Periapt

Petrichor is a sweet little dragon who thinks of my girlfriend and I as their moms. They love nature, especially unusual weather, and they like to go exploring to see all that they can see! Exploring gets lonely sometimes, though, which is why they were excited to find this little guy (who they eventually name Periapt!)

I imagine Periapt sleeps by attaching his stem to the branches of a tree, sort of like how grafting works? This allows him to absorb nutrients while he rests. Petrichor discovered him sleeping like this on one of their adventures, and was fascinated but concerned. Periapt is around the size of a basketball, and while sleeping he looks like a giant, vulnerable piece of fruit.

Petrichor decided to keep watch over this strange creature, and resolved to interfere if anything else tried to prey on him. They were surprised to see that other animals seemed to avoid the tree. A few would try to approach it, but they turned away when they got within a few feet of it. Confused, Petrichor decided to take a closer look- until the foul scent wafting off the tree made them turn around.

After observing from afar for a few days, Petrichor determined that the stench wasn't coming from the tree or the creature; it seemed to be a chemical reaction between the two. Periapt would absorb nutrients from the tree in exchange for protecting it from predators by making it smell repellent.

If this was the only think Petrichor had noticed, they would have continued off adventuring on their own. But as skilled as Periapt was at self-preservation while sleeping, he seemed hopeless at it during his waking hours. Petrichor watched him walk straight into boulders, come perilously close to going down a waterfall, and waddle right past a swarm of fruit bats. 

The bats were what forced Petrichor to intervene, and they scooped the little creature up before it got devoured. Periapt showed no signs of understanding what had just happened, but happily cuddled into Petrichor's fur. They can't communicate verbally with each other, and Petrichor still can't bear to get too close when Periapt is sleeping, but they've been nearly inseparable ever since.