Purple tiny Saschas adoption attempt! Word count: 2,542 words.
To them, there was nothing better than an exploration. There was always something new to see- someone new to meet! Not that everyone they met was nice or pleasant. Some merely just were. And they supposed that was okay too.
But back on the views, for the tiny Saschas was waddling through the city at that moment. Their tail was up, their gaze darting from place to place as they practically bulldozed down the street- at.. roughly 2 miles per hour. They were a determined tiny thing at times, yes. Though they weren't sprinting- they could go faster if they wished- they were at more of a good speed waddle, a bounce in every step that hit the city ground.
The city was wide and big, already bustling with people going about their day. It was loud, it was chaotic, and it was beautiful for the tiny Saschas. With every person they crossed, they gave another greeting. “Hi! Hello! Good day! Watch the tail, please!” Not that they could be understood as the barrier between them stood rather firm, they just liked being loud and cheerful as well! No one paid much attention to them as they went, only really going as far as to step over or around them. It did not bother them, they gave another greeting and went on their way.
Their path wasn't set in stone most days. The best type of exploration for the tiny Saschas was the ones where anything could happen- and well, they had attempted structure before but found that never quite stuck after one time. They'd quite literally been scooped off the ground by a child and carried half the day. By the time they were able to get back to their task, the tiny Saschas hadn't a clue where they were. It had left them awfully upset, and they were determined not to have that happen again. Thus! Every adventure was going to be exciting, no matter what twists and turns were thrown their way!
The first task was presented to the tiny Saschas when a smell drafted in from a nearby cart. Food. And not just any food- a chili dog. Their gaze locked into place, tail wagging. A line of people stood beside the cart, a person serving the chili dogs and taking money for the product. Money.. mm. The tiny Saschas didn't quite have that at the moment. But perhaps.. ah! Quite right.
They waddled towards the line regardless, a stubborn air to their every movement. That chill dog was theirs! No one else knew it yet but it was!
The line moved slowly, the chatter of the people waiting going in one ear and out the other. They were not important in this quest, after all. In fact, the tiny Saschas waddled their way to the back of the line, sitting down to wait with them. And wait. And wait some more. The waiting seemed endless, but the tiny Saschas was not deterred! For every time the line got shorter, their determination got bigger. Each step closer made their stomach rumble further, until finally- finally- they'd reached the front.
Looking up at the man selling chili dogs, the tiny Saschas smiled big and wide, tail wagging. “Want!” They exclaimed. “Give, want!”
But the man didn't quite understand what the tiny Saschas was saying. He blinked down at them once, then shook his head.
The tiny Saschas tilted their head to one side, then stood and bapped one paw into the side of the cart. “Want! Please give!”
The man gave pause, then shook his head again and held out an empty hand. He wanted something in return. Something that the tiny Saschas did not have to give.
The tiny Sascha's eyes widened in pleading hope. They had waited so patiently in line. They wished to eat.
But the man seemed to hold no such mercy, and turned away from them without giving any chili nor dog. “Run along now. No place fer strays,”
The tiny Saschas looked from the cart to the man and back. They didn't want to leave without food.. and they were only just forming a plan in mind when suddenly, they found themselves being pushed away from the line- with a broom!
They squeaked, wiggling out of the way in a hurry. Their bounces were a bit higher the harder their paws stomped into the ground, the broom only making their time airborne stretch a couple of seconds longer.
The man didn't chase them far. Just enough that the cart and the line vanished from the tiny Sascha's sight. It was a shame, really, but they waddled on without chili dog breakfast. For now. Till then, their adventures continued!
The tiny Saschas waddled onwards, their tail high as before. They'd grown used to having unexpected bumps in the road. It never quite meant anything at that point, only that they'd have to try even harder to reach their end goal in one form or another. And the tiny Saschas was always up for a challenge. They were fun!
The next scent that caught their attention was fresh fruit from a market. Everything from strawberries to blueberries to mango and peaches, lined up in rows in small baskets on display outside. And no one was guarding them! Perfect!
The tiny Saschas bounced over, excitement overtaking them. Fruit was good! Fruit was colorful! The tiny Saschas liked fruit very much. They reached the market, bracing their front two legs atop the stand. Then, they pushed themselves towards the baskets of fruit. One push, two push. Thre-!
“Up ya go, little guy!” A voice chirped. It was a kid- bout thirteen years old with red tangled hair that fell into his face in wisps and sharp green eyes. His smile was wide- a bit too wide, in many people's opinions, but Jay just couldn't help himself. It was just how he was. Jay boosted the tiny Saschas up onto the stand, shifting on his feet.
Their gazes met for a moment or two as the tiny Saschas sized up the newcomer. No broom. No ‘go away stray’ energy. And most importantly, no scooping them up and running away for half a day! Very nice! The tiny Saschas approved. Turning away, they started sniffing at the various fruit on display. They wanted to find the right ones.. peaches? No. Strawberries? No. Mango? Maybe- they sniffed it again. No.
Jay watched the tiny Saschas silently, each rejected fruit getting a nod from the kid, as if he were agreeing that the fruit was, indeed, not the right one.
“Hey-” He spoke up finally. He took a step closer. “How aboooout-” Jay searched the stand for a certain fruit, fingers twitching all the while. Though after a few moments, he turned and caught the sight of a basket of raspberries on a different stand. “This one!”
With that exclamation, he plucked the raspberries from the stand and waltzed over. Jay took one raspberry between his fingers and popped it into his mouth- just to taste test it- before his smile widened even more and he set it down in front of the tiny Saschas. “Now that's it! This is the one!”
The tiny Saschas paused, glancing from the basket of raspberries to Jay and back. He was so confident. So loud, so- so.. great! They sniffed at the berries, then did a full body wiggle. Yes! Yes indeed! These raspberries looked and smelled just the one! The other fruit on the stand shook with the force of the tiny Sascha's wiggle, some falling off, others threatening to.
Jay had to scoop the basket of raspberries up before they, too, fell victim to the tiny Sascha's joy. “Woah, tiny terror on the loose, fruit beware!” He joked, barking out a laugh. He picked up another raspberry, this time holding it out to the tiny Saschas. “Here, catch!”
The tiny Saschas leaped off the stand as Jay tossed the raspberry towards them. The stand behind them shook once more, but they paid no mind to it. Their gaze locked onto the berry, they opened their mouth wide and caught the thing midair. Though upon hitting the ground, they didn't just land- they bounced right back up. Springing into the air, they flew over Jay's head- very much to his amazement.
“Holy macaroni-!” Jay's face lit up, eyes positively beaming. “You-”
The tiny Saschas hit the floor again, body bouncing off the hard surface before they once again became airborne. Though they directed their attention towards Jay and the raspberries. “More!” Their entire body wiggled, twisting midair. “Give. More please!”
While Jay didn't quite catch the words, he did seem to understand those body wiggles well enough. He chuckled, picking up yet another raspberry. “Alright, I'm gonna time this one. You ready?” He didn't wait for an answer, but as soon as the tiny Saschas hit the ground again, he threw the berry towards them.
The tiny Saschas leapt to meet the berry, swallowing it whole before continuing their time in the air. This continued for several more bounces. Every time the tiny Saschas hit the ground, Jay tossed them another raspberry to catch.
Jay was getting into the rhythm of it, lost to the tiny Saschas eating raspberries. So it caught him off guard when, on the next throw, the tiny Saschas launched themselves at him instead. He barely had time to yelp before they caught the berry and rammed into him. Their head collided with his chest, and suddenly he was back down on the sidewalk, groaning. The basket of raspberries was still in Jay's hands though- so thankfully it wasn't exactly a loss. Just a minor pain in the backside.
“Jeez.. buddy.” Jay wheezed out a laugh, one hand automatically going up to place on the tiny Sascha's head, fingers digging in slightly to scratch at the top of it. “Warn a guy next time.. ya get impatient, aye?”
The tiny Saschas didn't pay mind to his words, no. Instead, they focused their attention on the rest of the raspberries in Jay's hands. They were going to lunge for it- until Jay's fingers dug into a spot atop their head just right. They froze for a moment, the feeling catching them off guard. Very good. Scratch nice! Scratch grand! The tiny Saschas plopped down on Jay's chest, pushing into his hand. More! More more! They demanded through their wiggles.
Jay's smile sharpened a bit at the sight. He immediately obliged, scratching a bit deeper in that same spot. “Okay, you- ya got it!” He didn't move- didn't so much as attempt to shift to a more comfortable position. He just laid there, a tiny Saschas on his chest, a basket of raspberries in his other hand. Though he soon set that down beside him to go in with both hands, scratching at the tiny Saschas until they were kicking one leg out with content.
Neither one noticed the shop keeper's eventual arrival until she cleared her throat loudly. “Ahem! I do hope you're planning on paying for those?” She raised an eyebrow down at the two, broom in hand.
Jay froze, slowly turning his gaze to meet the shop keeper's. “Ah- yeah! Yeah!” He chuckled sheepishly, giving an “oof!” When the tiny Saschas headbutted his chest in demand for more more more! One hand continued to scratch their head while the other reached into his pocket, digging around for the money. He could tell the shop keeper wasn't too happy, though it was hard to grab money when a tiny Saschas was constantly wigging about on your chest! And they weren't exactly light either!
Eventually, though, he did manage to get the money out, holding it up. “My bad, really ma'am! I was going to pay sooner, but this little guy-”
The shop keeper snatched the money before he could finish, turning to head back inside. Ouch, grouchy.
Though.. Jay pushed himself upright, wincing slightly as he had to adjust the tiny Saschas on his chest to slide into his lap instead. He caught sight of the mess they'd made. Fruit all over the floor from the tiny Sascha's earlier stunt. His smile shifted into that of a grimace.
“Wow, little bud. Sure made a mess, huh? Gueeesss that's our cue to get out of here,” He shifted carefully, trying to make sure the tiny Saschas was properly in his grip before he even attempted to push to his feet.
The tiny Saschas pushed further into his arms, wiggling in their own attempt to get comfortable. Unfortunately, that just made it harder for Jay to get the two of them off the floor. The two of them struggled for a moment, the more Jay got them off the ground the harder it was for him to keep them from stumbling into the fruit stand again. He did not want to attract the shop keeper's attention.. again. Though he could swear he already felt her burning glare into his back.
“Okkkaay!” Jay stumbled a step, adjusting the tiny Saschas one last time in his arms. “Now! Let's get to skedaddling before that nice shop lady comes out and uses.. my head as target practice!” He puffed out a breath, shook his head, then straightened up to the best of his ability.
The tiny Saschas wiggled a bit more, gaze on the raspberries still on the ground.
Jay paused, then caught the basket as well. Ahhh.. he glanced towards the shop keeper's direction, then looked back at the basket of raspberries. How to pick it back up.? He bent down carefully, trying to grab the thing with one hand while not dropping the tiny Saschas in his arms. “Come on- come oonnn!”
The tiny Saschas chirped in encouragement. “Grab! Grab! Get!”
Jay chuckled, even though this wasn't his favorite activity, and he was very much struggling through this. He was sure he looked like a doofus.. but the tiny Sascha's insistence pushed him onward. His fingers brushed the edge of the basket just as-.
“Stand up,” The shop keeper was back, broom in hand. She looked past exhausted at that point.
Jay straightened almost immediately, knocking over the basket of raspberries on the way up. “Ehh..”
The shop keeper shook her head, bent over, and scooped the berries back into the basket without a word. She turned, placing the basket to the side. “Grab a fresh one and git,” She muttered.
Before Jay could utter a word of thanks, she was gone. And before he could question it, the tiny Saschas was making noise again.
“Grab! Berry grab!”
Jay smiled, adjusting the tiny Sascha's grip in his arms. “Aye aye, cap'n!” He declared, already moving to go for another basket of raspberries. He carefully scooped it up in one hand, tucking it next to the tiny Saschas. “And now- for real this time! We go!”
“Go! Adventure!” The tiny Saschas agreed, tail wagging. Okay, so they were being dragged around for half a day or so again. But this one had food and good vibes! He was loud and boisterous and wonderful! And as they walked down the street together, the tiny Saschas found that they didn't quite mind his company.
AWESOME SUBMISSION FOR GUMMY