Cloudy Disaster

Under a dizzying brightness and sometimes odd sinking into his fur, Michel struggled to get up onto his feet. It took him a few moments of breathing unsteadily, before he forced himself to stand.

He regretted it the moment he opened his eyes.

His heart rate quickened as he looked at the landscape around him, it was like nothing he had ever seen. The grass beneath him was growing out of what appeared to be clouds, the unnatural softness making his stomach twist as he stumbled.

It was only by perfect luck that he saw his purse on the ground, a miracle that his sweet impup was cowering inside. It seemed his precious Diamond was unhurt as he rushed as he beat he could to pick up his bag.

“My baby,” Michel’s voice was painfully flat as he put his purse back on his shoulder. He didn’t hesitate to pet Diamond, the impup calming down with the loving presence and voice of his master. “What is this place?”

He looked around, a rush of panic hitting him when he saw a familiar prone form. “Cero!”

He fell to his knees in front of his best friend, gently trying to shake him awake. He could have cried with relief when Cero lazily opened his eyes.

Cero blinked, “What happened?” It was only when he took a moment to breathe, that he noticed the world around them. “What in hell is this place?”

Cero scrambled closer to Michel, hugging onto him. It was by pure chance that Michel noticed Cero still had his own purse.

Michel spoke quickly and a touch too loud, “Bijou! Oh please tell me, he’s still there.”

Cero didn’t seem to understand at first, until his eyes widened and he opened his purse with trembling hands.

Bijou looked back at them, yawning tiredly as he looked up at his master. It was only when the impup saw the sky behind Cero that he started to shake in fear.

Cero was quick to start petting him, gently holding his little head. “My poor Bijou, don’t worry it’s okay.”

Although as the pair stayed crouched together, things certainly didn’t feel okay. They were frightened by this place, the openness, the never-ending sky above them. Michel worried they might float away at any moment, after all there was no cavern ceiling to stop them.

There was a heavy groan to their left, before a voice they knew well called out to them. “Michel, Cero? Is that you?”

Michel and Cero looked around them, before they set their sights on a very disheveled looking Jackal.

She sighed in relief when she saw them. “Good you’re alright.”

Michel scoffed, “Alright… alright?! Look at where we had! How could I possibly be alright?!”

Jackal wanted to snap at him, but then she noticed the way the pair held onto each other, the way they shook. She walked closer, “Hey, hey don’t be scared, okay? You’re both alive and okay, you have your impups, things are going to be okay.”

Michel nodded uncertain, holding Cero closer as he helped the other to his feet. Cero still had a look of sickness to his face, staring unhappily at the sky above them.

Cero shook his head, “This place is so ugly.”

Michel couldn’t help his snort, trying to hide his laughter against his friend’s ear. “It’s too white here isn’t it? And moss and grass on clouds, that’s such a decorating failure.”

Cero seemed to get some color back into his face. “I know! Talk about someone that doesn’t know what they’re doing.”

To their surprise, Jackal laughed, “It’s good to see you two are the same as ever.”

As if it just struck Michel, he interrupted, “Hey… wasn’t Dove with us?”

The three looked among themselves, before they started to look around them, Jackal more frantically than them.

Luckily Dove wasn’t too far away, they were standing proudly on the clouds. It was almost as if they were used to this bizarre and unsettling place.

Jackal rushed forward, gently catching Dove’s arm in hers. “Dove! Are you alright?”

The mysterious bun nodded their head, smiling softly, “I’m alright, Jackal, don’t worry.”

Jackal sighed once again, “Thank Hell, who knows what their place is.”

Dove paused, looking Jackal in the eyes, “I know what this place is.”

Jackal froze, “You do, but-“

“Can you two like flirt later?” Michel called out, looking at the pair of them with a bored look.

Jackal stuttered in anger, “We are not flirting!”

Cero scoffed playfully, “Is that why you two are holding onto each other so much? Oh Dove I’m so happy you’re okay.” He leaned against Michel.

Michel joined in, “Don’t worry my love, I couldn’t be hurt.” He fluttered his eyelashes.

Jackal stomped her foot, “Quit that!” She didn’t like when the pair of them started on their teasing and in the same breath, she was worried about what Dove would think.

As for Dove, they blushed awkwardly and turned around to hide their embarrassment.

It was then that Michel noticed something about Dove, he hadn’t before. “Your tail!”

Cero frowned, “What’s wrong with their tai- why does it look like that?!”

The pair was staring at Dove’s small fluffy tail, their own spaded tails flicking beneath them. Neither of them have ever seen a bun with a tail.

Michel shook his head, “And I thought not having horns was strange.”

Jackal cut in with an angered voice, “Dove can hear you, you know!”

Dove had a surprisingly hardened look on their face. “There is a reason I look like this, it was the fault of someone else. Someone that stole from the burrows and lied to me for years.”

Jackal looked surprised, “Dove… you remember…? Did the feather…?”

Dove shook their head, “It wasn’t the feather, or it’s not just because of the feather. It just helped me remember who I was and where I came from who put me here in the first place and the person that stole the baby buns from the burrows!”

Michel and Cero looked at each other, they were starting to get an uncomfortable feelings in their chests. They were in the realm of a baby bun thief? That sounded terrifying.

Michel pulled Cero closer. “So who’s the weirdo that would steal baby buns?”

Cero grimaced, “What did they even want with the little buns?”

Dove shook their head, “It was nothing nefarious, or not in the way you’re thinking.” They looked unhappy, looking towards Jackal. “Forgive me for bringing you all here, once I regained my memories. I had to come here. I had to see everything for myself.”

Jackal shook her head, “No it’s okay. I don’t think you knew that any of this would happen, not like this.”

Dove seemed regretful, “I’m sorry for dragging you all into this, but you’ve all been with me this entire journey, I couldn’t do this alone.”

“This couldn’t be like a Jackal and Dove?” Michel huffed, pulling Cero almost behind his. “We definitely did not ask to be included into any of this.”

Cero nodded, “And neither did our imps! They’re all traumatized now!”

Jackal glared, about to say something before Dove stopped her. “No Jackal, it’s alright. I should have ask them if they wanted to join me before bringing them here. Especially with what’s going to happen next.”

They looked beyond the cloudy landscape to a cottage nestled deep in the heart of this wide mellow. “It’s time to confront the person at fault for all of this. The one person who took the faith of the first baby buns that were stolen from the burrows.”

They looked at the three buns beside them and took a deep breath, “It’s time to ask Melangel why they did this.”

Jackal looked confused, “Melangel?”

Dove nodded, “They are the angel of this realm.”

There was a moment of silence before Cero made a face, “What the hell is an angel?”

Michel patted his arm, “You know those things that are the opposites of the demons, I vaguely remember a demon telling me about them.”

Cero tilted his head, “How can they be opposites of demons, what do they look like?”

“I… have no idea. That demon was kind of drunk and they started being weird halfway into talking to me.”

“Oh gross.”

Jackal groaned, “Are you two done? I swear you two have the strangest conversations.”

Michel rolled his eyes, “Ugh go flirt with Dove and leave us alone.”

Cero was quick to back Michel up, “Yeah, clearly we’re talking to each other not you.”

Jackal made a noise of frustration, only stopping when she heard Dove’s laughter.

The three buns looked at Dove.

Dove covered their mouth and shook their head, “Let’s hurry and get this over with.”

Their hardened expression returned. “It’s time to face an angel.”

As if on cue, the door of the cabin opened with an ominously slow slide. The four buns and two impups waiting with bated breath.