#jkstory

[jabberz]

~Two Brothers, One Promise~

I still remember... don’t you? That day we reunited at Crossroad Keep? I couldn’t believe how much you’d grown! You changed so much, but I guess I had too. Even so, we both had the same heart, the same dreams of the future. It was a shocking revelation we experienced when we embraced without a second thought, but a welcome one at that.

We spent all day catching up and listening to the amazing stories we had about our journeys so far. I took you up to the tallest spire to watch the moon rise with the stars, a little on the romantic side, but that was okay ‘cause it was just you, me and no one to judge. The wind blew with a chill, but I recall feeling warm regardless.

Neither of us new when we’d get another chance to meet up so we made a pact on top of that ancient castle. We’d always be brothers, no matter what. Through thick and thin, until our journeys’ end. A part of me was always with you and likewise with me. We swore to get stronger and keep adventuring through world after world until one day we could go on the grandest quest together with our friends and loved ones. We couldn’t explain it, but we somehow knew we’d return to the worlds we belonged in after we fell asleep; we fought it for so long! But soon both of us got a little too comfortable and dozed off by the fire gripping one another as if we could overcome the powerful magic that held us.

Crossroad Keep... A holy bastion that exists to reunite adventurers with those who can’t normally be reached, brought together by a strong bond and undying wish to be reconnected. It was just like a dream... and like a dream we woke up and it was over. I imagine you did the same thing I did when you woke up. I kept rubbing my paw for some hint of you...any sign that it wasn’t just a dream, but all I had was a feeling in my gut. I gazed up at the sky in thought and soon a smile spread across my face that I couldn’t help.

“It wasn’t a dream...it was good to see you bro! Someday soon... we’ll be together again for keeps! I’ll keep doing my best so you do the same. Let’s be the heroes we always wished we could be... just like in the stories. I’ll never give up. Because, I still remember... That One Promise, Between Two Brothers.”

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Congratulations on graduating High School lil bro! I was so excited to hear the news! You gotta know that I’m mega proud of you and can’t help but brag to people who ask about my siblings if any. I can never let you know enough how much your friendship means to me and how much it HAS meant to me all this time. We say it all the time, but I love you dude. You’re just another reason for me to keep on living and doing my best everyday. You’re such a big inspiration inside a little body. But like I said, you’ve grown too! Keep going buddy, I’m right there with you. Cheering you on and loving you every step of the way. Never lose that heroic spark. Dream on little warrior, dream on~

[jabberz]

Chapter 1: Dead or Alive

[ He struggled with an annoyed tone in the form of disgust mixed with frustration] Jabberz: Un...Rhis!?

[ I garbled my question, not being able to say it clearly with fingers wiggling across my tongue, like I said I was being fueled by impulse, but I had a point to prove and I was about to. I crunch down, not hard enough to inflict a serious injury, but I did get the idea across]

Thanatos: Ow! Hey! [ He yanked his hand back in a flash and began rubbing the ache and wiping slobber off on his jacket] Jabberz: Sorry! Hehe, but you see what I mean? Thanatos: What? Jabberz: You still feel that...and... [ I reach back for his hand again which he held away in suspicion, he hesitated to allow me access to his appendage again, but after staring him down with a sincere look he finally gave in] Thanatos: ... [ I placed his hand on my chest and let his fingers sink into my fur and touch my skin. Simultaneously I take my other paw and place it against his chest as well] Jabberz: You feel this too right? I can feel yours as well. Thanatos: ... [ We sat there for a moment, before I let go and we returned to our respective places staring out at the night sky. I could still feel the rhythm of his heart, it was steady before it picked up the pace the longer I held his hand over my own heart] Jabberz: See? You might exist differently, but that doesn't make you any less alive. [ Up until this point we had a steady truce, but I felt like we were finally closer to being real friends. After some silence he finally sighed and spoke again]

Thanatos: I... I think I'm actually glad you survived that night... Jabberz: Why? Thanatos: If you had died, I may never have had a chance to talk with you like this. Maybe, in time, I truly would've forgotten what being alive truly meant. [ It was the first time he had ever really given me any sort of compliment I couldn't hold back my excitement] Jabberz: Aww! C'mere! [ I jumped up and pounced against him almost knocking him over as I gave him a bear hug. He patted me on the head which surprised me and I glanced up] Thanatos: Heh, let's get you home. I wouldn't want you to catch your death out here. Jabberz: Already got one~ Thanatos and Jabberz share a mutual laugh for the first time and head off toward home. Explanation: Thanatos is supposed to represent my attitude toward death. My fear, my doubt, my despair over the finality of life ending personified. At the same time he also represents hopelessness and true defeat and giving up. At first he struggles to accept that there might be more to life even if he feels like his existence as a reaper means he has lost his one chance at living. But thanks to a chance encounter with a certain ever jubilant knucklehead has remembered what it was like to be happy. He might live a somber life of taking the souls of others who are dying, but that doesn't mean he has to feel guilty and miserable for the rest of his existence. Bonus: Jabberz tries hard to never let anything bother him, but there was a time in his past when he truly believed his last hope was ending his life. It was at that moment a young reaper appeared before him ready to take his soul into oblivion and yet for some reason, Thanatos couldn't bring himself to end the poor creature's life. He continues his job, but realized all he has done is buy time for Jabberz. Despite explaining that Jabberz' time was inevitably up and that at any moment the true Death could return to reap his wayward soul, Jabberz has lived everyday since then with a new lease on life. This intrigued Thanatos and he agreed to watch over Jabberz until he truly understood what hope had sprung into his soul. Maybe then Thanatos could recapture what it meant to be alive.