Playmates

(Fail, title is an epic fail. Set October 7th, open to Djali and Sparky at first, but after a while other kids in the Hero army will probably be allowed. This is just a fluff thread for Sparky and Djali to hang out and have fun together.)

Djali sat patiently in the shade of a small, scrawny tree, head swinging from side to side. The feisty goat was eager to get started. Sparky had had an idea earlier in the day. Since both animals were bored silly, neither having been trusted with anything really beneficial to the war, and with no battles to join or anything but chores for camp up-keeping to do, the Dalmatian had formed a plan.

He had agreed to meet Djali here, in the Grasslands, to scout for a new training area for the kids. Djali began to wonder whether he was in the right place. This looked as much like what he imagined a "Grasslands" to be as anything.

Sparky had injured his leg earlier in the week, too, so perhaps that was slowing him down. In any case, the little gypsy goat was keeping an attentive brown eye out. He hadn't really thought about the fact that the Grasslands were available to Villains as much as they were to Heroes.

"Hey," said Sparky limping up to Djali as fast as he could. "Sorry I'm late, I had business to attend to, setting another one of my brothers strait." Sparky sat down and leaned against the tree with a heavy breath. Ready to search for a better training area.
He had first noticed that the kid heroes needed a new training area when a young pup got his but kicked by a bunch of adults, so he had made the rendezvous with Djali to search for one and the grasslands seemed the perfect spot.

He looked at his close friend, "So where should we start?"

Djali grinned, pleased to see his companion. He was excited to finally have something to do. The kid goat desperately needed to shake off the missing of his adored Esmerelda. It made him homesick. It had been hard living his whole life not being able to talk to the humans he spent so much time with back in Notre Dame. Esmerelda and her easy way of getting along and understanding the kid goat without needing speech had made up for that. It was one of the reasons Djali was so loyally, stubbornly devoted to her.

But when she left to save Clopin and Phoebus, an empty pit of loneliness and un-fulfillment had opened in her little friend's heart, taking all of his compensation for not being able to carry on conversations away with her. So when Sparky had come along--and some of the other Heroes, too, but Djali was always sort of quiet and suspicious and shy--Djali was so starved for companionship that he longed to be around the pup, and anyone else who would pay him attention, as much possible.

At the question, Djali screwed up his mouth in thought. He was a follower, not a leader, and he didn't know anything about anything outside of Notre Dame, certainly not here in this vibrant land. "Dunno. Your idea--maybe by water?" Actually, the kid was hungry and thirsty.

Sparky saw the goats expression change seven times in that instant, it was kind of funny to watch so he gave a hearted chuckle. This goat was one heck of a friend always making him laugh even in some of the most boring or strenuous situations.
"Good idea," he said feeling his stomach growl louder than he ever could. "Maybe we should start our search with a snack." Though the pup didn't know much about the grasslands he knew enough to know where Rolly kept his stash out here, "Follow me," he said turning to walk out into the tall grass.

Djali flickered his tail happily and sprang to his hooves his stomach was already growling at the thought of--well, anything, really. As most goats, the gypsy pet was not picky when it came to snacks. He could eat quite literally almost anything. And he wasn't above munching on the very grass of the Grasslands as he followed his buddy.

This 'Rolly' person must be one of the many dalmatian brothers or sisters Sparky had. Perhaps this stash would lead them to a good training spot on the way--but really, right now, all the kid goat was thinking about was food.

Sparky began the mile or so journey to the stash, while he was walking he began to ponder on his past as always a very touchy subject, and then his thoughts strayed to his friend and his past. Ever since he meet the young goat he had ceased to figure anything out about his past besides the fact that he was from Notre Dame. So finally curiosity got the better of him, "Hey Djali, I know its none of my business but, what was it like where you grew up?"

The grain heads in his mouth felt suddenly scratchy and hard to swallow as the puppy's question registered in the goat's brain. He choked for a moment, then swallowed, which gave him time to think about a response.

What was life like in Notre Dame? It was the only thing Djali had ever known. He tried to imagine Sparky's life in contrast so that he could better explain it. The little gypsy pet channeled his homesickness into his answer. He wasn't much for talking, but he spoke around mouthfuls of grass as he trotted along behind Sparky. "Lived n'Notre Dame. There's notta lotta aminals. Jus' horses with their big hooves and some dogs. No spotty ones like you. Scruffy mixed-up breeds. I lived with gypsies."

He screwed up his muzzle, realizing that Sparky might not know what a gypsy was. Djali hadn't known a few of the things out here in the Pridelands undtil they were explained to him. But how would he explain? To him, gypries were just normal. He didn't know what any humans who weren't gypsies were like. He knew they were outcasts, but he'd never really understood why."Gypsies're...uhh...well, like me. Outcasts, outcasts in the town. We ennertain the other humans for shiny gold. Most people like us, 'cept soldiers. Soldiers're mean."

Sparky could see he had poked a nerve there and wished he could take back his question. He tried to generalize a Gypsie in his head, he had heard of them but didn't know what they were like, they sounded nice. They sort of fit his description. "Well um," Sparky needed to change the subject then he realized he didn't know who Esmerelda was, he had heard his friend mutter the name in his sleep multiple times and decided it may take the goat away from his past. "Hey who is Esmerelda?"

Djali wriggled his tail and smiled a little. Esmerelda, another person wanted to know about Esme'! He wondered how Sparky knew her name, but pushed the thought aside in favor of answering. "Esme's my partner. She'n me've always been together. She's a gypsy human who dances. She's got big green eyes and lo'ss'a black hair. Me'n her used to be all each other had, 'cept for Clopin, he's her cousin. Clopin's a gypsy, too, leader of the gypsies."

Now his words were coming in an abbreviated rush. "Then she married Dweebus--I mean, Phoebus, but Dweebus's what I call him. Don't like Dweebus. He's a soldier. Esme'n him hadda baby boy, named'm Zephyr. Then Clopin'n Dweebus left for th'war, and Esme went to rescue them." He lowered his head as he walked. "She left me b'hind with Zeph'."

Djali was too wrapped up in missing his human mistress to think about whether or not he wanted his new puppy friend to see how sad he had become. Not that he blamed Sparky for making him so--Djali had separation anxiety.

Well, Sparky didn't know how to respond to that, he had never gone through something like his partner leaving him. The closest thing that had happened to him compared to that was his girlfriend leaving him. He saw how sad the normal happy goat became in a flash, it made him feel bad, he had also failed to get Djali away from thinking about his past. Since he didn't know what to say to his grief stricken friend he muttered, "I'm so sorry."

Djali looked up, shaken out of his thoughts by his friend's voice. This Sparky pup's tone sounded awfully wise for his age to Djali. The young goat paused, not understanding the dalmatian's apology. What did he have to be sorry for?

Maybe Sparky just felt sorry for him.

Djali lifted his head a little higher, the sun glinting off his black horns as they shuffled through the grasslands. He didn't need anyone to be sorry for him. That made it sound like he was giving up on Esme' returning for him. "Well," he said, "That's okay. I'm gonna meet up with her soon, now that 'm'here. Dunno where she went, since she's not with the good guys, but she'll come back for me."

Sparky was surprised when the goat all of a sudden perked up. Though he wanted to keep his friend this way. Though he couldn't see any doubt in the goats eyes he wanted to make sure that his friend knew he didn't either, "Man if she is as persistent as you, there isn't anything to keep you two apart." He knew that sounded stupid, but it was the truth he was sure, as persistent as his friend was he would find her or she would find him even if it killed the goat.

Learning all this about his friend kept bringing up events in his life that were similar, except he never had one partner that stuck with him the entire time, just some of his brothers and sisters. Thinking about this made him happy to have such a good friend as Djali now.

Djali smiled and held his head even higher, closing his eyes importantly. 'Peristent', Sparky had called him! That was true. Djali didn't let a thing like fear, despite his age, keep him from finding his human companion. It was also encouraging that his new buddy described Esme' in the same way. It was true. No matter the danger, Esmerelda always did what she thought was right, regardless of the obstacles in her path. Djali wanted to be like her.

His grin faded in a moment of thought as he replied, "Yeah, but she doesn't know 'm'here. Might think I'm back home." He mused for a moment, then brightened back up. "But she'll hafta come back t'the hero camp sometime, 'n when she does, Imma be waiting for her!"

He glanced around. Nothing but more of the same-looking golden Grasslands for miles. His stomach rumbled and he wondered if they were getting closer to the snack. That reminded the gypsy's pet of Sparky's own family, and curiosity forced him to ask, "Whatta'bout you? Gotta big fam'ly?"

Sparky, hearing his friends question, laughed. "Yeah, you could say that, about my adopted family anyways, but family all the same." He said smiling a big, wide, halfhearted grin. He didn't like talking about his family, mainly because he didn't want to think about when he sat on the farm completely worry free when he received the news from his father that some of his family had died in a war he was no part of yet. He always blamed himself for those killings, thinking he could have helped if he was there. But considering this was a friend and if he pursued his question, he decided he would open up. Mainly because he had held it in to long.

Djali chewed on another grain head as they plodded along. He picked up his pace a little so he could walk beside Sparky instead of behind him. " 'dopted? What'cha mean, ''dopted'?"

Djali hadn't a clue what 'adopted' meant, but he was willing to find out. After all, Sparky had asked him. It seemed that something was on his four-legged friend's mind, that much the little goat could sense. Spark' had cheered him up, and the dancer intended to do the same.