After you left you were trapped in a place far beyond The Endlessness.
A place in which you aged more quickly, quicker than the inhabitants of the forest you had left behind.
Time ran by faster than usual, though you never noticed.
But you knew you were growing older in a way, in your spirit.
And during all this time you didn't even find the ones you were seeking.
How long have you been searching for?
Decades?
Centuries?
But not one single sign. So you tried to accept the fact that they are all gone by now. Gone.
Lost... and now you as well. Though you have always been...
Then the day arrived you finally gained the possibility to return.
But he, it, a shadow... something?You?...was spreading inside your soul and body. After all these countless years it has started to break through the surface.
You're rotting.
Though the beginning of this resided in you long before...
And I absolutely love this to bits, the writing and the drawing, you did an amazing job with this and I seriously can't see why you doubted your skills. Shame on you. >BU
You have outdone yourself with this, sweetie. ♥
On and on this ritual went, nose to the air, picking out the scents that held meaning... and following them to a desired source. It was terrible, frightening, and yet exciting all at the same time.
When he saw deer he knew, he'd sit and chat, maybe play with them and generally force himself to act like the good ol' Jergy that everyone knew and loved. That's right, Jergens! The neighborhood douche and wise-ass! He had a reputation to keep up, after all.
Well, not anymore anyway.
Everywhere Jergens looked, from the Idol to the pond was filled with nothing but deer that he had never seen the likes of. He'd saunter up and offer a greeting, only to get blank stares and weird looks in reply. It was dampening, but you do what you gotta do. The new faces could wait. For now, he had to keep going with his list...
Even with the hellish nightmares, Jergens would not have slept. His whole being was always tense, always searching and always on the move. Oh, and he'd talk to that one guy... what was his name? Pert, that was it. The one who had watched over Faith. He was nice... a bit uptight and sullen for Jergens, but nice. Yes, he'd also occasionally dawdle and hang around with the new faces, but only to keep his own sanity in check.
Friend wasn't there to do that anymore.
The stag walked without the noticeable spring in his step. The euphoria of being back home had been short-lived. His face was weathered, with large hollow bags hanging underneath his eyes. He hadn't slept in... what was it... two days now? It was hard to tell. No goddamn time after all.
Cry?
He had been on the mental check-list at the very beginning, and Jergens had spent hours on end calling out his name and inquiring his whereabouts to whoever crossed his path. At first, a simple, easy-going question or two. Nothing much.
He had talked to Isac earlier, and convinced the buck that there was nothing, nothing worth worrying about. Everything would be fine. Crybaby was a full-grown buck. He could handle himself.
...Couldn't he?
But slowly, as time went on... the answers to Jergens' pressing questions grew more and more terrible.
'Cry? Who's that?'
'Never heard of him.'
'Who are you?'
On and on.
Still, Jergens kept smiling. He would be damned before he turned back into that self-loathing, self-pitying, worthless warm body that he had healed from not so long ago. He was smart enough to know that he had to approach bad things in a different, more positive light.
A few hours after conversing with the last fresh faced stag, Jergens finally caught it.
That scent. He knew it anywhere.
Still...
Something was wrong with it...
If only by a little, a subtle change...
Tense, the crimson buck followed his nose, weak thing that it was. His eyes shut, ears pinned to the back of his skull to exemplify the scent. Yes, he bumped head-first into trees and stumbled over rocks, not like that mattered any.
"Hey, Cry?" he called out, the smell growing stronger... denser...
He knew where the scent was taking him, and at the thought his stomach seemed to turn in on itself.
Soon enough, he was facing that long line of formidable oaks, their fat trunks pressed up against one another to bar any passage... save for the fewest cracks.
There was one, a small opening. One that Jergens knew he wouldn't have stood a chance in fitting himself through.
And there was Crybaby, all curled up.
Breathing.
"Jeebas..." he exhaled a loud sigh of relief and trotted over, his smile, for once, genuine. "The Hell ya doin' all the way out here, Cry? Frak... I was worried sick..." he dropped to his knees and gently nudged his head against the buck's back.
No response.
"Cry?" Jergens nudged him again, harder this time.
And then he noticed the fur.
Black, wispy strands of it... his right ear enveloped in it.
Unthinking, Jergens raised himself up and shimmied around his brother's body, to get a closer view.
The dark pigment seemed to be bleeding, the outer strands that touched the unsightly color an ashen grey. And was his hair longer? Yes, yes it was.
"Cry...?" Jergens mumbled, his rasping voice nearly undefinable. What difference did it make? It seemed as if his words were falling on deaf ears. "What the Hell happened... Did someone do this to ya? Tell me who did it. I'll fuckin' kill him." and he meant that too, even if he words had begun to noticeably slur, nothing more than a dull growl.
You left him behind. What else did you expect?
"Cry!" Louder this time. Surely he'd wake up, see his face...
This is your fault.
...Was it?
That's right. He had left really without any notice, on a whim.
How selfish.
Jergens looked back, at the opening, at the world beyond.
At him...
A cold, harsh shiver nearly made his whole body spasm in fright. His bit his tongue to stifle a sharp cry. The hot, iron-like taste swept over it, and it only made the stag panic even more.
"Cry... wake up." Jergens haphazardly craned his neck forward nudging the buck's tainted face with his nose, pressing kisses against his forehead and cheeks, biting an antler... anything. Anything
He looked back, and while there was nothing, the buck could feel that horrible, horrible presence leak through, wafting about...
"Fer God's sake, Cry... wake up!" he cried, his legs shaking. They needed to leave this place, breathing was getting hard. It felt as if his lungs were being dipped in lead.
No. He couldn't be selfish this time.
He ignored the increasing pain, the increasing worry, and forced himself to curl about the buck's tiny body, encasing him within himself.
Sighing shakily, Jergens pressed his forehead against Cry's, the tips of their noses lightly touching.
"I'm not even gonna bother apologizin'... Not worth it. I'm a shitty brother..." he murmured. "What's with the new get-up... No... can't ask... only tell me if ya want... Just please, talk to me.." As he talked, the blood from his bleeding mouth trickled from his lower lip, clinging to his stubble.
Oh, and of course he was crying, muddying up both his own face and his brother's.
And it's all your fault
Jergens wouldn't normally blame himself, but for Crybaby, someone that the stag would actively kill and be killed for he wouldn't have had it any other way. If Crybaby died, he'd have to be dragged kicking and screaming from his body. If Crybaby was hurt, he'd brand whoever was the perpetrator as an instant object of absolute hatred. It was a strange, often indescribable link that they shared, and Jergens would do everything in his power to keep that link from severing.
He couldn't lose anyone else. He'd surely die if he did.
Your comments make me so happy guys ;; thank so much ♥ didn't expect this after 'being away' for some months.
Dsdfgs Ging, will answer to that later on~
The buck brought up his last forces to get through that narrow passage in between the trees and finally reappear into the forest.
But he only took a few steps on the familiar grass until he slumped down.
His heart was pounding so loudly in his ears, in his skull... like it was breaking through. His nose barely recognized the distinctive smell of this hill, he'd almost forgotten it. After all these years...
He was back, but what for? Everyone... everyone was probably gone, he's been away far too long, though he's forgotten the almost endless number of years.
The proof were his long white... and black strands of hair. They've never grown this long before.
The small buck was still looking quite similar to his former self apart ofthe black parts on his body.
His souls has aged much more, but not his body, not really.
Why did he come back...? He wondered.
But he couldn't think, really.. couldn't think clearly. The buck also wondered if he was slowly but surely growing insane, if he wasn't already.
There's been too much time to think, way too much.
Crybaby soon lost consciousness, his body temperature slowly starting to adapt to the cold. It didn't matter. Didn't matter... nothing anymore.
...
Jergens' voice couldn't wake him up. It was too dark down there. Black and white, white and black. Too dark... too dark. A dream?
Though the little buck's eyebrows twitched a bit when a warm sensation suddenly enveloped him, encircled him. There was something wet on his cheeks, what was this. Tears? His own? No...
"Huh.." a faint sound escaped his lips.
His eyelids opened a tiny bit, enough to see some kind of red blurriness around him. The red... it was warm and soft.
It took some of the cold away.
But then...
A voice... a voice he hadn't heard since he's been gone. That voice... who was it? J-...?
No, that couldn't be. No, no.. there was no hope left, right? Couldn't be, it couldn't be.
But, so he was...
"... a-... am I.. dead?" he asked in a weak whisper, still not opening his eyes fully.
"Dead.. death, dead."Heaven? Crybaby almost smiled, but couldn't. A shiver ran through his little body.
At least the cold wasn't that terrible anymore, with this warmth...
The warmth was nice.
He was gasping now. The full weight of him pressing down as hard as it could. His stomach churned, and Jergens had to swallow the bile that crept up his throat.
Go away...
The buck pressed his tear-laden eyes shut, his blood stained teeth grit in excretion.
He wanted in
Still, he forced his mind off of it all, his body jolting back in surprise when he heard his brother speak... though the words were not as encouraging as he had hoped. What had happened to him...
Whatever it was, it's your fault.
"Cry..." Jergens murmured, pressing his lips against the buck's nose before he drew himself back, in full view. "It's me... Jergy. Come on, snap out of it." he drew a hoof up to gently rub at the white and black locks upon the buck's head, massaging his scalp. "We're not dead... I think I'd know if I was, and I wouldn't let yew die."
But he had already, hadn't he?
His bones broken, wounds festering, leaning over his little brother's body in the frozen lake...
No... That different. Friend had been there to stop him.
Just like he was trying to do now.
At the mere thought, his throat seemed to close in on itself, and Jergens' gasps turned from husky and rasping to high and reedy.
"Yer gonna be okay..." he breathed, talking for the reason alone of keeping Cry awake. Somehow, he forced himself to smile, despite the clotted blood that stained his teeth. "I'll take ya back to the Idol n' we can just rest up fer a few days... Would ya like that? Just us."
He didn't bother asking about his black fur... Jergens knew well enough that his brother wouldn't tell him. Even if he did, it wasn't Jergens' job to interrogate his brother when he seemed so... not there...
Bringing his head back closer, he kept on with his talking, rambling softly, something to take both their minds off of it all.
"...Yer hair looks nice long. Did it used to be like that? Hnm... I talked to Issa a while ago. He misses ya. When yer better we can go visit him n' that boytoy of his... what was his name? Ah yeah, NatNat... I need to come up with a better nickname. Huh, maybe I'll think of something when he see him. Peo will be real happy to see ya too... she missed yew a lot. So did O-lah probably... I haven't seen her round' yet, but I'm sure she's probably just hidin' in the lake somewhere. Do... what did Rose call em'.... Platypus things hibernate? Maybe I should go find out..."
On and on.
If it kept Cry awake and made him feel better, Jergens would talk until his voice gave out.
The white buck slowly blinked several times, recognizing Jergens now even if he still looked like he was in a slight blur.
"Jergens..." he pronounced every syllable very slowly, as if he was trying to get used to talking again, to say those names again.
He eventually widened his blue eyes when he felt the gentle rub on his head, it was so familiar... but still. Not dead?
"Hair... the hair, it grew... and grew."
The buck's eyelids lowered themselves while Crybaby's expression still seemed rather empty. The heartbeat... was so loud, throbbing in his chest. An old heart. He shuddered again.
He tried to follow everything Jergens, or this Illusion of Jergens was telling him. So many names, all the missed ones, all the lost ones.
"But.. you are.. dead, everyone's.. dead." Crybaby whispered. There was no use...
He let out an exhausted sigh, closing his eyes before he leaned his head against the red one's side, into this soft and curly fur.
Jergens nodded in encouragement upon having his name sounded out, his smile turning more genuine. "That's right. Jergens. Yer brother. See?" he prompted him, nudging the buck's blackened cheek with his nose. "There ya go..."
He spoke to Cry like how he often spoke to children, calm and collected. He couldn't be brash now, not when it looked like his brother was literally about to shatter before his very eyes.
If he hasn't already.
As to not get any leaking blood on Cry's coat, Jergens stretched his neck backwards and spat. His saliva was still yet streaked with red, and mixed with a filmy, mucus like substance.
He's making you sick.
That's alright, though.
Jergens paid close attention to the little buck's words, leaning in close to slowly groom his mussed up hair. "It did grow, didn't it? I like it... gives ya more character." Again, he strayed away from talking about the color. That would be outright stupidity.
"Shh calm down. No one is dead... Here, listen." the red buck shuffled closer, gently positioning the side of his brother's head against his chest, to hear his own heartbeat. "See?" he rested his own head between Cry's antlers, his throat upon the buck's forehead. "Good as new, right?"
He hummed as he tried to think of something worthwhile to say, just a simple tune, a recycled lullaby he had made up on the spot for his daughter when she was little. It was hard, yes, and he was still in terrible pain... but that didn't matter.
"There's a lot of new deer here... I'm sure they'd like to get to know ya... Wouldn't they? Yeah... They seemed real nice..."
Ginger: "Brother... big brother." right... he's always been his big brother.
Cry opened his eyes to a slit when he heard that odd sounds.
He wondered why Jergens was spatting, as if he were sick. Could dead ones even be sick?
The buck liked the voice, the way his brother talked. He had missed that... hadn't heard it for years but had never forgotten the way he talked.
No one was dead? How was that possible... it couldn't be.
Crybaby weakly wrinkled his eyebrows but let his brother guide his head towards his chest, above the heart.
A heartbeat.
The buck closed his eyes, closely listening to it. He could also feel the light vibration of Jergens' throat against his forehead when he hummed.
Yes, it was indeed his brother's heartbeat. He'd never forgotten about this either, since he's often been sleeping at his side in the past, cuddled up against his fur and listening to his beating heart which lulled him to sleep.
So nice...
So much nicer than his own.
But how...?
"B-but... how is this possible. I've been.." he blinked and opened his eyes when started trembling again and now it didn't stop. "Away.. away for so long.. e-everyone should be.. gone by now."
"Mhm... That's right." he reassured him, grazing his front leg upon the buck's side gently, up and down, stroking his fur. "I've been lookin' fer ya fer a long while... M'really happy yer here now." he chuckled, or at least forced himself to.
Jergens tired to ignore it, that nagging feeling that something horrible was forming itself right before his eyes. So instead he focused on the priority... getting his brother back to focus. The little white buck seemed more child-like than ever, allowing himself to be moved about... perhaps too tired to even move.
Which was bad for Jergens. He needed to leave the opening... or the wall entirely... He was beginning to feel feverish, his belly nauseous as he continued to put his mind on one single train of thought.
Oh God it hurts...
Every breath felt like an explosion in his chest, but he refused to show the pain. That would only upset his brother... he couldn't do that. The situation was too fragile. No, he'd just grin and bear it through and through.
He felt the furry bundle in his arms start to shiver, and Jergens pressed him closer, completely encircling the deer at the cost of straining his spine. "Shhh..." he hushed him, clutching him tightly, offering support. "Yew were only gone a few months... Calm down." he lifted the buck's head and let their cheeks press together. Warmth. Support. Love and affection. He hoped it would be enough...
"Cry if it makes ya feel better Crysters..." he murmured, nuzzling the bridge of his nose. "Everythin'll be fine now..."
Dag: Really? ♥ I've been alright, more or less... lots of changes and new things c': bah
I hope you've been well too..
Ginger:
Crybaby kept listening to Jergens' heart, slowly but surely noticing something, and that was another proof that Jergens was very well real and living. But in pain.
"Jergens... you're unwell." he began in a whisper.
The ability to notice when others didn't feel well hasn't gone lost over the years, though a bit rusty.
He was still in shock, even that he now somehow knew that Jergens wasn't dead.
What had happened...
It couldn't have been a dream, never.
His expression turned even more blank when his brother told him he's only been away for a few months.
A few months.
The buck helplessly shook his head.
But he wasn't going to cry, not now... he hadn't cried in a long time. It wouldn't happen that easily again.
"No.." he shook his head again, making it ache. The buck hid himself even more into the crimson fur.
And his eyes slowly widened, almost as if he was insane. "N-no... no.. I was away.. away for years. So many.." he gasped. He didn't understand what had happened. He would probably get the idea after some time... but not for now.
"Looking and looking, but no one.. found no one." he pressed his shivering body against Jergens' side.
He winced, the pounding in his head exemplified by the buck's tiny voice. Even so, Jergens forced a grin and sighed in mock defeat. "Only here... at the barrier. I'll be fine once ya have the strength to go somewhere safer." and yes, Jergens would have waited days if need be, getting sicker and sicker like this. That was alright though.
"Yew wanna hear some good news?" Jergens asked softly, raising his chin so that he could gently gnaw on one of the buck's antlers, coating them with tiny teeth marks. "Nnm... Friend is gone. Fer good... that's one less thing off our plates, right?"
However, he no longer knew what the word 'plates' meant. It had been spoken on a whim, a fragmented memory that held no meaning over than to be used for slang.
He didn't ponder on the word, his mind far too muddled with worry, remorse and sickness to do so. The world spun, but he hid his weakness. He didn't care if Cry could sense it... and it's growth.
Years? No... Cry was wrong.
But that was alright.
Jergens would never deny him.
He saw the face, eyes wide and uncomprehending, and he forced his legs to better cover him, further shielding him from the world. "Time doesn't matter now... I'm here... I won't go away again. I promise..." he mumbled, burying his face in the buck's wispy hair, black and white. "Swear to God I promise..."
He blinked. "Let's.. let's go now then.." he murmured, already intending to get up but he couldn't, and Jergens' was kind of holding him back.
The black ear flicked slightly at his big brothers remark.
Friend... oh, right.
He still had to remember things more clearly but things, memories and events were about to come back. Friend..
"Really? That's.. that's good.." he whispered, relaxing a bit for a moment. Jergens' spontaneous talking seemed to take his mind off the current happenings. It was a good thing, for now. He had to realize everything in a slow pace, or it was simply going to be too much at the same time. He now couldn't really concentrate on everything anyway.
The buck snuggled his face a bit more into the comfortable fur and closed his eyes. It was good like this...
"No need, no need.." he whispered slowly.
His own, sick heartbeat hammered loudly in his head again, but now it was accompanied by the heartbeat of his dear brother. It seemed like they were almost balancing one another.
And then the throbbing ceased a bit. And he drifted off to sleep... his mind being taken over by a pitch-black darkness.
Jergens pressed him close, firmly. "I'll be fine... wait till ya get better before ya go walkin' around... We'll be safe here. No one knows bout this place." he offered whatever false reassurances he could give.
His curled pelt had become matted with sweat, and Jergens found that he could no longer hide the illness that continued to crescendo throughout his body. Like Cry, he shivered, the world taking on a much colder temperature than before.
He's trying to kill you
No... he would last until his brother could walk away.
Could he carry him?
Maybe... but it might hurt him, and Jergens would only be doing it for his own selfish needs.
Hadn't he done enough already?
"That's right..." Jergens smiled when he noticed that buck's breathing had evened out, giving way to sleep. Good... that was good.
And himself? He hurt too much to sleep.
But even so, eventually the pain peaked to a point where he finally blacked out and joined his brother in oblivion.
Agh, I adore these two... <3 *totally was not stal- reading the RP*
As I do the story and the artwork... poor Cry. =/ The new black markings look quite cool though.
Missed him already. <3
ForTwoLifetimes, Moonsoverwater, PandaXiongMao, MissButterflyCaught, FaunGrae, All the same, a friend with many names.
Avatar by Meadow Sig by SightHoundLady
Poor Crybaby..
I love the tree design on his chest.. We should meet in forest some time, I'm sure Achlys will be happy to get rid of the shadows in his heart. Or maybe shed some more light? I don't know, but I would hate to see him be consumed by the dark.
You already know how much I
...
You'll be getting a really long-ass post from me after class ;3
And... you already know that too fff
Oh, I like this. And I found
And I found myself staring at the drawing for quite some time, I love it. ♥
(T)
Fffffffffffffffffffffffffffff
And I absolutely love this to bits, the writing and the drawing, you did an amazing job with this and I seriously can't see why you doubted your skills. Shame on you. >BU
You have outdone yourself with this, sweetie. ♥
Gorgeous post...My heart sank
...awesome.
*___*
#4b5160
...Crybaby...? D:
omg ;n;
Cry! D: -snuggles him-
-snuggles him-
The world is quiet here.
Happy Spring!
Fresh new faces, the lot of
New deer... dead deer... and missing deer.
For the first two days, what should have been a pretty carefree welcome home extravaganza had turned into no less than a body count.
Oura? Check. Touk? Check. Issa? Check. Kahl? ...No check... Illy? Check. Jack? Check.
On and on this ritual went, nose to the air, picking out the scents that held meaning... and following them to a desired source. It was terrible, frightening, and yet exciting all at the same time.
When he saw deer he knew, he'd sit and chat, maybe play with them and generally force himself to act like the good ol' Jergy that everyone knew and loved. That's right, Jergens! The neighborhood douche and wise-ass! He had a reputation to keep up, after all.
Well, not anymore anyway.
Everywhere Jergens looked, from the Idol to the pond was filled with nothing but deer that he had never seen the likes of. He'd saunter up and offer a greeting, only to get blank stares and weird looks in reply. It was dampening, but you do what you gotta do. The new faces could wait. For now, he had to keep going with his list...
Spy? ...No check... Dad? ...No check... Rhye? ...No check...
...
It hurt.
Even with the hellish nightmares, Jergens would not have slept. His whole being was always tense, always searching and always on the move. Oh, and he'd talk to that one guy... what was his name? Pert, that was it. The one who had watched over Faith. He was nice... a bit uptight and sullen for Jergens, but nice. Yes, he'd also occasionally dawdle and hang around with the new faces, but only to keep his own sanity in check.
Friend wasn't there to do that anymore.
The stag walked without the noticeable spring in his step. The euphoria of being back home had been short-lived. His face was weathered, with large hollow bags hanging underneath his eyes. He hadn't slept in... what was it... two days now? It was hard to tell. No goddamn time after all.
Cry?
He had been on the mental check-list at the very beginning, and Jergens had spent hours on end calling out his name and inquiring his whereabouts to whoever crossed his path. At first, a simple, easy-going question or two. Nothing much.
He had talked to Isac earlier, and convinced the buck that there was nothing, nothing worth worrying about. Everything would be fine. Crybaby was a full-grown buck. He could handle himself.
...Couldn't he?
But slowly, as time went on... the answers to Jergens' pressing questions grew more and more terrible.
'Cry? Who's that?'
'Never heard of him.'
'Who are you?'
On and on.
Still, Jergens kept smiling. He would be damned before he turned back into that self-loathing, self-pitying, worthless warm body that he had healed from not so long ago. He was smart enough to know that he had to approach bad things in a different, more positive light.
A few hours after conversing with the last fresh faced stag, Jergens finally caught it.
That scent. He knew it anywhere.
Still...
Something was wrong with it...
If only by a little, a subtle change...
Tense, the crimson buck followed his nose, weak thing that it was. His eyes shut, ears pinned to the back of his skull to exemplify the scent. Yes, he bumped head-first into trees and stumbled over rocks, not like that mattered any.
"Hey, Cry?" he called out, the smell growing stronger... denser...
He knew where the scent was taking him, and at the thought his stomach seemed to turn in on itself.
Soon enough, he was facing that long line of formidable oaks, their fat trunks pressed up against one another to bar any passage... save for the fewest cracks.
There was one, a small opening. One that Jergens knew he wouldn't have stood a chance in fitting himself through.
And there was Crybaby, all curled up.
Breathing.
"Jeebas..." he exhaled a loud sigh of relief and trotted over, his smile, for once, genuine. "The Hell ya doin' all the way out here, Cry? Frak... I was worried sick..." he dropped to his knees and gently nudged his head against the buck's back.
No response.
"Cry?" Jergens nudged him again, harder this time.
And then he noticed the fur.
Black, wispy strands of it... his right ear enveloped in it.
Unthinking, Jergens raised himself up and shimmied around his brother's body, to get a closer view.
The dark pigment seemed to be bleeding, the outer strands that touched the unsightly color an ashen grey. And was his hair longer? Yes, yes it was.
"Cry...?" Jergens mumbled, his rasping voice nearly undefinable. What difference did it make? It seemed as if his words were falling on deaf ears. "What the Hell happened... Did someone do this to ya? Tell me who did it. I'll fuckin' kill him." and he meant that too, even if he words had begun to noticeably slur, nothing more than a dull growl.
You left him behind. What else did you expect?
"Cry!" Louder this time. Surely he'd wake up, see his face...
This is your fault.
...Was it?
That's right. He had left really without any notice, on a whim.
How selfish.
Jergens looked back, at the opening, at the world beyond.
At him...
A cold, harsh shiver nearly made his whole body spasm in fright. His bit his tongue to stifle a sharp cry. The hot, iron-like taste swept over it, and it only made the stag panic even more.
"Cry... wake up." Jergens haphazardly craned his neck forward nudging the buck's tainted face with his nose, pressing kisses against his forehead and cheeks, biting an antler... anything. Anything
He looked back, and while there was nothing, the buck could feel that horrible, horrible presence leak through, wafting about...
"Fer God's sake, Cry... wake up!" he cried, his legs shaking. They needed to leave this place, breathing was getting hard. It felt as if his lungs were being dipped in lead.
No. He couldn't be selfish this time.
He ignored the increasing pain, the increasing worry, and forced himself to curl about the buck's tiny body, encasing him within himself.
Sighing shakily, Jergens pressed his forehead against Cry's, the tips of their noses lightly touching.
"I'm not even gonna bother apologizin'... Not worth it. I'm a shitty brother..." he murmured. "What's with the new get-up... No... can't ask... only tell me if ya want... Just please, talk to me.." As he talked, the blood from his bleeding mouth trickled from his lower lip, clinging to his stubble.
Oh, and of course he was crying, muddying up both his own face and his brother's.
And it's all your fault
Jergens wouldn't normally blame himself, but for Crybaby, someone that the stag would actively kill and be killed for he wouldn't have had it any other way. If Crybaby died, he'd have to be dragged kicking and screaming from his body. If Crybaby was hurt, he'd brand whoever was the perpetrator as an instant object of absolute hatred. It was a strange, often indescribable link that they shared, and Jergens would do everything in his power to keep that link from severing.
He couldn't lose anyone else. He'd surely die if he did.
poor cry.
;; This is gorgeous, your art
This is gorgeous, your art never ceases to amaze me. <3
.
Your comments make me so
Dsdfgs Ging, will answer to that later on~
@ Gingerluv: The buck
The buck brought up his last forces to get through that narrow passage in between the trees and finally reappear into the forest.
But he only took a few steps on the familiar grass until he slumped down.
His heart was pounding so loudly in his ears, in his skull... like it was breaking through. His nose barely recognized the distinctive smell of this hill, he'd almost forgotten it.
After all these years...
He was back, but what for? Everyone... everyone was probably gone, he's been away far too long, though he's forgotten the almost endless number of years.
The proof were his long white... and black strands of hair. They've never grown this long before.
The small buck was still looking quite similar to his former self apart ofthe black parts on his body.
His souls has aged much more, but not his body, not really.
Why did he come back...? He wondered.
But he couldn't think, really.. couldn't think clearly. The buck also wondered if he was slowly but surely growing insane, if he wasn't already.
There's been too much time to think, way too much.
Crybaby soon lost consciousness, his body temperature slowly starting to adapt to the cold.
It didn't matter. Didn't matter... nothing anymore.
...
Jergens' voice couldn't wake him up. It was too dark down there. Black and white, white and black.
Too dark... too dark. A dream?
Though the little buck's eyebrows twitched a bit when a warm sensation suddenly enveloped him, encircled him. There was something wet on his cheeks, what was this. Tears? His own? No...
"Huh.." a faint sound escaped his lips.
His eyelids opened a tiny bit, enough to see some kind of red blurriness around him. The red... it was warm and soft.
It took some of the cold away.
But then...
A voice... a voice he hadn't heard since he's been gone. That voice... who was it? J-...?
No, that couldn't be. No, no.. there was no hope left, right? Couldn't be, it couldn't be.
But, so he was...
"... a-... am I.. dead?" he asked in a weak whisper, still not opening his eyes fully.
"Dead.. death, dead." Heaven? Crybaby almost smiled, but couldn't. A shiver ran through his little body.
At least the cold wasn't that terrible anymore, with this warmth...
The warmth was nice.
He was gasping now. The full
Go away...
The buck pressed his tear-laden eyes shut, his blood stained teeth grit in excretion.
He wanted in
Still, he forced his mind off of it all, his body jolting back in surprise when he heard his brother speak... though the words were not as encouraging as he had hoped. What had happened to him...
Whatever it was, it's your fault.
"Cry..." Jergens murmured, pressing his lips against the buck's nose before he drew himself back, in full view. "It's me... Jergy. Come on, snap out of it." he drew a hoof up to gently rub at the white and black locks upon the buck's head, massaging his scalp. "We're not dead... I think I'd know if I was, and I wouldn't let yew die."
But he had already, hadn't he?
His bones broken, wounds festering, leaning over his little brother's body in the frozen lake...
No... That different. Friend had been there to stop him.
Just like he was trying to do now.
At the mere thought, his throat seemed to close in on itself, and Jergens' gasps turned from husky and rasping to high and reedy.
"Yer gonna be okay..." he breathed, talking for the reason alone of keeping Cry awake. Somehow, he forced himself to smile, despite the clotted blood that stained his teeth. "I'll take ya back to the Idol n' we can just rest up fer a few days... Would ya like that? Just us."
He didn't bother asking about his black fur... Jergens knew well enough that his brother wouldn't tell him. Even if he did, it wasn't Jergens' job to interrogate his brother when he seemed so... not there...
Bringing his head back closer, he kept on with his talking, rambling softly, something to take both their minds off of it all.
"...Yer hair looks nice long. Did it used to be like that? Hnm... I talked to Issa a while ago. He misses ya. When yer better we can go visit him n' that boytoy of his... what was his name? Ah yeah, NatNat... I need to come up with a better nickname. Huh, maybe I'll think of something when he see him. Peo will be real happy to see ya too... she missed yew a lot. So did O-lah probably... I haven't seen her round' yet, but I'm sure she's probably just hidin' in the lake somewhere. Do... what did Rose call em'.... Platypus things hibernate? Maybe I should go find out..."
On and on.
If it kept Cry awake and made him feel better, Jergens would talk until his voice gave out.
The white buck slowly blinked
"Jergens..." he pronounced every syllable very slowly, as if he was trying to get used to talking again, to say those names again.
He eventually widened his blue eyes when he felt the gentle rub on his head, it was so familiar... but still. Not dead?
"Hair... the hair, it grew... and grew."
The buck's eyelids lowered themselves while Crybaby's expression still seemed rather empty. The heartbeat... was so loud, throbbing in his chest. An old heart. He shuddered again.
He tried to follow everything Jergens, or this Illusion of Jergens was telling him. So many names, all the missed ones, all the lost ones.
"But.. you are.. dead, everyone's.. dead." Crybaby whispered. There was no use...
He let out an exhausted sigh, closing his eyes before he leaned his head against the red one's side, into this soft and curly fur.
Cry...
I don't strive to be the best, but instead I strive to do my best, and always give it my all every time.
-faunet
Jergens nodded in
He spoke to Cry like how he often spoke to children, calm and collected. He couldn't be brash now, not when it looked like his brother was literally about to shatter before his very eyes.
If he hasn't already.
As to not get any leaking blood on Cry's coat, Jergens stretched his neck backwards and spat. His saliva was still yet streaked with red, and mixed with a filmy, mucus like substance.
He's making you sick.
That's alright, though.
Jergens paid close attention to the little buck's words, leaning in close to slowly groom his mussed up hair. "It did grow, didn't it? I like it... gives ya more character." Again, he strayed away from talking about the color. That would be outright stupidity.
"Shh calm down. No one is dead... Here, listen." the red buck shuffled closer, gently positioning the side of his brother's head against his chest, to hear his own heartbeat. "See?" he rested his own head between Cry's antlers, his throat upon the buck's forehead. "Good as new, right?"
He hummed as he tried to think of something worthwhile to say, just a simple tune, a recycled lullaby he had made up on the spot for his daughter when she was little. It was hard, yes, and he was still in terrible pain... but that didn't matter.
"There's a lot of new deer here... I'm sure they'd like to get to know ya... Wouldn't they? Yeah... They seemed real nice..."
On and on.
eyestrain: ah.. ;; sorry
Ginger: "Brother... big brother." right... he's always been his big brother.
Cry opened his eyes to a slit when he heard that odd sounds.
He wondered why Jergens was spatting, as if he were sick. Could dead ones even be sick?
The buck liked the voice, the way his brother talked. He had missed that... hadn't heard it for years but had never forgotten the way he talked.
No one was dead? How was that possible... it couldn't be.
Crybaby weakly wrinkled his eyebrows but let his brother guide his head towards his chest, above the heart.
A heartbeat.
The buck closed his eyes, closely listening to it. He could also feel the light vibration of Jergens' throat against his forehead when he hummed.
Yes, it was indeed his brother's heartbeat. He'd never forgotten about this either, since he's often been sleeping at his side in the past, cuddled up against his fur and listening to his beating heart which lulled him to sleep.
So nice...
So much nicer than his own.
But how...?
"B-but... how is this possible. I've been.." he blinked and opened his eyes when started trembling again and now it didn't stop. "Away.. away for so long.. e-everyone should be.. gone by now."
It just couldn't be possible.
Such a sad face... nununu ;;
I was thinking about Cry' the other day, too. In a way I'm glad the absence has sparked this creativity...
I miss him. And you, I hope you've been well...
"Mhm... That's right." he
Jergens tired to ignore it, that nagging feeling that something horrible was forming itself right before his eyes. So instead he focused on the priority... getting his brother back to focus. The little white buck seemed more child-like than ever, allowing himself to be moved about... perhaps too tired to even move.
Which was bad for Jergens. He needed to leave the opening... or the wall entirely... He was beginning to feel feverish, his belly nauseous as he continued to put his mind on one single train of thought.
Oh God it hurts...
Every breath felt like an explosion in his chest, but he refused to show the pain. That would only upset his brother... he couldn't do that. The situation was too fragile. No, he'd just grin and bear it through and through.
He felt the furry bundle in his arms start to shiver, and Jergens pressed him closer, completely encircling the deer at the cost of straining his spine. "Shhh..." he hushed him, clutching him tightly, offering support. "Yew were only gone a few months... Calm down." he lifted the buck's head and let their cheeks press together. Warmth. Support. Love and affection. He hoped it would be enough...
"Cry if it makes ya feel better Crysters..." he murmured, nuzzling the bridge of his nose. "Everythin'll be fine now..."
Dag: Really? ♥ I've
I hope you've been well too..
Ginger:
Crybaby kept listening to Jergens' heart, slowly but surely noticing something, and that was another proof that Jergens was very well real and living. But in pain.
"Jergens... you're unwell." he began in a whisper.
The ability to notice when others didn't feel well hasn't gone lost over the years, though a bit rusty.
He was still in shock, even that he now somehow knew that Jergens wasn't dead.
What had happened...
It couldn't have been a dream, never.
His expression turned even more blank when his brother told him he's only been away for a few months.
A few months.
The buck helplessly shook his head.
But he wasn't going to cry, not now... he hadn't cried in a long time. It wouldn't happen that easily again.
"No.." he shook his head again, making it ache. The buck hid himself even more into the crimson fur.
And his eyes slowly widened, almost as if he was insane. "N-no... no.. I was away.. away for years. So many.." he gasped. He didn't understand what had happened. He would probably get the idea after some time... but not for now.
"Looking and looking, but no one.. found no one." he pressed his shivering body against Jergens' side.
He winced, the pounding in
"Yew wanna hear some good news?" Jergens asked softly, raising his chin so that he could gently gnaw on one of the buck's antlers, coating them with tiny teeth marks. "Nnm... Friend is gone. Fer good... that's one less thing off our plates, right?"
However, he no longer knew what the word 'plates' meant. It had been spoken on a whim, a fragmented memory that held no meaning over than to be used for slang.
He didn't ponder on the word, his mind far too muddled with worry, remorse and sickness to do so. The world spun, but he hid his weakness. He didn't care if Cry could sense it... and it's growth.
Years? No... Cry was wrong.
But that was alright.
Jergens would never deny him.
He saw the face, eyes wide and uncomprehending, and he forced his legs to better cover him, further shielding him from the world. "Time doesn't matter now... I'm here... I won't go away again. I promise..." he mumbled, burying his face in the buck's wispy hair, black and white. "Swear to God I promise..."
It was still you fault.
"Ya don't need to look anymore..."
He blinked. "Let's.. let's go
The black ear flicked slightly at his big brothers remark.
Friend... oh, right.
He still had to remember things more clearly but things, memories and events were about to come back. Friend..
"Really? That's.. that's good.." he whispered, relaxing a bit for a moment. Jergens' spontaneous talking seemed to take his mind off the current happenings. It was a good thing, for now. He had to realize everything in a slow pace, or it was simply going to be too much at the same time. He now couldn't really concentrate on everything anyway.
The buck snuggled his face a bit more into the comfortable fur and closed his eyes. It was good like this...
"No need, no need.." he whispered slowly.
His own, sick heartbeat hammered loudly in his head again, but now it was accompanied by the heartbeat of his dear brother. It seemed like they were almost balancing one another.
And then the throbbing ceased a bit. And he drifted off to sleep... his mind being taken over by a pitch-black darkness.
Jergens pressed him close,
His curled pelt had become matted with sweat, and Jergens found that he could no longer hide the illness that continued to crescendo throughout his body. Like Cry, he shivered, the world taking on a much colder temperature than before.
He's trying to kill you
No... he would last until his brother could walk away.
Could he carry him?
Maybe... but it might hurt him, and Jergens would only be doing it for his own selfish needs.
Hadn't he done enough already?
"That's right..." Jergens smiled when he noticed that buck's breathing had evened out, giving way to sleep. Good... that was good.
And himself? He hurt too much to sleep.
But even so, eventually the pain peaked to a point where he finally blacked out and joined his brother in oblivion.
Agh, I adore these two...
As I do the story and the artwork... poor Cry. =/ The new black markings look quite cool though.
Missed him already. <3
Fff thank you
We missed you too c':
Cry.... :/
This writing and the drawing...it's all so beautiful, and sad too. Nn.
Nnnnnnnn~!
ForTwoLifetimes, Moonsoverwater, PandaXiongMao, MissButterflyCaught, FaunGrae, All the same, a friend with many names.
Avatar by Meadow Sig by SightHoundLady
Thank you both ♥
Poor Crybaby.. I love the
I love the tree design on his chest.. We should meet in forest some time, I'm sure Achlys will be happy to get rid of the shadows in his heart. Or maybe shed some more light? I don't know, but I would hate to see him be consumed by the dark.
*stalks off to his biography*
Aw that's so sweet ♥ I
;; Gorgeous....
Thank you