My Fictional Animal the Fluffin Glow

The Fluffin Glow

Mythical creatures are just the best. Griffins, krakens, and all the other beasts hiding in the oldest corners of folklore may not be real, but part of me will always wish they were. There is something wonderful about imagining that somewhere beyond the places we know, an impossible little creature might still be wandering around undiscovered.

So, I want to throw my hat into the ring and invent a mythical creature of my own. Why not?

If you could bring any imaginary animal into existence, what would you create? Would it be enormous or small enough to fit in your hands? Would it be powerful and terrifying or gentle and shy? Would it soar through the clouds, hide beneath the ocean, or live somewhere so remote that humans might spend centuries debating whether anyone had really seen one?

This is my contribution to the mythical bestiary.

I call it the Fluffin Glow.

Imagine a tiny creature covered in fluffy white-and-brown fur, something like a Pomeranian crossed with a lightning bug. From its back extend delicate, butterfly-like wings, nearly transparent except for a faint metallic sheen that changes with the light. Even the edges of its wings are lined with soft fur.

It has tiny feet, bright eyes, and a bark that sounds surprisingly similar to that of a fox.

But the most magical part is its little bum.

At night, a Fluffin Glow produces a soft, pale-blue light. The glow isn't merely decorative; it communicates the creature's emotional state in much the same way a dog's wagging tail does. A happy Fluffin Glow might shimmer brightly as it flutters through the darkness, while a frightened one could dim almost completely. A whole family traveling together would look like a cluster of tiny blue stars drifting just above the mountainside.

My imaginary animal isn't entirely sunshine and snuggles, however.

Hidden inside its tiny claws is a mild venom. A scratch causes intensely itchy purple spots that last for approximately three hours. This defense is necessary because the Fluffin Glow shares its wilderness with other mythical creatures, some of which are considerably larger and considerably less cuddly.

Despite this defense, the Fluffin Glow is an intelligent and affectionate animal. It spends much of its life among fields of purple mountain flowers, which make up most of its diet. On quiet nights, an entire family can gather on a mountainside to feed, their blue lights appearing and disappearing among the flowers like earthbound stars.

A Fluffin Glow can live for at least thirty years. Like many canines, it lives in a close-knit family pack. These animals form lifelong bonds, traveling, feeding, sleeping, and protecting one another as a unit. Their glowing bodies even allow them to communicate silently across the darkness.

Humans, however, seldom see them.

The Fluffin Glow makes its home among the highest mountain peaks, venturing down only under unusual circumstances. During the coldest months, entire families hibernate together inside rocky caves buried beneath the snow. When spring finally returns, and purple flowers begin appearing along the mountainside, the little creatures emerge again.

They are also mostly nocturnal. Stranger still, they leave almost no tracks.

Rather than walking when traveling any significant distance, a Fluffin Glow flies only inches above the earth, creating the illusion that it is hovering over the ground. It is extraordinarily sensitive to sound, and the slightest unfamiliar noise will send it darting silently into the darkness.

This means loud humans are particularly unlikely ever to encounter one.

Perhaps that is why no Fluffin Glow has ever been officially documented.

Maybe somewhere high above the tree line, beyond the roads and hiking trails, there is a mountainside covered in purple flowers. And if someone extraordinarily patient were to sit there quietly enough on a warm summer night, they might eventually notice something unusual among them.

At first, it would look like a firefly.

Then another light would appear.

And another.

Soon, dozens of tiny pale-blue lights would begin drifting silently across the mountainside.

If you were very lucky, one might come close enough for you to see its little furry face.

Just don't try to pet it.

Those purple spots itch like crazy.