#averice

Averice hid himself in the woods after realizing he was carrying. He'd fathered half a dozen pixies before, but never been pregnant himself. Along with all the horrors of an unexpected, first pregnancy, the sire was Liftwing--A much larger, unwaveringly cruel faerie. Averice hadn't even known hybrids between the two races were possible.

Now, weeks after their spawn should have emerged, Averice finally gives birth--To something horrific.

Pride looked at them in preplexion, “What do you mean?”

“I mean.. look at you.” they said, pointing up and down at Pride’s princely and elegant yet expensive clothing, woven with intricate golden patterns and shining gems for decorations. “Your clothes look so expensive. I am the one who is supposed to own expensive things. I am the one who is supposed to be rich. I’m Greed, the avaricious. Wealth must be my top property.”

“Oh, darling.” Pride pulled their lips in a haughty smirk, “Are we being jealous?”

“I’m not.”

“And here you are, being so much like Envy. You don’t want to be such an envious and miserable wretch like them, do you?” Pride mocked.

“You little–”

“It’s not my fault anyway. I know your top desire is to possess the wealth of the whole world, to swallow up all of the gold and precious jewellery that were made by those mortal lower-life forms.” Pride explained, expression placid, “But I am Pride. I am supposed to be the brilliant one. The best. Being quite wealthy is one step to achieve it. So what’s your point?” they rudely turned around to face Greed with their back, cape fluttering gracefully. They giggled.

“Damn you!”

“I am already damned, sweetheart.”

A land of dust. Grey skies, grey earth, and dust. The Stone Crow hopped through this place, searching for that thing he could feel, that glimmer of light.

He was not alone, there were others here. Strange hunched figures whose bodies were twisted and grotesque with neglect. They sat upon stones and mumbled to themselves, counting... something.

The Crow approached one. “What is this place?” He asked.

With aching slowness the figure turned to gaze at him, though it’s eyes were distant and unseeing. “This is our city. Be welcome here, but do not take that which belongs to me.”

The Stone Crow looked all around, there was no sign of a city, or anything else. Just dust and emptiness, and these figures. The one who had spoke turned back to itself and resumed mumbling, though now the Crow was close enough to hear.

“Nine thousand four hundred and seventy two emeralds. Four hundred million twenty seven thousand blades of grass. Three hundred and forty loaves of fresh bread.” He was counting, counting all the things which he believed belonged to him.

The Crow continued onward. There among the dust, in the shadow of another figure, was the lantern. As he made his way to it the figure turned and leered at him.

“Don’t touch that! It’s mine!”

“May I have it if I trade something for it?” Asked the Stone Crow. The figure paused to think for a long time.

“It depends on what you have to trade,” it answered after a long time. Somehow it seemed slightly less grotesque than before, but not by much.

The Crow tried to think of all the things it could trade, but he could think of nothing.

However, the strange figure had taken a close look at him and grown excited. “I see upon you a spell, a spell of forgetting. Give it to me and I will give you this lantern.”

Confused, for he had not known of any such spell, the stone Crow agreed and the bargain was struck.

Instantly the little latch on the lantern flew open and the light inside flew free, and the Crow cried out in anguish as all the things he had forgotten can rushing back. His brother, his mother, and so much more.

The figure stood above him, tall and beautiful with silver hair and concerned eyes. He had forgotten all the things he had once owned, forgotten his own greed.

old drawing that doesn't show how big argoth is compared to averice lol 🤍💙

t4t elf and pixie

argoth and averice 🤍💙🧚‍♂️