Sahara and the V-Pet Hoarder

   The harsh Kubai Desert sun pounded down on Sahara's head as she double-checked her satchel for the day. Sahara was outside her grandparents' gem shop, Mirage Minerals, getting ready for a foraging trip. Her grandparents chatted with her while she was more focused on her satchel, her jagged stripped tail swaying back and fourth. 

   Her grandmother asked, "Are you sure you packed enough water?" as Sahara's enormous ears adjusted to obscure her view. "You know heatstroke is my biggest worry out there, dear."

   "Yes, I packed enough," Sahara sighed, bringing out four glass bottles of fresh water, which clicked against each other as she clasped the necks between her fingers; her retractable red claws gripping them tightly. "And I packed some Lioa Berries to eat; I won't be gone for long, Grandma. I just need to get extra parts for some broken V-Pets."

   "Ah, V-Pets," her grandfather reminisced, adjusting his glasses as he looked out at the town of B'Haddu. "I recall you being enamored with your mother's V-Pets as a child. Poor girl couldn't get them out of your claws even if she tried!"

   Sahara snickered and nodded, staring at the V-Pets dangling from her satchel. She gathered Blob Blue, Gamma Green, and Rocket Red through previous foraging. She did receive a few duplicates of Blob Blue when she first started, which she sold for some additional prestige. She only needed the uncommon Pulsar Purple and the ultra-rare Star Gold to complete her collection!

   "I promise I'll be back before sundown, as long as I can find some copper. It's the hardest thing I can find out there," Sahara reasoned, clutching her backpack and hugging them both tightly; then quickly pulling away. "I'll see you later!!"

   "Love you!!" her grandmother cried out as she watched her granddaughter jog toward town. 

   "Bring back a good story!!" her grandpa added, smiling as his wife fussed at him while they went back inside their gem store.

   Sahara dashed by other Xeros and shops as she sprinted to the town's edge. Her heart was pumping with excitement as she was convinced she would uncover some resources. She wanted to be more prepared this time, so she planned to make as many batteries as she could so that when she found the broken V-Pets, she could simply insert the batteries and check their rarity. Once she reached past the edge of town into the desert, she began to run on all fours to begin her quest.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖☾𖤓☽.𖥔 ݁ ˖

   She hasn't found a single piece of copper after at least an hour of searching, and was left sweating and frustrated. She drank water and observed the horizon as she sat in the shade of a curved mountain. Her short red and maroon tipped tuff of hair annoyingly clung to the sweat.

   She groaned and took another swig of water. "Well... it's not a bust yet," she mumbled, pressing her feet paws in the sand. "I have a few hours left before I'll just go home..."

   She squinted across the dunes when she noticed a dull gray color as her gaze strayed across the sand. "Is that V-Pet?" she thought, curiously.

   She repacked her backpack and jogged over to it, picking it up and inspecting it. She shrugged, tossed it into her bag, and looked around, noticing another in the distance. Perhaps her luck has changed for the better? When she went to get it, she discovered another and another!

   "Huh, that's strange...?" She thought, confused while grabbing her fifth one. She realized she was on a trail! Unless a plane just dumped its cargo last night, this was a strange sight. She decided to give up collecting for the time being and instead follow the trail.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖☾𖤓☽.𖥔 ݁ ˖

   As she did so, she came across a cave. She was familiar with caves, thanks to her parents' treasure hunts. But this cave was not like any other—it went deep. Really deep. Even squinting, she could barely see the end.

   Carved entirely from soft, golden sandstone, the walls looked deliberately chiseled, bearing the eerie hallmarks of something entirely xero-made and dug out. She walked gingerly inside, clutching her satchel strap nervously and glancing around. The rough, earthy stone was heavily decorated with deep claw marks, contrasting sharply with the unmistakably artificial nature of the chamber.

   Suddenly, she froze as she heard the distant sound of clinking plastic. As she got closer to the sound, she went on all fours to avoid being seen, hiding behind a stalagmite as close as she could. Her orange and maroon tipped ears, obviously protruding, peered over the top, and she was surprised to see what lay in the center of the cave.

   In the center of the caravan were various pieces of furniture, such as a nest, a work bench and a brick furnace. They looked damaged, slight scratches and tears, while the furnace looked homemade with how certain the bricks look together. Among the furniture though, was a red and light red Xero; with a small bobtail and striped antennae twitching while it worked. Sitting there with a pile of wires and a box full of batteries, was a huge trash bag full of broken V-Pets.

   "Another collector!" she thought, a large grin spreading across her face; her snaggle tooth sticking out from her smile. "You'd have to be really into it to live in the middle of nowhere... probably a better strategy for finding parts..."

   Sahara carefully walked closer to get a better look at them, rummaging through the trash bag while keeping a sharp focus. Then, breaking the silence, she asked, "Whatcha doin' with all of that?"

   The Xero, startled, whipped it's head towards her and barked at her like a wild animal, bearing their teeth and lunging towards her. Sahara screamed and dodged quickly, losing her footing as she fell over the trashbag, V-Pets spilling out the seams.

   "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, hold on—!!" she tried to reason, but the Xero was determined to defend their things. She quickly grabbed a handful of V-Pets and managed to find her footing, her claws digging in the dirt as she dashed out of there. Her panting and footsteps echoing in the cave, she made it out and ran back to B'Haddu, stumbling in the sand the entire way.

   She came to a halt a block away from her grandparents' gem shop, sitting in an alley as she wheeled and tried to catch her breath. She shook her head and looked down at the grey and broken V-Pets. Her fear turned into excitement, and a wild, toothy grin appeared in the mirror.

   "Just wait until Grandpa hears about this..."