Toasted Beach

Ah, summer. One of the best times of the year in Culario. The warmth of the air still lingered in even the coldest nights, where no Sushi Dog or Cat felt even the slightest shiver; the world seemed to be thick with the fog of the prior evening, calling out to the stars on a lost and desolate plane. It was nights like these that the creatures, big and small, would all gather round for a nice treat of roasting marshmallows on the open fire, settling by the beach to sing until dawn.

One creature in particular loved this tradition a whole heck of a lot; Quill watched the festivities with glee, his little tail wagging back and forth as he looked over the canine-made paradise. The warm sand beneath his feet, the good friends kept around him - if this wasn’t bliss, then what was?

His head turned to notice an old friend starstruck in the distance; Chie settled themselves by the shore, feeling the waves crash and descend as they tracked holes in sand between their toes. With the bonfire further up on the beach, Quill knew it could only mean one thing - and that one thing definitely meant to settle down and make up time that had been lost in the pellmell world they’d all grown to love.

But even still, while business was fun every once in a while, it sure was nice to get a break.

The pair said nothing, but engaged in a silent little acknowledgement of one another; Chie’s floppy ears perked up upon arrival of their friend, nuzzling into his flank. Quill returned the gesture in turn. The windswept shoreline seemed to be nice and peaceful as it made its way across - and what’s more, even without the words to say it all, Quill knew he could rely on Chie to fill in the gaps.

“A nice night,” Chie signed at Quill. “Isn’t it?”

Even through half-lidded eyes, the mute little Soosh could feel its presence and meaning. Quill gave a soft nod in response, grinning.

“Very nice,” Quill signed back. His tail thumped against the sand, creating little grooves; there was only so much excitement he could take before he felt that spark of awe and fascination deep within his core. “The sand is just perfect.”

“I was hoping you’d think so.” Chie dropped their paws down, nestling closer to Quill. “The water’s nice too if you like.”

“I’ll pass,” Quill signed with a shake of his head. “I don’t really like to get wet.”

“Fair enough. So what have you been up to lately?”

“Oh you know, the usual…” Quill placed a paw under his chin, raising a brow before raising his paws again to continue. “Just hanging around, watching the waves and all that. What about you?”

“I’ve been working on trying to keep up with my plants a little more. Some of them just won’t stop drinking. I’m going to need another watering can at this point just to keep them sated.” Chie wagged their stubby little tail, scratching behind the air with a hind leg. “But of course, I’m sure it’ll work out in the end soon enough. I’ve just gotta keep on hoping, right?”

“Think so.” Quill tilted his head, pawing at his satchel. “Gosh, I’m starving - do you want to go ahead over to the top of the beach?” His head jerked to the side, indicating the bonfire on the other side; it seemed that his excitement was beginning to flare up with the reddish yellow fur on his head and hindquarters.

“Toasted marshmallows? I’m in.” Chie placed their paws down for a moment, trodding back to meet them. They reared on their hind legs to give the confirmation:

“Lead the way.”

Quill trod up the beach with Chie in tow, bounding over sand dune after sand dune. Their tails wagged as they made their way through the starry night, and up to the fires where the heat seemed to scorch their faces. However, by the time Quill had finally gotten up to the top, he turned around in curiosity as Chie lagged behind - and was shocked at what he saw.

Standing behind him all the way across the beach, were golden crispy marshmallows in a single file line. Some had been partially eaten by the curious Soosh; others had been left there, discarded, and uncertain. Chie looked over at them, tilting their head; they picked one of them up, shrugged, and popped it into their mouth.

“Chie! Where did that come from?!” The distress was apparent on Quill’s face and gait, even before he worriedly signed the words; Chie, on the other hand, laid back, nonchalant.

“You, I guess,” Chie shrugged, completing their signage. “Looks like creation magic if I’ve ever seen any.”

Dozens of other Sooshes seemed to follow suit, carefully following and making their way across the dunes to the marshmallows.

“Mmh, these are pretty good!” One of them voiced their compliments, to which Quill could only smile sheepishly in response. “Where’d you get them?”

Quill raised a paw to respond before Chie interjected, giving a little nod to him in the process.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this,” Chie signed, giving a comforting grin. “Go ahead and enjoy your marshmallows and I’ll see what I can do to help.”

Quill nodded, although felt the slight ache in his heart; it seemed that whatever he had done, Chie was taking care of answering all the questions to something even he didn’t know the reasoning behind. With a shake of his head, he picked up a paw and held it paw pads up; a little light, and a small group of burnt marshmallows formed. Deciding not to think too long and hard about it, Quill merely shoved them in his mouth, crunching the charcoal - it was better to just try and figure out a way to control them.

But where would he even start?