a place to put my writing and old stories.

[~Teya~]

DISCLAIMER: I highly recommend you read this before you read this shortie story, it's a continuation of that longer one.
--

A small sliver of light sneaked through the closet door, suddenly illuminating his paws and part of his dark gray tail from where he sat in almost complete darkness, closing his eyes, he tried to be as silent as possible.
Kichōna felt the creak of a wooden floor board beneath him, causing him to immediately hold his breath and stiffen, with his fur lifting slightly. He clutched his hands now to his legs, holding them close so they touched his chest, continuing to keep his eyes tightly shut. "Don't open the door," he thought fiercely, not willing to give in as his eyes from under his eyelids perceived a larger body of light appear, most likely that of the door opening. "Don't open . . ."
Reluctantly, his eyelids opened, but before his eyes could adjust to the new, blinding light, he knew it was his mother who had taken him away from his world of dark solitude. As his eyes slowly adjusted, he could make out the sympathetic expression of his mother, staring down at him, kneeling to be closer to his own eye level.
In one of his mother's hands was a notepad, and in the other was a pencil. Kichōna gave his mother an annoyed look, and turned away from her, sliding into the farthest away corner of the cramped closet. He knew what she wanted to do, but he didn't want to. They had done it at the hospital too, they would give him a notepad so his could say something, like ask a question, and they would answer it on the same notepad. It was stupid; why did he even bother. They couldn't help him.
Trying to remember the first day he was brought into the hospital, which was probably a week ago; but couldn't be sure, he hadn't been outside in days, ever since his mother took him back home. Reaching into his memory to recall what had happened, it started to come back.
"I can't hear you!" Kichōna had repeated for the tenth time, he could feel his voice reverberate through his throat, but no sound.
He couldn't quite come to terms with the fact that he couldn't hear; instead figuring he just wasn't being loud enough.
Kichōna watched as a group of nurses and doctors quickly gathered around him, and for a few moments, just, stared. His mother stood next to him, looking back rapidly from the medical staff to her son multiple times in utter confusion, just like him. Kichōna continued repeating the same phrase as before, but louder each time.
One of the doctors approached Kichōna's bed, and immediately Kichōna jumped up in fear, backing away while keeping an eye on everyone. The doctor made a "I won't hurt you" motion, but in his state, he didn't believe anything.
There was just one last thing Kichōna could try to see if he was really . . . deaf.
Before anyone knew it, Kichōna screamed at the top of his lungs, to the point where he thought his voice box might just give way from the pressure.
He must have been ear-piercingly loud, because two of the nurses covered their ears and cowered, and so did one of the doctors.
The same doctor that attempted to approach him as before now went over to Kichōna and shook him, but he refused to stop.
"No, no, no!" he thought angrily, getting more desperate with every second as his lungs felt like they were being compressed, trying with all his might to hear just one little thing, anything, just something, so he'd know it wasn't true. But somehow, he knew it was.
Kichōna kept screaming, he wanted to stop by now, but couldn't. It was like he had flipped an "On" switch and it couldn't be turned off, no matter what he did. His lungs began to weaken and run out of air shrieking like this, with the passing seconds it felt like his throat was shrinking to the size of a straw. There were red splotches in his vision, and he felt increasingly lightheaded.
He knew he couldn't keep this up any longer, as he saw himself fall onto the cold, hard ground as blackness consumed him.
Kichōna sighed as he looked back on the horrid memory, he wished he could erase it, and laugh about how this was all a daydream and he must be sleeping at his desk in Mr. Guam's class right now.
He twitched at the touch when his mother poked his shoulder; he had completely forgotten about her. Looking back, his mother had written something on the notepad. Taking it from her, he struggled to make out the words in the dim lighting.

❛❛ I love you.❜❜

The paper read simply in a plain, but recognizable cursive he knew well as his mother's.
Kichōna held back the sudden urge to cry; and his paws began to tremble a little as he held the piece of paper. Swallowing hard, he looked up at her as she stared down at him, her eyes were misty like his. Until this very moment, he hadn't even given a tiny thought to how this might have affected her. Only himself. She hadn't gone to work in at least a week, or left the house; and they needed the money, they always needed the money.
"I love you too." he mumbled shakily, just because he couldn't hear anymore, didn't mean he forgot how to speak. His mother smiled, her features lighting up for the first time in awhile. Jumping up he embraced her, feeling her warm, soft fur next to his, allowing his tears to finally fall.

--
Yuppiedoodle, something new! I haven't posted because I've been busy, my Birthday was just a few days ago ^0^ But now I have more time to write ! Yay me!
And to those who might wonder something--- I use "paws" as well as "hands" even though they are animals on purpose. It's not a mistake.

[~Teya~]

Smol character thoughts for future story-- it's not very interesting, only to me lmao, so you don't have to read it.

-rough outline-

Zabari, male. Named for an Egyptian word for "strong", which is "zuberi"
Is descended from the Egyptians (of the period where they made the pyramids)
Mischievous -- doesn't care how many hearts he breaks, and finds joy in telling lies that could / will hurt those around him just for fun. He'll promise girls the world. Then leave them at the worst moment just to see their reaction, he loves exploiting someones flaws.
Big ego -- he is the center of everything.
Greedy -- Zabari wants it all, and doesn't care who he hurts to get it.
Alluring -- everyone thinks so, even if they'll never admit it.
Gambler -- may or may not keep this
Wishes for eternal life, would do anything for it
he is strong of body, but weak of mind. (isn't exactly stupid per say-- more like, over confident.)
was raised as a king from birth, but is not actually royal.
parents loved him more than anything, but he was never satisfied with just love.
his parents are dead now, but left him a lot of money and property, that he could easily live off of his entire life.
his appearance means everything to him, everything.
Zabari is 25 years old, or something around there.
all ze ladieez luv heem so~~
almost everyone around him wants a piece of his fortune, and some think he doesn't deserve what he has.
Will meet Awai Bara at some point.
Always wears the most expansive clothes he can put his hands on
He doesn't take it well when he doesn't get his way.
Rarely ponders about others and what they might be feeling, is not very sympathetic. It's not his problem, it never is to him.
Forgets others names a lot; or at least, calls them something different to see their reaction.
Don't underestimate him; when he wants to be, he can be very charming and seductive to get his way. If he were to become an actor, he would be the star of the show with an award winning performance.

[Ranger of the North]

Aww. That one-shot with Kichōna and his mother was really nice


Oh, and happy birthday!! Hope you had a great year, and an even better one to come C:

[~Teya~]

Aww. That one-shot with Kichōna and his mother was really nice


Oh, and happy birthday!! Hope you had a great year, and an even better one to come C:

Thanks! ^.^ <3

[~Teya~]

"Take a deep breath," Sweat dripped slowly from the top of his head, one drop falling directly into his eye. "Deep breathes." shifting from foot to foot, he turned to stare down at his master, yearning for the support he desperately needed, he just couldn't bare to let her down.
"You can do this, Azul!" putting her small hand up to caress his soft muzzle, Azul bowed so it was easier to reach, closing his eyes. "I believe in you."

"Ready . . ."

Came a sudden, booming voice from the loud speaker, immediately, Azul perked his ears, jerking his head away from his master.

"Set . . ."

He stiffened; even though he didn't understand human language completely, he knew these words. Time almost stopped, the group of people gathered around him and three other viscets were silent.

"Go!"

Off he went, mud and grass flying up from beneath his hind legs with two of the viscets gaining on him and passing. No matter; this wasn't a speed race, it was an object race. Which ever viscet to locate the item first and bring it back was the winner, and that would finally prove to his master's parents he could be useful, it was all up to him now, he just had to win!
Lowering his nose to the ground, he picked up a scent immediately, following the trail as swiftly as his legs could carry him.
Before long, he came to a lazy stream; this was where it would start to get harder. Raising his head up high, he tried to find where the scent trail went from here.
"How goes, Hobbit?" He jumped suddenly, whirling to face the viscet that stood behind him. They were pale yellow, and at least two or even three feet taller than he was; him being at only a modest five feet.
"Very original," Azul muttered under his breath, plunging into the stream to end their "conversation". But a second later he heard the splash of the other viscet behind him, causing him to flatten his ears.
"Sorry -- I didn't mean anything by it." the male remarked, passing him and hopping out of the water. Azul glanced up at him, feeling a little silly, saying, "It's alright . . . I guess I'm just a little bit touchy about being so small for a viscet." the male nodded in understanding, beginning to turn away; but then looked back. "C'mon, we can find this thing together."
Azul paused, contemplating the offer, there was no reason why not. "Sure." he smiled, following after him.
More walking and painstakingly trying to hold onto the scent, it continued to crisscross and take very random paths, through bushes and into ruts, and even going down a stream for at least twenty yards to attempt to confuse him.
For the most part, the viscet he had just met didn't say a word as he followed Azul.
"So," Azul began, glancing back in the direction of the other, "what's your name?"
The creamy viscet shrugged, meeting his eyes as he said, "my friends call me Eez," *Pronounced E - ez he perked his ears, "what's yours?"
"My master named me Azul," he replied with a small smile, his eyes lighting up at the thought; whenever she spoke his name it was like a song to his ears.
"The little girl with red hair?" Eez questioned, adding in a slight condescending manner, "she's your master?"
Azul lowered his eyes with embarrassment, "what's wrong with that?" he thought, somewhat confused. "Who's your master?" He found himself asking with a touch of bitterness, trying to keep his mind focused on the task at hand.
Eez raised his head up high with pride, taking in a deep breath. "My master is the best there is; he is known for training many skilled viscets," he turned away, "but, I can't seem to do much right for him." Eez added, shame on his face when he turned back to him.
"If he's really as good of a master as you say," Azul began, ducking underneath a thick branch, "then it won't matter." Eez shrugged, not replying. Azul didn't say anything more, continuing to tread through the loose dirt, avoiding the many overhanging tree branches that appeared like hands coming down to stop him in his tracks.
"Hey -- what's that?" Eez asked stopping for a moment, and looking up to the top of the hill of which they were half way up. Azul tilted his head, noticing a red object further up. "Let's go see," Azul suggested, him and Eez now sprinting side-by-side to the hilltop. Once there, he saw a bright red jacket stuck to a wooden post, and it was definitely the scent he had been following!
"We found it, we found it!" He exclaimed with joy, taking the jacket in his teeth, it soon slipped from the post. "C'mon,
I just hope no one else found any of the other items and are already heading back," Eez stood stalk still for a few moments, seemingly contemplating something, with a slight frown, saying nothing. A second later, his frown vanished and was replaced by a smile, joining Azul on the trek downhill.
Azul thought about Eez's behavior as they descended, but soon pushed it out of his mind, thinking nothing of it.
Retracing their steps, Azul and Eez were well on their way to the finish, eventually arriving at the stream where they had met not too long ago. Crossing the stream together, the pair sprinted through the thick forest as fast as their legs could carry them.
Suddenly, Eez motioned for both of them to stop, nudging Azul with his arm. "What's wrong Eez? We're right by the finish, let's go!" he pleaded, staring at the finish line less than a quarter mile away in an open field straight ahead.
"I'm sorry -- but both of us can't win." Eez confessed, with a cynical gleam in his eye.
Before he knew it, Eez had wrenched the jacket from Azul's mouth and bounded away, leaving him in the dust. It took a moment for him to realize what Eez had just done, his mind running wild with bewilderment and anger.
"No!" He thought, outrage brewing within him. Gaining his composure again and running after Eez, he watched desperately as he moved ever closer to the finish. "How could he? It's just not fair!" Despite Azul's best effort, he couldn't catch up to Eez, his legs were simply too long and fast compared to his own.
A crowd of at least one hundred people roared into life as Eez casually crossed the finish line, way before Azul had the chance. Not that it would have mattered, he didn't have the item, without the item, you couldn't win.
Azul came to a full stop before the finish, skidding to a halt. He watched with dismay as Eez was showered with confetti and a flower bouquet was put around his sleek neck, Eez glanced in his direction for a split second, then hurriedly looked away.
"You trader, how could you?!" Azul demanded, taking a few steps closer to him. Eez didn't turn, but a few of the people in the crowd did, but obviously didn't understand what he was saying, and never would. "I thought we were friends." he added in a much lower tone, still waiting for Eez's response, but they didn't move.
"Get that little thing away from my prized viscet!" A well dressed man ordered, pointing at Azul with blatant distaste.
Azul could guess what the man said, spinning around and heading back the way he had come.
"Azul!" He flicked his ears, turning at the sweet sound of his name. "Azzy . . . where are you going?" Taffy Bixby questioned, staring up at him with a confused, innocent look.
He looked away with humiliation, Taffy must be so disappointed in him, his dear owner. He had let her down.
Unable to contain them, his blue eyes welded up with tears, he couldn't bare to let his master see him like this.
Azul sprinted away, as fast as he could muster, ignoring the urgent cries from Taffy as he fled. He couldn't stay; it was just too painful.
Soon out of breath, he slowed to a haphazard walk, staring out into the trees as they became blanketed in shadow. The sky turned to a brilliant pink sunset, memorizing him for a while he stopped completely, the colors steadily calmed him; melting his problems away into nothing.
He just stood there, for how long he didn't know . . . but it didn't matter. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath in, allowing the air to soak into his lungs.
The snap of a twig from behind alerted him to a presence close by, whirling around to see the culprit, his eyes had to adjust away from the setting sun. A pleasant scent hit his nostrils, and immediately he knew who it was, relaxing.
Her auburn colored hair stood out from everything else as she walked towards him slowly, "I know why you ran," she confessed softly, only a few feet away now. "You didn't win, but it's alright." Although Azul didn't understand most of her words, he didn't care in the slightest; because he understood the sound of her voice, cooing to him so gently, her words so fragile.
She held her left hand up, causing him to bow his head in submission. It wasn't the kind of submission where he was forced, forced to yield to a superior authority or power unwillingly, it was more that of the equal kind. Azul was hers; but she was his as well.
"You don't need to prove yourself to me, Azul, I'd never change you, not for a trophy; not for the moon." She added with a teary smile, petting his mane. "Time to go home, Azzy, home."

--

Finally! Something new. cx Christmas had me busy so I haven't had a lot of time / motivation to write, but hopefully I'll be getting more short stories out soon ;u; I'd love some critique on this and any comments are appreciated!<3

Bonus art:

[Ranger of the North]

Naww, that was really nice C:

[~Teya~]

Naww, that was really nice C:

Thanks <33

[~Teya~]

Username: ~Teya~

Halima ♂ meaning: "gentle" in Egyptian

Personality & Family

Halima was always the quiet one in his small herd of Shadow Flitz -- he was the watchful sibling, in charge of keeping a look out for the herd; in case of predators or even poachers.
Growing up being the second to oldest in his large family of four sisters and three brothers, he was always exploring the vast, thick wooded area surrounding them with his other siblings. None of his brothers or sisters cared that he was quiet, because they loved him the way he was. They fought back and forth often of course, but on the inside, they were a strong family.
Besides not being very talkative, Halima has always been quite nurturing, in the sense that whenever anyone in his pack gets hurt, especially a flit younger than him, he is the first to immediately rush to their aid. His mother even began calling him "Doctor" after awhile, telling him how that meant a viscet who healed others, and the name stuck.
Out of all Halima's personality traits, however, protecting those he loves is by far the greatest. It may be because Halima realizes that the herd is special; almost all of them had antlers, which was very rare for a flit. Not to mention the peculiar, shiny specks that seemed to always surround them; that changed with the Flitz mood. They even had a name for them: Aura (plural Auras, pronounced Or-ah). Once, Halima had gone so far as to run back into a forest fire to track down an elder which the herd had seen no sign of. On another occasion, he dived into thick thorn bushes to rescue his much younger sister, who had somehow fallen deep within the thorns; that mind as well have been knives growing in the bushes. His older brother, Luin, was also this way, but even he acknowledged Halima's dedication, going as far as to say, maybe he was a little too dedicated. At times, Halima would stay up for days, whenever he had a "feeling" that something was going to happen. But nothing ever did . . . except, one fateful time.
The night he lost everything.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

ＳＴＯＲＹ

Chapter one

Orange, pink and purple hints in the darkening blue sky signaled the beginnings of a brilliant sunset, Halima stood atop a low cliff; gazing down at the herd below, silent.
"Gud night, bruther!" Halima's youngest sibling yelled up to him, Halima smiled slightly at the way she talked. "See you tomorrow!" he responded back, laying down near the edge to watch over them. All the flitz were heading off to their various dens close by each other, while Halima guarded them. Rarely did a predator dare make its way into their dens, but it was possible, so someone had to keep watch all night.

Hours pass, nothing to be heard as Halima's eyes began to close; the only sound to be heard was the hoo of a lonely owl acting as a sleep inducer. The trees were wavering casually, and there was a quivering chill in the midnight air.
But -- something still didn't feel right. He didn't know what, sensing only he must keep himself alert, just in case.
The glowing Auras around him grew a bit brighter as his anxiety increased; but still did not understand why he felt so impatient. Everything was quiet, there was no present danger.
"That's it," Halima muttered to himself softly, staring out into the woods. "The owl . . . it stopped." he thought to himself suddenly, wondering what it could mean. "Stop overreacting," he could hear the voice of his family whisper in his ear, "there is absolutely nothing to worry about." they assured him, his tense muscles starting to relax.

There!

His mind hadn't imagined that: He saw the beam of a flashlight for a split second, just a little ways past the dens and up a small hill, full of thick pine trees and shrubbery.
Again, he saw it. But closer this time, much closer.
How could this be? Poachers couldn't possibly move that fast. Unless . . .
Then he heard it a second later, the most dreaded sound for a wild flit to hear, the sound of a roaring engine coming towards you, one of the few things that was futile to run from.
Halima watched in pure terror as the headlights moved even closer, unable to move. He had never seen actual poachers before, but why else would a vehicle used by them be way out here, heading towards him, towards his family and friends?
He had to do something, standing here wasn't going to help anyone. Breaking from his half-trance, Halima rushed down the cliff he was atop, scrambling down the loose dirt and tripping multiple times, he made it to the bottom within the same minute or two.
"Mom, dad, everyone, wake up!" He shouted urgently, immediately, a few of his brothers and sisters poked their heads out of the den.
"What are you all up about? This isn't one of your stunts again, is it?" His oldest brother questioned with irratation, yawning loudly. "Shh!" Halima began, "we have to get out of here, poachers, I saw poachers, coming this way!" all of the herd was out of their dens a few moments later at the word of "poacher".
"Mummy . . . I hear them." Halima's youngest sister commented, staying close to her mother's warm fur for a sense of protection, as the sound of an engine came into hearing range for all of them.
The Auras surrounding them all abruptly became very bright, not helping them in the least with camouflage. "We have to go now, follow me everyone, stay close!" Halima's father declared, going into a full on sprint in the opposite direction of the vehicle, so close now they could be seen from where they stood in brief flashes of light.
"It's no use . . . we'll never get away unless someone stays behind to distract them." Halima said somberly, looking towards a few of his siblings that had not already began following their father.
No brother -- it isn't worth it," His middle sister pleaded, frozen in place. Luin, Halima's older brother, nodded towards him, seemingly understanding Halima would never leave, no matter what they said. "Come on sis, we have to go," Luin ordered, nudging her. "Wha-- Luin?! No, we can't let him do this!"
"Now." Luin responded with a menacing growl, causing his sister to pinned her ears back, and run in the direction her father had gone. Luin stole one last glance towards his younger brother, and with that, vanished into the night along with the rest of the herd.
Halima took in a deep, slow breath, trying his best to calm his nerves, although, it didn't help that he had glowing beacons "buzzing" around him like bees. Swallowing hard, he listened at the sound of grass and branches being squished and snapped, and a motor coming very close now, reverberating from the ground and through his shaking paws.
Nothing could stop him, no one was going to mess with his family; not now, not ever.
Two shockingly bright headlights suddenly came into full view just mere yards in front of him at full speed from behind thick shrubbery; the lights blinded him instantly, causing Halima to shield his 'eyes' and cower onto the ground.
A moment later, he heard the loud screech of wheels and almost instantaneous great stab of pain when the vehicle striked him straight on.
Immediately flown back, Halima hit the ground hard with a thud. The pain was so unbearable he could hardly keep his eyes open as he lay there in the dirt, too afraid to open his eyes. "This is where I die . . ." he thought, giving into his ultimate doom. "At least they'll all be safe now . . ."
"Honey, what's . . . that?" Came a confused female voice as Halima barely held onto consciousnesses. "Why, I think that's a Shadow Flit! They're quite rare, you know."
"I knew you were going too fast," the female voice replied in a regretful tone, then after a pause, exclaimed, "it moved, did you see that, Geb? You didn't kill them!"

Chapter two

Halima stirred, feeling a cold metal pressed against his back and a peculiar, soft fabric covering over parts of his body. His eyes were still tightly shut, not wanting to see where he was, and what fate would become of him.
Pain was everywhere, his back, his head, and most noticeably, his right leg. His heart felt like it was leaping right out of his chest as he wondered nervously what was going to happen to him, he could be taxidermy-ed for all he knew!
He just had to open his eyes, he had to know what was going on, before he was killed, in the least.
It took a few strenuous moments for his eyes to adjust to the light, but he could see now; and what he saw confused him greatly. In a room of some sort -- he lay in a large metal cage, surrounded by other animals. Wolves, miniature mountain lions, rodents, and even a number of birds, that tweeted away their loud songs in an annoying fashion, nothing like the birds of the forest.
"Why do you wolves look so . . . weird?" Halima found himself asking a black wolf that lay in a cage close to his own.
The wolf raised his head, staring at him and looking a bit confused. "Huh, are you talking to me?" Halima nodded his head, and the wolf added slowly, "I'm not a wolf -- I'm a dog."
"A dog? But, you look so much like a wolf," He responded, bewildered, questioning his sanity. "Well . . . what's with the mountain lion over there, why's it so small?"
"Are you calling me small?!" The pale yellow "thing" suddenly cried out, sticking it's head through their bars with its slit, light green eyes. Halima stared at it for a while, not saying anything, he didn't trust himself. "I mean . . . you are a lion of some sort, right?"
The door to the room was abruptly swung open as three viscets walked into the room, all of the awake animals turned to look. The "dog" beside him wagged his tail, "Food!" he exclaimed loudly, (in the language viscets call barking, naturally).
"Well well well," A tall viscet in a white coat said, looking around the cages with a bright smile on his face, "looks like all my patients are doing excellent, even the Shadow Flit looks better." the male continued, Halima slid over to the back of the cage, intently staring at them.
"Are you sure the flit is doing alright, Doc? My mate didn't exactly just lightly tap him." The female that had accompanied the male along with another male remarked.
"Oh yes, the damage could have been much more severe -- for example," Doc paused, kneeling over to Halima's cage, and pointed to several parts of his body. "This guys thoracic or even lumbar vertebrate could have easily broken from the impact of his fall being so forceful, among other things. He's lucky the only thing to really worry about is the broken humerus on his right leg." Doc said in a matter-a-fact voice, turning back to the two other viscets.
"English, please?" The other male asked with a slight laugh, and the Doc complied with a chuckle. "His back could have been broken, but instead, the worst injury this flit has sustained is a bad break on the upper right leg; it's remarkable really."
"What's going to happen to him?" The female wondered aloud, curiosity written in her gentle voice. Halima looked up at the Doctor as she did, awaiting his response. "What is going to happen to me . . ." he thought, alarm bells singing in his mind.
"Well," Doc began, glancing down at the cage, "We can't put him back into the wild, sadly," the Doctor confessed with a heavy sigh, "flitz are born into one specific herd, they aren't the kind of animal that is welcomed, or even wants to join another, and I highly doubt we could find his herd, no matter how hard we tried."
Halima sucked in a breath, shaking slightly. What if this Doctor was right, what if he never found his family?!
"That's horrible," the female viscet responded, looking down at him with a pitiful expression. Halima whined, returning the viscet's gaze. "He won't go to a zoo or anything like that -- will he?" the female questioned.
"Doubtful,'' the Doc replied, putting his paws in his coat pockets, adding, "No, he'll most likely be adopted out to an able bodied viscet willing to tame him at some point."
The female looked over to her mate with a sudden smile, then back to the Doctor. "Would . . . it be possible for us to adopt him?" Doc seemed to ponder the question, scratching the back of his neck. "It depends; are you willing to have the responsibility of owning a rare animal?" the female nodded, and the Doc continued, "can you support them; feed, groom, and have a safe living area, along with giving them the attention they need?"
Halima watched silently as the pair continued to talk, turning towards the black dog. "What does "adopt" mean?" he questioned, the dog laughed a little, saying, "it basically means once you're adopted, they own you." Halima raised an eyebrow, "no one can own me, I just want to get back to my family, that's all." he muttered, head held high. The dog gave out a small laugh again, "we'll see bud, we'll see."

Chapter three

A bump in the road suddenly jolted Halima awake, thrusting him away from the peaceful dream he had moments ago been experiencing. In it, he saw his family running around in a colorful, lush meadow full of many wildflowers, he was also there. Laughing and playing with his youngest sibling, the way she talked still made him smile a little, but he never teased her. Everyone was happy, including him, nothing could've possibly spoiled that moment.
But something did happen.
A pack of wolves had been hiding in the tall grass, and were now attacking the herd one by one. "oh no," he had thought, "I wasn't watching, I should've been paying attention." within moments, the whole herd had vanished, leaving behind pools of dark blood in their place.
"I guess that dream hadn't been so pleasant after all . . ." he remarked to himself, grimacing as he glanced around his cage.


Where was he?

The question came to him in a flash; had he fallen asleep? And where were they taking him?
His heart began to race, the Auras surrounding him shone bright; echoing his stressed and jumbled emotions.
Another bump in the road caused the cage to move upwards and back down again; his right leg banged against the side of the cage this time. He clenched his teeth down as hard as he possibly could, trying to ignore the sting of pain that rushed through it.
Wherever they chose to take him, he was utterly at their mercy. He had absolutely no chance at escape, not now anyway.

A number of hours passed by sluggishly, finding himself unable to sleep. With a small movement, the truck squeaked to a full stop, but, since a large blanket covered his cage, he was unable to see anything. They began moving slowly once more, but soon stopped, yet again. This time, however, he heard the sound of car doors slamming as a presumed viscet or two got out of the vehicle, hearing footsteps as they approached.
The cover on top of his cage was removed, revealing a large house in front of him surrounded by forest and a lazy river, and the pair of viscets from earlier.
Here we are -- our home, and now, your home." the female announced with a vibrant smile spread across her delicate features, staring down at him.
He couldn't help but be drawn to the kind viscet, but then, the memories of his herd came flooding back all at once. "No, no. You don't understand -- I have to get back, I'd never be able to live if something happened to them!" he whined urgently, trying his best to stand, but his weak legs wouldn't allow it.
"Shh, it's going to be alright," the female cooed, putting one paw up to the bars. A low growl escaped his throat, "why can't they understand?" he thought in exasperation, suddenly making up his mind. Force was the only way out of this, he couldn't play nice.
Snapping at the viscets paw, she moved just in time, narrowly missing his teeth. Growling louder now, he banged his antlers against the thick metal bars, managing to stand to his feet with extreme difficulty. Once up, he began ramming his entire body as well into the metal. "Let me out!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, but it simply came out as a distressed howl to the ears of a viscet.
"Poor thing," the female murmured, with a now depressed expression clouding her face as she glanced towards her mate for support. "Are you sure you want to do this?" the male asked slowly, shifting from foot to foot.
"Absolutely." the female replied, with not even a trace of doubt in her confident voice.
He gave one last forceful smack onto the cage bars before collapsing, sighing deeply from the strong strain he had just induced; for nothing.

Chapter four

Soon after his "episode", the flit found himself being taken into a fairly large wooden structure behind the house that was much bigger. That was where he still lay, put into a stall of sorts. He had seen these barns before from afar, they put domesticated horses, sheep, llamas, among other animals in them.
But, never a flit. Not that he had seen, anyway . . .
Although he was in a stall, they still kept him in his cage, probably fearing he could escape somehow.
It was morning now, yesterday they gave him a slab of meat, but he refused to eat it; trying his best to ignore the grumble in my stomach. Maybe if he didn't eat, they would have no choice but to release him?
There was a creak to the left of him, the sound of a door opening shortly after. He pinned his ears back, sliding over to the back of the cage so whomever was there couldn't get too close.

Silence.

Nothing to be heard for what felt like the span of close to five minutes. Raising an eyebrow, he lengthened his neck a bit, attempting to see over the stall door without standing, but found that he couldn't.
At that moment, he heard a loud scraping noise move across the wooden floor towards the stall; causing him to pin his ears back again. It stopped, and the dark head of a viscet popped up, looking down at him with curiosity filled purple eyes.
"Hello," The small viscet whispered, smiling shyly. He couldn't have been much more than eight years old. The flit stared at him, remaining still. "It's ok," they said, "you don't have to talk; just listen."
He tilted his head intrigued, his gaze fixed on the viscling boy. "My name's Zabari . . . you met my mom and dad." he continued, placing his head on his paws on top of the stall door. "I've never seen a real Shadow Flit before, only read about them in school." the viscet paused, intently looking at the Aura's glowing about his body. "I heard about those too -- no one knows where they came from, but I know." his smile became slightly bigger as he murmured, "I think they're magic."
"Zabari, what do you think you're doing in here?" Zabari turned his head away from him instantly, hopping down from whatever platform he had previously been standing on.
"But Mother, I--" Zabari began, but was interrupted. "I told you you couldn't come in here alone, the flit may be injured, but he could still hurt you."
He twitched his ears, trying to see what the two viscets were doing, but it was too hard to stand.
"We can't just keep calling him "flit", mom," Zabari muttered lowly, and there was a pause. "What do you suggest, then?" his mother asked in slight exasperation, and he heard their footsteps coming towards him.
Zabari climbed up the platform once more, staring down at him. He returned the small viscet's gaze, looking into his eyes.
Swirly?" he thought aloud, glancing to his mother. She shook her head with a laugh, "definitely not."
"Fluffy?" the flit snorted, "you better not name me that." Zabari's mother giggled; "even he doesn't like it," Zabari shrugged, "maybe that means he does like it." the mother shook her head with a compassionate smile, looking down at him.
"What about . . . Halima?" she asked, glancing back down at her son. "Huh?" the boy squeaked, making a weird face. "it means "gentle" in our main ethnicity; don't you remember?" his mother questioned, Zabari yawned, saying, "yeah, I guess I remember."
Halima looked from one viscet to another, whining lowly. "Halima . . .'' he thought, somehow, the name seemed to fit him. He'd way rather be called "Halima" than "Fluffy" any day.
"I think he likes it," Zabari admitted regrettably, sighing. "I suppose it's an alright name." he added, perking up a bit.

Chapter five

The days began to fly by the day Halima met Zabari; the little viscet visited him everyday, simply talking to him for hours on end. And somehow, he actually found himself anticipating him coming everyday after this "school" Zabari talked about often. Maybe it was his voice, or the way he looked at him with pure joy, he wasn't sure.
In the back of Halima's mind, always, was the herd. Although he was growing attached to the viscling, he couldn't lose sight of his goal. Once he was better, Halima couldn't stay; he wanted his family more than anything, and he would find them. No matter what it took, he would find his way back home, to where his true home lay, calling him.
Two weeks after Halima's arrival, he stood in his cage, licking his right leg. It felt much better, he could even walk on it a little; not that there was much space in this cage for him to do much.
Hearing the barn door open, he raised his head to see Zabari, holding something in his hand.
"Hey Halima!" he said cheerfully, dangling the item in his hand; it jingled like a sweet song as the boy skipped across the floor. "I have a present for you," he hummed, hopping up his chair so he could see Halima better as he always did. He held the puzzling object up to him, moving it slightly to make it jingle. Halima pulled his head back for a moment, staring at the red and gold "thing" perplexed.
Zabari laughed, enclosing it in his paw, saying, "it's a Christmas bell, mother gave it to me today -- she found it while putting up the decorations." he stopped for a moment, "it's nice having mom and dad around . . . it seems like they're always leaving." Zabari muttered the last word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.
Halima cocked his head, attempting to stick his nose out of the cage to stiff it.
"Christmas . . . I wonder what that means." he wondered, shifting from foot to foot. "You want it?" Zabari asked with a laugh, slowly handing out the bell to him.
Halima paused, suddenly retracting his muzzle back into the bars. He had never allowed a viscet to touch him before, and wasn't altogether sure he wanted to be. Zabari let his paw fall back to the stall door, still holding the bell. "It's okay Halima, I understand." he murmured, eyes downcast. Halima whined, he didn't like when others were sad; he hated it.
Sighing deeply, he put part of his muzzle through the bars until his antlers didn't allow him to go any further. The viscling looked up again, his eyes now wide with a grin.
Zabari held his paw out slowly, he could hear the boy's breath stop as he touched his soft muzzle. Halima flinched for a moment, almost pulling away, but didn't.

* * *

"Halima . . ."

"Halima!"

Halima awoke with an abrupt jerk, opening his eyes. It was dark, he couldn't make anything out besides the illumination provided by the moon, but even that didn't help very much.
Being outside, he could feel the wind on his back and the soothing sound of grass blowing back and forth around him. But, how was this possible? The last time Halima checked he was in a barn.
"So you have a new name now, eh?" Halima whirled to face the voice, only to see his father, mother, and whole herd.
"It's you, it's really you, and everyone! -- how did you find me?" he exclaimed happily, but they all just, stared at him.
"How could you let the viscets tame you, brother?" Halima's eldest brother questioned, with a look of deep disappointment. "You don't understand, they helped heal me, see?" he glanced down at his bandages, but found that they were not longer there. Sucking in a breath of surprise, he looked back towards the herd.

Gone, they had all vanished.

"No!" Halima cried, sprinting into the trees, why would they leave him like this?! It simply wasn't fair, none of this was fair. What did they want him to do, try to break out of a steal cage?
"Trader!" came the voice of his mother as a mere echo from afar.
"I never want to see your face again!" another voice exclaimed angrily, this time that of his youngest sister.
"You're a disgrace to the herd." his eldest brother muttered, suddenly appearing in front of him, causing Halima to trip and fall to the ground, his brother's face was shadowed by the dark woods, but the moon made his face just barely visible; that of sorrow and shame.

* * *

The flit stirred, feeling cold metal touching his face. His eyes began to fill with tears as he recalled the nightmare, whimpering longingly almost completely inaudible.
"It's not fair . . ." he thought, his anger growing steadily as his eye lids lifted to reveal nothing but his cage. Halima laid there, frozen for hours, staring into the black pit of loneliness and utter despair provided by nightfall.
He could not take it anymore . . . he was tired of this cage, tired of the viscet's friendly nature, tired of their games, tired of everything!

Chapter six

"I'm sorry honey, but we have to go," An apologetic, but rushed voice said, their foot steps walking farther away from where Halima lay. Twitching his long graceful ears, he listened to the conversation.
"But mother -- father, what if you're not home on Christmas Eve?" came another voice, this time he knew it was Zabari.
"Don't worry son, we will almost definitely be back Christmas day, be good while we're gone, okay?" Zabari's father ordered, a second later a car door shut. "You can't do this to me! It's not fair!" the viscling exclaimed angrily, as a car engine came roaring to life, Zabari continued to yell out useless words; gravel crunched and wheels turning soon made its way to Halima's ears as the car drove speedily away.
A loud growl came reverberating from the small viscet's throat, his footsteps coming towards Zabari now at full speed.
The barn door abruptly opened, a whirl of bone chilling air blowing into the barn. Zabari didn't even bother to close it as the viscling hopped onto his chair and screamed madly.
Halima stared at him, baffled, he had never seen Zabari so angry before.
"You would not believe what just happened," the viscet exclaimed loudly, flailing his arms about like that of the insane. "My parents left me, all because of their stupid job, when it's almost Christmas!" Zabari calmed down a little bit, taking in a deep breath, he continued. "I never want to see them again." he muttered, looking down at Halima with misty eyes.
Halima looked up at the boy, forming an idea. He no longer had much sympathy for what Zabari was going through, he knew he'd forget all about what his parents had done in a week or less anyways. Why should he care, when Zabari's father was the one who had injured him and taken him away from his family?

No.

He didn't care in the slightest, but maybe the child's emotional state could help him. Halima stood, nudging his cage as he stared at Zabari. Zabari glanced from the cage to the flit with a confused look on his dark gray face. "Are you hungry?" he asked, causing Halima to bang on the cage harder.
"Do you . . . want out?" he questioned slowly, grimacing with regret at even asking. Halima ceased banging, now beginning to whine lowly.
The boy bit his lip, he could see him even quiver slightly, debating on what to do. "Only if you promise not to run away, okay?" Zabari murmured, lowering his paw to the first bolt of three on the cage. The first slid back with ease, but the other two were too low for the viscling to reach. Jumping off his chair, he opened the stall door and reached for the second bolt, sliding it back slowly.
Halima glared at the third eagerly, shifting from foot to foot as a shiver of excitement ran down his spine. He would be free in a matter of moments! Soon, he would find his family, he would find a way; he had to.
Zabari clinched his teeth as he tugged at the bolt as hard as he could, stopping for a moment. "I don't think I can do it, it's stuck, I'm sorry."
Halima whined more, banging his antlers on the cage again. Zabari couldn't give up now, this would probably be his only chance of escape for a long time, maybe his only chance!
The boy sighed, giving the bolt another forceful tug; hearing the metal bar begin to loosen. "Just a little more . . ." he thought enthusiastically, as the bar moved slowly out of the latch.
With a loud clink the bar slid out of place, causing the viscling to fall back, signalling his freedom.
Bursting from the cage, he glanced around the barn; his eyes soon fell on the open barn door straight ahead.
"Halima?" he spun his head quickly, eyes now landing on Zabari who stood in the stall door, despair written in his features, like he knew Halima was going to run at any moment.
He stood there, watching the boy; painfully silent. This was his chance, no turning back, no regrets.
Wrenching his eyes away and turning them back to the barn door, he bolted into a full on sprint out of the large barn. An explosion of cold air smacked him in the face the second he was out of the barn, he hadn't realized the last time he had been outside was so long, it had been much warmer than now, so his fur hadn't adjusted into its natural winter coat he would've grown from being outside.
"Halima, no!" the words of Zabari echoed in Halima's mind, running as fast as he could through the thick, blindingly white snow. His eyes finally began to adjust to the brightness as he dodged large pine trees and jumped over small ditches, freedom was his now, all his.

But, how would he find the herd?

He tried to ignore the question for now, opting to worry about that later, he had to get a certain distance away from civilization just in case the viscling called for help. No matter what, he was never going back, not now, not ever.
Soaring over a large fallen log in his path, just as his paws touched the ground his mind suddenly clicked into place that his right leg was far from completely healed yet, causing the flit to tumble into the deep snow.
Struggling to get back on his feet, Halima took in a deep breath of air as his head emerged from the perfectly put mound of snow. Slowly but surely, he inched onto his feet once more, they shook slightly, as his Aura's grew bright. "I can do this," he thought, putting more pressure on his right leg, it stung, but was somewhat bearable.
"Halima!" he jumped, startled by the voice coming from close by, he had to go faster, or else Zabari could actually catch up to him. Beginning to run again, trying his best to avoid any ruts or rocks, he eventually came into a sprint once more, scarcely managing to keep up the pace as his right leg and various other parts of his body showed their utter displeasement at going so fast without little warning when he was still healing.
The first speckles of falling snow began to pour from the sky as he slowed to a walk, running was simply too stressful and he had already tripped three times over the period of half an hour or maybe even less. Catching his breath, he attempted to keep the weight off his right leg to ease the throbbing pain, eventually giving up all together.
Halima suddenly felt extremely lonely -- there was nothing around, not even a bird to sing a song to him, or a stream gurgling; even the falling snowflakes were dead silent. Thinking back to Zabari, he wondered if the viscling was all alone in his big house, his parents were gone so he probably was. It must be so very lonesome, waiting for your mother and father to come home all the time. He shook his head, pushing the thoughts out of his mind; it wasn't his fault.
But in a way, it was. If he had stayed, both of them wouldn't be so alone right now.
The snow picked up speed before Halima knew it; thrusting itself down from the heavens with a vengeance, tiny icicles formed near he eyes and fur, and it became increasingly difficult to make out the path in front of him.
Shaking uncontrollably from the blood freezing temperatures, his teeth chattered loudly, feeling his legs weaken with every step, while his head felt more heavy than usual. Flakes of snow refused to stop batting his thin coat mercilessly; they felt like hundreds of tiny ice pebbles were being thrown at him, and melting into his skin.
Finally, he just couldn't take it anymore. Curling up under an old oak tree, he closed his eyes, giving into whatever would become of him.
He felt ashamed; ashamed that he was too weak to find he way back to his family, too weak to do what they had wanted him to do, he had failed them, failed everyone he had ever cared about, even Zabari -- and punishment was never seeing any of them again, followed by a slow death.
Snow started to pile on top of him like a white blanket, his whole body stung as ice dissolved through his fur, but strangely enough; he ceased to shiver. He actually felt . . . warm? Or was he going numb to the sensation of cold? Halima relaxed, feeling his mind slip away into unconsciousness.

Chapter seven

Whisked away into his dreams, Halima forgot about his impending demise; envisioning jumping into the hot spring him and his family had once found, splashing water onto his brothers and sisters in a playful manner as he laughed blissfully.
He felt a soft paw touch his shoulder as he dreamt; thinking it part of the dream. The paw shook him now, causing his fantasy to abruptly fade away. Refusing to open his eyes, he pinned his ears back in annoyance. Couldn't the wolves let him die in peace? They could feast on him later.
Both paws shook him very forcefully now, a muffled voice accompanying it as well, but he couldn't make it out in his groggy state. Moaning, the flit opened his eyes lazily, attempting to rub the snow from his face so half of his vision wasn't just whiteness. His body felt incredibly stiff; he could barely move his legs.
There was a dark, blurry figure that stood out from the immense white surrounding him as the storm raged on, he blinked a few times, trying his best to focus. Their purple eyes stood out from everything else, Halima smiled slightly, even though he couldn't feel his face.
"Why would you do that, Halima?!" Zabari exclaimed loudly above the noise of the blizzard, hurriedly rubbing away the snow on Halima. "If I hadn't gone after you, you would've died!" he continued shakily, his voice beginning to crack. "I . . . I could have never lived with myself."
Halima swallowed hard, fighting the powerful urge to cry as he tried to move his legs to stand. "Luckily, I brought this, so I can guide you back." Zabari held up a peculiar red and green object, just as the boy fastened it around his head. He didn't resist, knowing the viscling would never harm him, plus he didn't have the strength. "C'mon, we have to get back," Zabari ordered, attaching a rope to the "thing" on his head and pulling on it. Halima fought against it for a brief moment, wrenching his head in the opposite way.
"You have to stand, can you do that?" the viscling asked, looking down at him. He groaned, trying to stand by lifting his legs up a bit, they immediately gave way. "Halima, you can do it!" Zabari urged, tugging at the rope in an attempt to help. He tried again, using his left leg first, it lifted, followed by the hind legs and finally his right leg. "You did it!" Zabari exclaimed happily, jumping up and down.
He whined, hesitating to walk; his legs wobbled from laying down in the cold for who knows how long, and he already felt tired. Zabari took a step closer to him, and hesitating for a moment, put a reassuring paw on his sleek neck. "I know it's hard to walk . . . but, you gotta try, or we'll be stuck out here." Halima sighed, glancing around at his bleak surroundings.
Taking on step forward with his left, the leg wobbled, but didn't collapse. Another step, he ignored the sting of pain that shot down his leg, and kept walking. "That's it!" Zabari exclaimed enthusiastically, jogging with him through the winter wonderland of deep snow with everything around them covered in a stunning sheet of white, as snowflakes rained down upon them.

"There!" Halima squinted, trying to see what Zabari saw as they ran. Perking his ears, he made out a structure in the near distance. They both sped up with a growing excitement as the storm still waged on at full force, but even it could not slow them down now.
He could see it more clearly at this point, panting hard as the pair approached. His throat felt dry, his feet ached, and he felt like a living icicle. But Zabari had somehow done it; he had found the way back . . . home.
The two pushed the barn door open, immediately feeling the change of temperature from inside. Zabari quickly slammed the door shut, leaning his weight on a nearby wall as he caught his breath.
Halima puffed out his chest; taking a deep breath in and out, as he started to move towards the closest stall that had a bed of hay. Allowing his fatigued, shaky legs to sink beneath him, he laid down in the stall, content.
Zabari appeared at the stall door with a faint smile, leisurely shuffling over to the flit and situating himself next to Halima.
"You know how I found you?" the viscling questioned, glancing down at him. Halima raised his head a bit, staring at the boy. "I followed your prints, yes; but after awhile they faded away," he continued, yawning sleepily. "One of your Aura's found me somehow, so I followed them, and found you." Halima stared at the glowing Aura's surrounding him; mystified.
"I knew it all along," Zabari remarked with a grin, "they're magic."

--
I've been working on this for awhile now.. but now I'm mostly done ^.^ It is a tryout form for this flit. I'd love some helpful critique! I know it's not perfect by any means, but I quite like how it turned out<3

[Ranger of the North]

Aw. I like how it turned out, too! I did spot a few grammatical mistakes, but they don't make it hard to read, and it's a lovely story 😊

[~Teya~]

Aw. I like how it turned out, too! I did spot a few grammatical mistakes, but they don't make it hard to read, and it's a lovely story 😊

eek thanks so much, Ranger ! --And yeah, I haven't reread it yet so I'll probably fix them later! =D