Banjo hummed happily as he walked out his front door and closed it behind him. Slowly, he took a deep breath in. The crisp smell of a spring shower danced into his nose. He always loved the rain. After all, fresh water made doing dishes so much more enjoyable. "I'll be back in a minute or two," he called through the window. "I'm gonna' go get the dish water."
"Okay," came the soft, mumbled reply. His younger sister, Tooty, had just learned how to speak.
He looked up the hill at the waterfall. He had talked with a fox earlier that day about the terrible storm that had just passed over the falls. "Good thing we only got some light rain," he thought to himself. "The water is sure pouring heavily over those falls."
As he walked up the hill, he thought about what to do for the day. Once the dishes were done, he'd have the whole day to whatever he wanted. Lately, though, there hadn't been much to do. He had seen everything and knew everything in Spiral Mountain there was to know. Except, that is, for the strange mountain entrance he had been warned about. He had always wondered what was in there, but was always too afraid to actually go in. Rumors of a terrible creature that lived inside the mountain were commonly told, though he still couldn't help but wonder what really was inside.
"Oh well," he laughed to himself. "Maybe one day I'll know." He walked slowly up to the sparkling pool of water, admiring it for a moment then lowered his bucket in. He watched the water rush in and fill the bucket, then sat it down and looked back at the water. Without a second thought, he plunged his face into the water. Pryingly, he opened his eyes. Fish of all sorts of colors swam back and fourth, in circles, and some in no general direction at all. He admired the scene for a moment, then, looking up at the surface, something red caught his eye. Remembering that he could only hold his breath for so long, he brought his head back above the water. Tiny drops of water dripped from his fur, but he ignored them.
"I wonder what…" he stopped mid-sentence, his answer floating in front of him.
"Feathers?" he picked one up and gingerly twirled it in his fingers. It was a red-orange color with a golden tip, small and fuzzy. But still, it was a feather "I've never seen a feather like this before. I wonder why its on the water." He looked up again at the water, stroking his damp chin in thought. Crawling onto his paws and knees, he sniffed the air.
Kazooie was terrified. Some sort of huge, furry creature had just come up to the pool of water where she had been only moments ago, and she was afraid that it knew she was there. "What would it do to me if it caught me? What if it eats me!!!" she thought, horrified. She peaked over the rock she had ducked behind. It wasn't there anymore.
"Well… that's weird," she whispered. "I could have sworn I saw it just a second ago."
Sniff.
She turned, terrified to see a shiny, black oval along side the rock she had taken shelter behind. She ducked around the rock, closed her eyes and held her breath.
"You can come out," came a booming voice.
There was no way she was going out to face that thing. In an act of desperation, she ran the best she could manage. She didn't know where. All she knew was that she needed to get away. She scampered over a few piles of dirt, then straight into a patch of tall grass.
"No, wait!" She didn't stop, as much as it hurt her leg. She ran through the grass until she found a small hole and collapsed into it, holding her damaged leg tenderly.
Banjo looked over the grass. "I can't go in there! What if I step on her?" He sighed. "Please, come out. I know you're injured. I won't hurt you. I promise. I can help you, if you'll let me." He waited earnestly for a response. "Look, I know I scared you; I'm sorry. But if you need help, I live down in the little cabin across the other side of the field. I won't hurt you." He held his breath, but no response came.
Realizing it was useless, he walked back towards the pond and picked up his bucket. Looking back at the tall grass, he thought to himself, "I sure hope she decides to come. I don't know how she'll survive around here." He shook his head. "For once I wish I wasn't so big. Then she wouldn't be so scared to let me help her. Maybe I should wait a while, and come back to look for her?"
Kazooie looked up at the dark sky. She was cold, and past hungry. She had been too afraid to move from her hole in the tall grass all day, and so had decided she would wait till dark to come out. Standing carefully, she limped to the edge of the grass and looked both ways before stepping out. Nothing.
She stepped out a bit more and took a deep breath. It felt as though the grass had been suffocating her, and now she was free to breathe the intoxicating, fresh air. "But now what?" She thought about what that creature had told her. While she had been in the grass, she had thought about what he had said. He sounded nice enough, even though he was absolutely huge. And he was offering her something she needed. "A place to stay, food, water, safety… Should I trust it? What if he just wants to eat me?"
She sighed and looked across the field to the cabin the creature had told her about. Gentle lights flickered from the windows while a small jet of smoke billowed out of the chimney. It was small, but it looked cozy. She decided she had no choice but to go, although her conscience told her differently. Her leg wasn't getting any better, and she was afraid it would only get worse if it wasn't treated soon. She had no clue how to fix her wing or where to get food from, if she even had enough strength to find it in the first place. She decided to stay a day, as long as it was safe. Then, she'd continue looking for her mother the next night.
"But what if its not safe?" Her conscience continued to unnerve her. She looked away from the house and thought about what her mother would have told her to do. She thought back to when her brothers and sisters had left the nest to go out on their own. "I remember mom telling them to never let anyone presume them as weak and defenseless… but that's just what I am!"
She sat there and thought out her plan for a few moments. "Well, I know I can't let him think I'm weak, even if it's true. I'm gonna' have to be straight to the point and mean if I need to. What else…" she paused and rubbed her cheek. "Boy, I can't wait till this is over and I find Ma."
Kazooie felt something small hit the back of her head. Flustered, she looked back to see a few pebbles rolling down the cliff side, then up to see Banjo cautiously sliding down the slope. His face didn't show any certain expression. But he did look tired.
She looked away, not wanting to make eye contact with him. In a matter of seconds, he was sitting beside her. He sat silent for a moment. When he spoke, he drew his words out carefully.
"So," he said at last. "How've you been?"
"Oh, great Banjo. Really great, actually. Never felt better! How 'bout you?" She bit her tongue. He wasn't good with this kind of stuff- but then again, neither was she. He got nervous and didn't know what to say; she lost her temper. It always ended badly.
"I'm sorry about what your mom did to you." He hadn't been getting an answer and knew he had to say something before he lost her completely. He didn't know what kind of response he would get, but he was positive anything would be better than the stinging silence currently hyping up his nerves.
"Yeah, well, whatever. It's not your fault." She refused to look at him, so focused her attention at the sunset. "It's that late already?"
"Kazooie, I know what it's like to loose a parent, I-"
"No," she shot back, finally looking at him. "You don't. Your parents passed away, mine abandoned me. Totally different. You don't have a clue what it's like to be left out in the cold all alone to fend for yourself. So don't act like you do!" She covered her break instantly. She hadn't meant to be so harsh towards him, but she couldn't hold her tongue any longer. Her muscles relaxed and she slumped back a bit. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I… I didn't mean it that way."
"I know. It's fine."
He knew she hadn't meant it. After all, she had been living with him for years and he had grown accustomed to her sudden outbursts. If there was one thing he had learned, it was never to take what she said personally.
There was a moment of silence. "You know what that feeling is like; I know." Kazooie hadn't known what to say after that, so sat silently waiting for him to speak. She didn't expect what she heard next.
"What are you laughing about!" She watched him cover his mouth, then shake his head, obviously trying his best to stop. "And they say I'm hard to understand!"
Restraining himself from laughing anymore, he looked up at her, still slightly chuckling. "Remember the day we first met? When you came to the cabin saying you'd take me up on my offer?"
Looking away, her expression softened. She too, laughed a bit. "Yeah… I remember that…"
Banjo sat on his kitchen chair, unsure of what to say. He watched as a small, strange red bird pecked at the pieces of bread he had put of for her. Of course, she wouldn't even let him come near her. She still wouldn't trust him, which was frustrating for him. He was used to everyone trusting him. He wouldn't say that, though. It would probably confuse her.
Tooty sat across the table, watching the tiny creature with big eyes. She had begged and begged Banjo to let her touch it. He had simply explained that they had to earn her trust. That didn't, however, stop the longing look in her eyes.
"Banjo," she whispered. "Red bird. Pretty red bird."
Ignoring his sister's comment, he cleared his throat nervously. "Do you… have a name?"
She continued pecking at her food, not even bothering to look up. He continued shyly. "I'm Banjo. My sister's name is Tooty. Please don't be startled by her. She's just very fascinated with your…" he paused to look for the right word.
"FEATHERS!!" Tooty jumped up and dashed towards the shocked bird. Reacting on instinct, Kazooie scampered across the room without hesitation, and hide behind the chair, now in more pain then before from reapplying pressure to her leg.
"You had better stay away!" She called in her bravest voice, doing her best to cloak the pain with mock courage.
"Tooty! Stop it!" Banjo chased after her, desperate to make her sit back down. She ran around the room, giggling.
"Birdie! Birdie! Where's the birdie?" She ducked behind the chair and gasped dramatically. "Found the birdie!" Clumsily, she grabbed at Kazooie, who squawked and hobbled to the other side of the room. She looked in every direction, and finally noticed what looked like a tall, misshapen tree. But instead of leaves, there were colorful pieces of cloth and other strange looking things at the top.
"Birdie! Birdie?" Kazooie gulped, hopped carefully up the coat hanger and dropped into a soft, blue pack. Tooty, oblivious to the bird's new hiding spot, continued looking around the room for her. Kazooie listened as Banjo picked the little bear up and walked out of the room. A door opened and closed, then everything was silent.
For moment, she considered falling asleep right then and there, but thought better of it. She liked the feeling of the bag, and the blue color reminded her of the blue sky that had surrounded the nest she had lived in. It made her feel safe and secure. As for the bear, she couldn't quite say the same. "He must have seen me crawl up here. Great. If one is bad, the other must be worse." She paused for a moment. "But he did say… well, contradicting myself isn't going to help, now." She slowly sat up and peaked over the top. He was standing in the middle of the room, looking in her direction.
"You can come out. She's not here anymore."
She sank back down into the sack. "No. I'm fine in here." She paused, thinking through what to say next. "I'm only staying until I'm better."
"But you're hurt!" She could hear him walking towards her. "Just come out long enough for me to fix your leg."
"No." She took a deep breath and waited.
"Just let me look. Your wing looks a little rough, too." She felt the walls around her stretch and move. She peaked out and felt as he put the bag on the table, the fabric forming in uneven pools around her. "Come out, please." Hesitantly, she crawled out. The thought of no longer being in pain justified her conscience, so she figured she would at least try. She crouched down carefully on the table.
"Can I see it?" She could feel him looking down at her, but didn't want to look back. She slowly unfolded her wing and watched as he fingered it gently. It surprised her that something so big could be so gentle. He set her wing gingerly back to her side, and then looked over her tiny leg. He turned away for moment, returning with a small piece of cloth and an honey colored container. She peered into it uneasily.
"Wh- what's that?" As if on cue, it let off a terrible smell. She made a face. "You're not putting that on me." For the first time, she looked up at him. He was unfolding the cloth and spreading the ointment from the container on it. His face didn't show any expression, and he was ignoring her, something she wasn't use to and didn't know how to handle. It felt awkward, and she very much disliked it. Doing the only thing she thought felt right, she repeated herself.
"I said, you're not putting that on my wing."
"I know it smells bad, but it helps. My mom used put it on me, and it always worked."
"There are more of them!" She thought nervously. "Where is she?" She looked around nervously, half expecting something to jump out at her.
"Not here. She… she's gone." He picked up the bandage and attempted to place it on her leg.
She jerked it away. Instantly, she wished she hadn't, but remembering that she didn't want to look weak, continued her questioning. "When will she be back? What about your father?"
He sighed. Sitting down, he explained that his parents had died from a sickness a few years ago. "It came in through a flock of wild geese. I don't know what it was or how they got it, but some of the other animals caught it, too. I was the only one in my family who didn't. My sister survived, but it hit my parents hard. They weren't even sick for two days, and they were gone." He swallowed hard, but changed the subject. "I trust this stuff with my life. Please, just try it."
She felt ashamed for being so stubborn, and decided that she would listen. She felt bad for him. Maybe he understood how she felt. "But he'll never see his parents again. At least I know I can find my Ma." Slowly, she held out her wing and watched as he wrapped it tenderly with the cloth. It stung, but it had felt worse. He tied it, then wrapped another around her leg. When he was done, he sat back in his chair.
"Are you still hungry?"
"No." She had eaten as much as she could before that… crazy thing had tried to attack her.
"So are you going to tell me your name?"
The question caught her off guard a little. "Is it safe?" She wondered.
"Kaz. Just, uh, call me Kaz." She looked behind her at the blue back on the table. "What is that?"
"It's called a backpack. You put your arms through the sides and it stays on your back. Really handy." He stood and put it on to demonstrate. "See? You can put things in it and carry them around."
"It's nice." He took it off and set it back on the table. Remembering the bottle of ointment on the counter, he picked it up and put it away in the cupboard. When he turned back, she wasn't on the table. "Hey! Where'd you go?" He noticed a bump in the backpack. "I don't remember having anything in there," he thought. He reached out and poked it.
"Hey! Watch it!" He chuckled.
"Comfy in there?"
"Yeah. I'll just stay in here till I'm feeling better, then I'll be on my way."
"Are you sure? I think you should stay until your leg is healed. And we have more comfortable places to stay than a backpack, you know."
"No. The backpack is fine and I'll stay till I feel I'm ready to leave."
He picked the backpack up gently and hung it back up on the coat hanger. She peaked her head out. "Umm…" she looked away then continued. "Thanks. For everything. You can call me Kazooie. Just don't tell anyone that's my name."
He looked at her, slightly confused. "Didn't she just tell me to call her Kaz?" He shook his head.
"What are you shaking your head for?!" she demanded.
"Yeesh, she's gonna take a while to get used to." "Nothing," he paused to look up at her nervously. "Kazooie."
Banjo looked over at his friend. "You know, Kaz, you never mentioned leaving again after that day. When you realized that she abandoned you… you just never brought up leaving or anything to do with her again. But I knew it's always been something that hurt you."
She closed her eyes and let Banjo's words thread through her mind. Slowly, she replied. "Well, I guess I just wanted to forget about it the best I could." She looked away. "It doesn't matter, anyway."
"Yes, it does." He looked her sternly in the eye. "You've gotta' forgive her."
Normally, she simply would have told him that he was crazy and informed him that she wouldn't be caught dead doing any such thing. But something in his voice made her think twice, something she didn't do too often. She looked at him, almost gawking. Then, with that one simple look, she realized something.
"You're right." It was said so plainly and simply that he couldn't believe that she had said it. He had already braced himself for the blast he'd expected to get from her, and when it didn't come, he didn't know how to react.
"I am?" He felt an odd quiver run through his spine. "I am!"
"Banjo, as much as I hate what she did to me… I'm tired of that being one of the main causes of my stupid anger problems. Heck, probably the only reason. Besides Tooty, that is. Ever since day one…" She laughed lightly to herself. "I don't want to even think about forgiving her after leaving me like that. Everything is her fault, after all…" She looked back at Banjo and relaxed a bit when he smiled reassuringly. "But it will take a while. And if you tell anyone about it,"
"I'm dead."
"You bet," she replied with a smirk. It was odd to have such a conversation. He had never heard her surrender her feelings so willingly. But he knew he had to ask one last, very important question.
"Kaz?"
"What?"
"Can we go home now?" He stifled a yawn.
"Only if you plan on carrying me back." He nodded his head, seeming to think over the terms of agreement. "And one more thing."
"Yeah."
"If you don't hide that coffee from your dangerous, annoying, psychotic sister, you're going to be suffering way worse then me."
Banjo couldn't help but smile as Kazooie jumped into his backpack. He knew he'd be getting an ear full from her all the way back home, but he was just glad to have her back to normal. Sort of.
Kazooie, on the other hand, enjoyed a few moments of something she never though she would feel.
"A place where all your uncertainties drift away. Ironic; I've been there almost all my life." She looked down at the backpack she was currently sitting in and smiled at the feeling only she could understand. "Who would'a guessed?"