Character - Hun-Ho Leafeater

Awakened Red Panda (Tabaxi re-skin)
Custom Background: Awakened Pet
Alignment: Neutral
Warlock: Archfey Patron (Ailura, the Lady of the Green)

"You called for me, Lady?" Hun-Ho peeked around the doorway, his black nose sniffing eagerly. When Ailura, the Lady of the Green, was in a good mood, the very air around her smelled like a rainforest, damp with a multitude of blooming flowers. But when her mood was foul, it smelled like dying moss, dry and bitter. Today was a good day - chlorophyll and petrichor, like a willow tree in a spring rain.

The Lady waved him into the room absentmindedly. Her pale skin glimmered as if with dew, but she didn't turn to look at him as he tugged nervously on the golden collar around his neck. "I've received a gift, Hun-Ho. Look here." The Lady's hands cupped something between them, sitting on the table. He grabbed the edge of a chair and slowly scrambled up to stand in the seat, peering at what she held. There, cupped gently, was a small ball of orange and white fur. Hun-Ho's orange-striped tail bushed out dramatically in surprise.

A tiny version of himself, a baby red panda cub, blinked myopically up at Hun-Ho and at Ailura. Her gums lifted as she squeaked at them. She didn't speak, or even cry. An animal, then. Merely an animal, not an Awakened pet like Hun-Ho, or like many of the other animals Ailura kept in her menagerie. She had a squirrel, a fox, a weasel, a sugar glider, and more. All animals she had Awakened and called to serve her. But only one of each - she never had two of the same type of animal serving her.

"Wha... what are you going to do with her, Lady?" Hun-Ho asked, knowing whatever her answer, it was likely to change his life dramatically. As a second red panda in the menagerie, she was certainly a threat to his existence, to everything his life had been so far. At the same time, he wanted to protect the cub, teach her how to survive in the world of the fey. He reached out one paw, petting the squirmy furball. She rolled over and wrapped all four legs around his paw, playing, as cubs do.

The Lady paused, watching them interact for a moment. And then she appeared to suddenly lose interest in the whole situation. "Take her, Hun-Ho," she answered. "Make sure she's fed and taken care of. Bring her back to me when she's grown. When she can be useful to me." And just like that, she swept out of the room, leaving Hun-Ho with a baby red panda in his care.

The Awakened red panda did his best to raise the animal red panda, keeping her fed and cleaned and entertained. She went with him everywhere, playing and snacking and napping while he performed his duties. Which, to be fair, often included playing and snacking and napping. When the Lady called for entertainment, he played his flute and performed acrobatic tumbling for her, sometimes with the cub, sometimes with others of her pets, often alone. He fetched things she wanted and ran messages to the other fey, generally with the cub, whom he had named Pangea, by his side. 

Until one day, the Lady stopped him mid-performance. He and Pangea had been racing over and through and around the branches of a tree, chasing each other, wrestling when one caught the other. "Halt," she said. The musicians halted. The servants polishing her nails and massaging her halted. Hun-Ho and Pangea came to a halt, as well. "You two, come here," she said, flicking two fingers at the two red pandas. 

Nervously, Hun-Ho approached her, standing tall on two legs. Well, as tall as one can stand when they are only two feet in height. Pangea followed his lead, waddling on all four legs to stand next to him. He bowed, and she did as well, both waiting to see what the Lady wanted.

For long moments, Ailura looked at the two of them. "This one appears grown, wouldn't you agree, Hun-Ho?" He wasn't about to contradict her, and she wasn't exactly wrong, either. "You've done a good job raising her." That surprised him, Praise wasn't easy to come by - that took a level of noticing that the Lady of the Green wasn't known for. She was quiet for a moment, then flicked her hand. A golden leash appeared in her hand, attached to Pangea's collar. "I'll take her from here, then. But what to do with you?" As he had expected, she intended to Awaken Pangea, and thus Hun-Ho had become superfluous. 

A delighted smile came across the Lady's face. "I know," she said slowly, her words rich with intent. "I'll set you loose, Hun-Ho. I'll send you to the mortal realm. You've enjoyed meeting the mortals we've hosted here. You can live in the mortal world and learn about them. You'll have some of my power to protect you. And when I want you back again, you can come back and tell me all about your adventures." She gave a delighted laugh and turned away, taking Pangea with her.

A few hours later, Hun-Ho found himself standing on a cobbled path. Buildings surrounded him, huge towering stacks of rock like he had never seen before. A mural painted on the wall in front of him showed a large white bull. Purple and green banners waved from balconies above his head. People walking by, all seeming to loom over him. One kicked him absentmindedly for being in the way; the rest ignored him entirely, leaving him dodging them. Hun-Ho snatched up the backpack he'd been given, full of items left behind by mortal visitors to the Lady's domain, and streaked over to a darker corner. He climbed up the stone wall, finding a balcony that over looked the street and had some sort of hanging chair on it. Diving inside, he pulled the backpack in front of him, blocking most of the opening with it. He peeked out with huge black eyes, watching the action.

Hunger eventually drove him out of his hiding place. The bamboo rod given him by the Lady proved to be inedible, and the smells from a nearby tavern were irresistible. He wandered inside, climbing up on a barstool as he saw others had done. When the barkeep came over to ask him about dinner, he turned on the charm as much as he could. And before long, he had a whole plate of food. Some was to his liking; the meat was not. And when it was seen how much he enjoyed it, more was offered. He ate well, and on the house. But when he started to curl up to sleep, the barkeep had enough of his charms and sent him away.  Hun-Ho climbed back up to the balcony where he had spent the afternoon, and slept in the hanging chair.

The next morning, Hun-Ho wandered the Trades Ward of Waterdeep, watching the people as they came and went. He saw beggars, buskers, and street-corner acrobats, and he watched how money exchanged hands. Finding a corner without entertainment, he pulled out his flute and played for a while, earning a few coins in this way. And thus set a pattern for him. He would play his flute or tumble around for at least a few hours each day, earning enough to buy a bit of fruit for lunch and a meal for dinner. When not performing, he wandered, watching the people, and sometimes making friends. If anyone bothered him, he found that he could usually charm them into being friendly, or at least into leaving him alone. At night, he would climb up a building and find somewhere safe (or at least safer) to sleep, usually on a balcony not being used. 

Until one day, adventure found Hun-Ho.

TO BE CONTINUED (in game)