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"Seems like there's no way down." Zach said as he tried to peer into the cave below them. There was no water or any other way they could survive the fall.
"We'll have to use another way then." Atlas began walking away from the opening. With a sigh Zach followed behind the white-haired man.
It had been two weeks since they decided to embark on this journey of finding the exit of the skin caves. In that time they had gotten to know each other, however there was one thing that Zach was itching to know.
Of course Atlas had wings on his head, they always rested on his sides, and Zach thought those were the only pair he had. That was until a couple days ago when he noticed a flutter under Atlas's jacket.
Wings.
A pair of white wings on his back.
Zach wanted to ask why he couldn't fly, but he wouldn't. After all, Zach also had secrets of his own. Many people thought he was infected by sculk, but in reality the sculk on his body was due to what he was.
Zach was a warden. A half-warden to be specific. Which meant that he had his own secrets related to his own species. That's why he didn't want to ask about Atlas's wings.
"You've been staring at me."
"W-what? No I haven't."
Atlas turned around, the torch illuminating his soft features. "I can practically feel you sending daggers at my back. You want to know about my wings, don't you?"
Zach sighed, he was caught, no point in hiding it now. "I wasn't going to ask since I know its private, but yes. I was simply wondering about your wings. Can't you use them?"
"I'll only answer if you share what that whole sculk is on your arm and face."
"Fair enough," Zach nodded. It's not like he cared about who he was, but people tended to be scared of him after they learned of his identity.
"Okay." Atlas left the torch on the ground, taking off his jacket. "They're clipped. Don't worry not because of someone, but because I choose to." He turned around, revealing the soft feathered wings. They were about an arm's length, almost dangling on his back.
"What? Why?"
"As you can see, they're too small and aren't able to carry my weight. Given my age and height, they'll probably never grow past this length. Which is why I decided to clip them, they're more annoying than anything so it was the best course of action."
"Can't you still glide or doesn't it hurt? Why go to such lengths?"
Atlas shrugged, putting his jacket back on. "Yeah, but its not that helpful. And no it doesn't really hurt, if I could, I would cut them off, but that would actually be painful. Yes I know you're going to say something about helping me, but please Zach, I've lived my whole life like this and I'm fine with it."
Zach bit his tongue, he really wanted to say something, but he let the avian continue.
"Besides I was bullied for it when I was younger. Really they haven't done much for me. The wings in my head only expose my emotions, so they're also useless. I've accepted this a long time ago Zach. I'm truly fine with it."
All that Zach could come up with was an insult. "Fine, you moron." He wanted to ask more. For some reason he wanted to know more about those who had hurt Atlas. Or to tell him that his wings would maybe still grow. However this was something that the avian had lived with his whole life. If Atlas had accepted it, then Zach had to.
"Okay, your turn. What is up with that sculk infection?"
Now it was Zach's turn to share his own story. "It's not an infection, it is a part of me because I'm a half-warden."
"A half-warden? How is that even possible?"
Zach raised a hand. "It's not what you're thinking, eww, its not. You see all wardens are summoned by the sculk shirkers however that summoning requires time. I was only partially summoned because the sculk shirker malfunctioned or something, don't ask me. Either way, when I was summoned I was more human than anything and for someone reason I had more logic than my kin."
"That must've been harsh on you." Atlas furrowed his brows. Strange. Nobody had ever thought about that. Most times people didn't want to know more. They found it too horrible or disgusting to think about what Zach was. But Atlas, he felt pity, pity for how he might've grown up. Or what his life was like.
"Yeah, but it was fine. Since sculk infections are quite common, I just said I was infected and most people believe it. I mean I might be half-warden, but I guess it's also annoying."
"How so?"
Zach pointed to his left eye. "I'm blind. Can't see a thing on my left eye." The left side of his face was covered in sculk as was most of his body.
"Ah. That makes sense."
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing. Does it affect anything else?"
"Well I'm also deaf on my left ear. However, for some reason I can hear better when its completely dark, something having to do with my warden senses I suppose. In a sense these caves are the most I've heard."
"How does that even work?"
"Trust me, I would like to know that too, but the mystery of being the rarest halfing ever."
"I wouldn't say ever." Atlas grabbed the torch on the ground.
"Of course you wouldn't."
Finally they kept walking, soft drops of water being heard somewhere deeper in the cave.
"You said warden senses right? Can you sense things? Like wardens do?"
"Something like that, my sculk lights up if there's danger. Real danger. Don't ask, god knows I've done several experiments to test it."
Atlas chuckled, "I thought my wings were the bigger secret."
"It's not a secret if you can see it, you know."
"Whatever you say."