Pet LabraStories Ep. 1

Hello Metaversians, Welcome to Cooltopia! A young digital city ruled by Blue Cat and 9999 other indigo kittens. As with any boomtown, the local population of Cooltopia almost tripled in only a few months, but unlike boomtowns of the 20th century, Cooltopia’s expansion wasn’t gold rush related. Instead, a mysterious event occurred as the cats settled into their new homes and new lives.

No cat is 100% sure where the nineteen thousand plus eggs originated. They appeared as they dropped from the sky, except that can’t be how they arrived. That would have just smashed them to a million pieces, right? Some Cool Cats believed that the eggs were bounty from the almighty Founders, but I, like most other Cooltopian scientists, believe the Founders don’t exist. We prefer to look at the facts and observations than assign divine intervention as the cause.

After attempting many things, cats discovered that if you made an offering to the egg, it would absorb it. Truly fascinating watching red balloons and unlucky sticks move through the delicate shells. What a historical evolution of osmosis! After five offerings, the eggs began to hatch. Thank goodness the creatures that emerged (now called Cool Pets) were friendly, mostly. Scientists noted some correlation between the items offered and the element that emerged. Their diet affected their appearance, but it also dictated the hatchlings’ proficiency in elemental skills.

Most cats aren’t that interested in the science. They are more enamoured by how helpful the little critters are. Pets have already helped catch pigs and relocate bees. Hell, they have found Trevor at least 100 times. The Cooltopians have put these little cuties to work. I believe most cats think these pets ‘belong’ to them, gifts from their gods meant to do their bidding and fetch them their milk. Unfortunately, these cats don’t realise that these little cuties aren’t done growing, and I have proof. Let’s observe.

Meet specimen #8039

Slime Ball’s wrangler (me) made only offerings of Slime, hence the name. The result? This wet and breezy baby is 40% wind and 60% water. It is fast, forceful and doesn’t ask too many questions. In fact, it doesn’t say much at all.

Slimer had a scar over its eye when it hatched. I believe it was caused by battling from inside the shell. Perhaps Slimer did not get along with an embryonic companion.

Additionally, this pet quests every day, like it’s training for something. With some major successes and some minor ones, Slime Ball gains more and more control of its elements. Towards what end? Why so eager to quest? I hope to have these answers soon. I’ll be keeping a very close eye on this Slime Ball.

Then there is specimen #6091.

Morphologically, this creature is a fire elemental, but unlike the other 800+ fire pets to emerge, this one has no trait of flame or smoke. Fire pet peers have nicknamed him Huff n Puff because it appears that’s all this little duder can manage, which is even less impressive than you might think because it only has a 14% capacity for air. This significant bit of bullying is causing profound evolution regarding Huff n Puff’s personality. In a matter of days, it has gone from a quiet flameless pet to a grump with 75% fire trapped within. I hope this pet’s ‘hodler’ will know how to handle that angst. I fear mismanagement could have dire consequences.

Then we have specimen #15062

There have been some pets to hatch that have 1-4 companions. They are baffling to Cooltopian scientists. The pet and companions often act in concert, as if of one mind. Then other times, they seem to perform independently. The companions are never too far from the pet they hatched with, and the groupings fiercely protect each other. #15062 is an excellent example of such a pet.

I believe this pet is blind, as it has yet to open its eyes since hatching. It is also mute, and the smaller companion appears to communicate with the larger through taps, pats and pets.

Both seem to have an even temperament and identical elemental proficiencies. These findings make it difficult to ascertain if #15062 is one entity or two. I am very keen to see how the relationship continues to form.

This specimen(s) is heavily proficient in the grass elemental, which may account for its/their grounded temperament. While it/they absorb a few worms, slugs and frogs as an egg, it/they has/have since emerged from its/their shell with an all-veggie diet and a particular fondness for bonsai trees. You can see the lab notes for #15062 here.

Our last specimen today is #13849

I postulate that this pet has enlarged eyes to have better vision at great heights, but I have limited data to support the claim, requiring more testing. I hope to publish those findings for peer review soon.

#13849 is what taxonomists call a generalist. It is good at many things but not an expert in any one element and maybe, evolutionarily, the most viable pet for species survival. Its balanced skills make it adaptable to most environments. Its horns are strong. Its fins are built for the water, and its wings give it speed and tactical advantages.

#13849 refers to itself as Glen and is the most vocal of all the specimens I observed today. While Glen’s language skills are kitten-like, Glen has more and more to say every day. It is becoming quite evident that these creatures have self-awareness, and I hypothesise that in the not so distant future, pets will become bored of questing at our demands and instead pursue their own agendas.

For Cooltopia and my curiosity, I will continue my observations and dutifully report on my findings.