She could only look on in horror, staring uselessly as the strange, foreboding substance crawled across his body like a sickly vortex, a writhing mass of eerie colors and light spreading through his skin like a wildfire. A pang in her chest sent her to tears as he howled, and she finally found the willpower to move toward him as he fell. Though she couldn’t catch him, she kneeled down beside him, ignoring his request.
“Asuna, you idiot, what was that?” She wailed, “Are you okay? Did you know this would happen?”
She took his arm, the one that was first consumed by the strange mucus, and began examining it for anything unusual.
He was just breathing heavily as she examined his arm, he simply nodded catching his breath as he pushed himself up from being down in the water.
"It's…a part of my curse…" He breathed out, sitting in a more relaxed position.
"hey, hey don't cry ..I'm okay, usually the pain comes and then it fades away. I'm alright, trust me."
He wasn't gonna tell her about the fact that if he over uses his power too much that he vanishes from existence but ya know shhh.
"if i overuse my any ability i have then i get immense pain shortly after, i didn't want you to see it so i tried to distract you.."
Her eyes glimmered like dying embers as she looked from Asuna to his arm. She wasn’t sure if she crying from anger, fear, or sorrow, or perhaps all three. She let go so he could get up, and then immediately took his arm again.
Finding nothing in his arm, she leaned down to see if she could sniff something out. She went down his arm, her nose twitching until she came to the palm of his hand, sniffing it a few more times and then licking it in an almost dog-like manner. There was nothing. It was as if it had never happened. She started playing with his fingers, starting to hiccup as more tears rolled down her cheeks.
“But… you don’t look okay,” she said, her voice much lower now. She hiccuped, making their fingers intertwine. Then she glared at him, nearly squeezing his hand a bit too hard. “Well, you could’ve told me that before you shapeshifted! I would have never asked you to if I’d known, and then none of this would’ve happened…”
"Hey..come.on now…I'm not dead am i? Why are you crying as if i am?" He moved to wipe a tear from under her eyes smiling weakly at her.
He shook his head slightly letting her sqeeze
"i choose to do it knowing the conditions and what would happen, it was fun while it lasted."
He offered a sqeeze back.
She hiccuped, not replying but quickly wiping her tears, abruptly stopping when he moved to do the same.
Her gaze softened. “Pretty smile,” she murmured, hiccuping again and pointing. After a moment she pulled him into a hug.
“I just don’t like seeing you in pain,” she said. “I don’t like seeing anyone in pain. But if you’re okay now, I’m glad you are.”
"I am, i promise."
Liar
He sighed at his thoughts, i mean he was lying so that she wouldn't get sad if he had to do something that ended up with him vanishing.
He would tell her when he was ready.
At least, that's what he thought.
"come on…smile for me."
The sun was setting, casting the clearing and the pond in a mesh of golden light and dark teal shadow. They sat there, at the shallow end of the pond, Sage not even caring about the water clinging to her skin. For a moment it was silent except for the soft swaying of the reeds.
She tightened her embrace around Asuna before pulling away slightly. Her smile was weak. “I’ll try.”
Her eyes glimmered like embers in the evening light as they suddenly narrowed with solemn determination. “We will lift your curse, Asuna. We will.” Her voice was quiet, dangerous even, if it hadn’t cracked due to the lump in her throat. “And hey, I’m… I’m really glad you’re my friend.”
She hid how desperate she was for company that wasn’t brief, that didn’t leave easily. She’d been alone for so long, and she couldn’t find Timber by herself, even if she had the means to. Asuna was kind and caring, and he seemed in need of company too.
He hugged back just as tight before releasing his grip once more around her so she could pull away if she needed or wanted too.
He smiled back at her, "There's that smile i love to see, thank you."
He was loving being friends to sage, so if he could make her happy then that was what he was going to do.
He lifted his brows slightly at the mention of lifting his curse,
"Do you…really think that we can?" He asked a bit of hope laced into his voice as he spoke. He hugged her tightly once more.
"I'm glad your my friend as well Sage, really.
She made a low chuckle. “Of course.”
Then her expression brightened. “I know we can. When I dream later, I can ask Timber about it. O-of course, it’s a dream, so my memory may not be very reliable in the morning, haha.” Her smile turned a bit sheepish. “But I know we can-”
She was cut off as she felt his arms wrap tightly around her. Her cheeks bloomed with pink in surprise, and it took her a moment to return the embrace.
“… figure it out,” she finished softly. “R-really?”
"Yes really, your the best friend i have ever had." He smiles, speaking softly into her ear as they hugged, he exhaled happily to just have someone that was a creature to talk too.
"if you really think that we can do it then i believe we can too."
For a moment Sage didn’t know what to say. Then she realized something, and it surprised her so much that she had to say it out loud.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been hugged!” She cried, and started sobbing again into his shoulder. “It feels really nice! I- I mean-“ she sniffled. “I mean more than nice! It feels really good! Wait, no…” she gave up and continued crying.
He was shocked by her immediate crying moving to hug her close to him after wipping her tears away from her face.
"Well then whenever you want a hug you just say so! You can have free hugs whereever you want, on me."
He flashed her a smile, hugging her close.
“I can?” Her eyes were wide, glittering with tears like gold from a stream. She hugged him back, almost squeezing him until she realized what she was doing and loosening her embrace. “Thank you so much, this… this means a lot to me,” she said, her voice warbling from the sniffling and crying.
For while she stayed that way, hugging and crying all over him. But then at one point she realized she might be overstepping her boundaries at the same moment she started to grow quite tired. She squeezed him once as a last expression of her gratitude, then silently pulled away with a sleepy, teary smile. The sky was a gradient of dark midnight blue and blood red now. The way the twilight hit her fiery locks intensified them, making them appear to glow with heat.
"Yes you can, Any time and anywhere i will always give you a hug when you ask for one."
He let her sqeeze him tightly and close he hugged back as much as he could muster, glad to see that even though she was crying, he had the chance to make her happy tears, not cry sad tears.
"of course sage, i don't mind it either. It's…so nice to have someone here, and too finally have a friend," he looked around "one who is human."
He let her do what she needed and in the end just sat with her.
She giggled. “I agree, I need more humanoid friends in general.”
Glancing over to Asuna, she let her eyes trace the way the reddish light clashed with his blue hair and eyes, making them seem an almost dark periwinkle set alight. His eyes were sparkling gems, his hair like a fluffy sheep’s wool. Sage resisted the urge to touch it.
Instead, she yawned. “Sleepy,” she murmured, getting up and shaking the water off her legs. “Thanks again, Asuna.” In a shimmer of golden light, a fox replaced the girl that had been standing there. She found a soft spot among the grass, and curled up in a ball inside it. After grooming herself for a few minutes, she laid her head to rest.
He chuckled a long with her, agreeing indefinitely before just nodding at her,
"Yeah, you should probably get some sleep."
He watched as she curled up in the grass before laying back in the pond and just floating and looking at the sky.
It was the forest of dreams, this place. They had both made it up themselves, a sacred spot in their minds where no one else could disrupt them. It was a little alcove formed by tree roots and the curve of the earth, a patch of grass and wildflowers carpeting it. The only flaw with this place was that it was made by flawed, imperfect minds. Nothing was as it seemed, and perception could be deceiving.
That was what worried the fox the most. She knew the wolf would come, he was always there, but how could she know if what he said or did was true or in line with his intent and meaning? Dreams had a habit of warping things, and so she could never know for sure. The thing that comforted the fox though, was the notion that he would be in the same position as she is.
The fox lifted her head to see the wolf stumble in through the ferns, whimpering. Did he have a nightmare before he managed to find his way here? Despite her worries a spark of joy alighted within her, and she stood and bounded over to him.
“Timber!” she cried. “I’m here, I’m here. Are you alright?”
Timber’s ears were flat against his head. “Sage! Uh, yes, there was… a big angry bear coming after me. I think it’s gone. I’m glad you’re here.”
The look in his clear blue eyes made Sage question whether that was really the content of his nightmare. But she didn’t say anything about it. “I’m glad you’re here too. Are you still in the heart of your territory? I believe I’m getting close to the edge.”
He nodded. “Please be careful, Sage. I wish I could meet you where you are, but I’m afraid…” he may have completed his sentence, but the dream might be cut the rest out. Either way, Sage understood. She nodded.
Somehow they were in human form now, despite Sage being unable to recall seeing either of them transform. Timber pulled her into a hug. Sage wished it was as real as the hug with Asuna had been.
“Asuna? Who’s Asuna?” Timber asked, pulling away but keeping his arms around her.
She smiled. “I met someone! He’s the water spirit of the pond that sits just outside your territory. He’s really nice, and he wants to help me, but I want to help him too. And I was wondering if you could help me help him.”
He seemed to consider this. “And what does he need help with?”
“Well, he’s got this curse,” she began, “and I remember you saying something once about a werewolf in your pack who knows a lot about curses. I was hoping when we meet up you could take him to them and they could lift his curse.”
Timber’s expression was hard to make out. Either the dream was messing with her, or she was staring at his collarbone too much. “If he’s your friend, then he’s mine. I want to help…”
His voice faded. A little panicked, she hugged him tight, worried he would fade away from sight. But it was her senses, and everything that made the dream so vivid, fade first. A dark shadow swept over their sacred spot, the sounds of the forest fell away, and the rich scent of earth and wind and grass were smothered. Eventually Timber’s scent and the feeling of his arms around her faded too. All there was left was darkness.
(Idk how to respond SIFJJRF)
(Maybe just skip to morning?)
Soon enough it was morning, he popped back up to check on sage, and see if that whole interaction wasnt a dream and well it wasn't, sage was still there sleeping curled up in the grass. He smiled warmly at her, getting out of the pond and sitting next to her just kinda waiting for her to wake up herself.
Sage was roused by the sound of footsteps. The smothering darkness melted, and she opened her eyes to find Asuna beside her. She licked her chops and shook her head rapidly to wake herself up, then blinked fondly at him.
"Morning!" she greeted cheerfully. "I saw Timber. Do you want me to tell you about it or are you hungry?"
He chuckled slightly, "Morning Sage, you can tell me about him if you want to, or we could eat first, I'm not particularly hungry at the moment."
