I’m sorry it’s been a while since I posted. This story was initially meant to be fluffies building a society in clay but I didn’t know how to make that interesting so I’ve changed direction, enjoy.
Thanks @ezpete for the push
Part 3: Up the Cliff Face
As the sun began its descent, casting long, graceful shadows across the sandy beach, the small group of resilient microfluffs huddled together under the protective shroud of the spiky bushes. Hours had passed in their hostile sanctuary, and their tiny tummies rumbled with hunger, while still not quite understanding the harsh reality of their precarious situation.
Amidst the constant chorus of “huhuhu,” they scoured their shelter, finding only a few meager sprouts here and there – far from sufficient for what remained of the colony. With hunger gnawing at them, the microfluffs ventured out, noses quivering as they sought any signs of sustenance. It was Pip who made a discovery: a line of ants, diligently transporting seeds, chutes, and bits of plant.
Pip followed the ant trail to the brink of the bushes and saw a narrow path leading up the cliff face towards the forest canopy. With an air of authority, Pip gathered his fluffy companions. “hewwo wisten! we nee’ nummies, we nee to fowwow dah buggies” he declared.
However, trepidation gripped his fellow microfluffs. A green unicorn with a brown mane voiced his fear, “nu! it’s too scawy.” Pip empathized with their apprehension and said, “Awwight, ‘ou stay hewe an’ pwotect dah hewd. Pip wiww find dah nummies. Fwuffy’ww take wed, bwue, bewwy, an’ weafie wiff fwuffy.”
The journey up the cliff face was a long and perilous one for this group of “spwowos.” Every rustle and broken twig seemed to herald a monstrous threat. It wasn’t until they reached the summit of the cliff that they laid eyes on the sprawling forest and the ant trail leading to the base of a towering tree, just a few feet away.
Following the ant trail, they stumbled upon a treasure trove of seeds, shoots, and nuts, teeming with ants. It appeared to be an abandoned hoard, perhaps left behind by a hibernating squirrel or another creature. Hunger overcame them, and they eagerly indulged, except for Pip. “Stahp eating! we gotta bwin’ these nummies back to dah hewd,” Pip exclaimed.
However, Berry, a “large” purple earthie, disagreed, “Nu! bwabe fwuffies desewbe aww dah nummies. Scawdy hewd can find theiw own nummies.” He took an aggressive stance, with Red and Blue behing him. Pip charged at Bewwy, but his vision suddenly went black, and after hours of nothing he felt himself being moved.
“Whewe nummies? Whewe hewd?” Pip’s panic mounted as he scanned his surroundings. Then, he saw it – the cliff’s edge. He was being carried toward it. Finally, as Pip began to piece things together, he looked down and spotted ants pulling him down the very path they had initially followed.
As his panic subsided, Pip realized his head and body ached terribly, and he had clearly been injured. Through a swollen eye, he saw his herd below, their neon colors shining through the lifeless thorny bush. Exhausted and in pain, Pip closed his eyes, too hurt and too tired to move.