< viscet #2457 tryout | "I miss you." >

[Lioashu]

username: humerussin
name: teika
gender: male
gender for breeding purposes: male

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"I miss you."

[Lioashu]

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❁

full name..........................teika
gender.............................male
pronouns......................he / him
d.o.b..................march 15th, ????
build.....................above average
size......................above average

main theme
next to me - imagine dragons

❁

[ habits ] xx Some of Teika's major habits would be forgetting to respond to others when he's deep in thought. He doesn't ever really forget what he's doing or what lies in the future or past, but when he is thinking his mind almost seems to leave him. He ponders so many things in life that he loses track of his time or continuing conversations. Eventually, with some patience he will reply.

Another notable habit of his is subconsciously swishing or thumping his tail when he feels uneasy. If something is bothering him - like a feeling of coming dread or danger - he lets others around him know, even if he doesn't mean to. Sometimes it may even happen for no reason, which startles those who have figured out his odd quirks.

[ trivia ] xx Teika's approach is preceded by a sudden appearance of a bunny or "fluffle" of bunnies, usually dusted lightly with gold (although it is difficult to see from a distance). Even he doesn't know exactly why, but these bunnies represent him in one way or another.

He also is able to appear to others as a teal and gold bunny to act as a spiritual guide. Or, in some other cases, he will merely use a sort of gold dust to create lines of guidance. In most folktales that are retold of him, Teika appears in either of these forms.

ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ

< pacifist - honest - loyal - sympathetic - semi-dependent - simple - adventurous >

positive

Teika is one of very few viscets in Albira that prefer to approach situations with a pacifist attitude. He’ll suppress his emotions to focus on defusing escalating issues or calmly figure out solutions. It allows him to be more efficient in facing anger or hostility, and it’s like he completely changes when he’s dead set on finding a fix. All names called or tough attitudes completely soar over his head as he couldn’t care less. He just wishes for everyone to be collected and content once again, so he ignores when they try to have a jab at him. What’s important in that time is to find the most peaceful way out, whether it’s clear at first or not. Teika wouldn’t hesitate to metaphorically fight for it if he has to.

It doesn’t take long for other viscets to really know what Teika’s character is like. Something that remains consistent in his interactions with others is his honesty. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he will always speak his mind, but when he does, he is speaking the honest truth. Should he seek a second opinion on how to improve himself, he would look to others. Teika takes his word seriously, so if he is unsure of something, he avoids giving it. Even if it took him a whole year to return to a viscet’s settlement to help them, he will put forth his utmost effort. This ties in with his loyalty, as Teika won’t be afraid to stand alone for what’s right.

Having sympathy for others is one of the crucial building blocks for a peace-lover. Most of the time, this assists Teika in pushing for a stop to conflict. He cares for those around him and how they feel, so he tries his best to take it into consideration.

One of the prominent examples of Teika being simple is how he appreciates the little things in life. Whether it’s enjoying the sun rising and setting each day, stargazing, and spending as much time as he can with those he cares about. He has clear goals in life and obvious mannerisms that nearly every viscet around him becomes familiar with. He believes every little thing in life should be appreciated, not taken for granted. He also believes everything happens for a reason - whether it’s good or not, some things were simply meant to be.

Thanks to the time he’s spent with his mate, he’s become far more adventurous than he was when he arrived at Riffledge. He was quite dependent on him, relying on him for emotional and physical support when everything gets too difficult.

negative

< day-dreamer - absent-minded - selfless >

Though pushing his emotions aside when dealing with a situation can hurt him. It can become a problem further down the line, as he doesn’t deal with bottling them up well. Inevitably he will erupt sooner or later, and possibly almost hurt those around him. This pairs up negatively with his selfless mindset, as Teika can forget to take a moment for himself. Without a break, he can fall apart emotionally and mentally.

A major drawback of Teika’s personality is that he is often selfless, putting other’s problems before his. It’s most noticeable when he is dealing with issues other viscets or creatures are having. Not that he doesn’t value his life at all - he does care for himself, it’s just not one of his top priorities. Teika also wants to ensure he tries to live to stay with his mate, but he isn’t afraid to risk limb for bringing peace to others and have a lasting effect on the world.

Sometimes Teika becomes caught up in his emotions or thoughts, eventually mentally “leaving” the world around him. It’s not that he desires to ignore others, or intentionally hurt anyone, but it’s a subconscious act he does. Thankfully it is less destructive than what can happen when he contains his emotions, but it can lead to negative thoughts or beliefs. He knows they aren't accurate or may be exaggerations of what he actually is like, but he can’t help it. His mate usually makes it better, though, by snapping him out of his thoughts. Other times he may make him destress with healthier activities like hiking.

[Lioashu]

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Sparrows flapped about between the trees, chirping and chattering their songs as they communicated to one another. A breeze gently rocked the trees and the white noise of rustling leaves filled the air. The trees were densely grown, with thick trunks and thousands upon thousands of lush green leaves. Foliage blocked most of the space left between each towering trunk, creating a safe space for little critters. It was tranquil in the very early land of Albira, for once.

Beyond this refuge lied a realm of constant war and often fatal battles to survive between many different species. They fought for dominance over the area’s resources and territories like bloodthirsty beasts, with most fights concluding with death. As a result, some kinds were dwindling to extinction and hiding or withering away as the last of their kin. Families were being torn apart, and being left alone for longer than a day was a true miracle in the pacifist's eyes.

It was the first few years of the life of Albira, when new species were revealing themselves and clashing violently with one another. It was no pretty sight for sure, but without these events, future peace would never have been. Comparing the present to now was like comparing a grassy plain to an erupting volcano and expecting them to be the same. In this land, a common belief was that everything happened for a reason, and that statement was certainly true for this point in time.

Within the one ray of sunlight and peaceful quiet lived a numbered Viscet family. A proud mother and father stood vigilant with their round, teal, and gold colored egg; they had worked so hard to keep themselves alive, as having a child in this time was incredibly dangerous and proved to be a great risk on their lives. A crying viscling was as much of a beacon as meat on a platter, but they felt it was worth it. All the mother had wanted was a family and a tranquil home, but that was a lot to ask for at this point in time. Her mate felt the same as she did, even if it was a challenging task to take on, they held their heads high and remained brave through it. Nothing would be more rewarding to them than seeing their family continue down the line and make a difference in the world, whether it was big or small.

The mother encompassed the egg with her body, transferring warmth to it. She knew it would hatch sometime soon, as movement was notable from within the egg’s shell; not to mention, it had been some time since its laying, and the sooner it hatched the better. She was distracted by the noises outside their den when an abrupt crack grabbed her attention. A large chunk of the shell had now fallen off onto the floor, and inside, something was stirring. Cracks were forming on the surface, indicating more pieces would be soon falling off. Quiet viscling chirps could be heard from inside, and it’s mother’s chest swelled with pride.

They had accomplished something no other pair of parents had during that period of war and constant endangerment.


Their first born child.

[Lioashu]

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A small, orange and white viscling approached a looming statue in the back of a shallow cave. Sunlight poured in at the entrance, but the rest was shadowed by the rocky ceiling above. Dried flowers, foods, and other various offerings littered on the floor surrounded the viscet statue. The viscling softly set down a small bag of gold coins next to one of the feet planted on the ground, sat back, and faced the oddly realistic figure. Three solid horns sprouted from the top of the viscet’s head pointing up towards the sky, and two long tendrils grew from the end of its snout seeming to wave freely and magnificently around the viscet. A long, tapering tail curled around the base of the statue protectively, and ended in a bushy tail tuft; much fluffier and longer than a normal viscet’s.

The viscling, Capricorn, had been visiting this cave for some time. Many stories and folktales circulated the meaning and purpose of it and it’s cold inhabitant - the statue, of course - tales of courageousness and a bringer of peace to the land of Albira. Legend says that the purest of hearts could come here to seek answers, and possibly receive some, from the being himself. Capri looked up to this figure, immensely motivated to be just as great as he was someday. In his current life, he was alone - of course, by choice - and off on his own personal journey. He’d left the safety of his parent’s comfort and sought inner peace and to help other viscets in whatever ways he could. Capri noticed a pot of dry flowers that appeared to be out of place, and pushed them aside. Behind them was a gold plate that read TEIKA.

“I’m back again, today,” he began, eyes trained on the ground. “I’m trying my best to help keep this town safe. Another group of bandits has been trying to raid them, but we’ll be left alone now. I don’t know what they’d do if they found out about this,” he gestured to the entire cave, which he saw as sacred. “You were a great warrior, Teika. How did you do it?” The viscling gazed up at the statue, but it said nothing in return. He sighed. “Perhaps it isn’t true…” Capri muttered and bowed his head in disappointment. As he stood up to leave, his legs suddenly tumbled beneath him, and in the process of falling his paw latched onto the tail tuft of the viscet statue.

A visible shockwave of yellow-gold aura lit up the cave, causing the viscling to scramble back onto his feet and quickly step backward. The ring around the effigy flew out, passing through the many objects in the cave and heading straight for Capricorn. He squealed in fear, closing his eyes shut tightly as it flew through him, nearly blowing him over with a gust of wind. Stray petals and debris were blown out of the cave from the blast. For a few heartbeats, nothing seemed to happen, and then he slowly opened his eyes again.

Without warning, his senses were flooded with images and sounds. There were screams, yowls, views of the ancient land and most prominently, all of it came from Teika’s view. In each moment he saw some part of the viscet in his sights, deep turquoise and golden. It was all happening too fast for Capri to register exactly what he was seeing or hearing, but by the time he made sense of any of it, it stopped. The cave was silent again, dark and dull beside the daylight outside. His mind was spinning and his ears were ringing from the abrupt return of silence.

A whirl of wind entered the cave, swooping past the viscling again and straight to the Teika statue. Capri watched on in mixed awe and horror as the once greyish silver figure transformed into brilliant shades of green and blue, with gold accents lining his body. His sides began moving once again, taking shallow breaths and gradually increasing to deeper breaths as he readjusted to oxygen. His eyes were turquoise and flaxen orbs of confusion and disorientation as he attempted to figure out what exactly happened. Teika’s expression only moments before was depressed, and lonely, but now it was morphed into surprise. He frantically moved his paws around, as if searching for something that should have been there.

“H-how…?” Capri began, speechless at what he just witnessed. He always had believed that statue to be a mere rough representation of what Teika looked like at his prime, but he would never have guessed it was him in a dormant state. The bulkier viscet stumbled forward, getting used to feeling his body again, then carefully laying down on the ground and stretching out his lengthy tail.


< 🐉 >


Teika wasn’t too sure of what happened to bring him back here, but he does remember all too well why he was in that form.

Why he wasn’t with his dear love.

Pain struck his heart like the burning talons of a drake, wrapping its claws around him and searing his chest. For a moment it became all too much for him to emotionally and physically handle, and he nearly collapsed. When Teika remembered there was a viscling in his company, he swallowed his sorrow and faced him, expecting the questions he would have. The last thing he wanted, deep down, was to immediately answer queries after being comatose for so long. He didn’t want to disappoint the viscling or possibly even destroy his hopes.

As Teika adapted to active life again, he peered around at his surroundings, taking it all in. His eyes narrowed at the various offerings placed around him, as well as the spoiled foods. It all appeared to be a waste of resources and possibly even time, but he made no comments. What concerned him more was why exactly they were there. Surely no one remembered him and how he affected society now? He hoped he left a big enough mark on the world, but given some time, some things can be forgotten.

“How did you get here?” Capricorn finished his question, at last, letting himself be overcome by curiosity. It wasn’t every day a viscet slumbers for countless years or so, let alone suddenly leave that state in the presence of another. Teika could understand his confusion, but the story was another whole situation he’d figured he would need to face eventually. “It’s a long story,” he croaked, exercising his vocal cords for the first time in who knows exactly how long; his throat felt dry and weak.

“I have plenty of time,” Capri perked up, “however long it takes. Start from the beginning if you need to!” The little viscling couldn’t help as the words spilled out, as he wanted to know how Teika became the legend he was today. There were so many things he didn’t know about him, and rumors circulating that needed to be put to rest. Without realizing how overpowering his excitement was, he pressed his paws on his snout and hid in embarrassment and shame. To his disappointment, Teika shook his head and trained his eyes on the ground. “I can’t,” he uttered and made the mistake of meeting eyes with Capri. To Teika’s dismay, he couldn’t help but feel guilty after seeing the pleading look on his face. If there was one thing that was his biggest weakness, it would be his sympathy for others around him.

“...Alright, alright,” he grumbled in defeat. He picked up on Capri’s eager feelings for what he had to say, wearing a weak smile. Teika still felt his senses were raw and overwhelmed by sounds, smells, and most notably the feel of the world around him. Being in a dormant form was much like sleep, where one doesn’t feel time passing so rapidly; except there were no dreams. It was like being in a world of calm darkness for some time to think for himself. With too much time to think, Teika drowned in his depression, succumbing to negative thoughts and sorrow. It was about time he faced what happened.

“Can I drink some water, first? I’m parched,” Teika crackled out slowly, and Capri led him out of the cave over the grassy hillside. It was a difficult climb down for the adult viscet, as he was familiarizing himself with his body again.

The two viscets remained by the waterside for some time, with the larger of the pair crouching occasionally to dip his muzzle into the pool. Outside it was tranquil, with birds flapping overhead to their respective nests and feeding their offspring. A light breeze was brushing its fingers through the grass, allowing for some white noise among the quiet. Oh, how Teika missed this all so much; if only his mate could be here. His mannerisms were so cheerful and confident, always wearing a genuine smile. He would have loved feeling the blissful grace of the wind around him. His heart ached, wishing for nothing more in the world than to see him smile once again.

When they returned, Teika laid back on the ground, conserving energy and recovering from his stasis. Capricorn sat in front of him intently, with his paws placed neatly before him. They had a good few feet between them, in respect of personal space. The viscet took some time to himself as he recollected his thoughts, while the eager younger viscling awaited his story. A story he had been wishing to hear his entire existence, and never would’ve believed he’d one day be standing before the one viscet he looked up to most in life. The thought left the viscling feeling a little giddy inside.

“My life started with peace and quiet, despite the area around it being destructive. My parents were breathlessly awaiting my birth, as not many creatures were thinking of offspring during that time. Instead, they were focused on war and dominance.” As he closed his eyes, his mind dipped back into his past, enabling him to explain the events further in detail.


< 🐉 >


The teal viscling looked around as he peered from the comfort of his eggshell, and he stared curiously up at his mother. With a quiet jumble of chatter, he stumbled out and wobbled on frail legs. Ungracefully, he flopped over onto the ground due to instability. Golden stubs were evident on his head, and his body seemed ever so slightly longer than average; in fact, it almost looked as if he had been stretched out. His parents weren’t quite aware yet of the signs of Teika being different, but they hadn’t cared. They finally had a child, even if it was incredibly dangerous to all of their lives.

“When I first hatched, my parents should have known I wasn't normal right then and there. My best guess is they were too joyful to have a child that they never cared or minded. Not that I wasn't grateful for the parents I was born from, of course.” He reminisced, going off of faded memories from around his birth. “They were a wonderful early influence of being kind to others. Not going off of looks, but character and morals.”

Capri piped up, after making sure the viscet was done speaking for a moment. “That sounds like what a lot of viscet societies go off of today. It makes life a lot easier and less stressful for us all.”

Teika couldn't help but smile at his words. “I'm glad. So very, very glad…”

After a few moments, the mother scooped up Teika and brought him into their den, her mate following closely behind. Clouds were quickly covering the sky, blown in by higher winds and darkened with dense particles of water. It wouldn’t be too long until they would have another storm, which could provide viable cover for them and their child for the time. Preferably, it would have some thunder as well, but even rain would be just enough to cover their scents.

As downpour drizzled in, Teika’s gentle cries slowly died out as he grew drowsy. His mother gingerly nuzzled the top of his head and kissing it, still training her eyes at the entrance of their little cave. She couldn’t help but still worry, even if they were safe for now. She didn't know if something could burst through their door - metaphorically - at any time or not, and she preferred to be safe rather than sorry.

One of the advantages their little family had, was that since viscets lay eggs instead of live birth, Teika’s mother wasn’t weakened or lethargic. She would be fully alert and at a peak state of attention to best help protect her son or her mate. Having been born and raised in such a cruel world, combat was one of her most feasible means of survival. Teika’s mother curled her tail around him protectively, weighing her options. What if she did have to run? Where would they even be able to go? For the moment she wasn't sure of the locations of other shelters.

Their reclusive patch of thick trees and vegetation was one of the lesser known parts of the world. It took Teika’s parents roughly an entire year to find such a remote place, let alone secure it for themselves. A stream ran by just on the border, providing them with almost everything they needed for several months or even another year. However, with coming change and other territorial animals, they will need to migrate to another safe location. It was a daunting task to even think about, especially with their child, but if they just had enough time, perhaps Teika can help too. Yet they concerned themselves with negative and frightening thoughts, such as needing to move away even sooner, or worse, losing their only child as well as having to escape.

Sometimes they would feel a little guilty for having Teika, even if only for a moment. The feeling wouldn’t last long once they thought of what he could possibly do for the world.

Teika’s parents shared a fretful glance, seeming to share the same thoughts. They grimaced as the rain outside morphed into bucketfuls, but realized it could hide them better than they thought. Taking a break from their stressful reality, they rested their eyes on Teika’s peaceful form, sides moving rhythmically and twitching as he quietly dreamed. It was a heartwarming sight for them to behold, and it took his mother some self-control to not fawn over him and wake him from his tranquil slumber. He needed it, after all.

The longer-term weather of their area retained moisture in the air, with showers returning often. It provided the little family cover for their young viscling and plenty of water. It strengthened the growth located around them, acting as a natural force to be reckoned with.

Over the next few months of Teika’s early life, he and his parents were left in unsettling peace. It was quite unnerving, especially for his mother and father who expected something to happen at any time. Even though it was honestly quiet compared to the outside world, they were always fearing the worst could happen later that day, or the next. Sometimes when they looked back on it, Teika’s parents wished they had at the very least, relaxed a little earlier. It would’ve made the future events a little more bearable instead of causing them to snap after so many months of paranoia.

“I wish I hadn’t caused so much stress on them. Their lives would have been far easier and quieter,” Teika laughed half-heartedly at his second comment, but his gaze drooped.

Teika emerged from the same den him and his parents took refuge in. He was becoming stronger on his legs, though he preferred to walk on all four for better balance and reliability. Soon he would learn how to travel quicker bipedal, but for now, four is all he needed. Scales were becoming more prominent in patches of his feathers, especially towards his feet. Scruffs began forming on his muzzle as well, making way for whiskers. Teika’s body and tail were also exceeding normal lengths, causing him to stand out from his parents more and more as he grew. They never outright commented on it, but sometimes, he wondered if they really cared he was different.

For the third time that week, Teika was leaving the den to go play with large butterflies dancing in shades of reds, oranges, and yellows. The grass was growing as tall as the viscling was, providing nearly perfect cover to practice dashing around through. Picking his way curiously in the shorter circle of grass, Teika flopped back onto his haunches, staring with wide-eyed amazement at a blue butterfly taking refuge on the end of his nose.



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In the course of the next few minutes or so, the one thing that startled Teika the most was his mother flying protectively towards him, then spinning towards something he couldn’t see past her. His mother’s snarls rumbled through her body, and Teika pressed up against her for comfort as he grew rapidly petrified with fear. When he finally saw past her, he completely froze.

A beast towered over him and his mother, easily covering them in its shadow. Jagged tendrils and spikes protruded from its back, razor sharp and intimidating. Its jowl hung wide open, showing off rows of teeth and saliva. Teika couldn’t bring himself to look away, and his mother definitely didn’t take a chance. Despite being unable to see it, Teika knew his mother was showing her canines back, face twisted in turbulent defense.

“Teika,” she commanded, “Go. Now.”

“M-mom-” he began but was cut off by his mother snapping at one of the feet of the beast, who was taking another step towards them. Without waiting to hear what she had to say next, he bolted away into the thick tree border. As he was sprinting away, he suddenly dipped into the ground and tumbled into an abandoned burrow. It was barely large enough to accompany him with space to breathe, but that was its limit. Teika’s ears pricked forward, listening hard to what he heard in the distance. His mother was growling and showing all signs of warning before he heard his father cut in and taunt the creature. Following his voice, it stormed away after him in the opposite direction of Teika’s hiding place.

“I don’t know what I would have done if I lost my mother or even my father that early on. I was still too young to support myself, and all I knew was how to run and hide on a mediocre level. My parents were far, far better at reacting to tough situations like that on a whim.” Teika shook his head, nearly losing track of what place he was at.

A few minutes later, he picked up on the sounds of his mother calling for him - quietly, to be safe - and he crawled out of the hole and bounded in her direction. As they embraced, she leaned down to whisper to him. “Your father led it away. He’ll be back by sundown to be sure.”

“Okay…” Teika murmured back, though he couldn’t help but worry for his father. He knew he was capable of doing such a thing very easily, but he wasn’t sure he would return unscathed.

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[Lioashu]

When Teika went silent for a moment, he looked over to find Capri intently listening. “What happened to your father after?” He queried, mouth hanging slightly agape in awe. “He was okay after, right?” Worry hung heavy in his voice, and the viscet picked up quickly on it.

Teika began the climb back up to the cave, with Capri lingering behind him.

“I remember he came home bearing a scar or two. Definitely, something my mother wasn’t too happy about,” the viscet averted his eyes. “She always wanted all of us to live our lives without a scratch. Of course, that’s too much to wish for in an awful world.” Teika flexed and stretched his claws thoughtfully, his iridescent teal scales shimmering as sunlight filtered into the cave and reflected off of them. “It was just something you only could wish for, but you know it’ll never happen. Things were too risky, too dangerous, especially if you lived in a small group.”

Midday light shone outside, bathing them in oranges and yellows. Tiny dust particles floated through the air, becoming lit by the rays and illuminating to brilliant yellows and whites. Something just seemed so peaceful about being a little particle, swimming through the air and not worrying about the past or the future, but instead what object was easiest to cling to. Teika envied them.

When Teika still lived with his parents, they took their time teaching him the ways of pacifism. Of course, he also had to learn to watch his own back; if he didn’t, pacifist ways would lead him straight to his end. With their teachings, they placed their hopes in him that maybe he would pass them on to others and end this period of violence. It was a lot to place on the young viscling, but as he grew, he learned to bear it more and more easily each coming day. Not that Teika believed in himself all that much in the beginning.

He still would live to appreciate how they helped him, even if he only was able to live with his parents for such a short time. They left their mark on his life, and most species don’t normally remember their parents or care for them after parting with them. Survival skills were learned later on in their lives when they’ve been surviving on their own - or, even quicker when they remained with another group. A strong belief at the time was that violence was the only real answer, and Teika’s parents always looked down upon what the world was like.

“Roughly four months later in my life,” he broke the few heartbeats of silence, “I was forced to part from my parents. Threats found their way too easily to our once safe home, and I lost my parents fleeing. My best guess is they are gone, now…” he trailed off, seeming to regret saying the last half of his thoughts. He really hadn’t wanted to let them go, but with how nature is, he would’ve died staying there. Teika put his parents’ lives at risk for long enough, and he hoped they eventually found peace somewhere. It was difficult to hide his ragged sigh of unease.

“What exactly happened…?” Capri asked, careful with each word, like handling pieces of thin glass. It was dangerous territory to wander into, even if he was driven by his curiosity. Teika tried his best not to become defensive and shove him away, never to speak to another viscet again. It was a great melancholy feeling overwhelming him, and shutting him down that caused him to enter his sort of dormant, hibernation state. He didn’t want to remember why that occurred.

The teal and gold viscet went quiet, tossing around the memories in his mind. Slumbering for so long was easier than relaying his life story to a viscling, so he took his time before responding to him. The moment flashed back into his vision, and he could see it replaying again in his head. “It was a normal day at first. No clouds dotted the skies or blocked out the sun. Light poured over our little part of the chaos, peaceful and for once, left alone. That didn’t last too long, as you’d expect. They were migrating our way, bringing destruction and discord in their wake...”

Scaled and plated creatures dragged their scarred carcasses across the dusty stretch of land, meandering purposefully towards the isolated spot of forest, intentions malevolent. They weren’t prepared at all for another severe or even possibly fatal battle, so when Teika’s father spotted them storming the trees outside, he quietly but urgently alarmed everyone. Unfortunately, they never had the time to dig other exits to their den besides the main entrance. All they had to protect themselves was a cave with one, viscet-sized entrance.

The beast sniffed outside around the grass, picking up on their scent easily. Teika and his family could do nothing but hold their breath and wait until the creature left them alone. Of course, that would’ve been too easy to deal with; instead, they came straight for their hiding place. A shadowy figure fell over the cave, followed by beady eyes peering in. The viscet family’s stomachs sank when it snarled, clearly trying to bring the attention of every creature in a mile radius to their location.

“It felt like all of our thoughts merged into one, even if for just a moment - we knew the next few minutes would change our lives forever. Whether it was someone losing their life, or all of us parting ways, we mentally said our farewells. That was the last time I felt ‘connected’ to my parents.” Tears secretly made their ways to the edges of his eyes, and blinking ended in vain. “I love and miss them so dearly.”

Teika could feel ice in his veins spreading throughout his body to his core. Maybe there was some safe way out, by some stroke of luck him and his parents could escape safely? He knew though that raising his hopes would only make it harder on him when things went awry. His gold and green eyes scanned their den for anything, any objects that could possibly be used to their advantage. All he found were pebbles, too small to really do much damage to the threats. Perhaps they could be used some other way?

When the gears began turning in his head, he took one look at his parents and set his plan in motion. Gathering several pebbles in his paws, he edged closer to the entrance, still remaining just safely out of harm’s reach. With a quick movement of his paw, he launched several straight to the side of the beast, luring its attention away briefly. Immediately it snapped its head back, but by then Teika and his family had already taken action. In the time it turned away, they sprinted out on the other side of it, no longer cornered but now in more harm’s way. They were exposed to the species surrounding their home, no longer with a rocky roof over their heads, but instead the clear skies above.

More creatures surrounded them, with the first quickly joining them. There was only one thing left that they could resort to now, and that would result in being the last time Teika saw his parents. They all shared a glance, even only for a moment, and dashed off in different directions. The beasts were too stunned to act swiftly enough to catch any of the viscets, so they weaved past with ease. As soon as they made it free, each one would be chased for several miles into hiding. Or possibly worse, Teika did not know.

Teika’s lungs heaved as he pushed himself hard, too hard for his little body to keep up all that well. It was enough to stay just out of the reach of the beast behind him, snapping its jaws fiercely. Over the length of time of him attempting to escape it, he gained some yards and managed to swerve off into thick cover. It dissuaded his pursuer and ensured Teika’s safety, at least for now. As he panted in his shelter, he found his vision going dark as he gulped in air. Fatigue was setting in rapidly, and Teika could see and feel its grasp. It was too much of a toll on his frail, young body, and before he knew it he fainted.

His eyes opened at a drowsy pace, gradually taking in his surroundings. He could no longer hear the sounds of the beast that chased him, and he had no idea where exactly he was. Teika sat up, stopping abruptly with a groan as a sharp pain jabbed his side. He put his body under too much stress for sure, and now he was paying for it. With a mind enveloped in confusion and loss, he stumbled on his legs through the brush. The main thing leading him forward was the scent and sounds of other viscets. When he reached the edge, he peered out and took in the sight of a viscet community known as Riffledge.

Rosey brambles bordered half of the area, encircling the stretch of grass with a thorny colorful barrier. Twisty but lush trees guarded the other half, making up a thick forest border much like Teika’s old home. Though unlike what he was used to, this new place was far larger and consisted of many more viscets than just him and his parents. Plenty of foliage shielded the area from some of the harsh sunlight and provided gentle shade patches to rest under. Even a waterfall rushed down the mountain in the distance, leading to a stream sweeping through the town.

“The best way one would describe Riffledge was beautiful. It was a commonplace word, but it took the meaning to a whole new level.” He looked off into space, mind filled with gorgeous views of the location. One of his absolute favorite parts was the waterfall, coursing down into the water flowing through the area.

“So was it a town?” Capri questioned, awe clear as day on his face. Deep down, he wished he could have seen it with his own eyes. Now that he thought about it, he saw a tiny glimpse through Teika’s eyes, but he didn’t mention it.

“A town?” It took some self-control for the viscling not to giggle a little at Teika’s confusion, but when he noticed the true glint of uncertainty in his eyes, he coughed it away. “A bunch of buildings generally together in a group. Homes, shops, those sorts of things, all together.”

“Ah. We didn’t really have those…” Teika pondered. The meaning of the word sounded like the colonies from back then, but more civilized. “I’d love to see one, later.” Capri grinned from ear to ear and nodded eagerly.

As he examined the new area, he cautiously traveled down the gentle hill towards the town itself. As Teika closed in, he noticed a lot of the viscets weren’t quite the same as each other. Some were the basic viscet shape, yes, but some also bore horns on their heads or even different types of ears he’d never seen. Both of his parents didn’t carry any different traits like these and he stood out like a sore thumb compared to them - but they still loved him dearly, and would refuse to treat him any differently for it. If anything, Teika’s father had helped him learn to carry around his elongated tail and balance himself.

He even spotted a viscet with an entirely different tail shape - not quite like his, but more fluffy and shorter in length. It almost appeared tube-like but was still covered in feathers. From all around him he could pick up on various conversations, with all sorts of strange words he’d never learned about from his parents. Although that was the price of being so isolated - Teika didn’t know how to properly communicate with viscets other than his own parents.

This dawned on him, and as a result, he could feel his stomach twisting into knots. How was he supposed to fit in, especially now? He’d already stand out so much, now not understanding half of the language they spoke in… it wouldn’t end bode well for him. At least, that’s what he believed right then. With his parents completely gone somewhere in completely different parts of the realm, along with next to no communication skills on top of being in a new area, it became quite overwhelming to him. Holding back a fearful squeak rising in his throat, Teika took off for the foliage cover around the town and earning some concerned looks from other viscets.

He gasped heavily as he caught his breath, recovering slowly from his mini-episode and looking back at where he just was moments ago. He had no idea how exactly he would take refuge in such a place given his conditions, and on top of that none of the viscets appeared that friendly in his eyes. With a difficulty trusting anyone other than his closely related blood family, this community would prove to be a tasking chore for some years to come.

With a quiet sigh, Teika pushed around the grass and leaves with his paws, make-shifting a temporary nest for retreat. He was closer to the border of this sanctuary than he liked, but any closer to the other viscets and he would surely cause a scene. He knew one thing, though - he couldn’t stay this far away forever, as it was the most dangerous portion of the entire area. Maybe he would just be lucky, stroll in and immediately become someone’s friend. That’s the second thing he wished for the most at that moment, the first being reunited with his parents. Oh, how Teika missed them dearly. He had no idea where they ended up, or if they were still alive - and unfortunately, he never found out.

Teika remained isolated from the other viscets for days, watching and observing them talk among themselves for some time. He was able to pick up on a couple of words, but putting them into action was difficult and he found himself left with one choice - to find a viscet around his age to talk with and hopefully, integrate into the society.

“The whole situation was just so foreign to me. I could only understand about half of what they said, and they all used larger words than I was used to. My only choice was to put what I learned into action and hopefully learn more while I was at it. The first target would be another viscling, someone who couldn’t judge me too hard for not understanding much of what would be said.”

As the viscling scrambled through the thorny brush, he trained his eyes on a particular viscling strolling just on the edge of the town center. He was alone, but it seemed as if he chose to be, and was fine with walking by himself. Closing in on him, Teika painfully ripped a couple thorns from his side that were tangled in his feathers. Thankfully they hadn’t pierced his skin, or else they would’ve done more serious damage - the thorns were thin, but grew long.

The other viscling hadn’t noticed Teika approaching until he was only a few feet away, and by that point, he was quite startled. “U-uh… I don’t think I’ve seen you around before,” he spoke slowly, unsure of what to say to Teika.

“Teika. III m-mean my name… is Teika,” he finally managed, cheeks flushing from embarrassment. ‘You’re already messing this up,’ he thought and gulped, desperately hoping the other viscling wouldn’t notice.

“Hi Teika,” he replied, a little confused with the way he was speaking, but continued nonetheless. Teika was grateful he wasn’t mocking or ridiculing him at all. Perhaps he could make a friend, after all, and maybe this viscling could help him fit in. Teika was desperate for something to latch on to, and it was from that moment on that he knew he had clung to him.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around, before,” he tilted his head slightly to one side, in thought. “Where did you even come from, anyway?”

“I… uh…” Teika paused, trying to find his words. “...Somewhere.”

That was the last and only time he asked.

After rutty and awkward but interesting conversation, the two visclings slipped away from the others into the forest and foliage. Teika managed to explain what happened to him and his parents before they split, and how he ended up at the new safe place. When it was the other viscling’s turn, he realized he hadn’t asked his name yet. Before he started, the words quickly tumbled out of Teika’s mouth, and the viscling paused.

“Rem.”

“Huh?”

“My name is Rem. That’s what my parents named me, just before they…” he paused, letting his eyes fall to the ground as he hid the tears forming. “...That’s my name.”

“That’s a nice name,” Teika accomplished saying, visibly uncomfortable as he didn’t quite know how to comfort the other viscling. He’d never seen his parents cry, but he did see them fight a little before. Comforting someone was surely one of his weak points, and in this situation, he felt helpless.

The next time Rem spoke, he explained his past. Shortly after he was born, creatures attacked their home, chasing away his parents and leaving him in the dust. Thankfully, they only focused on his parents, but he was left completely alone in the middle of nowhere. A pack of viscets came by not too long after, sweeping up the viscling and taking him with them on their migration. That was when his home was founded, protected from the war raging outside and remaining peaceful.

Both sharing an experience involved with the destruction happening hardly a mile away from them, they found a little bit of comfort in each other.

“Dear little Rem helped me more than he realized. I wish I had thought of thanking him for it, but why exactly I didn’t is beyond me. In all of my years with working with other viscets and preaching respect and peace, I’m surprised I didn’t. Perhaps I hadn’t known better, then. My real point is that he was what kickstarted all of my future. Like ignition to a flame, he showed me true kindness and in turn, we didn’t feel so lonely anymore.”

[Lioashu]

“For the next half-year of my life, I lived in that group of viscets, with Rem. At first, it felt like he was a brother to me, even though I never knew what it was like to have siblings. I suppose if there was a feeling of having a sibling, that was it. A close friend that I owed so much to, and I never thought to sit and thank him for it.”

Teika sighed quietly, just for a heartbeat.

“Rem!” Teika called after the sprinting viscet, heavily breathing as he pushed himself to attempt to catch up with his friend. “Agh, how do you run so fast?!” He groaned under his breath.

His friend appeared to be hardly breaking a sweat, carelessly looking back at him and grinning wide. “C’mon, you can do better than that!” As a result, he nearly tripped over rock obstacles in front of them.

The two viscets were racing around the ever-growing community, trying out their new “track” or worn dirt path. Due to his long tail, Teika finds it significantly more difficult to keep up with Rem. It adds extra weight to his body, even almost throwing off his balance a lot of the time. He knew Rem was far more skilled at racing than him, yet he still insisted on trying again and again. By now his breathing was uneven and he was stress testing his adolescent body a little too far. If he’s too reckless, he’d end up causing himself to black out or even worse, collapse. No medical experts really existed in the world during that time who’s knowledge went beyond temporary pastes, so being careless during this period was asking for a death sentence.

“Come on…” he urged himself, whiskers dragging behind in the wind as he dashed. “I need to catch up with him,” a sudden burst of energy flowed from his head through his body as burning adrenaline. “I can beat him…” his eyes were squinting slightly due to the wind picking up around him. Without warning, time seemed to slow drastically around him. Teika watched from inside himself, yet afar, as the golden markings on his body were brought to life. The lines left his feathered pelt, dancing through the air and dragging him onward. At the same time, he felt himself almost jump forward some distance - not only did he meet Rem, but also passed him up - and then time returned to its normal pace. Startled by his friend suddenly appearing in front of him, Rem’s feet sputtered to a halt a couple meters from the imaginary finish line. Their track wasn’t absolutely marvelous compared to the present, and the finish was marked by small rocks lined up in a row.

Teika continued moving, wheezing as he crossed it and throwing his arms up in victory. He did it, he finally beat him and - why exactly was he looking at him like that?

When Teika finally registered Rem’s expression, he realized it was a look of total confusion and… fear. “H-how...what…” his friend managed out, completely speechless at what he just witnessed. From his view, it appeared as if Teika had jumped through time - when in reality, he moved so fast his friend’s eyes couldn’t quite register what exactly happened. Something within Teika was just “unlocked” in a sense - his first viable ability. It would only be truly effective if he is passionate enough about how he feels, or when he focuses enough on the distance between him and a specific point - it’ll activate.

“I dunno. Whatever happened, I want to figure out how I did it,” Teika grinned sheepishly, padding his way back over to Rem.

“Can you try to do it again? H-how exactly did you do that?” His friend questioned, locking gazes with him and scrutinizing him as if Teika suddenly changed in some way. “Uh… something up?” Teika voiced his concerns, seeing the strange look on Rem’s face. His friend shook it away and said nothing.

“He didn’t tell me until after that something did change about me.”

Teika backed up a little, unnerved by the sudden change in space between them. “I… don’t know how I did it, but I’ll try.” While he was still shrugging, Rem quickly nudged him around so he was facing back the way they came from. He walked back along many meters, stopping at a large crack forming in the path.

“Okay,” he started, “try again. I’m at the new finish line now,” he continued, gesturing to the area around him.

Nodding, Teika coiled his body briefly before lurching forward. Moving as quickly as his body could, he attempted to work himself up again, wishing to “jump” between the points. As much as he tried, he couldn’t trigger it again, and inevitably just exhausted himself more. After several attempts, he gave up. “I’m done,” he gasped out, trying to regulate his breathing. “I can’t do it.”

Rem approached him, placing a paw on his shoulder to offer some stability. “It’s okay. You’re overdue for a break… I’m sorry,” he trailed off, admitting he was pushing his friend too far. “Let’s do something else, for a change. Some rest would be best.”

Unable to speak past his heavy breathing, Teika nodded and the two set off for the center of their society. It was bustling with activity as viscets went about their daily duties, and Rem and Teika found shade under a gnarled tree growing in the middle of some various grey rocks and silky grass. Both of them plopped onto the ground around it, relieved to give their aching bodies a break. It was a while before either spoke, as they were enjoying a gentle breeze and a cloudless sky above them. Such peace would have been disturbed eventually, but for right then, it was a nice change from the constant chattering of others.

When they did finally decide to go elsewhere, it began with Rem pulling himself to his feet and offering Teika his paw.

“Come on, let’s go on an adventure.” He smirked, pulling up Teika to his feet as he took his paw.

“Where exactly? We can’t just go anywhere. There’s death out there and we’ll be caught easily, or worse…” Teika shuddered at the thought, “I’d rather keep my hide.”

“It’ll be fine. We just need to take a different route. The mountains aren’t too far from here, and I’ll bet you’ll find something amazing there!” He urged, and Teika sighed in defeat. He just couldn’t say no to that face.

Sometimes he wished he had been more diligent, or that he was more insistent on remaining safe. Sure, there wasn’t much of a “safe” life to live in their little part of the world - doing daily chores and mostly staying inside their dens. Younger viscets were often left bored with their duties, and those included Teika and Rem - although Teika would rather be bored but safe, than in danger. He was just content spending time with his close friend, as he appreciated the little things - but that certainly wasn’t enough for a viscet like Rem. He cared a lot for him, but Teika feels like Rem let himself become too carried away when it came to entertainment and risk-taking.

“That's what I loved about him. Rem was adventurous and brave, despite living in the most dangerous point of time in the realm. Living like that would be asking to meet death, but he let himself enjoy life.” Teika shifted his position to be a little more comfortable. “He wasn't afraid of anything… and I still look up to him to this day.”

“Let's go, slowpoke,” Rem poked his side lightly with his paw, impatient but still kind. Without waiting for a response from Teika, he took off, leaving his friend scrambling to catch up to him. Forcing their way through the leaves and branches, they took to a dirt path trailing up towards the distant mountainside. Outside their safe haven, the desolate land was dusty and cruel. The sunlight seemed to grow harsher as time went on, and Teika thought his pelt would be pale with dirt by the end of it. Rem was constant encouragement, pushing on ahead of him with such exuberant behavior. It was an uplifting sight to see, and Teika found himself trying his best to match with his close friend.

Living in a community was quite strange for Teika. Folktales ran rampant during those times, spreading through groups like wildfire and passing between them like words on the wind. He never quite believed in them, but unlike him, Rem took strong interest.

Most of the most popular folktales circulated around strange hybrids that were surfacing at this point in the timeline, which were in a constant fight for territory and resources. The closest one to Teika’s current home was something akin to a mix between a bat and bird. Settlers often described it as having “wings that blocked out the sun” and “breathing pure fire.” It never was given a true name, but it alone struck terror in the bravest of viscet’s hearts. Word was that its dwelling lied at the very peak of the mountain their settlement had taken refuge near.

Over the course of their trailblazing, they found that little to no wildlife existed in the areas surrounding it. At some points, they would spot clean rib cages or familiar skull shapes - which sent shivers down Teika’s spine - but no true signs of life. They also found that any pools which had been strewn across the land were dry, cracked, and forgotten. By the time the thought arose in his mind, Teika and Rem had arrived at the bottom of the mountain.

“Are you sure we really should be doing this?” He finally spoke up, head craned back to look for the peak. With a little more scanning, he picked out a rocky pathway upwards. A pang of anxiety hit his chest, and Teika realized he was worrying intensely about Rem's safety.

“Of course. You wouldn’t want to go back after how far we’ve gone, would you?” Rem met his gaze, clearly intent on his mission. “It’s a little late to turn back now.”

“Didn’t you see all the bones back there? Listen, Rem, I understand you wanted to climb up there and see what you wanted to see, but I don’t think it’s necessarily worth risking our lives over.” Teika’s voice was firm, but he knew his words flew right over his companion’s head.

By the time he finished speaking, Rem was already beginning to scale the mountain. It was brave but incredibly thoughtless to push on without heeding a warning. The trail spiraled around the entirety of the landmass, edged with jutting rocks that threatened to crumble beneath any weight.

”I couldn’t have let him go alone. I worried about him coming home alone and something happening to him along the way. I needed to be by his side, to ensure his safety.” He sighed as if he finally was beginning to admit to something. “I’m sure you understand my view,” he met Capri’s gaze, and the viscling nodded in response.

“The events following our climb are something I don’t quite remember in that much detail… all I do remember is what it felt like to finally make it to the peak. We were exhausted, and the wind was beginning to pick up a little bit. We seemed to read each other's’ minds and looked in front of us and saw… something. We don’t know whether it was actually what Rem believed it to be or not, but I do know what happened after.”

Blinking the dust out of his eyes, Teika looked hard ahead. Both of the viscets were having trouble seeing ahead of them, and a silhouette was beginning to appear. The folktale Rem told Teika about flashed through his mind, and suddenly his heart felt like it dropped out of his chest. Vast, fiery eyes opened wide, and the shape abruptly doubled in size as wings unfurled. “I-is that-” he began, but Rem’s cry cut him off. “It really is here?! We need to get out of here now!” Both viscets quickly scrambled on their feet, kicking up dirt and small rocks as they fled the mountaintop.

Their race back down from the swooping danger screeching above their heads kept them moving, and Teika could feel his body beginning to grow numb from panic. Razor sharp talons were whistling past his horns and ears, and each time he would flinch down. “How much farther until we reach the bottom?” He shouted over the wind at Rem, who looked ahead and raised his voice back. “Just a little more!”

It felt like forever until the close friends finally reached the base of the mountain again. Both were exhausted of all of their strength and energy, panting heavily and glancing back at where they came from. The beast seemed to be no longer, and the viscets glanced at each other before bursting into nervous laughter. “Oh lord, Rem,” Teika began scolding, “you are too reckless for your own good.” His shoulder was abruptly shoved playfully by Rem, and he smirked as he pushed back.

His friend uncontrollably laughed even more, and Teika smiled warmly. It was at that moment that time slowed, and an unbearable feeling filled his chest. He was caught like a deer in the headlights, but he couldn’t quite put his paw on what it was.

“At the time, I just didn’t know the words for it. I was absolutely baffled when I first felt it. I never knew I needed it until I had it.”

Shaking his head mentally, Teika attempted to brush it off. “Let’s head back before whatever that was finds us again.” With that, both viscets began the trek back to their home. On the dusty road, there still were no signs of life between them and the mountain. It was all the same piles of bones and intimidating signs something dangerous lived nearby. They still made Teika quite uncomfortable, and if he was honest, he never would have gone back that same way again if he could help it.

He was weary from their mini-adventure, but Rem continued to go on and on about it on their way. His clear excitement and awe at what happened earlier greatly assisted in keeping Teika moving, and he mentally thanked him for it later.

When they arrived, pushing through the thorns carefully but using sore muscles was the last thing they wanted to do. It was all over within a minute, and the two viscets retreated to their safe spot a little ways off from everyone. Thankfully, it hasn’t proven to be too risky to remain around, as no attacks have happened within the time Teika lived there. He worried, anyway - anything could change all in an instant with how the world was. For now, he basked in the glory of finally laying down after their adventure.

Resting on beds of various grasses and soft brush, the two viscets relaxed in comfortable silence. Neither spoke for some time, stretching out their tired limbs occasionally and looking around at the viscets wandering about. Before they knew it, the sun was setting in the sky, and it was turning many shades of pinks and oranges. “Hey,” Rem spoke, snapping Teika out of his daydreaming. “I have something to show you later. I can wake you up when I go,” he grinned in a giddy sort of way. “Alright,” Teika didn’t skip a beat as he responded.

“I never knew until that night what Rem was really up to. Each night we’d go to sleep in our small, single viscet dens and that was that. What I didn’t know was that long after I’d drifted off, he would wake up for something.” When he spoke, Capri’s head tilted in confusion.

“For what, exactly?”

Some hours later, both viscets headed off to their dens with a simple ‘goodnight’. It didn’t take too long for Teika to fall asleep, but after what felt like only a couple minutes of sleep, Rem was gently shaking his side. He’d kept to his promise, and when he awoke he was about to scold him when he remembered what he said that evening. “Let’s go,” he whispered, helping Teika up to his feet. “I promise it’s not dangerous this time.”


Mentally Teika grumbled to himself, but he kept quiet in respect of Rem. He was curious about what he had to show him, especially if it didn’t involve risking his life in some way. The two viscets didn’t go very far before Rem abruptly stopped and seemed to answer Teika’s thoughts. “It’s here.” They still were in the sanctuary they always lived in, except the land was dark and Teika could hardly see around him. He hesitated a bit, attempting to readjust to the low light. “Now, just look up.”

“It was just such a simple thing. Something I never stopped to appreciate and admire, but every night, Rem woke up from his slumber to see it. He found it difficult to sleep enough each night, so he found comfort in the sky.”

Up above them, thousands upon thousands of little lights littered the sky, still as they make their journey through the night. Teika found his jaw falling open in complete awe and amazement at what he was beholding, having never seen it with his own eyes before. His parents always made him sleep when night came along when they would take shifts watching over their territory. It didn’t feel like much time passed before he was blinking his eyes, as they were beginning to water from being open for so long. “I don’t know what those are. But they’re sort of like my escape, in a way.” Although he couldn’t see it, Rem was blushing a little from embarrassment. “It sounds a little strange, doesn’t it?”

“No. Not at all. I’ve never seen them before,” Teika whispered, “I think it’s all so amazing.” By now his eyes were beginning to adjust to the low light, and he was able to see a little around him. To his side, Rem was looking skywards in content. An incredibly gentle light was illuminating his face, and Teika found himself staring for countless heartbeats.

Over the course of Teika living there, he learned more and more about Rem and his character. Things like his tendencies, habits, and each of his specific characteristic traits. In turn, he too began to know Teika more by the day. With time Rem realized his close friend wouldn’t always be on board with his rebellious actions, but he appreciated his support. In return, Rem supported Teika as much as he could, although he couldn’t help but tease him every now and then. Their relationship was complimentary in several ways.

Something that was beginning to make itself evident was Teika's concern for Rem's well-being. He worried for when he'd leave his side, even for the little things - making it difficult to hide his clinginess. Another feeling was pushing past that though, not only overpowering his worry but fueling it as well.

Having been sheltered from a lot of essentials to life, Teika never knew what exactly love was. He did know what it was like to have a connection to his parents, but they never explained such an emotion to him when they were still around. At that moment he was looking at Rem, far more fascinated with him than the countless stars burning away above them. Teika could feel something in his chest, swelling his heart and surging through his body until all that escaped him was a gentle sigh. Whatever it was, he was beginning to familiarize himself with it more, and then he knew exactly what it was. No words were needed to describe it.


He was head over heels in love.

[Lioashu]

It's a quarter past midnight
As we cut through the city
Yeah, yeah, yeah, the streets are getting restless
Good times, bad decisions


A familiar nudge roused Teika from his sleep, and he blinked his eyes open, attempting to register his surroundings. The night before that, he and Rem were working on expanding their dens. Growing older in their homes meant the smaller dens couldn’t suffice for their entire lives. He was waking up from his den, with a beaming Rem looking back at him. “Morning,” he spoke, “let’s go, sleepy head.” Rem offered a paw and Teika stretched out, sprawling out his legs and long tail. After a couple moments of sitting still like that, he took his companion’s paw and lifted himself up to his feet. “Any plans for today?” He asked, with a groggy tone and messed up feathers. As he woke up, he fixed them with his paws.

“Mhm, there’s been something bothering me lately,” Rem turned his back to Teika, sitting down by the entrance to the little-dug cave and peering out into the light. “It’s just so peaceful, almost too peaceful. I’m always worried something will happen, you know? I want… I want to be ready, for when it does.” He looked back and locked gazes with him, completely and honestly serious with his words. It took Teika a few moments before he responded, losing himself to his thoughts. “And how would you prepare?”

“I want to go out and fight one of them.”

“What?” He shifted his ears a little, “why don’t you practice here? You can’t just walk up to one of them and-”

“I know that,” Rem cut him off. “We don’t really have any fighters here to train me, and it’s better to test it with the real thing. Even if it sounds a little crazy, we need to have a plan for when things go to ruin.” He stared down at his paws, turning them over and examining the state of his claws. Compared to Teika’s, they were more worn down and slimmer, but still strong. His were akin to talons, sharper despite him trying to wear them down so he does not harm others. Teika couldn’t imagine using them to kill another creature, even if his life was on the line… though surely there’s another way out of things?

“I’m not sure if fighting packs upon packs of those things will turn out well for you,” he sighed as he paused, “but if you’re going to risk your life doing it that way, then I may as well come along.”

“I’m going out there today, Teika.”

“And I’m going with you.” He was firm with his words and kept his eyes locked on Rem’s to prove his point further.

“Then let’s go.” With that, Rem turned tail and exited Teika’s den with him following shortly behind. He stared down at his tealish green paws, examining his dark golden accents and wondering if he made the right choice. He definitely didn’t want Rem going out there alone, but he didn’t want to do any of this at all. In fact, he never wanted to have to resort to fighting. Rem viewed things in a quicker linear sort of way, while Teika wanted to weigh each and every one of his options, even if it took a little longer. He wouldn’t be afraid to dash in with his ability to save him if needed.

As they both left their home, he was beginning to feel his stomach toss around.

“I had a feeling something terrible would happen. You don’t simply fight something and expect to win the battle, just like that. Rem was too headstrong for me to change his mind, but I wanted to do my best to keep him safe when things went wrong.”

His friend was rushing on ahead, determined in achieving his goal. Teika did his best to keep up, taking long strides to match Rem’s pace. When his eyes followed where he was heading, he spotted Rem’s victim not too far ahead. It wasn’t thick-skinned, much like most of the creatures roaming the lands - instead, it bore several patches of layered plates of bone from its shoulders to its back. Despite the organic armor it had, its belly was particularly exposed and appeared soft in texture. The beast’s colors matched that of the area around it, various shades of dust gradually turning black towards its back. Its belly was light colored, possibly drawing a little attention from enemies but not much.

Its head was what disturbed Teika the most. It was equipped with several thick, long horns, and crested with several smaller plates on the top of the head. Beady little eyes stared viciously as it went about its wild tendencies scavenging the land for scraps of food. From what he could see, it appeared to be a herbivore with flat teeth, but it wasn’t afraid to fight back to stay alive. ‘I really hope you know what you’re doing Rem…’ he thought, unsure of how strong it actually was.

When Teika saw Rem’s facial expression, he gulped. He appeared still dead set on fighting, and that creature was his first target. Teika opened his mouth to ask if he would rethink on his choice, but second thought his words and remained silent. “Stay here. I don’t want help unless I ask for it,” Rem spoke firmly, and he recoiled a little at his tone. Sighing inwardly, Teika nodded in compliance and sat back while Rem stalked forward. “Be careful…” he whispered after him, holding himself back from joining his side.

Jolting forward, Rem launched himself at his opponent, splaying out his paws and latching onto its back. With an infuriated but pained roar, it reared its grotesque head and attempted to shake him off. While flailing its head it was bucking its legs and making abrupt movements in hopes of tossing him off. Rem sank his canines into where the plates met its back, earning a shriek and more forceful reactions from it. Teika could see he wasn’t keeping his grip on its back well and was beginning to slide off. Rem snarled loud enough for his companion to hear and angled his body so that he was more on the side of it, digging in his claws and rocking the creature off balance.

With a thunderous thump, it rolled onto its side with Rem standing victoriously over it. He smirked confidently, throwing his head back at Teika as if the fight was won. His friend knew it was far from that, and when he went to warn him, he was already being thrown off of the creature’s side. It locked its beady orange eyes on Rem, causing the viscet to back off in fear as it prepared to strike. Stomping its bulky feet on the ground, it dug its toes into the dirt and kicked rocks back behind it. Teika recognized the warning sign and called out at Rem to avoid it, but he stayed immobile. He was a deer in the headlights, hardly registering the danger about to come flying at him. “Rem!”

Acting quickly, the teal viscet threw himself at the creature, racing towards it and ramming hard into its underside with his horns. Pain lashed his head and body, reaching through him like lightning and causing his vision to go dark for some time. ‘Aghh… not doing that again,’ he scolded himself mentally but snapped back into focus when he heard his target stumble and fall over again. As his eyesight returned - shaky, but it was returning - and he could see it was stunned, at least for a little while. “Rem!” He bellowed, wincing as more pain came from his head, “come on!” The other viscet shook his head, blinking his eyes and padding quickly over, still visibly stunned.

“Might as well finish what you started, before it comes back for us and the others.” Teika forced the words out, but Rem staring off into the distance caught his attention. “What are you-” As soon as he spoke, Teika saw what his friend was looking at.

Just on the hill some yards away, several more of the same species were approaching.

The one Rem went for was only an offspring. Even in the distance, both viscets could tell they would tower over them both easily. “Let’s finish it off before they get here,” his companion urged, but Teika shook his head. “We’re leaving and you are letting it live. We don’t have enough time and they’re getting here fast!” He locked his gaze with Rem’s, and he uttered a solution. “We have to lead them off.”

“And where exactly?” He scoffed, briefly glancing around them.

“This way!” Teika ordered as the adults picked up their pace, cantering towards them with fierce velocity. Their intentions were becoming more and more clear with each step, and he took no chances waiting to see it through. He turned, nudging Rem quickly to grab his attention and then bolting for the horizon. With no clear direction besides avoiding their home, both viscets ran for the hills. “Why aren’t we going back?” Rem questioned, looking back at the creatures chasing them. By then they were beginning to pick up speed, and Teika felt adrenaline start to burn through his veins.

“We want them as far away as possible,” he shouted back over the wind whipping his fur around wildly. “We bring them home, we are asking to be wiped off the map!”

Neither of them spoke more during their run, conserving their breath to utilize as much stamina as they could. Despite fleeing, Teika found a little peace in his mind. Something was so exhilarating being in danger - even if he never supported it in the first place, it was better than sitting around lazy most of the day. It wasn’t his scene, but he was going to be there for Rem if he could help it. Hopefully, this experience taught him better than to try and bite off more than he could chew.


We keep on running
Running through a red light
Like we're trying to burn the night away
Away-way, oh, away-way, oh


Huffing, Teika glanced back behind them and was relieved to find the creatures gave up about a while back. “We’re in the clear,” he gasped, attempting to catch his breath before he fainted. “Thank goodness. Wait, what’s that up ahead?” Rem was relieved as well, but his interest suddenly piqued when they saw a settlement just up ahead. Around it lied nothing but a barricade of piled up dirt and rocks, but it appeared to be effective.

“Come on, let’s go see what it’s about,” he said, heading straight for it. Teika followed in tow, unsure of approaching it but he too was curious.

“We didn’t think there could be other large groups of viscets like that, really. We hoped that maybe we could find our parents in some pack we never heard of. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t it - instead, we found out something I honestly have no idea what we would have done without.”

Capri’s eyes widened in excitement. “Was it some secret technique warriors use?”

Teika shook his head while suppressing a grin, “It was vital information, for a different purpose.”

Circling the barrier, the two viscets finally happened upon the main entrance. Thankfully, no viscets were standing guard when they arrived, which made sneaking in quite simple. On the inside, what seemed like hundreds of viscets lived there. Many dens were littered around, some in rows or some in obscure places. Teika recognized none of the residents, and when he glanced at Rem, he was having similar thoughts.

Causing him to nearly jump out of his feathers, a yowl sounded from one end of the area. Viscets began exiting their homes and stopping their business, heading straight towards the source in large groups. Sharing a look, Teika and Rem decide to follow suit. It was some time before they found themselves in the middle of a crowd surrounding one viscet. She had curling horns, thick and plated. Teika winced as he thought of how much harm it could do if she directly hit someone with them.


This is my favorite part oh
Help me piece it all together, darling
Before it falls apart oh
Help me piece it all together


“Listen up, all of you. We have plans for tomorrow. Everyone has a role in it and I won’t be repeating myself.” Her voice was a little rough, but loud enough to echo out among those gathered around her. “We will be taking over the other packs within a ten mile stretch.” Several mutters rang out as viscets looked around at each other, unsure. “We will grow and form one big community as a whole, instead of smaller, weaker colonies. We will show them how to live efficiently in this world.”

A moment passed, as if everything suddenly came to a halt. Then, nearly all of the viscets in the crowd - excluding Teika and Rem - cheered, slowly rising in volume and confidence. Teika wasn’t sure if it was his eyes, but the leader seemed almost relieved after hearing the feedback from her pack.

“Our first target,” she started again, and the crowd went silent after a few moments. “A group at Riffledge. The herds are moving, migrating directly in their direction. We must act fast.” Cheers erupted from around her, and Teika feared he would go deaf after it all. “You’re all dismissed. We leave at dawn, and I expect everyone there.” With that, they all dispersed, heading back to what their were doing or chatting about the next day. Rem shared a shocked look with him, and they both registered what was going on.

Whoever they were, this community was going to take over their home. And they just witnessed their plans as clear as day.

“Oh lord…” he heard Rem mutter to himself, though mostly to him. “What are we going to do?” Panic was raising a little in his voice, and Teika silenced him with a glance. “We need to get out of here before they find out about us. Follow me, and stay low.” He nodded and waited for him to lead the way through the settlement, dodging dens and viscets who grew a little suspicious of them. Teika knew he must stand out like a sore thumb, and the quicker they left, the better it would be.

It felt like hours before they both finally arrived at the entrance, quietly releasing breaths of air they never realized they were holding in. When Teika noticed some viscets near them were beginning to notice they weren’t from around the area, he quickly ushered Rem and himself out of the community to finally leave for home. He could feel his paws numbing slightly, and adrenaline was quietly settling in his veins again. “We need to go, it’s still not safe,” Teika urged, taking off from the settlement.

They started with hushed movements, making long strides to cover more ground between themselves and the others. When they made it out of earshot, both viscets raced for home. The trip was long and stressed their bodies, especially Teika’s - he definitely wasn’t used to overexerting himself and doing so more than once was taking a toll on him physically. He was too fretful to take a break, as it was growing darker by the minute.

When they finally arrived outside Riffledge, Teika allowed himself to take a well-needed breather. Rem nearly dragged him through the brush, urging him to at least lay down inside.

Both of them laid in their hidden spot for a while, breathing heavy and relaxing their muscles. It took either some time before finally speaking up, too overwhelmed by what they just witnessed and overworking their bodies. “What do we do?” Rem broke the silence, not needing to explain what he was referring to. “I don’t know. Tell someone?” Teika looked at him, expression showing clear signs of worry and distress.

“I suppose we can try with the leader himself, and the sooner the better.” He looked out, watching the viscets entering into their dens for the evening. “We don’t have much time,” Teika stated, and both viscets jumped to their feet, mentally preparing themselves. “I still can’t believe we were unintentionally spying for our pack…” Rem muttered on their way through the community.

“Yeah, well I’m hoping it saves lives.” Teika spoke flatly, remembering why all of it even happened. ‘As long as we can stop some from getting hurt or killed, it was worth it.’ He thought, and soon enough, they were outside their leader’s cave.

“Fang?” Rem nervously called into the entrance, awaiting a reply. Sure enough, he let them know he was present, and the two viscets hesitantly clambered in.

“Yes?” He asked, before either viscet could explain themselves. He sat comfortably in a makeshift nest, eyes forward on them and honest. “We uh, have something important,” Teika started, voice low worrying another viscet could be listening outside. “We led some of those things outside away and happened upon some settlement up North. In the process we found out their leader is planning to attack and take us over,” the words tumbled out, and the turquoise viscet shut his jaw, horrified for what their leader would say. Fang glanced between them for a moment, weighing his words before he spoke.

“They did not know you were there? How come you went inside?”

“We wanted to make sure the beasts weren’t still on our tail,” Rem lied a little, something Teika couldn’t bring himself to do right then. “Some of them were suspicious as we were leaving, but no one knew for sure. It was all just a big coincidence. We figured you should know first.”

“I see,” he muttered, closing his eyes for a second. “Thank you. I’ll have it figured out by midnight. You can go,” Fang dismissed, and before Rem could push it further, Teika left the den. A few moments later, his companion was following suit.

“I suppose the best thing to do for now is to sleep and see how it goes,” he murmured to Rem, and padded off towards his den. Rem was trotting after him, “can’t we do anything? Anything at all?”

Teika stopped abruptly, turning to lock gazes with him.

“We are not going to face them as the two of us. If anything happens, it’ll be as a whole,” he stated firmly, and dipped into his home. Rem sighed and entered into his. Something told both viscets that tomorrow would be a truly impactful day, and sleep would not come easy.


— Quarter Past Midnight, Bastille

[Lioashu]

Teika awoke in the middle of the night, hearing many different pairs of footsteps shifting to the left of his den. He was groggy at first, then slowly remembered the events of earlier that night. Perking his ears and edging towards the edge of his home, he listened to what Fang was explaining to them. At the very least, he was relaying what he and Rem warned about - however, he was also giving orders Teika couldn’t quite hear from where he was.

“I was hoping, at the very least, that they would heed our warning. At first, it seemed like they did, and all would be well.”

Before he could figure out what was exactly happening, the group was dispersing and all went silent again. Teika was uneasy but he needed the sleep, so he curled back up in his corner and drifted off. He found it difficult to stay asleep that night, as he was having short nightmares about the coming day. It could end in either him losing the stable home he finally had, or worse, he could even lose Rem. Being unsure of the future was something he wouldn’t grow used to or like, but he managed to live with it, for that night.

After what felt like only minutes of sleep, a familiar voice shakes him awake urgently. “Teika, you need to get up now,” he hissed, glancing back at the entrance of the den as he listened for a moment. Teika jolted when he came to consciousness, but relaxed soon after he realized it was Rem. “Sorry,” he apologized, after feeling Teika move suddenly. “It’s happening soon, we need to get out of here.” He nodded exhaustedly and pulled himself up to his feet. Both viscets approached the entrance to Teika’s home slowly, then Rem peered out with his ears perked. So far, nothing happened yet.

“Look outside,” he ordered, and Teika complied with curiosity. He spotted two large clusters of viscets, gathered on opposite ends of the settlement. Two of each were looking around, facing away out through the trees into the dust. The others of the groups were muttering to one another, designating roles. Fang was nowhere to be seen, but he assumed he must have been in one of the clusters.

“Do you know what’s going on?” He asked, not looking away from the other viscets.

“No, but I’m hoping they’re prepared for them,” Rem replied, referring to the other community coming.

Without another word, Teika climbed out of his den and walked purposefully towards the nearest group of viscets. They didn’t notice him come up until he prodded one on the shoulder. “What’s going on?” He started off simply, saving further questions until someone responded. “Another settlement found out about us. They’re coming here to take us over and Fang wants to avoid it somehow.” Teika nodded, losing himself to his thoughts for a moment.

He wasn’t sure of Fang’s ways - he never really interacted with their leader that much, but he worried about what his plans were. Avoiding being taken over was the obvious choice, but what he actually did to accomplish that was what left him with a terrible feeling in his stomach. This would be the first time he saw how Fang handles situations, and he feared it could be the last. “And how does he plan to do that?” He queried, watching the viscet as she paused for a moment to reply again. “He wants to talk it out, or so we’re told.” A little bit of tension released within Teika, but he still couldn’t help but have some anxiety left over. If Fang was too aggressive, talking it out would mean nothing to their leader besides stronger igniting the flames of battle.

“Alright. Thanks,” he finished, nodding a goodbye and returning to Rem.

“What are they doing?” He asked immediately, but Teika shrugged him off. “I’ll tell you in a second,” he whispered and tilted his head towards the forest. “Come on.”

When they arrived over in a hiding place, pressing themselves down behind brush and just in front of trees, Rem looked at Teika expectantly. “They plan to talk it out, but I doubt that’s going to go very well. Make a wrong move and you’ll only encourage them.” He didn’t skip a beat as he continued watching what the other viscets were doing. Rem remained quiet, registering the situation more in his head.

It felt like several minutes passed as Teika and Rem were watching the other viscets talk among themselves when they all abruptly turned their heads to the right. His eyes followed where they were looking, and sure enough, the other pack had arrived. Lead by the horned female, she walked forward into their territory confidently and imposing. Her attitude made Rem growl a little subconsciously, and Teika scolded him with a glare.

They were just out of earshot, but they could see Fang separate himself from the crowd and approach the female. They were at a standoff, practically burning holes in each other’s heads with their stares. Teika wasn’t too skilled at reading lips, but he could see them curtly greeting each other formally. Suddenly, she raised her voice, enough for them and possibly even nearby beasts to hear.

“I’m asking that all of you surrender, and come with us. A herd is moving your way and will arrive here within the following day or so. Refuse, and you are asking to be wiped out.” Teika’s community erupted in whispers and murmurs, especially at the word ‘surrender.’ “Listen and do as I say, and we won’t have any problems. Or, we will have to leave you all here to die.” Her words were firm and demanding, riling up the viscets listening. “And if I were you,” she looked directly at Fang, “I’d take my weak little pack and join us.” Tensions arose between the two communities, and Teika gulped. A fight was the last thing he wanted, and so far, it looked to be the outcome of this meeting.

Fang was saying something they couldn’t quite pick up on, but the leader didn’t seem too happy about his words. She lifted her lip, visually holding back her irritation. She spoke aloud again, and this time, her voice echoed through the area. As soon as she started responding, Teika clambered out of the bushes and began racing for the leaders. Rem tried to quietly call out after him, but it was in vain.

“Fine, then,” she growled, “so be it-” “Hold on a moment!” Teika snapped, speaking over her and causing all heads to turn on him. He gulped down the anxiety and kept his eyes hard on their leader. Fang was staring at Teika so intensely he felt his mane would catch on fire. “What for?” She asked, and he found her eyes to be far more intimidating up close. He pushed his fear aside, motivated purely by avoiding conflict between the settlements.

“There are other ways to go about it. Like forming a pact for example,” Teika’s voice shook a little at first but gained confidence with each word. “A fight is the last thing that will help us. We shouldn’t be worrying about quarreling and controlling each other, but instead what’s out there.” He nodded towards the barrier of trees. “Why should we bother?” She questioned, taking several steps towards him. Teika held his ground as he responded, “saves time and doesn’t waste energy or harm anyone. There’s something more important to worry about, and a dispute will only result in casualties.” He held her gaze, and after a few moments, she finally backed down. “Fine. We’ll form a pact but under a condition. We will back out if it’s too much trouble or risk for us.” She switched her gaze over to Fang, awaiting some sort of reply.

He hesitated, thinking before nodding briefly. “We’ll take it.”

“I was so relieved to hear him accept it. We were this close to having a fight break out. I was so fearful of losing lives, especially if one of them was Rem. That was the first time I had to talk down two forces.” Teika sighed. “It wasn’t the easiest I’ve dealt with, but it certainly wasn’t the hardest.”

“What happened after that?” Capri asked, still engulfed in his story.

“Rem and I parted from our home some months later. We started wandering, and found that there were more packs of viscets surfacing and settling down. The danger of the areas around the realm was lowering significantly, but at the same time, living in one of these groups could raise it again. They were clashing for territory in this small part of the world.”

“I don’t remember it all that well, but we stopped countless clashes and collisions settlements had with each other. I just wanted peace, for once. Rem was there for me, and I was there for him. I wish I had said thank you for being there to support me and help me figure out the best way to handle situations.”

“Can you tell me more about Rem?” The viscling queried, eyes wide as he said his name.


Teika’s eyes softened and he looked down a little with a weak smile. “Of course.”

[Lioashu]

“I’ll tell you about when we were fully grown. We knew each other for nearly all of our lives.”


His eyes opened, gradually adjusting to the bright light filtering in from above. It was midday, and he almost overslept. Groaning, he pulled himself up from his bed and looked around his den for a moment. Rocks were lined up against the walls, providing some structural support to the small cave. Vines crept through them, but each day he made sure they wouldn’t push rocks out of place.

He stretched his legs and back, kicking out a foot and then walking out of his home. Blinking to readjust to the outside, he laid his eyes on the ramshackle structures to be finished sometime in the future. He swayed his long tail gently and thought to wake up Rem if he wasn’t up already. He was sleeping much better recently, rarely waking up in the middle of the night and even sleeping in a little. Teika stepped over to his den some yards away, ducking inside and looking around. He spotted his companion’s bed and immediately padded over, prodding him with his paws softly and calling his name. “Rem, get up,” he murmured, loud enough for him to recognize his voice but quiet enough to not startle him.

The other viscet shook slightly, before raising his head and opening his eyes. “Morning,” he grumbled, sitting up out of his bed and standing with Teika. “What are we doing today?” He wondered aloud, stretching his body and then locking gazes with him. “We still haven’t gone up to that area by the springs. Remember you wanted to explore there?” Teika smiled warmly at him, and Rem’s excitement for the unknown returned. “Yes! Let’s hurry over there before we run out of daylight,” he urged, and they both left his den.

Heading up over to the place Teika mentioned took roughly an hour, but thankfully they were used to all of the traveling. It was a hobby they both quickly picked up on once the world became a little less dangerous - which Teika was thankful for. Beasts that were fighting each other helped dwindle the numbers of aggressive creatures in most areas. In this point of time, there wasn’t all that much to do to pass the time in an efficient way.

The springs were various pools of water surrounding a small waterfall, encased in a forest full of little passive creatures. Teika absolutely loved the place, but last time they visited, they didn’t have much time to stay and take in all of its features. Now that they were returning with more time to spend, they relaxed with their pace of strolling around the lakes and examining all there was to see. Something glinted, catching Teika’s eye and he followed it, spotting a crevice in the rocks by the waterfall. It was just tall enough for a crouching viscet to fit through and it spiked his curiosity.

He called for Rem as he cautiously picked his way over to it and awaited his friend's arrival. “What is it?” He asked, hardly by his side before the words came out of his mouth. As soon as he made it, he peered in, looking for any signs of anything, in particular, that would make it interesting to investigate for. It seemed to stretch on for a while, but not much of it could be seen easily from the outside. “I’m going in,” he said, and Teika looked at him skeptically. “Are you sure we should? What if it doesn’t go anywhere?” Rem glanced back at Teika and smirked. “Time to find out, then.”

Without waiting for a reaction, Rem disappeared into the tunnel. Teika sighed, figuring he may as well follow, and crouched into the crevice as well. Inside, it widened into a cavern, stalactites reaching down like fingers from the ceiling. It was dark, save for the little light filtering in from the entrance. “Rem?” He called, no longer seeing the other viscet. “Keep going ahead,” he yelled back, and Teika continued onward. It wasn’t too long before he was bumping into his friend, both viscets now slouching instead of crawling.

“What do you think is even in here?” Rem wondered, keeping his eyes in front of him as he led them along. “I don’t really know. I didn’t even know this was here in the first place,” Teika replied, doing his best to keep up with him. Suddenly, Rem halted, and Teika nearly ran into him. “What is it?”

His eyes were still adjusting to the darkness as his companion moved aside, entering into a larger chamber. Teika followed as well as he physically could, dragging his long tail behind him and subconsciously swishing it around. “You’re doing the ‘thing’ again,” Rem commented, pointing it out for what wasn’t the first time. He coughed and immediately stopped himself, pressing his tail to the ground. Rem looked around, eyes widening as he took in their surroundings. Ahead, blue light gently emitted, drawing him towards it. He beckoned for Teika to follow, silent as he was mesmerized by where the source could be.

“This way,” he called when Teika was still looking around inside the cavern. He ran over wordlessly, driven by his burning curiosity. Both viscets turned around the corner, eyes befalling what was on the other side.

Crystals lined the cave walls glowing pale shades of blues, purples, and pinks. The walls were colorful with their light, and various bits of them were reflective. Stalagmites rose from the floors, nearly symmetrical on either side of them. “Wow,” Teika breathed, and Rem nodded. He moved forward ahead of Rem, scrutinizing the scene as if he would find answers as to what it all was. This was the first time either had ever been inside a cave, let alone ever see crystals with their own eyes. They heard of them from others before in little folktales or myths, but never thought they would happen upon both at once.

Rem crept behind him, in awe of the scene altogether. Both viscets continued onward, slow and steady as they peered around. When they passed to the end of the chamber after a few minutes, Rem picked up on the sound of Teika tripping over a makeshift rope and ran to catch up quickly. “Watch out!” He called, yanking him backward along with his tail. Just seconds after pulling the string, a boulder collapsed in front of them.

They sat still for a moment both still registering what happened. “Are you sure we should be in here?” Teika spoke up finally, and Rem shook his head. “There’s probably more of those ahead,” he continued and looked at him. He still had his arms around him, staring wide-eyed at the crumbled rock. His face heated up a little, and he subconsciously pressed his back into him a little. It only made Rem let go of him, uttering an apology and backing off from him. Teika mentally sighed at the loss of contact but shook his head. “I owe you one,” he said, looking back at Rem and smiling. His companion smirked, “you sure do,” he added playfully, and nudged him with his shoulder. “If we’re going to leave,” he continued, “then we should take one of these.” Rem grabbed a blunt rock, striking it against one of the crystals and breaking off a chip. It glowed on its own, and he stared at it for a moment, hypnotized. “Here, you should have it.”

“Thank you,” he murmured, accepting the crystal and they exited the small cave. Teika held the stone close to him in his scaled paws, cherishing it quietly. After squeezing out the crevice, they made their way over to the springs for a drink. He crouched by the water’s edge, dipping his paws into the pool and lifting them up to his muzzle. Teika drank for some time, before standing and happening to look straight down. There, in the water, he finally saw his own reflection.

He never truly saw himself before. Of course, he’s seen his arms, his paws, the whiskers extending from his face, and his tail - as for his horns, he’d only felt that they were there, but never bothered to look at a reflection or mirror of sorts. Now he saw himself - his shades of teal, turquoise, and greens, with gold markings and vibrant golden horns. When he turned, he noticed a large, strange shaped marking on his side. “Has that always been there?” He thought out loud, and Rem looked over at him. “No. I remember the day you received it though. Remember when you learned your first ability?”

Capri interrupted him, “wait, first ability? You have more?”

“Ah, yes. I must have forgotten-” he started, but was cut off again.

“Can’t you level mountains or something like that? That’s what the other viscets say today!” The viscling bounced in place as he awaited his answer.

“No, no. I can summon these little furry creatures, though. I also can project myself as one, to speak indirectly to others.”

“Can you show me later?” Capricorn seemed a little disappointed that the rumors weren’t real, but gained interest again in what he had to offer.

“Maybe.” Teika smiled.

“Yeah,” he responded, never taking his eyes off of it. “What is it, though…?” He muttered to himself and sat down. It felt like he was prompted by some strange force, lifting his paws and moving them in a rough infinity symbol pattern. Rem watched in complete shock as the marking on his side glowed, practically coming to life. Light steps could be heard quickly approaching and he sharply turned his head. Little long-eared, bounding furry critters were approaching but appeared to be clearly passive. They gathered around Teika, relaxing and stretching out their long legs.

“What are they?” Rem stared at them, having never seen anything like the creatures before. He was all too used to the colossal, aggressive beasts roaming the lands now. Teika didn’t respond, and he began to grow worried. He had lost himself to his thoughts, keeping his eyes hard on the water’s surface. As if waking up from a dream, he shook his head and blinked his eyes. Teika looked around him at the gathering Leporidae, completely relaxed in his presence. “I.. don’t know. But I think they like me,” he laughed a little as he pointed out the obvious. “They must have some connection to the marking.”

“What was up with that strange gesture you were doing?” Rem pushed, curious but a little scared at the same time. “What?” Teika asked, honestly confused at what he was referring to.

“I don’t know, but whatever you did, it summoned them.”

“Oh,” he murmured, gazing at the rabbits. ‘This is definitely something new,’ he thought. “We should rest here. It’s getting late already,” Teika said, looking up at the sunset beginning to appear above them. It bathed the land in shades of pinks and oranges, and he felt at peace with himself. “Alright,” Rem agreed and went to gather materials for makeshift beds. He returned quickly with straw, thatch and some soft brush.

Later that evening, both viscets laid in their beds. The rabbits began to wander off, but Teika found out he could almost call them on command. He also practiced his ‘dash’ sort of ability, something he hadn’t used for a long time - ever since the last time they got into a rough battle, he hadn’t really needed or used it much. Being around Rem so often had a lasting effect on him, resulting in enabling him to use it a little more often.

The stars were revealing themselves as they relaxed among the grass and foliage, twinkling gently and causing Rem to smile. A full moon hovered above them, rising in its arc across the sky. It shined light across the area, turning it various deep shades of lavender and blue. Teika couldn’t help himself by looking over at his companion, warmth swelling in his chest and passing through his body. He couldn’t stop the giddy feeling rising within him, and let out a little cheerful giggle. As soon as it happened he abruptly turned his head to the sky, pretending he was looking there all along. “What?” Rem asked, sounding a little worried it was about him.

“Nothing, just… strange day,” he said, attempting to blow it off. Rem nodded and they sat there for some time, admiring the sky above them.

“I thought to confess to him, that one time. It all felt so perfect, so calm and peaceful. The feeling was so strong in my chest and my body, I wanted nothing more than to embrace him and let him know how I felt. I was too fearful he would full on reject me, or worse, push me away for good. I was too afraid of losing him because of myself.”

It wasn’t too long before he was staring at him again, lost in his thoughts.

He opened his jaw, ready to finally speak. “Rem, I-” a shrill scream echoed in the distance, cutting him off and drawing both viscet’s attention. “Hmm?” Rem pushed, eager to know what he was going to say. “Nevermind. Let’s go see what that was,” Teika responded quickly, jumping to his feet and helping Rem up.


“I wasn’t able to finish my sentence during that night.”

[Lioashu]

“When did you lose him?” Capri thought, squeaking when he realized he said it out loud. “Sorry, I- you don’t have to-”

Teika cut him off, “it’s alright. I have to face it eventually.” With a deep breath, he thought for a few moments on how to start.

“We thought everything was improving drastically. So much so that we never realized, tensions were building between the two largest packs, and fast. Poor decisions of either were adding to the ‘list’ for both, and time was ticking fast until they snapped.” He looked outside, noticing that rain clouds were beginning to gather. ‘Fitting,’ he thought.

“As soon as we found out they were planning attacks on each other, we headed over as quickly as possible. I didn’t know what I’d do exactly, but I feared I wouldn’t succeed.”

Teika and Rem paused just outside of the settlement, catching their breaths before rushing inside. Not many viscets were outside at the time, as dark clouds were closing in, but Teika was thankful for it. Without it, making their way to the leader would’ve been immensely difficult and confusing. He didn’t memorize each and every layout of all communities, so he had to keep adjusting again and again with each he arrived at.

He finally located the den of the leader, calling in to let him know of his presence then quickly ushering inside with Rem. “What is it?” She asked, surprised to see him there.

“I pushed her a little, calmly and slowly, to explain what her plans were and why. She didn’t tell me right away what they had done to anger her so much in the first place. I talked to her for a while to try and reason with her, and eventually, she began to agree. It took me several hours and it was already evening when we were leaving her den.”

Teika chose a pair of guest dens to stay in, ensuring that him and Rem would always be close by each other. He rested easy that night, hoping it would’ve been all over at that time. The next morning he had plans to head back to one of their favorite colonies in the land, one mostly enclosed by rocky mountain sides resting in a valley. Had he known she lied straight to his face, Teika wouldn’t have relaxed hardly as well.

He woke to cheering, loud roars as viscets were preparing to head into battle. Startled, he bolted up out of his bed and immediately woke up Rem. “She lied,” he said to him as he was still waking up, “she lied and she’s going to get viscets killed now.” “Hurry, go without me,” Rem ordered, and Teika ran back out to find their leader. She was engulfed in her pack, bearing tooth and claw as they rallied themselves up. He shoved his way through the crowd, calling out her name.

Finally after what felt like a minute long struggle, he reached her as well as caught her attention. “What are you doing? You said you wouldn’t fight!” Teika started, catching his breath. She grimaced, catching his gaze and passion burning in her eyes. “They tried to kill our visclings, Teika. They wanted to separate mothers from their children!” She raised her voice as she finished her words, and the other viscets around them bellowed in anger. Teika winced from the sharp ringing in his ears.

“Please, there are other ways-” he began, but was cut off by a distant crowd yelling at them. The other pack was there, and a fight was quickly becoming unavoidable. Before he could open his mouth to speak, they were moving on ahead of him toward the other pack. It was definitely too late for him to stop it now.

The two huge groups of viscets were preparing to clash, yelling and screaming insults back and forth that Teika couldn’t quite pick up on from his distance. Rem joined his side, and both of them looked on. “I couldn’t stop them,” Teika admitted, defeated and lowering his head in shame. “Then we need to end this fight quickly. Find the leaders and get between them,” Rem ordered, although he was speaking to himself as well. “We need to go!”

Charging at one another, the two forces of viscets collided, erupting into a roar of yowls and growls meshing over each other. Both of the viscets sprung into action, racing over as fast as their bodies could carry them and thrusting themselves into the throng of battle. Teika’s eyes scanned around quickly as he dodged thrashing paws, claws swinging and quick snaps of jaws. He never wanted any of this, and he wished the leader had been honest with him - although what he cared about most was bringing the battle to a halt. If he took too long, viscets would be killed for sure, and at the very most right now, some would be left with light scars and wounds.

Teika couldn’t find the leader in the mess of viscets he struggled through, avoiding getting hit as much as he could. He got distracted, just for one moment - and that was his mistake. Two wrestling viscets pushed each other, ending with one throwing himself into Teika’s side accidentally. There were no apologies in battle, though. Stunned, he coughed and dragged himself away from the others as much as possible. A sharp ringing was present in his ears and he was being overtaken by fatigue from several blows.

There she was. His eyes locked onto her immediately, remembering her key features and lifting his lip in irritation. Pulling himself to his feet and snapping out of his daze, Teika stormed towards the thrashing leaders purposefully. He called her name, but she didn’t bother listening in the heat of their fight. His stomach dropped when he saw one of them going for the other’s throat, aiming to kill as quickly as possible. He was still a little too far away to intervene, but maybe-

A familiar blur pushed its way between them, throwing himself in front of a fatal bite. The other viscets, blinded by rage, immediately turned on him. Before Teika could have done anything, he watched as one of the leaders was sinking their teeth deep into his neck. “REM!” He screamed, shocked but still moving towards them.

By the time he made it over, both leaders had separate and were catching their breaths in surprise. The viscet that intervened laid crumpled in a heap between them, and Teika could see the crimson liquid soaking his feathers around his neck. The others backed away a little when he approached, giving him space to kneel by him. Teika gingerly placed his paws on Rem, turning him so he could face him and lifting him a little.

“I still remember it so vividly - Rem looked at me, and the expression on his face was twisted in pain and torment. He was covered in so much crimson…”

Teika’s eyes were wide open in absolute horror, too terrified to speak any words. Seeing Rem like that twisted up his stomach and left him speechless. “Rem,” he cried, large tears finally leaving his eyes and streaking down his face. The other viscet winced at a stabbing pain, but opened his orbs just enough to weakly smile at Teika. “Hold on, I’ll get someone to help, or something- I can still do something I-” Rem hushed him, pressing a shaky paw on his muzzle and then letting it fall back down. “It’s too late for me, now. No one can do anything,” he sounded calm - voice unsteady - but it was as if he came to terms with his fate already.

“No,” Teika pleaded as he attempted to hold back the tears, “please, there must be something I can do!”

Rem tried shaking his head, but stopped when it hurt him too much. He was getting weaker now, and panic was rising in Teika.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he managed out, feeling like his throat was too tight to breathe.

Teika stopped in the middle of his story to weep for a few minutes, burying his face in his paws. Capri pressed himself to his side, trying to offer some form of comfort. The older viscet gulped, and continued as best as he could.

“Yes?”

Teika pressed his head gently to Rem’s as much as he could without hurting him. Closing his eyes tightly, he swallowed his fears and spoke in an unsteady voice. “Rem...I love you.”



Click for fullsize - IMGUR BACKUP


His companion shut his eyes, tears now staining his face as well. “I l-love you too, Teika.” The larger teal viscet pulled him closer, trying his best to provide him as much physical comfort as possible. Shortly after, Rem’s body went limp, and Teika broke into rhythmless sobs. His world was just ripped from his arms, and he never would have been emotionally or mentally prepared for it. Teika felt sick to his stomach as he stayed there for what felt like an eternity.

He raised his head from the body, eyes locking with one of the leaders looking at him sympathetically. “Which one of you did it,” he demanded, sorrow igniting into flames as he became infuriated. “Tell me.”

The viscet in front of him shook their head quickly, and he turned to the other standing a couple yards behind him. Rem’s crimson was clear on their teeth and lips, and Teika couldn’t help himself as he lifted his lip in a snarl. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” they quickly started, but he cut them off quickly. “Sorry doesn’t cut it.”

“I was so overwhelmed. I felt like the land was pulled from underneath my feet, and I just couldn’t take it. All I saw was red, and I nearly killed them. When I realized what was happening - what I was thinking - I ran away, carrying Rem’s body in my arms and sobbing. As of that day, I was broken.”

Teika collapsed under the tree with Rem falling on him. He was beginning to grow cold, and Teika clutched him to his chest as much as he could. For a couple days he remained like that, mourning the loss of the love of his life. His joints were stiff, and nothing made him want to move from that very spot.


I wanna sleep next to you
But that's all I wanna do right now
And I wanna come home to you
But home is just a room full of my safest sounds
'Cause you know that I can't trust myself with my three A.M. shadow
I'd rather fuel a fantasy than deal with this alone


“I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry,” he wept, burying his face into his feathers. “I could have been better for you. I should have confessed sooner. I should have saved you. You didn’t deserve to die at all, I should have been in your place,” his voice cracked towards the end, no longer smooth. “You deserved so much better, Rem. I love you so dearly.”

Memories flashed back into his mind, and Teika could feel himself becoming numb. Visions of him first arriving at Riffledge, Rem helping him learn to speak properly and adjust to a whole new life. His sight was growing more and more dull, the vibrancy that was once the land of Albira now a dark and decrepit realm. He began to move, laying Rem’s body under the fruitful tree and beginning to bury him. The memory of seeing the stars for the first time with him, falling in love with him and his smile. Teika finished burying him, lining it with various rocks and marking it with a tall stone.


But I wanna sleep next to you
And I wanna come home to you
I wanna hold hands with you
I wanna be close to you


He couldn’t stand to look at it anymore. His cheeks were crusted with salty tears, and he found he could no longer cry.

What once was sorrow was now becoming guilt, feeling that he should have been in Rem’s place. Teika didn’t want to be around anymore settlements - they’d all look at him strange, without his lover by his side. So many questions he couldn’t bear to answer without breaking down again and again. He knew he couldn’t continue living like that, with daily reminders of what happened to him.

His mind seemed to have left him by the time he finally made himself leave the grave. At first, he attempted to return to nearby settlements and continue retaining the peace - but he just couldn’t do it. Teika vowed to defuse one more argument, for himself and Rem, and then left civilization for good. He wandered until he was lost, arriving at a stony hill and taking refuge in a small cave on top of it. By then, his sight was completely monochromatic; consisting of grays, blacks and whites.

Teika practically tossed himself onto the farthest back wall, sliding down as his legs gave way. It felt like anchors were tied to his legs, holding him in place as he felt a big piece of him die. When he went to stare at his feet, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest at what he saw. What once were scaly paws were becoming blocks of rock, gluing him down to the floor of the cave. ‘What’s going on?’ He thought, panic rising within him as he struggled to move. The grey moved like shadows on the land during a sunset - excruciatingly slow and calm.

He knew he couldn’t do anything to stop it, but he still tried anyways. First he lost Rem, now he was going to die from whatever this was.

“I’m so sorry,” he mumbled, eyes staring outside of the cave as he began to accept his fate. Depression swallowed him up, shattering his heart. He never guessed it would have ended this way, and he wished he could have at least died by Rem’s side.


One moment, he could see bright sunlight outside. The next, everything was dark.

— TALK ME DOWN, Troye Sivan