I have some massive writers block going on and needed something to work through it. Enjoy this silly little thing. Sorry for the delays.

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  "I am Groot?"

  "I told ya," Rocket hissed, "we're goin' in at night so we don't spook the humies." The anthropomorphic raccoon crept along the side of the pathway through what the humans called a 'park'. This wasn't any park, in Rocket's opinion, just a bunch of non-talking trees and unintelligent raccoons. Boring, by all accounts. Certainly not fit for their target, if she was who people said she was.

  "I am Groot," the lumbering giant complained. The Flora Collosi didn't seem to be taking the idea of stealth all too seriously.

  "I know, I thought the same thing. But you know how Star-Dick is with his planet. All we gotta do is sneak in, then you can ask whatever you've been harassing me about for the last two weeks, and then we're outta here." Rocket couldn't believe he was out here on this backwater planet, all to satisfy his best friends curiosity. Oh, he was so calling the next few jobs, no matter how much Drax and Gamora complained.

  "I am Groot," Groot repeated.

  "I just said-" Rocket sighed. "Okay, look. I realize the whole sneakin' in at night to meet some so-called 'sun goddess' sounds silly-"

  "I am Groot."

  "Ey, don't interrupt me. That's rude."

  "... I am Groot..."

  "Wh- yes, I forgive you. Jeez... Okay, as I was sayin', I think it's silly. I mean, the sun doesn't sleep. It's a burning ball of gas, it doesn't just go out overnight. That's not how physics works."

  For several long seconds, it was blissfully quiet. Rocket weaved through the bushes, and Groot even made an attempt at stealth, at least for a few steps.

  "I am Groot?" he finally asked.

  "No the sun can't get tired. Unlike me, gettin' tired of this stupid missio-" Rocket paused, and his eyes darted upward. "Uh... That's a big tree..."

  Indeed, before the two of them stood what was frankly an obscenely large tree, with several massive peaches hanging from the branches. Oh, they were definitely big enough to kill someone. And Star-Dork would definitely make some dumb joke about some sexy sun lady and her big fat peaches.

  "I am Groot!" The walking tree gasped, and clapped his hands together.

  "Oi, shh! Yeah, it looked much smaller from space, but that's not why we're here." Rocket barely avoided tripping over a set of large roots that emerged from the ground, almost like hands grasping out at the ankles of passerby's. He turned his attention to the ugly brick walls that somehow contained the trunk of the tree. "Let's just get this over with."

  Groot's excitement surged, and the Flora Colossi speed walked ahead, stepping over Rocket and ducking into the shrine proper. Big lumbering steps shook the ground, and Groot completely ignored Rocket's protests and angry whisper-yelling. Clearly, Groot was ready to terrify the local population, so long as he could meet what had become a recent obsession of his.

  Rocket hadn't seen Groot this excited since Mantis had brought a planet's local delicacy on board for the Guardians to try. Peter, in all his wisdom, said that it reminded him of some food made with ginger root. That had sent poor Groot off on an obsessive attempt to recreate the taste with different flowers, which Mantis happily fed to Drax, with varying levels of success.

  Rocket did not envy the poor crew who had to unclog that plumbing mess.

  He was so caught up in his reminiscing, he bumped nose-first into Groot's leg, causing Rocket to stagger back a step. "Ow! What the-" Stepping around a frozen Groot, Rocket set his gaze on what caused him to stop.

  It was a dog. A sleeping dog, curled in a tight ball. Just a boring, generic, brown and black dog.

  "Groot, buddy, we're on the clock, we can't stop to admire the dogs." With a sigh rocket turned his gaze higher, only to freeze, and his face fell. Groot was absolutely, positively star-struck. "Ugh. Groot, we have Cosmo at home. You've seen hundreds of 'em. Just ignore the mutt and-"

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Groot gasped, slapping a hand to his mouth with a wooden clack. "I am Groot!"

  "Yeah, and?" Rocket didn't see the big deal. "It's a dog. A furball, a drool-factory. We know a bunch of 'em. Now get inside and go talk to... Why are ya lookin' at me like that?"

  The poor giant looked absolutely mortified, his eyes wide and prickling with little droplets of sap. Those big, innocent eyes of a definitely-not-killer-tree glanced between Rocket and the dog-

  The dog who had one eye cracked open, listening to the duo. It looked... bored. Correction: it was bored—the dog yawned hard, and huffed, sitting up with a rather dismissive flick of its tail. Rocket fought down the urge to bristle his fur and snap at it. Who did she think she was, dismissing-

  Rocket blinked. He was getting distinctly... motherly feelings from this... wolf? He squinted and leaned in, an odd haze wavering around the German-Shepherd dog. Fur gradually lightened, and the form grew a bit wider and floofier. Rocket's apprehension gradually increased, as did the smile on Groot's face. Bored brown eyes gave way to an intense golden gaze, and Rocket actually took a step back as he felt the weight of those eyes fall on him.

  "Aw, fu-" Rocket caught himself. "Er, crud." He had a lot of apologizing to do in a very short amount of time, lest he be split in half or set on fire or turned into an ice sculpture or- "Um, I apologize for all the things I said two seconds ago, I didn't mean a word of it."

  That piercing golden gaze narrowed, and Rocket's fur raised for entirely different reasons.

  "I mean- I did mean those things, but not to you! If I'd known I'd-" Rocket cut himself off again, withering under the intense gaze. "Er, my apologies, your radiant sun goddess-ness... Uh, Miss Amaterasu, Ma'am. Of the sun." The look the white wolf was giving him did not change in the slightest, and Rocket cursed under his breath. How many more honorifics could one Terran wolf have? Did he throw 'mighty' in there? Asgardians loved that one, and she'd all but stepped in for their army during-

  "I am Groot!" the barking laugh escaped Groot, and the sentient tree dipped his head in a bow towards Amaterasu. He held out his hand with an open palm, and a flower started to sprout. It was a Sunflower—not like Terra's boring version—that grew for several seconds on a long green stem, before the bud unfurled, and a soft yellow light radiated from the petals.

  Rocket stood still, watching the interaction take place. If he lived through this, he'd need to remember to get Groot some new rare plants for his room. It was a small price to pay for soothing a Goddess, with a capital 'g'.

  "Wurf!" came the reply from the wolf.

  Rocket Raccoon blinked. Surely this was a joke. He'd expected a Goddess to be... he didn't know. Regal maybe? Where was the omnipresent voice in his head, or the soothing otherworldly tone to translate extra-dimensional thoughts into something understandable.

  Maybe Rocket was expecting a little bit more from this meeting. If he were being honest—and he'd never tell Groot this—he was interested in at least trying to figure out how a being could just control stars like toys.

  At the very least, Rocket was hoping for some good conversation.

  "I am Groot."

  "Arf!"

  "I am Groot!"

  "Boof."

  "I am Groot..."

  "Wurf... Yip!"

  ... Not whatever this was.

  The wolf- The Goddess of the Sun glanced up, and Rocket followed her gaze. Within seconds, a rather short and squat cherry blossom tree had made itself well established on Groot's head, very reminiscent of some rich weirdo's extreme hat collection. Groot, however, was beyond thrilled, hands slowly brushing along the small branches and ghosting through the soft petals, very much appreciative of the 'gift' he'd received.

  Rocket sighed and stepped back, crossing his arms as he moved to lean up against the roots of the fuck-huge tree that towered into the sky. He'd just have to wait this out—Groot was absolutely thriving in such close proximity to someone who was the embodiment of the sun, if not stars themselves.

  "I know, it truly is a spectacle," the tree he was leaning against spoke.

  "Ain't that the truth," Rocket sighed.

  ...

  Rocket blinked, and slowly turned his head. Directly next to him a woman's head and shoulders stuck sideways out of the tree, her dark eyes focused directly on him.

  He'd never admit to screaming, or jumping away from the tree-spirit. Nor would he admit tripping over a tree root and winding up face-first into a rather pleasant smelling shrubbery.

  "... I need a drink," Rocket grumbled from within the bush.

  Much to his surprise, it was Amaterasu that responded to him this time. From right beside him, sitting just outside the bush. She hadn't even moved, and Rocket hadn't heard her paws touch the grass once. Yet, there she was, peering down at Rocket through the leaves and branches of the bush with a much too smug expression.

  Wolves had no right looking that smug!

  Clink! Clink! Clank!

  The Raccoon blinked as several bottles of liquor materialized in front of him, just outside the bush. Several were half-empty, or had very visible claw marks on the edge that suspiciously matched the larger paws of the wolf sitting beside him.

  "My prayers have been answered," Rocket quipped. "Maybe I'll start praying to you for booze."

  The wolf chuffed out a laugh, and shoved a bottle towards Rocket, who happily grabbed at it and sat up, remaining seated within the shrub. This was his new home now, for the time being. He could tolerate this weirdness, so long as there was a shrub to plant his ass on, and some strong alcohol to make him forget about all the embarrassing things Groot was saying.

  "I am Groot!"

  Rocket's cheeks darkened.

  "Liar," Rocket pouted. "This is only the fifth time, fifth, that I've taken booze from a stranger while sitting in a bush."

  "I am Groot."

  "... Sixth," Rocket huffed. He took another swig of the surprisingly strong drink, very intently not listening to the Goddess of the Sun laughing at him. He was going to remain in his bush and drink, and dammit, they were going to like it.