Pox woke up to his body being squished and struggling to breathe. He had fallen asleep on the back of Drim’s head. The boy must have then went to bed, forgetting the animal was there, and ended up using him as an involuntary pillow.
The koala-fox wiggled out from the mess of scruffy black hair. Before he bolted out the room, he took a moment to look over the conked out boy, happy he was getting some good sleep for once. Pox grabbed the nearby blanket and pulled it above Drim’s shoulders.
It was still early in the morning, the sun not even cracking through the windows yet, so maybe he could make it to the ground floor without having to pay the toll. Pox started tiptoeing around, peering around each corner before darting to the next point of cover.
“Thought you could escape me?” Pox had been caught, teleported into Phon’s room onto her counter. She had just finished changing into her athletic wear for her daily workout and was about to head out herself. He already knew what she wanted and dug into his stomach pouch to pull out one of his flavor-enhancing balls.
Some time ago, he’d started carrying around one with him anywhere he went. It was better than having to squeeze one out on demand, which had regrettably happened a few times already. This one was squished, but the woman didn’t seem to mind when she took it, since it wouldn’t affect her cooking.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it? If you’d just leave one outside my door every morning, we wouldn’t have to go through this song and dance.”
Pox was then allowed to leave, letting out a sigh of relief. Downstairs, he went to his trash compacting machine for breakfast. Sadly, the compound now produced more trash than he could consume in a day—not for trying. But, there were so many new varieties of trash that it let Pox combine them into an array of new flavors.
What would he have this morning? Maybe some cereal with flakes of cardboard and used-oil to dunk it in. Some waffles made of leftover scrap iron could be good too. He eventually decided on an omelette stuffed with general trash that was heated and wrapped up in plastic.
After breakfast, he ventured down into the tunnels, dodging a trap from Ahvra, and made his way to the vent with his stash. He wandered inside over to his large stack of balls, stuffing a few more into his pouch, and then he replenished what he took and then some.
He then looked around at the rest of his belongings. There were a few piles of junk for snacks, his lead lined box of delectable dangerous rocks, a few ancient artifacts that could be traded for goods and services, along with a growing collection of Mallea’s lost items that she had replaced instead of actually finding them. He kept them in case she ever urgently needed something.
Lastly, he had his wardrobe, and sorted through it to try and decide what he’d wear today. He didn’t always put on clothes, often enjoying the breezy, freeing lifestyle. Sometimes he’d just wear a shirt or a cape or just a hat. Today, he had a feeling things would get a bit hectic, so he slipped on some sturdy boots and a blouse that made him look ready for sailing the high-seas with a matching cape.
Finally, he slid a tricorn hat with a big fluffy feather onto his head. Even though everything Mallea made for him fit well, there were clips for him to attach it to his fur.
Before he headed out for the day, there was something he needed to grab. He dug through another personal chest of his most precious belongings and pulled out a jar of seeds. The jar was getting low, so he’d have to find a new source soon, but he poured out a handful for now and stuffed them into his pouch.
The next step of his day was the private garden out behind the mansion—the most likely location of what he was looking for. There was no guarantee that he’d find it, but he had a good guess.
Pox grabbed one of the watering cans, barely able to drag it around after he filled it. He went over to a few strange looking plants and weeds and started to water them. After watering one, he moved onto the next down the line.
Eventually, one of the plants started to move a little, so Pox started dumping more water on it. The plant then couldn’t contain its excitement and began giggling loudly while thrashing about in the ground. Pox grabbed the foliage that was protruding from the dirt and ripped it up by the roots with all his might.
“Bubuu!” the plant-creature broke free from her buried bed and went soaring into the air, catching herself with her spinning hair and started hovering. She spent most nights buried underground for a good night's sleep, but Pox had found her sometimes intertwined with tree branches or floating on a bed of flowers.
Several names had been suggested and tried for the animated plant, but what stuck—against Drim’s many complaints—was the name Drimini because of the obvious pun and the fact that she was basically an extension of himself. At least in his presence, others would call her ‘Mini’ to avoid confusion.
“Garuu!” Pox called up to Drimini, kindly asking her to come down for her breakfast, pulling out the seeds he’d brought to tempt her. As far as he was aware, she didn’t need to actually eat—able to absorb other plants to survive—but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t get to enjoy it. He also couldn’t stop himself from worrying about her.
As far as he was concerned, she had shown absolutely no ability to be able to take care of herself—constantly drifting aimlessly with no real plan or purpose—always looking to have fun, always getting into trouble. This had caused Pox to take up a big-brotherly role and look after her: his new endless source of worry.
Drimini swooped down and scooped the seeds out of Pox’s hands, downing them all in a single gulp. She suddenly shivered and began squealing in glee. Various plants and fruits suddenly popped out of her skin all over her body, those that the seeds would have grown into. She plucked them all off of herself one at a time and absorbed their energy. Even though it wasn’t eating in a traditional sense, she seemed very satiated.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Then without warning, the plant-creature sent dozens of vines over to the koala-fox and wrapped him up tight. She took off flying, and they were already off on an adventure. But that adventure didn’t take them very far, at this stage at least.
Drimini merely flew over to the town and started scouting around until she found her first target: an empty window planter box. She flew over to the box and made a portal appear above it. Several lucious flowers, along with a single cactus, dug into the soil to the point that the box was almost bursting with plant life.
But she wasn’t satisfied with this yet—so pleased with the new life she’d brought forth. Drimini flew them all over the entire town, sprouting plants anywhere she could plant them. By the time she was done, not a single speck of fertile soil went undisturbed. Rumors had already spread around Bisomote of a fairy flying around, but with how many sightings occurred that day, it would only cement the legend.
The next stage of Pox’s involuntary and Drimini’s spontaneous adventure was quite far away, to the point where the koala-fox dozed off at some point during flight. He just knew they were headed south. But when he woke up, he didn’t expect a pit of boiling lava to be staring him in the face.
They were over an active volcano—where in the world, he had no idea. Pox could feel the heat radiating from the death below, praying to whatever god fuzzy-monsters believed in that Drimini wouldn’t get careless and drop him. But he had to believe that she’d keep him safe, so he tried not to let fear engulf him.
It paid off, since the plant didn’t linger there long, losing interest quickly in the volcano itself. She sniffed the air and then flew in a new direction, following an instinct Pox didn’t know that she had. Once they landed, it became obvious what she was searching for—not the volcano, but rather the volcanic soil all around it.
Drimini dug the nubs where her arms and feet would be into the soil and then rooted herself into the ground until only her head was sticking out. A wave of pleasure washed over her face and she seemed more relaxed than the animal had ever seen before. Perhaps the warm volcanic soil gave her a similar feeling to others when they were in a hot bath.
Pox sat down but then scooted away a bit, looking for a cooler spot. His own fur had heat immunity, so the hot soil didn’t hurt him, but his personal preference was a lower temperature. Eventually, he found a nice mildly warm spot and curled up for a rest of his own.
He started dozing off again, but then his ears twitched in agony when met with a Rathe-shattering wail. His eyes sprung open and he jumped up to attention to find Drimini running around in a panic. One of the leaves on her head had caught fire and was clearly hurting her.
Pox tried to corral the screaming girl, but it was gruesomely difficult because she was inconsolable. He finally managed to chase her down and tackle her, quickly scrambling to get his mouth near her head. Pox took a ravenous bite of her flaming hair, managing to get it all in one mouthful.
He wanted to spit it out since it tasted vile—the most bitter, horrid flavor he’d ever experienced, but he understood that it would only serve to upset her. So he’d power through and consume it all since he’d had worse things in his stomach before. Still, it was making him wretch. The fact that it was burnt helped a bit, but nothing could ever overpower the disgusting taste of life.
Once Pox had forced it down, and spent a few moments trying to root out any lingering specks with his tongue, he went back to consoling his crying friend. Her tears of nectar were still streaming down her face. Pox started patting her head and then rummaged around for the remains of the damaged leaf.
It took a bit to find, now buried under the rest of the hair, but he eventually got his paws on it and ripped it out. The moment it was removed from her body, Drimini’s entire demeanor changed. She popped up, happy as could be, as if the trauma had never happened. Her head glowed for a second and a new leaf of hair sprouted, replacing what had been lost.
Ultimately, it hadn’t been such a big deal, but it had been a tiring experience for both of them. “Garuu?” Pox asked her if she wanted to head home.
“Babuu,” she nodded and went to wrap her vines around him, but before she could touch him, Pox suddenly gripped his head in pain.
Just like so many times before, recent memories went flashing before his eyes. But this time it didn’t end there, and the pain didn’t stop after a few seconds like it usually did. No, now his head felt like it was splitting open, a pain he’d only felt once before. A direct connection had been made.
❝Good work, my scout.❞ It had been a while since he’d heard her voice. Pox never fully understood the words she was saying, but he grasped the intent.
❝It is marvelous to see that he has learned to use his power, even if he is hesitant to use it. A being born of his creation can only be considered something special.❞
❝Continue to watch over her, and continue to guide them all to my side.❞
❝And as a warning, flee if you meet any apostles of Cosmos. They can sense your secret.❞
❝If all goes well, this will be the last time you hear from me, until we can meet again in my presence.❞ The connection was severed, but it was too much for his mind to bear, and the koala-fox lost consciousness.
◆◆◆
Pox eventually awoke, his head still spinning, but he tried to get a bearing of his surroundings. He had no idea how much time had passed, but the sun was starting to set. Once he’d let himself sit for a moment, he realized he was sitting on a bed of flowers wrapped in a nest of vines. Drimini was connected to it, having fallen asleep herself, but she started to stir, Pox’s own movements likely waking her.
Once she was awake and noticed that her big brother was fine, she immediately rushed to him and started nuzzling her face into his. More nectar tears streamed down her cheeks and onto his fur. He got a bit into his mouth, more bitter life, but he gritted through it.
After their long hug was over, they finally headed home. It was dead into the night upon their arrival and they headed straight to Drim’s room, bursting through the window.
“Oh, you two were out late. I was almost starting to worry,” he acted like a doting parent. It was obvious he was about to head to bed, only needing to turn the light off. The two small creatures rushed over to him and glomped onto his chest.
“Mini’s joining tonight too? Well, that’s fine, I guess.” Drim turned off the light with his phone and got situated. After pulling up the covers, he wrapped his arms around the two of them and held them close until they all drifted off to sleep.