“Hold on, almost got it.”
The sound of Tommy Okumura fiddling with a webcam came through the tablet’s speakers. Apparently the camera in his laptop went out so a quick trip he had to make do with a USB webcam. Your tablet is propped up on a stand allowing all the fluffies to see his side of things.
“Remember everyone,” you repeat, knowing their excitement has probably shortened their memory a bit. “Do not touch the little tv, okay?”
Sonic, Saffron, and Coco sit in the back while the little fluffies gather around in front of them. Given that you don’t let them watch television during the day this is a big treat. Sky’s wings flutter eagerly like his adoptive father does while Crimson nestles close to her mother. Curry and Coco lay down, the brother and sister staring intently at the screen while Ti stands, pacing in place.
Tommy disappears from the screen only to be replaced with an elderly Asian women, a big green Earthy and a small pink Pegasus. Hulk and Bubblegum perk up, seeing everyone.
“Fwens! Saffwon!” they cheer.
“Huwk! Bubbwegum!” is cheered from your side, followed by excited babbling from the adult fluffies. How much they missed the two brothers. How much they loved them. Then question after question after question about how they’re doing.
“Hey, you two, who are the little babies”” Mrs. Okumura asked. “You didn’t tell me about them!”
Saffron nuzzles Crimson gently before sitting up straight. “Hewwo Huwk-mama! Am Saffwon! Dees awe Saffwon’s babbehs!” She introduces them one at a time to Hulk, Bubblegum, and Mrs. Okumura. The two fluffies watch intently, while their mother looks down somewhere off camera.
“Clara, come here!”
“Sowwy mama.”
A small blue mare is deposited gently on the table, nuzzling up to Bubblegum. Coco and Saffwon giggle as they watch the pink stallion’s face grow a goofy smile. He returns the affection enthusiastically.
“Cooo… speshul fwen….”
The adults laughed, seeing how Bubblegum has reached a new milestone in his life. The children’s heads merely tilt in curiosity or make faces at the sappy couple.
“Food’s ready, everyone!”
The backyard is filled with playing fluffies as late afternoon turns to evening. The chain-link fencing was finished last week, encompassing the perimeter of the yard. Chicken-wire lines it as a second line of defense against mongooses, mice, and whatever small things might try to get in. Along the bottom are cinder-blocks and fluffy-resistant tiles to make sure neither fluffies or dogs can try digging underneath it.
Not that the little herd seems to have any intentions of leaving at the moment.
The enclosed patio has been opened up, turning it and the whole backyard into one big safe-room of sorts. Thankfully. As Sky, Crimson, and other babbehs grew larger, it was growing too small to accommodate the whole family.
Your parents set bowls down for the fluffies, each filled with oatmeal, fruit, and kibble. Meanwhile, you’re setting at the wooden picnic table your father made despite your mother’s protests of him over doing it. Kimo laughs while bringing out a tray of teriyaki steak to join the rst of the food on it.
“So, you starting a farm now?” Kimo laughs. “I heard you can milk fluffies if you try hard.”
“Oh Kimo, stop being silly,” mom says.
“No, no… its true. I saw it in the newspaper.” Dad replies.
“Well, not starting a fluffy dairy,” you say before stuffing your mouth full of poke. “I think making fertilizer is good enough for now.”
Kimo nods. “Well, folks are buying it when we go to the swap meet. Pity you can’t scale up.”
Your mother’s face cringes a bit. “I think its plenty big already! We don’t want the backyard to become a giant fluffy toilet!”
The young fluffies have resumed playing, bowls empty. Coco has gone up to her branch, watching over the adolescent colts and fillies. Sonic and Saffron are nowhere to be seen, but the faint sounds of “enf” coming from behind the banana plants tell you everything you want to know about how they’re doing.
“I think we’ve got space for a couple more,” you think aloud. “The Humane Society has been asking if I can foster more fluffies. Between them providing some of the supplies and selling the manure fertilizer…?”
“Its not that much, is it?”
“No, not really. But its worth my time. Work is slowing down right now, so it wouldn’t hurt to get the extra money coming in.”
“Hey, I’ve been training some of our fluffies to pick up fruit and macadamian nuts off the ground. I can teach yours, maybe hire them when the plants start going crazy.”
You smirk. “Just no mangos or avocados. I think those would be fatal if they landed on the fluffs.”
“Oh, no problem. Gotta keep them safe while they’re doing their little jobs.”
“So more fluffies then?” your mom asks.
“Yeah, I think so. But not yet. I think we’re good with the neighborhood fluffs for now.”
((That’s it for now! Whenever Neighborhood Fluffs return, I’ll be moving to 3rd person and turning the “shell” character here into an actual character with a name, gender, etc. Thanks for following along!))
