A fanged rabbit hopped around and over the thick branches of roots. her black nose twitched as it sniffed the air following the scent back to her burrow to feed her litter. Fangs dug into the flesh of a young Firelit Kiwi, even if it had died it’s body was hot enough to burn her gums but she powered through the pain. Her children could eat just about anything and they were always hungry. As their mother she would die before she couldn’t provide for them. Her whiskers twitched as the trees that surrounded her broke off into a clearing that she recognized. Continuing on her way she passed giants that rose in the early morning and got to starting their day early. They spoke in loud booming voices in a language she could not understand. She would wonder sometimes what they would do all day, whenever she did see them they were always talking, sitting, or doing a weird thing with their hands and mouth that made her head hurt.
Scurrying under and around their weirdly structured legs, the fanged rabbit comfortably made her way to where the trees meet again. Her children were waiting eagerly for her to return soon, as she had promised. Before she could cross into the thicket of trees a yell from her right startled her into sprinting in the opposite direction. A deep feeling of anger that burned as bright as the sun made her run faster and drop her meal as a distraction. Her little heart beat against her furry chest as her fur bristled in fear. The trees turned into a blur around her as she ran as fast as she could, the scent of her burrow getting weaker and weaker did nothing to stop her mad dash. The adrenaline in her system pushed her as far as she could go before she ran out of stamina and slowed to a slow hop before finally stilling. Sitting on her haunches she surveyed the unfamiliar area around her, trees, trees, and..oh, a river and more trees. Whiskers flaring, the mother tried to find any familiar scents that may be around, but worryingly found none. Her children were still the burrow anxiously waiting for their tummies to be filled. She had dropped the only food she had and to top it all off she was lost in foreign territory.
Shit.
⇼
“Hey! Vindirv, I know you hear me! It’s time to visit your Grandma!” Came the voice again from below the tree that a small hammock was hung in.
Gritting his teeth, Vindirv snuggled deeper under the covers of the 6-horned elk fur. His head hurt and he wanted to go back to sleep, not walk 300 meters to that old bitch’s house or dwelling? Whatever the fuck it was called, he didnt know why the word house appeared in his mind when he first saw it as a toddler but apparently it was called a ‘dwelling’. The fact that it wasn't called a house made him even more angry on top of being disturbed out of his sleep. Sucking in a breath he counted to 5 before exhaling, it didn't help but if he forced himself to think it did then it worked well enough. His body always hurt when he got frustrated, irritated or, god forbid, angry. Funnily enough it made him even angrier that it hurt. Everything made him angry, he was convinced that he was the most spiteful organism on this planet right now. …He didn't know what an organism or planet was really. Hearing the shuffling of feet coming closer he held his covers in a vice grip preparing for them to be yanked off of him. And get yanked off they did, scowling he curled up into the fetal position and hugged himself, his nails dug into the skin of his shoulders.
“Come on, get up, Vindirv. Dad’s not gonna let you see Sundrop Lake tonight if you don't get up.” His big brother’s voice came from above him. Squeezing his eyes he tried to block out the sound of Kiiran’Gand Sunkissed’s voice. While Sundrop Lake was really pretty it wasn't worth him suffering from a long walk to get. He shuddered as a wave of pain rolled over his body, he couldn’t stop himself from whining in pain.
“Hey, hey, hey.” Vindirv felt a light hand land on his shoulder, he growled in pain and it quickly drew back. “Sorry, I forgot it hurts to touch, but you know that it will only get worse if you don't get to Trut- Grandma.” Yes, he knew that very well but he didn't know why and that frustrated him to no end. Why couldn’t he just power through the pain? Why did it hurt so bad? His parents had tried to tell him at one point but he couldn't fully grasp what they were saying at the time, too doped up on whatever drug Grandma was giving him to bother deciphering it. There were words in that thought he didn't want to think about how he knew. He snuggled his head deeper into the leaves of the hammock. His head was starting to burn.
“*Sigh* Do you want me to carry you? You know, it will probably hurt more than walking.” He strongly doubted that. The feeling of walking on needles was worse than the feeling of burning for Vindirv, he had gotten used to the burning. Finally deciding that the pros outweigh the cons Vindirv turned around to face his brother. Kiiran’Gand wore a simple leaf skirt that actually looked more like a loincloth. The waistband which was actually just thin branches twisted and braided together hugged him tightly just below his belly button. Long leaves were expertly threaded into the branches and covered both his front and back area completely. The most attention grabbing aspect of his brother were the black long lines that ran from the back of his hands to the sides of his neck. A single black circle was at the center of his forehead and had three small black squiggly lines that flanked the North, South-East and South-west of the circle respectively. In the center of the black circle was a Sundrop that gleamed mysteriously. The black lines were also on his chest and stomach but Vindirv never paid attention to them that much. Whenever he looked at them he would forget what the lines looked like the second he looked away.
Kiiran’Gand chuckled as Vindirv raised his arms towards him expecting to be picked up. “Aaah, you're lucky you are such a cute little brother.” he said, lifting Vindirv from his armpits. Like a koala Vindirv wrapped his legs around his brother's narrow waist, he ignored the stings of pain that could best be described as being burnt by hot iron when he made contact with his brother’s skin. “Don't worry Vindirv, it will be over as soon as we reach your Grandma.” Kiiran’Gand muttered as he turned and jumped off of the thin branch he was balancing on. Vindirv always liked the feeling of the wind brushing against his skin when he was experiencing one of his pains. His short orange-gold hair flew wildly in the air. While the Sun had its own soothing effect on him the wind was another story. Closing his eyes he tried to let himself be drifted into the wonders of sleep, the air massaged his scalp in just the right way, his body unclenched as the pain faded into the back of his mind. Sleep was- His brother abruptly grabbed onto a thick branch to break their fall, Vindirv jerked in Kiiran’Gand’s arm. Digging his nails into his brother’s back, his eyes became blown wide, a sound of discomfort came from his throat that sounded surprisingly deep and ragged coming from his small stature.
“Ow,ow,ow,ow. Damn, calm down!” His brother tried to reprimand him in a harsh/soft tone so as to not cause Vindirv to overreact even more. Kiiran’Gand hung on to the low thick branch before dropping the rest of the way to the ground. Hugging him as securely as possible without being to tight, Kiiran’Gand landed as lightly as he feasibly could.
“Finally! I thought you had gotten lost in the vines with how long you boys took.” The voice that boomed from below greeted them. Vindirv turned to the voice of his Dad and reached towards him. Smiling Kirv took his son in his arms, he didn't miss the hiss of pain but if his son didn't complain about it he wouldn't either. Rolling his shoulder Kiiran’Gand walked to his Dad’s side and smiled down at him.
During the 20 years that passed since the birth of his little brother, Kiiran’Gand had grown in more than one area. He had grown professionally under the Sun God’s House as he had sprouted from his apprenticeship position as a Sunray-Weaver to a full Sunlight-Molder. Not to mention that apparently he had a super-secret title that was only known in the Sun God’s House. He had most definitely matured mentally as he learned the ways of the outside world and caring for his baby brother. And, taking after his mother, he had grown physically. With the Sun nurturing his power of the Sun and the intense physical exercise he partook in under the Sun God’s House, it wasn't surprising that he grew to the stunning height of 8 '1,overtaking his Father’s height of 7 ‘2.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Kirv smiled back and started a light jog toward Truth-Seeker’s dwelling. “Sun-child, how are you feeling? Can you tell me how much it hurts?” While talking to Vindirv he raised his eyebrow at Kiiran’Gand who jogged beside him, Kiiran’Gand just shook his head tiredly in response. At the same time Vindirv only groaned in response to Kirv’s question. “Hmm.” Kirv decided to let it rest there and meet up with Truth-Seeker quickly.
A comfortable silence fell over them as they ran through the trees. The foliage dispersed as they came closer to the sound of a flowing river. Kirv smiled at a fanged rabbit who had just finished drinking water and looked up at him quizzically. Ultimately deciding against petting it, he bent down on one knee and set down Vindirv who reluctantly planted his feet onto the ground. Grabbing the branches of the leaf skirt, Vindirv shimmied the leaf skirt down his legs as per routine. Stepping into the cold river water he focused on the flow of the water around him rather than the pain that coursed through his body. His Dad pulled out a ball of something from a pack that hung loosely on his left side.
“This is something I got from a friend over on the east side. She's ways away from here so she shipped this to me through a trusted traveling merchant.” Surprisingly enough, instead of going through one ear and out the other, Vindirv was able to take in what his Dad said in its entirety. The only plus to the pains were that he could actually understand things clearer. Nodding his head in response, Vindirv picked up a shiny rock in the water that was as close to a perfect circle as it could get and held it up to Kirv. “Very pretty.” Kirv said simply and dipped his much bigger circular object into the river water. Vindirv didn't think that Kirv understood what he was trying to say. Frowning in irritation, Vindirv took a deep breath and turned to his brother whose back was turned. Throwing the rock as fast as he could, it hit Kiiran’Gand’s head with a satisfying ‘clack’.
“OW! What in the-?” Kiiran’Gand turned towards a triumphant looking Vindirv. “You little shitter.” he seethed as he rubbed the back of his head. “Hey, none of that you two.” Kirv said as he flicked water on the both of them.
“His fault…” Kiiran’Gand muttered under his breath. Frowning again, Vindirv looked away from his brother and trained his sights on the fanged rabbit near them that had resumed drinking water. His father ran the circular thing down his arm and little bubbles appeared on the skin it touched. Vindirv’s arm twitched in pain but he paid it little mind, the dark green fanged rabbit in front of him lifted its head from the river and ran a paw down its snout. Holding his breath in anticipation for something he did not understand Vindirv gave the little creature his full attention. A laugh from behind sounded drowned out to his senses, Vindirv’s ears blocked everything but the sound of the fanged rabbit’s chitter from his mind. It moved slowly to his eyes, so slow he could see the minute movements of the water droplets that fell from its wet snout. Letting out a slow quiet long exhale through clenched teeth the fanged rabbit’s head turned to his direction. A smile slowly etched onto his face as he took in another deep inhale, the cold air stinging his burning throat and lungs. Energy coursed through him as he met the small beady brown eyes of the tiny insignificant creature.
In the fraction of the second that they made eye contact Vindirv felt that this animal understood exactly what he was thinking. Not like his Father that took a while to digest what he said, not like his Big Brother who pretended he understood, and not like his Mother who tried to pinpoint a pattern in his mannerisms and behaviors. This little thing understood what he wanted perfectly in that small window of time and Vindirv loved it for that. With a speed he didn't expect it to possess, the fanged rabbit became a blur as it dashed away from the river and into the lines of trees. Vindirv lurched from his seated position to follow, the adrenaline making his head feel fuzzy. An intense sting on his shoulder put him back in place, snapping out of his daze Vindirv grabbed the offending appendage off of his shoulder and pushed it away.
“Hey, where do you think you're going boy?” Kirv asked, pulling his hand out of Vindirv’s grip. Not responding Vindirv allowed his Dad to pour water over his head to wash the little bubbles he had just noticed off of his body, forgetting all about the fanged rabbit.
“Can we make those?” Kiiran’Gand asked, pointing at the deformed brownish circle in his Dad’s soapy hand.
“I’ll see what materials it's made of after we get back from our trip.” Lifting Vindirv out of the water Kirv waved his hand over his body and the wind followed, blowing off the water on Vidirv’s skin. Letting the air tickle his figure gently he closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of cold and not the feeling of needles in his feet.
“Alright.” Kirv said and on cue Vindirv picked up his leaf skirt on the ground and put it back on. “Can you walk the rest of the way?” Vindirv blinked and held his arms up in silence. “Heh, okay sun-child.”
⇼
Truth-Seeker dwelled in a great Oregon White Oak looking tree that stretched to a towering 500 feet tall. Its hunger for nutrients was so ravenous that no other plant life could live within a 5 mile radius. The roots split the earth at uneven angles and tiny sun-drops lit up with their trademark mysterious luster drawing the attention of insects, animals and other more dangerous creatures. Vindirv liked it here, the old lady may have her faults but her dwelling was not one of them.
The fabled Sunkissers were lounging about on the dirt ground and scratching their backs on the roots of the tree. Six-horned elks, fanged rabbits, Firelit Kiwis, ruby snakes, hell bears and other usually territorial monsters and animals all shared the same space under the Great Anknec tree. He had just noticed that his Big brother and the Sunkissers shared the same name, kinda. Weird, but Vindirv didn't care much, he was getting antsy now that he was at Grandma’s place.
Prowling towards the group quietly, 3’5 feet when crawling and 10’5 when standing, its black metallic scales gleamed when it caught the sun. It opened thin lips and growled revealing tiny sharp teeth that were also black in color. “Oh, a Sunkisser.” Kiiran’Gand said as he crouched low to appear non threatening to the approaching monster. Kirv also stopped and bowed at the waist towards the monster. Its inky eyes scanned their figures, after about 2 seconds it huffed and turned away from them. It crawled around them and under a root disappearing from their sight. Vindirv patted his Dad’s shoulder anxiously, he wanted to get in and out not dawdle about and gawk at overgrown lizards. “Okay, I got it. Kiiran’Gand, you go tend to your business at the Sun God’s House. I can take it from here.” Nodding Kiiran’Gand followed in the direction of the departed Sunkisser.
“Alright sun-child, arms tight around my neck and legs secure at my waist.” Vindirv obliged without question, he had already fallen before when his Father had climbed a tree, he'd rather not go through that experience a fifth time. Grunting his father leaped into the air a good 10 feet before his ascent stopped. They stilled in the air, the winds congregating under Kirv’s feet, he jumped again this time getting to about 40 feet higher before stopping again. Vindirv closed his eyes as he waited to reach the middle of Anknec. The sound of his Dad’s feet settling on a solid surface let him know that he had landed at the entrance to the witch’s abode a few moments later. He was already feeling worse.
“Truthseeker, we are here.” Kirv called from behind the leaves lined with sundrops that covered the makeshift entrance. A hum of acknowledgement came from behind the curtain of leaves. Wasting no time, Kirv moved the leaves to the side with his free hand and entered.
The bark and branches twisted around one another forming thick knots. It seemed more of a coincidence that the branches stretched away from each other in a way that formed a spacious room. The room seemed wholly untouched and unoccupied, no personal objects or hammocks in sight. Light shone fragmented by leaves through a hole from above. Sundrops glinted playfully, hoping to drag in a curious creature to play a never ending game. The air smelled fresh and Vindirv couldn't stop himself from taking a deep breath of it in. Kirv walked to Truthseeker who was staring intently at an extremely large sundrop that threatened to burst from the branches holding it. His footfalls drew her attention away from the enormous object, her sheer robe billowed around her from her swift movement. Eyes that held no pupils beheld them calmly.
“Welcome Kirv.” A voice that you could tell held wisdom echo through the empty space. “ Vindirv, your treatment is ready for you.”
He felt sick at the thought.