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It was a dark, starless night. Not even the moon shone in the sky, swallowed up by the clouds hanging heavy off the planet’s dome. Most animals had long since gone to sleep, with only the few nocturnal critters that had not yet left fluttering about within the forest. The huge trees gave them ample space to hide behind. It was why it had chosen this forest in the first place. Whatever sun shone during the day was easily blocked out by the thick leaves, and if it got too bad, he could hide in one of the countless caverns and ditches littered throughout.
It was a good place for the likes of it, which only made it all the more concerning when it noticed the human within its home. His squishy bipedal feet carrying unsteady across the floor as the heady scent of his fear crept into the air around him. It moved closer, phasing through the matter around him as best as it could without being noticed. Humans were a fickle sort, it had learned. Especially the young ones. It focused to make sure, yes. The human was most certainly a young one. He had a small body and spindly limbs, with a colourful jacket and a flashlight. Obvious signs that he was not yet grown. Though he lacked any hair, it wondered if the human was sick.
Just like it feared may happen, the tiny human tripped over a heavy branch he hadn’t noticed as he walked. Yelping as he fell and blinding it for a second with his flashlight. It had to scurry away quickly, only for the tiny thing to gasp. Clearly, the human was helpless. A little infant.
Humans called them children, that it knew. Where was this child’s parent? Leaving a tiny human alone in the forest, with no one to protect him!? How horrible! The poor thing was so utterly unprepared. It couldn’t help but moan with concern.
The tiny human must have heard, for he scrambled up and looked around to spot what may have made the sound. Not that he had much success with it, it was far too quick for that.
It wanted to ask if the boy needed aid, only to find his best attempts at vocalisation coming out as a garbled mess.
“ꃄ-ꃄꑾ꒒ꉣ, ꃄꑾ꒒ꉣ”
“Hello?” the small human yelled back. “I- I- Is anyone–”
“ꃄ-ꃄꑾ꒒ꉣ, ꃄꑾ꒒ꉣ?ꃄ-ꃄꑾ꒒ꉣ, ꃄꑾ꒒ꉣ”
He hiccuped. “I- I don’t know how to help you! Who– who are you?”
Help it? It did not need any help. But it understood that any attempt to communicate with the poor tiny human was not working this way. Who had even abandoned the child!? He couldn't even understand its proper vocalisations; what luck it was that it had found it. Clearly, it needed to take a more active role if it wanted the tiny human to be safe.
Gortesuqe, wet squelches filled the forest path at it did its best to stitch his body into a semblance of a human. Humans tended to be easier to interact with if you yourself were a human, though it hadn’t yet tried that approach. Usually humans avoided it. Trying to form the vocal chords was the hardest part, but it did it’s best to stretch its flesh regardless. It even took special care to pick its two prettiest eyes for its human face, choosing the largest he could reasonably fit between its nose so it could still see plenty well through the night. Humans like eyes. It hoped the boy liked its eyes. Once it was sure the child was safe, it would tell his parents to make sure not to lose him again.
The tiny human looked ready to cry, by now frozen in fear. It cooed at him. It didn’t want to scare the little thing. It was sorry for the noise, too. The tiny human was very, very cute.
A thump sounded as it fell down from the tree, causing the tiny human to turn around and shine in its direction with the flashlight. Its eyes got used to it by now, he could weather the light for the human. It did its best to smile.
“ꃄ-ꃄꑾ-꒒꒒-ꄱꄱ” It needed a name, it realised. Humans introduced themselves with names. What was a human name it could use? It pointed its sixth finger toward itself, “ꃸ-ꌇꁹ-ꀗ”
The tiny human looked at it with fear in his eyes. His body seemed frozen in place, as though he couldn't move at all. The only thing it could pick up was a steady smell of terror and a quivering lip. It forced itself to cock his head.
It supposed it made sense for him to be so scared. Poor thing must be terrified of being all alone. It smiled with all its most shiniest teeth to put the tiny human at ease.
“ꁹ-ꁹꑾꑾꃸ- ꃸꄱ ꌥꄱꌇ-- ꁹꑾꑾꃸ-- ꃄꑾ꒒ꉣ?"
Instead of replying, the tiny human screamed in a shrill voice, only to turn heel and run in the other direction. And not only that, but he also dropped his flashlight in his sheer terror, letting it fall abandoned to the ground. It thrilled in terror. A child!!! Alone!!! Without even any light to see!? If he let this poor thing escape, who knew what could happen! The human could trip, fall down a cliff, stumble again, get lost even worse, or god forbid– run into an animal! This forest had bears!!!
“ꇘ-ꇘ꓅ꋫꌥ---ꃸꄱꁹ'꓅--ꋪ-ꋪꌇꁹꁹꁹ” It tried to call out, only to find the tiny human unwilling to listen to him. Without any other choice in the matter, it found itself giving chase. “ꉓꄱꂵꑾ--꓅ꄱ--ꂵꑾꑾꑾꑾ” It croaked, “꒐--ꄱꁹ꒒ꌥ--ꅏꋫꁹ꓅-꓅ꄱ-ꃄꃄꑾ꒒ꉣ”
The tiny human did not seem willing to listen. The ground under its feet; he could feel his makeshift hands ripping open on tiny rocks and twigs. Why humans insisted on only using two appendages to move, it did not know, but it meant that it was able to catch the child in due time. “No-No–” He yelled, struggling as it finally managed to grab onto the cloth he wore over his chest, “No-No please, please don’t hurt me, I- I didn’t–”
He wore barely anything. The child must be cold. “ꌥꄱꌇ--'ꋪꑾ--ꇘꋫꄘꑾ--ꁹꄱꅏ” It said, quickly pulling the boy closer and into its chest, flesh moving to heat up properly. “ꇘꋫꄘꑾ.”
Not too far away from here, only a few minutes really if it was quick, a human camping site lay by some lake. It knew humans weren’t allowed to wander out alone at night if they stayed there. Perhaps the boy came from there regardless. And if not, at least it would be better than him being alone.
It would need to take extra care to impress upon the boy’s parents that it was not a good thing to leave a child like this in the forest. They must be worried, or at least it hoped they were. The tiny human shivered in its grasp, so it made sure to rock and hush the boy as best as it could. Humans needed to sleep now.
