Lost and Foundling

Poor little hatchling! 

a tiny baby bokku gazed uncertainly around her. Where... where was she? She was pretty new to the world, but was somehow sure there should be someone taking care of her. Instead, she had been wandering since crawling out of her egg. She was hungry, but where was something she could eat? She was also getting a bit cold. In search of water, she'd toddled over to a marshy area, but it was beginning to get dark and it was gloomy, and kind of scary. 

A sense of desperation began to settle on her. How did being out of the egg even work? The world was so creepy and uncomfortable and lonely! She cried out, hoping someone would hear who could help her. There was no answering call. 

What if she was alone out here like this forever? What was going to happen to her? Her antennae drooped. 

Suddenly she heard a shuffling. Approaching footsteps! Maybe they were answering her cries? But, wait... what if they were coming to eat her? She snapped from hope to terror in an instant, running to a nearby plant to hide under the leaves. Maybe whatever it was wouldn't see her. 

But, if they WERE coming to help, and didn't see her, maybe they'd go away? Afraid to be alone and afraid of potential scary monsters, her tiny eyes welled up with tears. She was too young and too tiny to make these kinds of decisions and, and, this was really hard, and unfair! 

Her sorrow proved a little too distracting, because with a loud CRUNCH, her hiding place was knocked to the ground by a strange creature. To her, it seemed enormous! Was it going to eat her? His face was very close. She was frozen in fear and indecision. The creature nudged her gently. 

Then a small blue bug came crawling from the top of the big orange creature's head. It was even tinier than she, and seemed completely comfortable with the larger animal. That made her feel much calmer. Perhaps it was friendly. Perhaps it had food! 

The draphibi nuzzled her gently, making a soft trilling sound. "There, there," he seemed to say. She made up her mind. Swiftly she turned and grabbed onto his nose, needing the warmth and comfort. The draphibi pulled her into a hug, carefully tucking her close to his tummy where it was very warm. She nearly cried again, but this time, from relief. 

Using his paddle-like tail, Oophaga scooped some moss into a rough nest. He picked up the hatchling and set her inside it, then placed the leetle beside her. He gestured at it to stay there, perhaps to keep her company as he walked off. Content to nuzzle into the soft moss and take a nap, the baby idly snuggled into the patient leetle and did exactly that. 

A noise woke her up a short time later, which turned out to be Oophaga returning, and offering her several pawfuls of something that smelled delicious. She grabbed the berries, making small happy noises around them as the gnawing feeling of hunger melted away. Oophaga smiled, very pleased with himself. He curled around the baby and the newly expanded family slept soundly.