From the reinforced windows of the BackyardBunker, Austin could just make out the shape of his boyfriend, Tyrone, crouched in the shadows. It still sent shivers down his spine just to call him that; his BOYFRIEND. All the fur and muscle and passion, HIS!
He shook his head, refocusing. Because of the backyardpocalypse, acid rain left the once lush backyard barren and decayed, so Austin watched anxiously as Tyrone darted from one rocky outcrop to another, trying to keep out of the rain by sheltering under what was left of the blackened, destroyed trees. His breath caught in his throat each time Ty would leap from one area of cover to another, and he would have to unclench his hands and remind himself that this is what Tyrone was skilled at; and he was well trained in the task of hunting in the most dangerous of wastelands.
Austin jumped when he heard Uniqua behind him. "Don't worry your tail off about him sweety," she cooed somewhat teasingly. "He'll be back soon, now come help me with dinner!" She tugged his shoulder lightly and gestured for him to follow. Austin smiled and rolled his eyes, glancing one last time at the shape of his lover out in the rain before turning to follow her.
The kitchen smelled like moss, like it always did. Uniqua stirred and prodded at the boiling pot of lichens and mosses, the only plants that survived the acid rain, and the pot let out little squelching sounds that filled the room. Austin breathed in deep, trying to remember a time when he had eaten something other than this. Once the kitchen had smelled of many things, fresh herbs and spices filling his purple nose as his or one of his friends' mothers chopped up crisp vegetables. Compared to what they all ate now, it must have been a feast. All of the backyardigans were slim; all muscle, used to a diet of only moss. As far as Austin was concerned, this was the only life they had ever known.
As Uniqua hummed and stirred, Austin tapped his foot to the beat, waiting for the sound that the protective seal on the door made when it was unlocked. He knew that when Tyrone got back he would be hungry. His tapping grew more impatient as the minutes passed. "Hey Uni," he broke the silence with his Australian accent. "When d'ya think Ty will be home?" Uniqua shrugged, clearly more focused on her pot of food than on the time. "Dunno, go do something if you're so impatient." Austin scoffed playfully at her and got up from the table to look for Pablo and Tasha.
Pablo and Tasha were hunched over a table together, looking intently at a map of the backyard. This is often how Austin would find them, and he wondered if they had seen that map so many times that they had memorized it, each corner and curve and tree. Tasha looked up first, eyeing him suspiciously. "What do you want, dinner ain't ready yet." She muttered, looking back down again at the map. Pablo looked up then, smiling a bit. "Need anything?" He asked with a friendlier tone than Tasha's. Austin shook his head somewhat dejectedly and turned to leave again.
Slumped on the couch, Austin once again squinted at the darkening sky. He sat up a bit, straining his marsupial eyes for the silhouette of Ty's antlers. Austin frowned, moving to press his forehead against the reinforced glass. His stomach dropped as his eyes frantically scanned the backyard. Where was he? Where was he?! Austin felt tears well in his eyes and he choked out,
"UNIIIIII!"