Thisbe Makes A New Friend

 Thisbe had been hanging around Oophaga and Clickity since she found them. She had decided that while adult life was very exciting, she missed the company that sleeping in a pile of siblings had provided. While it was nice to venture on her own, it wasn’t much fun to be all alone, all the time. Especially when it was time to sleep. Then not having a warm body or two to snuggle against was just plain uncomfortable, really. So she just started to gravitate toward the draphibi who hadn’t resented her company and in fact was apparently enjoying it. He was larger than she as well, which made her feel very safe.

Oophaga, ever the friendly soul, was happy to have Thisbe pal around. Honestly it didn’t particularly occur to him to be bothered, and seemed natural somehow that she would just kind of hang about in the same way Clickity did. They made for a somewhat unconventional family but it worked for them. Clickity hadn’t warmed up to Thisbe, necessarily, but he no longer was convinced she’d eat him at any moment and they coexisted without issue.

One afternoon Thisbe was foraging on her own, looking for more of the tasty flowers with the crunchy seeds. She shuffled through the grass, sniffling and now and then forgetting her quest to roll about on some soft mosses and bat at the taller stalks.

After a time, a strange noise assailed her ears. Heck, heck! A loud flapping overhead. Before she could properly take in the new sound, a shadow passed over her and something came out of the sky and landed right in front of her! Every hair stood at attention and her tail shot straight up as she tried to look intimidating to the threatening thing. She jumped back as it touched down, ready to bolt if the thing attacked.

She sat up, quivering, and took in the flappy animal. The heck was on the smaller side, a bit bigger than Thisbe herself perhaps, particularly with the wingspan which had to be at least a foot. But rather than making any move to attack, it tilted its head as though taking her in, in a similar manner she herself was doing to it.

In fact the little heck, almost as recent to adulthood as Thisbe, had gotten separated from the flock it had been hanging around. Somewhat at a loss without a group to follow, it had taken to approaching similar-sized creatures to see if they were friendly. It was lonely, and also was just not a very bright little creature and had a harder time finding food without being led a bit. Like Thisbe herself, it also preferred to sleep in a pile.

This creature was not running or trying to fight or eat it, so the heck flopped onto its stomach, hoping to convey that it was not a threat and had no sinister motives.

Ever curious, Thisbe approached cautiously. What was this creature? It looked at her and its eyes seemed sad. She reached out and touched it gently on the snout.

The heck quivered with joy and made a small sound. Thisbe noticed that it seemed a little thin.

She bounced away a few steps, turning and nodding, encouraging the creature to follow. Taking her lead, the heck came with her to the edge of the pond where some tasty marsh plants grew and they nibbled for a while in companionable silence, before taking a drink and then having a nap in the sun, with Thisbe curled up under the heck’s pink wing.

When they yawned themselves awake, Thisbe decided it was time to rejoin the group, stronger one member. Dusk would fall soon and it would be time then for a proper sleep. The little heck wasn’t about to let her out of its sight now, as she’d fed it and it didn’t want to get lost a second time. It flapped contentedly just above her as she scouted for Oophaga.

It occurred to her that the creature would need a name. After all, she had one, and so did Oophaga, and even the little bug was called Clickity. What to call the new friend, hmm…

Idly, she climbed a tree. The heck flew below the low branch she sat on, trying to stay in close proximity. As a joke, she dropped onto its back, expecting it to plummet and they’d land in the soft grass. Instead the heck gave a mighty flap and took her into the sky!

Wow! Amazing. It was so far up! Everything was so far down! The world looked very different way up here. To her delight, she spotted Oophaga and pointed. The heck obliged, gliding toward the bright form of Oophaga and landing with a little grunt as Thisbe tumbled off its back.

Oophaga trilled in surprise and bounced forward, giving Thisbe a little nudge. Okay? Yes, she was fine. Next he inspected the pink creature. It seemed fine too, if sort of skinny. It also seemed a bit winded from the flight with an unexpected passenger. Oophaga crouched next to it, and the heck clambered onto his back. He headed for their current home which was a hollow place between some tree roots.

The sleeping pile was even cozier now with one more warm body. Thisbe was flopped onto Ooph’s back, with the heck draped across her like a warm and breathing pancake. Clickity as usual was between Ooph’s front paws. She shifted a bit, finding the coziest position as she thought again about what to call the heck.

It seemed to have come from far away. It flew them far into the sky. And it didn’t like to be far from someone else.

She decided the creature’s name was Far.