Sorry for not updating in forever. But I have good news!
Summer is nigh! Which means, less homework, and hopefully, more fanfiction! (Hopefully)
Also, on a side note, I'm sorry that I don't respond to reviews (I don't really know how much writers respond to reviewers, but I'm just saying). I'm just really bad at talking to people in general, and that includes over PMs. But rest assured, I read and treasure each one.
Note also that this will be understood and enjoyed better after reading chapter 21: "Questions".
Meanwhile, enjoy!
Tinkling laughter rang like bells through the forest. The two tiny purple forms darted among the broad maple leaves- one silent, the other giggling. Pix zipped in between branches, while a carefree Lulu chased him, perched merrily on her wooden staff, both hands firmly grasping the magical stick. One hand let go and stretched out, trying to catch the elusive fairy, but she quickly lost her balance and wound up clinging upside down to her staff. Still laughing, one hand holding her oversized hat onto her head, the other maintaining a heavy grip on her staff, she slowed down and landed on the ground. Pix, corkscrewing through the air, flew back to her and stopped, flitting several feet around her.
"That was fun!" Lulu exclaimed with a gigantic grin on her face to the silent fairy. The grin was replaced momentarily by a pensive look- "well, I lost." She gave a shrug, which was immediately followed by another grin. "Well? Let's try again!" Pix's only response was to buzz insistently and do a few somersaults. Lulu looked at it for a moment before nearly screaming, "Yay!", hopping back onto her staff, and doing a few loops while Pix chased her.
A few minutes of breathless flying later, she suddenly broke into a clearing, Pix only inches behind her. Sighing, but with a happy smile on her face, she sat down on a blocky green rock that had a spring leaking out of it.
Then, it moved.
With a squeal, Lulu leapt off, a startled Pix coming to investigate. "You scared me!" she squeaked out.
"S-S-Sorry…" came the sad answer. The 'rock' lifted itself, and she could see the green block was actually the head of Amumu. And what she had thought was a stream was actually tears leaking out from the large, expressive eyes that were even now welling up with tears.
Lulu stared at him, puzzled. "Why're you so sad?" came the confused query.
After a few sniffs, Amumu stuttered, "I-i-i-it's just, I can't seem to find any" he sniffled again "friends… the one I thought I had-" He sat down in despair and stared at the ground, as if it contained answers.
Lulu looked pensive for a moment before suddenly perking up and saying happily, "Well, do you wanna be my friend?"
Amumu's head slowly rose. "Y-y-yeah, th-that would be fun"
Lulu gave out a joyful whoop. Her first, still grasping her staff, shot up in a gesture of triumph, punctuating her gleeful exclamation, "Let's play all the games!" Still laughing, she perched on her staff and started floating up. "Try to catch me if you can!", she shouted, before flying away at top speed. Behind her, she could distantly hear Amumu's voice shouting, "B-b-but I can't fly!" After executing a quick mid-air u-turn, Lulu floated back down, tapped Amumu on his large blocky head with her staff, shouted "Birdie!", and zipped off again, Pix in her wake. A small sparrow, uncertainly flapping its wings, desperately flew after her.
However, experience granted speed and confidence, and within a matter of minutes, the little sparrow was rapidly gaining on Lulu and her fairy companion. Giggling, Lulu pulled up and flew right over Amumu, still going full speed in the opposite direction. The sparrow turned rapidly and started gaining ground again. A still giggling Lulu made a rapid right turn, then a left one, going over or below tree branches, weaving around trunks. Amumu, not having nearly as much experience in the air, was struggling just to keep her in sight. He nearly crashed into branches and trees many times- in fact, he speared right through leaves disturbed by Lulu's passing in an attempt to reach her that much faster. Finally, he got close enough and poked her in the neck with his beak, morphing back to shout, "you're it!" before suddenly realizing he was going very fast and was very high.
His eyes widened. Lulu's eyes widened.
Pix's eyes were closed tight, straining with effort as he stopped the little mummy from crashing into trees with a small shield and slowing him down, and they both eventually landed on the ground, sending up a small puff of dirt. Lulu landed near them. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah…" Amumu said uncertainly. "I think I can walk."
"I recommend skipping" Lulu told him enthusiastically. Amumu couldn't tell whether she was joking or serious. He came to the conclusion that he'd never really know. Looking up, he saw her following her own advice and skipping away. He followed her.
After a bit of walking, the two of them reached a stream. It was clear, and burbled cheerfully through a pathway of tumbled rocks. Here, Lulu turned to him and said with even more of her never-dampened enthusiasm, "let's build something!"
Even before she heard his mumbled "okay", she turned around and picked up a few sticks and stuck them in the mud near the stream. Looking at the little mummy for a moment, she noticed he appeared to be shaping a pile of mud into the shape of a little hut. Her mouth unconsciously morphing into a cute little frown, she kept interweaving little twigs she found on the forest floor near her, building an ever-higher structure made of twigs.
Amumu, on the other hand, was piling mud onto mud onto mud before carving out of the middle, making for a slower, but sturdier process. He was satisfied as it reached his neck, and began carving out little doors and windows.
Lulu, on the other hand, built her own structure to eye level, and was already busy adorning it with maple leaflets and wildflowers, making her structure appear to bristle with color, whether green, white, or blue. Her final touch, a pinecone, was carefully added to the top of her twigs. She carefully steadied it, before-
With a snap, one of the twigs gave way. Then another. And all of a sudden, Lulu's entire structure, twigs, flowers, and all, was nothing but a jumbled pile on the ground. Her lip quivered. She began to right the twigs, now more carefully placing them, and making sure to use larger, sturdier foundations. This time, there was more support, more structure, more strength. This time, as she worked her way up, there was no swaying as she wove in her colors, and she let out a little sigh when there was no collapse as the settled the pinecone into its rightful spot. It was done.
With a small cheer, Lulu grabbed Amumu and dragged him away near a rock. "Now, let's play hide and seek. I'm hiding, you're seeking!" Amumu gave her a nod.
"Now close your eyes, Amumu, and start counting out loud. You have to count to three hundred!" She pursed her lips, in thought, seemingly forgetting something. "And no peeking!" She added. He turned to face the rock and put his hands over his closed eyes
"One… Two… Three…." Amumu began, as Lulu began to take extremely exaggerated tip toe steps. She disappeared out of sight within seconds.
Skipping away once he couldn't hear her, she came to a small path and took it deeper into the forest with Pix trailing behind her. Her foot landed in something moist. With a soft "eww…", she realized it was a fresh turd. Looking down, her face scrunched into a small scowl, she studied it before realizing that it was both of a predator and extremely recent. Which meant that-
She suddenly threw her staff up and it blocked the great wolf that jumped out of the line of bushes near the trees. Angry at the denial of its prey, the wolf shook the staff out of Lulu's hand and threw it out of her reach. She pointed at the wolf and shouted, "Bunny!" It simply growled leapt at her again. This time, Pix came in and redirected the wolf, forcing it to ram a tree. Getting progressively more and more infuriated, the wolf let out a snarl, raised its hackles, and charged again. Lulu yelped and jumped out of the way before running in the opposite direction as fast as she could, the wolf on her heels.
Amumu, meanwhile was still counting. In between 189 and 190, however, an extremely agitated Pix came and buzzed near his ear. Amumu, eyes still closed, said, "I can't leave yet. I haven't gotten to three hundred."
Pix buzzed insistently.
Amumu sighed and followed where the Fairy was pointing towards, and started trudging in that direction. Then, when he heard the sound of the crashing underbrush, a little faster. And then he broke out into an outright sprint when he caught sight of the terrified, fleeing Lulu. Seeing the wolf behind her gather its strength for another leap, one that would certainly bring it crashing onto Lulu's unprotected back, Amumu tossed out one of his loose bandages and pulled himself to the surprised wolf with enough force to rock it back onto its haunches. Then, ignoring the wolf's flailing claws, he screamed, "stay away from my friend!", punctuated with five smashes on its nose. Everything came out. His anger, lashing out with stinging bandages all around him. His despair, making even the grasses nearby stoop with sadness. His curse, to be forever wrapped in these bandages, to never let his true self be seen by others, to always be a green lump and never a person and friend. The silent scream of rage and anguish and fury enveloped everything near him in green, concealing, confining bandages. Exhausted, he slumped over, somehow still managing to stay on his feet, but too tired to do more than let out a strangled sob.
The wolf, whimpering with pain and fear, loped away the instant it was free from the bandages. Amumu turned around to find Lulu, who was curled up in terror. He waddled over. "A-a-are you… okay?" he asked tentatively.
"Yeah." She said uncertainly. Then, with more confidence, "yeah, I'm fine." Her eyes dropped down for a moment. "Amumu… you're a good person, and a great friend. No matter what other people say. I… uh, could have been hurt. And you didn't have to. But you" She blushed slightly. "You jumped in front of it and saved me. So… thanks. A lot."
Amumu was so stunned, he almost fell down. His body was normally cold and numb, but now, he felt oddly warm. "I- uh- you're welcome…" He folded his blocky hands together as best he could. "You're a really good friend too, Lulu. S-s-so… thanks for that…" He was interrupted by a flying tackle hug. She pulled back, and smiled at him. He tentatively smiled back.
She frowned for a moment, and wiped away new moisture leaking out of his eyes. "Why're you so sad?"
"I'm not sad" said the mummy.
He felt tears drip down his face. But they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of joy, of happiness. He couldn't shake the feeling that now, finally, something was going right in his life.