AUgust24 08 Nomad (Nopon OCs, Adola OC)

a/n: Nopon life is not all berries and snacks. Two friends must part. Nopon language patterns.

"Come with Twinkle," pleaded the golden nopon. "Family do fine without her."

"Adola cannot." Adola shook her head, a thin braid swinging from her tuft. Twinkle's braid brushed against Adola's forehead. The girls had put matching braids in each other's tufts every morning since their two small caravans had joined. Tomorrow the groups would split, following different goals and paths, and they would be separated, possibly forever. "Littlepon need their sister."

"And Twinkle need her Dolly. If we cross the water that goes on and on, no one will tell us what to do."

Adola thought of the blanket on the sand where her little siblings were neatly gathered like a ring of pale eggs. They were almost bigger, it was true. All of them could walk now, and already her oldest little sister was turning a bright pink, almost as bright as Adola. But tomorrow they would be tired before they had traveled far, and they would need someone to carry them. She said as much.

Twinkle didn't agree. "Plenty auntie to carry. Or carry in potomus."

"Full of oldiepon," said Adola. Her caravan was poor in pack animals but rich in family. So many aunties and oldies and littles, and her father too. If she went with Twinkle, Dadapon would miss his darling daughter, although she thought he would be okay. Eventually he might take one of the aunties as a wife. She would miss Mamapon for the rest of her life, but he might not.

"Then just leave to aunties. Come, Twinkle will be alone and afraid."

Adola would have laughed if she hadn't been choking on a sob. Twinkle was the bravest Nopon she knew. She had taught Adola every trick of hunting, every way of sneaking. Together they had explored the edges of Ciel Lake until their caravan was a dot on the horizon. At first, she had thought that Twinkle was the soul of adventure, and her own soul had blossomed spectacularly. Only recently had she realized that Twinkle had been trying to escape her own family from the beginning.

A potomus snored fitfully. "Twinkle should join our caravan," whispered Adola. "Let Twinkle's family travel to stinky hot land if they want. Yes, many mouths and not enough snacks, but we'd welcome you."

"You'd never keep my dadapon away. Too big, too important, would never let Twinkle go free." It was true that Twinkle's family was rich and had almost as many potomus as Adola had siblings, and no other family to share it with. Their caravan was just the three of them.

It had been an uneasy combination of caravans for the days that they had been together. Adola's family shared their small meal pot, but Twinkle's had only given bits. Twinkle hadn't been like that, though. She had slipped half of her fruit and more to Adola, not minding when she in turn had given it to the tumbling littlepon to keep them sweet. Then Twinkle's mother had caught them. Shortly after that, the caravans started talking about splitting.

Yesterday, when the girls had returned with a basket of slender fish, the adults announced the breakup. Adola's family would travel to the central Sylvalum caravan, just for a bit, to let the oldies rest and the littlepon grow up safer. They'd be even more hungry, but they had always managed. Twinkle's family declared they would go to Cauldros, almost directly opposite. Twinkle's father said he knew a 'pon that would set them up for life. Adola's aunties had argued that they should stay together, since they clearly needed more wings with their herd. The fixed caravan was sure to have someone they could hire. But the other family would hear none of it.

So tonight was their last night. They had curled together on the edge of the caravan, wingarms interlinked to make a private bubble of warmth, brushing away mingled tears with the tips of their minor arms. Adola wanted to wrap Twinkle close, very close, and promise she would fight for her friend. Instead, she fell asleep. Her last thought was she would try to convince her to change her mind in the morning.

She woke before dawn, alone. Her aunties were rustling about quietly, cooking one last hot breakfast before travel. Anything cooked didn't need to be carried, after all. Her dadapon was helping the oldies to the lake one by one, to take a long drink and satisfy other needs. The littlepon had piled themselves into a heap during the night, but were sleeping steadily. The other family was still quiet inside their potomus shelter.

When the shouting started, Adola had completed all of her chores, including some extra ones because of the coming day of travel. She was brushing the morning meal off the faces of her siblings when Twinkle's father and mother rushed past. "Where is she?! Where have you hidden her?!" Twinkle's mother was screaming at the aunties while Twinkle's father beat against their potomus. Inside, the oldiepons murmered and mehed.

Adola had been very busy and quick that morning, sweeping clean the pattern of soft footsteps that led outwards from the caravan. When the dimples in the spore sand reached the path worn by local mechanical monsters, she had left it. Their massive tread would hide any smaller traces, and Adola didn't want to go any further. She didn't want to risk finding proof that her friend had failed, and she didn't want to risk being drawn ever further away.

She wished Twinkle had woken her up and had tried to convince her one last time. She wished she had been able to bid her goodbye in the way of all Nopon, foreheads together, promising to meet for a meal at Frontier Village, the legendary home of all Nopon. She had said that to her Mamapon when she had been younger, and she said it to her siblings every morning when she did small chores outside the caravan. Noponfolk knew that tonight's dinner was never promised. Perhaps Twinkle had been afraid she would be too weak to leave. Silly girl. Adola knew no one stronger.

Even when Adola grew into a young pon whose hunting skills matched her extraordinary beauty, she remembered her friend. If she felt frightened when facing a particularly tricky foe, she would pretend her friend was only a few steps behind and would join her soon.

She never braided her tuft again.

n/a: Adola now runs a mini-mart at the West Gate Refueling Station in NLA. Twinkle has not been seen again.

Next up: Accidental Baby Acquisition. You would think it would be fluffy.