Chromatober 2023

Day 22 - Grow

Series: Original Rainbow Quest (Part 7 of Hunted)

--- Light Steve P.O.V. ---

"Come on...  where are they?"  I hadn't meant to say it out loud, but the thought rang through my head like a village bell.  When I had gone to wake my guards up this morning, they had disappeared.  When I asked around, nobody had seen them leave, or been able to find them.

Perhaps the only person more frantic than myself was the Violet Leader, who had opted to stay inside the Rainbow Kingdom with me in case they found their way back.  It was a good thing that most of the others were out on search parties.  He looked three minutes away from a panic attack.  He probably didn't want his people to see him like this.  I felt a stab of pity.  He had known the Violet Guard for much longer than I had.  How much worse would the dread be for him?

"When are the search parties due to be back?"  He asked me frantically.  I glanced up at the sun.

"About sunset."  I replied.  "We don't want them out with the mobs."  Violet Leader seemed horrified at the thought.  "Why do you ask?"

"Because Happy's here early."  he said quickly, pointing over to where two Orange Steves ran at us at full speed.  Happy slowed down after a little while, but excited practically knocked the Violet Leader to his feet.

"We found them!"  he announced proudly.  Violet Leader's face lit up.

"Really?"

"I can show you where they are."  Happy offered through gasps of breath.  He was grinning from ear to ear.  I hoped that was a good sign that neither of them were hurt.

"Let's go."  I said immediately, gesturing for Violet Leader and Excited to follow.  Without hesitation, we began trailing after Happy, who had run out of steam, but kept moving anyway.

"Are they alright?"  Violet Leader questioned Excited.

"Eh... yeah mostly!"  came the not-all-reassuring response.  I cast a quick glance back at my orange friend, but he kept bouncing along like always.  I would have to personally check up on my guards once they were safely back home.

"Any idea why they were out in the first place?"  I wondered, although I didn't expect either of them to have an answer.

"Adventure!"  Excited guessed.  I let the subject drop.  Happy picked up his pace a little as we got further from the kingdom walls.

"Are you sure we're going the right direction?"  Violet Leader asked.

"Yep!"  both Orange Steves chorused.  Happy turned to me.

"You were right, Light.  The plains biome is perfect for seeing steves from afar.  We spotted them on the horizon right away!"  My own eyes scanned the distance, making out vague shapes in the distance.  I frowned.

"Happy..."  I warned.  "I only have two guards."

"Is it the darkness?"  Violet Leader echoed my fears.

"Nope!"  Excited laughed brightly, waving at the far-off crowd.  One or two of them waved back.

"Then who-"  I was cut off as an electric blur knocked me to the ground.

"Light!"  Someone exclaimed, before the metal-plated arms constricted around my chest, accidentally sending little sparks into my armor.  I blinked up at the delighted expression of the Violet Leader.  I turned to face the steve hugging me.  No way.

"Yellow?"  I asked in surprise.  He pulled back from me and grinned.  Even without his classic chestplate, he was unmistakable.

"What, did you think the darkness got me?"  he teased.  "Nah.  I'm surprised you've got a whole guard, though."

"The guard."  I realized.  "Have you seen them?"

"Oh, those two?"  Yellow laughed, gesturing toward the distance, where five Yellow Steves surrounded two familiar figures.  "Yeah, I had to pull them out of a thunderstorm.  They happened to stumble across our outpost last night."

"Yes!  Violet Guard!"  Violet Leader realized, racing toward his subject.

"Uh- Violet Leader- nevermind."  It was pointless to remind anyone of the Colorless Guard rules right now.  Violet Leader swung the guard around happily, much to the amusement of the Yellow Steves.  I smiled at the scene.

"Woah... you've really got a kingdom started up!"  One of the younger Yellow Steves had outpaced the rest, and was staring at the Rainbow Kingdom in wonder.

"We have room for more."  I offered.  "Some of the houses are empty, and we could use some extra help."

"How about some extra people in your guard?"  Yellow asked quietly, so that only I could hear.  I cast him a knowing look, and he smiled.  He knew I would welcome him any time.

"Please, all of you, welcome to our home."  Violet Leader was talking to the other four Yellow Steves, keeping one arm around an embarrassed guard.  "After we double-check on our guards, I'll be happy to show you where to stay.  In the meantime-"

"I know where the food is!"  Excited piped up.

"Well- yes."  Violet Leader nodded, letting my energetic orange friend take the lead.  Yellow glanced at me.

"Your kingdom sure is growing fast, huh?"  There was a note of pride in my voice as I replied.

"You'd be surprised."

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Word Count: 804