What this forum has done to me. ( Very long post warning! )

[Kirrandria]

I love you guys, I really do. But all these posts about rare pet camping and catching, all these new pets and cool pets, has woken up the true hunter in me. It's like Pokemon. Catch 'em all and what not. Suddenly, I want every rare, every unique pet. Each one is beautiful in its own way, and I want to own it and love it forever.

I originally started with a druid. I started playing her around the time of Love is in the Air, and I have to say getting shot by Peddlefeet was the most anoying thing ever. A guildmate bought me a minipet owl to protect me, and I suddenly became the guilds minipet collector. Now, years alter, I have well over 100 of the little buggers on my druid.

Then, I created my hunter. She wasn't my first hunter. My first hunter was a night elf that tamed a spotted nightsaber and a green crocolisk. She only hit level 20-ish, and she was on my moms account anyway, made before I got my own. But Keev, Keev was my very own hunter. Around this time I had discovered petopia, and using it I made a perfect three-pet team. A spider, a wolf, and a bat! The moment I hit level ten, I ran to Tiridfal and tamed myself a black widow. I don't have her anymore ( Or do I? This spider I recently tame, the name I gave her seems so familiar to me... ), and I still miss her a lot. She was my very first 'petopia discovered tame'. My three ended up changing to a cat, wolf, and bird somewhere along the way, but they were all discovered on petopia... where I could tame them, what level, what the pets were like.

Years later, and my team has evolved and grown a lot more than I could have ever expected it to. When all the new cata creatures were being discovered, and the stable slots expanded, My list grew from four ( five if you count my spur-of-the-moment raptor I tamed only days before the patch ) to about 19. I made sure all of my pets fit Keev's 'dark and scary' theme. I love them all a lot. There have been very few rare pets that I wanted, fewer still that matched Keev and kept with her 'one pet each family' rule ( Sorry Humar, but I like my panther better, and I don't want you -both-. My now Ulduar panther... ).

About a week ago, I had a dream. I dreamt I was in Zul'drak, all alone, and there was Gondria right before me. I tamed her, and she was so beautiful. I woke up and knew she would be the spirit beast I tamed. The one who fit my hunter most. A few nights occasionally circling, and she was all mine. I named her Ramla.

And then it happened earlier today. I was bored while waiting for our random BG to pop, and needed something to do. I figured I'd go to Vashj'ir to finish questing there, as it's the only zone I haven't finished. This urge overcame me, an urge to swim over to where I knew Ghostcrawler is. I don't know why. Sometimes, I like to check for rares to help out other hunters. One of my guildies Alliance side has tamed both Snarler and Vultros because of this, an he's in love with both the pets I found for him. I honestly wasn't expecting to find him- after all, the last two times I checked he wasn't there.

I was swimming over the Abandoned Reef when I saw it. That single, yellow dot. My heart skipped a beat, and I swam down. Sure enough, there he was in all his sparkling, crustacean glory. 'Sweet,' I thought, ' now to just whisper the nearest hunter!'

I couldn't do it. I tried to type, but my hand stubbornly resisted going to my enter button. The /w just seemed too much to type... And there was a free slot right there, one not currently occupied by a pet. So I did it. I asked in guild chat if I should. They all said yes.

I tamed him.

I felt immediately guilty afterwards. What of the people who have been camping him for days, just as I had done for Madexx!? I quickly did a search of the area. The only other hunter in the zone was level 81. That got rid of my guilt just a little bit, but then I looked at my friends lsit and saw my buddy on her 85 hunter... I made a few whispers, but she was afk. When she came back, she told me she didn't mind at all. She really wants Terrorpene, Maddex, and Sambas, but apparently not Ghostcrawler.

Okay, now I don't feel so bad for having tamed him, but I have this dillemma. I already have a Spirit Beast. One that fits my hunter a lot more. Heck, I -dreamed- about her!

Ramla, she's worked her way into my hunter's story. She has personality, a reason for being beside my hunter. She has a story, and I can't wait for a chance to RP as her. She's worked her way into my hunter's life.

But, Ghostcrawler here... he's worked his way into my heart. I love his swim animation, the way he skitters along the ground. I tanked heroic Gundrak with him. Me and my two buddies got 'What the 'Eck'.

What should I do? Keep my Ramla, who already has a developed background? Or keep him, who I myself love dearly? Or, and this may likely be what I do, keep them both and hope that Blizz ocne again extends stable slots, before they add more pets I want. I mean, I only have four stable slots left... If I do keep him, he needs a name. Txuritan means Ocean Spirit. Imaritan means Skittering Spirit. I made a poll... you don't have to use it

[Gumballs]

If I were you, I'd keep both! If both these beasties have wormed their way into your heart then I think you can make an exception to your 'one per species' rule. I actually try to have that rule myself... but I fail hard at it lol. Either way, whether you keep GC or not, congrats on your tames!

[Cozzene]

Keep em both! I have four cats (just plain ol' regular cats) and three spirit beasts. I don't feel bad, or crowded.

[Kirrandria]

Thank you! <3 And speaking of hunting rares, after finishing gundrak, I decided to swing around Gondrias spawn points, thoroughly expecting her not to be there. Of course, hit the alter and there's her dot X_x I was screaming like a lunatic in vent for someone who had an avaliable hunter to get their sorry butts there, and after ten terrifying minutes, my guildmate got there and tamed her very own spirit beast! We then went on a northrend rare hunt, but unfortunately none of the others were up. My guildy who tamed Gondia apparently badly want King Krush, so we're gunna camp out in Sholazar a few days ( And by camp I mean make a few circles at 4 in the morning xD ). Another guildy, who was the one I whispered about Ghostcrawler, wants Arcturius, so he's a must check too.

Sheesh, you guys, I can't stop! The rares, they call em to hunt them! D:

Edit: OMFG YOU GUYS. Minutes after I post this. Flying around Sholozar and BAM, Loque. More frantic yelling at my guildy, and she has her next beast xD

[Cialbi]

If you ask me, there was absolutely nothing wrong about you taming Ghostcrawler. If you had seen another hunter camping the area that had just left and wished you luck (hypothetically speaking), then I could see a strong reason to scream at them to come back if Ghosty were to spawn right before you, given your uncertainty about whether or not you even wanted to tame Ghostcrawler.

[Kirrandria]

I no longer regret taming him at all. He's VERY lovely. I'm starting to think he's the product of some reverse good karma or something, as after taming him I've helped one friend catch two Northrend spirit beasts and am currently camping in Twilight Highlands for Sambas for my other friend on my druid.

While looknig for the pretty lion, I met up with a really nice hunter. Had a conversation with her that went something like this-

Me: Camping him too?
Her: Yeah, been out here all day.
Me: Ugh, I know how you feel, spent 40 some hours camping Madexx and ended up getting brown. I wanted black D: But good luck.
Her: Lol, I got blue!
Me: Grats.
Her: You too!
Me: Also, if you see Karoma or Sambas, could you whisper -friends name here-? She's been looking. I'll ask her to do the same.
Her: Sure thing.

And then I directed my friend to these very forums, for support and all. Since you guys are so nice. If you see this, buddy, many hearts and wishes of good luck for both you and the other hunter. I'll return tommorow night!

[Shade]

Keep them both. What's wrong with having more then one Spirit Beast? You have 25 pet slots O_o

I have all the spirit beasts tamed, and love them each. I also have two wolves and four cats in my stables and don't worry about it at all I always have my Loque with me, and then I use one of my four other 'carry' slots to have one of the others, and shuffle them out.

[Naiaara]

I say keep 'em both. I have three or so pets that people have helped me tame, and I love the pets all the more for that. I've met very nice people while searching for rares.

You can always have different utilities for your spirit beasts. I have one that I always take on my run to try to get the ravenlord mount. Another runs with me while I try to get the hawkstrider mount. In any case, grats and good luck

[Rhyela]

I say keep them both and name GC Txuritan. Imaritan looks like i-martian to me (i must be dyslexic or something).

Grats on both of your critters! I try to have a rule of one per family, too, but every once in a while I have to make an exception. Mine are my two wind serpents. I always wanted Azzere and was lucky to catch him before the Cataclysm, and Hayoc always held a place in my heart because I LOVE the white wind serpents. There's no way I could give either of them up, they're both equally special to me.

So sometimes, it's okay to break your own rules if a pet is worth it.