Chapter Text
The dragon's chest paused mid breath, hitching ever so slightly before resuming it's slow and careful rhythm. The quiet was a loud kind of silence, the obsidian gave it's own kind of quiet song. A low, constant hum that sat low in one's chest, calming almost if one was used to that low rumbling feeling.
The only, well, usable eye of deep green and blue that swirled and shifted colours depending on how one looked into it peered itself open. An action unwillingly, but willed at the same time.
Darkness met the gaze, head resting sideways against a warm chest. Facing outwards into a quiet, hidden obsidian box sprinkled with furniture and carrying the scent of faint copper and the distinctive, faint trail of smoldered lava that was the obsidian lining. The lights dimmed to nothing, but the faint glow the natural caution filled glow the obsidian gave to light sensitive eyes was enough to light the place enough to see.
A low, slow sigh left the dragons mouth, face muscles twitching slightly as the feeling of bandages finally began to register. It covered his left eye and around his horn, wrapping securely to keep the draining red from reappearing.
Wemmbu just gave a low sigh once more, atleast it covered his block blotch and left eye from prying eyes. His working scanned the nearby area while his body kept still. Observe, plan and react accordingly.
His mind was quiet, that was a relief, his head felt light and his memory fuzzy as he looked around him.
He lay on the body of an angel. Familiar white wings covered over his torso, soft and soothing to look at. It calmed his mind and body more then he realised, sinking slowly more against the body he realised to be Eggchan's.
Why was Egg here? Wasn't he stuck in Arachnid's prison? And where was they? The questions bubbled softly in his mind. The thoughts themselves only half there, still coated in a tiredness and slowness he couldn't clear off. His chest felt tight despite it, like something was pulling slowly into his torso and trapping it.
His gaze flicked down, past the wings and onto the surrounding area. Only another pair of feathers met his gaze, a colour of much more variety then Eggchan's, belonging to the back of a certain bird he knew well yet didn't want to see anymore. Parrot.
Parrot? /The/ Parrotx2? Why was he here. He thought Parrot was still fighting for his kingdom, why was he asleep beside Egg and him. He gave himself a moment to just stare and register what he was seeing. Right.. So Parrot was here, how strange.
He looked past the bird, pillows and blankets stacked around them all. Like a nest.. Hold on he was in a nest, Parrot didn't nest, not from he knew anyways. Neither did Egg, that for sure, angels didn't nest like birds. So, why were they in a nest?
A soft swish of something cutting through the air came behind Wemmbu. His body froze on instinct, waiting and preparing to move, but nothing happened. His eye flicked back, only to catch sight of his own tail, half covered in bandages frozen half lifted in the air. Positioned mid swing. He'd managed to scare himself with his own tail... On the blood god he was jumpy.
But.. His tail was wrapped. Who'd cleaned and wrapped his tail and head? Was it Egg? He wouldn't be surprised but he didn't remember anything, it was fuzzy and something he couldn't actually word.. That was annoying.
Wemmbu took another slow exhale, flexing his fingers and checking to see if they'd work. And they did, good. He sunk them against Eggchan's sides, pushing his body to sit up on Egg's stomach (I am holding a gun to ur head. Don't u dare ship it). He blinked, he wasn't in the Kingdom of The Cave's uniform now. He was in soft, loose clothing. Most of his limbs felt wrapped too. Wemmbu furrowed his brows in thought, pulling his sleeves up to see them also bandage covered. One arm hurt more then the other to move, and a silent hiss freed itself from his lips. The pain was actually registering now, how strange. He'd never been stationary in one place long enough for it to do that.
".. Huh," He'd barely even whispered to himself, lifting his tail and curling it around his body to his lap. Definitely bandages too. He ran his hand over it's odd surface, inspecting quietly. How long had he been out for someone to do such things? And who would bother with taking their time?
He flicked an elf like ear shaking his head slightly as a strand of hair fell over his nose. A braid hit his shoulder in return, messy and loose but a braid regardless. It looked like the work of Egg. Well, Eggchan was the only one he'd let braid his hair now so he'd hope Egg had braided it. Whoever did was definitely careful to avoid his scalp, they hadn't even touched his head where the braid had started.
He looked down, Egg was indeed asleep below him, his wing half pressed against Wemmbu's back still. Parrot was to his left. Also fast asleep with a soft trill occasionally breaking the peaceful silence. Parrot seemed a whole lot more birdlike for some reason. He took his gaze towards his right, realising he hadn't checked that way yet.
A pair of half covered but sharp orange eyes locked onto Wemmbu's singular eye. Watching the dragon in silence from where it's body was curled motionless in the nest.
An orange blindfold was half lifted from the eyes, watching in silence. A lighter coconut brown hair that looked bleached into a bright blond was braided into hundreds of small, yet long box braids. Some of these braids fell over those sharp, glowing almost orange yes. Many of these braids decorated in gold, wrapped into the strands of hair or little flowers or feathers. Two bright blond, pointed lion like ears stood pointed through the braids on a darker skinned head. Gold and silver earrings dangling through the points.
Manepear.
Wemmbu realised, the head belonged to the body laid on Eggchan's right side, a cream loose shirt and baggy dark orange trousers with older more for shown or extra support bandages wrapped around those familiar darker skinned arms and lower legs. The lower on the leg the more it turned from human to lion, the feet were paws large yet soft looking with claws that were carefully set aside and pulled into the pawpads. A long, slim tail that puffed out in fur at the end was curled up in a neat ball against Manepear's own side.
"Don't panic, please.." Manepear's quiet whisper broke the silence more than Parrot's little trills had. It broke differently, more like slicing through meat or bread then the careful breaking of glass where it splinters like a web.
".... R-right.. And w-why shouldn't I?" Wemmbu's ears tilted downcast. Shifting but not by much, he didn't want to wake Eggchan or Parrot. That would be too much at once, his head still hurt.
"Because.. You'll wake everyone else up. And you'll do worse to yourself trying to move more then you currently are." Manepear flicked his eyes away. Mind struggling to come up with a reason as to why Wemmbu shouldn't scatter and run.
"And seriously, wrapping everything up the first time was tiring enough without you awake and fighting us on it-" Manepear added. His ears twitching against the shift of material that he'd heard. Pushing himself upright in the corner of the nest, his tail u coiled itself instead wrapping around his legs and staying neatly still.
That seemed to make Wemmbu pause this time. Pausing mid thought as an ear lifted like he didn't quite hear him right.
".. You- you bandaged me?" He whispered, staring down at the wrapped limbs in his line of sight. Why would Manepear waste time on wrapping his wounds? Didn't he see him as a /lost cause/?.. Why?
"Not entirely, Parrot and Egg helped. And our other 'friend' Xelia, I think her name was that" The lion tilted his own head at the surprise on the half bandaged face of his youngest brother. Manepear didn't appear too surprised at Wemmbu's reaction, instead his eyes flicked across the dark behind Wemmbu. It seemed like their new 'friend' was missing. Mane still wasn't sure he'd call this Mirror Halls leader a friend.
"Why?" Wemmbu had more hesitantly then before asked, not further elaboration. Just why. His throat felt scratching and icky, like he was going to be sick but wasn't. On instinct to that feeling he turned his head to the side, arm lifting to cough into the side of it. A single cough came to two, then three then into a proper coughing fit.
His chest felt tight, and he couldn't stop himself to take a breath. Everything felt light and dizzy. On the aether did he hate this..
"Woah- okay c'ere" Manepear muttered, grabbing hold of Wemmbu's sides as he swayed where he sat. The lion pulled the coughing dragon off of Eggchan's body and infront of himself, holding Wemmbu steady and waiting quietly for the coughing to end. There wasn't much he could do apart from keep Wemmbu from falling over or hitting someone or thing. He wasn't a medical expert afterall.
Somehow, neither Parrot or Eggchan awoke to the coughing fit that seemed to last several minutes. Perhaps they were too tired to stir, but Manepear remained unmoving. For some weird, questionable reason that lion refused to move.. Why?
Wemmbu could feel his body betraying him, the way it swayed on its spot or struggled to hold itself upright or how it created goosebumps against a cold he didn't even know present. His head felt light and everything dizzy or distant. Eventually, through it all, somehow he managed to control himself and the coughing came to a stuttery stop. Hitching his breath, squeezing his eyes shut and forcing a hand over his mouth. Why was he suddenly feeling so off. He hadn't felt such weakness in ages.
"You okay, Wem?" Manepear's low and weirdly calm voice rumbled softly to his ears. Hesitately he forced his eye open once more, he was sat between the lions legs (Ah. No. Don't u even think.) held steady against him so he didn't fall.
".. I-.. Ye-yeah... " Wemmbu managed, hitching his breath against another cough threatening it's freedom against his body. He cringed at his own voice, it sounded scuffed and broken - like a raspy, broken record made to play regardless of how broken it sounded. His throat hurt and he struggled to get a word out properly.
"You don't sound it, or look it. Sit properly and chill out, I really don't want you passing out on me" Manepear muttered, his jewelled ears flicking back against his head at the thought, burying themselves amungst the braids. Though not working very well as the golden blond stuck out against the warm coconut brown of Manepear's hair.
"Hm.." The dragon didn't even feel like fighting it. He felt dizzy enough as is and he really didn't feel like fighting anyone. Even if it was a Manepear being suspiciously nice and caring and actually present.
He shifted, using his weakened arms for balance as he lowered himself down to half lay against the lion. Honestly where was his energy? He'd been worse than this before and was still moving more then now.
"Thank you.. Be careful when your moving. We had to break, reset and wrap your wings, their quite fragile at the moment." The lion hummed, gently more then not explaining to what Wemmbu hadn't seem to noticed yet. A single clawed hand running gently against Wemmbu's head. At least whatever wasn't bandaged or pulled into a plait, carefully running his claws against his scalp and scratching at areas that wouldn't be affected by such things.
His wings? Wemmbu peeked an eye open, shifting his hand to grasp at one wing and bring it into view. He didn't get far before a small wince broke free, touching against a wrapped and splinted area of the wing.
"Careful, Wisteria." Manepear repeated, chidding softly as he nudged Wemmbu's own hand off his own wing and returned it to where it was originally sat against Mane's own leg.
A frown formed on Wemmbu's face, stubbornly pushing his hands underneath his chest and pushing himself upright once more. Twisting his head towards his back best possible to look despite being told to be careful. Who was Manepear to tell him what to do? Mane wasn't his mentor anymore.
"Wemmbu-" Manepear muttered, grabbing hold of the dragon again as he sat up. Refusing to stay down until he got what he wanted.
"No.. I w-wanna see what yo-.. You have done to m-my wings-gs" Wemmbu hissed back softly, voice merely a whisper and still catching on itself as he spoke. He didn't trust them completely, he hadn't had the best experiences with Manepear, and Parrot with the whole civil war. He could trust Egg but he couldn't really let it go.
"On the admins- Wemmbu you are going to pull something and hurt yourself more." Manepear sighed and tried again, keeping his hold firm on Wemmbu. Only that earned him a side glare from the dragon, who was against his kindness. It was suspicious to him.
"Wemmbu I'll wake Eggchan if you don't stop and he'll get you himself." The lion flicked his tail as he carefully pulled his hands back. They didn't go far and sat close waiting just in case. He didn't exactly trust Wemmbu's current state.
Wemmbu froze at that. Gaze slowly returning to the lion sat watching him. He wouldn't dare, Egg looked like he needed that sleep he was getting. There was no way Mane would disturb him just because Wemmbu wanted to check his own wings.. He needed his wings. And he needed them unmeddled by some hybrids he held little trust for.
".... N-no. You wouldn't-n't." Wemmbu whispered into the quiet, twisting his body slowly to turn and stare the lion down.
"You w-wouldn't." He repeated, his wrapped tail flicking against the frame of the bed as it trailed off the edge. Egg had an uncanny feeling to him, but he was still was Eggchan. And Wemmbu still cared deeply for Eggchan.
"Then come back here where you won't fall off the bed at a coughing fit." Manepear stated, calm and firm, flicking a clawed hand back to infront of him.
".. No" Wemmbu shook his head slightly, though froze and stopped when a wave if dizziness hit.. After affects of stupid potions. He hated them.
He shifted further back and returned to grabbing his wings and carefully trying to pull them infront of his body to inspect while Manepear gave him a sideways glance from where he sat. A clawed hand shifting to sit under his chin.
A low sigh came from where Manepear was, but Wemmbu only gave him a flick of an ear of his attention. He had managed to pull half of his wing against his lap without messing with the splints and wrapping too much. It hurt though, it had a low sting that wouldn't disappear and he hated it. His ears drooped down low, nose scrunched up slightly as he inspected the wrapping and splints, tentatively prodding against wraps and feeling the bones and webbing and trying to avoid the pain as much as possible.
A lot of the odd angles that were there were gone. Not completely, they were wrapped or had a splint fixed over it to keep it fixed in place but it wasn't as jagged anymore.
A low, tired sounding mumble disturbed him from checking his wings. Ears lifting slightly as he heard the soft ruffle of wings, the sound of them moving as a body moved to sit.
"Wem?" Wemmbu looked up on instinct. Eggchan. Manepear had woken him. Wemmbu glanced towards Manepear with a small grumble, eyes narrowing down into a small upset glare for waking Egg up.
"What are you doing, Wem?" Eggchan questioned, tilting his head as his wings pulled back to fold against his back out of the way so he could focus on his friend properly.
The dragon's gaze immediately fixated onto his best friends, softening out before he'd even thought about it.
"N-nothing.. Just checking wh-whats been bandaged-ed" Wemmbu flicked his single green eye away and pushed his wings back behind him. He didn't want to worry Egg with his distrust. Egg didn't need to worry, he was supposed to worry for Egg! Not the other way around.
"Your wings are fine y'know. I watched them wrap them, I wouldn't let them get away with doing anything bad to you." Egg reached a hand out for Wemmbu to take and come back to the middle with him.
"... You s-sure?" Wemmbu paused, remaining unmoving and glancing back behind him. To his own back, to his own wings laid limb behind him like a thin blanket. Half covered themselves.
"Yes I'm sure, I can check your wings too if your still unsure" Eggchan sighed but suggested regardless, he was patient. His hand still held out and waiting quietly. He had time to wait, toi be patient.
Wemmbu glanced away, considering his options but he didn't think for long before he crept back towards where Egg was sitting.
"Please?" Wemmbu muttered as he turned his back to Egg, sitting himself back infront of his best friend. Couldn't check all his wing span properly on his own, and Egg checking calmed him down a little.
"Yeah, just chill out. You're in a nasty state still and no one here has bad intentions y'know" Egg had just nodded, accepting it without question of Wemmbu's distrust. Wemmbu was always a distrustful of everyone, well he was after being betrayed one too many times in the past.
"Hm... Y-you never know-ow though.." Wemmbu muttered back, flicking his elf-like ears back drooping downcast. His tail flicking a half circle over his own legs, over Egg's and back against his other leg in a slow but set trail.
"Parrot quite literally became king because of you, Wemmbu-" Manepear muttered from his left. An ear perker up slightly, and his head tilted in slight confusion as he heard that. Parrot became king because he won the elections, and refused to let LettuceK become king. What was this lion on about?
"N-no? That's not it.. Parrot never b-became king because of m-me?" Wemmbu shook his head, looking back towards Manepear with more confusion on his mind then his face could replicate.
Eggchan pulled his plaited hair over his shoulder, keeping strangely quiet fornow as he pulled Wemmbu's wings against his lap tp start going over it's structure and webbing just to keep Wemmbu from trying to do it himself.
"He's not lying," Eggchan hummed in defense of Manepear. Agreeing with what the lion was saying.
"N-no? Parrot w-was trying to make-ke sure LettuceK didn't-n't become k-king?" Wemmbu denied once more. He knew because he helped fight off the law, he watched as Parrot won the election from the shadows when he won. He thanked Parrot as he was finally free to find somewhere to chill and settle down with Eggchan and just relax. Parrot never won the election for his life alone.
"Don't over think it, Wem. Your mind might be a little fuzzy. You've probably been out of it with whatever injured you so bad" Eggchan added in smoothly, his voice coated in his usual, free flow reassurancing calm. And despite it Wemmbu knew something was off. There was no way an entire year had passed as a fever dream. There was no way the entire civil war was a dream. His injuries proved it was true, right?
"T-That's not.." Wemmbu muttered, shaking his head. He wasn't getting mixed up. He couldn't be. But even Egg was now saying he was. How did get such injuries and that stupid binder if it was all fake?
"Yeah, your memory's are probably still fuzzy. Don't over think it, you'll give yourself a headache. Your head is injured afterall-" Manepear perked up and added. It was like he'd remembered what Egg was on about and agreeing with the angel.
No.. They couldn't be right. He knew what had happened to him. It wasn't fake. It was real, why was they acting like it wasn't? He was right.. He winced slightly as a small ache wracked his head, thinking somehow hurt from the pain in his head, and horn.
Had he somehow hallucinated the entire thing? His head was injured.. It was likely he could have some brain damage somehow.
No. Wemmbu no. Don't fall for it, it is fine. They aren't telling the truth. Something is up and they are trying to convince everything is not the way it's supposed to be. His version was the truth.
He shook his head, a small upset sound bubbling against his throat as his ears somehow dropped more than before. He didn't like this. Not at all. Everything was contradicting itself.
"Wem chill, you making yourself sway. I'm going to hit a sensitive bit on your wing if you keep doing that." Eggchan's voice came from behind him. A steady hand resting it's weight to his shoulder and stilling his body.
"h-huh?" Wemmbu just murmured, blinking as he realised he had been making himself sway. Too lost in thought to control his body's movements of unsteadiness. His weakened hands gripped at the bedding at the out sides of his legs. Making a small effort to support himself and still his body back for Egg to continue going over his wings.
".. Sorry E-Egg" Wemmbu dropped his head slightly and mumbled a soft apology to his best friend. Maybe he did need to just chill out fornow while his head was still spinning and pounding, and while that binder on his chest was still active.
"It's okay Wemmbu, your confused and injured. I can't blame you. Just take it easy," Eggchan's calm, monotone voice came back over his shoulder. The hand on his shoulder retreating back before he felt the careful pressure of Egg's hands running along the webbing of his wings.
Running his hands along it's surface in a rhythm and familiarity that made Wemmbu relax slightly on instinct. The more Eggchan carefully checked his wings and felt nothing messed with, the more Wemmbu slowly began to relax. It was like someone was preening his wings (wing health, c'mon. Feathered wings aren't that special), and instincts from that was slowly making his body relax and start loosing strength in itself.
His eye flickered shut, then open after a moment. Beginning to drift off on himself despite everything. He fought against the feeling of sleep, not wanting to drift off again so soon. But alas, his body was it's own enemy. His eyes flicked shut, and this time didn't open, instead his mind began to quietened down, everything hazed out and he drifted to sleep once again.
The dragons body slumped forwards on itself, but not before a smooth white hand reached forwards and wrapped around him. Spinning the now limp body around and laying him back against Egg's torso to sleep peacefully once more. (once more, may i remind. Do not Ship it. I Diddly damn dare u to try.)
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"Egg?" Manepear's voice finally came, quiet and steady as he watched Wemmbu's body slump and return to sleep.
"You wanted your brother back, correct? He's injured and confused. It doesn't take too much thought to realise it's easy to convince him whatever happened in his own universe is fake." Eggchan had released a slow exhale, starting to speak as he pulled Wemmbu up against his body. His wings opening once more to wrap around Wemmbu's body like a feathered blanket.
"... We did. How are you so sure about this Egg?" The lion glanced away before hesitantly agreeing. He wasn't sure it would work.
Eggchan glanced his way, head tilting as the lion pulled his blindfold back over his eyes. His tail flicked a nervous pattern against the bed, gentle thumbs coming from it as it hit the bed.
"He obviously holds a huge amount of trust in me still, and very little for you guys. Just act like he had been kidnapped, his injuries? From the kidnapper. His memories? Ways of coping. Our potentially strange behaviour to him? Worry for him, and he must be remembering us wrong from being held captive." Egg hummed, guiding his gaze back to the dragon.
"His wings? Normal. I know our Wemmbu never had wings but act like he'd always had. His head is injured, we can play stuff into a little bit of brain damage. Why would he question his best friend?" The seraphim continued. Pushing away at the rings infront of his eyes to pull the soft blue of his iris' open to stare intently, clearly at Wemmbu.
He'd missed his best friend. Now he had the chance to carefully mold this new one to what he and his siblings wanted. To their Wemmbu.
"Huh.. That makes sense. We'll go with that, I'll tell Parrot about this when he wakes. You go return to resting. I'll keep guard." Manepear flicked a jewelled ear. Nodding softly, he understood clearly now. Now Eggchan had laid it clear.
Parrot would gladly go along, he wanted his baby brother back.
Eggchan nodded, pulling the rings back down as he closed his eyes and allowed himself to return to sleep. Relaxing slowly as his breath deepened again to a slow inhale and exhale. Asleep once more.