Niirrana lay on the outlands of Meridell. His light green fur was now covered in red. His breathing was raspy.

It was really all over.

His sword lay by his side. The peophin weakly opened his eyes and seized it. He held it close to his chest, like a child holds a security blanket.

Those were lies about Lord Darigan. All filthy lies. Darigan was a good king. If he hadn't been, the city would have had NO food or water. Period.

That had been a great, glorious day for Darigan. They had beaten Meridell! They had reclaimed what was so rightfully theirs. The orb in their possession, the land changed. The crops grew high. The trees grew meat and fruit beyond Nirrrana's wildest dreams. The rivers flowed with wine all day and all night.

Then it stopped.

No one knew why.

But it didn't matter so much. They could get by now.

"Then they came..." whispered the fallen soldier in his delirium.

The Neopets team, the cruel tyrannical dictators of Neopia, hadn't liked Darigan. They redid the war. Meridell denied it and the neopets team themselves but Niirrana knew. The team had given Meridell the power they hadn't had before.

Once again, Niirrana donned his armor and weapons. He left his farm, his home, to fight for his homeland.

But they were no match for the Neopets Team. What the Neopets Team wants, the Neopets Team gets.

Darigan lay destroyed. Niirrana lay alive, but wishing for oblivion. Then he heard the voice of an angel calling him from the Other Side.

"Niirrana! Niirrana!"

That wasn't the Other Side! And it wasn't an angel! It was Niirrana's owner, Dragon_lover_4ever! He vaguely saw her running over the hill. Then he felt her arms around him.

"Niirrana...I'm so glad you're alive."

The peophin just snorted.

"Is it life? Is it really?"

"What do you mean?" Dragon reached into her cloak and took out a potion. She rubbed it on Niirrana's wounds. He sighed as he felt the pain ebb away some.

"We knew the Neopets Team would interfere. They don't want evil to win, even though we aren't evil," he said. Dragon said nothing. So he continued. "And I let them down. I couldn't fight hard enough! It's my fault the orb is gone! I'm a worthless excuse for a solider. I don't deserve this sword and shield!"

"It's not your fault. There was nothing anyone could have done. A pet who thinks different just can't win in the Neopets team's world." Dragon said soothingly. The words and the potions were enough to comfort the poor peophin. He allowed himself the luxury of sleep.

***************************

A few days later, Niirrana limped over the hill that overlooked his village. Dragon_lover_4ever was at his side. His jaw dropped as he saw his home.

It was a charred bunch of ashes on the ground. Small groups of pets and owners dug through the rubble looking for something...anything. Among them were Dragon's other pets. Tarissa3 the gold Chomby, CuddlyDrako the red Scorchio, and 8_Sweetie the purple shoyru. They quickly ran to their owner and "brother."

"Niirrana, are you OK?" asked Sweetie.

"Did you find anything?" Dragon asked the three. Drako pulled out a scorched tuskaninny plushie but that was it.

Niirrana still couldn't say anything. He was looking out at the land that had once been his home. All traces that they'd ever been there, gone. His eyes began to burn but he wiped them on his side. No, he couldn't cry. Soldiers didn't cry.

"Where do we go now? Neopia Central?" asked Tarissa. Dragon shook her head.

"We need to find somewhere that the Neopets team can't control. Some new land that they haven't found yet."

"Is there one?"

"I'd rather die trying to find one then die when we're all frozen for some reason. The Neopets team will find one, you can be sure of that," said Drako. "Maybe for just saying these things. Say we're traitors or something."

The little family slowly headed across the blackened plains. Niirrana took one last look at his homeland, neglecting to hold back that one single tear that fell and vanished into the dead ground. There would be another chance. He'd get back at Meridell, at the neopets team, at everyone.

If it was the last thing he did.

THE END