To Kano the chore of feeding the Chitpulkas and collecting their eggs was just that, a chore. But today it was much more different, for he felt like he was walking towards his doom with every squelching step he took across the dew-laden field towards the compound that hosted the coops.

His previous joyful encounters with the amazing Mr.Shivalteek and the discovery of the humongous Rottwood worm now long gone as dread filled the boy. He slowly trudged closer with lead-filled shoes before finally reaching the gates.

The usual slurps and hissing that emanated from the impatient Combs foretold the coming danger that the boy was soon to face. For today, the susurration seemed more like the call of the baying crowd for his blood.

I really don’t want to do this.. I’m so scared, he thought in fear as he approached the wire-door of the coop. Behind the barrier was the usual crowd of Combs eagerly waiting to be released into the freedom of the compound and be fed from feed mixture that he carried.

But after he gently deposited the Sowigan’s food basket ever so slowly and reached over at a Slime’s pace to open the door, his hand halted just a hair’s breadth from the latch.

I should feed the Sowigans first… it’s not like I’m dragging my feet because of Chopeck, I just feel like it today! Kano lied to himself before dropping the feed bucket, then grabbing the basket filled with vegetables before scampering over to the Sowigan Cellar.

Once inside, he found that his heart was racing madly so the boy waited in the dark for his nerves to settle before collecting the tools he needed. He grabbed the lantern from the shelf, then retrieved the tinderbox before lighting the candle that sat inside the lanterns shutter. But he did not close the shutter straight away, for he had shut the door to the building in fear and needed some light to retrieve and charge the cleaning artifact by the table.

“Yeah,” Kano spoke to himself as he opted on the side of caution when dealing with the expensive artifact, for even the fear of the Mood paled in comparison to the fear of dealing with his father’s wrath if he dropped or broke the expensive tool. Even if he liked being in the dark of the cellar building, there was no need to be silly.

Kano then spent some time feeding his mana into box before hearing the usual clicking sound. But for some reason it felt slightly weird to him today.

Did it fill faster? But how come… Did I level up or something? He wondered to himself as he carefully placed the box into his front pocket. Then with the lantern in hand he collected the basket before heading towards the trap door.

I’ll leave the basket up here first, then head down with the lantern on the first trip before coming back up to grab the basket, just in case I drop the vegetables and damaged them and the picky Sowigans wont eat it, he reasoned before carrying out his plans.

Now that he had everything he needed in the dark and cool cellar with nothing but the timid Sowigans for company, Kano only felt his worries slowly fade away. For down here in the dark with the timid creatures he found solace and sanctuary. Even if they first shied away from him every time he descended down the ladder, he knew that they would soon be his friends as soon as he started singing.

“I would sow the seeds my love,” he started to sing but slightly differently than usual. He continued to sing the lullaby without his usual melancholy, which in turn caused the Sowigans that trembled in the dark to hesitate before they hastily begun to crawl towards him. For today Kona sung his song with joy, for he was happy to see them and also avoid having to face his fears above.

“When winter makes your heart sad and blue he sung happily as he activated his cleaning box and bathed the closest slug with its white light. But the boy was lost in his own joy and did not notice how they had raced towards him today. He also missed out on the fact that the Sowigans that could not touch him with their feelers as they lagged behind the rest of the crowd were waving their feelers happily in the air.

But soon Kano was able to pick up on the difference in their behavior as he performed his second encore as he cleaned the foremost slugs.

“You guys are loving me today aren’t you?” he asked happily. He received no reply from the waving and swaying Sowigans but he already had an inkling as to their changed behavior.

“You’re a happy lot today, are you guys just happy to see me?” he asked with a musk of joy. But the Sowigans only started to falter in their swaying and some of them even begun to slowly backtrack away from him.

“Ok!Ok! I will sow the seeds my lo-hu-huv♪” he happily serenaded his adoring fans as they raved away in the cellar. He then repeated the poem over and over and paused a few times to laugh happily as he slowly completed his task of cleaning them with the glow of the artifact. Then Kano continued to sing as he then proceeded to clean the rest of the cellar with the Sowigans thronging around him, but once he reached the waterway he came to a stop.

For somehow today, the flow of the water was lower than usual.

“Hmm?” he questioned and receiving a few probing touches from his followers to urge him to sing some more.

“Oh sorry guys, Remember I’l be back in just a while♪,” he continued but in a different tone, for he was slightly distracted. The boy then slowly trailed up the waterway, towards the grate that fed into the cellar along with the use of his light as it cleaned up the meager build-up of algae before coming upon the problem. For the grate was slightly blocked up by some dark round shapes on the outer side.

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So he directed the light of his tool towards the supposed debris and to his surprise, the light of the cleaning artifact only harmlessly passed over the small round shapes before cleaning the grim off them to reveal the shapes to be small black snails. These small little creatures were not out of the ordinary in any way, except for the tiny white bubble that enveloped their shells. But these white bubbles then quickly burst after he bathed them in the glow of his cleansing artifact for some time, before the creatures quickly retracted into their tiny black shells.

“What?” Kano wondered to himself. He then continued to observe the snails that crowded around he grate for some time with his singing and his Sowigans forgotten. Kano then prodded and poked at the grate to try and dislodge the snails to no avail, for the grating was too small. But unbeknownst to him was that his crowd had slowly dispersed away from him during the time he spent on the grate.

“Damn how am I going to fix this?” he asked himself even as he knew full well what he had to do. For Kano would have to go to the outside of the cellar, and dive underwater and through the tiny outhouse the darkened the waterway before it fed into the cellar.

I can’t be bothered to get wet today to fix this, he thought to himself even if he knew that as a Capyban he would have no issue swimming or diving whatsoever. So he turned back to address cleaning of the Sowigan cellar and his task of feeding the creatures, with him putting the issue of the slightly blocked grate aside for later or for his father or brother to deal with tomorrow.

Turning around, he found that his crowd had already dispersed and he was sure that he had already cleaned most of the room. So he approached the vegetable basket that had a few impatient guests waiting around it. Kano then retrieved the vegetables that some enterprising Sowigans had already begun to enjoy after his show. Then he proceeded to place it around the room as he finished up on his tasks before leaving the cellar.

“Ahh fruitflys,” Kano swore once he was upstairs with the trapdoor behind him. I’m going to have to face Chopeck now won’t I? he thought with dread slowly creeping through him once more as he returned his tools. The Capyban boy then began to take heavy breaths as he slowly approached the brightened outline of the exit, before steeling his resolve for the fearsome task ahead of him with the empty basket in hand.

The disorientating brighter light of the wakened twins in the courtyard did nothing to alleviate his fears, as he slowly approached the coop like a prisoner on death row. Then he decided it was for the best to take the bucket and spread the feed around the courtyard before he opened the doors. Just in case Chopeck knocks me out again and I can’t do it later, he reasoned as he emptied the contents about the yard.

He then approached the coop door for the third time that morning before opening it for the waiting impatient Combs, who quickly rushed out in their usual slurping and hissing rabble.

Then the boy took another deep breath through his nostrils, before stepping into the coop and turning left to face his terror.

And standing at the end of the hay strewn coop and behind the wire-mesh door, was the huge black Mood menacingly looking at him.

The boy flinched at the fearsome sight, but he still proceeded to meekly enter the coop before collecting the eggs and filling his basket. For he knew that he might not have a chance to do so if he opened the final door.

…

Look at the weakling Not-so-small egg thief, Chopeck thought with disdain. Here to steal more of my unborn children as you usually do, you pathetic thing.

Do as you wont, for I cannot best your flock-leader, but you are now nothing in my eyes, he added with a dismissive hiss that elicited a small shudder from the foul creature as it carried out it’s evil task, to his delight.

He waited impatiently for his release into his kingdom, so he can inspect his females and feed as usual. But today he felt no need to bully the Not-so-small egg thief, for he was weary after a full day of mating with impressed females, after his epic battle the day before.

But maybe I have it in me for a small kick, he thought in sinister glee before slurping happily.

…..

Kano quickly collected the eggs, of which he found a surprising number. But during the whole time, he did so with dread as Chopeck seemed to be mocking him with it’d weird noises like a tormenting bully as it waited in its cage.

With his basket full he then scurried out of the coop. Then the boy rushed over towards the edge of the compound before opening the gate and depositing the basket just beyond the threshold.

But once there he paused in indecision.

Should I just leave and go to the collect the Kaholin dung and not let the Chopeck out? Crept the thought into his mind before it was quickly quashed by another.

Beasts and monsters are our livelihood, so treat them with care and respect, came the unbidden memory of his father’s motto, that seemed so misplaced to the boy in that very moment.

Chopeck is no Beast and beyond any monster, for it is a creature from some cursed Realm, he thought before turning back and entering the compound once more.

He marched heavily through the courtyard like a Capyban possessed and ignored the Combs that hissed and slurped happily as the fed. But his pace slowed the closer he got to coop and the final door that waited inside.

Waiting behind the door, was the menacing black Mood with an evil glint it’s eye. The creature then hopped backwards as he got closer and caused Kano to flinch. But seeing that there was nothing more to the gesture, he slowly unlatched the door. Then he swung it open whilst trying to hide himself behind the flimsy door that swung outwards.

The creature then paused, as if to feast upon his palpable fear, before it leisurely strolled out of it’s enclosure. Once it was right by the door and beside Kano, Chopeck then slowly paused mid-step before continuing in it’s slow stride that eventually took it out of the coop. In that brief pause, Kano felt fear like never before that his caused his heart to nearly explode. But the moment had come and gone with the passage of his nemesis.

Furtively the boy then creeped out of the coop. Then he surveyed the courtyard and to his utter terror, he found no sight of the menace which left him frozen in fear. But he had to move, for he could not stand there all day.

So Kano pumped his legs and rushed for the gate which scattered the Combs before he safely reached the barrier.

As he was unlatching the gate and was just on the precipice of reaching safety, he spied a terrifying visage just down to the right and near his feet. For Chopeck had toyed with him in the very last moment.

Kano then slowly turned his head down to look upon the Mood that was staring up at him with it’s evil little beady eyes, full of mirth.

Chopeck then suddenly jumped upwards before softly tapping Kano on the nose with it’s feet.

Then the creature laughed in it’s weird hissing and slurping way as it landed softly, before strutting off to grab its own share of breakfast and leaving behind the terrified boy that was scrambling through the gate.