A week had passed since Grimm was unsuccessful in returning the glistening egg that had appeared at his nesting site to the original owner. He insisted that Skye take over the ownership of the basket that housed the glistening egg but the small, deep green, pacapillar rejected the proposal and stated that he should hold onto the egg. Grimm only agreed to these terms under the condition that Skye looked for Monet every day since their encounter with Sachet.
Reluctantly, Skye had agreed. He spent most of his mornings for the past week scurrying over the grounds of the city hoping to catch a glimpse of the white pacapillar.
On this particular morning, he happened to cross paths with Sachet again and greeted her with a smile.
“Good morning, Skye! Oh- you’re still looking for Monet?” She asked as the green pacapillars nubs continued to move after waving. They gave her a nod, head feelers fluttering as he did so.
“Well, you’re in luck, my friend! I ran into him and Claude this morning! I think they’re in town right now getting some groceries to restock,” the plush pacapillar said happily- in a much more friendly and inviting mood than when Grimm was there last. The dark-colored pacapillar flapped their head feelers and signed ‘thank you’ to her before turning to hurry his little legs as fast as he could to town.
It didn’t take long for him to get there- and just in time to see Monet crawling up onto Claude’s back with a basket full of food items. Skye ran up to be in their path way; spread his head and tail feelers to make himself look like a big blockade. Claude cocked his head in confusion at the display.
“Well, hey there, Skye! Long time no see… can I help you…?” The quick nodding from Skye made Monet make an ‘o’ shape with his mouth before gesturing for Skye to speak.
Skye went to speak but the only sound he was able to make was a small squeak. He felt his cheeks burning under his feathers.
“How about this- swing by my place in a little bit so I can get my groceries put away and we can talk then, yeah?”
Skye gave a sigh and nodded, letting his head and tail feelers fold before moving out of Claude’s way. He took that as his cue to quickly run back towards the monstrous woods where Grimm resided.
Grimm had been resting back in the very back of his cave-like burrow. Despite the uncomfortability of it- it still provided the security of not falling through the soil, unlike others he had previously called home. He didn’t know what resided below.
He didn’t want to find out.
Skye stumbled into the cave- the dark space hard for even the small pacapillar to navigate. He landed against Grimm’s side in which the must larger paca jolted up and immediately stabbed his pincers in his direction. He missed by an inch.
“Chill!” Skye squawked as he felt the brush of air go by him caused by Grimm and the metal hitting rock making his senses ring. Skye scurried away blindly and squinted in Grimm’s direction, “Monet got back today.”
“Good- take this with you,” Grimm grumbled and reached to grab the basket he had been keeping covered with his tail feeler.
“I was hoping you would come with me since *you* were the one chosen?” Skye asked.
“Seriously?” Grimm growled.
Skye didn’t move and stared at Grimm as his face started to gain shape as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the den.
Grimm let out a loud huff, and grabbed the basket blindly before walking over Skye and out of the den. He ignored the squeak of the Squacky that had been sleeping. It had continued to stay in the basket- not that Skye choosing to give it food and take care of it helped.
As they emerged into the light Skye looked to the basket where the egg was being softly swayed. He squinted and then gasped, “Grimm- the egg has cracks!”
“So?” He replied tiredly.
“Did you hit it?” Skye asked in return.
“No.”
“So it’s hatching?”
There was a moment of silence as the two walked- Skye slowly catching speed to lead the way.
“Let’s hope I just hit it while sleeping,” Grimm stated as Skye guided them along the tree lines to avoid being seen by other pacapillars that might be out.
On the way there Skye had to redirect Grimm a couple of times- his salivating maw when getting closer to the primary city part making the smaller pacapillar nervous to let him too close.
By the time they had managed to make it to Monet’s home, the duo had already gotten their stuff put up and were tending to their flower bed for the upcoming spring season.
Skye had Grimm stop a little bit before him so he could approach Monet without the duo feeling threatened.
“Skye! You made it!” Monet said happily and set his tools down to give his attention to the other. “So, what’s up?”
Skye began to sign but Monet frowned, “I’m so sorry- I haven’t had time to catch up on sign language practice, Skye. Could you potentially try and speak?” Monet asked softly, his expression showing that he was sorry for not being able to accommodate.
Skye took a deep breath and attempted to speak, but much like before, it came out as a squeak. He looked down in frustration. Speaking to Grimm seemed so easy- and he’s managed to say a couple of words to Sachet, why couldn’t he just speak now?
“It’s okay if you can’t! I’ll go grab- AH!” The scream from Monet made his head jerk up just noticing that Grimm had approached and was now looming over Skye with the basket housing the egg, and Squacky, dropped between the two standard pacapillars.
Claude had run up from where he had been politely waiting. He was now snarling at Grimm as his presence was coming off as very threatening. As Monet stared in surprise at his snekket showing aggression, Skye was horrified to see Grimm’s pincer begin to rear back, setting up in a striking pose.
Quack.
Everyone froze and stopped to look at the Squacky that was tilting its head at the egg that was even more cracked than before, now with added visible shaking.
‘Oh, thank Hero…’ Skye thought to themselves as Grimm’s pincer lowered once more with a disgusted scowl still present on his features.
“Oh! A glistening egg!” Monet said in surprise as the events that were about to unfold flew over his head. “Is this what you wanted to talk about?” Monet asked though his eyes never left the egg.
“I want you to take it back,” Grimm spoke up.
“Take it back? Oh, I can’t do that,” Monet replied as he smiled at Claude who was sniffing the egg with a slight wag to his tail.
“What?! Why not?!” Grimm snapped and Monet finally looked up at him. Like any other pacapillar he was slightly taken aback by his appearance, taking a moment to digest his features before speaking again. “B-Because I didn’t give you the egg. Being chosen to care for a snekket egg is up to a snekket- it can be for a variety of reasons but sometimes a pacapillar is chosen because a snekket believes they need the companion. Honestly- monsters like yourself should have a snekket.”
Grimm squinted at his blurry features, “I don’t need a snekket.”
“Someone thinks otherwise,” Monet deflected.
A small churring noise could be heard coming from the hole now present on the side of the egg. Monet let out a gasp and quickly asked Claude to go get a towel- to which Claude happily helped.
Grimm couldn’t pull his eyes away from the blue and purple egg shaking around. He could feel the energy change as everyone focused on the new life that was about to be born.
It wasn’t long before a hole was made big enough to allow the baby snekket to fall out of the egg and onto the ground next to the basket. Monet was quick to cover the baby in the towel to dry him of the residue fluids from the egg, neither Grimm or Skye getting a good look at him beforehand.
Claude moved to pull the eggshell out of the basket to allow room for the new baby snekket to lay comfortably. Sky watched closely as Monet lifted the baby and then laid them in the basket. “They should be mostly clean now,” Monet mused out loud.
Skye stared in shock as the baby under the towel was revealed. He almost didn’t notice Grimm bending down to see it better. Though, based on an immediate sharp intake of breath, he assumed that Grimm noticed the appearance of the snekket that was now curled up.
The snekket looked almost exactly like Grimm.
Monet had begun to speak, explaining how caring for the baby snekket was going to be especially with it being soul-bound. He even began to offer out a lot of his old supplies. While Skye gave Monet his attention and responded the best he could Grimm was left just staring.
He hadn’t even been the one caring for it- he simply allowed the egg to stay in his den when Skye wasn’t busy. Skye had been caring for it. It should be bonded to Skye. He watched the small creature curl closer to the Squacky that had been staying in that basket.
What felt like a blink of an eye Skye was gesturing for Grimm’s to grab the basket that now had some supplies, the baby snekket and Squacky in it while Skye carried the rest in his pouch.
Grimm felt so tired- mentally and physically as they made their way through the dense trees and back towards his den. He didn’t want this snekket- especially the responsibility of making sure it survived.
Now he didn’t have a choice.
He kept the basket away from him as he slept that day. By extension- forcing Skye to care of the baby snekket in the meantime.
Skye began to feel a sinking feeling in his core that he should’ve rehomed the glistening egg himself instead of forcing Grimm to keep it.