Abandoned Angel
Part 37: Is This Just Fantasy?
Angel awoke first. Her special place was sore and had a weird funny feeling to it. She walked about the bed, trying to get the soreness out. Quietly, not wanting to wake Brave and Robin, “why spechew pwace owies?” She twisted and turned trying to reach back there to lick the owies away, even rolling about on her back with her hooves in the air in some awkwardly silly sit up pose. Eventually give up she made her morning poopies and returned to the now smaller fluff pile.
She squeezed back between Robin and Brave, the two brothers not ready for the day yet. The door was closed so daddeh wasn’t up yet. She was going to ask him again to meet the new fluffies. New friends! She was excited! But when Brave asked about them, daddeh looked sad. She knew, deep down, that if she was a good fluffy, he would let her play with them. If they were inside, they were safe, not like that poopie stinky herd.
She tried to work her memory. She was still young, nearly two months old now, but so many things happened. Her daddeh raised her and fed her as a tiny tiny babbeh. One time he put socks on her hoovies and she slid through the house. Then once she gave his spechew fwiend sowwy poopies and daddeh gave her terrible owies as punishment. Sometimes if she ran too hard her hoof pads hurt, reminding her of what a lesson she learned. Then his spechew fwiend brought Bright, Robin and Brave. They were so tiny!
But now Bright is gone. His mummah gave him foweva sweepies. Angel missed Bright, but not as much as Robin and Brave missed Bright. Her herd got smaller, that made her sad. Every bright sky ball time made things easier. Angel let out a loud sigh and soaked in the warmth, her little wings fluttering. She still had Brave and Robin.
Robert leaned against the kitchen counter, the room seemed much bigger sans table and chairs. Once Erin gets out of work they planned to do a bit of shopping. She said it was too much of a bachelor pad. She wasn’t wrong. She rarely was wrong. He smiled, maybe something good could come out of this. His mind quickly drifted to the current situation. He had three new fluffies to deal with. Rose, the legless dam, bursting at her seams. Runt, the one eared crippled Pegasus. And Flame, the terrified and dirty, oh so dirty, earth type.
Robert made up four bowls of the usual breakfast for the fluffies, kibble, plenty of leafy greens, and some fruit, the largest bowl going for garage fluffies. He still wanted to keep them separated for the time being. Robert entered the garage, leaving the door open to the house. Not expecting Flame to try to escape, but not putting it past the fluffy, he set up a baby gate in the doorway.
“Daddeh! Mummah wub daddeh!” Rose looked so happy, he wondered if she always looked like that. Runt was curled, as best he could, next to Rose. Flame had pressed himself against the large garage door.
“Flame, come over. Breakfast time.” Robert called out as he set the large bowl down for Runt and Rose, knowing full well they couldn’t move to the food. Robert sat down near the baby gate and waited. He wanted to give them time to become acclimated to him, well, Flame at least. Rose seemed to love all people. And Runt just begged for pain. Mary did a wonderful job turning the Pegasus into a masochist.
Before Flame could even sniff at the food, Rose had dug in. Robert wondered what Mary had fed them. Were they starved, typically? Flame took a bite of each new thing, chewing each leaf, each bit of kibble, each bit of fruit slowly. Was he saving it or savoring it? Rose, however, devoured the entire dish, leaving nothing for Runt.
“Daddeh, Wunt hab tummy owies. Wan daddeh happeh.” His remaining ear drooped as he held his stomach with his front hooves.
Robert returned with another bowl, “Runt, I don’t want you to have tummy owies. Tummy owies makes daddy sad.”
Runt looked at the bowl of strange food. “Daddeh saddie?” Runt had confused and conflicted look. He sniffed at the food, it smelled so good! “Daddeh wan Wunt tu eat nummies?”
“Eat as much as you want.” He gave Runt a very gentle pet, the fluffy trembled under his fingers. Flame silently ate as he watched Robert pet Runt. Runt shoved his entire muzzle into the dish and ate as if he was starved. Robert left the garage as the sound of Runt voraciously devouring breakfast made him feel ill.
Angel stayed in bed when Robert entered with breakfast. Brave and Robin happily stomped on the bubblewrap, giggling each time. He smiled, it was nice seeing his fluffies start to get back to normal. Angel busied herself with stacking blocks, knocking them over and stacking them again. Quick hugs and two dishes of breakfast later, the three were off again playing. Robert couldn’t help but notice just how much quieter the garage fluffies were compared to his fluffies.
Robert enjoyed another cup of coffee as he watched another feral herd stroll through his back yard. Nope. Not dealing with that again. One phone call. Four hours. And a couple hundred dollars later, his back yard was completely fenced in. Sometimes it was nice just throwing money at a problem, even if he had already bought the supplies with the intention of doing it himself. “Angel, Brave, Robin! C’mere!”
Angel reached him first and stood on her hind legs, “Uppies!” Robert obliged, her little wings fluttering on her back happily.
“Would you guys like to go outside?” Robin and Brave had never been outside and Angel only had that one traumatic experience. Robert left them to the safety of the yard. All three exploring. Smelling. Eating. Running. Playing. It was still chilly, but the snow was gone from the yard, and Robert surmised their fluff was thick enough to keep them warm.
Robert left his fluffies to attend to the newly acquired ones. As he brought more food, he couldn’t help but notice just how awfully dirty Flame was. Flame cowered as Robert picked up the monochrome red fluffy with the matted and dirty fur. Rose sang and Runt begged for owies as Robert took Flame to the kitchen sink for a bath.
Nearly an entire hour was spent, and from the kitchen he could keep a safe watch on the three in the yard. Multiple rounds of shampoo, constant work at the matting, many words of encouragement about what a good fluffy he was. Flame did not whimper or budge, not even one bit of scary poop appeared.
Runt looked up at the bright red fluffy in Robert’s arms. “Nyu fwuffy?”
“Nope, that’s flame. He’s all clean now.” He set Flame down on the floor, only to watch Flame dash as far as he could get from Robert.
The day ended early for Robert’s fluffies, all tuckered out from playing outside. The three in the garage all tuckered out from eating their fill, and more so. Rose, Runt, and the freshly cleaned Flame curled together, sleeping quietly. Angel, Robin and Brave curled together, sleeping through Robin’s snoring. Robert finished his evening with a phone to Erin. Little did Robert know, tomorrow was going to be full of surprises.