Chapter Text
Wemmbu still remembered the way the sign looked sticking out of a branch on mane’s treehouse
“LOST CAUSE.”
The wood had been split where a nail was driven in too hard. Like whoever put it there hadn’t been careful, or maybe hadn’t cared. The letters were uneven, scratched deep enough that the grooves caught the light. He had stared at it for a long time after coming back from saving Egg, still bleeding, still shaking, still convinced he had finally done something right.
He had expected… something.
Anger. Relief. Anything.
Instead there was just that sign.
Lost cause.
It felt heavier than anything Mane had ever said to his face. It meant it didn’t matter that he had risked everything. It meant it didn’t matter that he had survived. He had still failed in whatever way counted the most.
That day never really left him. It followed him through the madness, through the desperate need to prove himself, through the slow, painful healing where he tried to be better for others instead of tearing everything apart.
And all that healing shattered the second he heard Mane had trained Flame.
Mane.
After all this time.
All those months Wemmbu spent searching for him, trying to show he was worth something, just for Flame to get it immediately.
Why was Flame better?
Why didn’t Mane want him?
Was he not good enough?
Was he never supposed to have had the strongest title?
How come Flame got Mane’s approval so quickly? Why— how was Flame better than him?
Flame fought with honour. With rules. With mercy. He could afford to.
Manepear didn’t fight like that. Mane fought to survive, the way Wemmbu did. Brutal. Desperate. Willing to do what it took.
So why would Mane train someone who fought like Flame instead of someone who fought like him?
Was he that unworthy of Mane’s attention and respect? That… that Mane would abandon him and move to someone better, someone calmer, someone less annoying.
Wemmbu knew he was annoying to others. The constant talking, the craving for chaos and destruction. He had always been like that — was that why Mane didn’t want to train him?
“Wemmbu, come on,” Egg said, glancing back to Wemmbu who had stopped walking.
Wemmbu blinked, realising he’d frozen again. He shook his head and hurried after him.
“Sorry,” he muttered, falling in step slightly behind.
Looking at Egg’s perfectly preened wings, the thoughts came back anyway.
What if Egg left him too?
It wasn’t impossible. Months of Egg being stuck in the End without Wemmbu’s constant talking and nagging… maybe he’d realised it was better, More peaceful. That he could live the life he wanted instead of constant wars and fighting. that he could make a house and fish, like he always wanted too.
Was Egg going to do that?
Had he already decided to abandon him like Mane did?
If Mane could do it so easily, couldn’t Egg—
Was Wemmbu even lovable? Everyone he had ever considered a friend had left or hurt him in some way. Every time. Mane’s had just carved deeper than he realised.
“Wemmbu?” Egg said softly. “Are you alright?”
“I—”
His chest tightened. Not pain exactly — more like something folding inward, squeezing his lungs. His breathing went shallow and fast without him meaning to. His fingers started to tingle, then shake.
“Wemmbu, you need to breathe.”
What? He was breathing. Wasn’t he? His ears were ringing now, a thin, piercing sound that swallowed Egg’s voice.
“Wem— come— you need—”
Why couldn’t he hear him?
Why did everything feel wrong, unreal, too sharp and too far away at the same time?
Why wasn’t Egg leaving? He could. This was the perfect chance to walk away and be done with him—
Hands on his shoulders. Firm. Warm.
“Copy me,” Egg said, slow and steady. “There we go.”
Wemmbu felt his own hand being guided to Egg’s chest. He could feel the rise and fall, feathers brushing his fingers, anchoring him.
His vision blurred at the edges, but the crushing pressure in his chest slowly loosened. The shaking didn’t stop right away, but it softened.
“Wemmbu… hey. There we go,” Egg smiled gently.
“Let’s take a break from walking, alright?”
Wemmbu nodded weakly, leaning into him, too tired to hold himself up on his own.
“…you good now?” Egg asked quietly, that worried tone that always made Wemmbu feel too seen.
“Why did Mane leave?” Wemmbu whispered.
Egg froze. He hadn’t been close to Mane, but he knew Wemmbu was. He didn’t have an answer.
“I don’t know, Bu. I… I really don’t know,” Egg said, wrapping his wings around him.
“Wemmbu… is this about Fla—”
“Don’t. Please, Egg.” Wemmbu cut him off. He could feel the thoughts clawing their way back. If he let them surface, he’d lose what little calm he had left.
“Bu… you can’t just ignore this. It’s clearly affecting you.”
Wemmbu shook his head weakly. He was fine. He had to be.
He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath, the way Egg had shown him.
“Think about it tomorrow, Egg. Let’s sleep now.”
He didn’t wait for an answer.