We were all abandoned. I was originally named Tif495, but somehow MiracleStar managed to change our names. I think she either snuck into the records office of Neopia one night and changed the records herself, or bribed someone to do it for her. Either way, I'm sure whatever she did it was 100% illegal. MiracleStar is not a role-model for anyone, not in the least. But she's our owner, and we'll follow her no matter what.
****
I sat alone, the Dr_Death knew better than to put someone in with me. I had a short temper, and the incessant crying of the other pets annoyed me to no end. But one day someone abandoned a pteri, and they just couldn't find room for it.
"Here you are," Dr_Death muttered, shoving the sniveling green bird into the cage with me.
I bared my teeth at him in response.
"Try to be nice Tif," the techo scolded. "It's only temporary, I promise."
And the techo walked away. The pteri stood uncertainly near the edge of the cage, still crying.
"Cut that out!" I snapped.
"But, but..." he wailed.
"I know, 'but my owner abandoned me, yada yada yada," I sad in scorn. "I've heard it all before. Forget about the humans, they're all worthless. You're on your own now."
The pteri stared at me in shock, and retreated to the opposite side of the cage as me, trying to contain his crying. I sniffed in disgust and curled up in my corner, wrapping my tail around me and glaring out of the cage with glittering eyes. I was a blue zafara, one no one ever wanted. They could tell I was nothing but trouble. I heard footsteps, and the patter of hooves. Another human, another adoptee blubbering out of gratefulness to have a home again. I watched the girl walk by. She was skinny, but carried herself with such grace and confidence I couldn't help but be impressed. I stood and walked closer to the cage door, the pteri hastily moving out of my way.
"I need four pets," the girl was saying.
"Four! How wonderful!" the Uni said enthusiastically. "How about this one?"
The girl looked at the green gelert indicated, leaping and slobbering in excitement. She shook her head and moved on to the next cage. It was a red Acara, like me, silent and moody. He'd been in there longer then I had, and was known for his violent outbursts and dark demeanor. I'd never heard him talk.
"What's this one's name?" the girl asked.
"Oh, that's starbubble239," she said.
The Acara sneered in disgust at the mention of his name.
"I'll take him," she said, deftly opening the cage before the startled Uni could say anything. She lifted him out and held him up, looking at him. The Acara was startled, and I watched with amusement.
"Any moment star's gonna attack her," I whispered to the Pteri. "He's got a sore streak a mile wide."
But to my amazement, he didn't. The girl whispered something in his ear and set him down. She continued walking down the corridor, the red Uni gaping at her. But she quickly recovered and followed her, hopefully pointing out potential adoptees. The two soon disappeared from sight. I sighed and lay back down.
"Think she'll adopt me?" the pteri asked hopefully.
"No," I replied.
"But she took starbubble-whatever!"
"She took the surly pet. She took one who knows how to be self-dependent, not one who clings to an owner like glue," I retorted sharply.
"You're just jealous!" he snarled.
I ignored the Pteri and went to sleep. After a while I heard footsteps again. I yawned and stood, looking curiously out. The girl was back, starbubble still following her, along with a red Kyrii and a yellow Aisha now. The Kyrii seemed nervous and jittery, but I recognized it as someone with too much energy who had to have an outlet somewhere. The Aisha surprised me. So far it seemed the human had chosen pets that were tough and self-reliant, but this one seemed downright timid. I sneered at her, and was surprised at the flash of anger I saw in the Aisha's eyes. Maybe she wasn't as weak as I'd thought. The human seemed to be taking her sweet time at choosing the next pet, and I sat up straighter as she neared my cage.
"I knew it!" the Pteri hissed. "You want to be adopted just like the rest of us. You may act so tough, but in reality you're just a crybaby wanting a home!"
That was too much for me. I spun around the struck the Pteri, sending him crashing to one side of the cage.
"I need no one!" I shouted at him defiantly, then turned in shock as I heard the cage door open. I squeaked in protest as the girl lifted me out of the cage, holding me at eye level.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Tif495," I said, squirming, trying to get out of her grasp.
She leaned forward to whisper in my ear.
"I can make you greater than you imagine, if you give me a chance," she said. "I only ask for your loyalty."
It was then that I saw the starburst necklace she wore, and there was something about it, something that spoke of power, and a potential for something greater than this stinking pound. I slowly nodded.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am MiracleStar."
She brought the four of us to a small neohome in Neopia Central. It was only three rooms, but it was more then most newbies had.
"I'm not really a newbie," she explained, seeing our surprise.
She led us inside to a modestly furnished living room. I leaped onto the couch and the other three followed me. MiracleStar took a seat opposite us.
"First thing you need to know is that I'm a thief," she said coolly. "Not because I want to be rich or because I have no other choice, but because I chose so. I live how I wish. You are my pets now, and we shall be a team. If you don't want this, I suggest you leave now."
None of us moved.
"Good then. First, names. We, as a group, shall be the Dragon Thieves. Individually, well, I am MiracleStar, and you four shall also have new names. Don't protest, I don't like the ones you have now. I'll fix it up so it's official, don't worry."
She got up and left the room, and returned carrying four paint brushes. I gasped in awe as I saw them. They were like normal paint brushes, except each had dragon wings. She walked over and knelt in front of the Kyrii. He stared in suspicion at the brush, his fidgeting gone now.
"You shall be Taffin StarJumper," she declared, and brushed the paint brush down his back. His fur deepened to black, and harmless flames erupted from his back. But that was not all. Two dragon wings appeared on his back, black with flame patterns. He gasped in awe and flapped them a couple times.
"You can also use a ability no other can," MiracleStar said softly.
Taffin nodded and closed his eyes, than vanished. The three of us pets gasped in shock.
"Hey, it's okay!" a voice said from behind us. I leaped up and gazed down on the other side of the couch. Taffin stood there, grinning in delight. Then he vanished again, and reappeared on the couch again. MiracleStar smiled and moved on to the Acara.
"Jaix NightStalker," she declared, painting him with the second fire paintbrush.
The Acara gazed at his fur in amazement, flapped his wings, then looked back up to MiracleStar.
"What can I do?" he asked.
"What do you think?" she asked.
He was silent for a long moment, then turned to Taffin and gave him a wicked grin.
"You may be able to teleport bro, but I could still kick you from one side of the battledome to the other."
The Kyrii sneered at him in return, then burst out laughing.
"You do that!" Taffin said with a chuckle. "Since you're so tough now, I'll simply teleport out of the way and let you do all the fighting."
MiracleStar nodded and turned to the Aisha.
"Skyil SecretJewel," she declared, painting her desert.
The Aisha leaped to her feet, twisting her head to admire her new look. She flared her wings in speculation, light brown ones matching her fur, but the wings of a dragon.
"So what's my ability?" she asked, then shook her head, "I know, don't tell me MiracleStar! I'm a mind-reader now, but how come I can't tell what you four are thinking?"
"Because I didn't want you to, a little condition worked in there to keep the family's thoughts private," the girl muttered, turning to me. "You've got to be sneaky Skyil, and smart. Your ability's gonna take a good deal of manipulation. Now, for the last brush..."
I gazed at the starry paintbrush in her hand, once again feeling the sense of power and destiny.
"Everything will change, won't it?" I whispered, so that only she heard.
"Everything," she whispered in return. "You shall be Nianso DreamWish."
And she brushed the paint brush down my back. I shuddered, feeling something powerful sink into my bones, remaking my fur, and something deeper, changing the very core of what I am. I sat up and stared fiercely around me, feeling the power burning in my chest, filling my bones. I flared my wings, the deep blue and gold stars gleaming.
"So what's your ability?" MiracleStar asked,
"I don't know," I reluctantly confessed. "It's very powerful, I know that much..."
MiracleStar sighed noisily.
"He didn't tell me what that one did," she murmured, so softly I knew I heard only by sheer luck.
"So what do we do now?" Taffin asked, his restless fidgeting back.
She was silent for a moment.
"I train you as thieves. Then, we make our first attempt."
****
I sat alone, the Dr_Death knew better than to put someone in with me. I had a short temper, and the incessant crying of the other pets annoyed me to no end. But one day someone abandoned a pteri, and they just couldn't find room for it.
"Here you are," Dr_Death muttered, shoving the sniveling green bird into the cage with me.
I bared my teeth at him in response.
"Try to be nice Tif," the techo scolded. "It's only temporary, I promise."
And the techo walked away. The pteri stood uncertainly near the edge of the cage, still crying.
"Cut that out!" I snapped.
"But, but..." he wailed.
"I know, 'but my owner abandoned me, yada yada yada," I sad in scorn. "I've heard it all before. Forget about the humans, they're all worthless. You're on your own now."
The pteri stared at me in shock, and retreated to the opposite side of the cage as me, trying to contain his crying. I sniffed in disgust and curled up in my corner, wrapping my tail around me and glaring out of the cage with glittering eyes. I was a blue zafara, one no one ever wanted. They could tell I was nothing but trouble. I heard footsteps, and the patter of hooves. Another human, another adoptee blubbering out of gratefulness to have a home again. I watched the girl walk by. She was skinny, but carried herself with such grace and confidence I couldn't help but be impressed. I stood and walked closer to the cage door, the pteri hastily moving out of my way.
"I need four pets," the girl was saying.
"Four! How wonderful!" the Uni said enthusiastically. "How about this one?"
The girl looked at the green gelert indicated, leaping and slobbering in excitement. She shook her head and moved on to the next cage. It was a red Acara, like me, silent and moody. He'd been in there longer then I had, and was known for his violent outbursts and dark demeanor. I'd never heard him talk.
"What's this one's name?" the girl asked.
"Oh, that's starbubble239," she said.
The Acara sneered in disgust at the mention of his name.
"I'll take him," she said, deftly opening the cage before the startled Uni could say anything. She lifted him out and held him up, looking at him. The Acara was startled, and I watched with amusement.
"Any moment star's gonna attack her," I whispered to the Pteri. "He's got a sore streak a mile wide."
But to my amazement, he didn't. The girl whispered something in his ear and set him down. She continued walking down the corridor, the red Uni gaping at her. But she quickly recovered and followed her, hopefully pointing out potential adoptees. The two soon disappeared from sight. I sighed and lay back down.
"Think she'll adopt me?" the pteri asked hopefully.
"No," I replied.
"But she took starbubble-whatever!"
"She took the surly pet. She took one who knows how to be self-dependent, not one who clings to an owner like glue," I retorted sharply.
"You're just jealous!" he snarled.
I ignored the Pteri and went to sleep. After a while I heard footsteps again. I yawned and stood, looking curiously out. The girl was back, starbubble still following her, along with a red Kyrii and a yellow Aisha now. The Kyrii seemed nervous and jittery, but I recognized it as someone with too much energy who had to have an outlet somewhere. The Aisha surprised me. So far it seemed the human had chosen pets that were tough and self-reliant, but this one seemed downright timid. I sneered at her, and was surprised at the flash of anger I saw in the Aisha's eyes. Maybe she wasn't as weak as I'd thought. The human seemed to be taking her sweet time at choosing the next pet, and I sat up straighter as she neared my cage.
"I knew it!" the Pteri hissed. "You want to be adopted just like the rest of us. You may act so tough, but in reality you're just a crybaby wanting a home!"
That was too much for me. I spun around the struck the Pteri, sending him crashing to one side of the cage.
"I need no one!" I shouted at him defiantly, then turned in shock as I heard the cage door open. I squeaked in protest as the girl lifted me out of the cage, holding me at eye level.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Tif495," I said, squirming, trying to get out of her grasp.
She leaned forward to whisper in my ear.
"I can make you greater than you imagine, if you give me a chance," she said. "I only ask for your loyalty."
It was then that I saw the starburst necklace she wore, and there was something about it, something that spoke of power, and a potential for something greater than this stinking pound. I slowly nodded.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am MiracleStar."
She brought the four of us to a small neohome in Neopia Central. It was only three rooms, but it was more then most newbies had.
"I'm not really a newbie," she explained, seeing our surprise.
She led us inside to a modestly furnished living room. I leaped onto the couch and the other three followed me. MiracleStar took a seat opposite us.
"First thing you need to know is that I'm a thief," she said coolly. "Not because I want to be rich or because I have no other choice, but because I chose so. I live how I wish. You are my pets now, and we shall be a team. If you don't want this, I suggest you leave now."
None of us moved.
"Good then. First, names. We, as a group, shall be the Dragon Thieves. Individually, well, I am MiracleStar, and you four shall also have new names. Don't protest, I don't like the ones you have now. I'll fix it up so it's official, don't worry."
She got up and left the room, and returned carrying four paint brushes. I gasped in awe as I saw them. They were like normal paint brushes, except each had dragon wings. She walked over and knelt in front of the Kyrii. He stared in suspicion at the brush, his fidgeting gone now.
"You shall be Taffin StarJumper," she declared, and brushed the paint brush down his back. His fur deepened to black, and harmless flames erupted from his back. But that was not all. Two dragon wings appeared on his back, black with flame patterns. He gasped in awe and flapped them a couple times.
"You can also use a ability no other can," MiracleStar said softly.
Taffin nodded and closed his eyes, than vanished. The three of us pets gasped in shock.
"Hey, it's okay!" a voice said from behind us. I leaped up and gazed down on the other side of the couch. Taffin stood there, grinning in delight. Then he vanished again, and reappeared on the couch again. MiracleStar smiled and moved on to the Acara.
"Jaix NightStalker," she declared, painting him with the second fire paintbrush.
The Acara gazed at his fur in amazement, flapped his wings, then looked back up to MiracleStar.
"What can I do?" he asked.
"What do you think?" she asked.
He was silent for a long moment, then turned to Taffin and gave him a wicked grin.
"You may be able to teleport bro, but I could still kick you from one side of the battledome to the other."
The Kyrii sneered at him in return, then burst out laughing.
"You do that!" Taffin said with a chuckle. "Since you're so tough now, I'll simply teleport out of the way and let you do all the fighting."
MiracleStar nodded and turned to the Aisha.
"Skyil SecretJewel," she declared, painting her desert.
The Aisha leaped to her feet, twisting her head to admire her new look. She flared her wings in speculation, light brown ones matching her fur, but the wings of a dragon.
"So what's my ability?" she asked, then shook her head, "I know, don't tell me MiracleStar! I'm a mind-reader now, but how come I can't tell what you four are thinking?"
"Because I didn't want you to, a little condition worked in there to keep the family's thoughts private," the girl muttered, turning to me. "You've got to be sneaky Skyil, and smart. Your ability's gonna take a good deal of manipulation. Now, for the last brush..."
I gazed at the starry paintbrush in her hand, once again feeling the sense of power and destiny.
"Everything will change, won't it?" I whispered, so that only she heard.
"Everything," she whispered in return. "You shall be Nianso DreamWish."
And she brushed the paint brush down my back. I shuddered, feeling something powerful sink into my bones, remaking my fur, and something deeper, changing the very core of what I am. I sat up and stared fiercely around me, feeling the power burning in my chest, filling my bones. I flared my wings, the deep blue and gold stars gleaming.
"So what's your ability?" MiracleStar asked,
"I don't know," I reluctantly confessed. "It's very powerful, I know that much..."
MiracleStar sighed noisily.
"He didn't tell me what that one did," she murmured, so softly I knew I heard only by sheer luck.
"So what do we do now?" Taffin asked, his restless fidgeting back.
She was silent for a moment.
"I train you as thieves. Then, we make our first attempt."