Alkuma
Legacy Name: Alkuma

Profile by Ziva, formerly known as Jessica_groen
Name: Alkuma
Pronounced: Al-koo-mah
Alias: Kuma
Meaning: Unknown
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Species: Tigrean
Height: 4'5"
Place of Birth: The Darkside
Alignment: Neutral Good
Role: Pack Alpha
Eyes: Green with faintly glowing silver fire in the pupils
Body type: Her body is slender and athletic with a runner's figure.
Face type: Sleek with soft curves, offset by intense, icy eyes
Marking(s): Her fur is a dark blue like that of the night sky just before all light bleeds away. Streaking through her fur are graceful celestial markings of turquoise, offset by a paler blue underside.
Best Feature: Figure
Speaking Style: clipped, usually growled or in a surly tone
Best Qualities: Born leader, gentle heart, courageous
Worst Qualities: Grumpy, poor people skills
Hobbies: Battling in the Battle Coliseum
Fave Food: chocolate
Secret: Alkuma loves laying back and watching clouds go by
Likes: Clouds, Sunshine, Alone time
Dislikes: Crowds, Snow, Morons
Element: Illusion
Totem: Unknown
Description: For the most part, Alkuma uses her power for story telling and the amusement of others. On occasion however, she has used to against her enemies.

Name: Kitsua
Pronounced: (kit-sue-ah)
Species: Astralflaik
Gender: Female
Description: Kitsua is surprisingly placid for an Astralflaik, her temperament is more dedicated to snuggles being zippy or flighty. Oddly enough, she and Alkuma get along without a hitch, Kitsua either exploring circles around her master or simply curling up on Alkuma's back and dozing though the travels

Alkuma looks up from a book she is reading, cool green eyes assessing you and quickly coming to the conclusion that you are no threat. You let out a breath you hadn't known you'd been holding; taking note of a well polished Aemis that the Galactic Tigrean seems to take with her everywhere. You really don't want to be on the business end of that thing.

Muscles ripple beneath her fur and she gestures toward the sofa, inviting you to take a seat.

"Welcome," she greets you, "Make yourself comfortable so we may begin this interview."

Her businesslike attitude surprises you a bit but you nod and take out your notebook, settling down on the couch..

"I hear you are not originally from Subeta," you begin, growing tentative as her lip curls slowly back from her teeth.

"Correct. I was originally born on a world known as Neopia. Things went sour, and my mom moved my soul here, giving me a new form. Needless to say, this is why I train to fight. I was.... unable to protect the ones I love there."

You feel a stab of sympathy and you swallow before moving on feeling the need to ask the next question but unsure how she will react. "Forgive me for the implications this question may throw at you, but does beating up others really prove how strong you are?"

She snorts, seemingly amused. "You misunderstand. I do not, nor will I ever pick fights with another Subeta pet. I choose my opponents carefully. There are challengers in the Coliseum who are always available. I issue a challenge and if they accept, we battle. If I defeat them, it proves that I can fend off an enemy. I don't go looking for trouble, and I do not force anyone to fight me."

"I hear you've acquired the nickname the Sniper in the Coliseum."

She nods and pats her Aemis fondly. "I am the victor of several one hit defeats. I guess people felt they had to give me a nickname to show their awe of my fighting skills or to make me sound more intimidating to others."

"Alkuma, how did you get your Aemis?" you ask, gesturing to the legendary bow.
"The Token Shop," she caresses the weapon fondly and a small breeze stirs in the closed room.

You shiver. The bow is so powerful that a breeze kicked up just because she caressed it. You don't want to find out what it could do if she actually pulled the string.

"I had long dreamed for a legendary weapon for use in battle. When they stocked it, mom and I quested, hoarded and bought wizard tokens until we could afford it. It has never left my side since."

Deciding to turn the conversation away from the subject of bloodshed, you ask; "I hear you are the first pet Alkuna ever got in Subeta. Does that essentially make you the head of the family?"

She nods.

"That sounds like a lot of responsibility. What do you enjoy doing during your time off?"

She sits down comfortably on the soft carpet, "I enjoy time to myself, away from everyone. I also enjoy spending time with Bayne, my boyfriend."

"Oooh, how did you two meet?"

She rolls her eyes, "By complete accident really. He practically landed on me." She points to two stories, which you vow to read before leaving. "I really don't like talking about my past, but the events are written down in those two."

"Just one more question, and it's an easy one. What's your favorite treat?"

A throaty purr rumbles from deep inside her. "Chocolate. But not just any chocolate. Milk chocolate only."

Satisfied, you flip your notebook closed and thank her for her time. You have a lot of pets to visit, and you have a sneaking suspicion that they're all going to be worth your time.

Illustration by mirzers

The problem with life in the group, Alkuma thought wearily, is that it's so damn crowded.

This was supposed to be a vacation in the enormous and lavish Lakeview Resort. Everyone in the family got separate rooms, plenty of food, and more than enough things to keep them occupied. And while that worked wonders for most of the group, it was just making Alkuma frustrated and feeling irritable.

She ended up keeping an eye on the family members during normal days, and no matter what, 24/7 there was a crisis that needed dealing with. Mavhai was bugging the aloof Quitzel. Lacoda was scolding Kehai for stealing spoonfuls of her latest cooking experiment.

Something always kept that precious commodity of peace-and-quiet at bay. And now in a hotel full of stuff to do, or something for one of the others to drag her off to, Alkuma felt like she wasn't on vacation at all. So, with a flick of her tail and customary surly growl, she had disentangled herself from the crowd and slipped off to take a walk by the shores of Veta Lake.

It didn't take too long for the Galactic Tigrean to find somewhere else to walk when a family of ten decided to have a rambunctious party on the shores nearby. Hissing words that should never be repeated, Alkuma slid into the more heavily forested portion around the lake.

Picking a small and little-used trail, Alkuma followed its meandering path. This was more like it. The only sounds were the rustling of the trees, the babbling of running water, and the cheerful tweet-tweet-chirrrrp of birds. She heaved a relieved sigh and wandered her way around to the backside of a towering pile of boulders.

Very nice. It almost felt like she was a hundred miles from anyone. She couldn't possibly be found here. Tensing her muscles, she sprang from boulder to boulder until she reached the highest rock.

Mmm. Much better.

The sky was a clear, dazzling blue and the sun was warm on her fur. Satisfied that she was alone, Alkuma lay down and dropped her head onto her paws, sleepily watching the trees rustle in the cool breeze.

*

Bayne had been wandering the forest for hours before he spotted the sun drenched-rocks ahead.

An excellent place to view the scenery. He charged, leaping as high as he could and dug his claws into crevices and hauling himself up to the top of the first boulder.

First step is the hardest. He tensed his muscles and sprang again, the stacked rocks acting like stairs for his paws as he leaped higher and higher. Almost... there... Bayne's final leap carried him clear to the top of the highest rock.

And almost landed him right on top of the sleeping Galactic Tigrean.

Bayne made a kind of strangled sound and he frantically sparked his powers to life. Blue light swirled around him, slowing his descent and he managed to land straddling her rather than smack dab on top of her. He gulped and very carefully eased away, earning only a twitch of her rounded ear when his whiskers brushed it.

Whew.

Bayne backed away a few feet and sat down quietly. She must have come here to get away from the crowds too. Meh. Well I sure don't want to ruin her peace and quiet. He turned and sent a sweeping glance over the treetops and the mountains in the distance.

*

Alkuma wasn't sure what woke her up; was it the muffled thump of someone landing practically on top of her or was it the scent of a strange male? Something brushed her ear, making it twitch. She cracked an eye open and spotted an odd looking Dark Matter Tigrean.

Why does he look so strange? Oh... Wow, he doesn't have an Aura. Keh... And I thought I couldn't be found. Stupid me. Her eyebrows drew together unhappily, then a lazy yawn stretched her jaws wide. "Mmm..."

The stranger's ears turned in her direction, but he didn't say anything.

Not a chatterbox anyway. She got to her paws and joined him at the edge of the rock.

"Hey," he spoke first, his voice a soft, rolling baritone, "sorry I bothered you."

"Eeh... There ware worse ways of waking up," Alkuma decided it was better to try civility to start with, which was pretty much a first.

He finally turned and smiled at her, "There are worse ways to wake up than being landed on?"

"Of course. Imagine a child playing "brass band" with a spoon and a cooking pot while marching through your room. At least you missed actually hitting me." Alkuma's lip curled in a sarcastic smirk, remembering Mavhai's particular love for anything insanely loud, annoying and mobile.

The stranger gave a sympathetic shudder, "Oh, my name is Bayne," he dropped into a gallant bow.

"Alkuma," she dipped her head slightly.

"Lady Alkuma, I'm honored" he smiled warmly.

"Er... no, just Alkuma is fine," she felt a strange, awkward tingle when he said it like that.

"All right," he was smiling still, seemingly amused, "Alkuma, what brings you out here, so far from everyone else?"

"Oh," she turned her head slightly at the faint sounds of splashing and squealing back at the lake, "Just trying to get away from it all. Well, further away from it all than the resort has for me anyway."

A particularly high pitched squeal made Bayne flinch, "You don't have to explain it to me, I'm the same way."

Odd, Alkuma thought, For some reason I don't feel grumpy around him. Maybe it's just refreshing not to have someone babbling brainlessly about something.

"Would you like to walk with me? I know a few nice places we could go that are definitely ‘away from it all'," Bayne offered.

"Sounds good actually," Alkuma stretched luxuriously before nodding to him, "Lead on."

Bayne's eyes had widened slightly at the stretch, but he coughed and nodded, leaping clear of the high boulder. Blue energy exploded around his body like fire and he floated to the ground as gently as a bubble.

Alkuma stared.

He turned back and smiled up at her, "Come on! I'll catch you."

"Uh..." Alkuma eyed the drop dubiously.

"Come on," he coaxed, much more gently now, "It doesn't hurt. It's not really fire."

Alkuma hesitated, then shrugged to herself and leaped into open space. There was only a heartbeat where she felt like she was falling, and suddenly she was surrounded by the blue light of his magic. It was an odd sensation, not so much like being grabbed as just feeling lighter. She sailed gently down to the ground, and once her paws were firmly under her the blue light vanished and her weight returned to normal.

"See," Bayne smiled, "Nothing to it."

"What else can you do?" Alkuma's interest was sparked now, and the pair took a relaxing walk through the trees.

Bayne obligingly showed her how he could summon stones to his paws, or lift globes of water high into the air. The pair of them enjoyed sprinting across the surface of a deep pool at the base of the waterfall.

Deciding to be fair, Alkuma told him a story, creating illusions to illustrate both her power and show what was happening in her story.

Bayne was enraptured, batting lightly at illusionary butterflies and drifting flowers as she sent them drifting past his nose.

By the time the sun was setting, Alkuma found herself loosening up for the first time she could remember. Bayne was good company and she found she could talk and even laugh in his presence.

Bayne on the other hand, was relishing Alkuma's sharp wit and appreciation for the things he liked. She even taught him about clouds, which she loved laying back and watching.

Finally the pair made their way back to the resort as the sun began to set. As the light began to dim, so did Alkuma's good mood. Night. She had to go back to her room and separate from Bayne, who had been the best company she'd ever enjoyed.

Bayne sensed her descending mood and turned to her with a smile as they neared the Resort, "Hey," he offered, "Y'know I'm gonna be here for the rest of the week. What do you say we meet up again tomorrow and have a picnic at that waterfall I showed you?"

Her ears perked, "Sounds good. What shall I bring?"

"Yourself of course," Bayne grinned, "But also maybe some dessert and fresh fruit would be great too. I'll bring the meats and sandwich makings."

"It's a date," Alkuma said, finding she liked that word all of a sudden.

"Until tomorrow, Lady Alkuma," Bayne purred, and gave her cheek a soft lick before vanishing into the crowd.

Alkuma froze, totally stunned for a moment, then turned slowly back to the entrance of the building and made her way to her rooms, humming softly to herself.

"WARNING! This account has been FROZEN!"

"No..." I whispered in horror, "No... my pets!" I could feel the cold chill that said my powers as a Guardian of Neopia had been stripped from me. But that wasn't my problem. My problem was that my pets... my babies... had been trapped inside.

Hours later I slumped down, sobbing. They were gone. I couldn't help them. My mail to The Neopets Team had resulted in a snarky retort that I had been caught cheating "“ a blatant lie "“ and a flat refusal to unlock my pets.

My best friend called me, also in tears. She too had been frozen. Together, we could only come up with one conclusion: the darkness...had won. We were forever locked from entering the world we had sworn to protect. There was no use making a new account; everything we had done, everything we had worked for... it was gone. We no longer existed in that world. Which meant from here on, Neopets would be entering a dark age.

Quietly, my best friend relayed some information to me. A new world. One the darkness hadn't touched yet.

"It's called Subeta," she told me.

"Uhhh doesn't that mean..."

"Trust me," she cut in quickly, "It's redefined completely here. I'm called Obsidian."

I glanced back at Neopia for a sorrowful moment, then curled my lip and entered Subeta with cold determination. I couldn't free my Neopets... but I still had the power to relocate their souls.

The center for Creating a pet was a large building with a practical, no-nonsense design on the outside... and a comfortable aesthetically pleasing design within. The corners were rounded to give the place a softer feel, and it was lit with varying degrees of intensity depending on the area you were entering.

Reception welcomed me warmly and I was led into the back. "We have over fifty species for you to choose from," she assured me, "And you can have up to five pets in a basic account, ten in a gold account, and up to twenty if you decide to purchase items from our Cash Shop to receive extra slots. So you have any questions?"

"Uh, no thank you," I told her, blinking. Twenty? Meh. Right now I only wanted four. A very special four. But maybe I'd adopt more when the essentials were taken care of.

After some thought, I decided my Cloud Lupe Alkuna would be a Tigrean, a switch from Canine to Feline, but it seemed to suit her well.

With a soft hum of magic, a young Tigrean appeared, dubbed Alkuma, to make her a little different from my username. I extended my reach into the glacier cold world and gently withdrew a softly glittering light that was my pet. I blew gently on it and with a soft sigh, it settled into the sleeping, soulless form before me.

Immediately she began to twitch and moan.

"No!" she breathed, "No you're trespassing. This is a private account! What are you doing here? No! Please don't freeze us! We've done nothing wrong! No! Mom!"

I could feel the tears dripping off my face as my gruff but good hearted pet re-lived the final moments of her life on Neopia. "No! NO!"

My pet spasmed to her feet and hit me full in the chest, her teeth clamping down on my arm; her last memory of fighting back.

"Alkuma..." I caressed her face, ignoring the pain in my arm, "Alkuma baby wake up. It's over."

"M-Mom," she sobbed around my arm and opened her eyes, "I had the worst...worst d-dream..." Golden yellow eyes met mine, then her body went rigid and she released me in horror. "No!" she whispered, "Tell me I'm still dreaming! I bit you! You're bleeding! Oh god no!"

"Alkuma sweetie, it's okay."

"OKAY?! It is NOT okay! You're bleeding! I attacked you! I...I..."

I caught her face in my hands, ignoring the throbbing of my injured arm, "Shhh sweetie. It's all right. We're safe here. We're in a new world."

"Th-The others?" she sniffled, a tear trailing down her furred face.

"Not here yet. But they will be. Don't you worry. But first... there have been some changes..."

"I don't give a damn what I look like!" she growled, and then stopped, her paw flying to her mouth. "I cussed!"

I smiled, "Yes you did. You're allowed to swear here, as long as you don't overdo it. It is a little more adult here. Not much, but it gives you a little more freedom."

She went very still for a moment, then shook herself and took on her more familiar scowl, "Is there a mirror in here?"

I pointed to the full length mirror sitting in the corner.

"Good. You get the others. I'll get used to myself in the mean time."

Smiling, I bowed to her request and made my new pet: Mercolagos, shortened to Mercolo and put into the body of a Kumos. Long legged canine to long legged canine. An easier transition to be sure.

I was aware of Alkuma's wary glances from across the room as Mercolo began to twitch.

"Alkuna! No! How dare you! How! Dare! You! Lacody! Protect Vhai!" Mercolo collided with my chest but didn't manage to get his teeth into me because I pulled him into a tight hug and let my scent flood his lungs.

He slumped against me and began to whimper. "You're free sweetheart." I soothed him as best I could.

"Mom, I got this. Get the others." Alkuma gently guided Mercolo over to the mirror and began explaining in low tones. I trusted her to do what needed to be done. She was, after all, the one who nursed him back to health from his pound imprisonment so many years ago.

Taking the cues from Mercolo's ramblings, I made Lacoda and Mavhai next, gently breathing their souls back into their bodies simultaneously. Lacoda, now a Kumos; and Mavhai, a Keeto; shed their Gelert and Poogle forms respectively and vanished into their new bodies.

Instantly Lacoda curled protectively around the younger Mavhai, futilely shielding him from the memory of the freezing blast. I rested a hand on their heads and they slowly relaxed, tears streaming down their faces. I pulled them into a fierce hug as soon as they opened their eyes and looked at me.

Settling into the new world was a slightly slow experience. I had to learn how the world worked and where everything was. All four had nightmares every night for a week, slowly tapering off over the course of the following months. At first they took to sleeping together in one big puppy pile in the Lakeview resort, where they were fed and cared for while I made money to support them. Then one by one they got their own rooms.

Their harsh experiences made them older inside. It pained me to see the way they looked haunted during vulnerable moments. It took Mavhai months to be able to smile again, and he had lost his childish wonder; replaced instead by a powerful insecurity that none of us could soothe away from him once the sun went down and the world turned dark for another night.

"All right everyone, it's time for you guys to start living again." I announced one afternoon.

All four looked up at me. "Uhh, mom..." Alkuma began.

"You're not living, you're existing," I interjected, "Living day by day with nothing to fill your time isn't helping you four. I want you to find yourselves a time consuming hobby that you know you will love."

"The Battle Coliseum," Alkuma finally decided, "I want to train. I want to learn how to fight and defeat enemies, so that I never have to feel helpless again."

I frowned slightly but nodded. If this was how she healed, then so be it.

"I want to be a mage, and I want to cook," Lacoda said, "I want to work magic into food so they have a magical effect on those who eat them. Cookies that soothe tempers. Cakes that give you stamina."

I smiled at her, "That will be time consuming and very delicate to work with. You will have to put a lot of time and effort into it." I warned her, "And you will have to perfect the dosage."

Lacoda smiled back at me, "It will be worth it."

"No explosions," Alkuma and Mercolo chorused.

Mavhai managed a small laugh, "I want to be a treasure hunter," he said eagerly. "I want to explore and come home with shiny treasures and tales of grand adventure!"

Mercolo merely shook his head, "I dunno." He said dully, "Maybe sail or somethin'..."

I let out a slow breath. Mercolo had always been incredibly loyal. Being dumped in the pound before I had taken him in back in Neopia had hurt him deeply. Being frozen had to have been just as bad. Not betrayal so much as a helplessness yet again to prevent the horrible outcome. You couldn't face that without scars... deep ones.

"Think," I told him gently but firmly, "Something. Anything."

He shrugged again, "I like the beach. Maybe I'll find something there that appeals to me."

Our home was in Riverside Valley, a good long stretch from the ocean, but within a good run from Veta Lake. I knew for a fact that sailing lessons took place on the shore nearest to us, so he could get a taste of his interests.

Days turned into weeks, then months. I discovered how easily I could make sP, this world's currency, and soon all four of them sported gorgeous new paint jobs.

Mercolo had chosen Dark Matter, a fur color that matched his Shadow paint job in Neopia, with the added purple aura and a swarm of floating spheres called Dark Matters. This turned into a blessing; with his new color, he gained a new purpose in life. Oh sure he loved the beach. But he was soon bending darkness to his will and sliding from shadow to shadow.

His now purple eyes cleared and took on a piercing look. Experience and a worldly-wise expression filled them with intelligence that made my hopes soar. I had no fear of Darkness, unlike many people, and he was soon a master of it.

My four pets were mine once again; changed, but for the better.

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Image by Milieu

"You Can't Take Me" - BRYAN ADAMS

You can't take me! Yeah!

Got to fight another fight, I gotta run another night
Get it out, check it out
I'm on my way and I don't feel right
I gotta get me back I can't be beat and that's a fact
It's OK, I'll find a way
You ain't gonna take me down no way

Don't judge a thing until you know what's inside it
Don't push me, I'll fight it
Never gonna give in, never gonna give it up no
If you can't catch a wave then you're never gonna ride it
You can't come uninvited
Never gonna give in, never gonna give it up no
You can't take me I'm free

Why did it all go wrong? I wanna know what's going on
And what's this holding me?
I'm not where I supposed to be
I gotta fight another fight
I gotta fight with all my might
I'm getting out, so check it out
You're in my way
Yeah, you better watch out

Ooh Come on

Don't judge a thing, until you know what's inside it
Don't push me, I'll fight it
Never gonna give in, never gonna give it up no
If you can't catch a wave then you're never gonna ride it
You can't come uninvited
Never gonna give in, never gonna give it up no
You can't take me I'm free
Oh Yeah I'm Free