Chapter Text
Pure Vanilla couldn’t say that Cream Ferret Cookie is when he learned the truth. Rather, it is simply when the truth showed up and slapped him in the face.
An awful but wonderful talent, White Lily had called it. She said he was such a wonderful listener with a sixth sense for knowing when people needed to talk. He was so good at it, in fact, he often missed what people weren’t saying.
Instead, it had started a few weeks before on a sunlit morning. The brave trio had returned mere days ago from the frozen forests, still smelling of a nostalgic bitterness. It was this nostalgia that had driven Pure Vanilla away from the bustle of helping the new kingdom find its footing.
As much as he enjoyed seeing a new kingdom rise out of the old, empty streets being filled with laughter and song again, he couldn’t help but feel…
Sad. At times. When he encountered an echo from his youth, a reminder of times before. Today, he decided, a walk might do, out in the outskirts below. A little adventure to whet the edge of his wanderlust. He hadn’t gone expecting to meet their little trio.
Well, perhaps more stumbled upon them, when he swept a bush aside and heard a squeak by his feet. Barely audible even to his strengthened sense of hearing.
He angled his staff down, the eye widening as it took in Strawberry Cookie, formerly hidden by the bush. They had curled into a tight ball on the ground, eyes raising to meet him and then immediately flicking away.
“Ah-“
“Found you!” Pure Vanilla took a startled step back as Gingerbrave flung himself out of the nearby undergrowth to tackle Strawberry Cookie. The two younger cookies rolled to a stop a few feet away.
Automatically, Pure Vanilla looked them over for injuries, relaxing when he saw none. Only Gingerbrave beaming back at him. “Oh, hi, Pure Vanilla! What are you doing out here?”
“Sorry…” Strawberry Cookie whispered, hiding her face in her hands. “I hope I didn’t scare you.”
“It’s alright, you couldn’t have known I would come by here. My apologies for revealing your hiding spot.” Pure Vanilla said, letting an answering smile curl across his face. He settles himself a bit lower, knowing that Strawberry was more comfortable with someone at her eye level.
“It’s okay, it wasn’t that good.” Strawberry Cookie mumbled. She had started to burrow back into her hoodie, ignoring Gingerbrave patting her shoulder.
“Don’t say that, it was a way good spot! Better than Wizard’s Cookie’s spot!” Gingerbrave said. “I never-“
“MY SPOT IS AMAZING!” Came from above.
Pure Vanilla covered his mouth, swallowing back a most undignified snort as the children paused. Before Gingerbrave leapt to his feet, racing to the nearby tree trunk and tearing up the sides.
“Found you!”
“I- wait, wait, that’s cheating-“
“It’s good to see you enjoying yourselves.” Pure Vanilla said when his mirth has subsided. A hard task when listening to the rambunctious pair in the tree above. “But make sure not to go out too far. Black Raisin and her patrols say the area is mostly safe, but I don’t want to see anything happen to you.”
As Healer Cookie, he had seen the sort of tragedies that could crop up so quickly. Sometimes with just a step out into a less safe zone.
The Wafflebots and the patrols soothed some worries, not to mention how well the trio could handle themselves, but he much preferred the safety of the floating kingdom. Bittersweet memories and all.
“It’s okay. Our camp is right over there.” Strawberry Cookie said, motioning beyond the bare trees. “We won’t go too far away from it. Gingerbrave always knows where it is.”
Ah, camping. The word still brought a smile to his face. Pure Vanilla remembered the days. Sometimes, after one of their more wild adventures, his friends would pile into a camp, unwilling to let the adventure end.
There was something to those nights, the haze of smoke and burnt sugar when a toasted marshmallow would drop into the fire, that felt so magical in retrospect. The memories edged in gold, shaded with laughter and a lightness that fell away during the war.
“His sense of direction is prodigious, isn’t it?” He said. He had seen the little cookie perfectly tracking back their route across town, as if every footstep was perfectly memorized.
Certainly, that would have been a useful skill in their own adventures! But then, they probably wouldn’t have ended up in half of them if it wasn’t for their frequent troubles with navigation.
“Yeah…” Strawberry said, starting to bury herself in her hoodie again. Pure Vanilla nodded, standing up straight again.
“I suppose I’ll leave you to it then. I’d play-” Pure Vanilla motioned to the staff with his free hand and was delighted when he heard the sound of a tiny giggle. “Let me not suffer the ignominious defeat that would come at the hands of such experts.”
“We could change the rules for you.” Strawberry Cookie whispered as she hopped to her feet. She left her lollipop on the ground as she headed for the tree where, high above, Gingerbrave and Wizard Cookie could be heard arguing. She paused, beginning to turn abc as embarrassment swept across her dough. “Ah, but I need to help them before they fall out of the tree again-”
“Perfectly understandable. Perhaps when we meet again, we could discuss such a game.” Pure Vanilla soothed, knowing the little cookie was likely reaching the end of her courage without her siblings around.
It got him a small smile before Strawberry Cookie scampered away. Pure Vanilla sighed, turning away to continue his walk.
Something, perhaps curiosity or in hindsight, the beginning of a dawning realization, made him trail closer to where she had pointed.
The camp was solid, if clumsily constructed. Three bedsweetrolls surrounded the burned out remains of a campfire. Slung up above, over a branch, was a bulging bag. It wouldn’t stop the birds, but luckily any birds in the area were part of Black Raisin’s flock and would know better. Simple, but comfortable enough for a short time with the cool and dry weather they had been having lately.
But it didn’t quite stop the small flare of worry.
Pure Vanilla drifted away, making a note to alert Black Raisin and Strawberry Crepe to expand the patrols more this way. He couldn’t bear to ruin their fun by telling the children to go home, but he’d hate to see them harmed.
Something about it stuck in his mind though. Perhaps in hindsight, there were more inconsistencies. The fact he never saw them around the town at night. Or how confused they were when Princess Cookie and Custard Cookie returned to their homes for visits and rest. Or the patchiness of their clothes.
But never bloomed until after Cream Ferret Cookie arrived.
By the time of that faithful conversation, the excitement from the arrival of a Cream Critter had died down, Cookies beginning to drift away from the town’s center. Pure Vanilla had settled himself on the fountain, joy bubbling up in him as he watched the Cream Critter bounce the giggling new dough on their knees on a bench close by. Nearby, the trio had settled, Gingerbrave splashing his hand in the sparkling water.
“Are Cream Critters everywhere?” Wizard Cookie said, peering over the edge of the fountain. Pure Vanilla hummed in thought. “I’ve never heard of them before!”
“They used to be.” He said. “I myself was raised by one. But whether due to the Darkness that swept over the land, or perhaps the higher number left orphaned after the Dark Flour War stretched them thin, they haven’t been seen around here in a long time.”
Perhaps later, he could inquire to Cream Ferret Cookie as to the answer. It had been so long since he had gotten to speak with one, and he would relish the chance to speak with them. But they were fresh off their transformation and enamoured with their new charge. His curiosity could wait.
But, even their presence was a promising sign. That in this chaotic world, with a new fight simmering on the horizon, that remnants of the golden age were still alive and well. Otherwise, he would have worried that they were another loss to the war. In his time as Healer Cookie, they had never been seen.
“You were raised by one of those?” Gingerbrave said, bouncing to his feet. He almost seemed to shake with the energy that threatened to escape him. An energy that tugged Pure Vanilla back to the present. “That’s so cool!”
“Indeed. Though mine was a Cream Sheep.” Pure Vanilla said, “They raised me from a young age. I never left their side until I went to the Academy. Unfortunately, they crumbled protecting me from a monster before I gained my Souljam.”
Saying that still made a distant ache rise in his chest. They had been a kind and loving parent, taking him in. He had grown up among the cream sheep herds that had roamed their farm, with his parent always a few steps away to help. It didn’t matter how far he wandered, he always knew he had someone to return to and help would come in times of danger.
The space where they once were still ached sometimes.
“But why?” Wizard Cookie interjected, eyes narrowing in thought. Pure Vanilla tilted his head, the eye on his staff blinking.
“Why, what?”
“Why do you need a Cream Critter? It doesn’t make much sense to me.”
“I, and the little new dough over there, were far too young to be without one.” Pure Vanilla said, not sure where this was going. Wizard Cookie had a delightfully inventive mind, but sometimes the rabbit holes he could dive down were difficult to follow at first. But the other didn’t look annoyed, only… confused.
“Ohhhhh, I see what you mean!” Gingerbrave said, eyes widening. “I thought that was kind of weird too! Maybe it’s because it’s just them and not a group? They got found all alone!”
Hm. It was a strangely empty feeling as some things started to click. “No, that wouldn’t happen.” Pure Vanilla said. “While sibling groups like yours are indeed rare, they would still need a Cream Critter if orphaned. But I admit, the exact mechanics of what draws them is beyond me. The secrets of their Creamcraft are kept to the Cream Critters themself.”
But still his answer seems to only cause more confusion in the trio.
“What for though?” Wizard Cookie pressed. They jerked back as Gingerbrave’s next splash nearly hit their arm, moving their scarf to shield their dough.
“To… care for them with their parents gone?” Pure Vanilla said slowly, uncertainly. “Surely, you would know with how far you must’ve traveled from your own-”
“Parents?” Strawberry Cookie whispered. The word seemed to land with a snap in the air, a strange sort of weight in it. She said it like the word was foreign, unfamiliar. “We don’t have those.”
Pure Vanilla feels very cold suddenly, despite the warm sun pressing down on them.
“I was born from an oven!” Gingerbrave declared, beaming as he lifted his hand away from the fountain, shaking the droplets from his hand. Pure Vanilla could almost feel the revelation dawning. And a wave of concern.
“But then-” No parents. And yet, he had thought- “Who takes care of you when you need it?”
Surely, there must be somebody. It was not uncommon for cookies, especially those who were powerful, to wander and adventure during their childhood. But, almost unheard of not to have parents.
He had assumed that the children were simply private about their family, unsurprising considering how they had clashed with Dark Enchantress and her Cookies of Darkness.
But… to not have parents at all?
“Us?” Wizard Cookie said, puffing up. “I came up with all of my own spells, thank you very much! Uh, until we went to the Academy. Then I peeked around at a few but that’s it!”
“Well, but, how old are you?” Pure Vanilla said. The trio turned together, their unspoken quorum aligning. They had a way of that, of cookies who had been together so long that they didn’t need words to speak.
“I think… it would have been seven years since we left?” Strawberry Cookie said. “We spent a little hiding in the castle, and then we wandered for a bit… So, eight, maybe?”
“Ah.” Pure Vanilla said, suddenly feeling a little faint. And not just at the revelation that somewhere out there was a Witch baking Cookies.
He had known that they were young, even as far back as when they first met. As Healer Cookie, he could hear the reckless youth in their voices, in the cracks they got throwing themselves at things without the measured caution of age. When he regained his sight, it grew more obvious.
Younger cookies always were simpler in frosting and choices. The more years passed, the more cookies began to shape their dough and frosting to reflect who they were. Their designs grew more complete even as they held onto their key features. Pure Vanilla had gone through several changes before his Souljam had shaped his dough into the him of today.
He had assumed that the others were young enough to still be changing, and travel could stagnate that more. Gingerbrave was the most obvious, but even Strawberry Cookie and Wizard Cookie were oddly simplified. But he hadn’t expected quite that young.
Children. Eight years old.
Oh, goodness. And to have no parents or guardians?
“Is that… okay?” Pure Vanilla’s head jerked up as he heard Strawberry Cookie’s whisper. He lifted his staff from where it had tilted down. The three had huddled a bit closer together, eyeing him with concern.
“Of course it is.” He said softly. “And I commend you on your accomplishments despite your youth. But I do want to ask… who’s taking care of you?”
Who’s keeping an eye on them to make sure they’re eating right? To care for them when their sick, to guide their lessons? It was common for younger cookies to venture out, but who watched over them? Even Custard Cookie and Princess Cookie, as young as they were, had family to return to when they grew weary, who kept an eye on them.
The role didn’t have to belong to the title of parents alone.
“We do?” Gingerbrave said, like the matter was obvious. He was beaming with pride. “We kind of had to figure most of it from the start, we didn’t meet Cookies until we got here! But we worked it out all the same!”
“I guess it would be harder if we were that small though.” Wizard Cookie muttered, likely eyeing the new dough but the exact object of interest escaped Pure Vanilla’s limited field of vision. “I don’t remember being like that.”
“Most oven baked cookies are a bit larger. New dough created by cookies starts from a much smaller size, owing to the difficulty of providing the dough for the parents.” Pure Vanilla said, his voice sounding a bit distant to his own ears. “It evens out- most Oven Baked remain as a young child stage and grow much slower than new dough.”
He could recite the differences from his Souljam. White Lily had been fascinated by the difference between new dough created by Cookies, and the Oven Baked that appeared from the ovens of Witches. Even by their time, the Oven Baked were dwindling in appearances.
In fact, to his recollection, the Ancients were some of the last Oven Baked in their generation. After their rise, they had seldom seen another. White Lily was always picking up any new information revealed, certain that the secret of Cookies may very well lie in the Oven. And that one of the possible routes to trace might be in their differences.
“Wow.” Gingerbrave said. Even Wizard Cookie’s eyes were sparkling. “I guess that explains why Wizard Cookie is so short!”
“I- why you-” The sparkle disappeared. Wizard Cookie flung himself at Gingerbrave rather than continuing to speak, shaking him furiously. “I’m not short! I’m growing!”
“Is it really okay?” Strawberry Cookie asked, settling by his side. Unseen, but the warm pressure of her presence met he could envision her even without moving his staff. Pure Vanilla sent her a warm smile.
“There is nothing that could make me change my opinion of you.” He said gently. “Your braveness and wisdom and kindness is beyond measure. However, it does make me worry for you to be living alone in an empty house.”
“It’s okay.” Strawberry Cookie said, fidgeting with her sleeves. “We like our campsite. It’s been a long time since we had a set one. And the bedsweetrolls we have now are so much more comfortable.”
Oh. Oh by the witches.
“You don’t.” Pure Vanilla said delicately. “Have a house?”
“Well, yeah?” Gingerbrave said, looking up from where he has Wizard Cookie pinned. “The sugar gnomes were always so busy with fixing up all the old buildings and it’s not like we really need one! We’re great at camping.”
“I’m great at camping. You’re both awful and lucky that my fireball spell is so impressive.” Wizard Cookie said, smugly. Gingerbrave jerked back as static crackled up his arms, letting the smaller cookie hop to his feet.
Pure Vanilla took a deep and steadying breath. “You stay at your camp all the time? Then, what do you do for food?”
He had assumed the camp was merely a short term dwelling. Even in the milder weather of the kingdom a camp like that certainly couldn’t be comfortable after a while! Not to mention how dangerous it could be, a temptation of fate.
But even beyond that, there was a simple sense of tragedy in cookies not having somewhere permanent to return. Especially the ones who helped build this new kingdom.
Staying at a camp would make accessing everything far more difficult. After the floating islands were recovered, everything had been moved up for safety and to take advantage of the still working systems in place. A camp with only a fire, and few places to store food?
“Mostly, we visit the jelly farms? And we get invited to a lot of meals.” Gingerbrave said, rubbing his arms. Some of the uncertainty has returned to his voice. “Sometimes we go by the new Bakery or Jampie Diner?”
“None of us are good at cooking.” Strawberry Cookie said. “Wizard Cookie tried and it tried to eat us. But the jellies are good, especially roasted over the fire.”
“I meant to do that!” Wizard Cookie said. “It was a simple application of animation-“
Ah.
Hm.
Eight years old. No guardians. No permanent home. Pure Vanilla felt realization give way to a sinking sort of worry and dismay.
“You’ve given me.” Pure Vanilla said slowly. “A lot to think about.”