Growing Pains

                Growing pains 

            Lilaxian story by Lan

A wide purple field is flowing softly in the wind. The warmth of the sun gives the field the illusion of shining ocean waves. Suddenly, a rodent-like alien creature called a lilaxian , pops its head out from the field. It looks around, as if searching for something. Suddenly, another Lilaxian's head pops out of the field a ways away from it. They look at eachother, and pull what could be considered a smile. They both duck back down. 

Inside the field, the two creatures run up to each other, flanking each other's sides. They push against each other as they walk. One of the lilaxians bump the other with their hip. The creature falls down, squealing. The other joins them on the dirt, rolling and tossing some dirt at the other using their tail. 

The lilaxian who threw this dirt has wide, solid green eyes with no pupils. A green marking goes across their face diagonally and finishes at their stomach. Their fur is short, a light turquoise coloration. A full tuft of it sits atop their head, neat and clean, having been groomed by the lilaxian who received the dirt throw. This lilaxian has pink hair going down to its shoulders. It widens it's purple, solid eyes in amusement and counters the other lilaxian by swooping its tail through the dirt toward the other, coating them in dust. They squeak out the equivalent of a laugh. 

Both lilaxians turn to the left as if hearing something. They both immediately run through the field, leaving the patch of dirt. 

They arrive at a burrow teeming with activity of other lilaxians around it. All of the lilaxians are heading into the burrow. As all of the rodents gather up, there is silence. That is until a large lilaxian teeters out of a cave on a upper level of the burrow. Our green eyed lilaxian sniffs, and their partner watches on. The large lilaxian squeaks out something, and all of the lilaxians immediately head into a lower level of the burrow. This was the deepest level of the burrow, safest for letting guard down and sleeping. Green finds a place to rest with Purple. They carefully curl their tails around eachother, dozing off. 

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Sleep. 

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Sleep.

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Sleep.

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Think. 

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Think?  

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Feel.

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Hear. 

Green opens their eyes, twitching. This wakes up purple slightly. They look indifferent. Green watches purple closely. They truly love their partner. Green closes their eyes again, their pupils lolling back in their head. 

Green wakes up. And the sleeping burrow is empty. Green immediately sniffed for purple, sifting through the dry grass in the sleeping burrow. Purple sometimes would wander off, I don't know what I'm so worried about. Green scurried out of the burrow to search for his partner. 

Green came to the clearing where Purple and them had been playing in the dirt. They let out a low squeaking noise, a special sound meant to attract fellow lilaxians but at a frequency that most predators cannot hear. Green waits, expectant, paws sprawled out. 

As if right on que, Purple suddenly pokes their head out from the field and squeaks back at Green. They walk toward eachother, squeaking delightedly, flanking eachother and twisting their tails. 

There is a loud stomping noise that shoots throughout the field. Green and Purple quickly hide to the best of their ability. They've learned that this noise could mean sky paws. They often steal away lilaxians, and they never come back. Green looks nervous, and tries to use some grass to cover themselves. Purple flattens themselves to the ground. 

Stomp. Stomp… The stomping is close. Green considers running away, but doesnt move in fear of making a noise. Green feels Purple move to run and quickly grabs them with his tail. Purple squeaks in surprise. Why did Purple just do that? Don't they know its dangerous. They need to be still or the sky paws will get them. 

All of the sudden, there is a smooth, calm sounding noise coming from the direction of the stomps. 

"My darling, you're no harm, Just say the word and I'll take you in my arms…" 

Green perked up his ears. These noises made him feel something. 

"I don't want to lose your signal, baby, take me up high where I can reach you" 

Green's pupils glimmered a yellow color. 

Purple squeaked suddenly, a loud sound that causes the singing to stop 

Now you really blew it, oh no.. Why did you squeak? 

Purple's words were confusing "Must run" "Get off" "Must run" "Get off"

Green quickly gets off of Purple, who runs away. He stands on two legs, confused. He takes one more look back, to see a gloved hand reaching down at him. 

Green dodges the hand, darting after Purple. I'm not losing my darling that soon!.. My darling.. 

These noises changed something in Green. 

They were amazing. Like new ways to express his love for his partner. Such special noises. And he could understand these noises. 

Later in the burrow, Green greets Purple since their last encounter with the sky paw by lifting their backside with his nose. They look indifferent. 

I want to wow them.. I will wow them with my new flattery! 

Green breathes in deeply, and stands, singing. 

"Oh my darling… Your antenna find me in even my deepest pits.. In my soul your heart it fits" 

Purple perked their ears, alert, flattening themselves on the ground . They hissed at Green. 

They hissed at Green? 

That.. Isn't right.. 

"Whats wrong my love?" 

Green flinched as Purple darts into a deeper recess of the burrow, leaving dirt all over him. 

Whats their problem? Do they not want to be my mate anymore? What did I do? 

Suddenly, Green realized that all of the other lilaxians in the burrow were flattened on the ground as if a sky paw was nearby. Green instinctively flattened as well. 

Then he thought. 

"Wait, how can skypaw be in burrow when the sky is out of burrow?" 

No lilaxian responded. Did they not understand what he did? Green slowly unflattened themselves. A wave of dejectedness flowed across him like cold wind, as he stood upright in the sea of flattened lilaxians. 

He slowly dragged his feet to a different area of the burrow, feeling sick and confused. 

Green laid in this area of the burrow for days. Purple did not visit him once. 

Food had to be aquired by himself, but that was all he left for. 

Today, he would need to go out for food again. He did not come to like leaving this area of the burrow. It seemed as if no lilaxian felt the same anymore. Not even Purple. Purple abandoned him for showing them his newfound way of expressing love for them. But yet, Green still loves Purple. He will try again! They can't possibly hate him forever, they are purple after all, his mate. 

With newfound hope, Green scampered out of the burrow to search for some delicious food to bring to Purple while he sings to them. The food may tempt them to stay and listen longer. 

As Green searched throughout the vast purple field, he spotted a nut stuck in the ground. Perfect! He quickly scurried over and leaned down. Using his antenna, he could screw the nut out. Atleast this is what he believed. It turned out the nut was stubborn, and he could not get it out on his own. Luckily, two lilaxians passed by him. Green stared at them from behind, about to call out for help, but then realizing it was Purple and another. Flanking. 

.

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Over 

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Its over.. 

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Say goodbye. 

Green cried out a pained squeak at the couple, who turned back at him and hissed. 

Through tears, Green sang, "WHAT HAPPENED TO US , DEAR, I WANT TO BE HERE BUT YOU NEED TO BE THERE, IS THERE ANYWHERE FOR US ANYWHERE?"  

Purple raised their hackles and growled, and their blueskinned lilaxian partner joined them in this defensive stance. Green's once neatly kept fur tuft upon his head became a mess now. There was no one to groom him anymore. As he realized this, it gave up. Green unsheathed his claws, lunging at the bluetinted lilaxian, causing them to tumble backwards out of the field and near the burrow. Green landed on top of this roll and sliced madly at Blue's throat. Purple lunges at Green who nearly cries out in emotional pain more than anything physcial. He is forced off of Blue but it is far too late. Blue is bleeding out and is not going to survive. The green blood stained the sand near the burrow sending out pheromones all across the burrow. The largest lilaxian stomps out of their cave once more. 

Outside of the burrow, The large lilaxian makes herself present. This is the Queen lilaxian of this specific colony. She excercises utmost power, causing Purple to sieze attacking and sends a lilaxian to tend to Blue's wounds. Green sees only hatred toward all of this. Is that it? And things just go back to normal? Your normal is horrible. I don't want that. 

Green lashes out at the Queen, to her surprise, unaffected by her hivemind control. He digs every one of his claws into her body, breaking her eggs, her wings flapping madly. She cries out in pain, and every lilaxian in the burrow suddenly stampedes out to her aid. Green doesn't care. There is nothing for him anymore, His mate, his life, its all been ruined. He sinks his teeth into the Queen's face and takes her life. Green is grabbed from the Queen's body and pulled apart by a swarm of lilaxians who turn him into nothing but a scrap. They carry the bodies away from the burrow, as the blood smell can attract predators. 

Was that all it was about? Green wondered. Is this what I get, for being different? No lilaxian should have to suffer through this. Realization.