#skylah

On the bright side, you’ve accomplished your life’s work. You’ve found the serum to restore dropper abilities, and you can give yourself a pat on the back for that much. On the other hand, you have yet to find the proper concentration. On the other other hand, your work is not without its consequences.

You were at least able to revert back into a troll once you became too exhausted to uphold your form, but you hadn’t anticipated that the phantom pains would linger for as long as they have. It’s been days, but the pain and shivers have yet to leave you. You suspect that you may be feverish from the constant infusions, but as it stands, you feel too weak to move. You’ve been sick for a while with what started as a growing cough and has since spiraled into something else entirely. At this point, it’s caught up to you.

You part your lips as if you’re tempted to speak to the air, but no sound comes out. There’s nothing more than a flash of your tender fangs to offer to the empty room. You hope that your flock is okay. You let them out days earlier, back when you really felt yourself starting to fade. They should be able to take care of themselves, you hope to yourself as you shiver and tuck yourself against the couch.

You suddenly hear a quiet hoot as the little beast door at the bottom of your hive entrance swings, and the sound of rapid clicking of claws follows. You don’t have the time or the energy to look, but you don’t need to. Corn perches on the arm of the couch nearest your head while Kyurie toddles over and nudges your dangling hand with her muzzle. You can guess what they want.

“Hey,” you rasp quietly, shivering as you slowly push yourself to sit up. It’s hard to move, and you can feel your muscles quiver and your skin stick to itself from sweat. If you manage to survive this, you might consider it a lesson in moderation, you think to yourself as you finally rise seven minutes later with your two favored charges flanking you, one on four paws and the other in flight.

Every step feels like the last before you eat floor, but you make it to your food closet and unsteadily prepare their meals. Kyurie paws at your feet with a quiet whine, and you offer a soft-spoken word of reassurance to her. Corn, however, lands on the counter and tilts his head, and you internally sigh as his mammalian paws touch the surface. You’re really not feeling up to cleaning right now.

After what feels like an eternity, you set down their respective dishes and clutch the counter for support, but neither of them leans towards their meals; instead, they keep their eyes on you, and you sigh again as you make your way back to the couch, silently resigning to gog only knows what as the pair follows and settles on either side of you. You tremble for a moment as you lean to pick up the little chow chow and hold her in your lap, petting her as she nuzzles under your chin. A brush of feathers on your cheek and a slight weight on your shoulder also shows that Corn has re-situated himself as well.

You sit in silence as the pair comforts you, but as one hand gravitates away to rub at your arm, your gaze falls upon your work table. The serum needs work. It’s good, but it’s not perfect. You feel tempted for a moment to drag yourself over and grab another syringe, thinking that maybe, just maybe, this will be the one. Whether it’s the one that’ll kill you or the one that’ll turn you completely is anyone’s guess, and at this point, it’s almost killing you in all senses of the word to find out.

You hardly even notice that you’ve set your companions aside and gone to grab another dose of the serum until you feel the plastic tube in your hand, your thumb already subconsciously on the injector. As you look over it and sit back down, you suddenly realize just how exhausted you feel. You’ve put so much of your life into this, and you’re not even sure that you’ll see it through.

You watch her for a moment, hoping for an idea. She’s done nothing but sit in her favorite chair with her nose in a book and her knees drawn to her chest. To most, that might seem normal, but you and your pack know better. She’s been quiet, and Skylah isn’t a quiet troll. You can feel the pangs of unspoken emotional pain emanating off of her.

It’s more than that. You can feel sadness, longing, and a sense of nostalgia seeping from her presence. You sit back, wracking your thinkpan for ideas, then a sudden moment of recollection pops into your head. Your lip curls slightly into a small, crooked smile as you lean forward and address her. “Sky.” Your first attempt seems to go unnoticed, so you try again. “Skylah.” This time, she looks up, and you can see that her eyes betray her pain. She seems curious, even more so as you stand up and stretch. “You wanna ride?”

Skylah looks confused by your query. She slowly lowers the book in her hand and sets it on the arm of the chair, but she still marks her place with a single finger as she looks up at you. “Ride where, Hunts?”

“Does it matter where?” Realizing that your question may come off as dismissive, you rephrase. “Er... I just thought we could go out. Just the two of us, getting some fresh air.” She eyes you with suspicion, and you adjust your coat. “Trust me. You’ll like it.” You can tell that she’s debating it, but after a moment, she sighs and shrugs.

“Sure, Hunts.” You can tell that she’s hardly invested, but you also know that she’s curious. Curiosity may have killed the purrbeast, but it was a strong lure for her. It’s good enough for you as you flash her a wink.

“Nice. Be ready in five and I’ll meet you outside,” you tell her as you slip outside. You quickly undress in the outdoor stall that you all built to be able to shift in privacy, then you assume your lupine form before you pad out in front of the group hive. In no time at all, Skylah joins you, and you offer her a nod before lowering your belly to the ground to let her climb on. After she’s secure, you rise to your paws and take off.

The wind courses through your fur as you race along the forest trails. It feels almost like you’re in flight as you squint against the currents buffeting both of you. It always feels amazing to run wild. You’re running free, and you can almost imagine that the skies themselves are beneath your feet. Though Skylah says nothing, you can tell that she’s starting to enjoy herself as well. Just wait until she sees what you have in store.

Your trek takes you both up a rocky trail. The mountains are just up ahead, and you pause to survey your surroundings. There’s a path before you, no doubt dangerous and an easy end for a reckless troll looking for a good time, but you’ve done this enough to be able to cross it with ease. Your companion doesn’t seem to agree, and you feel her give a warning tug on your fur.

“Hunter, no-” She’s cut off by an indignant squawk as you zoom ahead anyway. The precarious stone spires barely seem big enough to support two of your strides, yet you still leap from one to the next regardless. You’re undaunted unlike the fervently cursing highblood as she clings for dear life, but you can’t help a laugh. It’ll be worth it in the end. Your leaps land soundly as you cross the chasm and continue up the steep slopes. Part of you almost feels bad, but you know the truth. She used to love this type of unbridled travel just as much as you.

You’re panting by the time you reach the summit, but it’s well-worth it. The peak’s air is thinner than what you’re used to, so you lie down to better catch your breath. The view makes it worth it, though. You can see everything from where you lie, and as you hear Skylah’s awestruck gasp, you know that it’s going to pay off.

Skylah dismounts before settling down next to you to gaze over the same expanse, and you can still sense her emotions swirling about within her. You feel a prickle in your eyes, and a quick glance over leaves you privy to a discreet tear roling down her visible cheek. You still see a smile on her face, but you want more. You offer her a nudge with your head before you lick her cheek, and she loops an arm around your neck and ruffles your headfur that rests between your horns.The two of you playfully tussle for a moment, then you lift your head and tilt it to one side.  “...Well?”

She releases you, then she blinks and offers a head tilt of her own. “Well what?”

“Are you feeling better?” Skylah freezes, and you feel a sudden pang of guilt. You did this for her, but you didn’t mean to make her feel guilty. Luckily for you, she relaxes, and as you feel her lean against you, the pang dissipates.

“I... yeah, Hunts,” she answers half-heartedly, and your tail wags slightly with her affirmation. Skylah snickers and leans against you further, all but sinking into your fluff as she gazes across the horizon. “...You know you didn’t have to do this.”

“So,” you retort as you give her another nudge. “What if I just wanted to? We can’t have you being sad on your wriggling day.”

“Is that really what this is about,” she asks with a quiet laugh. You can tell that she’s feeling better already.

“Well, yeah,” you answer, and your tail thumps the stone beneath you. “But hey, you didn’t answer me. I’m not leaving you alone until you answer me and mean it.”

“I did answer, I told you, I- Hunter, stop- ah!” Her protest is cut off by a giggle as your muzzle connects with her side. Another tussle engages for a moment that consists of your playful nuzzling and her pushing your head away, and neither of you can help laughing along with the moment. It comes to pass once she voices her claim more fervently, and you snicker once again as Skylah punches your shoulder. “Ass.”

“You love me,” you tease, and she punches you again before leaning against you once more. You crack a grin. The chaos that transpired quickly melts away to a sense of tranquility, and your ears flick as you pick up on her quiet trilling. Good, she’s happy now. You hum a bit yourself as you look from your packmate to the landscape below you and the skies parallel. You break the silence after another moment.