Dogo's Search for Fofo's Breath

Girl Dragon Fofo puffed her chest and blew air out as hard as she could. Every dragon of the Dragon Village Ma had surrounded her with their eyes fixed.

No fire came out of Fofo.

Denying what had just happened, Fofo tried to blow air out again, but that attempt also failed miserably.

“Seems like you can’t produce fire, my child. How about trying another kind of breath. Try poison,” one of the old dragons suggested.

“You have green and pink scales, so you might be able to breathe out poison and flowers! Don’t give up, Fofo!” a sharp male voice sounded from the crowd around her. A green arm with a thumb up was also poking from the crowd. It was her father.

Ignoring him, Fofo closed her eyes and puffed again. Nothing came out. Absolutely nothing.

“I saw a bit of green smoke there! Show it again Fofo!”

It was her father again…

“Daddy, there was no green smoke! ” Fofo snapped, although she did not mean to.

Then, the Villager Dragons who pitied the girl suggested other breath types. They told her to try Water, Earth, Lightning, Air, Rainbow, Light, Dark …

But nothing worked.

Finally understanding her situation, Fofo burst into a cry. Her father gently dragged her back into the crowd. At the corner of her eye, she could see a blue Boy Dragon, standing where she stood, also testing his breath skills. He successfully breathed blue fire out of his nostrils which was followed by claps and cheers. That, made Fofo cry even more. Her father scratched the scales on the back of his head, obviously not having a single clue on how to deal with his crying daughter. However, he knelt down and tried his best.

“It’s okay Fofo, you know not being able to breathe out stuff actually makes you special,” Dogo comforted, smiling as much as he could.

“That’s not special. That’s useless, Dad,” Fofo yelled, “I also want to be able to breathe out stuff, just like the others…”

Her last four words had been murmurs and through her tears she could see her father’s face had immediately turned to a frown. He was probably thinking about other ways to encourage her, but she had already known nothing would actually work. So, she held his hands.

“Don’t stress yourself daddy, let’s go home,” Fofo muttered, slightly guilty about the headache she gave her father.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

A mud cottage stood still, light inside vivid through its windows, competing in intensity with the night’s broad moonlight. Two figures, one significantly taller, entered by the front door.

“We’re back!” Fofo shouted, trying to sound as cheerful as possible, despite what had happened.

As soon as they entered, the smell of a delicious dinner hit Fofo’s nose, almost enough to make her forget everything that had occurred. But, it wasn’t enough…Suppressing the memories, Fofo hopped onto one of the chairs beside the dining table, allowing her to see the full view of her lovely pink-scaled mom stirring a pot filled with hot soup.

“How was it? The Breath Testing Ceremony? What was your breath type?” her mom asked as she looked towards her, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“Umm… I could no…t produce any of the breaths,” Fofo responded hesitantly, tears starting to roll down her eyes.

“Oh, how unfortunate my dear,” Morgo replied, quickly setting down the ladle of the pot she had been stirring. Morgo scurried towards Fogo and hugged her tightly.

“Oh, don’t be that sad. Not being able to breathe out stuff is more normal than you think,” Morgo explained, “Even mommy wasn’t able to do it until mommy was sixteen.”

Fofo wiped her tears.

“Really?” Fofo asked, her voice still shaking.

“Yes, I was able to do it thanks to an old fairy, who comes around to Dragon Village Ma every ten years,” Morgo smiled, “I think she last came here four years ago. So you will just have to wait six more years, which means you will be able to do it when you’re twelve! Four years earlier than mommy!”

“So, the old fairy gives breath powers to those who can’t do it?” Fofo questioned, more interested in the fairy at the moment.

“Exactly,” Morgo smiled again.

Thanks to her mom, Fofo’s tears finally dried and she let out a wide grin. It quickly changed into a pout.

“But six years’ too long… I want to be able to do it now…”

“Oh, don’t worry my dear, its definitely going to be fast, faster than a thumb snap if you eat mommy’s meat-vegetable soup!” Morgo lured, brandishing a readied bowl of aromatic soup. Fofo could not resist the temptation.

So, Fofo’s snout dug in.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Dogo gulped his soup, a lot slower than usual. And Morgo had noticed that.

“Dear? Is there something wrong with the soup?” Morgo asked, her tone currently harmless.

“Nothing’s wrong. I’ve just been thinking,” Dogo sighed, eyeing at Fofo who was dumping her head into the bowl of soup.

“You don’t want her to wait six more years, isn’t it?” Morgo hit the nail on the head.

“Yes. I don’t.”

His gaze fixed on Fogo, who for the moment hadn’t been aware of anything else except the bowl in front of her.

“I also don’t want her to,” Morgo replied, holding his talons into hers, “But what else can we actually do than comfort her?”

Dogo’s right hand let go of the spoon he had been holding.

“You know, the old fairy usually lives in the Eastern Forests. I could make it there by five days even by foot,” Dogo confirmed, his head pulled down, still thinking.

“That is too risky my dear!” Morgo gasped, “You know how dangerous the Eastern Forests are rumored to be. Moreover, you don’t even know where the old fairy specifically lives.”

“I don’t really care. I can do anything for my daughter. I’ll leave tomorrow,” Dogo decided. Hearing this, worry covered Morgo’s face.

“It’s alright. Don’t worry about me dear,” Dogo smiled as he took another sip of the soup, “The soup’s very delicious.”

Morgo tried to return a smile.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m gonna be alright. As long as Fofo’s here,” Dogo comforted, glancing at Fofo who seemed to be done with her bowl.

Fofo’s head clicked up.

“Can I have more?” Fofo asked, food smothered around her mouth.

“Of course, my darling,” Morgo stood up to refill the soup. Dogo let out a laugh.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Dogo waved a goodbye to his wife and daughter, both apparently upset about his leave. But he was stubborn, so Morgo, and even Fofo, achieved very little to change his mind despite their non-stop persuasion to not go the night before. He wore his overfilled supply pack on his back and turned towards the village’s exit, leaving the two he endeared the most behind.

Cottages slowly shifted into empty grassland when he finally left the whole of Village Ma behind. He looked back for the last time, focusing on the mud cottage he had just left, longing, even now, to taste his wife’s delicious cooking and to hear his daughter’s hearty giggles she would always give out when he tickled her.

“I’m definitely going to be back. Morgo and Fofo,” he whispered and turned to leave.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Morgo watched as Fofo breathed out vigorously.

“If I can breathe something out, we can call daddy back! Right?” Fofo asked as she attempted a few more exhalations.

A tear touched the side of Morgo’s eyes. It had been three days since Dogo had left and her daughter had surely been missing him. She, was also no different. They hadn’t heard from him at all.

“Mommy will make a fountain call today, to make sure daddy’s alright,” Morgo said, trying hard to hold back her tears as she pulled out coins from a drawer so that she could make the call. She would also have to ask their neighbor Ms. Aurry to look after Fofo again.

“Mrs. Morgo, it’s a call from Mr. Dogo,” a female shout suddenly passed through their front door.

Morgo gasped with excitement. Fofo’s eyes also widened.

“Daddy called? Daddy called?”

Fofo began to jump up and down. Morgo would have done the same thing if she didn’t have to pick up the call.

Her heart fluttering, Morgo opened the door, met by a young Lady Dragon holding a jar filled with water. Morgo lightly touched the surface of the liquid to reveal Dogo’s face. A familiar voice muffled out from the water.

“Hello my dear! Is everything alright?” Dogo greeted, excitement also seeming to drench his face.

“Yes, how dare you leave us and not return calls for three days!” Morgo yelled, jokingly.

“Yea, daddy why?” Fofo backed her up trying to leap as much as she could so that she could see her father. Morgo carried her up in her arms.

“Daddy, you became uglier!” Fofo laughed at her own joke. Morgo chuckled too.

“Fofo became ulgier too,” Dogo returned the favor.

“No! That’s not true!” Fofo pouted her lips as she crossed her arms.

“How’s the breath potion going?” Morgo questioned as she let down Fofo, signaling her to go play with her toys.

“It’s going great. I actually reached the old fairy’s den just now,” Dogo exclaimed, “She seemed to not have the breath potions ready, so she is brewing them now.”

“That’s great. So you’re going to be back after the next three days?” Morgo predicted with the anticipation to meet her husband. She also made a note of never ever letting him go anywhere again.

“Yeah, probably,” Dogo responded, “Hey, I gotta go now, I think the potion’s ready. Just wanted to let you know I reached the old fairy. Anyways, bye my dear.”

“Bye.” was all she could say before the water surface grew clean of her husband’s face. Tears trickled down her cheeks again, which rippled in the jar. But she wiped them off, making sure Fofo did not see them.

“I’m sorry,” she said to the Lady Dragon.

“I understand, Mrs. Morgo,” the Lady Dragon replied and left, bringing the jar with her.

Morgo stared at the Lady Dragon. That was the last time she’d see her husband before he came back. Or was it the last? She hoped not.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Dogo stood up from the waiting chair he’d been sitting on after he had heard the old fairy’s call. Blood was rushing through his veins as he thought about how his daughter would finally have the chance of breathing lovely flowers, just like her mother.

Dogo entered the creaky wooden door that separated the living room from the supposed kitchen, where the old fairy was brewing the breath potion. However, as soon as he opened the door, he saw no kitchen, he saw no old fairy…

He did not even manage a yelp.

He had been tricked.

Now, the soup, the night before he had left, would be his last taste of his wife’s cooking.

“Daddy, you became uglier!” were the last four words that he would hear from his daughter.

Everything was his last, as the cultist dragged him.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Twelve days had passed since Dogo had last called. Morgo with Fofo in her arms stood by the window.

“Is daddy coming back?”, Fofo asked, her eyes wide.

“Of course he will darling,” Morgo contained the tears of truth, “Of course he will and he will bring you the breath potion. And you will be able to breathe flowers, just like me. Or breathe fire just like he, did…”

“Really?” Fofo asked.

“Of course,” Morgo answered, tears dripping from her eyes. She had failed to control them and she hated herself for that.

“Mommy, why are you crying?” Fofo asked as she wiped tears off her mother’s scales.

“Oh, it’s just the pollen,” Morgo answered, sniffing, “You know that it’s pollen season, right?”

Fofo knew it wasn’t pollen season…

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Dad,

It has exactly been six years since you left. I wonder where you are at right now and I hope you’re coming back. Mom’s doing fine and I am too.

I just wanted to let you know that I finally got my breath powers, given to me by the old fairy. So, I can now breath out flowers! Just like mom!

But you know, the truth is, I actually wanted to breath out fire just like you did, so that a part of you would still be here. Even if, you haven’t returned.

Your daughter,

Fofo

Fofo’s talons held a quill as teardrops soaked into the parchment.