ARPG Prompt: Sowing Friendship

Juka was ecstatic. Someone just asked him to help her out. Him! Even without actual feet, Juka was practically skipping from excitement. Nothing could possibly bring him down--not even the amount of time it took to walk to the farm he would be helping at.

The rainforest Juka called home was particularly sunny today, with only the lightest clouds covering the sun. The air was crisp and the underbrush was glittering with thousands of dew crystals. Little rainbows refracted through the droplets and dappled the ground alongside its shadow brothers. The forest’s Lilyps were splashing around joyously in the ponds and the birds were singing a song that set the mood for adventure.

Juka met the interesting Pacapillar yesterday when he was returning from the flea market with Jona. He was having a terrible day, the kind that made you want to just go home and sob yourself to sleep. Hanging out with Jona was nice and all, but it didn’t make him feel any better, especially since she was dragging the mood down even more talking about how “much of a drag” her studies were.

This strange Paca didn’t know how much asking for help helped him. Juka was too distracted to be able to listen to what she was saying because he couldn’t believe that this Paca didn’t care about his lack of nubs or drowsy nature. The only thing Juka managed to pick out from the conversation was the mention of a farm just down the road.

Jona found the whole thing to be kinda sketchy, but something about the stranger made Juka feel at ease. It was almost as if her aura was filled with good will. So with a shake of his head, he ignored Jona’s warnings and agreed that he would meet up with the new face before noon tomorrow.

And tomorrow yesterday is now today.

Juka launched into the air and landed back down clumsily. Energy was surging through him, even with the chilly weather. Whatever that Paca wanted him to help out with, Juka was certain that he could do it. (He bet he could even lift up the Eastern Mountains if she asked!)

Even with such energy making him travel faster, the farm felt like it would take eons to get to. (He wasn’t even at the marketplace yet!) Juka looked up into the perfect blue sky, and with a shiver of glee, somehow managed to begin to hurry just a little bit more.

Finally Juka made it. The fields weren’t quite as expansive as the sea of trees that made up Juka’s home forest, which made Juka’s face sink a little bit. He had been expecting rolling hills of tilled soil that were growing things that he’d seen at the market. Like maybe radishes the size of his face or watermelons that were bigger than Jona or unique creatures with too many eyes for their own good.

But instead of marketplace-worthy goods, there were just sparse green bits here and there as well as a pair of dumb-looking Baas munching on dull-coloured grass. Juka looked and spotted two buildings in the distance. One was clearly a barn with a coup and silo beside it, while the other building appeared to be some type of house. Surrounding it all was an old, mildewy fence that was crumbling apart.

Juka’s soaring heart crumpled. Maybe he had hyped this whole thing up a bit too much.

Juka’s eyes scanned the farm a second time and spotted the glossy bangs and loppy ears of the Paca he met in the market. Juka smudged a smile back onto his face and began to make his way over to the field where she was working. Juka was about to call out to the cow-spotted Paca, but then realized that he didn’t actually know what her name was.

Luckily, one of the Baas nearby spotted him and bleated in his direction. This caught the Paca’s attention, saving Juka from the creepiness of just suddenly appearing beside her.

“‘Ello!” she called “Glad you made it here alright.”

“Yup,” Juka’s smile tightened, “a real pleasure to, uh, be here.”

There was an awkward stillness in the air that went on for much longer than Juka would’ve appreciated. He took a breath and tried to fill the silence.

“Um, so what are you working on?”

“I’m planting some crops.” the Paca said, “I’m expecting the carrots to grow up within ten weeks or so.”

Juka just nodded. He realized something that began to fill his stomach with butterflies. Correction, hornets.

“Uh, well,” Juka said, “I-I’ve never actually… Never actually, well, farmed, before.”

Which was true. Juka lived in the rainforest that provided him with all the food he needed. And when the food wasn’t growing, he was hibernating by then. The Paca laughed strongly, though there was a friendly undertone. Juka blinked and looked at the dirt-dusted farmer. He wasn’t sure if he should feel stupid or laugh along with along with her.

“Don’t worry your little heart, fella,” she said, “any help is appreciated, even if I have to teach you a few things.”

Juka’s shoulders relaxed and his smile became a little more genuine. “R-really?”

“Yup,” she said, “now let’s get you a trowel and some seeds.”

The sun perched itself at the highest point in the sky and looked down at the pair of Pacas. Juka began to feel light with excitement again as he learned about all kinds of new things. (Like, apparently the plants are supposed to be that sparse.)

By the time the sun was drifting away from high-noon, Juka was confidently making seven-inch holes in the plots and burying little potatoes in them. According to Darling (Juka learned the farming Paca’s name among many other things this afternoon) the potatoes will multiply?! Juka asked if it would work with berry pies, to which Darling laughed and explained how potatoes were a root vegetable or something.

Juka couldn’t understand everything that Darling explained, since there was so much information, but he caught onto a majority of things. (Though he still refused to believe that the water pump worked with a “vacuum” and not magic.)

The sun began to set under the horizon and Darling said that he should probably start to head home. Juka, not even realizing that it had already gotten dark, looked up at the sky in shock.

“Wait, but I’m not done!”

Juka looked over his (somewhat) straight rows of freshly planted onions with a shimmer of sorrow in his eyes. He didn’t want to leave his plot behind.

“You’re welcome to come back tomorrow or the day after,” his new friend said, “I’d be happy to share the harvest with you, too!”

“I can?” Juka’s eyes watered and his chin crumpled.

Darling laughed, “Of course, little fella!”

With his eyes watering, Juka and Darling exchanged farewells, as well as Darling giving him a few planters and seeds to grow in them. Juka couldn’t thank Darling enough as he slowly walked away from the farm.

He stopped by Jona’s house on the way home and showed off his new gifts and, in his own jumbled way, attempted to explain a few things that he had learned. He gawked at his friend when he found out that she already knew everything Darling had taught him. The two spent the rest of the night talking about plants before drifting off to sleep at the kitchen table.