Pompods

22

Toko walked along the underground passageway and picked up a stone that had shifted loose. He found a safe spot in the wall and pressed it in.

"Hello, Toko," said a voice from behind.

He shifted his carapace around and shut his lower eyes to compensate for the extra light.

"Hello, Elder Cavin. Off on your daily walk?"

"Yes, I quite enjoy the coolness the underground passageways provide and you keep them so immaculately clean."

Tiny popping sounds could be heard off in the distance. Toko opened his lower eyes and shifted them in the direction of the sound but could only see the empty passageway that stretched out into the darkness.

"It is always better to keep them clean to keep those using them from injury." said Toko with pride at Elder Cavin's acknowledgement.

"Yes, but we must use the light stones, unlike you," said Elder Cavin as he lifted the stone up. The light reflected back from Toko's multifaceted silver coloured eyes.

"Good for below, not so much above," replied Toko as his eyes glinted in the light.

"Hmm, yes." said the Elder Cavin as he lowered the stone. "For every advantage we take, a sacrifice must sometimes be given elsewhere."

The sound of gurgling water caught their attention for a moment.

"Perhaps," said a voice above them. "But only if you don't have the foresight to plan ahead."

Suspended above them from an exposed root hung Gato as she peered down at them, nonchalantly swaying by a tentacle as another popping sound echoed along the passageway.

"And what say are you doing here, lurking in the shadows?" said Toko as he strained to see his sister above them.

"Ha!" she retorted. "Hard to be lurking if it's all shadows, dear brother."

"You know that in which I mean." he said as he lowered his rear to get a better view of her dangling from the root. He could see very well forward, backwards and downwards but the placement of his eyes left anything above him much to be desired. They were better suited for a life underground.

"I was merely curious as to what was happening down here," she replied as the popping sound grew closer. "And besides, I hazarded a guess that they might be heading in this direction."

"To whom are you referring to, young Gato?" said Elder Cavin.

"Them, of course," she said as she extended a tentacle in the direction behind Toko.

Toko shifted around to peer into the darkness. With the Elder's light stone behind him, he could use all four of his eyes to reveal the small shapes that moved along the passageway in the darkness as the popping sounds marked the slow progress towards them.

"What do you see?" inquired Elder Cavin.

"Memees," replied Toko. "Row upon row of Memees."

As they walked down the passageway, the Memees swayed side to side rhythmically as their little sprouts gently bobbed back and forth. A tiny tide marched along as it gurgled and popped. Heads swayed as they reached the group watching them parade down in the relative darkness. They navigated around Toko's legs without much mind. One stopped to hug one of the legs briefly before melting back into the mass and get carried away by the tiny torrent.

"Fascinating," said Elder Cavin as he raised the stone above the parading mass. "I wonder why so many are together. Have you seen this before, Toko?"