Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sprunki types and sub types:

-Critters

In most of the sprunki world, the critters are the most common type as well as the smallest and most diverse. These sprunki usually resemble an animal, common ones being a cat, dog, or other carnivorous mammal. However, these are far from the only kinds. While these sprunki vary greatly in appearance and even abilities, they do share some similarities between them. For example, almost every critter sprunki is less than five feet tall, rarely exceeding 4’ 6”. They also almost all hold a digigrade stance, and have a tail of some sort, even if it’s small. While a critter might resemble an existent animal, it is important to note that they are still a sprunki. A dog critter is not a dog. In fact, those animals do still exist in the world. 

Critter sub types: 

-Mammalian

These critters are the most common and include dogs, cats, foxes, wolves, bears, deer, horses, monkeys, elephants, and more. Almost all of these critters have fur, moveable ears, and a decent sense of smell.

-Aquatic

These sprunki include fish, sharks, frogs, salamanders, crocodiles, axolotls, dolphins, and more. While many of these sprunki could also be grouped in other sub types, they are put in this group for their ability to swim better than any other sprunki type other than the sea dragons. Despite some having similar features to fish, none of these sprunki are able to breathe underwater.

-Avian

These sprunki include any and all birds, including parrots, owls, sea gulls, ostriches, vultures, eagles, blue birds, cardinals, and more. Every single one of these sprunki have a beak, feathers, and wings instead of hands. Despite this, none of these sprunki are able to fly and using their wings can be awkward. When nobody is looking, they would just prefer to use their beaks to pick up and move objects. They also use their beaks to preen themselves.

-Cold Blooded

These sprunki include most of the reptiles and the rare invertebrate sprunki. This category includes lizards, turtles, snakes, spiders, insects, and more. This group is basically a miscellaneous group. Despite being based off of the creature, many of the "invertebrate sprunki” still have bones. For the most part, the sprunki’s organ structures all look the same, the only exception being the spinnerets in spider sprunki and the occasional other extra organ. 

-Humanoids

Humanoids are kind of the middle ground when it comes to height, usually reaching between five and six feet. Occasionally, these sprunki can get taller, though. This group is categorized for having no tail, a plantigrade stance, usually only fur on the top of their head if any at all, and usually having some sort of head ornament. In build, these sprunki also tend to be stouter.

Humanoid sub types:

-Common

These humanoids do not have a head ornament of any kind other than their hair. 

-Insectoid

These sprunki are one of the more common types. They have two or more antennas on their heads, which can be used to detect air patterns, movements, and sound. These sprunki have exceptional hearing.

-Adorned

These humanoids have one or more horns on their head. Horns can vary greatly, but are usually quite elegant to look at. 

-Drakes

Drakes are the rarest and largest sprunki type only numbering one out of every ten sprunki in the world. These sprunki are not only set apart by their impressive height, averaging seven feet or higher, but also by their scales, thick, reptilian tails, horns, digitigrade stance, and wings. Once, these sprunki were classified as a sub typing of critter, but genetic testing and the fact that they’re far taller than any critters, gave them enough of a difference to get their own type. 

Drake sub types:

-Common

These drakes are, as the name suggests, the most common. These drakes usually house horns of some sort and some are able to breathe smoke.

-Dragon

These are the rarest kind of drake, with a one in a thousand chance of being born. Even if two dragons have a kid, the chances of the infant being a dragon is still extremely low. Dragons are set apart for being the only type of sprunki able to fly, with enormous bat-like wings and special rudders on their tails.

-Eastern

These drakes are known for their slimmer body shape, whiskers, and tufts of feathers around their necks. Although less common than other drakes, these dragons can often be seen in cities predicting the future, claiming to read sprunki’s minds, and giving out fortunes. Although very little of this is real, these drakes tend to be kind spirited and welcoming to any and all.

-Sea Dragon

This type of drake is a little bit more subtle than the other types, but are known for having fins on their backs and the side of their heads as well as not being able to breathe smoke like common drakes. These drakes are also exceptional swimmers. 

-Hybrids

Different types of sprunkis very rarely get together as the genetics don’t tend to mix well. Stillborns are common between inter-typing couples are common, and the sprunki who do survive are often infertile. Despite this, it still does happen every now and again. 

Critter/Humanoid

Usually, the critter genes take over, and the outcome just looks like a critter at first glance. However, these sprunki might be taller than average. If the DNA actually blends, the sprunki might have patches of fur, antenna poking up between his/her ears, or other mixed features, depending on the features of the parents.

Critter/Drake

This combination almost always ends up as some sort of animalistic drake. For example, if a wolf and a drake mate, the result might be a furry drake with ears. If a sea dragon and a snake were to mate, the result might be some sort of sea serpent. My personal favorite is if an avian and a dragon were to mate and the rare chance of getting the dragon genetics happened. In this scenario, you’d get a feathered dragon with the only usable feathered wings among sprunki.

Humanoid/Drake

This combo tends to again vary, but can result in some pretty neat horn variations. Normally, the offspring are just larger humanoids with tails and some other drake features. 

Raddy

Type: Humanoid-Adorned

Age: 29

Height: 6’ 5” 

Job: Pig Farmer 

Instrument: Snare Drum

Appearance: A brawny, bright red humanoid with five horns on his head. He usually just wears casual clothing; a T-shirt, jeans or working pants, and tennis shoes or boots. 

Personality: On the outside, Raddy can seem grouchy and even intimidating, but he is actually very sweet and kind. 

He used to work for the military on the other continent, but has since retired and returned to Newleaf to lead the simple yet peaceful life of a pig farmer. 

Oren

Type: Humanoid-Insectoid

Age: 43

Height: 5’ 4”

Job: Wheat farmer and Bee keeper. He is also one of the leaders during the Song sessions.

Instrument: Bass Drum

Appearance: He is somewhat overweight, but surprisingly energetic for his age. He has bright orange skin, antenna, and a little bit of fluff on his head. He usually wears a hoodie and baggy pants along with headphones, especially during song sessions. 

Personality: He is very fatherly, not just towards Sky, but also towards most of the other characters. He also tends to be very laid back. Similar to his canon counterpart, Oren has almost no enemies. 

He is married to Pinki and is the father of Sky.

Simon

Type: Humanoid/Drake hybrid

Age: 24

Height: 7’ 5”

Job: Cattle Farmer. He is also a lead singer during the Song sessions.

Instrument: Square Lead

Appearance: A tall, lanky, bright yellow sprunki with long, digitigrade legs, claws, and a thick, spiky tail. He has antennae and a tuft of hair on his forehead and usually wears shorts and a tank top. He normally chooses not to wear shoes.

His phase two form has elongated front limbs, missing eyes, and a larger mouth full of sharp, oversized teeth. Like, his teeth are oversized to the point where he can’t properly close his mouth.

Personality: He is extremely friendly and sweet towards everyone, but somewhat sensitive; definitely extroverted. Lonely, single child vibes.

Owackx

Type: Humanoid-Adorned

Age: 22

Height: 5” 3’

Job: Vegetable Farmer

Instrument: Crash Cymbal 

Appearance: A light green sprunki with a spiky head and dilated pupils. He usually wears casual clothing such as a T-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes. 

Personality: Owackx is jumpy and a little dramatic, but mostly sweet. Most of the other sprunki either find him to be goofy or downright crazy as he often tells stories of a monster deer in the woods that talks to him. Whether it’s real or not, the deer might be the reason Owackx acts so jumpy and mentally unstable.

 He was born with one pupil larger than the other. That can actually happen in real life, although it’s usually a lot less exaggerated and it’s much more common than one might think. 

Vineria

Type: Humanoid-Adorned

Age: 24

Height: 5” 2’

Job: Herbs and Medical Flora Farmer and Maker

Instrument: Cabasa

Appearance: A dark, bluish-green humanoid with a head of thick, vine-like hair and a single, twisted horn sticking up from her skull. She also has little pink flowers sprinkled across her hair and clothes. She often wears flowy clothing such as dresses, skirts, long sleeved shirts, wide bottomed pants, and sandals or flip flops. 

Personality: She is usually sweet and calm, but is able to stand up for herself and others. She has an obsession with plants to the point where she names every single one she keeps, respects any she finds in the wild, and refuses to eat any plants outside of medicine. However, she doesn’t object to the others eating vegetables and happily uses plant parts to make different medicines and herbs. 

Sky

Type: Critter/Humanoid hybrid, technically. 

Age: 10

Height: 3’ 9”

Job: Unemployed, although he often helps out with his parent’s wheat farm. 

Instrument: Music Box 

Appearance: A light-blue bear critter with a single, stray hair sticking up from between his ears. He usually walks around with only shorts on, no shoes or shirt. Although he is technically half humanoid, he has few humanoid features as critter genes are usually quite dominant. However, once grown, he will likely be much taller than the average critter.

Personality: Sky is extremely friendly and energetic, showing signs of being an extrovert. However, he also has somewhat of a mischievous side. He is also sometimes too trusting. 

He is the son of Oren and Pinki.

Jevin: 

Type: Humanoid-Common

Age: 26

Height: 5’ 6” 

Job: Fisherman 

Instrument: Male Choir 

Appearance: A dark, blue humanoid with short hair underneath his hood. He usually wears a hooded cloak, jeans, and boots or tennis shoes. 

Personality: Jevin appears quiet and introverted at first, but once you get to know him, he tends to be prideful and intelligent but somewhat foolish. Jevin is the sort of sprunki to think through words before he says them out loud. 

Durple: 

Type: Drake-Sea Dragon

Age: 27

Height: 6’ 8”

Job: Lumberjack

Instrument: Trumpet 

Appearance: A somewhat heavyweight, brawny violet drake with fins on the side of his head and running down his back and thick tail. He also has claws, a purple, forked tongue, curved horns, and a digigrade stance. He often wears somewhat formal clothes such as V-neck jackets and vests, but usually does not wear pants or shoes. Don’t freak out! Not wearing pants is perfectly normal for drakes and critters.

His Phase Three form is an elongated lung dragon with an unnaturally wide smile and dark eyes. In this form, his shirt still appears, but is torn due to his sudden shift in size. 

In Phase Three form, he reaches roughly thirty-five feet long. 

Personality: Usually very vain, prideful, and tough, but somewhat kind. He has a huge, obvious crush on Vineria. 

Pinki

Type: Critter-Mammalian

Age: 39

Height: 3’ 4” 

Job: Wheat farmer and Bee keeper.

Instrument: Female Choir

Appearance: A light-pink rabbit with buck teeth, but a sort of grace about her. She usually wears a casual top and hot-pink bow, but no pants or shoes. Again, this is normal for critters and drakes. She has fur. Winney the Pooh has been walking around without pants for decades and nobody ever objected to that as far as I know. 

Personality: Usually sweet and motherly, but she does have a temper and isn't one to be pushed around, despite being one of the shortest characters. She is known to be a ferocious fighter when people she loves are in danger. When she is angry, only Oren can calm her. 

She is married to Oren and mother to Sky.

Tunner

Type: Critter-Aquatic

Age: 35

Height: 4’ 5”

Job: Sheriff

Instrument: Whistle

Appearance: Tunner is a tan, axolotl critter with webbed hands and feet, a thick finned tail, and four, floppy gills hanging from beneath his signature hat. He almost always wears his sheriff outfit, which is a T-shirt, badge, belt, brown jeans, and of course, his cowboy hat. He usually doesn’t wear shoes, but when he does, he chooses to wear boots. His gear, which he always carries in his belt, includes a pistol, his first aid kit, and a flashlight. Although sheriffs on the continent usually carry more gear, Tunner was expected to not need as much since Newleaf is mostly peaceful and he’d only be facing the occasional robber, stopping rare fights between villagers, and stopping animals like coyotes and bears from attacking any of the sprunki. If only they knew what Tunner would be up against. Oh, who am I kidding? No amount of gear could have helped Tunner. 

Personality: Tunner is very no-nonsense, but he can be sweet and almost motherly towards the villagers. Although he tries not to show it too much, he cares about them an awful lot, something rare in sheriffs on the continent. Knowing each of the sprunki personally makes Tunner’s job all the more difficult, especially if any are in danger. 

Due to the events of the first book, Tunner will become jumpier, more paranoid, and a lot less trusting in future stories. 

Brud

Type: Humanoid-Adorned

Age: 24

Height: 5’ 6”

Job: Shepherd

Instrument: Wood Block

Appearance: A muddy brown humanoid with googly eyes and a bucket on his head. For whatever reason, he usually wears a brown tuxedo. 

Personality: Brud is somewhat shy and quiet, usually only speaking with his brother, ClukR. 

ClukR

Type: Humanoid-Adorned

Age: 26

Height: 5’ 8”

Job: Shepherd 

Instrument: Cymbal

Appearance: A silver humanoid with a pole and cymbal protruding from his skull, which is unusual among sprunki, but not entirely unheard of. He usually wears gray robes, jeans, and tennis shoes or boots. 

Personality: ClukR is ambiverted, and especially well bonded with his brother Brud, and VERY protective of him. While he is usually reasonable, he does possess a bit of a temper. 

Gray

Type: Critter-Mammalian

Age: 25

Height: 3’ 9” 

Job: Poultry Farmer

Instrument: Synth Bass

Appearance: A gray, feline critter with short ears, freckles, a long tail, and darker markings through his fur. He holds a digigrade stance and usually wears casual clothing such as sweaters, hoodies, and T-shirts. He rarely wears pants and almost never wears shoes. As a feline, he also has retractable claws, which are very good for climbing. Unlike the other sprunki, his pupils are a ring of black instead of completely filled in.

Personality: While he is grouchy and calm on the outside, usually wearing a mask that radiates a constant boredom, Gray can be very sweet and affectionate if you manage to get close to him, which can be difficult because he struggles to trust other sprunki. He enjoys peace and would prefer to keep away from most conflicts.

Wenda

Type: Critter-Mammalian

Age: 22

Height: 3’ 11” 

Job: Orchard/Fruit Farmer

Instrument: Some weird yipping noise. Idk. 

Appearance: A fluffy, white fox critter with large ears, cheek tufts, a bushy tail, and light yellow eyes. She also has claws and holds a digigrade stance. Usually, she wears casual clothing such as T-shirts and tank tops, but rarely wears long sleeves or pants and almost never wears shoes. Unlike most sprunki, her pupils are a ring of black instead of completely filled in. 

Personality: She is usually quite energetic and talkative, but very sensitive and often anxious, especially around other sprunki. She is very good at fighting and anything athletic, but quits training for a bit after the events of the first book. Due to her thick fur, she actually finds Newleaf to be uncomfortably hot.

Black

Type: Humanoid-Common

Age: 124

Height: 6’ 11”

Job: Traumatizing the Newleaf villagers

Instrument: The sound of a ghost breathing down the back of your neck at 2:00 AM

Appearance: A tall, lanky, jet-black humanoid with few defining features. To many of the characters, he appears more like a shadow than an actual sprunki. He almost always wears a tuxedo with a white tie and coattails and, of course, his signature top hat. 

Personality: Black is unruffled, prideful, and manipulative, never one to admit he’s wrong or has made a mistake. Perhaps, once he was capable of loving other sprunki……..perhaps……

Garnold: 

Type: Humanoid-Insectoid

Age: 21

Height: 5’ 3”

Job: Mechanic and Engineer

Instrument: Arpeggio Synth

Appearance: Her actual appearance is a mystery to most of the characters as she almost always wears a warm, golden body suit and digital mask. If she were to take the suit off, it would reveal thick, golden hair, two antennae, a massive scar across her face, and golden skin. 

Personality: Usually taking the leadership role in groups, she is well known for her cheer and optimism, although she can also be a little oblivious and is bad at having really deep conversations as she often gets uncomfortable. Like Gray, she prefers to avoid conflict, but will actually try to stop fights and arguments. Of course, she is also extremely intelligent. 

Funbot

Type: Machine

Age: 3

Height: 6’ 1”

Job: Assistant Mechanic

Instrument: Bitcrushed Congas or Beatboxing 

Appearance: A yellow and silver robot resembling a humanoid sprunki with a digital face, antenna, jointed limbs, plated armor, and a panel on his back. Being a robot, he refuses to wear anything. 

Personality: He is somewhat grouchy and sarcastic, being well known for not hiding his opinion of others. As an AI, he doesn’t actually have emotions, but he mimics them well enough to trick even himself. He often wishes the other sprunki would stop treating him like another sprunki.

Mr Fun Computer

Type: Machine

Age: 4

Height: 1’ 2”

Job: Provider of Infinite Knowledge and Wisdom

Instrument: Analog Voice 

Appearance: A simple analog computer with a smiley face displayed on his screen and a colorful spinner hat. 

Personality: Although he looks outdated and often acts childish, his AI is quite advanced and Fun Computer can be quite intelligent when he wants to be, especially with his unlimited access to the internet. 

Mr. Sun

Type: Natural

Age: Unknown

Height: 4,500,000,000’ 

Job: Warming and Powering the Planet

Instrument: Piano 

Appearance: A giant burning ball of gas…….with a smiley face.

Personality: He’s very hot.

Mr. Tree

Type: Natural

Age: Unknown

Height: 102’ 5”

Job: Making Oxygen and Existing

Instrument: Organ

Appearance: A huge, ancient oak tree.

Personality: Cool and calming to be around. 

Extra Characters:

Steg

Type: Critter-Mammalian

Age: 130

Height: 4’ 3”

Job: Corn farmer

Instrument: Caribou Call

Appearance: A slightly chubby, brown deer critter with little ears, a button nose and two antlers. Normally, he wears overalls and chooses to not wear shoes.

In his monstrous form, he crouches on four legs and becomes unnaturally slender with a skeletal muzzle and needle-sharp fangs.

Personality: Before Black, he was friendly and warm, but a little gluttonous. After being trapped as a horror deer for nearly one hundred years, he has become much wiser and quieter, although he is still friendly. He eats as little as possible, usually skipping most meals altogether.

Ghost

Type: Critter-Mammalian

Age: 29

Height: 4’ 2”

Job: Music Artist and Song Writer

Instrument: Synth Strings 

Appearance: A slate feline critter with black speckles through her fur, large white whiskers, a long striped tail, and blue eyes. Normally, she chooses to wear bell bottom pants with no shirt or shoes. If she does wear either of these, she’ll choose to wear a plain colored tank top and tennis shoes. She is almost always wearing headphones.

Personality: Usually, spunky and energetic, and very good at connecting with other sprunki. She does tend to be a little bit too trusting at times, however. 

Seavont

Type: Humanoid/Drake 

Age: 31

Height: 7’ 1”

Job: Chemist and Biologist

Instrument: Bitcrushed Nails on a Chalkboard

Appearance: A teal, humanoid-drake hybrid with a bird-like digigrade stance, talons, and a thick spiky tail as well as spikes on her cheeks similar to Simon. One eye and antenna are replaced by two glowing orbs as those parts of her were injured when she was an infant. She almost always wears her light blue lab coat with shorts underneath. 

Personality: Seavont is colder than ice on the inside and the outside. This is only partly due to her circumstances, but it’s also because she learned to not care, not feel, and not even be acquainted with sympathy after being raised by the manipulative Fenna. She doesn’t mask emotions either, because there’s simply nothing to mask. Although she may seem mean and even creepy to other sprunki, she hasn’t quite done anything malicious yet. She-

Dear Writer.

It would greatly please me if you would quit sharing all of my information and spoiling the readers. Let the book speak for itself. This is an enormous violation of a person’s right to privacy. 

Sincerely ~ Seavont 

Mod: Seavont is from the mod, Parasprunki. She was originally created by mondaymoncher.

Bailey

Type: Critter-Aquatic

Age: 40…..if he were still alive.

Height: 4’ 8”

Job: Ran a Water Park

Instrument: Steel Drum 

Appearance: A warm yellow angler fish critter with fins on the side of his head, a lantern perched on his skull, and a fish tail. Although he’s considered an aquatic sprunki, he cannot breathe underwater and is a very weak swimmer, despite owning a water park and loving everything that has to do with the water, just like his canon counterpart. 

The only real change to his canon counterpart is that in this AU, Black wasn’t the one who drowned him. In fact, Black and Bailey never met. 

Personality: Bailey is friendly, extroverted, and extremely passionate about his interests. It had always been his dream to run a small, family friendly water park. 

Mod: Bailey is from the mod, Pyramixed. He was created by Chitoz.

Chapter Text

When you walk into training on your first day, what they don’t tell you is how hard everything is going to be.

No warning about how broken every muscle will feel at the end of the day.

No warning about the emotional impact of doing everything, from investigating a murder scene to getting yelled at because apparently the speeding ticket is unfair.

No warning that you’ll never be able to save everyone. 

And it’ll hurt when you don’t. 

Instead, they teach you that pain merely sharpens a sheriff and that emotion is worthless. 

Tunner figured he was too soft. That’s why they offered him….a strange job. 

“You’ve heard of the other continent…..we’ve just been calling it Newleaf because there’s only one town there.”

“One town?” Tunner questioned, peering over the map, Rackle, his boss, a bulky reddish-orange drake, pointed at. “Strange. Why haven’t more sprunki moved there? How old is this town?”

“How am I supposed to know?” Tunner’s boss snorted, “The residents mostly keep to themselves. They’re a rather quiet bunch. Should be pretty easy even for you to keep ‘em. I believe there’s a little over a dozen sprunki living there.”

“Hmmmm.” Tunner scrunched his eyes, trying to hide his displeasure at the lack of information. 

“Their old sheriff just retired.” Rackle grunted, “This is the best possible job I can assign you. They should have told you in school that this role doesn’t suit critters well. Look, you’re a good cop. But, fighting drake and humanoid criminals twice your size or more…I can tell it challenges you.” 

“I’ve seen more critters rob a store than I have drakes.” Tunner replied, “And I don’t recall ever having trouble. That is why we’re armed with pistols, after all. ”

“And what about Bailey?” Rackle mentioned. Tunner tightened his jaw. 

“You can’t always care about everyone.” Rackle sighed, “Part of the job is using logic over emotions. I really think this….Newleaf…place is the best option for you. You won’t have to see any bloodshed. The villagers are extremely peaceful. The-”

“I can handle bloodshed.” Tunner interrupted, “I just-”

“The worst you should expect from this place is the occasional wild animal attack, potential robbers from the sea, playing lifeguard now and then, and the rare chance of a fight among the villagers. All you have to do, Tunner, is keep them safe. Do you think you can handle it?”

“Certainly, but are you sure this is what you want me to do?” Tunner asked.

“Not unless you want to swap to the community pool lifeguard. Now, that job would suit you.” Rackle grinned.

Tunner shivered at a distant memory.

“Yell at kids to stop running around the pool all day? I’ll take Newleaf.” Tunner replied. 

“Your plane leaves in two days.” Rackle patted Tunner on the shoulder, turning to strut out of the room, “I’ll send a message ahead to the villagers. You’ll live in their old sheriff’s house. I’m sure they’ll show you the ropes once you land. I think the guy mainly running the town is named Oren. Seems like a pretty decent guy.”

“Okay. Sure.” Tunner nodded, still staring at the map.

In two days' time, he’d be flying across the ocean towards that unexplored wall of green, where less than twenty sprunki had decided to live. Tunner shifted his tail to curl around his legs, dragging across the floor.

I suppose I’d better start packing. 

The plane ride was expected to be rather uneventful in Tunner’s mind, with no other passengers other than the slate feline sitting on the other side, staring out the window with headphones on and grinning about who knew what.

Tunner believed her name was Ghost. As far as he knew, she was just a visitor, nobody important. 

So, for the first hour of the trip, Tunner rested his eyes, placing his hat just over his face and taking a light power nap.

One thing they taught you in police school was to sleep lightly, brain always ready to snap awake at the slightest disturbance.

That’s why the pilot announcing turbulence had Tunner awake with a start and a hand at his pouch, where he usually kept his pistol. 

Due to security, even though he was a cop, Tunner hadn’t been allowed to have the weapon outside of its suitcase.

“Nervous flyer?” Tunner glanced over to where Ghost had taken one side of the headphones off of one rounded ear. 

“Oh, no.” Tunner shook his head, “I’m just a light sleeper.” 

“Ah, well, I have some gum if you need some.” The cat shrugged, “Is this your first time in Newleaf?” 

“Yes.” Tunner nodded, “I’m their new sheriff.” 

“Oh, sweet!” Ghost grinned, “You’ll love it there. The locals are so friendly!” 

“So I hear.” Tunner replied, “.....Are you visiting someone?” 

“Eeeeehhhh.” Ghost tapped her chin thoughtfully, “Not really. They just invited me to sing with them for their ninety-fifth anniversary.” 

“Oh, so you’re like a singer or something.” Tunner speculated,  “Do you play an instrument….or do you just sing?”

“Oh……both in one. I mean, I just sing. I suppose you don’t know yet about the Song.” 

“Well, I know lots of songs.” Tunner cocked his head in confusion, “Which one do you mean?”

“Oh, Oren will be able to explain it better than I can.” Ghost chuckled, “Ask him about it when we arrive.” 

“Okay?” Tunner shrugged, leaning back in his chair. He checked the time.

10:30

The flight still had at least two hours left. 

“Question.” Tunner turned his head at Ghost’s voice.

“Answer,” he replied. 

“You’re an axolotl critter, right? Can you breathe underwater?” Ghost’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. 

“No.” Tunner shook his head, “No sprunki can breathe underwater. But I can swim much more efficiently than most sprunki.” 

“Neat!” Ghost nodded, bobbing her head up and down. 

For the rest of the trip, Tunner napped and Ghost listened to her headphones and gazed out the window. Once they landed, a few humanoids helped the two unload their luggage into a rickety building, which must have been the village’s airport. 

“Walk through there until you find the pathway.” One humanoid pointed towards an expansive field of grass, “If you come to a river, you’ve gone too far, but the village is hard to miss. You two got it?”

“Yes. Thank you.” Tunner nodded politely, dismissing the plane assistant, who shuffled back towards the plane. 

“This way!” Ghost chirped, slinging a backpack well over half her size across her shoulder and marching forward into the grass.

“They don’t have a pathway or anything?” Tunner questioned.

“Nope!” Ghost replied cheerfully. Hesitantly, Tunner stepped after her dragging his suitcase, toes plunging into the soft grass. He had to admit, it did feel kind of nice. 

As they walked, Tunner took the chance to become familiar with the scenery, taking notes in his brain of where everything was located. On both sides of the wide field, he could see a wall of forest. Strangely, the woodland on his right seemed darker on the inside than the forest on the left.

Maybe that’s just the distance. 

Still, Tunner couldn’t shake the feeling of something watching from among the trees. 

“The last time I was here, they called that the Shadow Forest and said not to go inside.” Ghost must have noticed Tunner’s attention on the section of woodlands. 

“A pack of wolves or coyotes roaming it?” Tunner asked, lifting one eyebrow.

“The locals all think it’s haunted.” Ghost replied with a shrug, “I mean, it does seem creepy, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say that .”

“Huh.” Tunner glanced again towards the treeline.

A pair of orange, glowing orbs.

Tunner’s fins prickled.

“This place seems very……..remote.” Tunner observed, “Will they have electricity here?” 

“Oh, certainly.” Ghost responded, “They have a young mechanic here who can build pretty much anything. She builds pipes, refrigerators, electrical systems, air conditioning, all sorts of machinery…. I’d honestly say some of the tech here is better than most of what’s on the mainland.” 

“She does this by herself? How old is she?” Tunner asked.

“Sixteen, I believe.” Ghost replied. 

“That certainly is young.” Tunner muttered, “How strange.” 

A figure appeared in the distance, sprinting towards the two.

“Oh, that must be Oren coming to greet us.” Ghost chirped. Tunner squinted against the sunlight, making out a shorter humanoid form with a spiky skull and large orb-like eyes.

“BEHIND YOU!!!!!!” the lime sprunki shot between Tunner and Ghost and whirled around. Tunner blinked in shock. One of the sprunki’s pupils was dilated enough to almost swallow up the white of his eye, while the other remained shrunken to a tiny speck. Instead of ending neatly, his words seemed to drag on with a hissing noise followed by a cymbal-like crash. 

“Oh hey, Owackx.” Ghost waved with a grin, “Have you seen Oren?” 

“The Stalker!!! It’s watching ussssss!!” Owackx hissed, eyes bulging. 

“Mmmmhmmmm.” Ghost nodded with a slight twitch of the tail. 

What is the Stalker? 

“You don’t believe me!” Owackx narrowed his eyes with another hissing crash.

“What is this stalker you’re talking about?” Tunner asked, “Describe it.”

“It…it’s evil!” Owackx exclaimed, “It looks like a deer, but it’s skinnier than a bone….and it lives in the Shadow Forest! Hunting us! Hunting me.” 

“Huh.” Tunner blinked at the lime sprunki, wondering whether or not he should take the story seriously. He doesn’t quite seem mentally stable…….although, he’s clearly spooked by something.

“That was probably just a normal deer.” Ghost waved the tale away before turning towards Tunner, “They have loads of deer here.”

“I’ve seen normal deer!” Owackx hissed, “This one is different! It’s a monster, I tell ya!”
“Sure.” Ghost nodded. She seems pretty dismissive of his story. Isn’t anyone concerned that Owackx might have seen something? Maybe she just knows more about this place than me.

At that point, the two had returned to walking back towards the village with Owackx following close behind. Tunner noticed structures appearing in the foreground before very long. Huh. They look homier than I expected. I guess this place isn’t quite as remote as I thought. 

“Owackx, would you be so kind as to inform us of the whereabouts of Oren?” Ghost asked for the second time, “We have a new sheriff, who would like to speak with him.”

“We do? What happened to Charlie?” Owackx asked. 

“I was….assuming you would know.” Ghost replied, “You live here.” 

“Could you please tell us where Oren is?” Tunner jutted in, sensing Ghost’s frustration. 

“Oh, he’s at Mr. Tree.” Owackx replied before bounding off towards the town. Tunner stared after him in confusion. Mr. Tree?

“Does he name plan-”

“No, that’s an actual place here.” Ghost sighed, “There’s a massive oak tree in the center of town where the villagers gather for Song nights and meetings. They call him Mr. Tree. He’s quite a remarkable thing, actually.” 

“Oh. Huh.” Tunner nodded slowly.

The two continued their trek past the houses, across a pathway, and towards the tree Ghost had described. What she had forgotten to mention, was just how enormous the tree turned out to be, likely reaching well over one hundred feet in height, branches stretching upwards in the sun. The bright green leaves bobbed in the wind as if dancing to a silent melody. 

Beside the tree, stood a fruity orange humanoid talking to one of the tallest sprunki Tunner had ever laid eyes upon. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t quite fit into any of the three sprunki types either. The bright yellow creature seemed almost like some sort of hybrid with antennae and the appearance of a humanoid, but his tail, claws, leg posture, and sharper teeth all suggested a drake. 

Tunner stepped towards the two, who glanced upwards from their conversation at his approach. 

“Ah. You must be the new sheriff.” the orange humanoid stepped forward, extending one hand, “Tunner, right?”

“That’s correct.” Tunner took the sprunki’s hand and shook it firmly, “I presume you’re Oren.” 

“Yep.” Oren smiled, “Welcome to Newleaf! Thank you so much for stepping out here after what happened with Charlie.”

“What did happen with Charlie?” Tunner questioned. Sprunki keep bringing her up, but nobody has quite said why she left. Was there a reason? Should I be concerned?

“Don’t worry.” the strange, yellow sprunki waved the question away, “It wasn’t anything serious. She just……..got tired……of everything.” 

“What’s everything?” Tunner lifted one eyebrow.

“Being away from the rest of the world.” the yellow sprunki shrugged, “The isolation tends to drive some sprunki a little bit crazy after a while.” Is that why Owackx seems so……..different….

“Don’t worry!” the yellow sprunki chirped happily, “It’s not so bad. We’re like one, big, happy family!! You’ll get used to it.” 

A family? I’m not here to cuddle with anyone. I’m just here to protect, which means I shouldn’t get attached. 

“What did you say your name was?” Tunner asked.

“Oh, I’m Simon!” Simon beamed, “If you’re wondering why I look so weird, it’s because I’m a hybrid.” 

Yep. That confirms that…….He could be pretty fierce if he wanted to be with his size, claws, and teeth……but he seems friendly. I don’t think he’ll be much of a trouble maker. 

“Do hybrids happen often around here?” Tunner asked.

“They sometimes do.” Oren shrugged, “Why?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Tunner said, realizing that he may have touched on a sensitive subject, although it would be good to know, “We don’t have that many hybrids on the mainland.”

“Interesting. You’d think with all of those different sprunki types there’d bound to be-”

“No.” Tunner interrupted, “Most types stay within their grouping.” And for good reason. Survival rates of infant hybrids are low.

“Oh, hey, Ghost.” Simon noticed the slate cat standing by Tunner. 

“Greetings!” Ghost beamed, “I think I remember you from the last time I visited, Simon.”

“Yeah, I’m the sprunki with a voice similar to yours.” Simon chirped.

“Ah, yes!” Ghost purred, “How’s your singing going?”

“Very well.” Simon replied with a grin. 

What do they mean? Simon’s voice sounds nothing like Ghost’s voice. 

“You’d probably like a tour and to know where you’ll be saying.” Oren turned his attention back towards Tunner. 

“That would be quite nice, yes.” Tunner nodded. 

“This way, please. Ghost, Simon, I assume you know what to do to prepare for tonight.” Oren nodded at the two.

“Of course!” Simon replied. Satisfied, Oren marched back towards the main pathway with Tunner shuffling behind him. 

“So, exactly how many residents are here?” Tunner asked.

“Thirteen, not including you and Ghost.” Oren answered, halting at a dull, wooden house, “I’ll go ahead and introduce you to Gray. He……hasn’t been doing that well recently.” 

“Oh. Why’s that?” Tunner asked. Is this going to be someone I’ll need to keep an eye on? 

“He lost both of his parents a little less than a year ago. He won’t really tell anyone, but I can tell it’s kind of gotten to him.” Oren replied, knocking on the door. After a moment, a small, gray, feline critter with tired eyes opened the door to peak out at the two. 

“Gray, I thought you might want to meet the new sheriff.” Oren waved towards Tunner, who examined the feline thoroughly. 

“Hello, there.” Tunner said. 

Slam!

Gray shut the door without a word. 

“I promise he isn’t usually like this.” Oren remarked before Tunner could say anything, “He’s just…….introverted…..and still grieving.” 

“Hmmmm.” Tunner muttered. Is this one going to be a trouble maker, or is he really just an introvert?

“Let’s head to Charlie’s old office and home.” Oren sighed, “I’m sure you’re probably pretty tired. You’ll want to get some rest before tonight. This evening, we’re celebrating our ninety-fifth anniversary. We can introduce you to the town there.” 

“Sounds good.” Tunner nodded. 

The orange sprunki led him down the path, which seemed to loop around the village, past multiple homes of different shapes and sizes. Oren pointed them out as they walked.

“That tall one is Durple’s house.” Oren stated, “And that one is Garnold’s house. She just recently moved out from living with Pinki and I.” 

“Is she your daughter?” Tunner asked.

“No.” Oren shook his head, “She arrived here as an infant floating in a busted up wooden crate. Most of the village helped to raise her, but Pinki and I let her stay in our home after we got married.” 

“She moved out at sixteen?” Tunner asked.

“Yeah. She’s pretty independent.” Oren shrugged, “And she’s really really good at building things. She and Durple had that house together in less than a week.”

“Impressive.” Tunner uttered, “Who did she stay with before you two got married?” 

“Oh, she stayed with Simon’s parents.” Oren answered, “But that was only for a few years. Pinki and I have been married for a hot minute. In fact, our son, Sky, just turned five.” 

“I see…..So, Simon’s parents must be a drake and a humanoid if I’m guessing correctly.” 

“His mother, Marigold, was a drake. His father was a humanoid. They’ve both moved to the continent just recently. The two didn’t like how remote this town is.”

“And Simon didn’t go with them?”

“No.” Oren shook his head, “Simon wanted to stay in the only home he’d ever known.” 

“I see.” Tunner nodded slowly, “What about that house?”

“Ah, that’s where Brud lives. His brother, ClukR, lives right next door. And, right over there is Charlie’s old home, where you’ll live.”

Tunner glanced upwards at a cozy, wooden home rising from the ground with a front porch and small garden already springing from the mulch around it. Beside the house, stood a much colder looking stone building. No doubt, that was the office and jail. 

“What do you think?” Oren asked. 

“It’s perfect.” Tunner smiled, “Thank you, Oren.”

“My pleasure.” Oren purred, “Oh, one more thing. The shopping area is across town from here. A lot of sprunki hang out there during the day, so that will probably be important to have in mind. Charlie used to spend a lot of time there.”

“Good to know.” Tunner nodded.

“Well, I’ll let you get settled in.” Oren said, “I’ve got to go help set up for the festival, but let me know if you need anything!”

“Okay, thanks.” Tunner replied as Oren turned to walk back towards the center of town. Cautiously, Tunner stepped inside the dark wooden house and flipped on a glowing, ceiling light to illuminate a modernly furnished room with chairs, a table, and some bookshelves. Tunner set his suitcase down by the door and wandered around the rooms, exploring the house. He discovered that the home contained a kitchen, living room, and an upstairs area with a bedroom, bathroom, and a bonus room of some sort. Quickly, Tunner began to unpack and get ready for the festival, taking a quick shower and redressing in an identical uniform. 

By the time he’d finished, the sun only teased at mid afternoon. It wasn’t nearly time for the festival, so Tunner stepped out of his home and towards the office next door. Inside, sat a desk stacked with paper and quills, a small book shelf, several benches, and a jail cell on the left side of the room. 

I don’t suppose this cell has ever been used. Grabbing the keys, which hung on a peg by the desk, he stepped inside and examined the dusty interior consisting of a few beds, a barred window, and one small bathroom. 

Without a word, the sheriff turned back towards the entrance of the cell to spot a figure standing on the opposite side of the office’s glass door. 

She , as Tunner presumed, waved with a friendly smile. Carefully, Tunner opened the door to let the humanoid step inside. 

“You must be the new sheriff.” she beamed, “I just wanted to stop by and welcome you to Newleaf with a gift.” The she-sprunki produced a pot of white lilies with yellow innards and handed them to Tunner.

“Oh.” Tunner blinked in surprise, “That’s mighty kind. Thank you,.......er…”

“Vineria.” the green sprunki bowed, dipping her curved horn, “I’m the village herbalist.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Vineria.” Tunner nodded with a smile. 

“The pleasure is mine.” Vineria purred, “We’re all so glad to have you here. Are you going to be there at the festival this evening?”

“Yes. Do you know when it begins?” Tunner asked. 

“It starts in less than an hour.” Vineria replied, “Do you sing?”

“I……suppose I’m able to. I’m not sure if I can say that I’m very good at it.” 

“What’s your sound?” Vineria asked curiously, “Mine is a cabasa.”

“A cabasa?” Tunner questioned, “You mean like the instrument? You play cabasa?” 

“No…..” Vineria shook her head with a puzzled expression, “Do you not….I mean….Look.”

Tunner’s eyes widened in surprise as Vineria began bobbing her head back and forth and producing a sound similar to a maraca. 

“What?” Tunner stared at the green sprunki in confusion. At first, he assumed that she must have had something in her hair making the rattling sound, but then the green sprunki opened her mouth and the shaking noise grew louder, no longer harboring an echo and he realized the noise was coming from her throat.

Tunner stared at the green sprunki in shock and confusion, trying to decipher what was going on. Is she using some sort of voice altering device? What’s going on? Is this a threat display?

Vineria stopped, noticing his alert expression, “You’ve never seen that before? At all?” 

“What…..you were doing with your voice…….No, I haven’t.” Tunner replied, eyes narrowing, “That’s…..very impressive. Do you take voice mimicking lessons?” 

“No. You’ve really never….E-Everyone here can do this.” Vineria stuttered. 

“They can make a noise…..like a cabasa?” Tunner asked.

“No.” Vineria shook her head, “Everyone here sings the Song. And we all have certain roles. For example, you could classify me, Oren, and Raddy as percussion. We keep the beat.” 

“Beat boxing?” Tunner tilted his head slightly, growing more and more confused. 

“Not quite.” Vineria shook her head, “I think Oren’s a bass drum.” 

“Wait…..let me make sure I’m understanding you clearly. You’re saying that Oren can make the same sound as a bass drum…..with his mouth?” Tunner asked.

“Yes.” Vineria nodded enthusiastically. 

“And…..you all vocally produce different sounds that make music?” Tunner speculated.

“Exactly!” Vineria chirped, “But, we all work together to sing one Song at the festival. We have a gathering every week.” That’s actually really good to know. If all or the majority of the villagers are there, I’ll make sure to be present at gatherings too. 

“Sounds like fun.” Tunner nodded, “I’m not sure how helpful I’ll be with your song, though. My voice isn’t fancy like y'alls'." 

“I’m sure Oren will be able to help with that.” Vineria grinned, turning back towards the entrance of the office, “I better head that way. Oren and Simon are expecting me to bring decorational flora for the festival. See you tonight, Tunner. Thank you again for volunteering to be our sheriff.” 

Help me? 

“Bye, Vineria.” Tunner waved, “Thank you for the flowers.” Carefully, the sheriff set the delicate white petals next to a window, where they could flourish. They did brighten up the otherwise dull room quite a bit.

The townsfolk really are nice. This is so much different from the mainland…..Don’t get cozy, Tunner. Don’t get attached to anyone. Your job is to protect! 

Tunner glanced sideways at the lilies again. The neon yellow inside their petals reminded him of the lure on a deep sea fish. Specifically, an angler fish. He tipped his hat.

Stay distant. You aren’t here to make friends. 

Quietly, Tunner stepped outside into the open air and began carefully trotting down the pathway, figuring he’d explore the rest of the town and receive a fuller lay of the land before making his way to the festival. After all, his duty as sheriff might as well have already begun. As he walked, Tunner noticed different pathways leading back towards the center of town, one on each compass point. He also noticed that most of the houses were located more towards the middle of the village, illustrating the slow expansion of the town over time. However, there still remained plenty of empty space occupied instead by fields of grass and crops. Tunner shifted his eyes towards a group of cows lying in the grass to soak up the remaining heat from a retreating Mr. Sun. His life on the continent had taught Tunner to always be aware of everything. When all seemed peaceful, danger lurked around the corner, poised to spring out at the most unexpected times. However, here, everything held an odd sort of calm. 

That’s when Tunner spotted the dark colored house with curtains drawn on all sides as if concealing something terrible within. The burst of unease hit Tunner so off guard, he was forced to halt in his tracks and stare at the house, trying to puzzle out what felt so off about it. 

“Huh.” Tunner placed one hand in the pocket on the side of his pants, gazing at every detail of the home. It sat, returning the gaze in innocence, all traces of danger having vanished. I wonder who lives there. 

After a few more seconds of the staring contest, Tunner sighed and continued making his way down the street towards the next pathway that would lead towards the center of town, figuring it was probably time to head towards the festival. 

I suppose I’ll likely find out whose house that is, sooner or later.

By the time he arrived, Tunner found that he’d still come too early as only Oren, Simon, Ghost, Vineria, and a purple drake he didn’t recognize had arrived at the gathering. Oren, Simon, and Ghost stood in a small circle discussing something about the music while Vineria fussed with the flowers nearby. Next to her, the heavyset drake stood, desperately attempting to enroll the humanoid in a casual conversation. 

Are those two friends? Vineria looks way too focused on the plants to be actually listening to him. At first, Tunner found Vineria’s obliviousness to the drake somewhat rude, but as the scaly sprunki continued his dialect, Tunner’s suspicions landed on the possibility that this wasn’t the first time the drake had been so persistent. 

The sheriff shuffled towards the two, “Good evening.” 

“Oh, hello, Tunner.” Vineria glanced away from the orchards she was still busily trying to arrange with one hand.

“You must be the new sheriff.” the drake observed, forked tongue slithering between his lips, “The name’s Durple. This is Vineria.” 

“Nice to meet you.” Tunner tipped his hat, “Are you two siblings or something?” Doubtful, they’re nothing alike.

“Fortunately, no.” Durple shook his head.

“Why fortunately?” Vineria narrowed her gaze and turned completely away from her flowers.

 Durple’s eyes widened in realization, “I…..ummm……I meant……You know, I bet Oren will need some help with final prep. See you two later!” Durple whirled and slithered off towards the mandarin sprunki still locked in a discussion with Simon and Ghost. 

“Heh, he’s so weird.” Vineria shook her head and turned to continue perfecting her blossoms. 

He seems rather shifty is more like it……I may have to keep an eye on him. With this in mind, Tunner pursued the drake towards the small group next to Mr. Tree. 

“Oh, hey, Durple. Hey, Tunner.” Oren greeted, “Everything alright?” 

“Yep.” Durple nodded, “I was just wondering if you needed any help with the remaining set up.” 

“I can assist as well.” Tunner added, “If my aid would be helpful.”

“Well, we’ve mostly gotten everything set up.” Oren shrugged, “We’re just waiting on Garnold with the lights. She’s running a bit late.” 

“She probably just lost track of time working on her new project.” Simon explained.

“She’s working on a project?” Ghost asked, “What is she working on?”

“Nobody knows.” Simon shrugged, “She’s been so distant since the destruction of Garnold Two.” 

“Garnold Two?”

“It’s a long story.” Oren waved the question away, “Anyway, the point is, we don’t really need to do anything else to set up and sprunki should be arriving any minute.” 

“Oh, I can’t wait to see everyone. Ghost sighed, “How long has it been since my last visit? Five years? Six years?”

“Something like that.” Oren nodded, “It must have been five years, because I remember Sky being itty bitty, so he had to have just been born.”

While the group chattered amongst themselves and Vineria perfected her floral arrangements, Tunner counted everyone he had met so far.

Oren said there were around thirteen sprunki living here. Let’s see…there’s Oren and then his wife and son. That’s three. Then, there’s Durple, Simon, and Vineria. That’s six. Who else have I met so far? Ah, there was Owackx…..then Gray…..and they keep mentioning Garnold. So, that’s nine so far. And Oren mentioned a sibling pair named Brud and ClukR. That’s eleven…….Who are the other two? Which one lived in that house I saw on the way here? 

“Ayyyyyyy! There’s my little guy!” Tunner glanced upward in surprise to see Oren lifting a light blue bear cub into his arms. Behind him, a bright pink rabbit approached.

“Hi, honey.” Oren chirped, “Did he behave himself okay?” 

“For the most part.” Pinki sighed, leaning into his side, “I made him take a nap since he’ll be staying up late tonight, but I’m not sure how much sleep we got. 

Now, Tunner found himself truly baffled. A drake and a humanoid getting together was already rare enough, but critters getting together with any other sprunki type besides another critter, usually led to a stillbirth, especially if the humanoid was the father. How many miscarriages did they go through before having Sky? It doesn’t really seem like they had any.

“Okay, so there is one more hybrid.” Simon whispered, beside Tunner. 

“You guys just mix and match, don’t you?” Tunner responded.

“Well……I mean….sometimes? You can’t really be that picky if you want to marry around here.” Simon shrugged, “I mean, Pinki and Oren were a really good match, but my parents didn’t get along all that well. I’m pretty sure they were both marrying either for status, or because they wanted a kid….or kids…..They had a miscarriage seven years before having me. Hybrid complications or whatever.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Tunner replied. 

“It’s all good. I mean, I never met her……And being an only child was okay. Although, it might have been nice to have had an older sister to hang out with or talk to…….especially with Mom and Dad bickering constantly in the background. But, anyway.” 

Instantly, Tunner felt a connection with this odd-looking yellow sprunki. My parents used to argue too. 

Tunner, don’t get attached to anyone. You’re here to protect! Not forge friendships. 

“Oh, look! Here’s Raddy.” Simon exclaimed as a tall, red humanoid appeared in Tunner’s vision. Immediately, Tunner knew this sprunki had been in the military from the way he carried himself, the strength, the scars, the confidence, the humility, all rolled into one. 

If it weren’t for this, Tunner might have been tempted to label Raddy as a possible fuse with his bright, aggressive red, sharp horns, and somewhat grouchy expression. However, he quickly dismissed these stereotypes as Raddy patted Oren on the back and leaned down to greet Sky, who appeared overjoyed to see the crimson humanoid. 

This….little community….is wonderful. Tunner yearned to walk over and join the group, but his sense glued him to Mr. Tree. No, stay distant. Don’t get attached. You’re just here to do a job. 

Over the next twenty minutes, most of the remaining sprunki arrived; ClukR and Brud came together, Owackx showed up next, and Garnold arrived very last, to the dismay of Oren. Oddly enough, she seemed to be wrapped in some sort of body suit, her face completely hidden by an electronic mask. 

“Sorry! Sorry!” Garnold squawked, “Just, finishing a few things. How do you like my new tech suit?” 

“Oh, it’s um….interesting.” Oren replied, “What is it for? What does it do?”

“Glad you asked!” Garnold chirped, “It serves many functions like, it offers protection during projects, offers some scanning tools for my vision, and it does this!”

A sound like some sort of digital synthesizer erupted from Garnold as a blue bar spread across the digital mask. Tunner guessed it wasn’t anything electronic creating the melody. He also guessed from Oren’s expression that there was another reason she had created the suit and mask. 

“Anyway. I brought the lights you requested.” Garnold sighed, “Simon, could you potentially help me hang them?”

“Of course!” Simon chirped immediately, darting forward to help. 

As the two sprunki worked together to get the festival lights into Mr. Tree, the last sliver of Mr. Sun vanished on the horizon and Tunner counted eleven sprunki other than himself and Ghost. 

Two sprunki hadn’t shown up. 

“Hey, two aren’t here.” Tunner mentioned to Oren.

“Oh, that would be Gray and Jevin.” Oren sighed, “Jevin almost never comes, and Gray has rarely shown up since he lost his folks. I wouldn’t worry.” 

“Which house does Jevin live in?” Tunner asked.

“He lives in the dark, wooden one closest to the ocean. Howcome?” Oren tipped his head, antenna bouncing to the side. 

“No reason.” I’d like to meet with Jevin sooner or later. He seems…..oddly distant from everyone else. 

“Well, I’m going to officially announce you to everyone as the new sheriff and then I’ll let Simon and Ghost kick off the festival.” Oren said.

“Hmmm? Oh. Sounds good.” Tunner nodded.

“Could I get everyone’s attention, please?” Oren shouted over the buzz of the crowd. Instantaneously, everyone put a pause to their conversations and turned to face Oren, standing directly below Mr. Tree.

“Tonight is a special night not only because our village is turning ninety-five years old!!” 

Wild cheering. 

“So close to one hundred, guys!” Oren bellowed, “But, also, tonight, a new sheriff is in town! Some of you have already met him, but in case you haven’t, please welcome Sheriff Tunner!!”

Oren beckoned for Tunner to join him beside the tree and he stepped forward, smiling at the villagers. 

“He’s going to be living with us from now on. We’ve been hanging, and he’s a pretty cool guy! Please say hello and be sure to give him a warm welcome! Could we make some noise for Sheriff Tunner!?!?”

More wild cheering.

Tunner thought he heard Durple produce some sort of roar that sounded more like a trumpet than any drake growl or snarl he’d ever heard. 

“Also, we have a special guest tonight singing along with us! Ladies and gentlesprunki, please welcome, Ghost!”

At these words Ghost and Simon trotted to stand on either side of Oren and Tunner underneath Mr. Tree. 

Although he knew it was coming, Tunner still found himself baffled as Simon and Ghost opened their mouths to produce electronic music notes. Simon had been right. Their singing voices did sound very much alike, although Simon’s singing sounded more like some sort of amped electric piano, while Ghost sounded more like a set of synth strings. 

Tunner listened and watched in awe as each sprunki joined in on the melody, each voicing a unique instrument or sound. Owackx and ClukR both sounded like they were in the cymbal family, Brud like a cowbell or wooden block, Raddy like a snare drum, Oren like a bass, Durple like a trumpet, Vineria like her Cabasa, tiny Sky like a cute little music box, and Pinki like some sort of choir. 

Though the music lasted for hours, to Tunner it felt like minutes as he found himself lost completely in the repetitive melody. By the time the group finally let the last cheerful notes fade away into the night sky, Tunner had been completely entranced, watching the entire time with wide eyes. Of course, Tunner had listened to music before, but this was different. This song seemed to settle a sort of comfort and peace over him. 

“You mentioned you guys do this once a week?” Tunner asked Oren as one by one the sprunki dispersed to their homes. 

“Yes.” Oren nodded, “Do you like it?” 

“How do you do that?” Tunner asked, “It shouldn’t be physically possible. Explain to me what this Song is.” 

“Well, it’s a song, to simply put it.” Oren replied, “Except it’s so much more than that. It’s guidance and comfort for all. The reason we’re able to sing like this is because of the Song.” 

“Huh.” Tunner narrowed his eyes. So, is this some sort of cult? Something that would make me connect with you?

“You can sing like that too if you want to tap into it.” Oren mentioned, “And, I could help if you’re interested.”

“Maybe.” Tunner sighed, “Anyway, I’d better do a border patrol to make sure all is well in the village. Thank you for the introduction and the welcome.”

“Oh, o-of course!” Oren stuttered, “Thank you again for coming all the way out here. Goodnight, Tunner.” 

“Goodnight.” Tunner waved, turning to walk back up along the path. There were four pathways leading to the circumference of the village he could choose, but the path he decided to take wasn’t random.

Tunner wished to get another look at the house he’d seen earlier, which apparently Jevin lived in. 

There, with the moon overshadowing it where Tunner began to smell the salty air from the ocean, sat Jevin’s house with the curtains still drawn. Deliberately, Tunner slowed his walk as he passed by, watching as if something could burst from the window at any moment. While Durple and Gray were both worth keeping an eye on, this house completely set off Tunner’s internal warning bell. 

Tunner stared down the house for a few more moments.

“Evening, sheriff.” Tunner heard a voice beside him and instinctively thrust his hand over the pouch with his pistol inside.

Beside him, stood a sprunki with the color of the ocean’s abyss. Deep blue, fading to ultra violet and a hoodie throwing a long shadow over his face. This must be Jevin.

“Can I help you with anything?” Jevin asked. 

“No.” Tunner shook his head, “Just…doing a nightly patrol. You’re Jevin, correct?”

“Yes.” Jevin answered, “Town fisherman at your service.” The humanoid bowed gracefully. 

“Pleasure, Jevin.” Tunner stated as the blue sprunki swept to his full height once more, “I’m Tunner, the new town sheriff.”

By the way Jevin’s eyes sank into his own, discerning his every move and motion, Tunner came to the conclusion that Jevin had likely figured that out the moment he’d laid eyes on Tunner. 

Prefers solitude…..and he’s smart and observative.

“I should return to my home.” Jevin stated smoothly, “I wouldn’t want to keep you.” With that, he turned and glided through the grass towards the dark house Tunner had suspected he lived in. After a few moments, Tunner continued on his way, not wishing to arouse the blue humanoid’s suspicions with his staring. 

He’s probably fine. I’ll just make sure to watch him closely. 

Tunner drifted past an expansive patch of woodlands on his left as he rounded the corner. Ghost called it the North Woods. It’s the Shadow Forest I’m supposed to be wary of, but still. 

Tunner whisked out his flashlight to gaze into the depths of the brambles, searching for the watchful eyes of any would-be predators. Not that it mattered. Last he checked, coyotes and wolves couldn’t really open doors. A small group of deer leapt through the thickets, startled at his approach. 

By this time, most of the homes had their curtains drawn with the sprunki tucked away safely inside. Tunner felt pride and a deep desire to protect these peaceful villagers swelling in his chest. The townsfolk, who each had a distinct personality, more complex than he could fathom, who had welcomed him so kindly into their homes, were trusting him to keep them safe. 

I’m never letting anything hurt these sprunki. This is my town now. Danger, don’t you dare touch a single one of them. 

As Tunner turned the bend once again and walked for another few moments, he spotted a figure perched on top of one of the houses.

That’s Gray’s house.

“Hey, you, up there!!” Tunner aimed his flashlight at the figure, which immediately ducked, flattening itself to the roof of the building. “Who is up there!?” Tunner barked.

After a few seconds, a freckled face appeared over the edge of the structure. Tunner let out a sigh. Just Gray.

“Apologies!” he called upwards to the feline. 

“It’s good.” the feline called back, slipping back towards the center of the roof. How did he even get up there? 

After a few moments of surprised perplexion, Tunner continued on his patrol until eventually coming back to the point where he’d started and retiring to his own home, where he showered again, and crept into bed. 

The next morning, Tunner dressed and walked to the market area, where just as Oren had said, several of the sprunki were spending their time. Pinki stood in one of the stands baking bread and an assortment of muffins, Simon sorted through jugs of milk in a cooler, Brud sat busy sewing something, and to his surprise, Gray was actually present, washing eggs and putting them away in cartons. 

So, everyone here must produce something for everyone else to buy. It’s so strange. They can’t just walk to a store and buy whatever they need. They either have to wait for a ship to mail it, or make it themselves. Interesting. 

“Oh, hey, Tunner!” Simon waved, “Did you sleep alright last night?” 

“Hmm? Oh, yes, thanks.” Tunner ducked towards Simon’s stand. 

“That’s good.” Simon beamed, “I know it’s always difficult sleeping in a new place. It is for me anyway. Heh!”

“So, you’re a dairy farmer?” Tunner asked.

“Sure am!” Simon nodded, “I raise cattle for beef as well.” With a flick of his tail, Simon opened a fridge overflowing with bagged meat before closing it again with a subtle click. “Almost all of our food, clothing, and pretty much everything is produced here.” Simon chirped proudly. 

“Neat!” Tunner nodded, glancing around again. “Where is everyone else?”

“Oh, most sprunki don’t guard their stands.” Simon replied, “We don’t really worry about thieves around here. If I were to guess, I’d say most other sprunki are either tending to their farms, or at the beach. I know most of us like to swim in the morning around this time of year before it gets too hot.” 

“Swimming!?” Tunner’s head snapped upwards. 

“Yeah?” Simon tipped his head, “It’s good exercise. I mean, personally, I prefer running, but-” 

Tunner didn’t hear him. He was already out the door, sprinting across the village, through the grass, and across the sand. Just as Simon had predicted, Owackx, Raddy, and Durple crashed around in the waves nearby. He could feel the salt in the air already stinging at his skin. 

He stopped in his tracks, sand flying up in front of him. What am I doing? It’s fine. Surely, they’ve done this a million times. None of these sprunki are going to-

“Where did Owackx go?” Durple asked. 

“It’s too murky to see anything.” Raddy huffed. Taking a deep breath, Tunner plunged into the surf, tail churning to push him through the water like….well….like an axolotl. The salty water burned into his skin like acid, but he forced himself to open his eyes, and search for Owackx. He couldn’t see much, but he could spot a dark shape just above the sand. Grabbing it, he tugged Owackx with him towards the shore, which proved to be difficult considering Owackx was at least a foot taller than Tunner. His muscles ached in exhaustion, but he kept pushing forward towards the shore until finally pulling a perplexed Owackx onto the sand. 

“Dude! What is your problem!?” Owackx gasped, “I nearly inhaled a mouthful of seawater. 

Tunner stared in shock at the lime sprunki, Durple and Raddy emerging from the surf behind him.

“Yeah, why’d you do that?” Raddy asked. 

“I-I thought he was……you were…” 

“Fine! I was testing to see how long I could stay on the bottom.” Owackx huffed, “Adults can play games too, you know.” 

“Did you think he was drowning?” Durple asked with a flick of his tongue.

“Well, yes, actually.” Tunner nodded before standing up with a sigh, “I’m sorry. I misjudged the whole situation.” 

“Hey, dude. There’s really no need to be so tense.” Raddy patted Tunner on the back, “I know it’s your job to protect us, but you can relax a little. It’s not like there are any thieves or, I don’t know, serial killers here.” 

“Yeah. Your main job is to fend off sprunki from coming here for the easy prey. It wouldn’t be super fun if a boat came by and grabbed us all.” Durple shivered, “And, I guess the occasional medical emergency.” 

“Do you have a doctor here?” Tunner asked, still somewhat shaken. His skin still bubbled slightly from the salt. It would take a few showers before the burning sensation completely went away. 

“Vineria throws together herbs.” Owackx shrugged, “So, if you ever catch a virus, you should go to her.”

“But, I mean, if someone were to receive an injury or have a heart attack? You don’t have anybody for that?” 

Durple, Raddy, and Owackx all shook their heads.

Fantastic. Well, it’s a good thing I know first aid. 

“I mean, we know what to do if someone gets cut.” Durple said, “We basically know how to keep someone alive until we can get them to the mainland.” 

“You don’t have a doctor here.” Tunner breathed in disbelief. 

“Nope.” Durple shook his head. 

Tunner sighed as the three sprunki slowly turned to get back into the water. Tunner sank towards the sand to watch the three.

Don’t get attached! Strength, Tunner! Sheriffs are supposed to be the logical staple of a situation! You can’t afford to care about these sprunki!

~

One year ago.

“Golly, Tun, a sheriff? You really pulled it off.” 

“Yeah, it doesn’t feel real.” Tunner whispered, “After all of this time, training…..the school.”

“Well, I’m proud of you.” Bailey smiled, “You’ve worked really hard for this.” 

 Tunner nodded, staring at the small piece of metal in his hands. 

An official sheriff’s badge.

With his name on it.

Sheriff Tunner.

“How’s the park business going?” Tunner asked.

“Quite well, actually.” Bailey chirped, “We have another company begging for our land, but I won’t let them get the better of me. They can keep their money. I just want to have a safe little community waterpark. That was the goal.”

“Yeah, those bigger companies have no idea about the pool titan rising up beneath them.” Tunner chuckled, “Hey, if that guy gives you any trouble, you know who to call.”

“Heck, yeah, I do!” Bailey grinned.  

Two days later.

Tunner had been lounging around the office during a rather uneventful day. 

Ringggggggg!!!!!

Tunner plucked the phone from its stand, aware of Rackle’s head appearing from the doorway, curious as to what was going on.

Tunner put the call on the speaker.

Static!
A woman’s voice.

“Please, help! There’s someone- (Static!) -Assaulting!......(Static)....Mr. Bailey!”

Immediately, Tunner and Rackle were on their toes, rushing towards the car, turning on the sirens, and speeding as fast as they dared towards Bailey’s water park. 

They jumped out of the car in the parking lot, which was mostly empty due to how cold it was that day, and rushed inside, pistols drawn. 

There, a fuming humanoid stared into the pool. His head snapped upwards at the cops approach and he lifted his hands high into the air. 

Rackle narrowed his eyes in confusion. It didn’t seem like this angry sprunki was doing any harm……but the woman on the phone really had sounded distressed. 

Tunner’s stomach heaved as he spotted red staining the concrete, leading underneath one of the pool chairs. Tunner gave Rackle a subtle nudge, nodding in the direction of the she-sprunki’s battered body. 

With a hiss, Rackle slithered forward, gun still aimed at the humanoid and brought out a pair of handcuffs. Tunner followed, his own pistol drawn. Before he reached ten feet of the guy, he stopped, something yellow catching the corner of his eye. 

Slowly, he turned. The crystal clear water didn’t hide Bailey, floating just above the floor of the pool.

“NO!!” Tunner shouted, jumping into the water and seizing Bailey before pulling him onto the concrete. 

“Call the hospital!!!” Tunner screamed, planting both hands over Bailey’s chest and pushing downwards. He’d trained in this maneuver enough to be confident in what he was doing. 

Water rushed from Bailey’s mouth. Tunner squeezed again. This time, thin trails of blood mixed with the clear liquid. No!

This was no accident. The humanoid sprunki Rackle held in his talons had forcefully drowned Bailey. 

Tunner squeezed Bailey’s chest again before bending forward to blow as much air as he could get into the yellow sprunki’s soaked lungs.

Again.

And

Again.

Even as the ambulance arrived, Tunner desperately continued trying to revive his friend, until a nurse took over and carried him away in the large, white vehicle. 

All in vain. 

The doctors didn’t even need to get Bailey to the hospital to realize he was far beyond saving. 

Tunner’s one job, ONE JOB, had been to keep the sprunki of the city safe…..and he let his friend be murdered. 

And what did Rackle say?

What had Rackle said!?

“You can’t save everyone. Sorry, Tunner.” 

~ 

Oh, who am I kidding? I’m in love with Newleaf. I won’t make the same mistake twice. Nothing is ever going to hurt these sprunki, not as long as I’m around. This is my town now. They’d have to rip me apart and drown me in saltwater before I let anything harm these incredible sprunki. 

Chapter Text

Here's Gray in my style. 

Black.

Here's Phase Two Oren. 

Here's Garnold and Funbot. I'm actually really proud of this one.

Here's Ghost just as a sprunki. This characer is based off of my main OC, Ghost Leopard.

Here's Simon in his Phase one and two form.

Here is Owackx and Steg.

This is Steg as just a normal sprunki.

Seavont in my style. Don't mind her arm posture. Lol!

And, lastly, this little thing I drew...

Chapter Text

Simon’s parents were arguing again . He pulled his covers up over his head, trying desperately to drown out the noise of their angry shouting, but it did no good. All the yellow sprunki could do was hope that they quit soon….or realized that he could hear them. 

Crrrrrreeeeeaaak!

Slam!

Someone had entered the room. Simon from under his blankets to see his older sister, Seavont, standing in the doorway, eyes tired. Like him, she hated the fights between their parents, but she seemed more angry about them than terrified. 

Meanwhile, Simon could do nothing but tremble as their voices rose higher and higher, threatening to tear the family apart. 

Seavont locked eyes with him and cautiously made her way over to his bed, talons clicking subtly against the cold, wooden floor. She sat down, curling her tail neatly around her body.

“Simon.” Seavont spoke softly. Slowly, Simon emerged completely from the covers to crawl forward towards his older sister. She was one of the coldest sprunki he knew, yes, but she also loved him fiercely, even though she showed it in a different way. 

“I don’t like it when they fight.” Simon whispered. 

“I know you don’t.” Seavont sighed, “Neither do I. I’m sure they’ll stop soon.” Carefully, Simon crawled into Seavont’s lap and rested his head on her chest, tail twining around hers. He felt her body stiffen at the physical touch, but after a second, she relaxed and wrapped her arms around him. 

“Seavont?” Simon sniffled, “Do…….Mom and Dad….hate each other?”

“They’re sure acting like it.” Seavont muttered beneath her breath. Simon’s antenna drooped. 

“I mean, I’m sure they do love each other…..they’re just….having a discussion.” 

“Do you want to play a game or something?” Seavont asked, “It might be a good distraction.” 

“Can we?” Simon asked, eyes sparkling.

“Sure.” Seavont nodded, “As long as it isn’t too loud.” 

“Could you tell a story?” Simon asked.

“Again?” Seavont asked, “You know they aren’t real.” 

“Yeah, but they’re still fun to imagine.” Simon grinned, “And you tell really good stories.”

“Alright.” Seavont sighed, “I’ll tell you the story of the blue bird who got lost once.”