#quietstepped

for the life of me i couldnt draw the maw kids badly without drawing them a little bit well 😭😭😭😭

Quentin is now a father of two / @quietstepped && @depthstarved

quiet , silence , silent . you are good at making yourself invisible , good at keeping attention away . it was your trick , your specialty outside of the maw . you remember that clearly .

but it ’ s not good enough , you want to cry . can feel the prickle & fall of tears as hands stifle already shut mouth / clenched teeth / taut form going even stiffer at the creak in wood above . can hear gritting teeth , can hear cracking neck .

lilac had died in the valley & three had taken her place . 

three had died by the fire & lilac had come back to steer her .

yet death is near & coming as footsteps creak & hands drift uncomfortable close above , searching , feeling , grabbing . dolls  , carpet , edges of wood . anything that might bear a child that will bear food .

you find that your hands ( lilac ’ s hands ) move to outstretch themselves , when hands find hold in the ground . silent plea that falls upon dead lips & a cry at quickened breath so close so far too close .

hand heralds death . hand heralds end . hand heralds —

— do you remember family of children ? of all shapes & sizes & all cloaks of color , who had given you the green upon your shoulders ? who had given you a place beside them , who had helped you welcome the others ? do you remember their love ?

— do you remember little girl of hunger ? who would give you bread to share with long gone others , who would laugh & snark & tease & make everything feel okay . do you remember you times two , do you remember how courage bled itself in her veins ?

— do you remember little boy of depths ? who you would give company to thwart away leeches & cold & the wet , who would speak when necessary / who had been the good type of quiet ? do you remember you plus four , do you remember how bravery washed itself in his skin ?

— do you remember little girl ? who would grow flowers in your mind so that you ’ d never forget , who would keep you going when everyone else had left ? do you remember y o u , do you remember how perseverance lit up long gone eye ?

yes .

‘ yes , ’ you say , over deafening shriek & quicker hand , ‘ i remember all who have wandered to sit by the fire . i remember being the first ; i was the last . ’

you are the last to leave fire ’ s embrace ————

———— they are the first to greet the sun .

quiet hands / quieter frame greets him . fire is still burning , only thing keeping leeches away as head raises to look at him . another one ; this is the most activity they ’ ve had in a while . still , motions him closer / lest he find himself prey to the leeches . that ’ s never fun to watch . “ ... hi . are you trying to get out too ? ” 

they all are ; or , did . she doesn ’ t know what else to say , as hand disappears into cloak once more . there ’ s not much to talk about in metal abyss .

   “  hey  uh..  are  you  okay   ?   ”     her  voice  wavered  with  caution  and  concern  for  the  other,  stepping  a  little  closer  to  them.  louise  was  known  for  making  poor  judgments  about  a  person  before  actually  getting  to  know  them ,  especially  if  they  didn’t  seem  too  interesting  to  begin  with.  but  she’s  also  the  type  of  person  to  step  into  a  confrontation  between  a  bully  and  a  much  more  vulnerable  person.

Send a “¬_¬” for some bad advice from my muse!!