Hey guys, this was kinda-ish requested by laughs4life, who I especially want to apologize to ahead of time (and everyone else) is this is a bad story/start to it, I've been sick the past few days and can't really focus. But because Valentine's Day is in about two weeks, I figured I might as well get started. Hope you enjoy!
Raz was so confused. She didn't get it. What the heck was going on? What had gotten into her parents? She was used to them being loving, but not like this. There wasn't a minute where they weren't kissing, nuzzling up against each other, holding paws, giving each other the grossest, yet sweetest and most romantic, compliments. It made her sick. After trying, and barely succeeding, to stomach a few bites of her breakfast and watching them be all mushy and romantic, she was practically begging to be excused to go play.
"Oh bu' Sheila." Lalli protested. "Y've barel'eh touched yer mel'n!"
"Gee, Ah wonda why." Aaiden, two seats over from her, muttered sarcastically. He hadn't touched his breakfast, not once. His eyes were instead glued on their parents, and not pleasantly. He couldn't tear his eyes away, no matter how much he wanted to. None of the six brothers could. Their varied fruits lay before them, just as they had half an hour ago, when their morning meal had been served.
"Huh?"
"Nothin mum."
Raz shook her head; and adults thought five year olds, such as herself, were oblivious? "Um, yh. Ah'm jus gonna go now. Ah can' take aneh'more a this!" she leapt off her little rock chair upon seeing her mother and father lean in for the thousandth kiss. "See ya!"
"Wai'! Oh no ye don'!" Jemal grabbed her arm, keeping her from leaving, although his green eyes looked more desperate than angry. "Ya aren' jus skippin outta this. If we hafta suffa" he plopped her back in her chair and took the vine attached to it, for when she was being stubborn and resistance and didn't want to eat. He tied it around her waist so it was like a strap; she wouldn't be going anywhere until he untied her. "Then so da you."
"This ain' fair!" she protested, squirming. "Look at em!" she pointed as Lalli covered her eyes and a moment later, was presented with a big bouquet of beautiful white roses. "Ah'm justa lil girl! Ah ain't s'posed ta beh e'xposed ta kissin an stuff!" she threw in extra emphasis on that last part, hoping to attract the attention of her again lip locked parents.
"Thas just'n excuse!" she shuddered and turned green under her fur. She couldn't take much more of this before her breakfast, no matter how little it was, ended up on the floor. Or Jemal's lap, depending how angry she still was when it happened. "Ye wain't goin nowhere bab'eh sis."
"Ah'm not'a baby!"
"Wha'eva."
"Raz, swee'art." Lalli called ova. "Finish half yer mel'n, ye can go play." Needless to say, the fruit on her plate disappeared so fast, it could have been inhaled.
"Kay, 'm done!" she practically shrieked. "Bye!"
"No' so fas'!" she'd nearly forgotten about her strap, which Blayke reached over and undid, knowing she'd get vine burn otherwise. However, before she could tumble out of her chair in pure enthusiasm, he grabbed her and put her down in his lap. "Wai a min'te Sheila.."
"Ah c'mon!" she whined. "Wha did Ah do ta d'serve this! Why da you 'ate meh?!"
"Weh don' sweetie." Lalli said to her. "Bu' weh needa ask ye some'n."
"Well hurr'eh! Ah gotta go ta th' forest!"
"Why's tha?" they usually played by the watering hole. "Whas so import'nt ye can' 'ave a five minute chate with yer mummy an daddy?"
"Ta throw up." She answered blandly, crossing her arms and giving them a serious, unhappy pout.
"Razmia!" she winced, they only used her full name when they were extremely worried. Or when her comments got her in trouble. Her mother gave her a stern look. "Now qui' bein sucha drama queen-"
"Princess!"
She sighed dramatically but grinned all the same, reaching over to tickle her sides. "Alrigh. Qui bein sucha drama princ'ss and listen."
She giggled and swatted her mother's paws away, pretending to think about it for a moment. "Ok."
"Good Sheila." Her father praised, ruffling her ears. "Now was tha s'ard?"
Lalli didn't give her a chance to answer. "Look. This fam'ly jus moved in on th' otha side'a th' vall'eh, and theh've gotta son bout yer age."
"…An?"
"An weh'd like ya ta show 'im aroun. Intr'duce 'im ta yer frien's."
"Awww mummy!" she protested. "Bu me an th' boys're playin pir'tes t'day! Weh fina'lly go' th cann'ns done- Ah been trainin fer weeks!"
"What cannons?"
"Starboard." she answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"…Wha're cann'ns?" Tadao asked.
"Yer kiddin, righ?"
"Nope."
"Ugh, neva min'. Mah poin' is" she looked up at her mother. "Ah can'. Ah've go' plans. I' 'll take meh days ta git mah balance righ. Ah can' go round showin s'me new guy roun- Ah gotta practice!"
"Well t' bad." Blayke said in a stern voice that sound foreign even to him. "Yer gonna. Iss' been decided."
"Bu-"
"No buts."
"Bu' mummy!" she complained. "Weh don' need n'more crewmase! Ah'm weap'n handler"
"W'pn handler?"
"Silas's ar lookou"
"Lookout?"
"Gunner's ar cap'n"
"Captain?"
"Shira's 'is firs' mate"
Lalli clamped a hand over her mouth. "Slow down Sheila. Wha're ye talkin bout?"
"Ar crew! 'oose who."
"Um…" that sounded kind of a dangerous game to Lalli. If it could be called that. "Sheila, listen, please." She begged. "If ye jus…"
"Jus wha?" Raz waited for a moment, but her mother was silent. Lalli wasn't sure how to put it into words. After about thirty seconds of not getting an answer, the little five year old joey spoke again. "Mah poin is" she hopped down off her father's lap, putting out her arms for balance. "No room. Weh alread'eh got a wole crew- 'less some'ns down fer th' coun, there's no way th' boys'll le'im stay."
"Then yer jus gonna hafta no' play with em!"
"What?!" they couldn't be serious! They were her best friends! She couldn't just- just not play with them! They need each other! "Bu daddy-"
"Eitha ye let'im tag long ta yer game, 'er ye jus show 'im round. Yer choice. Eitha way, e's stickin with ya t'day."
"Thas no' fair!"
"Thas perf'ctly fair!"
"Bu-"
"Raz!" by now her parents shouted, leaving the joey afraid. They'd never shouted at her before. At least, not at the same time. "Weh make theh rules round 'ere! Yer gonna do as weh say!"
Her ears lowered. "Fine." She agreed reluctantly, eyes cast toward the ground. "Ah hate you." It was nearly silent, but everyone heard. Aaiden dropped his apple. Jemal choked on his blueberries. Tadao spewed his pineapple juice. Lalli's eyes filled with tears, and Blayke's mouth dropped.
The joey slapped her paws over her mouth as she realized what she'd said. She'd just been so mad, caught up in her anger at her parents not understanding… "Mummy, daddy, Ah-" her mother was already gone. Blayke stared after her for a moment, before shaking his head solemnly at his daughter. "Daddy, I-"
Aaiden leaned down to her. "Jus go Sheila." He murmured. "'Fore 'e blows 'is top." The hurt was evident in his own voice, even if the horrible three words hadn't been directed at him.
The little set of golden eyes grew large and filled to the brim with saltwater, then she turned and fled, nearly bowling over a reddish brown figure she didn't recognize, but she didn't care. Whoever-it-was cried out in surprise, but she didn't stop. The little girl continued on towards the forest, where she was most likely not to be found, crying silently. Oh man had she ever screwed up…
It had been maybe thirty minutes of quiet crying when the joey had a surprise sprung on her. A hand laid itself on her shoulder, one with a familiar shape. Two extensively long fingers, two regularly sized, and one thumb, gently stroking her fur. She was even more surprised to hear a familiar accent, although the voice was unknown.
"There there Sheila." A smooth Australian voice consoled. "Whas th' matt'ah? Why ya cryin?"
She looked up, surprised, into the blue eyes she'd never seen before. Taking in the details, the stature maybe an inch or two taller, the familiar forward facing eyes, pushed in snout, two toe claws, smooth red pelt- she couldn't help but blinking in shock. She hadn't seen another kangaroo that wasn't part of her family in about two years.
"Who…" she was slightly taken aback by those deep blue eyes that were gazing at her own metallic ones with such kindness, and seemed to have momentarily lost her ability to speak. "Who ar' ya?"
"Th' names Aarjay." He sat down beside her. "So whas got ye so 'pset? An on sucha happ'eh day." She didn't know if he just meant the weather or what, but his words sparked something in her. There was something she was forgetting, she was sure of it. Something to do with why her parents were being so especially loving.
Oh. Her parents…
"I- Ah…" she took a deep breath, eyes stinging again. "Ah sai' some'n reall'eh mean ta mah fam'ly."
"Oh c'mon." he encouraged, smiling gently. "'m sure i' wasn' tha bad."
"Ah sai' Ah 'ated em!" she snapped, beginning to cry again. "An there neva gonna f'rgive me!"
"Oh…" she heard a sympathetic sigh, and after a moment, a set of arms just big enough to fasten around her shoulders, pull her into an embrace. Normally she would've protested if some almost-stranger (all she knew was his name!), but she need this offered comfort. She needed a hug. "There there…" he murmured. "Ah'm sure theh will… an Ah know ye didn't mean i'."
"'Ow-" she choked on a sob. "'Ow daya know tha?" it was very true, she by no means had meant it, but she couldn't help being curious how he knew.
The mysterious boomer stroked her ears. "No'n means i' when theh say theh 'ate some'n No matt'ah 'ow mad theh ar." She smiled against his fur. "An 'sides" he pushed her back and carefully wiped her tears. "If ya did, why wouldja be cryin bout it?"
He made a fair point, she supposed… "So… Aarjay, righ?"
"Aye, thas i'."
"So…" suddenly she felt nervous. "Ye wanna… mayb'eh c'me play with me and mah friens?"
He looked delighted. "Can Ah? Ah'm knew 'ere, don' realla know any'n."
"Well sure." She answered happily. "Ah don' see why no'."
"Thanks, um…" he paused, looking a bit embarrassed. "Ah didn' catch yer name Sheila."
"Raz." She answered a little anxiously, still feeling a bit flustered for unknown reasons.
"Righ then." He bent down and plucked a a pretty pink and yellow flower off the forest floor, laying it in her paws. "Jus mah way a sayin thank ya." He explained upon seeing her confused face. "A prett'eh flow'a fer a prett'eh Sheila."
She blushed, finding the compliment actually, well, complimenting, and not gross, like she usually would if a boy called her pretty. "Th-Thanks…"
They stood in silence for a moment, before she nodded to the right. "Les go then. Th' boys'll love ya." She still couldn't figure out what was so special about this day… whatever it was, it was making her warm up to him faster than she usually would, she figured. What was so special about today… oh goodness, if only she could remember…
So… what did you think? Sorry if it's bad. Please review! Oh, and should I have some of the others have new little friends as well? Whether they just be visiting the valley or travelling or something? Anyone with votes? Any at all? Please, I need some instruction, I'm a very indecisive person!