the future works in mysterious ways (aka it’s vague af and tide is reduced to being a delivery boy)
ft baby leeron
Brevity had never been his defining virtue. No, Caspian mused, he could still remember how he had been. A young man, so full of arrogant life and love, so naive. He’d fought so hard back then. But why? Remembering the actions of his past was not the same as understanding them, and he was quite sure he would never understand the insistent rebellion his past self had stuck to.
Thankfully, his job had become much, much easier since he’d changed.
He strode coolly through the small camp he’d taken residence in for the past couple months, aware of the sand that bit at his skin, but resolutely ignoring its sting. It was a small inconvenience in a world full of very, very big problems. One in particular buzzed in the back of the emissary’s mind, the familiar hum of disaster whispering sweetly in his ear from within his own skull. There was one big problem he had to deal with at the moment. Focus was key.
With a deep breath, Caspian rounded the crisp, clean tent in the center of the pathetically small encampment. It was with the unfeeling grace he’d become so renowned for that he knelt before the tightly sealed opening of the tent and, ignoring the woman who no doubt resided within, locked his eyes onto the small creature who had become a regular occupant of the sands outside their leader’s residence.
“Leeron.” He spoke with cool indifference, though his eyes shone with determination. Before him was a strange creature, to be sure. It possessed all the traits of a dragon: wings, tail, legs, and most importantly, speech (even if it was only baby talk); however, that didn’t seem to be the case. It was commonly regarded as a thing by residents of the clan, and Caspian could surely see why as he watched its small body tumble about in the sand playfully, completely ignoring his presence.
Impatient, he repeated himself. “Leeron, look at me.”
The pet blinked its round, purple eyes in surprise. Realization dawned on its face as it stilled in its play and lifted its bulbous head to watch him curiously. In a strange fit of companionship that felt entirely foreign to him, Caspian frowned and reached a hand out to be sniffed by the odd beast. No, not a beast. A dragon. That was what he had been told earlier that night, while he was deep in rare slumber. The voices had whispered so sweetly to him, murmuring their terrifying prophecies like a mother’s lullaby. Still, he could hear them sweeping through his mind, a ripple of the unknown that left him feeling far removed from everything else. Even thinking about it in that moment brought about a strange floating sensation, like he had been stolen from himself in order to deliver his promise, to do the job the prophecies had asked of him.
A curious gurgle snapped him back to reality. With a heavy feeling in his chest, Caspian was thrust back into his body, back into the moment. It left him feeling disoriented, but with dark eyes watching him, he sucked it up. He had a job to do.
“Hello, Leeron,” he began, “my name is Caspian.” Normally such pleasantries were skipped over, but seeing the small, green hatchling with a collar firmly around its neck... it dragged a strange twinge of empathy out of him. “I have a present for you.”
The hatchling’s eyes lit up with interest, and it bound forward as fast as its short, fat legs would take it. It seemed excited, Caspian thought. What a refreshing change.
A slender, blue hand made pale by the glow of the moon outstretched toward the small Bogsneak. Slowly, he uncurled his fingers to reveal a small, cheaply made crown. It was a toy designed for children to play pretend with, and he had no idea how it’d come to be in his possession. When Caspian had awoken in a cold sweat, it was sitting by his side as if waiting. From there, he had known what to do.
Leeron, the hatchling, sat back on hind legs wrinkly with fat and extra skin. Something about the creature was undeniably cute, even to his own weary eyes. Surprisingly dexterous hands shot forward and nabbed the toy from his palm. Loud sniffing followed as Leeron investigated his new acquisition, his first belonging. Before then, no one had paused to speak to him in such a way, let alone offer him a gift. The confusion was evident in his young face, but even stronger was the excitement.
Carefully, so as not to seem like a cruel thief, Caspian reached out again, this time with both hands. He gently removed the cheap crown from Leeron’s small paws and brought it up to his head. There he placed it, and as he watched the absolutely thrilled expression on the hatchling’s face, something stirred in him. Something foreign and unnatural, but somehow familiar.
As he watched Leeron tumble back to the entrance of his owner’s tent, Caspian did something he hadn’t done in a very long time.
Caspian smiled.