a collection of tales [[ chronocompass writing ]]

The breezy fields around him are bright and wonderful, and yet Teeba only now found himself appreciating it at this moment, when the troublesome feline before him was found and he knew everyone was safe. With the sun shining brightly down, the tall stalks of grass waving in the wind, and the few clouds blowing above his head looked wonderfully fluffy, as if he could just lie down in them and take a nap. But right now he was mostly focusing on getting everyone home and making dinner for everyone. There were so many more mouths to feed these days, he had been gathering various herbs and the like to make some type of soup. Dandelions were plentiful out here - and now there were a decent amount of the things in his bag, ready to take back home.

Otulius smiles warmly at the cat, a welcoming offer to come on back home, and somehow, without any words, he manages to convince the cat to join them once more. There's some head tilts and soft purring sounds from the cheerful dragon that Teeba-ei wouldn't have understood without their mental connection.

As the constantly wandering cat hops up onto Otulius's back, Teeba notices a rustling in the grass in front of him. For a moment he halts, steps back in preparation of an attack - but then he sees the long ears, the twitching whiskers, and realizes that this is another creature who might want to join the little family that's spontaneously growing around him. Quietly and cautiously, he kneels down on the ground and opens up one of the satchels he'd been carrying. Otulius instantly knows what he's going to do and thinks in both their heads - Will we still have enough to feed everyone tonight?

I can only hope, the Tsotska reluctantly replies. All that he knows right now is that there's a lot of creatures that keep on coming to him for some reason and while he might not be the best at helping them all out, he wants to do his very best either way. So he reaches into that bag of his and pulls out some of the precious dandelions he had gathered over the long time looking for his cat. (His cat. What an odd phrase to think about, wasn't it?)

But no matter - he holds out the herbs, tilts his head slightly to one side and does his very best to relax. The fairy armadillo on his shoulder looks out into the grass expectantly. And they wait. The rustling slowly but surely gets closer, and after a short while the bunny itself comes fully into view from the grass and stares hopefully at the dandelions in Teeba's hand. The lizard does his best to stay still, quiet, as the creature hops forward more slowly then he could ever have imagined. Then, at long last, the rabbit gets within reach of the plants he's holding and gently takes them away from him, nibbling happily at the wildflowers and the wonderful leaves.

He waits until the bunny is halfway through the plants he's offered to reach one hand out and pet the rabbit's back, in a soft slow motion that he hopes won't alarm the creature. In almost a whisper, Teeba-ei makes an offer that, several years ago, he would never have thought of doing. But perhaps the times have changed.

"Do you have a place to stay, my friend? Do you know where you're sleeping tonight? Because if you don't... Well, I think I can give you a home."

Then he stops, and waits for the answer expectantly. The warm breeze keeps on blowing.

It seems like a good day for a potential new friend.