Fufu looked anxious to Haylock.

That nose is moving about a hundred times a minute… does it normally move that fast?

He studied the rabbit, who was shifting side to side, its ears twitching in different directions. The scars healed nicely, and Haylock wasn’t certain he could tell of any noticeable injuries to the rabbit.

“What in the heavens is this commotion for?!” Mimi yelled as she ran out the shed door.

Nini was almost to Haylock and his pink rabbit, slowing down and making sure to fix her nightgown as she saw those glowing yellow eyes following her and Mimi.

“Flower, what’s wrong?” Nini asked as she glanced down at Fufu, who was making chittering noises at Haylock.

I don’t understand you. People are coming here! Mimi warned me that some might come, and you need to tell her!

The pink rabbit sat on his haunches and extended a paw at Haylock. Those beady red eyes glared almost like it was upset at the flower that had rescued it from that horrible place it called home. Noises that sounded like Fufu was pissed off continued to sound for a few more seconds until Mimi arrived, smoothing her untamed hair and staring at Haylock, who was now about nine feet tall.

“You better have a good reason for what caused that demon rabbit to go wild in my house,” she said, scowling slightly. “It tore through a wall before Nini stopped it! Now, what is the problem?!”

Haylock’s gaze fell upon Fufu, who was huffing, his poofy pink tail twitching. Nini bent down and picked up the rabbit and started scratching between his ears, making the rabbit's leg start to twitch. The rabbit let out a soft purr.

Stop that! They need to know about the people coming! Draw an image or something on the ground!

A single ear, which had become floppy, rose up, and Fufu turned his attention back to Haylock and sighed.

Ok… don’t draw an image… what about…

Scanning the area around them, Haylock knew what needed to be done.

Go get five flowers and bring them here!

Jumping out of Nini’s arms and ignoring her gasp when he did so, Fufu hopped off to a flower bed and started biting off a few stems.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing–”

Fufu turned back and looked at Mimi, who saw the twinkle in its red eyes and went quiet.

“Grandmother?” Nini asked, turning her head between Fufu and Haylock. “I think something is up.”

The old woman nodded and readjusted her robe, trying to look more present as she stood barefoot in the early morning sun.

After collecting five flowers, Fufu brought them near Haylock and set them on the ground, looking up at him.

Nice! Now, move them about three feet away and set them in a group side by side. When I tell you, tap your foot when done.

Fufu held up its front paw, and the tiniest middle stub extended at Haylock before it turned and grabbed the flowers, hopping with a tiny bouquet.

“It’s so cute!” exclaimed Nini as she stared stary-eye at the pink rabbit hopping with flowers clutched to its chest.

Ignoring the dotting girl, Fufu knew it looked amazing and moved to where it felt Haylock’s eyes focused on the ground. Slowly it set the five flowers side by side and then turned to stare at the demon flower that had summoned it into this world.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Good… now tap your foot three times above each flower. Let’s see if this old woman can figure this out.

Letting out a chitter that Haylock almost felt was a challenge to play knifey-spoony, Fufu moved to the top of each flower and began to tap its foot as instructed.

“Five flowers?” Nini asked, turning to glance between Haylock and Fufu.

Haylock shook his massive petal head and shook his leaves in frustration.

Mimi stared at the rabbit and what it had done.

“Nini dear, go and try to take a flower if the rabbit will let you.”

Nini swallowed and scratched her chin as she moved slowly toward the rabbit. The tone in her grandmother's voice indicated that she had learned to know something bad might happen.

As she bent down to pick up a flower from the row, Fufu hissed at her and swatted her hand away with one of its front paws.

“Hey! Why did you hit me?” Nini asked, holding her finger where the rabbit had struck her.

Fufu groaned and pointed a paw at the innocent-looking demonic flower, who ignored the ugly glare Nini gave him.

“So it’s five,” Mimi muttered. “Whatever we are dealing with, five is important.”

Haylock nodded his flower again, getting a small smile from Mimi as she studied the flowers for a moment.

Now drag a wavy line from the flowers to me with your foot!

Fufu needed his mouth washed out after whatever words he said, the chittering and loud sound as it began to drag itself backward, making a wavy line from the flowers in the dirt toward Haylock.

A coo of excitement came from Nini as Fufu’s pink tail bobbed up and down, hoping backward. It shook its backside while trying to drag its foot in the soil.

When the line was done, Fufu turned, gazing up at Haylock, who had bent his flower portion down, his stem bowing slightly.

Now, slowly push the flowers along the line toward me as a group.

Fufu smacked Haylock’s stem with a paw, and a boom sounded. Powerful vibrations reverberated across the garden, and as if a massive fan had blown air in every direction at once, every flower, tree, and even Nini and Mimi were moved backward.

The pink rabbit, however, was launched about ten yards, tumbling across the garden until it smacked into a flower garden and stopped its roll.

“Bunny!” Nini exclaimed as she ran to where the rabbit was, struggling to stand.

Haylock felt bad seeing the rabbit get knocked back like that. He knew it hadn’t meant to hurt him. It definitely had to be suffering from height dysphoria. Having lived with that his whole life, Haylock knew the pain and sorry of being small.

Hey…, you ok, Fufu? I didn’t know that would happen!

Nini was checking out the stunned rabbit while Haylock could feel Mimi staring at him.

“You didn’t do that on your own, did you?”

Haylock shook his flower.

She bit her lip and nodded slowly, turning her head to study the rabbit that appeared to be coming around from the force that had just washed over her.

“A protective bond, so that it can’t turn on you… so it really is your follower. Can you summon another?”

Haylock’s mind realized he hadn’t tried doing that again.

Demonic Companion!

[ Demonic Companion Cooldown not met: 12 days till reset ]

Shaking his flower, Haylock felt disappointed in knowing it was going to be almost two more weeks.

“I guess that seems like a good thing,” she replied. “A demonic flower summoning hordes of demonic rabbits… that could be bad depending on how fast they might breed.”

Haylock’s whole body began to shake as he started laughing. He never considered the idea of having his own army of pink rabbits, but something about that just tickled his petals.

“Why did you do that?” Nini asked, her eye narrowed to the shaking flower.

“It wasn’t him, dear,” Mimi informed her. “They are bonded, and the flower is the master. It hit him, and the heavens chose to tell the familiar it is not allowed to do that.”

Snorting, Nini whipped her head back and continued to give Haylock the stink eye.

“Put the rabbit down. He needs to do whatever the flower told him to do.”

Sighing, Nini gave one last scratch between Fufu’s ears and set the rabbit down gently.

Sorry… I don’t want to hurt you. I’m not that kind of flower… I mean person. Now, please go get those five flowers and do what I asked.

After being blown away, the rabbit snorted once and then began to hop to where the flowers had landed. Once they were lined up as Haylock had requested, it slowly began the task of moving them along the line it had drawn, closer and closer toward the base of the demonic sunflower.

“Five people are coming here?” Mimi asked when Fufu had gotten about halfway.

Haylock nodded multiple times, making sure the woman knew she was right

Scanning the area, she pointed in the direction of the town along the road through the mountains.

“From the north?”

His flower moved up and down, soliciting an audible hiss from Mimi.

She frowned and made a few grunting noises as her face contorted in different ways.

“Will they arrive today?”

Expanding his vision, Haylock looked around the forest and spotted movement after searching for about thirty seconds. Based on the distance they covered yesterday and the speed at which they appeared to be moving, the group was probably about six hours away.

Sweeping his gaze across the forest and to the mountains on the east, he could see that birds and trees were still disturbed on that side of the mountain. A few areas appeared to be covered in massive boulders that weren’t there yesterday when he had first seen movement.

Earth cultivators?

Bringing his vision back to where the garden was, Haylock nodded frantically.

Fufu. Tap your foot six times. Pause for a few and repeat till I say stop or Mimi figures it out.

The rabbit’s foot began to thump against the dirt, and both women watched as the rabbit’s pink foot tapped a steady rhythm.

After the second time through, Mimi held up six fingers. “Six hours?”

Haylock’s flower moved up and down, and the woman’s face became noticeably white.

“Is that it?”

Wishing he could groan, Haylock moved his flower from side to side.

“Dear heavens,” Mimi said quietly.