Queen's Notes- This story was co-authered with In The Light and myself, it is the sequel to our story 'Hordika under the Bed', however there is only going to be these set of chapters [9 in total] and ends where we left off. This story on HOLD until\if Light comes back.
I still do not know where she is, or if she will come back under the same name. I dearly hope and pray that she's alright, where ever she is.
Cubs On The Bed
Abby focused on him now and walked forward to the front of the couch, Mic following closely. The dog was happy when she found two hordika cubs, and leaned forward to sniff, Mic humming a warning to the dog not to try anything stupid. Nuju's sale flicked up and he reached out to touch the dog's nose with one paw, chittering in interest as his head tilted to one side and then the other.
Mic laughed quietly as the dog sniffed and then shook her head to be rid of the paw. Abby panted lightly before giving Nuju a small nudge with her muzzle, still not quite sure what he was.
Chirping came from the bundle of two cubs, and above Matau started to hiss in protest.
"Alright, alright," Mic said in effort to calm them. She led Abby off for the backyard, thinking the cubs would stay put on the couch since they seemed content and relaxed at the moment. Before Abby came in of course.
Vakama yawned as he poked his head out of the mini nest he and his brothers had made on mic's bed, tilting his head and looking over at the human. He chirped and looked at the closed door of the room. Mic was sitting across from the bed at a desk, her back to them as she held something in one hand, 'scribbling' on something the little hordika couldn't quite see from his position.
The red cub yawned widely and slid up out from under Matau and Nuju. Giving himself a shake he navigated the wrinkles in the blanket. He eyed Mic for a long moment before let out a trill.
Mic gave a small jump, startled, obviously having been in deep thought over something while she drew. The human turned in her seat, blinking. "Hm?" She spotted the red hordika awake. "Oh, you're awake, huh?"
Vakama tilted his head at her and chirped, smiling in that hordika way, his tail swishing and flicking before giving a mock bow.
She giggled at the cub and put her pencil down. "Oh yeah, you're awake..." Abby was lying across the room, dozing and only cracked an eye open for a moment before going back to sleep.
The red cub hopped sideways and then stepped forward to balance on edge of the bed. He half jumped, half fell down, rolling back up to his feet and shaking as if he meant to fall.
The human laughed even further and slid out of her chair. She crouched on the floor with a grin. "You fall outta bed on occasion or what?"
Vakama sneezed, making a face before looking around and pacing on the floor, sniffing at different things before he came over to the human. He lifted up after staring at her, balancing on his back legs to lick her jaw line.
She reached to help him balance and looked at him, blinking when he licked. Did that mean he remembered? "Vakama...?"
The cub chirped, tilting his head a little and then hummed in a light tone. He was aware of who Mic was, that he knew her but in the new, and much smaller and younger body... Vakama rubbed his head against Mic.
The human quirked a smile and stroked him from head to the base of his back, touching the side of her head against his smaller one for a moment before shifting into a better sitting position instead of plain crouching. "Geez, you're so small..."
Vakama rolled over onto his back, half in the girl's lap and chirping, seeming very smug for whatever reason as he reached up to bat at Mic's near hand. For all the world looking in act like an oversized kitten. Laughing slightly, she responded to the bat with her own hand, imitating him with a playful smile. If the dog across the floor was watching them, she didn't let it show.
The cub finally caught the hand and grasping her finger tried to chew on one. It didn't hurt though despite the little needle teeth. He was playing, for as full sized Hordika the Toa Metru had been biting each other with no damage in their 'fights.'
"Heeey, I want my finger back!" Mic protested playfully, poking the cub with her other hand with a giggle. "I'm not a chew toy." She did know where she could find some however...
Vakama gave a much, much smaller mock growl that was a far distant echo to what he used to do. But now it was far more playful. Abby opened her eyes on hearing it, before dismissing the growl and dozing again with a sigh. Mic did a more human-sounding growl and started to tug her hand upward, trying to see if he'd let go.
The cub tried, but ended up falling back into her lap, murmuring and giving a trill. His eyes fixed on her other hand now. "No you don't," Mic raised both hands and intertwined them behind her neck, smirking at the cub. "I'll have to find you some toys I guess..."
Vakama huffed at her, making a face before his attention swiveled to the door and he chirped a question.
Mic blinked and lowered her arms as a shuffling noise could be heard... someone was outside the door! "What-?"
The door opened by a hand, revealing a slightly younger human male in the doorway. "Hey, I forgot my-" he started, then he saw Vakama. "...WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?"
Said cub jerked and gave a screech of panic, scared by the boy's yell. Vakama's scream was echoed by the formally sleeping Nuju and Matau as the other two hordika scrambled and hissed at everything as they tried to find the threat.
Mic jumped up and to her feet, holding her hand, not holding the cub, up, "Ack! It's not what you think, bro! They're-"
Matt cut in, pointing at the two on the bed. "Dude, what the heck! There's more? What is this! A pet shop for freaks?"
Nuju rose up at that, hissing at Matt and baring his larger hordika fangs. The action picked up by Vakama and then Matau after the former Toa of air located the boy.
Abby gave the cubs a curious look before getting up and prancing over to the boy happily. He somehow managed to pet her while staring at the cubs and then at his sister, a wary look on his face since he knew very well that the cubs weren't in a good mood. "Mic! What are those!"
She winced a bit. "Uh... hordika. Cubs."
Vakama snorted and hissed again from Mic's arms, his little claws pricking as he tried to hang on better.
Mic winced slightly and murmured to Vakama before looking at her brother, who was staring at the red cub she held protectively. Realization crept into his tanned face. "No. No way! ... is that...?
"Vakama? Yes."
"... whaaa...?"
Matau sneezed then, shaking his head but stayed in the 'nest' behind Nuju, who was glaring and chittering at Matt.
He stared at them figuring out who they were as well. He did after all have a Matau set in his room. When he didn't say anything Mic asked, "I thought you were gonna stay at Collin's and uproot a tree stump tomorrow?"
"Uhh, yeah... came back for my swimsuit since they're not too far back in the neighborhood... oh dude, those hordika are REAL?" Matt asked, taking a step forward.
Nuju back stepped on the bed before turning and lifting his developing sale up high. At the same time puffing up his slender form to look bigger, defending Matau. Or trying to.
Mic held up a hand at her brother and stooped to place Vakama on the floor before stepping over to her brother. "They're just cubs, Matt. They don't know you and see you as a threat right now, so try not to make any sudden moves?"
He nodded. "Uh... yeah... question. You plan on keeping them? What happens when mom and dad return from their vacation?"
She frowned. "I'll, um, hide them I guess."
Vakama sneezed at the word 'hide', humping his back up and doing his best to prowl at Matt. The act was flubbed when he tripped over something and started to scowl the book he stumbled on.
Matt's look of shock turned to one of utter amazement at the little creature, instead of fear which would probably be to Vakama's dismay. The boy was an animal-freak after all. "Dude... look at him. How come he trusts 'you'?"
"Long story."
There was a moment, a flash back memory of sorts of the full sized 'adult' Toa Hordika Vakama. Green eyes in the dark and moving with every bit of a predator's grace... watching the lean and powerful form of Nuju and Matau in Metru Nui, climbing up a vertical cliff, each jumping over ten feet or more to get to the next foot hold...
...and then the red cub turned his head up to let out a (comparatively) high chirp.
"Why are they cubs?" Matt asked, folding his arms with a slight frown. "Nothing like this was in the story."
"Yeah, well, if you knew what I knew you'd neeever trust the storyline again," Mic answered, glancing down at Vakama, then over at the two others on the bed.
Matau was turning, trying to hide his bad leg and not hurt himself, but ending up tangled in his tail. The green cub let out a whine of pain that had Nuju bouncing over and Vakama trying to climb up onto the bed. Mic turned on hearing the whine and came over, lifting Vakama up the rest of the way before his claws could tear at the blanket. She turned and gently started to help Matau untangle himself as Matt slowly drew closer.
Matau complained, no help at all and latched onto Mic's hand before she could pull back. His brother sniffing and trying to sort out what was wrong. She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, allowing Matau to keep her hand at the moment.
"And you're letting them stay here?" Matt asked.
Mic nodded. "Yeah. I'll explain everything later on..." she noticed he was standing next to her now and wondered how the cubs would react to that.
Matau was glaring, clinging to Mic with paws and tail. Vakama crawled over and onto Matau in a clear defensive way, but Nuju- the closest- had sat back to watch Matt intently with sale relaxed again.
The boy watched them with interest and slight wonder, though he didn't say anything, knowing enough to try and not upset them. He looked at Mic and smirked. "You're probably their mommy-figure."
She blinked. "Ehh... boy, you don't know much about what I've been through with them already..." She reached over and stroked Matau's head gently with a murmur.
Nuju paced the bed a few times before coming closer to the second human, sniffing. Slowly he stepped even closer to Matt, able to smell the family link between him and Mic.
"Maaaan," Matt said, staring at the hordika. "Dude, these guys are the real thing." He paused before slowly holding out his hand to the white hordika, palm-side up.
The pale cub eyed the hand before very carefully extending his neck to sniff at the closer fingers again, then reached up and out to grasp a digit.
Matt watched Nuju for a few more moments before pulling back and turning to his sister. "You seriously think you can hide three little hordika when they get back? What about when they have t' go pee? How're you gonna sneak them out in front of mom?"
"I'll figure it out later... shouldn't you be getting your suit?" Mic replied, glancing up from Matau.
Three sheepish cheeps sounded from the cubs then. All looked at Mic expectantly, and Nuju started to shift on his paws.
"...I think they need to go." Matt said.
Mic smirked. "Ya think?" She stood up, carrying Matau off the bed since he had a bad leg, and turned to wait for the two others to get off the bed.
Thump.
Thump.
Vakama skirted around the boy as Nuju paced by unconcerned now. The stripped and pale cubs fallowed after Mic, Nuju bounding ahead to jump on Abby and run out the open door.
Abby lifted her head at the little white hordika after he bounced away from her, but she didn't seem to mind at all. More or less, she followed after them as Mic headed for the sliding glass doors, still holding Matau. Vakama seemed to know where he was going and moved to sit with Nuju by the door, both craning their necks to look expectantly at Mic.