Chapter Text
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It was a rather cloudy Saturday in Golden Grove as three children decided to venture through the forest behind their neighborhood. Deep auburn ferns embellished the ground as tall, dark trees surrounded the trio. As per usual, you were with Qiu and Tamarack. You were glad they were there, especially since you were fairly new to the neighborhood. But in truth, even after all the moving that you went through, you were an absolute nervous wreck when it came to trying to fit in.
The first time you met Qiu, you froze up. The heavy force that planted your feet into the ground and clamped your mouth shut wasn’t shaken away even after he jumped down from his tower to greet you. They didn’t go away even after the two of you bumped into a girl called Tamarack, who coincidentally shared the name with a type of tree. Qiu happily pronounced you “Mx. Franky Second," but the embarrassment that came with both interactions left you feeling anxious ever since. You’ll never forget how you practically went red with shame as you stared, stunned at the girl’s sparkly hair.
Of course, the two of them tried their best to take you under their wing diligently. Qiu could tell you were in need of a friend, and you weren’t in such a position to deny that. Tamarack insisted that you two were the same—that you were both newcomers, and that must’ve meant something serious. You silently agreed.
Ever since then, the three of you have been glued to each other's sides, somewhat like three peas in a pod. Within no time, you began to open up to them and became quite the chatterbox yourself.
On that particular day, you three were scavenging for forest goodies. You skipped around excitedly, keeping an eye out for any exotic-looking mushrooms or freshly-bloomed flowers as you hummed a melodic tune out loud. Qiu and Tamarack joined in, their humming blending with the occasional bird call. Although they were too distracted looking for their own competing stash to hum in sync—it was a contest, after all—a contest to see who would find the best pile of treasures!
Suddenly, you heard a high-pitched squeal come from your right. It was Tamarack, completely fawned over by what seemed to be a cardboard box laid next to the stump of a maple tree.
“Oh!” She threw her tiny hands in the air enthusiastically, flinging her poor umbrella to practically the other side of the path. She loved to carry her ladybug patterned umbrella outside, even if it wasn’t raining. A few stray cashews dropped onto the ground as she inched closer to the stem of a tall tree.
“Whoa- what?” Usually, Qiu was the over-the-top friend; he raised an eyebrow inquisitively before jumping into action himself.
“Hey, wait up!” He dashed over to observe what made Tamarack practically jump off of the floor, crunchy leaves setting off in his wake. Tamarack was always on the move and certainly energetic, but you knew it took a lot to shake her nerves. (Meeting a new person usually ruffles her feathers without fail.)
However, as you jogged along to catch up to them, what you saw was not a person. It was a puppy .
Qiu cupped his cheek in his palms and stared down with huge brown eyes, acting as if it were the most unbelievable thing that he'd ever seen. You thought that he looked more like a puppy at that moment. Tamarack was still giggling and bouncing off the heels of her boots. She cheered delightfully.
She bumped into you playfully as she put one hand on your shoulder, shaking you back and forth.
"Franky, Franky, look! It’s a puppy!” Her hair wasn’t the only shiny thing at this point; her eyes lit up in a similar fashion, sparkling with the same boundless excitement and joy as the sunlight that danced across her fluffy locks.
"Mhm, Tama, I can see that!” You laughed out between wobbly breaths as her grip on you tightened.
“Hi! I’m Tamarack. I loooove your fur.” She cooed at the puppy, reaching her tiny hands under its chin to gently pet it.
Qiu’s eyes softened in awe as he quietly watched.
Your reaction was not all that different from theirs. You were a huge animal person. Ever since you were five, you started nagging at your mama for a pet that you could call your own. But with all the settling in and moving out that the two of you went through, she decided sternly that it was just way too irresponsible to take one in.
The puppy had fluffy hair, like Qiu had. It had tiny paws, just like Tamarack’s tiny fists. It leaned into Tamarack’s touch, panting and tilting its head curiously as if to greet the three of you.
Qiu pointed a finger at the box suddenly in bewilderment.
“Out of all of the years that I've been in town, I’ve never seen something like that before. And I’ve been here for a long, long time—ever since I was born!” He scratched his cheek. You giggled at his reaction.
In an instant, Tamarack’s attention was sparked by a different idea. A lightbulb went off in her head. She swiftly released her grip on you and dropped to the ground, rummaging through her pockets.
“Whatcha lookin’ for?” You leaned over your shoulder to get a closer look, bending your knees but still standing. Qiu softly bumped into your back.
“Ah, I’m looking for food that I could give. It looks really hungry!” She narrowed her eyes with a determined gaze; you could tell that this was one of the things that she deemed serious.
Your gaze wandered around the depths of the forest as you scavenged for any other lost critters; perhaps you could take home a cat as well?
Qiu whispered to you with a snicker as if he’d read your mind, “I’ve gotta say, I really like cats. But dogs mighttttt just be cuter. By a little.”
You snapped your head back at him, appalled at his comment. “What? No way! All animals are adorable.” Your hands bunched up into fists as you huffed loudly, clearly taken aback.
Qiu snorted as he threw his palms up into the air, waving a white flag of surrender. He smiled politely before plopping down next to Tamarack.
Tamarack failed to find anything suitable in her bag that would satisfy the puppy and pouted. “You guys, this is serious business. The puppy needs our help!”
Qiu scratched his chin as his eyebrows scrunched together. You noticed he always had a very particular face when he was deep in thought, and this was one of those moments.
“I’m in. I’m not gonna back down!” Qiu pumped one fist into the air, rallying her on.
“Besides, how could we leave this poor puppy here? Are we just gonna leave it to fend for itself? I sure don’t see it’s mom here, and it for sure won’t survive if we just leave it be.” Qiu closed his eyes in deliberation, pointing a finger up after each one of his points.
For once, the two of them seemed to agree on something, you thought as you chuckled quietly to yourself. That was usually an indicator that the plan was not disastrous, for once.
Tamarack nodded vigorously at Qiu, heaps of air puffing up into her round cheeks. She then turned to you as if to ask for your input on the whole ordeal.
Who were you to deny your best friends from potentially saving a life—and an adorable one at that? You bent forward, dragging your head and arms down.
“Fiiine. I give in as well. I wouldn’t be able to stop you two, anyway. And I’m not opposed to taking in that adorable puppy either!”
“Cool.” Qiu smiled, standing up, brushing the dirt off his knees, and then dropping an arm around your shoulder.
“Hurray!” Tamarack sprang to her feet and celebrated as you three came to an agreement.
Perhaps it was a risky idea, perhaps not, but that didn’t matter now. Tamarack’s infectious enthusiasm had already caught on, and soon you were all deep in scheming, planning the next steps with growing excitement.
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