The sun burned through my eyelids, forcing me halfway to wakefulness. I groaned, stretching awkwardly around the bird-shaped weight on my chest. It was warm, and grumbled at the movement.

"Sorry, Piplup. Didn't mean to wake you," I murmured, ruffling her feathers. Another kind of warmth filled me then, a fuzzy warmth that reminded me of a blanket on a winter day. "You deserve the extra rest."

Piplup grumbled again, seeking to nuzzle further into me.

Something clicked in that moment, and my jaw opened thoughtlessly. "And, well- this is really pleasant, you know?"

My friend- one that I'd felt more at home with than any human- nodded sleepily on my chest. "Lup..."

"This place we're building?" I whispered, "I'm looking forward to calling it home." My eyes, still heavy with sleep, slipped closed regardless of the morning sun.

My home rose up before me, wind biting at my tear-stained face-

"Who are you?" a voice proclaimed, roaring like the ocean. Rushing forward, pushing in like a tide, a fog enveloped everything in sight. Something resembling the half-built frame of a house loomed far away, but beyond that I saw nothing else.

The voice returned, more physical presence than sound. "Who are you, human?" It was clearly feminine in nature, resonating pleasantly- it was deep, but not old or rough.

Working my jaw for a second, I formed a reply. "Mason," I replied, the word coming out rustily.

There was a heavy pause- the fog felt weighty, swirling and pulsing. "You washed up on my shores, ragged but intact. I do not care for names, little one- perhaps my question was not rightly phrased. Who are you, human? Who are you to dwell in this dreamworld, to arrive on my shores?"

This being a dream would explain the fog. On the other hand- her shores? "I don't know, really- but sorry about the trees, if this is your island."

Milky fog paused in its movement before reversing its direction entirely. A salty breeze blew by, and I had the distinct impression it was a sigh. "I do not know what I expected from a human. Your kind barely understand themselves. I care little for trees, but I appreciate the sentiment."

"Are we good on the hot spring, too? I saw pawprints there- are those yours?"

She laughed, a sound like rolling thunder. "You have interesting priorities, human, and you have misinterpreted what I meant. This island is not mine- my domain is the sea."

So a psychic type or something? Maybe even Kyogre or Lugia? In that case, hey, I'm talking to a deity. "Oh, sweet. Feel free to stop by anytime, then, it's a nice hot spring."

The fog curled away, washing out like the tide. "You are... interesting. We will meet again- but for now, a gift from the depths will do. Enjoy."

It was many days later during dinner preparations that something came to break the monotony. I had almost forgotten about the promised 'gift'- the work took all of my concentration.

Of course, every day here was still a joy to be a part of. It's just that by doing the same type of thing every day, the time just blended together.

It started when Piplup burst from the undergrowth, chattering excitedly.

"What is it, Piplup? Did little Timmy fall down a well?"

Piplup froze, levelling a flat glare at me. She might not understand what I was referencing, but at this point she knew my tone well enough. Hell, I didn't get that reference until after a quest in Fallout: New Vegas made me look it up. A penguin on an island had no chance.

Sighing, she waddled over to me and grabbed me by my battered shirt. "Piiiip! Pip pip Piplup lup pip!"

"Coming, coming!" I said, nearly unseated by her impressive strength. "Let's just put this fire out, first."

As Piplup half-lead, half-dragged me through the forest, I reflected on her new strength. Our work on the- almost complete!- house had enormously improved our fitness, Piplup's especially. She could maintain her Metal Claw for a few hours now, and lift logs many times her (diminutive) weight with minimal effort. On my end, no more flab!

"This better be worth it, Pip-" I started, stomach rumbling.

In an incredible display of grace, Piplup leapt up and smacked me on the nose. As I rubbed it, she waggled a flipper at me in admonishment. "Pip-lup!"

Before I could form a sufficient and snide reply, Piplup yanked us out of the undergrowth and onto the beach- the one where she found me, actually. I'd been back before to see if anything else washed up, but before today it was quite bare.

Looking past a beaming and smug Piplup, I saw a rusted red shipping crate lying neatly on the shore. It was one of those car-sized ones, with a heavy padlock on the door. As we watched, the padlock fell off, allowing the door to swing open.

"Huh," I observed wittily, "That's a shipping crate."

Piplup gave a resigned sigh, shaking her head. "Pip."

Taking the lead, I approached the crate. Up close, I could see that its base was heavily encrusted with barnacles. "Come on, let's take a peek inside. This could be huge!" I said excitedly.

Despite the obvious weathering on the shipping container, the wooden storage crates inside were entirely free of water damage. Picking a random one, I grabbed at the lid and pulled to no avail. "Piplup, could you lend me a flipper?"

Nodding, Piplup brought up her right flipper, which had taken on a silvery sheen. Sticking it between the lid and the base, she yanked upwards. The lid lifted just enough for me to get my fingers under it, which was perfect. "Clever!" I praised, pulling the lid the rest of the way off.

We looked in, Piplup on my shoulder, then at each other with huge grins.

Canned. Food! While not the tastiest stuff in the world-

"We don't have to eat berries when we're lazy! This is incredible!" I shouted, pumping a fist. I grabbed Piplup in a tight hug, smiling. "With this, we could live here, not just survive!"

Piplup chattered excitedly, eyes gleaming.

In that moment, something clicked, and the island became more like home than shelter.

Beyond the shore, a massive shape nodded in satisfaction before vanishing into the depths.

From the cliff it called its home, the ruby-eyed creature watched carefully. The raggedy human and his penguin companion would survive- and most likely thrive- on the island. Deep in contemplation, it vanished into the undergrowth.

With Piplup nestled in my arms, I dreamt of my old home that night.

I walked through that empty husk, the wind barely bothering me. My old room, emptied; my father's, reminding me of his shining eyes and warm heart. Only, this time, a woman in black stood at the window- a woman I knew.

She turned, long hair billowing, a question forming on her lips- a question I knew all too well. "Are you happy here, Mason?"

I knew my answer now, I think.

I often dreamt of my old home.

Author's Note:

Hello everyone!

I'm not quite happy with this chapter, as I feel like I made a mistake somewhere. Leave a review and let me know what you think!

Regards,

Verdin Grey

EDIT: Changed primary genre to FRIENDSHIP, as that is realistically the primary focus.