Competition Date:
2017-08-12 - 2017-08-26

Voting Period:
2017-08-27 - 2017-09-13

The Legend Of The Crystal Novyn

Every Sunday morning the old Purple Novyn known as Bob went into the market square in Glacia and told his story. The story of the Legend of the Crystal Novyn. Every week all the young icepets gathered to listen to Bob tell his tale, for no matter how many times they heard it, it always felt as magical as the first time. Bob sat down on an old tree stump and began his tale. Once upon a time...there was a great disaster in the mountains and all the Novyns died out or so everyone thought. A single novyn had not been seen in years and years until one night, when the lights were shining bright in the sky a lone farmer out looking at the sky swore he seen a shadow in the sky...a shadow of a novyn. The next day he told the villagers about what he seen but noone would believe him. The farmer got so upset about noone believing him and decided he would go find the Novyn himself. So he packed up a wagon and set off up the mountain. After a week had passed he still had not returned and the villagers were getting worried so they set up a search party to go find the farmer. It took awhile to climb the mountain and the further they got with no signs of the farmer they got more worried. Eventually one night as they had set up their camp they seen a shadow flying across the sky. They watched in amazement as the shadow came closer towards them. Finally landing with a small thud on the ground before them was a magnificent purple crystal Novyn, with the farmer flying on his back no less. They all apologised to the farmer for not believing him and stared in amazed at the beautiful Novyn. The Novyn told them of how he had travelled from far away, from another land in search of finding more of his own kind but had still been unsuccessful. They all spent many nights on the mountain together and all became good friends and the Novyn realised he did not need his own kind to have family as this villagers and the farmer had became his family but still he longed to find his own. So bidding goodbye to his new friends he took off to the skies again to continue his search. The farmer waited years and years hoping his friend would return but he never did then one night he thought just a moment he seen a shadow flying in the sky once more and he smiled.

The Long Journey Across Terrafrost

This is the story of a little dabu, born and raised in Halipar Jungles. Her favorite things about her home location were the trees, the flowers and the rain. There was also a mythical creature that lived there: the zabeu. She never saw one, but the tales said they were amazing creatures. The little dabu went alone on her journey to the unknown.

A long trip by boat would take her to her first destiny: Misty Isle. Upon arriving at the docks, she noticed two things. First, the houses and shops were built on cliffs and second, it was cold! The sound of the wind was loud in her ears; she could see an igloo from there. She was shaking even with a fur coat. Good thing there was a shop to sell some extra clothes, which would keep her body warm. Unfortunately, the trip had to be cut short; she could not buy any warm attire. There were several places to visit and Stylist was having problems to find what she needed. She did find a flower crown. It was worth the visit.

The next stop was the moon: Meteora. Travelling in a rocket ship was rather uneventful. Yet, Meteora was the coolest place her small eyes had ever seen. She could not walk anywhere... She was floating! The space helmet was a perfect fit, even though it was ordered online. She faced many problems trying to enter the stores; the lack of gravity was always bringing her back up. She did managed to enter the raffle and earned a few coins in the golden slot! She will definitively come back for another visit!

Going back to a place with gravity, she was ready for her next adventure: Snowslide Mountains. Again, so cold! She had a lot of fun browsing the snow jars and bought herself a soft drink. Of course, she stayed most of the time in the Sugar Rush. She was buying all the chocolate she could see. They were delicious! However, her stomach was growling, she needed a substantial meal. Preferably a hot meal.

It was time for the last location: Glacies. She had little time to visit everything before bedtime. She arrived there on a plow truck. The trip to Glacies itself was very fun. She saw loads of igloo houses and several icy hills.

Upon arriving there, she was distracted by everything. There was the plushie mania, toys shop, books and the food shop! Her tiny arms could not carry that many items; good thing there was a post office there! While she was shopping for plushies, she saw an ori hugging all of them before buying? Icepets from the main location are interesting! Finally, after all the shopping, she reached the food shop.

The shopkeeper, Bob, told her they sold warm meals, however he needed to make more. She only had to wait 4:30 minutes. When the food stocked, she could see the steam coming out of a bowl. It looked great. Her stomach made a loud noise; it was finally going to be full. Moreover, she was going to be warm. When she was about to taste it, she heard the horn of the plow truck. It was time to head home. No!!!

The End.

Kerla's Tale

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful White Krittle named Kerla. Everyday, she went to school with her classmates in the Glacies. Kerla loved looking at the the shimmering white stars and sapphire sky as she talked to her friends. On one of these days, her friends were arguing about their colors.

"I'm beautiful and blue like sparkling diamonds!" Tiffany the Blue Traptur boasted.

"Ha! I'm better! I'm yellow like the shining Sun!" Jessi the Yellow Jakrit countered.

"Oh yeah? I'm red like a heart! There's no life without me!" Odea the Red Ori bragged.

"What do you think, Kerla? Which one of us has the best color?" Tiffany asked.

Kerla was conflicted. She thought all her friends were beautiful, inside and out. There was no way she could ever choose between them.
"I think we are all very beautiful!" Kerla beamed at her friends.

"All? Haha! As if. Whatever. Girls, it doesn't really matter which one of us is the prettiest. We all know who's the ugliest," Odea laughed in Kerla's face.

"Agreed. Who would ever choose the boring color white? All she does is make us look better," Jessi scoffed at Kerla.

Kerla felt her face flush red. She never thought of it that way. Compared to all her classmates, she was boring. The sound of her peers laughing rung in her ears as Kerla dashed away into a corner.

"I am boring!" Kerla cried to herself as tears streamed down her face. "No one will ever like me because I'm not cool like Tiffany or shiny like Jessi."

"Couldn't help but overhear your predicament," A voice said.

Kerla looked up. A mysterious and alluring black dabu stood in front of her.

"Who are you?" Kerla cautiously asked.

"I'm Drexi. I used to think I was ugly too, but now, I associate myself with something I love. I may not be as bright as anyone else, but I am dark like the night sky. Without me, how would the stars shine?"

"Maybe you're right," Kerla said. "I am white like the stars. I am beautiful like the stars. I can shine like the stars. I am a star!"

"That's the spirit!" Drexi smiled.

The next day, Kerla walked into the classroom, grinning from ear to ear. She sat down in her seat as her teacher began to speak. "Hello everyone! As some of you may know, today is my 15th anniversary of becoming a teacher! To celebrate, I will be raffling off a rainbow snow jar! To enter, please write your name on a piece of paper, and put it in this jar," Mrs. Akali the Rainbow Audril announced.

Kerla watched as most of the students, including her old friends, hurried up to enter.

"Aren't you going to enter, Kerla?" Mrs. Akali asked her, beckoning toward the crowd.

"No. I'm happy just the way I am," Kerla smiled.

The Great Firework Robbery

Every year on November the fifth it was firework night, and every year a huge display was put on in Glacia. It was so clever, they had rigged a way for the dragon statue to launch them from its mouth so it looked like it was alive and practically breathing fire. Reds and oranges and yellows and greens, they were all so pretty and fantastic to see.

Shamrock the Jakrit loved going to see them along with her friends Squeaks the Dabu and Maverick the Makoat.

But that year was different. A poster had been put up to say the event was cancelled because some bandits had stolen all the fireworks for the display.

"Oh no!" cried Shamrock when she saw it. "What'll we do for firework night now?"

"We should try and find whoever took the fireworks!" Maverick cried.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!" Squeaks said.

The three of them agreed to search Glacia for the firework thieves, they couldn't have gotten all that far could they?

They searched all the shops, all the shrubbery they could find and even under all the stones.

There was only one place they hadn't searched and that was the mines.

The trio ventured inside slowly, one paw or hoof at a time. Deeper and deeper they got, the footpath becoming ever darker as they progressed through. But soon enough they came to a clearing, there were boxes filled with fireworks towards one corner, and in the other corner was a couple of monkeys having some sort of disagreement.

"C'mon boss! You promised us golden bananas for this stash," one of them said.

"We have to get them out of here first. We don't get paid until we deliver them to the port." the other one said.

"But it took me all night to get them here, you said this was the best route and its not! It's a dead end!"

"Well it didn't used to be a dead end, it must have collapsed since I last smuggled through here."

Shamrock whispered to her friends "What should we do? These monkeys could be dangerous."

"They seem a bit stupid," Maverick whispered back. "We should hide behind those rocks over there and scare them." he pointed with his tail to a shadowed group of boulders, tall enough for them to hide behind.

Squeaks nodded in agreement.

The trio hid behind the rocks barely making a noise as they did so. Maverick clip clopped his hoofs against the rocks. The structure of the mine made them echo so loudly it was like there was a dragon down there with them.

"Boss!" one of them cried out again, darting behind the other one in obvious fear. "What is that?"

"I don't know!" even the boss seemed scared. "We should be the only ones down here, nothing else knows about this place!"

Seeing how spooked they were, Shamrock put her paws together and made shadow puppets dance across the curvaceous ceiling. Squeaks giggled to what his friends were doing, his high pitched noises were distorted underground.

The noises coupled with the dancing shadows were the limit for the bandits. They ran out of the mine screaming, leaving the firework stash behind them.

After they'd gone, the three friends came out of their hiding spot. Transferred the fireworks into a nearby mine cart and Maverick used his horns to push the vehicle up the tracks all the way back up to the entrance.

Upon reaching the opening, they spotted the two monkeys had been arrested by the Zabeu officers of TerraFrost, who turned towards them when they saw the fireworks had been found.

The citizens of TerraFrost cheered loudly as the bandits were taken away in chains.

"We woulda gotten away with it too if it weren't for you pesky kids!" the boss shouted over to them, he didn't look happy to have been caught.

The firework display was back on and Shamrock, Maverick and Squeaks were made honorary guests for the event that year. After all, if they hadn't recovered them, there wouldn't have been an event. And that year was the best it had ever been!

At Long Last

Kaira groaned, struggling against the burning sand to upright herself. Confused, she used her long Traptur claws to shield her eyes from the blinding sun. A humid, heavy wind stirred as she observed nothing but sand dunes spanning all directions. Panic set in with the realization that Kaira was completely alone with no memory of how she arrived there. Closing her eyes and taking a deep, slow breath, she tried to remain calm. Feigning confidence, Kaira steadily dusted the sand off herself and tried to piece together what happened.

Just then, Kaira caught a quick shimmer out of the corner of her eye. Turning slightly, she linked one of her claws around a glimmering, gold chain. Pulling cautiously, Kaira unearthed a pendant from the dune before her. In awe, she began to brush the small grains of sand from the Scarab Amulet's surface. As her paw rubbed against the stunning piece, the earth beneath her feet simultaneously trembled. Falling backwards with a shocked gasp, Kaira watched as an avalanche of sand fell away and a cave opening rose from the depths of the dunes.

She peered in guardedly, noting the glowing gems that lined the cavern's walls, illuminating a pathway into its depths. Kaira was contemplating entering just as the amulet began to squirm. Unable to keep her grip, the pendant fell to the sand and the jeweled scarab sprang forth from its metal hold. The scarab scrambled right off the face of the amulet and began scuttling frantically into the cave, beckoning Kaira inside. Mystified by this turn of events, she rushed inside after the animated creature without thought.

The luminescent gems were even more dazzling up close, but Kaira soon came to question her decision to follow the scarab as it led her deeper into the cave's labyrinth. Kaira pleaded with the creature to turn around, but her request was only met with silence. They had taken so many twists and turns inside the cave that it would be beyond impossible for her to find her way out on her own. She quietly cursed herself for trusting something that just burst to life inexplicably.

Dejectedly, Kaira noticed the gems becoming dimmer the farther they journeyed. Unfazed, the scarab pushed forward until darkness enveloped the pair. Losing sight of her guide, it was but a soft click that drew her attention to the looming obscurity. Squinting, Kaira noticed a red glow that looked like it was coming from the scarab itself. With one last leap of faith, she steadied her nerves and dashed into the shadows towards the lone light.

Panting slightly, Kaira slowed as she reached the glimmering beacon. She could barely determine any features in the dim glow it was omitting but the creature seemed to have embedded itself into the rock below. Curiously, Kaira wondered if she could pry it out of its newfound setting. However, the moment her paw touched the gem, the red glow erupted into a bright all-encompassing light. As her eyes adjusted to the overwhelming sensation, she found herself surrounded by a collection of golden pedestals in a circular pattern.

Atop each dais were gifts, each more marvelous than the next. Scarab Amulets were rumored to grant rare items but Kaira never imagined such glorious possibilities. Her eyes flickered between each one until the gleaming Khanusaa caught her attention. For reasons she couldn't explain, Kaira felt herself inescapably drawn. Mere seconds later, she had crossed the cavern room and had her treasure in hand. Her moment of triumph was short lived as the moment the Khanusaa was taken from its resting place, the ground gave way and Kaira found herself falling... falling... falling...

The sensation jolted Kaira out of her slumber, the pure shock pulling her to consciousness as her heart raced wildly. Despite how vivid her adventure felt, she found herself in her burrow where she had fallen peacefully asleep the night before. Throwing back the covers, she found both her Scarab Amulet and a newly acquired Khanusaa. Hugging each joyously to her chest, Kaira gleefully squealed. After almost a full year of rubbing her amulet with no success, she had-at long last-been rewarded.

The Lost Star

The bell over the door jingled as Lullaby, the Dreamworld Dabu stepped inside the Book Shop. Ralph looked up from his counter "Good evening Lullaby." he said. "What brings you out at this hour? A cup of hot cider perhaps?"

Lullaby shook her head, letting the pompon on her sleeping cap softly bop against her cheek. "I need a new bedtime story."

Ralph nodded, "I think I have just the thing". She toddled along with him, her precious star pillow clutched tightly as he showed her the smaller stories, with more brightly coloured pictures, just the thing for a young IcePet. Lullaby chose two new books. At the counter she took off her sleeping cap, where she had her IcePoints tucked.

Ralph put her books in a carrier bag and handed them over. "Well hello!" he greeted another customer. "I'll be right with you. There you go Lullaby, I hope you enjoy these."

Lullaby toddled out. Ralph turned to see Tom, the Dreamworld Wulfer. What a neat coincidence after Lullaby! The Dreamworld pets were newcomers, but Ralph was already fond of them. They were some of his best customers, as they adored all things cozy.

"I'm looking for a bedtime story, hopefully one about travel." Tom said.

"Books can take you on such adventures, but you're rarely late for supper." Ralph headed towards the same nook that Lullaby had been in. The travel books lined the shelf in front of the easier to read books.

Meanwhile Lullaby had padded down the sidewalk, to look in the window of the Plushie Shop. "Lil Star, which one should we take home?" Lullaby began, but as she looked down, she realized in horror she was holding ONLY her bag of books!

"Where is my STAARRRR!!!" the distraught Dabu wailed. Customers from the Plushie shop wondered what was wrong.

"Here, would you like my Christmas Star?" a kindly Yellow Zabeu asked.

Lullaby could only cry and shake her head. "NO I WANT MY STARRRRR!!" she sobbed.

"Oh dear", murmered the Zabeu. "Does anyone know where she's come from? Maybe you left it at home?" she began. Lullaby hiccuped in reply.

Back at Ralph's, Tom found a travel book he felt sure he'd enjoy. Then he looked down and saw a lovely star plushie. Tom went to the counter. "Erm, Ralph are you selling plushies now?" The Dreamworld Wulfer extended his light blue paw to show the ivory coloured pillow.

"Oh dear, no, that's little Lullaby's." Ralph said. He could hear a commotion through the windows. "I wonder what's going on outside?"

Ralph and Tom opened the door. It took both only nanoseconds to understand the commotion was actually little Lullaby. She'd given up trying to talk and had settled on full body wailing by this point. Tom took the star plushie back from Ralph and padded along as quickly as a Dreamworld Wulfer could, wending his way through the concerned crowd. Once through, he merely held the star pillow towards Lullaby and waited.

"MY STAR!!!!" Lullaby squealed as she latched on, hugging it comfortingly to her chest and rocking a little, "Where did you find it?"

Ralph had come up by then and smiled at the sight. "I'm so sorry Lullaby, you must have set it down when you were looking at books. Tom here spotted it for you."

Lullaby dashed away her tears."Thank you."

Tom smiled at Lullaby. "Are you up to going with me to the Food shop?" he asked her. She looked doubtful. "I just thought you might like some milk and cookies to go with your new books."

With that Lullaby nodded and smiled. "To new friends!"

Dream Big

Miley the Dreamworld Krittle had always been told that her color fit her well. She was a pet of big dreams.

At 5 years old, Miley told her mother that she would become the first ever Krittle pop star. Then, she told her entire class at the School of Icepets. Some creatures laughed at her. Others felt pity for the little animal who dreamt too big. A Wulfer shouted that only their species became superstars. Even the teacher was afraid that Miley would become disappointed with the way her life would eventually turn out.

The little Krittle ran home crying that day. She told her mother what had happened at school. Her mother gently placed her hand on Miley's shoulder.

"Darling, don't listen to them. In the end, they'll be the disappointed ones, wondering what their life could have been. You keeping dreaming, and dream as big as you want. As long as you work hard, you can make your dreams a reality," Miley's mother consoled her.

10 years later, Miley met with Wulfer Records. She told them she wanted to be the first ever Krittle pop star. Some of them laughed in her face. Others shook their head. They told her that her dreams were too big. It'll never happen, they said. As she left the building almost in tears, she was stopped by one of the Wulfers from the meeting.

"Wait!" He shouted. "Forget about them. Don't listen to what they said. You can makes your dreams come true, and I'll help you."

Six months later, Miley and Matt the Wulfer introduced their own recording label to the world. Miley released her first single.

A year later, Miley's self-titled debut album soared to the first spot in the charts. She became a household name, but as she grew more famous, she had been receiving more and more hate. They told her Krittles shouldn't be singing. As Miley cried, she remembered those that believed in her and reminded herself of the wise words they spoke. In the end, she took the hate and made herself stronger rather than letting it tear her down.

Present day: Miley is performing at Terrafrost's most prestigious concert on Meteora.

"I did it."

Discovering Icepets

One day I was bored and looking for some cool site to play. This is when a friend made me an invitation and I came across to Icepets, a virtual game in the Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) style.

My first contact with the site was very inviting. Soon, I thought, "Wow, this place looks nice, I'll sign up now!!!"

I signed up, I created my first Dabu and in the sequence I began to discover what the site offer for players. The Dragon Statue Challenge was very helpful in getting me more familiar with the site.

Over time I realized that with each day that I played, I was surprised by the diversity of things to do, "Cool, have some games to play, have quests to perform, have themed events to attend and have collections for we try to complete (OMG! I love collections!)."

"There are several stores with beautiful items and what we can use in various places on the site. And that makes them very interesting, since they are not only used to stay in the gallery or the storage. We may also have our own store to put some items on sale and so profit some IPs."

"There are trophies for us to highlight our achievements and I think this is a great incentive for us to continue to seek to fulfill and expand our records and goals."

"There is also a great variety of potions to change the color and species of our animals. Being that I really liked the closet, where we can change the color of the pet without losing the previous colors."

"To chat with other users there are forums, messages and comments in the user profile."

Besides the steps I could take alone, I realized something very captivating: "The community is extremely charming! She is always willing to help the new and old members in a kind and helpful way. "

Anyway, nowadays here is my favorite place to have fun!!!

"Icepets, I love this place!!!"

The Ice Caves: a Sharshel's Shivering Spell

A Sharshel stood in front of the Ice Caves. Staring into the black abyss, she yelled, "Hello? Is anyone in there?" She waited for a few seconds. Her only reply was her own echo, faintly ringing back to her. Shuddering, she took a step into the mouth of the intimidating, dark cavern. She held up her lantern. "Well," she said, "I guess it's time to find that treasure."

Stumbling into the darkness, she wandered around in the tunnel. Icicles hung from the roof, and stalagmites pointed up from just about everywhere. "Good thing I'm wearing my boots," she thought aloud. Large eyes fixed their gaze on her, and six legs silently stalked her.
She trotted through the cave, stopping to marvel at priceless gems adorning the walls, and small items left by other explorers. She was unnerved by this sight, taking more caution in her steps. She continued exploring the treacherous cave, searching for any valuable treasures or priceless artifacts.

She walked for about half an hour, before finding a small hollow in the wall. Waving her lantern at it, it was entirely empty. She said, "I might as well set up camp here, it seems safe." Placing her backpack on the ground, she took out her items. Unrolling a sleeping bag, she started to make the hollow feel like a small tent. She set down a pillow and her lantern, sitting down to eat.

...

Staring out in front of her, she saw a jet-black figure shoot across the cave. She figured it was probably a bat, until it ran back in front, to reveal a thick tail, furry collar, six legs and menacing eyes. Its gaze petrified her, as it narrowed its eyes and ran off.

The Sharshel was too frightened to speak, instead burying herself in her sleeping bag and trying to shake her fear. "It's alright, it's alright, it's alright..." she repeated to herself. Shakily, she removed the covers and looked out of the hollow. It was gone.

"I guess it was nothing," she mumbled as she picked up her lantern to trek deeper into the cave. The farther in she went, curiously, shards of ice floated in midair and cube-shaped gems were more apparent. She tried touching a shard, only for ice to start forming on her hand and a sharp pain being inflicted. She pulled her hand away from the crystal to try to find the treasure she was looking for.

Suddenly, she was tackled by the same figure she saw earlier. Before she could respond, it bit her as she started losing consciousness and tried to struggle out of its grasp. She soon blacked out, collapsing on the cold floor of the cave.



Three days later...

The Sharshel's head hurt and she could barely move when she woke up. She reached for her lantern, and was shocked, as her once pink skin was now a frostbitten blue. She tried standing up, but to much difficulty. She had been slowed down greatly, as the ice froze the already slow Sharshel stiff. She trotted over to a large crystal, only to be shocked at her reflection. Crystals had grown on her shell and her eyes turned a deep navy blue. Picking up her lantern, she looked around for the figure that had knocked her out.

Though the coast looked clear, she was still being stalked from the ceiling. She walked around, feeling a bit warmer with every step. She eventually found a clearing where no ice was present. Small flowers grew, and on a pedestal stood a gilded crown. Reaching out for it, a grey paw slapped her away.

A storm Wulfer stood atop the pedestal. Glaring at the Sharshel, he gave her a toothy, evil smile, and donned the crown. Lightning crashed down from the ceiling, and clouds encircled the Wulfer. He relentlessly threw bolts at her, screaming "THIS RELIC IS MINE!"

Suddenly, he was shoved aside by the shadowy figure. It knocked off the crown, giving it to the Sharshel. She saw that it was a shadow Krittle. "Sorry. I just wanted to make sure that Wulfer didn't hurt you," it said. She smiled, exiting the cave with it to claim their glory.

The Incandescent Butterfly

Aida wasn't the type to take responsibility, not when each day would begin with the same strange events, something she had become very tired of as this wasn't what she thought would happen when moving to the peaceful forest.

It was always the same. She pushed the hefty log door of her home open, causing a sudden downpour of last night's resting dew to rain down, along with assorted sticks and leaves, finished with a light splash right on her head.

"Gah, why can't I just be left alone..." She complained, tossing it all beside her house, only for it to repeat again the next day.

-----------------------------

Splash!

It seemed like half the forest would gather atop the Dabu's house, only to surprise her the next morning with an unavoidable mess. The small Dabu's tail ruffled, frustration showing in her movements. Struck again by wet foliage, she sifted through the mess to reveal a strange little plant, slightly wilted, shaped like a teardrop, and patterned with orange splotches - very similar to the plants in the piles before.

"Ugh! It's always the same. The plants aren't mine. It's not my problem!" She tossed it away.

-----------------------------

Splash!

She squeaked, the fluffy Dabu struck by sudden soggy objects. This morning followed with more dew than usual, which showered onto her head, watering the strange plant, which began to glow, nestled on the crown of her fur.

"What's happening?" Aida wondered.

She quickly pawed it from her head, seeing the almost lantern-like plant begin to unfold, revealing a single, beautiful glowing butterfly. A quiet chime rang out from its wings, as it faded into the morning air. As quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

"Wait! Please..." The Dabu pleaded to the creature, but it had already left and Aida felt somewhat sad.

-----------------------------

This morning her door didn't fly open, it slowly creaked, casting a long shadow beneath the shades of an oncoming storm. Out snuck a curious, not angry, Dabu, padding carefully at the steps to her tiny garden. Peering up, she pawed at the gathering of leafy deposit which once again sat upon her house along with - there it was - a strange plant with its same glowing splotches!

"You came back! I'm sorry. Let me water you." She chirped, fluffy tail bouncing behind her as she scooped up a clay pot.

Soon after rain began to fall, her new winged friend sat upon her window, vibrant and glowing. It seemed to respond to the gift of forest water by illuminating her entire home in a gentle glow. Staring at it, Aida had begun to feel a sadness well up inside for all the plants she had allowed to wilt before. Could she still help them? If she worked hard enough, surely they could be saved. With that, the Dabu whipped into a frenzy of fur and excited padding around the simple woodland home.

As another morning passed, the sky became dark. Too dark. Aida hadn't prepared for this at all.

-----------------------------

The forest paths were flooded, her garden submerged in the downpour. Her little home, which the darkness of the storm had all but consumed, released a warm glow from within its rounded windows.

The doors and windows shook from the weight of the storm, creaking and straining at the massive force. Objects in her home rattled and fell from the raging storm, the strange little plants, all of which she had brought in and nursed, swayed on her table. She sat down, tears welling in her eyes.

"I really tried. I'm sorry little plants. I'm sorry I didn't take better care of everything." With that, tears began to fall, and her door fell towards her, water rushing in.

Then a glow. A brilliant glow from the plants, which burst into a thousand glowing butterflies, swirling and dancing around her. The water absorbed into the frenzied mass of guardians, which erupted from all parts of her damaged home, covering the sky above her modest garden. A spectacular dance of orange and golden hues, mixing with the grey, dissipated and fell as a gentle morning dew.

In moments, the forest was calm. Aida ran outside. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I understand no-"

Splash!

A Meeting at the Sub Shop

I want to tell you about the most wonderful day of my life. It began like any other. My name is Becki and I worked at the Sub Shop at the time my story begins.

I arrived at work and I changed into my uniform. A lot of customers came in within the first two hours, so I was quite busy helping them and taking and filling their orders. But after several hours, the pace slowed and I was able to catch my breath and relax a little.

Then my whole world changed. Someone about my age came in and placed his order. He told me his name was Horace and that he wanted three Italian Cold Cut subs. He told me his brothers and his in-laws were visiting and he wanted everyone to have plenty to eat. In talking with him, I knew Horace was the type of guy who was open and had nothing to hide. This was something that I just felt inside my heart and in my very bones. The two of us made an instant connection that I knew was for real. I sensed that he might be "The One."

In the evening, he came back so he could talk with me while I was on my break. I was having dinner, and he asked me for my phone number. I told him my parents would want to meet him before we went out together. So he agreed to meet them in a few days. He came over and spoke with my parents and they had a long talk. Then he and I went to a movie. My parents were fine with me dating Horace.

The next time we went out, I met his parents. Both of his parents liked me a lot, and I liked them. I enjoyed having dinner over at his parents' place on Sunday afternoons. We generally went there after church, and then he took me home so I could get ready for work the next day.

Later, we took both sets of parents out for dinner to tell them we were engaged. We were all really happy.

A few months later, we were married. All of both of our families were there to help us celebrate. We have had our ups and downs like all couples do, but we have always been able to work things out. I know it's because we talk things over when we disagree about something. We eventually give and take until it comes together.

We are more in love now than when we married.

The Happiest Birthday

Rian woke to the sound of his phone vibrating. Snatching it off the nightstand, the Novyn sleepily answered the call.

"Hey little bro!" Rian jerked the phone away from his ear. "Happy birthday!"

Quickly glancing at the screen, he answered, "It's already that day? Thanks Mia! Are you still coming up to Snowslide?"

Mia scoffed. "Well, duh. I'd never miss the birthday of my favorite little brother. I'll be there by lunch, okay?"

Rian got ready to leave. "If I recall correctly, Mia, I'm your only brother. And yeah, I'll be at the Snow Jar Igloo."

Giggles came over the phone, and he couldn't help smiling. "Well, that doesn't change the fact you're my favorite. I'll see you soon!"

Rian left the house. On weekends, he and his friends liked to meet at Sugar Rush for a sweet breakfast. Rian couldn't help being more excited than usual. He and his friends would celebrate together whenever any of them had a birthday, spending the day together from afternoon to evening, always having a blast.

Stepping through the door, Rian bought a Novyn Volcano Cake and then he made his way to their usual table. His three friends greeted him cheerfully, already with their own foods.

"Hey guys!" Rian sat down, digging eagerly into his cake.

Chatting, the four of them ate.

"So-- wuh dun nnyd tuhd?" Tiny bits of cake fell out of Rian's mouth.

Elisa, a Krittle, grimaced at him. She pointed at him with her fork. "Rian, that's gross. Don't try to talk with your mouth full." Ray snickered at him, the Dovu munching on his Chocolate Chip Cookies. James, a Makoat, ignored them, sipping his coffee.

Rian swallowed, wiping his mouth. "I said, so, we doing anything today?" His smile slipped slightly at the looks on their faces.

Ray shrugged, feathers shifting. "I'm workin' out today. Gotta keep these wings in shape." He spread them, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Elisa snorted water out her nose, coughing in pain.

"Quests," said James.

When they turned to Elisa, she just looked back at them with a blank expression. "None of your guys' business."

Oh. Rian picked at the remains of his cake. That's fair. His friends were busy, he wasn't selfish enough to demand their time. They'd probably remember later and text him a happy birthday.

They finished their food and parted ways. Rian walked to the Snow Jar Igloo, waving at Gabrielle.

"Hey hon, could you mix up the Snow Jars in the back?" She looked harried, rushing around the store. "Remember to keep them at the right temperature!"

Nodding, Rian went to the back, getting consumed in the work. Before he knew it, he heard his sister's voice and dashed to the front.

"Heeeey little brother!" Mia swept him up into a hug. "Ready for lunch?"

Rian glanced at Gabrielle who smiled. "Rian, why don't you take the rest of the day off? It's slow today." Thanking her, they left.

At Mia's insistence, they ate at a nearby Food Shop.

"How has your birthday been so far, little bro?" She swung her legs, biting into her sandwich.

Rian chewed his lip. "It's been... quiet."

She narrowed her eyes at his dejected tone. "What about those friends of yours?"

He paused, then said, "They're busy today, so I guess they didn't remember. It's not a big deal."

Displeased, Mia checked her phone, texting someone. "Let's stop at your place. I still need to drop off my bags." The siblings left.

When they arrived home, Rian stepped in, turning on the lights.

"Happy birthday!" Ray and Elisa shrieked, James holding up a cake. The room was carefully decorated with bright colors and lots of food sat on the dinner table. Rian blinked, shocked.

"I- you?" he trailed off. He flushed, embarrassed, at thinking that they forgot his birthday. But he was so, so happy that they remembered. They tugged him inside, telling him to open his presents. One was even from Gabrielle. While he eagerly opened them, Mia sneakily told them how dejected Rian felt during their preparations.

To make up for it, they decided to make his birthday the best one he'd ever had. And it was.

Walls and Bridges

"Taylor, is it? Charmed. Now lend me a hand with that crate full of books, will you?"

The young Yellow Wulfer had just finished his semester in Glacia Elementary; the grades weren't particularly inspiring due to some lack of attention or effort and his parents were more than keen to have him rethink some of his stances regarding his future. Luckily, their neighbour, Ralph, is the owner of the Bookshop downtown, and was more than eager to let Taylor aid him in times when tourism flourishes in Glacia and books have to maintain a steady flow between shelves and the hands (and wallets) of demanding customers.

"Come on then, young fellow, the shop will open soon and this day will be... quite busy, yes, very busy, indeed!"

"Sorry, Mr. Ralph, here you go... ugh, this box sure is heavy, phew..."

"Now, you need to look at the books by their serial number and match them with the ones across the shelves - for instance, the green tags are for science, brown for history, and blue ones for geography. I suggest you begin with that particular section to do it in an orderly fashion. I'll be at the front if you need me."

Climbing the frail wooden stairs, the young Wulfer makes his way through some of the parchments and scrolls that describe, entertain, fill a soul with a cornucopia of emotions that only words inscripted in a paper, subject to interpretation, opportunity of learning ever present, could ever dream of inferring. But they don't offer solely mental pleasure. Books can also hurt you, too. Physically. Taylor misplaced his foot when placing a huge dusty book on the top shelf and fell off the stair landing on his back; the big old leather-covered book quickly to follow, right on the Wulfer's belly.

"You alright lad? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

"I'm ok Mr. Ralph...but I might have done some damage on this book here..."

"Let me see. Ah! The Walls of Terrafrost. Such a great read. Really informative too. It gives you a factual as well as a psychological insight on the peoples of Terrafrost."

"What does all that mean, Mr. Ralph? I don't know of any walls within our world..."

"Oh but there are, young Taylor. You see, walls don't necessarily have to be walls to be a wall."

"That...didn't make any sense, Mr. Ralph."

"Just imagine, young Taylor. You can't go to many places in our world. Knollo Woods, the Khalic Desert, the Draga Volcanoes...these are all unreachable because of natural barriers, and some of these, both physically and culturally, constitute walls for us inhabitants of Glacia. For instance, we have no means of developed transportation to go to the Desert but we are able to go to our very own moon! All of our objects' essence is made of ice, and these fare really badly in arid environments without condition to maintain water in its solid state."

"What about the peoples in these lands, Mr. Ralph? How do they survive there?"

"That's the beauty of learning, young Taylor. We don't actually know! Our knowledge is very limited because of these walls. I hypothesize that IcePets living there have adapted to harsher environments and have learned to thrive with what there was available. This is why it's so important to learn, young Taylor... and to pay attention in school. Maybe someday you can pioneer explorations to these lands, overcome walls, and contribute more to our horizons than my generation ever did. Build bridges for all... and bring all our peoples together as the big community we ought to be."

Curiosity within the Yellow Wulfer swole as thoughts came to his mind. They sure didn't teach this in school.

"Can I...take this book home with me?"

"Of course, little lad."

And as the chores wore off and Taylor waved goodbye, old Ralph stood at the door with a peaceful smile knowing he'd just influenced the wills and hopes of yet another young Pet eager to find his way. And perhaps to build the bridges Ralph never aspired, regretfully, to achieve in his lifetime.