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| - Amber Tentacles and Yellow both showed Blue which were the tastiest and most nourishing parts of the kelp. This time Blue didn't mind at all that Plebeians were teaching him rather than Centaurians deemed fit to teach a Patrician youngster. Blue was just pleased to be swimming in muddy water and eating something fairly good. Proxima Centauri shone blood red in the sky and sunlight sparkled blood red on waves. Blue Tentacles and Yellow got a bit lively, “Don’t pull my tentacles like that, you’re hurting!” Yellow protested. “OK, I’ll do it again.” Blue retorted. Yellow jetted off with Blue in hot pursuit but Amber was older and didn’t feel like joining in the chasing game. When the lads returned from playing hide and seek in the kelp Amber noted a seductive glint in the tentacles of both lads, “Quieten down, I’ll show you a set of caves that are exciting the way you like them, Blue.” Amber told them. So the trio spend some time exploring caves, the lads had fun climbing up and sliding down wet stalactites and stalagmites, clinging with their flexible tentacles. Yellow managed to catch a few swimming Centaurian animals but Blue was inexperienced. Then when they were both tired they returned to where Amber was resting. Blue Tentacles wanted to move into this exciting cave but Amber warned them it was too low lying and could get flooded if there were any rogue waves. Blue Tentacles got grumpy and wanted something to eat but yellow was also grumpy , “If you want me to share what I catch then don’t pull my tentacles that way again!” Amber took them back to the kelp bed before the quarrel got worse. Amber and Yellow got a fire going using kelp that had been washed above the current water line and dried out. This was quite painstaking as they first built barrier to prevent the planet wide gale blowing the fire out or fanning it into a wild fire. Blue watched the others work but didn’t learn much as he was in one of his Patrician moods and felt all that was work for servants. They persuaded Blue to help fetch kelp as Blue wanted his share. Kelp that has been roasted in the fire tasted crisp and really good especially as the three had eaten nothing cooked since leaving the ship of the Galaxy Shipping Company. Very satisfied the threesome rested and a warm comfortable glow spread over the tentacles of Blue as he began to feel he could enjoy his new life. A guilty, greenish colour spread over the eye-stalks of Yellow and downwards. “We forgot to bring food back to mother and dad” he exclaimed, “They’ll both be very hungry.” Growing up in a problem family can have different effects, Blue Tentacles grew up to be a bit selfish and petulant, meanwhile Yellow learnt early in life to give his mother some of the support that her partner wasn’t giving. Amber felt a bit resentful and couldn’t understand why Silver Grey preferred the drunk to him. Still Amber and yellow made nets out of kelp so they could carry food back to the cave. Yellow already knew how to do this but was interested to learn new ways of tying kelp that weren’t done in the his previous homes. Blue Tentacles was feeling Patrician again and didn’t pay much attention. When they’d finished Blue was given a large net with plenty of dry kelp as he wasn’t used to carrying stuff like that and wet kelp was heavier. Clambering up to the cave with his bulky load was awkward but wasn’t too tiring. Blue stumbled many times and wished he didn’t have to do the work of servants. Finally they reached the cave, Silver Grey pointed accusing eye stalks at the two youngsters. “Have you been doing anything sexual together?” she demanded. Amber’s tentacles got uncomfortably pale as he hadn’t paid too much attention while they were playing hide and seek or when they explored the cave. Silver Grey buried her head in her tentacles. “What can we do?” she wailed, if the two get pregnant how can we manage? How can I look after my husband and two new babies? In the name of Our Lord the Sun what can we do?”
* Chapter 4 Quarrelling Footnotes
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