My flying friend here is the king of the air. He can fly as well as a bee - but he's actually a big pussycat. A lion that is.
Leobee is a little larger than your average lion. Okay, maybe he's a little bigger than two lions. But don't let that fool you. He's agile like a humming bird.
Maybe he has a little bit of dragon in him too, I don't know. He doesn't breathe fire. But he can shoot a massive amount of honey from his mouth. He mostly does that if he feels threatened, but you need to be prepared to get coated in it if he gives you a kiss too. The sticky substance not only subdues the enemy, it keeps them busy. Who doesn't love to eat honey?
Exactly what is he, and where did he come from? The best way to explain is by telling the story of how I found him.
"Hey there! I'm going to Lougular, in the galaxy Vuntnarl. Want to come along?" asked my best friend, Burdy.
"Sure!" I replied, knowing that if Burdy was making the travel arrangements, there would never be a dull moment.
We arrived on Lougular after a fairly uneventful trip. Just had to outrun some pirates, then avoid that weird planet sized ship. We were there in no time.
It turned out that Lougular only had three cities. The rest of the planet was wilderness. It was mostly unexplored, at least from the ground.
"Burdy, why are we here? There's nothing on this world except for a bunch of plants. Unless there are wild animals out there? I don't fancy taking either back home, especially the wild animals."
"No, we aren't here for the local flora and fauna. We're here for the diamoplatium!"
Now that got me excited! diamoplatium is one of the few things which is still rare in this universe. It's a form of platinum which can't be replicated by any artificial means.
It's mostly used by jewelers, but also has many uses in various fields of science and technology. Because of its pearl like beauty, and silvery clear see through quality, it is visually stunning. It's also almost indestructible.
"Do you know where to find it?!?!" I asked, suddenly enthusiastic about this trip again. I knew I could count on my old buddy!
"Of course! I rented a hopper last time I was here, and scanned a good chunk of that wild country out there. I found a large deposit of it." he said, proudly.
Soon we were skimming the treetops, almost as fast as if we were in the Cobbucom One Million. I blinked. As I did, I felt the world begin to spin. Then we were smacked hard by the ground, which must have jumped up to meet us. At least it felt that way.
When the world stopped spinning, I crawled out of the wreckage. The scene which I witnessed was heartbreaking.
A huge mountain of fur and wings was struggling to move. It was obviously injured. Next to it was a miniature version, trying to comfort it.
The little one rubbed against the huge animal, making little purring sounds. The big one laid down, and a few minutes later ceased to move at all.
With difficulty I crawled back into the hopper to check on Burdy. He was out cold, but seemed in better shape than I felt. I tried to make him more comfortable. Then proceeded with the grim task of checking the hopper for damage.
Fried navigation system. Smashed communication unit. Left wing missing. We were so going to have to walk out - or in my case, hobble. My leg was broken. Burdy would have to set it when he woke up. Now there was something to look forward to! Could this day possibly get any worse?
I shouldn't have asked! That "little" creature which I had observed earlier was just waking up, having curled up and slept against the much larger one.
I take it back, this thing isn't little. It's bigger than a full grown lion. On Earth, I had always been told to play dead if a large wild animal approached. It was worth a try, right?
I curled up in a ball, and shut my eyes. I could hear it circling me. Suddenly everything was quiet. Then I felt something wet all over my head. When I thought it was safe, I reached up. Sticky, yuck ! I looked at my hand. Could that be... Honey?
I took a small lick, hoping it wasn't poisonous. It sure tasted like honey! I had forgotten all about the strange creature in my amazement. Until I noticed it standing less than ten feet away.
Ever so slowly, I took a step back. Completely forgetting my injured leg until I put weight on it. Then I crumpled to the ground, screaming.
The creature was there before I knew it. But instead of attacking, it rubbed against me, in much the same way as it had the larger version of itself.
When my heart stopped racing, I smiled. This guy was friendly, maybe he could help. If we could learn how to handle him. I idly wondered if he had learned how to fly yet. No matter, he could definitely walk. And he looked strong enough to carry at least one of us.
I heard clattering coming from the hopper. That would be Burdy waking up. I crawled back in.
"I'm glad you are awake! The hopper is scrap, and my leg's broken."
"Where are we? Did you get the license of that hauling vessel?" Burdy asked, rubbing his head.
"We're on Lougular, looking for diamoplatium. We crashed into some huge animal." I reminded him.
"Oh yeah... Now I remember." he said, before he went pale, and began scooting back towards the far wall of the small craft.
I followed his gaze. "Don't worry, he's a friend." I said casually, trying to ignore the pain in my leg.
"Well that's good news! We sure don't need him for an enemy!" said Burdy, still backing up.
Once my leg was set, we decided to get moving. Luckily it was daylight around the clock at this time of year.
We noticed our new friend liked a certain type of coconut like fruit. I sat upon Leobee's back, and Burdy tied a vine into a makeshift bridle and lead. He used the fruit to teach him to follow. Who knew Burdy was a bee whisperer?
Soon we located the river, which we knew would take us back to the settlement. I couldn't leave the little fellow all alone. So I stayed on the outskirts of town, while Burdy fetched our vessel.
And this is how I met my friend, Leobee. Oh, did I mention, he can make himself invisible? He's quite a unique friend!
Cover image is my original fractal artwork edited in Canva
