Home of The Guests..?

The Sandbox is often referred to as "the home of the guests" since guests automatically arrive here when they first join the game. Guests are often seen AFK in this area and they're usually harmless, as they don't interact frequently and it is a peaceful area. However, what if the guests are no longer the only ones who inhabit this so-called homeland?

## PROLOGUE

This wasn't the first place to be the arrival spot for newcomers. Back then, it was the garden that welcomed these new pets into town. Its blooming flowers, exotic insects, and lush greenery were perfect to attract new visitors and let them know that this place is safe, this place is home.

Then suddenly, the sandbox took its place. Who knows when it became the new arrival spot, but it just did, despite the opposing wishes of the townspets. Out of all places, why the sandbox? It was scorching most of the time, and there aren't any outstanding features other than the big pile of sand in the middle and the fact that it's next to a river.

As more and more guest started to feel at home with this sandy place, more people just accepted it. It was basically the new town center for pets to gather at. They'd often go here when they got kicked out of a property or when they just wanted to explore.

Through the months, the sandbox has stayed the same. The guests and other pets come here every now and then, and the river which the sandbox lays next to has stayed relatively quiet. No one knows much about this river other than it is a good place to fish.

I

Meowie entered the sandbox, the sun's heat seeming to intensify whenever anyone entered this place. This felt like the first time he came to Meow Town. Back then, he was a small cat. He didn't know much and had a hard time adjusting to the environment. But Meowie is grown now and knows better than he did before.

The river flowed calmly like it always did. There had to be something intoxicating in the air around it, because whenever you whiff the breeze near the river bed, it seems like you never want to leave. It's the reason why so many people decided to start fishing here because they got a lot of good loot and the air brought relaxation. It was refreshing but also eerie at the same time. That was probably because of the nearby land neighboring the sandbox across the river.

Meowie stared at the Mysterious Forest just on the other side of the river. It seemed so far yet so near, like you could just swim to it but it also felt like you'd drown right before you reached it. The closer you got to the forest, the thicker the fog becomes. It was already quite visible from the Sandbox, but it's even more noticeable when you're right next to the forest.

No one knows exactly what resides in the Mysterious Forest. Movements and noises were heard during a time that most pets wouldn't be there, so naturally many rumors sprung from it. There was a rumor going around that a rare, exotic companion was in the forest. Many collectors wanted to get this companion, however they couldn't find anything even after a thorough search. The movements and noises still occur, but most pets don't care about it anymore since they know it'd be useless to try and find it. Another rumor appeared saying that it were the Cheetahs who was making all these strange noises, since they were known to be the adventurous and prankster cats. That's where inspiration for the Wild Cheetah painting came from. However, the Cheetahs denied it and they themselves claimed to have seen this weird creature when they weren't in the forest.

Meowie always believed these rumors, except he believed in a different version of the rumor going around. He didn't believe that it was a companion in the forest, instead he believed that something much more sinister was waiting within the shadows of the forest. His friend, who was a Darky cat, always spent time in the Sandbox and knew it well by heart. One day, according to his friend, there was a strange thing moving within the woods of the Mysterious Forest. Barely anyone was there at the time, so it wasn't documented. It didn't look anything like the rumors had described it as. Darky knew that this wasn't normal, so he tried to tell others, but they all disregarded him as fake.

Meowie, although skeptical, still believed his dear friend and wishes to become the first one to discover this creature one day. He heard that there was a grand reward waiting for someone who would be able to capture this creature.

As Meowie continued staring off into the waters, one of the fishes caught his eye. It was shiny, and it was floating on top of the water. Usually they'd be swimming around below, as they were scared of the pets. But this one was just floating there, so he carefully decided to get the fish.

Unfortunately, as he was reaching for the fish, a guest ran into him and pushed him over the fence into the water. Meowie wasn't the best at swimming and almost everyone at the sandbox was inactive, so if he drowned right now it wouldn't be the best death. He grabbed onto the fish hoping it'd help him float, but obviously that did not work. Desperately trying to swim to land, he held the fish tightly in his hand so it wouldn't float off.

Meowie's fur started to get heavier and heavier and it was hard to move. His head sank lower underwater every time he tried to swim up and get air.

Each time Meowie's head dipped under the water, it seemed to get darker. The river's bottom appeared to grow deeper and deeper. Then, as he sank underwater again and tried to swim back up, he caught a brief glimpse of a shadow - a figure lurking beneath the rippling waves he had caused. He stopped fighting the water for a moment to take a closer look. The thing seemed to be staring at him, but it didn't move. The surrounding water grew even darker, and Meowie realized he was close to drowning. He tried to move his arms to swim, but his strength gave out. He could barely move, and water filled his lungs as the poor cat sank deeper into the depths.

Out of nowhere, a dark furry paw reached out to Meowie and he held on. Darky pulled him out of the waters and asked him what happened. Meowie explained everything and showed him the fish. Darky recognized it almost immediately.

Darky: "Hey, a red shiner! I need that for my collection, I haven't been able to fish some this week."

Meowie:"I need to examine it first. It was just floating around in a place it shouldn't be floating around."

Darky:"What do you mean?"

Meowie:"Usually they'd be near the fishing area, but this one was just floating by the sandbox."

Darky: "Maybe it just got lost."

Meowie: "No, I don't think so."

They looked at the fish for a good while and realized that it had died.

(UNFINISHED)