"Here we go, sweetie," The bright-orange X'hyrok-hh mother exhaled as she settled down on her rump on the soft, carpeted floor of the nursery, before gently setting her ten-month-old darling down on to the floor. Ish'va, still sucking hir thumb, looked expectantly up at hir mommy with mint-green eyes wide as saucers. "Go on, Ish'va. Go play. Mommy says it's okay."
Ish'va smiled and giggled as shi extricated hir digit from hir maw and elicited what could be described as a delighted chirp (similar to a noise shi had heard a Terran wild cat, referred to as a caracal, make when they're newly-born kittens) before rocking briefly back on hir tail and utilizing the brief bit of momentum to push forward, flopping to hir belly with a soft but audible 'THUMP' before shi would begin pulling hirself forward with hir hands and pushing off with hir hooves, setting off to explore this wondrous alien dimension full of brightly-colored relics of entertainment. Shi never wondered for very long why the world shi knew was divided in to myriad dimensions, each more mysterious & different than the last, but the way the grown-ups conversed, collaborated, and congregated in each one...it all seemed to be that each of these dimensions served a purpose that unified them, tethering them inextricably to this world; perhaps, one day, shi would discover & unravel the secrets of these alien dimensions, but until such day came, shi was content with this aesthetically-pleasing safe haven, filled with seemingly-useless, worthless, and yet surprisingly-stimulating devices of whimsy and, admittedly, charm.
Shi pushed hirself back up and flopped back on hir rump, settling before one of hir favorite devices: an electronic music device of some sort that bore resemblance to a far larger apparatus, a less sophisticated wooden version that Aunt Snowrose kept in what shi referred to as "The Living Room", that made the most pleasant tones when its keys were depressed. Shi grunted & unceremoniously slapped hir hand against one of these buttons (bizarrely the adults called it a "key" despite it looking NOTHING like the plastic ring containing items that fit the description of a "key": circular structures with rectangular extensions at the end with the extensions lined with "teeth"), causing it to emit an angelic "plink" tone that made hir grin from ear-to-ear before laughing in earnest, slapping BOTH hands harshly against the keyboard of the portable, musical console. Shi had concluded long ago that this device ultimately served no higher function and lacked any significant purpose, but shi could never quite fathom (aside from the charming music it produced), then, why shi kept it around and why shi liked it so much. Either way, Trr'alv, hir dear mom, seemed to enjoy watching hir interact with the device, so shi would interface with it any chance shi got...until such time when shi deemed shi needed to move on to the study of a very mechanically different device, like the curiously-addicting plastic pole that begged to be united with the brightly-colored rings of varying sizes; in truth, shi was fascinated by this one the most since it seemed like completing it SHOULD serve SOME purpose, but no matter what way shi arranged the rings, nothing ever seemed to happen. Perhaps this device was defective? Or shi simply couldn't sense whatever signals it was sending out? Whatever purpose it served, shi would one day, ONE DAY, unlock its secrets.
Eventually, the pastel-blue wall curiously swung open, as it somehow was able to (shi never could quite figure out how, but the metallic apparatus attached to these swinging walls seemed to serve as a fraction of the device's locomotion), and in popped a face that instantly made hir chirp & squeal with delight as shi hopped happily up & down on hir rump; hir tail lazily flopping against the floor, hir whiskers curling, and the cheeriest of grins on hir face as shi greeted daddy Mar'nakth by flailing hir arms up & down at hir side. The warmth of his smile filled hir very being almost as much as hir mommy's sweet & delicious milk. Shi panted as shi continued to excitedly bounce in place, chirping insistently to get his attention; despite this, shi waited for them to conduct their usual "good afternoon" ritual: a kiss on the lips and a passionate, tender embrace. The "good afternoon" ritual never seemed too terribly different from their "good morning" or "good night" rituals, except the key difference was when they involved hir: perhaps it was due to hir diminutive stature, but they never "hugged" or "kissed" (as they called it) hir the same way...a peck on the cheek and a gentle embrace before carrying hir off to another of the myriad dimensions. Not that shi minded, since as they always did their best to convey, shi was very much loved the same way they loved each other, and even informed hir shi was born out of that same love; shi didn't quite understand these concepts in full, but shi did understand the basic gist of "love": it's when someone cares about you VERY MUCH! At least...that's how everyone put it. Maybe some day shi would be able to communicate in full with hir mother, father, as well as the rest of the family...

Ish'va-fein, Trr'alv-fein, Mar'nakth-dd-shul, Chakat Snowrose, and the X'hyrok-hh race are all copyright me,  Chakat_Snowrose!
Chakats are copyright  Goldfur!
This ADORABLE piece was done by the wonderfully talented  StrawberryNeko! Thank you so much for this piece! I love it! It's just too precious! =^.^=