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We wish you all happy holidays

(AKA I'm obsessed with making pixel art gifs)

The pregnant nicheling hiked up the mountain as the others came down. Her cubs staying behind. As the male came out from behind a large tree stump, Amira rolled her eyes at him as she passed. "Useless" Meshila wasn't to sure how to handle the current situation. On one paw she was grateful for the pregnant females help on the other she felt a complex feeling at seeing someone familiar. "Oh, great don't tell me the two of you are a thing again." Tina grumbled out as she saw them all getting closer. Amira looked at her caretaker in thought and then let her eyes wander over to the older male. They dated?! Meshila came to sit next to Tina with an awkward smile. "No, he's just following me for some reason." Meshila's eyes wander over to Tina's big stomach before looking off to the side. "You're pregnant." Startled Tina looked down at her belly. "Oh, yeah?" She let out a chuckle. "My third actually." Meshila heart clenched at the words. "Your mate must be something." The male came up to the two completely missing the signs that the two were in a private conversation. He scoffed and looked at her with disdain. "Someone actually took you?" Tina growled at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" "You're not the 'male type'." Meshila frowned at his comment giving him a dirty look. "Well it's got nothing to do with you!" Hackles raised she stood up on all four towering over the smaller male. "Enough you two!" Meshila stood in front of the male and looked Tina in the eye. "Please, not right now." Tina gave one final glare at the male over Meshila's shoulder. "Next time I won't hesitate." The male fluffed his fur. "Sure. Sure." Amira at the side lowered herself to hide between the snow. Meshila sighed out, "So, what brings you here?" Tina looked up at the clear sky. "I don't want my children to grow up here." Her eyes gave a death stare to the male. "Thanks to a certain someone the bears have been trying to kill everything that moves." The male looked ashamed off to the side. His silents somehow confirming something for Tina. Her eyes looked to Meshila and grows soft as the other female seemed to be in thoughts. "I'm guessing you're the next guardian they decided to sent off to some unknown island." Meshila gave a nod, "Burning Savanna." Came the soft reply. Tina looked to the cub hiding in the snow. "So, she's going to be mated off like some slab of meat?" Both Amira and Meshila frowned at the statement. Meshila because she didn't like this tradition very much. Amira cause this is the first she heard about this.

*slips under a non-existent tree* No peeking! Will show you the gift on Christmas!

Definitely the most intense and dramatic animation she has made so far, wow, such a masterpiece 👌😔

*Loud Screeching*

So uh i made a fakemon it sometimes murmurs the messages written on it and makes other Pokemon think that they had actually said it to them and so they lure them off somewhere (probably a cemetery or some burial ground) and consume them, so essentially there are many souls inside the lock

I just learned that the bell in Minecraft villages makes the villagers go running like crazy to their houses. I was just playing in the village and all the villagers were in the plaza and there was a bell and I tapped it, now I feel like a troll sounding the alarm for nothing and seeing all the villagers run around in panic.

Unnx Annx

Imagine if they added coronavirus to Niche:

The lands of niche were never a treacherous place-sure, it was dangerous from time-to-time, but nothing truly life threatening. Then, a strange anomaly started to pop up. The dead started to come back to life. This would usually be a good thing, and that's what the nichelings thought too, but something wasn't quite right... I mean, they're loved ones weren't exactly ruthlessly attacking, tearing apart, and eating them while they were alive. They also never spoke such strange phrases. hehheh zombie niche playthrough go brrrrr love me another playthrough that i may never update again first update will be in the next post

So, I just saw a comment in a video of Stray Fawn Studio and it made me have this idea. Predators and many other things move around in the night, and the nichelings move in the day, but it could make a great feature to make the game more realistic. First thing: The day counter could have another one next to it, except that it could pass and count the nights, this could be added as well to the win conditions as number of nights survived. The night button could be locked at day, and the day button could be locked at night so we aren't confused in which one we should choose to pass time. Now, not every nicheling could move at night but those who can will still have 3 energy points but it could have to decide to waste the energy in night or day. And well, what nichelings can move at night? Purr snout: I'd give +1 ability to move at night(Energy point but you can use it at night) +1 sight at night Bat head: +2 ability to move a night +2 sight at night 2 bat wings = +1 (New Gene) Big eyes: This could give a nicheling extra sight at night +3 and in the day= 3 sight as well. The side effect of this could be -1 smelling ability Those are the genes that are necessary for a nicheling to move at night. But if u think moving at night could be a great advantage, well you're not entirely right, predators can move depending on their moving ability and each 2 turns of a night nicheling could give the predators and other night creatures moving turn. This could either save your tribe, or kill it. You could entirely ignore the feature by having ur night time creatures move by day and by skipping the night I've finally had time to post something oof, I hope it's good.

I made quick drawing of a nicheling.

"They won't see this coming…" She scraped her claws against the rock a few times, watching as sparks flew. She grinned, setting the tip of the stick near the rock and struck her claws against it again. The sparks caught after a couple of tries, and she stalked off into the forest with a burning stick and an idea in her head. ----------- "I really wish you'd find something else to do." Wildfire sat on a tree branch, glaring at seemingly nothing and shaking her head. "Do you take some sick pleasure in seeing us like this? Fighting to stay alive? Maybe you're the problem here." She crouched down, scoffing and digging the claws of her good paw into the bark. " But it's aaallll just a story, right? You're happy staying in your little bubble where none of our problems can ever reach you. You're sick." She growled. "You don't get to decide our fates. Not any of you." She jumped off the tree. "Especially not you, Kat. Not anymore." "I won't let you."

HELP

they're both good candidates, but floppa has more mass

spider jockey

in your name we shall pray.

“I’d win at breatheing challenges.” ”You have a C-pap, John.”

This is just too wholesome. This family so far are the sweetest. FUUUU----- BERNARD! I'll murder ya for free! Poor Raisin😭 BUT Clarity you just became my number 2 fav! You go!

11 992 / 1091 = 10.9917507 almost 11 posts per day (and the first like 6 months of membership I just forgot about Niche...)

y e s

The next day, two more cubs awoke. Diamond sheltered her cub from the rain, watching a bluebird struggle overhead. Raisin took one quick look at her cub, then pushed them out of the nest and ran. Diamond was about to call after her, but Clarity shushed her and stepped into the nest, keeping the abandoned cub close to shield her from rain. “What about her mom?” Diamond peered over Clarity’s shoulder. “Everyone will know she’s not yours.” “She will be mine, blood or not. She deserves a mother who cares.” Clarity kept the cub close as she drifted off to sleep.

that moment when Path of Titans has to update so you can't make Red's appearance

6969

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?!" @$!#%*×+ shrugged, examining the blood on her claws as she realized just how messed up she truly was becoming. The sound and the feeling of flesh being torn open, the sight of her victim recoiling in pain and the pure fear that emanated from them... "I felt like it." And she struck again. ----------------- "So, uh...it's mine?" "Don't look so excited." "No, no, he's...cute." "Alright, get outta here. Oh, and his name's Rogiek." "Strange name." "Like yours is any better." --------------------------- "You know how to climb these?" "Yep!" Pocky blinked up at the canopy of leaves, trying to peek through the top and see the sky. Tether stood to his right. "Wanna see?' He nodded, watching in awe as Tether sprang forward and scaled the trunk in seconds. The male looked down on him from a high branch, smiling in a way that emphasized his fangs. Pocky felt his heart flutter. "Wanna come up?" "Are you sure I could get up there?" "It'll be okay! C'mon!" Hesitating for a moment, Pocky dug his claws into the bark, hauling himself up slowly and trying not to look down. Not that he was scared of falling, he just knew he would get distracted by the view. He barely noticed claws digging into his shoulder fur and pulling him up, and found himself sitting next to a grinning Tether, blinking at the bright sun rays at the top of a huge jungle tree. "Ain't it stunnin'?" --------- HAHA THIS PLAYTHROUGH ISNT DEAD IM WORKIN ON IT LAPTOP DYING GO BRRR SO NO SCREENSHOTS and if you wanna know what Rogiek looks like, just imagine Zaptide with heat body and derp snout Sorry that this was short i had to write it in my phone f

This reminds me of when a previous president of my country said the primary colors where red, blue, and orange or something like that.

The next morning, Acorn was looking down at yet another cub. This time Oreo had been off playing with Chocomint in the grasses, so Acorn was alone with Paprika and Sprinkle. “Why does she have fangs if you two don’t have any?” Paprika stared at the cub, bringing a paw forward to poke their snout. “I don’t know hun, but that doesn’t mean she’s not still ours.” Acorn curled her tail around the cub, licking the top of its head a bit. “Sprinkle’s no different from you and me. She can just do some things we can’t.” “She looks weird. Why can’t she look like you or dad?” “That’s not how the world works. And she isn’t weird, she’s one of us.” “Okay!” Paprika pretended to understand, then turned and ran off to where Oreo and Chocomint were playing. Acorn let out a sigh and started cleaning the cub.

The Empire Begins (79-83 days in) So much stuff happens in like 4 seconds niche-time so try to keep up Hare introduces himself to Truffle and Quartz. H: "Hello! My name is Harecatcher." T: "Are you the new nicheling my sister invited?" H: "Yeah. What's your name?" T: "I'm Truffle, and this is my niece, Quartz. Nice to meet you, Harecatcher." H: "Oh, you can just call me Hare." Q: "Harecatcher funny name. Hare better." Hare proceeded to die inside. H: "What's that?" T: "That's a trapped nicheling! We need to go rescue it!" H: "Oh, let's start g-" Truffle had already sprinted off. The party reached the trapped nicheling. Truffle stayed back and watched for the others to catch up, while Brownie got ready to smash it open. B: "Quartz, watch carefully." This was a terrible shot but Quartz is behind the rock The rock smashed open as Brownie struck it down. Another elephant came out. Truffle got ptsd of Lula, but calmed herself down for the sake of her family. They wouldn't need her heart attack to become frightened of the elephant. ?: "About time somebody let me out of there. It's been so long!" B: "Excuse me? What's you-" ?: "My name is Wikku." T: "Welcome to the tribe." Wikku sniffed the air, dissatisfied. W: "Where's some food? I'm starving!" B: "Here. Some berries." W: "I prefer roots over your stale excuses for berries, but fine." Quartz made a face, and Hare pulled Truffle aside. H: "Wikku is.. annoying. And so snarky." T: "Yeah. He's going to be a pain in the tail. What did you need? Some air away from him?" H: "No. I was gonna tell you all why I'm named Harecatcher, but that behind ruined the mood." T: "You can tell me. I won't tell him, I promise." H: "Thanks... "When I was little, I lived in a tribe full of fierce warriors. I was named Harecatcher after my father, Hareslayer. But, I was born with a twisted snout, so I was banished. They chased me down and I almost froze, when I found a hotsprings, and stayed there for my childhood. But then, I returned as an adult to prove my worthiness and rejoin, but the tribe had vanished." Truffle thought for a second. T: "Why would they ever banish such a young child? You don't need those terrible nichelings. We can form a tribe. We can make an empire, where nobody goes hungry!" H: "Really?" T: "Yeah! We can travel from island to island and rescue nichelings who were banished and trapped in the rocks!" H: "That's a great idea!" Truffle then began expecting a child with Hare. Truffle mother arc because she's gonna die soon While returning, a strange male came from the darkness. Truffle protected the tribe from him. Oh and also Quartz is a teen now. Then Quartz proceeded to murder the man in cold blood. Maybe murder wasn't such a good thing to teach young Quartz. But Truffle's mind was wandering as she gazed at the mountain. Such a small tribe, with such a large quest. And such a dangerous world. How could they save every nicheling? They had failed Lula and Sycamore. And plus, old age was beginning to wear down the sister's morale. She sunk into Hare's fur. If there's a will, there's a way. Even if she herself couldn't save every creature, Hare would lead the tribe to a great future, even if Truffle herself wouldn't be alive while he did so. W: "Ugh. Why is the snow so thick? I'm freezing!" Q: "Can you stop complaining for 5 seconds?" Truffle was brought back into reality. Hare might have his work cut out for him after Truffle and Brownie pass. Luckily, he still had a lot of time.

"Where is he?!" He could hear the panic in her voice, watching with wide eyes as she darted towards the soaked, tired nicheling. #@%*$ stood leaned against a tree, breathing heavily, head ducked, seeming...guilty. "#@%*$, WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS HE?!" She flinched back a bit at the screaming, looking anywhere but the panicked female. "I'm sorry...he..." "HE WHAT?!" "We were cornered, he fell in the river-I...I couldn't save him. He drowned, I'm so sorry." "No...no no no no..." ^&$%* shook her head frantically, nearly collapsing on the ground as she fell into a crouch and closed her eyes tightly. "Please no...not him, please...he's all I have left, I can't-" ------------------------ "When did this happen?" She tried to keep the disdain out of her voice-really, she tried. It just didn't work. "Oh, um, not long ago. I've been pregnant for a while, didn't you notice?" Capst smiled politely, shifting the little furball to lay between her paws. She looked so...happy. Wildfire fought the urge to gag when she looked at the child. Her brother's child. "Well, no. I'm not usually looking at you." "Oh, I'm sorry...I uh, didn't mean-" "Whatever, shut up. I'm leaving." "Oh, okay..." Wildfire stormed away, leaving Capst to watch her leave, a million thoughts running through her head. "...hey." Capst snapped out of her thoughts, looking to the left to find Zaptide nervously scraping at the ground with his digging paw. "I uh, heard...congratulations. It's um, it's Pocky's right? Can I see it?" "Of course." Capst leaned back a bit, allowing room for Zaptide to come closer and look at the child. There was silence for a few moments, and for once Zaptide seemed...less closed off. He was more relaxed, and didn't seem so alert. "Striking resemblance." "I know, it's strange." ... "Hey um, have you seen Pocky? He hasn't come to visit yet, I'm starting to get worried." ------------ ANNNDD, THERE'S YOUR UPDATE This is literally the only screenshot I have for this playthrough, oops dytfuygihyiu WOAH, POCKY HAS A KID?? YEP CANT SAY IF HE'LL BE A VERY GOOD DAD THOUGH-

This isn't going anywhere. He sighed, shoving away another tall stalk of grass as it whipped him in the face. All the monsters have probably taken the prey. What a waste of time... This was useless. He had set out hours ago, and here he was, coming back with nothing. Hopefully mother wouldn't have his head for this... A twig snapped. "...do I even want to turn around?" "Well, I'm not a predator, if that's what you're wondering." Before he could respond, something jumped out in front of him, snapping more twigs and staring him in the eye. Huh. A female, supposedly a wanderer. She was...surprisingly (scarily) tall. Well, at least a lot taller than him. ...uh, was she missing an eye? "Why are you out here all alone?" The strange wanderer asked, still standing straight up and tilting her head down to even be able to see him. "Ah, my tribe sent me out to hunt, but I think those monsters have picked this place clean." "Your tribe?" The female narrowed her eyes. "Hm...say, could you bring me there? I just...need to figure something something out." ---------------------------------------------- "Pocky? will you be okay for a moment?" "Mhm." In all honesty, Capst's voice was ringing on deaf ears at the moment. He barely paid attention as she shot him a concerned look and trotted off to do whatever. He was tired. So tired. Everything was beginning to wear down on his senses. Capst was good company, but sometimes he just needed to be alone. And... Why did Wildfire keep staring at him? Was she still riled up about the Chardonnay thing? They barely knew him...was it really that bad? ..... Hey, was there always a nicheling staring at him from across the river? Pocky blinked, tiredly watching as the stranger cautiously stepped towards the edge of the water. His eyes darted down to the current for a brief moment before locking on Pocky again. "Fancy seein' you here." ...was that an accent? What the hell- "...Do I know you?" The other male looked at the river again for a heartbeat, then smiled. "No, I don't think we're acquainted yet. Name's Tether." This guy was strange. But...in a nice way. His voice was nice (the accent wasn't bad), he seemed like a nice guy- He's nice to look at, too. "Pocky." Tether nodded, never dropping that smile as he sat down and started swaying side to side. He didn't seem happy, not quite...contented? Possibly? "Nice to meet ya." Silence fell over them for a moment, and Pocky took the time to gather his thoughts. Well, more like stare at Tether as if he was some urban legend. Soft grey fur, Green-red-yellow, like summer. Beige spots, Like how flowers smell or cotton feels. Fangs, Sharper than bluebird talons. A long, sleek tail, Winding and winding like the paths of one's mind. Water body, Sleek yet sharp like a rose's stem. Yellow eyes. ... Pretty. "Are ya just gonna sit there and study me all day? I doubt I'm that interesting." Pocky slowly returned to his senses. Tether was staring at him curiously, now laying down with his forepaws dipped in the river. His head tilted slightly. Mom did that a lot. There was silence for a few more seconds, before Pocky joined him in dipping his paws in the cool water. Everest had died here. "You are." "Hm. Really?" "Yeah." .... "Why are you here anyway?" "To get away from it all. To escape all the danger and the distress around every corner." "Do you miss your home?" Tether scoffed, dropping that smile for the first time and raking his claws on the riverbank. "No. Not at all. None of it...it's all blue-black there." Pocky blinked, narrowing his eyes at Tether and wondering if he heard that right. "It's all blue-black here, too. I'm sorry that you can't escape..." .... "Pocky? who are you talking to?" Pocky jumped, startled out of his fur and whipping around to face Capst. He took a moment to realize how small she looked next to him, then forced his fur to lie flat. "Oh, it's-" He turned to face the river again, but Tether was gone. Completely gone. No trace he had even been there-no pawprints or fur or even a sound. Gone. ------------------------- oH WOW LOOK AT THAT, AN UPDATE I might even be able to get another one out today if I feel up to it dytfgyuhuij

Alright, as far as I remember, there should be screenshots from now on And in, uh...celebration(?)of that, here's a screenshot of every nicheling after the first generation (not including Cocospill and Chardonnay) and a few notes on their personality -The second-born child of the tribe, Starstruck's daughter -Was there to witness her sister's death, but doesn't really even remember her -Used to be spunky, friendly, and overall a pleasant person -She's now become a shell of what she used to be after the deaths of the two nichelings she loved most, Almond and Everest -Has a burning hatred for Capst because of her friendship with Pocky -Has a problem with shifting blame and reasoning that it's anyone's fault but her own -Has a scar on her right cheek, just under eye (from when Zaptide snapped) -Strangely possessive of her brother -The third child born in the tribe's original home, Bastille's son -Has a habit of speaking in colors and things nobody really understands except him (Synesthesia) -Has a very vivid memory of Cocospill's death despite being so young -Unafraid of death, both for himself and for others -Spends a lot of time by the water -Feels distanced and isolated from his whole tribe -While he doesn't understand Capst's intentions, he's glad that she acknowledges him without thinking he's crazy -He worries about Zaptide a lot, maybe he wasn't the best nicheling to have raised him... -"It's all blue-black here too. I'm sorry that you can't escape." -Last child born in the mountains, Mitara's daughter (unknown father) -Uh.... -Well, hmm.... -Nobody cares, moving on -First child born in the jungle (I think???), Everest's son -Cold, stoic, quiet, and distanced from everyone in his tribe -Mostly raised by Pocky, his older brother, and grew up believing that the normal way to act was to not care about anything (this was more of an observation than Pocky directly telling him anything) -Never really met his father as the tribe kept him away from children, but nobody ever told him why (he has no idea that Cocospill ever existed) -While Almond was usually out gathering food and Zaptide didn't see her all that often, they did have some good moments and after her death he's wondering why they keep fighting to stay alive -Second (?) child born in the jungle, Tippip's daughter (unknown father) -Had to step up as a healer at a pretty young age, even before Bastille uh...'went missing' -She's pretty overwhelmed and has a natural empathy, always worrying about everyone and what she can do to help -Became absolutely heartbroken after the death of her mother, who was the only nicheling who was ever truly there for her -She naturally drifted towards Pocky because he seemed lonely too, and she feels a connection with him -Still has nightmares about the day her mother died, watching her get ripped apart by monsters left and right -Third (?) child born in the jungle, Starstruck and Statter's son -Statter was completely awkward around children, so Humenke became completely useless at social interaction -Even though Statter had calmed down from her bratty self, she still had a bad temper, so Humenke's response to pretty much anything is to get angry -Someone asks him a question? "What, why would I know that? HEY, STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT! WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM, STUPID? GO JUMP IN A CARNIVOROUS PLANT AND BURN TO DEATH!" -Statter's 'death' really messed him up, even if she wasn't the best mother-he still refuses to come to the conclusion that she's dead, "She just got lost. She'll be back." -Former wanderer, found by Zaptide when he was taking a walk -Kinda snappy and sarcastic, but she has a good heart -Her claws are bathed red from the blood of her enemies annndd i think thats everyone right now? Starstruck is the only one from the first gen left alive, and a few nichelings are pregnant, so there will be more soon

"You're not real." He whispered. And the other nicheling paused, eyes darting down to the claw marks he scuffed into the dirt for a single, shameful moment. The two didn't say anything, and everywhere and everyone and everything he ever knew never felt more wrong in that moment. More fake. More confusing and difficult. And so he stayed silent, numb to the burning flames that lapped at his back. ------------------------------------ "I hate her." Zaptide blinked, turning his attention over to his sister, who glared sharply to her right. Pocky and Capst were by the river again. "Capst? Why?" "She's just using him. I can't let her do that." For the first time in a while, Zaptide felt a spike of anger hit him. "Last time I checked, you didn't care about him." Wildfire shifted her gaze, eyes still narrowed, and glared at him questioningly. "He almost died because of you." He had to stop himself from following that up with a hiss, instead opting to stab the blunt claws of his digging paw into the earth. "That wasn't my fault!" Wildfire snapped, jumping to her paws and shoving her muzzle so close to his face he could feel her breath. He was much taller than her, but she didn't seem to care. "He did that on his own!" Zaptide hissed, aggressively raking his claws through the dirt. That anger wasn't going to stay in much longer. "You taunted him. You told him to do it. You know he doesn't know how things work! His brain works differently-he doesn't understand!" "I know that better than anyone! I've been there his whole life, you've barely done a thing for him! You barely do anything! You-" Zaptide snapped. He struck out his paw, batting Wildfire in the face and sending her to the ground. She sat there for a few moments, staring at the blood on her paw from where she pressed it against her head. His anger fizzled out, and he whipped around, retreating into the grass and away from...her. He hated her. .......... "Ow!" Zaptide jolted, leaping backwards like a frightened rabbil and staring at the lump of white fur glaring at him from the ground. "You stepped on my tail! Rude!" ....who was this again? She seemed to read his mind, because she huffed and stood to her paws, giving him a weird look. "Why are you out here? Do you have a tribe?" "What's wrong with your face?" Yeah uh, that probably wasn't the best thing to ask. It was a valid question though-the only nicheling he had seen with that kind of face was Chardonnay, and look where that got him.... "Wow, you're just a real gentleman, aren't you? I was born like this. Now get outta my way, I smell food." ------------------------------------------------ Oops, still no screenshots dtfgyuhi And that thing at the beginning? I've decided that each chapter following this one, I'll write a little glimpse into the future at the start. There won't be any colored text and nobody will be named (or their names will be replaced with symbols, like: #@%^$) so you won't know who it is until the chapter comes. I'm sure you can figure out, though

Fun fact: The flowers Pocky gave Capst are Asters (the purple ones) and Candytufts (the pink, white and blue ones) Asters symbolize love (hehehe, but he doesn't know that) and Candytufts symbolize indifference (because, y'know, this is Pocky we're talking about)

Burying the dead was never fun. Not just because of the smell either. Nobody enjoys burying bodies, not even nichelings who kill on a regular basis. It's especially heartbreaking when it's someone you loved. "I'm sorry, mom..." Capst stood over a hole, staring sadly at Tippip's bloody and limp body at the bottom. Zaptide was helping bury the bodies, since he was the only one with digging paw. Her mother was gone. What kind of monsters ripped a mother away from her own child? "I couldn't save you..." She had nobody now. Nobody. Her mother was dead. Her father could have been anyone. The only sibling she had died moments after he had taken his first breath. She was alone now. She was numb to the sympathetic and pitying looks sent her way as she walked towards the river. They acted like they understood. They didn't. They couldn't. They had all lost people, but only she knew what it felt like to lose the only one you had left. ------------------ "Hm?" Capst startled, whipping her head around to stare at the voice. Oh. It was Pocky. He was looking at her. Did he want something? "Did you want something? Or are you here for the view?" Oh. Right. "Oh, um, how are your wounds?" He shrugged, reaching a paw up to his face and rubbing the deep cut across his cheek. "They're okay. I wasn't aware that the teeth were serrated." Capst nodded, and silence settled over them. Not the peaceful silence. The awkward kind. -------------- This female was strange. Nobody had ever willingly sat with him for longer than a minute before. Was she alright? Maybe she was sick? Or maybe she was feeling blue? Black? Blue-black? She helped him. He could at least try and return the favor. Hm... Maybe she would feel better if he gave her something. Gifts cheered people up, right? Not that there was much in this place. Let's see... What made him happy? Bumblebees. The taste of broken jungle branches. Soft, cold winds. The texture of sand. The color yellow. Flowers- Flowers. He could find some of those. He scanned the area, sniffed the air, felt the ground, even listened-nothing. Wait... Bingo. He jumped into the river, swimming across and pushing against the rushing tide without so much as a second thought. Capst was telling him to come back, but he would be fine. He was already on the other side. Nudging away some foliage, he crouched low to the ground, sniffing at the bright plants. A cluster of purples, shaped like some sort of daisy and smelling of berries and salt. A patch of whites and pinks and pale blues, layers of petals and smelling of sweet things and iron and blood. He grabbed a few of each, turned, and went right across the river again. Capst was staring at him as he climbed back up, not even bothering to shake the water from his fur. He dropped the flowers at her paws, flicking an ear and looking at her expectantly. She stared at the flowers for a few heartbeats. Did she not feel better? He tried, he gave her stuff, why was she still feeling bad? A few more moments. She looked back up at him. And smiled.

Things calmed down eventually, though the event left many either injured or dead. Bastille was still nowhere to be seen, and though the thought angered them, it seemed that he had abandoned them. For good. Almond was suffering a bit more than some of the others. "It's okay mom! You'll be okay!" Wildfire crouched at her side, trying and failing to hold back the dozens of tears welling up in her eyes. Statter, Humenke, and Zaptide were all close by. Pocky watched a few feet away, and nobody could truly tell what his thoughts were. He just stared. Capst-Tippip's daughter and the only one with healing abilities now that Bastille was gone-was darting around from nicheling to nicheling, trying her best to treat wounds and calm everyone down. Poor kid, she was trying her best, but she was still young and scared herself. She finally made her over to Almond, gently pushing Humenke aside and leaning down to examine the wound on her chest. It was a bite mark, oozing blood and already bearing a green hue, presumably from infection. Capst looked at it for a few seconds. Then a few moments. Then minutes. She raised her head, and dipped it sympathetically to Wildfire. "I'm sorry, but the damage is done..." Everyone was silent for a few heartbeats, presumably processing what they just heard. Statter broke the silence. For the first tie that anyone had seen, the female started...crying. She dug her claws into the ground, repeatedly shaking her head, eyes shut tight. Nobody knew what to do. Wildfire just cried with her. Almond watched, eyes clouded and confused. She didn't understand what was happening. Old age added on to the bite didn't help her seem coherent. Wildfire glanced back at her brother. He didn't show any emotion, still staring at the group with that strange look in his eyes. She wanted to snap his neck. "We can't leave her here." Zaptide spoke up, his voice cracking slightly at the end. He was always so stoic-it was strange to see him emotional. "She'll turn soon, and we don't know how to kill these things. The only reason we're even alive is because Everest...saved us." They knew he was right. She couldn't stay there. Everyone else in their tribe that had passed wasn't going to turn, having been torn apart by the monsters. "I'll take her down to the beach." Statter carefully grabbed Almond, lifting her over her back and turning to walk away. Before anyone could say otherwise, she had already left. ---------------------------- "What is wrong with you?!" Pocky blinked, tilting his head. His sister was angry at him. She looked... Looked... Hm... Red-Green-Orange, perhaps?... Irritated. Furious. Dangerous. "You killed someone! You-you murdered Chardonnay!" "He was a weak link, was he not? He was reckless, and self-destructive. I was thinking ahead." Why was she still mad? He explained himself. She shouldn't be mad. "You're-you're just selfish!" She hissed, her voice starting to break. Pocky couldn't pinpoint if she was lashing out because of their mother, or if she was truly angry at him. That's a silly statement. Very silly. "How can one be selfish if they don't care even for themselves?" "Prove it then! Prove that you're all high and mighty and don't care what happens to you!" Pocky flicked an ear. Did she really want him to do that? Now wasn't a good time to be losing more tribe members. But if she insisted. He shrugged, briefly scanning the clearing, then stood up. He made his way over to a plant-the dangerous ones. The angry ones with sharp teeth that everyone treaded so carefully around. The ones that smelled like sweet honey and summer days. It looked hungry. He could feel the stares of several of his tribemates burning through his back, but he payed no mind. He payed no mind to the pawsteps rushing to pull him away or the shocked cries of his siblings as he was rapidly pulled in. It was just as painful as he imagined it. Maybe a bit more crowded, though.

Rule number one of a zombie apocalypse: Don't stay in the same place for too long. And that's why the tribe was moving-that, and the lack of food sources in their general vicinity. They were being lead by Bastille and Starstruck, the latter of which seemed to have been one of the only nichelngs to be in a jungle before. That was evident by the way he swerved effortlessly through the trees and seemed to know exactly where to place his paws. Nobody said a word the entire time, knowing full well that noise could easily get you killed in a world like this. I guess they weren't careful enough, considering moments later, they turned to watch about a dozen monsters push through the grass and stumble their way over.

Oh look at that, Statter finally agreed to have a child. Unfortunately, it was another boy. Yeah, they definitely needed more of those. Nothing too important here, just the birth of another side character.

Pocky spent a lot of time by the water. The waves were always a way to help him clear his head-well, as close as he could come to it. His head was never really clear. It just helped him understand things better. Half the time he had trouble being able to fathom that he exists. The rain was a nice touch. It wasn't hard rain either. It was soft- Like gentle pawsteps, how a butterfly flaps it's wings, the way berries smell. Half the time he didn't even understand his own thoughts. They were all rainbow-overwhelming, difficult, hard to comprehend. Something was in the waves. A face. Staring back at him. It wasn't his own, yet he couldn't quite pinpoint why. Maybe it was the fact that it sat just next to his reflection, or that there was nobody next to him. He twitched an ear, staring back at the smiling image of someone he didn't know. "Who are you?" It giggled. "I'm nobody! Who are you?" ....... "Are you nobody too?"

Why were they here again? Neither of them knew how to catch fish, much less a razorania. Nonetheless, they tried, since the drought was leaving them lacking food. "Get anything?" Everest blinked, dragged out of his thoughts as he turned to face Wildfire. She looked tired, and it seemed she failed to catch anything as well. He shook his head, panting from the intense heat. Even with his lean body, he was burning up. He couldn't imagine how Pocky must have felt. (And he didn't want to) Wildfire sighed, flopping down and sticking her forepaws in the river to cool down. Everest joined her, closing his eyes and trying to relax. But he couldn't. He hadn't relaxed since they came here. A jungle was probably the worst place they could have come to. And he didn't think that because of the monsters, or the apes, or the vicious plants-no, none of that. Well, a bit of that, but mostly not. He hated jungles. He hated them because o- "Hey dad?" Again, he was snapped out of his trance, turning to Wildfire and blinking tiredly. He wasn't fazed by her calling him 'dad', she did it all the time. He practically raised her. She gave him a sad smile, reaching out her paw and lifting one of his out of the water. "It wasn't your fault, what happened to Cocospill." She leaned forward, and he felt her rest her chin on his shoulders, whispering the last part of her sentence. "None of it was. And neither was anything else that happened to you in your past." They sat in silence, partly because Everest couldn't speak and partly because the moment felt too sacred to break. In all honesty, he was starting to feel a little choked up. He silently leaned into her, trying to ignore the few tears that fell from eyes. There's not many feelings you can compare to the one you get when some someone forgives you.

Considering Everest's last kid was eaten alive, Bastille decided that he should probably have another one. Except this time he wasn't allowed to be left alone with it. Almond didn't object to having more children, but she did feel bad for Everest. She didn't blame him for what happened to Cocospill. "What's his name?" Pocky asked, leaning his head down and sniffing at the bundle of fur between Almond's paws. She smiled, though her eyes seemed distant, like she wasn't completely there. Something purple-red, what is it called? Maybe I'll remember later... "Zaptide." Pocky nodded, sitting down and blinking at the child. He wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what-it just sat in his head and didn't come out into words. Oh wait, it came back to him, that's nice...wait- "He's red-orange, really." Dammit. He was trying to avoid that. Even though Almond clearly had no idea of what he just said, she just smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he is."

"You sure do enjoy staring at the water a lot, don't you?' Pocky payed no mind to Starstruck, simply flicking an ear and hoping that would be taken as a greeting. The grown nicheling sat next to him, observing the clams at the bottom of the small bay just to the right of the ports. "So uh...is it still yellow?" Pocky inwardly cringed a bit. He appreciated Starstruck trying to understand the way he spoke, but in all honesty, he barely understood it himself. It was like nonsense just flew out of his mouth whenever he opened it. "The water, yes. I'm not feeling too calm at the moment though..." Starstruck turned and raised an eyebrow, silently telling him to continue with that statement. Pocky took a deep breath, and looked anywhere but the other nicheling. "I may be young, but I understand that things aren't good right now. They'll never be good. The world will always be just some blue place, and I'll always feel blue-black and orange-green-purple and never truly understand anything that's happening..." He sighed, knowing full well that he was probably making little sense at the moment. "So, I'll just accept it. Death is around every corner, so why fear it or feel sad? Danger never truly rests, so why bother feeling scared? That's life. Life isn't good nor terrible-it's just life. We're born, we live, and then we die. That's all there is to it." There was only silence for minutes, but it felt like years. It wasn't comfortable silence either, it was the kind that fell upon you when something strange or unsettling had been said, but nobody dare spoke a word in fear of hearing more. "That's...an interesting outlook. You sure are a unique one, kid." "I'm not unique. Nobody is." (i seriously applaud you if you can figure out what Pocky is based on-)

After a day or so of crossing the sea, the tribe arrived at their new home. A jungle. Great. Pocky already felt hot, both from his heat body and the fact that he had grown up in stifling cold. This was abnormal to him. "Be careful." Bastille whispered, presumably trying not to alert anything. He went in first, and gestured for Statter to follow, since she was the strongest aside from him. Surprisingly, she followed without any complaints. Pocky drifted off towards the bay, not caring for whatever they were doing.

Did you really think that they were going back to their camp after that situation? Yeah, no. There were ports not too far ahead, and the tribe decided that would probably be the best way to go. They were taking a short break to gather what little food was left on the island. Well, except for Pocky. He was sitting by the water with Starstruck. "Ocean is pretty, isn't it?" Starstruck asked casually, bashing another acorn with his tail to crack it open. Pocky nodded, gaze unbreaking from the waves. "Yes. It's very yellow." Starstruck blinked, cocking an eyebrow at the child and scanning the water. "Uh, you sure? Last time I checked, it was blue." Pocky shuffled his paws, lowering his head for a moment. "Yeah, it can feel that way sometimes..." Silence filled the air for a few heartbeats, before Pocky blinked and looked back at Starstruck. "Oh, wait, you meant-um..." He sighed, tapping his tail against the ground and awkwardly scraping at the sand with one paw. "It's um, it's calm, is what I mean. Yellow-uh, calm."

Yep, another one. This time it's Starstruck's. (this one is named Wildfire, and the last one was Cocospill)

Just a few days later, after finding a decent spot to rest for a while, Almond had her child. The only one currently with her was Everest, who was keeping a close eye on the bird in the sky as Almond slept.

"Did you get anything?" Bastille didn't respond, simply dropping the rabbils he caught and stretching. "I'll take that as a yes." "How are things going over here?" He asked, sitting down under the tree and turning his gaze to the others. Almond had picked the bush clean, and Starstruck had gathered up quite a few acorns. Statter was just moodily sitting by the water, presumably having left Starstruck to do all the work. "Hey, princess." Statter turned, giving him a glare. "What do you want? I'm busy." "Doing what? You're supposed to be helping gather food." "Ugh, that's a servant's job-" "Oh! Hi there!" Hearing Almond's words, the other four turned, seeing Almond smiling at some other nicheling. Wait... "Almond! Get away from that thing!" Starstruck rushed forward, grabbing Almond and jumping back just as the undead creature snapped at her throat. The...thing stumbled forward, tripping and falling on it's face for a moment. It seemed to have no sense of direction, turning every which way as nobody made a sound. "We need to go." Bastille whispered, jumping over the small river and waiting for the others. Everest was trying to quietly climb out of the hot spring, but he slipped and tumbled into the nest, no doubt alerting the monster to where they were. It perked up it's ears, slowly turning it's head towards them and walking forward, blind eyes wide. "Go!" Starstruck shoved Almond towards he river, before picking up Everest and leading him in the same direction. Statter followed suit, jumping the gap and running for her life. All five nichelings ran away, too far to hear the quiet phrase that the monster spoke. "New normal..."