This is based off of the artwork by oceanteeeth on Instagram!
Also shout out to my Beta super.rose.cosplays!
(Summary: Eddie runs away from his small magical village of The All Lands and meets a charming werewolf)
The species that rules the earth, or so they thought.
They believed that they were the only creatures that walked this earth along with the animals they studied over the years, but that's where they're wrong.
Little did they know that an entire civilization has been living under their noses for god knows how long. Beings of all sorts, some a cross between animals the humans are used to, some completely new and others only known to the humans as myths.
If humans were to venture into the darkness of their forests or to the depths of the oceans, then perhaps they'd get a glimpse of the world of the Ancestor Realm, but the Ancestors have yet to be spotted by humans, and they plan on keeping it that way. The Ancestor Realm is the name of their realm, but each little group and village has a name of its own.
Hidden deep within a forest on the coast of Maine is a small cliffside village called The All Lands, that is where our story begins.
The ocean waves crashed up against the rocks below, creating a soothing white noise that aided the creature to clear his head. He sat a couple of feet away from the edge of the cliff, close enough to look over and watch the waves but far enough away to not be worried about falling to his death.
His eyes were red and puffy, his nose sniffly which prompted him to wipe it every couple minutes with the sleeve of his sweater. He tried to even out his breaths, lower his heart rate, but the anxious feelings that reverberated through his entire body made it hard to do either.
A cool spring breeze came off of the ocean and blew past the boy, helping cool his overheated body and even out his breathing. The wind blew through his hair making his ears tingle, his rabbit ears that is.
Every Ancestor had something special about them that separated them from humans, and this was Eddie's. Like his mother and his late father, he was a hybrid. Eddie was half rabbit, which meant he had long and floppy, fuzzy rabbit ears instead of normal stubby human ears. They started off white as snow, then faded to a shade of brown that matched his hair as he grew. Not only did he have the ears but he also had a small little rabbit tail that poked out from the gap between where his shirt ended and pants began. It had a top coat of fur that was brown with a white undercoat. Currently, it was tucked into the fold of his sweater as the wind caused it to go cold.
He let out a sigh of defeat, his bunny ears faltered and fell from their upright stance to frame his face. A thought crossed his mind as he scanned the landscape below.
He thought as he watched the ocean below. The dark waves reflected the continuously darkening sky above, which threatened a storm.
All I wanted to do was help
Once that thought crossed his mind, a voice broke the silence and snapped him out of his thoughts, "Eddie bear! Darling where did you go? Get back inside this instant!" His mother shouted from the back porch of their small seaside cottage.
Eddie hesitated only for a moment, then proceeded to get up and head back towards the house. He knew his mother’s anger would only grow the longer he stayed outside, especially with that storm beginning to roll in. As he stepped inside he was greeted by the warm air from the fireplace and the sweet smell of his mother's homemade stew which Sonia Kaspbrak was in the middle of stirring. Without making eye contact with his mother the boy took his normal seat at the dinner table.
He only lifted his gaze to meet hers when she handed him his bowl of stew, "Mommy, I said I was sorry" his voice was low and sad.
Sonia's voice gained a new level of frustrated anger, "Well it doesn't matter, sorry won't do it, Eddie. You broke the number one rule, you revealed our existence to the humans-"
"He died anyways! Because of you, I told you to stay inside and you disobeyed me, you went to go help that dirty bird" She seethed, "And you know that there's only one way the council deals with criminals, correct?" She knew Eddie knew, yet she still asked.
"I don't see how helping an innocent man can be worthy of the death penalty! Mommy, he was hurt and I just wanted to help him-" He was cut off when his mother trapped him in a tight hug.
"Oh I know Eddie Bear, but by helping him you showed him The All Lands. I wish I could fight the council sweety but once they've made a decision there's no getting out of it" Once she released him from the hug he was able to breathe again.
Eddie took his seat once again, this time he never took his eyes off of the bowl before him. "So what? Tomorrow they'll come and take me away... And that's it?" He wondered in defeat. Sadly in response, all Sonia Kaspbrak gave was a simple shrug.
"You know that's why your father left... The same reason, he tried to help someone and that got him-" Eddie stopped listening, it was a speech he'd heard thousands of times before. She recited the same story every time Eddie did something she didn't approve of. Whether he wandered too deep into the forest, sat too close to the water, asked about the human world, it always resulted in the story of how his father, Frank Kaspbrak, died at the hands of the council.
Frank did a lot of things to spite the council due to his burning hatred for them and their laws. He'd sneak out and heal wounded men in the forest and help lost dogs find their homes or owners. Eddie never saw those as mistakes, the only mistake he made was the day Frank told Sonia about his little outings, she was the one who gave the tip to the council about his doings, that ended in the death of Frank. That night Eddie made a secret oath to always help those in need, human or not. So it’s kind of fitting that Eddie would see the same fate as his father, am I right?
Although that night after supper, Eddie laid in bed and had only one thought in his mind.
Like hell, I'm letting these assholes take me like they took dad
The hybrid slowly sat up and looked around his room. The moon lit it up enough to allow him to see around his room and most of its contents. His eyes darted from his wooden dresser to his closet, then in the corner of his room, a backpack caught his eye.
I've gotta get out of here
The thought drove him to slip out of bed and tiptoe over to the backpack. He picked it up, then stopped moving entirely as his bunny ears shot up. Eddie knew what he had to do, and he wasn't going to make the same mistake his father had. No one was going to know. So he stood still for a minute or so and simply listened. He waited to hear his mother talking or something, anything. But to his delight, the house was silent. By the position of the moon, he assumed it was 2 am, so he had to be quick and quiet.
First things first, he got out of his pyjamas and put on a black sweater and matching jeans. After he filled his bag with the essentials, clothes, utensils, water, and some food he had stashed in his room for when he got hungry. He also made sure to grab his father's old polaroid camera and some film, gotta remember things somehow.
He thought about turning the light on in his room to help him pack, but he didn’t want to risk anyone seeing it through his window. The All Lands was a place that functioned mainly off of nature, but that doesn't mean they didn’t use a bit of electricity. That is the one thing they credit the humans for. Although cell phones are only a myth, each house is equipped with lights, power, and a landline. Nothing too tech heavy, but that’s all they needed.
Eddie sat with his bag open for a while as he felt he was missing something. Unsure of what that something was, the bunny simply began scouring his room for that something. From his dresser to his nightstand, he couldn't find it. He'd almost given up too, until he spotted a box that sat on the highest shelf of his closet. A shelf that was packed with old clothes and memories he didn't want to revisit.
Carefully, Eddie grabbed his desk chair and set it down in front of his closet. He grabbed the box with both hands and took it to his bed. The box was about the size of a shoebox, with a white lid and a maroon base. He slowly removed the lid and began examining its contents. He sucked in a breath as he realized who's box this was.
Immediately he recognized almost everything that sat before him. He grabbed the black beanie that laid on top, he held it close to him for a moment and took in a deep breath. Even after all this time it still smelled like him. He felt that hat and noticed there was an odd lump inside, a smirk appeared on his lips at the sight of a hefty wad of cash that was stored inside the hat, he placed it on his bed and thought, Good one dad. Eddie had to hold back the tears as he quickly put it on, sliding it over his bunny ears. This hat was the one that Frank always wore when he snuck out of town to go on his little missions.
Next was the compass, this was what broke Eddie. The tears slowly began to roll down his cheeks as he felt the cool metal on his skin, something he'd grown so used to in the past. It was made like a pocket watch, with a long metal chain and a little cover you had to click open with the button. That's what he did, he clicked it open to reveal a sight he had almost forgotten about. Yes, it was just a compass, but it was his dad's compass. The compass Frank used to bring out when he sat with Eddie and he'd teach his son how to use it, how to tell coordinates. And the stories! A couple more tears spilled from his eyes as he recalled the stories his father always had about his latest journey. Eddie would always beg for his father to tell him a story, and even if it was one he'd heard before, he'd still sit and listen to every little detail and beg for more afterwards.
He carefully closed the compass then put it around his neck and wore it like a necklace. The main compact sat comfortably against Eddie's chest as he leaned over the box to pick up the next object. It was a letter. The boy's heart sped up as he began reading the words Frank had written so many years ago.
Son, I'm terribly sorry that I must leave you like this. Please remember that this is not your fault, in any way, and that I love you.
I hope that you find this before it's too late. Eddie, please, if you can, get out of here, this place isn't for you. This isn't your home. Don't listen to your mother. Trust me, you're so strong and powerful. You're a lot braver than you think.
If you look in the box you'll see a map with couridants. Go there. Hiding there is something I never told anyone about, not even your mother. You'll be safe, you'll be able to start a life there, you'll be able to live.
I must be going now, I'm sorry I can't stay to watch you grow up Eddie. I know you're gonna do amazing things, so go, be great. And never, ever forget that I love you.
Love you father, Frank Kaspbrak
His father was right, there was a map, and photos, so many photos, from when Eddie was first born to the days before his father's death. That was the inspiration Eddie needed, the little push that got him up and out his bedroom window. Determined to keep everything together, he'd neatly packed everything from the box into a small bag to put into his backpack.
Escaping his house was the easy part, all he had to do was jump from his window (Bunny's always land on their feet) and get off the property. Leaving The All Lands was a little bit more difficult. It required the teen to hide behind houses and keep out of sight of guards and other commoners. His father must've been looking down on him because, by some miracle, Eddie escaped.
He knew he'd gotten out of The All Lands because the grass was much thicker on this side of the forest, without their magical powers keeping it at bay that caused it to become longer, darker. The scent was so much more prominent now, the pine trees and the early morning dew that'd set in. Eddie loved every second of it.
FINALLY I GET TO POST THIS! Y’all have no clue how excited I am to post this, i’ve been working on it for so long. If you enjoyed the first chapter, leave a like, reblog and maybe a comment? They really show that you like my work and it gives me motivation to update!
I will see you all next Friday with Chapter 2!
Until then
