It had been a year since Maxine came to the world she affectionately called, “Planet Fluffy.” A goddess without a homeland, she had been traveling the cosmos to see the sights and happened upon this particular earth by chance. She appeared to a scene of carnage, a mummah fluffy stomped to near death and her babies thrown hard against the wall. Maxine intervened, and soon she wound up taking care of three fluffies of her own.
Later, A mistake created the being known as Jennifer, a hivemind of micro fluffs that had spread throughout the region. Fanatically devoted to its mother, Jennifer spread the word about the magic woman from beyond. “Wo, Max-ween am da biggest sky-mummah, and Jen-i-fwa am da pwoff-et.” rang throughout nest after nest of fluffies.
Jennifer proselytized without Maxine knowing. Fluffy after fluffy heard of the green mother who saved a chirpy from certain death, who gave leggies back to the pillowed, and punished the wicked who hurt good fluffies. They had never seen her, but the conviction of the microfluffs convinced many to offer prayers for help and to give thanks for good fortune. Scribbles approximating her visage were drawn in crayon across the city. Tiny shrines were created with offerings of pretty green things like a shiny bug, a bit of glass, and when times were good a display of tasty nummies.
Blissfully oblivious, Maxine grew stronger from the faith put into her. She recharged from using her magic faster and faster, she felt physically stronger to a comical degree. Her growing power didn’t do much for her intelligence as she remained ignorant to her growing herd of devotees and nobody was exactly going to fight for being “God of Fluffies.”
(She just thinks they’re cute)
On a particularly chilly fall afternoon Maxine had been running errands. She was walking back to her car when she heard the distinct crying of a fluffy as a raggedy mare approached from cover.
“Pwease wady, needs nummies foh miwkies… ams wowstest mummah buh babbehs needs miwkies… huuuuuhuuhu.”
“Uh. Hey.” Maxine looked from the plastic bag in her hand to the desperate mummah, “You uh… want this sandwich?” Maxine sighed and gave the fluffy her sub. It was beef brisket, her favorite.
“Nice wady gib nummies? Mostest thankies! Babbehs wiww gwow big an stwongs!”
“Wo, Max-ween am da biggest sky-mummah!” a chorus of tiny voices rang out from the alleyway.
Maxine squinted and made out the distinct shapes of Jennifer’s microfluffs. Big Reds were especially hard to miss. “Jennifer, what on earth are you doing? Is this a bit I’m not getting?”
“Dat ams Max-ween?” the mummah was awestruck. The Gween Mummah appeared to give HER nummies?, “Dat means nuh ams bad mummah!? Thankies thankies thankies!”
Maxine rubbed the bridge of her nose, “Jen, we gotta talk later. Mummah, might as well show me your babies while I’m here.”
“Gween mummah wan sees babbehs? Habs gweatest heart happies!” The mare nudged her chirpies off her back and displayed them for her savior.
Maxine looked them over one by one. Malnourishment typical of a feral but otherwise healthy. She poked each of them on the belly, giving them a tiny zap of energy to boost their little bodies, “Should probably bring you with me I guess…”
“Weawwy? Gween mummah takeses mummah ans babbehs!?” The mare was having a religious experience, it was as if sky daddy himself came to bring her to skettiland.
“Yeah, might as get you to a shelter. It’s a place that’ll take care of you so you don’t go hungry.”
Maxine put the chirpies in her sandwich bag and picked up the mummah, “You don’t have any other poopie babies right? I’ll know if you’re lying.”
“Nuh! Ams goodeh mummah!” the mare said indignantly.
Maxine scanned the fluffie’s thoughts. Much easier to sift through than a humans. No signs of duplicity, but the poor girl did lose a foal to an accident. Maxine ruffled her fluff and took her to the nearest shelter. The grateful mare wasted no time telling the others about the Gween Mummah giving her nummies when she was at her lowest.
Maxine’s legend grew at the expense of a $10 sub. Were she aware, would she think it was worth it? Probably not, she was kind of annoyed at herself for giving up her sandwich when she was going to bring the mare to a shelter anyways.
Out in the woods a familiar scene played out. A prosperous herd taken over by a selfish smarty after the smarty-friend passed away. The new smarty, a particularly greedy stallion was demanding enfies from all of the mares. Only this time a tiny pair of eyes got a glimpse of the scene.
“Nu wan enfies! Hab speshal fwen!” cried out a vibrantly pink mare as she cowered in terror, “Pwease gween mummah, hewp fwuffy!”
“Dummeh mawe, gween mummah nuh weaw. Dummeh!” the green stallion grinned cruelly as he kicked the mare in the leg, forcing her to the ground. “Time foh enfies dummeh!”
A loud pop and a burst of green light heralded the arrival of the Gween Mummah. Maxine rushed up to the smarty and punted it into the air like a soccer ball.
“Bad uppises!” the smarty cried as he was caught midair by the scruff.
“Hi. All of you, don’t be like this guy. Ok, bye.”
A flash and a pop and the two of them vanished just as quickly as the Gween mummah had appeared.
The pink mare couldn’t believe what she had just seen. The green mummah was real, and she was saved! “Mummahs! Tankies! Wiww be bestest fwuffy ans bestest mummah! Pwomise!” she cried out in thanks.
From that point on, she would tell any fluffy she came across about how the green mummah saved her and that all good fluffies were protected and bad fluffies would be taken away.
It wasn’t exactly true, Maxine was just in the area delivering supplies to a Jennifer colony, but for a fluffy just the sliver of hope was more than enough to keep them going in hard times.
And the smarty? He was taken for re-education and now does his part raising orphaned foals.
“Groar!”
A massive black bear loomed menacingly over a small herd of fluffies. The herd had recently migrated to the area and had inadvertently been competing with the bear for forage. The bear, hungry and angry at the intrusion to its territory, had tracked down the tiny invaders. Today, the bear wasn’t going to go hungry.
The fluffies were running about in a panic. Screes and sobbing as fluffs collided into each other in terror. The bear cautiously approached. It hadn’t seen anything like these creatures before. It wasn’t sure if they were a threat.
“Mummahs ans babbehs! Wun aways tu bwight baww!” shouted the herd’s smarty friend, directing them to follow the sun. He was a green stallion, 2 and a half years old. A good smarty, he always tried to make sure everyone’s needs were met. The migration was his idea, trying to get away from humans that captured and killed part of the herd. He never expected anything like this monster, but how could he? It was like something out of a nightmare, but he still needed to take charge. His family needed him. Determination aside, he still voided his bowels but in fairness the bear is very big and he is very not.
“Toughies! Nuh twy huwties! Pway keep 'way!” The smarty-friend said as he ran diagonally against the bears path, “munstah tu big! Nee gib times foh mawes ans babbehs tu wun!”
The herd only had 4 toughies, daddehs that had volunteered to step up when needed. They looked at their special friends and gave them a solemn hug, “Wub fohevah.” The toughies knew this was a fight they couldn’t possibly win. They went anyway. Terrified and shaking they galloped towards the monster.
“Toughies! Wat ams yu foh!” The smarty yelled as he tried to bait the bear into chasing him.
“Huwties an wub!”
Meanwhile the mummahs were loading their foals and chirpys onto their backs. A soon mummah was dragged by her forlegs but it was slow going. “Fwens… webe soon-mummah… huuhuu…” she cried, “ams otay. Pwease sabe soon-mummahs owdew babbehs. Wub yu babbehs.” She sobbed. There was no way she’d be able to escape. She hoped at least her big babies could get away. Her friends reluctantly let go of her legs.
“Nuh webe mummah! Ams good mummah!” Cried one of the mummah’s foals. It was wordlessly picked up by the scruff and carried off. “Bad uppies! Mummah! Nuuuuu!”
“Babbeh! Pwease be good babbeh foh nyu mummah! Wub yu fohevah!” The mare was terrified but felt solace that some of her children would get away. She prayed to anything that would hear her, to the Sky Daddeh and to the Gween Mummah.
“Pwease gween mummah, hewp babbehs gwow up big ans stwongs and pwetties and hab aww da nummies huuhuhuu mummah wub dem su muches…” Her prayers and wishes offered, she prepared herself for death. It was a death that wouldn’t come.
Hopping from tree to tree Maxine launched herself at the bear like a bolt of lightning. The mountain of muscle toppled over as it fell unconscious from an uppercut to the jaw.
The Smarty friend and toughies jaws fell open. What the sketti just happened? Where did the human come from? And they just beat up the monster like it was nothing? Was this a new threat? They knew they couldn’t handle the bear, what were they supposed to do against this monster of a mummah?
“You boys ok? Heard someone asking for help and was nearby. Ish.” Maxine rubbed her
wrist, the impact of the bear’s jaw on her hand was a bit rougher than she expected and she really should have taken off her heels before fistfighting a bear.
“Nuh… nuh wan gib huwties tu fwuffies?” The smarty asked incrediously. The human mare did just save them, he supposed.
Maxine walked over to the smarty and kneeled down. The smarty braced himself for death. What he got was a ruffle of his fluff and a pat on the head. “No, just here to help. You were all very brave, happy to help good daddies when I can. You should gather your herd back up and bring them back to your nest, need to look everyone over and make sure nobody is hurt.”
The smarty was baffled but this toy horse wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. “Otay. Toughies, wets finds famwy!” They trotted off towards the direction of the sun with purpose.
Maxine searched through the nest, looking for the mare that had called for her. Heavy breathing and muffled huuhuus gave the soon mummah away. “Going to have to disappoint you a little, mummah. Can’t help your babies grow up big and strong, you’re gonna have to handle that yourself.” She sat down next to the terrified mare and stroked her back.
The soon mummah opened her eyes and saw a woman dressed in green with emerald eyes that nearly glowed. She gasped and cried tears of joy, “Yu… yu cames! Ams babbehs otay?”
“Babies are ok, your smarty and toughies are gathering your herd back up right now.”
“Huuuhuuuuu… Thankies! Thankies su muches! Was suwe soon-mummah was gonna go fohevah sweepies…”
“You were a good mummah and tried to save your babies, couldn’t just let you down after you asked me for help you silly goose.” Maxine picked up the mummah and gave her a gentle hug. “Very impressed by you guys, very good fluffies all.”
The mummah was crying. She was saved, and she was a good fluffy? What she thought was going to be her last day was turning into her best.
“Ams back!” said the Smarty.
“Good, good. Have some things we have to go over now that the danger is done.”
“Smawty fwen! Dis ams Gween mummah! Fwom da stowies!” the soon mummah exclaimed from Maxine’s arms.
“Gween Mummah ams weaw?” The smarty cocked his head and considered the woman. Green, could be a mummah. Kind, and very very strong. Checks out he supposed. “Thankies gween mummah. Ams smawty foh hewd.”
“Yeah, I gathered. You did a good job. Your mares and babies would have gotten away.”
“Nice wady gib munstah fowevah sweepies? Ams safed?” a fluffy asked trepidatiously.
“Oh. No. Naw, this guy was just hungry and more than likely you guys have been eating his food. Tummy hurties.” Maxine rubbed her belly for emphasis, “Normally these guys are fairly ok guys.” She knelt down and healed the bear, “I’m going to make a deal. You, my dear fluffs, will gather food for our large friend here.”
The tiny woman hoisted the bear onto her back with ease, “In return, they’ll help protect you. Does that sound fair?”
The herd murmured amongst themselves. It seemed too good to be true, but they did just see the Gween Mummah appear out of nowhere and defeat the biggest munstah they’ve ever seen.
“Herd wiww hewp biggest munstah get nummies.”
“Good. Just be warned, the deal is off if he goes hungry. Stick to grassie nummies and flowers. Give our friend here the fruits and any acorns you find. I’m going to bring it back to its nest to recover.”
In the days and years that followed, the pact between fluff and bear was honored. The fluffies had come to love their giant friend and the bear was more than happy to not have to forage if all he had to do was tolerate some silly little guys. For once, Maxine had the foresight to rig the enchantment to pass down to the bear’s mate and cubs. The deal held for generations and it is said to go on to this day.
