[Gift] A Chance Encounter

In a quiet park corner of a bustling city on Owai-6 the Xero designated X-109, better known as Oliver, nestled comfortably in a space between various shrubs and curled up for a nap. You’d have been forgiven for completely missing him if you were strolling on by, owing to his leaf-esque green fur effectively camouflaging him amongst the shrubs’ foliage. Oliver preferred it this way though, perfectly content to rest undisturbed amongst the shrubs and drift off to the tune of other Alurizans strolling by on their walks and engaging in conversation. 

Unfortunately for Oliver, that very fact was about to cause his rest to suddenly be interrupted as he felt something kick into his side before falling straight on top of him.

“ACK! What the… oh no I’m so sorry, I didn’t even see you there!” An apologetic voice said, coming from whatever had just tripped over poor Oliver.

“I was just drifting off too…” Oliver sighed. At least the stranger who had tripped over him got up very quickly and was clearly very apologetic about the whole situation.

“I was just strolling through the park and I thought I’d stray off the beaten path a bit. You blended in so well with the grass I didn’t even realize you were there. Are you OK?”

“Yeah don’t worry I’m OK, just a lil tired,” came the reply from Oliver, followed by a small yawn. It was only then that Oliver got up and was able to get a good look at who had disturbed his rest. It was only then that he realized, it was another Xero like him! This one was blue, cream and grey, with a banded tail that started in blue and ended in cream and head fur that almost looked like a slicked back mane.

“Well the least I can do after all that is introduce myself. My name’s Caps, it’s nice to meet you.” Caps introduced himself with a laid back demeanour that still 

“I’m Oliver, it’s nice to meet you too,” Oliver replied, a smile starting to make its way onto his face. Caps meanwhile began to form a more inquisitive look on his face, pondering for a moment before making Oliver an offer.

“Say, I know I just rudely woke you up from a nap and all but honestly, if you wanted, having some company to tag along would be lovely. This park has all sorts of nooks and crannies and hidden secrets to explore, we could even venture out beyond and into the forest a bit if you wanted.”

Oliver had to stop for a moment before realizing what Caps was offering. He loved tagging along on adventures with others but owing to his preference to squirrel away in hidden spaces, the opportunity didn’t often present itself to do so. In spite of the rude awakening, Oliver found himself warming to this new Xero, thinking more and more this might just be a chance encounter after all

“You know what? Count me in, that sounds fun,” eventually came the answer from Oliver, much to Caps’s delight. “Though I’m not much of a talker so sorry if I end up a bit qui-”

“Aw heck that doesn’t matter! Come on, let’s go already” Caps excitedly blurted out, not even giving Oliver the chance to finish his sentence before being dragged off by the arm away from the shrubs.

And so the pair found themselves making their way through the park, taking in the sights and sounds of the area and observing the abundance of Alurizans and the many different species that found their home on Owai-6. It wasn’t long before they found themselves at the edge of the park and made their way into one of the many forests that covered the planet.

There was a reason that Owai-6 was commonly known as Oasis, and both Caps and Oliver found themselves basking in silent awe at the vast array of hues found amongst all the local flora. They continued on like this for some time, taking in all the natural beauty that the forest had to offer before Caps was eventually the first to break the silence.

“You know I don’t think I’ve been this far out before. It’s so gorgeous around here… to think of just how much else there must be on this planet alone, let alone the whole of Arez. I really hope I get to see it all one day,” Caps said, the yearning obvious in his tone of voice. “I’m sure there’s lots of new faces to meet and friends to make out there too.”

Oliver in turn just nodded and followed along, pondering how he felt on the matter and realizing though also had that adventurous feeling inside him, he was perfectly content to travel with the wind and just rest his head wherever felt most comfortable. After exploring for another hour or so, the pair eventually found themselves in the shade of a giant tree. This tree towered over all the others nearby, and upon catching the small shack set up near the base of the tree from the corner of their vision, it was obvious that they were neither the first to stumble across it nor would they be the last.

Whilst Caps tried to crane his head backwards to capture all of the vast foliage of the tree in his vision, Oliver found himself drawn to the shack, with Caps following along close behind once he realized his new travel companion had scuttled off. Once the blue Xero had caught up and entered the shack himself, he found Oliver curled up on the floor, seemingly already fast asleep.

“Aw, you must still be pretty tired huh? We have been walking for a while I suppose,” Caps recalled their meeting earlier, and realized it’d probably be best to stay here for a while and let Oliver catch up on the rest he had tried to get earlier. Caps realized he himself was also feeling a bit tuckered out from all the walking and made his way over to Oliver’s side before curling up beside him.

“Hey, thank you for tagging along. I’ve had so much fun, I’m really glad I bumped into you,” Caps uttered quietly, not expecting a reply until Oliver suddenly put an arm around him, bringing him in for a hug.

“It’s no problem at all, I’ve had so much fun too…” Oliver said, very sleepily, still holding onto Caps as this time he drifted off for real, leaving the pair to rest together in the shack, sheltered from the elements whilst the sounds of the forest calmed them into a gentle sleep.