It was a beautiful autumn day in the village. It was almost like the Creator itself was rejoicing at the miracle of the Mayor's new baby daughter. The Mayor had invited the entire village, good and bad, to the occasion. He was proud of his first born daughter, she was going to be the eighth generation to look over the village when she would come to age.
"Hello Wilfre!" the Mayor greeted his friend. "I thought you said you were going to stay in your studies all this week."
"I was." the gray-furred Raposa agreed. "But I wanted to show my new friend around the village, and what better way to do that is to be at a baby shower for the future mayor?" Wilfre gestured at the light red-haired Rapo lady at his arm.
"Hello. My name is Circi" she said with a nearly forced smile, extending her arm for a handshake. "Where is little Malory..."
"Mari." the Mayor corrected.
"Yes, that's what I said, where's little Mari? I would love to see the little girl."
"In the main room with the rest of the party guests. Follow me." the Mayor said, and showed the duo to where the baby pram was. There was a little crowd around the baby pram, Circi pushed her way past everyone saying,
"The baby needs to breathe you idiots! Back up!"
Many people were upset with her rudeness, then got even more upset when she stuck her head close to the pram, and examined the baby like she was an ugly bug.
"Look at the chin on that Rapo!" Circi remarked, "It's almost like one on a witch!"
A small Rapo boy in a nearby corner heard this, and looked at Circi. He then worked his way on his hands and knees (since he wasn't old enough to walk yet) over to the baby pram to look at this supposed 'witch.'
"It means that she will be a stern leader." the Mayor explained as the Rapo boy clutched the sides of the pram to look at the baby. He tilted his head to the side. She was very pretty, this witch baby was.
"Not too stern I hope." Circi said in disgust, "That's how revolts and riots start. Then this village would be nothing more than ruins."
The Mayor laughed.
"Everyone in my family that has been mayor of this village was stern at some point. And I assure you, no one has revolted or started riots so far."
Circi started to retort, but was cut off by a female Rapo,
"Jowee, get away from there!" the Rapo said sternly. "The carriage is going to fall over, and both you AND the baby are going to get hurt!"
It was the first time that the Mayor, Circi, and Wilfre noticed that the little Rapo was looking in on the baby.
"He's not trouble ma'am." the Mayor said as the Rapo's mother scooped him up.
"No, he is." the mother said. "Not even a two months old, and he's all over the place, making things fall down, breaking priceless china, waking us up in the middle of the night for nearly no apparent reason. Never have a boy, Mayor. Never, ever, ever."
The Mayor laughed, and bent down to the boy Rapo's height.
"Would you like to see the baby Jowee?" he asked.
Jowee nodded his head. The Mayor looked at Jowee's mother.
"Can he see the baby?" he asked.
Jowee's mother shrugged.
"Why not? Who knows, they might be friends some day."
The Mayor smiled, then picked up Jowee. He placed the little Rapo in the pram on the opposite end of the baby. The Mayor then propped the baby up at her end.
"Jowee, this is Mari." the Mayor told Jowee. "Can you say hello to her?"
Jowee looked at the Mayor, then at the baby. Mari, the baby's name he now realized, looked back at him with a pacifier in her mouth. Jowee tilted his head, and Mari copied him. Jowee scooted closer to Mari. Mari muscles tensed, almost like she was afraid Jowee was going to hurt her. Jowee started to babble something in the usual baby talk to Mari. To the surprise of the Rapos watching them, Mari started to babble back. They carried on to what seemed to be a very argumentative conversation. After awhile, the adults started to look away and continued the party while Mari and Jowee babble back and forth to each other.
"Come on Jowee," Jowee's mother finally said after several hours. "Time for us to go sweetie."
As his mother picked him up, Jowee wiggled as hard as he could to get out of her grip. Mari quickly understood what was going on, and started to cry. The Mayor came over, and got Mari out.
"What's wrong honey?" he asked in a soothing voice.
Jowee grunted, and waved his arm in the direction of the Mayor. Jowee's mother moved in the direction her son guided her to using his leaning.
"Um... Mayor...?" Jowee mother said. The Mayor looked at Jowee, and noticed he was motioning at Mari. The Mayor turned Mari around, and got closer to Jowee.
Jowee babbled something to Mari that made her sad, then he babbled something else that made her happier. Mari then took out her pacifier and gave it to Jowee. Jowee looked at it, then at Mari. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. Then they waved at each other, signaling to their parents that they were ready to leave each other. However, although the children were satisfied, the Mayor and Jowee's mother were flabbergasted at what they had just seen.
"You know," the Mayor said to Jowee's mother, "Since I mayoral duties, and the Misses is normally out to work, we'll need a babysitter for Mari. Perhaps you could do it, and bring Jowee with you."
"I think... that sounds like a nice idea. Thank you." Jowee's mother agreed.
"I'll see you tomorrow then."
Jowee's mother gave a small smile, and gave one last goodbye to him and Mari.
Both Mari and Jowee knew they were going to see more of each other from now on. And, although they didn't know it at the time, it was going to be a friendship that would last many years, and many tribulations. And they would have never wanted it any other way.