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Description

Part 1 ---> Part 2

Mission 3 - In a Hard Place

---

Pound, pound, pound, pound…

"Sis, you gonna just keep doing that or eat your lunch?”

The source of the pounding, a smaller than average sneasel with gray-blue fur and muted red feathers turned and glared at her older sibling. Setting down the bowl in hand, she raised a paw and extended a single claw out, matching it with her intense glare. The older sibling, another sneasel, darker in color but with a brighter feather, back up as far as she could in the space they had.

“Alright, alright. Sheesh… you and your attitude. It’s a wonder why we always end up getting in more and more trouble.”

“Grrr…” growled the smaller sneasel. She snorted and went back to pounding her other fist, covered in berry juices, into the bowl. The contents of the bowl were an assortment of berries, meant to be satisfying and healthy all the same to everyone they’re given to within the massive facility.

“Well, I mean… well… err…” the older sibling stopped speaking and sighed. “Look sis, we’re in enough trouble as it is. That big bunny got out after like, a few months because he idolized Pine. Us? We cause so much trouble that they’ve held back our release for another couple of months…”

The sneasel looked to her left. In view was a large metal door with no visible handle and a single, three-barred window to view out of. While she didn’t consider this a problem, the problem with that is the view on the other side was nothing but the door across the hall, something that always depressed her when she looked outside. Looking to her right gave her a view of the back wall in their shared home. It was nothing but bare cement blocks with two anchor points for chains if needed.

One of which was in use.

Clatter, clatter…

The noise of moving chains snapped the older sneasel back to her younger sibling. The younger sneasel had moved closer to the back wall, away from her older sibling. She took one look at her and scoffed. The younger sneasel sat down, bowl in hand, and began slurping down the contents in their entirety. Once done, she let out a satisfied breath then got up and neatly placed the bowl on a stack of ten other bowls just like it.

“Man sis, I just wanna leave and go back home…” the older sibling once more sighed. “Really… get you back home. The forest is where you belong. You didn’t have to come with me at all.”

“Mm.”

The curt hum made the older sibling tilt her head, confused. Usually, her younger sister never acknowledged her whining- about getting in trouble, about being chained up occasionally for being a nuisance to Pine, for the small cell they shared, for being in prison, for freedom. She was content to just lay about, slurp up her meals, and draw on the paper that Pine graciously still gives them; though she knew it was only to distract her younger sibling enough for her to stay cool compered to herself. She assumed the hum this time around was nothing but a fake response.

Speaking of calm, she knew she had no ground to stand on either what with the withdrawal she had upon first being shoved into a cell without the diet she frequented. While her younger sister had a well-balanced diet when they were free, she ate eggs almost every time she possibly could get one. And while sneasel are known for eating eggs, she had eaten way too many in way too short a time for too long.

...and eating too many was and still is, beyond unhealthy. And, unlike most pokémon who could possibly stomach eating eggs, sneasel can get addicted to it.

The results are never pretty.

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she picked up the one thing Pine found that could substitute eggs well enough to keep her from going crazy without them: a simple cup of green tea, supplemented with two teaspoons of sugar and half a cup of lukewarm milk.

She happily sipped the cup of tea, wiping her mouth clean once done. It may not be as good as an egg ever will be, but the tea did enough to calm her down.

“If only I can get you to try this sis…” she murmured out loud. Her younger sibling hummed again. “Okay, what’s up? You usually don’t answer me this much.”

She turned to see her younger sister sitting in the same spot when she ate but clearly busying herself drawing out something. While she had seen much art in her life, her sisters were… special. It was abstract shapes, lines, and other such nonsense that really didn’t come together all too well in her eyes. What she saw in them compared to her, she didn’t know; and really, couldn’t wrap her head around it when she did try to understand her younger sister.

“O-”

As she opened her mouth to speak, a tremor made her stumble onto the built in wooden bench behind her. In trying to break her fall, she had inadvertently tossed up a blanket that was on it. The blanket soared through the aired and gracefully landed on her younger sister. The gray-blue sneasel carefully tugged the light blue blanket off her then threw it at her older sibling.

“GAH-MMMMMMMHHHHHPPPPPMMMM!” the taller sneasel struggled to uncover herself, fighting the fabric hysterically as if it were trying to kill her. Finally, she was able to unwrap herself and throw it onto the bench. “Oh, skies above sis- are you trying to kill me!?”

Her younger sibling rolled her eyes then moved her hand in a certain way: first holding out her right paw with thumb under her index claw, the smaller second claw tucked away then formed an ‘o’ after that in quick succession.

“What do you mean ‘no’!?”

Another tremor shook the cell and the prison at whole. This time, the two sneasel held on to the walls in case something happened. The both silently hope that whoever constructed the entire prison, made sure it would crush those within in the event of an earthquake.

‘Then again, it would get rid of all us convicts and I’m sure most people in the city below wouldn’t give a shit about all of us dying.’ thought the older sister.

Eventually, the shaking stopped once more, leaving the older sister to speak to her younger sibling once more.

“Back on point, can you try not throwing things at me? I know you’re eternally mad at me and all-”

“Rr.”

“-but that doesn’t mean, everything needs to hurt you’re older sis. I’m the only family you have! If I go, what happens to you!?”

-=-=-

The younger sibling raised her right paw to pantomime once more when she froze in thought.

Many thoughts. Very many thoughts. Good and bad ones. Her sister mostly.

She did not like her sister. Yes.

But her sister was her only sister. Yes, yes.

She can only trust her family. Yes.

All the other pokémon in this smelly building are mean. Yes, very yes.

So are the ones who torment her. Yes again. Must hurt all later.

Would she be okay if sister were gone? Likely yes.

Would she care if her sister disappeared?

...

...

...

Not yes. Not no. Maybe. Maybe not. Possibly.

...

New thought: was her sister stupid?

Many, many yeses.

...was her sister wise, however?

…a regrettable yes.

So... Would she care? Should she care?

…

...

...

Yes...

Last thought. Would… would she cry?

-=-=-

She watched her younger sister sigh. The smaller sneasel put up her two paws, claws extended and quickly pantomimed sticking out the middle-most claw, right thumb out.

I.

Crossing her claws together then switching to sticking her middle-most claw out again, then twice flashing her touching her left palm with her right index claw.

Will.

She formed a half circle with her claws, then picked out her palm once more, this time hooking her claw as best she could, finishing up by pointing at the point between her left thumb and left index.

Cry.

The older sister smiled. She understood. “Thanks for being honest sis.”

Another tremor washed over the two, shaking them in their seats. This one was shorter than the last one, leaving the older sister confused but irritated.

“Okay, this is shaking stuff is getting out of hand.” she stood up and walked over to the door. “Hey gu-!”

Before she could even finish her sentence, the entire prison shook once more. Three times as violent as before, this tremor was the worst one yet. Pebbles fell from the ceiling as dust started flowing through cracks all over. The stacked blocks of the back wall began cracking, some completely disintegrating from the sheer weight above and below.

The next thing the two sneasel heard was a massive, earth shattering boom.

Then everything went dark.

----

For M3 in

Ice Hearts by i-Sparki

Description

Part 1 ---> Part 2

Mission 3 - In a Hard Place

---

Pound, pound, pound, pound…

"Sis, you gonna just keep doing that or eat your lunch?”

The source of the pounding, a smaller than average sneasel with gray-blue fur and muted red feathers turned and glared at her older sibling. Setting down the bowl in hand, she raised a paw and extended a single claw out, matching it with her intense glare. The older sibling, another sneasel, darker in color but with a brighter feather, back up as far as she could in the space they had.

“Alright, alright. Sheesh… you and your attitude. It’s a wonder why we always end up getting in more and more trouble.”

“Grrr…” growled the smaller sneasel. She snorted and went back to pounding her other fist, covered in berry juices, into the bowl. The contents of the bowl were an assortment of berries, meant to be satisfying and healthy all the same to everyone they’re given to within the massive facility.

“Well, I mean… well… err…” the older sibling stopped speaking and sighed. “Look sis, we’re in enough trouble as it is. That big bunny got out after like, a few months because he idolized Pine. Us? We cause so much trouble that they’ve held back our release for another couple of months…”

The sneasel looked to her left. In view was a large metal door with no visible handle and a single, three-barred window to view out of. While she didn’t consider this a problem, the problem with that is the view on the other side was nothing but the door across the hall, something that always depressed her when she looked outside. Looking to her right gave her a view of the back wall in their shared home. It was nothing but bare cement blocks with two anchor points for chains if needed.

One of which was in use.

Clatter, clatter…

The noise of moving chains snapped the older sneasel back to her younger sibling. The younger sneasel had moved closer to the back wall, away from her older sibling. She took one look at her and scoffed. The younger sneasel sat down, bowl in hand, and began slurping down the contents in their entirety. Once done, she let out a satisfied breath then got up and neatly placed the bowl on a stack of ten other bowls just like it.

“Man sis, I just wanna leave and go back home…” the older sibling once more sighed. “Really… get you back home. The forest is where you belong. You didn’t have to come with me at all.”

“Mm.”

The curt hum made the older sibling tilt her head, confused. Usually, her younger sister never acknowledged her whining- about getting in trouble, about being chained up occasionally for being a nuisance to Pine, for the small cell they shared, for being in prison, for freedom. She was content to just lay about, slurp up her meals, and draw on the paper that Pine graciously still gives them; though she knew it was only to distract her younger sibling enough for her to stay cool compered to herself. She assumed the hum this time around was nothing but a fake response.

Speaking of calm, she knew she had no ground to stand on either what with the withdrawal she had upon first being shoved into a cell without the diet she frequented. While her younger sister had a well-balanced diet when they were free, she ate eggs almost every time she possibly could get one. And while sneasel are known for eating eggs, she had eaten way too many in way too short a time for too long.

...and eating too many was and still is, beyond unhealthy. And, unlike most pokémon who could possibly stomach eating eggs, sneasel can get addicted to it.

The results are never pretty.

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she picked up the one thing Pine found that could substitute eggs well enough to keep her from going crazy without them: a simple cup of green tea, supplemented with two teaspoons of sugar and half a cup of lukewarm milk.

She happily sipped the cup of tea, wiping her mouth clean once done. It may not be as good as an egg ever will be, but the tea did enough to calm her down.

“If only I can get you to try this sis…” she murmured out loud. Her younger sibling hummed again. “Okay, what’s up? You usually don’t answer me this much.”

She turned to see her younger sister sitting in the same spot when she ate but clearly busying herself drawing out something. While she had seen much art in her life, her sisters were… special. It was abstract shapes, lines, and other such nonsense that really didn’t come together all too well in her eyes. What she saw in them compared to her, she didn’t know; and really, couldn’t wrap her head around it when she did try to understand her younger sister.

“O-”

As she opened her mouth to speak, a tremor made her stumble onto the built in wooden bench behind her. In trying to break her fall, she had inadvertently tossed up a blanket that was on it. The blanket soared through the aired and gracefully landed on her younger sister. The gray-blue sneasel carefully tugged the light blue blanket off her then threw it at her older sibling.

“GAH-MMMMMMMHHHHHPPPPPMMMM!” the taller sneasel struggled to uncover herself, fighting the fabric hysterically as if it were trying to kill her. Finally, she was able to unwrap herself and throw it onto the bench. “Oh, skies above sis- are you trying to kill me!?”

Her younger sibling rolled her eyes then moved her hand in a certain way: first holding out her right paw with thumb under her index claw, the smaller second claw tucked away then formed an ‘o’ after that in quick succession.

“What do you mean ‘no’!?”

Another tremor shook the cell and the prison at whole. This time, the two sneasel held on to the walls in case something happened. The both silently hope that whoever constructed the entire prison, made sure it would crush those within in the event of an earthquake.

‘Then again, it would get rid of all us convicts and I’m sure most people in the city below wouldn’t give a shit about all of us dying.’ thought the older sister.

Eventually, the shaking stopped once more, leaving the older sister to speak to her younger sibling once more.

“Back on point, can you try not throwing things at me? I know you’re eternally mad at me and all-”

“Rr.”

“-but that doesn’t mean, everything needs to hurt you’re older sis. I’m the only family you have! If I go, what happens to you!?”

-=-=-

The younger sibling raised her right paw to pantomime once more when she froze in thought.

Many thoughts. Very many thoughts. Good and bad ones. Her sister mostly.

She did not like her sister. Yes.

But her sister was her only sister. Yes, yes.

She can only trust her family. Yes.

All the other pokémon in this smelly building are mean. Yes, very yes.

So are the ones who torment her. Yes again. Must hurt all later.

Would she be okay if sister were gone? Likely yes.

Would she care if her sister disappeared?

...

...

...

Not yes. Not no. Maybe. Maybe not. Possibly.

...

New thought: was her sister stupid?

Many, many yeses.

...was her sister wise, however?

…a regrettable yes.

So... Would she care? Should she care?

…

...

...

Yes...

Last thought. Would… would she cry?

-=-=-

She watched her younger sister sigh. The smaller sneasel put up her two paws, claws extended and quickly pantomimed sticking out the middle-most claw, right thumb out.

I.

Crossing her claws together then switching to sticking her middle-most claw out again, then twice flashing her touching her left palm with her right index claw.

Will.

She formed a half circle with her claws, then picked out her palm once more, this time hooking her claw as best she could, finishing up by pointing at the point between her left thumb and left index.

Cry.

The older sister smiled. She understood. “Thanks for being honest sis.”

Another tremor washed over the two, shaking them in their seats. This one was shorter than the last one, leaving the older sister confused but irritated.

“Okay, this is shaking stuff is getting out of hand.” she stood up and walked over to the door. “Hey gu-!”

Before she could even finish her sentence, the entire prison shook once more. Three times as violent as before, this tremor was the worst one yet. Pebbles fell from the ceiling as dust started flowing through cracks all over. The stacked blocks of the back wall began cracking, some completely disintegrating from the sheer weight above and below.

The next thing the two sneasel heard was a massive, earth shattering boom.

Then everything went dark.

----

For M3 in

Ice Hearts by i-Sparki