Hourly Challenge: Yellow

Walolo and his family live in the Cauldros caravan. He's a dutiful father, somewhat surprised at this role, and he loves his canary yellow Littlepon. A simple Nopon, none too bright. But he loves his kid.

All the good things belong to Monolith Soft.

Walolo was splashing with his littlepon in the sulfur pool beside their caravan in Cauldros. The canary-plumed baby stared at its father with wide round eyes as it rested in his arms. "No worries, my darling," Walolo said with fatherly pride. "Dadapon never let you sink."

His new bride Lana waved to him from the water's edge. She called to them. "Lana doing business with Marnuck now. Have fun, my loves."

Walolo lifted their child and helped it to wave to its mother. "Bye bye, mamapon," Walolo squeaked in a high voice, mimicking what their infant could not yet say itself. The father and child pair waved until the lovely pink merchant had waddled out of sight.

As soon as she had rounded a lava outcropping, Walolo sank dejectedly into the simmering bath. The strongly scented water splashed over his mouth. He suddenly shot upright, making sure the baby was above the surface. He needn't have worried; the roly-poly infant maintained its angelic and trusting expression.

"Littlepon believe in me, don't you?" Walolo sighed, giving the soggy baby a quick squeeze. He stared at his baby for a long moment, then hugged it again, wrapping both wingarms around it tightly and nuzzling its tiny baby tuft. "Must give mamapon credit. Littlepon spitting image of idiot father."

He rolled over onto his back, the little one perched comfortably on his belly. "Must get you dry or get in big trouble." They floated for a while, the littlepon balanced on the top of Walolo's round belly, staring at nothing in particular. Walolo stared into the oddity of a crystal blue Cauldrene sky.

"Walolo love Lana so much, littlepon. Holding you make Walolo love her even more," he murmured to his placid child. "But it very hard, always pretending. She run away from husband because of business, not because of love. Littlepon just a way to keep Walolo from being too scared to help."

They drifted for a while in aimless circles. A passing Nopon would have thought both father and child asleep, except for the lazy rowing of Walolo's minor arms and the baby's bright stare. Eventually Walolo spoke again, maybe to his passenger, maybe to the heavens. "Would littlepon mind if Walolo invite cousin's littlepon to stay? Cousin too sick to care for littlepon, and tell Walolo they hungry crying all the time. You not eat much. Enough food here for everyone. Does littlepon think Walolo could be good father to ... real littlepon?" The last words were a whisper.

Clouds of fire rolled in from the north, and Walolo reluctantly made his way to the pool's edge. Before he stepped out he squeezed the baby dry, with a firm wringing motion. Water poured from the baby's form like out of a wet sponge. Walolo then patted it back into shape. "Must keep lovely littlepon from getting moldy. If moldy, such big trouble. Mamapon never believe dadapon so stupid that he not notice."

This being done to his satisfaction, he cuddled the doll for a moment. "Walolo learn what it feel to love a child with you. Littlepon will always be most perfect littlepon." Then he smiled broadly, chucked the doll under the chin, and gave it a cheerful but gentle bounce. "Maybe cousin's littlepon a good idea? Save mamapon bother of getting materials for another miracle of childbirth."

a/n: The littlepon is round and yellow and has button eyes. Utterly adorable. Please check with xcx1dr (main organizer) or cotocopo on Twitter for the prompt/instructions in respectively Japanese / English. Visual arts predominate (mmmmm so good) but they want written contributions too. I'm not sure if it is weekly or monthly or whenever they have time, but I have been really enjoying it.