The Fluffy Parade Canni was gone. Her mother had promised her that her friend was coming back, but the days had slipped by, and of the lion there was no sign. She was certain that something terrible had happened to her friend, why else would she leave Motif? They were promised friends, they were suppose to have adventures together, she was suppose to grow up with Cannival, who had wanted children of her own. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, but when she spoke to her mother about it, Shaye had only said that Canni would return when she felt like it. Her mother didn’t understand she couldn’t see that Canni would never leave her willingly. After the latest argument with her mother, Motif had fled from the den in tears, and ran to the tree where her companion liked to sit. “Fluffy, fluffy!” she said, sniffing and trying to push the tears away. She blinked up at the tree, trying to see her companion. Fluffykins would understand, he always understood. "Speech"

When Motif came looking for him Armando was doing what he did best: sleeping. He loved a good nap. Right now was prime nap time too. The sun on his back was nice and warm, and the breeze that gently rocked the branch he was laying on also kept him from getting uncomfortably warm. Wasn't too hot, wasn't too muggy. It was just right.

"Fluffy, Fluffy," cried a little voice far below. Sleepily he groused to himself that he hoped whatever creature had lost their pet found it and went away before he woke up entirely. He was going to be very cross if some snot nosed little-

Oh. Armando cracked an eye open. He was Fluffy.

He sighed and then stretched, taking his sweet time in answering the call. Motif was a cute little big thing, but her wolfish energy exhausted him. Wolves, he had decided, didn't take nearly as many naps as they aught to. Wolf pups even less somehow.

"Oh, Motif!" he cried after catching wind of her mood before rushing down the tree and flinging himself onto the ground in front of her. The little panda then stood up on his hind legs and tried to wipe at his companion's tear-stained cheeks. "Don't cry! What's wrong, sweetheart?"

She ran to the branch, crying one of his nicknames as she stopped there, blinking tears and sniffling. She was just, so mad her mother didn’t understand. She was so busy all the time, running from one pack thing to another, that she didn’t understand her daughter anymore. She didn’t know what Canni meant to her.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, wrapped up in her own thoughts, before her dear companion siddled down the tree and ran to her. He stood on two legs, tail flared behind him, and somehow managing to balance without his two front legs on solid ground. It always made her giggle, seeing him like this, but not this time. Her chin wobbled and she shed a few more tears at his sweetness, so much more genuine then her distracted mother, as he wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Oh Fluffy, it’s horrible. Canni never came home, it’s been weeks something awful has happened to her, I know it. She’s pack, Mumma said so, so why doesn't she care? why doesn’t she do something ” she growled, tail lashing behind her as she expressed her frustration. She kept her head low, close to Fluffys, breathing in the comforting scent of him.

The Fluffy Parade His appearance seemed to draw more tears from her so Armando spent several seconds while Motif talked wiping frantically at her face. When it registered that Cannival was gone he froze. The lion? Really? Dammit he hadn't had time to befriend her or anything before she skipped town. What a waste. Armando wiped one last time at Motif's cheek, his expression compassionate. "My dear, your mother is very busy. Think of all she has to do. She does a lot anyway," he was only guessing here, the daily life of an alpha wolf was largely a mystery to him. "But that fire made it hectic, didn't it? Your mumma's been working long days since then, hasn't she?" Truly he was just talking out of his butt and saying what he thought he would be expected to say versus telling her his opinion. So far it sounded right, right? Talking to kids was hard. "It would be very hard for her to leave Abaven to look for Cannival even if she really wants to." "Don't worry," he said as he reached up to give her a hug, his little arms making it less than halfway around her neck. "I'm sure there are others who lover her as much as you do who will go looking for her and bring her back safe and sound." "Speech"