Didn’t like the way Rainer looked when I drew him on my chalk wall the first time so I drew him in my sketch book as a reference to try again. And then I ended up drawing more then just Rainer.
So, I wanted to try drawing with markers, and I wanted to draw some nutcracker. So i did both! Sorry ,with some of them I din't have the right tone (jackson my boy, I'm so sorry) In my defense, when I tried the first time, the color was ligther. Anyway, this was really fun to draw. Drae the nucrackers of other always makes me happy Jackson and Slushy belongs to @youronlydrpepper Abel belongs to @freckleocalypse Yuri belongs to @ahjones94 And last but not least, Michael belongs to @rosiegradenlove
So, I got an idea yesterday...and it possessed me until I finished this.
Since there are so many Nutcrackers from so many countries, I thought it would be interesting if we saw them all speaking their own languages. And, of course, the logical conclusion was to have them all be cursed so this could happen.
Abel and Seb belong to @freckleocalypse
Noel belongs to @youronlydrpepper
Ben belongs to @noovamulticolors
Yuri belongs to @ahjones94
Cosette and Edgar belong to @nijiomii
(translations under the cut :D )
Seb: Another curse. What are the bloody odds.
Abel: You know, this is really cool!
Maxi: Does nobody here speak German?!
Noel: Look down. This will be a long day.
Ben: I understand German and Spanish, but not that language. I’m sorry, friend.
Yuri: What made-up language are you speaking?
Edgar: Are you kidding? It’s hard enough to be a mouse, now I have to deal with this too?! I swear, I will-
Cosette: Please calm down. It’s not that bad.
(I figured that since Yuri comes from an ancient continent, his language would be one unknown to others. This is just an idea, though).
I don’t know how, but I was able to finish this. Get ready. this is a long one.
Alright. Here we go.
Sebastian takes the first step forward, blackened twigs crumbling into dust underfoot. Despite the misty morning air, the entire battlefield seems dry and cracked, like a burnt-out pile of logs. The most eerie part is the silence. No birds chirping, no grass rustling. Nothing.
And to think that a few days ago, this same spot had been home to a bustling town.
He and Emily had stood silently upon breaking free from the forest. Taking in the sight before them was all they had needed to reaffirm their goal.
They wind their way through the burned-out homes, sword and bow at the ready. Retracing their steps isn’t an easy task. Surrounded by the wreckage, it feels as if the world had been blown apart and reassembled. Occasionally, Seb spots something that’s almost familiar: the signpost at the town’s entrance, now snapped in half; the potted shrubs that had decorated windowsills, now smashed and burned out; the decorative sign hanging outside the bakery, now loosely attached to the smashed storefront.
They follow these telltale signs until they reach the town square, the water fountain at the center now fallen in on itself. Emily places a hand on Seb’s shoulder.
“I think we can assume we’re the only ones here. How about we split up, so we can cover more ground?”
He has to admit he was thinking the same thing. Hopefully she hadn’t jinxed them by saying it aloud. He nods.
Emily points to their right, where the rubble was piled the highest.
“I’ll take the east, you’ll take the west? If we haven’t found anything by the afternoon, we can meet back here. Sound good to you?”
He almost nods again, but then sees her face. Tired, worn out. She’s trying to keep some sort of order to their search, trying to make it be more than just blindly hopeful. The least he can do is give more than an absent-minded nod.
He squeezes her hand, his smile soft yet determined.
“Sounds good to me. Be careful, alright?”
She smiles back, and he turns to the western end of town. His smile slowly melts off his face.
Geez, this area got burned out more than the rest. Good thing I can’t breathe anymore.
The stones around Seb are scorched black, and the soot is building up on his legs as it floats through the air. It is almost as if he is walking across an overturned campfire.
Seb begins to grow frustrated. Between the dust and the debris, it is hard to see what lies ahead. The quiet atmosphere in the maze of buildings isn’t helping him either.
Seb gazes at the clouds above him. What he wouldn’t give for a bird’s-eye view.
Heh, or a pigeon’s-eye view.
A memory winds its way to the surface of Seb’s mind. This time, he’s fine with letting it distract him.
Hell, he welcomes it.
He was running faster than he had run before. Rushing past bushes and branches, he spotted the doll he’s looking for, the only one who could help him.
“Abel!”
The nutcracker turns around, eyes widening as he saw his companion racing towards him. Sebastian grabs his arm and uses him as a shield.
Out from the trees burst an onslaught…pigeons. They circled around the two dolls, cooing loudly.
Abel stood still for a minute, then burst out laughing.
“Are you serious, Seb? For the last time, they aren’t going to hurt you.”
For emphasis, he held out his arms, which were soon covered by a comical amount of the grey birds. Abel smiled brightly, while Seb proceeded to shrink further behind him.
“I’m not scared of them, idiot. Disgusted is closer to the word I’m looking foooOOOOR GET IT AWAY FROM ME.”
The prince was now face-to-face with a mottled pigeon being presented to him by Abel. The bird cocked its head to the side, staring silently. Judgingly.
He did not trust it.
“This little fellow is Leon. He’s the calmest of the bunch, so I think it’s best to introduce you to him first. Say hello, buddy!”
The bird cooed to Seb. The prince looked back and forth between the bird and Abel. Slowly, he waved his hand slightly.
“…Hello…bird.”
Seb hoped that this would be enough to satisfy his companion. But, of course, the nutcracker did the exact opposite of what he had hope, instead choosing to sit beside the prince.
The birds followed.
Surrounded by pigeons, Seb saw no way to walk around them. He looked at Abel, seeing a smug grin on his face. Leon was still in his hand, staring expectantly at the prince. Seb was miffed.
“You little…you know what, I shouldn’t even be surprised. Just hand over the bird and let’s get this over with.”
Leon was placed in Seb’s hands and he immediately settled down and closed his eyes, resting. The bird really was calm.
“Not so bad, is it Seb?”
“Shut up. You and your birds are all out to get me.”
“Well, you aren’t wrong, exactly…”
Abel took off his hat and removed a pouch of birdseed from it (Abel, what the heck), and began feeding the pigeons. His expression grew purposeful, the smile shrinking.
“It’s more like we’re trying to get you to open up more. I mean, it’s one thing to try and push away people. But if you’re taking it out on something as innocent as a pigeon…well, that sort of speaks for itself, now doesn’t it?”
Seb stared at Abel, who’s eyes were still on the birds. For once, his words didn’t feel like a jab meant to rile him up. They were more like an invitation.
Seb closed his eyes, then looked down at Leon.
“Look, it’s…it’s not the birds I’m upset with. Sure, I thought they were filthy things even before I met you, but I don’t hate them. It’s just that they’re something that bring you joy, and you want to share that joy with others, and when you do that…”
He sighed, staring at the sleeping bird. He was rambling like an idiot, and he hated it. But he still kept going, not giving himself time to think.
“…And when you do that, you wind up getting closer to them. When you share something with them, they share something with you. And sometimes, it’s something they never wanted to give anyone.”
Neither of them moved. The pigeons pecked at the birdseed, their rustling feathers the only sound the be heard. Leon perked his head up, seeming to notice that he hadn’t been given anything to eat.
Abel looked at his hands, the pensive look in his eyes never fading. Slowly, he grabbed a handful of birdseed from the pouch and handed it to Seb. The prince stared at the offering, waiting for his explanation. His response.
“Maybe it isn’t something they wanted to give. Maybe it hurts to let someone see more about them, but that doesn’t mean good can’t come from it. After all, what may seem like a terrible gift in one person’s eyes…can be worth more than anything else in another’s. Simply by sharing it, both sides end up with something meaningful.”
Seb remained quiet once Abel had finished. He slowly raised his hand out, allowing his friend to place the birdseed into his palm. He gently held it out to Leon, and the bird pecked at the gift while the two nutcrackers watched.
By the look of the sun in the sky, it was getting close to evening. He really should have been back at the square, but between the winding debris and his outspoken memories, Sebastian had gotten lost. He stopped near a broken wall, regaining his bearings.
Think Seb, think…there has to be something here you recognize…
Seb scanned the rubble, finally selecting a pathway that would quickly lead him back to the square. He began to climb down, when he slipped and hit his head on the rocks below.
After a brief round of cursing, Seb opened his eyes and started to rise when he a strange feeling hit him. He had hit his head before, during the battle…
In this exact spot.
He jumped to his feet, his head swiveling around to take in every detail. That stone over there, that was where the Mouse king had stood! And there, that was where he had heard a voice cry out his name.
Where Abel had cried out his name.
Seb runs through the rubble, checking for any sign of his friend. But, no matter where he goes there is no sign of blue among the blackened ash. He stops, eyes still searching.
What if...what if he had gotten burned in the fires? He is a Nutcracker; he would have just been another piece of kindling in the blaze...
The horror of the idea begins to take hold of Seb’s mind, when a glint of light catches his eye. Looking to his side, he sees something reflective hidden under a collapsed archway. He steps forward, kneeling to rub away the grime on it. It was a golden button of sorts, with a feathery decoration attached to it.
Just like Abel’s hat.
Before he knows it, Seb is manically throwing aside the stones, not caring about the tears and chips they leave on his hands. After what feels like an eternity, the buried doll’s face is visible. Filthy, eyes almost closed, seeming to be asleep.
A new strength rises in Seb’s chest as he begins to feel something like hope. He reaches within the stones, grabs hold of his friend’s shoulders, and gives a sharp tug. He can do this, soon he can help him, take him away from-
Abel’s body is pulled free, and Seb doesn’t move.
No.
Abel’s body, now fully visible, lays still on the dusty street. His right arm is missing, broken off past the elbow and leaving a mess of splinters behind. His legs are intact, but blackened up to the knees, the paint curled and flaking from the heat of flames.
And...and a large, gaping crack runs along his chest, erratically moving its way up his neck and stopping on the side of his head. The mechanics within his chest are visible, and broken.
“No...no, no, come on Abel, come on.”
Seb drops to his knees, hands shaking as he lifts the doll, shaking him.
There’s no response.
Seb’s whole body is shaking now. He holds his friend closer, eyes glued to his face. Any second now his eyes would open. He’s fine now, he’s fine, of course he’s going to wake up-
“Seb? Where are you?”
Suddenly, Emily walks out from behind one of the rubble piles. She sees Seb, relief immediately flooding her face.
“Thank goodness, I was worried there for a-”
She sees what Seb is hugging close to his chest.
She sees Abel.
Emily doesn’t know how long it has been, only that it is nearly night now. The only remaining color in the sky is a dark purple, soon to give way to black.
Emily is the first to rise, rubbing her eyes and shakily dusting herself off. She takes a breath, looking up into the faint outlines of stars.
It is time to go.
She bends down, touching Seb’s shoulder. He remains motionless, still hugging Abel close to his body. His face isn’t visible to her.
“Seb...”
She pauses, attempting to collect herself.
“Seb, we need to go. It’ll be night soon.”
No response.
“We’ll take him back with us, give him a proper burial. Then we can say our last goodbyes.”
Still no movement from her friend.
Then-
“No, we aren’t leaving him like this.”
“But, Seb, we aren’t going to abandon him-”
“Not like that, Emily.”
The Nutcracker Prince stands, Abel in his arms. He finally turns and meets Emily’s gaze.
