The world was too bright, too bright, but then suddenly it wasn’t anymore. A body stood over him, warm and close and he tried to nose at it. Ohh, and so thick with fur, the skin beneath further away than what he’d first thought. It was standing so still, though, so he did the same as he lay there, only observed this new color above his head that didn’t match the soil under him nor the pitch of his long legs. Oh, legs! But his were not furry, and they itched with wet stuff he couldn’t see the color of over his deep, black coat.
Eager to try the same position she had, his front leg twitched, but… something wasn’t quite right. Her leg, so slender, ended in pads and toes and sharp points. And something must have been wrong, because his had thick clumps stuck to the bottoms. He pulled his leg back and tried to stomp one off while he lay on his belly and hip. There wasn’t much room to really get a good thump though, not like this, and his childish impatience and curiosity had him nosing at her again. He wanted to do that too!
But then she was down and curled around him, focused on him now instead of something else, and after the shiver of cold sweeping through him and was immediately soothed by that thick blanket of warm fur, he decided maybe she had some good ideas.
Oh, and then a soft tongue, so warm, was gently lapping at his face and he relaxed completely, just enjoying that attention and care as it spread over the rest of him. He was so sleepy and content by the time that deliberate massage was finished, that he nearly toppled over when she pulled him closer and he was blissfully happy to nestle into her fur where he would have felt so safe and secure had he known fear at all. But she tensed, focusing on something else and not him again, and he peeked curiously to see what it was: another like them - like her - with a very different color save for the deep purple stripe down his big back that almost matched hers.
PIercing blue eyes stared back at him, so sharp and watchful, and maybe for a very brief instant he might have known fear, except the dark lips on the very same face were soft and curved upward in one corner. He decided he rather liked that expression, so warm and inviting, and his face pulled to mirror it, his brown eyes lightening. Proud of himself and eager to share this accomplishment, he turned to the other, but she was also watching the blue-eyed one, and so smoothly the hard lines in her face melted into a different sort of smile - a little wicked. So, naturally he tried that one on too, his little brows tugging downward and his grin showing a flash of pink gums where teeth would one day be.
He turned it to the male for his reaction, only to see fur become thick hair of the same color and soooo much bigger. Staring agape and wide-eyed, his gaze slid to see the purple woman in the same body too, but her coat was so much smoother than the male’s, and she was looking at him again. So he beamed that expression he’d learned, a big grin as she looked down at him, touched his hair and dragged her muzzle along his body. Oh, and her feet were like his now! So maybe this was supposed to happen, this body-switching thing. Maybe he could learn that too, like this smile on his face.
His brown eyes returned again to the grey male as she progressed her affections further down his body, noticed that the two adults had traded expressions and now his was hard, what might have been annoyance or irritation if he’d known such an emotion to name it. Those blue eyes glanced down at himself then met his little brown ones again. Had he done something wrong? But no, that face softened, almost sadly, replaced with a grateful sort of soft smile, and nodded silently at his purple guardian.
”Let us see them try and track him down now,” her voice cut into the silence just before she stiffened. Then relaxed again. She reached down and pushed at him - his shoulder, belly, hip - and his young muscles tensed to counter the movement, having learned how it shifted him when she’d tucked him to her side. But then she softened, so much gentler, and he watched her curiously as she swept sweet touches over his speckled body. Each little brush of her lips sent energizing shivers across his skin, reminding him how badly he’d wanted to stand up too, and he jolted into clumsy movement.
”Up now, little bear,” she said so much quieter this time, tickling his ears with her velvety muzzle, ”come with me.”
He shook his dark head out and gummed at her leg in playful retaliation, peering up at her with light brown eyes and using it to steady him enough to get to his feet. Settling into her side, he managed to walk alongside her - them - with a surprising amount of grace. About as much, in fact, as a baby elephant on stilts maneuvering across the cluttered forest floor.
She touched him again, and he grinned up at her, all smiles and pink gums. ”There’s someone just beyond those trees,” she told the grey, ”find us when you’re finished?” Then she turned and guided them a different direction, the vegetation taller and grabby and nearly covering him even when he was standing as tall as he could. There was an ache and clawing in his belly that made him nose at her, tapping and nudging instinctively until he found something to latch to and suckled, dragging in more warmth and smooth quiet that soon settled that rumbling burn inside him.
When he was full, he pulled back and flashed that grin at her, becoming more and more familiar with that fun expression. She called for him, brushing across his forehead and settling on the ground, tucking his little body against her again. He didn’t fight it though, was quickly learning the tugging and the pushing things, snuggled right up into her and watched her.
”Mine,” she kissed into his forehead. ”Mine.” He didn’t know what that meant, but the strong tone of her voice felt nice, so meaningful, and he lipped at her shoulder quietly before quickly falling asleep in the blanket of her embrace.
He woke with a start to a brush across his face, grumbling quietly and blinking through the dark sleepiness of his heavy eyelids. No way, nuh-uh, and he curled back up, tucking his head into her body so it was nice and dark again.
Then it was bright again, so irritatingly bright, and he glared - an expression he’d learned from her - at her quickly rising shape. She ignored his mood and his look, touching him gently with those soft sweeps that always seemed to soothe him even just a little. He sighed. And stood. ”Time to go,” she told him, leading him away from there bestest, warmest spot ever. ”Time to find daddy.”
They found him quickly, the man they’d left behind with the brilliant blue eyes. His little face was already grinning up at him, sandwiched between them like big, warm walls, and pulled even closer for a moment into that thick, grey coat. When the man pulled away, he had a new emotion in his eyes, one he didn’t have a name for, and he peeked back at Mom for help in understanding it. But they were quickly lost in boring conversation, and he looked ahead instead, or to the left, or to the right; pretty much everywhere because there were so many new things to see!
Something about Mom changed though, somehow. It prickled like sharp claws down his side and he looked at her, trying to find why as his body naturally tried to avoid it and press further into the grey - Ruan, she’d just called him. He didn’t see anything different, so he tested it and nosed at her belly a little. Her attention came down to him and she spoke again. ”Stay with mommy and daddy, darling Rian.” And he nodded, not really understanding but feeling like acknowledgement was expected, and followed quietly between them.
