November 2022 "We Lift Together" EoE Prompt

“What kind of a punch is that? Swing harder.” Alcyone was firm with Lambren, not exactly going ‘easy’ on him.

    “But Allllcie, I don’t know what you expect of me! I’m doing my beeeest!”

    “You’re doing the bare minimum, so you can scuttle back to your plant projects. I can see right through you, Lam.”

The despairing wail that spilled from Lambren’s lips garnered no sympathy from the larger Work stock, Alcyone folding her arms over one another as the Intellect before her complained. With the sun beating down on the two of them, it was no surprise to Alcyone that Lambren had no desire to be physically active. The little NEOGEN hopeful had spent many moons safely inside an air-conditioned environment with his little plants. Spending time in the desert would do him some good. It would build character. Of course, Lambren wouldn’t see it as such. With the fall of the city, all his goals had been crushed. There wasn’t going to be a NEOGEN to work for if Praque didn’t exist.

“C’mon. Get back up. Laying in the sand is just going to make you itch.” Alcyone remarked. A large indigo hand grasped Lambren’s upper arm, lifting the smaller Phuzo with ease. She deposited him on his feet, letting go once she was certain that Lambren wouldn’t just turn his legs back into jelly.

“I don’t want to fight you, though, Do I really have to?” Lambren lamented, showing his big shiny eyes to Alcyone in a pleading attempt to weasel out of the exercise. Unfortunately for him, his persuasive abilities just weren’t quite high enough. “All riiiight, I suppose I can rationalize the utility. Being out in the desert after all…” A smirk pricked at the corners of his lips. “After all! You’ll need someone to take care of you, if another lizard chucks a rock at your head!”

Lambren saw the looming figure of Alcyone’s shadow cast itself upon him before her fist came towards him. A startled ‘eep!’ slipped from him as he dodged. “Alcie! Rude!”

“It’s a test of your reflexes. If you won’t hit me, I can certainly hit you.”

Lambren swallowed thickly. He barely had enough time to stammer out a frantic, “Wait, wait-wait wait--!!” before Alcyone’s other fist swung at him. This time, she made contact with the dune behind them, sand flying into the air. She turned her head towards Lambren, clearly ready for another swipe. “Fight me. Or Run. But quit complaining. It won’t do you any good. You have to learn.”

Lambren considered the pros and cons of both options before sprinting away from Alcyone. His nails dug into the sand as he sought to find more traction. He dared not look over his shoulder, as he knew it would only slow him down. Deep, bassy thuds of Alcyone’s paws slamming into the sand urged him forwards. He was familiar with her claws, he had often praised her for being able to sift through plant fibers for him, as well as rend fish asunder much quicker than he could with a spare scalpel. He did not want to find out what they could do to him, in the event that she caught him. He eventually broke into a quadrupedal sprint, kicking sand up behind him as he went.

Alcyone’s pursuit was not deterred, squinting her eyes as she followed her prey. Lambren was fast, yes, but she could be faster. With a good push of effort, Alcyone leapt from the sand towards Lambren and tackled him. The two rolled over one another as they collided, eventually the two of them coming to a stop with Alcyone’s paws trapping Lambren between her and the sand.

“Congrats. You would be eaten by now if I were a creature of the wastes.” Alcyone huffed, blowing sand out of her nose with a puff of air.

“W-well! Let’s be glad that you aren’t! Although may I just say, Alcie, you put on a rather terrifying display!” Lambren stuttered out. He was definitely the touchy-feely type in his friendships, but he could hear his heart racing in his ears and it wasn’t a sensation he was too confident in.

Alcyone made a slight noise as she stood, pulling Lambren to his feet and then tossing him up over her shoulder. “You would think anything is terrifying out here.”

“And why shouldn’t I? I’m a small, pliable little thing that would make an easy meal for anything! Giant worms, lizards,-”

“Other Phuzo.” Alcyone quipped, sarcastically.

“Now Why would a Phuzo want to eat me? With all my charm and knowledge?” Lambren remarked, grinning widely as Alcyone carried him back to their spot.

“Gee. I wonder.” The work stock jokingly commented. Alcyone shook her head to jostle the grains of sand from her mane. “But this is exactly the reason why I need you to learn to fight. Defend yourself.”

“But that’s what I have You for!” Lambren remarked. “You’re the big beefy brute who ventures out into the wild. It should be no trouble for you.”

Alcyone’s gruff noise of acknowledgement was all the reply she gave. She leaned down and swept their bags off the ground once she reached their initial sparring grounds before heading back to Sanctuary. Lambren may be content to be joined at the hip forever, but there were some questions that the little Intellect just couldn’t answer for her. She would have to seek them out on her own, and thankfully, she had a hint of where she could go to start.