>>5137681“I was going to check out that berg to the north, since it feels really weird.” You begin, and you suddenly feel the Daughter’s posture sharpen.
“In what way?” Snowbird demands, their voice cold, yet not cruel.
“Oh, uh…” You stammer, taken aback by their abruptness. “…just that I felt really drawn to it, I guess? Like something about it was pulling me in.”
“Have you felt that before?” Snowbird presses.
You search for an answer, finding only the echo of a sensation that’s been scratching at the corners of your memory ever since you came to this area.
“Not really…but we could look somewhere else, if you want! I’m already exploring, and I’m open for anything as long as I’m moving!”
The metallic Daughter is silent for a moment, and then-
“Lab first. Then city.”
You oblige Snowbird’s decision as their angular form darts overhead towards their target, and you follow in pursuit. It’s not long before their angular form pauses mid-air and begins a rapid descent, with you making your own landing just in time to marvel as Snowbird’s from changes completely, shifting from their aerial form into something more akin to a human, though still retaining their sharp asymmetry. You glance around, wondering what distinguished this particular field of angry red flesh from the miles of identically rolling plains that surround it, and you lean in close to whisper to your new friend.
“What’re we looking for, exactly?” You ask, and to your surprise it’s Snowbird who jolts, this time.
“…do I not scare you?” They ask after a moment of just staring at you, eyes hidden beneath their darkened helm.
“Um…no?” You admit, then add; “*Should* I be scared?”
“…No. No, you shouldn’t.” Snowbird replies, an odd lilt in their tone.
“Okay, good! ‘Cause from the first moment I saw you, I thought you were friend-shaped!”
A beat.
“Friend…shaped?”
“Yep! Friend-shaped!” You repeat, just in case they didn’t hear you the first time for some reason.
“…I see. Good.” The metallic figure replies with a solemn nod. “I was beginning to fear that I was shaped more like a threat. Few dare approach me.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“My creator…Prime…used my abilities to destroy things. Places. People. ” Snowbird explains, hands morphing into blades as they begin tearing into the ground at their feet. “I was not always like this. I was re-forged into a body built to destroy. I was made to forget things. I want to know why.”
“Okay, so…what can I do to help?”
“Can you dig?”
You look down at your talons, each longer than Snowbird’s entire frame. You’re no Behemoth, but…
“If it’ll help you, then I certainly can.”
(Continued)
