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Assistant: Title: Slugcat Stories - Rain World Fanfics
        Author: IyashiKitsune IyashiKitsune 
        Chapter: 2/6 
        Summary: A series of fanfics written from the perspective of the slugcats as they go through their various campaigns.
            
            The story of a brave, if scatter-brained, young slugcat on a mission to help his lost sister... and to have fun with any friends he might meet along the way.
        Contents: Chapter 2: Survivor
    

    

        
          
          
            The story of a slugcat separated from her family, and determined to find her way back home.
          
        

  

  
  
    
    Today was the worst day ever.It had started out so well.  I had helped Mom and Dad herd my younger siblings along as we went to find batflies to eat.  Dad always said he was depending on me to watch out for my little brother — he was far too curious and trusting for his own good, and usually had to be caught before wandering into a pond of jungle leeches or trying to climb a pole plant — but today he was actually paying attention and sticking with the family.And we had found an entire swarm of batflies!  It had been so fun to practice pouncing on them, or to try throwing the spears Dad had given me to stab through a group of the tasty treats and bring them to the ground.  We had filled up in no time, and even had extras!  Dad had been so proud of me for how well I had managed to catch food for everyone, and said that one day I would even be better than he was.  He had called me his little survivor, and had caught the fattest batfly from the swarm to give me to eat.I had happily munched the tasty treat and giggled as my little brother tried to convince Mom to give him the batfly she had been about to eat.  All while my little sister munched on a batfly I had caught earlier.  It was such a good day, and I felt so happy.But then I had felt the first drop of rain hit me.Mom and Dad hadn’t believed me at first — it was still so early, and rain shouldn't be coming for quite some time.  But then more drops had fallen, and there was no more denying that the rain had come.  We dashed for safety, and I helped Dad get my little sister up on his back before clinging to him while he carried us back through the maze of poles and decaying pipes.I had tried to hold on, even when the lightning started… but I hadn’t been able to.The rain had dragged me down and carried me off.  I didn’t know how long I had been tossed around in the water, or how far it had carried me.  All I knew was that when it finally slowed enough to crawl out of, I was in a strange place I had never seen before.All by myself.I had found a spear and a few pieces of fruit and started searching for a way back.  I had no idea where I was, and couldn't be sure which way even was the way back… but I would never make it home by sitting around and waiting.  So I had started following the yellow thing that I had noticed watching me — I wasn’t sure what the thing was, or if it knew where I was trying to go, but it was as good a direction as any.Even if the path it was showing me had only gotten darker and scarier.And now a lizard was chasing me.  A huge hissing monster that wanted to eat me.  I had thrown my spear at it and struck it in the side, but that had only made it angrier.  I had no more spears to throw, so I had turned, and was now running for my life.Today was the worst day ever.But it would be okay.  It could throw whatever it wanted at me.  It wouldn’t be enough.Because I was a Survivor.  ~  My brother would insist you need a name.  I stared up at the yellow thing on the wall as it made increasingly wild gestures.  Because ‘you're being helpful, and that makes you a friend’.  He'd give you something cute sounding, like ‘Iggy’.The wobbly arms continued waving while I stared in complete confusion.  I had no idea what the thing was trying to tell me.
  Maybe ‘Crazy’ would be a good name for you.
Usually the yellow thing would just make a yellow picture appear in the air.  A drawing of batflies, like the ones Mom would draw when she was telling us stories.  Or different sets of squiggles, like one that I had come to realize meant ‘food’ and another that meant ‘danger’.  Those warnings and tips were helpful ones that I appreciated.Even the warnings of impending rain and directions to the nearest shelter made sense.  A simple rectangle with the open top, showing how I could crawl in and wait out the rain.  Easy.But I had no idea what the thing was trying to say now.It waved its arms again back towards the ground, and some more symbols flashed in the air above me.  Even if I could have understood what the symbols meant, they flashed by too quick to really see them all.  So I had no idea what that was supposed to be.And there wasn’t really anything worth looking at on the ground.  A few rocks — which did prove useful for throwing at lizards, and knocking their armored heads away so I could throw a spear at an unprotected spot — and that was it.  There was a smoother rock that was a brighter white color… but it wasn’t like I could eat that any more than I could the other rocks.Aside from being something my brother would have been interested in, because of how shiny it was, there really wasn't anything here to explain the yellow thing's interest.  It wasn’t edible.  And it wasn’t going to get me home any faster.I picked the shiny rock up and stared at it for a second.  It felt very smooth, but other than that, it was just another rock.  I looked back up at the usually-helpful yellow thing, then tossed the rock in its direction.The yellow thing — I was not going to call it Iggy, even though the more I thought about it the more that seemed like a good name for it — bent to follow the rock as it fell to the ground.  It stared at it for a heartbeat, then looked back at me.  The weird angled picture spun in the air before it, whirling aimlessly as if the yellow thing was confused… then the familiar glow vanished as the yellow thing dimmed.A new picture appeared in the air between us.This picture was much better than the other pictures the yellow thing had shown me.  Even better than the pictures Mom had drawn.  This was like I was actually looking at something actually happening — there was a strange border around the picture, and inside it I saw one of the creatures I had met in this creepy place.I leaned away from the image.  Those creatures weren't very nice.  They didn’t really seem to care one way or the other about me, but they really didn't like Igg… the helpful yellow thing.  The creatures tended to throw whatever they were holding at the yellow thing as soon as they saw it.Usually while it was still near me.I had been bonked in the head by a rock more times than I wanted to think about.  Thankfully I had been able to duck under the spears they had thrown.  But I would still much rather avoid them.The picture in the air changed.  Suddenly there were several of the gangly creatures in the picture, all holding spears.  They were standing around a collection of these sparkly rocks, and waving their spears threateningly in the direction of another creature.  That one hunkered closer to the ground, then tossed the shiny rock it was holding to the others…I narrowed my eyes as the creatures in the image stopped pointing their spears at the other creature.  Instead one dashed for the sparkling rock to grab it.  Then it waved its spear in the other direction, as if telling the other creature to go on.  And the other creature scurried past the group while the rest ignored it.
  Oh, great.  Juuuust great.
I sighed as Igg- as the yellow thing's meaning sunk in.  I picked up the shiny rock and stared at it… then I quickly swallowed it, closing my throat enough that the rock went into a small pouch I could spit up from later instead of my stomach.  The yellow thing was trying to tell me the creatures would block my path unless I gave them the shiny thing.
  A whole race of creatures just like my little brother.  Because being stranded on my own in this place wasn't bad enough…
  ~  The gangly creatures blocked my way just like Iggy had told me they would.…gah.  I was calling the thing Iggy.  My little brother was never going to let me live that down, if he found out I was doing that.The yellow thing hadn’t followed me through the last tunnel — likely because it knew the creatures would attack it — and now I was standing alone in front of a group of the creatures.  They scurried around and pointed their spears at me, just like in the pictures the yello… sigh.Just like in the pictures Iggy had shown me.This place was stupid.  I just wanted to be home already.I shook my head a little and crawled forward toward the creatures.  They all watched me, all of them pointing spears at me, but I stayed crouched low to the ground.  My belly brushed some dirt out of the way as I moved along, leaving behind a slight trail of the cooling slime that covered my body… then I came to a stop a safe distance away from the group.They all stared at me with their spears pointed in my direction as I focused and spat up the shiny rock.It clattered to the ground before the strange creatures.  Their eyes went wide as they stared at it.  Just like my little brother's eyes would go wide whenever he spotted those blue fruits he liked.  I tried not to roll my own eyes as one of the creatures hunched down a little more and darted nervously towards me, as if worried I might be trying to trap it somehow, before it quickly snatched up the rock and darted back to the group.The childish creatures all seemed very excited by the rock, and they gathered around the one holding it.  For a heartbeat I thought they had forgotten about me entirely… then one looked back at me.  It lifted its spear up, then began waving it towards the tunnels in the other direction.
  Yep.  Just like my little brother.
I got up from the ground and began running past the shiny-obsessed creatures……only to stop suddenly as the creature with the shiny rock began waving frantically at me.I froze in place, suddenly worried about all the spears pointed at me.  I had left my own spear before crawling through the last tunnel in case these creatures saw it as a threat.  If they decided to attack me, I wouldn't really have any way to defend myself…The creature kept waving as it walked to the back of the group and picked up a spear behind them.  It scurried closer and held the spear out… then dropped the spear to the ground in front of me.I stared at the spear in confusion.  It had something red tied to the pointy end, but otherwise it looked just like any other spear.  Was… was the creature giving it to me, too?I carefully picked the spear up, getting ready to drop it and run if the creatures showed any signs of anger… but if anything they just seemed happy.Huh.So these things would give me spears if I brought them rocks.  That might be useful…But still.  If I was going to be stuck with a bunch of shiny-obsessed creatures like my brother, I might as well be back with my brother.  I took the spear in one hand and continued on towards the tunnels in the distance, hoping they might lead me home.  ~  The ringing in my ears and the pounding in my head made it impossible to think for several heartbeats.  I could only lay on the ground, stunned, and with a vague fear that the vulture was about to eat me.Those things were scary.  They just swooped down from out of nowhere and tried to eat something.  Usually me.  Most times I could just throw a spear at them and run while they were distracted.  And… and that's what I had done this time, too, but… but nothing like this had ever happened those other times…The dreaded feel of teeth biting into my body never came.  Instead the ringing grew fainter, and my lungs finally got enough air, and my jumbled thoughts got back in order.  I slowly pushed myself back to my feet and used my tail to keep my balance as I felt some of the dizziness and ringing sound return.  I needed… I needed to find the vulture…My eyes widened as I spotted the massive creature a short distance from me.  I started to run… then I stopped.  I took another look at the unmoving bird.It was dead.Had… had I done that somehow…?  I stepped closer, looking over the giant bird, and stared at the side of its body.  My spear was sticking out of its side, and the red rope that had been tied to it was now horribly burnt.  As was most of the vulture's body around the spear.  As if the spear had… the spear had…My eyes went even wider.
  Those shiny-obsessed creatures have way better spears than I do!
I pounced on the body of the vanquished predator.  It wasn’t a batfly, but I did need to eat.  And it wasn’t like I would have many opportunities to eat vulture meat again.…unless I found some more of those shiny rocks, and traded them to the strange creatures for their spears.  Now that was an idea!I was still grinning to myself when Iggy popped out of the ground nearby.  The unblinking eye watched me for a few heartbeats while I filled my belly.  I started to look away from it to instead focus on eating when the yellow thing began dimming and glowing.Another strange symbol appeared in the air above Iggy, and an arrow pointed down at the vulture's head.  No — no, Iggy was pointing at the vulture's mask, which had fallen to the ground.  It didn’t look all that scary now, or that big.  Easy enough to hold in one hand, probably, or maybe even to wear over my face.  If I wanted to for some reason.
  I wonder…
  ~  The huge lizards hissed in terror as they ran for their dens.“Run, little weaklings!  Run for your liiiiiiveeeees!”  I warbled at the top of my lungs as I ran after the terrified lizards, cackling behind the vulture's mask and waving my spear wildly through the air.  “Fear the slugcat SURVIVOR!!!”
  I am definitely finding more of those shiny rocks!
  ~  I yawned and stretched as the shelter opened with its usual grinding of gears.  It didn’t get any brighter — the area I had found my way into was completely dark, with the giant metal tree above me blotting out any light from the sky.  This was a scary area, with lots of strange bugs in it.There were also cute mice that hung from the ceiling and lit up part of the place.  They weren’t as scary as the bugs, and were actually a relief to see, but this was still a really depressing place.  Made no less so by the scary jumps I had needed to make to even get to it.Still, it seemed to be in the direction leading back home, so I had to go through it.It wasn’t all bad, though.  I had found more of those shiny rocks and traded them with those strange creatures for more neat things.  I scooted closer to the latest one — some kind of bug shell that glowed with a strong red light — and picked it up.  The lantern was a huge help in this dark place, and it seemed to scare the creepy spiders away.  I definitely needed it.And then I scooped up the vulture's mask and held it back over my head, grinning as I did.  The mask was less crucial, but it was still so much fun.I crawled out of the shelter and took another look around.  I was pretty sure I had gotten turned around a few rainfalls back, and that I was now lost… but there were tunnels and paths leading upwards.  If I got high enough up I could take a look around, and get a better idea of how to get back home.That was a great plan.  I hopped a little in excitement as I started upwards to carry it out.  I just needed to get out of here, then things would be better.  ~  
  I should have just stayed in that creepy dark place.
That thought helped my headache a little as I spun through the air.  Not a lot, but even a little relief was welcome.  Yeah…I should have just stayed down in that dark place, and not come up here.  Where the strange blue yucky things in the walls were trying to eat me.  And where the weird rooms sent me flying up in the air with just the slightest motion.I sighed and waited patiently for the far wall — and the pole I could grab onto — to drift closer.And there would have been no weird pink things that wanted to stick stuff in my head back down in the dark place.Or ‘Five Pebbles’, as the weird pink thing had said his name was.  Somehow.  Since apparently I could understand weird pink things now.And the weird pink thing was an ‘Iterator’.  Since somehow I knew the words for certain things now.  Which was probably why my head was hurting.Most of what Five Pebbles had rambled on about had been remarkably unhelpful.  If not outright insulting.  The Iterator was rather full of himself, and had given me no clues as to how to get back home.  Just some talk about ascension of a sort, and stop touching his pearls, and blah blah blah.Whatever.  The pearl I had swallowed before he had thrown me out of his room would probably get something nice from the weird creatures with the neat spears.  Or I guess they were called, ‘Scavengers’.It was a shame I hadn’t been able to hold onto that vulture mask.  Stupid Five Pebbles.I reached the pole and began climbing up it.  At least I was somewhere high up now.  So long as I didn’t meet any of those creepy blue things — ‘Rot’, it was called — I should be able to find a vantage point that would let me see where I was and where I needed to go.  That would make this whole detour worth it.And I really hoped it would be worth it.  Because I had liked that vulture mask.I paused in my climbing to look at the far wall.  There was a picture on it, of… of some creature eating a meal.  And a symbol, a word.  I had seen that symbol before.  Iggy had shown me it a few times, to guide me to food.  And now I knew that it meant… it meant… gluttony.That was interesting that I could understand the symbols, too.  It must all be part of that thing Five Pebbles had given me.  The ‘Mark of Communication’.  Maybe this would help me understand Iggy a little better, wherever it had gone.But it wasn’t much help right now.  I watched it for another heartbeat or two, then kept climbing.A few of the blue Iggys — ‘overseers’, I guess they were called — watched me as I climbed.  I wasted some time wishing I had something to throw at them.  These blue ones were much less helpful than Iggy had been.  Iggy had led me to food, and to shelter, and away from things that wanted to eat me.These blue overseers had led me to Five Pebbles.  Ew.I finally made it to the top of the poles and ladders.  There was a flat landscape stretching out to all sides now, and beyond them, endless clouds.  I was more than high enough to see everything.It took a little bit longer to get to the side of the giant metal mountain I was climbing over — during which I found a few rocks to throw at the blue overseers, which improved my mood a lot — before I finally had a view of the ground below.  I clung to a pole and looked down at where I had been traveling.I waited for a break in the clouds… then I slumped against the pole and sighed.  I had been going the wrong way.The familiar jungle growth of home was over there, way off in the distance.  And I could see a path to get there.  It would take a while, and mean going back the way I had come… but I could do it.I would do it.I was a Survivor, after all.  ~  I finally uncurled from the floor of the shelter and looked out through the opening.  That… that had really…This dream had been awful.I had started having dreams the past few cycles, but they had all been pleasant dreams.  Dreams about my family.  All of them cuddling together in a giant pile.  Dad stretched out on the bottom, Mom draped over him.  My little sister and brother finding comfortable spots to snuggle against them in.That was a comforting image to think about.  I had been backtracking the last few days — climbing down from the giant structure Five Pebbles lived in and making my way back through the dreary lands I had already traveled through — and it had been frustrating.  So thinking about my family — together, happy, and waiting for me to get back — had really helped.  It made me feel better about being stuck in this place where everything wanted to eat me.  Where there was nothing I could curl up against and trust to keep me safe while I slept.  No one to help me when I was struggling.  Nothing but dangers and threats that I had to overcome.But my parents were still out there.  My little sister and brother were still out there.  It wouldn’t always be like this.  I would meet them again when I made it back to the jungle, and we would all snuggle together again.  We would fall asleep in the great tree we lived in.  We would be safe, and Dad would protect us while we slept, and then in the morning we would all go to get food.  Some of those blue fruits my brother and Mom liked, some batflies for the rest of us.This whole adventure had been a little exciting.  It was fun to put all of Dad's lessons to use, and to catch the food I needed all by myself.  To bring down the lizards and even vultures that wanted to eat me.  But… it was scary, too.  Scary and, as much as I hated to admit it, lonely.  I was ready to be back home again.But the dream I had just woken up from…I picked up the spear from the floor of the shelter and began crawling through the narrow opening of the shelter.This dream had been empty.Dad hadn’t been there.  Mom hadn’t been there.  My little sister hadn’t been there.Not even my annoying younger brother had been in the dream.Last night's dream was just of me.  All by myself.  In the dark.  Alone.I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.  My hand was trembling on the spear I held, and I paused inside the small tunnel to try and calm down.  I was a Survivor.  I was surviving.  I would survive this.But…I really didn't want to have to keep doing this all by myself.An angry hissing sound interrupted my thoughts, and I forced my body to move again.  I could mope about my situation later; right now there was danger.  I squirmed through the tunnel and pounced across the short gap to land on the far ledge, then turned to look down as another hissing sound came from below me.Lizards.  I sighed and looked around as I heard the angry sounds drift up to me.  Just great.  The perfect start to the day.There were a few centipedes crawling around on the ledge with me, so I dropped my spear and snatched two of the tasty bugs up while I peeked down at the noises.  I needed breakfast anyways, and a few centipedes would do.  It wasn’t like I could go anywhere until the lizards left, after all.Since I didn’t have a neat vulture mask to scare them off with anymore.  Thanks again, <PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_PERSON>.  You jerk.Iggy appeared on the ceiling above me, and he pointed down at the distant ground with its ‘this wants to eat you!’ symbol.  As if I didn’t already know what the hissing sound meant.  Still, at least he was back to give me some company.  And he was a lot more helpful than the blue overseers.  Who had led me to Five Pebbles.  Of which I was still annoyed with them about.I squinted a little longer before I finally spotted two lizards in the dim light far below me.  They were hissing angrily, the way lizards did, but they didn’t seem to be hissing at anything.  Usually they made that noise when they had spotted something to eat — far too often, me — but now they didn’t seem to be chasing after anything.  And the only thing even down there seemed to be… each other.The larger green lizard crouched down, and I went wide-eyed as it lunged through the air and tackled the smaller blue lizard.Now that was interesting.I chewed thoughtfully on a centipede, then snatched up another one.  I had seen lizards fight occasionally — usually when they had something edible in their mouth that another lizard wanted — but I couldn’t remember them ever fighting when there wasn’t food around.  Was there something down there out of sight, maybe?  But then lizards usually focused on catching the prey first, not on fighting over it.  It was only after they had caught food that they started fighting each other.Unless it was normal for lizards to fight, and I just hadn’t noticed.  Being around lizards wasn’t really a good way to survive.  So I avoided them as much as I could.The two lizards slashed and bit at each other, rolling along in a hissing, sputtering ball of scales.  They bumped up against the wall and sprang apart, then started circling each other.  The blue one glanced past the green lizard, as if there was something over there… and as soon as it did, the green lizard hissed and tackled the blue lizard again.I grabbed two more centipedes and started chewing on one as I watched the two fighters.  Huh.  It's almost like that green lizard is protecting something from the blue lizard.  But… what would a lizard want to keep safe from another lizard?Iggy kept motioning down with the same ‘this wants to eat you!’ symbol, but I ignored it.  Did the overseer think I was my little brother or something, and that I would jump down there to say ‘hello’?  The strange thing must have a very low opinion of slugcats if it thought I would do something that dumb.  No, I was more than happy to sit up here and finish my breakfast while I watched the two fight.Although, I thought as I finished up one of the centipedes, I think I’m full.Oh well.  I could just save this last centipede for the next cycle.  It wouldn’t be too hard to carry it along with me.I just needed to find some way around these lizards now… though even as I leaned closer to the edge to try and spot another way to go, the fight came to an end.  The blue lizard made a warbling sound and suddenly pushed away from the green lizard, rolling on the ground for a few paces before getting back to its feet and dashing away.  I had a brief feeling of anticipation as the green lizard started to move after it, sensing an opportunity to dash past the lizard and continue on my way… but the lizard stopped after only a few steps.It stood in place and hissed after the blue lizard for a few heartbeats, then it turned back around.  It walked for a few paces, then suddenly collapsed to the ground.  It gave a quiet hiss as its sides heaved for air.I reached for the spear and got ready to leap down.  This was a chance — if the lizard was tired out from its fighting, I could probably dash past it.  I crouched down and got ready to drop and roll, so I could hit the ground running… but stopped as I noticed Iggy.The yellow overseer wasn’t flashing its ‘this wants to eat you!’ alarm.Huh.  That was strange.  The lizard was still there, and it was still clearly alive.  And it was still a lizard.  So that meant it would still want to eat me.So why wouldn’t Iggy keep trying to warn me about it?I watched Iggy for a few heartbeats until the overseer started dimming and brightening again.  A picture finally appeared in the air above it, with a picture pointing down.  The picture Iggy had used on a few occasions to guide me in a direction it seemed to want me to go — an outline of a slugcat face.  No danger warning, just the ‘go that way’ signal.I shrugged and got a tighter grip on the spear and the centipede, then dropped to the ground.  I kicked off the floor as soon as I landed, pouncing towards a tunnel on the far side of the room.The lizard hissed suddenly and got back to its feet, dashing… dashing… away from me…?I slowed as I looked over my shoulder to watch the lizard, completely confused.  This was not how lizards acted.  Had it been hurt in the fighting, maybe?  Was it scared?  Lizards didn’t seem to be scared of that many things, except maybe vultures and those weird creepy blue things I had seen crawling around in Five Pebble’s mountain.  They certainly weren’t scared of slugcats like myself… but this one seemed to be running to a den…A rock suddenly sailed out of the den towards the lizard.  The rock missed, but the lizard slowed a little.  It turned to look back at me, and I tensed, getting ready to run faster.The lizard didn’t charge after me.  It hissed angrily… then the sound cut off.  Its expression seemed to change, and it made a strange sound I hadn’t ever heard from a lizard before.It sounded… happy?I slowed down, completely confused, and came to a stop to watch the lizard.It stared back at me.  Or… no.  It was staring at the centipede I held in my hand.“Go away!”  I tensed up as I heard the shrill warbles coming from the direction of the den behind the lizard — the squeaking voice of a slugcat.  “Mommy, Daddy, help!”The voice of a slugpup.I tightened my grip on the spear and stepped closer to the lizard.  The lizard had just been in a fight, so it was weak.  Maybe I could kill it and rescue the slugpup… though… the lizard had just been in a fight.  Why?  It hadn’t rushed to try and kill the trapped slugpup after chasing off the other lizard.  It had just sat down, until… until it had heard me.And… and then it had moved to stand in front of the den.  The den that from here seemed more like the kind that lizards retreated to, not one that slugcats could make use of.And it was just staring at the dead centipede I carried, like it wanted to eat that.  Not… not at me.Was this lizard protecting the slugpup?I hesitated.  I knew that’s what my little brother would think.  That the lizard was a friend, and that it was being nice.  But… but lizards had always tried to eat me.  They would kill me if they had a chance.  They always set off Iggy’s ‘this wants to eat you!’ warning.  It would be foolish to relax my guard around one.But… Iggy wasn’t warning me about this lizard.I looked back up at the yellow overseer and saw it making symbols in the air again.  The arrow pointing to the den behind the lizard, and the picture of the slugcat.No danger.  Nothing that wanted to eat me.I gripped the spear tighter, certain I was about to make a huge mistake, then I tossed the centipede away from the lizard’s den.The lizard made another excited-sounding hiss and started to dash after the centipede.  I tensed up, worried it was about to attack me as soon as it was close enough… but the lizard ignored me.I spent a heartbeat or two getting my shivering under control, then dashed up to the lizard den.A rock came sailing at me as I got close, but I caught it at the last second.  I dropped it beside the den and peeked inside.A yellow slugpup was standing at the entrance to the den.  He was shaking in fear as he tried to grab another rock from the floor near him.  And behind him was a second slugpup, a blue girl huddled into a ball and shivering just as much as the boy was.The boy squeaked and fell backwards when he saw me, tripping over his sister.  She jerked in place but looked up… and her eyes went wide when she saw me.  “Mommy!!!”  She clambered to her feet and dashed out of the den, and a heartbeat later I felt her clinging to my side.I reached down and slowly rested my free hand on her head.The boy climbed back to his feet in the darkness of the lizard’s den.  He stared at me for several long heartbeats while I tried to think of what to say……then he ran up to me, too, and joined his sister in clinging to my side.I looked back at the lizard.  It was still eating the centipede, but I didn’t know how much longer it would be distracted by that.  And I couldn’t be sure it had actually been protecting these slugpups — something must have happened to their parents, after all, if they were hiding by themselves in a lizard’s den.  No parent would have let their pups end up in that kind of a situation, not if they were still alive.  So as nice as it might be to think this was a nice lizard, I couldn’t take that risk.These slugpups couldn’t afford it.I picked up the boy and carefully pushed him up onto my back, then did the same with the girl.  The two of them huddled close against me, still shivering a little, and their tiny arms clung to my back.Just like I had clung to Dad’s back with my little sister, the cycle the rain had swept me into this awful place.I shook my head against that thought and started toward the pole that led back up to the nearby shelter.  I would need to get some food for the two pups, but the shelter was a safe place for them to stay while I did that.  They would be warm, and dry, and shouldn’t have to worry about anything dangerous getting to them.The girl twisted on my back as I reached the pole, and I paused to look back at her.  The blue slugpup was staring back at the lizard, and she took one hand off my back to wave at it before squeaking out in the simple language we had.  “Goodbye, Mister Lizard.”A smile came over my face.  Just like my little brother…I climbed up the pole and carried the two slugpups to safety.  ~  It took most of the rest of the cycle before I managed to gather enough food for the pups.  It was a lot harder to move while juggling the pile in my arms, but for the most part I managed it well enough.  I squeezed my way into the tunnel leading to the shelter, gripping the pile of food even tighter, and hoped the two pups hadn’t wandered off while I had been hunting.That was a scary thought.  If they were out there on their own again, there was no telling what trouble they might be in.  I had left a spear in the shelter with them, but it wouldn’t be enough against the lizards and other predators waiting outside…Excited squeaks came from the shelter as I flopped out of the tunnel.  “Mommy came back!  Told you, told you!”  The girl jumped to her feet at the back of the shelter, where she had been huddled in a ball, and began dancing and hopping in the tiny space.She seemed so much like my little brother.The boy stood before her and didn’t seem all that impressed by my return.  He held a spear in one hand and looked like he would throw it if I gave him any excuse… at least until he saw the pile of food I was carrying.  His eyes went wide as he looked at the batfly on top of the pile, and he slowly lowered the hand holding the spear.I dropped the pile of food on the ground and took a step back to keep from scaring the slugpups.“See, see, she just went to get food for us!”  The girl scampered up to the pile and grabbed one of the blue fruits, quickly stuffing it into her mouth before looking back up at me… then her bright eyes faded a little.  “Oh, you're not Mommy.  Did you see her out there?  Thank you for the food!  I was very hungry; Mister Lizard was nice and kept the mean lizards away, but he wouldn’t let us leave to find food, and there was nothing at all to eat in his den, not at all like all this food you brought!”I was certain the slugpup would have kept filling the shelter with more warbles if she could have figured out how to talk and eat… but fortunately the need to fill her mouth with another plump blue fruit overcame her need to talk at me.The boy seemed to sag a little and reached to grab the batfly he had been eyeing.  He didn’t take his hand off the spear, but he began slowly chewing on the treat.“I haven't seen your mother.”  I answered back in the simple language of slugcats — or at least, in the language that now sounded simple compared to what I had heard spoken by Five Pebbles.  The Mark of Communication he had given me had filled my head with all sorts of ideas that I didn’t think I could convey with our warbles and dances.Not like that was important right then.“What happened to your mother?  Why were you on your own?”  I squeezed into the tiny space still left clear in the shelter and tried to get as comfortable as I could.  “Why were you with ‘Mister Lizard'?”The boy's head lowered even more, and he began eating the batfly even slower.  The hand holding the spear shifted, and he started dragging it over the ground with a faint scratching sound.If the girl noticed anything odd about that, she didn’t say anything.  She just swallowed her mouthful and started warbling again.  “I don't know.  We were all traveling together, but then there was a really loud noise, and everything was shaking.  Plink told me to close my eyes and to hold on to him, and he picked me up and started running.  He ran for a long time, even after everything got quiet again.  When he finally told me I could open my eyes we were at that place you found us at.  And then Mister Lizard came and he pushed us into that hole, and he stretched out over it and kept the rain from hurting us.”  She reached out for another one of the blue fruits, but paused to look at me before popping it into her mouth.  “Mister Lizard was nice, and you're nice too, miss!  But… I miss Mommy and Daddy.  Will you help us find them?”She stared up at me with wide eyes for several heartbeats… then she plopped the fruit in her mouth and began chewing on it.The scratching sound from the boy's spear stopped, and I looked back at him.  A crude picture was outlined in the dust and grime of the shelter.  It looked like one of the pictures Iggy might show me, and I sagged a little as I looked at it.A picture of a vulture mask.“Who's Plink?”  I avoided answering the girl's question by asking about the name she had mentioned.  I was pretty sure it was the boy's name, but I didn’t really know how to answer the girl's question.  She seemed a lot like my little brother, and if that was the case she would probably be easily distracted.  And distracting her would be easier than trying to explain that her parents were gone.Her eyes grew brighter as she swallowed her mouthful and pointed at the boy.  “He is!  My brother.  Daddy calls him that because he's always throwing rocks.  And my name is Dewdrop!  ‘Cause I'm cute and precious, like the drops on the yummy blue fruits after the rains.”  She bounced a little in the small shelter, reminding me yet again of my little brother, then looked back up at me.  “What's your name, nice lady?”“I don't really have one.”  Names were a waste of time.  For people like Five Pebbles, or maybe my little brother.  Just saying ‘little brother’ was enough to let Dad know who was annoying me.  And when he or my little sister wanted to be silly and whine about me, they just called me ‘older sister’.Dewdrop stared up at me with wide eyes.  “How can you not have a name?  Everything has to have a name!”I sighed.  Yep.  She was just like my brother.“My dad calls me his little survivor.  That can be my name, if you need one.  Survivor.” “You have a dad too?”  Dewdrop's eyes went even wider, and her head tilted a little.  “But… but you're all grown up!”I didn’t feel that grown-up… but I suppose I looked enough like a grown-up to the smaller slugpups.“Grown-ups have parents, too.”  I reached for the last blue fruit and tossed it to Dewdrop, who barely caught it in time as she tried to process that world-shattering revelation.  I looked back at Plink, who had finished his batfly and started on another one, and sighed.  These two wouldn’t last very long on their own, not without their parents.  “I was separated from my family by a storm, and I'm trying to get back home to them.  I can take you with me if you'd like — it's a nice place to live, with a big tree that has lots of fruit growing in it.  You'll be safe there.”Dad might grumble at having more mouths to feed, but I had a feeling he would be happy to take care of these two in the end.  And Mom and my little brother would love meeting Dewdrop.  My little sister would probably like having someone her size around, too.It would be a challenge getting home with these two to watch over… but it was going to be a challenge even without them.  And I was a Survivor.  I would manage it.And… it would be nice to have company.Dewdrop clutched the fruit a little tighter as she stared down at it.  “Thank you, nice lady, but…”She let out a sudden yelp as the familiar grinding sound started.  The wall of the shelter swung up behind me, closing us in and making everything darker.  Somewhere in the distance the sound of falling rain began to trickle through the heavy walls.Dewdrop trembled in the dim light of the cramped room.  “W-we need to get back to Mommy and Daddy…”Plink swallowed his last bite of the batfly and moved to stand against Dewdrop, hugging her with his free arm.  “We should go with Survivor, Dewdrop.  Mommy… Mommy and Daddy can meet us at her home.  If there's a big tree there then they should be able to find it easily, and they can come get us there.”The blue slugpup continued to tremble, but she leaned against her brother.  “Are you sure?”Plink nodded, even as he sat down the spear and picked up the last batfly instead.  “I'm sure.  And it'll be fun, like those stories Daddy told us about Gourmand and his adventure.  You’ll see.  It’s just been a long day and you're tired; you'll feel better after you've slept.”Dewdrop trembled for a few heartbeats more… then she grew still, and she nodded.  “Okay.  Thanks, big brother!”  She hopped in place for a few heartbeats… then she settled down to plop the fruit in her mouth and start chewing it.I stared at the two slugpups.  They were just like me and my brother.  Dewdrop was just like my brother, so distracted by silly things and so clueless.  And Plink was just like me — taking care of her, and keeping her safe.Surviving.He was right about one thing, though — it had been a long day.  I was tired, too.  And with all the food now cleared off the floor, there was enough room in the tiny shelter to get some sleep.I curled up on the far side of the room from the two slugpups and clutched my tail as tight as I could.  The two of them would need as much room as they could get.  They probably wouldn't appreciate a stranger cramming them into the wall.Dewdrop started to warble something, but she stopped before the sound could have any real meaning.  I opened one eye and saw her trembling again.The dream from the last few nights came back to me.  Of sprawling out on Dad's back while he slept.  Of Mom and my sister and brother there too.And the dream from last night came back to me, too.Being all alone.I slowly uncurled and stretched out in the middle of the shelter.  The way Dad usually did.  Back in our small den in our tree.A few heartbeats passed in silence… then I felt the two slugpups crawl onto my back and stretch out.  They wiggled a few times, probably getting comfortable, then they grew still.  Their gentle breathing was the only sound I heard from them, mixing with the sound of the distant rain.I closed my eyes.I was a Survivor.  No matter what challenge came my way, I would overcome it.  I would get home again.But…Sometimes I needed a little more than just to survive.“Thank you, nice lady…”  ~  “Look!  Over there, over there!”I jerked in place at Dewdrop's alarming warble, looking around the strange room we were in.  I liffed my spear protectively and got ready to throw it.  I didn’t see any lizards or spiders or other threats at any of the crumbling entrances.  Had I missed something?Dewdrop leaned across my back and reached a blue arm towards the middle of the room.  “Shiny!  It's shiny!”I sighed and lowered my spear again.Dewdrop had spotted one of those dumb shiny rocks — or ‘pearls’, as I now knew they were called — and had gotten excited about it.  I knew that the pearls had stuff written on them if somebody knew how to read them — which I did not — but beyond that it wasn’t worth getting excited about.  Not that Dewdrop would be stopped by something silly like ‘sense’.What Plink was doing was much more interesting, and I ignored Dewdrop's squirming attempts to lean toward the distant pearl and watched him instead.  The yellow slugpup watched the batflies flapping on the far side of the room for a few more heartbeats… then he flung the spear he was holding.It made a ‘thump’ noise as it hit the far wall and fell back to the ground.Plink hadn’t thrown the spear hard enough for it to stick in the wall, but I still felt proud of him.  We had come here to catch batflies, and I had wanted to teach him the tricks Dad had taught me about hunting the tasty treats.  And at least one of those lessons seemed to have made it through to him.I hopped down from the pole Plink and I were perched on and walked over to the spear.  A batfly had been pierced by the spear and killed instantly.  I picked up the spear, feeling another surge of pride in the yellow slugpup.  It had been a perfect throw.Dewdrop kept squirming on my back, so I relented and carried her over to the pearl.  She grabbed it with an excited warble and went still as she clutched it.  We were making our way back towards the Scavenger Toll — the place where the scraggly looking creatures with the interesting spears demanded gifts before letting anyone pass — so it was only common sense to grab the pearl.  But… I kind of liked seeing how happy the pearl made the blue slugpup.It was just a short hop back to the pole, and I passed the spear back to Plink.  He lit up when he saw the batfly speared on it, and he happily gobbled down the treat… then he leaned back towards the swarming batflies, getting ready to throw the spear again.I watched the two pups as I settled in to wait.  Dewdrop was staring wide-eyed at the shiny pearl and turning it around in her hands.  Plink was tracking the batflies with an intense focus, waiting for the perfect time to strike.  It was almost like being back with my family again — my little brother prattling to Mom about something silly he had found, while Dad and I worked on the important tasks of keeping us fed.  Other than Iggy watching us from its perch on one of the far walls, this could have been one of the many outings my family had gone on.Plink hurtled the spear again, causing one of the batflies to make a sharp squeak sound before the spear thumped against the ground.It was nice to have a little taste of home again.  Even if it would be a challenge to keep these two alive… I was glad to have them.  ~  “Dewdrop, I need the pearl.  We’re going to give it to those Scavengers.”  I paused on the small hill before the Scavenger Toll and reached back towards Dewdrop.Plink shifted on my back to make room, but Dewdrop’s eyes just lowered to look at the ground as she clutched the pearl tighter.  “But it’s pretty…”Just like my brother.  I sighed and shook my head.  “I know.  We’ll find another one for you later, but we need to give this one to the Scavengers so they’ll let us through.”Dewdrop kept staring at the ground for a few more heartbeats… then she passed the pearl to me.  “Okay.  I’m sure they’ll like looking at it too.  And Daddy does always say we should share.  Hopefully it makes them happy; that would be nice.”  She brightened a little and looked up as I took the pearl from her, probably imagining how the pearl would make the Scavengers happy.I adjusted the two slugpups on my back to make sure they wouldn’t fall off while I was moving, then started down the hill towards the Scavengers.One of the Scavengers spotted me.  I slowed, expecting it to wave its spear at me like they usually did whenever I met one… but this time it just froze in place and made a strange sound.All of the Scavengers were suddenly staring at me.That was creepy.  I took a step back and clutched the spear I held a little tighter.  I didn’t see Iggy around — the yellow thing always seemed to vanish in areas with a lot of Scavengers, since they didn’t seem to like it — so I wasn’t sure what had caused the Scavengers to act so differently.  I shifted to make sure my body was between the two slugpups on my back and as many of the Scavengers as I could manage, just in case the odd creatures decided to attack…The Scavengers exploded into motion.  They ran for the pearls that were scattered around them, snatching them up before dashing off to the next one.  The pearls, the spears, some of the rocks that had strange red markings… they grabbed everything that was in front of me.Several heartbeats passed while the Scavengers rushed around in the flurry of activity… then they finally stopped.  They hunched over and froze in place, just staring at me.  Staring at the two slugpups clutching to my back.What was going on…?I took a slow step forward.None of the Scavengers moved, so I kept walking.  I carefully approached the closest Scavenger and stopped in front of it.  It trembled in place as it stared up at me, eyes darting between me, my spear, and the two slugpups on my back.  It almost seemed like the thing was terrified, like the lizards that had run away from my vulture mask…Stupid Five Pebbles.  Life had been so much easier with that.I stopped thinking about what the dumb pink Iterator had taken from me and tried to focus on the present instead.  I held the pearl out to the Scavenger, then dropped it to the ground before me.Dewdrop made a sad little warble on my back as the pearl fell to the ground.The Scavenger stared at the pearl… then it stared back at me.  At Dewdrop.  It shook a little and started to reach for the pearl.  It almost picked it up, but right before it touched the pearl, its hand pulled back and it shook its head instead.  It dropped the spear it held onto the ground beside the pearl, then began waving its arms in the other direction.  Waving me on.All of the Scavengers started waving with their arms and spears too.  As if they all wanted me to go.That was odd.  I had done a few trades with the Scavengers after that first exploding spear, and they had never acted like this.  They never waved me on or gave me anything until after they had picked up whatever I had given them.What was going on??I started to walk forward, but Dewdrop squirmed on my back after only a few steps.  “They don’t want the pearl, Survivor!  Can we keep it then?  Please?  Please?”I hesitated and looked back at the pearl on the ground.  If… if the Scavengers didn’t want it, then… I could probably take it.  It would keep Dewdrop quiet, which would make things easier.  And as much as I hated to admit it, I knew the pearl would make her happy, and I wanted her to be.The Scavengers were all still staring at me and waving me on.  They didn’t seem to care about the pearl at all, or about the spear the closest one had dropped.  All they seemed to want was for me to leave.I leaned back down and slowly reached for the pearl.  I was ready to stop if the Scavengers so much as twitched in my direction… but they just kept waving me on.  I picked the pearl up and passed it back to Dewdrop.The Scavengers just kept waving.  If anything, they just waved even faster.  They really wanted me to leave.I had no idea what this odd behavior was about.  They had never acted this way before.  The only thing different was that I was carrying two slugpups with me, but… why would that terrify the Scavengers so much?Whatever.  If it made things easier for me, I wasn’t going to complain.I made sure Dewdrop and Plink were balanced on my back and started forward again, leaving the confusing creatures behind.  ~  “Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”  Plink’s sudden warble of alarm sent me flying into motion.  I scooped up Dewdrop from where she had been playing with her pearl, then dashed to grab Plink too.  It only took a heartbeat to take hold of them both, then I was dashing for cover.Dewdrop joined her brother in warbling out the danger they had spotted.  I spotted a shadow suddenly move over the ground around me, and I pounced forward, rolling into the narrow cover of a small overhang…The ground shook as something heavy slammed down just behind me.  I heard a familiar sound as a cloud of pink gas trickled into the air around me, but I didn’t stop.  I ran for the far wall of the makeshift cave.I reached the wall much sooner than I would have liked.  I dropped Plink and Dewdrop against the wall, then turned to put myself between them and the vulture.  I just had to hope the gap was too small for the vulture to stick its head through, or that the cave was somehow longer than its neck.Two red eyes stared back at me from beneath a bone-gray mask.I made a downward motion with one hand.  Plink and Dewdrop went quiet and huddled down on the ground behind me.  I could feel them shaking against me as I squeezed against the wall, but I ignored them and focused on the vulture.  If it was able to reach into the cave, I would have to try and distract it long enough for the two slugpups to run past and get to safety.The vulture made another of its strange sounds and leaned away from the cave entrance.  I relaxed a tiny fraction, but I was still worried.  I didn’t have any spears or rocks to throw, and I felt very, very helpless.More heartbeats passed while the vulture stared into the cave…A sudden hissing sound came from behind the vulture, and I saw a flicker of blue behind it.  A blue lizard.  It seemed like it had been scared by the vulture and was now rushing for cover, just like I had… but it wasn’t moving fast enough.The vulture turned in place and struck at the lizard.There was a brief struggle as the lizard thrashed in place and tried to bite at the vulture.  Scales and feathers flew as the two fought… then the lizard went still.The vulture spread its wings out and jumped into the air.  It flapped once and climbed into the air, taking the lizard’s body with it.Whew.  I let out a sigh of relief and relaxed a little more.  That had been close.  This area wasn’t as safe as I had thought when I had sat Plink and Dewdrop down to play.  We would have to keep moving on instead.  Iggy had been flashing his shelter picture, so one couldn’t be far.  I would have to be careful to stay under cover and out of sight of any vultures, but I was sure I could make it.  Then we could relax, and the two slugpups could play…I scooped Plink up and moved him to my back, but I paused when I reached for Dewdrop.  She was staring at the spot where the vulture and lizard had fought, and she was still trembling.  She was obviously upset… but we didn’t have time for her to be.  That vulture might come back if we waited too long.She kept trembling as I scooped her up and moved her to my back, but she clutched at me tightly enough that I was sure she wouldn’t fall off.  If anything she seemed to tremble a little less, which was probably a good sign, but I didn’t have time to worry about that.  Right now I had to survive.I darted out from the cave and began dashing for the next piece of cover.Iggy popped up from the ground before me and began motioning.  I didn’t stop running, but I looked back to make sure the yellow overseer was flashing the symbol for a shelter.  It was, so I kept running in that direction.Dewdrop and Plink were both quiet as we darted from cover to cover.  The whole time we ran, I kept imagining a shadow falling over us, or the ground shaking as the sound of something heavy fell near me… but finally, I spotted a marking on the wall in the shape of Iggy’s shelter symbol.I dashed through the tunnel and breathed a huge sigh of relief as I crammed into the small room.We had already eaten earlier this morning, and I knew the two slugpups were full.  That was good.  That meant I wouldn’t have to go back out to try and find anything.  We could just wait here and calm down.  The two slugpups could play here for a little, even though it was cramped.  Then they could go to sleep, and then we could start out again tomorrow.  We were getting close…Dewdrop kept trembling as I sat her down in the cramped room.  Her eyes were closed, and she didn’t let go of me.  Her tiny arms clutched at my side even as they kept shaking.  I hesitated for a few heartbeats, then sat Plink down before reaching over to rest one hand on Dewdrop’s shaking head.Plink squirmed between us as soon as I sat him down, and he reached his own hands out to rest them on Dewdrop’s side.  “We’re safe now, little Dewdrop.  It’s okay.  Calm down, it’s okay.”A sad warbling sob came from the blue slugpup as she shook her head.  “N-no it isn’t…”Plink shook a little in the cramped room and tried to push closer.  “Yes it is.  Survivor got us here; we’re safe.  What’s wrong?”Dewdrop trembled between us for several long heartbeats, still clutching my side.  It was quiet in the dark shelter while Plink and I tried to hold the trembling blue slugpup.“...Mommy and Daddy aren’t coming back… are they…?”Plink slowly closed his eyes… then he squeezed in closer and pulled Dewdrop into a tight hug.I shifted in the cramped room as Dewdrop began to sob louder.  Plink stretched out on the ground and pulled his sister down, holding her close in the comforting hug.There would be no playing today.  No calming down.  No relaxing.I stretched out to cover the two slugpups, offering what little comfort to them that I could as we huddled in the darkness of the shelter.  ~  I slowly opened my eyes as the dream faded, and stared at the two slugpups sleeping beneath me.
  We’re all orphans now.
I wasn’t sure how I knew, but… I knew.  Maybe it was the Mark of Communication that Five Pebbles had given me.  Maybe it was just something about slugcats that Mom and Dad had never told me about, and we just knew when something happened.  Whatever it was…Whatever it was, that dream had been real.  My dad was gone.  My mom was gone.  My little sister was gone.  My little brother…I blinked as I thought it through.  My little brother hadn’t been in that dream, had he?  I had been walking through this place, armed with my spear and alert for danger, and… Mom, Dad, and my sister had been following me.  Vague ghosts without a body.  But… but my little brother hadn’t been there.Did that mean he was still alive, somewhere?  That he had escaped whatever had happened to the rest of my family?  Was he okay, then, or was he still in danger?Or… or was I just being silly?  Was I just having dreams and reading too much into them, like Dewdrop or my little brother would?No… no, that dream had felt too real.  Had been real.  My parents and sister were gone.I reached down to pull the two slugpups in closer.  Dewdrop whimpered a little — she had still been very upset when she had finally gotten to sleep, and I couldn’t imagine what her dreams had to be like — but she grew quiet right after.The three of us huddled together as I fell back to sleep.                   ~  
  Home…
I paused at the top of the hill and stared up at the beautiful tree.  Mom and my little brother had always talked about how pretty it was, though I had never really appreciated that.  Not before now.  Not the way I appreciated the beauty of it this time.Dewdrop and Plink paused beside me to stare up at it too.  Dewdrop’s eyes were wide in awe, though Plink just seemed to be looking for anything dangerous.I wasn’t worried about any predators here, not at our tree.  The slugcats that lived here always kept them away, and kept the tree safe for slugpups.Though there weren’t any slugcats at the tree now.  None playing in the water around it, none relaxing in the branches.  None watching for threats.Had the others all moved on?  There had been the stories Gourmand had left for us, of all the better food elsewhere, and I could remember the idea of a migration being discussed… but there had still been so much food here before, when my family had set out to go hunting.  When I had been swept away by the rains and separated from them.But… but nobody was here…I walked slowly down the hill and came to a stop before the tree.  I looked up at it and thought back over all the times I had played in its branches.  Chasing my little brother and sister around.  Dad picking us up and carrying us to the higher branches.  Mom pointing out all the different places we had visited that we could see from the highest branches.  Playing with the other slugpups that lived nearby with their families.  The families that weren’t here…Dewdrop made a happy warble as she leaned to look into the tree.  I felt a bit happier at that — the blue slugpup had been much more subdued ever since she had realized what had happened to her parents, and it was nice to see her excited.  She had probably spotted the blue fruits growing inside the tree.  I had learned just how much she loved those fruits on our journey.  The journey I had protected them on, the journey I had survived.  It was over.  I had made it back home again.But nobody was here to come back to.I finally realized that Plink was watching me with a worried expression, and I forced myself to look down from the tree.  Dewdrop was rushing into the tree, into the open den that was my home.  I followed after her as she ran for one of the dangling fruits.I felt Plink’s hand on my side and looked down at him.  I could tell he was worried about me, but I just shook my head at him.  I didn’t really know what to say, and didn’t really feel like saying anything anyways.  I pointed to one of the other dangling fruits instead.He watched me for a few heartbeats more, then turned towards the blue fruit I had pointed at.  I looked away from him and watched Dewdrop reaching for the fruit she had ran up to.She was just a bit too short to reach it, even when she jumped in the air to try and grab it.  It was cute to watch… just like when my little brother or sister tried to grab the same fruits.  They would try a few times, and then pout when they couldn’t grab it, and then Mom or Dad would come over and pick them up so they could grab it.I walked up to Dewdrop and picked her up, just like I could remember my Dad having done so many times for me.  I held her up in the air while she plucked the fruit from its stem, then sat her back down in the soft grass covering the floor of the den.My journey was over.  I had survived.  Dewdrop and Plink had survived.  We were all Survivors.  We were… we were back home…But it was empty.  Mom and Dad were gone, and nobody else was here.  I had hoped that when I got back home again I would be back with family once more, even if only my little brother, but… but…I was still all alone.  Just me and these two slugpups that needed me.The family I needed was nowhere to be found.……Dewdrop paused right before eating the fruit in her hands, and her ears perked up.  Some sound she must have heard outside the tree, at the entrance to our den.  I turned in that direction, even as Plink and Dewdrop turned with me…A familiar yellow slugcat came to a stop at the entrance to the tree.We stared at each for several long heartbeats……then my little brother leapt in place in one of his happy backflips, and rushed forward to grab me in a hug.I closed my eyes and hugged him back with one arm, even as I reached out with my other hand to hold Plink, too.Finally.
  Home.'
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
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