The little rat slowly pulled the strange flower-like structure closer. Its sweet-rotten stench appealed to his scavenger brain, but at the same time he knew--he could feel--that something was wrong with it. Yet... it wasn't wrong, was it? No. Nah. It was fine. It was right. There were hidden truths to this thing; he just had to be careful with it. But he could use it, certainly.

Archimedes, unlike many others, did not run out of the caves with it. Instead he dragged his one single "white rose" up into the ledges, carefully hidden and out of sight beneath a tangle of waterlogged moss. He'd make his den here--a new den--and he'd carefully watch those who came and went.

He couldn't... quite remember why. He couldn't really remember what he'd wanted to do. But now was a good time--wasn't it?--to do it. He was too small to drag the white waxy "flowers" away, but he could stay with them here, and talk to those who came.

Show them.

Archimedes pulled his stone into the wet dark, unheeding of the cold, and--shivering--curled up around it and fell into a deep sleep.

exit Archimedes

As Huckleberry rolled the stone around in his talons, the urge to go out, to go and show everyone he knew the wonder of these strange little petals fell over him. He needed to go back, go home, go show everyone these things. He glanced back at Shiny, holding out the little rock-thing. "Look! Shiny, please look! Look at it! It's amazing!" The catsquirrel leaned back, tail curling in with concern. Huckle-friend, something is not right. It's not... but she couldn't say anything else before her master shoved the thing under her nose and she was forced to take a whiff.

Huckleberry could feel the resistance in her mind weaken and their desire merged into one. Yeah, you're right! These are great. We should show the Kingdom, Huckleberry. The whole Kingdom! He nodded at her, happily. That was exactly what he had been thinking! They had all been very nice to him so perhaps he should share these with them as well! Quickly, he began to gather up as many as he could, handing them back to Shiny who stuffed them under her belly to hand onto them until she could no longer carry anymore. Satisfied, Huckleberry turned and trotted right back out of Pisces, not concerned with the water anymore - not with the wonderful things they'd just found!

*exit