Disclaimer: Kirby belongs to Nintendo and HAL Laboratory.
Fecto Elfilis, Vesa and Elfilin met up with Kirby at the edge of Whispy Woods the following morning. The ultimate life-form pulled out the map they held onto, beginning to venture into the woods. While Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin followed close behind, they kept their eyes out for anything which could be made of metal.
With keen eyes, the four spotted a few screws and bolts. Elfilis helped them pull out a few metal plates and Vesa brushed the dirt off a rusty hinge. Half an hour in, Elfilin checked the map for any more hot spots. His paw pressed on the spot where the river should be.
"Poyo," Kirby offered.
Elfilin blinked and shifted his gaze to the pink star warrior.
"That'll help," the small chinchilla nodded, "thanks!"
Vesa checked the path ahead of her, noticing a ball of orange and white fur was…digging into the ground for something.
"Oh?"
Elfilis got a closer look at the creature while Kirby leapt into the river nearby. Seconds continued on in silence until the critter popped its head out.
"Is that a hamster?" Vesa gasped.
"I believe so," Elfilis placed a finger on their jaw, "I've assimilated similar rodents in the past, but they weren't as large as this one."
The hamster perked up its ears and turned its head towards Elfilin, Vesa and Elfilis.
"Oi oi oi!" the hamster exclaimed, "what's all this, then?"
Vesa felt a chill run down her spine, her brow sweating nervously.
"W-We're just looking for scraps in the woods," Vesa stammered.
"Hey," the hamster gave a confused look, "what's with the shivering? I ain't gonna hurt ya."
The hamster approached her, and Vesa noticed he barely came up to her waist. She examined the hamster for a few moments before she ran her hand along the top of his head. He let out a cute squeak as she scratched behind his ears, his stubby tail wagging.
"This feels nice," he purred.
Vesa placed the index finger of her other hand on her chin.
"Well," Vesa mused, "I shouldn't be surprised to see talking animals at this point."
Elfilin floated over to the hamster and circled him, so Vesa withdrew her hand.
"Hi, there!" Elfilin chirped, "my name's Elfilin. What's yours?"
"The name's Rick," the hamster nodded at the small chinchilla, "I'm just out here preparin' my home for the coming winta! It's a little ways off still, but best to start now before I forget to do it later!"
Soon enough, Kirby emerged from the water with a rusty gear in tow.
"Poyo!" Kirby called over.
Elfilis glanced over as the pink star warrior carried the rusty gear and handed it to them. They quickly stored it in their dimensional pocket.
"Thank you."
"Poyo!"
Rick and Kirby exchanged glances.
"Heya, Kirby," Rick waved his paw, "it's been a while!"
"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, "poyo poyo poyo!"
Kirby gestured to Vesa and Elfilis. The ultimate life-form simply nodded at Rick.
"Well, nice to meet you guys," Rick replied, "so what'cha guys up to?"
Kirby, Vesa, Elfilis and Elfilin followed Rick down the forest path.
"We did go on a scavenger hunt yesterday," Vesa explained, "which Kirby and Elfilin won."
"Well," Rick commented, "Kirby has always been lucky, so that tracks."
Vesa quickly noticed the hamster didn't have a clear destination. She borrowed the map from Elfilis and read it carefully. Her finger traced the trail before it pointed at a gathering of trees marked with a hotspot.
"The next spot should be," Vesa paused, "about several meters east of here."
Rick's ears perked up.
"Oh," Rick offered, "I can help if ya need it! I'm real good at digging if that's something you need help with?"
Elfilin happily did a backflip and Kirby waved his arms.
"Sure!" Elfilin chirped.
"Poyo!"
"Great!" Rick gave a wink, "I can go get my other pal Coo and we can see about spotting some of those metal bits from the air."
"Poyo!"
Vesa gave Rick an inquisitive look before locking eyes onto Elfilis.
"I guess some helping hands wouldn't hurt," she shrugged.
"I suppose," Elfilis sighed.
Elfilis wasn't sure why they needed more tagalongs, but then they noticed the smile on Kirby's face. Rick led Elfilis, Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin along the forest path, meandering past some trees. Taking a center path, they made their way to the tree cluster. Once they stopped, Vesa tilted her head up, noticing a wing or two tossing out small pieces out of the hole in the tree. Without warning, a striped fuzzy wormlike creature with big eyes plopped on top of Kirby, whose eyes widened in horror.
"Poyo!" Kirby screamed, "poyo! Poyo poyo!"
All eyes were on Kirby as he flailed his arms and teetered on one foot. While Vesa, Rick and Elfilin stared in mere shock, Elfilis watched with intrigue in their eyes. With a flick of their hand, they levitated the Capiller off Kirby's head and released it on the ground.
"I'm sure you consumed worse," Elfilis retorted with a hint of amusement.
Kirby fell onto his back, dizziness in his eyes. An owl emerged from the hole in the tree, eyes locked onto the pink puff.
"Oh, Kirby," the owl cooed, "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were here."
Elfilis, Rick, Vesa and Elfilin tilted their gaze upwards, focusing on the owl.
"Hi," Elfilin waved his paw, "are you Coo?"
"I am!" Coo nodded, "what do you guys need?"
Vesa took a moment to readjust her cap.
"You see," Vesa explained, "we're searching the woods for machine scraps."
"I can help with that if you want me to," Coo answered, "I'm not quite strong enough to do any carrying, but I can help you spot them if you want me to."
"That's what we're hoping for," Elfilin chirped, "thanks!"
Vesa focused her gaze on Kirby and knelt by his side.
"Hey," she whispered, "are you ok, buddy?"
Kirby stirred before he rolled onto his feet.
"Poyo."
"Well," Elfilis said, "as long as you're doing ok."
Elfilis glanced down at Kirby, confused as to how the pink star warrior could battle gods, godlike entities and creatures which would cause most mortal minds to be driven insane by their mere presence, and yet that particular small insect was what he feared the most. Coo spread his wings and flew down to meet with the others.
"Ok," Vesa smiled, "let's go!"
Coo took off into the sky while Rick led Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin back onto the forest path. Vesa picked another hotspot on the map in her hands. The hamster would tilt his gaze to the sky at intervals, waiting for a signal from the owl. The ultimate life-form stayed close to Vesa, still keeping a vigilant eye out for metal scraps which might not be on the map.
Coo signaled at a spot, so Rick began digging into the ground. Elfilis reached down and helped yank out the metal piece from the dirt. While Vesa and Elfilin brushed off the dirt, the hamster tilted his gaze up.
"Got it!" Rick called.
Coo responded with a hoot. Elfilis pulled the metal scrap aside and inspected it. Interestingly enough, it resembled some kind of robotic arm.
"Fascinating," Elfilis said to themself.
Elfilis stored it in their pocket dimension. The ensemble on the ground continued their journey through the woods, picking out machine scraps the angelic lancer managed to detect. Yet, even as they stashed away each metal scrap, this social activity overwhelmed them mentally, still not used to meeting new people, or even those who weren't direct family or close friends. Still, Elfilis noticed the gentle smile on Vesa's face. They made a mental note to speak with Fransisca later.
They arrived at the edge of a lake minutes later. Coo landed next to Rick. Vesa checked the map again, only to notice the next hotspot is at the center of the lake.
"Oh boy," Vesa sighed.
Elfilin and Kirby exchanged glances.
"Poyo?"
"Yeah," Elfilin nodded, "I guess this calls for some swimming. Right, Kirby?"
"Poyo!" Kirby nodded in agreement.
Elfilis bristled slightly at the idea of needing to go into the water. Honestly, water in their fur would be a nightmare, especially when the core of their DNA was based on a chinchilla, a creature with such soft and fine fur to the point it would need to take dust baths. Vesa noticed the discomfort in their eyes, so she gently grasped their hand.
"You don't have to go into the water," Vesa tried to assure them, "it's ok."
Vesa returned her gaze to Kirby as he put on a pair of scuba goggles.
"A-All right," Elfilis sighed and lowered their head.
Elfilis lowered their head, upset at their own uselessness in the current situation. Staring back at the water somehow reminded them too much of…wait. They shivered at the reminder of being suspended in fluid every day, every hour, for years on end. They twitched and took deep breaths. Frowning, Vesa reached out to perch her hand on their shoulder. The flashbacks got bad enough to the point Elfilis dropped to one knee, their eyes staring off into space.
Vesa didn't hesitate as she wrapped her arms around Elfilis, running her fingers through their chest fur. The ultimate life-form couldn't help but blush as they felt her warm embrace.
"It's ok," she cooed, "I'm here."
Elfilis let out a soft whine as they shuddered and leaned closer to Vesa. They both didn't pay attention to the bubbles emerging from the surface of the water. Rick, Coo, Kirby and Elfilin watched intently for a moment until a fish popped out. The pink star warrior's smile widened as soon as he recognized the fish.
"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.
"Why hello, Kirby!" the fish greeted, "what brings you here?"
The fish exchanged glances with Rick and Coo before focusing his eyes on Elfilin.
"And who's this fella?" the fish asked.
Elfilin blushed cutely and waved his paw.
"I'm Elfilin," he chirped, "what about you?"
"My name's Kine! How can I help you?"
Kirby watched as Vesa gestured Elfilis to back away from the lake a little, guiding them towards the nearest tree. When they entered the shade, Vesa sat down next to Elfilis, watching as Kirby used his body language and limited speech to explain the situation to Kine, the fish nodding in response. The pink star warrior jumped into the water and Kine dived under the lake with him. While Elfilin, Coo and Rick stood on the sidelines, Vesa returned her gaze to Elfilis, noticing the tears in their eyes. Though, they began to calm down, starting to release tension. Vesa leaned closer to them and nuzzled their cheek.
Elfilin turned his gaze behind him and hovered over to his sibling and their close friend.
"Hey," Elfilin tilted his head sideways, "are you ok?"
Vesa and Elfilis shifted their gaze to the small chinchilla. The ultimate life-form still had the sensations of being trapped, immobilized and unable to do anything as the scientists tortured them lingering in their mind. Elfilin drooped his ears as mental projections from his counterpart played out in his mind.
"Oh," Elfilin sighed, "do you still need space?"
Elfilis didn't say anything. The small chinchilla floated back towards the hamster and the owl. His presence alone caught their attention.
"Heya, little guy!" Rick waved his paw, "how's it goin'?"
Elfilin glanced over his shoulder for a few seconds.
"My sibling isn't doing too well," Elfilin answered, "bad things happened to them long ago."
"Well, not that long ago if what Kirby's been tellin' me means anything," Rick replied, "mostly just been tellin' me so I know how not to rile him up or accidentally upset 'em."
"Yeah," Elfilin agreed.
Coo tilted her head towards the water just as Kine and Kirby emerged from the lake.
"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.
The pink star warrior held up a rusty vent grate.
"Hey," Coo exclaimed, "that's an excellent find!"
Kine jumped up and did a back flip before splashing back down.
"Thank you!" Kine smiled.
Vesa, having overheard the commotion, shifted her gaze to the others. She checked the map in her hands. From what she could read, there were only a few unchecked hotspots left. She traced the path through the woods until her finger reached the exit at another side of the woods.
"If we take this shortcut," Vesa said, "maybe we can snag the last of these scraps along the way."
Vesa locked eyes onto Elfilis and cupped their face in her hand.
"I-I'm all right," Elfilis nodded sheepishly, their tail swishing side to side.
With Elfilis having come back to their senses, Vesa helped them to their feet. They emerged from the shades as Kirby approached them with the grate vent in his possession.
"Poyo?" Kirby held out the metal scrap.
Elfilis plucked the grate and stashed it into their pocket dimension.
"Thank you."
Elfilis and Vesa exchanged brief glances. Neither of them could come up with words to describe the warm sensation they were both feeling within their chests. They both followed Kirby back to Rick, Coo, Kine and Elfilin. The small chinchilla perked up his large ears and floated over to his larger counterpart.
"I'm ready to find more parts when you are!" Elfilin winked.
"Hopefully, we'll be done soon," Elfilis rubbed their head, "I might need to lie down when we get home."
Kirby spun around and waved his arms at the three animals.
"Poyo!"
"You take good care, Kirby!" Coo waved his wing.
Vesa led Elfilin, Kirby and Elfilis down the specific direction in the woods while the latter three kept a vigilant eye for the remaining few machine parts. Elfilis spotted one ahead and ripped it out of the ground. They examined some kind of tablet when they brushed off the dirt. Continuing along the path, the pink star warrior and the small chinchilla spotted the next part. They both teamed up to pull it out of a tree trunk. Elfilis continued along and using their heightened vision, removed more machine scraps from the ground.
By the time the four reached the exit on the other side of the woods, Vesa checked the map once again, noting all the hotspots having been cleared. Elfilin circled around her with a curious expression.
"Is that all?" Elfilin asked.
Vesa locked eyes onto the small chinchilla.
"There should be a shortcut back to the tower, shouldn't there?" Vesa smiled.
"Of course," Elfilis nodded.
Vesa was just handing the map back to Elfilis when she felt her legs wobbling, almost as if she were to fall over at any minute.
"This doesn't make sense," she muttered to herself, "I'd been using my legs with little trouble yesterday…"
Vesa leaned closer to Elfilis. They leaned their head a little closer to her.
"Would you like me to carry you?" Elfilis asked, their tone hinting at concern.
"Please," she begged.
Elfilis placed one arm under both of her legs and the other behind her back. They gently lifted her up and held her close to their chest. Vesa perched her arms over their shoulders and rested her head on their chest. Kirby and Elfilin stared for a brief moment before they exchanged glances.
"Aww, so cute!" Elfilin chirped.
"Poyo!"
Elfilis huffed as their face reddened in embarrassment and their eye twitched slightly. Vesa tilted her head upwards, her face also reddening.
"Uh," Vesa stammered, "thanks, Elfilis. You…mean so much to me."
Vesa made a brief glance at Kirby and Elfilin moment, the pink star warrior beckoning them to follow.
"I feel the same way you do," Elfilis admitted.
Vesa smiled as Kirby led Elfilin and Elfilis down the dirt path. They soon returned to the entrance of the tower. The pink star warrior and the small chinchilla didn't hesitate to scurry into the tower, leaving Elfilis to make their way through the foyer and down the stairs into the library. They gently set Vesa onto the couch. She leaned her back onto the arm of the couch, letting the ultimate life-form cradle the back of her head with one hand.
"Hey," she pointed at a bookshelf, "you mind picking out a book from that shelf?"
Elfilis examined the shelf for a brief moment before using their telekinesis to levitate a science book off the shelf. Vesa grasped the book as soon as it floated closer. She examined the title "Strange Biology Across the Galaxy". Elfilis sat down next to her as they both began to read it, with Vesa taking interest in creatures like eyeballs with wings and creatures that secrete gasoline and light themselves on fire as a method of defense.
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