Chapter Text
When Evening fell, and turned to night
The prince then found a toy of light
A child's doll with shattered eyes
With a cloak of white, a hefty prize
He held it close, each step to roam
This doll would surely find its home..
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“Such untamed power in such a small creature..? And his coat..?”
“His mind is weak, but he has his brother's blood… Even though his appearance.. Questions that…”
“How unruly… What should we do with him then? We can’t have something so viciously untrained running around,.”
The comments were directed at a young tabaxi cub, who looked to only just be entering his teen years. He had a coat that was white and black. He had finished his teachings for the day and was simply waiting for his Seniors to be finished speaking so he could return home.
“What a strange child..”
Evening wasn’t paying attention to his two seniors speaking. He was crouched down in the snow, his paws were pushed into the soft ice under him, searching for something. His sharp, cornflower eyes stayed focused on that spot… His paws pulled up, clasped together. He opened them, holding a small acorn.
“He’s harmless in this state, for now at least, he’s too young.”
“Have you spoken to his mother? The Frost family has quite a name, every child has had as much success as the last… if this child truly is as powerful as his blood suggests, she won’t have any problems with him. But.. I suspect he’s a runt. Youngest child, weakest mind, frailest form.”
“She says he’s a kind child, though odd, polite like Morning but rather absent minded, and that his eyesight isn't very impressive…”
“Did you speak to the Master? He trained the other Frost children. What of this one?”
“He says he doesn’t wish to be near him, something about a white pelt being… cursed or.. Unlucky..”
“Cursed..? I suppose another legend.."
"Indeed.. He said there were stories.. old stories of our people. He said that at one time, all Mountain dwellers had coats of black. However, one day, Sol took favor in us, and granted the wise of mind a heart of sun, a burning fuel in our core, and it turned our fur into streaks of sunlight…. But some, those who were not wise, didn't receive the gift and became jealous, the cold they felt froze their hearts, giving their fur streaks of ice instead.. and in their better freezing state, they unleashed a cold hell. It lasted three days, before they fled, outnumbered, into the wilderness, becoming nothing more than wild mindless monsters…."
"You always Indulge his stories.."
"He makes it hard not too.."
"I suppose so.. You know, I heard a similar story when I was young.. do you really think a child with that little in his mind could even be a threat?"
Evenings tail was swaying side to side as he drew little pictures in the snow with his claw. Small runes he had seen scattered on the architecture around his home. He drew flowers, he hardly ever saw them, but every now and then one would show itself through the thick snow that covered his people's mountains, and they were beautiful… He doodled a little picture of his big brother and smiled, placing the acorn he found on the drawing's head, he smiled to himself.
“I’m really not sure, we aren't big on folktales… but this would be more of tradition… Whatever it is, he can’t stay here. He’s disrupting the order, distracting the citizens, and the Master.”
“So how would you suggest going about it then? The child loves his home and his mother, it will be hard to pry him away.”
“We can do it in secret, when the sun sets. He may be resistant, but no one will be awake to bring attention to it.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes.”
Evening glanced up from where he was crouched down, and looked over at the two adults. Not a word of their conversation had managed to break past the barrier of empty thought in the cubs mind, but now that the background noise was gone, he found himself looking around confused, worried for a moment that he had been left alone, but no, both his seniors were right there still there, watching him intently…
The cub stood up and brushed the specks of snow off his robes and hurried over to them.
“Is it time to leave?”
The young boy asked while looking up at them both in admiration, he admired anyone older than him… The two older Tabaxi looked down at him and said nothing for a moment, before the oldest spoke, the one who had asked all the questions beforehand..
“Yes. You need to get home before sunset, And the two of us need to speak with your mother.”
“Did.. Did I do something wrong..?”
The boy asked nervously, fidgeting with the hem of his robe
“... Of course not. We just need to update her on your teachings…”
Evenings ear flicked as he picked up a hint of dishonesty behind the older one's words, but brushed it off and looked down at the snow, his tail swayed anxiously..
“Okay..”
The two older Tabaxi led the boy back home, Once there, his mother ushered him upstairs to his room. while she spoke with the other adults..
Evening trotted to his room, passing ornate yet minimalistic hallways, doors on either side of the wall that were built from carefully carved mountain stone and cedar, each door having belonged to one of his siblings before him. Now, they were all empty, each child having moved on and away from home. leaving him here alone..
His feet stopped before he reached his room, and instead looked one door before him.
He stared at it for a few minutes, his tail swaying side to side as he looked at the old brass handle. His ear flicked, picking up hints of the tones in the voices downstairs..
Evening sighed, rested his hand on the doorknob, turned it, and pushed the old door open with a hollow creek…
The room inside wasn’t very full, the decor was minimalistic, very few things still in the room, nothing on the walls aside from a large map that seemed to be hand painted on. The bed was a simple twin, elevated off the ground by a few logs of cedar, a bed with a thick woven blanket the color of canvas. A few stray papers and books here and there, and a small jewelry box. Everything had a small layer of dust on it, no one had been in here for a while..
Evening shut the door behind him softly and stepped into the room fully, taking a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth. The smell of pine needles and dust filled his senses… He frowned.
“.... Your room is so dusty… I’m sorry Frosty..”
Evening mumbled, walking over to the small box and opening it, there was only one item in it, a pendant with a small gently carved symbol.. He held it to his chest and crawled over onto the bed, taking off his top robes and setting them on his older brother's old desk after dusting it off with his tail…
He curled up in a little ball in his brother's old bed and purred a little… he felt so… lonely..
“I wish you were here… Maybe.. Maybe the Master would want to see me if you talked to him.. Everyone else left home too.. Dawn and Dusk did.. So did Noon…”
His voice trailed off, his tail wrapped itself around his leg..
“I-.. I think you’d be a bit proud.. Maybe..”
He starred up at the map above the bed, the sudden realization came, as it so often did, that he was alone.. Speaking with himself.. He pressed the pendent closer to his heart..
“I really miss you… I.. I wonder if you remember me..”
He closed his eyes tight and tried to calm his breathing, his throat had tightened to the point where it hurt to breathe through his nose, he let out a small weak mew and curled up, knees pressed tight to his chest.. His hands moved up and covered his mouth, ‘keep quiet.. Please.. Please keep quiet.. Don’t cry, you'll be okay, don't cry..’
He tried to tell himself in his head… it didn’t work.. A few minutes turned into an hour.. Soft, silent choking sobs from behind his hands, before his body got the better of him, and he fell asleep…
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“Stay quiet, don’t be a fool, one wrong move and he’ll wake the whole village..”
“Then stop talking will you??”
In the middle of the night, two hushed voices woke Evening from his sleep. His ear flicked and he stirred very easily, much more than usual, due to his emotional state before he had gone to bed… He sat up quietly and rubbed his slightly puffy eyes with his wrist, sniffling a little… He heard the door next to this room open quietly… someone had gone into his room…?
The boy was more confused than anything, sitting there in silence, trying to hear what was happening next door..
“Where is that brat..?”
“Hes not here?”
“No, he’s not.. He must’ve caught onto us..”
Eve recognized the voices easily, they were his Seniors.. His teachers.. Why were they in his home in the middle of the night..? In his room..? He was too tired to think straight, so instead he just stood up out of bed, grabbing his robes and throwing them on. He was still holding the pendant in his palm, he glanced at it and quickly tied it around his neck before tucking it into his robes and walking silently to the door, opening it and poking his head into the hallway..
“... teachers..?”
He called out anxious and nervous, scared he’d gotten in trouble or worse.. The muffled conversations from the other room halted immediately as the two older Tabaxi slowly stepped out of Evenings room and into the long hallway.
“There you are, boy. Come here.”
The mans voice sounded cold and harsh, a tone Evening wasn’t used to at all.. Not from his teachers at least. He stepped back by instinct but caught himself as he did, dipping his head in a silent apology..
“Y-Yes sir..?”
He asked while stepping over to him, his voice shook with fear and dried up sobs..
The moment he got close enough, the older Tabaxi reached out and grabbed onto Evening’s robes by the front, the boy let out a quick gasp, the air felt like it left his lungs- His eyes went wide. No one had ever grabbed him so violently before… He had never had anything like that happen, He felt like he couldn’t speak–
“I-.. I-..”
“Stay silent, if you know what's good for you..”
The older one muttered, the other Senior led the way out of the house as this one dragged Evening behind him, out of his home, out into the snow…
“I-I- I don’t understand-”
The moment the sounds left his mouth, the Tabaxi turned and struck him across the face- His claws left slices.. Evening felt the skin around his face flare up instantly as he let out a sharp Yowl of pain, his whole body shook, it ached, he felt like he couldn’t see anything.. He smelt iron.. Thick heavy warm iron flowed down his face, mangled with his white fur.
“I said KEEP QUIET…”
The older hissed at him. If Evening had any sound left in his body, this made it dissipate instantly…. He opened his mouth to respond, but couldn’t. Instead, warm red liquid spilled into it from the slash on his cheek- He coughed- the taste of blood wasn’t familiar to him- Tears gushed down his face in heavy streams, no more noise, just a trembling, whimpering tabaxi cub, being dragged through the snow, leaving a trail of harsh read in the white glistening snow.
Evening didn’t understand.. These two.. They were his Seniors, people he admired and trusted, people who were supposed to protect him, to teach him, what had he done wrong..? Was it because he had messed up too many times..? Was this a punishment for his absent minded idiocy..? He didn’t… He didn’t understand.. They were supposed to help- where was his mom- where was his brother- He’s a kid he doesn’t know what to do here?? Is he supposed to- is-is this a test-?
His mind was moving almost as fast as he was being dragged, they reached a stopping point, the rocky ledges of the mountain, where their small snowy valley ended and the rest of the world seemed to begin. He had never gone past it before.. His heels suddenly made a sharp movement and dug into the ground
“N-No!! No I’m n-not allowed!! I-I’m not of age yet I can’t leave!!”
The Senior that had been leading the way stopped and turned back to Evening,
“You were told not to speak..”
Evening froze, shaking all over, head to toe.. The other Tabaxi approached him and grabbed him by his ears in one hand- he cried out in pain and hissed-
“L-Let go-! It hurts- please!”
The other didn’t listen and instead turned and threw the boy to the ground, he hit it hard, bruising his body all over and knocking the wind out of his lungs. His two teachers just stood there as he struggled to push himself up..
“Go on. Stand up and leave.”
“wh-what-..?”
“I said, stand on your damn feet and leave.”
“I-I can’t if I’m not of age- I-I’d be considered running away- abandoning- I-I wouldn’t be able to come ba-”
“I said. Stand up. And leave.”
The older man's voice got ice cold again, his fingers flexing and showing his claws. Evening whimpered.. Trying his best to stand..
“Wh-.. why- what did I- what did I do-”
He got cut off by another painful cry as the other struck him again, this time on his upper arm.
“DO AS YOU’RE TOLD!”
“Y-yes sir–..”
He choked out, coughing a little from the pain and backing up. He was Barefoot in the snow, having been pulled from bed.. The bottoms of his feet felt numb from the cold and ice his light clothes weren't suited for being out here like this… He shivered, his tail flicked uncomfortably as he stood there for a small second, taking in his situation, his surroundings… He glanced up and past the two Seniors, staring at the faint picture of his home, the place he was born and raised and held every memory he had too.. Somewhere in that dark house, his mother was asleep, and tomorrow when she wakes up.. He won't be there anymore.. for a moment he wondered if that would hurt her, but he knew deep down, that even though he lived with her, he was her personal embarrassment, a walking living failure.. and these two? In front of him? the only people who he thought saw something in him. Guess not.. He trembled worse..
"You'd better start moving before I take an eye out on accident…"
One hissed while flexing his claws again..
"Just keep walking once you leave, until you cant see the mountains anymore..."
The other snapped out too…
Evening trembled worse and took a little step back, glancing behind him at the void of darkness…
"Now."
one snapped again making another slash at him and knocking his ear- he pet out a sharp mew in pain and stumbled back
"o-okay- okay I'm going I'm sorry- i-im leaving-.."
They kept their eyes on him until he had crossed it, tye threshold of trees that separated their slowly valley village from the rest if the world… and that was it.. he had broken the rules, left before he was of age.. that made him technically a runaway, and he wouldn't be able to go back… he doubted, anyways, that his teachers would allow him to come back even if the rules didn't apply in this situation.. his hands were shaking, face red from crying, his tears were frozen to his skin he was so cold…
The boy didn't look back, he couldn't bring himself too, he just reached his hand up and and rightward his fingers around his brothers freezing metal amulet.. and walked.
Hs could hardly bring his feet too be in front of himself, they were slow and shaky steps, each one dripping red behind him, his mind zoned out, Ina frozen state, just trying to survive. it felt like he had been set back to his basic function.
breathe.. in.. out.. step step.. breathe in out.. step..
He had no idea where he was supposed to go.. he had no idea why he even got dragged out- he was scared to look behind him.. scared that if he did, if he turned and looked back at his home, he would get struck again, and taste more iron, feel his skin burn with pain all over..
By the time he managed to snap out of this trance, he had no idea where he was.. how could he have? he had never even been outside of his home before.. he hesitated, but slowly turned to glance behind him. Instead Instead seeing any faint lights of his mountain home, he just saw.. darkness.. a void between the trees, the light snowfall had covered his previous tracks.. He was lost, and really really cold…
He stood there for several minutes, shivering from the cold.. He felt so exhausted, he had no idea how long he had been walking, he realized as he froze that he was out of breath, small puffs of cold breath fogged up around his mouth like little wafts of smoke.. he stared into the void of trees, and suddenly his shivering form started to feel.. rather warm.. like he was home, curled up against his older brother… resting..
he yawned, the snow on his feet stopped stinging, and instead felt a little soft… He just.. Wanted to lay down, go to sleep… he was exhausted… the snow felt soft and warm… His tail swayed slowly as he stared down at the white bed beneath him…
He slid down onto his knees and laid in the snow, curling up in a small ball.. his eyes started to close a bit.. when all of a sudden a memory hit him like an arrow to the head-
"Don't stay out in the snow for to long, Ev.."
"Why not..? I love playing in the snow..!"
"I know you do Ev, but if you're not careful you'll freeze, you'll start to feel warm, and you'll fall asleep, and never wake up. so you- you have to be careful in places so cold, even if it is our home…"
"oh… okay Frosty.. I will.."
Evenings eyes shot open as he gasped, sitting up quickly- stumbling down to the side and falling into the snow again, he looked at his hands and realized that they were shaking violently, the soft palms of them were vibrant red… His eyes went wide as he looked down at them, he needed to get out of this snow as fast as possible if he wanted to live for the sun to come out..
Get up.. get up.. you have to get up..
He thought while looking down at his knees,
If you don't get up and move you'll freeze… I know it's warm.. and.. soft.. but.. but you…. You have to get up….
He pushed himself onto his feet and put his hand over his wounded cheek, taking a few deep breaths, trying to contain any body heat he had left..
You have to keep walking.. If.. if frosty can make it out of the mountains just fine then so can you..! You can be strong like him..!
He grabbed onto his cloak and pulled it tight around himself, trying to shield from the cold. Holding onto a nearby tree to help himself stay steady, he started walking… and walking.. And walking…
Trees passed him, trees and rocks and snow. The white from the snow was slowly causing his already sensitive eyes to burn, he just- kept walking.. He heard stories of neighboring villages, full of dwarves and elves and other creatures.. He had never seen any other than Tabaxi..
He just kept walking, kept walking, his legs began to tremble horribly, he couldn’t control the violent movements they were making.. He felt like he couldn’t walk anymore.. But he just- he had to..
He managed to keep going..
He spotted, in the distance, stones…
Not snow.. But massive, gray stones.. The snow had thinned out and was replaced by rocky terrain.. Evening looked down at the stones scared. He had never been in a spot where the ground wasn't soft crunchy snow or large smooth slabs of rock, obviously he had sent rocks before, but the ground had never looked so.. textured..
The ground looks.. spikey…
he thought to himself. He moved his paw-like foot over and hesitantly stepped on the ground. It felt- strange- the second pressure was put on the boy's padded foot he yelped and jumped back- his feet being overly sensitive from the cold snow, and not calloused hardly at all.. It felt like he was being stabbed with dull knives-
"o-owe- owe-.. come on come on..!! y-you can do better than this Evening- you have to get out of the snow so you can-.. can.. not.. die..?"
he said, sounding unsure.. He took a deep breath and tried again to walk on the little stones. It hurt. It hurt like hell. But he had to do it, he had to get out of here.. if he couldn't go home then.. it was this or dying… The boy winced, shoulders flinching with each step, he wasn't used to this, the rocks were painful and hard.. The trees that surrounded him started to thin along with the snow, and the large towering stones surrounded him instead as he struggled and clambered across the wild path in front of him.
Evening stumbled and struggled to walk across this area for what felt like hours.. even though he could tell from the sky and his poor progress it couldn't have been.. by the time the ground started to smooth out again, the sky had started to lighten, not enough to aid his shivering but enough to help him navigate easier..
He walked.. and walked.. and walked.. The boulders around him began to soften, not being as towering and jagged as before, but smoother, easier to hold and climb. the ground under him became flatter and almost dusty, which aided his bleeding feet.
Finally, he reached a point where he had to stop. Standing in front of him was a massive boulder, bigger than the others and rounder too, it seemed likely that it had tumbled down from the top of the mountains eons ago and gotten lodged in this spot for good. Evening stared at it for a few minutes not knowing what to do.. he just knew he needed to get over it.. he needed to get as far away from the cold as he could.. The boy took a deep breath, and jumped up.
Being a Tabaxi, a young spry one at that, he could jump high and fast, the only problem being his numerous wounds across his body. With each Jump to get higher and scale this thing,, his body ached worse, until finally he reached the top of it- and gasped.
".... woah…."
He knelt there at the top of this rock, as warmth rushed over his whole body, light was peaking up over the horizon and onto his fur and skin.. The sky streaked with all different hues. purples and blues seeming to be shot backwards by beautiful wisps of pink and yellow and orange, small lines of red as well. It illuminates the ground below, forests and trees and rivers. The trees were all different colors, greens and yellows and oranges, reds and browns… all fading in and out of each other like paint. Far off towns were poking up out of the trees and small hills.
Evening had never seen so much color, so much life, his whole world seemed to be broken by it, was there really this much outside of his home..? has the world always been so.. colorful..?
Is this what.. the world is..?
He starred, the Frost stuck to his fur melting a little, he shivered but didn't even seem to notice. He couldn't pull his eyes away. His whole life he had been in his small village in the mountains, surrounded and protected by massive snow covered pine, and enormous jagged mountain ranges. Everything had been whites and browns and faint dark green. Never in his life had he been met with so much all at once…
Is this.. why Frosty left…?
he had always thought and hoped that one day his brother would come back home to they're little village in the mountains and stay forever.. he never would have expected that he, Evening, would be leaving as well, and never being able to return..
Why would he want to go home..? No wonder he never came back..
The tabaxi cub blinked, his eyes burned all of a sudden and he realized he had started to stare at the sun. He moved his hands up and began rubbing his eyes to clear the hole it left in his vision.. but also to wipe away the saltwater that had begun to pour from his eyes…
"A-Ah.. ow.."
Once the kid had gotten a grip, the sun was higher up in the sky, and the vibrant colors were replaced by a pretty blue, large blotches of white scattered across the horizon, like huge distant castles.. He stared for a few more moments at the astonishing view before he clambered down the other side of the Boulder, landing on all fours in the dusty dirt…
"Okay.. I.. I think I can do this…"
His eyes moved over the horizon, spotting the closest town to him, one at the foot of the mountain shrouded by trees. He could make out the tops of houses and cobbled roads… his ear flicked a bit, very very very faint sounds of movement down there, he was.. scared.. scared of what new creatures would be there. But he was also curious, extremely curious, and he was taught to trust those of older age than him, which he assumed most in the two likely were.
He adjusted his robes again around him, the air, though significantly easier to be in from the sunlight, was still cold and breezy. The boy took a deep breath and began to move down the rest of this path, it being much easier to scale.. on his way he passed grass and wild flowers poking up from the rocks. He stopped to stare at them and touch them curiously.. The wind carried a leaf near him, it being yellow and red, mixing together with splotches of brown, hints of green still in some spots.. He caught it and held it close to him for a moment before looking down at it..
".. woah.."
He rubbed his small pad-like thumb across it, he smelt it a bit.. it smelt.. earthy..
"Cool..!!" He said with a little giggle, the first time he had smiled since the night prior.. he tucked the leaf away safely in his robe pocket and kept on walking, too excited and curious to care much about his various aching infected wounds.
The boy reached the foot of the mountain by the time the sun was in the center of the sky. It had taken a bit of climbing and some navigation skills, but the boy had made it.. And- now he was just- nervous.. He could hear the sounds of a busy town in the distance, no paths leading through this exact spot, so he had to push overgrowth and thick autumnal flora out of his way and follow the sounds, and smells.. It smelt so strange, so many different new scents, his nose twitched a little and he put his paw-like hand over his face a bit to shield himself from the strange new sensation of all of this.
Eventually, the boy broke through the thick mess of plants and trees, and emerged around the backside of a strange building. He had never seen this type of.. Rustic architecture before.. it was really interesting.. he reached his hand out and pressed it against the unfamiliar stones.. strange red colored ones in perfect little shapes.. just then he heard some of the distant noise come much much closer and he gasped silently, hiding behind the wall he had been touching, as two voices approached the area. He heard the sound of door hinges and the voices disappeared…He glanced around the corner, no one there..
He stepped out from his spot and walked a bit closer to the strange paved cobble road ahead of him. The alley he was in was floored with dirt, stacked high with crates and barrels. Keeping close to the wall, and gasping again..
there were.. so many people..
it seemed as though he had walked right into the main road of this town, a market was currently going on. Vendors from all over had their stall set up, selling goods. People of all different races, species and classes. He glanced around frantically- being overwhelmed with a strong wave of different smells and sounds and sights. He backed up quickly and darted behind one of crates there and backed up against the wall, panting and panicking, holding his hands over his ears and buried his nose into his knees- this was so much at once, he wanted to explore and ask so much but- he needed to get his overly sensitive senses under control first.
After another large chunk of minutes, his nose had adjusted to the new scents, his ears easing into all the end noises, his skin becoming more aware of the slightly more temporal air around him. the boy took a deep breath and sat up, well- tried to- it was at this moment that his whole body became suddenly aware of the wounds it had, of the state it was in…
He let out a sharp yowl-
"o-owe!!"
he stumbled a bit and his back fell against the wall, he let out another little mew in pain before pushing himself off the wall, holding onto it for support.
"that-.. that hurt-.. I'm-.. hurt…?"
He touched the side of his face gently, feeling dried blood that was caked into his fur- he winced horribly and his shoulders flinched as his hand darted away-
"i-i am hurt.."
He looked down at the crumbly deep red substance on his fingers, he rubbed it between his thumb and first two fingers for a second trying to see how recently the wound had stopped bleeding.. the dried up blood was still slightly squishy under his fingers instead of sand like.. so.. recently..
"I.. I hope that doesn't scar…"
he whispered to himself sadly before glancing back out of the alley at everything in the street..
*so many people.. so many.. different kinds of people… this is so… cool..'
he thought to himself while staring out at a human and a halfling ghat were nearby discussing supplies they needed. A kind looking gnome was talking with a Kenku who was selling all different manner of books and pens.. A tall half elf leaned over as the bird humanoid spoke, looking at a silver quill. More people of all different origins roamed the streets..
It took a few minutes of watching in awe for Evening to snap out of it, he glanced around… There were alot of travelers here, and carts.. this must be a central village, a trading spot, a middle ground between the mainland and the mountains… which made sense to him.. he stepped out of the alley and looked around at everyone, trying to see who seemed the kindest so he could speak and ask for aid.. He walked through the crowded streets, feeling more nervous than he had ever felt, everything everywhere all at once, he wanted to talk to everyone, to ask them all questions about this strange new world but he couldn't, it was like his throat tightened up and his chest squeezed and he couldn't get anything out at all.. what was this weird feeling…? he felt so anxious, as if eyes were all around him, watching him intently…
It confused him.. so.. I stead of going to someone, he wandered the market area for what seemed like hours, just watching in silence as all these people and adventurers went along with their lives.. as if none of this were new or strange at all..
After a while he suddenly felt his stomach growl… he hadn't eaten at all the last few days. But he didn't.. he didn't have any money… or anything to trade.. He just sighed and sat down quietly against a wall near a different alley, this one further off from his original, when he heard a whispering, scratchy voice.
"Hey kid.. yeah, tabaxi runt. You hungry?"
Evening glanced up and behind him when he heard the voice, and standing there in the alley was a tall, strange looking half elf. He wore clothes of a common hunter, but his hands were adorned with expensive rings, he had on a cloak that looked to be made out of some unusual animal hide… As the man smiled, Evening caught sight of a tooth that looked to be made of gold.. The Tabaxi cub tilted his head a little, curious of this new person beside him, his blue eyes just sparkling with fascination.. The man noticed and grinned.
"I've got some, you don't even have to pay, I could tell you looked hungry. If you follow me I'll get you some food and you can even look at some of these.."
He held hand up, showing off the strange rings on his fingers. The only jewelry Evening was familiar with was soft silver and dull gold which had been used to make their traditional jewelry.. he had never seen such shiny accessories, adorned with jewels of many colors.. As fascinating as those were, the kids' mind was still on the mention of food..
".. I.. don't have to pay…?"
"No of course not.. why would you..?"
The man said with a grin, his thin eyes moved off of Evening's blue ones and to his fur, white and black fur…
"Then.. I would like some food.. please…"
He mumbled, standing up and holding the wall.
The half elves' eyes darted to the boy's wounds, the way he carried himself, noticing each little point of weakness.. analyzing..
"Of course, follow me.."
This was too easy, he was slightly confused on why this Tabaxi was so quick to trust and agree, but it didn't matter to him.. that pelt looked expensive.. his skin would sell for more than any stupid animal he hunted with bow and arrow…
The half elf moved into his bag and pulled out some bread, hanging it to the boy. Evening took it and bowed his head as a thank you before eating, he ate so fast, he'd not had anything in a while…
But as he ate, the half elf reached out and cupped his cheek, moving his thumb across the wound there- causing evening to flinch and nearly drop his food-
"u-uhm-.. that- that hurts-"
"Well yes, you're wounded."
"I.. uhm.. I just got hurt on my way here.."
He mumbled and tried to pull back away from the half elf, but the man's large fast hands grabbed his face, tilting it to the side as if looking for any other parts where his pelt was damaged.
"H-hey- let go-!"
Evening said while using both his hands to try and push away, but in a quick motion the older wrapped an arm around the boy and picked him up tightly, using his free hand to cover his mouth and muffle any sounds of fear coming from the tabaxi.
"Stay quiet. This will be fast.. Don't fret.."
“M-Mm-! Mmmf-”
Muffled yells and cries for help came from the boy's mouth, until he felt something cold touch his neck- a shiver went down his spine as he shut his mouth tight, trembling..
“I said.. STAY QUIET..”
The man hissed at him, a cold, fearful memory shot into the boy’s head.. Those exact words were uttered mere hours ago.. He went quiet as the cold metal was pushed up closer to his skin, he felt a stinging sharp pain, his eyes went wide- Was he about to- kill him- he couldn’t- not now- it hurt- if he stayed still the cut would stay small- He heard the man chuckle a little, he closed his eyes tight.. But almost as quickly as the laughter had started- it stopped- there was a sudden fast noise, a sound of movement as he felt the man freeze up. They heard the voice of someone, a stern, yet soft voice. The Cadence of it carried with it an air of wisdom that Evening couldn’t put his finger on.. As if the voice has spent years amidst life and joy and sorrow.. So much love and knowledge embedded in it... But now, was holding firm, with a terrifying tone.
“What the Hell do you think you’re doing!?”
The voice demanded, the half elf opened his mouth to speak, but only croaked out a sound.. Curiosity overrode the fear and Evening opened his eyes..
Standing in front of the two of them, was a tall, beautiful spring Eladrin, her hair, long and green like lilies in a flowing stream, swayed behind her meeting her feet. Her Soft green skin looked very beautiful against the more autumnal colors around them, soft pink freckles danced across her face… and very very very faint streaks down from her eyes, as if her skin had eroded in those small lines..
She was beautiful.. But she looked furious.. And he could smell the raw power that wafted off of her, the energy that caused the man holding him’s voice to break and falter as he stared at her, just as wide eyed as Evening.
The man stepped back, Evening felt like he could barely feel the man's hand tremble- the problem being that his skinning knife was still pressed hard against his neck- he whimpered in pain.. The Eladrins eyes darted over to him, then back to the man, the tips of her hair seemed to flare up, whisping warm flames flicked off the ends of each strand, her freckles shifting to a warmer hue..
“Release this child immediately..”
The half elf hesitated for a moment- almost like he was considering it, before his jaw clenched and he stepped back further.
“Hell no, back the fuck up right now before I slit his thro-”
Before he could finish his sentence, the woman was gone- she just- disappeared.. Evenings eyes somehow got wider, his pupils dilating.. He knew what that was.. His older brother held the same power; Misty step.
Half a second later, evening felt a mess of movement, the Eladrin had appeared behind the half elf and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. Evening caught the feeling and smell of another powerful spell, as the knife slid off his neck and he dropped from the man's arms, turning to see her, standing there so high above him, holding a small white rabbit…
"The next time I catch you handling a child like that again, I will not be so merciful. Pray there is never a next time."
She snapped at the creature in her hand, before tossing it to the side as it scampered off..
She turned back to the young Tabaxi, who flinched and backed up a bit.. But her eyes were so much softer now that they were on the young boy..
“Are you alright young one? You’re-...”
Her eyes caught sight of the infected wound on his cheek, as well as the thin one on his neck. Then shifted to his hands and feet which were shaking and clearly recovering from frostbite… his eyes looked drained and exhausted like he could fall over at any second..
“Hurt-”
She quickly darted down in front of him, “Hey, hey it's alright.. It's alright, I won't hurt you dear I promise, just- You’re very wounded, did he give you those marks? Where are your parents?”
The cub didn't answer her, he just stared at her scared..
She sighed "I'm going to heal you alright? I promise I won't hurt you."
She gently touched the side of his face where his wound was. He flinched, but instead of feeling the same nauseating discomfort and fear and pain as he did before.. he felt a bit.. relief. The searing pain that he had slowly been getting used to this whole time faded away, he felt like he could see clearer… He felt the wound on the side of his face close up, along with the one on his neck. The soft spots on his hands and feat healed as well, she had casted heal wounds on him.
he groaned in relief and nearly fell over to the side- the pain seemed to be what was keeping him awake and steady, as the relief brought with it exhaustion. The Eladrin quickly reached her arms out and caught the boy before he fell fully.
"Oh you poor thing.. you look starving, You don't have to tell me what was just happening but is there anyone in town I should bring you too..?"
The boy shook his head weakly.
"Do you have any guardians?"
Evening nodded..
"May I take you to them? Is there a way too?"
Yet again, he shook his head.. She just sighed again
.
"Alright then.. in that case let's get you some food alright?"
He nodded a little again, this time with a little bit more energy put into it.
"Do you have a name, young one..?"
There was silence for a few moments as the Eladrin left the alley,
"... e.. evening.. evening frost…"
He mumbled, curling up against her a little. She was warm.. and smelt floral.. a smell that was relatively new to him.
"Evening? That's a lovely name. My name is- Ari."
She seemed like she was debating saying something else for a moment, but decided last minute against it.
"What were you doing with such a cruel man?"
She asked him, rather worried, her main concern being that the half elf had been holding him captive for a long period of time due to the state of the boy.
Evening went quiet, almost an embarrassed silence…
"He uhm.. he offered me food… I was.. am.. very hungry…"
"I.. See... Well then, young one, lets get you some proper food, how does that sound?"
"... that.. sounds.. nice.."
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