Kela Crash Course Part 1

"Okay! We're here!" Brook announced cheerfully to the assembled Atlantean planting group. They had two Euoplos with them in the form of  Talos and Korppi, who both collapsed at the first indication that the journey was over. Their short legs with a lifetime of wandering around the flat ground of the Dome were burning with the effort of climbing into the highlands of Isla Kela. This was where Brook and his sister Drift lived, above the forest in the frequently snow-covered terrain that climbed at various strength-sapping altitudes. Also accompanying them was Tony, a Pachy that was more accustomed to the Dead City but had no shortage of climbing experience in that environment. As a result, the three native islanders watched in amusement as the Atlanteans struggled to catch their breath. It was early autumn still, but there was already a light dusting across the ground, only growing thicker as they climbed higher. At its peak, the tallest mountain on Isla Kela was covered in snow all year round, and the islanders were more than curious about how the jungle dwellers were going to handle it.

"At least they're feathered," Tony whispered to the Cryo siblings, noting both his and the siblings' feathery coverings were a massive help in the colder weather. 

"They might get even more so," Drift whispered back, "I only grew my full set of feathers when I moved up here. Wouldn't it be so funny if they turned into little balls of fluff." She and Brook stifled their giggles as Tony rolled his eyes at them. He had grown fond of the two Cryos during their time in captivity together, and all three of them had bonded over their desire to help the Atlanteans escape the collapsing dome. He knew for a fact that they weren't fans of completely terraforming the islands for the Atalanteans' sake, neither was he, but they had agreed to at least plant sources of food for the large herbivores that would be coming to the surface. Perhaps they wouldn't come up this high, he thought, looking over at the two heaving Euoplos still stranded on the snowy ground.

"You'll have to get used to this," Drift teased, "I don't think your plant terraforming is gonna make these mountains any smaller." Korppi rose her head indignantly from the ground.

"Actually, we've seen plants wear away at stone before," she corrected the Cryo, "anything with strong enough roots will crack the stone over time." Drift blinked at her before looking further up to the mountain that stretched above the clouds.

"I don't think cracking stones around here is a good idea," she warned, her tone far more serious than before. Korppi forced herself to her feet, noting Talos doing the same. 

"By the Nine," the white feathered Euoplo huffed, "what hostile environments these islands hold."

"You've survived the carnivorous plants in that jungle of yours, you can survive a short hike," Tony drawled, "Now, what did you want to do up here?" The Euoplos turned to each other immediately, reaching to detach the bags of seedlings from their backs. With a swift pull, Korppi sent the tree saplings to the ground and grabbed one of them in her teeth. She carried it with her as she pawed at the ground, searching for any hint of yielding soil. To her dismay, she found nothing but stone under the faint dusting of snow.

"You should see this place in the winter, you'd have no hope digging it up then," Tony remarked, using his short arms to grab hold of one of the seedlings and carry it with him the way Korppi was.

"What is winter?" Talos asked, still sorting through the seeds he had retrieved from his fellow Euoplo's back. The three islanders stopped and stared for a moment, taken aback at someone not knowing the concept of seasons.

"Do you not have seasons, different weather, down in Atlantis?" Brook asked, coming over to help separate the seeds. 

"We have hot, humid and rainstorms," Korppi said through her mouthful of plant.

"No, I mean like, it gets colder at some times of the year, then warmer, then colder again," Brook explained, "It's a cycle of what we call seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter." The two Euoplos looked at him curiously and he sent a desperate glance for help to Tony.

"In spring, new growth starts, in summer it gets the hottest and rarely rains, in autumn the leaves fall from some of the trees and the plants begin to die off or go dormant. Then there's winter," he set his seedling down before facing the Atlanteans again, "Winter is harsh, cold and anything smart sleeps through it." Korppi's brow furrowed in worry and she pawed under the snow again.

"I- I don't know if our plants are ready for a 'winter'," she admitted.

"They'll have to be," Drift piped up, "To make it on the island you can't just ignore a whole season."  The blackheaded Euoplo looked over at Talos, who seemed just as lost as she was.

"We- we must try, we will plant now and deal with the consequences later," the older Euoplo said, trying to sound decisive but ultimately failing. Tony put a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave him a sympathetic look.

"We could teach you a little about the plants that live here during the winter, if that helps?" he offered awkwardly. Both Euoplos perked up at the idea.

"Plants do survive here?" Korppi pressed, moving to stand in front of the Pachy.

"Like I said before, most of them sleep through it but some mosses and trees can thrive," Tony said, nervous to be surrounded by the prickly knights. Luckily, Drift came to his rescue.

"It'd be easier if you weren't all such plantmunchers," she said blithely, making both of them scowl at her, "But yeah, if a Shuno can survive the winter up here I'm sure you guys can too."

"Once we have these planted I can teach you more about foraging in the lean months," Tony offered, "I don't think these two meatheads are gonna be much help." Drift cackled in delight while Brook puffed in outrage.

"We'll be running security, obviously," he said sharply.

"Security? From what?" Korppi asked. All three islanders exchanged a loaded look.

"Okay, so next we need to learn about unfriendly dinosaurs.."