||Username|| Placebo
||Name|| Malakai
||Nickname|| Chai
||Gender/Sex|| Male
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||Mentor|| Kaden---------
Chai’s mentor is Kaden, but their relationship barely qualifies as “business” in any sense of the word.
They came across each other over numerous occasions, all with Kaden pulling the kid out of some type
of trouble.
(One heart-stopping moment involving a raging river and too hot to touch rocks on a sweltering day
comes to mind-
Christ Kaden hates water
so much)
After the second time getting stuck in a ditch, also after many other sticky situations, Chai sort of…
clung to Kaden and never left. Literally though- he rides on his back like a bear cub. But dang, Chai
gains weight
really easily. Kaden fears for his back everytime Chai thinks it's a good idea to jump
on his back. Which is
every time. Kaden’s not too sure what to do with the kid, but considering
that the boy’s never talked about parents or a pack or friends, Kaden’s mildly concerned.
Well, good ones, anyway. Chai, garden snakes that don’t bother to bite you when they let you sleep in
their pit
don’t count as friends.He’s alright with letting Chai hang around when he travels. Chai’s always been prone to clumsiness, so
Kaden’s taken to teaching him field medicine and first aid. Thankfully mostly vanilla stuff- CPR, effective
ways to treat burns and poison in plants, heat related illnesses, stuff like that, and how to deal with flesh
wounds and how to identify and treat infection or treatable illnesses.
Kaden thinks he’d have an aneurysm if the kid had to deal with actual surgery though. He’s like 8 or
something, right?
Chai’s always told Kaden time and time again (kinda wearing it out, really) that he was premature and
wouldn’t exactly grow much bigger than he already was, so what was the use of learning a skill meant for
adults, but Kaden merely shrugged it off. Kaden admitted it to the surprisingly insecure tyke: Chai
had a quicksilver mind, and picked up concepts faster than Kaden thought was really possible, especially
considering how Kaden wasn’t much of a teacher.
But, it is a bit alarming how Chai had the tendency to purposefully mess up in his instruction, just to see
if he could throw off Kaden and make him reteach the concept to show that he really isn't all that smart.
Kaden could easily see how Chai’s eyes glaze over in boredom at these remedial lessons, and it’s been
an obstacle and a half trying to make Chai push past his blatant self-doubt.
Even with his small size, Chai could still become a doctor after some formal training. He certainly has
the aptitude for it. Kaden wonders how much work it’d take to formally apprentice Chai… Might be
easier to adopt him into his pack though.
Now, if only Chai would stop running his mouth, he’d have the bedside manners down pat.
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||Backstory|| Chai's early life wasn't particularly terrible or anything, but it wasn't all that good, either. He was
abandoned by his birth mother before he even hatched, so he was put into an orphanage. It was all
pretty standard really, but he did get lonely since you know, no parents and all. He stayed there and
life was all around smooth until he went to his first foster family.
There was nothing particularly bad about them, but at that point Chai was leaps and bounds ahead of
other kids mentally, so he picked up really quickly what probably should and shouldn't happen when
he was being fostered. And his foster parents probably had good intentions, but they sort of left Chai
to his own devices, like, all the time. A
four year old to his own devices.
Looking back they probably had that feral-hippie mentality that some viscets tended to adopt when
they felt it better to distance themselves from modern culture, but when one is
contractually
bound to care for a
child, one does not simply
leave him to his own devices.
So, yeah- in Chai's defense, he was an overly-curious four year old, and sort of got lost in the forest
surrounding their house after the first month with the foster family. He never did find his way back,
but Chai remembers being really scared in those first weeks so he hid from everything- probably even
the police who tried to look for him.
His first year alone frankly
sucked. He still sports wounds that he got during that time alone,
and if he wasn't so young at the time he'd find it humiliating that he resorted to begging during the
winter time. Other creatures either thought he was a stray animal or homeless. He probably should've
stayed in one place so he could be identified, but instinct told him to keep moving and whatnot. The
thing about creatures who lived in the city was that size didn't really indicate much- and Chai never
got close enough to anyone important for them to realize that he was actually really young instead
of simply a medium-sized dog or something. Chai sometimes wonders how different his life would've
been if he decided to stay in the city.
But, whatever- that following spring he found Kaden, when he was roughly five years old. Er, well
more like Kaden stumbled onto him- Chai had found himself in a rough situation, up a tree and kept
there by a couple of male grizzly cubs who thought it would be funny to taunt him and eat him if
they could. They were almost full grown so they couldn't scale the flimsy tree Chai found himself in,
but that didn't stop the pair from trying to, say,
break it down instead.
Chai literally thought he was about to die until Kaden showed up, in all his fluffy glory. Admittedly
Chai thought Kaden was a sheep at first, but sheep didn't grow that big so- next thing Chai knew the
male twins were scattering and Kaden looked
terrifying holy crap- After that first scare Kaden couldn't coax Chai out of the tree no matter what he tried, so the large
male just left, but never exactly… left, so to speak. Whenever Chai found himself in trouble, which
was alot- he was clumsy
and mouthy, bad combination - Kaden was always
miraculously there to come to his aid. Chai wasn't complaining or anything, but he was pretty sure he was being followed.
Or monitored.
Later on Kaden told him that he knew from the start how young Chai actually was, so there's that.
But also, Chai felt a
thousand times safer whenever Kaden the oversized fluffball appeared so
Chai decided that he'd just hang around Kaden now. No takes-backsies.
(Chai also had this niggling thought that Kaden might not show up one day, and he
really didn't want that)
Kaden sort of acted exasperated around Chai sometimes, but Chai could see how much Kaden liked
him. Chai was able to ride on his back nearly all the time, so that had to count for something.
Chai traveled with Kaden for about two years before Kaden brought up the idea of adopting the young
child into his pack. Chai could understand his hesitation- those two years consisted of a lot of bonding,
yes, but also a lot of complications, mainly surrounding Chai's origins. Yanno, being pronounced
missing, then not-missing, having Kaden be suspected as a kidnapper, learning that his former foster
parents were in jail, alotta bailing out by Kaden's alphas, etc. etc., but yeah! Compared to other things
Chai had to deal with, this was a cakewalk.
Chai wonders what that says about him…. Now all he's gotta do is meet his new alphas face to face.
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||Present Day Story||“Why don't you use a map when you travel?” The young viscling fiddled with his own map as he said
this, and squinted as he tried to make sense of the trail he and Kaden were walking on from his
position on Kaden's back.
Finally the pair had made their way down south to meet Kaden's pack. After a long six months of
traveling and a whole bunch of phone calls with alphas the young Chai has never seen in person
beyond pictures and one memorable FaceTime, it was finally,
the day of reckoning. Chai only
hoped that their house was as big as he thought it was.
“I usually don't need it Chai. Call it intuition, but my pack and I have a
connection. I could
probably find my way home easy from any part of the world.”
“Okay, so I
know that's bullcrap. You carry around a GPS in your pouch, you liar!”
Kaden laughed at that. “Ah, but you have no proof of this
GPS.”
“Oh really? Want me to pull it out right now?”
“You can't search me without a viable warrant, child!”
“Nope, my word over yours,
Kaden. In fact, I’ll do it right
now-”“Aah, no!”
It wasn't long before Kaden found himself on the ground, succumbed to the wills of the tiny viscling.
“Oh, I’m
dying under this
crushing weight-”
“
Shut your face, I’m not fat!” Chai’s voice became shrill as he tried to smother the fluffy
viscet with his neck tie. It wasn't doing much, but the thought
counted, dang it. Maybe if
Chai did it long enough…
Alas, Chai never got to find out. Their roughhousing led them deeper into the forest, and he vaguely
remembered Kaden talking about how his alphas owned a bunch of land surrounding their home-
including the trail systems and large clearings where prey frequented. Chai looked up- the clearing
they found themselves in was certainly pretty. Blue flowers, yellow flowers, purple flowers, trees,
bushes, huge viscet waiting by the edge of the clearing, fallen logs, mushrooms…
...Wait.
Kaden winced as Chai screeched right next to his ear and zipped behind his flank. He sat up partially
from his prone position on the ground, and his eyes widened at the familiar sight. “
Gatsby!”
The mottled viscet’s stoic expression didn't lighten, and Chai cowered further. Kaden didn't seem the
least bit perturbed as this...
Gatsby approached the pair. Kaden even bumped
noses with
the male! “You know I could hear you two coming from a mile away, right?
Please stop being so
unnecessarily loud whenever you come home.”
“Gatsby, you nag
way too much.” Kaden grinned as he said this, and Chai could hear the telltale
swish of Kaden’s tail behind him.
Chai's eyes still narrowed suspiciously at the dark viscet, but then Gatsby turned cold pale eyes onto
Chai. He withheld a squeak and dug his claws further into Kaden’s legs.
Kaden, however, had no qualms about yelping. “Chai!
Easy.”
Chai mumbled out a half-hearted
Sorry as he studied the large viscet.
Jesus, he was built
like a
bear. Chai thought he looked kinda mean in the FaceTime, but this was
ridiculous. Gatsby’s voice rumbled down at Chai almost ominously, but the large male didn’t bother to address
Chai directly. “So this Malakai, Kaden? He’s a bit smaller than I imagined.”
“That’s just because everything looks tiny next to
you, Gatsby,” Kaden teased.
Chai felt his pelt heat at the condescending words, and gritted his teeth. “I’m not
tiny!” Gatsby only huffed and Kaden shrugged while Chai felt betrayed by Kaden’s calm acceptance of the
situation. Then, Gatsby
finally decided to address him. Only, the male approached Chai as well,
and the viscling shrunk back. “Oh, child,
I beg to differ.”
“
Gatsby!”The large male drew back almost immediately, and his scowl deepened at the approaching figure.
Chai flicked his ears in confusion at the new, effeminate voice. And the viscet who came through
the trees was an
angel.All natural browns, the female viscet was quick to pad up and cuff Gatsby over the back of his head.
He growled in surprise, but one look from her had his complaints tapering off. She was smaller than
both Kaden and Gatsby, but she glared up at Gatsby like he was an idiot. And it was
glorious. “Seriously,
what is it with you and
threatening children?”
“I wasn’t
threatening him.”
“You
were kinda sizing him up. All four feet of him.” Kaden said, but his words tapered off
into a laugh.
“Yeah, well this
four feet of viscet is
still here, and can
still hear you.” Chai huffed,
but continued to relax with the presence of the female. Hopefully Gatsby would say something stupid
again and the female would hit him.
But, when the female turned her violet gaze onto Chai, he drew his ears back shyly. Her face broke
out into a playful grin. “Hah, I like you already! Well, you must already know that I’m
Maia, Chai.
Welcome to the pack!”
Chai blinked in surprise. “Wait, that’s it?” He could hear both Kaden
and Gatsby echo his words,
but with a bit more indignation from the mottled viscet.
“Yeah, kid! My word is
law,” Maia sounded a bit too gleeful when she said this, and Chai saw
how Gatsby’s scowl deepened. Deciding that everything was settled, she padded out of the clearing
almost as abruptly as she entered. Chai was quick to follow, already taking a shine to the older
female. He walked with a bounce to his step, and didn’t forget to take one last look at the traitorous
Kaden and mean Gatsby and stick out his tongue at the pair.
“But yanno, don’t be scared of Gatsby, he’s already given his go ahead. He’s just a bit… prickly.”
Maia said.
Chai couldn’t help but be dubious, but he wasn’t too concerned. So long as Maia was there to cuff
Gatsby, they’d all get along just fine in Chai’s eyes.
{998/1000}Extras
-1 art piece-
-400 words annexed to present day story-
