Mallows Trick For Treats

“Mallow, please, just… roll over. I’m begging you,” Marzia pleaded to the oversized black marshmallow that was technically called a Harpup. Her brand new Harpup, in fact.

Mallow The Harpup paid no mind to his new owner’s whines and instead wiggled his tail in an innocent little wave - a trick that Marzia had not taught him, but she thoroughly enjoyed all the same. She suspected that was why Mallow did it so often on his own accord.

“Yes, hello, Mallow,” she smiled tiredly, waving back. “But we’re trying ‘roll over’ right now. Roll over~” she sang, lightly maneuvering Mallow to do the trick manually. “Roll over,” she repeated when he was in position, belly up. “See?”

Still belly up in her grasp, Mallow wiggled in response, which felt like an adorable affirmation of understanding.

“Okay! Good!” She smiled as she let him go.

Mallow struggled a moment to right himself with his little fins before getting himself up again.

“Now, roll over!” She repeated with a twirl of her finger, hoping the gesture might be enough to communicate with the Harpup properly.

But still, Mallow stared back, cute as ever, and without a thought behind those precious little eyes of his.

Marzia held out hope for just a moment longer before her heart sank in quiet disappointment. 

“I don’t get it,” Marzia sighed dejectedly. “This is supposed to be the easiest trick for Harpups! Since sit isn’t really an option for you,” she pointed out.

Harpups kind of just… well, technically ‘stood’ or laid down as a basic resting position.

She picked up her book on how to train Harpups again to find what techniques might be more useful for her new friend. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was in over her head. Then again, she had only, eh… ‘adopted’ this Harpup about a week ago. It wasn’t as if wild animals were supposed to be easy to train. Nonetheless, she reminisced on the day she met this little sausage roll, wondering if she may have overlooked a crucial sign showing her that full domestication was simply not in the cards.

When Marzia went camping (well, glamping, really) near an ocean cliff, she had not realized that she had chosen to do so on a very special day - August 11th. The one day of the year where she and all her fellow Succubuns could witness a Harpup migration. She had only decided to camp near the ocean that day because it was particularly warm recently, and Marzia needed a little R&R by her lonesome after a particularly busy week.

She had been peacefully roasting some vegetables on a skewer when she heard some mysterious flopping nearby. She looked over her shoulder to determine the source of the sound and saw nothing. But she was certain she had heard something. She set her skewer aside for a moment and walked towards where she thought she had heard the sound originally. After parting a few bushes, she still found nothing. 

Strange, she thought to herself, staring out for any hints of anything she may have missed. When nothing stood out, she turned back towards her grill, and jumped when she saw a new silhouette near it. A round little Harpup was sniffing towards the very skewer she had just set aside. Startled at first, she wasn’t sure what to do. What was a Harpup doing at her camp?? Were they friendly?? Do those things attack a lot?? Should she hide in her tent?? But her worry was quickly replaced with an adoring concern for the creature when, in its quest of curiosity, it knocked an unused pot off of her outdoor table right onto its head, covering his upper half like an oversized hat on a very chubby baby. The Harpup wriggled and yipped in a panic, and Marzia quickly ran over to remove the pot and check to make sure the creature was all right. The void blob looked unharmed but had still gotten a bit shaken up in the process, trembling and curling in on himself to shield his head from whatever strange object might fall from the sky next.

“Awww it’s okay little guy!” She cooed. Desperate to comfort the startled creature, she quickly reached for the Harpup’s original target, the kebab, and offered it to him. “This was what you were looking for, right?”

The harpup’s shivering ceased as the delicious kebab’s scent wafted to his nose. He sniffed out of his little croissant shape until his nose hovered near the snack, and after a few seconds of evaluation, he enjoyed a large piece of the treat. Marzia chuckled as the Harpup finished it off excitedly.

That Harpup refused to leave her side for the rest of the trip, excited for both treats and pets. Marzia bonded very quickly with this new friend, especially after he slept in a little ball near her pillow. How was she supposed to leave the dear thing behind? They were besties now!

And that’s when it clicked. Marzia looked over at the little Harpup, who was now playfully  wrestling the training book quite happily next to her. She pried the book out of the Harpups flippers and hurried to the kitchen to whip up a kebab just like the one she had made the day they met. She came out with two hot and fresh ones a few minutes later. One for herself, and one for Mallow. Mallow’s eyes locked on the steaming treat and he hopped towards her in excitement. 

“Ah ah ah! You want some of this? You’re going to have to work for it!”

The Harpup tilted its head.

Marzia spent the next couple minutes demonstrating the trick by rolling in the grass enthusiastically, shouting ‘roll over’, and rewarding herself with a bite of her kebab after each roll. She amplified her display of excitement with every roll and bite, and Mallow’s tail wagged enthusiastically as he watched.

By the end of it, Marzia was panting with a hopeful smile, fresh grass stains on her dress, and her hair a leaf-ridden mess.

“Alright, Mallow,” she breathed. “Your turn!” She crawled over to the Harpup, holding the remaining kebab just out of his reach and twirling it like a wand. “Roll over!”

Mallow stared blankly for a moment with a wagging tail and Marzia’s grip tightened anxiously on the skewer, holding her breath.

And then, finally, the Harpup turned onto his back, and twisted upright again with an expectant smile.

“YES!!” Marzia squealed, immediately rewarding Mallow with a part of the kebab. “GOOD BOY, MALLOW!!” She laughed, dancing celebratorily. Mallow danced excitedly with her, mostly following the movement of the kebab. “GOOD BOY!! AHHH YOU’RE SO GOOD! YOU’RE SO SMART!” She giggled, petting him rapidly as he chewed. 

The two spent the next few minutes happily practicing the new trick with the reward of the rest of the kebab, and Marzia couldn’t be happier to have made a friend out of such a smart little Harpup that fateful day.