(3) First Outing

Three days after Anjeliqua had opened her eyes, she made her first visit to the mouth of their den. It wasn't easy since the opening was guarded by a solid lip, rock or hard packed earth, Anjeliqua couldn't tell, but it was slippery enough to frustrate her attempts. Until now, Mother had watched her with benign amusement, her tail whipping and arcing with pride at her offspring's determination along with relief that her kitten could not yet escape the den's safety.

Today, Mother decided that it was time to introduce Anjeliqua to the outdoors So she amplified Anjeliqua's clumsy scrabbling by nosing her over the edge of the den. Surprised, Anjeliqua tumbled out and rolled a little ways before coming to rest against the base of what looked like a cross between a tree and a huge strand of kelp. When she knocked against it, it yielded a bit, then bumped her back as it realigned itself. Anjeliqua felt she had been greeted by it, that there was sentience within it. The words "dwyld" and "guardian" popped into her mind, she nodded to it and tickled it with her long tail in her own greeting. Mother looked on approvingly and herself nodded to the Guardian.

Anjeliqua followed the wavy line of the Guardian's deep purple trunk up and up. It seemed to extend forever into a brilliant orange sky. Anjeliqua looked for the sources of light, remembering that there were two suns here. It was morning, one sun was behind the hill the den was in, light brightening the top of the Guardian's trunk, the other was at its zenith, shining down through an atmosphere thick enough to noticeably alter its rays. Angeliqua looked at her mother questioningly. In response, Mother's two eyes closed and the middle eye gazed intently at Angeliqua. She immediately understood that without the viscous atmosphere moderating the suns' double force, life would not be possible.

"The colour?" Anjeliqua asked, closing her two lower eyes and using her third eye to send the question.

"Iron", Mother replied. Anjeliqua felt her mother's surprise at her ability to use language so early. Mother caressed her with a stroke of her long tail, pleased and proud.

Angeliqua turned slowly around, curious to take it all in. Dirctly in front of the den was a small area covered in soft brown moss. Beyond the Guardian the ground dropped sharply off into a valley below. A green river slid through it cutting a gap through a low range of hills across the valley. Anjeliqua could see other kelp trees growing below them along with other types of vegetation. Scattered between the Guardian and the edge of the hill grew stumpy life forms ranging in colour from bright blue to pale pink, though most were shades of purple. Some were as large as a small bush, others the size of a flower - their shape reminded Anjeliqua of sea anemones. They had crowns of stubby arms set on short, thick trunks. The arms waved about volitionally. Anjeliqua looked at Mother, "Plants or animals?"

"Planz? Animuz?" she repeated, puzzled. "Living not dead" she corrected.

Anjeliqua cringed inside, reminded again that she was other, not the same. She turned away continuing her explorations.

Behind her lay the dark hole of the den within a hill that was actually a huge piece of what reminded Anjeliqua of dark green coral. Surrounding the den's mouth, covering the whole large mound above it and around it, many small irredescent creatures reached out of tiny holes. Anjeliqua padded over to nose at them, but they withdrew their delicate, fernlike arms as she approached. She made a game of trying to sneak up on them, but when she finally succeeded, had her nose stung. She mewled, shocked more than hurt.

Mother laughed, lightly touching Anjeliqua's nose with the tip of her tail. Anjeliqua looked at her, again the third eye spoke, "Zwylls, friends."

"Like the Guardian?"

Mother nodded and pounced playfully on top of her. They rolled around on the soft ground. The romp finished with Mother licking her all over. Anjeliqua thrummed with happiness, curled up in the suns' rays and napped, snug against her mother's side.

Anjeliqua awoke to the sound of singing, and sprang to her feet. Her mother was already awake, tensed in a crouched position looking upwards. Anjeliqua followed her stare and saw many small creatures moving high above them approaching across the valley below. Their song was beautiful, and visible - spirals of rainbow like colour emerged from each one, joining, like swirls of smoke, to rise above and behind them as they moved through the dense sound.

Their bodies were dark brown and small, fish like with huge dorsal and tail fins that waved and propelled them along in a swimming motion. Instead of a ventral fin, they had small appendages that, as they drew nearer, Anjeliqua could see were short legs with clawed feet.

Her delight in them was stilled by the anxiety she felt from Mother. This froze her in place, watching while the group swarmed lazily around the valley's rim as though looking for something. As they drew closer, Anjeliqua saw that the sound was coming from large open mouths with many sharp teeth. They had no eyes but huge nostrils. She could see the movement of the air as it was swept into the gaping holes. Instinctively she held her breath as they flew by, their rainbow sound engulfing the Guardian's frond only a few meters above them. Horrified, Anjeliqua saw the beautiful swirls shrivel the edges of the Guardian, dissolving parts of the frond into the air which was perceptibly thickened and inhaled by the perilous creatures. The Guardian's trunk lightened to a faint mauve where it had been touched. The Guardian quivered at the assault but stood firm.

It wasn't until the swarm had disappeared behind a curve in one of the far hills that Mother moved, nudging Anjeliqua towards the mouth of the den.

"Ulxtds, eaters," Mother told her once they'd regained the safety of the den. Anjeliqua understood that if she had moved or breathed, they would've felt it, descended upon her, held her in those awful teeth while the sound dissolved her. She shivered and wondered if the Guardian would be OK.

"Guardian will recover." Anjeliqua felt relieved.

Later, falling asleep, she wished she'd done a little more research on the other life forms on Paradiso.