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The godlet’s presence washed over each region they visited, no matter if all they had left were muffled footsteps and strung together portals. Today, they stumbled through a dark desert.
Across the sandy landscapes were jutting out towers and twisting centipedes. Creatures illuminated in the brief, blessed rays. Signs and statues and symbols of a time long gone, enough for one to look and wonder.
The godlet didn't spend much time here though. They weren't exactly a god to have it. No matter what their friend said– they still survived on scraps, ducked from predators, scrambled into shelters as the fearful rumble of rain began.
To be a god is to have privilege. And for the little godlet, Spinning Top was one.
“Oh yes, I see you, little peeper!”
“What a sandy place we are in.. Oh, I wish I could unclasp my mask right this moment! Feel the sunny rays..”
The godlet– peeper stared up at their friend. They observed how the other looked: a mass of tendrils streaked with gold.
“So trapped! OAOAOA! But, little peeper, have you felt it? Mmm?”
Gold.. The (curious) peeper lingered. After a pause, they promptly threw up a flower.
“OOH! Well, well, well, let me see!”
What they held up was a thin, golden flower with rippling strands streaked across its surface. The oddest part to them were the ‘petals’, which formed a gentle X shape.
“Yes yes! Back in my creche days I stole one of these. My nestmother seemed very offended–”
They had no idea what any of those words meant.
“I heard they’re called wheel flowers. Alas, I could only run back and forth through those archive halls for such a miniscule time, even walking would take a cycle!
“--OAOAOA! Oh, yes, I’d pluck out whatever scroll I could reach and dust it off: ‘By Jingling Coins, Seven Stars: Wheel flowers predate us, yet they surpass our current understanding of’-- Blegh. Boring words.
“Besides, who writes with paper? I never even got to fully taste a wheel flower.. Peeping thing, do your animal trick! The jaw-opener one.’’
The peeper earnestly internalised that the X shape meant it was poisonous– they didn’t look interested in repeating a mistake regarding tardigrades.
But, for their friend? They'll do it–
“MMMM..”
Their friend’s booming voice nearly knocked them back into a tunnel.
“But we could do something less creature-IV. No more teeth, no more claw, only hands-IV!”
Every word punctuated by an -iv was even more booming, intensified further by a raising of their tendrils.
“Yes!! Carry many! Many wheel flowers with your armsies, my little shadow!”
They could not stop what happened afterwards. Being eagerly pulled into a portal, twisting and turning through strands and into a new land.
“OAOAOAOA!” Was the last thing they heard.
The next thing they saw was pink.
A pink ceiling, unfocusing as they rubbed their eyes. A pink ground, swooshing little dust as they heaved themselves up. A pink structure, grooves and machinery snuggled together in the walls. And, a pink tower, reaching up and to a tunnel.
The peeper– or godlet simply watched for a moment. Then, they tapped at their surroundings: a slight donk from down below, a whoosh from the air, and a tink from the pole next to me.
They looked alarmed. But clung on with their paw. A survey of their surroundings, then a jump down onto a platform. The rest was easy enough– too easy.
Making the godlet's eyes widen with uncertainty, almost frantically squeezing into the high-up tunnel.
Easiness? What a frivolous concept it was for the godlet, to even be safe and sound. And it intensified with each step.
Everything was beautiful. The sky, bright and lovely, accompanied by the sweeping clouds that surrounded the tower they stood on. Bugs crawling and scrambling from predators, yet even then they were eaten.
The godlet had watched it afterall. Stumbling back, a little fearful yet curious as a striped, tube-like creature had its meal. It turned its ‘head’ at them. The godlet stepped back. It wriggled in place. They slowly and curiously craned their head forward, and it latched on.
Its strong, sticky tongue had latched on. The two stood like that for a while, slimy sounds echoing as the godlet nervously shifted.
They finally snatched it; the tube creature didn't seem to mind.
For the godlet, it proved to be a useful tool. But they left it eventually, snatching up a karma flower. They continued to clamber up– lovely views filled their vision.
The wind whooshed, and whirring wafted through the air. They inched close to the highest tower, yet something nipped their tail. A sticky, slimy tongue now enveloped it. The godlet once again slowly and curiously turned, and a lizard was there.
Pain overwhelmed them as it clamped down, blood dripping onto every surface. The lizard tugged– The godlet yelped. Kicking and squirming, they watched the lizard tumble. But it wasn't over yet.
It whirred; cyan vents fluttered to life. An evade didn’t help, nor a kick. The lizard simply dashed and bit down. The godlet remembered: they were an animal, so small and puny– The lizard tugged again.
They could feel it began to drag. They could feel their own blood soaking in. They could feel their despair.
They shut their eyes, and screamed.
For a brief moment, jaws opened; a creature fled into a tunnel. Lingering dust gently trailed behind, and a lizard stared.
Through the godlet’s eyes, they reached the tippy top. Yet, as whales passed by, they grabbed onto one's whiskers and floated higher and higher.
And for once, they could absorb the views. Gripping their flower, they looked at the clouds. Then, onto the faded out structures; it twisted into a point wrapped with wires.
Then, they fell– They fell to where their friend was. The godlet held their tail, blocking the bleeding bitemarks as it dripped down. Eyes wandered up and ears twitched as ripples echoed across the ground.
That soft melody began as they climbed. Blues and golds seeped through, golden flakes floating along like a river. Floating, feeling. Peacefulness. It tingled their spine– Brought their head up–
“There you are, my little shadow!”
“Sneaky jaws must've caught up to you! Your ribbons truly have been ripped! OAOAOAOAOAOAOA!”
She sounded proud of that joke.
“Hmm, but you have kept your promise.”
They'd honestly forgotten that they had it. The flower looked semi-destroyed now, beads of crimson falling down.
“Very, very torn though! OAOA! But this will do.”
“Follow me, peeping thing!!”
As if a hand had snatched them by the tail. That is how it felt, and it worsened as they were suddenly dropped down.
The godlet sat in a dark, glowy room. Cracks and openings showed themselves, beams of light shining down from the snowy outside.
“BEHOLD! My terrace…”
They blinked, then saw it. In front of them were several wheel flowers, alongside a scribbled, undecipherable order.
Also hearing Spinning top’s words, the godlet had realised that the room seemed warped, most likely from her presence.
“Quite fancy! OAOAOAOA! Now, drop your findings!!”
Almost immediately that was the case; it was hard not to listen to a god’s order. Perhaps more of a whim for them, but nonetheless.
“Yes, yes! now let me see..”
The room warped, tendrils slithering in. IT attempted to snatch a flower, yet sadly garbled at the result. Simply.. Spinning Top could never touch something.
“Bummer. Sometimes you are soo privileged, little arm haver! Hold them for me.”
Spinning top’s tendril retracted; the other looked relieved. They weren't sure what the other was doing– nor too curious. The godlet shuffled closer to the pile, perusing through the variations. Some were bent, old, dusty, and now a bit bloody. Their hands wandered to one of them.
“Mm…”
Curious. They observed it, eyes squinting and looking over their body. A raise of their arms, then a glance at the tail. Its bitemarks seemed to be healing. But they could heal it faster. Their hands carefully lowered down the flower, and placed it–
“OAOAOA! I remember!”
She cut in,
“Peeping thing, do you know what flower crowns are?”
“Hm. Your squiggly insides must be too focused on burrowing things! OAOAOA!”
“But I am very smart.”
The godlet held onto a wheel flower.
“You should grab another one– Already!?? Well, well, let's see.. “
The warping force strengthened. Most likely from Spinning Top’s closer presence, weakening after a short huff.
“OK. Now, you need to put the stem through the petals of the other flower,”
…
“.. Surprised you haven't munched it yet. Just repeat this, and I will witness!”
The godlet hands slightly trembled under the pressure. They could sense her presence waft down, peering curiously as they weaved together the crown.
Their fingers mostly fumbled, and each time it slipped, a rambunctious laugh would follow. It wasn't even that insulting now.
They wondered if this is how the tube creature felt– Controlled by a god, because they were useful. Yet the godlet could see they didn't mind much; it just wriggled. Maybe even happy, happy that it could help someone.
“--I remember, through those dusty archives, I scrounged up a single sheet of paper! Something titled like “The Counselor’s Consort Extras: Wheel Flowers” capitalization and all. Sounded uninteresting, but I read it anyway!”
The godlet paused their weaving, then continued. Ear twitching as she giggled, beginning to regale the rest.
“OAOAOA! Yes, my other nestmother seemed horrified when he caught me! ‘So blasphemous, cease your reading!!!’ They were.. removing their masks, and also super close– Must be violating one of those urges.”
“Whatever that means…”
Nor did they.
“Blegh. The flower crown was the coolest part anyways!”
“And I only have you to discuss it with! I do hope you are listening, or else you'd be a rude little peeper.”
“Sometimes I really do miss my crechemates.. Did you have any of your own?”
They shook their head, and lied. Something about Spinning Top– a god– being nostalgic seemed.. wrong for the godlet.
“I see. Speaking of! You have finished, yes?”
She giggled as they raised it up, glittering in the light. A few tendrils even came to poke at it, but they deflated after simply passing through it– “old habit!” Spinning Top murmured.
“Ohh, so nice!”
“Thank you.”
The godlet stared, chittered, then attempted to place it on their bloody tail–
“HEY!!!!!”
They flinched and retracted it. Slowly blinking, holding the crown close to their chest.
“Put it on your head..”
A pair of big, beady yet confused eyes stared at Spinning Top. With a flower crown on top.
“Hehe.. Peeping thing, you are so very helpful. Perhaps, I have a gift of my own.”
They blinked. She took a long, long stare, almost admiring the wheel flowers.
“MMMM.. You can use it as bandages now.”
Spinning Top's presence weakened, and the godlet jumped in joy. Filled with giggles, watching her friend struggle to patch up.
Flowers weren't the best solution, it seemed.