#Artic-Dweller (Claws of Light) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

yeet-imma-skeet · 5 years ago

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The Sky Is Falling

(Loosely based on @starr-fall-knight-rise 's universe)

A thunderous rumbling shook the gathering area, causing frightened screams to yell out in shock. Metallic silver pillars periodically placed around the mansion sized room held the looming ceiling aloft before they started to groan dangerously as if feeling the dangerous pressure around them. Lights flickered before dimly coming back on again, the glasslike gems hung from swinging chandeliers, barely emanating a yellow glow. The smell of a pungent gas filled the air along with the faint whiff of spilt blood. Another thundering boom echoed once more, making some unseen children bawl uncontrollably.

"Please! Take the children!"

"There's no more room, lazeir, I'm sorry!"

"Then make more, caldat!"

"Yes, please! I'm begging you! Take them!"

"Lazeir! Don't leave me, lazeir!"

"Caldats!! Please save us!"

"Save us!"

"Protect the dolmiers!"

"Come back for us!"

The noise was suddenly quieted as an oval door shut soundlessly into place. The small room brightened slowly, revealing three beings sitting by the opposite wall. They breathed heavily, not because of their lengthy run to their compartment in total disarray, but of the intolerable pressure set on their heads.

One whispered, "There’s room in here... We can take some children and—"

"There is not enough supplies to support us and them on the dolmier quaster, Al. We'll barely make it past the galaxy with them if—when we escape." Another voice interrupted logically, their voice shaking.

"B-but we can try! There's still—"

"My prince." The third being said firmly, "My... friend. I am in charge of both of your safety and wellbeing. Even at the cost of others. Your existence will be a saving grace in the future so I cannot allow you to sacrifice yourself now."

The being stood up, their stance showing fatigue but with great determination, "Let's go... May Matradais guide our course to somewhere resourceful and safe."

The being got the first part right, but was most certainly wrong about the latter.

———————————

It all started on that day. That one damned day. It was all perfect before their majesties came to find their heirs...

The Three Rivers Home was a homeschool like any other. There were a few gentle yet strict lazeirs, non-binary caretakers, who watched over the usual litter of fifty children though they were a variety of different subspecies. The Home stood in between some rivers, the edge of a savanna, and few giant Hollow trees, causing the diversity. It was beautifully built home with plenty of rooms, wings made for school rooms, and multiple obstacles to play on. Laughter could be heard at all times of the day, making any passing adult smile in nostalgia. The white, marble walls stood gleaming and true as messily painted streaks of blue ran around the blank canvas like snakes. A small symbolic prank the lazeirs found endearing. A few children were rare hybrids from the locations and garnered a lot of attention from other kids, welcome or not. One of these children was a small female who had sleek body shape made for speed but her hair curiously a muted purple, a clear sign of someone different than the norm. Besides that, she could climb almost as well as any Sky Dweller though her tail was much clumsier at holding branches. She fell from that mistake that one fateful day.

"Galia you're going to fall."

"No I'm not. See these claws?" She flexed her six fingers, sharp curved claws extended from her fingertips menacingly, "Matradais gave me them for a reason. You're just mad you can't join us up here, flipper face."

The giant Farrisan below lashed his tail at the comment but did no more than just exasperatedly stare above at her. His artic blue eyes seemed to be pinprick lights from fifty feet up in a tree. She giddily hopped on her beastly hind legs, her reptilian toes clawing the tree. Another Farrisan alighted on her branch, swatting her shoulder lightly with his long tufted tail.

"Don't tease him, Gale. He can thrash both our hides if he felt like it."

She tussled his vibrant orange mane of hair, "Only if he catches me first!"

With a whoop and a shout, she launched off the branch, bark flying from her clawed toes' grip. With the grace of a clumsy monkey, she made her way down to the ground as her friends yelled at her for multiple reasons. The orange haired Sky Dweller egged her on while the Sea Dweller below yelled about some dead branch. Dead branch?

Her tail wrapped around a particularly dry branch before she realized the warning.

"FUCK."

"SHIT."

"DUMBASS."

"LANGUAGE!"

As Galia fell, their heads turned towards their lazeir coming at them at full speed. It was a terrifying sight to behold. An angry mane of frizzy red hair plus a set of pissed crimson eyes made them truly wish they hadn't sneaked out during role call and instead crawled into a deep hole to cower in. The Sky Dweller easily maneuvered through the grove of trees, clawed feet digging into bark and tail expertly balancing their form as they grabbed Galia in the nick of time before skidding to a halt on ground. They instantly searched her body, looking for any cuts or bruises before flicking her folded wing-like ear with a finger.

Her arial rang as the sharp sound bounced along her hearing, "Ow! Okay! I get it! That was dumb and I'm sorry."

"You should be! What were you thinking? You're not Sky Dweller enough to do acrobatics like that!"

Galia felt a sliver of familiar heat build up within her. The other two who arrived to check on her immediately knew what she was thinking as they plucked her small form from their lazeir's arms.

"She won't do it again!"

"We'll play something else next time!"

They both looked expectantly at her golden eyes, silently telling her to confirm.

"Yes," She looked away, "I won't."

Their lazeir scrutinized her for a second as they sighed in relief, "Good. I’m just glad you're safe, but we have to get you back in for the gathering. The Sea, Sky, and Land Royals are coming. We can't have anyone missing."

They ushered them towards the homeschool, looking quite frazzled at the past events. Unlike their regular personality, they didn't pay any attention to the trio of young adults silently seething at their past comment. It was a sore spot to mention Galia's shortcomings as a hybrid. Never being one or the other created quite a strain on her expectations and if it wasn't for her two friends, she would've been alone, sad, and angry since the beginning. Now she’s just livid with two other people to keep her in check.

A gust of wind pushed against the group, ruffling the yellow leaves above them and swaying boughs of gray branches. Opening their folded arials curiously, the trio heard the familiar sound of dolmiers, flying pearlescent vehicles, whir closer and closer. Their lazeir ushered them faster as three giant torpedo-shaped dolmiers landed gently onto the open field of trimmed cream grass of their front yard. It was a sight to behold, three uncommonly large and armored dolmiers sat gallantly under the emerald sky, shiny and mysterious.

"Dolmier quasters!" The Sea Dweller whispered, amazed.

"What?"

"Dolmiers made especially for Royals."

The orange hair teased, "Pfft, Wace is all nerd."

"Aleyo, I would've asked for your opinion if I wanted it."

Both young men were thwacked with a red-tufted tail.

"Get. Inside."

They flinched, "Yes lazeir."

Galia chuckled as they walked indoors, Wace combed back his black mane sheepishly while glaring at Aleyo. Al opened an arial, pretending to hear something else.

"Don't ignore me you overgrown monke—"

"No really! I hear something."

Or maybe not.

Low muttering could be heard over the ambient halls. Countless doorways lined the white yet homey halls stretched at their sides, dotted every now and then with pieces of artwork or holographic announcement boards. The doors to gathering space made for meetings were propped opened in the front entrance, revealing rows of whispering young Farrisans staring their way. A rainbow of eyes gazed at them, most with curiosity, some with glee, and a few with exasperation. Every one of their litter mates knew the trio were a special group of friends.

Aleyo was the most gullible of the group, quite trusting in an adorably funny way. Al once got his head stuck in a Stoll tree hollow trying to drink its special sap from the source while, somehow, Galia had convinced him to get her a cup of the bubbly water before he went for it. However, he always helped around with a kind hand no matter how many times he's been tricked. Nobody had the heart to keep screwing with him for long. Especially when they know that both his friends would find ways to unmake them.

Wace was the smartest of the bunch yet just got into a lot more of their shenanigans than he should have. He found robotics and engineering to be his forte which allowed his other two litter mates to have a swell time with his inventions, whether purposely made for shenanigans or not. The Rocket Orb Incident was a tale to tell for the ages. Despite the fact that his partners dragged him into trouble, he found himself the happiest when watching over their antics.

Lastly, Galia was the most willful of the trio and the cause of almost all their shenanigans. Whatever temptation came her way, she would do whatever she could to accomplish it. Climb that dummy high tree? Up there in no sweat with some help from Al. Want the best sun spot to lay in? Make a convoluted plan with Wace to maneuver a littermate out of the spot. Craving for the last piece of steak fruit? Sprint through litter mates and if she failed to get one, beg with wide eyes to close friends. Those glittery golden eyes always gained her delicious meals though Wace and Al were somewhat immune to the charm.

Everyone knew they were stupidly close and no doubt knew that they planned to stay close even when their territorial urges come. They couldn't imagine them in any other way.

The trio joined the lined ranks, muttering a few apologies for brushing against tails and exchanging a few knowing stares. They found their spot among the first rows facing the back of the room where a podium stood. Switching into a more polite mindset, they stood respectfully in place like nothing had happened. Especially incidents involving falling off trees. Their watchful lazeir sighed at the sight as they stood with other lazeirs to welcome their now approaching guests.

The first thing the litter noticed was the sudden pressure in the air. Some feeling made their arials twitch, their bodies tensed, and their eyes lock onto the entrance.

Tall, muscled adults stalked in, looking relaxed yet attentively alert. Each had a weapon in hand, some with pearlescent gauntlets, few with kinetic guns, and fewer with gleaming tridents. All of them wore a gray tailcoats over armor, both leather and metal plated. The intimidating atmosphere they created chilled the younger Farrisans to the core. Never have they met such adults armed to the teeth.

A giant Sea Dweller stood forward, faintly smelling of salt, "Stand at attention for his majesty of the Land"

A chorus of moving occurred as the litter and their lazeirs bowed their heads, curled their tails to their backs, and opened arials wide to tilt downwards in respect. Quiet footsteps echoed through their arials along with swishing of loose clothing.

"Greetings young ones." A Plain Dweller stepped forward from the guards. His sleek form, though small, subtly demanded attention. His tailcoat was exquisitely bright cream, matching the most vibrant of savanna grasses. A wreath of golden vines adorned his tawny mane, a crown proving his identity as a king as did the rest of his extravagant clothing. The litter grew curious of another wreath held within his hands, a smaller and daintier version of his own until they remembered what happened years ago. His mate had died due to an emerging disease. As it was new and is currently still incurable, she died after laying the heir's egg. As did another king's mate.

He suddenly stood in place, knocking everyone out of their thoughts. His deep sage eyes stared ahead at one of the litter, a young Plain Dweller known as Kial in the middle of a row. Though he had shadow gray hair, his confused eyes were the same as the king's. He nervously shuffled in place under his majesty's gaze.

"You... What is your name?" The king asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

The young man stuttered, "Uh— K-Kial, your majesty."

"Kial!" His arials quivered with joy, "My heir! He's here!"

Disbelief filled the room as the king ran to him, ignoring all etiquette and precautions. His guards scrambled to reach his side as he happily introduced himself to the shocked man.

His litter mates broke into whispers, "Kial!"

"Him?"

"The playboy?"

"The clown?"

Some giggled as they were shushed by their lazeirs.

They silently watched as the king gently touched the man's face, turning him this way and that.

"You look so much like your mother."

"I do? She must've been hot."

The king laughed, a gravelly yet wholesome sound, "You also have her humor! You are definitely our son!"

The guards who arrived acknowledged the words by bowing their heads with open arials. Though his litter mates were still in shock, they also followed along in showing respect to a newfound prince.

Galia flicked an arial towards the entrance, hearing a few more heavy steps entering the room. Too curious to ignore the noise, she cast an eye at the doorway and did a double take. How the heck does Wace and Aleyo have grown twins? With armed guards. Wearing fancy crowns... It was like looking into grumpy and wrinkly pictures them using a cheap photo filter but one of them's a female.

Her eyes grew into golden saucers as she nudged both her friends in their bow.

Al nudged back, "Gale what the hell?"

"Uh—"

Wace whisper-yelled, "I swear to the goddess if you two are playing tailsey at this time I will—"

"What the fuck? No ther—"

"Language." Their frizzy haired lazeir hissed quietly.

"Fine. Why the fuck—"

"Gale! They're still our lazeir!"

"—do their majesties—"

"There’s only one here?"

"—loOK LIKE YOU GUYS?!"

Her angry voice slashed through the silence, causing heads to shoot up at her.

"What?" They asked.

She exasperatedly motioned to the door. Their gazes followed then stopped, stuck on the two towering adults at the door with guards at their tails. Both were ginormous for their species, making both of them duck under the doorways by a large margin. The Sea Dweller queen gathered the most attention as her imposing figure cast a long shadow onto the floor. Scars of past duels and battles dotted her tail and her body under the embroidered navy tailcoat. A silver crown of coral adorned her short black tresses as her piercing blue eyes seemed to look throughout the room yet not at the same time.

Her gaze first landed on Galia for her outburst, making her feel like an insignificant bug under her chin. She did not like the aura around her. She felt sharp, pointy, and worst of all... cold.

The other king stood forward, his arials perked up and his sky green eyes glimmering with some hidden emotion. Light danced off his bronze crown of thicket vine, illuminating his orange mane like a bonfire. A similar wreath of metal was held in his claws. A sure sign that he had also lost his mate. He held a warm yet regal atmosphere, motioning for someone to come closer. But who?

He locked eyes with Al, "You. Come closer."

Aleyo looked at his friends, both of them sending comforting gazes before he tentatively stepped out of the row. He paused at a few steps, still bowing his head in nervous respect.

"What is your name, young man?"

He gulped, "Aleyo, sir. Al for short."

"Aleyo..." The king whispered, "So you were also here, my heir."

Al looked up in surprise, both his friends even more so. The room filled with loud barely concealed gasps. The other two felt dread crawl into their hearts. Every heir found had to go with their majesties the day they're found and chances of ever meeting them again were slim to none. Would they ever see him again?

The Sea Queen rose a stiff hand, silencing the room in an instant. Her head slowly turned towards Wace as she also motioned him to come forward. Gale's heart dropped to her tail. It aches and cried as he escaped her reach. It couldn't be. It can't be.

Finally, the brawny queen asked him the dreaded question, "What is your name?"

Wace stood silent. He bowed to the authority but did not say a word.

The queens's close guard thudded his trident on the ground, "Your queen asked you a question, youngling."

Al felt growing fear as he watched him stay quite. Gale only felt sorrow but soon mustered up bravery.

She stepped forward and bowed her head lower, "His name is Wace, your majesty."

Both her friends stared in disbelief, seeing unbelievable acceptance in her cowed form.

"Hmm," She heard the queen hum, "Is that your name? Will you answer me this time instead of your halfbreed littermate?"

Galia gritted her teeth in rage, internally wrestling herself to stay bowed, to stay cowed, and stay in her place. Memories of past adults whispering behind her back crawled their way back into her mind. A poor soul. An incomplete being. A halfbreed. What good is a Farrisan who isn't the fastest? What good is she if she's not the best climber either? She loathed their comments. Hypocrites, the lot of them but she couldn’t help feeling the same. What is my worth? Why do I exist? Emptiness replaced her fury as she felt more hollow than ever.

Seconds past until she began noticing her friends openly glaring at the Sea Queen, unafraid of her power and strength. Oh boy. Those two amazing yet daft litter mates.

"Yes my name is Wace, but don't you dare call my friend that again." His stance stood wide, unyielding to the giant’s scrutiny.

Al growled, an unexpected sound coming from the kind person, "What he said."

The air felt chilled, suffocating the room. The rest of the litter and the lazeirs looked on in horror as the Sea Queen's face turned sour and her guards grow in hostility. Tension grew but nobody flicked an arial.

The Sky King quickly stood between the glaring pair, "Apologies on the behalf of my heir. I'm sure they don't mean to cause harm, Warina. They're clearly close."

"But father I—"

Al was shushed by a stern look by the king.

Narrowing her eyes, the Sea Queen eased her guards with a swift raise of a tail. The air loosened as the litter and lazeirs shuffled uneasily. Galia let go of a breath she never knew she held. She wanted nothing more than to sink to the ground in relief until she felt a sliver of fear stab through her body. Though it was quick, she felt someone staring through her soul with hatred. Behind. It was behind her. Quite unexpected since she thought the Sea Queen the culprit but she was clearly in front of her. Odd...

"Before I was rudely interrupted," Her silky voice cut through the room, "It seems that all of our heirs have been raised here."

No amount of guards or, in fact, royals could quiet the astonished din the litter and lazeirs made.

"All of them!"

"We had all princes here the whole time?"

"A first in history!"

"Poor Galia..."

Poor Galia indeed. Her world felt like crumbling apart. Not them. They have been through everything. They planned to be neighbors. They wanted to be together til the end, even if they found mates and grew withered with age. Instead, she will stay they way she is as they will grow wise, grand, and famous. Rulers of the Sky and Sea, leaving her behind. Unless...

She stepped between her royal friends, arials open in reverence and tail painfully curled further upon her back as she put her heart out. Please let her come!

"Your majesties, may I be trained under your vigilance?" She asked.

The room gawked as the Royals found themselves surprised at the rarely asked ageold question. Her friends even more so. Galia had directly asked their royal highnesses to be a Vigil, the highest caste of warrior especially trained under royal guards. They were known as mysterious yet deadly soldiers who were constantly forced to always do missions on and off world for Royals. In other words, Farrisans who volunteered to be without a territory, thoroughly destroying any chances of them ever having a home and most importantly, a mate.

"Gale no!"

"If this is for us then—"

Another voice cut through, "Can I have her?"

The Land King walked away from the rows of the litter, a confused Kial and guards in tow.

"You have plenty of Vigils from my given forces. Might I have this one serve me?" He asked again.

Galia felt the stab of fear again, staggering a step away from the king. Hate. She felt hate emanate from his very body. How nobody noticed was beyond her. Why? Why does he feel like rotten intent when he looked like he was having the best day of his life. Wait—

"Very well."

"We have no need. Train her well."

Wace and Aleyo prepared to dissuade their parents when they were gently knocked behind the knees with Galia's tail. She shook her head, sending the most determined gaze instead. The guards readied weapons at her preposterous treatment of their new princes when the Land King raised a tail.

He cheerfully said the malicious first words of many to come, "No need. We'll train our new Vigil quite well..."

Without hesitation, they left their separate ways before anyone could process what truly happened. The trio barely met eyes as they were torn apart. That fateful day was only the first before their world would truly fall apart.

(Part 2: https://yeet-imma-skeet.tumblr.com/post/613800854138552320/the-sky-has-fallen)

#science #scifi writing #scifi #alien #humans are space australians #short fiction #original story #humans are space orcs #fiction #story #writer #fantasy #starr fall knight rise #farrisan

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your-local-grubdog · 4 years ago

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(uhh here’s hoping tumblr doesn’t destroy the quality of this!!!)

ANYWAYS so I haven’t gotten a chance to tell you guys but I’m writing a Pikmin fanfic thingy. I have no idea when I’m gonna start posting it though. This fanfic also takes place in an AU! Most of the changes are little details that just pile up on one another lol. The biggest change - and the change that gives this AU it’s name - are the Star Touched Pikmin.

This isn’t a Star Touched Pikmin. They will be getting their own post thingy later. Until then I guess you can sit and think about what a Star Touched Pikmin is.

THIS cutie here is actually a Wooly Pikmin! One of a number of normal Pikmin types I’m adding to the AU. They’re very soft and also like the cold. Their flower is based on the Artic Poppy.

I wrote a little bio for them here, so if you want to learn more about them + what they can do then read on!

Stats

Size: Large (in image, a Red Pikmin is used to compare heights)

Strength (a scale of 1-10, Red Pikmin being a 7): 8

Preferred Climate: Boreal Forests

Immunities: none (cold resistant)

Known Regions: Poles (temporary, only in summer), Snagret Spine (a mountain region), The Silent Forest, Bulborb Home, Cloud Run, Great Wood (Boreal forests), and Frost Fields (a tundra).

Notes

Wooly Pikmin are a species native to colder regions. Most often found in boreal forests, they use their powerful claws to climb trees, rocks, and ice. They have been noted to not slip as easily on ice due to these claws and the paw-pads on their feet. Their thick coats keep them warm in these harsh regions, but can lead to them feeling uncomfortable in warmer temperatures. The few Pikmin that leave their snowy areas for more temperate regions have been seen to shed excess fur. They refuse to visit any sort of arid or tropical climate.

The troops seen in their natural boreal habitat are arboreal, dwelling exclusively in the trees. They almost never come into contact with the ground, save for the collection of dirt. They bring this dirt back to their main hollow, where in their onion resides. They take great care in ensuring their soil is rich in nutrients and free of pests to ensure the next generation of Wooly Pikmin are as strong as possible.

A few troops have been seen to live within the brush of open tundras or the tops of mountains, but this appears to be rare. Even more rare are the troops that migrate to the poles during the summer months. Only three troops have been recorded taking part in this migration.

Wooly Pikmin are one of the few species of Pikmin to be active mostly at night. It appears that, at least in their natural boreal habitat, most of their predators are ground dwellers. Thus the Pikmin are able to take advantage of the darkness to gather materials and nutrients. It is unknown if their nighttime activities caused them to lack pupils, or if their lack of pupils caused their nocturnal behavior.

Despite being largely nocturnal, a few individuals are willing to work in the day in order to interact with the various Star Troops. However, without pupils, any sort of light is extra harsh on them. Thus it is not uncommon to see them wearing crude sunglasses, typically made from smoky quartz, when mulling about in the daylight.

Sunglasses are not the only fashion these Pikmin have! A very small number has been seen wearing the various vests and ribbons of the Star Troops. Every single Wooly Pikmin also paints a third "eye" in the middle of their forehead, and an even larger fourth "eye" on the backs of their heads. It is thought that this is done to help ward off predators.

Most interestingly of all is the Pikmin's show of rank. They will weave various objects into their grey mane to display their status. Wooden beads - which they make themselves - denote their age. Teeth are the true symbols of rank, and they will always default to following the Pikmin with the most. Lastly there are bone shards, which seem to serve more so as trophies than anything else. If you happen to run into a troop of these Pikmin and they give you these items, do not turn them down. Instead, try to attach them to your suit! Just about any way seems to work for them. It will strengthen your bond and make them respect you more. On that same note, keep a good eye on how many teeth they award you, and be sure to respect and follow any Pikmin of a higher rank.

#pikmin #fakemin #fan pikmin #pikmin au #star touched AU #pikmin star touched

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