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 Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:01 pm
After the slight disaster of Annie attempting to catch a slime, Raleka had to take him for ice cream. Her adopted son was clearly not happy with his missed opportunity to receive a pet. She watched him kick his feet angrily while he slurped down his bowl of plain vanilla, no sprinkles, and she couldn't help but feel bad for the little guy. But then again, she couldn't catch any slimes either. The situation was pretty dire.
The hybrid decided that perhaps it was time to teach her little one a thing or two about responsibility. Who was to say that he wasn't ready to care for another living creature? So, on her way home from University that day, she opted to stop by the familiar store. Surely they had something simple her ward could take care of, but something that would provide enough affection. Raleka herself was no expert on caring for animals - plants, as always, was more her forte.
She walked out of the store with a little creature in a cardboard box, with holes punched in for air. Raleka held it with both her clawed hands, careful to not shake the thing and scare it. A bag of food and supplies hung off her arm, but the pet store employee told her it wouldn't need an elaborate cage or anything. Just food and affection. Raleka hoped it would be potty trained.
When she arrived at her apartment, Raleka knew Annie was already home because of his backpack haphazardly discarded next to the shoe rack. "Annie!" she called out, hoping to conjure the little Fey from his bedroom.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:12 pm
When Annie had gotten home, he'd run to his bedroom to read a book. It was a cute book about some Nixies who had a run-in with a pack of spectrefoxes, and were trying to become their familiars. Annie couldn't help that he tried to keep his mind full of wishful thinking about having a pet of his own, and even though it made his chest ache he couldn't stop. Even seeing little animals outside set his heart aflutter.
Hearing his mom call out his name, he replied with a feeble, "Coming!" The little Fey wanted to finish this page before he came out of his room. Besides, he heard plastic bags rustling out in the common area. Mom probably just wanted him to help put the groceries away. When he heard her call a second time, he heaved a trouble sigh before putting his reading material face-down on the bed.
When he came out of his bedroom, something caught his eye immediately. An unmarked cardboard box with holes poked in rested on the counter, seeming to jiggle every so often. "What's in that box?" he asked, his seafoam eyes gazing up at Raleka.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:19 pm
She smiled a bit at the fact that Annie noticed the box right away, even getting cautiously closer to inspect it. His eyes betrayed a bit of mistrust, almost wondering if what he was seeing was too good to be true. It was every kid's dream to have a pet brought home for them one day after school, and Annie was no different. Raleka wondered if she should have made a bigger deal out of this - gotten the box covered in wrapping paper, maybe even waited until a holiday. But, no. Annie deserved this, and she was pretty sure he couldn't wait one second longer.
"It's for you," she said warmly, reaching over and undoing the top of the cardboard carrier. She lifted out a soft green Flitterat, who fluttered its wings and even squeaked a little bit for good effect. If the animal was a performer, she might have tipped it extra. Raleka squatted so she was at Annie's eye level, presenting the familiar to him.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:26 pm
At first sight of the Flitterat, Annie stifled the smallest gasp. He put a hand to his mouth, eyes watering. Then both of his hands stretched out to grab the familiar, holding it closer to his chest. The Flitterat struggled for a minute, then seemed to relax into the Fey's breast. He could feel its little heartbeat under his fingers, and its warmth was comforting to him.
"Thank you, Mom," Annie whispered. He was incredibly touched by this kind gift, the gifts that Raleka kept on giving him. A home, her love, and now this! Ever since the slime fiasco, he'd been wanting a creature to call his own. This creature even looked like it was his own, with similar coloration and everything! He didn't know whether to cry or to run around with the little things in his arms.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:36 pm
The hybrid couldn't help but smile endearingly when her adoptive son took the Flitterat off her hands, holding it close to him and trying to hold his tears even closer. She ruffled his hair with a clawed hand, and went to work on unpacking the supplies for the newest addition to the family while he had a quiet moment. Food pellets, a water dispenser, treats, toys... the whole nine yards. I should have just bought him a vespercat, she thought to herself as she laid out her most recent purchases on the counter.
Obviously, Annie thought otherwise. Tears were streaming down his cheeks now as he tightened his death grip around the rat. "Be gentle!" she chuckled, pulling a pot out from under the sink and filling it with water. Pasta should be just fine for tonight. "What do you think you'll name him?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:42 pm
At his parent's prompting, Annie stopped hugging the rat too tightly. He set the little creature on the ground, where it hesitated for a moment before scuttling toward Raleka's earthy feet, winding between them as she put the pot full of water on the stove. "Greenie," he blurted out, wiping his cheeks with the sleeve of his sweater. Then he thought about it. He had just been reading books about beautiful familiars! One of the vesperfoxes had a really pretty name, and that one was also green. A dark, iridescent emerald, is how the novel had describe dit. "Actually, Mavis. He looks like a Mavis!" He wandered around behind the Flitterat, although he tried his best to not get underfoot.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:48 pm
"Mavis," Raleka echoed, tossing a pinch of salt into the water. A fine name for a little one like Annie to come up with. She could hear the two of them scurrying around on the floor together, and she was glad she was able to get Annie a playmate without having to adopt a whole other child. Perhaps one day Annie would have siblings, but she wasn't planning on bringing any more children into her home until she was out of school and more financially stable. Thanks to the new paid internship she'd started, she could afford to do this and put the food on the table this week.
She picked out a little heart-shaped treat from the bag she'd bought. It's slightly sticky texture made her purse her lips, but she offered it to Annie. "Here, try giving him this treat! Maybe he'll like it." At least, the pet store employee made it seem like this treat was a drug for Flitterats. It didn't have to live up to that extreme potential, but at least partway would be nice.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 9:11 pm
He took the treat in his hand, and didn't mind the texture at all. "Here you go boy, here you go Mavis," he coaxed, holding out his palm flat with the treat on top. The Flitterat sniffed around in the opposite direction for a while, but then turned around, ears perking at sight of the treat. Mavis sniffed closer, then crawled on top of Annie's hand. The little Fey squealed in delight at the gentle but tickly sensation of his familiar's claws.
Mavis retreated, holding the treat in his claws while he nibbled at it until it was gone. Then he returned to Annie's hand, sniffing for more. The little Fey giggled, pleased beyond anything that this creature was so friendly towards him. "Did you see that, Mom?" he asked.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 9:25 pm
The hybrid couldn't help but smile proudly. Annie already loved the little rat so much, she could tell from the way he moved excitedly, the way his eyes sparkled up at her. "I did see that," she said tenderly, her voice full of love and pride. She definitely felt as if she had made the absolute correct decision by adopting this familiar for her adopted child. They were a strange family, sure. A little disjointed, a bit of an odd combination. But they were perfect together.
She moved back to her station at the stove to give the pot a little stir. It was beginning to form little bubbles on the bottom, and she knew in just moments it would turn into a rolling boil. "Why don't you show Mavis your bedroom before we eat dinner, sweetie?" Raleka said, pulling her hair back with an elastic band.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 9:28 pm
"Great idea!" he exclaimed, straightening up quickly. "Come on, Mavis!" Annie began to run back into his bedroom, where he would surely have many nights of reading books to his new companion, showing him computer games, playing with him. Tonight, he'd stay awake, watching vigil over the warm body who would be shifting next to him. In a few days, he'd be used to the warmth. It would be familiar, comforting. In a few weeks, the Flitterat would be an inseparable part of his life, truly a part of the family. And he couldn't wait for all of it to begin.
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