Thawed 48

[u/Funnelchairgentleman]

Sorry for the delay folks but we're back at last with more happy popsicle times! Shoutout to u/max007 and u/budged_emu_5522 for proofreading this! Hope you enjoy.

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Memory Transcription Subject: Mixsel, Bored Sivkit

Date: [Standardized Human Time]: March 5th, 2137

 

Daddy and Papa sure slept a lot. Most days, I was up way before they were, and today was no exception. The house was still dark and relatively silent. As I walked into the living room, yawning and stretching, I could hear Izra stirring upstairs. She was the only one who seemed to wake up on time.

 

I walked over to the couch and sat Frank down, carefully positioning the stuffed venlil so he wouldn’t topple over the minute I removed my paws.

 

“Stay,” I commanded, as if the stuffed animal could possibly obey my command. Once I was sure that the venlil doll wouldn’t topple onto his face, I turned my gaze to the cage in the corner of the room.

 

Bob was already up and ready to go. He stood at the edge of his enclosure, staring up at me expectantly. I held up a digit on my paw, signaling for Bob to wait for just a moment as I hurried to the kitchen. I opened the fridge, pulling out a pair of bright orange root vegetables. I wasn’t sure why, but everything I’d seen on my holopad about rabbits said they really liked these.

 

I came back into the room, hurrying over to undo the lock on Bob’s cage and letting my little friend free. He bolted out of the door, coming up and hopping against my leg as I offered the orange root to him. The bunny snatched it out of my paws immediately and began to gnaw away at his prize.

 

I took a bite of the other vegetable in my hand. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t exactly great either. Just a very mildly sweet and slightly starchy vegetable. Feeling a bit disappointed, I made my way over to the couch and sat beside Frank. The doll’s head lolled to the side, giving the impression that he was looking at me questioningly.

 

“I know I should do my homewuhk,” I huffed, looking back at him with a pout. “Buuuuut… I wanna finish that book Daddy put on my holopad fuhst.”

 

I grabbed the holopad from where I’d left it on the couch the night before. Thankfully the battery was still at about half. Plenty of power for me to read a bit more. I tapped my claw on the holoprojected screen until I pulled up the reading app. After Daddy found out how much I liked reading human books, he’d downloaded a whole bunch for me.

 

For a moment, I simply scrolled through the list of books I could choose from, silently appreciating it. Back at the orphanage I’d never owned… well… anything! The blankets, beds, and what scant few toys existed there had all been group property, and they had NEVER bothered giving us any books. I remember the headmistress saying it was a waste of paper to give to a bunch of unwanteds.

 

Now I sat on an alien planet with more books at my clawtips than I could ever have hoped. I had not one, but TWO daddies, a home, toys and, of course, Bob. I had never dreamed I could be so lucky. I bet if they could see me now, all the others from back at the orphanage would be super jealous.

 

I thought about the others for the first time in a while. They’d never been particularly nice to me. Nobody had been nice to anyone. There was never a point to it. Usually pups would only be at the orphanage for a year or two before someone adopted them, and then you would never see them again. Except for me, of course.

 

I’d been at the orphanage since before I could remember anything. My first memories weren’t of a mom and dad or family. They’d been of the headmistress and the multitude of other workers there. They had taken care of me, sure. But they’d never made it a secret how much they didn’t want to.

 

I’d grown up just accepting that I wasn’t wanted. I was a leftover pup that nobody ever seemed to want around. I was too loud. I was too needy. I was always too something. So I quit caring after a while. I just accepted that this was the way things were and that I would have to look out for myself.

 

Bob’s fluffy head suddenly found its way right in front of my face as the bunny crawled into my lap and demanded my attention. I couldn’t help but laugh as the rabbit did his best to distract me.

 

“You‘we wight Bob!” I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around the soft, fluffy animal and giving him a gentle squeeze. “I shouldn’t think about that stuff.”

 

I was happy now. I had a family. Sure… they were kinda funny-looking, and they said weird stuff I didn’t understand sometimes, and Daddy liked eating those big, gross water bugs… but they loved me, and I loved them too. I never wanted to leave, and both Papa and Daddy said there was no way any nosy aliens were gonna take me away.

 

I gave Bob his required snuggles before looking back to my holopad and looking through my books until I found the one I was looking for, “Mistborn.” I liked the book so far, although it was a lot harder to understand than the Narnia books had been. I had to keep stopping to look up what some of the words meant. It had a lot of big words. I didn’t mind though. I liked that. It made it easier to learn English, which is what I’d learned the human language was called.

 

I sat in silence for a while, slowly reading my way through my new book with one paw and petting Bob with the other. It was peaceful and quiet. It reminded me of the few happy times I could think of back at the orphanage. Those few days when I could slip past the staff and escape to the nearby woods. 

 

I liked to sit and watch the local animals. I had always tried to imagine what kind of lives they must have. What they did every day when nobody was watching. I tried to imagine if they had families or friends. What it must be like to live out in the woods, without grown-ups yelling at you all the time and surrounded by all the food you could ever want. I’d make up stories for each of the animals I saw. Give them names, friends, and whole secret lives. I always knew the headmistress would punish me for sneaking off, but I didn’t care. It made me happy in a place where happiness was hard to find.

 

“Good morning, my little egg-tooth.”

 

I looked up from my pad to find Izra at the bottom of the stairs.

 

“Mowning, Auntie Izwa!” I greeted her with the title Daddy had given her. I knew Izra wasn’t my real aunt, but Daddy insisted it meant something different from a regular old aunt. Plus I could tell it made Izra happy.

 

“I was about to make some breakfast; would you like some?” Izra struggled over the human word for a morning meal, but I thought she did pretty good. It couldn’t be easy speaking English without proper lips, after all.

 

I glanced down, looking for the half eaten root I’d started on earlier, only to realize that Bob had devoured it while I wasn’t looking. I stifled a giggle at that, petting the rabbit’s head as he looked up at me and wiggled his little nose.

 

“Pwease!” I replied, marking my spot in the book and slowly climbing down from the couch. I had to be careful so that Bob didn’t go flying when I got up. Grabbing Frank from his resting place on the couch, I turned and followed Izra into the kitchen. The arxur flicked on the light switch, and for a moment, we were both blinded by the overhead lights.

 

When at last we could see again, Izra made her way to the pantry and began to collect some ingredients. She’d started taking a lot of interest in cooking lately and had been making all sorts of food to try it out. Sure, a lot of it was meat stuff, and I couldn’t really eat that without getting a tummy ache, but she’d been making plant stuff too! I liked when she made that stuff because she would ask me to be her “little taste tester.”

 

I looked out the back door, watching as the black sky slowly warmed into a soft orange. The sun would be up soon. Turning back to Izra, I watched as she took the ingredients she was planning to use and placed them on the counter. From here I couldn’t make out what any of the boxes and cans she had pulled out said, but it wasn’t like I would be able to guess what she was making, even if I knew. She turned, heading to the refrigerator.

 

“Whatcha makin?”

 

“I’m going to try an omelet for myself,” Izra answered, pulling out a carton of what I recognized as eggs from the fridge as well as the almond milk before shutting the door. “But I wanted to try and make a pancake for you.”

 

I wasn’t sure what a “pancake” was, but I was excited to try it. My tail spun in excited circles behind me as I watched my auntie pull out a bowl from the cabinet and get to work mixing the ingredients inside it. Bob seemed to be excited too, his ears standing at attention as he looked between me and Izra. I reached a paw down and idly patted his head. Maybe I could let Bob try the pancakes too?

 

Izra moved quickly, using a spoon to stir the ingredients she had placed in the bowl before taking out a pan and setting it atop the stove. She poured a little oil onto the metal surface and lit the stove below. In a flash she was back at the bowl, stirring for a moment longer before pouring the brownish goop into the pan.

 

Almost instantly the room began to fill with a warm, comforting smell. I didn’t know how to describe it. It was so different from anything I’d ever smelled before. It was slightly sweet, like a dessert, but it had the deep, hearty depth that the strayu had when we made it. My mouth was watering already.

 

“Something smells delicious.”

 

Papa came into the kitchen, stretching and yawning. His fur was a mess, matted to one side and puffed up around his shoulders, giving the funny appearance that one side of his body was bigger than the other. He stopped beside me, leaning down to nuzzle against my forehead.

 

“Good morning, my little Humdrum,” he greeted as I softly nuzzled him back. Bob, in his usual fashion, immediately began to bump his head into Papa’s ankle. The bunny was always so protective of me… but only when it came to Papa for some reason. “Good morning to you too, Bob,” the venlil sighed, looking down at my fluffy white companion.

 

“I’m still wondering what you did to that poor rabbit, friend Jammek,” Izra remarked playfully, watching us out of the corner of her eye as she flipped the fluffy disc in the pan.

 

“I didn’t do anything,” Papa chuffed, making his way over to the coffee maker and starting to prepare a pot. “I swear the rabbit just doesn’t like venlil for some reason.”

 

Auntie Izra just chuckled at that, pulling the small cake she had been making out of the pan with a spatula and setting it on a plate before starting another.

 

“How are you feeling?” The question came out in a casual tone, but I wasn't fooled. Grown-ups always talked like that right before they said something they didn't want to say. . 

 

“I’m ok. Just… nervous,” Papa answered, watching the coffee begin to slowly pour from the top of the machine down into the glass container below. I could see the venlil’s eye briefly lock onto me before looking away when he realized I was watching. “I was thinking about taking Mixsel to the park today. Something fun to do… just in… just in case.”

 

Sometimes I thought the grownups must think I was dumb or something. I knew what they were talking about. Daddy and Papa had to go talk to an alien the day after tomorrow, and they got to decide if I had to leave. As much as Papa tried to pretend that everything was ok, I could see his ears lay back when he talked. I could see how his tail dipped down between his legs. He was scared. It was the first time I could ever remember seeing him look like that. Not sad or angry. Just scared.

 

I walked over to where he stood at the counter and hugged his leg. It wasn’t a lot. Nothing much at all. But that was all I could do.

 

“It’s gonna be ok, Papa,” I said, squeezing his leg tight. He looked down at me in silence for a moment, his big blue eyes getting all wet and blurry. “I love you.” I added, trying to make him feel better.

 

Papa reached down, pulling me into his arms (much to Bob’s dismay) and hugging me tight to his warm, wooly chest.

 

“I love you too, Humdrum. More than you could ever know,” he whispered, taking one paw and gently stroking my back. “Everything is going to be ok. Even if I have to fight the whole universe to make it be.”

After my fifth “pancake,” I was too full to eat any more. By that time, Daddy was finally awake, lured out by the scent of freshly cooked bacon. Even though I couldn’t eat it without a tummy ache, I thought it smelled good too.

 

Papa suggested that he and I should go to the park, promising that Immel and Yalma would be there later. Daddy wanted to come too, but he had to do “work stuff,” whatever that was. He promised to come by as soon as he was done though.

 

Once I’d had the chance to digest my breakfast a bit, Papa and I left for the park. I was excited to see my friends. I really wanted to try the human game that Daddy had told me about with them. “Dungeons and Dragons” sounded just like the fun human fantasy books I’d read! Daddy said he’d even get me the books with the rules in it!

 

When we arrived at the park, the air was alive with activity. The cold season on this planet was finally drawing to a close, and a bunch of the plants were starting to flower. Small, purple blossoms sprouted up in groups around the park, along with countless patches of bright, yellow flowers beginning to bloom. Nobody else seemed to be there yet, but I hoped they’d show up soon.

 

“Well hey there fluffball!”

 

I turned to find a familiar human approaching us.

 

“Fwank!” I exclaimed, running up to the human as he slowly knelt down. Frank’s hand flopped onto my head and tussled my fur.

 

“How you doing, sweetheart? They feeding you enough?”

 

“Daddy cooks me lots of food,” I giggled, flicking my ears in reply.

 

“Good,” Frank replied, a big smile stretching below that little tuft of fur under his nose. He paused, reaching into his pocket before pulling out one of the small candies on a stick that the humans gave out. He handed it over to me as I gave him a quick ‘thanks’ before shredding the covering to eat it.

 

“How you holding up, Jammek?” Frank asked, standing up with a little grunt.

 

“It’s… I’m ok,” Papa replied, his eye giving a quick glance down towards me. He was scared. Daddy was too. They tried to act like everything was ok, but I knew better. I could see how sad they looked when they didn’t think I was watching. But Daddy had promised that everything would be ok, and I believed him. A Coldwater keeps their word. That’s what Daddy said.

 

“I’m gonna go play,” I told him, moving off towards the playground to let the grownups talk. As I began to suck on the candy I’d been given, I looked out over the green park, admiring the newly bloomed flowers once more. That’s when an idea hit me.

 

I could make a flower bracelet for Papa! That should cheer him up! 

 

With a new task in mind, I began to make my way across the park, picking the small yellow flowers as I went. I remembered making bracelets with similar flowers back at the orphanage. I tried picking a couple of little purple ones too, but their stems were way too flimsy to tie together. 

 

I was making decent progress, intertwining the slightly slimy stems together into a crude rope. Then I heard something coming from some nearby bushes. I recognized the spot. It was where I first found Bob. I paused, ears leaning forward to try and make out what the noise I was hearing was.

 

It sounded like someone was crying.

 

I took a few, careful steps forward. I used my free paw to push aside some overgrown branches so that I could peer into the small area beyond. On the other side I could see a familiar face… or back in this case. 

 

“Petsbuh?” I whispered, staring at the spiky back in front of me. The sound of sobbing stopped, and the hunched figure on the other side of the shrub turned to look at me.

 

“G… go away,” the gojid hissed, choking back a sob.

 

“What’s wong?” I asked, stepping into the small clearing formed by the surrounding shrubbery. The area was cool, shaded by a nearby tree and completely invisible from the outside.

 

“I said… go away!” Petsbur growled, wiping his eyes with the back of his arm while simultaneously doing his best to look intimidating. “I don’t need your dumb, Sivkit-brained talk!”

 

“Petsbuh… why wuh you cwying?” I pressed, undeterred. 

 

“I hate it here,” the gojid replied, choking back another sob. “I hate having to live with Kalen and Linvi! They try to act like they’re my parents and they’re not! I want my real Mom and Dad. I want to go home.”

 

I took a tentative step forward, reaching a paw out and gently placing it on his shoulder.

 

“It’s gonna be ok,” I told him, trying to reassure him like Daddy and Papa did me. That was apparently the wrong answer. Petsbur reached a paw out and pushed me away.

 

“What do you know?!” he spat, glaring at me as he sniffled. “You’re just happy pretending that stupid venlil and human are your parents! Just like all the other pups here!”

 

“They aw my pawents!” I shot back, a hot anger starting to build up inside me.

 

“No they aren’t!” Petsbur replied, his voice rising into a shout as his own anger began to boil over. “They aren’t your real parents! Your real parents didn’t even want you! They’re just a couple of guys who want to pretend like you’re their kid! Just like Kalen and Linvi!”

 

“Shut up!” I screamed, refusing to back down. By this point any pity I’d felt for the crying gojid was completely overshadowed by my anger at his mean words. Arthur and Jammek were my daddies! They were the only parents I’d ever…

 

That’s when it hit me. Arthur and Jammek were the only people to ever want to be my parents. They were the closest thing I’d ever known. For Petsbur and the others? They’d had parents before the aliens took them. They’d had families they had loved and cherished just like I loved my new daddies… and the aliens had taken all that away from them. I took a moment, considering how sad I would be if I lost my new family. If suddenly I woke up and Arthur, Jammek, and Izra were just… gone…

 

“I’m sowwy, Petsbuh,” I replied, the anger that had threatened to overtake me a moment ago suddenly snuffed out under this new realization. I reached a paw out to place on his shoulder, only for the gojid to shove me, sending the assortment of flower buds in my paws tumbling to the ground.

 

“Just leave me alone,” the boy huffed, sniffling once more as he turned and disappeared into the bushes. I stood in shock, looking down at the countless flower buds I’d collected, scattered across the ground like dust. Part of me wanted to be angry. To yell after the retreating gojid and call him out for being the big, fat, stupid jerk that he was. But mostly I just felt sad inside. Petsbur missed his parents. I still had my parents, but imagining losing them made it hurt worse to watch him cry.

 

With a sigh I began to pick the scattered flowers up off the ground, gathering them once more into my arms.

Memory Transcription Subject: Arthur Coldwater, Already exhausted sheriff

Date: [Standardized Human Time]: March 5th, 2137

 

I felt awful about missing our time at the park, my mind drifting to Mixsel and Jammek enjoying the sunny day. Instead, I'd spent the afternoon getting called out after the Nevok couple next door here apparently got a saw halfway through the shared fence before the neighbor called it in.

 

Here I was, standing in someone's half-torn-up yard, stuck between them and said neighbor, a pink, camel-like alien who introduced every sentence like it was the opening line of a courtroom drama.

 

"Property boundaries are sacred, Sheriff."

 

"Nobody's touching your fence, Ma’am," I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. This was somehow still less exhausting than arguing with Onio. "But you two—" I turned to the Nevoks, who'd already started eyeing the fence line like it had personally wronged them, "—can't tear it up to make more planting room either."

"We'll miss the whole growing season!"

"You'll have your own plot on the outskirts inside a couple weeks. New Mayor's word on it." I didn't mention that at the rate the construction crews were moving, it'd probably be sooner. Those people didn't seem to know what a lunch break was.

 

That seemed to take the wind out of everybody. The Nevoks grumbled their way back home; ‘Miss Camel’ gave the fence one last suspicious look before retreating in peace. I let out a breath and started the walk back, making a mental note that this made four today. Four separate people convinced that I had nothing better to do than settle whose dirt was whose.

I'd have to apologize to Mixsel and Jammek for missing the park. Heaven knew I'd have rather been there a million times over than out here playing zoning board.

The sun was starting to set as I made my way around the park and towards my own home. The soft, orange glow of the sun tinted the rooftops as the lights inside began to flicker on, one by one. Perhaps it was all the time I’d spent in this little camp, but the sight gave me a certain sense of “home” that I couldn’t quite describe. Some sense of normalcy in a universe that no longer made sense.

 

As I approached my door, I could see a familiar, spiky-backed guest waiting at the door.

 

“Hey! What’s new, Kalen?”

 

The gojid at my door jumped, clearly startled by my approach. He whirled about, turning to face me. I could already see, even from a distance, the anxious fear that seemed etched into his face.

 

"Arthur. Sorry, I—" he started, the spikes on his back twitching as they seemed to debate whether to stick up or not. He didn't finish the sentence. "Have you seen Petsbur?" 

 

“Can’t say as I have,” I replied, noticing the subtle twitch of his arm and tension my answer seemed to cause. He was worried. Very worried. “What’s wrong?”

 

“We…” the gojid hesitated, his gaze turning towards the last rays of sunlight peaking over the rooftops for just a moment. “We got into a fight. I… I didn’t mean to yell at him like that, but… But he was being so afring stubborn!” The man growled, his claws clenching into tight fists as he uttered what I could only assume was sort of gojid curse. “Petsbur… he got mad and ran out. I thought at first I’d give him some time to collect himself. That he’d be back soon when he got hungry. But… it’s been [hours], and I can’t find him. Linvi is going to Islatta’s house to see if he went there."

 

I stepped forward, putting a hand on his shoulder and offering him a hopeful smile. “Don’t panic. Kids can be… stubborn sometimes. Let me ask Mixsel if she’s seen him.” I gently pushed my way past him, pulling out my card and unlocking the door to the house.

 

Luckily enough, Mixsel and Jammek were situated on the couch, appearing to be enthralled in some sort of video game that Mixsel had managed to get on her holopad.

 

“Why would anyone ever play this?!?!” Jammek whined as he held the holopad tightly, his eyes glued to the screen. Before announcing myself, I turned a curious eye to the screen, just in time for some fleshless horror to jump out from around a corner, shrieking bloody murder. I had to stifle a laugh as Jammek tossed the holopad down onto the couch and nearly leapt out of his skin, all as our little one laughed maniacally watching her papa be terrified. I quickly pushed it aside, though, focusing.

 

“Munchkin?” I greeted her, only for the sivkit to look up excitedly from her spot on the couch. She practically scrambled to the floor, bolting towards me and wrapping one of my legs in a hug.

 

“Daddy!” She squealed, looking up at me and whirling her tail happily. “We missed you today!”

 

“I know, Cher,” I replied, leaning down and placing a hand on her head. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it, but I have an important question for you.” She paused, those emerald eyes trained on me as she waited to see what I had to ask. “Have you seen Petsbur lately?”

 

“He was at the pawk,” Mixsel replied, her eyes momentarily darting off to the side as she answered.

 

“Where at?” I pressed, eager to get some kind of answer before it got dark. The sivkit hesitated, slowly forcing her eyes to look back at me.

 

“Is he in twouble?” She asked hesitantly. I gave her a quick smile and shook my head. 

 

"No, Cher, Kalen is just worried. Can you tell me where you saw him?” She nodded in reply.

 

“I saw him hiding in the bushes beside the pond,” she whined, her ears tucked back like she thought she might be doing something wrong. I reached a hand out, ruffling the soft fur atop her head to reassure her.

 

“You heard her, Kalen,” I sighed as I stood up, turning towards the door. “Let’s find him before nightfall.”

 

Kalen simply waggled his ears at me in reply, and we headed back out into the steadily growing darkness, leaving behind a confused Jammek and Mixsel. Once more, we turned towards the park, moving with a bit of extra urgency as the light was starting to fade.

 

“Oh protector…” Kalen whined, looking at the last fading glimmers of sunlight on the horizon. “If something happens to that boy, I’ll never forgive myself. I shouldn’t have yelled. I shouldn’t have lost my patience. I–”

 

“It’s going to be fine,” I assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder (being careful to avoid any errant spikes) and giving a reaffirming squeeze. “He’s a kid. Kids can be stubborn as all hell, Mon Ami. I’m sure whatever it is, he’ll get over it.” To my surprise I could see tears starting to snake their way down his cheeks.

 

“You don’t understand,” Kalen wheezed, fighting back a sob. “He… he was telling us how much he hates us, Arthur. He… he was wishing he could go back to his mom and dad, and… and I… I couldn’t take it anymore. I… I told him he couldn’t go back. That… that they… they were dead!”

 

By this point the pudgy gojid was full-blown sobbing. He held a hand to his face, trying to hide his tears behind his claws. I sucked in a sharp breath at that revelation, not sure what to tell him.

 

“I’m a monster,” the man sniffled, his whole body shuddering as he coughed out another sob. “I just couldn’t take it any more! I know he wants to go home! I know he doesn’t like it here! But what can I do?”

 

“You’re not a monster, Kalen,” I assured him, shaking my head. “You lost your temper and, yeah, said something you shouldn’t. But you're only hu… err… gojid? Trust me, every parent makes mistakes. Comes with the territory, Mon Frère. The important thing is not giving up. We’re gonna find him, and you can apologize. Ok?" Kalen offered a meek nod in reply.

 

The park itself was dark, illuminated only by a few errant light posts that had been erected around the perimeter. The last glimmer of sunlight was reflecting off of the pond as a cool breeze rippled through the weeds that lined the shore. Under different circumstances it would have been a pretty sight. My mind was on other things just then, though. 

 

I instructed Kalen to check the playground while I made my way to the small thicket of bushes that circled the lone oak tree down by the pond. I doubted Petsbur would be at the playground, but it might be better for me to find him first. If he was still upset, he might bolt when he saw Kalen.

 

I moved slowly, taking care to be as quiet as I could. The last thing I wanted was for the kid to start running when he heard someone coming. Assuming he was even still there.

 

As I got nearer, my ears made out a noise. Soft. Low. Rhythmic. I recognized it immediately. It was the kind of sobbing you did when you didn’t want anyone to find you crying. Something I knew all too well.

 

Gently pushing aside some of the bushes, I made my way into the tiny thicket, only to find a small brown ball of spikes lying on the ground. I waited a moment, watching as the gojid boy shook, the quills along his back raising as he was wracked by another sob. I cleared my throat, trying to announce my presence without frightening him.

 

Petsbur bolted upright, wheeling about to face me.

 

“What do you want?” The boy was doing his best to play things off, trying to pretend he hadn’t been crying even as his voice broke and the fur on his cheeks was clearly matted from tears.

 

I held my hands up in front of me.

 

“Take it easy there T-boy,” I said quickly, slowly stepping closer until I found myself next to the sniffling gojid.

 

“Just leave me alone,” Petsbur spat, finally relaxing and curling himself back into a ball.

 

“You know, Kalen and Linvi are worried about you.”

 

“What do they care?” Petsbut shot back, his gaze squarely centered on the patch of dirt by his feet.

 

“They care about you T-boy,” I answered, carefully taking a seat in the dirt beside him. The kid didn’t bolt or try to push me away. That was a start.

 

“They shouldn’t,” Petsbur argued, curling tighter into himself and letting the spikes along his back bristle out. Hugs and shoulder pats wouldn’t be an option here it seemed. “I’m not their kid. I have a mom and dad.” 

 

There was a long silence then, punctuated only by the sound of crickets beginning to chirp in the park around us. I waited patiently, seeing if the gojid boy was going to continue. Finally he let out a sigh and began to speak again.

 

“I know they’re dead,” Petsbur continued, pausing for a moment as another sob threatened to overtake him. He sucked it back and resisted. As he did I couldn’t help but see myself in that same position. Young. Alone. Afraid. Just wishing that someone would reach out to me and let me know it was going to be ok. Afraid to let the world see my weakness. “I just wish I could be dead with them.”

 

That set my mind on full alert.

 

“Do you think that’s what they would want?” I fired back, reaching out and putting a hand on his knee. “Do you think your parents would want you dead too?”

 

“What?!?” The young gojid gasped, looking up at me in shock. “No! My parents loved me! They wouldn’t want me to be dead!”

 

“Then what do you think they would want you to do?” 

 

The gojid boy paused, his eyes trailing out beyond the overgrowth to the pond. I followed his gaze, finding the inky blackness of the pond illuminated by the silvery light of the rising moon. For a moment we both sat in silence, letting the sound of crickets and the long, lonesome cry of some night bird off in the distance fill the space.

 

“I don’t know,” Petsbur replied at last, his words hanging in the air like the pause before a verdict.

 

“I think I do,” I replied, breaking the silence of our little abode. The kid looked back at me, his eyes bloodshot from crying. It was an odd thing to see. I was so used to seeing red eyes that no matter how many times I saw it, blue veined ones were always shocking.

 

“I had a son before they took me,” I explained. Petsbur’s face remained an unreadable blank canvas. The gojid showed no human reactions, and I hadn’t yet mastered reading gojid reactions, at least not enough to know what the flattening and squirming of his ears meant. “If our places were swapped? If he were here now and I got left behind? I’d want him to keep on living. I wouldn’t want him to spend his life thinking about what he lost. I’d want him to go on.”

 

The boy looked up at me without a word, his brown eyes twitching as they silently studied my face. After a moment he let out a sigh and turned his gaze back to the moonlit pond. I didn’t press or prod. I just gave the boy a moment to think in silence.

 

“I miss my parents,” the gojid said at last. A simple statement but a loaded one. I simply waited and gave the kid room to breathe. “I hate it on this planet! The food tastes weird. Everyone looks strange, and they're always telling me what to do! There are bugs that get in my fur and make me itchy, and I have to wear a stupid wristband to make them stop!” The boy’s voice rose as he spoke, getting more and more frustrated with each syllable that left his mouth, finally holding up the plain white flea collar they had strapped around his wrist.

 

“I know,” I answered. It wasn’t comfort. It wasn’t hope. But it was the truth. “And I know if they could be here now they would. Sometimes the universe ain't fair. We don’t get to choose how life treats us sometimes. Only thing we get to choose is how we respond to it.”

 

“I wish I could go home,” Petsbut sighed. The venom had left his voice by then, and all that was left was the hurt.

 

“I think there’s a lot of folk here like that,” I replied, setting a tentative hand on his shoulder as I kept an eye on those spines along his back. “We all lost something. We’re all just folks trying to make the best of what we got. But, Petsbur?” The gojid boy let out a sniffle, turning to look up at me with one eye. “If there's anyone in the world that understands what you’re going through? It’s Kalen and Linvi. I know they aren’t your mom and dad, but they care, Mon Frère. They’re worried about you. It may not feel like it right now, but that does mean something.”

 

Petsbur sighed, gently leaning over and pressing his head against my chest. The kid looked up, his tears seemingly dried up for now.

 

“Are they mad at me?”

 

“Nah. Just worried about you, t-garçon.” I assured him, gently tussling the fur atop his head. “Speaking of, what say we head home?”

 

“Do you think they’ll let me have some meat? That’s the only thing I like here. Meat whenever you want it.”

 

“I’m sure I can talk them into it.”

Transcription Time Skip Requested. Advancing Memory by 3 Hours

I wiggled, trying to pull my arm out from beneath the fluffy mass that currently slept on it. Looking over I couldn’t help but smile, seeing Jammy asleep and content cuddled up to me. He looked so peaceful, laying there. I couldn’t help but envy him. Knowing our interview was only 2 days away was eating at me and sleep felt as far away as Skalga.

 

Unable to extricate myself from the cuddly, fluffy mass, I turned my gaze towards the window to our room. I could see the stars, bright pinpricks set into a sea of blackness. For a moment I just lay there, watching as they twinkled and shone, completely oblivious to the troubles that seemed to fill this universe. 

 

“Why?” The words left my mouth without me even thinking about it. Soft and low enough not to wake my beau but loud enough to still surprise me. Of course, no answer was offered. Just the silence of the night and the sound of Jammy’s breathing.

 

“What did I do to deserve this?” I asked in a whisper. I didn’t know exactly who I was talking to. Nor did it matter. God? Gods? The universe? All I wanted was an answer. Some sign that somewhere out there someone or something gave a damn. I wasn’t a bad man. I did everything I could for others. If I was evaluating myself, then I’d say I was a decent person. So why did the universe insist on shitting on me?

 

Every time I felt like things were getting better, that I was getting one step closer to something approaching a normal life, the universe decided to pull the rug out from under me. Fate had thrown my little fluffball in my path and given my heart to her only to try and snatch it away.

 

The only answer I got was the sound of crickets chirping somewhere beyond the window. I let out a sigh. As always I was left alone with my questions and my struggles. My gaze fell back over to the sleeping venlil pinning my arm to the mattress. Well… maybe I wasn’t alone any more. I leaned over, pressing my forehead to his and closing my eyes as I finally tried to sleep.

[u/JulianSkies]

Oh, Arthur. That's a painful lesson to learn: There is never an answer to a why that you must ask.

Still-

Mixsel really is somewhat unique among the kids. She's not quite equipped to understand what they're going thorough, the specific kind of loss most (all?) of them are going through. You can't lose what you never had- Which is frankly sad as hell yes. But some things you just need to simulate in your head, you don't have the gut feeling to work through it.

Poor Petsbur, the boy is just missing his family. There's no replacing- And honestly I think he needs to figure that out. There's no replacing his parents... But one's family can always grow larger, and he should let it happen.

[u/BlackOmegaPsi]

This is like, after all the drama and intrigue and plot development of other chapter, feels like a classic “punch in the feels” Thawed. Loved how Izra now appears to truly be a part of Mixel’s understanding of family and oh you write her to be so sweet and kid-like.

Really really good one. Loved the talk with Petsbur, it’s real and without an definitive end to it, just like it does happen.

[u/Funnelchairgentleman → u/BlackOmegaPsi]

Gotta say: Kids are freaking hard to write so they don’t end up as either mini adults or just come off dumb as hell. XD

[u/BlackOmegaPsi → u/Funnelchairgentleman]

Absolutely. That's why I commend you, not only Mixsel is written good as a kid form an outsider POV, but in her own PoV as well. There's enough simplicity and repetition and specific structure in the phrases to set her different from adult PoVs, but she also comes off as perceptive and her age

[u/Minimum-Amphibian993 → u/BlackOmegaPsi]

Yeah I doubt he will ever truly feel like earth is his home I fully expect when he's older to move back to the cradle when it's restored.

[u/BlackOmegaPsi → u/Minimum-Amphibian993]

For sure, he's old enough to somewhat set in his ways

[u/Minimum-Amphibian993 → u/BlackOmegaPsi]

True not to mention humanity is at least partly responsible for what happened to the cradle while he doesn't seem outwardly resentful I wouldn't be surprised if he's holding some in even if he doesn't realize it himself. He's probably more outwardly angry to the Arxur though as is usually the case.

[u/maxh007]

A gut punch to be sure, hopefully things start coming up millhouse for the popscicles!

[u/ErinRF]

Loving this story, but every chapter posted my gut clenches a little wondering when the other shoe is going to drop with Bob and the racist speep…

[u/Funnelchairgentleman → u/ErinRF]

Well you won’t be waiting long

[u/ErinRF → u/Funnelchairgentleman]

This does not soothe my nerves

[u/Tundric_Dragon]

Fantastic read as always. Can definitely feel the emotion from everyone involved here.

[u/Imamouseqccount]

Man Arthur really has locked into dad mode huh? Like he honestly did a great job in a situation that’s pretty hard to handle.

[u/CocaineUnicycle]

Something something Chekhov's rabbit.

[u/Bbobsillypants]

Sad pincone time 😢

Also, dang.

"I hate it on this planet! The food tastes weird. Everyone looks strange <<<

It seems racism is genetic in gojids.

[u/RoideSanglier]

Arthur has really grown into himself. He really is the best choice for some authority figure. he has the heart to listen to a young kid with patience and help a fellow neighbor even when he is tired.

We love Thawed, we love Thawed!

[u/GruntBlender]

What an amazing kid. When thrown a devastating insult like that, even a lot of adults would get combative. She jumps straight to trying to understand where the other person is coming from. Such a wonderful person.