Shadows
A soft wind whistled through the bare trees, through branches barely illuminated by the slivered moon. Such dim light cast more shadows than it banished, the lurker knew. And shadows meant concealment, hiding you long enough for another target, keeping your record clean and your Marks still few. The shadows meant living to fight another day.
Tonight, a Lupe. Tomorrow, a Peophin. Competitors must not be given a chance.
The thud of a razor edge hitting a tree echoed over the woods, followed quickly by a shrill scream.
The cry cut off abruptly into horror-filled silence.
The Shadower waited, tense, until the labored breathing sounds slowed and faded to nearly nothing. Then and only then did he emerge, quickly. He'd have to risk being revealed to retrieve the clues.
First, the miss came away from the tree. Then, the hasty second that nevertheless hit its mark.
The Shadower knew his victim wouldn't die. They never did. That was the beauty of it. Poisoned throwing stars not only completely sapped health, they ensured their recipients would never be the same again. The poison stole a kind of life force, leaving targets listless and unable to use their skills.
Two stars lay in the Shadower's palm. He shouldn't have needed two. The Master would punish him for the miss. The Shadower decided not to add tardiness to his Marks as well.
In a breath of air, only the slumped body of a Lupe remained in the forest clearing. Soon, it, too, would leave here, carried by its stricken owner to a doomed existence.
"Brrr!" Maani_of_Fire exclaimed. "It's too cold! I'm not built for this!" He glanced at his Petpet and paused slightly. "Maybe I should complain to Mom instead of you."
Frosty the Abominable Snowball didn't answer, only sat there with a slight smile on his face.
Maani stared at Frosty for a second. "Right. Let's talk about something else. D'ya think Mom's going to buy me a new weapon? Plastic Butter Knife is kind of pitiful."
Again, Frosty said nothing. Maani liked it this way. Sometimes you needed to talk to someone who wouldn't ruin your argument by talking back.
At that moment, however, Maani's monologue was spoiled by his owner, morgana52, emerging from the shop she had just visited. Seemingly empty-handed, she walked briskly up to her red Zafara and his Petpet.
"Okay, I've got what I wanted."
Maani groaned. "Is it dubloons again, or do I even need to ask?"
Morgana blushed and led her pet away from the store much faster than usual. One look at her face confirmed Maani's suspicions.
"Hullo again, Captain Threelegs," he remarked gloomily. "Why can't I stop training and fight?"
Morgana gave him The Look. "You're not strong enough yet. Even Punchbag Bob's got better stats."
"Well, maybe I wouldn't need stamina if I got better weapons!"
"What point is a good weapon if you don't have the skills to use it properly?!" snapped Morgana. Instantly, she regretted her outburst. She saw the tears begin to form in Maani's eyes. "I'm sorry. I just... don't want to see you hurt. I nursed your step-sister after a bad run-in with a Flaming Meerca and... I'd hate for you to be so broken and tired like that." She closed her eyes. "Please trust me, Maani. Wait."
Maani bowed his head briefly, then raced off at the top of his considerable speed. "Comeoncomeonlet'sgoplayKorbat'sLab!" he yelled.
Morgana sighed, scooped up Frosty, who wasn't very fast, and started after her pet.
"Guy code: always cover up your feelings," she muttered. "Should have got a female. But no-o. Never had a male Zafara before, I thought. What a novelty..." She waved her arms energetically, almost dropping Frosty. Some quick Petpet juggling saved him from a fate involving a fall and a Neopian sidewalk.
"Sorry, buddy. Are you okay?"
Frosty only smiled.
"Mom, where've you been?" Maani whined. "I've been waiting in the Haunted Woods forever!"
Morgana smiled, thinking of a private joke. "Well, you did say you've been lonely, so..." She trailed off.
A blue Pteri fluttered out from behind her. He cocked his head at Maani.
"Really? Mom, you're the greatest!" the red Zafara gasped. "I've always wanted a baby brother!"
The Pteri pecked Maani lightly. "Watch who you're calling baby," he warned. "I'm older than you, kid."
"I got him at the Pound," explained Morgana quickly.
"Oh," remarked Maani.
The Pteri regarded his new family for a bit, then spoke again. "Maybe we got off on the wrong wing. Or foot," he hastily added. "I'm Platnum_Pteri, but you can call me Plat." Plat held out a wing. Maani took it gingerly, careful not to crush any delicate feathers. He knew what it felt like to lose flight, but that's another story.
"I'm Maani_of_Fire, Plat," he replied, shaking his new brother's wing. "Nice to meet you."
Their bonding session ended abruptly with a crash as a Christmas Doglefox barreled into the group. In a tangle of spikes, tails, fur, snow (from Frosty), and feathers, Maani turned to his owner and raised an eyebrow.
"I needed a female somewhere," Morgana explained sheepishly. "I'm outnumbered... right, Vixen?" She patted the Doglefox on the head. It licked her. "Now shoo. Go play with Plat and Maani."
"Come, Vixen," called Plat, scooping up the little furry creature. He deposited her into a set of straps on his back, from which Vixen's excited, panting head soon popped up. "Let's go!" Plat sprang into the air.
I wish I could fly, Maani thought wistfully as he picked up Frosty and started off after the Pteri, into the forest.
"I'll see you guys in a bit," Morgana called after them. "I'm going to play some Korbat's Lab."
"Aren't you glad to be away from the Pound?" shouted Maani. He craned his head up to hear the answer.
"Yep. Ain't no place to exercise there, that's for sure," Plat screamed over the wind. Vixen yipped happily as her owner executed a flip.
"This must feel good, then!" No answer came. "Plat? Plat?!" Maani searched the sky. "Uh-oh. Didn't Mom say not to go in the Haunted Woods alone?" He remembered something and looked down his Petpet. "No offense, Frosty, but I don't think you'd count in a fight."
A fight... the trees loomed over Maani, as if daring him to keep going. He whipped his head around, trying to see in all directions at once. Shadows loomed on every branch, around every corner. One blinked.
Maani backtracked. Yes, it had eyes. And claws, digging into the branch it crouched on. And small, sharp fangs bared in a growl. Maani suddenly realized that Morgana had been right: he wasn't strong enough to best something like this.
Stay calm. Maybe it'll listen to reason.
"Um... hello there," he ventured nervously. The shadow didn't move, keeping its hackles raised and its tail curled tightly around its body. "I... I won't hurt you. I'm weak. Look at my only weapon." Maani pulled out his Plastic Butter Knife. He was careful not to put Frosty down in case they had to run for it. "See? You're probably way more powerful..."
The shadow relaxed a little, letting its tail fall into a patch of light. The tail was club-shaped, like a Pteri's... or a Zafara's. Maani squinted at the shadow and could just make out long, floppy ears and spikes on its back.
It was a Zafara, then! Filled with relief that he wasn't facing something that belonged in the Evil directory, Maani breathed a sigh.
The shadow spoke, making him jump. "What are you so relaxed about?" it demanded, sounding annoyed, but also curious.
Maani looked down at his feet, realizing he'd been rude. Even mysterious shadow Zafaras still had feelings. "Sorry. I'm just glad you haven't killed me."
The shadow jumped down from its tree branch and stepping into the light. Like Maani had suspected, it was a Shadow Zafara, a female. "Why would I hurt you?" she wondered aloud. "You're no threat."
"That's what I was hoping," admitted Maani, smiling sheepishly.
"The Master would have no use for you," she continued, as if she hadn't heard.
Maani cocked his head to the side in questioning. "The Master?"
The shadow Zafara stared at him. Suddenly her paw flew to her mouth. "I can't believe I said that."
Now Maani couldn't resist his curious nature. "Is this Master your owner?"
The shadow Zafara sighed. "I'm not supposed to say this... I'm not supposed to even be talking to anyone... but since I've already slipped..." she took a deep breath, "I'll tell you the story."
"The Master trains his best pets for the Battledome. He wants to be the best battler in Neopia. So if he can't win by the rules, he'll eliminate the competition. That's where my brother and I come in.
"My name is Ninja9. My brother is Ninja8. I call him Nate and he calls me Nina, but only when the Master can't hear." She rubbed her eyes furiously. "We're nothing but tools to him. Look."
Nina pulled a cache of metal throwing stars out from a small pouch around her neck. "These are poisoned. One wound, and pets who compete with the Master's are out of the running forever."
Maani whistled. "I'm glad I'm not a threat. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of one of those."
Nina met his eyes. "The throwing end's worse, trust me."
Maani looked away and thought for a minute, then brought his eyes back to contact with her huge, glowing gaze. "If you're number 9 and your brother's 8, what happened to the first seven?"
Nina looked down swiftly. "Too many missed targets," she murmured. "Not quick enough to obey. Too many Marks against me and I'll be abandoned like them." She hung her shining black head. "After talking to you, I'll probably be next."
Suddenly, Maani felt tremendous pity and compassion for this perfectly wonderful pet used as a tool to dishonest victory. "I'm sorry." Then he brightened. "I know! You can come live with me and my mom. She just adopted a Pteri, but I'm sure you'll be welcome. Right, Frosty?" Maani looked to his almost-forgotten Petpet for confirmation.
But Nina was already shaking her head. "I couldn't. I'm not good enough. I've been ruined and I have a bad name and I'm weak. I'm only fast, and I was born that way." She sniffed. "The Master uses naturally fast pets like us Zafaras so he doesn't have to waste training on us."
Maani moved closer. "You can't believe that, Nina. That's what the Master wants you to feel. Are you sure you don't want to come live with us?"
The shadow ninja shook her head, letting tears fall from her enormous eyes. "No. I can't leave Nate. And maybe I can do a little to reform the Master now that you've taught me more of how the rest of Neopia works."
"But..." stammered Maani. "I haven't really said anything..."
"I can see it in your eyes," said Nina softly.
Suddenly, her head snapped around in response to an inaudible signal. "I have to go," she whispered tersely, her face close to Maani's. "Spread the word: the Battledome isn't everything."
And then she sped off, back into the darkness.
Maani stared into the dark wood, his gaze following his newfound and now lost friend. The trees, after only a few paces, swallowed anything walking in, swathing it in shadow.
"But that's what life is, after all," Maani mused aloud. "A journey into inevitable darkness."
"No," a small but rich voice near Maani's shoulder contradicted firmly. "It is a journey through the darkness, toward the light on the other side."
Slowly Maani turned to examine Frosty as if the Petpet had spontaneously turned Mutant. Had the Abominable Snowball really spoken? "I didn't hear that. You couldn't have actually said something, right?"
Frosty only stared ahead, smiling slightly more widely than usual. He knew that predictability made friends comfortable, but every once in a while owners needed a startling out of their paint jobs.
Maani's sensitive Zafara ears picked up Plat's voice calling his name from far above. They heard Vixen yip when Maani answered. And they got squashed and generally smothered in affection as Morgana found her Zafara once more.
"Good news!" Morgana cried. "I found a challenge from the Chia Clown! He's perfect for your first battle!"
Maani looked down at Frosty in his arms. "Okay, but let's just be together first." He smiled, surrounded by the people and pets he loved best in all of Neopia.
After all, life is a journey full of darkness, strewn with the surprises called hope.
Author's Notes:
1. I am quite aware that there is no such thing as a Shadow Zafara. It's symbolic.
2. Likewise, Ninja8 and Ninja9 are not actual pets, as far as I know.
3. The point of this story is cautionary. Like Nina says, "The Battledome isn't everything."
A soft wind whistled through the bare trees, through branches barely illuminated by the slivered moon. Such dim light cast more shadows than it banished, the lurker knew. And shadows meant concealment, hiding you long enough for another target, keeping your record clean and your Marks still few. The shadows meant living to fight another day.
Tonight, a Lupe. Tomorrow, a Peophin. Competitors must not be given a chance.
The thud of a razor edge hitting a tree echoed over the woods, followed quickly by a shrill scream.
The cry cut off abruptly into horror-filled silence.
The Shadower waited, tense, until the labored breathing sounds slowed and faded to nearly nothing. Then and only then did he emerge, quickly. He'd have to risk being revealed to retrieve the clues.
First, the miss came away from the tree. Then, the hasty second that nevertheless hit its mark.
The Shadower knew his victim wouldn't die. They never did. That was the beauty of it. Poisoned throwing stars not only completely sapped health, they ensured their recipients would never be the same again. The poison stole a kind of life force, leaving targets listless and unable to use their skills.
Two stars lay in the Shadower's palm. He shouldn't have needed two. The Master would punish him for the miss. The Shadower decided not to add tardiness to his Marks as well.
In a breath of air, only the slumped body of a Lupe remained in the forest clearing. Soon, it, too, would leave here, carried by its stricken owner to a doomed existence.
"Brrr!" Maani_of_Fire exclaimed. "It's too cold! I'm not built for this!" He glanced at his Petpet and paused slightly. "Maybe I should complain to Mom instead of you."
Frosty the Abominable Snowball didn't answer, only sat there with a slight smile on his face.
Maani stared at Frosty for a second. "Right. Let's talk about something else. D'ya think Mom's going to buy me a new weapon? Plastic Butter Knife is kind of pitiful."
Again, Frosty said nothing. Maani liked it this way. Sometimes you needed to talk to someone who wouldn't ruin your argument by talking back.
At that moment, however, Maani's monologue was spoiled by his owner, morgana52, emerging from the shop she had just visited. Seemingly empty-handed, she walked briskly up to her red Zafara and his Petpet.
"Okay, I've got what I wanted."
Maani groaned. "Is it dubloons again, or do I even need to ask?"
Morgana blushed and led her pet away from the store much faster than usual. One look at her face confirmed Maani's suspicions.
"Hullo again, Captain Threelegs," he remarked gloomily. "Why can't I stop training and fight?"
Morgana gave him The Look. "You're not strong enough yet. Even Punchbag Bob's got better stats."
"Well, maybe I wouldn't need stamina if I got better weapons!"
"What point is a good weapon if you don't have the skills to use it properly?!" snapped Morgana. Instantly, she regretted her outburst. She saw the tears begin to form in Maani's eyes. "I'm sorry. I just... don't want to see you hurt. I nursed your step-sister after a bad run-in with a Flaming Meerca and... I'd hate for you to be so broken and tired like that." She closed her eyes. "Please trust me, Maani. Wait."
Maani bowed his head briefly, then raced off at the top of his considerable speed. "Comeoncomeonlet'sgoplayKorbat'sLab!" he yelled.
Morgana sighed, scooped up Frosty, who wasn't very fast, and started after her pet.
"Guy code: always cover up your feelings," she muttered. "Should have got a female. But no-o. Never had a male Zafara before, I thought. What a novelty..." She waved her arms energetically, almost dropping Frosty. Some quick Petpet juggling saved him from a fate involving a fall and a Neopian sidewalk.
"Sorry, buddy. Are you okay?"
Frosty only smiled.
"Mom, where've you been?" Maani whined. "I've been waiting in the Haunted Woods forever!"
Morgana smiled, thinking of a private joke. "Well, you did say you've been lonely, so..." She trailed off.
A blue Pteri fluttered out from behind her. He cocked his head at Maani.
"Really? Mom, you're the greatest!" the red Zafara gasped. "I've always wanted a baby brother!"
The Pteri pecked Maani lightly. "Watch who you're calling baby," he warned. "I'm older than you, kid."
"I got him at the Pound," explained Morgana quickly.
"Oh," remarked Maani.
The Pteri regarded his new family for a bit, then spoke again. "Maybe we got off on the wrong wing. Or foot," he hastily added. "I'm Platnum_Pteri, but you can call me Plat." Plat held out a wing. Maani took it gingerly, careful not to crush any delicate feathers. He knew what it felt like to lose flight, but that's another story.
"I'm Maani_of_Fire, Plat," he replied, shaking his new brother's wing. "Nice to meet you."
Their bonding session ended abruptly with a crash as a Christmas Doglefox barreled into the group. In a tangle of spikes, tails, fur, snow (from Frosty), and feathers, Maani turned to his owner and raised an eyebrow.
"I needed a female somewhere," Morgana explained sheepishly. "I'm outnumbered... right, Vixen?" She patted the Doglefox on the head. It licked her. "Now shoo. Go play with Plat and Maani."
"Come, Vixen," called Plat, scooping up the little furry creature. He deposited her into a set of straps on his back, from which Vixen's excited, panting head soon popped up. "Let's go!" Plat sprang into the air.
I wish I could fly, Maani thought wistfully as he picked up Frosty and started off after the Pteri, into the forest.
"I'll see you guys in a bit," Morgana called after them. "I'm going to play some Korbat's Lab."
"Aren't you glad to be away from the Pound?" shouted Maani. He craned his head up to hear the answer.
"Yep. Ain't no place to exercise there, that's for sure," Plat screamed over the wind. Vixen yipped happily as her owner executed a flip.
"This must feel good, then!" No answer came. "Plat? Plat?!" Maani searched the sky. "Uh-oh. Didn't Mom say not to go in the Haunted Woods alone?" He remembered something and looked down his Petpet. "No offense, Frosty, but I don't think you'd count in a fight."
A fight... the trees loomed over Maani, as if daring him to keep going. He whipped his head around, trying to see in all directions at once. Shadows loomed on every branch, around every corner. One blinked.
Maani backtracked. Yes, it had eyes. And claws, digging into the branch it crouched on. And small, sharp fangs bared in a growl. Maani suddenly realized that Morgana had been right: he wasn't strong enough to best something like this.
Stay calm. Maybe it'll listen to reason.
"Um... hello there," he ventured nervously. The shadow didn't move, keeping its hackles raised and its tail curled tightly around its body. "I... I won't hurt you. I'm weak. Look at my only weapon." Maani pulled out his Plastic Butter Knife. He was careful not to put Frosty down in case they had to run for it. "See? You're probably way more powerful..."
The shadow relaxed a little, letting its tail fall into a patch of light. The tail was club-shaped, like a Pteri's... or a Zafara's. Maani squinted at the shadow and could just make out long, floppy ears and spikes on its back.
It was a Zafara, then! Filled with relief that he wasn't facing something that belonged in the Evil directory, Maani breathed a sigh.
The shadow spoke, making him jump. "What are you so relaxed about?" it demanded, sounding annoyed, but also curious.
Maani looked down at his feet, realizing he'd been rude. Even mysterious shadow Zafaras still had feelings. "Sorry. I'm just glad you haven't killed me."
The shadow jumped down from its tree branch and stepping into the light. Like Maani had suspected, it was a Shadow Zafara, a female. "Why would I hurt you?" she wondered aloud. "You're no threat."
"That's what I was hoping," admitted Maani, smiling sheepishly.
"The Master would have no use for you," she continued, as if she hadn't heard.
Maani cocked his head to the side in questioning. "The Master?"
The shadow Zafara stared at him. Suddenly her paw flew to her mouth. "I can't believe I said that."
Now Maani couldn't resist his curious nature. "Is this Master your owner?"
The shadow Zafara sighed. "I'm not supposed to say this... I'm not supposed to even be talking to anyone... but since I've already slipped..." she took a deep breath, "I'll tell you the story."
"The Master trains his best pets for the Battledome. He wants to be the best battler in Neopia. So if he can't win by the rules, he'll eliminate the competition. That's where my brother and I come in.
"My name is Ninja9. My brother is Ninja8. I call him Nate and he calls me Nina, but only when the Master can't hear." She rubbed her eyes furiously. "We're nothing but tools to him. Look."
Nina pulled a cache of metal throwing stars out from a small pouch around her neck. "These are poisoned. One wound, and pets who compete with the Master's are out of the running forever."
Maani whistled. "I'm glad I'm not a threat. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of one of those."
Nina met his eyes. "The throwing end's worse, trust me."
Maani looked away and thought for a minute, then brought his eyes back to contact with her huge, glowing gaze. "If you're number 9 and your brother's 8, what happened to the first seven?"
Nina looked down swiftly. "Too many missed targets," she murmured. "Not quick enough to obey. Too many Marks against me and I'll be abandoned like them." She hung her shining black head. "After talking to you, I'll probably be next."
Suddenly, Maani felt tremendous pity and compassion for this perfectly wonderful pet used as a tool to dishonest victory. "I'm sorry." Then he brightened. "I know! You can come live with me and my mom. She just adopted a Pteri, but I'm sure you'll be welcome. Right, Frosty?" Maani looked to his almost-forgotten Petpet for confirmation.
But Nina was already shaking her head. "I couldn't. I'm not good enough. I've been ruined and I have a bad name and I'm weak. I'm only fast, and I was born that way." She sniffed. "The Master uses naturally fast pets like us Zafaras so he doesn't have to waste training on us."
Maani moved closer. "You can't believe that, Nina. That's what the Master wants you to feel. Are you sure you don't want to come live with us?"
The shadow ninja shook her head, letting tears fall from her enormous eyes. "No. I can't leave Nate. And maybe I can do a little to reform the Master now that you've taught me more of how the rest of Neopia works."
"But..." stammered Maani. "I haven't really said anything..."
"I can see it in your eyes," said Nina softly.
Suddenly, her head snapped around in response to an inaudible signal. "I have to go," she whispered tersely, her face close to Maani's. "Spread the word: the Battledome isn't everything."
And then she sped off, back into the darkness.
Maani stared into the dark wood, his gaze following his newfound and now lost friend. The trees, after only a few paces, swallowed anything walking in, swathing it in shadow.
"But that's what life is, after all," Maani mused aloud. "A journey into inevitable darkness."
"No," a small but rich voice near Maani's shoulder contradicted firmly. "It is a journey through the darkness, toward the light on the other side."
Slowly Maani turned to examine Frosty as if the Petpet had spontaneously turned Mutant. Had the Abominable Snowball really spoken? "I didn't hear that. You couldn't have actually said something, right?"
Frosty only stared ahead, smiling slightly more widely than usual. He knew that predictability made friends comfortable, but every once in a while owners needed a startling out of their paint jobs.
Maani's sensitive Zafara ears picked up Plat's voice calling his name from far above. They heard Vixen yip when Maani answered. And they got squashed and generally smothered in affection as Morgana found her Zafara once more.
"Good news!" Morgana cried. "I found a challenge from the Chia Clown! He's perfect for your first battle!"
Maani looked down at Frosty in his arms. "Okay, but let's just be together first." He smiled, surrounded by the people and pets he loved best in all of Neopia.
After all, life is a journey full of darkness, strewn with the surprises called hope.
Author's Notes:
1. I am quite aware that there is no such thing as a Shadow Zafara. It's symbolic.
2. Likewise, Ninja8 and Ninja9 are not actual pets, as far as I know.
3. The point of this story is cautionary. Like Nina says, "The Battledome isn't everything."