Stand behind yer sheriff Circulation: 197,747,911 Issue: 1001 | 9th day of Awakening, Y26
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1000 Hours Outside: A Tale of Two Friends


by superkathiee

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Note to TNT and the reader: This is a continuation of a Valentine’s story that was written about two lonely neopets who found friendship through their love of art. You can find more information about how they met here.

          Hour 235

     Thoroughly committed to the program, the friends were starting to draw blanks about what to do outside. It seemed they had worn tracks into the same trails and walks around Faerieland, and though it never stopped being magnificent, their gung-ho attitudes started to take a dive and the biting cold of winter started to chill their very bones. Struggling for conversation in the icy, treacherous weather, the friends wandered around Moony’s snow-covered backyard. Nearby, they heard child-like laughter coming from down the street where a group of school-aged Neopets had stepped off the bus and into the snow. A lively snowball throwing match was taking place, and it was getting “heated.”

     Without even a second glance at Moony, the Blumaroo took off with great speed toward the game, reaching down for a sphere of snow and chucking it behind himself with abandon.

     It landed squarely in the Grarrl’s face.

     Moony didn’t know what to do, he was in utter shock. Did his kind, artistic friend just lob a giant ball of cold, wet snow into his face? This wasn't a gormball!

     SPLAT!

     Another snowball hit him in the shoulder. Moony quickly brushed himself off and shouted, “Oh! You better believe it’s on!”

     The friends spent hours playing like children, winging snowballs with great vigour until thoroughly soaked and chilled, they went to a local outdoor market for a hot cuppa Borovan. The steam floated through the air with ease as they warmed their paws around the Faerieland square fire, telling tales of their adventures that day. 765 hours to go!

     ~~~

     Hour 411

     When Moony woke up that morning, Bob Billy Joe was nowhere to be seen. Assuming the Faerie Blumaroo went to pick up a morning paper or went shopping, the Grarrl went about his day. He stretched, yawned, and started to bustle around making breakfast. Once he sat down, he realized he’d forgotten his morning espresso, when something quite curious happened.

     Amica, the Pink Weewoo that helped aid in the development of their friendship, swooped in, dropped a little pink heart on the breakfast table, and swooped back out.

     “This day is getting stranger by the moment!” Moony chuckled.

     Picking the pink heart up, he realized what day it was! It was Valentine's Day, or exactly one year from the time that the two friends officially met. Moony started to get teary-eyed as he started to think about how much the time with his friend meant to him. Dabbling at his nose with a tissue, he opened the beautiful card, not surprised in the least to see a poem, written in the familiar script of the Faerie Blumaroo he’d come to call friend.

     Out out out out—get out of the house, and don’t forget to dress warm!

     A thermos of hot coffee and a scarf you should don, then 40 steps toward the farm!

     Create outside in the snowy expanse, and I’ll be there to join you,

     But a big surprise lies there also, because I’ve invited a friend or two!

     A scavenger hunt! His friend was celebrating the day with a scavenger hunt! He quickly ate his avocado toast and threw his coffee in a thermos and donned his scarf to head outside for his next adventure.

     When he arrived, he saw exactly where Bob Billy Joe sat, outside a local barn next to an unfamiliar trail. The Blumaroo had a picnic table set up, and cheekily sitting on the table was Amica, with gleeful chirps filling the air.

     “Hi Friend! I’m glad you could make it to my scavenger hunt! Today we will be making some special bird seed feeders. When the snow covers up all the plants, it’s difficult for some Weewoos and other petpet birds to retrieve the seeds and berries, so I thought we could make feeders while also meeting some of Amica’s friends!” Bob Billy Joe said excitedly.

     Armed with jars of peanut butter and seeds-a-plenty the friends had a joyful time making the craft together, though Amica didn’t make it easy keeping the seeds on the craft.

     “You know that we need to save some of these for your friends, right? Silly Weewoo!” Moony laughed.

     The Pink Weewoo flapped her wings in a huff, but excitedly flitted around, anxious to see her friends.

     “Alright, okay! I think we’ve run out of time,” Billy Joe Bob smiled at the pink Weewoo.

     The friends grabbed their new crafts and took them to the trails where they met countless Weewoos, Beekadoodles, Whoots, and even one slinking Baramus that dashed out of the shadows for a midwinter’s treat.

     Just as they reached the end of the trail, Amica swooped down once more with a heart-shaped paper that Moony recognized from earlier.

     To the tallest tree you should go,

     Your next clue will appear if you look high and low!

     Looking around attentively, Moony started walking toward a majestic conifer tree about a quarter mile down the path. It was certainly the tallest tree for miles. It only took a minute of searching before sitting in a little brown box, was a pile of pink, red, and white decorations.

     “We are going to dress the tree with biodegradable and nature safe decorations to celebrate our friendship and how we met!” the Blumaroo said while blushing a bit.

     “Awww, this is the most meaningful Valentine's Day I’ve ever had. I’m so thankful to meet a friend like you!” Moony said, feeling a little choked up. “Well let’s get to it! This tree isn’t going to decorate itself!”

     ~~~

     Moony didn’t realize he could get glitter in all the places he had glitter, but chuckled at the sparkles all the same. The Faeries might think he was blessed when he walked the streets of Faerieland again. Before he could finish his thought, another pink heart drifted gently down out of the sky and a little pink Weewoo flitted joyfully away. But, instead of dropping the letter on Moony, Amica dropped it on Bob Billy Joe. Confused, the Blumaroo picked up the envelope and looked at his friend.

     Once he found out his friend was doing a scavenger hunt, Moony gave a special surprise of his own to the unsuspecting Blumaroo. Bob Billy Joe looked down and will a small smile, read the poem out loud:

     The day’s almost done, let’s have some fun,

     I found every clue but this last one’s for you!

     Let’s stargaze tonight and watch the Weewoo’s take flight.

     A special night you see, with your best friend—ME!

     The Faerie Blumaroo had always heard of the great Weewoo migration. At the end of winter, the Weewoo’s had a tradition of flying in special patterns and doing amazing tricks. It was a lovely sign that spring would be close at hand, and though he lived in Roo Island most his life, he’d always dreamed of seeing the special and wonderful display of nature.

     “Thank you so much for this wonderful gift!” he said graciously.

     The show was everything they could ever dream of, with a beautiful expectancy of spring in the air. The Weewoos swooped and danced and sang lovely melodies while the friends simply enjoyed each other’s company. This time was a precious gift and they were just starting to realize how both needed it desperately.

     “589 hours left to create special memories,” Moony mumbled with a smile as he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

     ~~~

          Hour 473

     The snow had melted, the ground was wet, the flowers were starting to bloom, and Petpets started to come out of their hibernation. That could only mean one thing: Spring had finally come to Faerieland.

     Moony and Bob Billy Joe were thrilled. They could finally leave the house in less than 3 layers! Their progress had slowed a bit over the last month, but now they were ready to explore in a whole new season.

     Today, Moony got an idea from a passing Kacheek: they were making bracelets.

     “But not just any bracelets,” the Grarrl told his friend as he explained the activity. “These are nature bracelets! I will wrap a piece of tape sticky-side-out around each of our wrists. When you see small things on our walk that you like, pick them up! If it’s small enough, tape it to your bracelet. By the end we should each have a beautiful bracelet full of flowers and other fun elements.”

     “I love this idea!” The Blumaroo responded.

     By the time they had filled not one but two bracelets each, the pair had spent 3 hours outside in the fresh spring air. “I’m going to put these in my scrapbook and treasure them forever,” Bob Billy Joe said. 524 hours left until their goal!

     ~~~

     Hour 500

     What a joy it’s been

     Exploring outdoors with my friend

     To our goal, we are halfway,

     Come, let’s make the most of the day!

     ~~~

     Hour 640

     Bob Billy Joe held his little blue paws over the Grarrl’s eyes as they walked outside to the picnic table.

     “I was inspired by the bracelets we made almost 200 hours ago,” he started. They reached their destination and the Faerie Blumaroo removed his paws from his friend’s eyes to reveal a picnic table filled with round wires and a rainbow of different flowers. “We’re making flower crowns!”

     The friends spent hours in the park that afternoon, stacking flowers on flowers upon flowers on their wire crowns. They each made one for themselves, and collaborated on a third crown with a much smaller circumference; a perfect fit for a certain little pink Weewoo, who stopped by towards the end of their day and chirped happily. Only 360 hours to go—they didn’t want this challenge to ever end.

To be continued…

 
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