Chapter Text
There once was a Bitty that was alone in a Bitty shop… well not exactly alone, but he was kept in a dark corner of the shop that really didn’t have any customers. They were too interested in all the happy, cheerful, colorful Bitties that filled the shop. Not a sad and quiet bookworm that kept to himself and was locked in a small birdcage while the flock of hyper and happy versions of his type got a whole area to fly around in. He was what was called a Pippin Bitty and he was the only one since nobody wanted his type. They wanted the Pazazz which was cheerful, energetic, and much more social that loved to play.
They were both a species called a Bonsai-Bitty and were part Skeleton Bitty and part tree. They had wings that they could fly with, but they were not made of feathers. Rather a more leaf or plant life substance, like the canopy of a tree. They needed fresh water and sunlight, which the Pazazzes got all the time, but not the solitary Pippin locked in a cage. After who knew how many years, or even decades at this point, he was basically a mostly forgotten display to look at.
Not that anyone wanted to bother. Back when the workers paid a bit more attention to him, they would give him books to read. It was an enjoyable way to pass the time since he wasn’t much for playing games and acting like a nuisance like his popular opposite. Over the years, those workers were gone and less and less new ones paid him any attention other than making sure he had food. He still remembered those books and at times would mentally recite them for something to do when the books stopped coming.
Like a tree, a Bonsai- Bitty would start to extrude a sap-like substance when injured or in poor mental health. Due to constant misunderstandings from new employees over the years, the books stopped. Apparently, they started assuming that the sap was some kind of sickness and might be toxic to touch. That and the sap would get all over the books and ruin them. They just didn’t seem to grasp that if he was happier, the sap would recede. Books, cool fresh water, sunlight and letting him actually stretch his wings were the ‘cure’.
As such, he only had his memories of the hundreds of books he had read as he sat in his cage that was meant for a tiny bird like a finch or just for transport. Some nights he dreamed of actually being in those books… in those worlds…
˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
The Pippin always thought it was funny that the lookout post on a ship was called a ‘crows nest’. As such, since he was the lookout for the motley crew of pirates, they dubbed him ‘Crow’. So what if he had made a nest up there, that was neither here nor there. Still, he loved the feel of the wind and sun on his wings and being high up and safe from getting accidentally stepped on.
Some days he acted like the Captain’s ‘parrot’ when they were on shore or parlaying with other pirates and he didn’t need to be on lookout duty. He was even allowed to sass back when someone took him for a dumb bird. Granted the ‘dumb bird’ act worked well when overhearing any underhanded plans or whispers of mutiny that he happily passed on.
Little did many know, but ‘Crow’ was the most important member of the crew, not counting Captain Billy Bones. He was great for morale since he could sniff out who needed cheering up. He was the perfect lookout with being able to fly to and from his post faster than anyone else and sharper eyesight. He could also sniff out anyone with ill Intent that may try and double cross them.
Since his wings could replicate various plant life, in a pinch he could produce herbs and such that could be carefully clipped. He didn’t mind as long as they were careful not to clip enough to prevent him from flying. They could be herbs to season their meals, provide extra nutrients or even medicinal herbs. He helped keep his crew… his family healthy.
He was basically their secret weapon in so many ways. He couldn’t swab the deck or carry cannonballs, but he could quickly light them in a flyby to make it seem like they had a bigger crew than they had when their cannons went off. As long as he didn’t get called a ‘flying pi-rat’ he was fine. The last person that called him that got a tiny sword in their eye.
˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
There were many types of mer in the wide and deep waters, not just the typical half Human/half fish ‘mermaids’. Some could be larger than any ship such as an octopus-like kraken and the monstrous leviathan. Then there was the tiny Pippin who was a mer based on a flying fish. Unlike a typical flying fish, he could actually fly small amounts above the water, but he was much faster under it. As small as he was, his services were indispensable. He could quickly and discretely pass messages along.
He could also tell if there was something wrong in the water like pollution or harmful chemicals much sooner. He was an early warning system for many schools/pods/shivers when the Surface people tried to use such things. He could also secrete something like an antidote or medicine in an emergency. He loved meeting new mer and seeing all the unique types there could be.
˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
One would think that all dragons were massive fire breathing things that ate villagers and stole princesses. That was not the case at all… more like those giant scaly brutes were the most noticeable and least stealthy or quiet of them. They got all the attention and none of it was good… especially for their reputation. Some dragon types could be as small as a cat or dog… or even smaller. Bonsai Dragon Bitties were the smallest they came in. Granted the Pazazzes were tiny fire breathing menaces that were just as much of a nuisance as the ‘standard’ dragons. They also reproduced like rabbits, so they were everywhere and loved to attack in large flocks.
As far as the much stealthier and reclusive Pippin was concerned, he may be the last of his specific kind. He did not breathe fire and ran on the colder end of things. He had no interest in attacking the Humans and instead helped them… or at least helped keep anyone from stealing anything from his library. It was a massive library that he had guarded over for centuries that held many ancient and hard to find tomes. He was the library’s guardian and anyone that came in with ill Intent, be it to damage or steal anything, was met with his ire.
Any librarian that was hired had to pass his test and scrutiny… and ply him with scritches. It was not unheard of that one of them had to do their job while a tiny purring dragon was on their lap. Unless it was an emergency, cat law ruled. The tiny dragon was nicknamed The Book Wurm and loved to join any book club meetings. He didn’t mind being a study buddy or helping a poor student that couldn’t understand the nuances of Shakespeare. He also loved helping translate old tomes, manuscripts or scrolls that were brough in.
Especially if they were writing a translated copy for others to read without accidentally destroying the old and brittle originals. One did not damage books in HIS library… granted accidents were understandable, but no-one dared risk his wrath. His claws and teeth were not just for decoration after all. Personally, he felt he had the biggest and best maintained hoard of any Dragon.
˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Heroes came in all sorts of shapes and sizes… some not even by trying. Sure, there were the ones in fancy costumes and odd names that made it their job to ‘stop evil’ and were very vocal about it. Then there were the everyday heroes that didn’t do it for notoriety or anything like that. Firefighters and doctors and people like that did it to help people and didn’t care if they got any thanks in return. It was appreciated but they didn’t ‘need’ or crave it like many self-absorbed ‘superheroes’ seemed to.
As far as the Pippin was concerned, he was just doing his job. He had no idea why people called him a hero when all he was doing was helping people. He worked with people in the wing of the hospital that tended to have those that may not have long to live, were in bad shape or were pretty much permanently there. For some he was just there to listen to their stories and keep them company, others he helped keep them calm if they were scared or confused.
Many he would sit and read to, be it to make things more comfortable, the person was no longer able to read, or too young to read. It was hard when one of the patients he worked with passed on, but that was the way things were. One day there was a patient that had been in a coma for months and their loved ones would still come and talk to them in hopes they would wake up. As far as anyone knew, they were in a vegetative state and had been moved to the ward the Pippin was in. There was even talk of taking them off life support if they continued to show no signs of brain activity.
As he did with any patient, whether they were awake and aware or in a deep sleep or coma, he read to them. Much to his surprise… since his sense of smell could give him great swaths of information, including the health and emotional state of the person… he realized he was picking up emotions from the patient. He set down his book and asked them to think of happy thoughts if they could hear and understand him. He immediately picked up the scent of happiness and then asked them to focus on a few more emotions to verify they were actually responding to him.
The moment he was certain, he hit the buzzer to summon whichever doctor or nurse was the closest. Knowing that the staff in that wing all knew of his abilities, he quickly explained that the patient was in fact mentally conscious but could not physically respond. Calling a few more personnel, including the patient’s family, they tested it out further. The Pippin was blindfolded with his ‘ears’ covered as they did something similar to the ‘telephone game’. Without knowing what emotion was asked of the patient, the Pippin easily responded with the correct one every time.
It was discovered that the patient had Complete Locked-in Syndrome due to poisoning. Once that was realized and proper antidotes administered, the patient was able to start physically responding. They would still be mostly paralyzed, but at least they could now breathe on their own and speak again. The Pippin was called a hero since without his intervention, the patient would likely be deceased. Not to mention how many more lives were saved having him check on other patients that may be more aware than they thought.
˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Why was it that the Pazazzes could do no wrong and the lone Pippin was treated like something bad… like a villain? Pazazzes could be loud, flying menaces that bit like crazy and constantly stole anything shiny like magpies. People got bitten all the time and they simply laughed it off. Him on the other hand, never bit anyone in his entire life. Still, they treated him like he might bite a finger off at any moment and that his sap was toxic or some nonsense. If they thought him a villain, then a villain he would be.
First, he unlocked the rather simple lock on his cage and carefully scooped up some of the dust that was plentiful in his dark corner of the store. He arranged it in his cage to make it look like he Dusted like a typical Monster. None of his kind had ever died so he had no clue if they Dusted like typical Monsters or not. He wouldn’t be surprised if the workers had no clue either. He also left his filthy and ratty tunic in the pile before finding something fresher from the shelves.
After changing, he made his escape, climbing down the rickety shelving before darting under the units. Things would be much easier if his poor wings weren’t matted with sap, but he made do. He bided his time, since he had no way of leaving the building, and waited until the workers left for the day. He then made his way into the netted flight area his hyper opposites were in. It was incredibly easy to convince the menaces to act up even worse and cause trouble. Especially if they thought it was simply a new game to play and keeping him secret was huge part of the ‘game’.
Meanwhile he took advantage of the better conditions such as getting a long overdue soak in the ‘birdbaths’, getting a full meal, and basking under one of the sun lamps that had been left on. After getting the best sleep he had in years, he was woken by the sound of the front door. The workers were back and he had to hide somewhere until nightfall again. He kept out of sight but still had a front row seat to the chaos he had sown.
There were some nights he would help a few of the menaces out of their enclosure with the task of stealing some of the treats that were for sale. He still couldn’t understand why they just couldn’t figure it out themselves, but it did get him their respect. Like his own army of minions doing his bidding. He had them stash the empty wrappers and packages behind things and made sure there was no evidence in their enclosure.
As far as the workers knew, a customer was stealing things while they were open. The Pippin, on the other hand, bid his time by making sure they menaces didn’t take too much at a time. He was also waiting to do his big master plan in the hopes his wings would un-sap enough to get more mobility. Not being able to fly himself was a huge hinderance. At least many of his minions were happy to give him a ride.
The day came that he could not stall any longer as the perfect opportunity to escape happened. It was after hours when a massive storm ripped through the town. It not only knocked out the power but also caused a large tree to crash through the large front windows. With the power out, the alarms wouldn’t go off to alert the Humans soon enough before they all made their escape.
He quickly explained the plan that there were all to escape, if they chose to, but they needed to try and wait a little longer in hopes that the wind died down. They didn’t all need to be whooshed away by the wind and get hurt. Much to the Pippin’s surprise, the entire flock wanted to follow their ‘boss’ since they loved the ‘games’ he came up with. Luckily, the wind calmed down enough that the Pippin felt it should be safe enough for them to fly out the window.
The netting that kept the Pazazzes in had only been held together using multiple small magnets. It was simple to get open and keep open if they worked together. The menaces were too energetic and easily distracted to focus and study things like the Pippin could. One of the Pazazzes carried the still flightless Pippin while the others carried as many snacks and goodies they could safely fly with as they escaped en masse out the shattered window.
Once they were outside, it was still rather windy but at least the rain wasn’t coming down that hard. Still, he directed the one carrying him to a spot that was out of sight and safe from the elements. That way they could nap and not get caught in the morning. Then he could plot out a better place to set up their ‘headquarters’ and plan out their next move.
Weeks later, none of them had been caught as they continued their spree of mayhem. The Pippin wasn’t ashamed to take advantage of the fact that Pazazzes were basically magpies and kept grabbing shineys and other things that interested them. Granted he did make sure they snagged food for all of them and he was happy to join in as their leader once his wings had finally shed all the sap and he could fly again. It seemed that being a villain could be fun.
˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
In a quiet park, there lived a lone ‘wild’ Pippin Bitty. He wasn’t truly alone since there were many wild animals as well as a flock of Pazazzes. He didn’t really consider himself wild, but those bright colored menaces sure acted like it. It was a nice area with lots of trees, a pond, and there were always things people left behind. Leftover food and books were his personal favorites, but other lost items were nice too like blankets and toys. Granted he usually used those to trade with or bribe the Pazazzes for things he wanted.
One day he watched as a lanky Human with a green striped shirt and hair that covered their eyes and a purple-colored Dinosaur Monster were messing with something at the bottom of the tree he was perched in. The only thing he saw was that there was a thick carpet of moss… and they were eating it? Practically shoving it in their mouths by the handfuls. He was fairly certain that wasn’t something people should be eating but what did he know? He once saw someone making a salad out of the many dandelions that grew in the park.
They seemed to be enjoying it and after witnessing this happen several times throughout the week, it must be safe. Out of his own curiosity, when no one was around to mess with him, he flew down to see if any was still there. He spotted a small chunk that was wedged in the gap of the tree bark that he could scoop out with his tiny hands. After tasting a small bit of it, he found he didn’t mind the taste of the green part of it but didn’t care for the more ‘dirty’ bottom part.
He also noticed that it should’ve been at least washed if not cooked first as his system naturally filtered out the ‘icky’ parts. It was soft and would make a really nice bed though, so he searched for the perfect clump to bring up to his home. He figured if he kept it watered and healthy it should last quite a while.
It made such a soft and cozy bed and he slept better than he had in ages… oddly enough though… after a few weeks his bones started getting a bit itchy. It’d been cloudy and rainy lately and today was the first day that the clouds weren’t blocking the sun. He happily flew out and perched on a vacant picnic table to stretch his wings out and soak up the sun. As he went to itch his arm again, he realized that his bones were looking greenish… and kinda fuzzy soft.
It took a few days for him to realize that his bones were covered in moss… which would be unheard of for a normal Skeleton Monster, but his type was part tree. Moss grew on trees… and rocks… and other things… he was apparently part of those things. It was a bit itchy and made him eat a little more than usual and he would need to put a piece of cloth or something over his moss bed to keep this from happening again. If he wanted to keep using it as a bed that is.
He wasn’t sure about that yet and he needed to figure out how to get rid of it on his body first. Seeing the moss eaters were back, he cautiously flew down to try talking to them. It took a bit to get their attention away from the moss they were eating and in his direction. After getting laughed at for at least 10 minutes and called multiple things, including a ‘flying green furry’, the Pippin could finally ask if they had any ideas on how to get the moss off.
Unfortunately, most of those ideas included ‘nibbling it off like eating chicken off the bone’ or similar ideas. He was not getting anywhere near their mouths… especially the one that looked like they could bite through a large tree branch. The quiet one mentioned their mom sometimes used bleach or vinegar, but he didn’t like the idea of drinking any of that. A pressure washer would likely blast him away or hurt him before it got it off so that idea was out too.
Thankfully, the quiet one mentioned there was someone that knew a lot about plants that might be able to help. The Pippin was reluctant to go with them but what if it got worse and it prevented him from flying or the roots from the moss started cracking his bones. Thankfully the massive Goat Monster was able to help and they became friends.
˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
If there was one thing the lone Pippin knew, it was that he did not enjoy being in the spotlight. He didn’t care for lots of attention like his loud and energetic opposites. Unfortunately, he landed in it anyways after just doing a good deed he thought anyone would do.
He was just chatting with an older gentleman that ran a hot dog stand at lunchtime that would slip part of his own lunch. He claimed he couldn’t finish the entire thing or sometimes it was one that was made weird or split that usually the customers got fussy about and didn’t want. He was happy with the company since many people were in a hurry or didn’t want to chat as they focused on their phones.
One day, the Pippin noticed that his scent was off… like something was wrong. The old man mumbled that he must’ve slept poorly or was coming down with something and acted like it wasn’t anything to worry about. As minutes passed, that wrong scent became stronger, and he seemed slower than usual. None of the customers said anything or acted like they noticed a difference. He hated to go behind the old man’s back, but since sometimes he’d let the Pippin watch something on his phone, he asked if he could do that.
He hated lying, but he moved out of earshot and called the emergency number that most phones had auto programmed. He explained where he was and that he thought that the old man was having a medical emergency. He hoped they didn’t just brush it off as a prank call or someone just blowing things out of proportion. Thankfully they didn’t since just as the ambulance pulled up, the old man grabbed his chest and collapsed.
The Pippin was relieved that they let him come along as they rushed him to the nearest hospital. He figured they may have assumed he was his Bitty and not a wild one, especially since he was the one that called it in. He knew that one of the numbers on the phone was his daughter since she and the old man talked to each other over the phone on slower days. He dialed the number and told her that her father was rushed to the hospital and which one it was.
There was a bit of confusion when she arrived, and she told the nurse that he didn’t have a Bitty. At least she sat down to ask who he was and what happened since they weren’t letting anyone in to see him yet. She was far from upset about what he did and told the Pippin that she was glad he was there to get him help.
After several hours of waiting, they discovered that the old man had what was nicknamed a ‘widowmaker’. If the ambulance had not been right there when it happened it was highly likely he would not have survived. Everyone, especially the daughter, started praising the Pippin as the old man’s guardian angel. Due to his actions, the old man survived and eventually went back to selling his hot dogs. Apparently, news got around and even the customers paid more attention to the old man as well as gave the Pippin bits of their own lunch as thanks.
At least now he knew what the wrong smell meant and even warned a customer that he caught that scent from. It wasn’t anything anywhere near as bad as the old man’s, but they were still grateful to be warned in time. That only got the Pippin even more attention.
On the plus side, the old man took him in, so he now had a regular supply of food and safe place to live. He didn’t mind living in the wild, but it was hard during bad storms or wintertime.
˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ ˚ ₊‧꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚