~ Hello Readers!
This is a story I started a while ago for the Neopian Times, but I've never been able to finish it, so I thought it might help to put in on FanFiction. It's been helping me actually finish my stories. Anyway, I have a really hard time writing chapters for this one, so if you guys want me to update, you're probably going to have to review. Also, please don't submit my story in the Neopian Times. I've worked really hard on it and I'm afraid of someone plagiarizing it… (not that I really think it's that good…). Anyway, I hope you guys like it, and if there's anything you think I should change, feel free to let me know. Now, on to the story!
* * *
It was a bright new dawn. The sunlight twinkled on the dew-covered countryside and the wibreth crowed at the first sight of illumination from the previous night. It was the start of a new day, a new life.
A new tale.
- - - - -
"Lowell!" and elderly woman called up from a flight of rotting stairs.
A young lupe groggily blinked his eyes and groaned.
"LOWELL, YA LAZY NUISANCE! GET UP!" she continued to yell.
He slowly rose from his cot and swung his legs around in front of him as he scooted onto the floor. He shook his pitch-black fur and leisurely made his way down the hall to the ancient staircase. As he walked he swayed from exhaustion. He padded down each step with caution; concerned that too much pressure on any given point could cause the decaying wood to collapse. As he approached the edge of the staircase, the aged she-lupe reappeared to meet him.
"What took ya so long?" she grumbled.
Lowell didn't reply. He just looked down at his paws with a sigh. Lowell was very timid lupe. He had been separated from his mother and father at a young age and now resided in Meridell with the only neopet who would take him in. To him, and to everyone else, he was considered a stray.
"Well don't just stand there, get to work!" she ordered.
"Yes, Aunt Mabil," Lowell responded in a whisper of obedience.
Mabil wasn't his real aunt, but that was the name Lowell had learned to address her by. Her fur had turned grey with maturity and Lowell had guessed that the change in color had affected her personality as well, though he couldn't be sure since he hadn't known her before the variation in her color. For all he knew, she could have been born grey, which also fits her traits quite well.
"That little yellow friend of yours has already started on your chores in the field! Now that you're finally awake, ya can do them yourself!" Aunt Mabil instructed harshly.
Alma was a neighbor and good friend of Lowell's and for as long as he had known her, there was only one word Lowell could think of to most accurately describe his friend; selfless.
Lowell crept hastily toward the door and meekly pushed his way through, eager to get away from his foster aunt.
It wasn't out of the ordinary to find Alma already out in the pasture, picking the ripe berries for the yellow gelert who runs the "Pick Your Own" game for passing tourists before Lowell was even awake, and that wasn't even her job. She worked for Alton, the kacheek who ran the "Potato Counter" game, but she always helped Lowell with his chores first and occasionally she would get in trouble for it. Lowell often asked her why she risked helping him with his chores everyday, but she would always say,
"Because I'd rather help you get something accomplished and help you stay out of trouble than to keep myself out of it."
"Because I'd rather help you get something accomplished and help you stay out of trouble than to keep myself out of it."
As happy as it made him to be with his friend, whenever he saw Alma working in the fields Meridell, his spirits would occasionally drop. Alma had a special essence to her that made everyone around her cheerful. It was as if her bright yellow fur emanated with it's own sunshine. But witnessing a young kacheek such as Alma working her life away in the barren grasslands of Meridell made him depressed in spite of her joyful spirit.
"Alma, don't you ever wonder what's out there?" Lowell asked, his mind distant"Hm?" Alma replied, intrigued.
"You know, don't you ever dream of visiting far off lands like the snowy peak of Terror Mountain or the crystal waters of Maraqua?"
"Occasionally" she replied, turning back to the bush she had been picking jumbleberries from.
"…like...?" Lowell urged.
'Well… I think it would be nice to go to Faerieland one day'
"Faerieland?"
"Yes, I would love to be painted Faerie and be able to fly up to Faerieland where I could help the Healing Faerie cure any ill neopets who stop by… where I could frolic in the clouds with Faerie petpets… where I could glance over any cloud and gaze upon the beauty that is our world, Neopia," she replied, staring up at a passing cloud.
Lowell stared at his friend in awed silence, his mouth slightly agape.
"I know, it's just a silly dream," she replied, embarrassed.
Images drifted through Lowell's mind of his best friend with stunning orange and ruby colored wings that glowed in the rays of sun. He could see ever so clearly, his friend freely soaring over pillows of white, across Faerieland and watching over Neopia from above.
"No…" Lowell replied with sincerity and admiration for his friend that rang in every word. "Not at all…"
They had had that conversation a while ago, but Lowell could always recollect each detail vividly whenever she smiled at him and he looked at her glistening eyes. They were always filled with more hope and dreams than everyone in all of Meridell combined. She deserved better than the dirt-filled pastures of Meri Acres Farm.
As Lowell made his way to the berry field, he could see the yellow forehead of his friend, farther away in the field, her tail twirling in the air above her head as she bent down to pick another piece of fruit.
Lowell dashed up the hill to join her. The nearer she got, the faster he ran. Once Lowell had finally reached the topmost section of the hill, he realized something; Alma was much closer than he had thought. She had her back to him, so she hadn't realized he was there. As he tried to stop, he stumbled over his tail and fell forward, on top of Alma. The momentum caused them to roll back down the other side of the hill. They tumbled together until they came to an abrupt halt due to a Conkerberry bush. Dazed and confused, Alma slowly tried to lift her head to look at her friend, but was having trouble focusing her eyes on him because of the dizziness.
Lowell turned to look at her, his face apologetic. "Oops, sorry Alma," he said as he got off of her.
Alma slowly rose to her feet, swaying a few times before finally meeting his eyes. "Oh, hey Lowell," she replied. "It's fine, no harm done."
"WRONG!" an unknown voice yelled from across the field. Lowell thought the sound was familiar, until he realized where it was coming from. Now he knew it was familiar.
"What have you done to my conkerberry bush!?" a now fuming yellow gelert exclaimed.
"I-I… I'm so sorry Mr., I w-w-was just-" Alma stuttered.
"Don't go making excuses! Who are you and what are you doing in my fields?" the gelert continued to probe, irritated.
"She was helping me"
The gelert turned to the sound of the voice, surprised to realize who it had come from. It almost made him laugh, but a smirk slipped onto his face from amusement.
Lowell glared at the field owner, fire burning in his eyes. His tail swished from side to side, showing his defiance as he stood his ground.
"What's with you?" the gelert asked sarcastically.
Lowell ignored the question as if it had never been asked. "If you had given her time to speak, she could have told you that herself" he said, his voice ringing with authority.
The gelert's mocking sneer faded and was replaced with a look of annoyance and confusion.
"You're the one who's owner rented you out to me, you're the one who's suppose to do the work," the gelert retorted.
"What do you care if she helps me or not? After all, someone as cheap as you - someone who hires orphans to pick berries from fields. Someone who is paid so tourists can search these fields for berries and find nothing but dung - shouldn't mind having another hand working in the field at no extra cost. You're no better that that shameful rubbish kacheek. How do you even sleep at night knowing you make your living from the life of a conman?"
The gelert stepped back, bewildered. He was obviously angry at Lowell's words, and surprised to hear this coming from the timid lupe that harvested berries from his fields everyday.
"You…you have no right to talk that way to me! I could have you fired!"
"Would you? Would you really?" Lowell questioned, mockingly. "Without us picking berries from your fields, who's to stop those 'unfortunate berry-pickers' from returning to your 'ever-so-popular' fields and making off with your precious auqaberries?"
The livid gelert gritted his teeth.
"You say nothing because you know I speak the truth."
They went back and forth, the gelert desperately trying to outwit Lowell, and Lowell forcing him down with every word. Eventually the gelert succeeded by stomping angrily towards his house. As he left, Alma noticed the resentment leave Lowell's eyes and his face calm to it's original self.
"L-Lowell?" Alma stuttered, startled by Lowell's actions.
"Hm?" Lowell turned to look at her, confusion and fear in his eyes.
"Wh-what happened Lowell? That wasn't like you at all."
Lowell turned away from his friend to look at the ground in front of him, "I…I'm not sure."
Alma went to get the basket she had dropped when they had fallen down the hill and began searching for the berries that it had held. Lowell turned and began to help her.
"Lowell, do you think this could have anything to do with our trip to the Rubbish Dump a few days ago?" Alma asked quietly.
Lowell was holding a berry in his mouth that he had found on the ground. He walked over to Alma's basket and placed it in then looked up at his friend, "The Rubbish Dump? How could it have anything to do with that?" he asked.
"I don't know," Alma responded. "But that was the first time it happened."
Lowell looked down at his paws again. He knew what she meant. He looked at the amulet he had strung around his neck. He held it in his paws thoughtfully, reminiscing…
- - - - -
"Are you sure about this?" Alma asked. "We're not supposed to leave the fields."
"Alma, we're never going to be able to live our own lives if we stay in the pastures forever. 'Sides, we're just going to the dump. That's not even out of the Meri Acres countryside," Lowell yelled back to his friend who was still thinking it over.
"Well, okay," Alma finally decided. "But not too long, okay?"
"Okay, lets go!" Lowell ran back to meet his friend and knelt down. "Would you like a ride? I'll be faster."
Alma looked at him, a little timidly, but stepped onto his back after a few seconds.
"Ready?" he asked.
Alma nodded.
"Hold on!" Lowell called just before he took off towards the dump. The speed of the wind almost made Alma fly right of his back. The breeze battered Lowell's face as he ran until he finally came to a stop at the entrance sign.
Alma dismounted her friend slowly and spun around. "Thanks for the warning," she said, dizzily.
Lowell laughed. "Well, let's go."
The two of them made their way into the landfill. There were piles, no… mountains of junk all around them. Each mound was compiled of rotting food and discarded clothes. Some had more uncommon finds, such as books or possibly even a petpet. However, no one ever came to the dump anymore due to the unbearable stench that clung to the bundles of trash.
"So what are you hoping to find Lowell?" Alma asked.
Lowell shrugged. "I won't know until I find it."
The two rummaged through the heaps of junk for what seemed like hours. Eventually, Alma came over and sat near a stack Lowell was sifting through.
"Find anything you like?" she asked.
"No," Lowell answered glumly. "Maybe there's noth-." Lowell stopped speaking when a glimmer caught his eye. He pawed at the spot the light had originated from and unveiled a golden section of a medallion. The surface sparkled in the sunlight like the sun itself. It shown so brightly that the glow hurt Lowell's eyes. Still, he continued to dig until the entire amulet surfaced. Once the grime and filth had been removed, the pendant shown so brightly anything within a 10-foot radius on the medallion was illuminated with brightness. Lowell turned his face away and shut his eyes as tight as he could. The great light was blinding. Lowell's eyes burned with the intense rays as if his eyelids had never closed.
Then it stopped.
"Lowell! What'd you find!" Alma exclaimed as her eyes readjusted to the daylight.
Lowell blinked a few times as his eyes did the same. Once they had readjusted he examined his find. The amulet was in the shape of the sun- fitting. The middle still sparkled dully in the sunlight, but not even close to how it had before. The center was a bright yellow and the outer rim was orange on the flames.
Lowell tried to pick up the amulet, but the cord clung to the pile.
"Hmm, it must be stuck on something," Lowell though to himself. He pulled on the lead until some of the grunge began to shift. After a little while, Lowell could see another glimmer just like the one that had come from the pendant from under the muck. He dug at the grunge until another object emerged. Then, it began to glow.
"Not again," Alma whined.
The blinding light reappeared and vanished just as it had a moment ago. Both Lowell and Alma were seeing spots. Once their eyesight improved again, they inspect the more recent item. It was a golden headdress with the tips of wheat carved into the ends. The tiara gleamed just as dully now as the amulet after the blinding light.
Lowell untangled the headband from the medallions cord and held it in his paw for a moment before handing it to Alma. Alma just looked down at his hand, confused.
"Here Alma, you keep it," Lowell insisted, holding the circlet out to her.
Alma just shook her head. "No Lowell, you found it. It's yours."
"I found two treasures, I don't need both. Besides," Lowell placed the headdress over Alma's ears and stepped back. "It suits you."
Alma glanced up and touched the crown with her paw. "I… I don't know what to say… thanks Lowell! Thank you so much!" Alma's eyes sparkled, just as the circlet did. This made Lowell smile.
"Hey, who's over there!" a voice called from over a mass of useless items. Lowell and Alma turned towards the sound to see a blue kacheek rising over the mound.
"Visitors?" the kacheek asked. "It's been awhile since anyone's come to the Rubbish dump. Tourists usually just go to the Money Tree in Neopia Central."
"We're locals," Lowell explained quietly.
"Oh, well help yourselves to the rubbish. I don't need or want anything here- wait, did you find that here?!" the kacheek exclaimed when he saw the diadem Alma was wearing.
"Y-yes," she replied. "Lowell found it for me."
"Yes, well, that's mine," the kacheek said greedily. "I dropped it awhile ago. I've been looking for it. May I have it back?" There was a small smirk on the garbage kacheek's face and avarice glinted in his eyes.
Alma's eyes looked weary and frightened, "It…it's yours?"
Lowell looked at the kacheek, skeptical. "Did you lose anything else when you lost the headdress?" he asked.
"No, just the headdress." The blue kacheek replied, his brow puckered.
"…you lie…" Lowell muttered with a slight grin, his eyes closed.
"What?" the kacheek questioned, surprised and annoyed.
Alma's eyes widened at the sound of another voice. She turned to see whom it had come from only to see Lowell standing next to her. Then Alma heard the voice again as she watched Lowell's lips move.
"You say that's all you lost, but the headdress my friend wears was tied to an amulet. The knot could not have been made by accident and you mentioned nothing of the pendant."
Alma froze. Lowell's voice was different then it's usual comforting murmur. Lowell's voice was much louder now, and deeper. His voice rang with courage and confidence. Alma also noticed a change in Lowell's eyes. His usually wide, honest eyes were tighter and his eyebrows were pointed sharply down.
"Your just a stingy rubbish kacheek that wishes to benefit by taking valuables from fortunate children."
The kacheek gritted his teeth, trying to think. "You… your friend said it. She called you by name. Your name's Lowell. You're that dirty stray that's leased to that yellow gelert who runs the berry-picking fields! You live with that old hag, Mabil! When I tell her how you stole that headdress from me, you'll be sent back to the pound!"
Lowell's eyes tightened even more at his words and his ears pressed against the back of his head. "Do as you like, it makes no difference to me, but that circlet belongs to my friend. You have no right to take it, especially seeing as how you're a lying crook." Lowell turned to Alma, "Come-on, let's go."
Lowell turned to leave and Alma followed quickly behind. As Alma staggered, frightened, alongside Lowell she could hear the angry rubbish kacheek yell something at them again. She turned to the sound of his voice and saw him waving his fist in the air and yelling, "You'll regret this ya dirty stray! Ya hear me! You'll be sent away!"
- - - - -
Later that same day…
"So are you sure you're okay Lowell" Alma asked her friend once more before stepping through the door.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for walking back home with me."
"Thanks again for the circlet, I'll see you-"
"LOWELL! COME IN HERE THIS INSTANT! YOU AND THAT KACHEEK FRIEND OF YOURS!"
That was Lowell's Aunt Mabil calling. Lowell knew that tone all too well. Both Lowell and Alma meekly made their way to the room Aunt Mabil had called from. They both had their shoulders slumped and their eyes at the floor. Lowell glanced up to see the rubbish kacheek from earlier that day sitting in a chair at the table. His feet were resting on the tabletop and he was leaning in the chair so that it only stood on the back two feet instead of all four. He had a smirk on his face and greed still shown brightly in his eyes. Lowell looked back at the floor.
Aunt Mabil was glaring down at them. "The rubbish kacheek says ya strays stole from him! Ya mongrels, how dare ya take what isn't yours!" She roared at the top of her lungs.
Lowell's eyes tightened and Alma could see a fire spark inside them. "You're scolding the wrong criminal," he corrected, just as calmly as ever. The change in his voice made Alma's blood run cold, for Alma could hear the frustration and anger behind his words.
"How dare ya'll lie to me!" Aunt Mabil continued. "Ya'll just a mangy cast off who I was so kind as to take in! Ya'll have no right to talk to me that way!"
"I have freedom of speech. That's everyone's right," Lowell looked up and glared into her eyes with a defiant stare.
Aunt Mabil paid no mind to his unusual attitude and carried on. "Ya robbed that poor ald rubbish kacheek of his valuables and ya will return 'em!"
"Valuables?" he questioned, emphasizing the "s"."He told us he had lost a crown, nothing more."
"Don't go fibbing to me! Ya also took that pendant," Aunt Mabil pointed at the amulet Lowell was wearing around his neck, "right outta his pocket!"
"You judge us alone on the word of a conniving fraud? You're so naïve." Lowell shook his head from side to side.
"Are you saying I'm an idiot?!" she questioned.
"I'm saying you refuse to hear any other side of a story that could contradict the one you've already been told! You only believe his story because he came to you first!" Lowell motioned at the rubbish kacheek.
"Now, now, I'm willing to forgive if you'd just…" the rubbish kacheek rose from his chair and went to stand in front of Alma, "give me this back!" The rubbish kacheek swiped the circlet off her head and ran for the door.
Alma gasped, "Please don't take it! That circlet is really important to me." But it was too late, the rubbish kacheek had already ran out the entrance.
Lowell ran to the door and looked outside, but it was too late and too dark to see anything. "Hey, get back here!" Lowell growled into the night.
"That's enough Lowell!" Aunt Mabil yelled.
Lowell turned to face her, "You accuse us of robbery and you allow a theft to take place in your very own home?!"
"That tiara was rightfully his, and you had no right to take it, nor did you have any right to even go to the Rubbish Dump."
Lowell gritted his teeth and glared at his aunt.
"Ya aint gonna have supper for this and ya gonna work early for the berry gelert tomorrow. Ya hear me?"
"Punishing me wont do any good. Anything found in the rubbish dump is given to its finder. I found that circlet and gave it to Alma, it's rightfully hers."
"Go to bed Lowell!"
Lowell tipped his head a little and made his way to the staircase. Then he stopped and turned to his friend. His eyes were still fierce, but remorse was plain on his face. "Alma, I'm sorry for getting you involved in all of this," he apologized to her before heading back towards the stairs.
Alma gazed into her friend's eyes. If she didn't know better, she'd say it wasn't him. But she knew, and it was him. "It's not your fault Lowell," she said, trying to ease his guilt. She felt calmer now too, even though Lowell's voice was still different, it didn't seem as harsh.
Lowell stopped again and stood with his head facing the floor for a moment, then nodded and passed his aunt without a word as he made his way up the stairs.
- - - - -
That incident… it had occurred only a few days ago.
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So, how was it? I have a few more chapters written, but I wanted to see what people thought of this part first before adding on to it. I'll put up another chapter pretty much everyday until I run out, so I hope you look forward to the next one.