Work Text:
Cy was walking through the forest, they had found a home, well a house. They always said home was not a place, but a feeling.
They didn't know how but they got the feeling of home at this house, just as they did with other things.
Stupid things.
Like trees with an A carved into it.
They just assumed they were imagining it.
But the feeling remained.
Their bat, ara, sat on their shoulder.
‘Why do you stay with me?’ Cy thought,
no one actually stayed.
They would run away.
Or scream.
I just wanted to talk.
I find an acorn.
It's a nice acorn, a big one.
I'll keep this one.
They slip it into their pocket of the long, dark coat.
Ara goes up to a big tree, and calls out with a squeak, signing Cy to come towards the tree.
“You can just talk, you know.”
“Villiage ahead.”
“Village?”
I walk up to the tree and look forward to the big houses and cabins down the hill, on the left there is a rocky and slumbering path. I'll go down there, maybe i can trade some things.
I push away Zephyues and Vllora into my big backpocket.
To scare off the humans less.
Cy walks to the left on the hill, the villages had gates, so the people could not see them walking.
That would be weird.
A tall, dark creature with a pet bat, walking over the hills where the spooky forest was.
That would scare off the little ones.
As Cy approached the gates the guards looked distressed and confused at their figure.
Ash crawls into their hair a bit.
“Good afternoon! I'm an explorer here for trading. Can I pass?”
“What are you?” the guard bluntly asks, that makes the other one hit him.
“Excuse my colleague. Yes you can pass.”
I smile at them and pass.
“Have a nice day.”
And so Cy goes into the village.
Many stare at them but they just smile back.
A little one points
“Mommy , mommy, what is that?”
The mother holds her kid back and apologizes.
I walk up to the little one, remembering the acorn in my pocket.
I hand it to them.
“You have really pretty eyes!”
I smile at it.
It smiles back.
The big one also smiles back.
What weird creatures.
Cy walks past them, towards the market center.
Still some stares.
Most of them just continue their day, like it's the most normal thing ever.
That feels good.
Not being looked or labeled as ‘𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝’.
As soon as they walk up to the center, they are greeted with campfires and little ones playing.
People are trading all kinds of things.
Animals, food, jewels, and forest stuff.
Cy had some things with them, mostly crystals.
I walk up to an elderly lady
“Excuse me, hello, is that crystal up for trade? I like to collect them.”
The lady looks at me and smiles
“Yes they are! I'm looking for gold or wood for it!”
“I have 3 gold, would that be enough for 5 crystals?”
“Sure”
The lady grabs the crystals and hands them to Cy.
Cy grabs the gold and gives it to the lady.
“Thank you, have a nice day!”
My attention goes to the campfire and the humans around it.
I walk up to them.
A particular young human looks at me with a look I cannot place.
I sit next to it and join their song.
“‘Up where the squirrels live, that's where we will get our sun.’”
After the song is finished Cy decides to walk over to the human
“Im sorry to bother you, but you had a look in your eyes i just can not place.”
“I just- i-i think i recognise you.”
“That's fairly odd, I've never met you before, have I?”
My coat falls down a bit as I sit next to it.
Their eyes open wide.
“That necklace”
I look down at the ticking round thing on a string across my chest, the string was long.
“Whats with it?”
“Youre Ash right?”
Its voice is soft and seems to mess with my head.
Images pop in my head, almost like memories.
It happens again, that my mind seems to fill things in, I see dark creatures roaming around and all eyes staring at me.
I catch my breath and bring out shakingly
“Cy, sir. Ash is gone."