It was a sunny day in Calatonia. It was the weekend before the Out of this World Tour continued. It was on a month long break so the actors and singers can have a moment to relax. Meanwhile, every one gathered in the city of Calatonia to stay. Nooshy hung out with Johnny, Clay stayed with Ash and Porsha ultimately decided to move in with Buster. Since then it's safe to say that she grew quite attached to him over course of the tour and the past few weeks. The two formed a bond that Porsha dreamed for all her life. Buster wasn't always keen on children, or even seeking out partners to start a family, that all changed when Porsha came in. Buster then decided to take Porsha in. The spunky young teen had an energy that matched his. The Koala decided, fatherhood, isn't all that bad. So, he treated Porsha like one of his own. Though the immense size difference made some things awkward, like trying to hug one another, (Buster would usually hug her legs, if Porsha doesn't lean down). Porsha got used to Buster cooking, and at one point tried it herself.
Now in the final week of the break, and on the Friday before the weekend Buster decided to hold a gathering. It wasn't quite a meeting, they would go over some stuff, but it was mostly a fun day so the crew could spend time together as a group. It was mostly Porsha's idea, but Buster found it exciting, so he helped put it together. As the time for everyone to arrive Porsha looked more and more troubled. As everyone came into the atrium of the theater, Buster happily greeted everyone.
"Uh… Where's Porsha." Ash questioned. She noticed the severe lack of the excited wolf.
"Wasn't this her idea?" Clay asked.
"Um… I don't know, maybe she's in her room." Buster tapped his pencil on his lip.
"Well, it's your duty as her new dad to keep an eye on her." Ash teased.
"Right!" Buster exclaimed. "I'll be right back. Ms. Crawly, go ahead and set up cards."
"Yes sir."
"Alright, are we playing poker?" The old lion asked.
Buster hustled back up the stairs and the chatter from the discussion below drowned out through the walls. He jogged up to Porsha's door and knocked on it. A muffled odd sounding gasp emerged from the other side of the door.
"Porsha, you alright?"
"Uhmm yeah, just uh…" Porsha's voice called. "WHOOP!"
The next thing Buster heard was the shuffling of bed sheets and then a thud. Startled he opened the door and popped his head in.
"Porsha?!" His shocked voice sounded.
Porsha was partially wrapped in her blanket, upside down on the floor. She looked up at him with a sheepish grin, trying hard to hide her head in the process.
"Um… oops?"
She chuckled awkwardly before trying to stretch out and unravel herself from the blanket.
"Porsha, honey, what's wrong? Your hair is a mess."
"It is?" She finally managed to set herself free and gazed into the mirror. "Oh, it is! Heheh, look at that."
She turned to see Buster's worried face and felt a wash of guilt wash over her. Buster climbed up on the desk and outstretched his hand. Porsha lightly gulped and leaned forward. He gently placed his hand on her forehead and fear shot through him.
"Porsha, my goodness. You're burning up!" He exclaimed.
"I know… I'm sorry…. I- I just."
Porsha sunk onto the bed, ashamed, Buster followed suit. It took two tries to climb up on the tall bed and sit next to Porsha. Buster placed his small paw onto her back, which Porsha soon leaned into.
"This whole game night was my idea but… after dinner I started getting all woozy and my head spun around, so I thought, 'I'll be out of their way I just lay down'. Don't let me stop your fun."
"Aww Porsha, no. no no." Buster began. "The others would understand, I know it. You are not a burden. You are my lovely daughter."
"But, don't you have stuff you'd rather be doing?" She asked sadly. "I'm sure you,"
"Nope, you, Porsha, come first of all things. Lay down a bit, I'll be right back, okay?" He said with a smile.
He hopped off the bed and as soon as he gently closed the door he ran back downstairs, a card game in full swing.
Porsha groaned in discomfort when Buster left the room, she hated being sick, especially in front of others. The last time she got sick, she had a stomach ache and her biological father simply sent the small cat assistant to tend to her. Luckily, she didn't have to make use of the bucket the jittery cat left by her bed that time. A cold chill broke her from her mind, and she instinctively wrapped herself in the blanket and covered her head, once again groaning.
The pitter-patter of koala paws running down the staircase got the table's attention. Buster had this worried expression on his face. When Buster is worried everyone is worried.
"Rosita, Rosita." Buster ran up to the pig. "You're a mother, right?"
"Of twenty-five, yes?"
"Porsha has a fever and I have no idea what I'm doing."
The Koala, totally new to the fatherhood thing, quite literally had no experience. A member of his family, one he calls his own, is sick in bed and he has no idea how to handle it. The news, in the form of a panicked outburst earned gasps and looks from the table. Rosita dropped her cards, the look in her eyes spelled 'Mother Mode, Activated'.
"Okay, looks like need help from a master parent."
The two then briskly walked up the stairs together, the game suddenly interrupted.
"So... guess the hand is on hold?" Clay Asked.
"Yeah, Porsha's sick." Ash replied.
"Should we go and check on her as vell?" Gunter blurted out.
"If I get to see Buster's space, yeah. I'd go check."
"NOOSHY!" Johnny exclaimed.
"I'm genuinely curious what his place looks like, and a little worried of Porsh too." The lynx admitted.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Porsha lie spread out, having kicked off her blanket. Her pajamas a little damp. Porsha hugged her pillow tight when she heard a knock at her door once again.
"Porsha?" Rosita called. "It's Rosita, may we come in?"
"Wait.. we?"
"Yes, Moon and I want to check up on you."
The wolf cringed, now not only is Buster worried, Rosita is as well.
"No, please. Don't let me interrupt your game, just a little woozy is all."
The mother pig shook her head, but a small smirk formed on her lips.
"Sorry, Porsha, I'm a mother of twenty-five, I have a lot of experience."
Porsha sighed in defeat and allowed them to come in. By now her blanket was half on, half off, and her fur puffy from all the rolling around she's been doing.
"Oh dear," Rosita cooed.
"I put on the blanket, I get hot, I take off the blanket I get cold… Why can't my body just chose one… uuuugggh…"
She outstretched her arms and they fell flat, spanning the bed. Rosita checked Porsha's temperature. The mother's touch sent a chill down her spine, she then retracted.
"Hang on, let me get my thermometer from my bag and..."
Buster piped up, surprised.
"You have a thermometer?"
Rosita smiled as she pulled out a digital thermometer from her bag.
"Yes, a mother is always prepared."
Moon nodded his head.
"Huh, maybe I should get one." He agreed quietly, but not quiet enough.
"DAAaaad!" The embarrassed wolf exclaimed. She tried to cover her face, a thing she does when embarrassed.
"Okay Porsha, this should just be a moment, say 'Ahhh'."
The wolf followed as she was told and open her mouth and Rosita placed the thermometer under her tongue.
"Hold it there until it beeps." She said.
"Thow lung doeth thith take?" Porsha asked, while trying to keep the thing under her tongue. "I thound funny."
The high pitched beep startled Porsha, and she nearly dropped the device. The mother pig grabbed it and read it aloud.
"1-0-3. Ooh, definitely a fever."
"You're sweating a lot, would you like a glass of water?" A silhouette in the doorway asked.
Porsha wasn't sure, until the figure came in and the grey haired lion appeared.
"Clay?" Porsha croaked, now quite embarrassed.
"Oh yeah, never mind, that's not an option anymore, you need water." The lion said before turning around.
Just as he left Johnny poked his head in.
"Is everything alright Mr. Moon?"
"I'm so sorry…" Porsha began.
"Woah mate, slow down nothing to be sorry 'bout." Johnny rebutted. "We can always do this another time."
"Yeah. Something smart came out of his mouth." Nooshy chimed in, earning a playful argument between herself and Johnny.
"Hey!"
"Oh by the way, really nice place you got here Moon."
"Vah, you okay Wolfie?"
Ah Wolfie, the nickname Gunter started calling Porsha during the tour. At first Porsha thought it was an insult, but after Rosita explained that nicknames can mean fondness as well, Porsha came to like the accented pig calling her that.
It seems the gang all slowly appeared in Porsha's room. Clay soon came back with a glass of water and paused in the doorway.
"Guess the get together moved in here, huh?" He joked. "Here you go kid."
Porsha lightly sipped the water at first before it devolved into gulps. Once the first sipped went down her throat she realized just how thirsty she was.
"Oh thank you, I needed that."
The lion grinned towards Ash. "Yeah, I can tell."
"You see Porsha, we all love you." Buster swung his arm around to show. "We managed to squeeze almost everyone in the room."
Suddenly a elderly sounding voice echoed from the hallway and into the room.
"Porsha? I am coming with damp cloths, some tea and a book mister Moon thought you'd like." The old lizard shuffled into the room.
"Okay, now its everyone. And thank you Ms. Crawly."
Porsha felt her cheeks redden now that quite literally everyone was crowded in her room. First her head was hot and now her cheeks.
"Don't worry about a thing, P." Ash walked up to the bed to face her. "Like Johnny said we can have another game night."
"You're welcome to continue; I'll just participate in the next one." Buster said.
"Please, have your fun. And thank you guys, I'd give you a hug but uh…" Porsha smiled. "Don't want to be a spreader."
"Don't sweat. Someone will come up and tell you who won." Clay leaned into whisper. "Probably will be me."
"You alright kiddo?" Rosita asked the wolf.
"Yeah… a lot better."
The pig smiled and stood up. "Alright, one of us will come up and check on you both after each game."
"Why me?" Buster asked.
"So, someone else can lock up if you fall asleep." Rosita winked before walking out the bedroom.
Buster found one of the best families around. He sighed happily and grinned, before turning his attention to Porsha.
"Anything else you need, Porsha?" He asked.
"More water, please."
"You got it, kiddo. One water coming right up."
Porsha smiled seeing the lively Koala return to his cheerful demeanor. She placed a damp rag on her head to help cool down some. Moon soon returned with the full glass and a wad of cloth. She noticed the koala climbing up her dresser carrying the wad of cloth.
"What's that?" The wolf's head tilted in confusion.
"A blanket and pillow?"
"Say what now?" She asked, now even more confused.
"I'm sleeping in your drawer."
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah, so if you need anything I'm right here."
Buster then placed himself in the drawer. To Porsha's surprise he fit perfectly. It clicked in her head.
"Oh." She mused. "I see."
She found it quite adorable that the tiny Koala would sleep in a drawer in her room to keep an eye on her. One may find it a breach of privacy, but Porsha found it very endearing that Buster would do this for her.
"I want you as comfortable as possible, dear. So, me being here is the fastest way to get my attention. Just jostle the drawer a little and I'll get you anything you need, okay."
"But that's what I don't get, you could be having fun, playing cards with the rest. Why stuff yourself in a drawer in my room?"
The koala, who had just set his pillow in place looked at the wolf.
"Because, you, are my first priority. I can always play another day. And... I admit, I'd be more worried about you than the game."
Buster sat up in the drawer, feeling a little comedic. He always loved a little improv. He outstretched his arms, holding invisible cards in his hands.
"Okay, Queens and... is Porsha okay? What if she needs something? What game are we playing again? Does Porsha have enough water? Does she need more blankets?"
Porsha giggled at the act her adoptive father was putting up.
"That's about how that would go." He chuckled.
"Okay, but what about uh... an important meeting.
"If an important meeting was going on and you need me? They better pause that meeting or have it another day, because my daughter needs me. If they throw a fit about it, then hey, maybe they don't deserve my attention, because you deserve it so, so much more."
Porsha relaxed on her bed, although embarrassed from all the attention she's getting, she smiled. She felt assured, although, admittedly, she'd felt bad if Buster had to pause something important to talk to her, or get her something, it made her feel like a actual being. Buster was willing to put things on pause or even cancel them outright if he needed to.
"Yeah, thanks dad." She said, settling on what to call Buster from now on.
"So, what's this book Crawly gave me? She said you picked it out."
The koala popped his head out of the drawer.
"Oh, War of the Worlds, it's a classic."
"OOOoo, what's it about?" The wolf quickly opened the book.
"Martians come to Earth to invade, It's a really good read. I figured you love Sci-fi."
"Woah, this is great! Thanks dad."
"You're welcome." Buster soon yawned. "Love you kiddo."
Porsha almost dropped the book with gasp. She turned to the drawer seeing the koala rolled on his side. She smiled, happy with the found family she's with. Happy to have someone as caring as Buster and his theater troupe.
"Love ya too, dad." She cooed. She swore she saw Moon smile, to which she smiled more.
Porsha found herself reading, something she never really found interesting. She sat up and read through the chapter. The Koala lightly snoring from the drawer. The door creaked open.
"Oh Porsha, how are you feeling now honey?" Rosita asked.
"A lot better, thank you so much. Please tell the rest 'Thank you' for me."
Rosita nodded and smiled.
"You're welcome to join us if you're up to it." She offered.
"I'd rather be safe than sorry, besides this book dad got me… I'm hooked."
The mother pig chuckled; Porsha seems to be calling Mr. Moon dad a lot more often. Porsha and Rosita wished each other goodnight, with the pig promising to lock the doors. She closed the bedroom door gently. She tiptoed down the stairs.
"Alright guys we'll need to tone it down." She whispered. "Buster is already asleep."
"Already?" Clay questioned. "We just finished the first game, and its only seven-thirty."
"I'll lock up the building when we leave." Rosita sat back down. "Alright, deal me in. Let's show you how a momma plays Blackjack."
Rosita then quickly looked up, remembering something.
"Oh, and Porsha thanks all of you."
Clay chuckled.
"Yeah, glad the kid's doing okay." He smiled. "Now get ready to have your butts handed to you, I'm a master at this game."
Upstairs, the young wolf felt her eyes growing heavier. She stuck a pen in the book to safe her spot before yawning. Tiredness quickly catching up with her she tugged on the blanket to pull it over her. She smiled; her temperature perfectly comfortable. She rolled to face her dresser, with one of the drawers pulled out and full of koala.
"Goodnight dad." She said.
She placed her head on her pillow with a smile on her face. It wasn't long before sleep claimed her, dreaming about her new family, feeling a sense of belonging.
A/N: Added more detail to some parts and corrected grammar.)
