Something Fuzzy

Hilda and Tina tilted their heads at their supposed predator popping out of the brush. Its reddish-brown fur was muted in the moonlight, shining in small places along its back and bushy tail. A pair of eyes as wide and dark as the sky darted around, following a twitching nose along the ground as it searched for scraps to munch on. Its paws tentatively brushed the ground as it inched forward, trying to find the source of the interesting smell.

The source of that smell, our two heroines, stayed perfectly still as the squirrel continued sniffing, evidently still looking for them. "What do we do?" Tina asked tentatively.

Hilda's eyes darted around, her body trembling as she held her shield in front of herself. If they didn't move, the squirrel would find them eventually, but she wasn't sure they could outrun it either. Fighting it was an option, but she didn't trust herself to take it down with just a swing needle, especially without any armor. One more thought ran through her head, but it wasn't exactly without risk. Still, it was the best idea she had, so the tiny knight decided to work with what she had.

Stowing her needle in her twine belt, Hilda took a slow, timid step forward, the grass crunching under her bare feet. The squirrel lifted its head, its eyes locking onto the tiny woman. Tina held her hands to her mouth, trying not to scream, while Hilda just looked at the giant squirrel and held out her palm. The beast approached the strange creature before it, sniffing the air. Hilda closed her eyes as the squirrel moved closer, its breath on her face.

For a moment, all was still as Tina and Hilda fearfully waited for their fate to be sealed. Their safety was in the hands of their fuzzy overseer. The squirrel stood up on its hind legs and placed one paw on Hilda's shoulder, causing the knight to gasp and clench her body tightly. Her toes curled into the dirt, and she could feel her butt grow tighter with fear. She was sure this was it, but strangely, as she waited for her head to be bitten off, nothing happened. Hilda tentatively opened one eye and saw the squirrel mere millimeters from her face (probably less considering her size) towering over her. With one paw on her shoulder, the beast was sniffing the top of Hilda's head, where her acorn helmet was. It seemed to be enamored with the scent of nuts.

Taking the opportunity, Hilda reached out a stroked the squirrel's belly, first slowly, then with more vigor. The squirrel's momentary distraction was broken as it leaned down to Hilda's face, nuzzling closer. Hilda smiled. "Oh, you're a good boy, aren't you?" She kept rubbing his belly, and the squirrel rolled over onto its back, kicking its leg in excitement. Hilda turned around to Tina, who was hiding underneath a leaf. "He's friendly, dear, you don't have to worry."

Tina stood up and shambled over to her mother, keeping her hands over her chest. As she looked at the massive creature showing its belly to her, Tina reluctantly reached out to pet it. Before she could, though, the squirrel rolled back over and put its snout right up to her face. Tina yelped, tempted to run back under her leaf, but Hilda shushed her, afraid of agitating what could still be a predator to them. The squirrel looked deeply at the young lady for a moment before showering her with a slobbery lick across her entire face.

Tina stood in shock for a moment, squirrel saliva dripping off her nose. Hilda had to stifle a laugh at her daughter's hair sticking up from the **** of the squirrel's tongue. For its part, the furry friend simply looked back at Hilda expectantly, as if asking for more pets. While Hilda obliged, Tina wiped the spit from her eyes and asked, in a disgruntled tone. "Great, so it's not gonna eat us. But what do we do now?"

Hilda simply grinned, reaching behind the squirrel's ear to give it some scratches. As it leaned down into Hilda, the knight reached up and pulled herself onto the squirrel's back, gently stroking it behind its ears. "Yeah, you're a handsome boy, aren't you?" She then looked at Tina and reached out her hand.

"Are you crazy?!" Tina yelled. "There's no way I'm riding that thing!"

"If you'd rather walk, that's fine," Hilda said nonchalantly, "but this will be much faster and easier on our feet. And personally, I'd rather get back to full height as soon as possible."

Tina started to object but had to admit her mother had a point. Her feet were already sore and damaged from their morning escapades, and she didn't anticipate the act of walking getting easier over time. A steed would certainly be better for travel time, too. Still, this was hardly a worthy steed, untamed and finicky as it was. "Do you even know how to ride a squirrel?"

"There's only one way to find out." Hilda patted her new companion on the head, prompting a delighted squeak.

Tina sighed, climbing onto the beast and wrapping her arms around her mother's waist. "Fine, but if this hurts my butt, I'm getting off."

Hilda just chuckled before patting the squirrel's neck and urging it to start running into the night. And the trio departed the small clearing, Hilda thought that their luck was turning up.