A New Beginning wrote:It should be dark outside, but it was lit up like the sun was still awake even though it was the middle of the night. Maipe had never seen anything like it, even the fire hadn't been like this. The wildfires had made light yes, but it had also tinted everything orange. This was much brighter and yellow or white, not at all like any kind of light you would see out in the woods. The closest the kit could think of was the pack member who made… had made lights with their jewel. The lights were coming out of the strange buildings and large metal sticks sticking up out of the ground. He had read all the books they had on this world but those glowing sticks had not been in them. Everything was weird and strange and Maipe was starting to regret suggesting they come here. Maybe finding one of the other primal packs would have been a better idea.
No, they were here now and it was still cool and kinda exciting even if it was also scary. At least his brother was here and so he would never be alone. They would do it together.
They were at the very edge of the town, standing in the shadows of the last trees at the edge of the forest. The weird lights did not reach them but it still lit up the houses in front of them, houses made of wood, rocks and some even the see-through material Aiden had explained was glass. They hadn't had any of it at home so he had only ever seen it in pictures before. It was weird and kinda seemed like it shifted in the light. Maipe did not know what he thought of it, or the weird buildings that were all so much bigger and more complicated than the ones at home had been. No, not thinking about it, focus on now. No crying.
Though he did kind of want to, but not now, they did not have time for crying.
Aiden had said they needed to find somewhere to sleep. They had been walking the whole evening so Maipe could not argue that.
But everything was so weird he did not really wanna get closer even if it was something he had dreamed about. The reality was not quite as fun as the books had made it out to be. Right now he kinda just wanted a nice cave or something, his brother and cuddles. And maybe sleep, but only after the cuddles.
Aiden sighed beside him and started walking slowly towards the houses and Maipe could do nothing but follow. Everything was so large and.. colorful. There were colors he had never anywhere but on flowers or in the books before. Buildings, both of a size like the ones at home and some so big Maipe couldnt even see the top of them, soon surrounded them on all sides. It was nothing like a forest, even the parts of the forest with the low hanging branches did not feel like this. At least the bright lights from the weird covered but still open windows and metal sticks created just as deep shadows. It was those shadows the two simas stayed in, trying to remain unseen. Even out in the woods and with the few strangers they had met over the years, they knew very well being found out here in the middle of the night would be a bad idea. Maipe might be young but he knew both from his own meeting with strangers, the pack's own experiences they had told and the books that strangers could be hostile to those they did not know or who walked their territories without permission.
The books had not made it clear what exactly counted as a territory in a town like this. They could very well be intruding just by being within the bounds of the town and might get thrown out the second they were found. Maipe did not know and he did not like not knowing.
Not knowing was even more scary than the weird surroundings.
Normally he loved the unknown and figuring out its secrets, but that had always been on his own terms. Now it very much wasnt.
Abruptly he stumbled into Aiden in front of him, his brother had stopped without warning. Maipe gave himself a shake before looking around, trying to find what had caught the other’s attention. It took awhile but then he saw it, a small hidden space beneath a weird rock formation. It was nestled in between two of the strange buildings and seemed like the safest place they had seen yet. There was a small patch of grass to walk across to reach it but they could easily run it if they had to. Yes, Maipe had to agree, it did seem acceptable.
So he started walking slowly towards it and from the sound of soft footsteps it seemed like Aiden followed him.
The space was small, smaller than Maipe had expected but he did not complain, it seemed safe and that was the only thing that mattered. His brother crawled in after him and soon they were curled around each other. He sighed happily, finally some cuddles and an escape from everything out there.
To rest.
Something crashed to the ground with a loud thud and Maipe jumped up, disorientated.
“What the?”
A voice, someone talking. There was another
sima!
Before him Aiden started growling steadily, placing himself in front of their little shelter. Maiple gulped uneasily, oh they were in someone's territory. There had been surprise in the stranger’s voice, they had not expected to find anyone here. And that meant they were here for some other reason. Most likely this was their home they had invaded.
Carefully he pushed himself forward enough to see past his brother and know what was actually going on.
Aiden was still growling but the stranger just stood there, mouth open and eyes wide, staring at them in apparent surprise. Even their wings were pushed back and wide open, a just as obvious sign. The sima was grey and purple and seemed just as confounded as Maipe himself felt. There was a broken black bag spilling its contents over the ground at his feet, it must have been what made the loud sound.
He did not know how long they just stood there, frozen in time and just staring at each other. But after a while the stranger gulped and closed their eyes, took one deep breath and spoke.
“What are you doing under my stairs?” their voice full of confusion.
“So that’s what they are,” Maipe mumbled to himself.
“You, what. You don’t know what stairs are?” their voice raised, almost shrill and the sima just stood there mouth opening and closing without making a sound.
“What did I just get myself into?” the stranger mumbled and closed their eyes, Maipe had to strain his ears to hear the words. Beside him Aiden has stopped growling but his fangs were still on full display.
“Uhh, you guys wanna come inside or something? I can’t imagine sleeping there, you did sleep there right? That can’t have been comfortable.”
The stranger was babbling and their eyes were flickering quickly between the two brothers.
Maipe just blinked for a moment and thought about it quickly. Yeah okay, they hadn’t done anything to them and even with wings they could probably take them down and get away just fine. Plus he Really wanted to get inside again, he kinda missed sleeping in a bed and if the sima lived here there was probably a bed.
So Maipe just scurried out from underneath the apparent stairs and towards the stranger. Aiden started growling again and took a step forward too.
“Bed? I wanna sleep in a real bed, please?” Maipe asked with wide eyes.
“Uhhhh okay, yeah I have a bed if that’s what you want. Just uhh, is he gonna stop growling or?” the winged had their eyes on his brother, suddenly unsure.
“Probably not but then don’t worry, don't touch me and he won't touch you,” Maipe said with a smile and looked around. So where was the door, there had to be a door, right?
“Okaaay then, I’m just, gonna pick up my trash here and then we can go inside, or you can go inside now, door’s right there so uhh yeah,” they pointed a wing up above the stairs where, yes there was a door. How they had missed it Maipe did not know, but it didn’t matter now, now it was time for soft pillows and a mattress and just all the soft things!
He quickly jumped up onto the stairs and moved to the door to open it, at least he knew how a door handle worked, they had had one on the main house for some reason after all. Maipe had to stand on his hindlegs to reach it here too but that was fine. He pushed it down and there it was, inside. A town sima house. He did not hesitate in scurrining in and then he just stood there, staring with wide eyes at everything around him. Bright lights, bright colors and weird materials and shapes. It was like the pictures but also not, not a lot of those had been of things inside after all. On one wall there was a moving picture and Maipe’s eyes widened.
A television! They had been in the newer books, moving pictures with things like books in them. Ohh there was even a soft looking thing he guessed was the sofa often paired with the television in the books. Perfect.
He threw himself at the sofa and cuddled himself up underneath a blanket that had been laid over it and trained his eyes at the moving pictures.
Maybe this wasn't so bad, he could get used to this.
