Chapter Text
Universal Dynamics was a large large company, one that held all the cities in the world since the floods that devastated it, they built robots or better known as Rozzums, robots made to help humanity and do basic necessitates that people used to do themselves.
But it was also prone to rumors a lot of the times about their robots aside from the Rozzums, the RECOS being the sore point of those rumors. security robots made to protect facilities and cities from what? Most had abandoned hate when the floods occurred, survival overriding anything else.
One of the main rumors was the one about a robot that lived in the wilderness, that it became something other than a helper for humans.
It caused a wave of discussion across the cities and the company itself, mainly about where this robot was now and why had it left in the first place?
"Look all I'm saying is that humans gossip" The fox barked leaping onto the metal leg of a Rozzum watching her.
"I'm assuming you mean they have discussions or disagreements Shura" The fox nodded quite a bit actually.
The Rozzum had just seen a Universal Dynamics broadcast regarding the Rozzum that lived in the wilderness, chalked it down to a silly rumor and nothing that anyone should be concerned about at the time.
In turn she went to the only animal on the Island that knew about Universal Dynamics much more than her, a fox named Shura.
Shura had been living with an employee at a facility belonging to them until the employee turned out to be a higher up, she had ran away and eventually landed at the Island where she'd been living since.
And naturally, she had a disdain for the company now. Hence why the Rozzum went to her for help.
"Oh yeah they happen all the time" Shura leapt off her leg and around the little home she had for herself, "Causes all sorts of things and arguments" Her gaze went over to the Rozzum.
"You ever regret coming back from them?" The Rozzum shook her head red lights flickering around her body for a brief moment, "No! not with the way they treated everybody" She stood up while Shura trotted around her legs, "I'll watch that thing down the beach" The fox waved her paw around in the air, "Just incase"
"Thank you Shura" The Rozzum nodded to her, stepping out of the hole carved in the fallen tree and out into the wilderness.
This Rozzum in particular was Roz, formerly Rozzum 7134, once apart of Universal Dynamics, now a resident of the Island she called home.
Animals that once stared upon her like she was a monster now walked alongside her as she wandered through the forests of the Island.
She had once been the personal Rozzum of a small family living on a farm until the children had ordered her to go home, to be free again.
Roz wondered how they were now, after a while since she'd returned.
And speaking of returning, she could just about pick up the distant honking of Geese and started to make a dash for the field they resided in.
She surfaced right out of the trees in time to see the first flock of Geese landing still locked in formation. Then another, and another, and another and another until she saw Brightbills flock come in.
"Mom!" The Goose saw her almost instantly and flew over to land on her shoulder.
Brightbill was Roz's son, His parents were killed because of an accident and in turn Roz was the one who raised him.
"How was the migration?" Roz chimed walking through the sea of Geese back toward the forest, "Oh it was great we-" He was interrupted by a scamper of claws and a flash of red and grey.
"There you are kid!" a fox leapt up to a branch tail wagging, there was also a Squirrel on his head. "Hi Fink!" Brightbill fluttered down just to bear the force of the Squirrel jumping onto his back.
"How was it? what did you do? was it fun?" It blurted out making Brightbill laugh, "Its always fun Chitchat, but we had to move because of Coyotes they got two of the Geese" Roz had looked up the animals in her databanks before, they were predators that picked off easy prey so no doubt did they go after the weaker ones.
"We actually had a little stowaway flyer in my group" Loudwing waddled over a smile on her face, Everyone had no idea what she meant until a small little face appeared over the Gooses head, "Mellow!" Roz exclaimed standing up to catch the bat as she flew over.
"Hi" She squeaked tucking her wings into her sides, "Long time no see"
"Thought you'd vanished entirely" The fox mused jumping up to Roz's shoulder, "Not exactly Fink" Mellow chirped back.
Fink was the other of the two Foxes living on the Island, and used to be the only one up until recently before Shuras arrival.
He was one of Roz's more closer friends next to Brightbill, the trio were practically inseparable nowadays and every animal on the Island knew that.
"I saw the Geese leaving and tagged along" Mellow squeaked again her small face scrunched up into a smile, "I had to run away all that time ago when they started capturing the animals" Roz's head lowered at the mention of the facility incident.
A long while ago, a few years before she came back She'd been with Brightbill, Fink and a few others when they'd inadvertently hitched a ride straight to a facility belonging to Universal Dynamics.
It ended in a semi disaster, she was damaged dead and dying and Dynamics had ended up tearing down an entire woods, It was only through Shura did they find out some animals got captured and transported to who knows where.
Roz then settled Mellow right by her neck where Brightbill usually settled to sleep, "Lets find you somewhere to live Mellow" She chimed, the bat giving her a chitter like sound in response.
She said her goodbyes to Loudwing letting the Goose go back to her flock while she ventured back into the forest with Chitchat in tow hopping from tree to tree.
Much had happened in the times since she returned, the Squirrel had ended up getting a mate and having babies, Brightbill naturally was ecstatic about it when he learned about it after coming back from a Migration one time.
The Goose had even enquired to Fink as to why he hadn't 'shoot his shot' at Shura much to the confusion to the phrase from the fox which was cleared up by Roz as something Brightbill probably overheard by some of the Geese more than likely.
But Fink had disregarded the claim, He said that he and Shura really didn't have feelings for each other so to speak, they were more best friends than anything else.
Roz came to a stop when she heard a distant yelling that made her pause.
It made Fink and Brightbill pause as well, both turning back to look at her, "Roz?" the fox trotted back over head tilted, "What is it?"
"I can hear something" She said back, everyone went silent with Mellow stretching her ears out.
"HELP!" a loud screech was now heard, turning into caws panicked ones, "Gale?" Fink leapt up to Roz's shoulder to get a better look. Sure enough he could see the Gull zooming over the trees seemingly spotting them and diving down.
"Roz! you have to help!" She screeched again as she arrived wings flapping as fast as she could go, "Whats wrong?" Roz asked, "Has something happened?"
Gale thrust her head towards where she came from, "Just follow me! hurry!" Roz immediately went into a gallop following after Gale as she flew, the animals close behind as she jumped through and over branches, rocks and many bushes until they got to the small beach area.
Roz could see a whole group of Otters and crabs gathered down there all surrounding an animal on the shore.
One of the Otters perked up on seeing her running over, Roz immediately knew the animal on the shore was a Seal, she'd seen many on the trip across the ocean when she was on her way home but not one that looked so...lifeless.
She placed a hand ontop of it causing it to stir, "Who....are you...." It whispered, barely being able to see through its already half closed eyes seemingly swollen.
"I'm Roz, you are safe here" Roz chimed softly optics scanning over the Seal while she spoke to check for any other injuries, "What happened to you?" The Seal let out a sigh before speaking, "It was...the poison tide..." It wheezed out.
"Me and my friends we....were playing around and then...we swam into water that stung...it stung and I couldn't see...so I swam....and ended up here" Its head fell to the sand with a small whine coming from it.
A few of the Otters shared nervous sad looks, there wasn't much that could be done for the Seal, not anything on the Island anyways.
The Seal then lifted its flipper up, pointing towards the ocean, a silent ask that Roz understood. She leaned forward tucking her arms under the animal, lifting it up and stepping towards the ocean.
She knelt down again lowering it down until it was submerged enough for it to swim away into the depths leaving the animals on the shore to watch as it vanished.
"Mom?" Brightbill landed down onto her shoulder, breaking the silence that held everyone there, "Whats the poison tide?" Roz was silent as she scanned her database, several results came up relating to poison...but no poison tide.
"I do not know..." She whispered back lifting a hand to rest on his back in comfort, "Tell the Geese to gather everyone to the Nest as fast as they can, we need to have a meeting" Brightbill nodded instantly taking off toward the nesting grounds.
She then started to walk away from the shore Fink, Chitchat and Mellow giving follow as well as one of the Otters, one named Willow that was a friend of Roz's.
Gale even swooped down to land on her shoulder as she walked the Gull was silent, nerves obviously having taken over her entirely, although it would do to anyone who found a Seal who would usually reside in the deep ocean injured on a beach.
Just as she reached the line between the forest and beach she heard the sounds of the Geese flying across the forest.
With luck maybe one of the animals living on the Island knew about this poison tide, and if it would ever reach here well...she wasn't sure yet.