The Guardian Lotus
Chapter 1 - Get Him Out of Your Mouth!
Accompanying the new heir
Is a guardian that makes ne'er
Of the evil and rot that threatens life
To ensure that the innocent can strife
The powerful protector that walks among us
Goes by the name of the Guardian Lotus
Ever since Queen Tara's powers of the forest were passed down to the new queen, Marigold, life in the forest has remained very peaceful. With Mandrake gone, and the Boggans have run off with no leader to lead them, evil and rot just seemed to disappear quite as easily.
Little did the innocent plant and animal inhabitants of the woods know that the peace would not last for much longer; though, for now, they never took the quiet for granted.
"Ew! Mub, get him out of your mouth!" MK scolded on the other side of the transmission, but Mub didn't listen as he clamped his mouth shut with poor Nod halfway down his gullet. And if MK knew Mub, he wasn't going to let him go any time soon.
Eventually, MK and her father, Radcliffe, and they arrived at the specific camera to pry Nod from Mub's mouth.
"Aw, c'mon, baby! I wasn't actually gonna eat 'm, or anything!" Mub whined, disappointed that he was being held by his crush's dad instead of her; and even worse, MK was holding Nod, his rival.
"He's lying!" Nod snapped, "By the way, you REALLY gotta brush your teeth man! When's the last time you even brushed?!"
"Dunno…what year is it again?" Mub joked, earning a good chuckle out of the others; all except Nod, who was still disgusted and wiping sticky slug saliva from his upper half.
"Mub, seriously, you gotta move on. I mean, we're still friends, but there are plenty fish in the sea," MK pointed out.
"Why would I want any other fish when I got a perfectly delicious fillet right here?" Mub asked sarcastically while pointing at MK, making her roll her eyes.
"Oh, c'mon! That the best you can do?"
"Better than you could ever be, Leafboy!"
"LeafMAN!"
But as much as Mub hated to admit it, he wasn't stupid enough not to notice that MK clearly had the hots for Nod…he just wanted to try to be better than him to change her mind. And even though MK has already implied multiple times that she wasn't into him, Mub still wouldn't give up.
Later that afternoon, Mub headed back to Moonhaven, where he normally waited for Grub after he finished work as a new Leafman.
"What's got you so down?" a familiar voice came, and Mub didn't even bother to look up since he knew it was Grub, who was concerned since he was usually much more perky, but the snail was sulking against the pedestal the blooming pod.
"I think I'm gonna be alone for the rest of my life," Mub groaned in defeat, slamming his forehead against the edge of the pedestal, sending ripples through the water in which the pod was floating. But an idea then flew into his head, and he turned to Grub with a hopeful smile.
"Hey, Grub? You think we could-?"
"Mub, you're my best friend, and I love you—but not like THAT," Grub interrupted with a sneer.
"Eh, can't blame a guy for tryin'," Mub sighed, trying to smile and brush it off, but he soon went back to frowning and pouting.
"Look, there's always something for everyone, Mub. For me, it's my love of being a Leafman. Whether or not it's a living thing, I'm sure you'll find someone or something to love," Grub reassured while patting his friend's shoulder.
"How do you know?" Mub asked in disbelief.
"It's like Nim Galuu says: Some things you just know."
Grub was honestly just saying that to make Mug feel better, but he had no idea how right he was; though, he also didn't know exactly how he was right.
That doesn't make any sense? Ok, let me put it this way.
That night, Radcliffe and MK were making their way back home, the sun had already set because they had wasted too much time observing other Leafmen and wildlife.
"So, tell me, what was the queen like again, MK?" Radcliffe inquired with excitement.
"Which one? Tara or Marigold?" MK questioned with a smirk.
"Either one!"
"Well…I didn't really know Tara…since she died right after she shrank me, but during the little time I saw her pass down her powers to Marigold, who I also kinda didn't get to talk to much…I just knew she was nice. She is a kid after all, so I can kinda relate ta her."
MK waited a few awkward moments before she realized she wasn't getting a response out of her father, and she looked to find him focusing intensely on something in the distance.
"Dad, what…what are you-?" MK tried to ask while following his gaze, but she saw nothing, and Radcliffe even cut her off.
"Do you see that, MK?"
"No, I don't. I've learned not to disbelieve in something just because I couldn't see it, but what are you seeing that I'm not?"
"C'mon, you'll see!" With that, Radcliffe grabbed his daughter's hand, and dragged her through the woods, barely giving her enough reaction time to keep from tripping. But luckily, MK was able to catch herself each time she tripped, but her dad never loosened his grip.
It wasn't long before Radcliffe finally stopped in a small and lush grove with a little stream running through, and he immediately dropped to his hands and knees.
"Dad, what are you-?" But before MK could finish her sentence, she found herself at a loss for words when she saw the faint yellow glow that her dad was now staring at. So, the teenager quickly got down beside Radcliffe, and she couldn't believe what she saw.
"Is…that…a…?"
"Look at her! Sh-she's so little, and fragile, and soft, and…" Radcliffe rambled on as he gently scooped up the small creature illuminating the yellow glow, "…so soft."
"Soft?" MK asked with a cocked brow, following her dad in leaning back up and sitting on her knees.
"Yeah, just look! Her skin's made of lotus petals!"
Ooh, what did Radcliffe and MK find? And is she important?
(Spoiler alert: yes)
Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!