With a New Friend

There was more to the festival than just food, as Alee found out. There were so many sights to see, not that he would be able to see them well due to his poor eyesight, and so many things to do. It was overwhelming and did not know where to start. He stood there in the middle of the path as he looked around, unable to come to a decision. Where should he go? What should he do? It was not like there was anyone to tell him and he was confused by everything. The people seemed nice enough, but would they help him decide? Probably not.

He felt something bump against him and jolted out of his thoughts, turning around to look at the person. It was aa humanoid with fish fins and gills, and he seemed to cast an irate look at him. “Hey, move it!” he said as he shoved past him. Alee let out a startled cry as he backed away before bumping into someone else. He nearly jumped out of his skin as he whirled around to face the person. This one was another kukuri, just like him, though she seemed to be a light hazel color with a tan underbelly and back. She tilted her head in curiosity as she regarded the jittery albino kukuri that began apologizing for his actions.

She cooed to him and gently nuzzled him on the face, causing him to stop talking and look in surprise at the dove. He…did not expect that. Making confused noises, he returned the nuzzle before rearing his head back and clearing his throat. He then timidly began to chatter to her, telling her that he did not know what to do. Tilting her head to the side, she chirped in response to his confusion. She would be glad to take him to anywhere he wanted to go, but they needed a destination first. He let out a sigh of relief before looking around once more. Finally, he picked a direction and looked at the dove to see if she was coming. She was.

The two of them walked down the pathway, ignoring the hem and haw of the vendors as they sold their goods and people played their games. None of them were for kukuris, but that was fine. They just had to keep an eye out for anything interesting. To be honest, Alee was scared. He was not used to a situation quite like this, the festive air oh so very foreign to him. He stuck close to the dove, who had to lead the way for once in her life, not that he would know that. Every now and then, she would turn to him and coo at him, reassuring him that everything was going to be alright. He did not buy it, but it was better than subtly panicking in being in a festive environment.

A crowd caught his eye and he turned to look at it, gulping slightly. He was…curious to say the least. Why were there so many people and kukuris there? He wanted to know. Calling the dove over, the two of them began making their way towards the crowd that mostly contained other kukuris. Luckily for them, they did not have to push and shove much to see what they were gathering around.

It was a statue depicting the goddess, Death, covered in flowers and skulls. The two kukuris stared in awe at the sight, Alee slowly making his way to it. Once he was close enough, he put a hand on the statue and chirred questioningly at it. It was…a little comforting, being near this statue for some reason. The feeling was nice and he completely ignored everything that was going on around him.

He did not know how much time had passed before he felt a light tap to his shoulder and looked behind him. The dove, Lisadra, was looking at him worriedly and voiced her opinion that he should not be touching something like the statue. He reluctantly withdrew his hand, but nonetheless listened to the dove and nod at her nervous chattering. He was feeling better now, like he made a new friend or something. It was…nice. He liked it. Beckoning for Lisadra to come with him, the two began looking around the festival to see what else they could do.

The two of them walked for some time as activity died down the later things became, but it was still festive. Eventually the two of them came upon an empty field where several young kukuri were tussling with each other. He backed away by the sight, only to feel Lisadra’s tail on his back. He looked at the dove as she cooed knowingly and tried to calm him down while simultaneously nudging him to the other kukuris. He gulped again and let the female hazel kukuri lead him on.

The kukuris stopped tussling with each other to look at the newcomers. He gave a timid wave before Lisadra came forward and introduced the herself and Alee to them. The kukuris barked happily and bolted towards them, startling them both. They found themselves on the ground as they were pinned down. Alee struggled under the other kukuri’s grasp until he heard an odd noise. It almost sounded like…laughter? He stopped struggling and looked at the other kukuris. It seemed like they wanted to play.

Slowly getting into the thick of it, he hesitantly began to fight the other kukuri, trying to appear brave and on top. Eventually he got sucked into it and found himself having fun. He looked over to Lisadra to see how the hazel kukuri was doing. Her eyelids were drooping and she was yawning a lot, but nonetheless played with the rest of them. Stopping, he went over to her and chirred in worry, cocking his head to the side. She shook her head and nuzzled him, clicking her tongue and chirping in reply. She needed sleep, but she stayed up to see what the festival was like at night. She found it to be pleasant, but sleep was catching up to her. With a nod, he bid the other kukuris goodbye and asked his newfound friend where to go. She simply yawned and began walking away, Alee following close behind.

It turned out that they were walking around the festival and soon they came upon a tree where several other kukuri were sleeping, along with a humanoid. She stopped and turned to the albino kukuri, barking sleepily. This was where they would part ways. With a nod, he went forward and nuzzled the other’s face as he said his thanks. She nuzzled back, cooing sleepily, before making her way towards the other members of her loaf. Alee watched her for a moment before turning around and heading back to the festival with a smile. It seemed as though he made two new friends today, one being the statue and the other being Lisadra.