Chapter Four: "THE GOLDEN FUR OF NORSKOGG"

SunDrop sat down by the water, freezing her paws off. The cold windy air blew into her face, making her mouth dry and her nose soar. The snow was partially covering her body, at least protecting her tail from frostbite. The disgustingly dry and frosty sand tucked her legs away from the wind, slightly giving off a tiny ounce of warmth.

Still, this was actually the best spot she could find away from the other Tundrians. She sighed and she saw her breath. One tear slid down her face, barely making it down to her cheek before it froze. She didn’t even bother wiping it off.

Oh, how she wished for a change. Couldn’t it be a little warmer, have no wind and maybe even see the sun at least once? The blizzard that suddenly came in answered her question- absolutely not. She was suddenly covered in snow, chilling her down beneath her fur and into her heart. Well, she decided to go back to her home, well, everyone’s home.

The she-Norskogg walked down the snowy isle, and took a turn. To the uninformed, not flying here and where the cave was seemed like an impossible mystery. Flying in blizzards was too dangerous, and to Tundrians every tree was different. She padded over to one of them, and ducked her head through the leaves. The camp was well hidden, unlike many other camps. She flew down the absurdly long tunnel, and entered the cave.

It was made of stone and ice, with a white, grassy bottom. A big pond with lily pads was in the middle, as well as reeds. Many caves with glowing teal crystals and flowers decorated it, each one contained many creatures. There was even a second level with caves only accessible through flying. The cave was also covered in hanging vines at the top.

A Rorolo sat down at the tunnel end, waiting for someone. Its face lit up when it saw SunDrop. “Hey! I haven’t seen you since…the incident.” SunDrop quietly nodded, not wanting to cry in front of her friend. “Well, what are gonna do? Just stand there? Come in my cave! You must have been freezing!”

The Rorolo led her down the cave and stopped at the wall. SunDrop ducked and entered the tiny door. A cozy little house, with tiny furniture. “I-I’ll just sit on the rug…” SunDrop stammered. She was too big to sit on the chairs.

“So…” SunDrop looked around anxiously, and had the urge to just let the words flow out. And she did. “I know you know about the incident, but I don’t think you know what happened. My newborn son, Midnight as I called him, was token out of his egg. He was just a tiny little thing, weak, bloody, furless. He squealed and shut his eyes as he came into the harsh world.

“He wasn’t ready to hatch yet. And…t-they…killed him. They bit off his dead.”

The Rorolo, named Withered, stared blankly at SunDrop with his not light-reflecting, unblinking black eyes. “Oh…I see.” This was one of the few times he showed emotion. Withered’s eyes teared up, and he shoved his face into her belly fur to give her a big hug. Tears went down both of their faces, and they sobbed together.

Cara looked at them. Even he began to cry. As they fell asleep, Cara crept out of the cave and stuck his head through the door. He tried getting his body in, but he wasn’t sure it was possible. So, he gently took his beak and clamped it over her tail fur. He took out a few strands, and left.

Zela and Ora sat in the tiny nook, waiting for them to wake. Flower stuck her head in, waiting too. “Ugh. This is getting boring.” Flower said. Ora nodded in agreement. “Want me to spray a little gold breath on them?” Zela said. “Yes.” The two replied. Zela inhaled sharply, and a golden light seeped from her mouth. She made it very thin and short, and carefully blew it over the two.

SunDrop and Withered woke up, both with blurry vision from the gold. “Hello. This is Ora and Flower, and I’m Zela.” They explained once more, and Withered nodded. “Go on SunDrop. Don’t worry ‘bout me. I’ll be fine.” She hugged him and hesitantly padded to the Ghibli, Aereis and Ura. SunDrop sighed, out on a serious face, and flew off with them.

Next Chapter: Chapter Five: "BATTLE PLANS"

Previous Chapter: Chapter Three: "THE PINK FADING TAIL OF URA"