It started slow enough, the spring seemed to be colder than usual. Then, it got colder, like winter. Before long, it was colder than winter. The nightly snows only melted slightly in the day. Soon, they were piling up, blanketing the poles of Alternia in white, even dusting the tropics.
A young olive blooded troll snaked through a meadow. Her breath fogged the air in front of her as she scanned the squat surrounding trees for life. The purple and green moons were low on the horizon dipping below the tree line. The intense light of Alternia’s sun was lighting the sky on the horizon behind her, usually a reason for retreat, but in the past sweep and a half, the danger from the day’s burning rays had diminished, at least in the early and late day.
“Mmrh.” A deep, soft, and throaty noise came from her left by her waist and a wet noise and furry face nuzzled her hand.
“Almost, Pounce.” The girl said. She removed her roughly knitted mitten and gave the big white cat a gentle scratch on the broad bridge of her nose. “I should have made you stay home, old girl.”
Pounce de Leon opened her smaller upper mouth minutely, as if in a protesting grimace. A tiny bit of breath came out of her mouth, missing her right upper fang.
“You are getting old, this cold is a lot harder on you than it is on me, and you have fur!”
The troll scanned the snow of the meadow and trees again before turning around. “Let’s go, Pounce.” The young troll crouched down and the big cat clambered up onto her back, resting her front paws on her shoulders.
The troll crunched her way over her footprints until the sun threatened to rise in front of them. She clasped the snow goggles around her neck, hopping they would not be needed. Just as the first smidge of bright sun broke over the horizon, the troll and her lusus reached their camp. Her temporary shelter was made of fallen branches with a flap for a door. It was low to the ground, only large enough for herself and Pounce. Letting Pounce down, she immediately went inside, shedding her outer furs. Pounce followed her in, and still holding the flap open, she grabbed and turned on her precious heat lamp. Turning the knob, the lantern glowed pink and grew warm. Letting the flap flop closed, she settled herself on her bed of raised branches, covered in furs. Pounce de Leon gratefully curled up close to the lamp, carefully adjusting her arthritic joints. She used to be able to carry her ward on her back, but several broken bones, and the unnatural cold had ravaged her body.
The girl removed her footwear and spread her toes near the heat lamp. She sighed, wiggling her yellow-nailed toes and letting her shoulders relax, head tilted to one side. After a few minutes, she reached over for her satchel and fished out an olive green tablet and pen. She turned it on and opened up her Trollian chat client.
arsenicCatnip [AC] began trolling centaursTesticle [CT] and grimAuxiliatrix [GA]
AC: :33 < hey there. i'm back from exploration fur today.
AC: :33 < i covered the west of camp today, and there were no signs of large animal tracks.
AC: :33 < it hasn't snowed in two days, so it's possible that nothing has gone that way.
AC: :33 < tomorrow i'm going south.
AC: :33 < how are things with you two?
AC: :33 < hello?
The troll puts the tablet down and puts it on standby to conserve power. After several minutes, her device makes a quiet noise.
GA: Hello Nepeta, We Are Well
GA: We Have Gathered Additional Seeds And Specimens For My Greenhouses
AC: :33 < that's pawesome!
AC: :33 < how's my meowrail?
GA: He Is Fretting Over Your Absence As Usual
GA: He Has Expressed Concern That You Are Hunting Alone
GA: But He Understands You Can Not Hunt With Him
GA: And Despite Its Necessity He Has Commented To Me Multiple Times That He Continues To Finds It Repugnant
AC: :33 < i am not alone, i have pounce!
GA: Yes
GA: But To Be Fair To Him She Is Not As Strong As She Used To Be
GA: And I Think That You Should Rely Less On Stalking And Ambushing Prey And More On Setting Traps
AC: :33 < but that just f33ls wrong. it feels like a trick.
GA: That Sounds Like A Something Equius Would Say
AC: :00 < hey!
GA: Yes
AC: :33 < i do not sound like equius. he'd say something like:
AC: :33 < "D --> There is no honour in deceiving beasts and not allowing them the chance to escape"
GA: Exactly
Nepeta furrowed her brow a little.
AC: :33 < oh.
AC: :33 < i s33 what you mean.
GA: When Was The Last Time You Caught Prey
AC: :33 < erm. probably nine days ago. just a little bellowbeast.
AC: :33 < i got almost five days food out of it.
GA: Is That What Weve Been Eating
AC: :33 < yeah. it's b33n purtty slim pickings.
GA: Its Been Very Bitter And Stringy
GA: Which Is Not A Comment On Your Hunting Abilities But Instead A Reflection Of Our Reality
AC: :33 < i'd really hate to move south, beclaws i'm not familiar with the terrain and fauna, but at this point i think we have to.
CT: D -- > The south is dangerous
CT: D -- > There are too many trolls there already
AC: :33 < that's beclaws they can actually survive there, equius!
GA: Relocation Would Entail Leaving Everything We Have Built Here Behind
GA: I Will Remind You Both That There Is The Possibility Of Raising Beasts For The Purpose Of Providing Flesh And Milk
CT: D -- > no
AC: :33 < no
GA: What Worked In The Past Is Not Working Now
GA: I Have To Use Greenhouses
GA: Inadaptable Trolls Are Dead Trolls
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So, the orbit of Alternia has altered, making it much colder than previously. Let's say all the psionic trolls lost their abilities of died, because they'd be able to fix that since Sollux and Aradia pushed the Meteor with psionics.
Nepeta lives with Kanaya and Equius in a little homestead near the caves where she grew up. Yup. I'd flesh out more but I'm hurting.
