Notes: I have written this story with the assumption that you have already watched the anime. If you haven't and your reading this, this does contain spoilers for the end of the series. If you don't mind go ahead but it will make more sense if you watch the show first. This story is an AU for what the Owls say while Kaban is still affected by the cerulean. They say she will return to her original form before it's revealed that Kaban's fine, and then Brown Bear says animal form afterward.
Serval's thoughts are in italic. Boss's dialogue is in bold.
"Kaban-chan! Kaban-chan!"
Serval darted forward and knelt down beside the glowing orb. All of the friends who had helped rescue Kaban from the cerulean gathered behind her.
It's not too late! It can't be!
"No good."
Brown Bear remarked. She looked down sadly at what was Kaban. There was nothing they could do. She was inside the cerulean for too long.
"She's started to return to nature."
The Professor's Assistant stated. As one of the chiefs of the village, it was her duty to watch over the other Friends. A strong sense of failure enveloped her. She watched as Serval held the orb close.
"Kaban-chan! No, Kaban-chan!"
Tears flowed down her cheeks. She sobbed loudly against it.
"We… We still have so much to…"
The other Friends watched her sadly. They all knew what happened to the Friends that were consumed by the ceruleans and it ached to see Kaban, the Friend that helped everyone, revert to her original form. The Professor walked forward and placed a hand comfortingly on Serval's shoulder.
"Serval, you must let go. She will return to her original form."
Serval lets go of it reluctantly.
This can't be happening…
Northern White-Faced Owl gently guided her away from the orb. Serval shut her eyes and sobbed. Everyone else's gazes were affixed to the orb as it shrunk in size and disappeared.
We were going to find your territory. We were going to look for more humans like Mirai-san.
The other Friends gasped in surprise. A strand of green hair remained.
"W-What? But-!" "Where is she?" "What happened?"
Serval looked at the object, her sobs died down in her confusion.
"What-what is that?"
She crawled forward and picked it up. The two owls stepped forward.
"Looks like a strand of fur?"
The Professor's assistant questioned. She tilted her head as she examined the object in Serval's hand.
"Human's didn't have fur, they had hair. This must be a strand of human hair."
The Professor replied. She peered over Serval's shoulder from the opposite side. It was not unheard of for some Friends to be born from fur or other organic material. Serval held the strand of hair delicately in her hands.
This was Kaban. This was my best friend, the scaredy-cat, the fighter, the sweetheart…
She wiped her eyes.
"…Did anyone grab Kaban's bag?"
Her eyes passed over all of the assembled friends. Suri Alpaca stepped forward, holding out the bag as well as Kaban's hat for Serval to take. Serval flashed her a grateful look and set them down on the ground. She rummaged through the bag, looking for a place where she could keep the strand safe. She found a little pocket and slipped it inside before closing it up securely. Next, she regarded the hat.
I want to keep her memory alive.
Serval placed the hat on her heads and then wrestled the bag onto her shoulders.
"Kaban did this for us. Let's make sure her plan worked."
They all ran towards the dock. Time was of the essence and once they got closer, they could see the cerulean climbing onto the boat.
They arrived just in time to see the boat start to sink.
Wait! Where's Boss?
"Boss! No!" Serval cried out.
As the cerulean descended into the water, it transformed into volcanic rock. Serval turned to the group.
"Please! We need to find Boss! I can't lose another friend!"
Otter and Jaguar looked at each other. Jaguar rubbed her arm and addressed everyone.
"We can go ahead and start looking but it might be hard for the rest of you."
Otter gestured to the PPP.
"Yeah. Jaguar, the PPP, and I can start looking since we can swim out to the area. I think the rest of you will probably have to wait for the tide to go out to search."
The Professor and her Assistant nodded. They quickly rounded up the other Bird Friends.
"We can try to look from above."
Fennec and Racoon stepped forward.
"I can gather Friends that can dig to check around the volcanic rock once the tide goes out~."
"Yeah, just in case he got trapped underneath, nanoda!"
There was a chorus of agreement and everyone began forming search parties.
As the tide receded, the remaining Friends spread out and searched for any sign of Boss. Hours had gone by but there was still no sign of him, not even underwater.
I have to find him! He finally talked to me. We were finally friends!
Serval's ears perked when she heard a light tapping sound on the sand. She spun on her feet, eyes lighting up at the sight of a Lucky Beast walking around.
"Boss! You're alright!"
However, the Lucky Beast did not respond. It looked around and then turned and walked away.
"Oh… you're not Boss…"
A feeling of bitterness welled up inside her.
We were going to do so many fun things together. I wish they were still here! I wish things were different!
Serval wiped more tears from her eyes. She turned to search another area when a glint of light caught her attention. Lying on the ground, a couple feet away, was a little black square with a glass circle in the middle and a black collar. She walked forward and knelt down beside the two items.
"Boss… Why did you have to sacrifice yourself? Why couldn't we have a happy ending where we rescued Kaban and you got off the boat before it sank?"
The glass flickered blue.
"You did what you could Serval."
Serval jumped and threw herself backward.
"Wah! It talked!"
"Serval, I am the Lucky Beast that you and Kaban met in the Jungle Area."
Serval cried out in joy.
"Boss?! You're alright! I'm so glad!"
She grabbed the little communicator and hugged it close.
"What happened to Kaban?"
She flinched. Serval held Boss out and tried to swallow the lump in her throat.
"K-Kaban is gone. She was eaten by a cerulean."
"A human should not be affected by the sand star unless it was a human created from organic matter. What did Kaban revert to?"
"A strand of hair."
"If Kaban was created from a strand of hair then you should be able to bring the strand to the sand star on the mountain and restore her to her human form."
Serval's ears perked up.
"R-Really?"
"Yes, in theory, it should work. However, I do not know if she will still have her memories."
Serval's ears folded in disappointment.
Would she really forget everything we've been through?
She narrowed her eyes in determination. Serval put the collar in the bag and stood up with Boss in hand.
"If she does, then we'll just have to tell her about everything. She's my best friend. If I can bring her back, then I will."
Everyone was glad to learn that Boss was alright. They were surprised when he spoke to them but were just as eager as Serval to try to get Kaban back. As they climbed the mountain, they all hoped that the sandstone would change her back. Serval carefully took the strand of hair out of the bag and held it out in her palm.
"Please, work. I really want my friend back. I want to go on adventures together. I want to explore more of Japari Park together. I want to be able to cook with her. I want to help her find the human's territory. But most of all, I want to laugh and play and be with Kaban again."
Serval put her hand out close to the stone.
"So please, please work!"
She sucked in a breath and blew the strand onto the sandstone. The strand landed on the stone and immediately became encased in a glowing orb.
"Augh!"
Everyone covered their eyes from the bright flash of light that the orb emitted. It died down quickly to reveal a familiar figure, curled up on the ground. It was Kaban. She groaned as she sat up. When she opened her eyes, she was face to face with Serval.
"Wah! P-Please! Don't eat me!"
She trembled as she put her hands out to shield herself. The others stared in confusion.
She… She doesn't remember…
Serval took the hat off her head and set it on Kaban. Kaban jumped at the action. She fixed the hat so her eyesight wasn't blocked and was surprised to see Serval's hand extended out to her. Even though tears were streaming down her cheeks, Serval smiled and waited patiently for Kaban to take her hand.
"I won't eat you! My name is Serval! It's nice to meet you!"