FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Early morning sunlight poured in through the clear windows of the greenhouse in a cascade of rainbows. Condensation quickly covered each of the clear surfaces, a reaction to the chill of the morning meeting the warmth and humidity within. The dawn colors were just fading from the sky as Kendall entered to greet the inhabitants. Row upon row of long tables and stands sat, overflowing with green and awash with sprays of color. Despite the time, insects buzzed about; roused by the warmth and the allure of open blossoms.

The young Pomeranian sighed in delight as he did most every morning as he went about his favorite chore. Though the humidity was high, the plants didn't water themselves. Sure, his mother could have installed sprinklers and saved Kendall the trouble, but there were many problems with that idea; not the least of which was that Kendall genuinely enjoyed his time among the flowers.

Even at the typically carefree age of twelve, when most children were obsessed with popular bands and video games, inane TV shows and social networking, Kendall understood the necessity of keeping the greenhouse. His mother ran a floral business out of their modest home which without a father, working or not, supported them entirely. A sprinkler system would not only cost money, but would need maintenance and adjustments. The greenhouse wasn't exactly HUGE anyway.

Kendall didn't care what anyone said, he liked his watering can. It assured that each plant got just the right amount. He'd read dozens of books on the subject of flower gardening and knew all the ins and outs of every species his mother grew. Being a fanciful youth, and shy on top of that, he often imagined each of the verdant growths to have their own personalities. Cosmos, for example, he often thought of as the gossipy gaggles of girls like at his school.

Setting down his can and scratching beneath his fluffy fur, he hated how itchy his summer coat was when it was coming in and worse when it was humid... the only bad thing about the greenhouse... Kendall opened the freezer and fished out the ice-cube trays. Humming to himself in a tune he made up as he went, he carefully dropped a single cube in each of the pots containing orchids. Orchids... he always felt like they were the self-important ones. The ones where if you didn't treat them exactly like they wanted, they would throw a tantrum and leave. They were so sensitive that he couldn't even water them normally or else you might ruin their precious soil balance.

Kendall always giggled at those thoughts. He knew far too many kids at school like that.

On he went, through the lilies and daisies, babies' breath and Queen Anne's lace, jasmine, begonias, gardenias, petunias, gerberas, and all the rest, mocking some and making kind greetings to others. Finally he came upon the tulips, his favorites and the ones from which his mother's shop took its logo. Tulips, he felt, were like him. His best friends. The ones who understood him.

Specifically he loved the pink tulips, the same sort that adorned the back of his shirt. The shirt, of course, being one of the 'walking advertisement' shirts his mother had ordered in bulk. Sure kids might poke fun... if they even recognized that Kendall was a male in those green-and-pink tulip shirts... but Kendall loved the colors and wouldn't give them up. Especially if it helped his mom.

But today, as he moved among the various plants in their various pots, he noticed an oddity. Back with the sprouts he saw one plant that was not like the others. Every other week his mother had him plant new seeds, cuttings, and bulbs so that they would have a more constant supply of the seasonal flowers and sometimes the packets had an odd one mixed in from a different species, but this was a sprout that Kendall simply didn't recognize at all. Tulip sprouts looked, for most intents and purposes, like wide grass blades.

This looked more like a bunched up wad of cabbage or something; leaves curling around each other and the edges bumpy and wrinkly. A mutant, perhaps? Kendall knew enough about plants to know that weird things were to be expected. He'd known about that since he was eight and his mother explained how a single mutant branch on a single tree was the start of all the pink grapefruit in the world, for example. Mutations were something to be watched and studied. Good mutations could make you rich and famous!

Eagerly Kendall pulled the pot forward to examine it. Wrinkly leaves, all wrapped up like crepe paper, no bigger than his thumb. The leaves had parallel veins, like tulips should have, but they too were wriggly-looking. But something about the arrangement of it all made him think it was something more. It almost looked like it was concealing something.

Moving with the utmost care, Kendall selected one of the plastic probes his mother kept on hand for 'crossbreeding' the flowers and delicately pulled back one of the outer leaves. A gasp caught in his throat as he beheld the tiny pink bud within; no larger than a pea.

It had a face! A face like a baby!

Part of him shook at the thought, his mind drifting and trying to make sense of it all.

"KENDALL!" shouted his mother's voice from the kitchen, loud but not particularly harsh, "Are you planning to start photosynthesizing or do you actually want breakfast before school?"

His head jerked up, ears pricked and a fluff of inches-long winter hairs flying from his head. Suddenly concerned more about the time, he glanced at the roof of the greenhouse to check the sun. He would be late!

Sparing one last look at the strange little sprout, his mind raced at what to do. Quickly he tucked the sprout back in the row and dashed toward the kitchen door. Hands ran through his matting fur as he tried to straighten out the fluff before he got inside. As he skidded into the kitchen, he found himself wishing his mother would just allow him to shave his fur down to manageable level.

"You know I'd never be able to photosynthesize with my fur blocking my chloroplasts," Kendall quipped back to his mother, hinting at a fur-trim and pleasing her with that science-y botany talk his mom always used. Such a comment at school would earn him only blank stares from all the students who didn't understand words with more than five letters. A plate clanked down in front of him containing a mostly microwaved breakfast.

"I see you didn't use your shedding-brush before you went in there," his mother said disapprovingly as she sat before her own meal, mostly finished, "You know your hair needs a lot of care and we can't have dustbunnies all over the greenhouse."

"If I could just get it trimmed down..."

"Oh but you're so cute when it's all floofy!" she replied fawningly, "all the girls at school would think so!"

Kendall rolled his eyes and tucked in to his food. Whenever his mother went from science-nerdy to fawning matron he knew the argument was over. Hurriedly he chowed down and endured his mother's insistent brushing and adoration before grabbing his book-bag and making toward escape. Before he got to the door, his odd experience was back. He had to figure this out!

"Hey ma?!" he shouted eagerly, knowing his mother would already be in her office/bedroom, "I need to borrow the Tulip guide... the Wilford one I think! I also wanna borrow that hybrids and mutations book too!"

"Whatever hon, just bring them back!" his mother replied, "Also I have a meeting with my distributor at two, so I'll be gone when you get home!"

Grabbing the books and stuffing them into his bag, Kendall muttered under his breath about it being nothing unusual. However, after his eye-roll was through he considered how this would leave him with plenty of time to work on his new project.

***

School passed quickly, but not quickly enough. On one hand, Kendall devoured the contents of the book he had brought, blazing through his assignments and generally zoning out from lectures all for more book-time. On the other; why did school have to take ALL DAY?! At least no one had bothered him today, leaving the weird shy nerdy 'girl' (he hated that sometimes) to 'her' books. But finally it was done and, with a head full of knowledge on hybrid tulips, Kendall raced home.

All school things were un-ceremonially dropped just inside the back door out of sight of any potential customers; though there wouldn't be any. Kendall made a bee-line through the simple little house, crossing the den and into the kitchen before finally wrenching open the greenhouse door.

The wave of humid warmth made him start panting immediately. It had been a cool day out and, in his haste, he'd not been prepared for it. Normally it wouldn't have bothered him much, being a very ordinary sort of feeling, but today it seemed like he was walking through a cloud of steam that tried to slow his progress. Moving quickly but carefully he made his way back to the tulip line, eyes scanning the beautiful flowers for the one special pot.

There it was, untouched, right where he had left it. He snatched it up as delicately as he could, forcing down his eagerness, and held it close to examine it.

Was it bigger?

Kendall set it back next to the other sprouts. Yes! It had grown a little more than half-again what it was! At this rate, it would be full-size in no time. He'd have to upgrade the pot!

Excitement thrilling his every move, Kendall set the sprout on a nearby workbench. The information from the books filed through his mind as he got out the examination tools. Normally reserved for contest-flowers like roses, the tools were delicate and precise in just the way he needed. The last thing he wanted to do was injure this one in any way. First, though, he wanted to get another look at that... face.

He peeled back the concealing leaf, just as before, and saw that vibrantly pink little bud. The scrunched up, cute little baby face. Just the sight alone was enough to make him smile. A soft giggle escaped his throat as he realized that nothing in those books even came close to this. He tried to imagine what it would look like when it came to bloom, but every time the face in the flower seemed to make his imagination run away with him. One thing was for certain though; this was no ordinary tulip.

A sudden idea came to Kendall as he finished going over the plant and put his tools away. He needed to grow this one by himself! His mom would probably not want to spend the time with it... not that she ever had a lot of time anyway... and she was always encouraging him to have 'pet projects'. He even had his own Grow-Light setup in his room! He could care for this flower, raise it, and probably even propagate it! If it all worked out, he could probably even get enough to sell them and make his mom rich and famous!

The haze of humidity, once so oppressive, was nothing next to the newfound haze of fantasy that wrapped Kendall's head. He made his way out of the greenhouse, pot in hand, and down into the basement which he also called his room. It wasn't until he had nearly finished his growing bay that the thought of actually taking cuttings fixed itself into his mind. Suddenly he snapped back to reality. How could he think of cutting anything from this precious, beautiful little thing?

"No," he whispered to it, "I'm going to keep you safe. Maybe you'll have some good seeds or something."

Even as he said that, his mind returned to the books. Most tulips sold for commercial use were sterile. The really specific kinds used bulbs and cuttings to make more, clones so that the flowers could be the same. The seeds you got from flowers that weren't sterile didn't always look like their parents either, thanks to genetics. Of course, plants couldn't feel what you did to them. They weren't like people... he'd heard that since he was a pup.

Still, as he looked back at the scrunched up little sprout, he couldn't imagine doing anything to hurt it. He stroked a hand across the soft leaves as he finished the set-up. Was it just his imagination, or did he hear a tiny sigh from the plant? Shaking his head to clear his mind, Kendall watched a puff of his hair settle on the bay next to the sprout. Nah, he concluded inwardly before pulling out one of his favorite books and flopping down on his bed.

***

"I'm home from school lil' sprout!" Kendall announced as he launched himself down the rails of the stairs. Throwing his school things onto the bed, he ran a hand through the silky-smooth and somewhat shorter hair that was his summer coat, "And how are you today? My day was pretty great! I tell you, I always feel like a genius when science class gets into plants."

Kendall had found talking to his sprout quite comforting over the last couple months. At school he never knew what to say to the other kids, and since most left him to his books anyway it didn't improve much. But 'lil sprout', as he'd taken to calling his now-two-foot-tall specimen, had no opinions about what he said or did. Lil' sprout didn't judge him, or ignore him, or mistake him for female.

"I tell you, if the other kids in my class would just pay attention they might learn something," he continued, "I mean... I'm not the smartest guy in there, but jeeeze."

Kendall froze as he heard a soft giggling sound. After a moment, he shook it off and made to continue his rant about his classmates. Every now and then he'd hear things, like someone was in the room. Before he had always dismissed it as a trick of the mind, as he did now.

"...anyways, I mean, what is their deal you know?"

Again the giggle.

Kendall turned to really look at the sprout, his rant suddenly lost in his confusion. He looked over the stalk, strangely curvy and lumpy for... well any plant. Early on, he'd considered that maybe this was some sort of knotgrass... but knotgrass was never so thick. The leaves had also stayed tightly wrapped around the stem, the bud tucked away like always. He'd looked at the bud many times, checking to see if there were any signs of blooming, but it only ever looked like a face inside, though it certainly didn't look like a baby-face now.

"Did you..." he started, feeling a blush creep up under his cheek-fur, "did you just..."

Carefully, vigilantly, he walked over to the bay where his sprout lived. Taking up his probe, he pulled back the leaf covering the 'face' bud.

"Did you?" he repeated in a whisper, staring hard into the delicate china-doll-like face.

The 'eyes' slid open. Not suddenly, like in some horror movie, but smoothly and gracefully like Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. Kendall felt like he should scream, or panic, or... something. Instead, beyond a slight stiffening in his spine, he felt... fine. How many times had he imagined the sprout to somehow come alive? Sure, he'd never expected it, and sure he'd seen that "Little Shop of Horrors" movie, but somehow this all seemed right. It had happened a hundred times or more in his imagination.

"Hi..." he said breathlessly, watching in amazement as the 'face' smiled at him.

"Hiiii," the sprout sighed back in imitation.

And for a long time, Kendall had nothing at all to say.

***

"And this," Kendall said with a building dramatic flourish, "is the greenhouse!"

It had been quite the chore to throw open the door theatrically while holding a large flowerpot, but Kendall thought he'd managed it quite well. As he and Sprout stepped in to the sunlit glass room, a gasp of amazement overshadowed all the other sounds.

"It's... I... I don't know the right words!" Sprout marveled.

"Beautiful?" Kendall suggested, "It's the word I think of when I like how things look very, very much."

"Beauuutifulll," Sprout sounded, trying the word out, "Yes! Beautiful! That is what it is!"

It was particularly wonderful early summer afternoon. A weekend with his mother away at a conference, out of state, and she had let Kendall stay home alone! It was a perfect opportunity for him to finally take Sprout out of that drab old basement, with its unfinished walls and generally boring... everything... and show her where she had come from.

He called Sprout "her" because everything about her was feminine. Her voice, her shape, her face; everything he knew about girls... which was quite a lot since he'd so often been confused as one... told him that Sprout was definitely female. He called her "Sprout" simply out of habit.

"...and these over here are called Tulips," he said, wrapping up the tour, "I found you among them. This is the row in fact, and look how much you've grown since then!"

It had only been a few weeks since Sprout had first spoken to him, but in that time she'd gone from nearly two feet to over two and three-quarters! She had also gained quite a vocabulary, learning just about every word Kendall had said within minutes of hearing it. The tulip sprouts, on the other hand, were only about a foot and a little more tall. Moreover, she seemed totally amazed that she had ever been as small as the new line of sprouts that had just been started a week ago.

"Which..." she started uncertainly, working words over in her mind with great concentration, "Which is your... favorite... flower?"

"You know, it's funny you ask," Kendall said, "my favorite are tulips, actually. Of course... as soon as you bloom all the way, it might just be my second favorite."

Sprout giggled at the compliment and turned away. She always kept herself wrapped in her leaves, but when she sometimes got embarrassed or emotional by the things Kendall said she tended to hide her face away. Kendall understood, luckily. It was simple. She was shy, just like he was.

"You know, a lot of plants like to spread their leaves out. You know... take in the sunshine. See how they all like it?" he waved a hand around the room. "I know you say you like your grow-lights, but come on. This is the sun! It's the real thing!"

Giggling nervously, Sprout looked up. For a moment she turned her face toward the brilliant golden orb shining through the clean, clear glass. The warmth surrounded her and invigorated her. Now that she thought about it, it really felt like a wonderful idea! Suddenly emboldened, she opened her leaves and exultantly took in the full glory of the sunlight.

A richness and warmth bathed her. This was what it was to be truly alive! She spread her arms wide and held them up above her, fingers splayed open as far as they would go. Laughter, deep and rich, rolled from her at the pure joy that she felt with the sun upon her!

Sprout had no idea how long she stood there, bathing in the pure wonder that was the sun, but suddenly she felt as though she needed something else. Watering.

"Kendall?" she sighed breathily as she lowered her head away from the brilliance. Her request caught in her as she noticed that Kendall was no longer looking at her. He was turned away, staring off at... well she couldn't quite tell what.

"K-Kendall?"

He turned to face her and then suddenly he... wilted. He grinned in a way that she didn't think was from something 'funny' and moved so he wasn't looking directly at her. Was he... embarrassed at her?

"S-sorry Sprout," Kendall said at last. "I... I always thought you were... a girl... but..."

"I don't understand Kendall," Sprout said confusedly, "and I really need some water."

"I... I just didn't realize... I mean... you're really a..." he stuttered on, "I... I'll get you some water... and... um... some c-clothes?"

***

"Kendall?" Sprout asked again, impatiently, "Kendall... when can we go outside again?"

"I told you Sprout," Kendall sighed heavily, laying his head down into his book as he spoke, "Mom is home all weekend, and then I have to go to school. If she is busy, I can maybe sneak you out then."

"But... the sun will be getting lower then. I like when the sun is high." Sprout pouted, tugging at her shirt to allow more of the Grow-Light in, "I get... bored."

Kendall sighed again, trying his best to be patient, "I know Sprout, and I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep you stuck down here... but I can't carry your pot very fast any more. You're almost as big as I am, and even with you helping you're still kinda... heavy. I told you, I can't risk mom seeing you. She won't understand. She'll try to study you and won't let us be friends any more... I have to make sure she's not going to go all science-crazy when I finally tell her."

Sprout didn't say anything more. Kendall returned to his book, studying plant vascular systems and trying to figure out how Sprout could be so animated and still just be a plant... a girl plant, no less, since he'd read that only about 7% of plant species were just one gender and not both. His mom was always acting crazy-proud of his new verve when it came to studying about plants. He'd always been smart about them and knew his stuff, but now his mom was talking about college and botany camp and even his doing volunteer work at her old lab!

He could hear Sprout shifting in her pot. She always got like that when she was restless. It was worse recently, as he had taught her to read and she subsequently finished off all his books in a week! He tried to ignore it. There was really nothing he could do about it. Her pot weighted like... eighty pounds by now! Back to his book...

"Kendall..." Sprout's whispered voice sounded like it was right beside him. Surely a trick of his basement/room, "K-Kendall? Look what I can do."

His head came up, away from the book. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he found her head so close to his. She was there, standing... standing... over him! Luckily, Kendall wasn't the type to be outwardly skittish. Still, it amazed him that she was up out of her pot! She wore the skirt, thankfully, that he had given her on that most embarrassing day, but from the bottom of it, where it normally rested on the soil in her pot, were two legs! They were dirt-crusted and she had tracked a trail from her pot, but LEGS! Upon closer examination, he saw that they were roots. Roots that ended shaped like feet.

"H-how?" Kendall stammered, not comprehending.

"I dunno," Sprout replied, "I just..."

"Oh, Sprout," Kendall silently exclaimed, "That's amazing! Think of it! Now I can take you for a real walk! We... we can go to the park!"

"The park?" Sprout asked, "Now?"

"Well..." Kendall caught himself, "Not... right... now. First I think we need to keep you from leaving a trail. Mom would get so mad if I left a trail of dirt upstairs. And then I need to teach you a little think I like to call... sneaking."

***

The city park, conveniently located just behind Kendall's house, was just as conveniently empty today. It wasn't the most popular of places to go on such a hot day like today. Overhead, the clouds loomed and towered, fluffy white on the outside, but dark and doomy beneath with an approaching rainstorm. These factors had left the park deserted.

Sprout watched the gigantic thunderheads in their slow progression, astounded by the sheer size, the unfiltered view of the heavens, and transfixed by the mild winds that pushed out from them. She had thought she'd felt truly alive in the greenhouse! And yet Kendall kept showing her wonder after wonder!

"I think we've got a bit of time before those storms hit," Kendall explained, "They look like they're gonna go around us anyways."

"They're called 'storms'?" Sprout asked breathlessly, still transfixed.

"The big things are called 'clouds', but when water falls from them and lights flash in them, then we call the whole thing a 'storm'. And when clouds are making a storm, you can call them 'storm clouds'. There are a lot of kinds of things about weather and this is just one of them."

"They're... beautiful," Sprout sighed, lost in the moment.

"Yep. But just wait till the sun is almost down. It makes them turn all kinds of colors!"

Kendall let Sprout stare and wandered over to the small playground that was nearby. He walked up to one of the rides, a fanciful animal shape with a saddle for riding and a spring holding it up from the ground. He ran a hand over the smooth, vibrantly painted surface and stared at it. Before thoughts could form fully, he swung a leg over and mounted it, pushing himself forward so that the spring would rock him back and forth as he picked his feet up.

Had anyone from school seen him on that thing, even as he was pushing thirteen years old, he'd have been a laughing stock. But right now, he was fine being five again. Sprout made him feel like that sometimes. Sometimes she made him feel like a teacher; showing her all the knowledge he'd accumulated in his lifetime. But right now... it was like her joy and her newness was infectious.

"What are you doing?" Sprout's voice said suddenly behind him.

"Gyah!" Kendall gasped, "Wow, I think I taught you sneaking a little too well!"

His exclamation was met with her inquisitive stare.

"I was just rocking. It's fun." He finished.

Without another word, Sprout mounted the bright-colored animal next to him and imitated his bouncing. In minutes, both were laughing without a care. Sprout wasn't totally certain what 'fun' was, but she was quickly getting the hang of it. After the rockers became dulled, they moved on to the swing set. Sprout wasn't fond of the sand pit, but once she was coaxed on the swing itself she soon overcame her disdain for sand. After a few rounds on the swings, Kendall showed her the water taps, meant for washing feet, where Sprout could get a 'drink' and clean all the sand off her.

From there they went to the playhouse, where Kendall had spent many hours in his youth playing pretend among the colored bars and plastic slides. Sprout took a bit longer than normal at the concept of 'pretend', especially given how quickly she had picked everything else up, but in the end she had the rudiments of some basic pretend stories down.

And just like that, a crack of thunder shattered the exuberant sounds of their laughter. Silence fell between them. Kendall looked to the looming thunderheads and found them bearing down upon them. Kendall could even see the sheet of rain approaching, probably as close as a block or two away.

"I'm sorry Sprout," he sighed, breaking their silence, "But we've gotta go in now. We don't want to get caught in the storm. They can be dangerous."

"Should we..." Sprout started, unfamiliar with the concept she was thinking of, "run?"

"Yeah... run for the porch. Follow me."

They ran. Sprout had little trouble picking up the concept, especially as big drops of cold rain began falling upon them as they were half way to the house. They ducked under the porch awning with not a moment to spare as the sky suddenly opened up, unleashing its torrent upon the land. The wind whipped up for a while, but then calmed quickly as the edge of the storm passed over the house. The clatter of the rain on the corrugated tin awning was a deafening drum-line that drowned out everything except the pair shouting right next to each other's heads.

Kendall would go in first, he explained, and distract his mom. When he gave the signal, Sprout would sneak in and get down to the basement and wait for him.

The sound deadened as soon as Kendall closed the back door. From the office, Kendall's mom shouted out a greeting to which Kendall replied with a simple "it's me" before beckoning Sprout inside and whispering that all was clear.

***

Kendall couldn't concentrate on his dinner. Replays from that afternoon paraded through his head. He felt high on life, exhilarated, and even just a little bit dreamy. How he wished every day could be like that one! Before, his perfect day involved a stack of books and the greenhouse in full bloom and no one around to bother him. How could that have changed so suddenly? The answer was simple.

"Sprout?"

His mother's voice saying her name snapped Kendall's head up. His face was contorted in surprise and worry. How had she known what he was thinking?! How had she figured out what had been keeping him in his room every day for the last few months?! Was she going to take her away from him?!

"Woohooo? Earth to Kendall?" his mom said, waving a hand in front of his face and laughing, "I didn't think my sprouts were that shocking. You look like I caught you with your pants down!"

"Wh-what?" Kendall gasped, his shock draining away slowly.

"I said 'Sprouts?' as in 'do you want some more sprouts?'"

With a sigh of relief, Kendall looked down at his plate. Scattered bits of salad, topped with bean sprouts lay upon it.

"You looked like you were a million miles away," his mother chuckled, "that was funny. I gotta surprise you more often."

"Jeeze ma, I was just thinking, that's all," Kendall sighed, feeling the urge to tuck his face into his shirt like he did when he was three.

"Thinking, ey? That's a dangerous pastime," his mom continued, unrelenting, "thinking about a girl were you?"

"MOOOooom," Kendall groaned with a roll of his eyes.

"I know that look," she said knowingly and with no little satisfaction, "I've inspired it a couple times myself. I'll bet you bacon dinners for a week that you've got a crush on someone."

Was it true? Kendall considered for a minute, letting his mother stew in her own expectations. Could it be true? Did he... did he like Sprout? Like... like like? And what about Sprout? Did she feel the same way? Could she feel the same way? She seemed to have feelings just like... well... like anyone who wasn't a plant... but, but that way?

"So when do I get to know her name, hmm?" his mother continued, seemingly unable to contain her enthusiasm, "Which of the other moms' innocent little daughter is my little heartbreaker gonna break down first?"

"MOM!" Kendall said exasperatedly, his face all a-blush and his fur quivering with embarrassment, "JEEEZE! It's not a girl at school!"

His mother sat back, but where Kendall expected something, maybe shock or surprise at his outburst, she had only a knowing smile and a smug posture.

"So it's not a girl at school, hm?" she chuckled, but then quickly calmed herself, "okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you mad at me. You've got to realize that I've been waiting for this sort of thing for oooh about thirteen years now."

"I'm not thirteen yet..." Kendall stared.

"Oooh no, I've been waiting for this since before you were born," she said sagely, "and I knew it'd happen one day. Now I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I think every mom hopes her son gets a crush on a girl. And honestly, I think it's really great for you. I'm happy for you."

Kendall was still burning from embarrassment.

"And I want you to know that you can ask me anything you want to know about girls," she continued seriously, "I know you don't have many people to talk to, but I'm you mother and hey, I was a girl once! I've got all the inside knowledge! It's like you've got a cheat-sheet!"

Kendall laughed. A nervous, tentative laugh, but it certainly broke the tension.

"How do you... you know... know?" he started.

"Well, I know because... when you find someone you really care about... well, they become the main thing on your mind. That's how you know you've got a start."

"But, umm. I meant how do you know that she likes you?" he pressed.

"Oh that," his mother chuckled, "just try and get to know her first. Make sure she knows how you feel. Girls love knowing how guys feel. But you gotta know her and make sure she's really right for you on a lot of levels. Do you like the same stuff? Does she not like things you really love? Do you both have something you can add to the other? Get to be her friend first. The worst thing that can happen then is that she doesn't actually love you... but then you've still got a great friend who likes you."

"Well... what if she's... different... yannow?" Kendall almost winced at his near admission.

"Differences are what make relationships fun!" his mom exclaimed, "and I know some people might say different, but I have always believed that if you love someone of a different breed or even species then that's okay! I won't judge you based on what she looks like, I'll wait and see what she acts like first."

Kendall felt weights lift off his mind. Weights he hadn't been sure about until right then. If he did things right... he might be able to introduce Sprout without his mom freaking out!

"But take your time," she continued, uninterrupted by his plotting, "make sure you really get to know her. But when you're ready... well... I'll try not to embarrass you too terribly much!"

Kendall finished his dinner in silence and, thankfully, so did his mom. Afterwards he cleared his plate, set his shoes in the washroom to be dried, and headed down to his room.

Sprout sat on his chair, dangling her feet into the trough of soil and pouring water over her legs while she wiggled her toes in the now-damp dirt. She giggled contentedly and looked up at Kendall.

"I had so much fun today!" she exclaimed in whispered tones, "I wish we could do that a whole lot more!"

"Uh, yeah," Kendall agreed, running his fingers through his fur and suddenly nervous for no obvious reason, "Actually, I think we should talk."

"Oh yeah? What about?" Sprout asked, arranging the large pink petals that framed her face in an imitation of Kendall's fur.

"W-well... about... us," he said, voice quavering, "about how we feel. About how... we might have more fun in the future," he slid a hand onto hers, "and how we're going to spend more time together."

"Alright," she said, smiling and looking genuinely happy with her big yellow eyes, "I'd like that. Let's talk."

End...