Turning to Stone (Rewritten)

Chapter 2: First Days

Matatum stepped outside, feeling the warm breeze. Despite the fact that Fire Haven was inside a volcano, it was never too hot for her. Although maybe the fact that she was a kayna had something to do with it, but her friends never complained about the heat.

"I'll be back soon, 'kay Mom?" She called. "'Kay!" Her mom, Amber, called. Matatum shut the door behind her as she began walking from her village towards the castle.

Some monsters lived inside the castle, while others preferred living in the village nearby. Matatum and her mom lived in the village, while most of her friends lived in the castle. She didn't mind, her village was nice, and she spent plenty of time in the castle when she hung out with her friends.

The castle, aside from a living space, served as a daycare for younger monsters, a hatchery and nursery for eggs, and a school. Of course, there was the well known Tribal Island School, but Matatum and her friends hadn't really ever left Fire Haven, all they needed was here, right?

Besides, the school was only open to Natural Monsters, and Matatum was anything but. Kaynas were the literal embodiment of fire, and most monsters were still getting used to the "new" element's presence.

Shaking away her internal ramblings, Matatum made her way to the castle. The school year hadn't started yet, so she could spend her time hanging out with her friends. Ross, a Noggin, despite being nice, was constantly paranoid and afraid of the slightest noise. La, a Tweedle, was the smart one of the group, pulling them out of any stupid situation they might cause or get into. Bap, a Potbelly, was constantly writing. He had a trusty typewriter that he never let out of his sight, and if you asked him about whatever he was writing you had better be prepared to sit there for a very long time.

When she got to the castle, she was interrupted by a rather nosy Floogull. "What'cha doin'?" They asked as she walked through the doors. "None of your business, I'm just going to hang out with my friends." Matatum replied, used to their antics by now.

She frowned at the thought of walking up stairs, but the castle didn't have elevators. There were ramps that could be used, but it generally took longer. Whatever, the others won't mind if I took a few extra minutes.

Honestly, the ramps weren't that much better than the stairs, and she was still panting for breath by the time she got to the right floor, but it was a little better. As she walked, she could hear baby monsters singing very out of tune renditions of the island's song, older monster children playing games, and adults taking care of business. She made her way towards La's room, hearing her friends idly chatting before she even stepped inside.

"What took you so long?" La asked when she opened the door. "Didn't feel like taking the stairs, so I took the long way up." Matatum replied, settling down on the floor as her friend gave an understanding nod.

There was a brief moment of silence as they all mentally searched for the next topic of conversation, the click-clacking of Bap's typewriter being the only sound. Bap huffed, getting frustrated. "Why don't I fucking have hands!" He growled, waving his leaf arms around in frustration. (Technically, he did, but it's hard to write with leaves for hands.)

"Watch your language! Besides, it's simply the way Potbellies evolved. Since they rely more on their mouths to sing, hands just aren't needed." La stated calmly. "It was a rhetorical question! And maybe I need hands to write! Why didn't evolution think of that?" Bap countered. La sighed. "Evolution doesn't 'think', and writing isn't needed for survival."

Matatum winced. "Oh, you're gonna regret saying that." She laughed. Bap took a deep breath, seeming like he was about to unleash all he had on La, but he simply hung his head and went back to his work. Bap never got mad at La.