Chapter Text
There is still dew on the leaves, early dawns rainfall now brightened by the morning sun, steam rising from the moist earth and the chill air warming up.
Water droplets fall from the plants as the small group of creatures pass through them. The smallest, toddling on behind the tail of their parent, looks up at an overly large leaf overhead, dark eyes shining.
Then they chirp in surprise, squinting their eyes and shaking their head, scrubbing at their face - some water had fallen on them from the plant.
The rough chuffing from ahead gets them moving again, however, chirping in reply before bounding to catch back up. Little twitters rise from their sleepy sibling, clinging to their parents tail and back - their dark eyes open to squint, blinking in the bright sun, before a little yawn takes them, showing sharp pup teeth, before tucking their face back and hushing into a doze.
They chitter, tail flicking at the sight of their sibling not even wanting to come down and walk with them, but then their parent gruffs out another low sound, slowing to a stop and tilting her head back. Vines scrawled down the wall, thick with budding alive plant life. The humid air was warming, steamy as the sun climbed the sky, and far up the cliff massive trees loomed at the top, their twisted boughs hardly giving shade this far down.
The little slugcat stares upwards, blinking, before the movements of their parent take their attention - she starts to climb, their sibling clinging to her swinging tail with only a sleepy huff of a complaint.
They don't waste a moment scrambling up after her.
It's been a long time since they've come up this path - most of the journey had seen them be carried, too small for the strenuous climb. But now that they were older they kept pace with their mother, digging sharp claws and flexible paws into the vines, finding nooks and crannies to cling to.
Up so high, and a glance showed them the lush valley that was their home, an expanse of green that rolled in huge hills and mountainous cliff. Other things still poked through, thick spires twisted with creeping vines, huge top rounded towers, thin crooked leaning pipes of old rusted metal, tangled with the branches of close growing trees.
Sometimes, when they looked at these things, they felt they've seen them before in dreams.
Unlike a lot of their colony, however, they did not remember much of their dreams.
Reaching the top took some time, and though they pushed themself in the end their mother scooped their lagging self up, a quick motion to raise up before her mouth grabbed their scruff, gentle with her cracked sharp teeth. For a few free swinging moments they warbled, tired but disappointed as she dragged them atop the edge.
Then their sibling slipped off her tail, shaking themself and rubbing their eyes, chittering as they had a look about. The older sibling complained a bit more before finally let free, loose and instantly leaping away to explore. Behind them, their mother nudged at their sibling before following after.
They remembered the path, a bit. They had toddled down it before, and they even remembered what lay at the end. The mass of greenery, old twisted boulders covered in moss, the faint trickles of puddles slick with algae - they bounded atop a few of the lumpy masses, the moss softening the odd, rough gritty texture. Leaning down, tilting their head before they pawed at the odd long divot the rocks had in the middle of them - their little claws scraped on the line, then the other that cut through it, a symbol of sorts - before their mother chuffed at them to get down and off they hopped.
Most of the ground became those rocks, turning their leaping into a game as they jumped from one to another, balancing as they raised their tail and chirped in delight every time they didn't slip off, claws digging into moss and weed growth and crawling vines. Their sibling watched them, coming over and sniffing about before making an attempt to haul themself up, back paws scraping at the odd stone.
Their older sibling helped them up, dragging them atop with little barks of noise, tail slapping on the lumpy rocks curves, before showing them how to leap about.
Their mother let them for awhile, following a forgotten path that inclined ever so slightly before leveling. The vine twisted trees lined all about them, plants sprouted and growing thick and heavy everywhere about the stones.
Eventually they came to a clearing. The oldest paused for only a moment, taking the sight in, before leaping down to go and explore again - the youngest took a little longer, face pinching and snout curling up, blinking almost in confusion.
Their mother continued, tail curling to brush against their side with a chur of encouragement, before she went on by to the far side wall.
There, before the thickest mass of old round rocks and bursts of plant growth, she had a seat, tail curling about her feet.
The oldest came on by, sniffing about - they remembered this place, but not much. Pawing about the plants, wondering if they should try to hop onto the big lumpy stones - they tilted their head, blinking as they parted a few thick stemmed weeds and caught a different color to the rest of the greens and grays.
Their interest brought their younger sibling over, who twitched their ears and chirped quietly at the sight before helping brush some more of the plant life aside, pawing at all the moss that was growing over the pink metal. It wasn't shiny anymore, and some of the odd gray rock lumps seemed to be part of it on the sides, rusted and pockmarked, little plants growing through the cracks as the eldest tilted their head and chirped questioningly at the odd form, eyes squinting for a moment as they tried to remember something.
Then their mother chuffed at them, a deep gruff sound, her thick pelt puffing up a bit - the eldest immediately took off, yelping as if in deeper trouble even as they twittered out giggles, scrambling up the rocks once more.
The youngest, however, took a few more moments to look over the form, old and broken and left laying here surrounded by green plants and grasses. They leaned down, sniffed over its achingly familiar face, the wide, dull blank eyes and bent metal antennae.
Then their now approaching mother chuffed again, and this time they listened - a low spark of noise, like a smokey crackle in her tone, had them know they were pushing her patience, so off they went to follow their sibling.
…Who was attempting to climb up the tallest section of caved in stones, digging their claws into the thick bedding of moss and trying to haul themself upwards. At the youngest trilling they tilted their head back, blinking down at their sibling.
They watched as the other tried to follow after them, struggling and mewling at them.
They glanced over at their mother - she was over by the trampled and pushed down grasses, loafed down in the spot of sunlight that fell through the trees over there, eyes closed.
Their sibling cried up at them, quiet enough but still whining at the unfairness of their differing strengths.
With a huff, the eldest unhooked their claws and attempted to drop down beside their sibling.
But they had underprepared for the drop, not realizing how high they were, and with a cough of surprise they tumbled head over heels into almost smacking into their sibling and instead falling right off the rocks into the surrounding brush.
Something softer than plant leaves and stalks broke their fall - a ragged short wheeze had their fur stand up on end, immediately jumping back up and going on their tip toes, tail raised and all poofed up in surprise. Their sibling chittered from up above, leaning down in confusion, but the eldest didn't pay them any mind as the brush shifted about.
They leaned forward, ever so slightly - everything that lived in this place knew to be alert for danger, but they were still a pup and curiosity won out over caution.
A little dark nose suddenly poked through the leaves, the green offset by an oddly pale shade of pink.
They blinked, hesitated a moment, before leaning farther forward. The other snout twitched, taking in a deep breath.
And then sneezing, shaking the leaves before out tumbled another pup.
The youngest had scrambled down by now and at the sight both siblings froze, staring at the stranger. It squinted its eyes at them, seeming unused to the bright light, tilting its head and looking around with an almost pouted look to its face.
When the eldest leaned forward to sniff about it, the pup immediately complained - what was supposed to be a yelp came out too wheezy and quiet, but sounding stronger than before. The younger sibling chirped, tapping their paws in the ground with sudden apprehension, eyes wide - the eldest paid them no mind, instead inspecting the pup, sniffing over its scent and poking and prodding at it, ignoring its whines.
It made their mind itch funny, looking at it, but the way it reacted so offendedly at their poking was too funny and any deeper thought to the situation left them for playfulness instead - they pushed against it, going around it and wagging their tail as they hopped about, hoping for another playmate, maybe someone stronger who could keep up.
At the low chatter of their sibling and the steadily higher pitching yelps and whines of the strange pup however, their mother finally took notice, shadow over the little pink tinted thing.
It looked up, blinking a few times with its odd pale eyes, before letting out a low, confused noise as it stared up at the larger creature.
She stared back, eyes wide, still and silent for a long few moments.
Then she exhaled, making a strange sound that made both siblings flick their ears and stare, before reaching down and picking up the pup.
It stared for a bit longer, both looking at each other.
Before suddenly growling and whining, struggling against her grip and slapping its tail about - she paid it no mind, holding it close even as it tried to nip at her long crimson fur, little paws closed into fists and waving around.
With a stern chuff, turning and slapping her tail against the ground, the siblings hurriedly got behind her and followed as she led them out of the clearing, to climb down the cliff and head off back to the colony, little pink pup nattering and whining as it was carried away.
Back behind them the high risen sunlight lit up the clearing, the plants alive and well amongst rotten old stones and deteriorated metal - atop the rusted remains of a long ago fallen god unfurled a delicate yellow flower.
In full bloom.