For a Glacial Tomorrow

Prologue [2nd]

An egg sat in the warm confines of a shelter, nestled in a circle of weeds and slick stones. It was a toffee brown in color, draped with a cream fade and peppered dark; the shell cracked slightly. It wriggled, and after a few slow minutes, the cracks spread and collapsed, snapping the shell as a poofy-furred, chubby slugpup crawled out. He made a feeble squeak, his tiny pink tongue lolling out as he stretched, adjusting to the new world he'd been hatched into. His eyes opened, revealing a pair of calm, jean-blue eyes with a slight purple tint. His fawnlike tail wagged as he propped himself up with his stubby three-fingered hands, studying his relatively empty surroundings. The shelter airlock was open, letting a chilly breeze swarm in. However, it stuck to the walls, ringing around the pup. His half-lidded gaze focused on the exit as he scrambled forward. 

With a 'meep' noise, he slid out of the shelter, pawing at the air as a wave of chill sapped the warmth out of him, plunging him into a foul blanket of snow. He shivered but didn't quite grasp the situation, the absence of his parents. He humbled through the freezing landscape, barren of anything but white, flurries of lacy flakes assaulting his face, and the thick mounds below turning his pads blue. The pup sneezed as a bead of snow drifted into his nose, casting a fog out. As it cleared, he saw a figure. 

The creature was red and black, with a yellowish belly and mane and light tan freckles on its cheeks. Spines protruded from its back and muzzle, while winglike ears were lowered to keep out the snow. Shiny pearls hung from the ears, attracting the pup's attention. He'd never seen such a thing but was drawn to it. 

Despite his body being caked in a bulky layer of snow, he managed to follow it, watching as its long, slim form cleared the ground quickly. He slipped, falling into a formidable heap. The pup squirmed, clawing up thin strands of powdery white as he did so, prompting the creature's notice as he found his feet. It studied him with disinterest, swiftly shifting to annoyance. 
"Go away." It grumbled in a deep, feminine voice. He stared up at her with eyes bigger than the moon. She scoffed, wishing she had a spear on her. "Go. Away-" 

She let out a confused grunt as the pup clambered up her leg, clutching on. She tried to shake him off, but he held on with a strength she didn't expect to see from a newborn slugpup. She stiffened as she heard him begin to babble in gibberish, clenching and unclenching his tiny hands at her. She sighed, surrendering, and hoisted him up into her arms against her mane. He nuzzled into her mane, enjoying the familiar warmth as he cooed happily. She didn't want to admit it, but it jerked her heartstrings hard to see this tiny, lost child of another species show affection to her. She instinctively pulled him closer, running a finger over his ear and watching as it bounced slightly before settling into place. She began to work out clots of snow from his flank, keeping him close and warm as he cuddled with her mane's fur. Her brown eyes were slowly brightening, filling with an emotion she'd rarely experienced: love. 

She wasn't fond of children before; the ones of the scavenger tribe were annoying and loud. The little one was quiet and simple, talking to himself as he kneaded her fluff. She blinked and began to walk again, carrying him. She would take him to the scavenger tribe, yes. She would love and raise him as one of them, to be fascinated with pearls and destroy overseers. 
She soon reached the hideout and crept inside. The place was guarded from the snow and nearly impossible to locate by predators. Skewered lanterns poked up from every corner, dozing scavengers huddled around them for warmth, spears, explosives, and pearls littering every corner. A few were awake, gazing up at her warily. None questioned her, but a green scavenger piped up. 

"Baroness, where did you find... the slugcat pup?" They quirked an eyebrow. She shot them a stern glare. 

"Outside. He needed shelter." Baroness replied with an air of authority in her tone. The green scavenger settled back down, not daring to challenge the chieftainess. The pup, meanwhile, was sound asleep, warm and safe. Baroness didn't bother to go to her throne room; she sat near a post of sparkling lanterns beside one of the makeshift walls. She held the pup close, a purr rumbling in her throat. 

"I'm blessed." She whispered under her breath, dismissing the slight crackle she heard from an unknown source. She placed her chin on his small head, wanting to stay like this forever. For a long moment, everything was peaceful, the tribe having shut down into sleep mode for the night, but suddenly, she heard a storm of crashing noise and a howl of wind sweep the area nearby, waking the majority of the surrounding scavengers. The pup stirred awake, and Baroness backed away from the gap in the wall, heart pounding. 

A smooth creature slithered in, its body lighting white as a low growl echoed from its throat. Its fanged jaws opened, bubbles of a transparent substance floated out, and suddenly, its long, black tongue shot out, latching onto the nearest thing—the pup. 

Baroness fought immensely to pull him back, the scavengers around panicking as they fumbled to grab a weapon. The pup was wailing, frightened, and alarmed before it cut off abruptly. Baroness lost her intense grip, and the pup began pulling into the lizard's maw, with teeth snapping down on it.

 As it begin to hurry off, presumably to locate its home, multiple scavs fired their spears, some missing, but enough impaling it so that it shrieked and died. Baroness was paralyzed, trauma making her body shake and twitch irregularly. She retrieved the corpse from the white lizard's mouth, staring down at the lifeless form that could've been her child.