Cosmo and Dogwood:
The boy had blonde hair. Fluffy. It made him look younger than the twelve year old he was. Like a sandy hedgehog kit.
His name was Cosmo, and he had just gotten through being beaten up by his older brothers; consecutively. His family owned a dojo, and he was required to train there twice a week. Consequently, he was sore and irritable most of the other days. His brothers never went easy on him – which was fine by Cosmo, because he would feel ashamed if they did, it was just humiliating losing to them, day after day.
Cosmo pulled open the screen door that spilled into the back yard. A honeysuckle filtered breeze sidled past him. The buttery summer sun made it hard for Cosmo to continue his self-pity brooding, so instead he walked across the trimmed lawn; it stretched a couple acres before stopping at a fenced-off cliff that half circled the property, broken only by a bench and the occasional hydrangea bush.
He slammed into the bench, too exhausted to be gentle with his bruises. An angry gasp right beside him made Cosmo flinch in surprise, as a thorn-toed foot kicked him off the bench.
Cosmo clutched his ribs, and found himself lying on his stomach on the scratchy inch high grass.
“What the hell--?” He said, getting to his feet and throwing a punch toward the person on the bench.
He expected to hit one of his brothers, but instead his blow connected with a lanky girl around his age. She tumbled off the bench, but it in an instant she was on her feet.
Before Cosmo could react the girl had tackled him to the ground where they both began to mercilessly attack each other in a painful flurry of feet and hair. Every time Cosmo tried to pin her with his superior weight, the girl managed to squirm away by biting his shoulder or elbowing his chest.
After struggling for several minutes – and gaining many cuts and scratches – Cosmo pulled the girl into a strangling headlock and forced her arms behind her back.
Cosmo panted in wordless victory, as the girl struggled without success.
“…surrender.” She gasped.
Cosmo let her go, pushing himself away from her in the process just in case of retaliation.
The girl didn’t try it; she melted onto the warm grass in relief, casually licking at her bleeding forearms like a wild animal.
Which, upon closer inspection, the girl did resemble – she had narrow eyes with bony brows, much like a bird’s, a sharp nose, grey-green skin, and a triangular jaw. She also had pointed ears.
Cosmo blinked. The girl was an elf.
His father had told him there would be company coming, but the knowledge had departed after evening practice. Even if he had remembered, he still wouldn’t have expected this. Elves were scarce in this day and age, and preferred to mingle with their own kind.
The girl locked eyes with him and grinned, showing off oversized canines and incisors. “You fight without holding back, little cat.”
“My name is Cosmo. Why’d you call me a cat?”
“Because you’re fluffy and you fight like one; like a tom cat with his back pressed against the wall. My name is Dogwood, by the way. Call me Dog.”
The girl had a voice Cosmo couldn’t quite describe as beautiful. It was deep and harsh - unfitting for any human – yet natural and melodic, like a predatory bird. Perfect for this animalistic elf.
Cosmo shifted up onto his knees, bowing to Dogwood. “You fought with honor. Respect to you and your family.” This was not the entire credo, but it was the only part he had memorized.
Dogwood didn’t bother getting up. She lazily waved her hand at him, “yeah, it was a good battle. Refreshing. I’m used to people holding back. You don’t, Cat.”
Cosmo slide from his knees into a leisure sit, propped up by his elbows. “Yeah? Do people go easy on you?”
“Mhmm. I had two older siblings who were born weak and died in their infancy. Mother is determined to see me live unscathed through my childhood, but I find life quite boring without risks…”
The girl had a look in her eyes that Cosmo recognized at once – she wanted to do something dangerous.
“And speaking of risks,” she continued, “let’s go sneak into town – I want to see what it’s like.”
Cosmo mirrored her grin back at her. That was nowhere near the caliber of insane he’d been expecting. In fact, it was quite doable.
“Let’s go for it.”
Escaping the garden was easy - the ordinary students already cleared out after they’d finished their lesson, and Cosmo’s brothers were all taking turns washing after their matches.
This also left the dojo mostly empty for them to traverse. Dogwood stiffened her breath to a whisper as they passed a door with voices coming from the other side. Cosmo felt his heart pumping double-time when he recognized his dad’s voice coming through a gap.
Dogwood locked eyes with him, motioning him to hurry.
“Safe.” Cosmo whispered, as they both stepped out onto the front yard.
Dogwood gasped for breath while shutting the front door with the gentleness of a mother. “Cat, Cat,” she said, in between raucous barks that Cosmo interpreted as giggling, “there are a million hallways in your house. Why did you lead us down the most dangerous one?”
Cosmo blew air through the front of his teeth. “It was an accident! Why are they having their conversation in the kitchen and not the lounge?”
Dogwood just barked again and slapped him on the shoulder. “No matter - it was funnier this way. I thought my heart trying to fight me.”
Cosmo was infected by her laughing, “I know! The look you gave me had ‘we might die’ written all over your face.”
“Hey, come this way,” Cosmo beckons to Dogwood, as they near the edge of his family’s property.
A garage sits beside the road to the house, it’s peeling white exterior showing off an under coat of both pink and blue paint. The garage door had been left open, and Cosmo enters without hesitation. Dogwood follows behind cautiously, surveying the shacks interior; a gleaming newly-swept tile floor showed the pristine state the inside was kept in – shelves and tables were organized with tools that were all in their proper spots.
Cosmo wove between two cars that took up most of the space, and came back leading a shining blue bicycle.
“With this,” he said. “We can get to town and back before our parent notice we’re missing.”
“Right.” Dogwood was eyeing the device. “I don’t know how to ride it, though.”
“Ffff. No problem. You can ride on the back - I’ll do the hard part.”
Dogwood bit her thumb. “How do I help?”
“Just stay balanced on the back seat. Can you manage that much?”
Dogwood smiled, bearing her teeth for the world to see. “Balance? I dare say I’m better than you at that much.”
“We’ll see. Just try not to topple us over, I’m not too keen on eating pavement.”
To Dogwood’s credit, she balanced like a champion. She managed to sit cross-legged on the small metal seat while leaning in perfect weight to the curves.