(This is probably the longest story I've written for here. I meant to scratch out something short and ended up with this instead.)
Throughout the many countless years Ihvyr had lived, he has been called an equally countless number of names. Monster. Abomination. Dark spirit. Cursed being. Bogeyman. What lurks in the night. Demon (in both secular and religious contexts). Pwca. Ghoul under your bed. Wretched, unwanted thing.
He knew what he was. He'd always known, and all those names only confirmed it. But although each label meant something horrid, no one could truly agree on what he actually was. Neither could they even agree on what he looked like, and for good reason. Being what he was, his true form was inconceivable, and so his appearance differed - often drastically - to each eye that looked upon him. Even his true personal name was inconceivable, unpronouncable. The written version, and thus the name he often gave when needed, was merely a placeholder, something the human tongue could reasonably replicate without too much hassle.
Despite all the monikers he had been "gifted," there were some Ihvyr had never expected to obtain. Two of these were Guardian and Friend, both first gifted by a small child named Cedar.
The day he had first met Cedar was always clear in his mind, even amidst the mighty plethora of his other years. Due to what he was, he had been cursed to wander the earth without any hope of a permanent shelter or a gentle hand. A restless, cold life for what he thought was a cold heart.
Then he saw her, the smallest thing, arms wrapped around herself and she wept, helpless and alone with not a parent to be found. Incur couldn't turn away from those large, watery eyes, and he could hear the wolves drawing near. So he decided right then and there that he would take her with him and keep her warm and safe, especially as he discovered the child's tragic past of which Cedar herself hadn't even known.
She didn't like him at first. That is, she was terrified, and rightly so. But fear quickly melted into trust and affection as appearances became only miniscule matters, and that was when she gifted him those first friendly names.
Not much time had passed before they'd acquired the third member of their clan: a skittish, tired nomad of a faun who was fed up with the antics of adventurers and merely desired friends who, as he phrased it, "wouldn't rope him into seeking the Fabled Golden Whatever." This faun, Dyfri, had of course also been frightened by the dark entity as presence (and to this day, he still found himself spooked at times). Thankfully, his apathy, loneliness, and preference for odd individuals won out, and Dyfri became the next person to grant the supposed monster the title of Friend.
A few years have passed since then. And still, the names remain. They are brought to mind whenever Cedar runs up, excitedly recounting the sales she has made and then wrapping her arms around Ihvyr's waist. Or when Dyfri stumbles back to their camp in a rant about the latest rogue to the faun to be part of some prophecy, then cuts himself off to make a special meal for the three of them.
And the two names ring true at night when the group huddles together, relishing in each others' presence and safety before ultimately collapsing, exhausted from the day but eager to start another. It is in these moments that the other, much more horrible labels fall away to unimportance. And even when they rear their ugly heads around strangers or in the late, quiet hours of the night during his sentry duty, they don't weigh as heavily on him anymore.
Sure, he was indeed a dark, fearsome being. But he was also so much more. He was something far more important to those two in his little family. And that was truly the only thing that mattered to him, the only that could define him.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
[I haven't formally introduced the Oatcakes cast to you yet, but I wanted to share this random little drabble thing I scribbled down. Maybe it'll find its way into an episode.]
Sometimes, what is found is best when the seeker hadn't intended to find it. These were those unexpected little treasures one would simply meet as they pass through their life.
Cedar knows this as a definite and convenient fact, as her job involves finding little bits and bobs here and there. At times, the most extravagant discoveries come to her at happenstance. These are the things that oft give her the best revenue, sought after with eagerness and even greed by her ever-changing cast of customers.
Dyfri knows this to be true as well. As a collector of various baubles left behind by adventurers - one man's trash, etc. - the faun's most treasured pieces often surprised him at his feet, or suddenly uncovered when building a fire. These he makes sure to tuck away somewhere safe where an enterprising little girl cannot snatch it up for her sales needs.
Ihvyr can also add his testimony to the rule. While he isn't a merchant or a collector, the daemon still has much experience in this. After all, he found Cedar years ago. Ihvyr had merely been about his own business when he stumbled upon the child, alone, so full of fear, and so unaware of what had just happened to her. It hadn't taken him more than a second to decide that he must show mercy upon this poor soul. Not just mercy, but kindness, safety, a home, even if not under a traditional roof. This had to be the most precious finding, worth far more than a fallen coin or a long forgotten shimmery object. This was the ultimate proof as to the value of the unexpected, entirely undisputable.
People assume. They make their assumptions, and then they go on their merry ways. That is how some spare themselves the troubleof making inquiries that would've delivered them a more exact answer. It is also how they avoid allowing the world to challenge their points of view.
They tend to assume that every little girl dreams of becoming a princess who gets whisked away by a brave knight. They assume that every little boy wants to be that brave knight, off to slay a dragon before he steals his princess away on a valiant adventure. And that dragon, of course, is assumed to be a mindless, greedy beast that only cares for gold and destruction. But what if these assumptions in actually stood fathom away from the truth? What if our little girl wanted to be the adventurous knight, or even something wilder, something untamed, like some type of rogue? What if the boy, formerly supposed to be a fighter, merely desired to plant potatoes peacefully in a well-cultivated garden full of other beautiful goods? And the dragon - what if it were instead a worried mother, attacking only to keep her young offspring safe?
If this were so, that assumptions did not always match up to the truth, then there are other truths to be uncovered. For example, look upon this small child who kneels by the side of the road, spreading out a blanket full of wares. She isn't a thief, nor is she a guideless troublemaker or a poor defenseless thing in need of a home. Neither is the horned creature that approaches her an amorous and easygoing satyr given to wine, women, and wealth. And the looming horror that joins them next is not an unloving demon that waits hungrily under your bed.
If assumptions were true, than these three would have been lonely individuals, cursed to roam the land without a hand to hold. Or they may be waiting for the moment someone comes along with the prospect of adventures, battles, and some enchanted chalice atop an unclimbable mountain. However, as we have proven, assumptions aren't all they're chalked up to be.
(Besides, as even our trio can claim from experience, unfounded guesses can get a person in trouble one day, regardless of how safe they make one feel.)
The truth, then, is that these three were wanderers, striving for simplicity, and in all of it doing these things together, not waiting to be sought, but already found by each other. And this was something neither of them thought to assume would happen in the days before.
The rain pours outside, drenching the forest relentlessly. Inside the little shelter made of fallen branches, a daemon sits awake, arm wrapped around a small, sleeping child. Beside him, a faun also slumbers, having been relieved an hour ago from sentry duty. The daemon listens to the shower, which drowns out his own thoughts. He isn't worried about the journey ahead, nor should he be. Why worry when you're the one others fear? Instead, he waits, listening to the storm and the sounds of the night. Dawn shall come swiftly enough.
[A little drabble because the rain outside sounds absolutely fantastic.]
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
I might change the name of this blog from oatcakespodofficial to theperplexedoatcake, to match my side blog @theperplexednavigator a bit more. Idk, Oatcakespodofficial was starting to sound a little formal. A wee bit stuffy.
Welcome to the official blog for the upcoming fantasy podcast, "I'm Sorry, We Don't Campaign" (currently wip). New content will come soon (once I figure out what I'm doing). Enjoy your stay, and keep your eyes on the forest around you
