;___; – vvardenfellcat

((€, because why would I ask for happy thoughts when I can watch the little bastard get tormented?))

€ for a bad memory that still haunts them

J’hasi waited anxiously, swallowing when the scent of the Dunmer started making his mouth itch and drool. Her brow cocked, regarding him coolly.

“<…My lord Molag Bal may be able to cure you of your affliction, but I am not privy to my lord’s whims. Speak with the great Molag Bal yourself, blood fiend.>” The Khajiit grimaced, reminded again just how dry his throat felt, and the tempting smell of blood on his spearhead, similar to the scent coming off of the Dunmer who continued to give him a level stare. J’hasi frowned, looking up at the massive statue behind them, an almost-reptilian form with hands gesturing at the dim and warmth of the cavern it was housed in. His ears flicked back a little.

“<Um… How do I know if…? …do I just…?>” he looked at the Dunmer, gesturing vaguely to the carved rock. Their brows furrowed.

“<Speak. If he deems you worth his time, he will answer.>” The Khajiit nodded, swallowing again and grimacing at the dry pull in his throat.

“<Uh…Molag Bal?>” Only silence for a few moments, then…

“<Hello?>” His tail tip twitched, then suddenly the sensation of something slick coiled in his throat, his mouth, making him feel like he was choking. He coughed, then gagged, eyes wide with shock as he stepped back and fell down on a knee, clutching his throat. His eyes widened even more when he felt his mouth and lips move of their own accord, and an unearthly voice growled its way out of his throat.

“<So, you do not enjoy the blood hunger, little leech?>” The Khajiit only had time to suck in a short breath before he gagged again, a quiet whimper coming out of his throat as his ears flicked back, feeling like he was on the brink of suffocating. The sensation of an overbearing presence loomed over him, cowing him to the ground, very much afraid. The next words felt as if they were hissed into his ear.

“<Do you miss the warmth of the sun?>” J’hasi shivered, cringing at what felt like a hand grasping his shoulder, something that could’ve felt comforting in every situation other than this one. He whimpered again, squeezing his eyes shut as they started to tear up at more foreign and unwanted touches over his body.

“<I can obtain the cure for you…but you will help me first.>” J’hasi’s ears pricked a little, still trembling, still barely able to breathe through the mass in his mouth and throat.

“<You will find my daughter, Molag Grunda, in the dungeon Dubdilla below Mt. Assarnibibi. There she hides with her consort, the lowly atronach Nomeg Gwai. She believes hiding in a sorcerer’s cave will shield her from my eyes.>” A dark chuckle reverberated in his ear, his bones, the Khajiit shivering in response.

“<Foolish girl…>” The voice shifted in tone, but not for the better.

“<I ordered her not to associate with these animals. I told her what the penalty would be for her defiance! Yet she continues to defy me! Willful beast!>” The anger made J’hasi’s head hurt, whimpering again as he feared a blow from the Daedric Prince that held him captive, pinning him in place. The anger was still there, but calmed for the moment, dark satisfaction overshadowing it.

“<I cannot have this. Find her, mortal. Kill her and the atronach, so I may deal with them in the Outer Realms. When this is done, return to me, and I will rid you of your unlife. Take care, mortal, for she is powerful. She is still a daughter of Molag Bal.>”

Then, just like that, he was gone. J’hasi sucked in a deep breath, finally able to breathe, still feeling sick and shaky from what had just happened. An awful taste lingered in his mouth, and he felt like he was going to throw up. His hand pressed on the ground, looking up at the Dunmer watching him and the statue looming behind them.

“<You know what you must do. Now go.>” J’hasi shivered, nodding slowly, shakily getting up and grabbing his spear from the floor, uneasy on the thin strip of rock that lead up to the shrine. It was when he reached the stretch of floor at the bottom that he threw up, dropping to his knees and heaving onto the stone, thin acid and spit the only thing coming up from his empty stomach.

It was for a while longer the Khajiit lingered there, shivering and coughing and panting with eyes squeezed shut. When he finally gathered enough strength in his legs to stand, he swiped the back of his hand over his eyes and left, his breath hitching in a sob as he made his way down the fire and magma-lit hallway.

[ 3. (childhood) A harsh lesson is learned. ]

“<BIG SPLASH!>” came the screeching war-cry, Gar-Dan running down the big roots of a tree to spring into the water, their thick tail slapping the water before the rest of them followed. Water splashed everywhere, even getting sprays to hit Marsh-Eyes where they were on the rocks. Jeer-rah was still on shore, trying to figure out how Marsh had gotten so far out onto the rocks without getting any of their feathers wet.

Gulum and Rei-Shaw were paddling out in the middle of the deeper areas of the pool, the murky water washing over their backs before one of the twins dove down, the other following. Jeer waded out into the water, tail splashing at the surface as they made their way over to Marsh, fans flared a little in excitement. They actually weren’t supposed to be here, but that was part of the fun, right? The adults had told them to keep out of this part of the swamp, but it was only here that the water actually got deep enough to properly swim. Marsh hadn’t liked the restriction because once again, because they couldn’t breathe water, the adults treated them like a newborn hatchling. Jeer smiled as they started to float, swishing their tail to reach Marsh.

“<Wanna swim with me?>” they asked quietly, Marsh nodding before sliding their palms over the side of the rock they were on, claws barely touching the water before they shifted their weight and they slid in. They dove under with barely a splash, surfacing a little ways away. Their hands and feet clawed at the murk, water dripping off their head and crest while their tail flicked to the surface, steering.

Jeer dove underneath, rising up high enough to feel Marsh’s feet touch their back, lifting them higher up in the water before diving down again. Their feet pushed off the muddy bottom to dart to the surface, clearing their gills of the silt. Marsh was grinning, huffing a little to keep up as they followed Jeer around the pool. They were startled when Gar suddenly screamed, flailing out of the water, scrambling over roots dipping into the pool to escape. Gulum surfaced with a grin, Jeer flattening their fans at them.

“<Gulum, c’mon. You know Gar is afraid of water-snakes.>” The twin shrugged, then dipped backwards to dive under once more with a flash of bright blue scales from their tail tip. Jeer rolled their eyes, then took Marsh-Eye’s fingers in their own and pulled them around the surface of the pool, using only powerful strokes of their tail and occasional kicks to right their course. It was when the forest around the pool got eerily quiet that Marsh started to shiver a little. And when Gar-Dan started screaming again.

“<Gulum, don’t->” Jeer’s voice died in their throat when they saw the twins on shore, eyes wide and limbs stiff with fear, the Argonian turning to look towards Gar and seeing blood in the water. It took them a moment before they could breathe, pushing Marsh towards shore. A triangular wake was heading right for them, and behind that, something big with teeth flashed out of the water briefly, Gar’s dropped tail in its mouth. Jeer swam for shore, claws digging deep into the mud when they saw the nose and eyes of the thing that was chasing them, maw opening to snap on Marsh’s tail. The Saxhleel sprang onto its head and smacked it with their own tail for good measure, yelping when they were thrown off into the pool, but giving their friend time to scramble onto shore.

Jeer managed to escape the pool by climbing the roots, getting a nip at their tail on the way up, turning to try and find a way to get Gar-Dan out, but…it was too late. They were gone.

Marsh’s eyes were locked on the area of the pool where the water was red with Gar’s blood, frothing from the bubbles that had escaped their lungs in panic. They jumped a little when Jeer-rah touched their shoulder, the four hatchlings in horrified shock as they saw the creatures grab onto pieces of their friend, spinning in the water to twist bits free to eat.

It was Jeer who got them all to move, to head back to the tribe, and after they told the adults what had happened, after the lectures, Marsh crawled into Sees’ bed that night, scared of the images that wouldn’t fade, of orange-yellow eyeshines and the groaning hisses of the monsters in the water, and the panicked look on their friend’s face before they were gone forever.

wrathfulandsullen:

“Hey, what’re you—ow! Hey!” Thavrin squirmed and tried in vain to get the little cub off of him. He glared down at the child as he struggled to maintain his balance.

“What are you even saying?! C’mon!”

The squirming only prompted Marsh to dig his claws in more securely, not liking the feeling of hanging there by flimsy cloth. Despite that being his own doing, his fangs were bared in a hiss before he suddenly let go, letting himself fall to the ground. He landed awkwardly before darting for the stranger’s legs, biting with sharp needle teeth at the vulnerable flesh just above the back of the knee, claws digging in as his fur puffed up all over. A yowl started to grow louder in the back of the Khajiit’s throat, tail swishing sharply behind him.

He’d bring them down if they were going to be so mean about it. He’d get to touch the face-feathers AND show them! Show them what, he wasn’t too sure on the details yet. But he’d show them good.

First Round – Icarus/Aldaril/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

Aldaril couldn’t help but crack a smile when he obtained the Khajiits approval. His nostrils flared when the cats face rubbed against his stubble. He held the khajiit a little tighter as he was ready to cross the set of bridges leading to the college.

“This reminds me of the days back when I had to do this for Icarus.” Adaril chuckled lightly, “I mean- not drunk anyways- he would’ve been this tiny kid when I did this kinda stuff for him. Anytime we had to go somewhere with my aunt or uncle in the city.” He looked down, only to immediately look forwards after seeing how high up the college really was. “Sometimes I wonder if I was in charge of my little brother or if I accidentally managed to father a kid when I was 13 years old.”

J’hasi had noticed the glance downwards, feeling a little uneasy at that and the tightening grip on his legs, tightening his own grip in kind. Part of him was just letting things be, enjoying his drunken reverie while he could, while part of him was wondering if the mer would turn back on his trust and go for the throat. Or toss him off the bridge. If he did, the Khajiit would hold onto him so tight that they would both go down. But…the booze was settling him down into a syrupy stupor, content to cuddle with the giant Thalmor as he started to walk out onto the bridge. His ears pricked.

“C’n tha’ really happen?” he asked, hiccuping and grimacing at the pain it brought into his skull, pressing his forehead against the top of Aldaril’s trap. His tail flicked out, only to slap back over the Altmer’s stomach at the biting cold. J’hasi giggled at the muffled thump before his mind caught up to all the words the mer had said, rather than just a handful.

“…he’sh lucky t’have you, y’know…” he mumbled, leaning his head more towards the side so he could look out over the Sea of Ghosts.

“M’broth’r… Well…I fff…thhhought he wash m’broth’r at th’ time…he washn’t like you… I thought he wash th’ besht broth’r in th’ whole world… But he washn’t… Shonuva bitch wash only…*HIC* o-only wan’ed me around t’have shumone t’ jerk ‘round on a chain… He wash th’ only one I had af’er I wash taken fr’m home…an’ he ushed tha’ ‘gainst me…” The Khajiit huffed, his breath puffing in the cold as his hands shifted from holding onto the mer’s shoulders, to letting his forearms keep him in place as his weight rested more on Aldaril’s back. His hands gripped the front of his shirt, practically hugging the Thalmor he should’ve been ready to strangle at a moment’s notice. And yet…he kept talking.

“But…yer nawt li’e tha’… Yer a good mer… Yer broth’r’sh an idiot, no’ffense…but he’sh lucky t’have you ’round… Lucky shunnuva bi’ch… ‘N if y’tell ‘im tha’, I’ll *HIC* yah…” His last statement was grumbled, turning his head to look Aldaril in the eye to show him he was dead serious about that. Whatever he had said that had been interrupted by the hiccup, anyway. He rested his cheek on the Altmer’s shoulder, looking at the snow drifting down with the distant roar of the sea beyond the fluttering bits of white. He was quiet for a while, the tip of his tail tapping on Aldaril’s stomach as he – finally – shut up.

∯?

“…you were a good kid… You didn’t deserve the end you got, and I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you safe. I cut down as many as those bastards that killed you as I could, but… There was too many of them then. Too many of them now. I regret that I couldn’t get you back home to your mother alive, as much as I regret being unable to even get your body back to the Marsh.

“I just wish that those I killed would grant you some sort of peace, but in the end… In the end, things didn’t change. We lost. And we won’t know the full extent of our losses until this war is over.”

∯

“Even after all these years, I still wake up sometimes expecting to see you there, cooking up whatever happened to wander too close to camp and making some sort of smart comment about my appearance. Even though it makes my teeth ache just to think about it, I miss eating your cooking, so laden with sugar that I half expect it to be gritty in texture. I miss our sparring sessions, how half the time I end up in the dirt, and the other half I have you at spearpoint, only to be knocked down into it anyway when I turn my back. I miss your voice, I miss your scent, I miss your warmth… I miss you in nearly every way I know how…

“I wish I would’ve stopped wandering, just to…just to go with you back to Cyrodiil… Maybe it would’ve made this ache in my chest worse in the long run, but I would’ve had more memories to tide me over until gods or Daedra see fit to cut me down, stop the heart in my chest for good. If the Hist doesn’t take me, then…maybe wherever you’ve gone would be just as nice. It would be a comfort, knowing that you’re there to show me around another new place. Just as it’s a comfort knowing that you may be watching over me even now… Hopefully I don’t let you down before that time comes.”

∯

“I know you’re insufferable when I prefer you drunk than sober. I’m grateful for your help and all, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to worship the ground you walk on. I just owe you a favor because you prevented me from meeting an unpleasant ending to my little ‘quest’ as you always call it. Honestly, I’d probably do the same for you, except I wouldn’t remind you of it every possible chance I got.

“…I just hope you’re still okay.”