Hello again! Have another chapter! (I've decided to just upload these in the order that I wrote them, which means that there's gonna be a couple more Dolorosa and Signless ones before anyone else).

Timewise: This goes after chapter 1 (where Kankri names himself) and before chapter 3.

Disclaimer: I don't own Homestuck or any of the characters here; Andrew Hussie does.

Word count: 1,357

The little troll lay on his stomach in the dirt, chin propped in his grubby fists. His eyes were fixed on the woman sitting on a rock nearby. "Mother, can you tell me a story?"

The Dolorosa didn't look up from the needle she held in her fingers. The needle flashed as it went up and down, diving into the colorless pants that sat on her knees, pulling the large tear at the knee shut. "What story would you like to hear, little one?"

Kankri thought for a little bit, thinking hard. Hesitantly, almost shyly, he asked, "Can you tell me about your life before?"

Up and down the needle went, almost hypnotic in its movements. The Dolorosa nodded. "Of course. You know that all jadebloods are sent into the caverns to take care of the Mother Grub." Kankri nodded even though it wasn't a question.

"I wasn't very good at taking care of the Mother Grub herself," she admitted, smiling wryly, "I was too impatient, too willing to take shortcuts, and too easily bored.

"I was one of the few who knew how to use a weapon. Because of that, I was often tasked with keeping hostile creatures away from the entrance to the cavern."

Kankri raised his eyebrows. "But then why can't you hunt?"

She made a face at him, finally looking up from her work. "It's a lot easier scaring away a wild animal than it is killing and eating it, Kankri." Her expression was exasperated, but her tone was fond.

The little redblood nodded, waiting for her to continue. When the Dolorosa looked back down at his pants, checking her progress, she began to speak again. "Guarding the cavern was a dull job, because I was often out there alone. By then, animals knew better than to stray too close to the cavern entrance, but I still had to fight off the occasional growlbeast. Thankfully," she finished the stitch and moved on to the other knee, "I was good with grubs, and they fascinated me. When I wasn't guarding the cavern entrance, I helped search the grub caves to make sure the lusii had found all of the grubs. If a couple were leftover, we took them and helped them through the night before leaving them for the lusii to find again."

Kankri rubbed a delicate circle just around the scratch covering his knee. As he watched, a single drop of bright candy red blood oozed out. He quickly caught it with the tip of his finger to keep it from staining his shorts.

"It was very rare that the lusii miss the grubs that survive the trials; they're very thorough." She looked up, obviously wondering if he wanted to hear more.

Kankri thought a little bit before asking, "What was your favorite part about living there?"

"Hmm. . . ." The Dolorosa's hands stopped moving momentarily as she thought. Kankri watched her unblinkingly. It was clear when she decided on a certain memory; her jade eyes lit up and her face split into a wide smile.

Something unpleasant and hard settled into the pit of Kankri's stomach, and he wrestled with the strange emotion, unsure what it was and why it made him want to simultaneously hide in a hole for the rest of his life and hug his mother.

He was distracted from his thoughts when the Dolorosa spoke. "Trolls in general are a violent race, little one. However, we jadebloods rarely fought. Perhaps it was in our natures. Perhaps it was simply the way we were raised or our lifestyle. Or maybe it was just the fact that barely any of us could use a weapon well. Either way, we all ate in one of the larger caverns together. And at the end of every day, when most were finished eating, we'd dance." She was grinning openly now. "We learned all sorts of dances from the older jadebloods. Slow dances, fast dances, silly ones, formal ones and everything in between. Some of us even sang, as well."

The cold ball in his stomach was growing. Trying to disguise it, Kankri asked, "What's a dance?"

To his surprise, the Dolorosa put down her sewing supplies and stood. She took his small hands in hers and began to hum a soft tune. She began to sway with the music, her feet darting out and tapping spots on the floor. Kankri blinked. "Wha—"

Her grin widened and she picked him up, twirling through their cave, her skirt fanning out around her. Taken off guard, Kankri let out a shout of laughter. The ball in his stomach vanished. Her song began to come out faster, and she stumbled over the steps she'd forgotten. But for the most part, she was able to keep him in the air, jumping and spinning, both of their laughters mingling in the air.

She let him back onto the ground far too early. She stopped humming momentarily, and the dance slowed. This time, when she opened her mouth, she sang.

Kankri watched her feet carefully, mimicking her movements as best he could. She noticed and slowed down even more to allow him time to learn. The song was slow and rolling, and it spoke of a simpler time when nothing mattered but the trees and the sky. Kankri didn't really understand it; he was too focused on the actual steps to focus on the lilting lullaby.

By the time they'd stopped, he'd more or less figured out how to do it. He grinned widely at her. "That's fun." They were both sweating and gasping for breath, but both of them were grinning.

Her smile became soft and she gently ruffled the hair between his horns. "I can teach you more."

Kankri nodded earnestly. "I'd love that."

She let him go and sat down, grabbing his torn pants again. Kankri settled next to her, leaning against her side, watching as the needle resumed its own dance. He thought about what she'd said and the stories she had told him about her life before. "Do you miss it?" His voice was uncharacteristically quiet, and he buried his head in her skirt.

The Dolorosa looked down at him, and, as his face was hidden, he didn't see the frown that turned the corners of her mouth down. "Sometimes," she admitted, choosing her words carefully, "I miss the joy after discovering that all of the grubs had passed the trials. I miss the quiet nights and the songs." She put the needle and thread down, gently stroking his soft hair instead. "What's wrong, Kankri?"

The wiggler tensed, and she lifted him up, hugging him to her chest. Still not looking at her, he half-mumbled, "Would it have been better if you'd never found me?"

The Dolorosa's eyes widened, and she immediately turned the young troll around so that he was facing her. "Don't say that," she whispered fiercely, "Don't ever think that, Kankri!" Watery red tears dripped from his eyes and he protested, "But we're always hiding. And the drones come after us."

She pursed her lips and continued, "I promise you that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Do you understand that?"

He nodded wordlessly.

She hugged him tightly. "I don't care that we have to struggle to survive. The struggle makes it worth drawing breath; you know this." She planted a kiss on the top of his head. "I wouldn't trade you for the world, little Kankri."

The boy hugged her back, nuzzling her shoulder. "Mother?"

"Yes, Kankri?"

There was a brief silence in which Kankri lifted his face and gave her a watery smile. "Nothing." Because there was no way to describe the almost incomprehensible love he felt for her, no way to describe the gratitude he held in his heart or the memories she had gifted to him. He could only hope that she would understand anyways.

She smiled back, and he knew that she understood. She understood everything.