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He felt lost. Opal had been restless and not their usual self for weeks while Gem and Pearl had been taken away abruptly again with no idea of when they would return. When the two first disappeared Opal had gone to Mumbo as he was the closest to Gem’s base, he was extremely nervous while taking care of them as he could barely hold himself together, let alone a toddler. He did the best he could for the night but ended up messaging Cub asking him if he could come get Opal, hoping that the kid being with someone more familiar could help calm them.
Cub had been taking care of them at his base, and would occasionally take them to visit their Mom’s bases to feel even a little closer to them despite their hollowing absence. Some days it’d calm them and others it would be the cause of a breakdown over how much they missed their Mom’s, begging through hiccups to see them again. He did his best to calm them down by hugging them tight or finding one of their Mom’s coats amidst either of their rooms to let Opal wear.
Some nights Cub would find the kid staring out the windows of his base and at the moon, silent tears rolling down their cheeks as they admired it. Opal would usually be adorned in one of the girls coats, the thing was larger than they were, making them look even smaller than they already are. The entire situation made Cub frown, his heart breaking at the sight of Opal crying, while it was usual for them to cry due to being just a kid and still grasping the world around them but it was ten times worse seeing them in distress over their parents. On these nights he’d sit beside them, giving them a shoulder to lean on and rest their head as they gazed outside until they eventually fell asleep and he’d lay them down for bed bundled in blankets with their cow plushie Oat in their arms as they slept. He’d take some of the downtime as they rested to go to Pearl’s base and get supplies for Opal since she was just across the land, grabbing some clean clothes, food, and toys or activities for them. He was always careful with them around his base due to it being a land full of sculk that could easily take over any other lands if it got out, and the fact he had several factories and machines within his area that could easily hurt them, safe to say he always wanted to have things for the kid to do that don’t include possible injury.
And there was one night he found Opal sitting on the bridge between his and Pearl’s base, while it was stable it still made him extremely worried. The bridge was overtop of a river that connected to several parts of the server for boat rides, and one of the last times Opal had been alone by water it ended terribly - they were being watched by Scar and he thought they were following but had slipped away to look at a fish in the river by Grian’s and shortly after had drowned due to not knowing how to fully swim yet. They kicked and tried to scream for help but kept sinking. It was painful and made them afraid of large bodies of water for a while. Scar felt terrible for the death ever happening in the first place after telling the girls he’d watch over them closely. Cub always had a close eye on the kid, not wanting even a chance at repeating that situation as it caused Gem and Pearl immense panic to get a death message of their kid drowning and no idea if respawn even worked for them (which, thankfully, it did.) It was safe to say that seeing them sitting on the conjoined bridge over a large river, it scared him.
Cub went and coaxed Opal into getting up, his stress eased once they did, he took them to Pearl’s base and sat together atop a cliff she’d made to look at the moon instead. Opal sat in his lap with their head against his chest and once more in one of the girls jackets to hide from the chill of the night, slowly falling asleep as he petted their hair. Opal eventually woke up back in the man's base, draped in warm blankets and Oat in their arms. He’d let them pick out what to wear for the day as he made breakfast, then talk about what they could do for the day as they ate. The kid was slowly growing more and more exhausted, anxiously awaiting for their Mom’s to return, occasionally they’d wake up in the middle of the night shaking Cub awake asking if he knew of any way to bring them back. He answered honestly, not knowing any way to make it happen faster, his heart breaking as he watched their ears droop and tail still at the answer. He’d pull back the covers on his bed, offering them to lay with him for the night and they’d climb into bed beside him and cling onto him for the night with Oat squashed in between the two.
Some days Opal would come to him crying, pleadingly asking if he could hear the whispers. Their hands were clamped over their ears seemingly hoping to drown the noise out, tears rolled down their cheeks as the noise got louder and more painful, soon enough sobbing on the floor and tail thumping in distress. Cub kneeled on the floor beside them, rubbing their back soothingly to help calm them down and not overwhelm them more by picking them up to hold them. Opal slowly removed their hands from their ears once the noise seemed to calm down, tears staining their face as they moved to lay their head on his lap, he took this as a sign to play with their hair, running his fingers through it or occasionally curling a strand around his finger causing them to feel tired. Opal sat up and held their arms out, signaling they wanted to be picked up, Cub stood up and obliged, carrying them to the room they’d been staying in and was now covered with plenty of their toys and clothes and knick knacks that belonged to their Mom’s. Cub sat them on their bed allowing them to lie down and get comfy in a way that suited them, and then properly tucking them in for a nap. He sat on the edge of the bed, petting them and letting them know he’ll be here when they wake up.
“They’ll be back before you know it, kiddo.” He whispered before kissing their head and letting them rest.