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The Search For Home


mhiahia

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Its the absence of sound that wakes Roku. The chirpy greetings, the happy purrs and friendly growls indicating the presence and warmth of his tribe are gone. Instead, there is only the hollow, cold sound of clashing waves - monotone and ever-present.

A jolt of panic hits him - he is alone. Somehow his family, his island, his home has gone and been replaced with this terrifyingly silent place.

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A breeze blows gently from within the island, bringing new, uncanny smells, making the tall grass whisper. Roku freezes. His instincts tell him to run, to fight, to do something, but there is no safe place for him to reach. Everything here is his enemy and he is on his own.

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The panic turns into terror as he realizes how utterly helpless he is. Desperately searching for comfort he curls into himself, closing his eyes and pressing his head to the ground, trying to ignore the deafening silence around him. He tries to think of home. Of the comfort of his family's island. Everything there had been discovered generations before even his parents were born. The grass was short and secure and the reassuring sounds of the tribe had filled the air every moment he could remember. The memories calm him and he manages to fall into a dreamless sleep.

As Roku awakens the next morning he feels somewhat grounded. He is still anxious, but this time around he manages to take a few steps into the mysterious grassy depths of the island. As he sniffs the air all he can register are the smells of earth and grass - mixed with the sweet, familiar scent of berries. Both their scent as well as the picking motion remind him of his home and the task of food gathering. It puts him at ease.

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Roku spends a few more days next to the berry bush. Slowly, the fear starts to turn into a state of alertness. He learns to appreciate the occasional gust of wind for the informations it gives him about the island. And as he adapts to his new surroundings, curiosity arises.

He takes a step away from the berry bush and discovers a strange plant - one that he has never seen before. The subtle scent must have been covered up by the stronger smell of the berries. 20200711140342_1.thumb.jpg.a1afbfd742eb69fb47bb2711e2675cd7.jpg

It doesn't seem particularly appetizing to him, so he decides to leave it alone, taking another step farther into the grass. Another smell suddenly becomes overpowering, but this one is familiar to him. The big creature notices Roku and gives him a friendly head rub. Although its presence is nowhere near as comforting as the one of another nicheling Roku cuddles up to it and relaxes in its soothing warmth. As it starts to rain the strong body shield him from the pouring water and keeps the cold at bay.

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Even though he longs to bask in the comfort of another creatures companionship for longer, Roku knows that the ghost-of-the-grass cannot become his new tribe. And so he marches on, entering an area with dry, yellow grass. The ground seems different here and there are fewer scents lingering in the air. All of a sudden a big, scary thing stands in his way. It looks strange, with weirdly shaped berry-like things surrounded by sharp-looking orange pricks, threatening anyone who might think of picking the odd fruits. Roku decides to leave it alone and wanders up to the beach instead. 20200711140445_1.thumb.jpg.fa6d9c570e973ba2471535a7536b9069.jpg

The sweet smell of berries fills the air on the shore and Roku happily sits down next to the bush. The sound of the waves doesn't scare him anymore - now it gives him a sense of calmness.

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He settles in right there, filling his stomach with the ripe fruits and sleeping through and uneventful night. The second he wakes up however, something is off. At first, he doesn't know where to place it. Faint splashing noises are carried to him trough the still air. He can feel the restlesness starting to pool in his chest as he checks the air for any unusual scents. Roku breathes in and his fur stands up. There is no mistaking this - he can smell another nicheling! Excitedly, he jumps towards the source of the smell.

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He lands in the water, splashing everywhere. The stranger is visible now - the female's fur is of a flaming red that is easy to make out against the light shore. She seems to be attempting to catch some of the tiny fish that are swimming around her, although they easily escape her sweeping paws.20200711140533_1.thumb.jpg.310d09036c77f599213ae98fb83fadd4.jpg

Roku moves closer, greeting her with a squeaky purr. She turns to him, returning the greeting in a slightly mocking fashion. Her face is different from anything that Roku is familiar with - broad and angular, with a large nose and round, slightly protruded eyes. "Did you hurt your face?" he blurts out, unable to stop himself. The strange female blinks surprised at the question, only to fall into delighted, chirping laughter. She rolls her eyes back and her voice seems to drop. "I was cursed to look like this!" Roku takes a few steps back at that, puffing up his fur. Maybe approaching her so care-free was a bad idea. As she sees him back off the female falls into another fit of laughter. "I was joking around little stranger! This is just my face; I was born like this! Does everyone look so different where you come from?" Slightly embarrassed Roku flattens down his fur before sitting down next to her. "I am Roku" he says, avoiding her amused gaze. "I was separated from my tribe and I am trying to find a new home". The strange female looks at him with a more serious expression, the mischief from before gone from her eyes. "My name is Ithko, it’s great to meet you! If you'd like it then we could stay here together for a little bit."

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As darkness slowly starts to creep over the horizon, the two of them stretch out on the shore. They sit in silence, until Ithko starts to speak: "I never had a tribe. Both of my parents were loners, and I left them once I gained my third gem so I could live freely." At this, Roku tenses. He had thought that Ithko would stay with him from now on - that she would become his tribe. But maybe he was wrong, and he will be all alone again. His thoughts are interrupted when the other one speaks again. "But I don't think you should be left alone any longer. You are young, and this island is more dangerous than it seems. Plus, having company is nice. Of course, if you don't want me to become your tribe then- " She is interrupted as Roku presses himself up against her, purring loudly. With a happy chirp, Ithko returns the gesture.

This night, Roku falls asleep next to Ithko, her heartbeat a steady, reassuring drumming even in his sleep. 

He wakes up feeling different. Instinctively, he freezes, while taking in the fresh morning air, searching for something unusual, a sign of danger. But there is nothing except for the familiar smells of grass, earth and water, mixed with the comforting scent of Ithko, who is snuggled up against him. She seems to feel his restlessness as she stretches and yawns. Still dozy, she turns to bump her head against his in a silent greeting. As she pulls back, a surprised look appears on her face. "You gained your last gem! Congratulations!" Stunned, Roku looks down at his chest. There, nested in his thick fur glow three gems. He is silent as a stingy, heavy feeling arises within him. This was supposed to happen at home. With his older siblings warmly welcoming him into the life of an adult, and his parents congratulating him proudly. Ithko, noticing his distress, nuzzles his cheek. They stay like this until Roku's chest doesn't feel as heavy anymore. 

"This is a special day for you, we should celebrate it. I know that you miss your family - do you want to tell me about them? After we have had some berries of course." Roku nods and sits down next to the berry bush. As he is occupied with licking his stained paws, Ithko lifts her paw and presses it against his new gem, leaving a purple smudge in the form of her paw. She casts a mischievous glance towards him and effortlessly jumps away when he tries to stain her gems as well. They chase each other around for a bit, smearing berry juice on each other’s fur.

After they have cleaned themself up in the tides, Roku can't help but wonder if it was the warm feeling of her company that lead to the emergence of his last gem.

 

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Roku is stretched out, still trying to let his fur dry under the warm rays of the sun. Ithko, whose shorter fur has returned to its normal state already, is staring fascinated at a strange stump emerging from the ground. "Did you know that you can try and call for others when you climb on one of those? What do you think about trying it?". The prospect of meeting someone new excites Roku, but his fur is still heavy, and he is enjoying the sun far too much to move. "Why don’t you give it a try? “ he asks, voice low and content.

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Ithko hops onto the stump with ease, standing up high and making a loud, thrilling noise. She repeats it a few times, ears perking up in an attempt to notice even the slightest of sounds. The sound of something large moving through the grass is loud enough to catch even Roku's attention. Taking in the air once again, he can pinpoint its source. He approaches carefully, as to not disturb the newcomer. Once he spots the stranger, he realizes that his efforts were wasted. She is tall, towering above him and showing no sign of fear. Her yellow fur is already showing streaks of grey, adding to the impressive aura surrounding her.

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This isn't dead by the way, I just went away for a couple days and didn't have lots of time. Ideally I get an update done tomorrow - then this will be on hiatus for two weeks since my family and I are going camping.

I also started a topic where I am going to post my niche headcanons, most of which I use in this playthrough. So if you aren't sure about why a character/animal is acting a certain way then you can check it out to see if there is an explanation.

https://strayfawnstudio.com/community/index.php?/topic/10210-my-niche-headcanons/

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Roku cowers before her, trying to fight the primal urge to submit. He wants to offer his throat, wants to fall to the ground, wants to give himself up to her mercy in a desperate attempt to save himself.

A red flash and Ithko is standing in front of him, facing off with the female instead. If he wasn't resisting his own instincts right now, Roku would be screaming at her, telling her to run as fast as she can. But all he can do is wait, for the sound of a body slamming to the ground, for the smell of her blood to rise into the air- "Hi, I'm Ithko! How are you? Did you come here to join us? You're like, really big, you know? Did you survive on your own? You look like you could scare away danger by looking at it!" Taken completely off guard, the stranger takes a step back. The intimidating aura surrounding her seems to die down as she focuses on Ithko. As she speaks her voice is a husky baritone. "My name is Saah and I came here to join you." With a glance towards Roku, who scrambles to appear calm and collected, she continues. "I suppose this wasn't a great first impression, but I mean no harm. My former tribe left to travel, and I have since hoped to find companions. If you deem me a worthy addition, then I will gladly stay."

Roku and Ithko share a look. Saah is quite strange, but both of them agreed on finding new tribe members. It is Ithko who breaks the clinch by bumping her head against Saah's large chest. "You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you like. The young one behind me is Roku, we've met a few days ago."

There is a short silence as Roku and Saah lock gazes. Careful, Roku takes a few steps towards her. She seemed to tower over him when they met earlier but both their heads are on the same level. He tries to still his breathing when they rub heads - a quick procedure after which he takes great care to distance himself once again.

He curls up next to Ithko as they fall asleep, with Saah lying a few tail-lengths away. Listening to both of them breathing - Ithko fast and light, Saah deep and slow - calms him.

It is a familiar noise that wakes Roku - the swishing sounds of leaves as someone picks the berries they carry. He opens his eyes to see that Saah must have come closer during the night. She lies next to Ithko, who is still pressed against him, sleeping soundly. His thoughts are still clouded, and he starts drifting away again when he registers an unfamiliar scent. Roku jerks awake and angles his head to track down the source of the smell. It smells like nicheling and berries, overlaid and intertwined. With great care as to not alert the stranger he gets up and peers over the stump. Now he can see the intruder, a scrawny two-gemmed male with an uncannily long snout, feeding on his berry bush.

He lowers himself down, tensing up, getting ready to pounce. The collision between him and the stranger is strong enough to send them flying into the shallow water. While his opponent panics Roku pins him down with ease. The commotion must have startled his tribemates awake as both appear next to him within seconds.

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