Striked paragraph has a TW for implied murder/violence, read at your own risk or skip it entirely!
The Forest...
The strange set lion never seemed to be deterred from its beckoning calls. The rapids called the lions near and far, yet Ajal never seemed to be drawn toward meeting the wonderers who came from the dark. His mentor Rose lectured him about doing his part, while the other sub male, Asgore, simply watched from afar not bothering to embark on such a trivial matter.
The forest however gave him freedom, no worrying about patrolling borders nor what was to be hunted. It gave him shade as it did entertainment, he flourished there as if it were built solely for him. Prowling in its large ferns, taking cover under its roots, being thankful for every creature he caught and met was his favorite pass time. If it were up to him, he would've lived there forever...
But it was simply would've. Not would.. Nor could... The thing that gave him such joy was taken from him; the ache lingered as long as the time spent near the engraved woods. He feared, no he hated that name. That name gave him strength but in returned it was a branding, something that told him who he belonged to, he couldn't dispatch it, or it would seek him out. She had taught him how to use the gifts of the forest, but the greed grew each passing time he departed from her sight. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair, why should she have to wait when she gave him such pride filled happiness that others not dare? She could give him everything, all she asked was to stay by her side, it wasn't much so why...
Ajal sighed finally resting his uneased mind.
The picture of her turned a crooked smile, a smile of woe yet warmth... After all this time he could still see it, her small stature wrapping her paws around his waist, her fluffy curled white mane brushed against his face with a kind smirk. Her long lashes gave way to an oceanic red gaze with the sweetest of stares would force anyone to trust them, he couldn't blame anyone for not wondering if such a gorgeous thing could inflict such a pain. The scent of powderiness now felt suffocating yet he squirmed and clawed the ground seeking for its comfort. Wishing that he never did, hoping his mind would stop faltering.
He could nearly hear her calls, bubbly and innocent on his chest. When the wisps called, he knew she wouldn't be far. "Ajal, you promised me you would come sooner; it gets cold when you're not around. Promise me you will, won't you?" Her pleads made him weak but the thing she said on their last visit combated the compassion that he used to yearn for. "You promised, you said you would never go, you told me! Why must you go back to those who could harm you, I could keep you safe, I could get rid of them for you if need be." It was a tone that unnerved him, a tone he never fathomed she could create.
He shut his pain filled eyes once more as he felt the soil beneath shift. Her touch was warm and curious; her lips were as soft as the petals they'd gift each other. How many... How many would she take from him, Farren, Aria, Mari, and many others would plague his visions and leave as quickly as he had spotted them. She would hold his chin tracing her claw onto his chest, the ripping of flesh didn't even dare faze him when it happened. It was just a reminder of why it had happened. The sensation sent chills up his spine as she pecked along his throat, pulling him into a snake-like grasp that somehow still held warmth. He peered down, as blood splattered across her snow fur, yet she smiled, a smile that he couldn't break. He had to endure it, to keep this memory alive, he needed to endure it... - This wasn't him, this wasn't what he wanted, how could he stop it! Please stop it! "Ajal?" She called.
He felt himself falling as he awoke with heavy breath, paws dared break into the darkness of the forests edge. His gaze stung; he was sobbing as his body went limp onto the ground before he had a chance to scatter back. The mark she had left ached once more as he hid in his paws.
"ዪልጠጎዕዘል..." He managed to coo out.
