I gave myself feels with this one.
Day #8: Companion
Characters: Bolin
Setting: Before LoK
7/13/12
Bolin got lonely a lot.
Mako was always off trying to earn some money for them, or trying to scavenge food from somewhere. He would give Bolin a place to stay and wait for him until he came back. Usually he was successful, very rarely did he ever return to his younger brother empty handed. But Bolin wanted to help, the guilt of him sitting around all day doing nothing while his brother worked his young fingers to the bone sat in his belly like a stone.
So sometimes Bolin would leave the spot Mako told him to wait at, and wander around the streets, trying to find something helpful. Sometimes he managed to snag some food, but he was too young for anyone to hire him.
It was on one of these walkabouts that he found a group of kids huddled around something. He heard them laughing, so he trotted over to see what was going on.
There was about five boys, all in a tight circle around something. They were poking at it with sticks and throwing rocks at it. Bolin stood on his tiptoes and peered over their shoulders at the small fire ferret that was hissing at them.
"Hey! Leave it alone!" The sound of his own voice surprised him. These boys were all a few years older than him, and they turned to him with raised eyebrows and devilish smirks.
"What did you say?" One of them cracked his knuckles.
"I said to-to leave that animal alone."
"What are you going to do about it?"
Bolin wished that he had Mako with him. His brother would know what to do. Or at least shoot some fire.
"Exactly, you aren't going to do a thing." The boys turned away from him and a rage overtook Bolin. He stomped the ground, sending a rock shooting up underneath on of the boys, sending him flying into the air. He landed on the ground a few feet away and groaned, remaining still.
"I told you to leave it alone!" Bolin lifted another chunk of earth, and sent it towards the group again and it hit one of the boys in the shoulder. He flew backwards and there was a whoosh as the air was knocked from his lungs.
With one more giant stomp, three more rocks shot up under the remaining boys before they could even move. They flew into the air and each one landed in a different spot, laying where they fell and holding their injuries.
"You should have listened to me." Bolin told them as he stooped near the small animal, which was huddled against the wall and shaking. "C'mere, I'm not going to hurt you."
He held his hands out to it and it hissed, but he gently pulled it up off the ground and gathered it in his arms petting it on the head gently. Slowly it started to relax, and it even licked him on the hand, as if thanking him. With his new companion in his arms, Bolin headed back to the spot Mako had left him earlier, telling him that he would be back around suppertime.
"You're going to love my older brother." Bolin talked to the small ferret as it curled up in his arms with a tiny yawn. "He's a fire bender, and you're a fire ferret, so I bet you two will get along. You're going to need a name though."
Then Bolin fell silent, deep in thought until he reached the tree in the park he had been assigned to wait under. He sat cross-legged on the ground, the small fire ferret sleeping on his lap. He leaned his head up against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.
When he awoke, there was no fire ferret in his lap. His heart sank. He had really wanted to keep the small animal with him.
"Hey Bolin. Sorry I took so long to get back." Mako sat next to him and opened up a small napkin, revealing some bread and two apples.
"Hi Mako." Bolin straightened up and sighed.
"What wrong?"
"Today I found a fire ferret, and it was sleeping on my lap, but then I fell asleep and when I woke up it was gone."
"It's better that way Bolin, I can't feed another mouth." Mako handed his brother an apple.
"I guess you're right."
"Cheer up. I got fresh fruit today."
"Okay!"
The two brothers ate in silence, making sure they got every last crumb. There was a rustling in the bushes and they watched as a small animal appeared, heading straight for Bolin's lap.
"He came back!" Bolin exclaimed, stroking the red fur.
"Great." Mako ran a hand through his hair.
"Mako look!" Bolin pointed to the ferret's mouth, where it was holding a branch with leaves and berries. "He can feed himself. Can we keep him? Please? I've already thought of a name and everything."
Mako thought for a moment, watching the ferret nibble at the berries. "Fine."
"Thank you Mako!" Bolin lifted up the ferret to eye level and smiled. "I'm going to call you Pabu."
I love Pabu.
Please send me a review!
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