Page 61 of That’s My Orc, Tusk Off

The puddlewump shivered, rippling from top to bottom.

Rina giggled. “It tickles.”

Traig opened the gate fully to bring out Gravy.

The puddlewump didn’t wobble toward him. It melted. One second it was puddlewump-shaped, the next it was a translucent puddle spreading across the pen floor.

Rex’s eyes went wide. “Is it okay?”

“It’s fine,” Traig said. He crouched, scooping up the liquid with both hands. It dripped between his fingers.

Jim looked at Samantha. Samantha looked at me.

I kept my voice calm. “This happens when they get nervous around new people. Give us just a second.”

I knelt beside Traig. His hands were full of sentient liquid, and I could feel how upset he was.

“Hey.” I waited until his eyes met mine. “Look at me. Not the puddlewump. Me.”

His jaw unclenched by half a degree.

“We can make this right,” I said. “Remember what you told me about reform triggers?”

His gaze snapped to mine.

“Gentle pressure,” he said.

“Right. So let’s do that here.”

I cupped my hands beneath his, catching the overflow. Together, we pressed gently, shaping the liquid back into something solid. Gravy’s form returned slowly, wobbling but whole.

Traig exhaled.

“There you are,” I told Gravy.

When I looked up, the whole family was watching us.

“That was amazing,” Samantha breathed.

Traig stood, carrying Gravy carefully to the fence.

For the next twenty minutes, we let the kids interact with both creatures while their parents asked questions. Rex kept asking about the melting thing. Rina wanted to know if they could teach Gravy tricks.

Jim and Samantha kept looking between their kids and us.

Samantha asked about any potential behavioral issues.

“They sometimes forget their shape after squeezing through tight spaces,” I said. “One of ours came back slightly oval after going under a door. It corrected itself within an hour. You just need to be patient with them.”

Jim and Samantha exchanged a look.

“We’ll take both,” Jim said.

The paperwork took another thirty minutes. Traig walked them through the adoption agreement while I prepped travel carriers for Biscuit and Gravy.

When the family left, both kids waving from the back seat, their new pets secured beside them, I turned to find Traig watching me.

“You’re good at this,” he said. “The people part.”