The Last Kadoatie In The Row

      After a few hours of watching Baryan playing with his new Petpet (which he had named Fizzy) and flouncing around in his robe and slippers, Ryachelle managed to slip out on her own onto the streets of Neopia. She liked to walk when she wasn’t feeling her best and brightest, and she soon found herself passing the usual shops and businesses. The food shop and the book shop were two places she would typically browse, but they were both too crowded at the moment.

      So she just meandered past those places down a path with a sign labelled “The Neopian Plaza.” Ryachelle had been that way before, of course, usually with her siblings and her owner, but she didn’t remember seeing the building in front of her now. It was off the path, and large enough to be noticeable, but it was almost lost in the shadows of the trees around it.

      Ryachelle looked up. There was a silver Kadoatie statue placed on top of the building. What was that all about?

      Having nothing better to do than mope around, Ryachelle decided to enter the building. The door opened easily enough to let her in, but the inside was so dark and shadowy. She made her way to the desk, where a Silver Uni was boredly leafing through a magazine.

     “Hello?” Ryachelle asked uncertainly. The Uni looked up, but showed no real interest in Ryachelle’s presence.

     “Yes?” the Uni drawled.

     “What is this place?”

     The Uni reluctantly put her magazine aside, “This is the Kadoatery. Do you have a Kadoatie you wish to leave while you go on holiday?”

     “Er,” Ryachelle said. She knew what Kadoaties were, but she had very little experience with them. “No?”

     The Uni raised an eyebrow, “No? Then you are here to visit?”

     “Yes,” Ryachelle answered right away. She wasn’t sure if she was or not, but she was curious now, and wanted to see what this place was all about.

     The Uni sighed and stood, coming around the front of the desk to meet Ryachelle and show her to the back. “This way,” she sighed. Then, pausing, the Uni turned and faced Ryachelle again, “I assume you have something?”

     Ryachelle was flummoxed. What did that mean? “Um. Yes?”

      The Uni hmmmphed and turned back around, “This way,” she intoned.

      Ryachelle followed willingly enough, wondering what in the Neoworld she had gotten herself into.

      The Silver Uni led her down a narrow and dark hallway, and as they went along, Ryachelle could hear some distant noises…were those Kadoaties? It went “Mew, please. Mew and thank you. Mew please. Mew and thank you.” It was heart-wrenching and beautiful at the same time.

      Then they entered the main room of the Kadoatery.

      There were cages upon cages stacked up as far as Ryachelle could see, and every one had a name on it. “Snowball.” “Fishsticks.” “Whiskers.” Cute names, and even cuter faces, poked out from the cages, saying, “Mew, please. Mew and thank you.”

      Ryachelle gawped. There were so many! “What do they want?” she finally was able to ask the Uni.

      The Uni pointed a hoof at the closest cage, and upon inspection, Ryachelle could see that there was a little sign posted there - and on every cage - listing an item of food. The closest one said, “Cinnamon honey sticks.” Before Ryachelle could even open her mouth to ask her guide what that meant, a small door near them opened, and a Pink Shoyru fluttered in. She had something in her hand that she offered to the mewling Kadoatie in the cage. Immediately, the Kadoatie went to work on the treat, and contented, “Yum. Mew. Yum. Mew.” sounds came from that direction.

      Right after that a Shadow Tonu and a Starry Boru bopped in with more food items that they gave to the happily accepting Kadoaties in the cages. Ryachelle didn’t feel that she needed to ask the Uni for any more clarification about what was going on; clearly the Neopets were bringing the requested food items to the caged Kadoaties.

      Before Ryachelle could say anything more to the Uni (who now seemed to be casually making her way back up front, presumably to go back to her magazine), she heard under the raucous noise a very small, “Mew.”

      Ryachelle turned in the direction of the sound and found herself looking into a cage at the very end of the row where there appeared to be nothing. It was dark in the room, granted, but…

     And then the Kadoatie inside moved forward into the light, and Ryachelle realised her mistake. It was aGgrey Kadoatie, nearly invisible in the shadowed container it was housed in.

     Without really thinking about it, Ryachelle moved closer to the small Petpet. It was a dusty grey colour with lighter, almost white spots on its face in a very pleasing symmetrical pattern. “Hello,” Ryachelle said softly, venturing to talk to the creature. There was no response at first, but then a small, “Mew,” came from its mouth.

     Ryachelle was delighted and leaned down closer. “Hello,” she repeated, and looked more closely into the Kadoatie’s bright eyes, “How are you doing?”

     It seemed a silly question, as those same eyes were brimming with tears. It didn’t respond again, and Ryachelle looked down at the sign posted on the cage. “Rainbow melt pizza,” it read.

     Ryachelle nodded to herself. She understood two things right away. First, this poor, sad, Grey Petpet wanted a bright, colourful food to perk her up. And second, the reason that it hadn’t gotten its food wish was that the rainbow pizza was notoriously difficult to make, and thus, expensive.

     Ryachelle sighed. There was nothing for it. She couldn’t afford it, that was for certain. Still…

     Ryachelle turned to leave, but couldn’t help but hear the last small, “Mew,” from behind her as she made her way past the cages and out to the lobby. Even the cacophony of the other caged Kadoaties couldn’t drown it out in her ears.

     As Ryachelle passed the front desk, she couldn’t keep herself from stopping to inquire of the silver Uni, “What happens to the Kadoaties who don’t get the food they ask for?”

     The Uni snapped the gum in her mouth and answered airily, “They stay unhappy, what do you think?”

     Ryachelle decided that it was time for her to leave. She exited the dark Kadoatery into the bright sunlight and blinked. Once her eyes adjusted, they immediately focused on…

     Pizzaroo. It was right across the plaza from her.

     Again, Ryachelle was familiar with it, but hadn’t even been there. It was known as the best pizza place in Neopia. Without really thinking about it, Ryachelle headed in that direction, wondering if what she was thinking was totally nuts.

     She entered Pizzaroo, and it smelled lovely. Cheese, sausage, green peppers…and dung?! Once it wafted past her nose, Ryachelle could see the steaming and very offensive-looking dung pizza behind the counter, along with all of the other much more appetising (at least to her eyes and nose) offerings.

     “Can I help you?” asked the Blumaroo behind the counter. He was green, plump, and sported a moustache that made Ryachelle want to laugh a little. It curled up at the ends!

     She stifled the urge and responded, “Do you make rainbow melt pizza here?”

     The Blumaroo narrowed his eyes, “Yes,” he allowed.

     “And how much is it?”

     The Blumaroo’s eyes narrowed even more, if that were possible, “Pricy.” He looked her up and down, “And you don’t look like you’ve got the price.”

     Ryachelle snorted, “Maybe I do, and maybe I don’t, but can you just tell me?”

     He did. Ryachelle tried to keep her gasp to herself, but couldn’t help but ask, “For one pizza?!”

     “No. For one slice.”

     Ryachelle looked down at her hooves in dismay, and then back up, “Listen,” she pleaded with the Blumaroo, “I really need just one slice of that pizza for a Kadoatie over in the Kadoatery.”

     This time, the Green Blumaroo rolled his eyes instead of narrowing them and exclaimed, “Not again!”

     Ryachelle was confused, but went on, “There’s just a Kadoatie over there that wants-”

     “Oh, I know what it wants,” the Blumaroo said, smiling wryly now. “One slice of my most expensive pizzas, am I right?”

     Ryachelle wilted a little, “Well…”

     The Green Blumaroo looked around (a little furtively in Ryachelle’s opinion), and ducked under the counter for a moment.When he returned, he held a small, triangular cardboard box that was grease-spotted and still steaming a little. “You didn’t get this here,” he hissed at her, and thrust it into her hooves.

     Ryachelle had no words, but took the offered box. When she looked up again, the Blumaroo had turned his back to her and was talking to his kitchen staff. She didn’t hesitate, but left the shop in a hurry, cradling the pizza box carefully in one hoof.

     The Kadoatery was much the same as the way she left it. Dark, shadowy, with dedicated Neopets going in and out trying to feed the lonely Kadoaties. Ryachelle wondered if the little grey one had already been fed. She was dismayed to realise that she would be disappointed if it had. She had wanted to be the one who brought the pizza to it. Then she realised that that was rather selfish of her. Of course, she wanted the little Kadoatie to be fed its special treat! Even if it wasn’t from her.

     However, the cage at the end of the row still looked gloomy and unvisited. Ryachelle went closer, listening as well as looking now. Then… “Mew?” The little Grey Kadoatie came to the front of the cage. It looked first at Ryachelle and then at the box she was holding out in her hoof.

     “Mew!” the Kadoatie said, and Ryachelle quickly opened the cage to hand the pizza to the little thing. The Grey Kadoatie wasted no time and made short work of the rainbow melt pizza slice, even licking the very last of the reddish-orange sauce from the box. When it was done, it looked up at Ryachelle and said, “Mew?”

     “I don’t have any more,” Ryachelle said sadly, now looking past the Kadoatie into its cage. There was a thin blanket and a small bowl of water, and nothing else. No wonder the little Kadoatie wanted something cheery to eat! Ryachelle looked down at the Grey Kadoatie and felt her own greyness more than ever. Mostly, she liked being grey. It suited her. But now seeing the little Kadoatie just made her wonder if being alone and grey was really what she wanted…

     “Would you like to adopt?” asked a voice behind her.

     Ryachelle spun around quickly. It was the silver Uni again, still looking as bored as ever. “Excuse me?” Ryachelle asked.

     The Uni rolled her eyes and pointed a hoof at a sign posted at the end of the corridor of cages. It read: All Kadoaties Who Have Not Been Fed Or Whose Owners Have Not Returned Within 72 Hours Are Up For Adoption.

     Ryachelle turned back to the Uni and asked, “You mean…?” She couldn’t finish; she kept looking down at the Kadoatie below her.

     The Uni smacked her gum and said, “Yup. This one’s been here for more than three days with no owner returning and no one to feed her the treat she had asked for, so she is automatically up to you for adoption.”

     Ryachelle looked down again at the Grey Kadoatie. It looked back at her with big copper eyes that were starting to leak with tears. “Oh, no, I don’t think…”

     But it was a losing battle, and she knew it. She looked away from those eyes and back to the Uni, “What is her name?”

     “I don’t know. Just take her or don’t take her. Make up your mind now, it’s almost my lunch break.”

     Ryachelle didn’t think before she spoke, “Yes. Yes, I do want to adopt.”

     The Silver Uni barely reacted, just reached out and closed the door to the Grey Kadoatie’s cage so swiftly that she nearly caught the poor thing’s tail in it as the little Petpet moved out of the way. And then without warning the Kadoatie jumped lightly onto Ryachelle’s back.

     Ryachelle swiveled her head around to face the Kadoatie, and wasn’t sure what else to say except. “Are you ready to go home?”

     “Mew!” responded the Kadoatie.

     Ryachelle left the Kadoatery with a confident step in her hooves, feeling lighter and very much less blue (or grey, some might say) than she had that morning. She could feel the tiny paws of the Grey Kadoatie on her back, and when she looked back over her shoulder, Ryachelle could see that the small Petpet was starting to yawn sleepily. “We’ll be home soon,” Ryachelle told her little friend, “But what are we going to name you?”

     Even as she spoke, Ryachelle had her answer. The Kadoatie yawned widely again, stretching her neck up and out and Ryachelle saw that there was a very distinct white shape on her grey neck in the shape of a…

     “Bowtie,” Ryachelle said decisively. And then, more to herself than the Petpet that was now soundly asleep on her back, “My Petpet, Bowtie.”

     The End.