It had been a normal day out at first. Some of the whelps, Blast, Snap, and Spring, had been wanting to go see the swamp. They usually weren't really allowed in the swamp, as the colony considered it to be more dangerous than the fungal forest, but with water levels being low Blikk had figured it'd be okay to take the kids. "Are we almost there, Mr. Blikk?" Snap asked hesitantly. They had been walking for a while now, and Blikk was sure that for a whelp the walk must've seemed infinite at this point. "We're almost there! Should be right around the corner." Snap seemed satisfied at that, mumbling a quick thank you before resuming the chat he was having with her friends. It was an odd day, though. The air smelled weird around here- as if something had been burning nearby- and in all honesty, Blikk didn't trust it in the slightest. Still, he ushered the whelps along, not wanting to ruin their fun trip with his anxious thoughts. He wasn't sure what that strange smell could be, though, and it chewed on his mind as he continued their walk. Blikk saw it as he walked up the

hill. At first he wasn't sure what he was looking at, but as he stilled and took a look, he realized it was a spaceship of some sort. "Eh? What's that?" Blast had been the first to notice what Blikk was looking at, and for a moment the older belemoid didn't know what he should answer. "Can we go see-" Spring started, excitedly, but was quickly cut off by Blikk. "No, you can't. We need to head back." The whelp's faces fell. "Is it something bad?" Snap asked, whispering. "Do you think people are hurt?" Blikk's heart sank as Snap's innocent question echoed in his ears. He hadn't thought about the possibility of Xunari being hurt, but now that the thought was out there, he couldn’t shake it. "I don't know, Snap. That's why we need to head back." "But what if someone needs help?" Spring asked, her eyes wide with worry. "We can't just leave them, can we?" Blikk hesitated. Spring had a point, and as much as he wanted to avoid any potential danger, he couldn’t ignore the small, nagging voice in the back of his mind. But he also couldn't leave the whelps all alone. He gritted

his teeth- a decision had to be made, regardless. Blikk frowned, glancing between the ship, and the whelps. The three seemed anxious, especially Snap, and Blikk didn't want to leave them alone right now. But the ship definitely had to be checked out. "Alright," he said, his voice firmer than he felt. "We're gonna run back, get some adults, and then they can go inside, alright? You guys can go on your trip sometime later I'm sorry it was cut off today." Snap, Blast, and Spring all nodded understandingly, assuring Blikk that it was alright as they walked home past the mushroom monoliths. Blikk smiled at them reassuringly, glad they seemed to understand, at least somewhat, that now wasn't the time to complain.