Monster History, Lesson 5
Long Tail confidently addressed the recently banished group. "We may not be doomed. The Mans have been hiding more from us than just their food."
Befuddled, Sharp Mind turned to his cohort. "What on earth are you talking about?"
Long Tail grinned mischievously. "Of course, they may not even know it exists. But no matter. Either way, they'll be terrified of it."
One Eye lost patience. "What is it?! The suspense is killing me!"
The tailed Mon leaned forward for effect. "The most wonderful thing we could ask for."
"You mean never having to deal with the Mans again?" someone shouted.
"That and more," Long Tail confirmed.
The murmurs changed from fearful to hopeful in an instant, even though there were a few skeptics. The idea of never having to deal with Mans again was highly tempting. Of course, the night does tend to make outrageous ideas more acceptable for some reason, but it turned out even daylight could not diminish the dream. They wanted to be free so badly they were ready to do anything, even risk their lives on the strangest gamble any history, Monster or otherwise, has ever seen.
Long Tail snuck off that night with two of his stealthiest helpers to inspect their new discovery, what would be their home, to see what was dangerous, useful, edible, and all those other things must know about a new land. Long Tail had discovered the entrance to the new place behind a boulder in the storage room, in a corner full of dust and dirt. He had gone in alone the first time, so he knew what to expect. No one else did.
Unlike the world they just left, this new one was in broad daylight when the other was dark outside. It was also somewhat tropical, a new sensation for those raised in the tundra. It seemed like paradise, full of apparently edible plants and animals, and brimming with the most beautiful flora they had ever set eyes on. The flowers, in full bloom, were all enormous, waxy, and iridescent. The trees were not unlike those of their old world, but they too were larger and iridescent. The place smelled sweet, like the seaside that surrounded it and the flowers and fruits native to it. Long Tail didn't think they could have asked for more.
Long Tail entered first, and breathed the lovely scent in deeply. He turned towards his helpers, who were stunned to the point of letting their jaws drop. Long Tail smiled at them.
"Isn't it perfect?" he said dreamily. "We don't even have to live on the same time as the Mans do. They can never bother us again."
Dumbstruck, the helpers mutely nodded, completely in love with their new home.
There were hazards in their new home, including some of the most bizarre animals they had ever seen. They sported larger and weirder versions of things that they had become familiar with at home. There were creatures with vicious razor sharp claws, others with large, spiraling horns in odd patterns, some even sported tentacles or wings. But the most startling thing about these creatures were their colors: even furry creatures sported purples, reds, blues, oranges, and greens. But because of the large variety of botanical life, they actually blended quite well. These odd adaptations made them both hazardous and fascinating. However, some were indeed edible, as Long Tail and his scouts quickly discovered while munching a tender purple reptile with gecko-like feet.
Their new world, quite different from their steppe valley of origin, was also an island. Having lived inland all their lives, the three Mons were quite startled at the sight of the vast green-blue ocean.
The island in truth was an unusually large atoll, an island built of sand and other sediments accumulated on an old coral reef. Though large for an island of its kind, it was significantly smaller than those formed from volcanic activity, and its entire circumference could be navigated by foot in a day and a half. The beaches, sporting white sand, were fringed in the tropical plants of the world. Further inland, however, the elevation rose slightly and some of the larger plants fell from their niches, allowing for a prevalence of grasses and shrubs in the center of the island, where a small cave that the original reef grew upon still stood. It was through this cave that the Mons gained access to this world through a thin place in the space-time continuum, and it was on the nearby meadow that the new community would be located. Excitedly grabbing samples to show their friends and family, Long Tail and the other two set off to tell the others of their new paradise.
Once safely out of sight and earshot from the Mans cave community, the three returning explorers burst into excited ramblings of their new habitat.
"Lithe! Lithe!" Long Tail called jubilantly. "Look! We found more than just a home! We found Paradise!"
Lithe blinked in befuddlement. "What are you talking about? I mean, I knew you discovered something, but Paradise? Are you sure you're not dealing with exhaustion?" She placed the back of her hand on his forehead as if feeling for a fever. "Long Tail," she said concernedly, "you're unusually cold."
Ignoring his mate's cryptic remark about his temperature, Long Tail happily continued to tell her about their new island residence. "Lithe, it's the most beautiful place ever. Here," he told her, handing her one of the island's flowers. She stared at it in disbelief. "These are all over the place. It's just gorgeous. It's warm and green, and surrounded by water full of colorful fish. The animals are all so strange! They're all sorts of funny colors and shapes, and you can eat some of them. And there are no Mans at all! We should never have to deal with them again."
Lithe looked up at her husband's beaming face. "So that's what you were talking about last night? Some warm place full of giant flowers? Is this real? Is it really real?"
Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Long Tail pulled Lithe into an embrace. "More real than anything else. Our child, and any others we may have, will all get to live and grow up in the most wonderful place ever, where they get to be who they are without any troubles from the Mans. What more could we ask for?"
"A way to get all of us there," she said.
Well...now wasn't that interesting? Again, I apologize for the delay; I took a month-long course in American Sign Language for college credit. . Soooo....yeah. This is going to be a slow moving story, both in posting and in pace. I seem to be favoring short chapters here; I don't know why. Anywho, if it's bugging you, I'm sorry, but too bad. Well...see you in Lesson 6!!
Poofiemus
Long Tail confidently addressed the recently banished group. "We may not be doomed. The Mans have been hiding more from us than just their food."
Befuddled, Sharp Mind turned to his cohort. "What on earth are you talking about?"
Long Tail grinned mischievously. "Of course, they may not even know it exists. But no matter. Either way, they'll be terrified of it."
One Eye lost patience. "What is it?! The suspense is killing me!"
The tailed Mon leaned forward for effect. "The most wonderful thing we could ask for."
"You mean never having to deal with the Mans again?" someone shouted.
"That and more," Long Tail confirmed.
The murmurs changed from fearful to hopeful in an instant, even though there were a few skeptics. The idea of never having to deal with Mans again was highly tempting. Of course, the night does tend to make outrageous ideas more acceptable for some reason, but it turned out even daylight could not diminish the dream. They wanted to be free so badly they were ready to do anything, even risk their lives on the strangest gamble any history, Monster or otherwise, has ever seen.
Long Tail snuck off that night with two of his stealthiest helpers to inspect their new discovery, what would be their home, to see what was dangerous, useful, edible, and all those other things must know about a new land. Long Tail had discovered the entrance to the new place behind a boulder in the storage room, in a corner full of dust and dirt. He had gone in alone the first time, so he knew what to expect. No one else did.
Unlike the world they just left, this new one was in broad daylight when the other was dark outside. It was also somewhat tropical, a new sensation for those raised in the tundra. It seemed like paradise, full of apparently edible plants and animals, and brimming with the most beautiful flora they had ever set eyes on. The flowers, in full bloom, were all enormous, waxy, and iridescent. The trees were not unlike those of their old world, but they too were larger and iridescent. The place smelled sweet, like the seaside that surrounded it and the flowers and fruits native to it. Long Tail didn't think they could have asked for more.
Long Tail entered first, and breathed the lovely scent in deeply. He turned towards his helpers, who were stunned to the point of letting their jaws drop. Long Tail smiled at them.
"Isn't it perfect?" he said dreamily. "We don't even have to live on the same time as the Mans do. They can never bother us again."
Dumbstruck, the helpers mutely nodded, completely in love with their new home.
There were hazards in their new home, including some of the most bizarre animals they had ever seen. They sported larger and weirder versions of things that they had become familiar with at home. There were creatures with vicious razor sharp claws, others with large, spiraling horns in odd patterns, some even sported tentacles or wings. But the most startling thing about these creatures were their colors: even furry creatures sported purples, reds, blues, oranges, and greens. But because of the large variety of botanical life, they actually blended quite well. These odd adaptations made them both hazardous and fascinating. However, some were indeed edible, as Long Tail and his scouts quickly discovered while munching a tender purple reptile with gecko-like feet.
Their new world, quite different from their steppe valley of origin, was also an island. Having lived inland all their lives, the three Mons were quite startled at the sight of the vast green-blue ocean.
The island in truth was an unusually large atoll, an island built of sand and other sediments accumulated on an old coral reef. Though large for an island of its kind, it was significantly smaller than those formed from volcanic activity, and its entire circumference could be navigated by foot in a day and a half. The beaches, sporting white sand, were fringed in the tropical plants of the world. Further inland, however, the elevation rose slightly and some of the larger plants fell from their niches, allowing for a prevalence of grasses and shrubs in the center of the island, where a small cave that the original reef grew upon still stood. It was through this cave that the Mons gained access to this world through a thin place in the space-time continuum, and it was on the nearby meadow that the new community would be located. Excitedly grabbing samples to show their friends and family, Long Tail and the other two set off to tell the others of their new paradise.
Once safely out of sight and earshot from the Mans cave community, the three returning explorers burst into excited ramblings of their new habitat.
"Lithe! Lithe!" Long Tail called jubilantly. "Look! We found more than just a home! We found Paradise!"
Lithe blinked in befuddlement. "What are you talking about? I mean, I knew you discovered something, but Paradise? Are you sure you're not dealing with exhaustion?" She placed the back of her hand on his forehead as if feeling for a fever. "Long Tail," she said concernedly, "you're unusually cold."
Ignoring his mate's cryptic remark about his temperature, Long Tail happily continued to tell her about their new island residence. "Lithe, it's the most beautiful place ever. Here," he told her, handing her one of the island's flowers. She stared at it in disbelief. "These are all over the place. It's just gorgeous. It's warm and green, and surrounded by water full of colorful fish. The animals are all so strange! They're all sorts of funny colors and shapes, and you can eat some of them. And there are no Mans at all! We should never have to deal with them again."
Lithe looked up at her husband's beaming face. "So that's what you were talking about last night? Some warm place full of giant flowers? Is this real? Is it really real?"
Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Long Tail pulled Lithe into an embrace. "More real than anything else. Our child, and any others we may have, will all get to live and grow up in the most wonderful place ever, where they get to be who they are without any troubles from the Mans. What more could we ask for?"
"A way to get all of us there," she said.
Well...now wasn't that interesting? Again, I apologize for the delay; I took a month-long course in American Sign Language for college credit. . Soooo....yeah. This is going to be a slow moving story, both in posting and in pace. I seem to be favoring short chapters here; I don't know why. Anywho, if it's bugging you, I'm sorry, but too bad. Well...see you in Lesson 6!!
Poofiemus