Lost Toy
"I still can't find her, Wix!" Biinkai cried. She let the leaf she'd been searching under fall away, defeated.
"It has to be here somewhere," the accompanying young sprout assured. "We were right around here when you lost her."
"What if someone stole her? I'll never see her again!" Binkai- known fondly as 'Kai,' was not known for being a pretty crier. Hideous wails started to ring through the forest at a volume Wix didn't realize was possible from such a small plottie.
"Hey, it's okay." Wix, previously searching across the path from her, scurried over to sit beside where Kai was crouched. Though the two were the same age, Wix was significantly more mature for their age. And, as usual, he was the one comforting the ever emotional Biinkai.
Earlier that morning, the two sprouts, along with the rest of their daycare group, had come out to the edge of the forest on a field trip picnic. Kai brought her favorite doll everywhere with her, and the picnic was no exception. However, on the way back, she realized her doll was missing. Her best friend Wix calmed her down at the time by suggesting they come back to look, but it appeared as though without the doll, he had only delayed the inevitable meltdown.
"She was my favorite," Kai wept. "I took her to sleep with me when I was still afraid of storms. She was my first friend before I met you."
"Aww, Kai," Wix patted her arm. "Well... she did help you grow up. Maybe... maybe she found some other sprout that needed her."
"Mmm," Kai sighed. Her heart was still heavy, but the thought that perhaps she had moved on to help the next child was... somewhat consoling. "She was a good helper."
"Yeah, she was," Wix agreed. "You wanna go back to my pot? You can share my toys!"
"Okay." Reluctantly, Kai stood, and began walking back with her friend. They had just reached the edge of the clearing when some crunching fall leaves sounded behind them.
"What was that?" Kai jumped.
"Just some leaves," Wix, unfazed, kept walking until he realized she was no longer beside him. "Kai?"
"I'm going to check out the noise! It might be whoever stole my doll!"
"Or not!" but she was already gone. With a sigh, Wix gave chase.
Luckily, she didn't go far- though she did slide down a rather steep bank Wix wondered if they'd ever be able to mount again. It was at the deepest point in the valley Biinkai was marching around, digging through the leaves and loose dirt.
"Kai, it's probably nothing!" Wix shouted down.
"Just a minute!" Stubbornly, she insisted on checking every crevice down there. A bit miffed now, Wix plopped down and waited at the top of the bank. His new plan was simply to wait until she wore herself out. Then maybe they could go home and play with their powoos, and have some of his mom's snacks, maybe play a round of-
"Wix!! Look at this!!" Wix snapped out of his thoughts, and realized Kai had dissappeared! Wait, no, she was poking out from behind an old rotting log. It didn't exactly look safe, though.
"Kai-"
"Just come here!" Defeated, Wix finally gave in to sliding carefully down the bank and joining her at the mouth of the hollowed-out log.
"What is- whoa..."
Neither sprout was quite sure just what they were looking at. Upon first glance, they might have mistaken it for an animal- a very large squirrel maybe. But after a moment, the unblinking glass eyes said otherwise. Its surface was plush- or was at one point. Now it was worn with age, and utterly matted with dirt grime and who knows what else. The thing filled up almost all of the log's passage though, standing as tall, if not taller than most plotties' pots! Frankly, it almost looked like a really, really, REALLY big doll.
"What is it?" Biinkai breathed.
"Do you think it could be a human toy?" Wix wondered, inching slowly close enough to touch it.
"A human toy!" The answer seemed to satisfy Kai. Without any of Wix's hesitation, Kai lunged forward to hug it. It was so big, she could only manage to wrap her arms around its foot. The plush shifted upon impact, but didn't topple. "Wix! This could be our new hideout!"
"But we didn't have an old hideout..."
"A secret hideout! For just you and me!" She ducked underneath the toy's arm to get to the other side. Behind it, the log was shut off by a wall of dirt and roots from another tree. It was sort of like a little room.
"This seems very dangerous. The log is already rotting, if it gives and collapses-"
"Didn't you always want your own craft studio? You could make one here!" Kai gestured to the wall with plenty of open space. "You could hang supply baskets in the roots! And we can make a table for snacking here, and keep some toys here..." Kai rambled on and on, planning their new hideout. Wix watched her in awe, eyes opening to the place's potential. Truthfully, she'd had him at 'craft studio.'
"So? Are you in? Secret hideout buddies?" Kai seemed to have finished her spiel, now eagerly bouncing in anticipation of Wix's answer.
"Secret hideout buddies," he agreed.
"You know, you could have just gotten her a new regular doll," Munai groaned.
"But what's the fun in that?" Ed slyly remarked, watching as well. The two grown saigis watched over the sprouts from their incorporeal forms.
"Where did you even get that human teddy bear anyway?" Munai squinted.
"Eh, I scared some kid into dropping it in the woods a couple years back. Almost forgot about it," Ed grinned. "Moved it here for the little squirt."
"You are out of your mind," Munai would have been grinding his teeth.
"The kid's happy, isn't she?" Ed smiled back down to where Biinkai and her friend were making "secret hideout plans." "That's all that matters." Munai sighed.
"Only for her sake, I'll allow it."
"How gracious of you," Ed cackled. Even in this form, Munai's nonexistent skin prickled. How they both ended up watching out for this saigi child was beyond him.