An unlikely friendship (SkekTek and UrTih)
(A/N: For the lovely @pun-and-laughter, the first place winner of my giveaway ^^ I hope you enjoy it!)
Never within SkekTek’s life, had he ever thought he would find a kindred spirit, someone who understood his intellect. He was a skeksis of science, within a land of magic and madness. For him, it was a challenge, bringing order in something with none. Many of the skeksis saw him mad, and perhaps he was, but he was determined, determined to prove to them he was more than a simple madman.
Because of this determination, SkekTek seldom left the castle of the crystal, abhorring to leave the safety of his lab, into the cold and cruel, filthy world. More and more cyborg than skeksis, he feared rust and grime getting within the gears of his mechanical leg- and yet, he could not remain locked up forever. An herb, something he needed to grind down into a simple extract, a key component for the oil made to keep his leg clean and working. The podlings were incompetent, and the gelfling too busy with the commands of the others to serve him. And so, he left the safety of his lab in search of it.
However, this day would bring about more than a simple, dirty search, more than an irritating day wasted in the outdoors. When he finally found the first sign of the plant he needed, he reached out-
Only to have a blunt and strong hand wrap around it too, covering his shaky and thin talons in its gentle warmth. Eyes raised, cold yellow meeting warm amber.
Eyes widen, the scientist yanking his hand away from the plant as he hissed in defense.
“Cretin! What is your kind doing upon skeksis land?!” His hackles raised, teeth bared to make himself seem more terrifying than he truly was, but the flinch, the look of startlement caused him to pause.
The mystic, ever wary, shook his head, gently plucking the herb from the ground.
“I do not wish to stay long” He finally answered, “I ran out of a few rare herbs UrNol could not make…”
Eyes narrowed, and at first he was tempted to yell at the accursed mystic for daring to encroach upon skeksis land- until the herb was held out to him.
“You need it for lubricant, yes?” came the soft reply, “I have already gotten a few for myself…”
Suspicion coursed through him, but SkekTek gingerly took the offered herb anyways, knowing better than to refuse a rare gift.
…though he made sure to check for tampering.
“There are more within the meadow, if you require more” came the reply of the mystic, pointing in the direction of the aforementioned meadow. “I was headed there myself.”
“…Why are you telling me this?”
The mystic, in all his gentleness, smiled, offering his hand.
“Life is too precious to waste on being cruel”
The Mystic, UrTih, was a kind and gentle being, SkekTek found. Having helped him search for the herb he needed, as well as pointing out others that would strengthen the oil made. When asked how he held such knowledge, the mystic simply smiled.
“Trial and error” he would finally reply, “many tests and many attempts”
When the third brother began to fade, they parted, one returning to the valley of the mystics, while the other returned to the castle of the skeksis, many new herbs within his claws, and a feeling of emptiness within his heart.
SkekTek had promised himself he would avoid the mystic, this UrTih who shared his curiosity to learn. So he tried to lock himself up once more-
But time and time again he found himself having to scavenge for something he was missing that he couldn’t get another to do, and each time he would find the mystic not too far behind. Each time it was accidental, each time he would try to avoid talking to him-
And each time he would end up sharing more information with him, learning more of the world than he ever could fathom.
Each time, they’d leave with new information. Each time Skektek would come back with armfuls of materials good for his experiments.
And each time Skektek would promise to never return.
He would ignore the hole within his heart.
The second brother was bright within the sky when the Alchemist found the scientist, pride hurt and murmuring curses in skexish.
“Sniveling, pompous ingrates!” The ire within his speech palpable, “I give them all I have, and yet they demand more! Gluttonous! No one recognizes my intellect! Without I they would be forced to live like the podlings!”
SkekTek continued his angered tirade, hands moving about frantically and dramatically, as if his words were simply not enough to communicate his rage. UrTih simply listened.
When his voice finally faded, Skektek found a warm and gentle hand wrapped around his own. Yellow met amber, yet he did not pull away.
The Third brother began to fade within the sky, and skektek loathed to leave the comfort of the other.
Their friendship- though SkekTek refused to call it as such- was an odd one to say the least. Both held different views upon the philosophical, had often debated it, and yet, both would seek the answers to the world, though both seeked it differently. One through removing the insanity of the living world, the other seeking the knowledge through such insanity.
It made no sense to the Scientist, yet many things about this arrangement made none. And so, he dared not question it, even as he buried his beak within the comforting embrace of UrTih.
“The fault obviously lies within the scientist.”
But it was not! He was not the one who tried to steal the essence!!
The cries of the skeksis were loud, cheering over what punishment would befall him, even the ones who had originally sides with him.
Turncoats, the lot of them.
“Sire, Scientist is still skeksis….perhaps would do good to have…peeper beetle”
He had cried and pleaded with the emperor for mercy, even as he was dragged away-
Pain erupted from UrTih’s right eye, the feeling of something not there digging into his socket, eating upon the soft flesh. He cried out, shrieking and howling in agony that was not his. The others had immediately gathered around him, comforting him with what they could, but the Alchemist felt nothing besides the fear and betrayal from his other half-
Lips parted, whispering Skektek’s name as his vision fell dark.
He dreamed of a single being, crying out in pain and fear, bright and luminous form holding onto himself as agony wracked through his frame.
And when he awoke, UrTih found himself running into the woods.
His breath was ragged, his sides ached, and yet he dare not stop. Not even as the familiar form of SkekTek appeared into the meadow both had often gathered at. He didn’t stop, until his arms were wrapped around the other’s waist, feeling their shaking body against him.
The Scientist crumpled against him, soft and heaving sobs escaping chapped lips. Talons dug into rough hide, yet UrTih dared not even think of letting him go.
As SkekTek finally calmed, both settled upon the ground, hands held tightly, refusing to part themselves from the other.
“Come with me” begged UrTih, squeezing shaking hands. “When my brothers hear what had happened, surely they would allow you with us. You will be cherished, safe from the ones who harmed you”
It was a wish, hope, hope that he would say yes, that he would take up his offer…. But UrTih knew Skektek well enough to know he would not, not until the skeksis tore him apart, broke him down from the inside out.
Yet, Skektek held closer still, silent in thought.
“I tire of being the scapegoat for feckless beings” He finally answered, “You were closer a companion than any of the others ever were….”
Relief and joy spread over the mystic, the weight of his worry leaving his shoulders. Without thinking, he nuzzled against the skeksis. An intimate motion, yet the scientist returned it, leaning into it with a mix of desperation and care.
So long as UrTih was with him-
So long as the Scientist was safe by his side…
Everything would be okay.
