Cheshire Blast! The Adventures of Pepper and Dot

Wok Shield

The creature had the ability to speak.

What made it more peculiar was each time it did, a song-like hum emanated from its mouth, yet both humans understood as if it spoke perfect English. Pepper, having lowered his guard, slowly crouched in front of the animal.

"Can you understand me?" he asked, still trying to process that he was speaking to a cat-fox from another world.

<Of course I can understand you. I am an Assistant; a recorder and cartographer. As such, it is my responsibility to support my Partner's travels and studies. Ultimately, I must be fluent in each of the eight languages in which she speaks.>

Pepper looked up at Dot, who looked down at Pepper, who in turn looked back at the animal. "...Can you help her get back home?" he inquired.

The cat-fox looked up at his "Partner", who was frozen not with fear, but with uncertainty. What was this thing? Why did it say she was its "Partner"? What was all this about being a "traveler"? And eight languages?

<Relax little one, I will take you home. But there is a task that I must ask your assistance with first.> It then turned to walk away.

Pepper jumped up. "Wait!" he shouted, turning to Dot and shaking her. "Snap out of it woman! That thing may be our ticket out of here!"

The statue-like girl instantly returned to her firebrand self and punched him in the check. "It's not a "thing"- it's a "he". Now let's go." she commanded, following after the animal.

Pepper followed suit. "You really need to stop being so violent, "Little One." he said with a smirk. "Anyway, what's all this about it being an assistant? And how do you know it's a 'he'?"

Dot ignored the questions, instead walking a step to the side of the animal, staring at it intensely.

Pepper fumed. "So- you know this thing? What is it? Why does it know you? How can it talk? And where is it taking us?" He fired a volley of questions, even though he expected no answer. To his surprise, Dot turned walking backward and acknowledged him.

"Didn't you hear a thing he just said?" she asked, implying the two had just finished a conversation.

"What?" her confused roommate replied. "The last thing it said was it needed help or something."

Dot rolled her eyes. "Poor listening skills, Scholar. Just a second ago he said he would prefer not to be called 'it', and that he is being pursued by bounty hunters."

Pepper furrowed his brow. "Um... sure. So how does he know you again?"

"He just does, okay? Now keep up; we may need that scholarly brain of yours soon."

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Half a kilometer of vaguely answered questions later, the trio found themselves at the stony banks of a river; swift rapids crashing against dozens of the same crystals found back in the odd sea. Pepper pushed his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. "This river makes no geographical sen-" but before he could finish, Dot punched him across the head. "Not now, Scholar. You need to pay attention... didn't you just hear him tell us we need to grab one of those purple rock-things?"

Pepper fumed. He was convinced his roommate was losing it... but maybe, given the circumstances, it was to be forgiven. He slowly rubbed his temples in an attempt to relax.

"Okay Dot, apparently you two have been having conversations without me, even though I haven't seen nor heard either one of you open your mouths this entire time." He stepped forward to face her and the strange creature. "Listen. If we're going to get out of this place with the help of that cat-fox..." pointing to the animal "...then we're going to have to cooperate. And there is no cooperation without communication."