Chapter Text
At only 15 years old, Gepard Landau already had a heavy burden to carry. He was the proud, honourable child of the Landau family. The one his parents bragged about, claimed would achieve greatness and one day lead the Silvermane Guards like his father before him. He was the golden child, the only boy. He was the middle child, though.
Gepard’s older sister, Serval, was barely considered a Landau these days. She had always been stubborn, always been the one to stand up for herself and protect him from harsh punishments. Serval had a temper to her, she didn’t like being told what to do, and that made her unfit for their family and their expectations. The burden of being the oldest Landau, their prized son, fell heavy on Gepard even more so when Serval moved out. Kicked out, if you asked her, but Gepard didn’t like taking sides. As much as he still loved and respected his sister, she had gone against their father’s wishes so many times, and was so disrespectful when speaking to him. In his mind, it only made sense. This was bound to happen eventually. Besides, she was at the age where it made sense, right?
He did miss having her around, though. Lynx was too young to talk to about his problems, all she wanted to do was play explorers with her new friend, a scrawny girl with glasses and a long name Gepard couldn’t remember off the top of his head.
Mornings were different without Serval around. Quieter, that was for sure. She wasn’t playing music, or arguing with their father in the other room, so he and Lynx ate breakfast in silence now, until their parents would break the quiet and ask them how they slept. “Good,” they’d always reply, the expected answer. If Gepard ever told the truth, and said he had nightmares again, he’d be told off for eating sugar late again, or it would be brushed off as if he never said anything about it. Boys weren’t supposed to be scared of monsters in the dark, especially not at his age. He should know better than to be afraid of them when he was supposed to be working towards protecting his city. How could anyone rely on a boy afraid of the dark? So, he would lie instead. Lying never came naturally, but it was easier these days.
That morning, he told the same lie. “I slept well.” Gepard replied when asked, not looking up from his buttered toast. His nightmares had been worse than usual that night, and truthfully he hadn’t gotten much sleep after waking up so many times throughout the night. His lack of sleep must have been affecting his appetite, because everything at the table was unappealing that morning. The thought of piling his plate with meats and protein made his stomach churn, so he’d settled for a small plate of toast, but even that he’d only gotten a few bites out of.
“Eat, boy. You have training this morning, don’t you? You’ll need enough energy for that if you want to make a lasting impression. Show those other boys what a real future Captain looks like!” His father piled sausages and eggs onto his plate. Breakfast sausages were usually one of his favourite foods, especially when paired with a warm slice of homemade bread, but staring at it on his plate when his stomach was so unsettled left a sour taste in his throat. Gepard glanced up at the clock and politely bowed his head as he stood up from the table. “Speaking of training, I’d better get going, actually. I’ll pack this and take it with me to eat on the way.”
Gepard took his plate and left the dining room, dragging his feet a little more than usual. If it were a weekend, he probably would have gone up to his room and spent the day reading, giving himself a nice light activity to avoid wasting the day without making himself feel too awful. It was still only the beginning of the week, though, so he’d have to ignore whatever was nagging at him. Gepard greeted the butler in the kitchen, still cleaning up after making breakfast and found a few tins to put his food in. The tins kept heat well, they were all from his father’s rations from his own training days. He tucked the tins into his lunch bag and briefly contemplated just giving them to someone on his way to training, but his father would know the tins went missing and suspect Gepard was hanging out with Underworlders again.
So he took his lunch bag, packed tighter than usual, with him back up to his room. He sat on his bed while changing into his school uniform, gathered everything he’d need for the day, and bundled up in his winter gear. The city streets were lined with geomarrow heaters, but the Silvermane training camps were a little further out, and it was always cold out there. He’d have to head right to school after, and he didn’t like being sweaty in class, so he always wore an extra layer under his uniform that he could change out of before the bell.
The walk to camp was slow and boring, Gepard was too tired to distract himself with a song, and there weren’t many people up this early aside from the others his age heading to training, and the actual Silvermane Guards heading to work. A full hour later, he found himself even more exhausted than before, and all his muscles were aching. It was hard to get back up after sitting down to take a water break, and despite the cold, he couldn’t stop sweating. The day was only just beginning, though. He only had about 10 minutes to get to school on time if he wanted to change. Gepard’s feet dragged through the snow as he followed his own path back into the city, now bustling with people headed off to start their days. He greeted everyone he passed as he usually would, though he couldn’t get his tone to sound as cheerful or encouraging. Gepard slowed to a stop as he passed by Serval’s new place of work, hoping for a glance of his sister. She wasn’t there, though, which shouldn’t have been too surprising. She had started university, she was probably also heading to class.
He made it to his own school building with seconds to spare. It wasn’t a good look for him when he finally made it to class, panting as he removed his extra layers and took his seat. Gepard’s entire face was red after the obvious commotion he’d caused, earning him a sarcastic, “Nice of you to join us on time, Mr. Landau.”
He couldn’t remember what subject the class was. He sat there and stared blankly at the chalkboard, trying to make sense of what was there, but he couldn’t focus for the life of him. Gepard’s pen trailed idly on his paper and he squinted, trying to force the fog out of his mind so he could concentrate. It couldn’t hurt to put his head down for just a minute, right? Maybe he just needed to reset himself, then things would start making sense again. Gepard lowered his head to his desk and closed his eyes, blissfully unaware that he fell asleep before even covering his face.
When Gepard next opened his eyes, he was vaguely aware that his name was being called. He couldn’t figure out the direction at first until he looked up to see his teacher standing over him, concerned etched into her face. The classroom was empty, and the lights were off, but it was still bright outside. Were the lights off when he came in? He couldn’t remember. Gepard’s senses felt dulled, but it didn’t take him too much longer to realize he had fallen asleep in class. He sat upright, immediately sheepish and apologetic. “I- I am so sorry, ma’am. I don’t know what I was thinking,” He began, only to be interrupted by a hand on his shoulder.
“Gepard, are you feeling alright?” His teacher asked, pulling up a chair beside him. “Truthfully, you look terrible.”
“Huh?” He wasn’t sure he heard that right. Should he be confused, or offended..? Instead, all he could do was hold his head as a wave of dizziness sent his mind spinning. He heard his teacher sigh and get up, returning to his side with a glass of water a moment later. “I’ll call home for you, alright? You must have caught something in the cold.” As she turned to leave again, something inexplicable came over Gepard and he stopped her. “Call Serval, please. Not my parents.” It was the first time he’d heard such desperation in his own tone. But he couldn’t imagine facing his father, admitting he felt sick and had fallen asleep in class. Serval would be much more understanding, she could bring him medicine and he’d head to his next class with no problems at all.
His teacher agreed, and called Serval. It took her a moment to pick up, but as soon as she heard what had happened, she was already on her way out of her own class and headed to fetch her brother.