COVER ART BY:
 aricub

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It was a warm autumn day on Roo Island when Zarra, the royal zafara, decided she had quite enough of just sitting around the house.
“It’s just too nice of a day to be stuck indoors,” she said while watching a flurry of leaves rush past her bedroom window. The way the wind carried the unmistakable scent of fall filled her mind with many wonderful thoughts of her childhood back in Meridell. So many, in fact, she couldn’t help but to close her eyes and imagine herself as a little girl running about outside merrily and jumping into every pile of leaves her parents managed to rake up. Sure it made
her dad a bit cranky, but laughs were had by all in the end.

“Zaza,” a tiny voice suddenly cried out from outside of the royal Zafara’s bedroom door.

Coming out of her thoughts, Zarra turned and watched her baby cousin,
Caldma, toddle his way into her room. His large, green eyes shimmering with
joy as he scampered toward her
“Zaza,” he said as he toddled closer to his caretaker. “What you doing?”

The golden haired, female zafara stared down at her young, green, scorchio
cousin and admired the goofy expression that crossed his face as he folded his arms
over his chest and hopped innocently in front of her.
“Cleaning you up,” she said with a sigh as she quickly realized that the baby scorchio had himself a little accident.

“Oopsie,” giggled Caldma as Zarra hoisted him up so she could carry him back to the bathroom.

“No worries,” she said calmly while getting to work on changing his diaper. “Accidents happen.”

***

Caldma stuck his thumb in his mouth and began to suck upon it. His big, emerald-colored eyes remaining focused on Zarra’s face as the well-dressed zafara went about the diaper change.

“You know what, Caldma?” she more said than asked as she completed the task of putting a fresh diaper on the baby scorchio. “How’s about we have ourselves a little adventure outside?”

SPOP

Caldma quickly pulled his thumb from his mouth and smiled towards his caretaker.
“We go merry go round?” he asked as his little tail began to happily wag about.

“Of course!” she replied while cradling Caldma in her arms. “We just need to get you properly dressed for the weather.”

Caldma got so excited that he started to squirm about uncontrollably.

“Now, now,” she calmly corrected while she struggled to regain control of her young cousin. “We can’t go anywhere until I get you properly dressed for going outside.”
The little, green scorchio slowed his movements upon hearing this statement from his caretaker. However, only slightly.

Zarra, understanding her baby cousin’s excitement, remained patient with him as she continued to prep him for their forthcoming, outdoor
adventure.
***

It took her about twenty minutes, but Zarra finally succeeded in getting Caldma prepped for outdoor travel. To ensure the autumn climate did not
adversely effect his young body, she put on a long-sleeved, baby-blue shirt to help
keep the air from nipping at him to the point where he might acquire a cold. She also slipped on a dark-blue, woolen cap over his head to protect his sensitive ears from getting an ear infection.
“Well,” she began while gazing toward the front door and then back toward
her little cousin. “Are you ready?”

Caldma couldn’t contain himself as he leapt into the air with joy and made a
couple of quick circles around his royal caretaker.

Zarra released a light chuckle before stating, “Come grab my hand, then, an
we’ll be off.”

Caldma wasted no time in extending his left hand as high as he could to take
hold of the Royal Zafara’s open and outstretched hand.
“Ready!” he cheered upon firmly taken ahold of her hand. “Let’s go!"