime out of a single talon. It was difficult to understand why Neopets did the things they did, and she was always puzzling over their actions. She was apathetic; she had seen it all. But she couldn't stop watching them.

     Her keen eyes picked out a bit of motion at the edge of her vision. At the far outskirts of the castle, there seemed to be a commotion. Her feathered ears perked up, and she stood up taller to get a better look. Something interesting, today...

     There was the Kacheek farmer, hauling a massive load of marrows, potatoes, and carrots, presumably to sell within the town market. There were others she did not recognise, Neopets in dark clothing, masks, and lots of them. They were harassing the Kacheek, talking at first, then becoming physical, grabbing at the farmer and his roughshod clothes, picking at the items on the cart. There was no one else around; it was the edge of dusk, and most Meridellians knew not to be out at this time of day.

     [i]Heh, looks like it's not this Kacheek's lucky day...[/i] she thought to herself. But her clawed feet gripped the stone wall tighter as she continued to watch.

     The Kacheek yelled for help, struggled, and fought against what she clearly saw were bandits now. He was being buffeted about as others gained control of the weighty cart. The Darigan's eyes widened. A random thought immediately entered her mind: [i]this is MY Meridell farmer...[/i], but the idiocy of that reasoning didn't linger in her thoughts. Instead, she pushed off the stone and beat her large wings hard, heading toward the dangerous scene.

     Owlsen stopped thinking and let her wings do the talking for a while, as she kept her large eyes focused on the small farmer as she gained distance. The bandits were ready to take off with the cart, several of them already inside with the produce. The farmer himself was on the ground and had clearly given in; he was small, even for a Kacheek. Everyone knows you don't travel alone. What was he even thinking?

     The large Darigan Eyrie used her weight to her advantage, as she slammed into the lead bandit, using her wings as a shield. She used her large talons to grab the offending thief, dragging him to the ground. Owlsen didn't hesitate as she jumped onto the wooden cart, her weight rocking the small structure, and grabbed any remaining bandits to throw them over the railing. So great was her rage, she let out a scream as her black and purple feathers were raised around her ruff, large wings held askew unconsciously to make her appear even larger.

     As feathers and dust gently settled, the remaining bandits took one look at the enraged Darigan and decided it wasn't worth the trouble. The dust kicked up again as they made their escape into the dusk. Most Meridellians had never seen a Darigan Neopet up close before, and this was all they needed to be convinced. Even the Kacheek was still cowering as Owslen looked for him.

     “Er...", the Kacheek began, unsure of how to handle the situation and still lying in the dirt. Owslen took a moment to catch her breath and brushed her ruff off with one paw, removing some offending dirt and hay. She had to recollect her composure, so she resettled her wings along her back. Without saying a word, she grabbed the Kacheek by the back of his tattered shirt and placed him back on the cart.

     The Eyrie thought about saying something, but suddenly was embarrassed, and instead patted him gently on the head, talons carefully withdrawn of course, leaving the poor farmer very confused.

     Owslen took a last look at the distraught Kacheek, then turned around and took off in a flurry. No one harasses my farmers, she thought, as she made her way back to her preferred perch in the shadow of the stone towers. She settled in her favourite spot and returned to her apple, chewing in contentment. I think I'll watch the potionmakers tonight, she thought as a jagged grin made its way across her beak.

     For years afterwards, the local farmers referred to their guardian Eyrie with some pride, although many were unsure who they were referring to. Owlsen didn't like to be seen, so she often wasn't. It wasn't uncommon that a single purple feather could be found around the farmers' carts in the mornings. Many Neopets found this confusing and became wary, but several farmers considered it to be a lucky sign to find such a feather on top of their produce cart.

     Even the smallest farmer felt Darigan eyes on their back as they passed through the castle gates. But being watched didn't make them afraid; instead, it made them feel safe.

          The End.