⊗ well you might be too young to backflip, and you might be too young to juke, but you're not too young for one trick: crafting! you already have a rock! have you tried combining it with a cherry plant? the ones that go pop?
You've never heard of a cherry plant before; there's still quite a few things in the clowder camp that you've no name for and never really thought about, because they were of little interest to you. You wonder if it's something like that, and scamper into the nursery to ask.
Mama? Papa?
Yes, Winged? The Silky looks up at your approach, tilting her head curiously at you. She's lying curled around your father, so her tummy must be milk-free again. Your little siblings are kneading on The Pale's stomach, their small paws coming away damp as they flail around him, sucking for the next wet patch of fur.
Please don't say there's another injured stranger in our camp, He jokes. You know it's a joke because he's completely relaxed, and you think that's because your dad also knows you'd be a lot more worried if something like that had happened again.
You giggle. No! I was just wondering what a cherry plant is.
Oh, the cherrybomb plant? Your mother flicks her tail to indicate the stores in the main shelter area everyone has started building. That would be the black stem with the red berries. It's not very nice when they explode on you, and it makes a very loud sound, so you probably shouldn't play with them.
I wanted to try crafting! You puff your chest up. I wasn't gonna play!
Hmm. The Pale looks thoughtful. Well, I guess if you have an idea you can try it. But find one of the other adults first and ask them to supervise you while you do it, okay? Just in case anything happens.
Try asking one of the better crafters, The Silky advises. The Little is a good one. You like them, yes? I think The Olive might be helpful for something odder, as well.
Okay! Thanks Mama, Papa! Bye Spark, Light!
You trot away from the nursery, satisfied. Racing to the stores, you look at the small collection of the cherrybomb stalks your clowder has collected, and pick a small one to grab in your paw and drag with you. If you're going to experiment, it's better not to waste something big! Or at least, from what The Storm and The Old Sun were saying, you feel like that's how it is.
Stepping outside, you start scouting around in the dirt very intently, on the hunt for the right rock. Picking one of the perfectly rectangle-shaped ones, you set the cherrybomb on the ground and plop down beside it, looking intently at it.
You're not really sure how to do this, but you figure that pushing the rock against it really hard will work. When that fails, you decide to try to hit it with the rock instead.
Just when you've lifted your paw above your head and are about to bring it crashing down, however, you hear a voice behind you.
What are you doing?
Oh. It's The Rust.
On all fours, the old man shambles closer to you. His tail drags along the sand behind him, and he leans forwards on his paws to peer at your handiwork.
You feel a little unsure; you know your parents dislike the elder, and so you've always avoided him yourself too. Plus, he's so grouchy! It's just easier to get along with The Old Sun instead, if you want to find an old slugcat for advice, because she doesn't look like she'll hiss at you if you get too close. But since he's coming to you, you guess you should be polite...
Hi Rust, You say.
He sniffs. Yes, hello. What are you trying to accomplish?
I'm trying to craft something. I wanted to mix this rock with the cherrybomb.
That? He nods at your raised paw, and the rock in it. That isn't how you craft things. Let me show you.
You remember suddenly that your parents told you that you should get an adult to watch over you, in case of any trouble. You guess The Rust is as good as any adult, so you willingly give up the cherrybomb to him. He frowns at it, though, and sets it aside.
Instead, he reaches for the rubbish you're holding - this, you also hand to him, curious to see what he's up to.
The Rust works his jaw and spits out some slime mold that he had been holding in his pouch - you wonder if that was a snack for later he'd been holding on to? Maybe he wanted to take it with him when he went on his walk?
Whatever it was for, he's using it now. Rising to his creaky paws, he disappears briefly into the shelter before coming back with two items in his hand; one that looks like a spear but small and short, and another that looks like a rock on a handle. He shows both to you, letting you examine it to your content.
This is a knife, He grunts. You won't find use for it in battle, it's too short-range. But for making something, that fits just right. A rock's too hard for that alone, but it's how we make the cups from snail shells you like so much. You can also use it with the hammer, or just the hammer, to chip the rubbish smaller.
So speaking, he takes the hammer and swings it down, cracking the rectangular rock in half. He gives you one half, and takes the other one for himself.
Turning it on its side, he picks up the slime mold and shows you how he presses it down hard into the hole at the centre of the rock, smearing it around all sides of the stone.
There. That's a real example of crafting. You see? You can't just mash things together and expect them to somehow merge into one thing. You've got to make them harmonise yourself.
He hands the rock to you, letting you examine how the orange looks on the inside of it.
That's a lantern, The Rust says, nodding to you. You might as well keep it, take it inside the shelter and see how it lights it up. Think of it as a nightlight. We've got plenty more everywhere. Plenty more slime mold too. Use that other half if you want. You can craft your own lantern.
Wow... You hadn't expected him to be so helpful, or to know something so cool. You look up at him with a small shine in your eyes. This is... Pretty awesome! Thank you, Rust! What else can you make?
He makes a dismissive scoff, already turning away. Ah, this and that. It's nothing. Just couldn't stand seeing you 'bout to deafen everyone in the camp with that cherrybomb. Don't hit it with a rock.
Okay. Thank you!
There must a reason your parents don't like him... But he's also less nasty than you thought. That was really neat to see, in fact. You wonder if maybe you can get him to teach you more things that a slugcat can make?