Work Text:
"We should hurry through this car," Tulip said, boots crunching the snow beneath her. It was a good few inches deep.
Atticus was by her side, following loyally. He gave a solemn nod. "The last thing I'd want is for one of us to get sick." He said, his head held high. A snowflake landed on his nose and his eyes went wide. Tulip looked away, hiding an amused grin.
One-One, being as small as he was, had to run through the snow to keep up, leaving a large trail behind. "Oh- I hate the snow." He (the bitter half) muttered, "It's so cold."
Tulip looked at him, tilting her head ever so slightly. "I assumed you couldn't feel cold."
"I can't." He said happily. Tulip hummed and nodded slowly.
"It's still boring though," Sad-One said mournfully.
Tulip felt a spark of sympathy and curiosity but pushed it away. (The curiosity at least. She didn't want to pry.)
The car they were in was large. A huge, seemingly endless, snow-covered plain stretched to the horizon. Boulders dotted the landscape, covered in frost.
Despite the weather, perfectly healthy trees were scattered across the field. Their leaves were bright green and flowers blooming, acting as if it were spring- ignoring the snow on their branches and the lack of any bees or birds. Or anything living at all, for that matter.
A steep and rocky mountain range lived to Tulip's right. She could see plenty of dark spots and suspicious holes. She figured they were decent-sized caves. She hoped the door wasn't in there.
The three trotted down an invisible path, straight ahead from the entrance, looking for the exit.
She noticed One-One lagging behind, struggling to keep up speed. She paused, Atticus stopping too, looking confused. Tulip went to One-One. "Mind if I carry you?" She asked kindly.
He smiled and lifted his arms. She gingerly picked him up and slid him into her backpack. He shuffled around, getting comfortable. She waited for a moment before making sure the bag's secure and turning to walk back down the path.
Atticus hoped to her side, looking up at One-One. Tulip glanced at the King. "Do you want to be carried too?" He wasn't that much bigger than One-One, she mused. She could probably fit them both in her bag. That could be cute.
Atticus looked surprised for a moment. He blinked before replying, "No, no thank you."
Tulip rolled her eyes, smiling. "Right, because 'We Corgis are a proud people'?"
"'And we hate being picked up'." The king finished, smiling up at her. Tulip grinned.
The group walked for a while longer. Eventually, Tulip came to a stop. She hummed faintly. "I think it's going to be a while." She sighed. "I hope it isn't in a cave. It'll be hard to check them all."
"The exit's surely just around the corner." Glad-One chimed in.
"Uh." Tulip looked around, making sure it wasn't in sight. "I think we're in a field, One-One." She said. (If it was proven otherwise, she wouldn't have been shocked. Invisible mazes and whatnot.)
The little robot paused. "Oh! Sorry." He said in the sadder voice. "I forgot."
Tulip gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry."
They started walking again. Tulip gazed at a snow-covered boulder in the distance. She used to make snowmen with her family all the time. Once per winter, it was practically law. They'd always make the perfect snowman, too. It was almost a form of art. Like ice statues!
She found herself frozen in her tracks, staring at the ground. She did it all the time. She built snowmen with her family. With Mikayla. With her other friends throughout the years. She should build one with her friends here. It was tradition, after all.
(Really, she just wanted the memories. She wanted to see what everyone would do. She wanted to hear what they'd say and who'd build the better snowman.)
She suddenly crouched down. Pulling her gloves on tight, she set to work rolling up the base. One-One, confused, poked his eyes over her shoulder to see what was going on. He gasped in delight.
Atticus tilted his head, watching her mess with the snow. "What are you doing?" He asked, sounding confused.
"I'm building a snowman." She declared. One-One made a happy noise and jumped out of her bag, landing in the snow was a soft thud. He rolled off a few feet and started his own project.
"Forgive me, but I'll have to ask, what is a snowman?" Atticus asked, tail swaying slowly, head tilted.
"Well, they're something you can make for fun." Tulip started, figuring out how to explain the concept. "It's supposed to look like a person, but it's just three balls of snow on top of each other. You can add sticks for the arms and coal and carrots for the face."
He gave an intrigued nod. "What's a carrot?" He asked.
Tulip giggled. Right, Corginia wasn't known for its abundance of vegetables and snow. It was fun to explain to the kingly dog what carrots were, and why you'd put a hat on top of a snowman. (To complete the look!)
She finished the second ball, making sure it was sturdy on the base. She heard Atticus grunt and looked over. He was pawing at the ground, trying to make something of his own. Ah. Tulip frowned a bit. She went to crouch beside him, pondering the situation.
"How about this: I make this huge snow blob, and you can carve it into the shape you want. I can piece things make together if we need to." She suggested.
His tail wagged. "Thank you very much, Tulip."
So Tulip rolled up a decent-sized ball and sat beside the dog, watching as he pawed off bits. It starts to vaguely resemble a dog sitting down.
The determined look on Atticus' face made Tulip wish she had a camera. She stifled back a laugh. He looked like a professional artist, carving away at marble with a chisel.
"Miss Tulip!" A cheerful voice called out to her. "I'm finished!"
She leaned over to see One-One, proudly displaying a Snow-One-One. Tulip grinned. "Aw, It's so cute!"
One-One's smile seemed to grow, somehow. "Their name is Two." He said. "Their favorite color is red."
Atticus gave a thoughtful nod. "Is it common to assign your snowman a personality?" He asked Tulip.
She shrugged. "Snowmen are things people make for fun. If naming it is fun, then absolutely! I always named mine things from Video Games. Or Coding puns! Why did the programmer snowman need glasses?" She asked excitedly.
The dog's ears flicked and he looked thoughtful. "Why?"
"Because he couldn't C#!" She said, giggling.
One-One laughed loudly and applauded. "That's great!" He cheered. (Tulip had the wonderful epiphany that One-One would be the first person to understand her coding jokes.)
"I don't get it," Atticus said, though he was still smiling, tail wagging. (He enjoyed seeing his companions happy. That was adorable, Tulip thought.)
A few minutes later, Atticus and Tulip finished the Snowdog. It was a bit misshapen, but easily recognizable as a dog. (At the very least, some sort of animal.) It even had a little crown, made up of a few twigs and leaves from the closest tree.
Atticus stepped back to admire it. He liked so proud. Tail wagging, he bowed his head and said lightly, "I christen thee, Atticus the second."
Tulip smiled. "Very regal." She gave Atticus a pet, ruffling his fur. He closed his eyes and smiled.
Suddenly, One-One split up. One half fled a few yards away. The other half stared, confused. The far half made a snowball and hurled it at the other.
Sad-One let out a baffled, muffled sound when he was hit. He stumbled back and muttered to himself. He glared at Glad-One, even as he angrily scooped up his own snowball.
Glad waited patiently, watching and smiling. Sad suddenly launched it at Glad. It flew like a bullet and hit its target right in the face, sending him rolling.
Tulip could do nothing but stare in shock. "I- You... How did you throw that fast!?" She exclaimed, beyond baffled.
He looked smug, smiling. (Which was very, very rare for Sad-One.) "I had a lot of practice." He said smugly.
"Ah. Right." So wouldn't Glad-One be just as good? Did the two have snowball fights often back in the first car?
Glad rolled back onto his feet, laughing. "Great throw!" He cheered. Sad looked even happier. (Tulip wanted to pick him up and hug him- she just felt so happy for him!)
Atticus suddenly leapt to Sad's side, glaring at Glad playfully. The king's tail wagged furiously. Oh? The Dog was royalty and certainly acted like it, but at times, he acted like a puppy. Look! He was play-bowing!
Suddenly, the king flew into the air. He spun and landed facing Sad. He kicked up a storm of snow with his hind legs, sending it showering down on Glad, who dramatically yelped and fled away from the mini-blizzard.
Tulip couldn't help herself. (Not that she needed to, but still.) She ran and jumped, putting herself in between Glad and the other two. "No one will attack my friend and get away with it!" She declared boldly.
The other two stared at her. The king's tail wagged faster, eyes glaring right at her. Sad looked almost evil, staring at her with a silent grin. He seemed to shake with laughter.
A war was brewing. The Corgi had sided with Sad, and the human with Glad.
Sad prepared another ball. Tulip tensed and stepped to guard Glad. Sad, grinning slyly, took aim. Tulip glared at him, arms raised in a defensive T.
He threw the ball. Tulip dodged. It nearly hit her chest like a cannon, but instead grazed her arm. She fell to the ground, hastily scooping up a dense ball and throwing it at the robot like a baseball.
Sad didn't have time to dodge. He ducked, but it still half-hit him, sending snow everywhere. he stood up covered in it. Sad murmured something Tulip couldn't hear from the distance. Atticus leaned in, ear perked. He listened, then nodded.
Tulip watched in confusion as Atticus turned and ran off into the distance. She was starting to feel anxious, watching the dog race to the nearest tree. Then bend down and search for something. Then pick something up. Then run back. Eyes focused on Tulip. Full speed. Swinging the stick maniacally like a deranged swordsman.
Sad gave her an evil smile.
Tulip screamed and dodged with a jump, Atticus whirling by her full speed. She ran and picked up Glad without stopping. Wow- since when was she so athletic?
She booked it towards the nearby tree, Atticus hot on her heels. She swore she felt the stick graze her boots. Atticus was far faster than her, being a healthy, well-exercised dog, but the snow was slowing him down. The snow was Tulip's greatest strength here.
Clutching Glad to her chest, she ran faster and faster. She slid Glad into her backpack. He peered out like an extra set of eyes.
Eventually, she gained enough ground to get the courage to slow down just a bit to make a snowball. She spun and pitched it at Atticus. No! He dodged it like a warrior, weaving and not missing a beat.
Tulip scrambled to make more. He dodged everything she threw at him. He had a pleased and determined look on his face. "No no no no noooo-" She stumbled back and fled when Atticus took a swing at her. A second later, she stood at the base of the tree.
Atticus was flying at her. She desperately looked for a way up. Time seemed to slow. She threw herself at a branch, barely managing to get a good grip. Suddenly, Glad yelped. "Look out!"
She couldn't exactly turn around to look. She couldn't dodge, either. She was busy dangling from a branch with Atticus below her, circling like a shark. He jumped, trying to hit her like a piñata. She yelped and swung away. His tail wagged furiously, breaking any illusion of actual danger. He stared up at her, smiling around the stick he held tightly.
Tulip let out an alarmed shout as something hit her back. Snow fell to the ground. Oh no. nooo no no. Glad ducked into the bag, laughing nervously. "It looked like they got us."
"No!" Tulip declared, struggling to pull herself up. "A mere ball of snow isn't going to take me down! Gravity might- but nothing else!" She hooked her legs around the branch and just barely managed to drag herself up. Adrenalin was like magic.
Atticus growled. "Tulip!" He barked. "This isn't fair. Let us fight like men."
Tulip shook her head and peered back down at him. "Right, just me and you. No sniper hiding somewhere." She turned her sharp gaze out into the fields, looking for Sad. Ah, he was camouflaged with the snow. He must've been crouching, hiding the black stripe.
The dog looked sly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"We-" Tulip was smacked in the face by a snowball. She screeched and instinctively grabbed the nearest branch for more balance. "Ah! Cold- cold!" She scraped the snow off and shivered, sending a cold, playful glare out into the snow fields.
"Sad!" She shouted. "Where are you?"
Silence.
"Come on," She tempted. "We can team up against Atticus. He'd be defenseless! Imagine the marvelous victory! The drama!"
Atticus looked shocked and offended. "He'd never betray me like that!..." He declared, then trailed off, second-guessing himself.
Still, there was no response. Atticus grinned proudly.
Another snowball flew at Tulip, hitting near her boots. Guess that answered that question. She shuffled anxiously. Wow, she was a sitting duck out here. She looked up at the tree. She could climb higher. The leaves and branches would shield her. But she didn't want to risk it. She couldn't see any good branches and her gloves were covered in snow and frost.
Another snowball came, hitting Tulip's flank. She stared into the white void trying to pinpoint Sad. Was he moving? Sneaking around? Was Atticus distracting her? Or was she overthinking this?
"Sad-One!" She called out one last time. "I'll let you have extra snacks!" (She still really didn't know why One-One liked eating so much.)
it was dead quiet, save for breathing and Atticus' marching.
"Oh! Let me help." Glad chirped. Clearing his throat, he leaned out of the bag and shouted. "My name is One!"
"-One! DANG IT!" Sad raged, now clearly visible, like black paint on a white canvas. He flung a few more snowballs her way, Tulip laughing and dodging. Sad's rage turned into satisfaction when a ball hit Tulip in the face. Dodging while laughing was a bad idea, Tulip learned.
She cried out and shook it from her hair and swept it off her face. So, so cold! Glad laughed. She couldn't tell if it was from her being hit, or Sad being so energetic for once.
The bitter robot stalked to the base of the tree beside Atticus. "We need a way to get them down." She heard Sad mutter. Atticus nodded.
"We'll too bad for you!" Tulip said mockingly. "There's no reason for me to get down." (also, she couldn't. She didn't mention that.)
So they were at a stalemate, staring at each other. Sad mumbled something about an icicle pike. Tulip shivered at the thought. Atticus nodded thoughtfully.
Tulip started brainstorming for her own plan. It came to her easily. Both of the enemies were together. They were standing under a snow-covered tree. Perfect for a trap.
All she had to do was lure them out near the edge of the tree and shake the branches so all the snow fell on them.
She couldn't safely go through her bag to look for bait when she was holding onto the snowy tree. "Hey, One-One?" She mumbled softly.
He perked up. "Yeah?" Glad asked, trying to keep his voice a whisper. She had learned he utterly sucked at volume control.
"Look through my bag for bait. Something to distract the two of them. To lure them."
He gave a nod, smiling a bit less innocently than usual. He disappeared into the bag, shuffling around. He popped back out holding a stick of jerky.
"That's perfect!" Tulip whispered, grinning evilly. Oh, she couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces, covered in snow because they fell for such a simple trick. The despair! The agony! She stifled back evil laughter.
Now, she had to make this look real. If it was obvious, it would all go to waste. She took the snack, letting the plastic wrapping crinkle loudly. Atticus' head snapped up. He recognized the sound. He sniffed the air suspiciously. "Tulip?" He asked.
She unwrapped it, taking a bite. "Mm. Yeah, I can wait up here all day." She said smugly. (She probably could. She had a habit of being stubborn at times.)
Sad glared up at her. "Come on!" He whined. "It's not fair only you get it."
"Who said only I get it?" She asked, feigning innocence. She snapped a piece off and handed it to Glad, who chirped happily and tried to eat it. (He gave a little 'yay!' and Sad seemed to falter.)
But he steeled himself. He threw another snowball up and Tulip leaned, dodging it. She gave a triumphant laugh. (Maybe, she thinks, I can use the snowball as an excuse to drop the bait...)
"Guess I win." She took another bite, taunting. Glad was still happily 'eating' his piece.
Sad all but hissed and threw another. It hit a branch. Tulip jolted, pretending it startled her. She 'accidentally' drops her meal, and tries to catch it, conveniently swatting it away instead. it landed under the leaves of the branches. Perfect.
Atticus looked like an eager puppy- nearly jumping to it. Instead, he walked over casually, giving it a sniff. Sad walked up to him, pawing at it. "It's food." he declared.
"let's split it," Atticus said.
"You can have the bigger piece- obviously." Sad nodded.
While the two were distracted, grinning evilly, Tulip jumped. Using all of her weight, she shook the branches furiously.
Like a storm, Snow hailed down. Atticus yelped, not having time to run. Sad dramatically cried out.
Tulip could only see a white haze for a moment. When the snow settled down, she saw a pile of snow. Atticus' fur looked white, his crown lost and replaced with a pile of snow. "Oh." He mumbled faintly to himself, eyes wide like he was in shock.
There was some shuffling. Sad-One popped up, looking pretty surprised for someone with a single dot to express any emotion.
Tulip carefully dropped down from the tree, chuckling to herself. "Guess this means I win?" she asked smugly.
Her voice seemed to snap Atticus out of his daze. He dragged himself out of the snow, shaking himself off. The snow crown was destroyed. "How-" He stumbled over his words. "How could I have fallen for such a trap?" He asked himself.
Sad didn't bother cleaning himself off. Still coated in snow, he mumbled. "We were lured in. Like mice to the trap. A bit of food and we're dead..."
"Oh, don't be so dramatic." Tulip teased. "I just won. Amazingly. Turned the tables! Like the pen is mightier than the sword, the tree is mightier than the stick."
"Oh, now who's being dramatic?" Sad-One grumbled, finally shaking the snow off of himself when Atticus urged him to with a prod.
Glad jumped out of Tulip's bag and she almost tried to catch him. He plopped on the ground and walked over to his counterpart. The two merged back into one. "That was fun." He said happily.
Atticus agreed with a happy nod, tail wagging, sending bits of snow flying. "Indeed. Though I must admit, I feel a bit cold now..." He trailed off, glancing around. He suddenly looked a bit worried, tail slowing. "Is there shelter nearby?"
Tulip frowned, before changing it for a reassuring smile. "It'll be fine." She said, patting his head. She frowned again before sticking her hand in the snow pile and dragging out his crown. She placed it upon his head, smiling once again. "If worst comes, we'll take a break in one of those caves. I can... probably make a fire." She said, imagining trying to light it.
"Fire?" The dog asked, sounding thoroughly bewildered. One-One interrupted.
"Hey- uh..." His voice sounded concerned, despite it being Glad's.
It switched over to Sad's. "You might want to look at this."
Tulip and Atticus both turned to see the robot, pointing out toward the sky. The dog and the girl joined One-One, looking to see what it was.
Storm clouds.
Great.
Tulip sighed. Ah, well, at least they had fun. Looks like they did need to take shelter. She frowned, peering at the caves skeptically. She hoped they were good enough...
She told herself to not worry. At least to not panic. One-One and Atticus watched her expectantly. She readjusted the straps on her backpack. "Alright." She started. "We'll make a straight line to the caves. We'll gather a bunch of sticks and kindling on the way. We probably won't have to hurry. And of course, keep an eye out for the door."
Atticus nodded. "I understand."
One-One gave a little salute.
It didn't take long. It was a quick walk to the tree and picking up the sticks wasn't hard at all. They talked casually about snow, as a concept.
"It hardly ever snows in Corginia. Maybe once or twice a year, and very light." Atticus explained. "The pups always love it though. It's so novel. Oh, they'd adore this place." He mused happily.
Tulip grinned. "I bet. In Minnesota, it snows all the time. We make snowmen and have snowball fights- today was perfect. We also have hot chocolate. Really, that's the only thing that could make today better..." She trailed off thoughtfully. She didn't have any chocolate on her. She made a note to keep some for emergency reasons.
"Chocolate?" Atticus frowned, tail lowering. "Isn't that poisonous?"
"Oh!" Tulip perked up, surprised. "I probably should've seen this coming. You know how dogs and humans are very different?" She asked. He nods. She continued. "Well, like how a dog can eat meat but a squirrel can't, a human can eat chocolate but a dog can't. Does that make sense?"
"Huh." Atticus blinked. "It does. What does it taste like?" He asked curiously.
"It tastes great!" One-One chirped, doing a little jump. "Very comforting."
"It's really popular." Tulip smiled at One-One's antics. "It tastes good, but I can't think of anything to compare it to. People use it for baking and cooking. Like hot chocolate! It's basically hot milk and sugar. It's great. Does Corginia have any drinks like that? Hot and sweet?"
Atticus shook his head slowly. "No. Only water, very occasionally tea. Venturing out of my lands has been a learning experience." He admitted.
"I hope you enjoy it."
With a bag full of sticks and kindling, the three headed to the caves. Tulip had to help them climb up the boulders. She (very carefully) tossed One-One up to a ledge. She pushed and supported Atticus' weight till he was able to get up to the ledge. Then Tulip (very easily in comparison) climbed up herself.
It was a small cave near the bottom of the mountain. Tulip walked around, analyzing it. It had a sharp 90-degree turn and lead to a small room. Maybe half the size of her bedroom back home.
The cave was cold, but snow and breeze free. Pebbles littered the stone floor. It smelt like
earth- dirt and rocks.
Atticus gave the place a thorough sniffing, tail high as he searched for threats. One-One peered outside at the coming storm. He sat patiently as if waiting to be buried by the blizzard. He looked so... melancholy.
"Hey, One-One?" She asked quietly.
He jolted, turning around. "Yeah?" He asked in the sad voice.
"Could you help me with something? I'd like to start a fire."
"Sure!" Glad-One said, standing up.
Atticus, who finished scouting, looked as confused as when Tulip mentioned chocolate. "Fire?" He asked.
"Yeah!" One-One exclaimed in a cheerful voice. "We're going to burn things!"
He sighed. "I hope no one dies of asphyxiation..."
Atticus' eyes were wide and his tail brushed the ground. He shot a look at Tulip, looking for clarification.
She smiled sheepishly. "We're going to make a very small and controlled fire, solely for warmth so we don't freeze during the storm."
The king still looked perplexed, though less scared. "I don't understand." He said. "Fire is dangerous. It burns and kills- it doesn't give us anything but ash and smoke."
Tulip walked into the cave room. Square in the middle, She cleared it out of pebbles and stones. One-One helped. She started making the fire pit. Rocks on the outside, kindling on the bottom, sticks on top...
She explained the idea as Atticus watched worriedly. One-One was watching excitedly, passing her the sticks.
"Fire isn't bad. It can be dangerous, but if it's controlled properly, it can be great. It can cook food and provide warmth. It can scare off dangerous animals. Humans have used fire since, well, forever. It was the first creation that led to a long line of advancements."
She smiled. The thought of improvement and advancement. Thousands of generations of people passing down their knowledge. Humanity went from caves and fire to cities and electricity.
She cut off that train of thought. (oh, One-One would've loved that one.) "I'm assuming Corginia doesn't have Fire."
He shook his head.
"Well," Tulip said lightly, "imagine fire like a river. Sure, it can be huge and turbulent, but as long as you're careful and use it properly, it gives you water and fish."
Atticus nodded thoughtfully, staring at the finished, unlit campfire.
Tulip shuffled through her bag, dragging out a lighter. One-One watched with absolute glee. It bordered on mania. (She paused on her wording on that one.)
She lit a twig. Everyone watched with rapt attention as the flame grew and flickered. Then died out. She frowned. Sad-One nodded sympathetically. Atticus tilted his head.
"Hm." Tulip thought out loud. "I guess I will have to use this..." She shuffled around in her bag and dragged out a bottle of hand sanitizer. She couldn't help the near-malicious grin on her face.
One-One laughed maniacally. Atticus looked very, very worried.
She held the bottle of 'Y-Germ' in her hands proudly, like it was some sort of trophy. She uncapped it and strategically poured it on the sticks. "You see," She started explaining for Atticus' sake, "Fire needs three things to survive. Oxygen, heat, and fuel. Alcohol is very flammable, which provides a big burst of heat to help jump-start the fire."
She shook the bottle of off-brand hand sanitizer. "This has a decent about of alcohol."
One-One jumped in place. "Can I start it?" He pleaded.
Tulip shook her head, amused. "Yeah, sure. Here." She took a twig and lit it, handing it to him.
Stifling ominous laughter, he stuck the match by the gel. The entire thing went into a blaze. Atticus barked and jumped backwards. Tulip leaned backwards and laughed, elated. One-One stared in awe at the flickering blue fire.
The fire changed to normal fire colors soon enough, leaving the small robot vaguely disappointed. Tulip gave him a pat on the head. "That was great!" She chimed.
He smiled at her. "Thanks."
It was quiet for a long moment. Tulip basked in its heat. She felt so comfortable- like for a moment the world disappeared. She stared at the fire, watching its chaotic flames dance like it was a movie. One-One seemed to do the same. She sat on her knees and held her hands out.
Atticus stared at the fire in baffled curiosity. He approached it quietly. He tried smelling it. He tilted his head at it. He eventually sat down. "It will stay like this?"
"Yeah," Tulip said. "Just don't mess with it. We might need to add in some more sticks later but this seems good."
One-One agreed. "It's perfect." He held his hands out like he was trying to warm them. He was copying Tulip. Tulip didn't bother to hide her smile. She gave him a pet.
Something about sitting in a cave with your friends around a fire was very nice, Tulip noted.
She felt a ping of hunger. She turned and grabbed her bag, dragging it over to rummage through one of the pockets. She pulled out some food. Atticus' tail wagged. One-One rolled over eagerly.
She scoffed, amused. She gave Atticus a stick of jerky and One-One a small bit of candy. She kept some sort of fruit for herself. (It looked like a mushroom, but tasted like apples and chicken?)
they all sat around the fire and ate. The soft breeze outside grew into a louder wind, but it never entered the cave. Next to the fire, they were fed, warm, and safe. They were content.
Tulip yawned after finishing her odd meal. She crawled over to a wall and started brushing the small rocks away. She plopped her backpack down. It wasn't meant to be a pillow, but it was surely better than a rock.
She stretched and then curled up in a comfortable, loose ball. The fire was a great blanket. The flickering of embers was calming. It tripled as a nightlight, not that she needed one, but still. Fire was nice.
She opens her eyes and watches the other two, sitting by the fire. "Night." She murmured.
Atticus suddenly stands up, padding over to her. "Before you go to sleep," He asks softly. he sounded a bit anxious. His tail wagged slowly. She gave him her full attention. "may I ask you something?"
"Yeah?" She asked.
"May I sleep near you? It's very cold."
She blinked, nearly startled by the question. She was thoroughly amused by the dog. His wagging tail and worried smile.
"Yeah, you can. Just don't snore too loud."
"I don't snore!" He barked, mock offended.
"Come on, we've known each other forever by now. I know you snore."
"Do I snore?" One-One asked, still by the fire.
"I don't think you sleep, One-One," Tulip said.
"Oh, yeah," Sad said to himself more than anyone else.
Atticus' tail wagged freely now. He spun around in a circle a few times, as he always did, before curling up in a ball right beside Tulip. His wagging tail swept the ground and brushed against her legs. She gives him a good pet. He smiled.
"Can I join in too?" Glad asked, still by the fire.
"Sure!" Tulip said happily. Atticus nodded too. Was his tail going to ever stop wagging?
The robot cheered and rolled over. He climbed on top of Atticus and Tulip before retracting his limbs to be a perfect circle. He layed right in the middle of the two. Tulip felt warm metal pressed against her jacket instead of the normal cold.
She smiled to herself, the comforting weight and heat lulling her to sleep. The embers and wind were drowned out by soft breathing. It smelt faintly like snow, metal, cave, and dog.
eyes closed, she imagined the taste and feeling of hot chocolate.
. . .
Half asleep, she groggily opened her eyes, confused. Warm weight pressing against her. Her arm trapped under something, the sound of wind and fire...
It took a few long moments for the memories to come back. She was in a cave. There was a blizzard. She could still hear it going on. It sounded quieter, though. That's good, she lazily thought.
She almost didn't care. She was so comfortable. So close to falling right back asleep. She realized her arm was being used as a pillow- that's why it was pinned down. Atticus was snoring quietly. His crown was missing. She noticed her glasses and the crown were neatly put beside a rock, a few feet away. She didn't remember doing that. (She was so used to waking up confused and in a rush, she made a habit of always wearing them.)
the dog was more spread out, decidedly unroyally. Tulip's other arm was thrown over him as if he was using it as a blanket.
The fire was still going. It had been kept to. She seen the bottle of gel had moved. A stick was set aside for prodding the flame.
She lazily looked up, wondering what the weight on her flank was. Glad-One was sleeping, using her as a bed. (Atticus was using her as a blanket and pillow, so nothing's new.)
If he was awake, he didn't as much as move. In a still smile, he seemed to sleep.
Where was Sad? She carefully looked around. Then barely managed to see him.
He was sleeping with Atticus, nearly entirely hidden by fur. Tulip's arm (excuse me, the blanket,) moved to idly pet Atticus. It bumped into warm metal. She felt Sad move slightly, nudging himself closer to Tulip and Atticus.
She saw Sad's hands were covered in soot.
She felt a warmth in her heart that rivaled the fire's. This was perfect. Her friends were perfect. She was so happy.
She smiled sleepily, more than content to drift back into unconsciousness in the dogpile.
