Hi! This is probably going to be the first novel style fan-fic for Pearls. (Or at least the first one I've seen on the sites I go to.) It's inspired by the current comic series (that started April 3) but only just. (although, I'm thinking on that, too…)
Also, I'm planning on using a majority of characters, so if anyone has anyone they want to see just tell me and I'll try my best to put them in here.

Anyway, here it is (I hope you enjoy):

Chapter 1: It's a Weird Day in the Neighborhood

It would have been a nice, normal neighborhood (if there was such a thing…) except that mixed in with the usual weird people you'd might expect in any neighborhood there was also a fraternity and family of crocodiles, a zebra who was an activist while he had to do everything he could to survive the crocs… well… general stupidity, a rat that hated all of the neighbors and if he wasn't trying a new way to avoid the world then he was shoving them all into boxes, although his housemate, an idiotic yet well-meaning and sweet pig usually got the most of his cynical moods. Slowly it seemed their neighborhood was becoming a zoo.

The TV on, another beer, and he was content… at least until he heard the door.

"Hi," Pig said as he walked in. He was a short pudgy pink fellow with his ears almost seeming to hold out into the air. "I have somethi…"

He was quickly interrupted. "Shut up, I'm watching TV," Rat replied angrily. He was shorter than Pig with grey fur and very rounded ears. He took another drink of beer as his eyes stayed glued to the TV.

Pig sighed. "I was just going to say my sister's going to visit…"

Rat was up in an instant. "What?! When? Did she… I mean…" He took a couple deep breaths to calm down.

Pig stared for a moment, and then tried to concentrate. "…Uh… She ether said she was going to visit mom's for a few days or she's at mom's and she's coming here for a few days…"

"WELL WHICH IS IT?!" Rat shouted overly emotionally.

A knock came at the door before Pig could answer. Rat's eyes instantly went wide as he hissed at Pig, "I'm not here." Then he shot off to his room.

Pig only shrugged as he went to open the door.

"Hey, Pig," Zebra greeted. He was somewhat tall with the usual black and white stripes. "You guys won't mind if I crash here for a bit? The crocs are… Well…"

In the backyard of the house belonging to the ZZE (which stands for Zeeba Zeeba Eata) they were busy having their version of an initiation ceremony, which consisted of tarring apart zebra dolls, boasting about who can catch the most prey, and various eating contests. Zebra, of course, didn't like the fact that he could see this all from his house and that there were so many crocs nearby, so he suck out the back as quickly and quietly as possible.

They sat at the kitchen table drinking. "So, where's Rat, exactly?" Zebra asked as he took a sip of coffee.

"…well… He said that he's not here…"

Zebra slightly glared at him. "You told him your sister's coming, didn't you?"

Pig only shrugged in reply.

He sighed and shouted, "Hey Rat, its okay! It's only me!"

Rat mumbled, "#&* Pig," as he came out of his room.

Later on that day, they could hear the ZZE crocs and occasionally see them pass by the window, so it was decided that Zebra would spend the night there. (Actually, Pig amazingly made that decision because Rat really couldn't care less.)

Zebra was lying down on the couch. This wasn't the way he planned to spend his day.

"How are you feeling?" Pig asked still trying to get Zebra comfortable.

Zebra sighed hard. "Uncomfortable… angry… I'd really rather be in my own bed right now, in my own home… Those stupid crocs…"

Rat raised his beer. "Amen to that," he said before taking a big drink.

"You do know you're not helping, Rat?" Zebra asked as he rolled over to look at him.

"I thought I'd just help the mood a bit."

"Well you're not," Zebra stated as he rolled back over.

The next morning, Rat woke up a house that was quieter than usual. This should have been a good thing considering he wasn't a morning person, but for some reason he woke up early and irritated anyway. It really didn't help when he heard the doorbell ring. Rat decided he was going to yell at the person to go away when he noticed that Pig and Zebra weren't around.

He opened the door and shouted, "G..." before the words stuck in his throat and his eyes grew wide.

"Hi, Rat," The bubble girl outside said. She looked like pig only more feminine and with a bow on her head.

"F-f… Farina…" Rat greeted shocked.

"Didn't Pig tell you I was coming?" she asked.

"…Well…ah…"

"…I take that as a no…"

Rat shifted uncomfortably. "…He kind of did…"

They stood in an uneasy silence for awhile.

"So where is Pig?" Farina asked, breaking the silence.

"I don't know; probably with Zebra…"

Pig and Zebra had gone to check on the condition of his house much earlier, and were still there. Thankfully on their way there it seemed the crocs from the ZZE initiation ceremony were sleeping in or passed out due to all their partying from the day before.

"Well, it looks like everything's still here," Zebra said as he came back into his living room. "You'd think they'd come in here and trash the place with how they were acting yesterday…"

Pig sat on the couch in the living room slowly kicking his feet every so often. "That's good. I guess they just didn't think about it…"

"I'm still a bit uncomfortable, though. As soon as those crocs wake up they're probably going to want to go after me."

Pig sat up. "I could let you borrow my duck." Pig's duck was actually one he bought a few years back as a guard animal and he would sometimes take his job a little too seriously.

Zebra got a slight smile as he thought about it. "Thanks, Pig… That's actually not such a bad idea…"

"Just make sure he settles everything peacefully…" Pig replied.

That made Zebra slump a bit. "Ah huh…"


Goat lived in a different part of the neighborhood yet he visited often enough that you wouldn't know it. In the group of "friends" he was the unappreciated genius everyone ignored.

As he walked by Zebra's house he noticed the guard duck patrolling outside the door. Goat just rolled his eyes and walked inside.

"Why is Pig's guard duck patrolling outside your house?" he asked.

Zebra just sighed and answered, "Because those crocs had an initiation ceremony yesterday inviting in more members than there already were."

Goat put his hands on his hips. "You're afraid of those dumb crocs?"

"No, I just want to know that I'm seriously protected from those idiots…"

"By an unstable military-minded miniature ball of fury?"

Zebra thought about it for a moment. "If he can get the job done, then yeah… and you might not want to say any of that to his face…"

Meanwhile back at the other house, Rat and Farina were back to uncomfortable silence; after all, there's not a lot you can say to some one you thought was the love of your life but really wasn't but then they broke your heart and then suddenly they keep managing to pop back up in your life… Nope, not really a lot of topics there at all…

Pig just happened to get back right then breaking the tension one again. "Hi, Farina," he greeted.

Farina smiled. "Hi Pig."

"How long have you been here?"

"Oh, only a couple minutes, but it gave me enough time to catch up with Rat…"

Rat blushed; something he rarely ever did. She had to be here longer than a couple minutes because they had at least been standing out there for an hour. And he didn't even have the decency to invite her in! Well… His brain hadn't exactly been working, but that's not the type of excuse you want to hear, is it?

"Well then, why don't we all go inside?" Pig offered.

Rat glared, but then led the procession inside, anyway.