where the wild things are

N

othing that Colburn claimed belonged to him was truly his own except for his own flesh and bone. From birth he was a thief taking the place of a mortal child and stealing their family for himself. Changeling. That was what they called creatures like him. If his surrogate family had named the cuckoo child in their nest before abandoning him in the redwood he could not recall. Boy. Black. Pup. He had been called many things and none claimed him. Eventually he stole a name and took it for his own. Colburn. He didn't need one. He never offered it to anyone, but it was his.

It was on a whim to discover more about himself that brought Colburn to the fae forest. It was supposed to be the home of the fairies. Did his true parents live here? The thought itched at him and he didn't know if he wanted to find them. They were guilty of abandoning him just as much as the parents he remembered.

Silently he skulked through the forest in the darkness of the night, squeezing through undergrowth and climbing over twisted roots. The forest seemed to have no end and so far there was nothing out of the ordinary.

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

I

n a small grove of the forest, Clover was seated at the edge of a pool of water, too small to be a pond, too large to be a puddle. Reeds and other plant life grew around its edges and created an home environment for several night time creatures. “Aaand, one, two, three…one, two, three…Ah! A beautiful tempo!” This whimsical fae child was the conductor of the most brilliant moonlit orchestra she had ever had the pleasure of knowing.

The frogs croaked in time as they should and the crickets chimed in to meet their notes. There was even an old fat toad seated across the pool that would add his bellowing when necessary. And of course, a grouping of fireflies showed their skill in dance and provided an aesthetic glow that could only be rivaled by the moon that reflected off of the gentle surface of the pool. “Well done, everyone! Now, from the top, if you will!~” Clover praised them with melodic notes of her own voice, simply excited to be a part of such a wondrous event.

They were about to begin again, when her ears perked up at the sound of someone approaching in the darkness. A few of the shyer frogs must have heard it too, for they leapt into the water, causing the surface to ripple. The girl turned herself around, tilting her head as her bright pink eyes scanned in between the trees to try to make out a shape. “Hello?” She called out gently, blinking as her eyes strained against the shadow. “If you’re here for the concert, we were about to begin.”

@Colburn

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

O

f all the random encounters to stumble upon the changeling hadn't expected a girl talking to frogs and other woodland critters. Colburn's dark tongue flicked across his upper lip, tempted by the feast that lurked so nearby. A bellyful of frogs had saved him from starving to death during long winter nights. He wasn't above eating what most would consider disgusting. It was how he'd survived.

He crouched waiting for a chance to steal a snack from the closely watched creatures when a voice chimed in greeting. A concert? He was intrigued enough to poke his head up out of the grass, dark eyes squinted in suspicion. What's that? he questioned, slowly creeping closer. Mine? he asked, a simple way of asking if the concert (whatever that was) was for him. There was no one else around and if it was in celebration of the fae he would happily claim the reward for his cousins.

A muddied dark face and black alien eyes watched the girl, simultaneously intrigued and confused by why she was talking to her food. Maybe she liked to play with it first. Colburn could see the appeal of that. He liked chewing bones after he'd eaten, but he gobbled down his food too quickly to play with it.

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

"I

t's a grand performance! The show of a lifetime featuring the Sparklenight Orchestra!" Clover was all about dramatic flair and she gestured towards what remained of the musicians with a flourishing movement of her paw. Then she quickly leaned in, bringing the paw up to her mouth as she went to whisper to the new arrival. "I named them myself...pretty fancy, huh?" Her paw went to her mouth to stifle a giggle then before she placed it back down and looked about their surroundings.

"Hmm...now let's see here...ah, yes!" Clover scampered over to an area with a large flat stone surface that leaned slightly over the edge of the pond, parting some of the reeds. She looked over to the older male and patted the ground invitingly. "Best seat in the house! Reserved for a most special audience!" She hopped back over to him and shuffled so that she could get behind him and nudge his rump as he would allow to try to usher him to his seat. "Come now! Sit back and relax! You're gonna love tonight's set!"

@Colburn

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

T

he girl babbled on about performances and orchestras which made little sense to an uncultured bumpkin like Colburn. She may as well have been speaking a different language. It did intrigue him enough that he didn’t default to eating frogs like he’d originally planned. He was a naturally curious fae after all and she did make it sound worth his time. The Sparklenight Orchestra seemed to include the frogs and he guessed they couldn’t perform in his stomach. Ignoring his growling stomach and the prospect of an amphibian supper he instead kept his attention on the host of the show. ”Kinda,” he agreed. The word sparkle made him think of shiny things and he liked shiny things.

She showed him to his seat and he puffed up when she acknowledged the specialness of her guest. The nudges and encouragement to hurry over to his seat earned a grumble and a glare. ”Oi. Don’ touch,” he complained and sat where he was instructed. Thankfully the girl hadn’t disturbed the perfect balance of mud on his fur nor the twig that was twisted in the matted locks of tail fur.

”What’d I do now?” he asked, looking over at the Sparklenight Ochestra and then back at the girl. He expected that he had some part to play as he didn’t quite understand what was happening.

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

C

lover giggled with embarrassment and hopped back away from her dignified guest and shot him an apologetic smile with a dip of her head. "My apologies, lad! No touch! Got it!" She trotted back over to her podium where she could now see the musicians and also the audience to the side. Peering around at the gathering of the orchestra she blinked realizing there were a few performers that had grown shy. "I believe in you! You can do et!" She whispered her vote of confidence to the frogs hiding beneath lily pads and in between reeds. The older boy asked what he was supposed to do now and her smile nearly outshined the moon. "Now...ya just close yer eyes...and ya listen..."

Clover plopped herself down on her haunches and did as she'd relayed to him, allowing the silence and stillness to invite the music to begin. After a few moments, the crickets began to chirp softly, first only a couple and soon a whole host of them. The tiny frogs and larger toads came in nearly on cue as their croaks accompanied the lighter trills. Then the wind came to move through the reeds. Ah, yes! Her percussion. "And now..."She whispered over to the only other wolf present. "...you open yer eyes..." Upon doing so, it all came together. The fireflies were arranged in a dance as though they were swaying to the music, the entire ambience truly magical.

@Colburn

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

T

he sulky changeling boy huffed at her apology and nosed at the leaves entangled within his fur once more to make sure nothing was displaced. His appearance suggested a lack of care and appreciation for grooming, but everything was deliberate. Each leaf and bit of debris was as much a part of him as the fur that covered him from head to toe. It made him feel comfortable in his own skin being covered in dirt and grime. A suspicious dark eye followed her as she headed back to her seat and chanted affirmations to the forest critters. She instructed him to close his eyes and he squinted them, leaving enough room to peek. He didn’t like being told what to do (even though he’d asked) so he only half obeyed.

A filthy ear twitched as the concert began and the forest began to fill with sound. His dark features filled with wonder. With what magic did this girl command the creatures? ”...ow’d you get ‘em to do that?” he asked, blinking in surprise when glowing balls of light appeared. They looked like the fairies from Snowy’s books. He began to fidget with excitement at the prospect of meeting his own kind. ”Are they fairies…?" he asked the girl, lifting a filthy paw to reach out towards them. Would they know who he was? What he was?

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

T

he little girl was awestruck herself by the grandeur of this performance. Her musicians and dancers had truly outdone themselves! They'd even brought a tear to her eyes as she beheld the wonder that was nature's finest. They'd even managed to wow their audience member as he turned to ask Clover how she'd pulled this all together. "Well, I just asked them if they wanted to put on a show and they seemed more than happy to do so!" Clover beamed, proud of her collection of woodland friends.

The whimsical child was practically wiggling herself as she radiated her own excitement and happiness. She watched the older lad as he reached out towards the fireflies. His next question had her tilt her head, blinking with a rather perplexed expression. "Ya know, come ta think of et, I've never asked..." She turned towards the thousands of dancing orbs, one of them flying closer to her, just up to her nose. "Are you lot fairies?" She asked as though she'd receive some kind of response. Clover then turned to the boy next to her and smiled. "It'd be awfully lovely to meet one! My mum said I was a gift from the fae, but I never ever have met them. Isn't that silly?"

@Colburn

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck