Her strength had returned.

She no longer relied on the warmth of blankets and pillows, her fur keeping her insulated.

It was time for her personality to blossom.

...and she sure had quite the personality.

~~~

It had been 3 months since Fries brought home that tiny little puffling, and she had blossomed into nearly a whole new creature. Gone was her patchy coat, having been replaced with a luxurious and silky pelt, softer than that of a rabbit, yet thick and fluffy like sheep's wool. Its dull mauve color had turned to a vibrant baby pink, all the grime and dirt having been scrubbed completely off of the fur. The once-plentiful fleas dotting her skin were exterminated, and her innards were rid of all other parasites picked up from her early abandonment. All due to Fries's diligent bathing, of course.

Speaking about those baths...

Ever since she had regained her strength, bathing Puffball became a true challenge for Fries, as the little puffling would splash around, squealing in protest and nipping at Fries's hands as he attempted to rinse her fur. 

"Just- Hold still! Come on!"

Fries grunted, holding a bottle of puffling shampoo in one hand, and attempting to hold down Puffball with the other. She had been rather ornery that day, actually growling at Fries when he tried to first place her in the soapy basin.  Now, she was baring her newly grown-in teeth, a low grumbling rising in her throat as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp. 

"There- Now we can-"

Just as Fries was about to squirt a dollop of shampoo into her fur, Puffball suddenly lunged forward, biting down on her caretaker's fingers, penetrating the skin with her surprisingly sharp teeth. The potato box's eyes widened as he heard the sickening crunch of teeth tearing through flesh, and his hand suddenly exploded in pain. Fries screamed in pain, trying to pull Puffball off of his hand, yet she only dug in deeper, growling as blood seeped from between her jaws, staining the water. "FUCKING- LET GO OF ME!" Having no other choice, Fries had to wedge the end of a toothbrush into her mouth, using it to open her jaws and release his hand from her maw. 

"Owww... Dammit, Puffball!" The potato snack looked down at his bleeding hand, wincing as he inspected the wound closer. Luckily it wasn't deep enough to require any medical intervention, but it sure hurt like a bitch. Puffball on the other hand, seemed quite content with herself, grunting softly before lapping up some of the soapy water to rinse her mouth of blood. Fries shook his head, looking down disappointedly before grabbing a few bandages from the first aid kit on the bathroom counter.

-

Puffball had calmed down from her bath incident, now softly napping in Fries's arms after her recent meal. Fries grumbled, rubbing his bandaged hand softly, before looking down at the sleeping puffling in his lap. He couldn't be mad at her- she was just doing what her body told her to do. 

But he did have to be more careful with her from now on.

He hadn't realized how fast her teeth had grown in, and never expected them to be razor-sharp straight out of the gate. But it made sense, he supposed- she would need to defend herself in the wild if her mother wasn't around.

Her mother...

Fries's mind wandered as he thought about the circumstances in which he found little Puffball.

She was barely a day old. She had no teeth, couldn't see, and her fur was threadbare.

Where was her mother?

Certainly she had simply gotten lost, right? Her mother and siblings were probably doing okay in the wild.

...Right?

He looked down again, gently stroking Puffball's fur with his free hand.

He suddenly stopped, remembering another detail from that fateful day.

The blood.

So much blood.

A pit opened in Fries's stomach, as he realized the full story.

He had heard of a recent puffball poaching epidemic, as their fur and meat had become prized commodities in the Goikian black market. He remembered reading a newspaper article about the declining puffball population, being shocked at the brutal methods of slaughter used by these poachers to capture their prey.

A tear welled in Fries's eye, as he truly realized just how lucky this little puffling in his lap was. 

The sole survivor of a vicious attack, seeking out refuge with a now-jobless box of fried food, who barely had his own shit together.

But maybe this was just fate. Maybe they needed each other. 

And maybe...

This was the start of a whole new life.

~~~Author's Notes~~~

WAS THAT THE BITE OF 87???

she angy. no talk her.

Okay but seriously, this was a pretty fun chapter to write! I was gonna try and make it a bit more light-hearted but...

Well- obviously that ending wasn't very sweet.

Yeah- get ready for some depressing puffball content! Gotta love brutal slaughter of endangered species, huh?

Hopefully next chapter will be a little less...dark.

-Fire