I'd like to adopt this Fern Puff!Name: I think of this lovely Fern Puff as a Gianna.
Gender: She's definitely a female to me. ^-^
Personality: Gianna is a curious, adventurous girl. She likes to learn, and does well in almost everything she attempts because of this trait. Sometimes, she may be shy, but usually, Gianna will voice and defend her opinion, and is not afraid to try out something new. She's also very faithful, and she is sometimes nicknamed Faith by her friends.
Gianna's memory is impressive. She never forgets anyone who has ever helped her, and always pays them back in the future. She's humble when praised, and if provoked, can be what is best described as "polite yet bristly". As a young child, she was often teased for having no father, and for wanting to venture out into the wilderness, outside of the deep forest where almost no fern puff has ever gone. Because of this, Gianna experienced a period of time where she was especially timid, and afraid to make comments. But she has faced her fears and gotten over her bullied past.
Story: "Gianna! Hey, Gianna!"
A small brown fern puff timidly raised her head to see who it was. After realizing that it was not one of her friends calling her and that it was in fact, the opposite of a friend, the fern puff - Gianna - quickly turned away.
"Look!" The voice called out again. "She's running away. Finally, she understands that her ideas are stupid! Run, Gianna, run! Nobody likes you." Laughter rang out.
At one point, Gianna would have dared to straighten herself and say something back. But as time went on, she wondered why she bothered. Sometimes, what they said was true. Her father had disappeared when she was young, and maybe - maybe it was like the other fern puffs said, that he didn't want Gianna and that he'd left because of her. And yes, maybe her ideas of journeying out of the deep forest were "idiotic" or "seed-brained". The fern puffs stayed in the deep forest, where they were never bothered, and lived in peace. Gianna often fantasized living somewhere where the sun was not filtered by many layers of leaves, of a place where the air was clean and fresh. "Ridiculous" was what the other fern puffs said.
She was tugged back to reality by the harsh cries of the other fern puffs her age. "Gianna, let's go journey out in the sun! Yay, it'll be so fun, we'll all get killed! That's what you want, right? For the fern puff community to get hunted down!" someone jeered.
"Yeah, no wonder your father hated you. You're really stupid, Gianna. You know that?" someone else chimed in.
Another fern puff giggled. "Gianna the seed-brain, Gianna the seed-brain!" she chanted. "The one that nobody wants!"
"Maybe she should leave. Leave so everyone else is happier!"
Gianna felt her heart sinking and twisting more and more with every taunt. "Stop it," she managed softly. The other fern puffs didn't seem to hear her.
"Gianna, the seed-brain, Gianna the seed-brain...""Stop it," Gianna whispered again. Then, as mocking laughter broke out again, she turned and fled back to her mother, the only fern puff left who cared for her.
"Mom!" she wailed as she scampered up the tree trunk. Tears were brimming in her eyes, she couldn't stop them. It hurt. They wanted it to hurt.
"Gianna, is it them again?" her mother murmured, stroking Gianna with her tail.
Gianna only nodded and burrowed against her mother, closing her sapphire-blue eyes and wishing that she didn't exist.
"Gi, don't worry. Don't listen to them. Block them out, hold your head high. Because they don't matter, angel. None of their opinions matter. They say it because they're jealous."
"Why would anyone be jealous of me?" Gianna mumbled.
"Why wouldn't they?" her mother asked gently. "I'm telling you, chase your dreams. Face your fears. Let them know they have to stop. Be confident. Because you matter, Gi. Without you, life wouldn't be the same. You're the sweetest, brightest, fern puff that I know..."
Her mother's soft voice coaxed Gianna into a restless sleep that gradually deepened, until she... found herself in a bright glade. The grass rustled under her feet, and when she looked up, the sky was blue, bluer than she ever imagined could be possible. And the blue... matched the eyes of the fern puff looking warmly at her. "Gianna, my daughter," he said.
"Father?" Gianna gasped in disbelief.
"Yes, it's me." He chuckled.
Gianna's heart soared, then plummeted. "Why did you leave?" she asked accusingly.
Her father - could it really be her father? He shared the same markings as her, and the same eyes... - frowned. "I didn't want to. I wish I could have stayed with you. But life planned differently, and now I watch you from above."
"You watch me get bullied." Gianna summarized her life.
"I watch you grow. I watch you improve. I watch those fern puffs try to bring you down." Her father's eyes hardened at the mention of "those fern puffs". "Some may have been broken long before now. But Gianna, you've held strong. And keep holding strong. Chase your dreams. Face your fears..." He was fading away, along with the beautiful glade. "...I love you..."
For a while, Gianna slept peacefully. When she woke up in the morning, she bounced to her feet with determination. She
would chase her dreams. She
would face her fears. And she would not be brought down ever again.
"Ohh, Gianna! Gianna the seed-brain!" A collection of young fern puffs sneered at her from a branch above.
"Hello, Autumn," Gianna said brightly, smiling at the fern puff directly above her.
Autumn looked slightly disoriented. "What do you mean, seed-brain?" she asked.
Gianna began walking in the opposite direction, her head held high and her tail aloft. "I mean that it's a great morning for me, and I mean that I hope you have a great morning too!"
Silence greeted her.
"Seed-brain, seed-brain-" someone began to chant, but Autumn cut him off with an odd tone to her voice. "Stop it- I mean, let's go do something else."
And from that day on, Gianna was never bullied again. In fact, Autumn became one of her closest friends, and one day, the two of them found the glade where Gianna's father had appeared to her. Her scars from the hate shown to her were there, on her heart. But she forgot, forgave, and lived her life.
Favorite Accessory: Gianna's favorite accessory is one that she wears in winter, her sapphire-blue earmuffs. She has somewhat delicate ears, and her earmuffs protect them from the cold and elements.
Favorite Dessert: A pomegranate-berry smoothie is Gianna's favorite dessert! Here is the recipe: 1/2 cup chilled pomegranate juice, 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt, 1 cup frozen mixed berries. Add juice, yogurt, and berries to blender. Cover and blend until pureed. (This actually does produce a delicious smoothie in real life)
Her Home: Gianna lives high amidst the intertwined branches of a willow and oak tree, near the glade her father had appeared in, and when she wants to, Gianna can see the blue sky and sun. Many, many years ago, the two trees were planted at the same time, and grew together, their long branches tangling and locking together as they grew. In this gnarled yet beautiful web Gianna dwells with her mother often nearby. A small brook runs a few yards away, shaded by a large maple and one of Gianna's favorite places to rest in her diverse, beautiful forest home.
by Haze-L-Kitten » Sat Jan 18, 2014 4:02 am 
