The Den of Many-Dens was drowning.

Tall-Stone-Things that once reached for the sky now sagged like wilting plants, their roots slowly sinking into the encroaching wet-lands. Water lapped at holes-in-stone and clear-stone, turning hard-paths into rivers and flat-stone into lakes. The air hung heavy with the stench of rot and still water, a pungent reminder of nature's hunger.

Amidst this sodden world, a small dry-place clung to existence. It was here, on this precarious safe ground, that Alpha and Kind Large One had finally succumbed to sleep. They lay sprawled in an ungainly tangle of wings, scales, and fur, their rhythmic sleep-sounds a stark contrast to the eerie quiet of the dying Not-Den.

Perched atop Kind Large One's massive head, looking for all the world like the world's most inadequate hat, sat Captain. The Cuddlebug's tiny frame was rigid with alertness, keen eyes scanning the water-filled horizon for any sign of danger. Around them, sprawled in various states of slumber, lay the rest of the Cuddlebug-swarm. Some dangled from Alpha's wings, while others had burrowed into the folds of Kind Large One's scales, creating a living, snoring blanket.

Captain's gaze swept over its dozing pack-mates, a mix of pride and frustration evident in its tiny, furry face. Two-thirds of the watch, sound asleep. If they were proper guardians, Alpha would surely punish them.

It was good that Alpha was kind and understanding.

The stalwart Cuddlebug's thoughts drifted to the glorious battle that had taken place when the moon was high. A beast from the depths of the wet-lands had dared to disturb the slumber of Kind Large One.

The creature had been like nothing Captain had ever seen before. Its body was the color of tree-bark and green-stuff, with a hard shell that gleamed wetly in the dim light. Two claws clicked menacingly as it scuttled from the murky waters, its beady eyes fixed on Kind Large One's slumbering form.

Quick as lightning, Captain had launched into action. With a war cry that sounded like a squeaky toy being brutally murdered, it had dive-bombed the intruder. The battle that ensued was epic in scale, if not in actual size. Captain darted and weaved, using its superior speed to avoid those wicked claws while delivering a flurry of bites and scratches.

In the end, Captain stood victorious atop the vanquished foe, letting out a triumphant squeak that went completely unnoticed by its sleeping pack-mates. The eat-prize had been tasty, if a bit hard to chew. Captain's belly still felt pleasantly full from the unexpected waterbug feast.

Now, however, the pleasant distraction of fight and food had faded, leaving only mind-numbing boredom in its wake. Captain's eyelids drooped, the weight of tiredness tugging insistently. Just as it considered waking the others for... well, for some reason its tired brain couldn't quite grasp, a faint disturbance caught its attention.

At first, Captain thought its eyes were playing tricks. A ripple, like a stone thrown into still water, seemed to dance across the very air itself. The Cuddlebug shook itself vigorously, fur fluffing out, but the strange sight remained.

As Captain watched, equal parts fascinated and wary, the ripples grew stronger. The air itself seemed to bulge and twist, as if something was pushing through from... elsewhere. With a final, silent burst of strangeness, a figure appeared.

If asked to describe what it saw, Captain's tiny brain would have frozen in confusion. The being before it made no sense, its shape constantly changing like water flowing over rocks. Many tails – too many to count – swirled around a body that looked a bit like the Happy-Runner that sometimes spoke with Alpha, but wrong somehow.

This, Captain's deepest instincts screamed, was Danger-Beyond-Danger. If this thing had come to hurt, they would already be less than the tiniest bugs scattered across the ground.

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Yet, oddly enough, Captain felt no fear. Curiosity, yes. Wariness, certainly. But not fear.

The being's gaze, somehow looking at Captain and everything else at the same time, fixed upon the tiny Cuddlebug. When it spoke, no sound disturbed the air, yet Captain heard the words as clearly as if Alpha had spoken them directly into its mind.

"Greetings, faithful guardian," the thing's 'voice' purred, a sound like prey-fur sliding over smooth-stones. "I am a servant of Xi, and I come bearing gifts for one so steadfast."

Captain's head tilted to the side, nose twitching as it tried to catch this creature's scent. Their form shimmered, momentarily taking on a more solid shape that resembled a Happy-Runner made of star-shine and shadow.

"Your devotion to your Alpha is admirable," Xi's servant continued, its tails weaving complex patterns in the air. "But surely one so loyal deserves more? I could make you big, little one. Strong enough to face any threat, to truly protect your beloved Alpha. All I ask in return is that you serve Xi as you do him."

Captain's response was as wordless as the offer, but no less clear. Its tiny chest puffed out, and it stood tall on all fours. The message was obvious: Alpha would make them that powerful if he wished it. They had no need of outside help.

The servant's form rippled with what might have been amusement. "Ahh, such faith. But what of understanding, little guardian? I could grant you the gift of speech, allow you to make sounds like your Alpha does. To exchange meaning-noises with your Alpha and the Kind Large One as an equal. Wouldn't that be grand?"

Again, Captain declined. Its gaze drifted to Alpha's sleeping form, a wave of affection evident in its posture. Alpha could already feel their loyalty, their love. And Kind Large One? She cared for them just as they were. Meaning-noises were unnecessary.

"My, my," the creature mused, its form stretching and shrinking like taffy being pulled. "You are a tough nut to crack, aren't you? Perhaps this will tempt you..."

The air around them shimmered, and suddenly Captain was treated to a vision of greatness. Countless Cuddlebugs filled the sky, a living storm of fur and fangs with Captain at its head. Alpha stood below, understanding and commanding the swarm with ease.

"I could grant your Alpha the ability to truly understand you," the being offered, its 'voice' dripping with temptation. "He could call forth ten times your current number, with no strain to make them strong. You would lead a vast and terrible swarm in his name. Imagine the glory, the conquests, the food!"

For the first time, Captain hesitated. The vision was... enticing. To be so thoroughly understood, to lead such a force in service of their beloved Alpha? It was a powerful thought.

But even as the temptation peaked, it began to fade. Captain's gaze hardened, and it shook its head firmly. The tiny creature's conviction was clear: If Alpha wanted an endless horde of Cuddlebugs, he would have one. His reasons for limiting their numbers were his own, beyond Captain's need to understand. Alpha could do anything – Captain need only follow to find glory (and food, mustn't forget the food).

Xi's servant seemed to flicker between expressions of delight and frustration, the contrast dizzying. Finally, it bowed low, tails sweeping in a grand gesture.

"If only beings of higher realms could attain but a fraction of your loyalty and faith," they intoned, genuine respect coloring its silent words. "The many worlds would be a far more beautiful place."

"You bring pride to our kind. Farewell, little guardian."

With that, they quickly began to sink into the ground as if it were water. The air rippled once more, and in the space of a heartbeat, the strange being was gone. Only the faintest shimmer in the air, like heat rising from sun-warmed stones, remained as evidence of its passing.

Captain watched the spot where the intruder had vanished for a long moment, its tiny snout wrinkled in deep thought. Finally, it snorted, a sound of pure derision that would have done the Kind Large One proud.

If that being was half as clever as Alpha, it wouldn't need to sneak-talk its way into their pack, Captain mused. Clearly, despite its shiny-tricks, servants, and big meaning-noises, this 'Xi' was as smart as a tree.

Everyone knew that the path to joining the pack was through Alpha's affection, not his Cuddlebugs' loyalty.

With that profound (for a Cuddlebug) thought, Captain settled back into its watchful pose. The sun would be rising soon, and with it, new adventures. There were more mysterious wet-land-beasts to battle, more sleep-times to guard, and most importantly, more foods to be had.

Let the strange, shiny beings play their games, Captain decided. It had a job to do, an Alpha to serve, and a Kind Large One to protect.

And really, what more could any Cuddlebug ask for?

As the sky began to change from dark to light, Captain allowed itself a small, satisfied twitch of its fluffy ears. It might not lead a giant swarm or make Alpha-noises, but it had something far greater – the warm-safe-feeling of its pack.

And no amount of shiny temptation could ever compare to that.