Labubu and his Witchling

Scurrying through the dark damp forest was a small, dark pink, furry being that bore the faintest of resemblances to a rabbit. That is, if you ignored the naked face with a grin on it that would make even the Cheshire Cat nervous, and the short stubby limbs that ended in clawed hands. Labubu was going to see his friend, and oh wouldn’t she be delighted to see him. Well, probably not, but he would be delighted to see her.

She would have the most delightful candy, that she would throw so funnily in her fright, which was always seasoned most delicately with the flavors of theft and fear. Labubu was sure that he had given her enough time to eat a few pieces by now. He wasn’t a monster, after all.

But something was off, something was wrong, something was different… Labubu paused in his scurrying and sniffed the air deeply. The scent of her fear was already here, and it was too strong. The candy would be inedible like this. It would not do at all.

Had those dastardly brothers of hers caught up with her? Labubu would scratch their faces off he would, just wait and see. Suppressing his growls, he cautiously approached her hideyhole in the brambles but the scent was not of her brothers. Oh, no no no, it was so so so much worse.

The old biddy had been here, and now his witchling was not. It wasn’t fair, that was his witchling, the old biddy shouldn’t be able to take what was his. It was the Rules.

He scampered angrily into the little safe place, scattering candy and candy wrappers as he searched frantically. But the child was not there.

Then Labubu sat and had a think. She was his, so the biddy should not’ve been able to take her. But the witch had gotten the witchling, so she was able. Somehow, she was able.

Labubu slapped his forehead as realization finally struck him, he hadn’t marked her yet, so she was still fairish game. But, ol’ Yaga had made a mistake, the girl was his, and so he could follow his friend to the depths of hell and not even ol’ Scratch would be able to stop or spot him.

His lips curled towards his ears in a maniacal grin as he stood up as tall as his diminutive height would allow and sniffed for the naughty witchling’s delectable souring sweet scent. She hadn’t been taken far, in a way she was still right here. She was just, no longer in this space.

Labubu leaned into that scent, felt around for that aura, and with a “pop” that was more like an audible color than actual sound. Then, there he was, there she was, in a cage right next to each other. Of course it was a cage.

He rolled his eyes at the predictability of it all, and made sure that he hadn’t grown too much with the space shift before checking on the red headed girl. She had curled herself into the rearmost corner she could get to and had her face planted firmly in her knees as she shook with silent sobs.

Labubu shook with anger at the evidence that someone had brought so much upset to his person. Labubu was the only one allowed to upset her, and even he would not do so to this extent. He swallowed his impotent rage however, because the only thing he could do would be to snatch the meal out of the old woman’s mouth, and his anger would not help with that.

Labubu looked around for the old bat, and found her sitting in a creaking rocking chair next to a bubbling cauldron as she noisily sharpened her iron teeth. He could not help but roll his eyes once more at his loathing over the very predictable theatrics. Surely she could do better than this, perhaps think of a new play to rotate in once in a while.

Holding in his huff of disgust, Labubu turned back to the girl to scamper up and perch upon her knee. The witchling flinched but didn’t look. Putting on his most comforting face, although it wasn’t all that comforting, he patted the top of her head and said cheerfully, “Hey hey, calms down, Labubu is heres to rescues yous.”

She peeked up, allowing him a brief glimpse of her mismatched brown and blue eyes. Without even flinching she buried her face once more as she asked in a sullen tear soaked grumble, “Why would you do that?”

Twisting his body into an upside down U, he tried to peek between the gap in her knees. Unperturbed by her attitude he cheerfully pointed out, “Cause yous Labubu’s bestest friend! Yous plays throws the candy with mes, and I’s chase the nasty critters away for yous.”

She glared doubtfully at him with her blue eye before snarking out, “You ain’t exactly chased this one away.”

“Wells,” he scratched his chin, while internally he cackled gleefully aloud he sheepishly admitted, “she ain’t exactly a’s critter.” Then he brightened and patted her head as he confidently informed her, “But, I knows hows yous can gets away.”

Straightening up, she glanced towards the old woman before looking back at Labubu, who had straightened up as well, and leaned towards one of his big furry ears to whisper, “How?”

With a twinkle in his eyes he whispered back, “She likes the tastest of naughty witchlings bestest. If yous a sweet girls she wonts wants to eats you.” This was true, but it wasn’t all there was to it. However, somethings only worked if they’re done all unaware and unasked for.

Rolling her eyes she sarcastically spat out, “How am I supposed to change what I am?”

Labubu let out a small sad uncertain, “Um,” and appeared to think about it for a moment before sticking his lower lip out in a trembling pout and staring up at her with big doleful dark brown eyes.

It didn’t take long for her expression to soften, and the second it did he wailed out, “Labubu don’t wants to lose his bestest friend!” Then he stood there on her knee, artfully sobbing as he allowed great big tears to roll down his face and into his fur.

Sighing, she gathered him into her arms, and propped him against her neck like a doll. Rocking and patting his back she sang him a soft song.

Labubu had to fight against his laughter as he imagined what this must look like to the old witch who, despite all her power, could neither see nor hear him hiding within his friend’s aura.

As soon as he managed to quell his merriment, he slowly calmed his sobbing and tears. Then during a lull in her singing, he sadly whispered, “Labubu’ll miss yous Brat.”

Stiffening up she gritted her teeth and hissed out at him, “I’m Shondra.”

Labubu allowed himself a brief triumphant smirk before leaning up and placing a paw upon her lips as a chain grew out of the back of his neck. Still with his paw upon the startled girls lips, as she no doubt could also feel something changing and shifting as she was a witchling afterall and so should be able to feel such things, he turned to watch the old fairy stalk towards them. This time he allowed the smirk to curl over his face.

Snorting mightily she narrowed her eyes at the little fairy and growled out threateningly, “You!”

“I saws her first!” Labubu retorted indignantly before shortly explaining, “she was alreadys mines!”

Their glares clashed for several tense moments, before Labubu in a combination of self preservation and the desire to gloat, softened his stance and explained, “Besides, Baba Yagas forgets.”

“What did I forget?” she asked in a low threatening voice while pulling a knife out of the air.

Grinning gleefully, he explained, “Naughty witchlings cans also be sweet girls.”

Unamused, Baba Yaga dragged the knife over the bars of the cage, causing Shondra to jump and squeak, and Labubu’s grin to shrink just a fraction as he hurried to continue explaining, “Her brothers hates her for being the cause of their mamas dying, and so theys takes alls the candy meants for the threes of them. But when she steals somes of it backs, she hides halfs of it in her backs pocket for her baby brother, and saves it no matter hows theys beat her.”

The old witch was unmoved as she started sharpening her knife on the bars. Pressing himself to the whimpering witchling, Labubu spoke faster, “She’s the only one in that awful house who makes her stepmama smile.”

Finally pausing with her awful nonverbal threats, she stared at the two darkly for a minute before growling out and retreating, “You owe me.”

“I don’ts agree!” Labubu shouted out at the last minute before pulling them back to their proper space with another colorful pop.

Before Shondra could regain her bearings he scurried down to the top of her pants and found an intact belt loop for his chain to wrap around, allowing him to dangle from her hip like a pendant.

The second she regained her bearings and realized where she was, Shondra quickly scrambled out of the bramble bush and pelted out of the woods, not caring that her brothers would no doubt be waiting for her. After all, they were unlikely to kill her.