Intense Consequence

Chapter Three

     "What's that?"  Braden leaned over Caz's left shoulder. 
     "What?"  Caz asked.  "Don't lean like that you'll put me off balance." 
     "On top of that rock pile," Braden pointed instead.  "It looks funny." 
     "It's just a funny rock pile," Doc said, a little further down the stone path they'd found.  "Remember where we are.  Things aren't always going to look exactly the way they would outside of here." 
     "I want to see it closer," Braden said.  Caz crouched near the pile so the other teen could see. 
     "Happy now?" He asked. 
     "It has feet," Braden reached out to poke the small top rock. 
     "What now?"  Molly walked over.  Doc was still about twenty feet ahead, waiting for the rest of them.  Braden reached a little further and picked up the tennis ball sized top rock, the smaller pebbles laid out around it coming with it. 
     "Feet," he said again.  This time Doc walked back as well and the group watched as the rock began kicking its stone legs. 
     "Nice spotting, dude!"  Doc looked a little closer.  "Hold it a little more upright, it thinks it fell over." 
     "You mean it's an animal?"  Caz tilted his head, now curious instead of annoyed. 
     "It's a little stone soul," Doc explained as Braden put the creature on its belly in his other hand.  "They're like little mini golems, except these have minds of their own.  Very docile little guys though, for the most part." 
     "It's cute for a rock," Braden lifted the little critter closer to his face.  "Hi, little friend." 
     "Let me see its face really quick," Doc told him.  "You can tell the gender by eye color."  The stone soul seemed to have settled into being held, it calmly rotated its head as it looked around. 
     "We have a little boy," Doc said after a few seconds.  "He has little turquoise eyes.  White marble or diamond eyes mean a female." 
     "So what do we do with it?"  Molly asked, watching the stone soul blink as he continued to gaze around.  Braden held the little guy up to his shoulder.  The rock-animal reached one front limb out to touch his shirt, the foot sticking and unsticking until it found the right spot. 
     "He'll stick like a gecko," Doc said as the animal began to grip with both front feet, then the hind ones.  "He wants to stay with you now that he knows you're harmless." 
     "You're lucky neither of the animals are heavy," Caz said as he stood back up.  "Otherwise I'd make you walk with them yourself." 
     "Georgie, behave with your new friend," Braden told the little shug monkey also clinging to him.  "I only have so much space and I'm not going to deal with the pet version of 'brother's poking me'." That made Molly give a small giggle.
"At least you don't have to deal with 'are we there yet?'," Doc smiled as the group began walking again. "My little boy was known for that." Braden could see his eyes darken in sadness. He wondered, but didn't ask.
"I was always the one asking when my brother and I were small," Molly said as the foursome strolled. "We'd go five minutes down the road for ice cream and I'd be asking thirty seconds in how much longer the trip was."
"Don't get started with it again," Caz told her. "None of us want to hear it on top of everything else." The group walked in silence for a couple minutes before Braden noticed something.
"Was I supposed to get a task progress notification?" He asked. "Or does that only happen once I fully complete it?"
"I've seen it both ways," Caz answered him. "Our Overseer might just be asleep and didn't see. You'll get your notification either way."
"Speaking of sleep," Doc said. "I think it's about time we took a rest. We've been going for a while, it would be wise to give ourselves a break." No one else argued.
"Should we have someone stay up on watch?" Braden asked. "In case another group or an animal tries to sneak up on us?"
"I will," Doc offered. "The rest of you try and sleep. We'll switch out who stays up each time we sleep." Caz set Braden on the floor and sat down beside him, leaning against the wall. Braden gently pulled Georgie around to sit on his lap. He picked up the little stone soul off his other shoulder and set him on one of his thighs. He leaned against the wall like Caz and began gently petting the thick, shaggy fur on the shug monkey's back. Braden smiled as he began to settle.
He felt someone looking at him and turned his head to find Caz watching him. Braden smiled at him, and Caz smiled back before quickly turning his gaze to the floor, his cheeks flushing a bit. Braden felt himself flush as well, and suddenly realized his heart rate had gone up slightly. He let Caz keep watching the floor for the moment, but he knew he'd have something to talk to him about soon enough.
Braden relaxed as he continued petting Georgie. His eyes began to grow heavy and he felt himself falling asleep. He found himself sliding to one side and leaning on Caz's shoulder. The other teen looked at him, but made no complaint or attempt to push him off. Braden fell asleep more content than he had been in a while.
"He's leaning on you," Doc whispered as Caz sat still with his head against the wall.
"He's allowed to," Caz felt his cheeks grow warmer as Braden's breathing softened and sleep took him.
"Why the pink cheeks all of a sudden, mister tough guy?" Doc smiled knowingly. Caz's fingers came up and touched Braden's hand gently.
"Because I'm feeling a certain type of way," he grumbled as Braden's hand subconsciously moved to close around his. Braden's eyes fluttered as if the movement had begun to wake him again.
"You're okay," Caz told him gently. "Just sleep." Braden's eyes closed again and Caz's cheek found itself resting on top of Braden's head.
"You two are cute," Doc whispered again as Caz's eyes began to close.