āSparki?ā
āYeah?ā
āYou called me another name once⦠when you were sick.ā
Mome directed her gaze down to the yellow pikmin sitting beside her, āDid you know another purple pikmin before you met us?ā
Sparki winced internally at the direct and accurate statement. Mome was so quiet and easygoing, they forgot that she could be so perceptive.
The other pikmin sat and waited patiently for more.
Sparki sighed and continued. Mome was trustworthy. She would understand.
āSaihas was like, my teacher, my mentor. He showed me how to be a wild pikmin.ā
Sparki thought back to how those huge violet hands showed them how to wield a spear. āWeāll need to find a smaller one for you, the ideal stick is both a weapon and a support.ā He had said, humming and searching the ground.
He had taught them about the changing seasons, the best overnight resting places, how to find nectar, the behaviors of different predatorsā¦
Sparki blinked back to the current situation. āAnd then one day in winter I just woke up and he was gone.ā
āJust gone?ā Mome whispered.
āThere were footprints in the snow but they just ended. I donāt know what happenedā Sparki shook their head.
Ā āIām sorry.ā Mome replied. She knows that her friend doesnāt want pity though, āBut itās thanks to Saihasā teaching that weāre all here and safe now.ā
They both looked across the clearing, Roska seemed to be telling Zin and Loomden a story.
āI guess so. I never thought about it that way.ā