Book One: Onnu and Pannu

Poppy

Stone perked up and looked around. Sage looked where his brother was looking, and didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
   "What's up?"
   Stone ran to their dad without answering, so Sage trotted behind to see what was happening. His brother pawed at their dad's foot, but he couldn't feel it. He called out, but Pannu was busy.
   Sunny saw that they were trying to get attention, so she joined in, pawing at him and calling out. More noise was bound to get him to notice!
   "Okay, now that I'm done with that, what's up?"
   He had noticed! Stone felt silly for thinking he hadn't, but he could've let them know!
   "We wouldn't keep pestering if you'd said something, y'know," he grumbled. It looked like he hadn't thought of that.
   "Okay, you have a point. If I hear you, I'll... Hmm... If you were adults, I'd lift a claw, but I don't want to risk squishing anyone."
   "How about if you just wiggle your claw?" Sunny chirped.
   "Good call. Now, what did you want?"
   Sunny and Sage looked to Stone. They didn't know what he wanted, they just joined in because he was doing it.
   "Hmm? Oh yeah, Mama says we can make popcorn. 'Cept it's called poppy?"
   Pannu's jaw dropped so hard, it nearly hit their heads. "Your... mother? Where? It's only been five days." He looked around, so he missed Stone tapping his skull. The look on his face almost put tears in several pairs of eyes.
   "Not here, Papa." He waited for Pannu to look at him before tapping his temple again. He wished he didn't have to, because his papa's face fell, and now he wanted to cry, except he didn't know why.
   Pannu crouched down carefully. "Your mother 'called' you... to tell us about popcorn?" It was so strange, he worried that Stone was playing some game he didn't understand.
   "Yeah..." Stone dug at the firth with one forepaw. "She said we deserved a treat."
   Pannu was ready to dismiss the whole thing. Dean, however, asked the hatchling that was four times his size what to look for.
   "Did she show you what it was?"
   Stone shook his head. Before Dean could be disappointed, he said "Mama says we use it for tea, an' it looks like a pea. Ohhh! Das why they call it poppy! Pop pea!"
   Pannu took note when his son and the dwarf ran off together. Stone ran faster than Dean, so he scooped up the dwarf (who might have yelped) and galloped to the kitchen stores. He followed them as best he could, within a crowd of kin suddenly interested in possible new food. They heard "popcorn" and got excited.
   "This one?" he heard as he reached them. It wouldn't have taken so long if he hadn't had to watch every step.
   Stone squealed and clapped, and tossed it into the fire before anyone could tell him not to. Much faster than popping corn, it made the sound they all knew. The only fireproof kin nearby was Stone, so he reached in and pulled out a beautiful, fluffy treat that had no hull to get stuck in their teeth.
   There was such demand for pop peas, they had to send an expedition to the fields for more. Dean hid some of it for tea later, and popped every last pop pea he had. Everyone got at least a handful--even if that didn't go as far for some as others. Pannu barely tasted it, but it was the experience that he would treasure. His son was the center of attention, and all he cared about was making sure everyone got pop peas. It made his heart proud, and full. He couldn't thank Onnu, but he could thank the God that allowed her to talk to their children through the bond. He couldn't share that, but he could share the joy that it brought.
   When the furor died down, and everyone had a share, Pannu asked Stone to thank his mother for them. Stone said he would try, but he wasn't sure it would work.
   "She's probably listening somehow. Just try."
   His little grey hatchling scrunched up his entire body, held his breath, and "yelled" as loud as he could in his head :Thank you Mama!:

   On Onnutrey, his mother's face broke into a wide grin. The day was half gone by then, and there was less pop pea than on Tupino, but the kin were in a similar state of jubilation. :You're welcome, little one. You did well.:
   She felt his happiness through their bond, and the smile softened.
   "What's up?"
   Her eyes opened. She hadn't noticed that they closed, but she always did that when she felt strong emotions. The pink glow told volumes that could be interpreted two ways.
   "They like the pop pea. Stone is proud that he could hear me. And gosh darn it, I'm proud, too." She sought out Poppy, and gave her a thumbs up.
   The ogre made her way through the crowd. "They liked it?"
   "Of course they did! It's popcorn without a hull! I think you just made my kids' day." She looked at the two in the Bowl. "All of the ones I have contact with, actually." Her eyes drifted back to Poppy. "Thanks for that."
   Poppy blushed head to toe and squirmed a bit. "Aw shucks, I was just seeing what could be cooked in that clay oven you showed us how to make."
   Onnu smiled a secret grin. What she meant was, she was randomly burning things to see what happened. It didn't matter--this time.
   "Okay, just remember that not everything is fireproof like you are."
   Poppy looked up, saw that she'd been made as a bit of a pyro, but she didn't see censure. Just caution. She could deal with that.
   The ogress nodded and trotted back to the oven, to see if there was more pop pea to make.