Fabric & Thread: Tale of a Plushie Lupe

    The two Neopets took turns pulling each other in their festive sled, yelling in delight as it flew down hills, and huffing with exhaustion as they had to drag it back up again.

    "Let's go again! Pull me back up to the top, Rufkin!" the red Eyrie bellowed, clacking her beak as they finished another exhilarating ride.

    The Kacheek puffed, out of breath, "You're heavier than the Snowager! I can't pull you anymore!" He slumped with exhaustion – he clearly couldn't pull his heavier friend so easily.

    Inside the iconic wooden cabin of the Toy Repair Shop sat a young plushie Lupe named Yarnfuzz, gazing outside the window at the Neopets enjoying a snow-filled day. Her wide yellow eyes were filled with curiosity as she put large plush green paws on the windowsill. She didn't go out too often – her plush fabric would often freeze with exposure and leave it difficult to move. But she couldn't help but find their joy contagious, and had to join them. The Plushie Lupe bounded out the door with a grin.

    In no time, Yarnfuzz had the sled's hauling rope clutched in her jaws, pulling both Neopets through the snow, paws thudding the snow as she ran with total joy. She pulled tight corners, making the young Neopets clutch the wooden sides with exhilaration as she hauled them around the valley, both friends laughing with joy at their new Plushie friend. Yarnfuzz took them on so many loops that snow was accumulating on her woolen paws and whiskers.

    When all Neopets had enough, the three finally took a break, all of them making snow faeries on the ground in their exhaustion. As Rufkin stood up to admire his small snow faerie, he had an idea. "Let's make a snowchia next! Birdie can make the biggest snowballs and stack them for us," he stated, referring to his Eyrie friend.

    The three started making three round snowballs, with Birdie working on the largest base one. When they were complete, the Eyrie carefully balanced them on top of each other, using her broad wings for balance as she struggled to lift the heavy snowballs one by one. While they admired their rather tall snowchia, Birdie suddenly exclaimed, "We need a carrot! For the nose!”

    Yarnfuzz had just the thing. She bounded back into the cabin and grabbed the largest carrot from the kitchen. We wouldn't need all the carrots for the soup later, right?, she thought to herself. Yarnfuzz nibbled on it thoughtfully as she returned outside to the snow. She placed the vegetable directly in the center of the snowchia's head. It was perfect.

    It wasn't until much later that the carrot's absence was missed. Yarnfuzz did not live in the cabin alone. She shared it with a unique character of a Neopet – none other than Donny, the Bori of Toy Repair Shop fame. Donny looked after Yarnfuzz in conjunction with running his toy repair business. Many Neopians thought the older Bori a grumpy fellow, but Yarnfuzz knew the truth of his character. However, this evening the now snow-soaked Lupe was enduring quite the lecture.

    "And what exactly do we plan on eating for tonight? Snow soup? Where's my carrot gone, Yarnfuzz?" He asked with some amount of ire.

    "Er..I needed it for snowchias today!" replied the Plushie Neopet, unphased by a rebuking from the Bori.

    "Snowchias...what a bunch of nonsense," murmured Donny as he settled down into a chair, beginning work on some toy-related project. He wouldn't admit it, but he had a soft spot for the boundless energy of the young Lupe. Yarnfuzz eventually settled down in front of the fire, content to dry off from the snowy day.

    This was a typical evening for the two, with Donny working throughout the dark time periods while Yarnfuzz relaxed in front of the fire. Most Neopians don’t fully understand how Plushie Neopets come about – many people rely on Paint Brushes, of course – but what some are unaware of is that many Plushies are created, instead of painted. Yarnfuzz was one such of these, created by the weaving and sewing of many fabrics. Of course, she was created by none other than Donny himself. The Plushie Lupe was still quite young and hadn't ventured out into much of Neopia during her life yet, although she was quite content to explore Happy Valley in the meantime. However, she was always growing more curious and increasingly asked other Neopets like Donny about questions regarding the wider world. Tonight was one of those nights where Yarnfuzz's curiosity about the world was at the forefront of her thoughts.

    ****

"Donny, was I painted like the other Neopets were? What color was I before being painted?" Yarnfuzz finally asked her caretaker one evening.

    The toy repairer was known to be gruff to most others, but he only held the most tenderness for Yarnfuzz; few ever say this side of the red Bori. On this evening of the month of Celebrating, Donny knew he had to finally share some of Yarnfuzz's past to her. It was time to explain part of the Plushie Lupe's creation.

    "I suppose it's time to tell you a little about your history," Donny admitted with a sigh, gently placing down his hammer and chisel on the desk. He scratched his head with one broad and rough claw.

    Yarnfuzz observed the different fabrics that made up her body: rich red wool covered most of her body and torso, with silky yellow accents on her chest fuzz and face. Felt-like, green fabric made up her limbs and paws. Her inner ears had a curious blue checkered material that was a flannel-like fabric. She tended to rub this blue material with a paw when feeling nervous.

    "Well, your story is quite a yarn, so to speak. Better get close to the fire while I explain. No, you weren't just a normal Lupe painted Plushie. Your fabric is all something special." Donny explained as he leaned back in his wooden chair.

    *****

Quite a long time ago, in a newer Happy Valley with fresh-fallen snow, a sturdy young Bori hauled a huge wrapped roll of goods up the mountain. A much younger and stronger Donny huffed and puffed, carrying his package all the way up to his little shack situated in the middle of the mountain top's valley. As he struggled his way up the steep slope, he passed a newly painted sign reading "Toy Repair Shop" at the front of the building, before dropping his package of goods heavily on the ground from where it rested on his broad shoulders.

    As Donny brought the new packages instead of the neat, small building, he began unwrapping them one by one. Lots of new material was scattered across his modest work bench – new skeins of bright yarn, freshly carved slabs of wood, and small sealed jars of paint. The largest package he saved for last, undoing the rope package with a swipe of a broad claw. As the rolled package unfurled, it revealed a gigantic roll of cheerfully dyed red Gnorbu wool, just in time for the holiday season.

    Donny felt the quality of the fabric and knew it would be nice and warm – perfect for making many things for the holidays. This was the first season for his new toymaking business, and he wanted it to be perfect. He started right away with the beautiful red fabric, cutting it carefully and sewing it into numerous shapes.

    His first real goal would focus on charity, not profits. Donny carefully measured out many cuts of the red wool for a holiday treat for every young Neopian living on top of Terror Mountain and in Happy Valley. While the Mountain was perfect for achieving that picturesque snowy landscape for the holidays, it was also a harsh environment to live in sometimes. Temperatures often reached below freezing, and blizzards kept Neopians from traversing freely. Of course, Terror Mountain residents were ever resourceful and resilient, still hanging holiday decorations and lights every year despite the extreme conditions. Donny wanted to impart some of that holiday cheer to the community that welcomed him so readily.

    It took several days, but by the end of the week, Donny was extremely proud of his work. Covering the interior of his small cabin, including the workbench and above the fireplaces, were dozens of beautifully crafted red wool holiday stockings, ready to be filled with treats such as oranges and Gingerbread Lupe Treats for young Neopets. Fine embroidery with silver and gold thread decorated each stocking with fine craftmanship. The fabric was expertly sewn to hold up even under the heavy weight of many gifts.

    With much pride, Donny took his haul of new holiday stockings out to be distributed to the young Neopets in the community. He knew they would be much appreciated by Neopians enjoying the holiday season. As he returned to his cabin late in the evening with an empty sack, a very young blue Kau was waiting at the door for him.

    "Can I help you, young Neopet?" Donny asked, as he swung the door to his newly built shop open.

    "Er...yes, sir. Could you fix a toy for me?" the Kau stammered with some shyness. The young Neopet was clutching a very worn Red Chia Plushie that was leaking stuffing from a large tear in the side.

    Donny gently gathered the damaged Plushie with his claws, "I think I've got just the thing."

He reached toward his roll of red wool and pulled out a segment, ready to begin working. Just like that, Donny gained his first customer at his new business.

    Even after all those years, Donny held onto a segment of the red Gnorbu wool for something special. He didn't know it at the time, but Donny knew he wanted to keep a reminder of that time in his life by saving it.

    *****

    Not so many years ago, but still quite a few, a young, adventurous Usul was risking her life on the same Terror Mountain that Donny established his first business…

    To be continued…