The Perfect Animal Friend for Pearl

TheCuriousSeed

Let's take a break from the Pixie Hollow Games coverage for this charming tale.

~"Froggy, come back!" cried Pearl as a frog hopped away.

~"That's not her name," said Daylily. "When pollywogs get their lungs, they need air and when they no longer have tails, time to release them."

~"But how do I get a cute froggy for an Animal Friend?"

~"Get this: the only amphibian you can get as an Animal Friend is a pollywog, and only one that's been orphaned. Once your pollywog grows up, it needs to be released to the Mainland."

~"But what do pollies eat?"

~"On the Mainland they eat algae and soft plant decay, but change from herbivores to insectivores once they're frogs, although some become omnivores."

~"Okay, got it. Now to get a--"

~"Wait, amphibians are ectotherms, ergo they can't live where it's cold and since you and Silver are Winter Fairies (technically your talent is with water), you need an endothermic Animal Friend, such as a hummingbird."

~"But I want a froggy…"

~Daylily face-palmed and sighed, then decided to invite some friends that had Animal Friends such as Heidi and her fish Sweetblossom and ladybug Jojo Sage and now a new blue butterfly named Josiespring, Elva and her hummingbird Starbeam, Gardenia and her pollywog Jordy, Hickory and her dragonfly Blueblitz, Strawberry and her bee Lilacsong and Ginkgo and her firefly Violet Beacon. Foxglove now not only had her wysteria butterfly Diamondwings, but…

~"This little caterpillar is Danburite, Danny for short," said Foxglove. "All of his sisters and brothers have already eaten their fill of leaves and lily petals."

~Daylily proposed that everyone dress warmly and  join her in the Winter Woods.

~In the Winter Woods, all the Animal Friends were shivering. It was far too cold for them. Thankfully Pearl was now a master at wing frosting and frosted every wing that was neither attached to her back nor an Animal Friend's back because those wings did a little better in the cold. There was one problem: to keep Jordy from freezing solid in his bubble, Gardenia had to expend a lot of her internal heat and it was taking a toll on her!

~"Now do you see the issue of having an amphibian as an Animal Friend?" asked Daylily.

~Jordy was growing very cold as was Gardenia and soon both would freeze if they didn't leave the Winter Woods. Arthropods didn't do well in the cold either, as evidenced when Josiespring, Jojo Sage, Blueblitz, Violet Beacon, Gingerbright, Lilacsong, Diamondwings and Danny felt absolutely frigid at their exoskeletons. Also, because most fish were cold-blooded, even Sweetblossom suffered in the cold. That left only Starbeam the hummingbird, the only warm-blooded Animal Friend present, but even she needed warmth to remain active. Time to head to warmer realms.

~But lo and behold, a small rodent that was neither mouse nor rat accompanied the girls and Jordy.

~"A chinchilla!" exclaimed Pearl. "She looks friendly."

~"That’s a he, and no, you can’t keep him as an Animal Friend," said Daylily. "Chinchillas are built for the cold, but save in an emergency of heat problems, should under zero circumstances be bathed in water; their fur can already protect them from germs better than our bodies can. Also, our homes are too small for chinchillas to happily fit and they need plenty of water."

~"I can totally provide enough water!"

~"Not the point," argued Gardenia. "Chinchillas prefer their water consumed to worn, ergo dry bathe only, that water must be clean and healthy, they want a cool, arid environment and even a slight fever is too serious to ignore, so no, you may not adopt a chinchilla."

~Another chinchilla came by.

~"Oh, this is a little concerning," said Daylily. "What're Nahuatl and Quetzal doing where it's warm? I'd better get those two back to their home." Daylily flew away.

~Back to square one.

~"Okay, they're back home where they belong, where it's nice and cool," said Daylily. "But do you see why no chinchilla for you, Pearl?"

~"Because, heat risk?" answered Pearl.

~"Exactly."

~"Now where am I going to find the perfect Animal Friend?"

~A small ptarmigan flew by and landed next to Pearl. He nuzzled her and she pet him on his head. He was the perfect Animal Friend for Pearl, but he wouldn't fit inside Pearl's home, so…

~"Silver, look who followed me!" called Pearl as she pointed to the ptarmigan.

~"He's beautiful!" said Silver.

~The ptarmigan liked Silver a lot too, but even Silver's abode was too small for him. As it turned out, he had only just got the hang of flight and even by fledgeling standards, was very small. He made his call and…

~"I can't understand what he's saying," said Pearl.

~"Neither can I," admitted Silver.

~"But I can," said Daylily as she came by. "His name's Penda and he was abandoned as an egg, so a few dozen Animal Talents came to warm his egg to help him hatch and learn to fly and feed. By the by, he can't stay year-round, so Elva and Jessie will keep watch over him when in his summer plumage."

~"Are you saying he can't be our Animal Friend either?"

~"He can't stay for the warm seasons, but he's yours in the winter. You can still visit then if you want."

~Oh well… at least Pearl and Silver finally had an Animal Friend built for the cold, even if only for part of the year. Finally, the perfect Animal Friend meant for sharing.

I hope this tale was enjoyable.