PoisonedPangy the Pangolin

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PoisonedPangy
100% Happy
Owner
nest
Stolen
5 Nov 2022
Hatched
9 Nov 2023
2,932 +1
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812 +1
Clicks
676
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2
Items Collected
Recent Feeders
pipkitten
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tlj89
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Essence of Litsdnats
Stage Frozen
P  A  N  G  Y ' S
𝖕𝖔𝖎𝖘𝖔𝖓 🍎 𝖆𝖕𝖕𝖑𝖊
M  Y  S  T  E  R  Y


First, let's introduce our cast of characters.
Click a character's name to visit them.



Pangy the Pangolin, Owner of the General Food Store
Accommodating, generous, entrepreneur, knows everyone by name

Nebby the Blobbart, Donations Center Master
Caring, helpful, strong, a little dumb, all-around good guy

Finley the Schnee, Owner of Finley’s Flavors
Warm, friendly, avoidant, nervous, creative

Kirk the Kringus, Owner of the Toy Shop
Overworked, food lover, proactive, jolly?

Aeroria the Aerlo, Town Hall Judge
Easily annoyed, often busy, not very empathetic, loves shrimp

Sophie the Floss, Owner of Baked Bun Bake Shop
Nice, spontaneous, nerdy, jealous, competitive

Marzi the Gingerlion, Owner of Ark City Bakery
Kind, people pleaser, intelligent, timid, loved by many

Tentakon the Alkub, Professional Athlete
Critical thinker, food lover, fitness expert, strategic, wise

Cathy the Nipha, Scientist at the Science and Research Center
Work-oriented, logical, likes to run experiments that emit gasses, not seen outside often



————✦————


CHAPTER 1

It was a rainy April afternoon in Ark City, the sullen grey sky engulfing the town, a steady drizzle of plump raindrops lining the streets. The town was typically happy, but it was no stranger to the occasional drama.

Nebby glanced out the window as he was setting out some new stock for the Donations Center.

"Gold Gas Mask, Partially Dissolved Chemistry Textbook, Draco Aurarius Constellation…" Nebby quietly announced each item as he placed them on the shelves, a habit he would never outgrow. He was a true item expert, even able to differentiate the slightest differences in item sets, including similar looking colors.

Walking back to the donations pile, he viewed the large stack of boxes. The center was typically empty, which gave the idea that not many citizens offered donations. Instead, Nebby was just awfully slow at putting items out. He selected another box from the pile.

"Huh, did just one kind citizen donate all of these apples, or did they all just randomly appear? I mean... thirty-two Red Cubic Apples?! Wow!"

The shiny, uniquely shaped fruits lined a full four shelves, each one placed squarely next to another. Nebby began to admire them.

"I've got a literal wall of apples now, thanks to some generous apple angel," Nebby enjoyed talking to himself, "Speaking of apples, where the heck is Pangy?" Nebby pulled out his eggPhone. "Yep, he normally heads over around this time, so where is he..."

The door creaked open.

"Whoops, keep forgetting to get more WD-40," Nebby said to himself under his breath.

"Hey Neb!" A friendly greeting filled the Donations Center, produced by Finley, the owner of the ice cream shop.

Nebby smiled at Finley and motioned towards the apples, "Hey! How d'you like all these? They could be perfect for the next flavor!"

The ice cream expert was delighted, as he strived to create a new, interesting flavor for his shop every week. He would often stop by the Donations Center with his reusable bag and collect a few rare-looking food items, if available.

"Oh my gosh! You know what I'll call this one? I'll offer it as a three-scoop cone and name it... Apple Cubed. Eh? Eh?" Finley stared at Nebby, mouth agape, frozen in time, waiting for a reaction.

"Ha! Wow, I love it! Please, take what you need, but feel free to make it a super exclusive flavor for the week and leave a few apples for some other Arkians. Pangy usually stops by and I'm pretty excited to offer him some of these apples, he loves them."

Finley looked worried as he gave a nod of understanding. He selected 16 of the boxy apples, while thinking to himself, ’But, don’t these apples come from his store…?’


————✦————


CHAPTER 2

Morning broke with beautiful, golden sunlight. Almost all of the rain from the night before had evaporated. Nebby had rushed home just after Finley left the Donations Center so as to not miss his favorite evening television program, Yeeping Up with the Yarayahos. ’Heheh, those nasty, blood-sucking, parasitic Yarayahos, heh,’   Nebby would often comment, ’Turning anyone they bite into one of their own! Ahhhh!! Now everyone’s a Yarayaho!!!’

Nebby’s eggPhone alarm chimed around 6:00 AM ECT. He grabbed his mighty staff, its blue orb gleaming in the sun, and headed from his rustic bedroom to his bathroom to relieve himself, then, to his tavern-style kitchen (what, you thought he’d brush his teeth first?). His apartment was located in Ark City, just a short walk north of the Donations Center, at 1337 Greenold Court. It’s been occupied by him for several years.

The tavern-esque kitchen of Nebby's smelled like a nasty burp, not dissimilar to Nebby himself. This morning, he created a breakfast of porridge topped with Cheeseburger Flavored Space Food, replacing the goop in the bowl with his own slobber by the time he was done.

He released a boisterous belch and said out loud to himself, “Pangy. Pangy! He never stopped by last night. He’s clockwork, that Pangy… that’s what I wanted to check out this morning!!”


————✦————


The General Food Store always opened at 7:00 AM ECT sharp, but it was only 6:31 AM when Nebby arrived, and yet the store’s sign was already flipped, reading OPEN. Along with the standard sign, there was also a littering of advertisements and graffiti-esque stickers lining the front windows as usual, not all of them put up by Pangy himself:


𝙃𝙀𝙇𝙋 𝙒𝘼𝙉𝙏𝙀𝘿 - 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝘾𝙆 𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙎𝙊𝙉 💰💰
HEALTHCARE NOW, HEALTHCARE HOW?

SUPPORT the GFS
NATURAL as NATURE
GMO? ❌ GM NO ! ! !

O P E N

Join Quest Club
Call Jenny 867-5309
𝙉𝙀𝙒!
🥐𝙋𝘼𝙎𝙏𝙍𝙄𝙀𝙎 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙎𝙊𝙊𝙉!🍩

𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐄𝐅 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐏 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐄𝐅 --HOW???
❀ 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚍𝚎 𝚛𝚎-𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 ❀
🍓𝙎𝙏𝙍𝘼𝙒𝘽𝙀𝙍𝙍𝙄𝙀𝙎🍓
𝙊𝙉𝙇𝙔 270 𝙀𝘾 𝙀𝘼𝘾𝙃


’Open early? That’s strange,’   Nebby thought, ’He’s always right on time with seven, always seven.’

Nebby walked inside, the store’s bells chiming against the door. Taking a glance around, and a few steps, Nebby saw that no one was there. No customers, no Pangy.

“Pangy? Hello?” Nebby’s ancient body walked further, reaching the back of the store, “Are you in the back? Y’mind if I come in?”

No answer.

“Pangy…?”

Nebby pushed open the door to the stockroom, “It… kinda smells in here, actually…”

He was alerted to Pangy, slumped face down on the ground, next to his desk.

“PANGY?! Are you sleepin’ on the job?! Haha, just kidding! Pangy…?”

Nebby prodded Pangy’s pudgy body with his mighty staff.

“Pangy…?! Hey!! Are you okay?!” Leaning his staff against the wall, Nebby crouched down to check Pangy for a pulse. He wasn’t very good with stuff like this, so he wasn’t even sure what to make of checking a pulse. Though, with his mighty strength, Nebby lifted Pangy, realizing he needed to rush him to the Ark City Hospital down the road. Something was terribly wrong.

“C’mon Pangy, I’ve gotcha… but what’s that smell…? Smells fishy…”

Pangy did not respond.


————✦————


Around ten minutes later, Nebby and Pangy’s body arrived at the hospital.

“Okay… okay… almost there… phew, here we are.”

Unfortunately, the Ark City Hospital has been closed for decades.

“Aw, man! I forgot! The Ark City Hospital has been closed for decades!”

Nebby let out a huge sigh and began hoisting Pangy all the way back to the General Food Store. When they returned, he placed Pangy on his chair and stared at him. He noticed purple, blue, and red jelly beans on Pangy’s desk.

“You been eatin’ jelly beans? Are you allergic or something? What is the smell in here… what is that, rotten inventory? Last week’s retired items? Heh,” Nebby inquired relentlessly to an unresponsive Pangy. He also spotted an apple on the floor where Pangy was lying before.

“Hey,” he leaned down and picked up the half-eaten apple, “This is a Red Cubic Apple… I just got, like, nearly a bushel of these in donations! I mean, so many!! I know you love these! Wait…”

Pangy started to groan. Thankfully he was alive! Because Nebby didn’t seem wise enough to realize he could have been dead. Or, perhaps those groans were the kinds bodies make when they are freshly deceased.

“Ohh you’re awake! Did you overload on apples or jelly beans or something?”

“I… Neb… wh–” Pangy could barely get a word out, “I don’t… feel well, what’s, going on…”

“Man, I was worried about you! You never came by last night, and gee, your open sign says, well, open! You were open all night, huh?!”

Pangy could hardly realize how dumb Nebby was acting.

“Oh, I forgot, I’ve got my water bottle with me! That could help, you should have a drink!” Nebby pulled out his Yellow Blobbart Squirt Toy from his sash and squirted water into Pangy’s mouth, most of it just getting onto his face.


————✦————


Several minutes passed, and Pangy was finally able to speak a bit.

“Ugh, I feel like I got hit by Finley’s ice cream truck! Okay... okay... so, I was getting a head start on some inventory last night just before close, along with some finishing touches on my idea I told you about, to sell Pangy’s Perfect Pastries with the groceries, just before coming to see you, and... I don't know... I went to my desk to complete some paperwork, I think? And, and I had a little snack as I like to do… you know, apples, typically apples… my light above flickered… I started eating my apple… I heard the rain outside… I heard a car drive by… I noticed I missed a spot sweeping the floor… those Puffups keep coming back… and then I started feeling woozy, sleepy… thinking about making apple pastries for my debut, you know, for my new addition for my store, my new venture, my baking… and…”

Nebby smirked, “C’mon Pang, you had jelly beans!! I see them right there, ha! Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. I’ve been tryin’ to lay off the sugary sweets too but you and I just love them so much,” Nebby smacked his chubby tummy, “We’ll tackle them eventually! Veggies, here we come! I’m gonna be an Alkub Racer! …wait, aren’t pastries just sugar? …and apples, fruit, sugar...? But it’s a good sugar, or…”

“No, no, no, I didn’t have jelly beans, I, it was just an apple… or, well, I’m not sure… I mean, those do look good… but, what’s that smell… it’s… it’s you…”

“No it’s not!” Nebby burped, “See, you don’t recall, that’s normal, when uh, you combine long working hours and sugar and an apple to keep the doctor away! Though, there are no doctors in this town, I forgot, the Ark City Hospital has been closed for decades.”

“Yeah I’m not sure, I just… I remember writing down my numbers, getting ready to close up, thinking of what the second advertisement should be for my pastry debut, then I’d stop by the Donations, just had my little snack, thinking about weekend plans, thinking of some other new ideas… I, I just don’t feel very well.”

Nebby was taking an even closer look at the apple, now sitting on Pangy's desk, “It makes sense even more now, ‘cause, just look at this apple… it looks nasty heh, just gross, maybe because it was sitting out, I dunno. Oh yeah! It’s a bad apple, that’s what they call it! You just had a bad apple, that’s all. Maybe that’s the stench. But man Pangy, you were OUT!”

Pangy could hardly keep his eyes open. Nebby offered more water, but again, it hardly made it where it was supposed to go.

“Neb, please… thank you but I will just get a Blue Avian Drink from my stock. That always helps me.”

“Okay, no prob, I got it for ya!” Nebby noticed the selection of Avian Drinks inside a mini fridge next to Pangy's desk. He grabbed the Blue flavor, cracked it open, and handed it to Pangy.

“Thank you, Neb…”

Bells chimed and crinkling was heard in the aisles.

Nebby looked up, “Someone’s here!”


————✦————


CHAPTER 3

Nebby quickly checked his eggPhone and it was well past opening time for the General Food Store.

“Ope! That’s gotta be a customer! I’ll go take care of them for ya, Pang! Stay here, I run the Donations Center, I know what I’m doing heh.”

Nebby furrowed his brow and smiled with determination as he walked out of the stock room ready to greet the customer.

Pangy tried to respond, “Do you? Do you run the Donations Center? Because… because you’re not there right now…” Pangy cheekily stuck his tongue out at no one, trying to get back to his old self. ’But I’m glad you’re not there, you’re here being a good friend,’   thought Pangy.


————✦————


A bloated walrus hobbled in front of Nebby.

“Ayyyy it’s Kirk! That wasn’t the bell at the door I heard, it was the bells of SANTA!!!”

“I told you, I’m not Santa… I've told you like twenty times by now!” grumbled Kirk, trying to keep back a smile.

Nebby peeked into Kirk’s shopping basket, “Got some Cheddar Robot Chips there? Yum, love those. Have you tried the Chili ones? Hot! I thought it was crinkling from that chip bag I heard, but it was just… Kris KRINKLE-ing that I heard, get it?!”

Kirk just stared at Nebby.

“Because you’re SANTA!! Hahah! Kris Kringle!”

“Yeah yeah, I’m Santa, it’s my big secret, it’s finally out. Please don’t tell anyone.”

“Hmm. Y’know, I’m surprised you haven’t asked why I look like this…”

“Like what?” Kirk questioned.

“Like… not Pangy!!”

“Oh. Yeah, where is he…” Kirk browsed the shelves further.

“He’s in the back! Something crazy happened this morning! Or, or maybe even last night actually, yeah last night, let’s go with that.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?! Aren’t you worried?”

“I mean, I don’t know, I’m really busy with the Christmas season coming up, lot on my mind, I apologize,” he calmly poured a to-go bowl of Clam Chowder Soup from the hot food bar.

A look of perplexion came across Nebby's face, “Christmas? Kirk. Santa. It’s April. Christmas is nowhere in sight.”

“Well, it doesn’t work like that,” Kirk claimed as he added Tasty Seafood on a Stick to his shopping basket.

“Not for Santa it doesn’t, you’re right!” winked Nebby.

“Nah, just, not for the Toy Store owner! I have got to make sure everything is ready to go, way ahead of time, for anyone preparing early. It just makes sense.” Kirk smiled in admiration towards customers that bought gifts, many gifts, early. He got too frazzled with a Christmas rush. Running low on stock was his worry, so he always ordered items in bulk, whether for his shop or for his own personal use.

Nebby nodded along, “Okay, I gotcha. Well let me ring you up and you’ll be on your way. Not sure if I’ll be here all day, so gotta get used to this register. I’m a math genius, don’t worry!”


————✦————


CHAPTER 4

"It was Kirk!" Nebby informed Pangy when he returned to the stock room, "I mean... *whispers* Santa."

"Hah yes, I heard!"

"Yep! So how are you feeling now?"

"Well... still a bit odd, a bit nauseous, not the best, not the worst. I think I'll be okay. But you know, I was looking at this apple," the frothy, bubbling apple was deteriorating before Pangy's eyes, "It looked more normal when I first bit into it, well, as normal as a Cubic Apple could look. But, it made me think of that film, Snowby White and the Seven Yeeps, the apple in that movie, I was just a young Pangolin when I first saw it, but..."

"Yeah?" with eyes widening, Nebby listened intently.

"Agh, never mind. It's silly. I think perhaps... this apple is just starting to ferment or something. Like you said, a bad apple. It's just old."

"No! No never mind! Apples take a long time to go bad, come on! What were you gonna say?"

Pangy sighed, "Okay. Well, it's silly, but I've always had this fear of being poisoned, and what worse way than by using my favorite food? Running a grocery means you're always around food. And, I worry, maybe irrationally, that... what would happen if my stock was tainted? Imagine selling such items to innocent Arkians!"

"UuhhhooOOooh," Nebby shuddered at the thought.

"Yeah. But, it's silly, I don't know."

"No Pang, we should consider any thought. Nothing ever happens in this town. So maybe, this is it. This has to be something. It has to be! Ark City has a new villain or something!!"

"Does that imply there was a previous villain...?"

"Pangy! What if someone poisoned you! Like, on purpose! You know, an evil being! Maybe a ghost!"

"No..."

"What if your supplier for apples has gone mad?!"

"It's... it's not likely," Pangy shook his head, but still gave thought to the possibility.

"I've decided. You have been poisoned. POISONED, I say!"

A sense of responsibility came over Nebby as he pulled out his eggPhone to check the time.

"Pangy, are you good? Are you okay here? It's lunch time for the General Food Store, and--"

"Heh yes, I'm fine, if you want to grab a hot meal or some snacks, please. It's on the house today, no doubt about it!"

"Oh! I mean," a smirk spread across Nebby's mouth, "I would love that, but I meant, if the store is on break, I am going to use this break to visit the Town Hall. I hope someone there can help."

"Ahh, okay! Thank you for wanting to help and being so determined. Now, I really think I am overreacting, but I guess it couldn't hurt. Well it might. Neb, last I heard is that the one worker there, the judge, is too busy to even blink."

Nebby was already on his way out the door to the Town Hall.


————✦————


Walking up the large steps, surrounded by lengthy columns, Nebby entered the Town Hall to speak with Judge Aeroria. He was the only person at the Town Hall that Nebby could address since the Ark City Police Department was abolished by delinquent Slysals during the Great Cave Raid of ‘10.

Judge Aeroria sat atop a tall wooden bench. He didn't even look up as Nebby entered. He appeared to be eating his lunch.

’Oh, this place is kinda shtinky, what is that, fish? Seafood?’   thought Nebby, as he walked up to the podium.

"I'm very busy, what do you want?" the judge groaned, not making eye contact, as a piece of Mini Shrimp fell from his spoon back into his toasty bowl of Shrimp Bisque.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Your Honor, I just wanted to ask, have you heard anything about what happened to Pangy? If not, I can tell y--"

"Pangy?"

"Yes, he runs the city's grocery, Your Honor. Last night, or this morning, someth--"

"Err, no, haven't. But I'm sure I will be soon if you're here mentioning him."

Nebby could see that the judge was irritated. But, he usually was. Aeroria was up to his external gills with years of paper consumption issues and Thief Shop complaints.

"Okay, Your Honor. Well--"

"I'm sorry, sir, but, I am on my lunch break. So, errr, please just return at a later time."

Nebby actually gave up quite quickly. He thanked the judge and quietly left.


————✦————


That evening, Aeroria slinked out to his minibike to go home. While his minibike was quieter than a large motorcycle, it was the closest he could get to living the life he dreamed of as a young Aerlo. He grew up with 339 siblings, each and every one expected to follow the path set by their strict parents. Aeroria dreamed of traveling, discovering a new island, exploring it via motorcycle, and trying native foods. He wanted to feel freedom.

Aeroria knew that his siblings were sprinkled throughout all of the known islands, supposedly working for a city in some way, as their parents intended (yes, all 339)… but being the youngest, #340, Aeroria got stuck living on the same island as his parents. Ark. With their watchful eyes making sure he remained in a position dedicated to the city. Aeroria didn't even know where his parents lived anymore, he just knew they were always watching.


————✦————


CHAPTER 5

Sophie drove up to her house, a secluded vine-covered cottage located at 33 Redwood Road, just a few minutes outside of Ark City. It was a convenient spot to live; she could enjoy solitude and nature, and yet quickly pop over to her bakery, the Baked Bun Bake Shop. Most Arkians lived in the city, to be close to their work, but Sophie wanted a place where she could experiment with her everchanging hobbies and interests. Her abode featured a garden in both the front and back, be them ill-maintained; the garden in back was riddled with holes awaiting plants, along with overgrown grass, shrubs, and weeds. There was also a pond-turned-swamp that housed a lot of smelly Skreels. On Sophie's porch sat a wooden bench swing, small side table, and a gargoyle right near the front door.

The inside of her home was filled with thrifted furniture, books, and medieval decorations, such as dragons and fairies. A specific corner of Sophie’s home was dedicated to reading, featuring a tall oak bookshelf and a comfy plush chair with gold embellishments. She had quite the collection of books, including most any topic you could imagine.

Sophie's kitchen was a palette of dusty pink and grey, with somewhat of a 1950s style. She had lots of kitchen tools and gadgets, most of them being gold. With a full-blown bakery that expresses a passionate interest, some people are surprised that baking wasn't always an interest of Sophie's. Back in her school days, she favored acting, track & field, reading, board games, and chemistry. 'Baking is chemistry!' Sophie would often chirp to others when she shifted from one interest to another, such as from chemistry to baking. Some of her interests often seemed superficial with not much permanence, as she was always trying to mold them in order to impress her school crush, Tentakon, the then captain of the school’s running team. Did she even like to run?

"Welcome home, Sophie!" a voice was provided for the gargoyle at the door by none other than Sophie herself, "Hello again, Sir Grembleton the third. Thanks for the greeting."

Unlocking her front door, Sophie stepped inside to plop on her couch and stare at her broken television.

"Tonight's Headline: Local pink girl doesn't know what to have for dinner," narrated Sophie, "the dark, dark night consumed her and she simply wanted some waffles. But alas, she did not own a waffle maker! Yeep. Yeah. I need to get a waffle maker!"

She pulled out her eggPhone to order Uber Eggs.

"I wonder what Keahi is up to..."


————✦————


"You can stop by after practice today?" asked Marzi, "I'm still deciding on what to bake tonight, though."

Marzi has had a lifelong interest in baking, cooking, and creating her own recipes. As the perfectly baked Gingerlion she was, it was her dream and destiny to open a beautiful bakery. Marzi spent her kittenhood in the kitchen with her mother, where she picked up techniques quickly and remembered recipes well. Growing up, she didn’t spend too much time with peers, perpetuating her shy, timid nature.

The apartment located above Marzi's store is occupied by Marzi herself. A cozy one-bedroom listed at 143 Whitedove Road. She's a people pleaser and loves to bring others joy; being so close to her shop and being there most of the day means she can truly dedicate her life to her passion. While she may be more introverted and enjoys her time alone and occasional time with her boyfriend, she genuinely loves charming customers with her baked goods and knowledge.

Not everyone knows that Marzi is the girlfriend of Tentakon, the professional athlete. While they don’t live the closest to each other, a busy baker Marzi and daily racer Tentakon still try to travel across Ark River to see each other when possible. While neither own a car, their love is strong enough for each of them to consistently visit the other on foot, be it far away! Tentakon makes the trek more often, as it suits his lifestyle quite well and he enjoys fitness.

"Yes, I can stop by after practice today!" Tentakon's voice buzzed through to Marzi's eggPhone.

"Yay! Okay I'll finalize the menu. And tell Remmy I said hi."

"Sure thing, kitten. Gotta run!"

"Bye!"


————✦————


Tentakon grew up in Ark City, making friends with most anyone. In school, he was captain of the running team and also helped his coach with the track & field team, too. Always arriving early to his classes, he sometimes wished he could be a bad kitty and skip class to grab a snack at the General Food Store down the road, but he knew it wouldn’t look good on his record. He had to keep things on track, as the main goal he had in life was to join the Alkub Races in Leila.

As a growing Alkub, Tentakon always took a liking to anyone who had snuck food into class, had unfinished food at lunch, or anyone who had an interest in cooking or baking. He'd weasel his way into getting as much food as he could all the time. This perpetual appetite is thanks to his frequent runs and training he completes.

Nowadays, Tentakon resides somewhere in Leila, his exact location unknown.


————✦————


Marzi looked out her window to see that Tentakon had arrived to spend the evening with her. He looked gruff and tired after an extra taxing training in Leila.

“Hi Marzi! How's my kitten!?"

"Hiya! I'm okay! I've got dinner ready," Marzi gave Tentakon a warm hug, "Green Roast Chicken Meal, and then for dessert, I just finished icing some Hot Cross Buns with Sultanas, fresh outta the oven."

"Ohh, that sounds great!"


————✦————


"Sometimes I think I’m in the wrong field,” Tentakon revealed to Marzi as he groomed the leftover Bun icing off of his paw, "What about... Head Chef Tentakon?  "

“Heh! No way, you’re just saying that ‘cause you wanna be around food to eat it all the time! Trust me, you're a runner. You always tell me to keep you on track with your dream… get it, on track,” Marzi giggled.

Smiling, Tentakon agreed, “I know, you’re right. But you know what I mean...!"

"I do! If you're ever serious are pursuing something else, I encourage it. I can help you! I know your passion is running, though."

"Thank you, and thank you again for dinner," purred Tentakon, "I’ve got you to make made-with-love cat treats for me, so it’s a perfect match for a runner!"

The two spent the rest of the evening planning what they were going to make for dinner together the next time Tentakon stops by.

"If you'd like to help make something, then I'd love for you to choose what it is!"

Tentakon looked thoughtful, "Ham and Apple Pie? Am I a weirdo or does that sound nicely filling for after a run."

"Heh it could work, whatever you want!" Marzi began to write down a grocery shopping list.

"OOH, could we do a glazed ham?"

"Oh, yes! I actually have a recipe for Ham with Apple Glaze, that sounds like perfection."

"Nice! For my contribution, I think I can make the glaze, I think it would be beginner friendly."


————✦————


CHAPTER 6

An eggPhone sitting on a lab desk at the Science and Research Center begins to ring.

“Good Afternoon, Science and Research Center of Ark City, this is Dr. Cathy, Ph.D.”

An indiscernible voice on the other end of the line responds.

“Ah yes, the samples were shipped out this morning and should arrive at your facility within 24 hours. They turned out exactly as intended, all according to plan.”

The voice replied and Cathy chuckled.

“Heh, yes, it will indeed be revolutionary. It’s quite literally the future of our island. It’s not a suggestion, it is a plan. A very well-developed itinerary.”

Cathy smiled subtly as the voice produced a reply and then she gave one back.

“Exactly. Your facility’s intelligence will work wonders with what I’ve come up with. This is a dream team. The agriculture of Ark will be remodeled entirely. Thank you for checking in and we will speak again soon.”

Cathy hung up the phone and leaned over her notebook to write something down, pulling her black Zebbit Sarasa retractable roller ball gel pen out of her lab coat. It appeared to be out of ink, so she opted for her blue Zebbit Sarasa instead. Her pen glided across the paper as she scribbled, adding to previous memos written.


 - 𝘎𝘊𝘙 2.0 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺
 - 𝘕𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 – 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 – 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥; 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥
 - 𝘌𝘨𝘨𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘔𝘖 𝘈𝘳𝘬 𝘗𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦 1 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦


Cathy shut her notebook and smiled to herself.

"Time to make lunch."


THE END?


The answer to the mystery is revealed below.









Take a peek?









Or see if you can solve it yourself?























SOPHIE POISONED PANGY




———— 🍎 ————
CLUES EXPLAINED

Please see below for the clues explained, along with misleading "clues" (red herrings).
Quotes from the story or from Egg Cave lore are in red.



• baking wasn't always an interest of Sophie's
• Back in her school days, she favored acting, track & field, reading, board games, and chemistry.
• her interests often seemed superficial with not much permanence, as she was always trying to mold them in order to impress her school crush, Tentakon, the then captain of the school’s running team
Sophie received poor grades back in her chemistry class. She was interested in chemistry, at one point, but wasn’t very good at it. This alludes to the fact that her poison apple compound was not strong enough to kill poor Pangy. ’Baking is chemistry!’ She was hardly even able to bake. She’d often say this line to try and convince people of her supposed knowledge.

• She pulled out her eggPhone to order Uber Eggs.
Sophie made a point to not visit Pangy’s store for groceries to make dinner. Instead, she opted for delivery.

• ”I started eating my apple… I heard the rain outside… I heard a car drive by…”
• Sophie drove up to her house, a secluded vine-covered cottage located at 33 Redwood Road, just a few minutes outside of Ark City.
• Most Arkians lived in the city, to be close to their work, but Sophie wanted a place where she could experiment
Pangy heard a car drive by a bit before he passed out from the poison apple. The only known person that owns a car is Sophie, since she lived just outside of Ark City and used it to get to her shop quickly. Marzi and Nebby, for example, are stated to live very close to their workplaces.

• Egg Cave Baked Bun Quest Quote from Sophie: “If you didn't know, my store is in direct competition with The Bakery. Will you help me source a diverse selection of delicious goods? With your help, I think we can beat them.”
Sophie quietly recruited Arkians on quests to seek a diverse selection of baked goods so she could put Marzi’s bakery out of business. Complacent questers, anxious to adopt quest creatures as companions with Sophie’s assistance, didn’t even take notice of the fact that everything in Sophie’s bakery was homemade by Marzi and sourced from her Ark City Bakery (The Bakery). Nothing was ever made by Sophie.

• When they returned, he placed Pangy on his chair and stared at him. He noticed purple, blue, and red jelly beans on Pangy’s desk.
Sophie planted jelly beans at the crime scene to make it look like someone else had committed the crime. The jelly beans were in the same colors as the jelly beans that make up Marzi’s ears, eyes, and nose. Sophie wanted to frame Marzi because Marzi was one of two Arkians that she wanted to… take out. Sophie already had competition with Marzi’s bakery, even though Marzi’s came first, and now she had to deal with Pangy’s grocery’s new offering of pastries. She figured she could make it look like Marzi wanted to get rid of Pangy, then Marzi would be locked up, Pangy would be gone, and her bakery would thrive, leaving it the only food store for Tentakon, her crush, to flock to. But with Marzi gone... who would she steal from? She really is a dummy.

• Marzi: kind ; Sophie: nice (there's a difference between kind and nice; kind is more genuine, nice is trying to keep the peace, appeal, or appease)
• Sophie: jealous, competitive
• Marzi is the girlfriend of Tentakon
• a busy baker Marzi and daily racer Tentakon still try to travel across Ark River to see each other when possible. While neither own a car, their love is strong enough for each of them to consistently visit the other on foot
• ”some finishing touches on my idea I told you about, to sell Pangy’s Perfect Pastries with the groceries”
• “apple pastries for my debut, you know, for my new addition for my store, my new venture, my baking”
• Egg Cave Baked Bun Quest Quote from Sophie: “If you didn't know, my store is in direct competition with The Bakery. Will you help me source a diverse selection of delicious goods? With your help, I think we can beat them.”
Sophie was very jealous of Marzi, for dating Tentakon, and especially for having the original bakery in Ark City, with her secured spot as a featured store in the city’s Shop Tab. All Sophie could do is run her bakery as an “odd job” for citizens. Pangy’s store was also in the Shop Tab, and if it began selling his homemade pastries, there would be two bakeries people could go to, including Tentakon, leaving Sophie further in the Puffup dust.

• "Gold Gas Mask, Partially Dissolved Chemistry Textbook, Draco Aurarius Constellation…" Nebby quietly announced each item as he placed them on the shelves.
• The inside of her home was filled with thrifted furniture, books, and medieval decorations, such as dragons
• quite the collection of books
• a comfy plush chair with gold embellishments
• lots of kitchen tools and gadgets, most of them being gold
Nebby named his most recent item donations as he set them out, which happened to be donated by the culprit.
Gold Gas Mask: Sophie used this mask to commit the crime and then to hide her face. It is a gold mask, akin to the gold embellishments and kitchen tools featured throughout her home.
Partially Dissolved Chemistry Textbook: Foolishly, Sophie disposed of evidence like this at the Donations Center. As she used various instructions in this book to create a poisonous mixture, she decided to kill two Luvduvs with one Kendo, not only testing the poison’s destructive properties on the book itself, but also destroying the evidence. A naive Sophie donated the book during its decomposition process, not realizing that it hadn’t been completely destroyed, and Nebby could still see that it was a chemistry textbook.
Draco Aurarius Constellation: Sophie’s home had dragon (draco) decorations, and, “aurarius” is Latin for “gold” (which Sophie favored). Is it unknown why she donated this (perhaps to offer the reader another clue).

Nebby then questioned:
• “Huh, did just one kind citizen donate all of these apples, or did they all just randomly appear? I mean... thirty-two Red Cubic Apples?! Wow!"
The numbers in italics were also italicized in the story, leading to two well-hidden clues.
1 + 32 = 33
Sophie’s address: 33 Redwood Road
Redwood = Red = Red handed = Culprit

• Nebby pushed open the door to the stockroom, “It… kinda smells in here, actually…”
• "what’s that smell…? Smells fishy…"
• the garden in back was riddled with holes
• "I wonder what Keahi is up to..."
• a pond-turned-swamp that housed a lot of smelly Skreels
• Egg Cave Skreel Archive Quotes:
- “reeks of a foul odor”
- “Skreel thrive in conditions that are considered otherwise uninhabitable to most creatures in Ark, such as sewers or polluted bodies of water.”
- “leave one water body and crawl on dry land in search for another”
The holes in Sophie’s yard and garden may have been for plants, or additionally, to bury a dead body. She waited inside her home, far from the crime scene, for the poison to complete its job; she wondered what Keahi was doing, as he is big and strong enough to help hoist Pangy away and plop him into a hole. The muddy pond that was now home to Skreels and their signature foul odor helped to give Pangy’s stockroom a fishy smell, as the scent had adhered itself to Sophie as she was experimenting with digging different sized holes, and she left some of the odor as she snuck in the apple in Pangy’s personal stock for him to inevitably eat.

The 32 remaining apples that Sophie did not use were donated to the Donations Center by Sophie after she planted the poisoned apple in the General Food Store. She thought she’d need a lot of apples to experiment on, but she stupidly went with her first try on the first apple she injected with poison. Thankfully, that means the rest of the apples were not tainted.




———— 🍎 ————
RED HERRINGS

Misleading "clues" that look like motives.
Quotes from the story are in green.


• ”leave a few apples for some other Arkians. Pangy usually stops by and I'm pretty excited to offer him some of these apples, he loves them."
• Finley looked worried
• thinking to himself, ’But, don’t these apples come from his store…?’
Finley felt badly about always grabbing free ingredients for his shop from the Donations Center rather than purchasing them at Pangy's Food Shop. He tended to be avoidant of Pangy because of this, even though he always admired Pangy. He was worried Pangy would be upset and offended, so he simply stayed away out of fear of confrontation.

• ”I feel like I got hit by Finley’s ice cream truck!”
Pangy uses the phrase “I feel like I got hit by Finley’s ice cream truck” which suggests that Finley has an ice cream truck and that he would, indeed, hit someone with it. It’s simply based on the saying “I feel like I got hit by a truck”, like you had a really rough sleep or a horrible headache. No one really knows if Finley has an ice cream truck, but the story does confirm that both Sophie and Aeroria own a vehicle of some sort.

• "It was Kirk!" Nebby informed Pangy
• “it’s my big secret, it’s finally out. Please don’t tell anyone.”
Kirk is a walrus so his diet primarily consists of seafood like clams and cephalopods. This could give him a fishy musk. And, he is just busy and frazzled, always getting ready for Christmas. He has to be proactive. (Not because he’s Santa, he’s not.) This message has been provided by Kirk.

• Tentakon always took a liking to anyone who had an interest in cooking or baking
• Tentakon looked thoughtful, "Ham and Apple Pie?”
• “a recipe for Ham with Apple Glaze”
Tentakon was thought to be a suspect because of his love of food (and, really, his need for it as he was an extremely active athlete, constantly burning calories). Perhaps he wanted to off Pangy so he could own the grocery instead? He is known by many to be very strategic, so he could easily plan something horrible and execute it correctly. But speaking of correctly, he’s also quite the genius, so he wouldn’t be so foolish, and evil, as to do something like this. But if he did, he’d actually finish the job.

• ’Oh, this place is kinda shtinky, what is that, fish? Seafood?’   thought Nebby, as he walked up to the podium.
• Aeroria slinked out to his minibike to go home. While his minibike was quieter than a large motorcycle
Aeroria is very busy. There’s no law enforcement, there’s no police, there’s no hospital (it’s been closed for decades), he’s got old paperwork to still work on, he’s the only one to take care of all this stuff, and he just wants to eat shrimp like most axolotls do. The Town Hall had a fishy smell thanks to that. He is confirmed to own a vehicle, but it is emphasized that it’s not very loud, so Pangy hearing “a car drive by” along with the sound of “the rain” couldn’t have been Aeroria.

• Cathy: likes to run experiments that emit gasses
• 𝘌𝘨𝘨𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘔𝘖 𝘈𝘳𝘬 𝘗𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦 1 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦
• "Time to make lunch."
Cathy, while debatably up to no good, appears to be planning to take over Pangy’s mostly whole food grocery store with… a different type of… food? So, could she have done something to him? But that gas mask was indeed Sophie's, not Cathy's... While this may be a mystery in itself, Cathy is actually not dense enough to do something of that nature (of that synthetic?) to one poor soul. She’d do worse. To many poor souls. Maybe? Who could her partner be?

• 1337 Greenold Court
Nebby's address hints that he is good:
1337 = "leet" = Internet Slang for "Elite" = Good
Greenold = Green = Good

• 143 Whitedove Road
Marzi's address hints that she is good:
143 = I (1 letter) Love (4 letters) You (3 letters) = Good
White and Dove = Innocence and Peace

Mystery Witten by @daisycat

About Pangolin Eggs

Mother Pangolins will create a nest of fallen leaves in which to hide and incubate their eggs. These nests are most often found nestled amongst the roots of trees within Ark's bioluminescent regions. The leaf-like scales on the outside of the egg act as camouflage and temperature regulators. If the egg gets too warm, they will spread out to let cool air circulate in and for heat to escape. The opposite happens when the egg gets too cold, closing together to trap warmth within the egg. It's not uncommon to see the scales move several times throughout the day, sometimes giving the impression that the egg is slowly breathing.

About the Pangolin Creature

Pangolins reside mostly in the bioluminescent jungles of Ark. Their scaly bodies can manually emit a warm, soft glow that helps them camouflage amongst the luminous foliage and displays aposematism to ward off predators. Through the means of convergent evolution, Pangolins share the Ulert's interesting trait of having an elongated and sticky tongue. This tongue is used for the infiltration of ant colonies and termite mounds, where the insects are efficiently sucked up from their burrow as food.

The Science and Research Center initially mistook Pangolins as a new breed of Pthali, but the genetic composition of both creatures were far too different to make make any connection.

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