Post by Kari Muffin on Dec 7, 2008 13:59:41 GMT -5
The monster continues. So this is the point in my Nano when I was spazzing pretty hard to find words.
Three chapters this time. The first is about Theo. Wulfram guest stars, as does Asha and Calia. Mentions of the rest of his family, of course. And no, I have no effing clue who Theo's birds are.
The next chapter is about Conway and Abby dearest. Abby would rape any white guy she had the pleasure of seeing. And yes, Conway managed to dodge the rape bullet by being a utter pansy. Note: I got tired of Abby's accent half way through the chapter and said screw it at three am.
And Xiven. The start of her self esteem issues. <3 Poor Esterberry gets what's coming to her years later.
Next title chapter is "My Darling Sister."
Ever since he had become a Queen, he had developed a rather strange power. Theofilus had always been interested in the occult. It was a fascinating sort of thing. Being able to tell the future from cards, or being able to tell the future by looking at the swirls in a crystal ball. It defied the logic that Theofilus had held so dear. But he still enjoyed it.
So when he discovered his Queen power, he was more than happy to use it to the best of his ability. He could see in the present and in the future, but coming up with a coherently pieced together answer was more difficult than he thought. But then again, how could he refuse.
And then things started happening at the palace. Something that he hadn't anticipated.
So he challenged the Queen. Or rather, he went to speak with her and ended up being challenged. His best laid plans had gone straight to hell. At the very least he was able to plan ahead "just in case."
He had sent Kelasia on a bit of an errand. He had told his sons to stay away from the palace for a while. He had told Ceren to visit her mother on his behalf. He didn't know if he would walk out of this alive—and he didn't want his family to see his utter defeat. He didn't want to see them suffer while he suffered himself.
Somehow he had made it out victorious and alive.
He had been blind for quite sometime after the fight. So he hadn't been able to see the man with a strange accent and sense of humor who had helped him.It wasn't until a day or two afterwards did he meet anyone. The doctor was pretty uptight about just about everything.
Kelasia was the first to visit, and the first to scold him in her own way. Then came various members of his family. The boys congratulating him, Ceren scoffing at him, and Mori hugging him (which was painful because of his broken sternum), and last came Calia and Asha.
It was awkward. The looks, the tears she was trying to hide. At least Asha was happy, and would stay happy. Now he wouldn't have to worry about someone taking her away and using her as a fur coat.
"Theofilus..." Calia said while holding Asha in her arms. "Are you going to be all right?"
"But Mama! Papa is fine! Daddy said so, and it didn't feel like anything was wrong."
Theofilus grinned. "She's right. I'm just fine. I just lost an eye and have a broken sternum." And a bruised manhood. But that was something he would keep to himself. "It only hurts to breath, so I should be just fine."
And there it was. The look that Calia gave him when she knew there was more to it. Of course there was more to it than a simple "I'll be fine." To win the Queenship he had killed someone. Of course, it wasn't the killing part that bothered him. It was a particular spell that he had used.
He really shouldn't have used it. He knew that it was nothing but trouble.
"The doctor says that he can stop babying me tomorrow or so. We'll have a nice big family dinner, if that's all right with you two?"
"Yay!" Asha said cheerfully as Calia nodded.
He smiled as he watched the leave. He carefully picked himself up from the chair, still slightly sore from the power kick. Taking a deep breath just made things worse. His sternum would bother him quite a bit after this, he was sure of it.
The doctor walked in while Theofilus was making his way out of the room. His eyes narrowed at the Queen who gave him a rather goofy smile in return.
"I still need to give you a checkup," The doctor said while crossing his arms.
"But you've given me nine checkups in the past two days. I just want to go back to my room." Theofilus said in exasperation.
"I don't want you dropping dead because I missed something and you have internal hemoraging or some nonsense. Please just sit down on the examining table."
Theofilus rolled his eyes. This was utterly ridiculous.
"Your Majesty Zeofilus, ist nice to see you doing vell," said a very familiar voice with a funny accent. Theofilus turned his head to see the door properly. This one eye thing was going to be a horrible pain. The eye patch was bad enough but his lack of depth perception made things next to impossible so far. He couldn't imagine flying again. However he did see the man who was speaking when he turned his head the right way. He was very much a Tulgey human framed by the light behind the doorway.
Well now. That was fascinating.
He also had an armband with the diamond insignia on it. Theofilus raised an eyebrow. Normal elitists wore those bands, and Theofilus had made sure of knowing about the ones who lived in the palace. Obviously he was either brand new, or didn't work in the palace.
"It's nice to meet you again. Um...I'm afraid I didn't quite catch your name after the battle. I was rather out of it." Theofilus smiled and completely ignored the scowling doctor in his peripheral vision.
"Vulfram, Your Majesty," he said with a sight bow.
Theofilus smiled. This was his way out. "If you don't mind Doctor, I'll be taking my leave. I have some business to attend to with Mr. Wulfram."
The Doctor made a huffing sound. "Your Majesty, this doesn't mean you won't get another check up."
"Understandable," Theofilus said with a smile and a tip of hat before he made his way to the door. He had to use his cane to guess where the edge of the door actually was. That bitch.
Once they were outside of the room and heading to some place less sterile, Theofilus started the conversation back up. "I've never seen you around the palace before. Are you staying with a friend."
"You could say zat. I vas wonderink about a spell..."
Damnit. Of course people would wonder about that spell. "It's not really something to explain. It was just something I came across in one of my books. It's not something that can be used on a regular basis."
"Oh?"
Dig a hole, Theo, dig a hole and sleep in it.
"It's just an old spell. I wouldn't recommend learning it. It comes with some rather nasty side effects." Theofilus said with a wave of his cane. "I only used it because I was desperate."
Before the man could say anything Theofilus stopped in his tracks. His eye widened briefly at the image of a rather fluffy looking Lakelander in the distance. "I will meet you at my office, if you don't mind." Theofilus gave a respectful nod to the Tulgey before making his way towards the cat. "What are you doing here?"
The woman, who had been speaking with a young man, looked over to Theofilus with a goofy grin. "Congratulations!"
And with that she hugged the poor sparrow while he was still in his human form. He whimpered in pain as the woman briefly picked him up. Theofilus was thankful that he wasn't spun around like they were children. "You didn't answer my question." Was the first thing Theofilus said when he was set down.
She waved a hand nonchalantly, "Your Majesty, how couldn't I come to congratulate you myself. I never thought you had the balls to do something this amazing!"
"I remember why I left." Theofilus said with narrowed eyes.
"Pish Posh," She said with a small smile. "You may be the Queen, but we're still friends. Even the boy I was speaking to scurried off." The woman shifted the purse that was wrapped around her. Opening the bag she presented Theofilus with a small package. "That's why I came, actually. You winning was just a bonus."
And she left without another word. Theofilus was left standing in the middle of a hallway alone.
Then he realized that his office space had probably changed. That's fantastic.
***
After a nice interesting chat with Wulfram, Theofilus was left to his own devices. Not really, because someone had been kind enough to slam the paperwork on his desk that needed to be done. No rest for the weary.
But for once in his life he avoid paperwork. He pulled out the package that Clari had delivered. Unwrapping it, he discovered that it was a small blank book. He raised an eyebrow at the note that was attached to it.
"For your thoughts. Love, Clari." Theofilus read allowed as he tapped his fingers on the hard cover. Why on earth would she give him a journal? He sighed and flipped open to the first page.
Maybe he should actually use it?
He tapped the pen in an inkwell, and made a motion to write. He paused, however, because of his lack of depth perception. This was going to be a bit more difficult that he originally anticipated. He had to start somewhere, though.
It took a while to get everything neatly on a page. He started simple, addressing that he was Theofilus and had managed to win a fight for the tittle of Queen. And then he was at a loss. What was a journal really for.
Maybe he should write about the spell....
He shouldn't have used it. But without it he probably would have died. No, there really wasn't a "probably." He would have been murdered. His family would have been more than disappointed. He did something reckless, but it was the only thing he could do.
And the birds would never leave. Not until the day he died. And that was if he was lucky. He snorted at the thought. Why should he be paranoid about something like that? He didn't believe in all of the superstitious things that had come from his region, or any other region. Why should he worry about dying a horrible death from a spell. Even if that book had warned him, it was only words on a page.
Nothing would go wrong. But he found himself writing down his doubts. He found himself writing everything. Not only about the birds, but about the visions he had when he used his scrying powers, his family life, all the stupid mistakes he had made when he was younger, Rogers, and just about everyone who had come and gone in his life.
Was he less of a person for speaking the truth on the page?
***
It was only a dream. He knew that. And yet he still found himself shivering in this dark and deary place. It was all his imagination. He was in his human form. He felt so frail and vulnerable in this form. It didn't help that in this dreamscape he was in the middle of nowhere.
And everything looked terribly familial. It was just like being home again.
"Home." The place where he had grown up. The place where his father and mother lived, but he had left when he was sixteen. They hadn't acknowledge his brother, so he had left. Of course, that didn't mean his father and grandfather still didn't bother him. But the scene before him wasn't happy.
It was the lake where his brother had died. The same lake where his brother drowned.
He bit his lip to the point where he was bleeding. It hurt. He felt it. Wincing he looked at the lake, tears welling up in his eyes.... eye. Apparently even in a dream he was missing what he lost. A sigh escaped his bloodied mouth as he looked around, making sure his eye patch was over his eye.
"You're an awful man," said a voice. The voice was familiar, raspy, and broken. His nails dug into his palms as he looked around for the source of the voice. He couldn't see anyone.
"Who are you?"
There was a sound, a hissing. He shifted uncomfortably. And suddenly he felt something grab him from behind, forcing him into an awkward position. Claws were pressed right across his neck. He could feel another set of claws around his stomach. This wasn't something he was thrilled about. The sparrow would have swore if breathing didn't hurt as much as it did.
"You know the answer to that, Theo," whispered the raspy voice.
He really didn't. How could he know who this monster was? "I don't."
The claws dug into his skin, drawing blood. He choked. "Oh darling Theofilus, I'm just a figment of your imagination, I suppose." There was a raspy chuckle that came from the creature.
Theofilus caught sight of whatever it was from the corner of his eye. It was a bird... with teeth for the beak and.... His heart almost stopped.
The creature's tongue trailed from the tip of his chin to his cheek. The disgusting feeling of spit soaked spin made him shudder, causing the claws to dig deeper into his neck. He was feeling dizzy, this wasn't real. It absolutely wasn't real.
"It's all your fault," was the last whisper that Theofilus heard before he shot straight up in his bed.
That was a dream unlike any other. He had been plagued with various nightmares of whispers throughout the years. The birds were monsters that tempted him on numerous occasions. That was entirely new. He slipped back onto his bed. Alone.
"I never should have used that spell. I should have come up with a better alternative."
That journal. He slipped out of bed and started to look for the journal. He wrote in it whenever he made predictions, so why not write in it now? This dream was something he didn't want to forget....
Hopefully he would never have the dream again.
He swore.
He had no idea where he was. No one could help him, no one could here him. He was utterly alone in a backwater place. He had no idea what he was doing or where he was going. He couldn't even remember how he got here.
Conway was at a loss.
"Please don't!" he heard a voice shriek. It was high pitched and squeaky, something that wouldn't like to deal with on a regular basis. However, it was someone. The boy squished through the wetlands, trying to find the source of the shrieking.
"Your kin' ain't welcom' he'e," said a cheery voice. It was deeper than the other voice, but still high pitched and female. Conway wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with someone with an accent.
"Please!" The squeaky voice pleaded. The young man finally found the figures that were speaking. The girl who was begging for her life was a Lowlander. A mouse of an unusual tiny build with bowed legs was on the ground. She was missing an arm and an eye, her ears were tattered to shreds. Standing above her was a large yet terribly skinny looking canine. She looked as if she were part wolf, but her ears were strangely tattered or furred, Conway couldn't tell. But her hands, for whatever reason, had webs between her clawed fingers.
The dog gave a swift kick to the mouse's shins.
The Lowlander squealed in pain.
Conway remained silent as he watched the display. The mouse got a rather nasty beating, before the canine got bored. "Mayba, I shoul' jus' slice your throat?" she asked the mouse, grabbing her by one of the large ears.
The mouse didn't even wiggle in her grasp.
But the canine didn't finish her thoughts to slice open the Lowlander's neck. She dropped the mouse when her eyes caught something. That something being the faint outline of Conway.
She growled, ears pulling back.
Conway rolled his eyes, but he could careless. He stepped out of the brush, leaning on one of the oddly shaped trees. He wasn't afraid to die. Not in this place where there was no one around.
The girl perked. Her ears going straight up, she dropped her guard completely. On closer inspection she was probably around the same age as Conway. Perhaps a year or two older, but she was much younger than most of the people Conway had met. Conway watched as her tail started wagging.
"You're pretty!" she said suddenly. The Lowlander was completely forgotten as the bipedal canine bounced forward. She had a smile on her face—one that was absolutely terrifying for someone with so many needle sharp teeth. Conway raised an eyebrow at the girl who was suddenly in his face.
"Thank you?" Conway said as he tried to edge away.
She suddenly grabbed his hands, and rubbed them on her face. As horrified out as Conway was he couldn't react properly, he was just too stunned.
"I've ne'er seen a humin befor'!"
"Oh." Conway said as he tried to take his hands away from the girl. She let them go, but then she reached up to pinch his cheeks.
Okay. This was weird, and probably topped just about everything.
"You reall' are amazing, ain't you? Are all humins as pretty as you? OH! You have scars!" She said as she stopped pinching his cheek to trace a finger of his scars she had noticed. They were still pink and obviously "new" to some degree, but it still kept her interested. She clapped her hands together. "So ya've been in fights? Thas's awe'ome! I'm Abby! Who'ra you?"
"Conway...." He said staring at the girl.
"Whass that mean?" She said with wide eyes and ears perked.
"Holy water." His mother had made a point of telling him that when he was little. He had never really forgotten. It had always seemed like a strange name choice for him. But who was he to question his mother's tastes in names.
"Holy wa'er?" The girl repeated as a question of curiosity. She shrugged it off in favor of another question. "What do humans look like when they're naked?"
"Different," was what Conway said as he narrowed his eyes.
"Canna see?"
"Absolutely not."
"Why not?" she said in a whiny puppy voice. As adorable as it was, Conway wasn't about to strip. She suddenly tugged his arm, pulling him into her. He found his face in a very uncomfortable place between both her breasts. Immediately he pulled back only to find that he really couldn't.
Damnit. A girl shouldn't be able to over power him so easily.
"I'm gonna take ya home, kay? Ya can spend the night or how'ver long ya want! It'll be great!"
"Yeah. Sure. Great." Conway said muffled from her chest.
***
She lived alone. It was a large house. It was something just as big as the house Tabitha's parents had owned in the Range. Apparently Abby's mother had died when she was young, and her father had left one day when she had turned twelve. Conway had found out her entire life story without honestly trying.
She showed him around the house. It was rather well kept for one person. Abby had apparently learned to take care of herself without help from anyone else. Apparently she hunted and even made her own blankets and sheets. It was a cozy little getaway in the middle of nowhere.
And Conway didn't feel safe.
She had left him alone in the dining room. She said she was going to go and cook something for them. She was being nice simply because he was "pretty" and happened to be company that would sooth her boredom. He didn't want to think about what she would do when she got bored with him.
He stared at the decorations in the wallpaper. It was a pretty fancy house... boring at that. He sighed as he set his head down on the table.
Abby scurried back into the room. She was carrying a set of plates with a variety of breakfast food on them. She set a place for the pair of them, and sat down across the table from Conway. He looked up at her curiously and then back to the food. He poked at it for a minute before he decided that it was safe.
It was a good meal, though it was awkward with Abby staring at him the entire time. He wasn't sure how to react. It was strange seeing someone eat while they were watching you like a hawk. Part of him wanted to make conversation, but the more sensible part of him demanded he remain silent.
Silence was golden, after all.
He finished the meal long before Abby did, and continued to inspect the wallpaper.
"You reall' are strange," Abby said suddenly. She placed her fork down on the plate as she looked at the Conway. "I've never met anyone with black eyes. And wass your region? I can't reall' tell. Humans reall' are strange."
Conway shrugged, "I'm from Hisstor."
"Oh? Isnit that the realm with all tha bones fetish things?"
"It's not a fetish," Conway said flatly as he raised his arm. He slipped off the bracelet so she could see it properly. "This bone bracelet is attached to my spine by a mucsle strand. It's a mutation."
She titled her head. "Wow. That mus' be a bitch sometymes."
It was the truth but Conway wasn't going to say it out loud.
"You don talk much. Is there a reason for that? And why don't you have a shadow?" She continued to throw questions out, one right after another. Conway wasn't sure what to do with himself. He answered some of them to the best of his ability, while others he shrugged off and hoped that she would forget.
This lasted for quite sometime. Finally the barrage of questioning stopped when Abby started yawning. She politely rose and showed Conway to the guest bedroom. With a simple goodnight she left.
Conway was skeptical that this was going to be an easy and simple night.
***
In the dead of the night Conway suddenly found his legs in an entirely awkward position. He flailed for a few moments before kicking at whatever was holding him. He sat up, squinting in the dark he saw the form of Abby. Apparently she was trying to take off his pants.
Lovely.
"Go away," he growled, "I don't want to sew the buttons back on my pants."
She whimpered. "But I want to see what a human looks like when their naked!"
"Well find someone else! Now let me sleep."
"Awwww, but come on!"
"No!" Conway yelped when she suddenly grabbed his arms. She tried her hardest to pin him down, and found that Conway was a slippery one. He rolled off the bed and out of her grasp. He reached for his coat, and grabbed the contents of his pocket. The switch blade flicked out, and glinted in the dim light.
Abby's ears went back, her teeth were bared at the boy.
Conway watched as she slowly rose, keeping her eyes on the blade. She was more prepared for this fight than he was. She also had more advantages. The boy swallowed hard. At least he could change his rank to suit the situation.
She lunged forward.
Conway hopped to the side, as fast as he could move he shifted to swing the knife.
It slashed her ear, cutting the tip clean off. She yelped and hopped backwards. With a furious expression she kept her eyes on the knife clutching her ear in desperation. She snapped her jaw once before lunging again.
Conway narrowly escaped the jaws. In teeth had managed to tear the sleeve off of his shirt completely. He now found himself pressed against the wall as Abby tried to attack his abdomen. He brought the knife down, implanting it in the canine's arm as the tip of her teeth made contact with Conway's abdomen.
And they hovered there for a moment before she whipped her head back and howled. She fell to the floor, clutching the knife that was in her arm. Conway watched as she debated pulling it out.
Wait, why was he watching? He had to get out of here! Leaping forward he grabbed his coat and went to the door. He struggled with the lock for a few moments before falling out of the room and running as fast as possible to the front door.
He didn't make it that far, however. He cursed himself for not using the Spade ability as he felt himself collide with the floor.Struggling as much as he could he tried to get up, but Abby weight quite a bit despite her size.
And then she nipped his ear. It wasn't in a violent sort of way either. It was a nip to the ear that barely drew blood.
He could feel Abby's tail wag as she pressed his head against the floor. Leaning forward she whispered in his ear, "That was a fun game. We should play that again sometime."
Conway made a sound akin to a whimper. She thought that was nothing but a game?
"Hey, how about we play another game?" Abby asked as she wiggled on top of him. "I want you to take my virginity!"
And in a brilliant display of emotions, Conway passed out.
***
He woke up in the dim light of morning. He was, thankfully, clothed and in one piece. However, he did wake up to the shock of Abby sleeping in the same bed as him. Promptly removing himself from the bed he looked around for his coat and cravat. He had to get out of here as soon as possible.
Abby rolled over in the bed still asleep.
Conway really hoped that he hadn't done anything...weird with her. He never really had sex before—he had just seen it on numerous occasions. He absolutely didn't want to lose his virginity to someone that off the wall. Hell. He would rather lose his virginity to a hooker.
He held his bracelet as he hurried over to where his belongs had been perched. Apparently Abby had even cleaned his knife off and bandaged her wound. He shrugged it off and slipped the knife into one of his pockets. He hurried down the stairs, moving as silently as he always did.
He had to find his way out of this place. How, he had no idea, but he was had to do it alone. If he had wandered his way into the place he could wander his way out—hopefully in one piece.
"Conway, where are you going?"
Conway cursed, but Abby couldn't hear it. He turned around, his hand on the front door's knob. He had been so terribly close to escaping.
But Abby was at the top of the staircase smiling down at him. She quickly hurried down. "If you wanted to leave, you should have just said something."
He blinked, confusion obvious on his face.
"What? Don gimme tha look!" She gave him a wink and lightly punched his arm. "One day your gonna take my virginity, so I outta be nice."
Conway rolled his eyes. In her wildest wet dreams he would.
At least he was getting a ticket out of this hell hole. Not like it would be all that great, he had to go through the Lowlands before he found some place that didn't suck so terribly.
Maybe he would go home? That might be nice....
Not like he had a real home.
Sometimes, Xiven was convinced, her teachers spoke in Greek or some other mysterious language. She couldn't understand what the hell they were saying half the time. She pawed at the book in front of her as her tutor rattled off conjectures and theories that had to do with something in her book.
She understood when he explained it to her, not when he read from the book the way he did. Her ears pinned back as she listend to him recite what the book said. Really. It didn't make any sense to her.
The girl sitting next to her seemed to understand everything. She was only a two of hearts, but she was an Esterberry and the daughter of the tutor. Xiven frowned when the tutor stopped reading to give her one of his looks.
"No, I didn't understand a word. You could just explain it to me without using the book and I would get it." Xiven said flatly.
"Miss Xiven, that's not how we learn things."
"Yeah, I know. You read from the book, then you explain things. It would be easier if you just skipped all the filler."
"Grammar, Miss Xiven, Grammar."
She rolled her eyes.
"Christianne, would you like to recite what I just said from the textbook?"
"Of course, sir," said the manned wolf cheerfully as she cleared her throat. She recited the book perfectly, from the first to last lines without a single moment of hesitation. Xiven stared with a disappointed look on her face. How was she ever supposed to do that?
The manned wolf Esterberry gave her a smirk, the light reflecting from her glasses blocked out her eyes. It was a look of utter victory.
***
"There's no way she's better than me Fluffy! She may be smarter than me but she's not better than me!" Xiven said as she paced around the room, chains jingling the entire way. Xiven wasn't angry often. She was normally carefree and enjoyed running around and causing some level of chaos. Right now, however she was rather annoyed by the haughty Esterberry.
"You know what she said to me after the lesson was over?" Xiven turned to face Fluffy. She was sitting in her basket hanging on every word—if she understood it or not. Either way, Xiven was happy that at least there was one person willing to listen to her. "She said that I was stupid. She flat out told me I was stupid."
Xiven sat where she was with a humph.
Fluffy got up to cuddle with her Mistress. Xiven's ears twitched with frustration as the feline wrapped around her, doing her best to make things better.
It wasn't working.
Xiven wasn't stupid was she? Papa didn't like her because she was a Torquehelm. Her half siblings didn't like her much either. There was Fluffy, Mommy and Eldy. Those were the people she could go to when troubled. Fluffy couldn't understand everything, Mommy just hugged her and said everything would get better, and Eldy just... was herself. That didn't fix the problem. That also didn't answer the question of if she was stupid or not.
Was she stupid for thinking any of this.
She whimpered and nudged Fluffy away. The other cat was confused, but Xiven gave her a reassuring lick on the nose. "I have to go and find Mommy Peaches, just stay here Fluffy."
Fluffy nodded and rubbed up against her before Xiven slipped out of the room. Xiven sighed as she trotted down the hallway, her chains ringing as she walked. Why on earth did she wear these things anyway? Brushing it off she continued to walk down the hallway.
And then she ran into a giant ball of fluff. Falling flat on her but she shook her head and narrowed her eyes at the person sitting in front of her.
"Watch where you're going, idiot!" said the manned wolf.
Xiven puffed up as she stared at the girl in front of her. A two of hearts treating her like trash. "You're the one who needs to watch where they're going!"
"Bite me! You may be a Queen but you're as dumb as a post!" She growled.
Xiven hissed. "When I grow up, I'll be a Queen and you'll be at my feet begging for mercy!"
"Yeah, right, like you're smart enough to get a Title." She snorted and rolled her eyes.
Xiven couldn't puff up anymore, and it was like talking to an insulting brick wall. One day she would be a Queen. One day she would hold power and people would respect her! Standing up she walked past the manned wolf, still puffed up.
Her fur didn't go down for a while. It wasn't until one of the maids pointed out that she looked like a powder puff did her fur go down. She paused in a corner to smooth out her fur. It was stupid. Why was she so angry over what someone said to her? They didn't know anything about her!
Her thoughts and movements were interrupted by her mother.
"What are you doing?"
"Mom. Am I stupid?"
Peaches blinked. "Last time I checked the answer was no, but that has nothing to do with my question."
Xiven didn't say anything else. Instead she stood up and started walking in the opposite direction her mother was. But she knew her mother, she would let it go for now and then bring it up when Xiven least expected it. Mom's were great. Crazy ones not so much.
But her mother had given her an honest answer. Then again she wasn't sure who else she could ask. Not many people in the palace would humor her. Not like she wanted them to. A lot of the people were scary, and she had every intention of avoiding them.
One day she would be the one people avoid. She wouldn't be looked down upon because of her region, her Papa would love her, she wouldn't have to worry about anything.
One day.
Three chapters this time. The first is about Theo. Wulfram guest stars, as does Asha and Calia. Mentions of the rest of his family, of course. And no, I have no effing clue who Theo's birds are.
The next chapter is about Conway and Abby dearest. Abby would rape any white guy she had the pleasure of seeing. And yes, Conway managed to dodge the rape bullet by being a utter pansy. Note: I got tired of Abby's accent half way through the chapter and said screw it at three am.
And Xiven. The start of her self esteem issues. <3 Poor Esterberry gets what's coming to her years later.
Next title chapter is "My Darling Sister."
Best Laid Plans
+A man's mistakes
+A man's mistakes
Ever since he had become a Queen, he had developed a rather strange power. Theofilus had always been interested in the occult. It was a fascinating sort of thing. Being able to tell the future from cards, or being able to tell the future by looking at the swirls in a crystal ball. It defied the logic that Theofilus had held so dear. But he still enjoyed it.
So when he discovered his Queen power, he was more than happy to use it to the best of his ability. He could see in the present and in the future, but coming up with a coherently pieced together answer was more difficult than he thought. But then again, how could he refuse.
And then things started happening at the palace. Something that he hadn't anticipated.
So he challenged the Queen. Or rather, he went to speak with her and ended up being challenged. His best laid plans had gone straight to hell. At the very least he was able to plan ahead "just in case."
He had sent Kelasia on a bit of an errand. He had told his sons to stay away from the palace for a while. He had told Ceren to visit her mother on his behalf. He didn't know if he would walk out of this alive—and he didn't want his family to see his utter defeat. He didn't want to see them suffer while he suffered himself.
Somehow he had made it out victorious and alive.
He had been blind for quite sometime after the fight. So he hadn't been able to see the man with a strange accent and sense of humor who had helped him.It wasn't until a day or two afterwards did he meet anyone. The doctor was pretty uptight about just about everything.
Kelasia was the first to visit, and the first to scold him in her own way. Then came various members of his family. The boys congratulating him, Ceren scoffing at him, and Mori hugging him (which was painful because of his broken sternum), and last came Calia and Asha.
It was awkward. The looks, the tears she was trying to hide. At least Asha was happy, and would stay happy. Now he wouldn't have to worry about someone taking her away and using her as a fur coat.
"Theofilus..." Calia said while holding Asha in her arms. "Are you going to be all right?"
"But Mama! Papa is fine! Daddy said so, and it didn't feel like anything was wrong."
Theofilus grinned. "She's right. I'm just fine. I just lost an eye and have a broken sternum." And a bruised manhood. But that was something he would keep to himself. "It only hurts to breath, so I should be just fine."
And there it was. The look that Calia gave him when she knew there was more to it. Of course there was more to it than a simple "I'll be fine." To win the Queenship he had killed someone. Of course, it wasn't the killing part that bothered him. It was a particular spell that he had used.
He really shouldn't have used it. He knew that it was nothing but trouble.
"The doctor says that he can stop babying me tomorrow or so. We'll have a nice big family dinner, if that's all right with you two?"
"Yay!" Asha said cheerfully as Calia nodded.
He smiled as he watched the leave. He carefully picked himself up from the chair, still slightly sore from the power kick. Taking a deep breath just made things worse. His sternum would bother him quite a bit after this, he was sure of it.
The doctor walked in while Theofilus was making his way out of the room. His eyes narrowed at the Queen who gave him a rather goofy smile in return.
"I still need to give you a checkup," The doctor said while crossing his arms.
"But you've given me nine checkups in the past two days. I just want to go back to my room." Theofilus said in exasperation.
"I don't want you dropping dead because I missed something and you have internal hemoraging or some nonsense. Please just sit down on the examining table."
Theofilus rolled his eyes. This was utterly ridiculous.
"Your Majesty Zeofilus, ist nice to see you doing vell," said a very familiar voice with a funny accent. Theofilus turned his head to see the door properly. This one eye thing was going to be a horrible pain. The eye patch was bad enough but his lack of depth perception made things next to impossible so far. He couldn't imagine flying again. However he did see the man who was speaking when he turned his head the right way. He was very much a Tulgey human framed by the light behind the doorway.
Well now. That was fascinating.
He also had an armband with the diamond insignia on it. Theofilus raised an eyebrow. Normal elitists wore those bands, and Theofilus had made sure of knowing about the ones who lived in the palace. Obviously he was either brand new, or didn't work in the palace.
"It's nice to meet you again. Um...I'm afraid I didn't quite catch your name after the battle. I was rather out of it." Theofilus smiled and completely ignored the scowling doctor in his peripheral vision.
"Vulfram, Your Majesty," he said with a sight bow.
Theofilus smiled. This was his way out. "If you don't mind Doctor, I'll be taking my leave. I have some business to attend to with Mr. Wulfram."
The Doctor made a huffing sound. "Your Majesty, this doesn't mean you won't get another check up."
"Understandable," Theofilus said with a smile and a tip of hat before he made his way to the door. He had to use his cane to guess where the edge of the door actually was. That bitch.
Once they were outside of the room and heading to some place less sterile, Theofilus started the conversation back up. "I've never seen you around the palace before. Are you staying with a friend."
"You could say zat. I vas wonderink about a spell..."
Damnit. Of course people would wonder about that spell. "It's not really something to explain. It was just something I came across in one of my books. It's not something that can be used on a regular basis."
"Oh?"
Dig a hole, Theo, dig a hole and sleep in it.
"It's just an old spell. I wouldn't recommend learning it. It comes with some rather nasty side effects." Theofilus said with a wave of his cane. "I only used it because I was desperate."
Before the man could say anything Theofilus stopped in his tracks. His eye widened briefly at the image of a rather fluffy looking Lakelander in the distance. "I will meet you at my office, if you don't mind." Theofilus gave a respectful nod to the Tulgey before making his way towards the cat. "What are you doing here?"
The woman, who had been speaking with a young man, looked over to Theofilus with a goofy grin. "Congratulations!"
And with that she hugged the poor sparrow while he was still in his human form. He whimpered in pain as the woman briefly picked him up. Theofilus was thankful that he wasn't spun around like they were children. "You didn't answer my question." Was the first thing Theofilus said when he was set down.
She waved a hand nonchalantly, "Your Majesty, how couldn't I come to congratulate you myself. I never thought you had the balls to do something this amazing!"
"I remember why I left." Theofilus said with narrowed eyes.
"Pish Posh," She said with a small smile. "You may be the Queen, but we're still friends. Even the boy I was speaking to scurried off." The woman shifted the purse that was wrapped around her. Opening the bag she presented Theofilus with a small package. "That's why I came, actually. You winning was just a bonus."
And she left without another word. Theofilus was left standing in the middle of a hallway alone.
Then he realized that his office space had probably changed. That's fantastic.
***
After a nice interesting chat with Wulfram, Theofilus was left to his own devices. Not really, because someone had been kind enough to slam the paperwork on his desk that needed to be done. No rest for the weary.
But for once in his life he avoid paperwork. He pulled out the package that Clari had delivered. Unwrapping it, he discovered that it was a small blank book. He raised an eyebrow at the note that was attached to it.
"For your thoughts. Love, Clari." Theofilus read allowed as he tapped his fingers on the hard cover. Why on earth would she give him a journal? He sighed and flipped open to the first page.
Maybe he should actually use it?
He tapped the pen in an inkwell, and made a motion to write. He paused, however, because of his lack of depth perception. This was going to be a bit more difficult that he originally anticipated. He had to start somewhere, though.
It took a while to get everything neatly on a page. He started simple, addressing that he was Theofilus and had managed to win a fight for the tittle of Queen. And then he was at a loss. What was a journal really for.
Maybe he should write about the spell....
He shouldn't have used it. But without it he probably would have died. No, there really wasn't a "probably." He would have been murdered. His family would have been more than disappointed. He did something reckless, but it was the only thing he could do.
And the birds would never leave. Not until the day he died. And that was if he was lucky. He snorted at the thought. Why should he be paranoid about something like that? He didn't believe in all of the superstitious things that had come from his region, or any other region. Why should he worry about dying a horrible death from a spell. Even if that book had warned him, it was only words on a page.
Nothing would go wrong. But he found himself writing down his doubts. He found himself writing everything. Not only about the birds, but about the visions he had when he used his scrying powers, his family life, all the stupid mistakes he had made when he was younger, Rogers, and just about everyone who had come and gone in his life.
Was he less of a person for speaking the truth on the page?
***
It was only a dream. He knew that. And yet he still found himself shivering in this dark and deary place. It was all his imagination. He was in his human form. He felt so frail and vulnerable in this form. It didn't help that in this dreamscape he was in the middle of nowhere.
And everything looked terribly familial. It was just like being home again.
"Home." The place where he had grown up. The place where his father and mother lived, but he had left when he was sixteen. They hadn't acknowledge his brother, so he had left. Of course, that didn't mean his father and grandfather still didn't bother him. But the scene before him wasn't happy.
It was the lake where his brother had died. The same lake where his brother drowned.
He bit his lip to the point where he was bleeding. It hurt. He felt it. Wincing he looked at the lake, tears welling up in his eyes.... eye. Apparently even in a dream he was missing what he lost. A sigh escaped his bloodied mouth as he looked around, making sure his eye patch was over his eye.
"You're an awful man," said a voice. The voice was familiar, raspy, and broken. His nails dug into his palms as he looked around for the source of the voice. He couldn't see anyone.
"Who are you?"
There was a sound, a hissing. He shifted uncomfortably. And suddenly he felt something grab him from behind, forcing him into an awkward position. Claws were pressed right across his neck. He could feel another set of claws around his stomach. This wasn't something he was thrilled about. The sparrow would have swore if breathing didn't hurt as much as it did.
"You know the answer to that, Theo," whispered the raspy voice.
He really didn't. How could he know who this monster was? "I don't."
The claws dug into his skin, drawing blood. He choked. "Oh darling Theofilus, I'm just a figment of your imagination, I suppose." There was a raspy chuckle that came from the creature.
Theofilus caught sight of whatever it was from the corner of his eye. It was a bird... with teeth for the beak and.... His heart almost stopped.
The creature's tongue trailed from the tip of his chin to his cheek. The disgusting feeling of spit soaked spin made him shudder, causing the claws to dig deeper into his neck. He was feeling dizzy, this wasn't real. It absolutely wasn't real.
"It's all your fault," was the last whisper that Theofilus heard before he shot straight up in his bed.
That was a dream unlike any other. He had been plagued with various nightmares of whispers throughout the years. The birds were monsters that tempted him on numerous occasions. That was entirely new. He slipped back onto his bed. Alone.
"I never should have used that spell. I should have come up with a better alternative."
That journal. He slipped out of bed and started to look for the journal. He wrote in it whenever he made predictions, so why not write in it now? This dream was something he didn't want to forget....
Hopefully he would never have the dream again.
Love, Hate, Live
+the boy with bad luck
+the boy with bad luck
He swore.
He had no idea where he was. No one could help him, no one could here him. He was utterly alone in a backwater place. He had no idea what he was doing or where he was going. He couldn't even remember how he got here.
Conway was at a loss.
"Please don't!" he heard a voice shriek. It was high pitched and squeaky, something that wouldn't like to deal with on a regular basis. However, it was someone. The boy squished through the wetlands, trying to find the source of the shrieking.
"Your kin' ain't welcom' he'e," said a cheery voice. It was deeper than the other voice, but still high pitched and female. Conway wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with someone with an accent.
"Please!" The squeaky voice pleaded. The young man finally found the figures that were speaking. The girl who was begging for her life was a Lowlander. A mouse of an unusual tiny build with bowed legs was on the ground. She was missing an arm and an eye, her ears were tattered to shreds. Standing above her was a large yet terribly skinny looking canine. She looked as if she were part wolf, but her ears were strangely tattered or furred, Conway couldn't tell. But her hands, for whatever reason, had webs between her clawed fingers.
The dog gave a swift kick to the mouse's shins.
The Lowlander squealed in pain.
Conway remained silent as he watched the display. The mouse got a rather nasty beating, before the canine got bored. "Mayba, I shoul' jus' slice your throat?" she asked the mouse, grabbing her by one of the large ears.
The mouse didn't even wiggle in her grasp.
But the canine didn't finish her thoughts to slice open the Lowlander's neck. She dropped the mouse when her eyes caught something. That something being the faint outline of Conway.
She growled, ears pulling back.
Conway rolled his eyes, but he could careless. He stepped out of the brush, leaning on one of the oddly shaped trees. He wasn't afraid to die. Not in this place where there was no one around.
The girl perked. Her ears going straight up, she dropped her guard completely. On closer inspection she was probably around the same age as Conway. Perhaps a year or two older, but she was much younger than most of the people Conway had met. Conway watched as her tail started wagging.
"You're pretty!" she said suddenly. The Lowlander was completely forgotten as the bipedal canine bounced forward. She had a smile on her face—one that was absolutely terrifying for someone with so many needle sharp teeth. Conway raised an eyebrow at the girl who was suddenly in his face.
"Thank you?" Conway said as he tried to edge away.
She suddenly grabbed his hands, and rubbed them on her face. As horrified out as Conway was he couldn't react properly, he was just too stunned.
"I've ne'er seen a humin befor'!"
"Oh." Conway said as he tried to take his hands away from the girl. She let them go, but then she reached up to pinch his cheeks.
Okay. This was weird, and probably topped just about everything.
"You reall' are amazing, ain't you? Are all humins as pretty as you? OH! You have scars!" She said as she stopped pinching his cheek to trace a finger of his scars she had noticed. They were still pink and obviously "new" to some degree, but it still kept her interested. She clapped her hands together. "So ya've been in fights? Thas's awe'ome! I'm Abby! Who'ra you?"
"Conway...." He said staring at the girl.
"Whass that mean?" She said with wide eyes and ears perked.
"Holy water." His mother had made a point of telling him that when he was little. He had never really forgotten. It had always seemed like a strange name choice for him. But who was he to question his mother's tastes in names.
"Holy wa'er?" The girl repeated as a question of curiosity. She shrugged it off in favor of another question. "What do humans look like when they're naked?"
"Different," was what Conway said as he narrowed his eyes.
"Canna see?"
"Absolutely not."
"Why not?" she said in a whiny puppy voice. As adorable as it was, Conway wasn't about to strip. She suddenly tugged his arm, pulling him into her. He found his face in a very uncomfortable place between both her breasts. Immediately he pulled back only to find that he really couldn't.
Damnit. A girl shouldn't be able to over power him so easily.
"I'm gonna take ya home, kay? Ya can spend the night or how'ver long ya want! It'll be great!"
"Yeah. Sure. Great." Conway said muffled from her chest.
***
She lived alone. It was a large house. It was something just as big as the house Tabitha's parents had owned in the Range. Apparently Abby's mother had died when she was young, and her father had left one day when she had turned twelve. Conway had found out her entire life story without honestly trying.
She showed him around the house. It was rather well kept for one person. Abby had apparently learned to take care of herself without help from anyone else. Apparently she hunted and even made her own blankets and sheets. It was a cozy little getaway in the middle of nowhere.
And Conway didn't feel safe.
She had left him alone in the dining room. She said she was going to go and cook something for them. She was being nice simply because he was "pretty" and happened to be company that would sooth her boredom. He didn't want to think about what she would do when she got bored with him.
He stared at the decorations in the wallpaper. It was a pretty fancy house... boring at that. He sighed as he set his head down on the table.
Abby scurried back into the room. She was carrying a set of plates with a variety of breakfast food on them. She set a place for the pair of them, and sat down across the table from Conway. He looked up at her curiously and then back to the food. He poked at it for a minute before he decided that it was safe.
It was a good meal, though it was awkward with Abby staring at him the entire time. He wasn't sure how to react. It was strange seeing someone eat while they were watching you like a hawk. Part of him wanted to make conversation, but the more sensible part of him demanded he remain silent.
Silence was golden, after all.
He finished the meal long before Abby did, and continued to inspect the wallpaper.
"You reall' are strange," Abby said suddenly. She placed her fork down on the plate as she looked at the Conway. "I've never met anyone with black eyes. And wass your region? I can't reall' tell. Humans reall' are strange."
Conway shrugged, "I'm from Hisstor."
"Oh? Isnit that the realm with all tha bones fetish things?"
"It's not a fetish," Conway said flatly as he raised his arm. He slipped off the bracelet so she could see it properly. "This bone bracelet is attached to my spine by a mucsle strand. It's a mutation."
She titled her head. "Wow. That mus' be a bitch sometymes."
It was the truth but Conway wasn't going to say it out loud.
"You don talk much. Is there a reason for that? And why don't you have a shadow?" She continued to throw questions out, one right after another. Conway wasn't sure what to do with himself. He answered some of them to the best of his ability, while others he shrugged off and hoped that she would forget.
This lasted for quite sometime. Finally the barrage of questioning stopped when Abby started yawning. She politely rose and showed Conway to the guest bedroom. With a simple goodnight she left.
Conway was skeptical that this was going to be an easy and simple night.
***
In the dead of the night Conway suddenly found his legs in an entirely awkward position. He flailed for a few moments before kicking at whatever was holding him. He sat up, squinting in the dark he saw the form of Abby. Apparently she was trying to take off his pants.
Lovely.
"Go away," he growled, "I don't want to sew the buttons back on my pants."
She whimpered. "But I want to see what a human looks like when their naked!"
"Well find someone else! Now let me sleep."
"Awwww, but come on!"
"No!" Conway yelped when she suddenly grabbed his arms. She tried her hardest to pin him down, and found that Conway was a slippery one. He rolled off the bed and out of her grasp. He reached for his coat, and grabbed the contents of his pocket. The switch blade flicked out, and glinted in the dim light.
Abby's ears went back, her teeth were bared at the boy.
Conway watched as she slowly rose, keeping her eyes on the blade. She was more prepared for this fight than he was. She also had more advantages. The boy swallowed hard. At least he could change his rank to suit the situation.
She lunged forward.
Conway hopped to the side, as fast as he could move he shifted to swing the knife.
It slashed her ear, cutting the tip clean off. She yelped and hopped backwards. With a furious expression she kept her eyes on the knife clutching her ear in desperation. She snapped her jaw once before lunging again.
Conway narrowly escaped the jaws. In teeth had managed to tear the sleeve off of his shirt completely. He now found himself pressed against the wall as Abby tried to attack his abdomen. He brought the knife down, implanting it in the canine's arm as the tip of her teeth made contact with Conway's abdomen.
And they hovered there for a moment before she whipped her head back and howled. She fell to the floor, clutching the knife that was in her arm. Conway watched as she debated pulling it out.
Wait, why was he watching? He had to get out of here! Leaping forward he grabbed his coat and went to the door. He struggled with the lock for a few moments before falling out of the room and running as fast as possible to the front door.
He didn't make it that far, however. He cursed himself for not using the Spade ability as he felt himself collide with the floor.Struggling as much as he could he tried to get up, but Abby weight quite a bit despite her size.
And then she nipped his ear. It wasn't in a violent sort of way either. It was a nip to the ear that barely drew blood.
He could feel Abby's tail wag as she pressed his head against the floor. Leaning forward she whispered in his ear, "That was a fun game. We should play that again sometime."
Conway made a sound akin to a whimper. She thought that was nothing but a game?
"Hey, how about we play another game?" Abby asked as she wiggled on top of him. "I want you to take my virginity!"
And in a brilliant display of emotions, Conway passed out.
***
He woke up in the dim light of morning. He was, thankfully, clothed and in one piece. However, he did wake up to the shock of Abby sleeping in the same bed as him. Promptly removing himself from the bed he looked around for his coat and cravat. He had to get out of here as soon as possible.
Abby rolled over in the bed still asleep.
Conway really hoped that he hadn't done anything...weird with her. He never really had sex before—he had just seen it on numerous occasions. He absolutely didn't want to lose his virginity to someone that off the wall. Hell. He would rather lose his virginity to a hooker.
He held his bracelet as he hurried over to where his belongs had been perched. Apparently Abby had even cleaned his knife off and bandaged her wound. He shrugged it off and slipped the knife into one of his pockets. He hurried down the stairs, moving as silently as he always did.
He had to find his way out of this place. How, he had no idea, but he was had to do it alone. If he had wandered his way into the place he could wander his way out—hopefully in one piece.
"Conway, where are you going?"
Conway cursed, but Abby couldn't hear it. He turned around, his hand on the front door's knob. He had been so terribly close to escaping.
But Abby was at the top of the staircase smiling down at him. She quickly hurried down. "If you wanted to leave, you should have just said something."
He blinked, confusion obvious on his face.
"What? Don gimme tha look!" She gave him a wink and lightly punched his arm. "One day your gonna take my virginity, so I outta be nice."
Conway rolled his eyes. In her wildest wet dreams he would.
At least he was getting a ticket out of this hell hole. Not like it would be all that great, he had to go through the Lowlands before he found some place that didn't suck so terribly.
Maybe he would go home? That might be nice....
Not like he had a real home.
Feeling Small
+ The troubled girl loses a battle.
+ The troubled girl loses a battle.
Sometimes, Xiven was convinced, her teachers spoke in Greek or some other mysterious language. She couldn't understand what the hell they were saying half the time. She pawed at the book in front of her as her tutor rattled off conjectures and theories that had to do with something in her book.
She understood when he explained it to her, not when he read from the book the way he did. Her ears pinned back as she listend to him recite what the book said. Really. It didn't make any sense to her.
The girl sitting next to her seemed to understand everything. She was only a two of hearts, but she was an Esterberry and the daughter of the tutor. Xiven frowned when the tutor stopped reading to give her one of his looks.
"No, I didn't understand a word. You could just explain it to me without using the book and I would get it." Xiven said flatly.
"Miss Xiven, that's not how we learn things."
"Yeah, I know. You read from the book, then you explain things. It would be easier if you just skipped all the filler."
"Grammar, Miss Xiven, Grammar."
She rolled her eyes.
"Christianne, would you like to recite what I just said from the textbook?"
"Of course, sir," said the manned wolf cheerfully as she cleared her throat. She recited the book perfectly, from the first to last lines without a single moment of hesitation. Xiven stared with a disappointed look on her face. How was she ever supposed to do that?
The manned wolf Esterberry gave her a smirk, the light reflecting from her glasses blocked out her eyes. It was a look of utter victory.
***
"There's no way she's better than me Fluffy! She may be smarter than me but she's not better than me!" Xiven said as she paced around the room, chains jingling the entire way. Xiven wasn't angry often. She was normally carefree and enjoyed running around and causing some level of chaos. Right now, however she was rather annoyed by the haughty Esterberry.
"You know what she said to me after the lesson was over?" Xiven turned to face Fluffy. She was sitting in her basket hanging on every word—if she understood it or not. Either way, Xiven was happy that at least there was one person willing to listen to her. "She said that I was stupid. She flat out told me I was stupid."
Xiven sat where she was with a humph.
Fluffy got up to cuddle with her Mistress. Xiven's ears twitched with frustration as the feline wrapped around her, doing her best to make things better.
It wasn't working.
Xiven wasn't stupid was she? Papa didn't like her because she was a Torquehelm. Her half siblings didn't like her much either. There was Fluffy, Mommy and Eldy. Those were the people she could go to when troubled. Fluffy couldn't understand everything, Mommy just hugged her and said everything would get better, and Eldy just... was herself. That didn't fix the problem. That also didn't answer the question of if she was stupid or not.
Was she stupid for thinking any of this.
She whimpered and nudged Fluffy away. The other cat was confused, but Xiven gave her a reassuring lick on the nose. "I have to go and find Mommy Peaches, just stay here Fluffy."
Fluffy nodded and rubbed up against her before Xiven slipped out of the room. Xiven sighed as she trotted down the hallway, her chains ringing as she walked. Why on earth did she wear these things anyway? Brushing it off she continued to walk down the hallway.
And then she ran into a giant ball of fluff. Falling flat on her but she shook her head and narrowed her eyes at the person sitting in front of her.
"Watch where you're going, idiot!" said the manned wolf.
Xiven puffed up as she stared at the girl in front of her. A two of hearts treating her like trash. "You're the one who needs to watch where they're going!"
"Bite me! You may be a Queen but you're as dumb as a post!" She growled.
Xiven hissed. "When I grow up, I'll be a Queen and you'll be at my feet begging for mercy!"
"Yeah, right, like you're smart enough to get a Title." She snorted and rolled her eyes.
Xiven couldn't puff up anymore, and it was like talking to an insulting brick wall. One day she would be a Queen. One day she would hold power and people would respect her! Standing up she walked past the manned wolf, still puffed up.
Her fur didn't go down for a while. It wasn't until one of the maids pointed out that she looked like a powder puff did her fur go down. She paused in a corner to smooth out her fur. It was stupid. Why was she so angry over what someone said to her? They didn't know anything about her!
Her thoughts and movements were interrupted by her mother.
"What are you doing?"
"Mom. Am I stupid?"
Peaches blinked. "Last time I checked the answer was no, but that has nothing to do with my question."
Xiven didn't say anything else. Instead she stood up and started walking in the opposite direction her mother was. But she knew her mother, she would let it go for now and then bring it up when Xiven least expected it. Mom's were great. Crazy ones not so much.
But her mother had given her an honest answer. Then again she wasn't sure who else she could ask. Not many people in the palace would humor her. Not like she wanted them to. A lot of the people were scary, and she had every intention of avoiding them.
One day she would be the one people avoid. She wouldn't be looked down upon because of her region, her Papa would love her, she wouldn't have to worry about anything.
One day.
