I tumbled free at last, looking with wonder on the distant log cabins with their ribbons of smoke and the crystal blue lake that stretched on for miles.
Seeing such beauty, how could I do anything but open my mouth in a big smile?
The world did not smile back.
I did not look like my three brothers with their narrow red eyes and dark blue skin. My skin was an alarming lime green, just a few shades lighter than the grass surrounding our nest. Their uneasy growls alerted Mother to my presence. Her snout pushed me over the edge of the nest without allowing me even a taste of the raw pork she'd brought from the Food Market. At just one hour old, I was on my own.
Bhakorus snorted and shook their horns at me. Even fierce velosotors snarled and backed away when I passed. That first night, I feasted on pretzel scraps left by visitors to Main Street Brewery, though I would not try more than a sip of the free beer that was lying everywhere in red plastic cups. Awful stuff!
I wandered from one village to the next, scavenging for food and wishing to find just one Subetan that wouldn't run from me. They could growl and turn their backs but they could not take away my smile.
The noise and size of Centropolis were overwhelming but in my weeks of wandering I had heard of a wondrous place called Grooming Parlor where even the ugliest Subetan could find products to make them look and feel beautiful. The first time I walked through the Parlor's fancy glass doors, I could not help stopping to admire the fascinating way they swung back and forth at the gentlest press of a foot on the welcome mat. I earned a few raised eyebrows from the ladies behind the counters but I didn't mind. I'd certainly had worse looks in my life.
Surely if I was beautiful like those popular ladies on Subeta Network, then I would have my own huge group of friends to take away my loneliness.
I tried every available color of nail polish on my claws. I lathered the sad little clump of green fuzz on my head with nice-smelling shampoos and conditioners guaranteed to thicken and strengthen hair. I coated my scaly skin in creams and lotions and spritzed whole bottles of perfume into the air to make myself smell nice. Nothing worked. I was still shunned by every visitor to Get Mugged, a delightful shop I had discovered in my hunt for a decent breakfast.
I returned to the Parlor for some new options. Wigs made me look ridiculous and lipstick turned me into a hideous clown. I broke twenty mirrors in my frustration. Why couldn't I just find the product that would make me beautiful?
Inspiration came to me in the early morning hours. If the products I bought were not strong enough to correct my flaws, maybe I needed to find a way to strengthen them.
I journeyed all over Subeta, gathering anything that pleased my nose. Sometimes I would get in trouble for toppling trees to get to the sweet flowers on the upper branches or crushing bumbus hives for a comb of honey. I didn't mean to stir up trouble. When I like a scent, I tend to follow it without paying much mind to my surroundings.
I was plucking berries out in a more secluded section of Veta's forest, doing my very best not to cause any more trouble after nearly destroying the home of a family of wyllops. Much to my surprise, my claws closed around something small and warm. The little sutego struggled to free himself, his spiked tail waving uselessly as I lifted him into the air to better see him.
"Let me go! My herd is just over that hill and if you hurt me there won't be enough of you left to make a dino burger!"
His scales were coated in dust and he was very thin. "You don't have a herd."
He drooped, his body going still. "You're right. Maybe I'd be better off if you ate me. I'm no use to my family and nobody will ever want Shrinky as a minion."
I tried to adopt a minion one. Miss Maybel chased me out of her shop after I set all the birds to panicking when I offered them my best friendly smile. "I do. You're the bravest minion I've ever met. Not even full-sized pets will talk to me. I'm so ugly."
I put him down and tried not to take it too hard when he darted into the foliage. I couldn't help crying a bit. Aside from chatting with Tae a few times, that was the best conversation I'd ever participated in.
Shrinky returned, dragging a flower crown on the tip of his tail. I froze as he climbed my back to set it on my brow.
He brings me new flowers every day and I protect him with the ferocity of three hundred pounds of green muscle.
Every day he tells me I'm pretty and every day I believe him just a little bit more.
Credits:
Profile by Ziva
Story by Pureflower
Shampoo Bottles Image from Here
Mirror Image from Here
Glass shelves from Here