[PA] Thunderstorm Cuddles

I’m in a cave with my family. My siblings are here, I’m all snuggled with my parents,  Wisp and Brambles,and everything is alright. The soft breathing and warmth makes me happy.

Literally nothing could go-

A crack of thunder nearly explodes my ears, and I jerk up.

“Mom!?! Dad!?! Siblings!?!”

Only red eyes meet my gaze.

Before I scream, I remember.

My siblings and parents are long gone. It’s been years since I wandered away while we were moving to a different place to live. Duststorm is here though. The kind Crylophosaurus who, according to him, has lived in this horrid scrubland for pretty much his whole life. He’s fed me, given me shelter, gave me a source of water, and even taught me how to fight.

I shake my head. I’ve been feeling weird about Duststorm when I think about him too much.

The thunder cracks again. I jump again.

I’m scared of thunder. I used to cuddle with my family, but they’re not here right now… Haven’t been for a while.

---

I tilt my head and face her. The storm has woken her up.

I can worry about that later. Today is a great day!

“Lilac, I have good news. The rainy season has started!”

She curls up in a corner. She doesn’t seem happy about that.

Maybe she doesn’t know what that means for us.

“Right. You haven’t lived here as long as I have. Um, well…”

I think about how to explain it.

“So, about once a year, there’s a series of big thunderstorms that bring a lot of rain. That means more water, which means more plants, which means more prey!”

I look at her. She still doesn’t seem that happy. Weird. I remember what she hates most about living in my scrubland.

“It also means that it won’t be as warm…?”

---

I snort. Warm is an understatement. I don’t know how he calls sand at a temperature that can singe your feet, sand that can burn your nostrils if it gets in there, and rocks that give you third-degree burns just warm.

But back to the main thing. I don’t want to tell Duststorm that I’m scared of thunder. This is the happiest I’ve seen him in, well, forever. I don’t want to ruin the mood.

“Um, yeah. It won’t be as warm…”

He looks at me in confusion. Makes sense. Usually I’m the happy one, and he’s the grouchy one. The turns have tabled, as my dad used to say. Whatever a table is.

Duststorm perks up, like he just got a great idea.

“I know just the way to cheer you up!”

He turns around, and leaves the burrow we call home.

I curl up a little tighter. I have to admit something to myself.

The best way for him to cheer me up might just be to get close and cuddle with me.

---

I run outside of my burrow, and am met with the pounding of water from the sky. When it rains in the scrubland, it pours. A lot. The cold water drenches my feathers, but feels like my bones themselves are also drenched.

But I need to find the object that will make Lilac happy. I don’t like to think about it, but her happiness makes me happy. If she’s happy, I’m happy.

I don’t know what that means. Usually I’d ask her about what my feelings mean, but I don’t do that when those feelings involve her.

I climb onto a sand dune, which collapses onto me, enveloping me in darkness.

---

I’m scared. It’s dark here, and I’m cold.  Why can't it just be a nice temperature, instead of hot and cold?

More thunder sounds throughout the burrow. I hate being alone. I just really want Duststorm to be here right now.

Duststorm.

I hope he’s safe. I don’t know what I’d do if he got hurt out there.

Or worse.

---

I panic a little.

Quicksand.

When it rains quickly and suddenly, the sand can get all weird. I don’t know how it works exactly, but it happens.

I  stop struggling. It seems like a bad idea, but it worked when I was a hatchling and fell into a puddle of the stuff.

I rise back to the surface. I’m covered in wet sand now. Just great.

After carefully getting out of the dangerous sand, I make my way down to the stream.

Or what looks now like a river in comparison. I could get swept down if I’m not careful. Luckily, I’m feeling more cautious after the quicksand. A near death experience will do that for you, and I’ve experienced those a bunch and a half.

I follow the river, until I find a pond of calm water. Calm enough anyways. It wasn’t here before. A depression in the ground was. Nature doesn’t care about how things used to be, and has filled the pit up with water. Can’t be angry at something convenient, though.

I wade into the water and get all the sand out of my feathers.

I get out, and continue looking for what I came outside for.

---

I’m scared. Really scared.

Ever since I lost my family, I’ve been alone. Until Duststorm.

Ever since I met him, and he grew close to me, he hasn’t left me for long. Whether because he doesn’t trust me alone with his silly collection of creepy-crawlies or because he actually worries for me I can’t tell sometimes. I believe in the latter.

It’s been a while though. From my very rough calculations, maybe it’s been half a day? 

He’s been gone for longer, like when he went to the beach to explore, but that was after getting me an entire deer. At my size at the time, that lasted me a while.

I miss him.

Another half day passes. It’s night now. Is he gone? Did he get swept away, or did something get him while he was alone?

A feeling of cold goes through my body. Not temperature, but true sadness and worry. Is this what my family felt when I got lost? Fear of someone they cared about dying?

---

I enter my burrow. After getting my gift, Lilac should be back to being happy!

I enter the burrow.

“I’m back-”

I get tackled by Lilac, and she wraps her entire body around me, as if she’s making sure I’m here.

“Where were you! I thought you died! I’ve been-”

I drop my gift onto the ground. I carefully and awkwardly kept it in my claws, so it wouldn’t get all covered in drool.

Lilacs. The flower, and Lilac’s namesake. They bloom when it rains here.

She picks them up.

“I…”

She nuzzles up against me again.

“Thank you, Duststorm. I like you.”

I push her away with my head and go to my corner of the burrow.

“You’re welcome. Now, I’m really tired from getting that for you. I need some rest.”

I curl up on my bedding of dry sticks and dead leaves. There’s not a lot of soft things in the scrubland.

“O-Okay…”

Lilac fiddles with her claws awkwardly, before going to my bedding and laying down next to me.

I don’t push her away this time, and return the nuzzle she gave me earlier.

I like this, and like her.

I make a mental note to combine our bedding tomorrow. That can wait, though.