The gift!

"Banana, we have to make Dusky an even better gift than last year! I want to go above and beyond, after all!" Valentino said excitedly, bouncing around his house. There were so many things he could make to give to them! A beautiful basket of mushrooms and fruits, a new forage-logging book, the gift ideas were endless! As Valentino thought about all the different gifts he could make for Dusky, a thought nibbled at the back of his head. "What if they don't like what I give them?" Valentino felt his heart beat a little faster. He wanted Dusky to love his gift; they were friends after all, so if Dusky didn't like it, then was he really as good of friends with them as he thought? Shaking away the thought, Valentino starting digging through his crafting supplies. A felt lantern charm? No, Dusky has enough charms. A leaf garland? No, Dusky already has so many of them.. What about a lantern plant? No, no, no! None of these ideas would be perfect. Valentino sighed, walking back into Banana's enclosure room. "Nan's, I just don't know what to make them! Everything I could give them they already have or wouldn't like. Do you have any ideas?" Valentino asked Banana. Of course, there was no response. "Yeah, I don't have any either.." Valentino sat down on a nearby stool, hunched over in thought. "I really want them to like whatever I give them, but I have nothing that I can think of that they'd want! I don't want to just not give them something either..." While Valentino was contemplating what to do, Banana was climbing out of his enclosure. Before Valentino could realize, Banana was gone! "Wh- What?! Banana, where are you?? How did you move so quickly on land...!" Valentino said, scrambling to his paws to look for his slug friend before Banana dried out! "Banana! Banana come back here!!" It was no use. He was nowhere in his room, and the door was wide open; he could be anywhere! "Oh peppers, this isn't good.." As Valentino searched, he became more and more frantic, eventually flopping onto the floor in defeat. All he could hope for was that Banana was smart enough to disappear into something with some water in it.. While sitting on the floor, Valentino noticed something yellow in the corner of his kitchen, by the back door. He quickly got up to look at it, and sure enough, there was Banana, sitting on a beautiful piece of wood Valentino had collected from his garden. "Banana!! Oh you scared me so much you silly slug!" Picking up Banana using the log, he sighed in relief. "I was so worried about you.." Carrying the wood that Banana was perched on, Valentino had a thought. "Wait, Dusky always wanted to carve a wooden figure..." Suddenly, Valentino had a wonderful idea. "Thank you for the help, Banana! I think I know just what to give Dusky. After Banana was gently placed back in his enclosure, Valentino left to go prepare the best gift ever. 

Epilogue

"Hey Dusky!" Valentino said while he waved, walking over to the bench Dusky was sitting on. "I'm so glad to see you, I've got a great gift for you!" Sitting down, he watched Dusky give a polite nod. "Here you go, you can unwrap it!" He said, handing a fabric-wrapped gift. Dusky accepted the gift and unwrapped it, revealing a wood chunk, tool kit, and wood polish. "I know you've been talking about wanting to learn how to carve wood, so I got you everything you need, as well as a book on how to carve!" Valentino explained, handing a small book over. "Thank you, Valentino. This is really thoughtful. I can't wait to try it out." Dusky replied, wrapping the gift back up and taking the book. "I have a gift for you as well." They said, pulling out a small fabric bag of their own. Valentino took the gift, unwrapping it carefully. "A handmade journal?? This is amazing! I was just thinking about how my current journal is almost all filled up... Thank you, Thank you!" Valentino beamed, a wide smile on his face. "I guess I had nothing to worry about." They both thought.