Shadow Friends

It was chaos inside the Imporium. Small, shadowy figures darted back and forth throughout the store, diving behind pet beds, winding through leashes and knocking them onto the ground, and rattling the cages of differently shaped shadowy figures. They didn’t make a peep while doing so, simply leaving behind a trail of destruction to follow.

Upon closer inspection, provided they slowed down long enough to get a good look, the shadows were, of course, imps of different sizes. They all looked similar, however, so Misa supposed that they were all of the same species. She had never interacted with any kind of imp before, but she had generally heard good things about them from those who did. Many a bun raved about their little adopted companions and spoiled them rotten. Perhaps that’s what contributed to behavior like this, Misa thought with a small smile.

“Help!” someone cried from the back of the store. A few bumps, thumps, and a grunt later, all was silent again. The imps had temporarily disappeared from view.

Misa raised an eyebrow and stepped into the store, closing the door quietly behind her. She quickly navigated to where she thought she had heard the noises. It was Hutch!

The larger Succubun had fallen to the floor, caught up under a pile of pet supplies, and had stayed there looking a little dazed. Registering Misa’s presence, they blinked, clearing their head, and started to push aside the pile. Misa helped them to their feet.

“What’s going on in here?” she asked curiously.

“The lunells are running amok,” Hutch sighed. “They always do this time of year, but this year seems particularly bad. Can you help me get them back into their cages?”

Misa nodded. A new look of determination spread across Hutch’s face. “Let’s do it then!”

They walked around a corner and picked out a couple of nets from a display, handing one to Misa.

“I usually like to be pretty gentle with them, but that hasn’t been working out too well today,” he explained. “We’ll jump to more drastic measures. Be very careful not to get their horns stuck though. They really don’t like anyone to mess with those, and they’ll get extra feisty if you do.”

Misa took the net with both hands, holding it up by her right shoulder like a baseball bat as she tiptoed towards the center aisle, glancing around cautiously. The store was still very, very quiet. She couldn’t see any movement yet. She started down the aisle across the way.

A shadow peeked out from behind a box of treats for the briefest of moments. Aha! It disappeared again as quickly as it had appeared, but it was too late. Misa raced over to the box, pushed it aside, and slammed down the net. “Gotcha!” she yelled in triumph.

The little lunell narrowed its eyes at her in contempt. It pulled its ears straight back and wriggled its clothlike legs as it tried to rush forward through the net, but it was no use. It was trapped.

“Where should I put the ones I’ve caught?” Misa called out, not entirely sure where Hutch had gone.

“There’s a wall of empty cages along the back!” Hutch replied swiftly from somewhere closer to the entrance. “Feel free to put them in any of those. They’re all the same.”

Misa picked up the box of treats and held it by the edge of the shelf, coaxing the lunell forward while she slowly pulled the upside-down net over the box. She stopped when both the lunell and the net were positioned nicely on top, safe and secure for transport. She had thought about just yanking the net out and flipping it over fast to create a makeshift sling, but that would have definitely gotten the lunell’s horn stuck. Best to follow instructions and avoid that.

She brought the lunell to the back of the store and found an empty cage. She ushered the creature inside and locked the door behind it. No more escape attempts for this one, at least for a while. From a hidden mouth, the lunell produced its tongue just to mock her as it stuck it out and scrunched up its eyes. I’m off to a good start with befriending these little dudes, she thought sarcastically.

It took well over two hours to find the rest of the lunells. As it turned out, they were very good at hiding. Who would have thought it? By the time they were done, there was a collection of 20 of them, and both buns were exhausted.

Misa almost forgot that she had came to the store for a reason: black sesame seeds. Hutch seemed a little puzzled by the request but had a surplus of them in stock. They were happy to share them with her in exchange for all of the help. Making a mental note to return sometime in the near future to see about acquiring her own little friend, Misa thanked them and headed off.