HOME | DD

Description
Characters in the drawing: Pumcha , Noctur and Daniel (no ref sheet yet)
Characters in the story: Flashie

(Kinda bland, I must say)
Noctur was growing bigger and bigger every day. Now, he had his father's horns, thicker fur, he could even spout a few sparkles out of his mouth. His petals stayed teared though. For the three months he was alive, his parents were trying all sorts of ways for him to hear them. For example, they found out he can catch higher sounds more than the lower ones, so their speech mainly consisted of screeches and slightly louder high tones.
   However, Noctur did not need words to speak yet. He could use his body, and the two older mulkagras also started to understand this type of communication. They created their own signs and signals and when they wanted to draw attention to themselves, a few stomps to the ground did just that. Noctur's paws were very sensitive, thus could feel the vibrations pretty well.
   Pumcha and Flashie were sitting beside each other in the grass, watching their son chasing butterflies among the trees. They were exhausted—hunting and taking care of the child was really tiring. They wished they could just sleep all day long, but at least one had to keep guard.
   That's what Pumcha realized. "Flash, get some sleep."
   "Will you look after him?" she asked. She heard this unnerving uncertainty in his voice.
   "Of course. I'll wake you up if I'm too tired." He yawned.
   She said nothing more and laid her head on Pumcha's front legs. He put his chin on her forehead right away, petting the fur of his beloved partner.
   He closed his eyes. It would not mind for a while, right? Just for a while...

Pumcha woke up and gasped, horrified. Did he fall asleep? This should not have happened!
   He looked around. There were trees, grass, bushes and flowers, but no signs of Noctur. He was gone.
   "Noctur? Noctur!" he called. But nobody came.
   The excruciating noise woke up poor Flashie. "Pumcha?" She glanced at her surroundings and stood up, turning around like a fierce carousel. "Where is Noctur? Noctur!" She was thumping into the ground like crazy.
   Pumcha jumped on his feet too. "Noctur! Where are you?!"
   "Ladybug! Don't hide from us!"
   The dark one sighed. "He isn't here. He must've gone somewhere."
   "We have to find him quick!" The light one went after her son's smell. Pumcha was right behind her.
   They were running forward, calling and screeching. Noctur was so small and he could have come across some dangerous mulkagras, they really had to act fast!
   Suddenly, Pumcha heard a quiet whistle. He stopped and Flashie did too.
   "Why did you stop—?!"
   "Silence!" He hissed and listened. The whistling continued. He knew that sound. But could it be him?
   "What is it?" she asked.
   "Let's follow it," he made the decision and ran to the noise.
   "Why? We have to find Noctur!"
   "He's there, I know it!"
   And he truly was—his scent was getting closer and closer as the duo went forward. The sleep gave them some energy to spend, that's why they could run very fast.
   They took the last turn and froze. There he was, a tall, dark-haired human being, holding their precious son in his arms. Pumcha could not believe his eyes—it was really him.
   The human whistled once more. Flashie took a step back, crouched, and growled. Meanwhile, Pumcha straight up came closer to the menagerie. He stopped in front of the man and looked him dead in the eye.
   "Hello, Pumcha. Do you recognize me?" the human asked. In the mulkagra's ears, the speech sounded like his mother tongue, although it was a little unusual to hear this language again.
   He snarled as if he said: "Give me my child."
   "Pumcha?"
   He whirred again, then opened his mouth and spouted a few sparkles, almost jumping. The human stepped back, but did not look scared. He just squeezed the cub more.
   Noctur happily squeaked and turned on his father. "Da-daaaaahh!" he laughed and started waving his tail.
   "Is this your dad, little one?"
   He just barked and jumped in his father's arms. Pumcha caught him and clinched him.
   "Don't do this again," he hissed angrily, scaring him a little. Being this close, his son could hear him maybe too much. He nuzzled his neck as a compensation. "Do you know how worried we were?" Pumcha melted and started licking him. Then he gently put him down and pointed to Flashie. "Go to mom, okay? I'll be right there."
   Noctur ran away and let his mother embrace him tightly. Meanwhile, Pumcha got back to the human.
   "Do you remember me?"
   "You shouldn't be here," he growled instead of answering, vigorously lashing his tail.
   "Why are you so hostile around me? We know each other, don't we?"
   "It's too dangerous for you to be here, understand? Go away!" He bit the air before him, making the man back out.
   "I'm safe, buddy, calm down!"
   "No, you're not! Get out!"
   "I just wanted to see you again."
   The human was as stubborn as Pumcha remembered. "Why?"
   "Because I missed you and thought about visiting you."
   He sighed. "Would a hug make you go away?"
   The man nodded. The mulkagra went closer and closed him in an embrace. The human hugged his neck, delving his head into his fluffy but greasy fur.
   "I'm so proud of you, Pumcha. You're big and strong... And you even have a family." He looked at Flashie and Noctur watching them as if they were questioning their existence. "I moved closer to the forest—to the old cabin we found back then. Just so you know that if some of you are injured or need something, I can help."
   "I'll try to avoid that place, I don't want to get into trouble," Pumcha said with a resentful voice, but was patting the man's back gently, kind of happy he met him. "I have a family I want to keep."
   "I won't steal any of you."
   "That's what you're saying now. I don't trust you anymore."
   They pulled away from each other.
   "I'm sad to hear that," the man scratched his head nervously.
   "Go, Daniel. It's not safe around here."
   He nodded. "Okay, I'll go. But promise me you'll visit me one day."
   "We'll see. Leave."
   "Then goodbye, my friend. It was good to see you again."
   Pumcha hesitated, but before Daniel left, he said: "It was good to see you too. Don't get hurt."
   "Use the signal, if you're in trouble."
   "Do the same. Take care."
   "I will."
   And they both went their separate ways.

"Who was it?" Flashie asked while they were travelling back to their den. "And why you were talking to it?"
   Pumcha, a bit embarrassed to tell the story, lowered his head and gazed to the grass, glancing to his mate once in a while. "Do you really want to know?"
   "It had our child and it didn't hurt him, of course I wanna know!"
   He took Noctur out of Flashie's arms and put him on his back. The little one chuckled, enjoying the ride already.
   "When I was a cub," Pumcha started, "my parents were killed by people. I, on the other hand, was just hurt. I couldn't care for myself though."
   "Whaat? For real?" Flashie grabbed his hand.
   "The thing is, I was stupid and kept making sounds."
   "You must've been sad, of course you were making sounds!"
   "Yeah, I cried a lot... I wasn't even kept warm, their bodies were just... cold."
   Both adult creatures shivered and instinctively looked at their little one.
   "After a few hours, the human—Daniel—found me and brought me to his house."
   "You let it take you away?!"
   "I was sad, hurt, weak, cold, and hungry. And he had a warm jacket and lots of food—of course I let him."
   "Wow. Just... wow."
   "He healed me and looked after me until I was bigger and stronger. Then he taught me how to survive and left me in the forest."
   "What does he know about surviving?"
   "He works in a mulkagra rescue centre. That's a place where mulkagras who need help are taken care of by humans. If a mulkagra is capable of surviving on their own, they set them free. Just like me."
   "I'd never trust a human!"
   "They neither. But I did."
   "Why?"
   "I became very close with Daniel. So much so we can understand each other."
   "That's why you were talking to him?"
   "Yes."
   "But you told him you don't trust him anymore."
   "I don't. I haven't seen him for a long time, I can't tell if he changed or not. Maybe I should give him a visit... you know, just to make sure he's not a threat to us."
   "If you do, let me know. Someone has to keep an eye on Noctur."
   He sighed. "Flash, I'm... so sorry."
   "Why...?"
   "I fell asleep instead of guarding him."
   "You should've told me you're that tired."
   "Then it may have been you falling asleep."
   "We've got him back, right? Don't think about it."
   "Uhg, fine... who'll be staying awake tonight?"
   "I will. But only if you go hunt before the dark."
   "Deal."

Description
Characters in the drawing: Pumcha , Noctur and Daniel (no ref sheet yet)
Characters in the story: Flashie

(Kinda bland, I must say)
Noctur was growing bigger and bigger every day. Now, he had his father's horns, thicker fur, he could even spout a few sparkles out of his mouth. His petals stayed teared though. For the three months he was alive, his parents were trying all sorts of ways for him to hear them. For example, they found out he can catch higher sounds more than the lower ones, so their speech mainly consisted of screeches and slightly louder high tones.
   However, Noctur did not need words to speak yet. He could use his body, and the two older mulkagras also started to understand this type of communication. They created their own signs and signals and when they wanted to draw attention to themselves, a few stomps to the ground did just that. Noctur's paws were very sensitive, thus could feel the vibrations pretty well.
   Pumcha and Flashie were sitting beside each other in the grass, watching their son chasing butterflies among the trees. They were exhausted—hunting and taking care of the child was really tiring. They wished they could just sleep all day long, but at least one had to keep guard.
   That's what Pumcha realized. "Flash, get some sleep."
   "Will you look after him?" she asked. She heard this unnerving uncertainty in his voice.
   "Of course. I'll wake you up if I'm too tired." He yawned.
   She said nothing more and laid her head on Pumcha's front legs. He put his chin on her forehead right away, petting the fur of his beloved partner.
   He closed his eyes. It would not mind for a while, right? Just for a while...

Pumcha woke up and gasped, horrified. Did he fall asleep? This should not have happened!
   He looked around. There were trees, grass, bushes and flowers, but no signs of Noctur. He was gone.
   "Noctur? Noctur!" he called. But nobody came.
   The excruciating noise woke up poor Flashie. "Pumcha?" She glanced at her surroundings and stood up, turning around like a fierce carousel. "Where is Noctur? Noctur!" She was thumping into the ground like crazy.
   Pumcha jumped on his feet too. "Noctur! Where are you?!"
   "Ladybug! Don't hide from us!"
   The dark one sighed. "He isn't here. He must've gone somewhere."
   "We have to find him quick!" The light one went after her son's smell. Pumcha was right behind her.
   They were running forward, calling and screeching. Noctur was so small and he could have come across some dangerous mulkagras, they really had to act fast!
   Suddenly, Pumcha heard a quiet whistle. He stopped and Flashie did too.
   "Why did you stop—?!"
   "Silence!" He hissed and listened. The whistling continued. He knew that sound. But could it be him?
   "What is it?" she asked.
   "Let's follow it," he made the decision and ran to the noise.
   "Why? We have to find Noctur!"
   "He's there, I know it!"
   And he truly was—his scent was getting closer and closer as the duo went forward. The sleep gave them some energy to spend, that's why they could run very fast.
   They took the last turn and froze. There he was, a tall, dark-haired human being, holding their precious son in his arms. Pumcha could not believe his eyes—it was really him.
   The human whistled once more. Flashie took a step back, crouched, and growled. Meanwhile, Pumcha straight up came closer to the menagerie. He stopped in front of the man and looked him dead in the eye.
   "Hello, Pumcha. Do you recognize me?" the human asked. In the mulkagra's ears, the speech sounded like his mother tongue, although it was a little unusual to hear this language again.
   He snarled as if he said: "Give me my child."
   "Pumcha?"
   He whirred again, then opened his mouth and spouted a few sparkles, almost jumping. The human stepped back, but did not look scared. He just squeezed the cub more.
   Noctur happily squeaked and turned on his father. "Da-daaaaahh!" he laughed and started waving his tail.
   "Is this your dad, little one?"
   He just barked and jumped in his father's arms. Pumcha caught him and clinched him.
   "Don't do this again," he hissed angrily, scaring him a little. Being this close, his son could hear him maybe too much. He nuzzled his neck as a compensation. "Do you know how worried we were?" Pumcha melted and started licking him. Then he gently put him down and pointed to Flashie. "Go to mom, okay? I'll be right there."
   Noctur ran away and let his mother embrace him tightly. Meanwhile, Pumcha got back to the human.
   "Do you remember me?"
   "You shouldn't be here," he growled instead of answering, vigorously lashing his tail.
   "Why are you so hostile around me? We know each other, don't we?"
   "It's too dangerous for you to be here, understand? Go away!" He bit the air before him, making the man back out.
   "I'm safe, buddy, calm down!"
   "No, you're not! Get out!"
   "I just wanted to see you again."
   The human was as stubborn as Pumcha remembered. "Why?"
   "Because I missed you and thought about visiting you."
   He sighed. "Would a hug make you go away?"
   The man nodded. The mulkagra went closer and closed him in an embrace. The human hugged his neck, delving his head into his fluffy but greasy fur.
   "I'm so proud of you, Pumcha. You're big and strong... And you even have a family." He looked at Flashie and Noctur watching them as if they were questioning their existence. "I moved closer to the forest—to the old cabin we found back then. Just so you know that if some of you are injured or need something, I can help."
   "I'll try to avoid that place, I don't want to get into trouble," Pumcha said with a resentful voice, but was patting the man's back gently, kind of happy he met him. "I have a family I want to keep."
   "I won't steal any of you."
   "That's what you're saying now. I don't trust you anymore."
   They pulled away from each other.
   "I'm sad to hear that," the man scratched his head nervously.
   "Go, Daniel. It's not safe around here."
   He nodded. "Okay, I'll go. But promise me you'll visit me one day."
   "We'll see. Leave."
   "Then goodbye, my friend. It was good to see you again."
   Pumcha hesitated, but before Daniel left, he said: "It was good to see you too. Don't get hurt."
   "Use the signal, if you're in trouble."
   "Do the same. Take care."
   "I will."
   And they both went their separate ways.

"Who was it?" Flashie asked while they were travelling back to their den. "And why you were talking to it?"
   Pumcha, a bit embarrassed to tell the story, lowered his head and gazed to the grass, glancing to his mate once in a while. "Do you really want to know?"
   "It had our child and it didn't hurt him, of course I wanna know!"
   He took Noctur out of Flashie's arms and put him on his back. The little one chuckled, enjoying the ride already.
   "When I was a cub," Pumcha started, "my parents were killed by people. I, on the other hand, was just hurt. I couldn't care for myself though."
   "Whaat? For real?" Flashie grabbed his hand.
   "The thing is, I was stupid and kept making sounds."
   "You must've been sad, of course you were making sounds!"
   "Yeah, I cried a lot... I wasn't even kept warm, their bodies were just... cold."
   Both adult creatures shivered and instinctively looked at their little one.
   "After a few hours, the human—Daniel—found me and brought me to his house."
   "You let it take you away?!"
   "I was sad, hurt, weak, cold, and hungry. And he had a warm jacket and lots of food—of course I let him."
   "Wow. Just... wow."
   "He healed me and looked after me until I was bigger and stronger. Then he taught me how to survive and left me in the forest."
   "What does he know about surviving?"
   "He works in a mulkagra rescue centre. That's a place where mulkagras who need help are taken care of by humans. If a mulkagra is capable of surviving on their own, they set them free. Just like me."
   "I'd never trust a human!"
   "They neither. But I did."
   "Why?"
   "I became very close with Daniel. So much so we can understand each other."
   "That's why you were talking to him?"
   "Yes."
   "But you told him you don't trust him anymore."
   "I don't. I haven't seen him for a long time, I can't tell if he changed or not. Maybe I should give him a visit... you know, just to make sure he's not a threat to us."
   "If you do, let me know. Someone has to keep an eye on Noctur."
   He sighed. "Flash, I'm... so sorry."
   "Why...?"
   "I fell asleep instead of guarding him."
   "You should've told me you're that tired."
   "Then it may have been you falling asleep."
   "We've got him back, right? Don't think about it."
   "Uhg, fine... who'll be staying awake tonight?"
   "I will. But only if you go hunt before the dark."
   "Deal."