“Ripply…” Twinkles said. “Me no tinks dey understand yet. Me tinks we should just give dem da foodses.”
“But… dey need to eats it too.”
“Maybe we should show dem,” Twinkles nodded.
“Okay!”
The new parents put the food they had gathered into the nest.
“Oooh look, nummy foodses,” Ripples said, pantomiming wildly.
He took some and made a point of taking a bite of out it. He chewed enthusiastically.
“Mmm-mmmmm.”
“Now your turn,” said Twinkles. “See, foodses? Eat foodses. ‘Member to chew ‘cause otherwise you go choke choke and den you die!”
“And dying isn’t nice ting,” Ripples added.
The two caterpillar like babies, acting on their own instinct rather than anything their parents were saying to them, began eating their meal.
“Oooh… look Twinky! Dey’re eating!”
“We is very goodly parents,” Twinkles beamed.
Avery, who had witnessed the incident, grinned to herself. Such sillies. The fact that they had pretty much done the exact same thing every day since the babies had been born seemed completely lost on them.
Then the grin faded. Taylor and Jess were both out and about with Walker, Zac, Doug and Nate scouring the neighbourhood for any sign of Isaac. Well, technically evil Isaac and Carla, but it was easier just to say ‘Isaac’ as it was his body.
Normally, being a shapeshifter, it would be impossible to find him. But at least with Taylor and Jess’s Empathy, and Taylor’s Deep Telepathy, they were in with a chance.
Besides, sooner or later someone that evil was bound to do something to draw attention to themselves, right?
Avery decided she didn’t want to follow that chain of thought.
“Ooooh,” said Carla, entering the room, “why Avie, that’s beautiful!”
Avery looked over at Carla, then looked over her latest ice sculpture, then back at Carla.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Oh, no, thank you for sharing this wonderful sculpture with me. You are an amazing artist.”
Avery chewed her bottom lip, a huge smile on her face.
“Thanks,” she said again.