>>5845742>Play with your siblings. Two of them are paired up and exploring. Since you've already started to commit yourself to being their guardian, it may be good to establish bonds.You'd rather spend some time forming alliances. Two siblings are gone, so your best chance for interaction is to pursue the other two siblings. You quickly catch up to them, doing your best to examine them in the light.
Their coloration is different from your eldest sibling. From looking at your own front limbs, you recognise that four of you are the same shade, with only the bully being different. You chirp at them softly, watching over them as they play. Both are the same size, so they can wrestle with each other fairly. At first, they bite each other, only to squeal in pain once. they feel the sensation used against them. They both stop biting after a short while, finding their rhythm. Eventually, you're invited to join the fray.
Only one wrestles and brawls at a time, making use of restrained strikes with their tendrils and headbutts. With your superior strength and age (by a matter of a few light cycles, but a difference nonetheless), you can defeat each easily. However, they seem to be getting more sullen each time they fail to win.
>Go easy on them. You feel like they may stop playing if all they do is lose. Creating this inherent sense of fairness and allowing them to think they stand a chance can keep the game alive.>Do not. You are stronger, and you need them to know that. Giving up intentionally is a surefire way to ensure they never know their place.>>Nurturing. In the absence of your mother, you take it upon yourself to become a leader, and have them follow you around. Sticking together in a group will help ward off the eldest, but you're not showing your own dominance over them either. It's self-preservation that keeps them in line, rather than any sort of power.>Go easy on them.Your earlier decision comes to the forefront of your mind.
While tussling with them, you allow them to win every so often. Sometimes, two of them leap in at the same time, and while you can beat each one easily, you pretend that their combined efforts are wearing you down. Eventually, the three of you are tired out from playing. The light coming from outside is fading out as well.
Mother lets out a low rumble, catching your attention. She wanders about the clearing and picks you all up one at a time, with the last being your sibling who went off chasing the presence. They look completely unharmed, so it must have been safe. She deposits you in your nest and wanders off again, right as the light dies.
Now that you've all lived through actual experiences, the mental network that the five of you form is sparking with activity. Your siblings seem eager to chitter to each other and let out impressions of what they've discovered. Even the eldest joins in, with much reluctance on either end.
