Your writing is so good, i love all your posts sm!! I was wondering if maybe you could do a dave strider x troll!reader, were he finds out(somehow??) that trolls have sensitive horns(not sexual ofc), please?
IM SORRY I KEEP DISAPPEARING...
DAVE STRIDER ⥠TROLL! READER
you were matesprits with THE Dave Strider. The creator of sweet bro and hella jeff, and sick rhymer. That's not it, you're currently out getting groceries for your anniversary? You felt so cool. You were mid-isle when you saw the apple juice section, thinking specifically of your matesprit. You checked the list he sent you, looking over it to see if he added it. He didn't, but fuck it, why wouldn't you treat him to even more of his favorite drink? You continued shopping after chucking it in your cart accidentally.
When you checked out, you walked home. You didn't need to get much, just a few necessities you ran out of. You didn't have to walk long, as you were there already. You opened the door, it not being locked due to your lovely matesprit being home. You shouted out to him the signature âI'm home!â most people do in movies. You hear his chair roll and footsteps quickly heading towards the stairs. You placed the groceries down, getting everything out while purposefully hiding the apple juice.
âYo, welcome home,â he said, walking over to you. âDid you get anything extra?â he usually asked that question, and you understood his curiosity.
âYeah, I got you apple juice. A whole jug!â you said, pulling it out of the bag you hid it in. He reached out for it, but you kept it out of his reach. You were significantly taller than him, since you were different species.
âDude.. Give it!â he jumped to grab it, failing miserably. He then sighed, trying to use you to lift himself to grab the jug. He grabbed your horn softly, letting go almost instantly as you gasped and sucked your teeth in a sort of hiss.
âYo dude⌠you good? I didn't hurt you, did I?â he asked, looking you over. You didn't look hurt to him, but the sound you made was not one of pure happiness and joy.
âYeah⌠yeah I'm good,â you said after collecting yourself from the shock. âTrolls' horns are just⌠reeaally sensitiveâ you admitted, elongating the vowels in the word really.
âOh,â he responded, seeming lost in thought for a moment. âSo⌠are you like a bird? Are you like⌠yâknow?â
âNo, Dave. Just- ew.âŚâ you giggled, just smiling as you began to put the groceries away with your matesprit, Dave Strider.
I would've done a lot of this on 4/13 but⌠I was kinda at a concert that day. So take this as an apology. Thank you!
Sorry for such a long gap, I had a crippling bout of writerâs block and then it was suddenly a month later. But Iâm pleased to announce I havenât forgotten how to write :)
You look down warily at the creature scratching at the base of the tree youâre perched in.
This little guy is nothing like that one scary hexopard etched in your memory- the one that supplied the material for your beloved winter cloak.Â
You sigh at the sight of the creatureâs plush fur. You left that cloak behind when you fled the settlement, despite it being one of your favorite belongings. It just didn't feel right to take it with you after⌠everything⌠but the biting cold is really making you wish you had caved and brought it along anyway.Â
This smaller hexopardâs scavenging around for food at its leisure, driven to snack on anything it can get its hands on easily to bulk up for the coming hibernation, but itâs not in a hurry.Â
Because itâs not currently driven mad by post-hibernation hunger and aggression, you can probably distract it enough that it wonât view you as a tasty morsel to snack on and youâll be able to slip away. You just need something enticing enough to hold its interestâŚ
Then, looking down at its twitching nose, you realize that its sensitive sense of smell has probably picked up on the dried venison jerky in your pack. Your theory is all but confirmed when you pull out the pouch where your rations are from within, and you swear you can see its eyes light up.
âAlright, buddy. Follow these and not me, okay?â You say, looking for a good place to toss them. Then, you wind up your arm as best you can in your position, and chuck the pouch into the woods in the opposite direction.
The hexopard immediately lets off the tree and lumbers after the pouch, tail swishing behind it as it loudly crashes unbidden through the underbrush.
After a few moments of observation, you slip down the tree gingerly, hoping to not become more interesting than the alluring scent of dried meat. When you get to the bottom, youâre relieved to see the creature so fully engrossed in your ration pouch that you might as well not exist any longer, its snout fully covered as it roots in the opening of the leather. You sneak off quietly while you still have the chance.Â
Once you get far enough away, you resume your trek at a faster pace. After another hour or so of traveling, you grin from ear to fluffy ear as the sight of the river comes into view.Â
Salvation.
Your pace picks up without you even thinking about it, your morale boosted by something going right for once. Your tail curls behind you in a delight.
Youâre not exactly thrilled at having to give up your only food supplies; yet youâre alive and no longer lost, and that seems like a pretty good trade-off.
Now, all thatâs left is to follow the river back to town. Then, this whole ordeal will be over. Youâll be back to your old life, though now enjoying the increase in station in the guild pulling off such a momentous task surely will earn you. Who knows, maybe theyâll even splurge on a feast to celebrate!Â
Now that does sound good right now.
Think about something else, you urge yourself. You need to force yourself to stop, lest your mouth start watering. Anything else⌠The grumbling of your stomach is distracting enough already.Â
But itâs no use, youâve fallen down the mental rabbit hole, and now only thinking of all the things youâd like to eat when you get back. Youâre swept up in thoughts of whole roasted suckling pig and honeyed chestnut sweetbread⌠braised venison with cherry glaze and grilled root vegetables⌠seeded crackers with soft cheese and over-slathered with homemade berry jamâŚÂ
Hell, youâll even take marinated eggs right nowâŚ
You wipe your mouth on your sleeve. It takes you a moment for it to sink in, but those are all things that youâve been eating at the stronghold that youâre craving, not things you miss from home. All of your memories of food you miss from the past are so fuzzy. Itâs hard to remember anything of note, past vague, smeared memories of nostalgic meals you ate when you were very young.
And when you get back⌠you probably wonât eat Orcish food again. At least not for a while.
Itâs⌠fine.
Youâll be home, soon. And you wonât have to think about any of this ever again.
LAST SPRING
âSurely thereâs something I can help you with.â Your tail swishes in agitation behind you, a clearly visible indicator of your emotional state. âYouâre just being difficult.â
âUrgh- Donât you have something better to do than bug me?â Torg rumbles, running his good hand down his face in annoyance. "Work to finish? Anything?"
His arm is still in a sling from the hunting incident. And true to his nature, he's being an absolute ass about accepting any help.
"I've already filled my quota today." You say smugly, hands planted on your hips. It's one of the rare days you've finished early and without incident, and you're quite pleased with yourself about it.
"Good, you should be off enjoying the nice weather while itâs here, rather than nagging me in this stuffy office."
"Just let me help you, you stubborn oaf!" You lean over the desk, slapping your hands down on the papers in front of him. Your loosely laced shirt hangs off you a bit with the movement. The new clothes you had made for the warm weather donât quite fit you as close as you typically wear your shirts- the tailors here still arenât quite used to your non-orc proportions.
Torg simply stares down at you in perturbed silence. Youâve gotten much more comfortable with the way you communicate with Torg since the hunting trip, but he is your superior. For a moment, you wonder if youâve gone too far..
"...Torg?"
"...Fine." He grumbles, now looking at anything but you.
He really must be prideful if accepting your help makes him this uncomfortableâŚ
"Shop taxes are due, but I don't think I'll have time to visit each one today." He makes a list of names on a sheet of paper. "You can knock out some of the collections for me."
"You're trusting me with handling funds?" You scoff.
"When you put it like that you're really making me second guess it." He chuckles, but slides the paper across to you nonetheless. "But I do trust you, if you can believe it. They'll already have the gold ready in pouches. You just have to collect them and bring them back here."
"Alright. Leave it to me." You take the paper with a grin, filled with a sense of victory at having convinced him to let you help.
He grunts and goes back to what he was doing.Â
You can barely refrain from rubbing your hands together in glee on your way out. If the big man of the settlement trusts you with funds of all things, it looks like you're making progress towards your goal. Maybe having a reason to poke around more shops will give you more of an idea of where the item you're looking for isâŚ
The first stop is close enough: a short walk to the tailor's shop, nearby in the middle of the settlement.
"Good afternoon ladies!" You say cheerily as you enter the colorful shop. Granny Ghorza is taking a break from her loom, sweeping the floor instead. She's become one of your favorite orcs here; sheâs a funny old bat and makes the best sweets in the whole settlement, to boot. "The good looks must really run in the family."
Her young adult granddaughter manning the counter balks a little at the blatant flirting, but gives you a courteous smile. She's a nice enough woman, though shy and a bit forgettable. Her name eludes you at the momentâŚ
"Mmhm, and how are your new spring shirts fitting dearie? I might have to add some modesty stitches if you're going to wear it unlaced like that, ohohoh!" She cackles, using the broom handle to pull at the front of your partially open, billowy shirt. "Looks a little breezy, you might catch a cold- or worse, someoneâs attention, eheheh!â
"Ahah- They fit perfectly fine, thank you!" You act scandalized, pinching the gaping collar closed and pressing the broom handle away, before you turn to approach the counter.
"Um, what brings you here today? I don't think you have any orders waiting to be picked up..." Ghorza's granddaughter says meekly with a polite smile, looking through the ledger book at the counter. "Your items are⌠hard to forget, since they don't use up much fabricâŚ"
"Ah, I'm here to collect your tax dues." You explain. "Since Boss is still healing."
"Oh. So⌠He isn't coming today, then�" The young woman asks, in a curiously forlorn tone.
"Afraid not. Though, I assure you I am perfectly capable of safely transporting a gold pouch." You say and let out a friendly laugh.
"I see, I see. About time the man let someone give him a hand once in a while." Ghorza gives you a toothless smile. "Would you be a dear get him the dues, Murgol? The pouch is ready in the top drawer."
Murgol twists the hem of her shirt in her hands in displeasure, looking like she's about to break into tears at any moment. Then her lip quivers, and she unceremoniously flees the room, sniffling.
Thereâs an awkward moment of silence that seems to stretch out far too long for your liking before Ghorza speaks again.
"Mmgh, that girlâŚ" Ghorza shakes her head in reproach.Â
"Is she⌠going to be alright?" Clearly something upset her quite badly, but you don't think you said anything that egregious⌠"I hope I didn't offend her�"
"Oh, don't worry about it. She's sensitive when things don't go her way, but she'll live." She shuffles behind the counter, hobbling into her granddaughter's previous spot. "Let me get you the gold, dearie."
You leave the tailor shop, eating a slice of candied apricot-studded sweetbread that Ghorza definitely forced on you and you only took because you were guilted into taking. You scratch the tailorâs family name off your list as you reflect on the strange interaction with the seamstresses.Â
You like to think you're quite astute when it comes to social intelligence, but you just can't put your finger on what may have been the trigger of her outburst.
Oh well. Perhaps she's just going through something personal?
You put the interaction out of your mind and head to the next place on your list.
You walk into the blacksmith's next. Luckily she doesn't seem to be too busy as the shop is currently devoid of customers, with her hammering out something at the anvil.
Youâve been friendly with her ever since prepping for the hunting trip. Apparently Lurog and her are good friends, and she was kind enough to let you use her shop to create the arrowheads you needed for your trial. You buy them directly from her now, chatting a while every time you come to replenish your supply.
"Hello Burzgob," You speak up so she can hear above the metal clanking. "Amazing job you're doing there."
âThanks, little guy. I'm guessing you're not here to buy? Donât think you used up all those arrowheads from the other day already. âŚAt least I hope."
"Nope, I'm here to collect tax dues. I'm helping Boss out since he's still injured. Two hands better than one, or so they say."
She guffaws, setting the hammer down and pulling her gloves off before wiping her hands on her apron.
"Oh, damn. I was expecting him to be the one to drop by." She rubs her cheek with the back of her hand, still managing to smear soot there as well. âBummer.â
"Spirits, you're not the first to feel that way today!" You say in exasperation. "I'm starting to think no one wants to see meâŚ"
"Hahah! Nothing personal, trust me!" She grins and pats your shoulder, getting soot on your shirt as well. "Had something I needed to ask him."
"Oh, I see." You nod, and without missing a beat, nonchalantly add; "About what?"
"Hah! So nosy! Sorry, little guy. I like you, but it's a secret."
"Drat. Well, I triedâŚ" You let out a performative sigh and shrug.
"Hey, uh⌠you're pretty close with Boss though, right?"
âŚAre youâŚ?
You hadn't really considered it before, but over the course of training and especially after the hunting trip, you've definitely gotten used to his presence. You have something akin to a friendship now; or at least, what must look like one from a spectator's point of view. Heâs quick to help you with anything, but he seems to be that way with all of the people in his charge. Though, at the very least, he trusts you enough to let you help him with this task, when asking for help with his own tasks seems to be something he does very seldomly..
"I suppose you could say that." You conclude.
"Can you deliver something to him for me, since you're going back there anyway?"
"Sure, I don't see why not."
"Great! I owe you one, bud." Burzgob's face lights up as she grins, the silver caps on her tusks glinting. She returns and hands you a tied bundle with a letter tucked under the string. It smells like perfume. "Uh, promise you wonât read it, okay?"
You fervently promise you wonât, then bid her goodbye and leave the blacksmith's.
You have a similar experience at the tanner's, then the bakerâs⌠and then the chandlerâsâŚ
Somehow, this seemingly easy task has left you feeling like a withered corpse. Luckily for you, however, seeing which family runs the last business on the list fills you with a sense of ease.Â
The shop bell jingles as you enter, and youâre immediately awash with the pleasant scent of soap, as well as a heady mix of any sort of cosmetic salve, wax or powder you can think up.
Your self care routine took a little adjustment, being out in the wilds, now. So many of their products were completely foreign to you at first. But despite the slight learning curve, youâve honestly never felt better. You werenât exactly taking the best care of yourself while hopping from flophouse to flophouse that belonged to your guild; you barely had the resources to keep yourself fed, let alone buying overpriced soaps and perfumes. But here, things arenât too expensive, despite being handmade and about as locally sourced as something can be.
Lurog is sitting behind the counter of her family's salon, seemingly counting out the till while the shop is closing down for the evening around her.
"Hey." If she's surprised to see you, she doesn't show it. "We're closed. But if you want your hair done I can do it for you when I'm done here."
"Oh, is that Boss?" You hear one of Lurog's several younger sisters call out from farther inside the shop.
"Is he finally here?!" Another one chimes in and peeks her head around the divider.
"No! False alarm." A third one sweeping her station sighs. "Just the little kitty cat."
You quirk an eyebrow at the reception, but everyone but Lurog has gone back to chatting over their tasks.
"I might just take you up on that offer, I'm getting a little scraggly⌠Not what I'm here for, though. Boss sent me to collect your dues."
Lurog nods in understanding, but your attention is on the loud, spirited gossiping in the shop behind her as the women discuss their displeasure at this development amongst themselves.
"Don't mind them." Lurog shakes her head in admonishment. "They're just mad because they wanted the chance to flirt with Boss."
âFlirt?â You scoff. âTaxes really get their motors running, huh?â
âHah.â Lurog rolls her eyes. âNo, theyâre just all desperate to find men to torment.â
"Oh." You say, wheels starting to turn in your head. "Do you think that's what's going on with everywhere else I've stopped today too�"
"Wouldn't doubt it. Boss would be a catch for a lot of the women in the stronghold." Lurog says simply, retrieving the gold pouch and sliding it to you over the counter. "Midsummer festival's coming up. Big time for romance. But Boss is either real picky or just not into it. Hasnât taken any of them up on the offer yet⌠But he also hasnât explicitly turned anyone down.â
âAh, but then⌠Why are they all still asking? Wouldnât he just ask who heâd like to and be done with it, if he wanted to court anyone?â
âBecause with orcs itâs up to the one thatâs gonna be taking it-â She smirks and makes an incredibly crude gesture with her hands. âTo ask to start the courtship, or whatever you wanna call it.â
âReally now?â You feel your eyebrows raise in curiosity. âWhy is that?â
âUnh-uh.â Lurog shrugs. âJust how we do it, I guess."Â
Well, that certainly explains why you havenât been getting invitations to share anyoneâs bed, despite being as gorgeous and alluring as you are. What would a full-fledged orc want from you, with so many massive, hunky orc men around to choose from?
But that means you have the power to try to lure a man in.
Hmm⌠if you were to ask out one of the right orcs, you might have better access to off limits areas for your searchâŚ
Lurog must notice the spark of an idea in your eye of how to use your newfound power, because she quickly adds; "You should wait until the festival to harass any men. Better success rate."
âYou know, youâre actually very helpful when you want to be.â You grin at her. âItâs a shame you donât often want to be.â
âThanks.â She snorts in a deadpan tone. âI wish I could say the same.â
You finish your friendly ribbing with Lurog, more than ready to haul back the large rucksack of gold and the almost nearly as large, cumbersome pile of offerings for Torg, and be done with this task.
You can't help but get into your own head about what's happened during this excursion while you make your way back. You can feel the irritation growing the more you dwell on it, your tail twitching behind you.Â
All of the shop owners on your list were women. Specifically, women that seem to be interested in Torg. It seems far too unlikely to be a coincidence- you doubt that many of the shops in the settlement are run by eligible women fawning over Torg.
More importantly, why does it upset you so much?Â
JealousyâŚ? Because youâre lonely?
It must be that- because he apparently has a queue of women asking to court him when none of the male orcs in the settlement even look at you twice.
âŚRight. That must be all it is.
You're still a bit grumpy about it as you return to Torg's office.
"Here you are." You set down the pack with the gold pouches inside and the bundle of gifts on his desk with a heavy sigh.Â
"Thanks for the help." He says, then noticing your clearly negative mood, he looks up from his task. "I hope it wasn't too much of a pain."
"No, it was easy enough.â You grumble, and go on to quip as you nonchalantly examine your cuticles; âThough⌠if you wanted me to host a meeting of your fanclub, you could've just asked."
"That bad?" He looks genuinely sheepish, scratching the edge of his beard.
"It was pretty bad." You put your hands on your hips, deciding that you'll give him a bit more of a hard time. "A lot of disappointed ladies giving me shit for not being you."
"I'm sorry. If I knew it would bother you, I wouldn't have given you that task."
"Apology accepted, but it seemsâŚâ You make a noise in disgust. âA tad unkind to lead so many people on like this, doesnât it? It's not like you at all."
"I'm- Ugh. I'm not leading anyone on. At least I'm not trying to-" He runs a hand through his hair in discomfort. "I am Chieftain, I can't have so many of my people holding a grudge against me for rejecting them romantically. It would be disruptive, so I thought it would be best for me to just ignore any of these crushes some of the younger women have on me."
"It must be difficult being so popular with the ladiesâŚ" You say dryly.
"Hey, poke fun all you want, but it can be. Someone will be hurt regardless of what choice I make."
"Why not⌠Oh, I donât know⌠pick one, then, and get it over with? Then the ones you don't pick can accept it and move on, rather than holding onto false hope."
"It's not that simpleâŚ"
"It sure seems like it is!" You chuckle. "How is it not the simplest thing?"
"Because I am not interested in any of them."
"You're telling me you have your pick of half of the young, gorgeous Orcish women in this stronghold throwing themselves at your feet," You lean over the desk and gesture to the bag of offerings on his desk. "And not one of them meets your standards?"
"No." He says heavily, clearly weary from the ongoing nature of this conversation. âAre you satisfied? Can you end this interrogation now?â
"...Okay." You relent, incredulous, but still accept his words. You've grilled him enough, you suppose.
A small smile has taken up residence on your face.Â
Short Officer Troll Reader x Wild Gamzee (+ NSFT Headcanon)
You're a troll enforcer of sorts, tasked with 'taking care' of out-of-control trolls who are a menace to the populace of whichever company/workplace that needs it. You got a case about a giant troll, suspected to be a low blood due to the area, skulking through an old factory and claiming victims that work in the new building next door.
You gear up and begin working on trying to trace him. The job's not hard, as there is a trail of empty, dried pie pans littered about, leading you down deep inside the rusty walls. You're now in the basement, on high alert.
It's messy, with walls smeared in colorful blood depicting archaic looking doodles of stick figures and clown faces. This rings alarm bells for you; a purple-blood is TERRIFYING to deal with by yourself. You NEED to get out-
A low, rumbling noise. Like the broken, crackling purr of an old engine revving.
"OOooOH! LoOks LIkE I GoT A VIsItOr!
He's here-
Behind you.
You're afraid to turn around but you force yourself to. There's still a chance to run if you can slip past him-
Even in the darkness, you can tell he'sâŚ. Huge. Skinny, but intimidating as he looms a bit closer. There's a glint from his teeth as he continues talking.
"MoTHErFuCKIng GREAT. A MoTHERfUCKEr WAs AbOUt To NeED to GeT SOmeONE SoOn AnYWaYS."
He takes a step. The shadows slowly spill from him, giving you more details thanks to the low light in the room. His dirty clothes.
Another step.
His shaggy hair.
Another.
His distorted face.
A smile contorted with low eyes that looked tired even under his makeup.
The already distorted smile became more ugly as he met your eyes. He lifted a hand to his cheek, scratching it and smudging it more.
"WOaH." A hoarse laugh erupted from his chest. "AND yOuârE CuTe! FuCKiNg sCorE!"
You didn't like the turn in his expression. His eyes glinted with excitement and his breathing had gotten rougher. You HAD to get out.
You got your weapon. He laughed again and licked his lips.
"MmmMmM, GReAT." Heâs once again moving towards you, teeth showing, arms outstretched. "I WaNt yOu tO SqUIRm.'
~
Cut to Gamzee picking you up and fucking you from behind against the wall, both feet of the ground as he grunts in your ear, screaming and growling and laughing as he tells you how grateful he is for the help in 'taking the edge off'. How lucky he is YOU found him. How you may keep struggling and crying but heâs NOT LETTING YOU GO, he grips your thighs so hard it pierces the skin at the very thought of being without you again. Youâre too good, too fun, the perfect new substitute for a good time :o)
~
Gamzee NSFW Headcanon:
Man def loves swapping spit, like he fucking DROOLS into his kisses. The sloppiest of make outs, even giving you Sopor by forcing your mouth open and dripping it from his mouth in like some fucked up momma-bird-feeding-her-chicks kinda way; he gets a kick out of doing it. He wants you to swallow everything he gives, from his mouth to his bulge, just like he slurps up yours.
Could you write dirk/reader. Reader is a gender neutral troll. Dirk tenderly fixes their cybernetics, and then they kiss.
sorry this took me like a million years to write, ive been having major writers-block lately. But here you go, hope you enjoy.
Dirk Strider x GN Troll reader
Summary: During the game Dirk and (Y/N) have gotten closer. This has led to (Y/N) gaining red feelings for the human. Human courtship is hard, and especially with Dirk whose main mission appears to cut himself off from his emotions. In hopes of spending time together, (Y/N) brings their busted husktop to Dirk. Little do they know, the human might not feel as pale as the troll thinks.
I wasnât completely sure what you meant with cybernetics, so I went with what I thought it meant. I normally would write Dirk with a male reader, but i tried to keep it gn :)
I wanted to keep it up to the reader what blood caste the reader is.
I tried to use troll slang as best as I could remember it.
(Y/N) had been chatting with multiple of their friends on their husktop, when the stupid machine had stopped working. It went as far as to start smoking and making suspicious noises. This was normal of course, and normally the troll would have gone to Sollux for help. But during the conversation (Y/N) had been having, Rose and to some extent Kanaya had been helping them with their flushed feelings for a certain anime shade wearing human.
(Y/N) felt colour rise to their cheeks as they thought of Dirk. The normally stoic human had wormed his way into the trolls Blood pusher, and caused the troll to struggle with feelings they had never felt before. During the game the two had had quite the complicated relationship, in the words of the other humans. But to (Y/N)s fellow trolls it had been quite normal.
(Y/N) and Dirk had disliked, but respected, each other in the beginning, the feelings soon brewing into a kismesis relationship. But as the game ended, the black feelings melted into red. A bright burning red that made the troll dizzy at times. (Y/N) knew Dirk didnât feel black feelings anymore either, but they were sure he felt pale towards (Y/N).
They shook off their suddenly spiralling thoughts and got to their feet. They pulled on a jacket, and tucked the now non-smoking husktop under their arm. Making their way through their new hive, which they built after the game, and soon arrived at their transportalizer. Stepping ontop of the circle, the troll was gone with a flash.
(Y/N) materialised near Dirks entrance and began their climb to where they assumed the human would be, His workshop. Some of Dirkâs machinery must have told him of the trollâs arrival, since he seemed to be expecting them when they entered. He had his face buried in whatever he was working on, but he at least greeted them with a âyoâ.
âHey Dirk, need your expertise. My husktop fucked up again, and Sollux is busyâ (Y/N) announced, making their way over to the table where the human was tinkering. Actually, (Y/N) didnât know if their gold-blooded friend was busy or not, but it was a great excuse, because the troll didnât want to admit that they just wanted to spend time with Dirk.
Dirk glances up from his work, and it was then that (Y/N) noticed he wasnât wearing his shades. Their eyes met, and the troll immediately felt colour gather in their face as the bright orange eyes turned in their direction. (Y/N) was at a loss for words, but Dirk didnât seem to notice as he reached for the broken machine. âLet me see, give it hereâ he said, the troll dumbly handing it over as they kept staring at Dirks face.
And as quickly as he had turned towards them, he turned his back on them. It seemed he immediately went to work, pulling tools out and picking at the busted husktop. (Y/N) didnât know what to say, as they felt feelings bubbling up their throat. They feared if they opened their mouth, theyâd spill all their secrets, and end up confessing and ruining their friendship with Dirk.
(Y/N) finally just decided to flop down on one of the beanbags in the room, that was turned towards a flatscreen with a gaming system attached. They picked up a controller and started playing the weird skating game Dirk had plugged in, grumbling, and growling to themselves as the character on screen didnât want to follow what they wanted.
Behind them at the workbench, Dirk finally got the husktop to work again. As the screen flickered on, the trolls Pesterchum appeared. The colours on the screen made it obvious (Y/N) had been talking to someone. From the looks of it, those being Rose and Kanaya. Dirk squinted slightly, starting to scroll through the conversation when he saw his name mentioned multiple times.
Normally he wouldnât be one to snoop, but he couldnât help but start reading it closer. A blush slowly rose to Dirks cheeks as his eyes ran over the words. There were long paragraphs of (Y/N) talking about their feelings for him, and how they didnât know how to deal with them. There were even longer paragraphs of Rose and Kanaya trying to help them, in their own way.
Dirk glanced over his shoulder at the troll who was now raging at Tony Hawk being flung across the screen and glitching into walls. The warmth in his face grew, and he shut the husktop again as he saw Rose send another paragraph. He picked his sunglasses off his workbench, and put them on in an attempt to hide his expression.
(Y/N) glanced over as Dirk sat down in the beanbag beside them. âI uh⌠fixed your husktop. It looked like Rose really wanted to talk to youâ the human said, softly clearing his throat as he glanced off to the side. The troll froze, the controller going still in their hands. Panic bubbled in their chest at the thought of dirk seeing their messages with the other person.
They drop the controller and turn to Dirk, their face going bright with their bloodcolour as they blush. (Y/N) starts waving their hands around and coming up with excuses, trying to cover what they were saying to Rose and Kanaya, in hopes of saving their friendship. Their face got brighter with their colour, as Dirk turned to them and was red in the face himself. Finally (Y/N) went quiet, and dropped their hands in their lap, eyes gluing onto the floor.
âI⌠im sorry Dirk. I didnt wanna⌠I didnât want to make you uncomfortable by telling you. Im sure you donât feel the same, so id rather we stay friends than me forcing my dumb flushes feelings on you, you know. I-â The troll kept rambling, fumbling with their hands as they claws dug at their nails. They were cut off by Dirk moving forward and softly pressing their lips together. The troll went silent, eyes wide as they felt the warmth of Dirk getting close to them.
They didnât know what to do with their hands, and Dirk seemed to be put off by them not reacting and moved to pull away. (Y/N) snapped out of their stupor, and threw their arms around his neck and pulled him close again, shutting their eyes tight and kissing the human harder and more passionately than before.
Hello !, I love your writings and I have wanted to ask you for one for a long time but you had the orders closed, now that they are open, I would like to order one, maybe one where s / o and Bular are parents, and their son is a stereotype of a rebellious teenager and what it would be like to deal with it. (? ps: sorry for my lousy English.
Leaning against Bular after a long day you hum seeing he's upset. He grunts in response and you smile looking up at him. He chuffs staring down at you annoyed. Your hand reaches up and gently strokes his face before giving his horns a good scratch.
"He's a lot like his dad." You state knowing he's upset about the fight. Bular hisses and you chuckle still smiling even as your husband glares at you. "Boys will be boys Bular. Gunmar told me many tales of you acting the exact same way." You state with confidence.
Chuffing at you unhappily you lean up to give Bular a kiss. Getting up to leave he growls and grabs you, pulling you towards him. Not saying anything he hides the back of his head behind your neck, rumbling softly as he hides in your hair.
"Bular?" You ask quietly. He huffs pulling you closer. Huffing again he moves his head. He puts it ontop of yours and grumbles softly. "What was that love?" You question confused.
"... I was not this difficult for my father." He repeats and you blink before you let out a chuckle. He whines and you squeeze his hand, showing your being playful and that you still very much love him.
"No I agree." His tail thumps the ground as he purrs happy. Nuzzling you softly you smirk turning to give him a quick kiss before bolting upright. "Gunmar says you were worse." You state running off to find your son before Bular could catch you.
"(Y/N)!" Giggling you go into your sons room smiling softly as he grunts at you. He looked upset and hissed softly but seeing you were out of breath and smiling his tail wagged.
"Really again?" He asks. You nod a big smile on your face and your son huffs knowing you'd just teased dad and won. "My parents are weird." He mumrmers snuggling into his bed furrs. Walking towards your son you give him a forehead kiss and he rumbles happy.
"Yes we are. Dinner will be soon, please be kind to your father." Winking at your son he hums shifting.
"I... I didn't mean what I said." He states suddenly. You nod knowing he hadn't.
"It's okay. We'll talk about it at dinner." Giving your son his privacy you hear Bular huffing and decide to soothe your husband. Your family may act moody and be grumpy on occasions but at least you had each other.
At first, Bular merely took you for the sake of using you as bait. You were Draalâs mate. He was protective of you. You were one of the people he cared about deeply. Thatâs what gave Bular the idea of taking you.Â
Snatching you he figured would be easy. But much to his surprise you put up a fight. A good one too. As you charged towards him, your face filled with anger and determination, he could see why Draal choose you as a mate.Â
After what seemed like an hour of fighting and you nearly escaping he had finally managed to win. He smirked seeing you wither in pain beneath him, . You made one last futile attempt to escape but he lifted you by your hair. He smirked hearing you hiss in pain as he began to drag you away.
You were quite the feisty one. It was hard to lock you up. At this point he wasnât even sure if he wanted to let you go. But his mind was made up when he heard the sound of crashing outside. Draal roared loudly, calling for you and Bular.Â
Bular smirked. A troll like you wasnât something he saw everyday. You wouldnât leave him. It didnât matter if you were Draalâs, he would make you his.
Imagine Barbara talking to dictatious's troll s/o about there used to be evil bfs over coffee ( and Walter and dictatious are totally ease dropping đ)
After the major battle, you at met Jimâs mother. A nice woman named Barbara and you both took the time to chat. Surprisingly you both found much in common, mostly with each otherâs evil significant partners who have recently turned for the good.
You crossed your legs, thanking Barbara who offered you some spare CDâs. You wouldâve asked for glug. A troll drink to go along with your snack, but you doubt a human would even carry such a thing. You nodded your head gingerly, chewing thoughtfully as you listened to Barbaras rant. âThen he placed a Gumm-Gumm spell on me that made us share each others pain!â You made a face, sighing. âSeriously?â Barbara nodded, before sipping her tea aggressively. âI mean, he has changed and is a better man but back then he was aâŚ.Slime ball.â You hummed, nodding. âDictacious was an impatient troll, but once I learned about his evil doing I did what was rational at the moment.â You bit down on another disc, feeling the satisfying plastic splinter between your teeth. âWhat was that?â The human asked curiously, scooching closer.
You glanced down, swallowing before glancing briefly to the side. âI blinded him.â You stated bluntly. Barbaras shoulders went ridged and her eyes widened. âYou blinded him?â She gasped. âWas thatâŚreally necessary?â You shrugged, crossing your arms.
âIt was the best option in that situation. Besides, hes a helpless child now. Canât hurt a fly.â You leaned over the chair, looking towards the hallway. âIsnât that right, Dictacious? You may was well come out as well, Strickler. You both are terrible at hiding.â
You watched smugly as the two males showed themselves sheepishly. Strickler winced as Barbara started huffing and grouching about not being able to have any personal space around her own home. You glared at Dictacious, who waved his hands in front of him, obviously trying to locate you in the room.
You reached over, placing a hand on his shoulder and immediately the troll latched onto your arm eagerly. âYou shouldnât be spying on us,â You sighed. âYou know you have a long way to go before I can even conciser trusting you again.â
You felt Dictacious tighten his hold. âIâm on your side now,â He whimpered. âIsnât that enough?â
You sighed, before pulling your arm away. âNot even close.â You grunted. âYou have to earn it back, and this is certainly not helping.â You turned, going back to sit on Barbaras sofa.
You wake with a confused snort. The only thing keeping you from tumbling to the forest floor below is your superb cat-like reflexes, your hands automatically darting out and gripping the branch you're perched on.
Your fingernails dig into the cold bark as your bleary mind tries to make sense of what happened. All around you are the snowcapped tops of evergreens. Much of the same sight from before you fell asleep has been blurred white by the flurries.
As you look around, the small pile of gathered snow falls from atop the hood of your cloak. Before you can get a firm grasp on your bearing, youâre distracted by a strange noise.
What is that�
You freeze in place as you realize the sound is crunching snow.Â
Nearby.
Footsteps? There's something moving around on the ground below you.
You look down, expecting to see a band of enraged orcs gathering around to shake you out of the tree and beat you to a fine pulp, but instead you see the hulking, striped form of a young winter-coated hexopard, sniffing around the base of the tree.Â
It uses the claws on two of its six massive paws to dig at the bark, leaving large gouges in the hard surface of the tree like nothing more than lukewarm, spreadable butter.Â
Damn. Thatâs a problem!
You bite your thumbnail in worry, mind racing for a solution.
The overgrown creature below you rears up, leaning its full weight on the tree and causing the wood to creak and groan. It stretches out its neck, following a scent thatâs drawing it up the tree. Its twitching nose would be a great deal more adorable if it wasnât the size of your fist and above a maw full of razor sharp fangs that could snap your bones like brittle twigs.
The way it's behaving, itâs either going to climb up, or the tree is going to snap under its weight and bring you crashing to the ground with it from a tall height.Â
Terror settles in your gut, but you manage to stay calm. You absolutely have to figure out how to handle this - lest you end up as this creature's next meal, or broken from a fall from this height.
LAST SPRING
âAnd remember, the most important part of staying safe is being aware of your surroundings.â Torgâs deep voice easily projects out over the group without being too loud. âThatâs why we hunt in pairs; Two sets of eyes always see more than one.â
You're in a newly set up hunting camp, listening to Torg address your little group; you, and eight tweenaged orclings. All of them are somehow scarily buff, despite barely being out of single digits in age. Some of them are already taller than you, and all of them are already wider.
While Torg talks, you take one last chance to look over your new bow.
It took some time and a lot of effort to finish it. Urgukâs family trade is carpentry, as it turns out. So, you spent a lot of afternoons trying to shape a usable riser and set of limbs out of hunks of wood, using machines in his familyâs workshop that youâve never even seen before, let alone knew how to use. But Urguk was more than happy to show you, and while heâs not the best at verbal instructions; he certainly makes up for that in enthusiasm. After several sessions, friction burns and splinters later, you ended up with a bow that was nearly functional.Â
And even more lucky for you, Lurog is much better at giving instructions, and used their experience braiding to help you make your bowstring. She effortlessly knew the amount of strands youâd need for a light enough draw weight for you. Coating the strands in beeswax and braiding them together was the easy part, after that.
And now you have a new, practically shining weapon, tailor made by your own hand to suit your strengths. The first time you practiced with it after it was made, Torg was nearly blown away with how big of an improvement it made on your aim. You certainly didnât have to quit mid-quiver, now.
And you have to admit, the admiration and praise from him felt quite niceâŚ
Finally, itâs time to get to business after weeks of crash course training; youâre more than ready to see what the bow you slaved hours over can do. Youâre aching to see the culmination of the daunting task of crafting an entire functioning weapon by hand, that you only managed to accomplish with the help of your friends.
Your friendsâŚ?Â
Ugh. When did you start calling them that?Â
It's not a good idea to get attached like thisâŚ
âAlright, is everyone ready?â
Your much younger compatriots' energetic voices sound around you in a loud and discordant, though affirmative, chorus.Â
â...Absolutely!â You add a few seconds late.
Torg finishes addressing the group. The bubbling excitement of the youngsters youâre surrounded by is truly contagious, a pleasant buzz of activity in the back of your mind.Â
The kids disperse with their chaperones - whom respectively give you a reassuring, tusky grin and a lazy thumbs up - as they pass with their charges in tow.
It seems that this year, things have been restructured to account for your presence. Urguk and Lurog are acting as chaperones for the four pairs of young orcs, there only to confirm their kills and to act as support if anything goes wrong. This is usually solely Torg's job, but they seem excited to be sharing the responsibility this time. Youâre a bit surprised that some of the more seasoned hunters weren't the ones doing this job, but it occurs to you after some thought that theyâre probably busy doing their own hunting, now that spring is here.
That left Torg open to act as both your chaperone and your hunting partner. Though you still have to make a solo kill, he'll be your second set of eyes.Â
âŚYou get the feeling he made things this way to shield anyone else from the potential mishap you're likely to cause, deciding instead to take any resulting damage that may result himself.Â
You huff at the thought. Youâll show him.
You suppose itâs for the best. Over the last few weeks of archery practice, you think heâs gotten a lot more relaxed with you, and heâs not the worst company to be stuck with in the woods for an extended period⌠At least youâll be safe if anything happens, you try to convince yourself thatâs the only reason.
The chaperones and pairs of orclings gradually depart from camp. You're left with only your own chaperone/hunting partner, alone in the newly verdant forest clearing.
âA rousing speech as always.â You grin and gesture to your own sleek face. âI like what youâve done with the beard.â
âHmm, thanks.â He rubs the short, newly trimmed shape of his facial hair. âI always cut it back this time of year. Otherwise it collects pollen and Iâm sneezing all the time.â
âI see.â You smile, thinking of his thick, dark hair dusted yellow-green instead of the sleek, neatly-trimmed thing it is now. âLetâs get started, shall we?â
âLead the way,â Torg's mouth takes on a small curl of a wry smile before adding, "Boss."
You can't help but laugh, and make your way through the trees, as well, though you head in the opposite direction of the other group.
It takes you a long time to find any hint of a wild animal, even despite it being the season when nature is bursting at the seams with young rabbits, elk yearlings and various types of fowl.
You finally manage to find clear traces of a hooved herbivore grazing. Between the hoof prints in the soft areas of ground and the occasional mark of antler velvet being rubbed against trees, you determine it's most likely an elk. You follow the signs as best you can through the woods, following the path the creature took likely some hours earlier.
After a while of tracking, you crest a small incline, and through the twiggy branches you can make out the form of your quarry. A young male elk grazes in the fresh spring grass of the area below the overhanging slope you stand on.
It's a bit big for you to take down on your own with only your light bow, and you can basically hear Torg thinking the same thing behind you. You had expected to kill a hare or maybe a spring quail, but this elk is the first living creature besides Torg you've laid eyes on for several hours.Â
You need to get this one. Your ego wonât let you pass it up.
But itâs angled slightly towards you. If you shoot it like this, your arrow wonât be able to get past the elkâs shoulder bone - resulting in a long, messy death, rather than a quick and much less painful one for either of you.
You nock an arrow and line up your shot, steadying your breathing and waiting for the elk to move to a better position.Â
And finally it does, turning broadside to reach what must be a particularly succulent looking patch of grass.
Your arm doesn't shake anymore when you draw back the string.Â
You hold your breath and loose the arrow - just as the deer turns slightly back towards you.
The arrow hits it and stays lodged behind its shoulder. Luckily the arrow didnât glance off the bone, but itâs closer to the front of the animal rather than where it needs to be on the side.
The elk lets out an alarmed bellow and bounds off through the woods, leaving a bright red sanguinous trail to follow.Â
"Dammit-" You hiss in irritation, rising hastily from your crouch to tail the wounded animal.
"Don't worry." You hear Torg encourage in uncharacteristic low volume as you pass by him. "You'll get it."
You track the cervid once again, this time slightly easier given the literal colored line leading you to it. After nearly another hour of following the trail through the brush, you come to a clearing.Â
You walk out into the middle of the empty space, where the blood trail immediately stops dead, ending in a large collected pool on the grass with no indication of anything leaving it. Somehow, there is no sign of the wounded elk anywhere.
The clearing is devoid of movement and sound - all the sounds of small animals moving through the brush and bird calls have completely stopped.
Itâs downright creepy.
You approach the bloodstained area, not caring to avoid the cracking twigs under your boot while you crouch beside the ominous puddle to investigate.Â
Itâs blood, alright. But the trail seemingly leads to nowhere. You stand back up, irritated. Your tail swishes angrily, slapping at the grass at your feet with the end of each twitching arc.
You did everything right! Why are things going wrong now?
âWhat in the hell-?â You motion widely with your hands, palms up. âDid it get up and fly away, then?! Maybe it ascended to heaven!â
âWait-â Torg says your name in a stern voice as he reaches the edge of the clearing behind you.
A large glob of something wet drips into the middle of your outstretched palm.
Your eyes dart to the source of the wetness, a rivulet of red now slowing tracking down the tendon in your wrist.
Blood.
Your head snaps up, and you see the now lifeless corpse of the elk, now half-eaten, with one of your arrows still buried in its shoulder. Itâs lodged into the crook of one of the branches of the large tree overhanging the clearing, legs and antlers dangling limply.
âW-W-What in the hell!â You wheeze out again, paralyzed by fear, your legs planted firmly to the ground.
âDonât turn around. Back up. Slowly.â Torg continues, deadly serious.
Your legs just arenât listening to your command to function. They may as well be made of jelly.
Even less so when you spot the culprit that stored the elk in the tree.
Glittering, fixed eyes meet yours. A silent behemoth- an adult male hexopard, still clad in winter coat- becomes clear in your vision through the camouflage of the underbrush. Itâs crouched predatorily at the other end of clearing. Lying in wait, ready to launch itself at any moment. A ring of wet crimson coats the fur around its mouth.
You barely choke back the scream, only managing to because your life may depend on it.
âListen-â Torg says your name again, much more desperate this time. âI know it's scary. But you have to move.â
You want to, but you just canât. You canât move, canât bring any words to escape your choked-shut throat.
âIt will be alright. Donât turn your back on it,â Torg repeats, this time both firmer and more pressed, but still somehow comforting. âSlowly. Come to me.â
Unthinking, you tilt your head to look back at Torg- maybe to better plan your escape route, maybe for reassurance- but either way, it is a mistake.
In a snap, the stillness of the situation breaks.Â
Everything moves so fast. The hexopard lurches forward at top speed, covering ground at an alarming pace with its six, agile limbs.
Youâre about to be devoured.
But you donât die horribly - instead youâre slung forcibly out of the way, nearly toppling over your own feet in the process.Â
You stumble to regain your balance as Torg places himself between you and the hexopard. His spear is up between his hands, a horizontal bar smashed into the hinge of the beastâs jaw. It snarls and gnashes, trying to break free from the makeshift bit with fang and claw.
âHrrgh- RUN!â He shouts at you, his arms straining with all they have to keep the massive creature impeded.âRUN NOW!â
You know you should flee, but -
This thing will outrun you in seconds if it gets past Torg, and you canât withstand even a single hit the way he clearly can.
You make a split decision to disobey Torgâs instruction. Your legs instead carry you as fast as possible towards the nearest tree not containing a dead elk, and you hastily begin to scale the tree. If you get up here, you can probably at least hit it with some arrows-
âNO! IT CAN CLIMB!â Torg shouts at you between the snarling heâs doing in an attempt to intimidate the beast, noticing your change in plan. âYOU HAVE TO GET-â
Before Torg can complete his thought, the wooden haft of the weapon holding it back snaps in half with a sickeningly loud crack. The middle of the wooden shaft is crunched to splinters between the animalâs powerful, sharpley fanged jaw. The spearâs body is separated into two ragged pieces.
The hexopard uses the force of the stored up energy releasing to take Torg down, knocking him supine, where it bears down on him.Â
Torg raises the back of his bracer-covered forearm, lodging it in its mouth in the spearâs place, to keep the creature away from his face and throat.
Torg has dropped the blunt end of his spear, but the tipped end stays in his hand as an improvised blade - anything to stab and gouge in an attempt to fight back as he struggles on the ground.
Shit, shit, shit- I have to do something-Â
Or Torgâs going to-Â
Going to-
You can't even bring yourself to even think about it.
You cradle your head in your hands, not even noticing the elk blood youâre smearing in your hair, desperately trying to squeeze a good idea from between your temples.
The hexopardâs jaw finally readjusts its grip and clamps down hard, crunching down full force on Torgâs forearm, and assumingly, straight into bone. Torg lets out a bellow in pain, still striking at the beastâs face and head one handed with all of the strength he has left.
But what can you even do? Your hands canât be trusted to hold your bow with how badly theyâre trembling in abject horror, let alone still being slippery from blood.
Youâre weak and useless, as always-
The predator drops his arm to go for his neck. Torgâs opposite gloved hand holding the creatureâs snout at bay is his last resort to keep the menacing jaws from fully mauling him. You can see cyan-hued blood running down his arm as it tremors, his strength threatening to fail any moment now.
That's when you remember the other weapon you have access to - your trusty dagger, resting concealed on your belt, like it always is.
The beastâs jaws slip past Torgâs grip and snaps forward to rip out his throat. Torg barely manages to turn his head fast enough to survive, instead the fangs piercing the leather armor covering Torg's shoulder and sinking into his flesh.
âHhrngh-!â Torg grits his teeth, struggling in vain to pry the creature's mouth from his deltoid with his hand.Â
Your hesitation is driven away - it may be a stupid idea, but you need to at least try to help before it's too late.
At least if you fail and you both die, you won't have a whole tribe of orcs seeking revenge on you for getting their chieftain killed.
You unsheathe your trusty dagger, holding it with both hands as you quickly adjust your positioning.
You take a deep breath.
Then, you pounce.
A dizzying spin of pale colors swirls in your vision as you descend. The weight of your body drives the full force of your fall through the knife. You land on your feet (of course) on the furred back of the creature with a thump. Your dagger buries into the back of the hexopard's neck, right below the base of the skull, sinking down to straddle the creatureâs back to try to keep yourself from being flung off.
The beast releases its clamp on Torg in surprise. It thrashes and roars in a spray of blood, now fully focused on you. It tries to throw you off or twist back to bite at you, but it's too late.
You continue to leverage the blade with all your body weight until you feel a snap, and the creature lets out one last long, mournful waul before falling completely limp and silent.Â
Breaths wild and heaving, you look at Torg's pale expression of awe below you, momentarily stunned yourself.Â
Then you snap back to your senses, sheathing your blade and rolling off the hexopard's back to help Torg to wriggle free from beneath the beastâs deadweight.
Soon, with your moderate assistance, he's dragged himself clear of being pinned. He holds his palm to the weeping holes in his shoulder, staunching the heavy flow of cool toned blood from his wound.Â
He lets out a low groan as he stubbornly tries to get to his feet with only the use of one of his thick arms.
"Don't stand up yet⌠I-" Your hands don't stop shaking as you dig through your pack, searching for your first aid supplies. The adrenaline in your veins is making all of the heavy emotions feel far away for now. "Let me at least patch you up first."
He grunts affirmatively and leans back against the base of the tree you were just perched in.Â
The first thing you do is hand him one of the healing draughts tucked at the top of the kit.
"Thanks." He pops the cork from the vial with his thumb, draining it one handed before handing back the spent bottle. "Have a feeling I'll need it."
âYeah. I⌠think I wouldâve much preferred the elk maul you.â You say, trying to make light of the situation. âAre horribly dangerous big cats usually skulking around babyâs first hunting trip?â
âNo, they are supposed to have woken up from hibernation and migrated for spring by now. Big guy was probably a late riser and driven mad by the hunger.â
You start to tend to his wounds; youâre not the best medic, but you at least know enough to manage to clean a wound and put on a bandage.
âYour blood is blue too.â You observe with a small laugh, though youâre not sure why you said that of all things.
âYeah-â Torg sucks in a hiss of air at the sting of the antiseptic coated cloth meeting his cuts. âMomâs a troll- A giant.âÂ
âWell, that certainly explains a lot about you.â You work to bandage the large wound first, then any other ones on his arms, hands and face that are profusely leaking. âA bit surprised you didnât mention being half troll by now.â
âCompletely different kind of troll than what you are. Didnât seem important.â
âA troll is still a troll!â You laugh incredulously.
Torg simply rolls his eyes at you, apparently too exhausted to continue to argue.
Then you come to his left arm, which doesn't seem to look quite right.
âYour armâŚâ
âSâbroken.â He says simply, as if he was telling you what he had for breakfast instead of something this upsetting. âNot my first broken bone. Shaman will fix me up.â
After youâve cleaned and bandaged the bite wound under his bracer, you help make a makeshift splint with your unstrung bow.
âAt least this came in handy in some way today.â You chuckle as you begin to tie the strips of cloth to secure his arm to it. It earns an amused snort from him, and youâre happy as long as heâs conscious and interacting.
You work in relative silence after that. You glance up to check heâs still lucid when you see his dark eyes resting on you.
Maybe itâs the flood of emotion rushing back into your brain as the adrenaline wears off, but you canât help but feel incredibly fond of him right now.Â
You also canât help but think - maybe a bit strangely, given the current circumstances - that he looks very handsome, even like this.
âYes?â You say, smirking, your ears twitching as you try to banish the strange thought.
â...You didnât run when I told you.â Torg admonishes you with a grunt, his voice hoarse.
âOho, is that really something youâre going to scold me for? Right now?â You say incredulously, gesturing to his general state of injury. âThat stinking behemoth wouldâve bitten your head off next if I hadnât disobeyed you, you know!â
âI know. You made the right call.â He nods. The smile he gives you exudes pure pride. It's a foreign expression for you to see him with- to see anyone with, when it comes to you- and one you're not used to being on the receiving end of in general. âThank you.â
"Sure." You try to ignore how flustered this makes you, and help him get to his feet. It must just be your emotions being unhinged from the ordeal. âI wouldâve been an appetizer if you hadnât pushed me out of the way first, so I suppose we can call it even.â
Luckily, his lower body is generally unharmed, so he can still walk unassisted. Once he gets some stronger pain medicine from camp, heâll likely be able to make the trip back to the settlement with little issue.Â
Torg stubbornly insists on giving the dead hexopard a look over before you leave. He has to confirm your kill, apparently.
You donât even want to look at it anymore, the remorse heavy in your gut. Youâre a thief, not a murderer - you donât personally relish in killing living things, even animals. Hopefully hexopard meat is edible, so it nor the elkâs death isnât pointless, but⌠At the end of the day, between the hexopard dying or Torg, you much prefer that it wasnât Torg.
âImagine that, a little cat killed that huge beast on his first hunt!â He remarks in amazement as he looks over the huge carcass. âNever seen anything like it in my years of being Chieftain so far.â
âI mean, usually this trial is done by children, right? That would be quite a feat.â You chuckle in turn. âIâd hate to encounter the little bastard that could manage this...â
Torg seems to find that quite funny as he bellows out a laughing fit, having to wipe a tear from his eye with his good hand.
âYou should be proud.â He adds when heâs composed himself. âItâs a great achievement to take down something so large, all on your own.â
âI didnât do it on my own.â You assert with a smile. âI had an excellent distraction.â
You think, perhaps, youâll leave this out of the next message to your guildmaster as wellâŚ