It took me all day long, but I finally finished the big project I was telling you guys about. The song is Youth, by Daughter.
If you can, listen to the song while you read :)
When Rick comes back form prison, he notices that Morty only wears long sleeves, even tho they are in summer. He ends up by discovering that Morty has been cutting for the past year, when Rick was in prison. Rick gets really upset and they start fighting.
At one point, Morty bursts out in tears.
“YOU LEFT ME ! I WAS ALL ALONE ! YOU SAID IT WAS GONNA BE US, FOREVER AND FOREVER, AND YOU LEFT ME !”
Welp, that’s the little backstory of this project. I really hope you’ll like it guys.
Level 1: the kind of chills that signal something’s not right - so low key that they’ll likely just bump the heat up a notch, grab an extra layer, or curl around a mug of something warm. usually accompanied by a mysterious tickle in their throat and a shiver up the spine. could just be a common cold, could be the start of something bad.
Level 2: lil more serious. whumpee is definitely aware that they’re chilled and shivery, hiding from drafty areas and seeking out an extra blanket to wrap up in. lots of rubbing of arms, shy requests for hugs, and jackets pulled tight around shaking shoulders. being outside is straight misery. can often be quelled with a hot drink and a warm bed.
Level 3: now we’re cooking. whumpee has likely given up on trying to hide how cold they are and has forsaken all else in favor of Getting Warm. you’ll likely find them huddled in bed in the fetal position, multiple blankets pulled up to their chin, but still freezing and chilled to the bone. would not leave bed for a thousand dollars, and just wants to stop shivering.
Level 4: Very Bad Chills. 🥶 whumpee can’t remember what heat feels like. this poor thing is suffering and desperate and has tried everything to get warm: hot shower, piles of blankets, warm soup, a n y t h i n g. violent shakes and shivers, teeth chattering so hard they’re scared they’ll break. will beg through their tears for another blanket, for someone to hold them close and warm them up. maybe their fever will break soon, but maybe it won’t, and they’ll freeze for hours. only an absolute monster would reject them at this level of misery.
When the whumpee is finally safe and all their wounds have been treated, but they’re still an exhausted, emotional mess. Their teammates deciding to have a sleepover, and creating a blanket pile so they can all curl up together. One of the whumpee’s teammates carrying them to the pile, and as soon as the whumpee is set down, them curling into whoever is closest. That teammate wrapping their arms around them, avoiding putting pressure on any injuries, and stroking the whumpee’s hair. The whumpee drifting off to sleep within a few minutes, and one of their other teammates spreading a blanket over the two, making sure the whumpee won’t get cold.
your character falls asleep in front of the hot flames of a fireplace 🔥
the caretaker finds them like this, and carries them to the couch as they sleep. it will probably be more comfortable than the throw pillows they were lying on
the caretaker mistakes the character's overheated skin for a simple consequence of being so close to the fire, and entirely misses the raging fever underneath
some prompts bc this is just so so good and I couldn’t decide which scenario I liked best…
- said by the caretaker, who absolutely Cannot do the necessary caretaking - maybe there aren’t enough supplies, maybe they don’t know how to do it, maybe they know it’ll cause more harm than good…the list goes on. just. caretakers not being able to do what they do best.
- said by the physically hurt whumpee, who can’t walk, can’t pick something up, maybe can’t move at all. who can’t do the thing the caretaker is asking them to do - ie, ‘can you move your fingers,’ ‘can you feel your legs,’ ‘can you see what’s trapping you,’ etc.
- said by the sick whumpee, who is too weak to do much of anything. they can’t move, can’t eat the soup that’s been made for them, can’t focus their blurry eyes.
- said by the emotionally hurt whumpee, who can’t make a tough choice, who can’t let go of the past, who can’t give up on something that has long been lost. a whumpee in the middle of a panic attack, who feels like they can’t breathe, can’t move. a whumpee who can’t articulate how they’re feeling, who can’t quite ask for help, who can’t talk about what happened to them
- finally, bc it’s one of my favorite tropes - “I can’t” being said as the whumpee is refusing to rest, to heal. hiding an illness, injury, or emotional pain - or simply pushing it to the side. “I can’t miss work today no matter how bad I feel,” “I can’t go to the hospital, my team needs me,” “I can’t get a cast, I need to use this arm,” etc. god tier stuff right there.
a friend had asked me for some advice on how I write differences between different types of sickness or reasons someone could get sick! so I typed up a reference of details I try to keep in mind in my writing. not by any means meant to be comprehensive but these are some of the more common things I see used or use myself!
eta: if you found this interesting or useful consider tipping me on kofi (/jallyns) or getting a $5 commission so I can fix my computer
drinking related:
drank too much: everyone’s threshold for this is going to be different obvs both in terms of how much alcohol they need and how wasted they’re able/willing to be before getting sick. also ime you have to be QUITE drunk for being drunk alone to make you sick, to the point where it may be dangerous, so personally I like this combined with something else - motion, something not sitting right in their stomach, etc - but it can be good otherwise too. probably the first thing the character will notice or be aware of if they have any warning is that being drunk stops feeling good at this point. they might feel flushed and/or clammy and will probably feel dizzy, their mouth might feel really dry depending on what they’ve been drinking. this is probably also the point where they recognize they have limited control of their body, feet might feel too heavy to move or head might be spinning, may feel very clumsy and suddenly become AWARE of it.
they might FEEL motion sick even if they’re not moving too because their motion sense is fucked at this point. might feel heavy but this is likely to be a whole body heaviness NOT just their stomach (though they might be very aware of it); might or might not be able to place the feeling of nausea. maybe burping but it depends on what they’ve been drinking (carbonated or not, mixed with soda, etc) and what else they ate! they MIGHT feel okay after throwing up but their friend probably shouldn’t let them drink anymore even if they do.
also this might come with very little warning, they may go from feeling fine and giggling with their friends to suddenly feeling Wrong to hurling all over the floor in a matter of minutes or even a few seconds. if they have friends with them who have been with them drunk regularly, depending on who’s more sober their friends might notice they look unsteady and/or queasy before they realize they don’t feel well.
other good things here: alcohol that tastes so strong it’s all they can taste when they throw it back up, feeling dizzy but not placing it as nauseous right away, feeling like their head is too heavy to lift. reeling on their feet when a drink hits them too hard and feeling the whole room spin.
drank too quickly - more likely to come on SUPER suddenly, but they’ll probably recognize it right away (unless they’ve already been drinking) because the alcohol hasn’t had time to get to their brain yet. so with gradually drinking more than they should they will get drunk first and THEN get sick, but if they drink too much too fast right off the bat they’ll start to feel some effects probably but they’ll also know pretty quick that their drinks aren’t gonna stay down.
hung over - throwing up from a hangover is a combination of a buildup of alcohol byproducts in the stomach, and the stomach lining being irritated + producing more acid. a headache is also a significant part of the misery of a hangover but (unlike a migraine, where the pain directly leads to vomiting) isn’t necessarily related to any queasiness, so the headache might get worse with sound, light, or movement, but their stomach likely won’t. they might feel a little like they have heartburn (or actually GET some acid reflux) from acid buildup, and their stomach might be sore or feel too warm as well as being upset.
the only real cure for a hangover is slow sips of clear fluids and bland foods to help settle the stomach and reduce the acid, but lots of people swear by other things - certain kinds of foods, drinking more alcohol, etc, so that’s something you can have fun with! depending on how much alcohol is still in their bloodstream, they might also still feel a little drunk/tipsy and have some issues with their balance, thinking clearly, etc, which could make the nausea worse; also some people might always get sick from hangovers but others might not so consider how your character deals with that! They also might wake up sick, or feel sick right away, or might not feel sick at all until trying to get some fluids or take meds for their headache (especially since ibuprofen/aspirin also irritate the stomach lining).
food related:
ate too much - character will likely feel bloated and tight, food might feel heavy in their stomach. depending on what they’re stuffed with there might be burping esp if there’s a lot of gas in their stomach, or a lot of gagging and unproductive dry heaving if it’s very heavy/solid. might need to drink something to get anything up, or have help from someone, or might just take a while to finally puke as their overstuffed stomach struggles to break down their meal enough that their stretched out muscles can get anything moving. any firm pressure on the stomach is gonna feel worse and likely to make them gag even if they’re not ready to throw up yet. maybe weak strained tummy noises as they try to digest. (side note if a lot of their stomach contents are liquid like soup, drinks, etc they’ll throw that up a lot faster; also a good excuse to discuss sloshing/jostling/swirling around in their tummy)
ate too quickly - ties in well to eating too much since it’s easy eating in a hurry to not realize you’re full until it’s already a little late - eating or drinking anything too fast can also make some people’s stomachs hurt or get upset in general, and is an easy way to end up swallowing a lot of air which can obviously lead to feeling much more full and tight with lots of burping that could easily bring up more!
ate something bad - this could be rotten, poorly prepared, or just something that upsets their stomach but what it is might change the feeling of it so there’s definitely variety here. probably also feels heavy but more localized, like they can feel the specific food they ate and where it’s settled in their stomach. might also be painful and cause cramping and tenderness. imo nausea from this is more likely to come in waves and recede but might also be more readily recognizable as nausea. some things I like in this scenario - character thinking about what they ate and feeling worse, imagining they can feel individual parts of their food in their stomach, burping and tasting what they ate (possibly noticing the taste having gone sour / etc in their stomach). good place to describe stuff like how greasy smt was/feeling the grease coating their stomach, or otherwise talk about the specific way the food feels in their tummy and how much it makes them want to puke. unlike with eating too much, they’re likely not to feel better until ALL of the offending food is out of their stomach (while with overeating, they may throw up a few times and then start to feel better once there’s less pressure on their stomach).
general notes - if something the character ate is what’s making them feel sick, a lot of focus on hyperawareness of how much food is in their stomach/how heavy it feels are gonna be big sensory things (as well as maybe taste, pressure/tightness, stomach contents moving around)
illness
appendicitis - if you’re looking for something more serious than food poisoning or a stomach bug, this is sure to end up with a character in the hospital as they’ll need surgery! the big distinguishing thing is pain, which will be sharp and located on the lower right side of the abdomen (or may start near the navel and move down). any kind of exertion or sudden muscle movement can make the pain worse. if the character or one of their caretakers is knowledgeable and suspects appendicitis, they might do the rebound test, which causes pain to get drastically worse AFTER placing pressure on the area and releasing it. sickness usually begins after the pain starts and may get worse when something exacerbates the pain as well.
in addition to nausea and vomiting, other symptoms can include fever, bloating, and bowel issues (either diarrhea or constipation), which will usually get worse over the course of the infection. if the character is treated soon enough (within 2-3 days) they’ll usually feel better after surgery and recover relatively quickly, but if they’re not seen by a doctor and the appendix ruptures they’ll likely need more extensive treatment including antibiotics and a longer hospital stay to make sure they won’t develop sepsis. (in some cases, symptoms could seem to suddenly go away when the appendix ruptures because it releases pressure, but worse symptoms would rapidly develop!)
rarely, there’s also such thing as chronic appendicitis, where milder symptoms may appear and recede over the course of weeks or months before developing into acute appendicitis and prompting surgery.
coughs, colds, strep, etc - can all cause vomiting as secondary symptoms thanks to postnasal drip, throat irritation, or forceful coughing. serious enough throat irritation or buildup of mucus can make a character gag, or feel the need to, and so can coughing up phlegm from their chest. if they’re sniffly and have their sinuses draining down the back of their throat, they may end up swallowing a lot of mucus too which can make them feel nauseous as their stomach gets full of sticky snot. I think these work best as emeto scenarios for characters with weak gag reflexes!
food poisoning - separate from eating something bad because food poisoning from a virus or bacteria is a longer lasting illness with a later onset; the character may first get sick within a few hours of eating the contaminated food, or it may incubate and make them sick within a day or two. like stomach flu (also frequently foodborne) many types can cause both vomiting and diarrhea, but symptoms vary depending on specific cause. characters also might puke early on and then develop more symptoms and become sicker later as bacteria multiply and produce toxins, and may take several days to recover from the later onset where they could have persistent nausea, or might feel okay and even regain their appetite if they don’t try to eat but be unable to keep much or any food down. most types of food poisoning also cause pain, swelling, bloating, and cramping, usually in the lower part of the stomach and upper intestines, so those are other symptoms your character might have to deal with in addition to puking!
stomach flu - character may be feverish or achy as well as nauseous while their body fights the infection, which is an additional great source of hurt/comfort fuel! can cause both vomiting and diarrhea, so even food they manage to keep down might still sting them later. because it directly causes irritation and inflammation in the stomach and lower GI tract, character might throw up frequently or after every meal, or might be able to handle clear fluids but no solids, or some bland foods but nothing with significant sugar, spices, or fat. they also might only be able to drink or eat in very small amounts without bringing it back up. their stomach may hurt and feel like it’s cramping even if they haven’t tried to eat, and they may get only very brief relief of nausea after each time they’re sick because it reduces the immediate pressure on the stomach but not the inflammation; they might feel nauseous constantly or end up dry heaving even when there’s nothing in their stomach, and might need to keep a basin of some kind nearby for a couple of days since they can’t be sure if they’re done. dehydration is a common complication and can cause headaches, weakness, and dizziness in addition to other symptoms! the most common stomach virus, norovirus, is also EXTREMELY contagious, and virus particles can aerosolize and scatter widely during vomiting, so the caretaker may not be safe either.
injury, other medical
anaesthesia - people react to this in all kinds of ways but getting sick is really common so it can be combined with just about any reaction. character might be disoriented or dizzy and have trouble with balance, walking, other coordinated movement. some might be really confused and have trouble communicating their ideas clearly or say things that might not make any sense to other characters. from the anaesthetized character’s perspective though they’re probably making total sense so it can also be fun to include their muddled thought process and what they’re feeling or thinking that they express in weird ways! other characters might feel pretty clearheaded and be able to communicate clearly though. they might feel “light” or like they're floating, or very detached from their body; this may cause more dizziness and vertigo. they may also be cold they might feel nauseous right away and persistently from the anaesthetic irritating their stomach, or might only get sick from moving that makes the “floating” feeling worse. general anaesthetic is usually used for surgery so if they aren’t immediately nauseous the character can also wake up really hungry from fasting before, so eating too much or too quickly might also make them realize they’re nauseous and end up with them puking.
concussion - there are a lot of reasons someone might get sick from a concussion, but the most common (non threatening) are vertigo / vestibular disturbance and headaches! the character might get nauseous or throw up when they turn too quickly or stand up too fast if their balance center is disrupted, or might have head pain similar to a migraine that makes them sick and can have similar sensitivities. mild concussions without other complications can still last up to a week after the injury, but the character should get sick less and less often as time goes on, so the most intense phase for sickness caused by a concussion is shortly after it happens! Frequently repeated or prolonged bouts of vomiting are often signs of more serious injury though, so if you’re keeping it mild they should probably be brief and a little spaced out even early on, though a character might have intermittent nausea between them. other symptoms of concussion are important too here - big ones are short term amnesia, loss of coordination, difficulty concentrating, and confusion. they might also hear ringing in their ears or sometimes have visual disturbances like in migraines!
migraine - the pain from migraines can directly cause vomiting, especially when it’s at its peak, but it might also be caused by aura effects on balance and vision! (some people get tunnel vision or “kaleidoscope” vision with migraines, some just get dizzy, some people even hallucinate strong smells or tastes which could also lead to nausea!) for some people, the headache gets better after throwing up, but not everyone; they also might or might not feel the buildup of nausea or persistent nausea throughout their migraine, or alternately might retch or throw up almost IMMEDIATELY when any trigger makes their pain worse (common triggers are bright or flashing light, loud or high pitched sounds, strong smells, and sudden movement, but people have lots of different triggers so they can be a lot of things!) many people can’t chase off a migraine until after they’ve slept so you might also include them trying to get comfortable only to have their head start hurting worse or their stomach get upset and make them scramble to get over the trash bin.
motion sickness - anyone can get motion sick but some people are more prone to it than others! so you might have characters who always get motion sick in any moving vehicle, or who are okay in cars but can’t travel on water, or who only get sick with intense movement like on roller coasters - or characters who aren’t prone to motion sickness in general, but discover they get it when fatigued, anxious, etc. different characters might also experience it differently - for some there may be a cycle of gradual buildup of nausea until it becomes unbearable and they throw up, while for others it might come on suddenly, or they might have low level nausea throughout a trip but only puke when there’s a more sudden or violent movement. some people also only get motion sick after a period of time, and might be fine on short trips but get sick if they’re traveling longer.
other notes: many people who get carsick don’t get sick if they’re driving! being able to get fresh air also helps many people, as well as focusing on the horizon if possible. some people prone to motion sickness will also experience the opposite when sitting still but watching movement onscreen like in a video game. likewise, reading or looking at a still object for long while moving can trigger motion sickness, even in people who are less prone to it otherwise.
Imagine human pets being sold to vampires as nutritional solutions. Forever meals that as long as they mildly take care of them, they'll always have a blood supply. Some vampires keep them as treasured companions, love and cherish their little blood bags like most do their precious animals.
Others though woo boy, they are rich enough to not care. They buy discount pets from shelters to abuse and drain. Some for large parties where they are sure to get dismembered and die.
I just love the idea of big, bad vampires both caring for or destroying their humans.
A post apocalypse world where humans are scarce. A lot of them actually survived the end of the world but… not enough. Not enough to sustain their own populations and the vampires who rely on them for blood. It’s easy to guess which species started to die out quick and with the humans diminishing population… the vampires started to die with them.
Not literally. They were already dead of course but with nothing to eat, not being able to survive on animal blood alone, they started to turn into the blood thirsty monsters everyone always thought they were and the few remaining humans? They lived in fear, terrified of when they’d encounter a vampire and have their throat ripped from their neck in the demon’s haste to eat.
Of course, this led to some unlikely partnerships.
Whumpee was caught by a vampire and the moment they felt those cold claw like fingers digging into their arm, they knew they were done for. The vampire’s teeth slashed into their neck. They felt their blood fleeing from them and when everything finally got hazy and dark, someone else arrived.
Whumpee heard the fight but they didn’t have any clue if the vampire that picked them up after was the one that had attacked them or not, until they realized there was no reason for their attacker to be cradling them so gently.
Whumpee woke up later freezing, covered in their own blood but surrounded by blankets, shirts, seemly anything soft and warm that could be found. They didn’t even notice that they weren’t alone until they struggled to sit and saw it sitting in the corner.
A vampire. A starving vampire, with eyes so dark they were almost black, fangs popping out of their mouth, veins so dark and depraved that they would almost look like tattoos if it weren’t for the fact that they were everywhere and that whumpee knew better.
Whumpee knew that they were about to die. Their mind was screaming that it was true but then, why bring them here? Why the blanket? Why not feed right where they’d been fought over?
It was when the vampire explained that whumpee finally understood the situation they were in. They were in a building full of vampires, starving vampires, and they were being offered protection and safety and whatever else they could be offered, if they’d stay and let the vampires feed on them.
They weren’t enough. There were too many vampires and only one of them. The chances of a vampire losing control and killing them were so high but what was the alternative? Leave and wait to be killed that way?
Of course, whumpee said yes. They didn’t really have another choice and when they asked how this would work, how they were expected to feed so many vampires when they couldn’t, they weren’t really given an answer.
There wasn’t one but the alternative was starving and death, respectively. Neither of them really had a choice but to make it work.
Amal is struggling with his health and so there sister bought them a box boy. The head in the clouds art student and the anxiety ball from the box find themselves in a rather unusual situation. Neither of them prepared for the other in the slightest they still try to make the most of this strange situation.
A lot of amazing whump blogs inspired me to do this comic and developed the whole box boy universe. Thank you for this amazing world:
The monster has done their best to make the timid new captive feel safe. They give up their pallet, stay as far away as they can, squish themselves up as small as possible, make sure not to eat or drink until after the new resident has, generally tries not to be big or scary or threatening.
One night they’re thrown back in the cell, too battered to move. All they can do is whimper, bleed, and pray for sleep. A tiny hand slips into their paw, a blanket gently pulled over their shivering body. The monster opens their eyes to see the timid cellmate with wet rags, smiling shakily as they prepare to clean up the monster.
Some vampires with their human pets are sweet, loving owners. They make sure they're always bathed and dressed nice, feed them several times a day and interact with them. Take them out shopping where they're allowed, go to pet parks and let their humans all talk and play together. Some even let them sleep in their beds and cuddle them into dreamland. They're allowed free roam of the house and the yard, showered in praise and affection when their masters come home.
Other ones aren't so nice and really just think of them as meals. They keep them locked up in a spare room, in a kennel and if they're by a furnace it's fortunate. Sometimes it's so smothering hot that it's not a good thing. They take them out only to inflict pain and drink from them, or to cut them up and bleed them into a cup. Several love the fear and control, seeing their little pet tremble and shake when they're reaching into the cage. The glossy look in their eyes when they try to ask for food and are afraid but too weak and hungry to ignore it anymore.
your character goes limp mid-hug, much to your caretaker's shock. the options:
they've been hiding an injury that finally caught up with them. the dreaded adrenaline crash sapping all their strength
or they are sick, slightly shivering, and no longer in the position to support their own weight. unusually pale, they may have the courtesy of warning for this one ("I'm not feeling too good...")
or they're hit with a tranq dart; caretaker hears a whistle, a hiss, then their friend's eyes roll back + they go down
or they are simply so exhausted that they give into the safety of a warm, friendly hug, unaware of the caretaker calling out their name in concern
pet whumpee gets bought by a huge, intimidating-looking tough guy. whumpee is so so scared, but he turns out to be a gentle caretaker.
Whumpee was shaking, not resisting as they were pulled along by their new owner.
They had just been bought by someone named Caretaker, one of the scariest people they had ever seen. They were tall and bulky, with lots of tattoos and an angry look on their face.
Caretaker had a hand around their arm, pulling them toward their car. Tripping over a crack in the sidewalk, Whumpee whimpered softly.
Caretaker stopped walking, pausing and looking down at the shivering pet at their feet. "What's wrong?" they asked, frowning. "Are you okay?"
Whumpee nodded rapidly. If they weren't okay, they'd be punished. They knew that. So why was Caretaker looking at them like that?
Caretaker silently smiled and continued walking them towards their car, albeit at a slower, more even pace, their grip of Whumpee loosening.
As they opened the door of their car, Caretaker helped Whumpee into the seat, buckling them in and everything.
"There," they said, patting them gently. "Now I get to take you home. Don't worry, you'll be safe with me."
Whumpee nodded, fear soaking into them. They knew Caretaker would take them home and do whatever they wanted to them. They only hoped it wasn't too bad.
Hi I love your Jewelry Box stuff! Also, I've had this idea bouncing around for a while: An evil spirit/demon thing (like something from the Conjuring or Paranormal Activity) whumping a human whumpee. Then, human whumpee's demon/spirit caretaker jumps in and makes sure the whumper understands not to mess with his human (who he loves very much).
"What do you think you're doing?" Caretaker frowned, crossing their arms as they took in the scene in front of them.
Whumper was haunting, was hurting Whumpee, who was currently curled up in a ball on the floor, whimpering pathetically with their eyes squeezed shut. Whumper glanced up in surprise at Caretaker, a smirk on their face.
"Oh, nothing," they replied, floating up to meet Caretaker. "Just playing with my newest toy."
"Don't!" Caretaker snapped.
Whumper paused before laughing. "Or what?" they taunted. "It's not like you're stronger than me, Caretaker. We both know I've always been the better, the scarier ghost."
Caretaker forced themself to take a deep breath before snarling at Whumper. "Well, I'm older, far older than a mediocre punk like you. I've already claimed this human, so I'll only say it once more: back off."
Whumper blanched back, just a bit, but it was enough of a concession. As soon as they had fully disappeared, Caretaker floated back closer to Whumpee.
Scooping them up in their semi-solid arms, Caretaker cradled them close, while they were still crying and confused. "It's alright, dear," they comforted. "They're gone now. They can't hurt you anymore." Their arms tightened around Whumpee, wishing to never let go.
(Inhuman caretakersTalking about whumpee that fell below)
“Caretaker that’s that?”
“This is a human, they are very fragile so we need to be careful with them. Especially this one.”
Whumpee was distantly aware of voices above them, floating far above, that weren't quite human. Their whole body hurt, aching and stabbing and sore, from where they'd fallen right off the side of the cliff, running from Whumper.
"Caretaker," one of the voices said. "What's that?"
"That's a human," the other, Caretaker, replied. "They're very fragile, so we need to be careful with them. Especially this one. See? They're hurt."
Whumpee let out a pitiful whimper, knowing someone - multiple someones - had found them, and they knew it was only a matter of time before they were hurt again.
Strong arms, covered in thick, shimmering obsidian skin, almost like scales, lifted them easily from where they'd fallen. Cradling them close, talon-like fingers nudged their face.
Whumpee blinked up at the two creatures staring curiously down at them, nearly delirious with pain and exhaustion. "Please," they rasped, voice raw from screaming.
The one holding them looked up at the other. "See, they're fragile things. And very rare too. It's highly unusual to find one out in the wild."
The other one shifted uncomfortably. "Are we sure it isn't a run away, Caretaker? We could get in trouble for stealing." Their voice hushed, as if worried about being overheard.
Whumpee whined softly. They knew it, they knew they'd get caught. Now they'd be sent back and punished. Punished horribly, unlikely to survive it.
Caretaker let out a huff of breath. "They're almost definitely a run away, but there's only one estate near by that has humans, and it's better we found them than they do."
They glanced down at Whumpee, something like a smile on their reptilian face. Running another gentle talon over their face, they shook their head. "No, we're going to keep this one."
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