Sibling Hunt

1: Parting From Home

Two small loons fidgeted on the floor of the Main Hall, dejectedly rolling on their backs among the pillows. Occasionally, one would reach out and prod the other with a paw as if to start a play fight, but little other effort was put forward. And so they tossed and turned, heaving the odd big sigh here and there. It didn't really gain them any sympathy from the other, more grown loons that lingered in the domed building. This was only a mild disappointment, as the adult they wished to pester was located elsewhere.

The day before, three eggs had beamed down into the center of the Main Hall as eggs often did. Hops and Turtle were already excited at this event, but became ecstatic when told that their eggs had looked quite similar to these new ones. After coming home from their annual summer adventure, a team of adventurous loons had brought back four rainforest eggs. Shortly after, two had hatched, those being Hops and Turtle. Besides them, there weren't any other Evoloons of their type roaming the Home World. Their reckless eagerness had earned them a small earful after they almost galloped into the delicate shells. Venus, a beautiful starry loon who tended the nursery, had swiftly scooped up the unhatched eggs and taken them to her home where eggs often went. Now, the two babies weren't allowed near until they calmed down. And it was agony.

After seeming to mull something over for quite some time, the green Rainforest loon, Hops, rolled onto his paws. He stood, pointedly looking at the entryway of the hall as if there was a giant, invisible monster there about to come in. After trying to see what her brother was seeing and failing, Turtle quickly grew concerned. She balled up into a low crouch, huddling behind him for safety and peeped "What? What are you looking at?" in a shaky voice, thinking she might be about to be eaten or something of the sort. Hops looked down at his sister with a determination on his face that only a young child could have

"I have an idea!" He declared in an excited, but quiet voice "We should go get our own eggs!"

"...Huh?" Turtle still wasn't sure if she was in danger or not

"In the rain forest!" He hopped, spinning in the air, and coming down in a playful crouch to face her "That's where everybody found us! We should just go there and find some eggs, too!" Turtle quietly gasped in awe of the idea, her cheek pouches inflating slightly as she did so. She popped up from her fearful position, chubby paws hitting the floor in several eager little steps to nowhere in particular

"Let's go, let's go!" She whispered seconds before she raced for the entryway. Hops, forgetting to be quiet, let out a cheerful squeal and charged after her. Even at their young age, the loons knew the general area of the Fourth Wall. The invisible portal would lead them to Loonia and thusl, the rain forest. It would be a long walk, but that was far from their minds as they sprinted across the grass, taking the occasional nip at each other's ears or trying to pounce on the other's back. Every now and again, they'd tumble into a squabbling pile, but it wouldn't be long before they sprung up again, eyes set on a distant hill that overlooked the shoreline

2: Forested Area

Hops and Turtle burst from seemingly nothing and tumbled onto a shade of grass distinctly different to the one they had been romping across seconds before. They fell into a panting heap and didn't attempt to move for several minutes, gasping and wheezing from the run. Having only been born recently, they didn't have much in the way of stamina... The two babies had absolutely exhausted themselves and, in doing so, almost completely forgot what they were doing. In the heavy breathing, Turtle had inhaled something that irritated her sinuses. She grumbled in complaint and rubbed at her nose with her paws while still trying to lie as still as possible to cool off. It wasn't any good and she suddenly sneezed, spraying a jet of blue glitter glue from her mouth in the process. This resulted in an upset squeal from an unfamiliar source, making the loonling freeze immediately.

Fear making her heart beat fast again, Turtle looked around with wide eyes, searching for danger. Instead, she saw some sort of cervine. It had drawn close to investigate the two and been rewarded with blue sparkles all across its face. It threw its legs around in distress, rearing its head back and letting out alarm calls. Turtle chirped in fear and untangled herself from her brother, who had also grown wise to the situation "Run!" She yelled out, starting to sprint again, though her pace was significantly slowed due to their trek here. Hops leapt up and quickly bounded after her, spinning his head around often to ensure they weren't being chased. The deer-like creature clearly had no interest in eating them, but the little loons didn't know that. They thought for sure that the awful wailing sounds it was making were alerting its friends to swoop in and surround them.

They galloped towards a thick line of pine trees that surrounded the giant clearing they had been resting in. The sky swiftly grew dark under the thick layer of needles. The loonlings lost sight of where they had come from in moments, the dark, rough trunks of the trees closing in behind them. Trying to catch their breath again, they slowed to an ambling trot as they tried to navigate more safely amongst the roots and piles of rocks. Even after the sounds of the creature faded into the distance, they kept wobbling along, a new concern growing in their minds. Neither of them wanted to voice it, so on they trekked until they legs grew dusted with dirt and their paws started to become sore

"Grasshopper," Turtle mumbled, unable to keep it in anymore "are we lost?" Her brother, who had taken the lead, turned his head around and searched the dim light for eye contact. He gave up and gazed at a fixed point in the distance

"No." He replied, not sounding sure at all "They call this a dee-toor"

"What's that?" She whispered back

"It's how you make a shortcut." He managed to sound more matter-of-fact this time. Seeming pleased with himself, he faced forward again and found the confidence to lead on with his head raised high

3: Arid Area

"I think the shortcut's sick." Hops didn't respond to his sister's comment. He was too busy staring out over the ridge they stood on, toes to the very edge. Behind them, the pine forest had withered away. Initially, they were excited to see the clear sky overhead, interrupted only by short pillars of rocks. It was when they reached the ridge that their little hearts sank. Beyond its craggy line, there was sand. Not just average sand, this looked like pulverized crystal. The whole of it glittered white, starting to tint pink as the sun lowered itself into a bed of clouds. Strange formations of quartz cut upwards in ominous, jagged lines. An unfamiliar blue liquid seeped from their edges and dripped into sizzling puddles on the ground. The kids weren't sure, but they thought they could see small clusters of bones and skulls around the pools.

Hops gulped, trying to steel himself to enter the desert. Turtle watched him intently for some sort of positive reply. When she received none, she swept her gaze over the foreboding horizon once more. There was quiet for a few tense minutes, but she broke it with the sound of rocks crumbling beneath her paws. Hop's head snapped towards her and he cried out "What are you doing?!" as he watched her start to creep down the rise. She squeaked as the dirt shifted underneath her, threatening to drag her down with it, but she managed to keep her footing "Turtle, wait!" He peeped from overhead, pacing up and down the edge a few steps here and a few steps there, not eager to follow her.

Meanwhile, Turtle carefully navigated her way down, ending with a dusty slide that she managed to make look elegant on her pudgy legs. The crystal sand crunched beneath her paws and she scooped up a cautious handful to investigate it closer. The particles caused her no harm and, pleased, she smiled to herself. This wasn't so bad! A wail made her start and she whirled around to see her brother had tumbled over the ridge and was sliding towards her in a giant cloud of dust. Turtle shuffled her feet up and down in the sand, not sure where to go before impact. Just as he was about to crash into her, she squished her eyes shut and lept into the air. Hops shot past her, squealing all the way, though he quickly gained enough friction to grind to a stop. There was a light jingle as Turtle hit the ground again, sending a spray of tiny crystals across the plane. Groaning, Hops shifted about, trying to find his footing. He'd hoped to get some quick sympathy for his valiant effort, but instead he looked up to see his sister bouncing across the sand in front of him. She turned to look at him, a grin on her face "Come on, silly goose!" She called cheerfully before continuing her bounding along, jingling as she went

4: Cold Area

Turtle blinked her eyes open and let out a squeaky baby yawn. She went to stretch out her front legs, but quickly recoiled, as the ground was cold to the touch. Trying to focus in the dark, she looked for the cause of the chill, but saw nothing. Huffing discontentedly, she tried to snuggle closer to the still sleeping form of her brother for warmth, but it seemed, now that she'd noticed it, the cold was out to get her. She whined a little, envious of the warm hollows back in the Home World. The den they'd found was far from it.

As night fell, they'd found a small cave that curled beneath a particularly tall crystal. Or at least, that's what they thought they were looking at. There was no moon in the sky, so they could see very little. Whatever the case, they didn't hear the hissing of the caustic blue liquid and figured it'd be a safe, dry place to take a nap for a bit. As she picked up a slight shiver, Turtle couldn't help but wonder if they became lost in the dark and stumbled upon something new

"Hops!" She whisper-hissed, prodding a foot firmly into her brother's stomach. He peeped unenthusiastic ally and went to roll onto his back, legs in the air. He immediately regretted doing so, letting out a loud squeal and flying to his paws in reaction to the cold floor. With wide eyes, he glanced around the den for change, but, same as his sister, he found none "We have to get out of here." She pulled him out of his frantic haze with a stomp of her tiny paw on the hard ground "I think it's winter."

"I thought winter took longer." He croaked, being too startled to search his head for what he'd learned in his few days of life

"Not this time!" With that, she led the way out of the burrow and onto the surface

The two of them squinted and let out little 'augh!'s at the bright light outside. All around, a salt-and-pepper snow had fallen. Some clumps were black, others were white. The paler patches caught the meager starlight and seemed to amplify it straight at the loonlings. With another call, Turtle gathered her brother and the two of them made to bolt out of the strange substance's glow. With it bending beneath their feet like memory foam, they padded out into the night.

5: Watery Area

As the sun rose, casting a smokey orange glow across the horizon, the young travelers were revealed to see they'd left the bizarre cold behind them. If they peered over their shoulders, they could sometimes see a distant pile of ashen black, which put a little more emphasis in their step. A thick layer of yellowish-green grass had started to spring up around them the further they continued on. Soon, it grew above their heads and they found themselves tunneling between the bases. With no way to see ahead of themselves, they found that they kept slipping into puddles hidden beneath shorter growth which had been growing more and more frequent

"Is this the rain forest...?" Turtle croaked as she scrambled out of another pool. She paused to try and lick the mud from her paws, but spat in disgust

"Maybe?" Hops wasn't sure... "I think there are supposed to be trees." Behind him, his sister reared up onto her hind legs in an attempt to see over the grass. It didn't work. Still, she raised a paw to their right

"There's a tree!" After her announcement, the mud got the better of her. She slipped and fell backwards, landing on her back with an abnormally loud squishing sound

"Hmm..." He tried to squint into the distance and confirm her find "I think... I think there are more trees that way! Maybe that's the rain forest's start!"

"Yea!" Turtle sprung up from the mess, reinvigorated "Let's go, quick!" She then tried to scamper forward, but wasted several pumps of her legs scrambling in the grime before she gained purchase. When she found her grip, it was sudden. She darted off into the grass, vanishing from sight. Hops squealed in alarm, fearing he'd been left alone. He hesitated for another moment, fidgeting with his front paws, before leaping towards the wall of grass in front of him. The fact that he could only see green on all sides made him quite nervous, but he thought he could hear his sister cheerily urging him on from somewhere up ahead. Suddenly, the foliage fell away and he burst into a new area

6: Populated Area

Turtle cheered and sprung up into the air when she realized her brother had joined her on the significantly greener and drier grass. Hops himself was too busy staring on in awe to join her celebration. Before them was a dense rain forest. Massive trees towered overhead, their heavy leaves accenting the now blue sky and its puffy white clouds. Ferns and colorful foliage all but poured from the ground, smothering the area in life and vibrancy. Amidst the airborne pollen and drops of water tumbling from the canopy were hundreds of Toulons.

The two of them had seen a few Toulons come back with the summer event team, but it was nothing compared to this. Bird-lizards of every possible color were everywhere. They climbed trunks, foraged among the leaves on the ground, and soared through the air in a burst of rainbow feathers and scales. The surrounding area was filled with their chatter, so much so that the siblings had to wonder how they'd missed it. They both squealed as one of the creatures did a low sweep over their heads to investigate them. A few others landed nearby and tilted their heads at odd angles, trying to see them using the eyes on opposite sides of their huge beaks. At first, they were frightened of the strange animals only just smaller than they were. Thankfully, the creatures proved only curious and would happily chirp at the siblings or offer them a berry in their long mouths

Suddenly, Hops gasped so loud that his sister wondered where he found the room in his chest for all that air. She whirled to judge his reaction, afraid he'd seen some sort of rain forest monster they hadn't heard of. Instead, his eyes were full of light "What is that?!" He exclaimed, though it sounded more like an outburst than a question. Trying to follow his line of sight, Turtle squinted into the deep green up ahead. Tucked beneath an especially thick line of ferns and fronds, there was what looked like...rope? Fabric? Both? The more she looked, the more she saw braided into the undergrowth. Several patient Toulons sat nearby, using their small hands to twist the material into what looked like a tunnel into the brush "Let's go!!" Hops squealed, delighted, and left his sister in the dust

7: Ending

The Toulons weaving the tunnel didn't seem to mind the loonling frolicking inside, so Turtle picked a sprint to follow him. What seemed to be abandoned bags, saddles, harnesses, compasses, maps, and all sort of adventure gear decorated the corridor, which steadily declined downwards. Turtle would have liked to slow down to ogle at the delicate arrangement, but was kept at a steady pace by her brother. She didn't want to miss out on seeing anything cool that he found! As she kept going, the temperature steadily dropped and she thought she could see dirt behind the web of fabrics.

Up ahead, Hops had come to a stiff stop. Turtle sprinted over to join him, standing confidently as if she'd been there the whole time. It was then that she realized the scene had changed. The earth was carved away into a massive dome. Small lamps and lanterns hung from a mesh of ropes overhead, illuminating the multicolored mass of small eggs that glimmered beneath their haze. Touloons with dull colors crawled among the shells and sat atop cozy-looking nests. They eyed the intruders warily, but made no move towards them

"They have babies!" Turtle gasped, out of breath

"Look!" Hops whispered back, staring intently at a small rise in the center of the chamber. The dirt came up as if it were a pedestal and atop it sat a pile of eggs that were giant in comparison to the others. There was a variety among them, some having leaves, others glowing in the dim light of the underground nest. As they stood, slack-jawed in awe, a silvery Touloon crested the pile. She eyed the children with glimmering eyes and then clambered forwards. She placed her small talons on a craggy egg, the glow of fire threaded across its surface. With a great heave, she pushed the object from the pedestal. Elegantly, it rolled to the ground and through a path between the other nests. There was little other the two could do beyond stare in amazement as the unhatched child came to a halt at their paws. The silver Touloon seemed to nod to herself, pleased, before disappearing into the mysterious stack of eggs where she came.

"GRASSHOPPER!" A yowl broke them from their daze "TURTLESHELL!" It was coming from outside, up the tunnel behind them. The children gasped and made eye contact. They knew that voice. In a mad scramble, they started to shove their treasure up the slanted pathway, peeping out to hail the passerby overhead

Voidkiss narrowed one of her currently many eyes as it caught a flash of color in the undergrowth. She retracted the excessive swarm of hovering eyes around her back into her dark form, turning to call off somewhere else "They're here, I've found them." She then strode on long legs to the two frog-like loons huddled in the grass, tiny eyes wide in fear or awe, she wasn't sure. She summoned extra hands from within herself, long arms jutting out of nowhere to snap up the little creatures, who screamed in surprise. Then, she recoiled slightly in shock. There in the grass sat a loon egg that she had never seen before

Panpann and her adoptive mother, Memecake came trotting from the long foliage of the marsh just before the rain forest, worried looks on both of their faces. Void gave them a passing glance and then extended her tendrils, one towards each. She deposited a whimpering loonling near each adult before pulling her arms back towards herself. With great care, she scooped up the strange egg "Look-ee here." She mused as the others tilted their heads to see. Void turned with a grand spin so that they could see "Looks like we've got a couple of troublesome little treasure-hunters on our paws"