[ P ] Bittersweet Symphony

E

ach breath came labored as the boy worked. Enormous paws, a sign of the size he would grow to upon reaching maturity, scooped the earth below him. He would not stop until a decently sized hole had been produced. It was this task that had kept Cian busy for the day. Being strong, it was not necessarily a difficult task. He savored the coolness of the hole he had created for a lingering moment before leaving it reluctantly behind. His duties were not yet over, and it appeared unlikely that it would ever end, so long as the drought remained. More wolves appeared every day, from every walk of life.


He stopped, glancing about for a sign of something known… But Cian had never been to Sussex before, had barely explored the Mainlands, and this was something entirely new. And with the relentless heat, Cian guessed that no one had ever seen any crisis quite like this before.


He had never witnessed such suffering before, and the young wolf found it entirely overwhelming. There was nothing, it seemed, that King Adamh could do. Not unless he learned how to control the weather, which seemed… unlikely. The king’s army had been dispatched to perform a number of different tasks, including hunting for the denizens now unable to feed themselves, and digging holes. Lots and lots of holes.


As his breathing returned to normal, Cian again looked around, this time for the army commander who was overseeing the day’s work. His name was Colonel… Something. Cian inwardly scolded himself for forgetting such an important moniker. But he saw something instead that nearly took his breath away: a clan of Highlanders, or so he presumed, all sported fiery coats – just like Cian’s. And they were looking at him, equally mystified, as if they recognized him.


Unnerved, Cian turned away swiftly and his search for Colonel Something intensified. He found the brute and knew it was him, just by the way he carried himself. He looked noble, and Cian wondered if he was a prince or something like it. He approached the adult slowly. ”Uh, sir?” His nervous stuttering ensued, red-orange eyes cast downward. ”I-I made another hole. I was just – um, I was wondering if I sh-should do something else?”


@Kvothe

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck