I was the only real inquisitive one of the bunch. Sure, the others had plenty of curiosity and a desire to learn, but they focused it on Neopia. I, on the other hand, was driven to find out just what MiracleStar was hiding from us. For she was hiding things. She never spoke about her past, not once. My siblings never asked. When I did, she merely shrugged off my questions. So I was left to discover who she was myself.
****
Taffin and I stood on the sidewalk outside a small shop in Neopia Central. It was a privately owned one, as are the majority of shops. We just stood there, trying not to look suspicious, chatting about inane topics. The few Neopians that passed discreetly stared at our wings, but I ignored them. I still couldn't fly, hovering was difficult enough right now. But we were learning. Skyil finally emerged from the store, carrying a cheap book. She rejoined us with a careful smile, and we started off down the sidewalk. Once we were out of sight of the building, we ducked into an alley to await Jaix. He appeared silently, startling all of us, as we had not even seen or heard him until he was standing right over Taffin's shoulder.
"Gah, Jaix!" the Kyrii gasped. "Please don't do that!"
"Sorry," the Acara replied.
"I don't see why MiracleStar chose this shop," I murmured, glancing at Skyil.
She shrugged, still holding the book.
"Well, doesn't matter why, she did, and tonight, it's ours!" Taffin said happily, fidgeting, like usual.
I gave the Aisha a hard stare.
"What did you find out?" I demanded of her.
She paused for a moment, looking at the sky.
"The girl who runs it, crewchik1221, doesn't have any extra security besides a lock. She has two pets, neither of them very strong. The shop is not watched at night, and the lock isn't too hard to get through. The girl doesn't think she has anything of worth in there. She's going to empty the shop till tomorrow morning."
"I scoped out the outside pretty well..." Jaix said, "it'll be easy to get into. Skyil's right, the lock is pretty piddly."
"Alright then. Let's go tell MiracleStar," I said.
****
Our first couple months of living with our new owner consisted of us learning the art of her trade. Lock picking, stealth, lying, everything a good thief needs to know. We soon assumed roles, and began to work not as surly, independent pound pets, but as a team. MiracleStar was our leader, she directed and guided us, in turn, we followed her with absolute trust. Jaix was our fighter, and our scout, as he was the most stealthy of us all. Taffin did most of the delicate work, even with all his nervous fidgeting, when it came to lock picking and the such, he was the most gifted. Skyil worked with manipulating people, with her mind-reading, she knew exactly what to say and do. Though I worried about her, she was timid and seemed to regard her gift with more fear than the rest of us. I became the leader of the four of us, as MiracleStar often had us work independently. I organized the other three pets, around what MiracleStar told us to do. I had the fastest reaction time to making decisions, unlike MiracleStar, who only seemed to be able to keep track of herself. I don't know why this happened, as I was still much a loner. You'd think Taffin, who got along with everyone would be the leader. Or Jaix, whose silent and unwavering confidence was in contrast to my temperamental moodiness. But next to MiracleStar, I was in charge.
****
We tromped into our house together, not really talking. MiracleStar was sitting in the living room, writing in a notebook. She shut it when we came in and carried it to her room. The other three took seats on the sofa, but I peered down the hallway, catching a glimpse of MiracleStar placing the notebook in one of her dresser drawers. She reentered the room and I hopped up to sit next to Jaix on the edge of the sofa. Our owner took a seat opposite us.
"So?" she asked.
"Piece of cake," Taffin sniffed.
"No security outside a lock, an easy one at that," I elaborated. "But there's not really good stuff in there, why are we robbing it?"
"Practice," she replied, with a cryptic smile.
And that was all. She left for her room without another explanation. Taffin and Skyil also wondered off to their rooms to prepare for the night, but I snagged Jaix before he could leave also.
"Don't you think this is kind of odd?" I demanded of the Acara.
He merely shrugged.
"You've been prying into MiracleStar's life from the day we were adopted," he snapped. "Just leave her alone."
And then he too left.
I sighed and went to my room.
My room was rather small, and on the upstairs level. It overhung the back entrance, meaning I had a window leading directly out onto the roof. I closed and locked the door behind me, I had no desire to be bothered today. I then sat on my bed and stared glumly at the floor. Perhaps Jaix was right. Perhaps I was just being nosy, and should mind my own business. But it bothered me that our owner would not even tell us her past. What was she hiding? Why'd she become a thief anyways? I heard someone walking around downstairs, heading into the kitchen from the sounds of it. I recognized the footsteps as MiracleStar's, she was the heaviest person in the house, after all, she was human. I hesitated, than nodded to myself. I hurried over to the window and pried it open, quickly removing the screen and setting it aside. I then clambered out onto the roof, using my tail and wings for balance. I crept silently across the shingles, knowing that my siblings had incredible hearing, but also knowing that they were used to me getting up here. I stopped just above MiracleStar's room. I took a deep breath, and jumped off the rooftop. I beat my wings, hard, hearing the wind rush beneath them. I hovered in midair. Breathing a deep sigh of relief, I turned in midair, ever so slowly so as not to upset my balance, and pried open MiracleStar's window. I folded my wings and dropped, grabbing onto the sill and pulling myself into her room. Sure enough, the door was shut, like always. And Skyil's room was right next to MiracleStar's, so she would of heard me enter if I'd gone the traditional route. I crept over to the dresser and eased the drawer open. The notebook was laying there, and I cracked it open to the page she'd been writing on when we came in.
"Are you always this nosy?" a voice said from the window behind me.
I nearly leaped out of my fur.
"Taffin!" I spluttered, eyeing the Kyrii angrily as he awkwardly slid through the open window.
"Yep. Heard ya scrabbling around on the roof and thought I'd see what you're up to."
"I'm..." I said, desperately searching for an excuse.
"Poking your Zafara nose into things that you shouldn't," he said sternly.
He stopped, listening.
"Com'n, we'll talk more in your room," he muttered, making his way gingerly out the window. I didn't bother with being careful, merely leaping out the window, spinning in midjump and catching myself on the sill outside. I pushed up against the side of the house with my back paws, beating my dragon wings, and slammed the window down. I managed to gain enough altitude to snag the edge of the roof and haul myself over.
"Showoff," Taffin muttered, rolling his eyes.
I sat down on the rooftop, looking out across Neopia.
"So, the absolute truth," he said, sitting next to me. "Why are you so nosy about MiracleStar?"
I shrugged.
"I don't know. I just am, I guess..."
"Faeries above Nianso!" Taffin said in exasperation.
"Look, Taffin!" I snapped, leaping to my feet. "Just leave me alone, alright? I can do what I want. I'm a Dragon Thief now, remember?"
The Kyrii looked at me for a long time, than stood, spreading his own dragon wings.
"And so am I. And Jaix and Skyil. We're a team Nianso, it's time you got that through your head."
And he hopped off the side of the house and floated down to the ground. I stared after him, then returned to my own room.
It was a nervous wait until nightfall. I donned my cloak solemnly, a pure black one MiracleStar had made to cover my blue fur and wings, and gathered up my thieving tools, lock picks, a dagger, and other assorted useful items. I strung these on a belt around my waist. I then looked in the mirror, and brushed my bright blue fur out of my eyes. I took a deep breath, and walked downstairs where the rest where waiting.
****
We fanned out when we neared the shop. MiracleStar and Jaix headed for the back, Taffin and I for the front, and Skyil climbed up on the roof, keeping a lookout for anything or anyone. I nodded to the fire Kyrii, his vivid flames hidden beneath his cloak. He nodded back and starting working on the lock, his paws busy with the lock.
"Too bad you can't teleport through solid objects," I muttered, but he ignored me, absorbed in his task.
There was a soft click, and Taffin smugly opened the door, holding it open and mock-bowing to me.
"After you!"
I smiled and slipped inside, and he followed. Once in, Taffin started looking for valuables while I went to the back and let MiracleStar and Jaix in. She nodded to me and headed straight for the backroom. I shrugged and took up a post near the front door.
"This is pointless," Taffin muttered, joining me, finishing packing a small bag with neopoints. "I mean, we got about 10,000 out of the till, but the items aren't really worth our time. We should be off robbing someone much richer."
"We need the practice Taffin," I replied mildly.
"Let's go," I heard MiracleStar say softly from behind us.
"Alrighty," Taffin muttered, and followed her out the shop and down the street back to our house.
****
All of my siblings went to sleep nearly immediately after we got home. I stayed up however, waiting until things quieted down. I then snuck out of my room and downstairs, creeping down the hall to MiracleStar's room. Then someone stepped out in front of me.
"Jaix!" I hissed in surprise.
"Go to bed Nianso," the Acara whispered back. "Leave her alone tonight."
"But," I protested, and he merely silenced me with a shake of his head.
"We're a family now Nianso. And family should trust each other. Now, if you don't want to trust MiracleStar, the door is that way. Because I for one won't allow this."
I stared at him coldly, then glanced over to the front door, and to the night beyond.
"I've been there before, and never again," I whispered softly.
I shrugged, and reluctantly turned and headed back to my room. And I vowed to never again do anything that would destroy our family. I had done it once before, and never again will I.
****
Taffin and I stood on the sidewalk outside a small shop in Neopia Central. It was a privately owned one, as are the majority of shops. We just stood there, trying not to look suspicious, chatting about inane topics. The few Neopians that passed discreetly stared at our wings, but I ignored them. I still couldn't fly, hovering was difficult enough right now. But we were learning. Skyil finally emerged from the store, carrying a cheap book. She rejoined us with a careful smile, and we started off down the sidewalk. Once we were out of sight of the building, we ducked into an alley to await Jaix. He appeared silently, startling all of us, as we had not even seen or heard him until he was standing right over Taffin's shoulder.
"Gah, Jaix!" the Kyrii gasped. "Please don't do that!"
"Sorry," the Acara replied.
"I don't see why MiracleStar chose this shop," I murmured, glancing at Skyil.
She shrugged, still holding the book.
"Well, doesn't matter why, she did, and tonight, it's ours!" Taffin said happily, fidgeting, like usual.
I gave the Aisha a hard stare.
"What did you find out?" I demanded of her.
She paused for a moment, looking at the sky.
"The girl who runs it, crewchik1221, doesn't have any extra security besides a lock. She has two pets, neither of them very strong. The shop is not watched at night, and the lock isn't too hard to get through. The girl doesn't think she has anything of worth in there. She's going to empty the shop till tomorrow morning."
"I scoped out the outside pretty well..." Jaix said, "it'll be easy to get into. Skyil's right, the lock is pretty piddly."
"Alright then. Let's go tell MiracleStar," I said.
****
Our first couple months of living with our new owner consisted of us learning the art of her trade. Lock picking, stealth, lying, everything a good thief needs to know. We soon assumed roles, and began to work not as surly, independent pound pets, but as a team. MiracleStar was our leader, she directed and guided us, in turn, we followed her with absolute trust. Jaix was our fighter, and our scout, as he was the most stealthy of us all. Taffin did most of the delicate work, even with all his nervous fidgeting, when it came to lock picking and the such, he was the most gifted. Skyil worked with manipulating people, with her mind-reading, she knew exactly what to say and do. Though I worried about her, she was timid and seemed to regard her gift with more fear than the rest of us. I became the leader of the four of us, as MiracleStar often had us work independently. I organized the other three pets, around what MiracleStar told us to do. I had the fastest reaction time to making decisions, unlike MiracleStar, who only seemed to be able to keep track of herself. I don't know why this happened, as I was still much a loner. You'd think Taffin, who got along with everyone would be the leader. Or Jaix, whose silent and unwavering confidence was in contrast to my temperamental moodiness. But next to MiracleStar, I was in charge.
****
We tromped into our house together, not really talking. MiracleStar was sitting in the living room, writing in a notebook. She shut it when we came in and carried it to her room. The other three took seats on the sofa, but I peered down the hallway, catching a glimpse of MiracleStar placing the notebook in one of her dresser drawers. She reentered the room and I hopped up to sit next to Jaix on the edge of the sofa. Our owner took a seat opposite us.
"So?" she asked.
"Piece of cake," Taffin sniffed.
"No security outside a lock, an easy one at that," I elaborated. "But there's not really good stuff in there, why are we robbing it?"
"Practice," she replied, with a cryptic smile.
And that was all. She left for her room without another explanation. Taffin and Skyil also wondered off to their rooms to prepare for the night, but I snagged Jaix before he could leave also.
"Don't you think this is kind of odd?" I demanded of the Acara.
He merely shrugged.
"You've been prying into MiracleStar's life from the day we were adopted," he snapped. "Just leave her alone."
And then he too left.
I sighed and went to my room.
My room was rather small, and on the upstairs level. It overhung the back entrance, meaning I had a window leading directly out onto the roof. I closed and locked the door behind me, I had no desire to be bothered today. I then sat on my bed and stared glumly at the floor. Perhaps Jaix was right. Perhaps I was just being nosy, and should mind my own business. But it bothered me that our owner would not even tell us her past. What was she hiding? Why'd she become a thief anyways? I heard someone walking around downstairs, heading into the kitchen from the sounds of it. I recognized the footsteps as MiracleStar's, she was the heaviest person in the house, after all, she was human. I hesitated, than nodded to myself. I hurried over to the window and pried it open, quickly removing the screen and setting it aside. I then clambered out onto the roof, using my tail and wings for balance. I crept silently across the shingles, knowing that my siblings had incredible hearing, but also knowing that they were used to me getting up here. I stopped just above MiracleStar's room. I took a deep breath, and jumped off the rooftop. I beat my wings, hard, hearing the wind rush beneath them. I hovered in midair. Breathing a deep sigh of relief, I turned in midair, ever so slowly so as not to upset my balance, and pried open MiracleStar's window. I folded my wings and dropped, grabbing onto the sill and pulling myself into her room. Sure enough, the door was shut, like always. And Skyil's room was right next to MiracleStar's, so she would of heard me enter if I'd gone the traditional route. I crept over to the dresser and eased the drawer open. The notebook was laying there, and I cracked it open to the page she'd been writing on when we came in.
"Are you always this nosy?" a voice said from the window behind me.
I nearly leaped out of my fur.
"Taffin!" I spluttered, eyeing the Kyrii angrily as he awkwardly slid through the open window.
"Yep. Heard ya scrabbling around on the roof and thought I'd see what you're up to."
"I'm..." I said, desperately searching for an excuse.
"Poking your Zafara nose into things that you shouldn't," he said sternly.
He stopped, listening.
"Com'n, we'll talk more in your room," he muttered, making his way gingerly out the window. I didn't bother with being careful, merely leaping out the window, spinning in midjump and catching myself on the sill outside. I pushed up against the side of the house with my back paws, beating my dragon wings, and slammed the window down. I managed to gain enough altitude to snag the edge of the roof and haul myself over.
"Showoff," Taffin muttered, rolling his eyes.
I sat down on the rooftop, looking out across Neopia.
"So, the absolute truth," he said, sitting next to me. "Why are you so nosy about MiracleStar?"
I shrugged.
"I don't know. I just am, I guess..."
"Faeries above Nianso!" Taffin said in exasperation.
"Look, Taffin!" I snapped, leaping to my feet. "Just leave me alone, alright? I can do what I want. I'm a Dragon Thief now, remember?"
The Kyrii looked at me for a long time, than stood, spreading his own dragon wings.
"And so am I. And Jaix and Skyil. We're a team Nianso, it's time you got that through your head."
And he hopped off the side of the house and floated down to the ground. I stared after him, then returned to my own room.
It was a nervous wait until nightfall. I donned my cloak solemnly, a pure black one MiracleStar had made to cover my blue fur and wings, and gathered up my thieving tools, lock picks, a dagger, and other assorted useful items. I strung these on a belt around my waist. I then looked in the mirror, and brushed my bright blue fur out of my eyes. I took a deep breath, and walked downstairs where the rest where waiting.
****
We fanned out when we neared the shop. MiracleStar and Jaix headed for the back, Taffin and I for the front, and Skyil climbed up on the roof, keeping a lookout for anything or anyone. I nodded to the fire Kyrii, his vivid flames hidden beneath his cloak. He nodded back and starting working on the lock, his paws busy with the lock.
"Too bad you can't teleport through solid objects," I muttered, but he ignored me, absorbed in his task.
There was a soft click, and Taffin smugly opened the door, holding it open and mock-bowing to me.
"After you!"
I smiled and slipped inside, and he followed. Once in, Taffin started looking for valuables while I went to the back and let MiracleStar and Jaix in. She nodded to me and headed straight for the backroom. I shrugged and took up a post near the front door.
"This is pointless," Taffin muttered, joining me, finishing packing a small bag with neopoints. "I mean, we got about 10,000 out of the till, but the items aren't really worth our time. We should be off robbing someone much richer."
"We need the practice Taffin," I replied mildly.
"Let's go," I heard MiracleStar say softly from behind us.
"Alrighty," Taffin muttered, and followed her out the shop and down the street back to our house.
****
All of my siblings went to sleep nearly immediately after we got home. I stayed up however, waiting until things quieted down. I then snuck out of my room and downstairs, creeping down the hall to MiracleStar's room. Then someone stepped out in front of me.
"Jaix!" I hissed in surprise.
"Go to bed Nianso," the Acara whispered back. "Leave her alone tonight."
"But," I protested, and he merely silenced me with a shake of his head.
"We're a family now Nianso. And family should trust each other. Now, if you don't want to trust MiracleStar, the door is that way. Because I for one won't allow this."
I stared at him coldly, then glanced over to the front door, and to the night beyond.
"I've been there before, and never again," I whispered softly.
I shrugged, and reluctantly turned and headed back to my room. And I vowed to never again do anything that would destroy our family. I had done it once before, and never again will I.