as strong as the grass

a small smile graces her lips ,   as she adds another spice to the stew .     ❛     you’re right .   for that ,  i suppose we could be grateful .   i do not think there is much i would refuse to eat …     ❜     unless it were made by kjelle ,  but she leaves that thought unspoken .

SHE’S GOT IT RIGHT EXACTLY, but you knew she would. There’s no one who would know the circumstances of your situation better than her. To that, you give a firm nod in response. Your brow furrows, to others, it might be a bit of a sad thing to admit, but your determined to let the both of you in this timeline be as picky as they please. They don’t know it, but they’ve earned that much.

     “ Here, let’s add some more of these. ”  You scoop the remaining carrots you sliced and dump them in.  

     “   cooking can be fun ,  from time to time .   i would not say my skills are exceptional ,  though …   ”

                                                          la bruja / @beastskins​

              ❝   volar y dejarse caer en los brazos de mi amado.    ❞

YOU ARE NOT TOO KEEN ON ANY KIND OF FLYING, let alone the notion of falling. You can only think about greeting the ground. The thought someone would catch you is far behind you. It makes you wonder... would you ever trust anyone enough to catch you? Probably not. That is a lot of faith to put in someone, faith you cannot afford to place anywhere but in yourself. Even so, you cannot deny there is a sort of beauty to what she says. Your doubts aside, it certainly makes for some heartfelt imagery.

I’M INSIDE MY HEAD NOW.

the plague dogs starters

HER WORDS RING IN YOUR HEAD LOUDER THAN ANYTHING. If you were not so promptly bitten away at by fear, you might have tried to claw away with your ears just to try and silence it. It unnerves you, the sudden rush of it all. Bad memories. Bad place. You’re not there anymore, but this place is just not that place yet. It could be someday. This could all be in vain. How dreadful. What a terrible thing to realize.

Your heart skips a beat. Maybe two or three. You can’t really know for certain, it feels as if everything wrests your heart nowadays. Have you ever been able to relish in a steady beat? Who knows. You’re used to it. What you will never grow used to is the impending sense of doom.

     “ W-Who is coming? Who?! ”  Thieves, Pirates, Risen..?! Every option compounds in your head and you’re even more frantic than before. This won’t get answers out of her.

A shaky breath. Your hand is drawn to your beaststone  ( You really wish this wasn’t an impulse. You really wish you didn’t need to use this one. But there’s no other option. No other way to protect yourself. )  you grip it tightly, ready to shift at a moment’s notice. You level your head– or that’s what you wish you could do, you’re just holding yourself back –shouting at her will only make the both of you panic more. Even if you lose your mind at the implication of danger, you’ve got some sense in that head of yours. Enough to consider her own feelings while yours consume you.

I’M INSIDE MY HEAD NOW.

the plague dogs starters

YOU ARE STARVING, admittedly. Your mind scatters without end and you neglect the food you need, you would sooner die of starvation than any of the apparitions in your head. Ironic, perhaps. Maybe cruel. You’re not really sure. You’re so careful about the world around you, you neglect to be careful with yourself. The mere mention of food makes your stomach growl your answer for you. A sheepish laugh brings a hand to the back of your neck. You scratch through the fur until you can feel your skin.

alternate title: sometimes u just shift into bunny mode to cope

Well, I’m still rewriting my beaststone thing, but let’s get it out of the way first: This is going to be more about his ‘natural’ beast form, since I personally subscribe to the idea the beaststones you can purchase are made specifically for combat purposes! This form is notably smaller and, well, not exactly groomed for combat. I’d prefer credit if you take on a similar idea.

Chambray’s beast form would be, in simplified terms, a bit like your typical rabbit but oversized. It is smaller than the Taguel form in game though, but still massive when put beside actual rabbits in Ylisse and Valm. This form is accessed through natural shifting, achieved through the personal beaststone Taguels possess from a young age. It can be shifted into with no consequence, and is actually quite the comfortable form to be in.

Using the actual image of the Taguel form (which is what can be achieved through the assistance of a ‘combat stone’ for purchase) as reference, the major changes between the forms is as follows:

-Personal forms’ hind legs are not so pronounced -Tail is less obvious -Fangs are not as sharp or as large -Claws are much, much smaller, only really good for burrowing -Eyes are a bit larger, more doe-shaped -Waist is less sinched -Fur is actually softer too

Chambray’s form specifically tones down these features even more, even when they are enhanced by the combat stones he may use, because of his nature as a half-Taguel. In the future he hails from, it was not often he could shift so naturally, he typically needed to be ready for battle, so now that he lives in peaceful-er times he may shift into this more natural form as a comfort.

BE CUNNING AND FULL OF TRICKS

watership down prompts

YOU NEVER REALLY HAD THE CHANCE TO DO THAT, now that you think on it. Back home–the real home, not this place–you either ran away or… well… It doesn’t matter. It’s not like you can go back (you don’t actually know if that’s true, you hope it isn’t.) Even if right now you do not face what frightens you, which only amounts to the things you could save, you wonder if she can hear how wildly your heart pounds against your chest. You’re too scared to breathe, because you know it with hitch in your throat. That a breath will turn to a sputter, that turns to tears. Gods, these are just thoughts and it renders you such.

That’s why you can’t believe it.

     “ I don’t think… i-it’s a lot harder than that… ”

You’re the scared one, the coward, branded a timid little thing by your allies. Surely a simple step towards bravery cannot be the beginnings of change. Naeva cannot possibly think any more of you than she does, if at all. You are not someone of note. Someone to be remembered. These things, they cannot be you, they shouldn’t be you. But, in a sense, they are. No ones thought to see in how you do. You only want to survive. To share that your people were something–because without you what will be written? Manspawn cannot possibly hope to comprehend, to do your story justice. It had to be you.

It was up to you to write the stories your mother told you. This was what you’ve known all your life. You ran so you could live, tell your story, survive. You know you are not brave. You know people needed you. But this is where your priorities lay. This is what means the world to you. This is… what you will face your fears for. You would wear the title of coward with pride if you could have this. You’d hardly call that facing your fears. You do not know much of halfways, but you don’t think that qualifies either.

Yet you had told her with a bout of honesty, your voice had even cracked:

                    “ You guys are my warren. I want to protect you, but I-I don’t know how yet. ”

It was the truth, you wouldn’t lie about such a thing. You would fight armies for them, you would lose sleep patrolling camp, you’d risk your body to stay in your form if it just meant they were safe. But you know they are capable. That you do not need to do these things alone for them. It is a feeling that is second nature, the urge to protect but also respect. You wonder if these are things Taguel have always believed in. Things that they’ve carried through the generations.

The pads of your hands wrap around a particular stone. It’s smooth still, despite its age. It doesn’t resonate with your touch like others (then again, it is not your stone, so that much is to be expected.) It is, however, your favorite one of the stones you carry. It is all you have left.

     “ This camp is the closest I’ve ever got to the stuff my Ma used to tell me about. I just want it to stay the way it is, y’know? I’ll figure out a way to be useful… I just… gotta think on it. ”