Chapter Text
The woman was running under the rain, the 'package' in her hands. With her face hidden by a green hood, she was trying to hold back her tears while she ran to hide. This world wasn't hers, but it was the only one where he could find his place. She had arrived there by one of the hidden portals that were providing an access between Earth and Alternia.
The green woman finally stopped in an alley between two buildings. The rain hadn't fallen there, but the place was dark and cold. Checking to make sure no one was around, she put the 'package' in a box on the ground.
The wriggler started to cry.
She wrapped him in her green veil, kissed his nubby little horns, and sang for him.
"You're my little angel fallen from the sky
Missing your feathery soft wings..."
He calmed down slightly, but still was crying out loud.
"I know I'll be forgotten with time
But you have to know I'll always be with you..."
He looked at her with red eyes, silently sobbing.
"Don't let the distance tear us apart
I will watch over you until you pass away..."
She slowly put him in the box, as he was closing eyes.
"And keep me forever in your sweet, pure heart
Just like you'll stay in mine..."
He finally was asleep. She kissed him one last time, put a letter in his cover, then ran away crying.
In his carton bed, the wriggler was shivering. But he wasn't cold; he felt that something had happened.
"Mommy..." he mumbled in his sleep.
---
The rain was thick. Outside, people were running under the water falling. On the bus window pane I kept my head pressed on, droplets were racing to the bottom. I watched one as it slalomed on the glass, swallowing other raindrops, before disappearing out of sight. I took some papers from my suitcase, readjusting my square glasses on my nose while reading. I had a lot of work to do for next week, and I'd better be on time or else my boss would be upset again. My work as an accountant in a state-known bank had never been easy. What I've always wanted to be was an explorer , but I never got the chance nor the time to realize my dream.
When the bus stopped, I went out on the street. My house was just two streets away, and I needed to walk after a hard day sitting at my desk. I hadn't an umbrella, but the rain didn't matter. All of a sudden, two kids rushed next to me with their bikes and made me fall to the side. Besting these vandals, I was about to stand up, when I heard crying.
I looked in the alley I fell in. It was dark and cold, but there was nobody around. That's when I saw something moving in an old box, next to a trash bin. I carefully walked to the carton, and saw a green veil covering what probably was a puppy or a cat. I took the edge of the soft, unknown fabric, and pulled it aside. Underneath was the weirdest thing I've ever seen, and I jumped back.
A red fuzzy caterpillar, big as a puppy, with an human head. Around its neck was a silver chain necklace, with a strange symbol as a pendant. Its skin was light grey, its hair was black and it had little golden horns. Its carmine red eyes were leaking pale, red tears. Despite its short fur, it was shivering from the cold. I reached out to it, watching for its sharp little teeth. The animal didn't move for a second, then fell on my hand. Its red body was fluffy, but also muddy and cold. I carefully took it on my knees, and petted its head like a kitten. It found its way in my coat, and a nest in my inner pocket.
My heart melted. I held the caterpillar against me, keeping it out of the rain, and ran to my house.
When I opened the door, John was the first to greet me. Aged two years old, he was already walking, and sometimes babbling what could be understood as 'mummy' and 'daddy'. He hugged my legs, and I kissed him on the forehead. Jane, my wife for four years, was apparently busy in the kitchen. I went to my room, and wrapped the caterpillar in a towel. It was sleeping. I put it on a pillow and left it here.
"Jake?" Jane asked when she saw me worrying.
"-Jane...please come up here. I have to show you something."
But when I walked back up, the larva had disappeared. I searched for it for a few long minutes, under Jane's perplexed regard.
"Is...everything alright?", she asked.
"-Yes. Just...wait a minute please."
The caterpillar hid really well. I could find it only when I heard John downstairs.
He and the wriggler were cuddling, or rather, John was using it as a plush. Jane screamed, but I told her to calm down. The insect wasn't doing anything to harm the boy. It was just playing.
Like a human baby.
---
With the first surprise finished, the thing seemed less creepy. It was like a red grub with horns. Well, it was a grub. What I now feared the most was that John could catch nasty germs.
"Wh...where did you find it?" I asked Jake.
"-It was alone in the street. It...he was dying of cold!"
"-'He'? How can you tell it's a boy?"
"-I don't know."
This carefree mind was one of Jake's biggest flaws, but also what was making him so adorable. I knelt to the babies and carefully touched the grub's messy hair. It wasn't trying to bite me. I ran a finger over its necklace, looked at the grey Cancer pendant.
"What are we gonna do with him?", I questioned.
"-Keep him, that's obvious. Please Jane, at least until he finds his parents!"
He was talking like a 5 year old boy asking his mom if he can keep the lost puppy he found. Accepting would be the beginning of a lot of troubles, but refusing would too. I didn't know what to do. I looked at the caterpillar, who was snuggling in John's arms. He was cute, but could he be raised like an human baby? I knew Jake would never talk to me again if I told him I wanted to abandon the creature on the street.
"...alright." I sighed. "But only until we find his parents."
He kissed me really tenderly. The wriggler made a cute squeal.
"What are we gonna name him?", he asked.
I looked at the red being. He was glaring at us, as if he understood. Then, he made some odd noises.
"Krrrr...kat."
Jake's eyes lit up, as if he had an idea.
"Karkat." he said.
The wriggler cuddled his foot. From now on, little Karkat would live with us.
---
House is warmer than rain. Man nice. Boy funny. Lady smell sweet.
I miss mommy. I feel her in danger. I feel hurt. I hold collar in my hand. It reminds me of mommy. She gave it to me, and I must keep it.
Lady puts me in hot water with bubbles. I pop a bubble and I giggle. Smells good and I sneeze. Boy laughs with me.
Man put me in soft bed. I grab mommy's green cover. It smells like mommy.
Boy hugs me. I like boy. He likes me. He smells good too.
He wraps arm around me. His fingers strokes my fur. It's soft.
He smiles with teeth out of mouth. He whispers.
"Brother."
I smile too. The boy make me happy.
"'rother..."
I sleep. I hope after I sleep I can find mommy. And we'll be happy.
But I can't leave brother.
---
I read the paper, still skeptical. It was a letter I found in Karkat's cover. An unknown handwriting, and a mix of Latin alphabet and an unknown one. The green words were saying, from what I could decipher, that whoever had written this had to abandon the wriggler because they were being pursued. They wanted him to be happy and us to be kind to him. The letter had the scent of an elegant woman's perfume. It hadn't any signature but a symbol I recognized to be Virgo. I put the letter in a folder with all of the important documents as identity papers and letters, and hid it so Jake wouldn't find it.
If Karkat wants to know about his real family some years later, it'll be his only way to know who he really is.