[Trade] Gifting Adventures

“Bulrush.” A voice called, fuzzy and distant.

“Bulrush, Bulrush wake up.” It repeated.

Bulrush growled, throwing his tail tip over his snout. Just a few more minutes, he wanted to hiss but his words failed him.

“Bulrush, wake up. It’s almost the afternoon already!” The voice was insistent, a cold talon poking at his side.

Bulrush reluctantly opened his eyes with a hiss, dazedly lifting his head to look at the pale brown and cream-colored cryo who had woken him up. Bulrush shook the sleep from his body, his maw parting in a wide yawn. “Mocker…? What are you waking me up for?” He grumbled at the feathered cryo.

“Come on, it’s time to get up. We have some important things to do today!” Mocker responded, craning his neck down to nudge at Bulrush’s shoulder, trying to get him to stand. Without waiting for Bulrush to respond, he turned and trotted right out of the cave and into the cold, cold snow, piled high everywhere they looked.

Bulrush sighed, pushing himself to his feet to follow Mocker outside. Unsure what was so ‘important’ about today, Bulrush wasn’t quite sure what to expect from his feathered friend. It was such a cold day, what could possibly be so interesting out there in the snow? Bulrush shook his head as he stepped out of the cave, squinting and blinking his eyes repeatedly as he tried to adjust to the change in lighting. Just up ahead Mocker was waiting for him, his tail flicking and dragging against the snow as he looked over his shoulder.

Mocker smiled in his direction, turning his gaze away from Bulrush and continuing on his path, leading them deeper into the snowy forest. He still hadn’t given Bulrush an explanation, letting the darker brown cryo trail behind him cluelessly.

The normally vibrant and lush forest landscape had been coated in a layer of thick snow, and the trees having lost their leaves so long ago meant that only a few of the bushes and the overgrowth remained green. The dirt and grass were only visible beneath the snow in certain areas, ones that had been either dug out or shielded by other plant life.

For Mocker, the snow was only a bit chilly against his feathered coat, the soles of his feet taking the worst of the temperatures. Meanwhile, Bulrush was practically freezing up the moment he’d left the warmth of their temporary shelter. Bulrush wasn’t very appreciative of the snow and the bitter cold it brought, as one would imagine. After a while, Mocker led them onto an old gravel path that was mostly clear of snow.

“…So, what are we doing out here, exactly?” Bulrush finally spoke up, annoyance leaking into his tone. The gravel crunched beneath his heavy feet, leaving behind imprints of his footsteps in his wake.

Mocker glanced at him with a hum, tilting his head. “We’re looking for something to give to Vanuatu, duh!” He stated like it had been the most obvious thing in the world.

“…You dragged me out here to find something to give to that Atopo? The one we met on the beach?” Bulrush huffed, narrowing his eyes. An exasperated sigh left his maw, yet he continued to follow after Mocker until they reached an old human settlement—a town if Bulrush remembered correctly.

“Yeah, he gave me a gift the other day so I figured we could bring him something too, you know?” Mocker explained, guiding Bulrush over to a rundown building he’d visited on his last trip to the old town. It was a big building with grey, rock-covered walls and a giant display window that had been shattered long ago. It'd been abandoned for so long that vines and moss had begun growing throughout the building, spanning across the walls and covering what was left of the roof. 

Bulrush didn’t reply, keeping quiet as he followed Mocker into the building via the shattered window, taking care in avoiding the glass shards scattered across the wooden flooring. To his surprise, there were displays and shelves all around the place, stacked and piled with all sorts of things ranging from toys, stuffed animals, and books. His eyes widened as he looked around with a sense of wonder, he had slowed his pace while he weaved through the countless shelves, examining every little display that caught his eye. Mocker had disappeared into the far back of the store, Bulrush only caught glimpses of his vibrantly yellow blaze now and then.

“Bulrush, Bulrush look here!” Mocker called to him, his voice echoing with an excited laugh.

Bulrush perked up and trotted in Mocker’s direction, his head tilting in curiosity as he came up on the feathered cryo standing beside a tall display that was decorated with a great many shiny trinkets and some sort of wood-carved animal that resembled the Atopo in a way. Except it didn’t have the weird shovel mouth that the little aquatic had. Bulrush hummed in consideration, approaching the display and nosing at the trinkets. “Huh. Bet that guy would love some of these.”

“I know, right? I saw some other little man-made animals too— they looked like they were made of glass, but they were colorful, can you believe it?” Mocker added, trotting off a little ways only to return with a worn-down woven basket in his mouth, which he promptly scooped a generous amount of shiny accessories and wooden animals into.

“…That’s a lot for one Atopo, you know,” Bulrush commented though he knew Mocker wouldn’t be putting a single one of those gifts back on their displays.

“I know. But there's so much here, we might as well, right? C’mon, we gotta get this to Vanuatu before sunset.” Mocker grinned, his voice muffled around the handle of the basket as he proudly trotted off back the way they came, easily hopping over the window entrance they’d taken.

Bulrush sighed but trailed after the feathered cryo, a faint smile of amusement painting his expression. The walk that followed was long and quiet, however it was the peaceful kind of quiet. Enjoying the scenery and sounds of the wildlife, before Bulrush even knew it they had arrived at the beach docks where Vanuatu resided. Trotting along the sand, it wasn’t long before they spotted a small murky green shape beneath the docks, his lighter green bands more recognizable than anything.

“Vanuatu!” Bulrush called out to their friend, only a few tail-lengths further than Mocker who had practically started running over to the atopo.

The green atopo had perked up at his friend’s voice, swimming over to the shoreline and waddling his way onto the sand. “Mocker, Bulrush! How happy I am to see you— what is it that you have there, Mocker?” Vanuatu greeted happily, his gaze focusing on the woven basket that Mocker carried.

Mocker set the basket down in front of him soon after, a toothy smile stuck to the cryos face. “It’s- they’re gifts, for you! Bulrush and I went and found them for you, it’s a thank you for what you gave me the other day. And appreciation from Bulrush, even if the stubborn old man won't admit it.”

“…I’m not old.” Bulrush grumbled quietly, rolling his eyes at Mocker.

“Oh! Why thank you friends! I too have something to give Bulrush.” Vanuatu scurried back across the sand, pushing himself back into the ocean water and diving beneath the waves. A minute later, he resurfaced with a shiny white object in his mouth. Shaking both himself and the gift off, he set it on the sand in front of Bulrush. “A pearl, very rare! Quite pretty, yes? It is for you, Bulrush.”

Bulrush blinked, his words failing him as he stared at Vanuatu and his gift. He pushed away his surprise, throwing Vanuatu an appreciative glance as he craned his neck down to peer at the pearl, in awe of its beautiful white coloration. “Thank you, Vanuatu, it’s amazing.” He said, gently picking up the pearl between his teeth.

“Now take a look at your gifts, Vanuatu.” Mocker nudged the basket toward the atopo, settling down in the sand beside him. He and Bulrush watched as Vanuatu tipped over the basket gently and nosed through each and every trinket, his eyes filled with glee.

The trio spent the rest of their day relaxing and sorting through Vanuatu’s new collection of gifts, chatting all the way ‘till sunset. When the sky began to darken, Bulrush and Mocker bid their goodbyes and thanked Vanuatu once more, smiles on their faces as they turned away and started on their walk back to the forest where they sheltered.