Monster had figured out a way to curl up on the tiny rock. It was comfortable enough, and it allowed him to watch Purple Pelt and Blue Pelt while he was resting. The two twolegs kept making noises at each other, gesturing wildly at him and the surrounding area. It felt familiar, and soon, he started nodding off as his exhaustion caught up to him. Monster tensed a bit as he heard one of the pack-enemies move closer. She had hopped over to another tiny rock that was near the barrier. "See, P? I'm telling you, I think we messed up. Just look at him!" The corrupted half-gem kept his eyes closed. He waited for Purple Pelt to get a little closer. "I've never seen a corrupted gem sleep before. And he was really chill earlier." He opened his eyes and narrowed them at her, just as she turned to face him again. "Gyahh!" Purple Pelt shrieked and fell back on her rump. Blue Pelt rushed over to help, but Monster laughed with a loud chuff.
"D-did he just… laugh at you?" Blue Pelt was looking at him curiously now. Purple Pelt was also staring at him, and Monster could feel annoyance bubble up. He wasn't something to be stared at. Monster sucked in a deep breath and blew it out at them. The air penetrated the wall of pain and buffeted the two. For good measure, he huffed at them with a glare afterward. Blue Pelt and Purple Pelt shared and look before Blue Pelt pulled a tiny shiny thing out of her pelt. "Okay, I'm calling Steven. Twoie is obviously more aware of himself than most of the corrupted gems are."
But suddenly, there was a buzzing in the air. Monster lifted his head and stared at where the feeling was coming from, a patch of space at the tiny rock that Blue Pelt and Purple Pelt had initially been on. Blue Pelt and Purple Pelt followed his gaze, though he could sense their confusion at his action. The air whirled, and a pink thing showed up. Pink Beast appeared out of it, with Tiny Thing and several other twolegs. "Steven! Why are you all back so soon?" Blue Pelt and Purple Pelt ran over to them. Monster laid his head back down on his paws. All of the twolegs were back. He saw Tiny Thing, Long Fur, Many Fur, Water Bird, Leaf Pelt, Red Blue Pelt, and then-. He froze, raising his head and staring at the new twoleg. She had long dark fur and a blue pelt. Although she looked like the others, there was something different about her. She smelled like his pack. Monster tilted his head in confusion and rumbled a soft noise of concern. The twolegs all turned to him. Dark Fur was looking at him in horror, and he couldn't stop the feeling of guilt that swept over him. She was worried about him.
Tiny Thing helped Dark Fur get to the closest tiny rock. Monster's eyes followed them. "Twoie? Do you remember me? I'm your friend, Priyanka. We used to meet up at a café for coffee, and we would talk for hours." Monster couldn't understand her, but she kept making that noise. 'Twoie.' Everyone kept making that noise. What was its importance? He tilted his head at her again. Dark Fur sighed and looked at Tiny Thing. "His memory loss is severe. I don't think he even recognizes his name, let alone what I'm saying."
Tiny Thing worriedly looked between Monster and Dark Fur. "How can you tell?" Seeing that they were focused on each other, Monster could feel his drowsiness returning. He laid his head back down on his paws and watched them tiredly as Dark Fur put her paw on her face.
"Twoie." Monster tilted his head at her. "See? He is confused by that name. He knows what I am saying because he responds to it, but he doesn't know what it means." Dark Fur looked at him sadly. Monster felt bad. He didn't want to upset Dark Fur, and to make matters worse, Tiny Thing was looking at him sadly. He could smell the sadness and guilt coming from the kit, and it bothered him. It didn't matter that Tiny Thing had betrayed him. He still regarded him as a pack-member, and it hurt to know he was upset. Monster let out a soft, comforting purr. He really wanted to cheer them up. Tiny Thing looked over at Leaf Pelt. "Can you turn the barrier off? I don't think Twoie is going to attack us. He's not like the others. And it was wrong of us to trap him like this." Leaf Pelt nodded and pressed something on a little thing in her hand.
Monster jumped when the walls flickered and disappeared. He tentatively stretched a paw out, and when he felt no sting, laid back down and extended his neck out. His snout hovered right above Tiny Thing and Dark Fur. He heard the other twolegs shout at them, but Tiny Thing shouted back. Monster didn't pay them any attention. Now that he could calmly inspect his pack-members, he knew for sure that there was something special about Tiny Thing and Dark Fur. He settled his attention on Tiny Thing first. He could smell the familiarity of his own scent intertwined with the kit's scent. Tiny Thing was his pack-sibling. He then directed his attention to Dark Fur. She smelled of warmth, like the comforting hold of a mother on a stormy night. Safe and protective. He knew right then and there that she was his Mother.
He rumbled another purr as he nuzzled the two. Tiny Thing left out a bark of laughter, and even Mother snorted at his actions. Good. He hoped that would cheer them up. "Twoie, stop it! That tickles!" Tiny Thing laughed as he pushed his snout away. "And your breath smells like fish!" Monster flicked his tail and licked his pack-sibling. "Eww, gross, Twoie!"
Monster snorted and looked over at the other twolegs. They no longer smelled of fear and distrust. Instead, they were smiling, and Monster decided that he was wrong about them. He still didn't trust them, but he knew they weren't pack-enemies now. They were just protective of Tiny Thing like he was. "I know I said that I wanted us to show Twoie how much we care, but can we take him home first?" Tiny Thing asked the others. "I don't want to keep him trapped here."
Blue Pelt hummed in thought and turned to Red Blue Pelt. "Well, if his corruption is based on his emotions, and he can't turn back without his memories, then it would be better to be in a familiar setting. Being at home should make it easier for him to remember." Monster perked up at the mention of home. He wanted to go back home. He didn't like being stuck on the tiny rock and surrounded by the endless water. He wanted the warm sand and the rolling waves of the beach.
"How do we get him back? Will he have to swim all the way back to town?" Mother piped up. Tiny Thing ran over to Pink Beast.
"Can you try to make a portal big enough for Twoie to cross through?" Pink Beast curiously looked over at Monster. He padded over and raised his snout to sniff him. Monster lowered his head, so Pink Beast could get close, and then chuffed when Pink Beast rubbed his head against Monster's muzzle. "Aww, so you do recognize Twoie!" Pink Beast stepped away from them, took a huge breath, and roared. He kept the roar going as long as he could, but the pink thing only slightly increased in size. Tiny Thing sighed. "I guess Twoie will have to swim back. Lapis, Dr. Mahewsaran, do you two want to come with me?" Water Bird and Warmth Bringer nodded. Monster watched as Tiny Thing led the other two over to him. "We're going home. Can you follow Lapis back?" Monster purred happily. He knew the way back home. He crossed over the tiny rocks, ignoring the group's exclamations of surprise as he settled into the water. Once he was comfortable, Monster lowered his snout onto the tiny rock so his pack could climb onto his head.
"I think that is a 'yes.'" Mother smiled as she gently climbed up. She sat down next to his horn, lightly holding onto it for support as Tiny Thing floated onto Monster's head.
"The rest of us will go home with Lion and let the residents of Beach City know that it is safe to return to their homes." Red Blue Pelt smiled warmly at them. Monster decided that he was tired of waiting and started swimming where his instincts told him to go. Tiny Thing and Mother called out to the others as they swam away, and soon, it was just them and Water Bird.
"Sorry about helping the others trap you, Twoie. I know how much I hated being trapped in the mirror. I should've fought them more on the issue." Water Bird turned to face him as she flew beside him. Monster could sense the guilt in her heart and knew she was apologizing. Monster smiled and playfully splashed water at her with his paw. "Hey!" She laughed and flicked a little water back at him. "I'll get you back for that when you're human again."
"We should tell stories about Twoie while we're waiting. We're trying to get him to remember who he is, so talking about him should help, right?" Tiny Thing piped up.
"That is certainly possible. Why don't you start then, Steven?" Monster could hear the fondness in Mother's voice as she chatted with Tiny Thing. The kit began talking animatedly about things that Monster could not understand, but that didn't matter to him. It was nice being with his pack again. And he couldn't wait to get home.