Hm... Its awfully cold here, what if a caretaker was walking down the road or something and saw a box move. And when they investigate, its a Pygmy and a King cuddled up together and the King starts hissing at the caretaker, but somehow enss up adopting them?
The dilapidated cardboard box didn’t qualify as a luxury accommodation by any stretch of the imagination, but a life-saving refuge for a pair of struggling travelers doesn’t need to be fancy. The homeless King and his Pygmy friend couldn’t withstand the frigid winds for much longer, so they sought shelter in the box with weary gratitude.
The location was less than ideal. The bottom of the box had soaked up enough melted slush to nearly disintegrate, and the King had to climb into a nearby dumpster to find enough discarded paper and rags to get them both off of the ground that siphoned the remaining heat from their bodies. The two lamias huddled together, sharing what little warmth they had, but as the sun set and night crept over the town, they couldn’t stop themselves from shivering.
Hurrying to get back to their own home, a human passerby spotted the box vibrating gently with two tails sticking out of it, one iridescent blue and one dark red. Curious, they peered inside to see the bedraggled skeleton lamias. The King, worried for his much smaller companion, hissed and flared his hood, hoping desperately that the human would go away. He didn’t really want to bite anyone, but he would defend himself and the Pygmy if necessary. The passerby lifted both of their hands in a gesture of surrender and stepped back, and the King slumped in relief.
The human couldn’t bring themself to just keep walking though. Taking off their scarf, they used one foot to push it towards the box from a safe distance. A skeletal hand reached out of the box and snatched the scarf, pulling into the makeshift shelter.. Digging in their pockets, the human also found a granola bar that they kept with them in case they got hungry. Laying the offering down near the box, they watched as the food disappeared from sight as quickly as the scarf had. The box stopped moving, its inhabitants still; satisfied, the kind human continued onward to their home.
A blizzard struck that night. Temperatures plummeted, and storm clouds dumped thick layers of snow and ice over the entire town. When the human awoke to the signs of a severe winter storm, their mind immediately went to the King and the Pygmy with nothing but a cardboard box to protect them from the elements. In a rush, they pulled on a coat and dashed out the door, feet slipping and sliding as they dashed down the street, hoping that they weren’t too late.
The King opened heavy sockets and sluggishly roused himself to check on the Pygmy. He’d bundled the smaller lamia in the scarf that the stranger had given them and made him eat most of the granola bar. He’d hoped that it would be enough, but when he touched the Pygmy, the other lamia was cold and unmoving. The King shook the Pygmy, trying to wake him, but he barely had the strength to do even that much.
Suddenly, a human face appeared at the opening of the cardboard box, a face he recognized. This time the King didn’t hiss. He gazed at the human with imploring eyelights and pointed at his friend. The human knelt in the snow, not caring about the muck and grime of the alleyway; they reached into the box and picked up the Pygmy, cradling him close to their body.
“I don’t know if I can get him warm enough like this,” the human said in a rush, watching tears fill the King’s sockets and his entire body sag in dejected acceptance. “Please, let me take you back to my place. It’s warm there. I won’t hurt you or force you to stay, but you can’t survive out here like this!”
The human extended a hand to the King, who struggled to slither onto it.
The King and the Pygmy looked at the massive frosted cake in front of them. The helpful stranger, now their owner, made them one every year to celebrate finding them and bringing them to their new home. This cake had a number five on it, and it would be the fifth of many that the trio would enjoy together in the warmth and safety of a place called home.
More Drabbles | INDEX | Read on AO3
