Skull Necklace

Hola Jammers!  The new item for today is the Skull Necklace found in Bahari Bargains.  This kinda reminds me of skullies, which were the first ever tail item in Jamaa!  They were only 10 gems. O.O Sadly, ALL of them were removed during the beta times.  Maybe because they were too dark for younger Jammers?

Picture from Animal Jam Is Kool

Anyway, doesn't the glitch where the wrong name on the item annoy you?  It's been happening A LOT lately.  ^.^

Finally, the LAST part of the story.  It's kinda long.  Go to the stories and poems page to see the whole thing!  BTW, I was thinking of doing some contests and giveaways soon!  I'll start once I get more views and comments.

The Defeat of the Phantoms

Part 4- Those who Defeat

     The hole seemed to never end.  As the animals stepped lower and lower into the pit, they were starting to wonder if this was such a good idea.  But it was far too late to turn back.
     Peck hit solid ground first.  The rest soon followed.
     "Where are we?" Cosmo whispered.
     It was literally pitch black.  All the animals could do was stand there, hoping an idea would come to them.
     "I got it!" Graham announced.  He quickly found some parts in his backpack and started assembling a flashlight.
     "How can you see what you're doing?" asked Greely.
     "No idea," replied Graham absentmindedly.
     "It's Graham's gift from Mira," contributed Liza.
     "Finished!"  Graham clicked on the light and illuminated the room.  Or what used to be a room.  The expanse was probably once grand but now was left in ruins.  Stone pillars stood in the corners, and a cracked marble table held clay pots and bowls.
     "Oh, come on!  Where's phantom already?" inquired Peck.
     "Maybe we should follow THEM," suggested Cosmo.  He pointed to some phantoms who were drifting out of the room and down a long tunnel.
     "I kind of have a bad feeling about this..." mentioned Gilbert.
     But the animals were already venturing down the tunnel, leaving his comment hanging in the air.
     As the animal trudged along, the phantoms started to become thicker and thicker until the animals had to squint to see past them.  Finally, the animals arrived at a cedar door with detailed carvings of knights and princes.
     "Guys," Gilbert whispered,"I'm going to come in later.  Pretend that I didn't come."
     Peck looked like she wanted to say something along the lines of "Are you SCARED?" but she kept her mouth shut.
     "Let's go."  And with that, Liza pushed the door open.  The place they had been dreading loomed before them.  They had officially entered Phantom's layer.
     The room was obviously once a throne room.  The ceiling rose at least 20 feet tall, and the walls were covered with vibrant paintings.  Smells of mildew and dampness lingered in the air.  The room held a chill, like it had been centuries since the fireplace had been lit.  The only thing that looked out of place was Phantom.  He was seated upon an ornate throne, raised above the animals.
     The best way to describe him would be to say he was a phantom.  An exact copy of the little creatures.  Alas, he was much bigger and much more terrifying.
     He had his arms (six of them in all) crossed like he was expecting someone who was several minutes late.
     "Oh hello, hello dear friends.  How good it is to see you again."  Who knew someone could say those words and sound like they were threatening to chop your head off.
     Phantom scanned the group.  "Wait, my phantoms told me there were six of you.  Where's that dumb tiger?"
     Graham spoke up.  "Gilbert decided not to come once we got close."
     Phantom narrowed his eye.  Then, he nodded his head like he was remembering something.  "The tiger was always scared of everything.  He'd run away every time he saw a mouse!"
     Peck stepped forward to defend her friend.  Only SHE was allowed to make fun of Gilbert.  Liza held her back.
     Phantom chuckled. "Ah, yes, Peck.  I remember you.  You have not changed a bit.  You still don't think before you act.  Such sorrows happen that way."
     "I'm sorry Phantom," Peck said meaningfully.  "I'm sorry I said mean things about you."
     "Oh, I'm that's nice.  But, you're about seven years too late!" boomed Phantom.
     Getting the group back on track Liza said,"Phantom, We've come to request that you stop sending your phantoms to ruin Jamaa.  And we WILL stop you.  The easy way or the hard way."
     Phantom pretended to ponder.  "Hmm, sorry no can do.  But, since you are here, you can have the pleasure of me destroying you!  It was on my To Do List anyway.  Thanks for saving me some time!"
     Liza glowered.  A flicker of movement caught Greely's eye.  It was Gilbert!  He was slinking along the shadows, preparing to scare Phantom from behind.  When he saw Greely watching him, he put his finger to his lip and waved his paw, indicating that they should keep Phantom talking.
     "It was Mira wasn't it?" Greely spoke up.
     "Yes.  I see you were clever enough to figure that out.  I guess your so called "leader" wasn't so smart after all!"
     This time it was Peck who held Liza back.
     "Tisk, tisk," continued Phantom,"You animals need to learn to control yourselves.  Now, who will go first?  How about you, Cosmo?  Nobody but the plants will miss you anyway."
     "That's more than who is going to miss you, Phantom!"  As soon as Cosmo shouted, Gilbert pounced on Phantom from behind.  Although he did not harm Phantom, he was stunned momentarily.
     Liza, using her new found powers, hit her stick on the ground.  This caused a huge wave to go through the air.  Phantom fell of his perch and hit the ground.
     "No, phantoms, get them!!"
     But the phantoms were trapped in green vines, courtesy of Cosmo.
     Peck painted some rope, which she then handed to Graham.  He fastened the fastest and strongest rope ever.  He then tossed it to Greely.  Using HIS gift from Mira, Greely flashed at lightning speed over to Phantom.
     "This is the last time you'll ever miss with my friends again!" he growled throwing the net over a struggling Phantom.
     "NO!!!  Why aren't my powers working?" Phantom cursed.
     "Look!" Liza pointed to the Ziotain who had crashed into the ceiling.
     Thinking quickly, Gilbert ran head-first into the pillar which was supporting the room.  All the animals mounted the Ziotain as the whole castle fell in big chunks onto Phantom.  The force was enough to sink the floor into the ground even farther.
     Phantom's last glimpse of sunlight showed him the six animals flying off into the distance, laughing and relieved.  And a warning from so long ago came back to him.
     Those who walk alone will always be alone.  Those who walk together are the ones who defeat.
     And then Phantom sunk into the earth.

     The heroes were standing in the middle of the towns square with hundreds of townspeople applauding them and cheering.  Mira awarded all six of them a shiny, silver medal, which could take the shape of any object they liked.
     "Liza." "Peck." "Graham." "Cosmo." "Greely."  "And last, but certainly not least, Sir Gilbert."    
     "To all of you, a thank you for saving Jamaa and creating peace once again.  Now, I have a request to make."
     The townspeople were all quiet now.
     "If you accept, I would like to award you with the chance to protect Jamaa for as long as you can.  You will protect Jamaa from anything that tries to harm the people.  You will put their lives in front of your own.  YOU will be the leaders."
     Liza looked at the other animals.  And answering for all she said, "We accept!"
     "Then I give you, people of Jamaa, the Alphas!"

     Later on, after the celebration, Sir Gilbert asked Mira a question that had been on his mind.
     "What was the power that you gave me?"
     "GAVE you?  I never GAVE any of you powers.  This was all inside of you the whole time.  You just needed a chance to let it out.  Sir Gilbert, you have always been a courageous fighter.  You just didn't know it until now."
     "Oh."  Then Sir Gilbert started laughing.
     "What's so funny?" asked Mira.
     "Liza was WRONG for once!"

     And so, the Alphas to this day protect Jamaa from anything that threatens to harm the growing town.  They expanded Jamaa into the wonderful place it is today.  One of the lands was named Zios, after the brave bird that helped them win.
     Many phantoms still linger in Jamaa, a reminder of what had happened so many years ago.  Phantom is found to be more awake on the Night of the Phantoms.  But it is nothing to worry about.  The Alphas know what to do.

                                                         **The End**

Byez, hope you enjoyed my story!