Queen's note: Trade story for In the Light! After much delay and a slight redo. Nati belongs to her as well as the Universal idea, I just sort of barrowed the human... there will be a fallow up latter that has more of Nati in it other than her hiding under a blanket...

You can see pictures of my Hordika! Toa forms (that I came up with) on my Deviant Art page.

This story is apart of the Big Bad 15! See profile soon for more deatails on the Feature and Trade list.

The Dot

A.K.A. The Evil Thingy

It was a small pebble that woke up the Hordika, as it landed and bounced off the mutated being's neck. Red hide twitched in response to the minuscule assault and in turn the Hordika's sail flexed before relaxing again, hiding the spots on it. There was a long pause before another pebble was thrown and bonked off Vakama's muzzle and made him open the outer lid of one eye, rumbling in protest as it was dawn and he was nocturnal. The suns were just starting to rise to shine across the slumbering forms that were curled up within an inner quart yard of a smaller Po-Kini in the desert like Metru.

The striped Hordika sighed as he firmly closed his lids again, only to grunt in objection as he was beamed once more. This time he opened both sets of lids of the same eye to peer around unhurriedly to see what was annoying him.

What greeted him was nearly exactly what he had seen the night before, only that it was lighter... and something was moving...?

The Hordika tilted his head, mildly interested in the twitching red thing by instinct and the fact that it was moving. He reached out with one paw like hand to slap at it.

Vakama's head jerked up and his green eyes slitted, fully waking up as they focused on the little dot that skittered out from under and seemingly between his claws, heading over his sensitive flesh tail. He lashed it away, hopping up and to one other side, his sail lifting from head to tail in alarm.

Growling softly, sail still raised and flushing with more color making the spots on it stand out vividly to show his alarm along with an indigent chirp. To Vakama's right and somewhat behind, Onewa grunted and grumbled as the former fire Toa stumbled into the loose circle the tan and brown Hordika's body made. Vakama collected his balance and half perched on his brother, who was at least twice as large as the red hordika, thus not as concerned that his was climbing over Onewa as Vakama scanned around for the red thing.

Vakama only saw his brothers, the one he was standing on, as well as Whenua stretched out in a claw made hallow in the ground and positioned so his black hide would start helping him bask the moment sun light touched him. In one of the slowly circulating pools were both Nokama and Nuju almost limply floated in the water for the moister and coolness even in the night, but they both would emerge soon to take a turn basking on the stone floor of the Kini. A few of the Rahaga were resting in spots near enough to the Hordika but not so close to find one of the mutated Toa cuddled up. The others were gone, standing watch over the rest of the group from hidden places.

Above were the last two of their numbers, Matau was comfortably balanced like a monorail-kitty on a ledge, much like Whenua in that he was positioned to get the full sun first. The other was a human, a Universal that had climbed up to another ledge with a pad and blanket.

Everything seemed as it should be now, and no more red dots. Vakama's sail lowered as he relaxed, stepping down and then flopping gracelessly on Onewa, making the other Hordika grunt again but other than that not moving. Vakama settled himself to curl up within the circle created of his bother's tail and limbs. The red Hordika was just about ready to dose off again when movement caused his inner lids to open again.

The dot was back.

Vakama jerked up and fell over his stone brother again, this time he snapped at the crimson dot, and as a reward he was shoved off of Onewa's broad back. Correcting his balance, Vakama bristled with his sale up once more. Taking a swipe at the dot that skittered down over the ground, and then hopped back again as the dot headed his way!

Growling the Hordika took another swat, stepped back and then lifting up to his hind legs for a moment and thudded down with both forepaws on the spot the dot had been on. Vakama chirped in alarm as he found that the dot was now on his paws, and once again hopped back trying to shake both forepaws at the same time. Back peddling as the dot fallowed him until the Hordika growled again and mock charged.

The blasted red dot vanished, leaving a growing and bristling Hordika that stalked forward. Vakama crouched on all fours, circled the spot where the dot had been and sniffed for new scents.

What was going on?

Vakama rumbled, huffed and then chirped quizzically as he stepped around his still resting brothers while searching for the invading red light. Though normally he wouldn't do such a thing in full on day light, it wasn't too bright out yet... so the nocturnal hordika widened his pupils to take in more light and shades of color in. After a short hop, he perched on top of a statue of a former Toa long before the Metru's time.

The hordika chattered softly to himself but staying up on the 'high ground,' well able to manage to turn himself around a few times as he scanned for the little red and offensive dot. There! It came out from behind a rock and was twitching in a small, erratic path that spoke of sickness or inquiry. At least according to the predator-ancestor part of Vakama's Hordika instincts. In other words it was both good and bad, half of his Hordika mindset was mumbling about food while another hinted at possible danger.

The red striped Hordika was too focused on the dot to notice he was being watched by two sets of eyes. The owner of one set was trying so very hard not to laugh, and stay hidden under her blanket, while the other owner was lifting his own sale. Matau lifted his head off his crossed forepaws, watching Vakama shift around to get into a propping pouncing position on the statue. The former fire Toa's new tail was all but spazzing in the air as his physical body betrayed his excitement.

The red dot moved towed Bomanga, and Vakama launched himself at it. The Hordika landed with a growl and just enough force to startle the Rahaga awake as well as the hopping insect Rahi by him. Bomanga reflexively lifted his staff to defend but Vamaka had already pounced after the disturbed insect, hissing and snapping at the air as the Hordika scrabbled after the hopping bug that was like the grasshoppers of Earth, only far larger and tended to bite.

The black colored Rahaga watched this before face palming with an aggravated sigh and muttered words that sounded like, "Slagging... hyper-crosswired hordika... never sleep..." Bomanga snorted a laugh as he saw Vakama finally crunch the bug mid air and freeze.

Vakama had several different expressions that flashed across his face, from 'aw frag,' to 'what did I just do?' and 'eeew!' as well as 'Now what?'

He spat out the half squished bug, jaws gaping and shaking his head Vakama backed up as he tried to get the far too bitter taste off his tongue. One foot stepped into sand and Vakama spun around to get a mouthful of it as he'd seen Onewa do with cleaning his fangs. It took several mouthfuls and working his jaws to get the worst out before Vakama hopped over to the water pools.

All the while Matau had sat up on his ledge to watch the activity and his brother's strange actions. The green and orange striped Hordika blinked both sets of lids, and then again as he finally spotted the red dot fallowing Vakama. Matau's sale lowered as he crouched, narrowing his eyes at the thing that was disturbing his fire-brother so much and even now stalking Vakama. As that was bad enough, the thing was doing so when Vakama wasn't aware!

Vakama yelped as he was shoved fully into the water, and onto Nuju who yowled in insulted protest, and in turn startling not only Nokama awake but the others as well. All because the nimble Matau had launched himself all the way over and right behind Vakama to swiped at the ret dot. The black and brown Hordika, Whenua and Onewa lifted their heads as well, just in time to see their green brother give chase to the dot that he scared off.

Or so Matau was sure of, even as he had to do a sharp turn to keep up with the red dot. As one of the two climbers of the group, he was well able to fallow the dot up one wall of the Kini and back down. Matau hopped over Gaaki and bounced off Whenua's back, nearly loosing traction near the pool Nuju had left and where Vakama was sulking, though Nokama's careful grooming seemed to cheer him up.

Nuju took a swat at the dot as it came back, the green hordika still in hot pursuit only to jerk back to a stop as the dot got too close to Onewa. The former stone Toa slapped one massive paw down on the red dot, hard enough to make a few thin cracks in the inlayed stone ground.

There was a long pause as the Hordika all stared at Onewa's outstretched forearm. Matau and Vakama were tense, hunkered into pouncing poses, Whenua more wondering what was going on, Nuju edged closer with the first two and Nokama was very confused and hoping her teammates hadn't all lost their minds in the night.

Onewa blinked a few times, waiting with his paw firmly pressed down even though the lack of movement suggested he had quiet utterly squished whatever it was that was driving Vakama and Matau bonkers, and thus not letting him sleep in. Those two plus Nuju edged in closer, the white former ice elemental extended his neck first to delicately sniff, but only finding his brother's scent he made a puzzled sound.

Warily, Onewa slowly lifted his paw, peering at the spot with the other three and sneezed as he found no satisfactory red dot squish residue. "What...?" he started but Onewa's blue and green eyes widened as he saw the red dot sneaking out from behind Nuju's back paw.

Turning partly, the white Hordika fallowed his brother's gaze just in time to see the dot climbing his leg. Letting out a panicked screeched the former ice Toa leapt nearly straight up and to the side, scrambling up over the just as started Matau. At the same time Vakama and Onewa both lunged for the dot that was hoping from Nuju's lower leg to thigh, to tail to side and then back to the tail, standing out clearer on the pale hide.

Finally it seemed one of them managed to whack the dot off, only it started to run. Straight at the massive form of Whenua, making the earth giant rise and back peddle away from his comfortable hallow purely from the reactions of the others. He growled and swiped at the dot as it continued to fallow him backing up. Matau lunged after it again as he extracted himself out from under Onewa and Vakama, and like a terrier dog chased the dot across the temple floor with Nuju right behind and hissing for revenge.

"This is too amusing to tell them what's really going on." Norik commented as the five male hordika took up a joint effort to dig out the red dot from the hole it 'vanished' in to.

"Indeed brother." Iruni's voice quavered as he struggled not to laugh out loud yet, though some non-masculine giggles were escaping to mix with Gaaki's. He was fairly sure the dot had vanished really because Nati, still trembling under her blanket up on her ledge, had passed out from lack of air thanks to so valiantly holding in her own laughter this whole time.